Good morning, it’s Monday, July 27, 2026. In today’s edition, welcome to NCSL; legal marijuana markets struggle; new poll shows tight Georgia governor’s race:
Top Stories
We’re at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Annual Legislative Summit in Chicago! Stop by our booth, or stop us in the halls if you are too. We previewed this year’s conference with NCSL chief executive Tim Storey last week: Watch our conversation right here.
MARIJUANA: Legal marijuana markets are struggling in an oversaturated, heavily regulated environment as businesses fail and tax collections fall. Experts watching the recreational market blame slowing consumption growth and plummeting prices. The total value of cannabis sold legally in the United States fell last year for the first time ever. (Pluribus News)
ENERGY: A growing number of governors are promoting nuclear development, announcing new funding to kickstart projects or joining other states to explore new technologies. New England governors committed to exploring advanced nuclear technologies, while Midwestern governors announced a similar coalition. Fourteen governors mentioned nuclear energy during State of the State addresses this year. (Pluribus News)
FEDERALISM: Trump administration officials acknowledged in court documents filed this month that they had terminated funding for some projects “based solely” on political criteria, targeting projects in states that had voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. The acknowledgment came in a lawsuit from California researchers challenging cancellations of Biden-era grants. (New York Times)
HEALTHCARE: Georgia lawmakers held their first study committee meeting last week on plans to rein in pharmacy benefit manager companies. The committee heard testimony from those seeking to restrict drug manufacturers from requiring personal data in order for safety-net hospitals to receive 340B drug discounts. (State Affairs)
PUBLIC SAFETY: Members of the conservative Freedom Caucus in West Virginia are planing to introduce legislation banning automatic license plate readers. The bill would prohibit warrantless real-time surveillance technologies including facial recognition systems and drone surveillance. (WV Metro News)
SNAP: Alabama officials have asked the federal government to delay the implementation of SNAP benefit changes for two more years in the face of rising costs. Alabama’s SNAP error rate of 9.5% would cost the state $174 million under the Republican reconciliation bill, which requires states with high error rates to pay additional administrative costs and bear higher shares of the program. (Alabama Reflector)
HOUSING: Massachusetts senators approved a sweeping economic development package that includes allowing duplexes on all residentially zoned lots, subject to local limits. The package also bans the operation of cryptocurrency kiosks and imposes a 110% cap on the price of event tickets on the resale market. (State Affairs)
In Politics & Business
2028: The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee has adopted a plan that would see South Carolina hold the first-in-the-nation primary in the 2028 presidential nominating contest. Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia would follow, one week after the next, until Super Tuesday. The full DNC must still ratify the plan. (The State)
GEORGIA: A new AARP poll conducted by Republican pollster Fabrizio Ward and Democratic pollster Impact Research finds former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) statistically tied with businessman Rick Jackson (R) in the race for governor, 48% to 46%. The poll found rising prices and affordability are voters’ top issues. (AARP)
KANSAS: Voters head to the polls on Aug. 4 for a primary election that includes a ballot measure seeking the direct election of Supreme Court justices. Democratic governors have filled nine of the last 11 Supreme Court vacancies in a merit-based system that has stood since 1958. (State Affairs)
MICHIGAN: A measure seeking to ban large companies with government contracts from making political contributions will advance to November’s ballot, after the state Board of Canvassers voted to certify its signatures. The measure also bans contributions from those with “substantial” connections to utilities and contractors with government deals. (Detroit Free Press)
CRIME BLOTTER: Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke (D) and ex-Rep. Ryan Yamane (D) have been indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges in a scandal that has already landed two former lawmakers in jail. Luke allegedly accepted $35,000 from a businessman seeking a Covid testing contract. (Civil Beat)
We wrote about Hawaii’s $35,000 bandit back in February.
By The Numbers
$266 million: The estimated cost of Colorado’s response to four major wildfires this summer. The fires killed four responders and destroyed hundreds of homes. (Colorado Sun)
37%: The decline in Utah’s fertility rate between 2007 and today, the largest decrease of any state. Long the state with the nation’s highest fertility rate, Utah now ranks sixth. (New York Times)
Off The Wall
The Ohio Department of Transportation came to the rescue after an overturned truck lost its load of pickles on State Route 316 in Pickaway County. The driver was uninjured, but transportation officials said the pickles were “speared.” (UPI)
That’s kind of a big dill. Okay, we’ll show ourselves out.
A Jonesboro, Ark., man dressed as Spider-Man came to the rescue of a man using a wheelchair to get across six lanes of traffic. Spider-Man, dressed up for an event at a local trampoline park, got the wheelchair to safety before the lights changed. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“You don’t want to be legislating in a bubble. You want to understand the context, and context matters.”
— Hawaii Sen. Troy Hashimoto (D), on the benefits of attending NCSL. (Hawaii News Now) We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.