House Committee on Public Health Care & Human Services (03/31/2015)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC HEALTH CARE & HUMAN SERVICES

Date:	03/31/2015	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:33 PM to 04:55 PM	Conti	X
		Danielson	X
Place:	HCR 0112	Everett	X
		Ginal	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Joshi	X
	Representative Primavera	Landgraf	X
		Melton	X
This Report was prepared by		Moreno	X
	Elizabeth Burger	Sias	X
		Tyler	*
		Windholz	X
		Singer	X
		Primavera	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB15-178 HB15-1296 HB15-1298 HB15-1302 HB15-1233		Referred to the Committee of the Whole Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only Referred to the Committee of the Whole Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only Amended, Referred to Appropriations

01:38 PM -- SB 15-178

Representative Danielson introduced Senate Bill 15-178. Effective July 1, 2015, the bill continues the Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Department of Human Services for nine years, until 2024. The bill also requires the commission to report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly, limits the terms of the commission members, repeals the requirement for Senate confirmation of commission appointments, clarifies that the commission also serves persons who are deaf and blind, and replaces a public member of the commission with a member who is deaf-blind.

01:41 PM -- Dee Martinez, Department of Human Services, testified in support of the bill.

01:41 PM -- Cliff Moers, Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, testified in support of the bill and discussed the services of the commission. He noted that the commission has made a number of accomplishments since its last sunset review. Ms. Martinez responded to questions from the committee regarding the bill's provisions limiting members to two four-year terms.

01:46 PM -- Leslie Ralphe, representing the late-deafened community, testified regarding her hearing loss. She discussed the services offered by the commission which she said are eliminating barriers for individuals who are late deafened. She described the commission's services which include providing captioning and interpreters in court proceedings. She discussed hearing loss among members of the military.

01:49 PM -- Cynde Vaughn, representing herself, discussed her experience as a member of a task force addressing issues of the deaf-blind community. She stated the commission has been addressing the need for services for the deaf-blind community in Colorado.

01:53 PM -- Carolyn Haas, representing herself, discussed her experiences as a member of a task force addressing issues of the deaf-blind community. She discussed her experience working with the commission to provide equipment and training to individuals who are deaf-blind.

01:55 PM -- Heidi Zimmer, representing herself, discussed the challenges that she has experienced as a member of the deaf-blind community. She sated that if the bill does not pass, she would likely have to move to another state to receive services.

01:58 PM -- Lucas Marquardt, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. He discussed Colorado's hard-of-hearing community and spoke in support of the services offered by the commission.

02:00 PM -- Lisa Weiss, representing herself and Colorado Hands and Voices, read the testimony of a parent discussing the commission's services for parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing. She spoke in support of the bill.

02:04 PM -- Bill Levis, AARP, testified in support of the bill. He asked the committee to support legislation to update statutes related to telephone tariffs to include wireless and mobile providers. Representative Danielson noted that a task force is exploring potential legislation on this topic.

02:08 PM

Representative Danielson gave concluding remarks regarding the bill.


BILL:	SB15-178
TIME:	02:09:50 PM
MOVED:	Danielson
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 15-178 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 11-2.
SECONDED:	Ginal
		VOTE
	Conti	Yes
	Danielson	Yes
	Everett	No
	Ginal	Yes
	Joshi	No
	Landgraf	Yes
	Melton	Yes
	Moreno	Yes
	Sias	Yes
	Tyler	Yes
	Windholz	Yes
	Singer	Yes
	Primavera	Yes
Final YES: 11 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:11 PM

The committee recessed briefly.

02:12 PM -- HB 15-1296

The committee reconvened. Representatives Fields and Priola introduced House Bill 15-1296. The bill creates a higher education sexual assault task force. The task force membership includes students, administrators, victim advocates, and higher education law enforcement officers. The task force must submit a report to the General Assembly by July 1, 2016. Representative Fields discussed the issue of sexual assaults on college campuses, and relayed statistics regarding this issue. Representative Priola stated that the bill opens a discussion to collaborate on best practices on how to address issues of sexual assault on college campuses.

02:22 PM -- Garrett Jaso, University of Colorado-Boulder (CU-Boulder) Student Government, described his experience as a student at CU-Boulder, and discussed the issue of sexual assault on college campuses. He stated that CU-Boulder has taken steps to address the issue, but further action is necessary.

02:23 PM -- Alex Rugoff, CU-Boulder Student Government, testified that there are incongruent policies across the state regarding how sexual assaults are handled on college campuses. He stated that the bill starts a conversation regarding the issue. He spoke regarding the importance of having student representatives on the task force. Mr. Jaso and Mr. Rugoff responded to questions from the committee.

