Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Health Newborn Screening topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Conferees approve House substitute for Senate Bill 126, codifying newborn screening changes and increasing health funding
Summary
Conferees approved a House substitute for Senate Bill 126 as amended, adopting statutory language to name an Advanced Universal Newborn Screening Program, authorize reimbursement for PKU medical foods, extend newborn-screening fund transfers, and increase several state health funding lines.
Conferees approved a House substitute for Senate Bill 126 as amended, adopting provisions that would codify newborn screening language in statute and increase several health-related funding lines. The panel approved the measure by voice vote after agreeing to strike a CHIPS-related section and to study CHIP program issues next year.
The chair of the conferees (Chair) said at the outset that three of the four compact bills were already in the budget proviso and that the conferees were signing onto the package. A member of the panel (Conferee) moved to "strike all of section 1," referring to the CHIPS portion of the substitute; the motion to remove that section was incorporated into the final amendment. Legislative staff (Legislative staff/reviser) summarized the substantive changes in the remaining sections.
Legislative staff said the substitute "establishes the name as the Advanced Universal Newborn Screening Program in statute," and noted the measure would "provide[] reimbursement for certain treatment services" specifically by authorizing coverage for medical food products for phenylketonuria (PKU). Staff also said the secretary would be authorized to specify which conditions are included in the screening, "based upon guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services," and that the bill would extend prior transfers of monies from the newborn screening program that had been handled by proviso over the last five years.
The substitute also increases state financial assistance to local health departments from $7,000 to $12,000 per year and raises what the transcript called the HCAAP hospital assessment to a maximum of 6 percent, while allowing some hospitals to be exempt depending on their revenues. Legislative staff said these provisions "put it in the statute" as opposed to remaining only in a proviso.
After discussion and confirmation among members, Conferee moved to approve the House substitute for Senate Bill 126 as amended. The motion was seconded (second not specified in the transcript), the panel voted by voice and recorded an "aye." Chair then said, "It is passed." The conferees adjourned for the year shortly afterward; in closing remarks both sides thanked staff and each other for their work.
Discussion versus decision: the record shows the panel debated and adopted an amendment to remove section 1 (the CHIPS portion), agreed to study CHIP issues next year, and formally passed the House substitute for Senate Bill 126 as amended. Specific numeric roll-call vote tallies and the name of the second are not specified in the transcript.
Votes at a glance: House substitute for Senate Bill 126 (as amended) — Motion to approve reported by the conferees; adopted by voice vote (recorded as "aye"); second not specified. Amendment — strike all of section 1 (CHIPS portion) — adopted as part of the amended substitute (vote details not specified).
