House Health and Welfare committee sends five bills to the House floor with due-pass recommendations

At its 9:00 a.m. meeting the House Health and Welfare Committee voted to send five bills to the full House with due-pass recommendations: House Bill 199, House Bill 91, House Bill 110, House Bill 198 and House Bill 133.

The measures moved forward after brief presentations and limited questions. Most items were described by sponsors as routine “move rules into statute” cleanups or clarifications of existing policy; only House Bill 110 prompted extended technical questioning about scope-of-practice boundaries.

Representative John Vandewada, sponsor of House Bill 199 (medical assistance for refugees), told the committee, “House Bill 199 basically takes the section of rules and puts them into statutes in regards to the refugee Medicaid, medical assistance act and then deletes the rules out of the rule section and puts it into statute and also determines their eligibility.” The committee voted to send HB199 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. A virtual witness had signed up but was not heard in person during the meeting.

Jordan Redmond, sponsor of House Bill 91, said the measure is a code-cleanup bill that “repeals ... sections of code” no longer used. The committee approved sending HB91 to the House with a due-pass recommendation.

Redmond also sponsored House Bill 110, described as a measure to clarify that the legislature and licensing boards set scope of practice rather than the Medicaid program. “This bill ... makes sure that the legislature and licensing boards set the scope of practice and not the Medicaid program,” Redmond said. Representative Rubel asked whether the bill’s phrasing could inadvertently allow providers to perform services that are not expressly banned — for example, whether the absence of an explicit prohibition could be read as authorization for procedures outside a provider’s customary role. Redmond replied that licensing boards’ training and scope determinations, together with legislative direction, are intended to define allowed services. The Department of Health and Welfare had reviewed HB110 and raised no objections. The committee moved HB110 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation.

Representative David Levitt presented House Bill 198, which he said would move existing rules into statute for clinical laboratory quality assurance, the state drinking-water laboratory certification program and clandestine laboratory cleanup; Levitt said the bill “has no real financial impact” and estimated modest printing savings tied to the rule change. The committee voted to send HB198 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation.

Representative Rob Beissinger presented House Bill 133 as a long-standing set of tobacco-related rules moved into code for clarity. He described the bill as noncontroversial and urged a due-pass recommendation; the committee approved sending HB133 to the House.

Committee business also included approval of minutes from the Feb. 11 meeting. The chair reminded members to declare any potential conflicts under Rule 80 when legislation before the committee could present a conflict of interest.

All five bills were sent to the House floor with due-pass recommendations. The committee adjourned after completing the listed agenda items; the measures now proceed to the next stage in the legislative process.