June 2, 2026 · Finance Committee · 758 words · 2 speakers · 5 segments
Good afternoon. The Senate Finance Committee will come to order. Will the clerk please call the roll? Chair Serino? Here. Vice Chair Chavez? Here. Ranking Member Hicks-Hudson? Present. Senator Blessing? Here. Senator Brenner? Present. Senator Craig? Here. Senator Ingram? Here. Senator Lange? Here. Senator Manchester? Senator Manning? Here. Senator Patton? Senator Romanchuk? Here. Senator Wilkin? Okay, we have a quorum and we'll proceed as a full committee. With a quorum present, we'll ask the committee to review the minutes from the June 2nd meeting earlier today, which are on your iPads. Are there any additions, corrections, or objections to the minutes? Seeing none, the minutes are approved and are part of the record. The first order of business is the first hearing on Senate Bill 450, the capital budget. We'll be hearing proponent, opponent, and interested party testimony today. The Chair would also mention that historically, capital budgets have generally not received a lot, if any, testimony from associations or the general public. And while always, but as always, we invite anyone to testify, it is not unusual to see little or no testimony on the capital budgets. We will begin with the only submitted testimony that we have. Is there a Stephanie Thomas here Okay she was the only one who submitted testimony and was supposed to be here Great Is there anyone else who wishes to testify on Senate Bill 450 Seeing none, remember there were no written testimonies submitted to my office. This will conclude the first hearing on Senate Bill 450. The second order and final order of business will be the first hearing on amended substitute House Bill 479. The chair will note that this bill passed the Senate Health Committee with the unanimous vote of 7 to 0. We will be hearing sponsor testimony today from Representative Schmidt.
Representative, welcome to committee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me to talk to you about the radiological assistant to administer contrast bill, House Bill 479. Chairman Serino, Vice Chair Chavez, and Ranking Member Hick Hudson, I appreciate your time in this. Contrast media is what is used for certain images for CT scans or MRIs. The American College of Radiology updated their federal policies this February, or February of 2024, and the Ohio Radiological Society brought these two updates to my attention They assisted in helping craft this bill which will ensure that Ohioans are able to get their images they need and continue to do so in a safe manner House Bill 479 will allow a radiologist assistant to administer contrast under the remote supervision of a radiologist. It will also allow a registered nurse, radiographer, radiation therapy technologic, tech person, and nuclear medicine technologist to administer contrast under direct or general supervision of a physician. As a matter of safety, whenever remote or general supervision is being provided, a qualified health care provider must be present at the location to assist with the adverse reactions or events, and the supervisor must be available for consultation with the professional administering the contrast. A qualified provider must receive training and meet competency guidelines set by the institution for recognizing adverse events. They must also be able to recognize when medical intervention is required and consult with the supervising physician or radiologist within a very appropriate time frame During the committee process in the Senate we asked Senator Huffman to remove provisions allowing LPNs to monitor reactions and adverse events while requiring RNs who administer contrast to have adequate training and meet competency guidelines set by their employer. I am thankful Senator Huffman and the Senate Health Committee for working with me through this legislation and passing it unanimously. House Bill 479 will help many Ohioans receive the necessary care they need for CT scans and MRIs. It would be especially helpful in the rural areas that continue to struggle to meet various staffing needs. This legislation, while expanding the ability for certain professionals to practice with supervision, will allow more health centers to provide the care that is needed with the high safety standards necessary to keep Ohioans safe.
I appreciate your time, and I will try to answer any questions you might have. Thank you for your testimony. Are there any questions? Seeing none, thank you very much.
Thank you very much, and you all have a great day.
Great. If there are no further questions, that will conclude the first hearing for amended substitute House Bill 479. Is there any further business before the committee? Seeing none, our committee is adjourned.