Last week, Gov. Katie Hobbs called on the state Legislature to pass a law to guarantee women the right to contraception. Making birth control a right is a top priority for Hobbs but could prove to be difficult for the Democratic governor to sign into law as she faces opposition from the conservative majority in the legislature. .
Suicide rates among young Kentuckians are rising and proposed legislation would strengthen trauma-informed care in schools and boost youth suicide prevention resources. According to the latest state data, one in seven high school students reported having seriously considered suicide within a 12-month period. Sheila Schuster, executive director of the Advocacy Action Network, and a licensed psychologist for the Kentucky Mental Health Coalition, said the bill would increase suicide prevention trainings for teachers and staff, and require training be done when students return from winter break. .
Advocates are asking Maryland lawmakers to establish a superfund to help hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the costs of climate change. Both houses of the General Assembly are debating the "Responding to Emergency Needs from Extreme Weather Act." It would establish a Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Fund, targeting the 40 largest companies extracting or refining gas and oil with a fee totaling $9 billion over 10 years. Sen. .
Weld County commissioners are headed back to the drawing board, after a county district court ruled that their voter district maps created after the 2020 Census violated state law and could not be used in any upcoming elections. Beth Hendrix, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Colorado, said fair voter district maps ensure that communities of interest - including Latinos, who make up about 30% of Weld County s population - are able to be represented at all levels of government. "The Weld County commissioners did not look at the Latino population as a community of interest," said Hendrix. " .
A student-led program at Boise State University is helping make science more accessible for Spanish speakers. Project Scientia provides Spanish translations for research in areas such as climate science. Program Director and university Spanish Professor Carolina Viera, Ph.D, says it can be hard to find science sources in Spanish. .