WRDI Watch

Earlier this year, someone close to me spent three months caring for a parent facing a major health crisis. During that time, Oregon's paid leave program meant she could focus on caring for her father without going months without a paycheck.

As I watched her navigate that experience, I wondered what that same situation would have looked like somewhere else.

Questions like that sit at the heart of WRDI's work. That's why I continue to expand our tracking across all 50 states and Washington, DC—helping women better understand the policies shaping their lives.

You'll see that focus reflected in this week's featured stories, including one from Lisa Rockelli Gordon, WRDI's first guest author. I'm very excited to share her work with you.

Thanks for reading.

— Julie

In Brief

This week's featured stories highlight a reality that appears throughout WRDI's state tracking: the same challenge can lead to very different outcomes depending on where you live.

In Illinois, lawmakers are strengthening protections for domestic violence survivors. In Oregon, state leaders are working to preserve healthcare access. In Texas, a long-standing program supporting women-owned businesses is under challenge. And in Tennessee, questions about voter privacy are emerging through new federal data-sharing efforts.

Different issues. Different states. Different outcomes.

Featured Posts

🟢 Illinois: Strengthening protections for domestic violence survivors
Illinois recently enacted a law designed to address what happens after a protective order is issued—a moment advocates say can be one of the most dangerous for survivors. Early results suggest the law is already changing how firearm surrender is enforced, but implementation challenges remain.

Read more → Karina’s Law: a step forward for domestic abuse victims
By guest author Lisa Rockelli Gordon

🟢 Oregon: Preserving healthcare access amid federal uncertainty
As legal battles over reproductive health funding continue, Oregon is taking a different approach. A new state law is designed to keep certain clinics operating even if federal Medicaid reimbursements are reduced or eliminated—offering a glimpse into how states may respond as healthcare funding debates evolve.

Read more → New law offers a blueprint for replacing lost Medicaid funding

🔴 Texas: Eliminating a program that supported women-owned businesses
One of Texas's biggest policy fights this year isn't happening in the legislature. It's playing out through agency action and the courts, where a challenge to a long-standing state contracting program is raising broader questions about economic opportunity, executive authority, and how anti-DEI policies are reshaping state programs.

Read more → When policy moves without lawmakers: A Texas case

🔴 Tennessee: Opening voter records to federal review
Tennessee recently provided its statewide voter file to the U.S. Department of Justice, including personal information collected during voter registration. State officials say they were required to comply, but the move is raising new questions about privacy, oversight, and who should have access to voter data.

Read more → Tennessee shares voter data with the DOJ, raising questions about privacy and oversight

Where to Go Next

Explore the 2026 Elections Hub

If where you live increasingly shapes your experience, elections are one reason why.

Our Elections Hub is a growing resource designed to help readers understand the state-level races, ballot measures, and political shifts that could influence women's rights in key states.

We just added our Questions to Ask Candidates guide, and in the months ahead, we'll continue expanding the hub with other resources that help explain where candidates stand on specific women's rights issues.

Explore → 2026 Elections Hub

Track What's Happening in Your State

Women’s rights don’t look the same across the country. Our state pages help you understand what rights are currently in effect, what may be changing, and how policies are affecting women in your state.
State summaries are updated monthly to reflect the latest developments.

→ Find your state via the See Your State menu or the USA map, both on the home page. 

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