Good morning, it’s Thursday, June 12, 2025. In today’s edition, Texas to study psychedelics for health effects; GOP calls Dem governors to testify on immigration; new governor candidates in Kansas, Maine:
Top Stories
HEALTH CARE: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has signed first-in-the-nation legislation to create a consortium to study the use of ibogaine, a psychedelic drug used in the treatment of opioid use disorder and other mental health conditions. Lawmakers approved $50 million to study the drug, derived from a West African shrub, in treatment of PTSD, anxiety, depression and traumatic brain injuries. (Pluribus News)
MORE: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed legislation requiring pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse pharmacies at the national average drug acquisition cost. The law sets a baseline dispensing fee of $10.68 for every drug a pharmacy provides. It also bars PBMs from prohibiting or limiting someone from selecting a pharmacist or pharmacy of their choice. (Des Moines Register)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: Iowa Gov. Reynolds also signed legislation banning Medicaid from covering gender-affirming surgeries or hormone therapies for transgender people. The measure allows Medicaid to continue covering mental health counseling for gender dysphoria. (Des Moines Register)
IMMIGRATION: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) will testify today before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee about immigration policies in their states. The Republican-called hearing was scheduled before protests erupted in Los Angeles over the weekend. (New York Times)
GUN POLITICS: The North Carolina legislature approved a measure allowing adults to carry concealed handguns without a permit. It’s not clear whether Republicans have the votes to override Gov. Josh Stein’s (D) likely veto; several Republicans voted against the measure. (Associated Press)
PUBLIC SAFETY: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is extending the state’s “stand your ground” law to include roadways. DeSantis told an interviewer that if motorists feel threatened by protestors while driving, they have a right to run protestors over to get to safety. (Florida Politics)
DATA CENTERS: Minnesota’s legislature has approved bipartisan legislation extending tax breaks for the construction of data centers until 2077. The sales tax break for data centers is expected to reach $114 million in Fiscal Year 2025, up from just $6 million when the tax incentive was first approved in FY 2015. (Minnesota Reformer)
STADIUMS: The Missouri House has given final approval to a package of tax incentives meant to keep the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs on their side of the Missouri River. The bill would allow Missouri to pay for up to half the costs of new or improved stadiums using tax revenue generated by the teams. (Kansas City Star) The Ohio Senate approved a budget allowing the state to use up to $600 million in unclaimed funds to pay for a new stadium for the Cleveland Browns. (Columbus Dispatch)
In Politics & Business
KANSAS: State Sen. Cindy Holscher (D) will run for governor, she said this morning. She is the first Democrat in the race, though Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes (D) and Sen. Ethan Corson (D) are also possible contenders. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) is term limited. (Kansas City Star)
Neither party has held the governorship for more than two consecutive terms since Kansas extended gubernatorial terms to four years in the 1970s.
MAINE: Business owner Owen McCarthy (R) will run for governor in 2026, he said Wednesday. He joins former Assistant Secretary of State Bobby Charles (R), state Sen. Jim Libby (R) and Paris Town Selectman Robert Wessels (R) in the Republican primary. (Maine Public Radio)
MORE: Maine lawmakers have advanced legislation expanding ranked-choice voting to statewide elections, including the governor’s race. A court ruled in 2017 that ranked choice voting in statewide elections would violate the state constitution, though Maine residents use ranked choice elections in federal contests. (Portland Press Herald)
ALABAMA: Katherine Robertson (R), chief counsel to Attorney General Steve Marshall (R), will run for Marshall’s post in 2026 with his endorsement. She will face former Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell (R) and Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey (R) in the GOP primary. Marshall is running for a U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R). (Associated Press)
By The Numbers
3 m.p.h.: The top speed of a not-so-high-speed pursuit involving a tractor excavator stolen from a construction site in North Charleston, S.C. The pursuit was so slow that police had to stop several times every minute to avoid passing the stolen vehicle. The suspect was apprehended after the hour-long chase. (Associated Press)
25: The number of times Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano has erupted since December. The latest eruption sent lava spewing more than 330 feet into the air. (Seattle Times)
Off The Wall
The University of Alaska’s Geophysical Institute in Fairbanks has signed a collaboration agreement with the state-owned Alaska Aerospace Corporation to build a spaceport at the Poker Flat Research Range. The new facility would become the world’s northernmost spaceport. Alaska would join Texas, Florida, California and Virginia as the only states with more than one licensed spaceport. (Alaska Beacon)
The Lego Discovery Center in Washington, D.C., has unveiled the winner of its annual Mini Master Model Builder competition: A creation showing the nation’s capital being overrun by pandas. The constructor, 12-year old Ricky, will see his creation pitted against winners from other global competitions at a worldwide contest in Denmark later this year. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“We love to protest here, obviously, which is great, but we have to do it in accordance with our laws.”
— Washington Attorney General Nick Brown (D), on preparations the state is making in case President Trump attempts to mobilize the National Guard against Gov. Bob Ferguson’s (D) orders. (Washington State Standard)