HLS 20RS-267 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 6
BY REPRESENTATIVES EDMONDS, AMEDEE, BACALA, HORTON, CHARLES
OWEN, AND THOMAS
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES: Creates and provides for the Joint Medicaid Oversight
Committee
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To adopt Joint Rule No. 11 of the Joint Rules of the Senate and House of Representatives,
3 to establish the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee to monitor, review, and make
4 recommendations relative to all aspects of the state Medicaid program.
5 WHEREAS, because spending on the medical assistance program, which is operated
6pursuant to Title XIX of the Social Security Act and known as the state Medicaid program,
7comprises approximately forty percent of the total budget of the state of Louisiana, cost
8containment in the state Medicaid program is an urgent priority of this state; and
9 WHEREAS, it is vital to prevent fraud and abuse committed by any healthcare
10provider or by any other person participating in the state Medicaid program, including
11Medicaid enrollees, and to negate the adverse effects of Medicaid fraud and abuse on the
12fiscal integrity and public health of this state as part of the state's cost containment efforts;
13and
14 WHEREAS, approximately thirty-five percent of the state's citizens are Medicaid
15enrollees, therefore it is also vital to find effective and beneficial ways to assist people in
16living healthier and more productive lives and thereby reducing reliance on the Medicaid
17program as part of the state's cost containment efforts.
18 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana finds it
19appropriate and necessary to create a special joint committee to monitor, review, and make
Page 1 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 20RS-267 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 6
1recommendations relative to all aspects of the state Medicaid program and to provide for the
2appropriate oversight and study of the state Medicaid program and its administration.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of Louisiana that Joint Rule No.
411 of the Joint Rules of the Senate and House of Representatives is hereby adopted to read
5as follows:
6 Joint Rule No. 11. Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee; membership; powers,
7 functions, duties
8 A.(1) The Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee is hereby created and shall
9 consist of the following members of the House of Representatives and of the Senate:
10 (a) Six members of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker
11 of the House of Representatives in a manner to reflect the makeup of the membership
12 of the House of Representatives, including party affiliation, race, sex, and geography,
13 to the extent practicable. Three of the members appointed by the speaker shall be
14 members of the House Committee on Appropriations, and three of the members
15 appointed by the speaker shall be members of the House Committee on Health and
16 Welfare.
17 (b) Six members of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate in
18 a manner to reflect the makeup of the membership of the Senate, including party
19 affiliation, race, sex, and geography, to the extent practicable. Three of the members
20 appointed by the president shall be members of the Senate Committee on Finance,
21 and three of the members appointed by the president shall be members of the Senate
22 Committee on Health and Welfare.
23 (2) The special joint committee shall select a chairman and a vice chairman
24 from among its members.
25 (3) The staff of the House Committee on Health and Welfare, the Senate
26 Committee on Health and Welfare, the House Committee on Appropriations, the
27 Senate Committee on Finance, the legislative fiscal office, and the legislative auditor
28 shall provide staff support to the special joint committee.
Page 2 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 20RS-267 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 6
1 B. The special joint committee shall monitor, review, and make
2 recommendations relative to all aspects of the state Medicaid program on a
3 continuing basis as provided in this Paragraph.
4 (1) The special joint committee shall:
5 (a) Review how the state Medicaid program relates to the public and private
6 provision of health care coverage in this state and the other states.
7 (b) Recommend policies and strategies to encourage both of the following:
8 (i) Medicaid recipients' physical and mental ability to join and stay in the
9 workforce and ultimately become self-sufficient.
10 (ii) Healthy living, resulting in less use of the state Medicaid program.
11 (c) Review the compliance of the Louisiana Department of Health with all
12 applicable laws and regulations relative to the state Medicaid program.
13 (d) Recommend, to the extent the special joint committee deems appropriate,
14 improvements in laws, rules, and regulations concerning the state Medicaid program.
15 (e) Develop a plan of action for the future of the state Medicaid program.
16 (2) The special joint committee may:
17 (a) Plan, advertise, organize, and conduct forums, conferences, and other
18 meetings, in which representatives of state agencies and other individuals with
19 expertise in the state Medicaid program may participate, to increase knowledge and
20 understanding of and to develop and propose improvements to the state Medicaid
21 program.
22 (b) Prepare and issue reports on the state Medicaid program.
