[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6620366,"mediaKeyId","2811690-5557ef356c55f0801c734c8dbe7d813a","parentId",2811690,"title","Votes at a glance: panel clears firefighter screening funding, insurance and prescription drug measures","audioSeconds",6024,"startMs",6540000,"endMs",516000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2811690-5557ef356c55f0801c734c8dbe7d813a&start=6540&end=516","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2811690-5557ef356c55f0801c734c8dbe7d813a/thumbnail_6540000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6620366/Maryland/Votes-at-a-glance-panel-clears-firefighter-screening-funding-insurance-and-prescription-drug-measures","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6620366-69f13b17c29326fdbc090e9169bab1bc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770919914&Signature=VBjN-RE7JCYqA-yWLKwqg4pU6hB1x5f2c4egpcE0baLCKh0HOuO3TBzEu2rEv4ozwyI2wZvK3puCVH9j-B-Sh2u9MN0ZCP4DsOjX4NEOgd~T3z-Cqn6F8q5tOy9FDQa5nn1njxk8~D1oG-Nr~8crbYi8HFlWXhVf20udhJOl6nmKNuF914q3BCaYwzBfmX2bJFo0mwvaqxGpNoI6uWxmX6GmUROuGWxJ2Pi3MrUpK5nDrBF82YCN2ugier2KCo16b5eKklO0htENkiXKMOndijfpenNDRv5c96IPZYoyyWxX-de1SS9u6jfhM40aA54uJDQ~-RM4oM4negCE5UwFlw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Maryland General Assembly - Health and Government Operations","date","2025-03-28T18:38:57.853Z","article","The House Health and Government Operations Committee moved a package of bills Friday, advancing several measures by voice vote and sending them to the next legislative stage. Most items were approved with little debate; one drew recorded opposition.

Key outcomes

- House Bill 757 — Professional and Volunteer Firefighter Innovative Cancer Screening Technologies Program Funding: reported favorable with amendment. The amendment raised the minimum the governor may include in the annual budget for the program from at least $500,000 to at least $1,000,000 and allows the Secretary of Health to use up to 20% of program funds to support research centers that collect and analyze outcome data. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, and terminates June 30, 2030. (Proceeded as a reprint of the House bill passed by committee; cross-file Senate Bill 849 conformed.)

- Senate Bill 849 — Conforming amendment to the firefighter screening funding: committee amended the Senate file to match the House posture on funding levels so both versions conform; reported favorable with amendment.

- Senate Bill 349 — Medical debt complaints for money judgment and real property liens: reported favorable; identical to House Bill 428 as previously passed by the House.

- Senate Bill 357 — Prescription Drug Affordability Board: reported favorable as amended. Amendments added members to a stakeholder council, added reporting requirements, and required the board to consider impacts on patients with rare diseases. Committee recorded opposition from Delegates Shaliga, Chisholm, Morgan, Riley, Hutchinson and Kipke.

- Senate Bill 474 — Health insurance adverse decision notices, reporting and examinations: reported favorable with amendment. Amendments conform the Senate bill to the House bill and require private review agents to post criteria used in utilization review and clarify response timelines for voicemails or emails.

- Senate Bill 547 — Commission to study health insurance pooling establishment: reported favorable; committee advanced the study commission proposal to examine pooling options.

- Senate Bill 956 — Health insurance: Medicare supplement policy commission: reported favorable; the bill requires carriers to pay the same commission rates to insurance producers for Medicare supplement policy sales and passed unanimously.

How the committee handled the measures

Most bills were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote with no roll‑call tally listed. Legislative staff and the committee’s vice chair explained conforming amendments where bills had moved through other committees or the opposite chamber; those conforming changes were adopted without extended debate. For bills that had substantive amendments, the committee record shows the amendments were discussed briefly and then adopted.

What this means

The actions clear several consumer‑facing health and insurance items to the House floor and align House and Senate versions where necessary. The Prescription Drug Affordability Board measure drew the most sustained attention among these items; amendments added protections for patients with rare diseases and clarified regulatory and reporting mechanisms.

