With only 5 legislative days left, House Lawmakers had a full plate yesterday taking up numerous Senate bills.

Spinal injury victims got a helping hand as lawmakers took a stand to strengthen the state’s spine and brain injury registry program.  The measure will bring provisions up-to-date to comply with HIPPA. 

One of the most important regulations contained in the legislation will lengthen the allowed time to report brain and spinal cord injuries for the purposes of receiving services from a matter of a few hours to 45 days.  With a vote of 156 to 4, the measure now goes to the Governor.

Magistrate’s retirement also got the attention of lawmakers with passage of Senate Bill 244 which establishes a retirement system for full time magistrates.

Also on the floor today was Senate Bill 445 addressing the civil war commission and placing it under the leadership and guidance of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

Legislation dealing with new colleges’ mandatory fees and HOPE regulations, EMT training provisions, and liability for personal financial contributions were also considered on the floor.