HAPPENING FRIDAY: We’re hosting The Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter for a deep dive on the 2024 elections. Members can register right here. Not yet a member? Join Pluribus News today!
Good morning, it’s Tuesday, February 20, 2024. In today’s edition, states debate age-appropriate design code; Iowa, Mississippi move toward Medicaid expansion; Louisiana, California debate crime bills:
Top Stories
SOCIAL MEDIA: At least four states are actively considering legislation aimed at protecting children’s online privacy, modeled after bills passed in the United Kingdom. Legislators in Maryland, Hawaii and Vermont heard testimony on age-appropriate design code legislation last week, and Minnesota lawmakers will take it up this week. (Pluribus News)
Lawmakers in several of those states are getting frustrated at the tech industry for what they call stonewalling.
HEALTH CARE: The Iowa Senate approved legislation extending Medicaid coverage to new mothers for a full year after giving birth. The measure would also lower income thresholds required to qualify for postpartum Medicaid coverage, limiting access for about 1,700 new mothers. Iowa is one of three states, along with Arkansas and Idaho, that haven’t extended full-year coverage for new mothers. (Des Moines Register)
MORE: Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann (R) is backing legislation to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act that includes a work requirement. House Speaker Jason White (R) has been working on similar legislation — but Gov. Tate Reeves (R) remains opposed to expansion. (Supertalk)
GUN POLITICS: The Missouri House approved a bill banning celebratory gunfire in cities, less than a week after a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade. The measure would make celebratory shooting within city limits a misdemeanor for the first offense. (Associated Press)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The Missouri House also approved a criminal justice overhaul that would increase the minimum age at which a minor could be charged as an adult, from 12 to 14. The bill also imposes tougher penalties for harming or killing law enforcement animals, and limits the authority of civilian law enforcement oversight boards. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
MORE: Louisiana lawmakers kicked off a special session focused on crime on Monday. Gov. Jeff Landry (R) urged lawmakers to pass new measures expanding methods to carry out executions, restrict parole eligibility and create harsher penalties for carjackings. Landry also wants to give police immunity from liability. (Associated Press)
EVEN MORE: California lawmakers unveiled a plan to tackle retail theft by creating new penalties, requiring online sellers to report the source of their products and mandating crime data collection. The measure creates a new crime of retail theft with intent to sell. It does not lower the Prop 47 threshold of $950 for misdemeanor shoplifting. (Sacramento Bee)
MARIJUANA: The New Hampshire House will consider legislation to allow recreational-use marijuana to be sold at 15 state-licensed retail stores. That’s the maximum number of stores Gov. Chris Sununu (R) has said he would support. (WMUR) Wisconsin’s medical marijuana bill is likely dead for the year, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) said last week. (Wisconsin Examiner)
INFRASTRUCTURE: The Biden administration will distribute $5.8 billion for water infrastructure projects under the bipartisan infrastructure law signed in 2021. Most of the new money will go to upgrade waste treatment plants and lead pipe replacement, and $1 billion will be directed to a Great Lakes drinking water project. (Associated Press)
In Politics & Business
WISCONSIN: Gov. Tony Evers (D) signed new state legislative maps into law after Republicans approved a version that Evers himself had submitted before the last round of redistricting. Most Democrats in the legislature voted against the plan, wagering that a map drawn by the state Supreme Court would give them better odds of winning majorities. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Under the new map lines, Republicans would be favored in 46 Assembly seats, Democrats in 45, and eight are prime tossups. In the Senate, Republicans would have an edge in 15 seats, Democrats in 14, and four are competitive.
CONNECTICUT: Senate Republican leader Kevin Kelly abruptly resigned his post Friday after he lost confidence among his members. He will be replaced by Sen. Stephen Harding (R), a first-term lawmaker. (Hartford Courant)
MICHIGAN: State GOP chairman Pete Hoekstra is headed to court to try to gain access to the party’s bank accounts, after the Republican National Committee formally granted him control of the party. Hoekstra says he still doesn’t have control of party finances. (Michigan Advance)
FLORIDA: U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) says he has no plans to run for governor, after state lawmakers rolled out a proposal to create runoff elections for party primaries. Party insiders worry that Gaetz could win a small plurality in a crowded field that will vie to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). (Florida Politics)
By The Numbers
30,000: The number of new electric vehicle chargers Illinois needs to reach its goal of a million EVs on the road by 2030. The state has just 993 fast charging ports right now, a figure that’s expected to double over the next year. (Capitol News Illinois)
190,000: The number of Michiganders who dropped their cable subscriptions in 2023, a 13% decrease. Since 2015, more than a million Michigan residents have cut the cord. (Bridge MI)
Off The Wall
Police in Guilford, Conn., have charged Chuckles the Groundhog with defrauding the public, two weeks after he predicted an early spring — and days after a subsequent snowstorm hit the town. Police issued photos of Chuckles in the back of a squad car. (Hartford Courant)
That seems harsh, doesn’t it?
Hawaii’s House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee has advanced legislation to establish Kimchi Day, in honor of the Korean side dish. It’s the second time they’ve advanced such a bill — the legislature dubbed November 22 as Kimchi Day last year. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
We’re whole-heartedly in favor of celebrating delicious side dishes.
Nevada’s first cannabis consumption lounge is set to open after inspectors certified the facility met state regulations. Eighteen other lounges have been approved for conditional licenses, pending final inspections. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Quote of the Day
“This is a good bill. It was a good bill last year.”
— Arizona Rep. Travis Grantham (R), who introduced legislation allowing sales of homemade tamales. Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed the bill last year, but supporters included new labeling requirements meant to win her signature this time around. (Arizona Republic)