Good morning, it’s Thursday, February 19, 2026. Who’s ready for some Olympic Ski-Mo?!? In today’s edition, lawmakers aim to ban prop bets; Colorado joins redistricting fray; new poll in Wisconsin governor’s race:
Top Stories
GAMBLING: Lawmakers in at least half a dozen states are considering bills to ban or severely limit proposition bets amid rising concerns over problem gambling and a growing number of betting scandals in sports leagues. Bills in New York, New Jersey, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Utah would ban prop bets and in-play wagers, while another bill in Indiana would bar college athletes from betting on sports they play. (Pluribus News)
REDISTRICTING: A new group is backing a proposed ballot measure that would redraw Colorado’s congressional district lines to create a 7-1 Democratic advantage. The initiative, if approved by voters, would take effect in the 2028 elections. Supporters need 125,000 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. (Denver Post)
Colorado’s congressional delegation is currently made up of four Democrats and four Republicans.
MORE: U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) met with Maryland senators on Wednesday to push the chamber to adopt new congressional district maps. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) has remained opposed to the plan to draw an all-Democratic map, saying he doesn’t have the votes. (Baltimore Sun)
SOCIAL MEDIA: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) will propose a new tax on social media companies with at least 100,000 users in the state. Platforms would be taxed at a rate of 10 cents per user per month. Platforms with a million or more users would be taxed $165,000 per month, plus 50 cents per user over 1 million. (Capitol News Illinois)
MORE: The South Dakota House State Affairs Committee has advanced legislation requiring app stores to request age category information and verify user ages through “commercially available” methods. If the app stores determine a user is a minor, they would be required to link the minor’s account to a parent’s account. (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)
Georgia lawmakers are beginning debate over age verification rules for social media. (State Affairs)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: The Kansas House has voted to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s (D) veto of legislation banning transgender residents from using bathroom facilities that align with their gender identity. The bill also includes language to prevent gender marker changes on driver licenses. (State Affairs)
HOUSING: Florida’s House Commerce Committee has given the green light to legislation blocking local governments in South Florida from stopping construction of dense housing on contaminated land. The bill would allow construction on land once occupied by gas stations, dry cleaners, industrial plants and auto repair shops. (Florida Politics)
EDUCATION: The New Mexico legislature has approved a bill to raise salaries for undergraduate teacher residents to 65% of an entry level teacher’s salary. Teacher residents with a bachelor’s degree would make a minimum stipend of 80% of an entry level salary. The legislature also gave final approval to a bill creating an Office of Special Education to support students. (Albuquerque Journal)
In Politics & Business
WISCONSIN: A new TechnoMetrica poll for the League of American Workers shows former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) leading the Democratic gubernatorial primary at 28%, followed by incumbent Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez (D) at 20%, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley (D) at 7% and state Rep. Francesca Hong (D) at 5%. A third of voters remain undecided. (TIPP)
NEW MEXICO: The state Senate has approved a proposed constitutional amendment removing a prohibition on legislative pay in place since New Mexico became a state in 1912. The measure will go before voters this November. It would tie lawmaker pay to the state’s gross median annual income, set at $64,140 as of 2024. (Albuquerque Journal)
PEOPLE: Former Iowa First Lady Billie Lee Ray has died at 97. Ray, the wife of the late former Gov. Robert Ray (R), was known for her philanthropy. (Des Moines Register)
By The Numbers
5 million acre-feet: The amount of water expected to flow into Lake Powell by September. That’s just 52% of the normal water flow into the reservoir, threatening hydropower generation at the Glen Canyon Dam. (Colorado Sun)
45,000: The number of tickets sold for the Denver Summit’s inaugural home match, breaking the record for the highest number of tickets sold for a National Women’s Soccer League match. The club is opening the upper decks of Denver’s Empower Field to sell more seats before the March 28 match. (Denver 7)
65: The number of unprovoked shark attacks reported worldwide in 2025, slightly below the 10-year average of 72. Nine of those bites were fatal. The United States accounts for 38% of unprovoked bites, led by 11 in Florida. (Los Angeles Times)
Off The Wall
Virginia lawmakers are debating legislation to ban live-streaming while driving, unless the stream’s purpose is to report an emergency or a crime. Del. Joshua Cole (D) said there had been several dangerous crashes by drivers who were live-streaming on social media. (WWBT)
Colorado will auction off 150 unique non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, to celebrate the state’s 150th birthday. Proceeds from the sales of NFTs will fund the state’s America 250 celebrations, Gov. Jared Polis’s (D) office said. (Colorado Governor’s Office)
The Delaware Department of Transportation has named three winners of their annual Name That Plow contest: “Scoop! There it is!,” “No Mo Son” and “Han Snowlo” will soon be patrolling the streets. (Coast TV)
We’re suckers for a good snow plow naming contest.
Quote of the Day
“We can have disagreements. In business, I always want people around me arguing with me and pushing me because that’s where the best ideas come from.”
— Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), chairman of the National Governors Association, as the NGA kicks off its annual meeting in Washington. (Associated Press)