AB 1078

This bill specifies that the Joint Committee on Finance may provide up to

$15,000,000 in funding in the 2023-25 fiscal biennium, from the JCF supplemental

appropriation, for grants to fund health systems that commit to providing hospital

emergency department services in Chippewa County or Eau Claire County, and that,

in addition, agree to use any grant funds for capital expenditures to aid in providing

hospital emergency department services in Chippewa County or Eau Claire County.

Under the bill, the Department of Health Services may submit a request to JCF

for this funding with a plan that identifies each health system requesting funding,

describes the types of expenditures for which the requested funding would be used,

and prioritizes grant awards to support hospital emergency department services in

Chippewa County. The bill provides that if JCF determines that the requirements

set forth in the bill are satisfied, JCF may approve the plan and request for funding,

as proposed or as modified, and may provide funding, not exceeding a total of

$15,000,000, to DHS to provide grants to health systems as provided in the approved

plan. The bill requires a report to the legislature that includes the amount of funding

received, a detailed description of all expenditures for which the funding was used,

and the impact of the funding on the hospital emergency department services of the

health systems that received a grant.