Legislative Hotline
2008 SESSION OF THE
MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Volume 15, Number 2����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� January 23, 2008
Here are some of the hot
issues as the 2008 Legislative Session develops:
MD STATE BUDGET FOR
FY2009
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JHM
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JHU
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EBDI
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CIGARETTE RESTITUTION FUND
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & MENTAL HYGIENE
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MANAGED CARE ORGANIZATIONS
BILLS
INTRODUCED
STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
�MD STATE BUDGET FOR FY2009
Governor
O’Malley released his proposed FY2009 operating and capital budgets on
January 16th.� Please find the highlights
which are of significance to Johns Hopkins below.
The Governor’s proposed $1.5B general capital budget includes $300M for public school construction, $202M for public higher education, $8M for private higher education, and $55M for health-related projects.�
The Governor's five year capital improvement
plan (CIP) includes an additional $12.5M for the
The Governor’s CIP funds the MICUA capital program at the current rate of $8M for FY2009.� If that amount does not change, the Gilman Hall project will receive $1M for FY2009, for a total state commitment of $3M.
The capital budget also includes $5M for the East Baltimore Development Initiative in FY2009, with an additional $5M per year through FY2013 in the CIP.�
At $31.5 billion, the operating budget’s size is increased by 4.09% over last year, and is below the General Assembly’s spending affordability guidelines.� This budget includes over $500M in cuts, some of which will affect Johns Hopkins.
The
Governor’s operating budget does not fully fund the Sellinger
program at the FY2009 mandated level, which is $61.67M.� The Governor cut that full funding by $5.62M,
which brings the Sellinger program back to the FY2008
funding level of $56.05M.� In FY2008,
The FY2009
allowance for Johns Hopkins CRF cancer research programs is $2.5M, which is a
slight increase over FY2008 levels.� The
Public Health Grant is level-funded at $1.16M.
Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
The Department of Health’s budget increased by 10%, or approximately $744M, primarily due to an increase of $581M in the Medicaid program related to health care expansion.� $16M of that is targeted to enhance oral health services, and $124M is included for expansion of health care coverage, implementing the legislation that passed during the special session.� The Maryland Community Health Resources Commission budget also increased to $1.5M, and a total of $1.3M was allotted for the Office of Minority Health to address adult and infant/toddler health disparities issues.� Additionally, the budget extends hospital day limits by six months (until December 31, 2008) for a savings to the state of $37.5M.� $20M was allotted to increase provider rates.
Details are not yet available, but a 1% cut
for 6 months from
An additional $5M has been removed through the MCO rates and will be set aside for quality programs in 2010.� It is not clear at this time how DHMH will distribute these quality-based funds.
The Governor’s proposal includes level-funding for stem cell research at $23M for FY2009.
Higher Education and
Financial Aid
BILLS INTRODUCED
SB0078� 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.� Provides for the Task Force
purpose, membership, and staffing.�
Prohibits a member of the Task Force from receiving compensation but
allows for reimbursement of 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
HB0142� Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Renaming and
Review of Reports and Commissions
This legislation
renames the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene as the Department of
Health.� In addition, it requires the
Department to conduct a comprehensive review that
1)
identifies the boards, commissions, councils and committees that are operated
by or involve the Department
2) methods
to streamline or consolidate the above-named entities that are found to be
duplicative or unnecessary
3) lists
the reports required to be submitted by the Department to the General Assembly
By December
1, 2008, the Department will be required to report its findings to the Governor
and the General Assembly.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
HB0151� Health - Reportable Conditions - Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus Aureus
The bill adds methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus
aureus to the list of conditions that a medical laboratory must report to the
local health officer, effective October 1, 2008.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
SB0102� Hospitals and Nursing Facilities - Health
Care-Associated Infections Prevention and Control Program
This bill requires
each hospital and nursing facility to establish a health care-associated
infections prevention and control program based on guidelines prepared by the
Society for Health Care Epidemiology of America that require:
1 -
identification of colonized or infected patients through active surveillance
cultures
2 -
isolation of identified patients in an appropriate manner
3 - strict
adherence to hand washing and hygiene guidelines
The
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), in consultation with the
Maryland Hospital Association, the Health Facilities Association of Maryland,
Mid-Atlantic Lifespan, and other interested stakeholders will develop a system
requiring hospitals and nursing facilities to report annually on the incidence
of MRSA and VRE to DHMH, which must submit an annual report to the Governor and
General
Assembly.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
SB0127� Hospitals and Nursing Facilities - Staphylococcus Infections
- Reporting
The bill amends
current statute regarding information that the medical examiner or physician
who last attended the deceased must include on a death certificate, requiring
that if the deceased was being treated for a Staphylococcus infection at the
time of death, that information must be included.
