2023 Legislative Session Bill Tracker | |||||
Bill | Title | Status | $ | Description | Position/Reason |
(Rep. Stenquist) | Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities Amendments | Passed | $0 | Reauthorizes until 2028 | Support - In 2020, under half of Utahns with disabilities living in the community were employed. This declines to 20-30% for individuals in need of help with self-care or independent living. |
(Rep. Eliason) | Forensic Mental Health Amendments | Passed | $124.9 K | Requires the Forensic Mental Health Coordinating Council to advise the Department of Corrections concerning USH admission policies and DHHS concerning the interactions of individuals with mental illness and/or intellectual disabilities in the civil commitment juvenile justice, or criminal justice systems. | Research - How does this relate to the governor’s recommendation to transfer clinical services at the Utah State Correctional Facility to the Department of Health and Human Services? |
(Rep. Stoddard) | Mental Health Support & Law Enforcement Co-response | Failed | $2.071 M | Establishes a grant program for the creation of new or expansion of existing best-practice crisis intervention teams. Says best-practice CIT should respond only if requested by MCOT or if MCOT is unavailable. | Support - We think establishing criteria will reduce unnecessary police response. When such a response is needed, officers will be specially trained, hopefully leading to better outcomes. |
(Rep. Eliason) | Long Term Care Ombudsman Amendments | Passed | $0 | Requires an assisted living facility to promptly notify the ombudsman of any notice of involuntary discharge | Support - Facility residents are vulnerable. Proactively notifying the ombudsman of the possibility of an involuntary discharge will give them an opportunity to intervene on a resident's behalf to help find a resolution or in alternative placement. |
(Rep. Eliason) | Voter Signature Verification Amendments | Passed | $!9.1 K | Requires a county clerk to provide and make a voter with a disability aware of the process for requesting an alternate method of voting, if the voter is unable to vote by mail. Also allows a voter with a disability to submit an affidavit if their ballot is rejected because their signature doesn't match. Requires a county clerk to report the reason a ballot is rejected. | Support - It’s crucial for a voter with a disability, such as a visual impairment, to know there are alternatives to vote-by-mail which enable them to exercise their right to vote privately and independently. Because of my disability, my signature isn't consistent. I've always worried this will cause my mail-in ballot to be rejected. Proactively checking a box and submitting an affidavit ahead of time will significantly reduce this possibility. It will also simplify the process for election workers and rural voters with disabilities, who won't have to travel a long distance simply to confirm their identity. Essentially, we view this is State Law recognizing what would be a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. |
(Rep. Wilcox) | School Safety Requirements | Passed | $78.883 M | Creates a grant program which, among other things, schools can use to hire school resource officers. Specifies the jurisdiction and role of school administration and an SRO, as well as making any contract or agreement subject to a public hearing. The 4th substitute requires a school to hire a safety specialist and conduct a threat assessment. | Oppose - Only 12% of students have disabilities, yet they account for 25% of all arrests. Likewise, almost 75% of youth involved in juvenile justice systems have mental health conditions. While consistent standards and training for SROs is needed, we’re concerned incentivizing SROs in public middle and high school will cause these already disturbingly high percentages to increase further. |
(Rep. Eliason) | Behavioral Health Crisis Response Commission Amendments | Passed | $15.6 M | Establishes a grant program to create up to 5 mobile crisis outreach teams in the areas of greatest need. Also requests proposals to fund a crisis receiving centers in areas off the Wasatch Front. Additionally, creates a virtual crisis outreach team of a mental health professional and a peer specialist to support law enforcement in rural areas. Finally, makes the Behavioral Health Crisis Response Commission responsible for coordinating local crisis lines and mobile crisis outreach, and extends the commission until 2026. | Neutral - While we support the expansion of crisis services in rural areas, we continue to view the prioritization of brick-and-mortar facilities as a lost opportunity to invest in community supports that can delay or prevent the need for stabilization, hospitalization, or incarceration in the first place. Additionally, media reports between 2013-15, estimated that 1/3-1/2 of all those killed by law enforcement had a disability. Some put it even higher, at 60-80%. The Harriet Tubman Collective names at least 18 victims. We're concerned having a police officer be the point of contact for a virtual crisis outreach team increases the risk of unintended consequences. |
(Rep. Eliason) | Behavioral Health Treatment Access Amendments | Passed | $0 | Requires an insurance plan that covers mental health to pay for services provided to a healthcare worker by someone other than a colleague or employer. | Support. |
(Rep. King) | Mental Health Treatment Amendments | Failed |
| Requires an insurance plan offered by a governmental entity to comply with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Allows them to refer to the skilled nursing facility quantitative and qualitative limitations when covering residential treatment programs. | Support - 20% of individuals experience some type of mental illness in their lifetime. It's why Utah’s invested heavily in suicide prevention. It's also why the Huntsman Mental Health Institute has focused much of its work on the Anti-stigma Grand Challenge around the consequences of anxiety and depression at home, school, and work. However, the state's Public Employees Health Program, which also sets the baseline for private insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, doesn't cover physical and mental health care equally. At the same time, while we appreciate the establishment of minimal guardrails for coverage of residential treatment by insurance companies, we are deeply troubled by any proposal that continues the flow of business to an industry that has injured or killed kids and been subject to such lax regulatory oversight and enforcement. |
(Rep. Brooks) | Social Security Tax Amendments | Failed | $15.3 M | Increases income eligibility for the Social Security tax credit. | Research - Since the average beneficiary’s Social Security Disability Insurance amount is just above the poverty level, could help an individual who is working keep a bit more of their income. |
(Rep. King) | Public Employee Disability Benefits Amendments | Passed | $2.757 M | Creates a 3-year pilot project offering the same disability coverage to public employees with a physical or mental health condition. | Support – In addition to offering equal coverage, demonstrate that offering more complete coverage is more cost-effective and improves outcomes. |
(Rep. Watkins) | Inmate Treatment Amendments | Passed | $0 | Requires a jail to continue medication-assisted treatment for an inmate participating in a state-funded program prior to confinement. | Support - An individual in substance use disorder treatment is considered person with a disability and protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Additionally, continuation and completion of treatment may result in a more successful reentry and lower likelihood of recidivism. |
(Rep. Johnson) | Salary Supplement for School Speech-language Pathologists and Audiologists | Failed | $4.74 M | Makes school speech language pathologists and audiologists eligible for a salary supplement. | Support. |
(Rep. Burton) | Prohibited Correctional Facility Items | Failed | $96.3 K | Allows a mental health facility, program, or provider to make a rule prohibiting clients or patients from having a phone or other communication device. | Oppose - Involuntarily hospitalized patients have a suicide risk 100 times greater than the general population 3 months after discharge and 30 times greater than the general population many years later. Communication is vital to our psychological connectedness and well-being. Unless there’s a justifiable safety concern or clinical rationale, a mental health client or patient shouldn’t be deprived of their phone, particularly since they’re already vulnerable. We look forward to working with the sponsor and others on just such language over interim. |
(Rep. Shipp) | Prohibiting Sex Transitioning Procedures on Minors | Failed | $71 K | Makes it illegal for a provider to perform a hormonal transgender procedure (unless underway for at least the previous 2 years), a sex characteristic-altering surgery or a cosmetic breast surgical procedure on a minor. | Oppose - The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals recently found gender identity dysphoria to be a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Denial of procedures to treat it could be considered discrimination under the ADA. |
