Good morning, it’s Monday, June 15, 2026. In today’s edition, Illinois advances new social media rules; Arizona, Virginia wrestle with data centers; new polls in Georgia, Minnesota:
Top Stories
SOCIAL MEDIA: Illinois lawmakers have adopted a comprehensive social media regulation bill. The measure would restrict addictive feeds, ensure an age-appropriate experience and require device-makers to send an “age signal” to social media sites. It requires users to attest to their age, rather than requiring formal age-verification processes, as a way to sidestep constitutional issues that have brought down other states’ social media laws. (Pluribus News)
ENERGY: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) has signed an $18.3 billion budget that includes a three-year moratorium on new data center tax incentives. Hobbs had proposed ending the tax incentives altogether, but the three-year moratorium will save an estimated $57 million while allowing data center development to continue. (State Affairs)
MORE: The Virginia House of Delegates has released a budget proposal that does not include environmental standards for data centers. Instead, the budget would create a commission of stakeholders and lawmakers to study the impacts and benefits of data centers in Virginia. (Virginia Mercury)
EVEN MORE: The Alaska House has approved a major tax incentive package for the Alaska Liquid Natural Gas mega project. The bill cuts property taxes by an estimated 85% to support the 800-mile pipeline. Work on the proposed pipeline is scheduled to begin next year. (Anchorage Daily News)
GAMBLING: Prediction market companies Kalshi, Crypto.com and Polymarket have filed a lawsuit challenging Kentucky’s first-in-the-nation excise tax on prediction markets. The General Assembly enacted a 14.25% tax on prediction market transaction fees. The companies said the tax was discriminatory because it is higher than a 9.75% tax on wagers at horse tracks. (Associated Press)
HEALTHCARE: California legislators have reached a budget deal that rejects Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) cuts to Medi-Cal and other healthcare services. The legislative budget nearly doubles spending on homelessness. They have about two weeks to reach a deal with Newsom ahead of the July 1 beginning of the new fiscal year. (State Affairs)
ABORTION: A coalition of 14 Republican attorneys general have asked the Environmental Protection Agency to classify and regulate the abortion medication mifepristone as a water contaminant. In a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the attorneys general cite a 1996 FDA statement on the harmful environmental effects of mifepristone. (Washington State Standard)
MARIJUANA: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has signed legislation making it illegal to sell intoxicating hemp products to anyone under 21. The bill also makes it illegal to package intoxicating products in designs meant to resemble brands of cookies, chips or candies. (WTTW)
In Politics & Business
GEORGIA: A new InsiderAdvantage survey of the Republican gubernatorial runoff finds businessman Rick Jackson (R) narrowly leading Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) 49% to 46%. Jones led Jackson in the primary by a 38%-33% margin. (InsiderAdvantage)
MINNESOTA: A new Minnesota Star Tribune-KARE 11 poll finds U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) leading Republican candidates for governor. Klobuchar leads technology executive Kendall Qualls (R) 48% to 37%. She leads House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R) 48% to 40%. And Klobuchar leads MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell (R) 53% to 36%. (KARE 11)
ALABAMA: The state Republican Party has rejected a challenge to U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R) gubernatorial campaign. The challenge, filed by Tuberville’s former primary rival, alleged the senator had not lived in Alabama long enough to satisfy the seven-year residency requirement. (Associated Press)
IOWA: Gubernatorial nominee Zach Lahn (R) has chosen state Rep. Derek Wulf (R) as his lieutenant governor running mate. The state Republican Party endorsed Wulf at its convention this weekend. (Des Moines Register) Wulf, 45, represents parts of Black Hawk, Benton and Tame counties.
ARIZONA: The state legislature has referred a ballot measure banning transgender students from using facilities aligned with their gender identity to voters in November. The measure passed in a party-line vote. (State Affairs)
By The Numbers
10%: The increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Connecticut between 2024 and 2025, according to the annual Point-In-Time count conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The number of unsheltered people rose by 45%. (CT News Junkie)
Up to 14: The number of Native Americans who could win seats in the Montana legislature this year, setting a new record for the size of the state’s American Indian Caucus. The caucus had 12 members in 2025, already a record high. (Montana Free Press)
Off The Wall
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has hosted his 50th and final ice cream social. The annual event, first suggested by Fran DeWine, began in 1976 when DeWine was running for Greene County prosecutor. DeWine will leave public office at the end of the year. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Students at Naperville’s Lincoln Junior High School spearheaded an effort to name the black and gold bumblebee the official state bee of Illinois. The black and gold bumblebee is an especially effective pollinator of agricultural plants. Lawmakers approved the measure last weekend. (St. Louis Public Radio)
Quote of the Day
“It’s our fault we’re here at two in the morning because we’d rather talk than vote.”
— Arizona Rep. Sylvia Allen (R), on late votes taken ahead of sine die. The House adjourned at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday. (State Affairs)