Colorado Disability Services Might No Longer Receive License Plate Revenue
Colorado lawmakers, facing a more than $1 billion budget shortfall, are considering whether to redirect millions of dollars generated from plate fees toward Medicaid and other programs. More news comes from: Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Mississippi.
Colorado Public Radio:
Colorado Lawmakers May Route License Plate Revenue Away From The Disabled
Over the past few years, Colorado has started to reissue a number of historic license plate designs in solid red, blue, or black, as well as green mountains on a white background. To get them, car owners must pay a $25 upfront fee, plus an annual $25 fee. The money goes to support programs for people with disabilities. (Birkeland, 3/18)
The Boston Globe:
Federal Funding Cuts Threaten Gains In Springfield, The ‘Asthma Capital’ Of The US
It was a damning nickname: Springfield, the 2018 asthma capital of the United States. And the challenge was daunting. How exactly could leaders fix a problem caused by a chronic condition that cannot be cured? But over the past seven years, Springfield has made a concerted effort to help manage people’s asthma, using a mix of state and federal funding to, among other initiatives, develop a widespread air monitoring system and remodel older homes prone to excess indoor pollutants. Though struggles remain, it hasn’t been the asthma capital since. (Jimenez, 3/17)
CBS News:
Minnesota Republicans' Bill To Define "Trump Derangement Syndrome" As Mental Illness Provokes Backlash
The bill's authors define, in the bill's wording, the syndrome as "the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump," and go further to argue that it "produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump's behavior." (Henderson and Cummings, 3/17)
On bird flu and measles —
The Hill:
Mississippi Reports First Outbreak Of Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu Strain In US Since 2017
Mississippi state and federal officials have confirmed an outbreak of a strain of bird flu not reported in the U.S. since 2017, with quarantine and depopulation efforts already underway. In a statement released March 12, the Mississippi Board of Animal Health stated that poultry from a commercial broiler breeder chicken flock in Noxubee County had tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). (Choi, 3/17)
NPR:
How To Stay Safe From The Measles Outbreak – With Science
Measles cases are on the rise in the United States. The Pan American Health Organization declared the disease eliminated in 2000, thanks to widespread vaccination efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it's still an issue globally, which means an unvaccinated person could catch the highly infectious disease abroad and bring it back to the United States. And declining vaccination rates, particularly in young children, are causing public health officials to worry about the impact of emerging outbreaks. (Godoy, Chinn, Barber, Ramirez and Greenhalgh, 3/18)
