Wednesday, January 23, 2008

MORNING COMMITTEES

This morning HOUSE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE debates HB95, Document Fraud - Establishing Legal Status, a bill related to identity theft and undocumented immigrants. It would prohibit intentionally forging or altering a document that unlawfully establishes a person's legal status - a drivers license, for example. The civil penalty would be up to $75,000.

The SENATE REVENUE AND TAXATION COMMITTEE will consider SB135. It makes permanent a sales tax exemption for facilities that operate primarily to reduce air or water pollution. Under current law the exemption would expire June 30, 2009. The amount of revenue lost annually because of the exemption is $218,000. It's expected to increase to $245,000 by 2010.

SENATE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS COMMITTEE will look at two bills related to a controversy over whether affordable services and facilities - recreational facilities, for example--should be provided by local government or by the private sector. SB32 would require local government to hold public hearings before issuing a bond, not only to explain the purpose of the facility and what taxes would repay the bond, but to address the potential economic impact of the project on the private sector. SB 45 would require local governments to track separately in their budgets any activities defined as "competitive" because private individuals or businesses could provide them. The government would have to examine its activities annually to see which were competitive. Under SB 54, the deadline for submitting signed statewide initiative petitions would be changed from June 1st to April 15. That would give county clerks more time to verify the signatures and be ready for a June election. But petition carriers would have less time to gather signatures.

AFTERNOON APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEES

This afternoon at 2 p.m. ten Appropriations Subcommittees, who look at budgets instead of bills, have their first meetings. They'll begin overviews of the Governor's budget and departmental base budgets. Health and Human Services will address child and family services caseload growth, domestic violence shelters, and additional staff for the Foster Care Citizen Review Board. (in W125)

Department of Environmental Quality Budgets will be discussed in the Transportation, Environmental Quality and National Guard Subcommittee (W010)

Health Care is expected to get a lot of attention this year at the legislature. The big reform bill, HB133, sponsored by Rep. Dave Clark is still being negotiated and won't reach committee until Friday. But measures to control costs and improve access and quality are already moving through committees. Most health care experts agree that public health departments promoting prevention and wellness are an important part of reform.

Yesterday HB15 Control and Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases was approved unanimously by the House Health and Human Services Committee yesterday. The bill requires state and local health departments to educate the public and health care providers about the consequences of letting STDs go untreated - including sterility and infertility. The health departments would be asked to give out information about where to get treatment and benefits and about abstinence and fidelity as the surest prevention. The departments can use written information, pamphlets, websites, toll-free numbers and the media. The bill includes an appropriation of $350,000.

The committee also approved HB47, authorizing the Department of Health to adopt standards for the secure exchange of electronic health information. Standardizing this exchange is expected to cut costs for the department, health care providers, and insurers including Medicaid. The Department will track that cost data and report back to the committee.

Keeping track of patients electronically can speed up the sharing of information, provide continuity of care, and prevent medical accidents due to miscommunication. It's an example of how cutting costs and improving quality go together.

Yesterday many education bills were in committee - Senate bills in the morning and House bills in the afternoon. The House committee passed HB81, a task force to study performance incentives for teachers. The task force will look at ways to accurately evaluate teacher performance and student achievement. They'll also consider whether higher pay as an incentive could be based on individual, team-based, or whole school performance. Their report is due before November 30 of this year.

Sandy Peck
League of Women Voters