Good morning, it’s Wednesday, October 16, 2024. In today’s edition, the next big tech lobbying war; Maryland to vote on drug cost caps; huge early voting turnout in Georgia:
Top Stories
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook parent company Meta is pushing states to adopt age verification rules on app stores, rather than on app developers themselves, the latest salvo in a nationwide lobbying war between tech behemoths. Louisiana lawmakers considered a bill to require app stores to verify user ages this year. South Dakota lawmakers are preparing a similar bill for next year.
Shifting the onus of age verification to app stores is an idea that comes as states consider so-called age-gating rules to keep minors safe from the negative impacts of social media. Tech companies have pushed back against states like Arkansas, Texas, California and Florida that passed rules requiring social media platforms themselves to verify user ages.
But Apple and Google — operators of the largest app stores — aren’t happy. They launched a massive lobbying campaign to kill the provision in Louisiana’s social media law that would have required them to verify user ages. Expect an all-out war ahead. All’s fair in love and lobbying. Read more at Pluribus News.
HEALTH CARE: The Maryland General Assembly’s Legislative Policy Committee plans to vote next week on the state Prescription Drug Affordability Board’s plan to set upper payment limits for drug companies. Drugs covered under the cost caps include Ozempic, ADHD drugs and a common asthma treatment. (WYPR)
MORE: New York lawmakers are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to sign legislation that would make maternal mental health screenings a mandatory part of pre- and post-natal care. The bill, approved earlier this year, is meant to decrease stigma for those experiencing mental health crises. (State of Politics)
IMMIGRATION: The Oklahoma House of Representatives has convened an interim study committee on threats posed by undocumented immigrants. In a hearing Tuesday, lawmakers heard from the director of the state Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs as they consider yet-to-be-written legislation. (Tulsa World)
LEGISLATORS: South Dakota lawmakers will receive a nearly $3,000 raise next year after the state Board of Finance signed off on the hike. Under a 2018 law, lawmakers earn one-fifth of South Dakota’s median salary of $81,740. The pay raise means legislators will earn $16,348 a year. (South Dakota Searchlight)
In Politics & Business
GEORGIA: A Fulton County Superior Court judge has put a hold on the State Election Board’s new rule requiring poll workers to hand count ballots on Election Night. County elections boards unanimously opposed the rule, imposed so close to an election. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
MISSOURI: Supporters of abortion rights have raised almost $22 million to back a proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing reproductive care, campaign finance reports show. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $1 million. The group opposing the measure has raised just $212,000. (Associated Press)
A separate ballot measure to legalize sports betting has raised $32 million, while opponents — led by a casino company that stands to lose money in the face of new competition — have raised $14 million. (KCUR)
NORTH CAROLINA: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) has sued CNN over its report about his online comments on a pornographic website’s message board. The suit calls the report reckless and defamatory, though it offers no proof that Robinson was not the author of the posts. (Associated Press)
RHODE ISLAND: Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D) has asked fellow Democrats to replace Majority Leader Ryan Pearson (D) with Majority Whip Val Lawson (D). Ruggerio wants Pearson out of his job after Pearson questioned Ruggerio’s health in a private meeting. (WPRI)
By The Numbers
More than 328,000: The number of Georgia voters who voted early on Tuesday, the first day the polls opened there. That’s more than twice the 136,000 who voted on the first day of early voting in 2020, according to state officials. (CNN)
83 cents: The amount women working full time earned per dollar earned by men in 2023, according to new Census Bureau figures, down from 84 cents on the dollar in 2022. It’s the first time the gender wage gap has grown in 20 years. (Associated Press)
19: The number of candidates running to be the next mayor of Portland, Ore. Almost 100 candidates are running for city council positions. (Associated Press)
That reminds us of the late U.S. Rep. Mo Udall’s (D-Ariz.) response when asked if he would run for president in 1980: “If nominated, I will flee to Mexico. If elected, I will fight extradition.”
Off The Wall
A California Highway Patrol officer issued a ticket recently to a driver who used an HOV lane in the San Jose area with a questionable passenger — a Halloween skeleton with a “Scream” mask. One commenter on Facebook was critical of the ticket: “That’s discriminating against the fleshily challenged.” (New York Times)
Colorado resident Marcio Gracia Andrade has agreed to a $75,000 fine after registering more than 15,000 limited liability corporations, taking advantage of a new lower cost filing fee. The overwhelming number of businesses he registered has Colorado officials questioning the reliability of business registration statistics. (Denver Post)
Quote of the Day
“If you’re participating and spreading this stuff, stop it. Whatever your aim is, the people you are really hurting are those in western North Carolina who need help.”
— North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D), warning against ongoing misinformation about recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene. (Carolina Journal)