Good morning, it’s Tuesday, May 30, 2023. In today’s edition, Texas finishes a busy session; Minn. Gov to sign legal pot law; Sununu to decide on WH bid:
Top Stories
TECHNOLOGY: The Texas legislature unanimously passed a comprehensive data privacy bill in the final hours of session. The bill places restrictions on the sale and processing of personal data and gives consumers the right to access information a company has about them. (Pluribus News) Texas is the fifth state to pass a digital privacy law this year.
HEALTH CARE: Illinois lawmakers approved a bill to create a state-based health benefits exchange. Sponsors hope the state-based platform will offer lower costs than the federal exchange by 2026. (WAND) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has signed legislation requiring hospitals to provide itemized invoices to patients before bills are sent to collections. (KXAN)
EDUCATION: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a bill ordering school libraries to remove books that contain descriptions of sex acts and restricts teaching about gender identity or sexual orientation before seventh grade. The bill also requires schools to notify parents if a student asks to use new pronouns. (Des Moines Register) Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) will sign legislation creating Opportunity Scholarships on Tuesday. It’s the first school choice bill signed in Nebraska. (KOLN)
MORE: The Texas legislature gave final approval to a bill banning diversity, equity and inclusion offices and programs at publicly funded universities. (Texas Tribune) A Pulaski County judge has issued a temporary restraining order on the LEARNS Act, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s (R) signature education initiative. Plaintiffs argue the legislature failed to hold separate votes on the bill and on an emergency clause that would allow it to take immediate effect. (Talk Business & Politics)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: The Texas legislature gave final approval to a measure criminalizing performers who put on sexually explicit shows in front of children and the businesses that host those performances. The bill does not explicitly restrict drag shows, but opponents say it targets drag queens by prohibiting “accessories or prosthetics” that exaggerate sexual characteristics. (Texas Tribune)
GUN POLITICS: The Texas legislature approved a school safety measure that requires an armed security officer at every school and compels school districts to create active-shooter plans. (Texas Tribune) The Louisiana Senate will vote on a bill to offer $500 tax credits for gun owners who purchase safes, locks and other safety devices. The bill won bipartisan approval in the state House. (Baton Rouge Advocate)
TAXES: Texas Gov. Abbott called lawmakers back into special session after they failed to reach agreement on property tax relief. The state Senate favors a plan to raise the homestead exemption to $70,000, and to $100,000 for those over 65. The House passed a bill capping annual increases of home values at 5%, down from 10%. (Pluribus News)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The California Senate has unanimously approved legislation adding human trafficking to the state’s Three Strikes law. The first committee hearings will begin in the state Assembly in the coming weeks. (California Globe)
WORKFORCE: Iowa Gov. Reynolds has signed legislation allowing 16- and 17-year olds to serve alcohol in restaurants and letting teens as young as 14 work up to six hours a day during the school year. (Des Moines Register)
MARIJUANA: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) will sign legislation legalizing recreational marijuana on Tuesday. The law allows residents to grow up to eight cannabis plants in their homes, and it will expunge misdemeanor marijuana convictions from criminal records beginning in August. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
In Politics & Business
TEXAS: The Texas House voted Saturday to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on 20 charges that allege a pattern of misconduct over Paxton’s actions to help a friend and political patron. (Pluribus News) Paxton is suspended from office until the Senate holds a trial, scheduled for August 28. (Texas Tribune)
MISSISSIPPI: A Hinds County Circuit Court judge has ordered Bob Hickingbottom (D) back on the ballot after the state Democratic Party blocked him from running for governor. Hickingbottom will face Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley (D) in the Aug. 8 primary. (Supertalk)
MICHIGAN: The Michigan Senate Elections Committee has approved a bill creating an online tracking system for absentee ballot applications and submissions. (Michigan Advance) Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (D) won’t rule out a run for governor in 2026. In Lansing for an event on public safety, Duggan said he’s focused on the remaining two years of his current term, but he wouldn’t say he’s uninterested in the top job. (Detroit News)
Big-city mayors tend to have a tough time running statewide, in any state.
ARIZONA: A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has ordered ex-state Rep. Mark Finchem (R) and his attorney to pay $48,000 in legal fees over “groundless” challenges to his loss in last year’s race for Secretary of State. (Arizona Republic) A separate Maricopa County judge declined to sanction failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. (Arizona Republic)
NEVADA: Lawmakers will hear legislation this week that would help the Oakland Athletics build a $1.5 billion stadium in Las Vegas. The bill offers no more than $380 million in public financing, paid for by tax credits, county bonds and a 30-year property tax exemption. (Nevada Independent, Las Vegas Review-Journal)
WHITE HOUSE: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) says he will decide on a potential presidential campaign in the next week or two. He said he has lined up the money and support necessary to launch a campaign. (WMUR)
By The Numbers
99: The number of vetoes issued by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D), who added five more to her already-record-breaking total on Friday. (AZ Mirror)
10: The number of bills the Massachusetts legislature has passed this year, the lowest number at this point during the legislative session in 40 years. (Boston Globe)
19: The number of states where undocumented immigrants can obtain driver’s licenses. New legislation introduced in Michigan would make it the 20th state to allow licenses for all. (Detroit News)
We’re old enough to remember Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama arguing about driver’s licenses for the undocumented during a Democratic presidential primary debate way back in 2008.
1 in 10 million: The odds of a bison giving birth to a white calf, according to the National Bison Association. A white calf was born to a bison at Bear River State Park in Wyoming earlier this month. (Sacramento Bee)
Off The Wall
Need some space? The General Services Administration is selling or giving away ten lighthouses to local governments, nonprofits or other groups if they pledge to maintain the properties. Six of the ten lighthouses will be given away for free, including properties in Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. (NPR)
Quote of the Day
“This is definitely what a family is.”
— Massachusetts Sen. Adam Gomez (D), who won applause when he walked into the Senate chamber for the first time following a kidney transplant. (State House News Service)