a communication of the Iowa Nurses Association

Volume 3, Number 24 February 24, 2000

HF 686 DENTAL ASSISTANTS - Allows the Dental Examiners to adopt education and examination requirements for registering dental assistants and to establish the scope of practice. Gives persons who are working as dental assistants until July, 2000 to have a registration certificate, and persons who start after that date 60 days to get a registration certificate. Specifically distinguishes between dental assistants and nurses in the scope of practice definitions. Requires that the rules to implement this bill be adopted by January 1, 2000 rather than effective by that date.
H-8030 by the Senate - Changes relevant dates to 2001. Prohibits administrative rules which allow the administration of local anesthesia, the placement of sealants or the removal of any plaque or other material except with a toothbrush, floss or rubber cup coronal polish. CONCURRED

The House PASSED the Bill, as amended, 94-0; Governor signed.

SF 2193 SENIOR LIVING PROGRAM - Creates a Senior Living Program and a Senior Living Trust Fund to assist senior citizens. Appropriates from the trust fund $80 million to DHS over a five year period, $20 million in FY 2001, to convert nursing home space and develop long term care alternatives; $2.2 million for medical and living assistance; $176.8 million for nursing home reimbursement; to Elder affairs, $4.2 million for FY 2001 to develop a comprehensive senior living program. Requests an Interim Study of long term care insurance. Effective on enactment.

SF 2034 COVERAGE OF DENTAL CARE - Requires that health benefit coverage include coverage for anesthesia and other hospital charges related to dental care for children, the disabled or a person with a condition which requires hospitalization and treatment. AMENDED: A Strike & Replace:

SSB 3026 PODIATRIST PAYMENTS - Requires HMOs and group insurance policies to pay for services by podiatric physicians, including the prescription of drugs, that are within the scope of practice for podiatry, if the policy pays for the services, including the prescription of drugs, of doctors.

SF 2234 BIOLOGICAL BRAIN DISEASES - Requires group health insurance policies provided by employers to include coverage for biologically based mental illness up to $100,000 in payments. AMENDED: Establishes a waiver if the provisions of the bill will cause an increase of more than 3%.

SSB 3102 PUBLIC HEALTH DUTIES - Requires Substance Abuse Commission to specifically review initial requests for a substance abuse facility. Broadens inspection authority of substance abuse facilities by the Department. Allows DPH to keep fees for x-ray machine inspections. Legalizes breastfeeding in public. Make technical corrections. Increases the time before birth records can be viewed to 95 years and the person must have an interest in the requested record. Removes time restrictions on marriage, divorce, or death records. Requires county recorders to issue the certified copies of marriage licenses. AMENDED: Strikes the restrictions on birth records. Strikes the ability of DPH to keep fees for examining X-ray machines. Adds provisions about electronic filing of records and deletes other out-dated provisions. Strikes a provision which requires DALS and the Pharmacy Examiners to purchase condoms for DPH for testing if DPH requests those two agencies to do so.

SSB 3094 CSRU MATTERS - Allows the Child Support Recovery Unit to send a notice, rather than an order, to the employer of a parent who has been ordered to enroll a child for health insurance. Allows out-of-state health insurance orders to be filed in Iowa courts. Sunsets the CSRU’s authority to carry forward unpaid claims for costs by financial institutions after FY 2001.

SSB 3160 ORGAN REGISTRY - Allows 20% of the money in the anatomical gift public awareness and transplantation fund to be spent as grants to state agencies or non-profit agencies to maintain an organ donor registry.

SF 2125 ADULT ABUSE REPORTERS - Includes full-time, part-time or contract workers in the designation of mandatory dependent adult abuse reporters for jobs which are mandatory reporters.

SSB 3093 CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES - Requires that requests to correct or expunge child abuse information shall not be made public until the conclusion of the proceedings. Allows providers of adult home care, health care or placement facilities to check employment records of future employees.

SSB 3200 EMPOWERMENT BOARDS - Adds the director of the Department of Human Rights and an additional citizen as voting members on the Iowa Empowerment Board. Requires the agencies administering locally-operated early childhood programs to outline cooperation efforts in writing. Grants: Reduces grant periods to one year. Requires specific reports based on the grant area and strikes the Empowerment Board’s power to adjust grant amounts dues to population or other funding. Creates a school ready grant formula based on the general number of children, those living in or near poverty and a base amount for each county. Other: Encourages community empowerment boards to act quickly in submitting nominees.