(Rep. Acton) | Health Care Facility Visitation Amendments | Passed | $0 | Requires a healthcare facility to establish a visitation policy. The policy can't require vaccination but must include infection control procedures. The policy's procedures cannot be stricter than those in place for facility staff. A facility can remove a visitor for violating the policy. | Support - While we would prefer to see the prohibition on vaccine mandates removed, the language does include some exemptions for healthcare facilities. The bill also requires healthcare facilities to have a visitation policy, including infection control processes. Last year, a DLC investigation and report found many COVID-19 deaths occurred in long-term care facilities that either did not have or did not practice good infection control procedures. |
(Rep. Ward) | Abortion Revisions | Failed | $0 | Adds a medical condition or disability, except Down Syndrome or uncomplicated spina bifida, likely to require long-term life-sustaining treatment and result in prolonged suffering as an exception to Utah's abortion ban. | Neutral – After a discussion with the sponsor, the bill is intended for children likely to be born with a medical condition resulting in significant suffering and a short life, not those who might rely on long-term services and supports. |
(Rep. Gwynn) | Voter Accessibility Amendments | Passed | $2.3 K | Requires a county clerk to o include instructions on their website and with mailed ballots for accessing an accessible voting method. Also requires the State Elections Office to make rules for verifying the identity of a voter who submits an affidavit attesting that their signatures aren't consistent due to a disability. | Support - It’s crucial for a voter with a disability, such as a visual impairment, to know there are alternatives to vote-by-mail which enable them to exercise their right to vote privately and independently. Because of my disability, my signature isn't consistent. I've always worried this will cause my mail-in ballot to be rejected. Proactively checking a box and submitting an affidavit ahead of time will significantly reduce this possibility. It will also simplify the process for election workers and rural voters with disabilities, who won't have to travel a long distance simply to confirm their identity. Essentially, we view this is State Law recognizing what would be a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. |
(Rep. Gricius) | Mental Health Professional Licensing Amendments | Passed | $5.5 K | Unless practicing under an interstate compact, requires a mental health therapist or substance use counselor licensed and in good standing in another state to obtain a Utah license to provide remote therapy or counseling to a client in Utah within 9 months. Doesn't allow a counselor or therapist to prescribe, unless licensed to do so in Utah. | Support - Potentially increases access to treatment. |
(Rep. Lesser) | Food Sales Tax Modifications | Failed
| $160.8 M | Except for candy, removes the state sales tax on food. | Support - As evidenced by the employment numbers referred to earlier, far too many Utahns are likely to have income less then 30% of those around them. Even though the percentage is the same, a tax on a necessity, such as food, is likely to have more of an effect on them than on someone with more disposable income. |
(Rep. Hawkins) | Utah State Hospital Amendments | Failed | $29.6 K | Creates a legislative commission to study the role of the Utah State Hospital in Utah's mental health system. | Neutral - While the DLC continues to have concerns about the wisdom of moving the facility, we support a study of the broader system and inclusion of individuals with lived experience and representatives of mental health advocacy organizations. We would like it to look at needs and gaps in the community system as well. |
(Rep. Loubet) | Post- employment Restrictions Revisions | Failed | $0 | Prohibits non-compete agreements between a home and community-based services provider and an employee or independent contractor. A provider can’t prevent a client from choosing to work with a former employee. | Neutral – We appreciate the sponsor incorporating our recommendation. |
Rep. Thurston) | Social Security Tax Credit Amendments | Failed | $106 M | Eliminates the income eligibility limit, but places in cap on the amount of a Social Security benefit which can be used in calculating a state tax credit. | Support - While the change is likely to have minimal, if any, benefit for SSDI recipients, we don't anticipate a negative consequence either. |
(Rep. Pierucci) | Funding for Teacher Salaries and Optional Education Opportunities | Passed | $42 M | Create a scholarship program providing $8000 to lower-income parents wishing to enroll a student in a private school. Allows the scholarship to pay for certain services needed by a student with a disability. Ties a $6,000 raise for teachers to passage of the bill. | Neutral - A student with a disability can already access the Carson Smith or Special-Needs Opportunity scholarship to attend private school. We want to make sure parents of students with disabilities enrolled in the program are fully informed of the state and federal protections they give up. |
