Lead Bill In Dangerous Position In House

A bill that would protect children from lead in housing is currently before the House Human Services Committee and may be voted on as soon as tomorrow. While H.352 is a much needed next step, opposition from landlords may be leaving legislators in doubt. It is critical that an outspoken few not prevent us from protecting children from the dangers of lead.

Approximately 3,000 children in Vermont have dangerous levels of lead in their blood. Elevated blood lead levels can result in a variety of health problems and can damage the future development of children. As Vermont has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation, lead-based paint in housing is the primary source of lead poisoning in Vermont.

Our current law does not do enough to address this issue. We need a multi-pronged approach that is both practical and protective of our most vulnerable population. H.352 takes that approach by:

1) Further safeguarding the health of children in rental housing;
2) Expanding protections to children in owner-occupied housing as well as rental housing and;
3) Ensuring that all 1 and 2 year olds are screened for elevated blood lead levels.

Vermont is faced with a public health problem that we all must play a role in resolving. This means that landlords, homeowners, parents, the medical community, and the State of Vermont must all do our part to ensure that our children are safe and healthy.

You can let the members of the committee know that this bill is important to the children of Vermont by going here:
http://capwiz.com/vpirg/issues/alert/?alertid=10904081&type=CU

~Chairty

Senate Gives Overwhelming Support to Campaign Finance Bill

The state Senate passed VPIRG-backed limits on political contributions on a quick voice vote on Friday. In the roll call vote on the bill (S.278) taken the day before, the vote was 24-5 in favor of the bill. The vote was almost entirely along party lines with Democrats, though Sen. Diane Snelling (R-Chittenden) crossed party lines to vote in favor.

Sen. Jeanette White - Chair of the Gov. Operations Committee, and Sen. Ed Flanagan were the chief backers of the bill. Two Republicans, Kevin Mullin and George Copprenrath, argued on the floor of the Senate against the bill's passage but their arguments were more rhetorical than factual, and they failed to generate any support.

James Bopp, an Indiana attorney and the best friend the fat cat special interests ever had, also spoke out against the bill by phone during committee hearings. The litigation-happy Bopp is threatening to sue the state again as he did 10 years ago on behalf of the Right to Life Committee and the Republican Party.

The bill also drew attention from a right-wing lobby group near Washington, DC. The Center for Competitive Politics sent an urgent memo opposing the bill to members of the House and Senate this week. CCP was founded by Bradley Smith, former head of the Federal Election Commission. Before being appointed to head the FEC, Smith called for the repeal of the very law that established the agency. Smith thinks the Swift Boat attacks demonstrate a vibrant democracy. He's said that "the ideal system is ... no regulation." And he claims that "soft money is one of the good things in the system, and it continues to puzzle me why soft money in particular creates such outrage."

Will Gov. Douglas also side with soft money advocates and Swift Boat defenders? Or will he decide to side with voters this year and sign the bill? We'll know soon enough; the House begins consideration of the bill next week and it should be passed by both houses before the end of January.

Paul

Health Care, The Hottest Topic of the New Year.

And we’re back! Hopefully you all enjoyed the holiday season as much as we did. While we were gone, Congress passed legislation to extend federal funding for the SCHIP program through March 2009. Unfortunately, the program’s funding will hold steady at current levels, which means that the more than nine million American children who are currently uninsured will not be able to enroll. Additionally, the passed legislation did not include any provisions that would aid in reaching out to the more than 6 million uninsured American children who are eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP but are not enrolled.

What does this mean for Vermont? The good news is that none of our kids enrolled in Dr. Dynasaur will lose their health insurance. The bad news is that an important health care policy issue is left unresolved, an issue that has and will continue to impact our Catamount Health Plan.

As you may remember, President Bush wanted to limit SCHIP funding to children of families earning below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Just as he was announcing this new policy, his administration was ruling on Vermont’s application to use federal dollars for Catamount Health. The Bush administration had previously assured Vermont’s health care administration that it would be permitted to use federal dollars to subsidize health insurance premiums for Vermonters living at up to 300% FPL (approximately $60,000 per year for a family of four). But in the face of the SCHIP debate, the Bush administration went back on its word and agreed to fund only up to 200% FPL. The Vermont Legislature and Governor Douglas have pledged to make up the difference with state funds until the federal funding issues are resolved.

Based on the outcome of the SCHIP bill, it looks like we might have to wait until there’s a new administration in the White House.

Speaking of Catamount, here are the 2007 enrollment figures from the Douglas administration: As of December 31, 2007, 165 Vermonters had enrolled in the Catamount Health Plan at full cost, while 1,187 enrolled in Catamount with premium assistance and 313 had enrolled in the employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) premium assistance program. Enrollment goals for fiscal year 2008 (which technically extends from July 1, 2007 through June 31, 2008, but enrollment in Catamount Health could not begin until October 1, 2007) are as follows: 1,447 for Catamount Health at full cost; 2,798 for Catamount Health with premium assistance; and 656 for ESI premium assistance.

This means that the administration is nearly halfway to meeting its goals for enrollment in the two premium assistance programs. So far, so good. Now, on to the legislative session! Check back later this week for my legislative preview and update of the early health care issues we’ll be looking at in the State House.