Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 3

Legislature Friday, March 18, 1994 Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyo A3 Conferees can't agree on chelation; medical licensing bill dies 7m Tipton, a physician. said he agreed "that the board may have overstepped its authority in attempting to ban the therapy. But he said he did not agree with protecting the '(Doctors) come down loo foivefully (on the hill). I don 't know ifarmgant is the Sen.

Jim Geringer By HUGH JACKSON Star- Tribune capital bureau CHEYENNE A medical licensing bill that suddenly grew controversial when an amendment was added allowing "chelation therapy" died Thursday in the Lcg-, islature. Senate and House conferees could not agree on Senate amend-' mcnts designed to permit the therapy to be continued in the state. Instead, they decided not to put out a conference version of House Bill 177, in effect killing the bill. "We agree to disagree," said Rep. Harry Tipton, IID33, Sen.

Jim (ieringer, SD3, R-Whcatland, said that the issue at stake was far broader than the bill, which was a non-controvsrsial measure to update medical licensing practices. The issue had also gone beyond the controversy over chelation therapy itself, Geringer said, becoming a matter of the public's right to choose health care and the government's interference with individuals' rights. frowns on the therapy as unproven and potentially dangerous. The Senate later decided that it should not legislate on a particular medical practice. But it still wanted to protect Ostlund's right to choose, it tacked on a replacement amendment barring the Board of Medicine from placing prohibitions on any specific medical treatments, Applegate: Board licenses, doesn't ban Sen.

Jim Applegate, SDH, D-Chcycnnc, the primary author of the amendment, argued that the board's authority is confined to licensing, and prohibiting a specific medical practice was beyond the board's statutory scope. Applegate reiterated his argument in conference committee Thursday. If the board feels that chelation therapy is not a valid treatment, then the board already has the authority to review the administering physician's license, Applegate said. "The Senate is pretty solid on this," Applegate said. treatment specifically in the act that deals with medical licenses.

The later Senate amendments to bar the board from prohibiting treatments have already created confusion within the medical community, said. On the one hand, the Board of Medicine can take action against a license for using' inappropriate practices, but on the other, the Sen-ale amendments say that the board can't determine what practices are inappropriate. 'Start over again' on legislation Carole Shotwcll. executive director of the Board of Medicine, asked the conferees to let the licensing bill "go back and start ov er again" rather than pass amendments that brought the board's authority into question. Geringer said the issue had also "touched a nerve" because the medical establishment which is opposed to the alternative therapy has "come down too forcefully." "I don't know if arrogant is the term," Geringer said, adding that the medical profession suffers because the public feels that health care decisions are increasingly beyond their control, The Senate, by tacking on amendments designed to allow the therapy to continue in the state, was "reacting to a general feeling" that the public is "losing control" when it comes to health care, (ieringer said.

'Ostlund amendment' basis of brouhaha Chelation therapy, where an acid is administered intravenously to dissolve substances which cause hardening of the arteries, surprisingly emerged as a controversial issue at the Legislature earlier this week. Former state senator and GOP gubernatorial nominee John Ostlund, who suffered heart failure on the floor of the Senate in 1973, made an emotional plea to the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday. Ostlund said chelation therapy had allowed him to avoid heart surgery and saved his life, and convinced the committee to tack an amendment on to the licensing bill that would specifically allow the therapy to continue. The amendment was necessary, Ostlund said, because the state Board of Medicine has promulgated new regulations which would prohibit the therapy in Wyoming. The medical establishment Senate follows House, 'Of the 13 items I vetoed in the budget hill ihcKP wnrp rltwrlv ihf lfnvt Imnnrtnnt Legislator harassment amendment dumped From staff and ire reports CHEYENNE A legislative-error cleanup bill that at one point included a penalty for lobbyists who harass legislators was approved by both the Senate and House Thursday minus the harassment provision.

Senate File sponsored by the Management Council, is the annual "revisor's bill" that cleans up errors made in bills from the previous session. overrides upset my day. money between and within state agency budgets. Sen. Tom Kinnison, SD21, R-Sheridan, a JAC co-chair, said the committee was unable to track how the governor's shifted money within agency budgets, although it could track money that was shifted Id First bills signed into law Lab 'lie agree to -Hep.

Harry Tipton The bill was intended primarily to allow physicians assistants to be reimbursed directly from insurance companies, rather than having to go through a doctor, and the physicians assistants can wait, she said. Meanwhile, the Board of Medicine's proposed new rules would still ban chelation iherapv in the state. Shotwcll said that the rules to some degree were written on the assumption that the medical licensing bill would pass, so ill have to be reviewed in any case before they are promulgated. That will give the seven-member board the opportunity to review the prohibition on chelation, as well, Shotwcll said, but she would make no predictions about the board's actions. It normally receives little attention, but an amendment by Rep.

Bill V'ascy. HD15. D-Ravvl-ins. sent it to a conference committee this session. Vascy's amendment would have prohibited lobbyists from threatening lawmakers "with economic, political or personal loss or injury" for their decisions.

The violation ould have been a misdemeanor, and guilty parties could have been fined up to $5,000. The amendment Was stripped from the bill by a joint conference committee. Rep. Louie Tomassi. HD20.

R-Big Piney, chairman of the House conferees, said the panel agreed Vasey had brought up an important issue, but one that should be considered in a separate bill next year. Vasey said he only intended the amendment as a way to prompt discussion. A resounding vote earlier this eek in the House for the amendment surprised him. he said. "Lobbyists are a great source of information, and 99 percent of on last day Bowron.

HD57. R-Casper. designed to put legislative-private task forces created in 1993 on hold by restricting travel funds. The final ersion of the bill says. "In allocating in-state travel funds.

Management Council wili give preference to interim committee activ ities." The Grouch I could bin a lot of fond for By JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau CHEYENNE The Senate, following the House's lead, voted Thursday to override two of Gov. Mike Sullivan's vetoes to the budget bill for 1995-96. Both votes to override were straight party-line with all 20 Republicans voting to override and all 10 Democrats opposed. A veto override requires a two-thirds vote. The House on Wednesday voted to override the same two vetoes but a similar effort failed on 1 1 other issues.

Sullivan, meanwhile, issued a release late Thursday from his shamrock-festooned office, saying he wasn't upset by the veto overrides. ing to let a little thing like a budget footnote veto override ruin his St. Patrick's Day," the release said. One of the veto overrides restores to the budget a section requiring state government agencies to submit to the Legislature reports on their computer purchases for the past four years. Sullivan objected to the requirement on grounds the reports will duplicate a legislative management audit committee study of the Computer Technology Division of the Department of Administration and Information.

Sen. April Brimmer Kunz, SD4, R-Cheyennc, a member of the Joint Appropriations Committee, said she added the requirement to the budget bill because of the millions LEGISLATURE 'Lobbyists are a great source of information, and 99 percent of them are cordial. He need lobbyists because we 're a citizen Legislature, but 1 don 't know if we quite need the harassment' Rep. Bill Vasey certainly isn going to Gov. Mike Sullivan of dollars the state is spending on computer equipment.

As an example, she said the Department of Revenue a couple of years ago bought a computer system to help with tax collections. But the staff couldn't use the system for some reason and now wants a replacement, Kunz said. She also said the legislative management audit study will show the state's computer capacity but not the turnover of computer equipment. "We don't have a complete inventory," she said. Sen.

Jim Geringer, SD3, R-Wheatland, questioned whether the information will be valuable enough to warrant sifting through the volumes of paper involved. But (ieringer voted with the other Republicans to override Sullivan's veto. The section requires the state planning coordinator, along with the Legislative Service Office and the State Auditor's Office, to gather the computer purchase reports and submit them to the Joint Appropriations Committee by August 1, 1994. The second veto means the governor must submit a detailed report to the Legislature of how he used his flex authority to move Rick Sorenson'Slar-Trihune AT A GLANCE two vetoes between budgets. The governor's flex authority is "sweeping." Kinnison said, and-the JAC needs detailed information on how it is used to determine which agency budgets are over-funded and which are under-funded.

Sullivan said the veto overrides weren't a big deal when considering the budget as a whole "and it certainly isn't going to upset my day." "Of the 13 items I vetoed in the budget bill, these were clearly the least important," he said in the release. House Bill 9H, to change stale statutes governing cost-shifting in contested coal cases under the Environmental Quality Act to meet federal objections. House Bill 54, amendments to state motor vehicle laws allowing people who lease vehicles to apply any residual value of vehicle registration to new vehicles and to transfer existing plates to a new vehicle. House Bill 41, to clarify the drivers' license fee structure established last year and to raise fees for commercial drivers' licenses and instruction permits. House Bill S5.

to tighten the Amendment IV economic development loan program. House Bill HS, to authorize the Department of Health and the Department of Family Services to use appropriated department funds for health insurance for individuals who otherwise might be eligible for more costly medical services paid for by the state. Bills signed by Sullivan which become effective July 1 include: House Bill 66, to require financial institutions that sell securities to the public to be registered with the state. House Bill 67, to extend an existing loan program for small businesses to 1999. House Bill 6H, amendments to the Wyoming Environmental Quality Act exempting non-major sources of pollution from obtaining an operating permit until the federal Environmental Protection Agency determines whether they should be permanently exempt.

House Bill 79a, to simplify the formulas for distribution of funds to cities, tow ns. counties and the state. House Bill 86, to readjust the fee schedules for state financial institutions. $862,000 appropriations bill removed a House amendment sponsored by Rep. Gordon Park.

