How AP tracked and analyzed anti-science legislation in US statehouses

For its investigation into anti-science laws, The Associated Press examined more than 1,000 bills filed in states across the country. Reporters identified the bills using bill tracking software Plural and a database maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures. AP focused on bills related to vaccines, fluoride and raw unpasteurized milk, and analyzed each bill to determine whether it undermined scientific protections for human health. Reporters also examined domestic advocacy groups linked to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., capturing the bills they supported or opposed and the reasons they gave for doing so.