State Lawmakers and State Futures Convene Day of Solidarity at Minnesota State Capitol, National Virtual Press Call, and Release Video to Condemn Lawless Federal Actions and Stand with Minnesota

Lawmakers from 27 states to gather in solidarity with Minnesota; highlight coordinated legislative alliance to protect communities; and release solidarity video

SAINT PAUL, MN – On Thursday, January 29, following a groundswell of support from state lawmakers nationwide, more than 40 legislators from 13 states will gather in-person at the Minnesota State Capitol for a Day of Solidarity with their Minnesota colleagues.

This Day of Solidarity, organized by state legislators in partnership with State Futures, will confront increasing federal authoritarian tactics and the escalation of force against Minnesota residents in the wake of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents. Minnesota is a testing ground for the federal regime, as part of a national project to suppress the power of the people. State legislators are standing together in solidarity to reject these tactics and demand accountability.

In addition, a national virtual press call that day will include more than 100 state legislators from 26 states.

The Stand with Minnesota Day of Solidarity includes: 

• Minnesota Senate Select Subcommittee on Federal Impacts Hearing on ICE activity in Minnesota;

• In-person press conference at the Minnesota Capitol; 

• A national virtual press call bringing together more than 100 state lawmakers from 27 states across the country;

• A new video with 36 lawmakers from 11 states expressing solidarity with Minnesota and calling for accountability.

• Lawmakers may attend site visits to impacted neighborhoods, schools and businesses, holding conversations with communities affected by constant ICE occupation.

These actions underscore a growing cross-state legislative coalition working in solidarity to assert state authority, protect communities, and respond with clarity and purpose as federal actions continue to escalate.

EVENT DETAILS

WHAT: Stand with Minnesota Day of Solidarity 

WHEN: Thursday, January 29, 2026

• 10:00 AM CT – Senate Hearing on ICE Activity in Minnesota

• 2:00 PM CT – In-Person Press Conference

• 3:00 PM CT – National Zoom Press Call (zoom info below)

WHERE:
Minnesota Senate Building
95 University Ave. W.
Saint Paul, MN 55155

Senate Select Subcommittee on Federal Impacts Hearing will be held in MSB Rm. 1100

The in-person press conference will be held in the Capitol Press Conference Room B71. 

ZOOM LINK (for 3:00 PM CT national press call): https://zoom.us/meeting/register/WLsPHnt4R_KZleyfi3zv7w

WHO

State Futures is a national nonprofit supporting more than 650 state policymakers from 48 states, advancing coordinated state leadership through policy development, research, and cross-state collaboration.

Participants in-person will include 40+ state lawmakers from 13 states:

• Minnesota

• Wisconsin

• Montana

• Colorado

• Illinois

• Rhode Island

• Oregon

• Michigan

• Georgia

• Missouri

• North Dakota

• North Carolina

• Tennessee

Participants for the virtual national press call will include 100+ state lawmakers from 27 states:

• Minnesota

• Wisconsin

• Montana

• Utah

• Colorado

• Illinois

• Rhode Island

• Oregon

• Michigan

• Georgia

• Missouri

• North Dakota

• South Dakota

• North Carolina

• Tennessee

• New Mexico

• Pennsylvania

• New York

• New Hampshire

• Hawaii

• New Jersey

• Kansas

• Ohio

• Iowa

• Maine

• Washington

• Vermont

This Stand with Minnesota Day of Solidarity sends a clear national message: when federal enforcement escalates violence and overreach, states will act—together—to protect their communities and democratic principles.

Media Contact:

Gaby Goldstein, President, State Futures
Email: gaby@statefutures.org
Website: www.statefutures.org

How State Legislatures Can Strengthen Election Integrity and Security

New Resource from State Futures and the Brennan Center Details How State Legislatures Can Act as Federal Infrastructure Erodes

JANUARY 6, 2026 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the nation heads into an unprecedented election year marked by escalating threats to election administration and a dramatic federal retreat from election security, a new issue brief released today by State Futures and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law provides an urgent roadmap for how state legislatures can protect election integrity, defend election workers, and preserve public trust in democracy.

The issue brief, How State Legislators Can Protect Election Integrity and Security, comes at a critical moment. States have long borne primary responsibility for administering and securing elections, but recent cuts to federal cybersecurity support, the defunding of national information-sharing networks, weakened deterrence against election threats, and new federal efforts to interfere directly in state election administration have stripped away key layers of coordination, resources, and backup that states and local officials have relied on for years.

