Good morning, it’s Thursday, March 19, 2026. In today’s edition, lawmakers take on privacy in the age of wearable devices; Pennsylvania, Vermont move AI bills; Republicans lead California gubernatorial field:
Top Stories
TECHNOLOGY: Lawmakers in California and Louisiana have introduced first-of-their-kind bills to regulate smart glasses and other wearable devices that record video and audio. The California bill would update eavesdropping laws to include wearable technology, prohibiting recording someone without their consent. The Louisiana bill would require notification, but not consent, when someone uses a device to record a conversation. (Pluribus News)
The revolution will be live-streamed.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The Vermont House has approved legislation establishing “neurological rights” for people, in an effort to protect against someone’s data being used without their consent by mental health chat bots. (VT Digger)
SOCIAL MEDIA: New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) has rolled out a package of bills establishing privacy and safety standards for children online. One bill would require social media platforms to place warnings about content that could harm mental health. Sherrill included a $500,000 investment in a Social Media Research Center at a yet-to-be-chosen state university. (NJ Advance Media)
ABORTION: The Ohio House is likely to take up legislation next week to create a 24-hour waiting period for abortions. A similar plan approved by the legislature is on hold in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. The current bill does not require an in-person appointment with a doctor. (State Affairs)
CONSUMER PROTECTION: The Minnesota legislature is considering a measure to cap resale prices on concert tickets and sporting event tickets. The bill would require resellers like StubHub and Seat Geek to post the original ticket price and cap resales at 15% above that amount. (Fox 9)
IMMIGRATION: Legislation allowing Kansas law enforcement to hold someone in jail on an ICE detainer or warrant is advancing in the state Senate. The measure requires insurance coverage from municipal insurance pools to cover liability, and liability for agencies that have signed 287(g) agreements with ICE. (Kansas Reflector)
In Politics & Business
CALIFORNIA: A new UC Berkeley Institute of Government Studies poll finds former Fox News host Steve Hilton (R) leading the pack in the all-party primary at 17%, followed by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R) at 16%. U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D) and former Rep. Katie Porter (D) tie at 14%, with billionaire Tom Steyer (D) at 10%. (San Jose Mercury News)
PENNSYLVANIA: Republicans held two state House seats in special elections in Adams and Cumberland counties and in Altoona on Tuesday. Both seats are heavily Republican. The wins ensure Democrats maintain a slim 102-100 advantage in the state House. (Harrisburg Patriot-News)
IOWA: Former Gov. Terry Branstad (R) has endorsed U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) for governor. Feenstra faces four other Republicans in the June 2 GOP primary for the right to take on Auditor Rob Sand (D) in November’s general election. (Des Moines Register)
MASSACHUSETTS: Newly-minted Sen. Vanna Howard (D) has been sworn into office representing Lowell. Howard is the first Cambodian-American state senator in the United States. She recalled surviving the Khmer Rouge genocide before coming to America at age 11. (State Affairs)
By The Numbers
8: The number of states where the average gas price now tops $4 per gallon, according to AAA. The U.S. national average is $3.884 per gallon. Customers in Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona and Illinois are shelling out the most for gas. (AAA)
$1,300: The average cost of attending a bachelorette trip, up from $600 in 2019, according to the wedding planning website Joy. (Washington Post)
9 million: The number of visits Minnesotans made to food shelves last year, according to a Twin Cities-based nonprofit. That’s 2.5 times more visits than in 2019, making 2025 the fourth consecutive year of record demand for food assistance. (MPR News)
$186,964,942: The amount in wagers Connecticut sports books processed in February. The vast majority of that amount, $181 million, came in online wagers. (RG.org)
Off The Wall
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R) has received the Sunshine Advocate Award from the group Michigan Sunshine Transparency and Accountability for Taxpayer Expenditures. The only problem is, there’s no evidence the group or the award exists. Hall said he wished the media had better things to cover. (State Affairs)
Three staff members at a San Jose hot pot restaurant had to restrain a humanoid robot that smashed plates and knocked over tableware. No one was hurt, so it’s okay to laugh at the video. (Futurism)
Quote of the Day
“This is astroturf lobbying on steroids, and it was inevitable.”
— University of Missouri political scientist Peverill Squire, on the rise of AI-fueled constituent comments. Lawmakers are bracing for more AI-derived content as interest groups turn to new technology. (Pluribus News)