Social
Work Lobby Day 2012 Information
Schedule of Events
February 6, 2012:
Location:
Tallahassee Automobile Museum
6800 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee, FL
(I-10 exit 209)
Part I
3:30–4:30 p.m.: Part I Training
(only for those who have not had the Part I training elsewhere)
Part II
5:00–7:00 p.m.: Part II Training
February 7, 2012:
Location:
Capitol Complex, Front Steps of the Historic Capitol
(Facing Appalachee Parkway)
8:30
a.m.: Breakfast at the Capitol
9:00 a.m.: Lobby Day Rally & Presentation of award trophies
9:30 a.m.– : Appointments with legislators
Online
Resources for Social Work Lobby Day 2012
General
sites:
• www.myfloridahouse.gov
• www.flsenate.gov
• www.leg.state.fl.us
To make legislative appointments and/or find out who your legislators
are:
• www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/myrepresentative.aspx
To research bills:
• www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/bills.aspx
• www.flsenate.gov/session/bills
For research and information about social welfare policy issues:
• Capitol News Service (www.flanews.com)
• Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy (www.fcfep.org)
• Florida CHAIN (consumer health advocacy organization)
(www.floridachain.org)
• Equality Florida (www.eqfl.org)
• Dr. D’s Policy Blog (www.drdspolicyblog.blogspot.com)
Florida’s Capitol Complex: What You Need to Know to Prepare
for Social Work Lobby Day
NASW-FL’s
2012 Legislative Agenda
The NASW-FL Board of Directors has outlined
the following areas as legislative and advocacy issues for 2012.
I. Professional Social Work
- Encourage the legislature to recognize the
importance of the social work profession, workforce challenges,
and trends in employment.
- Maintain the quality and integrity of professional
social work, and minimize administrative burdens through professional
regulation and oversight.
- Expand employment opportunities for social
workers.
- Ensure social work students have ample opportunities
for education and experience.
II. Mental Health
- Promote legislation that promotes equity
in mental health treatment and coverage.
- Ensure involuntary commitment procedures
that best protect the clients and the public.
- Support fair and marketable reimbursement
rates for social workers.
- Encourage treatment, rather than prison
or homelessness, for those with mental illness.
III. Child Welfare
- Expand the education and training of child
welfare workers in schools of social work by drawing down additional
federal funds for Title IV-E.
- Promote reinstituting the loan forgiveness
program for social workers in child welfare.
- Reduce barriers to adoption and expand the
pool of permanent homes for foster children.
- Support legislation promoting care of foster
care children from placement to adulthood.
IV. Health Care
- Oppose the elimination of or cuts from the
medically needy program in Florida.
- Support accessible and affordable health
care for all families, including those in Medicaid.
- Support implementation of the KidCare program
for all eligible children in Florida.
V. Aging and Disability
Services
- Support legislation that ensures that elders
and those with disabilities have access to needed services,
including health care, mental health treatment, and support
services.
- Oppose cuts that will place Florida’s
aging or disabled populations at greater risk.
VI. Social Welfare
- Support full societal participation and
equal opportunity for all Florida families.
- Support laws encouraging equitable
representation of all Floridians in government.
HB
155: How Does It Impact LCSWs?
What is HB 155?
The Florida Legislature, in late April, passed HB 155, officially
titled "Privacy of Firearms Owners" but more commonly
known as the "docs and Glocks" bill. It prohibits a
health care practitioner licensed under chapter 456 or health
care facility licensed under chapter 395 from recording firearm
ownership in a patient’s medical record.
The central issue for the health care community was that government
has no business determining what licensed health care practitioner
can or cannot ask of their patients. They believe this to be a
private issue between the two parties. If a patient believes a
question about his gun ownership (or any query, for that matter)
is out of line, he is free to decline to answer.
The original version (sponsored by Rep. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford,
and Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker) imposed stiff criminal penalties
on licensed health care practitioners who dared ask their patients
about firearm ownership. Compromise legislation eliminated the
punishment and allows licensed health care practitioners to ask
a patient about the presence of guns in a household if the licensed
health care practitioner thinks the question is relevant and doesn’t
“harass” the patient. (It still prohibits pediatricians
from asking children about guns in their homes.) It passed the
House and Senate easily and has been signed by the Governor. It
immediately became law.
Is 491 included in those impacted by this?
The bill does not exempt LCSWs, LMFTs, or LMHCs. Although the
bill states that it impacts those licensed under chapter 456,
this is the statute which grants the authority to Medical Quality
Assurance at the Florida Department of Health to license medical
practitioners in the state of Florida. Therefore, all health care
professionals regulated by the Department of Health are impacted.
This includes all mental health professionals in Florida, including
those licensed under chapter 491.
How are social workers impacted?
Social workers should read the bill language and become familiar
with the requirements. However, the impact to social workers is
expected to be minimal. One important thing to know is that health
care professionals may ask about gun ownership and storage if
they, in good faith, believe the information is relevant to the
patient’s medical care, or safety, or to the safety of others.
Because the majority of social work is directly related to the
health or safety of the client or others, most social work practice
will fall within this exemption. Social workers doing suicide
assessments, for example, will be able to continue to ask any
questions they need with no change needed to comply with the new
law.
Where do we go from here?
Those opposing the bill are engaging in efforts to have it overturned
in the courts, and are mounting a challenge stating that HB 155
violates the medical practitioner’s free speech rights under
the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Supporters of the
bill claim that it should be upheld under the Second Amendment.
We will keep practitioners aware of any updates as these challenges
progress through the court system.
There may also be legislative efforts in the next legislative
session to tweak or repeal the bill. NASW-FL was extremely involved
in lobbying to add the language providing an exemption for the
health and safety of the patient, and will continue to be involved
in future legislative sessions.
NASW-FL staff are especially interested in hearing how this new
law impacts your practice. If there is a significant negative
impact, we will be able to use your stories and examples to demonstrate
to our elected officials why change is needed.
Please send any comments or examples of how your practice is impacted
to the NASW-FL Chapter office at naswfl@naswfl.org.
Thank you for your advocacy and support!
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last updated on
Friday, January 27, 2012
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