www.thecentersquare.com – By Dave Mason | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-31 12:41:00
(The Center Square) – Federal legislation allowing states to jam cellphones smuggled into prisons has won support from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and other attorneys general.
Mayes joined a bipartisan coalition that wrote a letter to majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate last week in support of H.R. 2350 and S. 1137, federal legislation that supporters say disrupt prisoners’ ability to orchestrate crimes from behind bars by using cellphones smuggled into prisons.
The bills, which are sponsored by U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, allow states to deploy cellphone jamming systems.
“Contraband cell phones give dangerous individuals the power to direct drug trafficking, commit fraud, and threaten innocent people from behind bars,” Mayes said in anews release. “This legislation is about giving states the tools we need to protect the public and stop violent criminals from continuing to operate prison-based crime rings. It’s a commonsense, bipartisan solution — and Congress should act without delay.”
Theletterto Congress stresses that phones go beyond being communication devices to being tools that criminals use to commit crimes. It cites a case of a violent gang leader who used a cellphone smuggled into prison to target a local prosecutor and her family in North Carolina.
The criminal planned to kidnap and kill the prosecutor’s father, but law enforcement prevented that from happening, the attorneys general said in their letter to congressional leaders.
“Current federal law severely restricts our ability to implement effective countermeasures,” the attorneys general wrote. “While we have access to some technological solutions, we cannot deploy the most effective tool available — cell phone jamming systems — which leaves our prisons vulnerable and our communities at risk.”
“Each day that passes without this authority represents another opportunity for incarcerated criminals to extend their reach beyond prison walls,” they said.
Besides Mayes, attorney generals signing the letter represent Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
SUMMARY: Veteran outreach services have returned to Oak Hill after a brief pause caused by the retirement of coordinator James Willis. The mobile vet center visits the Oak Hill Church of the Nazarene monthly to assist veterans, but now operates through volunteers without the mobile van. Veteran Tom Tanner, determined to continue support, secured resources from the vet center and arranged monthly meetings, offering services and camaraderie. The program focuses especially on Vietnam-era vets unfamiliar with benefits processes. Events include hot dogs, barbecues, and a welcoming atmosphere fostering unity among veterans. All veterans are encouraged to attend for help or fellowship.
West Virginia faces a critical threat to its rural hospitals due to $1.1 trillion in federal Medicaid cuts under the Capito Care (HR 1) legislation. Ten hospitals and three nursing homes are at high risk of closure starting in 2027 when the provider tax funding Medicaid is dismantled. The $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, intended to offset these cuts, will cover only about 37% of losses and may not adequately address West Virginia’s unique challenges, including an older, sicker population and hospitals operating on thin margins. Funding distribution lacks guarantees for rural hospitals and is subject to broad CMS discretion without review, risking further harm.
As I visit communities around my beloved West Virginia to talk about the impacts and consequences of Capito Care, or HR 1, perhaps the most sweeping and arguably the worst piece of health care legislation to ever come out of our nation’s capital, it is the impact upon rural hospitals that is getting the most attention — and concern.
If you have attended one of the meetings or town halls where I have discussed the dire consequences of the $1.1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, then you have also heard me discuss the vulnerability of our hospitals. Quite frankly, there is not a single hospital in our state that will not be affected. However, there are 10 hospitals and three nursing homes in our state that are either at high risk for closure or vulnerable to closure. You can find those hospitals and the supporting analysis in Rural Hospital Closures — Sheps Center at UNC Chapel Hill and Federal Medicaid Cuts Would Force Rural Hospitals to the Brink of Closure by Families USA, a national, non-partisan advocate for health care consumers.
These hospitals are not in imminent danger of closure. They will, however, be in danger starting in 2027 as the provider tax, the funding mechanism that helps fund Medicaid, is rolled back and ultimately dismantled.
The $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program is touted as the solution to saving rural hospitals from the dismantling of the funding mechanism for Medicaid. Perhaps it is better than not having one, but barely. It was a last minute addition to appease the outcry of hospital administrators around the country who foresaw the existential threat of Medicaid cuts to their hospitals.
Here is why the fund is inadequate to meet the moment:
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the fund will roughly offset only 37% of estimated cuts to Medicaid spending. States will have to make up the difference.
Half of the funds — $25 billion — will be equally distributed among the states with approved applications (states must apply for these funds) irrespective of the rural population or financial health of the rural hospitals. This approach may not adequately address unique challenges faced by hospitals in states with large rural populations, or greater need of older or sicker populations. This certainly stands out to me as a red flag for West Virginia.
The $50 billion fund may not be enough to overcome systemic issues, of which West Virginia has many. These include rural hospitals who have been operating on razor thin margins for years, or even negative revenue, declining patient volumes, and workforce shortages.
West Virginia hospitals serve an older, sicker and poorer population. It is just a fact. Many of our hospitals rely heavily on government payers such as Medicaid and Medicare which reimburse at below cost of providing services.
To add insult to this injury, these funds may not even go to rural hospitals. There is no guarantee. The law says that states should use the funds to pursue goals including improving access to hospitals and other providers, improving health outcomes, enhancing economic opportunity for health care workers, and prioritizing the use of emerging technologies. All good things worthy of funding.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, a President Donald Trump appointee leading Medicare and Medicaid, will determine how to distribute the other $25 billion. The law says the money is to be used for such things as increasing robotics, upgrading cybersecurity and helping rural communities “to right size their health care delivery systems.”
And here is the real kicker, especially given the carrot and stick approach of the Trump administration: The law not only grants the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services broad discretion over the award and distribution of funds, but these funding decisions are not subject to administrative or judicial review.
What could possibly go wrong? Capito Care is bad policy and it is not ameliorated by a mere $50 billion fund. We urge hospitals and supporting associations to fight for adequate funding to protect health care in their communities.
If these rural hospitals close — and some will —we may never get them back.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito should revise Capito Care while there is still time, and turn it into legislation she would be proud of. Sen. Jim Justice and Reps. Carol Miller and Riley Moore should join her.
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West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This content critiques a Republican-led healthcare proposal, highlighting concerns about Medicaid cuts and their impact on rural hospitals, particularly in West Virginia. It emphasizes the negative consequences of the legislation and calls for revisions from Republican lawmakers, reflecting a perspective that favors stronger government support for healthcare funding. The tone and focus suggest a center-left bias, advocating for more robust public healthcare investment and protections for vulnerable communities.
SUMMARY: The Scott Skyhawks, led by head coach Jeremy Dolan in his final season, aim to continue their football success in 2025. After reaching the second round of postseason play last year, the team faces a rebuilding year, having lost 12 seniors and five All-State players. Despite this, Dolan is confident in returning talent like their second-team All-State quarterback, Mason Brown, and key players Ethan Bo, Thomas Chris, Caden Sharps, and Brian Neal. With a strong senior and incoming freshman class, the Skyhawks are ready to compete with heart and physicality, striving for postseason success in Dolan’s last year coaching.
The Scott Skyhawks reached the second round of the postseason a year ago before bowing out to Roane County. It’s a case of doing some reloading as the 2025 season looms.
