Duane Morris Government Strategies

A Full-Service Lobbying Firm, with a National Network of Professionals, Navigating Clients through the Legislative Process, in Every State Capital

Health Care

Leave a comment

Maine Legislature Overrides Governor’s Medical Marijuana Veto

Maine lawmakers overrode Governor Paul LePage’s veto Tuesday, allowing doctors and nurses to prescribe medical marijuana for any patient they deem adequate. The Maine House voted 119-23, while the Senate voted 25-8 to override the governor’s decision on Friday to veto a medical marijuana reform bill. Maine legalized medical marijuana prescriptions in 1999 for AIDS, post-traumatic stress and pains from untreatable ailments. The new legislation allows doctors to issue medical […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

Legislative Update: Utah

Utah Legislature poised to override Governor’s veto of bills that address separation of powers The Utah state legislature will convene to vote to override Governor Herbert’s veto of two bills and a budget line-item veto related to the bills. The first bill – SB 171 – authorizes the legislature to intervene in court cases that impact laws passes without depending upon the state Attorney General.  The Governor’s position is that this […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

Legislative Update: Arizona

President Trump signs McCain sponsored bill to expand the Amber Alert program to Indian Country            The McCain bill, cosponsored by ND Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D), is a bi-partisan effort to address gaps in the Amber Alert program that oftentimes leaves Indian Country, especially rural areas, in the dark.  The bill provides additional resources to Tribes to improve public safety by hastening child abduction alerts with the goal […]

Continue Reading →

Leave a comment

Legislative Insight: The Opioid Epidemic

It’s difficult to find an area of the country that has been untouched by the scourge of opioids. According to the Center for Disease Control, opioid-related deaths quadrupled from 1999 to 2015. Several states have suffered disproportionately—West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire have the highest per-capita overdose rates in the country. With more than 33,000 opioid-related deaths in 2015, the epidemic has forced itself in into the national […]

Continue Reading →