Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee- House

Talking too long and didn't see the time before we saw quorum all the giants for the late start. Yes Sir. Before we get started represent Ladyman you're recognized. thank you Mr Miller point of personal privilege. members I'd like to introduce Meredith Stanley merits would you stand the please Meredith is from the academy's of Jonesborough high school and she shadowing the today she's actually part of the active citizens club they're it J. H. S. and they'll be paging for us today so most welcome. Thank you so great to have you here we love the fact you're willing to come and participate and you've got a great representative to set a today resume agree were you in the room you ready to present your bill how this will be house bill thirteen sixty. Thank you Mr chairman yes house bill thirteen sixty is what the what the bill does currently under the definitions of electrical there's two different classifications there's a commercial classification for electrical journeyman and master and residential and on the residential Currently it says that you can wear a single family dwelling or duplex what this bill does is add to that definition try plex and quadruplex so currently. This residential wireman can wire duplex if you put a note the duplex decided it connecting with the roof it's a four plex and so it kept them from doing that and that happened to someone who contacted me it's it's a pretty simple bill it just adds that. Tri plex and quadruplex hi branded by the chief electoral inspector he was fine with it in the attorney for the lasting board asked me to add a little verbiage in there at the end of the bill which says is for residential only and that's all it does Real question to members you have any questions representing the group resent Allen you're recognized for a question thank you Mr term. I wanna make sure I have a clear understanding so your bill is not changing in the existence of requirements so laws that's out there right now you just add to it is that correct yes Sir it's and it's really not even adding to the just clearing up the definition in the in the code this is the residential journeymen could do single family and duplex is an advanced translation quite place it doesn't affect any of the other code or any other requirements anywhere okay thank you. The other questions from committee. Anyone here signed up to speak for against the bill. Seeing no wonder present moment. I have a motion to pass I have a motion to passing discussion on the motion. All those in favor say aye. Opposed graduations representative you've passed your bill thank you thank you committee members were gonna pass over house bill thirteen eighty five. It's representative Vaught spill and we're gonna go on to the Senate bill Senate bill one eighty seven residuals are you proud to help present the bill thank you. Good morning colleagues Mr Clark what is going to help the president these bills as I've known I was going to present for about ten minutes. They're great results which one we're going to start on the start on one eighty seven okay this bill repeals an advisory committee that is no longer active that's all it does it's it's pretty simple. Any questions for the committee about this bill. Seeing no questions anyone here speak for against the bill. Seeing none refusals you close for your bill close make a motion to pass a mostly passing discussion on the motion. All those in favor say aye opposed seeing none represent shows you're recognized president Senate bill one eighty eight. colleagues this is a a bill just for clarification in two thousand seventeen the legislator legislature combined to DHS divisions to create the Division of aging adult and behavioral health services since then DHS discovered three code sections dealing with provider licensure we're Code section was amended with the wrong division name this bill is simply a technical correction. The questions from committee represent letterman you're recognized for a question. Thank you Mr chairman can you give us some background on why they combine those I mean is there any other good reasons. I Mark what programming services so this was back in twenty seventeen when you all approved legislation to combine the Division of Agent Health Services and the Division of provider excuse me behavioral health services I agree one combined divisions to oversee all aging and behavioral health services I think thinking at the time was that there's a lot of overlap between those areas they both involve worker in Medicaid waivers as well as non Medicaid spending going out in this community and so the thought was to combine some of that expertise on those two divisions and so that's that's where it is now it is the only issue was in these three instances in the code it should have referred to our division a provider services and quality assurance because that's the Division overseas provider licensure and certification and that's what these three sections are talking about. Thank you any other questions from the committee. Sing ninety one here speak for against the bill. Sing NO one review shows you close your bill I'll close make a motion to pass a motion to pass any discussion on the motion. Seeing none all those in favor say aye. Opposed. Graduations refusals will nine faster than the members I'm actually waiting on an amendment to house bill eleven twenty eight it may be a few more minutes force over here fully on the not having the amendment here in time if I could lean on the Committee maybe we could recess for five minutes and then we'll come back and so we're going to recess I guess at the gavels out for my own no just recess I like to use the gavel you Sir will recess for five minutes is that men at all costs back in order thank you I appreciate that. Yeah you're right. Lee Johnson District forty seven. So you're recognized the minute you have before you changes one word it changes the word certified to licensed that's just my mistake when I drafted the bill license is consistent with the other language to use for other licensees and so that's the more appropriate words and certified this came from the Department felt they were asking for this change in the average take any questions on the change. Any questions from the committee. We have a motion I make a motion to pass on the amendment a motion to pass all in favor say aye. Imposed. For. Go over your bill thank you and so members emergency medical responder is a certification licensure the can be attained nationally as been around for a long time it's it's a relatively short courses about a forty hour course that people can take many people to in the state take this already is offered all through the fire training academy lots for volunteer firemen have been certified as emergency medical responders but we as a state have never recognized that licensure all this bill does is enable the Department fail to recognize that as a licensure it's voluntary it doesn't mandated any first responder become licensed as an emergency medical responder it just creates that pathway for recognition for those people that have taken the test or want to take the test to become