Good morning, it’s Thursday, June 19, 2025. In today’s edition, gig workers get portable benefit plans; SCOTUS rules for gender-affirming care ban; Maine speeds transition to clean energy:
Top Stories
GIG ECONOMY: Lawmakers in Wisconsin approved legislation allowing ride-hailing and food delivery platforms to contribute to flex benefit accounts to cover time off, health insurance or retirement savings for gig drivers. They join Alabama and Tennessee, where governors signed portable benefit bills in April, and Utah, where a first-in-the-nation bill was signed in 2023. (Pluribus News)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a Tennessee law barring gender-affirming care for transgender minors. In a 6-3 decision along partisan lines, Chief Justice John Roberts rejected arguments that the law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. (Law Dork, Associated Press)
MORE: The North Carolina House has approved a bill barring the state from denying adoption placements if parents oppose gender-transition care. The bill won Senate passage earlier this session. (Raleigh News & Observer)
ENERGY: Maine lawmakers have approved legislation requiring the state to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. The bill will require the state to expand renewable energy to 90% of its usage by then, with the remaining 10% to come from clean energy sources like hydropower. (Maine Public Radio)
HEALTH CARE: The Rhode Island House has given approval to legislation barring the pharmaceutical industry from lowering reimbursement rates, limiting access or charging fees to health care groups that participate in 340B programs. Drug makers lobbied against the bill, arguing it would give more power to pharmacies. (Providence Journal)
IMMIGRATION: The Ohio Senate has approved legislation barring localities from blocking immigration enforcement. The bill would allow federal immigration officers to arrest those suspected of being in the country illegally with or without a warrant. (Columbus Dispatch)
EDUCATION: The Missouri legislature has approved a bill allowing high school graduates to attend career certification programs without tuition. Students must achieve a 2.5 GPA, a 95% attendance record and earn 50 hours of unpaid tutoring to qualify. (KCTV)
In Politics & Business
MARYLAND: Del. Chris Bouchat (R) will run for governor in 2026. Bochat will face 2024 Senate candidate John Myrick (R) in the GOP primary for the right to face off with Gov. Wes Moore (D). (Baltimore Sun)
ALABAMA: Shelby County Republican Party chair Joan Reynolds is seeking support for a resolution to allow Alabama GOP chairman John Wahl to run for lieutenant governor while maintaining his current job. Wahl hinted at his campaign to members of the state executive committee in a letter this week. (Yellowhammer News)
MISSISSIPPI: The state has entered a partnership with chip maker NVIDIA to spread artificial intelligence learning and workforce application programs in K-12 schools and community colleges. The program will allow students to gain certifications in AI learning, data science and machine learning. (Jackson Clarion Ledger)
VIRGINIA: Turnout figures from Tuesday’s primary election show 7.68% of voters cast a ballot, the highest Democratic turnout in a year that did not feature a contested gubernatorial primary since 1994, excluding presidential primaries. (VPAP)
Headline of the day: “Person to run for state House seat.” Pulaski County, Ark., Quorum Court member Steven Person, that is. (Arkansas Times)
By The Numbers
$1.8 million: The amount Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) has granted to cover public safety costs in Green Bay associated with the NFL draft in April. The draft attracted 600,000 visitors to Green Bay and generated an estimated $94 million in economic activity. (Wisconsin Examiner)
4: The number of people convicted of possession of psilocybin mushrooms Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) pardoned Wednesday, an announcement he made at the Psychedelic Science conference in Denver. Colorado voters approved a ballot measure in 2022 decriminalizing psilocybin. (Denver Post)
4%: The percent of Quebecers who intend to visit the United States this year, according to a survey from the Canadian Automobile Association. That’s down from 12% who planned a cross-border trip in 2024. (VT Digger)
Off The Wall
The Pennsylvania House came to a grinding halt Monday and Tuesday after its electronic voting system malfunctioned. The electronic voting system glitched Monday and required a replacement part, then malfunctioned again Tuesday due to an unrelated issue. (Harrisburg Patriot-News)
Michigan wildlife biologists have rescued a young black bear that spent the last two years with a plastic lid around its neck. The bear had gotten trapped in a barrel commonly used by hunters and landowners to store grain or feed. (Bridge MI)
Quote of the Day
“Times change. I think it’s important we adapt along with it.”
— New Hampshire Sen. Daryl Abbas (R), on legislation reducing penalties on first-time possession of psilocybin and increasing penalties on fentanyl dealers. (WMUR)