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Good morning, it’s Tuesday, July 21, 2026. In today’s edition, PDABs learn from legal challenge; Maryland lawmakers to pursue redistricting; new polls in Florida governor’s race:
Top Stories
HEALTHCARE: States that have established Prescription Drug Affordability Boards to rein in drug costs are viewing a federal judge’s order blocking Colorado from capping the price of Enbrel as a roadmap for their own procedures. Experts say the boards sidestep federal patent challenges by focusing on regional market data, and avoid interstate commerce challenges by regulating how much state-regulated payers can reimburse for drugs. (Pluribus News)
REDISTRICTING: Maryland lawmakers will hold a special session next month solely dedicated to redistricting, legislative leaders said this week. Any bill seeking to place a referendum on the November ballot will require a three-fifths vote in both chambers to succeed. Democrats hope to redraw a district held by the state’s lone Republican, U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, in time for the 2028 elections. (Baltimore Sun)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: California lawmakers are considering legislation to tighten restrictions on automated license plate recognition cameras. More than 200 police departments in California use the cameras, but audits have found compliance concerns over data retention, deletion and sharing. The bill has passed the Senate and now sits before the Assembly Appropriations Committee. (State Affairs)
HOUSING: New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) has signed legislation banning landlords from using algorithms to artificially inflate rent. The bill prevents landlords from using software to coordinate rental prices or occupancy levels. (New Jersey Globe)
MORE: Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a bill to bar corporations from buying single-family residential homes unless they have been on the market for more than three months. The bill would cover corporations that already own at least 10 properties. It would require the state to compile a list of corporations that own residential real estate. (State Affairs)
ENERGY: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) signed an executive order Monday repealing ImagiNE Act tax incentives for data centers. The order applies to all data center projects. It also creates a task force within the Department of Water, Energy and Environment to offer recommendations for protecting water and electricity used by the data centers. (Nebraska Examiner)
PRIVACY: A coalition of 43 attorneys general have reached a settlement with the genetic testing firm 23andMe over a 2023 data breach. The agreement will see the company pay $18 million to states and $46.7 million to affected customers as part of its bankruptcy proceedings. (State Affairs)
ANTITRUST: A federal judge has ordered Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery to halt their proposed $81 billion merger, allowing 12 states that sued to block the deal time to see their case move through the courts. The Democratic attorneys general sued last week, alleging the merger violates antitrust laws. (Associated Press)
We wrote about the lawsuit, spearheaded by California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D), last week.
ECONOMY: Maine will begin mailing out one-time $300 checks to eligible taxpayers later this month. The so-called affordability payments will go to residents with adjusted gross incomes of less than $100,000 if filing jointly, and less than $75,000 if filing as head of household. (Maine Public Radio)
In Politics & Business
GOVERNORS: Voters in 36 states will elect governors this year, including in 19 states where incumbents aren’t seeking re-election. Over the next three days, we’re rolling out our new race ratings, from Alabama to Wyoming. Read our first dispatch, the safe seats, right here.
FLORIDA: A new Cygnal poll finds U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R) leading the GOP primary field with 43% of the vote, followed by conservative provocateur James Fishback (R) at 12% and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins (R) at 11%. (Cygnal) A University of North Florida poll finds Donalds leading former U.S. Rep. David Jolly (D) 46% to 41% in the general election. (UNF)
OHIO: Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (R) has spent nearly $9 million in TV ads over the last six weeks, compared to just $100,000 in advertising by former state health director Amy Acton (D). Ramaswamy reported raising about $50 million, half of it from his own pocket, through May. Acton reported raising almost $18.5 million. (Ohio Capital Journal)
VIRGINIA: A Virginia General Assembly panel is weighing a plan to move legislative and gubernatorial elections to even-numbered years to coincide with presidential and midterm contests. Lawmakers debated holding gubernatorial elections in either the presidential or midterm year, with Senate elections following two years later. (Roanoke Times)
PEOPLE: Former Arizona Senate President Carl Kunasek (R) has died at 94. Kunasek presided over the impeachment trial of then-Gov. Evan Mecham in the 1980s. (Arizona Republic)
By The Numbers
About 1.4 million: The number of students enrolled in public schools in New Jersey, the lowest level since the 2001-2002 school year. Enrollment dropped by 23,732 students since last year. (New Jersey Monitor)
5: The number of cities that have served as Rhode Island state capitals, a legacy of Colonial-era government in which the seat of government rotated between Newport, Providence, Kingston, East Greenwich and Bristol. Lawmakers limited sessions to Newport and Providence in 1854, and then to Providence in 1901. (Providence Journal)
Read more from the Newport Historical Society.
Off The Wall
A lightsaber with Luke Skywalker’s severed hand from “The Empire Strikes Back” has sold at auction for $3.75 million. It’s the highest price ever paid for a prop used in the “Star Wars” franchise. In the same auction, a chest with dragon eggs from the first season of “Game of Thrones” sold for $312,500, and Willy Wonka’s top hat went for $350,000. (Associated Press)
The town of Luverne, Minn., now boasts the world’s largest nutcracker, a nearly 66-foot statue decked out like Uncle Sam. The nutcracker, dubbed Verne the Patriot, is almost twice as tall as the next-tallest figure, a nutcracker in Neuhausen, Germany. Luverne holds a nutcracker festival every summer. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“We kept going, and there was a point where he said, ‘Well, you know what, I’ll double your odds. You’ve got a 2% chance.’”
— Kansas Pharmacists Association President Sandie Kueker, on pre-session hopes of passing a pharmacy benefit manager reform bill. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) signed the bill on Friday. (State Affairs)