Transcript Highlights:

• programs.
• for the youth who sexually harm program and the substance use program.
• So: state license, move the youth, operate the program, and then seek the federal certification for the
• the PRTF license.
• Which again requires the program to be in place to be licensed.

Keywords: 956, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The non-game program is funded by the conservation license plate program as well as donations, federal
• <00:32:23.200> as conservation license plate program as conservation license plate program as
• program uh that licenses restaurants program uh that licenses restaurants across<01:42:06.560>
• separately from other sources of revenue. agencies uh licensing program.
• We agencies uh licensing program.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Dedicated Funds met to review inactive and dedicated accounts, note prior legislation that had passed, and begin its annual review of agency funds. Members discussed several inactive funds, including some HHS-related accounts, a law enforcement memorial fund, and possible cleanup of accounting references where funds had been reorganized or merged. Staff noted that some newer funds may simply not have started receiving revenue yet, and the committee agreed to follow up on specific accounts later rather than address everything immediately. The committee then heard from Fish and Game on its dedicated funds. Topics included the statewide public boat access account, which is used for boat ramp and access-site maintenance and is supported by boat registration fees and federal funds; the ORV education, training, and enforcement account, which has declined over time and may need attention because revenue depends heavily on weather and snowmobile use; and the search and rescue account, which is funded by Hike Safe cards, a $1 fee from boat and OHRV registrations, and court-ordered fees. Fish and Game also explained that the conservation license plate fund had been merged into the non-game species management account, which is supported by donations, federal funds, and a statutory general fund transfer, and that pheasants are treated as game species under a separate program. The committee spent considerable time on the lifetime license account, an off-book Treasury-held account that collects lifetime license sales and returns funds to Fish and Game based on annual sales plus 9% of the fund balance. Members questioned why the account’s presentation did not clearly show the transfer as a revenue reduction and suggested the reporting format needed cleanup so the flow of money would be easier to understand. Fish and Game said the account is operating properly and that the transfer to the unrestricted Fish and Game fund exceeded $400,000 in the most recent year. The committee also reviewed the publications and fundraising revolving fund, which keeps a $100,000 balance for inventory purchases and transfers excess year-end funds to the unrestricted Fish and Game fund; members again raised concerns that the reporting format did not clearly show the transfer, and staff said they could add a note or other clarification.

Transcript Highlights:

• a technical change setting the program a technical change setting the program name<00:25:09.919>
• <00:31:41.919> and should say the marketing licenses and should say the marketing licenses
• Um, in the current single license.
• we only collect a fee after a license we only collect a fee after a license has<00:36:36.320>
• require a license.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Licensed architect is 13.3 years.
• that it takes longer to receive a license.
• Overall, the reports detail over 800 violations by licensed, USDA-licensed commercial breeders and brokers
• It merely permits the AG working with the CSLB to obtained licensing remedies such as licensed discipline
• Because my SSI program is taxes.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > Licensing construction codes and Licensing construction codes and Licensing Division<00:22:13.720
• <00:22:21.559> boiler the division also licenses boiler the division also licenses boiler
• And in 2024 the Construction Codes and Licensing Division licensing unit proctored 9,754 exams, with
• So we have a Min-SHARP program as well as a MINSTAR program.
• licensing fund funds is the work of the construction codes and licensing department.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee met under a new Senate power-sharing arrangement with co-chairs, began with member and staff introductions, and then received a jurisdiction overview from Senate counsel. The overview explained that the Labor Committee’s jurisdiction has not changed from the previous biennium and covers fair labor standards, minimum wage, workers’ compensation, occupational safety and health, and related agencies and boards such as the Department of Labor and Industry, Bureau of Mediation Services, PERB, and the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals. It also noted that some topics, including paid leave, fall under other committees, while earned sick and safe time remains within Labor and Industry jurisdiction. Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach and Josiah Moore then gave a detailed Department of Labor and Industry presentation. They reviewed the department’s funding sources, emphasizing that workers’ compensation funds and construction codes/licensing revenues make up most of the budget, while the general fund is a small share. They described the department’s major divisions, including workers’ compensation, construction codes and licensing, labor standards, nursing home workforce standards, and OSHA consultation and compliance, and highlighted practical examples of their work. Examples included return-to-work assistance for an injured worker, compliance training that reduced penalties for self-insurers and claim administrators, and use of the Special Compensation Fund when an employer lacked workers’ compensation insurance. The labor standards section highlighted enforcement actions involving unpaid overtime, pregnancy and parental leave retaliation, wage deductions, and child labor violations, along with totals for 2024 collections and inquiries. The presentation also noted the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board’s adopted rules, the expansion of construction licensing exams statewide, and OSHA consultation programs such as Min-SHARP and MINSTAR, including a Minnesota employer that recently achieved MINSTAR status. No votes or formal committee actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• It defines the term license-plate obscuring device, in quotes.
• Specialty license plates.
• And so this is a key program for us.
• We’re really proud of our small business program.
• We’re really proud of our small business program.

