Good morning, it’s Tuesday, April 7, 2026. In today’s edition, lawmakers explore thermal energy networks; DeSantis signs domestic terror designation law; Wisconsin voters head to the polls in Supreme Court showdown:
Top Stories
ENERGY: Lawmakers in at least nine states are considering legislation to allow utilities to develop thermal energy networks, water-filled underground pipes that connect buildings in a neighborhood to move heat between them. Supporters say the networks can lead to lower energy costs and lower emissions, though they are more expensive than traditional HVAC systems. (Pluribus News)
PUBLIC SAFETY: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed legislation giving the Florida Department of Law Enforcement the authority to label a group a domestic or foreign terrorist organization. The Florida Cabinet, made up of the governor and three other statewide elected officials, would ratify or reject the decision. Labeling a group a terrorist organization would allow it to be dissolved. (Associated Press)
DeSantis labeled the Council on American-Islamic Relations as a foreign terrorist organization, a decision that has been blocked in federal court.
SOCIAL MEDIA: The Massachusetts House is teeing up a vote tomorrow on legislation prohibiting social media use for children under 14, requiring parental consent for kids between 14 and 15, and banning the use of cellphones in schools. The Senate passed the cellphone ban last year, setting up a likely conference committee on the social media elements of the bill. (State Affairs)
PRIVACY: The Maine Senate voted Monday to approve data privacy protections that would allow companies to collect and store only data necessary to provide good service. The bill would ban companies from collecting biometric data, and from advertising to children. The state House defeated the measure last week, but the Senate vote keeps the bill alive. (Portland Press Herald)
GAMBLING: Maine lawmakers have given final approval to legislation banning online sweepstakes games. The bill targets companies using a loophole to operate as unlicensed casinos. Montana was the first of seven states to ban online sweepstakes games last year; Maine would be the eighth to do so. (State Affairs)
PREDICTION MARKETS: A federal appeals court in Philadelphia ruled that New Jersey gaming regulators cannot block prediction market operator Kalshi from operating in the state. It’s the first federal court decision on prediction markets. The 2-1 decision ruled the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over sports event contracts. (State Affairs)
GUN POLITICS: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) has signed legislation expanding the state’s red flag law to allow more people to file extreme risk protection order requests. The new law expands red flag access to behavioral health co-responders, health care and educational institutions. (Denver Post)
In Politics & Business
WISCONSIN: Voters head to the polls today to pick a new state Supreme Court justice, a much quieter affair than last year’s record-breaking contest. Democrats and liberal groups have spent far more in support of candidate Chris Taylor than Republicans have on conservative contender Maria Lazar. Liberals hold a 4-3 majority on the court. A Taylor win would give them a 5-2 edge. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
MISSISSIPPI: Former House Speaker Philip Gunn (R) is expected to announce he will run for governor in 2027 during an April 14 event in his hometown of Clinton. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson (R) is the lone Republican in the race, but Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann (R), Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R), Auditor Shad White (R) and businessman Tommy Duff (R) are all said to be planning bids. (Supertalk)
NORTH DAKOTA: About a dozen incumbent Republican legislators will face intraparty challenges in the June 9 primary, according to campaign filings. Several of the challengers are aligned with former Rep. Rick Becker (R), who led the conservative faction known as the Bastiat Caucus while in office. (North Dakota Monitor)
LOUISIANA: State lawmakers are taking up a package of bills granting sales and property tax breaks to companies that build, launch and service rockets. The bills would also shield those companies from lawsuits and public records laws, in an apparent bid to win business from SpaceX. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
By The Numbers
2: The number of Kansas counties — Hodgeman and Wichita — that have zero practicing attorneys. Forty Kansas counties have less than one attorney per 1,000 residents. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) has signed legislation creating a program to train attorneys to practice in rural areas. (State Affairs)
$5.8 million: The amount prominent pharmacy benefit manager companies have spent on advertising against a Tennessee bill to change PBM rules. CVS has spent $4.1 million on ads so far, while two other coalition groups have spent another $1.7 million. (State Affairs)
1.15 million: The number of lawsuits Virginia hospitals filed against patients to collect $1.4 billion in medical debt between 2010 and 2024. More than 400,000 of those cases led to wage or bank account garnishments. (Virginia Public Media)
Off The Wall
More than 25,000 votes poured into a contest to name Colorado’s future Front Range passenger train. The winner: The Colorado Connector, or CoCo. CoCo barely beat Front Range Express Destinations, or FRED, in the public vote. (Colorado Public Radio)
Laurel Caverns, Pennsylvania’s 125th state park, opened Monday for the first time. It’s the first Pennsylvania state park to be located underground, offering access to the largest and deepest cave in the state. (State Affairs)
Passengers on an American Airlines flight out of Charlotte were delayed for about an hour as maintenance workers removed a swarm of bees from the plane’s turbine. The plane took off safely after workers rescued the apian stowaways. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“It’s more than a red flag. It’s a mushroom cloud.”
— Connecticut Rep. Tammy Nuccio (R), on a projected $180 million budget deficit in the current fiscal year. (Hartford Courant)