This week’s legislative update delivers an overview of some public health issues we’ve been following and information regarding legislation for the health care coverage gap.
Rape Kit Legislation
On Tuesday, the Senate passed House Bill No. 528 on a 35-0 vote. House Bill No. 528 seeks to create and codify systems used by law enforcement, health care facilities, and the Idaho State Police (ISP) Forensics Laboratory in the processing of sexual assault evidence kits in the State of Idaho. It also creates a system of tracking and reporting to require an annual audit and report about the collection of evidence and testing given to the Idaho State Legislature on an annual basis. Currently there are not statutes that address sexual assault kit evidence collection in our state. This legislation would provide a consistent process to better support victims, law enforcement, health care facilities, and the forensics laboratory. HB 528 full bill text can be found here.
Fire Fighter cancer bill
House Bill No. 554 passed the Senate on Thursday and is on its way to the Governor. The legislation amends existing law to “provide that compensation shall be payable for disability or death resulting from certain firefighter occupational diseases, to provide a presumption of proximate causation between specified diseases and employment as a firefighter, to provide for rebuttal of the presumption, to provide for the demonstration of causal connection, to provide that the presumption shall not apply under certain circumstances and to clarify that employment shall be within the State of Idaho.” Currently, without a presumption in the law, it’s extremely difficult for firefighters to prove that their jobs led to the cancers, as they develop over long periods of time and could be related to any number of carcinogens. HB 554 full bill text can be found here.
Abortion legislation
House Bill No. 516 passed the Senate on Thursday. The bill would require women seeking abortions to be provided with a state-compiled list of providers who could provide them with free ultrasounds, and told they have a right to a free ultrasound and to hear a fetal heart monitor. The bill has already passed the House and is on its way to the Governor.
HB 516 full bill text can be found here.
Assisted Living Legislation
Senate Bill No. 1341 passed the House on Thursday. The purpose of the bill is to assure that all Residential or Assisted Living Facilities are only cited for violations that are specified in an applicable law or rule. The bill will help with challenges associated with interpretation of regulations. This legislation is recent progress of the Idaho Alzheimer’s Planning Group’s objective to create a more conducive regulatory environment for Assisted Living Facilities so that Idahoans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias can access these facilities. SB 1341 full bill text can be found here.
Senator Schmidt gives up health insurance
On Thursday Senator Dan Schmidt (D-Moscow) spoke to reporters at a news conference outside the Idaho Senate chamber and announced that he’s giving up his state-paid health insurance. Senator Schmidt explained that this decision is a “nudge”; he is trying to “nudge” folks to feel a sense of urgency and of doing the right thing. He told reporters, “I have state taxpayer-funded health insurance, because I am a state legislator,” he said. “I get that benefit, and this Legislature can’t give that benefit to 78,000 Idahoans who can’t afford it.”
“Sen. Schmidt gives up his state-paid health insurance out of ‘sense of fairness,’ due to coverage gap” - Spokesman Review
'Shame on us:' Idaho senator gives up health insurance - KTVB
Health insurance coverage
On Monday, The Senate voted to bar Senate Bill No. 1205, the Healthy Idaho plan, from passing out of the Senate Health & Welfare Committee. The vote was 28-7 to “excuse the committee” from reporting the bill. SB 1205 full bill text can be found here.
Drama in the Senate today, as pressure mounts to consider ‘Healthy Idaho’ plan – Spokesman Review
Faith leaders make case for health coverage - Spokesman Review
Senate defeats bid to call ‘Healthy Idaho’ coverage bill out of committee, on party-line vote – Spokesman Review
Two proposed bills regarding health insurance coverage for the gap population were on the House Health & Welfare Committee for Thursday morning but were pulled. Instead, the committee plans to consider the issue again on Monday with a new proposal. Committee Chairman Representative Fred Wood (R-Burley) said they will have a meeting on Monday morning and will take up an RS or two on this topic. He is not sure what they may look like at this time, but committed that they will have a hearing and will send it directly to the 2nd Reading Calendar so there will be time to get it across to the Senate.
House Health & Welfare delays consideration of health care legislation to Mon., pending new plan – Spokesman Review
UPDATE: The print hearing originally scheduled for tomorrow morning in the House Health & Welfare Committee has been tentatively rescheduled until Tuesday at 9:00am.
