REP. BENEFIELD'S PATIENT-PROTECTION AND
ACCOUNTABLE-GOVERNMENT BILLS BECOME LAW
Gov. Bill Ritter today joined Arvada lawmakers for a town hall community forum, visiting with constituents and signing into law legislation that will protect surgery patients and improve government accountability.
“These bills represent some of the great progress we made during the 2010 legislative session despite the challenging economy,” Gov. Ritter said. “We kept our budget balanced, moved forward on education and healthcare reform and continued to position Colorado for a healthy economic recovery.”
House Bill 1414 (Benefield) requires that a health care facility reports information identifying those who take drugs from a health care facility that were intended for patients of the facility.
“This law will help put a stop to repeat offenders who move from facility to facility seeking drugs,” said Rep. Debbie Benefield (D-Arvada/Westminster). “No one should have to worry about contracting a disease while undergoing surgery, and dangerous health care workers should never have a second chance to endanger patients.”
House Bill 1415 (Gagliardi) requires surgical technologists and surgical assistants to register with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, and requires employers to ensure that anyone they hire is in good standing in DORA’s database before allowing him/her to perform the duties of a surgical technologist or assistant.
“If this new law had been in place a few years ago, we could have caught the recently sentenced surgical technician before she exposed so many innocent victims to Hep. C and denied them their pain medication,” said Rep. Sara Gagliardi (D-Arvada). “As a licensed practical nurse, I know how critical it is for health care workers to be regulated. Patients coming in for treatment should be able to trust the care they receive; curing one health problem should not expose you to another. I’m so pleased the Governor is signing this life-saving bill into law.”
The SMART Government Act, House Bill 1119, requires each state agency to present, on an annual basis, the department's strategic plan to the relevant committee of reference of the General Assembly. The presentation is to include a discussion of the department's goals and performance measures. The committees of reference are to allow public testimony at each of these presentations.
“Coloradans like me are hungry for a more transparent and accountable state government,” Rep. Benefield said. “The ‘SMART Government Act’ feeds that hunger by allowing the public to see which programs and agencies use their tax dollars most efficiently.
"SMART Government will change the way we create and present our state budget. Performance budgeting makes it is easier for the average person to understand where our money comes from and what programs it provides. It will be easier for legislators to evaluate how taxpayers’ dollars are spent; and if they are being spent wisely and well. With more information, state government will be more transparent and measurable. And that means the voters can keep us accountable, and we will be held responsible for the tough fiscal choices we make every year."
"State Government will be Measurable, Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent.”
Click here to read Rep. Benefield's Guest Commentary in the Denver Post.