Our Lawmakers

Health claim bill signed into law

A bill by state Senator Jack Scott (D-Altadena) to impose a 10% penalty on late payment of long-term care health claims by insurers has been signed into law. “Recent published reports indicate that nearly one in four long-term care claims in California were denied in 2005,” Scott said. “This legislation would help to curb that by making sure that insurers pay in a timely manner or face penalties.”

Scott has also won final approval and signature of SB 1393, his nursing education bill to require open enrollment of nursing students at community colleges and to allow some nursing programs to require course work beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Dreier: Dems doing ‘duck and cover’

La Cañada’s representative in Congress, David Dreier, a Republican, has attacked the Democratic majority in the House for what he termed failure to take action on the “pending entitlement crisis.” He called the latest action on Medicare drug benefits “duck and cover,” and said, “It is unfortunate the Democratic leadership continues to abuse the rules of the House in its efforts to duck the hard work of governing.”

In other news, Dreier has introduced the FDIC Flexibility Act of 2008, to give the federal government more tools to help protect the deposits of banks facing financial crisis.

Dreier said, “I believe that some well-intentioned provisions of the law may make the FDIC’s job harder, not easier.”

Portantino backs trans fat bill

A measure supported by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) to phase out the use of trans fats in all California restaurants beginning in 2010 and from all baked goods by 2011 has been signed by the governor, who hailed the law as the first in the nation. The bill was authored by Assemblyman Tony Mendoza.

— By Charles Cooper