Latest news with #SB245
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Final hearing fails to close rift over ambulance rate charges legislation
A final public hearing this week failed to close the wide gap between Senate and House leaders over how much ambulance service companies should be paid for emergency and non-scheduled transfers of patients with commercial health insurance coverage. State Sen. Sue Prentiss, D-Lebanon, a paramedic and executive director of the American Trauma Society, made a last pitch for her bill (SB 245) that would set that charge at 325% of the federal Medicare rate. 'This has become the nationally recognized rate; six states have it,' Prentiss told the House Commerce and Small Business Committee, adding that West Virginia recently adopted a 400%. Congress outlawed balanced billing which is the practice of a health care provider going after an individual insured for extra payment on charges an insurance company declined to cover. These also were called 'surprise medical bills.' 'I don't think people should be nervous when an ambulance shows up at the door that they are going to be financially bankrupt by the experience,' said Rep. Jerry Stringham, D-Woodstock, and a medical strategy consultant who said he could defend a 365% rate. The only medical service allowed by Congress to continue balanced billing was ambulance service because there was no national standard rate for the service. Prentiss served on a 15-person committee that traveled across the country to see how states were dealing with it. House Commerce Chairman John Hunt, R-Rindge, said Prentiss's bill wouldn't end the practice since balanced billing would still be allowed for non-emergency and scheduled transports by ambulance. In March, the House voted, 250-85, to approve Hunt's competing bill (HB 316) that would set the ambulance rate at 202% of the federal Medicare rate. The Senate endorsed Prentiss's bill with a higher rate by a voice vote. Ambulance companies staged protest caravan When Hunt's bill came before a Senate committee last month, ambulance service company owners staged a caravan outside the Legislative Office Building in protest. Several EMS executives and fire chiefs predicted some companies would go out of business if they had to survive on the rate allowed in Hunt's bill. In response, Hunt said the Senate rate would make commercial insurance customers 'suckers' who were asked to pay excessive rates because 80% of all ambulance transports come under Medicare or Medicaid that pay much lower rates. Studies confirm Medicare pays about 46% of the actual cost to transport by ambulance, Medicaid about 42%. Paula Rogers, a lobbyist with the American Association of Health Insurance Plans, said it's difficult to come up with a 'new' solution to a problem that has plagued the industry for 15 years. From 1999-2003, Rogers served as the state's insurance commissioner. 'We have heard this lament from the (ambulance) providers,' said Rogers, adding that her clients don't like leaving this to rate-setting. 'Where is it going to ever be sorted out?' Sen. David Rochefort, R-Littleton, is chairman of Senate Health Care and authored a separate, Senate-passed bill (SB 130) to name a 12-person commission to study delivery models for EMS and report back to lawmakers with recommendations by Nov. 1. But on Wednesday, Hunt's committee voted, 10-8, along party lines to recommend killing the bill, all Republicans wanting to kill it, all House Democrats wanting to pass it. Whatever happens in the coming weeks, the issue will stay before House lawmakers. Hunt convinced his committee to retain until next year a fourth bill (HB 725) from Stringham that would have set the same 325% rate as Prentiss has proposed. What's Next: The House Commerce and Small Business Committee in the coming week or so is expected to recommend the House reject Prentiss' bill. Prospects: Odds are heavily in favor that this issue will remain a stalemate. If that occurs, private talks between insurers and ambulance company supporters will continue this summer and fall with Stringham's bill as a placeholder should an agreement be reached. klandrigan@
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The week ahead: Senate budget writers toil while rest try to clear the decks on others
As state Senate budget writers plow through a mountain of paper with possible amendments, other legislative policy committees and the full Senate are seeking to dispense with their remaining non-money bills this week. This includes some final public hearings, one on the controversial issue about how much to increase rates provided to ambulance companies for transport under commercial insurance and another to create a new, two-year pilot program to cope with a growing backlog in the courts of petitions to restore a defendant's competency to stand trial. The Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday will tackle and make a recommendation on one of the top lobbied issues of 2025 — the House-passed bill to get rid of annual safety inspections for car and truck owners (HB 649). The committee's chairman, Sen. Dan Innis, R-Bradford, said he's preparing an alternative proposal