Good morning, it’s Friday, September 13, 2024. In today’s edition, states move to cover speech therapy; North Dakota abortion ban struck down; Newsom signs retail theft bill:
Top Stories
EDUCATION: Lawmakers in Pennsylvania are working on legislation that would require health insurers to cover speech therapy for childhood stuttering. The bill comes from Rep. Brandon Markosek (D), who has a stutter himself, with an assist from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the former NBA star who didn’t get access to speech therapy until his first year at the University of Kentucky.
“We are always looked upon as we are dumb or stupid, or even, even illiterate,” Kidd-Gilchrist told us in an interview. His nonprofit, Change & Impact, has worked with lawmakers in more than half a dozen states to cover speech therapy — including in Kentucky, where Gov. Andy Beshear (D) signed a bill in April.
A bill to cover speech therapy is sitting on Delaware Gov. John Carney’s (D) desk. Similar legislation was introduced, but died, in West Virginia. And more of these bills are likely coming next year: Kidd-Gilchrist, Markosek and Kentucky Rep. Michael Pollock (R), author of his state’s new law, got lots of attention at this year’s NCSL conference, where they presented their bills. Read more at Pluribus News.
ABORTION: North Dakota District Judge Bruce Romanick has struck down the state’s ban on abortion. Romanick ruled the state constitution creates a fundamental right to abortion before fetal viability. Attorney General Drew Wrigley (D) promised to appeal. North Dakota currently has no clinics providing abortion services. (MPR News)
ELECTIONS: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) has signed legislation requiring new voters to show proof of citizenship when registering, through either a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers. The law also removes exceptions to state voter ID requirements. (WMUR)
The new law won’t take effect prior to November’s elections.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed legislation to increase penalties for those who damage or destroy property valued at more than $50,000 while committing a felony. It’s the last in a package of bills aimed at cracking down on retail theft. (Associated Press)
HOUSING: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) has signed an executive order creating a comprehensive Housing Action Plan. The order will allow two state departments to assess regional housing needs and identify reasonable goals over the next five years. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
INSURANCE: New Jersey’s Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee is hearing testimony on a new proposal that would expand oversight of claims denied by health insurance companies. The bill would require insurers to provide data about the number of claims received, denied and appealed, and the most frequently denied specialties. (New Jersey Monitor)
In Politics & Business
TEXAS: State Rep. James Frank (R) is the fourth House Republican to launch a challenge against Speaker Dade Phelan (R). Frank, like Phelan’s three other challengers, has pledged to award committee chairs solely to fellow Republicans. (Texas Tribune)
NEW YORK CITY: State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D) is the latest candidate to launch a campaign against Mayor Eric Adams (D). Ramos, who represents Queens, is the first woman and Latina in the race. (NY1)
UTAH: A state judge has voided Amendment D, the legislature’s last-minute measure to allow lawmakers to amend and repeal citizen-approved ballot initiatives. Judge Dianna Gibson ruled the amendment was deceptive and misleading, and that the legislature did not follow rules about publishing the text of the amendment in time. (Salt Lake Tribune)
NEVADA: Supporters of a proposed ballot measure to cap attorney fees at 20% in civil cases turned in more than 200,000 signatures to qualify for the 2026 ballot, about double what they need to qualify. The group is backed by ride share giant Uber. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
MICHIGAN: The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan will spend $2 million on radio ads on campaigns for state Supreme Court. The ACLU isn’t endorsing candidates, but the ads favor Democratic-backed Justice Kyra Harris Holden and law professor Kimberly Ann Thomas. Democratic-backed justices hold a 4-3 majority on the court. (Associated Press)
Theater of the absurd: Michigan Supreme Court candidates are technically nonpartisan … but they are nominated at Democratic and Republican state conventions.
By The Numbers
16: The number of Oregon cities where voters will decide whether to ban the use of psilocybin. Voters legalized the hallucinogenic found in magic mushrooms in 2020, but cities have the option to ban it from their backyards through ballot measures. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
More than 2,000: The number of prisoners the Nevada Department of Corrections transferred this week from Ely State Prison, in remote White Pine County, to High Desert State Prison near Las Vegas. High Desert will be the state’s new maximum-security facility, while Ely will become a medium-security facility. (Las Vegas Sun)
Off The Wall
Former University of Florida President Ben Sasse, a former U.S. senator from Nebraska, spent more than $1.3 million on private catering during his tenure in office, including one holiday party that featured a $38,610 sushi bar. Sasse, who resigned as president in July, will continue to earn a base salary of just over $1 million through February 2028. (Florida Politics)
The 34th annual Ig Nobel prize ceremony, honoring academic studies for comical scientific achievement, highlighted new reports on the feasibility of using pigeons to guide missiles and the swimming abilities of dead fish. Winners receive, among other prizes, a $10 trillion Zimbabwean bill — which is nearly worthless. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“We’ve caused this issue.”
— Stephanie Beilke, senior manager of conservation science at Audubon Great Lakes, on the skyrocketing population of Canada Geese around Michigan. Michigan regulators will allow landowners to hire federal crews to round up and kill Canada geese beginning next year. (Bridge MI)