03/24/2020 09:00 AM House FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 134                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to medical assistance reimbursement                                                                       
     for the services of licensed professional counselors;                                                                      
     and providing for an effective date."                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:36:58 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Johnston asked  her staff to review  the new fiscal                                                                    
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
ERIN  SHINE, STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE  JOHNSTON, reviewed  the                                                                    
fiscal note written  by the House Finance  Committee. It was                                                                    
brought to the committee's  attention that the mental health                                                                    
appropriation  bill had  already passed  from committee  and                                                                    
contained mental health general fund  funds that were in the                                                                    
previous fiscal note.  She reported a fund  source change to                                                                    
fund source  code 1004 which was  undesignated general funds                                                                    
(UGF). The change  in the amount of $911,200  could be found                                                                    
in the fund source section.  The change could be reversed in                                                                    
a subcommittee  or in  the budget  process in  the following                                                                    
year. Since  the mental health  bill had already  passed, it                                                                    
needed to be switched to general funds for the fiscal note.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Josephson asked  what fund  source was  used                                                                    
previously. Ms.  Shine replied that the  general fund mental                                                                    
health fund source code 1037 was  used. The fund was still a                                                                    
UGF fund  but coded differently  to track UGF  dollars spent                                                                    
on mental health items in the budget.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Knopp asked  for further  clarification. Ms.                                                                    
Shine responded  that it was  simply a designation  to track                                                                    
the funds  through a fund  source code. The fund  source was                                                                    
not to  be confused with  the fund source for  mental health                                                                    
authority receipts  (MTAR). It was a  designation of general                                                                    
fund dollars used for mental health purposes.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Foster MOVED  to report  SB 134  out of  Committee                                                                    
with individual recommendations  and the accompanying fiscal                                                                    
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SB  134 was  REPORTED  out  of committee  with  a "do  pass"                                                                    
recommendation and  with one new  fiscal impact note  by the                                                                    
House  Finance Committee  for the  Department of  Health and                                                                    
Social Services.