Good morning, it’s Friday, May 23, 2025. In today’s edition, Massachusetts moves to limit drug costs; Texas approves first AI bills; Spanberger leads Virginia governor’s race in two new polls:
Top Stories
HEALTH CARE: The Massachusetts Senate has approved a budget provision giving the state Health Policy Commission authority to limit the amount pharmacies, insurance providers and health plans can pay for certain drugs. The measure is meant to keep costs down on drugs whose prices “substantially exceed” their value. (Pluribus News)
MORE: Two Nevada legislative committees have advanced legislation prohibiting private insurance companies from charging more than $35 for a 30-day supply of prescription insulin. Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia have capped out-of-pocket insulin costs. (Nevada Current)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The Texas legislature has given final approval to a bill requiring AI tools and websites that can create explicit images to verify user ages. Another bill approved Thursday bans the possession of AI-generated child abuse material. (KXAN)
Texas lawmakers introduced at least 68 bills related to AI this session.
TRANS RIGHTS: The Texas House has approved legislation requiring health agencies to create a new field in medical records to record a patient’s sex at birth. The bill allows the state attorney general to file for injunctions against violations, creating penalties of up to $250,000 for providers who knowingly violate the provision. (Texas Tribune)
ENERGY: The New Hampshire Senate has approved a bill allowing utilities to issue requests for proposals for multiyear energy agreements. The bill allows those proposals to include advanced nuclear technologies, meant to spur the construction of small modular and next-generation reactors. (WMUR)
WILDFIRES: Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) has signed legislation creating a certification program to train fire managers to conduct prescribed burns. The bill limits liability for a certified prescribed fire manager in case a fire burns out of control to negligence or worse. (Daily Montanan)
PUBLIC LANDS: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed legislation banning the construction of golf courses, resort-style lodges and sports facilities in state parks. The bill, approved unanimously, comes a year after the DeSantis administration drew bipartisan criticism for a plan to build those facilities at nine state parks. (Orlando Sentinel)
JOURNALISM: Google will pay $10 million into an initiative to fund local news in California, $5 million less than it promised a year ago. The move comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said the state would cut its share of the commitment from $30 million to $10 million to address the state’s $12 billion budget deficit. (CalMatters)
In Politics & Business
VIRGINIA: An Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College poll finds ex-U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) leading Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) by a 43% to 26% margin. A separate poll conducted by Virginia FREE, a pro-business group, found Spanberger leading by a much narrower 53%-47% margin. (Daily Press)
MAINE: State Sen. Jim Libby (R) will run for governor in 2026. Libby has served in the Senate for four terms. (WMTW) Libby joins four other Republicans in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Janet Mills (D).
ALASKA: Senate President Gary Stevens (R) will retire at the end of his term, after serving 22 years in the chamber. Stevens said he would back state Rep. Louise Stutes (R) as his successor. (Alaska Beacon)
DELAWARE: The state Senate has voted to establish an Office of the Inspector General, the first time the chamber has approved the bill in 18 tries. The independent office would be tasked with investigating waste, fraud, abuse and corruption in government. (Delaware Public Media)
MASSACHUSETTS: The state Senate has voted to give local governments the power to determine the number of liquor licenses distributed in their cities or towns. The legislature has held control of local liquor licenses since it adopted alcohol reforms in the post-Prohibition era. (Boston Globe)
By The Numbers
More than 177,000: The number of users who follow the Utah Department of Transportation’s Instagram page. The managers behind the page, known for its funny videos, just won an award for the best social media team of the year from the Government Social Media Network. (Utah News Dispatch)
27: The number of North Carolina House Democrats, out of 49, who voted with Republicans to endorse the House budget. Gov. Josh Stein (D) praised the budget earlier in the week. (Raleigh News & Observer)
Off The Wall
The Pacific Coast Highway has reopened between Los Angeles and Malibu for the first time since January’s Palisades Fire caused mudslides that damaged the route. The iconic stretch of road opened ahead of schedule. (KTLA)
Graduating seniors at the University of Maryland heard from a unique commencement speaker on Thursday: Kermit the Frog. Kermit’s creator, Jim Henson, graduated from Maryland in 1960. (Associated Press)
Is your bill stuck at the whims of leadership? Here’s a solution: Lawmakers in New Zealand select which pieces of legislation to debate during down times in Parliament’s agenda by picking bills out of a ceremonial biscuit tin. The tin has been a part of New Zealand’s parliamentary tradition since a staffer bought it from a department store in the early 1990s. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“This was an honest mistake, and we will fix it.”
— North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R), after accidentally vetoing a section of a state Industrial Commission budget that allocated $35 million for housing. Armstrong had intended to strike just $150,000 to pay for a liaison to address homelessness in tribal communities. (Fargo Forum)