H_HHS_2025A 02/19/2025 01:35:24 PM Committee Summary

The bill sponsors provided closing comments on the bill.

The primary bill
sponsors, Representatives Brown and Froelich, introduced House Bill 25-1154
to the House Health and Human Services Committee. The bill creates the
Communication Services for People with Disabilities Enterprise (enterprise)
in the Department of Human Services (CDHS) to provide services and resources
for individuals who are blind, print-disabled, deaf, hard of hearing, or
deafblind. The bill moves programs and services currently managed by the
State Librarian in the Department of Education (CDE) and the Colorado Commission
for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind (commission) in CDHS to the
enterprise. Specifically, CDE’s Reading Services for the Blind program
and all of the commission’s programs and services are transferred to the
enterprise. The enterprise is governed by a Board of Directors appointed
by the Governor by June 1, 2025. It is designated as an enterprise for
the purposes of TABOR and any fee revenue collected is required to be less
than $100 million over its first five years of operation, which means voter
approval is not required.



The sponsors provided
a handout to the committee (Attachment B).

The bill sponsors provided closing comments on the bill.

The committee was placed in a brief recess.

The committee came back to order.

The primary bill
sponsors, Representatives Gilchrist and Froelich, introduced House Bill
25-1097 to the House Health and Human Services Committee. The bill requires
county departments of human services to develop placement transition plans
for a child any time a decision has been made by the county or the courts
to move the child to a new placement. This includes placements between
foster care homes, kinship foster care homes, and non-certified kinship
care homes, as well as placements back to the child’s home. Each plan
must include certain information on the logistics, communication frameworks,
and timelines for child placements. The Department of Human Services must
create a template for the placement plans by July 1, 2026, and a training
on the placement transition plan process, which county caseworkers must
complete within their first year of employment and every three years after.
Foster care parents or non-certified kinship care providers may also access
and complete the training.



The sponsors provided
a handout to the committee (Attachment D).

The bill sponsors responded to questions from the committee.

Tori Shuler, representing
Fostering Great Ideas, testified in support of the bill.



Stephanie Villafuerte,
representing Colorado Child Protection Ombudsman's Office, testified in
support of the bill.



Ashley Chase,
representing Office of the Child's Representative, testified in support
of the bill.



Korey Elger -
Technical Testimony, representing Colorado Department of Human Services,
was available to answer committee questions.

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

Kevin Neimond, representing
Colorado Counties, Inc. (CCI), testified to amend the bill.



Melanie Jordan,
representing Office of Respondent Parents' Counsel, testified to amend
the bill.



Ms. Mimi Scheuermann,
representing City and County of Denver, testified to amend the bill.



Mollie Warren,
representing Boulder County, testified to amend the bill.



Mike Valentine,
representing Arapahoe County, testified to amend the bill.



Elaine Castillo,
representing themself, testified to amend the bill.

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

Mitchell DeVito,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.



Jody Britton,
representing Foster Source, testified in support of the bill.



Nyomi Davis, representing
themself, testified in support of the bill.



Olivia Stephan,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.



Jack Parks-Montgomery,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.



Ms. Nicole Diaz,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

Nikole Montgomery,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.



Linda Arzaga,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.



Ms. Kate Radley
Ellis, representing themself, testified in support of the bill.



Additional written
testimony was submitted to the committee (Attachment E).

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

The bill sponsors
responded to questions about L.003.



Alana Rosen, representing
the Office of Legislative Legal Services, responded to questions from the
committee.

The bill sponsors provided closing comments on the bill.

The primary bill
sponsors, Representatives Hartsook and Stewart R., introduced House Bill
25-1151 to the House Health and Human Services Committee. The bill requires
the Department of Regulatory Agencies to adopt rules that permit the batching
of health insurance claims for arbitration, so that they may considered
jointly under the same arbitration fee and payment determination.



The bill sponsors
provided a handout to the committee (Attachment J).

Mr. Kevin McFatridge,
representing Colorado Association of Health Plans, testified in opposition
to the bill.



Ms. Jill Mullen,
representing Colorado Division of Insurance, testified in opposition to
the bill.



Kris Hathaway,
representing AHIP, testified in opposition to the bill.



Ms. Isabel Cruz,
representing Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, testified in opposition
to the bill.

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

Dr. Jasmeet Dhaliwal,
representing Colorado Chapter American College of Emergency Physicians,
testified in support of the bill.



