Transcript Highlights:

• We are extending services.
• This is important because the home-based first services are so important.
• services and care from zero to 36 months.
• Early diagnosis, treatment, and intervention make the difference.
• Her family will be with us for our memorial service. Okay. Sen.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• school districts are not service school districts are not service contracts.<00:42:55.040> A<
• A service contract is a contracts.
• kind of services.
• , including a physical be an intervention, including a physical intervention,<04:14:08.880> a<
• ed as well as health and human services ed as well as health and human services and<04:28:19.600

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I've run early intervention programs.
• As a land grant, we have that mission to, in fact, do public service.
• We have other behavioral health services and recovery support services.
• Obviously, emergency departments are a great place to provide an intervention.
• Services at that moment.

Transcript Highlights:

• I extend my appreciation for his service.
• So there needs to be a fee-for-service carve-out.
• But I'm just curious because I know that funds these types of services.
• ...problems in the mental health system and service delivery systems by integrating behavioral services
• that provides secondary prevention services, so early diagnosis and intervention in the primary care

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery held a public hearing on 14 bills focused on insurance, parity, opioids, behavioral health access, and mental health system reform. Chair Mindy Domb and Vice Chair Robyn Kennedy outlined hearing procedures and noted the committee would accept written testimony. The hearing featured testimony from legislators, providers, advocates, and behavioral health organizations, with most speakers urging favorable reports on the bills they addressed. A major topic was psychiatric collaborative care, including H. 222/S. 1390, which would raise reimbursement for collaborative care codes to at least Medicare levels and allow billing outside the MassHealth primary care subcapitation model. Supporters said the model improves access, outcomes, and cost savings by embedding behavioral health in primary care, and several witnesses described successful implementation in practices and schools. Committee members asked questions about how the model works, what specialties use it, barriers to adoption, and whether copays, deductibles, and subcapitation rules should be changed. Witnesses also supported related innovation legislation, including H. 2224, which would create a mental health innovation fund and support nontraditional trauma-healing approaches. Other bills discussed included H. 2212, which would require prescribers to discuss opioid and pain-medication risks, alternatives, and addiction/overdose concerns with patients or guardians; H. 2232 and H. 2233, which would address equitable payment and equitable access for behavioral health providers serving MassHealth patients; and S. 1406, which would add opioid maintenance treatment information to MassPAT and allow patient-authorized access to that information. Witnesses also strongly backed S. 1399, which would set targets to increase behavioral health spending within the overall health care cost benchmark, arguing that Massachusetts underinvests in behavioral health and that greater investment could reduce emergency, hospitalization, homelessness, and criminal justice costs. No votes were taken; the hearing concluded after testimony and committee questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Division of Developmental Disability Services.
• It was a rate report for services provided underneath our service. We are.
• We act as subject matter expert on all IDD programs and services, including autism services, OT/PT, speech
• A lot of in-home and school-based behavioral health services are in this rate study.
• This is the office... ...of the Division of Developmental Disability Services.

Summary: The Joint State Agencies committee met to approve prior minutes and then focused on the death of Zachary Moore at the Southeast Arkansas Human Development Center, later clarified in discussion as the Warren facility. DHS officials described Moore’s background, said he died after a prolonged prone restraint followed by a delayed chemical restraint, and reported that 13 staff were terminated, the superintendent was replaced, a consultant was brought in, and the agency entered a settlement with the family for $725,000. Members pressed DHS on the cause of death, restraint policies, staff training, supervision, family notification, and why the family had not been kept informed; DHS said a family-notification procedure exists but that communications during litigation had been handled through counsel. The committee also heard that six staff had been criminally charged with manslaughter and neglect of a vulnerable person, and that the death certificate listed the manner of death as homicide with cause of death tied to physiologic stress associated with struggle and prone restraint. DHS officials gave broader context on the five human development centers, their licensing and accreditation, resident population, mortality review process, and training programs. They said the centers serve highly medically and behaviorally complex residents, that annual restraint training and CPI-based instruction are required, and that the mortality review committee and Office of Long-Term Care review deaths and make recommendations. Members repeatedly criticized the agency for not having complete information at the meeting and for what they saw as gaps in oversight, staffing, and chain-of-command clarity during emergencies. DHS responded that the Warren facility had not been meeting the same standards as the others, that the consultant’s root-cause analysis identified multiple failures, and that new crisis-team and chain-of-command procedures were being drafted. A second major topic was staffing and recruitment. Members discussed low pay, turnover, use of float and on-call staff, rural staffing shortages, and a waiting list of about 2,000 people for home- and community-based services. DHS said CNAs at the centers start at about $39,000 a year, that a broader retention and recruitment plan is being drafted for all five centers, and that a separate rate study for PASS services will be implemented in January 2027 but does not cover CNA pay. The meeting ended with testimony from Moore’s mother, Angela Stevens, who said money could not replace her son and urged stronger training, background checks, and supervision so other residents would be protected. The committee asked DHS to keep members and Stevens updated on consultant reports, recruitment efforts, and follow-up on the family communication issue, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• being built out by a new youth services being built out by a new youth services coordinating<00:
• So, uh, in youth interventions.
• <00:09:39.680> to supports, and interventions to supports, and interventions to effectively
• <00:09:40.880> service<00:09:41.279> this<00:09:41.600> target effectively service
• And the reason is this service.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill is based on a harm reduction model, but is also a much-needed upstream intervention.
• I desperately needed intervention. I felt so alone. Thank you. My spouse couldn't do it.
• Thank you so much, and thank you for your service. Are there any questions or comments?
• These are populations who often wait way too long for services.
• The services are clearly needed, and I support it 100%. They certainly hope that...

