Public Health Welfare and Labor Committee-Senate and House
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0:00
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Okay, if everybody can take their seats, we're going to go ahead and get
started. Thank you, calling this meeting to order.
Thanks for coming in on a Friday morning. We've got some rules that we really need to take care of before ALC week. So thanks for being here. So glad
the Senate showed up. Thank you, Senator Love. No, Hill's here. Ricky's here. There's Flippo. All right. We got a few. Thank you, buddy. Appreciate y'all coming
in. Okay. Thank you, House. Showing up
big. All right, I need a consideration to approve the February 4th motion, second.
All in favor say aye. Aye. And opposed, ayes have it. Those meetings are considered approved. We will go to item C. Ms. Franklin, if you want to come forward, Director of Division of County of Operations for DHS. Exhibit C. okay if you'll just set your
name for the record you're recognized to present this rule
Mary Franklin
Unverified
3:36
good morning my name is mary franklin i'm the director of the division of county
operations for department of human services this rule i am bringing today impacts medicaid and chip the the first part of this rule change is removing the 90-day waiting period for children who qualify in the our kids be program if they have lost or dropped health insurance other health insurance group coverage and the second part of this rule is clarifying child support enforcement requirements for pregnant women and the rule is
clarifying that women can be referred to child support while they are pregnant but if they don't cooperate no sanction can be imposed until after the end of of the postpartum period, the 60-day postpartum period. So we have clarified that in our policy, and if they are currently under sanction, that would be removed until after the end of the 60th day postpartum. And in our good cause section, for good cause for not cooperating with child support,
we have just removed the descriptor in front of the word rape of forcible rape. It just now will say rape or incest is a reason good cause not forcible rape those are the changes there were no public comments on this rule and there is a small fiscal impact for this year related to systems and then next year 12 507 is our estimate okay and
okay just can you just go through
and then clarify just the good cause. And I like that you took that language out. But this is just, this is saying that if the woman who's carrying the baby is going to be subject to paying child support? If
Mary Franklin
Unverified
5:32
there is an absent parent, if the parent is not in the home, and we do a child support enforcement referral for any adults on Medicaid who have a child with an absent parent. If the adult is on Medicaid, we refer to child support.
And there is a process called good cause that if a woman says, but this is not a good thing, I do not need to pursue child support because this is an abusive person or this child. I got you. So it is not, I mean, we go through that process, and any woman has the right to raise that good cause issue and we make a determination along those lines before we would sanction or remove health care coverage.
I got it. Okay, thank you for that clarification. Are there any other questions regarding this rule from anyone? All right, seeing none, without objection, this rule is reviewed. Thank you. Thank you. thank you feel state your
name for the record you are recognized to proceed to
Speaker 21
6:57
present your rule good morning Elizabeth Pittman division of medical services I have a rule
Speaker 22
7:03
today for medication assisted treatment at the original rule was brought to this body in 2020 mandating that we cover counseling services and lab services associated with substance use disorder treatment drugs. That under federal law was set to expire on September 25th of last year. There was a law passed in 2024 by the federal government that removed the end date. CMS issued a new template last year. We are moving forward with removing the
date and using cms's new template nothing else about the cover just changed we received no public comments and this has no
financial impact all right are there any questions okay representative ladyman you're recognized for question thank you madam
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
7:51
chair uh so it uses the word mandate but you say there's no financial impact no sir it was already
Speaker 22
7:59
mandated by federal law that we provide this coverage and also by a state law that was passed here prior to 2020
that we cover medication-assisted treatment, which is the behavioral health counseling and labs associated with using those substance use disorder drugs. So there is no change to that coverage at all. It's just a form change by CMS and a removal of the federal end
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
8:22
date. Okay. So it is a change when it comes to opioid addiction. Is
this something, in your opinion, that might help us in that situation on opioid addiction? Is there something new that's going to help us?
Speaker 22
8:36
No, sir, there's nothing new about what we're providing. All this is is a change to our state plan to take out the end date of September 25th, 2025. So now federally they're not ending the mandate that we cover it. We had no intention of ending our coverage because there was a state law that required coverage, but under CMS they issued a new template, and we had to go in and put the coverage on that new template. So there's actually no change to any of the benefits that we're providing or how much anything costs. It is a very helpful service, but it isn't a change to what we're doing.
