From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com … — A federal judge in Massachusetts has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from reducing the amount of federal NIH grants that can go to overhead costs. The administration on Friday announced it was moving to limit the amount of indirect funding for projects to 15%. Wisconsin and 21 other states then filed suit yesterday. The order gives the Trump administration until Friday to respond with a hearing scheduled for Feb. 21. Before the order was issued, the Wisconsin Technology Council sent an appeal to the state’s congressional delegation to push for restoring NIH funding and preventing similar cuts from being made elsewhere, such as the National Science Foundation. In a statement to Wisconsin’s federal lawmakers, the group warned the move will “cause immediate and likely lasting harm” to biomedical research in Wisconsin and elsewhere. “Not only will the reduction adversely affect Americans of all ages, but people around the world who also benefit from the U.S. biomedical research engine,” the Tech Council wrote. “It will weaken one of the nation’s biggest competitive advantages at a time when such edges help to set our economy apart.” See more. — GOP lawmakers are circulating a bill that would create an individual income tax deduction for psychiatry work. Rep. Paul Tittl, R-Manitowoc, and Sen. Jesse James, R-Thorp, recently sent a co-sponsorship memo to other lawmakers with details on the legislation. It would create a deduction up to $100,000 for income earned in Wisconsin by a psychiatrist or psychiatric or mental health nurse practitioner for providing related services. That would rise to $200,000 for those practicing in a federally defined medically underserved area, the memo shows. The bill would also create a five-year limit for claiming the deduction, among other provisions. The lawmakers reference the state’s mental health crisis, noting alcohol- and drug-related deaths were rising more quickly in Wisconsin than the national rate before COVID-19, and the pandemic “only accelerated” the trend. Meanwhile, the memo says 55 of the state’s 72 counties have a significant shortage of psychiatrists, citing a report from the UW Population Health Institute. That study found 31 counties need more than two extra full-time psychiatrists to meet demand. “These shortages, along with increasing mental health and substance abuse disorders, are creating access disparities across the state, especially in rural areas,” the lawmakers wrote, adding their bill “seeks to address this issue.” The co-sponsorship deadline is noon Friday. See more details in the memo. Top Stories – Federal judge pauses NIH research cuts nationwide – Court Pause on Trump Cuts to Medical Research Funds Is Expanded Nationwide – Judge orders health agencies to restore data scrubbed by Trump administration – CVS Health’s turnaround efforts in focus amid record-high medical costs – New strain of bird flu is detected in a Nevada dairy worker, CDC says – Blood Transfusions at the Scene Save Lives. But Ambulances Are Rarely Equipped To Do Them. Press Releases – UW Health: Precision medicine gives Illinois man more time to play on the stage, in the vines
