North Carolina AIDS Soir-vices CoaH.-fci.on.
>K3«c5|c Legislative Update ***
Date: February 14, 1989
ACTION: Send a letter to your legislators NOW -- TODAY.
Prepare to generate others very soon. The whole
process just changed.
The General Assembly just changed its rules. I told you recently
that the major legislation would be introduced in late March or
early April. It will now all be introduced this week.
They decided that all bills from legislative study committees
have to be introduced now. Therefore, the $6.5 million
appropriations bill, and the anti-discrimination bill, will be
introduced this week. (Foster care, AZT funding, and authorizing
the study committee to continue are already filed.)
This means that hearings could begin within a week. It depends
on when the sub-committee chairs schedule them. I will be
checking regularly, but they can bring up bills on only 24 hours
notice.
Bills that are not part of a study committee report can be
introduced up until May. A bill to require testing of anyone
convicted of a criminal sexual assault was filed yesterday. I
will send out shortly a list of all bills filed.
We may have to act quickly and without much notice. We may need
people to testify with little notice. Whatever happens in the
sub-committees will go on to the full committees so there will be
a second chance to influence appropriations bills. It is now
uncertain where the anti-discrimination will go for hearings. It
could be Human Resources, it could be a Judiciary committee.
The rush to introduce bills is causing some of the bad ones to
come up early, too. One Republican is drafting a "Right to Know"
bill that would require that employers notify employees and the
public of any HIV-positive employee, and that names be posted in
emergency-response agencies (fire, police, etc.). There is an
effort to talk him out of it but he will probably file it. More
to come.
Send a letter to a legislator now. Just urge them to
support the AIDS Prevention and Education Act and the antidiscrimination legislation that will be introduced.
North Carolina AIDS Soir-vices CoaH.-fci.on.
>K3«c5|c Legislative Update ***
Date: February 14, 1989
ACTION: Send a letter to your legislators NOW -- TODAY.
Prepare to generate others very soon. The whole
process just changed.
The General Assembly just changed its rules. I told you recently
that the major legislation would be introduced in late March or
early April. It will now all be introduced this week.
They decided that all bills from legislative study committees
have to be introduced now. Therefore, the $6.5 million
appropriations bill, and the anti-discrimination bill, will be
introduced this week. (Foster care, AZT funding, and authorizing
the study committee to continue are already filed.)
This means that hearings could begin within a week. It depends
on when the sub-committee chairs schedule them. I will be
checking regularly, but they can bring up bills on only 24 hours
notice.
Bills that are not part of a study committee report can be
introduced up until May. A bill to require testing of anyone
convicted of a criminal sexual assault was filed yesterday. I
will send out shortly a list of all bills filed.
We may have to act quickly and without much notice. We may need
people to testify with little notice. Whatever happens in the
sub-committees will go on to the full committees so there will be
a second chance to influence appropriations bills. It is now
uncertain where the anti-discrimination will go for hearings. It
could be Human Resources, it could be a Judiciary committee.
The rush to introduce bills is causing some of the bad ones to
come up early, too. One Republican is drafting a "Right to Know"
bill that would require that employers notify employees and the
public of any HIV-positive employee, and that names be posted in
emergency-response agencies (fire, police, etc.). There is an
effort to talk him out of it but he will probably file it. More
to come.
Send a letter to a legislator now. Just urge them to
support the AIDS Prevention and Education Act and the antidiscrimination legislation that will be introduced.
