Good morning, it’s Thursday, April 2, 2026. In today’s edition, lawmakers crack down on super speeders; Maine poised to halt data center construction; new polls in Florida, Pennsylvania:
Top Stories
TRANSPORTATION: Lawmakers in more than a dozen states have introduced bills to crack down on so-called super speeders, drivers who cause a disproportionate share of crashes. Washington, D.C., passed a first-in-the-nation law in 2024, followed by Virginia and Washington State in 2025. Some bills would require habitual speeders to install speed assistance devices in their vehicles. Such devices are already required in Europe. (Pluribus News)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) has signed legislation requiring video, photo or audio recordings created with AI to include distinguishable provenance data. Ferguson signed a bill to require AI chatbots targeted at minors include a disclaimer that the chatbot is not human. (Spokane Spokesman-Review)
ENERGY: Maine lawmakers are poised to ban construction on new data centers until November 2027, to give regulators the chance to assess the impact those centers have on the environment and the electric grid. Maine would become the first state to freeze new construction. (Wall Street Journal)
ELECTIONS: Congressional Democrats have launched the first lawsuits against President Trump’s executive order on mail-in ballots. The suit argues Trump’s order violates the Constitution’s Elections Clause, which delegates authority to oversee elections to state legislatures. (Associated Press)
We wrote yesterday about the bipartisan pushback the executive order received. Plenty of Democratic attorneys general are drafting their own lawsuits.
MORE: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed legislation requiring voters who register for the first time or change their registration to show proof of citizenship. The League of Women Voters, Common Cause and the NAACP filed lawsuits challenging the bill. (State Affairs)
PUBLIC SAFETY: Kansas lawmakers have approved legislation making it a crime to come within 25 feet of a first responder, including ICE agents, after being ordered to back up. The bill also removes requirements that a sheriff’s office obtain permission from a county commission before entering into agreements with ICE. (Kansas City Star)
HEALTH CARE: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has signed legislation aimed at preventing pharmacy benefit management companies from inflating prescription drug costs. Spanberger also signed legislation creating new nursing scholarships, and a measure preventing life and health insurance companies from denying coverage to those who have sought treatment for HIV or AIDS. (Virginia Mercury)
HOUSING: An Alabama House committee has approved legislation upgrading penalties for fraudulently selling or leasing property. The bill creates a new crime of aggravated fraud if someone knowingly advertises real estate for sale or rent if they don’t own the land. (Alabama Reflector)
MARIJUANA: The Nebraska legislature has approved legislation granting the state’s Medical Cannabis Commission the ability to set fees and raise revenue. It’s the first-ever bill approved in Nebraska relating to medical cannabis. Voters approved the commission with 67% of the vote in a 2024 ballot measure. (Nebraska Examiner)
In Politics & Business
FLORIDA: A new Emerson College poll finds U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R) leading the GOP field for governor at 46%. No other candidate hits 5%. In general election matchups, Donalds leads former U.S. Rep. David Jolly (D) 44% to 39%, and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings (D) by a 45% to 36% margin. Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) approval rating stands at 50%, while President Trump’s rating is at 46%. (Emerson)
PENNSYLVANIA: A new Susquehanna Polling & Research survey finds Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) leading Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R) by a 58% to 36% margin. The same pollster had Shapiro leading 54% to 36% in September. (X)
RHODE ISLAND: Gov. Dan McKee (D) has hired Drew Shannon as his campaign manager in his uphill re-election bid against former CVS executive Helena Foulkes (D). Shannon last led the Florida House Democratic Campaign Committee. (Boston Globe) The primary is Sept. 8.
By The Numbers
1.4 million: The number of same-sex couple households in the United States, according to new Census Bureau data. That’s about 1.0% of all households. The District of Columbia has the highest share of same-sex households at 3.2%. (Census Bureau)
2 trillion: The amount of water, in gallons, that fell on Hawaii in March after the state was hit by back-to-back storms. Some areas recorded 14-day rainfall totals up to 3,000% above normal for this time of year. (Hawaii News Now)
$2.50: The average price for a dozen grade A large eggs last month, down 60% from last year’s record high. At its peak in March 2025, a dozen eggs would set you back $6.23. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
Police in Bowling Green, Ky., have apprehended Jorge Hernandez for operating a non-motor vehicle while intoxicated. Hernandez’s vehicle: His horse. Hernandez had tied a liquor store bag to the horse’s saddle and failed a series of field sobriety tests. (The Smoking Gun)
An Oregonian dressed as a pencil is running for governor. The Pencil Political Action Committee is meant to raise awareness about the state’s low youth literacy rates. (Oregonian)
Quote of the Day
“This is a historical moment, and certainly awful humbling to be in this chamber with all of the leaders that we’ve followed.”
— Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R), holding a ceremonial session in the State Capitol building for the first time since 2009. Lawmakers will soon move into a new state House building that’s nearly complete. (Alabama Reflector)