Good morning, it’s Wednesday, March 11, 2026. In today’s edition, states make disaster relief backup plans; millionaire’s tax wins approval in Washington; choose your own adventure in new California governor polls:
Top Stories
DISASTER RELIEF: Bipartisan groups of lawmakers are proposing bills to set aside money for disaster relief and aid programs, as the Trump administration proposes shrinking federal spending on natural emergencies. A bill in Mississippi would double the pool of money emergency managers can tap in an emergency. A Maryland plan would make it easier to shift rainy day savings into disaster recovery funds. (Pluribus News)
Thirty-two states have at least one account or trust set aside for disaster response.
ECONOMY: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) has signed legislation creating a first-in-the-nation tuition-free child care program for working parents, regardless of income. The state is paying for the program out of an $11 billion early childhood education and care trust fund, established in 2020 with money from surplus oil and gas revenue. (Pluribus News)
MEDICAID: The Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee has advanced legislation to repeal Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. The expansion plan, covering those who make up to 138% of the federal poverty limit, covers about 90,000 low-income residents. (Idaho Statesman)
DEI: The Florida House has approved legislation barring local governments from funding or adopting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The bill, which passed the Senate last week, now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). Any city or county officials who continue to fund DEI programs would be subject to removal by the governor’s office. (State Affairs)
SOCIAL MEDIA: New York lawmakers have introduced legislation requiring social media companies to make it easier for users to report fraud and to implement “know your customer” verification for advertisers and payment methods. Bill sponsors cited a report that found half of all reported scams reported by JPMorgan Chase customers were perpetrated on Meta platforms. (Albany Times Union)
TAXES: The Washington House has approved legislation creating a state income tax on those earning more than $1 million a year, after a more than 24-hour debate. Eight Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the measure. Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) joined Democrats in the House chamber to celebrate the vote. (Seattle Times)
MORE: New York Assembly and Senate Democrats have included proposed tax hikes on those who earn millions a year in their respective budget proposals, in part to help close a $5.4 billion budget gap New York City faces. The Assembly would raise taxes on those earning more than $25 million, while the Senate would raise taxes on those who earn more than $5 million. (Albany Times Union)
ANTITRUST: A federal judge is urging states to settle antitrust claims against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, after the Justice Department reached a settlement. State attorneys general criticized the settlement, and at least two dozen states plan to continue the case. (Associated Press)
In Politics & Business
CALIFORNIA: A new Emerson College poll finds U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D) leading the all-party gubernatorial primary at 17%, followed by businessman Steve Hilton (R) at 13%, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R) and billionaire Tom Steyer (D) at 11%. Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D) has dropped to 8%, from 10% last month. (Emerson)
MORE: Another poll sponsored by Politico and conducted by the UC Berkeley Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research finds Hilton leading the field at 19%, followed by Steyer at 13% and Swalwell, Bianco and Porter at 11%. No other candidate cracks double digits. (Politico) The California Democratic Party will conduct weekly polls beginning later this month, in an effort to narrow the primary field. (Sacramento Bee)
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Financial analyst Bobbi Boudman (D) won a special election to replace former state Rep. Glenn Cordelli (R) in a Carroll County seat, flipping a Republican-held seat. Boudman beat investment firm founder Dale Fincher (R) 52%-48%, after losing to Cordelli 57%-43% in 2024. (The Downballot)
VERMONT: Economist Amanda Janoo (D) is the first Democrat to jump into the race against Gov. Phil Scott (R). Scott has won each of his last three re-election bids with at least 68% of the vote. (VT Digger)
By The Numbers
$156.5 million: The amount Massachusetts has spent on snow and ice removal this year, well above the $85 million budgeted. It’s the most the Department of Transportation has spent on ice and snow removal since the 2014-2015 winter season. (State Affairs)
More than $5 billion: The amount State Farm has paid out in insurance claims related to fires last year in the Los Angeles area. State Farm holds the largest share of the insurance market in California, at about 20%. (Associated Press)
34%: The percentage of first-time homebuyers among those who purchased homes in February, the highest level in five years as interest rates briefly dipped below 6%. Existing home sales rose 1.7% last month to about 4.09 million units. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
Former Hawaii Rep. Bertrand Kobayashi (D) has been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, one of Japan’s highest honors. Kobayashi, 81, was honored for his longtime work strengthening ties between the two nations. (Honolulu Star Advertiser)
The South Dakota House of Representatives was briefly cleared Tuesday after an odor, described as a gas or septic leak, wafted through the chamber. Ironically, the odor disrupted a debate over repairing the Capitol building itself. (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)
Quote of the Day
“We finally know what 6-7 means. It means five.”
— Florida Rep. Toby Overdorf (R), on legislation allowing businesses to round transactions involving pennies to the nearest nickel. (Florida Politics)