Welcome to the Tuesday, May 27, 2025, Brew.
By: Lara Bonatesta
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Trump signs legislation addressing deepfakes, 32 states have passed similar laws since 2019
- Two candidates are running in a special election for District 4 on the Miami Board of Commissioners
- North Carolina REINS bill passes House and REINS in the states
Trump signs legislation addressing deepfakes, 32 states have passed similar laws since 2019
On May 19, President Donald Trump (R) signed Senate Bill 146, also called the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
According to the bill summary, the new law “generally prohibits the nonconsensual online publication of intimate visual depictions of individuals, both authentic and computer-generated, and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence.”
Senators Ted Cruz (R) and Amy Klobuchar (D) introduced the bill on Jan. 16. The Senate unanimously approved it on Feb. 13, and the House passed it 409-2 on April 28. First Lady Melania Trump lobbied Congress on behalf of the bill in March.
Klobuchar and Cruz both called the legislation a win for online and deepfake abuse victims, saying it would give “people legal protections and tools for when their intimate images, including deepfakes, are shared without their consent” and that those who post such content “will now rightfully face criminal consequences, and Big Tech will no longer be allowed to turn a blind eye to the spread of this vile material.”
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which describes itself as an organization “defending civil liberties in the digital world,” wrote, “While protecting victims of these heinous privacy invasions is a legitimate goal, good intentions alone are not enough to make good policy. As currently drafted, the Act mandates a notice-and-takedown system that threatens free expression, user privacy, and due process, without addressing the problem it claims to solve.”
So far in 2025, lawmakers in seven states have passed laws addressing sexually explicit deepfakes, excluding laws that solely address child sexual abuse material.
Since 2019, 32 states have adopted 49 such laws. Of those states, 11 were Democratic trifectas when the laws were enacted, 16 were Republican trifectas, and five had divided government.
Twenty-four of the 49 laws had bipartisan sponsorship, while Democrats sponsored 12 and Republicans sponsored 10.
Like the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act, 38 of the state laws addressing sexually explicit deepfakes are enforced with criminal penalties instead of or in addition to creating a cause of action for individuals to bring a lawsuit against violators.
To read these bills and other legislation that address deepfakes, check out Ballotpedia’s AI Deepfake Legislation Tracker.
Two candidates are running in a special election for District 4 on the Miami Board of Commissioners
As we continue our coverage of local elections in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population, today we’re taking a look at one in Miami, Florida.
Jose Regalado and Ralph Rosado are running in a nonpartisan special election for District 4 of the Miami City Commission on June 3. Former incumbent Manolo Reyes died on April 11. The winner will complete the remainder of Reyes’ term, which expires in 2027.
Regalado was the assistant building director for the city of Miami, a former policy advisor to Reyes, and is the son of former mayor Tomás Regalado. Regalado says he is running to continue Reyes’ legacy “offering steady leadership rooted in action, accountability, and a lifelong commitment to District 4.”
Rosado was the city manager of North Bay Village, Florida, and is the president of an urban planning firm. He was a candidate for this seat in 2017, losing to Reyes 57%-36%. Rosado is campaigning on his experience working for the city of North Bay Village, saying, “It would be the honor of a lifetime to serve with [other city commissioners] and represent a community that I love so much. I’m ready to hit the ground running.”
Reyes’ widow, Selva Reyes, endorsed Regalado. Regalado said of the endorsement: “[Selva Reyes] said, ‘You’re the only person who can fill his shoes.’ It felt like the right thing to do.” Reyes also recorded a radio endorsement for Regalado. The Young Republicans of Miami have also backed his candidacy.
The AFSCME Local 1907, which represents municipal workers, and the Miami Fraternal Order of Police have both backed Rosado. Rosado has also received support from Commissioner Joe Carollo, who is reportedly considering running for mayor.
The Proven Leadership political committee, which previously worked for Regalado’s father, has released ads criticizing Rosado as being too close to Carollo, who the ads say misused power and cost the city money in a federal lawsuit. Rosado says he did not solicit an endorsement from Carollo. Rosado has said Regalado is relying on his family’s connections to the district and said, “We will continue to build momentum through truth, transparency, and a record of real public service, not through the use of a family’s last name.”
As of May 2, Regalado raised $67,470 and spent $13,763, and Rosado raised $26,454 and spent $4,600.
There are five seats on the Miami City Commission. Miami has a mayor-city commissioner form of government. In this form of municipal government, an elected board of commissioners serves as the city’s primary legislative body while a mayor serves as the city’s chief executive.
Click here to see our full coverage of the District 4 election. Miami is also holding elections for mayor and Districts 3 and 5 of the city commission in November. Click here to see our coverage of all city elections in Miami this year.
If you live in the area, don’t forget to check out Ballotpedia’s Sample Ballot Lookup Tool when you head to the polls.
North Carolina REINS bill passes House and REINS in the states
On April 16, the North Carolina House voted 68-44 to pass House Bill 402, also known as the NC REINS Act, which stands for Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny. The bill would increase legislative oversight of proposed agency regulations.
The bill would make any regulation with an economic impact of $1 million or more over 12 months subject to a legislative disapproval process. Under this process, any legislator could introduce a bill to disapprove the regulation. If the disapproval bill passes, the regulation would be blocked from taking effect.
HB 402 would also modify how economic impact is calculated for proposed rules that amend or readopt existing regulations. Agencies would be required to estimate the baseline cost of the existing rule, and combine the baseline cost with any additional costs resulting from the proposed rule’s implementation to determine the total economic impact.
The bill would also require administrative law judges (ALJ) to exercise independent judgment when deciding contested cases instead of deferring to agency legal interpretations. In appeals of ALJ decisions, the bill would require superior court judges to also exercise independent judgment when reviewing a case.
North Carolina has a divided government, with Republicans controlling the state Legislature alongside a Democratic governor.
State REINS-style laws in 2024-2025
Ballotpedia’s Administrative State Tracker has identified 20 REINS-style bills or other bills increasing legislative oversight based on an economic impact threshold introduced in 2025 in 16 states. Three states have enacted these bills so far this year: Kentucky, Utah, and Wyoming.
Ballotpedia tracked 13 REINS-style bills or similar bills that increased, but did not require, legislative oversight in 9 states, introduced in 2024. Two such bills were enacted. Click here to see those bills.
Two of the three states that have enacted REINS-style in bills in 2025– Kentucky and Wyoming – enacted these bills by overriding a gubernatorial veto.
On March 27, both chambers of the Kentucky General Assembly voted to override Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) veto of House Bill 6, the REINS-style bill in Kentucky. Because of an emergency clause, HB 6 went into immediate effect. Beshear then filed suit on March 28, asking a judge to block it. Republicans have a 31-7 majority in the Kentucky Senate and an 80-20 majority in the Kentucky House.
The Wyoming Legislature overrode Governor Mark Gordon’s (R) veto of Wyoming Senate File (SF) 0127 on March 6, after Gordon vetoed it on March 4. Republicans have a 29-2 majority in the Wyoming Senate and a 56-6 majority in the Wyoming House
The map below displays REINS-style state bills enacted in 2024 and 2025.
The chart below displays a comparison of REINS-style state law activity in 2024 and 2025
Click here to learn more about REINS-style state laws or to check out Ballotpedia’s Administrative State Legislation Tracker.