National Nurses United

NewsBriefs:Final 6/7/07 2:55 PM Page 7 WRAP-UP REPORT Senate and now moves before the Assembly labor committee. HEALTH FACILITIES: FINANCING, AB 371 by Assemblymember Jared Huffman (San Rafael) Billions of dollars are being spent on hospital construction with public, tax-exempt bonds, but most hospitals do not have lifting equipment and policies to limit injuries. This bill requires every general acute-care hospital that applies for financing for the issuance of tax-exempt bonds to provide a copy of the hospital's injury and prevention program. The copy of the program shall specify how the hospital plans to implement or has implemented the program with a specified zero lift policy.The bill would also require that the entity requesting tax-exempt bonds to include in the application process the allocation of financial resources for the planning, purchase, construction, and installation of equipment to implement the zero lift policy. The bill passed out of the Assembly and next moves to the Senate. Bills to Support CLEAN MONEY, AB 583 by Assemblymember Loni Hancock (Berkeley) Campaign contributions have undue influence over legislative policy. The governor has received about $3.5 million from health insurers and is therefore promoting an insurance windfall in his health plan proposal. Loni Hancock has reintroduced her legislation for clean money elections. This bill would enact the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act of 2007 and allow our political leaders to stand up for our interests, not the interests of corporations. This bill provides public campaign funds to candidates for state office who agree not to accept most private contributions and who collect a specified number of $5 contributions.The bill passed out of the Assembly and next moves to the Senate. CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE COVERAGE, AB 1 and SB 32 By Assemblymember Member John Laird (Santa Cruz) and Sen. Darrell Steinberg (Sacramento) These bills would increase eligibility of the Healthy Families program for poor children up to 300 percent of federal poverty levels M AY 2 0 0 7 (about $60,000 for a family of four) and cover an additional 1.4 million children, most of whom have parents that are employed but have no healthcare benefits. The bills are pending votes on their respective floors. Bills on CNA Watch NURSE PRACTITIONER: SCOPE OF PRACTICE BILLS, AB 1436, 1643 and SB 236 and 809 By Assemblymembers Ed Hernandez (Baldwin Park) and Roger Niello (Sacramento); and Sens. Roy Ashburn (Bakersfield) and George Runner (Antelope Valley) There are a number of NP bills that we are watching closely as their content is in flux. None of the above bills have been set for hearing. To date, Hernandez has held AB 1436 and turned it into a two-year bill. Bills to Oppose HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, AB 84 and AB 85 by Assemblymember Alan Nakanishi (Lodi), AB 245 by Assemblymember Chuck Devore (Irvine) and SB 25 by Sen. Abel Maldonado (Santa Maria) There were various proposals introduced in the legislature that deal with Health Savings Accounts. After opposing testimony from CNA/NNOC, these bills failed to pass out of committee. Oppose Unless Amended HEALTHCARE PROPOSALS AB 8 by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (Los Angeles) and SB 48 by Sen. Pro Tem Don Perata (Oakland): Health proposals that expand health insurance, not healthcare, by imposing individual and employer mandates for substandard insurance policies at unknown prices. These proposals are modeled upon the governor's proposal, which is based upon the Massachusetts mandate plan currently failing to provide adequate insurance benefits at affordable prices. CNA asks that Nunez and Perata amend these bills to be the bridge to and part of the package with SB 840 by implementing the expansion of public programs for children, improving dental care for poor children, and paying for it through administrative changes that save enough money in the budget to pay for the increased benefit. W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G Illinois on may 30, Illinois' first single-payer bill, HB 311, officially made it onto the books. Following a brief legislative hearing convened by Rep. Mary Flowers (who has also been the single-minded House advocate for ratios in Illinois) in the House Health Access Committee, HB 311 is now an attached bill. The process has allowed CNA/ NNOC to educate Democratic lawmakers about the strengths of a singlepayer system, and critique Gov. Rod Blagojevich's pro-insurance company health reform proposal. CNA/NNOC also emerged as the only union on record supporting single-payer, while others are trying to cut back-room or incremental deals. As a result, we now have the opportunity to build our working coalition with Flowers, Physicians for a National Health Program, and registered nurse members working at key low-income hospitals serving the uninsured and underinsured. The focus will be to build popular and legislative support between now and when the Legislature reconvenes in January. —frank borgers Texas the 2007 texas legislative session concluded in May without acting on HB 1707, the Texas Patient Protection Act sponsored by CNA/NNOC that would establish minimum RN staffing ratios and whistle-blower protections, but Texas RNs vowed to try again in 2009 and congratulated themselves on the progress they have made in educating the public and colleagues about understaffing. "We're not going to stop fighting," said Diana Pirzada, RN. "This is something that we need to continue now and to start talking to these groups. We've learned from this and know what to do." Texas nurse plan to work on a more local level within each city and county, organizing within and encouraging hospitals to adopt and enforce ratios. —bonnie ho REGISTERED NURSE 7

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