a licensed in our state and be happy to answer any questions. any questions from the committee. Perseveration you're recognized thank you Mr so my question is is there a a fee that's associated with this license so where this goes and statute there's already a fee structure in place there for collecting for people that are registry is EMTs or paramedics it'll be incorporating that the structures my understanding from talking the department shall so will be a new fees if the art is in place this we layered into. You're recognized for follow up. So these individuals currently if they receive this certification licensure from a national perspective they do not have to pay this fee but if we pass this legislation they would be required to pay this fee if they want to be recognized and licensed there's no mandate that would require them to be license if they want to take the test and just have a national licensure that they want to be recognized in in the state of Arkansas is an emergency yes that fee would be necessary to keep the licensure on on you know on a file with the Department of thank you. Representative Charles. How did this is this differ from other emergency medical responders at so right now there you know the first responder doesn't require any training necessarily you can just you your Parvathi fire it was something that can become a clear from the Quincy so you said it's going in the same same code section as EMTs and paramedics so how do they differ from so E. N. T. is this is about a six week courses my understand how long it takes to become into certified there's a training involved with that they're your there's more training involved in becoming an EMT then be an EMR license or certify so this is something between. I've not had any certification training at all in the into the so you know as as the layers would go would be your EMR EMT into advanced paramedic is the training progresses through so this is a very entry level training with the very basic basic exposure to a medical medical knowledge and skills. Of. President first and you're recognized. Thank you Mr chair of the Jones in question in the city pine bluff the fire department have has the. I believe volunteer medical responders in in this bill it says that they can be reimbursed to the Medicaid program about insurance company if they are performing their duties so. So if If if if I have a insanity of my home and they come in and resuscitate somebody then we can filed online insurance correction with DHS correct the trains reimbursement process would Medicaid that not with I'm going to lean back but I think I think I think it creates reimbursement pathway for all insurers but certainly three D. and DHS yeah right now there's no way to reimburse that services three more because we don't recognize that certification this allows that pathway to be created for that to happen okay through Medicaid but we are not sure whether the I would have to be getting closer I I I don't know for sure that I can answer that question specifically right now okay all right thank you ma'am. Any other questions from the committee. President dissolves. The thing Mr so the bill says that that they may be reimbursed by Medicaid program and an insurance company or is it are we going to mandate that they are this person this is that's not my intent my intent with the bill is to create the the pathway right I mean I think my intent with the bill is to take this national recognition certification licensure and bring it to the state of Arkansas it feels like it would follow over time that once we recognize the certification we would like to try to reimburse for those services okay and I'm still trying to figure out where the where the this licensure is gonna fit in what what the role is going to be because it lacked representative first I've got a lot of volunteer fire departments a lot of volunteer first responders the with a volunteer to get out there and and helping these medical situations and at what I don't want to see is is it lead to requiring those people to to have to go get extra training and become yeah this is licensed medical responder definitely don't see that so I'm I'm trying to see where they fit in between just the volunteers and the paid EMTs paramedics or the career fire departments yet I think the then I've heard that feedback from people certainly my intent is is to keep this voluntary but there are services that are necessarily volunteer that would like to have their first responders trained and recognized for that training so the idea for me in creating this was to provide that pathway for the entities that are looking to have this as part of their service but not required for any of our volunteer services in any way I agree with you I think that you know we have enough trouble recruiting volunteers I want to create a pathway where people are like look if that state this testimony shall from volunteer but at the same time I think it's fair and reasonable for the EMS services in the career fire departments that are looking to have this training or maybe you're already doing this training and just not receiving credit for it to be able to look for. That pathway to hopefully at some point you've provides reimbursement for the services the rendering. Thank you. Any other questions. Has anybody signed up to speak for or against the bill. Jack close I'm close from a bill make a motion to pass. As amended as amended yes all right everybody in favor say aye. You oppose. All right congratulations you have passed your bill thank you. Members I don't think there's anything else on the agenda today we'll you know I. I appreciate everyone's patience with the way the agenda looks I'm trying to work with staff to try to keep it organized in a way that makes sense there are a number of bills that are pending fiscal impact still right now do you know the one some of the ones are pretty fiscal impact on special Roman to try to just move that Senator fiscal impact for clarity sake there are a few bills that are specifically I know going to be on for special order house bill thirteen oh one house bill twelve thirty four house bill eleven eighty nine those bills will be on for special order to date I'm just waiting on members to work with the parties involved to come up with the date that makes sense for them and for us the other ones waiting fiscal impact as soon as we have this fiscal impact back I will let members know and if you have a bill this on the deferred list happy to move that up from deferred just come and let me know when you're ready to run and run it are there any questions about the agenda what we're trying to do their. I do anticipate having another informational only meeting next Tuesday the twenty first hoping to have some people come to address the healthcare workforce issues here from a variety of people on that topic will try to have upon adjournment if that makes sense for everybody hopefully will have that is to join me with the Senate again and we'll try to have that over big macs this plea room and hopefully some good calendar questions or something changes that I'll let everybody now any other questions from committee or discussion on the topics.