Good morning, it’s Tuesday, October 8, 2024. In today’s edition, states regulate electric scooters to combat injuries; Georgia reinstates abortion ban; California gas bill advances in Senate:
Top Stories
TRANSPORTATION: More than half the states have passed laws regulating electric scooters, both as they become more popular on city streets and as injuries rise. Eighteen states passed scooter-related laws in 2019, and eight more have followed since. South Carolina is likely to take up legislation next year, after Rep. Brandon Guffey (R) injured himself on a scooter while attending a legislative summit in August. (Pluribus News)
ENERGY: The California Senate Special Committee on Fuel Supply and Price has approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) proposal to require petroleum refineries to carry additional supplies to mitigate gas price spikes during maintenance outages. The full Senate could vote on the bill, which has already won Assembly passage, by Friday. (Pluribus News)
ABORTION: The Georgia Supreme Court has reinstated the state’s near-total ban on abortions while it considers Attorney General Chris Carr’s (R) appeal of a lower court ruling that blocked the law. The lower court judge held that the law violated patient privacy rights under the state constitution. (Associated Press, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
MORE: The U.S. Supreme Court has let stand a rule that bars emergency abortions that violate Texas state law. Justices allowed a lower court ruling to stand in the face of a challenge from the Biden administration; the high court allowed emergency abortions to resume in Idaho earlier this year. (Associated Press)
CHILD CARE: West Virginia’s House of Delegates has approved a child care tax credit backed by Gov. Jim Justice (R) in a broad bipartisan vote. The state Senate takes up the bill today. It would provide a personal income tax credit of 50% of the allowable federal credit. (Parkersburg News)
VICTIMS RIGHTS: New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez (D) backs proposed legislation to exempt underage sexual assault victims from having to answer questions in pre-trial interviews. Torrez said the bill would not affect a defendant’s ability to face their accuser at trial. (Albuquerque Journal)
GIG ECONOMY: The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from ride-hailing companies Lyft and Uber seeking to block lawsuits from California labor unions seeking back pay for thousands of drivers. A state court ruled last year that labor unions are not bound by arbitration agreements they didn’t sign. (Los Angeles Times)
In Politics & Business
CALIFORNIA: A new survey shows 60% of California voters intend to vote in favor of Proposition 36, a measure that would allow felony charges and increased sentences for drug and theft crimes. Just 21% say they will vote against the proposal; it enjoys plurality support from Democrats, and majority backing from Republicans and those who aren’t registered by party. (Institute of Governmental Studies)
FLORIDA: The state Department of Health has sent a cease-and-desist letter to local television stations airing advertisements on behalf of Amendment 4, the pro-abortion rights measure on November’s ballot. The agency’s general counsel pointed to an ad in which a woman who had a brain tumor while pregnant says the state’s abortion ban would have applied to her case, which the lawyer said was false. (Florida Politics)
ALABAMA: A federal judge has blocked parts of a new Alabama law that criminalized ballot assistance, ruling that the law violates voting rights for those who are blind, disabled and illiterate. The law makes it a felony to receive payment for helping a voter obtain an absentee ballot application. (Alabama Reflector)
MISSISSIPPI: State Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney (R) is pressuring lawmakers to change his position from an elected office to an appointed office. The insurance commissioner’s job is not in the state constitution, meaning the legislature can act to end it without a vote of the public. (Magnolia Tribune)
In the 50 years in which Mississippi has elected its insurance commissioner, Chaney is only the second person to hold the job. His predecessor, George Dale, served in office for 32 years.
By The Numbers
1,561: The number of voters Oregon authorities have removed from the voting rolls after determining they did not provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The inactivated voter registrations stem from clerical errors at the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Gov. Tina Kotek (D) has ordered the DMV to pause automatic voter registration while the clerical issues are addressed. (Associated Press)
$82.2 million: The amount lobbyists have spent to influence Connecticut’s legislature from 2023 through the middle of this year, according to state records. Health care firms make up four of the top five spenders. ESPN comes in at number six. (Inside Investigator)
$5: The cost of a Mega Millions lottery ticket, beginning in April, more than double the current $2 price tag. Officials are making other changes that they say will result in improved jackpot odds and more frequent giant jackpots. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) and ex-U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert (R) are in the midst of a tough race for governor, but the winner won’t get the same celebration that previous governors have enjoyed: The committee tasked with organizing the quadrennial inaugural ball has pulled out of its organizing duties. The Inaugural Ball Committee decided earlier this summer it couldn’t manage to organize the party and distributed the $110,000 it held in unspent funds to other nonprofits. (Washington State Standard)
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) got an unwelcome visitor on Saturday when a black bear scaled the fence at the governor’s residence in Hartford. A passing resident snapped photos of the interloper climbing up and over the gate. (We-Ha.com)
Quote of the Day
“Hell yeah, that’s the point!”
— New Jersey Sen. Raj Mukherji (D), on legislation that would allow 16- and 17-year olds to vote in school board elections. Mukherji was reacting to opponents of the bill who say it would be a “slippery slope” toward allowing teens to vote in other elections. (New Jersey Monitor)