Item 3: Ratification of Intergovernmental Relations Committee Actions

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HB 2503 Ms. Wilson said the bill, which would establish a Retired Senior Volunteer Program that permitted people to volunteer their services in exchange for insurance coverage, would likely become a law. Ms. Bettman did not think it appropriate to provide insurance to volunteers as they were not subject to the same hiring and training procedures as employees. Ms. Bettman, seconded by Mr. Pryor, moved to change the status of the bill to Oppose. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0. HB 2700 Responding to a question from Ms. Bettman, Ms. Wilson said the bill, which would require health benefit plans to underwrite the costs of contraception, had passed in the House and was likely to pass in the Senate. Mayor Piercy, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to change the status of the bill from Moni- tor to Support. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0. SB 137 Ms. Bettman, seconded by Mr. Pryor, moved to change the status of the bill to Oppose with an amendment to remove the preemption related to the State’s authority over land use mat- ters. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0. SB 404 Ms. Bettman questioned the priority assigned to the bill. Ms. Iboa explained that the bill would cost the City a great deal if passed and she felt that active opposition was in order. The committee confirmed the staff recommendation. SB 463 Ms. Iboa explained that bill would expend the period for acceptance or denial of a worker’s compensation claim to 90 days, which she thought would be good, but she did not feel strongly enough about it to make the bill a Priority 2. There was no objection to the staff recommendation. HB 2661 Ms. Iboa said the bill, which would authorize health care providers and health care recipients to enter into dispute resolution agreements, did not affect the City so she recommended it be dropped. There was no objection. HB 2805 Ms. Iboa said she recommended the bill, which would allow the payment of worker’s compensation benefits to injured volunteer search and rescue personnel, be dropped from further consideration because the City was not involved in search and rescue activities. Ms. Bettman wanted to oppose the bill because of the volunteer nature of that service and her belief that volunteers should not be compensated by the public. She thought that people who climbed Mount Hood, for example, should contribute to a fund that paid for the costs of the search and rescue volunteers. MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations March 22, 2007 Page 11