This past week was week 8 of 9, of South Dakota’s 2023 Legislative session. With the final days ahead many of the bills SDAHO has actively followed have worked their way through the process, there are however 4 we are still acting on, which includes the general bill.
- SB 206 – clarify good cause for the purpose of continuing an involuntary commitment hearing. SDAHO has testified in support of the measure, brought by Senator Helene Duhamel. This week it passed through House Judiciary on a 7 to 3 vote, its next stop will be the full House of Representatives for further consideration.
- SB 149 – create the Medicaid expansion fund and to transfer monies received as a result of expanding Medicaid eligibility. This measure has worked through the appropriation process. This past Wednesday, members of the House Committee on Appropriations passed it 8 to 0. We will continue to monitor over the last few days of session.
- HB 1167 will annually adjust the rate for community-based providers to one hundred percent of methodology. This measure has worked its way through appropriations as well and was successfully passed out of Senate Health and Human Services earlier this week. We will monitor the final stage on the measure.
- SB 203 is the general appropriations bill. This already includes the Governor’s recommendations for 5% Medicaid provider increases and 90% of methodology for nursing homes. We are hopeful that the methodology and possibly the 5% for providers see an additional increase before the bill finishes in the appropriations committee. If the methodology went to 100%, that would represent an increase of 25.3% in the Average PPD rate for nursing homes. The SDAHO advocacy team will continue to ask for support for this critical funding.
Out of the 103 bills SDAHO actively lobbied for this session, 13 of those we supported have passed both the House of Representatives and Senate and are currently awaiting final approval from Governor Kristi Noem. To take a closer look at all 103 bills tracked, visit the SDAHO Bill Tracker.
As we look to the final week of this year’s legislative session, the SDAHO advocacy team will continue to push the remaining bills over the finish line. To see if there is a legislative cracker barrel or coffee taking place in your community – visit the SDAHO Advocacy page and click on the 2023 Cracker Barrel button. While there, you can learn more about SDAHO’s advocacy efforts at both the state and federal level.
