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Good morning, it’s Thursday, March 21, 2024. In today’s edition, Minnesota Dems want to ban kid-fluencer accounts; Georgia cracks down on unions; DeSantis signs homeless camping ban:

SOCIAL MEDIA: Two Minnesota Democrats have proposed legislation that would bar parents from making money off social media accounts that feature children under the age of 14. The bill would designate taking part in content creation as a job that children are not allowed to perform. Those between 14 and 18 would be entitled to 30% of earnings generated from accounts in which they star. (MinnPost)

The measures initially required parents to share earnings with their children, but lawmakers said they were shocked by a recent New York Times investigation that illustrated the sexualization of kids on parent-run social media accounts.

LABOR: The Georgia House gave final approval Wednesday to legislation that will bar companies that accept state incentives from recognizing unions without a formal secret-ballot election. Gov. Brian Kemp (R) backs the bill, though Democrats promised litigation, alleging the measure violates the National Labor Relations Act. (Associated Press)

EDUCATION: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) has signed legislation banning diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programming and training at public colleges and state agencies. The measure also bars individuals from using restrooms that do not conform to their sex assigned at birth. (AL.com)

HOUSING: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has signed legislation to boost construction of affordable housing units. The law will extend legal protections to towns seeking to build new affordable units, and offer incentives for units built near grocery stores and transit. (NJ Advance Media)

MORE: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed legislation that will require cities to enforce camping bans. The law, derided by advocates for those experiencing homelessness, will allow local governments to designate camping sites that meet standards set by the Department of Children and Families. (Orlando Sentinel)

PUBLIC HEALTH: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has signed legislation expanding access to treatment services and recovery support for those battling opioid and fentanyl addictions. Two other bills require schools and colleges to carry naloxone to reverse overdoses. (Washington State Standard)

ENERGY: A bipartisan group of Michigan legislators unveiled legislation that would clarify citing requirements for small nuclear reactors, the first step toward expanding nuclear power generation in the future. (MLive)

ENVIRONMENT: California’s Assembly Natural Resources Committee voted along party lines to ban thick plastic bags previously exempted under a decade-old law limiting single-use bags. Eleven states followed California’s 2014 law banning single-use plastic bags. (Pluribus News)

CALIFORNIA: Voters have passed Proposition 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) $6.4 billion bond measure to improve the state’s mental health system, after final votes were tallied. The measure won passage with just 50.2% of the vote, a margin of about 29,000 votes out of 7.1 million cast. (Los Angeles Times)

KENTUCKY: The Senate State and Local Government Committee voted to advance legislation that would take the power to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat out of the hands of the governor. The bill would require a special election to fill a vacant seat. (Kentucky Lantern)

Kentucky Republicans changed the law in 2021 to require the governor — in this case, Democrat Andy Beshear — to choose a replacement from the same political party as the former senator.

ALABAMA: Gov. Ivey has signed legislation making it a crime to pay anyone to go door to door collecting ballots, a practice known as “ballot harvesting.” The bill includes exceptions for people who help family members cast a ballot, or for those who help someone who is blind, disabled or illiterate. (Yellowhammer News)

MINNESOTA: A district judge has ruled the state’s Legal Marijuana Now Party has not met legal requirements to maintain its status as a major party. The Democratic Farmer Labor Party sued to block the Legal Marijuana Now Party, alleging it had not held the required number of conventions in 2022 to maintain its status. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

PEOPLE: Indiana Sen. Jean Breaux (D) has died at 65. Fellow lawmakers remembered her for her advocacy and her bipartisanship. (Indianapolis Star) Our condolences to the Indiana legislative family. 

$2.72 billion: The amount Americans will place in legal wagers on the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments this year, according to estimates from the American Gaming Association. That’s twice what was wagered on the Super Bowl. (The Street)

$156: The amount it will cost supporters of proposed ballot initiatives to file with Washington’s Secretary of State. It’s the first time the filing fee has been raised since 1913, when the state imposed a $5 fee. (Washington State Standard)

0: The number of bills South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) vetoed this year. It’s the first time since 1955 — and only the third time ever — that a South Dakota governor has not issued any vetoes in a legislative session. (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)

Richard Higgins, one of the few remaining survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor, has died at his home in Bend, Ore., age 102. Higgins served in the Navy for 20 years. There are an estimated 22 survivors of the attack left alive. (Associated Press)

The High Plains Library District in northern Colorado has received a late return 13,437 days after the due date. The book, “Psychedelics,” by Bernard Aaronson, was due back May 30, 1987. The borrower included a note with the book: “Sorry so late!! It’s been a long strange trip.” (Fox News)

“The pilot program was supposed to be the test. But the test has not been given.”

— South Carolina Rep. Kambrell Garvin (D), after House Republicans voted to expand a school voucher pilot program that has not yet begun. (Associated Press)