On Tuesday, HB 413a the maniac license plate to benefit Orofino High School was killed in the morning session of the full House. But, after lunch Rep. Pete Nielsen made a motion to reconsider the bill.

The reconsideration motion passed on a 35-30 vote. Then the House voted again on the bill and it passed 34-31 with four House members absent.

This legislation now goes to the Senate for consideration. It has been assigned to the Transportation Committee. They will hear it on Tuesday March 15 at 1:30. If you want to testify, arrive early and be sure to sign in.

If you want to weigh in on this legislation, contact the Senate Transportation Committee members.

Senator  Bert  Brackett  (R)  - Chair   E-mail

District 23, Rogerson

Senator  Marv  Hagedorn  (R)  - Vice Chair   E-mail

District 14, Meridian

Senator  Shawn  Keough  (R)    E-mail

District 1, Sandpoint

Senator  Chuck  Winder  (R)    E-mail

District 20, Boise

Senator  Robert  Nonini (R)    E-mail

District 3, Coeur d'Alene

Senator  Steve  Vick  (R)    E-mail

District 2, Dalton Gardens

Senator  Lori  Den Hartog (R)    E-mail

District 22, Meridian

Senator  Cherie  Buckner-Webb (D)    E-mail

District 19, Boise

Senator  Roy  Lacey  (D)    E-mail

District 29, Pocatello

On Monday, HB 556 the Foster Care Reform bill received unanimous support in the House and passed 70-0. This is the legislation that  allows judges to oversee adoptions and implement a time frame for relatives to apply to care for a child, as well as other changes, including requirements for when children are moved from one foster home to another. 

Rep. Christy Perry a co-sponsor of the bill said  , “There are problems with the system. The problems are coming because our statutes are not clear.”

Both Rep. Perry and Rep. Moyle said the legislation is just a first step and that they will be asking for an interim committee and a review of the program by the Office of Performance Review.

The House Health and Welfare Committee will hear testimony on HCR 54 Monday, March 15th at 9:00 a.m..

According to the statement of purpose HCR 54 requires the Department of Health & Welfare to report to the House and Senate germane committees on the status of the mental health and behavioral health transformational plan activities, including measures of the effectiveness of behavioral health system here in Idaho.

The resolution was brought forth after the Office of Performance Evaluation released a report on the Medicaid Managed Behavioral Health program through Optum Idaho. One of the recommendations was to communicate better about the overall behavioral health plan and communicate progress in improving mental health in Idaho.

To read the resolution click here.

To testify on Monday, arrive early and sign in.

It's interesting that SB 1201 that flew through the Senate at the end of January has been sitting on the Third Reading calendar in the House since then.

SB 1201 is the appropriation bill that provides for a cash transfer of $28,892,700 from the Catastrophic Health Care Cost Fund to the General Fund. The transfer is possible because of excess General Funds being made available in both FY 2015 and FY 2016 as a result of claims costs being low for both years. Claims have been lower than historical levels because of increased medical reviews and more Idahoans having insurance.

House Majority Caucus Leader John Vander Woude has been working with House Health and Welfare Chairman, Fred Wood on ideas for SB 1201 spending. Some of the ideas are to  f und Medicaid expansion to start to generate billions of dollars in federal aid for Idaho health care costs, put money into the $30 million Primary Care Access Program (PCAP) suggested by Governor Otter, or a hybrid approach including those ideas.

This will be interesting to watch as many believe health care coverage is this year's "going home" bill.

On Thursday, the Senate passed the Medicaid budget on a 29-2 vote with little debate. The appropriation shows a  3.4 percent increase in state general funds next year and 6.2 percent in total funds. 

To read the full budget including line items click here.

From Disability Scoop

As states prepare to offer accounts that will allow people with disabilities to save without losing government benefits, a new website is launching to help families navigate the offering.

The site from the ABLE National Resource Center is designed to be a one-stop shop for families as well as financial professionals and program administrators, organizers say, with information about laws, regulations and product offerings in each state.

Under the Achieving a Better Life Experience, or ABLE, Act, individuals with disabilities can save up to $100,000 in special accounts without losing Social Security and other government benefits. Funds in the accounts – at any level – also will not affect eligibility for Medicaid.

Federal passage of the ABLE Act in 2014 cleared the way for the accounts, but each state had to approve its own legislation and regulations in order to make the new offering available.

To date, 35 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation, but each are in varying stages of implementing their programs, with the first offering expected to be available as soon as this month.

Thanks to a change to federal tax law late last year, however, people with disabilities will be able to take advantage of accounts offered by any state no matter where they live. Each state program is expected to be somewhat unique meaning that one program or another could be particularly advantageous to different individuals depending on their circumstances.

That’s where the resource center could really come in handy for families as more information about each state’s ABLE program is unveiled, said Chris Rodriguez of the National Disability Institute, a Washington-based nonprofit which manages the ABLE National Resource Center.

“The site will be able to compare one program to another by using a list of 15 to 20 variables that we believe a potential beneficiary and their family would want to take into consideration when choosing a program,” Rodriguez said.

At this point, the resource center website includes information about the law, ABLE accounts, who qualifies and particulars of each state’s legislation. Rodriguez indicated that more information will be added as states begin rolling out their offerings.

Advocates say they expect that Ohio, Nebraska, Virginia, Florida and Tennessee will be among the first states to make ABLE accounts available.

In order to be eligible for an ABLE account, an individual must have a disability that originated before the age of 26. Funds in the accounts can be used to pay for education, health care, transportation, housing and other expenses. Interest earned on savings in the accounts will be tax-free.

From Disability Scoop

Parents and others who provide care for people with disabilities could be eligible for a tax credit under a new proposal.

A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week would allow family members who care for older people and those with disabilities to receive up to $3,000 in tax savings annually.

“This is more than just another tax credit,” said U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Calif., who introduced the legislation along with U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y. “This is about how we can help older adults and people with disabilities live independently in their own homes and communities.”

The tax credit would offset expenses for everything from groceries to home modifications, transportation and hired help to care for individuals with long-term needs who can’t perform at least two activities of daily living like eating, walking, dressing or grooming.

Family members could qualify for providing care to a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, child, niece, nephew, brother or sister-in-law, or father or mother-in-law under the proposal known as the Credit for Caring Act.

“These families are making enormous sacrifices and oftentimes struggle to make ends meet. The expense of providing personal, at-home care can add up quickly. It’s only fair that we support our caregivers,” Reed said. “It’s a win-win. Families will stay together and those in need of assistance have access to better care.”

H0332 Residential care, license renewal 03/11/2016 House - Returned from Senate Passed; to JRA for Enrolling 

Many of our good legislators, write a newsletter that they share with constituents in their districts. The newsletters are also available for anyone to receive. So, if you would like to receive your legislator's newsletter or a newsletter from a legislator on a certain committee you can sign up here.

If there is legislation that you want to follow, there is a a nice tool offered by Legislative Services that help you know where in the process a bill is. Click here and log in to establish your own personal bill tracker for 2016.

Week 1 January 11-15, 2016

Week 2 January 18-22, 2016

Week 3 January 25-29, 2016

Week 4 February 1-5, 2016

Week 5 February 8-12, 2016

Week 6 February 15-19, 2016

Week 7 February 22-26, 2016

Week 8 February 29-March 4, 2016