Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee- House

Go straight to the regular agenda. S. B. six sixty three centerman. you're recognized to run your bill thank you Mr chairman reserve the committee I'll keep this very short and precise and wind the national and public health emergency was declared at CMS level they opened up under the direction of president trump they or able to relax some of the rules and regulations that CMS for hospitals and other types of medical facilities to provide the necessary at bets that we needed to treat covered patients so one of those programs that we that president trump declared was a hospital without walls that was allowed for a temporary hospital facilities to set up and function and operate so This Is Your ambulatory surgery centers but also other ones but the hospitals themselves also we're able to take advantage of some of those opportunities to have a relaxed rules and regulations based on the national designation and and the natch the relaxation at the federal level three CMS for these types of programs so what our bill does is really just a line in the state with the national so that makes a lot easier for those facilities to kind of navigate that and participate in those programs and that's really important to our state because we need basically all hands on deck to make sure that we can accommodate the needs of our citizens and provides for those extra beds and to increase that that capacity so this alignment at from the state level to the federal level really just helps eliminate the bureaucratic process for those facilities on their licensing portion of that so that's the bill we amended it at and engrossed it to include other all types of facilities that would fall under this type of situation so this will affect your hospital. Send medical facilities that would qualify under the federal guidelines. So so the amendment as engrossed in the bill yes Sir. Right any questions from committee. Representative Payton you're recognized for a question. Thank you Mr thank you Senator Irvin the I think it's a great bill with great Legislative intent I think it's important that we have flexibility in in waiving some requirements and some red tape when when you're trying to pivot maneuver and get things done and not done. My only concern is after all we've seen with the code is that they could use this bill in some way to. Implement something new apartment things in is it strictly. Waiving requirements and granting waivers because I mean I like that part of it what bothers me is on page two line nineteen. One word there. I just need some assurance it says temporarily modify. Or wait gap and I the modify could encompass some things that are not loosening red tape so I mean I think the I think everything's great it's just that one word troubles me a little bit do we have any assurance that that's not going to give them more latitude than then we intend I will tell you CMS is really tight on M. with there's these requirements and and I can have somebody from the health department answer that question because this is the language from the amendment that we worked with the health department on so they can probably come up and answer that question for you thank you one of the examples I can tell you like for endless war surgery centers and I think this generated with them and then the health department said Hey let us let us also join this effort because we see that there's a big value to your bill two exactly what you say eliminate that red tape to make sure people can pivot quickly that very wealth but thank you so I'll let them answer your question but one of the requirements that they have so they get fined if they have somebody longer than twenty three hours And so obviously if you have COVID and we need that does that enables for surgery center then we would have to modify that requirements so that they could keep somebody longer than twenty three hours that's one example I know of from that perspective. If you would the bill would introduce yourselves in the represent you might need to pull those mikes close to you are new here with these green. Charles Thompson attorney Arkansas Department health Matt Gilmore department health represent Payton which represent paid others Reserve paint appreciate your question that if you look at it talks about modification of facility flexibilities and look at it Legislative intent all the way through it is to reduce the stricter the stricter standards it is not to impose our change standards so that's what that's the way we interpreted that's why we trigger to CMS you know when you're when you're talking about modification modification may be okay you don't we the modification is you can have patients stay a few hours later than you normally could so that's what we interpret modification as we've not interpreted at all as to anything more strict the entire bill is fate is to loosen and allow flexibility that CMS may allow the state let CMS would allow certain in this state could go ahead and allow quickly and react quickly to a to a public health emergency thank you and I feel better having that on record at an it can also add one other thing for modification of of facilities is enables or surgery center does not have an emergency room. So you would have to have and so hospitals do but to qualify as a temporary hospital that would have to be a modification that was another right I I can see the justification to need that word