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Good morning, it’s Tuesday, November 26, 2024. In today’s edition, warning signs ahead for state budgets; Michigan Dems plan ghost gun ban; fewer supermajorities ahead in 2025:
Top Stories
BUDGETS: Lawmakers across the country are getting early warning signs that Fiscal Year 2026 will be a return to lean times after pandemic-era budget booms. Red states and blue states alike, from Colorado and Illinois to Nebraska and Washington, are already projecting budget deficits after years of surpluses.
The big unknown facing budget-writers: How President-elect Trump acts in his first months in office. If Trump makes good on a campaign promise to slash federal spending, especially Medicaid, it will put an even greater strain on state budgets. Read more at Pluribus News.
GUN POLITICS: Michigan Democrats aim to pass legislation banning so-called “ghost guns” and allowing lawsuits against gun manufacturers. Lawmakers return to Lansing on Dec. 3 to complete their lame duck session after Republicans reclaimed control of the state House in this month’s elections. (Bridge MI)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has signed legislation to expand protections in domestic violence cases in criminal and family court. The law will allow family members of domestic violence victims to obtain protection orders. (State of Politics)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: A Missouri court has upheld the state’s law banning gender-affirming care for minors. Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) said it was the first such law successfully defended at the trial court level. (Associated Press, Kansas City Star)
ENVIRONMENT: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) says the state could offer rebates for electric vehicles if the Trump administration eliminates a federal tax credit. Newsom asked lawmakers to create a new version of the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, which was phased out in 2023 when the federal tax credits took effect. (Associated Press)
ECONOMY: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has signed legislation making outdoor dining rules permanent, extending the pandemic-era practice. The law will allow restaurants and craft breweries and wineries to build outdoor dining spaces on their premises or leased public spaces. (New Jersey Monitor)
In Politics & Business
LEGISLATURES: Both Democrats and Republicans lost supermajorities in this month’s elections as minority parties made up ground across the country. Democrats lost supermajorities in Vermont, and likely in New York, where final votes are still being tabulated. Republicans lost veto-proof majorities in Montana and North Carolina — though they added a supermajority in the South Carolina Senate for the first time. (Pluribus News)
For all the tumult at the top of the ticket, the actual number of seats that traded hands — from the U.S. House and Senate to state legislatures — is remarkably small.
ALASKA: State elections officials will conduct a recount of Ballot Measure 2, to repeal ranked choice voting and open primaries, after the measure failed by just 664 votes, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom (R) said Monday. Alaska law allows recounts for elections decided by less than 0.5%; the measure failed by about 0.2%. (Anchorage Daily News)
OHIO: A proposed constitutional amendment to end qualified immunity for law enforcement officers has won approval to appear before the Ohio Ballot Board. If the board signs off on the measure’s legality, supporters would have to collect 420,000 signatures to qualify for the 2025 ballot. (Statehouse News Bureau)
Ohio Reps. Scott Wiggam (R) and Beth Lear (R) have introduced legislation requiring counties to conduct monthly maintenance of their voter rolls, rather than yearly maintenance. (Ohio Capital Journal)
WISCONSIN: Democrats and Republicans are already lining up for the next fight for control of the state Supreme Court. Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford, a liberal, will face off against Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel, a former Republican attorney general. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Certainties in life: Death, taxes, competitive Wisconsin Supreme Court races.
FLORIDA: Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis (R) is resigning his Cabinet position to run for a U.S. House seat vacated by ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R). Patronis already faced term limits in 2026; he was said to be considering a run for governor. (Florida Politics)
By The Numbers
$16.5 billion: The amount Georgia had in its rainy day fund at the end of July. That’s enough money to cover the state’s operating costs for almost half a year. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
417.4%: The year-over-year increase in the use of obesity management drugs by those covered under the New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority, which covers about 46,000 teachers and their dependents. The plan’s cost for weight management drugs in 2023 ballooned 616% over the 2022 costs. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
$229.5 million: The amount Connecticut residents wagered on sports in October, a new monthly record. It’s the second straight month in which the state has set a sports betting record. (SportsCasting)
Off The Wall
Today in turkey pardons: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has pardoned Ethel and Bertha, hens from a farm that is donating 27,000 pounds of turkey to an Asheville-area food bank after Hurricane Helene. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) has pardoned a turkey named Grace. (WITN, KFYR)
Portland, Ore., is making a push for a Major League Baseball team, and a group of business people and elected officials have laid out plans for a stadium on the city’s South Waterfront. State lawmakers approved a $150 million bonding authority to help acquire a franchise back in 2003, when the city was chasing the Montreal Expos — bonding authority that still exists even after the Expos became the Washington Nationals. (Willamette Week)
Team name ideas: The Rose City Thorns. The Portlandias. The Voodoo Donuts.
Quote of the Day
“Every year, you want me to stop, but I cannot just quit cold turkey.”
— North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D), launching an eye-rolling series of Thanksgiving-related puns as he pardoned two turkeys. (Raleigh News & Observer) Give that speechwriter a raise.