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Bills the House Health & Welfare committee reported March 25
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Summary
The committee reported several health-and-family-related bills favorably or with amendments: HB223 (DCFS reauthorization), HB907 (naloxone liability/shelf-life), HB535 (hospital paternity acknowledgment), HB224 (children's code updates), HB246 (Children's Cabinet membership), HB405 (acupuncture licensure), and HB222 (Medicaid dental coverage). HB554 was voluntarily deferred and HB199 and HB235 were reported with amendments (covered separately).
The House Committee on Health and Welfare on March 25 moved several bills out of committee:
- HB223 (Representative Miller): Reauthorizes the Department of Children and Family Services for four years. Rebecca Harris, DCFS secretary, outlined continued reforms (differentiated response, increased community‑based care). Committee reported the bill favorably.
- HB907 (Representative Miller): Provides civil and criminal immunity for distribution or use of naloxone beyond its labeled shelf life and updates technical language related to extended shelf life. Public health officials supported the measure; reported with amendments.
- HB535 (Representative Shinnevare): Streamlines hospital-based voluntary acknowledgments of paternity by removing the two-witness requirement and easing notarization procedures; hospital representatives supported the change; reported favorably.
- HB224 (Speaker Pro Tem Johnson): Technical, periodic revisions to the children’s code recommended by the Louisiana State Law Institute; reported favorably.
- HB246 (Representative Spell): Updates membership of the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board and related bodies; reported favorably.
- HB405 (Representative Egan): Updates licensure language for acupuncturists and the national certifying organization name; reported favorably.
- HB222 (Representative Barrault): Requires Medicaid coverage for certain dental procedures when lack of dental clearance is blocking medically necessary treatment; supporters said funding/guardrails will be worked with appropriations.
Committee motions to report these bills were adopted without recorded roll-call votes as noted in the transcript. HB554 was voluntarily deferred for further work with LDH, while HB199 and HB235 were reported with committee amendments described in separate articles.