SSB 3301 RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD COUNCIL - Establishes a twenty-five member council on responsible fatherhood, appointed by the Governor, to promote two-parent families and with an emphasis on working with families eligible for the TANF program.

SSB 3205 INFECTIOUS DISEASES - Combines the various Code sections on communicable diseases, venereal diseases and exposure of emergency workers into the Communicable & Infectious Disease Reporting and Control Act. Makes language changes, including venereal diseases to sexual transmitted diseases and other related changes.

SSB 3135 CIVIL COMMITMENT - DANGEROUS CRIMINALS - Establishes a Civil Commitment procedure, similar to that for sexual predators, for the dangerously violent. Requires DHS to cover the costs of assessment, control, care and treatment. AMENDED

SSB 3188 MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES - Requires all board of supervisors to appoint a mental health advocate. Directs the supervisors appoint an acting county attorney if the county attorney is unable to carry-out duties. Allows the supervisors to appoint two of the three members of the civil service commission and the county attorney the other. Directs the Chief Judge of a district to appoint inheritance tax appraisers, jury commissioners, and probate referees.

SSB 3185 EMS ACTIONS - Allows emergency care providers to act in their individual capacity. Lists the types of individuals that can supervise emergency medical care providers may perform non-lifesaving procedures.

HF 2276/HF 2408 SENIOR LIVING - Creates the Iowa Senior Living Program within the Department of Elder Affairs. Creates Senior Living Trust Fund under the Department of Human Services. Allocates from the trust fund up to $65 million over five years for the conversion of existing nursing facility space and development of long-term care alternatives. AMENDED by House Human Resources: a Strike & Replace-Conforms to Senate version. AMENDED by House Appropriations

HF 754 DENTAL CARE COVERAGE - Requires health benefits coverage include anesthesia and hospital costs for dental care for children under the age of 5 and for individuals who are severely disabled or have medical conditions requiring hospitalization or general anesthesia. Allows the covered treatment to take place at a doctor’s office or hospital. Allows prior authorization.

HF 2189 ACCREDITATION STANDARDS - Requires state Board of Education to adopt rules incorporating a health service component into the general accreditation standards for school districts. AMENDED.

HF 2276 SENIOR LIVING - Creates the Iowa Senior Living Program within the Department of Elder Affairs. Creates Senior Living Trust Fund under the Department of Human Services. Allocates from the trust fund up to $65 million over five years for the conversion of existing nursing facility space and development of long-term care alternatives. AMENDED: a Strike & Replace-Conforms to Senate version.

HSB 617 INFECTIOUS DISEASES - Cleans up various code sections by placing them in one code section. Makes minor definition changes. AMENDED: Requires Public Health to set-up a taskforce to study immunizations in post H.S. students.

HF 2229 ABORTION INFORMATION & REPORTING - Requires the Dept. of Public Health to prepare printed materials which show fetal development, describe adoption and pregnancy and child birth assistance services and how to contact those agencies. Requires abortion providers to inform patients about the availability of care to carry the pregnancy to term, the medical risks of abortion, the liability of the father for support and the availability of the printed DPH materials. Requires the physician to make reports. Makes it a Class C felony to knowingly perform an abortion in violation of the reporting procedures and a simple misdemeanor to knowingly submit a false report. Gives the patient or the father a cause of action against the physician if an abortion is performed which doesn’t comply with the provisions of this bill. AMENDED: Sense amendment striking all language other than a statement requiring informed consent. Adopted 11-10

HF 2162 PMIC STUDY - Requires the Department of Public Health to study the methodology used in reimbursing Psychiatric Medical Institutions for Children. Requires the Department to report findings to the Legislature.

HF 2185 TRUANT CHILD IN NEED - Makes a truant child subject to the determination by law enforcement that the child is in need of assistance.

HSB 618 PUBLIC HEALTH FEES - Requires Substance Abuse Commission to specifically review initial requests for a substance abuse facility. Broadens inspection authority of substance abuse facilities by the Department. Legalizes breast feeding in public. Make technical corrections. Increases the time before birth records can be viewed to 95 years and the person must have an interest in the requested record. Removes time restrictions on marriage, divorce, or death records. AMENDED

HSB 619 HEALTH CARE FACILITY INSPECTIONS - Requires unannounced inspections of health to at least once every 30 months. Does not require that a complaint-based inspection be limited to the complaint. Establishes a quality-based complaint system which requires the DIA to report to the budget subcommittees.

