Committee retains bill on parental consent for Medicaid-to-schools participation

The House Education Committee voted to retain Senate Bill 34, a measure “relative to the parental consent for student participation in Medicaid to schools program,” after members said they needed more information about how the program operates and how billing is handled.

Representative Noble, who moved to retain the bill, told the committee that members "weren't all that comfortable with the suggested amendment" and that the panel had requested information from the Department of Health and Human Services that had not yet been provided. "So I think it's best to get this right, and so retain is probably the best route," Representative Noble said.

Committee members who spoke during the discussion agreed that more detail about the Medicaid-to-schools processes was necessary before advancing the measure. Representative Freeman seconded the motion to retain and said he agreed with Noble's assessment. The committee clerk called the roll; the motion to retain passed on a voice/roll call count of 18 yeas and 0 nays.

The committee record shows members asked staff to follow up with Health and Human Services for the outstanding materials the panel had requested. No amendment or further directive was adopted at the time of the retention vote.

Votes and procedural outcome The motion to retain was made by Representative Noble and seconded by Representative Freeman. The clerk recorded 18 yeas, 0 nays; the measure was retained for further information and consideration.

What remains next Committee members said they plan to await the requested information from Health and Human Services and reconsider the bill once the committee has clearer details on how Medicaid billing and parental consent are implemented in the schools' program. No further timeline for reconsideration was specified in the hearing.