Good morning, it’s Wednesday, October 23, 2024. In today’s edition, AI working group grows to 45 states; Medicaid directors expect enrollment declines; Florida abortion measure short of 60% threshold:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A bipartisan working group of state legislators studying how to regulate artificial intelligence has grown to more than 200 members from at least 45 states. The Future of Privacy Forum, a D.C.-based think tank, formally announced the working group this week, launching a site to keep tabs on AI-related legislation this year.
Lawmakers across the country are expected to introduce major AI legislation next year, some modeled on Colorado’s first-in-the-nation law regulating high-risk AI tools used to make consequential decisions about people’s lives. Read more at Pluribus News.
HEALTH CARE: State Medicaid directors expect national Medicaid enrollment to decline for the second consecutive year after booming growth during the pandemic. Those directors told the health policy research group KFF they expect state Medicaid spending to rise by 7% next year.
Some state directors said the strong economy is putting downward pressure on Medicaid enrollment, as people opt for coverage through their jobs instead. Others said a change in federal rules limiting when states can remove kids from public health insurance programs has bolstered enrollment numbers. Read more at Pluribus News.
MORE: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) has signed legislation to grant greater access to postpartum resources to new mothers. The “momnibus” bills will require health providers to offer resources on postpartum depression. The state House approved legislation requiring Medicaid coverage for doulas. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
EVEN MORE: Maryland’s Legislative Policy Committee voted to approve a plan to enable the Prescription Drug Affordability Board to cap prices that state and local governments pay for some high-cost drugs. The vote allows the board to begin fashioning its plan to limit costs for government employees. (Baltimore Sun)
DISASTER RELIEF: House speakers from Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee have written to congressional leaders seeking additional federal assistance to rebuild the damage caused by hurricanes over the last month. The speakers told Congress the storms had caused “generational impacts” in their states. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
BOEING: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) has filed a lawsuit against Boeing’s board of directors and its former CEO, alleging their failure to address safety issues caused the company’s stock to drop and hurt Ohio person funds. Boeing’s stock dropped by about a third after safety incidents earlier this year. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
In Politics & Business
FLORIDA: A new Emerson College poll shows Florida’s Amendment 4, the measure to codify abortion rights, winning 53% of the vote, while 30% are opposed. A ballot measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use has support from 60% of voters, while 34% are opposed. (Emerson)
Your regular reminder that constitutional amendments require 60% of the vote to pass in Florida.
INDIANA: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D), chair of the Democratic Governors Association, campaigned with Indiana Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick (D) on Tuesday. The DGA put $1.1 million into McCormick’s campaign this month, while the Republican Governors Association has spent $1 million on behalf of U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R). (Indianapolis Star)
UTAH: State Rep. Phil Lyman (R) has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to disqualify Gov. Spencer Cox (R) from the ballot and name him the Republican nominee, just two weeks before Election Day. The Utah Supreme Court dismissed a similar challenge in August, on the grounds that Lyman didn’t offer any legal claim or factual basis for his demands. (Salt Lake Tribune)
PEOPLE: Kentucky Sen. Johnnie Turner (R) has died at 76, succumbing to injuries he suffered in a lawn mower accident last month. Turner was serving his first term in the Senate, after serving two terms in the House a few decades ago. (Lexington Herald Leader) Our condolences to the entire Kentucky political family.
By The Numbers
138,561: The number of Illinois residents who are receiving checks in the mail for unclaimed property, totaling $13.2 million. State Treasurer Michael Frerichs (D) held a press conference Tuesday to remind recipients that the checks aren’t a scam. (Chicago Sun-Times)
More than 5%: The decline in freshman enrollment in American colleges and universities, the largest decline since the 2020 Covid year. The declines were steepest at schools that depend on federal aid to help low-income students afford college. (New York Times)
$1,358: The lowest price of a ticket to Friday’s opening game of the World Series in Los Angeles on StubHub, the secondary ticket sales site. Ticket prices for games three through five in New York are 40% higher than games in Los Angeles, StubHub said. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
Taylor Swift is causing more voting changes: Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry (R) said the state would open a temporary early voting site away from New Orleans City Hall so that voters can avoid traffic around Swift’s three performances at the Superdome this weekend. (Louisiana Illuminator)
Indiana officials kept polling places open late to accommodate fans who saw Swift perform in Indianapolis.
Is your pet under the weather? New York City Councilman Shaun Abreu (D) will introduce legislation today to allow workers to use paid sick leave to care for their animals. Americans spent $147 billion on their pets in 2023. (New York Times)
A New Jersey woman has returned a copy of Shakespeare’s Life of King Henry the Fifth to the Paterson Public Library — 101 years after it was checked out. The woman said she found the book while sorting through her deceased grandmother’s possessions. (UPI)
“It’s never too late to return overdue library materials,” the library’s director said.
Quote of the Day
“I outgrew that stuff.”
— Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano (D), on psychedelic mushrooms. Massachusetts voters will decide on a ballot measure to legalize psychedelics this year; Mariano says he’s not sure how he will vote on the measure. (Boston Globe)