Good morning, it’s Monday, April 10, 2024. In today’s edition, gun measures advance in Wash., Ore., Md.; Fla. plans new immigration crackdown; states roll back child work laws:
Top Stories
GUN POLITICS: The Washington Senate has given final approval to a ban on assault weapons. The bill specifically lists more than 50 models of banned weapons, including AR-15s, AK-47s and M-16s. (Seattle Times) The Senate also approved a bill to require a 10-day waiting period before purchasing a firearm. (Olympian)
MORE: The Maryland Senate approved bills to limit concealed carry in polling places and health care facilities and require safe storage in homes where children are present. The House is expected to approve the bills today. (Baltimore Sun) Oregon’s Joint Ways and Means Committee has approved a bill banning the sale and possession of firearms without serial numbers and raising the age of possession for handguns to 21. (Oregonian)
IMMIGRATION: Florida lawmakers are considering legislation to charge those who shelter, hire or transport undocumented immigrants with a felony. The bill would require hospitals to ask patients about their immigration status and invalidate out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to undocumented immigrants. (New York Times)
ABORTION: The Montana legislature has approved bills banning dilation and evacuation abortions in the second trimester and requiring parental notification of an abortion. (Missoulian) Connecticut’s House Public Health Committee approved bills allowing emergency contraception to be sold in vending machines on college campuses and to be prescribed by pharmacists. (New Haven Register) Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird (R) has suspended payments for emergency contraception for sexual assault victims. (Iowa Public Radio)
LABOR: Lawmakers in 11 states have introduced or passed legislation to roll back child labor laws. Bills include efforts to extend the hours in which children are allowed to work, eliminate permit requirements and lower the age at which teenagers can handle alcohol or work in hazardous industries. (States Newsroom)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: The Kansas legislature approved a bill to revoke the license of physicians who offer gender-affirming care. (KCUR) Indiana lawmakers have amended their version of a parental rights bill that requires teachers to notify parents if their children ask to use a new name or pronoun. The bill will no longer require parental consent for the school to honor the request. (WBAA)
TENNESSEE: Nashville’s Metro Council is poised to reappoint former state Rep. Justin Jones (D) to the state House, days after he was expelled for his role in gun control protests at the state capitol. The Shelby County Commission will meet Wednesday, when they will consider reappointing former state Rep. Justin Pearson (D) to his seat. (Associated Press)
LOUISIANA: Lawmakers kick off their session today with plans to restrict abortion rights, raise penalties for burglary and fentanyl distribution, stabilize the property insurance market and restrict gender-affirming care for minors. Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) has proposed a $45.7 billion budget. (Baton Rouge Advocate, Associated Press)
NEW HAMPSHIRE: The state House has approved a bill to legalize marijuana for recreational use. The bill faces a tough road ahead in the state Senate, where it has died in previous sessions. (WMUR)
NEW YORK: Legislators return to Albany today to pass a week-long budget extension as talks between Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and Democratic leaders drag on. Hochul said Saturday that bail reform remains the key sticking point between the two sides. (State of Politics)
In Politics & Business
OHIO: Attorney General Dave Yost (R) has approved language for a proposed ballot measure to raise the minimum wage to $12.75 an hour beginning in 2025 and $15 an hour in 2026. The Ohio Ballot Board must determine the measure’s eligibility under single-subject rules before supports can begin collecting signatures to make the 2024 ballot. (Columbus Dispatch)
MORE: NoLabels, the centrist group chaired by ex-Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), has filed for third-party status in Ohio, Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) said. LaRose said there had been concerns that the group’s petition had a higher rate of fraudulent signatures than average. (Statehouse News Bureau)
OREGON: The Oregon Health Authority has issued the first two licenses to psilocybin manufacturers, the next step in bringing magic mushrooms to the public. The OHA has licensed 22 training programs for “facilitators” who will help people take their trips. (Willamette Week)
By The Numbers
$300 million: The amount California’s Housing Finance Agency had to spend on a loan program meant to help first-time homebuyers cover down payments. The money ran out in two weeks. (Los Angeles Times)
445: The number of legislative sessions held by the Maryland General Assembly, beginning when they met for the first time in 1634. This year’s session concludes tonight at midnight. (Maryland Matters)
1979: The year the average American house was constructed, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. (VTDigger)
Off The Wall
Surf City, N.J. Mayor Francis Hodgson appears poised to win another four-year term to run his shore town on Long Beach Island. Hodgson, 91, is unopposed in both the primary and general election. He’s been in office since winning a seat on the borough council in 1969. (New Jersey Globe)
North Dakota’s Senate has introduced a “therapy cat,” a stuffed animal that rotates between desks of members who are having a bad day, marshaling an important bill on the floor or celebrating a significant life event. (Fargo Forum)
We need one of those in the Pluribus News newsroom.
In more animal news: Congratulations to Percy, a lost rabbit found in Yuba City, Calif., who has been named the police department’s new “wellness officer.” (Maine Public Radio) Click through for an adorable photo of Percy wearing a Police K9 vest.
A billion-dollar expansion of the international arrivals facility at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was meant to accommodate up to 20 widebody aircraft — but a design flaw means the planes can’t sit side-by-side. The mistake will cost the airport “tens or hundreds of millions of dollars” over the life of the project, the Port of Seattle said in a letter to the construction firm that made the screw-up. (Tribune News Service)
Quote of the Day
“Everyone I have talked to has been very good, and I hope to get to know them better. So far, so good.”
— North Dakota Rep. Hamida Dakar (D), a Kenya native who moved to Fargo in 2012 to attend college. (Fargo Forum)