Senate Finance Committee adopts substitute for bill on psychiatric treatment for foster children

The Senate Finance Committee on May 12 adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 36, the bill addressing psychiatric treatment for children in foster care. The substitute removes references to examination and treatment consent for minors aged 16 and older, removes a "not more than 4" limitation in regulation language, and pushes several effective dates from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2028.

"There's a couple changes that were made in House Bill 36 at the request of the bill sponsor and working with the department," said Liz Harpold, staff to Senator Olson and the Senate Finance Committee. Harpold explained the committee removed the consent language for 16-year-olds because the sponsor intends to introduce that topic separately and it "still needs some work." She also noted the change in section 15 and the adjusted effective dates were intended to allow the state time to pursue an amendment to the state's medical plan.

Senator Stedman moved that the committee adopt the committee substitute as its working document; Senator Hoffman asked for objections and, when none were raised, the substitute was adopted and the bill "moves on to the next committee of referral." The meeting record does not show a roll-call vote; the action advanced on unanimous voice assent or no objection.

Why it matters: The changes shift how consent and regulatory limits will be handled going forward and delay implementation to provide time for broader administrative or plan-level changes. The sponsor's decision to remove consent language for older minors signals separate forthcoming work on that topic.

The substitute includes no recorded amendments in committee, and committee staff summarized the technical edits during the meeting. The committee took no further public testimony at this session. The bill will proceed to the committee of referral for further consideration.