All right. Thank you, Director Pittman. All right. Are there any other questions regarding this rule? Nope. Seeing none. Okay. Without objection, this rule is reviewed. Thank you. If Jenna Goldman will come
up, put her on the spot. Come on up, girl. I'm sorry, Ms. Goldman.
Thanks. So you can just state your name for the record, and then
I'm going to take over
for a second. Jenna Goldman with UAMS. Okay, so members, we have been invited to a culinary medicine experience, and it will be Monday, March 16th at 5 p.m. I'll have her tell you a little bit about what we're going to do. It's going to be at the Institute on Aging here in Little Rock. It is going to be our intention to have a public health meeting at 4 p.m. on Monday the 16th,
so that way members of public health can attend that meeting and then go from this meeting to this planned activity for our joint committees. So we will work, hopefully, to get ALC approval for us to have that meeting. But I don't think that should be a big deal. And I just really want to encourage people to attend this. And I'll let you tell a little bit, if you don't mind, about this culinary medicine experience and planned activity we have for our joint committee.
Go ahead. You're recognized. Yes. So we did have to split Monday will be the Senate and then Tuesday the House because of the size of the culinary kitchen. But it is a program our residents go through to see. It's kind of a food is medicine program. So we thought it would be a good time for you all to be able to experience that and learn a little bit about the program. And it shouldn't take too long. And you should have it in your email. But you do want to wear comfortable shoes. You will be actually standing and working in the kitchen and then eat dinner.
So it'll be a fun experience. Okay. So, and the, oh, sorry, one more thing. Go ahead. Because I know our campus can be complicated. It does have its own parking right there. So it's not confusing to get to.
That's a good note. I think really important for us to try to attend this because of everything that RFK, who is our secretary is working on um i that's really you know a big priority for the president and his administration through uh secretary of health and human services obviously but also to
note that through the rural health transformation program which we have been afforded the largest amount of money than most any other state um this is one of the priorities within that funding of the RHTP program is things like this, where food is medicine. I know Senator Penzo has worked a lot on this issue, but there's a big bucket of money set aside in the proposal that the state of Arkansas has put forward that was awarded
by the federal government for specific things like this. So I think it would be very beneficial for you to go experience this and take this information back to your own districts and particularly with those folks that are in health care in your districts because it's an opportunity for them to apply for grants based on these types of things and activities. And we want this to be a wonderful thing here locally in Little Rock and at UAMS,
but the idea is we should spread this across the state and we should encourage any health care provider out there or any hospital or whatever to really engage in this because there's going to be grant money that's set aside for these types of things. So I think that's why I would encourage you to attend this and to gather as much information as you can to bring back to your own communities and say, hey, guess what, there's grant money that's going to be available for you to pursue this.
So, I mean, it's not going to be just fun. It's really going to be good, and it's something that we can take back to our communities. So, Senator Hill, you're recognized for a question? Yeah, just for the committee, could you just
Senator Ricky Hill
Unverified
13:43
kind of elaborate a little bit about the type of food we're going to have there and what we're going to be looking at and what's
going to really taste good? It's going to be healthy. I don't know the menu, but I could get that for you. We do focus on healthy food, but it is a program our residents go through, and some of the things that they do, you'll kind of see it's not just showing them how to cook,
but so that they're able to explain it to patients and to consider where they live. So if they only have a Dollar General or something similar to that, what they could do, what foods to eat for whatever health conditions they're facing. So it gets pretty intense. We won't do this to you all, of course, but they do quiz the residents and kind of go through different cases. So it'll be a neat experience, but I can get you a menu.
All right. Any other questions? All right. I hope to see you there. So the Senate will be on Monday, the 16th. The House will be on Tuesday, the 17th. Is that correct? Okay. If you have any questions, you can call or text me or Representative Wardlaw. All right. Thank you, Ms. Goldman. We look forward to this. Thank you for providing this opportunity for us. Representative, Mr. Chair, for special recognition. Thank you,
Representative Jeff Wardlaw
Unverified
15:01
Madam Chair. Guys, if you would help me give a warm welcome to the Monticello sixth
grade class. They've came to the Capitol today to do their scavenger hunt and look around. And they were over in the old Supreme Court room and I told them, I said, nothing happens over here outside of session. So I'll drug them all the way over here. So if you guys would
help me give them a warm welcome. Thank you. I just have to
ask, is there any scavenger hunt thing list that you need to ask representative Wardlaw here's your chance they're looking
they're looking it's gonna be dangerous it's gonna be dangerous I'll invite you to come to the table and ask what's on your
Speaker 45
15:41
scavenger hunt they're looking I'm giving
them time who's gonna be bold enough to come to the
table and ask. Come on. Anyone? Okay, come on up. Let's go. Come on up. Good job. Come on up.
