Healthcare

Rep. Bryan Terry Tackles Transparency and Drug Pricing

April 30, 2018 By Admin

MURFREESBORO, April 30, 2018- Rep. Terry Tackles Transparency and Drug Pricing

With prescription drug prices and health care costs on the rise, Rep. Bryan Terry, MD(R-Murfreesboro) tackled the problem head on during the 110th General Assembly with various measures aimed at transparency and pro-rating copayments. As part of his agenda, President Donald Trump has focused on prescription drug prices, and Rep. Terry led Tennessee in taking several steps to help cut costs for patients.

The lack of transparency and competition in prescription drug pricing have contributed to an environment where costs of medications have skyrocketed. President Trump mentioned the problems in his State of the Union address and his Council of Economic Advisors(CEA) found that the lack of transparency is hurting the consumer. At the center of this issue is a controversial contractual measure applied by Pharmacy Benefit Managers(PBM) to prohibit pharmacists from telling patients that their medication may be cheaper if they pay cash. The “Pharmacy Gag Clause”, as it is known in the industry, has often led to patients and their employers paying a significant greater amount for their prescriptions while the PBM’s receive a cut from the overpayment known as a clawback.

“Patients and employers should be irate that this practice even existed,” explained Rep. Terry. “I co-sponsored and amended a bill(HB 2219) that removed the gag clause to ensure that patients will have the right to know that they can pay a cheaper price.”

Rep. Terry didn’t stop there, though. At the center of Governor Haslam’s TN Together opioid legislation is a concept called partial filling of prescriptions or as Dr. Terry calls it “Patient Tailored Dispensing”. Rep. Terry was the architect behind amending the TN Together Plan to ensure patients weren’t going to over pay for prescriptions.

“The original bill placed multiple hardships on patients and providers including multiple copayments and trips to the doctor just to have pain treated which, to me, was unacceptable,” described Terry. “With the support of Speaker Harwell, I worked with the Governor and his staff, as well as Senator Haile, on language that decreases the burden and costs for patients while ensuring that we, also, decrease unnecessary opioids in medical cabinets and on the street.”

On the last day of session, Terry amended his own legislation, HB 2440, to ensure patients would only pay a prorated amount of their copayments and cost sharing for their prescriptions on controlled substances. Though TN Together authorized patient tailored dispensing, it was Terry’s legislation that protected patients from the extra burden of multiple full payments.

“I’m proud to have led in this fight in standing up for patients to improve transparency and cut prescription costs, but there is still more that needs to be done,” concluded Terry. “I look forward to continuing to address these issues to improve patient care.”

Rep. Bryan Terry, MD is the Chairman of the House Health Subcommittee and, also, serves on the full Health and Civil Justice Committees. He can be reached at rep.Bryan.Terry@Capitol.TN.Gov or at 615-741-2180.

Rep. Bryan Terry 2018 Legislative Preview: MTSU, Medical Marijuana, Healthcare, Education

January 8, 2018 By Admin

MURFREESBORO, January 7, 2018– I have been busy getting ready for the upcoming session. I hope you enjoy and become more informed with my updates. As we begin the 2018 session on January 9, here is my pre-session update.

The opioid crisis will be the biggest issue coming to the Health Subcommittee which I chair. I was able to have a couple of opioid related bills jacketed this past week and I have some others waiting to get jacketed depending on a few more discussions. I look forward to hearing the discussions and taking the lead on several aspects of this issue. I am expecting a multitude of opioid related bills to come through my committee and may organize a special meeting to listen to all the potential bills.

Aside from the opioid issue, last week, I was corresponding with legislators, an attorney, and physicians from other states to on how they are tackling a particular bipartisan medical issue. This issue has been going on for some time, and I have been working on a solution for a while. Of all things, on New Years Eve, I was speaking to a democrat physician legislator about how his state was addressing the issue. I’m working on drafting legislation on this issue, but can’t give specifics as it is too early and I may not be the one to carry the bill.

