Substitute House Bill No. 6155
Public Act No. 15-154
AN ACT CONCERNING NOTIFICATION OF MEDICAID WAIVER AND MEDICAID STATE PLAN AMENDMENT PROPOSALS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 17b-8 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2015):
(a) The Commissioner of Social Services shall submit an application for a federal waiver or renewal of such waiver of any assistance program requirements, except such application pertaining to routine operational issues, and any proposed amendment to the Medicaid state plan to make a change in program requirements that would have required a waiver were it not for the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, P. L. 111-148, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, P. L. 111-152 to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies prior to the submission of such application or proposed amendment to the federal government. Not later than thirty days after the date of their receipt of such application or proposed amendment, the joint standing committees shall: (1) Hold a public hearing on the waiver application, or (2) in the case of a proposed amendment to the Medicaid state plan, notify the Commissioner of Social Services whether or not said joint standing committees intend to hold a public hearing. Any notice to the commissioner indicating that the joint standing committees intend to hold a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Medicaid state plan shall state the date on which the joint standing committees intend to hold such public hearing, which shall not be later than sixty days after the joint standing committees' receipt of the proposed amendment. At the conclusion of a public hearing held in accordance with the provisions of this section, the joint standing committees shall advise the commissioner of their approval, denial or modifications, if any, of the commissioner's waiver application or proposed amendment. If the joint standing committees advise the commissioner of their denial of the commissioner's waiver application or proposed amendment, the commissioner shall not submit the application for a federal waiver or proposed amendment to the federal government. If such committees do not concur, the committee chairpersons shall appoint a committee of conference which shall be composed of three members from each joint standing committee. At least one member appointed from each joint standing committee shall be a member of the minority party. The report of the committee of conference shall be made to each joint standing committee, which shall vote to accept or reject the report. The report of the committee of conference may not be amended. If a joint standing committee rejects the report of the committee of conference, that joint standing committee shall notify the commissioner of the rejection and the commissioner's waiver application or proposed amendment shall be deemed approved. If the joint standing committees accept the report, the committee having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies shall advise the commissioner of their approval, denial or modifications, if any, of the commissioner's waiver application or proposed amendment. If the joint standing committees do not so advise the commissioner during the thirty-day period, the waiver application or proposed amendment shall be deemed approved. Any application for a federal waiver, waiver renewal or proposed amendment submitted to the federal government by the commissioner, pursuant to this section, shall be in accordance with the approval or modifications, if any, of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies.
(b) If in developing the budget for the department for the next fiscal year, the commissioner contemplates applying for a federal waiver or submitting a proposed amendment to the federal government, the commissioner shall notify the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services of the possibility of such application or proposed amendment.
(c) [Prior] Thirty days prior to submission of an application for a waiver from federal law, renewal of such waiver or proposed amendment to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly under subsection (a) of this section, the Commissioner of Social Services shall publish a notice that the commissioner intends to seek such a waiver or waiver renewal, or submit a proposed amendment to the federal government in the Connecticut Law Journal and on the Department of Social Services' Internet web site, along with a summary of the provisions of the waiver application or the proposed amendment and the manner in which individuals may submit comments. The commissioner shall allow [fifteen] thirty days for written comments on the waiver application or proposed amendment prior to submission of the application for a waiver, waiver renewal or proposed amendment to the General Assembly under subsection (a) of this section and shall include all written comments with the waiver, waiver renewal application or proposed amendment in the submission to the General Assembly.
(d) The commissioner shall include with any waiver application or proposed amendment submitted to the federal government pursuant to this section: (1) Any written comments received pursuant to subsection (c) of this section; and (2) a complete transcript of the joint standing committee proceedings held pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, including any additional written comments submitted to the joint standing committees at such proceedings. The joint standing committees shall transmit any such materials to the commissioner for inclusion with any such waiver application or proposed amendment.