Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Tuesday Quick HIts: Hot Policy Topics for This Week

North Carolina:

Monday, April 14, 2008


10 a.m. The Joint Appropriations Health and Human Services Subcommittee, 643 LOB

This will be the second of three committee meetings planned before the start of short session. The committee members will hear full reports on North Carolina Health Choice, which is our states SCHIP program. The will also hear a report on NC Kid’s Care. This program was passed in the 2007 Long Session and would offer an affordable buy in insurance program for families starting at 300% FPL (Federal Poverty Level). Both of these programs are being heavily affected by the lack of a federal reauthorization of SCHIP. The Bush Administration has twice vetoed reauthorization legislation.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

8:30 a.m. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education meets jointly with the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education/Higher Education, 421 LOB.

This committee has been meeting to review specific programs that are currently receiving funding. During the last meeting this committee received reports on the School Nursing Program at UNC. (Review this based on agenda)

10 a.m. The Joint Legislative Commission on Dropout Prevention and High School Graduation, 643 LOB.

The numbers of students dropping out of school in North Carolina has been a hot topic lately. 23,000 students dropped out of high school last year. Of those students, 4,050 students with disabilities dropped out. There have been sixty grants that have been given out to schools to create programs that keep teens in school. The committee members have been hearing reports and personal stories from at risk students. As we start to prep for short session this committee will be brining forth its proposals

1 p.m. The Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations Education/Health and Human Services Subcommittee, 421 LOB.
No agenda available at this time.


Wednesday, April 16, 2008


9 a.m. The Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, 643 LOB.

10 a.m. The Joint Select Committee on Information Technology, 544 LOB.

2:30 p.m. The Joint Legislative Study Committee on Public School Funding Formulas, 421 LOB.

Thursday, April 17, 2008



8:30 a.m. The Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government, 1425 LB.

10 a.m. The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse meets, 544 LOB.

This committee will continue to discuss it’s recommendations to the General Assembly. During the last MH/DD/SA LOC meeting there was hardly any discussion regarding the needs of families and people with developmental disabilities. The draft proposal has been worked on since then and we will see what the Department, Secretary and staff recommend regarding the needs of the developmental disability program. Two big policy issues we will be looking for are funding for START Model and funding for the new tiered CAP waivers.

Here is the updated agenda.
Greetings and Introductions 9:00 – 9:15
Representative Verla Insko, Co-Chair Senator Martin Nesbitt, Co-Chair

LME Presentations 9:15 – 9:45
Mike Watson, CEO, Sandhills Center for MH/DD/SAS Roy Wilson, CEO, East Carolina Behavioral Health

Recommendations from Outside Groups 9:45 – 11:30

The Workforce Development Initiative 9:45 – 10:30
Steve Harrison, Chief of Operations Support, Division of MH-DD-SAS
Dr. Marvin Swartz, Commission of MH-DD-SAS
John Morris, Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce
Amy Hewitt, University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration

Substance Abuse Task Force 10:30 – 11:00
Pam Silberman, JD, DrPH President / CEO, North Carolina Institute of Medicine

Mercer Report 11:00 – 11:30
Leza Wainwright, Co-Director, Division of MH-DD-SAS

Department Recommendations 11:30 – 12:00
Secretary Dempsey Benton, DHHS

Lunch 12:00 – 1:00

Presentation and Discussion of Draft Recommendations 1:00 – 3:00
LOC Staff

Public Comment 3:00 – 4:00

Adjourn 4:00

Federal:

Health Care

On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Fortney (“Pete”) Stark (D-CA), will hold a hearing on “Instability of Health Coverage.”

Medicaid

On Wednesday, the full House Energy and Commerce Committee chaired by Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), is scheduled to mark up the Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008 (H.R. 5613).

Employment


On Tuesday, the House Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, will mark up H.R. 3799, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act. H.R. 3799 would provide 8 weeks of paid leave for the birth, adoption, or placement of a child.


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