HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE March 9, 1999 3:04 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Fred Dyson, Co-Chair Representative John Coghill, Co-Chair Representative Jim Whitaker Representative Joe Green Representative Tom Brice Representative Allen Kemplen MEMBERS ABSENT Representative Carl Morgan COMMITTEE CALENDAR * HOUSE BILL NO. 118 "An Act relating to payment for remedial classes at the University of Alaska." - HEARD AND HELD CONFIRMATION HEARINGS: State Board of Education Susan Stitham Roy M. Nageak Sr. Paula R. Pawlowski - CONFIRMATIONS ADVANCED Professional Teaching Practices Commission Steven Beardsley Vickie L. McCubbin Bruce F. Johnson - CONFIRMATIONS ADVANCED Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Board of Trustees Nelson G. Page - SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD University of Alaska Board of Regents Robert A. Malone Frances H. Rose Joseph E. Usibelli, Jr. Brian Rogers - SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT ON THE LONG-TERM CARE TASK FORCE (* First public hearing) PREVIOUS ACTION BILL: HB 118 SHORT TITLE: COST OF COLLEGE REMEDIAL CLASSES SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVES(S) DYSON, Kohring Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action 2/26/99 324 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S) 2/26/99 325 (H) HES, FINANCE 3/05/99 378 (H) COSPONSOR(S): KOHRING 3/09/99 (H) HES AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 106 WITNESS REGISTER CARL ROSE, Executive Director Association of Alaska School Boards 316 West 11th Street Juneau, Alaska 99801 Telephone: (907) 586-1083 POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 118. JOHN CYR, President NEA-Alaska 114 Second Street Juneau, Alaska 99801 Telephone: (907) 586-3090 POSITION STATEMENT: Testified against HB 118. WENDY REDMAN, Vice President Statewide University Relations University of Alaska P.O. Box 755200 Fairbanks, Alaska 99775 Telephone: (907) 474-7582 POSITION STATEMENT: Testified against HB 118. SUSAN STITHAM, Appointee to the Board of Education P. O. Box 80913 College, Alaska 99708 Telephone: (907) 479-5046 POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the State Board of Education. STEVEN BEARDSLEY, Appointee to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC) 13201 Reef Anchorage, Alaska 99515 Telephone: (907) 345-4764 POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the PTPC. ROY M. NAGEAK SR., Appointee to the State Board of Education P. O. Box 354 Barrow, Alaska 99723 Telephone: (907) 852-7696 POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the State Board of Education. PAULA PAWLOWSKI, Appointee to the State Board of Education 3300 Belcher Drive Anchorage, Alaska 99517 Telephone: (907) 245-1301 POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the State Board of Education. VICKIE MCCUBBIN, Appointee to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC) 4272 Birch Run Anchorage, Alaska 99507 Telephone: (907) 346-4900 POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the PTPC. BRUCE F. JOHNSON, Appointee to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC) 1202 Seward Avenue Sitka, Alaska 99835 Telephone: (907) 747-8026 POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the PTPC. ACTION NARRATIVE TAPE 99-16, SIDE A Number 0001 CO-CHAIRMAN COGHILL called the House Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:04 p.m. Members present at the call to order were Representatives Dyson, Coghill, Whitaker, Green, Brice and Kemplen. HB 118-COST OF COLLEGE REMEDIAL CLASSES Number 0103 CO-CHAIRMAN COGHILL announced the first order of business as House Bill No. 118, "An Act relating to payment for remedial classes at the University of Alaska." CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON, sponsor of HB 118, came forward to present it. He said that this bill in essence gives a financial warranty on a student who goes to the university system within two years and needs remedial work. The remedial work would be reimbursed by the district that gave the diploma. He didn't do a sectional analysis, but the last paragraph talks about how the cost will be determined. He referred to an intriguing newspaper article discussing similar things in Virginia, South Carolina, Colorado and Georgia which is in the packet. Many educators whom he has met with were startled by HB 118, but no one thought it was a bad idea. He hopes the bill sends a symbolic message and isn't taken advantage of very often. School districts across the state are moving towards diplomas which will mean something under the quality schools initiatives and mandatory exit testing. The university people whom he has talked to think this is a marvelous idea. He has a companion bill, HB 119, that allows adults to attend high school and be a part of the funding formula. He hopes the net result of both of these is that most of the remedial education happens in the local high schools. Number 0364 REPRESENTATIVE KEMPLEN asked what the effective date of this piece of legislation would be. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said that wasn't addressed, and maybe it should be. He didn't anticipate that this would look backward. It would be from this date, or maybe a year from now forward, so schools operating on a different philosophy wouldn't be caught by this. REPRESENTATIVE KEMPLEN asked if this piece of legislation would be effective the same time as the exit exam. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said he thinks that good exit testing will probably make HB 118 obsolete. He said he thinks that passing the exit exam should mean that a student would not need remedial work. Number 0533 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN said his concern is that it might be the student's fault for not applying himself, not the program's fault, but the program would be punished. