Transcript Highlights:

• For example, we're working to develop standard trainings for CCS monitoring and oversight.
• , so that is also an area that we're looking into to really develop a training.
• . so that is also an area. training program that we will be rolling out so that is also an area that
• Our second trailer bill is the Cognitive Health Assessment Training Program.
• DHCS contracted with the University of California, San Francisco, to create the training and track training

Summary: The committee heard a budget oversight hearing on the Department of Health Care Services, focusing first on the overall Medi-Cal budget and a March General Fund loan to cover a current-year shortfall. DHCS said the 2025-26 budget proposal totals $193.4 billion, with Medi-Cal projected at $188.1 billion total funds and $42.1 billion General Fund, driven by higher enrollment, pharmacy costs, managed care growth, and costs tied to eligibility expansions and the COVID-era redetermination unwinding. The department said the $3.44 billion loan was needed to manage cash flow and ensure timely payments to providers and plans, while the LAO noted Medi-Cal’s cash-basis budgeting creates volatility and that more detailed estimates would come with the May Revision. Members discussed federal Medicaid threats, the need for transparency on cost drivers, and the impact of pharmacy spending, long-term care, and immigration-related coverage expansions. The second major topic was family health programs, including California Children’s Services, the continuous coverage unwinding, and opioid settlement fund spending. DHCS described CCS funding methodology changes, ongoing county stakeholder work, and a delayed rollout of CCS monitoring and oversight until July 1, 2025, while county representatives and advocates argued the program is underfunded and asked for more technical assistance and a delay in implementation. On the unwinding, the department explained that federal redetermination flexibilities helped maintain coverage after the pandemic, but the Governor’s budget proposes ending them at the end of June 2025; advocates urged making the flexibilities permanent to avoid coverage losses. For opioid settlement funds, DHCS and Finance said the budget increases funding for naloxone distribution while reducing other harm-reduction spending based on updated settlement revenues, prompting criticism from members and public commenters who argued the change would weaken effective harm-reduction programs. The hearing also included an update on Proposition 35 implementation. DHCS said the voter-approved measure continuously appropriates MCO tax revenues beginning in 2025, with up to $4.6 billion annually available for specified Medi-Cal and provider investments in 2025 and 2026, but implementation depends on consultation with the required stakeholder advisory committee. The department and LAO noted uncertainty about future federal rules affecting the MCO tax after 2026. Public testimony largely supported maintaining Medi-Cal expansions, protecting immigrant coverage, preserving harm-reduction funding, and increasing support for community health workers, pediatric dental care, and CCS county administration. No votes were taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The staff are trained to work with them.
• So they do have. some training and ability to do that.
• And when I say, have we trained?
• Are y'all trained? in a way that could help pitch in.
• Is that training? Is that school? What is that?

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You've got some training also? Yes, sir.
• Training is a big one to help ensure... ...that there's consistency across law enforcement in Texas as
• Database training? Yes, sir.
• The database training will be put together by the Texas Department of Public Safety for those individuals
• They would be required to take the training that DPS provides. ...offers. Good.

Bills: SB659, SB1585, SB2201, SB2514, SB2569

Keywords: smuggling, human trafficking, criminal penalties, felony offenses, law enforcement, foreign adversary, foreign-owned company, scrutinized company, China, national security, cybersecurity, information technology, communications technology, ICT, critical infrastructure, state contracts, government procurement, vendor certification, debarment, civil penalty

Transcript Highlights:

• It also establishes a clear safety protocol that requires trained supervision.
• And all supervisors now have to be trained in CPR. We'll have the skills of diving as well.
• And he says, first of all, his training was basic at best.
• His respirator was off, and no one on site had the training to help him.
• Again, no one had the training to attempt to give him CPR at that time.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, unlike traditional foster homes, treatment foster parents receive specialized training to care
• Treatment foster homes receive specialized training to care for children with high behavioral needs and
• receive higher compensation due to this specialized training, increased availability requirements, and
• who have those increased needs can be placed in family-like settings with foster parents that are trained
• Because rural governments are small and lean, they sometimes lack the personnel and technical training

