Below, we take a look at how five major policy issues that are often discussed in national politics are playing out in local governments by the number of conversations happening at city council meetings, county planning commissions, development meetings, zoning boards, district meetings, school board meetings, state boards, and more (this is the number found at the end of each listed topic). With each policy issue, five emerging or controversial topics have been identified, and those highlighted are of particular interest regarding the construction industry.

CARBON EMISSIONS
The Biden Administration has established a goal of achieving a 100 percent clean energy economy in order to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Local governments are taking their own steps to reduce carbon emissions. Here are some of the most popular strategies that were discussed in 2022.

1.) Clean Transit: Transitioning public transportation toward zero- or low- emission vehicles (2,447)
2.) Building Electrification: Shifting to the use of electricity rather than fossil fuels for heating and cooking (1,841)
3.) Carbon Capture: Capturing and storing carbon dioxide produced by power generation and industry before it enters the atmosphere (1,035)
4.) Decarbonization: Reducing carbon dioxide emissions and greenhouse gas output through low-carbon power sources (882)
5.) Fossil Fuel Bans: Restricting or banning new fossil fuel infrastructure, fossil fuel production, and natural gas hookups in new construction (390)

VEHICLE POLICY
The emergence of autonomous driving technology and electric vehicles has many implications for local driving laws, transportation infrastructure, and more. Communities are responding to these new technologies, as well as concerns about carbon emissions, with a variety of policies related to vehicles.

1.) Electric Vehicles: Regulating vehicles that use one or more electric motors for propulsion, including road and rail vehicles, aquatic vessels, and aircraft (12,211)
2.) EV Charging Infrastructure: Planning for electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure (6,297)
3.) Autonomous Vehicles: Regulating the use of autonomous vehicles (648)
4.) Gas Powered Vehicle Bans: Discussing the possibility of banning gas-powered vehicles (50)
5.) Personal Vehicle Policy: Regulating personal vehicles, including insurance info, allowance/restriction in certain areas, discussions relating to ride-sharing/vehicles for hire, etc (38)

CLEAN ENERGY
Driven by concerns about climate change and a desire to produce energy locally, communities are exploring a wide variety of options for the generation and distribution of clean energy.

1.) Solar Policy: Discussions related to the development and usage of solar power for the purposes of electricity generation, and updates to solar code and ordinances (9,493)
2.) Biomass and Biogas Energy: Discussions related to using plant or animal materials as fuel to produce energy (1,968)
3.) Wind Policy: Policy, plans, funding, and broad issues surrounding wind energy (1,662)
4.) Distributed Generation: Discussions related to technologies that generate electricity at or near where it will be used (472)
5.) Geothermal Energy: Discussions related to capturing and using the heat produced by the earth's core for heating structures, or generating steam to produce electricity (42)

HEALTHCARE
New technologies and medical developments in healthcare delivery, the ongoing opioid crisis, and changing cultural attitudes about reproductive health have pushed a variety of healthcare-related issues to the foreground in local government discussions.

1.) Substance Abuse & Misuse: Discussions about substance abuse prevention and assistance; includes initiatives for those currently experiencing substance abuse as well as those in recovery (3,780)
2.) Abortion: Policies, discussions, and regulations related to the various methods for terminating a pregnancy (1,568)
3.) Telehealth: Regulating remote health services including virtual health visits, pharmacy services, and remote dentistry (424)
4.) Controlled Substances: Policies and discussions regarding controlled substances (248)
5.) Psychedelic Drugs: Discussions, policies and regulations about psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin mushrooms (4)

LABOR
As many industries face labor shortages and rising labor costs, organizations are looking into a variety of ways to enhance their productivity and efficiency without adding more full-time staff. Some of those efforts include changing employees scheduling policies, investing in robotics and automation, and relying on independent contractors. In many cases, these strategies have led to backlash from workers and organizations representing workers, prompting local governments to examine the issues.

1.) Wages: Discussions related to minimum wage, living wage laws, hazard/hero pay and equal compensation (5,344)
2.) Prevailing Wages: Discussions related to regulations that require certain companies to pay the average hourly rate of wages and benefits paid to similarly employed workers in a given geography (4,795)
3.) Independent Contractor Policy: Discussions regarding independent contractors, gig workers, and app-based workers, including issues such as portable benefits, hourly restrictions, etc (2,202)
4.) Robotics in the Workforce: Discussions surrounding the use of robotics and automation in the workforce, especially to replace human labor (63)
5.) Secure Schedule: Discussion on workforce rights for employees to have notice of their schedule in advance (48)

The data above was sourced from Curate and its database, which includes weekly meeting minutes and agency documents from more than 12,000 cities, counties, and districts; more than 4,000 school  boards; and more than 200 state boards.