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Board approves amendment to Health Care Security Ordinance after vote to duplicate file and send changes to committee
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an amendment to the administrative code related to the Health Care Security Ordinance after voting 6–5. Supervisors also voted to duplicate the file and send one of the duplicates back to committee for further edits intended to clarify interaction with COBRA.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an ordinance amending the administrative code that pertains to the city nd county's Health Care Security Ordinance. The measure passed 6 to 5 after a debate over whether the legislation closes a loophole the coalition of advocates had raised.
Supporters said the change was intended to clarify how the city—ode treats employees who elect COBRA continuation coverage after separation from employment. Supervisor Cohen, who led the request to duplicate the file so the board could consider an identical measure while sending one of the copies back to committee for further edits, said the duplication and committee follow-up would permit minor changes before final enactment.
Opponents said the ordinance, as presented, did not fix an outstanding loophole and that sending one copy back to committee was an acknowledgement that more work remained. Supervisor Campos said the legislation "does not close the loophole," and that because the board had recognized the need for more work it should not act on the item that day. Campos said he would vote no.
The board carried two separate procedural motions: Supervisor Cohen moved to duplicate the file and to send one copy back to committee; that motion was seconded by Supervisor Ellsburn and was adopted. The subsequent roll-call vote on the ordinance resulted in six ayes and five noes; the clerk recorded each member's vocal vote during the roll call. The board adopted the ordinance as finally passed.
Planning or implementation details beyond the clarification about COBRA were not described during the board roll call. The Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement had been consulted, according to remarks made on the floor.
The ordinance took effect as "finally passed" by the board following the tally; one duplicate will return to committee for additional changes before final administrative steps are completed.
Notes: The board's action included both a vote to approve the ordinance and a separate, unanimous-sounding procedural move to duplicate and refer a duplicate back to committee for more edits. The ordinance text and the committee's follow-up changes were not read into the record during the roll call vote, and the clerk indicated the duplicate would be returned to committee for additional editing.
