Indiana Governor Backs Local Health Orders For Fighting Covid

The Hill: Indiana Governor Vetoes Legislation Curbing Local Health Orders
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would limit the authority of local health departments to issue orders during an emergency. Holcomb wrote in a letter announcing his veto that having local health departments respond to the COVID-19 pandemic has been a key part of the effort to combat the disease in the state. (Oshin, 5/4)

Anchorage Daily News: Anchorage Mayoral Candidate Bronson Said The Pandemic Was ‘Over Last Summer’ And He Will Not Necessarily Follow The CDC’s Advice
Dave Bronson, one of two remaining candidates for Anchorage mayor in the May 11 runoff, has made a series of statements downplaying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Anchorage, rejecting the advice of public health experts who continue to urge precautions and warn that virus transmission rates in the city remain high. Bronson has centered much of his campaign on criticizing the city’s handling of COVID-19 and has targeted his opponent, Assembly member Forrest Dunbar, for supporting pandemic-related restrictions. (Goodykoontz, 5/4)

The Washington Post: Montgomery County To Spend $500,000 On Push For Global Pandemic Center
An ambitious push to create a “Global Pandemic Center” in suburban Maryland got a $500,000 boost Tuesday from the Montgomery County Council, which said the project could help drive the county’s post-pandemic economic recovery and foster resilience against the next major health crisis. Spearheaded by the regional nonprofit Connected DMV, the center would involve scientists and policymakers from across the globe but operate primarily from the D.C. region, with a likely headquarters in Montgomery. (Tan, 5/4)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: WMC Asks State Supreme Court To Hear Case On COVID Data
The state's largest business lobby asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday to weigh in on a lawsuit over the release of state data on coronavirus outbreaks at businesses. The case concerns records requested by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel nearly a year ago from the state Department of Health Services, after meatpacking workers and nursing home residents told the newspaper they were left in the dark about outbreaks at their facilities. The records in question contain the names of roughly 1,000 businesses that are public-facing or employ at least 25 people that saw two or more employees test positive or identify as close contacts. (Chen, 5/4)

In news about abortion in North Carolina and elsewhere —

The Hill: North Carolina Advances Bill Banning Abortions Based On Race Or Down Syndrome 
A bill that would outlaw abortion on the basis of race or Down syndrome advanced in North Carolina on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. North Carolina’s House Health Committee approved the bill, which would fine doctors who performed abortions despite knowing the motivation behind the procedure aligned with either of those two factors. The legislation is now being sent to the Judiciary Committee, where it's slated to be evaluated Wednesday. (Polus, 5/4)

The Washington Post: What To Know About The Surge In Antiabortion Bills At The State Level 
In Oklahoma and Idaho, state lawmakers just banned most abortions at the first sign of a fetal heartbeat. In Arizona, a new law bars patients from seeking an abortion for genetic abnormalities. In Montana, providers can no longer perform abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, while abortion pills, available via mail in other states, must be taken with a doctor present. (Branigin, 5/4)

In news from Georgia, California, Massachusetts and Montana —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Veterans' Wait Grows For Medical Appointments
A Veterans Affairs system to quicken access to health care by sending military veterans to private doctors is showing backlogs and strains in Atlanta. The number of North Georgia veterans who had not gotten a response from the Atlanta VA Health Care System more than 30 days after applying for such help ballooned from about 6,700 last September to more than 18,000 in early May, according to an internal VA document reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Also stacking up: The total number of area veterans who have applied for an outside doctor or have seen one and are waiting for VA staff to collect all the test results and paperwork to close out the case. There were 25,000 of them last September. There are more than 37,000 now, according to another internal VA document reviewed by the AJC. (Quinn, 5/5)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Looks To Dramatically Reduce Number Of Sheriff's Deputies Guarding Hospitals, Clinics
The number of sheriff’s deputies who guard public hospitals and clinics in San Francisco would be dramatically reduced under a plan proposed Tuesday by San Francisco health officials who want to hire more psychiatric nurses and non-sworn staff to respond to crises. The Department of Public Health presented a plan to the Health Commission at its Tuesday meeting to drop the number of deputies from 29 to about 18 at San Francisco General and replace around seven more at Laguna Honda Hospital and four community clinics. (Moench, 5/4)

The Boston Globe: DCF To Visit Every Child It Supervises In Person By Month’s End, State Officials Tell Lawmakers
For the first time since COVID-19 scrambled daily life last year, social workers within Massachusetts’ child welfare agency will resume in-person visits for all of the 40,000-plus children they oversee, state officials said Tuesday, adding that they expect to see each child by month’s end. Linda Spears, the commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, announced the policy change, which took effect last week, in response to questions during a wide-ranging legislative oversight hearing into the death of David Almond. The intellectually disabled Fall River teen died in October, and was starved and abused by his father and his father’s girlfriend while under the watch of DCF, investigators said. (Stout, 5/4)

AP: Montana Governor Ends Extra Unemployment Payments, Citing Worker Shortage
Montana is ending its participation in the federal unemployment program that gives people extra weekly unemployment benefit payments as the state struggles with a worker shortage, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Tuesday. Beginning June 27, unemployed workers in the state will no longer receive $300 in weekly extra benefits funded by the federal government through Sept. 6. (5/4)

In news from Texas —

Houston Chronicle: Texas House Blocks Bill That Would Ban Transgender Girls From Playing On Sports Teams
A bill to ban transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams died in committee in the Texas House on Tuesday, severely damaging its chances of passing during this legislative session. The House Public Education Committee fell one vote short in passing Senate Bill 29, which had come under intense opposition from LGBTQ rights groups and provoked a stern warning from the NCAA that future championship games — and the hundreds of millions of dollars in business they bring — could be moved away from states where such legislation is enacted. (Wallace, 5/4)

Dallas Morning News: House OKs Bill Letting Texas Farm Bureau Sell Health Coverage Exempt From Insurance Laws
Leaders of the Texas House are promoting bills that critics say would revive the bad old days of health insurance when coverage was prohibitively expensive or outright denied for people with pre-existing conditions. On Tuesday, the chamber initially approved legislation that would let the Texas Farm Bureau sell health plans exempt from insurance laws and many consumer protections. It requires one more vote to advance to the Senate for further debate. Backers say the new coverage could provide cheaper alternatives for people who cannot afford health insurance. It would apply to the relatively small number of Texans who purchase coverage on their own and aren’t insured through an employer, Medicaid or Medicare. (Morris, 5/4)