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2015 Legislative Review

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2015 Legislative Review 2 015 legislative review nhca legislative review TABLE OF CONTENTS Page NALA Government Relations Committee ....................................................................................................................... 1 NNFA Government Relations Committee ....................................................................................................................... 1 LPNAN Legislative Committee .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2 The 104th Nebraska Legislature ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Bills of Interest Signed into Law ...................................................................................................................................... 4-6 Bills of Interest Withdrawn .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Bills of Interest to be Carried Over to 2016 Session .................................................................................................... 8-15 2015 Interim Study Resolutions ................................................................................................................................... 16-17 LR 181 ............................................................................................................................................................................ 18-19 Aging Nebraskans Task Force ......................................................................................................................................... 20 Advocacy is a Year-Round Process ............................................................................................................................... 21 June 2015 nehca.org nhca legislative review nebraska nursing facility association NALA GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE nebraska Deb Welk, Chair, Immanuel Communities, Omaha assisted living association Kelly Anderson, Golden LivingCenter – Sidney, Sidney John Croghan, The Landing at Williamsburg Village, Lincoln nebraska Dee Fritz, The Evergreen, O’Neill health care learning center Terrence Hoffman, Wakefield Health Care Center, Wakefield Mark Iverson, Immanuel Village, Omaha licensed practical nurse Dawn Jacobs, Golden LivingCenter – Scottsbluff, Scottsbluff association of nebraska Barb Nuxoll, Stone Hearth Estates, Gothenburg Jayne Prince, The Willows, Neligh Sandra Whitley, Ensign Facility Services, Mission Viejo, Calif. nebraska hospice & Melissa VanDeWalle, Golden LivingCenter – Fullerton palliative care association Linda Zinnell, Seneca Sunrise, Ravenna Ex Officio, Carol Ernst, Eastmont Towers Community, Lincoln nebraska Ex Officio, Heath Boddy, Nebraska Assisted Living Association health care foundation NNFA GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE Shari Terry, Chair, Vetter Health Services, Elkhorn Linda Anderson, Countryside Home, Madison Jalene Carpenter, South Haven Living Center, Wahoo Sharon Colling, Lantern Health Services, Waverly Dianna Epp, Good Samaritan Society – Syracuse, Syracuse Amy Fish, Lancaster Rehabilitation Center, Lincoln Pamela Griffin, Birchwood Manor, North Bend Dawn Jacobs, Golden LivingCenter – Scottsbluff, Scottsbluff Mitch Jevne, The Ambassador Omaha, Omaha Charliss Marshall, Sunrise Country Manor, Milford Theresa Parker, Southeast Community College, Lincoln Roy Schneider, Duff Memorial Nursing Home, Nebraska City Melissa VanDeWalle, Golden LivingCenter – Fullerton Sandra Whitley, Ensign Facility Services, Mission Viejo, Calif. Ex Officio, John Turner, Immanuel Fontenelle, Omaha Ex Officio, Heath Boddy, Nebraska Nursing Facility Association LPNAN LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE Maxine Guy, Chair, Omaha Janet Andrew, Auburn Tim Summerlin, Lincoln Judy Wolverton, Omaha June 2015 - 1 - nehca.org nhca legislative review INTRODUCTION The Nebraska Health Care Association’s legislative agenda is directed by our members. The legislative bills listed and described in this report are those for which the Nebraska Nursing Facility Association and the Nebraska Assisted Living Association’s Government Relations Committees and the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Nebraska’s Legislative Committee recommended official positions. These committees are comprised of individual members of each association. 