���������� Legislative Hotline
2008 SESSION OF THE
MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Volume 15, Number 4����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� February 6, 2008
Here are some of the hot
issues as the 2008 Legislative Session develops:
PROVOST
VISIT
FALSE CLAIMS
ACT
BILLS
INTRODUCED
STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
Provost
Visit
Provost Kristina Johnson visited
For more information, please contact:� Mat Palmer
False Claims Act
Two bills introduced in the Maryland General Assembly would allow the state
to bring civil suit for fraudulent claims and allow private parties with
knowledge of fraudulent claims to bring qui tam actions on behalf of the
state.� Both bills heavily incentivize whistleblowing, impose treble damages, and could require
the implementation of duplicative procedures to ensure compliance with the law.
HB 292 - Maryland False Claims Act prohibits submission of false claims against
the state generally for money, property, or services; while SB 215 - Maryland
False Health Claims Act prohibits submission of false claims to a state health
plan or program.� SB 215 is a departmental
bill, submitted by the Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene.� We are collaborating with the Maryland
Hospital Association, Med Chi, and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce to defeat
it.� Both bills allow the state or
private party to seek any remedy available in common tort law, including compensatory
damages, court costs, and attorney’s fees.� Private parties acting on behalf of the state
(whistleblowers) may recover up to 30 percent of the damages awarded in
addition to court costs and attorney’s fees.� Violation of the bill may result in damages
of triple the state’s resulting damages or not less than twice the
state’s damages.� Civil fines apply
separately and must be assessed between $5,000 and $10,000 per violation.
For more information,
please contact:� Delora Sanchez
�[ Go to Top]
Health
Insurance/Health Care Access
Higher Education and
Financial Aid
Medical Liability and
Tort Reform
BILLS INTRODUCED
Budget - Capital
SB0346� Creation of a State Debt - Adventist Health Care
This bill authorizes a $430,000 grant to Adventist
Health Care for three residential treatment center units on the campus of
Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health in Montgomery County.
Effective
Date:� June 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
SB0440� Creation of a State Debt - Maryland General Hospital
This bill authorizes a state grant of $750,000 to
Maryland General Hospital for a replacement Intensive Care Unit.
Effective
Date:� June 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
hb0388� Environment - Pozzolan - Use and Disposal
This bill regulates the use of pozzolan, commonly
known as "fly ash", a residue resulting from the combustion of coal.� The bill requires pozzolan to be disposed of
in a regulated refuse disposal system and further regulates that its use for
landfill purposes comply with all silt control regulations and permit
requirements.� The requirement is to take
effect October 1, 2008.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
HB0498� Groundwater Contamination - Level of Methyl Tertiary
Butyl Ether - Notice and Cleanup
This bill seeks to alter the level of methyl tertiary
butyl ether groundwater contamination requiring notification of a local health
department and specified property owners by the Department of the Environment
from 20 to 5 parts per billion.� This
bill will require the adoption of regulations to ensure the cleanup of methyl
tertiary butyl ether, and require a person responsible for a specified release
to reimburse the costs.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
HB0577� Preservation of Right to Jury Trial Act
This bill provides that any provision in a contract
with a consumer that requires the waiver of a trial by jury is void and
unenforceable unless preempted by federal law.�
A consumer is defined as an individual, not a business, who is a party
to an arbitration agreement.� The bill
will apply only prospectively and may not be applied or interpreted to have any
effect on a cause of action arising before the effective date.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
SB0344� The Flexible Leave Act
This bill would provide that any employee whose
employer provides for leave with pay either under collective bargaining or an
employment policy, is authorized to use their earned leave with pay for the
illness of the employee's immediate family.
Effective
Date: October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Mat Palmer
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
HB0186� Great Schools Tax Credit Program
This bill allows an individual or corporation credit
against the State income tax for financial contributions to organizations that
award educational scholarships.� The
scholarship granting organization must spend 90% of the revenue from
contributions on educational scholarships for eligible students at a qualifying
K-12 school.� The total tax credit
allowed may not exceed 50% of the State income tax for that year.� If the credit exceeds 50% any unused credit
may be carried forward and applied for succeeding taxable years until the full
amount is used or three years have passed since the contribution was made.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
hb0389� Task Force to Study System Variables That Impact
Student Achievement in Underperforming Public Schools
This bill creates the Task Force to Study System
Variables That Impact Student Achievement in Underperforming Public Schools and
provides for the Task Force purpose, membership, and staffing.� Members of the Task Force are prohibited from
receiving compensation but allows for reimbursement for expenses.� The Task Force is to report their findings
and recommendations to the General Assembly on or before December 1, 2009.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
HB0519� Public High Schools - Graduation Requirements -
Weighted Numerical Assessment System
This bill requires the State Board of Education to
establish a weighted numerical assessment system to calculate a total score
that students must achieve to graduate from a public high school in the state.
