0001|                            HOUSE BILL 338
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                          EDWARD C. SANDOVAL
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|             FOR THE HEALTH AND WELFARE REFORM COMMITTEE
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0009|     
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0010|                                AN ACT
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0011|     CREATING THE LEGISLATIVE HEALTH CARE TASK FORCE; MAKING AN
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0012|     APPROPRIATION; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
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0013|     
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0014|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0015|          Section 1.  HEALTH CARE TASK FORCE CREATED--
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0016|     TERMINATION.--There is created a joint interim legislative
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0017|     task force that shall be known as the "health care task
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0018|     force".  The task force shall function from the date of its
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0019|     appointment until December 1 prior to the first session of the
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0020|     forty-fourth legislature.
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0021|          Section 2.  MEMBERSHIP--APPOINTMENT--VACANCIES.--
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0022|               A.  The health care task force shall be composed of
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0023|     twelve voting legislative members and ten voting
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0024|     nonlegislative members.  The speaker of the house of
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0025|     representatives shall appoint six members of the house of
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0001|     representatives, one of whom shall be the chairman or vice
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0002|     chairman of the legislative health and human services
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0003|     committee, and the president pro tempore of the senate shall
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0004|     appoint six members of the senate, one of whom shall be the
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0005|     chairman or vice chairman of the legislative health and human
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0006|     services committee.  The speaker of the house of
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0007|     representatives and the president pro tempore of the senate
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0008|     shall designate the chairman and vice chairman of the task
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0009|     force.
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0010|               B.  Members of the health care task force shall be
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0011|     appointed from each house to give the two major political
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0012|     parties in each house the same proportional representation on
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0013|     the task force as prevails in each house; however, in no event
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0014|     shall either party have less than one member from each house
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0015|     on the task force.  Vacancies on the task force shall be
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0016|     filled by appointment in the same manner as the original
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0017|     appointments.
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0018|               C.  No action shall be taken by the health care
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0019|     task force if a majority of the total membership from either
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0020|     house on the health care task force rejects the action.
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0021|               D.  The nonlegislative members of the health care
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0022|     task force who do not serve ex officio shall be appointed by
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0023|     the speaker of the house of representatives and the president
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0024|     pro tempore of the senate as follows:
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0025|                    (1)  two public members representing the
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0001|     business community, one representing small employers and one
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0002|     representing large employers;
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0003|                    (2)  a public member who is an attorney with
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0004|     expertise in the area of health care;
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0005|                    (3)  a health care reform advocate; and
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0006|                    (4)  two members of a Native American nation,
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0007|     tribe or pueblo of this state.
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0008|               E.  The additional nonlegislative members shall be:
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0009|                    (1)  the secretary of human services or the
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0010|     secretary's designee;
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0011|                    (2)  the secretary of health or the
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0012|     secretary's designee;
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0013|                    (3)  a representative of the New Mexico health
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0014|     policy commission; and
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0015|                    (4)  the superintendent of insurance or the
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0016|     superintendent's designee.
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0017|               F.  The public members shall be paid per diem and
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0018|     mileage in accordance with the provisions of the Per Diem and
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0019|     Mileage Act.
