05/13/2022 01:30 PM House FINANCE

CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 173(FIN)                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to the practice of dentistry;                                                                             
     relating to dental radiological equipment; and                                                                             
     providing for an effective date."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:22:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Merrick relayed it was  the second bill hearing and                                                                    
no amendments had been received.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Merrick OPENED public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Merrick CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Merrick  indicated there  were three  fiscal notes.                                                                    
She  invited  the  Department  of  Commerce,  Community  and                                                                    
Economic Development (DCCED) to review Fiscal Note 3.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:23:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SARA CHAMBERS, DIRECTOR,  DIVISION OF CORPORATIONS, BUSINESS                                                                    
AND   PROFESSIONAL   LICENSING,  DEPARTMENT   OF   COMMERCE,                                                                    
COMMUNITY  AND  ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT  (via  teleconference),                                                                    
relayed the  fiscal note had several  components because the                                                                    
bill had  two primary purposes.  One of the purposes  was to                                                                    
reinstitute  specialty licensing,  which  would require  the                                                                    
department to  add several new licenses  and additional work                                                                    
to its  team. The  department was requesting  one additional                                                                    
occupational  licensing   examiner.  Currently,   the  large                                                                    
program  only had  one dedicated  staff  member. The  second                                                                    
major component was the department's  need to coordinate and                                                                    
cooperate  with Department  of  Health  and Social  Services                                                                    
(DHSS)   on  radiological   equipment  administration.   She                                                                    
elaborated that  DCCED planned to enter  into an interagency                                                                    
agreement with  DHSS in  the amount  of $224,000,  which was                                                                    
reflected  on the  services  line  and in  one  of the  DHSS                                                                    
fiscal notes.  She explained the  money had to  be accounted                                                                    
for  leaving  one  department  and  coming  into  the  other                                                                    
department.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Carpenter   asked    how   many   equipment                                                                    
inspections had to be done each year.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Chambers  responded  that there  were  currently  about                                                                    
2,000 pieces of  equipment would have to  be inspected every                                                                    
six  years.  She  elaborated  that  DHSS  could  speak  more                                                                    
specifically to the cost because  it would be performing the                                                                    
work.  She relayed  it  a  rolling cost  over  six years  to                                                                    
ensure  a  position  could support  all  of  the  inspection                                                                    
across the state.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
2:25:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Carpenter estimated it  meant that just under                                                                    
one piece of equipment would  need to be inspected each day.                                                                    
He asked  what the additional  position would do  apart from                                                                    
conducting inspections.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Chambers responded  that DCCED would no  longer be doing                                                                    
the inspections;  the bill handed the  responsibility off to                                                                    
DHSS. She  noted that  DCCED would  have a  new occupational                                                                    
licensing examiner  position, which would take  on the extra                                                                    
work the new specialty  licensing scheme reintroduced by the                                                                    
bill would mandate. The department  currently had one person                                                                    
for about  7,000 licensees  and DCCED  could not  expand the                                                                    
program further without additional staff support.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Merrick  indicated there were two  remaining fiscal                                                                    
notes to  be reviewed. She  asked DHSS to review  the fiscal                                                                    
note with OMB component 2252.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:27:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JAYME  PARKER, CHIEF  OF PUBLIC  HEALTH LABS,  DEPARTMENT OF                                                                    
HEALTH  AND SOCIAL  SERVICES (via  teleconference), reviewed                                                                    
fiscal  note (control  code ckCce).  She relayed  the fiscal                                                                    
note  for the  Department  of Health  labs  started with  an                                                                    
initial   investment   of   $193,200,  which   allowed   the                                                                    
department   to  recruit   for   and   hire  an   additional                                                                    
radiological  health physicist  to  help monitor,  register,                                                                    
and  inspect  an  additional 2,200  to  2,400  devices.  The                                                                    
department  currently managed  about  1,000. The  department                                                                    
was also  suggesting an additional office  assistant to help                                                                    
the department  with communication with DCCED  because DCCED                                                                    
would be  collecting the fees  and DHSS would  be invoicing.                                                                    
The  position   would  also  assist  with   travel  for  two                                                                    
radiological   health   specialists.  Beyond   the   initial                                                                    
investment  in FY  23,  the department  saw  an increase  to                                                                    
$224,200  because it  assumed it  would take  three to  four                                                                    
months  to hire  someone  in FY  23;  therefore, the  entire                                                                    
salary and benefit  would not be necessary until  FY 24. The                                                                    
department expected the $224,000 to  be covered by fees. She                                                                    
confirmed  the number  equated to  inspection  of about  one                                                                    
device per day,  but the department could  inspect more than                                                                    
that number. There was other  x-ray equipment the department                                                                    
inspected  across  the   state;  therefore,  the  department                                                                    
expected to  cross-train the positions to  inspect x-ray and                                                                    
dental  equipment.  The  department anticipated  the  travel                                                                    
cost  would  be reduced.  She  shared  the cost  equated  to                                                                    
approximately $100  per devise per  year or $600  per device                                                                    
for six years.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Merrick invited Mr. Jason  Ball with DHSS to review                                                                    
Fiscal Note 2.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:30:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JASON BALL,  QUALITY ASSURANCE  MANAGER, DIVISION  OF HEALTH                                                                    
CARE  SERVICES, DEPARTMENT  OF  HEALTH  AND SOCIAL  SERVICES                                                                    
(via teleconference), reviewed Fiscal  Note 2 (control code:                                                                    
ARTso),  which included  $92,000  per year  on the  personal                                                                    
services  line  in  addition to  some  additional  commodity                                                                    
expenditure  related  to setting  up  the  new position.  He                                                                    
stated  there  was  an  impact   to  the  Medicaid  provider                                                                    
enrollment  component related  to  the  specialty piece  and                                                                    
implementing the specialty licenses  required by the federal                                                                    
government  at  initial  enrollment and  revalidation  on  a                                                                    
three to  five-year interval depending on  a provider's risk                                                                    
level.  The department  was required  to take  up a  body of                                                                    
work to  ensure providers were practicing  in their approved                                                                    
specialties. The  department had to ensure  the integrity of                                                                    
the claims billed on behalf  of newly created specialists on                                                                    
an ongoing basis in order to draw down federal funds.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Merrick asked  if the  departments  had any  input                                                                    
regarding Representative Carpenter's question.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:32:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster  MOVED to  report HCS  CSSB 173(FIN)  out of                                                                    
Committee   with   individual    recommendations   and   the                                                                    
accompanying fiscal notes.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
HCS CSSB 173(FIN)  was REPORTED out of  committee with seven                                                                    
"do  pass"  recommendations  and  four  "no  recommendation"                                                                    
recommendations and  with three previously  published fiscal                                                                    
impact notes: FN1 (DHS), FN2 (DHS), and FN3 (CED).                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
2:32:40 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:33:39 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED