By Melissa PatrickKentucky Health News Health bills continue to move in the ninth week of the 2026 legislative session, and have just a little more than three weeks left to make it over the finish line. Here are some of them: Respiratory care – House Bill 36, sponsored by Rep. Steve Bratcher, R -Elizabethtown, would enter Kentucky into the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact (RCIC). This would allow licensed respiratory therapists in other member states to practice in Kentucky under compact privilege without compromising Kentucky’s standards. The bill passed out of the House with a committee substitute on March 3, 97-0. It now resides in the Senate for consideration. Dietitian compact – HB 92, sponsored by Rep. Vanessa Grossl, R-Georgetown, would enter Kentucky into the Dietitian Licensure Compact. Kentucky’s membership in the compact would allow dietitians licensed in other member states to practice in Kentucky without having to obtain additional licensure. The bill passed out of the House with a committee substitute on March 3, 97-0. It now resides in the Senate for consideration. Certificate of Need – HB 407, sponsored by Rep. Marianne Proctor, R-Union, would remove an unconstitutional barrier to certificate of need approvals and ensure the process is fair and clear for applicants and the public. This bill would also require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) to create a process for obtaining important information from affected parties. The measure would also require CHFS to issue final decisions within 90 days and preserve the applicant’s right to appeal decisions to the Franklin Circuit Court. The bill passed out of the House Health Services Committee on March 5 with a committee substitute. It now awaits a vote in the full House.  Sunscreen in schools – HB 586, sponsored by Rep. Mike Clines, R-Alexandria, clarifies that sunscreen is not a medication and ensures that students can apply sunscreen at school without a written order from a health care provider. The bill passed out of the House on March 3, 94-3. It now resides in the Senate for consideration. Health data  – HB 676, sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Raymer, R-Morgantown, would establish the Kentucky statewide health data utility, which would integrate electronic health data from across care and service settings to support treatment, care coordination, quality improvement, and community and public health initiatives. The bill passed out of the House Health Services Committee on March 5 with a committee substitute and now awaits a vote in the full House. Youth development – HB 686, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, would establish the Kentucky Positive Youth Development Commission and trust fund and would consist of any incoming social media settlements monies, in addition to state appropriations, gifts, grants and federal funds. These funds would be used to support the research and development of positive youth development programming for children and transition-age youth. The bill also establishes a Suicide Awareness and Reduction Network within the State Interagency Council. The bill passed out of the House Families Children Committee on March 5 and now awaits a vote in the full House. Medicaid state-directed payment program – HB 689, sponsored by Rep. Amy Neighbors, R-Edmonton, would require the Department for Medicaid Services to seek authorization from the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement a state-directed payment for physician and nonphysician professional services provided to a Medicaid beneficiary by a qualifying hospital’s affiliated physician groups or physicians and other professionals employed or contracted by the qualified hospital. It would also require the Department of Medicaid Services to direct Medicaid managed care organizations to issue payments back to January 1, 2026, upon federal approval. The bill passed out of the House Families Children Committee on March 5 and now awaits a vote in the full House. Workplace Violence in Health Care – HB 713, sponsored by Majority Whip  Jason Nemes, R-Middletown,  seeks to combat workplace violence in health care facilities. Among several provisions, it calls on health facilities to annually verify that they maintain workplace safety plans and assessments and provide violence prevention training to staff. The bill passed out of the House Health Services Committee on March 5 with a committee substitute and out of the House on March 9, 98-0. Physician assistants – Senate Bill 116, sponsored by Sen. Scott Madon, R-Pineville, would update Kentucky statutes governing physician assistants (PAs) to allow health care teams to operate more efficiently while preserving physician supervision and oversight. The legislation also streamlines certain administrative requirements and allows physicians and health care practices to determine a PA’s scope of practice based on experience and patient needs. The bill passed out of the Senate Health Services with a committee substitute on March 4 and the full Senate on March 9, 33-2. It will now move to the House for consideration.  Medical doctor shortage – SB 137, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield,  would eliminate a duplicative residency requirement for international doctors to practice in the state. The bill aims to bring more physicians to rural areas, where Meredith said only 17% of the state’s primary care physicians reside. The bill passed out of the House on March 5 with a committee substitute, 30-7. It now resides in the House for consideration. Medicaid oversight –  SB 173, sponsored by President Pro Tempore David Givens, R-Greensburg, would create a new section of KRS Chapter 205 to define terms and establish an annual Medicaid state plan and Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program state plan legislative review process. The bill passed out of the Senate on March 3 with a committee substitute, 30-6. It now resides in the House for consideration. Speech-language pathologists’ license – SB 177, sponsored by Sen. Rick Girdler, R- Somerset, would modernize licensure standards and align Kentucky law with interstate compact requirements. The bill passed out of the Senate with a committee substitute on March 5, 36-1. It now resides in the House for consideration.  Physician Shortage – Senate Joint Resolution 116, sponsored by Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, would direct the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville and Eastern Kentucky University to work together in meaningful ways to alleviate physician shortages in underserved areas of the state. The resolution passed out of the Senate Health Services Committee on March 4 and out of the full Senate on March 9, 35-0. It will now move to the House for consideration. The post Health bills continue to move in 9th week of legislative session, with only a few weeks left appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less