Health
Top State Stories 4/11
TN: Expelled Tennessee lawmaker returns to legislature after unanimous Nashville council appointment tennessean.com Democratic state Rep. Justin Jones left the Tennessee Capitol April 6, expelled from the House of Representatives for leading a gun-safety protest from the floor following a deadly Nashville school shooting. On Monday, hundreds of jubilant supporters marched alongside him as he walked up the […]
Top State Stories 4/10
NC: Will North Carolina be the ‘beginning of the end’ of the Medicaid expansion fight? nytimes.com Intense patient advocacy, shifting politics, a determined Democratic governor and a handful of maverick Republicans led North Carolina to join 39 other states that have expanded Medicaid. ID: Idaho AG walks back opinion on prohibiting referrals for out-of-state abortions idahostatesman.com […]
First State Law to Criminalize Abortion ‘Trafficking’ May Inspire Others
Read more Stateline coverage on how states are either protecting or curbing access to abortions. Amid a flood of residents fleeing states that ban abortions to seek legal procedures or medication elsewhere, Idaho has become the first state to try to stem that exodus — at least for minors. Abortion is illegal at all stages of pregnancy […]
Top State Stories 4/7
TN: Tennessee GOP expels two Democratic members over gun-safety protest tennessean.com Ten days after a shooter unloaded 152 rounds inside a Nashville school and killed six people, Tennessee House Republicans expelled two Black Democratic lawmakers for breaking House rules and mounting a gun-safety protest on the chamber’s floor. The House failed by one vote to achieve […]
Top State Stories 4/6
IN: Indiana governor signs bill banning gender-affirming care for minors indystar.com Indiana Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the bill banning gender-affirming health care procedures for transgender minors. Almost immediately, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit to stop it from being implemented. MD: State report shows ‘astonishing’ depravity in child sexual abuse at Maryland archdiocese baltimoresun.com […]
In Rush to Fight Climate Change, Cities Coordinate to Battle Heat With Trees
From Seattle to Palm Beach, Florida, city leaders agree that urban areas need more trees to alleviate the effects of climate change. Amid the growing attention to tree canopy — and an infusion of federal funding — more than a dozen cities are convening to share ideas and plan the urban forests of the future. […]
Top State Stories 4/5
ID: Idaho governor signs ban on gender-affirming care for minors idahostatesman.com Idaho physicians who provide gender-affirming care to transgender minors could now face up to 10 years in prison. Republican Gov. Brad Little signed into law a measure that makes it a felony to provide puberty blockers, hormone therapies and gender-affirmation surgeries to minors. WI: Liberal […]
Top State Stories 4/4
FL: Florida governor signs permitless carry gun bill into law tampabay.com Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that lets people carry guns without a permit and without any training. People who are otherwise prohibited from carrying a gun under state and federal law — such as people with felony records and certain disqualifying misdemeanors — […]
Top State Stories 4/3
MN: Federal judge rules Minnesota’s age limit for carrying handguns unconstitutional startribune.com A federal judge has moved to strike down the Minnesota law barring 18- to 20-year-olds from obtaining permits to carry handguns in public. The decision comes nearly two years after three young adults teamed up with three gun rights advocacy groups to file […]
Top State Stories 3/31
TX, US: Federal judge in Texas strikes down key Affordable Care Act provision regarding preventive care texastribune.org A federal judge in Texas struck down a key provision in the Affordable Care Act that mandates that insurers provide preventive services, including cancer screenings, for free. The judge rules that preventive care recommendations issued by a volunteer […]
Top State Stories 3/30
TN: Tennessee lawmakers delay gun bills after Nashville shooting as advocates demand action tennessean.com Tennessee lawmakers chose to delay hearing a number of proposed bills related to firearms, a decision some gun safety advocates criticized as inaction in the wake of the deadliest school shooting in state history. Prior to Monday’s shooting at The Covenant […]
As 988 Crisis Line Sees More Use, States Debate How to Pay for It
Editor’s note: If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Almost everyone agrees that putting money behind the national suicide and crisis hotline is a good thing. But not everyone thinks a new phone tax is the best way to pay for it. Since the crisis line’s […]