Good morning, it’s Tuesday, May 6, 2025. In today’s edition, AGs sue Trump over HHS cuts; Colorado AI fix dead for the year; judge orders North Carolina to seat Democratic Supreme Court justice:
Top Stories
HEALTH CARE: Attorneys general from 20 states sued the Trump administration Monday to stop spending cuts and mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services. The Democratic attorneys general said the cuts put at risk federal grants and services states rely on to address public health. (Pluribus News)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Colorado legislation aiming to amend the state’s first-in-the-nation AI regulation has failed, after tech industry representatives and consumer advocates couldn’t reach a deal on tweaks. The bill’s death in the final days of session means lawmakers will have only a few weeks to make changes to the law before it takes effect on Feb. 1. (Colorado Sun)
We’ve been covering this bill for a solid year. Read the latest backstory here.
ENVIRONMENT: Maine lawmakers have introduced legislation to create a climate superfund that would require fossil fuel companies and oil refiners to pay for greenhouse gas emissions. Similar laws have passed in Vermont and New York; the Trump administration is suing to block those existing laws. (Portland Press Herald)
We wrote back in February about superfund legislation introduced in seven states this year.
ABORTION: The Trump administration has asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit brought by Missouri, Idaho and Kansas seeking to end telehealth access to the abortion medication mifepristone. The Justice Department argues the states don’t have the standing to bring suit against the Food and Drug Administration. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Texas lawmakers have introduced legislation to monitor wastewater for mifepristone. (Dallas Morning News)
MARIJUANA: The Pennsylvania House Health Committee has approved legislation allowing the use of recreational marijuana for those over 21. The legislation allows sales through publicly owned stores overseen by the state Liquor Control Board. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
The bill passed on a party-line vote, not a great omen for its chances in the GOP-controlled state Senate.
TRADE: The governors of Maine, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Massachusetts invited the premiers of six Canadian provinces to a summit in Boston to discuss tariffs and trade. The governors wrote to their Canadian counterparts that they want to preserve cross-border travel, tourism and business. (Boston Globe)
IMMIGRATION: New York Democrats have introduced legislation revoking state contracts and fuel tax exemptions for airlines that operate deportation flights under contract with the federal government. The bill is targeted in part at budget airline Avelo, which operates out of Albany, Rochester and Long Island airports. (Albany Times Union)
TAXES: The Texas House and Senate have reached a deal on property tax cuts. The deal would cut property taxes by $51 billion, raising homestead exemptions from $100,000 to $140,000 and providing additional breaks to older residents and those with disabilities. (Texas Tribune)
In Politics & Business
NORTH CAROLINA: A federal judge has ordered the state Board of Elections to certify results of a state Supreme Court race in which Justice Allison Riggs (D) defeated Judge Jefferson Griffin (R) by just 734 votes. Griffin has been challenging Riggs’s victory for months, but Judge Richard Myers — a Trump appointee — said throwing out votes Griffin has targeted would violate due process rights. (Raleigh News & Observer)
ALASKA: Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom (R) and former state Sen. Click Bishop (R) have filed papers to run for governor next year, when Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) faces term limits. (Anchorage Daily News) They’re the first two candidates in the race. Former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (D) has hinted at a possible run as well.
GEORGIA: State Sen. Josh McLaurin (D) has launched a campaign for lieutenant governor. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) is eligible to seek re-election, though he’s considering a bid to replace outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp (R). (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Kemp said Monday he will not run against U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) next year, a blow after Senate Republicans recruited him to run. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
The AJC released a poll last week showing Kemp narrowly leading Ossoff, while Ossoff leads other potential contenders by wide margins.
KANSAS: Conservative podcaster Doug Billings (R) is the first candidate to launch a campaign to replace outgoing Gov. Laura Kelly (D) next year. Billings said he was running to emulate President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE commission. (Kansas Reflector)
OHIO: Opponents of a higher education reform proposal approved by lawmakers last month can begin circulating petitions to repeal the law, SB 1, after Attorney General Dave Yost (R) approved their ballot language on Monday. The repeal effort is being spearheaded by a group of Youngstown State University professors. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
By The Numbers
80 mph: The new speed limit on Interstates 29 and 94 in North Dakota. Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R) signed a bill raising the speed limit on interstates, in line with speed limits in neighboring Montana and South Dakota. (Fargo Forum)
$1.1 billion: The excess revenue Massachusetts collected in April. Massachusetts took in $6.8 billion in revenue last month, putting the state $1.9 billion ahead of projections with two months left in the fiscal year. (Boston Globe)
$157.3 billion: The amount tourists spent in California last year, up 3% from 2023. Tourism officials expect a 1% decline in visits and a 9.2% decline in international visitors, which Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) dubbed the “Trump Slump.” (Los Angeles Times)
Off The Wall
Connecticut Comptroller Sean Scanlan (D) said his office has conducted a pizza audit to back up the state’s claims to be America’s pizza capital. Scanlon’s office said the state has more pizzerias per capita than any state in America, and that 80% of its 1,376 pizzerias are locally owned, double the national average. (CT Insider)
The former executive director of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission will pay a $500 civil penalty for using his position to purchase a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. Steve Marks told investigators he had paid the $329.99 list price for the bottle. (Oregonian)
Quote of the Day
“The truth is you cannot really be effective as a freshman because you don’t know what you’re doing until it’s almost over.”
— Arkansas Rep. Brad Hall (R), a freshman lawmaker, reflecting on his first session in office. (Arkansas Advocate)