2014 SESSION OF THE
MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
| | | |
| 2014 SESSION OF THE |
| Volume 20, Number 3 | February 26, 2014 |
Here are some of the hot issues as the 2014 Legislative Session develops:
Medicaid Budget
Researchers and Patients Testify on Stem Cell Budget
Leadership in Annapolis
Independent Higher Education Day
Department of Legislative Services (DLS) presented the analysis of the Medicaid budget this week and made two concerning recommendations: an additional 1% rate cut to MCOs and a shift of hospital assessments. The MCO cut would extend the reduction included in the Governor's budget for an additional six months, and would result in total MCO rate cuts of $40 million. With regard to assessments DLS recommended reducing the MHIP assessment to 0% for one year while increasing the deficit assessment by $33 million. This recommendation is essentially trying to capture the MHIP surplus as source to support the state general fund, but because use of MHIP funds would likely require CMS approval, both assessments are in play. While the DLS recommendation provides an additional $3 million in rate relief beyond the Governor's budget this is yet another example of the state manipulating hospital assessments to support the general budget. State Affairs testified against both DLS recommendations.
Researchers and Patients Testify on Stem Cell Budget
Johns Hopkins Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) grant recipients and patients testified before the House and Senate budget committees this week. Other Johns Hopkins MSCRF grant recipients also provided written testimony to bolster support for maintaining the Governor’s allocation of $10.4 million in state stem cell funding for FY 2015. Dr. Elias Zambidis and Ms. Lilly Boyer testified before the Senate budget subcommittee on how stem cells are used to treat severe hematological and vascular disorders and how Ms. Boyer was able to benefit from the treatments developed by Dr. Zambidis. Dr. Robert Brodsky and Ms. Yetunde Olagbaju provided compelling testimony to the House budget subcommittee outlining how Dr. Brodsky used stem cells to enhance bone marrow for transplants to expand the pool of donors. This treatment was able to cure Ms. Olagbaju of both sickle cell and lupus. Both committees were very appreciative to hear testimony from researchers and particularly their patients whose personal stories, they said “helped them to see the benefit of the MSCRF”. Final budget decisions on the MSCRF will be made in the coming weeks.
Leadership in Annapolis
On Tuesday, February 18, Brian Gragnolati met with Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., House Speaker Michael E. Busch and leadership from the budget committees to advocate for a concrete plan to reduce and eliminate the Medicaid deficit assessment.
Independent Higher Education Day
On Tuesday, February 18, 6 students representing Johns Hopkins' Schools of Education and Nursing travelled to Annapolis to participate in Maryland Independent Higher Education Day. The students met with Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., House Speaker Michael E. Busch, and lawmakers who represent the Homewood campus to thank them and advocate for the ongoing state support of independent higher education in Maryland.
BILLS INTRODUCED
Behavioral Health HB584/SB367 Drug Abuse Treatment Programs - Locations and Economic Impact Study Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the University of Baltimore jointly to identify the location of each drug abuse treatment program in the State and study and evaluate the economic impact of each program on surrounding businesses and residential neighborhoods; requiring the Department and the University jointly to report their findings under the Act to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before December 1, 2014; and terminating the Act after May 31, 2015. Hearing Date: Tue 2/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: June 1, 2014 HB592/SB620 Mental Health - Approval by Clinical Review Panel of Administration of Medication - Standard Altering the standard for when a medical review panel may approve the adminstration of medication when an individual refuses medication for a mental illness. The legislation modifes the standard from allowing for the administration of medication to an individual who is at risk for continued hospitalization because the "individual is in danger of serious physical harm resulting from the individual's inability to provide or the individual's essential human needs of health or safety" to the individual is unable to provide or the individual's essential human needs of health or safety". Hearing Date: Tue 3/4 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB767/SB831 Public Health - Mental Hygiene Law - Assisted Outpatient Treatment Providing that an application for assisted outpatient treatment may be submitted to a court by specified individuals; requiring, except under specified circumstances, a court to hold a hearing on a specified application within a specified time period; authorizing, under specified circumstances, a court to order assisted outpatient treatment for a specified individual; requiring a specified order to include a specified treatment plan; requiring, under specified circumstances, a court to deny a specified application; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 3/4 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB850 Health - Education Campaign Relating to Mental Health Issues - Funding Requesting the Governor to include in the fiscal year 2016 budget funding sufficient to allow the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to develop and implement an educational campaign to eliminate the stigma that discourages individuals from seeking assistance for mental health issues. Hearing Date: Tue 3/4 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB1070 Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Cigarette Restitution Fund - Report Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to report to the General Assembly, on or before November 1, 2014, on funding necessary for Cigarette Restitution Fund-eligible programs to implement the actions recommended in a specified report. Hearing Date: Mon 3/3 1:00 PM Effective Date: June 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB1218/SB854 State Board of Pharmacy - Registered Pharmacy Interns Requiring individuals to register and be approved by the State Board of Pharmacy before practicing pharmacy as a pharmacy intern under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist; requiring registered pharmacy interns to submit to a criminal history records check; prohibiting a licensed pharmacist from supervising more than two pharmacy interns at a time; providing for the expiration and renewal of the registration of a pharmacy intern; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB659/SB974 Public Safety - Regulated Firearms - Transport Through State Specifying that a person who is not a resident of the State and who is not prohibited from possessing a regulated firearm in the person's state of residence may transport a regulated firearm through the State to another state under specified circumstances; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 3/4 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB867 Maryland False Claims Act Prohibiting specified actions constituting false claims against a governmental entity; providing specified penalties for making false claims; requiring the court to consider and give special attention to specified factors in determining the amount of fines and penalties provided for in specified provisions of the Act; authorizing a person and the governmental entity to file a civil action against a person that makes a specified false claim under specified circumstances; etc. Hearing Date: Wed 2/19 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB297/SB332 Prekindergarten Expansion Act of 2014 Expanding prekindergarten services to specified 4-year-old children; establishing the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant Program; identifying the purpose of the Program; requiring the Department of Education to administer the Program; requiring the Program to be a competitive grant program for specified providers; establishing specified criteria for priority consideration of grant funds; establishing specified uses for grant funds; etc. Hearing Date: Wed 2/12 1:00 PM Effective Date: June 1, 2014 HB426 Education - Concussion Impact Sensor Pilot Program This bill establishes the Concussion Impact Sensor Pilot Program and requires the State Department of Education to develop and implement the Program. The bill requires each board of education to choose one high school football team to participate in the program and to provide specified team members with a concussion impact sensor. Hearing Date: Wed 2/12 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB427 Education - Maryland Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act This bill requires the State Department of Education to develop policies and implement a program to provide awareness to coaches, school personnel, students, and parents or guardians of students on the risk of sudden cardiac arrest. Hearing Date: Wed 2/12 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB571 School Counselors - Role Expansion in Public High Schools This bill creates a State goal regarding a ratio of school counselors to students and requiries each local school system to develop and adopt a plan on or before December 1, 2016. Hearing Date: Fri 2/21 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 SB503/HB1366 Public Schools - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillator Instruction - Graduation Requirement (Breanna's Law) Requiring a public school student to complete instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator to graduate from high school, beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2015-2016 school year. Hearing Date: Wed 2/12 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 SB578 Education - Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) - Implementation Timeline Requiring each county board of education to determine the implementation timeline for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), notwithstanding any other provision of law; and making the Act an emergency measure. Hearing Date: Wed 2/19 1:00 PM Effective Date: Upon Enactment [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB298/SB335 Health Services Cost Review Commission - Powers and Duties, Regulation of Facilities, and Maryland All-Payer Model Contract Authorizing the Health Services Cost Review Commission, consistent with Maryland's all-payer model contract, to establish hospital rate levels and rate increases in a specified manner and promote and approve specified alternative methods of rate determination and payment; increasing the total amount of user fees that the Commission may assess on specified facilities; requiring a hospital to submit notification to the Commission if a financial transaction, contract, or other agreement would result in more than 50% of all corporate voting rights or governance reserve powers being transferred to assumed by another person or entity, altering the contents of a specified annual report the Commission is required to submit to specified individuals and the General Assembly; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/6 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB399 Public Health - Medical Records Charges - Medicaid Enrollees Prohibiting a health care provider from charging a person in interest or another authorized person who requests a copy of a medical record of an individual enrolled in the Maryland Medical Assistance Program a fee that exceeds $20, adjusted annually for inflation in a specified manner. Hearing Date: Thu 2/6 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB779 Maryland Health Care Commission - Health Care Provider-Carrier Workgroup Requiring the Maryland Health Care Commission to establish a Health Care Provider-Carrier Workgroup; establishing the purpose, composition, staffing, and frequency of meetings of the Workgroup; prohibiting a Workgroup member from receiving compensation or reimbursement; requiring Commission staff to solicit and select issues for consideration by the Workgroup; requiring Commission staff to provide specified assistance to the Workgroup and to submit reports to the Commission and specified legislative committees; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/27 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 SB483/HB710 Labor and Employment - Health Care Facilities - Workplace Violence Prevention Program Requiring a specified health care facility to establish a specified workplace violence prevention committee; requiring a workplace violence prevention committee to establish a specified workplace violence prevention program; requiring a workplace violence prevention program to include specified components; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB534 Maryland Intrastate Hospital Assistance Compact Establishing the Maryland Intrastate Hospital Assistance Compact; establishing the requirements for entering into the Compact; providing for the purpose of the Compact; establishing the procedures by which a hospital may submit a request for assistance under the Compact; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/27 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB1253/SB646 State Health Plan - Licensed Hospice Programs - Certificate of Need Review Requiring that, beginning December 31, 2014, for licensed hospice programs, the State health plan methodologies, standards, and criteria for certificate of need review for a jurisdiction demonstrating need first take into consideration the capability of current licensed hospice providers in that jurisdiction that have the infrastructure, capacity, and scale to meet the demonstrated need. Hearing Date: Thu 3/6 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 SB227 Health - Medical Laboratories - Advertising for or Soliciting Business - Repeal of Prohibition Repealing a prohibition on specified advertising for or soliciting business in the State for a medical laboratory. Hearing Date: Thu 1/30 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB251/SB320 State Board of Nursing - Electrology Practice Committee - Membership Altering the membership of the Electrology Practice Committee within the State Board of Nursing; and providing for the elimination of the positions of specified members of the Committee. Hearing Date: Tue 2/4 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB279 Health Occupations - Physicians - Payments for Office Visits Prohibiting a licensed physician from presenting or causing to be presented a claim, bill, or demand for payment for an office visit if the physician did not commence treatment within a specified amount of time; establishing an exception; authorizing a licensed physician to present or cause to be presented a specified claim for payment for a procedure performed during a specified office visit; etc. Hearing Date: Wed 2/5 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB304/SB379 State Acupuncture Board and State Board of Dietetic Practice - Action and Penalties for Violations of Practice Acts Authorizing the State Acupuncture Board to impose a specified penalty if the Board finds that there are grounds to take specified disciplinary action against a licensee; authorizing the State Acupuncture Board and the State Board of Dietetic Practice to issue cease and desist orders or obtain injunctive relief for violations of specified provisions of law; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/18 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB401/SB381 Health Occupations - Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, Physical Therapists, and Physical Therapist Assistants - Criminal History Records Checks Required Requiring applicants to the State Board of Chiropractic and Massage Therapy Examiners and the State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners to submit to a criminal history records check as a condition of licensure or registration; requiring the Boards to consider specified factors in determining whether to grant a license or registration on receipt of the criminal history record information; prohibiting the Boards from issuing a license or registration if the criminal history record information has not been received; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB402/SB314 Health Occupations - State Board of Naturopathic Medicine Establishing the State Board of Naturopathic Medicine; specifying the composition of the Board; specifying the term of a Board member; specifying the duties of the Board; establishing the State Board of Naturopathic Medicine Fund; requiring, beginning on January 1, 2016, specified individuals to have a specified license before practicing naturopathic medicine in the State; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/4 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB441/SB980 Anesthesia Services - Assignment of Billing Rights and Fees for Management Services - Prohibition Prohibiting the billing rights for anesthesia services provided in a freestanding ambulatory care facility from being assigned to a person that has a beneficial interest in the freestanding ambulatory care facility; prohibiting a freestanding ambulatory care facility or a person that has a beneficial interest in the freestanding ambulatory care facility from charging, directly or indirectly, an anesthesia services provider a fee for management services; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB459 Maryland Loan Assistance Repayment Program for Physicians and Physician Assistants Expanding the scope of the Maryland Loan Assistance Repayment Program for Physicians to provide education loan repayments to physician assistants who provide primary care in designated professional shortage areas under specified circumstances; and expanding the definition of "primary care" to include women's health. Hearing Date: Wed 3/5 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB859 State Board of Physicians - Radiographers, Radiation Therapists, and Nuclear Medicine Technologists - Requirements for Licensing Requiring that specified applicants for licensure as radiographers, radiation therapists, and nuclear medicine technologists graduate from specified education programs accredited by specified national accrediting bodies and hold specified licensure, submit verification of specified employment, and have not been subject to or have pending specified disciplinary action under specified circumstances; etc Hearing Date: Mon 3/3 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB908/SB849 State Board of Nursing - Nurses, Nursing Assistants, Medication Technicians, and Electrologists - Licensing, Certification, Regulation, Violations, and Penalties Requiring the State Board of Nursing to establish, on or before a specified date, a specified program through which the Criminal Justice Information System Central Repository reports to the Board specified criminal history information for specified applicants; establishing requirements for the Board to place specified licensees and certificate holders on inactive status if specified documentation of a medical condition is submitted to the Board; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 3/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 SB225/HB113 State Board of Examiners of Psychologists - Psychology Associates - Registration Requiring an individual, except under specified circumstances, to be registered by the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists before practicing psychology as a psychology associate in the State; specifying the circumstances under which a registered psychology associate is authorized to practice psychology in the State; requiring an individual to meet specified requirements to qualify for registration as a psychology associate; etc. Hearing Date: Wed 1/29 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB437/SB416 Health Maintenance Organizations - Payments to Nonparticipating Providers - Repeal of Termination Date Repealing the termination date of specified provisions of law requiring health maintenance organizations to pay nonparticipating providers for specified services at specified rates. Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB625/SB641 Kathleen A. Mathias Oral Chemotherapy Improvement Act of 2014 Altering the scope of specified provisions of law relating to coverage of cancer chemotherapy to include specified policies or contracts issued or delivered by specified entities that provide essential health benefits required under specified provisions of federal law. Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB709/SB642 Health Insurance - Assignment of Benefits and Reimbursement of Nonpreferred Providers - Repeal of Reporting Requirement and Termination Date Repealing the requirement that the Maryland Health Care Commission, in consultation with the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Office of the Attorney General, conduct a specified study and submit specified reports to the General Assembly on or before specified dates; and repealing the termination date of specified provisions of law relating to the assignment of benefits and reimbursement of nonpreferred providers. Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: June 1, 2014 HB823/SB893 Health Insurance - Insurance Laws That Apply to Health Maintenance Organizations - Consolidation and Clarification Consolidating the insurance laws of the State that apply to health maintenance organizations; clarifying the application of the insurance laws of the State to health maintenance organizations; declaring the intent of the General Assembly; etc. Hearing Date: Fri 3/7 12:30 PM Effective Date: June 1, 2014 HB856/SB1065 Task Force on Community Health Workers Establishing the Task Force on Community Health Workers; providing for the composition, chair, and staffing of the Task Force; requiring the Task Force to conduct a specified study, develop specified training and practice standards, and develop specified recommendations; requiring the Task Force to submit specified reports to specified committees of the General Assembly on or before specified dates; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/25 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB866 Task Force to Evaluate the Quality of Patient Care Under a Capitated Payment System Establishing the Task Force to Evaluate the Quality of Patient Care Under a Capitated Payment System; providing for the composition, cochairs, and staffing of the Task Force; requiring the Task Force to study matters related to the impact of moving from a "per case" to a "per capita" payment model; requiring the Task Force to report its findings to the Governor and specified committees of the General Assembly on or before January 1, 2015; terminating the Act after June 30, 2015; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/27 