The weighted numerical system is to include categories for exams, attendance
and grade point average.� The total
weighted value for attendance may not be less than 10% and not more than 20% of
the total score needed for graduation.�
The total weighted value for grade point average must be the remainder
of the total score not calculated based on exams or attendance.� A total score of 60 or above is considered a
passing score.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
HB0520� Education - High School Assessment Requirement
This bill prohibits the State Board of Education from
including the requirement of passing statewide, mandatory, curriculum-based
examinations or assessments in public high school graduation requirements.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
HB0524� Baltimore City - Board of Education - Election of
Members
This bill alters the membership of the Baltimore City
Board of School Commissioners. Certain members of the board are to be appointed
by the Governor and the Mayor of Baltimore and certain members are to be
elected in the general election beginning in November 2010 and continuing every
four years thereafter.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
SB0298� Income Tax - Credit for Providing Adult Literacy
This bill would provide a tax credit to any for-profit
or not-for-profit [501-C-3 or 4] against their state income tax, for a
percentage of the amount a business spends on providing adult literacy services
to their employees.� The tax credit will
be in the amount equal to the final credit certificate, as approved by the
State Superintendent for Adult Literacy Services.� Each business tax credit is capped at a
maximum of 35% of the amount spent on the program, $150 per person enrolled, or
$25,000 in each fiscal year.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Mat Palmer
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
HB0460� Maryland Cancer Treatment Program
The bill establishes
the Maryland Cancer Treatment Program in the Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene to provide health insurance coverage to qualifying individuals for the
first year of cancer treatment.�
Eligibility requirements include:
1-Maryland
resident at the time of diagnosis
2-documentation
from the applicant's primary physician that the applicant needs cancer
treatment
3-no
comprehensive health insurance
4-countable
household income that is less than 300% of federal poverty guidelines
The
Maryland Medical Assistance Program will provide resources for this program
including: provider enrollment, billing and payment; and individual eligibility
and tracking.� Providers will be
reimbursed at Medicaid rates.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
HB0510� Health Care Decisions Act - Advance Directives -
Electronic Documents and Electronic Signatures
House Bill 510 amends
the Health Care Decisions Act to authorize individuals to make or revoke an
advance directive in electronic form.�
The bill sets forth standards for electronic signatures under the
Act.� The term “electronic
signature” has the meaning stated in � 21–101 of the Commercial Law
article, that is, “an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to or
logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by a person with the
intent to sign the record.”� The
bill provides that, for the purposes of the Health Care Decisions Act, an
electronic signature has the same effect as a manual signature if the
electronic signature:�
(1)������ Uses an algorithm approved by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology;
(2)������ Is unique to the individual using it;
(3)������ Is capable of verification;
(4)������ Is under the sole control of the
individual using it;
(5)������ Is linked to data in such a manner that
if the data are changed, the electronic signature is invalidated;
(6)������ Persists with the document and not by
association in separate files; and
(7)������ Is bound to a digital certificate.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Corianne
Iacovelli
HB0514� Maryland Medbank Program - Funding
This bill authorizes funds to be transferred and
appropriated from the Senior Prescription Drug Assistance Program of the
Maryland Health Insurance Plan to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
to provide funding for the Maryland Medbank Program.� Grant funds are not to exceed $425,000.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
HB0558� Home Health - Certificate of Need
This bill would repeal the Certificate of Need
regulations for Home Health Care delivery.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Mat Palmer
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
HB0585� Nursing Homes - Safe Patient Lifting
This bill requires
each nursing home to establish a safe patient lifting workgroup with equal
membership from management and employees by December 1, 2008. Safe patient
lifing is defined as the use of mechanical lifting devices by nursing home
employees (instead of manual lifting) to lift, transport, and reposition
patients.� By July 1, 2009, the workgroup
is required to develop a safe patient lifing policy for the nursing home.� The policy's goal is to reduce employee
injuries associated with patient lifting.�
To that end, the workgroup should consider, based on the patient
population of the nursing home, the appropriateness and effectiveness of:
1) developing
or enhancing patient handling hazard assessment processes
2) enhanced
use of mechanical lifting devices
3) developing
specialized lift teams
4) training
programs for safe patient lifting required for all patient care personnel
5) incorporating
physical space and construction design for mechanical lifting devices in plans
for nursing home construction or renovation
6) developing
an evaluation process to determine the effectiveness of the policy
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
HB0278� Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Powers of
