Human Services & Public Safety
News Bulletin

6/28/2008 - 7/04/2008

Top News
Bush signs extension of unemployment benefits
President George W. Bush has signed a spending bill today that includes a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits, a measure expected to be of great help to people in states struggling with high unemployment rates. The Associated Press reported this morning that Bush had signed the bill, which represented a compromise with the Democratic-controlled House and Senate, which insisted on an extension of unemployment benefits as necessary during the nation’s economic downturn. The legislation also included additional money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and greater college benefits for troops and veterans.
The Detroit Free Press

Stat of the Week
HIV/AIDS cases rise in older people
The number of people older than 50 infected with HIV is rising across the nation, say experts who worry seniors think they are not at risk for the virus. Nationally, 15 percent of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses occurred in people 50 and older, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2005, the latest available. National data on human immunodeficiency virus cases have been available for only a few years, but experts say they are seeing a definite increase in new cases in this age group.
The Orlando Sentinel

Health & Human Services
FL - State Web site adds key measure of hospital quality
Florida's consumer health site, Florida HealthFinder.gov, has added a new, key measure of hospital quality: readmission rates for dozens of procedures and conditions. The readmission data, which went live late Wednesday and was announced Thursday by the Agency for Health Care Administration, makes Florida the first state in the country to publish such data, agency officials said. The initial data focuses on 54 conditions and procedures most likely to have potentially preventable readmissions. The list eventually will grow to 150, officials said.
The Orlando Sentinel
GA - State may face repeat of West Nile spike
Cases of West Nile virus spiked in Georgia last year, likely fueled by drought conditions that allow the mosquito that spreads the disease to thrive. Health experts are expecting a similar number of cases this summer. The disease remains rare in Georgia. But when it strikes, it can cause devastating paralysis, weeks-long fever, fatigue and other symptoms. It sickened at least 52 Georgians in 2007, up from eight reported cases in 2006, according to reports filed with the Georgia Division of Public Health.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LA - Jindal signs autism bill
Legislation requiring health insurance companies in the state to cover treatment for autism in those younger than 17 has been signed into law by Gov. Bobby Jindal, aides said Wednesday. Without comment, Jindal signed House Bill 958 by Rep. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge, that will go into effect Aug. 15 although it will not mandate the coverage until Jan. 1 for new policies written or existing ones renewed this year. Foil's bill would not apply to policies covering businesses with 50 or fewer employees. It also has an annual $36,000 maximum benefit limit and a lifetime cap of $144,000. The bill started out with higher benefits, but Foil was forced to lower them or face opposition from insurance companies, which usually are against mandated coverage. Foil has indicated he may come back in the future to increase the benefits.
The Times-Picayune
MD - Medicaid reaches more
Medicaid expansion is one of several measures enacted in the past eight months that state officials say will eventually take more than 100,000 residents off the uninsured rolls. The patchwork of health care measures has a cradle-to-grave effect - not only bringing more children and families into Medicaid but also helping small businesses to provide employees with coverage and seniors to buy prescription drugs. Other bills aim to regulate pharmacy benefit managers, possibly leading to lower drug costs.
The Baltimore Sun
NC - State could take over care home
For 15 years, the state has had the right to take over an adult-care home if residents were at risk of death or serious harm. Now the Cleveland County social services department is asking officials to take that step for the first time. Fearing injury or even death for residents of a Cleveland County adult-care home, the county has asked for something that officials say is an unprecedented action -- a state takeover of the privately owned center. The move would require Superior Court approval.
The News & Observer
SC - State funds will pay for cancer screening for some women
More than 100 advocates from around South Carolina will converge on the state capital today to announce a $2 million appropriation to provide cancer screening for low-income, uninsured women. It’s the first time state funds will be used for the Best Chance Network, which covers screening for breast and cervical cancer. Up to now, the program has been funded solely by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that only covers 8,000 people, or 10 percent of eligible women, said Mary Lynn Faunda Donovan, executive director of the Upstate South Carolina Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
The Greenville News

