The Senate Health and Human Resources Committee has approved six bills to be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that they pass.
HB 3102 would permit the Secretary of DHHR to sell Hopemont Hospital and its assets.
Committee counsel made a strike-and-insert amendment to correct technical issues in the bill.
The bill will be referred to Senate Finance once reported to the floor.
HB 2366 would require the selling of Jackie Withrow Hospital by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources.
Committee counsel made a strike-and-insert amendment to correct technical issues in the bill.
The bill will be referred to Senate Finance once reported to the floor.
HB 2520 would prohibit the use of a tanning device by a person under the age of 18.
Lead sponsor of the bill Delegate Amy Summers, R-Taylor, voiced her support for the bill’s passage to the committee and shared different statistics about tanning that motivated her to take the lead on the bill.
Summers said many other countries and states have already adopted similar legislation.
A representative from the American Cancer Society discussed the society’s support for the bill and answered questions from members of the committee related to scientific studies that prove that tanning beds are more harmful than the sun.
Conrad Lewis spoke against the bill on behalf of the American Suntanning Association and said it could harm small businesses and put many citizens out of jobs.
Lewis said the association is, however, supportive of parental consent and health risk education, and is concerned that many of their customers would resort to tanning at home unsupervised by tanning professionals, causing more health damages.
“This isn’t a solution,” said Lewis. “This will just increase risk.”
Senator Ron Stollings, D-Boone, shared his opposition for the bill and spoke from his personal experiences as a doctor who has dealt with skin cancers and as a person who lost an uncle to melanoma.
HB 2428 would establish additional substance abuse treatment facilities.
DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch was available to answer questions from members of the committee and said he was concerned with how well facilities would be able to adapt to the bill’s requirement for more beds in treatment facilities by the deadline of July 1, 2018.
J.B. Akers, member of a local nonprofit drug treatment facility board in Kanawha County, was available to answer questions from members of the committee.
Senator Ryan Weld, R-Boone, first amended the bill to allow the DHHR secretary to have rule-making authority with the provisions of the bill, including the ability to adjust the deadline date. Weld also included some technical corrections in this amendment.
Senator Corey Palumbo, D-Kanawha, amended the amendment to clarify that the bill would apply only to existing facilities.
Weld made an additional amendment to create a special revenue account to help fund the bill’s provisions outside of state appropriations.
The bill will be referred to Senate Finance once reported to the floor.
HB 2745 would add provisions for the testing of applicants for the position of Advanced Care Technician for those municipalities which provide an advance life support ambulance service.
HB 2846 would include high school students participating in a competency-base pharmacy technician education and training program, as persons qualifying to be a pharmacy technician trainee.
The committee also laid over HB 2376, which would reorganize the structure of several state health organizations.
Crouch said the DHHR opposes the bill’s passage and does not see how it is feasible for continuing certain administrative functions.
“This is a terrible bill,” Crouch said. “We truly don’t know how to do this.”
Health Chair Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, moved to postpone the bill indefinitely. The motion failed, since some senators wished to give the sponsors of the bill a chance to defend their intentions for the bill.
The bill will be referred to Senate Government Organization once reported to the floor.