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said that is the problem. If indeed the student didn't apply himself, in his view, the school should not have given him a diploma. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON continued that he anticipates that some schools will issue diplomas with disclaimers. He would assume that it would be a positive defense of the school to say this student was really good when he finished high school; the school did their part and is not responsible for what happened after that. REPRESENTATIVE BRICE said he thinks they are making an assumption that freshman math is a logical extension of high school twelfth grade math, but there might be an honest gap between the two in terms of the complexity and difficulty. REPRESENTATIVE BRICE referred to the question on the effective date and said it would be 90 days after signature. He wondered if students took remedial classes voluntarily, would the school district pay for those as well. Number 0899 CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said he would not want the school district to be responsible financially for any voluntary remedial courses. REPRESENTATIVE KEMPLEN said in looking through the backup materials he noticed that some of the other states required a minimum grade point average (GPA), for example: Virginia's proposed warranties are eligible only to advanced- studies students who score a 2.5 GPA [grade point average] or higher - halfway between a "B" and a "C." He wondered why this bill doesn't have similar language regarding GPAs. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said he had considered that and also if a student chose a vocational prep class. He thinks that the district might say they weren't intending to prepare this student for college because of the student's choice. He anticipates that school districts would indeed put that on the diploma as a positive defense disclaimer for what they were preparing that student for. There is amendment language prepared to meet the GPA requirement if they are interested. Number 1060 REPRESENTATIVE KEMPLEN said that it seems the way HB 118 is written, everyone who graduates from high school with a diploma should be qualified for college. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said not quite, but that anyone who goes to college should have been prepared. It assumes they took the courses available. REPRESENTATIVE KEMPLEN said it seems to him that if a school is going to provide a warranty, then it should be able to put some caveats on that warranty. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said he expects the diploma to state if a student is prepared for post-secondary education; if not, then it would state so. He believes that is a positive defense against back charges. Number 1230 CARL ROSE, Executive Director, Association of Alaska School Boards, came forward to testify. He said most of the intent of this bill has been addressed through legislation already passed which culminated in the qualifying exam. He thinks the intent of the bill is trying to ensure the quality of education. The schools have embarked on a process of performance standards for professionals, students and communities as well as accreditation of the system. This will engage them in curriculum development, professional development and assessments to ensure that they are in fact progressing and meeting the bar that was set. His concern is that after an investment that culminates in 2002 with the qualifying exam, there will be additional constraints. MR. ROSE continued because of the legal constraints of denying a diploma, they have had to mandate by law all the standards that are set forth. As a result of that, the diploma is going to have some added value. He suggested that if someone receiving a diploma after 2002 has to take remedial education at the university level, then the system is in real need of reform. MR. ROSE expressed his concern about what is to be done with all the rest who haven't identified their intent to go to college. He thinks they will be looking at a system that will be turning out a lot of certificates of attendance, and that is not tolerable either. They are not turning out students on a college track but are trying to get them to pursue a quality life. He said he doesn't want to downplay a certificate of attendance, but there is some rigor that is going to be expected through the performance standards that will culminate in a diploma that he believes will stand up to the intent of this bill. Number 1443 JOHN CYR, President, NEA-Alaska, came forward to testify. He declared that this is the first he has heard that they believe that the exit exam was built to say everyone who passes the exit exam is qualified to go on to the university. He said he thought it was about the students who passed the exit exam meeting a level of achievement that is sufficient to award them a high school diploma. There is a big difference between that and warrantying students for university work. If they are saying high schools across Alaska have got to provide a warranty for the university, then he thinks that is a markedly different course of study than saying they are preparing the students to go out into the world of work: some to the university, some into jobs, some into the service, some to be legislators and some to be teachers. There is a wide variance that he doesn't think is taken into account. MR. CYR pointed out that the idea of a college warranty is intriguing; it brings in the idea of a differentiated diploma. He doesn't suggest that the university should change its acceptance policy because he thinks state funded universities have an obligation to the