Good morning, it’s Thursday, March 5, 2026. In today’s edition, Trump admin lobbies states on AI reform; Virginia court allows redistricting vote to proceed; new polls in Arizona, New York:
Top Stories
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Measures to create new guardrails around AI are faltering in Utah, Florida and Virginia after opposition from the Trump administration, which opposes state efforts to regulate the nascent industry. The administration next week is expected to publish a list of state AI laws it says oversteps state authority. Ahead of the list, the White House has been pressuring lawmakers to oppose new AI bills. (Pluribus News)
The Florida Senate approved Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) AI Bill of Rights. House Speaker Daniel Perez (R), no fan of DeSantis’s, says he wants the feds to lead on AI reform. (Florida Politics)
MORE: Pennsylvania’s House Commerce Committee advanced legislation prohibiting AI firms from selling or sharing information about consumers with another party. The Senate Communications and Technology Committee adopted its own bill preventing chatbots from encouraging self-harm or violence. (State Affairs)
REDISTRICTING: The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that a vote on a Democratic-backed redistricting plan can go ahead on April 21. The court overturned a restraining order put in place by a Tazewell County judge last month, but justices still have not ruled on whether mid-decade redistricting and the referendum are legal. (Associated Press)
If approved by voters, the redistricting plan would give Democrats a chance to win as many as four Republican-held seats.
PUBLIC SAFETY: The Washington House has approved legislation prohibiting law enforcement officers from concealing their identities in public. Lawmakers added amendments to exempt religious head or face coverings, and to explicitly allow helmets for safety. The bill now returns to the Senate for final approval. (Seattle Times)
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: The Iowa House has approved legislation eliminating diversity hiring policies, minority-focused programs and reporting requirements for state agencies, universities, K-12 programs and the judicial branch. The bill would also end a requirement that police agencies train officers in implicit bias. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
PUBLIC HEALTH: The Utah legislature has given final approval to legislation banning the sale of most versions of kratom. The legislation allows the sale of pure kratom leaf to those over 21. Kratom is not approved by the FDA for any medical use. (Deseret News)
MORE: The Florida Senate will take up legislation requiring doctors to accept all patients regardless of vaccination status. The bill requires health care providers who offer vaccines to offer parents alternative vaccine schedules. It also allows pharmacists to provide ivermectin without a prescription. (WUSF)
HOMELESSNESS: The West Virginia House has approved legislation banning camping on public property. Violations are punishable by a written warning. A second violation comes with a fine, and a third would carry a 30-day jail sentence. (WV Metro News)
In Politics & Business
ARIZONA: A Noble Predictive Insights poll finds U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R) leading U.S. Rep. David Schweikert (R) in the GOP primary for governor by a 40% to 19% margin. Biggs is the lone candidate in the race backed by President Trump. In general election matchups, Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) leads Biggs 42%-37%, and runs ahead of Schweikert 44%-35%. (Noble Predictive Insights)
NEW YORK: A Siena College poll finds Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) leading Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R) 51%-31%. Hochul led by 26 points in January. Her job approval rating stands at 53%. (Siena)
MICHIGAN: Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment requiring proof of citizenship when someone registers to vote turned in more than 750,000 signatures on Wednesday in hopes of qualifying for the 2026 ballot. They need 446,198 of those signatures to be valid to make the ballot. (State Affairs)
MISSOURI: Supporters of an effort to strike down Republican-led redistricting say they should “easily qualify” for the November ballot, after local officials began verifying the more than 300,000 signatures they turned in last December. If the measure qualifies, it will put on hold the redistricting plan that sought to make a Kansas City-area district more Republican-friendly. (Kansas City Star)
WYOMING: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the first construction permit for a commercial nuclear reactor in eight years. The permit will allow TerraPower, an energy company backed by Bill Gates, to build a $4 billion plant in Wyoming. (Associated Press)
By The Numbers
$665 billion: The anticipated reduction in state Medicaid budgets over the next decade, under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to a new analysis from RAND Health. Other cuts in the bill will reduce federal funding to states by another $86 billion. (Louisiana Illuminator)
52.1: The number of cents on the dollar in Arizona’s education budget spent on classroom instruction, the lowest rate since the state Auditor General began keeping track. (Arizona Capitol Times)
Off The Wall
The Montana Public Service Commission is taking steps to maintain the state’s beloved 406 area code. The commission is sending a letter to Qwest Corporation seeking ways to lengthen the amount of time left before the state runs out of 406 numbers. At this rate, the state will exhaust 406 numbers by 2033. (Daily Montanan)
University of Florida football coach Jon Sumrall had some tense moments during a photo shoot with a seven-foot gator. The gator snapped and hissed at Sumrall while he was posing for promotional photos. “I’m like, ‘Look, during Covid I wasn’t allowed to get this close to people. I don’t know about an alligator,” Sumrall said. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“Three catastrophes is a lot.”
— North Carolina Rep. Mark Pless (R), who lost his bid for renomination in Tuesday’s primary, reflecting on Hurricanes Fred and Helene and the closure of a local paper mill during his six years in office. (State Affairs)