Good morning, it’s Thursday, November 21, 2024. In today’s edition, California’s budget woes of tomorrow; Alaska’s ranked-choice voting survives; North Carolina Republicans pull a power move:
Top Stories
BUDGETS: California’s budget is “roughly balanced” ahead of the new year, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, but sizable deficits loom in the future. Lawmakers face a $2 billion shortfall this year — peanuts for such a mammoth state. But long-term revenue projections show the state facing $20 billion or more in deficits in Fiscal Years 2027, 2028 and 2029. (Pluribus News)
MARIJUANA: New Hampshire legislators plan to try again to legalize recreational marijuana next year, after disagreements between the House and Senate shelved a bill this year. Supporters in the House plan to bring up legalization and a measure to allow medical patients to grow their own pot at home. (WMUR)
Gov.-elect Kelly Ayotte (R) has said she opposes legalization.
ABORTION: Incoming Missouri House Republican leaders say they will seek to change parts of Amendment 3, a measure voters approved this year that protects abortion rights. Rep. Brian Seitz (R) said Republicans are considering legislation to ban abortion after fetal cardiac activity is detected. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
EDUCATION: The North Carolina Senate has voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) veto of legislation adding more than $2 billion to Opportunity Scholarship programs over the next decade. The bill expands the voucher program to students at all income levels. (NC Newsline)
MORE: Ohio Republicans are planning to bring up legislation that would ban diversity training and require “intellectual diversity” on college campuses. The Senate approved the legislation this year, though it died in the House. (Statehouse News Bureau)
PUBLIC HEALTH: Arkansas Republicans have prefiled legislation that would end a mandate to include fluoride in public water systems. Lawmakers also introduced legislation to allow voters to decide whether their water systems should have fluoride. (KARK)
FINANCES: Rhode Island’s state Treasurer plans to work with Connecticut officials to create a state-run retirement savings program for people whose employers don’t offer a retirement plan. The partnership would benefit an estimated 40% of Rhode Islanders who work for companies that don’t offer such plans. (Providence Journal)
In Politics & Business
ALASKA: Voters rejected a ballot measure to repeal Alaska’s unique top-four primary, ranked-choice voting system after the last ballots were counted Wednesday. Measure 2 failed by a margin of just 664 votes, or about 0.2%. Phil Izon, the conservative activist behind the repeal effort, said he would try again in 2026. (Pluribus News)
Conservatives turned against ranked-choice voting after U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (D) won her seat in Alaska. It’s a little ironic that ranked-choice voting survived and Peltola lost her seat to Rep.-elect Nick Begich (R).
NORTH CAROLINA: The state Senate gave final approval Wednesday to legislation that takes appointment power from the governor’s office and invests it with Republican officials. The 131-page bill shifts the power to appoint judges, Supreme Court justices and members of the Board of Elections, among other positions, just two weeks after Gov.-elect Josh Stein (D) won office. (Pluribus News)
NEW YORK: U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D) is said to be weighing a bid for governor against incumbent Kathy Hochul (D) in 2026. In an interview, Torres said election results this year show a “vote of no confidence in the leadership of New York State.” (State of Politics)
LEADERSHIP: Ohio House Republicans have unanimously chosen Rep.-elect Matt Huffman (R) — currently the Senate president — to serve as their next speaker. Rep. Tim Barhorst (R), the last remaining challenger, dropped his bid at the last minute. (Columbus Dispatch)
By The Numbers
$725,000: The amount Florida will pay in legal fees and costs for businesses that sued to challenge the Stop WOKE Act that placed restrictions on workplace training. A federal judge ordered a permanent injunction against the 2022 law in July. (Orlando Sentinel)
$1.4 million: The price of a $20 “double eagle” gold coin sold at auction this week at a California auction house. The coin, minted in 1870 during the height of the gold rush, is one of only 40 to 50 that remain. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
The curator of New York’s Morgan Library and Museum has uncovered what appears to be a previously unknown waltz composed by Frederic Chopin in its collection. The paper and ink matches other works by Chopin, the Polish composer who died in 1849. (Associated Press)
The voice of Mulhouse Van Houten, Jimbo Jones and Malibu Stacy is signing off. Actress Pamela Hayden, who has been voicing characters on “The Simpsons” for 35 years, says she will retire after this weekend’s annual Treehouse of Horror episode. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“It’s always good policy to keep in contact with members and work together as a unit, whether you’re in a majority or a tie.”
— Former Washington House Speaker Frank Chopp (D), on advice to Minnesota lawmakers who face a state House evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. Chopp ascended to leadership in 1999, when the Washington House was evenly divided. (MinnPost)