the Secretary
This bill clarifies that the Secretary of Health may
conduct a survey to identify any area in the state that has a substantial
deficiency in general or specific medical or health care facilities, staff, or
services.� The Secretary may provide
counsel or other assistance to establish medical or health care facilities and
to recruit medical or health care staff in the underserved area identified as a
result of the survey.� If proposals
considered or adopted are not feasible or successful, or if other action is
necessary to assure the public health of the underserved area, the Secretary
may provide the necessary health care facilities, staff or services by contract
with physicians, hospitals, or other medical groups, or may approve a contract
or written arrangement with a health care entitity that facilitates the
provision of state health care services to the underserved area, including a
federally qualified health center, a health care facility, a health care plan
or insurance provider, HMO, MCO and any other entity that finances the
provision of or delivers health care services to the area.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
hb0438� Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Birth
Defects Research - Medical Information
This bill will allow the birth defects program at DHMH
the authority to collect data on all significant birth defects.� It would require hospitals to submit reports
on children born in the hospital with a sentinel birth defect.� Sentinel birth defects outlined in the bill
include:� anencephaly; spina bifida;
hydrocephaly; cleft palate; cleft lip; esophageal atresia and stenosis;
hydrospadias; reduction deformity-upper limb; reduction deformity-lower limb;
congenital dislocation of the hip; and down syndrome.� This bill states that health care providers
shall allow DHMH to inspect and obtain medical information on a child with a
birth defect including information regarding the child, the child's mother as
it relates to the pregnancy, and related laboratory tests.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
SB0433� Pharmacy Permit Holders - Signs for Reporting
Incorrectly Filled Prescriptions
This bill requires a pharmacy to post a sign informing
consumers how they can report incorrectly filled prescriptions.� The sign must be posted in a conspicuous
place where prescription drugs are dispensed to consumers.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
hb0419� Pharmacy Benefits Managers - Registration
This bill requires a person to register with the
Maryland Insurance Commissioner before acting as or representing themselves as
a pharmacy benefits manager in the State.�
An insurer, a nonprofit health plan, or a health maintenance organization
is prohibited from entering into an agreement with a pharmacy benefits manager
that has not registered with the Commissioner.�
The Commissioner may examine the affairs, transactions, accounts, and
records of each pharmacy benefits manager.�
Violation of the bill may result in civil penalties not exceeding
$10,000 per violation.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
hb0427� Health Occupations - Power of Secretary of Health and
Mental Hygiene - Regulatory Boards
This bill amends current health occupations statutes,
authorizing the Secretary of Health to disapprove or modify any decision or
determination that a Health Occupations Board establishes regarding
disciplinary action against an individual licensed or certified by the Board.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
HB0580� Pharmacy Benefits Managers - Pharmacy and Therapeutics
Committee
This bill requires that each member of a pharmacy and
therapeutics committee must be a physician or authorized prescriber, a
pharmacist, or a faculty member of an academic medical center and disclosed by
name to a purchaser upon request.� The
majority of the committee members may not be employed by the pharmacy benefits
manager.� In addition, the committee
members may not be an officer, employee, director, or agent of a pharmaceutical
manufacturer, nor have a financial interest in a pharmaceutical
manufacturer.� A pharmacy benefits
manager may not require a pharmacy to participate in a pharmacy and
therapeutics committee.� Violation of the
bill may result in civil penalties not exceeding $5,000 per violation.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
SB0459� Task Force to Review Physician Shortages in Rural
Areas
This bill creates a
task force to review physician shortages in rural areas.� Membership includes:
-1 member
of the Senate
-1 member
of the House of Delegates
and the
following, or their designee:
-Secretary
of Health & Mental Hygiene
-Chair of
the Board of Physicians
-Secretary
of Higher Education
-Chancellor
of the University System of Maryland
-Dean of
the University of Maryland School of Medicine
-President
of Johns Hopkins University
and
representatives selected by each of the following entities or organizations:
-Maryland
Association of Community Colleges
-MedChi
-Maryland
Hospital Association
-3 rural
hospitals (from Southern Maryland, Eastern Shore, or Western Maryland)
-Maryland
Rural Health Association
The two
members of the General Assembly will serve as co-chairs and the Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene will staff the task force.�� The task force is charged to:
-study the
recruitment and retention of primary care physicians in rural areas of the
state
-study the
funding programs to encourage physicians to practice in rural areas
-study new
academic physician recruitment programs to enroll and encourage students
interested in rural life and practice
-study
federal and state programs to equalize physician distribution across geographic
areas
-make
recommendations regarding what should be done to encourage more primary care
physicians to practice in rural areas of the state
The task
force report is due to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1, 2008.
