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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.
© 2007 Indiana State Nurses Association |
Executive
Director's Report from the State House
Vol. 27, No. 1
© 2007
by Ernest Klein, CAE
Executive Director and Lobbyist
Note: Views stated may not necessarily represent those of the Indiana
State Nurses Association, Inc.
January 12, 2007
Welcome back to another edition of the ISNA Legislative Update. As we have
in previous years, the postings will only be available for ISNA members.
Please bookmark/save as a “favorite” the following link:
http://www.indiananurses.org/isnamember.htm
CHANGE is a hallmark of the first session of the 115th Indiana General
Assembly. Of course you know that the Democrats regained control of the
Indiana House by a very slim 51-49 majority. The Senate remains firmly in
the control of the Republicans by 33-17 margin. However, Sen. David Long,
R-Fort Wayne, is the new President Pro Tempore; so there has been
shuffling among the leadership.
Committees
There have been changes to the committee members ship and long-standing
committee meeting times. In the House, the Public Health Committee is the
one we monitor most closely. Back as Chairperson is Rep. Charlie Brown,
D-Gary, and the Ranking Minority Member is Rep. Tim Brown,
R-Crawfordsville (they just traded places). Back on the committee are Rep
Peggy Welch, RN, D-Bloomington, as Vice Chair and Rep. John Day,
D-Indianapolis. The previous two years, they were not on the Public Health
Committee as the policy was that if you were on the Ways and Means
Committee you did not have another committee assignment. That has changed.
They both remain on the very important Ways & Means Committee, which will
draft the biennial budget for the State. Peggy Welch is Chairperson of the
Medicaid and Health Sub-Committee. New to the Public Health Committee is
George Hoy, D-Evansville.
The House Public Health Committee has routinely met on Tuesday mornings.
Now it is scheduled for Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons upon
adjournment of the House.
Agenda for Public Health Committee
January 17, 2007, 3 PM, HOUSE CHAMBER
Organizational meeting of Public Health and the Committee on Insurance to
discuss healthcare concepts
The Senate Health and Provider Services Committee is largely unchanged
from the previous session with Sen. Patricia Miller, RN, R-Indianapolis,
serving again as Chairperson. Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, replaces Sen.
Billie Breux as Ranking Minority Member. Sen. Breaux resigned after being
elected auditor for Marion County last November. Also new to the committee
is Sen. Sue Errington, D- Muncie. She replaces Sen. Tim Skinner, D-Terre
Haute, who moved to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The Committee, which used to meet on Thursday morning in the Senate
Chambers, will now meet on Wednesday mornings.
Agenda for Health and Provider Services
January 17, 9 AM, Room 431
SB 0094 Individuals with disabilities
SB 0093 Health facility sprinklers for fire safety
SB 0004 Commission on forensic sciences
SB 0005 Nursing facility quality assessment fee
SB 0010 Repeal of student scoliosis testing requirement
Bill Filing
Tuesday, January 16, is the deadline for filing bills; so we will still
see bills released through the end of next week.
Of course, there are bills we’ve seen before. In fact, many of them have
been introduced several times over the years. They include:
SB 0119--Fetal development Curriculum
SB 0135--Abortion matters
SB 0172--Information to a pregnant woman before an abortion
SB 0197--Physical therapists
SB 0202--Physician assistant prescription authority
SB 0469--Licensure of massage therapists
HB 1108--Physical therapy
HB 1238--Licensure of midwives
HB 1240--Interstate nurse licensure compact.
HB 1241--Physician assistants
Bills of Special Interest/Concern
SB 0324--Regulation of advanced practice nurses, which would greatly
restrict APN practice. PA bills will have to be watched closed to make
sure APN restriction doesn’t get amended into those bills.
HB 1240--Interstate nurse licensure compact. This passed in 2001 but the
National Council of State Boards of Nursing denied Indiana’s entrance into
the program because rules were promulgated which would have required
nurses from another compact state working in Indiana to “register” with
the board of nursing and to pay a fee for that. NCSBN said those
requirements where not in keeping with the Compact and, thus, that
legislation expired.
Sen. Simpson has authored a bill for loan forgiveness for nurses that
committee to teach in schools of nursing. We have not yet seen the actual
bill so I can’t be specific of details yet.
As in previous years, you can go to the General Assembly’s web pages at:
http://www.in.gov/legislative/. Once there you will find most
committee schedules. It seems that the agendas for the House Ways and
Means committee has a difficult time getting posted on the web. The
meetings and the House and Senate are webcast so you can watch the
proceedings. You can also print off full copies of the proposed bills,
email legislators, etc. etc.
So tuned. We’ll see you February 20 and/or Feb 27, 2007.
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