Latest news with #HouseHumanServicesCommittee
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Database for disasters? Texas bill aims to up emergency preparedness in senior living
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Through summer heat and winter storms in recent years, state lawmakers have often weighed how to best keep older Texans safe during power outages. Devastation during Hurricane Beryl in 2024 revived the push for more backup power generation and other emergency preparedness efforts. Dr. Suleman Lalani, D-Sugar Land, said his constituents reported 'heartbreaking' stories about older people 'left completely alone' in independent senior living facilities and complexes during the summer storm. BACKGROUND: Push to require backup generators at senior living facilities after Texas winter storm 'Abandoned by property managers, and the families feeling misled or betrayed,' he told lawmakers on the House Human Services Committee this week. 'Imagine an elderly grandmother on a fixed income, trapped alone on the fourth floor of a building because the elevators no longer worked.' The committee heard testimony on Tuesday about Lalani's proposal to create a statewide database of emergency preparedness plans for senior living complexes. He said he is particularly concerned with independent senior living facilities, which are not regulated by the state in the same way as nursing homes or assisted living but often market to people ages 55 or 65 and older. Protecting seniors in storms: Texas lawmakers eye emergency preparedness after Beryl In an interview last fall about the proposed legislation, now known as HB 863, Lalani told KXAN he believes a database of these health and safety plans could help state and local first responders or emergency management agencies better coordinate their response to these facilities during disasters. 'We are talking about seniors that have disabilities. They have challenges; they have chronic illnesses. We had people with amputations stuck on the third floor. We had people with memory impairment,' he told KXAN at the time. MORE: How many Texas senior living facilities have backup power? HHSC reveals survey results Carmen Tilton, the Vice President of Public Policy at the Texas Assisted Living Association, testified against the bill this week. She said the bill, as written, directs landlords to do more than they legally can or should. She pointed to parts of the Texas Property Code, that regulates landlord-tenant relationships, and said if landlords are providing a certain level of care to older tenants, they would essentially need to be licensed as a long-term care facility and regulated further by the state. 'This is a significant shift in how the Texas legislature has traditionally viewed the relationship between a landlord and a tenant. The expectation in an independent living facility is that the resident is 'independent.' In that independence, it is expected that a resident would manage their own personal needs, even during an emergency event,' she said. PREVIOUS: Some Austin nursing homes, assisted living facilities still without power She also noted concerns about a provision in the bill that would also require these independent facilities to have an emergency generator or another source of backup power. For years, KXAN investigators have followed efforts to require more backup power at places where older people live. Some types of facilities are already required to have a certain amount of backup generation in at least parts of the building, but many previous efforts to increase or expand these requirements have failed. Opponents of these efforts, including Tilton and the association, argue the move is cost-prohibitive and not practical for many smaller homes. In 2022, Tilton told KXAN investigators, 'You can't just put forth this mandate and expect everybody to make it, particularly when some of our providers in rural and underserved communities are just barely hanging on.' RELATED: After Hurricane Beryl, Texas lawmakers push for generators at senior living facilities She reiterated those concerns in Tuesday's hearing about the impact of increased regulation on an already strained supply of facilities to care for Texas' growing older population. Tilton and a representative from LeadingAge both applauded parts of the bill that aimed to improve communication and assistance to these types of locations during disasters. They said their organizations would be open to working with Lalani. The bill's author insisted the state could not 'do nothing.' 'HB 863 is not just a wish or a want. It is a desperate need,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
North Dakota Senate defeats amended conversion therapy bill
Rep. Lori VanWinkle, R-Minot, speaks in favor of a bill to legalize conversion therapy at a House Human Services Committee meeting on Jan. 21, 2025. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor) The Senate on Thursday defeated a bill 22-25 that originally sought to legalize conversion therapy. Initially, House Bill 1430 bill would have authorized social workers to provide 'a treatment plan or counseling plan that aligns with heterosexuality or the individual's biological sex,' so long as it was freely chosen by the client. The bill was introduced by Rep. Lori VanWinkle, R-Minot, who said people should have the right to seek treatments that affirm their religious beliefs about sexuality or gender. She previously told lawmakers that she is concerned most counseling is now LGBTQ-affirming and therefore would not be helpful for someone with anti-LGBTQ beliefs. 