Bill Summary for Bill Number HB15-1194

Date: 02/24/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB15-1194

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC HEALTH CARE & HUMAN SERVICES

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Refer House Bill 15-1194 to the Committee on Appro	PASS

04:43 PM -- HB 15-1194

Representative Coram and Representative K.C. Becker introduced House Bill 15-1194. The bill continues the expanded Family Planning Program within the Department of Public Health and Environment, which provides long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) to clients.

04:50 PM

Representative Coram and Representative Becker answered questions about the cost savings the program provides and the availability of LARCs.

04:53 PM -- Dr. Larry Wolk, Executive Director of the Department of Public Health and Environment, testified in support of the bill. He described the drop in the teen pregnancy rate and abortion rate as a result of the program. He discussed the training component of the program and relayed statistics related to the training. He responded to questions from the committee regarding the rates of sexually transmitted diseases, noting they did not increase over the course of the program. Dr. Wolk further discussed the health effects associated with hormonal birth control methods. He further responded to a question about a similar program in Saint Louis, Missouri, the bill's appropriation, the amount women pay for LARCs under the program, the average age of women who participate in the program, whether parental permission is required to provide contraceptive services to minors, and the medical risks associated with contraception.

05:11 PM -- Michael Norton, Alliance Defending Freedom, testified in opposition to the bill and distributed a handout to the committee (Attachment E). He stated that LARCs are abortifacients and the bill violates the state constitution.

150224 AttachE.pdf

05:14 PM -- Joyce Dennison, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill and discussed statistics related to the practice of abstinence among teens. She discussed the adverse health effects associated with LARCs and stated that the availability of contraception encourages sexual behavior. She responded to questions from the committee regarding the birth control pill, how LARCs work, and various risk-avoidance methods for teens.

05:28 PM -- Diane Palaschak, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill. She stated that LARCs do not prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the bill does not address increased costs associated with increased sexual activity. She asked the committee to consider the long-term effects of the bill.

05:32 PM -- Marie Gorham, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill and regarding the adverse health risks associated with LARCs. She spoke in support of abstinence education.

05:36 PM -- Rachel Gorham, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill and spoke in support of abstinence education. Ms. Palaschak and Marie and Rachel Gorham responded to questions from the committee.

05:50 PM -- Russel Haas, representing himself, testified in opposition to the bill and discussed birthrates in the state.

05:53 PM -- Dr. John Douglas, Tri-county Health Department and Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials, spoke in support of the bill and discussed the family planning services offered by Tri-County Health Department. He discussed the negative effects associated with teen pregnancy. He discussed the decreases in teen pregnancies and abortions through the program. He stated that continuing to make LARCs accessible is critical to all women.

05:56 PM -- Averil Strand, Larimer County Department of Health and Health District of Larimer County, spoke in support of the bill and distributed a handout to the committee (Attachment F). She stated the initiative has allowed Larimer County clinics to provide LARCs to women who request it and who are medically eligible. She explained that before the program was available, it was cost-prohibitive for the clinics to purchase the LARC devices. She discussed the teen birth rate in the county both before and after the initiative.

150224 AttachF.pdf

06:00 PM -- Bonnie Koehler, Delta County, spoke in support of the bill and testified regarding the family planning program. Dr. Douglas, Ms. Strand, and Ms. Koehler responded to questions from the committee.

06:11 PM -- Meredith Vaughn, Women's Foundation of Colorado, testified in support of the bill. She discussed the importance of women to Colorado's workforce, and stated that women who can plan pregnancies have better education and economic prospects. She relayed statistics related to the family planning program.

06:15 PM -- Caitlin Green, representing herself, testified in support of the bill and discussed her participation in the family planning program. She stated that cost should not be a factor in allowing women to access birth control.

06:17 PM -- Chris Watney, Colorado Children's Campaign, testified in support of the bill, and listed the reasons her organization supports the bill. She spoke regarding the negative health effects associated with unplanned pregnancies. She discussed the cost of the LARCs, and noted that these forms of contraception would not be accessible for many women without the program.

06:23 PM

Representatives Coram and Becker gave concluding remarks regarding the bill. Members of the committee commented on the bill.


BILL:	HB15-1194
TIME:	06:36:10 PM
MOVED:	Singer
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1194 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 8-5.
SECONDED:	Ginal
		VOTE
	Conti	No
	Danielson	Yes
	Everett	No
	Ginal	Yes
	Joshi	No
	Landgraf	Yes
	Melton	Yes
	Moreno	Yes
	Sias	No
	Tyler	Yes
	Windholz	No
	Singer	Yes
	Primavera	Yes

Final YES: 8 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS