Johns Hopkins Institutions

Budget - Capital

SB0459 �Creation of a State Debt - Kennedy Krieger Children's Hospital

The bill authorizes a grant to Kennedy Krieger Children's Hospital in the amount of $1,000,000 for the Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Program.

Effective Date:� June 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Sheila Higdon

Economic Development

HB0252 �Property Tax - Exemption for Property Used as a Business Incubator

House Bill 252 exempts a property from the State and local property tax that is used as a business incubator if the State, a county, a municipal corporation, a public institution of higher education, or an agency or instrumentality of the State, a county, a municipal corporation, or a public institution of higher education owns, controls, or leases the space that is used as a business incubator or is the primary source of funding for the business incubator.

Effective Date:� June 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Bret Schreiber

General Business

hb0055 �Labor and Employment - Minimum Wage - Increase

Under Section 3-413 and 3-419 of the Labor and Employment Article, this bill requires employers, including a governmental unit, to pay each employee that is subject to the federal Act and this subtitle the greater of the minimum wage under the federal Act OR a wage that equals a rate of $6.15 per hour.� To employees subject to this subtitle, an employer must pay the greater of the highest minimum wage under the federal Act, or a wage that equals a rate of $6.15 per hour, or a training wage adopted by the Commissioner.� The bill also changes the tip credit amount that an employer may include as part of the wage of an employee from $2.77 to 50% of the minimum wage established for the employee.

Effective Date:� July 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Nicole Xander

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General Education

HB0178 �Income Tax - State and County Income Tax Credit for New Teachers

House Bill 178 will allow a public school teacher to claim an income tax credit in the amount of $1,200 if the individual is an employee of a county board of education as a public school teacher and lives in that same county.

Effective Date:� June 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Bret Schreiber

General Health Care

HB0702 �Maryland Health Insurance Plan - Senior Prescription Drug Assistance Program

The bill clarifies that the Maryland Health Insurance Plan – Senior Prescription Drug Assistance Program’s (Program) purpose is to provide Medicare Part D beneficiaries who meet the Program eligibility requirements with a state subsidy that may pay all or some of the deductibles, coinsurance payments, premiums and co-payments under the Federal Medicare Part D Program.� MHIP’s Board will determine annually the number of individuals to be enrolled in the Program and the amount of subsidy to be provided.

Effective Date:� Emergency Measure

For more information, please contact:� Nicole Xander

HB0828 �Public Health - Licensed Pharmacists - Contraception Dispensing Program

The bill establishes a Contraception Dispensing Program within DHMH and provides that the purpose of the Program is to provide a means of authorizing licensed pharmacists o dispense emergency contraception.� Emergency contraception is defined as medication that prevents pregnancy after sexual intercourse, but does not include abortifacients.

DHMH will be required to adopt regulations for the administration of the Program, collect fees necessary for the administration of the Program, and issue and renew certificates to licensed pharmacists who meet the requirements of the Program.� DHMH will also conduct training programs and approve educational training programs for pharmacists who participate in the Program.�� The bill provides that a licensed, certified pharmacist may dispense emergency contraception without a prescription from a licensed physician if the pharmacists follows a written protocol developed by DHMH.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Sheila Higdon

SB0333 �Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

The Department shall establish and maintain a prescription drug monitoring program that electronically collects and stores data concerning monitored prescription drugs.� The regulations adopted by the Secretary shall promote a balanced use of prescription monitoring data to assist appropriate law enforcement activities while preserving the professional practice of health care providers and the access of patients to optimal pharmaceutical care.� The regulations shall also identify the circumstances under which prescription monitoring data are provided to an authorized recipient, with such circumstances to parallel, as closely as is appropriate, an authorized recipient's authority to access similar confidential information under current federal and state laws and regulations.� Additionally, it shall identify the circumstances under which an authorized recipient may disclose prescription monitoring data provided by the program and identify the circumstances under which a federal law enforcement agency, a state or local law enforcement agency, or a licensing entity that has received prescription monitoring data shall consult with the multidisciplinary consultation team about the interpretation of the data.� The program shall promote appropriate access to prescription monitoring data by dispensers and prescribers to help prevent substance abuse and prescription drug diversion, identify the mechanism by which a prescription drug is identified as a drug of concern and ensure that the program is designed to minimize, to the fullest extent possible, the burden on dispensers in their compliance with the requirements of the subtitle, promote submission of prescription monitoring data in a manner compatible with existing data submission practices of dispensers and ensure, to the fullest extent possible, that patient confidentiality is protected.�

The bill also establishes a 15 member advisory board.� The board shall make recommendations to the Secretary regarding the design and implementation of a prescription monitoring program, including recommendations about regulations and the need for any further legislation concerning the program; and sources of funding, including grant funds under the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and other federal or state programs.� The advisory board shall provide annually to the Governor and the General Assembly an analysis of the impact of the program on patient access to pharmaceutical care and on curbing prescription drug diversion in the state.

The Secretary shall appoint a multidisciplinary consultation team within the program.� The team shall consist of program staff, members of the board; and any consultants that the Secretary determines will provide broad experience in pain management, substance abuse, and prescription drug diversion.

The Multidisciplinary Consultation Team shall assist a federal law enforcement agency, a state or local law enforcement agency, or a licensing entity that has received prescription monitoring data from the program in interpreting the data and considering whether the data, in the context of the nature of a prescriber's or a dispenser's practice, a patient's medical condition, or any other relevant facts, suggest the need for further investigation.

For each monitored prescription drug that is dispensed, a dispenser shall submit to the program information specified by the secretary, including:

(1) A patient identifier;

(2) The prescription drug dispensed;

(3) The date of dispensing;

(4) The quantity dispensed;

(5) The prescriber;

(6) The pharmacy from which the drug is dispensed; and

(7) The prescriber's diagnosis code, if such code is part of the electronic record created by the dispenser.

The program, in consultation with the board, shall develop and implement, or contract with a vendor to develop and implement, education and training courses relative to the program.� The courses may relate to the transmission, access, and use of prescription monitoring data, issues arising in prescribing and dispensing monitored prescription drugs, and issues concerning identifying and treating substance abuse and addiction.

A dispenser who knowingly fails to submit prescription monitoring data to the program as required under this subtitle shall be subject to a civil penalty not exceeding $500 for each failure to submit required information.� An authorized recipient who knowingly discloses or uses prescription monitoring data in violation of this subtitle shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 1 year or a fine not exceeding $10,000 or both.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Heather Barthel

SB0450 �Controlled Dangerous Substances - Dextromethorphan Products

This bill prohibits a person from purchasing a "dextromethorphan product" unless the person provides a valid government-issued ID indicating that he or she is over the age of 18; and signs a log or receipt showing the date of the transaction, their name and address, and the amount of the product purchased.� A person may not purchase more than 3.6 grams of any dextromethorphan product within any 30-day period unless the product is dispensed in accordance with a valid prescription or by a licensed health care practitioner in the course of their practice.

A pharmacy or retail establishment shall maintain a record of the signed logs or receipts and must post signs explaining the restrictions and the reasons for the restrictions.

Violators may be found guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction will be subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000, or imprisonment not exceeding one year, or both.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Nicole Xander

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Health Care Facilities

HB0677 �Hospital Patient Safety and Awareness Act

The bill requires that all hospital employees wear identification badges that distinguish clinical staff by clearly stating names, titles and departments.� It also requires that patients should be provided written information about the general role of clinical trainees, separate from general consent for treatment, and the following:

� �this information must specify if trainees will be making decisions for the patient, and that the attending physician may change depending on the type of care or services provided while hospitalized,

� the information must allow for a nurse to call a physician if a patient requests, or the nurse may help the patient personally contact the physician,

� if the patient makes multiple requests to talk to the doctor, then the nurse/staff can ask a supervisor for assistance.

There is also a provision that requires each hospital to provide a patient assistance system.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Sheila Higdon

SB0535 �Hospitals and Nursing Facilities - Health Care-Associated Infections Prevention and Control Program

The bill requires hospitals and nursing facilities to establish a heath care associated infections prevention and control program based on guidelines prepared by the Society for Health Care Epidemiology that requires:

1) identification of colonized or infected patients through active surveillance cultures,

2) isolation of identified patients in an appropriate manner, and

3) strict adherence to hand washing and hygiene guidelines.

