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Committee Members
Senator April Brimmer Kunz, Chairman
Representative Randall Luthi, Vice Chairman
Senator Tex Boggs
Senator Ken Decaria
Senator Grant Larson
Senator Curt Meier
Representative Liz Gentile
Representative Alan Jones
Representative Marty Martin
Representative Fred Parady
Representative Harry Tipton
Legislative Service Office
Barbara J. Rogers, Program Evaluation Manager; Kelley Pelissier, Senior Program Evaluator; Paula Gordinier, Program Evaluator; Noah Miller, Associate Program Evaluator; Kate Collins, Associate Program Evaluator; Lynne Callaghan, Associate Program Evaluator; Michael Swank, Associate Program Evaluator
Others Present
Please refer to Appendix 1 to review the sign-in sheet for a list of other individuals who attended the meeting.
The following is a summary of Committee proceedings arranged by topic. Other materials referred to in these minutes, which are not attached as exhibits, are on file at the Legislative Service Office.
Call to Order (June 30, 2003)
Chairman Kunz called the meeting to order at 1:35 p.m. The following sections summarize the Committee proceedings by topic. Please refer to Attachment 1 to review the Committee meeting agenda.
Chairman Kunz made opening remarks concerning the purpose of the Management Audit Committee and its procedures. She asked Ms. Rogers to provide an overview of the program evaluation function and to describe how the Committee selects topics for study.
Representative Martin moved and Representative Luthi seconded a motion to approve minutes of the Committee’s organizational meeting on March 5, 2003. The motion carried.
Chairman Kunz resolved the meeting into Executive Session for consideration of the draft report on Workers’ Compensation Claims Processing. After staff presentations, the Committee discussed the report’s findings and recommendations with staff from the Department of Employment. Following their departure, the Committee continued to review the report. At 6:45 p.m., Chairman Kunz called for a recess until the next morning.
The meeting resumed at 8:35 a.m. in Executive Session.
The Committee considered the follow-up report on the May 2001 evaluation report entitled State Parks and Historic Sites Fee Program. Staff from the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources joined the meeting to discuss progress the agency has made toward implementing the report’s recommendations.
The Committee next considered the follow-up report on the July 2001 evaluation report entitled Childcare Licensing. Staff from the Department of Family Services joined the meeting to discuss progress the agency has made toward implementing the report’s recommendations.
Chairman Kunz declared the meeting open. Representative Parady moved and Representative Martin seconded the motion to release the report on Workers’ Compensation Claims Processing. The motion carried unanimously.
Representative Luthi moved that the Chairman send a letter to Cynthia Pomeroy, Director of Department of Employment. The letter should request the agency develop a timeframe for implementing the report recommendations it plans to carry out and provide this information to the Committee within the next month. It should also request that the agency obtain an independent assessment of the program’s financial practices and condition before the 2004 legislative session. Finally, the letter should request that by December 1, 2003 the agency provide the Committee suggestions for statutory changes that would assist it in more quickly and efficiently delivering benefits to injured workers. Representative Parady seconded the motion. Committee discussion followed, with Senator Larson requesting that staff clarify language in the report pertaining to the term “self-funded.” Staff agreed that clarification would be helpful in this case. The motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Kunz informed members that usually the executive summary of a newly-released report is sent to all legislators along with a postcard that can be returned to LSO requesting a full copy of the report. In this case she asked that in addition to the normal distribution which includes the Governor and the other four elected state officials, the full report also be sent to members of the Joint Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee.
Representative Tipton moved and Representative Luthi seconded the motion to release the follow-ups on State Parks and Historic Sites Fee Program and Childcare Licensing. The motion carried.
Chairman Kunz emphasized that the selection of new study topics is one of the most important decisions the Committee makes. She said the tradition has been to request that staff prepare a scoping paper on a particular issue; this gives the Committee background information and an idea of how a study might be focused. She stated that the scoping paper on Developmental Disabilities, requested by the Committee at its organizational meeting, is an example. She went on to add that there is considerable interest in doing this study, she believes it should cover both child and adult services, and since it will be a broad and complicated study, it should be the the single topic approved for study at this time.
Committee discussion followed, after which Senator Larson moved that Developmental Disabilities be the next topic for study. Representative Luthi seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. Senator Meier added he is interested in learning about comparable services provided in surrounding states and whether there is migration between states for the purposes of obtaining certain services. Representative Gentile indicated interest in the provision of therapeutic services under the Medicaid waiver.
Chairman Kunz called for discussion of additional topics for scoping papers. Members put forward various ideas and narrowed down the list. Representative Parady moved that staff prepare scoping papers on the following topics: Child Support Enforcement; Workers’ Compensation Rate Setting, Provider Reimbursement, and Adequacy of Compensation; the Wyoming Business Council; and Pathways to People/TANF. Senator Decaria seconded the motion and it carried. Staff was instructed to prepare as many of the scoping papers as possible in time for the Committee’s next meeting.
Senator Kunz said the Committee will likely meet in January 2004 to consider the report on Developmental Disabilities.
There being no further business, Chairman Kunz adjourned the meeting at 11:50 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Senator April Brimmer Kunz, Chairman