[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-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",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_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",6210457,"mediaKeyId","3719028-18bd9022b183e27ac2cef78da7f5ccd6","parentId",3719028,"title","Senate committee advances 'one-door' plan to consolidate workforce, SNAP and disability services","audioSeconds",2121,"startMs",2683000,"endMs",4804000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3719028-18bd9022b183e27ac2cef78da7f5ccd6&start=2683&end=4804","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3719028-18bd9022b183e27ac2cef78da7f5ccd6/thumbnail_2683000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6210457/Louisiana/Senate-committee-advances-one-door-plan-to-consolidate-workforce-SNAP-and-disability-services","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210457-ab1e0db4e955004509765f7c8ce81fec/orig.mp4?Expires=1770539568&Signature=iHvhA5vp5q85WpwiZoU6zO-s3muN708TOQBoAC7NTo7eamGJe2XHX7SyUOcXF3wf~E4tSOYT8NHHjGWnlX9fDl1xjO-1hSZCq4TW7D5wUtKgRePRSDdLJzZ15ZcGilpyeR8NCxEl6ausmYJzbtZPknr4XkZxr8xIjtxriZ4OSI9H2cFynrq4RhYKG9iV~XxqF37u58dR7jXuAHkjFjPBpqqZHBmbwVEq9CZWSsfk8gcv0-Goiv5~BBOUllAbtxQG50~eGRTwz~ZXYQ1a7O2ph~-iQZa6n-dwYFAvKj88bymcu-8IxJigAENdvsVdTJlB9tcCC6i0bo4dItcQA~LCdg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Louisiana Legislature","date","2025-06-04T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday voted to report House Bill 6 24 as amended, a sweeping reorganization that would create a new agency, Louisiana Works, to consolidate workforce and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) functions while shifting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and certain disability services to the Louisiana Department of Health.

Supporters said the proposal is intended to simplify access to public benefits and help move recipients into employment. Representative Brett Berrault, the bill sponsor, told the committee the plan creates “one door, one stop shop” so citizens meet a single cross‑trained case manager rather than separate program specialists.

The bill’s proponents described multiple objectives: reduce duplicated eligibility work across agencies, improve workforce pipelines for growing employers and let the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) focus solely on child welfare and protective services. Representative Berrault said a task force created after the 2023 audit produced the structure now before the committee.

Agency leaders told senators the reorganization will require substantial operational planning. Susie Shown, the current secretary overseeing workforce programs, said the model will rely on cross‑training field staff and that the agency intends to start cross‑training immediately. David Matlock, DCFS secretary, said the change would allow DCFS to “focus on the job we’re supposed to do” and that he needs frontline child‑welfare hires regardless of the reorg.

Lawmakers pressed officials about costs and transitions. The committee’s fiscal summary cited a Legislature Fiscal Office (LFO) estimate that DCFS would need roughly $12.2 million in state general funds beginning in FY 2026 to offset federal funding changes tied to moving programs. Secretary Matlock said some of those funds could come from savings when duplicate eligibility positions become unnecessary and from vacant SNAP positions that can be reallocated to frontline child‑welfare work; he told senators he expected to ask for about 125 additional child‑welfare workers to meet caseload needs.

Several senators urged safeguards before major changes occur. Senator Luno and others asked for statutory guardrails so agency rulemaking and program transfers do not produce unintended legal or operational consequences. Committee counsel said many interagency transfers will be performed through implementing language and technical amendment sets; staff presented and the committee adopted a long set of technical amendments moving program language and job titles between departments.

Supporters argued the plan could reduce benefits cliffs and improve coordination for clients who need multiple services, while skeptics cautioned about implementation risk in rural areas and urged performance measures. Secretary Shown suggested workforce participation rate changes could be a primary metric, telling senators that a modest rise of a few percentage points in employment would indicate progress.

