Good morning, it’s Friday, April 10, 2026. In today’s edition, Idaho adopts strict work requirement bill; Kansas lawmakers override governor’s abortion vetoes; California GOP to debate gubernatorial endorsement:
Top Stories
HEALTH CARE: Idaho lawmakers have given final approval to legislation requiring adults eligible under Medicaid expansion to submit three months of employment documentation to qualify for coverage, one of the strictest work requirement measures in the country. Most states have opted for a one-month lookback period, though Indiana also requires three months of statements. (Pluribus News)
MORE: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) has signed legislation requiring pharmacy benefit managers to use the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost to set reimbursement rates. PBMs would be required to pay a $10.50 dispensing fee to Kansas pharmacies each time a prescription is filled. (State Affairs)
ABORTION: The Kansas legislature has overridden Kelly’s veto of bills tightening abortion access. The bills allow women who undergo an abortion an expedited legal pathway to sue a physician for malpractice, and require physicians to provide patients seeking an abortion with information about potential lawsuits. (State Affairs)
ENERGY: Alabama lawmakers have approved legislation requiring the Public Service Commission to consider the public interest when approving data center contracts. The measure includes a provision allowing utilities to recoup costs associated with providing electricity to data centers that use 150 megawatts of power at peak demand. (AL.com)
IMMIGRATION: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) has signed a suite of bills aimed at protecting immigrants. The bills restrict federal agents from wearing masks, allow people to sue federal agents when they enter private property without a warrant, require schools to alert staff and parents when immigration authorities are on school property, and establish boundaries for hospitals to share information about the immigration status of patients. (Oregonian)
SOCIAL MEDIA: The Louisiana legislature is advancing bills to give police officers, administrative law judges and victims of sex crimes the right to sue those who post their information on social media without consent. The measure extends a 2024 law to include birthdays, personal email addresses, telephone numbers, home addresses or places of employment and worship. (Louisiana Illuminator)
GAMBLING: Several Ohio lawmakers have introduced legislation to significantly restrict sports betting, including a ban on prop bets and all betting on college athletics. The bill would ban online and mobile betting, restricting wagers to casinos. Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has said signing a sports betting bill was his biggest mistake as governor. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) signed legislation opening the door to online gaming, though regulations must still be written. (State Affairs)
MINIMUM WAGE: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) signed legislation Thursday raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2028. The legislation immediately raises the minimum wage to $12.77 an hour, then incrementally over the next two years. (WAVY)
In Politics & Business
CALIFORNIA: The state Republican Party meets for its annual convention this weekend in San Diego, where delegates will decide whether to formally endorse conservative commentator Steve Hilton (R) or Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R). Hilton has President Trump’s backing. Most polls show the two Republicans at or near the top of the crowded field, raising the prospects that two Republicans could advance to November’s general election. (Los Angeles Times)
MAINE: State Sen. Jim Libby (R) has dropped out of the race for governor after the state’s campaign finance watchdog issued a ruling denying him matching funds. The panel found problems with the paperwork he submitted to qualify for the matching funds program. (Portland Press Herald)
LOUISIANA: The state Senate voted to eliminate the Orleans Parish Clerk of Criminal Court, after Calvin Duncan won the post by a wide margin last November. Duncan served nearly 30 years in prison before being exonerated in 2021. Duncan ran for and won the post on a platform of reforming the justice system. (Associated Press)
FLORIDA: Attorney General James Uthmeier has launched an investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT. Uthmeier did not say what laws the company may have violated, but he said its chatbot had been linked to criminal behavior, including by child predators. (State Affairs)
By The Numbers
$104.7 billion: The sales of state lottery tickets nationwide in 2024, nearly double the amount sold in 2008, according to new Census Bureau figures. Net lottery revenue for states grew 68%, to $34.5 billion, over that time. (Minnesota Reformer)
32%: The share of Wisconsin’s voting-age population that turned out to vote in this week’s state Supreme Court contest. That’s down from 51% who showed up to vote in the 2025 contest that set records for the amount spent on a judicial race. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Off The Wall
Professional golfer Xander Schauffele’s tee shot at the par-5 eighth hole at Augusta National ended up in a spectator’s merchandise bag. Schauffele marked the spot with a tee, and played on without a penalty. He made par. (Associated Press)
Meredith Smith has set a new Guinness World Record for running a half marathon while wearing 55 t-shirts. Smith completed the Fort Smith Half Marathon in just under 3 hours and 30 minutes. She said she started running to lose weight, and adding the additional t-shirts showed her how far she had come. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“Before I was elected, I had one suit, my wedding and funeral suit. Now, I’m expected to be in a suit at the Capitol, or at least in a coat and tie, every week.”
— Louisiana Rep. Jason DeWitt (R), sponsor of legislation that would allow lawmakers to spend up to $2,500 a year from their political accounts to buy, clean and maintain clothing. (Louisiana Illuminator)