Good morning, it’s Tuesday, April 22, 2025. In today’s edition, lawmakers advance speed governor bills; New York bill would allow state to withhold federal funds; Trump backs second candidate in Arizona governor’s race:
Top Stories
PUBLIC SAFETY: State lawmakers are advancing bills this year to require speed limiting devices in cars of habitual speeders. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed the first such bill last year, while similar bills are pending before Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D). Bills are pending in California and New York. Speed is a factor in nearly a third of fatal crashes. (Pluribus News)
MORE: The Oregon Senate unanimously approved legislation making doxxing — the practice of making someone’s address or contact information public for the purpose of harassment — a crime. Colorado, Oklahoma and North Dakota all make doxxing a crime in certain circumstances. (Oregonian)
FEDERALISM: The New York legislature is considering a new bill to allow the state to withhold payments to the federal government if the federal government withholds funds meant for the state. The bill would apply if the Trump administration blocks funds in defiance of court orders. (State of Politics)
TORT REFORM: Georgia Gov. Kemp has signed tort reform measures limiting the ability to sue businesses for crimes committed on their properties and allowing separate trials for assigning responsibility and damages. He signed another bill that would limit the way lawsuits are financed. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Tort reform has been a major priority for Kemp in the last few years. He threatened to call lawmakers back to special session if they failed to act this year.
HOUSING: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) has signed legislation prohibiting landlords from charging for pest control, common area maintenance and other “junk” fees. The law requires landlords to show the total costs of rental housing up front. (Denver Post)
IMMIGRATION: The Colorado Senate has advanced legislation prohibiting federal immigration authorities from entering non-public parts of detention facilities without a warrant and limiting access to child care centers, schools and health care facilities. The bill prohibits the delay of an inmate’s release because of an immigration detainer. (Denver Post)
HEALTH CARE: North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R) has signed legislation capping the price of insulin at $25 a month. The bill also caps the cost of insulin supplies at $25 a month. (KFYR)
EDUCATION: The North Dakota House has given final approval to school voucher legislation that would give low-income households up to $3,900 a year to pay for qualified educational expenses. Households making less than 200% of the federal poverty line would be eligible for the maximum payment, which represents 35% of the state’s per-pupil education spending. (Fargo Forum)
PSILOCYBIN: The Iowa House has approved legislation legalizing the use of psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” for psychiatric treatment. The bill limits the number of people who can be recommended for treatment at 5,000. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
In Politics & Business
ARIZONA: President Trump has endorsed U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R) in the Republican primary for governor, alongside his previous endorsement of businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson (R). Biggs has been a Trump ally for years; Robson ran for governor in 2022, losing to Trump-backed former television anchor Kari Lake (R). (Associated Press)
IOWA: State Sen. Mike Bousselot (R) is formally exploring a run for governor in 2026. Bousselot, serving his first term in the Senate, formerly served as ex-Gov. Terry Branstad’s (R) chief of staff. (Des Moines Register)
SOUTH CAROLINA: The state Senate has voted to recommend the removal of Treasurer Curtis Loftis (R) over the $1.8 billion accounting error that has rocked the state. Loftis will be removed if two-thirds of House members concur with the Senate. (FITSNews)
VIRGINIA: Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity (R) has dropped his bid for lieutenant governor, leaving radio host John Reid as the lone candidate remaining and setting the Republican ticket for November. (Washington Post) Reid will face the winner of a five-way Democratic primary that includes Sens. Aaron Rouse (D) and Ghazala Hashmi (D) and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney (D).
ARKANSAS: The League of Women Voters has filed suit against eight new laws that target the ballot initiative process. The lawsuit claims the bills, signed this month by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R), violate First Amendment rights to speech and Fourteenth Amendment rights to due process. (Arkansas Advocate)
PEOPLE: Oregon Sen. Aaron Woods (D) has died at 75. Woods served for almost two decades as a senior manager at Xerox, before winning his Senate seat in 2022. (Oregonian) Our condolences to the Oregon political family.
By The Numbers
$540 million: The amount companies and interest groups spent lobbying the state legislature in 2024, the highest yearly total ever recorded and a 10% spike from the $485 million spent in 2023. The Western States Petroleum Association was the biggest individual spender, at $17.3 million. (Associated Press)
88%: The share of Maryland high school seniors who graduated in 2024, the highest rate since 2017 and a rebound from pandemic-era lows. (Maryland Matters)
$2.44 million: The amount Connecticut pulled in over the last six months in taxes on nips, those little single-serve alcohol bottles. The state has raised a total of $16 million in nickel-per-nip fees first established in 2021. (Hartford Courant)
Off The Wall
A Michigan man escaped waist-deep quicksand on a Lake Michigan beach while on a walk with a coworker. The two called 911 at the same time; he told dispatchers his girlfriend was calling, while she said her boyfriend was stuck. “That was literally the first time we defined our relationship,” the man said. (UPI)
We’re suckers for a sappy love story, even if it involves quicksand.
Runners participating in a half-marathon in Beijing this weekend ran alongside 20 humanoid robots, guided by teams of human navigators. The fastest robot finished the race in 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“I’m not a fan of how current politics are, and, despite my age, I want to see how much of a difference I can make.”
— Connor Gray (I), 19, an aspiring rap artist who decided to run for Massachusetts governor next year. (NBC Boston)