Good morning, it’s Wednesday, July 24, 2024. In today’s edition, the pandemic’s impact on alcohol policy; Vermont sues PBMs over high costs; redistricting reform makes Ohio’s ballot:
Top Stories
ALCOHOL: In the nine decades since the end of Prohibition, nothing has done more to speed a reform in alcohol laws than the coronavirus pandemic. The moment lockdowns took effect, states liberalized liquor laws that had been unchanged for nearly a century.
Those laws are still being relaxed: Colorado, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Virginia have enacted new measures this year making permanent Covid-era rules allowing consumers to buy to-go cocktails from restaurants and other establishments. Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) has a similar bill on his desk, and New York has extended to-go cocktails through 2030.
A part of the move to expand liquor sales comes from the restaurant industry, which makes its biggest margins on booze. And a part comes from gig economy companies, like DoorDash and UberEats. Today, 16 states and the District of Columbia allow establishments to use third-party delivery services to deliver cocktails. Apps, it turns out, can foster policy change. Read more at Pluribus News.
HEALTH CARE: Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark (D) has filed suit against pharmacy benefit managers accusing CVS Caremark and Express Scripts of anticompetitive behavior. The suit alleges the firms, which account for 95% of the state’s drug market, of causing higher drug prices. (VT Digger)
MARIJUANA: Eleven Republican attorneys general have written to the Biden administration opposing a proposal to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug. The AGs say reclassification will hurt states that have not legalized cannabis for recreational use. (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)
EDUCATION: Delaware Gov. Carney has signed legislation expanding access to free breakfast and lunch to students who qualify for reduced-price meals. The bill passed the legislature unanimously. (Delaware Public Media)
HOUSING: The Maui Planning Commission voted unanimously to back legislation that would turn short-term rental units into long-term housing. The proposal would apply to about 7,000 units, allowed under state law approved earlier this year that gives counties the authority to regulate short-term rentals. (Civil Beat)
In Politics & Business
CALIFORNIA: Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) will run for governor in 2026, he said Tuesday. Villaraigosa, who ran in 2018, joins a crowded field of Democrats including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D), former Controller Betty Yee (D), Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond (D) and state Sen. Toni Atkins (D). (Los Angeles Times)
OHIO: Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) has validated a proposed constitutional amendment to reform redistricting procedures that will appear on November’s ballot. LaRose’s office said the group had submitted 535,000 valid signatures, 100,000 more than required. The amendment would create a bipartisan panel to draw new district lines. (Columbus Dispatch)
ARKANSAS: The state Supreme Court has ordered the Secretary of State to begin counting signatures submitted in favor of an abortion-rights measure aimed at this year’s ballot. The ruling applies only to signatures collected by volunteers, not those collected by paid signature gatherers. That appears to leave supporters about 3,000 short of the number they need to make the ballot. (Associated Press, Talk Business & Politics)
ALASKA: A proposed measure to repeal ranked-choice voting has enough signatures to qualify for November’s ballot, after some signatures were thrown out as improperly collected. Alaska voters approved the use of ranked-choice voting in 2020. (Anchorage Daily News)
By The Numbers
353%: The increase in viewership of the HBO series “Veep” on Monday, according to Max, after Vice President Kamala Harris became the apparent Democratic nominee. In the series, fictional Vice President Selina Meyer becomes her party’s presidential nominee after the incumbent steps down for health reasons. (Deadline)
We’ve said it before: Forget “West Wing” or “House of Cards,” Veep is the most accurate depiction of life in D.C.
62.87: The average global temperature, in Fahrenheit, recorded on Monday, the hottest ever recorded. Scientists blamed a warmer-than-usual Antarctic winter. It’s the hottest the world has been in about 120,000 years. (Associated Press)
83: The number of active fires burning in Washington, California, Idaho and Oregon this week. More than 767,000 acres of Oregon land are ablaze as firefighters race to contain the conflagrations. (Oregonian)
Off The Wall
Two sets of siblings will compete for Team USA in this year’s Olympics, kicking off Friday in Paris. Alex and Gretchen Walsh of Tennessee join Aaron and Alex Shackell of Indiana, all of whom qualified for the national swimming team during trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis this month. (Indianapolis Star)
In other Olympic news, Salt Lake City will host the 2034 Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee said this morning. The announcement was expected: Salt Lake City was the only bidder for the games. (Associated Press)
The happy news for Utah is, predictably, tangled up in complicated Olympics politics: The IOC is angry about a U.S. investigation into the World Anti-Doping Agency’s failure to pursue doping cases against 23 Chinese swimmers ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile rolled onto its side in a Chicago suburb on Monday, after striking another car on Interstate 294. No one was hurt, which makes the photograph hilarious. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“I look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate that indeed our Founders were right to be skeptical of an all powerful Executive and democracy should remain inconvenient to bad ideas.”
— Nebraska Sen. Danielle Conrad, one of several senators voicing anger at a special session on property taxes called by Gov. Jim Pillen (R). (Nebraska Examiner)