1:00 PM Effective Date: June 1, 2014 HB1127/SB884 Health Insurance - Incentives for Health Care Practitioners Altering the circumstances under which a health insurance carrier is not prohibited from providing bonuses or other incentive-based compensation to a health care practitioner. Hearing Date: Fri 2/28 12:30 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB1233/SB622 Health Insurance - Step Therapy or Fail-First Protocol Requiring the Maryland Health Care Commission to work with payors and providers to attain benchmarks for overriding a payor's step therapy or fail-first protocol; requiring the benchmarks to include, on or before January 1, 2015, establishment by a specified payor of a process for a provider to override the step therapy or fail-first protocol of the payor; limiting the duration of a step therapy or fail-first protocol imposed by an insurer, nonprofit health service plan, or health maintenance organization; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 3/6 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 SB504/HB693 Health Insurance - Essential Health Benefits - Pediatric Dental Benefits Providing that a health benefit plan offered by a health insurance carrier outside the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to individuals or small employers is not required to include specified pediatric dental benefits under specified circumstances. Hearing Date: Wed 2/19 1:00 PM Effective Date: Upon Enactment SB667 Maryland Health Benefit Exchange - Universal Health Care Program - Plan for Establishment Requiring the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to develop a plan for the State to establish, on or before January 1, 2017, a universal health care program to provide health benefits to all residents of the State through a single-payer system; etc. Hearing Date: Wed 3/5 1:00 PM Effective Date: June 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB169 Health Insurance - Rollback of Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Conforming Provisions Repealing the application to specified coverage in specified insurance markets of specified provisions of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act relating to annual limitations on cost sharing and deductibles, child-only plan offerings, minimum benefit requirements for catastrophic plans, health insurance premium rates, coverage for individuals participating in approved clinical trials, and contract requirements for specified dental plans; etc. Hearing Date: Fri 3/7 12:30 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB806 Health Information Exchanges - Protected Health Information - Regulations Requiring specified regulations for protected health information obtained or released through a specified health information exchange to govern the access, use, maintenance, disclosure, and redisclosure of protected health information as required by specified State or federal law. Hearing Date: Thu 2/27 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB236/SB208 Maryland Collaborative Reproduction Act Establishing the Maryland Collaborative Reproduction Act; establishing the purposes of the Act; establishing rights and obligations of specified intended parents who use gamete or embryo donors to conceive a child through collaborative reproduction; establishing specified rights of a child conceived through collaborative reproduction; establishing that a gamete or an embryo donor is not a parent of a child conceived through collaborative reproduction under specified circumstances; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 1/30 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB354/SB263 Baltimore City - AIDS Prevention Sterile Needle and Syringe Exchange Program Repealing a requirement that the AIDS Prevention Sterile Needle and Syringe Exchange Pilot Program in Baltimore City provide for the exchange of used hypodermic needles and syringes for sterile hypodermic needles and syringes on a "one-for-one" basis; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB443/SB589 Tobacco Taxes - Healthy Maryland Initiative This bill increases the tobacco tax rate from $2.00 to $3.00 per pack and the other Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB477/SB173 Vehicle Laws - Protective Headgear Requirement for Motorcycle Riders - Exception Providing that the prohibition against operating or riding on a motorcycle without specified protective headgear does not apply to an individual at least 21 years old who carries at least $10,000 in health insurance coverage for injuries that may be incurred in a motorcycle accident; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB543/SB594 Hepatitis C - Opportunity for Testing and Follow-Up Health Care Requiring hospitals and specified health care practitioners who provide specified care in specified health care facilities to offer specified individuals a Hepatitis C screening test or a Hepatitis C diagnostic test; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/25 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB668 Income Tax Credit - Health Enterprise Zones - Modifications Allowing a specified Health Enterprise Zone employer a credit, in the amount of $10,000, against the State income tax for hiring a qualified position in a Health Enterprise Zone; requiring that the employer create at least one qualified position during a 24-month period; requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to certify to the Comptroller the applicability of each credit for each employer; extending the applicability of credits to the 2016 taxable year; extending the termination date of a specified Act; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/18 1:00 PM Effective Date: June 1, 2014 HB963 Hospitals - Requirements for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations and Reporting Requiring that specified hospitals provide sexual assault medical forensic examinations by forensic nurse examiners to specified victims; and requiring specified hospitals to report specified information to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on or before January 10 of each year. Hearing Date: Fri 2/28 12:30 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB1068 Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Death With Dignity Laws - Study Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to conduct a study regarding the feasibility of authorizing mentally competent, terminally ill adult patients in the State to request and receive prescription medication to end their lives; requiring the study to include an analysis of specified information; and requiring the Department to submit the results of the study to specified committees of the General Assembly on or before December 1, 2014. Hearing Date: Fri 3/7 12:30 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB1266/SB890 Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Minimum Wage Reimbursement Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to reimburse specified providers at a rate sufficient to ensure that a specified wage factor is not less than 50% above the State minimum wage rate; etc. Hearing Date: Mon 3/3 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB271/SB276 Continuing Care Retirement Communities - Continuing Care Agreements - Actuarial Studies Altering the contents of a renewal application for a continuing care retirement community by requiring that actuarial studies reviewed by qualified actuaries be submitted at least every 3 years and 5 years for specified continuing care agreements; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB846 Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Viatical Settlement Contracts - Long-Term Care Services Authorizing an owner of a