Â鶹ŮÓÅ

Saying it was another way that Ohioans help each other, Gov. John Kasich on Wednesday held a ceremony to celebrate passage of an autism-coverage bill that has been years in the making. House Bill 463 requires insurers to cover autism-spectrum disorders. It took effect last week. (Schladen, 4/13)

Calling it an honor, Governor Branstad today signed into law what’s being called the most expansive gun  rights bill in Iowa history, to the applause of a roomful of supporters. The bill expands self-defense rights for gun owners, so-called Stand Your Ground. It also allows gun owners with permits to carry weapons into the statehouse. (Russell, 4/13)

Breast cancer survivors and their supporters were at the capitol Thursday for a bill-signing of legislation known as Patty’s Law, named for a West Des Moines cancer patient. The new law directs mammogram providers to let a woman know if she has dense breast tissue, so she can get an ultrasound in addition to a mammogram. (Russell, 4/13)

An anti-drug group opposed to medical marijuana is helping craft Florida laws on pot’s expanded use — a cause its founders tried and failed to defeat during last year’s elections. The St. Petersburg-based Drug Free America Foundation is one of several anti-drug groups tied to conservative financiers Mel and Betty Sembler that opposed constitutional amendments legalizing medical marijuana in 2014 and 2016. (Auslen, 4/13)