Week in Review

Newly formed House and Senate committees met for their first week of work and heard overviews from Douglas Administration department heads and interest groups. This slow start is typical for the first year of the biennium. Both the Senate and House Health and Welfare Committees heard introductions from health care interest groups, including Bea Grause of VAHHS.

Governor Douglas will present his Budget Address to the General Assembly on Thursday, January 23rd at 10:30 am. Members of the House and Senate will get a better perspective on the Douglas Administration's priorities after this address and the pace in the State House will pick up.

Restructuring the Agency of Human Services (AHS)

Restructuring the AHS has emerged as a topic of widespread interest among legislators and the Douglas Administration. At the request of the General Assembly, former AHS Secretary Jane Kitchel submitted a report regarding restructuring the agency on January 8, 2003.

Kitchel has been hired by the Legislative Joint Fiscal Office as a 15-hour per week consultant to help the General Assembly understand the report and determine which parts of it to implement through changes in statute. The Douglas administration also hired former tax commissioner Janet Ancel to draft the restructuring bill. Kitchel testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee late Friday that it could take years to restructure the agency. Nonetheless, the laying on of competent staff people to work on this effort means that it has some momentum.

One component of AHS restructuring that is already picking up steam is contained in H.1, a bill that proposes to establish a department of substance abuse and recovery. This new department would have authority over and responsibility for providing, coordinating, and evaluating services related to the prevention and treatment of the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs. House Health and Welfare Committee Chair Tom Koch, R-Barre, is the sponsor of the bill and his committee took testimony on it last week. The committee will continue taking testimony on the bill during the week of Jan. 20-24th. Bill as introduced.

S.17, Abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults

The first order of business before the Senate Judiciary Committee is S.17, a bill that proposes to revise and expand existing criminal law regarding abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults. This bill is being pushed by the Vermont Attorney General's Office. A "vulnerable adult" includes a resident of a nursing home, hospital psychiatric unit, or a recipient of home health care, among other things. The provisions in this bill regarding abuse by restraint, among others, may be problematic for health care providers and facilities. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take this bill up during the week of January 20-24th. Bill as introduced.

Other bills of interest to hospitals that were introduced this week

H.42, a bill that proposes to require Vermont hospitals to get a CON before offering new, satellite health services outside a municipality where the hospital is located, and to conduct a public hearing 90 days before discontinuance of those services. This bill is in response to a proposed closure of a pediatric clinic in Bellows Falls.

H.43, a bill that proposes to require that each board of directors of a Vermont hospital have at least one member of the community to "represent the interests of health care consumers."

H.48, a bill that proposes to make meetings of the boards of directors of hospitals subject to Vermont's open meeting law. The bill has 33 sponsors.

S.18, a bill that proposes to prohibit the use of an individual's social security number without the written consent of the individual.