TX: Texas sues after Biden administration says doctors can perform abortions in emergencies
Texas GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton argues the Biden administration is violating the state’s “sovereign interest” by reassuring the nation’s doctors they can perform abortions in medical emergencies.
US, SD: GOP governors mulling 2024 runs aren’t rushing abortion laws
South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem had pledged to “immediately” call a special legislative session to “guarantee that every unborn child has a right to life in South Dakota” if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But nearly three weeks after that ruling, she remains unusually quiet. Other GOP governors with national ambitions also haven’t acted quickly on abortion.
TN: Feds order changes to Tennessee Medicaid program
The federal government is ordering Tennessee’s Medicaid service to change a program that enabled the state to cut coverage for expensive drugs and therapies deemed necessary by physicians.
IN: Indiana doctor reported abortion for 10-year-old
The Indiana physician who treated a 10-year-old Ohio girl who was raped disclosed the abortion in a form filed with the Indiana Department of Health. Indiana GOP Attorney General Todd Rokita had publicly questioned whether the case, which has become a flashpoint in the national debate over abortion, was properly reported.
WY: Increasing call volumes could swamp Wyoming suicide hotline
With only two call centers in Wyoming and limited staff, there are concerns providers won’t be able to meet a demand that is expected to grow. Providers say federal American Rescue Plan Act funds will be crucial to ensuring centers can meet demand.
US: Stark political divides loom as US governors gather
With stark political divides on abortion, gun violence and other issues threatening to overshadow their meeting in Maine, the nation’s governors sought to find common ground on other issues.
WI: Wisconsin doctors traveling to Illinois to continue abortion care for patients
Anticipating the end of Roe v. Wade, medical staff from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin sought licenses to practice in Illinois earlier this year. Those doctors and nurses are now traveling to work south of the state border to deal with a flood of patients migrating there for abortion care.
HI: Permits to carry guns in public will not be automatically granted in Hawaii
Permits to carry concealed or openly displayed firearms will not be automatically granted in Hawaii as county police departments craft policies for processing applications from gun owners.
MO: Fines for Missouri polluters to be hidden from public
A new state law could leave Missourians in the dark about people and businesses caught polluting the environment. Under the measure, the state Department of Natural Resources is barred from publicly releasing information about actions it takes against certain polluters.
NM: Rural New Mexico gets more film industry spending in record year
New Mexico’s rural communities saw a 660% increase in direct spending from the film industry, up from .5 million in fiscal 2021 to nearly million in fiscal 2022. It was a record million year statewide for the incentive program, which gives more tax credits for filming away from cities.
AK: Trump bashed Alaska’s ranked choice voting, but GOP likely needs those 2nd votes to win
The former president took aim at Alaska’s new election system, which he called “ranked choice crap voting.” Republican candidates in the special U.S. House race have a tricky challenge as they try to make ranked choice voting work for them.
MN: More Minnesota cities take climate action
Nearly a decade after Minneapolis passed the state’s first climate action plan, more than a dozen Minnesota cities have followed suit in creating local blueprints for reducing carbon emissions.
NY: New York to favor marijuana convicts for retail licenses
The first set of businesses to sell retail marijuana in New York will include profitable business owners who either were convicted of a marijuana-related offense or had a family member who had been.
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