Defense of Marriage bill defeated
Members of Wyoming's House of Representatives soundly defeated a proposed constitutional amendment that, if passed by voters, would have prohibited the state from recognizing any union other than of a man and a women, including same-sex marriages legally made in other states or countries.
The House voted down HJR 17 - Defense of marriage on a 25-35 vote, sending a strong message that Wyoming will not enshrine discrimination in its constitution. The measure would have placed the proposed amendment on the 2010 general election ballot for a vote of Wyoming citizens.
The bill, sponsored by Reps. Owen Petersen, Ed Buchanan and others, was pushed by Wyo Watch and a Colorado group, Focus on the Family. They argued it would protect the institution of marriage in Wyoming and secure the benefits of marriage for society far into the future.
But speaker after speaker questioned their claims.
"What is the common good?" asked former speaker Roy Cohee, the Casper representative who now chairs the House Transportation Committee. "Is the common good to tear at the fabric of society?"
"I'm here to make a choice today," he said. Cohee told the members that they had been getting emails and phone calls from people on both ends of the Wyoming political spectrum, demanding passage of the amendment or votes against it. He asked for consideration of the silent middle of the electorate. House members should consider the answer they would get if they asked 10 of their good friends at home about the proposal, he said.
"Those folks that do not call you," he said, "they would say, 'Don't you have something better to do?'"
Noting that some proponents had argued the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, Rep Sue Wallis of Gillette recounted many other sins listed in Leviticus for which the penalty is death, including gathering firewood on Saturday, adultery, shaving, cross-breeding livestock, and eating non-kosher foods like shrimp.
Her Gillette church welcomes same-sex couples and "couples of all kinds," she said. The bill should not have been titled the Defense of Marriage Act, Rep. Wallis declared. It truly was the "Defense of State-sponsored Bigotry Act," she said.
Rep. Pat Childers of Cody told the House about his lesbian daughter who has become a successful professional but would be denied rights accorded heterosexuals. He suggested the state should find a legal way "to allow these people to have their rights" such as a civil union process that does not involve a religious sanction of marriage.
"Why don't we separate that?" he asked, and keep church and government separate.
Rep. Pat Goggles of Arapahoe, the lone Native American in the legislature, noted he solicited the votes of gays in his district when he ran for election. They elected him, he said, "to speak on their behalf."
"I look upon this state as the equality state," Goggles said. "And I urge you to maintain this status as the Equality State."
Rep. Dan Zwonitzer of Cheyenne noted that Wyoming historically is the site of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay man killed in Laramie in 2008. But it is also the Equality State, the place where women were first given the vote and the state that elected Nellie Tayloe Ross, the nation's first governor, and the first female public official, Esther Hobart Morris.
A campaign in 2010 over gay marriage would bring many outside interests to pour money in the state to push both sides of the issue in an ugly contest. "Our state will be ripped apart at the seams," he warned.
Rep. Cohee pointed to the words of Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence that say all people have a right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Cohee said he has been married 40 years. "How can my marriage be defended" by a state law?
Rep. Childers noted his lesbian daughter "was born that way." Wyoming does not discriminate against people for whom or what they are.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Rep. Childers said. "This bill is wrong."
Rep. Steve Harshman of Casper handled the debate from the Speaker's chair. He declared the bill had failed and called on members to stand to be counted - 25 yeas and 35 nays.
The story got big play in the state, in Cheyenne, Casper and on television. (Watch Channel 13's Feb. 6 broadcast.)
A personal note
It was a rewarding moment for all who worked so hard to defeat this discriminatory legislation. Thanks to Bob Spencer of Wyoming Equality and other members of the ESPC coalition. But also kudoes to the students from Casper and Bert and Carolyn Toews who drove to Cheyenne Monday to picket and sing for peace and tolerance in front of the Capitol. And thanks to the students from the University of Wyoming who rallied in Cheyenne Tuesday afternoon while the House Judiciary Committee took testimony from both sides in Room 302.
And a special thanks to all of you working behind the scenes across the state: Mary, Shannon, Terry, Bob and Bob, Liz, Dee, Tom, Melanie, Erich, Jolene, and many others - you know who you are.
Mental health/First responders
The Senate approved SF 18 – Mental injury – workers’ compensation after sponsor Sen. John Hastert successfully convinced the senators that it could cover First Responders in a two-year trial.
Sen. Hastert originally hoped to cover all workers who suffer mental injuries at work. But fears of unknown costs forced narrowing the bill only to cover First Responders such as EMTs, fire fighters, and police. It’s hard to convince people that advances in mental diagnoses over the past 20 years make it possible for a doctor to determine whether someone truly is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Over the past six months, critics of the idea raised all sorts of fears, including the idea that a worker would claim a mental injury if denied a promotion. Current state law says a mental injury must be tied to a physical injury – itself a somewhat irrational concept. How does a broken arm or smoke inhalation cause PTSD that a First Responder suffers after seeing a friend killed in a blast at a fire or a baby horribly beaten at a crime scene.
Hastert noted there have been few cases, anyway, so the benefit probably does not carry a high cost. The idea of a two-year trial period carried the day when President John Hines cast the deciding vote in a 15-14 victory for all those who work in public safety agencies, both paid and volunteer.
Ad valorem tax on helium
The House Revenue Committee this morning approved HB 287, Helium – property tax. There have been long-standing problems with taxation of helium, a federally-owned “strategic” mineral. Last year, the Legislature approved a bill to impose severance taxes on helium extraction. This bill imposes property taxes as well.
The bill was sponsored by House Speaker Pro Tem Frank Philp (R-H34, Shoshoni), along with co-sponsors Pete Anderson (R-H10, Pine Bluffs), Ed Buchanan (R-H4, Torrington), Kathy Davison (R-H20, Kemmerer), Jim Roscoe (D-H22, Wilson) and Senator John Schiffer (R-S23, Kaycee).
Helium is produced along with sour gas in the fields in southwestern Wyoming, where the gas has to be processed to remove impurities, which in themselves may be marketable – such as sulfur and helium. Back when dirigibles were in vogue, the federal government designated helium as a strategic mineral, and its extraction and sale is closely controlled.
To date, the only company extracting helium is ExxonMobil at its Shute Creek plant. ExxonMobil has a long history of stiffly resisting taxation, going back to the late 1980s when it refused to pay taxes on extraction at Shute Creek on the grounds the gas had no value.
ESPC lobbyist Sarah Gorin urged the committee to approve the bill, noting that the roomful of legal talent obviously portended a dispute, so the state “might as well get on with it.”
Lawyer/lobbyists no doubt billing at least $250/hour included Patrick Day of Holland & Hart, who led off opposition to the bill on behalf of ExxonMobil; Walter Eggers of Holland & Hart also was in the room. Brent Kunz of Hathaway & Kunz, who has represented ExxonMobil for many years, was present, along with Sara Tays, an ExxonMobil lobbyist flown in from Texas.
