Good morning, it’s Wednesday, May 28, 2025. In today’s edition, Texas adopts app store age verification law; Indiana cracks down on PBMs; Tuberville formally enters Alabama governor’s race:
Top Stories
SOCIAL MEDIA: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has signed legislation requiring app stores to verify user ages using a “commercially reasonable method.” The law categorizes children as those under 13, younger teenagers as 13-16 year olds, and older teenagers who are 17. A similar law passed in Utah this year, while bills are still alive in Louisiana and Ohio. (Pluribus News)
The law is a win for social media giants like Facebook, Snap and X, which don’t want the burden of verifying user ages to fall on their platforms.
ABORTION: The Missouri Supreme Court has vacated a lower court’s ruling allowing abortions to resume in the state, effectively reimposing a statewide ban on abortion access. The ruling comes in spite of a voter-approved amendment, passed in November, to allow abortion rights. (St. Louis Public Radio)
MORE: Maine lawmakers have given final approval to legislation allowing health care providers to remove their names from prescription labels for mifepristone and misoprostol, abortion-inducing medications. New York and Washington have approved similar shield laws. (Maine Public Radio) The Connecticut Senate approved legislation allowing minors to access prenatal care, contraceptive counseling and pain management without consent or notification of parents. (Hartford Courant)
HEALTH CARE: Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) has signed legislation requiring pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse pharmacies based on the average cost to purchase and distribute medications. The bill allows Hoosiers to choose a preferred pharmacy within their networks; PBMs must offer retail networks that include at least one pharmacy within 30 miles of an insured person. (WIBQ)
RIGHT TO REPAIR: Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) has signed legislation requiring digital device manufacturers to make tools, parts and documentation needed for diagnostics and maintenance available to independent repair businesses. Washington joins California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York and Oregon with right-to-repair laws on the books. (Washington State Standard)
GUN POLITICS: An Illinois House committee has approved legislation requiring guns to be safely stored in places where minors, at-risk people or those deemed a danger to others are present. If an unauthorized person gains access to a weapon, the gun’s owner would be fined up to $1,000. (WAND)
ENVIRONMENT: Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) has signed legislation boosting taxes on hotel rooms and vacation rentals to pay for eroding shorelines, wildfire recovery costs and consequences of climate change. The state estimates the new tax will raise $100 million annually. (Associated Press)
MARIJUANA: Ohio lawmakers are debating competing plans to reform the state’s legal recreational marijuana law, approved by voters in 2023. Both versions limit the amount of THC in marijuana products; the Senate version would limit home growing to six plants, while the House version keeps the existing 12-plant limit. (Ohio Capital Journal)
In Politics & Business
ALABAMA: U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) will run for governor, he formally announced Tuesday. He’s the first candidate to enter the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Kay Ivey (R). (AL.com) Virtually every other top Republican who considered running dropped their plans once it became clear Tuberville would join the race.
MICHIGAN: A new poll conducted for the Detroit Regional Chamber finds Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) leading the Democratic field for governor with 59% of the vote. Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson (D) takes 8%, while Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist (D) takes 7%. (Detroit Chamber)
MORE: On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. John James (R) leads the field with 42%, followed by 2022 nominee Tudor Dixon (R) with 20%, former Attorney General Mike Cox (R) at 11% and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R) at 5%. (Detroit Chamber)
Benson and James are statistically tied in a hypothetical general election matchup, with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, running as an independent, claiming 22% of the vote.
NEW MEXICO: Former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima (D) will run for governor, he said Tuesday. Miyagishima joins former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (D) and Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman (D) in the Democratic field. (Albuquerque Journal)
Miyagishima joked that his last name “sounds like an obstacle course.”
NEW YORK: The state Senate has approved legislation allowing New York City to reclassify 50 acres of parking lots surrounding the Mets’ Citi Field to facilitate the construction of a private casino. Mets owner Steve Cohen has plans to build an $8 billion resort and entertainment district on the site. (Gothamist)
By The Numbers
$20 billion: The amount Texas would spend on water infrastructure projects over the next 20 years, under a measure the Senate approved Tuesday. Voters must approve the spending in a referendum on this year’s November ballot. (Texas Tribune)
88%: The share of Oregon counties that do not meet a standard of having one mental health provider per 1,000 residents. First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson will chair a new task force addressing the state’s behavioral health workforce shortage. (Oregonian)
Off The Wall
New Hampshire lawmakers celebrated the 50th anniversary of legislation to establish the first-in-the-nation primary with a commemorative cake and a proclamation read by Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R). The bill, passed in 1975, was authored by liberal freshman Rep. Jim Splaine (D), with support from conservative Gov. Meldrim Thomson (R). (New Hampshire Union Leader)
A demolition crew dismantling an old stadium that once housed the Pawtucket Red Sox minor league team has found a time capsule commemorating the longest-ever baseball game. The 1981 contest between the Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings stretched 33 innings. Pawtucket won, 3-2. (Boston Globe)
Quote of the Day
“We’re idiots, when it comes to bears.”
— Connecticut House Speaker Will Ritter (D), on proposals to curb interactions between bears and humans. Ritter criticized open bins in parks, where discarded food can attract bears. (CT News Junkie)