Good morning, it’s Wednesday, March 18, 2026. In today’s edition, states debate rights of personality AI protections; high gas prices help budget bottom lines; new poll shows tight South Carolina GOP primary:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) has signed legislation updating the state’s rights of personality law to protect residents from AI-generated digital replicas. The law gives residents recourse if someone uses deepfake technology to profit from or commit fraud using their name, image or likeness. Similar bills have been introduced in more than a dozen states. (Pluribus News)
MORE: The Pennsylvania Senate approved legislation requiring AI chatbot operators to implement guardrails against self-harm and sexually explicit material. The bill would require operators to inform users that AI companies are not human, and to block companions from discussing acts of violence or suicide. (Harrisburg Patriot-News)
BUDGETS: Soaring oil prices in the midst of the war on Iran could add millions to budgets in states that rely heavily on resource extraction. Alaska lawmakers may have an additional $1 billion to spend. In New Mexico, fiscal analysts say every $1 increase in the price of a barrel of oil would mean $57 million in increased revenue. North Dakota, Wyoming, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia all stand to benefit from higher prices. (Pluribus News)
GUN POLITICS: The Kentucky House has approved legislation shielding gun makers and sellers from lawsuits over the actions of their customers. The bill also bars local governments from taking action against the gun industry. (Kentucky Lantern)
IMMIGRATION: The Tennessee House has approved a bill to require schools to check student immigration status and report to the state Department of Education. The House also approved a measure making it a state crime for immigrants without legal status to be in Tennessee. (Tennessee Lookout) The Iowa House approved a bill expanding work verification to require immigration status checks to private businesses. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
MORE: The Idaho House Local Government Committee has approved legislation requiring all law enforcement to record and verify the immigration status and nationality of any individual arrested. The bill would require departments to report twice a year on crime statistics of foreign nationals and immigration status of those arrested. (Idaho Capital Sun)
ENVIRONMENT: The Wisconsin legislature has approved bipartisan legislation to spend $133 million combatting contamination from so-called forever chemicals. Gov. Tony Evers (D) said he would sign the law granting the money to communities, airports and industrial properties for cleanup. (Associated Press)
GAMBLING: Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) has filed criminal charges against the online prediction market Kalshi, accusing it of operating an illegal gambling business. It’s the first time a state has pursued criminal charges against the company. The suit alleges the company broke state law by allowing bets on its elections. (State Affairs)
In Politics & Business
ILLINOIS: Former state Sen. Darren Bailey (R) won the Republican nomination to face Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) in November. With 94% of the vote in, Bailey led think tank executive Ted Dabrowski (R) by a 53% to 29% margin. (Chicago Sun-Times) Pritzker beat Bailey by a 55%-42% margin in 2022.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Another new poll finds U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R), Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) and Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) statistically tied at the top of the Republican field for governor. Mace takes 22%, Evette 21% and Wilson 19%, with 29% undecided. U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (R) trails with 8%. (co/efficient)
MORE: Real estate investor Rom Reddy (R) has entered the race for governor, the day filing began. Reddy launched a statewide group called DOGE SC last year. (The State)
NORTH CAROLINA: Senate President Phil Berger’s campaign says some voters in his district may not have had the race for his state Senate seat on their ballots. Berger’s team has filed four election protests, alleging some voters got the wrong ballots. Berger trails Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page (R) by 23 votes. (State Affairs)
HAWAII: State Rep. Elle Cochran has changed party affiliations, leaving the Democratic Party to become a Republican. Cochran joins nine other Republicans in the state House. (Hawaii Public Radio)
PEOPLE: Former Oregon Senate President Gene Derfler (R) has died at 101. Derfler served as a naval aviator during World War II. He served in the legislature from 1989 to 2001. (Oregon Capital Chronicle) Former Nevada Lt. Gov. Sue Wagner (R) has died at 86. Wagner later served 12 years on the state gaming commission. (Nevada Independent)
By The Numbers
$3.8 billion: The amount of money spent on outdoor recreation in Montana last year, accounting for almost 5% of the state’s overall GDP. It’s the third-highest share outdoor recreation contributes to the GDP of any state, behind only Hawaii (6.1%) and Alaska (5.3%). (Daily Montanan)
$208,000: The cost of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) February trade mission to Italy and Germany. The state’s economic development corporation and its associated foundation covered the bill, which included a visit to the Winter Olympics in Milan. (Detroit News)
Off The Wall
Arizona Sen. J.D. Mesnard (R) wants more colleagues. He’s proposed legislation to add an extra 30 seats to the 60-seat state House. Arizona lawmakers represent about 254,000 residents, a number exceeded only by California, where assemblymembers represent an average of 491,000 constituents. (Arizona Capitol Times)
A stretch of the 10 Freeway in Fontana, Calif., was closed for nearly nine hours on Monday as the state Highway Patrol worked to clean up syrup from a truck that overturned. Caltrans workers tried to use an absorbent material to clean up the sticky mess, but they had to summon a water truck to hose down the roadway instead. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“Megalodon roamed the Chesapeake Bay. Maybe he could have been a distant relative of Chessie, the famous monster of the Chesapeake.”
— Maryland Del. Todd Morgan (R), testifying in favor of legislation to name the Otodus megalodon the official state shark. (Baltimore Sun)