Good morning, it’s Monday, March 31, 2025. Where did the first quarter go?!? In today’s edition, blue states crack down on plastic packaging; Utah bans pride flags; Ohio Gov signs massive higher ed overhaul:
Top Stories
ENVIRONMENT: Lawmakers in New York and New Jersey are considering bills mandating a reduction in the use of plastic packaging to cut down on pollution. The so-called extended producer responsibility bills would require manufacturers to pay for recycling plastic packaging. (Pluribus News)
Plastics make up about 12% of the 300 million tons of municipal solid waste produced in the U.S. every year, according to the EPA.
LGBTQ RIGHTS: Utah will be the first state in the nation to ban pride flags at public schools and on government property after Gov. Spencer Cox (R) allowed a bill to become law without his signature. The bill specifically allows schools and government buildings to fly the U.S. flag, the Utah flag, Native American flags, Olympic flags, flags from other countries and flags of universities and colleges. The state auditor will have authority to fine entities that fly some other type of flag. (Salt Lake Tribune)
EDUCATION: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has signed legislation banning diversity efforts, prohibiting faculty strikes and creating post-tenure reviews at state colleges and universities. The bill sets rules around “controversial beliefs” like climate change, electoral politics, foreign policy, marriage and abortion. (Ohio Capital Journal)
PUBLIC HEALTH: Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) has vetoed legislation that would have banned governments and private businesses from refusing service to anyone who refuses to treat their medical illnesses. The bill would have banned businesses from requiring someone to receive medical treatment, including for communicable conditions like pink eye and lice. (Boise State Public Radio)
MORE: Oregon’s Senate Health Care Committee has approved legislation making Medicaid pay available to parents who provide care to their minor children with severe disabilities. About 1,300 kids meet eligibility requirements but remain on a wait list under a 2023 law that capped participation at 155 children. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
TAXES: The Washington Senate has approved a 6-cent increase on the state gas tax, along with a 2% annual increase in future years. The Senate also passed a $78.5 billion two-year budget that lifts the cap on annual property tax growth and a new tax on assets of wealthy individuals. (Washington State Standard)
ELECTIONS: A Wyoming bill to require new residents to live in the state for 30 days prior to registering to vote has become law without Gov. Mark Gordon’s (R) signature. The bill would require new voters to provide proof of citizenship and Wyoming residency before qualifying. (Casper Star-Tribune) Delaware lawmakers have reintroduced legislation to add early voting, mail-in voting and permanent absentee voting to the state constitution. A similar bill failed last year. (Delaware Public Media)
In Politics & Business
WISCONSIN: Elon Musk handed out two $1 million checks to voters at a Green Bay rally Sunday night, after the state Supreme Court declined to intervene. Musk is backing Judge Brad Schimel, supported by Republicans, in Tuesday’s election for an open seat on the high court. Democrats back Judge Susan Crawford. (Associated Press)
OHIO: Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel (R) hasn’t ruled out a run for governor in 2026. Tressel, the former Ohio State University football coach, has nearly universal name recognition in the state. He would face businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (R), Attorney General Dave Yost (R) and businesswoman Heather Hill (R) in the GOP primary. (Ohio Capital Journal)
COLORADO: Former Routt County Treasurer Brita Horn will serve as chair of the state Republican Party, after she won election this weekend to replace Dave Williams. Horn joined an effort to oust Williams in the middle of his term over allegations he used party money to boost his own campaign for Congress. (Colorado Sun)
MINNESOTA: State Democrats have elected Richard Carlbom, Gov. Tim Walz’s (D) deputy chief of staff, to serve as chair of the state party. Carlbom succeeds Ken Martin, who won election earlier this year to head the Democratic National Committee. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
TEXAS: Dallas resident Kendall Scudder will chair the Texas Democratic Party, after he beat out six other candidates this weekend. Scudder replaces longtime chair Gilberto Hinojosa, who resigned after Democrats performed poorly in the 2024 elections. (Texas Tribune)
CRIME BLOTTER: Federal authorities are investigating a fire early Sunday that damaged the headquarters of the New Mexico Republican Party. ATF agents said they had recovered “incendiary materials” and were investigating the fire as an act of arson. (Associated Press)
By The Numbers
More than $150,000: The amount of taxpayer money former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) spent on political and personal travel while in office. Noem took several trips to Mar-a-Lago; she is now secretary of Homeland Security. (Associated Press)
At least half: The share of states that now ban the possession of so-called Glock switches, a machine gun conversion device. The advent of 3D printers has seen the number of Glock switches recovered by federal law enforcement explode over the last decade. Both red states and blue states are implementing the new bans. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
A longtime Democratic activist has begun circulating initiative petitions to force Tesla to close showrooms in Kansas City and St. Louis. The group, UnPlug Musk, must gather 106,384 valid signatures to qualify for the 2026 ballot. The effort is being led by Brad Ketcher, a former chief of staff to the late Gov. Mel Carnahan. (Missouri Independent)
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has canceled a celebration of the greater prairie chicken at Kellerton Grasslands Bird Conservation Area, because there are so few birds left. The state Natural Heritage Foundation estimates that less than 0.01% of Iowa’s habitable landscape for prairie chickens remains. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
Quote of the Day
“In absence of any semblance of competency coming out of the 5th floor, I don’t blame them for positioning themselves as potentially looking at other opportunities, even if that’s not the case.”
— Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza (D), in a text message to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, on concerns that United Airlines might move its headquarters out of Chicago. The “5th floor” is a reference to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), who has clashed with Pritzker and Mendoza. (Chicago Tribune)
Certainties in life: Death, taxes, expensive Wisconsin Supreme Court races, and tension between the governor of Illinois and the mayor of Chicago.