Welfare, Abortion, Welfare, Neighborhoods
Tucson, Arizona Thursday, 22 March 2001
http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/10322capbriefs.html
Legislative briefing
Welfare
State senators voted yesterday to end an experiment to privatize welfare.
Lawmakers voted to void the four-year contract the state has with a private firm.
Sen. Ruth Solomon, D-Tucson, said first-year results show that the program, already operating in parts of Maricopa County, is costing more than if the state did the work itself.
The preliminary vote came over the objections of some legislators who insisted that the cost figures are misleading.
Sen. Jay Blanchard, D-Gilbert, said it may be true the program has problems, but he said it would be wrong to use a study of just its first year of operation to declare it a failure.
But scrapping the program has the full support of Gov. Jane Hull.
Jodi Beckley, an aide to the governor, said Hull is "very concerned when a program costs this much more and does not deliver any significant results."
Lawmakers approved the experiment, known as Arizona Works, in 1997 to see if a private company could do a better job than the Department of Economic Security in getting welfare recipients into the work force.
The firm, Maximus, was given a contract to serve portions of Tempe, Mesa and Chandler, with the idea being to do a side-by-side comparison.
As required by law, the contract set the payment to Maximus at 10 percent less than the cost to the state.
However, Solomon noted that federal officials refused to let the DES privatize eligibility determination and food stamp distribution. That forced the state to keep doing those chores, even in areas where Maximus operated.
The result, said Solomon, is that Maximus is paid about $1 million more than the DES annually to run the same program.
What's worse, she said, the state gets nothing extra.
Abortion
State senators reversed course yesterday, killing legislation that would have imposed a 24-hour waiting period on women seeking abortions.
The measure, SB 1380, drew only 15 votes, one short of the number necessary for final Senate approval.
Sen. Jack Jackson, D-Window Rock, who supported the measure in a preliminary vote Monday, changed his mind.
Backers of the bill said women need more time and information before terminating a pregnancy.
The information provided to the women would have covered potential complications and included pictures or drawings of the fetus at various stages of development.
Opponents called the bill an unnecessary impediment to a legal procedure.
Hazing
Unable to criminalize the practice of hazing, state lawmakers are making other efforts to cut down on it.
The House of Representatives voted yesterday to require all public schools, community colleges and universities to develop and enforce a policy to prevent hazing. The policy would include training for teachers and a statement that the victim's consent is not a defense.
HB 2476 now goes to the Senate. Last month senators killed a measure which would have made hazing a crime.
Neighborhoods
Homeowners who live in communities governed by associations would get more rights under the terms of legislation approved yesterday by the Senate.
SB 1368 would: ensure that board meetings are open; make recall of board members and amendments to bylaws easier; and give individuals more rights to appeal board rulings.
Sen. Tom Smith, R-Phoenix, said the changes are necessary to protect individuals from "abusive" boards.
- Capitol Media Services
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