If following a piece of legislation were only as simple, and pleasant, as School House Rock depicts. Proposed legislation or passed laws can change business as usual. Sometimes for the better, sometimes with negative consequences. Often, business leaders must advocate for or against policies that impact their industry, their customers, or how they do business.
We asked members of the Fast Company Impact Council what industry legislation—state or federal—they’re following right now and why. Below, 30 members weigh in on what they’re watching and why it matters to them.
1. CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT POLICIES
I’m watching chemical management and risk evaluation policies at both the federal and state levels as they directly affect innovation, manufacturing, and the safe use of essential chemistries. What matters most is that regulatory decisions are based on credible science and rigorous research. That’s why we engage with organizations like the American Chemistry Council that help bring scientific expertise and industry insight into policy discussions. Hexion advocates for science-based decision making to ensure regulations protect people and the environment while continuing to support innovation, manufacturing competitiveness, and economic growth. — Michael Lefenfeld, Hexion
2. FEDERAL HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION
I’m following federal healthcare transparency legislation, including the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act of 2026 and the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act. Employers are under real pressure to manage rising healthcare costs, and these policies can give them clearer access to prices, claims, payment, and fee data so they can make better-informed decisions for their people. Transparency is not about taking sides. It is about creating a common foundation for employers, health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, and providers to compete on value, improve accountability, and make quality care more affordable. — Glen Tullman, Transcarent
3. CMS’S KIDNEY CARE CHOICES MODEL
The legislation I’m following right now is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Kidney Care Choices Model. It is a smart step toward coordinated care, but it only engages patients once they’ve reached stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease, or end-stage renal disease, which is like building a fire response plan after your home is already ablaze. Most people with progressive kidney disease go undiagnosed for years, so coordinating care this late misses the window when intervention can change outcomes. To bend the cost and mortality curve, policy needs to shift toward incentivizing preventive screening in primary care, rather than managing patients after the damage is done. — Salvatore Viscomi, Carna Health
4. CYBERSECURITY MATURITY MODEL CERTIFICATION
I’m watching Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, not because the headlines keep changing, but because they keep missing the point. Every new CMMC announcement kicks off a cycle of hot takes, but the real story hasn’t moved: Defense contractors have to protect their data. Full stop. The organizations reacting to Washington’s latest update are already behind. The ones building security as an ongoing discipline rather than a compliance checkbox are the ones who will be fine no matter what the assessment model looks like next year. No defense contractor can afford to ignore the basics. — Steve Tchejeyan, Island
5. OVERSIGHT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
I’m following what’s at stake since the Department of Education has shifted oversight of special education to other federal agencies. This affects a lot of families: Over 8 million public school students receive support through an Individualized Education Program or 504 plan, which outlines the special education services or accommodations required to help them learn. In our recent survey, 73% of parents expect the change to affect the quality of their child’s education, yet more than half didn’t know it had happened. When awareness lags behind a change this big, trusted information becomes a scarce resource and we are here to fill that gap. — Nathan Friedman, Understood.org
6. STATE LEGISLATION ON ELECTRONIC WILLS
I’m following electronic wills legislation at the state level. Trust & Will is a founding member of the LIVE Coalition, the first advocacy group dedicated to modernizing estate planning laws for the digital age. The momentum is real: New York, Missouri, and North Dakota passed digital estate planning laws in 2025, and Minnesota and Utah signed bills into law this year. It matters because only about a third of states have modern estate planning laws, while 56% of U.S. adults have no estate documents at all. Every state that modernizes removes a real barrier between a family and a finished plan. — Cody Barbo, Trust & Will
7. MEDICAID CUTS THAT WIDEN THE LIFE-EXPECTANCY GAP
I’m watching H.R.1—the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—and its Medicaid cuts closely. They threaten to widen the gap our CHC moonshot aims to close: halving the life expectancy gap between our healthiest and least healthy communities within a decade. Coverage loss means delayed care, sicker patients, and strained hospitals and local economies. That’s why we built our no-wrong-door approach—outreach and education, a platform for community engagement, and investment in frontline nonprofits. I want CEOs everywhere to see that healthier communities mean stronger workforces and economies. — Jean Accius, CHC: Creating Healthier Communities
8. REGULATORY SILENCE ON AI
I’ll be honest: I don’t follow legislation closely. What I do watch is whether anyone—state or federal—intends to draw a line around how far artificial intelligence can go into professional services like ours. Brand strategy, naming, campaign development: These are now things a machine can plausibly do end to end. So far, regulators are focused on safety and disclosure, not on scope. That silence is the policy, and it matters more to my industry than any bill. — SOOYOUNG CHO, the bread and butter brand consulting LLC
9. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S FIGHT WITH ITSELF
