February 14, 2016
We are half-way through the Session and this next week will be very important! “Crossover,” when each chamber must finish the work on their own bills and the bill which survive “crossover” to the other chamber, is early in the week and the reports from each of the “money committees” is next Sunday.
The legislation that we requested to permit/require federal criminal background checks for Sponsored Residential and Shared Living has passed unanimously out of the House and will now make it’s way to the Senate. COPN (Certificate of Public Need) legislation is still sorting itself out, but so far the exception for ICF/IID of no more than 12 beds is safe in all versions. Minimum wage and bills to require sick leave have not been successful – we will wrap up the details of bills that may affect our businesses at the end of the Session.
We have not had as good an outcome on the behavioral health side with the passage out of committee of several bills that change the policy of respecting the individual’s privacy during the temporary detention and commitment process. The bills still seem fraught with technical issues (doing the undoable based on the unknowable); and the policy shift is dramatic!
Budget issues are still under wraps, though we are getting hints that the Governor’s Waiver Redesign package will go through pretty much as written. Other amendment items may not fare as well, but we will not know that until Sunday.