HSB 708 SHARING CHILD ABUSE INFORMATION - Allows for interagency agreements to sharing information regarding child abuse information.

HSB 701 MIDWIFE REGISTRATION- Establishes Midwifery Advisory Council and registration requirements for the practice of direct entry midwifery. Criminalizes unlicensed midwifery.

HF 427 CRITICAL STRESS LIABILITY - Limits the liability of critical incident stress management teams who offer services to EMS workers and the victims of disasters. AMENDED

HSB 557 OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT - Establishes procedure and criteria for court ordered outpatient mental health treatment akin to involuntary hospitalizations. Allows for pre-hearing examination by a doctor. Requires Department of Human Services to develop summary of procedures for applicants and respondents. Provides for payment of costs for applications filed without probable cause or good faith belief. AMENDED: Creates a rebutable presumption of a person’s competence to make their own medical decisions if they have had twelve months compliance with treatment. Many other technical changes.

HSB 597 INVESTIGATING CHILD DEATHS - Requires the child death review team to review all deaths of children up to the age of eighteen. AMENDED.

HSB 601 DOMESTIC ABUSE REVIEW - Establishes the Iowa Domestic Abuse Review Team to make recommendation to various state agencies for reducing domestic abuse deaths. Allows the Team to obtain confidential information from any person regarding such a death and releases from liability the person providing the information.

HSB 538 INSPECTION & APPEALS DUTIES - Health Facilities Division: Codifies the responsibilities of the Health Facilities Division within Department of Inspections and Appeals. Inspections Divisions: Removes obsolete duties of Audits, Inspections, & Investigation Division. Codifies inspections of hospitals, other types of health care centers, and child foster care facilities. Adds inspections and licensing of social and charitable gambling.

HF 704 CONFIDENTIAL SS NUMBERS - Makes a social security number a confidential record and limits the use in documents that could be seen by the public. Makes corresponding changes, including prohibiting the use of SS numbers on driver’s licenses, court documents, and other licenses.

SF ACUPUNCTURE LICENSING-Requires that acupuncturists be licensed by the Board of Medical Examiners. Some changes in licensing requirements. The House passed the bill as amended 95-0. It now returns to the Senate.

SF 2113 MASSAGE THERAPY - Requires persons to have appropriate certification and training to act as a massage therapist and prohibits the unlicensed persons from practicing massage therapy of from falsely claiming certification. Authorizes civil penalties for persons who violate the provisions of this bill.

The Senate PASSED the Bill, as amended, 49-0; it now goes to the House

SF 2193 SENIOR LIVING PROGRAM - Creates a Senior Living Program and a Senior Living Trust Fund to assist senior citizens. Appropriates from the trust fund $80 million to DHS over a five year period, $20 million in FY 2001, to convert nursing home space and develop long term care alternatives; $2.2 million for medical and living assistance; $176.8 million for nursing home reimbursement; to Elder affairs, $4.2 million for FY 2001 to develop a comprehensive senior living program. Requests an Interim Study of long term care insurance. Requires DHS to create a Medicaid Reimbursement methodology task force. Effective on enactment.

S-5014 by Miller - Changes the grants to a loan program. FAILED

S-5020 by Boettger - Requires DHS to adopt rules to assure that facilities receiving grants allocate costs in an equitable manner. Changes the Medicaid Reimbursement methodology task force to a reimbursement taskforce. Increases an appropriation to supplement Medicaid for health care and rent expenses by $50,000. Makes language changes. ADOPTED

The Senate PASSED the Bill, as amended, 48-0; it now goes to the House

HF 2321 MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (Human Resources; Successor to HSB 616) Expands eligibility to children in the guardianship program and added two categories of Medicare beneficiaries to coverage eligibility. Considers disclaimers of inheritance and failure to elect against a will as a transfer of assets in determining eligibility. (Calendar)

HF 2333 EMS ACTIONS (State Government; Successor to HF 392) Allows emergency care providers to act in their individual capacity Lists the types of individuals that can supervise emergency medical care providers may perform non-lifesaving procedures. (Calendar)

HF 2336 OPTIONAL HEALTHY & WELL KIDS (Hansen & Heaton) Directs the DHS to request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to enroll eligible children for medical assistance in the Iowa Healthy & Well Program while maintaining federal matching rate under medical assistance. (Commerce)

HF 2342 DOMESTIC ABUSE PRIVACY (Warnstadt) Allows a victim of domestic abuse to use an address of a shelter or other agency as a mailing address for petition filing and obtaining utility and other services. (Jud)

