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NBC News
11-07-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Blue-state leaders weigh new laws to deal with financial fallout from Trump's big bill
State lawmakers are scrambling to deal with the expected financial fallout from President Donald Trump's ' One Big Beautiful Bill,' with many in blue states demanding special legislative sessions they say are necessary to shore up funding for health care and food assistance programs affected by the new law. Democratic governors in at least five states are weighing such special sessions, and Democratic lawmakers in several more are urging their governors to convene them to address expected funding shortfalls. Trump's law institutes steep cuts to Medicaid and food aid benefits, mostly by establishing new work requirements. It also restricts state-levied fees on health care providers that are mostly used to fund Medicaid, which 72 million people rely on for health care coverage. The federal government is also no longer responsible for reimbursing states. The changes will have an outsized effect on people in rural areas, who are likelier to receive their health insurance through Medicaid, and the cuts especially affect the 41 states that voted to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The law also means millions of low-income people will lose eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, and it shifts administrative costs to states. The combination has state lawmakers saying they face new burdens on their own budgets, and groups of them are clamoring for their legislatures to rapidly identify solutions that can help fill in the shortfalls or avoid major state budget deficits. In Colorado, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis' Office of State Planning and Budgeting has projected that the state would receive about $500 billion less in revenue yearly — and could see about the same amount in additional costs — because of the new law's impact on Medicaid and food assistance. Lawmakers and health care advocates have predicted the changes could prompt hundreds of thousands of people in Colorado to lose their health care coverage, mostly because it implemented one of the most robust Medicaid expansions in the United States under the Affordable Care Act. Democratic state Rep. Iman Jodeh said a special session is 'absolutely necessary' to deal with the state's new financial landscape, predicting that it was 'imminent' that Polis convenes one. 'We have to do it,' said Jodeh, a member of the House Health and Human Services Committee. 'Our budget just cannot absorb the backfill, the shortfall, the cuts." Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman said in email that Polis 'has previously indicated we may need to reconvene the General Assembly to deal with the terrible impacts from the bill — and we are still reviewing the impacts of this new law to evaluate next steps, including a potential special session.' Jodeh said that because of Colorado's unique Taxpayer Bill of Rights — a 1992 measure that effectively limits how much the state can raise taxes — it will be exceedingly difficult for Democrats, despite their control of the governorship and both legislative chambers, to avoid mostly cutting and freezing social programs to address the expected shortfalls. 'We're all incredibly scared about how we can possibly navigate this,' she said. 'What are those programs that we're going to have to freeze or defund or do away with all together? Those will be the questions that we're going to have to answer during the special session.' Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota — another state that expanded Medicaid early under the Affordable Care Act — said they're concerned about the same issues. They are also just weeks removed from a special legislative session that featured bruising budget negotiations that included passage of a bill to end state-funded health care for undocumented adults. Erin Murphy, the Democratic majority leader of the state Senate, said she was 'eager' for Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to call another special session 'to address the harm that is coming to Minnesota as a result of Trump's bill.' 'What the Congress has passed is going to blow a hole in our budget — one that we worked very hard to balance,' Murphy said. 'For us to prepare and protect Minnesotans, we need to have a special session ... to figure out how we're going to pay for a loss of coverage for people here.' Walz spokesperson Claire Lancaster said that the governor's office was 'still combing through to determine the extent of the impacts' of the new federal law and that it was 'too soon to say' whether Walz would call another special session. The Minnesota House is evenly divided, while Democrats control the Senate. Walz and Minnesota Democrats have said up to 250,000 people could lose their health coverage because of the law and that the state may lose up to $500 million in federal funding yearly. In Connecticut, state Sen. Matt Lesser, the Democratic deputy majority leader and chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, said state Democrats 'were moving in the direction' of a September special session intended specifically to address the budget gaps stemming from the new federal law. 'Nobody can absorb the kinds of cuts that we're anticipating for the next few years,' Lesser said. Unlike in Minnesota and Colorado, Lesser predicted that a Connecticut special session might seek to raise taxes or find other sources of revenue to address the expected shortfalls to social safety net programs. The Kaiser Family Foundation has estimated that the state could lose $13 billion in Medicaid funding over 10 years as a result of Trump's law. Lesser said that the impacts of the changes to SNAP aren't fully understood yet — but that early estimates suggested Connecticut would have to pick up 75% of the program's cost, or about $40 million a year. 