ENROLLED
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 6
BY REPRESENTATIVES EDMONDS, AMEDEE, BACALA, HORTON, CHARLES
OWEN, AND THOMAS
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To adopt Joint Rule No. 11 of the Joint Rules of the Senate and House of Representatives,
to establish the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee to monitor, review, and make
recommendations relative to all aspects of the state Medicaid program.
WHEREAS, because spending on the medical assistance program, which is operated
pursuant to Title XIX of the Social Security Act and known as the state Medicaid program,
comprises approximately forty percent of the total budget of the state of Louisiana, cost
containment in the state Medicaid program is an urgent priority of this state; and
WHEREAS, it is vital to prevent fraud and abuse committed by any healthcare
provider or by any other person participating in the state Medicaid program, including
Medicaid enrollees, and to negate the adverse effects of Medicaid fraud and abuse on the
fiscal integrity and public health of this state as part of the state's cost containment efforts;
and
WHEREAS, approximately thirty-five percent of the state's citizens are Medicaid
enrollees, therefore it is also vital to find effective and beneficial ways to assist people in
living healthier and more productive lives and thereby reducing reliance on the Medicaid
program as part of the state's cost containment efforts.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana finds it
appropriate and necessary to create a special joint committee to monitor, review, and make
recommendations relative to all aspects of the state Medicaid program and to provide for the
appropriate oversight and study of the state Medicaid program and its administration.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of Louisiana that Joint Rule No.
11 of the Joint Rules of the Senate and House of Representatives is hereby adopted to read
as follows:
Joint Rule No. 11. Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee; membership; powers,
functions, duties
A.(1) The Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee is hereby created and shall
consist of the following members of the House of Representatives and of the Senate:
(a) Six members of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker
of the House of Representatives in a manner to reflect the makeup of the membership
of the House of Representatives, including party affiliation, race, sex, and geography,
to the extent practicable. Three of the members appointed by the speaker shall be
members of the House Committee on Appropriations, and three of the members
appointed by the speaker shall be members of the House Committee on Health and
Welfare.
(b) Six members of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate in
a manner to reflect the makeup of the membership of the Senate, including party
affiliation, race, sex, and geography, to the extent practicable. Three of the members
appointed by the president shall be members of the Senate Committee on Finance,
and three of the members appointed by the president shall be members of the Senate
Committee on Health and Welfare.
(2) The special joint committee shall select a chairman and a vice chairman
from among its members. The position of chairman and vice chairman for the
special joint committee shall rotate in even-numbered years on the second Monday
in January between the members of the House of Representatives and the members
of the Senate who serve on the committee.
(3) The staff of the House Committee on Health and Welfare, the Senate
Committee on Health and Welfare, the House Committee on Appropriations, the
Senate Committee on Finance, the legislative fiscal office, and the legislative auditor
shall provide staff support to the special joint committee.
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B. The special joint committee shall monitor, review, and make
recommendations relative to all aspects of the state Medicaid program on a
continuing basis as provided in this Paragraph.
(1) The special joint committee shall:
(a) Review how the state Medicaid program relates to the public and private
provision of healthcare coverage in this state and the other states.
(b) Recommend policies and strategies to encourage both of the following:
(i) Medicaid recipients' physical and mental ability to join and stay in the
workforce and ultimately become self-sufficient.
(ii) Healthy living, resulting in less use of the state Medicaid program.
(c) Review the compliance of the Louisiana Department of Health with all
applicable laws and regulations relative to the state Medicaid program.
(d) Recommend, to the extent the special joint committee deems appropriate,
improvements in laws, rules, and regulations concerning the state Medicaid program.
(e) Develop a plan of action for the future of the state Medicaid program.
(2) The special joint committee may:
(a) Plan, advertise, organize, and conduct forums, conferences, and other
meetings, in which representatives of state agencies and other individuals with
expertise in the state Medicaid program may participate, to increase knowledge and
understanding of and to develop and propose improvements to the state Medicaid
program.
(b) Prepare and issue reports on the state Medicaid program.
C. The special joint committee may call upon the staffs of any department,
agency, or official of the state, particularly those of the Louisiana Department of
Health or its successor, for data and assistance, and all departments, agencies, and
officials shall cooperate with the special joint committee. The special joint
committee may request and utilize the assistance of any and all private sources.
D. The special joint committee shall have the power and authority of a
standing committee of either house to hold hearings, to require the production of
books and records, and to do all other things necessary to discharge its duties.
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E. The special joint committee shall meet regularly to fulfill its functions and
duties and, no later than thirty days prior to each regular session, shall report all of
its activities and recommendations to the presiding officer of each house, the
governor, the House Committee on Health and Welfare, the Senate Committee on
Health and Welfare, the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee
on Finance, and the Louisiana Department of Health or its successor.
F. For the purposes of this Rule, the term "state Medicaid program" shall
mean the medical assistance program operated pursuant to Title XIX of the Social
Security Act.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the speaker of the House of Representatives and
the president of the Senate shall appoint the members of the special joint committee no later
than thirty days after adoption of this Concurrent Resolution.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a member of the special joint committee
designated by the speaker of the House of Representatives shall call the first meeting of the
special joint committee no later than ten days after all of the members are appointed and
shall preside until the special joint committee selects a chairman and a vice chairman.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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