AARP Wyoming Legislative Priorities for 2007
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-04-19 14:21:51.673420-04:00
When Wyoming lawmakers converge in Cheyenne, they are not the only ones who get to work on the hundreds of bills that are introduced each year.
The professional and volunteer lobbyists also spend long hours in hearings—during the session and before it—when state legislators hammer out the details of committee bills.
Members of AARP's volunteer Legislative Advocacy Team—Naomi Allen, Mel Gillispie, Cathy Gonzales, Loretta Humphrey, Carolyn Paseneaux, Dwayne Trembly and Ken Trowbridge—worked on the bills that AARP members in Wyoming selected as priorities in a 2006 survey.
The day after the Legislature wrapped up, three team members talked about the bills that AARP followed, the process and challenges.
One of the issues was assisting retired state employees with the escalating cost of health insurance.
Over the past several years, state employees who have qualified for retirement and taken it found that the state's health insurance premiums consumed most of their monthly retirement benefit checks, leaving very little to pay their other expenses. While Medicare is available, people need to be 65 to qualify.
A year ago, Gov. Dave Freudenthal suggested helping state retirees with their health insurance payments, but he was rebuffed when the 2006 Legislature voted against the idea. He tried again in 2007 and it passed.
Most legislators thought people should work until they’re 65, Allen said, making the effort a tough fight. But this time, the measure met with success.
The measure provides financial assistance to retired state employees who are on the state’s health insurance plan or its Medicare supplement plan. Most state retirees are eligible for retirement long before 65 and therefore don’t qualify for Medicare initially, but many legislators in 2006 argued that state workers should just keep working despite the employment contract they entered into, which allows them to retire before they turn 65.
Health insurance premiums have skyrocketed in the past five years, so retirees who took retirement when they became eligible and thought they had enough saved to pay their health insurance premiums until Medicare kicked in were left in a quandary.
Education was the key to the victory, Trembly said—showing the impact of rising state health insurance costs helped legislators understand the need.
"Facts and information helped swing the vote," he said.
Some bills are pretty straightforward, others require technical knowledge and special expertise.
Gonzales said AARP supported two bills which fell into the latter category. One was on the regulation of telecommunications services.
Senate File 78 lifted some state regulatory measures in order to allow more competition in Wyoming's telecommunications industry. AARP members, however, were concerned that the cost of regular telephone service—with no bells and whistles—not fall victim to a lack of regulatory oversight. The lobbying team called on the expertise of Cheyenne attorney Dale Cottam to help them fight for a price cap on that kind of basic service as well as caps on access charges, which are the fees that telephone companies charge each other when connecting or ending calls.
"There's no way we could do this without some kind of legal help," Gonzales said.
She said Cottam also was instrumental in helping the team work on identity theft legislation.
Senate File 53 allows Wyoming residents to place a "security freeze" or hold on the distribution of their personal identifying information distributed by the three major credit reporting agencies, preventing anyone from opening a credit card, loan or other type of credit account in someone else's name without their knowledge. It also requires businesses to notify customers if database files containing their personal identifying information have been stolen or lost.
"We now have one of the strongest laws in the nation," Gonzales said.
Rounding out the list of the top priorities for AARP, the Long-Term Care Choices bill, Senate File 89, also passed. This legislation expands long-term care options that help keep many seniors living at home in the least restrictive environment possible. The legislation also authorizes a pilot program for alternative long-term care homes and adult foster care.
For more than a year, AARP has been working with a number of communities in the state who are pursuing the Green House concept of alternative nursing homes, which allows a small number of people who need care and attention to live together. This pilot project allows the concept to move forward in Sheridan and two other communities.
"I know that people who live in nursing homes will be happy with this," Allen said, "and so will people who might end up living in one."
Other Bills of Interest
AARP also supported a series of bills, and here's a rundown of the results:
Senior services funding
An additional $800,000 for fiscal year 2007-2008 will continue funding and expand already successful home and community-based long-term care services through Wyoming's senior centers to allow seniors to live safely in their own homes and communities as they age.
Adult protective services
The state's Adult Protective Services program was updated and expanded under House Bill 300, which clarifies definitions of intimidation and financial exploitation as forms of abuse against vulnerable adults, and adds money to hire four additional adult protective services workers, which brings the total in the state to five.
State retirees return to work
Retired state workers will be able to return to work if they choose without having an impact on the State Retirement System or the worker. The employer pays both the employer's and the employee's contribution to the retirement fund and the additional time working will not increase the worker's retirement benefit, but will allow the retiree to receive both a paycheck for their current work and draw their pension at the same time. This legislation should help the state rehire some experienced workers to fill the anticipated vacancies of baby boomers who are rapidly approaching retirement age.
Consumer Advocate renewed
Senate File 167 extends the sunset or expiration date for the Office of Consumer Advocate until 2013 from the original date of 2009. The Office of Consumer Advocate has protected the interests of utility customers over the last four years.
Find more information online about legislation passed this year.
People interested in volunteering as an AARP advocate can call Tim Summers at 1-866-663-3290.
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