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Good morning, it’s Tuesday, July 22, 2025. In today’s edition, conservatives open new front in the ESG wars; New Jersey Gov won’t rule out mid-decade redistricting; Oklahoma pot backers try again on legalization:
Top Stories
ESG: The conservative group Alliance Defending Freedom is advancing model legislation to ban “debanking,” the practice of denying basic financial services like extending credit or providing insurance on the basis of ideological reasons. It’s the newest front in the war against environmental, social and governance investing principles.
The ADF bill would prohibit nationally chartered banks with more than $100 million in assets, as well as major insurance providers, from discriminating against customers based on political or religious views and affiliations. It would also ban the use of credit scores that take ESG factors into account.
Versions of the measure passed in Idaho and Tennessee last year. Florida enacted its own debanking ban this year, though one focused more on the agricultural sector. Lawmakers have introduced the ADF’s model bill 25 times in 17 states since 2024. (Pluribus News)
ABORTION: Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer (D) has signed legislation protecting health care providers from being sued for performing lawful health services. The law will protect practitioners from facing legal action for abortion services, IVF treatments and gender-affirming care to residents of other states, if those services are provided in Delaware. (Delaware Public Media)
HOUSING: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has signed legislation allowing police to remove squatters from a home without a court-ordered eviction. The bill allows police to enforce criminal trespassing charges against a squatter. (Capitol News Illinois)
PUBLIC HEALTH: The Michigan House has approved legislation banning additives and dyes, including brominated vegetable oil, propylparaben and five color dyes, from food served in schools. At least 20 other states are considering or have approved similar bans, following a California bill signed into law in 2023. (MLive)
MARIJUANA: Supporters of legal recreational marijuana will begin circulating petitions to qualify a measure for the 2026 ballot next month. They have until Nov. 3 to gather 172,993 verified signatures to qualify for next year’s ballot. (McCarville Report)
Oklahoma’s last attempt to legalize recreational marijuana, in 2023, failed by a 38%-62% margin.
In Politics & Business
MINNESOTA: Sen. Nicole Mitchell (D) will resign her seat after being found guilty Friday of burglary charges. Defense attorneys said Mitchell would resign no later than the close of business on August 4. Republicans criticized the two-week wait, which will force a special election. (Minnesota Star-Tribune)
NEVADA: Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill (D) plans to run for governor in 2026. Hill will formally announce her campaign in August, setting up a primary against Attorney General Aaron Ford (D). (Las Vegas Review-Journal) Ex-Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) hasn’t ruled out a comeback bid.
WISCONSIN: U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R) is teasing a run for governor in 2026. Tiffany has registered a domain name; he’s said he will make a formal announcement after this month. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
NEW JERSEY: Gov. Phil Murphy (D) says there are no plans to redraw the state’s U.S. House maps, but he refused to rule out a mid-decade redistricting plan. Only one New Jersey Republican, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R), holds a vulnerable district. (New Jersey Globe)
PEOPLE: Minnesota Sen. Bruce Anderson (R) has died at age 75. Anderson had served in the legislature since 1995, when he won a seat in the state House. (Minnesota Star-Tribune) Our condolences to the Minnesota political family.
By The Numbers
3,500: The number of federal government jobs lost by Maryland residents in June, the largest single-month decline in federal jobs in almost three decades. Federal workers make up about 6% of the state’s total workforce. (Maryland Matters)
More than $350 million: The annual revenue Pennsylvania would generate from a 50-cent retail home delivery fee. Chamber of Progress, a group backed by tech companies like Uber, Lyft and Amazon, has already begun lobbying against the fee. (State Affairs)
$574.70: The raise Rhode Island lawmakers received at the beginning of the month. State legislators now earn annual salaries of $20,391.97. (Providence Journal)
Off The Wall
Arlington, Va., Washington, D.C., Seattle, San Francisco and Denver are the healthiest cities in the nation, according to the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual American Fitness Index. The report found that in 94 of the country’s 100 largest cities, residents reported improved aerobic activity levels. (ACSM)
A Florida man faces charges after driving his lawnmower down a toll road in Hernando County. He showed signs of intoxication when deputies pulled him over after what was, we presume, an extremely low-speed chase. (Fox 13)
Quote of the Day
“I’m just grateful to be alive.”
— Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman (D), in his first interview after being shot nine times in an assassination attempt last month. Hoffman credited his daughter, who called 911 to report the attack, with saving more lives. (Minnesota Star-Tribune)