An increasing number of states are empowering workers to opt out of coercive speech: State legislation by state, 2006–2026
| State | State status | Enacted legislation | Enacted indicator | Current proposed legislation | Introduced indicator | Past proposed legislation | Past proposed indicator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | |||||||
| Alaska | Enacted | Ballot Measure 1 passed by referendum (2024) | 1 | HB 179 (2024); SB 109 (2023) | 1 | ||
| Arizona | |||||||
| Arkansas | |||||||
| California | Enacted | SB 399 (2023) | 1 | ||||
| Colorado | Not enacted | HB 26-1005 vetoed by Governor Jared Polis (2026); HB 24-1260 vetoed by Governor Jared Polis (2024); HB 06-1314 vetoed by Governor Bill Owens (2006) | 1 | ||||
| Connecticut | Enacted | SB 163 (2022) | 1 | HB 5460 (2011) | 1 | ||
| Delaware | HB 84 | 1 | |||||
| Florida | |||||||
| Georgia | |||||||
| Hawaii | Enacted | SB 2715 (2024) | 1 | ||||
| Idaho | |||||||
| Illinois | Enacted | SB 3649 (2024) | 1 | ||||
| Indiana | |||||||
| Iowa | |||||||
| Kansas | |||||||
| Kentucky | |||||||
| Louisiana | |||||||
| Maine | Enacted | SP 702 / LD 1756 (2023) | 1 | ||||
| Maryland | Enacted | SB 417 (2026) | 1 | HB 0802 (2024) | 1 | ||
| Massachusetts | Not Enacted | S.958 (2023); H.2183 (2026) | 1 | ||||
| Michigan | HB 4236/S.567 (2023); HB 5826 (2022); HB 4467 (2009) | 1 | |||||
| Minnesota | Enacted | HF 2442 (2022) | 1 | ||||
| Mississippi | |||||||
| Missouri | Not enacted | HB 1416 (2010) | 1 | ||||
| Montana | |||||||
| Nebraska | |||||||
| Nevada | |||||||
| New Hampshire | |||||||
| New Jersey | Enacted‡ | §34:19-10 (2006); A4429 (2025) | 1 | ||||
| New Mexico | Not enacted | HB 277 (2013); HB 245 (2023) | 1 | ||||
| New York | Enacted | S.4982 / A.6604 (2023) | 1 | ||||
| North Carolina | |||||||
| North Dakota | |||||||
| Ohio | |||||||
| Oklahoma | |||||||
| Oregon | Enacted | ORS 659.785 (2010) | 1 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Introduced | HB 64 (2025) | 1 | HB 2540 (2024) | 1 | ||
| Rhode Island | Enacted | HB 5506 (2025) | 1 | H 7106 (2023) | 1 | ||
| South Carolina | |||||||
| South Dakota | |||||||
| Tennessee | HB 3263 (2003) | 1 | |||||
| Texas | |||||||
| Utah | |||||||
| Vermont | Enacted | S. 102 (2023) | 1 | ||||
| Virginia | Not Enacted | SB 485 (2024) (2025) same bill number both years | 1 | ||||
| Washington | Enacted | SB 5778 (2024) | 1 | SB 5446 (2009) | 1 | ||
| Washington D.C. | |||||||
| West Virginia | Not enacted | HB 4132 (2008) | 1 | ||||
| Wisconsin | Rescinded‡ | SB 585 passed but later rescinded as part of a legal settlement (2009) | 1 | ||||
| Wyoming |
Notes:
‡ Under New Jersey statute §34:19-10, labor union communications are not classified as "political matters," allowing anti-union captive audience meetings. Bill A 4429 (2024) proposes to redefine labor union communications as "political matters."
Wisconsin enacted Act 290 in 2009 but agreed to stop enforcing it as part of a settlement to resolve legal challenges to the law.
Employment data refer to workers ages 16+. Self-employed and self-incorporated workers are excluded. Data are not seasonally adjusted.
Source: Authors' analysis of state legislation and 2023 employment data from the BLS Current Population Survey, accessed via Economic Policy Institute. 2024. Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.49, https://microdata.epi.org.
This chart appears in:
- Coercive speech 2024
- Will Illinois be next to tackle the problem of ‘captive audience’ meetings?: Rights and freedoms of 22.7 million workers now protected in seven states
- Coercive speech blog Nov 2024
- NLRB rules anti-union captive audience meetings an illegal abuse of employer power: States must also continue to broaden protection of workers’ freedom from employer coercion on political, religious matters