Good morning, it’s Thursday, January 9, 2025. In today’s edition, lawmakers want transparency in private equity purchases; Ohio Gov signs parent’s bill of rights; Kansas Secretary of State to run for governor:
Top Stories
On this national day of mourning for the late former President Jimmy Carter, check out this great story from The Downballot on Carter’s early years as a state legislator and governor.
HEALTH CARE: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) has signed legislation tightening oversight of private equity takeovers in the health care industry. The new law will be the first in the nation to bar certain “sale leaseback” agreements, in which hospitals sell their real estate and lease it back from investment trusts.
The law comes after the collapse of Steward Health Care, a for-profit hospital operator that went bankrupt in May. Two of the eight hospitals Steward owns have already shuttered, in what’s become a huge mess for state officials and the communities those hospitals serve.
Health care is just one area in which private equity is deploying capital — but it’s the area where states have been most vigilant. Lawmakers in Indiana, Illinois, New York and New Mexico have approved bills to boost transparency in health care acquisitions. Expect more states to follow along this year. Read more at Pluribus News.
DISASTER RELIEF: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has canceled a planned trip to Washington to deal with wildfires in Los Angeles that have claimed five lives and destroyed more than 2,000 structures. President Biden canceled a planned trip to Italy this weekend. At least 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders. (Sacramento Bee, Los Angeles Times)
California Assemblyman Bill Essayli (R) wants Newsom to call a special session to overhaul the state’s wildfire response. (Sacramento Bee)
EDUCATION: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has signed legislation that would require schools to inform parents of private health care discussions with their children, a bill critics say would amount to forced outing of LGBTQ students. The bill would also require districts to allow students to leave school during the day for religious instruction. (Associated Press)
MORE: The North Dakota House will consider legislation requiring every classroom in state public schools to display the Ten Commandments. A similar bill that did not require displaying the Ten Commandments passed the legislature in 2021. (Fargo Forum)
ABORTION: Indiana Sen. Mike Young (R) has introduced legislation to ban abortion-inducing medication. The bill would make it a misdemeanor to prescribe or possess those drugs. Another provision would require women seeking an abortion under the state’s rape or incest exceptions to sign an affidavit. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
GUN POLITICS: Colorado lawmakers have introduced legislation to ban the purchase, sale or manufacture of semiautomatic weapons that accept detachable ammunition magazines. The bill would also outlaw rapid-fire trigger activators and bump stocks. The bill has enough cosponsors to pass the Senate, where gun safety legislation stalled last year. (Colorado Sun)
In Politics & Business
KANSAS: Secretary of State Scott Schwab (R) is the first major candidate to announce his campaign for governor in 2026. Attorney General Kris Kobach (R) and former U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner (R) are both said to be considering runs. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) is term-limited. (Kansas City Star)
PENNSYLVANIA: House Democrats and Republicans have reached a power-sharing agreement that will keep the gavel in Speaker Joanna McClinton’s (D) hands without a prolonged fight. Democrats won a 102-101 majority, but the chamber was tied 101-101 after Rep. Matt Gergely (D) suffered a health emergency last week. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
NORTH CAROLINA: Saturday’s swearing-in ceremonies for Gov. Josh Stein (D) and other statewide elected officials have been canceled ahead of approaching winter weather. The forecast calls for up to 3 inches of snow in Raleigh. (Associated Press)
WEST VIRGINIA: The state House of Delegates has refused to seat Del.-elect Joseph de Soto (D), who is confined to his home on charges of making terroristic threats against fellow delegates. The GOP majority voted to declare de Soto’s seat vacant. Gov.-elect Patrick Morrisey (R) will choose a replacement. (Associated Press)
LABOR: The Service Employees International Union will rejoin the AFL-CIO after 20 years after both unions’ executive boards voted unanimously to approve a merger. Leaders of the two unions say the merger will allow the new entity to organize more effectively. (Associated Press)
LEADERSHIP: The Missouri House has elected Rep. Jonathan Patterson (R) as its speaker, the first Asian American person to hold the position. Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin (R) will become the first woman to lead the state Senate after winning a vote of her colleagues. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
By The Numbers
271,542: The number of “blackout” license plates Minnesota residents ordered in 2024, well beyond the Department of Public Safety’s projections of 160,000 units sold. The new plates are the most popular of the 123 specialty license plates Minnesota offers. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
Let’s be honest, the blackout plates look objectively cool.
18: The number of the highest-paid Massachusetts public employees, out of 19, who work for the University of Massachusetts System. The only one of the highest-paid employees who does not work for UMass is a detective’s captain with the state police. (Boston Globe)
Off The Wall
Girls Scouts fans, stock up on your S’mores and Toast-Yay! cookies while you can. The national organization said in a press release this week it would discontinue those cookies this year. Cookie fans still have a dozen flavors to choose from. (Deseret News)
Just don’t touch our Samoas.
The New York Public Library has its copy of Igor Stravinsky’s 1936 autobiography back in its hands, 72 years after it was last checked out. The woman who checked it out in 1952, a music student at Hunter College, never got around to returning it, according to her son. (UPI)
CORRECTION: Yesterday, we brought you the story of an interloping moose at a cross-country ski competition in Anchorage. An astute reader reminds us that the moose was with her calf, not cub. We regret the error, but we still get things moose-tly right.
Quote of the Day
“When you get elected and go up to Hartford, you’re going to think that you’re the most important person in the world. And then you go home to your spouse, who reminds you that you’re not.”
— Connecticut House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R), reminding fellow lawmakers to stay humble. (Hartford Courant)