life insurance policy with a face value of more than $10,000 to enter into a viatical settlement contract in exchange for payments to a health care provider for long-term care services for an individual; prohibiting the proceeds of specified viatical settlement contracts from being considered a resource or asset in determining an individual's eligibility for the Maryland Medical Assistance Program; etc. Hearing Date: Fri 2/28 12:30 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB935/SB505 Task Force on Family Caregiving and Long-Term Supports Establishing the Task Force on Family Caregiving and Long-Term Supports; providing for the composition of the Task Force; prohibiting a member of the Task Force from receiving specified compensation, but authorizing the reimbursement of specified expenses; requiring the Task Force to make recommendations for legislative and administrative action relating to family caregiving; requiring the Task Force to report specified recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before January 31, 2015; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/25 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB879 Maryland Marijuana Decriminalization Act Altering the penalties for using and possessing marijuana in specified amounts; making the possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana a civil offense; providing that an offender under 21 years of age may be ordered to attend a specified program; providing for parental notification for minor offenders; repealing a provision of law authorizing a defendant to introduce and the court to consider as a mitigating factor evidence of medical necessity in a specified prosecution; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 3/13 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB880/SB658 Marijuana Control Act of 2014 Repealing specified criminal prohibitions against the use, possession, and sale of marijuana; establishing specified exemptions from prosecution for specified persons for using, obtaining, purchasing, transporting, or possessing marijuana under specified circumstances; providing exemptions from prosecution for specified retailers, marijuana product manufacturers, marijuana cultivation facilities, and safety compliance facilities under specified circumstances; establishing a specified affirmative defense; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 3/13 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB889 Marijuana Laws - Full Disclosure of Legal, Employment, and Health Risks Requiring the Office of the Attorney General, at least 90 days before the implementation of any law that reduces penalties for or legalizes the use of marijuana, to establish a specified system to notify the public of the risks related to the change in the law. Hearing Date: Thu 3/13 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB590 Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Waivers - Consolidation and Repeal Repealing the Living at Home Waiver Program; altering the requirements for applicants, financial eligibility criteria, and services to be included in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's home- and community-based services waiver; repealing the requirement that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene work with the Maryland Health Care Commission to convert a specified percentage of nursing facility beds to assisted living program waiver beds; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/18 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB637/SB537 Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Rare and Expensive Case Management Program - Waiver Amendment Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to apply to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for an amendment to the Rare and Expensive Case Management Program under a specified waiver; and requiring the application to authorize enrollment in the Program for specified individuals under specified circumstances. Hearing Date: Tue 2/18 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB792/SB695 Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Dental Services for Postpartum Women - Coverage Requiring the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to provide dental services to postpartum women under specified circumstances; and requiring that specified dental services for postpartum women be included as a benefit under a specified program under the Program. Hearing Date: Tue 2/18 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB954 Medicaid Streamlined Eligibility Act of 2014 Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to extend the Medicaid renewal period for specified renewals in a specified manner; requiring the Department to enroll individuals and parents into Medicaid based on specified eligibility; requiring the Department to adopt 12-month continuous eligibility for parents, other adults, and children; requiring the Department to follow the guidance in a specified letter in implementing specified provisions of the Act; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 3/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: Upon Enactment SB721 Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Services for Children With Down Syndrome (Micah's Law) Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to apply to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a specified waiver in order to receive federal matching funds for specified services to specified children with Down syndrome who are under the age of 22 years. Hearing Date: Wed 3/5 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB635 Health Care Malpractice - Expression of Regret or Apology - Inadmissibility Repealing an exception to the provision of law that an expression of regret or apology made by a health care provider is inadmissible as evidence of an admission of liability or an admission against interest in a malpractice proceeding or civil action against the health care provider; and applying the Act prospectively. Hearing Date: Wed 3/5 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB930 Health Care Malpractice - Limitation on Noneconomic Damages Decreasing a specified limitation on noneconomic damages in health care malpractice claims arising on or after October 1, 2014, to $500,000; etc. Hearing Date: Wed 3/5 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB996 Admissibility of Writings or Records of Health Care Providers Making records and writings of specified health care providers admissible in specified health care malpractice trials under specified circumstances; and applying the Act prospectively. Hearing Date: Wed 3/5 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB1009/SB789 Civil Actions - Noneconomic Damages - Catastrophic Injury Altering the maximum amount of noneconomic damages that may be recovered in health care malpractice and other civil actions for a catastrophic injury under specified circumstances; etc. Hearing Date: Wed 3/5 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB1337/SB798 Maryland No-Fault Birth Injury Fund Establishing a system for adjudication of a claim involving a birth-related neurological injury; excluding specified rights and remedies of a claimant and specified other persons; providing for specified procedures; providing for specified benefits and compensation of a claimant under the Act; establishing the Maryland No-Fault Birth Injury Fund; providing for specified premiums and insurance surcharges to be used to finance and administer the Fund; etc. Hearing Date: Mon 3/3 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB452/SB562 Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Judgments - Third-Party Tortfeasors This bill