SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH POLICY

April 17, 2003 Hearing Room B

1:00 pm Tapes 61 - 62

MEMBERS PRESENT: Sen. Bill Morrisette, Chair

Sen. Bill Fisher, Vice-Chair

Sen. John Minnis

Sen. Charles Starr

Sen. Vicki Walker

MEMBER EXCUSED: Sen. Frank Shields

STAFF PRESENT: Marjorie Taylor, Administrator

Saranelle Allen, Committee Assistant

MEASURE/ISSUES HEARD: SB 541 – Public Hearing

SB 669 – Public Hearing

SB 806 – Public Hearing

SB 814 – Public Hearing

These minutes are in compliance with Senate and House Rules. Only text enclosed in quotation marks reports a speaker’s exact words. For complete contents, please refer to the tapes.

TAPE/#	Speaker	Comments
Tape 61, A
008	Chair Morrisette	Convenes meeting at 1:20 p.m. and opens a public hearing on SB 541.
SB 541 – PUBLIC HEARING
012	Marjorie Taylor	Administrator. Explains the bill. Submits written testimony from Governor’s Commission on Senior Services (EXHIBIT A).
055	Gina Firman	Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Program. Testifies in support of SB 541. Notes another bill, SB 146, with some amendments which is also in process, and suggests the ability to possibly combine the two bills. States that Senator Winters would welcome this bill into Ways and Means.
144	Kevin Campbell	Eastern Oregon Human Services Consortium. Testifies in support of SB 541. Reviews some of the problems in the rural area of the state.
245	Bart Murray	Director, Alcohol and Drug Treatment program, Baker City. Testifies in support of SB 541 and expresses hope for matching dollars.
288	Sen. Walker	Expresses concern on any duplication of effort being done by another task force on a similar bill (as noted in testimony in Exhibit A).
		Closes public hearing on SB 541 and opens a public hearing on SB 669.
SB 669 – PUBLIC HEARING
	Marjorie Taylor	Administrator. Explains the bill. Enters written testimony from Robert Cantine and the Fiscal Analysis Statement dated 4/16/03 (EXHIBIT E).
299	Don Wence	Association of Engineering Employees. Testifies in support of SB 669 with a Powerpoint presentation (EXHIBIT B). Explains the many concerns in today’s health care crisis with workers having no medical insurance, due to job cuts, and escalating costs prohibiting insurance coverage. Explains a fiscal statement and reviews the benefits of an employee VEBA plan.
Tape 62, A
045	Sen. Minnis	Asks questions on fiscal details, and the possibility of adapting the VEBA plan to fit the needs of the PERS program.
	Wence	Explains various ways of having the VEBA plan function.
180	Mylia Christensen	Public Employees’ Benefit Board (PEBB). Advises that the board is currently in a planning stage for benefits for employees. Testifies that the board has voted to remain neutral on a decision on a VEBA, and advises some possible fiscal concerns (EXHIBIT C).
210	Steve Manton	City of Portland, Office of Management and Finance. Testifies in opposition to the bill and a VEBA plan (EXHIBIT D). Explains various concerns on expenses for sick leave claims which could be enforced by passage of this bill.
286	Shelli Honeywell	Department of Administrative Services. Here to answer any fiscal questions. Advises that the sick leave question is not a liability.
	Chair Morrisette	Closes public hearing on SB 669 and opens a public hearing on SB 806.
SB 806 – PUBLIC HEARING
320	Marjorie Taylor	Administrator. Explains the bill.
345	Glenn Maynard	Oregon Mental Health Counselors Association. Testifies in support of SB 806 (EXHIBIT F). Explains the intent of the bill and additional services offered by insurance carriers.
	Dr. Don Mihaloew	Testifies in support of SB 806, and explains licensing and degreed professionals. Feels there would be no costs to government on this bill and explains that the benefits would be for the population of Oregon.
Tape 61, B
