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Notice:
This confidential material
is for the exclusive use of ISNA members and subscribers. DO NOT
electronically distribute or photocopy this information under
penalty of federal law.
© 2004 Indiana State Nurses Association |
Executive
Director's Report from the State House
Legislative
Alert, Volume 24, No. 3
It is only the end of
January but it feels as if someone has pushed the fast forward button on
the remote control. All bills had to pass out of committee this week in
order to continue. Next week is the deadline (third reading) for bills to
have passed out of the chamber of origin.
We will keep all of the bill digests posted so you can see which ones did
not make it through committee. Next week, we will remove them and only
post those bills that have survived.
House Bills
HB1014 - A Childhood Obesity
This bill was heavily amended in Public Health Committee. The bill was
then recommitted to the House Ways and Means Committee because of the
potential financial impact. It did, however, pass out of W&M. To see the
amended bill:
http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2004/PDF/HB/HB1014.2.pdf
HB1105 Physician and Nurse CE
This passed the House without opposition. Sen. Gary Dillon (R-Columbia
City) is the sponsor and Sen. Billie Breaux (D-Indianapolis) is the
co-sponsor.
HB1148 Carisoprodol (Soma)
The language from this bill was amended into HB1202 Syndromic Health
Surveillance.
HB1221 Insurance Coverage for Infertility.
Amended in committee to change “must provide coverage” to “may provide…”
HB1251 Hoosier Rx Program
Note the new bill digest. This was gutted and new language inserted in
committee.
HB 1350 Certification of Health Care Interpreters
This was amended to establish a commission on health care interpreters and
translators. The Indiana Minority Health Coalition (instead of the
Department of Health) shall provide staff for the commission.
Senate Bills
SB 62 Medicaid Waiver for Family Planning Services
This passed out of the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee with
the amendment that an "abortifacient" (means any drug or device intended
to terminate a pregnancy) cannot be provided.
SB133 Psychiatric Advance Directives
The amendments to provide more specificity were adopted by the committee.
To read the bill as amended
http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2004/PDF/SB/SB0133.1.pdf
SB266 Notice of Access to Medical Records
Note the new digest. This bill now would only repeal the following section
of current Indiana law.
IC 16-39-1-6 Inpatient requests
Sec. 6. This chapter does not authorize a patient to obtain a copy of the
patient's health records while the patient is an inpatient of a hospital,
health facility, or facility licensed under IC 12-24 or IC 12-29. However,
if the inpatient is:
(1) unemancipated and less than eighteen (18) years of age, a parent,
guardian, or next of kin (if the patient does not have a parent or
guardian) is entitled to obtain a copy of the health records of the
inpatient;
(2) incompetent to request the patient's own health records, a spouse,
parent, guardian, or next of kin (if the patient does not have a parent,
spouse, or guardian) is entitled to obtain a copy of the health records of
the inpatient; or
(3) competent, a spouse, parent or next of kin (if the patient does not
have a parent or spouse) is entitled to obtain a copy of the health
records of the inpatient if the inpatient requests that the records be
released.
As added by P.L.2-1993, SEC.22.
[This makes sense to me. I didn’t know that if I was an inpatient that I
would not have been able to obtain a copy of my records.]
SB 359 Moratorium on Comprehensive Care Beds and Hospitals
Note the new digest. This is the only bill of several that were looking at
the issue of expansion of hospital beds, etc. that has made it through the
committee process. It was amended in committee to require the Health
Finance Commission—a standing commission comprised of the House Public
Health and the Senate Health and Provider Services Committees--to study
the issue of Certificate of Need.
SB497 Aggregate Purchasing of Prescription Drugs
This was amended to prohibit purchase of drugs from another country.
So, as always, don’t hesitate to contact me for questions or concerns. If
you are planning to come to the Public Policy Conference on February 10
and have not registered, you should do so at once. Also, don’t forget to
inform any LPN whom you know of the organizational meeting and public
policy seminar on February 17. You can read further information by
following this link
http://www.indiananurses.org/government/leg_conf_04.htm
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