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Top State Stories 4/22
AR: Arkansas faces new court fight over sedative for executions
A federal lawsuit filed by death row inmates has renewed a court fight over whether the sedative Arkansas uses for lethal injections causes torturous executions, two years after the state raced to put eight convicted killers to death in 11 days before a previous batch of the drug expired.
TX: Texas removes thousands of children from Medicaid each month
Most states check whether children on Medicaid still qualify for the program once a year, but Texas checks more often, using an automated system that critics say lead to kids losing coverage even though they’re still eligible.
CA: Wildfires make it harder for Californians to get insurance
As the cost and risk of California wildfires grow, it’s getting harder for homeowners to get and keep insurance in fire-prone regions including the Sierra foothills, Tahoe and some parts of the Bay Area.
CT: Health insurance for undocumented kids in Connecticut stalls
Despite early enthusiasm and a brawny push from Connecticut’s nonprofit health community, lawmakers now say a plan to extend state-sponsored health coverage to about 18,000 undocumented children is unlikely to succeed this year.
TN: Bill creating commission to approve charter schools heads to Tennessee governor’s desk
Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee will have the opportunity to finalize his push for a commission to authorize charter schools in the state. The Senate signed off on the measure, and sent it to the House, which also approved it.
NY: New York’s overtime pay continues to climb as workforce declines
While New York state’s workforce has steadily declined over the past decade, the level of overtime pay has surged during that period, increasing to nearly $787 million last year and marking the highest level in a decade, according to a state comptroller’s report.
SD: Is CBD oil illegal? Confusion reigns over South Dakota’s law
The legality of selling and possessing CBD oil in South Dakota is murky after a changed state law has resulted in differing opinions. As the state legislature was concluding its work in March, new state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg announced that all forms of CBD oil are illegal.
NV: Nevada officials concerned over possible low census count
With less than a year until Census Day 2020, Nevada officials are concerned the state’s count could suffer because of a proposed census question about citizenship status, the 2020 presidential primaries and the public’s waning trust in the U.S. government.
WY: Transmission line to carry wind energy to California clears last Wyoming hurdle
An oil and gas firm secured the last of its necessary Wyoming permits for a 730-mile-high power transmission line to connect the largest proposed onshore wind development in the Rockies with power customers in the Southwest and California.
NJ: Former New Jersey governor signed a law to assist retirement savings; it was never implemented
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, signed a law he said would help people who work for New Jersey small businesses tuck away a few extra dollars toward their retirement. But three years later, the promised Small Business Retirement Marketplace doesn’t exist, NJ Advance Media found.
MA: Massachusetts bill allows non-traditional gender designation on state IDs
The Massachusetts Senate has scheduled debate on a proposal that would allow an individual to list a non-binary gender designation on their driver’s license. The bill would provide a choice of listing gender as “X″ instead of male or female.
WA: Holocaust education bill signed in Washington state
Schools in Washington will be “strongly encouraged” to teach students about the Holocaust under a bill signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, with advocates pointing to a spike in hate crimes as underlining the need for such a curriculum.
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