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2012 Session of the Mississippi Legislature


News from the State Capitol

The 2012 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature began on January 3, 2012.   The first several weeks have focused on organizational activities.

Listed below are selected health-related bills that have been introduced so far this session.  Click on the bill number to access a copy of the bill.  In order to remain active, general bills must be approved by the committees to which they are referred by March 6.

Bill # Title & Primary Sponsor
HB     1 Hospitals; Department of Health shall authorize to establish and operate off-campus emergency departments. (Weathersby)
HB     4 Motorcycle helmets; exempt Shriners while participating in a parade. (Zuber)
HB    13 Low-speed vehicles/golf carts; authorize use of on certain public highways, roads and streets. (Upshaw)
HB    17 Vulnerable persons; revise law. (Buck 72th)
HB    28 Medicaid and CHIP; redetermination of eligibility for shall be available by mail in hardship cases. (Evans 91st)
HB    32 Health insurance policies; require coverage for certain obesity treatments. (Clark)
HB    37 School social workers and psychologists; authorize districts to employ and receive partial state reimbursement for salaries. (Clark)
HB    41 Headlights; require to be used whenever windshield wipers necessitated. (Holloway)
HB    45 All-terrain vehicles; require owners to obtain a certificate of number. (Clark)
HB    50 Social workers; issue license to certain persons who work for certain public entities.(Clark)
HB    51 Statewide System of Care; reduce reliance on institutions and expend home- and community-based services. (Clark)
HB    56 Medicaid; redetermination of eligibility for shall be available by mail. (Clark)
HB    58 Bill of Rights for patients and residents of health care facilities; provide. (Evans 90th)
HB    63 Medicaid; provide that Private Fee-for-Service plans services shall be covered in a pilot program. (Hines)
HB    64 Appropriation; Department of Health to establish and operate two STD/HIV specialty clinics.(Hines)
HB    65 Health; State Health Officer shall develop program to close the gap in health status of gender and racial groups. (Hines)
HB    67 CON; issue for psychiatric facility beds in Washington County. (Hines)
HB    68 Child care facilities and family child care homes; require emergency preparedness plans for evacuation or protection of children. (Hines)
HB    73 Appropriation; Department of Health for HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment programs/services. (Hines)
HB    78 Comprehensive eye examination; require for certain students upon enrollment in public school or private school approved by the SBE. (Hines)
HB    80 Health insurance policies; require coverage for hearing aids for dependent children. (Hines)
HB    82 Nursing homes; require to purchase and maintain a minimum amount of liability insurance. (Hines)
HB    88 Bicycle passing laws; provide for a felony when violation results in serious injury or death. (Rogers 14th)
HB    96 University of Mississippi Medical Center - ACT Center Fund; require annual transfer of funds from State General Fund to. (Moak)
HB  101 Immunizations; allow parents with bona fide belief that such will harm children to be exempt from requirements. (Horne)
HB  138 Medicaid; require testing of applicants and recipients for illegal drugs. (Upshaw)
HB  143 Seat belt; provide that failure to provide and use may be admissible in evidence to prove failure to mitigate damages. (Upshaw)
HB  147 Hospital records; patient shall be given copy of before being retired or destroyed. (Holland)
HB  148 Hospitals; require to provide certain medical records to other hospitals when transferring patients to them. (Holland)
HB  149 Medicaid; create Medicaid Commission to administer program and abolish Division of Medicaid. (Holland)
HB  176 Newborns; require testing of oxygen saturation level before discharge from hospital. (Aldridge)
HB  199 "Health Careers Academy"; create for students in Grades 9 through 12. (Scott)
HB  201 School curriculum; require students to receive additional instruction in healthy living. (Scott)
HB  202 Outdoor advertising; prohibit promoting or marketing alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and fast food in certain areas. (Scott)
