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President Barack Obama is touting strides in reducing homelessness among military veterans as his administration reaches the halfway point in building a massive database on veterans’ health. Overall veteran homelessness has been cut nearly in half, by 47 percent, although that’s still short of Obama’s long-held goal of getting it to zero by 2015. Credit also goes to first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden’s wife, Jill, for using their initiative on military families to challenge mayors and county officials nationwide to end veterans’ homelessness, the White House says. (Superville, 8/1)

On June 16, the health committee voted 6-3 to release the bill to the floor. It is scheduled to be heard by the full Senate on Monday. The Assembly has already passed an identical bill with bipartisan support. Under the bill, a patient with PTSD symptoms would first have to try conventional medical therapy before qualifying for medical marijuana. Generally, that would involve psychotherapy or antidepressant or antianxiety medications. (Hefler, 7/31)