HF 2343 MEDICAL RECORDS FEES (Foege) Prohibits health care providers from charging for health records if the request is related to filing a claim under worker’s comp, disability benefits, or Social Security. (HR)

HF 2362 DOMESTIC ABUSE REVIEW (Judiciary; Successor to HSB 601) Establishes the Iowa Domestic Abuse Review Team to make recommendation to various state agencies for reducing domestic abuse deaths. Allows the Team to obtain confidential information from any person regarding such a death and releases from liability the person providing the information. (Calendar)

HF 2365 INVESTIGATING CHILD DEATHS (Judiciary; Successor to HSB 597) Requires the child death review team to review all deaths of children up to the age of eighteen. (Calendar)

HF 2366 OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT (Judiciary; Successor to HSB 557) Establishes procedure and criteria for court ordered outpatient mental health treatment akin to involuntary hospitalizations. Allows for pre-hearing examination by a doctor. Requires Department of Human Services to develop summary of procedures for applicants and respondents. Provides for payment of costs for applications filed without probable cause or good faith belief. Creates a rebuttable presumption of a person’s competence to make their own medical decisions if they have had twelve months compliance with treatment. Many other technical changes. (Calendar)

HF 2377 CHILD ABUSE INFORMATION (Human Resources; HSB 662) Gives the Governor and the leadership of the General Assembly access to records held by the Department of Human Services regarding child abuse. Imposes penalties for unauthorized dissemination of information. (Calendar)

HF 2380 COMPREHENSIVE PERSONAL ASSISTANCE (Human Resources; Successor to HF 2244) Establishes home and community based services program for elders and individuals with disabilities under the direction of the DHS (Calendar)

HF 2383 CONTRACEPTIVE COVERAGE (Martin) Requires individual and group health insurance plans to cover contraceptive drugs and devices if the policy covers outpatient services. (Commerce)

HF 2385 ORGAN DONOR REGISTRY (Human Resources; Successor to HF 2203) Establishes a statewide organ donor registry and appropriates $75,000 to the Department of Public Health to run program. (Calendar)

HF 2386 INSPECTION & APPEALS DUTIES (State Government: Successor to HSB 538) Health Facilities Division: Codifies the responsibilities of the Health Facilities Division within Department of Inspections and Appeals. Inspections Divisions: Removes obsolete duties of Audits, Inspections, & Investigation Division. Codifies inspections of hospitals, other types of health care centers, and child foster care facilities. Adds inspections and licensing of social and charitable gambling. (Calendar)

HF 2387 CONFIDENTIAL SS NUMBERS (State Government: Successor to HF 520 & HF 704) Directs governmental bodies to refrain from disclosing the Social Security Numbers of individuals. Requires the adoption of rules to control distribution of numbers. (Calendar)

HF 2402 PRESCRIPTION DRUG (Fallon) Allows certain medical professionals to dispense prescription drugs and write prescriptions. (Human Resources)

HSB 701 MIDWIFE ADVISORY COUNCIL (Human Resources) Establishes Midwifery Council and registration requirements for the practice of direct entry midwifery. Criminalizes unlicensed midwifery.
Boddicker (C), Foege, Reynolds

HSB 708 SHARING CHILD ABUSE INFORMATION (Human Resources) Allows for interagency agreements to sharing information regarding child abuse information. (Attorney General)
Boddicker (C), Carroll, Foege

SF 2216 PREGNANT DRUG ABUSERS (Miller) Authorizes the civil commitment of women who are pregnant and are chronic substance abusers.

SF 2197 TOBACCO LAWS (Gronstal, et al) IDs: Makes the use of a driver’s license by a minor to purchase tobacco a simple misdemeanor. Authorizes the seizure of fake identification. Punishment: Establishes alternative punishments including education programs and community service for minors who violate the tobacco laws. Other: Allows minors to handle tobacco products as part of their job. Limits license revocations to the place of business where the offense occurred but not to other locations.

SF 2203 HEALTH INSURANCE PAYMENTS (Maddox, et al) Requires that an insured person to be allowed the option from the carrier to assign payments to the health care provider.

SF 2209 AUTOMATIC DEFIBRILLATORS (Tinsman) Requires that ambulance and EMS services be appropriately trained in CPR and the use of defibrillators if the service acquires an automatic, external defibrillator. Requires the machine to maintained and that data regarding its use be collected. Establishes an exemption from liability for the good faith use of such a machine. Contains related provisions.

