MANAGEMENT UPDATE.

EXECUTIVE ORDERS AND NEW GOVERNOR PRIORITIES

For new governors, the beginning of their first term provides a stellar opportunity to establish top priorities and initiatives.

In 2026, the nation’s two new governors – both women and both democrats – hit the ground running with a combined total of 17 executive orders between them in January that focus on government management, performance, policy and organization. Of those 17 orders, all but one was issued on their first day on the job – January 17 for new Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger .and January 20 for New Jersey’s new Governor Mikie Sherrill.

An emphasis on affordablility plays out in both states. In New Jersey, that theme comes through in Executive Orders No. 1 and 2, which deal in depth with concerns about electricity, rising resident bills and the increasing state and national mismatch between increasing electricity demands and limits to supply.

In Virginia, Executive order No. 1 directs top leaders on the Governor’s staff to focus on cost savings for Virginians, ordering a report within 90 days that will recommend “readily implemented” changes that will reduce resident costs.

Major affordability issues also come up in Executive Orders 2 and 3, which focus on health care and housing. The latter notes that Virginia currently has close to a 300,00 rental home shortage and a median home price of more than $400,000. To deal with this problem, the executive order is focused on interagency coordination led by three Secretaries (Commerce & Trade; Natural and Historic Resources, and Transportation.) In each area, agencies are to review policies, regulations and administrative processes that affect land development and construction, with the requirement to report findings to the co-lead secretaries, who are to deliver another report to the Governor in 120 days.

A major difference in the topic and tone of these two states comes from the fact that the political party in charge remains the same in New Jersey and changes in Virginia, signaling a dramatic shift in view as to current federal actions.

For example, Virginia Executive Order No. 2 emphasizes a risk to health services and initiatives, with reference to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Then, in Executive Order No. 5, an Economic Resiliency Task Force is set up to “address impacts of Federal Actions” on the Virginia Economy and Workforce. In the description of the task force and its goals, the executive order cites 20,000 formerly federally employed Virginians who lost their jobs in 2025; weaker trade activity and an estimated “310,000 Virginians who could lose health care coverage.”

Policy issues raised in other Spanberger executive orders focus on the need for independence in higher education institutions and a focus on Equal Opportunity that emphasizes the recruitment of qualified minorities, women, disabled persons and Older Virginians to serve at all levels of state government. Executive Order No. 10 rescinds former Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s’ 2025 executive order, which encouraged state and local law enforcement to assist in enforcing federal civil immigration laws.

In New Jersey, Sherrill’s policy priorities include lowering energy costs, improving housing affordability and expanding economic opportunity. In Executive Order No. 6, she also prioritizes children’s mental health, particularly as it relates to the digital environment. Citing widespread adoption of smartphones, the rapid growth of internet platforms and social media, she sets up a new Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness.

Other executive orders signed on her first day focus on organizational structure and a stringent code of ethics for executive branch officials and other public employees, as well as a Code of Conduct for herself.

Executive Order No. 4 establishes a new Chief Operating Officer (COO) who will provide “a coordinated, whole of government approach across state agencies with clear leadership and accountability” to further the achievement of top priorities. Two other new offices are established as part of the COO office, a Strategic Initiatives & Economic Opportunity Office and an Operational Performance Office.

Executive Order No. 5 creates more teams that fall under the COO with the object of simplifying and modernizing New Jersey’s regulatory process. It also sets up a Cross-Agency Permitting Team, and an interactive New Jersey Report Card to increase public transparency and accountability.

(Note: Barrett and Greene, Inc., regularly culls through gubernatorial executive orders, including those signed by new governors. For example, See “New Governors Top Priorities” from January 2025. In our resources section, we also provide a map with links to state executive order websites across the country, and a governor’s guide that has been updated with information about the new governors.)