Summary: The Committee on Fiscal Policy met and first considered CS/SB 7012 on child welfare, presented by Senator Graal. The bill addressed three areas: child welfare workforce shortages, higher-acuity children in out-of-home care, and services/data for commercially sexually exploited children. It would create a CPI and case manager recruitment program aimed at former public safety and service workers, convene a workforce work group, establish a four-year treatment foster care pilot in two judicial circuits identified by DCF based on removal and placement data, and require more detailed, extractable child-level data on commercially sexually exploited children along with a bed capacity study and service gap analysis. Two amendments were adopted: one clarified record retention for redacted assessments, and another attached the appropriation. The committee then heard CS/SB 110 on rural communities from Senator Simon. The bill proposed a broad rural development package, including a state office of rural prosperity, a Renaissance grant program for counties with declining populations, increased housing support, major rural road funding, school consortium funding, and additional health care resources for rural facilities and training. A delete-all amendment was adopted that expanded and refined several provisions, including local sales tax trust fund distributions, county connectivity projects, agritourism marketing support, disaster-impacted rural infrastructure eligibility, insurance and provider eligibility changes, and increased funding for critical access hospitals and rural medical education reimbursement. Both bills drew broad support from local government, education, health care, housing, and rural advocacy representatives. Supporters said the rural bill was especially comprehensive and would help small counties, schools, roads, housing, and health care, while one witness cautioned that road expansion should be balanced with protection of agricultural and natural lands. Senator Bradley and Senator Simon emphasized local control and the importance of strengthening rural Florida without imposing mandates. CS/SB 7012 and CS/SB 110 were both reported favorably, and the committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• people into to train them for these jobs.
• Uh so training folks who understand it.
• that we train the workforce of Kentucky. that we train the workforce of Kentucky. uh<01:18:20.880
• You see this, you're training the students.
• You see this, you you're you're training You see this, you you're you're training the<01:45:08.960

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Intelligence Task Force met with a quorum present and approved the minutes from the August 14 meeting. The first presentation was from the National Retail Federation on artificial intelligence in the retail sector. NRF described AI use cases in three areas: consumer-facing tools such as chatbots, product descriptions, and marketing; employee-facing tools such as company-specific apps trained on employee manuals; and internal uses such as supply chain forecasting, inventory planning, fraud detection, cybersecurity, and coding support. The presenters said retail has been among the top deployers of AI and emphasized that the goal is to improve both customer and employee experience. NRF also outlined its principles for responsible AI use, organized around governance and risk management, customer engagement and trust, workforce applications, and business partner accountability. The group said retailers should maintain strong internal oversight, be transparent with customers, ensure compliance with existing laws, closely review workforce-related uses because they can be high-risk, and clearly define responsibilities between retailers and third-party developers. In policy discussion, NRF urged a tiered approach focused first on high-risk uses such as hiring, health care, financial, mortgage, and rental decisions, warned against fragmented rules that could favor only the largest firms, and encouraged voluntary standards and worker upskilling incentives. In response to a question about dynamic pricing, NRF said its members do not target consumers based on pricing and offered to follow up with more information. The committee then moved to a follow-up discussion on energy policy and data centers, hearing from Bartley Cleland of NetChoice. He explained that AI runs largely in data centers and that cloud computing shifts processing and storage away from individual devices, which he argued improves efficiency and can reduce costs. He said electricity demand has been rising over time and that AI will increase compute-related electricity use, but framed electricity as a normal input to economic growth. No votes or formal actions were taken after these presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• for the weoa reporting and dual training for the weoa reporting and dual training grants<00:41:46.280
• Training on best practices for conducting investigations.
• Training on best practices for conducting investigations.
• Training on best practices for conducting investigations.
• <01:09:05.159> of scholarships are for Medical Training of scholarships are for Medical Training