requires that, if judgment for damages is obtained against a third-party tortfeasor Hearing Date: Tue 2/4 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB641/SB803 Courts and Judicial Proceedings - Communications Between Patient or Client and Health Care Professional - Exceptions to Privilege Creating an exception to the privilege of communications of a patient or client if the disclosure is necessary to prove a charge in a specified criminal proceeding against the patient, former patient, client, or former client; creating an exception to the privilege of communications of a patient or client if the disclosure is necessary to obtain relief in a peace order proceeding in which a specified health care professional is a petitioner and the patient, former patient, client, or former client is a respondent; etc. Hearing Date: Wed 2/12 1:00 PM Effective Date: June 1, 2014 SB832/HB1363 Health Care Provider Malpractice Insurance - Scope of Coverage Repealing a prohibition on the inclusion, in a policy that insures a health care provider against damages due to medical injury arising from providing or failing to provide health care, of coverage for the defense of a health care provider in a specified disciplinary hearing; etc. Hearing Date: Wed 3/5 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] SB364 Criminal Law - Possession of Marijuana - Civil Offense Altering the penalty for the use or possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana; making the use or possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana a civil offense; establishing that a person who violates the Act may be issued a specified citation; authorizing a police officer to issue a specified citation under specified circumstances; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/25 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB875/SB825 Pharmacy Benefits Managers - Specialty Drugs Requiring a pharmacy benefits manager to designate on a specified formulary the prescription drugs that are Tier I specialty drugs and Tier II specialty drugs; requiring a pharmacy benefits manager to submit a list of specified drugs to the Maryland Insurance Commissioner and to update the list with a specified frequency; requiring a pharmacy benefits manager to allow specified pharmacies and pharmacists to dispense specified specialty drugs if the pharmacist or pharmacy meets specified requirements; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/27 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB1029/SB852 Health Occupations - Dispensers of Devices and Equipment - Exclusion From the Maryland Pharmacy Act Providing that the Maryland Pharmacy Act does not apply to a person who dispenses specified prescription devices, specified durable medical equipment, or other specified medical devices and supplies. Hearing Date: Thu 2/27 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB255/SB296 Prescription Drug Monitoring Program - Sunset Extension and Program Evaluation This bill extends the termination date for the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Hearing Date: Thu 1/30 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 HB398/SB228 State Board of Pharmacy - Election of Officers This bill repeals the requirement that the election of the president, secretary, and treasurer be from amoung the pharmacist members of the Board. Hearing Date: Thu 2/6 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB596 State Board of Pharmacy - Wholesale Distributors - Notification to Pharmacy Requiring a wholesale distributor to notify a pharmacy at least 30 days before the wholesale distributor imposes a limit on the quantity of a prescription drug or prescription device distributed to the pharmacy; and requiring a wholesale distributor, while a limit is in effect, to provide a pharmacy with an update, at least weekly, on the quantity of a prescription drug or prescription device available to the pharmacy. Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB761/SB874 Health Insurance - Specialty Drugs Prohibiting specified insurers, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations from imposing a copayment or coinsurance requirement on a covered specialty drug that exceeds a specified dollar amount; providing for an annual increase to the copayment or coinsurance requirement limit; authorizing specified insurers, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for specialty drugs through a managed care system; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB793/SB952 Pharmacy Benefits Managers - Pharmacy Contracts - Payments Requiring a pharmacy benefits manager to include in its contract with a pharmacy, a pharmacy services administration organization, or a group purchasing organization the methodology used by the pharmacy benefits manager to calculate a specified reimbursement paid for each drug, medical product, and device that is a covered pharmacy benefit administered by the pharmacy benefits manager; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 SB412/HB303 Health Occupations - Licensed Dentists Who Prepare and Dispense Antibiotics - Exclusion From Maryland Pharmacy Act Providing that the Maryland Pharmacy Act does not prohibit, under specified circumstances, a licensed dentist from personally preparing and dispensing a full course of treatment of antibiotics to a patient for infection control. Hearing Date: Wed 2/5 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 SB482/HB368 Workers' Compensation - Prescription Drugs - Choice of Pharmacy Prohibiting a covered employee from being required to fill a prescription at a pharmacy selected by an employer or its insurer if the employer or its insurer is required to provide the prescription drug under a specified provision of the workers' compensation law. Hearing Date: Tue 2/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 SB854/HB1218 State Board of Pharmacy - Registered Pharmacy Interns Requiring individuals to register and be approved by the State Board of Pharmacy before practicing pharmacy as a pharmacy intern under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist; requiring registered pharmacy interns to submit to a criminal history records check; prohibiting a licensed pharmacist from supervising more than two pharmacy interns at one time; providing for the expiration and renewal of the registration of a pharmacy intern; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 SB874/HB761 Health Insurance - Specialty Drugs Prohibiting specified insurers, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations from imposing a copayment or coinsurance requirement on a covered specialty drug that exceeds a specified dollar amount; providing for an annual increase to the copayment or coinsurance requirement limit; authorizing specified insurers, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for specialty drugs through a managed care system; etc. Hearing Date: Wed 3/5 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] SB467 Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund - Annual Report - Government Transparency Requirements This bill requires the annual report by the Maryland Technology Development Hearing Date: Wed 2/12 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB1126 Criminal Law - Synthetic Marijuana - Prohibition Prohibiting a person from purchasing, using, or possessing specified synthetic marijuana; prohibiting a person from distributing synthetic marijuana under specified circumstances; establishing penalties for a violation of the Act of imprisonment not exceeding 4 years or a fine not exceeding $25,000 or both; providing that property seized in connection with enforcement of the Act is subject to forfeiture in accordance with specified