After a five-year court battle, New Jersey s medical aid-in-dying law has been affirmed by the state s Supreme Court, which rejected an attempt to overturn the statute. Signed by the governor in 2019, the law was soon challenged by a physician based on religious, personal and constitutional grounds. It allows mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to get a prescription they can use to end their lives. .
Under proposed legislation being considered by Republican lawmakers, Kentucky renters would face harsher criminal penalties for property damage. Penalties would increase for sleeping in a tent in public areas, and for violent offenses, among other measures. Ben Carter, senior litigation and advocacy counsel with the Kentucky Equal Justice Center, explained state lawmakers already passed a law a few years ago that made damaging rental property in excess of $1,000 punishable as a felony. .
Minnesota s legislative session kicked off this week. A bill for construction projects is possible, and those serving Latino communities hope to get support for a centralized facility they say is much needed to connect with clients. The new session isn t expected to see as many ambitious policy moves as last year, but a bonding bill for things such as transportation and water systems is on the list. .
Researchers at Colorado State University are making headway in identifying how osteoarthritis progresses in horses, and their findings could one day also help people who develop the degenerative disease after injuring a knee, elbow or shoulder. Lynn Pezzanite, doctor of veterinary medicine and assistant professor at Colorado State University, said the disease affects nearly eight in ten horses over age 15. "It s the most common disorder affecting joints in horses, as well as in people, and one of the most common disorders that we treat overall in horses. " .
A Connecticut group wants to work with the General Assembly on improving health equity. A 2023 Health Equity report from the nonprofit group DataHaven found disparities in care led to 14,000 deaths among Black residents between 2017 and 2022. While the pandemic worsened the fatalities, it highlighted people falling through the cracks of Connecticut s healthcare system. .