The Senate Committee on Organization made a rare move Wednesday to prevent a cancer bill from being debated in the state Senate’s morning session.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, chairs the committee and is responsible for scheduling debates on bills after their original committees approve them. Instead of assigning the bill for floor debate, Fitzgerald scheduled the bill for a public hearing after the Senate's session ended.
Senate Committee on Insurance and Housing unanimously passed the bill, which would prohibit insurance companies from requiring a higher co-payment for oral chemotherapy treatment regardless of the insurance policy.
State Sen. Chris Larson’s, D-Milwaukee, Communications Director, Gillian Drummond, said the public hearing was scheduled as a tactical move to keep Democrats from pulling the bill onto the Senate floor.
The public hearing was canceled shortly after Wednesday’s Senate session adjourned.
