States Limit Governors’ Covid Powers As Pandemic Starts To Fade
Meanwhile, Tennessee lawmakers made the state the second to pass a bill limiting health care for transgender minors; Texas considers health care in higher education construction plans; and Mississippi rules against a voter-approved medical marijuana program.
Axios:
States Reconsidering Governors' Waning COVID-19 Powers
Governors are seeing their pandemic-related broad reach and executive powers wane as the public health emergency subsides and the necessity for restrictions and emergency action ends. Governors took on outsize roles from Maine to California as much of the burden fell to the states. In some, their powers are about to revert to the norm. In others, their expanded reach is triggering a re-examination of whether they should have such authority in the future. (Mucha, 5/18)
Other health moves by states legislatures —
Axios:
Tennessee Becomes Second State To Pass Bill Limiting Medical Care For Trans Minors
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed a bill into law Tuesday that includes an amendment to keep health care providers from prescribing hormone treatment for transgender minors who haven't yet hit puberty, according to the state's General Assembly. Tennessee is now the second state to pass legislation that aims to restrict transition-related or gender-affirming care for trans minors, as a record number of state bills targeting trans youth have been introduced across the U.S. (Rummier, 5/18)
The Texas Tribune:
Texas Lawmakers Consider Higher Education Construction Funding
Texas public university leaders are crossing their fingers that the Legislature will pass a bill this year that would open up billions of dollars of funding for construction of new and existing campus buildings. Many of the projects named in the bill would add health care education and research infrastructure as the state continues to face a shortage of physicians and nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials say the pandemic has exacerbated the needs for these construction projects that will expand public health education. (McGee, 5/18)
Stateline:
Mississippi Ruling Jeopardizes Pot Medicaid Voting Ballot Measures
A rollback of Mississippi’s voter-approved medical marijuana program continues a trend of ballot initiatives coming under attack in states across the country.The Mississippi Supreme Court last week struck down the cannabis program approved by voters in November. The ruling also went further: It could dismantle the process by which voters can amend the state’s constitution. After voters in several conservative-leaning states passed progressive ballot initiatives in November, Republican lawmakers in many of those states have attempted to limit the ballot initiative process for future elections by adding new hurdles to the signature-gathering and voting processes. (Vasilogambros, 5/18)
The CT Mirror:
Bill Declaring Racism A Public Health Crisis In CT Wins Approval In Senate
The state Senate voted Tuesday to declare racism a public health crisis and convene a panel to study the effect of racism on health care. The declaration was part of an omnibus bill that also calls for better data collection on race and ethnicity in health care, requires hospitals to conduct implicit bias training for employees who provide direct care to pregnant or postpartum women, mandates that the public health commissioner study the development of a recruitment and retention program for state health care workers who are people of color, and directs the health department to explore whether to create a certification process for doulas. (Carlesso, 5/18)
