Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee- House

This is something that worked on it for several years we were going to run a bill last session and then some other bills or files we didn't do that I think as far as I as far as we know this is as far as part of health I think this is the only last language has been removed from all the occupational licensing as far as I know but I think it does put the board in a bad situation if you know being subject about the definition of what good moral character is so I think it will clean things up a little bit to make a little bit easier. The questions of the day do you have questions. Any other questions from committee. Reserve Alan. The motion to pass. Is anyone here to speak against the bill. Anyone here to speak for the bill. Sponsor you close for the bill thank you so much Caitlyn help me out bonds we have a motion. The motion to pass all those in favor say aye. All those opposed bills pass region cannot thank you thank you thank you Committee. A representative eleven. Are you ready to present your bill perfect. Representative you're recognized to present your bill. Thank you Mr chair. Members I'm here today to give you an present you house bill eleven seventy three. As many of you know and actually someone this committee participated in in conjunction to legislation that was passed by representative all back during the twenty nineteen session there was a working group that was initiated to research the study and to seek ways to improve the quality and amount of mental health and behavior health services in Arkansas. This big working group grew to about a hundred and forty participants a lot of different stakeholders from around the state state agency members state agency practitioners independent agency providers and train mental health experts community stakeholders legislators. Most importantly we had a lot of parents involved. Parents of students children some of your neighbors that suffer from mental and behavioral health. From that big group we were broken out into some subgroups and I was asked to facilitate the meetings with the participants from across the state on the issue of workforce shortages. Time and time again through our meetings what we continue to hear was the shortage of boots on the ground folks. To work one on one with our students work one on one in our schools and help take care of some of these issues that we find ourselves in a crisis mode. After several months and multiple meetings of collaborative discussion. What we realized was that a lot of things pertaining to workforce could actually be handled through the manual of practice that is put out by DHS DHS agreed to change many of the things in that manual to help assist in the workforce problem. One issue that could not be changed just through. Changes within that manual was the issue of the lack of license psychological examiners in our state the reason that they could not change that in rules was because during the eighty sixth General Assembly back in two thousand and seven house bill twelve thirty was passed the place to sunset on the licensing of those L. P.'s stated that no licenses would be granted after December thirty first twenty thirteen. So what this bill does is very simple you just repeals that sunset language out of the code and allows the licensed psychological examiners reactivate their license get back out into the workforce I have been amazed at the number across the state of Arkansas that reached out to me and said thank you this will make a difference in the lives of our children are absolute and our adolescents their suffering from mental and behavior health now let me be clear this is not a quick fix. is not a magic bullet we know from our work group to study for sometime that this is just one of the first steps and I am very committed to continue on to this effort to work with all the additional stakeholders find additional options that we can help get more people out of the work workforce and now try to overcome this crisis and thank you Mr chair of the happy to answer any questions. For the rest of the question. Thank you Mr chair representative eleven do we have any idea why they did this. What I read English I can't give you an official reason I think it's just part of what we find ourselves in a lot of times where when it comes to scope of practice the folks begin to get just a little bit territorial and they want to protect their entities I'm not saying that those concerns are not with calls but I think that was the purpose at this time that the psychology board felt like that they needed to draw that back in. Thank you. President will urge the share a representative Devin so are we talking about expanding the scope of practice for LP's to do what because currently they can practice they can do testing they can do therapy they can do additional type services what we expand their scope to allow them to do all we're doing by this is just repealing the sunset so that that license at the master's level can now be reactivated. Okay so that so currently. LP's can't there they can't become license to do what because they can be license currently to do therapy and testing and things like that my understanding is that correct so currently if you look at it kind of from a broad liens and I made a list of the things that they L. P.'s interview clients obtain background information include family history education mental physical emotional health they can administer score psychological test interpret evaluate test results determine the individualized behavior management treatment type programs so it's quite limited there they're not so I don't believe. Actually providing mental health therapy I think this is more kind of an administrative type role but I did find it interesting as I went to the department of health website who the are the Arkansas department of health is currently advertising for these positions and so I think that. I think the nature of practice not necessary the scope of practice as we are seeing an uptick in our schools we're we're having a lot more mental health issues with our kids there is a greater need but yet to facilitate that administrative role we don't have enough of the LP's on the ground and so what this will do was that will let those programs kind of kick back off let people get their certifications back to have that and be able to put those folks in the schools okay from my understanding and someone from DHS making clear five but I think that LP's can currently be licensed to provide therapy and be eligible for Medicaid reimbursement in some private insurance's but I'm not sure how to I'm not sure this code by which we're trying to cover thank you if I can ask you questions I understand your bill representive eleven it doesn't expand the scope of what LP's can currently doing the state nor does it create a new licensure in our state it only lists the sunset clause to allow people to to allow us to expand the number of people who can currently obtain the licenses that is correct if you go back and you look at that bill from two thousand and seven line eleven says after December thirty one twenty thirteen no new psychological examiner license shall be issued that's all we're doing is taking removing that clause so that the licensure can be activated again but not to expand the scope creating new new job titles remain at that. The other questions many have one other question do you think there are other opportunities outside of this bill to expand opportunities in the future to who might be able to administer these tests in the state help reduce the bottleneck we have of examining not just with the licensed examiners were discussing today and maybe other individuals in the