The committee ran out of time to hear from all the opponents, but voted the bill out in an effort to get it debated on the floor on Monday (the last day for bills to get through Committee of the Whole in the House).
Representatives Amy Edmonds (R-H12, Cheyenne), Ken Esquibel (D-H41, Cheyenne), Patrick Goggles (D-H33, Ethete), Mike Madden (R-H40, Buffalo), Mark Semlek (R-H1, Moorcroft), and Sue Wallis (R-H52, Recluse) voted for the bill. Committee chair Pete Anderson (R-H10, Pine Bluffs), David Miller (R-H55, Riverton, and Owen Petersen (R-H19, Mountain View) voted no. Chairman Anderson indicated he wanted the bill to go to the floor, but voted no to indicate that he thinks there needs to be more discussion.
Bump in the night
Sen. Cale Case’s effort to set up a legal framework enabling counties that do not have zoning laws to regulate lighting failed on third reading Friday. Sen. Case’s outdoor lighting bill was aimed at preserving Wyoming’s dark skies.
Opponents raised questions about unintended consequences of the bill, including giving a club to “someone” who wants to stop progress.
Sen. Charles Scott of Casper urged the members not to be afraid of things that go bump in the night. The bill really would encourage the use of focused, more efficient lighting, he said.
The Senate was having none of it and killed the bill when 15 senators voted No.
Keeping them down
A rushed hearing over the noon hour just barely gave two Cheyenne servers time to tell the House Labor Committee about their work situations at local establishments that do not make certain they make at least the minimum wage.
They commented on a bill that would have raised wages for tipped employees from $2.13 an hour (say it again, two-dollars-thirteen-cents per hour) to the startling wage of five dollars an hour.
One worker said she averages about $4.50 an hour when serving and about $5.50 when bartending at a local hotel, counting both tips and her hourly pay. The other server reported making slightly more. Both noted that employers expect them to perform duties that should receive the federal minimum wage such as busing tables, hosting, handing cashier duties, and other clean-up and maintenance. They don't get the money.
Both servers got a good lesson in power when restaurant association lobbyist Lynn Birleffi showed the committee a poster declaring workers are owed minimum wage. The poster must be put up where employees can see it, she said.
Workers who don't get the minimum should tell their employers, Ms. Birleffi said. If the employer refuses to pay, the workers should report it to the department of labor. Raising the minimum wage from $2.13 per hour would devastate the industry, she added, and drive up menu prices. That should not happen because their are a few "bad actors" in the industry, she asserted.
What Ms. Birleffi did not admit that workers fear losing their jobs if they complain. Other servers who told the ESPC they would testify cancelled for just that reason. One told the ESPC that it has been very difficult to see menu prices go up at place she has worked for 15 years. In that time she said she has not seen an increase in her base pay.
The committee voted 3-6 to defeat the bill. Reps. Goggles, Ken Esquibel of Cheyenne, and Kathy Davison of Kemmerer supported it.
Reps. Dave Bonner of Powell, TimothyHallinan of Gillette, Elaine Harvey of Lovell, Lori Millin of Cheyenne, Lisa Shepperson of Casper, and Chairman Jack Landon voted to kill the bill.
Showing posts with label HR 17 Defense of Marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HR 17 Defense of Marriage. Show all posts
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Nervous time
House ready to debate anti-gay bill
The legislature’s schedule hits one of the narrowest points of the general session this week as people race to get bills through committee and heard in Committee of the Whole by the end of the day Monday.
Any bill that has not made it out of committee by the end of the day Friday, Feb. 6, will not be passed this session. Any bill not approved in Committee of the Whole by Monday will fail.
Friday, (Feb. 6) the House probably will consider HR 17 – Defense of marriage in Committee of the Whole. The bill discriminates against gays and lesbians by amending the state constitution to declare that “A marriage between a man and a woman shall be the only legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”
The ESPC is working hard to defeat this measure. We believe it has no place in our state constitution, a document that proudly declares, “In their inherent right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, all members of the human race are equal.” (Article 1, Section 2).
That said, we’ve got some good news to ponder and worries over the next few days.
Exploited, er, tipped workers
On Friday's lunch recess, the ESPC will advocate for passage of HB 30 - Minimum wage, a measure that will raise the slave-wage minimum now required for the state's tipped employees - mostly servers and bartenders. This wage is $2.13 an hour. Everyone should say that together - two dollar and thirteen cents an hour.
Most people think they're tipping servers to reward them for good service. Not so. It's supposed to take the worker to at least the federal minimum wage. If a combination of pay and tips does not raise the worker's pay to the federal minimum, employers are required by law to make up the difference. Not all of them do so.
The bill would raised the minimum to $5 an hour, still not enough but at least off a floor that should make the restaurant and hospitality industry blush red, red, red.
The bill is sponsored by Reps. George Bagby of Rawlins, Kathy Davison of Kemmerer, Mike Gilmore of Casper and Mary Throne of Cheyenne. and others. It would raise the minimum wage for all other workers to $7.25 an hour.
If tipped workers come to testify before the House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee and tell them what's really happening in the industry, perhaps the rest of the state will demand action. The hearing is in committee room H 17 about noon.
Workers’ compensation
The biggest is that the bill improving workers’ compensation benefits for injured Wyoming workers passed the House on third and final reading Thursday morning. Among other improvements, HB 54 Workers compensation amendments, includes increased benefits, better transition between temporary and permanent total disability benefits, and includes a cost of living adjustment to settlements for permanently disabled workers.
The ESPC and its allies had feared an effort would be made to pare down the COLA but it never materialized. In fact, the way largely was cleared for the bill after Chairman Jack Landon of Sheridan explained the bill for its Committee of the Whole hearing on Tuesday. Speaker Colin Simpson sparked a standing ovation in the House when he thanked the past and present members of the House Labor Committee and its chairman for all their work on the bill.
(Some members of the committee who worked the bill over the past year moved to new committees when the 60th Legislature was organized in December. They include Rep. Mary Hales of Casper, Tom Lubnau of Gillette, and Jeb Steward of Saratoga.)
It was obvious everyone has learned that the program’s benefits are in a sorry state and must be updated. The Senate will take up the bill next week, where it will be sent to the Senate Labor Health and Social Services Committee.
KidCare CHIP
Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved SF 39, Child Health Insurance Program on a 4-1 vote. Committee Chair Phil Nicholas (R-S10, Laramie) voted yes, along with Senators Mike Massie (D-S9, Laramie, the bill sponsor), Ray Peterson (R-S19, Cowley) and Chuck Townsend (R-S1, Newcastle). Senator Curt Meier (R-S3, LaGrange) voted no.
With more federal funding coming from passage of the CHIP bill in Congress, the state's share of funding to expand the program to families with incomes from 200% to 300% of the federal poverty level will be less than $100,000 for the next year.