I’m watching the fight over artificial intelligence—but not the one you think. Framing it as consumers versus AI or communities versus data centers misses the real conflict: The federal government is fighting with itself, and states may pay the price. The Senate voted 99–1 to preserve states’ authority over AI. Then the administration created a Justice Department task force to sue states—with no framework to replace their laws. My firm advises utilities, data centers, and other large-load customers, and if federal preemption wins, the only level of government moving at AI’s speed will go quiet. Watch this fight as closely as any earnings call. — Howard Franklin, Ohio River South
10. INTERSTATE PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE COMPACTS
Interstate professional licensure compacts elevate client and patient care, improve public safety, and create opportunities for licensed professionals. States must take legislative action to join, and it requires a different bill for each compact or profession. There is no shortage of activity to track. Since InspiringApps created the data system that backs many licensure compacts, I monitor that legislation closely. — Brad Weber, InspiringApps
11. TARIFFS AND TAX POLICIES
Right now, I am closely following state-level and cross-border regulations affecting corporations and countries, particularly tariffs and tax policies between Europe and the United States. This matters because controlling production, costs, and exports is no longer enough. Tariff decisions directly affect pricing, profitability, supply chains, and international expansion. Businesses must reorganize teams and strategies to anticipate these changes. Today, tariff management is not simply a compliance issue—it is essential to business survival and competitiveness. — Manuel Freire-Garabal, Gioya Higher Education Institute
12. H.R. 1 WORK REQUIREMENTS
House Bill 1 [One Big Beautiful Bill Act] and its work requirements for welfare programs are going to result in huge changes in the way benefit programs are administered across the U.S. It will be important to watch how states adapt their systems, processes, and service delivery models to meet these new requirements. — Paul Toomey, Geographic Solutions
13. LEGISLATION AROUND AI IN EDUCATION
I’m closely watching the wave of state and federal legislation emerging around artificial intelligence in education. From student data privacy to the use of AI in assessments and hiring, policymakers are beginning to grapple with questions the sector has been slow to answer on its own. When algorithms influence decisions about students, educators, and institutional leadership, accountability cannot be an afterthought. Is it the tool or the people deploying it? The answer has to be the people. The legislation catching up to that reality right now will shape how educational institutions adopt and govern AI for the next decade. — Meredith Rosenberg, NU Advisory Partners
14. STATE-LEVEL RULES ON AI IN HEALTHCARE
I’m watching the state-level rules emerging around healthcare artificial intelligence—especially requirements for transparency, human oversight, and preventing AI from making consequential care or coverage decisions on its own. Healthcare is different from most industries. The data is deeply personal, and mistakes could have life-altering impacts. We need guardrails that scale with risk, keep clinicians in the loop, and still leave room for well-governed tools that help people get to the right care faster. — Owen Tripp, Included Health
15. NO FAKES LEGISLATION
We are aggressively following the federal NO FAKES legislation and its Name, Image, and Likeness equivalents in various states and in Europe. It is critical not just to the future of music and our business, but to the credibility of every public figure and private individual on the planet. You have a right to own your name, voice, and likeness. You have a right not to be replicated, faked, or used for someone else’s purposes. You own “you.” And without the NO FAKES legislation, both artists and consumers are left without a remedy when someone steals “you.” — Logan Mulvey, GoDigital Music
16. CLEAN SLATE LEGISLATION
Even a decades-old criminal record can create significant barriers to employment, housing, educational opportunities, and more. While processes to clear these records exist across the country, less than 5% of eligible individuals will ever even apply due to a lack of access, knowledge, and funds required. And with one in three U.S. adults having a criminal record, the scale of the issue is notable. At the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, we’re following and supporting the adoption and implementation of Clean Slate legislation across the country—efforts to expand the automatic sealing of eligible criminal records. — Maha Jweied, Responsible Business Initiative for Justice
17. FDA’S POLICY FOR LOW-RISK DEVICES
I’m following the Food and Drug Administration’s General Wellness: Policy for Low-Risk Devices, revised in January for the first time since 2019. This matters because wearables now measure increasingly sophisticated physiological signals. I use this technology myself, and through our work I see how quickly products like smart rings are blurring the line between consumer and medical technology. Getting the regulatory balance right is key: Consumers need confidence in the data they receive and innovators need room to push what the technology can do. Wearables have enormous potential to help people better understand their health and make more informed decisions. — Patrick Frend, Delve
18. LEGISLATION AROUND BABY FOOD SAFETY
For the past few years, I’ve been following unfolding state and federal heavy metals legislation for baby food. It’s one of the few areas where I actually want more regulation to take the best care of the babies we all serve. — Serenity Carr, Serenity Kids
19. LEGISLATION SHAPING CLEAN FREIGHT
We follow the broader state and federal policy landscape shaping clean freight—from vehicle incentives such as California’s HVIP and Clean Fuel Reward program to public charging investment, permitting, and utility interconnection policies in an effort to streamline electric vehicle charging approvals and grid connections. Medium- and heavy-duty trucks account for about 23% of U.S. transportation emissions, or roughly 6% of total U.S. emissions, so the opportunity is significant. The transition will only scale if trucks, power, charging infrastructure, and the policies that support them advance together. Businesses need incentives to support societal change. — Patrick Macdonald-King, Greenlane