I, will, also, be carrying a bill with Dr. Briggs that should streamline a medical service to help decrease the morbidity and mortality of patients……more details to come later when we file the bill.

I will, also, be carrying at least one, if not more, bills related to education. When they get filed, I will be able to go into more detail, but there are at least three bills that I will either carry or be a prime co-sponsor. These issues directly impact Rutherford and Murfreesboro City Schools, and at least two of the bills were spurred on by problems related to testing that occurred in our county. These bills, also, help address some of the concerns brought forth by our school boards during the education round table that I hosted.

I have, also, agreed to carry a bill with Senator Ketron that will directly impact MTSU. When we file it, we will provide more information and details. It will bring some jobs and an educational opportunity to the area.

Over the last several months, college students across the state have been bringing awareness to an injustice on their campus. Working with these students, we hope to change the code to correct this injustice. Yesterday, I was able to sit down with the student leader on this issue and we have the rough draft of the legislation in hand. I will be meeting with legal services this week to have it drafted. Students are the largest constituency in many districts. Students across the state know that I stand up for them every chance I get, and I look forward to being the voice of students on this issue.

As most people are probably aware, medical marijuana or cannabis based treatments will be discussed this session. Senator Dickerson and Representative Faison held a task force this fall to discuss the issue and draft possible legislation. Most recently in the news, Attorney General Jeff Sessions revoked the Obama era Cole Memorandum which, essentially, instructed federal prosecutors to not prosecute individuals in states who legalize forms of cannabis. Congress has some bills to decriminalize or reschedule cannabis, but it is uncertain if they will act. So, the impact of the revocation of the Cole memo on possible medical cannabis treatment legislation is yet to be determined.

Of note, however, is a federal lawsuit by a 12 year old girl by the name of Alexis Bortell against AG Sessions that is pending. The lawsuit would essentially either reschedule or de-schedule cannabis as her civil rights are being violated due to her medical treatment.

As chairman of the health subcommittee and to further educate myself and, hopefully, other legislators and the public, I was able to conduct an exclusive one hour interview and follow up questionnaire with Alexis and her father, Dean. I am awaiting permission from her legal team to release the questionnaire and more details from the interview. In addition, Mr. Bortell has offered to testify before our General Assembly depending on the timing and the lawsuit.

What I can impart is the history of Alexis and her treatment with her seizure disorder.

She lived in Texas, and began having seizures at the age of 7. By age 9, she had been on multiple anti-seizure medications and had suffered many side effects from those medications. Yet, she still had intractable seizures.

Faced with a lifetime of major medication side effects, intractable seizures, and a limited quality of life, her parents were given two potential medical options. Alexis could have a craniotomy which would involve surgery on her brain. The part of the brain that would have involved surgery would impact her personality, ability to think or reason, and her memory. Her other option was to move to another state and try cannabis based treatments. If cannabis based treatment failed, she could then have surgery, but if she tried surgery first and it failed, she would be forever changed. The family chose to move to Colorado and seek treatment there.

Alexis has been under a physician’s care and has participated in research projects while in Colorado. She is perhaps the most researched and tested patient in America. Of note, she currently takes two medications. One is an oil that contains a high CBD to THC ratio that is her maintenance medication which she takes twice a day. This oil is called Haleigh’s Hope. The other is a higher THC cannabis based oral spray called Cannatol RX to treat auras which signal an impending seizure. These auras present themselves to Alexis as a tingling sensation on her scalp or visual spots in her field of view. She self administers the THC when the symptoms present and has access to the THC spray on school grounds at her school in Colorado.

Since becoming stable on her medication on Day 33 of her treatment, she has been seizure free for nearly three years. She has had to use the oral THC spray less than 20 times to prevent seizures. She is growing like an otherwise healthy girl with minimal if any side effects. Aside from the limitations placed on her due to cannabis laws, she is able to lead a normal life. One that she would not be able to lead if she still lived in Texas or even Tennessee.

Of note, there are around 70,000 Tennesseans with a seizure disorder. Roughly, 5000 are minors like Alexis. That translates to over 700 patients and 50 children in each legislative district who could potentially see the same medical benefits as Alexis without the major side effects of anti-seizure medications.