Most of the Appropriations Committee wanted to have working families pay a part of the premium for the policies covering their children and amended the bill to require payments of $40/child/month (to a maximum of $80) for families with incomes above 200% of the federal poverty level. (Federal law allows families to be charged a share of premiums or to make co-pays up to an amount equal to 5% of their annual gross income. Under the current program, families make co-pays up to $200/year.)
Sen. Massie has the following co-sponsors on the CHIP bill: Sens. Ken Decaria (D-S15, Evanston), John Hastert (D-H13, Rock Springs), and Tony Ross (R-S4, Cheyenne) and Reps. Kathy Davison (R-H20, Kemmerer), Debbie Hammons (R-H27, Worland), Pete Jorgensen (D-H16, Jackson) and Lori Millin (D-H8, Cheyenne).
Thursday, Feb. 5, SF 39 passed Committee of the Whole (the first opportunity for floor debate) in the Senate.
Worker safety issues spotlighted
Rep. Tim Stubson of Casper filed a bill to block workers’ access to the courts when a supervisor knowingly sends them into a dangerous situation and they are injured. Stubson’s House Bill 64 – Co-employee immunity was defeated on a close 4-5 vote in the House Judiciary Committee late Wednesday night.
Really late – the Judiciary Committee also considered a bill focused on the carnage in Wyoming’s oil fields, HB 273 – Duty owed to employees of independent contractors. In the course of discussing the two bills, the hearing evolved into a seminar on tort law featuring Rep. Mary Throne of Cheyenne, Rep. Frank Peasley of Douglas, Chairman Keith Gingery of Jackson, defense attorneys Pat Murphy and Richard Mincer, and trial attorneys John Vincent and Tom Jubin. Vincent and Jubin kept the discussion focused on the devastating effects workplace fatalities and injuries have on families.
The committee killed HB 273, but Rep. Throne, who voted against the bill, noted that oil and mining industry representatives had argued strongly that Wyoming needs a better occupational safety program to reduce Wyoming’s fatality rate, which ranks first in the nation. (A record 48 Wyoming workers were killed on the job in 2007. From 2003-2007, 81,010 Workers’ Compensation injured were reported in the state.)
Looking ahead
The Wyoming Education Association's daily bill report noted Thursday night that the legislature will begin tackling the Joint Appropriation Committee’s (JAC) $165.4 million supplemental budget bill early next week. The bill is now available to the public and can be viewed on the Legislature’s Web site.
The House and Senate will each receive identical "mirror" copies of the budget bill, HB 1 and SF 1, to debate beginning with Committee of the Whole reading on Tuesday. Second reading of the bill is expected on Wednesday, followed by third reading on Feb. 13.
ESPC researcher Sarah Gorin contributed to this post.
The legislature’s schedule hits one of the narrowest points of the general session this week as people race to get bills through committee and heard in Committee of the Whole by the end of the day Monday.
Any bill that has not made it out of committee by the end of the day Friday, Feb. 6, will not be passed this session. Any bill not approved in Committee of the Whole by Monday will fail.
Friday, (Feb. 6) the House probably will consider HR 17 – Defense of marriage in Committee of the Whole. The bill discriminates against gays and lesbians by amending the state constitution to declare that “A marriage between a man and a woman shall be the only legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”
The ESPC is working hard to defeat this measure. We believe it has no place in our state constitution, a document that proudly declares, “In their inherent right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, all members of the human race are equal.” (Article 1, Section 2).
That said, we’ve got some good news to ponder and worries over the next few days.
Exploited, er, tipped workers
On Friday's lunch recess, the ESPC will advocate for passage of HB 30 - Minimum wage, a measure that will raise the slave-wage minimum now required for the state's tipped employees - mostly servers and bartenders. This wage is $2.13 an hour. Everyone should say that together - two dollar and thirteen cents an hour.
Most people think they're tipping servers to reward them for good service. Not so. It's supposed to take the worker to at least the federal minimum wage. If a combination of pay and tips does not raise the worker's pay to the federal minimum, employers are required by law to make up the difference. Not all of them do so.
The bill would raised the minimum to $5 an hour, still not enough but at least off a floor that should make the restaurant and hospitality industry blush red, red, red.
The bill is sponsored by Reps. George Bagby of Rawlins, Kathy Davison of Kemmerer, Mike Gilmore of Casper and Mary Throne of Cheyenne. and others. It would raise the minimum wage for all other workers to $7.25 an hour.
If tipped workers come to testify before the House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee and tell them what's really happening in the industry, perhaps the rest of the state will demand action. The hearing is in committee room H 17 about noon.
Workers’ compensation
The biggest is that the bill improving workers’ compensation benefits for injured Wyoming workers passed the House on third and final reading Thursday morning. Among other improvements, HB 54 Workers compensation amendments, includes increased benefits, better transition between temporary and permanent total disability benefits, and includes a cost of living adjustment to settlements for permanently disabled workers.
The ESPC and its allies had feared an effort would be made to pare down the COLA but it never materialized. In fact, the way largely was cleared for the bill after Chairman Jack Landon of Sheridan explained the bill for its Committee of the Whole hearing on Tuesday. Speaker Colin Simpson sparked a standing ovation in the House when he thanked the past and present members of the House Labor Committee and its chairman for all their work on the bill.
(Some members of the committee who worked the bill over the past year moved to new committees when the 60th Legislature was organized in December. They include Rep. Mary Hales of Casper, Tom Lubnau of Gillette, and Jeb Steward of Saratoga.)
It was obvious everyone has learned that the program’s benefits are in a sorry state and must be updated. The Senate will take up the bill next week, where it will be sent to the Senate Labor Health and Social Services Committee.
KidCare CHIP
Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved SF 39, Child Health Insurance Program on a 4-1 vote. Committee Chair Phil Nicholas (R-S10, Laramie) voted yes, along with Senators Mike Massie (D-S9, Laramie, the bill sponsor), Ray Peterson (R-S19, Cowley) and Chuck Townsend (R-S1, Newcastle). Senator Curt Meier (R-S3, LaGrange) voted no.
With more federal funding coming from passage of the CHIP bill in Congress, the state's share of funding to expand the program to families with incomes from 200% to 300% of the federal poverty level will be less than $100,000 for the next year.
Most of the Appropriations Committee wanted to have working families pay a part of the premium for the policies covering their children and amended the bill to require payments of $40/child/month (to a maximum of $80) for families with incomes above 200% of the federal poverty level. (Federal law allows families to be charged a share of premiums or to make co-pays up to an amount equal to 5% of their annual gross income. Under the current program, families make co-pays up to $200/year.)
Sen. Massie has the following co-sponsors on the CHIP bill: Sens. Ken Decaria (D-S15, Evanston), John Hastert (D-H13, Rock Springs), and Tony Ross (R-S4, Cheyenne) and Reps. Kathy Davison (R-H20, Kemmerer), Debbie Hammons (R-H27, Worland), Pete Jorgensen (D-H16, Jackson) and Lori Millin (D-H8, Cheyenne).