HB  203 Comprehensive sex education; require to be taught in Grades K through 12. (Scott)
HB  210 Healthcare Coordinating Council; require to make a report on specific health goals for the state. (Scott)
HB  215 Preexisting condition; prohibit abuse-related medical condition from being. (Scott)
HB  220 Nursing education; unspent TANF funds shall be spent to pay expenses of persons enrolled as part of workforce training. (Scott)
HB  221 Body mass index (BMI); require schools to collect for certain students and provide to parents with an explanation. (Scott)
HB  223 Medicaid; require participation in medical home concept and require obese persons to participate in online program on obesity. (Scott)
HB  224 Mississippi Comprehensive Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act; create. (Scott)
HB  225 Comprehensive School Health Education Program; include additional components in and require school nurse to teach. (Scott)
HB  227 Health screening; require annually for Medicaid, CHIP and State Health Plan recipients and participants. (Scott)
HB  228 TANF and Medicaid; require teenage recipients of to participate in programs about birth control, abstinence and parenting. (Scott)
HB  232 School nutrition; require school districts to serve low-fat meals and snacks to students diagnosed as overweight. (Scott)
HB  234 Medicaid; children under age 18 in foster care are eligible for.(Scott)
HB  252 Health insurance; require providers to allow children under 30 who are veterans to be covered under parent's policy. (Scott)
HB  253 Nursing schools and programs; make eligible for funding to increase faculty if increase enrollment proportionately. (Scott)
HB  254 Nursing education; require community colleges to offer online program for LPNs to obtain associate degree in. (Scott)
HB  256 Health and human services agencies; require to prepare videos with certain information for benefit recipients and others. (Scott)
HB  258 Institutions for aged or infirm; increase penalties for establishing or operating without a license. (Buck 72nd)
HB  259 Life jackets; increase minimum age of person required to wear on certain vessels. (Clark)
HB  265 Motorcycles; create safety and operator training program. (Martinson)
HB  283 HIV/AIDS testing; require for offenders in state custody upon release. (Evans 70th)
HB  292 Candy; prohibit sale of that mimics tobacco. (Evans 91st)
HB  301 Nursing homes; require to purchase and maintain a minimum amount of liability insurance. (Evans 91st)
HB  302 Children's products; ban phthalates and other ingredients from. (Evans 91st)
HB  307 Cigarettes; increase excise tax on. (Evans 91st)
HB  308 Tobacco; increase excise tax on all products except cigarettes. (Evans 91st)
HB  316 Children's Health Insurance Program; transfer administration of to Division of Medicaid.(Chism)
HB  317 Office of Mississippi Physician Workforce; establish within MDA. (Mims)
HB  323 Midwives; provide for licensure of practice of midwifery. (Zuber)
HB  345 Public schools; require student wellness be included as an individual educational component in public school curriculum. (Dixon)
HB  350 School buses; require school districts to equip with seat belts and purchase those with seatbelts after July 1, 2012. (Dixon)
HB  364 Acupuncture Practice Act; revise definition of acupuncture and delete physician referral requirement. (Smith 39th)
HB  412 Psychologists; extend repealer on the education and supervised experience requirements for licensure. (Formby)
HB  417 Physical therapists; extend repealer on certain provisions relating to licensing and discipline of. (Formby)
HB  419 Nursing home administrators; extend repealer on licensure requirements for. (Formby)
HB  420 Dental insurance; extend repealer on prohibition against certain providers in contracts between healthcare entities & dentists. (Formby)
HB  421 Medicaid; extend repealers on various provisions in Medicaid program. (Formby)
HB  423 Prescription drugs; drug task forces shall collect from residential sources for disposal by Narcotics Bureau. (Mims)
HB  427 Appropriation; MS Development Authority for Office of Mississippi Physician Workforce. (Mims)
HB  461 School guidance counselors; establish pilot program in certain school districts with high incidences of teen pregnancy or school violence. (Clarke)
HB  477 Health insurance plans; require to cover acupuncture treatments. (Lane)
