Legislative Update 3-29-21

By Devon Green

Vice President of Government Relations

 

All the big spending bills have passed out of the House and are now in the hands of the Senate, including $650 million in spending of the COVID relief federal funding. As of now, we have limited information about the funding, and VAHHS will be keeping an eye out for further federal guidance.

 

Last Week

 

Budget: The House passed funding for the FY22 budget in H.439, including:

 

Federal COVID Funding: The House also laid out its priorities for spending $650 million of the federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The state will have an additional $600 million to allocate over the next few years. It should be noted that the Governor has not yet submitted a spending plan, and we are still waiting for further federal guidance. Plans include:

 

 

Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact: The Senate passed S.48, a bill which allows Vermont to enter the Interstate Nurse Compact. The bill now heads to the House, where it stalled last year. VAHHS supports this bill as a crucial component of workforce development.

 

VITL and COVID Vaccination Information: After a last-minute amendment stripped out the authority to share immunization data between the Vermont Department of Health and Vermont Information Technology Leaders, the Senate added the provision to a different must-pass bill, H.315, the state’s COVID Relief Bill. VAHHS supports this provision because it assists with the current COVID vaccination effort.

 

Competency to Stand Trial/Forensic System: The Senate also passed S.3, which creates a Forensic Care Working Group to do a gap analysis of the current mental health and criminal justice system and coordination of treatment for individuals incompetent to stand trial or adjudicated not guilty by reason of insanity.

 

Secure Residential Facility: The House passed H.438, which includes funding for a 16-bed secure residential facility to replace the Middlesex Therapeutic Community Residence. It also requires the Department of Mental Health to do a beds needs assessment for all levels of care in the mental health system.

 

Hospital Financial Update: VAHHS provided the Senate Health and Welfare Committee with a financial update on the state’s hospitals. VAHHS noted the impact of COVID on the hospitals and advocated for flexibility from the Green Mountain Care Board on the hospital budget process because hospitals have about a $3.2 million operating margin on a $2.4 billion system.