CAARR Newsletter - April 30, 2012
"Under the Dome" by David Peters
The CO group is working on other issues as well. For example, all 9 CO's tentatively signed off on a new Counselor Uniform Code of Conduct (CUCC), and in a few weeks all the CO's are expected to have formally adopted it. Now, we are working to align the "sanctions matrix", developed a few years ago by an ADP-sponsored working group, with the new CUCC. When the CUCC has been officially adopted by all 9 CO's we will bring that document to ADP along with the updated sanctions matrix. The upshot is that the Department, all 9 CO's, and all registered and Certified counselors will be working from the same set of principles. When issues regarding counselor conduct arise, all CO's, counselors, and programs that employ counselors, will have a clear understanding of the guidelines governing appropriate and inappropriate behavior. And just as now, all counselors will have to understand and sign the new CUCC before becoming certified. Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing on Governor Brown's proposal to eliminate the California Department of Alcohol and Drug ProgramsOn April 25, the Assembly's Budget Subcommittee #1 on Health and Human Services convened to hear the Administration's proposal to completely eliminate ADP, and to fold its many functions into 3 different state departments. This hearing is part of the Legislature's normal, ongoing process to examine every aspect of a budget plan that is proposed by the Governor in January each year. Officials from Governor Brown's Administration testified in defense of the proposal. ADP Director Michael Cunningham mentioned that moving most of ADP's functions to the Department of Health Care Services would result in improved linkages between AOD services and the rest of the health care community. However Tom Renfree, Executive Director of CAADPAC, told Committee Members that they have very strong reservations about the value of the proposal and that this budget proposal ought to be evaluated in Legislative Policy Committees instead of in the budget debate. CAARR testified that it endorses CAADPAC's position, and in addition CAARR urged the Committee to REJECT the Governor's proposal to eliminate ADP. Minutes later, the Committee did in fact reject the proposal on a 3-0 vote. All of CAARR's treatment program member providers and all of our counselor members should thank Subcommittee Chair Holly Mitchell, and Members Wes Chesbro and Bill Monning for voting to reject the Governor's proposal. It's a good victory for us, and especially for all the people we treat now and in 10 years from now! But this is just one step in a long process of deciding what will be contained in the final budget document. This fight isn't over and all of our continuing awareness and advocacy will remain critically important.
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CAARR Board of DirectorsPaul Savo - President Phil Allen - Vice President Ramona Robertson - Secretary Lisa Beintker - Treasurer Tom Avey - Legislation Tom Greenwood Greg Dorst Craig Koury Patricia Flood Janet Knotts Don Troutman Wendell Carmichael Lori Newman Jim O'Connell Dan Tobi Alternates - Cindy Gray, Lorraine Martinez, Glen Webber CAARR Phone Fax |
As reported in the last CAARR newsletter, both AB 1983 (Mansoor) and AB 2007 (Williams) were set for Hearing in the Assembly Health Committee for April 10. AB 1983 proposed to strip away fair housing protections for "integral facilities" and require conditional use permits. AB 2007 proposed to enhance the counselor certification process and create a counselor licensing credential. Ultimately, neither bill was considered and both are "dead" for the year. Assemblyman Mansoor chose to drop AB 1983 in the face of strong opposition from a number of treatment programs and other fair housing advocacy organizations. Assemblyman Williams pulled AB 2007 off calendar at the request of the bill's sponsor, CAADAC, for a variety of reasons including errors in the way the bill was drafted. Going forward, CAADAC, CAARR and the other 9 Certifying Organizations (CO's) have formed a collaborative working group to revise the language in AB 2007. It may be possible to introduce a new bill next year.