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery held a public hearing on 17 bills focused on behavioral health workforce shortages, studies, and commissions. Chairs Mindy Domb and Senator John Velis opened by emphasizing the severity of the Commonwealth’s mental and behavioral health workforce crisis, the resulting gaps in access to care, and the legislature’s ongoing use of loan repayment programs, studies, and commissions to address these issues. They outlined hearing procedures and noted that testimony would be limited to three minutes, with written testimony also accepted. A major portion of the hearing focused on bills to expand the primary care workforce, including H. 2205/S. 1385, which would broaden eligibility for the Mass RePay loan repayment program. Testimony from the Massachusetts Medical Society, Senator Jo Comerford, and Dr. Kate Atkinson described severe primary care shortages, long wait times, physician burnout, high debt burdens, and the need to recruit and retain physicians in more practice settings and regions. Committee members asked about the likely impact of loan repayment, the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and how to prioritize limited funding. Witnesses argued that primary care investment improves access and outcomes and that the bill would help sustain community-based practices. Another large block of testimony supported H. 2208/S. 1411, the proposed perinatal behavioral health care workforce trust fund, often referred to as the Moms Matter Act. March of Dimes, perinatal mental health advocates, doulas, clinicians, parents, and organizations such as the Boston Public Health Commission and Empty Arms Bereavement Support testified that postpartum depression, anxiety, substance use, and grief are widespread, often untreated, and worsened by long waitlists and a shortage of trained, culturally competent providers. Speakers repeatedly stressed that screening alone is not enough without a workforce to provide timely treatment, and several shared personal stories of postpartum illness, loss, and difficulty accessing care. The bill was also framed as a needed complement to the Commonwealth’s recent maternal health law, which increased screening and therefore increased demand for treatment. The committee also heard support for the Bridge Act, H. 2207/S. 1388, which would create mental health capacity grants for organizations serving communities at high risk of hate crimes or hate incidents. Testimony from the Jewish Community Relations Council and the bill’s sponsor described the mental health harms of hate, including anxiety, trauma, isolation, and loss of trust, and argued that community organizations need resources to build resilience and provide support. In addition, the committee heard from the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association on H. 2218/S. 1380, which would update job classifications to explicitly include licensed mental health counselors and licensed supervised mental health counselors in state behavioral health roles. Witnesses said the change would modernize hiring, expand access, and better reflect current licensure and scope of practice. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the session ended with a motion to adjourn after all testimony was completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• We administer these by providing professional civil engineering services, surveying, and construction
• So we were able to support a consulting service that developed a local road safety plan for the tribe
• They became drug recognition experts, and they provide that service.
• She provided that service to the Kittitas and Wenatchee area also on call-out basis.
• And then for our post-conviction, we're using evidence-based programs and interventions that are high