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• on line 55, TNC and training on line 55, TNC enforcement,<00:11:12.000> education<00:11:12.399
• <00:25:45.039> I training nursing home workers. I training nursing home workers.
• Our members deserve the same protections and on-the-job training programs as other unions.
• Our members deserve the same protections and on-the-job training programs as other unions.
• I appreciate the workforce development fund funding, the dual training, youth skills training grants,

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It provides direct training for occupational therapy students to increase the number of providers trained
• have provided training to over 200 school district staff across our sites and additional national trainings
• haven't done special ed training haven't done special ed training wouldn't<01:01:05.839> be
• We cannot train the next cancelled.
• 12:22.560> Minnesota's<01:12:23.120> health trains about 70% of Minnesota's health trains

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• into the part of the Bill that deals with the Oklahoma Free Speech Committee forming a free speech training
• have a really phenomenal group at the Free Speech Committee that does a great job on free speech training
• Senate Bill 1726 will Establish a training course or a base level of training for graduate student instructors
• Representative, is there no onboarding training for our faculty?
• On that, I guess it's somewhat analogous to the requirements of base-level training for our K-12 instructors

Bills: SB1477, SB1480, SB1593, SB1633, SB1670, SB1725, SB1726, SB1735, SB1632

Keywords: education, concurrent enrollment, students, age restrictions, academic access, apprenticeship, career education, youth programs, employment, technology centers, SB1593, OSU Tulsa, Oklahoma State University/Tulsa, Board of Trustees, higher education, university governance, A&M Board, Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges, presidential search, board rules

Transcript Highlights:

• simple bill that will allow licensed occupational therapists who elect to complete the same rigorous training
• They still have to have a, um, I forget the exact number of hours of training, but it's in here—20 or
• I looked at the professional anatomy and all of that training, and that satisfied me. occupational therapists
• The training—also look into the training that they are required to take—so I'm going to be up on the
• completely, and that's why it's important to note that in this bill, the requirement is that the training

Transcript Highlights:

• THE FIRST ONE IS TRAINING PROGRAMS THEY CAN RECEIVE REIMBURSEMENT FOR TRAINING WHICH WE ARE SEEING THEY
• ARE SUBMITTING FOR REIMBURSEMENTS FOR THE 287G TRAINING WHICH IS A TRAINING THEY MUST TAKE TO BE A CREDENTIALED
• THEY CAN SUBMIT FOR ICE APPROVED CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS AND SPECIALIZED ENFORCEMENT SKILLS TRAINING.
• SUBMITS FOR TRAINING SOMETHING THEY CAN BACKDATE TO FEBRUARY, THAT WOULD BE AN ALLOWABLE COST. >> FOLLOW-UP

