• • SCHA Workforce Legislative Priorities Continue to Advance as End of Session Nears
• • Suicide Prevention Legislation Moves One Step Closer to the Governor
• • Joint Resolution to Examine the State of Mental Health of SC Approved by Subcommittee
• • Hearings Continue on S. 2, DHEC Restructure
• • In Other News
• • Chamber Action
• • Committee Action

SCHA's Workforce Legislative priorities continue advancing.  The House approved S.455 (Davis), graduate nurse licensure, that would allow a graduate of an accredited nursing program to begin working in a healthcare setting immediately upon graduation under this new licensure category while waiting to take the NCLEX and receive their results. This practice has been implemented during the public health emergency but would cease when the pandemic ends if this bill is not passed. This is a top priority item for SCHA and our advocacy efforts paid off. Once ratified by both bodies, the bill will be sent to the Governor for approval. 

On Thursday, Senator Thomas Alexander received unanimous consent on his motion to recall H.3243 (Collins) from the Senate LCI Committee and have the bill placed on the calendar. This bill would allow non-citizens who are lawfully present in the U.S. and South Carolina and who have approval to work by a federal immigration authority to obtain occupational licenses through the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (LLR). SCHA has supported this measure to grow the qualified pool of individuals able to seek high-need jobs as well as to improve diversity in the healthcare workforce. Chances are favorable this bill will advance to the Governor before session ends next Thursday. 

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Another piece of legislation now on its way to the Governor is S. 231 (Shealy), the Student Identification Card Suicide Prevention Act. This bill requires public, private and charter schools and colleges, that issue student identification cards, to print the telephone number for national and local suicide prevention resources, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, on either side of the card. Advocated for on behalf of SCHA and the SCBHC, the bill was passed by the Senate and recently referred to the House Education Committee. With the legislative clock ticking, House Education Committee Chair, Rep. Rita Allison, recalled the bill from the Committee on Tuesday and it was placed on the calendar. By Thursday the House had voted overwhelming in favor of this meaningful piece of legislation. In SC, youth ages 15-19 have the highest suicide attempt rates of any age group in a lifespan and the rates for children ages 10-14 are increasing. Passage of this bill is an important step in getting resources made known to those who may be in need. 

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Wednesday morning the House 3M Social Services, Mental Health, and Children's Affairs Subcommittee IV moved favorably to the full Committee H.3888, a joint resolution to create a study committee to examine the state of mental health of South Carolina. Prior to approval, the subcommittee adopted two amendments. The bill's sponsor, Rep. John King, addressed the members, requesting an amendment to push back the date of implementation by one year (January 2023.) Rep. Jonathan Hill proposed a second amendment to change composition of the study committee, replacing the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate with chairs of the 3M Committee and Senate Medical Affairs Committee. Rep. Hill announced that he may propose additional amendments to include a consumer representative and data entity. With 3 legislative days remaining in this first year of the two-year session, the full Committee is not expected to meet.

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The Senate Medical Affairs Subcommittee on S. 2 (Peeler), a bill to create the Department of Behavioral and Public Health, met again this week and received testimony from key agency leaders, Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC, Sara Goldsby, DAODAS and Major General (ret.) William Grimsley, Department of Veterans Affairs. Subcommittee chair, Senator Harvey Peeler, announced that the subcommittee will continue to meet during the interim beginning in June. Under the leadership of Dr. Simmer, a small workgroup of agency and organizational leaders has been organized, by invitation, to discuss and analyze opportunities restructuring may provide and share them with the Subcommittee. Thornton Kirby and Dr. Gerald Wilson will serve on behalf of SCHA and the SC Behavioral Health Coalition (SCBHC) respectively. This bill has been introduced in the Senate each year for about 10 years and there is a will to move something forward next session. Recommendations from this workgroup will be significant.

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• Mandatory Medical Evacuations: Conversations advance on another SCHA priority, allowing coastal hospitals more discretion in evacuations. South Carolina is the only coastal state in which the Governor orders hospitals to evacuate during a hurricane threat. The Governor's hurricane roundtable met Thursday and DHEC Director, Dr. Simmer, shared changes to the current evacuation orders, allowing hospital executives to determine which hospital employees should evacuate and which should stay. Hospitals will only be required to evacuate patients whose conditions allow transport. SCHA has not seen the written plan yet, but that should come soon. Once we receive it, we will brief all coastal hospitals.
• Legislative Schedule: There are only three days remaining in the regular legislative session before the General Assembly adjourns at 5pm on Thursday, May 13. Beyond this date, only items included in a Sine Die resolution will be eligible for consideration, including the budget and reapportionment. The House Ways and Means Committee will continue to meet in May to iron out round two of their version of the 2021-22 appropriations bill, H. 4100. The Senate is expected to return in June for final adoption. We continue to carefully monitor negotiations to ensure efforts affecting healthcare are included in the final package. 2021 is the first year of a two-year session, so any legislation that is not enacted by the end of the regular session will remain in its place and can be picked up when the 2022 regular session begins in January. 
• CON Hearing Next Week: Next Wednesday, May 12 at 9:30am the Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee appointed to take up Certificate of Need legislation, S. 290 (Climer) and S. 370 (Talley), will meet in Room 207 of the Gressette building. Subcommittee members are Senators Tom Davis (Chair), Tom Corbin, Marlon Kimpson, Margie Bright Matthews and Richard Cash.

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• S.508 (Shealy) - a bill to allow a parent or legal guardian of a medical eligible child to request and revoke a Do Not Resuscitate order for emergency services for children - committee amendment adopted, received 2nd and 3rd reading and sent to the House 
• S.696 (Setzler) - a concurrent resolution to seek to destigmatize substance abuse disorder, share real stories of hope and recovery, and inspire Lexington county residents to seek help and support by choosing #courageoverstigma - approved by the House and returned to the Senate with concurrence

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• H. 3682 (Collins) - a bill to amend the Nurse Practice act to allow Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists to operate without physician supervision but through joint written protocol - approved, House 3M Subcommittee
• H.3938 (Tedder) - "South Carolina Inclusionary Housing Act," a bill to allow counties and municipalities to adopt voluntary inclusionary housing strategies to increase the availability of affordable housing - approved, House 3M Subcommittee
• S.630 (Davis) - a bill that would add behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts to the regulation of licensed and professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, addictions counselors, and psych-educational specialists - carried over, Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Subcommittee

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