Good morning, it’s Thursday, December 12, 2024. In today’s edition, lawmakers pass record number of tech bills; Ohio education, health bills race the clock; North Carolina Republicans strip Dem governor of power:
Top Stories
TECHNOLOGY: State legislators passed more than 200 laws regulating the tech industry in 2024, according to an annual report from the Center for Social Media and Politics and the Center on Tech Policy. Nearly half of those measures, 107 new laws in 41 states, were related to artificial intelligence.
Seven states passed comprehensive data privacy laws. Another 18 states adopted laws protecting biometric data. And lawmakers passed 48 new bills aimed at improving child safety online, from age-gating pornography to giving parents more control over a child’s online presence.
The laws are not passing in a vacuum: The tech industry, and its lawyers, are fighting back. Industry groups have sued to block many of the measures over constitutional issues, and in most cases, those groups have won initial injunctions. Expect lawmakers to take another run at regulation in their busy sessions ahead. Read more at Pluribus News.
GUN POLITICS: Florida Republican lawmakers have introduced bills to roll back a law banning those under 21 from purchasing rifles and repeal the state’s red flag law. Both measures were passed in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in 2018. (Associated Press)
MORE: The Michigan House Judiciary Committee has advanced legislation to remove liability protections for gun manufacturers. Michigan would join Maryland, California, New York, Delaware, Illinois and New Jersey in denying immunity protections to manufacturers. (Detroit News)
PUBLIC HEALTH: The Ohio Senate has approved legislation requiring hospital pharmacists to dispense a prescribed drug for off-label use during a public health emergency. The bill comes after some Covid-19 patients sought treatment with ineffective drugs like ivermectin. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
EDUCATION: The Ohio Senate, working on a Parent’s Bill of Rights measure that would require schools to notify parents of discussions of sexuality, tacked on a new bill that would allow students to be released from class for religious instruction. Lawmakers are trying to finish their work for the year by the end of this week. (Statehouse News Bureau)
ENVIRONMENT: New Jersey lawmakers will debate legislation that would require packaging materials to be recyclable or compostable by 2034. The bill would impose fees on manufacturers and distributors to create a $120 million recycling fund. (Associated Press)
MORE: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has sued chemical giants 3M and DuPont, alleging decades of misrepresentations about the safety of PFAS “forever” chemicals. The lawsuit alleges the companies knew PFAS chemicals could cause harm to humans. (Texas Tribune)
DISASTER RELIEF: Oregon lawmakers meet for special session today to allocate funding for communities hit by wildfire this year. Gov. Tina Kotek (D) has asked lawmakers to allocate $218 million to pay for operations costs. (Associated Press)
Oregon has spent more than $350 million on wildfires so far, the most expensive disaster year in state history.
In Politics & Business
NORTH CAROLINA: House Republicans voted Wednesday to overturn Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) veto of legislation that will shift appointment power for several boards and commissions from the governor’s office to other statewide executive offices. The measure will take power from Gov.-elect Josh Stein (D) and hand it to offices that will be controlled by Republicans. (Charlotte Observer)
The bill also requires Attorney General-elect Jeff Jackson (D) to represent the will of the Republican-controlled General Assembly.
NEW JERSEY: U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D) has released his real Spotify Wrapped playlist, after a bogus one his campaign claimed to show his top five songs were all Bruce Springsteen tunes. At the top of Gottheimer’s real list? Springsteen. (NJ Advance Media)
Don’t ever let it be said we don’t bring you the most important stories of the day.
CALIFORNIA: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has voted to spend $141 million on preliminary planning work for a proposed water tunnel in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The 45-mile tunnel will cost an estimated $20.1 billion to build; the district won’t vote on whether to begin construction until 2027. (Los Angeles Times)
ANTITRUST: Albertsons is pulling out of a planned $24.6 billion merger with Kroger, after a federal judge and a Washington State judge ruled against the proposal. Albertsons said it had filed a $600 million lawsuit against Kroger seeking a termination fee. (Associated Press)
By The Numbers
246,405: The number of pieces of legislation introduced by state lawmakers this year, up from 242,657 in the 2019-2020 biennium. New York lawmakers introduced the most bills, 24,284, while Alaska legislators introduced the fewest, 812. That’s according to our friend Bill Kramer at MultiState. Sign up for his newsletter right here.
$2,298,640: The amount Rhode Island spent to repair and rehabilitate the Independent Man statue atop the Capitol dome. Restoration itself cost about $1.26 million. (Boston Globe)
Off The Wall
Homeland Security officials briefed New Jersey lawmakers Wednesday on the rash of late-night drone flights that appear to avoid detection by traditional methods. Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia (R) said in a post on X that the drones are up to 6 feet in diameter and do not appear to be flown by hobbyists. (Associated Press)
Officials in Bend, Ore., have asked residents to stop putting googly eyes on statues around the city. The city said removing the eyes and caring for the statues costs too much money. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“Austin from Pittsburgh.”
— Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D), calling into a radio interview with Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) on Philadelphia’s 97.5 FM ahead of this weekend’s matchup between the Eagles and Steelers. Davis and Shapiro exchanged trash talk so bland that host Mike Missanelli told them to improve their game. (Philadelphia Inquirer)