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Tallahassee Update
2/19/04 --
Legislators
are busy wrapping up the most productive "pre-session" season in memory, with
several major bills having been debated and several ready for passage during the
first weeks of the regular session, which will open on March 2. I have been
assured by Speaker-designate Bense that "we will be out in 60 days" this year, a
commitment which has sparked the unusual amount of early activity.
Several items of interest during the current week:
CON: With last year's "exemption bill" having been found unconstitutional,
revised efforts that would effectively exempt Bethesda have been gathering steam
(the others in the "exemption bill" have already received CONs under the current
law), with the House Bill already on the floor, and the Senate Bill in the
Appropriations process.
Bills to allow emergency angioplasties have passed the Health, Aging and
Long-Term Care Committee and the House Health Care Committee.
Bills designed to eliminate CON altogether have yet to be heard in the major
committees.
Anesthesiology Assistants: The Senate Bill has advanced to Appropriations, and
the House Bill passed the Health Standards Committee this week.
Tort: Senator Geller has filed a mandatory insurance bill (SB2186), but my
sources in both the House and Senate maintain that there is little interest in
readdressing tort issues this year, although Johnnie Byrd has plans to release a
proposal next week. The FMA has scheduled another rally on March 25, so please
make plans to attend.
Scope of Practice: The ARNPs have filed bills in both the House and Senate,
and the perceived access problem adds to their arguments that they should be
allowed more independence. On the other side, the volume of improper
prescriptions already is seen as a good reason to limit the amount of
practitioners that can prescribe controlled substances. This will be a major
fight this year.
Miscellaneous: The full House Health Care Committee will not meet the first week
of session, instead allowing the subcommittees each a full three hours to
consider "priority" bills and get them moving in the process.
The Senate will not wait until the last few weeks to consider final passage of
bills, and already has several bills positioned for passage during the first
weeks of session, including a good public health/research bill.
Controlled Substance: The House bill is before the full Health Care
Committee, and the Senate version is in the Appropriations process.
Christopher L. Nuland, Esq.
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February 19, 2004