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Health Care Task Force advances $198 million appropriation and four policy bills for special session
Summary
The task force forwarded an appropriations draft that would appropriate $198,000,000 per grant year and advanced four policy bill drafts—on school fitness testing, physician nutrition continuing education, a physician assistant licensure compact, and pharmacist prescriptive authority—for hearings in the upcoming special session. Officials warned failure could reduce federal award funding.
The Health Care Task Force voted to forward an appropriations draft that would appropriate $198,000,000 for the current grant year and an additional $198,000,000 for the following grant year, and moved four policy bill drafts to legislative management for consideration in the special session.
Vice Chair Viggasaw led the appropriations overview, saying, "Section 1 appropriates the 198,000,000 of grant funds awarded for the current year, which goes through, October 2026." He told members the draft also authorizes transfers into agency budget lines, allows OMB to increase agency federal funds appropriation authority up to award amounts, includes provisions to speed procurement and permit cooperative bulk purchases, requires recipients to acknowledge the federal funding is time-limited, and directs periodic reporting to the legislature. The bill includes an effective-date provision tied to filing with the secretary of state.
The policy division reported four draft bills the committee recommended moving forward. Senator Lee summarized the measures: 25Dot1383Dot01000 would add the presidential physical fitness test to the one-half unit of high school physical education; 25.1384.0.01 would require physicians to complete at least one hour of continuing education on nutrition and metabolic health per renewal cycle; 25.1385.01000 would add physician assistants to an interstate licensure compact to ease workforce mobility; and 25Dot1386Dot01000 would grant pharmacists limited prescriptive authority and permit therapeutic substitution for specified conditions.
Committee members raised questions about scope and risks. Senator Debra asked whether failure of any of the policy bills would affect the level of federal grant funding; Donna Ockland, chief financial officer at the department, answered: "100% correct. If these are not passed or if even if they change, they could have adverse effects for how much money we receive," and said the department has requested CMS detail the funding calculations. Later, Krista Fleming of the medical services division said, "CMS was very clear that you cannot make up the points for these particular provisions," adding that if provisions are not passed or are reduced in form, CMS will take points back.
Members suggested technical fixes and stakeholder input before final votes. On the school fitness measure, several members said exemptions should be considered for students with severe illness or disability; Senator Hogan said he may draft an exemption amendment. On the pharmacist prescribing measure, Senator Lee said committee members favored allowing stakeholder comment in a special-session hearing before adopting any substantive amendment. Leader Lefour said legislative management will decide chamber assignment and that hearings are likely at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday of the special session.
The committee recorded roll-call votes forwarding the appropriations draft and authorizing preparation of a committee report on the policy bills; clerks recorded the roll calls in the transcript and the chair stated both motions carried. The task force will present the committee report to legislative management and may remain in formation during the special session to monitor outcomes.
Next steps: legislative management is expected to introduce the bills on Wednesday of the special session and schedule hearings; the department will continue coordinating with CMS and stakeholders on technical details and scoring implications.
