Transcript Highlights:

• the system, and the bill does contain a number of reforms as well.
• the system, and the bill does contain a number of reforms as well.
• </c><00:31:23.200><c> the</c> I worked to are working to reform the I worked to are working to reform
• Looking at some very baseline reforms that quite frankly need to happen in the energy space.
• </c><02:27:24.240><c> patients</c> that take Medicare or Medicaid patients that take Medicare or Medicaid

Transcript Highlights:

• dignity and life above all, which is not matched by the pace at which our systems and institutions are reformed
• faculty advancement pilot program, an act establishing the public higher education contingent faculty reform
• faculty advancement pilot program an act establishing the public higher education contingent faculty reform
• adjunct faculty have access to employer-provided health insurance, and nearly 19% rely on Medicare or Medicaid

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Higher Education

Summary: The Joint Committee on Higher Education held its fourth public hearing, opening with remarks about the importance of protecting and expanding access to higher education amid federal disinvestment. The chairs also announced future informational hearings on the impact of federal cuts and on ASAP models. The hearing then focused on several bills, beginning with S. 951/H. 1462, An Act to Support College Students in Recovery, which would require recovery-focused housing on public campuses and expand naloxone access and overdose training. Senator Rausch, medical professionals, students, and advocates testified in support, emphasizing the prevalence of overdose risk among college students, the value of recovery housing, and the need for campus naloxone; committee members asked about implementation details and the existing state pilot program. Deb Schmill and Rep. Tarski gave especially personal testimony in favor of the bill, and the committee discussed broadening the naloxone language to opioid reversal agents. The committee also heard testimony on H. 1461, which would expand MassReconnect scholarships to practical nursing students at vocational and technical schools to help address the long-term care workforce shortage. Rep. Stanley argued that vocational schools graduate more practical nursing students than community colleges and serve many low-income students in areas without nearby community college programs. The committee then took up H. 1433, which would require public higher education institutions to accept IEPs and 504 plans as sufficient documentation for disability accommodations. Advocates from the National Center for Learning Disabilities described the high cost and burden of repeat testing, the lifelong nature of disabilities, and the need for more uniform access across campuses; committee members raised questions about documentation freshness, campus autonomy, and how to preserve the integrity of accommodations. Later, the committee heard S. 919/H. 1454 on modernizing the Community College Endowment Match Program so community colleges could receive state matching funds for current-use donations as well as endowments and capital gifts. Community college foundation leaders said the change would help fund immediate student needs such as food pantries, child care, emergency aid, and equipment. The hearing then moved to faculty-related bills: S. 933 on UMass faculty rights and tenure transparency, S. 930/H. 3948 on contingent faculty rights and career advancement, and S. 940/H. 1429 on an Adjunct Bill of Rights. Testimony from faculty and union representatives focused on low pay, lack of benefits, job insecurity, and the need for clearer pathways to full-time positions and fairer treatment for adjuncts who teach large shares of courses. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee primarily received testimony and asked clarifying questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, the federal government has announced that they're withholding $1.6 billion in Medicaid reimbursements
• Members, AB 2706 is a collaborative effort between the Department of Public Health and industry to reform
• The bill makes various technical reforms and policy changes in response to issues raised during the Bureau's
• The bill makes various technical reforms and policy changes in response to issues raised during the Bureau's

Transcript Highlights:

• These reforms will help ensure more teachers enter the classroom prepared, stay longer, and ultimately
• Members, this bill relates to discipline in public schools and many reforms recommended by the teacher
• Healthcare, and of course, costs with Medicaid and everything we're experiencing there.
• We appreciate the focus on reforms to improve student outcomes, which will lead to a more globally competitive

Bills: HB2 , HB2

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Transcript Highlights:

• And finally, which is my my role now, I'm a visiting fellow in higher education reform at the Heritage
• past 2 and a half years or so, pushing 3 years now, I've been a visiting fellow for higher education reform
• every 6 weeks for an hour and we talk about new initiatives or the president of higher education reform
• sure have read is reflected that only non Jewish white men are capable of leadership that women are Medicaid

Transcript Highlights:

