The second meeting of the Executive Committee of the Special Advisory Commission of Senior Citizens was held on Monday, September 25, 2000, at 1:00 PM, in Room 327 of the Capitol. Dr. Abby Marlatt, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Abby Marlatt, Chair; Joe Bishop, Finnell Fields, Charles Fisher, Jack Golden, Winford Holt, Wanda Korte, Esther Rigby, Mary Robertson, and Robert Veazey.
LRC Staff: Anne Armstrong, Barbara Baker, Gerard Donovan, C. Gilmore Dutton, Greg Freedman, Louis Pierce, John Snyder, and Rose Mack, Secretary.
Chairperson Marlatt directed the members' attention to several documents contained in their meeting folders: minutes of the April 3, 2000, Executive Committee meeting; updated membership lists; a letter from University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging; a listing of newly-appointed members; and a tentative agenda for the November 2-3, 2000, meeting of the Commission.
The minutes of the April 3, 2000, Executive Committee meeting were approved as submitted.
Chairperson Marlatt announced that the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging had invited the Commission to be a co-sponsor of the "Summer Series on Aging" scheduled for July 9-11, 2001, at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington. As a co-sponsor, the Commission would appoint a member to serve on the planning committee to attend planning meetings, be involved in helping to plan the program content, assist in dissemination of information regarding the seminar, and assist in moderating workshops at the "Summer Series on Aging" in July. Vice Chairman Robert Veazey moved that the Commission accept the invitation to participate in the "Summer Series on Aging." Seconded by Mr. Joe Bishop, the motion carried. Mr. Joe Bishop was selected as the Commission's representative and Miss Esther Rigby agreed to serve as an alternate.
Mr. Gilmore Dutton, Commission Staff Coordinator, reviewed the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the full Commission scheduled for November 2-3, 2000, at the Holiday Inn Capital Plaza in Frankfort. After discussion of the agenda, it was decided that Chairperson Marlatt would send a letter to the Commission members reminding them of the mission of the Commission and their responsibility in regards to the mission.
Chairperson Marlatt recognized Mr. Gerard Donovan, staff member for the Consumer Affairs Subcommittee, who reported that the Subcommittee's November agenda will include the following items:
(1) Restrictions on telemarketing, sweepstakes, and donations, including requests for donations via television;
(2) The need for an increase in federal and state funding for home services for our needy senior population;
(3) The need for an increase in federal and state funding for meals delivered to homes and adult daycare centers for senior citizens and the handicapped;
(4) Managing the increased cost of medicine for senior citizens;
(5) Obtaining information regarding mailings that appear similar to vehicle registration renewal cards but are actually solicitations for business; and
(6) Further discussion of "Service Credit Banking." This program allows an individual to record his or her volunteer hours and receive credit for volunteer hours in return.
Health and Human Services Subcommittee Chairman, Mr. Joe Bishop, announced that the members of the Subcommittee have been asked to be prepared to discuss the needs in their community as it relates to the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction and to formulate recommendations based on those needs.
Mr. Charles Fisher, Chairman for the Insurance Subcommittee, announced that the Insurance Subcommittee's agenda will include the following:
(1) An update on the implementation of House Bill 390,
(2) The Kentucky Seniors Program, and
(3) A resolution on prescription drugs.
Next, Mr. Louis Pierce, staff member for the Taxation Subcommittee, reported the following agenda items for the November Subcommittee meeting:
(1) Discuss and refine recommendations adopted at the May, 2000, meeting;
(2) Presentation of issues to come before the 2002 Regular Session of the General Assembly;
(3) Inheritance tax;
(4) Tax credits for caregivers for the elderly; and
(5) Tax code reform.
Lastly, Mr. Jack Golden, Chairman of the Transportation Subcommittee, reported the a presentation supporting the need for mandatory vision testing when renewing a driver's license would be the main topic for their Subcommittee meeting.
Mr. Dutton asked the Executive Committee if they would like the members to be seated at their respective regional coordinating committee tables for the opening general session on Thursday, November 2, 2000. It was decided that by doing so, the coordinators for the regional coordinating committees would have an opportunity to remind the members of the purpose of the committees.
Mr. Bishop asked everyone to sign a "Get Well" card for Mrs. Irene Vertrees, a Commission member who is recuperating from a vehicle accident.
The next meeting of the full Commission following the November, 2000, meeting is scheduled for May 10-11, 2001. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:15 PM.