HB  479 State and School Employees' Health Ins. Plan; auth. board to impose premium differential based on behavioral risk factors. (Chism)
HB  496 Medicaid; redetermination of eligibility for shall be available by mail, and prohibit face-to-face requirement. (Scott)
HB  497 Small business health insurance pool; create. (Scott)
HB  498 CON; issue for nursing home in Jones County. (Scott)
HB  499 Appropriation; Health Department to provide funding to federally qualified health centers. (Scott)
HB  500 Health Disparities Council; create. (Scott)
HB  501 Appropriation; Health Department for additional funds for Office of Health Disparity Elimination. (Scott)
HB  505 Driver's license; require passage of vision screening exam upon renewal. (Martinson)
HB  516 Dialysis treatment; require facilities providing to maintain backup power supply for dialysis machines. (Harrison)
HB  521 Body mass index (BMI); require schools to collect for certain students and provide to parents with an explanation. (Gardner)
HB  534 State Health Insurance Plan; delete repealer on obesity treatment program. (Holland)
HB  535 Farmers' markets; authorize county and municipal governing authorities to donate funds for the support of. (Barker)
HB  538 Retirement medical benefits account; establish for state officers and employees. (Moak)
HB  540 School property and facilities; authorize shared use agreements for public recreation and sports. (Barker)
HB  546 Medicaid; bring forward sections for purposes of amendment.(Holland)
HB  548 Health care providers; provide for a lien on certain third-party payment for services to patient or policyholder. (Chism)
HB  556 Prescription drugs; drug task forces shall collect from residential sources for disposal by Narcotics Bureau. (Mims)
HB  560 Health insurance; prohibit issuance of policy restricting insurer from assigning benefits to provider. (Chism)
HB  563 Lien; allow for hospitals against damages recovered by patient. (Chism)
HB  565 Wireless interactive communication; prohibit use of by a person operating a motor vehicle. (Broomfield)
HB  566 Personal care homes; require licensure and regulation if they provide living arrangements for one or more persons. (Broomfield)
HB  610 Rural Physicians Recruitment and Retention Incentive Grant Program Act; create. (Brown 66th)
HB  614 Crimes; create for using cell phone without hands-free accessories while driving. (Clarke)
HB  615 Wireless interactive communication; prohibit use of by a person operating a motor vehicle. (Clarke)
HB  632 CON; issue for additional ICF-MR beds at community living program for developmentally disabled adults in Madison County. (Martinson)
HB  649 Headlights; require to be used whenever windshield wipers necessitated. (Horne)
HB  650 Pharmacy benefit managers; require to inform plan sponsors of any rebates received from drug manufacturers. (Howell)
HB  659 Mississippi Clinical Laboratory Science Practice Act; create. (Howell)
HB  665 Medicaid; recipients shall be subject to random drug tests for eligibility to continue receiving benefits. (Moore)
HB  684 CON; organize various provisions of CON law into separate code sections. (Morgan)
HB  703 State employees health insurance plan; extend repealer on requirement that state pay certain amounts toward cost of. (Formby)
HB  715 Health insurance; require certain health insurance policies to provide coverage for autism spectrum disorders. (Eaton)
HB  734 Medical providers; limit charges for photocopying patients' records. (Barker)
HB  749 Anatomical Gift Act, Revised Mississippi Uniform; delete repealer on. (Formby)
HB  766 Comprehensive Health Insurance Risk Pool Association; increase membership of board of directors. (Chism)
HB  768 State Health Insurance Management Board; revise to allow Commissioner of Insurance to be represented by his designee. (Chism)
HB  771 Medical malpractice; remove statute of limitations. (Dixon)
HB  777 Hospitals; provide lien against damages. (Johnson)
HB  781 State health plan; prohibit false claims. (Moak)
HB  786 Hand-held mobile telephones; prohibit writing, sending or reading a text message while operating a moving motor vehicle. (Johnson)
HB  810 Medicaid; require to establish a Medicaid Medical Home Shared Savings Program. (Frierson)
HB  816 Health insurance policies; authorize Commissioner of Insurance to approve or disapprove premium rates. (Chism)
HB  818 Mississippi Respiratory Care Practice Act; make technical revisions to. (Mims)
