Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01540 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3		-	LCO 6497 1 of 4
	3	+	LCO No. 6497 1 of 5
4	4
5	5		General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1540
6	6		January Session, 2025
7	7		LCO No. 6497
8	8
9	9
10	10		Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
11	11
12	12
13	13		Introduced by:
14	14		(PH)
	15	+
15	16
16	17
17	18
18	19		AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
19	20		PEDIATRIC HOSPICE WORKING GROUP.
20	21		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
21	22		Assembly convened:
22	23
23	24		Section 1. Section 29 of public act 24-19 is repealed and the following 1
24	25		is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
25	26		(a) The chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General 3
26	27		Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health shall 4
27	28		establish a working group to examine hospice services for pediatric 5
28	29		patients across the state. The working group shall include, but need not 6
29	30		be limited to, the following members: 7
30	31		(1) At least one representative of each pediatric hospice association in 8
31	32		the state; 9
32	33		(2) One representative of each organization licensed as a hospice by 10
33	34		the Department of Public Health pursuant to section 19a-122b of the 11
34	35		general statutes; 12
35		-	(3) At least one representative of an association of hospitals in the 13 Raised Bill No. 1540
	36	+	(3) At least one representative of an association of hospitals in the 13
	37	+	Raised Bill No. 1540
36	38
37	39
38		-	LCO 6497 2 of 4
	40	+
	41	+	LCO No. 6497 2 of 5
39	42
40	43		state; 14
41	44		(4) One representative each of two children's hospitals in the state; 15
42	45		(5) One pediatric oncologist; 16
43	46		(6) One pediatric intensivist; 17
44	47		(7) The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing 18
45	48		committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 19
46	49		relating to public health; 20
47	50		(8) The Commissioner of Public Health, or the commissioner's 21
48	51		designee; and 22
49	52		(9) The Commissioner of Social Services, or the commissioner's 23
50	53		designee. 24
51	54		(b) [The] (1) On and before March 1, 2025, the working group shall be 25
52	55		responsible for the following: 26
53	56		[(1)] (A) Reviewing existing hospice services for pediatric patients 27
54	57		across the state; 28
55	58		[(2)] (B) Making recommendations for appropriate levels of hospice 29
56	59		services for pediatric patients across the state; and 30
57	60		[(3)] (C) Evaluating payment and funding options for pediatric 31
58	61		hospice care. 32
59	62		(2) On and after March 1, 2025, and before July 1, 2026, the working 33
60	63		group shall be responsible for developing recommendations for the 34
61	64		establishment of a Children's Health, Advocacy, Management and 35
62	65		Palliative Care program and, within such program, a Pediatric Palliative 36
63	66		and Hospice Care Center of Excellence pilot program, as described in 37
64	67		the working group's report submitted pursuant to subdivision (1) of 38
65	68		subsection (f) of this section, including, but not limited to, 39
66	69		recommendations regarding (A) appropriations necessary to establish 40
67		-	~~such program and pilot program, (B) requirements for the operation of 41~~ Raised Bill No. 1540
	70	+	Raised Bill No. 1540
68	71
69	72
70		-	LCO 6497 3 of 4
71	73
	74	+	LCO No. 6497 3 of 5
	75	+
	76	+	such program and pilot program, (B) requirements for the operation of 41
72	77		the pilot program, including, but not limited to, staff and facility 42
73	78		requirements, (C) education and curriculum requirements for nurses 43
74	79		participating in the pilot program or providing pediatric palliative or 44
75	80		hospice care services, and (D) any licensing or certification requirements 45
76	81		necessary for the operation of the pilot program or expanding the 46
77	82		provision of pediatric palliative or hospice care services in the state. 47
78	83		(c) The cochairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General 48
79	84		Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health shall 49
80	85		schedule the first meeting of the working group, which shall be held not 50
81	86		later than [sixty days after the effective date of this section] July 20, 2024. 51
82	87		(d) The members of the working group shall elect two chairpersons 52
83	88		from among the members of the working group. Not later than thirty 53
84	89		days after the effective date of this section, the chairpersons of the 54
85	90		working group shall schedule a meeting of the working group to initiate 55
86	91		work on the responsibilities described in subdivision (2) of subsection 56
87	92		(b) of this section. 57
88	93		(e) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 58
89	94		General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public 59
90	95		health shall serve as administrative staff of the working group. 60
91	96		(f) (1) Not later than March 1, 2025, the chairpersons of the working 61
92	97		group shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of 62
93	98		the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General 63
94	99		Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health 64
95	100		concerning the findings of the working group. 65
96	101		(2) Not later than March 1, 2026, the chairpersons of the working 66
97	102		group shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of 67
98	103		the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General 68
99	104		Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health 69
100	105		concerning the recommendations developed pursuant to subdivision (2) 70
101	106		of subsection (b) of this section. 71
102		-	~~Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than July 1, 2026, the 72~~ Raised Bill No. 1540
	107	+	Raised Bill No. 1540
103	108
104	109
105		-	LCO 6497 4 of 4
106	110
	111	+	LCO No. 6497 4 of 5
	112	+
	113	+	Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than July 1, 2026, the 72
107	114		Commissioner of Public Health shall, in collaboration with hospitals 73
108	115		and hospice agencies in the state, establish a Children's Health, 74
109	116		Advocacy, Management and Palliative Care program and, within such 75
110	117		program, a Pediatric Palliative and Hospice Care Center of Excellence 76
111	118		pilot program. Such pilot program shall (1) utilize best practices to 77
112	119		support the expansion of pediatric palliative and hospice care in the 78
113	120		state, and (2) include tracking of patient metrics to predict the scope of 79
114	121		future pediatric palliative and hospice care services needs in the state. 80
115	122		The commissioner may contract with a hospice agency in the state to 81
116	123		operate such pilot program. Not later than January 1, 2027, the 82
117	124		commissioner shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions 83
118	125		of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee 84
119	126		of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public 85
120	127		health regarding such pilot program. Such report shall include, but need 86
121	128		not be limited to, information regarding the number of pediatric 87
122	129		patients that received hospice care under the pilot program, a summary 88
123	130		of any relevant pilot program feedback received by the commissioner 89
124	131		from any patient, patient's family member, health care provider, 90
125	132		hospital or hospice agency and legislative recommendations for the 91
126	133		expansion of the Children's Health, Advocacy, Management and 92
127	134		Palliative Care program or the Pediatric Palliative and Hospice Care 93
128	135		Center of Excellence pilot program. 94
129	136		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
130	137		sections:
131	138
132	139		Section 1 from passage PA 24-19, Sec. 29
133	140		Sec. 2 from passage New section
134	141
135		-	PH Joint Favorable C/R APP
	142	+	Statement of Purpose:
	143	+	To (1) require the working group concerning pediatric palliative and
	144	+	hospice care to develop recommendations for the establishment of a
	145	+	Children's Health, Advocacy, Management and Palliative Care program
	146	+	and Pediatric Palliative and Hospice Care Center of Excellence pilot
	147	+	Raised Bill No. 1540
	148	+
	149	+
	150	+
	151	+	LCO No. 6497 5 of 5
	152	+
	153	+	program, and (2) require the Commissioner of Public Health to establish
	154	+	such programs.
	155	+
	156	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	157	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	158	+	underlined.]
136	159