January 22, 1999

Vilsack’s Anti-Meth Plan Is Tough, Comprehensive

Following one of the central themes of his successful campaign for Governor, Tom Vilsack unveiled a comprehensive anti-methamphetamine strategy which called for life sentences for adults who manufacture and sell meth to children, coupled with beefed-up law enforcement programs, education programs, and substance abuse treatment.

Vilsack’s FY 2000 budget proposal, scheduled for release to the General Assembly January 28, is expected to include $1 million for a multi-agency methamphetamine lab response and cleanup unit, to augment existing efforts, plus $500,000 next year to begin a three-year effort to add 18 drug enforcement agents to the state force. In addition, more staff will be added to the state’s crime lab, to cut the delays in processing evidence for meth investigations.

The prevention component of the Vilsack plan includes efforts to build an anti-meth component into the state’s K-12 school health curricula, focusing some existing funds for at-risk youth on meth prevention programs, and using a variety of existing state social and welfare assistance programs to help carry an anti-meth message into Iowa communities.

The Governor will also lengthen the time for methamphetamine abuse treatment programs, based upon analyses that indicate that current treatment programs may be ineffective because they are too short in duration to break users’ dependence on this particularly addictive substance.

Finally, Vilsack calls for greater involvement of local communities in state planning efforts to fight meth, as well as development of a long-range plan for education, treatment and interdiction.

Upchurch Named Drug Czar

The Governor capped his anti-meth program with the appointment of Bruce Upchurch as the state’s new drug czar. A native of Mason City and graduate of the University of Iowa, Upchurch has 26 years of experience with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, including stints in heroin-producing regions overseas and as a criminal investigator of drug traffickers.

Frequency of Hospital Inspections Could Increase

The Department of Inspections and Appeals has submitted a plan, drawn up by a task force that included industry representatives, to increase the frequency of hospital inspections. Currently, the state’s largest hospitals are inspected about once every three years. The state receives federal funds to inspect the smaller hospitals, and those funds have shrunk to the point where they are inspected about once every ten years.

The plan would raise enough funds to allow inspections of the small hospitals about once every four years. It calls for an increase of the annual fee hospitals pay for state licenses from $10 to $100. In addition, hospitals would pay $25 per year for each off-site facility, or clinic, that they operate. The proposal is part of the Department of Inspections and Appeals budget request.

Nursing Home Reform

Governor Vilsack’s health-care package proposal includes raising nursing home "direct care" workers’ salaries by 8 percent. The cost would be an additional $9 million to the state of Iowa, and an $14 million from federal funds, and restructuring Medicaid payment to nursing homes.

Currently Iowa has one long-term care ombudsmen who investigates nursing home complaints for the entire state of Iowa. Governor Vilsack has called for increasing the number of ombudsmen from one to five. It would cost $240,000 over a four-year period.

Subcommittees Announced

The Administration Regulation Budget Subcommittee has further divided into sub-subcommittees in an effort to further investigate the issues facing the committee. The sub-subcommittees will study the following areas:

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• The Alcoholic Beverage Division;
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• Cell phone use by departments;
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• The transportation expenditures of state government;
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• The Foster Care Review Board, which reviews foster children cases and tries to help place the children;
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• The Department of Revenue and Finance;
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• Nursing home and hospital inspections.

Agriculture Task Force Provides

Recommendations on Pork Crisis

Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge established a 30-member Livestock Task Force to look at short term and long term solutions to the current crisis facing Iowa’s pork producers. This task force is a broad coalition of people representing all facets of agriculture, the agri-business community, and state government.

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Brent Halling presented the task force’s recommendations to the House Agriculture Committee. The task force has agreed on short-term recommendations and will be meeting again soon to discuss long-term solutions.

The task force’s short-term recommendations are directed to the federal government and the state government. Secretary Judge is taking these recommendations and developing her proposals for consideration.

Federal Government:

1.  
2. Support pork deficiency payment plan by the USDA.
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4. Support Iowa Congressional proposed legislation of marketing assistance loans to certain hog producers.
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6. Establish federal interest buy-downs and loan guarantees.
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8. Continue dialogue with U.S. packers to process U.S. hogs first.
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10. Continue dialogue with the proper agencies to develop "humanitarian aid programs."
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12. Assist in any way possible with the accelerated pseudorabies eradication program.

State Government:

1.  
2. Make funds available for interest buy-downs and loan guarantees.
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4. Make sure financial, legal, mediation, emotional and transition services are properly funded.
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6. Look into establishing the Iowa Hog Producers Alliance as first proposed by the Iowa Department of Economic Development.

Vilsack, Pederson Push For Health Care Expansion

Newly-elected Governor Tom Vilsack and Lt. Governor Sally Pederson announced a comprehensive package of health reform proposals, including expanded health insurance for children, consumer protection initiatives for enrollees of managed care insurance programs, expanded prevention efforts and a nursing home "bill of rights." Key provisions include:

