Transcript Highlights:

• I don't think it is standardized enough.
• Outbreaks, how we standardize some of our workflow.
• We can no longer perform this responsibility.
• So I think there is somewhat of an ambiguous standard that may exist in that, so...
• I think there is somewhat of an ambiguous standard that may exist in that.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Adequacy standards.
• The Adequacy Planning Guide is the minimum standard.
• Under the adequacy standards, members, that is correct.
• For this particular district, when we've set standards and lived by those standards with other projects
• It was just not performed in a timely manner, although it was performed.

Transcript Highlights:

• six of which improved their Republican performance in the House. house substitute.
• performance for Democrats. but will still strongly perform for Democrats.
• It made it a better performing district, which was one of the objectives.
• That, or I'm aware that CD18 should still perform very strongly as a Democratic district.
• Historically, they have been Democrat or Republican in performance.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And if we're trying to get consistency across various levels of government, we could set a basic standard
• executive branch and the legislative branch on collecting that kind of data and setting up key performance
• measurements and things of that nature. ...that kind of data and setting up key performance measurements
• And I think that looking at actual hard data and federal standards on federal money is really important
• But I think we've all heard the Utah model seems to be the gold standard at this point.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• assessment of special health care needs, which is based on clinical eligibility determination as performed
• " CMS plan] just as the Agency for Health Care Administration has the managed Medicare plan, they perform
• The Department of Health remains to continue to perform clinical eligibility functions.
• TO PERFORM CLINICAL ELIGIBILITY FUNCTIONS. THIS DID NOT TRANSFER.
• That is the standard I encourage everyone on. >> Chair: Thank you for your presentation.

Summary: The Health Facilities Subcommittee met to receive implementation updates from the Agency for Health Care Administration on three bills passed in prior sessions. First, Deputy Secretary Brian Meyer reported on the transfer of the Children’s Medical Services managed care plan from the Department of Health to AHCA under HB 1085. He said the move was administrative only, with no change to enrollment, providers, services, or clinical eligibility functions, and that it was intended to create efficiencies by aligning procurement and shifting staff resources between agencies. Members then questioned AHCA about reports of reductions in private duty nursing and therapy services for medically fragile children, including concerns about appeals, provider credentialing, and whether families were losing services or being transitioned appropriately. AHCA said it was reviewing denials, monitoring the plan, and using contractual remedies while focusing on maintaining access for members. The committee also reviewed implementation of a bill creating permanent Medicaid eligibility for individuals with permanent disabilities. AHCA staff explained that the agency had submitted a federal 1115 waiver request after public comment and stakeholder meetings, but CMS had indicated it did not anticipate approving the requested authority. Members pressed AHCA on why the waiver was submitted later than the bill’s directive date and on whether the delay was avoidable. AHCA said the waiver was complex and required review, drafting, and public input, and noted that DCF already has a specialized unit to help with redeterminations while the agencies work on operational changes. The committee discussed the practical impact on families who struggle with annual eligibility renewals and the need for clearer communication and faster follow-up from the agency. Finally, AHCA presented on the home health aide program for medically fragile children and related Medicaid eligibility changes. The agency described the 2023 law that created a family caregiver provider type and the 2025 changes that increased the hourly rate, expanded hours, reduced training requirements, and removed caregiver earnings from Medicaid eligibility calculations, subject to federal approval. AHCA said it had completed state public comment, submitted the waiver amendment to CMS, and was awaiting federal action. Members raised concerns that some families may have enrolled or begun work before the eligibility fix was in place and may have lost benefits, especially in Broward County. AHCA said it would work with affected families and plans, review outreach through DCF and the health plans, and continue rulemaking, system updates, and provider training. The meeting ended with the chair noting that the committee had received the updates and adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• to standardize design, construction, as well as delivery.
• That is where you can get your scale, your predictability, we..." "...is standardization.
• Is it possible to have standardized plans that builders could share?
• And then we've already adopted the middle housing standards out of House Bill 1110.
• So, Nicole, you mentioned outdated street standards.

