NCSL Podcasts – Details, episodes & analysis

Artificial intelligence, most broadly thought of as the use of computer systems to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, is being employed in a wide array of ways, from self-driving cars to health care. But concerns about the potential misuse and unintended consequences of AI is prompting legislatures around the country to study the issue and in many cases, pass legislation.

In 2024, NCSL is tracking more than 400 pieces of legislation related to AI. This year at least 45 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C., introduced AI bills, and 31 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands adopted resolutions or enacted legislation.

Our three guests on this episode offer a look at AI’s legislative impact. Chelsea Canada from NCSL, who tracks state legislation around the country related to AI, is one of our guests and she explained the breadth of the legislation proposed in the states and also noted a trend in some states toward comprehensive AI laws focused on consumer protection.

Our other guests are Sen. Shelley Hughes (R) of Alaska, who worked this year to move a comprehensive bill through the legislature but was unsuccessful. She explained her bill and her hopes for its passage in the next session. 

Our third guest is Colorado Rep. Manny Rutinel (D). He was one of the House sponsors of a successful bill focused on consumer protection and trying to remove discriminatory results from the use of AI. 

Resources

• Artificial Intelligence 2024 Legislation
• Artificial Intelligence 2023 Legislation
• Artificial Intelligence 2019-2022
• Volume of AI Bills Rises, Even as Use of Systems Evolves

A class of drugs that are used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity are becoming increasingly popular as a weight-loss drug. However, the high cost of these GLP-1 drugs—the annual list price is around $12,000—has posed a dilemma for states as they decide whether to cover the drugs in their own state health plans, Medicaid and possibly require private insurers to cover the drugs. 

On this episode, we get perspectives from three people involved in the debate: Kristen Niakan, a pharmacy management consultant with the actuarial and consulting firm Milliman; North Carolina Treasurer Dale Folwell (R); and Colorado Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D).

Niakan explained the background of these drugs, who's using them, the costs involved, and the insurance coverage landscape across the country. Folwell walked through the decision in his state not to cover GLP one drugs for the state's employee health plan, and also discussed a separate decision in his state to extend coverage of the drugs to Medicaid recipients. Michaelson Jenet discussed her efforts to pass legislation that would've required all private insurance companies and the state Medicaid program in Colorado to provide coverage for the treatment of the chronic disease of obesity and the treatment of pre-diabetes, including FDA approved anti-obesity medication. 

Resources

• Diabetes State Mandates and Insulin Copayment Caps, NCSL
• Employers feel the side effects of drugmaker control over Wegovy, Ozempic costs, Politico
• GLP-1 agonists in Medicaid: Utilization, growth, and management, Milliman
• Impact of anti-obesity medication coverage in the Medicaid and commercial markets
• KFF Health Tracking Poll May 2024: The Public’s Use and Views of GLP-1 Drugs, KFF

The Americans With Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, but who and what it covers has evolved over the decades. Behavioral health issues, long COVID or other conditions that substantially limit one or more major life activities can fall under the ADA. 

Joining the podcast are Eve Hill, one of the nation’s top disability rights lawyers and the policy and legislative counsel for the U.S. Department of Labor’s State Exchange on Employment & Disability or SEED, and Nevada Assemblywoman Tracy Brown-May, who has worked on numerous initiatives to aid those with disabilities. Both joined the podcast to discuss the current state of the ADA.

Hill explained how interpretation of the law has changed since the early ’90s when she started her law career, how it has been further altered by legislation and the substantial role state legislators can take in their states around the issue. Note that’s Hill’s personal observations do not represent those of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Brown-May explained how her background working with people with disabilities has informed her legislative efforts and her experience with fellow lawmakers who come to her for advice on how to address a disability-related issue in legislation.

Resources

• Assemblywoman Tract Brown-May, Nevada Legislature
• Eve Hill, Brown, Goldstein and Levy
• State Exchange on Employment & Disability, U.S. Department of Labor

Resources

• Federal Funds Information for States
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Implementation and Key Resources, NCSL

RESOURCES

• David Toscano’s website
• “Fighting Political Gridlock: How States Shape Our Nation and Our Lives,” University of Virginia Press

• 2022 State Prescription Drug Policy Trends, NCSL
• Delegate Matthew Rohrbach, West Virginia Legislature website
• Diabetes State Mandates and Insulin Copayment Caps, NCSL
• Legisbrief Decreasing Drug Costs Through Generics and Biosimilars, NCSL
• Prescription Drug Policy Work Group Report, NCSL
• Prescription Drug State Bill Tracking Database, NCSL

Resources

• ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Fund Allocations, NCSL database
• Fiscal Policy homepage, NCSL
• How States Are Spending Their Stimulus Funds, NCSL

• Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour website

RESOURCES

• 2022 State Legislative Calendar
• NCSL Experts Predict the Top Issues and Policy Trends for 2022
• NCSL Town Hall on the 2022 Legislative Sessions

The U.S. population is aging. In a little more than a decade, people 65 and older will outnumber children. Those older adults face economic, social and other challenges including the need for an array of long-term services.

Policymakers in a number of states are considering comprehensive approaches to support older adults. A few states have created what are termed master plans for aging that outline how the state can take on challenges in housing, transportation, health care, and other sectors.

Th guests on this podcast are Holly Riley, the aging services coordination director for Texas Health and Human Services, and Jarett Hughes, a senior policy advisor on aging for the governor of Colorado.

My guests discuss how their states are planning for this aging population, how they’ve tried to get key groups to work together on the effort and some of the lessons learned over years of developing their state plans.

• Building a Master Plan for Aging: Key Elements from States Planning for an Aging Population, The SCAN Foundation
• Comprehensive Policy Approaches to Support the Aging Population, NCSL
• Getting Started with a Master Plan for Aging, The SCAN Foundation
• Graying Gracefully: As the U.S. Ages, States Step Up Support, NCSL
• OAS Episode 148 Transcription