HCBS integrity bill fails roll‑call after amendment; author vows continued work

Sen. Mohammed presented Senate File 46‑04, a multi‑part program‑integrity bill addressing home and community‑based services (HCBS). The measure, as amended, would require mandatory compliance training for providers the department identifies as high risk, increase disclosures of third‑party actors that assist with enrollment or licensure, codify the "early and often" team created in 2023 to help applicants, create a provider support and technical assistance team, and require three unscheduled visits within the first 18 months of operation for new HCBS providers.

The committee adopted an A1 author's amendment. Testimony included a Zoom speaker, Bridal Abdul, who urged that compliance training should include families as well as providers and referenced past efforts to secure training and funding for autism‑related services. The author emphasized the bill’s prevention and support focus. When the committee took a roll‑call on recommending the bill to Human Services, the tally was 3 yes and 5 no, so the motion did not prevail and SF 46‑04 as amended did not pass out of committee.

The author said he will continue working on the package and expects additional discussion in Human Services.