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MINUTES OF THE

WORKFORCE SERVICES
INTERIM COMMITTEE

October 21, 1998_9.00 a.m.--Room 414 State Capitol

        
Members Present:            
    Sen. Robert F. Montgomery, Chair
    Rep. Orville D. Carnahan, Chair
    Sen. Lorin V. Jones
    Sen. Robert M. Muhlestein
    Sen. Millie M. Peterson
    Rep. Jeff Alexander
    Rep. Sheryl L. Allen
    
    
Members Absent:
    Sen. Blaze D. Wharton
    
    
    


    Members Present:            
        Rep. Steve Barth
        Rep. Duane Bourdeaux
        Rep. Margaret Dayton
        Rep. Lloyd W. Frandsen
        Rep. Brent H. Goodfellow
        Rep. J. Brent Haymond
        Rep. Bryan D. Holladay
        Rep. Nora B. Stephens
         
    Staff Present:
        Arthur L. Hunsaker,
            Research Analyst
        R. Chet Loftis,
            Associate General Counsel
        Barbara A. Teuscher,
            Legislative Secretary

Note: Names of others present and copies of information distributed at the meeting are on file in the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.

1.    Call to Order and Approval of Minutes of Meeting Held August 19, 1998

    Chair Carnahan called the meeting to order at 9:11 a.m.

     MOTION: Sen. Jones moved to approve the minutes of August 19, 1998 as amended. The motion passed unanimously. Reps. Barth and Bourdeaux were absent for the vote.

2.     Staff Report: Current Federal Workforce Services - related Legislation -

    Mr. Hunsaker related the history of federal job training legislation and the Workforce Investment Act, recently passed by Congress and signed into law. He discussed the key elements of the law that give state legislatures new authority to guide state job training policy and funding.

3.    Department of Workforce Services Report: Characteristics of Families Receiving Cash     Assistance (Report Required by H.B. 269, 1997 General Session) -

    Dr. Amanda Barusch, Professor of Graduate Social Work, University of Utah and Dr. Mary Jane Taylor, Project Director, distributed handouts, entitled "Employment Study - University of Utah Social Research Institute - 1998-99" and "DRAFT -- Understanding Families With Multiple Barriers to Self-Sufficiency" from which they gave their presentations. Dr. Barusch

mentioned that the study was funded in 1997 by H.B. 269. She mentioned the methodology of the report. Dr. Taylor presented findings using a profile of an average long-term welfare recipient. She then talked about the influence of long-term predictive barriers such as mental illness, education, work history deficiencies, health problems, domestic violence, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and severe child behavior problems. Committee discussion followed.

    Sen. Peterson said it seems to her that managed care programs do not cover ongoing care particularly in mental health. Without better mental health programs, we cannot help those people to become functional and working individuals. Rep. Allen asked Mr. Loftis if Medicaid has mental health coverage? In reply, Mr. Loftis said they do as long as the individual is on the program. Sen. Peterson said she works part-time at Valley Mental Health and that there are numerous patients who are not eligible for Medicaid help and that Valley Mental Health picks up a number of those cases. Sen. Jones noted that when the 36-month lifetime policy was implemented, a 20% exemption was added and that perhaps the legislature should revisit the issue.

    Chair Carnahan asked if any attempt to determine basic intelligence or mental ability had been done? Ms. Barusch stated that they have a scale that measures learning disabilities but nothing else. Ms. Barusch expressed her willingness to collect data on this issue and report back to the committee.

    Ms. Carolyn Visser, Utah Parent Teacher Association, Ms. Pat Nielsen, American Association of University Woman, Ms. Karen Silver, Salt Lake Community Action Program, Ms. Dell Roland, Government relations for the Catholic Church, and Mr. Carlos Jmenez commented on the survey results and their implications.

    The issue of child care was then was discussed. Sen. Peterson and Rep. Frandsen expressed concern with whether the current funding for child care is keeping up with the need.
    
4.    Potential Legislation for 1999 General Session -
    
    Mr. Mason Bishop, Office of Public Affairs, Department of Workforce Services, distributed handouts entitled, "Workforce Investment Act" and "Utah Department of Workforce Services Briefing Paper - Time Limits" from which he gave his slide presentation. He discussed the policy ramifications of the new Workforce Investment Act and the department's recommendations for legislation in the 1999 General Session in the following areas:

    *     Workforce Investment Act and Other Technical Changes
    *     Unemployment Insurance Amendments
    *     Technical Changes to Time Limits

    Sen. Peterson and Rep. Allen mentioned they plan to present legislation to the committee at the next scheduled meeting.

    Chair Carnahan informed committee members that by the next committee meeting if anybody has a bill that they would like to become a committee bill, it needs to be presented to the committee for committee action.

    Rep. Frandsen said the committee may want to make a recommendation to the Appropriation Committee regarding child care.
                    
5.    Committee Business -

    Chair Carnahan told committee members that in the last two sessions of the Legislature, there were some bills relating to Workforce Services issues that were sent to other committees. He asked committee members to be aware of this and help reroute those bills to the Workforce Services Committee.

    Adjourn - MOTION: Sen. Muhlestein moved to adjourn the meeting at 11:05 a.m. The motion passed unanimously.
F:\USERS\WOR\AG-MN\1998\10-21-98.MN

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