Declarations

E-bike Regulation “As these high-powered devices become faster and more common on our streets and sidewalks, the stakes are simply too high to leave them unregulated and outpacing public safety.” — Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, discussing Illinois Senate Bill 3484, which draws a distinction between bicycles, lower-speed e-bikes, and higher-powered e-bikes. The Illinois law prohibits e-bikes and micromobility devices such as e-scooters, electric skateboards, and electric unicycles from operating on sidewalks, and prohibits them from operating over 28 mph on roads, bike lanes, and bike paths. State Farm Rolls the Dice “Every gambler occasionally loses. Before he rolls the dice, he knows that he might come up ‘snake eyes.’ Some gamblers, such as the removing defendant in this case, are better at assessing risk than others. A defendant’s risk assessment must be intelligent as well as honest. There is no place for playing a hunch or for simply betting on which judge the case will be assigned to.” — U.S. District Judge Emily C. Marks denying State Farm’s bid to remove a case brought by 53 homeowners out of Houston County Circuit Court and into her federal court. However, she decided against ordering State Farm to pay the homeowners’ attorneys’ fees. Fees Funding Flock “That kind of capability directly disrupts the operational advantage these transnational criminal organizations rely on, and it strengthens our ability to protect both Texas communities and the broader region.” — Miguel Rodriguez, chair of Texas’s Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority and Laredo police chief, defending the state’s Flock camera policies. In 2023, the Texas Legislature passed a law raising Texas auto insurance costs by $1 to combat catalytic converter theft. The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority has turned the $1 fee hike into at least 3,200 Flock cameras. Florida Saves Billions “Homeowners insurance litigation has plummeted; the Florida insurance marketplace has stabilized as reforms intended; Florida consumers have benefited in the form of lower rates (or rates rising much more slowly than before); they are also benefiting from higher policyholder dividends. Both are functions of declining costs promised by reforms.” — A new actuarial report from the American Property Casualty Insurance Association that found, overall, Florida policyholders paid almost $3 billion less in premiums in 2025 than the year before. Average homeowner insurance rates in Florida did not decline in 2025, but they increased by less than 1%. Fire Recovery Funding “We need to be willing to look at creative solutions to a problem that conventional approaches aren’t solving. Even though it represents just 1% of the structures lost, it could offer a return for some families that cannot rebuild on their own. These lots may otherwise remain vacant for years.” — Traci Park, the city council member for the Palisades who sponsored motions to approve a move by nonprofit Uplifters Foundation to build new $3 million houses in the disaster area by issuing as much as $250 million in municipal bonds through the California Public Finance Authority. The bond deal requires no financial commitment from the city or other taxpayer-backed agencies. Climate Repair Overreach “New York’s law would have expropriated $75 billion from energy companies around the world during an energy emergency and in direct defiance of American foreign policy and federal law.” — Adam Gustafson, a principal deputy assistant attorney general after New York’s attempt to make fossil fuel-producing industries pay into a $75 billion fund to repair the damage wrought by climate change was struck down by a federal judge. The judge said the law reaches beyond a state’s responsibility and into an area of federal interest. The law had required companies responsible for greenhouse gas emissions to collectively pay $3 billion a year over 25 years into a fund for infrastructure projects.