Thursday, Feb. 5, SF 39 passed Committee of the Whole (the first opportunity for floor debate) in the Senate.
Worker safety issues spotlighted
Rep. Tim Stubson of Casper filed a bill to block workers’ access to the courts when a supervisor knowingly sends them into a dangerous situation and they are injured. Stubson’s House Bill 64 – Co-employee immunity was defeated on a close 4-5 vote in the House Judiciary Committee late Wednesday night.
Really late – the Judiciary Committee also considered a bill focused on the carnage in Wyoming’s oil fields, HB 273 – Duty owed to employees of independent contractors. In the course of discussing the two bills, the hearing evolved into a seminar on tort law featuring Rep. Mary Throne of Cheyenne, Rep. Frank Peasley of Douglas, Chairman Keith Gingery of Jackson, defense attorneys Pat Murphy and Richard Mincer, and trial attorneys John Vincent and Tom Jubin. Vincent and Jubin kept the discussion focused on the devastating effects workplace fatalities and injuries have on families.
The committee killed HB 273, but Rep. Throne, who voted against the bill, noted that oil and mining industry representatives had argued strongly that Wyoming needs a better occupational safety program to reduce Wyoming’s fatality rate, which ranks first in the nation. (A record 48 Wyoming workers were killed on the job in 2007. From 2003-2007, 81,010 Workers’ Compensation injured were reported in the state.)
Looking ahead
The Wyoming Education Association's daily bill report noted Thursday night that the legislature will begin tackling the Joint Appropriation Committee’s (JAC) $165.4 million supplemental budget bill early next week. The bill is now available to the public and can be viewed on the Legislature’s Web site.
The House and Senate will each receive identical "mirror" copies of the budget bill, HB 1 and SF 1, to debate beginning with Committee of the Whole reading on Tuesday. Second reading of the bill is expected on Wednesday, followed by third reading on Feb. 13.
ESPC researcher Sarah Gorin contributed to this post.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Blue, blue day in Cheyenne
House Judiciary Committee approves Defense of Marriage
Proposed amendment sends message of discrimination against gays, lesbians
Despite the work of advocates from Casper, Cheyenne, Laramie, and elsewhere around the state, the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday backed passage of a constitutional amendment that will allow the state to discriminate against gay, lesbian and transgendered people married in other states.
"This is contrary to every Wyoming value that I was raised with." -- Rep. Mary Throne, Cheyenne
The measure calls for an amendment that will make clear that the state does not have to recognize legal marriage contracts made in other states. Wyoming no longer would be required to recognize valid marriage contracts made in other states or countries if those contracts involve two people of the same gender.
Worse, it precludes state recognition of any other legal union between two human beings.
That means that the state legislature will not have the authority to establish civil unions joining two gay or lesbian people in something similar to marriage, thus recognizing their committed relationship.
The Equality State Policy Center and its allies worked hard but unsuccessfully to defeat the bill in committee. House Resolution 17 – Defense of marriage is, and will be seen as discriminatory against a particular class of Wyoming residents: those who are not heterosexual.
It is a sad day for a state that prides itself on a long record of supporting and maintaining the liberty and freedom of all its citizens to live life as they please. Wyoming was the first state to extend the right to vote to women, firmly establishing its motto as the Equality State.
If the amendment wins final passage from the legislature and ultimately is approved by Wyoming voters, all state citizens will no longer be free from the burdens of state interference in one of the most basic private rights held by citizens, the right to choose a mate.
The measure was approved on a 5-4 vote by the committee. Reps. George Bagby of Rawlins, Richard Cannady of Glenrock, Erin Mercer of Gillette, Lorraine Quarberg of Thermopolis and Frank Peasley of Douglas voted for the amendment. Rep. Cannady said he may oppose it on the House floor.
Reps. Joe Barbuto of Rock Springs, John Patton of Sheridan, Mary Throne of Cheyenne and Committee Chairman Keith Gingery of Jackson opposed the measure.
The committee voted after taking testimony for two hours in the morning, about two hours over the lunch recess and again at adjournment Tuesday evening.
Rep. Throne was eloquent in her opposition to the measure. She noted that the presence of state troopers in the hallways outside Room 302 of the Capitol “tells us it is a very emotional issue.”
Conceding gently that the proponents of the measure displayed their commitment to their own values of what a family is, she specifically objected to the idea of inserting discriminatory language into Wyoming’s Constitution.
“This is contrary to every Wyoming value that I was raised with,” she said, noting her family homesteaded in Wyoming and lived by the creed that neighbors care for one another without discrimination. “This is not what we’re about as a state.”
The ESPC will work hard to defeat the bill on the House floor. Since the resolution proposes a constitutional amendment, it must receive the positive votes of at least 40 members of the House to pass and move on to the Senate.
Different constitutional amendment bites the dust
While House Judiciary was busy with the gay marriage amendment, the Senate Revenue Committee heard a proposed constitutional amendment (SJ 6) to put residential property in a separate tier (tax category) and to allow the Legislature to set the amount of tax and to limit increases in taxes.
Currently, residential property is in a tier called “all other property” that includes agricultural and commercial.
Senator Dan Dockstader (R-S16, Afton) sponsored the proposed constitutional amendment, along with co-sponsors Sen. Stan Cooper (R-S14, Kemmerer), and Reps. Kathy Davison (R-H20, Kemmerer), Robert McKim (R-H21, Afton), and Jim Roscoe (D-H22, Wilson).
The ESPC testified that the current tier system should not be changed without careful consideration, and that putting residential property into a separate tier would mean that future Legislatures would be spending all their time on property tax issues. We also pointed out that if the Legislature wants to reduce property taxes, it can do so now with mechanisms such as the homestead tax exemption now making its way through the House.
The proposed constitutional amendment died for lack of a second on the “do pass” motion.
Anti-union resolution fails
Late Tuesday evening, the House Transportation Committee killed HR 13 – Employee Free Choice Act. Labor groups argued the measure did not accurately reflect federal law governing union elections.
The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Roy Cohee of Casper, Majority Floor Leader Ed Buchanan, Reps. Pat Childers of Cody, Amy Edmonds of Cheyenne, Pete Illoway of Cheyenne, David Miller of Riverton, Owen Petersen of the Bridger Valley, Lorraine Quarberg of Thermopolis, Matt Teeters of Lingle and Sens. Tony Ross of Cheyenne and Bill Landen of Casper.
The resolution called on Congress to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act, a proposed federal law expected to level a playing field that has favored employers in union efforts to organize employees.
Proposed amendment sends message of discrimination against gays, lesbians
Despite the work of advocates from Casper, Cheyenne, Laramie, and elsewhere around the state, the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday backed passage of a constitutional amendment that will allow the state to discriminate against gay, lesbian and transgendered people married in other states.