Effective
Date:� June 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
Health Insurance/Health Care Access
HB0594� Health Insurance - Carrier Credentialing -
Reimbursement of Providers of Health Care Services
The bill specifies that if a carrier accepts a
provider for participation on its provider panel, the carrier is required to
reimburse providers for any covered health care services that the provider
provides to enrollees of the carrier on or after the date that the provider's
completed application was submitted to the carrier.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
Higher Education and Financial Aid
HB0603� Health Care Coverage - Institutions of Higher
Education
This bill would require all institutions of higher
education to require full-time students to have health insurance coverage while
they are enrolled.� It would also require
all institutions to offer health care coverage to their students for an additional
fee.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Mat Palmer
SB0438� Institutions of Higher Education - Plans for Programs
of Cultural Diversity
This bill would
require all private higher education institutions who receive Sellinger Funding
to submit a report to MICUA outlining any programs the institution is
undertaking to promote and enhance cultural diversity on its campus.� The report would be due on or before May 1 of
each year.
The bill
would also provide that each public higher education institution must develop a
plan to promote and enhance cultural diversity on its campus.� If the institution already has a plan in
place, it must develop ways to improve that plan.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Mat Palmer
SB0464� Maryland Higher Education Commission - Unreasonable
Duplication of Programs - Expansion of Existing Programs
This bill would require MHEC to require the governing
boards of public higher education institutions effected by unreasonable
duplication of programs to submit a plan that addresses the possibility of an
expansion of an existing program as a resolution to the unreasonable
duplication.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Mat Palmer
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
Medical Liability and Tort Reform
HB0606� Health Care Liability - Noneconomic Damages
This bill repeals the $15,000 annual increase on
noneconomic damages in a health care malpractice claim or action for a cause of
action arising on or after January 1, 2009.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more information,
please contact:� Delora Sanchez
HB0607� Health Care Malpractice - Expression of Regret or
Apology - Inadmissibility
This bill repeals current law and makes an apology or
expression of regret made by a health care provider inadmissible in certain health
care malpractice proceedings.� An apology
or expression of regret made in writing, orally or by conduct is inadmissible
as an admission of liability or as evidence of an admission against interest.� The bill will apply only prospectively and
may not be applied or interpreted to have any effect on a cause of action
arising before the effective date.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
HB0140� Income Tax - Credit for Cellulosic Ethanol Technology
Research and Development
This bill would allow individuals or corporations to
claim a credit against the state income tax for 10% of costs incurred in
research and development of technology used to convert cellulosic biomass to
ethanol fuel.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Matt
Greenwood
HB0271� Medical Review Committee
This bill will alter the definition of a medical
review committee to include the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) or its
staff.� Under the bill the MHCC will be
defined as a medical review committee when performing functions to evaluate
health care providers for the purpose of improving the quality and the level of
performance of health care.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
HB0292� Maryland False Claims Act
This bill prohibits submission of a false claim
against the state for money, property or services.� A claim is a request or demand for money,
property or services that the state provides or reimburses to a contractor,
grantee or other person by contract or otherwise.� In addition, the bill allows a private party
(relator or whistleblower) with knowledge of a past or present fraudulent claim
to file a private civil action on behalf of the state.�� The state or private party may seek any
remedy available in common tort law including compensatory damages, court
costs, and attorney’s fees.� The
Attorney General is required to investigate a civil action alleging a false
claim.� Remedies and damages resulting from
a claim include treble damages, fines up to 10,000 per violation, and costs.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
HB0375� Renewable Portfolio Standard Percentage Requirements -
Acceleration
This bill accelerates the implementation of renewable
energy portfolio standards by doubling the percentages of retail electricity
sales that must be generated from Tier 1 renewable energy sources in upcoming
years.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Matt
Greenwood
HB0598� Commission on Minority Business Enterprise
This bill establishes
the Commission on Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) to advise the Office of
