Conference committee approves appropriation in HB1485 to raise personal needs allowance

At a conference committee meeting on House Bill 1485, lawmakers voted 6-0 to replace the Senate amendment with a conference committee amendment that adds an appropriation intended to raise the personal needs allowance for nursing home residents.

The amendment, sponsored on the floor by Senator Cleary, adds an appropriation the senator read as "$1,452,360 to this bill," with a portion coming from federal funds. "I would like to make a motion that, we replaced the amendment adopted by the senate chamber with a conference committee amendment, and that amendment is adding $1,452,360 to this bill..." Senator Cleary said when proposing the change. Representative Dolrich seconded the motion.

The committee discussed how the allowance amount was set. Senator Cleary said the Senate Policy Committee had proposed a $50 monthly increase to the personal needs allowance, but the Appropriations Committee reduced that to $15. Cleary said the fiscal note assumed roughly a 3% inflation figure—aligned with CPI used by nursing homes—rather than the 1.5% figure cited earlier. "If you look at the most recent fiscal note, that brings the cost for the upcoming biennium to about $1,400,000, total, and a little over half of that is general fund," he said.

Representative Rich asked about the source of the "other fund" share referenced in the fiscal note. Cleary replied, "Those are federal funds." Representative (Senator) Mathern voiced support for adding the appropriation, saying in part, "I would support that amendment. I think unfortunately sometimes we have passed bills without putting the money in thinking it's simpler, but it makes it very difficult to actually operate properly for the department..."

The clerk called the roll after no further discussion. Chairman Belts, Representative Dobrevitch, Representative Rios, Senator Cleary, Senator Magrum, and Senator Mathern all voted yes. The motion passed 6-0-0. Chairman Belts then said he would carry the measure on his side and acknowledged Senator Cleary as the Senate carrier; the conference committee was dissolved.

The action will be reflected in the conference report on House Bill 1485; the committee’s reading of the fiscal figures and fund sources is recorded in the committee transcript.