Good morning, it’s Tuesday, June 17, 2025. In today’s edition, lawmakers boost security after Minnesota attacks; states reach settlement with Sacklers over opioid crisis; Virginia voters head to the polls:
Top Stories
SECURITY: State legislatures are increasing security in the wake of this weekend’s attacks on two Minnesota legislators. Wisconsin legislators are seeking added security during session this week, while legislators in Minnesota, New Mexico and North Dakota are scrubbing personal addresses from websites. New Hampshire officials bolstered security at the state house in Concord. (Associated Press, WMUR)
TAXES: Lawmakers in Massachusetts and Illinois are advancing bills to tax overseas corporate profits known as global intangible low-taxed income, or GILTI. The Massachusetts bill would include 50% of GILTI earnings in corporate income tax calculations; the Illinois budget includes the same amount, the first time Illinois has taxed that income. Both states are worried about tightening budgets. (Pluribus News)
PUBLIC HEALTH: Attorneys general from 49 states, the District of Columbia and five territories have agreed to settle with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family over its role in the opioid crisis for $7.4 billion. The settlement will end the Sackler family’s control of the company and prohibits them from selling opioids in the United States. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Oklahoma is the only state not participating in the settlement.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: New legislation advancing in the New Jersey Assembly would ban companies from using AI systems to act as licensed mental health professionals. The bill would levy fines of up to $10,000 for the first offense and $20,000 for subsequent offenses. (New Jersey Monitor)
PUBLIC SAFETY: California Sen. Scott Wiener (D) has introduced new legislation to ban law enforcement from concealing their faces while on duty. The bill targets ICE agents who have conducted raids while masked; it would exempt members of SWAT teams or masks used for medical or health reasons, including to prevent smoke inhalation. (Los Angeles Times)
EDUCATION: Maine budget writers are recommending ending a free community college program after this year’s class of graduating high school seniors. The budget would instead grant $20 million to community colleges to continue paying education costs for existing participants. (Maine Public Radio)
GAMBLING: Louisiana lawmakers have approved legislation to make it the first state to raise taxes on sports gambling specifically to pay for college sports. The bill, now before Gov. Jeff Landry (R), would hike taxes 21.5% and dedicate a quarter of that revenue to the state’s 11 public universities with Division 1 football programs for the benefit of student athletes. (Associated Press)
In Politics & Business
VIRGINIA: Voters head to the polls today to choose nominees for this November’s general election. Both parties have uncontested gubernatorial races; the major contests to be decided are Democratic nominations for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Six Democrats are running for lieutenant governor, and two are competing for the attorney general nomination. (Associated Press)
MICHIGAN: Former House Speaker Tom Leonard (R) will run for governor in 2026, he said Monday. He faces Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R), former Attorney General Mike Cox (R) and U.S. Rep. John James (R) in the GOP field. (Michigan Advance)
NORTH DAKOTA: State Republicans elected Matthew Simon as their new party chair over the weekend. Simon served as vice chair of a state legislative district party committee before winning the top job. (North Dakota Monitor)
OHIO: The state House and Senate approved new budgets that eliminate the state Elections Commission. The Senate has proposed a five-member commission within the Secretary of State’s office to oversee campaign spending. Negotiators have lots of details to hammer out before they reach a final deal. (Ohio Capital Journal)
By The Numbers
105: The number of days Florida lawmakers spent in session this year, in what was supposed to be a 60-day session. Legislators approved a $115.1 billion budget on Monday. (Associated Press)
$3 billion: The amount Texas has spent on building a border wall with Mexico over the last four years. The state has built a fence along just 8% of the 805 miles initially identified for construction. State leaders have quietly defunded the project. (Texas Tribune)
Off The Wall
A group of young kayakers, mostly Indigenous youth, have set off on a kayak trip that will take them from the headwaters of the Klamath River in Oregon to its mouth on the California coast, a 300-mile journey that will take them a month. It’s the first time in 100 years the journey has been possible, after officials removed four major dams along the river. (New York Times)
Nearly 60% of commercial honey bee colonies have been lost between June 2024 and March 2025, according to a survey by a bee-friendly nonprofit. That amounts to about 1.7 million colonies lost over less than a year. (Washington State Standard)
Quote of the Day
“In moments like this, we are reminded that public service should never come at the cost of personal safety.”
— Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz (R), who said lawmakers have noticed a sharp increase in the number of verbal threats in recent years. (Deseret News)