Minority Affairs and the Office of MBE in the Department and of Transportation
on matters relating to minority business, and provide other assistance and
consultation as requested by the Governor and the Special Secretary.� Membership will include the Special Secretary
for the Office of Minority Affairs, who will serve as chair.� Additional members include a member of the
Senate, a member of the House of Delegates, and six representatives of small,
minority, and women-owned businesses, appointed by the Governor.�
The
Commission will conduct periodic review of the MBE procedures and practices
used in state agencies. It will also use studies, reports, and data on MBE to
evaluate
-barriers
to certification
-access to
capital
-access to
opportunities
-current
procurement practices
-availability
of MBE
-MBE
reporting
-payments
versus awards
-monitoring
and compliance
-challenges
facing state agencies and the business community
-consolidation
of similar services and programs
-issues
report by legislative auditors
-frequency
and method for reporting MBE awards or payment to the Office by state agencies
The
Commission will also explore the role of the Office and identify ways to
increase its effectiveness.� It will hold
hearings around the state to receive public testimony on MBE needs, the
effectiveness of current policies and programs, MBE best practices, and develop
plans to reform the MBE program in light of findings.
The
Commission shall report to the Governor and General Assemby by December 31 each
year, on its progress and achievements, and make recommendations to further the
interests of small, minority, and women-owned businesses.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
sb0427� Due Process - The Right to Life Act
This bill would provide that a person's right to not
be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process, as provided in
the Maryland Consitution, vests at conception.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Mat Palmer
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
HB0243� Pharmacy Benefits Managers - Choice of Pharmacy
This bill prohibits certain pharmacy benefits managers
from establishing the amount of reimbursement to the insured for copayments and
authorized deductibles based on the identity, practicing specialty or
occupation of the authorized prescriber; imposing a copayment, deductable or a
limit on quantity on benefits when the insured uses the services of a community
pharmacy instead of mail order pharmacy when the benefits are provided under
the same program policy or contract; or requiring the insured to obtain
pharmacy services from a mail order pharmacy if a retail or institutional
pharmacy can meet the same terms and conditions as the mail order
pharmacy.� The pharmacy benefits manager
must allow an insured to select the pharmacy or pharmacist of their choice for
benefits within any pharmacy network established under or by the policy,
contract, or pharmacy benefits manager.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
HB0343� Pharmacy Benefits Managers - Prescription Drug
Substitution
This bill prohibits pharmacy benefits managers from
substituting one prescription drug for the drug originally prescribed unless
the substitution is made for medical reasons that benefit the beneficiary or
results in financial savings to the purchaser.�
The pharmacy benefits manager must obtain authorization from a
prescriber to make a substitution and must disclose to the purchaser any
benefit related to the substitution with few exceptions.� The pharmacy benefits manager is required to
maintain a toll-free telephone number 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for
prescribers, pharmacy providers and beneficiaries.� Violation of the bill may result in civil
penalties not exceeding $10,000 per violation and or restitution to any person
who has suffered financial injury because of violation of the bill.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
HB0525� Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
This bill requires the Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene to establish and maintain a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program that
electronically collects and stores data to monitor prescription drugs. This
bill also creates new powers and duties for the Secretary of Health and Mental
Hygiene under the Program; requires that a dispenser of prescription drugs
submit information to the program for each drug that is dispensed; requires
that all prescription monitoring data is confidential, privileged, and not
subject to discovery, subpoena, or other means of legal compulsion in civil
litigation; and creates an Advisory Board on Prescription Drug Monitoring to
assist in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Program.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
[ Go to Top]� [Back to Bills Introduced]
hb0393� Communicable Diseases or Conditions - Reporting
This bill requires a physician to submit a report to
the county health officer regarding a patient that is suspected to have an
infectious or contagious disease that endangers public health, with the
exception of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS).� The bill also states
that the reports generated are confidential and are not medical records.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
hb0403� State Advisory Council on Physical Fitness - Obesity
in School-Age Children
This bill requires the State Advisory Council on
