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Good morning, it’s Wednesday, August 7, 2024. In today’s edition, states search for money as gas tax slides; Ferguson, Reichert advance in Washington; Kehoe to face McQuade in Missouri:
Top Stories
BUDGETS: Facing declining gas tax revenues, states are launching pilot programs to capture fees on miles driven, retail deliveries and express lanes that allow drivers to zip down the road faster. The rise of electric vehicles and more fuel efficient cars mean gas taxes just aren’t generating the revenue they once did.
Add to that the cost of inflation, both gradually over time and more quickly in the last several years, and state transportation budgets aren’t stretching as far as they once did. Both supplies and workers cost more, squeezing already-tight bottom lines.
Eleven states have implemented “managed lane” programs, better known as express lanes, since California first adopted the practice in 1995. Those programs have seen revenues jump by 37%, to $4.2 billion, in the last year alone. Read more at Pluribus News.
GUN POLITICS: Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee (D) will push for a ban on assault-style weapons in next year’s budget. McKee made a ban a priority this year, but it died in the legislature at the hands of Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D), a gun rights supporter. (Providence Journal)
MORE: The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Maryland’s 2013 law banning assault weapons. Gun rights advocates said they would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Maryland Matters)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: An Ohio ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors has taken effect after a Franklin County judge rejected a legal challenge. The judge ruled the law, which also bans transgender girls from school sports teams that conform to their gender identity, did not violate Ohio’s single-subject rule. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
HOUSING: Colorado mountain towns will ask legislators to approve bills allowing local governments to tax second homes that sit empty most of the year. In some mountain towns, home to the state’s legendary ski resorts, as many as 40% of homes are unoccupied by full-time residents. (Colorado Sun)
In Politics & Business
MISSOURI: Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) won the Republican primary for governor with 39% of the vote, outpacing state Sen. Bill Eigel (R), who took 33%, and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R) at 23%. Kehoe will face House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D), who won 50% of the Democratic vote. (Kansas City Star)
Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) and Treasurer Vivek Malek (R), both appointed to their jobs, survived Republican primary challenges.
WASHINGTON: Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) will face former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert (R) in the race for governor after Ferguson led the all-party primary with 45% of the vote, compared to 28% for Reichert. Former U.S. Attorney Nick Brown (D) will face Pasco Mayor Pete Serrano (R) in the race to replace Ferguson; Serrano scored 42%, with Brown at 36%. A third candidate, state Sen. Manka Dhingra (D), took 22%. (Seattle Times)
The Associated Press called both races, but only about 58% of the vote has been counted. Two Republicans lead the race for Lands Commissioner, though it’s a close fight for second between 2020 candidate Sue Peterson (R) and King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove (D).
FLORIDA: Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment legalizing marijuana had $12.5 million in the bank at the end of July, while opponents collected a $12 million check from billionaire Republican donor Ken Griffin. The opposition campaign is led by James Uthmeier, Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) chief of staff. (Florida Politics)
CALIFORNIA: Former Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D) raised $1.6 million in the first half of the year, outpacing Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D), who hauled in $1.4 million. Former Comptroller Betty Yee (D) and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond (D) raised $593,000 and $317,000 respectively. (Sacramento Bee)
By The Numbers
$33.3 billion: The amount tourists and travelers spent in Virginia last year, a new record and up 10% over 2022. (Richmond Times-Dispatch) Virginia is for (travel) lovers.
More than 6,500: The number of people fighting the Park Fire in California. The fire, which has charred more than 414,000 acres, is about 34% contained, officials said Tuesday. See amazing before-and-after satellite photos from the Los Angeles Times.
21: The number of consecutive games the Chicago White Sox lost before beating the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday. The losing streak matched the longest-ever American League record, set by the Baltimore Orioles in 1988. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
The historic Greenbrier hotel will go up for auction later this month after a credit collection company purchased the deed of trust on the property, owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R). The firm is suing Justice to recoup $40 million Justice-owned companies owe in debt. (WV Metro News)
Voters casting ballots in Tuesday’s primaries in Michigan had to shelter in a polling place bathroom in St. Joseph County during a tornado warning. No tornado actually touched down, and no one was hurt. (MLive)
Quote of the Day
“Tell your child not to look at them.”
— Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R), to parents who don’t believe the Ten Commandments should be displayed in public school classrooms. (NBC News)