Legislative Update 6.3.19  

On Friday the Senate Finance Committee completed its work on the state budget and the budget trailer bill (HB 1 and HB 2).  We are happy to report that the final version of the budget which the Committee is sending to the full Senate for a vote next week includes additional funding for rate increases for Medicaid providers and also increased funding for the state loan repayment program.  (These are provisions strongly supported by NHNPA and which were originally were included in SB 308.)  Although the funding amounts in HB 1 and HB 2 are below the levels that SB 308 would have established, the increases nevertheless are significant and are a major step forward on the healthcare workforce front. NHNPA and the coalition of other healthcare organizations which have been working on this issue will be strongly supporting what the Senate Finance Committee has done here.

 The full Senate will be voting on Thursday, and we expect the Senate to go along with the recommendation made by the Finance Committee. Assuming that is what happens, the budget will go back to the House for a decision on whether there will be (as there almost certainly will be) a Committee of Conference. Keep an eye out for further action alerts on this.