Katherine's Updates 2011

KATHERINE'S UPDATES

2012 Legislative Session-Week 10

March 23, 2012

Brief Summary of Week 11, Mar 19th-Mar 23rd

HB609 passed the full Senate 35 - 0 on Tuesday. The bill is now for the Governor's desk.

It has been an emotional week at the legislature. Several controversial bills have been moving through the House and Senate. It has been encouraging to see so many Idahoans become engaged in the legislative process and contacting their legislators to voice their concerns.

Unfortunately Senate Bill 1358a, the anti-bullying bill that passed the Senate has hit a snag in the House and is now sitting in the drawer of the House Education Chair Bob Nonini. It appears that the Chair will not hold a hearing on the bill this session.

Legislators are hopeful that they will be able to adjourn by the middle of next week.

HB609 - Unanimous support in the Senate

HB609 passed the Senate on Tuesday, March 20th on a vote of 35 - 0. Senate Health and Welfare Committee Chair Patti Anne Lodge presented the bill and spoke to the unintended consequences of HB260 and the restoration of some of the most harmful cuts.

The bill includes the following three changes:

People with dual diagnoses will not have to choose between receiving skill training for their mental illness management (PSR) or their developmental disability (developmental therapy)
The language in HB 260 that said that budgets for adults with developmental disabilities would be placed in tiers similar to what is being done with children's services redesign has been deleted
Preventative and restorative dental services for adults with disabilities on the DD and A&D waiver will be allowed.

The fiscal impact of this bill is $1.5 million state general fund dollars and $3.8 million federal dollars for a total of $5.3 million in total services restored to Medicaid.

You can view the bill on the legislative website athttp://www.legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2012/H0609Bookmark.htm

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THE MOST IMPORTANT NEXT STEP - Writing a note of thanks!

Write a note of thanks!

E-mail or write a personal note to legislators this week:

Include in the e-mail subject line "Thank you for your support of HB609". In your e-mail or note, thank them for their support of restoring some of the services cut from Medicaid last year. Specifically thank them for:

Restoring services to people with a dual diagnosis,
Restoring preventative dental for adults with developmental disabilities who are on the A&D and DD waivers, and
Encourage them in future years to restore other critical services for people with disabilities that were cut last year as the economy continues to improve.

Get involved and begin meeting your legislative candidates!

The Idaho Primary Election is May 15th. Check here for a listing of who is running in your district: http://www.idahovotes.gov/

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Future "Katherine's Updates"

Thanks for reading our updates each week and for participating in the legislative process. I look forward to providing a summary of the session in the next couple of weeks. In addition, I will provide some follow up information on the KW v. Armstrong lawsuit and how it impacts some of the cuts that we were working to get restored this year. Please let me know if there is other information or updates you would like to receive in the future.