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Good morning, it’s Thursday, October 3, 2024. Shana tovah to our readers celebrating Rosh Hashanah. In today’s edition, Newsom signs IVF coverage law; South Dakota wants “age gating” in app stores; new polls in North Carolina, North Dakota:
Top Stories
HEALTH CARE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation this week requiring private insurance programs to cover infertility treatments including in vitro fertilization. The new law changes the definition of infertility to include LGBTQ individuals in coverage.
In a signing statement, Newsom framed the issue as a red state-versus-blue state contrast on par with the fight over abortion rights. But more states have mandated insurance coverage for IVF treatments than one might think: Since Maryland became the first state to do so in 1985, at least 22 states — including deep red Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas — have passed laws requiring insurers to either cover or offer coverage for infertility diagnoses and treatments. Read more at Pluribus News.
MORE: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed legislation allowing pregnant women to enroll in health insurance policies at any time without penalties. Hochul signed another bill requiring commercial insurers to cover prenatal vitamins, and a third expands coverage requirements for human donor milk. (State of Politics)
TECHNOLOGY: South Dakota’s Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Regulation of Internet Access by Minors voted unanimously to ask the state Legislative Research Council to draft “age gating” bills for next session. The bills would require app stores to offer parental controls, and require device-makers to determine a user’s age. (South Dakota Searchlight)
No other state has required app stores to verify user ages.
MORE: A federal judge has blocked a new California law allowing someone to sue for damages over election-related deepfakes. Judge John Mendez ruled the law “acts as a hammer instead of a scalpel,” unconstitutionally blocking free speech. (Associated Press)
PUBLIC SAFETY: A new law that takes effect this week will require Marylanders charged with drunk driving to install breath analyzers in their vehicles. The law expands existing statute to include those who received probation before judgement to install ignition systems in their cars. (Baltimore Sun)
MORE: The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee has approved legislation outlawing tianeptine, a drug known as “gas station heroin.” The drug, illegally marketed as a dietary supplement in the United States, produces feelings of euphoria but can result in seizures, psychosis and death. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
VOTER ID: California Gov. Newsom has signed legislation prohibiting local governments from enacting or enforcing voter identification requirements. The law comes in response to a Huntington Beach amendment to the city charter requiring IDs in municipal elections. (Pluribus News)
In Politics & Business
NORTH CAROLINA: Yet another new poll shows Attorney General Josh Stein (D) widening his gap over Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R). The Cook Political Report’s swing state survey has Stein up a whopping 59%-35%, and ahead 64%-24% among independents. (Cook Political Report)
NORTH DAKOTA: U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R) leads state Sen. Merrill Piepkorn (D) 54%-24% in the race to replace retiring Gov. Doug Burgum (R). Independent candidate Michael Coachman takes 3% in the WPA Intelligence survey. (North Dakota Monitor)
North Dakota hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since George Sinner (D) won re-election in 1988.
IOWA: Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) won’t pick a new lieutenant governor before this year’s general election. Reynolds said she’s compiling names and will hold interviews with potential candidates to replace ex-Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg (R), who resigned last month to become CEO of the Iowa Bankers Association. (Des Moines Register)
ILLINOIS: A federal judge overseeing former House Speaker Mike Madigan’s (D) racketeering case has refused to toss a handful of charges under a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year. Madigan’s trial begins next week. (WTTW)
WASHINGTON: Republican legislative staffers have ratified a new contract that will offer them annual pay raises on par with other state employees, but Democratic staffers rejected proposed contracts. Democratic staffers couldn’t reach agreement with legislators on telework during session and relocation stipends. (Washington State Standard)
By The Numbers
43.15 million: The number of viewers who tuned into the vice presidential debate between Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on Tuesday, across 15 networks and streaming services. That was way down from the 59 million who tuned in to watch Vice President Mike Pence and then-Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) debate in 2020. (Deadline)
$204.1 million: The combined revenue reported by Ohio’s 11 casinos and racinos in August, a new monthly record. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Off The Wall
The Siberian Husky is now the official state dog of Connecticut. The new law, signed earlier this year by Gov. Ned Lamont (D), also names the lollipop the official state candy. Jonathan the Husky, the official mascot of the University of Connecticut, is named for “Brother Jonathan” Trumbull, Connecticut’s first colonial governor. (Daily Campus)
California on Wednesday completed the removal of hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. The removal project came after decades of work by Native American tribes in the area seeking to restore traditional salmon habitat. (Associated Press)
The last sections of Las Vegas’s famous Tropicana hotel will be demolished next week to make way for a new Major League Baseball stadium. The family-owned subcontractor set to implode the buildings knows what it’s doing: They’ve been involved in leveling 32 other Las Vegas buildings over the years. (Las Vegas Weekly)
We will, of course, bring you video when it becomes available.
Quote of the Day
“You know we’re all trying to build a plane while we’re flying it.”
— Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), on the bond she formed with Minnesota Gov. Walz, Wisconsin Gov. Ton Evers (D), Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) during the pandemic. Whitmer called the group “friends for life.” (Detroit Free Press)