Summary: The Senate Housing Committee work session focused first on Civic Commons’ “starter home production plan,” a statewide strategy intended to increase production of homes affordable to households roughly between 60% and 120% of area median income. Presenters said the Covenant Home Ownership program will not succeed without more starter homes, and outlined recommendations including a temporary cross-sector crisis task force, a developer network, new financing tools, public seed funding, and a multi-site demonstration program to test off-site construction and standardized designs. Committee members asked about silos in the current system, the role of off-site and modular construction, target income ranges, and where the plan would be most useful. Civic Commons said the plan is meant to be statewide, community-informed, and respectful of local context, with pre-approved plans and standardized approaches for both single-family and multi-unit housing. The Department of Labor and Industries then gave an update on factory-built housing oversight. Officials said residential factory-built structures are a small but important part of their work and described progress in prioritizing residential plan reviews, which they said has reduced review time from months to about two days. They also reported creating a plans examiner supervisor position, moving forward with rules for third-party plan review and inspection, and beginning analysis of national standards from the Modular Building Institute to see whether they align with state code. Committee members and L&I discussed the value of standardized plans, real-time tracking for applicants, and the role of state inspection in reducing local jurisdictional variation. The Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council testified that it supports efforts to reduce permitting delays and increase housing production, but warned against weakening safety standards or labor protections. The labor representatives said prefabrication and modular construction can help if the workforce is protected, wages and apprenticeship opportunities are preserved, and projects use tools such as community workforce agreements. They also raised concerns about wage theft, misclassification, and unlicensed contractors in residential construction, and suggested stronger front-end contractor education or licensing. Committee members responded that the goal is to expand production without sacrificing safety or good jobs. The committee also heard city perspectives on local housing reforms. Olympia described its affordable housing emergency ordinance, which gives qualifying projects priority in the permitting queue, and said success depends on communication among housing staff, planners, engineers, and developers. Walla Walla, an early adopter of middle housing, reported increased ADUs, duplexes, and smaller-lot development after eliminating single-family zoning and expanding tools such as MFTE and ADU flexibility. Des Moines described adopting middle housing and ADU ordinances in June 2025 after a lengthy public process, while Poulsbo described proactive code changes including duplexes on corner lots, unit lot subdivisions, manufactured home protections, expanded ADU allowances, and pre-approved ADU plans shared with neighboring jurisdictions. No votes were taken during the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• taking out the standard um also taking out the negligent<01:23:38.199> standard<01:23:38.960>
• , and National Institute of Corrections standards.
• standards this Institute of Correction standards this bill<01:38:42.599> is<01:38:42.719> more
• <01:53:40.520> as policies follow national standards as policies follow national standards
• forensic psychologist I have performed forensic psychologist I have performed about<01:58:22.719