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, H. 207, an act requiring OSHA training.
• Safety training is embedded in every apprenticeship program and reinforced daily on the job site.
• Thank you. approved training for all construction workers.
• Safety training is embedded in every apprenticeship program and reinforced daily on the job site.
• So these programs take three to five years depending on what the training is.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a hybrid hearing on a large group of bills carried over from the previous session, with Chair Jake Oliveira and House Co-Chair Paul McMurtry outlining the process and limiting testimony to three minutes. The committee heard testimony on several labor and workplace proposals, including bills to harmonize employee definitions to address misclassification (SB 1338/HB 2141), expand bereavement leave (including H. 2189/S. 1354 and related bills), protect collective bargaining rights for certain administrative employees (HB 268/SB 1306), expand commuter transit benefits (HB 2153/SB 1345), regulate employer use of credit reports (S. 1286), and require apprenticeship participation or OSHA-related workplace safety measures on public projects. At the end of the hearing, the chairs read into the record additional bills that did not receive testimony that day. Supporters of the misclassification bill, including Greater Boston Legal Services and the AFL-CIO, said aligning the employee-status tests across wage, unemployment, and PFML laws would reduce confusion, improve enforcement, and help workers wrongly treated as independent contractors or managers recover benefits and bargaining rights. NAGE and its representative argued that public-sector employees have been improperly reclassified into management titles to weaken unions, and that the bill would force the Division of Labor Relations to review those titles. On bereavement leave, advocates including the Louis E. Brown Peace Institute, a state representative, the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, and individual survivors described the impact of sudden loss and homicide on families, saying guaranteed leave would help workers grieve, make arrangements, and avoid losing jobs or custody-related stability. The committee also heard support for commuter benefits as a low-cost way to reduce emissions and increase transit use, and for restricting employer credit checks because of inaccuracies and discriminatory effects. There was opposition to some construction-related bills. The Associated Builders and Contractors and the Building Trades Employers Association supported apprenticeship training in principle but said current apprentice-to-journeyworker ratios are outdated or misunderstood, and that the bills should be amended or clarified before advancing. The Massachusetts landscape and snow-removal industry strongly supported a snow-liability limitation bill, arguing that hold-harmless clauses and broad indemnification requirements force contractors to assume liability for conditions they cannot control, drive up insurance costs, and threaten business viability. The committee did not take any votes during the hearing, and the session ended with the chairs thanking members, staff, and the public before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• FANITZI, REGIMENTAL TRAINING OFFICER, U.S.
• And military training, Air Assault.
• AND MILITARY TRAINING, AIR ASSAULT.
• One-station unit training out of Fort Benning, Georgia.
• AND HIS MILITARY TRAINING INCLUDES AIR ASSAULT SCHOOL.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation by Major Brittany Wooten, then took up Senate Resolution No. 1749 designating March 19, 2026, as West Point Day in New York State. Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Senator Skoufis, Minority Leader Ortt, and several other senators spoke in support of West Point, its cadets, and the academy’s history and role in national service. Colonel Daniel R. Stuewe, commander of U.S. Army Garrison West Point, also addressed the chamber, emphasizing the long-standing partnership between West Point and New York and the academy’s mission to develop leaders of character. The resolution was adopted, and the West Point Day observance included recognition of cadets and academy staff. The Senate then moved through a calendar of bills, passing measures including amendments to the Public Health Law, Election Law, Executive Law, Penal Law, Elder Law, Real Property Tax Law, General Municipal Law, and Public Authorities Law. Several bills drew brief explanations of vote or debate. Senator Mayer spoke in support of a bill establishing Fred Korematsu Day, framing it as a reminder of the injustice of Japanese American internment and the need to defend civil rights. Senator Ryan supported a bill streamlining the senior citizen property tax exemption process, calling it a way to reduce burdens on older residents. Senator Helming opposed a local government planning mandate as an unfunded mandate, while Senators Walczyk and Martins criticized a housing-related reporting bill as burdensome and ineffective. The most debated item was Calendar 457, a housing-data and reporting bill sponsored by Senator May. Supporters argued it would improve transparency and help the state understand zoning and housing capacity, while opponents said it imposed new reporting burdens on municipalities and could penalize poorer communities by threatening CDBG funding. After debate, the bill was restored to the non-controversial calendar and ultimately passed by a vote of 37-23. The Senate then adjourned until the next legislative day.

Transcript Highlights:

• It would also add in training for noncredit training programs, and um they wanted to have the adjutant
• It would also add in training for noncredit training programs, and um they wanted to have the adjutant
• It would also add in uh training have.
• It would also add in uh training for<00:17:48.799> nonredit<00:17:49.520> training<00:17
• and um for nonredit training programs and um they<00:17:52.160> wanted<00:17:52.400> to

Bills: SB79, HB379, SB253, HB278, HB438, HB233, SB79, HB379, SB253, HB278, HB438, HB233

Keywords: sex-based terminology, gender identity, male, female, man, woman, boy, girl, single-sex spaces, women's rights, privacy, safety, fairness, anti-discrimination, vital statistics, birth certificate, intersex, DSD, differences in sex development, transgender

Transcript Highlights:

• Rivian wants to invest in New Mexico, hire New Mexicans, train New Mexicans, and invest in the local
• These positions offer career paths, benefits, training, and long-term stability for New Mexico families
• Decisions that directly support job creation, wage growth, workforce training, and reduced investment
• In southern New Mexico, we have the industrial training center at Doña Ana Community College from Union
• And what they're doing is they are training people to do the work that they need.