state to let students through the door. Mr. CYR went on to say he is surprised that this bill only speaks about public schools being held liable. He said he thought the whole spectrum of folks who send students to the university should also be held liable. He concluded that as the bill sits now, NEA- Alaska is opposed to HB 118, but they look forward to working with the sponsor and the committee. Number 1612 WENDY REDMAN, Vice President, Statewide University Relations, University of Alaska, came forward to testify. She understands the intent of HB 118, and they certainly need money at the university for remedial education; however, they absolutely do not support taking money from the schools to give it to the university. She believes that the appropriate way to deal with the problem at this point is to receive full funding for their budget request, which in fact, does include money for remedial education. They have been working closely with school districts on the Alaska Quality Education Initiatives, and they think that is the appropriate way the schools are addressing the whole issue of standards. Faculty at the university have been involved in working with teachers on the development of appropriate standards for graduation and within each discipline areas so that the requirements for college level work are getting built into those standards. MS. REDMAN referred to the university's admissions policy. She said that the University of Alaska has a complicated mission because they have the community college mission as well, so they are an open admission university. It is the role of the community colleges to take people in who don't have the proper preparation and provide it. She hopes the committee will be supportive in their budget request, as well as the schools' budget requests, to try to get the funding they need to make this a reality. CO-CHAIRMAN COGHILL announced public testimony closed on HB 118 with the understanding that they will pick it up after the confirmation hearings on the Governor's Appointees. CONFIRMATION HEARINGS The next order of business was the confirmation hearings for the State Board of Education and the Professional Teaching Practices Commission. The committee would not vote for the nominees but would pass them out of committee for full consideration of the House and Senate. (Resumes were provided for all appointees.) Number 1757 SUSAN STITHAM, Appointee to the State Board of Education, testified via teleconference from Fairbanks. She has taught at Lathrop High School since 1972 and currently teaches 10th and 12th graders English, Social Studies, Ancient European History and Shakespeare. She has served on the State Board of Education for the past four and a half years and said it has been a wonderful experience. She has been involved in education for over thirty years in Alaska and actively involved for about 25 years on the state level. She served on the University of Alaska Board of Regents from 1987 to 1995 and thinks the connection between the university and grades K- 12 is really important. She brings those experiences and her classroom teaching experience to the board. This is a very positive time for education in Alaska, and she hopes to continue to be a part of it. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON expressed his appreciation for her willingness to serve. He asked Ms. Stitham if there are any of the national positions that NEA has taken that she takes exception to. Number 1824 MS. STITHAM said yes that there are positions which she has disagreed with. She served as NEA director from 1983-1989, but since that time has not held national or state offices. She doesn't feel constrained at all to represent positions that she doesn't support personally by NEA. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said aside from constraints in the Alaska State Constitution in terms of any public funds going to private institutions, he asked if she would be against tax credits on a local level which allowed parents to get tax credit when their children attend private schools. Number 1905 MS. STITHAM answered the short answer to that is yes. The State Board of Education has taken a very strong position in support of public schools and public school choice against spending public money on private education. She thinks the public schools are the foundation of our country and our democracy. She thinks the problem with spending public money on private schools is that it will take money away from the public schools which is needed to improve public schools. She thinks public schools can be improved, but Alaska's schools are very good compared to schools outside. She said it is incredibly important for students to have the experience of mixing and being part of a microcosm that reflects the entire community. To be part of public education is a common experience which makes democracy work. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said he wasn't speaking of vouchers or public money; he was only talking about tax credits in that context. MS. STITHAM said her first reaction is they should be supporting public schools. