Welcome to States of Play
California’s new guarantee of time off from work following a miscarriage or other reproductive loss is part of a nascent movement to ensure leave for grieving and recovering would-be parents. Meanwhile, California’s decades-old ban on assault weapons has been struck down by a federal judge amid another challenge from gun rights groups.
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LABOR & EMPLOYMENT
California‘s new guarantee of time off from work following a miscarriage or other reproductive loss—including failed adoptions, surrogacies, or in-vitro fertilizations—came after Illinois enacted a similar measure last year. Utah and a handful of major cities around the country have established similar time-off policies for state or local government employees. California’s move is seen as likely to raise the issue’s profile and make it more likely that similar laws will spread in other states. (Bloomberg Government)
An effort to raise Michigan‘s minimum wage to $15 an hour could land in court after a petition was found to have been drafted such that it could lower the wage for many workers. The state’s elections panel deadlocked along party lines on whether to send the petition to the Democratically-controlled legislature. (Detroit Free Press)
GUN CONTROL
California‘s assault weapon ban was struck down by a federal judge for a second time, with the court granting gun organizations a permanent injunction against enforcing the law. Attorney General Robert Bonta (D) said the state is asking the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to weigh in on the case. (Bloomberg Government)
HEALTH CARE
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed legislation seeking to duplicate the Affordable Care Act and make it part of state law, a move Whitmer said is necessary to make sure benefits aren’t lost due to future US Supreme Court rulings. (Associated Press)
EDUCATION
Texas House Republicans are considering a new school voucher program that would give parents about $4,600 to spend on private school tuition and fees while at the same time boosting funding for public education. The recently-approved Senate version of the plan would give families $8,000 for private education. (Dallas Morning News)
IMMIGRATION
Illinois and other states struggling with an influx of migrants could receive a share of the $106 billion supplemental spending request the White House sent to Congress today. Included is $1.4 billion for state and local governments to help them with shelter and services for migrants. The request came only days after Illinois officials traveled to Texas migrant camps and called for the federal government to declare Chicago, where 18,500 migrants are housed, a disaster zone. (New York Post)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is expected to include proposals addressing the future of artificial intelligence in her January State of the State address, including plans to regulate the developing technology and expected impacts on the workforce. (State of Politics)
ABORTION
The Michigan Senate voted to repeal several abortion restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period for abortions and strict facility regulations for abortion clinics. But the legislation faces a potential roadblock in the House, where at least one Democrat supports the 24-waiting period. (Bridge MI)
ELECTION LAW
Wisconsin lawmakers at odds with each other over everything from taxes to social policy have found one potential area of bipartisan agreement: a bill giving residents voting by absentee ballot the ability to receive text messages updating them on the status of their votes. (Capital Times)
Several Republican governors pulled their states out of the bipartisan, cross-state partnership to monitor voting activity known as the Electronic Registration Information Center. Organizations on the right are now scrambling to essentially recreate what the system produced. (NPR)
BUDGET
New budget forecasts predict Louisiana lawmakers will have some $330 million in surplus tax collections to spend next year. But the state is facing a large budget hole starting in 2025 as certain sales taxes sunset. (Nola.com)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) administration dissolved a state task force created to find solutions to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. (Santa Fe Reporter)
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Illinois lawmakers have continued to accept campaign contributions from the red-light camera industry to detect automobile speeders, despite a new state law banning donations from the industry. (Chicago Sun-Times)