North Dakota Anti-Trans Sports Bill Vetoed; Texas Bill Set To Fail

Axios: North Dakota Governor Vetoes Transgender Sports Bill
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) on Wednesday vetoed a bill passed to prevent transgender students from taking part in K-12 school sports. Why it matters: The bill was one of over 50 in 28 states introduced introduced this year to exclude transgender youth from playing sports on teams that align with their gender identity. Details: The bill stipulated that public schools couldn't "knowingly allow an individual of the opposite sex" to join an all-boys' or all-girls' team. (Falconer, 4/22)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Transgender Sports Bill Will Likely Die In Committee, Chairman Says
A bill that would dictate on which sports teams transgender athletes can compete in public schools was declared all but dead on Wednesday by Rep. Harold Dutton, the Public Education Committee chair who presided over an emotionally charged debate over it a day earlier. The bill drew criticism from more than 1,000 employers across the state and the NCAA, which threatened to cancel future sports championships in the state if it were enacted. (Goldenstein, 4/21)

USA Today: Tennessee Transgender Student 'Bathroom Bill' Clears State Senate
A bill allowing Tennessee students, teachers and school employees to refuse to share bathrooms and locker rooms with their transgender peers cleared the state Senate 21-7 on Wednesday. A similar measure passed the House 65-24 on Monday. The Senate bill, which includes slightly different language, is expected to pass the House and head to Gov. Bill Lee's desk. (Stella Yu, 4/21)

AP: Arkansas Lawmakers Vote Transgender Athlete Ban Expansion
Arkansas lawmakers on Wednesday voted to expand the state’s new ban on transgender girls and women competing on school sports teams consistent with their gender identity. The House voted 74-17 to authorize the attorney general to sue schools that violate the ban. The measure now heads to Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and his office said the governor planned to sign it into law. (4/21)

The New York Times: Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill Restricting L.G.B.T.Q. Education 
Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have imposed some of the country’s most restrictive rules regarding L.G.B.T.Q. education, calling the bill “overly broad and vague.” The bill, which was sponsored by eight Republicans and passed the Arizona Senate on a party-line vote, would prohibit schools from teaching about sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and L.G.B.T.Q. history unless a student received “signed, written consent” from a parent or guardian opting them in to the lessons. (Pietsch, 4/21)

In news about marijuana —

Axios: Virginia Governor Signs Bill Legalizing Marijuana Possession Starting July 1
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday signed a bill that legalizes the possession and growth of small amounts of recreational marijuana starting this summer. Why it matters: Virginia is the first Southern state to legalize recreational marijuana, and the 16th state in the country to do so. Details: Under the law, effective July 1, adults 21 and older can possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana. (4/21)

AP: Medical Marijuana Legal In Utah, But Not Always Affordable
Pain left from oil-field work defeated traditional pain pills and dominated William Adams’ life — until he tried medical marijuana. But even as he began venturing outside his home for the first time in years, Adams discovered he couldn’t afford the cost. Medical cannabis typically isn’t covered by insurance or Medicaid because it remains federally illegal. The group that led the push to legalize it in conservative Utah says that has kept it unreachable for many patients who need it. (Eppolito, 4/21)

In Medicaid news from Arkansas and Oklahoma —

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Medicaid Funding Gains House's OK
The appropriation for the state Division of Medical Services -- which includes the Medicaid program -- passed on its fifth try Tuesday in the House, and with that bill out of the way, lawmakers received copies in the evening of the legislation that sets spending priorities in the next fiscal year. (Wickline and Herzog, 4/21)

Oklahoman: Gov. Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma House At Odds On Medicaid Plan
The Oklahoma House passed legislation that seeks to halt Gov. Kevin Stitt’s plan to outsource Medicaid care management to four major insurance companies. On a vote of 73-17, the House late Tuesday evening approved legislation for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program, to better manage health care in-house. “Let’s start with reforming the system we have before tearing it apart,” said Republican Rep. Marcus McEntire, the bill’s author. (Forman, 4/21)

In other news from the states —

AP: Idaho 'Fetal Heartbeat' Abortion Ban Bill Heads To Governor
Legislation outlawing nearly all abortions in conservative Idaho by banning them once a fetal heartbeat can be detected headed to Republican Gov. Brad Little on Wednesday. The Republican-dominated Senate voted 25-7 to approve the measure that makes providing an abortion to a woman whose embryo has detectible cardiac activity punishable by up to five years in prison. It would also allow the woman who receives the abortion to sue the provider. (Ridler, 4/21)

Indianapolis Star: Indiana General Assembly OKs Bill Limiting Local Health Departments
Lawmakers approved a bill that would limit local health departments' ability to issue public health orders and enforce them — a move that could threaten the mask mandate still in place in Indianapolis. The bill now heads to Gov. Eric Holcomb's desk. Any health orders more stringent than Gov. Eric Holcomb's during an emergency would have to be approved by the local legislative bodies and, in the case of local cities, by the mayor. (Lange, 4/22)

USA Today: California Deputy Suspected Of Burning Inmate In Mental Health Unit
A sheriff's deputy in Southern California is accused of burning an inmate with hot water at a jail's mental health center, according to authorities Wednesday. The deputy, who was not identified in a statement by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, was working in the mental health housing module in the Orange County Jail on April 1 when he was serving an inmate with a disciplinary notice for a rule violation. The inmate refused multiple times to sign the notice and stuck his hands in the open hatch in the door, the statement adds. (Aspegren, 4/21)