(Rep, Eliason) | Low Income Housing Property Tax Exemption | Passed | $0 | Give a 15-year property tax exemption to housing authorities and nonprofits providing and subsidizing deeply affordable rent for supported housing. | Support - May make it a bit more practical to build or sustain the housing needed to wrap supports around. |
(Rep. Stenquist) | Accessible Parking Spaces Amendments | Passed | $0 | Add language to the back of a disability parking placard warning that if it's used by someone other than the person to whom it's assigned or an individual transporting them is a Class C misdemeanor. | Support. |
(Rep. Ward) | Services for People with Disabilities Amendments | Failed | $7.6 M | In years of economic growth, directs that money be included in the budget to provide services to at least 200 “high priority” individuals on the DSPD waiting list. High priority means those at risk of homelessness or losing a caregiver, who don't have a family caregiver; have been the victim of abuse, neglect, or exploitation; or whose family is at risk of assault, or sexually inappropriate or aggressive behavior. | Support - Offers a light at the end of the tunnel to some families on the waiting list. Will hopefully reduce the waiting list slightly over time, but, at a minimum, it would be dedicated funding each year to get individuals off the list. |
(Rep. Judkins) | Mental Health Services for Adults | Passed | $5.2 M | Requires a statewide plan for providing intensive wraparound services to individuals with serious mental illness, including an estimate of need, gaps, and barriers. Creates a grant program expanding their availability, with reporting on housing, hospitalization, and incarceration outcomes. | Support – The state’s continuing to build out its crisis response system. This could be the first step toward creating a continuum of supports and services designed to prevent or delay crisis. |
(Rep. Dailey Provost) | Disability Coverage Amendments | Failed | $464 K | Allows a person with a disability, income up to 500% of the federal poverty level, and $150,000 or less in assets to pay Medicaid a sliding scale premium for needed services not covered by their private insurance. | Support – Could make it easier for individuals who need Medicaid but want to work or earn more. Could also make a difference for working families with a member with costly needs. |
(Rep. Spackman-Moss) | Suicide Prevention in Correctional Facilities | Passed | !40.6 K | Establishes a grant for county jails with an upper tier to install suicide barriers. | Support. |
(Rep. Eliason) | Medicaid Waiver for Medically Complex Children Amendments | Passed | $1 M | Will increase the number of children served by the waiver. | Support. |
(Rep. Lisonbee) | Juvenile Justice Revisions | Passed | $178 K | Among many other things, creates a violent crime prevention program and makes it easier for a student to be referred to law enforcement or juvenile court. | Oppose - Represents a step back from juvenile justice reform, increases the presence of police in schools, and increases the likelihood students with disabilities will end up in the juvenile justice system. |
(Rep. Dunnigan) | Recreational Therapy Medicaid Coverage Amendments | Passed | $95.3 K | Direct Medicaid to seek permission to cover recreational therapy in hospitals, substance use and youth residential treatment programs, and long-term care and psychiatric facilities. | Support – We would like to see all needed supports or services, regardless of setting, offered in facilities and the community. |
(Rep. Wilcox) | Civil Commitment Amendments | Passed | $39.3 K | Better aligns the civil commitment process with case law. | Neutral - We'll follow it. The revised timelines for competency restoration may impact our previous settlement agreement with the State. |
(Rep. Ballard) | Behavioral Health Services Access Amendments | Failed | $4.7 K | Directs the Office of Substance Use and Mental Health to study needs regarding access to mental health and substance use resources and service, and how to use that info to better engage with the public via a website. Tasks the Education and Mental Health Coordinating Council with making recommendations to address the behavioral health needs of youth. | Support – A study of these issues could better help individuals access services, and, at a minimum, it could help legislators identify and fill gaps. |
