Good morning, it’s Tuesday, August 13, 2024. In today’s edition, Texas GOP renews voucher push; abortion measure formally qualifies in Arizona; California approves anti-retail theft bills:
Top Stories
EDUCATION: The Texas House Public Education Committee kicked off hearings over proposed education savings account legislation that will once again be a top priority for Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in next year’s legislative session. The hearings took place on the first day of classes for many Texas schools. (Dallas Morning News)
Abbott has made vouchers a cornerstone of his legislative to-do list for two sessions in a row. He has willing partners in the Senate and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), but he’s been stymied by a coalition of rural Republicans and urban Democrats in the state House. A last-minute deal ahead of last year’s special session fell apart amid a war of words between Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan (R).
But Abbott’s odds of success got better earlier this year when he spent millions on primary campaigns aimed at ousting some of those Republicans who stood in his way. If at first you don’t succeed, try outspending your rivals in the next election. Read our story on the brutal GOP infighting right here.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: California lawmakers approved a package of ten bills to combat stealing and reselling merchandise from retail outlets. Among the bills: One requires online marketplaces to prohibit the sale of stolen items; another would allow stiffer penalties for those accused of repeated retail theft. (Sacramento Bee)
ABORTION: Michigan lawmakers have introduced legislation requiring insurers to provide coverage for hormonal and emergency contraception medication with or without a prescription. Six other states have already enacted similar legislation guaranteeing access to over-the-counter birth control. (MLive)
SPEECH: The U.S. Supreme Court will review a challenge to a new Texas law requiring age verification on pornographic websites. The law has been in effect since November, when the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed a lower court’s injunction. Nineteen other states have approved age verification bills. (Daily Montanan)
GUN POLITICS: The Wyoming Building Commission met Monday to discuss proposed draft rules that would allow for concealed carry of firearms in the state Capitol building. The draft rules would exclude the main rotunda and legislative chambers. Gov. Mark Gordon (R) vetoed similar legislation last year. (Cowboy State Daily)
ELECTION DAY: Voters head to the polls in Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin today. Vermont is the only state on that list where statewide offices are up for election, but none of those races are particularly competitive. Two potentially strong Democrats — including former Gov. Howard Dean (D) — opted against challenging Gov. Phil Scott (R), who remains a favorite for another term.
In Politics & Business
WISCONSIN: Voters will decide today on two Republican-backed constitutional amendments that would give the legislature the power to approve a governor’s decision to spend federal money for disaster relief. (Associated Press)
ARIZONA: State officials on Monday certified a proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to an abortion had collected enough signatures to appear on November’s ballot. Proponents collected about 578,000 valid signatures, nearly 200,000 more than necessary to win a spot on the ballot. (AZ Mirror)
NEW JERSEY: U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D) is “strongly considering” a bid for governor in 2025, he said Monday. Fellow Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) is also on the cusp of launching a campaign. They would join Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D), Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop (D), former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller (D) and former Senate President Steve Sweeney (D) in the Democratic field. (Axios)
COLORADO: Former Mesa County, Colo., Clerk Tina Peters (R) has been found guilty on most charges related to a breach in county computer systems after she allegedly gave access to a computer analyst affiliated with MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell. Peters is the first local election official prosecuted over her role in 2020 election denialism. (Denver Post)
CALIFORNIA: California will partner with chip-making giant NVIDIA on a project training workers for jobs in the artificial intelligence field. The non-binding agreement will help advance AI use in industries like agriculture, climate, energy and transportation. (Pluribus News)
By The Numbers
6.8%: The share of Kentucky residents who have been prescribed incretins, a class of drug that includes GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound. That’s the highest share of residents taking the new class of drugs out of any state in the nation. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
$12 billion: The expected cost of the wildfires that swept through Maui a year ago, according to Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D). The devastating fires that killed about 100 people displaced 12,000 more and destroyed 3,000 properties. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
Off The Wall
Former University of Florida President Ben Sasse’s office spent $17.3 million during his first year in office, about three times what his predecessor spent the previous year, after Sasse resigned his U.S. Senate seat to take over the presidency. Sasse hired six of his former Senate staffers for high-paying remote jobs at the school. (Florida Alligator)
The giant puffball is now the official state mushroom of Illinois, after Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed new legislation filling what’s certainly a critical gap. The giant puffball is edible when it’s young, but it can cause stomach problems after it develops spores. (Capitol News Illinois)
Quote of the Day
“He will either be the hero who did it or the bum who couldn’t get it done.”
— Retired University of Nebraska at Omaha political scientist Paul Landow, on Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s (R) push for property tax reform. (Nebraska Examiner)