Good morning, it’s Monday, November 25, 2024. In today’s edition, Louisiana backs tax cut plan; fluoride in the crosshairs; New York decriminalizes adultery:
Top Stories
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The Louisiana legislature has approved a constitutional amendment that would expand the number of crimes for which juveniles between the ages of 14 and 16 could be tried as adults. The amendment would give legislators the authority to decide what juvenile crimes can be transferred to adult courts. (Associated Press)
TAXES: Louisiana lawmakers gave final approval to a tax package backed by Gov. Jeff Landry (R) that will lower personal and corporate income taxes in exchange for sales tax increases. The package will create a flat 3% individual income tax rate and a flat 5.5% corporate income tax rate. (Associated Press)
PUBLIC HEALTH: Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has issued an advisory urging Florida communities to stop including fluoride in their water supplies. City officials in Winter Haven, a town on the I-4 corridor, said last week they would stop fluoridation by the end of the year. (Orlando Sentinel)
MORE: Arkansas Sen. Bryan King (R) has introduced legislation that would create criminal liabilities for pharmaceutical executives who knowingly hide information about the effects of vaccine or prescription drugs. The bill would apply to undisclosed side effects. (Arkansas Democrat Gazette)
HEALTH CARE: Conservative groups in Montana are preparing to oppose a renewal of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act when it comes up next year. Expansion covers insurance for about 78,800 state residents who make less than 138% of the federal poverty level. (KFF Health News)
IMMIGRATION: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) will ask the legislature to approve new caps on stays in emergency shelters to rein in skyrocketing costs. Healey will ask for six-month caps on stays at homeless and migrant shelters, and to phase out the use of hotels and motels to shelter homeless families. (Boston Globe)
EDUCATION: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) plans to introduce a bill to bar K-12 students from having cell phone sin classrooms, she said in an interview last week. Sen. Ken Rozenboom (R), who heads the Senate Education Committee, said he was skeptical that government should get involved. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
ADULTERY: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has signed legislation repealing a century-old law that criminalizes adultery. The law was last used to charge someone in 2010, though those charges were later dropped. (Associated Press)
In Politics & Business
DEMOCRATS: Michigan Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D) is considering running to chair the Democratic National Committee. She would join a growing field of candidates that includes former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and the chairs of the Minnesota and Wisconsin parties. (MLive)
TEXAS: The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) did not have to testify in a whistleblower lawsuit at the heart of the impeachment charges brought against him last year. The court ruled that Paxton’s testimony could be improperly used for legislative purposes. (Associated Press, Texas Tribune)
LEADERSHIP: Iowa Senate Democrats have chosen Sen. Janice Weiner (D) as their new minority leader. Weiner takes over for Sen. Pam Jochum (D), who is retiring after 30 years in the legislature. (Des Moines Register) Nevada Republicans have elected Assemb. Gregory Hafen (R) to serve as caucus leader. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
PEOPLE: Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson has died after an eight-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Thompson won office in 2022. (Associated Press) Ohio Sen. Kirk Schuring (R), the second-longest serving lawmaker in the legislature, has died at 72. Schuring served 31 years in office. (Columbus Dispatch)
Our condolences to the political communities in Georgia and Ohio.
By The Numbers
$150 million: The amount Delaware will spend to renovate the Legislative Hall in Dover. The project will add a new wing and a four-level parking structure to the capitol building. (Delaware Public Media)
$114 million and $55.5 million: The domestic box office hauls, respectively, for “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” over the weekend, the biggest joint movie opening of the year. Still, the “Glicked” weekend came in about a third lower than last year’s “Barbenheimer” bonanza. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
Beachgoers in Narragansett, R.I., made an unusual discovery this summer when they found a great white shark tooth that is at least 10,000 years old — and maybe millions of years old. Then someone found a second ancient tooth on the same stretch of beach. The head of the Atlantic Shark Institute in Wakefield said the fossils were the first two the institute had ever seen. (Boston Globe)
A sheriff’s deputy in Shawano County, Wis., responded to the scene when a 10-year old called 911 for help on his math homework. The student told the 911 dispatcher that his family wasn’t great at math, so he needed to look for help elsewhere. In a report filed later, Deputy Sheriff Chase Mason confessed: “Personally, I am also not overly proficient when it comes to math.” But Mason helps the student get the problem solved. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“I’m not going to get confirmed, and I’m just a distraction at this stage.”
— Lisa Urias, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism, who resigned her position effective next week after Arizona Senate Republicans accused her of a conflict of interest in the design of a new state brand. Urias sent Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) her resignation letter on letterhead that included the new brand. (Arizona Republic)