'A lot of what the 'OBBB' does is just a cost shift from the federal government to the states,' he said. Rob Blanchard, a spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, responded to questions about whether he'd call a special session by saying that the "administration is dedicated to doing what we can do mitigate some of the impact from this bill" and that it is "analyzing" it. 'We will be meeting agency leaders and, later, our colleagues in the General Assembly to discuss next steps,' Blanchard said. Democrats control the governorship and both legislative chambers in Connecticut. The Democratic governors of New Mexico and Washington — where Democrats also enjoy full control of state government — have also indicated they're considering calling special legislative sessions to tackle expected funding shortfalls. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham "is strongly considering a special session to help mitigate harm to New Mexicans from this disastrous Republican budget bill,' spokesperson Michael Coleman said in an email. New Mexico lawmakers and health care advocates have predicted that up to 89,000 residents might be kicked off Medicaid and that up to 58,000 could lose their SNAP benefits because of the law. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said in an email that 'there is no question the impacts of President Trump's Big Betrayal Bill are dire for Washingtonians in terms of cuts to Medicaid and other important benefits.' Ferguson added that, 'at this time, we do not believe a special session is needed,' but he said he 'will definitely be having conversations with legislative leaders and my team about whether a special session is needed.' Ferguson's office has estimated that the law will cause Washington to lose $3 billion a year in federal Medicaid funding and that it would be on the hook for at least an additional $188 million related to the SNAP changes. Democrats in states with Republican governors are also roaring for their leaders to address the expected funding gaps — though their expectations for special sessions are close to zero. Georgia Democrats have advocated publicly for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp to call a special session — though a bipartisan group of legislators has said they'll wait until their regular session convenes in January to address the budget. Georgia stands to lose about $10 billion in Medicaid funding over the next 10 years, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Meanwhile, Nebraska Democrats said they're particularly concerned about the law's impact on rural hospitals. One — the Curtis Medical Center — has already announced plans to close, citing the cuts to Medicaid implemented by Trump's law. And legislators say six more rural hospitals could close within the next two years as the law is implemented. 'I just want to underscore how devastating this is — particularly for rural parts of our state,' said state Sen. John Fredrickson, a Democrat. Still, Fredrickson said he did 'not anticipate' a special session in Nebraska, where Republicans control the governorship and its single legislative chamber. A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Jim Pillen didn't respond to questions about a possible special session. 'As we go into session next year, we are going to have to make significant adjustments to our budget based on this bill's passage,' Fredrickson said. 'This bill is going to have a significant impact on the state's ability to provide and fund basic social needs, and those services are going to be at risk as a result."
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Today at the Roundhouse, March 18, & recap
Mar. 18—It's the last week of the 60-day legislative session and hundreds of bills are still in limbo at the Roundhouse. All bills not approved by both the House and Senate by the time the session ends Saturday at noon are officially dead. Here's a key bill to watch out for on Tuesday, March 18, and a recap of Monday. Tax package remodel: A House-approved bill that would tie an expanded working families tax credit to an increased oil tax is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee. The bill, House Bill 14, was approved Saturday by the House. But it's typical for tax bills to be amended in the Senate after being crafted in the House. Monday recap Psilocybin: A bill creating a state-run psilocybin program for New Mexicans with certain diagnosed medical conditions passed its first — and only — assigned House committee. The House Health and Human Services Committee voted 8-1 to advance the legislation, Senate Bill 219, which passed the Senate last week. Cybersecurity: The Senate passed Senate Bill 254, which would require the state's Cybersecurity Office to develop minimum cybersecurity protections for state-operated or state-owned telecommunications networks. It heads to the House now. Bobby's bolo battle: Senators all around were styling on Saturday, vying to win a bolo tie contest put on by Sen. Roberto "Bobby" Gonzales, D-Ranchos de Taos. At the end of the day, Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, pulled in the win with a tiger bolo, presumably representing the Gallup High School tigers. Where the bills stand HB14: Passed House. Awaiting hearing in Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee. SB219: Passed House Health and Human Services Committee. Now heads to House floor, then would advance to governor's desk. SB254: Passed Senate. Awaiting House committee assignments, then must pass House committees and House floor in order to advance to governor's desk.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NM Legislative Recap March 14: The rise of the zombie bills