After extended questioning and adoption of multiple technical amendment sets, the committee voted to report House Bill 6 24 as amended. Senator Hensgens moved the final report; there were no objections recorded in committee. The bill will move to subsequent floor consideration where lawmakers plan additional work to refine funding, oversight and implementation timelines.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Health & Welfare - June 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday voted to report House Bill 6 24 as amended, a sweeping reorganization that would create a new agency, Louisiana Works, to consolidate workforce and TANF functions while shifting SNAP and disability services to the Louisiana Department of Health.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature LA, Louisiana","taxId",78558,"location","Louisiana","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},6210437,"Committee keeps REIT accountability bill in committee after members split on remedies for troubled West Monroe hospital",4992,8291000,13283000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3719028-18bd9022b183e27ac2cef78da7f5ccd6&start=8291&end=13283","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3719028-18bd9022b183e27ac2cef78da7f5ccd6/thumbnail_8291000.jpg","/articles/6210437/Louisiana/Committee-keeps-REIT-accountability-bill-in-committee-after-members-split-on-remedies-for-troubled-West-Monroe-hospital","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210437-9a2a62e7d5bf684ae73a2cc50eb1a01e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770539568&Signature=el0lNOldHvt8JvjVO23dcC6tma1wvn1hAcjkBdAPhykEu48URU1gWGq5694fNrdJOoaQ6SV2h4Jo~dqLjjrB1bnij3VC7P3yXiNDY-IHhOyeHBc0MFjfR7wYk9RH4dz5g0gfDQjfU7-eMW8D45Y-iKeqxmQWqkLbJLXZKPkCmEQYLTCHs~vFrLQFOUHJkFOQFejCpzr0vNDzY261NJXN0~WeAxsW1c21ZItHsNlAl3z9FOl7uNGvTfP910SWn6vaAC5x2EMidk69vvkrsmq3M~CccWfYdU0qyPgfaeQxzE~HdyY0ZWi41rkx5DevjlR2Z1E3RFx2VZHz8L~3I-m46A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A bill seeking to hold hospital real‑estate owners accountable for operator failures at Glenwood Medical Center in West Monroe did not advance out of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday after an objection and recorded roll call.

Representative Jack Echols introduced House Bill 317 to address what he described as recurring operational failures and deferred maintenance at Glenwood after multiple operator transitions. Echols said the asset’s ownership and lease structure, in his view, prevented viable operators from entering the market and left the region’s patients and hospitals strained.

Echols told the committee patients and staff at Glenwood experienced supply shortfalls, broken equipment and intermittent security failures under the prior operator; he said local clinicians reported the hospital had been put on medical jeopardy multiple times. “All I want is a little bit of accountability for the person that owns the asset,” Echols said.

Medical Properties Trust (MPT), the real‑estate investment trust that owns Glenwood’s property, sent senior executives to testify. Ed Aldag, MPT’s chairman and CEO, described the company’s role as a landlord that acquires hospital real estate and leases it to operators; he said MPT does not operate clinical services. Aldag said MPT invested capital in the property, provided working‑capital loans and forgave rent to keep services available during Steward Healthcare’s bankruptcy process.

Mayor Matt Talbert of Sterlington spoke in support of the bill and gave a personal account: his mother received care at Glenwood and later died; he said staff repeatedly told him that the hospital’s clinical and support systems were failing. Local clinicians who sent testimony described staffing turnover and equipment gaps.

MPT executives said the property changed hands and operators through bankruptcy processes outside the company’s control and that the trust provided temporary liquidity and deferred rent during crisis periods. They told the committee they had worked with the bankruptcy court and that the court oversaw operator selection in the restructuring.

After debate senators recorded votes on a motion to report the bill favorable. The roll call produced four no votes and one yes; the motion failed and the bill was kept in committee. Sponsors said they will continue discussions with the company and local stakeholders and consider statutory alternatives.

Committee members asked MPT for additional documentation tied to operator selection, capital investments in Glenwood and any loans or rent deferrals made during the prior operator’s bankruptcy. The committee’s next meeting will give sponsors time to refine the proposal and pursue additional evidence and stakeholder input.","The Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday declined to advance House Bill 317, a proposal to impose financial and operational accountability on owners of hospital real estate after persistent problems at Glenwood Medical Center in West Monroe.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6210442,"Bill to reshape State Board of Medical Examiners advances after heated debate over appointments and investigations",2809,5707000,8516000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3719028-18bd9022b183e27ac2cef78da7f5ccd6&start=5707&end=8516","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3719028-18bd9022b183e27ac2cef78da7f5ccd6/thumbnail_5707000.jpg","/articles/6210442/Louisiana/Bill-to-reshape-State-Board-of-Medical-Examiners-advances-after-heated-debate-over-appointments-and-investigations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210442-6b4c18357d82deaf80d052db4dd5a3b9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770539568&Signature=RIUYVIptigHBl~Afnd2RRZFonQvBEkNdEcv22YTKEB255BRs2qx6nEYtDW4vpWZl2ARd21IKMzA1NjCQk9BMXSbfNohWaFwWQw1FC1-hfQgpX5XloE78~qGUS4Ke6nv0i4JdacXeBRQQ3ALBhaUIWZCE1y2qSRQ69lZ1j17nuQEBE-Hc7FZvbXQymGRd3f3WNQL9q2CberPAYu4JzkmEJ0bcDedokmwv2DbSTn-6F6QEird7tFlES7JizdKxfBnPRnL8QQeKN~ZddfvYC49UujRHmXSyceejmn0WSybRMA37DOpnOoec2xpn9pvF2QV2sCk~ogrvMAdEatAQKw4evA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Health and Welfare Committee reported House Bill 138 as amended after extended testimony and exchanges over board appointments, investigator oversight and geographic representation.

