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Colorado To Audit Welfare System
by Chloe Albanesius
Colorado Gov. Bill Owens last week announced that the state has hired Deloitte Consulting to audit the Colorado Benefits Management System, which is aimed at providing users with better access to public assistance and medical services.
The $200 million system ran into problems immediately after its September 2004 implementation, when vendor Electronic Data Systems ran out of room on its server for all of case files. The resulting delay produced almost 30,000 backlogged cases, a number that was reduced to 9,521 as of Feb. 28 after EDS doubled its server capacity.
The Deloitte audit, which is expected to take six weeks, will examine the system's technical, business and project management, and make detailed suggestions for its improvement. It will cost the state between $325,000 and $365,000.
"While most components of the benefits-management system are functioning correctly, there are still some remaining operating problems that must be resolved," the Republican governor said in a statement.
At a hearing earlier this month before the state Assembly Health and Human Services Committee, Boulder County Commissioner Tom Mayer said the system is not functional for counties and county officials have had to use their own funds to reduce backlogs while waiting for a fix. Arapahoe County Commissioner Susan Beckman, meanwhile, said legislators and counties need to be better informed about contracts between state departments and EDS, and pushed for counties to be involved whenever decisions about the system are made.
Wade Livingston, the state's first assistant attorney general, said his office is reviewing EDS' potential liability for problems with the system.
Utah Governor Signs Revamped 'Spyware' Bill
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican, signed a revised measure to combat secretly installed computer "spyware" into law Friday.
The first bill was signed into law last year, but its implementation was delayed following a legal challenge from New York-based WhenU.com, a firm that offers online advertisements that appear automatically when people visit certain Internet sites.
The revamped measure, H.B. 104, more carefully classifies such pop-up ads that would be considered spyware. It also abolishes a clause in the previous bill that allowed consumers to sue over violations but allows the attorney general to file charges against offenders.
The bill decreases damages from $10,000 per violation to $500. It will take effect May 1.
Minnesota Explores Drug Imports From Britain
With Canadian officials suggesting that they might halt their supply of prescription drugs to the United States, Minnesota should explore the option of expanding its drug-importation program to pharmacies in Europe, according to a report released Friday by the state's Human Services Department.
"It's becoming clear that the Canadian government might slam the door on American consumers seeking more affordable prescription medicines from safe Canadian pharmacies," Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty said in a statement. "We're taking action now to guide us as we move toward accessing prescriptions in the United Kingdom."
Several states have explored Canadian drug imports to give citizens access to cheaper drugs. But the influx of orders has stressed Canadian pharmacies and prompted Canadian Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh to suggest stopping U.S. access to Canadian drugs.
The Minnesota Human Services Department explored four options and concluded that it would be most beneficial for the state to work with Canadian pharmacies affiliated with Minnesota's existing importation program, Minnesota RxConnect. Those facilities have developed relationships with pharmacies in the United Kingdom, allowing for Minnesota's program to continue in the event of a Canadian boycott.
Researchers looked at joining the multi-state I-SaveRx program, an idea currently being considered by state lawmakers. They concluded, however, that information provided by Minnesota RxConnect is more extensive than that provided by I-SaveRx.
The report also considered maintaining the status quo, but its authors were hesitant to endorse that route given the tenuous situation in Canada.
Relying solely on U.K. pharmacies, meanwhile, was not recommended because British pharmacies "did not have the experience at establishing the sophisticated Web sites and call centers that the Canadian pharmacies operate," the report said.
In other news, Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton, a Republican, plans to introduce legislation that would allow residents to purchase prescription drugs from Canada. AP reports that the bill would bolster an executive order made by former Democratic Gov. Bob Holden last year that allowed Missouri to join the I-SaveRx program.
Extension Sought On E-Monitoring System
The Tennessee House on Monday passed a measure that would give the state's Board of Probation and Parole additional time to find a company to develop an electronic tracking system for paroled sex offenders.
Offenders would have to wear ankle bracelets equipped with global-positioning capabilities to monitor their whereabouts at all times. Under the bill, H.B. 384, the agency would have until June 30 to approve a contractor for the job. The board missed its Dec. 31, 2004, deadline.
Action in Tennessee comes days after a local Florida businessman called for all released sex offenders to wear electronic ankle bracelets. Joseph Dawson started soliciting a petition for stronger sex-offender sentencing after 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford was sexually assaulted and murdered by a convicted sex offender living in her neighborhood. Released sex offenders should be required to wear the electronic devices at all times, Dawson said at a Sunday press conference.
Meanwhile, Bernalillo County in New Mexico will spend $75,000 to purchase 20 satellite-monitored ankle bracelets to monitor juvenile delinquents, The Albuquerque Tribune reports.
And AP reports that privacy advocates in New Hampshire are worried that the state's participation in the E-ZPass toll system will enable officials to track residents' movement. The state, however, said strict policies are in place to prevent any breaches of privacy.
Regional Leaders To Probe Anthrax Mishap
Leaders of the national capital region this week announced that a formal review of state and local response is under way in light of communication break downs during last week's anthrax scare at a local postal facility in northern Virginia.
Defense Department officials at the Pentagon postal facility failed to notify officials at the local Arlington post office when an investigation showed signs of anthrax. The news could have helped Arlington officials when they later made a similar discovery.
"There were concerns expressed about notifications and coordination of key actions among agencies," Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat, said in a statement. "Before we can draw accurate conclusions about what went well and areas [that] need improvement, we need facts."
The Democratic governor pledged to share with federal officials information that is gathered during the investigation.
"The security of the national capital region depends on effective, real-time communications among federal, state and local officials," said Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich, a Republican.
Connecticut Receives Homeland Security Grants
In other news, Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell announced Friday that her state has received more than $24 million in federal homeland security funding. Some $16.9 million will go directly to state cities and towns for communication systems and other measures.
Meanwhile, the state's former governor, Republican John Rowland, last week was sentenced to a year in jail on corruption charges. Rell, who was elevated to governor after Rowland resigned, said in a statement that Rowland is not "the man I thought I knew" and that his sentencing prompts feelings of "sadness about talent wasted, lives ruined, achievements overshadowed."
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