HCS SS SCS SB 48 -- DEPENDENT CARE

SPONSOR:  Sims (Hollingsworth)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Social
Services, Medicaid and the Elderly by a vote of 11 to 0.

This substitute makes various revisions to the Family Care
Safety Act.  In its major provisions, the substitute:

(1)  Adds in-home care providers to the definition of
"elder-care providers";

(2)  Includes child-care providers, elder-care providers, and
personal care providers to the definition of "employer";

(3)  Includes findings of financial exploitation of the elderly
or disabled from the Division of Aging and the Department of
Mental Health's Employee Disqualification List in the Family
Care Safety Registry beginning January 1, 2003;

(4)  Requires that child-care and elder-care workers complete a
registration form for the registry after January 1, 2001, and
that personal-care workers complete registration after January
1, 2002;

(5)  Adds employers who have contracted with the state to those
subject to a class B misdemeanor for failure to confirm an
employee's registration with the Family Care Safety Registry;

(6)  Requires the department to check for findings of financial
exploitation of the elderly or disabled and inclusion on the
Department of Mental Health's Employee Disqualification List
when a registration form is submitted by a care provider;

(7)  Allows state-licensed care providers to receive information
from the registry immediately when requested;

(8)  Allows the Department of Health to use the registry for
licensing purposes; and

(9)  Allows the Department of Mental Health to maintain an
employee disqualification list.

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Net Cost to General Revenue Fund of
$117,174 in FY 2002, $74,897 in FY 2003, and $76,580 in FY
2004.  Estimated Net Income to Criminal Record System Fund of
$171,527 in FY 2002, $28,506 in FY 2003, and $27,871 in FY 2004.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that they are in favor of the bill
but would like it to go even farther to require the industry to
check the list and prohibit them from hiring people who are on
the list.

Testifying for the bill were Senator Sims; Missouri Healthcare
Association; and Missouri Assisted Living Association.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Amy Woods, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated November 26, 2001 at 11:47 am