Against Wishes of Voters, Missouri GOP Votes To Repeal Paid Sick Leave Law
Proposition A — approved in November by 57.6% of voters — allows workers to earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, St. Louis Public Radio reported. Democrats slammed the state Senate's repeal, which doesn't need voter approval and now heads to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe.
St. Louis Public Radio:
Missouri Senate Repeals Voter-Approved Earned Sick Leave
Missouri Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to repeal portions of a voter-approved law that allowed employees to earn paid sick leave and a higher minimum wage. Members of the Senate voted 22-11 to pass legislation that repeals parts of Proposition A, which Missouri voters approved in November with 57.6% of the vote. (Kellogg, Rosenbaum and Lewis, 5/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Scammed Seniors In California Could Get $50,000
A state appeals court says 100 or more senior citizens in California, scammed into making medical payments to a company that later went bankrupt, are entitled to payments of up to $50,000 from a state fund for victims of fraud. A company called Senior Care Advocates told elderly Californians 20 years ago that it could qualify them for the Medi-Cal program for a fee — the state actually accepts applicants without any cost — and charged them thousands of dollars for access to nonexistent health care benefits, according to Tuesday’s court ruling. A filing in their case said they were also told they would have access to a skilled nursing home if they paid the fee. (Egelko, 5/14)
KFF Health News:
Newsom’s Pitch As He Seeks To Pare Down Immigrant Health Care: ‘We Have To Adjust’
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday proposed that California roll back health care for immigrants without legal status, saying the state needed to cut benefits for some to maintain core services across the board. It’s a striking reversal for the Democrat, who had promised universal health care and called health coverage for immigrants the moral and ethical thing to do. But a $12 billion state budget deficit, potential federal spending cuts, and larger-than-expected Medi-Cal enrollment have forced him to dial back. (Mai-Duc and Sánchez, 5/15)
AP:
Gov. Ivey Signs A Bill Regulating The Sale Of Hemp Products
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed legislation putting new regulations on gummies, drinks and other products containing cannabinoids from hemp, a legal variety of the marijuana plant. The law would allow gummies, drinks and other consumable products to continue to be sold, but limits the amount of psychoactive compounds in the products. It also puts restrictions on where the products can be sold. The governor signed the legislation Wednesday, Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola said. (Chandler, 5/15)
KFF Health News:
Prisons Routinely Ignore Guidelines On Dying Inmates’ End-Of-Life Choices
Brian Rigsby was lying with his right wrist shackled to a hospital bed in Montgomery, Alabama, when he learned he didn’t have long to live. It was September 2023, and Rigsby, 46, had been brought to Jackson Hospital from an Alabama state prison 10 days earlier after complaining of pain and swelling in his abdomen. Doctors found that untreated hepatitis C had caused irreversible damage to Rigsby’s liver, according to his medical records. (Rayasam, 5/15)
