Currently, at least 24 bills in nine states focus on transgender patients, and four states in 2023 have legalized restrictions on gender-affirming care.

Maine's supplemental budget includes $25 million in state and federal funding to support hospitals as they continue to recover from COVID-19 pandemic costs.

A coalition of 22 states argues that the vaccine mandate has intensified workforce shortages at health care facilities and limited patient access to care.

At least 20 states are pursuing legislation to limit access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth, while some states have proposed legislation to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

New York is the first state to implement no-cost, voluntary "vaccine passports" — credentials to show proof of inoculation. Hawaii is testing similar technology. Other states have expressed privacy concerns related to vaccine passports, with the governors of Florida and Texas barring such policies.

So far, 26 states and Washington, D.C., publicly report varying data on race and ethnicity for individuals who have received the vaccination. States also have taken different approaches to addressing disparities in vaccine administration and vaccine hesitancy.

Three new National Governors Association task forces will focus on pandemic and disaster response, economic recovery and revitalization, and community renewal.

This is the first approval of its kind and will allow the state to have more control over financing its Medicaid program.