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met in Yakima to focus on tribal traffic safety, with members and Yakima Nation leaders emphasizing the importance of safety, the right to travel, and continued partnership on U.S. 97 corridor improvements. Yakima Nation Vice Chair Christopher Wallachie and engineering staff described the Tribal Traffic Safety Committee, the U.S. 97 safety project, heritage connectivity trails, roundabout construction, and the use of federal grants and advanced sensing technology to identify hazards before crashes occur. They highlighted collaboration with WSDOT, the Traffic Safety Commission, the University of Washington, and other regional partners, and explained that the goal is to move from reactive crash response to proactive risk reduction. The Yakima Nation engineering team and AI Vision presented the MUST sensor project, which uses compact AI-enabled devices to collect traffic counts, speeds, near-miss events, roadway conditions, and pedestrian activity, with data transmitted to a dashboard and used for real-time warnings and longer-term planning. Committee members asked about speed tracking, driver behavior, enforcement, and partnerships with WSDOT and counties. Yakima Nation staff said the relationship with WSDOT has improved over time, especially after community outreach on proposed roundabouts, and that the tribe now supports several roundabout projects and broader safety coordination. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission then presented statewide fatality trends and tribal traffic safety data. Mark McKekney said 2024 showed a roughly 10% decrease in fatalities statewide, though recent years remain among the highest in decades. He noted that race and ethnicity data are only available for people who die in crashes, and that many American Indian and Alaska Native fatalities involve passengers, pedestrians, or bicyclists rather than drivers. Penny Rerick outlined tribal traffic safety coordinator grants and other state-funded tribal projects, including work with Yakama Nation, Colville, Kalispel, Makah, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Muckleshoot, Lower Elwha, and Puyallup, stressing that flexible state funding helps fill gaps left by federal programs and supports community-led solutions. The final presentation covered impaired driving enforcement and ignition interlock compliance in Yakima County. Yakima Police Chief Sean Boyle said the city created a DUI enforcement and education officer program that helped reduce serious injury and fatal impaired-driving crashes, supported by state funding and social media outreach. Yakima County District Court’s Nick Bazan described a supervision program for DUI offenders and interlock compliance, reporting more than 1,000 DUI convictions in 2024-25 and about 3,800 noncompliant interlock users countywide. He said the court is using a two-pronged approach—pretrial assistance for indigent clients and post-conviction accountability and case planning—to improve compliance and reduce impaired driving. The committee expressed support for the work, noted the progress made, and adjourned the work session after thanking presenters for their updates.

Transcript Highlights:

• It may require services at the school district level.
• support services that are available. support services that are available.
• You always uh most useful intervention.
• Now the still provides a real service.
• council provides a valuable uh service council provides a valuable uh service to<02:48:43.200>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee opened hearings on SB 69, including a germane amendment on school board votes to accept or reject gifts and donations, and a non-germane amendment creating a virtual early childhood readiness family engagement program for preschool children not yet in kindergarten. Prime sponsor Rep. Glenn Cordelli said the literacy program was modeled on earlier HB 671, would be funded through gifts and donations rather than state appropriations, and would include reporting requirements to the governor and legislature. Members questioned changes from the earlier bill, including the move away from center-based language, the lack of a dollar threshold for school board action on donations, anonymous gifts, and whether the amendment preserved enough evaluation data. Testimony on the donation provisions raised concerns about broad language, timing, and public-meeting requirements. Rep. Timothy Han and Becky Wilson of the New Hampshire School Boards Association both noted that school districts already have policies and asked how the bill would work for routine donations, anonymous gifts, and situations that might require non-public discussion under right-to-know law. Wilson cited examples such as field-trip scholarships, backpack drives, and sports uniforms, and said the association was not taking a position but wanted clearer guardrails. Rep. Han said school boards may need to discuss some gifts in non-public session and that the bill should better address those circumstances. On the early literacy amendment, Wilson and others questioned whether the program was sufficiently developed, whether it was appropriate to rely on a primarily online model for very young children, and how it would interact with special education services and IEPs. A representative from Waterford.org, Rob Riley, testified in support, saying the program would be supplementary, adaptive, and family-engagement based, and that Waterford could provide devices and internet access for families who need them. He said the program would work alongside school districts and IEP teams rather than replace existing services. No vote was taken during the hearing; the chair said the committee would later exec the bills and try to get reports in for the calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• that we have and different interventions that we have and and<00:39:39.880> ultimately<00:39:
• support services to over 7500<00:40:20.960> students<00:40:21.400> in<00:40:21.520>
• <00:41:05.720> and<00:41:05.800> so to have additional interventions and so to have
• additional interventions and so they<00:41:06.240> exist<00:41:06.599> to<00:41:06.839
• to Minnesota families and services to Minnesota families and students<00:41:12.640> um<00:41:

