Human Services Committee

MEETING MINUTES

Thursday, February 1, 2007

10:00 A.M. in Room 1C of the LOB

The meeting was called to order at 10:10 AM by Chairman, Sen. Harris J. S05.

The following committee members were present:

Sen. Harris wished everyone good morning. Rep. Villano commented that the agenda is well set and he expects the committee will get through it easily.

Rep. Gibbons said she wanted “to publicly thank Clerk Jeanie Phillips for all the work she does with the masses of bills we screen. She has done a wonderful job in keeping all of us organized.”

Sen. Harris said he appreciates the openness and the way committee members have handled everything done so far. “The committee functions not only in a bipartisan manner but also, insofar as possible, with transparency to assure that people know what they're voting on.” He said agenda item 20, AAC Compassionate Care for Victims of Sexual Assault, is the bill that provides emergency contraception to victims of rape. He acknowledged, “There are some passionate feelings on both sides.”

Rep. Truglia asked if that item could be pulled from the list of concepts to be raised and voted on separately. There being no objection, Sen. Harris agreed.

Sen. Harris asked for a motion to raise concepts 1 through 19 and 21 through 24:

1. AAC Medicaid Managed Care Reform

2. AAC Health Care Access and HUSKY Expansion

3. AAC Legislative Oversight of DSS Waiver Applications

4. AAC The Katie Becket Waiver

5. AAC Alzheimer's Respite Care

6. AAC Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

7. AAC Independent Transportation Networks

8. AAC Medicaid Reimbursement Rates to Pharmacists

9. AAC Medicaid Reimbursement Rates

10. AAC The Administration of State Administered General Assistance Program

11. AAC Discrimination Awards Received by Recipients of Public Assistance

12. AAC The Vehicle Asset Limit Under the Food Stamp Program

13. AAC Appropriations to DSS

14. AAC Long-Term Care

15. AAC Appropriations for Residences for Persons with AIDS

16. AAC Health Care Access for Children with Special Health Care Needs

17. AAC Medicaid Funded Transportation of Minors for Emergency and Non-Emergency Services

18. AAC Professional Assistance to Person who Provide Home Child Care Services in Connecticut

19. AA Restoring Funding Related to a Reduction in Administrative Costs in Purchase of Service Contracts

21. AAC Certification Standards for Persons Providing Interpreter Services

22. AAC The Availability of Qualified Interpreter Services

23. AAC The Establishment of The Fatality Review Board for Persons With Disabilities

24. AA Protecting Nursing Home Residents During Periods of Receivership or Sale

So moved by Sen. Kissel and seconded by Rep. Abercrombie. There was no discussion. Motion carried.

Sen. Harris said he would entertain a motion to raise concept number 20 on the agenda. So moved by Sen. Kissel and seconded by Rep. Abercrombie.

Rep. Truglia said she could “not support this legislation. Catholic hospitals follow protocol for rape victims that are generally acceptable and consistent. Further, this care is extremely caring and, with almost no exceptions, complete. But in those extremely rare cases where testing reveals conception has occurred, these hospitals cannot take any action to abort the fetus. The patient can access another hospital near to the Catholic hospital. There are four Catholic hospitals in the state, all within a short distance of a public hospital. Care for a victim of rape could be both quick and timely.”

Rep. Truglia continued, “I have spoken to (officials) at the Catholic hospital in my area, and they tell me that they have had no complaints about treatment for victims of sexual assault. They treat all people with compassion, and would immediately notify the sexual assault counselor to help care for the victim. In addition, the notion that because Catholic hospitals accept government dollars, government may tell them what they can do, is wrong. Catholic hospitals are under-funded for the (public) services provided. If these hospitals ceased providing these services, it would be extremely harmful to our state and its citizens.”

Sen. Kissel asked how the title of the concept was arrived at. He said he is concerned, in light of Rep. Truglia's views and the central roles Catholic hospitals have played in our state over many decades, “that the title seems somehow to be casting those who might not favor it as not (being) compassionate.”

Sen. Harris responded that the title “is the same title as a bill raised in Public Health; for purposes of transparency we picked the same title. It does not mean that if you are opposed, you are not compassionate. We should raise this bill and get it out.”

Sen. Kissel cautioned that sometimes bills assume titles that give them a certain veneer when articulated to the public through the media. He continued, “While I am very sensitive to concerns raised by Rep. Truglia, for whom I have the greatest respect, and reserving my right to make a decision on the underlying bill, it is important…even if a bill has been heard previously in essentially similar fashion, that each new legislative session affords us a fresh opportunity to examine all the facts and also allows members of the public on both sides of an issue to come and articulate their view and perhaps offer a compromise that has not been reached or discussed considered previously….That is why I have no problem with holding a public hearing.”

