This Week in the States

For the Week of April 22, 2024

View our legislative session calendar here .

In session or committee meetings: Blue
Upcoming or in special session: Red
Adjourned or in recess: Grey

Also meeting: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, PUERTO RICO, GUAM, NORTH MARIANA ISLANDS and UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS.

NORTH CAROLINA

Convenes April 24

TENNESSEE

Adjourns April 25

Issue Spotlight: Sports Betting

Following the 2018 Supreme Court decision to repeal the federal ban on sports betting, 38 states, including DC and Puerto Rico have legalized this gaming style in some way. Regulations for sports betting differ per state, with legislatures opting for various restrictions on which venues and platforms sports betting may take place. These choices include online, retail, Tribal Gaming compacts, state or city-run gaming platforms, and lottery terminals. Of the 12 states that have yet to legalize sports betting in any capacity, 7 at one point had active sports betting legislation during the 2024 session.

In recent weeks, several pieces of sports betting legislation have hit roadblocks. Georgia lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on how to allocate revenue generated from sports betting legislation in SB 386. Legalization in Alabama is also in jeopardy after the Senate gutted constitutional amendments HB 151 and HB 152 of all sports betting provisions. The bills are currently being worked on in a conference committee, where lawmakers will determine if sports betting will be included in the bill's final version. The Alabama legislature only has a few days left in session to pass the bill,

Mississippi’s bill to legalize online sports betting HB 774 was also sent to a conference committee on April 15, after a Senate strike-all amendment removed its sports betting provisions, but crucially kept the bill alive and eligible for further debate in the conference committee. The legislature will have until May 5 to release and pass the finalized text in both chambers.

For updates on these bill hearings or any questions on Stateside’s coverage of sports betting-related legislation, please contact Sophia Russinoff .

STATE AND LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

STATE AND LOCAL LEGISLATURES MEETING THIS WEEK:

ALASKA

The House Labor and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on April 22 regarding HB 375. This measure establishes that a state agency or political subdivision may not restrict the use or sale of a motor vehicle based on the energy source used by the motor vehicle. This measure may not be construed to prohibit the regulation of motor vehicle emissions, including greenhouse gas emissions. Energy source means a source, including gasoline, diesel fuel, electricity, hydrogen, solar power, or a combination of sources, used to provide power to a motor vehicle for propulsion purposes or other functions of the motor vehicle.

Contact: Maxwell Klein

The Senate State Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on April 23 regarding the following. For more information on these measures, contact Alexander Aceto.

SB 177: This measure requires state agencies in Alaska to conduct regular inventories and impact assessments of systems employing artificial intelligence (AI) for consequential decisions, ensuring these systems are managed responsibly and transparently.
SB 262: This measure establishes a State Artificial Intelligence Task Force within the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. This task force must investigate artificial intelligence (AI) and make recommendations aimed at fostering responsible growth in the state's emerging technology markets, integrating AI into state government operations, and developing regulations for AI use.

The House Finance Committee will hold a hearing on April 26 regarding HB 174. This measure prohibits a fiduciary of a state fund from taking an action involving investment to further a social, political, or ideological interest.

Contact: Matthew Wallack

CALIFORNIA

The Assembly Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on April 22 regarding the following:

AB 2815: This measure would require the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to provide, on or before January 1, 2026, funding for repairs or replacement of nonoperational electric vehicle charging stations through a new or existing program under this measure. Funding shall be limited to owners and operators of an electric vehicle charging station that is five years old, that was installed before January 1, 2024, and that is located in a publicly available parking space.
Contact: Maxwell Klein
AB 2762: The measure states a beverage manufacturer, with annual gross sales of $1,000,000 or more, that sells, offers for sale, or distributes a beverage in the state that is bottled in the state shall ensure that the percentage of the volume of beverages it bottles and sells in the state is bottled in reusable beverage containers at the following rates: (1) no less than 5 percent by January 1, 2031, (2) no less than 10 percent by January 1, 2033 and (3) no less than 25 percent by January 1, 2035.
Contact: Stephanie Obieroma

The Assembly Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on April 22 regarding AB 2427. This measure requires the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to develop a model permitting checklist, model zoning ordinances, and best practices for permit costs and permit review timelines to help local governments permit curbside charging stations as part of the office’s development of the Electric Vehicle Charging Station Permitting Guidebook or any subsequent updates.