Dr. Paul Pukurdpol,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.



Dr. Kim Warner,
representing Colorado Medical Society, testified in support of the bill.



Dr. David Friedenson,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.



Julian Sanchez,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

Dr. Rebecca Kornas,
representing Colorado ACEP, testified in support of the bill.



Dr. Randy Pilgrim,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.



Dr. Kristen Nordenholz,
representing Colorado ACEP (Amercian College of Emergency Physicians),
testified in support of the bill.



Dr. Ramnik Dhaliwal,
representing American College of Emergency Medicine and Colorado Medical
Society, testified in support of the bill.

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

The committee was placed in a brief recess.

The committee came back to order.

Kristine McLaughlin, representing the Legislative Council Staff, responded to committee questions about the fiscal note.

The primary bill sponsors provided closing comments on the bill.

Members of the committee provided closing comments on the bill.

The committee came back to order.

The sponsors responded to questions from the committee.

Mindy Gates, representing
Colorado Department of Human Services, testified to amend the bill.



Ms. Erica Gannett,
representing Behavioral Health Administration, testified to amend the bill.

Mr. Scott Feldt,
representing Disabled American Veterans, testified to amend the bill.



Ms. Brittany Costa,
representing The Sturm Center, testified to amend the bill.



Michelle Kalkowski,
representing Colorado Council of Chapters, Military Officer Association
of America, testified to amend the bill.

Ms. Amy Moore, representing
The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Red Rock, testified in support
of the bill.



Mr. Joshua Martin,
representing Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Red Rock, testified
in support of the bill.



Katie Wolf, representing
Denver Health, testified in support of the bill.



Bob McLaughlin,
representing Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, testified to amend the
bill.



Additional written
testimony was submitted to the committee (Attachment O).

The primary bill sponsors provided closing comments on the bill.

Members of the committee provided closing comments on the bill.

The committee was placed in a brief recess.

The committee came back to order.

Dr. Michael Kapsa,
representing America's Agenda, testified in support of the bill.



Ms. Hunter Nelson,
representing Small Business Majority, testified in support of the bill.



Liz Waddick, representing
Colorado Education Association, testified in support of the bill.



Ms. Rebecca Gillett,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

Mr. Patrick Boyle,
representing Pharmacy Care Management Association, testified in opposition
to the bill.



Meghan Dollar,
representing Colorado Chamber of Commerce, testified in opposition to the
bill.



Kris Hathaway,
representing AHIP, testified in opposition to the bill.



Rachel Lee, representing
CVS Health, was available to answer committee questions.



Mr. Kevin McFatridge,
representing Colorado Association of Health Plans, testified in opposition
to the bill.

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

Katie Wolf, representing
Colorado Retail Council, testified in support of the bill.



Mr. John Christen,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.



Mr. Evan Conant,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.

Dr. Emily Zadvorny,
representing Colorado Pharmacists Society, testified to amend the bill.



Mr. Chris Holmes,
representing Capitol Heights Pharmacy, testified to amend the bill.



Dr. Kristin Holmes,
representing Capitol Heights Pharmacy, testified to amend the bill.



Dr. Joseph Poling,
representing RxPlus Pharmacies and Good Day, testified to amend the bill.



Ms. Selena Owen,
representing RxPlus Pharmacies and Gem Pharmacy, testified to amend the
bill.



Dr. Lucas Smith,
representing RxPlus Pharmacy, Buena Vista Drug and Salida Pharmacy and
Fountain, testified to amend the bill.



Dr. Ky Davis,
representing RxPlus Pharmacies and Harris Pharmacy, testified to amend
the bill.

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

Dr. Robert Levin,
representing Alliance for Transparent and Affordable Prescriptions (ATAP),
testified in support of the bill.



Marissa Hallo,
representing Center for Health Progress, testified in support of the bill.

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

Mr. Mark Blum, representing
PBM Accountability Project, testified in support of the bill.



Dr. Hope Nakazato,
representing Capital Rx, testified in support of the bill. Amanda Boone,
representing themself, testified in support of the bill.



Bridget Seritt,
representing Advocates for CoPassionate Therapy Now, testified in support
of the bill.



Additional written
testimony was submitted to the committee (Attachment Q).

The panel responded to questions from the committee.

The bill sponsors responded to questions from the committee.

The bill sponsors provided closing comments on the bill.

Members of the committee provided closing comments on the bill.