Good morning, it’s Friday, September 27, 2024. In today’s edition, California moves to protect child vloggers; Dems send money to deep red states; Texas AG sues over foster parent rule:
Top Stories
SOCIAL MEDIA: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed legislation requiring parents to set aside earnings for their children who appear in online vlogging videos. California will be the third state, after Illinois and Minnesota, to implement protections from financial exploitation.
Newsom signed two bills: One requires parents and guardians to reserve a proportional percentage of earnings from online videos for their children, accessible through a trust once those kids turn 18. The other updates a 1930s-era law meant to protect child actors in Hollywood that would require parents to set aside 15% of a kid’s earnings.
Lawmakers in red states and blue states alike are considering similar vlogger bills. Versions have been introduced, but fallen short, in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington in recent years. Read more at Pluribus News.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: California Gov. Newsom signed legislation increasing penalties for soliciting and buying sex from minors under 16. The new law, authored by Sen. Shannon Groves (R), will make solicitation of minors a felony. (Associated Press)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is suing to block a rule from the Department of Health and Human Services that requires states to provide LGBTQ affirming placement for youth in foster care. Paxton alleges the requirement would exacerbate a shortage of foster care providers. (Texas Tribune)
ABORTION: A North Dakota judge has signed an order formally rolling back the state’s ban on abortions. The judge found the law’s criminal penalties could deter doctors from providing abortions for legitimate health reasons. There are no facilities in North Dakota that currently provide abortions. (North Dakota Monitor)
PRIVACY: A bipartisan pair of Virginia lawmakers will introduce legislation to criminalize sharing intimate images of someone without their consent, regardless of whether the images were shared maliciously. The bill would increase penalties on those who share so-called “revenge porn.” (WRIC)
CAMPAIGN FINANCE: The Michigan House has approved legislation to allow the Secretary of State to seek court injunctions against campaign finance violators, rather than go through a drawn-out court process. The bill is part of a seven-bill package of campaign reform measures. (Center Square)
In Politics & Business
DEMOCRATS: The Democratic National Committee will distribute $2.5 million to more than 30 state and territorial parties in the coming weeks. The grants include $70,000 to the Idaho Democratic Party to pay for field organizers, $100,000 to Minnesota Democrats to protect legislative majorities and $100,000 to Missouri Democrats to help break the GOP supermajority. (States Newsroom)
VIRGINIA: An extremely early poll of next year’s gubernatorial contest finds a tied race between U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) and the two Republicans she might face, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) and Attorney General Jason Miyares (R). Earle-Sears and Spanberger are tied at 39% apiece, while Spanberger leads Miyares by a statistically insignificant 40%-39% margin. (University of Mary Washington)
CRIME BLOTTER: The Federal Communications Commission has levied a $6 million fine against a Louisiana-based Democratic consultant over fake robocalls mimicking President Biden’s voice urging Democrats not to vote in the New Hampshire primary. The FCC said Steven Kramer has 30 days to pay the fine before they refer the matter to the Justice Department. (Reuters)
By The Numbers
$112 million: The amount raised so far supporting ($37.6 million) and opposing ($74.7 million) California’s Proposition 33, which would allow cities to enact rent controls. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is the measure’s largest supporter, while realtors have contributed the most to the opposition campaign. (Los Angeles Times)
46,889: The number of fans who showed up to the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday to bid farewell to the Athletics, in their final home game. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
Pennsylvania resident Joshua Kiser has formally broken the record by creating the world’s tallest hat. Kiser’s 17-foot, 9.5-inch hat beat the previous Guinness World Record by a full two feet. (UPI)
The DC Lottery said 232 people purchased winning tickets for Sunday’s DC 4 drawing in which the winning numbers were 8-8-8-8. Players won top prizes of $5,000, for a total of just under $1.1 million. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“I don’t read the polls.”
— Massachusetts House Speaker Ronald Mariano (D), after a WBUR/CommonWealth Beacon poll found 47% of state residents somewhat or strongly disapprove of the legislature’s actions. (MassLive)
We hate to say it, but a 47% disapproval rating is actually pretty good for a legislature. Congress’s disapproval rating is in the 80s.