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A pharmacist at Mayo Pharmacy in Bismarck, N.D., reviews completed pharmaceutical orders in January. Advocates, providers, medical associations and state lawmakers are pushing for insurers to cover non-opioid pain medications. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) More states are requiring their Medicaid programs and health insurance companies to cover non-opioid pain medications as an alternative to opioids, which can be cheaper for insurers but also more addictive for patients. Advocates, providers, medical associations and state lawmakers are pushing for parity in coverage. That means prohibiting insurers from charging higher copayments for non-opioids than they do for opioids, and barring them from requiring prior authorization or step therapy — mandating that patients try other medications first — before they will cover non-opioid drugs. At least eight states have enacted such laws: Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Oregon and Tennesse...

A security officer stands outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters during a protest on Feb. 3, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — The second partial government shutdown in 2026 was set to begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, after lawmakers left the nation’s capital without reaching a deal on changes to immigration enforcement tactics at the Department of Homeland Security.  The department’s shutdown is also likely to go on for some time. With Congress out next week for the Presidents Day recess, lawmakers are not expected back on Capitol Hill for votes until Feb. 23.  A procedural vote to approve funding for the Homeland Security bill for fiscal year 2026 failed Thursday to gain support from Senate Democrats because constraints to immigration enforcement were not included, such as an end to agents wearing face coverings.  Even with the president’s border czar Tom Homan  announcing Thursday   the withdrawal...

Rep. Tracey Estes, R-Winfield (left) stands next to Rep. Parker Moore, R-Hartselle (right) on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 10, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) Here are the bills that passed the Alabama Legislature this week. Tuesday, Feb. 10 House HB 366 , sponsored by Rep. Bob Fincher, R-Woodland, sets the salary of Randolph County probate judges to $70,000 per year, effective Oct. 1, 2027. The bill passed 12-0. It moves to the Senate. HB 367 , sponsored by Rep. Bob Fincher, R-Woodland, allows Randolph County court clerks to charge a $30 booking fee to individuals in the Randolph County Jail who have been convicted or pleaded guilty in cases prosecuted in the county’s circuit or district courts. The bill passed 9-0. It moves to the Senate. HB 368 , sponsored by Rep. Bob Fincher, R-Woodland, allows staggered terms for Randolph County Commissioners. The bill passed 10-0. It moves to the Senate. H...

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security is headed for a shutdown as lawmakers on Capitol Hill remained stuck Thursday over bans on face masks and other immigration tactics.  The department’s funding expires Friday night. A procedural vote to advance a funding bill  failed in the Senate, 52-47 , with Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., the only Democrat to join Republicans on the measure. Senate Majority Leader John Thune changed his vote in a maneuver to recommit the bill and bring it up again later. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did not vote. The Senate then left for a scheduled recess over the Presidents Day holiday, and will not return for votes until Feb. 23. Democrats have so far rebuffed counter proposals from the White House and a Republican offer to further extend temporary DHS funding while negotiations contin...

Rep. Margie Wilcox, R-Mobile, speaks on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 5, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The House of Representatives passed her bill that increases the penalty for driving under the influence. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives approved legislation on Thursday increasing criminal penalties for those who physically injure or kill people while driving under the influence. HB 243 , sponsored by Rep. Margie Wilcox, R-Mobile, establishes the crime of manslaughter for people who cause the death of another person while driving under the influence, increasing the penalty from a Class C penalty with a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison to a Class B felony with a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison. “As a matter of fact, in 2001, the (Alabama) Court of Criminal Appeals asked the Legislature to amend this law to prevent inequities from occurring in the future,” Wilcox told members ...

Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollinger's Island, speaks to reporters in the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 12, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The Alabama House Thursday pulled a bill sponsored by Brown that would have ended popular elections of the Alabama Public Service Commission, the state's utility regulator. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday pulled a bill that would have ended popular elections to the state utility regulation board prior to a scheduled vote. Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollinger’s Island, said Thursday that HB 392 was removed from the schedule to allow lawmakers to further discuss the potential ramifications of the bill, which would end elections to the Alabama Public Service Commission by 2030. “We are still looking at ironing some things out on that,” Brown said Thursday. “At the end of the day, the whole issue is about affordability, and Alabama has the highest utility rates in the Southeas...