Weekly Legislative Agenda and Actions to Take

Full Practice Authority, PCP in Medicaid, and other

Medical Society bills could be heard soon.

Some nursing-related bills are on the House Public Health Welfare and Labor Committee’s Regular Agenda, which could be heard on March 7th or March 9th. Whether they are, is hard to tell.  Please refer to the attached Committee Agenda for specific bills and the order in which they may be heard.

 Highlights for the upcoming House PHWL meetings this week:

• HB 1182 (PCP) and HB 1186 (Removal of Collaborative Practice Agreement) are on the "Regular" agenda for Tuesday, March 7th. 
• HB 1228 (Schedule II), HB 1254 (BOM regulation of APRNs), and HB 1525 (BOM and ARSBN joint process for APRNs) are on the “Deferred List” for Tuesday, March 7th, so they cannot be heard until 2 days after they have been moved. 
• On Thursday, March 9th, a "Special Order" is also on the agenda, which could take a long time, due to being controversial.  It is HB 1629, the Freedom of Conscience bill, which would permit health professionals to refuse providing any type of care based on their beliefs.

 Please stay alert for future Legislative Updates and Action Alerts. Be aware that this is a time in the legislative session when circumstances can change very quickly and it is important to keep informed. In the meantime, keep communicating with your legislators to educate them about nursing issues and the bills written to address them.

 You can access the www.nursesforarkansas.com website and the ANPA Facebook page to stay updated https://www.facebook.com/Arkansas-Nurse-Practitioner-Association-177076869145677/ .

 We need NURSES at the Capitol during the House Public Health Welfare and Labor Committee meetings as a show of support. Arriving early for these meetings provides an excellent opportunity for you to talk to the legislators serving on the Committee. If your schedule can accommodate it, please try to be available at the Capitol this week, especially on Thursday, Mar. 9th.

 And…we especially want to Thank You for all that you are doing to improve access to care in our state. For any questions or if you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us at arkansasroundtablenetwork@gmail.com

Your Friends

The Arkansas Nurse Practitioner Association

in Collaboration with the Arkansas Nursing Policy Roundtable and Nurses for Arkansas.