Good morning, it’s Wednesday, October 8, 2025. In today’s edition, lawmakers form new AI working group; Dems threaten to bolt governor’s group over troop deployments; Colorado first state to set upper limits on drug prices:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A multi-state group of legislators and lawmakers are convening the State AI Policy Forum, hosted by Princeton’s Center for Information Technology. It’s a continuation of the Multistate AI Policymaker Working Group, a group convened by Connecticut Sen. James Maroney (D) for lawmakers to discuss regulatory proposals. That group lost its outside coordinator, the Future Privacy Forum, under pressure from right-leaning opponents of regulation. (Pluribus News)
NATIONAL GUARD: Members of the Texas National Guard have arrived in Illinois despite opposition from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D). The state and city are pursuing a lawsuit seeking to block the federalization and deployment of National Guard troops. (ABC News)
HEALTH CARE: Colorado’s Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board has set a cap on the cost of Enbrel, a popular drug that treats rheumatoid arthritis among other conditions. The board set a maximum fair price at $600 for a standard weekly dose for adults, or about $31,000 per year — about half what the drug costs now. (Colorado Sun)
The price cap makes Colorado the first state to set an upper price limit on a drug. Maryland, Minnesota and Washington have all approved prescription drug affordability boards of their own, though those bodies have yet to set limits.
HOUSING: The Wisconsin Assembly has approved legislation creating a grant program to convert multifamily housing into condos. The legislature also approved a measure requiring 90 days’ notice before a mobile or manufactured home community shuts down. (State Affairs)
MORE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed legislation requiring landlords to equip rental units with a refrigerator and a stove that are in good working condition. Existing state law only requires landlords to provide hot and cold running water, heat and weather proofing. (Los Angeles Times)
TRANSPORTATION: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has signed road funding legislation as part of the state budget deal. The bill would impose a new 24% tax on marijuana sales to fund road improvements. The Senate Fiscal Agency projected a 14% decline in pot sales due to higher prices. (State Affairs, Associated Press)
ANTISEMITISM: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed legislation creating an Office of Civil Rights to develop training programs to help school employees identify and prevent antisemitism. The final version of the bill omitted previous references to the ongoing war in Gaza. (Associated Press)
FILM CREDITS: Nevada unions are launching a full-court press to get lawmakers to approve a new expansion of the state’s film tax credit program. A bill to appropriate $95 million in transferable tax credits per year won approval in the Assembly earlier this year. (Nevada Independent) Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) has pledged to call a special session, though he hasn’t said what would be on the agenda. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
In Politics & Business
GOVERNORS: Illinois Gov. Pritzker and California Gov. Newsom have threatened to leave the National Governors Association over its silence on the deployment of National Guard troops across state lines. Democratic governors of Kansas, Michigan and Minnesota left the NGA earlier this year. (Associated Press)
NEW JERSEY: Former U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) has raised $17.5 million since the end of June, according to new campaign finance reports, slightly more than the $16.5 million brought in by former Assemb. Jack Ciattarelli (R). Both candidates are likely to qualify for the full $12.5 million in matching funds. (New Jersey Monitor)
WISCONSIN: Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) will skip a bid for governor and will run instead for a third term, he said Tuesday. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) is rumored to have been planning a bid if Kaul skipped the race. (State Affairs)
2028: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is holding three events across New Hampshire this week to support local Democrats. Beshear told WMUR he will consider a bid for president after next year’s midterm elections. (WMUR)
By The Numbers
$6.4 billion: The amount of revenue generated by legalized gambling in Pennsylvania in the last fiscal year, generating $2.8 billion in tax revenue for the state. Online casino-type games saw revenues grow 27% over last year. (Harrisburg Patriot-News)
More than 800,000: The number of Minnesota residents who claim Norwegian ancestry, more than any other state. Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon visited Minneapolis on Tuesday as part of a tour marking the 200th anniversary of organized immigration from Norway to the United States. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
California is the third state to designate Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, as an official state holiday. Pennsylvania and Connecticut have adopted the holiday over the last year. (Associated Press)
The Cleveland Metropark Zoo in Ohio is asking the public’s help in naming a newborn eastern black rhino calf born last month. The eastern black rhino is a critically endangered species. Suggested names include Makena, which means “happy one;” Kenza, which means “treasure;” and Kamari, which means “like the moon.” (UPI)
Rhino McRhinoface apparently didn’t make the cut.
Quote of the Day
“I’m very passionate about it but I don’t have the expertise to come up with the ideas on my own.”
— Arizona Senate Appropriations and Transportation Committee chairman David Farnsworth (R), on the future of flying cars. (State Affairs)