Good morning, it’s Wednesday, November 13, 2024. In today’s edition, oil group seeks to end California’s electric vehicle transition; Tennessee lawmakers revive voucher push; New Jersey representatives to enter governor’s race:
Top Stories
ENERGY: The largest petrochemical industry group plans to ask the incoming Trump administration to nix a California regulation that aims to phase out sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. In a briefing with reporters Tuesday, the American Petroleum Institute said it would ask the Environmental Protection Agency to repeal the Advanced Clean Cars II rule, approved in 2022.
But the horse may be out of the barn. At least a dozen other states have adopted versions of the rule, reflecting California’s unique position under the Clean Air Act that allows the state to enact regulations stricter than federal rules if it wins an EPA waiver.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is in Washington this week meeting with the Biden administration about several other waivers his state wants the EPA to approve. Newsom has already called a special session to fortify California against Trump 2.0, setting up what’s likely to be a four-year fight between Washington and Sacramento. Read more at Pluribus News.
SOCIAL MEDIA: The tech industry group NetChoice has filed a federal lawsuit in San Francisco seeking to block a California law barring addictive social media feeds for teenagers. The law seeks to require social media companies to offer only chronological feeds to teenage users. NetChoice says it violates free speech rights. (Pluribus News)
EDUCATION: Tennessee lawmakers have introduced a universal voucher plan backed by Gov. Bill Lee (R) after similar legislation failed last year. Lawmakers have already allocated $144 million for a school voucher program; the two bills to authorize the program were introduced by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R) and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R), a sign of GOP unity. (Nashville Post)
MORE: The Ohio House Primary and Secondary Education Committee heard testimony Tuesday on legislation to require school districts to allow children to leave school for religious studies. Current law allows students to leave for religious studies during “non-core” classes. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
MARRIAGE: Texas Rep. Cody Vasut (R) has introduced legislation to allow “covenant marriage,” a legal arrangement in which both parties would have to agree to a divorce for a court to grant it. Couples would have to undergo at least five hours of counseling before seeking a divorce. (Texas Tribune)
The bill was one of more than a thousand pieces of legislation Texas lawmakers introduced on Tuesday, the first day for pre-filing bills.
ABORTION: Virginia’s House Privileges and Elections Committee hears testimony today on legislation that would guarantee access to an abortion and prohibit the state from penalizing or prosecuting anyone for receiving or aiding in an abortion. Constitutional amendments must win passage twice before voters get a say. (Virginia Scope)
TAXES: Louisiana lawmakers have approved three bills to cut individual income taxes and repeal the corporate franchise tax by a total of $2 billion. Lawmakers began considering a separate bill on Wednesday to raise sales taxes enough to cover that lost revenue. (Baton Rouge Advocate)
In Politics & Business
DEMOCRATS: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) are launching Governors Safeguarding Democracy, a group meant to fight against “increasing threats of autocracy.” Pritzker and Polis said the group is nonpartisan, and that they have reached out to Republican governors, but they declined to release the names of any gubernatorial members. (Chicago Sun Times)
NEW JERSEY: U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D) and Mikie Sherrill (D) will announce campaigns for governor this weekend, joining a crowded Democratic field in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy (D). Gottheimer and Sherrill both won re-election by wide margins last week. (New Jersey Globe)
If Democrats hold the governorship, it would be the first time since 1961 that the party won New Jersey’s top office in three consecutive elections.
VIRGINIA: Former Del. Jay Jones (D) launched a campaign for attorney general, joining Henrico Commonwealth Attorney Shannon Taylor (D) in the Democratic primary. Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) has not said whether he will seek re-election or run for governor in 2025. (Virginia Scope)
ARIZONA: State Republicans who maintained majorities in the legislature plan to try again to allow lawmakers to make changes to voter-approved ballot initiatives. Republicans are considering repealing the Voter Protection Act, a 1998 constitutional amendment that bars lawmakers from repealing citizen-backed initiatives. (Arizona Republic)
LEADERSHIP: Montana Republicans have elected Sen.-elect Matt Regier (R), the former House Speaker, as Senate president. Regier beat out current President Jason Ellsworth (R) for the job. (Daily Montanan) State Rep. Brandon Ler (R) will serve as House Speaker. (Daily Montanan) Arizona Republicans have chosen state Rep. Steve Montenegro (R) to serve as House Speaker. (AZ Mirror)
By The Numbers
$13,000: The fine California Gov. Newsom will pay for failing to report charitable payments made at his request by foundations and businesses like Microsoft, Amazon and T-Mobile. Newsom failed to meet state reporting requirements on 18 occasions between 2018 and 2024. (Los Angeles Times)
$612 million: The amount North Carolinians bet on sporting events in October, up $66.6 million from the month prior. North Carolina levied $8.7 million in taxes on those wagers. (NC Newsline)
Correction: Yesterday we told you about Kansas state Rep. Angel Roeser, 23, the youngest member of the legislature. Roeser is a Republican, not a Democrat. We regret the error.
Off The Wall
The next big solution to climate change may be … volcanic rocks? Oregon’s official state geologist Ruarri Day-Stirrat says layers of volcanic rock throughout the state could be used as a storage bank for carbon dioxide. Day-Stirrat is seeking funding to investigate potential sequestration sites. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
A Missouri thrift store is looking for the relatives of Chester McMeen, a soldier who was stationed in the Philippines during World War II, and his wife Alma Bernice Modglin, after someone left a pile of their letters in the shop’s donation bin. The store manager said they discovered the two had reunited after the war to raise three children, and now they’re looking for those children to return the correspondence. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“Nearly all voters in this state have an opinion of her, and that’s really the big advantage that she brings to an early poll.”
— Mark DiCamillo, director of the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies Poll, on a survey finding Vice President Kamala Harris in a strong position to run for governor in 2026, if she decides to jump in. (Los Angeles Times)