Maryland General Assembly Update

Colleagues:

I know we have all done a lot of work on HB630 and SB747 and had high hopes they would pass.  Sometimes politics are bigger than common sense.   

Last Friday, March 15, the Maryland Senate Education, Health & Environmental Affairs Committee (EHEA) voted to give SB747 an unfavorable recommendation.  After much discussion about trying to amend the bill in the house and move it forward there in the House Health & Government Operations Committee (HGO), we decided it was better to withdraw the bill than to get a negative vote.  

So, Del. Pullium withdrew HB630 on March 19, 2012.  The nurse midwife bill was also withdrawn.

We can all take a little break and then need to decide the path we want to go down for 2014.  It is an election year, and that can be good or bad for nursing and PAs depending on how we spin it.

Clearly, organized medicine has way more money than we do and money is clout.  But we can roust the grass roots in each of our districts.  Money is important, but votes are more important.

Will keep you posted,

Lorraine Diana, MAAPC Legislative Chair

Elaine Crain, Roving Correspondent in Annapolis