provisions of law; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 3/6 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 [GO TO TOP] [GO TO BILL LIST] HB381/SB237 Human Relations - Employment Discrimination - Protections for Interns This bill creates an employment relationship with an employer for protections from discriminatory acts, access to internal complaint resolution procedures, and legal administrative remedies. Does not create an employment relationship for certain remedies. Hearing Date: Wed 2/12 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB1026/SB737 Labor and Employment - Unpaid Parental Leave - Birth or Adoption of a Child Providing specified employees a total of 6 workweeks of unpaid parental leave in a 12-month period under specified circumstances; authorizing an employer to require an employee to provide written notice of the employee's intention to take parental leave under specified circumstances; requiring that employers restore eligible employees to positions of employment held by employees on returning to work after taking parental leave; requiring employers to maintain health coverage during the duration of parental leave; etc. Hearing Date: Fri 2/28 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB195/SB211 Criminal Procedure - Expungement - Misdemeanor Convictions Authorizing a person to file a petition for expungement of a police or court record if the person was convicted of a specified misdemeanor and was under 35 years of age at the time of the conviction; and specifying the time period within which a petition for expungement based on a conviction of a misdemeanor may not be filed. Hearing Date: Wed 2/12 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB293/SB273 Labor and Employment - Minimum Wage - Establishment by Counties Authorizing a county to establish a minimum wage rate for employees working in the county; and altering the minimum wage that an employer is required to pay employees to the minimum wage of the county or the highest minimum wage under the federal Act. Hearing Date: Tue 2/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB295/SB331 Maryland Minimum Wage Act of 2014 Specifying the State minimum wage rate that is in effect for specified time periods; increasing, except under specified circumstances, the State minimum wage rate in effect for specified time periods based on the annual growth in the Consumer Price Index; requiring the Commissioner of Labor and Industry, beginning on a specified date and each subsequent year, to determine and announce the growth in the Consumer Price Index, if any, and the new State minimum wage rate; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: June 1, 2014 HB374 Labor and Employment - Training Wage for New Employees - Establishment and Payment Authorizing a county to establish a training wage for employees working in the county; prohibiting the training wage from being less than the federal Act minimum wage; and authorizing an employer to pay a training wage to employees for the first 2 years of employment if the county in which the employee works established the training wage and the employee has not been employed previously by any employer. Hearing Date: Tue 2/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB391 Civil Rights - Employment Discrimination - Employees Inquiring About, Discussing, or Disclosing Wages Prohibiting employers from prohibiting employees from inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing specified wage information; authorizing employers to provide employees with specified written policies that are consitent with federal and state law that establishes resonable workplace and workday limitations on the time, place and manner of inquiries discussions, or disclosures of wages. Establishes an affirmative defense to any claim made where an employee has failed to comply with the written policy. The bill does not require an employee to disclose wages or limint the rights of an employee under any other provision of law. Hearing Date: Wed 2/12 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB410/SB376 Criminal Procedure - Expungement - Misdemeanor Convictions Authorizing a specified person to file a petition for expungement of a police, court, or other record if the person was convicted of a nonviolent misdemeanor and has never previously been convicted of a crime other than a nonincarcerable traffic violation; specifying the time periods within which a petition for expungement based on a conviction of a nonviolent misdemeanor may not be filed; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB435 Labor and Employment - Labor Organizations - Right to Work This bill specifies that an employer may not require, as a condition of employment or Hearing Date: Tue 2/18 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB579 Commissioner of Labor and Industry - Authority - Enforcement of Local Minimum Wage Laws Requiring the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to enforce a local minimum wage law; specifying that the Commissioner has the same powers and duties in enforcing a local minimum wage law as the Commissioner has to enforce specified provisions of State law; authorizing the Commissioner, on the Commissioner's own initiative or on receipt of a written complaint, to investigate whether a local minimum wage law has been violated; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: June 1, 2014 HB896 Criminal Procedure - Expungement - Convictions Authorizing a person to file a petition for expungement of a police or court record if the person was convicted of a crime other than a specified nuisance crime or a crime of violence and was under the age of 35 years at the time of the conviction; and specifying that a petition for expungement based on the conviction of a crime under the Act may not be filed within 10 years after the conviction or satisfactory completion of the sentence, including probation, that was imposed for the conviction, whichever is later. Hearing Date: Tue 3/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB949 Labor and Employment - Training Wage for Newly Hired Employees - Establishment Authorizing an employer to pay specified employees specified training wages for a specified period of time, and relating to training wages for newly hired employees. Hearing Date: Tue 2/25 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB968/SB753 Labor and Employment - Maryland Earned Sick and Safe Leave Act Requiring specified employers to provide employees with specified earned sick and safe leave; providing for the manner in which earned sick and safe leave is accrued by the employee and treated by the employer; requiring an employer to allow an employee to use earned sick and safe leave for specified purposes; requiring an employee, under specified circumstances, to request leave, notify the employer of specified information, and comply with specified procedures; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 2/18 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB1166/SB804 Maryland Second Chance Act of 2014 Authorizing a person to petition the court to shield specified court records and police records relating to a conviction of the person no earlier than 3 years after the person satisfies the sentence imposed for the conviction, including parole, probation, or mandatory supervision; providing that, if the person is convicted of a new crime during a specified time period, the original conviction is not eligible for shielding unless the new conviction becomes eligible for shielding; etc. Hearing Date: Tue 3/11 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 HB1324 Maryland Youth Employment Act of 2014 Allowing a qualified employer that employs specified