Health and Human Services
The binational Midwestern Legislative Conference Health and Human Services Committee provides a forum for state and provincial legislators to exchange information and ideas on a range of critical policy issues.
Committee activities include ongoing policy research, webinars for legislators and legislative staff, and in-person meetings. The committee officers for 2023-2024 are Kansas Rep. Susan Concannon and Illinois Sen. Julie Morrison, co-chairs; and South Dakota Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, vice chair. Legislators from the Midwestern states and four Canadian provinces serve on the committee. The CSG Midwest staff liaison for the committee is Tim Anderson.
The MLC Health and Human Services Committee has held two in-person meetings in 2024. First, it hosted a “Child Welfare Reimagined” policy workshop for Midwestern state legislators in June 2024. Second, the committee met and held sessions at the 2024 Midwestern Legislative Conference Annual Meeting in Columbus, Ohio.
2024 committee meeting in Columbus: Information and resources
- Stateline Midwest article on “Transforming Maternal Care: State-Based Reforms in Ohio Include Use of Value-Based Payment Model” »
- “Ohio’s Reforms and Advances in Child Welfare Services” | Joel Potts, Government and External Affairs Officer, Ohio Department of Children and Youth
- Presentation on “Transforming Child Services, Improving Lives” | Rita Soronen, President & CEO, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption »
- Presentation on “Innovation in Medicaid Payment for Quality Maternity Care in Ohio” | Maureen Corcoran, Director, Ohio Department of Medicaid »
- Presentation on “Delivering and Paying For Quality Maternity Care Services” | Sinsi Hernández-Cancio, Vice President for Health Justice, National Partnership for Women and Families »
- 2024 committee meeting agenda »
The MLC Health & Human Services Committee meets at least once a year as part of the MLC Annual Meeting, most recently in Columbus in 2024 and Detroit in 2023.
The laws and policies that impact the legal rights and representation of youths in child welfare systems vary considerably. Participants in this web event learned about these differences, how they impact the lives of young people, and new laws and promising practices in the states.
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In conjunction with the 78th Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference, the MLC Health & Human Services Committee met on Sunday, July 21, and held a stand-alone policy session on Monday, July 22, in Columbus, Ohio.
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Open to all, this webinar gave participants the opportunity to explore innovative strategies and programs to improve responses for people with mental health needs in the criminal justice system.
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This event gave participants the opportunity to explore state laws, programs and investments that support families and safely reduce foster care populations.
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In this Dec. 13 webinar, one of the nation’s leading policy experts on Medicaid examined important recent developments in this critical public insurance program, as well as some of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for state legislators and other leaders. Participants also learned about the tools and options available to the legislative branch regarding oversight of Medicaid, which made up close to 30 percent of total state spending in fiscal year 2023 and provides health insurance to about 20 percent of the people living in the United States. Resources from the webinar are now available.
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An event for all legislators from the region's states and provinces
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