• c><00:42:18.079><c> uh</c><00:42:18.480><c> robust</c><00:42:19.200><c> tort</c><00:42:19.599><c> reform
• <00:42:20.480><c> uh</c><00:42:20.960><c> laws</c><00:42:21.280><c> on</c> um such uh robust tort reform
• uh laws on um such uh robust tort reform uh laws on their<00:42:21.599><c> books</c><00:42:21.920><c
• quite frankly it's my hope that<00:53:29.839><c> we</c><00:53:30.079><c> can</c><00:53:30.240><c> reform
• SNAP uh but do it in that we can reform SNAP uh but do it in a<00:53:32.640><c> way</c><00:53:32.880

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate rules to the extent necessary to immediately bring House Bill 4423, eliminating Medicare and Medicaid
• Senate rules to the extent necessary to immediately bring House Bill 4423, eliminating Medicare and Medicaid
• It's 31730-5-11, and that one particularly defined SoonerCare Medicaid reimbursement policies for psychiatric
• I mean, we worked on some insurance reforms this year that were about timelines, and wouldn't that make
• So anybody that's doing criminal justice reform can't rely on the data that's coming in about these risk

Bills: HJR1088 , HJR1090 , HJR1091 , HB1370 , SB2154 , HJR1092 , HJR1093 , HJR1095 , HJR1099 , HJR1100 , HB3021 , SB893 , SB206 , SB248 , SB259 , SB423 , SB563 , SB604 , SB633 , HJR1077 , SB667 , SB1224 , SB1257 , SB1264 , SB1319 , SB1360 , SB1437 , SB1531 , SB1543 , SB1806 , HB3004 , SB1572 , HB4342 , SB1618 , SB2 , SB237 , SB1632 , SB1687 , SB1726 , SB1859 , SB1894 , SB1461 , HB4432 , SB1948 , SB1589 , SJR52 , SR46 , HCR1030 , SB2071 , SB2182 , SB1451

Summary: The Senate met with a quorum, prayer, pledges, and recognition of two student pages before taking up a long agenda of House joint resolutions and bills, mostly related to administrative rules and agency approvals. The chamber advanced and passed H.J.R. 1088, 1090, 1091, 1092, 1093, 1095, 1099, and 1100, which approved permanent rules for education, energy and agriculture, business and commerce, building code, health-related agencies, general government agencies, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and OMES. Several senators criticized the process for moving rule resolutions quickly and without committee vetting, while supporters said the calendar delays required direct consideration. The Senate also adopted conference committee reports and passed SB 206, SB 248, and HB 3021, with HB 3021 making small changes to graduation requirements, including science/math course language, Oklahoma history flexibility for some military families, and personal financial literacy counting toward math in some cases. A major portion of the meeting focused on House Bill 1370, which was described by its author as repealing an automatic state trigger that would replace any federal gasoline tax if the federal government suspended it. Supporters argued the bill would prevent Oklahoma drivers from paying more if the federal gas tax were repealed and framed it as tax relief; opponents argued it could reduce highway and bridge funding and create a budget hole. The Senate suspended several rules to bring the bill up, but rejected a motion to suspend the fiscal-impact rule for a proposed amendment. After debate, the chamber passed the measure 41-7 and then approved it as an emergency measure. The Senate also took up Senate Bill 893, a conference report dealing with foreign ownership near critical infrastructure and agricultural land. The bill would restrict certain foreign adversary ownership or leasing within 10 miles of critical infrastructure, add training zones and other protected areas, delay implementation until July 1, 2027, and create an enforcement process involving Attorney General review and whistleblower-style reporting. Senators raised concerns about enforcement, possible misuse, and profiling, while the author said the bill was aimed at national security and infrastructure protection. The conference report was adopted and the bill passed. Later, the Senate received notice that the House was ready to convene in joint session, and the chamber briefly stood at ease before returning to continue its work.

Transcript Highlights:

• We really appreciate members on both sides of the aisle helping on the amendment and these reforms, and
• and our state's budget will increasingly feel that impact in long-term care, crisis services, and Medicaid
• We are screaming for reform. Tony, I have a question. Did you have one? No, go right ahead.
• 20, 2026, at 12:12 p.m., appropriates $12 million from the State General Fund and $36 million in Medicaid
• And with the benefit of home care and Medicaid long-term care services, she was able to do that.

