Opportunity, Stability, and Representation: What Shaped the South This Session

As legislative sessions conclude across much of the South, attention is beginning to shift from policy debate to implementation. Across the region, lawmakers considered a wide range of measures aimed at addressing issues that directly affect daily life, from economic opportunity and workforce participation to housing affordability and community stability.

These priorities remain closely aligned with what Southerners continue to tell us matters most. Economic pressures, rising housing costs, and concerns about future opportunity remain among the most consistent themes reflected in public opinion research, community conversations, and legislative activity across the region. 

At the same time, the months since our April update have underscored how quickly the policy landscape can evolve. While states continued to advance legislation affecting opportunity and stability, the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais rapidly introduced significant new questions about representation, civic participation, and the future of redistricting across the South. 

This update examines two of EPU’s focus areas — Economic Security & Opportunity and Housing & Living Stability — while also reflecting on a major development that may shape how representation is understood and experienced across the region for years to come.  

Economic Security & Opportunity

What the Data Shows

Economic security remains one of the most consistent concerns expressed by Southerners across the region. In EPU’s 2025 Survey of the South, the high cost of living emerged as the most commonly cited barrier to personal economic stability, while concerns about wages, affordability, and future opportunity continue to shape how people view their economic prospects.

These concerns are reflected in legislative activity across the South. During the 2026 session, states considered a range of approaches to strengthening workforce participation, supporting economic mobility, and expanding pathways to opportunity. Many of these efforts focused on helping residents navigate the connection between education, training, credential attainment, and employment, recognizing that access to opportunity often depends on whether people can identify and access clear pathways forward. 

Legislative Highlights

• Louisiana – HB 549 proposed the creation of the Bayou Growth Opportunity Workforce Program, which would have provided competitive funding for employer-led workforce training tied to industry-recognized credentials. While the bill did not pass, it illustrates ongoing efforts to address workforce shortages and strengthen connections between employers, training providers, and workers seeking new skills and career opportunities.

• Louisiana – SB 322, sponsored by Unum Fellow Senator Royce Duplessis, updated Louisiana’s youth apprenticeship framework by expanding pathways that combine paid employment, education, and credential attainment. The enacted legislation reflects growing interest in apprenticeship models as a tool for workforce development, helping connect young people to career opportunities while addressing employer workforce needs.
• Georgia – SB 193 established a high school diploma program for adults ages 21 to 40 that combines diploma attainment with workforce credentials and employability training. By linking diploma attainment to workforce credentials and career pathways, the legislation reflects a growing focus on expanding economic opportunity for adult learners. 

Emerging Trends

• Expanding pathways to workforce participation: States continued to invest in programs that connect individuals to employment through apprenticeships, workforce training, and alternative credentialing opportunities.

• Growing emphasis on skills and credentials: Legislative activity reflects increasing interest in aligning education and training programs with industry-recognized credentials and employer workforce needs.
• Workforce development as a shared responsibility: Many proposals emphasized partnerships among employers, workforce development boards, training providers, and educational institutions as a strategy for addressing skills gaps and labor market demands.
• Increasing attention to economic mobility and access: States are exploring ways to create additional entry points into the workforce for both young people and adult learners, recognizing that workforce participation is shaped not only by skills and credentials, but also by whether individuals can access clear pathways to opportunity. 

What This Means

Taken together, these developments suggest that states are increasingly approaching economic opportunity through the lens of workforce participation and mobility. Rather than focusing solely on job creation, many proposals seek to strengthen the pathways that connect people to employment, skills development, and long-term career advancement.

The legislative activity highlighted this session reflects growing recognition that workforce challenges are closely tied to education, training, credential attainment, and access to opportunity. As workforce shortages persist across many industries, the effectiveness of these efforts will depend not only on program design, but also on implementation, employer engagement, and the ability to connect residents with meaningful opportunities for advancement. The long-term impact of these investments will be measured not simply by participation, but by whether they expand economic mobility and strengthen pathways to prosperity for individuals and communities across the South.

What We’ll Be Watching

As states move from legislation to implementation, several questions will shape the next phase of economic opportunity efforts across the South.

• From credentials to careers: As states continue investing in workforce training, apprenticeships, and credentialing programs, attention will increasingly turn to whether these initiatives lead to sustained employment, wage growth, and long-term career advancement.
• Strengthening workforce pipelines: Ongoing collaboration among employers, educational institutions, workforce boards, and training providers will be critical to ensuring that workforce programs remain responsive to labor market needs.
• Addressing participation barriers: Workforce development strategies are increasingly intersecting with broader issues such as child care access, transportation, and educational attainment, highlighting the importance of removing barriers that can limit workforce participation.
• Measuring long-term impact: As new programs are implemented and existing initiatives expand, states will face growing pressure to demonstrate outcomes, including workforce participation, credential attainment, job placement, and economic mobility.

Together, these trends suggest that the next phase of workforce policy will focus not only on preparing people for jobs, but also on creating durable pathways to economic stability and opportunity.

Housing & Living Stability

What the Data Shows

Housing affordability remains one of the most frequently cited concerns in EPU’s Survey of the South. Across the region, rising housing costs, increasing utility expenses, and growing insurance burdens continue to place pressure on household budgets, affecting both economic security and long-term stability. 

These challenges extend beyond affordability alone. Housing influences where people can live, whether they can remain in their communities, and how easily they can access jobs, schools, and essential services. Stable housing provides a foundation for economic security and community well-being, while housing instability can create barriers that affect families, neighborhoods, and local economies alike. 

These concerns are reflected in legislative activity across the South. During the 2026 session, states considered a range of approaches to housing affordability, insurance costs, housing supply, community development, and long-term resilience. While policy approaches varied, many proposals sought to address the growing challenge of ensuring that families can access safe, stable, and affordable places to live. 