Representative Peter DeWitt, the bill’s sponsor, said HB 138 updates an older board structure to add non‑physician representation, establish a permanent seat for a nonphysician regulated provider (initially a physician assistant) and authorize the executive director to hire a separate director of investigations. “This is not about policy, it’s about people,” DeWitt said, arguing the board should reflect Louisiana’s geographic and professional diversity.

Surgeon General Ralph Abraham supported the measure’s stated goals and told senators the board’s backlog of investigations had been a problem in prior years; he testified that when he took office there were “over 500” open investigations and that slow investigations had harmed physicians and public confidence. He said adding resources and clarifying investigative lines of authority was urgent.

Opponents — including the Louisiana State Medical Society, the Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians and an emergency physician who testified — warned against changes that could politicize the board. The medical society’s representative urged retention of continuity and independence for board members, saying they should be able to “vote their conscience” without fear that gubernatorial turnover would lead to wholesale replacement. Several physician witnesses urged preserving a consumer member and maintaining independence in investigator functions.

Committee counsel described a negotiated amendment package that corrected drafting errors, reinstated a consumer representative and removed a proposed repeal of a for‑cause removal statute; the committee adopted the amendments with a on‑the‑fly tweak requested by senators. After debate the committee called the roll; the clerk announced the committee had recorded three yes votes and two no votes and the bill was reported as amended for further consideration.

Lawmakers asked the surgeon general and board counsel to work with committee staff on language clarifying how a director of investigations should be hired and supervised, and to supply data on open investigations, case age and proposed timelines for clearing backlogs. Committee members said they would continue talks between committee and floor to refine statutory language.","House Bill 138, proposing changes to the composition and oversight of the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, passed out of committee as amended after testimony from the surgeon general, physicians’ groups and board counsel. Lawmakers debated removal authority, investigator hiring and geographic representation.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6210447,"Committee asks surgeon general to craft emergency‑use authorization rules; lawmakers press for statutory guardrails",951,1552000,2503000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3719028-18bd9022b183e27ac2cef78da7f5ccd6&start=1552&end=2503","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3719028-18bd9022b183e27ac2cef78da7f5ccd6/thumbnail_1552000.jpg","/articles/6210447/Louisiana/Committee-asks-surgeon-general-to-craft-emergencyuse-authorization-rules-lawmakers-press-for-statutory-guardrails","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210447-b4b6fc22a5e76e6309323173dd95f943/orig.mp4?Expires=1770539568&Signature=F34ebT90GtPGi4Vx6b-lnRO-HMjLhKRdux3pj8LuPl3KAGLnXIWDFgLfzTnjSX~BXasKxfsOqhBWqkCRI7P5niy4S4xre9kCCoAz0At4U4bPw5BcbUr7HlFqjA99pYiyCFFWoO~VLychv87VJr7AQd1azygPzW0c8iP0OQdbfDvPyvHZ2vrNU2cAjOw8ACc2RS8uSkepu1DWSdPUhxhl-znW1vrwMRraOY5IO~AfaLrtsTFS1UEnlyznZb-0vBac0CXWd94PjLVR6x6kprLVrU0FRECmromutf7zaCXYM6OjcZWfLAFjyxRDJslq44EoDt21RE4Iw6rdt3g96eCjwA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to report House Bill 6 90 as amended, a bill that would direct the state surgeon general to draft and promulgate rules governing the use of medical emergency‑use authorizations (EUAs) in Louisiana.

Representative Chuck Owen, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure asks the surgeon general to craft rules rather than send a statutory prescription from the legislature. “I’m not a physician,” Owen told the committee. “I trust the medical profession,” and therefore the bill asks the surgeon general to develop rules the legislature can later evaluate.

Ralph Abraham, Louisiana’s surgeon general, testified in support but urged that some elements belong in statute. “The only way is to put up guardrails,” Abraham said, describing EUA rule‑making as an area that requires safeguards and an ongoing legislative role. He told senators the clinical community relied on EUA authority heavily during COVID and that guardrails should instruct clinicians and protect patients.

Several senators raised legal and liability questions. Senator Leno said earlier emergency orders had created unintended legal consequences in other contexts and recommended coordination with the Louisiana Law Institute to identify statutory fixes for issues such as malpractice liability and the scope of emergency orders. Senator Presley and others urged a layered approach: allow the surgeon general to promulgate rules under the Administrative Procedure Act with required committee review and to seek statutory changes where necessary.

