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Senate clears Medicaid vision-care funding previously held up by intent language
Summary
Under suspension of the rules, the Senate moved and approved SB172 to authorize expenditure of previously appropriated funds (about $176,000) for Medicaid vision care after correcting an intent-language obstacle; the bill passed final approval and was sent to the House.
Senator Christiansen moved under suspension of the rules to lift Senate Bill 172 (Funding for Medicaid Vision Care) from Rules and place it on the second-reading calendar for immediate consideration. Christiansen explained that $176,000 had been appropriated in the prior year but a co-pay/intent language prevented the Department from spending the money.
The sponsor said the bill simply authorizes the department to expend the previously appropriated funds and described the motion as corrective: "We put some intent language in that made us stumble. We couldn't do it. We've been beat up for a year," he said. After a point-of-order discussion about public-hearing rules and suspending them for this technical fix, the Senate took the bill across the readings and approved final passage under suspension.
Roll call for final passage recorded 27 yes, 0 no and 2 absent. SB172 was passed and referred to the House for further action. The floor record notes that if no further appropriation is requested this year, there will be no available funds to continue the program beyond the appropriation already made.
