Legislative Bulletin: Priority Bills Advance Amid End-of-Session Tensions
Hospice in the ALP and CCRC Cybersecurity Bills Advance in Assembly
As tensions continued to build in the evenly split Senate this week, bringing most activity there to a halt, two of LeadingAge NY’s priority bills advanced in the Assembly. There are now only seven session days left, which means that we have a very short window of time to try to get this legislation passed. It is therefore critical that your lawmakers hear from you as soon as possible! Whether you engage through phone calls, letters, or social media posts, be sure to emphasize how these issues will impact your organization and the individuals you serve.
- Hospice in the ALP: On Tuesday, A.10459-A (Lupardo)/S.8353-A (Hannon), legislation that would allow terminally ill Assisted Living Program (ALP) residents to access hospice services without having to transfer from the ALP, advanced from the Assembly Health to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. In the Senate, the bill has not moved out of the Health Committee. To send your legislators a pre-written letter, tweet, or Facebook post urging them to sign on as a co-sponsor, please click here. LeadingAge NY’s memo of support is also available here.
- DFS-Compliant Cybersecurity Policy for CCRCs: A.10486-A (Cahill), a bill that would permit continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) to adopt written cybersecurity policies and self-certify that such policies are not inconsistent with the goals of the cybersecurity regulations promulgated by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) last year, advanced from the Assembly Insurance to the Assembly Rules Committee on Thursday. At this time, the bill does not have a Senate companion, though its original counterpart, S.7940-A (Seward), remains on the Senate Floor Calendar. Click here to access LeadingAge NY’s memo of support and here to urge your lawmakers’ support for this legislation via email and social media.
Action Alert: Last Chance to Engage with Lawmakers on Other Key Priorities!
In addition to the two bills that advanced this week, LeadingAge NY is calling on all members, in the final days of session, to continue their advocacy on the other initiatives listed below:
- Affordable Independent Senior Housing Assistance Program
- CCRC Revitalization Act
- Medication Aides in St. Lawrence County Nursing Homes
- Nursing Home-MLTC Rural Demonstration (A.10688 (Jones)/S.8488 (Little) would authorize the Commissioner of Health to allow, in one or more rural areas, one or more Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) plans to enroll Medicaid beneficiaries and retain existing enrollees who are permanently placed in a nursing home on a demonstration basis. Please call your legislators and urge them to co-sponsor this bill today!)
- Role of the Nurse in Adult Care Facilities (ACFs)
- SSI Increase for ACFs
NYSNA Launches Ad Campaign in Support of Staffing Ratios Legislation
On Monday, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) launched a new ad campaign to pressure lawmakers to support the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act, a bill that would impose specific staffing ratios for nurses and other direct care staff in hospitals and nursing homes at a cost of approximately $1.06 billion to nursing homes statewide. The campaign, consisting of $1 million in “television, radio, and digital ads,” is expected to run through the end of session on June 20th.
With this renewed push, it is now even more imperative that lawmakers hear your side of the staffing ratios story. To send your legislators a pre-written letter, tweet, or Facebook post urging their opposition to the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act, please click here. In addition, LeadingAge NY encourages you to complete our staffing ratios cost template to determine the bill’s potential financial impact on your facility and share the letter of opposition recently issued by the Coalition for Safe and Affordable Care.
LeadingAge NY Accepting Partners in Quality Award Nominations Through July 31st
Do you want to strengthen your relationship with a particular lawmaker or build a new alliance? LeadingAge NY is now accepting nominations for our 2018 Partners in Quality Award program! This award offers an opportunity for you to recognize your federal, state, and local elected officials for their advocacy efforts on behalf of your organization and those you serve. Your legislators can play a critical role in your organization’s success, and establishing and maintaining connections with them is essential.
The Partners in Quality Award shows lawmakers that you, your residents, staff, and registrants are paying attention to the decisions they make. LeadingAge NY will accept nominations through Tues., July 31st; recipients will be notified in August; and award presentations will take place throughout the fall. Click here to access the nomination form. Once completed, forms should be emailed to Jeff Diamond at jdiamond@leadingageny.org or faxed to 518-867-8384.
LeadingAge National Launches “Carry the Conversation” Campaign for LTSS Financing
This week, LeadingAge National launched a new campaign aimed at raising awareness about “the prevalence of millennial caregivers and the need for long-term services and supports (LTSS) financing solutions.” The campaign, “Carry the Conversation: Be the Voice for Long-term Services and Supports,” seeks to empower millennials to share their caregiving stories and their thoughts on their own future long term care needs. LeadingAge National’s goal is to “create an educated community of LTSS advocates to demand action and carry the conversation to the offices of elected officials.”
To access additional information about the “Carry the Conversation” campaign, including pre-written messages for Facebook and Twitter, please click here.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Cancels Most of August Recess
Finally, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on Tuesday that he would cancel all but a week of the chamber’s traditional August recess, citing “historic obstruction” by Senate Democrats. The decision to remain in session will not only offer Republicans more time to pass legislation and confirm President Trump’s executive and judicial nominees, but will also keep vulnerable Democrats off the campaign trail in advance of the November elections.
Contacts:
Ami Schnauber, aschnauber@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8854
Jeff Diamond, jdiamond@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8821