Good morning, it’s Wednesday, January 29, 2025. In today’s edition, Trump freeze scrambles state budgets; lawmakers consider vaccine exemptions; Dems win special elections in Iowa, Minnesota:
Top Stories
BUDGETS: State leaders are scrambling to respond to the Trump administration’s temporary stop on federal grants and loans, an initiative that appeared to block funding for scores of programs that state-level agencies administer. Some states reported they could not access Medicaid funding systems, while others said they were waiting on delayed payments to state treasurers. Twenty two states and the District of Columbia sued to block the freeze. (Pluribus News)
Late Tuesday, a U.S. District Court judge issued an administrative stay on the freeze, scheduling arguments for Monday. (NBC News)
PUBLIC HEALTH: Lawmakers in more than 15 states are considering bills to create new exemptions for vaccine requirements, establish state-level vaccine injury databases and require providers to offer more information to patients about shots. The bills come as childhood vaccination rates continue to fall nationwide. (Associated Press)
TRANS RIGHTS: Montana’s Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on legislation that would make it a felony to provide gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors, including both surgical and medical avenues. The bill would apply to both parents and medical providers. (Daily Montanan) Kansas Senate and House committees heard testimony over a gender-affirming care ban on Tuesday. (Kansas Reflector)
MORE: Kentucky Rep. Matt Lockett (R) has introduced legislation that would require schools to designate 95% of their restrooms as reserved for a specific biological sex. Lockett’s bill comes after lawmakers raised questions about a Fayette County school that includes gender-neutral bathroom facilities. (Kentucky Lantern)
SOCIAL MEDIA: A Utah Senate committee has unanimously advanced legislation that would require app stores to verify user ages. The bill would require stores to categorize users as under 13, between 13 and 15, between 16 and 17, and as adults. (KSL)
DEI: Nineteen Republican attorneys general are pushing wholesale giant Costco to end its diversity, equity and inclusion policies. An overwhelming share of Costco shareholders voted last week against a stockholder resolution to end DEI programs. (Columbus Dispatch)
EDUCATION: The Texas Senate Education Committee voted to advance school voucher legislation. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) said the full Senate would act on the bill as soon as next Wednesday if Gov. Greg Abbott (R) declares the measure a priority. The bill would provide up to $10,000 a year per student for accredited private schools and associated costs. (Texas Tribune)
MORE: The South Dakota Senate voted narrowly on Tuesday to advance legislation requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments and teach their significance. The bill would require the commandments to be displayed on an 8-by-14 inch poster with “easily readable font.” (South Dakota Searchlight)
ENVIRONMENT: The North Dakota House has approved legislation to end daylight saving time. North Dakota would join Arizona and Hawaii as the only states that don’t participate in the twice-yearly time changes. (Fargo Forum)
In Politics & Business
IOWA: DeWitt School Board president Mike Zimmer (D) has won a special election to claim a seat in the Iowa Senate by a 52% to 48% margin over his Republican rival. Zimmer won a district that President Trump carried with nearly 60% of the vote in the 2024 presidential contest. (Des Moines Register)
MINNESOTA: Democrat Doron Clark has won a special election to the Minnesota Senate, formally giving Democrats a 34-33 edge in the chamber. Clark carried 90% of the vote in a heavily Democratic district to replace the late Sen. Kari Dziedzic (D), who died of cancer in December. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
SOUTH CAROLINA: Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) is considering a run for governor in 2026, he said this week. He would likely face U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R) in the Republican primary; Gov. Henry McMaster (R) faces term limits. (The State)
ARIZONA: Senate President Warren Petersen (R) has filed papers to challenge Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) in 2026. He would face 2022 candidate Rodney Glassman (R) in the primary election. (Arizona Republic)
Mayes beat her Republican challenger, now-Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R), by just 280 votes in 2022.
PEOPLE: Virginia Del. Tommy Wright (R) fainted on the House floor on Tuesday, before recovering enough to walk off on his own. In a statement, Wright said he had been severely dehydrated. He’s expected to make a full recovery. (Cardinal News)
By The Numbers
2,927: The number of days South Carolina Gov. McMaster has served in office, making him the longest-tenured South Carolina governor in state history. McMaster took the helm when his predecessor, Nikki Haley, quit to become President Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations in 2017. (Associated Press)
27%: The decline in reported carjackings in 22 major cities across the country in 2024. San Francisco, New Orleans and New York all reported massive drops in carjacking incidents, and Dallas, Mesa, Ariz., and Baltimore all reported declines of more than 20%. (Jeff-alytics)
29,522: The number of new homes Oregon must build every year to make up for a chronic housing shortage, the state Office of Economic Analysis said in a report. Builders pulled permits to construct about 18,000 residential units in 2023, and just 13,000 through November 2024, state records show. (Oregonian)
15: The number of years since Florida legislators overrode a gubernatorial veto, before lawmakers voted nearly unanimously to overturn Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) veto of legislation to provide $56 million in funding for the legislature. Just one lawmaker, DeSantis ally Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R), voted to sustain the veto. (Floridian Press)
Off The Wall
The largest tuberculosis outbreak in American history is taking place in Kansas’s Wyandotte County. The state Department of Health and Environment has reported 67 active infections and 79 latent infections, officials said. (Kansas City Star)
Oklahoma Sen. Dusty Denver (R) has introduced legislation to ban pornography. Denver’s bill would allow for criminal penalties of up to 10 years in prison for anyone found guilty of producing, distributing or possessing adult content. (USA Today)
Virginia’s House Transportation Committee has voted to update state law to refer to Washington’s football team by its new name, the Commanders. Existing law related to vanity license plates still refers to the team’s old name. (Virginia Mercury)
Quote of the Day
“I’ve tried to wrap my head around this. It is a shock.”
— Utah Senate President Stuart Adams (R), on the Trump administration’s order to freeze federal assistance. “We receive a lot of money from the federal government,” Adams said. (Deseret News)