Rep. Butler said his primary care hospital is a Catholic hospital. But he, too, would like to know more about this particular bill, although he has a concern about how it will affect his hospital. He looks forward to hearing all the details of the underlying bill.

Rep. Chapin questioned why the Human Services Committee, not the Public Health Committee, would be holding a hearing on this proposed legislation, since it falls under their cognizance. “They already have a similar bill. Why would we have two hearings, two bills, before two committees, on virtually the same bill?”

Sen. Harris said there will be only one hearing. He apologized, saying he had misspoken, and that while a bill was proposed in Public Health, it has yet to be raised there.

Then Rep. Chapin said he understands that Sen. Harris wants to be sure the issue gets a fair public hearing, and that while he (Sen. Harris) “may agree that Public Health is the right forum, to insure that this has a fair hearing, we will be having a hearing before the Human Services Committee.”

Sen. Harris said that is the exactly the reason for raising the bill in this committee. He noted that “there are various definitions of cognizance,” and because of this committee's connection to hospitals through Medicaid and DSS, “we have cognizance over this and that is why this is appropriate. But the primary forum is Public Health.”

Rep. Chapin agreed that the Human Services Committee does have cognizance on this matter, and thanked the co-chairmen for their willingness to separate out this agenda item.

Rep. Thompson said he is on record on this issue because it was raised during his re-election campaign. A Catholic hospital executive told him his hospital never had any problems with the protocols in this type of instance. But, Rep. Thompson said, “What turned me off about the discussion originally was the idea that those people seeking this right (to emergency contraception medication) were resolving to punish the Catholic hospitals by withholding funds from them. If that is part of the bill, I certainly would not support it.”

He continued, “As I understand it, we're not talking about abortion here, we're talking about prevention of abortion. You get in some very murky waters when you get into the travel of an embryonic stem cell in a woman's body and intercepting that cell…. I understand what the (Catholic) church is saying about the continuum of life….People on both sides of the issue can have various takes on that. A number of other religions in our culture have different ideas about when life begins. We have to respect that.” He recommended reading The Language of God by Dr. Francis X. Collins.

Rep. Thompson added, “But I also would stand up and say don't punish a hospital because it has that view. These hospitals, (like) many doctors, also will not perform abortions, yet it is the law of the land. The idea of punishing hospitals for not doing anything but following what they believe to be the roots of their faith is highly questionable….Catholic hospitals have always been the leading providers of care in urban areas. It is an institution that we should not mess around with lightly.”

Sen. Harris said, “There is no bill in front of us now; this was just about raising it. Many in this building disagreed with the way things turned out last year; that is exactly why we are doing what we are doing here today. The purpose is not to punish, but to have full disclosure and a complete debate with the bill in front of us on this issue – which, of course, will have a balance between religious beliefs and protecting victims of disgusting, heinous acts. This is not a simple thing and there is compassion on both sides…. Let's wait until we have specifics of a bill in front of us before we begin the debate.”

Rep. Villano said he respects the comments of Rep. Trulia and underscores what Sen. Kissel and Rep. Butler said: namely, that “the issue is so important and so contentious that it deserves a full hearing. A reasonable bill will be fleshed out and we will have a real discussion, pro and con, at a public hearing on the merits of this issue.”

Sen. Harris called for a roll call vote on item 20, noting that he would hold the vote open until the House goes into session at 11 AM. Motion carried: 17 yea, 1 nay, 1 absent and not voting.

Sen. Harris said he would entertain a motion to draft the following proposed bills as committee bills:

Proposed S.B. No. 3 AN ACT CONCERNING HUSKY HEALTH CARE FOR ALL.

Proposed H.B. No. 6032 AN ACT CONCERNING PARITY IN STATE PAYMENTS TO RELATIVE CAREGIVERS.

Proposed H.B. No. 6649 AN ACT CONCERNING AN EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT.

Proposed H.B. No. 6891 AN ACT AUTHORIZING BONDS OF THE STATE FOR GOOD SHEPHERD DAY CARE CENTER IN MILFORD.

So moved by Sen. Kissel and seconded by Rep. Abercrombie. There was no discussion. Motion carried on voice vote.

Sen. Harris announced that the committee would hold a public hearing from 9 AM to 12:30 PM Tuesday, February 6, in LOB Room 2B, and a committee meeting from 9 AM to 9:30 AM Thursday, February, 8 in LOB Room 2A to reserve proposed bills for public hearing, followed by a hearing on another set of bills from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM. He said there is a limited amount of time and space available for hearings, and urged people to provide written testimony and to limit oral testimony.

Sen. Harris recessed the meeting at 10:35 AM, to be formally adjourned at 11 AM.