Porn site age-check bill gains steam in California

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California could become one of the first Democratic-led states to enact an age-verification law to view porn sites. And anti-abortion states are experimenting with a variety of measures to deter abortion seekers from traveling to states where the procedure is legal. Keep reading for more on the policies shaping the nation.

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PRIVACY

A bill advancing in California that aims to protect youth from online pornography takes a page from laws enacted in more than a dozen Republican-led states. Legislation that would require porn sites to verify that their users are adults was approved by two Assembly committees in unanimous votes in April and could soon be put to a floor vote.

If the push is successful, California would join 17 other states — nearly all of them with GOP-controlled legislatures — that have enacted age-check laws, according to the Free Speech Coalition, the adult industry’s trade group. (Bloomberg Government)

A coalition of sex-related businesses is suing to block Montana from enforcing its age-verification law for porn sites. (Bloomberg Government)

HEALTH

Idaho has enacted a law that bans people from helping minors travel to other states to obtain abortions without parental consent. A similar measure in Tennessee awaits Gov. Bill Lee’s (R) signature.

Meanwhile, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) has threatened to use the state’s criminal conspiracy law to prosecute women who want to receive abortions outside the state, along with those who help them. Anti-abortion states are pursuing these varying approaches amid doubts that an outright abortion travel ban would survive court challenges. (Bloomberg Government)

Louisiana lawmakers gave final approval to a bill that would restrict employment noncompete agreements for doctors. (Advocate)

• Louisiana is one of a number of states where lawmakers are looking to ban noncompetes in the health sector amid concerns that the Federal Trade Commission’s push to ban the agreements nationwide will be stuck down in court. (Bloomberg Government)

TAX

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a bill that overhauls the state’s system for corporate tax reporting. The measure requires companies to include all affiliates in a combined group’s return, and expands the state earned income tax credit starting in 2026 if revenue targets are met. (Bloomberg Government)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Tennessee‘s Lee signed legislation to make child rape punishable by death, a move that puts the state at odds with the US Supreme Court, which has banned capital punishment for such convictions. (Associated Press)

A North Carolina Senate committee advanced a bill that would repeal the health and safety exception to the state’s longstanding ban on wearing masks in public. The bill is meant to address people who wear masks to hide their identities for nefarious purposes. (News & Observer)

FOSTER CARE

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) signed a bill making her state the first to create a new foster care option that allows minors at least 16 years old to choose a permanent legal custodian while also maintaining ties to their birth family. (Topeka Capital-Journal)

ADDICTION

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said the state will make $3.3 billion in funding to build behavioral treatment centers ahead of schedule. Counties and private developers can start submitting applications in July. (Associated Press)

LABOR

Out-of-state remote employees of New Jersey companies can sue their employers for bias regardless of where they live under the state’s expansive anti-discrimination workplace law, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin (D) said in new guidance. (Bloomberg Government)

EDUCATION

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) is set to sign legislation that would require K-12 school districts to develop a policy to limit cellphone use in the classroom. (Columbus Dispatch)

CANNABIS

Also in Ohio, a joint legislative committee advanced rules on dual licenses for medical cannabis dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana. The panel’s approval means recreational sales can start as soon as next month. (Statehouse News Bureau)

Meanwhile in Louisiana, a House panel advanced a measure that would ban the manufacture and sell of any product that contains THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, unless it is licensed for medical use. (Louisiana Illuminator)

SOCIAL MEDIA

A bill being considered in Rhode Island would require parents of influencers who are minors to share their earnings with their children. The measure is modeled after a 2023 Illinois law, and similar bills have been introduced in Washington and Maryland. (Providence Journal)