Latest news with #HouseCommitteeonPublicHealth
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill removing Arkansas' fluoride mandate passes Senate; in House committee
Sen. Clint Penzo, R-Springdale, addresses the Arkansas Senate on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) Two bills affecting fluoride in drinking water are scheduled for Arkansas House committee discussion Thursday after passing the Senate on Tuesday. Senate Bill 2, which would repeal a statewide mandate for public water system fluoridation, passed the Senate on an 18-12 vote with five senators not voting. Senate Bill 613, which outlines a petition process to put the question of water fluoridation on a local ballot for consideration by voters served by a public water system passed by a wider margin, 27-7, with one senator voting present. Both bills are on the agenda of Thursday's House Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor. Committee rejects proposal to repeal Arkansas' water fluoridation mandate Both bills were sponsored by Sen. Clint Penzo, R-Springdale, who has said that fluoride is a 'poison.' Fluoride — which helps prevent tooth decay — has been used in drinking water since 1945 to improve dental health. Penzo described SB2 as 'a good local control bill that allows the local water districts to determine' whether to fluoridate in his remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday evening. SB2 was voted down in the Senate Public Health committee in February, but Penzo successfully extracted the bill from committee last week over objections from committee chair Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, who said her committee had done its due diligence when urging her colleagues to reject the extraction motion. Green Forest Republican Sen. Bryan King, an opponent of water fluoridation, argued that it was a matter the entire Senate should take up and that four members of an eight-member committee shouldn't be able to hold up a bill that the whole body wanted to consider. The extraction motion passed 19-12, with two voting present. Arkansas is one of a minority of states that mandates fluoride in its drinking water, and has done so since 2011. Penzo's effort to remove Arkansas' mandate comes at a time when fluoridation has been put in the spotlight by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been outspoken in his opposition to community water fluoridation. The Associated Press reported Monday that Kennedy planned to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending water systems fluoridate their water, and that the EPA announced the same day that it is reviewing potential health risks from fluoride. Utah became the first state to ban adding fluoride in drinking water in late March. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers want to add warning label to social media platforms
The Brief A House Committee on Public Health hearing was held Monday to discuss House Bill 499, authored by Texas Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-Clint). The bill would require users to click on a warning label, stating they understand the association between social media use and a minor's significant mental health issues. Last summer, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy made the same plea to Congress with a bill dubbed the Stop the Scroll Act. It was introduced in September but never made it out of committee. Gonzalez said the bill would require the Health and Human Services Commission to write the warning with input from a panel of experts. The bill was left pending in the public health committee. With growing data linking social media use to an increase in teen depression, eating disorders and suicides, Texas House lawmakers debated whether there should be warning labels placed on platforms. The bill being debated would require platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to show a warning that there is a link between a teen's social media usage and significant mental health issues. What we know A House Committee on Public Health hearing was held Monday to discuss House Bill 499, authored by Texas Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-Clint). The bill would require users to click on a warning label, stating they understand the association between social media use and a minor's significant mental health issues. Last summer, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy made the same plea to Congress with a bill dubbed the Stop the Scroll Act. It was introduced in September, but it never made it out of committee. Rep. James Frank (R-Wichita Falls) wants a warning to include the addictive nature of social media. "They have the data that shows how addictive it is," he said. "They have hired child psychologists to make sure it is more addictive and then withheld that information from parents." Lawmakers also debated if a warning label would actually have an impact. Gonzalez said the label would educate both teens and their parents. What they're saying "We know adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face risks of anxiety and depression," said Gonzalez. "We know when we added cigarette health warning labels, the understanding of consumption raised for the consumer." Dr. Lauren Gambill, a pediatrician representing the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Pediatric Society, said she's seen the damage from social media on her patients firsthand. "As a hospital-based pediatrician, I take care of kids in the hospital following suicide attempts at an alarming frequency," she told the committee. Gambill said in her decade of practice, problems linked to social media are not only becoming more frequent, but the children impacted are becoming younger. Problems extend beyond depression and suicide attempts to eating disorders prompted by so-called health influencers. "My patients tell me they follow 'what I eat daily' trends and go to social media for grueling workout routines," she said. "By the time they get to me, they are so nutritionally depleted that their heartrates slow down, and they can't maintain their blood pressures." Dr. Gambill told the committee the warning label would be a step in the right direction to address the ongoing mental health crisis. "Will it solve it? Will it reach every child? Absolutely not," she said. "But I think if we save even one life, I think it would be important." What's next Gonzalez said the bill would require the Health and Human Services Commission to write the warning with input from a panel of experts. The bill was left pending in the public health committee. The Source Information in this article comes from Monday's Texas House Committee on Public Health hearing, State Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-Clint) and previous news coverage.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas officials still don't know how West Texas measles outbreak started