Contact: Maxwell Klein

The Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee will hold a hearing on April 22 regarding SB 934. This measure requires the California Transportation Commission and State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to convene an interagency Zero-Emissions Freight Central Delivery Team (Team) for statewide emissions freight infrastructure planning and implementation.

Contact: Maxwell Klein

The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing on April 22 regarding SB 1280. This measure states on and after January 1, 2028, the measure prohibits the sale of single-use propane cylinders. Under this measure, only propane cylinders that are reusable or refillable could be sold. Propane cylinders for use in the construction industry that contain less than 15 ounces of fuel, cylinders with a height-to-width ratio of 3.55 to 1 or greater, and cylinders offered to state or local governments through federal programs would not be covered by this measure.

Contact: Stephanie Obieroma

The Senate Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on April 23 regarding the following. For more information on these measures, contact Maxwell Klein.

SB 1418: This measure requires every city, county, or city and county to adopt an ordinance that creates an expedited, streamlined permitting process for hydrogen-fueling stations.
SB 983: This measure would require the commission to form the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Taskforce to conduct a study on retail gasoline fueling stations and alternative fuels infrastructure, as provided. This measure would require the task force, on or before January 1, 2027, to submit to the Legislature a report on the study with recommendations.

The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee will hold a hearing on April 23 regarding the following. For more information on these measures, contact Alexander Aceto.

AB 2877: This measure prohibits a developer from using the sensitive personal information of a natural person under 18 years of age to train an artificial intelligence system or service and would require the California Privacy Protection Agency to enforce those provisions.
AB 3204: This measure requires data digesters to register with the agency, pay a registration fee, and provide specified information, prescribe penalties for a failure to register as required by these provisions, and require the agency to create a page on its internet website where this registration information is accessible to the public.
AB 2355: This measure requires a person, committee, or other entity that creates, originally publishes, or originally distributes a qualified political advertisement to include in the advertisement a specified disclosure that the advertisement was generated or substantially altered, using artificial intelligence.
AB 2602: This measure provides that a provision in an agreement between an individual and any other person for the performance of personal or professional services is unenforceable only as it relates to a new performance by a digital replica of the individual if the provision meets specified conditions relating to the use of a digital replica of the voice or likeness of an individual in place of the work of the individual.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on April 23 regarding AB 3211. This measure establishes the California Provenance, Authenticity and Watermarking Standards Act, and beginning February 1, 2025, requires a generative artificial intelligence (AI) provider to, among other things, place imperceptible and maximally indelible watermarks containing provenance data into synthetic content produced or significantly modified by a generative AI system that the provider makes available.

Contact: Alexander Aceto

The Senate Governmental Organization Committee will hold a hearing on April 23 regarding SB 1047. This measure establishes the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act to authorize a developer of a covered model to determine whether a covered model qualifies for a limited duty exemption before initiating training of that covered model.

Contact: Alexander Aceto

The Senate Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on April 23 regarding SB 1012. This measure legalizes the use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes.

Contact: Matthew Lidz

The Senate Health Committee will hold a hearing on April 24 regarding the following:

SB 966: This measure requires PBMs to apply for and obtain a license from the CA State Board of Pharmacy.
Contact: Matthew Lidz
SB 1147: This measure requires, upon adoption by the State Water Resources Control Board of a primary drinking water standard for microplastics, any water-bottling plant that produces bottled water that is sold in this state to provide the State Department of Public Health’s Food and Drug Branch an annual report on the levels of microplastics found in the source water used for bottling and in the final bottled water product that is offered for sale.
Contact: Toni McMillian

The Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee will hold a hearing on April 24 regarding AB 2697. This measure requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to develop network roaming requirements for electric vehicle chargers and charging station networks by January 1, 2026, applying to the charging network of charging network providers that received an incentive from a state agency or through a charge on ratepayers, as specified.

Contact: Maxwell Klein

The Assembly Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing on April 24 regarding the following:

AB 2678: This measure proposes to extend existing state law that allows qualified alternative fuel, plug-in electric, and hybrid vehicles to use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes regardless of occupancy. Electric vehicles may be issued decals or other identifiers and must display an identifier to use HOV lanes.
Contact: Maxwell Klein
AB 1915: This measure requires any school district, county office of education, or charter school that chooses to make opioid antagonists available on campus to ensure that they are placed in an appropriate location that is widely known and easily accessible during and after school hours.
Contact: Matthew Lidz

The Senate Education Committee will hold a hearing on April 24 regarding SB 1235. This measure requires an unspecified public institution of higher education to establish the Artificial Intelligence and Deepfake Working Group to evaluate and advise the Legislature and the public on the relevant issues and impacts of artificial intelligence and deepfakes, as provided.

