Good morning, it’s Wednesday, January 21, 2026. In today’s edition, Dems tweak AI strategy; Maryland panel proposes all-Dem redistricting plan; Wisconsin, Florida advance data center bills:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Democrats pursuing new AI regulations are scaling back ambitions after two years of more sweeping proposals. A new omnibus bill in Connecticut would require disclosure when employers use AI in the hiring process, restrict algorithmic pricing and establish rules for companion chatbots. Virginia legislation will focus on regulating chatbots, and New York lawmakers have held hearings on high-risk AI systems. (Pluribus News)
MORE: Oregon Sen. Lisa Reynolds (D) has introduced legislation requiring AI companies to repeatedly and clearly disclose that chatbots are artificially generated. The bill would ban sexually explicit content for minors and prohibit engagement tactics designed to keep minors interacting with bots. It would require annual reports on how often companies directed users to crisis services. (Oregonian)
REDISTRICTING: Maryland’s advisory redistricting commission voted Tuesday to advance a conceptual map that would target an Eastern Shore district held by U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R), the state’s lone Republican. The state Senate stands in the way of Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) redistricting plan; Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) has said he won’t take up a redistricting plan. (Washington Post)
The California Republican Party has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and block Proposition 50, the Democratic-backed redistricting measure. (Sacramento Bee)
PUBLIC SAFETY: Washington lawmakers are considering a bill to lower the legal blood alcohol content for drivers from 0.08% to 0.05%. Utah is the only other state to have such a low BAC limit. Utah saw fatal crashes drop by almost 20% in the first year after implementing the new lower limit. (Spokane Spokesman-Review)
MORE: New Hampshire Rep. Terry Roy (R) has introduced legislation to ban doxing someone’s personal information, and to prevent employers from hiring or firing anyone for their political opinions. The bill would criminalize harassing, annoying or alarming someone based on their political affiliation or opinion. (New Hampshire Bulletin)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: The Missouri House held hearings Tuesday on seven bills seeking to extend restrictions on transgender youth and athletes. Four bills would end a sunset on laws that prevent minors from accessing gender-affirming health care. Three would repeal expiration dates on laws banning transgender athletes from sports teams that align with their gender identity. (St. Louis Public Radio)
ENERGY: The Wisconsin Assembly has approved legislation regulating data centers. The bill would require the Public Service Commission to ensure ratepayers don’t shoulder costs associated with data centers. (State Affairs) A Florida Senate panel has advanced two measures establishing a framework for how data centers operate and are billed for power and water use. (Florida Politics)
In Politics & Business
MINNESOTA: Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) will run for re-election, foregoing a bid for governor after Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced he would step aside. (Fargo Forum) U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D), the 800-lb. gorilla in the room, has not yet made her plans clear.
IOWA: Auditor Rob Sand (D) raised $9.6 million for his gubernatorial campaign last year, including 8,180 individual donations the day he launched his campaign. He ended the year with $13.8 million on hand. U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R), one of five prominent Republicans running, raised $4.3 million last year and has $3.2 million in the bank. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
NEBRASKA: Former state Sen. Lynne Walz (D) is taking steps toward running for governor, after launching an exploratory committee last year. Walz has launched a campaign website and a statewide listening tour. Non-incumbents face a March 2 filing deadline. (Lincoln Journal Star)
By The Numbers
$157 billion: The size of the New York state budget proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Tuesday, a 6% increase made possible by stock market gains and surging Wall Street profits. New York is poised to reap $17 billion in unanticipated revenue over the next two years. (Pluribus News)
55: The number of vetoes Gov. Janet Mills (D) has issued during her two terms in office. The Democratic-controlled legislature has upheld every one of them. (Maine Public Radio)
2.5 million: The number of electric or zero-emission vehicles sold in California, surpassing the original goal of 1.5 million by 2025. Californians purchased 79,000 ZEVs in the fourth quarter of 2025, representing 19% of new cars sold. (California Governor’s Office)
Off The Wall
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will pony up key lime pie and stone crabs to Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R), after the University of Indiana beat the Miami Hurricanes on Monday to claim the college football national championship. Braun had offered Hoosier pie and pork tenderloin if Miami had prevailed. (Associated Press)
A Bay Area tourist filmed the first-ever documented coyote to swim to Alcatraz Island. Scientists say coyotes are leaving the mainland because the Bay Area is getting too crowded. Coyotes have established themselves on another Bay island, Angel Island, beginning in 2017. (Los Angeles Times)
Quote of the Day
“All of this is telling us that the market is at least at risk of experiencing a downturn. While we’ve all heard the old adage ‘this time is different,’ we cannot rule that possibility out, but in good conscience, we cannot advise the legislature to budget with that assumption.”
— Gabriel Patek, chief of California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office, warning lawmakers against projecting future revenues in the midst of market volatility. (State Affairs)