2014 SESSION OF THE
MARYLAND GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
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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
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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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Marijuana
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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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INFORMATION
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and formulating the position of Johns Hopkins on all legislation.
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