Public Health Committee moves a package of health bills; several added to consent calendar

The Public Health Committee approved actions on multiple bills in a single meeting, advancing some items to the floor and adding several measures to the committee’s consent calendar for expedited handling.

Key actions recorded in committee:

- SB 1285 (overdose prevention center pilot) — advanced to the floor as a JFS to the floor after debate (see separate article for details).

- SB 1331 (health information exchange opt‑in/opt‑out study) — moved by Representative Gilchrist, added to the committee consent calendar. The bill directs the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) to study whether to exclude certain patient health information from the statewide health information exchange (referred to in testimony as ‘‘Connie’’) and to examine opt‑in/opt‑out procedures. Committee leadership said discussions are ongoing about improving granularity, timeliness and communications around consent.

- SB 1395 (licensure for long‑term acute care hospitals) — moved by Representative Gilchrist and added to the consent calendar. The measure would add long‑term acute care hospitals to the statutory definition of ‘‘institution’’ and require DPH to study regulatory designations for chronic disease hospitals.

- SB 1450 (healthcare workforce recruitment and retention) — moved by Representative Gilchrist and seconded by Representative Morin Bello; the bill was added to the consent calendar. The proposal would establish a loan reimbursement program targeted to full‑time healthcare providers with set allocations for primary care, rural providers and federally qualified health centers, add certain allied professions to workforce planning, and create a pilot program for virtual education of EMTs and nurse aides; the bill’s s‑language clarified that virtual training would not replace required in‑person supervision.

- SB 1507 (prohibiting certain private equity ownership of health care institutions) — moved by Senator Amor and seconded by Representative Jenga; committee debated amendments and the measure was ultimately added to the consent calendar. Major provisions ban acquisition or control of hospitals by private equity and real‑estate investment trusts, prohibit nonclinical entities from directing or controlling clinical practice, nullify nondisclosure agreements that hide prohibited conduct, and require OHS to study whether the attorney general should be able to petition for a receiver for distressed hospitals. A floor amendment to remove an exclusion for venture‑capital funding of early‑stage startups was proposed and failed on a roll call; chairs indicated further work would continue on technical language.

- HB 6873 (strengthening review of health care entity transactions) — moved by Senator Ammar, seconded by Representative Gilchrist; committee approved the measure to be reported to the floor. The bill requires earlier notice to the attorney general for material changes (transactions with assets, revenues or anticipated revenues of $10,000,000 or more over a five‑year period), expands the attorney general’s authority to impose conditions or require a CON in some transactions, and formalizes consultation between the attorney general and OHS about access, cost and quality impacts of transactions.

- HB 7157 (various public health statute revisions) — moved by Representative Gilchrist and added to the consent calendar. The bill contains a package of changes including a no‑fee death certificate for family members of a minor, FDA‑approved nasal epinephrine use for EMS, a two‑hour ethics training requirement for physical therapists, stronger confidentiality protections for psychologists aligned with other behavioral‑health providers, a return of higher maximum civil penalties for providers (up to $25,000 at the board’s discretion), minor reporting‑date changes and other technical revisions.

Committee leadership said recorded roll calls took place during the meeting and that votes were left open until 4:30 p.m. to accommodate remote participants. The committee’s consent calendar consisted of SB 1331, SB 1395, SB 1507, and HB 7157; the chairs said the items will be reported together as part of the committee’s consent calendar on the next available floor calendar.