Good morning, it’s Tuesday, December 16, 2025. In today’s edition, youth safety advocates want chatbot regulations; states sue Uber over subscription service; trial begins over California district lines:
Top Stories
ONLINE SAFETY: Youth safety advocates who have spent years pushing Kids Code laws to protect minors online are expanding their model bill to include regulations on AI-driven chatbots. The model bill would add chatbots that seek “to elicit feelings of intimacy from the user” to a list of regulated design features.
California, Maryland, Nebraska and Vermont enacted versions of Kids Code laws in recent years, though the California bill is on hold in the midst of litigation from the tech industry. Lawmakers in New Jersey, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin are likely to introduce Kids Code bills next year. (Pluribus News)
GIG ECONOMY: Twenty two states have filed suit against Uber alleging deceptive and unfair practices related to its subscription service, Uber One. The suit alleges canceling the service is “extraordinarily difficult.” (NJ Advance Media)
IMMIGRATION: Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) will allow a bill limiting the ability of local and state police to work with federal immigration authorities to become law without her signature. Mills also formally repealed a 2011 executive order issued by her Republican predecessor calling for more cooperation between state and federal authorities. (Portland Press Herald)
CRYPTO: Indiana lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it the first state in the nation to mandate access to cryptocurrency investments through state-offered investment plans. The bill also defines key crypto-related terms into state law, including blockchain protocol, digital asset mining and hardware wallet. (State Affairs)
FEDERALISM: The National Conference of State Legislatures convened legislative leaders from across the country Monday in Columbus, Ohio, to establish an agreed upon definition of federalism. Lawmakers from 31 states unanimously backed a declaration of federalism and state empowerment. NCSL said the meeting was not tied to any particular administration or federal action. (State Affairs)
TRANSPORTATION: Arizona Rep. Nick Kupper (R) has introduced legislation allowing the state Department of Transportation to authorize derestricted speed zones on rural interstates. The bill, based on a Montana law, would allow drivers to travel at reasonable and prudent speeds, rather than at a specific numeric limit. (State Affairs)
In Politics & Business
CALIFORNIA: A panel of federal judges held an initial hearing Monday in Los Angeles to consider whether newly approved congressional district lines are constitutional. The lawsuit, filed by federal Republicans, seeks a temporary restraining order by Dec. 19, when qualifying opens. (Associated Press)
NEW YORK: Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) leads U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R) 49% to 30%, and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R) 50% to 25%, according to a new Siena College poll. Hochul leads Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado (D) 56% to 13% in the Democratic primary, while Stefanik leads Blakeman 48% to 17% on the GOP side. (Siena)
MORE: Biotech entrepreneur Joseph Hernandez (R) will run for comptroller, he said Thursday. He will challenge incumbent Tom DiNapoli (D), who has served in office since 2007. New York hasn’t elected a Republican comptroller since 1990. (State of Politics)
MASSACHUSETTS: State elections officials are processing ballots submitted by supporters of 11 potential ballot initiatives. Those campaigns needed to turn in at least 74,574 valid signatures by Dec. 3. Supporters of efforts to eliminate political party primaries; allow people to register to vote on Election Day; and establish statewide rent control are among those claiming they have enough signatures to make November’s ballot. (State Affairs)
INDIANA: The fallout over last week’s failed effort to redistrict the state is hitting the Indiana Senate. Assistant Majority Leader Liz Brown (R) resigned her leadership post. Sen. Andy Zay (R) resigned the legislature to take on a role chairing the state Utility Regulatory Commission. Both Brown and Zay backed the failed redistricting bill. (Chicago Tribune)
By The Numbers
45: The number of executions American states have carried out this year, with three more scheduled before the new year. That’s the highest number of executions since 2010, led by a surge in Florida, which carried out 18 death sentences in 2025. (Pluribus News)
0: The number of lives lost during historic flooding in Washington State last week. Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) said the state hadn’t recorded any deaths. The Trump administration has approved a request for emergency assistance. (Tacoma News Tribune)
Off The Wall
Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year is “slop.” Greg Barlow, the company’s president, said the word is “part of a transformative technology, AI, and it’s something that people have found fascinating, annoying and a little bit ridiculous.” Slop was first used in the 1700s to describe soft mud. (Associated Press)
A family in Washington, D.C., has been inundated by more than 100 Amazon packages in the last six months. The family believes the packages were meant for guests at a nearby hotel, and that the intended recipients were accidentally choosing their address in Amazon’s system. The family said it had received cat food, vitamins and “even a chainsaw.” (UPI)
Anyone else wondering about that chainsaw?
Quote of the Day
“One of the things we always have to do as a legislature is learn from what we’ve done.”
— West Virginia House Speaker Roger Hanshaw (R), on the uproar over legislation that preempted some cities and towns from having a say in whether data centers can be built in their backyards. Hanshaw said the legislature is likely to reconsider the law in their next session. (Associated Press)