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Committee approves appropriation for State Board of Medicine to implement anesthesiology assistant licenses
Summary
Senate File 112 received a do-pass recommendation after the State Board of Medicine told the Appropriations Committee it needs two board members and software updates, funded from special revenue, to license anesthesiology assistants if the law is enacted.
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 5-0 to report Senate File 112 do pass after hearing from the State Board of Medicine about startup costs to implement a new licensure class for anesthesiology assistants.
Kevin Bonhamblest, executive director of the State Board of Medicine, told the committee that if the Legislature authorizes licensing for anesthesiology assistants the board would add AAs (anesthesiology assistants) to the professions it regulates. He said the board is not the bill sponsor but wants authority to spend existing special revenue to cover implementation costs.
"The bulk of it would be the addition of 2 members to the board itself," Bonhamblest said, adding that board members are compensated similar to legislators. He also cited "about $40,000 in costs to get our software system" to support online renewals and applications.
Bonhamblest said the board's special revenue account currently holds sufficient funds to sustain the additional licensing work and asked for statutory authority to spend those funds if the bill becomes law.
After public testimony, the committee moved the bill, took a second, and recorded a roll-call vote: Senators Driscoll, Giroux, Larson, Smith and Chairman Salazar voted aye. The clerk announced, "5 ayes do pass."