'To prohibit counseling that aligns with traditional or biblical viewpoints is religious discrimination,' she said. Bathroom bill would make schools less safe, opponents, LGBTQ advocates testify The North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners and North Dakota Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers opposed the bill, arguing that it endorsed a form of treatment widely denounced as ineffective and unethical, and was grounded in misunderstandings about how counseling works. Licensed social workers are already barred from providing conversion therapy under regulations set by the Board of Social Work Examiners. In committee hearings, multiple social workers testified that they don't try to force people to accept their gender identity or sexual orientation. They said counselors are trained to support their clients, not tell them what to think. The Senate Human Services Committee adopted an amendment that sought to address many of those concerns. The amendment said social workers may provide counseling to an individual who 'wants to align their sexuality or gender with the individual's personal or spiritual beliefs,' but also specifically held that conversion therapy is illegal. Sen. Tim Mathern, a Fargo Democrat and licensed social worker, opposed both versions of House Bill 1430. He said on the floor Thursday that the amended bill wouldn't accomplish anything since it parrots existing regulations. 'This bill essentially says, 'Do what you're doing — listen to people and help make choices,'' Mathern said. 'It's a total waste of the Century Code.' Kristin Roers, R-Fargo, also opposed the bill. She said if the bill passed it would have been the first time North Dakota put ethical standards set by a occupational board into Century Code, which raises questions about government overreach. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Pugh introduces legislation addressing public benefits
Mar. 19—WILKES-BARRE — Rep. Brenda Pugh on Wednesday said legislation she is proposing — House Bill 931 — would require individuals obtaining public benefits to show identification or provide a signed affidavit which indicates lawful residency in the Commonwealth. Pugh, R-Dallas Township, said the legislation would address access to public benefits, and it stipulates that Pennsylvania's public benefits are not to be provided to anyone unlawfully present in this country. "We are a nation of laws, and the various public assistance programs established by Pennsylvania are an agreement to support individuals and families who have lawfully joined our communities," Pugh said. "Extending these benefits to illegal immigrants violates the public's trust and cannot be justified, especially with our state facing daunting fiscal challenges." Pugh said any person who attempts to obtain benefits without the proper citizenship verification would be subject to a third-degree felony. "It is time to prioritize the well-being of Pennsylvania residents," Pugh said. "Those who live, work and pay taxes here deserve our support and attention. Let's ensure the benefits we provide go to those who truly need them and are here legally. Together, we can build a stronger Pennsylvania." Pugh said residents are encouraged to follow the following link to see the bills and resolutions Pugh is supporting for the 2025-26 Legislative Session: House Bill 931 was referred to the House Human Services Committee for consideration. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Birth control, IVF protection needed in face of attacks, North Dakota bill sponsor says
Abby Berger of Bismarck stands Jan. 29, 2025, before a legislative committee hearing with a photo illustrating the large number of syringes and vials needed to help her conceive her child. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) State Rep. Karla Rose Hanson said Wednesday that bills protecting birth control and fertilization treatments are necessary because of efforts to erode reproductive health care rights. Hanson, D-Fargo, testified before the House Human Services Committee on two bills she is sponsoring — House Bill 1478 on contraception and House Bill 1477 protecting fertility treatments. She said she's bringing the bills because of past attempts to limit reproductive rights and current efforts. For example, lawmakers this session will consider House Bill 1373, known as a personhood bill, which would define a human being to include an unborn child, and an unborn child as existing from the moment of fertilization. Hanson said the bill would essentially make some forms of contraception a crime and threaten in vitro fertilization or IVF. 'Because of all these historical and current efforts, we do need an effort to protect infertility services,' she said Wednesday. 'My constituents have expressed deep concern about their ability to access a range of reproductive health care, including contraception … as well as infertility care and specifically IVF.' Hanson's comments came as she testified before the House Human Services Committee on two bills she is sponsoring — House Bill 1478 on contraception and House Bill 1477 protecting fertility treatments. Several people testified emotionally in support of fertility treatments that they said helped them start a family. Abby Berger of Bismarck displayed a large photo of her child, surrounded by the syringes and vials used in fertility treatments. 'This visual is a testament to the lengths families like mine will go,' she said. No one testified against either bill, and no opposing testimony was filed. The committee did not take action on the bills but did have questions and comments. Rep. Kathy Frelich, R-Devils Lake, said she was reluctant to single out contraception and fertility treatments when there are other much-needed medical treatments that are not protected by state law. Hanson referenced the court ruling in Alabama that shut down in vitro fertility treatments in that state. 'I don't want that to happen to families in North Dakota,' she said. The same committee will likely hear the personhood bill, sponsored by Rep. Lori VanWinkle, R-Minot, next week. There are other bills addressing reproductive rights this session. Nurses on Wednesday packed a hearing for House Bill 1282 on fertility benefits for public employees. Rep. Eric Murphy, R-Grand Forks, addresses abortion in House Bill 1488. A hearing has not yet been scheduled on that bill. Murphy, a professor at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, proposes to allow abortions through week 15 of pregnancy in North Dakota. North Dakota's current abortion law, passed in 2023, has been deemed unconstitutional, but an appeal is pending to the North Dakota Supreme Court. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
