ALC-Executive Subcommittee

Small issue with the agenda so with that I will start with a C. and we'll go through the health insurance benefits fiscal impact process So with that I recognized this tire from the chief legal counsel for the bureau. Thank you Mr chair Jill there be of Legislative Research. Thank you all have in your packet document title procedures for use of health benefits actuary. This procedure is developed in response to act one twelve that was passed during the fiscal session this year and that act instituted a requirement for a fiscal impact statement on any bills that Adam will say affect the state and hope and Public School Life and Health Insurance program or that imposes a new or increased cost obligation for health benefit plans including pharmacy benefits on an entity of this state. In addition to the fiscal impact statement requirement that act also imposed a fifteen day fifteen calendar day bill filing deadline for these bills. M. in August the Legislative Council approved a contract between the bureau of legislative research and the Siegel group the Siegel group will be the actuary to handle these at the preparation of these fiscal impact statements and this document sets forth the procedure that will be followed in order to obtain a fiscal impact statement from them. The consultancy goal will monitor and track there are website all bills filed during that first fifteen calendar days that are filed with and the House or Senate public health committees and the house or Senate insurance and commerce committees as those leadership determine those are probably the two most likely committees to which these types of bills would be referrred. As their tracking those bills they will submit to the to me and with the bureau on a daily basis a list of any bills that they feel meet the requirements of act one twelve requiring a fiscal impact statement. And I'm I will provide those at that list to and. The Committee chairs of those two committees to let them know they will contact the bill sponsor to determine whether or not the sponsor intends to move forward with the bill in committee. If the answer to that is yes then we will notify Siegel to begin the process of a fiscal impact statement. And it's. From the subject matter of this is not always going to be easy to determine whether or not a bill meets these requirements and if that's the case if the member feels that their bill may impact these a may fall under these requirements before they file their bill they have the option to approach either the Speaker of their house member of the president pro tem of the Senate if there senator request that a fiscal impact statement be prepared for their bill. The Speaker and approach him if they approve that will notify the bureau and we will then send the bill draft on for a fiscal impact statement from Siegel. If we are still and certain in the bills ready to be filed the bill drafter may notice that there's a possibility and they there's language in this here that we will send to every bill sponsor on that type of the bill notifying them that there's a possibility that there bill could be at implicated here there by requiring a fiscal impact statement and needing to be filed by that fifteen day deadline this is similar to the language that we send to sponsors for scope of practice bills so you should be familiar with that. And. I think that covers that M. Segal will also be notified if there is a provision in act one twelve that if you get past the fifteen day deadline two thirds of the membership could allow of each chamber could allow the bill to be filed beyond that deadline if that should occur then we'll notify Siegel to also prepares a statement for those bills M. in act one twelve insurance and commerce committees have the F. final adoption of these procedures so if these are approved by legislative counsel tomorrow then at their first meetings in January the insurance and commerce committees both would adopt these procedures I'll take any questions. Thank you Mr chair just. You mentioned the similar to the scope of practice bills these two ACT one twelve does not require an ISP to be filed before these can be filed correct correct now okay thank you. Senator you're recognized just a quick question on what would define. What would be defined as a health benefit legislation. I could see where that might get. Gray is there anything that we do have like as a list that we can produce so that people would know this is this is a piece of legislation that would potentially. Be considered as a health benefit legislation therefore you need to follow before the state side make sense it does the only thing that we have is the definition from act one twelve of the health benefit plan that included that here and and it's just a policy contract certificate or agreement offered or issued by an entity to provide deliver arrange for pay for or reimburse any of the costs of healthcare services including pharmacy benefits to an entity of this state that is fairly broad. That's pretty broad I'm just I'm just. I mean I I just think that you might get to that where this is new and that's a pretty quick deadline January twenty third is a really quick deadline I'm not sure for memberships are going to I don't know is that the same deadline is retirement bills. So. Centerman when we had this discussion last week was staff on the rules there's multiple ways of notification that came up one thing I will tell you to send rice and I stuck to very hard is the confidentiality between the member and the person at the bureau so we didn't want any notification going to anybody other than a member drafting the bill but we did instruct the bureau to do is have those drafters very well educated on what to identify in a bill to let that member know that Hey you could be hitting this type of bill the other side of that is if they file that bill passed that deadline correct me where I'm wrong star It and no one catches it that bill just ghost or so it would have to be kind of police from the membership to see that that bill did and should have had an impact and should've went through a different process and then it would go through the rules committee in the house not sure how that works in the Senate but that you could appeal that bill to there to get the impact to get the things done and it would take that voting threshold that's outlined in the statute to be passed at that point did I do that correctly. Yes no I I understand I I just I I know that we just need to make sure our membership is fully educated on it too if the dollar stepped therapy bill or they filed any kind of bill that's what I'm wondering is there a year the staff should be able to catch those because they're so they're they're so obvious there may be some that language direct written you take BBM bill or something like that it may not get caught that could be a flawless again yes all the stuff I think like a matter of this effect to a single drug or screenings Blake with House screenings be considered to the it could be you know we just have to really watch it and I think after a session so people start figuring out where we need to be. Okay thank you. We're good discussion. See see no further discussion Do we listen to adopt. I need a motion to adopt this process. Hi motion second all those in favor say aye opposed us have it so just a second. Members we have unusual situation. The Office of Arkansas lottery an operational retailers did not show up so. Could be our fault so we're going to schedule executive for eight forty five in the morning to handle that rule right before council so would do this one more shot to see if we get this done this month if not it'd be on next. Seeing no objections that we stand adjourned till tomorrow morning.