Committee counsel and Miss Trapp said rules would be subject to APA oversight; staff agreed to work with sponsors and counsel to add language that would provide legislative committees with an oversight path and to add legal advisers into the rule‑making process. After adoption of a technical amendment set, the committee reported House Bill 6 90 as amended. The committee recorded no objections to reporting the bill.","The committee reported House Bill 6 90 as amended, asking the state's surgeon general to promulgate rules governing emergency use authorization (EUA) in Louisiana. Lawmakers and the surgeon general agreed safeguards and statutory guardrails are needed and discussed committee oversight of future rules.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6210452,"Committee backs bill to expand sexual‑assault evidence kits and audit SANE services across Louisiana",961,560000,1521000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3719028-18bd9022b183e27ac2cef78da7f5ccd6&start=560&end=1521","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3719028-18bd9022b183e27ac2cef78da7f5ccd6/thumbnail_560000.jpg","/articles/6210452/Louisiana/Committee-backs-bill-to-expand-sexualassault-evidence-kits-and-audit-SANE-services-across-Louisiana","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210452-73bb7772b4d796ffe66d09bbb1bb668b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770539568&Signature=ihhvERK4FazWsEUK4sokCCwk11aiMFjFrvvsld8kJ1q1vdanwiRxtpdg00vfKIAn7T~UtF8mDZQeeGXV~5v~pM0OCKZGaIRLao1tGMUuLAiUlAb97Xu-3SR391K-R0M~BKD04N4qqk10hB~YFyOhWaXtfsNa3i1qcfKO8B9pZWVAvdFEvQadP0mvZ46cQboP6mwtX1pEM-PnDlmJdDOtSqYNe6SAptNos~T4IiYF-KvKPXirr-qrz2eIDwBLg5G16KAj4n69rR-vJa82HmfXmw-sZMsv7Iak65-CXQmvi7fA9QGj1yJQWSTAdbQjDB0u3PCVL4xS6jAlkxjJdkOMtQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Health and Welfare Committee reported House Bill 5 31 favorable after testimony from law enforcement, hospital officials and a practicing Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE).

Representative Travis Johnson’s measure, carried in the Senate by a committee member, would require licensed hospitals and health‑care providers to offer sexual‑assault survivors information about forensic examinations and survivor services, and it requests a legislative audit of services and capacity across the state. Sponsors described the bill as a practical step to ensure physical evidence is collected and survivors are informed of options.

Sheriff David Hedrick of Concordia Parish described the bill as important to investigators: “It’s very important to all the sheriffs in the state of Louisiana that all the physical evidence is collected when dealing with any sexual crime of any nature,” he told the committee. Chief Deputy Fred Middleton said rural hospitals often lack certified SANE nurses and that easier access to trained examiners would reduce transfer delays for victims.

Monica Taylor of the governor’s office on human trafficking said there are two different training standards in Louisiana — a shorter 40‑hour course and a longer 400‑hour program — and described a “drought” of SANE centers and advocates in some parishes. She told the committee that there are roughly 50 SANE nurses statewide and only a little more than 30 currently practicing.

A practicing SANE nurse who testified described the standard training pathway: the International Association of Forensic Nurses provides a roughly 40‑hour adult/adolescent online course, a 44‑hour pediatric module and supervised clinical hours (several hundred) before certification. She asked lawmakers to involve current SANE programs in any changes, saying, “we kind of already have the pulse of what’s going on across Louisiana.”

Committee members pressed for clarity on training, funding, and how rural parishes would access advocacy services. Taylor said the bill’s legislative‑audit requirement would help identify gaps: several rural parishes have no assault advocacy centers and many centers lack general state funding.

After discussion of an amendment filed earlier, the committee adopted an amendment and Senator Luno moved that the committee report House Bill 5 31 as amended. The motion carried with no objections recorded and the bill was reported favorable.","The committee reported House Bill 5 31 favorable after testimony from law enforcement, health officials and SANE nurses. The bill directs hospitals to offer survivor services and asks the legislative auditor to review state capacity for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee advances 'one-door' plan to consolidate workforce, SNAP and disability services

Committee keeps REIT accountability bill in committee after members split on remedies for troubled West Monroe hospital

Bill to reshape State Board of Medical Examiners advances after heated debate over appointments and investigations

Committee asks surgeon general to craft emergency‑use authorization rules; lawmakers press for statutory guardrails

Committee backs bill to expand sexual‑assault evidence kits and audit SANE services across Louisiana