House Committee on Health and Human Services (03/15/2010)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Date:	03/15/2010	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:31 PM to 04:00 PM	Acree	*
		Apuan	X
Place:	LSB A	Gerou	X
		Kefalas	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Kerr J.	X
	Representative Riesberg	Primavera	X
		Roberts	*
This Report was prepared by		Swalm	*
	Kelli Kelty	Tyler	X
		Gagliardi	X
		Riesberg	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB10-068 SB10-006 SB10-007		Referred to Appropriations Amended, Referred to Appropriations Referred to the Committee of the Whole

01:33 PM -- Senate Bill 10-068

Representative Massey, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 10-068 to the committee. The bill would:

eliminate the requirement that an applicant provide verification of child immunizations as a condition of eligibility of the program;
require county departments of social services to provide information concerning immunizations to all applicants;
make assistance available upon verification of pregnancy instead of waiting until the sixth month;
remove the asset test;
remove the standard of need language and calculation for a basic assistance grant; and
require the State Board of Human Services to promulgate rules for the purpose of calculating a basic cash assistance grant, and to adopt a statewide standard of need for eligibility for a basic cash assistance grant.

Representative Massey gave an overview on the provisions of the bill. Representative Massey said that the bill, brought by the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), will streamline the processes for Colorado Works Program applicants and conform with other department programs, such as Medicaid and food assistance. Representative Massey said that by aligning the eligibility criteria and lessening administrative burden, the bill would ultimately benefit the consumer.

The following people testified on the bill:

01:34 PM -- Sarah Marsh, representing CDHS, Division of Colorado Works, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Marsh said that the purpose of the bill is to streamline processes and allow for more productive use of county staff time and resources. Ms. Marsh said that the bill will reduce errors in data entry which will result in fewer audit findings. Representative Massey clarified that the bill will align with House Bill 10-1022 concerning food assistance. Representative Kerr asked about requirements for immunizations for children. Conversation ensued between Representative Kerr and Ms. Marsh concerning how counties track immunizations of all applicants. Representative Gagliardi asked for clarification on a provision of the bill that provides that an unmarried parent under 18 years of age must not receive assistance unless such unmarried parent resides with his or her parent or other specified caretaker in an adult-supervised home or in any other arrangement approved by the county department. Ms. Marsh clarified that this is a federal requirement and not something that the state can eliminate. Conversation ensued between Representative Kefalas and Ms. Marsh concerning streamlining the process for Colorado Works.

01:46 PM -- William Browning and Robert Sanford, representing the Office of Information Technology (OIT), testified on the bill. Mr. Browning distributed a handout to the committee concerning a summary of the bill (Attachment A). Mr. Browning discussed the handout which provides data from Deloitte concerning the potential fiscal impact of the bill. Conversation ensued between Representative Gerou and Mr. Browning concerning implementation of the programming components of the bill and associated costs. Representative Kefalas asked about the effective date and implementation time frame of six months for the bill. Mr. Browning responded that six months is an accurate time frame. Conversation ensued between Representative Kefalas and Mr. Browning concerning OIT implementation time frames and associated costs of the bill.

02:05 PM

Conversation ensued between Representative Gagliardi and Mr. Browning concerning the estimated implementation time frame and costs relative to the estimated schedule. Representative Tyler asked about the estimated time frame and whether the fiscal note reflects Deloitte-contracted time. Mr. Browning replied that it is correct. Representative Primavera asked how many of the estimated FTE assigned to the project reside in Colorado. Mr. Browning responded that he does not know but that he can look into the question for the committee.

02:13 PM -- Brad Wood, representing Lutheran Advocacy Ministeries of Colorado, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Wood spoke about the removal of the asset test under the bill.

02:16 PM -- Bridget Kaminetsky, representing 9 to 5 National Association of Working Women, testified in support of the bill.

02:17 PM -- Nan Morehead, representing the Denver Department of Human Services, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Morehead responded to questions from the committee.

02:21 PM

Representative Massey presented closing comments on the bill.


BILL:	SB10-068
TIME:	02:24:42 PM
MOVED:	Kefalas
MOTION:	Moved to refer Senate Bill 10-068 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a 9-2 roll call vote.
SECONDED:	Apuan
		VOTE
	Acree	No
	Apuan	Yes
	Gerou	Yes
	Kefalas	Yes
	Kerr J.	Yes
	Primavera	Yes
	Roberts	Yes
	Swalm	No
	Tyler	Yes
	Gagliardi	Yes
	Riesberg	Yes

Final YES: 9 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:26 PM -- Senate Bill 10-006

Representative Summers, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 10-006 to the committee. The bill provides individuals with the opportunity to obtain a free birth certificate, death certificate, or state identification card in certain circumstances. County departments of social services or an individual with a letter of referral from a county department of social services are eligible to receive a free birth or death certificate. Individuals referred by or released from the Department of Corrections, the Division of Youth Corrections, or a county jail are eligible for a free identification card within six months of release. Representative Summers explained the provisions of the bill and distributed a handout to the committee (Attachment B). Representative Kerr asked why the verifiable identification cannot be assigned prior to the release of an individual from jail. Representative Summers concurred and said that the system is safeguarded to guarantee that those who need the assistance are the ones to receive it. Conversation ensued between Representative Kerr and Representative Summers concerning fee changes associated with the bill.

02:38 PM

Conversation ensued between Representative Swalm and Representative Summers concerning costs associated with the bill. Representative Riesberg asked how Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) would get a birth certificate for an individual who was born out-of-state, stating that the costs associated with the bill as set forth by the fiscal note only takes into account individuals who reside in Colorado. Representative Summers responded that witnesses may be able to address that question.