Bills: SB22, SB310

Keywords: motor vehicle manufacturers, licensing, dealers, franchise agreements, consumer protection, water supply, sewage improvements, environment, funding, Mora County, 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• However, I find it interesting that we want to put more training and mandate more hours on that, but
• We don't ask for teachers to be trained. We don't ask them to have fingerprint clearance cards.
• However, I find it interesting that we want to put more training and mandate more hours on that, but
• We don't ask for teachers to be trained. We don't ask them to have fingerprint clearance cards.
• We don't ask for teachers to be trained. We don't ask them to have fingerprint clearance cards.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The House convened with prayers, the Pledge of Allegiance, guest introductions, and several proclamations and recognitions, including International Mother Language Day, Nurses Day at the Capitol, Environmental Day, Arizona Aerospace Day, Childhelp, Teamsters Local 104, and African American Legislative Day. Attendance was recorded at 57 present, zero absent, and three excused. The chamber also handled routine business such as committee reports, bill referrals, first and second readings, and announcements of upcoming committee meetings. The main floor action centered on House Bill 2785, a tax conformity measure. Members debated it at length, with supporters arguing it would make tax forms legal, align Arizona with federal tax changes, and provide tax relief to taxpayers and small businesses, while opponents said it was an unpaid tax cut for wealthy individuals and corporations that would force cuts to health care, education, SNAP, and other services. The House passed HB 2785 on a 32-26 vote with two not voting and sent it to the Senate. The House then resolved into Committee of the Whole and considered several Health and Human Services and Commerce bills. HB 2190, HB 2206, HB 2396, HB 2442, HB 2448, HB 2688, HB 2689, HB 2690, HB 2796, and HB 2797 were debated, with most receiving do-pass recommendations after amendments. Testimony focused heavily on SNAP policy, including payment error rates, work and training requirements, food restrictions, and waiver authority, with Democrats warning of added burdens and reduced access for eligible families and Republicans arguing the bills would improve accountability, nutrition, and compliance with federal law. HB 2689, which would collect hospital patients’ immigration status on a voluntary basis, drew strong opposition over concerns it would deter people from seeking care; it was still reported out of committee, though a later motion to amend the committee report to show HB 2689 failed was rejected 24-32. The House adopted the Committee of the Whole report, and several bills were referred to engrossing before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• It requires EDs to conduct training on the policies and procedures, at a minimum training on the use
• Most physicians have had some kind of pediatric training through their medical school, and even if they
• It would involve a yearly training of ED staff. That is not an inordinate expectation.
• They already do training on a routine basis for just about everything.
• Most hospitals have all kinds of training protocols. This would not be an undue burden, I feel.