Summary: The Transportation Committee took up several bills and agency priorities. SB 44, as amended, increased penalties for operating a vehicle with unauthorized red or blue lights and for obscuring a license plate, including new penalties for using, possessing, manufacturing, or selling license-plate obscuring devices. The sponsor and supporting law enforcement witnesses said the bill addresses widespread plate obstruction and enforcement problems; the committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably. The committee also passed SB 654, designating a railroad overpass in Starke as the Heroes Memorial Overpass, and SB 620, creating a Miami-Dade College specialty license plate with proceeds supporting scholarships and limited administrative/marketing costs. The committee then considered SB 594, which would allow Florida deep-water ports to seek Fish and Wildlife Commission approval for no-anchoring/no-mooring buffer zones adjacent to port channels and turning basins. An amendment clarified the application process, review timeline, rulemaking, and enforcement. Port representatives supported the bill as a way to protect channels and commerce, while several boating and cruising advocates opposed it, arguing the 5,000-foot buffer was excessive, could create safety issues, and would displace anchored vessels without adequate alternative dockage. Despite the opposition, the committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably. The committee also heard a presentation from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles on its 2025 legislative priorities, including stricter proof-of-address and identification requirements for vehicle registration, changes to tank vehicle and IFTA rules, a higher crash-report damage threshold, and electronic notice options. Secretary Perdue then outlined FDOT priorities focused on workforce development, research, rural road funding, small business participation, consistent traffic-control standards, modal infrastructure, transit accountability, spaceport support, advanced air mobility, and shifting some power-consumption revenues to the Transportation Trust Fund to offset electric vehicle impacts. No votes were taken on the agency priorities, and the meeting adjourned after members recorded additional affirmative votes on SB 44 and SB 654.

Transcript Highlights:

• Previously, they only had to be licensed.
• apprenticeship program down to a one-year program and adds a requirement that apprenticeship work be
• funeral director or have an embalmer's license.
• apprenticeship program down to a one-year program and adds a requirement that apprenticeship work be
• funeral director or have an embalmer's license.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Government Organization met with a quorum present, approved the minutes, and then considered a series of House bills, most of them related to licensing, local government administration, and agency operations. House Bill 5063 would let county commissions appoint a county commissioner as a voting member of a convention and visitors bureau board, including for multi-county CVBs; it was reported to the full Senate. House Bill 5087 would join the interstate cosmetology licensure compact, allowing licensed cosmetologists to obtain multi-state practice privileges in compact states, and it was also reported. The committee then took up a strike-and-insert amendment for House Bill 4793, which combined provisions affecting barbering/cosmetology apprenticeships and lowered certain age and education requirements; after adopting a Jefferson amendment clarifying the salon training language, the bill was reported as amended. Members next approved a strike-and-insert for House Bill 5638, which clarifies the State Chief Information Security Officer’s duties, changes cyber risk review procedures, and updates references to the Office of Technology head as the chief information officer; it was reported as amended. House Bill 4483, dealing with the Board of Funeral Examiners, was amended to change the effective date for licensee-in-charge requirements and make technical corrections, then reported as amended. House Bill 5653, requested by the Department of Revenue, would expand confidentiality protections to cover audit manuals, guidelines, procedures, algorithms, and related materials to prevent taxpayers from gaming audit selection, and it was reported. House Bill 4452 repeals acreage limits on church property ownership, and House Bill 4801 expands permissible uses of hotel occupancy tax funds to include demolition of unsafe structures and planning or improvement of public property; both were reported. The committee also advanced House Bill 5622, which creates an expedited process for municipalities to conform local election terms and procedures to the state requirement that municipal elections be held with statewide primaries or general elections, and recognizes the Secretary of State as keeper of municipal charter rolls. House Bill 4546 would allow business entities to file reports biennially instead of annually, with higher biennial fees and updated enforcement provisions; its strike-and-insert amendment was adopted and the bill was reported as amended. House Bill 5613 would define and regulate telematics for state fleet vehicles, require reporting on unsafe driving and corrective actions, and include cost-benefit information in annual reports; it was reported. House Bill 5323 would let the Division of Natural Resources adjust license and stamp fees for inflation by removing a prior CPI-based restriction, and House Bill 4819 would revise criminal-record standards for certain non-Chapter 30 occupational licenses, shifting to a direct-relationship standard while preserving existing exclusions for violent sexual offenses; both were reported. The committee then adjourned after closing remarks from the chair and vice chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• , which is our program that we use for all of our licensing and training and pretty much everything we
• I had some licensing employees doing just business licenses, some were doing employee licenses, and they
• License to process.
• And finalize our training program for licensing.
• Program.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:51:52.079> entity licensing board or a licensing entity licensing board or a licensing
• licensing? licensing?
• This program is keeping this program.
• Um, the program is program or the CMEs.
• , program, program, >> right?

