Good morning, it’s Friday, March 27, 2026. In today’s edition, states seek to protect “kidfluencers”; South Dakota to require proof of citizenship to register to vote; Utah redistricting measure fails to make ballot:
Top Stories
SOCIAL MEDIA: Lawmakers in nearly a dozen states considered bills this year to protect “kidfluencers,” child actors who are not covered under labor laws. The bills, introduced by both Democrats and Republicans, would require parents to set aside some of the money they make from content featuring their kids in a trust fund accessible to children when they turn 18. Some of the bills also give kids the right to request parents delete content in which they feature. (Pluribus News)
MORE: The Minnesota House has advanced a bipartisan bill to require parental consent for those under 15 to create a social media account. The bill also limits infinite scrolling, autoplaying videos and push notifications aimed at minors, as well as paid ads targeting minors. (CBS News)
ELECTIONS: South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden (R) has signed legislation requiring anyone registering to vote for the first time to show proof of citizenship. The measure requires new voters to show a driver’s license issued after July 1, 2025, a tribal ID card, or a photocopy of a passport or birth certificate. (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: The South Carolina Senate has voted to add public colleges to an existing state law requiring school students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their sex assigned at birth. The measure threatens state funding for schools that allow someone to use multi-stalled bathrooms that do not correspond with their biological sex. (South Carolina Daily Gazette)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that sentencing those convicted of felony murder to automatic life sentences is unconstitutional. The ruling is likely to impact between 1,100 and 1,300 inmates currently serving life sentences for murder convictions. (State Affairs)
ECONOMY: The Pennsylvania House has approved legislation requiring employers to provide at least 12 weeks of paid family leave. The bill allows leave for giving birth or adopting a child, caring for an elderly or disabled relative, escaping domestic violence or supporting an ill child or recovering from a personal illness or injury. (State Affairs)
CRYPTO: North Dakota regulators have approved the use of stablecoins in bank-to-bank transactions. Ten local banks have expressed interest in participating in a pilot program for the Roughrider Coin. The coin will be tied to the value of the U.S. dollar, unlike cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. (North Dakota Monitor)
HOLIDAYS: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed legislation renaming Cesar Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day. The measure, passed after allegations that Chavez sexually abused women and girls during his time as a labor leader, passed the legislature with bipartisan support. (Associated Press) The Arizona Senate voted to repeal Cesar Chavez Day. (State Affairs)
We wrote earlier this week about the race to rename Chavez Day ahead of its observation next week.
In Politics & Business
UTAH: A Republican-led initiative to repeal a fair redistricting law has failed to reach the ballot, after Democrats and anti-gerrymandering activists led a successful campaign to get voters to withdraw their signatures. The measure failed to reach the necessary threshold in a single state Senate district by just 259 signatures. (Salt Lake Tribune)
OHIO: Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit the construction of new data centers have won certification to begin circulating their petition ahead of this year’s elections. Supporters need to collect 413,000 valid signatures, including at least 5% of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election in 44 of the state’s 88 counties, to win a place on the ballot. (State Affairs)
SOUTH CAROLINA: Businessman Billy Webster (D) is the third Democrat to enter the race for governor. Webster served as a White House fellow under President George H.W. Bush, and as chief of staff to former Gov. Dick Riley (D). (South Carolina Daily Gazette)
South Carolina hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since Jim Hodges in 1998.
NORTH CAROLINA: State Sen. Ralph Hise (R) will run to replace Senate President Phil Berger (R) as head of the chamber, after Berger lost renomination in this month’s primary elections. Hise has been one of Berger’s top lieutenants since 2019. (State Affairs) Sen. Todd Johnson (R) will also seek the post. (Raleigh News & Observer)
By The Numbers
$3.2 million: The amount Washington State lawmakers have allocated to clean up the state’s largest pile of old tires, in the Tri-Cities area. The site is home to about 7,100 tons of used tires. (Tri-City Herald)
215,208: The number of unpaid parking tickets issued in Hawaii between 2020 and 2025. That amounts to nearly $15.3 million in revenue the state has no ability to collect. (Hawaii News Now)
Off The Wall
The NBA’s Board of Governors has voted to formally explore expanding to Seattle and Las Vegas. Owners of the new teams are expected to pay more than $7 billion for the right to join the league. (Washington State Standard)
As we’ve said before, we’re not objective about this particular development.
The small town of Jerome, Mo., is enduring the fetid stench of 20 tons of rotting extra firm tofu, which plunged into a ravine after a tractor-trailer overturned on a highway. The driver was unharmed, but some of the tofu spilled into a creek after a flash flood. (New York Times)
Quote of the Day
“‘Just trust us’ is not what I think is in the best interest of protecting our people.”
— Georgia Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R), on a measure phasing out tax breaks for data centers. The bill passed the state Senate. (State Affairs)