MAP Advocate
Your AIDS Advocacy Update
Vol. 9 No. 11 - May 5, 2003
Anderson Foley Lourey Ranum Sparks
Bakk Gaither Marko Rest Stumpf
Belanger Higgins Marty Sams Tomassoni
Berglin Hottinger Metzen Saxhaug Vickerman
Betzold Johnson, D.E. Michel Scheid Wiger
Chaudhary Kelley Moua Senjem
Cohen Kierlin Murphy Skoe
Dibble Kubly Pappas Skoglund
Dille Langseth Pogemiller Solon
To identify your state senator, go to MAP's Talk to Your Legislator page.
They're called "omnibus bills" because they include almost everything the legislature has been working on this session in terms of policy changes and budgeting. In a marathon session on May 2, the Senate approved major bills including the E-12 education and health and human services bill.
Senators turned back an amendment to the E-12 bill that would have prohibited
schools from teaching or promoting homosexuality. The amendment, introduced
by Sen. Warren Limmer [R - Maple Grove] was defeated 41 to 19 with 7 senators
not voting. [Review the
amendment and the vote.]
While debating the health and human services bill, senators rejected an amendment introduced by Sen. Sean Nienow [R- Cambridge] to eliminate confidentiality protections for minors who seek certain care, including health care related to sexually transmitted infections, on their own consen. The amendment was defeated 38 to 27 with 2 senators not voting. [Review the amendment and the vote.]
The Senate version of the health and human services bill does not include elimination of GAMC, drug co-payments for MA, or elimination of MA for pregnant women who are undocumented along with other reductions and health and human services benefits included in the House bill. Visit the MAP Bill Tracker to keep an eye on this bill.
Previously, the Senate approved a bill that included renewed funding for HIV workplace education. This funding was not included in the House version of the economic development bill. Visit the MAP Bill Track to keep an eye on this bill.
Under a provision introduced by Mary Ellen Otremba (DFL- Long Prairie),
the Minnesota House approved an amendment to the health and human services
bill that eliminated minors' access to confidential health care. Providers
would still be able to provide treatment for sexually transmitted diseases,
pregnancy, and alcohol and drug abuse on the consent of a patient who
is a minor, but cannot extend confidentiality to the treatment. A minor's
parent would have access to the medical records. Rep. Davnie (DFL-Mpls)
introduced an amendment that would have limited parental access to records
only if the minor had given consent. The Davnie amendment was not adopted.
[Review the House amendment
and the vote.] Sen. Sean Nienow [R - Cambridge] introduced a similar
amendment in the Senate. It was defeated with the leadership of Sen. Becky
Lourey [DFL - Kerrick] and Sen. Sheila Kiscaden [I - Rochester]. [Review
the Senate amendment and the vote.] [Updated: 05.05.03]
During the floor debate, the author refused to offer examples of what activities would be prohibited under his amendment, or examples of any problems in Minnesota schools. The House narrowly approved an amendment by Rep. Karen Clark (DFL-Minneapolis) that stated tolerance, violence prevention, discrimination prevention, and supportive counseling would not prohibited under the Severson amendment. Rep. Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park) offered another amendment intended to prohibit schools from "promoting" any sexual activity. The process started to bog-down, and frustrated by the amendments, Severson withdrew is proposal.
Advocates need to thank Rep. Clark, Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Minneapolis), Rep Michael Paymar (DFL-St. Paul), Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL-Minneapolis) and Rep. Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park) for courageously and articulately speaking out in an effort to stop this otherwise harmful attack on health for GLBTQ youth and effective HIV/STD prevention. [Review the amendment and the vote.]
Senators turned back an amendment to the E-12 bill that would have prohibited schools from teaching or promoting homosexuality. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Warren Limmer [R - Maple Grove] was defeated 41 to 19 with 7 senators not voting. [Review the amendment and the vote.] [Updated: 05.05.03]
The number of new HIV cases reported in Minnesota rose 6 percent in 2002, a more dramatic bump in new cases compared to previous year's 1 or 2 percent increases. Gay and bisexual men continue to represent the majority of new cases and two-thirds of those already living with HIV.
Notably, 20 percent of the new infections were among African-born Minnesotans and 20 percent were among African Americans.
The percentage of new cases reported in the suburban Twin Cities, particularly the western suburbs continues to grow going from 30 percent in 2001 to 35 percent in 2002.
Click
here for more information about the 2002 epi figures released by the
Minnesota Department of Health on April 15.
In an announcement made during the holiday weekend and as part of a press conference on SARS, the CDC declared a dramatic change of direction for national efforts to stop HIV. Setting aside its triple track approach of education, helping people learn their status and connecting those who test positive with care, the new CDC prevention focus is going to concentrate on testing.
This new focus encourages testing outside of confidential care environments. It also sets aside education and counseling that ensure informed consent and promotes behavior change, suggesting that doctors can skip this part of the testing process.
It also redirects federal prevention dollars away from "prevention for positives" that promote education and behavior change among those living with HIV in favor of increased partner notification, and emphasizes testing of pregnant women and newborns. The proposal, at its core, includes many of the previsions of a so-called 1998 "prevention bill" dismissed by Congress introduced by then-Rep. Tom Coburn [R-OK] who now co-chair of the President's HIV advisory commission.
This is on the heals of the Bush Administration also setting aside the Healthy People 2010 report in favor of a new health promotion agenda for the nation. The move shelves aspects of the 2010 report such as a plan to address GLBT health needs as part of the national health research and health promotion agenda.
Read The New York Times article.
Rep. Henry Hyde [R-IL] recently led a bi-partisan effort in the U.S. House of Representatives to craft a plan for implementing the $15 billion African AIDS initiative announced by the President in January. The bill authorized allocations of $3 billion annually, with $1 billion appropriated through the Global AIDS Fund. Half of the funding will be used to provide access to HIV drug treatments and a third for prevention. Unfortunately, amendments were added to the bill requiring a third of the prevention money be set aside for abstinence-until-marriage initiatives, and organizations receiving money were allowed to refuse to offer services such as condom distribution based on "conscience objections." The bill had come under fire by conservatives because it does not press an abstinence education focus and promotes US collective action through the Global AIDS Fund. Representative Betty McCollum [D-MN] helped draft the Hyde Bill.
On the Senate side, US Senator Norm Coleman [R-MN] serves on the committee responsible for drafting a Senate plan. It is MAP's hope that the bipartisan, results-oriented plan set forth in the Hyde bill and not ideology-driven proposals will be reflected in the bill that comes out of the Coleman committee.
Review a summary of what members of Congress and others have to say about the bill. [Updated: 05.03.03]
MAP Public Policy
Minnesota AIDS Project
1400 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404
612-341-2060
800-373-2437
community.affairs@mnaidsproject.org
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