Texas' health commissioner told lawmakers Monday they are still trying to determine the origin of a South Plains-Panhandle measles outbreak more than a month after the first patients reported symptoms. 'I cannot link this particular outbreak,' Dr. Jennifer Shuford, who oversees the Texas Department of State Health Services, told the House Committee on Public Health. 'We don't know what the link is.' During Monday's hourlong discussion — the first time the Legislature has meaningfully addressed the outbreak in a hearing since the first case was reported in January — Shuford fielded questions about the state's response, as well as those related to vaccine risks and whether the cause of the outbreak was due to illegal immigration from Republican lawmakers. [Texas leaders quiet amid the biggest measles outbreak in decades] While Gaines County is the center of this outbreak, infections have spread to eight other surrounding counties. Shuford told lawmakers Monday that the number of cases from the outbreak has increased to 158 and that four other measles cases — two in Harris County, one in Rockwall County and one in Travis County — have also been reported but linked to international travel and unrelated to the ongoing outbreak. State Rep. Mike Olcott, R-Fort Worth, asked Shuford repeatedly if the West Texas outbreak could be tied to the influx of undocumented immigrants into Texas. 'Have you all considered the possibility, because of the enormous surge of foreign nationals coming into this country recently, many of whom, maybe even most of whom, are not vaccinated, that could have been the source of the outbreak?' Olcott said. Shuford said she had no data pinpointing how the outbreak started. 'For this particular outbreak we don't know the individual who introduced it into the community or what the risk factor was for bringing it in,' Shuford said. Rep. John Bucy, D-Austin asked why the biggest outbreak in years was happening now in Texas. Shuford explained that the elimination of measles depends on a community having an immunization of at least 95% to keep the disease from spreading. 'At 95%, we have what's called herd immunity,' she said. 'We know when those vaccine levels get lower than 95% that there's enough unprotected people together to cause an outbreak.' What happened in Gaines County, she said, was that measles was able to latch onto a community where there were lower immunization rates. One of the county's local public school districts with only 143 students, according to 2023-24 school year data, has the highest school vaccine exemption rate in the state — 48% of Loop school district students have conscientious exemptions from required vaccinations. In 2023-24, less than half of all Loop kindergartners — 46% — were given the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, according to state data. 'There's been some decreased interest or decrease in trust in vaccines and that's caused a decrease in vaccination rates,' she said. Rep. James Frank, R-Wichita Falls, zeroed in on the amount of vaccine doses — at least 72 — an American child receives by the time they reach their 18th birthday, at the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He questioned whether health agencies should provide better communication about the risks of some vaccines. Too often, he said, those who question vaccine risks are painted unfairly. 'Take every one or you're an anti-vaxxer,' he said. He also said vaccine manufacturers bear no risk if someone has an adverse reaction to the shots. 'We don't do anything other than to tell people you need to get the vaccine, and, oh by the way, the pharmaceutical company has no liability because we have waived that,' Frank said. 'It's a great business model, right? They get to manufacture it. You require it.' Shuford conceded that it was up to the public health community to better inform the public about vaccines by laying out risks for different risk groups. 'I think that it does make sense and we're considering ways to communicate about vaccines. Clearly there are so many questions around it and rightfully so,' Shuford said. 'And part of it is on us in public health not being able to communicate well about it. We can't wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and so much more. Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Committee halts public comment, approves bill to require reports from Arkansas disability nonprofit
Rep. Jack Ladyman, R-Jonesboro, presents a bill to the House Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor on Feb. 11, 2025. The bill would require Disability Rights Arkansas, a federally funded nonprofit, to provide reports to the Legislature. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate) Legislation to require a disability advocacy group to supply reports to the Legislature earned initial approval from Arkansas lawmakers Tuesday. Separately, the House Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor also sent the governor's Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act on to the full House for consideration. Under Rep. Jack Ladyman's House Bill 1382, Disability Rights Arkansas (DRA) would be mandated to provide reports to subcommittees of the Arkansas Legislative Council for review, even though the independent nonprofit doesn't receive state funding. 'They have no oversight by the state of Arkansas, while they provide services to our most vulnerable citizens,' Ladyman, a Jonesboro Republican, told the House committee on public health. 