House Resolution 76

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION TO CREATE THE HOUSE ASTHMA STRATEGIC PLANNING STUDY COMMITTEE TO STUDY THE BURDEN OF ASTHMA IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN MISSISSIPPI AND PRIORITIZE THE STRATEGIES TO REDUCE THE BURDEN OF THE DISEASE.

WHEREAS, asthma is one of the most chronic health conditions in the world, affecting over 20 million people in the United States and 325,687 in Mississippi in 2003; and

WHEREAS, asthma is the Number One reason for school absenteeism in Mississippi and nationwide; and

WHEREAS, asthma is responsible for more than 500,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths nationwide; and

WHEREAS, asthma costs our nation approximately $11 billion per year in health care costs; and

WHEREAS, asthma results in almost $5 billion in additional costs due to worker absenteeism and lost productivity nationwide; and

WHEREAS, asthma is the most common childhood disorder, affecting approximately 12.8% (96,835) of children under 18 years of age in Mississippi in 2003; and

WHEREAS, asthma accounted for 3,585 emergency room visits in children under 15 years old in 2003; and

WHEREAS, 237 Mississippians died due to asthma between 1999 and 2003, including 11 children under 15 years old; and

WHEREAS, asthma prevalence is higher in Mississippians with lower incomes, those with less than high school education, adult females and nonwhite adults:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That there is created the House Asthma Strategic Planning Study Committee, which shall

study the burden of asthma in children and adults in Mississippi, and priortize the strategies to reduce the burden of the disease as provided in the Mississippi State Asthma Plan 2006-2010, set forth by the statewide Asthma Coalition of Mississippi, to address asthma through a collaborative public health approach thereby improving the health status of Mississippians with asthma.

The study committee shall consist of four members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker, and one member or representative of each of the following agencies and organizations: State Department of Health - Asthma Program, Division of Medicaid, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, State Department of Education - Superintendent's office, Mississippi School Nurse Association, American Lung Association of Mississippi, State and School Employees Life and Health Insurance Plan, Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi.

Within thirty days after adoption of this resolution, the Speaker shall appoint the House members of the study committee and the agencies and organizations having members or representatives on the committee shall designate their member or representative to the committee. Within fifteen days after the period designated for making appointments, on a day to be designated by the Speaker, the committee shall meet and organize by selecting from its membership a chairman and a vice chairman. The vice chairman will serve as secretary and is responsible for keeping all records of the committee. A majority of the members of the committee constitutes a quorum. An affirmative vote of a majority of the committee is required in the transaction of all business. All members must be notified in writing of all meetings, and those notices must be mailed at least five days before the date on which a meeting is to be held.

Members of the study committee who are not legislators, state officials or state employees shall be compensated at the per diem rate authorized by Section 25-3-69 and shall be reimbursed in accordance with Section 25-3-41 for mileage and actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Legislative members of the committee shall be paid from the contingent expense funds of their respective houses in the same manner as provided for committee meetings when the Legislature is not in session; however, no per diem or expense for attending meetings of the committee may be paid while the Legislature is in session. A committee member may not incur per diem, travel or other expenses unless previously authorized by vote, at a meeting of the committee, which action must be recorded in the official minutes of the meeting. Nonlegislative members will be paid from any funds made available to the committee for that purpose.

The study committee shall make a report of its findings and recommendations, including any recommended legislation, to the House of Representatives before December 1, 2007. Upon presentation of its report to the House, the committee shall be dissolved.