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Pluribus AM: Millions to lose Medicaid; Colo. passes gun safety bills; Mich. repeals right-to-work

Good morning, it’s Monday, March 27, 2023. In today’s edition, millions to lose Medicaid coverage; Colo. legislature passes gun safety bills; Mich. Gov repeals right-to-work:

Top Stories

MEDICAID: State-by-state estimates show at least 17 million Americans stand to lose Medicaid coverage beginning next month as Covid-era emergency orders wind down — and that’s counting only 39 states in which we could find official guidance. It’s the biggest shock to the nation’s health care system since the Affordable Care Act 13 years ago. (Pluribus News)

GUN POLITICS: Colorado’s legislature has given final approval to bills expanding a red-flag law and allowing citizens to file lawsuits against gun manufacturers and dealers. The bills now head to Gov. Jared Polis (D). (Denver Post, Colorado Sun) The Florida House approved a measure allowing firearm owners to carry concealed weapons without a permit. (Orlando Sentinel) Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has signed a bill creating a $300 tax credit for gun safes. (Virginia Mercury)

EDUCATION: Idaho’s Senate State Affairs committee has advanced bills creating a citizens’ review committee to oversee library collections and to require libraries to create policies on distributing materials to minors. (Idaho Reports) North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) has signed legislation requiring elementary, middle and high schools to teach computer science and cybersecurity. (Fargo Forum)

LGBTQ RIGHTS: The Montana House has approved a bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The bill must win final Senate approval before heading to Gov. Greg Gianforte (R). (Montana Free Press) Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) plans to sign legislation requiring the state Medicaid program to cover gender-affirming procedures. (Baltimore Sun) Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) has vetoed a bill barring gender-affirming care for minors. (Associated Press)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The Iowa House has approved legislation increasing the penalty for fentanyl manufacture, distribution and possession. A Senate version has passed through committee. (Iowa Capital Dispatch) Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) has signed legislation allowing the state to conduct executions by firing squad. (Idaho Statesman, Idaho Capital Sun)

FLORIDA: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday signed tort reform legislation that limits a plaintiff’s ability to recoup attorney fees. (Orlando Sentinel) The state House gave final approval to a $711 million housing package, sending the bill to DeSantis. (Orlando Sentinel) 

MICHIGAN: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has signed measures repealing a right-to-work law and reinstating the prevailing wage for state-funded construction projects. (Detroit News) Whitmer also signed a bill repealing a requirement that third graders be held back if they score too low on a state assessment test. (MLive)

KANSAS: The state House is expected to vote this week on a measure overhauling regulations on child care facilities, after the Senate approved the bill last week. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) has threatened to veto the measure. There are fewer child care slots available in Kansas now than there were in 2013. (Topeka Capital-Journal)

VERMONT: The state House has approved a bill legalizing online sports betting in a nearly unanimous vote. The bill would tax revenues of sports betting companies at 20% and charge an annual operating fee. (VTDigger)

CALIFORNIA: Gov. Gavin Newson’s (D) administration is asking the federal government for permission to use Medicaid money to pay “transitional rent,” up to six months of rent for low-income enrollees. Medi-Cal would pay for the experimental housing subsidies to keep people off the streets. (Kaiser Health News)

In Politics & Business

REPUBLICANS: The Republican National Committee has tapped veteran Indiana strategist Anne Hathaway to lead the 2024 convention’s Committee on Arrangements. Hathaway led the committee that chose Milwaukee to host the 2024 convention. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

NORTH CAROLINA: Treasurer Dale Folwell (R) formally announced he will run for governor in 2024, when Gov. Roy Cooper (D) faces term limits. He’s likely to face Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R), who plans an April 22 announcement at a race track in Alamance County. (Associated Press, Carolina Journal) Early polls give Robinson the edge among GOP voters.

RHODE ISLAND: Republicans picked former state Senate candidate Joe Powers to lead the state GOP. Powers beat out former party chairman Giovanni Cicione. (Providence Journal)

MASSACHUSETTS: House Speaker Ronald Mariano (D) said Friday he will not comply with Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s (D) plans to audit the legislature. Mariano told DiZoglio, a former House member herself, that an audit would be unconstitutional. The state Senate has not formally responded to DiZoglio’s audit request. (Boston Globe)

OREGON: The legislature’s joint budget committee has approved a $210 million bill to boost semiconductor manufacturing. The bill will help businesses seeking federal grants and other incentives. (Bend Bulletin)

By The Numbers

$7.5 billion: The amount of federal funding that would be at risk if Montana approves a bill defining sex based on someone’s reproductive organs, according to a new analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Division. That’s about half the state’s overall budget. (Daily Montanan)

$54 million: The amount Connecticut needs to spend to renovate its Capitol building in Hartford. The building, completed in 1878, is leaking, and giant granite blocks are sprouting green mold. (New Haven Register)

36.1%: The increase in antisemitic incidents reported by the Anti-Defamation League in 2022 over 2021. It’s the third time in the last five years that antisemitic incidents have hit a new record. (Orlando Sentinel)

Off The Wall

How’s this for bipartisanship: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) will move out of the governor’s mansion for planned renovations, and into a home owned by businessman Mike McFadden, a former Republican U.S. Senate candidate. McFadden’s place is decent, too: It’s 8,000 square feet on a 3.5 acre lakeside lot. (MPR News)

Quote of the Day

“Are we out of the drought? Mostly — but not completely.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), ending some water restrictions after almost nonstop winter rain and snow. Water districts will get at least 75% of the water they request from state supplies, up from just 5% last year. (Associated Press)