February 6 - 10, 2023 ~ Session Update

Process and Deadlines Play Significant Role in Week 5 WMS has been following 38 legislative proposals this year all of which impact the practice of medicine or public health & safety in one form or another. Exactly half (19) of the proposals on the WMS Bill Tracker have failed the 2023 legislative process. Interestingly, more than half of those 19 proposals died not because they failed to garner sufficient votes but because they failed to meet various chamber timeline deadlines and were never given the opportunity for debate or consideration by the full body. Bills had to have passed Third Reading in their originating chamber by Wednesday, February 8th. Simply put, this means that House bills had to pass Third Reading in the House, and Senate files had to pass Third Reading in the Senate by this past week's Wednesday deadline. For a bit of context, the number of House bills that died without an initial vote is higher this year than in any other general session in the last 20 years. This year, six of the 45 House bills that failed to get a floor hearing were committee bills. Committee bills have historically received prioritization given the extra attention and deliberation they receive from lawmakers, state agencies, and stakeholders throughout the interim. Of note, a Legislative Service Office (LSO) memo estimated the cost of proposing, drafting, and enacting a bill to range between $6,800 and $14,350. Barring any significant changes to the calendar, three weeks remain in this year's process with the legislative calendar set to adjourn on Friday, March 3rd. With less than 15 working days remaining, WMS will be working hard on the 19 bills left on our radar as we advocate to defeat six, encourage passage of nine, and simply monitor the other four. The WMS Bill Tracker has been reworked to shift all the defeated legislation to the bottom leaving only those still active in the process at the top. As always, please don't hesitate to contact any county trustee or member of the WMS staff if you have questions or concerns or wish to get involved and testify with WMS.

WMS Legislative Bill Tracker

Mental Healthcare Access - Psychiatric Collaborative Care Heads to the Senate in Week 6 House Bill 140, supported by the Wyoming Association of Psychiatric Physicians (WAPP) and WMS passed all three Readings in the State House of Representatives this week! Although no opposition was voiced in Committee or on First or Second Reading, 21 members of the House of Representatives chose to oppose the bill on Third Reading. House Bill 140 represents a physician-led effort to open a new model of healthcare delivery in which medicine can co-locate physical and mental health within the trusted primary care clinic. It has wide coalition support including the Wyoming Business Alliance (WBA), Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Clinics (WAMHSAC), Wyoming Counseling Association, and more with evidence backing its positive impact on patient outcomes, utilization, and cost. Please take a moment to thank your legislator for their support if they voted to support this important initiative! WY House of Representatives - Aye Votes on House Bill 140 2/6/23

Bills Scheduled for Committee Hearing Monday  You can Livestream video of the floor and committees via the Legislature's YouTube Channel. The listing below only includes bills WMS is tracking. Senate Labor, Health and Social Services. Monday - 7:00 AM HB119 - Medical prescriptions-off label purposes WMS OPPOSES HB65 - 988 suicide prevention WMS SUPPORTS HB127 - Health care facilities and clergy MONITOR House Labor, Health and Social Services. Monday 7:00 AM SF79 - Plan of safe care-newborns WMS SUPPORTS

WMS invested a great deal of time and resources to establish THE WIRE designed to enable any member, at any time, to take an active role in shaping the policy agenda for the medical society. Log into THE WIRE and see if any proposals have been submitted for review and comment. Once logged in, you can navigate to all the proposals submitted to date by clicking on the Proposals Archive. Review the comprehensive listing of bills on the state legislative website, or on the WMS Bill Tracker. See if anything catches your attention. Submit a proposal in THE WIRE for voting and comment across the membership for the WMS Board to review prior to next week's meeting in Cheyenne. Remember, logging into THE WIRE is easy. Simply use the email on file with WMS and the same password you have set to log into www.wyomed.org for your member account management. If you have any trouble, simply use the Reset Password feature on the site, or contact a member of the WMS staff for assistance at 307-635-2424 or at info@wyomed.org WMS takes legislative positions in accordance with the organization's policy platforms. Our advocacy work is prioritized around proposals that align with our pursuit of improving: Access to Care for Wyoming Patients Medical Liability Reform Medicaid Programming and Funding Physician Recruitment & Loan Repayment Medical Education and Residency Training Patient Safety Public Health and Tobacco Prevention Protecting the Physician-Patient Relationship

WMS Doc and PA of the Day Thank you to our WMS members who served as Doc of the Day this past week. Matt Mitchell, MD Robert Monger, MD Jacob Kennedy (E-19) Taylor Kennedy (E-20) Bret Andrew (E-20)

It's not often that WMS gets to feature our UW Family Medicine Resident Physicians or WWAMI Medical Students during our Doc of the Day Program. This past week we had a unique exception and three WWAMI Medical Students (E-20) were able to join our Regional Clinical Dean Rob Monger, MD, on Thursday. From the looks of it, they all had a great time exploring our State Capitol and representing the future of Wyoming medicine. Thank you for making us all so proud!

There are still days available to volunteer for Doc or PA of the Day. WMS is proud of this program which provides a great opportunity for WMS members to provide a valuable service to the legislature and have a front-row seat to the legislative process. Click below to learn more and see what days remain open. Email info@wyomed.org if you're interested in spending a day at the Capitol with us!

Information about Doc and PA of the Day

How To Connect and Stay Engaged  Use wyoleg.gov to learn more about this year's legislative process. Below are quick links to important information. Daily Calendars including floor calendars, audio streams, and committee schedules Bill Listing that includes all legislative proposals posted for the 2023 Session As always, Executive Director Sheila Bush welcomes and invites any and all communication. If you have questions about the status of a bill, want to provide feedback or input on legislation, have questions about using THE WIRE, or want to share your thoughts on any other aspect of the WMS advocacy work, please email her at sheila@wyomed.org or call her cell phone at 307-630-8602.