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 2615, as amended by a strike-everything amendment creating an Independent Oversight Committee on the Department of Child Safety with 15 members, authority to review DCS data and practices, request briefings and audits, conduct site visits, and receive confidential complaints, with a $2.2 million FY 2027 appropriation. The sponsor and several parents and foster/adoptive caregivers testified in support, describing child safety failures and arguing for independent accountability, while some members questioned whether the Ombudsman’s office was the right home for the committee and suggested other oversight structures. The amendment was adopted, but the bill itself failed on a 5-5 vote. House Bill 2620, which would appropriate $300,000 annually from FY 2027 through FY 2031 to the Arizona Department of Veterans Services for grants to emergency shelters serving veterans, received strong support from the sponsor and shelter advocates who said the funding would help move homeless veterans toward stable housing and connect them with VA services. Members emphasized veterans’ service and the need for trauma-informed case management, and the bill passed with a 10-0 do-pass recommendation. House Bill 2321, requiring DCS to place and later remove a credit freeze for children in care to prevent identity theft, also passed unanimously after the sponsor and members discussed the administrative process and protections for foster youth. The committee then considered House Bill 2601, directing ADOT to seek federal segmentation for the Interstate 11 project between Casa Grande and Wickenburg so environmental review could proceed separately from litigation affecting the southern portion. Supporters framed the bill as a bipartisan way to keep the project moving, while opponents from environmental groups and several members argued it would encourage sprawl, harm desert habitat, and add cost and delay; the bill passed 6-4. House Bill 2992, a pilot program for child sexual abuse and grooming awareness education in six public schools, drew testimony from a trafficking survivor and others who supported prevention efforts, but some members argued the topic should be handled through broader sex education or parent education; it passed 6-4. Later bills also advanced: HB 2156, appropriating $250,000 to the Livestock Compensation Fund, passed 7-3; HB 2165, exempting certain veterans and National Guard members from state park admission fees, passed 6-4 after amendment narrowing the exemption; HB 2960, creating a veterans specialty court grant program and related data-sharing requirements, passed 8-0; HB 2014, directing studies on gasoline blends and fuel feasibility amid EPA waiver concerns, passed 6-2; and HB 2957, preserving non-Real ID licenses and limiting biometric/data retention with a Kavanaugh amendment, passed 5-4-1.

Transcript Highlights:

• Michelle, I got a question on the North Dakota Medicaid payments chart that you have.
• My name is Krista Freming, and I serve as the interim Medicaid director with HHS.
• Just for Medicaid.
• Or is this a Medicaid requirement that that's what they need?
• A family reform makes $74,000 a year. They don't qualify for that state $225.

Summary: The committee met to receive a series of audit presentations, beginning with the statewide Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for fiscal year 2025. The State Auditor’s Office and OMB reported a clean, unmodified opinion for the state, with strong financial results including a $40.6 billion net position, $30.99 billion in assets, $1.81 billion in liabilities, and continued Legacy Fund growth. OMB also explained the new GASB 101 compensated-absences reporting change and discussed pension-liability fluctuations tied to discount-rate assumptions and investment performance. Members asked about how the state compares to others and about the effect of short-term commodity price swings, and OMB said the report reflects actual fiscal-year results rather than forecasts. The committee then heard the University System audit, which also received a clean opinion but included four findings: misreporting of Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund revenue, insufficient monitoring of service organizations at CTS, NDSU, and UND, improper bank reconciliations at Dakota College of Bottineau, Dickinson State, and Williston State, and investment/cash reconciliation problems at Bismarck State College related to bond proceeds. University officials agreed with the findings and said corrective actions were underway, including internal review of bank reconciliations. Members raised questions about NDSU’s use of certificates of deposit, and university staff explained that CDs are used to earn interest on funds being accumulated for future projects. Several other audits were presented, most with clean opinions and no findings, including the State Auditor’s Office, Workforce Safety and Insurance, Housing Finance Agency, Housing Incentive Fund, Job Service North Dakota, the Retirement and Investment Office, PERS, the Center for Distance Education, the Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents, the Ethics Commission, and the Office of Administrative Hearings. Notable exceptions included a State Fair Association audit with an adverse opinion on the foundation component unit because its financial statements were not available for audit, and a Securities Department performance audit finding that performance-based pay increases and bonuses were issued without required evaluations. The committee also discussed the State Auditor’s future needs, including more staff capacity, data analytics, cybersecurity reviews, possible subpoena authority, independent legal counsel, and whether some audits—such as the Ethics Commission and State Fair—should be handled by independent third parties or under different statutory arrangements.

