House Appropriations Committee approves multiple health-related bills in unanimous votes

The House Appropriations Committee convened on July 14, 2025, to discuss several key legislative bills. Chairman Harris called the meeting to order and confirmed a quorum was present after a roll call of members.

The agenda included a series of bills, notably House Bill 564, House Bill 938, House Bill 1212, House Bill 1407, House Bill 1466, and House Bill 1573, along with Senate Bill 246, which was acknowledged as part of the package despite not being listed.

House Bill 564 aims to amend the health and safety code, specifically requiring the Department of Human Services to implement a public awareness campaign for the 988 crisis hotline. House Bill 938 revises the membership of the Apache Board of Governors. House Bill 1212 mandates the Department of Health to promote fatherhood engagement to improve health outcomes during pregnancy and postpartum. House Bill 1407 establishes new grade spans and age levels for instructional certificates, while House Bill 1466 requires face-to-face counseling by a certified financial counselor before initiating a reverse mortgage process. Lastly, House Bill 1573 calls for the Department of Human Services to inventory programs addressing youth delinquency every three years.

During the meeting, House Bill 938 and House Bill 1573 were discussed as a package. It was noted that Republicans would vote against the bills, while Democrats supported them. The committee ultimately passed both bills.

Subsequently, the committee addressed House Bill 564, House Bill 1212, House Bill 1407, and House Bill 1466 as another package. With no negative votes from Republicans, the Democrats voted in favor, leading to a unanimous passage of these bills.

After completing the agenda, Chairman Harris announced a recess until further notice, indicating that the committee may reconvene later to consider additional business.