House Health and Human Services committee advances six health bills, including opioid antagonist expansion and maternal-monitoring pilot

At a meeting of the House Health and Human Services Committee's full committee, members advanced six bills referred from the health subcommittee, voting either to pass the bills or to report them to the Appropriations Committee.

The measures advanced address a range of issues: expanding who may dispense opioid antagonists beyond naloxone, establishing a Department of Health menstrual-health program, creating a remote patient-monitoring pilot for maternal hypertension and diabetes, allowing certain in-system distribution of compounded drugs, and removing a funeral-director monthly reporting requirement. Most measures passed or were reported out unanimously; one opioid-related bill passed 17–1.

Why this matters: the bills affect clinical practice rules, public-health programs and data collection, and licensing or reporting requirements for private providers. Two measures were reported to the Appropriations Committee for consideration of funding and implementation details.

House Bill highlights and outcomes

House Bill 1552 (patron: Delegate Wiley) — The transcript did not include the bill's substantive text. The health subcommittee recommended reporting the measure (subcommittee vote reported as 7–0). The full committee recorded a final vote of 17–0 to report the bill from the subcommittee. The substitute motion was offered by Delegate Hope on the committee floor and seconded (seconder not named in the transcript). HB 1552's substantive provisions were not specified in the meeting transcript.

House Bill 1571 (patron: Delegate Runyon) — This bill would remove the requirement that funeral directors report monthly to the state registrar a list showing all caskets furnished, bodies prepared for disposition and transportation, and funerals performed where no casket was furnished by the funeral director for the preceding month. The health subcommittee recommended reporting (reported as 7–0). The full committee vote to report HB 1571 was recorded as 17–0.

House Bill 1637 (patron: Delegate Hope) — The bill would permit persons acting on behalf of an organization that provides services to individuals at risk of experiencing opioid overdose (or that train others in administration of opioid antagonists) to dispense opioid antagonists other than naloxone, and would allow recipients to possess and administer those antagonists. Under current law, persons acting on behalf of such organizations may only dispense naloxone, not other opioid antagonists, according to the presentation. The subcommittee recommendation was 7–1; the full committee passed the bill on a recorded vote of 17–1.

House Bill 1905 (patron: Delegate Willett) — A substitute was offered and adopted on the floor. The substitute allows for distribution of compounded drugs within a health system when such drugs will be administered only to patients within that hospital or health system. The health subcommittee recommendation was 8–0, and the full committee approved the substitute/report on a vote of 18–0.

House Bill 1918 (patron: Delegate Lavere Bolling) — A substitute directing the commissioner of health to establish a women’s menstrual health program within the Department of Health was brought forward and passed. The substitute directs the department, in administering the program, to screen and treat patients who display symptoms related to menstrual disorders, provide education and training on menstrual disorders to health-care providers and the public, publish information on menstrual disorders on the department website, and collect information on screening patients. The subcommittee recommended reporting and referral to Appropriations (vote reported as 8–0). The full committee referred HB 1918 to Appropriations on a vote of 18–0.

House Bill 1976 (patron: Delegate Loeffler) — The bill directs the Department of Health to implement a pilot program providing remote patient monitoring for maternal hypertension and maternal diabetes. The department must select a managed-care organization and a technology vendor to administer the pilot. The bill requires the department to submit a report to the governor and the General Assembly no later than 18 months after the first eligible participant is enrolled. The subcommittee recommended reporting and referral to Appropriations (vote reported as 8–0); the full committee reported and referred HB 1976 to Appropriations on a vote of 18–0.

Procedural notes and next steps

Delegate Hope presented the health subcommittee report and moved the various motions on the floor. Several measures were advanced by substitute motions before the votes. Two bills (HB 1918 and HB 1976) were specifically referred to the Appropriations Committee for funding and implementation consideration. The committee chair opened the electronic roll for recorded votes; the clerk announced final tallies as recorded above. The full committee then recessed to permit the immediately following Health Professions Subcommittee to convene.

Speakers named in the transcript include Delegate Hope (presenting the subcommittee report and moving motions), Delegate Wiley (patron of HB 1552), Delegate Runyon (patron of HB 1571), Delegate Willett (patron of HB 1905), Delegate Lavere Bolling (patron of HB 1918), Delegate Loeffler (patron of HB 1976), the committee chair (unidentified in the transcript), and the committee clerk (unidentified in the transcript). No additional substantive public testimony or outside witnesses were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.

Ending

The measures advanced will proceed according to standard House procedures: passed bills will move on in the legislative process and the two items referred to Appropriations will await that committee’s consideration of funding and implementation details.