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Gov. Kathy Hochul shored up her public safety agenda this week when state lawmakers agreed to loosen the legal standard for involuntary commitment of the mentally ill — a major victory for the Democrat and a sign that political winds on the issue are shifting to the center. Under the agreement, the state will fund pilot programs that dispatch unarmed first responders to mental health emergencies and will convene at least four panels to review incidents in which responders are accused of using excessive force. (Kaufman, Cordero and Beeferman, 5/1)

New York Mayor Eric Adams proposed a revised $115.1 budget that adds more than $1.4 billion in new spending for programs including early childhood education, even as potential cuts in federal funding loom. The increase to his original spending plan submitted in January will pay for universal 3-K, after-school programs, library services and mental health treatment, the mayor said Thursday. (Nahmias, 5/1)

More than 125,000 North Texas families could soon lose their current health insurance provider if state lawmakers don't act. In March 2024, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced plans to drop the Cook Children's nonprofit Health Plan, along with Texas Children's and Driscoll Children's plans, and award Medicaid contracts to several national, for-profit insurance companies instead. (Vandergriff, 5/1)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced investigations Thursday of leading toothpaste companies, accusing them of misusing fluoride in their products. “I will use every tool available to protect our kids from dangerous levels of fluoride exposure and deceptive advertising,” Paxton, who is also a Senate candidate, said in a statement. The investigation — announced three weeks after Paxton declared his campaign to primary Sen. John Cornyn (R) in next year’s midterm elections — marks an expansion of the culture war over fluoride from drinking water into toothpaste. (Elbein, 5/1)

A Republican-backed bill that could make vaccination exemptions easier to obtain in Texas made it out of the House Public Health Committee on Thursday in a 7-6 vote along party lines. (Langford, 5/1)

A day after the issue appeared stalled, the Florida Senate on Thursday gave final approval to a bill that would open the door to some people pursuing medical malpractice lawsuits over the deaths of family members. The Senate voted 33-4 to pass the bill, which would repeal a long-controversial 1990 law. The House passed the bill (HB 6017) in late March, meaning it is now ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Saunders, 5/2)

A new bill in the Florida Legislature could make it mandatory for student athletes to undergo heart screenings before taking part in sports. The bill (SB 1070) was passed in the Florida Senate on Thursday and is now heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk, awaiting his signature. The issue hits home for many people across the state, especially with one South Florida family, who finds the issue to be deeply personal and said the measure could save lives. (Christakis, 5/1)

The gun industry could face civil damages for the misuse of firearms in limited circumstances in Connecticut under product liability legislation passed by the House and sent to the Senate on Wednesday. (Pazniokas, 4/30)

Work on a major renovation of the State Public Health Laboratory screeched to a halt in late March when the administration of President Donald Trump notified states that the federal government was halting some $11 billion in post-pandemic aid that was scheduled to be distributed to the states. (Hoban, 5/2)

A Southeast Michigan doctor has been convicted of federal charges relating to the unlawful distribution of more than 200,000 prescription opioid pills. Dr. Charise Valentine, 69, of Southfield, was found guilty April 25 by a jury of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute prescription opioids, including Oxycodone and Oxymorphone, and 10 counts of illegal distribution of Oxycodone and Oxymorphone, according to a press release from Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck of the Eastern District of Michigan. (Wethington, 4/30)

The animal sedative medetomidine is increasingly showing up in the U.S. illegal drug supply, according to three reports released Thursday. Medetomidine, which is used to sedate pets and is somewhat similar to xylazine, was first detected in illegally manufactured opioids in North America in 2022. Investigators say the drug is being mixed in with other illicit drugs, mainly fentanyl, the synthetic opioid behind most overdose deaths. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published three reports about recent clusters of medetomidine cases in Chicago, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. (Stobbe, 5/1)