PDAB expansion nears, FAMLI implementation gets farther off

Yahoo

06-04-2025

Lawmakers have one more day of work -- and lots of work to fill that day -- when they return Monday for the last day of the 2025 General Assembly session. (Maryland Matters file photo)
With the end of the legislative session looming at midnight Monday, the bills have been coming fast and furious for Maryland lawmakers in recent days — and the pace will only pick up when they return Monday. While they haven't cleared all the hurdles, some bills are pretty clearly on their way to final approval.
A bill that would expand the authority of a state board that is working to lower certain prescription drug costs is ready for the governor's consideration, after the Senate passed House Bill 424 on party lines Friday evening.
The Prescription Drug Affordability Board is currently tasked with finding ways to reduce the cost of prescription drugs on the state's health plan, saving some taxpayer dollars in the process.
The bill would expand the board's authority to set what are called upper-payment limits on prescription drugs in the commercial market. Doing so would limit how much drug purchasers could spend on certain medications, which supporters hope would result in savings for more Marylanders. The bill also increases the number of people who sit on the board's stakeholder council.
'This is a big day for Marylanders who may struggle to pay for their prescription medicines,' Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Health Care for All Coalition, said in a Friday statement. He has been a vocal supporter of the board's efforts and the bill expanding the board's authority.
'With this measure enacted, the board can expand its work and develop common sense solutions to bring down costs for average Marylanders,' he said in the statement.
The Senate's 33-12 vote on the House bill sends the measure back to the House for review. If the House approves, the bill will head to the governor's desk for his review and possible signature. House approval is expected, as the Senate version of the bill is in the same posture.
The Senate Finance Committee passed a bill – somewhat reluctantly – to delay the implementation of the state's paid family leave act, a program that has been pushed off twice already.
The Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program is set to begin in July. But amid a $3 billion budget shortfall and rapid-fire policy decisions from the Trump administration, the Gov. Wes Moore's (D) administration proposed delaying the start of the program by 18 months, with benefits going out in 2028.
House Bill 102 would impose the delay, but some lawmakers are not happy prolonging the start to the program, according to discussions in a Senate Finance Committee voting session Friday.
Sen. Dawn Gile (D-Anne Arundel County) said the delay is 'disappointing,' though she understood that it may be a necessary move due to the state's budget concerns.
Committee Vice Chair Antonio Hayes (D-Baltimore City) also had heartburn over delaying FAMLI program, which has been pushed off twice since the program was created in 2022.
'This is the third time it's been delayed,' Hayes said. 'It continues to concern me because we've put so much into it, but we are where we are.'
Hayes ultimately voted against the bill, along with Democratic Sens. Benjamin Kramer of Montgomery County and Clarence Lam of Anne Arundel and Howard counties.
'I want to see it come to fruition,' Lam said. 'It's important to get this stood up as quickly as possible … there are a lot of people who need that help who could be helped sooner.'
But Finance Committee Chair Pamela Beidle (D-Anne Arundel) said the delay is necessary. If the state keeps the current timeline, 'this program is going to start and we're not going to have anything set up for it because we don't have computer programs and we don't have people.'
The Finance Committee voted 8-3 for the delay. Republicans who largely oppose the FAMLI program voted to delay the program start date but said that they'd rather not see the program get started at all.