Latest news with #HealthMoms
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Arkansas postpartum Medicaid extension bill fails in Senate committee
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A bill to extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum mothers failed in its Senate committee hearing on Wednesday. House Bill 1004 had a relatively easy time passing the House after its introduction there, sending it to the Senate. The Wednesday vote in the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee, however, marked the end of its process. Bill to extend Medicaid postpartum care to 12 months passes Arkansas House, heads for Senate Advocates for the bill spoke about the importance of extending postnatal care for those who did not qualify for the ARHome program, which was the bill's intent. Opponents of the legislation were concerned about its expense. Others pointed out that Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders-backed Health Moms, Health Babies Act, passed earlier in the session, did not include the 12-month extension. Opposition included testimony from a Department of Human Services representative. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs 'Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act' into law Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies did streamline entry into the Medicaid maternal care process. The governor said earlier that she did not feel the state needed to extend postpartum care past 60 days. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Four takeaways from the 12th week of the 95th General Assembly
Video: Arkansas legislature update for April 3, 2025 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The 95th General Assembly returned to a busy legislative session from spring break off-week. The Assembly will have one more week of sessions before its adjournment, and legislators are working to see bills through. Bills in the process include a struggling bill to allocate funding for a new prison, bills to tighten social media restrictions for youth, Medicaid for post-partum mothers and efforts to ease the voter initiative process. Booker sets record for longest Senate speech in history PRISON FUNDING A bill to allocate the remaining $750 million needed to build a 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County failed in three votes across three days for the week of March 31. An allocation bill requires a three-quarter majority to vote in favor of it, and so far, this has not happened in the Senate. Because it is an allocation bill, it may be resubmitted after a failing vote, which is the case here. The 94th General Assembly allocated an initial $75 million for the prison in 2023. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's nomination as Israel ambassador approved by Senate committee, floor vote to follow SOCIAL MEDIA RESTRICTIONS A pair of bills were submitted Tuesday to increase minors' social media use restrictions with the backing of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The first bill revises the Social Media Safety Act of 2023, which a federal judge overturned on Tuesday due to First Amendment issues. The revision removes the proof-of-age check for social media companies—which the judge cited in making his decision—while adding the need for social media companies to have a parental-control dashboard and regular audits of their system access. The second bill allows parents or guardians to sue if a child is harmed or tries to harm themselves due to something they saw on social media. If the legislation becomes law, parents could recoup damages and attorney fees. MEDICAID A bill to extend Medicaid coverage to 12 months from the current six months for postpartum mothers passed the House on Monday and is making its way through the Senate. The bill expands the coverage beyond that of the Health Moms, Health Babies Act passed earlier in the session. Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs: Here's how much countries are getting hit VOTER INITIATIVE The Arkansas League of Woman Voters has re-filed its proposal for a ballot initiative in the next general election. The initiative would allow voters to approve easier access to the voter initiative process, in turn removing a number of restrictions put on the process during the current legislative session. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
