Good morning, it’s Tuesday, March 18, 2025. In today’s edition, Texas AI bill gets a facelift; Colorado boosts nuclear projects; Wisconsin court race spending to top $100 million:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Texas Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R) has introduced legislation seeking to bar AI systems from discriminating against protected classes, censoring political views or inciting criminality. The bill is a departure from Capriglione’s initial legislation, which focused on algorithmic discrimination in high-risk contexts like health care, housing and employment. (Pluribus News)
We’ve been keeping a close eye on Capriglione’s legislation, which has the potential to become the red state model on AI regulations.
ABORTION: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced the arrest of two people charged with performing illegal abortions in the Houston area, the first criminal charges brought under the state’s near-total abortion ban. A county judge ordered the two held on $500,000 bonds relating to the abortion charges, and $200,000 bonds for allegedly practicing medicine without a license. (Texas Tribune)
MORE: The Maryland Senate has given final approval to legislation allowing the state to use a $25 million fund to pay for abortion services. The money will be funded by a surcharge on insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act. (Washington Post)
IMMIGRATION: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) is seeking federal approval to allow the state Department of Public Safety to participate in a program to enforce federal immigration law. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) The Texas Senate State Affairs Committee heard testimony on legislation to require sheriffs to cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. (Texas Tribune)
LBGTQ RIGHTS: The Kentucky House has given final approval to legislation protecting so-called “conversion therapy.” The bill would remove restrictions on the practice implemented by Gov. Andy Beshear (D), who banned spending taxpayer dollars on conversion therapy. (Associated Press)
ENERGY: The Colorado legislature has given final approval to a measure adding nuclear power to the state’s definition of “clean energy resources.” The bill would allow future nuclear projects to count toward renewable energy goals, and to qualify for local grants earmarked for wind, solar and geothermal projects. (Colorado Public Radio)
PUBLIC SAFETY: The Iowa Senate has approved a bill to bar local governments from operating citizen police review boards. The bill would apply to existing review boards in Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Dubuque, Iowa City and University Heights. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
TAXES: Mississippi legislative leaders have unveiled a new plan to eliminate the state income tax and raise gas taxes. It’s the first time Senate leadership has gotten behind a plan to nix the income tax; House leaders have offered plans to do so in the last few sessions. Differences between the two chambers still remain. (Mississippi Today)
In Politics & Business
WISCONSIN: Early voting begins today in the closely-watched state Supreme Court race between Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, backed by Democrats, and Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, backed by Republicans. Observers expect the race to attract up to $100 million in spending. (Wisconsin Examiner)
By contrast, the U.S. Senate contest between Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) and businessman Eric Hovde (R) last year cost $90 million.
WASHINGTON: Gov. Bob Ferguson’s (D) legislative director, Joyce Bruce, has resigned, the second top legislative liaison to quit just two months into Ferguson’s term. Ferguson and Democratic lawmakers in Olympia have feuded over ways to close an estimated $15 billion four-year budget shortfall. (Seattle Times)
KANSAS: The House and Senate approved a bill Monday to create a 12-member legislative panel to review applicants for vacancies in the U.S. Senate, state Treasurer’s office and state Insurance Commissioner’s office. The bill would take the power to fill vacancies away from the governor’s office. (Kansas Reflector)
SOUTH DAKOTA: Measures to add new restrictions to citizen-led ballot initiatives have won approval in the state legislature. The bills would shorten petition signature collection periods, require signatures from all 35 state Senate districts, and raise the threshold for a constitutional amendment’s passage from a simple majority to 60%. (South Dakota Searchlight)
By The Numbers
400: The number of sexual harassment allegations made against 145 sitting state lawmakers between 2013 and 2024, according to the National Women’s Defense League. A 2024 poll of state lawmakers found about a third of legislators said they had experienced or witnessed sexual harassment in their state capitol. (Nevada Independent)
$1.6 million: The amount the cannabis industry spent lobbying Pennsylvania lawmakers in 2024 as they consider legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) has estimated the legal pot market would raise $1.3 billion in tax revenue in the first five years. (Spotlight PA)
3.3 million: The number of new electric vehicles registered in Oregon, California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont since 2013, meeting an interstate goal set by the then-governors of those states. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Then-Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) signed the agreement when there were just 300 EVs in the entire state. Today, that number tops 100,000.
Off The Wall
The Arizona Supreme Court is the first in the nation to rely on artificial intelligence to interact with the public. The court will use a pair of AI-generated avatars to deliver news about rulings the justices issue, in an effort to help the public understand the reasoning behind their decisions. (Associated Press)
The Texas House is considering the Forbidden Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education Act, or the FURRIES Act. The bill would ban students from barking, hissing, meowing, wearing leashes, fur or tails at school, or using litter boxes. There have been no verified reports of furry subculture in Texas schools. (Dallas Morning News)
Yuma, Ariz., is the sunniest city in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Yuma receives sunshine during 91% of daylight hours, or 4,015 hours per year. The average American city receives about 2,734 sunny hours a year. (Arizona Republic)
Quote of the Day
“Anybody think if there’s a Lake Michigan, maybe there should be a Lake Ohio around here? I’m feeling that, so we’ll talk about that a little bit more as this campaign progresses.”
— Entrepreneur and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R), proposing to rename Lake Erie. A spokesperson later said Ramaswamy was joking. (Columbus Dispatch)