The Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources met at 1:00 PM today to discuss four bills. The first of these bills was House Bill 4103, which relates to office drug control policy. The bill simply clarifies the structure of the Office of Drug Control Policy in the Department of Health and Human Resources. The bill was adopted and will be reported to the full Senate.
The committee also discussed SB 560, which permits nursing homes to use trained individuals to administer medication to residents, provided that they are under the direction of a registered nurse. The authorizing agency of this bill is the Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification. There was much discussion and debate concerning the authority of certain agencies in the enactment of this bill. A representative form the Board of Registered Nurses expressed concern that the Board was not consulted in the drafting of this bill. The bill has been laid over for further consideration and amendments for this issue.