A bolo tie that will not be a contender for 'Best Bolo' between lawmakers on Saturday, March 15. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) You might have noticed bills with the same all-caps title floating around: 'PUBLIC PEACE, HEALTH, SAFETY & WELFARE.' Committee chairs and legislative leaders introduce generic-titled bills that contain a title, and the phrase 'Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of New Mexico' — until they don't. Lawmakers can substitute that generic language for entirely new bills, (even though the deadline for introduction is the session's midway point) or tabled legislation, to give the bills another shake at moving through the Roundhouse. So far, legislators have introduced 80 'dummy' bills, though we've only found nine that have been replaced with actual legislation. Read below about a few of those zombie bills. The chart above shows you all nine. Let us know at Info@ if any of them are of particular interest to you as we head into the final week of the session. House Bill 588 mirrors Senate Bill 24, which would require all public works construction projects to contribute to public apprentice and training programs. SB24 passed its first committee, but stalled in Senate Finance, according to the legislature's bill tracker. House Transportation, Public Works and Capital Improvements tabled HB588 this week. House Bill 592 increases the annual income cap for the Social Security Tax exemption by $20,000 for the next five years, and then eliminates the cap in 2031. The House Consumer and Economic Affairs hasn't scheduled the bill for a hearing yet. House Bill 593 includes provisions to increase rural health care practitioner health credits, institute medical school loan forgiveness and add caps to medical malpractice lawsuits. The House Health and Human Services Committee on Friday morning tabled HB593 in a 5-4 party-line vote. House Bill 618 mirrors Senate Bill 217, which would remove oversight of IT purchases and contracts from the duties of the secretary of the Department of Information. SB217 passed its first committee, but is not scheduled for an upcoming hearing in Senate Tax, Business and Transportation. The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee on Friday morning passed HB618. And make sure to peruse the status of all 1,300 or so pieces of legislation introduced so far this session with Source's bill tracker. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The House Health and Human Services Committee passed Senate Bill 53, which would amend the Professional Psychologist Act to include allopathic and osteopathic physicians, nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists to the list of prescribing psychologists; Senate Bill 45, which would amend the Indigent Hospital and County Health Care Act to allow coverage for premium and out-of-pocket costs; Senate Bill 105, which would allow New Mexico to join the Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact; Senate Bill 118, which would require the Motor Vehicles Division to create materials explaining how to apply to be an organ donor and distribute to state agencies; House Memorial 53, which would require the Department of Health and the Aging and Long-Term Services Department to update material on Alzheimer's disease and related diseases; seek federal funding for updating dementia-related public health programs; and create a report for the Legislative Council and governor; House Memorial 56, which would recognize May as 'National Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month;' and House Memorial 29, which would require the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee to review driving rules for people with diabetes during the 2025 interim session and develop legislation updating driver's license requirements for people with diabetes. The House Education Committee passed Senate Bill 11, which would require local school districts to adopt policies for student cell phone use with guidelines from the Public Education Department. The committee also voted to table Senate Bill 242, the Advancing the Science of Reading Act, introduced by President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque). The committee debated the bill last week and agreed to roll it while amendments were considered. House Education Committee Chair G Andrés Romero (D-Albuquerque) said last week that he couldn't promise the bill would be scheduled for a hearing again. One of the big sticking points was over using student outcomes to determine how successful teacher preparation programs are in preparing teachers to use structured literacy. 'I guess that's the concern, is that we're utilizing those students in this teacher's classroom for those three years as a way to evaluate those educator prep programs, and I'm concerned about that,' Romero said. The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee passed Senate Bill 299, which would require the Secretary of State to notify the governor, presiding officer of the chambers and the county commissioners within five days of a legislative vacancy in their area; House Bill 292, which would distribute 8% of the general fund's gross receipts tax collection to the newly created all cities and counties fund; House Bill 456, which would allow state agencies to use a price agreement for architectural or engineering services up to $2 million, not exceeding $15 million over four years; Senate Bill 353, which would amend the Search and Rescue Act establishing response protocols for federal, state, local and tribal agencies when New Mexico Search and Rescue is called to assist in emergencies; House Bill 570, which would amend the Prior Authorization Act of the Insurance Code to restrict prior authorization for chemotherapy, dialysis, elder care and home health care services, as well as for prescribed diabetes and high blood pressure medications; House Bill 618, a dummy bill that would clarify the role of Department of Information when approving information technology projects conducted by state agencies; Senate Bill 507, which would amend the Concealed Handgun Carry Act to create qualifications, licensing procedures and renewal requirements for concealed handgun licenses; and Senate Bill 63, which would describe how the New Mexico state flag is to be retired when no longer used, such as by burning, a private ceremony or public ceremony held by military personnel or a patriotic society. The House Taxation and Revenue Committee passed House Bill 14, which would effectively eliminate the state income tax for about 20,000 families. The Senate Rules Committee passed House Bill 84, which would enact the Employee Free Speech Act. The Senate Finance Committee passed Senate Bill 401, the Broadband for Education bill, which among other facets would move the Statewide Education Network from the Public School Facilities Authority Office of Broadband Access and Expansion. 