Wyoming people want basic regulation of child care
State oversight of home child care providers protects children, more than a dozen child care providers and the people who need their services told the House Labor Health and Social Services Committee hearing Wednesday evening.
The witnesses, including child care providers from Cheyenne, Douglas, and Powell, opposed a proposed bill that would have exempted some home child care providers from state certification.
The legislation, House Bill 239 – Child caring facilities-certification, exempted home child care operations from state certification requirements if they do not accept any state subsidies for providing the care. Sponsor Rep. Lorraine Quarberg (R-HD28, Thermpolis) said she introduced the measure after a Big Horn basin family violated state law that says home care providers can not care for more than two unrelated children unless their business is certified by the state.
Quarberg said there are trustworthy people who can provide such care without certification by the state.
But advocates of child care regulation said the state certification and licensing processes assure parents that at least minimal safety rules would be met. Opponents argued that providers who choose to operate unlicensed would not have central registry background checks or criminal history background checks.
Those background checks are performed by the state Department of Family Services. Several witnesses at the hearing noted that most parents do not have access to the tools needed to check the background of a potential care giver for their children. Mike McGrady, a Cheyenne attorney, said he had access to investigatory tools as he considered child care providers. “But I didn’t know what questions to ask,” he said. Home care providers are “still a business,” he said, and it makes sense to require them to meet basic standards.
Committee member Rep. Frank Peasley (R-HD3, Douglas) asked several opponents if there is any statistical proof that regulation has reduced problems surrounding child care.
“Did abuse go down?” he asked. It seems, he said, that “the more we regulate, the more problems we have.”
He noted his wife put him through school by “baby sitting” and she did so before the state licensed care.
When Cheyenne police detective Joe Hickerson said background checks would keep people clearly unsuited because of a record of violence against children out of the child care business, Rep. Peasley asked him, “Do you want the state more involved in parenting?”
“Common sense would tell you,” Hickerson replied, that basic background checks will protect children.
“If people have a loophole to go through,” Hickerson told Peasley, “… they will take advantage of that.”
Other providers noted the ease of going through the full licensing process in Wyoming. Licensing, one noted, is a breeze compared to the challenges and difficulties of caring for children.
In her closing comments, HB 239 sponsor Quarberg said she was pleased to hear that licensing is not difficult for people who want to operate a child care business. She said people should be more trusting of neighbors who want to offer care to children.
“We can do background checks, but we can’t check for violent tendencies,” she said. Once regulations are adopted, she said, “It is difficult to go backwards. It’s difficult to say we’re not all monsters.”
The committee voted to kill the bill 3-6.
Nay votes were cast by Reps. Joe Barbuto (D-HD48, Rock Springs), Rep. Bernadine Craft (D-HD17, Rock Springs), Gerald Gay (R-HD36, Casper), Keith Gingery (R-HD23, Jackson), Matt Greene (R-HD45, Laramie), and Hans Hunt (R-HD2, Newcastle).
Chairman Elaine Harvey (R-HD26, Lovell) joined Reps. David Miller (R-HD55, Riverton) and Peasley in voting YES for the bill.
Taxing the wind power industry
Taxing the wind power industry to assure that the industry pays it way and that counties have the resources needed to deal with the impacts of wind farm industrialization was considered by the House Revenue Committee Wednesday morning and again in the afternoon.
Rep. Tim Stubson (R-HD56, Casper) and Sen. Drew Perkins (R-SD29, Casper) offered a taxing scheme that would permanently exempt wind projects from the sales tax but impose a $3 per mega-watt-hour tax on power generated by wind turbines. As they presented HB 191 – Wind power taxation, the sponsors suggested a major amendment substantially changing the scheme to finance an impact fund as it generates revenues for the state and counties. Their plan , they said, eliminates potential state sales tax revenues now but ultimately generates greater revenues to the state.
That prospect provided little solace for Carbon County Commissioners Terry Weikum and Jerry Paxton. They said the county’s quality of life has been harmed by wind projects there that have been built recently under state laws that exempt those projects from the sales tax. Without the tax, the county does not have the resources needed to deal with damages to roads, demands for more law enforcement, and increased drug problems in rural communities like Medicine Bow, according to Paxton and Weikum.
The commissioners said existing law, which will lift the sales tax exemption on wind farm construction Jan. 1, 2012 and impose a $1 per mwh power generation tax, would provide resources to deal with the expected impacts of projects now on the drawing boards. The projects would be subject to local-option sales taxes. They worry that the Stubson-Perkins proposal may not leave them in as good a position to deal with new wind power construction projects.
The ESPC noted that other energy industries pay property, sales and severance taxes. The wind power industry should pay property, sales and MWH taxes.
The vote:
The committee approved HB191, as amended with regard to distribution of the tax revenues.
Ayes: Chairman Pat Childers (R-H50, Cody); Representatives Greg Blikre (R-H53, Gillette), Patrick Goggles (D-H33, Ethete), Owen Petersen (R-H19, Mountain View), Clarence Vranish (R-H49, Evanston).
Noes: Representatives Rita Campbell (R-H34, Shoshoni), David Miller (R-H55, Riverton), Mark Semlek (R-H1, Moorcroft)
Excused: Rep. Mike Madden (R-H40, Buffalo)
Elsewhere Wednesday
The House Labor Committee also approved a bill that advocates contend will require the Workers’ Compensation Division to use a guide to rating physical impairments that is more fair to injured workers than the guide now used by the division. (House Bill 232 – Workers’ Compensation impairment ratings)
In Committee of the Whole, the House killed HB131 – Tip sharing. Opponents said the bill unfairly required employees to surrender tips to a pool that then could be used by employers to meet the legal requirement to bring other tipped employees up to the federally required minimum wage of $7.25 hour from the tipped minimum wage of $2.13/hr.
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Showing posts with label Rep. Tim Stubson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rep. Tim Stubson. Show all posts
Thursday, February 3, 2011
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.
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