DHMH, in consultation with the Maryland Hospital Association, the Health Facilities of Maryland, Mid-Atlantic Lifespan, and other interested stakeholders shall develop a system requiring:

1) hospitals and nursing facilities to report annually on incidents of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus to DHMH, and

2) DHMH to submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly on the incidents of those infections.

Effective Date:� July 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Sheila Higdon

SB0726 �Health - Medical Laboratories - Required Testing

The bill requires licensed medical laboratories to calculate the estimated glomerular filtration rate if an authorized health care provider orders or prescribes a test to determine the serum creatinine level for an individual at least 18 years old and if the medical lab tests a specimen of the individual to determine the serum creatinine level.� The lab shall notify the individual’s health care provider of the results of the estimated glomerular filtration rate when the results of the serum creatinine level are provided to the health care provider.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Sheila Higdon

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Health Care Practitioners

HB0722 �Income Tax Credit for Services Donated by Health Care Professionals

This bill allows a State income tax credit for health care professionals who donate

services to community health organizations (CHOs) or local health departments that provide health care services to low-income individuals at reduced or no charges. The maximum credit amount available for each year is limited to $250,000. The bill provides that CHOs and local health departments are authorized to submit proposals to DHMH for the allocation of tax credits for

health care professionals who donate services to the eligible organization.

Effective Date:� July 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Sheila Higdon

HB0957 �Maryland Polysomnography Act

The bill requires the Board of Physicians to adopt regulations for licensure and practice of polysomnography.� In addition the bill establishes a 7-member Polysomnography Professional Standards Committee within the Board.� Board membership includes 3 registered polysomnographic technologists, 3 physicians who are Board certified in sleep medicine, as well as 1 consumer member.� The Committee is charged with developing and recommending to the Board the following related to the practice of polysomnography:

1) a code of ethics,

2) standards of care,

3) requirements for licensure,

4) criteria for educational and clinical training of licensed technologists,

5) criteria for professional competency examination and testing of applicants for licensure,

6) criteria for State licensure for technologists who are licensed to practice in other states,

7) evaluation of the accreditation status of education programs,

8) evaluation of the credentials of applicants who fulfill the licensure requirements,

9) continuing education requirements for license renewal, and

10) criteria for the direction of students in clinical education programs.

The bill authorizes a licensed polysomnographic technologist to practice polysomnography under the supervision of a licensed physician in Maryland and permits the technologist to:

1) monitor or record physiologic data during sleep under the supervision of a licensed physician,

2) assist a licensed physician in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep and wake disorders,

3) perform services in a hospital sleep laboratory or a stand-alone sleep center.

Also delineated in the bill are the following:

1) requirements for applicants for licensure,

2) the process for licensure application and renewal of licensure, and

3) prohibited practices and hearing procedures.

In addition, a person who violates any provision is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of $1,000 or imprisonment for up to one year or both.� Any person who practices polysomnography without a license is subject to a civil fine of up to $5,000 to be levied by the Board.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Sheila Higdon

SB0818 �Health Occupations - Physician Assistants - Delegation Agreements

The bill permits a physician assistant to issue diagnostic orders, without the co-signature of the supervising physician, provided that the supervising physician attests that a documented process is in place by which the physician assistant's practice is reviewed appropriate to the practice setting and consistent with current standards of acceptable medical practice.�

The bill also provides that a physician assistant may practice in accordance with a pending delegation agreement that has been executed and submitted to the State Board of Physicians Physician Assistant Advisory Committee if the supervising physician has been previously approved to supervise one or more physician assistants in the proposed practice setting and if the physician assistant has been previously approved for the same scope of practice in a different practice setting.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Sheila Higdon

[back to Bills Introduced]

Health Insurance

SB0448 �Health Insurance - Assignment of Benefits

This bill establishes that a health insurance carrier may not:

(1) prohibit the assignment of benefits to a health care provider by an insured, subscriber, or enrollee

(2) refuse to directly reimburse a health care provider under a valid assignment of benefits.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Tom Lewis

Long Term Care/Nursing Homes

HB0719 �Long-Term Care Inspection Program

The bill requires DHMH to develop a process to oversee inspections of long-term care facilities and to develop a process by the local ombudsman to oversee the appeal process for an administrative penalty.