(Rep. Whyte) | Housing Affordability Amendments | Passed | $3.9 M | Among other things, sets the total amount available under the state low-income tax credit at $10 million. | Support – Could increase the number of deeply affordable housing units in the state. |
(Rep. Watkins) | Competency to Stand Trial Amendments | Passed | $0 | Prohibits a court from finding a defendant incompetent to proceed only because the person has been found incompetent before, unless the finding is within the previous year. | Monitor |
(Rep. Abbott) | Mentally Ill Offenders Amendments | Passed | $478.4 K | Outlines a new process for a plea of guilty with a mental condition. The 3rd substitute allows DHHS to assess a person and offer placement and treatment recommendations to a court. | Support – We were part of the working group on this bill over the summer. The goal is to create a plea that will be used, as the current one is not. One reason is that individuals who do take the plea don’t get treatment, or the treatment does not prevent them from serving a full sentence. This legislation is aimed at ensuring access to treatment and having that be considered in sentencing. |
(Rep. Abbott) | Special Needs Opportunity Scholarship Program Amendments | Passed | $0 | Increases the items or services for which a scholarship can pay. | Neutral. |
(Rep. Eliason) | Student Mental Health Amendments | Passed | $10 K | Among other changes, allows a participating school district to screen a student for mental health needs. | Monitor. |
(Rep. Hollins) | Parent and Student Rights and School Safety Amendments | Failed | $0 | Requires a school district to create an action plan in response to an incident of bullying, discrimination (includes disability), or harassment of a student or staff member. School districts must also designate a person to provide training and oversee any action plans. | Support. |
(Rep. Dunnigan) | Health Services Amendments | Passed | $209 K | Requires Medicaid to reimburse for audio-only telehealth services. Directs DHHS to study payment options for long-acting antipsychotic injectables and training and support options around Tardis dyskinesia. | Support. |
(Rep. Wilcox) | Paratransit Services Amendments | Failed | $0 | If a public transit agency no longer offers a fixed route upon which a rider with a disability’s paratransit services depends, the transit agency is required to continue to provide the same or similar service. | Support. |
(Rep. Ward) | Health Evaluations for Driving Amendments | Failed | $0 | Prohibits the Driver's License Division from asking questions of applicants about conditions not related to their ability to drive. Also requires the division to provide notice that if the applicant does have a condition that could affect their ability to drive, it will be subject to regular medical evaluation. | Support - We would like to see it go further, particularly around excluding mental health. We’re also hoping to work with the division to address administrative concerns, and possibly the sponsor, if it is unable to move forward this year. |
(Rep. Judkins) | Requirements for Supported Decision- making Agreements | Failed | $0 | Allows a person with a disability to use a trusted family member, friend, or other supporter to help them gather and understand information they need to make a choice. A supporter can also help an individual communicate their decision, if needed. | Support - An optional alternative to guardianship. SDM promotes independence and self-determination. Individuals with all types of disabilities can use SDM. This includes people with mental illness and learning disabilities. SDM is also becoming popular with older adults. Finally, individuals with disabilities who use SDM have a greater ability to protect themselves. |
(Rep. Judkins) | Mental Health Treatment Study | Failed | $203.8 K | Requires a study of the State’s mental health system, including the number of individuals with serious mental illness in Utah and where they might be served, the projected growth of that population, and what gaps there are in the system/how to provider necessary supports in the community and beyond. | Support - While we support the Utah Hospital Association's forthcoming behavioral health master plan, HB 177’s consideration of the role of the Utah State Hospital in the mental health system as a whole, and HB 342's effort to identify and connect individual with behavioral health treatment and supports, Rep. Judkins’ bill is designed to specifically address the needs and gaps faced by individuals with serious mental illness. |
(Rep. Ballard) | Telemedicine Amendments | Failed | $28.1 K | If a healthcare provider offers physical services in the state, requires a health plan to reimburse for telehealth services at 90% of the in-person rate. | Support. |
(Rep. Birkeland) | Voting Amendments | Failed |