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: At the joint hearing on SB 951 SD2, the committees heard testimony on a child protection measure requiring mandatory child abuse and neglect reports to include military status and to improve communication between DHS and the Department of Defense. The U.S. Department of Defense testified in support and described its coordinated community response process for abuse reports, saying the bill would help ensure child safety and better coordination with DHS. DHS was initially absent, later appeared, and said it supported the measure but was still working with DOD on implementation details and staff training. Members asked about how DHS becomes involved and whether there were gaps in the current process. The chair recommended passage with technical amendments, including changing the effective date to 7/1/25 and conforming related language, and both committees adopted the recommendation by vote. The Public Safety committee then heard SB 1377 SD2, which would create a Veterans Cemeteries Board within the Office of Veterans Services in the Department of Defense to provide guidance, education, and technical assistance to state veteran cemeteries. DOD supported the bill and explained that county-run cemeteries must meet National Cemetery Administration standards to remain eligible for federal reimbursements and grants; witnesses described past compliance problems at several cemeteries, including one still not compliant in Hilo, and said the board would help counties prepare for future site visits and improve oversight without taking over operations. Members asked about costs, reimbursement amounts, and whether the state would assume cemetery operations; DOD said the current reimbursement process runs through the state to the counties and that direct takeover would be costly. The committee adopted the chair’s recommendation to pass the bill with amendments. The committee also heard SB 1382, which would make intentionally or knowingly causing bodily injury to a National Guard member performing duty a class C felony. The Hawaii National Guard and HPD supported the bill, citing incidents during the Maui response where Guard members encountered noncompliant and sometimes physically confrontational individuals while assisting police and protecting impacted areas. Testimony emphasized that Guard members are often unarmed and should receive protections similar to first responders. One witness opposed the bill, but the committee moved forward and adopted the chair’s recommendation to pass with amendments. Finally, the committee took up SB 1379 SD2 on emergency preparedness and Community Readiness Centers. Hawaii Emergency Management supported the bill, and supporters said it would create a statewide framework for resilience hubs that can provide supplies, action plans, and refuge during disasters. Testimony highlighted recent hurricanes, wildfires, and other hazards, and argued the measure would complement existing county efforts rather than replace them. County of Hawaii testimony opposed the bill, raising concerns about overlap and cost, while members asked about estimated expenses and implementation. The discussion ended with questions about planning and whether the bill would enhance existing programs; no final vote was captured in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Kentucky's own performance funding statute already points in this direction.
• own performance funding Kentucky's own performance funding statute<00:24:36.800> already<00:24
• <00:24:42.880> model establishes a performance funding model establishes a performance funding
• <01:31:40.080> and through standardization of processes and through standardization of processes
• The bright blue bar is performance funding.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Education met for its first summer interim meeting, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and took roll. The first presentation came from Jerry Gels, principal of Ignite Institute in Erlanger, who focused on the rising cost of dual credit. He said dual credit tuition has increased from about $150 to $290 for a three-credit course over roughly five years, which he argued is discouraging participation, especially for working-class and low-income students. He cited Ignite data and broader college outcomes to argue dual credit improves college persistence, shortens time to degree, and reduces student debt, noting that many of his students enter college with substantial credit and that low-income students at Ignite have increasingly participated after targeted efforts and scholarship use. He also said the instructional labor is largely paid by county school systems, so he questioned the size of the tuition increase and said the committee should examine how the costs are being set and whether college tuition should be stabilizing as more students arrive with credits already earned. Members asked about who pays for dual credit, the role of state scholarship support, and whether tuition varies by institution. Gels said students in his district generally pay the dual credit cost themselves, though some districts may cover it, and he noted the dual credit scholarship now covers fewer classes than before. He said the price appears to be set centrally rather than varying by university, and he emphasized that the higher cost is creating barriers even though the courses are taught largely by local teachers on school payrolls. He also described Ignite’s efforts to expand access for free- and reduced-lunch students, saying participation among that group rose from 27% with no dual credit to about 90-92% taking at least one dual credit class. The committee then heard from the Goldwater Institute, represented by Michael Frazier and Dr. Tim Minella by Zoom. They argued Kentucky’s public universities should face stronger accountability and transparency, citing declining public confidence in higher education, rising costs, and what they described as administrative growth and research spending that does not clearly benefit students or the Commonwealth. They proposed requiring a 10-year accounting of staffing growth by category, comparing it to enrollment and low-income Kentucky enrollment, and limiting non-STEM faculty teaching releases for research unless approved under a baseline consent process. They also criticized certain university-funded research projects as examples of misdirected spending and said public reporting should distinguish Kentucky residents from non-residents more clearly, pointing to a reported decline in low-income in-state undergraduate enrollment. No votes or formal actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• How well these systems perform is something that has been contested over the years.
• These are the ones we see all the time. which is a standard that the state of Texas or the broadband
• So that's much faster than the standard that we had for about eight years or so previously, and I have
• and specifically service providers that are invested in certain broadband infrastructures, are performing
• As I said before, our broadband office has adopted the FCC standard for what is considered broadband

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that a standard, or is that each instance? That would be more often than not a standard.
• The code dictates the minimum standard you have to do.
• They have minimum standards.
• It’s a higher threshold standard.” “It’s a higher threshold standard.
• Can we relax these standards a little bit?

