Our Legislative Agenda, as determined by you, our members was:

• Prevent expansion of the Medicaid Preferred Drug List
FAILED: Oppose HB 369. Our efforts to build a Mental Health Coalition to oppose this bill were successful, but despite repeated meetings with the Administration, our efforts to stop expansion of the Preferred Drug list failed.

• Promote contraceptive equity and abstinence-plus education as a way to reduce poverty among women and children
NO RELEVANT BILLS WERE INTRODUCED.

• Advance Long-term Care Reform
QUALIFIED SUCCESS. Administration bills, which we supported, and which passed are important baby steps in reforming long-term care, but more substantive measures are needed if Louisiana is to develop a true continuum of care that is not overly dependent upon institutional care.

• Support the Tobacco Tax Increase
FAILED. We proudly stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the American Cancer Society in their efforts to increase the tobacco tax to $1, as we believe this is an effective smoking deterrent.

• No wrong door in social services
PASSED. We congratulate Representative Diane Winston on authoring HB 445, which was signed into law by Governor K. B. Blanco as Act 88!

• Addressing domestic violence as a health issue
FAILED. We applaud Representative Cheryl Gray for introducing HB 610, which provided unemployed compensation benefits to victims of domestic abuse.

• Cover the Uninsured
PASSED. We applaud the Administration for signing SB 270 (McPherson) into law to develop Medicaid programs which expand coverage to the uninsured.

• Enlisting pharmacists in efforts to enroll seniors in Medicare drug cards/Medicare Part D
PASSED SR 105 (Hines) requests the Louisiana SenioRx program to assist those aged 65 and older in obtaining information regarding the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

CHILDREN
PASSED. SB59, Duplessis and Marchand, SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR, ACT 495, Authorizes a child care expense income tax credit without regard to whether a federal credit is claimed.
PASSED SB 146, BAJOIE AND MCPHERSON, Limit students' access to certain foods and beverages at school. SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR ACT 331. This measure was severely amended, allowing too many non-nutritional "choices"; a step in the right direction but not enough.
FAILED HB 540, Jefferson, Requires all local public school boards to have policies prohibiting the harassment, intimidation, and bullying; involuntarily deferred in House

JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM
All Juvenile Justice reform measures failed.

• Other bills we supported
1. PASSED. HB 742 (Carter) creates the Greater New Orleans Biosciences Economic Development District to assist with the development of bioscience facilities, programs, research and the acquisition of training dollars. WHAP was proud to be a co-sponsor of the BioScience Business Development Conference in Baton Rouge this May.
2. FAILED. HB 444 (Hunter) created the Equal Pay for Women Act.

Other issues we will continue to monitor, but which did not have legislative action this year
• Full enrollment of children in LaCHIP: There were no legislative changes.
• Expand federally-financed health centers or community based health: There was no new money.
• Oppose cuts to Charity Hospital system: All cuts in the budget were restored.
• Protect and expand school based health centers: No changes were made.
• Promote education about the Safe Haven Law: $75,000 allocated.