WASHINGTON — As 2025 legislative sessions began this week, Democrats are swiftly prioritizing legislation that moves their communities forward and responds to anticipated attacks from the incoming Trump administration. While the GOP takes control in Washington, Democrats at home in state legislatures have wasted no time in strengthening the legislative firewall against Project 2025 and MAGA extremism.
Here’s a roundup of state Democrats’ priorities across the country:
- In Virginia, Democrats are seeking to advance constitutional amendments that would enshrine abortion rights, restore voting rights for people who have served felony criminal sentences, and secure marriage equality.
- Colorado Democrats introduced the Colorado Voting Rights Act, common-sense gun safety legislation, and a bill that removes a barrier to union organizing.
- In preparation for the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrants, California Democrats are seeking to keep federal agents from detaining undocumented children or their families on or near school property without a warrant.
- Indiana Democrats are vowing to push for strengthened public school funding, fight to rein in health care debt, and work to tackle the state’s maternal health crisis.
- Illinois Democrats have already passed a bill to protect domestic violence victims from gun violence.
- Democrats in Missouri have introduced bills that would lower health care costs, protect pregnant women in courts, and create a tax exemption for period products.
- Michigan Democrats introduced legislation to remove the state’s century-old, homophobic ban on sodomy from the books.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Interim Communications Director Sam Paisley issued the following statement:
“As the country braces for the impact of Trump’s second term, state Democrats have put their heads down and gotten to work on shoring up protections against MAGA extremism. Democrats have hit the ground running in 2025 legislative sessions, prioritizing legislation that will improve lives by strengthening health care, upholding democracy, enhancing community safety, and driving economic growth in their communities. The firewall against Project 2025 and the Trump agenda will be led by state legislative Democrats, and they’re wasting no time in getting to work for families across the country.”
The DLCC is the official arm of the Democratic Party with the sole mission of building Democratic power in the states and setting the national agenda at the state level. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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