Pot Boiling
Things in the Senate were bubbling up as various Senate committees took testimony on the issue of legalization of pot. The Transportation Committee heard from the State Police that enforcement of current laws related to possession were not a priority and that regulating legal pot was not going to impact key enforcement issues related to other highly-regulated drugs. The Governor disagrees, believing that legalization will make it possible to redirect resources to treatment, education, recovery and more appropriate targets for law enforcement. In addition the Economic Development Committee heard testimony pro and con, while the Finance Committee worked on the tax implications of the bill voted out of the Judiciary Committee last Friday.
Drugged Driving Test?
Governor Shumlin, Senator Dick Sears, and House Speaker Shap Smith, along with many others, have expressed a concern about marijuana and the highways - particularly how to test for drug use on the roadside. The latest news is that there may soon be a test that will address the problem, at least in part. After taking a sample of saliva the machine will take about five minutes to check on a variety of substances including marijuana. The test will screen for seven drug types and is purported to be able to determine if they have been used in the past several hours. Blood would still need to be drawn to confirm the indications from the test, but, according to the state police, it would help rule out some drivers. In testimony others expressed skepticism, saying that the test was a long way from ready to use. As far as law enforcement officers trained in drug evaluations, there are currently around 30 with more slated to be hired and trained if the legalization bill currently in Senate Finance should pass.
Fumes Follow-Up
Senate Health and Welfare took testimony on the question of a smoking ban at residential facilities and the designated mental health agencies. As a result of complaints and practical concerns of providers, the Department of Mental Health testified that they have decided to postpone the implementation for a year. Committee members and others expressed their own concerns, hoping that the ban would remain the goal.
Molars and Medicine: Taxes on Dentists and Docs
The Governor has proposed a 2.35% provider tax on physicians not employed by hospitals at present and on all dentists. The $17.0M in revenue will be used as part of a strategy to close the Medicaid gap in the budget. The legislative response has been cool. Many independent physicians said that they would respond to the provider tax by reducing their acceptance of Medicaid, or possibly closing their practices. Dentists said that the tax would make it harder to replace Vermont's aging dentist population.
House Appropriations Hears Hal Cohen
Hal Cohen, the Secretary of the Agency of Human Services, testified to House Appropriations outlining the agency's 2017 budget proposal. In hopes of reducing the waiting list for opioid treatment - approximately five hundred - a new Hub will be established in the St. Albans area. As promised in the Governor's Budget Address, the Mental Health budget will include increased funding for suicide prevention. The AHS budget also uses Medicaid dollars to increase funding for supportive housing.
Commissioner Reed at House Human Services
Sparks flew in the House Human Services committee during what would otherwise have been a fairly routine review of the Mental Health Budget. The issue was the question of involuntary medication. The committee, led by Chair Ann Pugh, let Mental Health Commissioner Frank Reed know that they were unhappy about the administration making recommendations with policy implications concerning the issue without consulting anyone on the committee. "The first I heard of it," Pugh said, "was in the governor's address." The issue is how patients who are candidates for involuntary medication would be assessed and what recommendations and actions would follow. The administration wants to streamline that process in a fashion that drew a skeptical response from the Chair and other members of the committee. The committee will be taking testimony on the issue from others as soon as next week. In addition Commissioner Reed testified that the beds in the State Psychiatric Hospital have been full for the last six weeks - after many weeks of vacant beds due primarily to the lack of nursing staff.