Legislative Highlights

• North Carolina – HB 1056 proposed a range of housing reforms aimed at increasing housing supply and affordability, including zoning changes, accelerated development approvals, restrictions on large-scale corporate homeownership, and new workforce housing financing tools. Although the bill did not advance, it reflects growing legislative interest in addressing housing challenges through a combination of land-use, financing, and market-based approaches. 

• Georgia – HB 689 proposed the creation of a homelessness prevention program withing Georgia’s Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless, supporting services such as emergency rental assistance, utility assistance, eviction diversion, legal representation, and housing stability programs. Although the bill did not advance, it reflects growing recognition that preventing housing instability and homelessness is an important component of broader housing affordability and community stability efforts. 

• Virginia – HB 4 established new requirements for advance notice when affordability restrictions on publicly supported housing are set to expire and authorized localities to create a right of first refusal for qualifying properties. By creating tools to help preserve existing affordable housing, the legislation reflects growing interest in maintaining long-term affordability and preventing the loss of affordable units in rapidly changing communities. 

Emerging Trends

• States continue to pursue a mix of housing production, financing, and preservation strategies aimed at improving affordability and stability. 
• Growing recognition that housing affordability is closely tied to workforce participation, economic mobility, and community well-being. 
• Increasing attention to housing stability initiatives, including homelessness prevention, eviction diversion, and affordable housing preservation.
• Rising insurance premiums, disaster-related risks, and recovery costs are becoming increasingly important considerations in conversations about housing affordability and long-term community resilience.

What This Means

Taken together, these developments reflect a growing recognition that housing challenges extend beyond the availability of housing alone. Across the South, policymakers are increasingly exploring how to expand housing supply, preserve existing affordable housing, and prevent housing instability before it leads to displacement or homelessness.

The legislative activity highlighted this session underscores the interconnected nature of housing and broader community well-being. Housing affordability influences where people can live, whether they can remain in their communities, and how easily they can access employment, education, and essential services. States are recognizing that housing challenges affect far more than housing alone. 

While states continue to pursue different approaches, many proposals reflect a shared recognition that addressing housing challenges will require both short-term support and long-term strategies. The effectiveness of these efforts will depend not only on increasing access to housing, but also on preserving affordability, supporting community stability, and ensuring that residents can remain connected to the places where they live and work.

What We’ll Be Watching

As states move from legislative debate to implementation, several questions are likely to shape housing policy discussions across the South in the months ahead.

• Expanding housing supply while maintaining affordability: Many states continue to explore ways to increase housing availability through development incentives, financing tools, and land-use reforms. Attention will increasingly focus on whether these approaches translate into meaningful affordability gains for residents.
• Preserving existing affordable housing: As affordability restrictions expire and housing costs continue to rise, policymakers are placing greater emphasis on preserving existing affordable housing stock alongside efforts to create new units.
• Preventing housing instability: Legislative proposals related to homelessness prevention, eviction diversion, and housing assistance reflect growing recognition that maintaining housing stability is an important component of community well-being and economic security.
• Strengthening resilience in the face of rising costs: Across much of the South, rising insurance premiums, disaster-related risks, and recovery costs are becoming increasingly important factors in housing affordability and long-term community stability.

Together, these trends underscore the growing role housing policy plays in shaping economic opportunity, community well-being, and long-term resilience across the South.

Representation After Louisiana v. Callais

What Changed?

On April 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, a case with significant implications for voting rights and representation. The ruling alters the legal landscape surrounding challenges to electoral district maps under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, one of the primary federal tools used to address claims of vote dilution and unequal representation.

The decision is expected to reshape future redistricting litigation by narrowing pathways for certain voting rights challenges and creating new uncertainty around how representation claims will be evaluated moving forward. While the case originated in Louisiana, its effects are already extending throughout the South, where many states have histories of Voting Rights Act litigation and ongoing debates regarding representation, district boundaries, and political voice.

Why This Matters

The significance of Callais extends beyond the legal questions at issue in the case. Representation shapes whether communities believe their voices matter, whether elected bodies reflect the populations they serve, and whether residents feel connected to civic institutions and decision-making processes.

For EPU, these questions sit at the core of our Democracy & Civic Participation priority area. Across the South, research continues to show that many residents want to engage in civic life but often feel disconnected from the systems and institutions that shape their communities. Changes to the legal framework governing representation therefore have implications not only for electoral maps, but also for how communities experience political voice, participation, and belonging.

What We’ll Be Watching

The full impact of Callais will likely emerge over several years rather than a single election cycle. As states, advocates, and communities respond to the decision, several developments will be important to monitor.

• Future litigation and legal responses: States including Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Louisiana may remain focal points for redistricting disputes as courts, advocates, and policymakers navigate the evolving legal landscape following Callais.
• State-level policy approaches: Policymakers and advocates may increasingly explore state-level voting rights legislation and other policy strategies aimed at strengthening representation and civic participation.
• Community trust and participation: The long-term significance of Callais extends beyond courtrooms. Questions of representation are closely connected to whether people feel heard, included, and able to participate meaningfully in civic life.

The effects of Callais will not be measured solely by future court decisions. They will also be reflected in how communities experience representation, engage in public life, and navigate changing opportunities for civic participation across the South.

Final Thoughts 

The legislative activity highlighted in this update reflects both the complexity of the challenges facing the South and the range of approaches states are pursuing to address them. While policy outcomes vary, the broader questions remain remarkably consistent: How do people access opportunity? How do communities maintain stability? And how do residents ensure their voices are heard in decisions that affect their future? 

As implementation begins and the implications of Louisiana v. Callais continue to unfold, EPU will remain focused on tracking the policies and trends shaping opportunity, stability, representation, and the long-term vibrancy of communities across the South.