Summary: The committee heard and approved several health care bills. Senate Bill 68, by Senator Harrell, would require all hospital emergency departments to be prepared to treat children by maintaining pediatric equipment, staff training, written policies, a pediatric care coordinator, and completion/public posting of the National Pediatric Readiness Assessment. Senator Harrell said the bill is intended to improve pediatric emergency care in general hospitals, and the bill was supported by the Florida College of Emergency Physicians and the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It passed favorably. The committee also approved Senate Bill 154, which corrects the Mobile Act for dentists and dental hygienists by requiring graduates of out-of-state dental schools seeking licensure by endorsement to have attended a CODA-accredited school. The bill drew support from dental and dental hygienist groups and passed favorably. Senate Bill 40, by Senator Sharif, would require Medicaid managed care networks to ensure at least half of primary care providers offer appointments outside regular business hours, including evenings and weekends, to improve access and reduce emergency room use; it also passed favorably. A lengthy discussion centered on Senate Bill 254, also by Senator Harrell, which would tighten oversight of nursing education programs, create a temporary provisional license and preceptorship for new graduates awaiting NCLEX results, require remediation for low-performing programs, add standardized admission and exit-exam requirements, and allow the Department of Health to inspect programs unannounced. Supporters said the bill would improve quality and help students gain experience, while opponents warned it could reduce the number of nursing programs and worsen shortages, especially among private schools. After debate and testimony from nursing and school representatives, the bill passed favorably, with Senator Davis voting no. The committee then received an OPPAGA presentation on interstate health care licensure compacts. OPPAGA reviewed how Florida uses licensure by endorsement, telehealth registration, and compacts for nurses, psychologists, and physicians, and explained the potential benefits and drawbacks of joining additional compacts, including portability, data sharing, and emergency staffing versus costs, administrative burdens, and possible conflicts with Florida scope-of-practice laws. No action was taken on the presentation, and the meeting adjourned after Senator Davis requested to be recorded in support of SB 68 and SB 154.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's something that impacts how an installation can operate or somehow limits training.
• It's something that impacts how an installation can operate or somehow limits training.
• So the Sentinel Landscape Partnership protects DoD's ability to test, train, and operate.
• So we seek to increase training flexibility by managing land uses around the installation, supporting
• This is all focusing on easing training restrictions on JBLM.

Summary: The Joint Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs heard presentations on several military and veterans-related topics. Dr. Dan Calvert briefed the committee on the JBLM Sentinel Landscape Partnership, explaining its voluntary conservation work to reduce encroachment around the base by protecting prairie habitat, supporting agriculture, and managing sensitive species. He described REPI funding, recent and proposed projects, and possible policy support such as state designation, dedicated funding, management endowments, prescribed fire flexibility, and water-right transfer tools. Members asked about seed sourcing, the distinction between natural-resource encroachment and development-related encroachment, and the impact of federal REPI staffing cuts. David Puente of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs updated the committee on plans for a new state veterans cemetery in the Tri-Cities area and a replacement Spokane Veterans Home. He said the cemetery project has two candidate sites near Richland/West Richland, with pre-design funded by the legislature and a future request expected for land purchase and construction; he also noted the current cemetery funding source is limited and would not support a second cemetery without additional state operating funds. On the Spokane home, he described the current facility’s limitations and said the replacement would be a 120-bed, small-house model on a larger site, with the VA expected to cover 65% of construction costs if the state provides the match. He also reviewed agency budget reductions, including vacant positions, reduced outreach, cuts to counseling and wellness funding, and reduced support for veterans service organizations. Blue Star Families’ Puget Sound chapter also presented on its programs for military-connected families, including Coffee Connects, a children’s book club, outdoor programming, career support, and Blue Star Welcome Week. The group said it is expanding beyond the South Sound and is using local outposts and online networks to reach more families, while also helping with food insecurity through grocery gift cards and partnerships with local nonprofits. Committee members discussed the need to expand the organization statewide and the ongoing food-security challenges facing military families. During the final discussion on potential legislation, members raised ideas including restoring Washington National Guard retention efforts, expanding E-CAP eligibility to military families, revisiting the composition of the Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee, and addressing veterans’ preference issues for service members who have not yet received a DD-214. The committee did not take any formal votes or actions, but members and presenters discussed future policy and budget requests, and the chairs thanked the presenters and staff before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• PED should expand its technical assistance and training supports for kitchen staff, food safety, and
• You will see the results from the culinary trainings that were provided across the state by our staff
• We will continue to provide training to school districts across the state.
• However, I've lost my train of thought. We're also working with them to conduct food waste audits.
• We also are going to be providing more training.