Good morning, it’s Wednesday, December 3, 2025. In today’s edition, lawmakers debate chatbot restrictions; Indiana redistricting bill advances to House floor; USDA threatens blue states over SNAP benefits:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Lawmakers in Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania have introduced bills ahead of new sessions next year to ban or restrict the use of mental health chatbots. Virginia Del. Michelle Maldonado (D) is preparing legislation based on an Illinois law, adopted this year, that limits therapy practices to people, not machines. (Pluribus News)
REDISTRICTING: Indiana’s House Elections and Appropriations Committee has advanced a redistricting plan aimed at giving Republicans all nine seats in the state’s congressional delegation. The bill’s author, Rep. Ben Smaltz (R), said in committee that the maps were drawn specifically to give the GOP a political advantage. (State Affairs)
Where does every state stand on the redistricting wars? Take a quick look at our latest analysis right here.
SNAP: The U.S. Agriculture Department has threatened to withhold federal funding for food stamps in 20 Democratic-led states that have not yet provided the administration with personal data about recipients. Those states have sued in court, arguing the federal program violates privacy laws. The USDA wants access to Social Security numbers, birth dates and home addresses. (New York Times)
ABORTION: The Florida House Judiciary Committee has advanced legislation to expand the state’s Wrongful Death Act to allow parents to collect damages if an unborn child dies, no matter at what stage of development. The bill would define wrongful deaths as those caused by wrongful acts, negligence and a breach of contract, among other factors. (Florida Politics)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) has signed a crime package into law reviving a court program that bars some offenders from the Las Vegas Strip. The bill also raises penalties for smash-and-grab robberies, DUIs and assaults on hospitality workers. (Associated Press)
EDUCATION: Arizona Sen. John Kavanagh (R) has introduced legislation to open public school sports and extracurriculars to students enrolled in Empowerment Scholarship Account programs. Students use the ESA program to attend private school or for homeschool supplies. A similar bill died in the House this year. (State Affairs)
HOUSING: The Pennsylvania Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee has unanimously advanced legislation requiring counties to maintain contact lists for property owned by out-of-state landlords, including companies. The bill is meant to fight property blight and neglect. It won bipartisan support in the state House earlier this year. (State Affairs)
In Politics & Business
MICHIGAN: A new Mitchell-MIRS Michigan poll finds Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) leading the Democratic primary for governor with 48% of the vote, ahead of Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist (D) at 12% and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson (D) at 5%. U.S. Rep. John James leads the Republican field with 48%, well ahead of former Attorney General Mike Cox (R) at 11% and former state House Speaker Tom Leonard (R) at 5%. (MIRS)
In a hypothetical general election matchup, James leads Benson 37% to 31%, with 18% opting for Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (I).
CALIFORNIA: Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) won’t completely rule out a run for governor next year, after saying he wouldn’t run in February. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Bonta lamented that the two candidates he wanted to run — former Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D) — both declined to seek the job. (Sacramento Bee)
NEW JERSEY: City council member James Solomon (D) romped to victory in a runoff election to become Jersey City’s next mayor on Tuesday, claiming 68% of the vote. Solomon easily outpaced former Gov. Jim McGreevey (D), who was seeking a political comeback 20 years after leaving the governor’s office in disgrace. (New Jersey Globe)
Bad year for former Northeastern governors seeking mayoral comebacks.
By The Numbers
$108 million: The revenue Arkansas has collected beyond expectations in the first five months of the fiscal year, according to the Department of Finance and Administration. Tax revenues are coming in about 2% higher than last year. (Talk Business & Politics)
Almost 50,000: The number of calls California’s crisis hotline receives on a monthly basis. For the past three months, about 4,500 of those calls have gone unanswered. (Sacramento Bee)
Off The Wall
The director of the Castine Historical Society in Maine called the Maine State Police after discovering two unexploded black powder cannonballs from the War of 1812 in its collection — the “bombs bursting in air” that Francis Scott Key wrote about. The bomb squad safely removed the cannonballs for detonation somewhere else. (Ellsworth American)
A raccoon broke into a liquor store in Ashland, Va., over the weekend, ransacking the scotch and whisky shelves before passing out on the bathroom floor. The local animal protection shelter said the raccoon was released back into the wild after sobering up, presumably with quite the hangover. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“It is not a part of our job to endure threats and violence.”
— Indiana Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D), in a hearing Tuesday on a proposed redistricting plan. Opponents of the plan to redraw maps have been subject to threats, swatting attempts and other harassment. (State Affairs)