State Senates thread

[RoseWilder]

Get your swear jars ready, everyone. Republicans in Iowa are continuing to act like sociopaths: 

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/iowa-republican-wants-to-force-women-to-carry-dead-fetuses-to-term/

Quote

An  Iowa state representative has caused a furor online by asserting that women who miscarry after 20 weeks of pregnancy should have to carry their fetuses to term.

What the fuck is wrong with this man. I am horrified and disgusted that this man thinks he's entitled to insert himself into someone else's tragedy and dictate how they handle it. But then for him to also think he's qualified to decide what is medically safe for someone else is beyond repulsive. A lot of women are advised to remove the fetus for medical reasons. But according to this asswipe, women should be forced to risk their health and their lives for absolutely no reason. I'm seething with rage. 

My step-cousin was 8 months pregnant when she found out her baby's heart had stopped beating. And she had to decide whether she wanted to carry to term or not - and then she had to give birth to a baby she already know was dead. She and her husband asked that everyone leave them alone for a few days so they could decide what to do and deal with the information just the two of them. I can't even imagine how much worse this traumatic, tragic situation would have been for them if, instead of getting to make the decision alone like they wanted, they'd had to have the government inserted into their decision making process. 

I'm filled with rage right now. I'm reaching a point where I can't see these so called pro-life assholes as anything but sociopaths. 

ETA: I just went back and read the article again and the person who came up with this sick bill is a woman. I missed that the first time. So let me revise my earlier statement: What the fuck is wrong with this woman. 

[47of74]

9 minutes ago, RoseWilder said:

Get your swear jars ready, everyone. Republicans in Iowa are continuing to act like sociopaths: 

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/iowa-republican-wants-to-force-women-to-carry-dead-fetuses-to-term/

What the fuck is wrong with this man. I am horrified and disgusted that this man thinks he's entitled to insert himself into someone else's tragedy and dictate how they handle it. But then for him to also think he's qualified to decide what is medically safe for someone else is beyond repulsive. A lot of women are advised to remove the fetus for medical reasons. But according to this asswipe, women should be forced to risk their health and their lives for absolutely no reason. I'm seething with rage. 

My step-cousin was 8 months pregnant when she found out her baby's heart had stopped beating. And she had to decide whether she wanted to carry to term or not - and then she had to give birth to a baby she already know was dead. She and her husband asked that everyone leave them alone for a few days so they could decide what to do and deal with the information just the two of them. I can't even imagine how much worse this traumatic, tragic situation would have been for them if, instead of getting to make the decision alone like they wanted, they'd had to have the government inserted into their decision making process. 

I'm filled with rage right now. I'm reaching a point where I can't see these so called pro-life assholes as anything but sociopaths. 

ETA: I just went back and read the article again and the person who came up with this sick bill is a woman. I missed that the first time. So let me revise my earlier statement: What the fuck is wrong with this woman. 

Counting contents of the swear jar to see if it's enough for a down payment on a residence in the Twin Cities.

Yeah, guess who my Iowa House Rep is?  That's right, Shannon Lundgren.  The same Shannon Lundgren that proposed this horseshit in the first place. 

[PsyD2013]

This came across my email feed from Iowa House Democrats.  I might as well just cash in my 401k and put it in the swear jar.

"It's being called the most extreme anti-abortion bill in a generation. 
 
Iowa House Republicans, spearheaded by Rep. Shannon Lundgren, are currently trying to ram through a bill which would dramatically limit a women's right to make her own healthcare decisions.  
 
When asked by her Democratic colleague about what would happen to his daughter, now 21 weeks pregnant, if her baby tragically passed away in the womb. Shannon Lundgren's answer left the committee speechless. 
 
"[This bill] was written to save babies' lives," Lundgren said. "I understand what you're saying. This fetus, baby, is not alive, I would concur, in that instance, if your daughter's life was not in danger, that yes, she would have to carry that baby."

