Iowa Nurses Association | Legislative Connection, Volume 4, Number 21 January 25, 2002

LEGISLATIVE CONNECTION
A communication of the Iowa Nurses Association
Volume 4, Number 21 January 25, 2002

Nursing Leaders Visit the Hill

On Tuesday, January 15, LaVone Sopher, Karol Joenks, Monica Moore, Linda Upmeyer, Linda Goeldner and Deanna McCallum met with legislative leadership to discuss the INA legislative priorities. Key elements of those discussions were:

Assuring the Board of Nursing is sufficiently funded.
Providing for scholarships and loans for nurses.
Maintaining the tobacco settlement dollars for healthcare services.
Assuring collection of nursing workforce data.
Assuring accountability in patient care.

Mental Health Parity Day

On Wednesday, February 6 from 11 AM to 1 PM, there will be an effort to support mental health and substance abuse parity. A meeting has been requested with the Senate and House Commerce Committees in Room 116 of the State Capitol. Dr. Flaum has been asked to speak to legislators about brain disorders not being treated any differently than physical disorders. A question and answer period with legislators is anticipated. INA members interested in this topic are encouraged to visit the Capitol on February 6 and lobby for mental health parity. Contact the INA office 515/225-0495 if you can attend.

INA Lobby Days February 27 & 28

All members are also invited to attend the INA Lobby Days scheduled for Wednesday, February 27 and Thursday, February 28. Members are encouraged to visit their legislator on either or both days to discuss nursing issues. INA lobbyists Linda Goeldner and Deanna McCallum will be available to assist any members with legislative contacts. Please check in at the INA table on the ground floor to get a button to identify yourself as a registered nurse.

A continuing education program will be held the evening of February 27 from 6:30-9:30 PM at the Botanical Center in Des Moines. The Lt. Governor will say a few words. The program theme is "Building Safer Health Care Systems" and it will focus on staffing and mandatory overtime. A modest fee is being charged. Check the December Iowa Nurse Reporter or the INA website at www.iowanurses.org for the registration form. A federal mediator, ANA staff person for Workplace Advocacy and panel discussion of staff nurses and administrative nurses are featured. A special room rate is available at the Holiday Inn Downtown if reservations are made by February 8.

A legislative breakfast will be held Thursday morning from 7:30-9:00 AM on the first floor of the Capitol. Nursing organizations are being invited to bring a display to assist in discussing with legislators their particular nursing specialty and to discuss nursing issues in the legislature.

AT THE CAPITAL

Bi-Partisan Work Groups

The Legislature will see a real increase in special taskforces meeting on specific issues in the next several weeks. Rep. Rants and Rep. Siegrist said that they intend to use such working groups to develop
bi-partisan proposals. The groups are not formal committees but will be meeting to work on issues such as allowable growth, hog lots and Medicaid funding. The Medicaid group has already begun meeting. INA Executive Director, Linda Goeldner testified on behalf of the nurses of Iowa urging that legislators not make a 13.4% cut in the Medicaid budget.

Governor's Budget & Initiatives on Health Care Spending

Health care professional staff salaries and insurance ($55.7 million)
Expanding health care access to children -- HAWK-I, Medicaid ($5.7 million).
Fund other priorities by improving government services, creating greater efficiencies, and supplementing with other sources of funding
Give grants from the Senior Living Trust to community providers to promote service, capacity development, and greater independence for persons with disabilities

Committee Action of Interest to Nurses
House Commerce: Assigned to Subcommittee:

HSB 510 HEALTH CARE FACILITY REPORTS - Hoffman (C), Kettering, Petersen

House Human Resources: Assigned to Subcommittee:

HF 282 TOBACCO PREVENTION - Brunkhorst (C), Foege, Wilderdyke

House State Government: Assigned to Subcommittee:

HF 2044 IPERS RETIREES EARNINGS - Elgin (C), Connors, Gipp, Larkin, Metcalf

HF 2059 IPERS NURSE RETIREMENTS - Elgin (C), Connors, Gipp, Larkin, Metcalf

HF 2069 IPERS REEMPLOYMENT - Elgin (C), Connors, Gipp, Larkin, Metcalf

Senate Human Resources: Assigned to Subcommittee:

SF 2008 SUSPENSION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS - Miller (C), Boettger, Holveck

Senate Appropriations: Assigned to Subcommittee:

SF 379 SCHOOL READY CHILDREN GRANTS - Redfern (C), Horn, Kramer (Reassigned)

Bills Introduced of Interest to Nurses
House Files

HF 2069 IPERS REEMPLOYMENT (Wise) Allows IPERS retirees to return to IPERS employment without reduction in retirement benefits. Includes benefit calculations. (State Government)

HF 2075 TOBACCO SETTLEMENT REPAYMENT (Appropriations; Successor to HSB 500) Removes the time limit for repayment of Tobacco Settlement money used for the teacher pay program. (Calendar)

HF 2083 IPERS RETIREMENTS (Eddie, et al) Allows any member of IPERS who has a bona fide retirement to return to covered employment without a reduction in IPERS benefits. (State Government)

HF 2096 PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS (Boddicker) Makes nurse midwifes and advanced registered nurse practitioners considered as primary health care providers in centers for rural health and primary care. (Human Resources)

HF 2111 INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP PROTECTIONS (Successor to HSB 520) Creates protections for persons in an intimate relation, which could be romantic and not sexual, from domestic abuse but not under the domestic abuse laws. Authorizes a court to order participation in a batterers' treatment program. Authorizes emergency and temporary protection orders based on a prima facie showing of domestic abuse. (Calendar)

HF 2117 MINIMUM WAGE (Winckler, et al.) Increases the state hourly minimum wage to $5.65 January 1, 2003.

HF 2118 PERSONAL NEEDS ALLOWANCE (Butka) Increases to $50 per month that residents of health care facilities who participate in medical assistance programs offered by the DHS may keep.

Senate Files

SF 2026 ANATOMICAL GIFT (Angelo) Makes an unrevoked anatomical gift document at the time of death of the donor to be binding without the consent of any other party. (Judiciary)

SF 2029 DIABETES INSURANCE COVERAGE (Maddox) Requires third-party insurance contracts cover diabetes costs. (Commerce)

Study Bills

HSB 532 SENIOR LIVING TRUST LOANS (Economic Development) Allows for the awarding of loans from the Senior Living Trust Fund. Teig (C), Van Fossen, Lensing

HSB 520/SSB 3017 INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP PROTECTIONS (Judiciary) Creates protections for persons in an intimate relation, which could be romantic and not sexual, from domestic abuse but not under the domestic abuse laws. Authorizes a court to order participation in a batterers' treatment program. Authorizes emergency and temporary protection orders based on a prima facie showing of domestic abuse.
Maddox (C), Lamberti, Hansen

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