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• with evidence-based math interventions with evidence-based math interventions to<00:01:07.439>
• Hiring and training intervention specialists is not an option.
• It is also a national service program, so the tutors are AmeriCorps members.
• These services are the difference-maker in these students' lives.
• It is critical for us to provide those extended services. provide consistency in Services across provide

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These partnerships don't simply provide services to older adults.
• Treatment is the natural next step for an early intervention strategy.
• She refused to engage voluntarily with the Care Act services.
• But now she is receiving treatment and services.
• The commission supports services like one-on-one enrollment assistance, year-round service, claims help

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several measures, beginning with SB 331 by Sen. Menjivar, which would require large-group health plans to cover hearing aids for children. The author and supporters described the bill as a long-running effort to address a developmental emergency and reduce out-of-pocket costs for families, while opponents were absent. Testimony from parents, advocates, medical experts, and organizations emphasized the importance of early access to hearing aids; committee members voiced strong support, and the bill was moved on a do-pass basis to Appropriations, with several members requesting to be added as coauthors. The committee then heard SB 608, also by Sen. Menjivar, to expand access to condoms in school-based health centers and related settings and to prevent barriers such as ID checks. Supporters, including students and school health advocates, argued the bill would improve sexual health and reduce stigma, while opponents from family and faith groups argued it would undermine parental authority and normalize early sexual activity. The bill was supported by committee members and moved forward on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. Next, SB 971 by Sen. Choi proposed community-based healthy aging partnerships for older adults, with testimony from the California Senior Legislature and supporters from aging and dementia organizations. The measure was described as voluntary and focused on connection, independence, and local collaboration; there was no opposition, and the committee moved it on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. The committee also heard SB 869 by Sen. Weber Pierson, which would require warning icons and statements on chain restaurant menus for beverages with very high added sugar content. Supporters framed it as a transparency and public health measure, while restaurant and beverage industry representatives opposed it unless amended, citing cost and menu-space concerns; the bill was nevertheless moved on a do-pass basis to Appropriations after a roll call vote, with some members voting no and the measure placed on call. The committee also considered SB 950 by Sen. Weber Pierson, aimed at ensuring timely coverage of FDA-approved, medically necessary treatments for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease on commercial plans. Supporters, including the Alzheimer’s Association and a patient advocate, said the bill would reduce delays and barriers to care, while health plan representatives opposed it over step therapy and utilization-management concerns. Members discussed the limited treatment window and the need for early access, and the bill was moved on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. In addition, SB 490 by Sen. Umberg would set timelines for DHCS investigations of unlicensed sober living homes and allow counties to assist if the department cannot act in time; supporters from Anaheim and a patient-brokering survivor described serious abuse and oversight gaps, while county behavioral health representatives opposed the county role as an unfunded and potentially liability-creating burden. After discussion, the bill was also moved on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1037 by Sen. Weber Pierson on health insurance affordability and rate review, with supporters arguing it would tie premium increases more closely to affordability targets and public reporting; the transcript cuts off before the committee completed action on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those issues could be direct services, they could be infrastructure to help with the services, they could
• <00:12:17.920> um uh regarding the funding the services um uh regarding the funding the services
• clinical and non-clinical interventions clinical and non-clinical interventions that<00:29:35.919
• probably because of the interventions probably because of the interventions that<00:31:55.519>
• <00:34:04.000> utilization Behavioral Health Service utilization Behavioral Health Service

