AA budget amendment update
We updated you previously that the Senate Finance Committee had acted under the cover of darkness to insert a line item into the budget that tasked the Board of Medicine with creating preliminary requirements for AAs later this year. We wanted to provide you with the latest information on what has happened on that front.
This past weekend, the General Assembly adopted a “skinny” budget and then adjourned for the session. This slimmed-down budget does not include the AA budget amendment, but that does not mean the fight is over.
The General Assembly will come back for a “veto session” where they will hammer out the details for the full biennial budget on April 12. We expect at that time that we will have to fight on the inclusion of this AA amendment.
Already, VANA and our lobby team have crafted letters objecting to this amendment as it circumvented the legislative process by introducing a new anesthesia provider via budgetary process.
The argument is not whether AAs are good or bad. The argument is that this was added to the budget in a sneaky way and doesn’t allow for proper input from Virginians and all interested parties. We will continue to update you as this process plays out.
At this moment, the most helpful action VANA members can take is to donate to VANA’s PAC. The mission of VANA PAC is to educate and inform elected leaders, as well as the public at large, about the laws and policies that affect how we as CRNAs effectively provide care to our patients in Virginia. Your contribution helps elevate our profession across the Commonwealth and engage in these types of legislative battles. Please click here to contribute to VANA’s PAC.
Your voices have been critical during this legislative session in helping us elevate CRNAs in the Capitol. Stay tuned to your email, and our social media accounts – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter – for more updates.
