Good morning, it’s Friday, March 22, 2024. In today’s edition, Tennessee Gov signs AI protection bill; DOJ, states sue Apple over iPhone competition; New York’s anti-adultery law headed for the dustbin:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) has signed a first-in-the-nation law to protect musicians and songwriters from having their voices replicated by AI. The law creates a civil liability for anyone who uses software to recreate a person’s image, voice or likeness without permission. (Pluribus News)
ENVIRONMENT: Environmental groups in New York are pushing legislators to repeal $265 million in tax breaks for fossil fuel producers. The Senate approved the measure last week. New York would be the first state in the country to cut tax breaks for oil and gas used to operate fracked gas infrastructure and subsidies for airline and shipping bunker fuel. (Pluribus News)
ANTITRUST: The Department of Justice and 16 state attorneys general filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, accusing the phone giant of preventing other companies from offering apps to compete with Apple products on its iPhone. The lawsuit opens the door to breaking up the company. (New York Times)
Read the DOJ’s press release here.
LGBTQ RIGHTS: The New Hampshire House approved legislation restricting transgender athletes from participating in school sports that conform to their gender identities. (WMUR) The Tennessee Senate approved legislation to require schools to tell parents if their children identifies as transgender. (Tennessee Lookout)
HEALTH CARE: The New Hampshire House has approved aid-in-dying legislation that would allow terminally ill patients with less than six months to live to get access to drugs that would end their lives. The bill passed in a narrow but bipartisan vote. (WMUR)
MORE: The Georgia legislature gave final approval to legislation loosening certificate of need laws that require hospitals to jump through hoops to open new facilities. The bill will allow Morehouse School of Medicine to open a hospital in central Atlanta, and it would allow hospitals to open in rural counties without a permit. (Associated Press, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
HOUSING: Delaware lawmakers introduced a package of seven affordable housing bills Thursday, including measures to reduce the realty transfer tax on affordable developments and establishing protections for manufactured homeowners. One bill will create a workforce housing program that would give developers grants of up to 20% of their project costs. (Delaware News Journal) Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano (D) said his chamber would consider a new transfer tax on high-end properties. (Boston Globe)
IMMIGRATION: The Georgia Senate approved legislation requiring local governments to check immigration status of inmates. The bill would cut off state and federal aid to cities that violate a 2009 law against sanctuary policies. (Associated Press)
In Politics & Business
TEXAS: State Rep. Tom Oliverson (R) will challenge Speaker Dade Phelan (R) for the gavel, he said Thursday. Oliverson criticized Phelan for maintaining a tradition of appointing minority Democrats to some committee chairmanships. (Texas Tribune)
OREGON: House Democrats selected Rep. Ben Bowman (D) to serve as majority leader. Bowman replaces Rep. Julie Fahey (D), who ascended to the speakership when Speaker Dan Rayfield (D) stepped aside to run for Attorney General. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
CALIFORNIA: State Farm, California’s largest insurer, will discontinue coverage for 72,000 homes and apartments this summer, citing increasing risks of catastrophic wildfires and outdated regulations. That’s about 2% of the policies the company holds in the state. (Associated Press)
By The Numbers
$61: The average amount an American household spends on streaming video entertainment services every month, up 27% from last year, according to a survey by Deloitte. Forty percent of households say they have canceled a subscription streaming service in the last six months. (Variety)
$162.8 million: The amount South Dakota expects to make from video lottery gamblers this fiscal year, down slightly from the $163.2 million the state brought in last year. (KELOLAND)
100,000+: The number of Girl Scout cookie boxes sold by Bristol Sjostrom, a 12-year old scout in Chicago. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Off The Wall
The New York Senate is expected to take up legislation repealing a century-old law against adultery. The law has only led to about a dozen charges and five convictions since it was passed in 1907. (Associated Press)
March Madness, state legislature style: Duane Morris Government Strategies is running a State Capitol Building Bracket, in which readers can vote on the best capitol buildings. Cast your vote right here.
We love all capitol buildings equally.
Quote of the Day
“Just like there are meetings that could be emails, sometimes there are bills that could be phone calls.”
— Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R), vetoing seven bills he said were unnecessary. (Salt Lake Tribune)