Who Said That
Kris Johnson, president of the Association of Washington Business. As head of the state chamber of commerce, Johnson wrote an editorial calling on Gov. Bob Ferguson to veto portions of the state budget, notably increases in business taxes, including imposition of sales taxes on services such as advertising. (Kitsap Sun)
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. The Texas Republican has unveiled a plan that would create a $1,000 investment account for every American newborn, to which families could add up to $5,000 per year. Cruz said this will help individuals get in the investing habit. He said the idea is supported by President Donald Trump. A pilot version is included in the larger tax bill currently moving through Congress. (Dallas Morning News)
David Wecht, a justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The court heard a case challenging the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The lawsuit turns on the question of whether the program is strictly a policy tool to control air pollution or an illegal tax on electricity generators who release carbon dioxide. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
Colorado state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat. She spoke at a signing ceremony for the state-level Voting Rights Act, which will prohibit election practices limiting participation of people of color and other protected groups. Gonzalez decried erosion of 1960s-era voting rights under federal law by courts and political action, saying that state lawmakers were determined to preserve protections in Colorado. (Colorado Newsline)
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. On Sunday, Rollins announced the U.S. is halting shipments of live cattle, bison and horses through the southern border with Mexico, to be reviewed on a month-to-month basis. The concern is the prevalence of the New World Screwworm, a flesh-eating maggot that has been detected on Mexican farms 700 miles from the border. (X)
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez. Gov. Ron DeSantis opposes a sales-tax proposal in the Legislature, saying it will make it impossible to pass a property tax cut that he favors. Perez says the state can afford to cut both sales and property taxes and accuses the governor of sitting on the sidelines and failing to introduce a concrete plan to reduce property taxes. (Miami Herald)
Bishop Sally French of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey. The town council of Toms River, N.J., voted to take over land belonging to Christ Episcopal Church if it refused to sell a homeless shelter, using the power of eminent domain to turn the land into a recreational center. (New Jersey News 12)
Cindy O’Laughlin, president pro tem of the Missouri Senate. She took exception to a speech made on the Senate floor by Lt. Gov. David Wasinger, who said he intended to play a more active role in chamber proceedings. O’Laughlin says the lieutenant governor does not have that kind of authority and in fact does not have the privilege even of addressing the body. (Missouri Independent)
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul explaining why she’s tapping into the state’s rainy day fund to pay down the unemployment insurance debt. Hochul announced the state would pay off more than $6 billion in unemployment debt, mostly run up during the pandemic, rather than continuing to pay only interest on it. (Spectrum News)
Jason Shepherd, a former Republican Party chair in Cobb County, Ga. He was responding to the news that Gov. Brian Kemp had decided not to run against Democrat Jon Ossoff in next year’s Senate election. Kemp was seen as the strongest possible contender to defeat Ossoff and expand the GOP’s Senate majority next year. (Politico)
Monmouth University polling director Patrick Murray. As yet, no one in a crowded New Jersey field is running away with the race for the Democratic nomination for governor. At this point, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill is a “distant second” to undecided, Murray said, with several other contenders bunched up just behind her. The primary will be held on June 10. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
California state Sen. David Cortese. He’s among more than 20 Democratic lawmakers in 17 states who introduced bills this week to provide guaranteed incomes to some residents, in his case $1,000 per month to homeless youth. Dozens of cities and counties have experimented with cash income programs in recent years and advocates say states will be the next frontier. (Stateline)
Los Angeles resident Media Moussavy. Moussavy has been taking videos of trees that have been chopped down in his neighborhood and posting them to Instagram. A man named Samuel Patrick Groft has been arrested for chopping down trees in three L.A. neighborhoods, which police said would cost at least $347,000 to replace. (NPR)
Illinois state Sen. Craig Wilcox, a Republican. Wilcox complained that Chicago, which is running a budget shortfall topping $1 billion, should not be coming to the state for further financial aid but instead should be getting its own house in order. (The Center Square)
An anonymous attorney who worked for the voting rights section at the Department of Justice. The department has removed all of the section’s career managers and ordered attorneys to dismiss all active cases. (The Guardian)
State Sen. Jason Pizzo. Prior to making that statement, Pizzo was the Democratic leader in the Florida Senate, but he has switched his affiliation to independent (known in Florida as no party affiliation). Pizzo said that the party can be resuscitated but said that other Democrats don’t believe he’s the right person for that job. (Politico)