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee met on March 28 for a Health and Human Services Oversight Committee meeting, approved the draft minutes from February 21, and then received updates from DHHS on the sudden termination of about $80 million in federal COVID-era funding. Commissioner Lori Weaver and Trisha Tilly said the funding had been expected to continue through September 2026, but an email ending it immediately created a 15-month budget gap. They explained that most of the money supported public health work, especially epidemiology, laboratory capacity, data systems, community health workers, outbreak response, and some behavioral health supports. DHHS said it had notified contractors, was reassessing which activities could continue, and had managed to avoid layoffs for its 20 affected staff by shifting funding sources, though some contract lab staff had to leave and some work would stop or be put on hold. Senators and representatives asked about impacts on labs, staffing, and the state budget lapse, and DHHS said the water lab and testing supplies would be affected and that the department was trying to backfill where possible with other federal funds. The committee then heard a maternal mortality report from the Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Alison Power and Caroline Naami explained that the MMRC reviews maternal deaths to identify contributing factors and make recommendations, and that it had completed one CDC grant and received another five years of funding. For 2023, the state recorded five pregnancy-associated deaths, including three from overdose, two from cardiovascular causes, and one homicide; the share of deaths related to substance use fell from 62.5% in 2022 to 40% in 2023. Over the 2019–2023 period, half of pregnancy-related deaths were due to overdose, most occurred postpartum, and many involved Medicaid recipients, transportation or financial barriers, and deaths at home. The committee said mental health and substance use remained the main drivers of maternal mortality, but that 79% of pregnancy-related deaths in the five-year aggregate were considered preventable. Presenters highlighted recommendations and ongoing interventions, including expanding Medicaid coverage through one year postpartum, strengthening behavioral health access, partnering with the Department of Corrections on care for pregnant and postpartum women, and continuing clinical education through the Northern New England Perinatal Quality Improvement Network. Members asked why the maternal mortality rate had declined in recent years; staff said the 2021 spike was tied to the pandemic and that recent declines likely reflected both that spike and the impact of interventions, though the small number of cases makes trends hard to interpret. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Since 1958, Elliott has been providing behavioral health services and human services to children, families
• While research on the specific intervention is limited, in part due to...
• We've heard about 988 as a crisis intervention.
• Thank you for your testimony and your service. Any questions or comments? Thank you.
• So often people say to veterans, thank you for your service.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing opened with remarks from House Chair Mindy Domb and Senate Vice Chair Robyn Kennedy, who outlined procedures for the hybrid public hearing, noted the committee would hear testimony on 15 bills related to treatment settings, and recognized members present. The first major bill discussed was H. 4200, authorizing a pilot program for psychedelic-assisted treatment in licensed facilities. Representative Jim O’Day and witnesses from Control Z supported the bill, describing it as a tightly controlled, medically supervised pilot with DPH oversight, limited sites, and screening requirements. Committee members asked about the number of sites and whether Column Health still existed; witnesses said the bill contemplated three separate pilot programs and that Column Health no longer existed after being purchased by another company. The committee also heard testimony on S. 1405 to make the drug stewardship program permanent by removing its 2026 sunset date. Senator John Keenan and others said the program helps collect and safely dispose of unused medications, reduces diversion, and should remain in place because manufacturers should bear disposal costs. A member from Boston added support based on local concerns about people searching through bags for drugs, and Keenan explained the original sunset reflected pilot status and industry pushback. A large portion of the hearing focused on S. 1394 and H. 2193, which would strengthen implementation of the 2023 Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform. The Children’s Mental Health Campaign, Parent/Professional Advocacy League, Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, and Elliott Community Human Services testified that the roadmap’s helpline, community behavioral health centers, and crisis services are important but unevenly implemented. They urged a single point of accountability within EOHHS, regular strategic planning, a public data dashboard, and financial analysis of the behavioral health system and the access and crisis intervention trust fund. Witnesses said commercial insurance often does not fully reimburse community behavioral health center services, making sustainability difficult, and asked for better coordination across agencies and crisis response systems. Committee members asked whether the roadmap includes substance use disorder; witnesses said it is intended to cover behavioral health broadly, including mental health and substance use. The committee also heard testimony on bills to ban aversives and on suicide prevention signage. Lisa Jean Graff testified in support of S. 1394 by urging a statewide ban on aversive practices, including electric shock, withholding food or bathroom access, and other painful interventions, arguing disabled people deserve the same protections from harm as others. Fonda Bryant and Carol McLean supported a bill requiring suicide prevention signs on tall parking garages, describing personal experiences and saying the signs could create a brief pause and connect people to 988 or other help. McLean said her son died by suicide from a parking garage and that signage might have made a difference. The committee also heard strong testimony in support of creating intensive stabilization and treatment units within DMH facilities (S. 1398/H. 2204), with the Massachusetts Nurses Association and a DMH nurse arguing that highly assaultive patients need specialized, more secure units to protect staff and other patients and to improve care. Additional testimony supported creating a dedicated board for licensed mental health counselors (H. 4696/S. 1382), with Rep. John Badger, the Mass Mental Health Counselors Association, and others saying LMHCs are a large and growing workforce that needs its own licensing board, clearer standards, and faster implementation of existing licensure reforms. The committee also heard extensive testimony on H. 2223 regarding benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics. Survivors and advocates described severe withdrawal, lack of informed consent, cognitive harms, and long-term disability, while a physician supported the bill as a way to improve disclosure of risks. Finally, the committee heard multiple witnesses in favor of H. 2231/S. 1383 to establish peer-run respite centers statewide. Advocates and people with lived experience said peer respites provide non-coercive, home-like alternatives to hospitalization, can reduce trauma and repeated admissions, and may be especially important for marginalized communities; they also cited cost savings and existing positive outcomes from current respite programs. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing portion reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number 2 specific services are provided by the program.
• But we also have parents services and then those parents services.
• There's also provide consultations, technical assistance, pre service in-service training for families
• that those services are not being diminished in with the services that would be provide in in the panhandle
• These services will provide the services to families.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These partnerships don't simply provide services to older adults.
• Treatment is the natural next step for an early intervention strategy.
• She refused to engage voluntarily with the CARE Act services.
• But now she is receiving treatment and services.
• The commission supports services like one-on-one enrollment assistance, year-round service, claims help

