Updates From State Capitols: Age Bans On Assault Weapons; Cigarette Sales; Health Insurance And More

The Washington Post: Washington Bans Anyone Under 21 From Buying Assault Rifles
Washington on Tuesday joined a handful of other states that ban anyone under 21 from buying a semi-automatic assault rifle after voters passed a sweeping firearms measure in November that has drawn a court challenge from gun-rights advocates. The ballot initiative seeks to curb gun violence by toughening background checks for people buying assault rifles, increasing the age limit to buy those firearms and requiring the safe storage of all guns. Only the age-limit portion of the measure goes into effect on Jan. 1; the rest becomes law on July 1. (Bellisle, 1/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Cigarette Sales Ban At Pharmacies To Start In New Year
New Yorkers won’t be able to pick up a pack of cigarettes with their prescriptions in 2019. Starting Jan. 1, pharmacies and businesses that contain pharmacies, such as supermarkets and big-box stores, will be banned from selling cigarettes or other tobacco products in New York City. The change will affect about 500 pharmacies currently selling tobacco products and reduce the total number of retailers licensed to sell tobacco by about 6.4%, according to the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (West and King, 12/29)

Chicago Tribune: Do You Have Dense Breast Tissue? New Illinois Law Will Require Doctors To Tell You After Mammograms. 
About half of all women have dense breast tissue — which can hide cancer on mammograms and is associated with a higher risk of the disease — but many Illinois women with the trait might not know it. That, however, is about to change. Starting in January, a new state law will require doctors to tell patients, after mammograms, if they have dense breast tissue and warn women of the implications. For years, mammogram reports have contained information on breast density, but often in language that patients might not understand, and not all patients had access to the official reports. (Schencker, 12/28)

The Washington Post: New Health Insurance Laws In Maryland Taking Effect
New laws in Maryland will require insurers to provide benefits for patients with certain health conditions, including high blood sugar levels that pose a risk for diabetes as well as a particular kind of chronic swelling. One law taking effect Tuesday expands coverage for equipment, supplies and self-management training to apply to elevated or impaired glucose levels caused by prediabetes. (Witte, 12/31)

Denver Post: Colorado Lawmakers Want Public Health Insurance Option
Two Democratic state lawmakers want to give Coloradans, especially those in rural areas who face some of the highest health care costs in the country, an insurance option not available anywhere else in the nation. State Rep. Dylan Roberts and Sen. Kerry Donovan, who represent mountain communities along Interstate 70, plan to introduce a pair of bills on the first day of the 2019 legislative session that would direct the state to create a public health insurance option. (Garcia and Seaman, 12/28)

Sacramento Bee: Gavin Newsom’s First Hires Suggest Big Health Care Plans
Gavin Newsom might not be able to accomplish his ambitious campaign goal of bringing government-funded universal health care to California, but his first hires suggest he’s planning something big. Incoming chief of staff Ann O’Leary helped develop the Children’s Health Insurance Program when she worked in the Bill Clinton White House. (Bollag, 1/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Tobacco Law’s Impact On Hookah Bars Is Cloudy — Even Though They’re Legal
Pride of the Mediterranean switched to a nicotine-free smoking medium long before Tuesday, when San Francisco will begin enforcing the ban on flavored nicotine products that voters passed in June 2018.The ban, aimed at cutting off teenagers from the lure of candy-flavored e-cigarettes, has inadvertently swept up San Francisco’s hookah bars, most of which are alcohol-free spaces where adults can socialize. (Kauffman, 1/1)

Los Angeles Times: Gov.-Elect Gavin Newsom Will Propose Almost $2 Billion For Early Childhood Programs
Seeking to frame his new administration as one with a firm focus on closing the gap between children from affluent and poor families, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will propose spending some $1.8 billion on an array of programs designed to boost California’s enrollment in early education and child-care programs. Newsom’s plan, which he hinted at in a Fresno event last month, will be a key element in the state budget proposal he submits to the Legislature shortly after taking office Monday, a source close to the governor-elect’s transition team said Tuesday. (Myers, 1/2)