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Podcast 83 Legislative Update March 4, 2024
While the State Capitol might not be dominating headlines
with passage of major legislation so far in 2024, the work there for MAC is as expansive as ever, members of the Podcast 83 Team note in their newest episode.
The legislative slowdown continues from the results of last November’s elections when the Democrats lost their majority in the House, leaving a 54-54 chamber that will remain tied until the end of April when new members are seated for two vacancies.
MAC, however, continues to crisscross the Capitol campus to brief legislators on county priorities and needs.
MAC, for example, testified last week before a Senate appropriations panel on the association’s opioid settlement efforts and the reaction was widely positive, Samantha Gibson reported.
“Our feeling on feedback from senators after that committee hearing was that they were really glad and impressed to hear about what was going on at MAC,” Gibson said. “It is important to note that I don't believe anyone has started spending their settlement dollars yet and that's because counties are really taking the time to hear from stakeholders and make sure that as many people as possible are engaged in the process, that they're going to spend those dollars as effectively as they can.”
In the juvenile justice sphere, Gibson outlined more MAC testimony scheduled for mid-day Tuesday, March 5 on the critical need for more beds for juvenile offenders to receive treatment and services.
“We really want to hone in on the need to address the staffing shortage with juvenile justice funding and how state dollars can go even further to implement juvenile justice reform,” Gibson said. “So this bed shortage … is really a result of a staffing shortage, and if we can use additional state funding to increase the rate of pay for staffers and juvenile facilities, we can recruit and retain the staff, open additional beds and, again, put the reforms that we saw at the end of last year put them to work even further.”
Director of Governmental Affairs Deena Bosworth also is testifying on Wednesday, March 6, this time on House Bill 5353, a measure designed to make legislators confront the effects of unfunded mandates on local governments by forcing fiscal reporting to them before any relevant measure can leave the State Capitol.
“MAC has always been supportive of any kind of unfunded mandates legislation dating back to 2009, when the legislative commission on unfunded mandates issued their report,” Bosworth explained. “We have not been successful in getting this all the way through the process and enacted. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can cross that threshold this time.
“The only teeth (in the bill) are that we don't have to comply … if they don't follow the fiscal note process,” Bosworth added. “
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By DerekWhile the State Capitol might not be dominating headlines
with passage of major legislation so far in 2024, the work there for MAC is as expansive as ever, members of the Podcast 83 Team note in their newest episode.
The legislative slowdown continues from the results of last November’s elections when the Democrats lost their majority in the House, leaving a 54-54 chamber that will remain tied until the end of April when new members are seated for two vacancies.
MAC, however, continues to crisscross the Capitol campus to brief legislators on county priorities and needs.
MAC, for example, testified last week before a Senate appropriations panel on the association’s opioid settlement efforts and the reaction was widely positive, Samantha Gibson reported.
“Our feeling on feedback from senators after that committee hearing was that they were really glad and impressed to hear about what was going on at MAC,” Gibson said. “It is important to note that I don't believe anyone has started spending their settlement dollars yet and that's because counties are really taking the time to hear from stakeholders and make sure that as many people as possible are engaged in the process, that they're going to spend those dollars as effectively as they can.”
In the juvenile justice sphere, Gibson outlined more MAC testimony scheduled for mid-day Tuesday, March 5 on the critical need for more beds for juvenile offenders to receive treatment and services.
“We really want to hone in on the need to address the staffing shortage with juvenile justice funding and how state dollars can go even further to implement juvenile justice reform,” Gibson said. “So this bed shortage … is really a result of a staffing shortage, and if we can use additional state funding to increase the rate of pay for staffers and juvenile facilities, we can recruit and retain the staff, open additional beds and, again, put the reforms that we saw at the end of last year put them to work even further.”
Director of Governmental Affairs Deena Bosworth also is testifying on Wednesday, March 6, this time on House Bill 5353, a measure designed to make legislators confront the effects of unfunded mandates on local governments by forcing fiscal reporting to them before any relevant measure can leave the State Capitol.
“MAC has always been supportive of any kind of unfunded mandates legislation dating back to 2009, when the legislative commission on unfunded mandates issued their report,” Bosworth explained. “We have not been successful in getting this all the way through the process and enacted. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can cross that threshold this time.
“The only teeth (in the bill) are that we don't have to comply … if they don't follow the fiscal note process,” Bosworth added. “