Transcript Highlights:

• They also saw large Medicaid cuts, and now they are facing potential federal cuts as well.
• Speaker, let me remind you that the reforms of H.R. 1, they don't go into effect for another year.
• We tax our health care entity that's getting Medicaid. So we tax them. They bring it to the state.
• We run it through our bureaucracy and it comes back out to them in Medicaid.
• When we have low reimbursement for Medicaid and their census is high with a high percentage of Medicaid

Summary: The House debated a series of amendments to a major income tax bill, with repeated arguments over tax fairness, affordability, administrative feasibility, and the role of the Department of Revenue. Early motions to reconsider a failed child care amendment were rejected, and Amendment 2561, which would have restricted data sharing with the IRS, was also defeated after debate over privacy, federal relationships, and whether the proposal was administrable. Amendment 2579, which would have required annual reporting on the tax’s effects on filers, businesses, and charitable donations, likewise failed, with supporters emphasizing transparency and opponents arguing DOR was not the right agency and the report was too speculative. Amendment 2598, proposing to use half of new revenue for a broad sales tax cut, was rejected despite arguments that it would reduce regressivity and provide immediate relief; Amendment 2556, expanding sales tax exemptions for diapers and other child-care essentials to include adult diapers and earlier implementation, also failed after debate over scope and timing.

Transcript Highlights:

• There was a 1% decline in CMS patients—Medicare and Medicaid patients—in short-term private equity hospitals
• Part of why this has become such a big issue is that litigation has become the catch-all for systems reform
• But I agree wholeheartedly that we cannot use the legal system to reform health care.
• I believe we can reform and improve our malpractice system.
• I believe we can reform and improve our medical system.

Bills: HB99 , HB49 , HB164 , SB30 , SB43 , SB50 , SB136

Committee: House House Judiciary

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 99, which would make changes to the Medical Malpractice Act, especially around punitive damages. The chair and sponsor said the bill would not be voted on that day and that public comment would wait until Monday, when a fuller presentation and any recommended substitute would be considered. Dr. Brooke Baker, a physician-lawyer, gave a long presentation on physician wellness, malpractice stress, and the effect of litigation on staffing and burnout, while also discussing hospital ownership structures, private equity, and rural hospital vulnerability. She argued that punitive damages are often pled too broadly in New Mexico, that the amendment language was unclear about which entities would be capped, and that better oversight and internal quality systems—not punitive damages—are the better tools for addressing bad actors and unsafe care. Committee members from both sides asked extensive questions about the patient compensation fund, indemnification, corporate structures, the effect of caps on insurance and recruitment, and whether the bill would protect physicians’ personal assets. No vote was taken on HB 99, and the committee recessed before moving to the next bill. The committee then returned to House Bill 49, a public safety measure increasing penalties for felons who possess firearms. The sponsors and law enforcement witnesses said the bill is aimed narrowly at serious violent felons who are already prohibited from having guns, and that it would align state sentencing with federal law and give police and prosecutors a stronger tool against repeat violent offenders. An amendment was offered to narrow the bill further, add destructive devices, and make the offense a second-degree felony rather than escalating to first degree on repeat offenses. The amendment was adopted without opposition. Public testimony on HB 49 was largely opposed. The Law Office of the Public Defender argued the bill criminalizes possession without a new act of violence, that current law already punishes felon-in-possession conduct, and that New Mexico has repeatedly increased penalties without evidence of reduced gun crime. The ACLU of New Mexico also opposed the bill, saying increased penalties are not a proven deterrent. The transcript cuts off as additional online opposition testimony was beginning.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2005, many of us, including Julie, organized a major march for immigration reform.
• </c><02:51:12.240><c> But</c> cadence law and related reforms. But cadence law and related reforms.
• understand why the hospitals are concerned because we keep year after... ...year reducing their Medicaid
• The measure would in effect take... ...money from other priorities such as Medicaid and education to
• The measure would in effect take money from other priorities such as Medicaid and education to pay for