In addition, I have heard candidates for legislative and gubernatorial office opine that big Pharma already has drugs to treat seizures or that we already have “medical marijuana” in a drug called Marinol. In the case of Alexis and countless others like her, those medications either don’t control the seizures or they have severe side effects. Marinol, the synthetic THC that is legal in Tennessee and every state, takes 30-45 minutes to take effect which isn’t fast enough to treat an impending seizure; whereas, the nasal and oral THC sprays works almost instantly.

Sativex and Epidiolex are potential cannabis based FDA approved medications coming down the pipeline, yet neither medication would provide the ratios of THC to CBD necessary to treat patients like Alexis. And neither would provide the flexibility to treat these patients as their metabolism changes during puberty.

Ultimately, the action that our Tennessee General Assembly takes may very well depend on the action taken at the federal level, the result of the lawsuit, or the kind of legislation put forth by Senator Dickerson and Representative Faison. Regardless, after speaking with the Bortell’s, it is clear that the current system is failing many patients. Telling Tennesseans who are in the same position as Alexis to just keep suffering from medication side effects, move to another state, or have a partial lobotomy isn’t the answer.

As always, it is an honor and a privilege to serve District 48 as your state representative. Please, follow my updates on BryanTerry4TN.com, on Facebook at Dr. Bryan Terry, or on Twitter at @BryanTerry4TN.

With Liberty,

Rep. Bryan Terry, MD

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Rep. Bryan Terry: Comments on gas tax passage, updates on healthcare and veterans

April 24, 2017 By Admin

NASHVILLE, April 24, 2017– The week ending April 21 contained a lot of action at the Capitol as several issues came to the House floor including the controversial IMPROVE Act, otherwise known as the gas tax hike. In addition, committees are closing down, as we are seeing the final bills make it through the process including budget amendments.

Monday evening, I passed HB 590 which would clarify that Osteopathic physicians who are trained in pain management are indeed pain specialists for the purposes of our pain clinic laws. Currently, pain clinics must have a pain specialist as a medical director. The rationale is that, with our opioid crisis, physicians who have extra training as pain specialists would prescribe less medications and if they are trained to provide pain relief modalities other than narcotics, then there will be other options than opioids to treat pain. The bill passed unanimously.

Two other bills that I co-sponsored passed Monday evening, as well. HB 556 (Howell) addressed the problem of outside business entities, in effect, rewriting Tennessee licensure and guides to practice laws. Currently, if an entity like the American Board of Medical Specialties, or any other board changed their rules or standards, then Tennessee automatically adopted those changes. The bill simply states that Tennessee will evaluate those changes before adopting them if we decide to adopt the changes. It is our 10th Amendment right to do so, and many other states already have this process.

I, also, co-sponsored HB 689(Van Huss) which would allow veterans or members of the military who have undergone small arms or combat weapons training as part of their service to forego the firing range requirement for a carry permit. These individuals have much more extensive training in handling and firing a handgun than the firing range requirements for our permitting system. We shouldn’t be charging these individuals for unnecessary training.

On Thursday, HB 707 (Whitson), which I co-sponsored, passed the House. The bill removed a regulatory burden on military surgeons to allow them to receive training at Tennessee hospitals, as long as it is part of their military service or training. For example, these surgeons will be able to receive trauma surgery training at Vanderbilt. By doing so, they will help Tennesseans by providing a service, but additionally, they will be able to learn new skills to help our military when they operate on them. This bill was a win-win for Tennesseans and our military.

Obviously, the most notable bill that passed this week was the gas tax hike known as the IMPROVE Act. I voted “no” on the bill, but did vote in favor of other transportation funding amendments. Additionally, I filed alternative options. However, once the first vote was taken, it was apparent that the votes for the gas tax hike had been procured. To quote Julius Caesar, “Alea iacta est”. The die was cast and all further attempts to improve or amend the bill failed.