HB  819 State Department of Health regulations for advanced life support personnel; define EMT-Paramedic Critical Care. (Mims)
HB  824 Tobacco; prohibit possession by minors. (Gipson)
HB  828 Interagency Council or Farm to School; establish. (Barker)
HB  842 Obesity; extend repealer on program providing bariatric surgery under state employees health plan. (Formby)
HB  855 Health insurance; require all public universities and colleges to provide as option for all students. (Johnson)
HB  869 Medicaid; authorize reimbursement for licensed professional counselors. (Flaggs)
HB  871 Mental health; bring forward statutes relating to. (Mims)
HB  872 Radiological health entities; State Board of Health shall set applicable fees for. (Clark)
HB  892 Smokefree Air Act of 2012; enact. (Baria)
HB  893 Smoke-free Air Act of 2012; enact. (Clark)
HB  894 Portable electronics insurance; require licensure of vendors to sell policies. (Chism)
HB  899 Patient's Right to Informed Health Care Choices Act; create. (Mims)
HB  915 CON: issue for nursing facility in Jackson to provide care to ventilator dependent pediatric patients. (Clarke)
HB  917 Sickle Cell Disease; create task force to study growing incidence and available treatment options. (Watson)
HB  951 All-terrain vehicles; establish ownership registration network for. (Perkins)
HB  953 Hospitals; require to notify patients before referring patient's account to collection agency. (Sullivan)
HB  956 Medicaid; persons eligible for TANF shall be eligible for; and redetermination of eligibility for shall be available by mail. (Evans 70th)
HB  965 Newborns; require hospitals to perform pulse oximetry screening on after birth. (McGee)
HB  977 University Medical Center; prohibit requiring a release of claims before treatment. (Bailey)
HB  979 Medical examiners; increase maximum monthly salary for chief examiners and fee for death investigation reports. (Moak)
HB  988 Medicaid; services provided by prescribed pediatric extended care centers shall be reimbursable under. (Aldridge)
HB  989 Prescribed pediatric extended care centers; provide for licensure of by State Department of Health. (Aldridge)
HB  997 Deputy State Insurance Administrator; delete requirement that State Health Insurance Management Board must employ. (Chism)
HB  999 Autopsy; consent must be obtained from deceased's relative before being performed. (Dixon)
HB 1003 Smoke-Free Air Act of 2012; enact. (Dixon)
HB 1006 Surgical procedures; require recording of with video device and maintained for four years. (Dixon)
HB 1028 MS Autism Advisory Committee; revise certain provisions regarding composition and compensation of members. (Holland)
HB 1050 Medicaid and CHIP; redetermination of eligibility for shall be available by mail in hardship cases. (Baria)
HB 1052 "Bill of Rights" for patients and residents of health care facilities; provide. (Baria)
HB 1055 Nursing facilities; licensing agency shall require to carry a minimum amount of liability insurance. (Baria)
HB 1062 Health care workers; require to have criminal history records check once every 3 years. (Taylor)
HB 1063 Seat belt laws; revise penalties for violation of. (Taylor)
HB 1065 Stillborn children; require death certificate for, and require notice to parents that they may obtain birth certificate for. (Williams-Barnes)
HB 1071 Medicare Advantage plans & Prescription Drug plans; provide civil & criminal penalties for violating federal marketing restrictions on. (Currie)
HB 1073 State institutions; patients admitted for less than three months not required to pay social security disability benefits to the institution. (Currie)
HB 1074 Hospices; prohibit issuance of new licenses for unless specifically authorized by legislation. (Currie)
HB 1076 Motor vehicles; authorize the operation of low-speed electric vehicles on certain public roads. (Mettetal)
HB 1082 Speech- Language Pathologists Master's Degree Loan Forgiveness Program; establish. (Mettetal)
HB 1084 Medicaid Managed Care Program; direct PEER Committee to make report on. (Mettetal)
HB 1100 Youth sports concussions and head injuries; provide procedures and education requirements. (McGee)
HB 1105 State Health Insurance Plan; require written notice to members at age 64 that they must enroll in Medicare at age 65. (Cockerham)
HB 1111 Board of Pharmacy; authorize DFA to purchase and sell property on behalf of for new facility. (Read)
HB 1120 Motorcycle crash helmets; revise laws regarding. (Moak)
