Christie Turns Focus to Drug Addiction:

Saying “Our children are dying,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) vowed during his last State of the State speech to focus his attention this year on battling drug addiction in the Garden State.

 

Christie unveiled a number of proposals to combat addiction, including asking lawmakers to support legislation mandating that anyone with health insurance must be covered for the first six months of in-patient or outpatient addiction treatment. Other efforts included seeking rules to limit pain medication prescriptions to no more than five day supplies, a “one-stop website” for people to access addiction information and treatment options, and plans to invest state dollars in various treatment and recovery programs.

 

Democrats, who control both legislative chambers, generally praised the governor’s proposals. But lawmakers like Assemblymember Shavonda Sumter (D) also urged Christie to join them in opposing Congressional action to repeal the Affordable Care Act, noting the devastating impact that repealing the health law would have on battling the growing addiction problem.

 

“When we look at the federal government and talk about the unraveling of Obamacare, what is the impact on (mental) health care providers, and the people who have been able to receive treatment because of Obamacare?” she said. (NJ.COM, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER)

Cooper Seeks Longshot NC Medicaid Expansion:

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) notified federal officials of his intention to expand Medicaid in the Tar Heel State, setting up a potential legal battle with the GOP-dominated General Assembly. Republicans contend that a 2013 state law specifically bars the governor from expanding Medicaid without lawmakers’ approval. Cooper, meanwhile, says the law doesn’t apply to his draft plan. Outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell suggested last week that her agency could expedite Cooper’s proposal, although it is likely any effort to actually grow the program will lead to a legal challenge. Republicans also argue that it would be foolish to expand the program now as Congress and President-elect Donald Trump have made clear their intention to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the linchpin of such expansion in the states. To date, the GOP-controlled Congress has not announced any plan to replace the law, which could potentially cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance. (NEWS & OBSERVER [RALEIGH], ASSOCIATED PRESS, CITIZEN TIMES)

Cuomo Pitches Free Tuition, Statehouse Ethics:

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) chose a highly unorthodox format for his annual State of the State address this year: forsaking a speech made to lawmakers in favor of a weeklong statewide tour in which he presented his agenda to audiences in six different Empire State locales. Those presentations covered a wide range of topics old and new, including a proposal to offer free tuition at state colleges for lower-income students and a multi-pronged plan to tighten ethics rules for lawmakers.

 

To be eligible for the free tuition program, dubbed the Excelsior Scholarship, students would have to be from a family earning less than $125,000 a year and attend one of the state’s public two- or four-year colleges. Cuomo said the program, which would apply to students from about 940,000 families, would cost approximately $163 million annually. If approved by lawmakers, the program would be in place by 2019.

 

Cuomo was joined in announcing the plan by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who predicted many states will follow suit if lawmakers ultimately sign off on the plan. It drew immediate support from Cuomo’s Democratic colleagues, but Republicans have so far remained silent.

 

The governor’s ethics proposals would implement a variety of reforms, including constitutional amendments to institute legislative term limits and to limit outside legislator income. They would also close loopholes that allow lobbyists and special interests to get around contribution limits and make the legislature subject to Freedom of Information laws. The package was a direct reaction to ongoing legal and ethical scandals in Albany that led PolitiFact to recently dub New York the most politically corrupt state in the nation.

 

Lawmakers must also approve the ethics package. (NEW YORK TIMES, POLITIFACT, NPR, GOVERNING)

Social Policy - January 16 2017

Social Policy in KY

KENTUCKY Gov. Matt Bevin (R) signs HB 2, a bill requiring women to obtain an ultrasound prior to proceeding with an abortion and for images from that procedure to be shown to the mother. The American Civil Liberties Union quickly filed suit seeking to block the law from being implemented (LOS ANGELES TIMES).

 

 

-- Compiled by RICH EHISEN

Health & Science - January 16 2017

Health In DC

A federal court issues a ruling ending court supervision over the District of Columbia’s care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle concludes a 40-year class action lawsuit over that care (WASHINGTON POST).