Hawaii’s legislative session kicked off in January, and political insiders met at the 2024 Hawaii State of Reform Health Policy Conference to highlight last year’s successes and goals for the new session, including strengthening the state’s healthcare workforce. Beth England, MD, chair of the Hawaii Medical Association Public Policy Committee, said the goal of the … Read more
The Illinois General Assembly reconvened on Jan. 16th to continue the state’s 103rd legislative session. In this Q&A, state Rep. Dagmara Avelar (D-Bolingbrook) sat down with State of Reform and discussed health-related bills she is sponsoring and her hopes for the rest of the session. State of Reform: Your legislation, House Bill 2719, which requires … Read more
AMN Healthcare recently published their 2023 Survey of Registered Nurses (RNs) that illustrates the magnitude of the nursing crisis that the country is facing—which RNs expect will worsen over the next five years. Nursing advocates in California are continuing to promote legislation that would help address the challenges outlined in the survey. The survey reveals … Read more
After Assembly Bill 1400 was pulled from the floor prior to a vote last year, Asm. Ash Kalra (D – San Jose) and advocates are again pushing this year to pass a bill that would establish universal healthcare coverage in the state of California. AB 1400 from the previous session is now AB 1690. “I’ve … Read more
On Tuesday, the Youth Advisory Board of California Children’s Trust wrote a letter to legislators in proud support of Assembly Bill 665, which addresses barriers that youth on Medi-Cal face when seeking mental health services. About half of all Californian youth are on Medi-Cal, with the majority being youth of color. AB 665 will first … Read more
Although California’s legislative committees are not holding meetings until March, lawmakers continue to work on numerous healthcare-related bills that were pre-filed last year. State of Reform recently covered California’s health bills relating to students and substance use disorder. State of Reform had the opportunity to interview state Rep. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D – Sacramento Valley) about … Read more
The Michigan Senate Health Policy and Human Services Committee heard testimony on bills to help combat possible opioid overdoses last week. Senate Bill 1170, sponsored by Sen. Curt VanderWall (R – Ludington), would amend the Administration of Opioid Antagonists Act to specify that an agency that purchased or obtained an opioid antagonist, or … Read more
Helping a child obtain a “gender transition procedure” could soon be classified as first degree child abuse in Michigan. House Bill 6454, sponsored by Rep. Ryan Berman (R-Commerce Township) with a group of other Republican legislators, would place a parent or guardian that knowingly or intentionally consents to, obtains, or assists with a … Read more
Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley (D – Tucson) has represented Arizona’s 9th Legislative District since 2016. She currently sits on the House Health & Human Services, Regulatory Affairs, and Ways & Means Committees. In this Q&A, Powers Hannley discusses her focus on maternal and child health legislation for this session, as well as her continued advocacy … Read more
On Jan. 10, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2023, proposing a total of $217.5 billion for all health and human services programs. This includes $93.5 billion in general funds, 52.4% of which is allocated to the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to support numerous DHCS initiatives and services … Read more