Good morning from Louisville, where the National Conference of State Legislatures kicks off its annual Legislative Summit today. It’s Monday, August 5, 2024. In today’s edition, states compete for quantum supremacy; California plans streamlined energy package; Washington rolls out new EV subsidies:
Top Stories
QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY: Colorado and Illinois are among the first states to invest public money in quantum technology to make more powerful computers. A federally-designated tech hub in the Mountain West won a $40 million grant to expand quantum research, which could use subatomic particle technologies to improve communications, health care and other sectors.
States see thousands of jobs in the making: Elevate Quantum, the tech hub, estimates state and federal spending will create 10,000 new jobs in the industry by 2030 and drive $2 billion in private investment. A Midwestern quantum hub in Chicago projects creating 30,000 new jobs and $60 billion in economic impact over the next decade.
At least 14 other states have created budget earmarks, received federal grants or set up public-private partnerships to bolster quantum research. Read more at Pluribus News.
ENERGY: California lawmakers are rolling out an end-of-session package to streamline solar and offshore wind energy projects. Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire (D) has drafted five energy measures that also target battery storage and green energy projects in a bid to boost California’s clean energy sources. (CalMatters)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) has signed legislation that will make it harder for those accused of violent crimes to be immediately released. Those arrested on violent charges would be held in jail until their arraignment, which must take place within 24 hours. (New Hampshire Bulletin)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Washington State officials are launching a new program offering rebates of up to $9,000 toward the cost of leasing or purchasing electric vehicles. The state will allow participating dealerships to apply rebates at the point of sale, eliminating the need for customers to fill out their own paperwork. (Washington State Standard)
ECONOMY: Massachusetts legislative leaders are set to call lawmakers back into special session to pass an economic development package that would allow the state to borrow billions of dollars. Talks on the legislation broke down in the final days of session that ended in acrimony last week. (Boston Globe)
Lawmakers met for almost 23 hours on their final day of session, though several major bills failed at the last minute.
MEDICAL DEBT: Connecticut has signed a contract with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to use $6.5 million in federal pandemic recovery funds to cancel up to $650 million in debt held by state residents. Residents must make less than 400% of the federal poverty limit to qualify, among other criteria. (CT Insider)
In Politics & Business
NORTH CAROLINA: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) is running a new advertisement describing his wife’s abortion decades ago. Robinson previously supported a ban on abortion after six weeks, a position his Democratic rival, Attorney General Josh Stein (D), has used against him. (Associated Press)
ALABAMA: Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth (R) says he will either run for governor in 2026 or retire from public life. State law allows candidates to begin raising money a year before the primary election, scheduled for May 26, 2026, so Ainsworth said his decision will come by May 2025. (AL.com)
ARIZONA: Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) will announce this week that one of the 18 defendants in the state’s fake electors case will become a witness for the prosecution. The 11 fake electors are charged with nine felonies related to subverting the 2020 election. (AZ Mirror)
HAWAII: Gov. Josh Green (D) on Friday announced a $4 billion global settlement over last year’s devastating wildfires on Maui. The seven defendants, including the state, Maui County and several utilities, will pay to compensate the roughly 2,200 parties who filed suit after the fires. (Hawaii News Now)
By The Numbers
$28 million: The amount Michigan House Democrats and Republicans have raised, combined, for their campaigns to win control of the chamber this year. The wealthy DeVos family is the largest donor to Republicans, while labor unions have given the most to Democrats. (Bridge MI)
$93.5 million: The general fund surplus Maine enjoyed at the end of Fiscal Year 2024, the state’s Department of Administrative and Financial Services said Friday. (Maine Morning Star)
103.2 degrees: The average temperature in July in Needles, Calif., a small town along Route 66, the highest average temperature in America. Needles embraces the heat: Guests attending city council meetings are offered Red Hot candies. (Los Angeles Times)
Off The Wall
The Florida Commission on Ethics ruled Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) did not violate state ethics law when he accepted a $28,000 golf simulator that he did not disclose as a gift. The commission ruled the simulator counted as a gift to the state, not to DeSantis himself, because it will remain in the governor’s mansion after DeSantis leaves office. (Orlando Sentinel)
Officials in Des Moines, Iowa, are reconsidering a proposal to limit the size of chicken flocks residents can keep in their backyards after dozens of residents paraded around city hall with some of their flocks. The city council had given initial approval to legislation cutting the number of birds allowed from 30 to 12, ruffling feathers among chicken fans. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“When I ran for office and got elected, my wife told everybody she fired me because I stopped showing up for work.”
— Pennsylvania Sen. Timothy Kearney (D), who co-owns an architectural firm with his wife. Pennsylvania is one of 25 states that allow lawmakers to hold jobs outside of the legislature, though they are paid an annual salary of $102,000 for their legislative work. (Philadelphia Inquirer)