023	Dr. John Miller	President. Oregon Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Testifies in support of SB 806 (see EXHIBIT F). Advises the difficulties for patients to get into the system and receive services and then have them paid for. States that costs for not providing treatment costs a lot more than the treatment.
102	Leonard Hagen	Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield. Submits written testimony in opposition to SB 806 (EXHIBIT G).
	Peggy Anet	Health Insurance Association of America. Submits written testimony in opposition to SB 806 (EXHIBIT H).
190	Damiana Merryweather	Oregon Psychological Association. Submits written testimony in opposition to SB 806 (EXHIBIT I).
230	John Deihl	Clinical Social Worker. Testifies in support of SB 806.
	Lisa Trussell	Associated Oregon Industries. Testifies against SB 806, due to the cost impact.
274	Todd York	Independent Insurance Agent. Testifies against SB 806. Explains insurance rate increases, and feels members would be against the bill
	Bruce Strada	Lutheran Community Services NW. Testifies in support of SB 806.
The following prepared testimony is submitted for the record without public testimony for SB 806.
	Caroline Gearing	Submits written testimony (EXHIBIT N)
	Chair Morrisette	Closes public hearing on SB 806 and opens a public hearing on SB 814.
SB 814 – PUBLIC HEARING
307	Marjorie Taylor	Administrator. Explains bill. Submits written testimony from David Oaks and William Schive (EXHIBIT J).
325	Sen. Richard Devlin	District 19. Testifies in support of SB 814. Speaks about outpatient mental health care, and current lack of any mandates. Speaks about California law, known as Laura’s law and another, Kendra’s law.
	Judith Poutasse	Lake Oswego. Submits written testimony in support of SB 814 concerning her mentally ill sister (EXHIBIT K).
Tape 62, B
	Cathy Chinn	Reviews a personal family story on their sister’s mental health issues.
046	Poutasse	Gives some specific information on the previously passed ruling in New York, called Kendra’s Law.
	Chair Morrisette	Expresses the hope to push this bill further.
104	Sen. Minnis	Expresses complexities of this issue and feels it should be referred to an interim study.
135	Gina Firman	Director of the Association of Community Mental Health Programs. Expresses concern on the constitutional issues in SB 814, and would hope an interim study could be conducted.
	Bob Joondeph	Oregon Advocacy Center. Speaks in opposition to the bill, but would like to see the problem studied and addressed.
165	Bob Martin	Oregon Chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. Submits written testimony in opposition to SB 814 and states he feels it is forced drugging (EXHIBIT L).
201	Jim McLeod	Manager Office of Mental Health & Addiction Services. Testifies in opposition to SB 814 (EXHIBIT M).
	John Woo	Testifies regarding his sister’s mental health problems.
	Chair Morrisette	Closes public hearing on SB 814 and adjourns meeting at 2:59 p.m.

EXHIBIT SUMMARY

A – SB 541, submitted written testimony, Dolores Hubert, 1 p.

B – SB 669, written testimony and presentation, Don Wence, 18 pp.

C – SB 669, written testimony, Mylia Christensen, 2 pp.

D – SB 669, written testimony, Steve Manton, 1 p.

E – SB 669, submitted written testimony, Robert Cantine, 2 pp., and proposed

Fiscal Analysis statement dated 4/16/03, staff, 2 pp.

F – SB 806, written testimony, Glenn Maynard, 72 pp.

G – SB 806, written testimony, Leonard Hagen, 1 p.

H – SB 806, written testimony, Peggy Anet, 1 p.

I – SB 806, written testimony, Damiana Merryweather, 2 pp.

J – SB 814, submitted written testimony, David Oaks and

William Schive, 5 pp.

K – SB 814, written testimony, Judith Poutasse, 41 pp.

L – SB 814, written testimony, Bob Martin, 2 pp.

M – SB 814, written testimony, Jim MacLeod, 2 pp.

The following exhibit is listed out of order in the body of the tape log:

N – SB 806, submitted written testimony, Caroline Gearing, 1 p.