Joint Rule No. 11. Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee; membership; powers, functions, duties

            A.(1) The Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee is hereby created and shall consist of the following members of the House of Representatives and of the Senate:

            (a)(i) Six members of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives in a manner to reflect the makeup of the membership of the House of Representatives, including party affiliation, race, sex, and geography, to the extent practicable. Three of the members appointed by the speaker shall be members of the House Committee on Appropriations, and three of the members appointed by the speaker shall be members of the House Committee on Health and Welfare.

            (ii) However, if a member of the House of Representatives appointed pursuant to Subitem (i) of this Item is unable to attend a meeting of the special joint committee, the member may request the speaker to designate, and the speaker may so designate, another member of the House of Representatives to serve as his proxy at the meeting. To the extent practicable, the member designated to serve as a proxy shall have the same party affiliation as the special joint committee member.

            (b)(i) Six members of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate in a manner to reflect the makeup of the membership of the Senate, including party affiliation, race, sex, and geography, to the extent practicable. Three of the members appointed by the president shall be members of the Senate Committee on Finance, and three of the members appointed by the president shall be members of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare.

            (ii) However, if a member of the Senate appointed pursuant to Subitem (i) of this Item is unable to attend a meeting of the special joint committee, the member may request the president to designate, and the president may so designate, another member of the Senate to serve as his proxy at the meeting. To the extent practicable, the member designated to serve as a proxy shall have the same party affiliation as the special joint committee member.

            (2) The special joint committee shall select a chairman and a vice chairman from among its members. The position of chairman and vice chairman for the special joint committee shall rotate in even-numbered years on the second Monday in January between the members of the House of Representatives and the members of the Senate who serve on the committee.

            (3) The staff of the House Committee on Health and Welfare, the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Finance, the legislative fiscal office, and the legislative auditor shall provide staff support to the special joint committee.

            B. The special joint committee shall monitor, review, and make recommendations relative to all aspects of the state Medicaid program on a continuing basis as provided in this Paragraph.

            (1) The special joint committee shall:

            (a) Review how the state Medicaid program relates to the public and private provision of healthcare coverage in this state and the other states.

            (b) Recommend policies and strategies to encourage both of the following:

            (i) Medicaid recipients' physical and mental ability to join and stay in the workforce and ultimately become self-sufficient.

            (ii) Healthy living, resulting in less use of the state Medicaid program.

            (c) Review the compliance of the Louisiana Department of Health with all applicable laws and regulations relative to the state Medicaid program.

            (d) Recommend, to the extent the special joint committee deems appropriate, improvements in laws, rules, and regulations concerning the state Medicaid program.

            (e) Develop a plan of action for the future of the state Medicaid program.

            (2) The special joint committee may:

            (a) Plan, advertise, organize, and conduct forums, conferences, and other meetings, in which representatives of state agencies and other individuals with expertise in the state Medicaid program may participate, to increase knowledge and understanding of and to develop and propose improvements to the state Medicaid program.

(b) Prepare and issue reports on the state Medicaid program.

            C. The special joint committee may call upon the staffs of any department, agency, or official of the state, particularly those of the Louisiana Department of Health or its successor, for data and assistance, and all departments, agencies, and officials shall cooperate with the special joint committee. The special joint committee may request and utilize the assistance of any and all private sources.

            D. The special joint committee shall have the power and authority of a standing committee of either house to hold hearings, to require the production of books and records, and to do all other things necessary to discharge its duties.

            E. The special joint committee shall meet regularly to fulfill its functions and duties and, no later than thirty days prior to each regular session, shall report all of its activities and recommendations to the presiding officer of each house, the governor, the House Committee on Health and Welfare, the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Louisiana Department of Health or its successor.

            F. For the purposes of this Rule, the term "state Medicaid program" shall mean the medical assistance program operated pursuant to Title XIX of the Social Security Act.

            HCR 6, 2020 R.S., eff. May 31, 2020; HCR 3, 2021 R.S., eff. June 9, 2021.