Public Safety
FL - Crist signs law aiming to curb gangs
Gov. Charlie Crist came to Palm Beach County Monday to sign a law that he and other political leaders hope "will drive a stake into the heart of gangs in Florida." The Criminal Gang Prevention Act provides for possible life imprisonment for street gang leaders and for gang members convicted of a felony and later found in possession of firearms. It strengthens witness protection measures in gang-related prosecutions, and makes it harder for gang members to be released on bail by emphasizing that money used for bail cannot be profits derived from criminal behavior. It also makes it a crime to use any electronic communication, including the Internet, to promote gangs or to threaten others in connection with gang-related activities.
The Palm Beach Post
GA - Sex offender law faces new challenge
Georgia's tough sex offender laws turned Cedric Bradshaw into something of a nomad. Twice he moved in with relatives in Statesboro, and twice he was forced to leave because he was violating Georgia's tough sex offender law by living too close to spots where children gather. After the 25-year-old was arrested for failing to register as an offender - his second time doing so - he was sentenced with the only punishment allowed by the law: life in prison. Bradshaw's lawyers will ask Georgia's top court on Monday to reduce his punishment in what is the latest test for the state's oft-challenged sex offender laws. While others have targeted the law's residency restrictions, Bradshaw's challenge takes aim at the criminal penalties as "cruel and unusual punishment."
The Macon Telegraph
LA - Governor to predators: Stay away from La.
Gov. Bobby Jindal warned sex offenders on Wednesday to stay out of Louisiana and proceeded to sign a series of bills into law at the Ouachita Parish Courthouse that will provide for harsher penalties for those who do harm to minors. Among the new laws: lifetime registration for sex offenders; increasing minimum sentences for solicitation of a minor and for molesting a juvenile; and providing for the chemical castration of sex offenders. The governor also railed against a U.S. Supreme Court decision last week that said the crime of child rape doesn't warrant the death penalty. The decision overturned a ruling by the Louisiana Supreme Court that would have allowed the execution of a man convicted of raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter.
The News-Star
NC - NC Legislature hears about medicinal marijuana
Lawmakers took a very small step last week [toward legalizing smoking marijuana] when a House committee held a hearing on a bill looking at whether lawmakers should study the use of the drug for medicinal purposes. Many law enforcement and religious groups remain skeptical of carving out an exception, saying marijuana is a dangerous drug that can lead abusers to try other hard-core addictive drugs. The most frequently used illegal substance in the United States also has been linked recently to additional possible health risks.
The Charlotte Observer
SC - 'Next step' DNA sampling bill now in Sanford's hands
As part of a two-year push to reform South Carolina's criminal justice system, legislators handed law enforcement officials a tool that will revolutionize the way they fight crime. Gov. Mark Sanford must now decide whether to sign or veto a bill that will allow law enforcement agencies to collect DNA samples at the time of arrest for certain crimes. Lawmakers also agreed to form a commission to study alternative sentencing for nonviolent offenders. It is a move that could eventually free up space in the state's prisons so violent offenders could be required to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before becoming eligible for release.
The Post and Courier
TX - 'Castle doctrine' arms Texas homeowners
Texas law has permitted residents to use deadly force to protect themselves and their personal property for many years. Last year, the Legislature broadened the law to include a “castle doctrine,” allowing a person to use deadly force in self-defense against an intruder without having to retreat into a home.
The San Antonio Express-News

U.S. & World News
Medicare Part B aid program will end
Very low-income senior citizens and disabled people will lose help paying for their Medicare Part B premiums next Monday because the federal money that funds the program has dried up. Funding for the program was included in the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. House of Representatives this week 355 to 59. But the bill was sidelined Thursday night when the Senate came up two votes short of the 60 needed to bring it to the floor for a vote. With no new funding, the 10-year-old Part B assistance program ends today, and the $96.40 monthly premium will be deducted from beneficiaries' Social Security checks, said Jeff Stensland, spokesman for the state Department of Health and Human Services.
The Greenville News
Funding Cuts Hurt
Public-health officials' efforts to reduce teen smoking are running aground amid cutbacks in state funding for antitobacco programs, a federal report suggests. The percentage of high-school students who smoked at least one day within the past month remained largely unchanged from 2003 to 2007, in the range of 20% to 23% of students surveyed, following sharp declines in the previous half-decade, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday. The stalled progress comes as states have drastically cut funding for tobacco-prevention and -cessation programs since 2002, said Terry Pechacek, associate director for science at the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health.
The Wall Street Journal
Salmonella inquiry looks beyond tomatoes
The federal government has expanded its investigation into an outbreak of salmonella illness to include items commonly eaten with tomatoes, health officials said Tuesday. Since April, more than 800 people have contracted the same strain of salmonella, but its source is unclear. The outbreak of illness linked to Salmonella Saintpaul, a rare form of the bacteria, has sickened 869 people, 107 of whom have been hospitalized, said Dr. Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak began in mid-April, and the most recent case was reported June 20, implying that the outbreak is ongoing, Tauxe said.
CNN
How to Go Hands-Free
As millions of Californians prepare today for "hands-free" cell phone commuting, Americans around the country are readying themselves as the nation's state lawmakers follow suit. Thirty-three states have introduced this year 127 bills related to "driver distraction," aimed at curbing the use of cell phones — or at least the handsets that may cause driver accidents.
ABC News
Diabetes: Underrated, Insidious and Deadly
In a set of recent focus groups, participants were asked to rank the severity of various health problems, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes. On a scale of 1 to 10, cancer and heart disease consistently ranked as 9s and 10s. But diabetes scored only 4s and 5s.
The New York Times

More News
Health & Human Services
AR - Mental health provider shuts doors after state pulls Medicaid payments
FL - Florida law prescribes rules for pharmacy techs
GA - Mental health care loses funds in 2nd vote
LA - Elderly fight for councils on aging
MS - Lawmakers still at odds over funding; will House walk out?
NC - Officials granted flexibility on mental health service
NC - N.C. health-insurance plan's chief fired
TX - State overseer of child protection agency retiring
Public Safety
AL - Prison farms are up for sale
FL - State to spend $224M for hurricane loss fund
FL - New guns-at-work law takes effect Tuesday
FL - New gun rights could affect concealment law
GA - Ga. court upholds partial banishment
GA - Ga. court rules against media in old slayings
GA - Gun limits loosen, DUI penalties get tougher
GA - Law against out-of-staters getting gun licenses challenged
GA - Airport gun showdown moves to courts
KY - Public defenders sue state over funding
MO - E. coli high at Lake of Ozarks, state says
NC - Wildfire creates unhealthy air in 9 NC counties
SC - SC gov vetoes DNA collection bill
TN - Tennessee felons want voting rights back
TX - DNA expected to free wrongly convicted Dallas man
VA - New state laws lower threshold for commitment
WV - Kroger recalls ground beef in W.Va.
Human Services & Public Safety Weekly News Bulletin is a free weekly email service for all state officials and staff. It serves as a roundup of the latest information on human services and public safety issues across the South and contains links to news articles from around the region. The Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) does not endorse the editorial content of the pages to which it links.

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