Prisons Lose Truck Contract that Budget-Gridlocked Illinois Can’t Pay; Planned Parenthood Wins in Alabama
A Planned Parenthood rally in September in New York City. A Katz / Shutterstock.com
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also: New York doctors made to take online course to prescribe pot and Utah Transit execs give up bonuses.
Here’s some of what we’ve been reading today…
CHICAGO, Illinois: No end of pain in sight for the budget-gridlocked Land of Lincoln. The Larson Group trucking company, which leases semis to the Department of Corrections, has broken its six-year contract, saying the state is $17,000 behind in payments, reports The Chicago Tribune. The state has paid $68,000 per year to the company to move prisoner-made products. Budget talks broke down in Springfield four months ago. “I don't blame these guys. Why would they work for free?" said Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo. [The Chicago Tribune]
MONTGOMERY, Alabama: Planned Parenthood notched another win against state officials seeking to strip the organization of funding. On Wednesday, a federal judge blocked Yellowhammer State Gov. Robert Bentley’s attempt to cancel a Planned Parenthood Medicaid contract, reports the Montgomery Advertiser. The ruling found Bentley would be illegally limiting patient access to health care. [Montgomery Advertiser]
ALBANY, New York: Doctors prescribing medical marijuana will be forced to take a special medical course, reports the Associated Press, adding that the requirement is “an unusual mandate not applied to other new drugs or seen in other states with medical marijuana programs.” Medical pot is scheduled to be available to New Yorkers in January. "Obviously it is good for doctors to be educated about medical cannabis, but the concern is whether this will serve as a deterrent. How many doctors will choose to go through this training?" said Julie Netherland, deputy state director for the Drug Policy Alliance. The course is available online, lasts roughly 4-and-half hours and costs $250. [AP via The New York Times]
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah: Top Utah Transit Authority executives will give up bonuses for the next two years, reports The Salt Lake Tribune. The UTA is asking voters this fall to increase sales tax revenue that would amount to $39 million. The execs in the past drew criticism for taking bonuses as high as $30,000. [The Salt Lake Tribune]
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana: A public health committee tasked with reviewing the state’s start-up needle exchange program and recommending action to battle growing drug abuse in the Hoosier State, came up with nothing, according to the Indianapolis Star. Proposals members considered included tougher penalties for drug-related crimes. “We just didn’t have consensus on what we should do,” said Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis. The needle-exchange program now covers three counties in the state, including Southern Scott County, the center of an HIV outbreak that made national news. [Indianapolis Star]
(Photo by A Katz / Shutterstock.com)
John Tomasic is a journalist who lives in Boulder, Colorado.
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