Good morning, it’s Wednesday, September 10, 2025. In today’s edition, California races to the finish line; Walz promises special session on guns; Missouri GOP votes to curtail ballot measures:
Top Stories
HEALTH CARE: The California Assembly has given final approval to legislation expanding regulators’ authority to review health care transactions. The bill would add private equity and hedge funds to a list of health care entities subject to merger reviews by a state board. It’s the latest in the wave of bills regulating oversight of health care transactions.
Lawmakers are also considering a bill to change the state’s corporate practice of medicine law to prohibit private equity or hedge fund owners from requiring non-compete or non-disparagement clauses in physician contracts. (Pluribus News)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Legislation to ban AI systems from impersonating licensed health professionals is headed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) desk after winning passage this week. The bill would be one of the first in the nation to regulate how AI is represented in health care interactions. (State Affairs)
ENVIRONMENT: California legislators are finalizing a last-minute deal to extend the state’s cap and trade program through 2045. Last-minute negotiations are taking place through today, the last day to introduce new legislation during the session. Legislators are debating concessions to the oil and gas industry the last time the program was renewed, in 2017. (CalMatters)
ANIMALS: California lawmakers gave final approval to legislation banning online pet dealer websites. The state became the first in the nation to ban pet stores from selling commercially bred dogs in 2019, but that ban didn’t apply to online sales. The bill provides an exemption for shelters, rescues and 4H clubs. (Los Angeles Times)
GUN POLITICS: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) met with legislative leaders Tuesday to discuss a possible special session to address gun violence after an attack on a Catholic school. Walz said he was determined to call a special session even if he and Republican leaders in the state House can’t reach a deal. (MPR News)
EDUCATION: New Mexico will offer child care at no cost to state residents regardless of income, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said Monday. The state currently waives copays for families making up to 400% of the federal poverty level. The average family would save $12,000 a year. (Source NM)
In Politics & Business
MISSOURI: The state House has approved a proposed constitutional amendment raising the threshold for future ballot initiatives. The measure, if approved by voters, would require future initiatives to win majorities in all eight of the state’s congressional districts, a near-impossible feat. (Pluribus News)
The state House gave final approval to a redistricting plan aimed at altering U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s (D) Kansas City-based district. (Kansas City Star)
MARYLAND: Gov. Wes Moore (D) formally launched his re-election bid Tuesday, repeatedly saying he is not running for president. Six Republicans have said they will challenge Moore as presidential buzz builds. (Washington Post)
COLORADO: State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer (R) will run for governor, she said Tuesday. The former Weld County commissioner narrowly lost a bid for Congress in 2022. She joins Rep. Scott Bottoms (R), Sen. Mark Baisley (R) and Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell (R) in the GOP primary. (Colorado Sun)
ILLINOIS: Former state Sen. Darren Bailey (R) will challenge Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) a second time, after losing by 13 points in 2022. Bailey will choose Cook County Republican Party chair Aaron Del Mar as his running mate. (Capitol News Illinois)
By The Numbers
$1.2 billion: The amount New York may have improperly paid in Medicaid managed care costs for people who live out of state, according to a new state audit. The audit covers 2017 to 2024. (Albany Times-Union)
$2.90: The average retail price for a gallon of regular gasoline next year, according to predictions from the Energy Information Administration. That’s down from an average price of $3.10 this year. (Wall Street Journal)
Off The Wall
Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg’s (D) office has reunited a Purple Heart with the family of a World War I veteran. Sgt. Thomas Flynn was awarded the Purple Heart after being gassed during the Meuse Argonne offensive in October 1918. (State Affairs)
Members of the European Parliament approved a resolution criticizing their own strategy in Ukraine after leaders of the center-right and center-left parties accidentally waved it through. The motion, offered by a far-left parliamentarian from Germany, was mistakenly passed, those leaders said. (AFP)
Quote of the Day
“There are three things for sure in life: Death, taxes and end of session rumors.”
— California Senate President Mike McGuire (D), on climate talks as session creeps toward its Friday finale. (Politico)