From The State Capitols: Gun Legislation, Surprise Billing, Caregiver Payments, Mental Health Coverage And More

Health News Florida: Senators Back School Safety Measures
Nearly two years after the mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida senators on Monday started moving forward with additional school security proposals. On the eve of the start of the annual legislative session, two measures that aim to improve response times in case of school shootings or attacks were unanimously approved by the Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee. (Ceballos, 1/14)

Health News Florida: Senate Panel Backs Closing Gun Show 'Loophole'
Over the objections of the National Rifle Association, a Senate panel Monday unanimously signed off on a far-reaching measure that would close the gun-show “loophole,” create a record-keeping system for private gun sales and set aside $5 million to establish a “statewide strategy for violence prevention.” The proposal (SB 7028) is a priority of Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, as evidenced by the Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee’s consideration and passage of the measure the day before the 2020 legislative session begins. (Kam, 1/14)

The Washington Post: Virginia Governor To Ban Guns On Grounds Of State Capitol
Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday will announce at least a temporary ban on firearms on the grounds of the state Capitol, two people briefed on his plans said late Tuesday. The move comes just days after newly empowered Democrats banned guns from the Capitol building and an adjacent legislative office building. And it comes just ahead of a gun rights rally planned for Monday, which organizers say will draw tens of thousands to Capitol Square. (Vozzella and Schneider, 1/14)

Georgia Health News: Surprise Billing, Maternal Mortality, PBMs: Lawmakers Talk Health Care Agenda
A key state senator said Tuesday that he is optimistic a compromise plan on easing the problem of surprise medical billing will finally pass the Georgia General Assembly this year. Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah), who chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, told a breakfast gathering that the Governor’s Office has been involved in crafting legislation on the billing issue. (Miller, 1/14)

The Oregonian: Bad Math Means Oregon Needs $12 Million More To Pay Pledged Raises To Caregivers 
A contractor’s calculation error that went undetected for months will delay changes to the way caregivers of vulnerable Oregonians are paid, a state official told lawmakers during public hearings this week. A coding mistake undercounted how many people need the most extensive -- and costly -- services, said Lilia Teninty, who directs the Office of Developmental Disabilities Services. The incorrect figure was unknowingly used to approve a larger-than-budgeted raise to workers caring for people with disabilities. (Young, 1/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Bills Would Make Insurers Cover More Mental Health
California legislators on Tuesday introduced two bills aimed at improving access to mental health and addiction treatment by requiring health insurance companies to authorize some forms of treatment more quickly and to cover more comprehensive mental health services. State Sens. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, and Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, co-authored Senate Bill 854 and Senate Bill 855 — which both would apply to private health insurance plans only, and not to public insurance programs such as Medi-Cal, the joint federal and state health insurance program for low-income residents. (Ho, 1/14)

Sacramento Bee: California Congressman Wants Homeless Disaster Declaration
A California congressman wants to allow states to apply for emergency funding for homelessness crises in the same way they’re granted funding for natural disasters like wildfires or hurricanes. Promoting the idea as a way to “bridge the gap between Washington and Sacramento,” Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, announced he was introducing the bill Tuesday. It would allow governors to declare homelessness crises as a state of emergency to receive additional federal funding. (Irby, 1/14)

Health News Florida: State Sued Over Transgender Health Benefits
Two transgender state employees who have been denied medical treatment for gender dysphoria filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the Florida Department of Management Services alleging unlawful sex discrimination. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Jami Claire and Kathryn Lane by attorneys for Southern Legal Counsel, Inc., and the ACLU Foundation of Florida, seeks compensatory damages and an injunction banning the state from enforcing an exclusion in the state employees’ health-insurance plan for coverage of medically necessary gender-affirming care. (Sexton, 1/14)

The Associated Press: Bills Seek To End 'Conversion Therapy' In Kentucky
Twice a week for four years when he was in high school, gay student Zach Meiners underwent “conversion therapy,” a practice that attempts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Once the sessions ended, it took almost 10 years before he started “to heal and learn to love" himself, Meiners said Tuesday during a rally to promote bills that would effectively ban conversion therapy in Kentucky. (1/14)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: State Reveals $1.2 Billion Ohio Benefits System Riddled With Defects A Year Out From Medicaid Work Requirements
The state’s technology system that determines whether adults and children are eligible for Ohio Medicaid has nearly 1,100 defects, the department’s director announced Tuesday. Ohio Benefits, an information technology system that has cost the state $1.2 billion since it was implemented six years ago, has been found to overwrite and eliminate historical documentation needed to prove Ohio Medicaid enrollees’ eligibility. (Hancock, 1/14)

NH Times Union: Banning Trans Students As Female Athletes Sparks Debate 
Legislation to prevent students born male from competing on female sports teams drew passionate testimony Tuesday, with supporters defending it as a way to ensure fairness and opponents decrying it as a violation of state anti-discrimination law. (Landrigan, 1/14)

The CT Mirror: Lawmakers Set Hearing On Proposal To Repeal State's Religious Vaccine Exemption
Lawmakers are wasting no time seeking public input on a proposal to erase Connecticut’s religious exemption from mandatory vaccinations. They have scheduled a public hearing on the plan for Feb. 19 – just two weeks into the legislative session. A draft of the bill is expected to be released next week. (Carlesso, 1/14)

North Carolina Health News: Could N.C. Ban Smokable Hemp? 
Hemp plants can be made into anything from rope and insulation to granola. But today, most U.S. hemp farmers are growing hemp to produce cannabinoids, such as CBD — which means they’re growing plants that look like marijuana, smell like marijuana and, increasingly, are rolled into joints and smoked like marijuana. People smoke marijuana to feel high, but they smoke hemp — a non-psychoactive form of cannabis — to ingest cannabinoids users say ease aches, pains and stress. Now some state lawmakers, alarmed by how difficult it is for law enforcement officers to tell the difference between hemp bud or joints and illegal pot products, are cracking down on smokable hemp. (Quinton, 1/15)

The Associated Press: Arizona Bill Banning Sex Ed Before 7th Grade Going Nowhere
A conservative Arizona Republican senator who was pushing a contentious proposal that would bar any sexual education instruction for students before the 7th grade and create new requirements for the subject conceded Tuesday that her proposal stood no chance of advancing. (1/14)