NJ: New Jersey just set a record for Obamacare sign-ups, even before enrollment period ends
More New Jerseyans have signed up for health coverage through the state’s exchange than ever before, with another week to go before the enrollment period ends, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced.
FL: Florida Republicans push education vouchers for all, but don’t say how to pay for them
Florida Republican lawmakers this year will consider offering every K-12 student thousands of dollars each year for their families to spend on private school tuition, plus a wide variety of school-related expenses. If approved, the proposal could total billions of dollars.
MA: Massachusetts legal sports betting to start soon
Massachusetts in-person betting starts next week, meaning anyone over the age of 21 with cash in hand can walk into one of the state’s three casinos and hand it to a teller or feed it into a kiosk in exchange for a betting slip. But that’s only half the story. Betting by phone app begins in March.
VA: Virginia governor’s tax cuts facing rough ride in legislature
Democrats in the Virginia Senate tapped the brakes on Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposals for $1 billion worth of tax cuts, a day after Republicans in the House of Delegates gave them a vote of approval.
MO: Missouri lawmakers debate plan to put St. Louis police under state control
Backed by the city’s police union, Missouri Sen. Nick Schroer outlined the latest GOP attempt to put the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department back under state control. The Republican said his legislation could help get a handle on violent crime in the city, a decade after Missouri voters put the city back in charge of its police force.
CO: Juvenile violent crime is rising in Colorado, making up 41% of youth corrections admissions
Violent crimes that land kids and teens in Colorado’s youth corrections system are on the rise, accounting for 41% of admissions in 2022. From homicides to sexual assaults, to robberies at gunpoint, the violent crimes committed by young people have risen sharply during the past five years.
CT: Connecticut legislature approves state police contract to improve recruiting, retention
Seeking to recruit new police officers at a difficult time, the Connecticut legislature voted overwhelmingly for a new, four-year contract that provides annual pay raises for state troopers to deter them from joining municipal police forces.
OR: Oregon’s legal psilocybin program begins, but services are not yet available
While national headlines might make it sounds like psychedelic mushrooms are now available for adults in Oregon, that’s not the case. Oregon’s legal therapeutic psilocybin program officially began Jan. 2, but there are currently no licensed facilities, facilitators or even manufacturers of the substance.
MI: Michigan governor unveils ‘Pre-K for All’ proposal
In her State of the State speech, Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer unveiled a “Pre-K for All” plan to expand access to state-funded preschool to more families and save them thousands each year, according to information provided by her office. Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) — a preschool program for children at risk for low educational attainment — would be available for all four-year-olds as part of an expansion under Whitmer’s proposal.
AK: With songs and speeches, Alaskans rally in Juneau for more education funding
Educators, students and parents gathered on the steps of the Alaska State Capitol to call for more education funding. The amount of money per student school districts receive from the state hasn’t increased substantially since 2017.
WY: Wyoming bills seeks to clarify local authority over rentals
A new Wyoming bill would strike down local governments’ ability to regulate residential rental properties. That’s not what sponsor Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, a Republican, has in mind, though. The real point of House Bill 216, he said, is to get the state to weigh in on the ongoing dispute over how to enforce landlord-tenant laws.
TX: Texas prison hunger strike over solitary confinement enters 3rd week
A hunger strike in Texas prisons entered its third week as men refused food to protest their living conditions. The men are seeking release from the “inhumane treatment and conditions” of solitary confinement, spending 22 hours a day in a cell, and the opportunity to prove they aren’t a threat to other inmates.
SD: South Dakota may allow fentanyl test strips
Materials that allow people to test street drugs for the presence of fentanyl soon may be exempted from South Dakota’s definition of drug paraphernalia.
KS: After close governor race, Kansas considers runoffs
After a razor-thin Kansas governor’s race involving third-party candidates, some Republicans are pushing for the state to require a runoff election if the winner doesn’t get a majority of votes.
WI: Wisconsin governor proposes M to combat ‘forever chemicals’
During his State of the State address, Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced more than $100 million in initiatives under the next two-year state budget proposal to add more staff and resources, support local governments and increase testing and monitoring of the so-called “forever chemicals.” That investment would need approval from the Republican-led legislature.
MN: Licensing delays are worsening Minnesota’s nurse shortage
The Minnesota Board of Nursing’s website includes a red-lettered warning that unprecedented application numbers have slowed its processing time. In addition to new nurses, the board is flooded with temporary permit applications from contract nurses who travel to Minnesota to cover worsening staffing gaps in hospitals.
OK: Oklahomans to see food stamp benefits decrease as federal pandemic program ends
More than 400,000 Oklahoma families with low incomes will see a decrease in their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in March when the federal government halts pandemic-era emergency allotments.
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