Health and Government Operations panel approves six departmental bills, holds social-work compact for follow-up

The Health and Government Operations Committee, chaired by Delegate Jocelyn Pena-Melnyk, approved six departmental bills Friday and returned one — the Interstate Social Work Licensure Compact — to subcommittee for additional fiscal review.

The most substantive actions included passage of House Bill 36, which consolidates certain aging services into the Department of Aging and requires individualized transition plans and one-on-one counseling for seniors affected by the change, and House Bill 138, which expands eligibility for burial in state veterans cemeteries and prompted questions about the bill's fiscal note. The committee voted to hold House Bill 345, the Interstate Social Work Licensure Compact, and asked sponsors and the licensing board to return to subcommittee with details about a changed fiscal note and whether funds had been swept to the general fund.

House Bill 36, a departmental measure, replaces a statutory requirement that the Secretary of Aging develop congregate housing and assisted-living programs and instead requires the Department of Aging to develop, coordinate and administer a consolidated system providing similar services. An amendment adopted in committee specifies that the definition on the bill applies to area agencies on aging, requires the Department of Aging to engage stakeholders and to provide individualized transition plans and one-on-one counseling for individuals affected by the transition. The amendment was moved and seconded and the bill as amended passed on voice vote.

House Bill 138, another departmental bill, removes a state residency requirement for burial in state veterans cemeteries and expands the definition of veteran to include additional reserve components, including the reserve component of the U.S. Public Health Service. The bill requires the Department of Veterans and Military Families, when a person eligible under the expanded categories is buried, to collect a fee equal to the annual plot allowance established by the National Cemetery Administration. During committee discussion, several members raised concern that the fiscal note was listed as an “indeterminate amount” and asked for more detail on how many additional eligible people the change might create. Delegate Morgan said she had voted no in subcommittee because of concerns about the fiscal note and about an advocate’s testimony that “$400,000 from this account was moved to the general fund.”

“I’m gonna hold it. I’m gonna send it back to subcommittee,” Chair Jocelyn Pena-Melnyk said about HB 345, instructing staff to ask the licensing board to appear and to explain the difference in the fiscal note, what it takes to run the compact and whether funds were transferred. Committee members asked for answers about whether the compact’s implementation requires hiring a staff person (the current fiscal note anticipates an employee) and whether Maryland-licensed fee revenue is being swept to the general fund.

Other departmental bills approved with little or no discussion included House Bill 46 (adds the Motor Vehicle Administration administrator or designee to the Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council), House Bill 94 (technical changes to membership and chairing of the advisory committee on opioid-associated disease prevention and outreach programs), House Bill 181 (transfers appointment authority within the Military Department from the governor to the adjutant general), House Bill 196 (repeals the War Memorial Commission and shifts oversight to the Department of Veterans and Military Families), and House Bill 276 (repeals an annual forms reporting requirement to the records management division of the Department of General Services; the amendment moved the bill’s effective date so the repeal would take effect before the July 31 reporting date).

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 36 (Department of Aging consolidation; individualized transition plans and 1-on-1 counseling): amendment moved and passed; bill as amended passed (voice vote).

- House Bill 46 (Motor Vehicle Administration member added to Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council): passed (voice vote).

- House Bill 94 (opioid-associated disease prevention advisory committee membership and appeals): passed (voice vote).

- House Bill 138 (State veterans cemetery burial eligibility expansion; fee collection aligned with National Cemetery Administration plot allowance): amendment adopted; bill as amended passed (voice vote); committee discussion raised fiscal-note questions.

- House Bill 181 (Military Department appointment authority shifted to adjutant general): passed (voice vote).

- House Bill 196 (Department of Veterans and Military Families oversight of War Memorial Building; board membership clarifications): passed (voice vote).

- House Bill 276 (repeal of annual forms reporting to DGS records management division; effective date amendment): amendment adopted; bill as amended passed (voice vote).

- House Bill 345 (Interstate Social Work Licensure Compact): favorable with amendment in subcommittee but held by the full committee and returned to subcommittee for additional information on fiscal changes and fund status; Chair Pena-Melnyk directed the board to appear before subcommittee.

The committee chair closed the voting portion of the meeting and announced a 12:30 briefing on emergency room wait times would follow.

Ending

Committee members asked for follow-up detail on fiscal notes and on whether special fund balances had been swept to the general fund in recent budget actions. Chair Pena-Melnyk said the subcommittee would reconvene the items needing additional information and asked staff and the relevant boards to provide specific answers before the committee takes final action.