Transcript Highlights:

• When the DOJ or HHS issues a subpoena to investigate potential Medicaid...
• When the DOJ or HHS issues a subpoena to investigate potential Medicaid fraud, this bill requires the
• It blocks federal investigators from prosecuting clinics that committed Medicaid fraud by manipulating
• In short, this is a narrow, common-sense reform, and for these reasons, I respectfully request your aye
• is a follow-up to last year's AB 747, which I also authored, the Service of Process Accountability Reform

Committee: House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• I, along with other Somali autism parents, have been asking the state Medicaid agency to provide compliance
• I, along with other Somali autism parents, have been asking the state Medicaid agency to provide compliance
• And I also thank you and Abeler for supporting EIDBI and for voting for EIDBI when it was a 1915 Medicaid
• and it directed MMB to transfer 50 million from the general fund to the health care access fund if reforms
• </c><00:27:43.520><c> delivered</c> care access fund if reforms delivered care access fund if reforms

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• Texans will never truly actualize the touted benefits of price transparency reform, nor will they ever
• This bill is an updated and reformed version of House Bill 2414.
• This bill is an updated and reformed version of House Bill 2414 from last session, which was voted out
• This bill introduces common-sense reforms, ensures fairness and transparency in PBM-pharmacy contracts
• These reforms are necessary. They are long overdue.

Bills: SB331 , SB883 , SB926 , SB1137 , SB1138 , SB1144 , SB1151 , SB1236 , SB1270 , SB1522 , SB1869 , SB2207 , SB2422

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 883, which would protect physicians’ ability to prescribe off-label medications and treatments, framed by the author as a “Right to Treat” measure tied to COVID-19 care. Supporters, including physicians and patient-choice advocates, said the bill would safeguard the doctor-patient relationship and prevent interference by boards, pharmacies, or hospitals. Several witnesses described using hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, budesonide, antibiotics, steroids, and monoclonal antibodies during the pandemic, and said they faced complaints, board scrutiny, or pharmacy refusals for those prescriptions. The bill was left pending after public testimony closed. The committee then took up Senate Bill 331, which would extend hospital price-transparency requirements to additional health care facilities such as freestanding ERs, urgent care and retail clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, outpatient clinics, and birthing centers. Proponents argued that broader disclosure of prices for shoppable services would help consumers compare costs and reduce surprise billing, while opponents from ambulatory surgery centers said the bill would impose costly compliance burdens on small providers and that insurers or the state already have much of the needed data. The bill was also left pending. Senate Bill 2422 would expunge Texas Medical Board records and impose reparations for disciplinary actions tied to COVID-era treatment decisions, including references to ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, budesonide, and masks. The author and supporters argued that doctors were unfairly targeted for trying to save patients and should be made whole; the Texas Medical Board representative said most pandemic complaints were dismissed, that actions generally involved broader issues such as privileges, documentation, or informed consent, and that no physician was disciplined solely for prescribing off-label COVID medications. The bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 2207, which would loosen Texas Medical Board rules on physicians advertising themselves as board certified, especially by reducing barriers tied to maintenance of certification requirements. Supporters said the current rule is overly restrictive, inconsistent, and costly, and that it drives physicians out of practice; they also said Texas is one of only a few states with such a rule. Witnesses described hospitals using the rule against physicians and said the change would improve transparency and competition. The bill remained pending after testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• They were really concerned about the Republicans' plan to gut Medicaid.
• </c><02:40:28.960><c> They're</c><02:40:29.280><c> pretty</c> plan to gut Medicaid.
• They're pretty plan to gut Medicaid.
• </c> hearing a lot of anger about Medicaid hearing a lot of anger about Medicaid and<03:03:42.160><c>
• If the Social Security and Medicaid.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> environmental permitting reform article. environmental permitting reform article.
• We've been talking about permitting reform.
• I know permitting reform is important.
• </c><00:49:12.559><c> Senator</c> permitting reform is important.
• Senator permitting reform is important.

