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Senate Finance Committee advances a package of bills including PBM study, needle-exchange update and AI work group
Summary
The Senate Finance Committee reported several bills favorable Oct. 3, including a PBM study work group, updates to Baltimore City's syringe-exchange law, a local alcohol-license bill, and an AI work group; the committee also acted procedurally on insulin step-therapy amendments.
A series of additional bills on the committee’s calendar on Oct. 3 were reported favorably or otherwise acted on by the Senate Finance Committee.
House Bill 813: The committee approved a reprint that makes the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Department of Health convene a work group to study drug-pricing issues, pharmacy reimbursement, specialty‑pharmacy practices and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) law. The amended reprint adds additional stakeholders (insurers, plan sponsors, wholesalers, manufacturers) and asks the administration to compare PBM practices in other states. The insurance commissioner supported adding the items to the work group’s charge.
House Bill 1502: The committee reported favorably a Baltimore City local bill that updates the city’s sterile needle and syringe exchange law—removing the word “pilot,” modernizing language from "AIDS" to "HIV," and making other technical changes. The Baltimore City Senate delegation provided a letter supporting the bill. The measure passed the committee on a roll call that recorded an 8‑3 result.
House Bill 346: The committee favorably reported a local Baltimore City alcohol licensing bill that authorizes several local licenses; the bill passed with unanimous support from the members present.
House Bill 956: The committee moved House Bill 956, creating a work group on implementation of artificial intelligence, to a favorable report as amended. Senator Washington expressed that recent amendments made the proposal "fair and balanced." The committee recorded the motion and moved the bill forward.
Insulin/House Bill 970 (procedural action): Committee members received a motion to not recede from senate amendments to House Bill 970 (health-insurance prohibition on step therapy for insulin/insulin analogs). The chair indicated conferees would be named later; Senator Lam indicated willingness to serve as a conferee. The motion was procedural and will be handled in the conference process.
These items will proceed in the legislative process with the committee’s votes and amendments noted on each reprint.
