Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. press release, July 2, 1997

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 2, 1997 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 CONTACT: Richard Cross 202-225-3061 EHRLICH HONORED BY HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY Congressman Bob Ehrlich has been recognized as the “Exceptional Legislator” of the 104th Congress by the American Health Care Association (AHCA). AHCA is a federation of 51 state affiliates, representing 1 1,000 nursing facilities, residential care, and similar health care providers nationally. AHCA bestowed this award upon Ehrlich because he sponsored and secured passage of two new laws that relieve overburdensome regulatory requirements faced by nursing homes in Maryland and throughout the nation. The first law partially repeals a federal regulation requiring states to screen nursing home residents for mental illness and/or retardation. As nursing homes already perform resident assessment programs in accordance with federal law, this requirement was both duplicative and expensive, costing each state an estimated $700,000 in administrative costs per year. The second law eases the burden placed on nursing facilities and consumers in rural areas by an unnecessary federal regulation. Prior to the passage of Ehrlich’s law, a nursing facility could lose its ability to offer a facility-based, nurse aide training program for reasons other than the quality of the training program. The Ehrlich law exempts certain training programs operated by nursing facilities in areas where no alternatives are available. Both laws enacted by Congress with bipartisan majorities, and signed by President Clinton.