Here’s another update from the Capitol! It's been a cold January, but there’s been snow on the ground here in Denver that’s needed on the Western Slope.
Every year, legislators spend the first three weeks of January in SMART Act hearings, when the state agencies visit the Capitol to present their work from the past year and their goals for the coming session. The hearings make for long days, but they’re an important check-in on how the roll out is going for legislation from previous years and what we need to work on in 2025.
Most years, bills don’t start passing through the House until after SMART hearings, but this year we hit the ground running in the Health and Human Services Committee. My first bill passed with bipartisan support through committee and across the House floor, so it’s now on its way to the senate!
This bill will allow occupational therapists to prescribe durable medical equipment like wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, and monitors.
Occupational therapists are experts in identifying the assistive devices their patients need and teaching them how to use that equipment to live safe and healthy lives. Current Colorado law doesn’t allow occupational therapists to write prescriptions for this equipment, and people in Southwest Colorado, and across the state, often struggle to access physicians.
This bill would reduce these barriers and streamline the prescription process, so that people can access the tools they need to live more efficiently and easily.
Looking ahead, normal committee hearings are ramping up! When bills are proposed, they are first sent to the relevant committee, where we hear public testimony, ask questions, and propose amendments.
I’ll be working on the Agriculture, Water, and Natural Resources Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee to review bills on everything from fire mitigation programs to behavioral health care coverage.
If you are interested in sharing your perspectives on any of the bills coming up, you can email my office directly at katie.stewart.house@coleg.gov or you can sign up to give public testimony at bit.ly/4h9Pkdu.
Katie Stewart represents Colorado House District 59, representing Archuleta, La Plata and San Juan counties and most of Montezuma County. Reach her at katie.stewart.house@coleg.gov.