Jihun Han, chief of staff for the federal Department of Labor. Han sent a memo to all department staff warning that they may face criminal charges if they speak to journalists, former employees or others about department business. The memo warns that employees who “engage in unauthorized communications with the media may face serious legal consequences,” including criminal charges. (ProPublica)
Jason Mercier, vice president and director of research at the Mountain States Policy Center, a think tank. After midnight on Tuesday, the Washington House passed three measures that would raise taxes on properties, electric vehicles and businesses. The state faces a $16 billion budget shortfall but legislators and Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson have yet to agree on the size and scope of any tax increases. (The Center Square)
Iowa Republican state Rep. John Wills. He was floor manager for a bill that passed the House on Monday that would legalize psilocybin, or magic mushrooms, for medical purposes. Although he has no personal interest in the drug, Wills said he’s learned that it can be effective for treating individuals prone to post-traumatic stress disorder, including veterans. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
California state Sen. Scott Wiener. Wiener, a Democrat, said that one of the lessons of last year’s elections is that Democrats have to demonstrate effectiveness rather than constantly worrying about process. As a case in point, he’s looking to amend a law that has blocked a good deal of housing construction in the state. (Bay Area News Group)
Missouri state Sen. Rick Brattin. The Republican was speaking in favor of a measure that would overturn a ballot initiative approved by voters to create a paid sick leave mandate. The measure passed with 57 percent support, but Brattin said “the problem with direct democracy” is that most voters don’t run small businesses so don’t understand how the mandate would hurt employers. (Missouri Independent)
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, referring to Andrew Cuomo. De Blasio was once an aide to Cuomo but the two Democrats feuded openly while de Blasio was mayor and Cuomo was governor of New York. Cuomo is leading in the polls in this year’s race for mayor, ahead of the June Democratic primary. (NY1)
Andrea Jakious, a teacher at Seven Oaks Elementary School in Eagle, Idaho. Idaho’s West Ada School District has been mired in controversy in recent weeks for firing a teacher who displayed a sign that said, “everyone is welcome here.” The district claimed it was contentious because it displayed hands with different skin tones. At its first public meeting since the controversy broke out, the school board heard plenty of complaints, but members said they were trying to keep politics out of classrooms. (Idaho Statesman)
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry. Speaking to legislators, the Republican was referring to both trial attorneys and the insurance industry. Dealing with insurance and finding ways to bring down premium prices will be a key concern during this year’s legislative session, which began Monday. (Louisiana Illuminator)
Doug Ruch. Having been diagnosed with terminal cancer in January, he decided he wanted to spend as much of his remaining time as possible volunteering in all 50 states. He has worked in nearly a dozen states so far, volunteering at food banks, senior centers and other charitable organizations. (Washington Post)
Colorado state Sen. Tom Sullivan. The Democrat’s bill to ban rapid-fire conversion devices such as bump stocks was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis last week. Sullivan’s son was killed in a theater shooting in Aurora in 2012. The bill initially would have banned most sales of semiautomatic rifles that take detachable magazines but was amended to allow sales to buyers who take safety courses. (The Center Square)
Alisa Kaplan, executive director of Reform for Illinois, referring to a state law that allows politicians to circumvent limits on campaign donations. The state caps donations but lifts those caps when self-funded candidates give themselves $100,000, or $250,000 for statewide races. Some leaders will reach those self-funding limits even when they have no opponent, allowing them to raise millions to support other candidates. (Chicago Tribune)
Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, referring to felony charges against Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson. Fernandes Anderson agreed to plead guilty to two of the six federal corruption charges against her. She also agreed to resign her seat on the City Council. A formerly undocumented immigrant, she is now a citizen but her plea deal states that her conviction could lead to her deportation. (Boston Herald)
California state Sen. Scott Wiener. The Democrat’s AI safety bill was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year but he said he’s fine with using AI at the state’s sole nuclear power plant. Currently, AI is being used there only to scan millions of pages of federal regulations and compliance documents. But Wiener is concerned about the possible growing use of AI in such a sensitive facility.
David Fleming, chair of the advisory committee to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twenty percent of the personnel at CDC are being let go. Fleming suggests the fallout could be larger than that number suggests because among those being let go are a disproportionate number of leaders. Some programs are being wiped out entirely. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
