Senate Public Health Committee advances a package of health, child-welfare and workforce bills by voice vote

The Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee met and advanced a package of bills affecting workforce data sharing, health-care regulation, jail medical procedures, child-welfare background checks, nuclear-radiation law updates and a medical-student scholarship.

Senator Jane English, sponsor of Senate Bill 299, told the committee the measure “does nothing more than allow the Department of Workforce Services to share information.” Don Denton of the Division of Workforce Services attended as a guest. The committee asked no questions and advanced the bill by voice vote.

Representative Justin Gonzales said House Bill 1180 would codify an existing practice to ensure scope-of-practice changes or related regulations go through the Public Health Committee before final action in the ALC rulemaking process. Gonzales told the committee the bill “simply puts in the code what a standard practice anyway” is currently doing. Committee members raised no objections and the bill was advanced by voice vote.

Senator Davis introduced Senate Bill 344, which Brandy McAllister of the Association of Arkansas Counties and Hope County Sheriff Shane Jones described as a targeted measure to let trained jailers draw (measure) insulin or glucagon and hand delivery…