2015 marked the opening session for the 104th Legislature. It was a 90-day session that convened on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, and adjourned sine die one day early on May 29, 2015. The term sine die means without setting a future date for reconvening. In other words, they could be called back into a special session by the Governor or two-thirds (33) of the Legislature before next January, if necessary. This year, 663 legislative bills were introduced; and each one was heard by the proper standing committee. NHCA staff and representatives from its family of associations testified before four standing committees on 14 separate issues and monitored an additional 29 bills. As you might guess, many other bills did not require testimony, but did require behind-the-scenes work with policy makers, their staff, and other stakeholders. This year, the Nebraska Health Care Association’s top legislative priority was securing an increase in Medicaid provider rates. NHCA lobbied the Legislature for a larger increase than the 2 percent initially proposed by Gov. Pete Ricketts and successfully secured a 2.25 percent increase in the version of the budget that was passed and signed into law. We were very fortunate to once again have such a good session – but it would not have been possible without the engagement and strong support of the membership. THANK YOU! June 2015 - 2 - nehca.org NEBRASKA’S 104TH LEGISLATURE Dist. Senator Hometown Year Appointed Year Elected Years Re-elected Term Limited 17 Bloomfield Hoskins 2010 2012 N/A 2016 25 Campbell Lincoln 2008 2012 2016 27 Coash Lincoln 2008 2012 2016 13 Cook Omaha 2008 2012 2016 35 Gloor Grand Island 2008 2012 2016 21 Haar Malcolm 2008 2012 2016 37 Hadley Kearney 2008 2012 2016 39 McCoy Omaha 2008 2012 2016 5 Mello Omaha 2008 2012 2016 7 Nordquist Omaha 2008 2012 2016 47 Schilz Ogallala 2008 2012 2016 41 Sullivan Cedar Rapids 2008 2012 2016 16 Brasch Bancroft 2010 2014 2018 8 Harr Omaha 2010 2014 2018 10 Krist Omaha 2009 2010 2014 2018 40 Larson O’Neill 2010 2014 2018 22 Schumacher Columbus 2010 2014 2018 14 Smith Papillion 2010 2014 2018 29 Bolz Lincoln 2012 2020 11 Chambers Omaha 2012 1970, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 2020 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 45 Crawford Bellevue 2012 2020 43 Davis Hyannis 2012 2020 9 Howard Omaha 2012 2020 23 Johnson Wahoo 2012 2020 31 Kolowski Omaha 2012 2020 49 Murante Gretna 2012 2020 33 Seiler Hastings 2012 2012 2020 19 Scheer Norfolk 2012 2020 15 Schnoor Scribner 2014 N/A 2020 1 Watermeier Syracuse 2012 2020 30 Baker Lincoln 2014 2022 6 Craighead Omaha 2014 2022 32 Ebke Crete 2014 2022 34 Friesen Henderson 2014 2022 3 Garrett Bellevue 2013 2014 2022 42 Groene North Platte 2014 2022 26 Hansen Lincoln 2014 2022 4 Hilkemann Omaha 2014 2022 44 Hughes Venango 2014 2022 2 Kintner Papillion 2012 2014 2022 24 Kolterman Seward 2014 2022 38 Kuehn Heartwell 2014 2022 18 Lindstrom Omaha 2014 2022 20 McCollister Omaha 2014 2022 46 Morfeld Lincoln 2014 2022 28 Pansing Brooks Lincoln 2014 2022 12 Riepe Omaha 2014 2022 48 Stinner Gering 2014 2022 36 Williams Gothenburg 2014 2022 June 2015 - 3 - nehca.org nhca legislative review – bills of interest signed into law BILLS OF INTEREST SIGNED INTO LAW In Numerical Order LR 33: Provide the Executive Board appoint a special committee to be known as the ACCESSNebraska Special Investigative Committee of the Legislature Sponsor: Bob Krist (Omaha, LD 10) NNFA/NALA Position: Support Effective Date: March 2, 2015 This resolution authorized the continuation of the ACCESSNebraska Special Legislative Committee of the Legislature, which was originally established in 2014. This special committee will provide legislative oversight of the continual improvement of the ACCESSNebraska system. LB 37: Adopt the Prescription Drug Safety Act and change and transfer pharmacy, prescription and drug provisions Sponsor: Bob Krist (Omaha, LD 10) LPNAN Position: Monitor NNFA/NALA Position: Monitor Effective Date: Aug. 30, 2015 This bill created the Prescription Drug Safety Act to provide rules for the prescribing, storage, dispensing, and record keeping of noncontrolled prescription drugs. The bill updated many provisions and definitions within the Pharmacy Practice Act and deleted outdated language and unnecessary references. It also transferred language from the Drug Product Selection Act provisions into the Pharmacy Practice Act and added sections relating to hospital pharmacy, compounding and reconstitution requirements and standards, prescription and chart orders, electronic prescribing requirements, and pharmacist supervision of technicians and pharmacist interns. Lastly, it removed the requirements for written control procedures for pharmacy technicians, harmonized statutes found throughout the various pharmacy acts, and required certification of pharmacy technicians by Jan. 1, 2017. LB 90: Change provisions for directed review under the Nebraska Regulation of Health Professions Act
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