Appropriations Committee approves a package of health and human services bills; dental expansion passes with one dissent

The House Appropriations Committee held a short voting session to consider several health and human services bills, approving each item on the agenda by roll call.

A departmental bill described to the committee alters provisions related to reimbursement of Maryland court participants, changes eligibility rules for a program that provides two pathways (an "program path" for 18-to-25-year-olds and a "service path" for people 18 and older), repeals an unused executive fellows program and makes conforming agency changes. "This is a departmental bill. It alters provision regarding the reimbursement of the Maryland courts participants, changes eligibility requirements for the program, allows the department to use its current funds for either the program path, which is 18 to 25 year olds, or the service path, which is for 18 year olds and older. It repeals the obsolete executive fellows program that was never utilized, makes other clarifying and conforming changes to agency responsibilities, and there's no fiscal effect," the committee heard from a departmental presenter. The presenter also told the committee that the bill had not been unanimous in Health and Government Operations (HGO): "It was not, we had 5 opposed." The committee approved the bill on a roll-call vote.

The committee also advanced House Bill 265, sponsored in the floor comments by Delegate Shetty, which expands eligibility in the Maryland Dental Care Program to include dentists and dental hygienists employed part time. The committee considered two amendments adopted earlier in the referring…