Press Release- May 30, 2007
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2007
Contact:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370
NEW LAWS ASSIST SENIORS, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND THOSE WHO SUFFER FROM MENTAL ILLNESSES
Gov. Ritter also signs 14 additional bills late Wednesday afternoon
Gov. Bill Ritter signed seven bills into law today that directly assist senior citizens, people with disabilities and those who suffer from mental illness and debilitating cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.
Later in the day, Gov. Ritter signed an additional 14 bills into law.
"Mental health care remains hidden in the shadows as the quiet step-child to traditional health care issues, in terms of everything from cost to quality to access," Gov. Ritter said at a morning ceremony in the West Foyer of the state Capitol for three bills address mental health care needs.
SB 36 (Keller/Stafford) expands the number of mental illnesses eligible for health insurance coverage to include Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, anxiety disorders, panic disorders and eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, among others.
SB 230 (Keller/Frangas) expands services available to children seeking care under the Child Mental Health Treatment Act.
HB 1057 (Stafford/Windels) addresses the mental health care needs of kids in the juvenile justice system.
"Left untreated, mental-health disorders ruin lives, destroy families and wreck careers. They overburden the criminal justice system and lead to hundreds of suicides every year. From a business perspective, mental illness is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. It costs Colorado businesses millions of dollars in lost productivity and increased health-care premiums every year.
"In addition, more and more military veterans are returning home from Iraq with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental-health issues," Gov. Ritter added. "We as a state must do everything we can to make sure they get the help they need."
At a separate afternoon ceremony, Gov. Ritter signed bills that enhance services to senior citizens, those with disabilities and people who suffer from cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer's.
"My mother, Ethel, is in her 80s. She took care of 12 kids and she now belongs to a growing population of Colorado senior citizens," Gov. Ritter said at the Volunteers of America Sunset Park Senior Center in Denver. "The bills I'm signing today support Colorado seniors and those who care for them."
The number of adults in Colorado who are age 65 and older is expected to grow from 560,000 today to 1.2 million by the year 2020. Some 120,000 older Coloradans live alone.
The bills signed this afternoon:
HB1100 (Riesberg/Morse) increases funds from $3 million today to $5 million a year to the Older Coloradans Fund. The fund pays for vital community-based services such as Meals on Wheels, transportation, in-home medical services, legal advice, elder abuse prevention, and information and referral services. In-home care costs about one-third as much as facility care, $1,300 a month compared with $3,800 a month.
HB 1106 (Gallegos/Bacon) expands the qualifications for the Property Tax/Rent/Heat Rebate Program for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.
HB 1374 (Frangas/S. Mitchell) directs the state to review how we can better transition Medicaid clients from expensive hospital care to more cost-effective and appropriate long-term care settings.
HB 1064 (V. Mitchell/Sandoval) will provide $380,000 to counties around the state so they can set up tracking programs for people who suffer from Alzheimer's and other cognitive conditions that may lead them to wander away from home or a care facility. The program provides GPS tracking devices and establishes tracking registries.
Later Wednesday, Gov. Ritter signed an additional 14 bills:
HB 1065, (Pommer/Williams), Passenger Carriers Criminal History Check
HB 1097 (Rose/Penry), Original Plates Motor Vehicle Collector
HB 1271 (A. Kerr/Tupa), Family Literacy Education Program
HB 1309 (Weissmann/Tupa), Oil and Gas Interest School Energy Efficiency
HB 1311 (Marshall/Tochtrop), Shorter Sunrise Review Process
HB 1319 (White/Boyd), Medicaid Audit Procedures
HB 1329 (Curry/Boyd), Water Quality Permit Drinking Water Fees
HB 1344 (Merrifield/Kester), Public Safety and Local Improvement Sales Tax
HB 1379 (Weissmann/Tupa), County Environmental Sustainability Programs
SB 107 (Tapia/Borodkin), License Landscape Architects
SB 123 (Takis/A. Kerr), Regulate Conveyances and Mechanics
SB 252 (Isgar/Judd), Family Resource Centers
SB 257 (Bacon/Fischer), Multi-Year Contracts Higher Education
SB 258 (Groff/Rice), Concerning Workers' Compensation