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Top State Stories 12/4
IL: Nearly 20K adults with developmental disabilities are waiting for help from Illinois to live on their own
Many of the people with developmental disabilities on Illinois’ waiting list for adult programs come from families who don’t have a way to pay for home care, job coaches or other services. Most wait an average of seven years before they are selected, despite a court order in 2011 that Illinois shrink the list.
VT: Vermont announces .8M student health insurance settlement
Vermont has reached a $1.8 million settlement with a company that sold unapproved and inadequate student health insurance policies at 10 of the state’s colleges and universities. Hundreds of claims were improperly denied, and 212 students will share $481,000 in restitution.
LA: Louisiana has greatest shortfall in reserves necessary to survive recession, report says
After a couple of years of robust tax collections, many states across the U.S. are better prepared than ever to weather a potential recession, according to a Moody’s Analytics report. Louisiana, however, was noted as the state with the greatest shortfall in reserves necessary to survive a moderate recession.
WA: One third of rural Washington hospitals at risk of closure
Of the 40 “critical access” hospitals in Washington’s rural communities, one third are at risk of closure, according to the state’s Office of Rural Health. Most of the at-risk hospitals looked at in a state study ran operating deficits every year.
UT: ‘K9 Veterans Day’ may become a new Utah holiday
Utah Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, a Republican, wants to make March 13 “K9 Veterans Day.” The holiday has been observed for years unofficially around the nation, after a push by the late Joseph White, a military dog handler during the Vietnam War.
TX: Texas lawmakers consider regulating vaping
Regulations and perhaps even taxation could be coming for the e-cigarette industry in Texas when the legislature next convenes. A state Senate committee heard expert testimony that linked vaping to a nationwide outbreak of cardiovascular disease and nearly four dozen deaths in recent months.
WI: Wisconsin AG pushes for hearing on sexual assault kit bill
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, is pressuring a suburban GOP lawmaker to move forward with a bill that would standardize the process for collecting sexual assault kits. Kaul held a state Capitol news conference to call on Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, a Republican, to hold a hearing on the bill.
NJ: Fight over Airbnb results in record-breaking spending on New Jersey local elections
Candidates and special interests spent the lowest amount in a decade — $25 million statewide — trying to influence voters in last month’s sleepy New Jersey Assembly elections. But at the local level, Jersey City hosted both the costliest school board race and the third-most-expensive ballot question in state history, restricting short-term rentals.
MO: Missouri lawmakers float plan to let college athletes get paid
Following the lead of California, Missouri lawmakers have introduced a proposal to allow college athletes to profit from their name and image. Legislators in Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, New York and South Carolina are pushing similar measures.
NM: Health inspector shortage causes New Mexico restaurants to go unchecked
Restaurants across New Mexico may not be getting the attention they need because of a shortage caused by retirements and budget constraints. According to the state’s environment department, there is only one inspector for every 418 establishments.
HI: Security deposits create housing struggle for some Hawaiians
In a state that has among the highest housing costs in the nation, the working poor in Hawaii struggle every day not only with the cost of rent but also the cost of just getting in the door. State law allows security deposits to be of equal value to the rent. So as rents rise faster than wages, renters have higher and higher obstacles by paying their rent — times two — all at once.
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