Christ on a fucking cracker.  Forcing a woman to carry a dead fetus does put her life in danger.  Hasn't Shannon Lundgren ever heard of a life-threatening condition called SEPSIS.  Fucking stupid bitch.  Newsflash Shannon- if the fetus is dead, keeping it utero is not going to fucking bring it back to life.  How could someone that fucking ignorant be elected to a public office? 

On a happier note, I'm going to Dubuque tonight to partake in a fundraiser BBQ for Iowa Democrats.  

[LeftCoastLurker]

My oldest daughter is starting to look at colleges...we are quickly crossing entire states off our lists as I learn how insane some of these state's politicians are.

We were hoping that her options would be endless, but since she is female, NOT caucasian and was not born an American citizen, we are finding that this is not the case if we want to feel safe and secure about where she ends up.

Damn all those here in the USA who voted for the orange madman.

[Cartmann99]

1 hour ago, PsyD2013 said:

This came across my email feed from Iowa House Democrats.  I might as well just cash in my 401k and put it in the swear jar.

"It's being called the most extreme anti-abortion bill in a generation. 
 
Iowa House Republicans, spearheaded by Rep. Shannon Lundgren, are currently trying to ram through a bill which would dramatically limit a women's right to make her own healthcare decisions.  
 
When asked by her Democratic colleague about what would happen to his daughter, now 21 weeks pregnant, if her baby tragically passed away in the womb. Shannon Lundgren's answer left the committee speechless. 
 
"[This bill] was written to save babies' lives," Lundgren said. "I understand what you're saying. This fetus, baby, is not alive, I would concur, in that instance, if your daughter's life was not in danger, that yes, she would have to carry that baby."

Christ on a fucking cracker.  Forcing a woman to carry a dead fetus does put her life in danger.  Hasn't Shannon Lundgren ever heard of a life-threatening condition called SEPSIS.  Fucking stupid bitch.  Newsflash Shannon- if the fetus is dead, keeping it utero is not going to fucking bring it back to life.  How could someone that fucking ignorant be elected to a public office? 

On a happier note, I'm going to Dubuque tonight to partake in a fundraiser BBQ for Iowa Democrats.  

But surely Jesus could power up and shazam that fetus back to life? We must force all the women to carry dead fetuses to the finish line, or we might miss out on a miracle! Sure, we'll have a few deaths along the way, but we're only talking about women here, so what's the big deal? 

Mmm, BBQ! I've been craving smoked brisket and sausage all week long. I'm trying not to break down and go hit the hole in the wall BBQ place here in town, because I have plenty of food here at home I need to eat. 

[VixenToast]

Weeeell, in Nebraska the only thing juicy I can find is the yea vote for felons to be able to vote immediately after completion of sentence/probation, instead of waiting two years for it.

Nice. Good job Nebraska  It's nothing special, but considering an overwhelming majority of prisoners seem to be minority, this isn't a step in the way of barring voters. 

Also, now that Kansas is expanding Medicaid, Neb Senators are wanting to do the same. Yaaaaaaaay!

[fraurosena]

22 hours ago, RoseWilder said:

Get your swear jars ready, everyone. Republicans in Iowa are continuing to act like sociopaths: 

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/iowa-republican-wants-to-force-women-to-carry-dead-fetuses-to-term/

What the fuck is wrong with this man. I am horrified and disgusted that this man thinks he's entitled to insert himself into someone else's tragedy and dictate how they handle it. But then for him to also think he's qualified to decide what is medically safe for someone else is beyond repulsive. A lot of women are advised to remove the fetus for medical reasons. But according to this asswipe, women should be forced to risk their health and their lives for absolutely no reason. I'm seething with rage. 

My step-cousin was 8 months pregnant when she found out her baby's heart had stopped beating. And she had to decide whether she wanted to carry to term or not - and then she had to give birth to a baby she already know was dead. She and her husband asked that everyone leave them alone for a few days so they could decide what to do and deal with the information just the two of them. I can't even imagine how much worse this traumatic, tragic situation would have been for them if, instead of getting to make the decision alone like they wanted, they'd had to have the government inserted into their decision making process. 

