Public Policy Letter: Senate Version of Budget to be Revealed April 9th

It was like the air was sucked out of the State House this week as the “normal” legislative process took a back seat to efforts to recover from the country’s reaction to Indiana’s Religious Freedom Act, SB 101. 

But, the Senate Appropriations committee meeting in which the Senate’s version of the budget (HB 1001) will be revealed is set for Thursday, April 9 at 9 a.m.

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Other up-coming actions next week, the last for committee hearings, include the House Ways and Means hearing on SB 166, the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury bill that would expand the uses for the fund to include treatment. SB 166 passed from the House Health committee on Monday, 12-0. 

HB 1401, that expands the definition of Medicaid fraud, is eligible for Second Reading. As is SB 380, that would require the Law Enforcement Training Academy to include Crisis Intervention Team training in their initial curriculum for new police officers. 

HB 1303 will receive a major amendment when it is heard in the Senate Commerce Committee next Thursday. The bill’s Senate Sponsor, Senator Pat Miller, says she is making major revisions to the bill which is an initiative from the Governor’s office to permit an informal, self-certification for currently unlicensed professions. 

And Senator Miller held HB 1265, the “Care Bill”, for possible amendments in the Senate Health Committee next week. The bill provides that a hospital must provide an opportunity for a “lay caregiver” to be named for each patient upon admission. It’s a national initiative of AARP. 

Sen. Groom’s Intellectual Disability terminology bill passed the Senate, 92-0. It attempts to replace every reference in Indiana Code to “mental retardation” with the term “intellectual disability.” 

HB 1242 will be headed to the Governor after it passed the Senate 48-0 without amendments to the House-passed version. It requires police reserve officers to receive training in interacting with persons with disabilities. 

Rep. Ed Clere’s bill to centralize more authority in the FSSA Secretary passed the Senate, 47-1, and is on the way to the Governor since there were no Senate amendments. 

The bill establishing a three year moratorium on new nursing home beds (SB 460) passed a Senate concurrence vote, 36-12, whereby the Senate accepted the House amendments to the bill. 

The full text of these and other bills that INARF is watching can be found athttp://ign.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills.