LOVELL, Wyoming (STPNS) -- Representative Elaine Harvey leaves Friday for Cheyenne for a busy month scrutinizing the state budget, doing committee work and voting on bills at the legislative session that will decide the 2008-10 state budget. The session starts next Monday, Feb. 11, in Cheyenne.

Harvey represents House District No. 26, encompassing Big Horn and part of Park County and has served in the house since 2003. She can be reached best by e-mail during the legislative session at Harvey00@tctwest.net.

She said the House of Representatives would first look at the governor?s budget before making amendments and approving the state budget later in the session.



?What did he have last biennium? What did he ask for this biennium? What is he recommending?? Harvey asked hypothetically about the governor?s budget. House members will go through the state budget and scrutinize what is listed, considering the governor?s recommendations and the Joint Appropriations Committee?s recommendations. Representatives and senators will then bring amendments to the budget and then vote to adopt sections at a time.

Though the budget will be their main focus, the House of Representatives will vote for the introduction of bills next week until Friday, Feb. 15, to be considered during the session. Harvey said she often votes to hear bills that are endorsed by an expert or a committee or might be require immediate attention by the legislature.

?I may vote to introduce it to hear the arguments,? Harvey said. Presenters have two minutes to explain the bill, and then a voice-vote is taken to see if the bill will be considered during the session.

?If it?s a policy change, something the courts have asked us to do or something that cleans up language, then I think all of those are appropriate,? Harvey said.

Bills come to legislators in two ways, either sponsored by a committee or by an individual representative or senator.

?Committee bills generally take higher priority on the schedule and they take higher priority in what people pay attention to,? Harvey said, ?because committees have already studied them. They?ve already sifted through some of the junk.?

Harvey serves on the Labor, Health and Social Services Committee and the Minerals, Business and Economic Development and chairs the select committee for developmental programs. She outlined a number of bills in her area of expertise that will be presented at the budget session.

HB 31 ? Medical Safety Event Reporting

Sponsored by the Labor, Health And Social Services Committee, this bill aims to change a statute already in place to include a list of medical safety events to report on, decided by a national quality forum. The previous statute contained a static list and the new statute will allow the list to be updated. The system is meant to report medical events and determine what can be done to improve the health or safety of patients or others involved in these specific situations.

?Instead of the legislature deciding the list, we want the Dept. of Health to keep up on the best list,? Harvey said. ?Otherwise we?d come back with a new bill every year.?

HB 38 ? Medicaid provider reimbursements

This bill is also sponsored by the Labor and Health Committee and is meant to level the playing field for Medicaid service providers. Harvey said currently the Dept. of Health sets the reimbursement rate for Medicaid providers and some providers get better increases more than others, because they have good lobbyists.

?What we?ve found is there are people like home health aides serving senior citizens at home that haven?t had a raise in 11 years,? Harvey said.

This bill would direct the Dept. of Health to establish a new reimbursement schedule every two years for all Medicaid health care providers. The department will then offer the list as a recommendation to the Governor.

HB 39 - Workers compensation amendments

This bill allows corporate officers and limited liability company members to buy into the worker?s compensation program. It also allows the worker?s comp program to rebate some of the premiums to employers that are in good standing with the program and provides for a stronger collection for employers who don?t pay their premium.

?It?s been since the mid-80s since the worker?s comp program has been revamped,? Harvey said. The Labor and Health Committee also sponsored this bill.

HB 45 ? Film incentive program-authority

Harvey is co-sponsoring this bill that will move the film-incentive program from the business council to the Wyoming Tourism Dept. The film-incentive program was created last year under the business council to encourage filmmakers to come to Wyoming.

?We separated the tourism department, which the film group is underneath, but we left the film over in business council,? Harvey said. ?So this is just moving it back to the department of tourism.?

?It brings a lot to our state, but the biggest thing is it highlights our state,? she said, noting that movies depicting Wyoming often bring tourism to the state.

HB 47 ? Long-term care access

Sponsored by the Labor and Health Committee, this is a long-term care bill that establishes a statewide network to make older citizens aware of availability of services available by providing them with fliers, registration forms and contacts to agencies that can assist them. Harvey said this is a way to let people know they can stay at home and receive Medicaid funded care.

HB 52 ? Developmental programs-cost based reimbursements

This bill is sponsored by the select committee on developmental programs, which Harvey chairs, and authorizes a cost-based payment system for providers of services and supplies under home and community-based waiver programs for persons with developmental disabilities and acquired brain injury.

SF 36 ? Public health emergencies - volunteers

In the case of a pandemic flu and a governor-declared state of emergency, this bill would allow licensure boards to submit information about retired medical professionals and if their licenses weren?t revoked for felonies, then they would be relieved of liability to come out of retirement and help in their area of expertise. This bill is sponsored by the Labor and Health Committee.