the rise of another power center# in America, state legislatures Lisa Desjardins explores what# to expect in the coming year.

LISA DESJARDINS: In 2024, lawmakers in statehouses## from California to Kentucky are poised to# wrestl Joining us now to preview an important year# ahead is Reid Wilson, founder of Pluribus News,## which focuses on state-level news and policy.

Reid, we have heard a lot about deficits, national# debt on the federal leve a different situation.

Most of them have to# have balanced budgets.

But I want to ask you,## what is the fiscal picture like?

What are the# bank accounts looking for states right now?

REID WILSON, Founder, Pluribus News:# Well, there's good news and bad news.

This year, states are on have ever spent before.

The bad news is# that the good times are ending and the era## of pandemic era massive budgets are fading# a little bit as the federal money runs out.## States are -- most states are still taking in# much more revenue than they did pre-pandemic.

There are some bleak spots.

In California,# they're in a $68 billion budget hole.## The good news is that a lot of these# states were anticipating a downturn,## and they saved more money than they'd ever# had before in their rainy day funds.

So lot of these states are set up to keep# operating for half-a-year, nine months,## an entire year without raising any additional# revenue if the economy really turns south.

LISA DESJARDINS: But when I hear states looking## at a little bit tighter of a budget REID WILSON: Yes, in some cases, legislators are# starting to talk about raising taxes, but, in most## cases, legislators are talking about cutting taxes# still, especially in places Georgia, Florida.

We're likely to see more tax cuts this year# because a lot of these states are still taking## in much more revenue than they did before# the pandemic.

And because of things a booming## housing market, property taxes are rising.# And so legislators are reacting to that,## trying to lower that property tax burden# that's unexpectedly falling on their residents.

LISA DESJARDINS: From surveying the# national landscape on the state level,## what do you think is the biggest issue# overall that y REID WILSON: When I talk to legislators, almost# no matter what issue we're talking about,## the underlying issue is a work force issue.

The Baby Boomer generation is retiring.

In its# place, the G there aren't enough of them to fill# those jobs.

When I started covering## states a decade-and-a-half ago, a lot# of what I heard from governors wa we stole this business from another state.# We recruited this business successfully.

Now, when I'm talking to governors# and legislators, they're talking## about stealing workers and attracting workers# An d it speaks to the lack of employees# there are to fill state government jobs,## to fill teaching jobs.

I mean,# we see this when you walk into a## restaurant and half the tables are empty# because they don't have enough se The same thing is happening in corrections, in# high-tech manufacturing, basica across the country.

Governor Kristi Noem of South# Dakota a couple of months ago said that basically## the state that has the work force is going to# win the future.

I think she was exactly right.

LISA DESJARDINS: Huh.

One ot 2024 are either Republican-led, both chambers,# or Democratic-led.

I think there's just o Pennsylvania, that in 2024# will have split chambers.

So I want to kind of break down the different# agendas.

When you look at those Democr states, let's start with them.

What do you think# the agenda looks like in those legislatures?

REID WILSON: Well, I have been talking to state# legislative leaders about their priorities over## the next year in just the last few weeks.

And# a lot of them are telling me that they're to be focusing on housing and homelessness, which# are sort of twin crises th There is simply not enough housing in# America.

It takes a long time to build## all of that new stock.

So in the sort of short# run, states are going to be -- the blue states## are going to be working on things like rent# stabilization, trying to keep more people in## their homes and avoid an eviction crisis, like# we avoided in the early days of the The second thing I think we will see# is a lot of measures on gun safety,## trying to limit assault-style weapons,# high-capacity magazines.

And the sort of## key here is that all of these states are working# under the new guidance of the U.S. Supreme Court,## which has struck down a number of blue# state gun safety laws in recent years.

They're trying to figure out what# the justices will allow and just## how far they can push some of this legislation.

LISA DESJARDINS: What about Republican states?

REID WILSON: In Repu cuts that I talked about, teacher# retention, work force retention,## and health care retention,# especially in a state like Florida.

The big initiative this year is going to be on# trying to attract mo a fast-growing state that's older than the# national average.

There are going to be a## lot of seniors in Florida who need that kind of# care.

So they're working on things like reform.

If you're a doctor or a registered# nurse in one state, you move to Florida,## your license can follow you there under a lot of# the reforms that they have been talking about.

A lot of red states are working on# that, that sort of licensure reform,## because a surprising number of jobs require# a professional license.

Th the barriers to entry, make sure that you# can take your job with you, effectively.

LISA DESJARDINS: It is all# about the economy in 2024.

Reid Wilson, thank you so much.

REID WILSON: Thank you, Lisa.