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• Expanding the new children’s health insurance program to cover an additional estimated 12,000 children in low-income working families;
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• Ensuring that enrollees of managed care insurance programs get fair treatment, through a Managed Care Enrollees’ Bill of Rights, including:
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• Adoption of regulations to assure that managed care group health plans offer a complete choice of services to enrollees;
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• Making it tougher for insurance companies to deny coverage for existing health conditions of new enrollees;
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• Establishment of an independent mechanism to allow enrollees to appeal decisions by HMOs to deny or restrict coverage;
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• Compilation and release of easy-to-read report cards on managed care entities, so consumers can make informed decisions about which plan to choose and how much to pay;
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• Prohibiting managed care entities from restricting medical communication between medical professional and patients.
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• Establishing a "Nursing Home Bill of Rights" to improve the care of nursing home residents, with several components including:
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• Increased salaries for nurse aides, to cut staff turnover at nursing homes and reward those who perform these vital services;
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• Provide a "Governor’s Award for Quality Care" each year to recognize long-term care programs which provide optimal services to residents;
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• Expand the long-term care ombudsman program, adding an additional staffer for each of the next four years;
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• Allow state regulators the option of easing the state inspection schedule for nursing homes which remain in compliance with state regulations, while concurrently requiring tougher enforcement and fines for nursing homes which are chronic violators; and
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• Use revenue from nursing home fines to help with administrative expenses of the nursing home care review committees, which are comprised of volunteers who advocate for nursing home residents.
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• Expanding health prevention efforts, including a public-private partnership to improve the health of women over age 50, enhancement of child nutrition programs, a pilot program to improve dental care for children, and creation of a school of public health at the University of Iowa.

Commission Approves Two Year Water Study

The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission approved a two-year, $42,245 statewide study on the occurrence of ammonia, nitrite and nitrates in Iowa’s groundwater. Preliminary studies have shown an association between nitrates and elevated cancer risks; however, this doesn’t mean there is a direct link. Ammonia is a precursor to nitrite, which is then converted to nitrate.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the occurrence and concentrations of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in Iowa water supplies, and to evaluate the risk for adverse health effects in the surrounding communities.

At the completion of this study, DNR will know the following:

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• which aquifers are susceptible to ammonia contamination, and at what concentration;
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• will have actual data on the conversion of ammonia to nitrite in Iowa drinking water treatment plants and distribution systems; and
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• will have data relating the presence of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate to health effects that are occurring in Iowa.

DNR said that the information provided in the study will provide supporting evidence for the addition of ammonia monitoring and an increase in nitrite monitoring, or it will show that monitoring for these substances is not necessary to the health of Iowans.

DNR Gives Update on Iowa’s Deer Population

Dr. Allen Farris, DNR Fish and Wildlife Division Administrator, provided information to the House Natural Resources Committee on the 1997 deer hunt and DNR’s plan for the 1999 deer season regulations. The department has not yet compiled the numbers for the 1998 deer season, but it is estimated to be similar to the 1997 hunt.

The department has liberalized the deer season the past two years, and Dr. Farris said this year will be the hardest one to determine. DNR is currently working on the 1999 regulations, which will be taken before the Natural Resources Commission at their February meeting. The final regulations will not be done until May.

The department is hearing from some parts of the state saying DNR needs to reduce the amount of deer being taken. For those spots of the state where the deer are more numerous than others, DNR is conducting special deer hunts in order to reduce the numbers.

1997 Deer Hunting Season

Iowa's deer hunters had their most successful season ever. The total kill was 118,404 and was nearly 10% higher than in 1996. Dr. Farris noted that good numbers of deer, liberalized regulations and several special hunts were the primary reasons for the increase. Archers, muzzleloaders and shotgun hunters all had very good success rates. Archers set a new record last fall, and everything points to another good fall in 1998.

Committee Reviews Auditor’s Analysis of Area Education Agencies

State Auditor Richard Johnson presented his findings and recommendations from his analysis of the Area Education Agencies (AEAs) to the House Education Committee. The Committee asked question about the Auditors findings and recommendations.

The Auditor pointed out that his office conducted an analysis of the AEAs and not an audit. An analysis is a survey of the information available from reports and audits from other sources. An analysis is what the legislation requested the auditor to conduct.

The Committee took no formal action on the Auditor’s recommendations.

The auditor made the following recommendations:

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• The Department of Education should take a more active role in enforcing the application of fiscal policies and practices of AEAs.
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• The Department of Education should perform additional monitoring and review of financial reports for consistency and compliance with Department guidelines and policies.
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• The Governor and the Legislature should review the funding and staffing levels of the Department to ensure they are adequate to provide oversight functions required by the Code of Iowa.
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• The Department of Education, counties and the General Assembly should ensure all juvenile detention centers provide adequate classroom space for use by the AEAs to provide the required education to the students housed in the centers.
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• The Department of Education should adopt Iowa Administrative Code provisions that further define what are administrative expenditures to further clarify the state law that limits AEA’s administrative expenditures to 5% of operating funds. The Department should monitor and ensure compliance.
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• The reporting required by the Department of Education for the AEAs should enable the AEAs to demonstrate that they are providing the services for which they were funded or required to provide.
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• The Department of Education and the General Assembly should work to ensure that services offered are effectively provided at similar costs throughout the state.

DOT Workshops on Interstate 235’s Appearance

The Department of Transportation (DOT) held two public workshops on improving the appearance of the Interstate 235 Corridor when it is reconstructed during the years 2001-2006. The DOT hired a design team headed by RDG Crose Gardner Shukert Inc. of Des Moines, to help ensure public input and create an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere.

The DOT went through a list of items that would need to be replaced, updated or added to the corridor. The list includes bridges, pedestrian facilities, sound walls, retaining walls, and right-of-way fences. DOT wanted to let the public know that they are looking for ideas to make the drive on the corridor as pleasing to the eye as possible.

They have developed the following guiding principles for consideration when developing the design for the corridor:

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• Pursue a common theme.
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• Showcase Iowa’s landscape and history.
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• Emphasis the State Capitol.
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• Consider the community and neighborhood.
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• Focus on major landmarks.
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• Create a comprehensive sign system.
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• Use Native Plants.

The DOT plans to hold another public meeting in late April or early May, to show the public what DOT has incorporated from their input.