Good morning, it’s Friday, July 7, 2023. In today’s edition, Calif. reaches environmental deal with automakers; Maine approves abortion access bill; new La. Gov poll:
Top Stories
ENVIRONMENT: The California Air Resources Board has reached an agreement with the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association that will require 100% of trucks sold by 2036 to be zero-emission vehicles. In exchange, regulators will align California’s rule for nitrogen oxide emissions with federal EPA standards, which are less stringent than existing state rules. (Sacramento Bee)
MORE: The Texas Division of Emergency Management is set to receive $60 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to strengthen the state electricity grid against extreme weather. It’s part of a $2.3 billion pool of money DOE will grant to state and local governments to address power grid resiliency. (Texas Tribune) New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has signed legislation giving millions in tax credits to a Danish energy firm building the state’s first offshore wind farm. (NJ Advance Media)
ABORTION: The Maine legislature on Thursday approved a bill that will expand abortion access from 24 weeks to any time a doctor deems such a procedure medically necessary. Gov. Janet Mills (D) plans to sign the bill, which would give Maine some of the least restrictive abortion rules in the nation. (Maine Public Radio) Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) has signed a new rule allowing state residents to obtain contraception over the counter without a prescription. (Associated Press)
WORKFORCE: Maine’s legislature also gave final approval to a state budget that allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave to deal with illness, care for a relative or a newborn child. The budget includes $25 million in startup costs for a paid leave plan, which would be funded in the future by a payroll tax of up to 1% split between workers and employers. (Portland Press Herald)
EDUCATION: More than 29,000 students have applied for a new education savings account under legislation signed earlier this year by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), and more than 17,000 have already been approved. The number of applicants is more than double the number the state anticipated in the program’s first year. (Des Moines Register)
ISRAEL: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) has signed an executive order prohibiting the state from entering into contracts with or making investments in companies that boycott Israel. New Hampshire is the 37th state to enact regulations meant to challenge boycotts against Israel. (Associated Press)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) has vetoed legislation expanding eligibility for state compensation in the case of a wrongful conviction. In a veto message, Parson said local governments, not the state, should bear the costs of wrongful convictions. The bill also contained a provision making it a crime to discharge a firearm within a city. (Missouri Independent)
MORE: Colorado Republicans are asking Gov. Jared Polis (D) to call the legislature into special session to address a recent state Supreme Court ruling that allows those charged with first degree murder to be released if they make bail. (Colorado Politics)
IMMIGRATION: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) have asked the U.S. Justice Department to open an investigation into the transportation of migrants to Sacramento by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) administration. (Los Angeles Times)
In Politics & Business
LOUISIANA: A new poll from Florida-based Kaplan Strategies finds Attorney General Jeff Landry (R) leading the race to replace term-limited Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) with 30%. Former Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson (D) takes 22%, while no other candidate cracks double digits. (Baton Rouge Advocate)
The top two finishers in Louisiana’s all-party primary advance to a runoff if no one scores an outright majority.
CALIFORNIA: Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is “seriously exploring” a run for governor in 2026. Thurmond’s office is technically nonpartisan, but he won his seat in the Assembly as a Democrat. (Los Angeles Times)
MISSISSIPPI: State Democratic Party chairman Tyree Irving rescinded his resignation Thursday, hours before the party’s executive committee voted to kick him out anyway. Party leaders elected state Rep. Cheikh Taylor (D) to replace Irving. (Supertalk)
Definitely not something a political party needs four months before a gubernatorial election.
OREGON: Four Republican state senators who participated in a six-week walkout this year say they plan to file for re-election in 2024, challenging a state law that bars lawmakers who rack up unexcused absences from seeking new terms. Voters approved Measure 113 as a way to curb legislative boycotts in 2020, though it has never been scrutinized by a judge. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
By The Numbers
3%: The share of Americans who say they prefer a president to be over 70 years old — and the same share who say they prefer a president in his or her 30s, according to a new Pew Research Center poll. The plurality of us, 49%, say the 50s is the right age for an American president.
0%: The share of Colorado under drought conditions, the first time since August 2019 that no drought has existed in the state. A year ago, 98% of Colorado was experiencing drought conditions. (Colorado Public Radio)
Off The Wall
Happy anniversary to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, who celebrate 77 years of marriage today. They’re the longest-married presidential couple in American history, followed by George H.W. and Barbara Bush, who made it more than 73 years until Barbara died in 2018. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
If you happen across a camo-painted Humvee in the Santa Rosa area, the military would like it back. The California Highway Patrol says a Humvee was stolen from the Santa Rosa National Guard Armory over the July 4 holiday. It’s not the first time such a theft has occurred — another Humvee was stolen from a California National Guard post in 2021. (Los Angeles Times)
Prehistoric stone tools unearthed in southeastern Oregon appear to suggest that people were present in Oregon 18,000 years ago, the earliest evidence of human civilization in North America and more than 1,000 years older than the Clovis culture. University of Oregon researchers used blood residue from an ancestor of the modern bison on human-crafted scraper tools to establish the date. (Oregonian)
Quote of the Day
“People are saying, ‘How can he do this?’ Well, he did it.”
— Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R), on Gov. Tony Evers (D) extending school funding increases for 400 years through a creative partial veto. Thompson holds the record for the most partial vetoes in a single year, at 457. Evers made only 51 partial vetoes this year. (Associated Press)