Senate Bill 34 Summary

• Establishes a certificate of need (CON) program requiring health care facilities to obtain approval from the State Department of Health before offering new services, acquiring major equipment over $250,000, or expanding bed capacity.

• Defines "institutional health services" to include hospital services, health maintenance organizations, ambulatory surgical centers, and other health care facilities, with certain exemptions for acquisitions that don't change services or for equipment that won't serve inpatients.

• Requires the Department to review applications based on 12 criteria including community need, availability of alternatives, resource availability, training program impacts, construction costs, and accessibility for underserved populations.

• Grants certificates of need validity for up to 4 years (extensible by 6 months for good cause), with reporting requirements and Department authority to withdraw certificates for non-compliance or failure to implement.

• Establishes penalties including fines up to $850 and injunctions for offering institutional health services without required certificate, and directs the Department to submit annual reports to the Legislature on certificate activities.