House Appropriations Committee backs S-27, a medical-debt bill, in 10-0 vote

The House Appropriations Committee voted 10-0 Thursday to support S-27, a bill the committee described as addressing medical debt.

Committee Chair, presiding at the April 10, 2025, 1 p.m. meeting, moved that the committee “support the bill,” and a committee member seconded the motion. After brief remarks and a roll-call vote, the measure carried 10-0.

A committee member who spoke during the discussion thanked “the treasurer and the senate for pushing us forward” and said the proposal reflected concerns about systemic causes of medical debt. “Most medical debt…is based on something that’s happening to you and not about the choices that you’re able to make when it comes to a medical emergency,” the committee member said.

The roll call recorded the following members voting yes: Committee Chair, Representative Bloomley, Representative Harrison, Representative Consensta, Representative Roach, Representative Nigro, Representative Squirrel, Representative Steven, Representative Jacoboni and Representative Shaw; the committee announced the tally as 10-0.

Committee leadership also named Mike Nygrove as the bill reporter for S-27 because Lynn would not be available. The chair said the bill would be placed on notice for further action on Tuesday and thanked members for returning to the meeting and finishing the item.

No statutory citations or detailed provisions of S-27 were discussed on the record during this session; the hearing focused on a brief endorsement, a short statement about the bill’s intent to address medical debt, the unanimous roll-call vote, and next-step logistics.

The committee moved on to schedule additional work on other bills to be heard at a subsequent meeting.