The 2023-24 school year saw the highest percentage of kindergarteners exempted from vaccinations, with increases in 40 states and Washington, D.C. In some localities, the so-called health freedom message has led to nonmedical exemption rates as high as 50 percent.
Currently, the state’s Medicaid coverage only covers two months after childbirth. But a bill would extend coverage for a full 12 months postpartum. In 2021, 23 percent of women ages 19-64 were uninsured in the state.
The bill will require physicians to provide care to infants “born alive” during abortion procedures and then report data to the state. The bill has enough support to override a governor’s veto.
The Republican-dominated state Assembly has quickly overridden Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto on a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for trans youth. The override passed with a 29-8 vote; just one Republican voted against.
The Department of Children and Families has suffered from high turnover and vacancy rates for years but will soon take on the child protection investigations in the seven remaining counties the agency doesn’t already oversee.
People ages 15 to 24 account for more than half of people who are affected by sexually transmitted diseases in California and about 20 percent of California high schools’ students were sexually active in 2019.
Black women in Michigan are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than in other states. A proposal would require the use of the PREM-OB scale and create a complaint system for obstetric racism.
Last week, the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine banned minors from utilizing puberty-blocking hormones and gender-affirming treatments, even in clinical trials. The rule must be filed to take effect.
Two state representatives have introduced a bill that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to register as voters starting next year. A similar bill was introduced last year, but ultimately died on the session’s last day.
The governor promised to make preschool available to every family in Illinois that wanted it but did not lay out details for the pledge. One report estimates it would cost $505 million to enroll low-income children alone in pre-K.
Every state has a law allowing unwanted infants to be surrendered, but the laws lack uniformity, there is no standardized training and there are no data-driven best practices. The result is a chaotic system.
Only 59 percent of homeless students in Washington state graduate from high school in four years. But North Thurston Public Schools has their more than 600 homeless students graduating at nearly the same rate as their peers.
A new report from Parents Together lists a diverse array of toys and gifts that collect user data to sell to third parties, including a water bottle and smart mirror. The report acts as more of a warning than a comprehensive list.
Come January, eleven states and Washington, D.C., will allow children without permanent legal status to enroll in Medicaid or CHIP. The change is costing states millions of dollars.
The Legislature wants to create a pool of money that will give a minimum of $4,000 to every child born under the state’s Medicaid program. The program would cost about $150 million annually.
They face many a myriad of negative outcomes, ranging from homelessness to involvement with the criminal justice system and unplanned pregnancies. But one county’s approach shows promise in helping these youth build better lives.
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