I'm filled with rage right now. I'm reaching a point where I can't see these so called pro-life assholes as anything but sociopaths. 

ETA: I just went back and read the article again and the person who came up with this sick bill is a woman. I missed that the first time. So let me revise my earlier statement: What the fuck is wrong with this woman. 

Apart from the WTFery of this whole proposal, I don't understand something. I mean, really do not understand. 

These types of repubs purporte to be PRO-LIFE!!!1!! .... and they're also ANTI-GUBMINT!!!!1!

Uhhhh... how does that compute, when they propose using the government to control other people's bodies?

[Childless]

On 3/31/2017 at 1:16 PM, RoseWilder said:

Get your swear jars ready, everyone. Republicans in Iowa are continuing to act like sociopaths: 

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/iowa-republican-wants-to-force-women-to-carry-dead-fetuses-to-term/

What the fuck is wrong with this man. I am horrified and disgusted that this man thinks he's entitled to insert himself into someone else's tragedy and dictate how they handle it. But then for him to also think he's qualified to decide what is medically safe for someone else is beyond repulsive. A lot of women are advised to remove the fetus for medical reasons. But according to this asswipe, women should be forced to risk their health and their lives for absolutely no reason. I'm seething with rage. 

My step-cousin was 8 months pregnant when she found out her baby's heart had stopped beating. And she had to decide whether she wanted to carry to term or not - and then she had to give birth to a baby she already know was dead. She and her husband asked that everyone leave them alone for a few days so they could decide what to do and deal with the information just the two of them. I can't even imagine how much worse this traumatic, tragic situation would have been for them if, instead of getting to make the decision alone like they wanted, they'd had to have the government inserted into their decision making process. 

I'm filled with rage right now. I'm reaching a point where I can't see these so called pro-life assholes as anything but sociopaths. 

ETA: I just went back and read the article again and the person who came up with this sick bill is a woman. I missed that the first time. So let me revise my earlier statement: What the fuck is wrong with this woman. 

I'm not sure I understand the point of this bill.  How does this preserve life?  The fetus is dead.  There will be no live baby.  What difference does it make if you induce labor/remove the fetus or carry to term?  The result will be the same in any case.  It just seems like a totally pointless waste of time and money enacting something that will easily be defeated in court since what's done regarding the pregnancy makes zero difference at that point.

[RoseWilder]

18 minutes ago, Childless said:

I'm not sure I understand the point of this bill.  How does this preserve life?  The fetus is dead.  There will be no live baby.  What difference does it make if you induce labor/remove the fetus or carry to term?  The result will be the same in any case.  It just seems like a totally pointless waste of time and money enacting something that will easily be defeated in court since what's done regarding the pregnancy makes zero difference at that point.

My theory: I think extremely radical bills like this are proposed because the people who are proposing them are hoping that people will be so reassured when the most radical part of the bill is removed during the legislative process or struck down by the courts that we'll all be so relieved that we won't object to the rest of the bill. I read somewhere that Russia does this frequently. They propose something radical, knowing from the beginning they only wanted 75% of the radical thing to begin with. So when people object, they act like they're compromising by removing that 25% they didn't really want in the first place, and their opponents feel like they won even though they really lost. 

My other theory is that they're just a bunch of sociopaths who get some kind of sick high off of trying to control other people's bodies. 

[PsyD2013]

Iowa Representative Shannon Lundgren is standing by her belief that a woman should carry a dead fetus until labor starts naturally.  This from a woman with a certificate Tourism Management.  Christ on a fucking cracker, carrying a dead fetus puts a woman's life in danger for clotting issues and sepsis.  All Shannon cares about is being a voice for babies and saving them. 

