Lawmakers hear detailed testimony on bill to end pediatric hospital overstays and speed placements

Lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee heard urgent testimony on HB 1559 on Tuesday, a measure intended to end the practice of keeping youth in hospitals and other unlicensed settings while they await placement.

The bill, introduced by the chamber’s speaker (presenting the bill in committee), would prohibit placements of children in hotels, homeless shelters and office buildings and establish a placement review panel, a rapid‑response team and a placement manager (or senior adviser role) to coordinate state agencies. It also requires standardized data collection and a statewide bed registry to track available placements across residential, therapeutic foster and step‑down programs.

Supporters told the committee that children routinely spend weeks or months in emergency departments or hospital rooms after being medically cleared, often losing access to school, outdoor time and essential social supports. "I waited with this mother and son for 15 hours," the bill sponsor said, recounting a case that prompted the legislation and describing the emotional toll on families. Hospital clinicians and system leaders offered specific examples: a pediatric patient who spent 81 days in…