Good morning, it’s Wednesday, April 5, 2023. In today’s edition, Wash. stockpiles abortion medication; Ark., Kan. pass gender-affirming care bans; election results in Wis., Chicago, Denver:
Top Stories
ABORTION: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has directed the state Department of Corrections to purchase a three-year stockpile of mifepristone in advance of a decision in a federal case out of Texas likely to block the medication’s sale. (Pluribus News) The Kansas House approved a bill requiring doctors to provide care to infants delivered alive during abortion procedures. The measure passed with veto-proof majorities. (Associated Press)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) has signed a bill criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors. (Idaho Capital Sun, Boise State Public Radio) The North Dakota Senate approved bills barring gender-affirming care for minors and banning transgender girls from school sports. (Associated Press) Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) faces a deadline today to sign or veto a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors. Holcomb called the measure “clear as mud.” (Associated Press)
MORE: Legislators in Arkansas and Kansas gave final passage to bills barring transgender people from the bathroom of their gender identity. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) is expected to veto her state’s version, while Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) is likely to sign the bill. (Associated Press) The Florida Senate approved a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors. (Orlando Sentinel) The Texas Senate passed their version of the gender-affirming care ban. (KXAN)
EDUCATION: The Iowa House approved an education overhaul bill that would ban school library books that include graphic sex acts, prohibit instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation through sixth grade and require schools to notify parents if their children opt to use different pronouns. (Des Moines Register)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) has signed legislation allowing municipalities to impound vehicles of those who fail to pay fines for reckless driving. (Wisconsin Examiner) The Florida Senate has unanimously approved a bill restricting those who can purchase catalytic converters amid a national wave of theft. (Florida Politics)
GUN POLITICS: The Indiana House has approved a bill banning the possession of devices that can adapt a firearm into a machine gun. The bill expands existing state law to ban so-called Glock switches. (Associated Press) The Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee voted to postpone all firearms legislation until 2024. (WTVF)
OREGON: The House Behavioral Health and Health Care Committee advanced a bill banning flavored tobacco products. The bill would exempt hookah lounges. (Oregonian)
NEW YORK: Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D) met for two hours of budget talks on Tuesday, though they did not yet reach a deal. Lawmakers say debate over bail reform is the biggest sticking point. (State of Politics)
In Politics & Business
WISCONSIN: Liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz bested former Justice Dan Kelly in a race for a swing state Supreme Court seat. Liberals now hold a 4-3 majority on the court. State Rep. Dan Knodl (R) leads Jodi Habush Sinykin (D) in a suburban Milwaukee state Senate contest by 1,300 votes, or about 1.8%. If Knodl’s lead holds, Republicans will reclaim a supermajority. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
ILLINOIS: Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson (D) will be Chicago’s next mayor after he edged former Chicago schools chief Paul Vallas on Tuesday, 51%-49%. Johnson ran to Vallas’s left, pledging more social services and tax hikes. (Chicago Tribune)
COLORADO: Former state Sen. Mike Johnston (D) and former Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce CEO Kelly Brough will advance to a June 6 runoff after leading the first round of voting in the race to be Denver’s next mayor. Mayor Michael Hancock is not seeking re-election. (Colorado Sun)
WEST VIRGINIA: Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) will run for governor in 2024, joining a crowded field of seven other Republicans. (Associated Press)
FLORIDA: Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana have submitted 635,961 valid signatures, about 255,000 short of the number they need to qualify for the ballot. (The Capitolist)
NORTH CAROLINA: State Rep. Tricia Cotham, first elected as a Democrat, switched parties on Tuesday to side with Republicans — giving the GOP a supermajority in the state House in the process. She will make a formal announcement today. (Charlotte Observer, Axios)
MONTANA: The state Senate has approved legislation creating a top-two “jungle” primary ahead of next year’s race for a U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Jon Tester (D). The bill includes a sunset date in 2025, so it would not apply to other races. (Daily Montanan)
WHITE HOUSE: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) refused to disavow rumors of a future presidential campaign. Burgum visited Iowa last month, where he met with Gov. Kim Reynolds (R). (Fargo Forum)
To borrow an old adage: No one travels to Iowa by accident.
By The Numbers
5,852,544: The number of students enrolled at California public schools, down 0.69% from last year — a drop of about 40,000 students. (Los Angeles Times)
13%: The share of Florida’s water pipes that are lead-based, the highest share in the nation, according to new estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency. Illinois (11%), Ohio (8%), Pennsylvania (7.5%) and Texas (7%) round out the top five. (Texas Tribune)
Off The Wall
Someone decided to make a list of the best places to skinny dip around the world. The top American destination: The Washougal River, just north of the Oregon-Washington border. (Oregonian)
Eric Zhao of New York scored the best time for solving a standard Rubik’s Cube at the second-ever World Cube Association event hosted in Anchorage, 6.75 seconds. The competition attracted 86 solvers, more than double the crowd at the first competition. (Anchorage Daily News)
Quote of the Day
“Let’s hear it for the lawyers!”
— Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark (D), celebrating the Office of Legislative Counsel’s win in the legislature’s annual March Madness bracket competition. (VTDigger)