On the House floor, one supporter of the bill admitted that there are those that will come out on the losing end of the bill. When one raises inelastic taxes that have a net effect of a 300 million dollar increase on the pocketbook, but only offset with a 110 million dollar inelastic tax cut on the average pocketbook, then one can see where a lot of taxpayers will pay more in taxes. All was not lost, though, as the original IMPROVE Act had even higher taxes with less offsets and we were able to stop that plan.

The DNJ asked me for a comment on my vote to which I responded, “Whether through surveys or in person, a majority of constituents in District 48 consistently voiced opposition to the gas tax increase. Having thoroughly studied the issue and the plan, I agreed with the need for tax cuts and increasing transportation funding. However, the plan placed an unnecessary increased burden on our working families and small businesses and was in direct opposition to the opinion of the majority of my constituents.” I stand by that quote.

President Calvin Coolidge once stated, “It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones.” One of my favorite elected officials, Senator Tom Coburn, MD, earned the label of Dr. No for consistently voting against bad bills and pork. Our oath states that we shall not assent to any legislation that has a tendency to lessen or abridge the rights and privileges of the people. Whether we have had more bad bills, more pork, or less liberty, I have found myself voting “no” with a lot more frequency. I will continue to stand with #WeThePeople.
With Liberty,

Rep. Bryan Terry, MD

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Rep. Bryan Terry: Updates on Gas Tax, Tuition for Illegal Immigrants, Healthcare & More

April 10, 2017 By Admin

NASHVILLE, April 10, 2017– The week ending April 7 was an up and down week for issues, bills, and concerns that I am looking to address. On the positive health care side, my bill HB 590 is a “clean up” bill that adds language to the code for osteopathic physicians practicing pain management. The bill ensures that they will be able to treat patients in need of their services. It passed my Health Subcommittee. Additionally, HB 603 by Chairman Ryan Williams passed the House floor. Labor and delivery of a baby is an emergency situation. The bill clarifies that physicians can treat minors in this situation. There was some confusion among members prior to the vote, but I spoke up about the medical reasoning and the bill passed overwhelmingly.

On the negative side, several pro-patient health care bills failed this past week. My bill, “The Reliable Coverage Act”, failed in the Senate. The bill would have ensured patients taking a prescription drug for 60 days and who signed a contract with a health insurer who placed the drug on their formulary could not have their benefits changed to cost the patient more money during the year contract. I had worked with several stakeholders to amend the original bill to the best plan possible, but the senate did not ever hear my amendment. Since the original bill failed in the Senate, I took the bill off notice.

The Oral Chemo Parity Bill failed in the Senate and the Right to Care Act which protected providers from abusive maintenance of certification practices by insurers and hospitals has been basically amended to a task force. Both bills would decrease costs for patients and would remove unnecessary abuses of power, but massive swamp monster lobbying efforts doomed these positive patient and provider bills.

On the transportation front, the gas tax proposal passed through the House Finance Subcommittee. During the process, though, the committee amended the name of the legislation from Governor Haslam’s IMPROVE Act to the Tax Cut Plan of 2017. The move, in my opinion, was very disingenuous as the proposal is a massive tax increase on the average Tennessean. Washington DC is known for giving a bill a name that sounds positive to distract voters from the actual content of the bill. For example, Obamacare was originally called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It neither protected patients nor was it affordable. To paraphrase The Princess Bride, they keep using words, but they do not mean what they think they mean. Besides, the Pavement Protection and Automobile Care Act sounds more appropriate.

On a positive transportation note, Speaker Harwell and other members of leadership are working on an alternative funding proposal for transportation that doesn’t involve raising gas or diesel taxes. As I have discussed before, Tennessee has significant revenue from auto sales taxes and sales tax collections from tourism. None of those revenues go towards our transportation funding. Tennessee could easily use a percentage of those revenues to help fund transportation, and it would be revenue neutral, as well as pocketbook neutral to everyday Tennesseans. I’m still waiting for the final proposal, but I’m encouraged that leadership is still looking for a way to address the issue with the pocketbooks of average Tennesseans in mind.

