Iowa Judge Blocks Law Requiring 24-Hour Wait Before Abortions
The law was permanently blocked on the grounds it was unconstitutional. Separately, Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp will lift the state of emergency on July 1; Missouri's covid case rate tops the nation; and Houston paid $1.7 million for fake N95 masks early in 2021.
Des Moines Register:
Iowa Court Blocks Abortion Law Mandating 24-Hour Waiting Period
An Iowa judge has permanently blocked a state law requiring women to wait 24 hours before getting an abortion. In his order, filed Monday afternoon, District Court Judge Mitchell Turner held that the 2020 law is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced on two grounds: that the Legislature violated the "single-subject rule" of the Iowa Constitution when lawmakers passed the measure as an amendment to an unrelated bill; and that the law violates a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court decision that protects abortion rights. (Morris and Gruber-Miller, 6/22)
In news from Georgia, Missouri and Massachusetts —
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia Governor To End Public Health State Of Emergency On July 1
Gov. Brian Kemp is set to lift the public health state of emergency roughly 15 months after lawmakers granted him broad new authorities to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The governor signed an executive order on Tuesday that ends his emergency powers on July 1, saying they are no longer needed as “more Georgians are getting vaccinated, our economic momentum is strong and people are getting back to normal.” (Bluestein, 6/22)
Georgia Health News:
DCH Chief To Retire; Successor To Face Challenges
Frank Berry is retiring after six years of heading the state’s main health care agency. He will be replaced by Gov. Brian Kemp’s deputy chief of staff for operations, Caylee Noggle, who will take over as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) on July 1. Berry, 55, has been Community Health commissioner since 2016. (Miller, 6/22)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
As Missouri Continues To Top Nation In COVID-19, Search For State Health Director Is Slow Going
As Missouri tops the nation with the most COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, Gov. Mike Parson’s office says his search for a new public health chief could last another month. The delay in hiring a point person to manage the state’s response to the newest surge in cases comes after Parson said he hoped to have a new director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in place by mid-June. Now, when the vaccination rate in Missouri is stuck at 38%, the hiring could be on hold until next month, said spokeswoman Kelli Jones. (Erickson, 6/22)
The Boston Globe:
A Government-Sanctioned Place To Inject Illicit Drugs? It May Come First To Somerville
Undeterred by the pandemic and legal uncertainties, the City of Somerville has been forging ahead with its proposal to open a center where people can consume illicit drugs with medical supervision, an audacious and possibly precedent-setting move to prevent overdose deaths. Some of those involved believe Somerville will become the first city in the country to open a “supervised consumption site” — and that it could happen within a year or so — even as attempts have faltered in bigger cities like New York and Philadelphia. Legislation at the state level would authorize two pilot sites in Massachusetts. But Somerville intends to move forward regardless of the fate of that bill. (Freyer, 6/22)
In news from Texas —
Houston Chronicle:
Houston Paid $1.7M For Counterfeit N95 Masks Earlier This Year
The city paid $1.7 million for allegedly counterfeit N95 masks earlier this year, and federal prosecutors have seized the money from the company that provided them, according to court documents. Houston police are investigating the company, Med-Tech Resources LLC, for felony trademark counterfeiting. Homeland Security investigators also are involved, according to affidavits and police reports filed in the case to seize the money. No charges have been filed to date. (McGuinness, 6/22)
AP:
Migrant Youth Describe Desperation To Leave Large Shelters
A 13-year-old Honduran girl who spent two months at the government’s largest emergency shelter for migrant children said she was put on suicide watch and was eating only popsicles and juice because the food smelled so foul. At another site, a 17-year-old Salvadoran girl said she had to wear the same clothes and underwear for two weeks and spent most days in bed. At a third facility in Texas, a 16-year-old Honduran boy said he had not met with a case manager for more than three weeks to see whether he could go live with his sister in New Orleans. (Taxin, Licon and Watson, 6/22)
KHN and El Paso Matters:
At Texas Border, Pandemic’s High Toll Lays Bare Gaps In Health And Insurance
Alfredo “Freddy” Valles was an accomplished trumpeter and a beloved music teacher for nearly four decades at one of the city’s poorest middle schools. He was known for buying his students shoes and bow ties for their band concerts, his effortlessly positive demeanor and a suave personal style — “he looked like he stepped out of a different era, the 1950s,” said his niece Ruby Montana. (Kladzyk, Galewitz and Lucas, 6/23)
In news from New Mexico and California —
AP:
Medical Marijuana Producers Seek Tax Refund Worth Millions
A major business in New Mexico’s burgeoning market for marijuana wants the state to refund millions of dollars in taxes that were levied in recent years on sales of medical marijuana but not against most prescription medications. Integrated cannabis provider Ultra Health said Tuesday that it has asked the state Supreme Court for the opportunity to provide arguments in a legal dispute between another medical marijuana company and the state Taxation and Revenue Department. (6/22)
AP:
California Oil Regulators Delay Health, Safety Rules Again
It’s been a year and a half since California Gov. Gavin Newsom directed oil regulators to consider new health and safety measures to protect people living near oil and gas drilling sites. But those regulators missed another deadline Monday for releasing the rules, frustrating environmental advocates who say communities can’t wait any longer for change. The California Geologic Energy Management Division, known as CalGEM, hasn’t set a new timeline for the rules, which Newsom originally mandated be out last December. Regulators delayed but said they would come out in the spring. (Ronayne, 6/23)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Extends COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium Through September
Fearing a “potential tsunami” of evictions, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor voted Tuesday to extend an eviction moratorium through the end of September. The moratorium bars landlords in the county from evicting tenants who cannot pay their rent because of financial burdens related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to announce an agreement later this week with legislative leaders for an extension of the state’s eviction moratorium, which expires June 30. (Cosgrove, 6/22)