qualified employees for specified time periods a credit against the State income tax in specified amounts; authorizing an individual to apply to the Department of Business and Economic Development to be certified as a qualified employee; authorizing a business entity to apply to the Department to be certified as a qualified employer; applying the Act to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2014; etc. Hearing Date: Fri 3/7 1:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 SB371 Labor and Employment - Maryland Wage and Hour Law - Payment of Wages Specifying the amount of the State minimum wage rate that is in effect for specified time periods; requiring the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to set the rate in a specified manner on or after a specified date; requiring that the Commissioner publish the rate in the Maryland Register on or before a specified date every 3 years; altering the age under which specified individuals are exempt from the Maryland Wage and Hour Law; etc. Hearing Date: Mon 2/17 12:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 SB483/HB710 Labor and Employment - Health Care Facilities - Workplace Violence Prevention Program Requiring a specified health care facility to establish a specified workplace violence prevention committee; requiring a workplace violence prevention committee to establish a specified workplace violence prevention program; requiring a workplace violence prevention program to include specified components; etc. Hearing Date: Thu 2/20 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 SB688/HB1350 Fair Employment Preservation Act of 2014 Providing that, for purposes of employment discrimination and retaliation, an act or omission of an employee may be construed to be an act or omission of the employer of the employee under specified circumstances; and applying the Act prospectively. Hearing Date: Thu 2/27 1:00 PM Effective Date: October 1, 2014 SB696 Labor and Employment - Minimum Wage Rate - Payment and Adoption Increasing the amount of the State minimum wage rate to $8.25 per hour; authorizing employers to pay specified employees a specified training wage of $7.25 per hour; providing that employers may only pay specified employees a training wage for a specified period of time; prohibiting a county from adopting a minimum wage law; etc. Hearing Date: Mon 2/17 12:00 PM Effective Date: July 1, 2014 Legislative Session Office Legislative Hotline is a service of Johns Hopkins Government Affairs. © 2014 The Johns Hopkins Institutions. Baltimore, Maryland.
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CRF
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Economic Development
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Firearm
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General Business
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General Education
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Health Care Administration & Facilities
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Health Care Facilities
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Health Care Occupations
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Health Insurance/Health Care Access
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Health Reform
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Health, General/Public/Environmental
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tobacco product (OTP) tax rate from 30% to 95% of the wholesale price except for
certain cigars. In addition, the bill mandates specified minimum and maximum tax rates
for certain other tobacco products. OTP tax revenue is redistributed from the general
fund to a special fund to ensure that tobacco cessation programs receive at least
$21 million in annual funding beginning in fiscal 2015. Any additional money in the
special fund is to be used to support specified health care programs.
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Long Term Care
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Marijuana
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Medicaid
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Medical Liability/Tort Reform
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in favor of a Medicaid recipient that include payments made by the Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) on behalf of the Medicaid recipient and the judgment is
not paid by the third-party tortfeasor within 30 days after the judgment is final and all
appeals are exhausted, the Medicaid recipient is entitled to require the court to increase
the amount of the judgment by an amount equal to the amount of the payments made by
DHMH.
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Miscellaneous
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Pharmaceuticals
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(PDMP) in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) by three years to
July 1, 2019, requires a direct full evaluation of the program in 2017, and requires the
program to submit a specified follow-up report.
The bill also repeals the requirement that the technical advisory committee to the
program review requests for information from another state’s PDMP and requires the
program’s annual report to include the number of prescribers and dispensers registered
with and using the program. An obsolete reporting requirement is also repealed.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2014.
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Research/Human Subject
Corporation (TEDCO) and Stem Cell Commission to include additional information
regarding each award recipient. Specifically, the report must include the institution or
company where each grant or loan recipient is employed; the year each grant or loan was
awarded; the grant or loan number assigned to each award; and, if the funding period of a
grant or loan recipient’s award ended during the calendar year covered by the report, a
general summary of the results and accomplishments of the State-funded research
(including the number of patients treated as a direct result of the research). The bill also
makes clarifying changes.
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Workplace Regulation
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continued employment, an employee or prospective employee to (1) join or remain a
member of a labor organization; (2) pay any dues, fees, assessments, or other charges to a
labor organization; or (3) pay any charity or another third party an equivalent amount in
lieu of a payment to a labor organization. The bill repeals various provisions of State law
that authorize an employer, including the State and units of government, to require that an
employee pay a fee (service, maintenance, or representation fee) to a labor organization
to which the employee is not a member.
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For more information, please contact: Delora Sanchez
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STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
Please contact Government Relations if you have concerns or would like additional information. Your input assists us greatly in evaluating and formulating the position of Johns Hopkins on all legislation.
47 State Circle, Suite 203
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-269-0057
fax 410-269-1574
Chelsea Beaupre chelsea.beapre@jhu.edu Mickey Geisler mgeisler@jhu.edu Matt Greenwood mgreenwood@jhu.edu Sheila Higdon shigdon@jhmi.edu Nicki McCann nmccann@jhu.edu Patrick Murray patrick.murray@jhu.edu Delora Sanchez delora.sanchez@jhu.edu
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Office of Government and Community Affairs.