Believe it or not, in state tuition for illegal immigrants has, once again, been brought up in the Tennessee General Assembly, but this time it is in the form of two separate bills. Each bill is looking to address the issue in a similar, but separate manner. While many folks on both sides of this issue have not met any of these students, I have sat down on various occasions with some of these students and their advocates. I have heard their stories. I recognize that they are in an unenviable situation and are often victims of a broken immigration system. However, two wrongs do not make a right.

While out of state tuition is outrageous, in state tuition rates do not even come close to paying the actual cost for a university to provide the education. Taxpayers subsidize between 25-75% of the education depending upon the institution of higher learning. Tennessee taxpayers should not be on the hook for subsidizing the education of non-US citizens here illegally.

As I wrote about in a previous update, there are multiple avenues for these students to achieve a higher education degree. Governor Haslam has touted Wester Governor’s University-Tennessee as an affordable way to earn a degree. It’s even cheaper than in-state tuition at MTSU. Tennessee eCampus and the University of Central Florida, are, also, much less expensive viable alternatives.

The bottom line is that we know the actual cost of a university to provide an education, which for MTSU is $1800 for 3 credit hours. In state tuition is $800 and out of state is $2800 for those same credit hours. Knowing that there is an actual cost to provide the education, as well as knowing that there are affordable and viable alternatives, it is beyond comprehension that anyone would ask taxpayers to subsidize the tuition for a non-US citizen here illegally.

When government takes taxes away from citizens and spends it on services, infrastructure, etc, in effect government is supposedly taking a piece of someone’s property(money) in exchange for government providing, protecting, or expanding one’s liberty. I fail to see how taking hard earned money from Tennesseans to subsidize tuition for these individuals provides, protects, or expands the liberty of Tennesseans. In fact, I would argue that it lessens or abridges the rights and privileges of the people of Tennessee; thus, to vote for in state tuition for illegal immigrants would be a violation of our oath of office, in my opinion.

One final comment, the Tennessee General Assembly has been named the most conservative legislature two years in a row, and I keep hearing my colleagues tout that accomplishment. I’m going to make a prediction, though. If we raise taxes on everyday Tennesseans while sitting on a billion dollar recurring surplus and give in state tuition to illegal immigrants, there won’t be a three-peat. Heck, I’m not even sure we will get a participation trophy.

With Liberty,
Rep. Bryan Terry, MD

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Rep. Bryan Terry Introduces Reliable Coverage Act

February 10, 2017 By Admin

TN Patient & Provider Groups Applaud Legislation to Protect Against Unfair & Unsafe Prescription Coverage Reductions

The Reliable Coverage Act Helps Ensure Tennesseans Receive the Pharmacy Benefits They Are Sold During Open Enrollment

NASHVILLE – February 9, 2017 – An unexpected denial letter in the mail, a surprise bill at the pharmacy counter: many Tennessee consumers are discovering the prescription coverage benefits they signed up for are not the benefits they actually receive. It’s a problem new legislation aims to fix, according to the Tennessee Patient Stability Coalition, a coalition of 17 leading patient and provider groups. The coalition today applauded a bill that would require commercial health plans honor the terms of their prescription coverage plans for the duration of the contract year. The legislation, known as the “Reliable Coverage Act” (SB 991/HB 960), would protect consumers by preventing prescription coverage reductions outside of the open enrollment period.

“As both a physician and a consumer, I am proud to stand behind a common-sense bill that asks insurers to follow through on the benefits they offer during open enrollment,” said Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville), who, along with Rep. Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro), is sponsoring the legislation. “If insurers advertise and sell a certain level of prescription coverage, Tennesseans should be able to rely on that coverage for the remainder of the contract year.”

“Aside from consumer protection and fairness, the other big issue is that these plan changes can be unsafe,” said Terry, who is also a physician. “If you’re living with a serious health condition and your insurer changes your prescription benefits, then you can be switched to an entirely different drug with different side effects and degrees of effectiveness. This has a real-life impact on patients which can lead to exacerbating one’s condition or even hospitalization.”

