IHCA ICAL Legislative Update, March 23, 2015
1
State revenues reduced for FY 15 and FY 16; Budget targets not yet set
By Susan Cameron & Kelly Meyers, IHCAICAL Lobbyists
The State Revenue Estimating Commission met last week and announced that they are reducing revenue estimates for the current fiscal year by $89 million and for fiscal year 2016 by $19 million. This news is not good, but could have been much worse for lawmakers who are beginning work on the FY 16 budget. While these sums are substantial, as part of a $7 billion budget, they can be addressed. Now legislative leaders will work on finalizing the budget targets for each appropriations area. Their first priority will be to establish school and education funding, and then determine the remainder of the budget. Iowa law requires the state to create a budget that spends no more than 99 percent of estimated revenues available.
Last week, IHCAICAL staff and lobbyists met with several key lawmakers at the Capitol to discuss budget priorities and provide information to the HHS budget co-chairs. We also shared important components for long-term care in the proposed managed care plan for Medicaid.
Meanwhile, we continue to monitor a few policy bills as they advance. The second funnel deadline for policy legislation is April 3, when all bills must be passed out of a committee in the House and the Senate and have passed at least one Chamber.
We look forward to seeing many of you at the Spring Quarterly and IHCAICAL Legislative Reception later this month. It's important to have a good turnout of members for the IHCAICAL Legislative Reception on March 31 in Des Moines. Please continue to visit with your local lawmakers about the importance of rebasing and HCBS elderly waiver funding requests. Please share how lawmakers' decisions directly impact the residents and tenants you serve.
Below is an updated bill list.
BILLS OF INTEREST
House Study Bills
HSB 177 A study bill for appropriating federal funds made available from federal block grants and other nonstate sources, allocating portions of federal block grants, and providing procedures if federal funds are more or less than anticipated or if federal block grants are more or less than anticipated. 2-25-15 Subcommittee assigned, Rizer, Rogers, and Running-Marquardt. H.J. 416.
House Files
HF 600 A bill for an act relating to telehealth and professional licensure, insurance coverage, and reimbursement under the medical assistance program. (Formerly HF 218)
HF 579 A bill for an act relating to the regulation of health care facilities, elder group homes, assisted living programs, and adult day services programs. (Formerly HSB 145)
HF 565 A bill for an act relating to funding for the location of department of human services staff in county office space. (Formerly HSB 214)
HF 545 A bill for an act amending the sales and use tax exemption for the sale of goods and services furnished in fulfillment of a written construction contract with a nonprofit hospital, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions. (Formerly HSB 190)
HF 532 A bill for an act relating to privileged communications between a physician or health facility and a patient following an adverse health care incident. (Formerly HSB 143)
HF 414 A bill for an act requiring disclosures by private providers of veterans benefits services and including penalties. (Formerly HSB 114)
HF 397 A bill for an act defining occasional work for purposes of the state child labor law. (Formerly HF 88)
HF 381 A bill for an act relating to the Iowa health information network, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HSB 100)
HF 367 A bill for an act relating to probate and estate-related laws, including the deduction of administrative expenses on the Iowa fiduciary income tax return, the Iowa inheritance tax, fiduciaries' right to property and information, and the surviving spouse's elective share, and including applicability provisions. (Formerly HSB 41)
HF 286 A bill for an act relating to the direct deposit of employee wages. (Formerly HSB 23)
HF 259 A bill for an act relating to certain persons who are excluded from coverage under the workers' compensation law of this state. (Formerly HSB 54)
HF 247 A bill for an act relating to the establishment of an asset verification system for the medical assistance program, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HSB 62)
HF 193 A bill for an act relating to programs and services under the purview of the department of public health including the board of hearing aid dispensers and the medical residency training matching grants program and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions. (Formerly HSB 83)
HF 192 A bill for an act relating to property tax assessment by modifying requirements relating to property assessment notices and equalization order notices, modifying provisions relating to property assessment protests and assessor informal reviews, and including applicability provisions. (Formerly HSB 29)
HF 159 A bill for an act relating to the administration of combined guardianship and conservatorship proceedings. (Formerly HSB 44)
Senate Study Bills
SSB 1252 A study bill for an act relating to complex rehabilitation technology products under the Medicaid program. 3/3/2015 Subcommittee: Dotzler, Taylor, and Chelgren
Senate Files
SF 474 A bill for an act providing an individual income tax credit related to the care of individuals with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia-related illnesses and including applicability provisions. In Ways & Means.