"This is contrary to every Wyoming value that I was raised with." -- Rep. Mary Throne, Cheyenne
The measure calls for an amendment that will make clear that the state does not have to recognize legal marriage contracts made in other states. Wyoming no longer would be required to recognize valid marriage contracts made in other states or countries if those contracts involve two people of the same gender.
Worse, it precludes state recognition of any other legal union between two human beings.
That means that the state legislature will not have the authority to establish civil unions joining two gay or lesbian people in something similar to marriage, thus recognizing their committed relationship.
The Equality State Policy Center and its allies worked hard but unsuccessfully to defeat the bill in committee. House Resolution 17 – Defense of marriage is, and will be seen as discriminatory against a particular class of Wyoming residents: those who are not heterosexual.
It is a sad day for a state that prides itself on a long record of supporting and maintaining the liberty and freedom of all its citizens to live life as they please. Wyoming was the first state to extend the right to vote to women, firmly establishing its motto as the Equality State.
If the amendment wins final passage from the legislature and ultimately is approved by Wyoming voters, all state citizens will no longer be free from the burdens of state interference in one of the most basic private rights held by citizens, the right to choose a mate.
The measure was approved on a 5-4 vote by the committee. Reps. George Bagby of Rawlins, Richard Cannady of Glenrock, Erin Mercer of Gillette, Lorraine Quarberg of Thermopolis and Frank Peasley of Douglas voted for the amendment. Rep. Cannady said he may oppose it on the House floor.
Reps. Joe Barbuto of Rock Springs, John Patton of Sheridan, Mary Throne of Cheyenne and Committee Chairman Keith Gingery of Jackson opposed the measure.
The committee voted after taking testimony for two hours in the morning, about two hours over the lunch recess and again at adjournment Tuesday evening.
Rep. Throne was eloquent in her opposition to the measure. She noted that the presence of state troopers in the hallways outside Room 302 of the Capitol “tells us it is a very emotional issue.”
Conceding gently that the proponents of the measure displayed their commitment to their own values of what a family is, she specifically objected to the idea of inserting discriminatory language into Wyoming’s Constitution.
“This is contrary to every Wyoming value that I was raised with,” she said, noting her family homesteaded in Wyoming and lived by the creed that neighbors care for one another without discrimination. “This is not what we’re about as a state.”
The ESPC will work hard to defeat the bill on the House floor. Since the resolution proposes a constitutional amendment, it must receive the positive votes of at least 40 members of the House to pass and move on to the Senate.
Different constitutional amendment bites the dust
While House Judiciary was busy with the gay marriage amendment, the Senate Revenue Committee heard a proposed constitutional amendment (SJ 6) to put residential property in a separate tier (tax category) and to allow the Legislature to set the amount of tax and to limit increases in taxes.
Currently, residential property is in a tier called “all other property” that includes agricultural and commercial.
Senator Dan Dockstader (R-S16, Afton) sponsored the proposed constitutional amendment, along with co-sponsors Sen. Stan Cooper (R-S14, Kemmerer), and Reps. Kathy Davison (R-H20, Kemmerer), Robert McKim (R-H21, Afton), and Jim Roscoe (D-H22, Wilson).
The ESPC testified that the current tier system should not be changed without careful consideration, and that putting residential property into a separate tier would mean that future Legislatures would be spending all their time on property tax issues. We also pointed out that if the Legislature wants to reduce property taxes, it can do so now with mechanisms such as the homestead tax exemption now making its way through the House.
The proposed constitutional amendment died for lack of a second on the “do pass” motion.
Anti-union resolution fails
Late Tuesday evening, the House Transportation Committee killed HR 13 – Employee Free Choice Act. Labor groups argued the measure did not accurately reflect federal law governing union elections.
The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Roy Cohee of Casper, Majority Floor Leader Ed Buchanan, Reps. Pat Childers of Cody, Amy Edmonds of Cheyenne, Pete Illoway of Cheyenne, David Miller of Riverton, Owen Petersen of the Bridger Valley, Lorraine Quarberg of Thermopolis, Matt Teeters of Lingle and Sens. Tony Ross of Cheyenne and Bill Landen of Casper.
The resolution called on Congress to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act, a proposed federal law expected to level a playing field that has favored employers in union efforts to organize employees.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Discrimination and money
Rallies for equality scheduled at Capitol
Discrimination and money. Money and discrimination. Then mental health. It will be a busy day Monday at the Capitol.
The House Judiciary Committee will plunge into controversial legislation Monday morning including one bill that will extend protection against job, education and other discrimination based on sexual orientation and a second that calls for an amendment to the state constitution that would cap noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases.
The discussion of HB 203 – Discrimination precedes by one day the committee’s plan for a hearing on HR 17 – Defense of Marriage. That measure has prompted plans for at least two demonstrations at the Capitol, one Monday and one Tuesday. Details about the rallies are listed below, but here’s a quote from one old Wyoming pol who disdains the proposed amendment. He made the comment to Meg Lanker, a University of Wyoming student who wrote an op-ed piece on the issue for the campus newspaper:
"I can't imagine anything more inhuman, insensitive and unfair. Wyoming people believe in getting the government out of their lives. It's the precious right of privacy, the precious right to be left alone. Why can't we extend that to all our other fellow human beings?" -Al Simpson, on the Defense of Marriage Amendment.
Discrimination against young and old
Later during its Monday meeting, the committee is scheduled to consider another House joint resolution that will renew the polarizing dispute over tort claims against doctors. Most Wyoming residents might assume that that question was settled in the 2004 general election when voters rejected capping noneconomic damages for people injured by a doctor or another medical provider.
But not so. Advocates of caps have been itching to try it again. Rep. Tim Hallinan, a Gillette doctor, scratch that itch by becoming the lead sponsor of HJ 6 – Noneconomic damages – constitutional amendment – 2.
The ESPC sees the dispute as discriminating against people without jobs, particularly the young and the elderly. Working people still will be able to claim an economic loss if a medical injury prohibits them from resuming their job after an injury. So a surgeon injured by another doctor, for example, could sue for the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost income she reasonably anticipated.
But a 14-year-old injured by the same surgeon could prove no loss of income. Limited to noneconomic damages, an injured minor whose ability to work was permanently lost to a medical injury still could claim only up to $250,000 for loss of enjoyment of life. That person could be condemned to a life of poverty on the public dole.
Meanwhile, there’s no proof that imposing caps will enable the state to attract more primary care physicians. Virtually every rural area in the country is finding it difficult to recruit doctors. Capping noneconomic damages will not make good jobs available for doctor’s spouses in rural areas nor somehow lighten the load on rural docs, who find themselves on call because there simply is no one else to call in their little town.
Mental health and Workers' Comp
The Senate Labor Committee at 7 a.m. Monday will again take up SF 18 - Mental injury-workers' compensation. Sponsored by Sen. John Hastert of Green River, the bill would improve benefits to emergency responders who suffer a mental injury such as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome while working.
