Good morning, it’s Thursday, April 3, 2025. In today’s edition, using tech to combat maternal mortality; Florida wants to expand E-Verify use; Texas Senate backs sweeping water bill:
Top Stories
HEALTH CARE: States tackling high rates of maternal mortality are turning to technology for assistance. Maternal health care packages approved in Arkansas and Virginia in recent weeks allow Medicaid to pay for wearable devices; Georgia has launched a partnership to provide remote monitoring for patients with maternal hypertension and diabetes. New York and Pennsylvania are working on bills to develop cell phone apps to connect pregnant women with state services. (Pluribus News)
TRANS RIGHTS: The Colorado House has given initial approval to legislation including intentionally “deadnaming” a transgender person to discriminatory acts banned under the state Anti-Discrimination Act. The bill would require family courts to consider a parent’s intentional deadnaming or misgendering of a transgender child during custody proceedings. (Denver Post)
EDUCATION: The Tennessee Senate Finance Committee approved legislation requiring school districts to check the immigration status of students. The bill would allow school districts to charge tuition to non-citizen students. (State Affairs) The Alabama Senate Education Policy Committee has approved a bill that would require K-12 public schools to broadcast or perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” at least once a week. (Alabama Reflector)
IMMIGRATION: A Florida House subcommittee has advanced legislation requiring small businesses to use the federal E-Verify system to check a worker’s immigration status. Florida currently requires employers with 25 or more workers to use the system. (WUSF) The Arkansas Senate has approved legislation adding extra prison time for felonies committed by undocumented immigrants. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
ENERGY: The West Virginia House has approved legislation allowing the Department of Commerce to identify and certify electric microgrids to serve data centers. Supporters say the bill would allow the state to compete for data centers with states like neighboring Virginia, where the industry is huge. (WV Metro News)
WORKFORCE: The Alaska legislature has approved legislation to allow 18-year olds to serve alcohol in some venues. The bill covers restaurants, breweries and hotels, but not bars or liquor stores. (Anchorage Daily News)
WATER: The Texas Senate unanimously approved legislation aimed at the state’s water shortage. The bill provides funding for desalination plants and reservoir projects. It creates a new office tasked with planning and coordinating water infrastructure development. (Texas Tribune)
VOTING: The Texas Senate has approved legislation requiring voters to show proof of citizenship before registering. Those who cannot show proof of citizenship would be limited to voting in congressional elections; federal law does not require proof of citizenship to register to vote. (Texas Tribune)
REPARATIONS: The Maryland House has given final approval to legislation creating a statewide reparations commission to consider compensation for the descendants of enslaved people. The bill now heads to Gov. Wes Moore (D) for a likely signature. (Baltimore Sun)
In Politics & Business
CALIFORNIA: Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) will run for governor in 2026, he said Wednesday. Becerra cited his experience combatting the Trump administration during the president’s first term, when Becerra served as attorney general. (Los Angeles Times)
We usually list all the other candidates running, but in California, that list is a mile long. And that’s before former Vice President Harris makes her decision about entering the race.
MORE: Assemblymember Bill Essayli (R) has resigned from the legislature after his nomination to serve as the U.S. Attorney covering Los Angeles and the Inland Empire. Essayli served as a federal prosecutor before winning office. (Sacramento Bee)
GEORGIA: State Sen. Brian Strickland (R) has become the first candidate to join the race for Attorney General in 2026. Incumbent Chris Carr (R) is running for governor. Strickland has served as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Associated Press)
NEW YORK CITY: Mayor Eric Adams will skip the Democratic primary and seek re-election as an independent, he said Wednesday. Polls show Adams trailing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) among Democratic voters by wide margins. (New York Times)
NORTH CAROLINA: Senate Republicans have tapped Sen. Michael Lee (R) as their new majority leader. Lee replaces Sen. Paul Newton (R), who resigned last month to take a general counsel role at UNC-Chapel Hill. (Raleigh News & Observer)
By The Numbers
At least 700: The number of former federal workers who have applied for state jobs in Pennsylvania. Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) signed an executive order last month aimed at attracting former feds to state jobs. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
$481,000: The amount lobbyists spent wooing New Mexico legislators during their 60-day session this year, according to public disclosures. That doesn’t capture the full extent of the lobbying that went on: Lobbyists don’t have to report spending under $500 until the next reporting deadline in May. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
96%: The amount of snowpack, compared to historical averages, in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s the third straight year the state has had near-average or above-average amounts of snow. (Los Angeles Times)
Off The Wall
Minot, N.D., Mayor Tom Ross has resigned after he mistakenly sent a lewd video to the city attorney. Ross told an investigator he meant to send the video to his romantic partner, not to the attorney, with whom he had just been having a phone conversation. (Associated Press)
Connecticut Rep. Craig Fishbein (R) held a press conference Monday to highlight an attack on a Tesla he said was fueled by anger at President Trump. But the Tesla in question, owned by state Sen. Christine Cohen (D), was vandalized five months before Trump took office. Police have charged a Republican former gun lobbyist with the crime. (Hartford Courant)
Quote of the Day
“We have Republican supermajorities in both of our chambers. We need to be working together. I’m not happy with what I’m seeing within my party right now.”
— Mississippi Sen. Nicole Akins Boyd (R), after the state House adjourned without completing work on the $7 billion budget to fund government operations. A special session is inevitable. (Supertalk)