DHMH will also be required to develop and implement a long-term care inspection program that includes assisted living program facilities and nursing home facilities.� The program will establish and enforce quality of care and safety standards for long-term care facilities and establish requirements for the licensure and training of long-term care inspectors.� The inspection program will be consistent with state and federal law.� The purpose of the program is to assure the citizens of the State that long-term care facilities provide quality care.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Sheila Higdon

HB0770 �Emergency Management - Evacuation Plans for Regulated Facilities

The bill requires local organizations for emergency management to coordinate with nursing homes, assisted living facilities and regulated facilities that house the elderly, frail, disabled or individuals with special needs within their jurisdiction to ensure that the facility has an emergency evacuation plan.� The emergency management organization shall review the plans and coordinate resources to meet the evacuation needs of the facilities.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Sheila Higdon

SB0717 �Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Long-Term Care - Community Choice Program - Participation, Location, and Termination

The bill provides that if DHMH establishes a Long-Term Care Community Choice Program, the Program may not include more than a total of 10,000 participants, shall operate in a rural area of the state and shall serve in its rural area of operation 30% of the Program’s total number of participants.

Effective Date:� Contingent-Eff. June 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Sheila Higdon

[back to Bills Introduced]

Medical Liability

HB0306 �Maryland Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act

Expert Testimony - The bill requires the plaintiff to file a separate certificate of merit for each defendant, ensuring that a medical expert has determined that there is a basis for proceeding against each named defendant.

The bill attempts to address “hired gun” experts who make a living by consulting on legal issues and not practicing medicine. Currently, an expert may devote annually up to 20% of the expert's professional time to activities that directly involve testimony in personal injury claims. The bill will specify that an expert cannot spend more than 20% of his or her time on matters that are unrelated to the care and treatment of an individual and lead or could lead to testimony in personal injury claims.

The bill also requires a court on motion of a party to appoint a neutral expert on the issue of damages.

The bill adopts the Dalbert rule, based on a United States Supreme Court case, on admissibility of expert testimony. This rule will grant the court more responsibility in determining whether the testimony of an expert should be admissible in evidence.

Economic Damages - Current law allows a plaintiff in a medical malpractice case to be overcompensated for damages in some circumstances. This bill makes changes to the law on economic damages. First, if a plaintiff has received compensation from another source, such as insurance or worker’s compensation, the plaintiff’s damages will be reduced by any amount paid, although the cost of obtaining the benefit will be awarded to the plaintiff. Secondly, any award for lost wages will be reduced by the amount the plaintiff would have had to pay in income taxes if the money had been earned as wages. Thirdly, future damages for medical, hospital, or nursing home bills will be limited to the amount paid by Medicare.

Noneconomic Damages - The current cap is $650,000, or $812,500 in wrongful death cases involving more than one beneficiary. The bill will provide a single cap of $500,000 for both personal injury and wrongful death cases.

Apology Statute - The bill strengthens the law providing that an apology by a health care provider is not admissible in evidence.

Civil Procedures - The bill makes two changes applicable to all civil cases. First it will allow all jurors who hear a case to take part in the deliberations and decision, as long as there are at least six jurors. Under current law, alternate jurors sit on juries and hear the case, but do not take part in the deliberations unless a regular juror is unable to serve.

The bill will also establish that the rate of interest on judgments shall relate to the actual rate of interest being paid on investments. Specifically, the rate will be the weekly average 1-year constant maturity treasury yield, instead of the 10% interest that the law currently provides.

Task Force - The bill will establish a task force to study various other issues relating to medical malpractice, including structured judgments, patient safety issues, administrative compensation for a birth-related neurological injury, and health care malpractice insurance reforms.