Current law says any mental injury must be caused by a physical injury suffered on the job. That's an inane requirement. A a fire fighter traumatized by the death of a brother or sister fire fighter killed on a fire should not have to prove a physical injury such as smoke inhalation caused his PTSD. There's a lot of talk about taking care of war veterans who return to this country with mental conditions that require treatment. Workers' comp should include mental health benefits. Emergency responders deserve necessary counseling and other treatment if the job leaves them unable to cope with the daily stresses of life.
Money – two property-tax relief bills
On Monday, the House likely will debate two bills to reduce property taxes: HB 68 and HB 87. House Bill 68 funds the homestead exemption in current Wyoming law (which cannot be implemented unless funded). House Bill 87 reduces the "assessment ratio" for "all other property" (residential, agricultural, commercial) from 9.5% to 8.25%. The assessment ratio is the percent of total assessed value used to compute taxes, so reducing the ratio reduces taxes. The homestead exemption is targeted specifically to homeowners.
Reducing the assessment ratio will give a small tax reduction to homeowners; however, it will provide significant tax reductions to telecom companies and the Wal-Mart distribution center just outside Cheyenne.
The difference is striking. For example, using the median home value of $184,194 in Lincoln County, the property tax due under current law would be $1,100.32.
Under the homestead exemption, it would be $823.64 ($276.68 less).
Reducing the assessment ratio would generate a tax of $955.54 on a median value Lincoln County home ($144.78 less than under current law).
The homestead exemption reduces taxes more for lower-value homes, whereas reducing the assessment ratio gives the same percentage reduction across the board.
Equality State Policy Center researcher Sarah Gorin has analyzed the effects of both bills in counties throughout the state. Loyal readers of Equality State Watch can use the chart to get an idea of how each proposal would affect property taxes in their counties.
Rallying for equality
The proposal for a constitutional amendment that is somehow supposed to protect marriages has spurred college students and other citizens to schedule rallies at the Capitol opposing HJ 17 tomorrow and Tuesday.
The House Judiciary Committee will meet to take testimony and vote on the resolution Tuesday at 7 a.m. in Room 302 at the Capitol. The ESPC urges everyone to contact the members of the committee and urge them to kill the bill.
Here’s information about the two rallies:
Monday rally
These details are from Dee Lundberg, pastor of the United Church of Christ in Casper:
"If you are getting this here's the deal. the holy spirit was moving this morning at church and a group of our folks are planning on going to Cheyenne tomorrow to protest against the Marriage amendment bill due to be heard Tuesday morning. . . I will speak at that hearing along with others, but this too is a chance for folks to get involved.
"Otherwise . . . you will soon be invited in another E-mail to join us in Cheyenne at 3 p.m. tomorrow, Monday Feb. 2, at the state Capitol.
"PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD to your friends, and congregants, here and especially closer to
Cheyenne . . . "
Tuesday rally
These details are from Meg Lanker, a University of Wyoming student, who decided to put together protest when she realized she could not stand by while the legislature considers taking away rights from fellow citizens.
“This Tuesday, stand up for civil rights and make your voice heard. Come join your fellow Wyomingites for a rally Tues. Feb. 3rd at 1:00 p.m. at the State Capital Building in Cheyenne against the Defense of Marriage Amendment. Several legislators are slated to speak, along with Rev. Dee Lundberg of the United Church of Christ of Casper.
“Why rally, you say?
“Well, the House Judiciary Committee is discussing a bill on Tues. to amend the Wyo. Constitution that will say the only recognized marriage in Wyoming is between a man and a woman. Drafts of this bill have been introduced since 1994 and failed every time.
“This time, out-of-state evangelical Christian groups and churches, such as Focus on the Family, have gotten involved, sending out national "Action" alerts and lobbying at the State House.
“Same-sex marriage is already illegal in Wyoming, but this amendment would invalidate same-sex marriages performed out of state, effectively divorcing happily married couples.
“With declining revenues and uninsured Wyoming children going without necessary checkups, this is what your legislators are discussing. This proposed amendment smacks of unnecessary government intrusion into ordinary citizen's lives.
“Just because the election is over doesn't mean we have to be quiet. Let's voice our opinion loud and clear on Feb. 3rd, and let the legislators of the State House & Senate know that we do not support this amendment.
“For More Information: http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2009/01/21/news/wyoming/bb1d59ba8d27f8d98725754600036bc1.txt
“The Details:
Rally at 1 p.m., State Capital Building in Cheyenne. Feel free to make and bring signs about civil rights being equal rights or about Wyoming being the equality state.
“Please email Meg at questions24@gmail.com or call her at 307-752-7460 so we know approximately how many people we will have for our permit. Also, if you would like to carpool or drive, please email or call Meg. We already have people willing to drive here in Laramie.
“Don't forget, Tues. Feb 3rd! Bring friends and come to the State Capitol to make your voice heard!”
Discrimination and money. Money and discrimination. Then mental health. It will be a busy day Monday at the Capitol.
The House Judiciary Committee will plunge into controversial legislation Monday morning including one bill that will extend protection against job, education and other discrimination based on sexual orientation and a second that calls for an amendment to the state constitution that would cap noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases.
The discussion of HB 203 – Discrimination precedes by one day the committee’s plan for a hearing on HR 17 – Defense of Marriage. That measure has prompted plans for at least two demonstrations at the Capitol, one Monday and one Tuesday. Details about the rallies are listed below, but here’s a quote from one old Wyoming pol who disdains the proposed amendment. He made the comment to Meg Lanker, a University of Wyoming student who wrote an op-ed piece on the issue for the campus newspaper:
"I can't imagine anything more inhuman, insensitive and unfair."
-Al Simpson, former U.S. senator from Wyoming
"I can't imagine anything more inhuman, insensitive and unfair. Wyoming people believe in getting the government out of their lives. It's the precious right of privacy, the precious right to be left alone. Why can't we extend that to all our other fellow human beings?" -Al Simpson, on the Defense of Marriage Amendment.
Discrimination against young and old
Later during its Monday meeting, the committee is scheduled to consider another House joint resolution that will renew the polarizing dispute over tort claims against doctors. Most Wyoming residents might assume that that question was settled in the 2004 general election when voters rejected capping noneconomic damages for people injured by a doctor or another medical provider.
But not so. Advocates of caps have been itching to try it again. Rep. Tim Hallinan, a Gillette doctor, scratch that itch by becoming the lead sponsor of HJ 6 – Noneconomic damages – constitutional amendment – 2.
The ESPC sees the dispute as discriminating against people without jobs, particularly the young and the elderly. Working people still will be able to claim an economic loss if a medical injury prohibits them from resuming their job after an injury. So a surgeon injured by another doctor, for example, could sue for the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost income she reasonably anticipated.
But a 14-year-old injured by the same surgeon could prove no loss of income. Limited to noneconomic damages, an injured minor whose ability to work was permanently lost to a medical injury still could claim only up to $250,000 for loss of enjoyment of life. That person could be condemned to a life of poverty on the public dole.
