House Finance Committee reports out pharmacist prescriptive‑authority bill after rejecting nurse‑licensure compact amendment

Co‑Chair Foster led the House Finance Committee on May 14 as members completed amendment work on House Bill 195, the pharmacist prescriptive‑authority measure. After debate, the committee rejected an amendment to incorporate the Nurse Licensure Compact into the bill and approved a separate name‑change amendment for physician assistants before reporting HB195 out of committee as amended.

Representative Genevieve Mina, sponsor of HB195, described the bill as clarifying pharmacists’ authority to provide specified patient services — for example, enabling pharmacists to directly supply basic antibiotics for strep throat or urinary tract infections — so patients can avoid additional urgent‑care visits. She said the bill is intended to expand limited primary care access in rural areas and…