23 C. The special joint committee may call upon the staffs of any department,
24 agency, or official of the state, particularly those of the Louisiana Department of
25 Health or its successor, for data and assistance, and all departments, agencies, and
26 officials shall cooperate with the special joint committee. The special joint
27 committee may request and utilize the assistance of any and all private sources.
Page 3 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 20RS-267 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 6
1 D. The special joint committee shall have the power and authority of a
2 standing committee of either house to hold hearings, to require the production of
3 books and records, and to do all other things necessary to discharge its duties.
4 E. The special joint committee shall meet regularly to fulfill its functions and
5 duties and, no later than thirty days prior to each regular session, shall report all of
6 its activities and recommendations to the presiding officer of each house, the
7 governor, the House Committee on Health and Welfare, the Senate Committee on
8 Health and Welfare, the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee
9 on Finance, and the Louisiana Department of Health or its successor.
10 F. For the purposes of this Rule, the term "state Medicaid program" shall
11 mean the medical assistance program operated pursuant to Title XIX of the Social
12 Security Act.
13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the speaker of the House of Representatives and
14the president of the Senate shall appoint the members of the special joint committee no later
15than thirty days after adoption of this Concurrent Resolution.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a member of the special joint committee
17designated by the speaker of the House of Representatives shall call the first meeting of the
18special joint committee, no later than ten days after all of the members are appointed, and
19shall preside until the special joint committee selects a chairman and a vice chairman.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 6 Original 2020 Regular Session Edmonds
Abstract: Establishes a special joint committee, the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee,
to monitor, review, and make recommendations relative to all aspects of the state
Medicaid program.
Proposed Joint Rule creates the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee to monitor, review, and
make recommendations relative to all aspects of the state Medicaid program, and provides
that the committee shall be composed of:
(1)Six members of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker to reflect the
makeup of the membership of the House of Representatives, to the extent
practicable. Three members shall be members of the House Committee on
Page 4 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 20RS-267 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 6
Appropriations and three shall be members of the House Committee on Health and
Welfare.
(2)Six members of the Senate appointed by the president to reflect the makeup of the
membership of the Senate, to the extent practicable. Three members shall be
members of the Senate Committee on Finance and three members shall be members
of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare.
Proposed Joint Rule provides that the joint committee shall select a chairman and a vice
chairman from among its members and shall receive staff support from the committee staff
of the House health and welfare committee, the Senate health and welfare committee, the
House appropriations committee, the Senate finance committee, the legislative fiscal office,
and the legislative auditor.
Proposed Joint Rule requires the joint committee to:
(1)Review how the Medicaid program relates to the public and private provision of
healthcare coverage in this state and the U.S.
(2)Recommend policies and strategies to encourage both of the following:
(a)Medicaid recipients being physically and mentally able to join and stay in the
workforce and ultimately becoming self-sufficient.
(b)Healthy living, resulting in less use of the Medicaid program.
(3)Review the compliance of the La. Dept. of Health with all applicable laws and
regulations.
(4)Recommend, to the extent the joint committee deems appropriate, improvements in
laws, rules, and regulations concerning the Medicaid program.
(5)Develop a plan of action for the future of the Medicaid program.
Proposed Joint Rule authorizes the joint committee to:
(1)Plan, advertise, organize, and conduct forums, conferences, and other meetings to
increase knowledge and understanding of and to develop and propose improvements
in the Medicaid program.
(2)Prepare and issue reports on the Medicaid program.
Proposed Joint Rule provides that the joint committee shall have the power and authority of
a standing committee of either house to hold hearings, require the production of books and
records, and do all other things necessary to discharge its duties. Requires the joint
committee to conduct regular meetings to fulfill its functions and duties and, no later than
30 days prior to each regular session, to report all of its activities and recommendations to
the presiding officer of each house, the governor, the House health and welfare committee,
the Senate health and welfare committee, the House appropriations committee, the Senate
finance committee, and the La. Dept. of Health or its successor. Provides that the joint
committee may call upon the staffs of any department, agency, or official of the state,
particularly the La. Dept. of Health, for data and assistance and may request and utilize the
assistance of any and all private sources.
Proposed resolution requires the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate to
appoint the members of the joint committee no later than 30 days after its adoption and
requires a member of the joint committee designated by the speaker to call the first meeting
Page 5 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 20RS-267 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 6
of the joint committee no later than 10 days after all of the members are appointed and to
preside until the joint committee selects a chairman and a vice chairman.
(Adds Joint Rule No. 11)
Page 6 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.