[GreyhoundFan]

16 minutes ago, PsyD2013 said:

Iowa Representative Shannon Lundgren is standing by her belief that a woman should carry a dead fetus until labor starts naturally.  This from a woman with a certificate Tourism Management.  Christ on a fucking cracker, carrying a dead fetus puts a woman's life in danger for clotting issues and sepsis.  All Shannon cares about is being a voice for babies and saving them. 

A relative of mine had a child die in utero. She refused to have labor induced. She carried the dead fetus for weeks. I was too young to understand what was going on, but my mom told me many years later that this relative became very ill because of it. I can't imagine forcing someone to do that. Shannon Lundgren needs to stick to tourism.

[ADoyle90815]

47 minutes ago, PsyD2013 said:

Iowa Representative Shannon Lundgren is standing by her belief that a woman should carry a dead fetus until labor starts naturally.  This from a woman with a certificate Tourism Management.  Christ on a fucking cracker, carrying a dead fetus puts a woman's life in danger for clotting issues and sepsis.  All Shannon cares about is being a voice for babies and saving them. 

I'm just going to leave this here.

[Childless]

1 hour ago, PsyD2013 said:

Iowa Representative Shannon Lundgren is standing by her belief that a woman should carry a dead fetus until labor starts naturally.  This from a woman with a certificate Tourism Management.  Christ on a fucking cracker, carrying a dead fetus puts a woman's life in danger for clotting issues and sepsis.  All Shannon cares about is being a voice for babies and saving them. 

But if the baby is already dead, she's not saving anything and is, in fact, putting someone's life at risk.  That's the exact opposite of pro-life.

[GreyhoundFan]

22 minutes ago, Childless said:

But if the baby is already dead, she's not saving anything and is, in fact, putting someone's life at risk.  That's the exact opposite of pro-life.

Oh, @Childless, please:

[GreyhoundFan]

CNN had this sad article about a mother involved in the wrongful birth debate in Texas: "Mom at center of 'wrongful birth' debate: If lawmakers cared, they would have called"

Quote

...

Dortha contracted rubella when she was 2½ weeks pregnant, before she even knew that she was expecting. Although she got better, the virus took root in her fetus' bone cells, nerve cells and skin cells. It would leave Lesli blind, deaf and severely brain-damaged. She spent 100 days in the hospital before her first birthday and has undergone more than 20 surgeries over the years, including an open-heart operation at 3 months that left her ribs broken.

Lesli has lived in a Houston-area group home since 2000. Dortha, 77, now lives in Oklahoma and visits as often as she can, about eight times a year. As the two hold hands, Dortha ponders whether her daughter knows who she is.

"I don't think she's aware that I'm her mother," she says. "I think she is aware that I'm someone special who cares about her."

...

Never once did a lawmaker reach out to her. Never was she asked to testify in committee hearings. Never did they ask about Lesli.

If they had, she would have told them of the pain her daughter has suffered since she was born March 8, 1969, in Wichita Falls, Texas. Of traveling more than 100,000 miles to hospitals in Dallas, Baltimore, Washington and San Francisco -- anything to give her little Lesli the best shot in life.

"If you have not watched your daughter suffer pain -- pain that was just hell -- for days and days," Dortha says, "you cannot even grasp the pain that you experience."

She'd have told those under the Capitol dome how she dedicated her life to special needs children for more than 30 years. Of designing the curriculum for disabled children in public schools, first in Dallas and then in Wichita Falls.

Tormented by the virus that wrecked her child, she wrote her master's thesis on rubella and its devastating effects in pregnancy.

Many nights, Dortha weeps.

"I would have given anything to have never been born," she says. "Because had I not been born, she would not have been born and suffered this."

...

Standing over her daughter, Dortha has a message for the senator who drafted the bill. "Senator Creighton has not stood where I have stood or walked in my shoes. He has not," she says. "He has not stood and watched a child suffer like this."