Votes and formal actions

The committee recorded opposition for Senate Bill 357 from Delegates Shaliga, Chisholm, Morgan, Riley, Hutchinson and Kipke. For other bills in the package the committee chair called voice votes and reported the measures favorable. Specific roll‑call tallies were not recorded in the transcript for most items.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","HGO Committee Session, 3/28/2025 #1","oneSentenceSummary","The House Health and Government Operations Committee moved a package of bills Friday, advancing several measures by voice vote and sending them to the next legislative stage.","taxTitle","Health and Government Operations Committee, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Maryland","taxId",15061,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6620369,"Health and Government Operations panel advances Maryland Reparations Commission after extended debate",5841,664000,6505000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2811690-5557ef356c55f0801c734c8dbe7d813a&start=664&end=6505","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2811690-5557ef356c55f0801c734c8dbe7d813a/thumbnail_664000.jpg","/articles/6620369/Maryland/Health-and-Government-Operations-panel-advances-Maryland-Reparations-Commission-after-extended-debate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6620369-2f77953e65f5aceff09ee4cdcb518b92/orig.mp4?Expires=1770919914&Signature=doCJNmqkxR4v4Dt8QivX8vMk9Fmn4~1G9f544vxtd3xdD76iJjgUQFcLK0tf5KJKyzmvSbFBg1vJFzNfeCUv4DpcKdkxAaeW5CzaKalhZ0js6g8x9hGGfL1yt5sk8RDMDu3K3-eDL2vewa6PyjV73C~GKzUQGXr2Cy0GepprR6UjZ0R-tZjDVL9Wemmv1oeTP8hYfdGsLQQwOVBtVV-cUlc1I9LhBJJv7DupQhfyQIoP4qU2VdOjcM9idoKf1fI240MMDrS737mBS1cWjToI0Jr2OloproXJ59V7c5A8S1~K5HDwL4epAJaZkG3Rqqc6DW0tlCQEZFa-ceX7AmaG5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Health and Government Operations Committee advanced Senate Bill 587 on a voice vote Friday, sending to the House floor a bill to create the Maryland Reparations Commission, a 23‑member body charged with studying the history and legacy of slavery and making recommendations, including possible remedies and sources of funding.

The commission will be staffed by the State Archives and the Maryland Commission on Public History, will conduct public engagement and is required to submit a preliminary report to the governor on or before Jan. 1, 2027, and a final report by Nov. 1, 2027, unless changed by later law. Senator Muse sponsored the measure in the Senate; the committee record shows the bill was reported out “favorable.”

Why it matters: the commission would direct a statewide study of historical policies and actions — including slavery, Jim Crow, redlining and other inequitable government policies — and assess possible remedies that could range from official apologies and educational programs to financial or programmatic reparative options. The bill prompted sustained debate over whether the timeline and membership appointments give the commission sufficient time and balanced representation and whether any recommendations would impose financial liabilities on the state.

Supporters argued the commission is designed to produce an evidence‑based, deliberative product. Delegate Martinez said the bill “is saying no longer are we going to kick the can down the road. We're going to see what reconciliation truly looks like for Maryland.” Several members described local precedents and experimenting jurisdictions — including Georgetown University, Evanston and some cities in California and Illinois — as contexts for study rather than direct models for State action.

Opponents raised process and policy concerns. Delegate Riley warned of the risk of “picking winners and losers,” saying the practical decisions about eligibility and benefits would be difficult and could deepen divisions. Several members sought assurances about minority party representation among appointees; the committee chair agreed to raise those concerns with leadership.

Several committee members described personal and family histories during debate. Delegate Jamila J Woods, who identified herself as a direct descendant of enslaved people, told the committee, “I stand here today because I am a direct descendant of slaves,” and described how historical practices continue to affect families today. Other members urged the committee to allow the commission adequate time to gather evidence and consult historians, archivists and experts before producing recommendations.

Action and vote: The committee moved and seconded the bill. The record lists Delegates Shaliga, Chisholm, Morgan, Riley, Hutchinson and Kipke as opposing the measure; the remainder voted in favor on a voice vote. The chair called the voice vote “aye,” and the bill was reported favorable for floor consideration.

What the bill requires and next steps: The commission is charged with examining reparations or other remedies offered by federal, state and local governments, religious institutions and institutions of higher education; identifying potential funding sources; and recommending eligibility procedures, including common methods for verifying lineage if monetary remedies are proposed. Any specific reparative actions would require separate legislation after the commission reports its findings.

The committee’s vote advances the measure to the House floor, where time, membership appointments and any further amendments will determine its final form and whether the state adopts any of the commission’s recommended remedies.","The House Health and Government Operations Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 587 to establish a Maryland Reparations Commission after more than two hours of debate over scope, timing, membership and potential costs. The measure passed with several members recorded in opposition.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: panel clears firefighter screening funding, insurance and prescription drug measures

Health and Government Operations panel advances Maryland Reparations Commission after extended debate