| Would end universal vote-by-mail. A voter wishing to vote by mail would have to inform their election official that they wish to receive a mail ballot in future elections, which they could choose not to receive in the future by informing the official in writing. | Oppose - Could pose an obstacle to voting, particularly in a county with a limited number of election day voting centers, which many counties have reduced in recent years. |
(Rep. Garner) | Minimum Wage Modifications | Failed | $111.7 M | Sets a higher minimum wage by age and indexes it to inflation. | Support - Requires employees with disabilities and those who provide companionship services be paid at least minimum wage. |
(Rep. Owens) | Bias Incident Reporting | Failed | $4.5 K | Requires the Department of Public Safety to work with 211 to establish a hotline and electronic form to report incidents potentially biased conduct among police. | Support - We support the concept because it includes individuals with disabilities. However, even though it's based on national standards, the bill doesn't appear to include details about what happens to any information after its collected or action that may result from it. |
(Rep. Ballard) | Medicaid Disability Coverage Amendments | Failed | $9.623 M | Directs Medicaid to ask for a state plan amendment covering individuals under 19 with a severe physical, intellectual, or developmental functional limitation, who aren't already enrolled in the Medically Complex Children's waiver and would otherwise be financially ineligible. | Support - This could at least provide medical coverage to many of the younger individuals on the DSPD waiting list. |
(Rep. Stoddard) | Department of Health and Human Services Procurement Amendments | Failed | $0 | Authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to skip the request for proposal process and contract directly with a particular person or company for services in certain circumstances, including when doing so would avoid the need for a higher level of care. | Research - It's unclear, but the bill could help Utah State Hospital residents or DSPD clients who’ve had difficulty connecting with community services or placements. |
(Rep. Eliason) | Concurrent Resolution Regarding Mental Health Support in Schools | Passed | $0 | Encourages the state to explore and fund options to increase the number of nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists in schools to the recommended ratios. | Support. |
(Sen. Kennedy) | Sex Characteristic Surgical Procedures | Passed | $0 | Prohibits a hormonal transgender treatment for a patient who isn’t diagnosed prior to May 3, 2023. Requires a patient beginning treatment to undergo a mental health evaluation and be made aware of potential risks. Also prohibits surgery associated with a sex change on a minor. Requires DHHS to study and make a recommendation on the maintenance or lifting of the hormonal treatment ban. Also requires professional licensing to create a certification for providers of treatment. | Oppose - The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals recently found gender identity dysphoria to be a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Denial of procedures to treat it could be considered discrimination under the ADA. |
(Sen. Vickers) | Medicaid Dental Waiver Amendments | Passed | $5.45 M | DHHS would apply for a waiver to offer dental services to Medicaid enrollees not already eligible. | Support. |
(Sen. Riebe) | Office of Student Health Affairs | Failed | $436.5 K | Coordinates DHHS, Medicaid, local health department, and Utah State Board of Education services around wellness, mental health, and chronic conditions for students. | Support – Could help resolve some of the challenges students face in accessing routine or specialized medical care, as well as lead to more consistency in the availability of mental health supports. |
(Sen. Kwan) | Peace Officer Training Amendments | Passed | $0 | Requires police officer training to include information on identifying, responding to, and reporting a criminal offense motivated by personal attitude. | Support - Disability is included in Utah's victim targeting penalty enhancement law. |
(Sen. Kean) | Master Plan on Aging | Passed | $50 K | Directs the commission to develop a 3-year workplan and prepare and publish a 10-year master plan identifying and prioritizing the commission's goals, objectives, performance measures, and strategies to address demographic factors contributing to the needs of the state's aging population. | Support - Over 1/3 aging individuals have a disability. The master plan also includes older Utahns with physical or developmental disabilities. |
