HAPPENING AT 1 P.M. ET TOMORROW: Join NCSL chief executive Tim Storey to preview next week’s annual Legislative Summit. Register right here.
Good morning, it’s Tuesday, July 30, 2024. In today’s edition, 2024 becomes the abortion election; Massachusetts considers safe injection sites; federal court strikes down Missouri lobbying ban:
Top Stories
ABORTION: A new law banning abortion after six weeks took effect in Iowa on Monday, the latest state to impose new restrictions on abortion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade two years ago. The law, and the debate around it, underscore just how much the politics of abortion has changed after half a century of virtual stasis.
Abortion rights opponents are cheering new restrictions on the books in red states. But some Republicans are wary of the political fallout; consider that the GOP platform no longer calls for a national abortion ban, after former President Donald Trump backed off what had been a core plank for decades.
On the other side, abortion rights backers have now qualified ballot measures in 10 states, including swing Arizona and Nevada, and even Florida. If there were ever a question about the core message Democrats will use in this year’s elections, they’re telegraphing their punches with three months to go.
HEALTH CARE: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed legislation Monday expanding insurance coverage during and after pregnancy. The law requires insurers to cover pregnancy and postpartum services, including midwife and doula visits. The goal is to lower infant and maternal mortality rates. (Capitol News Illinois)
PUBLIC HEALTH: The Massachusetts Senate will vote Tuesday on legislation allowing cities and towns to open supervised use sites for drug users. The safe consumption sites, or overdose prevention centers, are meant to cut down on the number of opioid-related overdoses. (Boston Globe)
LOBBYING: A federal appeals court has struck down a Missouri law that bars former lawmakers and legislative staff from working as lobbyists for two years after leaving office. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals said the ban violated the First Amendment. (Missouri Independent)
The vast majority of states have some form of prohibition on lobbying during short windows after legislative service, according to a 2019 report from Public Citizen.
In Politics & Business
VEEPSTAKES: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has publicly opted out of the chance to be Vice President Harris’s running mate, due in part to concerns that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) would serve as acting governor if Cooper left the state. Cooper and Harris served together as attorneys general of their states. (Associated Press)
FLORIDA: A survey from the University of North Florida found 69% of voters backing a proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee abortion rights, while 23% said they would vote against. A referendum to allow legal recreational marijuana has support from 64% of voters, the poll found. (Orlando Sentinel) Both measures need to clear 60% to pass, under Florida law.
NEW YORK CITY: Comptroller Brad Lander (D) will run for mayor in the 2025 Democratic primary, he said Tuesday. Lander is the third Democrat to launch a campaign against Mayor Eric Adams (D), along with former Comptroller Scott Stringer (D) and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D). (NY1)
MISSOURI: House Speaker Dean Plocher (R) is asking a Cole County judge to end a whistleblower lawsuit accusing him and his chief of staff of harassment and intimidation. Plocher’s attorney says he wasn’t in a position to take retaliatory action against his accuser, House Chief Clerk Dana Miller. (St. Louis Public Radio)
OHIO: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign submitted 13,000 voter signatures to make the ballot in Ohio. He needs 5,000 of those signatures to be valid to make the ballot. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
By The Numbers
$1,967,670: The amount Indiana state agencies spent to sponsor the State Fair between 2021 and 2023. Agencies see the fair as a way to reach the estimated 850,000 state residents who visit the fair every year. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
34: The age of Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D). If Vice President Harris chooses Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) as her running mate and Davis ascends to the governor’s office, he would be the youngest governor to lead a state since Harold Stassen (R) took office in Minnesota in 1939. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
Off The Wall
The American Association of State Troopers has picked the Florida Highway Patrol as the law enforcement agency with the coolest-looking patrol cars. Florida officials submitted a photo of a patrol car in front of a rocket launching from Cape Canaveral in April. (Florida Politics)
A black bear and her cub trapped inside a car in Winsted, Conn., are safe after law enforcement officers opened one of the car’s doors — but the car wasn’t so lucky. Officers said the car’s interior was completely torn apart. (Associated Press)
Quote of the Day
“Lo and behold, once they go through the cycle, they understand and they can touch, feel it, see it, know it, understand it, that we run a relay good, tight election here in Carson City.”
— Carson City, Nev., Clerk-Recorder Scott Hoen, who invites residents skeptical of the 2020 election results to serve as poll workers.(Stateline)