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Summit Stone Health Partners is not just a provider of services.
• When available, doctors are located on the third floor in Senate Services.
• We greatly appreciate our volunteer services they provide.
• We greatly in Senate services.
• appreciate our volunteer and services appreciate our volunteer and services they<00:30:23.360>

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened, established a quorum, and suspended Senate Rule 1B to allow Senator Sullivan’s granddaughter, daughter, and wife to lead the chamber in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Senate then approved the January 26, 2026 journal as corrected and received routine administrative notices, including that several bills and resolutions were correctly engrossed or revised. Members made a series of announcements and personal privilege remarks recognizing guests and upcoming events. The chamber welcomed representatives from Summit Stone Health Partners, who were praised for their behavioral health and crisis services in Northern Colorado, including crisis intervention, detox, outpatient treatment, mobile crisis response, and peer support. Senators also highlighted an upcoming higher education reception, a Forest Health Council breakfast, a State Affairs Committee hearing on Senate Bill 4, and a Colorado Airport Operators Association reception. Additional announcements noted that the Joint Budget Committee would meet on supplemental budget requests from the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, and that the Joint Health and Human Services Committee would hold its SMART Act hearing after adjournment. Senator Bridges promoted the Great Colorado Payback and National Unclaimed Property Day. The Senate then adopted a motion to recess until 11 a.m. later that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to the Labor, Health and Social Services Committee.
• > is<00:04:33.520> competent, intervention unless she is competent, intervention unless
• What we've done here is um intervention.
• will with that with that intervention will with that with that intervention with<00:09:53.839>
• and Health and Social Services and Health and Social Services Committee.<01:27:45.280> If