Contact: Alexander Aceto

COLORADO

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hold a hearing on April 24 regarding HB 1010. This measure bans insurers and PBMs from covering enrollees with chronic complex, rare, or life-threatening medical conditions from:

Requiring provider-administered drugs to be dispensed only by specific network pharmacies.
If the drug is otherwise covered, limiting or excluding coverage based on the enrollee's participating provider choice.
Requiring participating providers to bill for or receive reimbursement for the delivery and administration of provider-administered drugs without informed written consent and a written attestation that the delay in the drug's administration will not increase the enrollee's health risk.
Requiring the enrollee to pay additional fees, copays, or cost-sharing for a provider-administered drug, solely because of their choice of pharmacy.

Contact: Matthew Lidz

CONNECTICUT

The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on April 22 regarding HB 5450. This measure prohibits a person from distributing or entering into any agreement to distribute, a communication containing any image, audio, or video of an individual during the ninety days preceding any election or primary if:

Such person knows or should reasonably know that such image, audio, or video is deceptive synthetic media;
The communication containing such deceptive synthetic media is distributed without the consent of such individuals; and
Such distribution is intended to injure a candidate or influence the result of such election or primary.

Contact: Alexander Aceto

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold an executive session on April 22 regarding SB 2. This measure establishes requirements and standards for developers and deployers of certain artificial intelligence systems.

Contact: Alexander Aceto

The House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on April 25 regarding SB 560. This measure creates a study committee to examine PBM's impact on prescription drug cost, administration, and distribution.

Contact: Matthew Lidz

DELAWARE

The Senate Environment, Energy & Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on April 24 regarding SB 263. This measure states no beverage may be sold or offered for sale in this State in a beverage container that is in containers packaged with or connected to other beverages with any plastic ring connectors, including plastic rings, plastic tops, or plastic shrink wraps, is not recyclable or refillable or packaged with or connected to other beverages using rings or ring-like designs, regardless of material.

Contact: Stephanie Obieroma

MASSACHUSETTS

The Boston Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure (BERDO) Review Board will meet on April 22 to discuss the Equitable Emissions Investment Fund. The new investment fund collects all alternative compliance payments and penalties made to BERDO and invests them in local building carbon abatement projects that support environmental action while directing funds toward environmental justice communities. The Review Board is charged with ensuring projects funded by the fund directly benefit the communities that disproportionately bear the burden of climate change.

Contact: Stephanie Rojo

MISSOURI

The Trenton City Council will meet on April 22 to consider City Code amendments pertaining to small cell wireless facilities in the right-of-way.

Contact: Stephanie Rojo

NEW HAMPSHIRE

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on April 23 regarding HB 1649. This measure states that beginning on January 1, 2027, the following PFAS-added consumer products are prohibited from being offered for final sale or use or distributed for promotional purposes in the state: (1) Carpets or rugs, (2) cosmetics, (3) textile treatments, (4) feminine hygiene products, (5) food packaging and containers, (6) juvenile products, (7) personal protective equipment, (8) upholstered furniture and (9) textile furnishings.

Contact: Stephanie Obieroma

The Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on April 23 regarding HB 1596. This measure requires the disclosure of deceptive synthetic media and deceptive and fraudulent deep fake usage in political advertising.

Contact: Alexander Aceto

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hold a hearing on April 24 regarding HB 1365. This measure clarifies that existing statutes authorizing pharmacists to substitute biological products include all biological products listed by the FDA as interchangeable to the referenced biological product are themselves interchangeable with each other. This measure also requires pharmacists to notify the prescriber when they dispense the interchangeable biological product for the prescribed biological product.

Contact: Matthew Lidz

NEW YORK

The Ithaca Planning and Development Board will meet on April 23 to provide its recommendations to the Common Council regarding the proposed short-term rental ordinance

Contact: Stephanie Rojo

OREGON

The Portland City Council will meet on April 24 to consider an emergency ordinance authorizing development owners to change their inclusionary housing compliance after issuance of their building permit to qualify for an expanded property tax exemption under the Multiple-Unit Limited Tax Exemption Program.

Contact: Stephanie Rojo