Good morning, it’s Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Happy Fiscal Year 2026-2027 to fellow nerds who celebrate. In today’s edition, lawmakers back nuclear bills; Weiser upsets Bennet in Colorado Dem primary; new polls in Iowa, Ohio, Maine, Connecticut:
Top Stories
ENERGY: State lawmakers introduced more than 250 bills aimed at advancing nuclear power facilities this year, as demand for electric power is expected to surge. Iowa lawmakers enacted legislation to exempt nuclear projects from sales and use taxes. Indiana and Kentucky approved bills making it easier to site nuclear projects. Bills authorizing new studies won approval in Minnesota and are advancing in Hawaii and California. (Pluribus News)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called for a ban on data center development in rural neighborhoods during a campaign stop in Bullard, a rural community southeast of the Dallas Metroplex. (Texas Tribune)
TICKETS: Bipartisan groups of lawmakers are advancing legislation to set hard caps on the amount sellers could charge for the resale of tickets to sporting events and concerts. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed legislation capping resale prices at 110% of face value. Lawmakers in Massachusetts, California, Connecticut and Delaware have all introduced similar bills. (Pluribus News)
MEDICAID: The New Jersey Assembly has approved first-in-the-nation legislation giving residents extra help qualifying for Medicaid under new work requirements. The bill, which passed on a broad bipartisan vote, appropriates $200,000 to agencies to help residents find volunteer and community service hours to meet the federal work requirements. (Pluribus News)
MORE: The New Jersey legislature has given final approval to legislation charging fees to companies that have at least 50 employees covered by Medicaid. The bill, signed Tuesday by Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D), will generate up to $145 million annually. A 2024 report found nearly 750 companies, nonprofits and government offices would be subject to the fine. (New Jersey Monitor)
CRYPTO: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed legislation allowing residents and businesses to use stablecoins to pay certain fees to the state Department of Financial Services. The pilot program will allow the department to issue refunds and hold reserves of stablecoins. (State Affairs)
ECONOMY: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) has unveiled proposed regulations to prevent health care providers and debt collectors from reporting medical debt to credit bureaus. A biennial state Health Insurance Survey found 13.5% of residents hnavefamily medical debt. (State Affairs)
VOTING: The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case testing whether Arizona can enforce a law requiring residents to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The case tests a 2022 law signed by then-Gov. Doug Ducey (R). The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that the law violated the Civil Rights Act and the 1993 Voter Registration Act. (AZ Mirror)
In Politics & Business
COLORADO: Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) won 55% of the vote in the Democratic primary for governor, beating out U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D), who had been the pre-race favorite. Weiser will face the winner of the Republican primary between state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer (R) and first-time candidate Victor Marx (R), in a race that remained too close to call. Kirkmeyer leads by fewer than 1,800 votes out of 461,000 cast. (Denver Post, Denver Post)
Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) won the Democratic nomination for attorney general with 46% of the vote, easily outpacing three rivals. (Colorado Sun) District Attorney Michael Allen (R) won the GOP nomination with 60% of the vote. (Colorado Public Radio)
IOWA: A New York Times/Siena College poll finds state Auditor Rob Sand (D) and businessman Zach Lahn (R) statistically tied in the race for governor, 48% to 47%. Just 42% say the U.S. is on the right track, and 43% say they approve of the job President Trump is doing, compared with 54% who disapprove. (New York Times)
OHIO: Another New York Times/Siena College poll finds former state health director Amy Acton (D) and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (R) tied at 47%. Trump’s favorable rating is identical to that in Iowa, 43%-54%, while only 40% think the U.S. is headed on the right track. (New York Times)
MAINE: Former state House Speaker Hannah Pingree (D) leads former State Department official Bobby Charles (R) 53% to 42% in the race for governor, according to a new Fox News poll. Pingree’s favorable ratings stand at 53%, while Charles’s stand at just 39%%. (Fox News)
This is the second poll in as many days that has showed Pingree romping while Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is effectively tied with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R). In the Fox News poll, 17% of Collins backers say they will vote for Pingree, compared with just 5% of Platner supporters who say they’ll back Charles.
CONNECTICUT: A new University of New Hampshire poll finds Gov. Ned Lamont (D) leading state Rep. Josh Elliott (D) 53% to 23% in the Democratic primary. In a general election matchup, Lamont leads state Sen. Ryan Fazio (R) 49% to 36%. (UNH)
By The Numbers
About $500 million: The amount of extra revenue New Mexico trust funds are taking in because of higher oil prices driven by the war with Iran. Every $1 increase in the average price of New Mexico oil nets the state an additional $57.3 million, according to the Legislative Finance Committee. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
53 million: The number of eggs three major egg producers will donate to food banks and nonprofit organizations nationwide under a settlement in an egg price-fixing investigation. The settlement with Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum and Hickman’s Egg Ranch requires the companies to end alleged price coordination and implement antitrust compliance measures. (Hawaii News Now)
Off The Wall
Washington Rep. Hunter Abell (R) has orchestrated the planting of a Black Gum tree from George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate on the Capitol campus in Olympia, deepening connections between the state and its namesake. A state horticulturalist said they chose the Black Gum tree because it’s native to an area with poor drainage — and the Capitol campus in Olympia is known for poor drainage. (Spokane Spokesman-Review)
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) visited a bakery in Mount Pleasant on Tuesday to celebrate Wisconsin Kringle Day. The event marked 13 years since Kringle became the official state pastry. (Wisconsin State Journal)
Quote of the Day
“Oops. I was duped. Sorry everyone.”
— Utah Sen. Todd Weiler (R), apologizing for sharing claims from celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary that China funded opponents of a proposed mega-data center in Box Elder County. O’Leary walked back those claims last week, and anchors on Fox News channels who amplified the claims apologized. (Salt Lake Tribune)