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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has vetoed a plan by the General Assembly to end the COVID-19 health emergency six weeks early, saying it triggers a loss of $50 million a month in food stamp benefits for some of the state's poorest residents. Beshear, in a video released on social media Wednesday, said the measure meant "over half a million Kentuckians, our seniors, our children, could go hungry on any given day." In his written veto message, Beshear described the General Assembly's plan as a "callous act" and said it  "would severely harm Kentucky families by taking food off their tables." (Yetter, 3/16)

The Transportation Security Administration has investigated more than 3,800 incidents of potential violations involving the federal mask mandate, assessing more than $644,000 in civil penalties, according to a report this week by the Government Accountability Office. The TSA, charged with enforcing the mandate in airports and other public transportation settings, has issued more than 2,700 warning notices, the report said. It issued civil penalties in about 900 instances, roughly 24 percent of cases that occurred between Feb. 2, 2021, and March 7, 2022. The average civil fine for violators was $699, the report said. (Aratani, 3/16)

A bill that would ban discrimination on the basis of COVID-19 vaccination status passed in the Alaska Senate Wednesday in a move to limit state service providers and private businesses from requiring the life-saving vaccine. The bill, sponsored by Eagle River Republican Sen. Lora Reinbold, would make it illegal for the state to withhold services based on COVID-19 vaccination status, such public education or assisted living in Pioneer Homes. The bill would also ban private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition for employment. (Samuels, 3/16)

Major League Baseball is dropping regular COVID-19 testing for all but symptomatic individuals while maintaining an ability to move games if the public health situation in an area deteriorates. MLB and the players’ association finalized their 2022 coronavirus protocols on Tuesday, easing pandemic restrictions five days after reaching a collective bargaining agreement. Some on-field issues have not yet been addressed, such as whether to continue the pandemic rule calling for “ghost runners” at second base in extra innings. (Blum, 3/16)

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) gave truckers in the so-called “People’s Convoy” a tour of the Capitol last week — even as the building remains mostly closed to the public. A senior congressional aide alerted the Department of Justice about the truckers’ presence out of concern that the guided tour could help the protesters plan an entry into the building. (Palmeri, 3/16)

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) gave a tour of the Capitol to truckers from the “People’s Convoy,” his office confirmed to The Hill, noting it was compliant with the Senate sergeant-at-arms policies. ... Capitol Police declined to comment about the matter to The Hill. “Who would have known that taking a friendly group of hard-working American truckers, including Kansans, on a public tour of their nation’s Capitol building would cause such a stir. Let’s not forget, these are the essential workers who showed up to work every day in the earliest months of the pandemic to deliver goods and food to Americans,” Marshall said in a statement. (Vakil, 3/16)