Conference committee backs changes to H816 on AI in health care and proposes adding medical board to advisory council

A legislative conference committee reviewed H816, a bill on the use of artificial intelligence in the provision of medical health services, and agreed to keep the measure's existing definition while changing enforcement and advisory membership.

The committee accepted language retaining the bill's definition and "agreed with you on removing the $10,000 penalty and using the consumer protection ... enforced by the AG's office," the Chair said, signaling a shift from a fixed civil penalty to consumer-protection enforcement by the attorney general's office. Committee members said that change was acceptable and consistent with the document being returned to the Senate for drafting.

Committee members also proposed modifying the AI Advisory Council's membership to include both the Office of Policy and Research (OPR) and the Board of Medical Practice so that medical provider perspectives would be represented. A committee member said, "we would suggest having both be a member of AI advisory council and those are our thoughts."

Members raised practical questions about oversight roles and the scope of related work. One committee member asked whether OPR's new mental-health work affects whether the board of medical advisors would continue to oversee psychiatrists; that member said they had "met with Jennifer Colin a couple weeks ago and yes, they're halfway through," but added statutory authority would be required to change board responsibility. The committee also discussed H573 in the context of the role physician assistants play in emergency-department triage for people with mental-health issues.

Several members expressed concern that the AI Advisory Council already has a heavy workload and multiple reporting obligations (including work on neurotechnology, terminology and definitions). One member asked whether the AI/regulation report required under the bill would be a separate report or part of the council's existing deliverables; members agreed the council could request more time if needed and that adding medical providers was appropriate given the council's anticipated responsibilities.

A staff member told the group, "I will draft up a Senate proposal with that change. I should have something if you would like to sign later today," indicating the committee planned to circulate a revised Senate document for signatures. Representative Rebecca (as referenced in the meeting) volunteered to help coordinate final participation and logistics.

No formal vote was recorded in the transcript excerpt. The committee's next step, as described in the discussion, is for staff to draft the Senate text reflecting the agreed revisions and circulate it to members for signature and finalization.