'We are pleased that the Finance Committee understands the significance of this bill and what it will mean for broadband expansion on the education front,' OBAE Acting Director said in a statement. Senate Finance also passed House Bill 181, House Bill 218 and Senate Bill 535, a dummy bill. The Senate Education Committee passed House Bill 532, House Bill 487, House Bill 67 and House Bill 65. The Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee passed House Bill 339, Senate Bill 96, House Bill 91, House Bill 357, House Bill 223, House Bill 228, House Bill 220, House Bill 174, House Bill 171, House Bill 154, House Bill 191, House Bill 160, House Bill 99, House Bill 93 and House Bill 56. The House of Representatives debated House Bill 17 for three hours before passing the bill, which would create a commission to study grocery prices and propose ways to lower consumer costs for essential household foods. The chamber also passed House Bill 76, which would require hospitals and other institutions to screen newborn children for congenital cardiac conditions; House Bill 372, which would increase the weight limit for recreational off-highway vehicles, and allow drivers under the age of 18 to carry a passenger if they are properly licensed and supervised; House Bill 7, which would would establish a trust fund for children born in New Mexico after Jan. 1, 2025; and House Bill 571, which would create a program and certification process under the Department of Finance and Administration to acknowledge municipalities that adopt strategies that increase housing affordability and accessibility. After lengthy debate, the Senate passed House Bill 5, which would create the Office of the Child Advocate to oversee the Children Youth and Families Department. The Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee was expected to meet at 5:45 p.m. on Friday night. The Senate will meet at noon on Saturday. Senate Majority Floor Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) said he also expects the Senate to meet on Sunday. The Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee will meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The Senate Conservation Committee will meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The Senate Judiciary Committee will meet after the floor session on Saturday. The Senate Finance Committee will meet on Saturday morning, around 9:30 or 10 a.m., Chair George Munoz said. The Senate will hold a bolo tie contest on Saturday, Sen. Bobby Gonzales (D-Rancho de Taos) said. The prize will be one of the bolo ties from his collection, he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health Care Authority issues emergency rule amid elder abuse spike, legislative reform
Mar. 10—The New Mexico Health Care Authority has issued a new rule meant to curb elder abuse amid rising rates of mistreatment. The rule allows the state agency to place people with an instance of a substantiated case of abuse, neglect and exploitation on an employee abuse registry. People on the list are barred from continuing as caregivers. The move — combined with a bill moving through the New Mexico Legislature — is a step toward suppressing rising cases of elder abuse, according to Dan Lanari, director of the Health Care Authority's Division of Health Improvement. "We see an increase, and then immediately what we have to do is we have to look at, what are the regulations that oversee this," Lanari told the Journal. "What are the regulations in place to prevent this from happening?" A 2023 annual report from Adult Protective Services, or APS, chronicled 12,560 reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation in the state. The 2024 annual report noted that APS received 14,368 reports, a 4.4% increase. The report attributed the rise to the "growing awareness of adult maltreatment and as well as the continued trust placed in our agency to protect vulnerable adults." But over four years, the problem has worsened. At a February hearing of the legislative House Health and Human Services Committee, Lanari testified that, between 2020 and 2024, there had been a 117% increase in abuse, neglect and exploitation cases among people receiving Developmental Disabilities Waiver services and a 76% increase at hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Lanari said there are two ways to impact this: the rule change HCA approved and legislative reform. House Bill 131, Caregiver Background Checks, would strengthen the review process for those seeking to be caregivers. People convicted of certain felony crimes — including aggravated battery of a household member, sex trafficking, assault of a peace officer, identity theft and animal cruelty — would be unable to become caregivers in the first place. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Liz Thomson, D-Albuquerque, would bring New Mexico, which has significantly fewer disqualifying convictions, into line with other states. Thomson was unavailable for an interview. One HCA analysis submitted to the legislature said many states, including Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma and Georgia, have as much as 10 times more disqualifying convictions than New Mexico. "To protect the safety of individuals receiving healthcare is imperative, and that's why we're doing this," Lanari said. "However, we're also doing this very thoughtfully, and we don't want to have a negative impact on the workforce pool." Lanari pointed out that there is a procedure for people on the list to appeal the decision, and the Authority's data showed that about half of the 340 appeals in 2024 were granted. That's compared to the 53,000 applications submitted that same year. The bill passed through the House Health and Human Services Committee in February and was scheduled for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on Monday.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Opposition delays committee vote for Colorado IVF protection bill
