U.S. Briefs: Delaware resists a dreaded “DExit”

With their state’s status as a corporate haven in jeopardy, lawmakers in Dover were scrambling in March to change Delaware’s corporation law. A year ago, tech billionaire Elon Musk relocated SpaceX’s and Tesla’s incorporation from Delaware to Texas after a Delaware judge ordered Tesla to revoke Musk’s $56 billion pay package. More recently, Dropbox, Meta Platforms, and Tripadvisor have signaled they were leaving the state or considering doing so. More than 2 million businesses are incorporated in the tiny state’s franchise system, due in part to its specialized courts that handle business matters and disputes. Incorporation revenues generate $2 billion for the state, or more than a third of its annual revenue. Fearing a corporate exodus—popularly dubbed “DExit”—Gov. Matt Meyer, a Democrat, and other top lawmakers crafted a proposal in February to overhaul Delaware corporate law, making it tougher for shareholders to sue top executives. Critics argue the changes could curtail accountability for some of the world’s largest corporations. But Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, the bill’s chief sponsor, said the prospect of an economic crisis has become “very real and quite urgent.” —Mary Jackson

Pennsylvania

Government technology provider Civix has netted a $10.6 million contract to replace the Keystone State’s aging elections system, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration announced March 5. The current Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors system has been in place since 2003, and Civix plans to replace it in stages, completing the process by 2028. In a state whose election results became a topic of national scrutiny in 2020, officials say the new system will replace current election night reporting, campaign finance, and lobbying disclosure portals and create a centralized site for state election information. Pennsylvania previously canceled a contract with KNOWiNK in December 2023, resulting in taxpayer losses of $1.5 million, after that company fell short of timeline expectations. —Elizabeth Russell

Texas

Construction crews excavating an area for an upcoming exhibit at the San Antonio Zoo discovered the site of the limestone quarry used to build the Alamo. Historical records indicated laborers who built the Spanish mission used a quarry north of the city center, but until now, historians didn’t know the exact site. Materials scientists confirmed the location after scouring historical records and comparing samples excavated at the zoo with stones from the Alamo church, which sits about 3 miles away. Officials responsible for maintaining the historic site announced the discovery March 6, the 189th anniversary of the battle that made the site famous. They said they will use stones from the rediscovered quarry when restoring the Alamo and barracks in the future. —Todd Vician

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Wyoming

A new pro-life law is in effect in the Cowboy State. State legislators on March 5 overrode a veto from Gov. Mark Gordon, enacting a bill that requires women to have an ultrasound no less than 48 hours before receiving abortion pills. More than 25 other states also regulate the provision of ultrasounds by abortionists. Many pro-life advocates say viewing an ultrasound prompts women to reconsider their abortion. But in his veto letter, Gordon said the bill’s requirement was unnecessarily invasive because it involved a transvaginal ultrasound (more accurate in early pregnancy) rather than an abdominal scan. Gordon, a Republican who describes himself as pro-life, also took issue with the bill’s lack of exceptions for victims of rape or incest. Days before his veto, he signed into law another pro-life measure requiring abortion facilities to become licensed ambulatory surgical centers. That licensing mandates a center must have hallways wide enough to accommodate a gurney and requires abortionists to obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Wellspring Health Access, the only surgical abortion facility in the state, and other pro-abortion groups are suing over the laws. —Lauren Canterberry

Idaho

Lawmakers on March 5 approved a bill that, if signed by Republican Gov. Brad Little, will make death by firing squad the state’s primary execution method. Idaho law already allows firing squad executions if authorities cannot obtain lethal injection drugs. Four other states—Utah, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Mississippi—allow firing squad executions, but the bill would make Idaho the only state to make firing squads its main execution method. The law’s proponents argue the method is quick and humane. They also note the state has had trouble obtaining the chemicals it needs for lethal injections. The shortages, coupled with legal appeals, have dragged out the execution process and delayed justice for victims and their families, they argue. But critics of the measure disagree that death by firing squads is painless and instantaneous. “It’s barbaric, and it unfortunately puts the optics of Idaho in a place that I don’t think we care to be,” Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, told the Coeur d’ Alene/Post Falls Press. On March 7, a South Carolina firing squad executed Brad Sigmon. —Addie Offereins

Associated Press / Photo by Jack Dura

South Dakota

Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a measure March 6 restricting companies from using eminent domain to build carbon dioxide pipelines. The law protects citizens from being forced to give up land use rights for Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed 2,500-mile carbon dioxide pipeline that would stretch across South Dakota, Iowa, North Dakota, and Minnesota. The pipeline would purportedly minimize the environmental impact of ethanol production by collecting the carbon dioxide produced by the fermentation process and pumping it deep underground for safe storage. In a statement, Rhoden noted that the law doesn’t halt the pipeline project or affect voluntary easements. But Summit in a response said the law put South Dakota ethanol plants at a competitive disadvantage and said it was considering all legal action and moving forward with pipeline construction in other states. Meanwhile, Iowa legislators were considering a similar bill for their own state. —Christina Grube