HD49, R-Evanston. to add $20,000 to the Legislature's out-of-state travel budget. Park wanted the additional funds because of increased expenses for legislators to travel to meetings of the National Council of State Governments. Energy Council and the National Conference of State Legislatures. But Park told the House Thursday the conference committee's recommendation to delete the funds was acceptable, because lawmakers should follow the example set by the Joint Appropriations BY JOAN BARRON Star- Tribune capital bureau CHEYENNE Gov.

Mike Sullivan Thursday signed into law the first batch of bills from the Legislature's 1994 budget session. The measures include a continued diversion of mineral severance taxes. Sullivan also signed a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing the state to invest up to 25 percent of the state's permanent funds in corporate stock. A similar proposal was approved by a majority of voters in the 1 992, but failed to win the necessary votes to change the constitution. The severance tax diversion, originally House Bill 39.

was a key piece to Sullivan's recommended budget for 1995-96 and was endorsed by the Joint Appropriations Committee. The bill extends until June 30 1996, the diversion to the Budget Reserve Account of the statutory portion of mineral severance tax revenues. The tax revenue otherwise would go into the Permanent Mineral Trust Fund. The diversion wjll provide about $66 million for 1995-96 for general government spending. Sullivan also signed House Bill 93 to give permanent status to the state's Postsecondary Education Planning and Coordination Council, or PEPCC, which was established by the 1991 Legislature to provide coordination and long-term planning for higher education.

Other bills signed by the governor which become effective immediately include: House Bill 61, to increase the maximum penalty for violating the federal Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of I96S from to $25,000 a day. them are cordial. Vasey said. "We need lobbyists because we're a citizen Legislature, but 1 don't know if we quite need the harassment." Vasey said an unfriendly encounter before a vote prompted him to draft the amendment. Vasey said he received what he called a veiled threat from a person lobbying against funding for the controversial Sandstone Dam.

He said he decided a long time ago, after studying the issue, to support the dam proposed for southern Carbon County. "If it would've been a physical threat. 1 probably would have laughed it off," Vasey "It just kind of hit me wrong." During debate Wednesday. Rep. Elwin McGrew, HD18.

D-Rock Springs, said he had been threatened by someone opposed to a bill on conservation districts. "Being threatened does not bring out the best in me." said McGrew. who proposed an amendment to the measure that subsequently was killed by the House. In an interview Wednesday, Vasey acknowledged he didn't know if it would be constitutional to add his amendment to the revisor's bill. "It was something 1 did in the heat of the moment, and I wouldn't be surprised if the governor would veto it anyway." Vasey said before the panel's decision to remove the amendment.

"But I think the message has been sent." Vasey said his and other law makers' experiences underscore the need for lobbyist disclosure law and other efforts to make the governmental process more accountable. The Senate accepted the final ersion of SF by a 29-0 vote, and in the House it on approval 47-12. 5 Legislators 'feed' themselves i Legislators wear green, lament last day CHEYENNE (AP) Lawmakers and others jumped into the St. Patrick's Day spirit Thursday, as the presence of green as no-'. ticeablc throughout the Capitol, from a bright green sports jacket worn by Sen.

Hank Coe, SD 1 8, R-Cody, to paper shamrocks hung in the governor's office. Rep. Rick Badgctt. HD29, D-Shcridan a school teacher showed off his heritage with a button that said "Proud to be Irish." Badgett likened Thursday to the last day of school. "It's an emotional letdown when it's over.

It really is," he said. "I'm going to miss these people." State to control hazardous waste cleanup CHEYENNE (AP) A bill giving the state primacy on haz-'. ardous waste cleanup has passed the Legislature. Ilmise Bill 65 would give the state power to monitor the cleaning up of hazardous waste in Wyoming instead of the federal government. The House concurred with a Senate amendment that would throw the program back to the federal government if state money was ever required for it.

GLANCE PI up. down on the House floor By KERRY DRAKE Star-Tribune capital bureau CHEYENNE On its 19th and final day in session, the 52nd Wyoming Legislature agreed on a subject it usually takes up at the beginning its own appropriations bill. The House concurred 40-20 Thursday ith a conference committee's changes to Senate File also known as the "feed bill." Earlier the Senate had concurred 29-1. but only after a second conference committee had been appointed to iron out differences between the tw chambers. The final version of the Committee to trim travel budgets as much as possible.

The compromise leaves $45,000 available for legislators' out-of-state travel and asks the Management Council to promulgate rules for the use of the funds. Currently, that power rests ith the House speaker and Senate president. The Legislature also accepted a compromise that leav es intact a House amendment sponsored bv Rep. Peg Shreve. HD24.

R-Cody. to earmark $32,500 for in-state travel for use bv interim committees. The Senate refused to accept an amendment offered by Rep. l.es.