Good morning, it’s Monday, June 23, 2025. In today’s edition, states back independent pharmacies; court strikes down Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law; Rhode Island approves semiautomatic rifle ban:
Top Stories
HEALTH CARE: More than half a dozen states have approved laws this year setting standard reimbursement rates for filling drug prescriptions. The measures are a response to complaints from independent pharmacies over contracts with pharmacy benefit managers that don’t cover costs for acquiring medications. (Pluribus News)
GUN POLITICS: Rhode Island legislators approved a bill banning the sale and manufacture of semiautomatic rifles. Gov. Dan McKee (D) said he plans to sign the law, which doesn’t ban the possession of such firearms. Ten other states and the District of Columbia ban the sale and manufacture of semiautomatic rifles. (Associated Press)
EDUCATION: A panel of three federal judges has ruled that a Louisiana law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools is unconstitutional. Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) said she would appeal the decision. (Associated Press)
MORE: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed legislation requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments. The bill requires schools to display a poster of at least 16 by 20 inches, and makes the state liable for any legal fees school districts may incur. (Texas Tribune)
MARIJUANA: Texas Gov. Abbott has vetoed legislation banning consumable hemp products that contain THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Abbott called a special legislative session asking lawmakers to approve new regulations on those products instead. The special session is set to kick off July 21. (Texas Tribune)
PUBLIC HEALTH: The U.S. Senate parliamentarian has ruled that a Republican proposal to shift the costs of food stamps from the federal government to the states would violate Senate rules. The provision in the omnibus budget bill was expected to save tens of billions of dollars to offset part of the bill’s tax cuts. (Associated Press)
MORE: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed legislation banning weather geoengineering, prohibiting what conspiracy theorists call “chemtrails.” The bill will require the Department of Environmental Protection to investigate complaints from residents about suspected weather modification. (Florida Politics)
Read our story from March about legislation banning “geoengineering” experiments.
In Politics & Business
VIRGINIA: The Republican Governors Association plans to invest $500,000 in Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R). The Democratic Governors Association has previously announced plans to spend $5 million on behalf of former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D). (Virginia Scope)
CALIFORNIA: Former Vice President Kamala Harris is leaning toward a bid for governor, though a final decision isn’t made. Harris has set an end-of-summer deadline to make a final decision. (The Hill)
NEW MEXICO: Rumors are swirling that former Gov. Susana Martinez (R) is planning to run for office again, bolstered by her scheduled appearance at a since-scrapped bus tour to rally support for the Trump administration’s policies on transgender athletes. Martinez, who once distanced herself from President Trump, attended a rally of his shortly before the 2024 election. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
MARYLAND: State Democrats have elected Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) as their new party chair. Pittman can’t take office until he formally closes his campaign account later this month. (Maryland Matters)
By The Numbers
$16 million: The amount a super PAC backing former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has spent supporting his campaign for New York City mayor this year. The PAC is funded by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, DoorDash and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, among others. (City & State)
85,000: The decline in visitors from Canada crossing into the United States in Maine in May, compared to last year. (Portland Press Herald)
Off The Wall
Florida Democratic voters on Tuesday will choose between two siblings running against each other for an open state Senate seat. Ex-state Sen. Randolph Bracy (D) and former state Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis (D) are both seeking an Orlando-area seat; their mother, Lavon Wright Bracy, has endorsed her daughter over her son. (Associated Press)
That’s going to be an awkward Thanksgiving dinner table.
Michigan’s tourism agency has launched a new fragrance to evoke “beachy vacation days.” The agency plans future scents evocative of harvest, first snow and spring tulip blooms. (Bridge MI)
Headline of the day: “Minnesota’s Hormel sues Wisconsin’s Johnsonville alleging stolen sausage secrets” (Wisconsin State Journal)
Stolen Sausage Secrets would be an excellent name for a band.
Quote of the Day
“The president worries about it. Congress, they kind of worry about it. But not the rank-and-file, midlevel state officials or now the city council members, they would have to be thinking about this, too.”
— Minnesota Sen. Jim Abeler (R), on threats state lawmakers face in the wake of the assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband Mark. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)