Meanwhile, there’s no proof that imposing caps will enable the state to attract more primary care physicians. Virtually every rural area in the country is finding it difficult to recruit doctors. Capping noneconomic damages will not make good jobs available for doctor’s spouses in rural areas nor somehow lighten the load on rural docs, who find themselves on call because there simply is no one else to call in their little town.
Mental health and Workers' Comp
The Senate Labor Committee at 7 a.m. Monday will again take up SF 18 - Mental injury-workers' compensation. Sponsored by Sen. John Hastert of Green River, the bill would improve benefits to emergency responders who suffer a mental injury such as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome while working.
Current law says any mental injury must be caused by a physical injury suffered on the job. That's an inane requirement. A a fire fighter traumatized by the death of a brother or sister fire fighter killed on a fire should not have to prove a physical injury such as smoke inhalation caused his PTSD. There's a lot of talk about taking care of war veterans who return to this country with mental conditions that require treatment. Workers' comp should include mental health benefits. Emergency responders deserve necessary counseling and other treatment if the job leaves them unable to cope with the daily stresses of life.
Money – two property-tax relief bills
On Monday, the House likely will debate two bills to reduce property taxes: HB 68 and HB 87. House Bill 68 funds the homestead exemption in current Wyoming law (which cannot be implemented unless funded). House Bill 87 reduces the "assessment ratio" for "all other property" (residential, agricultural, commercial) from 9.5% to 8.25%. The assessment ratio is the percent of total assessed value used to compute taxes, so reducing the ratio reduces taxes. The homestead exemption is targeted specifically to homeowners.
Reducing the assessment ratio will give a small tax reduction to homeowners; however, it will provide significant tax reductions to telecom companies and the Wal-Mart distribution center just outside Cheyenne.
The difference is striking. For example, using the median home value of $184,194 in Lincoln County, the property tax due under current law would be $1,100.32.
Under the homestead exemption, it would be $823.64 ($276.68 less).
Reducing the assessment ratio would generate a tax of $955.54 on a median value Lincoln County home ($144.78 less than under current law).
The homestead exemption reduces taxes more for lower-value homes, whereas reducing the assessment ratio gives the same percentage reduction across the board.
Equality State Policy Center researcher Sarah Gorin has analyzed the effects of both bills in counties throughout the state. Loyal readers of Equality State Watch can use the chart to get an idea of how each proposal would affect property taxes in their counties.
Rallying for equality
The proposal for a constitutional amendment that is somehow supposed to protect marriages has spurred college students and other citizens to schedule rallies at the Capitol opposing HJ 17 tomorrow and Tuesday.
The House Judiciary Committee will meet to take testimony and vote on the resolution Tuesday at 7 a.m. in Room 302 at the Capitol. The ESPC urges everyone to contact the members of the committee and urge them to kill the bill.
Here’s information about the two rallies:
Monday rally
These details are from Dee Lundberg, pastor of the United Church of Christ in Casper:
"If you are getting this here's the deal. the holy spirit was moving this morning at church and a group of our folks are planning on going to Cheyenne tomorrow to protest against the Marriage amendment bill due to be heard Tuesday morning. . . I will speak at that hearing along with others, but this too is a chance for folks to get involved.
"Otherwise . . . you will soon be invited in another E-mail to join us in Cheyenne at 3 p.m. tomorrow, Monday Feb. 2, at the state Capitol.
"PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD to your friends, and congregants, here and especially closer to
Cheyenne . . . "
Tuesday rally
These details are from Meg Lanker, a University of Wyoming student, who decided to put together protest when she realized she could not stand by while the legislature considers taking away rights from fellow citizens.
“This Tuesday, stand up for civil rights and make your voice heard. Come join your fellow Wyomingites for a rally Tues. Feb. 3rd at 1:00 p.m. at the State Capital Building in Cheyenne against the Defense of Marriage Amendment. Several legislators are slated to speak, along with Rev. Dee Lundberg of the United Church of Christ of Casper.
“Why rally, you say?
“Well, the House Judiciary Committee is discussing a bill on Tues. to amend the Wyo. Constitution that will say the only recognized marriage in Wyoming is between a man and a woman. Drafts of this bill have been introduced since 1994 and failed every time.
“This time, out-of-state evangelical Christian groups and churches, such as Focus on the Family, have gotten involved, sending out national "Action" alerts and lobbying at the State House.
“Same-sex marriage is already illegal in Wyoming, but this amendment would invalidate same-sex marriages performed out of state, effectively divorcing happily married couples.
“With declining revenues and uninsured Wyoming children going without necessary checkups, this is what your legislators are discussing. This proposed amendment smacks of unnecessary government intrusion into ordinary citizen's lives.
“Just because the election is over doesn't mean we have to be quiet. Let's voice our opinion loud and clear on Feb. 3rd, and let the legislators of the State House & Senate know that we do not support this amendment.
“For More Information: http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2009/01/21/news/wyoming/bb1d59ba8d27f8d98725754600036bc1.txt
“The Details:
Rally at 1 p.m., State Capital Building in Cheyenne. Feel free to make and bring signs about civil rights being equal rights or about Wyoming being the equality state.
“Please email Meg at questions24@gmail.com or call her at 307-752-7460 so we know approximately how many people we will have for our permit. Also, if you would like to carpool or drive, please email or call Meg. We already have people willing to drive here in Laramie.
“Don't forget, Tues. Feb 3rd! Bring friends and come to the State Capitol to make your voice heard!”
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Take care of Wyoming’s children
Rallying for civil rights for gays, lesbians
Health insurance will be extended to more Wyoming children who live in homes with incomes that barely make ends meet if an effort to expand eligibility for Wyoming’s KidCare CHIP program passes the legislature.
Sen. Mike Massie of Laramie has proposed SF 39 – Children’s health insurance program. His measure calls for opening the program to children in families whose earnings do not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level. The program currently is available to children in families with income up to 200% of the federal poverty level.
Sen. Massie told the Senate Labor Committee Wednesday that nearly 3,700 Wyoming children who currently do not have health insurance would qualify if the eligibility limit is raised. The program presently covers about 5,800 children.
Children who are in good health are more successful at school, he noted.
“If they don’t have the health care, they don’t have the kinds of education outcomes” the state seeks through its huge investment in public schools, he noted.
The federal government presently will pay 65% of the cost of insuring children in families with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty level. Sen. Massie indicated that it appears the federal government will soon extend that assistance to families with earnings equal to 300% of federal poverty.
Children in general are a healthy group, so the cost of insuring them is fairly low. Blue Cross Blue Shield currently provides the insurance for the KidCare program at a cost of about $188 per month per child, according to Patti Guzman of the Department of Health. Those monthly costs are expected to rise to about $200 per month if the changes proposed by Sen. Massie are approved.
Guzman noted that federal law requires coverage of all eligible children, regardless of pre-existing conditions.