SF 2224 CAMPAIGN ELECTRONIC FILING ( ) Requires that if any candidate for a particular office file the required campaign finance disclosure reports than all of the other candidates filings must be converted to electronic form. Requires that the board do the conversion if the candidate is not the one filing electronically. Makes electronic filing mandatory in 2004 for candidates reach $20,000 in contributions and for all candidates in the 2006 elections.

SF 2228 GIFT LEVEL (Szymoniak & Dearden) Raises the gift limit for legislators and other public officials to $5.

SF 2234 MENTAL HEALTH COVERAGE (Szymoniak) Requires group health insurance policies provided by employers to include coverage for biologically based mental illness up to $100,000 in payments.

SF 2243 OWI IN-PATIENT TREATMENT (Judiciary; Successor to SSB 3134) Requires OWI offenders placed in institutional programs to be so placed within sixty days or as soon as possible. Allows offenders already in an institutional program to enter a community-based residential program at the same point as they were in the institutional program.

SF 2250 CIVIL COMMITMENT - DANGEROUS CRIMINALS (Judiciary; Successor to SSB 3135) Establishes a Civil Commitment procedure, similar to that for sexual predators, for the dangerously violent. Requires the creation of a multi-disciplinary team for assessment purposes. Requires hearing for probable cause. Requires DHS to cover the costs of assessment, control, care and treatment. Contains related provisions.

SF 2258 CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES (Human Resources; Successor to SSB 3101) Conforms the Iowa schedule for controlled substances with the federal Controlled Substances Act. Reclassifies ephedrine as s controlled substance rather than a precursor substance.

SF 2259 ORGAN REGISTRY (Human Resources; Successor to SSB 3160) Allows 20% of the money in the anatomical gift public awareness and transplantation fund to be spent as grants to state agencies or non-profit agencies to maintain an organ donor registry.

SF 2271 PHYSICIANS ASSISTANTS (Johnson) Makes changes in the licensing procedures for physicians assistants. Adds two physicians assistants to the physician assistants licensing board. Effective on enactment.

SF 2272 DRUG DISPENSING DOCTORS (Johnson) Sets-up requirements for physicians who dispense prescription drugs.

SF 2274 GOVERNOR OVER-RULED (Iverson) Revokes Governor Vilsack’s Executive Order # 7 which rescinds Governor Branstad’s Executive Order # 44 from 1992 regarding equal opportunity and affirmative action. Revokes Governor Vilsack’s Executive Order # 11 regarding rulemaking proceedings and uniform waiver rules. Effective on passage by the General Assembly.

SF 2302 PUBLIC HEALTH DUTIES (Human Resources; Successor to SSB 3102) Requires Substance Abuse Commission to specifically review initial requests for a substance abuse facility. Broadens inspection authority of substance abuse facilities by the Department. Legalizes breastfeeding in public. Makes technical corrections. Requires county recorders to issue the certified copies of marriage licenses. Adds provisions about electronic filing of records and deletes other out-dated provisions. Strikes a provision that requires DALS and the Pharmacy Examiners to purchase condoms for DPH for testing if DPH requests those two agencies to do so.

SF 2303 MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES (Judiciary; Successor to SSB 3188) Requires all board of supervisors to appoint a mental health advocate. Directs the supervisors appoint an acting county attorney if the county attorney is unable to carry-out duties. Allows the supervisors to appoint two of the three members of the civil service commission and the county attorney the other. Directs the Chief Judge of a district to appoint inheritance tax appraisers, jury commissioners, and probate referees

SSB 3185 EMS ACTIONS (State Government) Allows emergency care providers to act in their individual capacity Lists the types of individuals that can supervise emergency medical care providers may perform non-lifesaving procedures. Drake (C), Dearden, Sexton

SSB 3186 PREGNANCY INFORMATION (Human Resources) Requires the reporting of various medical information regarding the termination of pregnancy.
Redwine (C), Boettger, Harper

SSB 3188 MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES (Judiciary) Requires all board of supervisors to appoint a mental health advocate. Directs the supervisors appoint an acting county attorney if the county attorney is unable to carry-out duties. Allows the supervisors to appoint two of the three members of the civil service commission and the county attorney the other. Directs the Chief Judge of a district to appoint inheritance tax appraisers, jury commissioners, and probate referees (Judicial Branch) Maddox (C), Angelo, Fraise