that would keep in place the safety inspections for every other year while getting rid of the most unpopular checks, the on-board diagnostic checking of tailpipes for harmful emissions. Last month, a caravan of ambulances surrounded the Legislative Office Building to protest as inadequate a House-passed bill (HB 316) to raise the rates for ground transport to 202% of the federal Medicare rate. In response, the state Senate has responded with its own bill (SB 245) that has the support of the ambulance carriers to raise that rate to 302% of the Medicare standard. On Tuesday, the House Commerce Committee will take testimony on the Senate measure that Chairman John Hunt, R-Rindge, has charged treats those with insurance like 'suckers' and would 'screw them' because Medicare and Medicaid make up 80% of transports and reimburses companies pennies on the dollar of their actual costs. The Senate Judiciary Committee will take testimony on the House-approved bill (HB 480) from Rep. Mark Pearson, R-Hampstead, in response to a 75% increase since 2015 of petitions to restore mental competency for defendants to stand trial. The bill would allow one court branch to hire a forensic liaison to test out whether this expert could reduce the backlog of cases caused by an average of 66 new cases every month. Prospects for this bill in the Senate remain uncertain; it has sat in that body for two months and is one of the last non-money bills to come up for a public hearing. Gov. Kelly Ayotte supports a moratorium on new landfills being permitted and proposed in her budget a new site evaluation committee that would review all future requests for new dumps. Sponsor seeks another home for landfill moratorium bill The House attached this to its trailer bill of the state budget but a key supporter, Rep. Kelley Potenza, R-Rochester, worries it could be jettisoned as the House and Senate compromise on a final spending plan. That's why Potenza will ask her House Environment and Agriculture Committee to add it again Tuesday to an unrelated bill dealing with solid waste facility owners (SB 302). The House completed work on its non-money bills and it doesn't have to meet in session this week. The Senate does this Thursday and is expected to again approve legislation (HB 361) to ban mandatory mask policies in public schools. Some studies showed the requirements contributed to student learning loss during the pandemic. Former Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed identical legislation last year and the House sustained that decision. Another priority bill for Ayotte that looks primed to get to her desk would require all school districts to adopt policies that ban students having access to cellphones during hours of instruction. A Senate panel is recommending the Senate pass on to Ayotte this bill (HB 781) just as the House endorsed it. Other bills before the Senate up for approval include: • Open Enrollment (HB 771): This expands the right of parents to enroll their child in any public school, this one for a specific program or course of study. The Senate Education Committee is offering a full rewrite of what the House passed on this topic. • Limit breast surgeries for minors (HB 712): The House had bipartisan support for this bill that limits surgeries that aren't medically necessary. Advocates for trans students charge it would be a blatant form of discrimination against them; a Senate panel has its own amendment here as well. • No room in schools for illegals (HB 71): A Senate panel narrowly recommended this one to prevent schools from opening their doors for temporary housing of anyone in this state illegally without proper documentation. The Senate is expected to kill one bill (HB 433) social conservatives in the House want, to add an exemption to the five-month-old ban on minors getting married. The House-passed bill would make an exception if one of the parties was 17 years old and at least one was an active-duty member of the military. klandrigan@
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
First Black member suspects politics is booting him from KY Fish and Wildlife Commission
Jerry Ferrell is the first Black member of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission. A bill backed by Republican leadership in the state Senate could soon return the commission to all-white. (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources photo) The first Black Kentuckian to serve on the board overseeing Kentucky's fish and wildlife management agency says he's concerned a bill passed by the Republican-controlled legislature is intended to push him off the board. Senate Bill 245, which Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has vetoed, could apply only to Jerry Ferrell this year because he is the only member up for reappointment to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission. Ferrell has represented Central Kentucky on the commission since 2021. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, denied the measure is specifically aimed at Ferrell. Beshear in his veto message noted that Ferrell — 'the first-ever Black member on the commission — has yet to be confirmed for reappointment by the GOP-controlled Senate. Beshear criticized SB 245 as 'legislative game-playing.' Currently, Fish and Wildlife Commission members continue to serve until the end of the year if reappointed by the governor without being confirmed by the Senate. SB 245 would change that. Smith, who is the chair of a legislative committee that reviews appointments to the commission, told the Lantern earlier this month he doesn't know Ferrell personally. He said Senate leadership had brought him the bill to fix what was considered to be a 'loophole' in the process for appointing the volunteer board overseeing the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). But Ferrell sees things differently. Earlier this month, he wrote in a post on Facebook that SB 245 'was drafted specifically to terminate my position' and that he 'strived to make impartial decisions' on the commission. 'Having grown up in Kentucky, I have always cherished hunting and fishing with my father. However, it appears some Trump supporters are determined to see me removed,' he wrote. 'I have maintained positive relationships with everyone, and I fail to understand how political affiliations should be an issue in this context. Could there be an ulterior motive?' Ferrell, a registered Democrat, told the Lantern he doesn't have evidence that links him to the bill, but phone calls he's had with sportsmen who support his reappointment to the commission have led him to believe social media posts he's made and shared critical of President Donald Trump could be playing a role in whether he continues to serve on the board. He said he loves bass and tournament fishing and wants to continue serving on the board. He believes his personal politics should not be a consideration in his work on the commission. The board by state law is required to be bipartisan in makeup, and commission members aren't identified by political party. 'Politics has nothing to do with fish and wildlife,' Ferrell said. 'I want to see other people see me doing the job that they haven't seen a Black doing before on the commission. And I'm a proud Black American.' The commission is made up of nine unpaid members who oversee the KDFWR's budget consisting of tens of millions of dollars in hunting and fishing license fees, boat registration fees, and federal grants. State law directs the commission to keep a 'watchful eye' over the department, and the commission controls the employment of the KDFWR's head executive, Commissioner Rich Storm. Each commission member represents a different geographic part of Kentucky. Fellow sportspeople vote for commission nominees in district meetings. A list of the top vote-getters is sent to the governor who selects someone from the list. The Senate then decides whether or not to confirm the governor's appointments or reappointments. Commission members are allowed to serve two four-year terms. Politics swirl around who will oversee Kentucky Fish and Wildlife That confirmation process has been politically contentious in recent years with the GOP-controlled Senate denying a number of Democrat Beshear's appointments to the commission. Those denials have left vacancies on the commission, leading some sportsmen to accuse Republicans of having 'weaponized' the confirmation process against the votes and voices of sportspeople. Republicans have pushed back on that criticism, arguing they need to be able to vet each candidate. At least one Republican senator has considered partisan allegiance in whether to confirm a person to the commission. Sportsmen have said the work of the commission on wildlife issues should largely be apolitical. Ferrell was appointed by Beshear in 2021 and confirmed by the Senate in 2022. With Ferrell's term ending at the end of last year, the KDFWR held a district meeting in November to nominate a replacement. Kentucky Senate confirms four of Beshear's five appointees to Fish and Wildlife board Ferrell was among the top vote getters, and Beshear issued an executive order on Jan. 20 to reappoint him to a second term expiring at the end of 2028. The executive order also appointed three commission members to their first terms. Ferrell is still serving due to state law allowing commission members to serve an additional year if a replacement has not been appointed and confirmed. On Feb. 18, the last day for senators to file bills, Smith introduced SB 245, which could impact Ferrell's time on the board by changing state law so that if the Senate does not confirm a commission reappointment during a legislative session, then the commission member whose reappointment was denied would have to vacate their seat when the legislature adjourns. While the bill would affect reappointments in future years, Ferrell is the only commission member whose reappointment confirmation is pending in the Senate this year. With two days left in this session, no senator has filed a resolution to confirm his reappointment. If Ferrell's reappointment is not confirmed and SB 245 becomes law, Ferrell would have to vacate his seat when the legislature adjourns on Friday. For that to happen, the legislature would have to override Beshear's veto of SB 245 — an easy task for Republicans who hold a supermajority of legislative seats. Beshear in his veto message said the bill 'is not what the sportsmen and sportswomen of Kentucky deserve.' 