05/05/2001 02:45 PM Senate RLS

                                                                                                                                
CHAIRWOMAN  PEARCE announced  the first order  of business to  be HB                                                        
65-MEDICAL ASSISTANCE:BREAST/CERVICAL CANCER.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELLIS stated he  has three proposed amendments to HB 65.  He                                                            
will  not offer  one of  them because  he understands  that  Senator                                                            
Leman  plans  to  offer  an  amendment  on  the  Senate  floor  that                                                            
addresses the same concerns about the report to the legislature.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELLIS  moved to adopt Amendment  1, which repeals  Section 3                                                            
of  SCS  CSHB 65(HES).    Amendment  1  would  remove  the  two-year                                                            
limitation on the state's  participation in the program and renumber                                                            
the remaining sections accordingly.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PHILLIPS objected.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
The motion  to  adopt Amendment  1 failed  with  Senators Ellis  and                                                            
Pearce voting  "yea," and Senators Cowdery, Phillips  and Therriault                                                            
voting "nay."                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELLIS  clarified that he would  propose an amendment  on the                                                            
Senate floor  to make the  reporting requirements  in the bill  more                                                            
acceptable.   His third concern is  the tight control on  the amount                                                            
of money that  can be expended per  individual in SCS CSHB  65(HES).                                                            
He proposed  (Amendment  2) using  the language  from  HB 65 on  the                                                            
subject of cost-per-patient  coverage.  He asked Mr. Elmer Lindstrom                                                            
to address that issue.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. ELMER  LINDSTROM, Special  Assistant to  Commissioner Perdue  in                                                            
the  Department  of  Health  and Social  Services  (DHSS),  said  he                                                            
believes  Senator Ellis is  speaking to the  intent relative  to the                                                            
funding of  the program.   Amendment 2 would  delete lines  11-14 on                                                            
page 1.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  ELLIS  asked  Mr.  Lindstrom  to speak  to  the  merits  of                                                            
Amendment 2.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. LINDSTROM  explained the amounts  shown in SCS CSHB 65(HES)  are                                                            
consistent  with  the  DHSS  fiscal  note,  but  those  amounts  are                                                            
estimates.   If this bill  becomes law, DHSS  will pay the  bills as                                                            
they are submitted, as this is an entitlement for those clients.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELLIS moved to adopt Amendment 2.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR COWDERY objected.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
The motion  to  adopt Amendment  2 failed  with  Senators Ellis  and                                                            
Pearce voting  "yea," and Senators Phillips, Therriault  and Cowdery                                                            
voting "nay."