Good morning, it’s Monday, May 12, 2025. In today’s edition, states race to adopt school cellphone bans; 1,000 AI bills introduced this year; Walz acting like a 2028 contender:
Top Stories
EDUCATION: Alabama and New York have joined at least other 21 states to adopt laws or policies restricting the use of cellphones, smart watches or personal electronic devices in classrooms, and similar legislation remains alive in almost two dozen other states. Legislators in both parties are citing New York University psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s bestselling book “The Anxious Generation,” which warns of concerns about smartphones and their impact on teens. (Pluribus News)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The Colorado legislature is likely to reconvene for a special session to amend AI legislation passed last year that requires companies to tell consumers when AI systems are being used. Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez (D) presented his amended plan late in this year’s session, without enough time to get it done. (Colorado Sun)
ABORTION: The Texas Senate has approved legislation allowing anyone who manufactures, distributes, mails or prescribes abortion-inducing drugs to be sued for up to $100,000. The bill expands wrongful death statutes to allow family members of someone who has had an abortion to sue up to six years after the fact. (Texas Tribune)
HOUSING: Vermont lawmakers are nearing final passage of omnibus housing legislation. The bill would increase financing for housing projects in smaller towns, raise thresholds for legal challenges to new housing projects and increase protections for undocumented immigrants. The state budget allocates $15 million for two pandemic-era development programs that have since run out of money. (VT Digger)
PUBLIC HEALTH: Alabama lawmakers have given final approval to legislation regulating the use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices. The bill limits sales at convenience stores to 34 tobacco and menthol-flavored products approved by the FDA, banning other flavors everywhere except age-restricted vape shops. (AL.com)
DEI: The Iowa Senate has approved legislation banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs across public higher education institutions and government entities. The bill prohibits promoting references to unconscious or implicit bias, “transgender ideology,” “group marginalization” and “anti-racism.” (Des Moines Register)
PRIVACY: Attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, California, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Texas have issued calls for customers of the DNA testing company 23andMe to delete their data as the company seeks to sell itself and the genetic data it holds. HIPAA laws do not apply to DNA testing companies. Fourteen states have passed laws regulating direct-to-consumer genetic testing. (Stateline)
In Politics & Business
2028: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) will appear at state Democratic conventions in California and South Carolina this month. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) will speak to South Carolina Democrats the day before Walz. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will not appear before his home crowd. (New York Times)
OHIO: State Republicans on Friday voted to endorse entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (R) in the 2026 gubernatorial race. Attorney General Dave Yost (R), who is also running, said he would consult with supporters about his path forward. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel (R) has not ruled out a bid. (Columbus Dispatch)
MASSACHUSETTS: Venture capitalist and former MBTA administrator Brian Shortsleeve (R) will run for governor in 2026. He will face former Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy (R) in the Republican primary. (Boston Globe)
HAWAII: Gov. Josh Green (D) has launched Heal America PAC, a group dedicated to backing what he calls pro-science candidates for federal office. Observers said Green is setting himself up as the counterpoint to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose nomination Green opposed. (Civil Beat)
UTAH: House Majority Leader Jefferson Moss (R) will resign from office to become executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. House republicans will choose his replacement in the coming weeks. (Salt Lake Tribune)
By The Numbers
1,000: The number of bills related to artificial intelligence that have been introduced in all 50 states this year. (Multistate)
$82 million: The amount of recreational cannabis sold in Arizona in March, down almost $20 million from the same period in 2024. Adult-use marijuana sales were down 9.6% over the first quarter of the year. Medical marijuana sales tanked 28.3% over the same period. (AZ Mirror)
159: The number of votes cast in the Republican runoff election to be the next mayor of Jackson, Miss. — a city with a population of about 138,000 residents. The winner of the Democratic primary, Sen. John Horhn, received 18,593 votes; Horhn ousted Mayor Choke Anwar Lumumba in the primary. (Jackson Clarion Ledger)
Off The Wall
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has rejected a proposed $500 civil penalty for Steve Marks, the former executive director of the state Liquor and Cannabis Commission who used his authority to secure a rare bottle of bourbon. The commission said Marks should pay a larger fine. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Animal control officers rescued a stowaway cat found caught under the hood of Pennsylvania Sen. Frank Farry’s (R) car last week. Farry heard the cat crying; the good news is the cat was completely unhurt. (UPI)
Mexico has sued Google over its decision to label the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday. Mexico says the label should only apply to the part of the gulf that sits on the U.S. continental shelf. (Los Angeles Times)
Quote of the Day
“Thank God it’s over.”
— Colorado Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez (D), on the end of this year’s legislative session. (Denver Post)