Good morning, it’s Thursday, May 18, 2023. In today’s edition, Mont. bans TikTok; DeSantis signs trans bills; N.D. Gov floats White House bid:
Top Stories
TECHNOLOGY: Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) has signed first-in-the-nation legislation to ban TikTok from all devices, public and private, across the state. The law would bar Apple and Google app stores from offering TikTok in the app. The law is certain to be challenged in court before it takes effect in January. (Pluribus News)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed legislation banning gender-affirming care for minors, expanding a prohibition on classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity through 8th grade, banning minors from drag shows and requiring transgender people to use bathroom facilities that conform to their sex at birth. (Pluribus News)
MORE: The Texas Senate gave final approval to a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors, sending the bill to Gov. Greg Abbott (R). (Texas Tribune) The New Hampshire House is set to vote on legislation requiring schools to disclose to parents whether a child has asked to be called by a different name or gender. (WMUR, Associated Press)
ABORTION: The South Carolina House adopted legislation that would ban most abortions after six weeks, after Republicans voted down more than 900 Democratic amendments. The state Senate must now vote on the measure. (Associated Press) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed legislation banning employer discrimination against employees who receive abortions. (MLive)
GUN POLITICS: The Louisiana House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee voted Tuesday to advance a bill allowing people to carry concealed weapons without a permit. (Baton Rouge Advocate) The Texas House gave final approval to a bill requiring courts to report involuntary mental health hospitalizations of juveniles for inclusion in a federal gun background check system. (Texas Tribune)
MORE: An Illinois Senate committee advanced legislation that would make it illegal to market firearms to those under 18 or to those engaged in paramilitary or private militia activity. (Fox 32 Chicago) New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) says she will try again to ban assault weapons and raise age restrictions for firearm purchases after measures failed to reach her desk this year. (Albuquerque Journal)
EDUCATION: The North Carolina House voted along part lines to advance legislation expanding “opportunity scholarships,” the largest expansion of school choice legislation in state history. (MyFox8) A school voucher bill in Texas, passed by the state Senate, is on the brink of dying in the state House. Gov. Abbott has threatened to veto the measure because it doesn’t go far enough to expand voucher access. (Texas Tribune)
MORE: The Ohio Senate has approved legislation restricting mandatory diversity training, banning faculty strikes and penalizing professors who fail to create classrooms free of bias. (Columbus Dispatch) The bill also prohibits schools from accepting gifts or contributions from China or organizations working on China’s behalf. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
ENVIRONMENT: The Michigan Senate approved legislation allowing state agencies to impose environmental regulations that are stricter than federal standards. The bill overturns a rule enacted under former Gov. Rick Snyder (R). (Michigan Advance)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The Alabama Senate gave final, unanimous approval to a measure making two or more loitering arrests a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail. Supporters of the bill say it is meant to cut down on pedestrian traffic accidents. (Yellowhammer News) The Connecticut House unanimously approved legislation expanding countermeasures to prevent wrong-way driving, months after one of their colleagues was hit and killed by a wrong-way driver. (CT Mirror)
WORKFORCE: The Alabama House has passed a bill eliminating college degree requirements to become a licensed paramedic. (Yellowhammer News) The U.S. Labor Department said an Iowa measure allowing more children to work longer hours in more industries violates federal labor laws, signaling a legal battle ahead. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
In Politics & Business
OHIO: The Ohio Ballot Board meets today to approve language for an August constitutional amendment that would raise the threshold future amendments must attain to win passage, from a simple majority to 60%. Republicans have said the vote is about preempting a likely November vote codifying abortion rights. (Columbus Dispatch)
MISSISSIPPI: Gov. Tate Reeves (R) says he won’t get involved in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor, though he suggested there is only one conservative candidate running. The remark seemed to be a dig at Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann (R), who faces a challenge from former state Sen. Chris McDaniel (R). (Mississippi Today)
There’s a long history of tension between Mississippi governors and their lieutenants. Reeves and Hosemann sparred this year over tax cut proposals.
ALASKA: The Alaska legislature is likely to return for a special session after the state House refused to vote on a budget bill late Wednesday, ending the regular session. Lawmakers have until July 1, the start of the new fiscal year, to pass a budget to avoid a first-ever shutdown. (Alaska Beacon)
WHITE HOUSE: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) has begun hiring consultants ahead of a possible run for president in 2024. (CBS News) Burgum told the Fargo Forum last week he was thinking about running.
By The Numbers
$2 billion: The amount of money mayors from California’s largest cities say they need, on a yearly basis, to curb homelessness in the state. That’s twice what Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has proposed, but $1 billion less than the League of California Cities has asked for. (Sacramento Bee)
4.3%: The share of voters who turned out to vote in Medway, Mass., in elections for seats on the local Board of Health and the Planning and Economic Development Board. That’s just 445 voters out of the 10,450 who are registered. (Milford Daily News)
Off The Wall
A Montgomery Circuit Court judge has issued a preliminary injunction against the construction of a bridge across Alabama’s Intracoastal Waterway because, he said, the state transportation director harbored a “personal vendetta” against a toll bridge company that operates a different span. The new bridge would have cost the state $120 million. (Associated Press)
Eric Valentine, 80, a retired judge and former Scoutmaster, once helped rescue a group of rafters with the Boy Scout troop he was leading. Earlier this month, it was his turn to get rescued when he fell down a canyon slope. His rescuers: A different Boy Scout troop, who happened to be canoeing down the Snake River. (Oregonian)
Quote of the Day
“I have no list.”
— Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D), who says she will take her time naming a replacement for ex-Secretary of State Shemia Fagan (D), who resigned over a contract she held with a private marijuana company. Kotek said she was considering how to restore confidence in the Secretary of State’s office. (Oregonian)