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Committee advances bill to allow extra funds for rural community health centers
Summary
The House Health and Human Services Committee approved an amendment to House Bill 1288 and recommended the bill to the Committee of the Whole. Sponsors said the measure will help federally qualified community health centers in rural Colorado secure supplemental funds; opponents did not press during committee debate.
The House Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday adopted an amendment and sent House Bill 1288 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation.
Sponsors said the bill is intended to help rural community health centers — including federally qualified health centers — obtain and use additional funding to support primary, behavioral and dental services in underserved parts of the state.
Representative Martinez, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure supports community health center networks that provide “whole health care” in rural areas and can reduce emergency-room use by expanding access to primary and behavioral care. “This is good for rural Colorado, which is great for the state,” Martinez said during closing remarks.
Committee members largely expressed support. Assistant Minority Leader Winter and Representative Stewart emphasized the importance of preventative care and the geographic reach of the state’s rural communities. Representative Brooks asked to be excused from the vote because she missed earlier testimony; that request was accommodated in the roll call.
The committee moved and adopted amendment L003 after a brief amendment phase; Representative McCormick seconded the amendment. The committee then voted on the amended bill. The clerk recorded the vote as 12 yes, 0 no, with 1 excused. The committee recommendation was to send the bill to the Committee of the Whole.
Representatives who spoke during the item included the bill sponsor, Representative Martinez; Representative McCormick (who seconded the amendment); Assistant Minority Leader Winter; Representative Stewart; Representative Garcia Sander; and others who asked procedural or clarifying questions. The sponsors said the amendment addressed concerns raised at the prior hearing and that stakeholders and the bill drafter had worked through the language.
No formal fiscal details were presented at length during the committee’s closing comments. Sponsors said they had worked with stakeholders and hoped the amended language would allow the bill to proceed quickly to the floor and then the Senate.
With L003 adopted, the committee recorded a motion recommending the bill with a favorable report to the Committee of the Whole. The clerk’s tally: the measure passed the committee 12–0 with one member excused.
