Florida Senate - 2009                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SM 152
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 611564                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  04/06/2009           .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       The Committee on Health Regulation (Aronberg) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the resolving clause
    4  and insert:
    5  
    6         That the Congress of the United States is urged to:
    7         (1) Increase federal financial assistance and encourage
    8  states to increase financial assistance for, and broaden access
    9  to, publicly supported home and community-based services for
   10  elders and individuals with disabilities; and
   11         (2) Implement on the federal and state level more unified
   12  training and supervision standards for certified nurse
   13  assistants and home health aides.
   14         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
   15  dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
   16  President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
   17  United States House of Representatives, and to each member of
   18  the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.
   19  
   20  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   21  And the title is amended as follows:
   22  
   23         Delete everything before the resolving clause
   24  and insert:
   25                           House Memorial                          
   26         A memorial to the Congress of the United States,
   27         urging Congress to support federally funded and state
   28         funded home and community-based services for
   29         individuals with disabilities of any age, especially
   30         elders.
   31  
   32         WHEREAS, federal and state financial assistance is provided
   33  for nursing home care under the Medicare and Medicaid programs
   34  for elders and individuals with disabilities, and
   35         WHEREAS, home and community-based services are a valuable
   36  cost-effective alternative to institutional care which benefit
   37  both the individual receiving such services and the federal and
   38  state programs that fund such services, and
   39         WHEREAS, studies document that elders and individuals with
   40  disabilities who receive health care in the their homes or other
   41  community settings in contrast to those who receive care in a
   42  nursing home experience improved outcomes, quality of care, and
   43  quality of life, and
   44         WHEREAS, publicly funded programs that cover home and
   45  community-based services for elders and individuals with
   46  disabilities are limited, and
   47         WHEREAS, federal and state programs provide limited support
   48  for home and community-based services that serve as an
   49  alternative to institutional care, and
   50         WHEREAS, support is needed to develop consistent quality
   51  assurance measures for home and community-based services, and
   52         WHEREAS, individuals receiving home and community-based
   53  services deserve an assurance of protection from abuse and
   54  neglect, and
   55         WHEREAS, home and community-based services benefit not only
   56  our parents and grandparents, but also our children and
   57  grandchildren, NOW, THEREFORE,