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Interim committee outlines broad agenda and schedule; members propose workforce, behavioral health, Medicaid and accessibility topics
Summary
Members of the Legislative Health & Human Services interim committee proposed a long list of priorities — including health workforce shortages, Medicaid reimbursement, SB3 behavioral‑health implementation, DD waiver oversight, accessibility and environmental health impacts — and discussed meeting locations and logistics for the interim.
Members of the Legislative Health & Human Services interim committee spent the meeting compiling interim priorities and a tentative meeting schedule, asking staff to collect member suggestions and to provide written briefings on topics the committee cannot hear in person.
Madam Chair Thompson said the committee has limited interim hearing days and asked members to prioritize broad topics rather than narrow, single‑bill hearings. Committee staff circulated a proposed calendar of interim meeting dates, and members suggested locations across the state while noting logistical constraints: the committee must meet in Santa Fe in November and requires permission to meet outside Santa Fe in October.
Members proposed a long list of topics for the interim, with repeated requests to focus on workforce recruitment and retention in health care (including residency and community residency programs), Medicaid reimbursement rates and MCO oversight, implementation of SB3 behavioral‑health reforms and the accompanying SB1 behavioral‑health fund, DD waiver oversight and provider capacity, medical malpractice reform, rural hospital financial condition, school‑based health centers and youth behavioral health, opioid settlement spending and program evaluation, accessibility and ADA compliance, the health effects of climate and pollution events, PFAS (forever chemicals), food and nutrition policy, public‑health approaches to gun violence, and juvenile justice and prevention programs.
Several members emphasized the need for written materials and LFC analysis where time does not allow in‑person hearings. Representative Kathleen Case and others urged that agencies come prepared with handouts and slides so legislators have usable information at the hearing.
Staff and LFC analysts were asked to assemble written reports and, where appropriate, in‑person briefings: examples cited included LFC deep dives on rural hospitals, studies of commercial vs. Medicaid reimbursement rates, and updates on the behavioral‑health structural reforms established by SB3.
The committee discussed candidate host sites for interim hearings (Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Taos, Gallup, Las Vegas, Silver City, Portales, Rio Rancho, Hobbs), and members asked staff to coordinate with Legislative Council and other committees to avoid scheduling conflicts. Members also emphasized practical considerations — local hotel capacity, seasonal weather and opportunities to coordinate with local providers and facilities.
Thompson asked members to continue sending topic ideas to staff and to use technology (surveys, “idea clouds”) to prioritize agenda items ahead of the next meeting. The committee said it will use a mix of in‑person hearings and written reports to cover the long list of suggested topics given limited interim days.