SF 465 A bill for an act relating to the designation of a caregiver relating to a patient's inpatient stay at a hospital. (Formerly SSB 1182.)
SF 460 A bill for an act permitting the voluntary receipt by employees of payment of wages by debit card or pay card and making penalties and remedies applicable. (Formerly SSB 1004.)
SF 452 A bill for an act relating to Medicaid program transformation and oversight. (Formerly SSB 1253.)
SF 441 A bill for an act relating to a health workforce program analysis. (Formerly SSB 1167.)
SF 439 A bill for an act creating an Iowa ABLE savings plan trust, providing deductions and exclusions from the individual income tax and inheritance tax relating to the trust, and including retroactive and other applicability provisions. (Formerly SSB 1210.)
SF 426 Was SSB 1176 A study bill for an act relating to privileged communications between a physician or health facility and a patient following an adverse health care incident. 2/11/2015 Subcommittee: Sodders, Quirmbach, and Schneider
SF 386 A bill for an act establishing an interim legislative study committee relating to the establishment of one or more facilities to provide care and treatment for persons who are sexually aggressive, combative, or who have unmet geropsychiatric needs. (Formerly SF 142.)
SF 372 A bill for an act relating to licensure of durable medical equipment providers, providing penalties, and including effective date and implementation provisions. (Formerly SSB 1172.)
SF 333 A bill for an act relating to the acceptance of eligible patients into state mental health institutes and including effective date provisions. (Formerly SF 140.)
SF 329 A bill for an act relating to hospital and long-term care pharmacy practice for pneumococcal vaccines. (Formerly SSB 1198.)
SF 308 A bill for an act relating to the state mental health institutes at Clarinda and Mount Pleasant.
SF 306 A bill for an act relating to communication and visitation between an adult ward and another person. (Formerly SSB 1162.)
SF 305 A bill for an act exempting nonprofit corporations and their vendors from certain food establishment license fees.
SF 275 A bill for an act relating to public health including public health modernization and boards of health. (Formerly SSB 1039.)
SF 274 A bill for an act relating to programs and services under the purview of the department of public health including the board of hearing aid dispensers and the medical residency training matching grants program and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions. (Formerly SSB 1096.)
SF 270 A bill for an act relating to wage payment collection issues arising between employers and individuals who provide services to employers, providing penalties and remedies, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly SF 39.)
SF 269 A bill for an act to increase the state minimum hourly wage. (Formerly SSB 1151.)
SF 229 A bill for an act relating to the Iowa health information network, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly SSB 1102.)
SF 203 A bill for an act relating to persons and activities regulated by the board of nursing. (Formerly SSB 1097.)
SF 202 A bill for an act relating to third-party payment of services provided by physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists. (Formerly SSB 1094.)
SF 187 A bill for an act providing an exemption from the computation of the individual income tax of certain amounts of retirement income and including retroactive applicability provisions.
SF 149 A bill for an act relating to the administration of combined guardianship and conservatorship proceedings. (Formerly SSB 1024.)
SF 141 A bill for an act requiring the Iowa finance authority to convene a multigenerational and sustainable living task force.
SF 106 A bill for an act relating to the reimbursement under the Medicaid home and community-based services waiver for the elderly.
SF 93 A bill for an act providing a property assessment adjustment for certain property of persons who have attained the age of sixty-five, providing a penalty, and including retroactive and other applicability provisions.
SF 52 A bill for an act providing a property assessment adjustment and a property tax adjustment for certain property of persons who have attained the age of sixty-five, applying income limitations, providing a penalty, and including retroactive and other applicability provisions.
SF 45 A bill for an act relating to the eligibility criteria for the disabled veteran homestead tax credit and including effective date and applicability provisions.