Insurers may reduce prescription coverage after open enrollment in a variety of ways, including removing a medication from coverage altogether, increasing out-of-pocket costs for a medication or placing additional restrictions around access (such as requiring prior authorization). The practice of reducing drug coverage midyear has become known as “non-medical switching,” because it often forces patients to switch to an insurer-preferred medication, regardless of the potentially negative impact on their health.

“Arbitrarily forcing patients off a medication with no advanced warning and for no medical reason is both unfair and dangerous,” said Katherine Moffat, executive director of the Tennessee Academy of Physician Assistants, which is a member of the Tennessee Patient Stability Coalition. “Patients and their clinicians may work together for years, trying multiple medications, before they find one that works. These midyear coverage reductions can upend a patient’s hard-won stability, resulting in otherwise-avoidable symptoms, side effects and even relapse. Insurers should not be able to interfere with treatment in such a significant, potentially harmful way.”

Proponents of the bill point to studies that show non-medical switching may result in poorer health outcomes and, as a result, may actually increase overall health care costs. For example, one study found that patients with epilepsy who were switched off their original medication experienced more breakthrough seizures and sought more inpatient and emergency care than those were not switched. An analysis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s, psoriasis and other autoimmune conditions who were switched found they incurred 37 percent higher medical costs than normal.

“We are hearing stories from consumers across Tennessee who are stable on a medication for years and then are suddenly forced off,” said Jeff Fladen, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illnesss-Tennessee, also a coalition member. “With mental illness, treatment often looks more like an art than a science as the treatment provider tries various medications. It can take years to find the correct medications that enable an individual to keep symptoms at bay. People with mental illness may have to miss work as they struggle to find a new medication that works, which means lost productivity or even lost jobs and economic self-sufficiency. Then there’s the emotional impact of unexpectedly losing access to the drug you relied on. Simply put, it’s wrong.”

While the bill would prohibit insurers from reducing prescription coverage during the plan year, it would not impede insurers from adding medications to their formularies, including new generic products, or making changes necessary for safety reasons that are outlined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It also would not affect or prohibit generic substitution.

“The Reliable Coverage Act is a straightforward piece of legislation that will protect consumers from unnecessary, unfair reductions to their health plans,” said Shaina Smith, director of State Advocacy & Alliance Development for the U.S. Pain Foundation, which leads the Tennessee Patient Stability Coalition. “We thank Representative Bryan Terry and Senator Mark Green for realizing the lack of consumer protections in the state of Tennessee and putting together a thoughtful, bipartisan solution.”

A survey conducted by the coalition shows that unforeseen insurance coverage changes are a major problem in Tennessee. According to the survey, 58 percent of Tennesseans living with chronic illness said their insurance company made coverage changes during the plan year that reduced coverage of their prescription medication, and 67 percent of these were forced to switch treatments as a result. Of these:

66 percent reported that, after switching, their medication was less effective;
89 percent reported that the side effects were worse on the insurer-preferred drug;
44 percent said they never received any notice from their insurer detailing their plan’s formulary of the changes being made to it;
99 percent support legislation that would prohibit insurance companies from financially pressuring patients to switch their prescribed medication for non-medical reasons.

About the Tennessee Patient Stability Coalition

The Tennessee Patient Stability Coalition, made up of 17 patient and clinician groups, is dedicated to protecting consumers from the unfair insurance practice known as “non-medical switching,” which occurs when insurers reduce coverage of medications after the consumer has already signed on to the original plan terms. Coalition members include: AIMED Alliance, Alliance for Patient Access, Arthritis Foundation, Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations, Global Healthy Living Foundation, Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, National Alliance on Mental Illness-Davidson County, National Alliance on Mental Illness-Tennessee, Patients Rising, The Arc of Tennessee, TN AIDs Action Network, TN Dermatology Society, TN Disability Coalition, TN Nurses Association, TN Physician Assistants, TN Rheumatology Society and the U.S. Pain Foundation, which leads the coalition. For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/pg/TNPatientStabilityCoalition/.