20. EPA “FOREVER CHEMICAL” RULES FOR DRINKING WATER
I’m following the Environmental Protection Agency’s rules on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—the so-called forever chemicals—in drinking water. These rules are set to be finalized by the end of 2026 and will determine if utilities have until 2031 to meet limits for perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid. The timeline here matters because PFAS don’t break down on their own. Every year that we push the deadline back is another year of exposure to our water and bodies. Investing ahead of the regulatory deadline, rather than waiting on it, is the real opportunity. Leaders who let the underlying problem set the pace versus the compliance clock, and back it with new technology and treatment options, will be the ones making real impact when it counts. — Kevin Gast, VVater
21. FEDERAL IMMIGRATION POLICY FOR DOCUMENTED CAREGIVERS
I’m closely following federal immigration policy. Changes like ending Temporary Protected Status have stripped work authorization from legally documented caregivers who are caring for and bonding with older adults. Homecare already faces a substantial worker shortage, and the older adult population keeps growing. We hire every qualified caregiver we can, regardless of nationality, because there are simply not enough to satisfy demand. As our aging population increases, we need policies that protect and expand this workforce, not remove people without a viable alternative, lest we leave our elders without the care they need. — Seth Sternberg, Honor
22. LEGISLATION ON WHAT QUALIFIES AS A SMALL BUSINESS
As the owner of a small marketing-services agency, I’m closely watching the Small Business Administration’s proposed overhaul of what qualifies as a small business. The proposal would raise the eligibility ceiling for marketing consulting firms from $19 million to $295 million in annual revenue, and for advertising agencies from $25.5 million to $543 million. These would clearly no longer be small businesses and would force genuinely small firms like us to compete with these vastly larger companies for federal contracts and other SBA programs. — Lisa Larson-Kelley, Quantious
23. LEGISLATION AROUND AI
State and federal legislation regarding artificial intelligence. Why? We have integrated AI into everything we do at Exceptional Women Alliance Foundation using both Claude and ChatGPT. So, any change in user options would impact our operation. So far so good. — Larraine Segil, Exceptional Women Alliance Foundation
24. STATE LEGISLATION ON SCHOOL NUTRITION
I’m watching the wave of state bills that protect kids from harmful ultra-processed ingredients in school food, and big food’s push to preempt them federally. Public school cafeterias are the largest restaurant chain in America: 30 million kids depend on those meals for 50% or more of their daily calories. That makes school food the big bet for reversing the rise of diet-related illnesses in kids. State legislation—like California’s Assembly Bill 1264—plays a critical role. Federal preemption would make our food system less safe, making it harder for school food professionals to serve nourishing meals. — Nora LaTorre, Eat Real
25. EXECUTIVE ORDER 14413
I’m closely watching Executive Order 14413 on quantum innovation. What matters most to me is its focus on building a stronger domestic quantum manufacturing base and expanding access to the foundries needed to make these technologies at scale. We can have extraordinary science, but if we don’t have the manufacturing infrastructure to turn it into real products, we won’t lead the industry. That’s one reason we made the decision to own our own fabrications. For quantum to scale, we need to be able to build it. — Yuping Huang, Quantum Computing Inc.
26. LOW-CARBON PROCUREMENT RULES
We’re tracking federal low-embodied-carbon procurement rules and state policies like the Buy Clean California Act. For SPACECRAFT, these shifts transform sustainability from an optional design goal into a baseline business standard. They directly influence our material choices, supply-chain strategies, and project delivery, ensuring we guide clients toward resilient, future-proof real estate decisions. — Susan Watts, SPACECRAFT
27. BUYING AMERICAN COTTON ACT
The Buying American Cotton Act is one I’ve been closely following. In my work, I see firsthand what goes into producing American cotton. I spend a lot of time traveling to meet with farmers, mills, and others across the supply chain. That perspective has given me a real appreciation for the people and processes behind the fiber. I think policies that strengthen demand for American-grown cotton can have a meaningful impact across the entire value chain. — Liz Hershfield, COTTON USA
28. POLICY FOLLOWING REPORT ON TECH-FACILITATED ABUSE
A new global report landed days after Meta’s settlement. Across 21 countries, an estimated 20 million children experienced some form of tech-facilitated sexual abuse in a single year. What matters now: legislators, regulators, and platforms engaging with the research and its recommendations, not just the headline number, to protect children. — Michele Walsh, UNICEF USA
29. PERSONALIZED PRICING POLICY
I’m watching the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed policy around personalized pricing, meaning the use of consumer data to determine what an individual might be willing to pay. Marketers have spent years making personalization smarter and more sophisticated, but this raises important philosophical questions about where personalization stops feeling helpful and starts feeling invasive. How regulators and consumers answer that question could have implications well beyond pricing for how brands use data to personalize the customer experience. — Chris K Bailey, Bailey Brand Consulting
30. FEDERAL POLICY AROUND AI AND FINANCIAL MARKETS
I’m closely following federal efforts around artificial intelligence accountability and financial market structure. As autonomous systems make more decisions and markets move toward near constant trading, the rules around responsibility, access, and investor protection will shape how quickly the industry can innovate responsibly. — George Kailas, Prospero.ai
