[{"_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",6592157,"mediaKeyId","2933895-1b077a67e0dbdad373c6d62302117120","parentId",2933895,"title","Committee approves Farm Bureau-style nonprofit agricultural health benefit plan after multiple amendments","audioSeconds",2571,"startMs",681000,"endMs",3252000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2933895-1b077a67e0dbdad373c6d62302117120&start=681&end=3252","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2933895-1b077a67e0dbdad373c6d62302117120/thumbnail_681000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6592157/Alabama/Committee-approves-Farm-Bureau-style-nonprofit-agricultural-health-benefit-plan-after-multiple-amendments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6592157-85eabf8c49be0b2c7b541af01b744db1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771154812&Signature=Osy1F3UQBpHa9VMDir6oFLMApCofWoSfpWTGzkHnYxfrESaAQ2dJUUDwAOgD~vZHC~ApAG9XKIsePqBHlexizfDYL0kBz6jzp5Dlnf4kdjgDx4k9yCxGdaPSdOS2LiA36YV5XbyDRodR1mu6CTjJ7Dj5yfXtxT1iu3wyG6W1d~Sa-QtsEzFiT~YvIEAAnKiqHUpg8ezXt1yXpnPlwO2gTuZq3vPh1q9QixnmzqMHRpNgiUa48QoMAKFa0EWor6WVPPF~wKg-GHFa0SYO2Wy3nal6T2JE2VeigpgqCBIoYuqAfd6AaKGRpjOnImHQPciFmcKPSiltvYH6HVrX65i5FA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alabama House Sessions","date","2025-04-09T18:46:33.867Z","article","Representative Faulkner, sponsor of House Bill 477, told the House Health Committee the measure would create a nonprofit agricultural health benefit option intended to lower health-care costs for farmers and small business owners. After extensive debate and several amendments the committee voted to give the bill a favorable report as amended.

Faulkner said 10 other states have enacted similar options and that those plans can reduce health-care costs by 30% to 60% in some instances. He told members the bill had been revised repeatedly following conversations with interested parties and hospital representatives.

Committee members considered multiple amendments during the session. Representative Hogue Jones’s amendment (KHZMWUUDash1) clarified that policies must be sold by an insurance producer licensed to sell accident and health insurance in Alabama; the committee adopted that as a friendly amendment. Representative Hope Jones brought an amendment to require annual reporting to the Department of Insurance (filed by March 1) that would list the number of individuals covered; several members opposed that disclosure and the motion to table the amendment carried, so the reporting requirement was not adopted.

Representative Warren offered an amendment requiring 60 days’ notice to members and in-network providers before imposing annual or lifetime benefit caps; after debate and a roll-call vote the motion failed. Sponsors noted that the plan as drafted does not include annual caps, and Faulkner cited ongoing negotiations with hospitals about a separate agreed amendment.

Representative Brignard offered an amendment prohibiting individual post-claim medical underwriting and barring cancellation, nonrenewal, premium increases or modification for reasons of a medical event while coverage remains in effect; members described that change as a significant consumer protection and the committee adopted it by voice vote. Representative Saros’s amendment moved premium tax collection administration from the Department of Revenue to the Department of Insurance and passed. The committee also accepted an amendment clarifying emergency out-of-network payment rules agreed with hospitals and another amendment to explicitly cover mental health, substance use disorder and prescription drugs.

There was substantive discussion about underwriting, reinsurance and oversight. Faulkner and other supporters said underwriting ability is central to offering lower-cost options; Faulkner said the Tennessee plan that served as a model had an approximately 85% acceptance rate. Opponents questioned whether the Department of Insurance should be given enforcement authority over a self-funded plan; an amendment to vest enforcement with the Department of Insurance was advanced and passed on a roll call after debate about the department’s authority and the bill’s self-funded structure.

After the package of amendments, Representative Shireen moved, and Representative Paramore seconded, to report the bill favorably as amended; the chair announced the bill \"passes\" and the committee closed action on the measure.

