Jordan Redman — The chair recognized Representative Redman first for the motion.
Jordan Redman — Explained that the federal requirement is at least 80 hours per month of qualifying activity.
Jordan Redman — Listed qualifying activities that satisfy the 80-hours-per-month requirement and noted it may answer the earlier question.
Jordan Redman — Said he still had an unanswered question about whether any carve-out is automatic or handled through another mechanism.
Megan Egbert — Moves to approve the minutes from March 5th, March 9th, and March 16th.
Megan Egbert — Representative Egbert asked whether the department has the staffing, FTEs, and resources needed to carry out the work and complete it within the required time period.
Megan Egbert — Representative Egbert asked a series of related questions about the eligibility redetermination process, including how the department contacts people, whether it sends letters, what proof is needed to document three months of qualifying activity, and how often participants must reverify their eligibility after showing community engagement.
Jordan Redman — The speaker refers to 'Rubel' in the prior context; in this excerpt no additional member mention is clear beyond the response to concerns.
Jordan Redman — Representative Wheeler moves to send Senate Bill 1266 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Tanya Burgoyne — The chair initially called on Representative Burgoyne, then corrected to Representative Egbert.
Ilana Rubel — The speaker responds to and addresses Representative Rubel during the same exchange, including a discussion of the three-month lookback and repeated acknowledgments directed to Rubel.
Ilana Rubel — The speaker references Representative Rubel's concerns while explaining why the earlier redetermination timeline is preferable.
Lori McCann — Representative McCann asked follow-up questions about how the bill would affect a parent who recently lost work and their children, including how children would be covered under current Medicaid rules. He then shifted to questions about the bill’s community engagement and work requirement provisions, asking what those requirements include, how they relate to prior work requirements, and what the department has been doing since work requirement checks were last required.
Lori McCann — Representative McCann says they will support the motion but have reservations about the state plan versus the federal plan.
Josh Wheeler — Asked whether the sponsor wanted to 'lay all my cards on the table' and followed up with questions about possible pushback from the department.
Josh Wheeler — Raised a follow-up question about whether the department's pushback would be about the tighter implementation timeline.
Josh Wheeler — Asked whether there was any public testimony on the motion.
Doug Okuniewicz — The members discussed Medicaid redetermination and work-requirement changes. Representative Van Nuwana said he wanted to secure the provision without negotiating from a weak position and explained that the department’s concern was not the 90-day period itself but the timing of redeterminations, preferring to start in January rather than when the bill becomes effective. Representative Van der Waugh added that the department would need to give advance notice, likely two to three months ahead, before beginning the process, that there would be a 30-day appeal period after determinations, and that federal rules now require eligibility checks every six months instead of annually. He also noted Idaho had previously implemented the process quickly. Representative Van Nuana then said he had not yet looked up the exact requirements but would bring them to the floor, and explained that the department previously had to seek a waiver for work requirements under the original Medicaid expansion law, but that waiver is no longer needed because federal law has changed. He concluded that he matched the federal language rather than adding stricter or different state wording.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Representative Kaler expressed support for the legislation and said the Medicaid expansion program could be improved by tightening eligibility requirements. She explained that business leaders and constituents had told her some workers are asking to reduce their hours to stay eligible for Medicaid expansion, which creates staffing shortfalls for employers. She said this is frustrating for businesses and concluded by reaffirming her support for the bill.
Michael Veile — Representative Vail said he would vote against the motion and expressed disappointment with the bill, arguing that it is designed to create paperwork and administrative hurdles that would cause many participants—possibly a third to half—to be kicked off the program.
Melissa Wintrow — Representative Egbert responds to the prior discussion by agreeing with the concerns raised and then adds that he is worried about the burden the bill would place on the department, including increased workload and the lack of additional FTEs to handle it.
Dori Healey — Representative Healy introduces Senate Bill 1266 and says it is cleanup to a similar bill from last year.
Dori Healey — Asked to speak to the change from 15 months to 12 months in the bill text.
Dori Healey — Explained that the 15-month language was a technical code cleanup and that the correct timeframe is 12 months.
Dori Healey — Referenced as the sponsor/answering member regarding the 12-month language.
Dori Healey — Was asked whether the change to 12 months is merely a code standardization or a substantive acceleration of termination timelines.
Dori Healey — Clarified that the 15-month reference was inadvertent and that the code already uses 12 months.
Dori Healey — Was asked to carry Senate Bill 1266 on the floor.
Dori Healey — Introduced Senate Bill 1316 and explained it as a codification of existing practice regarding newborn screening and parental declinations.
Dori Healey — Continued explaining that the bill aligns exemption language with current practice and does not change hospital procedures.
Dori Healey — Said the bill aligns exemption language with last year's changes and does not alter current hospital practice.
Dori Healey — Expected to carry Senate Bill 1316 on the floor.
Dori Healey — Referenced again in connection with floor handling of the bill.
Jack Nelsen — Representative Kaler asks whether the bill shortens the duration for termination of parental rights from 15 months to 12 months.
David Leavitt — Representative Levitt was recognized by the chair and then immediately moved to send Senate Bill 1316 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.