Effective Date:� June 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Heather Barthel

HB0789 �Health Care Malpractice Claims - Certificates of Qualified Experts

A party shall file a separate certificate of a qualified expert for each defendant.� A claim or action filed after July 1, 1986, shall be dismissed, without prejudice, as to a defendant if the claimant or plaintiff fails to file for that defendant, within 90 days from the date of the complaint, a certificate of a qualified expert with the director attesting to the following:

1. Departure from standards of care;

2. That the departure from standards of care is the proximate cause of the alleged injury

3. The certifying expert's basis for alleging what is the specific standard of care;

4. The certifying expert's qualifications to testify to the specific standard of care;

5. The specific standard of care;

6. How the specific standard of care was breached;

7. What specifically the defendant should have done to meet the specific standard of care; and

8. The specific injury for the basis of the claim.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Heather Barthel

HB0790 �Health Care Malpractice - Expression of Regret or Apology - Inadmissibility

The bill applies to an expression of regret or apology made in writing, orally, or by conduct.� In a proceeding or a civil action against a health care provider, an expression of regret or apology made by or on behalf of the health care provider to a victim of alleged health care malpractice, any member of the victim's family, or any individual who claims damages by or through that victim, outside the presence of any other individual, is inadmissible as evidence of an admission of liability or as evidence of an admission against interest.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Heather Barthel

HB0816 �Circuit Courts - Medical Injury - Medical Malpractice Administrative Review Board

This bill requires a health care malpractice action filed in court to be referred to a medical malpractice review panel before being heard in court.� The bill does not apply to an action filed before June 1, 2006.

Within 15 days after all parties have filed a supplemental certificate of a qualified expert with the court, a health care malpractice action filed in a court must be submitted to a medical malpractice review panel for its review and decision. A circuit court or the U.S. District Court must refer the action to a circuit administrative judge, who in turn must appoint a circuit court judge or a retired judge to chair the panel.

The administrative judge must send notice to the plaintiff and defendants of the procedures for the review panel and the name of the panel’s Chair. All time limits applicable to a health care malpractice claim are suspended from the date the complaint is referred to the administrative judge until 30 days following the day the parties and the court receive the panel’s decision.

Within 20 days after the referral to the administrative judge, the panel chair must choose five individuals from the health care providers list maintained by the Health Care Alternative Dispute Resolution Office and send the list to the parties. The bill specifies criteria that the panel chair must follow when selecting the health care providers. Each party may strike one name from the list. If there are multiple plaintiffs or defendants, the plaintiffs or defendants must use each side’s strike jointly. The panel Chair must appoint the membership of the panel after receiving the strikes from the plaintiff and the defendant.

Within 15 days after the panel’s appointment, the Chair must notify the parties and convene the panel in an initial conference. At that conference, the Chair must establish a schedule for filing records and discovery, which must be filed at least 30 days before the hearing date. A hearing must be held no later than 60 days from the date of the initial conference.

The bill establishes procedures for conducting the panel and prohibits the Chair from voting in its deliberations. The panel must determine whether the evidence is sufficient to raise a legitimate question, to a reasonable medical or professional probability, that: (1) the defendant’s actions or omissions were a departure from the appropriate standard of care; and (2) the defendant’s actions or omissions proximately caused the plaintiff’s alleged injury. The panel must issue its decision within 30 days after the hearing.

Except for the Chair, each member of the panel is entitled to be reimbursed up to $350 for work performed as a member of the panel and reasonable travel expenses. The Chair must keep a record of the members’ time and expenses and must submit the record to the parties for payment with the panel’s decision. Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, the costs of the hearing and reasonable expenses of review must be divided equally between the parties.

A party may reject the panel’s decision for any reason. The rejecting party must file a notice of rejection with the Chair and the appropriate court, and must serve the notice on the other party within 30 days after receiving the decision. Upon receiving the notice of rejection, the court must reinstate the complaint to the active trial list and lift the suspension of the time limits. If both parties accept the decision, both parties must move to dismiss the complaint filed in court within 30 days after receiving the decision.