The bill as amended includes explicit consumer protections against post-claim underwriting and cancellation for medical events, affirmative mental-health and prescription coverage provisions, a shift of premium-tax administration to the Department of Insurance, and an enforcement clause assigning oversight to the Department of Insurance. An amendment to require annual reporting of covered lives to the Department of Insurance was tabled and not adopted.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Alabama House Health Committee","oneSentenceSummary","The committee advanced House Bill 477, a proposal to allow nonprofit agricultural organizations to offer self-funded health benefit plans for members. Amendments added consumer protections, mental-health coverage and enforcement language; one reporting amendment was tabled after debate.","taxTitle","Health, House, Alabama Legislative Sessions, Alabama","taxId",15595,"location","Alabama","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},6592162,"House Health Committee backs bill to restrict retail sales of chemically altered hemp products to 21+ licensed outlets",95,322000,417000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2933895-1b077a67e0dbdad373c6d62302117120&start=322&end=417","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2933895-1b077a67e0dbdad373c6d62302117120/thumbnail_322000.jpg","/articles/6592162/Alabama/House-Health-Committee-backs-bill-to-restrict-retail-sales-of-chemically-altered-hemp-products-to-21-licensed-outlets","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6592162-966d00870bea45ea715b1bb5569d1f39/orig.mp4?Expires=1771154812&Signature=gUJGudn77AcEdcilXeZ7xSdLtQ36j2eYTfN9AhHJGlkKkH6si0~Cu29f4cO-mKYmjRR3YL~z-Qzl2l6b0K22e7~~X70H2F3KwqtA-23IV7AXXqm85jjKQOeLecE0FhEvHQJH6yx1Yh7aWsBIsdQ~8HMxSAgqtqmO~QdYRFoKcRM0t2-vAlTXFsRNUURevaVIG2yw20jhXWydHHmsVHhgFiFN8xevE-3gUyLWGYWuTNApnkCDltRhmoHvQkIoVhyhaPi9JD~vzXwKfJO9v4Q5~IePMuMeBRZ3t-bhIWVV5rKV25cYaqs2zvOdBcgqA7tLhaUVFuAXqnUwQDfTxrm3Lw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Witt introduced a bill aimed at limiting the retail availability of chemically altered hemp products, including delta-8 and delta-10 formulations, and the House Health Committee moved the measure forward on a pair of favorable reports.

Witt told the committee that a recent press release from Herbal Oasis, the parent company of CBDMD Inc., announced expanded distribution into convenience stores, grocery outlets and on-premise accounts such as bars and restaurants across Alabama and the Florida Panhandle; Witt said the bill is intended to prevent such on-premise and general retail sales. \"This is exactly what we discussed last week that we were trying to do was stop this product being served in such a manner,\" Witt said.

The bill would restrict sales of the specified hemp-derived products to stores licensed by the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control authority (ABC) that serve customers age 21 and older, and would cap the allowable amount per product at 5 milligrams. Witt said municipalities and counties would have a role in approving and signing off on licenses, and that ABC-licensed sellers would be required to self-regulate retail assortments and advertising to avoid marketing to children.

Committee members raised questions about broader prohibitions on chemically altered hemp or synthetic cannabinoids. Representative DeBose asked why the bill would not fully ban chemically altered hemp or synthetic marijuana; Witt replied that a combination of the federal 2018 farm bill \"loophole\" and the speed of product innovation mean the committee does not currently have the votes to enact a comprehensive ban. \"Every time there's something created, there's something else that spins out, and we're putting that under the control of ABC,\" Witt said. He added the committee's intent was to place guardrails and keep products out of children's reach.

Representative Gray suggested studying economic impacts and convening a task force to address misinformation about the products as the bill moves forward. Representative Riggs asked whether ABC-licensed stores could refuse to sell the products; Witt said stores \"will have to self-regulate what is sold and what is not\" and that advertising requirements would limit child-oriented packaging.

The committee first voted to report the bill favorably as presented and then voted to report it as substituted. Motions were made on the floor (mover and seconds recorded in the transcript) and members voted by voice; the chair announced the bill \"passes\" after each favorable voice vote.

If enacted, the measure would shift sales of covered hemp-derived products from general retail and on-premise accounts to 21-and-up ABC-licensed outlets and impose a per-product 5-milligram cap; the bill does not ban chemically altered hemp products outright.","The committee voted to give a favorable report to a bill sponsored by Rep. Witt that would limit sales of certain hemp-derived products to 21-and-older, ABC-licensed stores with a 5-milligram cap; sponsors said federal law and product innovation limit the ability to fully ban synthetic variants.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee approves Farm Bureau-style nonprofit agricultural health benefit plan after multiple amendments

House Health Committee backs bill to restrict retail sales of chemically altered hemp products to 21+ licensed outlets