The new center has been proposed before, but funding was stalled. Now, a dispute over a new legislative office building may end up benefiting veterans. After Gov. Terry McAuliffe said he would not move forward with plans for a $300 million Capitol Square building, a bill was introduced earmarking part of the funding for the veterans’ health care center.

The bill, HB 1275, would dedicate $28.5 million in state bonds for the center, and the funds would come out of money previously intended to replace the General Assembly Building. The center is intended to be funded jointly by the federal government and state government, but it remains unclear whether federal funding would be forthcoming.

Last month, Gov. McAuliffe ordered work on the new legislative building halted, saying that spending $300 million on a new building for legislators sent the wrong message at a time of fiscal constraint.

There are over 800,000 veterans in Virginia, but the state ranks 44th in the ratio of veterans to available health care centers.

The elder law attorneys at Hook Law Center assist Virginia families with will preparation, trust & estate administration, guardianships and conservatorships, long-term care planning, special needs planning, veterans benefits, and more. To learn more, visit http://www.hooklawcenter.com/ or call 757-399-7506.

Medicaid expansion in Michigan has taken a slight pitstop, and will not take effect until late March or early April instead of Jan. 1. The senate sent HB 4714 to the House Tuesday morning, but failed to vote on granting the bill immediate effect.

Senate Democrats pushed to call for a vote on immediate effect, but Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, who presides over the Senate, told the chamber that the bill had already been delivered to the House.

(Related: Advance Care Planning Lessons for Oakland County Residents)

Despite the drama in the Senates, lasting eight hours, eight Republicans joined all 12 Senate Democrats and passed the bill 75-32 that would expand Medicaid to close to 450,000 of the state’s working poor adults.

To grant the bill immediate effect, supermajority was required, and it fell two votes short of the 26 needed.

“The people of our state are left to pay the price because the Senate Republicans chose to play political games rather than do the right thing on this fundamentally important legislation,” Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, said in a statement. “This obstruction is disrespectful to the members of this chamber, and most importantly, the people we were elected to serve.”

(Related: Medicaid Expansion Will Save the State Money, Snyder Says)

The delay could cost the state millions and decrease the amount of savings the state is projected to see in its general fund.

House members were greeted with a letter on their desk today from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who was responding to a letter from Rep. Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake.

Sebelius clarified in the letter that if the Legislature expands coverage and drops it at a later date, there would not be a financial penalty as a result, and no reduction in federal matching dollar rates.

(Related: Medicare Does Not Pay for Long-Term Care)

“Further, dropping such coverage would not jeopardize the state’s ability to participate in any other parts of the Medicaid program,” Sebelius wrote.

Medicaid expansion is headed to Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk, but he isn’t likely to sign it for about two weeks, when he returns from an investment mission in China.

Christopher J. Berry is a Michigan elder law attorney Dedicated to helping seniors, veterans and their families navigate the long-term care maze. To learn more visit http://www.theeldercarefirm.com/ or call 248.481.4000

Supporters of the legislation, HB 87, said that it will reduce the backlog of pending foreclosures and help the state’s housing industry.

On the last day of the Legislature’s 60-day session, the Senate passed the bill on a 26-13 vote. It recently cleared the House on an 87-26 vote.

Whether Scott will sign the bill is not clear. A spokesperson would only say that the governor’s office is reviewing the bill.

Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, said the bill would make banks demonstrate more thoroughly their ownership of a mortgage on which they file foreclosure. It also would enable parties other than mortgage holders, such as condo associations, to ask courts to accelerate foreclosure proceedings.

Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, was a prominent critic of the measure. He said it erodes longstanding property rights and does nothing to protect Floridians from losing their homes to fraud. Latvala countered that the bill has more safeguards for consumers than for banks.

One important provision would reduce the time limit for banks to try to get deficiency judgments against foreclosed homeowners from five years to one year. A deficiency exists when a foreclosed home is sold for less than the original homeowner owed on it.

Soto said that banks are deliberately slowing foreclosures in an attempt to prevent a glut of houses from hitting the market, which could cause another price crash. He said that for this reason, the bill would not produce its intended result.

A group called Jurists Engaged in Title Integrity said that the bill would put more burden on homeowners, limiting their time to demonstrate legal issues with foreclosures brought against them.

Meanwhile, the national housing market appears to be improving. The March figure for repossessed homes in the U.S. fell to a five-year low. The number was down 3 percent from February and down 21 percent from March, 2012, according to foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc.

Having an experienced bankruptcy attorney on your side during a home foreclosure is vital. This bill, if signed by Gov. Scott, would only increase the importance of this choice. Weaknesses in a lender’s foreclosure case are difficult to spot, and this bill would force defendants to bring these issues to the court’s attention much faster.

O. Reginald (“Reggie”) Osenton is the Owner and President of Osenton Law Offices, P.A. If you need a Bankruptcy attorney in Brandon, Tampa lawyer, call 813.654.5777 or visit http://www.brandonlawoffice.com.

The bills, House Bills 1245, 1246, 2229 and 2769, are four of nine bills involving the workers’ compensation system introduced by Kay this session.

HB 2229 is opposed by the Illinois Trial Lawyers’ Association (ITLA), the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois (AFFI) and other groups. The bill aims to change current workers’ compensation law, which puts emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in the same category as firefighters for purposes of employers purchasing workers’ compensation insurance. Under the new bill, those provisions of the law would only be applicable to EMTs who are also cross-trained as firefighters. Kay said current law places an undue burden on municipalities and counties that pay the increased amount for workers’ compensation insurance for EMTs.

HB 2769, also introduced by Kay, would change workers’ compensation law such that any amount awarded for a partial disability would be subtracted from any amount awarded for a later injury to the same part of the body, and would limit partial disability payments to 500 weeks, which would constitute total disability. Kay said the changes would prevent situations in which partial disability awards amounted to more than what a total disability award would have been.

Paul Greenberg is a Chicago workers compensation attorney and work injury lawyer with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit http://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/.

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