Town Meeting Week Legislative Update - Time to Talk to Your Lawmakers!
Vermont Legislators are back in their home districts this week to attend Town Meeting and to take a mid-session break before "crossover week" and upcoming FY27 budget decisions in the House. Crossover is the last week for Committees to take action on bills in order for them to advance this session. If Committees fail to vote on bills before March 13th, they will be considered dead for the biennium. This is an opportune time for you to catch your lawmaker at home and ask for their support in helping to restore primary care budget cuts and to educate them on the potential impacts of some of this session's health care policies. Here is an update on some of the bills VMS is tracking right now, along with actions you can take to make your voice heard:
H.237, a bill that would allow doctoral-level psychologists to prescribe, passed the Senate Health and Welfare Committee by a vote of 4-1-0 and will head to the Senate floor for approval next week. Reach out to your Senator to urge them to vote against expanding the psychology scope of practice. As passed, the bill would require doctoral level psychologists who want to prescribe to:
- Complete a postdoctoral training program in psychopharmacology (we have asked for rulemaking authority to set stronger parameters on this as well);
- Complete at least 14-months of clinical rotations in not less than 5 practice settings, to include psychiatry, geriatrics, family practice or internal medicine, emergency medicine, and neurology, with details of acceptable practice settings to be specified in rulemaking by OPR.
- Have a collaborative practice agreement with an MD or DO who specializes in psychiatry;
- Not prescribe for patients under 18 years of age, over 80 years of age, or who are pregnant;
- Be limited from prescribing specific drugs or for specific conditions, to be specified in rulemaking by OPR.
S.64 - The Senate Health and Welfare Committee continues to get pushed by optometrists to pass S.64. Your emails are helping - please continue to reach out on the patient safety risks for Vermonters of expanding optometry scope of practice.
Please email the committee at: vlyons@leg.state.vt.us; mgulick@leg.state.vt.us; acummings@leg.state.vt.us; John.Morley@vtleg.gov; john.benson@vtleg.gov; Calysta.Koppenhaver@vtleg.gov
H.545, the bill regarding Vermont adopting its own immunization recommendations, was up for final approval on the House floor last week when action was postponed on the bill to allow for an amendment to come forth. Please reach out to your Representative and urge them to vote Yes on the bill as passed the Senate.
H.573, a bill that allows PAs to perform the first certification emergency evaluation for involuntary patients to receive mental health services passed the House Health Care Committee by a vote of 9-0-2 and heads to the House floor this week.
H.583, a bill regarding private equity, was up for discussion in the House Health Care Committee. The Chair of the Committee advocated for the Health Care Coalition to collaborate with the Health Care Advocate's Office on this legislation. The Health Care Coalition continues to support a version of the legislation that more narrowly achieves the goals of the bill. Action on this bill will be determined next week.
FY27 Budget - The House Appropriations Committee has 2 weeks to make their budget decisions and reportedly are dealing with difficult decisions as their has been $200 million in budget requests and the Committee only has $3 million in additional funds to allocate. The VMS has asked the Committee to restore proposed funding cuts to primary care payments from the Medicaid ACO, OCVT Population Health, and CPR tied to the ending of OneCare Vermont. We are also asking the Committee to restore the AHEC funding for both the cuts to the primary care workforce pipeline and educational loan repayment. The VMS has sent this funding request to the House Appropriations Committee to urge them to at least fund these critical primary care initiatives:
- Restore $1.27 m GF for AHEC programming, loan repayment and MD placement;
- Restore $2.01 m GF for DVHA $4.75 pmpm alternative payment to primary care;
- Include $3.31m gross for inflationary adjustment to primary care fee schedule;
- Remove sunset on the Medical Student Scholarship Program.
Please email the House Appropriations Committee before the end of this week:
rscheu@leg.state.vt.us; tbluemle@leg.state.vt.us; edickinson@leg.state.vt.us; jkascenska@leg.state.vt.us; wlaroche@leg.state.vt.us; mmrowicki@leg.state.vt.us; mnigro@leg.state.vt.us; tsquirrell@leg.state.vt.us; tstevens@leg.state.vt.us; dyacovone@leg.state.vt.us; mfeltus@leg.state.vt.us; autumn.crabtree@vtleg.gov
S.190, a bill for Green Mountain Care Board to establish reference-based pricing, is up for discussion and a possible vote next week in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.
S.197, the primary care payment bill, is up for a vote in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee next week. For more information please read Anne Morris', M.D., testimony. Please reach out to Senate Health and Welfare Committee members with your thoughts or written testimony: vlyons@leg.state.vt.us; mgulick@leg.state.vt.us; acummings@leg.state.vt.us; John.Morley@vtleg.gov; john.benson@vtleg.gov; Calysta.Koppenhaver@vtleg.gov
S.198, a bill that would ban the sale of deceptive nicotine devices and modernize the tobacco regulatory environment, is up for a vote next week in the Senate Economic Development Committee. This bill aims to better protect youth from the explosion of new emerging tobacco products and better regulate nicotine pouches, e‑cigarettes, alkaloids and other nicotine devices. The bill aims to separate the 2 for 1 tobacco license that is free with the purchase of an alcohol license and to close loopholes that allow retailers to buy vape products directly online. To learn more, click here.
Please reach out to the Committee and urge them to support youth health over profit:
aclarkson@leg.state.vt.us; kramhinsdale@leg.state.vt.us; tchittenden@leg.state.vt.us; rbrock@leg.state.vt.us; dweeks@leg.state.vt.us; cmead@leg.state.vt.us
S.278, the Senate Economic Development Committee is scheduled to take a vote on an omnibus cannabis bill looking to expand geographic density of retail shops, remove advertising restrictions, reduce excise taxes and provide more access to cannabis. Do you have information on the actual impact of use of high potency concentrates and cannabis use disorder, accidental ingestion, and cannabis hyperemesis syndrome?
Please reach out to the Committee regarding the public health impact of reducing regulation of cannabis sales on our communities: aclarkson@leg.state.vt.us; kramhinsdale@leg.state.vt.us; tchittenden@leg.state.vt.us; rbrock@leg.state.vt.us; dweeks@leg.state.vt.us; cmead@leg.state.vt.us