Bills: HB0117, HB0126

Keywords: informed consent, abortion, civil liability, coercion, healthcare rights, fetal heartbeat, termination of pregnancy, medical emergency, Wyoming legislation, rights of minors, healthcare regulations, parental consent, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One, identify all needed hospitals and services.
• The most frustrating part of this is that many of these services were labeled essential services by the
• Yet I've watched services deteriorate and services close over the years.
• Of wasteful hospital services.
• We can expand access to services quickly and safely.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee hearing covered a wide range of public health bills, with much of the testimony focused on two major themes: expanding access to care and stabilizing health-related workforces and services. On House 2364, an act relative to medical health and fitness facilities, representatives from Dedham Health and Athletic Club argued for a pilot program recognizing supervised exercise as medicine, saying it could improve outcomes for chronic disease, fall prevention, and mental health while reducing costs. On House/Senate bills concerning community health workers (H. 359/S. 251), multiple witnesses from MACHW, Health Care for All, MHA, Cambridge Health Alliance, Mass General Brigham, Boston Children’s Hospital, Asian Women for Health, and the City of Somerville described CHWs as essential for navigation, trust-building, language access, and addressing social needs, and urged reimbursement by MassHealth, the GIC, and private insurers, along with workforce development measures. One pediatric neurologist also told the committee that losing grant-funded CHW support led to more avoidable ER visits and threatened clinic operations. The committee also heard extensive testimony on hospital closures and essential services. Witnesses including Dr. Alan Sager, MNA President Katie Murphy, nurses from Brockton Hospital and Providence Behavioral Health, and local officials and legislators from Norwood described the loss of hospitals and service lines, especially maternity, pediatric, and behavioral health care, and argued current closure processes are too weak to protect communities. They supported bills such as H. 2460/S. 1503 and H. 2534/S. 1574, which would require earlier notice, community input, stronger state oversight, possible receivership, and limits on reopening or expanding after closures. Testimony emphasized the impact of Steward’s bankruptcy, the closures of Carney and Neshoba Valley, and the need to preserve access to essential services in underserved areas. Several end-of-life and professional regulation bills were also discussed. On H. 2436, Representative Omar Gomez and funeral industry witnesses supported eliminating Office of the Chief Medical Examiner fees for the removal of a child’s body in cases involving children five and under, describing the bill as a small but important relief for grieving families. On H. 2444 and related Senate bills, cemetery and consumer advocates supported legalizing alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction as environmentally friendly after-death options, while cemetery representatives opposed H. 2360, which would allow funeral establishments to operate crematories, arguing cemeteries should retain that role. The committee also heard support for H. 2382, which would exempt dentists and oral surgeons from a new office-based surgical center framework, and for H. 2461, which would create hospital efficiency standards; employers and retailers backed that bill as a way to address rising health care costs. Finally, the committee heard testimony on autism services and hospital governance. On S. 1414, behavior analysts and school representatives said Massachusetts already licenses assistant-level ABA providers but MassHealth does not reimburse them, causing long waitlists and limiting school and family access; an actuary testified that a three-tier ABA reimbursement model could reduce MassHealth costs by up to 6% per child served. Senator Lovely also testified in support of S. 1572, which would require at least one registered nurse on each acute care hospital governing board, arguing nurses’ frontline perspective would improve quality and retention. No votes were taken in the hearing excerpt, but many witnesses urged favorable reports on their respective bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our human service zones make a lot of referrals.
• The flexibility and personalization of these services.
• The services are personalized and it's flexible.
• And so we receive a fee-for-service payment there.
• And then if Human Services has it in its budget, great.

Summary: The committee met to approve prior minutes and then heard a presentation from Dr. Ramona Danielson on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), focusing on the economic and public-system impacts in North Dakota. She explained that ACEs are a population-level measure, not a diagnostic tool for individuals, and said higher ACE exposure is consistently associated with more chronic illness, mental health challenges, child welfare involvement, justice-system contact, and reduced workforce participation. She emphasized that precise dollar estimates are difficult because of the many interacting factors across a person’s life course, but said the direction of the impact is clear and that evidence-based prevention and protective factors can reduce harm. Members asked about definitions of a “healthy family,” same-sex couples, divorce, substance abuse, historical trends in ACEs, and the role of positive childhood experiences and home visiting. The committee then heard from Allison Mahoney and Missy Barranco about evidence-based home visiting programs in North Dakota, including Healthy Families, Early Head Start, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Parents as Teachers. They described home visiting as voluntary, relationship-based, and tailored to family needs, with referrals coming from hospitals, WIC, human service zones, pregnancy navigators, self-referrals, and other community sources. A parent, Abby, shared that home visiting helped her family after premature births and NICU stays by providing support with postpartum mental health, breastfeeding, developmental screenings, referrals, and parenting guidance. The presenters said the programs are funded through a mix of federal MIECHV/Title IV-E dollars, Medicaid targeted case management, state and tribal funds, philanthropy, charitable gaming, and grants, and they noted that current funding is fragmented and insufficient to serve all eligible families statewide. Members discussed whether the state should expand or better fund these services and how to improve outreach and referrals. Later, the committee received a memorandum on artificial intelligence and sexual exploitation, followed by a presentation from a BCI special agent on how AI is already affecting child exploitation investigations in North Dakota. The memo and testimony described AI-generated child sexual abuse material, deepfakes, sextortion, and risks posed by chatbots, along with relevant federal and state law and recent executive orders. The agent said North Dakota saw 2,698 cyber tips in 2025, the highest on record, and that investigators are increasingly encountering AI-assisted exploitation that is harder to detect and verify. Members discussed the need for child-safety protections, the limits of executive orders, and broader concerns about AI undermining critical thinking and spreading misinformation. No votes were taken on the AI materials during the portion provided, and the committee recessed briefly after the report.