Governors Deliver Final State of the State Addresses Amid Separate State-Level Actions

In early 2026, two U.S. governors delivered their final State of the State addresses to their respective legislatures as part of separate, unrelated state events. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly addressed the Kansas Legislature on January 13, 2026, according to the Kansas Governor's Office. Maine Governor Janet Mills delivered her address to the Maine legislature in late January 2026, according to PBS NewsHour, roughly a week after a federal immigration enforcement operation began in the state. In Kansas, Governor Kelly's office reported that she denied clemency requests from both Carr brothers and appointed Judge K. Christopher Jayaram to fill a vacancy on the Kansas Supreme Court. Her office also announced a stadium agreement involving the Kansas City Chiefs and statewide meetings on water policy. In Maine, PBS NewsHour reported that Governor Mills criticized ICE agents for conducting enforcement actions without providing warrants or arrest data, and called on President Trump to withdraw federal agents she said were causing fear in communities. Ahead of her address, Mills announced more than $2 million in supplemental budget funding for Planned Parenthood and Maine Family Planning to offset federal funding cuts. Both addresses marked the final State of the State speeches for each governor, though the underlying issues, timelines, and policy actions differ substantially between the two states and are not otherwise connected. Details such as the full scope of the Kansas stadium agreement, outcomes of the water consultation meetings, and the specific findings or duration of the Maine ICE operation remain unreported in the available material. No independent corroboration beyond each state's respective single-source reporting was available for either set of claims.