A doctor analyzes cell samples in a clinical fertility laboratory. (Getty Images) A bill in Colorado that would remove some administrative requirements for fertility clinics that help with in vitro fertilization faced pushback on Tuesday from people who were conceived through assisted reproduction. They claimed that the bill would roll back protections Colorado lawmakers passed in 2022. The House Health and Human Services Committee heard witness testimony on House Bill 25-1259 but, at the sponsors' request, did not take a vote on it. The bill would put protections for IVF into statute, one year after the Alabama Supreme Court decision that briefly halted IVF services in that state. 'When the Alabama Supreme Court came down with its decision, I reached out to some of the same people that I've done previous work with to talk about if we needed to do anything in Colorado to protect assisted reproduction and IVF,' bill sponsor Rep. Meg Froelich, an Englewood Democrat, said. 'I was hearing consistently that there were implementation problems with an earlier Senate bill on gamete and donor regulations.' Froelich is running the bill with Rep. Kyle Brown, a Louisville Democrat. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX She characterized HB-1259 as a 'slight course correction' on the bipartisan 2022 bill by removing some of the enacted requirements that people in the industry say could have a dampening effect on donor participation, and ultimately the success of IVF, in Colorado. That bill went into effect this year. The goal is to balance donor privacy with the interest of parents and children involved with assisted reproduction to know about genetic and medical history. Betsy Cairo, the founder of CryoGam Colorado, said donor applications numbered about half what they did last year. The new bill would eliminate the requirement that fertility clinics and donor banks request updated contact information and medical history from donors every three years. They would only need to get that information at the time of donation. The bill would also eliminate requirements about record retention and live birth reporting from gamete recipients, allow donor banks to create educational materials for donors instead of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and change a licensure requirement to every five years instead of annually. The 2022 bill ensured that Coloradans conceived through egg or sperm donation would be able to learn the identity of that donor when they turned 18 and specifically allows the person to talk about the donor's identity with family, friends and third parties. This year's bill would remove that guarantee for family and friend communication and allow clinics to prohibit it. 'We can honor donors' desire for privacy, while also compelling information to be shared,' Froelich said. 'We're not going back to anonymous donations. We're not going back to a place where we don't share critical medical information.' She said it's an effort to curb harassment or doxxing — sharing someone's private information online — of donors, especially with the rise of genetic testing services and ubiquity of social media. 'There are instances of Facebook posts saying 'This guy is my dad. He's a dirtbag because he won't have a relationship with me,'' Froelich said. 'We're trying to swing the pendulum back a little bit to honor some donor privacy.' But opponents see that provision as a pathway for clinics to require non-disclosure agreements or other communication barriers before telling a person the identity of their biological parent. 'One day after my children turn 18, if they would like to obtain the identity of the donor that I chose, the sperm bank will make them sign a non-disclosure agreement. Essentially, the bank is saying 'We'll give you this information about where half your DNA comes from, but you can't talk about it,'' said Laura Runnels, who has two children conceived through IVF. Required education materials are supposed to inform donors of the risk, and increasing likelihood, of people conceived through their gamete contacting them when they turn 18. Former state Sen. Steve Fenberg, who sponsored the 2022 bill, characterized the legislation as a 'hot mess' to lawmakers in committee. He said there has not been enough time to know if his bill actually reduced donor participation or clinic operation in the state because it has been in effect for two months and the licensure requirement does not kick in until July. He also argued that IVF is already protected in Colorado's Reproductive Health Equity Act. 'I believe (IVF protection) is put into this bill, as some of the witnesses have said, because no Democrat in America today would vote against a bill that is pro IVF. That is political suicide,' he said. 'The only parts of this bill that actually have an impact policy-wise are the rollbacks of the Donor Conceived Protection Act that was put into law in 2022.' He said that a 'reasonable relaxation' of regulations should include input from people conceived through IVF. Froelich told Colorado Newsline that she and Brown plan to offer some amendments, which could include a softening of the third-party communication piece and guidance for donors to report to banks significant medical issues that could be genetic. 'Since we have rolled this bill out, I have had hours of conversations with folks who are donor-conceived, and I have really appreciated their feedback,' Brown said in committee. 'We have been working diligently on ways that we can improve this bill to strike the right balance.' The committee will consider amendments and vote on the bill at a later meeting. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