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and transitioning from that license to a regular driver's license.
• license to a regular driver's license license to a regular driver's license would<00:09:39.279><
• license for employment. license for employment.
• Program or STIP. And at that point, the Program or STIP.
• that program.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and go through a residency program.
• Obtain that license, which also can decrease the time for that person to go through the licensing process
• Would be able to be licensed without going through an approved residency program in the United States
• The person already has to be cleanly licensed in another state. So, um, okay, cleanly licensed.
• Our license amount, yes, $400.

Transcript Highlights:

• license.
• If you pause from the program, does your license pause? Yes.
• licensed um a licensed professional. licensed um a licensed professional.
• their program.
• So, they're licensed as an LNA. These trainees would not be licensed.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So LDH wouldn’t be—they would license them; they wouldn’t... Be licensed, right?
• Maybe my question is: are you licensing the facility, or are you licensing the individuals in the facilities
• Thank you for this cleanup. licensing my you will be licensed as a residential substance abuse facility
• But by licensing those individuals, you become a licensed professional.
• They'd give up on getting their license.

Summary: The House Committee on Health and Welfare met on May 12 and considered a wide range of health, social services, and licensing measures. Early in the meeting, the committee reported favorably HCR 98, which asks the Louisiana Department of Health to study whether SNAP recipients should be allowed to use benefits for grocery delivery fees. The author said the proposal would not change SNAP rules directly, but would examine access issues for elderly, disabled, rural, and transportation-limited residents. The committee also advanced SB 273, a hospice patient-protection bill requiring documentation of hydration, nutrition, and care decisions in inpatient licensed facilities where hospice is provided, with LDH oversight and enforcement authority; members discussed how responsibility is shared between facilities and outside hospice providers, and adopted technical amendments. The committee then approved SB 415, creating the Empower Louisiana Food Purchase Program, a privately funded charitable food-card program intended to let nonprofits distribute food-only cards to people in need. Members and the author discussed whether the cards would be reloadable, which retailers could accept them, and whether prepared foods could be included; LDH said the program could use all SNAP-authorized retailers, and the bill was reported favorably with amendments. SB 437, a cleanup bill for judicially referred residential substance abuse treatment facilities, was also reported favorably with amendments after LDH clarified that facilities providing treatment must be licensed, while residences only housing individuals would not be. SB 451, updating newborn hearing screening terminology and reporting requirements, was reported favorably after testimony that the bill would strengthen early detection and follow-up for deaf or hard-of-hearing children. Later, the committee advanced SB 426, which modernizes the addictive disorder regulatory authority and creates a formal peer support specialist licensing pathway. Supporters said the bill would strengthen the behavioral health workforce, improve accountability, and create a progression from peer support to higher credentials; the committee adopted technical and transition amendments and reported the bill favorably with amendments. SB 236, requiring LDH annual reviews and reports on kidney disease treatment services in Medicaid, was also reported favorably with amendments. Additional measures approved included SB 39, allowing provisional licenses for massage therapy graduates; SB 190, which tightens oversight of poor-performing nursing facilities in the CMS Special Focus Facility Program and sets an 18-month improvement timeline; SB 124, allowing hospitals within the same health system to share peer review records without waiving privilege; HR 174, urging study of fenbendazole as a possible cancer treatment; SB 270, allowing terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana in health care facilities; SB 359, changing terms for certain Morehouse Parish hospital district commissioners; and HR 194, requesting de-identified school visual acuity screening data for research. The committee adjourned after reporting all measures favorably, several with amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• The second one is adult day program.
• I'm a licensed psychological examiner, independent.
• We had licensed psychological examiners independent, and that's actually my license.
• You hope to get into an ABA program.
• Has the licensing board been moving forward with issuing these licenses yet?

