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Bill would waive assessment fees for low‑income people required to obtain chemical‑use assessments
Summary
House File 19,95 (as amended) would require that medically eligible people (Medicaid/Behavioral Health Fund) not pay for a required comprehensive chemical‑use assessment; the committee adopted an amendment that removed other sections and laid the bill over to Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.
House File 19,95, amended in committee, would prevent people who qualify for medical assistance or the behavioral health fund from being charged for a court‑ordered comprehensive chemical‑use assessment tied to driving offenses or other required assessments.
Representative Frederick described the amendment (A1) as removing sections 2 and 3 so the focus is on ensuring that assessment fees are not a barrier for people who are income‑eligible for Medicaid or the behavioral health fund. Brian Zervos of MARCH testified the change would reduce a barrier because providers already have existing funding mechanisms to bill for those services when patients are Medicaid‑eligible.
Nut graf: Supporters described the change as a targeted affordability fix so that required assessments do not create additional financial burdens for low‑income Minnesotans; the amendment also modernizes statutory language to replace the phrase "chemical dependency" with a contemporary term in reviser language.
Action: After adopting the amendment, the committee re‑referred the bill to the Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee. Representative Frederick said the deleted sections would allow focus on the payment question.
Ending: The committee advanced the narrower measure and will continue discussions in Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.
