State of the States UTAH


individual as a direct result of holding ofice. Any expenses must pass a personal use test, meaning the cost would not have been incurred if the individual was not in ofice. The approval comes as


INSTAGRAM MAP ‘SAFETY THREAT’ Utah’s top law enforcement oficer and his counterparts from a majority of states called on social media giant Meta to add guardrails to a new Instagram feature allowing anyone who follows a user on the app to see their location. Instagram on Aug. 6 launched the new feature for all users in the U.S. called Map, which displays the user’s profile picture and location in real-time on a map visible to any mutual followers. Utah Attorney General


Derek Brown and attorneys general from 36 other states wrote to Instagram saying the new feature raises safety concerns for vulnerable users like children and domestic violence survivors. They want the social media


company to prohibit minors from enabling location-sharing, provide clear alerts to adult users about the feature, and allow adult users who opt in to easily disable the feature at any time.


OKLAHOMA


CAMPAIGN FUNDS PAY FOR SECURITY The Ethics Commission will allow state oficeholders to use campaign funds for security. It voted to permit Oklahoma oficials to use the funds to pay for security if there is a threat posed to the


22 NEWSMAX | OCTOBER 2025


a bipartisan group of state House and Senate legislative leaders requested increased spending flexibility following the June assassination of a top Minnesota lawmaker and her spouse.


ARIZONA


MARIJUANA SALES DIP Marijuana sales in Arizona slid faster in the second quarter of 2025 than they did in the first quarter, marking the largest year- over-year decrease since voters approved recreational cannabis use in 2020. Combined sales for


the state’s medical marijuana program and the adult-use market totaled about $298 million, a 13.7% dip over the same three-month period in 2024. The state collects a 16%


excise tax on recreational sales in addition to the standard 5.6% sales tax; medical patients pay just the state sales tax. One-third of revenue


is dedicated to community colleges, 31% to public safety, and the remainder to the state highway fund and for communities that have


been affected by marijuana


arrests and criminalization. SOUTH DAKOTA CAPITOL


RESTORATION Lawmakers are considering a major new expense: the first full restoration of the state Capitol in nearly 40 years. The state oficial in charge of planning the restoration, Darin Seeley, commissioner of the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration, estimated the cost at “between $150 million and $200 million.” South Dakota has lost $24 million in federal funding since President Donald Trump’s second term began. That’s a reversal from the latter part of Trump’s first term and the Biden years, when the state budget benefited from pandemic aid and stimulus funding.


MAINE


DRUG DISCOUNT CHALLENGE A pharmaceutical company filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging a new Maine law aimed to protect a federal drug discount program for healthcare providers that serve rural, low-income, and underserved populations. The law helps healthcare


providers that serve vulnerable populations purchase prescription drugs at a discounted price. These cost savings then allow them to provide healthcare services at a lower cost to patients. Maine has 144 federally qualified health centers. However, drugmaker


BAILEY


Novartis, headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Portland on Aug. 7, arguing that federal law governs the program, therefore Maine can’t regulate it. The sponsor of the Maine law, state Sen. Donna Bailey, said, “Big Pharma is trying to increase their own profits at the expense of healthcare providers and the patients who rely on these essential cost- saving programs.”


ILLINOIS


TOUGHER CHECKS ON NEW COPS Police agencies will soon be required to do more thorough background checks on prospective oficers. The measure, signed by Gov.


JB Pritzker, came in response to the July 2024 shooting death of Sonya Massey in Sangamon County by a sheriff’s deputy. Massey had called police


to report a prowler and was in her home when she was shot to death by Deputy Sean Grayson while removing a pot of boiling water from the stove, with permission. Grayson was fired from the sheriff’s ofice after the shooting. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges and is scheduled for trial in Peoria in October.


LOCATION/DILARA IREM SANCAR/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES / CANNABIS/WILL WALDRON/ALBANY TIMES UNION VIA GETTY IMAGES


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