in there is I just wanted to be a one way street. Still the two Hayes I understand I can. Any other questions from committee. Seeing none. Does anyone here like to speak against the bill. For the bill. Gates representative Boyd you have a motion. All right we have a motion on the floor are you closing your. Yes Mr I have a motion on the floor do pass all in favor aye any discussion on the motion. Seeing none all in favor signify by saying aye. All opposed nay. Motion carries congratulations and your bill is passed thank you Mr chairman thank you for members of the committee for meeting today I really do have. All right is representative Pilkington anywhere around. Yes not. Okay members we do have maybe ten minutes. If there is a bill that has no opposition. Then will be able to run that up. Representative wing which bill. Ninety H. B. nineteen forty four you're recognized run your bill committee members is HB nineteen forty four. Thank you Mr thank you committee all we're doing here with nineteen forty four is we're addressing what's called advanced recycling which takes the components down to the manat molecular level but all we're doing here is establishing definitions setting up a framework so that any company who wants to come and invest in Arkansas with advanced recycling kinda knows our parameters and the definitions involved so this is another recycling bill similar legislation has already passed and most of our neighboring states in both Tennessee and taxes are already receiving revenues from that this doesn't do anything regulatory at all it just establishes the definition so anybody that wants to come to our state knows what to expect when they get here. Any questions from committee. Seeing none. Representative Payton you're recognized. Thank you Mr chair I'm just look at this for the first time in. So it says that the legislative intent is to work towards eliminating the issue of plastic waste. Exactly how does it do that well it what is doing is addressing not we can't recycle all of the plastic waste because some of just gets thrown out things like styrofoam and things like that don't get recycled but what advanced recycling does is it allows us to be able to eventually recycle more things so that more of our plastics could fall into that category and could be profitable in so doing by making that part of our recycling efforts otherwise it just goes into the landfills. If I can have a follow up yes you're recognized so does this in any way encouraged like a deposit on a plastic bottle or anything like that the deposit on a flat note this doesn't affect okay thank you thank you Mr. Does not lost road either does not have any other questions president Boyd you're recognized. Thank you Mr so so let me just be clear I I understand this so this is going to. Increase the likelihood that we're going to keep from sending so much plastic to the landfill without raising if the or creating a new license or anything like that that that would somehow cost money this drug Senate vises less. Has the capacity to incentivize less plastic waste going into landfill yeah it's got the capacity all is doing right now is establishing definitions of what advanced recycling is. And what of the deals with. Any other questions. Seeing none. anyone who speak against the bill. For the bill. Seeing none you ready clothes for your bill I'm close for the bill I move to pass a motion do pass any discussion on the motion saying none all in favor signify by saying aye All opposed nay Motian carries guys let's bills passed thank. Representative Pilkington. Do you want to run your Conker concur Amendment Senate Amendment. You have to. Are you. But H. B. fourteen thirty nine. You have to amendments from the Senate. members you have copies of those already. Yeah I'm I'm aware what these are you want to present both of those we can vote both of those together if you want it that way yes let's let's just do it that way So what we did is I'm adding Senator Clarke Tucker as the Senate sponsor he wanna make sure that we added dental assistants into this as well and then We also just want to add some language on page two delete line five and substitute healthcare professional who is licensed or certified and registered under the title three title seventeen the Arkansas Code which wasn't in their originally so just kind of some correctional changes in adding to Senate sponsor and adding dental assistance to this program members is there any objection to run these two together. The representative Payton and you have a question. Seeing no objection any questions on the amendments. Seeing none. Anyone here speak against the amendments for the amendments. Seeing none ready clothes for your members I'm close for my amendment to make a motion to adopt the immense. Eight Committee the emotion is to adopt Amendment number two number one and number two. The house bill fourteen thirty nine any discussion on the motion. Seeing none all in favor signify by saying aye. All opposed nay. Congratulations your management opted thank you Committee the real bill. Your your amendment has been concurred okay and now I need to pass the bill again correct. So we had to do that no that's all okay. that will have to run on the floor correct yes you'll have to run on the fourth. All right Committee thank you for showing up they for a special meeting a real quick we'll. Sorry sorry chairman. And I. Make a motion to move house bill fourteen forty to interim study.