“We are heading into a high-risk election cycle with states doing the same core work they have always done — but with far less federal support behind them,” said Gaby Goldstein, President of State Futures. “State legislators are central to ensuring elections remain secure, fair, and functional. This brief is a practical playbook for how lawmakers can use their authority to meet that responsibility at a moment of heightened risk.”

The brief documents a rapidly deteriorating federal election security landscape, including reductions in election security staffing and services at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA); the elimination of funding for national information-sharing networks; weakened accountability for election-related threats and intimidation; and new executive actions signaling direct federal interference in voting systems, mail voting, and election administration.

Drawing on real-world examples from across the country, the resource outlines concrete steps legislators can take now, including:

• Protecting voting systems through access controls, chain-of-custody requirements, robust testing, and risk-limiting audits;

• Defending election workers from threats, harassment, and doxing, and strengthening penalties for intimidation;

• Replacing lost federal support by funding state-level cybersecurity tools, election security navigator programs, and interagency response teams;

• Using oversight and investigations to expose interference, demand transparency, and build public trust; and

• Exercising public leadership to counter misinformation and reassure voters.

The brief is intended as a practical, nonpartisan resource for lawmakers across chambers and parties who recognize that secure, trusted elections are foundational to democratic governance.

Read the full issue brief: How State Legislators Can Protect Election Integrity and Security

About State Futures

State Futures is a national nonprofit supporting a growing network of more than 650 values-aligned state legislators and State Financial Officers across the country. State Futures facilitates cross-state collaboration on democracy and elections, labor, health care, immigration and capital strategies, supporting both rapid-response coordination and long-term policy working groups. For more information, visit https://www.statefutures.org.

About the Brennan Center for Justice

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is a nonpartisan law and policy institute working to reform, revitalize — and when necessary, defend — the nation’s systems of democracy and justice. The Brennan Center focuses on voting rights, election security, campaign finance reform, and protecting constitutional democracy through research, advocacy, and litigation. For more information, visit https://www.brennancenter.org/

Media Contact:

Gaby Goldstein, President, State Futures
Email: gaby@statefutures.org
Website: www.statefutures.org

State Futures Joined by State Lawmakers from 7 States for Joint Briefing on Rule-of-Law Legislation and Coordinated Federal Response

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 18, 2025 – State Futures hosted twelve state legislators from seven states for a joint virtual press conference highlighting a coordinated, multi-state effort to respond to escalating federal actions that undermine constitutional protections, target immigrant communities, and disregard court orders. During the briefing, lawmakers shared updates on bills already enacted in their states, and discussed legislation set to be introduced in upcoming legislative sessions and the value of cross-state collaboration. 

Participating state lawmakers with enacted and proposed rule-of-law protection bills included:

• California Asm. Alex Lee

• Colorado Sen. Mike Weissman and Rep. Lorena Garcia

• Illinois Sen. Graciela Guzmán

• Maryland Del. Nicole Williams

• New York Sens. Andrew Gounardes, Patricia Fahy, Shelley Mayer, and Zellnor Myrie, and Asm. Micah Lasher

• Pennsylvania Sen. Amanda Cappelletti

• Virginia Del. Irene Shin

BACKGROUND:
Across the country, state lawmakers are stepping in as the federal government abandons long-standing norms and obligations. Federal immigration enforcement has become increasingly aggressive and opaque, including the use of masked agents and raids in sensitive locations such as schools, libraries, and courthouses.

In response, states have advanced a suite of rule-of-law protections, including:

• Bans on 287(g) agreements between state and local police and ICE

• “No Secret Police” bills prohibiting masked law enforcement and requiring visible identification

• Protections for sensitive locations such as schools, churches, and libraries

• Private rights of action allowing residents to sue under state law if their civil rights are violated by federal agents

Together, these protections form the backbone of a coordinated response to federal overreach. States have a tremendous opportunity to work together to protect communities and the rule of law, and lawmakers emphasized that collaboration across states is essential to elevating and sustaining this movement. 

The lawmakers sent a clear message: when the federal government fails to uphold the rule of law, states are stepping up - together - to protect their communities and defend constitutional principles.

Strengthening Workers’ Rights through Interstate Cooperation

As Federal Labor Protections Diminish, New Report Charts Collaborative State Response

State Futures and NYU Wagner Labor Initiative release roadmap for interstate action on workers’ rights

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new report released today by State Futures and the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative lays out a bold, practical roadmap for how states can join forces to protect workers’ rights in the face of federal retreat on workers’ rights.

