By Brian J. Skinner, Esq. After the 2020 general election, many state legislatures have made election integrity a priority. Many states have enacted legislation that affects everything from voter registration timelines and absentee ballots to election crimes, ballot harvesting, and drop boxes. The West Virginia Legislature’s efforts during the second session of the 85th Legislature …Read More
By Brian Skinner, Esq. Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of vaccines critical to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. After determining the vaccines met applicable statutory standards and the agency’s specific safety and efficacy standards, the FDA issued Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for the vaccines under Section …Read More
By Brian Skinner, Esq. The National Council of Nonprofits has issued a report on how state and local governments can partner with nonprofit organizations in their communities to use relief funds distributed through the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) by expanding existing programs or creating new ones. Congress expressly declared in the ARPA that state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments may use their allocations of the $350 billion in Coronavirus …Read More
By Brian Skinner, Esq. State governments, including West Virginia, are beginning to receive the first allocations from $193.5 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The ARPA, signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021, establishes the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund. The Fiscal Recovery Funds are intended to provide support to …Read More
By Paige Winfield Cunningham, – Washington Post – January 13, 2021. The Department of Health and Human Services has finalized a rule change that will permit social-service providers that receive government funds to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity. “Critics claim the new guidance could have wide-ranging implications for agencies that …Read More
By Brian Skinner, Esq. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that more than 200 drug and health-focused groups are urging the incoming Biden administration to address opioid abuse and end the drug war. The letter calls on the incoming administration to take bold, decisive, evidence-based action that shifts the government’s response to substance use. The The …Read More
By Brian Skinner, Esq. An increasing number of reports in the national, state and local media suggests an upsurge in opioid- and other drug-related mortality—particularly from illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogs. Although nationwide data is incomplete, the data that is available suggests drug overdose deaths are on track to reach an all-time high. Prior to the arrival …Read More
By Brian Skinner, Esq. On October 6, 2020, the Wheeling city council and mayor unanimously approved a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis. The resolution cites several national institutions, such as the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Association, the American Association of Pediatrics, the National Partnership for Women and Families, and the …Read More
By Brian Skinner, Esq. Many West Virginia families face difficult choices due to the health and economic pressures created by the pandemic. The isolation, loss of employment and impact to everyday activities has been overwhelming for many, and for families who have suffered the death of a family member during this pandemic, the impact is even greater. …Read More
Route Fifty — By Kate Elizabeth Queram – October 14, 2020 A statewide project in Connecticut takes reports of suspected opioid overdoses from first responders and maps them in real time, helping community partners better direct their services to high-risk areas. Read more . . .