WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday declined to endorse the boldest proposal from the nation's governors to tackle the heroin crisis: limiting the number of high-powered painkillers doctors can prescribe at a time.
A recommendation to limit the number opioid painkillers that doctors can hand out gained bipartisan support at the National Governors Association's winter meeting over the weekend.
BOSTON – A lawmaker from the Berkshires wants Massachusetts cities and towns to be able to decide for themselves whether to tack a surtax on to motor fuel sales to pay for improving the poor state of roads and bridges in their communities. On Tuesday, his proposal will take center stage at a public hearing on Beacon Hill.
Under the proposal from state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, a Lenox Democrat, cities and towns would be able to impose as much as a 3-cents-a-gallon surtax on gasoline or diesel fuel. Refilling station operators would send the revenue to the state, which would distribute it back to local communities. According to the proposed measure, the money could only be used for road and bridge repairs.
