This next week we will begin our last week of session! The time has certainly flown by! As a freshman representative, this session has been full of learning experiences, I am looking forward to the interim period to work more on the bills that I filed this session that didn’t make it across the finish line as well as working on other issues that came to my attention during this session.
During the upcoming interim period, I plan to continue to look into the issues around the testing requirements by DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) for students and teachers. I have started working on this during the past few weeks and there is quite a lot more to research before I will be able to decide if legislative action can or should be taken on this or if this will require a different route of action to address these issues. I am finding that many of these issues are tied to several pieces of federal legislation and regulations.
I will also, during the interim period, continue working on issues surrounding long term care. There was a bill that was filed this session that really was a catalyst to bringing this topic to the forefront in the Health and Mental Health Policy Committee on which I serve. The issues that I see requiring action and attention are: lack of adequate staffing, staffing education and pay, inadequate number of state inspectors as well as several other contributing factors. I have already begun working to schedule several meetings with experts in the field over the interim. I will also be attending a Health Policy Academy in Washington DC this summer to learn more of the federal regulations associated with this issue.
After the session has ended, I do plan to take some time and write a bit about the things that I have learned during this first session. Things such as…the right and wrong way to draft a bill, when you are to file things in a certain place and when you are to file them in another… . Lots of little things that only a first timer gets to experience!
The last two weeks are sure to be busy and I will be sure to keep you updated!
Until next week,
Tila
During the upcoming interim period, I plan to continue to look into the issues around the testing requirements by DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) for students and teachers. I have started working on this during the past few weeks and there is quite a lot more to research before I will be able to decide if legislative action can or should be taken on this or if this will require a different route of action to address these issues. I am finding that many of these issues are tied to several pieces of federal legislation and regulations.
I will also, during the interim period, continue working on issues surrounding long term care. There was a bill that was filed this session that really was a catalyst to bringing this topic to the forefront in the Health and Mental Health Policy Committee on which I serve. The issues that I see requiring action and attention are: lack of adequate staffing, staffing education and pay, inadequate number of state inspectors as well as several other contributing factors. I have already begun working to schedule several meetings with experts in the field over the interim. I will also be attending a Health Policy Academy in Washington DC this summer to learn more of the federal regulations associated with this issue.
After the session has ended, I do plan to take some time and write a bit about the things that I have learned during this first session. Things such as…the right and wrong way to draft a bill, when you are to file things in a certain place and when you are to file them in another… . Lots of little things that only a first timer gets to experience!
The last two weeks are sure to be busy and I will be sure to keep you updated!
Until next week,
Tila
