State legislators are on the front lines of American policymaking. From school choice to energy regulation, from occupational licensing to public safety, the decisions made in statehouses across the country shape the daily lives of every American far more directly than most legislation passed in Washington.
State Solutions is The Heritage Foundation’s guide to the best conservative policy recommendations for state legislators. Organized around four foundational cornerstones—American Heritage, Free Enterprise, National Security, and The American Family—this resource offers practical, principled recommendations drawn from Heritage’s decades of policy research and model legislation.
Each issue entry provides numbered, actionable recommendations with direct links to Heritage model legislation or supporting research. Whether you are preparing for a legislative session, briefing a colleague, or drafting a bill, State Solutions gives you the policy grounding to act with confidence.
Use the left-hand menu to navigate by cornerstone and issue area, or scroll down to browse all policy issues.
State Solutions is organized into four cornerstones, each grouping related policy issue areas. Within each issue you will find:
Numbered recommendations that state legislatures can act on directly. Each recommendation is written as a clear directive—“State legislatures should…”—so the intended action is never ambiguous.
Section headings that group related recommendations within an issue. A badge next to each heading shows the number of recommendations in that section at a glance.
Source links attached to individual recommendations, pointing to Heritage model legislation, policy papers, or supporting research. These are your starting point for drafting language or briefing your counsel.
A Sources panel at the bottom of each issue collects all linked references in one place for easy reference.
Questions or requests for expert briefings? Contact The Heritage Foundation at heritage.org/contact or call 202-546-4400.