HB 1135 Medicaid; make make various amendments to Medicaid laws. (Howell)
HB 1137 State health insurance; require same co-pay/deductible for prescription drugs whether obtained from retail pharmacy or by mail order. (Chism)
HB 1138 Wireless interactive communication; prohibit by operator of motor vehicle and make secondary offense until January 1, 2014. (Banks)
HB 1147 Mental Health; reconstitute membership of board and revise qualifications of executive director. (Currie)
HB 1151 Certification to practice orthotics or prosthetics; exempt pharmacists and pharmacies. (Hamilton)
HB 1154 Medicaid; require to establish a Medicaid Medical Home Shared Savings Program. (Currie)
HB 1171 Crisis Intervention Teams; revise various provisions of laws providing for. (Currie)
HB 1174 Child care facility licensing agency; transfer from Health Department to Department of Human Services. (Barker)
HB 1175 State Board of Funeral Service; extend repealer and amend various licensing laws. (Mims)
HB 1193 Medicaid; provide for a database of electronic medical records of Medicaid recipients, with access by Medicaid providers. (Scott)
HB 1203 Motorcycle crash helmets; revise certain laws regarding. (Zuber)
HB 1205 Mississippi Food Freedom Act; enact to provide greater autonomy to private producers of agricultural or farm products. (Brown 20th)
HB 1217 Physician Freedom of Vaccine Choice Act; enact. (Read)
HB 1236 Health insurance; counties and municipalities may pay full cost of premiums for reemployed retirees. (Horan)
HC    46 Constitution; amend to prohibit laws compelling any person, employer or health care provider to participate in any health care plan. (Monsour)
   
SB 2003 "Mississippi Free Health Clinic Volunteers in Medicine Act"; enact. (Burton)
SB 2004 Community hospital services in certain counties; authorize direct negotiation with hospital in adjoining county to provide. (Jackson 11th)
SB 2005 Medicaid recipients; redetermine eligibility every 6 months. (Flowers)
SB 2006 Ambulance service providers; impose certain requirements for transporting patients across county lines. (Burton)
SB 2007 Vaccinations; allow exemption from school attendance with certificate from physician. (Fillingane)
SB 2009 Mississippi Commission on Long-Term Care Residences for the Future; create (Burton)
SB 2016 Smoking; prohibit in a motor vehicle carrying a child passenger. (Frazier)
SB 2038 Distinctive motor vehicle license tags; prohibit receipt by Medicaid recipients. (Flowers)
SB 2052 Appropriations FY2013; State Department of Health, Taborian Urgent Care Center medical services. (Simmons 12th)
SB 2053 Appropriation FY2013; SDH operate two STD/HIV clinics in underserved areas of the state. (Jackson 11th)
SB 2080 Seat-belts; revise exemptions to cover mechanics. (Wilemon)
SB 2103 Motorcycle helmets; technical correction for name of entity with approval authority. (Hudson)
SB 2107  Health care insurance; no person, employer or health care provider shall be required to participate in any health care plan. (Watson)
SB 2112  Health care certificate of need; remove moratorium on home health agencies. (Jordan)
SB 2121  Cell phones; limit use and prohibit texting while driving. (Hudson)
SB 2122  Texting; prohibit while driving. (Butler 38th)
SB 2123  Headlights; require use of when windshield wipers necessary. (Wilemon)
SB 2126  Headlights; require use during precipitation. (Hudson)
SB 2149 School bus drivers; school districts may pay health insurance premium of retirees employed as school bus drivers. (Jackson 32nd)
SB 2173 Health insurance; require health insurance policies and State Health plan to cover autism spectrum disorders. (Stone)
SB 2174 Speech-Language Pathologists Master's Degree Loan Forgiveness Program; establish. (Burton)
SB 2182 Civil actions against health care providers; provide for inadmissibility of certain statements of apology. (Wiggins)
SB 2208 Medicaid program; extend repealers on Division of Medicaid, services and hospital assessment. (Kirby)
SB 2216 Physicians who self-refer diagnostic imaging tests; limit billing options. (Watson)
SB 2237 Mandatory student physical education requirements; provide teacher and administrator licensure suspension if not followed. (Collins)
SB 2240 Texting; prohibit while driving for all ages. (Collins)
SB 2243 Hospitals; require to provide certain medical records to other hospitals when transferring patients to them. (Collins)