The measure enjoys broad support. The Wyoming Hospital Association, AARP, the Wyoming Children’s Action Alliance, the Catholic Diocese of Wyoming, the Wyoming Nurses Association, and the ESPC testified in support of the expansion of coverage in Wednesday’s hearing.
Supporters noted the program provides insurance relatively cheaply and significantly reduces the incidences of uncompensated care that hurt doctors, hospitals and other providers. That reduces the cost shifting that has led one group to estimate that $934 of the average family’s $12,000 health insurance premium goes to cover the cost of uncompensated care in the American health system.
Senate File 39 also proposed coverage of up to 3,500 parents or guardians of eligible children. But Sen. Massie, noting that separate bill to provide insurance to some adults has been sponsored by committee Chairman Charles Scott already has been approved by the committee, suggested that the adult-coverage portion of his bill could be excised.
It was, but not before Sen. John Schiffer of Kaycee made a strong case for including it. Sen. Schiffer noted that Wyoming’s economy often trails the nation’s by about 18 months. With the U.S. economy in trouble, he suggested the Equality State may see a “slide” in its economy in 2010. He worried that families headed by adults who often are the “last hired, first fired” will need health coverage then.
“You’ve got to have these kinds of programs in place when you hit that slide,” he argued. “This bill goes to the heart of the health problem in that population.”
"This bill goes to the heart of the health problem in that population." -
Sen. John Schiffer
Sens. Scott, Bill Landen and Rick Hunnicutt were not convinced by Sen. Schiffer. The committee voted 3-2 to remove the coverage of parents or guardians of children who qualify for the program. Nevertheless, the committee approved the measure with the 300% coverage limit. The bill now goes to the Senate General File where it will be heard by the full Senate.
Civil rights for gays and lesbians
Gay rights are the civil rights issue of our era. A measure that would bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, HB 203, will be heard by the House Judiciary Committee Monday. It is sponsored by Rep. Cathy Connolly of Laramie and simply provides the same protections that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national original or economic status.
Considerable public support will be required to ensure passage.
A far more insidious proposal, HR 17 Defense of marriage, calls for a constitutional amendment to allow the state to ignore valid marriage contracts made in other states or countries by people of the same gender.
Proponents say it is not an anti-gay measure. They argue that it is instead aimed at protecting the institution of marriage and will help ensure that children have a mother and a father.
Hogwash.
These adherents are no different than the defenders of segregation and the Jim Crow laws that discriminated against African-Americans living in the South 50 years ago. Those laws and this proposed amendment were and are intended to isolate a particular group of people and deny them rights enjoyed by more privileged members of society.
Wyoming people should shout down this bill. The House Judiciary Committee will hear the proposal next Tuesday, Feb, 3 in Room 302 of the Capitol. Please join us in urging the committee to vote this bill down. Please stand up for human rights and equality in Wyoming.
Health insurance will be extended to more Wyoming children who live in homes with incomes that barely make ends meet if an effort to expand eligibility for Wyoming’s KidCare CHIP program passes the legislature.
Sen. Mike Massie of Laramie has proposed SF 39 – Children’s health insurance program. His measure calls for opening the program to children in families whose earnings do not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level. The program currently is available to children in families with income up to 200% of the federal poverty level.
Sen. Massie told the Senate Labor Committee Wednesday that nearly 3,700 Wyoming children who currently do not have health insurance would qualify if the eligibility limit is raised. The program presently covers about 5,800 children.
Children who are in good health are more successful at school, he noted.
“If they don’t have the health care, they don’t have the kinds of education outcomes” the state seeks through its huge investment in public schools, he noted.
The federal government presently will pay 65% of the cost of insuring children in families with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty level. Sen. Massie indicated that it appears the federal government will soon extend that assistance to families with earnings equal to 300% of federal poverty.
Children in general are a healthy group, so the cost of insuring them is fairly low. Blue Cross Blue Shield currently provides the insurance for the KidCare program at a cost of about $188 per month per child, according to Patti Guzman of the Department of Health. Those monthly costs are expected to rise to about $200 per month if the changes proposed by Sen. Massie are approved.
Guzman noted that federal law requires coverage of all eligible children, regardless of pre-existing conditions.
The measure enjoys broad support. The Wyoming Hospital Association, AARP, the Wyoming Children’s Action Alliance, the Catholic Diocese of Wyoming, the Wyoming Nurses Association, and the ESPC testified in support of the expansion of coverage in Wednesday’s hearing.
Supporters noted the program provides insurance relatively cheaply and significantly reduces the incidences of uncompensated care that hurt doctors, hospitals and other providers. That reduces the cost shifting that has led one group to estimate that $934 of the average family’s $12,000 health insurance premium goes to cover the cost of uncompensated care in the American health system.
Senate File 39 also proposed coverage of up to 3,500 parents or guardians of eligible children. But Sen. Massie, noting that separate bill to provide insurance to some adults has been sponsored by committee Chairman Charles Scott already has been approved by the committee, suggested that the adult-coverage portion of his bill could be excised.
It was, but not before Sen. John Schiffer of Kaycee made a strong case for including it. Sen. Schiffer noted that Wyoming’s economy often trails the nation’s by about 18 months. With the U.S. economy in trouble, he suggested the Equality State may see a “slide” in its economy in 2010. He worried that families headed by adults who often are the “last hired, first fired” will need health coverage then.
“You’ve got to have these kinds of programs in place when you hit that slide,” he argued. “This bill goes to the heart of the health problem in that population.”
"This bill goes to the heart of the health problem in that population." -
Sen. John Schiffer
Sens. Scott, Bill Landen and Rick Hunnicutt were not convinced by Sen. Schiffer. The committee voted 3-2 to remove the coverage of parents or guardians of children who qualify for the program. Nevertheless, the committee approved the measure with the 300% coverage limit. The bill now goes to the Senate General File where it will be heard by the full Senate.
Civil rights for gays and lesbians
Gay rights are the civil rights issue of our era. A measure that would bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, HB 203, will be heard by the House Judiciary Committee Monday. It is sponsored by Rep. Cathy Connolly of Laramie and simply provides the same protections that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national original or economic status.
Considerable public support will be required to ensure passage.
A far more insidious proposal, HR 17 Defense of marriage, calls for a constitutional amendment to allow the state to ignore valid marriage contracts made in other states or countries by people of the same gender.
Proponents say it is not an anti-gay measure. They argue that it is instead aimed at protecting the institution of marriage and will help ensure that children have a mother and a father.
Hogwash.
These adherents are no different than the defenders of segregation and the Jim Crow laws that discriminated against African-Americans living in the South 50 years ago. Those laws and this proposed amendment were and are intended to isolate a particular group of people and deny them rights enjoyed by more privileged members of society.
Wyoming people should shout down this bill. The House Judiciary Committee will hear the proposal next Tuesday, Feb, 3 in Room 302 of the Capitol. Please join us in urging the committee to vote this bill down. Please stand up for human rights and equality in Wyoming.
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