02:31 PM -- Karen Moldovan, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, testified in a neutral position on the bill and discussed the services provided by her organization. She spoke regarding her concerns with the bill regarding the lack of directives for the task force, the membership of the task force, and the appointing authorities for the members of the task force.

02:36 PM -- Jessica Frazier, representing herself as a victim advocate and the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, testified in a neutral position on the bill. She spoke regarding the membership of the task force. She discussed ongoing activities regarding efforts to address sexual assaults on college campuses. Representative Fields responded to questions from the committee regarding the membership of the task force.

02:40 PM

The committee took a brief recess.

02:43 PM

The committee reconvened. Representative Primavera laid the bill over.

02:47 PM -- HB 15-1298

The committee reconvened. Representatives Singer and Tate introduced House Bill 15-1298. The bill requires the Department of Revenue to promulgate rules requiring licensed medical marijuana centers and retail marijuana stores to display signs warning pregnant women about potential risks caused by marijuana. Representative Tate stated that the bill is aimed at making pregnant women aware that there are risks associated with using marijuana while pregnant. He stated that it was his hope that the warnings required by the bill would prompt a conversation between a pregnant woman and her doctor. Representative Singer distributed a fact sheet regarding marijuana and pregnancy (Attachment A). Representatives Singer and Tate responded to questions from the committee regarding warning signs for alcohol and cigarettes. Representative Singer further responded to questions from the committee regarding the bill's language requiring the notice to be posted in a conspicuous location and the size of the notice. The committee continued to discuss the content and terminology of the warning signs.

150331 AttachA.pdf

03:06 PM -- Tyler Henson, Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, testified in opposition to the bill. He stated that the bill is unfairly targeting the marijuana industry, and stated that his organization would support amendments to the bill requiring signs at bars and liquor stores warning pregnant women of the dangers of consuming alcohol while pregnant. He responded to questions from the committee. In response to questions from the committee, he stated that he would prefer that individual marijuana products contain warnings. The committee discussed warning labels on recreational marijuana products. Mr. Henson responded to questions regarding educational campaigns regarding marijuana.

03:14 PM -- Jason Warf, Southern Colorado Cannabis Council, testified in support of the bill, but cautioned that there is a lot of misinformation about marijuana.

03:17 PM -- Karin McGowan, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, testified in support of the bill and testified regarding the department's review of peer-reviewed scientific information about the use of marijuana during pregnancy. She discussed the education campaign that the department has undertaken to educate the public regarding the use of marijuana. She stated that the bill allows the department to work with the Department of Revenue to create and update the signs. She responded to questions from the committee regarding warning signs for establishments that serve alcoholic beverages.

03:22 PM -- Ronn Nixon, representing himself, testified regarding the use of marijuana while pregnant and the conversations between pregnant woman and their physicians regarding the use of particular substances during pregnancy. He discussed birth defects caused by prescription medications. He stated that requiring labels would be preferable to the use of warning signs. He responded to questions from the committee.

03:30 PM

Representative Singer gave concluding remarks regarding the bill. Members of the committee gave concluding remarks regarding the bill.


BILL:	HB15-1298
TIME:	03:34:36 PM
MOVED:	Singer
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1298 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 10-3.
SECONDED:	Conti
		VOTE
	Conti	Yes
	Danielson	Yes
	Everett	No
	Ginal	Yes
	Joshi	No
	Landgraf	Yes
	Melton	No
	Moreno	Yes
	Sias	Yes
	Tyler	Yes
	Windholz	Yes
	Singer	Yes
	Primavera	Yes

Final YES: 10 NO: 3 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:38 PM -- HB 15-1302

Representative Primavera introduced House Bill 15-1302. The bill requires administrators of assisted living facilities to complete 30 hours of continuing education every two years. Operators of assisted living facilities must ensure that all administrators complete the continuing education requirements and maintain proof of fulfillment for each administrator. She responded to questions from the committee regarding why the bill does not require caregivers to participate in continuing education.

03:44 PM -- Tamara Meurer, Northern Colorado Living Solutions, testified in opposition to the bill. She stated that she is not opposed to continuing education requirements, but discussed the burden this requirement may place on small assisted living facilities. She questioned the number of hours of continuing education required by the bill and stated that caregivers need training on how to intervene with high-needs clients. She spoke in support of education for caregivers and more opportunities for administrators to earn the required hours of continuing education.

03:50 PM -- Rachel Robertson, Bright Assisted Living, testified in opposition to the bill. She spoke regarding the operation of a small assisted living facility. She responded to questions from the committee regarding the size of her facility.

03:54 PM -- Doug Macallister, Meadowlark and Terry Lake Assisted Living, testified in opposition to the bill. He spoke to the difficulties of operating a small assisted living facility and noted that there are already continuing education options available for administrators. He stated that a lot of rules and regulations are built around larger facilities and do not consider the needs of smaller facilities.