Okay, sit down right here. Representative Woodridge, stay there and help her if you Yeah, my representative. Okay. Just speak right there into the mic. Just for the record,
Representative Jeff Wardlaw
Unverified
16:28
I had to question her really hard about her ID because she did not look like she was in the sixth grade. So we had a conversation before we came over here. Oh, she's got her
teeth. Okay, if you'll state your name for the record. I'm Eva Bapps. Welcome, Ms. Eva.
All right, ask your question to Representative Wardlaw.
Speaker 53
16:50
What type of stone was used for this building's outside walls? That's a
Representative Jeff Wardlaw
Unverified
16:55
hard one. It's a really hard one. I think it's marble. What is the Capitol's architectural style?
You ought to ask the Secretary of State's office when you get out there how thick that marble
is. All right, what was your next question? What is the Capitol's architectural style?
Speaker 51
17:18
Oh. Oh. You better ask somebody that's smarter than I am. I'm a tomato
farmer. I don't know that one. Anyone got that? Neoclassical. Neoclassical. Is that what you said? Representative Pilkington. Are you making that up? No, I think that he's right. All right, what else you got? He's going to get the Vincent. You have a whole legislature to your advantage. Go.
Speaker 53
17:45
We're like phone a friend. Okay. How many triangle shapes do you see across the facade of the building?
Speaker 61
17:51
Wow. Representative Pilkington, do you know that answer? Representative Pilkington,
Representative Aaron Pilkington
Unverified
17:58
you're recognized. He's only been here 16 years. Never paid attention to
the triangles. Good one. We don't know that one, do we? All right, you
Speaker 53
18:09
got anything else? How many doors do you
Speaker 65
18:12
see across the facade of the Capitol? Doors. The
brass doors. I feel like I'm at Quiz Bowl. I think it's six.
Speaker 53
18:22
Six? I got that right. Y'all keep making fun of me back here. All right, what else you got? One more. How many freestanding columns are across the front of the
Capitol? Oh, I don't have a picture of it in front of me. Oh, oh, oh. Phone a friend. Come on, get your phones out and look
Speaker 69
18:43
at a picture of the front of the Capitol, someone. We can
help these guys out at their scavenger hunt. Anybody got it? Oh, here we go. Eubanks for the win. No, I got the architectural style.
Oh, the architectural style. Eubanks is using
Representative Jeff Wardlaw
Unverified
18:55
chat GPT, just so you all know. He is cheating. He's the oldest guy I know that knows how to use chat GPT. Is there 24 columns? You might have to
go and count and check that math. All right. Thank you so much. We appreciate you. I
think this has been the best public health committee yet. Thank you, Ms. Eva. Thank you for being brave and coming up to that mic.
All right. You guys have a really fun
time, and I appreciate you guys. And Senator Flippo knows the rest of your questions, so just find him.
He's right there. Okay. He's not rated G, so
Representative Jeff Wardlaw
Unverified
19:36
I don't think we can let him go with the sixth grade class. We
Speaker 77
19:41
can have limited soda candy and popcorn, and nobody ever told us no. And it's on the third
floor. Okay, any other business to come before these meetings? No, C and 9, we're adjourned. Thank you.
Thanks, guys, for being here. I hope you had fun. Okay.
Agenda
A. Call to Order
B. Consideration to Approve the February 4, 2026, Meeting Minutes [Exhibit B]
C. Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of County Operations, Review of Rule, Continuity of Coverage [Exhibit C]
D. DHS, Division of Medical Services, Review of Rule, Medication Assisted Treatment Attestation of Coverage [Exhibit D]
E. Other Business
F. Adjournment
Documents
Speakers
Senator Missy Irvin Chair
Unverified
Mary Franklin
Unverified
Speaker 14
Speaker 21
Speaker 22
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
Senator Ricky Hill
Unverified
Representative Jeff Wardlaw
Unverified
Speaker 45
Speaker 53
Speaker 51
Speaker 61
Representative Aaron Pilkington
Unverified
Speaker 65
Speaker 69
Speaker 77