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Good morning, it’s Tuesday, July 29, 2025. In today’s edition, Medicaid offices brace for change under Trump law; Pennsylvania lawmakers target AI in health care; Nevada Attorney General to run for governor:
Top Stories
HEALTH CARE: State Medicaid offices are preparing for big changes under the reconciliation legislation President Trump signed earlier this month. The law includes a first-ever federal work requirement for some Medicaid enrollees and more frequent eligibility checks, forcing state offices to adjust their administration programs.
States that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act will have to ensure adults between 19 and 64 without dependents are working, in school or engaged in community service for at least 80 hours a month. Those adults will have to pass twice-yearly eligibility checks, rather than once a year. The law allocates $200 million to help states begin implementing work requirements. (Pluribus News)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced a measure to set guardrails for the use of AI in health care. The bill would require a human decision maker ultimately decides individual assessments when AI is used by insurers, hospitals or clinicians. (State Affairs)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) says he will roll out an AI framework in the coming months. (Orlando Sentinel)
IMMIGRATION: New York, California and 20 other states have sued the Trump administration to block a federal request for information on the immigration and citizenship status of people receiving SNAP benefits. The administration says the data will help identify waste, fraud and abuse. New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) alleges the request is about immigration enforcement. (Albany Times Union)
HEALTH CARE: A federal judge has blocked an Arkansas law that would have banned large pharmacy benefit managers from operating pharmacies in the state. The law will be on hold as a legal challenge from CVS winds through federal court. (Arkansas Times)
GUN POLITICS: The California Assembly is considering legislation to ban gun shops from selling Glock-brand handguns that can become fully automatic if someone inserts a converter, commonly known as a Glock switch. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has not said whether he will sign the bill. (CalMatters)
TAXES: The Georgia Senate will consider legislation to eliminate the state income tax. A Senate committee chaired by Sen. Blake Tillery (R) will meet later this summer to investigate how other states reduced tax rates. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
REDISTRICTING: Missouri Republicans are considering holding a special session to redraw U.S. House maps. Republicans already hold six of eight U.S. House districts in the state. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) will head to Austin on Wednesday meet with House and Senate Democrats to strategize about the Republican plan to redraw district maps. (KXAN)
In Politics & Business
NEVADA: Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) said Monday he will challenge Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) next year. His entry sets up what’s expected to be one of the closest gubernatorial contests in the country, four years after Lombardo unseated then-Gov. Steve Sisolak (D). (Associated Press)
SOUTH CAROLINA: U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R) used a stop in New Hampshire to hint that she will run to replace retiring Gov. Henry McMaster (R). Mace would face Rep. Ralph Norman (R), Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R), Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell (R) in the GOP primary. (New Hampshire Union Leader)
ALASKA: Commissioner of Revenue Adam Crum will quit his job next week ahead of an expected run for governor. Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) praised Crum in a statement announcing his departure. Crum will join seven other Republicans who have already entered the race. (Alaska Beacon)
WISCONSIN: Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski (D) will not run for governor, but she’s considering a bid for lieutenant governor. Godlewski was appointed to her post by Gov. Tony Evers (D) in 2023. (State Affairs)
CALIFORNIA: Former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D) will run for Superintendent of Public Instruction, he said Monday. Rendon, who faces term limits, will face Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D) and former state Sen. Josh Newman (D) in the all-party primary. (Sacramento Bee)
By The Numbers
100,947: The number of first-year California students admitted to the University of California system this year, a record high and up 7% from last year. Admission rates for first-year students rose to 77%. (Los Angeles Times)
More than $1 billion: The value of unclaimed property held by Connecticut’s state Treasurer’s office. The Treasurer’s office returned $120.9 million in unclaimed cash and property in Fiscal Year 2025, the first time returns have topped $100 million. (Hartford Courant)
Off The Wall
The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office has opened an inquiry into an incident in which state Board of Education members allegedly saw obscene images on a television in school superintendent Ryan Walters’s (R) office during a meeting last week. Walters, who has advocated putting Bibles in school classrooms, said he had no idea what was on the television and has denied wrongdoing. (Associated Press)
Vermont Rep. Sarita Austin (D) has filed legislation to reintroduce catamounts to state public lands. Catamounts, more commonly known as cougars or mountain lions, haven’t been spotted in Vermont since the last one was killed in 1881. (Burlington Free Press)
Quote of the Day
“We’ve had older politicians make the same mistakes for decades, and I believe voters will be ready for courage and new energy.”
— Ethan Brunton, 15, on his plans to run for governor of Washington in 2028. Brunton would challenge Gov. Bob Ferguson (D), whose teenage sons are older than his new rival. (Tacoma News Tribune)