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON asked if she was not against the tax credit per se but only against any scheme that takes money away from public education where it is significantly needed. MS. STITHAM said she would have to think about the idea of tax credits more, but she thinks they need to put the available resources into the public schools. Number 2014 CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON asked Ms. Stitham what she thinks about parent involvement and control of their children in light of the confidentiality issues which NEA has taken a strong position. MS. STITHAM said she thinks that parents are the most important and first teachers of children. She thinks the brain research on the first five years of life makes it clear that parents have the most significant influence on children for good or for ill, and she supports parenting to help parents be the best they can be. She absolutely supports parental choice within the public schools. That is her only caveat. She thinks parents should have a choice, but the problem is whether public money should be used for that choice. She supports expanding public choice, like charter schools, within the public school. She is not clear about the NEA position on confidentiality, but she does not in anyway represent NEA on the State Board of Education. She feels she represents all Alaskans as a steward and certainly brings her teaching experience and some NEA experience, but NEA's positions do not control her. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said the information on the resolution said the NEA believes every child should have direct and confidential access to comprehensive health, social, psychological programs and services. That indicates to him that confidentiality means the parents are "out of the loop." He asked Ms. Stitham where she is in the issue of parents knowing what is going on with their children and having a choice in what they participate. Number 2147 MS. STITHAM said the problem is that it depends on the age of the child. She works with high school students, and some children are in dangerous and harmful family situations where they need to be able to talk about it, sometimes confidentially. Every opportunity to involve parents should be made, but obviously there are times when the child does need confidentiality. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said that was a satisfactory answer. REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked where she thought our schools' graduates rank now as compared to where they ranked in 1995. Number 2210 MS. STITHAM said she believes that Alaskan students are beginning to improve on standardized tests. That question will have a better answer when they have benchmarks and can actually see how the students are doing. She thinks students are doing better, working harder and learning more than people did twenty-five years ago, but the schools can be improved. REPRESENTATIVE GREEN said the reason he asked the period of 1995- 1999 is because during that time she was on the Board, and he wondered what she had done that makes the committee say "yes, Ms. Stitham is the one for this job." MS. STITHAM said she doesn't think any individual could answer that because they work together as a board. She has her classroom experience and an ability to focus on issues to keep going in the direction of the standards. There have been huge changes and the benefits haven't yet been realized, but they have moved education forward. TAPE 99-16, SIDE B Number 2356 REPRESENTATIVE WHITAKER commented he supported her continued involvement. Number 2293 STEVEN BEARDSLEY, Appointee to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC), testified via teleconference from Anchorage. He said he has been a teacher for 28 years, 26 of those in primary grades in Anchorage. He said that this is a good time to be in Alaska where there are benchmarks, and it is time to continue and move on. REPRESENTATIVE BRICE asked Mr. Beardsley what background and involvement he had in his school district dealing with ethics issues. MR. BEARDSLEY answered that he served as a building representative within the building level and previously worked with the district on some ethics issues but not on a certified board. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON asked Mr. Beardsley if he had found issues that the NEA has taken that he takes a different view on. MR. BEARDSLEY said he wasn't ready to say at this point which views he has supported or not. He doesn't know if this is in the scope of professional teaching ethics. He sits on the commission as a teacher to see if what is brought before the board is ethical, from superintendents down to teachers. Number 2134 ROY NAGEAK, Appointee to the State Board of Education, testified via teleconference from Barrow. He said he has been on the State Board of Education since 1997. He has been involved with the North Slope Borough Board of Education from 1973-1976 and again from 1988 to present. He has been involved with the Association of Alaska School Boards 1988-1998 and from that he has a statewide perspective. He has served on several other local boards and has been in involved in politics in the local area for the last 15 to 20 years. CO-CHAIRMAN COGHILL asked what Mr. Nageak sees what he can bring to the board for education in Alaska. MR. NAGEAK said from a local perspective he sees a lot of changes in the educational system like new laws the schools need to comply with. He is familiar with new technology, which they have utilized for the last six to eight years that connects into the surrounding villages. They are using interactive TV where one teacher in Barrow teaches several students in surrounding villages via telecast. He was elected chairman of the State Board of Education and has a rural perspective as well as a statewide perspective. Number 1841 PAULA PAWLOWSKI, Appointee to the State Board of Education, testified via teleconference from Anchorage. She is still the "new kid on the block" joining the group early last summer. She was born in Alaska, moved around in the military, and now she and her family have been in Alaska for twelve years. Her family has been involved in American Field Service for about 15 years and has hosted three exchange students. She is currently serving the last year of her term as the Alaska State PTA President. