Good morning, it’s Tuesday, April 28, 2026. In today’s edition, human composting gets a hearing; DeSantis unveils redistricting maps; new polls in Texas, California:
Top Stories
ENVIRONMENT: Lawmakers in at least a dozen states introduced bills this year to allow natural organic reduction, or human composting, as a more affordable and climate-friendly alternative to traditional burials or cremation. Measures have advanced through one chamber in Illinois, New Hampshire and Oklahoma. Fourteen states have human composting laws on the books already. (Pluribus News)
REDISTRICTING: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) unveiled a new redistricting plan on Monday that could give Republicans the chance to win up to 24 of the state’s 28 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, a four-seat increase. The map would give Republicans a chance to win a seat in the Tampa area, one in Central Florida and two in South Florida. (State Affairs)
Some Republicans are anxious that the map is a stretch, potentially leaving some GOP members vulnerable in a wave election year.
IMMIGRATION: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has lifted a temporary injunction of a 2023 Texas law that allows state police to arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally. The en banc panel ruled that plaintiffs who sued to block the law lacked the standing to do so. (Associated Press)
MEDICAID: Nebraska will become the first state to enforce work, volunteer or education requirements for new Medicaid applicants when its law takes effect Friday. The Trump administration will mandate work requirements in all states at the beginning of 2027. (Associated Press)
GAMBLING: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has sued New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and Attorney General Letitia James (D) after James’s office sued prediction market operators Coinbase and Gemini. The CFTC claims the authority to regulate prediction markets at the federal level. (State Affairs) The legislature is considering a measure allowing the attorney general’s office to set formal rules and regulations on prediction markets. (State of Politics)
MORE: A bipartisan group of 38 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in support of a Massachusetts lawsuit against the prediction market platform Kalshi. The attorneys general argued that states, not the federal government, have traditionally regulated gambling, including sports betting. (State Affairs)
CONSUMER RIGHTS: The Iowa House has approved “right to repair” legislation for agricultural equipment. The bill would require farm equipment manufacturers to provide free access to product software and to supply them with parts and tools. (Cedar Rapids Gazette) Alaska lawmakers are considering a bill to allow the right to repair for electronic devices. (Anchorage Daily News)
TAXES: California’s Assembly Tax and Revenue Committee has advanced legislation to eliminate a pathway for corporations to use the practice of offshoring profits to avoid corporate income tax. Proponents say the measure would raise billions for the state, but foreign nations are registering their opposition. (Sacramento Bee)
In Politics & Business
TEXAS: A new poll conducted by Texas Public Opinion Research shows Gov. Greg Abbott (R) leading state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) by a 48% to 43% margin. The poll shows Hinojosa winning independents by 13 points and moderates by a 32-point margin. Abbott is seen favorably by 48% of voters, while 46% see him unfavorably. (Texas Tribune)
CALIFORNIA: A new CBS News/YouGov poll finds conservative commentator Steve Hilton statistically tied with former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, 16% to 15%, with former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) at 13% and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R) at 10%. Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D) takes 9%. (CBS News)
NORTH CAROLINA: State Reps. Carla Cunningham and Nasif Majeed have left the Democratic Party and registered as unaffiliated. Both Democrats voted with Republicans to overturn Gov. Josh Stein’s (D) veto of legislation relating to LGBTQ rights and immigration. They lost their primary elections last month. (State Affairs)
MINNESOTA: The state Senate has approved legislation to provide lawmakers and state elected officials with special security if they face credible threats. The bill included funding to maintain increased physical security at the Capitol building after last year’s attacks that left former House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) dead. (CBS News)
CRIME BLOTTER: A federal appeals court has upheld the corruption conviction of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (D). The court said evidence of wrongdoing presented at trial was “overwhelming.” Madigan is currently serving his 7 1/2-year sentence at a medium security camp in Morgantown, W.Va. (Chicago Tribune)
MORE: The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to overturn the bribery conviction of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (R), ending a six-year legal battle that resulted in a 20-year prison sentence. Householder will seek a pardon from President Trump. (Columbus Dispatch)
By The Numbers
55%: The share of Americans who say their personal financial outlook is getting worse, according to a new Gallup poll. That’s the highest share ever recorded in a Gallup survey, and the fifth consecutive year in which more Americans said their situation is declining rather than improving. (Gallup)
$101,500: The average wage for a Connecticut state employee, the second-highest average salary of any state behind California. Nationally, the average state employee earns $87,750. (CT Insider)
More than 1,110: The number of TSA officers who have quit the agency since the Department of Homeland Security shutdown began on Feb. 14. As of late March, there were abut 50,000 TSA officers on the job. (Politico)
Off The Wall
Ohio lawmakers will debate legislation designating the Loveland Frogman as the official state cryptid. The legend of the frogman dates to 1972, when two police officers reported spotting a large frog-like creature on two different nights. A man who claims to have been one of those policemen shot the creature, which turned out to be a large iguana missing its tail. (UPI)
Andrew Dezelan, a candidate for an open Indiana Senate seat, was arrested on Sunday on drug and resisting law enforcement charges for alleged possession of cocaine. Dezelan was arrested while canvassing ahead of next week’s primary elections. (Indianapolis Star)
Pekin Noodle Parlor in Butte, Mont., has closed after 115 years in business. The restaurant was one of the oldest continuously operating Chinese establishments in the country. (Daily Montanan)
Quote of the Day
“You take something that’s not exactly a fun thing, like potholes, and you get people engaged in it. Next thing you know you’re having fun and getting coffee.”
— Leominster, Mass., Mayor Dean Mazzarella, on a program the city runs that gives residents who report a pothole a complimentary drink from a local coffee shop. (Boston.com)