In
addition, the bill requires the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
(DHMH), the Maryland Hospital Association, Mid-Atlantic LifeSpan and other
interested stakeholders to develop a system requiring hospitals and nursing
facilities to report annually on incidents of Methicillin-resistant
Staphlococcus Aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) to
DHMH.� It als requires DHMH to submit an
annual report to the Governor and General Assembly on the incidence of MRSA and
VRE in hospitals and nursing homes.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
HB0120� Pharmacy Benefits Managers - Transparency
This bill requires a pharmacy benefits manger to
disclose certain information in writing to a purchaser or prospective
purchaser.� The benefits manager does not
have to make the disclosures unless and until the prospective purchaser agrees
in writing to keep certain information confidential.� The bill does not apply to an insurer,
nonprofit health service plan or health maintenance organization acting as a
pharmacy benefits manager if it directly offers or provides pharmacy benefit
management services only to its enrollees, subscribers or insured who are also
covered by its health benefits service plan.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Delora
Sanchez
HB0124� Income Tax Credit for Services Donated to Community
Health Organizations
This bill provides a State income tax credit for
health care professionals who provide uncompensated health care to low-income
individuals in certain community health care organizations. The total tax
credit that may be awarded statewide is $250,000.� The Department of Mental Health and Hygiene
is to provide for allocation of the tax credit among community health
organizations. The total credit available to any individual provider is limited
to $1,000.
Effective
Date:� July 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
SJ0003� Establishing Nurse Anesthetists Week
The Senate Joint Resolution establishes Nurse
Anesthetists Week in recognition of the importance of Certified Registered
Nurse Anesthetists and their role in providing quality health care for the
public.
For more
information, please contact:� Sheila
Higdon
Higher Education and Financial Aid
SB0141� Maryland Graduate and Professional Scholarship Program
- Qualifications
This bill would expand the eligibility under the
Maryland Graduate and Professional Scholarship Program to include students
attending an institution of higher education offering a first professional
degree in pharmacy.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Mat Palmer
SB0146� Higher Education - Tuition Reduction for Nonresident
Nursing Students - Service Obligation
This bill would alter the service obligation for
nonresident nursing students who receive tuition reductions from a mandatory 4
years of service to 1 year of service for each year that they receive the
tuition reduction.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Mat Palmer
SB0082� State Lottery - Compulsive Gambling Grants
This bill creates a
special fund to provide grants to address the problem of compulsive gambling in
the State.� The funds will assist public
agencies and nonprofit organizations in providing persons with compulsive
gambling problems with the following services:�
inpatient, outpatient, partial care, aftercare, consultative, educational,
and other preventive or rehabilitative services or treatment.
This bill
also establishes, as a pilot project, a center for compulsive gamblers to
address the problem of compulsive gambling in the State of Maryland through
research, education, crisis intervention, residential programs, and support
services.
Effective
Date:� October 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
SB0083� Commission on Gambling Addiction
This bill establishes a Commission on Gambling
Addiction in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.� The purpose of the Commission is to study the
effects of individuals who are addicted to gambling and to measure the cost of
gambling addiction.� The Commission is to
develop a comprehensive, coordinated, and collaborative approach to the use of
State and local resources for the prevention of, intervention in, and treatment
of gambling addiction among State residents and submit a report to the Governor
and the General Assembly by July 1, 2009.
Effective
Date:� June 1, 2008
For more
information, please contact:� Ines Vigil
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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.
Legislative Session Office
410-269-0057
fax 410-269-1574
Mickey Geisler��������� �����
[email protected]
Matthew Greenwood����
[email protected]
Sheila Higdon��������� ����� [email protected]
Tom Lewis���������������� ����� [email protected]
Mat Palmer��������������� ����� [email protected]
Delora Sanchez������ �����
[email protected]
Ines Vigil������������������ ����� [email protected]
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