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Senate pauses action on medical debt relief bill to correct appropriation language
Summary
The Senate delayed further action on S.27 (medical debt relief) after senators raised concerns that a section's appropriation duplicated budget language now covered elsewhere; the body recessed briefly to draft a further proposed amendment.
The Senate moved to pass over S.27, a medical debt relief bill, after members raised concerns about the bill's appropriation language and its interaction with the ongoing budget process.
Senator Lyons, reporting for Senate Health and Welfare, outlined improvements in the House amendments including added notifications for people whose debt is removed and a clarification adding behavioral health as a distinct definition used in the bill. Senators discussed an appropriation in Section 2 that predated recently enacted budget adjustments (referred to on the floor as changes to the BAA/budget actions). Senator from Washington said the appropriation as written should not be made because the money is now accounted for elsewhere in the general fund and budget process.
Senators agreed to prepare a further proposal of amendment to address the appropriation language. The Senate took a brief recess to draft the amendment; upon return the record shows the body passed over S.27 to allow time to prepare the amendment and ensure the bill's funding language aligns with the state budget.
No final passage or roll-call vote on S.27 occurred in the provided transcript. The floor treatment directed staff to prepare conforming language before third reading.
