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The New Hampshire House passed a bill to ban gender-affirming procedures for minors Thursday, in a 199-175 vote that edges the bill closer to Gov. Chris Sununu’s desk. House Bill 619 would prohibit a doctor or other health care professional from carrying out “genital gender reassignment surgery” to anyone in New Hampshire under 18. It would also prohibit health care workers from referring minors to facilities out of state that offer those procedures. (DeWitt, 1/4)

Wheelchair users took a victory lap at the State House on Thursday after the state Senate passed legislation to address a national crisis, chronic delays of months or longer for even the most basic repairs to chairs. The bill, passed with a vote of 39-0, would extend warranties on new chairs from one year to two, a period during which chair owners could avoid cumbersome insurance authorization for fixes, advocates said. Chairs with expired warranties would not need insurance approval for repairs less than $1,000. (Laughlin, 1/4)

There are cubicles but no distinct offices, the room a hum of soft voices and the scratching of pens on paper. The overhead fluorescent lights are off, and the natural light gives the wide space a calming, rather than corporate, feel. Across the white walls, bright signs draw the eye: “This space was made with you in mind.” “I’ll tell you what freedom means to me: no fear.” “I believe survivors I believe survivors I believe survivors.” (Kaufman, 1/5)

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson died a “terrible, painful death” from an infection caused by negligence at her Dallas recovery facility following a September back surgery, according to a statement Thursday from Johnson’s family outlining their intention to file a lawsuit. "She had no reason not to be here," Kirk Johnson, the congresswoman's son, told reporters at a Thursday afternoon news conference. "If she had gotten the proper care, she would be here today." (Harper, 1/4)

A Connecticut woman who was the first non-resident of Vermont granted the ability to use the state's medical aid in dying law will use it on Thursday morning, according to local reports. Lynda Bluestein, a 76-year-old from Bridgeport, is suffering from terminal ovarian cancer and fallopian tube cancer. The five-year survival rate for these cancers is 31%, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology. (Kekatos, 1/4)

Portland, Oregon, is grappling with a cluster of a highly infectious illness that spreads through fecal matter and puts the city’s large homeless population at high risk, according to health officials. "While we are currently seeing an increase in Shigella cases in the Portland metro area, the risk to the broader public remains low at this time and there are no measures for most folks to take at this time. ..." Multnomah County Deputy Health Officer Teresa Everson said in a comment to Fox News Digital. (Colton, 1/5)

New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday proposed offering pregnant women 40 hours of paid leave to attend prenatal medical appointments, which she said would make New York the first state in the U.S. to offer such benefits. The proposal was part of a six-point plan to improve maternal and neonatal health at a time when U.S. maternal mortality rates are growing with each generation and the country has fallen way behind other developed nations. (Trotta, 1/4)

In 2024, abortion could be on the ballot in nearly a dozen states, including some in the Mountain West. In Nevada, abortion rights groups are trying to put a measure on the ballot that would enshrine reproductive rights, including abortion, in the state constitution. The effort had a setback in November when a judge ruled the proposal violates Nevada’s requirement that ballot measures address a single subject. Proponents are likely to appeal that ruling to the state Supreme Court. In Colorado, advocates on both sides of the issue are working to put constitutional amendments on the ballot. (Roedel, 1/4)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: New Year, Same Abortion Debate 

It’s a new year, but the abortion debate is raging like it’s 2023, with a new federal appeals court ruling that doctors in Texas don’t have to provide abortions in medical emergencies, despite a federal requirement to the contrary. The case, similar to one in Idaho, is almost certainly headed for the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Congress returns to Washington with only days to avert a government shutdown by passing either full-year or temporary spending bills. And with almost no progress toward a spending deal since the last temporary bill passed in November, this time a shutdown might well happen. (1/4)