04/11/2008 08:30 AM House FINANCE

8:52:29 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATE BILL NO. 259                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     An  Act   repealing  certain  provisions   relating  to                                                                    
     applications  for medical  assistance coverage;  making                                                                    
     certain provisions  of ch.  96, SLA  2006, retroactive;                                                                    
     providing  for  an  effective   date  by  repealing  an                                                                    
     effective date  section in ch. 96,  SLA 2006; providing                                                                    
     for an effective  date for certain sections  of ch. 96,                                                                    
     SLA 2006; and providing for an effective date.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
KATHRYN  KURTZ, ASSISTANT  REVISER OF  STATUTES, LEGISLATIVE                                                                    
LEGAL  SERVICES,   clarified  that   SB  259   addresses  an                                                                    
effective date  problem.  In  the original 2006  bill, there                                                                    
was an  effective date that  was suppose to start  on either                                                                    
      st,                                                                                                                       
July 1    when the  State received  federal approval  of the                                                                    
revised plan  or whatever came  later.  The problem  is that                                                                    
the federal approval process was  piece-mealed.  Many of the                                                                    
changes in the  original billed did not need  to be approved                                                                    
by the  federal government.   The manner  in which  the bill                                                                    
was  worded left  some sections  without an  effective date.                                                                    
SB 259 provides the effective  date for those sections.  The                                                                    
Department of Law supports the bill.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:54:15 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Stoltze MOVED  to REPORT SB 259  out of Committee                                                                    
with  individual recommendations  and with  the accompanying                                                                    
fiscal notes.  There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SB  259 was  REPORTED  out  of Committee  with  a "do  pass"                                                                    
recommendation and  with zero note  #1 by the  Department of                                                                    
Health  and  Social  Services  and   zero  note  #2  by  the                                                                    
Legislative Affairs Agency.