Roundup: School vouchers gain momentum, the most important governor’s race in 2024, and breaking up with spring break

It’s Saturday, March 9, and we’d like to welcome you to the weekly State and Local Roundup. We'll start with the growing movement among conservative state legislatures to launch new school voucher programs, initiatives that often come with fewer restrictions and more benefits than in years past.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who tried but failed to pass a school voucher program last year, claimed victory Tuesday after successfully campaigning against several lawmakers who opposed his efforts. The third-term Republican governor knocked off nine House Republican legislators in this week’s primary election, with several more forced into runoffs in May.

“Republican primary voters have once again sent an unmistakable message that parents deserve the freedom to choose the best education pathway for their child,” Abbott said in a statement Tuesday.

Abbott campaigned on creating a voucher program when he ran in 2022, but last year his proposal failed in the Texas House by 21 votes. The governor wanted to let any Texas student qualify for vouchers, so long as there was enough money for it in the state budget.

One of the biggest sticking points was whether the vouchers should be limited to certain segments of the population, like poor families. Rural Republicans, in particular, objected to the broader program because they feared it would siphon off money from public schools in their districts where private alternatives were scarce.

Scott Jensen, a senior strategist for the school choice advocacy group American Federation for Children and a former speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly, acknowledged during a Texas House committee hearing that voucher advocates had shifted strategies over the years.

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News to Use

Trends, Common Challenges, Cool Ideas, FYIs and Notable Events

• ELECTIONS: Governors race is set in North Carolina. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson defeated his two challengers in the Republican primary for the governor’s race on Tuesday. His win proved that his blustering, Trump-aligned style is favored by conservatives who are gearing up for what will probably be the most expensive and closely contested statewide race in the country. Robinson will face Josh Stein, the Democratic state attorney general, whose policies mirror those of Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat who is popular but term limited.
• WILDFIRES: Power equipment caused huge Texas fire, investigators say. Xcel Energy—a major utility with operations in Texas and other states—acknowledged on Thursday that its power lines and equipment “appear to have been involved in an ignition of the Smokehouse Creek fire,” which has since grown to more than 1 million acres. State investigators were more definitive. The fire was ignited by power lines, said Linda Moon, assistant director of the Texas A&M Forest Service. The acknowledgement it caused the fire—the largest in Texas’s history—marks the latest instance of a power company being caught unprepared in guarding against ever-more devastating blazes, say energy and fire experts.
• HEALTH CARE: States consider menthol cigarette bans. Menthol cigarettes can be more addictive than regular cigarettes because the menthol masks the harsh burn, making the smoke easier to inhale. More than 80% of Black smokers prefer menthol cigarettes, and they are more likely to die of smoking-related disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For years, public health experts have advocated for higher sales taxes on menthol cigarettes or even an outright ban. But following heavy lobbying, President Joe Biden in December delayed the final decision on a ban. The delay has drawn fierce criticism from public health organizations. Now, some states are acting on their own. California and Massachusetts ban menthols. This year, bills that would ban menthol and other flavored tobacco products have been introduced in at least four states. That is down from at least 10 states last year.
• GIG ECONOMY: Minneapolis City Council boosts pay for Uber and Lyft drivers. A measure passed Thursday that would increase wages for drivers of ride-hailing services to an equivalent of more than $15 an hour—which opponents say may increase costs to customers and fears that Uber and Lyft will follow through on their threats to leave the area altogether. Council members passed the measure in a 9-4 vote despite Mayor Jacob Frey’s promise to veto the measure. If the mayor does so, the council could override his action if they have support from at least nine members.

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Picture of the Week

It’s March, and that means spring break is upon us. But not everybody is excited. Last month, Miami Beach announced it is breaking up with spring break. “Fed up with unruly crowds, lawless behavior and a string of violent acts in recent years,” said a press release, “the City of Miami Beach is implementing tough new measures aimed at putting an end to spring break.” The city is implementing bag checks, restricting beach access, putting up DUI checkpoints. and heightening police enforcement for consumption of alcohol in public, drug possession and violent behavior. The entire month of March has been designated as a high-impact period in Miami Beach, which means additional measures will be taken with respect to traffic, staffing and public safety. This weekend and next are expected to generate the largest spring break crowds of this year.

What They're Saying

“We’re not going to do that fake meat.”

—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in support of a bill that the GOP-controlled House of Representatives approved on Wednesday prohibiting the manufacturing for sale and distribution of lab-grown or “cultivated meat” in the Sunshine State. Under the legislation, violators would be subject to a misdemeanor of the second degree. While several states have passed laws regarding the labeling of cultivated meat in recent years, no state has gone as far as the Florida Legislature in banning it outright—though there are similar proposals currently moving in Arizona, Alabama and New Hampshire. The nation of Italy also banned cultivated meat last November as well. Advocates for cultivated meat say that the product could provide a viable alternative to the industrial meat industry, which they maintain is deleterious to the environment.

ICYMI

The 5 best movies about state or local government, part 2

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BY ELIZABETH DAIGNEAU

Mayors, experts discuss the solution and barriers to ending homelessness

Amid a homelessness crisis nationwide, Houston and Los Angeles have housed thousands of people under a “housing first” approach.

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Meet the newest member of your team: the chief AI officer

Federal agencies must hire a CAIO by year’s end. State and local governments could soon follow their lead, but some observers doubt that another C-suite officer is the best way to go.

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States get some help to recruit caregivers for an aging population

With a projected 9.3 million direct care jobs needing to be filled by 2031, states must find ways to fill that gap. That’s why a new program is helping states build a direct care workforce.

BY KAITLYN LEVINSON