Good morning, it’s Friday, December 13, 2024. In today’s edition, states tiptoe into crypto; Michigan votes to ban bump stocks, ghost guns; Nevada A.G. to run for governor:
Top Stories
CRYPTO: Texas Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R) introduced legislation Thursday to create a strategic bitcoin reserve, distinct from the state’s general fund. It’s the second big crypto-friendly bill introduced this year; Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Cabell (R) introduced legislation last month to allow the state to invest up to 10% of public funds in bitcoin.
Both measures are backed by the Satoshi Action Fund, a pro-crypto industry group that crafts model legislation, named for the apparent founder of bitcoin. Bitcoin supporters are poised for a big year: President-elect Trump has pledged to run a pro-crypto administration, and the price of Bitcoin has skyrocketed from $68,000 to north of $100,000 since Election Day. Read more at Pluribus News.
MORE: Michigan Rep. Alabas Farhat (D) has introduced legislation to create a “Michcoin,” Michigan’s own cryptocurrency backed by state gold and silver reserves. Michigan’s retirement system holds about $18 million in shares of two cryptocurrency funds. (MLive)
HEALTH CARE: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has signed legislation requiring health insurers to cover EpiPens, capping out-of-pocket costs for consumers at $100. The price of EpiPens has risen 600% since 2007, according to Hochul’s office. (State of Politics)
GUN POLITICS: The Michigan Senate has voted to advance legislation banning the possession of bump stocks and so-called ghost guns that do not have serial numbers. Three Republicans joined majority Democrats to back the bump stock bill. (Detroit News)
MORE: The Ohio House has approved legislation prohibiting government from requiring gun owners to carry liability insurance. The bill would also bar requiring extra fees to carry a firearm or possess a knife. (Statehouse News Bureau)
PRIVACY: Ohio lawmakers have voted to prohibit the use of Apple AirTags or similar devices to track a person’s whereabouts without their consent. The bill creates a first degree misdemeanor offense for the illegal use of a tracking device or app. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
EDUCATION: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) budget proposal would earmark $98 million to expand child care to 5,100 additional children. The budget plan would increase minimum wages for early childhood workers from $15 to $18 an hour. (Albuquerque Journal)
New Mexico established an early childhood trust fund in 2020, seeded with $300 million. That fund will have a $9.6 billion balance by the end of this fiscal year.
In Politics & Business
NEVADA: Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) will challenge Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) in 2026, Ford said Thursday. Ford has served as attorney general since winning election in 2018. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
This will be one of the marquee matchups of the midterm cycle. Lombardo ousted then-Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) in 2022.
NORTH CAROLINA: Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and Gov.-elect Josh Stein (D) have filed a legal challenge to the Republican-backed bill that strips the governor’s office of longstanding powers. The bill would make the Highway Patrol a standalone department, something Cooper and Stein allege will disrupt the chain of command in an emergency. (Raleigh News & Observer)
ILLINOIS: IBM will partner with Illinois to create a new national quantum algorithm center in Chicago, part of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s (D) effort to make Illinois a leader in quantum computing. The Chicago City Council voted Wednesday to give the quantum campus zoning approval. (Chicago Sun-Times)
CRIME BLOTTER: West Virginia Rep.-elect Joseph de Soto has been arrested and faces at least one felony charge for making threats against government officials. De Soto allegedly threatened West Virginia House Speaker Roger Hanshaw (R). He changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat the day before his arrest. (Associated Press)
By The Numbers
46%: The share of American teenagers who say they are online “almost constantly,” double the amount from a decade ago. Most teens say they use YouTube (73%), TikTok (57%) and Instagram (50%) on at least a daily basis. (Pew Research Center)
33%: The rise in overdose deaths in Oregon between 2022 and 2023. The number of overdose deaths in Oregon has almost tripled just since 2019. (Oregonian)
Off The Wall
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) used a table saw to cut up 208 antiquated executive orders he said had become irrelevant. Among those Polis shredded was a 1978 order requiring contracts to be signed by then-Gov. Dick Lamm (D) and another creating the Governor’s Committee to Improve Television Reception from 1957. (Colorado Public Radio)
Feels like a stunt from a future presidential candidate, doesn’t it?
Students at American University in Washington, D.C., will get to vote again on two Advisory Neighborhood Commission seats after the city acknowledged that lots of students received ballots from the wrong districts. One student running for an ANC seat flagged the incorrect ballots after she needed a new ballot to vote for herself. (Washington Post)
Quote of the Day
“Sometimes the other team plays better than you, and sometimes you don’t play to where you should be.”
— Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), reflecting on his time as Vice President Harris’s running mate and the 2024 elections. (MPR News)