Members Present:
Rep. Carl R. Saunders, Chair
Sen. D. Edgar Allen
Rep. Patricia W. Jones
Sen. Peter C. Knudson
Rep. Patrice M. Arent
Rep. Trisha S. Beck
Rep. Glenn A. Donnelson
Rep. David Litvack
Rep. Rebecca D. Lockhart
Rep. Steven R. Mascaro
Rep. Carol Spackman Moss
Rep. Paul Ray
Rep. Jack A. Seitz
Rep. Mike Thompson
Members Absent:
Sen. Terry R. Spencer
Rep. Wayne A. Harper
Staff Present:
Mr. Mark D. Andrews, Research Analyst
Ms. Catherine J. Dupont, Associate General Counsel
Ms. Stacey M. Snyder, Associate General Counsel
Ms. Alicia M. Laughlin, Legislative Secretary
1. Committee Business
Chair Saunders called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m.
MOTION: Sen. Knudson moved to approve the minutes of the June 19, 2002 meeting. The motion passed unanimously, with Sen. Spencer, Rep. Arent, and Rep. Harper absent for the vote.
2. Accessible Housing for Persons With a Disability
Rep. Mascaro introduced and addressed draft legislation "Accessible Housing to Disabled," prepared with input from the Disability Law Center. Rep. Mascaro discussed the impact of the legislation and indicated that Salt Lake City has already tried to implement this idea.
Mr. Kerry Bate, Director, Division of Community Development, Department of Community and Economic Development, spoke in favor of the draft legislation.
Rep. Beck requested that the short title of the draft legislation be changed to "Accessible Housing for Persons with a Mobility Impairment." Rep. Mascaro agreed with the title change. He indicated that he could also add additional detail concerning what constitutes "accessible housing."
Ms. Joyce Dolcourt, Information Officer, Governor's Council for People with Disabilities, spoke in favor of the draft legislation.
MOTION: Rep. Seitz moved that the committee express its approval of the draft and direct the sponsor to fine tune the bill and bring it to the next meeting for a vote of the committee.
Rep. Ray said that he would like to hear from the Utah Home Builders Association of Utah and the Utah League of Cities and Towns.
A vote of the committee could not be taken due to lack of a quorum, but of those present, all voted in favor except Rep. Donnelson and Rep. Ray who voted in opposition to the motion.
3. Services to Persons with a Disability-Criteria and Prioritization
Ms. Terri Stettler, Chair, Board for the Division of Services for People With Disabilities (DSPD), introduced Gary Watts, Member, DSPD Board. Mr. Watts distributed "Division of Services for People with Disabilities Policy Board Changes in Response to the Audit." He discussed the board's recommendations for policy changes. Ms. Stettler indicated that it is the intent of the board to continue working on maximizing federal financial support and focusing on those persons that have critical needs.
Dr. Fran Morse, Director, DSPD, distributed "Statewide Waiting List" and Mr. George Kelner, Associate Director, DSPD, addressed the critical needs assessment process.
Ms. Dolcourt spoke in favor of the new policy changes by the board.
Ms. Julia Pierce, Legislative Coalition for People With Disabilities, spoke in favor of the new changes. She encouraged the exploration of a variety of options to serve people with disabilities, especially those that are on waiting lists.
Ms. Liz McCoy, Disability Law Center, indicated that the Center has no comments at this time on the changes.
Ms. Donna Gleaves, Arc of Utah, spoke in favor of the board's decision to continue to provide services to those who are not Medicaid eligible. She indicated that the ARC is very interested in studying limited services waivers and cost caps.
4. Bioterrorism Detection and Response Infrastructure
Dr. Richard Melton, Deputy Director, Utah Department of Health, presented information regarding bioterrorism preparedness and response (copy of presentation on file in the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel). He gave a brief overview on the planned use of recent federal grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen the ability of the state's public health system to respond to bio-terrorism. Dr. Melton addressed the impact the grants will have on state and local health departments, hospitals, and the law enforcement community.
Rep. Mascaro asked about ongoing costs and how they will be taken care of. Dr. Melton indicated that the federal funds are authorized through 2006. He noted the current state budget includes a small increase in public health funding assist hospitals with planning.
Mr. Steve Erickson, Citizen's Education Project, indicated his organization is concerned about the potential for biological contamination from Dugway Proving Ground. He said that the group formed during Governor Bangerter's administration to provide oversight of Dugway was sunsetted in 2002 and suggested that perhaps the Health and Human Services Interim Committee might be tasked someday with providing that oversight. He spoke in favor of the public health approach to the bioterrorism issue.
5. Other Items / Adjourn
MOTION: Sen. Allen moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously, with Sen. Knudson, Sen. Spencer, Rep. Arent, Rep. Beck, Rep. Donnelson, Rep. Harper, and Rep. Lockhart absent for the vote.
Chair Saunders adjourned the meeting at 4:10 p.m.