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON referred to her participation as a presenter in parent involvement and site-based management and asked what site- based management means to her. MS. PAWLOWSKI said one of the things that they do at workshops on site-based management is talk about the different methods that it can take. She was involved in Brown University site-based management team on the east coast, which was more intensive than some site councils in Alaska. They were in on every single bit of training with teachers, parents, community members and students. They interviewed principals, assistant principals and teachers and participated in setting the standards for the high school. She has given workshops in Seward and in Juneau where site councils are quite common, but that is not the case across the state. What goes on in site councils varies from district to district, but they are comprised of community members, parent members and school members. Number 1786 CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said he assumes that she is enthusiastic for that way of community involvement. MS. PAWLOWSKI said she thought the site-based councils movement on the east coast took a lot more energy and many more hours than she had anticipated. She came to the schools as a partner because she had children in the schools, not because she wanted to be an educator. CO-CHAIRMAN COGHILL asked her as a policy maker how she would tackle the confidentiality issue with regard to parental notification or parental choice with regard to student counseling. Number 1611 MS. PAWLOWSKI said there are circumstances that children live in today from which they need some sort of protection. The parent needs information on how to do their job the best they can, but it depends on the child's age, stage and which subject they are talking about. If there aren't communication and partnership in families between parents and children, she is not sure whose right it is to protect that child. In her opinion, the child would come first. Number 1470 VICKIE MCCUBBIN, Appointee to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission, testified via teleconference from Anchorage. She grew up in Anchorage, is a product of the Anchorage School District and has been working with the Anchorage School District for twenty years in various capacities. The last seventeen years have been as a classroom teacher in grades one through eight, and currently she teaches eighth grade social studies, language arts and sign language at the middle school. Currently she co-facilitates a methods class at Alaska Pacific University for beginning teachers. She also has done committee work with NEA/AEA [National Education Association/Anchorage Education Association] and has co-chaired the Instructional Professional Development Committee for a couple of years. Currently she chairs the Educational Excellence Committee and is middle school coordinator for the Cook Inlet Literacy Council and has served on other committees through AEA. She is very honored at the opportunity to be able to serve on the PTPC and is anxious to go about the work of the commission. REPRESENTATIVE WHITAKER asked her to explain some of her thesis study regarding multiple intelligences. Number 1396 MS. MCCUBBIN answered that everyone has a capacity to learn in a variety of different styles and tap into different portions of the brain. Some have a proclivity toward one particular part or the other; some are very good visual/spatial tasks. School has traditionally tested for the cognitive tasks that involve reading, writing, logic and math, but there are a number of students who also are very good at physical tasks, artistic talents and other ways. Those can be abridged to tap into those resources to help them to handle some of the more traditional school oriented tasks. She wanted to pursue that as her thesis opportunity and use it with students in the classroom so they can learn the ways that they function best to be successful and productive in school. CO-CHAIRMAN COGHILL asked how she views the PTPC and what she wants to bring as mission to that committee. MS. MCCUBBIN said she thinks the PTPC needs to be a group of people who look objectively at situations where there might be some question of the ethical conduct of people in the teaching profession. She thinks it is very important that they stay objective when they look at handling difficulties and problems, and that the interests and welfare of students are put first and foremost. Number 1223 BRUCE JOHNSON, Appointee to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission, came forward to testify. He is currently the Superintendent at Mt. Edgecumbe High School and Director of the Division of Teaching and Learning Support in the Department of Education. He has had the dual role since January. He was superintendent in the Juneau School District in the 1980s and then was superintendent in Kodiak Island. He spent three years in the villages of Kodiak learning what life is like in rural Alaska and spending time with his newborn daughter and wife. He has served on the PTPC for the past three years; two years ago as vice chair and this past year as chair. He believes that they perform a very important function in this state. His experience over the last three years is that everybody comes to the commission to make good decisions on behalf of young people. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON said he was intrigued by his dissertation on how elementary school principals thought they acted while they were trying to bring about change. He asked if it was concluded that the principals acted differently than they thought they acted. MR. JOHNSON answered no, that he concluded that there were different behaviors on the part of elementary school principals facilitating change. The group who had brought about significant change did behave in different ways. