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Week 6

22 Feb 2016 8:29 AM | Deleted user

This week’s legislative update delivers more information regarding PCAP, an overview of public health issues that were discussed, and bills of interest during the week.  

PCAP funding killed in committee

Representative Fred Wood’s (R-Burley) bill to fund the Governor’s Primary Care Access Program was defeated abruptly. The House State Affairs Committee refused to introduce this legislation on Monday morning. The bill sought to provide a funding source for the program from the Millennium Fund, which comes from a nationwide tobacco settlement. 

House State Affairs rejects partial PCAP funding bill – Spokesman Review

Their bill is dead until they can find a funding source – Spokesman Review

Idaho health care proposal ‘dead’ – Idaho Statesman

What happened and what’s next? – Idaho Statesman

Medicaid Expansion in the news

Opinion article – Idaho Statesman

Advocates say Medicaid expansion would be better – Idaho Business Review

Board of Nursing Legislation 

Three bills proposed by the Idaho Board of Nursing were scheduled for hearing in the Senate Health & Welfare Committee Monday afternoon.

Nurse Licensure Compact and Advanced Practice Nurse Licensure Compact

Senate Bill No. 1251 and Senate Bill No. 1250 are two licensure compact bills that seek to adopt new language to align Idaho’s compact agreement adopted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to recognized those holding a valid nursing license in another compact state to obtain an Idaho license.  The Nursing Compact has been in place since 2001 for RNs and LPNs.  The Advanced Practice Nursing Licensure Compact is new for APNs. 


SB 1250 full bill text can be found here

SB 1251 full bill text can be found here

Revision to the Definition of Nursing

The statement of purpose of Senate Bill No. 1252 states, “the current statutory definition of the ‘practice of nursing’ is antiquated. The Idaho Board of Nursing, the agency charged with regulating nurses and the practice of nursing, seeks to amend the statute to more accurately reflect the functions nurses perform and what the practice of nursing means.”

SB 1252 full bill text can be found here

Caregiver Presentation

The Idaho Caregiver Alliance (ICA) presented findings from Caregiver Task Force to the House Health and Welfare Committee on Tuesday. The Task Force was created in response to House Concurrent Resolution 24 passed during the 2015 session.  A similar presentation will be made to the Senate Health and Welfare committee on Tuesday, February 23rd at 3:00 pm; interested constituents are invited to attend.

ICA Presentation

ICA Executive Summary

ICA Report

Abortions and Ultrasounds

On Wednesday a bill was introduced that 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 House Bill No. 516 seeks to amend existing law to “provide that the Department of Health and Welfare shall compile a list of providers that perform free ultrasounds, and shall state that a patient has the right to obtain a free ultrasound, view an ultrasound image and hear heart tone monitoring and to provide that no abortion shall be performed unless the woman is informed that ultrasound imaging and heart tone monitoring are available.”

HB 516 full bill text can be found here

House Health & Welfare Chairman speaks to JFAC

During beginning of the session, chairmen of various legislative committees presented to JFAC on what should be funded in the state budget in the areas they manage. House Health & Welfare Chairman Fred Wood (R-Burley) spoke to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. Chairman Wood spoke to bring attention the 78,000 Idahoans who now make too little to qualify for subsidized insurance through the state exchange, but get no other help because Idaho hasn’t expanded Medicaid to cover adults who don't qualify for nursing home care. Wood expressed,  “at some basic level, the House Health & Welfare Committee unanimously agreed what is currently happening is just unfair and wrong. It’s as simple as that.” Chairman Wood also spoke about what he called the weakest component of the health care system in Idaho”.  He said the most urgent need of all Idahoans in the health care arena is behavioral services. He advised full funding for Idaho’s suicide prevention hotline, its state suicide prevention plan, and as many crisis centers as the committee feels comfortable with funding.

Betsy Russell’s account of the Committee meeting can be found here

Unborn Infants Dignity Act

Senate Bill No. 1349 was introduced in the Senate State Affairs Committee Friday morning. The legislation proposed by David Ripley of Idaho Chooses Life seeks to ban fetal tissue from being donated after an abortion, either for organ donations or medical research. The purpose of the bill states, “This legislation protects the dignity of preborn children, lost to abortion, by making it illegal to harvest their organs and tissue for any purpose, including experimentation. It strengthens ethical standards for proper medical research, and the legislation reinforces the principle that the mother has a right to provide for the respectful disposition of her baby's remains.”

SB 1349 full bill text can be found here

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
H0482 Boards/qualifications/consumr membr 02/15/2016 House - Reported Printed and Referred to Health & Welfare
H0483 Pharmacy, communicatn, bio products 02/15/2016 House - Reported Printed and Referred to Health & Welfare
H0484 Primary care access program 02/15/2016 House - Reported Printed and Referred to Health & Welfare
S1231 Chiropractic practic/prescrib drugs 02/15/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
S1265 Insuranc premium tax/high risk pool 02/15/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
S1322 Epinephrine auto-injectors 02/15/2016 Senate - Reported Printed; referred to Health & Welfare
S1250 Adv practic registerd nurse compact 02/16/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
S1251 Nursing licensure compact 02/16/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
S1326 Suicide preventn/diretor authority 02/16/2016 Senate - Reported Printed; referred to Health & Welfare
H0500 Medicare reimbursement rate 02/17/2016 House - Reported Printed and Referred to Health & Welfare
S1271 Approp, H&W medicaid, chg 02/18/2016 Senate - Passed: Ayes 29 Nays 6 Excused 0; title approved; to House
S1270 Approp, H&W benefit payments, add'l 02/18/2016 Senate - Passed: Ayes 32 Nays 3 Excused 0; title approved; to House
H0335 Controlled substances, sched II 02/18/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
H0336 Pharmacy board terms 02/18/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
H0337 Prescriptions, med examiners/dbase 02/18/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
H0338 Legend drug possession 02/18/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
H0339 Controlled substance storage 02/18/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
H0340 Pharm brd, contraceptives 02/18/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
H0331 Alcoholic bevs, powdered alcohol 02/19/2016 House - Bill as Amended Referred to JRA for Engrossing
H0516 Abortion, ultrasounds 02/19/2016 House - Bill Previously Held at Desk, Referred to State Affairs
H0518 Mental illness, admit, detention 02/19/2016 House - Reported Printed and Referred to Health & Welfare
H0413 License plates, Orofino hs maniacs 02/19/2016 House - Retained on General Orders
S1201 Approp, catastrophic health, reduce 02/19/2016 House - U.C. to hold place on third reading calendar until Monday, February 22, 2016
S1349 Unborn infants dignity act 02/19/2016 Senate - Introduced; read first time; referred to JR for Printing
H0373 Legend drugs, clinic donat/dispense 02/19/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
H0374 Control subs prescription database 02/19/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
H0375 Health care task force 02/19/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
S1264 Pharmacy, durable medical equipment 02/19/2016 Senate - Read second time; filed for Third Reading
S1206 Approp, H&W indirect support, add'l 02/19/2016 Senate - Reported signed by the Speaker & ordered delivered to Governor
S1207 Approp, H&W psych hosp, add'l 02/19/2016 Senate - Reported signed by the Speaker & ordered delivered to Governor
S1216 Approp, blind com, add'l 02/19/2016 Senate - Reported signed by the Speaker & ordered delivered to Governor
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