Fwd: CCAT HHS Committee Update: Bill Positions Needed SB23-172 & HB23-1243
Thomas Davidson
- HB23-1249 Reduce Justice-involvement For Young Children CCAT Amend
- Committee recommended & the Governing Board approved CCAT to move to amend position; continue to work with CHSDA and other key stakeholders.
- Safe Access to Protected Health Care Package (SBs 188, 189, 190) CCAT Level II Support
- HB23-1142 Information Of Person Reporting Child Abuse CCAT Monitor
- SB23-039 Reduce Child And Incarcerated Parent Separation CCAT Monitor
- HB23-1209 Analyze Statewide Publicly Financed Health-care
CCAT Level II Support
- HB23-1226 Hospital Transparency And Reporting Requirements CCAT Level II Support
- HB23-1224 Standardized Health Benefit Plan CCAT Level II Support
- Colorado Alcohol Use Impact and Recovery Fee Act
- tentatively support the concept not likely to run this year
In full disclosure, Aponte & Busam represents the Colorado Women’s Bar Association in support of the bill. In terms of CCAT consideration of the measure we discussed the bill during this week's Governing Board meeting and received approval to bring the matter to the committee with a recommendation that CCAT consider supporting the measure. CCAT staff has also been in contact with CCI staff to discuss their concerns and position.
For high level background attached you will find the most recent fact sheet and organizational sign on.
Bill proponents have been in weeks of negotiations with members of the business community through their respective trade associations and with local government interests. The Colorado Special District Association has been taking the lead on these efforts but CML is also involved. While we are not in a position to share any specific language at this time (hopefully soon!), the areas under discussion for amendments are as follows:
- New harassment language
- Since the bill explicitly rejects the outdated “severe or pervasive” standard, we’ve worked extensively with the business lobby and local government representatives to craft harassment language that they’re much more comfortable with.
- The new language will add factors to the “totality of the circumstances” provision, giving additional clarity for what should be considered by CCRD and the courts.
- Affirmative Defense
- Deleting language making and employer’s failure to investigate an actionable discriminatory act
- Deleting 5-year lookback on harassment and discrimination claims for access to the affirmative defense
- Both of these changes are being made to address significant concerns from stakeholders
- The bill also includes a record-keeping requirement for harassment claims, which makes the affirmative defense provisions slightly more protective than current case law.
- NDAs
- Adding good faith exemption for employers who use newly-illegal NDA provisions after the bill is enacted, but who can prove that they did so unknowingly
- Training Expectations:
- Adding language encouraging employers to conduct workplace harassment training, which most already do
- We’re also working on language that will explain baseline expectations for an employer’s “training program.”
From: Bimestefer - HCPF, Kim <kim.bim...@state.co.us>
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2023 1:44 PM
To: Kim Bimestefer - HCPF <kim.bim...@state.co.us>
Cc: Donlin - HCPF, Jo <jo.d...@state.co.us>; Iris Hentze - HCPF <iris....@state.co.us>; Melanie Schoenberg - HCPF <melanie.s...@state.co.us>; Rep. Amabile - GA <Judy.amab...@state.co.us>; Cristen Bates - HCPF <criste...@state.co.us>
Subject: Hospital Community Benefit - Seeking Your Support & Testimony in Committee 3/29
Good morning,
As you’ll recall, the Behavioral Health Task Force’s Blueprint for Reform identified a legislative opportunity in ensuring community benefit programs are designed to provide increased access to care and address population health inequalities for vulnerable patients. You may also recall that we identified Hospital Community Benefit investment as one of our 19 priorities, as it is such an important opportunity for continued behavioral health, systemic transformation support.
HB23-1243 Hospital Community Benefit addresses this opportunity by improving the alignment between community feedback and hospital spending to address identified community needs. HCPF's Colorado Hospital Community Benefit Annual Report found that communities across the state overwhelmingly want hospitals to invest in behavioral health services (over 90% of hospitals’ Community Health Need Assessments included behavioral health as a priority for the community). However, due to current community benefit reporting guidelines, hospitals’ reported information lacked sufficient detail to understand exactly how community investment dollars are being spent and whether the hospital community benefit investments decisions match the needs identified by their communities. A second benefit of the bill is to improve the community benefit transparency reporting obligations to enable HCPF to better report on and evaluate the actual responsiveness of investments to community health needs.
The first hearing for HB1243 is NEXT WEEK in the House Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services Committee, Wednesday, 3/29 at 1:30 pm. We would truly appreciate your official support of this hospital community benefit bill, including testifying at this Hearing. Please let Jo, Iris and I know if you are in support of the bill and/or willing to testify. We are glad to help you with talking points, signing up to testify, and we will follow up with a fact sheet as well. Just let us know what you need. (You can testify in person or virtually.)
We thank you for your consideration, and we thank you for your continued leadership to improve behavioral health access and care for all Coloradans.
Kim Bimestefer
Executive Directo
