State Highlights: States From Pennsylvania To Hawaii Brace For Food Stamps Rule Change; Highway Signage For Suicide Prevention Added To Maryland Bill

The Associated Press: States Scramble To Prepare Ahead Of Food Stamps Rule Change
Having food stamps offers Richard Butler a stability he’s rarely known in his 25 years. He was in state custody at age 2, spent his teen years at a Chicago boys’ home and jail for burglary, and has since struggled to find a permanent home. The $194 deposited monthly on his benefits card buys fresh produce and meat. “It means the world to me,” said Butler, who shares a one-bedroom apartment with two others. “We can go without a lot of things, like phones and music. We can’t go without eating.” (3/4)

Capital News Service: Bill Adds Suicide Prevention Info To Maryland Highway Signs
The State Highway Administration would be authorized to post suicide prevention information on existing electronic highway signs under new legislation proposed in the Maryland Senate. Senate bill 810, which is expected to be heard in the Finance Committee Wednesday, would authorize usage of the signs within a five-mile radius of high-risk suicide zones, such as the the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. (Barnes, 3/3)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Surprise Medical Billing Legislation Passes In Georgia House
Two bills that would put checks on unexpected medical bills passed the Georgia House of Representatives on Tuesday.Surprise billing legislation narrowly failed in the House last year, with a vote of 77 to 78 on House Bill 84. The two bills that passed Tuesday with only a handful of “no” votes marked a key moment in a long effort on the issue by legislators, said Rep. Lee Hawkins, R-Gainesville. (Coyne, 3/3)

The Associated Press: Washington Legislature Ease Penalties For HIV Exposure
The Washington Legislature on Tuesday approved a bill that reduces the crime of intentionally exposing a sexual partner to HIV from a felony to a misdemeanor. Supporters of the change to the rarely used law say the current penalties don’t have an effect on reducing transmissions or improving public health. Opponents argued the move diminishes the significance of the impact on a person who is unknowingly infected. (3/3)

Los Angeles Times: Shelter Openings Mark Progress In L.A.’s Homelessness Response
At a town hall 16 months ago, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Councilman Mike Bonin endured a public flogging from residents who were incensed by a plan to build a homeless shelter across the street from some of the priciest real estate in Venice. The opposition continued, first with a scathing social media campaign and then with a lawsuit. But all that was only a bittersweet memory last week, when Garcetti and Bonin stood before an appreciative crowd of homeless advocates and service providers to open Pacific Sunset, a 154-bed bridge home shelter for men, women and young adults. (Smith, 3/3)

Roll Call: States Turn To Unenforced Federal Law To Slow Medical Marijuana Legalization 
Since 2014, Congress has protected patients and cannabis programs from federal marijuana prosecutions in states that allow it for medical use. Medical marijuana’s unique legal status involves a little-known provision called the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment that Congress renews every year in spending laws. It says the Justice Department cannot use federal funds to prevent states from implementing their own medical marijuana laws. (Kopp, 3/4)

Albany Herald: Phoebe Paid $1 Million In Taxes, Voluntary Payments In 2019 
Belying claims that the hospital system is not paying taxes on properties not used for medical purposes, Phoebe Putney Health System has compiled a document showing that the health system paid slightly less than a million dollars in taxes and in voluntary payments in lieu of taxes in 2019. Phoebe Health System CEO Scott Steiner had copies of a document showing taxes paid on all Phoebe-owned properties hand-delivered to city officials on Monday. The Albany Herald obtained a copy of the document. (Fletcher, 3/3)