Committee approves bill expanding abortion‑facility inspections and reporting; public testimony objects

Senate Bill 463, presented to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee, would revise state law on inspections and reporting for abortion facilities. Sponsor described provisions making it a class A misdemeanor to notify a facility about an upcoming unannounced inspection or to conceal/remove information relevant to inspections, requiring inspections to be conducted by two people, and requiring the state to record and report physician license suspensions that occur during abortions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The sponsor said the bill also clarifies reporting for statutory exceptions and would improve documentation around rare exceptions.