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Committee removes sunset, advances bill extending palliative-care advisory work
Summary
Senate Bill 17, which concerns the Palliative Care Advisory Commission and its reporting to the Louisiana Department of Health, was amended in committee to remove the commission’s termination date and was reported as amended to the Senate floor.
Senator Gerald Boudreaux presented Senate Bill 17 to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare on April 16 to continue and clarify the work of the Palliative Care Advisory Commission and its role advising the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH).
Dr. Susan Nelson, system chair for palliative medicine and supportive care at Ochsner Health, told the committee the advisory council is an interdisciplinary group that assists with pain and symptom management and helps patients and families navigate care. “We’re an interdisciplinary group of healthcare professionals that provide an extra layer of support for people with serious illness,” Nelson said, adding the council’s work includes consulting with LDH and Medicaid managed-care plans to improve care across the state.
Boudreaux originally asked for a three-year extension to 2028; however committee members debated whether a continuing sunset was necessary. Members agreed to an amendment that deletes the termination date. Committee staff described the change as a repeal of the statute’s termination provision (deleting the language in Section G on page 1, line 10). The committee adopted that amendment by voice vote, and Vice Chair Jackson Andrews moved to report the bill as amended; there were no objections.
Committee discussion noted the council meets quarterly, files reports to the Health and Welfare committees and was first convened in 2019. Dr. Nelson also noted April 16 is National Health Care Decisions Day and used that observance to emphasize the council’s role in helping families document decision-makers and care preferences.
With the sunset language removed, the commission’s reporting requirements will remain in place; the bill was reported as amended and will go to the Senate floor for further consideration.
