Here at BillTrack50 we like our data. And we like analyzing data. So, as 2024 gets under way, let's take a quick look back at the bills which attracted most attention in 2023. Every time anyone views a bill on our website we log the date and time that happens (though without recording any other identifying data). So I've aggregated the views of bills in 2023 to identify the bills that were most looked at during the year. The top 15 bills are in this stakeholder page, which also shows the number of views the bill had in 2023 and for all time. So let's take a closer look. Of the top 15, three bills are from Texas, three from California and six are from Congress. You'd expect bills from more populous states (and national bills) to have more views than smaller states so that tracks, but we also have bills from states with fewer people such Missouri and Minnesota in the list. Of the 15, only two have become law to date. The others are dead or still in progress.
In Texas - Pay, Land Ownership and Transgender Treatments
Our top bill of 2023 is from Texas and a bit of a surprise, given what a busy legislative year it's been in the Lone Star State. I've written already about the gaggle of special sessions called by the Governor Greg Abbott throughout the latter part of 2023 to try to enact school funding reform and border security legislation, with only very limited success. Those efforts have attracted a great deal of attention, but the bill that BillTrack50 users were most interested in was HB202, a bill that attempted to give certain state employees a $10,000 pay rise to address recruitment issues and dissatisfaction among public employees. It was read a whopping 74,521 times in 2023, twice the number of its nearest rival. The bill itself failed to make waves, as it died in the House appropriations committee. Was it so popular because it touches on the issue of teacher pay, which certainly was a big issue in Texas? We don't know! If you were one of the 74,521 then do tell us what made this bill a must-read.
Also from Texas we have SB147 which aims to prohibit land sales to entities and individuals with ties to North Korea, Russia, China, and Iran. This racked up 12,164 views last year and made it to number 8 on our list, understandable as it was a controversial bill which engendered angry demonstrations. Members of the Asian American community in Houston felt it was discriminatory and could block them from purchasing homes and businesses. Proponents argued that it was necessary to block "foreign adversarial entities" from buying up large swathes of the state. Despite the support of Governor Abbott, and passing out of the Senate with unanimous support, the bill eventually died in the House.
The third Texas bill was SB14 which creeps in at number 15 with 7,060 views. It was another hotly debated bill, which bans transgender youth from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Proponents of the bill argued that the use of such treatments can harm children, a claim strongly disputed by other medical experts who cited their importance in alleviating mental health issues associated with gender dysphoria. The bill is one of the two that was actually enacted, with votes in both chambers going largely along party lines - Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. Despite its legislative success, the new law was challenged in the courts with Texas families and doctors suing the state in July arguing that the new law is unconstitutional because it removes parents' rights to make decisions about their child's health care. A judge temporarily blocked implementation of the law, but the block was swiftly overturned by the Texas Supreme Court and the law went into effect on September 1, pending final resolution of the lawsuit.
In Congress - Work Visas, Technology, Tax and Veterans Compensation
It barely needs saying that none of the most popular (or infamous) bills in Congress this year have actually become law yet. The top federal bill makes it to number two in our list, with an impressive 35,869 views. It is the bipartisan Eliminating Backlogs Act of 2023, which seeks to preserve expiring employment visas for foreign nationals and make sure more are available in 2024 by exempting accumulated backlogs since 1992 from the 7% per country cap. The green card backlog is a familiar problem, with petitioners from some countries waiting decades to be granted work visas. The bill was introduced in March and, despite a great deal of interest from many settled migrant communities across the US, has failed to make it out of committee in the House.
Also from Congress, we have the RESTRICT Act, with 14,179 views coming in at fifth place. It seeks to identify and mitigate foreign threats to technology products in the US. Another bipartisan bill, it was introduced in the Senate in March and remains in committee. The bill enjoys widespread support, including from the White House, in the face of growing cybersecurity threats from foreign powers and potential vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. It was introduced in March following concerns about TikTok and other social media companies which are foreign owned. Despite appearing to be heading for a quick win, the bill has since struggled in the face of concerns it could curtail personal freedoms and expand government surveillance, and some legislator's views that it doesn't go far enough to address the issues. It's passage now looks far less likely.
Three other bills from Congress are curious candidates for this list, as they are tax bills from 2019 and 2021. Despite being very dead, they have still attracted the attention of thousands of our users in 2023. And the final entry from Congress, in 14th place with 7,166 views is the Major Richard Star Act which expands eligibility to veterans' pay and compensation. The bill seeks to address current perceived unfairness with the current law which denies disabled veterans their full compensation.
In California - Veterans' Tax and Guns
In California, the most read bills included AB46 which addresses personal income tax exclusions for veterans. It passed out of the Assembly with unanimous support in May and has since been held in committee in the Senate, meaning it is unlikely to progress further. It attracted 15,544 views and made fourth place in our list. AB1310 requires all prison inmates with enhancements to their sentences due to firearms to have a resentencing hearing, at which hearing the sentence could theoretically be reduced. 12,299 BillTrack50 users viewed the bill, putting it at seventh place. On a related note, SB377 would close a loophole that allows California law enforcement officers to buy illegal handguns for their personal use or to resell them. It received 11,246 views making it to ninth place. Both bills are currently in committee.
In Minnesota - Weed
The second and final of our bills to actually be enacted is HF100 from Minnesota. It's a wide ranging bill authorizing and regulating cannabis use and sale in the state, which was eagerly viewed by 10,141 of our users boosting it to tenth place. It passed through both chambers with the vote splitting along party lines with Democrats in favor and Republicans against. Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize recreational cannabis use with the passage of this bill, which explains its popularity.
And finally, in Missouri it's All About Cars
To close, let's take a moment to look at HB2686 from Missouri. Vehicle insurance at first glance doesn't seem that interesting, but this law establishes the Uninsured Vehicle Enforcement and Compliance Incentive Program, which uses new license plate recognition technology to help identify uninsured vehicles. In 2023 it racked up an impressive 29,634 views by our users putting it in third place. Interest may well reflect privacy concerns over the increasing use of such technology. This performance is even more impressive when you consider that it's a 2020 bill which never even made it out of committee! Since 2020 it's been viewed a staggering 78,220 times. What is it about this bill that keeps so many Missourians coming back to it, years after it quietly died without even a vote? We may never know.
That's it for bills in 2023, let's see what piques interest in 2024. Keep reading those bills!
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About BillTrack50 – BillTrack50 offers free tools for citizens to easily research legislators and bills across all 50 states and Congress. BillTrack50 also offers professional tools to help organizations with ongoing legislative and regulatory tracking, as well as easy ways to share information both internally and with the public.
Cover photo by Ishaq Robin on Unsplash