State and Federal Leaders Spotlight Health Care Reform
By Paul McIntosh, Executive Director
pmcintosh@counties.org
Despite the lingering recession and resulting budget deficits at both the state and federal level, health care reform promises to be on center stage during the next few months.
Last month, President Obama invited a bipartisan group of lawmakers, physicians, health care executives, business leaders, and Americans from across the country to the White House for a forum on health reform. Sonoma County Supervisor and NACo President-ElectValerie Brown was the only non-federal elected official to be invited to this forum. The President expressed his intention to enact comprehensive health reform by the end of the year. At the event, the President announced that the White House would be teaming up with a bipartisan group of governors from around the country to host regional forums on health reform.
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Administration of Justice
This week the Legislature is on its regularly scheduled spring recess. Consequently, no policy committee meetings are being held. Administration of Justice staff members are taking this opportunity to update you on measures covered in previous bulletins and to highlight certain bills we have recently taken an active position on. Many measures have yet to be heard in their first committee; however, the Legislature — with deadlines looming — will review hundreds of bills in committee hearings scheduled in the coming weeks. Therefore, you will notice that bills not previously set for hearing now have a hearing date.
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Agriculture & Natural Resources
AB 444, by Assembly Member Anna Caballero, would allow local and state agencies to allow nonprofit land trusts and special districts to hold the funds (endowment) dedicated to the management of mitigation lands or easements held by nonprofit land trusts and special districts.
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Employee Relations
Recently, counties received a letter from the Department of Social Services with information regarding the state’s participation in wages and health benefits funding for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS). For more information see the Health and Human Services section of this week’s Legislative Bulletin.
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Government, Finance & Operations
AB 155, by Assembly Member Tony Mendoza, was recently amended to require approval of a municipality’s bankruptcy filing by the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission (CDIAC) prior to entering federal bankruptcy court. This measure arises from the recent bankruptcy filing by the City of Vallejo in 2008.
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Health & Human Services
On April 2, the California Department of Social Services (DSS) sent a letter to counties regarding how the state will implement the decrease in state participation in In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) wages. Senate Bill X3 6 (Chapter 13, Statutes of 2009) will reduce the level of state participation in IHSS Individual Providers’ (IP) wages and health benefits from $12.10 to $10.10 per hour.
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Housing, Land Use & Transportation
AB 499, by Assembly Member Jerry Hill, would require that a petitioner or plaintiff name, as a real party in interest, a recipient of an approval, as identified by the public agency in its notice of determination or notice of exemption, that is the subject of an action or proceeding challenging the determination, finding, or decision of a public agency pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
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