'In the current legislative session, the Senate has yet to confirm the reappointment of the first ever Black member on the Commission, despite his confirmation to the position in 2022 and renomination by the sportsmen and sportswomen,' Beshear wrote. '[T]he Senate's pattern of denying confirmation of the members they select shows the legislature is deferring to someone besides the sportsmen and sportswomen.' Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, after confirming some of Beshear's appointments to the commission last year, told reporters that protecting KDFWR Commissioner Rich Storm from appointees interested in retaliating against Storm was a priority for senators. Storm and Beshear have previously clashed on issues ranging from Storm's contract to procurement within the KDFWR. When asked about the veto of SB 245, Ferrell's concerns and whether the Senate would confirm Ferrell's reappointment, Kentucky Senate Republican Majority Caucus spokesperson Angela Billings wrote in an email: 'SB 245 reinforces the Senate's constitutional power of confirmation.' In a legislative committee earlier this month, Smith told lawmakers there was a need for 'decorum' for people serving on boards and commissions confirmed by the Senate. 'The governor has the ability of appointing through his process the individuals that he feels are most qualified, but because we have to weigh in and confirm them and sort of put our credibility on the line, we want to do a little bit deeper dive into some of the backgrounds and just the criteria we want to find in these positions,' Smith told lawmakers. Ferrell worries the prospect of his being removed from the seat is a sign of a broader 'culture' against diversity. He said he didn't attend a quarterly meeting of the Fish and Wildlife Commission last week in part because he was upset about the situation. He said he had lunch recently with Storm, the KDFWR commissioner, who encouraged him to attend the quarterly meeting. Ferrell said Storm 'kind of apologized' to him 'about what was going on,' but Ferrell said Storm was vague about what the apology was for. Lisa Jackson, a KDFWR spokesperson, said earlier this month that Storm had no comment on the bill because state law prohibits employees of the department from directly or indirectly influencing the appointment of a commission member. 'I just couldn't go down and put that happy face on knowing that I've got people that adamantly don't want me there,' Ferrell said. 'Anybody that thinks that minorities don't hunt or fish is crazy, because there's a lot of us out there, and we enjoy it just like everybody else does. It's just the times that we're in that's concerning me.'
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
House passes bill to ban certain synthetic food dyes and preservatives
Feb. 28—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — The House of Delegates overwhelmingly approved on Friday a bill to ban certain food preservatives and synthetic dyes. The vote to pass HB 2354 was 93-5. It will head to the Senate. As it happened, the version of the bill the delegates passed was amended on the House floor to match the senate version, SB 245, which advanced out of Senate Health on Thursday and will be on first reading on the Senate floor on Monday. The version of HB 2354 that came to the floor bans red dye 3, red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1, blue 2 and green 3 — because the dyes are linked to neurological and neurobehavioral impacts in children. The bill also bans butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and propylparaben, synthetic food preservatives. The bill sat idle for several days during talks with the Senate, and on Friday House Health chair Evan Worrell, R-Cabell brought his amendment to the floor that adopted the Senate version. It maintains the dye and preservative bans but makes the bans effective Jan. 1, 2027, to allow grocers and manufacturers time to adjust, and to coordinate with California legislation and federal mandates. The bill also includes a ban on the listed dyes in school nutrition programs effective Aug. 1 this year. There's an exception to the ban for school fundraisers. Delegate Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh, said, "I'm glad to see us tackling an issue like this. Ronald McDonald's killed far more people than the Marlboro Man ever met, all day long." Steele said the Japanese pay close attention to food additives. And while they pay a bit more and the foods might not stay as fresh as long, the children live longer healthier lives. The FDA has already ordered that red dye 3 must be removed from foods by 2027 and medications by 2028 because of its links to cancer. It's already banned in some European countries, Australia and New Zealand. Alternate versions of some of the American foods that contain the synthetic dyes are available in other countries with safer colorings, and in American stores such as Aldi. California has banned blue 1 and 2, green 3, red 40 and yellow 5 and 6 from schools because of concerns about behavior issues. Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania are looking at bans. Worrell said 23 state in total are looking at dye bans. Delegate Larry Kump, R-Berkeley, said, "West Virginia health is ranked in the dumpster. Our diets are a big part of the ranking. ... These food producers have not been held accountable for the liberties they have taken with our food and our people." Five Republicans voted against the bill. Following passage, the National Confectioners Association issued a statement opposing the bill. The NCA said, "This measure will make food more expensive for people in West Virginia. There is a role for state legislators and public health officials to play in the ongoing conversation about food additives, but — as we have been saying for years — FDA is the rightful national regulatory decision maker and leader in food safety. "Food safety is the number one priority for U.S. confectionery companies, " NCA said, "and we will continue to follow and comply with FDA's guidance and safety standards. Our consumers and everyone in the food industry want and expect a strong FDA, and a consistent, science-based national regulatory framework." That confidence in the FDA was not reflected in committee testimony in the Hose or Senate. Environmental health consultant Lisa Lefferts, who served on the 2011 FDA advisory board looking into synthetic dyes, told House Health that the FDA is not leading the way on phasing out the dyes. It conducts pre-market safety reviews based on animal studies 35-70 years old that aren't geared to contemporary health concerns. And while some bodies, such at the West Virginia Beverage Association, cite current FDA approval of the dyes as assurance of their safety, Lefferts said the FDA has not done a thorough evaluation of them in decades and has nothing on its agenda. "I don't think we can rely on the FDA."
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma lawmakers consider funding student tutoring program
A fifth grader at Burroughs Elementary in Tulsa looks over a practice test sheet during a small-group tutoring session on April 8. The Senate Education Committee advanced a bill that would fund a high-dosage tutoring program for reading and math. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — As federal funding winds down for the Oklahoma State Department of Education's high-dosage tutoring program, lawmakers are considering dedicating state dollars to continue the initiative. The Senate Education Committee approved the measure on Wednesday with a 9-2 vote, sending it on to the chamber's Appropriations Committee. The state Department of Education estimates it would cost $7.18 million to continue the program in the next fiscal year. Senate Bill 245 would offer tutors, who are either school employees or contractors, $1,600 for each cohort of up to four students they meet with for at least three 30-minute tutoring sessions a week. The sessions would focus on reading or math. The tutors could earn another $1,000 for each academic grade level increase that each student experiences in reading or math in one school year. Tutors whose students fail to improve by at least a one-half grade level over two years in their cohort would lose eligibility to continue as a tutor in the program. The bill's author, Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, said the initiative would compensate teachers for the tutoring that many of them are already doing. 'I think this is a step in the right direction as we continue to strive towards having the most fairly compensated teachers in the country,' Deevers said during the committee meeting. Frequent small-group tutoring has become more common nationwide as schools seek to accelerate student learning after losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state Department of Education implemented a high-dosage tutoring program focused on elementary reading in January 2024, offering teachers $50 per hour and growth incentives. The agency also funded a corps of math tutors from winter 2021 through summer 2024. Both tutoring initiatives relied on federal funds for COVID-19 pandemic aid. Those funding packages expired in September. State Superintendent Ryan Walters celebrated SB 245 as a way to maintain and expand a vital program. 'This legislation ensures that our students continue receiving the academic support they need to succeed,' Walters said in a statement Wednesday. 'This bill not only guarantees support for students in areas they are struggling academically, but also rewards teachers for catching students back up.' Oklahoma City Democrats Sen. Carri Hicks and Sen. Mark Mann cast the only votes against SB 245. Hicks said the bill had too many unanswered questions, especially how tutors would be protected from losing eligibility if students fail to make progress because of absences. The bill also doesn't specify whether the sessions would take place during or outside of school hours nor whether student participation must be optional or mandatory. Deevers said the program's details could be clarified in administrative rules. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