SB 2250 Employment Security Law; exclude services performed by individuals in the delivery of newspapers regardless of age. (Clarke)
SB 2252 Marihuana; allow medical use by seriously ill patients under doctor's supervision.(Dawkins)
SB 2253 Disabilities; authorize designation of certain on driver's licenses or ID cards. (Tollison)
SB 2267 Mississippi Acupuncture Practice Act; clarify definition of acupuncture and make technical revisions. (Burton)
SB 2271 Youth sports concussions and head injuries; provide procedures and education requirements. (Watson)
SB 2272 Random nicotine testing; require for Medicaid recipients. (McDaniel)
SB 2293 SNAP (food stamp) purchases; direct DHS to limit to healthy food and beverages. (Stone)
SB 2303 Medical records; revise entities charged a reasonable fee for providing. (Fillingane)
SB 2318 Point-of-sale fee for Trauma Care Systems Fund; applies only to motorcycles and not all-terrain vehicles. (Parks)
SB 2320 Health insurance policies; require coverage for colorectal cancer examinations. (Dawkins)
SB 2324 Dental insurance; delete repealer on prohibitions against certain provisions in provider contracts. (Carmichael)
SB 2329 Hospital licensure; authorize off-campus emergency departments. (Lee)
SB 2335 Practice of midwifery; establish board and provide standards for licensure. (Gollott)
SB 2345 Tobacco Tax Law; notification of revocation of permits may be made manually or electronically. (Fillingane)
SB 2347 Agriculture; authorize the commissioner to adopt license categories for retail food establishments. (Hudson)
SB 2350 Health insurance; require certain health insurance policies to provide coverage for autism spectrum disorders. (Montgomery)
SB 2356 Transportation; require MDOT to develop a complete streets program. (Dawkins)
SB 2365 Cottage food operations; exempt certain from health department regulation. (Fillingane)
SB 2366 Cottage food production operations; exempt from regulation by the State Board of Health. (Montgomery)
SB 2387 Medicaid Managed Care Program; direct PEER Committee to make report on. (Jackson 32nd)
SB 2389 Civil actions against health care providers; provide for inadmissibility of certain statements of fault or apology. (Wiggins)
SB 2392 Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Care Practitioners Act; enact. (Fillingane)
SB 2409 School cafeteria workers; provide state-funded insurance on a phased-in basis. (Harden)
SB 2410 Office of Occupational Safety and Health; State Department of Health shall establish. (Harden)
SB 2411 Personal care homes; create program of Medicaid assistance payments for. (Harden)
SB 2436 SREB contract program at Southern College of Optometry; students not required to practice in Mississippi. (Wilemon)
SB 2460 Licensed hospitals; SDH adopt regulations to allow off-campus emergency departments. (Horhn)
SB 2476 CON for nursing facility in any underserved minority zip code area in the state; authorize. (Horhn)
SB 2479 Child drop-off with emergency medical services provider law; clarify parent anonymity under. (Burton)
SB 2485 Health insurance; prohibit policies that restrict insured from assigning benefits to provider.
SB 2488 School premises liability; provide for shared use and public access to school buildings. (Massey)
SB 2489 State Health Insurance Management Board; authorize to impose premium differential based on risk factors. (Carmichael)
SB 2490 Appropriation; University of Mississippi Medical Center Medicaid reimbursements; additional for FY2012. (Burton)
SB 2526 Professional art therapists; update educational qualifications for licensure. (Bryan)
SB 2527 Mississippi Respiratory Care Practice Act; make technical revisions to. (Bryan)
SB 2528 Health care facility licensure and inspection fees; authorize State Board of Health to set. (Bryan)
SB 2529 Licensure fees for radiological health entities; State Board of Health determines. (Bryan)
SB 2530 State Department of Health regulations for advanced life support personnel; define EMT-Paramedic Critical Care. (Bryan)
SB 2545 Appropriations; Mississippi Department of Health, Sunflower County Prevention of Teen Pregnancy Pilot Program. (Simmons 13th)
SC 521  Constitution; amend to prohibit laws compelling any person, employer or health care provider to participate in any health care plan. (Watson)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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