Bill No.

Sponsor

Description

Date

Action

HB 27

PN 33

Adolph (R- Delaware)

Prohibits a sexually violent predator from
living within 1 ½ miles of a school for
children in grades kindergarten through
elementary

01/29/03

House Judiciary

HB 44

PN 3148

Oliver (D- Phila.)

Restores cash benefit and food stamps
to individuals who became ineligible
due to a felony drug offense, provided
they are in a rehabilitation program.

01/29/03

03/05/03

03/11/03

03/13/03

03/25/03

12/19/03

12/23/03

House Health & Human Services

Reported

Passed by House (162-37)

Sen. Health & Welfare

Reported

Passed by Senate (49-0)

Signed into law as Act 44 of  2003

HB 285

PN 323

Lynch (R- Forest)

Creates the “Inmate Diversion Act,”
which requires county prisons to establish
a forensic intake classification system to
identify inmates who require extensive
social service or medical intervention in
order to reduce recidivism; appropriates
$2.5 million for state’s 50% share
(maximum of $25,000 annually/prison)

02/15/03

House Judiciary

HB 380

PN 444

Youngblood (D-Phila.)

Providing for medical consent for a minor
by an adult caregiver

02/24/03

House Judiciary

HB 449

PN 527

McNaughton (R-Dauphin)

Allowing an parent or legal guardian to
allow another adult to give medical
consent on behalf of a minor

02/25/03

House Judiciary

HB 471

PN 1794

Fairchild (R-Snyder)

The Mental Health Facility Closure
Act, regulating the closure of
mental health facilities

02/25/03

04/07/03

04/28/03

05/12/03

05/12/03

05/21/03

House State Gov’t

Reported w/amendments

Refer to Appropriations

Reported

Passed w/amendments by vote of 187-10

Senate Public Health & Welfare

HB 473

PN 551

Bishop (D-Phila.)

Dealing with the involuntary committee
of drug dependent persons

02/25/03

House Judiciary

HB 539

PN 633

Gannon (R-Delaware)

Provides for a Single Pharmacy Benefits
Manager (PBM) to administer prescription
drugs provided through Medicaid; includes
prior authorization of drugs not on the
formulary

02/26/03

House Health & Human Services

HB 648

PN 898

Argall (R-Berks)

Fiscal Year 2003/2004 State Budget

03/06/03

03/12/03

03/20/03

Passed House

Passed Senate

Signed by the Governor

HB826

PN4019

Maitland (R-Adams)

Age of consent for minors.  Grants
parents of children ages 14-17, the
same authority that they currently
have for children age 13 and under.
Calling for a Jt. State Government
Commission study of the mental
health system for children and youth.

03/11/03

04/13/04

04/14/04

05/24/04

06/08/04

06/22/04

Judiciary

Amended and Reported

Appropriations

Reported w/amendments

Passed by House (199-0)

Sen. Public Health & Welfare

HB 865

PN 2587

Kenney (R-Phila.)

Requires health insurance providers
to cover an individual’s treatment for
drug and alcohol addiction if that
treatment is prescribed by a work
site-based employee assistance
professional within the existing
benefits coverage.

03/13/03

06/17/03

09/15/03

09/24/03

Health & Human Services

Reported

Passed by House (187-6)

Senate Banking & Insur.

HB 868

PN 1575

Turzai

Providing for coverage of alcohol and
drug abuse and dependency
treatment resulting from court action.

03/13/03

04/30/03

05/05/03

05/12/03

House Health & Human Services

Reported w/amendment

Re-committed to Health and Human Services

Scheduled for Consideration

HB 869

PN 1899

Kenney (R-Phila.)

Requires the Department of Health’s
Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs
to establish a grievance procedure to handle
complaints and grievances regarding access
and denial of drug and alcohol treatment
services by health maintenance entities.
The new grievance procedure shall be a
one-step, external procedure that settles
disputes within 30 days. The procedure
may be initiated by treatment programs,
consumers, facilities or a designee.

06/03/03

06/17/03

06/24/03

09/09/03

09/29/03

House Health & Human Services

Reported from Comm.

House Rules

Reported from Rules and tabled

House Appropriations

HB 888

PN 2871

Vance (R-Cumber.)

The Pharmaceutical Reform Act;
includes increased copays for PACE
and PACENET recipients; references
to a formulary and prior authorization
procedures

05/15/03 NAMI testified at hearing in
opposition to preferred drug list and
access restrictions

*Bill amended to delete PDL and
therapeutic interchange which were
harmful to persons with mental illness.
Also, due to efforts of NAMI and other
mental health advocates, a mental
health exemption was included in
House passed bill.

09/09/03 – NAMI PA testified at
Senate hearing

**NAMI supports HB 888, PN 2871

03/13/03

05/14/03

05/15/03

06/02/0306/17/03

06/24/03

08/27/03

09/29/03

10/15/03

10/20/03

10/28/03

10/28/03

11/24/03

11/25/03

11/26/03

House Health & Human Services

2-day Public Hearing NAMI testified

Reported from Comm.

Passed by House (200-0)

Senate Aging and Youth

Public Hearing

Public Hearing – NAMI PA testified

Reported from Aging & Youth Committee

Referred to Appropria. 

Reported

Passed by full Senate

House amended

Senate concurred

Signed by the Governor as Act 37

HB 904

PN 1068

Sather (R-Blair)

Creates the “People Improving Lots of
Lives for Pa.’s Health Grant Program;”
purpose is to provide grants (through
DPW) to entities that develop programs
that reduce stigma against individuals
with mental illnesses; appropriates
$8.575 million

03/18/03

House Health & Human Services

HB 996

PN 1169

Washington (D-Phila.)

Requires school boards to adopt and
implement policies dealing with the use
of psychotropic drugs; prohibits school
employees from recommending use of
psychotropic drugs; allows medical
personnel to recommend an evaluation
or consult with medical provider with
consent of parent

03/26/03

House Education

HB1016

PN 1191

Barrar (R-Delaware)

Prohibiting school employees or
personnel from recommending use of
psychotropic or sympathominetic drugs;
allows medical personnel to recommend
an evaluation or consult with medical
provider with consent of parent

04/02/03

House Education

HB1024

PN1991

Gannon (R-Dela.)

Amends Insurance Company Law with
regard to coverage for services to
treat mental illness; an insurer may
not count toward the number of
outpatient visits required to be
covered under this subsection  an
outpatient visit for the purpose of
medication management and shall
cover that outpatient visit under the
same terms and conditions as it
covers outpatient visits for treatment
of physical illness

04/02/03

House Insurance

HB1225

PN 1472

Vance (R-Cumber.)

Creates a Pharmacy Best Practices and
Cost Control Advisory Committee within
DPW; requires the secretary to establish
a Pharmacy Best Practices and Cost
Control Program for medical assistance
recipients; the program shall include a
preferred drug list, prior authorization,
supplemental rebate program or any other
strategy designed to negotiate lower
prices from manufacturers, education
programs, including counter detailing,
requires secretary to evaluate the benefits
of multi-state purchasing (not required to
join)

*Need to monitor to ensure that preferred
drug lists do not limit access to mental
health drugs through fail-first or other
methods that limit access.

04/24/03

House Health & Human Services

HB1434

PN3867

Gannon (R-Dela.)

Creates a Drug Treatment for
Offenders Program

05/12/03

05/12/04

05/17/04

06/07/04

06/07/04

06/11/04

House Judiciary

Reported w/amendments

Referred to Appropria.

Reported

Passed by House (192-0)

Senate Judiciary

HB1530

PN4496

Petrone (D-Allegheny)

Creates a MH/MR Staff Member and
Drug and Alcohol Addiction Counselor
Loan Forgiveness Program

06/04/03

12/09/03

06/16/04

06/21/04

06/30/04

07/04/04

10/06/04

House Education

Reported

On & Off Table

Referred to Appropria.

Reported

Passed House (203-0)

Senate Education

Reported w/amendments

HB1589

PN3161

Cohen (D-Phila.)

Restores 90% of the cuts to the
Behavioral Health Services Initiative
(BHSI) and 100% of drug and alcohol;
restores 90% funding for the Human
Services Development Fund (HSDF)

06/11/03

10/20/03

10/21/03

10/28/03

10/29/03

12/09/03

12/20/03

12/22/03

12/23/03

House Appropriations

Passed by House (143-59)

Senate Appropriations

Reported

Rereferred to Appropria.

Reported w/amend.

Passed by Senate (42-7)

House concurred to Senate Amendments

Signed into law by Gov. as Act 9A of 2003

HB1649

PN2084

Lynch (R-Warren)

Increases state funding to counties for
drug and alcohol programs.

06/17/03

House Appropriations

HB1779

PN2310

Crahalla (R-Mont.)

Increases state funding for drug
 and alcohol programs.

07/01/03

House Appropriations

HB1819

PN2513

Stetler (D-York)

Establishes the Barrio Nuevo Latino
Behavioral Health Partnership to be
 administered by the Department of
 Health through the PA Assn. of
 Latino Organizations

08/15/03

House Intergovernmental Affairs

HB1887

PN2464

DeLuca (D-Allegheny)

The Prescription Drug Fair Pricing
 Program creates a formulary for all
 taxpayer funded prescription drug
 benefits, e.g. Medicaid

07/18/03

House Health & Human Services

HB2036

PN4383

Kenney (R-Phila.)

Provides for Psychiatric Advance
 Directives; supported by the PA
 Mental Health Assn. and PA
 Mental Health Consumers Assn.

10/08/03

06/23/04

07/01/04

07/04/04

09/27/04

House Health & Human Services

Reported

Passed House (202-0)