The House of Delegates (HOD) functions very much like our state and federal legislative bodies.  Prior to debate of resolutions on the floor of the House, the proposals are discussed and debated in one of seven “reference committees,” each of which focuses on a particular subject area.  The reference committees’ recommendations become the main order of business on the floor of the House.

An online forum for each reference committee has been created for CMA members to discuss resolutions prior to the HOD meeting.  Any member may log on to view the text of resolutions and the comments posted by others, and can add their own comments after completing a simple registration process.  In addition to the seven public forums, each reference committee has a private “members-only” forum where committee members can discuss the comments posted in the public forums.  Committee members will consider these comments, along with the oral testimony presented at the committee’s hearing on the first day of the HOD meeting, when developing their recommendations for action by the House.

The seven public reference committee forums are as follows:

Committee A – Medical Practice Issues
Committee B – Government Health Programs and Health System Reform
Committee C – CMA Membership, Finance and Governance
Committee D – Insurance and Physician Reimbursement
Committee E – Quality, Ethics and Legal Issues
Committee F – Health Professions and Facilities
Committee G – Science and Public Health

Click here to enter the forums.