The following people testified on the bill:

02:48 PM -- Pat Ratliff, representing Colorado Counties, Inc. (CCI), testified in support of the bill. Ms. Ratliff said that she believes that there is not reciprocity from state to state in regards to personal documentation. Ms. Ratliff said that CCI helped with the amendment that was passed in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Representative Gerou asked about instances in which individuals do not have birth certificate documentation. Representative Kerr asked whether it would be a good idea to clarify that the bill addresses citizens of the state of Colorado and not individuals who were born out-of-state and currently reside in the state.

02:58 PM -- Linda Olson, representing Colorado Legal Services, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Olson spoke about her experience in getting birth certificates and identification for low-income clients, as well as individuals who are unable to obtain birth certificates in certain circumstances. Ms. Olson said that the bill does not address individuals who were born out-of-state but rather is focused on serving the needs of citizens of Colorado. Ms. Olson spoke about the felon name change provision under the bill.

03:08 PM -- Tara Trujillo, representing the Colorado Children's Campaign, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Trujillo said that the bill would help low-income families and children.

03:11 PM -- Carol Peeples, representing the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, testified on the bill. Ms. Peeples clarified the Department of Corrections' (DOC) process for helping individuals obtain birth certificate documentation. Conversation ensued between Representative Kerr and Ms. Peeples concerning the process and responsibility of DOC for birth certificate documentation.

03:17 PM

Representative Summers distributed prepared amendment L.010 (Attachment C) to the committee. Representative Summers presented the amendment to the committee and explained that the amendment is suggested by the DOC. Discussion ensued between Representative Tyler and Representative Summers on the amendment concerning the application of individuals on parole under the bill. Committee discussion ensued on the amendment.


BILL:	SB10-006
TIME:	03:24:39 PM
MOVED:	Kerr J.
MOTION:	Moved to adopt prepared amendment L.010 (Attachment C). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Gagliardi
		VOTE
	Acree
	Apuan
	Gerou
	Kefalas
	Kerr J.
	Primavera
	Roberts
	Swalm
	Tyler
	Gagliardi
	Riesberg

Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	SB10-006
TIME:	03:19:00 PM
MOVED:
MOTION:
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Acree
	Apuan
	Gerou
	Kefalas
	Kerr J.
	Primavera
	Roberts
	Swalm
	Tyler
	Gagliardi
	Riesberg

Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: TIE

03:26 PM

Representative Summers presented closing comments on the bill.


BILL:	SB10-006
TIME:	03:29:47 PM
MOVED:	Apuan
MOTION:	Moved to refer Senate Bill 10-006, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a 9-2 roll call vote.
SECONDED:	Acree
		VOTE
	Acree	Yes
	Apuan	Yes
	Gerou	Yes
	Kefalas	Yes
	Kerr J.	No
	Primavera	Yes
	Roberts	Yes
	Swalm	No
	Tyler	Yes
	Gagliardi	Yes
	Riesberg	Yes

Final YES: 9 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:33 PM -- Senate Bill 10-007

Representative Gagliardi, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 10-007, which was recommended by the Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force, to the committee. Under current law, county departments of social services are authorized to enter into memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with local representatives of various agencies to promote a collaborative system of services to children and families. If a county department chooses to enter into an MOU, the MOU is required to include certain local representatives as specified in law. The bill expands the listing of agencies or entities that maybe also be included in an MOU. The agencies or entities that may be included are: community colleges and postsecondary career and technical education colleges or programs, early childhood councils, boards of cooperative services, regional service councils, family resource centers, and workforce centers. The bill clarifies that if any of the additional agencies or entities are included in the MOU, the agency or entity shall have the same rights and responsibilities as any other participant in the MOU. Representative Gagliardi responded to questions from the committee.

The following people testified on the bill:

03:40 PM -- Pat Ratliff, representing Colorado Counties, Inc. (CCI), testified in support of the bill. Ms. Ratliff clarified the intent of the legislation. Representative Kerr asked how much General Fund savings are achieved providing general child welfare services and if the primary source of funding is docket fees. Ms. Ratliff responded that docket fees originally comprised most of the funds. Conversation ensued between Representative Kerr and Ms. Ratliff concerning primary source of funding for the bill.

03:46 PM -- Kenny Smith, representing the Colorado Children's Campaign, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Smith said that the bill gives existing collaboratives the flexibility to determine the need, feasibility, and level of interest of local family resource centers to participate in the collaboratives, without mandating that the collaboratives expand their membership. Mr. Smith said that family resource centers play a pivotal role in the fight against poverty in the state. Mr. Smith said that current data indicates that the number of children living in poverty has increased more in Colorado than any other state since 2000.

03:49 PM -- Mark Kling and Virginia Howey, representing the Family Resource Center Association, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Kling said that the bill is permissive and will allow family resource centers to work with the local collaborative teams and act preventatively to avoid certain child welfare issues. Ms. Howey said that she supports the inclusion of family resource centers to encourage and increase coordination of services to help vulnerable families. Representative Riesberg asked the witnesses for clarity on participation by family resource centers. Conversation ensued between Representative Swalm and Ms. Howey concerning MOUs.

03:58 PM

Representative Gagliardi presenting closing comments on the bill.


BILL:	SB10-007
TIME:	03:58:47 PM
MOVED:	Gagliardi
MOTION:	Moved to refer Senate Bill 10-007 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed on a 11-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:	Apuan
		VOTE
	Acree	Yes
	Apuan	Yes
	Gerou	Yes
	Kefalas	Yes
	Kerr J.	Yes
	Primavera	Yes
	Roberts	Yes
	Swalm	Yes
	Tyler	Yes
	Gagliardi	Yes
	Riesberg	Yes

Final YES: 11 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:00 PM

The committee adjourned.