Good morning, it’s Thursday, March 12, 2026. In today’s edition, Oregon, Washington approve chatbot regulations; Utah to ban prediction markets; states consider gas tax holidays amid Iran war:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Oregon and Washington lawmakers adopted the first measures this year to regulate companion chatbots and their interactions with minors. The Oregon bill would require chatbots to make clear to users they are interacting with AI. Chatbots would be prohibited from encouraging self-harm. When interacting with minors, the bots would not be allowed to simulate a romantic relationship or encourage emotional dependence. (Pluribus News)
AFFORDABILITY: Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) are floating pausing gas taxes to mitigate spiking prices because of the war in Iran. Lamont proposed tapping a state savings account to fund a gas and diesel tax holiday. Kemp has suspended the gas tax three times before. The average gas price in the United States is $3.58 a gallon, up 20% from two weeks ago. (Pluribus News)
GAMBLING: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) says he will sign legislation to include prediction markets in the state’s ban on gambling. The bill would expand the gambling ban to include wagers on certain events that happen within a sports game other than the game’s overall outcome. Prediction market Kalshi has preemptively sued the state to block the law. (Associated Press)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) has signed legislation banning local governments from setting nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender identity. The law prevents cities and counties from having civil rights protections that go beyond categories identified in state code. (Associated Press)
MORE: The Idaho House approved legislation requiring schools, health care and child care providers to notify parents within three days after receiving a request from a minor to participate in or facilitate a “social transition.” That includes using a name other than their legal name, including a nickname; using other pronouns; or using restrooms or changing rooms that do not correspond to their sex assigned at birth. (Idaho Capital Sun)
ECONOMY: The Iowa House has approved legislation prohibiting undocumented women and children from receiving federal nutrition assistance under the WIC program. The WIC program is one of the only federal assistance programs that doesn’t require proof of citizenship to qualify for benefits. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
LABOR: Florida lawmakers have given final approval to legislation making it harder for workers to join labor unions. The bill would require union certification elections to include at least half of workers in a proposed bargaining unit to vote, and require at least 50% of those participating to vote to certify the union. (State Affairs)
PUBLIC HEALTH: South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden (R) has signed legislation imposing a five-year moratorium on lab-grown meat, after he rejected an all-out ban last month. The law bars the sale, manufacture or distribution of “cell-cultured protein” until 2031. (South Dakota Searchlight)
In Politics & Business
OREGON: Nike co-founder Phil Knight has donated $1 million to former Portland Trail Blazer Chris Dudley’s (R) campaign for governor. Dudley lost the 2010 governor’s race by just 22,000 votes, the closest any Republican has come to winning the state’s top office in years. Knight is the biggest Republican donor in the state. (Oregonian)
ARIZONA: A new Noble Predictive Insights poll shows state Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R) running neck and neck with former state Republican Party chair Gina Swoboda in the GOP primary for Secretary of State, 17% to 16%. Fully two-thirds of Republican voters are undecided. (State Affairs)
UTAH: A Republican effort to repeal an anti-gerrymandering proposition appears to have earned enough signatures to qualify for November’s ballot. The group backing the repeal submitted about 170,000 valid signatures, well more than the 141,000 required. (Deseret News)
MARYLAND: State Democrats have fielded at least one candidate in every state legislative seat up for election this year, for the first time since 1974. Democrats already hold supermajority control in both chambers. (Maryland Matters) The state House has approved legislation allowing unaffiliated voters to change their party registration at the polls to participate in primary elections. (Baltimore Sun)
CRIME BLOTTER: Former Georgia state Rep. Dexter Sharper (D) has pleaded guilty to lying to the government to receive unemployment benefits during the Covid pandemic. Sharper, who resigned his seat earlier this week, is the second Democratic lawmaker in Georgia to plead guilty to fraud charges. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
By The Numbers
$2.2 billion: The amount in direct payments from state Medicaid programs to autism therapy providers in 2023, up from $660 million in 2019. (Wall Street Journal)
We wrote about the surging costs of autism therapy back in December.
$7.44: The average price per gram of marijuana in Connecticut, down nearly 30% from the average price last year and a new all-time low. Total sales were slightly higher than last year. (Marijuana Herald) The median price of a pound of marijuana has fallen to $608 in Colorado, the lowest median price since legal sales began. (Westword)
Off The Wall
California’s most remote lighthouse is once again open to the public — but it’ll take some work to visit. The lighthouse at St. George Reef, constructed in the late 1800s, is six miles off the cost of Del Norte County. Tours begin at $395. (Los Angeles Times)
A group of 55 runners has set a new Guinness World Record after completing the world’s deepest marathon. The race took place in Garpenberg, Sweden, on a course 3,669 feet underground. They raised about $1 million for charity in the process. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“The people’s right to know extends to every dollar that their colleges and universities choose to spend on various sports programs.”
— South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R), vetoing legislation that would have allowed public colleges to keep secret what they pay student athletes. (South Carolina Daily Gazette)