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• 17:12.840><c> in</c><01:17:13.040><c> this</c> is Medicaid included in this is Medicaid included in this
• </c> reason why Medicaid is not included? reason why Medicaid is not included?
• </c> include Medicaid in the bill. include Medicaid in the bill. Thank<01:20:28.360><c> you.
• </c><01:20:36.080><c> on</c> I've not conferred with Medicaid on I've not conferred with Medicaid on
• </c> include Medicaid. Thank you. include Medicaid. Thank you.

Transcript Highlights:

• Things like Medicaid, 89% of our kids in Head Start are on Medicaid.
• Things<01:03:44.040><c> like</c><01:03:44.240><c> Medicaid,</c><01:03:45.120><c> 89%</c><01:03:46.040
• ><c> are</c><01:03:47.600><c> on</c><01:03:47.720><c> Medicaid.
• </c> Head Start are on Medicaid. Head Start are on Medicaid.
• By implementing these common sense reforms, cameras with audios, outdoor surveillance, parental access

Bills: HF1660 , HF1824 , HF1926 , HF1002 , HF994 , HF1915 , HF1336

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• House Committee Substitute 1, a concurrent resolution establishing the Child Welfare and Family Court Reform
• House Committee Substitute 1, a concurrent resolution establishing the Child Welfare and Family Court Reform
• House Bill 689 should pass, an act relating to the establishment of a Medicaid State Directed Payment
• House Bill 689 should pass, an act relating to the establishment of a Medicaid State Directed Payment
• House Bill 689 should pass, an act relating to the establishment of a Medicaid State Directed Payment

Summary: The House convened, opened with an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, established a quorum with 96 members present, excused absent members, and approved the journal from March 4, 2026. The chamber also received notice that the Senate had passed Senate Bills 50 and 191 and requested concurrence. Several bills were reported for second reading and committee action, including measures on schools, barbering, virtual currency kiosks, eminent domain, DUI, fire protection, school district reporting, teacher certification, legal representation, cost and fee reporting, dentistry, credit insurance, harmful practices, elections, child welfare, health data, Medicaid directed payments, workplace violence in health care, utilities, solid waste, carbon sequestration, and coal/energy affordability. House Bill 534 was sent to the Rules Committee after receiving prior readings, and House Bill 600 was brought up for third reading and passage. House Bill 600, relating to the collection of delinquent tax bills, was explained as allowing counties to use a consolidated procedure to collect multiple delinquent tax cases more efficiently, requiring county attorney contracts with the Department of Revenue to include that option, and extending to counties some property-tax collection tools already used by cities for delinquent and dilapidated properties. A member from Jefferson raised concerns that the bill could allow foreclosure on occupied properties and warned about potential harm to elderly or low-income homeowners; the sponsor responded that the bill was not intended to remove anyone from their property. The House passed HB 600 by a vote of 82-11, and a clincher was applied. House Bill 662, concerning regulation of low-voltage battery-charged security fences by local governments, was described as a business-friendly measure supported by the Chamber of Commerce and affected industries, intended to define the fences and reduce regulatory uncertainty in commercial and industrial zones without removing local regulation. It passed unanimously, 96-0, and a clincher was applied. House Bill 364, relating to benefits for Kentucky National Guard members, was amended by House Floor Amendment 1 to define Commonwealth emergency pay and hazardous duty for Guard members on state active duty during emergencies. Supporters emphasized compensation for Guard members responding to disasters and emergencies, and members cited recent flood and crash responses as examples of their service. The bill passed 96-0, and a clincher was applied. House Bill 534, an elections bill, was taken up with House Committee Substitute 2 adopted. The sponsor said the bill was the product of work by the Secretary of State, the Board of Elections, county clerks, KREF, and others, and was intended to strengthen election laws. Debate focused on a provision that would remove from voter rolls individuals convicted of felonies even while appeals are pending; one member argued this would disenfranchise people before appeals are resolved and sought to offer an amendment, but a motion to suspend the rules for that amendment failed with only 18 votes in favor. Another member said the substitute was the best version of the bill and indicated he would offer amendments, including changes to the felony-appeal language and campaign finance timing, while also seeking to remove a section requiring federal cooperation. The transcript cuts off during that discussion, before final action on HB 534 is shown.