03:58 PM -- Anne Meier, State Long-term Care Ombudsman, testified in a neutral position on the bill. She discussed the role of the ombudsman and distributed two handouts to the committee (Attachments B and C).

150331 AttachB.pdf

150331 AttachC.pdf

04:03 PM -- Clark Grieg, Jewell Insurance, testified in support of the bill. He responded to questions from the committee.

04:09 PM -- Kim Hansler, Frazier Meadow Assisted Living and Colorado Assisted Living Association, testified in support of the bill and stated that assisted living is an evolving industry and her hope is that the bill will implement a new professional standard in the industry. She noted that many individuals are currently complying with the bill's requirements and there is no cost to the state for the bill. She noted that there are various opportunities to obtain the continuing education, and residents of assisted living facilities deserve well-trained professionals.

04:12 PM -- Lyle Campbell, Saint Bernadette Assisted Living, testified in support of the bill and described his role as the administrator of two small assisted living residences. He stated that his hope was that the bill would lead to a more defined curriculum and allow assisted living residence administrators to be on the same page.

04:15 PM -- Bill Boles, Colorado Assisted Living Association, testified in support of the bill. He stated that there is a need for continuing education given the growth in the industry to level the playing field between those professionals who obtain additional training and those who do not. He stated that the bill does not dictate the type of continuing education that will fulfill the bill's requirements. He responded to questions from the committee.

04:21 PM

Representative Primavera commented on the bill. Representative Singer laid the bill over.

04:23 PM -- HB 15-1233

Representative Landgraf introduced House Bill 15-1233, concerning the creation of a task force to study respite care. She distributed a strike-below amendment, L.003 (Attachment D) and two additional amendments L.005 and L.006 (Attachments E and F). As amended by L.003, the bill creates a task force within the Department of Human Services to study the dynamics of supply and demand with regard to respite care services in Colorado. The amendment specifies the membership and appointing authorities for the members of the task force, authorizes the department to contract for an external study concerning respite care, and requires the task force to submit a report that includes its findings and recommendations to specific committees of the General Assembly by January 21, 2016. Representative Landgraf distributed two additional handouts to the committee (Attachment G and H) and responded to questions from the committee regarding the appointment of members to the task force.

150331 AttachH.pdf

04:33 PM -- Randy Brodersen, North Metro Community Services and Alliance, testified in support of the bill and spoke regarding the importance of respite services for family caregivers.

04:36 PM -- Lynn Robinson, Colorado Respite Coalition, testified in support of the bill and spoke regarding the impact of family caregiving.

04:41 PM -- Eileen Doherty, Colorado Gerontological Society, testified in support of the bill and regarding the importance of respite care for caregivers.

04:43 PM -- Marijo Rymer, ARC of Colorado, testified in support of the bill. She stated that respite services are the most requested service from the ARCs. Representative Landgraf responded to questions from the committee.

04:47 PM

Representative Landgraf explained the provisions of amendments L.003, L.005, and L.006 (Attachments D through F).


BILL:	HB15-1233
TIME:	04:48:27 PM
MOVED:	Landgraf
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.005 (Attachment E). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Singer
		VOTE
	Conti
	Danielson
	Everett
	Ginal
	Joshi
	Landgraf
	Melton
	Moreno
	Sias
	Tyler
	Windholz
	Singer
	Primavera

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB15-1233
TIME:	04:49:43 PM
MOVED:	Landgraf
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.006 (Attachment F). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Singer
		VOTE
	Conti
	Danielson
	Everett
	Ginal
	Joshi
	Landgraf
	Melton
	Moreno
	Sias
	Tyler
	Windholz
	Singer
	Primavera

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB15-1233
TIME:	04:50:50 PM
MOVED:	Ginal
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.003 (Attachment D). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Melton
		VOTE
	Conti
	Danielson
	Everett
	Ginal
	Joshi
	Landgraf
	Melton
	Moreno
	Sias
	Tyler
	Windholz
	Singer
	Primavera

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

04:53 PM

Representative Landgraf gave concluding remarks regarding the bill.


BILL:	HB15-1233
TIME:	04:54:03 PM
MOVED:	Landgraf
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1233, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 11-2.
SECONDED:	Melton
		VOTE
	Conti	Yes
	Danielson	Yes
	Everett	No
	Ginal	Yes
	Joshi	No
	Landgraf	Yes
	Melton	Yes
	Moreno	Yes
	Sias	Yes
	Tyler	Yes
	Windholz	Yes
	Singer	Yes
	Primavera	Yes

Final YES: 11 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:55 PM

The committee adjourned.