Physical Fitness to make recommendations to the State Department of Education
and private and parochial schools on methods to increase physical acitivity in
schools.� The bill also asks the council
to consult with Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to collect
data on the effect of the implemented programs on both the incidence of
complications related to obesity in children (including Type 2 Diabetes) and
general promotion of physical fitness in the State of Maryland.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
HB0453� Advisory Committee to Coordinate the Public Health
System and Drug Treatment Funded by the Medical Assistance Program
This bill establishes the Advisory Committee to
Coordinate the Public Health System and Drug Treatment Funded by the Medical
Assistance Program.� The Committee will
make recommendations to enhance coordination between the public health system
and the drug treatment system funded by the medical assistance program.� The Committee is required to report its
recommendations to the Governor, Senate Finance Committee, and House Health and
Government Operations Committee on or before June 1 of each year.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
HB0468� Video Lottery Terminals - Center on the Prevention of
Compulsive Gambling
This bill establishes the Center on the Prevention of
Compulsive Gambling within the University of Maryland School of Medicine.� The Center is to perform tasks relating to
the study, prevention, and treatment of compulsive gambling; provide education
and training for healthcare professionals; oversee pilot research studies; and
establish a hotline to provide counseling and other support services.� The Center will be supported by funds
generated from the Compulsive Gambling Fund.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
HB0531� Catastrophic Health Emergencies - Quarantine Orders -
Arrest Without Warrant and Citations
This bill authorizes an arrest without a warrant for
failure to comply with a quarantine order issued during a health
emergency.� This bill also authorizes a
police officer to issue a citation for failing to comply with a health
emergency isolation and quarantine order.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
HB0535� Morbidity, Mortality, and Quality Review Committee -
Pregnancy and Childhood
This bill establishes a Morbidity, Mortality, and
Quality Review Committee within the Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene.� This medical review committee
is to conduct case reviews and develop/implement interventions to improve the
system of care for the purpose of preventing and controlling morbidity and
mortality associated with pregnancy, childbirth, infancy, and early childhood.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
HB0539� Task Force to Study the Impact of Sleep Apnea on
Children
This bill establishes a Task Force to Study the Impact
of Sleep Apnea on Children.� Members of
the Task Force shall consist of one Senator, one Delegate, the Secretary of
Health and Mental Hygiene, the State Superindendant of Schools, one expert in
pediatric obstructive sleep apnea, one licensed nutritionist specializing in
pediatric nutrition, and one represenative from the Maryland Association of
Resources for Families and Youth.� The
Task Force is to report its findings to the Governor and the General Assembly
on� or before December 31, 2009.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
HB0589� Lead Poisoning Prevention Act of 2008
This bill seeks to
eliminate lead risk in housing and requires Maryland building contractors that
provide lead paint cessation services to obtain a lead abatement accreditation
number with expiration date, as well as abide by current lead paint abatement
requirements.
This bill
also requires property owners that fail to comply with lead abatement
requirements, upon written request by a tenant, to release a tenant from the
lease and potentially pay relocation expenses for the tenant, not to exceed
$2,500.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
SB0304� Consumer Products Safety - Lead and Mercury Reduction
Act
This bill establishes a Lead and Mercury Reduction Act
that prohibits the administration of any and all vaccines that contain more
than 1.25 micrograms of mercury per 0.5 milliliter dose.� The bill also prohibits the sale and
distribution of mercury-containing drugs and cosmetics.� The Lead and Mercury Reduction Act is to take
affect January 1, 2009.
Effective
Date:� January 1, 2009
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
SB0401� Public Health - Ephedrine, Pseudoephedrine, or
Phenylpropanolamine Purchases - Statewide Electronic Logbook
This bill requires the Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Administration to assist in the regulation of the sale of ephedrine,
pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine by establishing a real-time statewide
electronic logbook.� This bill would also
regulate the sale and purchase of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and
phenylpropanolamine by requiring pharmacies and retailers to maintain
electronic logs of products sold and purchasers to produce identification and
receipt documenting the date of transaction, the name of the purchaser, and the
quantity of the product purchased.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
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