The Issue Brief, Strengthening Workers’ Rights and Labor Protections Through Interstate Cooperation, offers a playbook for how states can coordinate policy, enforcement and visibility - using tools like interstate compacts and tactics like joint enforcement, resource pooling, and coordinating legislation to amplify impact across borders.

“This is a moment of crisis, but also one of opportunity,” said Gaby Goldstein, President of State Futures. “States don’t need permission to act. By sharing resources, harmonizing standards, coordinating legislation and holding low-road employers accountable across borders, states can reshape the labor landscape on behalf of working people despite the disintegration of federal protections.”

“At this time of federal rollbacks, states are a crucial defense against corporations that commit wage theft, provide dangerous workplaces, illegally retaliate, and otherwise exploit workers,” said Terri Gerstein, Director of the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative. “By taking joint action and collaborating, states can achieve greater impact and economies of scale—not only enforcing existing laws but also achieving genuine wins and advancing workers’ rights.”

The brief shares existing examples of state cooperation and outlines new proposals such as:

• Regional mediation services to replace the dismantled Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS); 

• Shared databases of labor violators to coordinate debarment and enforcement; 

• Augmented joint enforcement against corporations that violate laws in multiple states; 

• Joint “drop dates” for labor legislation across states to build visibility and momentum; and 

• Interstate Compacts to raise labor standards and align procurement

This brief follows a recent Labor Day op-ed by Goldstein and Gerstein in Talking Points Memo, calling for a multi-state surge of pro-worker policy as federal institutions retreat. The brief builds on that vision with specific strategies and tools that can be adapted by lawmakers, governors, attorneys general, and labor commissioners.

View the full Issue Brief.

About State Futures
State Futures is a national nonprofit that supports a growing network of 600+ values-aligned state legislators and State Financial Officers, facilitating cross-state collaboration on issues like labor, health care, immigration, and elections. State Futures supports both rapid-response coordination and long term working groups that serve as hubs of policy expertise, strategy, and multi-state action. For more, visit https://www.statefutures.org. 

About NYU Wagner Labor Initiative
The NYU Wagner Labor Initiative studies and catalyzes the often-untapped potential of government in relation to workers' rights. Based at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the Labor Initiative helps government work for workers, by serving as a hub of analysis, research, and implementation guidance, as well as idea generation and dissemination, related to the role of government in advancing and protecting workers’ rights, with a special focus on state and local government. For more, visit https://wagner.nyu.edu/laborinitiative

Media Contacts:

Gaby Goldstein, President, State Futures
Website: www.statefutures.org

Terri Gerstein, Director, NYU Wagner Labor Initiative 
Website: https://wagner.nyu.edu/laborinitiative

Immigration + Rule of Law

Washington, DC — State Futures today released a new Issue Brief spotlighting the surge of state-level action on immigration. The memo is packed with examples of bills, hearings, lawsuits, and communications from across the country. It’s a compendium for lawmakers, activists and journalists looking for ideas and examples of how states can assert authority in response to an emboldened federal immigration agenda.

“Last week, the Supreme Court greenlit racial profiling in immigration enforcement,” said Gaby Goldstein, Founder and President of State Futures. “If Washington cannot - or will not - protect communities and the rule of law, states must. Not timidly or in isolation, but creatively, aggressively, and collaboratively. The good news is, they already are - if you know where to look. There is a massive swell of state activity - but until now, concrete examples have been scattered and siloed. This Issue Brief pulls them together in one place: a clear framework, dozens of case studies, and a roadmap for how states can act.”

Highlights from the Issue Brief include:

• Legislation: From New York’s “Avelo Airlines bill,” to bills in 3 states to withhold federal taxes if DC owes the state funds, to 7 states banning local ICE partnerships.
  

• Oversight & Investigations: State lawmakers in Florida and New York forcing access to detention facilities, holding “people’s hearings,” and creating task forces.
  

• Litigation: Legislators are serving as plaintiffs and witnesses in lawsuits against federal detention practices and facilities.
  

• Strategic Communications: Cross-state press conferences, floor speeches, and social campaigns making the fight visible.

The Issue Brief comes on the heels of a cross-state policy convening hosted by State Futures, where legislators shared ideas and learnings, as well as a recent national mobilization call - co-hosted by State Futures with Public Citizen, Indivisible, MoveOn, and Stand Up America - that drew thousands of participants into a conversation about the crucial role of state electeds in protecting the rule of law.

About State Futures
State Futures is a national nonprofit that supports a network of 550+ values-aligned state policymakers, including legislators and State Financial Officers. Our network helps state leaders learn from each other, innovate together, and take coordinated action across states. 

Media Contact:
Gaby Goldstein, President
www.statefutures.org