Bills stripping Planned Parenthood of over $7 million head to Assembly floor

MADISON (WKOW) – Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI) would have to come up with an extra $7.5 million per year in order to carry out the services it currently provides to women who use their preventive health services, after two pieces of legislation advanced to the full State Assembly Tuesday.

The Assembly Committee on Health passed Assembly Bills 310 and 311, both of which target PPWI.

AB 310 blocks PPWI from receiving federal family planning grants through a program known as Title X. PPWI is currently the only organization that applies for and receives the grants in Wisconsin, which are worth $3.5 million per year.

The bill directs the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to apply for Title X funding – something the agency has never done – and then distribute it to groups that don’t perform abortions, such as county health departments and other private groups.

But Democrats argued there aren’t enough groups currently offering the same services to pick up the slack.
    
“Many of the other clinics on that list – and it was a short list – did not provide pap smears, did not provide STD treatment and testing, did not provide these critical sexual health services,” said Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison).

After rejecting an amendment that would require a study of the groups that can perform such services, Republicans also turned down a measure that guarantees DHS actually submit an application that complies with Title X guidelines.
    
Rep. Subeck is convinced they won’t, because the bill is written in such a way that makes it impossible.

“We are going to pay our staff to put forth an application that we know does not meet the federal guidelines,” said Rep. Subeck.

But Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis), who chairs the committee, said he trusts DHS staffers will submit an application that meets all federal guidelines.

“It’s highly unlikely that the federal government would award a grant to us knowing that we’re gonna break the law, so I think this amendment is really unnecessary,” said Rep. Sanfelippo.

The bill ultimately passed along party lines, with Republicans rejecting the notion the it would limit access to critical services.

“We’re opening the door to hundreds of clinics being able to provide these services as opposed to just one organization with less than 20 clinics,” said Rep. Sanfelippo.

“I think for the chair to make statements that there are other providers out there is really disingenuous to the public,” countered Nicole Safar, policy director for PPWI.

Safar sees the legislation as nothing more than a political attack.

“It’s not really about getting $3 million to the state to provide health care services for men and women. It’s about trying to hurt Planned Parenthood,” said Safar.

The Title X grants run on three-year cycles and PPWI just got its latest this year, meaning the organization will get that money until 2018.

That’s the earliest DHS could apply for a new grant.

The Committee also passed a bill today that will require PPWI to purchase birth control drugs at higher rates through Medicaid, which will cost the group an additional $4 million per year.

Bills stripping Planned Parenthood of over $7 million head to Assembly floor