Last week
marked “crossover” at the Statehouse.
Any bill, in order to stand a chance of becoming law this year, had to
be voted out of its committee of jurisdiction last Friday. This was true whether the bill originated in
the House or the Senate. Those bills will now come to the floor of their
respective body for a vote where they will have to pass before being sent to
the other body.
The
Transportation Bill, which I wrote about last month will be voted on this
week. Several amendments are expected to
be offered from the floor, but I expect that it will pass with a tripartisan
majority. Here are some other bills of
general interest that we will be voting on. (Passed 3/21/13)
Health
Care: A technical corrections health care bill, H. 107, makes a number
of changes to Vermont law to bring Vermont's health insurance statutes in line
with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It also clarifies a 2009 law that requires
insurance companies to cover the cost of mammograms and colonoscopies without
an additional copay. Some people have
been charged for certain procedures associated with their mammogram or
colonoscopy that could be considered a violation of the intent of the 2009 law.
This bill explicitly affirms that all
parts of the screening need to be covered without additional copay.
The House also passed H.315 that
requires companies headquartered out of state to provide to their Vermont
employees with same sex married or civil union partners the same benefits
provided to employees married to opposite sex partners. Some businesses were not doing so because it
wasn’t required by law and it wasn’t their policy. They made it known that they would not
challenge this legislation if it passed.
Opiate Addiction and
Methamphetamine Abuse: Vermont
has some serious problems with issues related to drug addiction and abuse. The
Human Services Committee combined elements of H.331, H.212, and H.65 in a
single bill, H.522, relating to “Strengthening Vermont’s Response to Opioid Addiction
and Methamphetamine Abuse.” It includes work done by the General, Housing and
Military Affairs Committee and the Judiciary Committee.
In order to further attempts to
prevent abuse of prescription drugs, one part makes changes in how the Vermont
Prescription Monitoring System (VPMS) is to be used. It would allow the
Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Health to provide a report of data in
the VPMS to the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety, but only
when it is necessary to avert a serious and imminent threat to a person or the
public. Any request from Public Safety for data must document a bona fide
specific investigation and specify the name of the person being investigated. The
decision by the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Health to provide that
report can be made only after consulting with at least one of the patient’s
health care providers.
Another part of the bill
requires that any health care provider who prescribes and any dispenser who
dispenses a Schedule II, III, or IV controlled substance must register to use
the VPMS. A health care provider will be required to check the VPMS at least
the first time the provider prescribes one of those controlled substances to a
patient and annually thereafter so the provider will know if any other
providers are also prescribing the same or similar medications.
In order to improve access to
treatment and recovery for Vermonters with drug addictions, the bill asks the
Department of Health, in collaboration with several relevant organizations, to
develop evidence-based guidelines and training for hospitals regarding
screening for addiction, performing addiction interventions and making
referrals to treatment and recovery services. It also includes a statewide
pilot project seeking to prevent deaths from opioid overdoses by using a
counteracting drug such as Narcan.
Another section relates to the
use of an electronic registry system to record the sales of products such as
Sudafed and others with similar ingredients that are used to make
methamphetamines. This is to prevent individuals from purchasing those products
in quantities that would indicate the products would likely be used to make
meth rather than for legitimate health purposes. Passage of this bill will
provide help for Vermonters with drug addictions as well as attacking other
aspects of the drug problems in Vermont.
This bill also contained the provisions regarding precious metal dealers that require licensing and accurate record keeping in order to deter the exchange of stolen articles for cash. (Passed 3/21/13)
I have heard from many of you on a variety of topics
and continue to welcome your input. You can email
me at myantachka.dfa@gmail.com or call me at 425-3960.
