Tuesday, February 6, 2007
This Morning
HOUSE BUSINESS AND LABOR
( in W010 at 8:03) is discussing SB 42 this morning, a bill that authorizes the
Department of Health to develop a preferred drug list for Medicaid. Limiting the number of medications on the
list is expected to lower prices. The
Senate has amended SB 42 to allow physicians to prescribe drugs not on the
preferred list if they document it is medically necessary. The Health Department will keep track of the
percentage of prescriptions that do not use the preferred list.
HB 332 is also before the committee. It
would allow money from the Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund to be used to help
mobile homeowners relocate when they're displaced by a land use change in their
mobile home park.
SENATE JUDICIARY, LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE (in W 130 at 8)
will consider SB 221, which sets up a task force to study judicial retention
elections. The Task Force will
examine the process to see whether
voters are getting the information they need to accurately assess a judge's
performance.
The
HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE (in W 130
at 8) plans to vote on HB 100, a bill to allow a school to suspend or expel a
student for accessing pornographic material at school. A student who did so could also be charged
with a class B misdemeanor.
Students
in driver education courses would have
to study a fatal traffic accident involving kids under 18 and write a 10-page
report on it under HB 322. Schools would
have to maintain a database on such accidents for student use.
HB
193 would require a school district to spend at least 65% of its General Fund
money on instructional expenditures.
"Instructional" is defined by the U.S. Department of
Education. Schools below the 65% mark
could apply for a waiver, or they might have to increase instructional
expenditures by 2 percentage points each year.
HB
95 would allow funds appropriated for accelerated learning programs, such as
gifted and talented, advanced placement and concurrent enrollment, to be used
for International Baccalaureate programs as well.
This afternoon
No committees will meet. Instead, after caucus lunch, legislators will
debate and vote on bills on the House and Senate floor from 2 to 5.
Sandy Peck
League
of Women Voters,
801.272-8683 fax 801.272-5942
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