Legislative Week 16 in Review: The Final Stretch
With the General Assembly entering the last two weeks of the 2026 regular session, the pace is picking up fast — and the remaining calendar is tight. By SCHA’s count, lawmakers have just six full legislative working days left to move priority bills to the governor’s desk before the traditional sine die adjournment on Thursday, May 14 (5 p.m.).
That compressed timeline is already shaping strategy under the dome: leadership is looking for procedural flexibility on the budget, and the Senate has begun floor debate on major healthcare and legal reform legislation that could define the closing days of session.
Sine Die “Workaround” for the Budget: What Happened This Week
A key development this week came in House Ways and Means, where lawmakers advanced a statutory “sine die” change designed to give the House and Senate more room to complete the state budget after May 14. The change would allow the budget conference committee to finalize a conference report and have it debated by both chambers even after regular session adjourns, so long as leadership calls members back before the end of June (ahead of the fiscal year end).
That approach aligns with legislation already moving through the process — S.238 (Sine Die) — which amends Section 2-1-180 to clarify circumstances under which the House and Senate may return after sine die to finish budget-related business (and related items like the Capital Reserve Fund resolution).
What has not yet materialized is the typical sine die resolution that governs what can be taken up in the post-adjournment period. SCHA is watching closely to see whether the resolution is amended to allow outstanding conference reports to be addressed after May 14 — beyond the budget alone.
SCHA Priorities: The HALO Act and Medical Malpractice Reform
One of SCHA’s top remaining priorities is the HALO Act, legislation intended to better protect first responders and emergency medical care providers from interference or harassment while performing lawful duties. This week’s update reflects ongoing conversations about concerns related to parental rights language intersecting with the HALO proposal. SCHA has offered multiple versions of clarifying parental rights language to address those concerns and is hopeful the issue will be resolved in a way that allows the bill to move on the Senate floor during the final two weeks. The bill has already passed through the House.
A significant moment late Wednesday: the Senate unexpectedly turned to medical malpractice reform and began debate. During that debate, Senate Leader Shane Massey offered an amendment that would remove increases to non-economic damages that have been part of the discussion this year — a change SCHA characterized as bringing the bill much closer to a “best-case” outcome for hospitals. The underlying malpractice measure moving this session is H.4544 (Medical malpractice), which includes changes to noneconomic damages provisions, Tort Claims Act definitions, and liability limits, and has been received in the Senate after House passage.
It’s important to remember what many long-time observers already know about tort policy debates in the Senate: they can be lengthy and complex, with multiple competing interests and ripple effects beyond hospitals, including implications for governmental entities and other covered organizations. That reality suggests the “endgame” may depend on a compromise package acceptable to a broad Senate coalition. SCHA is encouraging hospital leaders and advocates to engage senators directly as debate continues and negotiations take shape in the final days.
The State Budget and Medicaid Funding: Back in the House
The budget is now back in the House after Senate action, and House floor debate is expected soon — potentially beginning next week. For hospitals, the core issue remains Medicaid funding. The Senate version came in below what the state agency needs, and SCHA will be urging House members — and eventually budget conferees — to adopt a higher Medicaid funding level to fully fund the program’s needs.
Itemized Billing Advances Out of Senate Medical Affairs
The Senate Medical Affairs Committee took up and advanced an itemized billing / patient-friendly billing proposal this week — an issue that has been building for more than a year under the broader banner of price transparency and consumer understanding. The bill discussed is H.4069 (Patient-Friendly Billing), sponsored by Rep. Heath Sessions and others, which would establish new billing requirements — including providing patients with an itemized bill and setting conditions around when debt collection activity may proceed. Continued stakeholder concerns — particularly around debt collections and related operational questions — will likely need to be resolved as the bill moves forward.
Looking Ahead: Calls to Action, Hospital of the Week, and National Hospital Week
SCHA plans to issue a call-to-action next week focused on the remaining big-ticket priorities: the HALO Act, medical malpractice, and the budget.
On the engagement side, SCHA will also highlight Rebound Behavioral Health as “Hospital of the Week” next week at the State House — continuing a strong showing of hospital presence and legislative engagement.
Finally, the last week of session lines up with National Hospital Week (May 10-16, 2026), and SCHA expects the governor to sign a proclamation, with House and Senate resolutions also moving — a positive note to close the year by recognizing the work hospitals do for communities statewide.