The panel’s decision is admissible as evidence in a subsequent trial and its decision on a question must be accorded a presumption of correctness in a trial of the case. Either party may call a member of the panel as a witness. A party that loses before the panel and in a subsequent trial is responsible for costs in accordance with the Maryland Rules and paying the reasonable attorney’s fees of the prevailing party. A party that prevails before a panel but loses in a subsequent trial is responsible for costs in accordance with the Maryland Rules. A panel member is immune from suit for any act or decision made during the member’s tenure and during the scope of the designated authority.

Effective Date:� June 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Heather Barthel

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Miscellaneous

HB0244 �Election Law - Voting Systems - Voter-Verified Paper Records

House Bill 244 requires that voting systems produce a paper record of a voter's ballot choices and provide the voter with an opportunity to inspect the paper record before casting a final vote.� The bill also requires that the paper records be preserved at the polling place, that the voting systems be accessible to specified individuals with disabilities and requires comparisons and audits of ballots after an election.

Effective Date:� June 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Bret Schreiber

Public Health

HB0375 �Clean Indoor Air Act of 2006

House Bill 375 expands the locations in which individuals are not allowed to smoke and increases the fines for smoking in nonsmoking areas. The bill does not preempt a county or municipal government from enacting and enforcing additional measures to reduce involuntary exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Bret Schreiber

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Tort Reform

HB0767 �Civil Actions - Limitations on Awards for Noneconomic Damages - Latent Diseases or Injuries

This bill provides that a cause of action for damages for personal injury in a latent disease or latent injury case arises on the earlier of: (1) the diagnosis; or (2) the manifestation of symptoms of a legally compensable injury or disease.� If the cause of action arises on or after July 1, 1986, the amount of noneconomic damages is subject to a statutory limit.

The bill applies to all filed or pending cases in which a trial has not commenced on or after July 1, 2006.

Effective Date:� July 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Heather Barthel

Workers Comp

HB0191 �Workers' Compensation - Governmental Self-Insurance Group and Self-Insurance by Individual Employers

This bill increases the maximum limit that the Workers' Compensation Commission may assess governmental self-insurance groups and self-insured employers for actuarial studies and audits from $500 to $1,500.

Effective Date:� July 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Nicole Xander

HB0523 �Workers' Compensation - Accidental Personal Injury - Definition

House Bill 523 alters the definition of "accidental personal injury" as it pertains to workers' compensation laws.� "Accidental personal injury" includes an injury that arises from an identifiable incident occurring at some reasonably definite time and directly causes an obvious, sudden mechanical or structural change in the body.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Nicole Xander

HB0627 �Joint Committee on Workers' Compensation Benefit and Insurance Oversight - Membership

This bill adds to the membership of the Joint Committee on Workers' Compensation Benefit and Insurance Oversight.� The additional member shall be certified by the Workers' Compensation Commission as a Maryland rehabilitation service provider and will be appointed by the President and Speaker.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Nicole Xander

SB0250 �Workers' Compensation - Selection of Health Care Provider - Employee's Choice

This bill permits a covered employee who has suffered an accidental personal injury, compensable hernia, or occupation disease to select a physician or health care provider of the covered employee's choice to render the medical services and treatment.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Nicole Xander

SB0393 �Workers' Compensation - Permanent Partial Disability - Petition to Reopen

As it pertains to workers' compensation, this legislation provides that if a covered employee receives additional compensation for a disability on a petition to reopen a claim, the additional compensation may not increase the amount of compensation previously awarded and paid.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Nicole Xander

SB0412 �Workers' Compensation - Permanent Partial Disability - Office of the Sheriff of Baltimore City

This bill adds a sworn officer of the Baltimore City Sheriff's Office to the list of "public safety employees" that are eligible to receive workers' compensation benefits for certain permanent partial disability claims.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Nicole Xander

SB0494 �Workers' Compensation - Evaluation of Permanent Impairments - Social Workers

This bill authorizes a licensed certified social worker-clinical to perform an evaluation of only the mental or behavioral portion of a permanent impairment for a workers' compensation case and report the evaluation to the Workers' Compensation Commission in accordance with the regulations of the Commission.

Effective Date:� October 1, 2006

For more information, please contact:� Nicole Xander

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