She says it's interesting that the current administration in Washington, as well as Texas lawmakers, wants to deregulate everything from the EPA to banks to businesses. "But when it comes to the most intimate decisions an individual has to make, it's 'let's put more regulations on that.'

"I'm the one who should have made the decision."

Does she still wish her daughter had never been born?

"Yes," she says.

...

It's a good article, but a hard read.

[Cartmann99]

44 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

CNN had this sad article about a mother involved in the wrongful birth debate in Texas: "Mom at center of 'wrongful birth' debate: If lawmakers cared, they would have called"

It's a good article, but a hard read.

Dortha and her husband are going to receive death threats for doing this story. 

From the article about the cost of Lesli's care:

Quote

Her care for the upcoming year will cost about $200,000. Medicare and Medicaid will cover most of it.

I hate to think what is going to happen to Lesli if Paul Ryan and his so-called pro-life buddies get their way. 

[GreyhoundFan]

7 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

Dortha and her husband are going to receive death threats for doing this story. 

From the article about the cost of Lesli's care:

I hate to think what is going to happen to Lesli if Paul Ryan and his so-called pro-life buddies get their way. 

Sadly, you are right. Some right wing nutjobs will threaten them. As for Lesli, Paul Ryan and his buddies couldn't care less, since she is no longer a fetus.

[fraurosena]

It seems the Democrats need to wake up! There missing an opportunity to land the Repubs a big blow in Montana.

A Montana Special Election Nobody Is Following Could Deal A Huge Blow To Trump

You would think that the dems would jump on an opportunity like this... So what's going wrong here?

[fraurosena]

Well, fuck them sideways.

Republicans Just Went Nuclear. Neil Gorsuch Is Heading to the Supreme Court.

 

Quote

Senate Republicans on Thursday voted to kill the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees, invoking the so-called "nuclear option" so that a minority party will no longer have the ability to block a vote for nominees to the nation's highest court. The rule change cleared the way for the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump's nominee to fill the empty seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Gorsuch is expected to be officially confirmed Friday.

[clueliss]

WTF Missouri.  
http://www.senate.mo.gov/17info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=57095378

Quote

The Missouri Legislature is considering a dangerous bill that could send Missouri back to a pre-Civil Rights Act 1964, where Jim Crow ran rampant and "Mad Men" was reality.

Call your legislators and tell them not to bring back legal discrimination in Missouri.

Before 1964, separate and unequal was the law of the land.

People of color experienced violence and harassment daily. Racial discrimination in schools, housing and employment shattered the dreams of generations living under the burden of Jim Crow. Women were not supposed to be career-minded, let alone ask for equal rights or equal pay.

Senate Bill 43 makes it easier for employers to discriminate in Missouri on the basis of race, religion, gender and disability. It continues to exclude the LGBT community from the definition of discrimination.

This bill doesn't help business. It hurts people. We need your help in stopping Senate Bill 43.

Let politicians know that Missourians will not support making discrimination easier. Let them know we won't let them undo the work of our parents and grandparents. We won't let the politicians ruin the futures of our children.

We won't stand to see our rights rolled back in time.

Call #MoLeg leadership and your elected officials now to tell them to stop SB43.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey A. Mittman 
Executive Director 
ACLU of Missouri 
www.aclu-mo.org

1

Pardon me - I have to go find someone to harass about this nonsense.  

[GreyhoundFan]

It would be nice if this came to fruition, but the Governor is probably going to veto: "Maryland on track to give attorney general power to sue for drug price-gouging"

Quote

Maryland could become the first state to give its attorney general the power to take legal action against drug companies that dramatically increase the price of off-patent or generic drugs under a measure that is moving through the General Assembly.

Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) proposed the legislation, which received final approval in the Senate on Friday. The House passed the measure last month, and now the two chambers must reconcile the differences in the bill before the General Assembly adjourns Monday at midnight.

The vote on the price-gouging bill was among a flurry of activity in the legislature during the final days of its session.

