The House Health and Human Resources Committee met this afternoon.
Committee Hearing
House Bill 2493 establishes the Sound Science in Regulations Act, which states that state agencies may not propose or effectuate a regulatory action unless those actions are based on the best available science.
House Bill 3343 adds crystalline polymorph psilocybin to the permitted list of distributed and prescribed drugs if scheduled or de-scheduled by the Food and Drug Administration.
House Bill 2410 permits access to individualized treatments for eligible patients.
House Bill 3344 establishes a grant program to fund the United States Food and Drug Administration’s drug development trials with ibogaine to secure the Administration’s approval as a medication for the treatment of PTSD, opioid use disorder, co-occurring substance use disorder, and any other neurological or mental health conditions.
House Bill 2378 requires syringe exchange services programs to be operated in affiliation with a local health department. The bill will eliminate a third of the programs in the state. Currently, there are only 10 exchange programs in the state and three would have to close.
Markup & Passage
House Bill 3277 defines the term “Secretary” in the West Virginia Hospital Finance Authority Act. This was missed in the code when splitting the Department of Health and Human Resources into the three agencies.
The Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 460 allows physicians, physician’s assistants, or nurse practitioners to exempt a child from immunizations if they deem the specific immunizations to be detrimental to the child’s health or are not appropriate by providing a written statement to the school or childcare provider. The bill provides protection against disciplinary boards and administrative and criminal penalties related to the letter. The bill provides that no school or state-regulated childcare center shall prohibit an individual from exercising an exemption from participating in extracurricular activities or attending school-based events. An amendment was adopted that if the practitioner is acting in good faith will be immune from civil liability. However, if the provider acts with gross negligence or willful misconduct, a civil action may be brought Another amendment was adopted to require practitioners to report the exemption provided.
Several amendments were offered and rejected, including limiting the medical professionals to West Virginia Board Certified Pediatricians and Family Care Physicians. Another amendment was rejected that would have required schools to report how many children who are exempt from vaccination are in attendance. No personally identifiable information would be provided.
The Committee Substitute was adopted and passed by the committee.
