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Healthcare Legislation Moving Across the Gold Dome

An update on healthcare legislation moving across the Gold Dome

Our associates at Frogue Clark Public Affairs have provided the following update on healthcare legislation moving across the Gold Dome:

CALENDAR

Day 28 Friday, March 3 (Crossover Day)
Day 29 Monday, March 6
Day 30 – 31 Thursday March 9 – Friday, March 10
Day 32 – 35 Monday, March 13 – Thursday, March 16
Day 36 Monday, March 20
Day 37 Wednesday, March 22
Day 38 Friday, March 24
Day 39 Tuesday, March 28
Day 40 Thursday, March 30 (Sine Die)

 

The Senate Chamber passed the following bills this week:

SB 81 – Authored by Senator Renee Unterman (R-Buford), this bill would allow the state health officer to issue a standing order to allow a licensed pharmacist to distribute Naloxone over the counter.  Additionally, the legislation would mandate that every pharmacy in Georgia keep a record of every opioid antagonist dispensed and would require reporting to the PDMP by July 1, 2018. Children with ADHD (and others) would be exempt from the regulations of this bill. Two amendments were adopted on the floor. The first would add language stating that “a private cause of action against a prescriber or dispenser cannot be created” (line 268). The second amendment deletes Sections 2-6, the felony and misdemeanor language.

SB 103 – Authored by Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga), this bill would authorize the Commissioner of Insurance to promulgate certain rules and regulations and to examine and investigate certain matters with regard to pharmacy benefits managers. It would also prohibit pharmacy benefits managers from requiring the use of mail-order pharmacies under certain conditions.

SB 121 – Sponsored by Sen. Butch Miller (R-Gainesville), this piece of legislation would pharmacists to dispense opioid antagonists to people pursuant to a statewide standing order. It would also reschedule Naloxone from the list of dangerous drugs to a Schedule V Controlled Substance.

SB 166 – Sponsored by Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford), this bill would create a “Nurse Licensure Compact” and would provide for the establishment of the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators.

SB 201 – Authored by Sen. Butch Miller (R-Gainesville), this piece of legislation would allow employees to use their sick leave for the care of immediate family members. It is known as the Family Care Act.

SB 202 – Sponsored by Sen. Michael Rhett (D-Marietta), this bill would provide for an increase in the personal needs allowance to be deducted from a nursing home resident's income.

The House Chamber also passed the following pieces of legislation:

HB 65 – Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) authored this bill, which would add several conditions to the Low THC Oil Patient Registry. The bill passed out of Judiciary Non-Civil earlier in the week.

HB 124 – Authored by Rep. David Clark (R-Buford), this piece of legislation re-designates Code Section 49-4-15, relating to fraud in obtaining public assistance, food stamps, or Medicaid, penalties, and recovery of overpayments, as new Code Section 16-9-64. It also clarifies ‘department' as the Department of Human Services.

HB 165 – Authored by Rep. Betty Price (R-Roswell), this legislation would prohibit any interpretation of the Medical Practice Act to require physicians to maintain board certification for state licensure purposes or as a prerequisite for employment in state medical facilities, reimbursement from third parties or malpractice insurance coverage.

HB 174 – Authored by Rep. Eddie Lumsden (R-Armuchee), this bill would expand an insurer's medium of payment of policy to include any other method of payment approved by the Commissioner.

HB 213 – Sponsored by Rep. Rich Golick (R-Smyrna), this bill would prohibit the sale or possession of four grams or more of fentanyl.

HB 262 – Authored by Rep. Eddie Lumsden (R-Armuchee), this piece of legislation relates to provider directories and accuracy, and would exempt standalone dental plans from the requirement of printed directories for certain entities.

HB 276 – Sponsored by Rep. David Knight (R-Griffin), this piece of legislation would authorize the Commissioner of Insurance to promulgate certain rules and regulations related to licensure of pharmacy benefits managers and would prohibit pharmacy benefits managers from requiring the use of mail-order pharmacies under certain conditions.

HB 301 – Authored by Rep. Jodi Lott (R-Evans), this piece of legislation would create a new income tax credit for taxpayers who are licensed physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, or physician assistants who provide uncompensated preceptorship training to medical students, advanced practice registered nurse students, or physician assistant students for certain periods of time.

HB 322 – Authored by Rep. Bill Hitchens (R-Rincon), this bill would change the definition of the term “war veterans” by altering the discharge date from May 7, 1975 to August 1, 1990.

HB 360 – Sponsored by Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta), this piece of legislation would provide for expedited partner therapy for patients with chlamydia or gonorrhea.

HB 427 – Authored by Rep. Mark Newton (R-Augusta), this piece of legislation would expand the service cancelable loan program for physicians in underserved areas to other health care practitioners.

HB 486 – Authored by Rep. Tommy Benton (R-Jefferson), this piece of legislation would provide for select providers to train proxy caregivers in accordance with selected curriculum. The curriculum would be selected by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. It passed out of the Human Resources and Aging Committee earlier in the week.

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