A Senate committee broke through a logjam and voted unanimously to advance portions of the Trust Act, a bill to limit police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts. After debating the legislation for more than two weeks, the 11-member panel decided to tuck the least-controversial parts into a separate immigration-related measure that will move to the full Senate on Monday.

The surviving proposals would bar local and state police from stopping or questioning individuals solely to determine their immigration status or country of origin, and from creating registries based on factors that could be used for discrimination, such as race and religion.

The committee dropped sections that would prohibit jurisdictions from detaining undocumented prisoners past their release date on behalf of immigration authorities.

“It doesn’t go as far as some would like it to go, and it goes further than others would like, and that is a good compromise,” said Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County), who chairs the panel.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has vowed to veto the Trust Act, which was passed by the House last month two votes shy of a veto-proof majority. It was unclear whether the governor would also reject the alternative legislation that was advanced by the Senate committee Friday.

The price-gouging bill is part of a national response to soaring drug costs.

Last year, the U.S. Senate opened an investigation into the dramatic spike in EpiPen’s price, which has increased more than fivefold since 2007.

Frosh said Friday that he hopes the legislation will address what has become a “life-or-death situation” for some Maryland residents. “We hope it will stop price-gouging of drugs that people are dependent on to stay alive or to function normally,” he said.

The legislation is limited to generic and off-patent drugs that experience “unconscionable” price increases. The attorney general would be authorized to take action if a manufacturer raises the cost of a drug to a level considered unjustifiable.

A 2016 study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that nearly a third of about 1,400 generic drugs had at least one “extraordinary” price increase of 100 percent or more between 2010 and 2015.

Under the bill, the attorney general would be able to take legal action if the price is not justified based on the drug’s manufacturing and distribution costs. A manufacturer would have 45 days to respond to a complaint from the attorney general, who would be required to meet with the company before filing suit against it.

...

 

[fraurosena]

Maybe we should start a thread on these GOP emails.

This is disgusting:

There's Racist. And Then There's Stunningly Racist. Then There's This GOP Fundraising Email.

Quote

Last week, a fundraising email was circulated in support of David Clarke, Milwaukee's infamous conservative sheriff. The email was made to look like it came from Rudy Giuliani.

However, it was actually sent by Jack Daly, the self-appointed national chairman of the official draft Sheriff Clarke for Senate effort. Daly wants Sheriff Clarke to unseat liberal stalwart Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin.

In the course of one email, Daly—who, according to his LinkedIn profile, was counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2006 to 2009 and served as counsel to several Republicans on the committee including Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)—manages to invoke multiple racist images, while simultaneously using the fact that Clarke is black as a point of pride.

If you choose to read the whole article, be aforewarned: it's rage-inducingly racist -- and thats an understatement.

[RoseWilder]

Kudos to the Maryland state senate: 

I hope other states follow. 

[clueliss]

(by the way - I use the State Senate thread by default because it is easier than figuring out if something is Senate or house at the state level, State Legislature might be a better title for this and would solve that Nebraska one body issue as well).

AH - Kansas!  (a stab at an old travel and tourism slogan on my part).
Guns in Hospitals?  Sure!  Why Not!  The KC Star did an editorial on this issue.  I may be shaking my head because as someone who worked for 6 months at an urban KCK hospital (forever ago and the hospital is closed/doesn't exist now) I can see that those from rural areas really don't get that guns in hospitals (gangs for instance) are not a good idea (gangs, drugs, drive by shootings).

http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article143840794.html

Quote

By The Kansas City Star editorial board

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ORDER REPRINT OF THIS STORY

Nearly 20 years ago, the Kansas Legislature had the foresight to take steps that would save what was then known as the University of Kansas Hospital from impending ruin.

By allowing it to split from state control, they gave the now sprawling health care system a competitive edge. It has flourished ever since.

How times change.

Today, the same political body’s lack of vision is threatening to undermine the massive institutional improvements that lawmakers’ predecessors made possible. Talk about coming full circle.

