Committee adopts a slate of interim study proposals covering telemedicine, emergency authority and health-care audits

The Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee voted to adopt multiple interim study proposals (ISPs) aimed at pandemic-era and longer-term policy questions.

Senator Hammer introduced an ISP seeking to involve the legislature in the state-of-emergency declaration process and to study statutory changes; the committee adopted the ISP after a motion. Representative Aaron Pilkington’s telemedicine ISP, which would examine telehealth rules adopted during the emergency and consider long-term changes, was also adopted by voice vote. Other ISPs adopted included proposals on Medicaid Inspector General recovery of improperly expended funds, insurance premium grace periods for quarantined individuals, audits of suspended health-care providers, liability for health-care workers and an ISP to commission a scope-of-practice review via a consultant RFP framework.

Several sponsors asked that draft RFP language be circulated to committee members for review; a few members raised procedural questions about whether an RFP would require subsequent legislative action or ALC approval for funding. The chair and sponsors clarified that adoption of an ISP is a request to study the issue further and that any procurement or funding would follow existing legislative and administrative channels.

Votes were recorded in the transcript as voice votes and motions carried for each ISP. The committee did not take final legislative action on any of the ISPs at this meeting; sponsors said they would provide draft language and follow-up materials to members ahead of future consideration.

Next steps: Sponsors will circulate draft RFPs and legislative language where relevant, and the committee will schedule follow-up work as needed.