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Rep. Terry: Capitol Hill Updates (April 6-9)– Right to Try, Veterans, Education

April 10, 2015 By Admin

NASHVILLE, April 10, 2015– Republicans in the House have spent a great deal of time this legislative session focusing on bills to assist veterans and currently serving military personnel in Tennessee. Building on legislation passed over the last several General Assemblies, the House hopes to continue finding ways to make life easier for military members and their families in the state.

(CONTINUED BELOW)

One bill from this year, House Bill 8, will ensure high school students that train between their junior and senior year in the National Guard or go to advanced training after their senior year will still remain eligible for the state’s Tennessee Promise program.

The Tennessee Promise Program, set to being this fall with the class of 2015, provides high school graduates the opportunity to attend a community or technical college free of tuition and fees. It is both a scholarship and mentoring program that provides last-dollar scholarships that cover costs not met from the Pell, HOPE, or TSAA scholarship programs. While removing the financial burden is key, a critical component of the Tennessee Promise is the individual guidance each participant will receive from a volunteer mentor who provides guidance and assistance as the student enters higher education. In addition, under the program, students are required to complete eight hours of community service per enrolled term, as well as maintain at least a 2.0 GPA.

Also on the education front, the House recently gave final approval to legislation updating the state’s laws pursuant to the Veterans Access, Choice, & Accountability Act of 2014. House Bill 715 adds spouses and dependent children as parties eligible for in-state tuition rates. Since a veteran can assign their benefits to a spouse or children, they would also qualify for these tuition and fee rates. The legislation also shifts the period of eligibility after discharge for in-state tuition rates from two years to three years. In addition, it requires the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) to convene the University of Tennessee and Tennessee Board of Regents systems to review processes related to awarding academic credit to veterans. This is known as “PLA” or “prior learning assessment’” and ensures that veteran students receive as much academic credit as possible for training or skills obtained during their service.

Other veteran-related bills this year include House Bill 803, which gives non-resident veterans the same authorization as veterans who are Tennessee residents to use their experience as a military truck driver to receive a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in the state. As passed, the legislation allows experienced military drivers to waive the state’s CDL skills test requirement upon providing proof of a military license for the class of vehicle for which they are seeking licensure. This new change applies as long as the veteran’s driving record shows no accidents or citations over the past two years.

Approval was also given this week to legislation allowing 501 (c) (19) veterans organizations to raise funds for charitable purposes. House Bill 172 is the final step in ensuring that Amendment 4 to the State Constitution, which won approval by voters in November of last year, is enacted. The amendment gives veterans groups the same opportunity as 501 (c) (3) organizations to conduct annual fundraising events like cake walks, raffles, and other games of chance. Amendment 4 received 69.6 percent of the vote, outpacing all other constitutional amendments on the ballot. Any funds raised by the games under the amendment must go to purposes that benefit the community, veterans, or retired veterans.

Finally, House members unanimously moved forward this week with legislation designed to better support the healthcare needs of military men and women across Tennessee. As amended, House Bill 425 authorizes healthcare providers who are in the National Guard to provide volunteer clinic services in a Tennessee military armory for those in need. Currently, no authorization is in place that allows these military members to provide such care. Once passed by both chambers and signed into law by Governor Haslam, the new program will be referred to as the Mission Tennessee for Veterans Program. While supporters agree the bill is not the final solution in solving veteran’s healthcare issues, they do agree the legislation is a great stride in ensuring veterans in Tennessee, using resources already in place, receive the healthcare they deserve.

As the first half of the 109th General Assembly moves forward, House Republicans will no doubt continue their efforts of working to make Tennessee the best possible state for veterans and their families to work and call home.

Right To Try Bill Passes With Unanimous Support

Legislation referred to as the “Tennessee Right to Try Act” passed the full House of Representatives this week with unanimous support from state lawmakers.

As passed, House Bill 143 nullifies certain federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules that prevent terminally ill patients from accessing experimental treatments. Currently, patients with life-threatening diseases may access experimental drugs, but only after receiving FDA approval. House Bill 143 allows eligible patients to bypass this FDA approval process and receive their experimental drugs directly from the manufacturer.

