NC: Medicaid expansion deal reached between North Carolina House and Senate
The North Carolina House and Senate have agreed to pass Medicaid expansion, reaching a breakthrough after years of debate. The change would provide health insurance coverage to hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians.
TN: Tennessee governor signs ban on gender-affirming care for minors, drag restrictions into law
Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a total ban on gender-affirming health care for transgender children, despite calls for him to veto the bill and threats of incoming litigation. Lee also signed off on a new law to prohibit “adult-oriented” entertainment, including “male and female impersonators,” from public property and limit it to age-restricted venues.
NV: Nevada OKs M in Tesla tax breaks
Tesla is set to receive million in tax abatements over the next 20 years after members of a Nevada state workforce development board approved the electric carmaker’s proposal.
AR: Arkansas governor plans to sign bill to remove work permit requirement for children under 16
Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders plans to sign a bill that would remove the requirement for children under 16 to prove their age to get a job. Some Republicans and Democrats in both chambers expressed concerns about potential harm to children under the proposed law.
UT: Effort to change Utah’s state flag narrowly passes legislature after hours of debate
The bill to change Utah’s state flag squeaked by on the House floor on a razor-thin vote, thus ending debate on the surprising controversy that engulfed the legislature since the start of the 2023 session. The bill now heads to GOP Gov. Spencer Cox for his signature or veto.
NE: Nebraska concealed carry bill delayed by filibuster
The Nebraska legislature slogged through a filibuster on a bill that would allow the concealed carrying of handguns without permits or safety training. Police chiefs in Omaha and Lincoln oppose the bill.
KY: Kentucky House passes limit on gender-affirming care for minors
The vast majority of Kentucky’s House of Representatives voted yes on a measure that would essentially ban gender-affirming care for Kentucky minors, including surgery and puberty blockers.
ID: Idaho is a surrogacy hub. A bill would set best practices for the first time.
A bill headed for the floor of the Idaho House would be the first state law to specifically address surrogacy — a thriving industry in the state in which women act as gestational carriers for parents who cannot have a baby on their own.
NY: New York union leaders warn of mass exodus of state workers
Leaders of one of the New York’s largest unions representing public sector employees warned of an impending mass exodus of workers to other states or the private sector if the state does not ramp up investments in workforce retention efforts — including allowing greater teleworking flexibility.
MS: Mississippi Democratic Party largely silent on new law banning medical care for trans youth
While most Missouri Democratic lawmakers voted against it, and interest groups have condemned it, the state Democratic Party has been silent. Nor has the Democratic candidate for governor, Brandon Presley, said anything since his opponent, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, signed the bill into law.
GA: Georgia House approves bill building on 2022 mental health overhaul
The Georgia House overwhelmingly passed a bill that aims to build upon landmark mental health legislation that became law last year. This year’s bill focuses on addressing a shortage of mental health providers and streamlining the way agencies share information about patients.
TX: Texas A&M University System bans diversity statements from job applications
The chancellor of the Texas A&M University System has directed leaders of its 11 universities and eight agencies to stop asking job candidates for statements about their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in their applications. Last month, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s office sent a letter to public universities and state agencies saying that DEI hiring practices violated federal and state employment laws and barring them from hiring on factors “other than merit.”
DC: Biden says he would sign GOP-led resolution blocking District of Columbia crime bill
President Joe Biden said he will sign a GOP-led resolution to block the District of Columbia’s major revision of criminal sentencing laws in the nation’s capital should that measure pass Congress, a remarkable moment for a city that has gone full throttle on pushing Democrats to unite behind D.C. statehood in recent years.
CT: Labor advocates ask Connecticut to regulate Amazon warehouse quotas
Connecticut legislation aimed at regulating Amazon’s use of quotas and biometric surveillance to keep warehouse workers “on task” drew dramatic testimony from labor and silence from Amazon. Testifying anonymously by video, one worker described working for “the app,” an Amazon program that clocks them into highly automated warehouses, monitors the speed of their work, clocks them out and, on occasion, fires them.
MO: Missouri Senate passes postpartum Medicaid bill with ‘poison pill’ amendment
The language in question appears twice in the Missouri Senate bill: “No woman who knowingly receives services that are in violation of state law shall be eligible for benefits under this subdivision.” That wording, added as an amendment during committee, prompted senators to warn that it would exclude women who get elective abortions from the postpartum coverage.
SD: Law will expand out-of-state job licenses accepted in South Dakota
The new law recognizes out-of-state licenses for multiple professions in South Dakota. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, after signing the bill into law, said it will make 900 job openings easier to fill.
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