state that might in the future be able to help with this issue I do I I spent quite a bit of time having discussions with specialist in this area specially of speaking with the dean of psychology at UCLA who is a extremely valuable resource doctor Ark less B. and you know he and I agreed this was the of this is not the silver bullet this is not a quick fix it's just one of the tools that can going to the toolbox there is some really good collaborative ideas that are out there involving technicians is research that they've done to where we could even I hate to use word fast track when you're talking about medicine but there there are some things that we can do quicker to get more people out there but just to the timeline of filing an I. S. P. in getting that to meet the deadlines we were not able to do that so we'll be working on that going forward resent Wardlaw do you have a question yes Sir. Thank you Mr you member what the act number the bill number was in two thousand seven. That was ACT five oh five house bill twelve fifty. Thank you representative the more questions representive eleven. Seeing then is there anyone signed up to speak against the bill. You will hear speak for the bill because your bill. I'll close my bill appreciate a good vote the motion to pass all those in favor say aye. All those opposed. Actuation represented eleven your bill is passed thank you Mr chairman thank you committee for a good vote. A representative agree I'm I'm I apologize I missed you in the audience before representative Evans came to the table I was in a hurry to try to get he chairs a little committee called education and I was trying to get him back here where he belongs if you're if you have an amendment or record you're recognized to re present your bill I'm sorry to put you out of order there. Thank you Mr chairman and also like to reduce this is Kelly Hale he's the CEO of hot springs village afternoon we also have an analyst bill bridges which is with the governmental affairs committee here Before you today With the with the bill that we brought earlier in the committee that represent Wardlaw had a concern about we were able to check on that and what this bill does is take Hot Springs Village completely out of that fund so they will they will not be any funds available for them in that fund it treats them just lack any misspelled a for instance the city of Monticello which is the same size so that's what this bill does And I believe we took care of the concerned. Since you have so many questions representing the group. President will argue recognized. I'll make it a question Mr yes Sir president grew I appreciate people in this bill down and looking in and researching it any committee I will assure you the research I've done with him over the last few days it does not it will not impact trust fund and trust fund will not have to pay for a issue with hot springs village with that I I wouldn't belabor the point and Mister chairman I have a motion of property to one Senate speak for against the bill anyone for because your bill representatives are we have a motion to pass all those in favor say aye. All those opposed graduations representative group thank you Mr president if you. The readers to. Never make it down there. Represent Johnson you're recognized present your bill thank you Mr chairman the. Members this bill is a we we develop criteria for committee paramedics back in twenty eighteen time frame this is a project was worked on by a lot of folks that time in the health department also within that a paramedic community the Committee paramedic concept is one that's been around a swatch of quite some time so we were we were on the front end of this when we develop these criteria for licensing committee paramedics in the State of Arkansas twenty eighteen we had a lot of experience since then we were sort of new in that process when it started we probably over reached a little bit with some of our criteria so I've worked with the Department south with the association to look at reducing the number of training hours necessary to become can you paramedic so this bill this two things it reduces the number of hours from three hundred two hundred sixteen it also changes one of the criteria as a clinical experience so one of the things that shifted in the conference's to do this bill was originally passes we had a lot more medics working to emergency departments at the time we pass this bill that's just not something that happens often now there's been a shift in emphasis to things for these community paramedics to learn about with regard to social terms of health and so we've change one of the clinical experience is to kind of reflect better what this committee paramedics are doing what this committee paramedics do currently in the state that it to fold right now and there's there's other opportunities one is you're going into people's homes post discharge so someone's discharged from the hospital one of the things we try to look at is hospital facilities readmission rates and so at some point as try to reduce readmission rates so the community paramedics have been hired certain communities to go out to these people's houses make sure that I understand the discharge instructions make sure they have the follow up appointments may make sure they get the prescriptions filled the other place we're starting to see committee paramedics uses in the queue crisis for mental health so there places run state now that our polity programs where we're using Committee paramedics to respond acutely instead of EMS or police to Babel of emergency so it's a great. licensed for people to have is a great thing for state having the weapons a training item we're just one try to expand the number of people that have access to this and I'll be having some questions. Present day you're recognized. Thank you chairman so remind me representative Johnson these people are paramedics that are getting further training for that so they already have emergency training as as a so thirty paramedic there correct this is additional training on top of their paramedic training yes thank you for the refresh appreciate. L. questions. If I signed up to speak for or against the bill. Are you closest I am in the Mr chairman I make a motion to pass. All in favor say aye. Imposed. Your pastor bill congratulates thank you. Members I think we run to the agenda of things or available to run there any questions for the members on any other issues we had I had discussed the possibility of having meetings afternoon for informational purposes only just to bring civil we don't have that set out so we currently don't plan to meet upon adjournment today as a procedural issues we talked about last meeting I I like the idea of having to talk to meetings the kinds metes revving this morning were running legislation in a kind of meeting we're bringing people to the table to bring information forward to us as a committee I'd like to meetings were that are informational to be Tuesday afternoon meetings and and so if you have something that you want as a committee member to hear about specifically I'll be happy to try to set that up with agencies associations certainly agencies associations if you would like to speak to us on the topic I would rather have those topics to be addressed in a standalone type meeting where there's plenty of time for questions and answers from committee members and please times for information present were not feeling pressed by an agenda full of bills now if we keep the gym to clean around the bills on a Tuesday morning I reserve the right to change that idea but out of the gate this is sort of my different prices anyone has any questions or comments on that discussion. Any other questions from members.