'They do good work in a lot of areas, but some people they serve think they exhibit government overreach in some of the areas that they work in.' DRA is an independent, federally funded nonprofit. It was established in 1980 as a result of then-Gov. David Pryor's previous compliance with Congress' Public Law 94-103. The organization provides free services such as advocacy and litigation, referrals and investigations into institutional abuse and neglect cases. Katrina Robertson testified in support of Ladyman's bill and said that as the parent and guardian of her disabled son, Noah, she is the decision-maker for the 21-year-old, who has the cognitive ability of a 4-year-old. Adopted by Robertson at age nine, she said Noah 'exhibited complex behaviors — challenging behaviors — mainly due to the abuse and neglect that he had suffered.' She said finding a system that worked for her family was difficult and included crisis intervention by the police, stays in the hospital, a homeless shelter and multiple allegations of abuse. Robertson said she didn't hear from DRA, even during the allegations, until she posted on social media 'in desperation.' But DRA then seemed most interested in assessing whether Noah's treatment was grounds for a lawsuit, and an attorney suggested residential care would strip Robertson's son of his dignity, she testified. About three years ago, Robertson said she transported Noah from jail to the Booneville Human Development Center, where he remains surrounded by his peers and works a 14(c) wage program job, which provides paid employment for workers with disabilities in Arkansas. Robertson said her son enjoys the congregate living environment and he even has a girlfriend — or maybe three, each of whom don't know about the other, Robertson said. 'It is impossible to claim that care within a facility is worse than care in the community unless both are subject to the same levels of scrutiny,' Robertson said. The Arkansas Department of Human Services operates five human development centers where children and adults can receive services and long- or- short-term placements. According to a DHS description of the Booneville location, residents can join in a rug weaving program, paper recycling or custodial and food service training opportunities. DRA Executive Director Tom Masseau testified against HB 1382 and told the committee that the Legislature already has access to the reports it produces. Masseau said he was willing to attend any legislative committee meeting to answer questions or discuss DRA, but legislating the nonprofit's reporting requirements would lead to broad implications for other nonprofits in Arkansas. 'There's no other private, nonprofit organization in this state that has their organization named specifically in statute to come before a special committee to present information that's already readily available with no required action from the committee,' said Masseau, who has led the nonprofit since 2013. '…What slippery slope are we going to go down if there's a few individuals who are unhappy with the work that we're doing on advocacy?' Masseau said it is 'demoralizing' to see the effort put into current reports and watch the Board of Developmental Disability Services take little or no action. Republican Reps. Aaron Pilkington of Knoxville and Ryan Rose of Van Buren pushed back on Masseau's testimony and questioned how providing the same reports to a different entity would result in more work. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Rose suggested the reports would lead to increased transparency and ultimately lead to recommendations of how to better life for Arkansans with disabilities. Rep. Mary Bentley, R-Perryville, said she was concerned that Masseau wasn't happy with the bill. 'This will give us an opportunity to be targeted, to make effective policy decisions, for us to get together and hear what's going on, to discuss the report [and] bring different policymakers into the room,' she said. 'I would say that you should be delighted with this bill. I think this will help disabled Arkansans greatly.' While Masseau agreed with lawmakers that it's important for the message of the nonprofit to be heard, he disagreed with the reporting mandate and maintained that the bill was an overstep, as he said it would affect other organizations. Shortly before Pilkington fast-tracked the committee to vote on the bill without hearing any remaining speakers who signed up to testify, Rep. Wayne Long, R-Bradford, asked if Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders could abolish the DRA. Long didn't receive a certain answer before the vote, in which Rep. Denise Ennett, D-Little Rock, was one of few who voted against the bill. 'I, too, have a son with multiple disabilities, and DRA does great work throughout the state of Arkansas,' Ennett said. '…I feel like this is a one-sided argument mandating a nonprofit to make reports when they have repeatedly said that the reports are made available. I feel like it's government overreach.' The bill will head to the full House next. Members of the House committee on public health also voted Tuesday to advance the 'Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act' after some concerns about a section regarding alleged medical injuries during childbirth. House Bill 1427 from Pilkington is identical to Senate Bill 213 sponsored by Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View. The proposed legislation acts on Sanders' promise to prioritize improved maternal health outcomes for the lowest-class Arkansans. Under a $45 million annual price tag, the legislation would establish presumptive Medicaid eligibility for pregnant Arkansans, offer reimbursements for doulas and community health workers and establish pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage for specific treatments. It does not expand Medicaid coverage for postpartum mothers from 60 days to 12 months after birth, a federal option that all other states have taken action on. State lawmakers aim to tackle Arkansas' maternal health crisis with new legislation Though Ladyman was the only legislator heard Tuesday to vote against the bill in committee, several asked questions about limiting allegations for medical injuries during childbirth until the minor's fifth birthday. Paul Byrd, a Little Rock-based attorney, spoke against the bill because of his concerns about the same section. 'A neuropsychological exam is very hard to perform on a child until they're five years old,' Byrd said. '…Even if you get one, then you gotta have a couple years to track and have another one to see the progression.' Byrd recommended the bill be amended to change the age limitation to include a two-year window after the child turns five, but the sponsors of the bill refused to pull down the bill. A number of people spoke in favor of the HB 1427, including a representative from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Arkansas Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill will head to the full House next. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