The state’s senators and representatives have failed to exempt the University of Kansas Health System from a law that will allow concealed weapons to be carried in the state’s public buildings starting in July.

Already, executives are hearing from medical students who say they are hesitant to complete their residency in a place where guns are allowed. Patients say they will go elsewhere for care. Other hospitals, once eager to transfer their charges to the many highly specialized programs in the KU Health System, are warning that such arrangements are likely to slow when guns are permitted.

The perception of an unsafe environment is their reality.

Patients can and will choose to go elsewhere. Come July, the KU Health System will be the only such health care center in the area that will allow guns to be carried on the premises. Hospitals in Missouri are exempt from laws that allow people to carry guns more freely.

For health system officials, the grim prospects on the Kansas side of the state line are dredging up fears that many of their hard-fought gains of the past two decades, as well as their national reputation, will come unraveled.

And it’s all because the Legislature has failed to act.

The situation was dire back in 1998.

The hospital was projected to begin losing $20 million annually by 2000. Buildings leaked when it rained. Finances were so tight that the then-CEO joked that the hospital beds had been bought during the Carter administration.

Supplies and equipment for surgeries were borrowed from other hospitals, with cabs shuttling medical devices from benevolent medical centers willing to help out.

Patient numbers plummeted, hampering research and teaching. Patient satisfaction rates were some of the lowest in the nation.

But the Kansas Legislature agreed to a monumental change.

They severed ties between the hospital and the state’s bureaucratic governance, allowing it to separate from the board of regents overseeing colleges and universities. The hospital became an independent public authority.

Since that time, $1.5 billion has been invested. In-patient census counts doubled and then doubled again. The entire system is expanding fast.

The KU Health System doesn’t need another overhaul. It just needs lawmakers to get out of the way of progress. Allowing guns in a hospital throws up an unnecessary roadblock.

And yet, the Legislature has not been able to rally enough votes to take the simple step of carving out a concealed-carry exemption for these facilities.

The KU Health System has accomplished too much to leave this situation unaddressed. Legislators have one last chance to act during the veto session. They can’t afford to do nothing.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article143840794.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

16 minutes ago, clueliss said:

(by the way - I use the State Senate thread by default because it is easier than figuring out if something is Senate or house at the state level, State Legislature might be a better title for this and would solve that Nebraska one body issue as well).

I do the same thing!

Ah, Texas: "‘Room for all three’: Handgun, cannon and knife all being considered for official state symbol designation in Texas"

Quote

Texas is flush with state symbols, from official state crustacean (the Texas gulf shrimp) to folk dance (the square dance) to footwear (the cowboy boot, but of course).

Soon, it might add an armory’s worth of weapons to that list, including a cannon, an 1847 Colt Walker pistol and a Bowie knife.

On Thursday, a resolution to designate the cannon as Texas’s official state gun passed a Senate committee.

That resolution, authored by State Sens. Don Huffines (R) and Lois Kolkhorst (R), argues that “the cannon has been an important weapon in the state’s fight for liberty and independence as well as a symbol of the defiance and determination of its people.”

The resolution described the Battle of Gonzales, the first fight of the Texas revolution, which Huffines wrote “was fought over a cannon” on Oct. 2, 1835.

“The 150 Texian rebels at Gonzales refused to surrender their bronze six-pounder to Mexican dragoons,” he wrote. “They pointed instead to the cannon and declared, ‘Come and take it!’

“During the ensuing battle, this memorable catchphrase and a painted image of the cannon itself were raised on a makeshift flag that was created by the women of Gonzales,” he added.

“Obviously the cannon is the most significant symbol we have for the state of Texas, our sense of independence, our strength of being responsible as individuals and not reliant on the government,” Huffines said before Thursday’s hearing, according to the Guardian.

,,,

Guns, knives, and cannons. Yeah, what happy symbols. (end sarcasm)