| MAP
Advocate |
Vol.10 No. 13
April 5, 2004
If you have not made a phone call yet and you only plan to make one call this session, NOW IS THE TIME! Call your State Senator and deliver two simple messages: (1) Support comprehensive sexual health education in the Senate omnibus bill and reject any amendments to impose an abstinence-only restriction, and (2) oppose any changes to Minnesota's minor's consent statute.
At this point in the session, a phone call works best, but emails are okay. Click here to find out how to contact your Senator. Visit the bill tracker for more information on sexual health education and minor's consent.
Minor's Consent Attention Moves to Senate
Last Friday, the House of Representatives passed a Health and Human Services bill that does not include any restrictions on Minor's Consent. The Senate is expected to debate their omnibus bill later this week. It is possible that an amendment will be introduced on the Senate floor as a maneuver to get the Senate on record in support of changes to the minor's consent law. If this happens, then the House could vote on the Wilkin bill that is sitting on General Orders, where bills which were approved by committee are waiting for action, and the next thing we know, minors consent repeal could be law! It is very important that Senators need to hear from you about the importance of protecting existing law so we can keep the door to health care open for Minnesota's teens. See the Take Action above for more on what you can do. Visit the Bill Tracker for more information on Minor's Consent.
Comprehensive Family Life and Sexuality Education Bill Still Moving
The Senate E-12 Education Committee voted to include the Comprehensive Family Life and Sexuality Education in the Senate omnibus bill expected to come before the whole Senate later this week. We expect an amendment on the Senate floor to add some sort of abstinence-until-marriage provision. Senators need to hear from you to
oppose any attempts to include such language in the bill, weakening what works and what Minnesotans want. See the Take Action above for more on what you can do. Visit the Bill Tracker for more information on sexuality education.
Health Education Requirement in Both House and Senate Bills - So Far
The House approved a floor amendment with bipartisan support to reinstate the Health and Physical Education graduation standard. A similar measure has been included in the Senate E-12 omnibus bill. This would undo action taken by the legislature during the graduation standards overhaul last year that removed health education from the
standards, making it less likely that financially strapped school districts would offer the curriculum. It's an important issue in terms of sexuality education since most sex ed is provided by health ed instructors and in health ed classes. For more information, visit
MAP's Bill Tracker.
Congress Pulls Welfare Reauthorization Legislation Allowing Abstinence-Only Funding to Continue
In order to prevent a vote in minimum wage, leadership in the U.S. Senate pulled the Welfare Reauthorization bill from the floor, instead authorizing an extension of the 1996 law. This means that no vote was allowed on the Baucus/Chafee amendment which would have allowed states to used federal funds for comprehensive sexual health education programs and that Title V abstinence-only until marriage programs will continue to be funded at their current levels. Unfortunately, this was expected to be the only opportunity before November for welfare reform to be debated. Phone calls from advocates were not in vain, however, as congressional offices learned more about this important issue and the broad support for comprehensive sexual health education.
Mandatory Testing of Incarcerated Individuals
Bills have passed committees in both the House and Senate that creates a process to circumvent an occupational exposure law that was enacted in 2000 describing circumstances under which inmates could be tested should a corrections worker be exposed to a blood borne pathogen. The bills moving this session are particularly troublesome because they give the authority to force a medical procedure on an individual to someone who is not a trained health or public health professional and
establishes criteria for allowing tests that are not health related. It is possible an effort will be made to force a vote on this issue during Senate omnibus bill debate this week. MAP will be working with Senators to prevent passage of these changes that not only represent an ill-informed response to occupational exposure risk in correctional
settings, but put into state law a very dangerous precedent for forced testing that workers in other settings will want to adopt, as well.
Health and Human Services Budgets are Not Looking Good
Neither the House nor the Senate budget bills are offering solutions to the State's looming ADAP crisis. For the first time -- ever, it looks like Minnesota will be joining the ranks of states that will start some sort of process for limiting access to AIDS drug and
insurance reimbursement assistance, such as waiting lists or limiting drugs that can be covered. Also, neither bill includes special funding for HIV prevention targeting the emerging epidemic among African born residents in Minnesota. Chalk up two more victories for "no new taxes" and "tax brakes for the wealthiest" budget policies in
state and national government.
The Minnesota Department of Health will be reporting 2003 AIDS case
counts on April 15. Watch the MAP Web site for a quick-and-dirty
analysis of what the numbers mean.
MAP Advocate is published by the Minnesota AIDS Project every two weeks while the Minnesota Legislature is in session, and monthly during the rest of the year. It is available through the MAP web site mnaidsproject.org and through email list service. If you wish to order the MAP Advocate, visit our Join the Action Network page, or contact MAP Public Policy by phone or email.
MAP Public Policy
Minnesota AIDS Project
1400 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404
612-341-2060
800-373-2437
public.policy@mnaidsproject.org
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