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Senator Hendrickson wins indefinite postponement of nonemergency medical-transportation bill amid fraud, rural-provider concerns
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Summary
Senator Hendrickson moved and the Senate approved an indefinite postponement of Senate Bill 63, citing widespread fraud and cost overruns in nonemergency medical transportation and concerns that a statewide broker model previously harmed rural providers and patients.
Senator Hendrickson moved to postpone Senate Bill 63 indefinitely, saying the nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) sector has been plagued by “rampant” fraud and “exorbitant cost overruns” that need to be addressed before the Legislature imposes a statewide broker model. The motion carried by voice vote and the Senate marked SB63 as indefinitely postponed.
Hendrickson told colleagues the industry is “going through a period of immense change,” that the state is returning to a statewide broker system and that the last time such a broker system was used it “did not work well, especially for providers and patients in rural areas.” He urged colleagues to protect patient choice for preferred providers and ensure timely payment to providers for completed trips.
Chair Senator Gonzales put the motion to the body; after the voice vote she announced “the ayes have it” and recorded SB63 as postponed. Sponsors and other members said there are ongoing conversations and that related protections may be addressed in House Bill 13-28 and other measures.
The action was procedural: the motion to postpone was adopted by voice vote and no numeric roll-call tally was recorded on the floor transcript for the final disposition. The debate and vote leave SB63 off the active calendar unless sponsors reintroduce or rework the measure in a future filing or in companion legislation.