(Sen. Harper) | Caregiver Comp. Amendments | Passed | $1.734 M | Directs DHHS to apply for permission to make caregiver compensation for parents or guardians of Medicaid home and community-based services waiver enrollees permanent. | Support - The pandemic demonstrated the health, safety, and economic benefits to supporting family members caring for loved ones with disabilities. It builds on the success of a similar program for spouses which has been in place for a few years. |
(Sen. Owens) | County Correctional Facility Contracting Amendments | Passed | $8.846 M | Increases reimbursement rate for county jails housing state inmates. Requires a report on recidivism rates for state inmates participating in treatment programs in county jails. | Monitor. |
(Sen. Kwan) | Adult Protective Services Amendments | Passed | $0 | Allows Adult Protective Services to issue an administrative subpoena for information related to alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a person with limited capacity, if the adult, guardian, or individual with the information is unable or unwilling to consent. | Support - APS probably needs even more authority than this. They also need additional money, staff, and resources to conduct high-quality investigations. |
(Sen. Blouin) | Ballot Delivery Amendments | Failed | $0 | Among other things, requires mailing a vote by mail ballot to be free and allows it to be postmarked on election day. | Support. |
(Sen. Anderegg) | Invisible Condition Information Amendments | Passed | $40.8 K | Requires the Department of Public Safety and DHHS to develop educational materials and conduct outreach to healthcare professionals about the ability for individuals with an invisible condition to voluntarily add information about it to the vehicle registration and criminal information databases used by dispatchers and first responders, as well as put a symbol on their car or driver's license/ID. | Neutral - We appreciate Senator Anderegg building on an existing program and recognizing the importance of allowing a person to choose whether or not to participate. However, there's nothing criminal about an individual’s condition. Therefore, even though it's existing code, we would like to see the provision allowing information on an invisible condition to be added to the Criminal Justice Information Database removed. In addition, there are reasons on both sides why and individual or guardian might choose to utilize this program, so we are neutral, as we have been in the past on similar programs, because it is an individual’s choice. |
(Sen. Riebe) | School Employee Licensing Amendments | Failed | $0 | Allows a school district receiving money for targeted mental health support to use some of it to pay the licensing, renewal, or continuing education fees for qualifying personnel. | Support - Might help attract or retain mental health professionals to work in schools. |
(Sen. Cullimore) | Post-employment Restrictions Modifications | Failed | $0 | Makes non-compete clauses in employment contracts between health care providers and health care employees void. Defines providers and employees fairly broadly to cover the majority of the health care sector. | Neutral – Given the non-compete bill from Rep. Loubet (H.B. 178) and our concerns there, we are tracking this bill because it could cover those workers as well. |
(Sen. Kennedy) | Voting Changes | Failed | $1 K | Allows a county clerk to decide if an election is going to be held in-person or by mail in-ballot. If in-person, equipment must be available enabling a voter with a disability to vote. Also, if in-person, a voter may request a mail-in ballot. | Oppose - Even though the bill requires accessibility, we are concerned on behalf of individuals for whom transportation is inaccessible or who live in counties without public transportation. In addition, while it requires public notice, switching how an election is administered could lead to confusion and reduce access to voting. |
(Sen. Bramble) | Autism Coverage Amendments | Passed | $3.12 M | Requires Medicaid to apply for a state plan amendment covering pharmaceutical, psychiatric, psychological, and therapeutic care for enrollees with autism spectrum disorder. | Monitor. |
(Sen. Cullimore) | Transportation Funding Requirements | Passed | $9.2 K | Among other things, if the largest counties collect a local sales and use tax they may use 5% for jail diversion and housing programs for individuals with behavioral health needs. 2ndsubstitute removes this option. | Monitor. |
(Sen. Hinkins) | Chronic Conditions Support Amendments | Passed | $477 K | Requires Medicaid to seek permission for a 3-year pilot project to cover telehealth and remote monitoring services for enrollees with certain chronic conditions who aren’t enrolled in an accountable care organization. | Support. |
Updated 3/3/23