Summary: The Arkansas Legislative Autism Task Force approved the April 1, 2026 meeting minutes and then reviewed several vacant membership slots on the task force, including appointments from the Arkansas Psychology Board, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, UAMS, and parent or guardian positions. Members discussed trying to fill those vacancies before the next meeting, and noted that if they remain open they may be addressed in the task force’s legislative report and through possible statutory changes in the next General Assembly. Representatives from the Developmental Disabilities Provider Association (DDPA) and Civitan Services presented on DDPA’s role serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Arkansas. They said DDPA now represents 80 providers serving more than 13,000 individuals in 75 counties, with services including early intervention, adult day programs, supported employment, intermediate care facilities, work activities, and community/residential waiver services. They also shared survey data on older clients and said these services remain available to seniors with IDD, including people with autism. The task force then heard a proposal to amend Act 656 of 2021 to include licensed psychological practitioners as qualified providers for autism waiver-related evaluations. The presenter argued this would reduce wait times, avoid duplicate assessments, and help families access services sooner, while still maintaining quality standards. Members asked about training, licensure, and whether other professionals such as speech-language pathologists or audiologists should be included; Dr. Scott noted that current practice already relies on a two-provider model and that speech-language pathologists play a role because autism diagnosis considers communication, cognitive ability, and language. The discussion also touched on the need for proper testing standards and board oversight. No vote was taken on the amendment, and the meeting ended with plans to return to fraud-related discussion and to begin prioritizing recommendations for the 2027 session before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, this grant program, as the representative mentioned, has typically funded these innovative programs
• required licensing fee.
• What is the, as far as the bill says, are we only licensing you for the things we license, or you license
• We're not licensed somewhere and we can go practice as long as we're working with a, a licensed attorney
• they're fully licensed.

Bills: HB163, HB 296

Keywords: judicial liability, personal bond, felony offenses, judges, criminal justice reform, voter registration, election procedures, change of address, residence requirements, Texas Election Code, Texas election law, residence address, precinct voting, county move, same-county move, Election Code, registrar, statement of residence, polling place, local elections

Transcript Highlights:

• program or many programs animal research program or many programs and<00:21:08.720> leads<00:21
• Program.
• , penalties, and license and permit requirements for licenses.
• licensed.
• licensed and be state licensed. licensed and be state licensed.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . program. program.
• . programs. programs.
• . program. program.
• Licensers should be able to spend more time on programs that are clearly not meeting the standards that
• . program. program.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• program before getting their license program before getting their license back.<04:08:26.399>
• Connecticut has a program to provide licenses to undocumented immigrants, and those licenses are specifically
• Connecticut has a program to provide<04:22:14.239> licenses<04:22:14.800> to<04:22:15.040
• If they're not on this program, then we actually will send the physical license to that state, wherein
• So, if a license system program.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The hearing began with SB 12, which would let certain veterans who already qualify for a disabled veteran license plate use that VA disability determination to obtain a walking disability placard without having to undergo a second physical or submit additional proof. Senator Waters, the prime sponsor, said the bill was prompted by a constituent and would reduce redundant paperwork. Melinda Sims of United Spinal and Leo Pacquin of the State Veterans Advisory Committee both supported the bill, saying veterans already go through an extensive VA certification process and should not have to repeat it for the state. A DMV representative said the department had no known objection and explained that the change would let the placard travel with the veteran in another vehicle. The hearing on SB 12 was then closed. The committee then took up SB 40, which would allow safe boater education certificates to be completed and tested online, rather than requiring an in-person final exam. Representative Coker and Senator Tim Lang described the bill as a cleanup measure to make a COVID-era online process permanent and said it would improve convenience and keep more revenue in New Hampshire. Tom Praol, representing the vendor, said the state lost significant revenue when the online option ended and argued that online proctoring can verify identity and prevent cheating. The New Hampshire Marine Trades Association supported the bill, saying it would help boaters learn New Hampshire-specific laws and keep dollars in-state. The Department of Safety Marine Patrol was neutral: Captain Tim Dunlvy said the current system includes classroom and online coursework followed by an in-person proctored final exam, and he raised concerns about safety, exam integrity, and lower scores in computer-only testing, while noting New Hampshire’s strong boating safety record. Committee members asked about reciprocity, proctoring methods, costs, and crash data, but no vote was taken in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's funding for additional license pathway programs for Heritage language and culture teachers.
• There's funding for additional license pathway programs for Heritage language and culture teachers.
• The preparation pathways grant program is designed to help support alternative pathways like license
• on the program because of this program on the program because of this program we<00:47:15.720>
• a<00:47:30.079> k we grow the program our program was a k we grow the program our program

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The fees collected for marriage licenses are a vital source of funding for various programs, many of
• This program would receive $25 for every marriage license sold in the state at the full price.
• marriage license as well. Uh, what's the marriage license as well.
• that might include program evaluation to demonstrate program effectiveness so that more programs can
• manager for the PACE program.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all