The clock is ticking at the Nevada Legislature, and there are still a lot of bills at play.
This includes all five of Governor Joe Lombardo's priority bills.
Four of them have now gotten hearings, with his Nevada Health Care Access Act getting its first on Tuesday.
It was heard in a joint meeting of the Senate and Assembly on Health and Human Services.
"Adequate and timely access to health care remains a pressing challenge for many Nevadans including myself and my family," the Governor said during the initial testimony for the bill.
It was the bill's first hearing, so no motion was made.Â
It will need a work session before a vote decides if it will pass out of committee or not.
During his opening statements, Lombardo shared some personal testimony about his grandson, who was hospitalized with an ear infection.
The Governor says there was no doctor in southern Nevada that had the ability to treat him, but luckily there was a doctor visiting from Texas who was able to complete treatment.
"The Nevada Health Care Access Act is legislation designed to address this very issue," he said after sharing the story. "This legislation will help us grow our workforce while also expanding mental health resources and streamline health care services across Nevada."
The bill is looking to accelerate state licensing and credentialing processes.
It also seeks to create the Office of Mental Health.
That office would oversee mental health resources across the state.
A portion of the bill is creating some conversations around finding easier ways for people wanting to be Dental Hygienists.
Some think it will be great to help the shortages across the state, but others think it will create worse care for patients.
"These sections would eliminate as written the educational safeguards and standardized competency examinations that ensure practicing dental hygienist in the state of Nevada provide competent, safe, and comprehensive preventative periodontal care for their patients," said a dental hygienist speaking in opposition at the hearing.
There were multiple letters and other speakers asking for that portion of the bill to be cut as well.
Other components of the bill include reforming prior authorization and expanding paramedicine to rural areas.
It's also proposing the Patient Protection Commission to complete a comprehensive study for the development of an academic medical center.
When the bill was first introduced at a press conference at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, there were two major funding portions of the bill.
The first was the Nevada Health Care Workforce Access Fund, which was a $25 million annual fund to address workforce shortages.
It will now be included in one of Nevada Senator Nicole Cannizzaro's bills.
The other was to double the funding for graduate medical education.
It's trying to expand residency programs to keep medical students here in the state.
It will now be part of one of Nevada Senator Julia Pazina's bills.
Senate Bill 494, was heard directly after the act.
It's from the Finance Office in the Governor's Office.
It's trying to establish the Nevada Health Authority, and a director for it.
During the UNLV press conference, Lombardo shared he wanted Stacie Weeks, Administrator, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, to be the director.
The legislation is looking to also rename that department to the Department of Human Services.
