Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
After Monday's dog and pony show in the House Appropriations Committee, the action moves to the House floor today.
The Committee of the Whole (COW) calendar lists the following bills to be debated today:
Bill Number Short
Title
SB1057 AHCCCS; ambulance
services; rates
*SB1069 CPS; psychological assessments and services
(s/e: abortion clinics;
regulations; inspections)
SB1337 schools; CPR training
SB1375 behavioral health services; dependent
children
*Pending Rules and Caucus
The Arizona Republic reports, Medicaid showdown today?:
The Arizona House could consider Medicaid expansion as early as today, less than 24 hours after Republicans in a key committee defeated Gov. Jan Brewer’s top legislative priority.
Leaders of a bipartisan coalition backing expansion of the health-care program for the poor met late Monday to plot their options for bringing the measure to a vote.
A floor debate today offers the group its first opportunity to attach it to another bill. But some supporters favored waiting until at least Wednesday to give House Speaker Andy Tobin, who opposes Brewer’s Medicaid expansion plan, an opportunity to bring forward the budget bills rather than see the coalition go around him.
A House vote on the issue, which has driven a wedge through the state’s GOP, would clear the way for consideration of the rest of the fiscal 2014 budget and adjournment of the legislative session.
At least eight Republicans are joining with the chamber’s 24 Democrats to form a majority in the 60-member House and push Medicaid expansion through.
Under House rules, a simple majority of 31 members can wield broad authority, including bringing bills to the floor for debate.
The House is scheduled to vote on four bills today, including an anti-abortion measure [strike everything amendment to SB 1069], a child-welfare bill and a measure setting ambulance rates for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program.
I have not heard whether any of the bills today will be amended for the AHCCCS restoration/expansion plan, or if supporters will wait for another bill later this week. The unnecessary and unconstitutional CAP "poison pill" abortion bill should be defeated — this state has pissed away enough money on misguided litigation expenses pursuing the agenda of these CAP anti-abortion extremists (they should have to pay their own litigation costs instead of passing it along to the taxpayers).
In the Senate, there is one bill scheduled for a Committee of the Whole (COW) debate today, HB 2144, the child protective services bill.