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MINUTES OF THE

HOUSE RETIREMENT AND INDEPENDENT ENTITIES STANDING COMMITTEE

Room W020, State Capitol Complex

January 25, 2006


Members Present:    Rep. Michael T. Morley, Chair    
    Rep. David Clark, Vice Chair     Rep. Neil A. Hansen
    Rep. Ann W. Hardy
    Rep. Karen W. Morgan
    Rep. Merlynn T. Newbold
    Rep. LaWanna Shurtliff

Members Absent:    Rep. Ron Bigelow
    Rep. Rebecca Lockhart

Staff Present:    Mr. Benjamin N. Christensen, Policy Analyst
    Mr. Dee S. Larsen, Associate General Counsel             Ms. Barbara Bryner, Committee Secretary
    

Note: A list of visitors and a copy of handouts are filed with the committee minutes.     
     Rep. David Clark called the meeting to order at 12:53 p.m.

MOTION:    Rep. Shurtliff moved to approve the minutes of January 20, 2006. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Hansen, Rep. Morgan and Rep. Morley absent for the vote.

1.    H.B. 76    High Deductible Health Plan Option for Public Employees (Rep. B. Daw)

    Rep. Daw proposed amendments.

MOTION:     Rep. David Clark moved to adopt the following amendments:

1.    Page 1, Lines 17 through 19 :    

             17          
{   .    prohibits the program from offering the high deductible health plan to any person

             18      who is covered by another health plan unless the other health plan is a similar high
             19      deductible health plan;   }

2.    Page 2, Lines 42 through 49 :    

             42          
{   (2) In accordance with federal requirements and limitations, the program:

             43          (a) may not offer the high deductible health plan to any employee or other person who
             44      is covered by another health plan unless the other health plan is a high deductible health plan
             45      with a federally qualified health saving account;
             46          (b)   }
  (2) (a)    The program       may not allow an employee to change from the high deductible health plan to

             47      another health plan offered for employees more frequently than every three years; and
             48          
{   (c)   }        (b)    The program       shall offer the federally qualified health savings account for medical expenses for

             49      each covered individual in the high deductible health plan.

    The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Morgan and Rep. Morley absent for the vote.

    Rep. Daw explained the amended bill to the committee.

Linn Baker, Director of Public Employees Health Plan, spoke to the bill.
Jennifer Cannaday, Blue Cross Blue Shield, spoke for the bill.
Dr. Joseph Jarvis, Utah Alliance for Health Policy Solutions, distributed a handout and spoke     against the bill.

MOTION:    Rep. Newbold moved to pass the bill out favorably as amended. The motion passed with Rep. Hansen, Rep. Morgan and Rep. Shurtliff voting against the motion.

    Rep. Clark relinquished the Chair to Rep. Morley.
    
2.    H.B. 224    Retirement System Participation (Rep. D. Clark)

MOTION:    Rep. Clark moved to replace H.B. 224, Retirement System Participation (Rep. D. Clark) , with 1st Substitute H.B. 224, Retirement System Participation (Rep. D. Clark) . The motion passed unanimously.

    Rep. Clark explained the substitute bill to the committee with the assistance of Dennis Lloyd, Worker's Compensation Fund.

Robert Newman, Director of Utah Retirement System, spoke to the bill.

MOTION:    Rep. Morgan moved to pass the substitute bill out favorably. The motion passed unanimously.

MOTION:     Rep. Hansen moved to place the substitute bill on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously.


3.    H.B. 269    Human Resource Management Amendments (Rep. D. Clark)

MOTION :    Rep. Clark moved to adopt the following amendments:

1.    Page 22, Lines 657 through 659 :    

             657      the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Public Safety, the Public Service
             658      Commission, the Department of Human Services, the State Tax Commission,
  the Department of Technology Services,       the Department

             659      of Transportation, any other major administrative subdivisions of state government, the State

2.    Page 26, Lines 778 through 779 :    

             778      Human Resource Management, Human Services, Insurance, Natural Resources, Public Safety,
  Technology Services,      

             779      and Transportation and the Labor Commission;

3.    Page 40, Lines 1229 through 1230 :    

             1229      of Education, the Department of Natural Resources,
  the Department of Technology Services,       the Department of Transportation, the

             1230      Department of Commerce, the Department of Workforce Services, the State Tax Commission,

4.    Page 65, Line 2005 :    

             2005      Regents, the State Tax Commission,
  the Department of Technology Services,       and the Department of Transportation.


    The motion passed unanimously,

    Rep. Clark explained the bill with the assistance of Jeff Herring, Department of Human Resources.

MOTION:    Rep. Shurtliff moved to pass the bill out favorably. The motion passed unanimously.

    
4.    H.B. 240    Public Safety Retirement Revisions (Rep. D. Clark)

    Rep. Clark explained the bill to the committee.

Tom Hardy, Utah League of Cities and Towns, spoke against the bill.

The following people spoke for the bill:

Kelly Atkinson, Cops United Retirement (CURE)
Kirk Allen, Fraternal Order Of Police
Rob Timmerman, Utah Public Employee Association

MOTION:    Rep. Hansen moved to pass the bill out favorably. The motion passed unanimously.

MOTION:    Rep. Hansen moved to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously and the Chair adjourned the meeting at 1:55 p.m.

    
    



                __________________________________
                    Rep. Michael T. Morley, Chair