Good morning, it’s Tuesday, January 7, 2025. In today’s edition, Newsom rolls out balanced budget; pot industries fight over Illinois bill; Minnesota Dems threaten walkout:
Top Stories
BUDGETS: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has proposed a $322 billion budget for the next fiscal year, an 8% increase driven by higher-than-anticipated tax payments from high income earners. Newsom’s budget would set aside about $17 billion in savings without big new spending proposals. (Pluribus News)
MARIJUANA: The cannabis industry and the hemp industry are fighting over Illinois legislation that would license, tax and regulate hemp products in the state. The measure, which passed the Senate with little opposition, is stuck in the state House. Smoke shops say the regulations under the bill are so restrictive they would be put out of business. (Chicago Tribune)
ENERGY: Virginia’s Commission on Electric Utility Regulation has backed a draft plan asking the legislature to create a new energy facility review board to evaluate large solar and energy storage project proposals. The bill would require local governments to explain why they reject any solar proposals recommended by the new board. (Cardinal News)
ELECTIONS: Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) will ask lawmakers for authority to revoke a voter’s registration if the state cannot confirm the voter is a U.S. citizen. Pate sought to disqualify about 2,000 registered voters whose citizenships could not be confirmed prior to the 2024 elections. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
TAXES: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has proposed raising the child tax credit to $1,000 for children under 4 and up to $500 for children between the ages of 4 and 16. The proposal would almost triple the current maximum tax credit for families with children. (Albany Times Union)
PUBLIC HEALTH: The Louisiana patient who contracted what officials called the first “severe” case of avian influenza has died. The person was over 65 and had underlying medical conditions, the state Department of Health said in a statement. The CDC has confirmed 66 human cases of avian influenza in ten states. (Louisiana Illuminator)
In Politics & Business
MINNESOTA: State House Democrats say they will boycott an organizational session set for Jan. 14 if Republicans do not agree to a power-sharing deal. Republicans say there is no reason to reach a deal because they will begin the session with more members, 67, than Democrats, 66, after one Democrat was ruled in violation of residency requirements. (Pluribus News)
Minnesota Republicans have sued over Gov. Tim Walz’s (D) decision to set a special election to fill the vacant seat on Jan. 28. (MPR News)
So much for Minnesota Nice.
VIRGINIA: Voters head to the polls today in the first special elections of the year, in which Democrats are defending a state House seat and a Senate seat in Loudoun County while Republicans defend a Senate district near Richmond. If both parties hold on as expected, Democrats will maintain their narrow majorities in both the House of Delegates and the state Senate. (Associated Press)
MAINE: Supporters of requiring voters to show an identification at the polls have turned in more than 170,000 signatures to qualify a ballot initiative for November. The measure also toughens restrictions on absentee voting. (Portland Press Herald)
LEADERSHIP: The Ohio House has elected Rep. Matt Huffman (R) as its next speaker, after Speaker Jason Stephens (R) dropped out of the race last month. Huffman, the former Senate president, will be replaced in the upper chamber by Sen. Rob McColley (R). (Columbus Dispatch)
CRIME BLOTTER: Delaware Rep. Kevin Hensley (R) has been charged with driving under the influence and 2nd degree vehicular assault following a November incident in which another vehicle struck his truck after Hensley left a gas station. (Delaware Public Media)
By The Numbers
70%: The increase in antisemitic incidents reported in Massachusetts in 2023 over the previous year, the third straight year the number of hate crimes rose. (MassLive)
$242 million: The amount in sales of recreational marijuana in Ohio in 2024, or 32,487 lbs. of plant material, according to the Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control. The state has 124 dual-use dispensaries that can sell both recreational and medical pot. (Ohio Capital Journal)
Off The Wall
Sheriff’s deputies in Jefferson County, Mo., are on the lookout for the owner of a spider monkey wearing a pink tutu rescued near a busy highway. The sheriff’s office said they were able to “bring this bananas situation under control without incident.” (UPI)
A Michelin-starred restaurant group has paid $1.3 million for a 608-lb. bluefin tuna in the first fish auction of the year at Tokyo’s famed fish market. It’s the highest-priced fish sold since 2019. (AFP)
Quote of the Day
“I just don’t think Congress and the Trump administration is going to go and try to find a way to try to kick 40 states’ people off of coverage for low-income workers.”
— Mississippi House Speaker Jason White (R), on the potential for expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act during this year’s legislative session. (Magnolia Tribune)