Health

WASHINGTON - A coalition of 22 states and seven major cities sued the Trump administration Tuesday in a bid to prevent it from dismantling an Obama-era regulation that established national limits on the carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. In... Read More

In July, freshman Representative Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., introduced the Personal Needs Allowance Modernization Act to improve the financial security of Medicaid beneficiaries living in nursing facilities.  Currently, Medicaid beneficiaries who are eligible for nursing care must contribute almost their entire... Read More

U.S. Representatives Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., and Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., hosted a forum in Yorkville, Ill. This week to discuss challenges young Americans face with mental health.  Underwood and Kennedy are members of Future Forum, an influential group of young... Read More

North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess knew he had to do something. In 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced South Carolina led the nation in drunk driving fatalities, with 44% of all auto accident deaths involving at least... Read More

Representative Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., visited a Walgreens pharmacy in Waldwick, New Jersey with Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton to discuss how local communities are addressing the opioid crisis and substance abuse in general. Deaths from drug overdoses in New Jersey... Read More

Last week, a bipartisan, bicameral coalition led by freshman Representative Sean Casten D-Ill., introduced legislation aimed at encouraging innovation that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources. Casten and his counterparts in the Senate, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and... Read More

Nearly each day reports chronicle the catastrophic ramifications of climate change, as well as the effects of poverty and hunger on growing children. The National Institutes of Health just released a study explaining that eating an unprocessed diet triggers an... Read More

Clearly concerned about what will happen if a federal appeals court upholds a lower court ruling overturning the Affordable Care Act, Democrats at the National Governors Association summer meeting said Thursday that rolling back the health care law would be... Read More

WASHINGTON - Representatives Rodney Davis, R-Ill., and Angie Craig, D-Minn., proposed Wednesday to create a low-interest loan program administered by FEMA for states to fund projects that reduce the risks and costs of natural disasters. “Helping communities prepare for disasters... Read More

First-term Representatives Lucy McBath, D-Ga., and Greg Steube, R-Fla., have introduced legislation aimed at protecting disabled veterans and their families who are experiencing financial hardship. Introduced in May, the bipartisan Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need (HAVEN) Act, H.R. 2938,... Read More

WASHINGTON - Members of the New Democrat Coalition's Healthcare Task Force asked the House leadership on Wednesday to hold a floor vote on drug pricing bills with bipartisan support as early as next week. The request was made in a... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House overwhelmingly approved a bill Friday ensuring that a victims compensation fund for first responders to the Sept. 11 attacks never runs out of money. Following the 402-12 vote, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the... Read More

In our new series, Freshmen Get it Done, The Well News will be highlighting legislative accomplishments by freshman Members of Congress from both parties. *** Representatives Mike Levin, D-Calif., and Chris Pappas, D-N.H., are pressing Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie... Read More

In our new series, Freshmen Get it Done, The Well News will be highlighting legislative accomplishments by freshman Members of Congress from both parties. *** WASHINGTON - A bill sponsored by freshman Representative Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., to provide funding... Read More

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed several pieces of legislation this past week, including bills that expand patient access to medical marijuana, ensure the health benefits and compensation to 9/11 responders, and prohibit utilities from cutting the power off on... Read More

When California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the state budget into law this week, he also extended health care coverage to low-income, undocumented young adults through the state's Medicaid program. Since 2016, California has allowed children under 18 to receive taxpayer-backed... Read More

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 20 veterans and military members die by suicide every day across the United States, and suicide rates are nearly two times higher for veterans than for non-veteran adults.  These tragic statistics... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Democrats are trying to block a Trump administration effort to expand uranium mining in the United States. The House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources is considering a new bill that would severely restrict uranium mining. Democrats... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department, responding to an explosion in the sale of wine in cans and single-serve bottles, is seeking public comment of eliminating all but the minimum "stand of fill" for wine containers. In a Federal Register notice... Read More

As the opioid crisis continues to devastate families and communities across the country, a new bipartisan bill, the Fentanyl Sanctions Act, promises to put more teeth in efforts to curb the activities of Chinese and other traffickers of Fentanyl and... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court will not revive Alabama's ban on second-trimester abortions, the justices announcing Friday they are content to have lower court orders blocking the law to remain in place. Though Alabama's Attorney General Steve Marshall regularly... Read More

WASHINGTON - It just might be the liveliest few minutes of the day in the Supreme Court press room. Quietly getting up from their desks, the 20 or so reporters who call the high court beat home on a daily... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday replaced Obama-era rules intended to tamp down on carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants with new regulations that allow states to decide whether such steps are needed. The new rule will go... Read More

Oregon is a step closer to becoming the second state in the nation, after California, to adopt a sweeping cap-and-trade-program. The bill passed the state House with a 36-24 vote on Monday after six hours of debate, and has been... Read More

WASHINGTON - The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the Trump administration's policy of blocking abortions sought by undocumented pregnant teenagers in federal custody cannot "be squared with Supreme Court precedent." In 2017, the Trump administration adopted a... Read More

North Carolina's Republican-led House on Thursday failed to override Democratic Governor Roy Cooper's veto of a bill that would require doctors to try to preserve the life of an infant born alive during an attempted abortion. To override Cooper's veto... Read More

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it will sharply reduce the amount of federal money supporting medical research that relies on tissue from aborted fetuses, handing a significant victory to anti-abortion groups who had lobbied for such a decision for... Read More

Americans are more likely to name healthcare costs than any other issue when asked to say what is the most important financial problem facing their family, a recent Gallup poll found. In a survey conducted April 17-30, 17 percent of... Read More

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said Thursday that he will sign a strict new abortion law barring the procedure once a heartbeat is detectable -- a point that comes before many women realize they are pregnant. In a written statement,... Read More

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the portion of an Indiana law signed by Vice President Mike Pence during his tenure as governor that requires fetal remains from abortions be buried or cremated. The ruling partially reversed an earlier... Read More