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON asked if people who were successful at change had different behaviors than those who were less successful. MR. JOHNSON answered that was correct. Number 1090 CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON asked if those who were able to effect change in the school purposely changed their behavior or was it just the way they were. MR. JOHNSON answered it was probably a combination of those two. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON asked what the Danforth Policymakers' Institute is. MR. JOHNSON answered various state agencies worked together in a summer institute, which was sponsored by the Danforth Foundation, to bring about improvements on behalf of young people. Number 1021 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked why Mr. Johnson went from a superintendency to village principal. MR. JOHNSON said he felt he needed a change in his life, and it coincided with the birth of his only child. One of the things he was unable to do in the first nine months of her life was balance being a father and the superintendent in Juneau. Because he chose to do the Juneau superintendency in a very active way by attending everything, he was never home. He had been critical of fathers who were not attending to the needs of their children, and he didn't want to be one of them. Being in a village on Kodiak Island gave him time with his family, plus broadened his perspective on education in Alaska. REPRESENTATIVE GREEN complimented him on the good job he does at Mt. Edgecumbe High School. CO-CHAIRMAN COGHILL concluded the introductions on these appointments and announced they will pass these along by individual recommendation to pass out of committee today. He announced the next order of business would return to HB 118. HB 118-COST OF COLLEGE REMEDIAL CLASSES Number 0769 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked about the comparative costs between a remedial class at the university and one at a high school. Number 0708 MS. REDMAN explained that there are two different kinds of pre- college education: developmental and remedial. Developmental is a term used for students who are simply too low; they simply do not have the skills to do college level work. Remedial is a term used for people who decided to go back to college but need a brush-up course. The pre-college courses are below 100 level; students get no credit, and they can't use the student loan for it. There are many students who have to take several of those courses before they can begin. The remedial courses are taught at the 100 level; students don't get credit towards a degree, but they get credit for the class. The pre-college courses are taught by adjunct faculty but may be comparable to what it would cost in the high school. The remedial courses are more expensive because they are taught by university faculty. REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked if there is any merit to a different category of instruction for those who want to go to college but were somewhat deficient, rather than burdening either the university or the high school with the cost. MS. REDMAN answered that in some states the high school assumes that responsibility if students don't meet the requirements. The students can come back to the high school, but it is very difficult psychologically to come back for classes after they left. There is a law on the books in Alaska to offer a 13th year, so it is conceivable that the schools, with proper funding, could in fact offer a 13th year which would be a bridge between high school and college that may pick up some of those courses. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON asked what was the decision process to come to the conclusion to oppose this bill. Number 0420 MS. REDMAN said there was no formal action taken by the Board of Regents opposing or objecting to the legislation; it was based on what she knows are the priorities for the university this year and her personal discussion with the board members. CO-CHAIRMAN COGHILL announced they would hold action on HB 118 for a later date and finish up the committee meeting with the long-term care task force report. [HB 118 was held over.] Long-Term Care Task Force Subcommittee Recommendation Number 0220 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE reported that the Long-Term Care Task Force Subcommittee met and reviewed with the various departments the four pieces of legislation recommended by the Long-Term Care Task Force. They now request that the committee chairman introduce these bills under the HES flag. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON asked if the subcommittee made any changes in those four recommendations from the Long-Term Care Task Force. Number 0136 REPRESENTATIVE KEMPLEN said some changes were discussed, and it was understood that there would be an opportunity at the committee level to introduce amendments to the legislation. TAPE 99-17, SIDE A Number 0022 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE said the subcommittee felt that it was important that this committee look at the pieces of legislation as a package, discuss them and then advance them. CO-CHAIRMAN DYSON recommended that they all look at the packet, make any modifications and be prepared at a later date to deal with this legislation. It is his understanding that these bills are needed by senior citizens, and they don't want to be an impediment to what is really necessary for senior citizens. CO-CHAIRMAN COGHILL recommended that this will be brought up on Thursday, if there is time. ADJOURNMENT Number 0254 There being no further business before the committee, the House Health, Education and Social Services Committee meeting was adjourned at 4:42 p.m.