ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 5089

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 15, 2020

      The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 5089.

      The amended bill clarifies that the County Option Hospital Fee Pilot Program is to expire five years after each participating county has collected a local health care-related fee, which is authorized to be imposed under existing law.  Currently, participating counties cannot collect this fee until the State receives any necessary federal approvals to implement the provisions of the existing law and to secure federal financial participation for related State Medicaid expenditures.  The uncertainty of these approvals may result in the pilot expiring before the provisions of the law have been implemented.  As such, this bill provides that upon the collection of the fee by each participating county, the pilot program will have five years in which to fully operate.

      The amended bill also provides that a participating county is not to be liable for any amount of a local health care-related fee imposed on a hospital pursuant to the existing law that the hospital fails to pay or does not pay in a timely manner to the assessing county.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments add language to the bill that provides that a participating county is not to be liable for any amount of a local health care-related fee imposed on a hospital pursuant to the existing law that the hospital fails to pay or does not pay in a timely manner to the assessing county.  The amendments also update the bill’s synopsis to reflect the addition of this provision.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      This bill is not certified as requiring a fiscal note.