Health coverage in the news
Albion Woman's Health Falters in the Medicaid Gap – Times-News Magic Valley
Idaho lawmakers advance new health care plan, kill tax cut bill – Idaho Statesman
Lawmakers: Health Care Fix in the Works – The Associate Press
Guest column: Time to take on healthcare crisis – Post Register
Bills/Rules of Note
If there are specific Bills or Rules that you would like Molly to track, please let her know. For full bill text and more information regarding bills this session, please go to the Idaho Legislature Bill Center
| Bill No |
Description |
Last Action |
| H0335 |
Controlled substances, sched II |
03/14/2016 House - Delivered to Governor at 10:50 a.m. on March 14, 2016 |
| H0336 |
Pharmacy board terms |
03/14/2016 House - Delivered to Governor at 10:50 a.m. on March 14, 2016 |
| H0337 |
Prescriptions, med examiners/dbase |
03/14/2016 House - Delivered to Governor at 10:50 a.m. on March 14, 2016 |
| H0338 |
Legend drug possession |
03/14/2016 House - Delivered to Governor at 10:50 a.m. on March 14, 2016 |
| H0339 |
Controlled substance storage |
03/14/2016 House - Delivered to Governor at 10:50 a.m. on March 14, 2016 |
| H0340 |
Pharm brd, contraceptives |
03/14/2016 House - Delivered to Governor at 10:50 a.m. on March 14, 2016 |
| H0373 |
Legend drugs, clinic donat/dispense |
03/14/2016 House - Delivered to Governor at 10:50 a.m. on March 14, 2016 |
| H0374 |
Control subs prescription database |
03/14/2016 House - Delivered to Governor at 10:50 a.m. on March 14, 2016 |
| H0375 |
Health care task force |
03/14/2016 House - Delivered to Governor at 10:50 a.m. on March 14, 2016 |
| H0533 |
Hospital districts, board trustees |
03/14/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading |
| S1250 |
Adv practic registerd nurse compact |
03/14/2016 Senate - Reported delivered to Governor at 10:40 a.m. on 03/14/16 |
| S1251 |
Nursing licensure compact |
03/14/2016 Senate - Reported delivered to Governor at 10:40 a.m. on 03/14/16 |
| S1382 |
Nursing, definition revised |
03/15/2016 House - Read First Time, Referred to Health & Welfare |
| S1387 |
Pharm board, durable med equipment |
03/15/2016 House - Read First Time, Referred to Health & Welfare |
| H0341 |
Patient freedom of info act |
03/15/2016 House - Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor |
| H0557 |
Ed/youth athletes/concussion monitr |
03/15/2016 Senate - Introduced, read first time; referred to: Health & Welfare |
| H0516 |
Abortion, ultrasounds |
03/15/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading |
| H0566 |
Approp, H&W public hlth srvcs, orig |
03/15/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading |
| S1270 |
Approp, H&W benefit payments, add'l |
03/15/2016 Senate - Signed by Governor on 03/15/16 |
| S1271 |
Approp, H&W medicaid, chg |
03/15/2016 Senate - Signed by Governor on 03/15/16 |
| S1391 |
Approp, H&W medicaid, orig |
03/16/2016 House - Passed: Ayes 39 Nays 30 Abs/Excd 1, title approved, to Senate |
| S1390 |
Approp, Idaho state police, orig |
03/16/2016 House - Passed: Ayes 59 Nays 9 Abs/Excd 2, title approved, to Senate |
| S1393 |
Approp, catastrophic hth care, orig |
03/16/2016 House - Passed: Ayes 69 Nays 0 Abs/Excd 1, title approved, to Senate |
| S1323 |
State independent living council |
03/16/2016 House - Read second time; Filed for Third Reading |
| S1341 |
Residential care, citations |
03/16/2016 House - Read second time; Filed for Third Reading |
| H0500 |
Medicare reimbursement rate |
03/16/2016 House - Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate |
| H0483 |
Pharmacy, communicatn, bio products |
03/16/2016 House - Returned from Senate Passed; to JRA for Enrolling |
| H0528 |
Sexual assault evidence kits |
03/16/2016 House - Returned from Senate Passed; to JRA for Enrolling |
| H0332 |
Residential care, license renewal |
03/16/2016 House - Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor |
| H0333 |
Optometrists, license renewal |
03/16/2016 House - Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor |
| H0334 |
Physical therapy license renewal |
03/16/2016 House - Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor |
| S1201 |
Approp, catastrophic health, reduce |
03/16/2016 House - U.C. to place at bottom of third reading calendar one legislative day |
| H0554 |
Worker's compensation, firefighters |
03/16/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading |
| S1295 |
Public assistnc/provider penalties |
03/16/2016 Senate - Reported signed by the Speaker & ordered delivered to Governor |
| S1296 |
Background checks/fed pilot project |
03/16/2016 Senate - Reported signed by the Speaker & ordered delivered to Governor |
| S1326 |
Suicide preventn/diretor authority |
03/16/2016 Senate - Reported signed by the Speaker & ordered delivered to Governor |
| S1293 |
Ed, parental rights in education |
03/16/2016 Senate - Returned From House Passed; referred to enrolling
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