Panel sends HB 17-05 to interim study after questions about eligibility and cost

Chair Maureen Mooney convened Finance — Division III on March 13 and the panel discussed House Bill 17‑05, which would authorize enrollment of small‑town and volunteer first responders in the Department of Health and Human Services’ employee assistance program (EAP) and included an FY27 appropriation of $114,000 added on the House floor.

Prime sponsor Representative Lauren Selig told the committee she drafted the bill after touring the state and hearing from volunteers who lack access to trauma‑informed care. “Wouldn’t it be an amazing way to help these people who literally volunteer their lives for no pay and subject themselves to so much trauma and so much difficulty?” Selig said, urging the committee to support a targeted effort to make EAP services available to responders in communities without employer‑provided benefits.

Members pressed for specifics about scope and cost. Fiscal staff and DHHS officials said the attached fiscal note reflects an FY27 appropriation of $114,000 and that, as currently written, the funding is intended primarily to pay for an additional DHHS position to enroll and administer access for eligible responders rather than to pay for all clinical services. DHHS EAP director Michael Lawless told the committee the state EAP is currently a small team serving state employees and their households and that standing up services for a new population would require outreach, provider relationships and at least one additional staff member.

Committee members asked how many volunteers would be eligible and what per‑person costs the program would generate; the sponsor described a prior estimate of roughly 6,000 first responders statewide but said that figure and per‑person costs would need DHHS verification. DHHS cited a working baseline of about 5,439 people consistent with data from emergency services, and said utilization rates and insurance coverage would affect final costs.

After extended questioning about eligibility rules, whether 988 could substitute for EAP services, and how long former volunteers would remain eligible, the committee voted 5–2 to recommend interim study for HB 17‑05 so members can refine definitions, funding sources and program details before full Finance considers the measure on March 17.

The committee’s majority report will be filed Tuesday; Representative Seaworth will prepare the committee recommendation. The interim study recommendation means no immediate policy change; it asks members to return with more detailed language and fiscal clarity.