The legislation does not mandate participation by pharmaceutical companies and includes protection for healthcare providers, with a prohibition against revoking a license or issuing sanctions based on the issuance of investigational or experimental treatments.

Currently, 13 other states have already passed “Right to Try” laws similar to House bill 143, and more than 20 states are considering such measures in 2015.

Now that the bill has successfully passed through the state House, it will next be heard in the Senate before moving to the desk of Governor Bill Haslam to be signed into law.

House Republicans Push Pilot Program To Help Adult Learners Complete College Degree

Key education bills headlined this week’s action on Capitol Hill in Nashville as House Republicans voiced strong support of a new pilot program to help adults complete their degree in Tennessee’s community colleges. As introduced, House Bill 646 establishes the Community College Reconnect Grant — a last-dollar scholarship to adults who want to return to community college and complete their associate’s degree in applied science.

Currently in Tennessee, adults account for approximately 30% of enrolled undergraduate students, which equals about 65,000 adult learners. However, the number of adult Tennesseans with some college experience but no degree is over 900,000. Legislators agree that in order to reach the state’s goal of equipping at least 55% of Tennesseans with a college degree or technical certificate by the year 2025, this bill must play an integral part in the process.

Adults who meet all of the qualifications of the potential new program will be expected to enroll in a Tennessee public community college in the 2016-2017 academic year. Key qualifications to receive the grant include Tennessee residency for at least one year preceding the date of application for the grant and completion of at least 30 hours towards the completion of an associates of applied science degree. Grant recipients must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and enroll in at least 9 semester hours in the fall and spring semesters.

In order to fund this program, there will be a one-time expense to the lottery fund of $1.5 million. Legislators hope the pilot project will be the first step to a larger program that serves even more adults who choose to go back to school to meet their lifetime educational goals.

Legislation To Unlock State Asphalt Grant Dollars Receives House Support

Legislation that will aid in unlocking nearly $23 million dollars statewide to taxpayers in the form of asphalt infrastructure improvements was approved by the House this week in Nashville.

The bill, which changes the way the state currently manages its State Aid Asphalt Grant Program, will allow funding set aside by the state to now be used in the form of direct expenditures to upgrade, repair, and rehabilitate roads that have fallen in disrepair over the years.

Currently, in order to receive funding through the Asphalt Grant Program, a 25% local match must be made. However, because many local governments cannot afford the match, a large percentage of the asphalt funding set aside by the state has gone unused. House Bill 1105 reduces the local match percentage to only 2%, ensuring that local governments can now afford the grant funding and are not burdened by excessive infrastructure expenses.

The main goal of the legislation is to take existing funds and convert them to asphalt infrastructure repairs. The funds are already allocated each year and House Bill 1105 creates a pathway to increase access for much-needed road improvements across the state.

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Rep. Terry: Military Healthcare Bill Moves Forward

April 8, 2015 By Admin

NASHVILLE, April 8, 2015 — Legislation sponsored by State Representative Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro) designed to better support the healthcare needs of military men and women across the state moved forward this week as the House State Government Subcommittee voted unanimously in support of the bill.

As amended, House Bill 425 authorizes healthcare providers who are in the National Guard to provide volunteer clinic services in a Tennessee military armory for those in need. Currently, no authorization is in place that allows these military members to provide such care.

Once passed by both chambers and signed into law by Governor Haslam, the new program will be referred to as the Mission Tennessee for Veterans Program.

“Our military goes on missions around the world. Healthcare providers go on medical missions around the world. Why not give the authority of healthcare providers in the National Guard to provide limited primary healthcare in a Tennessee armory?” said Representative Terry. “With all the talk of veterans falling through the cracks or receiving delayed care, I believe Mission Tennessee for Veterans will be a positive step forward in helping our veterans and military members receive the care they both need and deserve.”

The legislation is currently scheduled for the Calendar committees in the House and Senate. Then it should go to the floor for a full vote.

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