Good morning, it’s Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. In today’s edition, state tax revenues slope downward; Meta debuts parental controls in Texas; Missouri, Nebraska abortion amendments under last-minute fire:
Top Stories
BUDGETS: State tax revenues declined in June in 27 of 46 states where preliminary data is available, according to a new Urban Institute study, a further sign that the pandemic boom years are in the rear view mirror. Total state tax revenues increased 7.3%, a rise driven solely by California tax receipts, after this year’s delayed tax deadline created an artificially low base.
States used federal funds, and the revenues that came in with a strong economy, to slash tax races — 13 states cut income tax rates in 2022, and 17 more did so in 2023. Now, things are evening out: State revenue collections are stabilizing, and most states forecast modest growth in Fiscal Year 2025. Read more from the Urban Institute here.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook parent Meta has rolled out new parental control features in Texas to comply with a state law restricting kids from seeing harmful material online. The new tools allow parents to see and update teenagers’ social media account settings, set time limits on use and delete a child’s accounts altogether. (Texas Tribune)
ENERGY: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and state energy regulators are looking into ways to invest in new nuclear power reactors, three years after the state’s last nuclear plant shut down. Environmental groups have vocally opposed a renewed push for nuclear energy. (City & State)
MORE: North Dakota’s Public Service Commission holds a hearing Monday to discuss a proposed carbon pipeline. Commissioners denied a permit for the pipeline last year. The $8 billion project would capture carbon emissions from 57 ethanol plants in five states, pumping those emissions to underground storage northwest of Bismarck. (Fargo Forum)
New carbon pipelines have run into opposition from some conservatives in North Dakota and Iowa, who have raised concerns over eminent domain issues.
CLIMATE: Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) has signed five bills meant to combat climate change into law. One law will allow the state to solicit offshore wind contracts. Others provide financial support for electric vehicle equipment and create a zero-emission standard for state vehicles. (Delaware Public Media)
MARIJUANA: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is issuing new rules around consumable hemp products in grocery and convenience stores. State and federal law allow for the sale of non-intoxicating hemp products that can contain THC. Newsom’s proposed rules would require industrial hemp products for consumption to have undetectable levels of THC. (Sacramento Bee)
In Politics & Business
MISSOURI: Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh ruled that a proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights did not meet legal requirements to qualify for November’s ballot. The judge gave supporters of the amendment the right to file an appeal before Tuesday’s deadline to make changes to the state ballot. (Associated Press, Kansas City Star)
NEBRASKA: The state Supreme Court will hear arguments today in three challenges to proposed amendments relating to abortion rights. Two suits challenge an abortion-rights amendment, while a third challenges an amendment that would restrict abortions. The court must rule by Friday, the deadline for certifying this year’s ballot. (Nebraska Examiner)
TEXAS: Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has sued Travis County, home of Austin, and Bexar County, home of San Antonio, to prevent them from using taxpayer money to mount voter registration campaigns. Paxton says state law blocks counties from mailing out unsolicited voter registration forms. (Associated Press)
PEOPLE: Former New Hampshire First Lady Nancy Sununu, wife of ex-Gov. John H. Sununu (R) and mother of current Gov. Chris Sununu (R), has passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. She was 85. (WMUR) Our condolences to the New Hampshire political family, and to the Sununus.
By The Numbers
51.7%: The average increase in insurance premiums for homeowners in Colorado between January 2019 and October 2022. Colorado has the eighth-highest homeowners insurance rates in the nation, higher than states like California and New York. (Colorado Sun)
3.2%: The decline in traffic fatalities nationally between January and June, compared with last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (NJ Advance Media)
Off The Wall
A rare dime minted in San Francisco in 1975 could fetch more than $500,000 at auction, according to currency experts. The dime, kept in a bank vault in Ohio for 40 years, is missing the “S” mark showing where it was minted, one of just two such coins known to exist. (Associated Press)
Today in world records: Two YouTubers have broken a Guinness World Record by constructing a nearly seven-foot-tall fully functional iPhone. (UPI) The Oaxaca state government and the Mexican municipality of Reyes Etla teamed up to create the world’s largest ball of string cheese, weighing in at 1,402 lbs. Organizers said it took 2,641 gallons of milk to make so much cheese. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“Right now, you have a relationship between the leaders of the two chambers which is completely irreconcilable. It cannot be fixed. It is mutually assured destruction.”
— Texas Rep. Tom Oliverson (R), one of three Republicans challenging Speaker Dade Phelan (R), on Phelan’s relationship with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R). Patrick has repeatedly targeted Phelan over myriad disagreements between the House and Senate. (Texas Tribune)