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0020|          Section 3.  DUTIES.--After the health care task force
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0021|     members are appointed, the task force shall hold one
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0022|     organizational meeting to develop a work plan and budget for
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0023|     the ensuing interim.  The work plan and budget shall be
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0024|     submitted to the legislative council for approval.  Upon
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0025|     approval of the work plan and budget by the legislative
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0001|     council, the task force shall review health care reform
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0002|     issues, including making efforts to:
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0003|               A.  facilitate an ongoing partnership between the
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0004|     legislative and executive branches and bring together various
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0005|     groups working on health care reforms to:
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0006|                    (1)  improve the health status of New
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0007|     Mexicans;
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0008|                    (2)  enhance access to medical services with a
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0009|     commitment to protecting vulnerable populations; 
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0010|                    (3)  strengthen the currently existing local
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0011|     health care infrastructure, both private and public, to ensure
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0012|     appropriate access to needed services;
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0013|                    (4)  protect the quality of health care from
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0014|     erosion for cost savings; and
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0015|                    (5)  improve the efficiency of health care
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0016|     delivery; 
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0017|               B.  consider and investigate the supply and
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0018|     distribution of the state's health professional work force to
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0019|     determine what providers and infrastructure are necessary for
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0020|     health care delivery, including the development of priorities
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0021|     for geographic access of health care service in the state to
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0022|     revise the composition of health professionals to meet the
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0023|     health care service needs of the state;
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0024|               C.  investigate legal, regulatory and policy issues
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0025|     affecting health care services in the state, including managed
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0001|     care in general, the medicaid managed care program and the
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0002|     state children's health insurance program in particular;
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0003|               D.  oversee developments to the health information
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0004|     system, including the efforts of the health information
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0005|     alliance, the initiation of confidential health information

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0006|     and patient privacy legislation and consumer report cards;
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0007|               E.  investigate the role of the university of New
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0008|     Mexico health sciences center regarding its service mission as
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0009|     a vital education institution in the state and its role in
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0010|     filling the gaps of health care service where the private
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0011|     sector is unable to deliver service;
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0012|               F.  create and sustain an ongoing dialogue with
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0013|     representatives from New Mexico Indian nations, tribes and
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0014|     pueblos to discuss health care issues related to Native
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0015|     American people, the role of the Indian health service as a
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0016|     provider of health care services and the integration of the
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0017|     medicaid managed care program and the state children's health
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0018|     insurance program with the Indian health service and Indian
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0019|     communities;
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0020|               G.  provide legislative oversight of the
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0021|     implementation of health care reform measures, health care
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0022|     delivery and payment proposals and changes in federal and
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0023|     state law that impact health care reform programs that become
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0024|     law; and 
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0025|               H.  recommend legislation or changes, if any are
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0001|     found to be necessary, to the first session of the forty-
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0002|     fourth legislature.
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0003|          Section 4.  SUBCOMMITTEES.--Subcommittees shall be
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0004|     created only by majority vote of all members appointed to the
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0005|     health care task force and with the prior approval of the
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0006|     legislative council.  A subcommittee shall be composed of at
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0007|     least one member from the senate and one member from the house
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0008|     of representatives, and at least one member of the minority
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0009|     party shall be a member of the subcommittee.  Any meeting or
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0010|     expenditure of a subcommittee shall be approved by the full
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0011|     task force in advance of that meeting or expenditure, and the
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0012|     approval shall be shown in the minutes of the task force.  
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0013|          Section 5.  REPORT.--The health care task force shall
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0014|     make a report of its findings and recommendations for the
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0015|     consideration of the first session of the forty-fourth
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0016|     legislature.  The reports and suggested legislation shall be
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0017|     made available to the legislative council, the legislative
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0018|     finance committee, the legislative health and human services
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0019|     committee, the New Mexico health policy commission and the
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0020|     governor on or before November 30 preceding each session.
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0021|          Section 6.  STAFF.--The staff for the health care task
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0022|     force shall be provided by the legislative council service,
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0023|     and the staff of the New Mexico health policy commission shall
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0024|     assist the health care task force as requested.  The
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0025|     legislative council service at the direction of the task force
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0001|     may hire additional staff as necessary and may contract with
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0002|     experts, including economists, actuaries and the bureau of
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0003|     business and economic research at the university of New
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0004|     Mexico, to assist the task force in carrying out its work.
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0005|          Section 7.  APPROPRIATION.--For the purpose of paying the
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0006|     salaries and expenses of the technical, professional, legal,
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0007|     clerical and stenographic assistants; for necessary equipment
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0008|     and supplies used in carrying out the provisions of this act;
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0009|     for travel expenses for staff and task force members; and for
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0010|     reimbursing the per diem and mileage expenses of the health
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0011|     care task force, there is appropriated to the legislative
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0012|     council service from the general fund the sum of one hundred
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0013|     thousand dollars ($100,000) for expenditure in fiscal year
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0014|     1999.  Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the
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0015|     end of fiscal year 1999 shall revert to the general fund. 
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0016|     Payments from the appropriation shall be made on vouchers
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0017|     signed by the director of the legislative council service or
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0018|     the director's authorized representative.
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0019|          Section 8.  EMERGENCY.--It is necessary for the public
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0020|     peace, health and safety that this act take effect
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0021|     immediately.
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0022|                              
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