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Next, we have needs assessments, which require schools to identify obstacles to student performance.
• But we have made this short-term model the standard, and we need to address that.
• Chair, our schools, because that immediately makes it currently twice as long as the current standard
• For our higher-performing schools as well. I thank you for the work that you do.
• New Mexico International is a high-performing charter school, both serving standard and at-risk populations

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• are currently in the teaching standards.
• Performance pay. You mentioned teachers.
• Performance pay criteria as it is.
• It's not taking into consideration the lack of performance or ability to move forward.
• Chair, the question is about the performance pay that he mentioned a while ago.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee first heard Superintendent Tom Horn’s State of Education address, which focused on school safety, academic outcomes, teacher pay, school choice, and opposition to DEI/CRT in schools. Horn argued that students cannot learn unless schools are safe, cited increased funding for school police officers and a recent Tucson charter school incident as evidence for more officers, and said the department’s academic efforts have centered on Project Momentum, tutoring, cell phone restrictions, career and technical education partnerships, and support for Native American districts. He also urged direct teacher pay increases through Proposition 123 and said the state board should revise teaching standards and school grading practices. Members questioned him about DEI compliance, cell phone enforcement, ESA accountability, teacher preparation programs, school safety funding, and literacy outcomes; Horn said the department’s role is largely advisory in a local-control state, that it tracks school practices on a website, and that it lacks academic outcome data for ESA students because private schools are not tested by the state. The committee then took up House Bill 2008, which would prohibit public school libraries from using public funds to pay dues or memberships to professional library associations that advocate for libraries and information services. Representative Cooper, the sponsor, said the bill was intended to keep school libraries politically neutral and prevent taxpayer money from supporting ideological advocacy, while arguing that membership could still be paid privately and that free professional development options exist. Opponents, including former librarian Judy Schweber, Marana board member Hunter Holt, and the ACLU of Arizona, argued the bill would undermine professional development, local control, and constitutional rights of association and petition, and that there was little evidence public funds were actually being used this way. Supporters, including Adrienne Johnson, said some library materials and associations promote political viewpoints and should not be funded with public dollars. After public comment and debate, the committee voted 7-5 to give HB 2008 a do pass recommendation. Members who explained no votes said the bill targeted a non-issue, lacked data showing a problem, and would divert attention from funding and literacy needs. Members supporting the bill said it was a reasonable restriction on public spending and a way to keep school libraries ideologically neutral. The committee then announced it would move on to House Bill 2249, the Parents’ Bill of Rights and Remedies.

Transcript Highlights:

• other 28% of the organization performs other 28% of the organization performs duties<00:09:35.840
• Standards Board. Standards Board.
• They also implement new accounting standards.
• a standard-setting body.
• These standards are very complex at times, and when new standards are released, it requires significant

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It strengthens the ethical standards by prohibiting officers and employees of the district from having
• Is that what the current standard is? And if not, what is the change?
• But septic systems don't often get to perform with the same efficiency.
• Jeff Littlejohn on style performance. Chair: For information only.
• That 80% is the performance criteria.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:05:19.480> and national inspector general standards and national inspector general standards
• The 30,000 or so fourth graders taking the new reading MCA based on these new reading standards this
• The MCA 4 will use four performance levels: beginning, intermediate, meets, and advanced.
• As we all know, the ELA standards.
• The MCA 4 will use four performance<01:42:23.000> levels,<01:42:23.720> beginning, performance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Naturopathic practitioners in Florida have sought to expand their authority, including the power to perform
• This board will, over time, regulate its own standards, define its own scope, and return to this legislature
• If someone wants to practice medicine, including prescribing legend drugs and performing injections,
• regulatory system lowers the guardrails for the protection of patients and the integrity of medical standards
• practices in support coordination, and areas of improvement, metrics to Assess support coordinator performance

Transcript Highlights:

• The biomass plant on Kauai was not performing well last year.
• <00:07:49.440> So was not performing well last year.
• So was not performing well last year.
• Um, it has performed beautifully.
• Um it it has performed last 20 years.

Bills: SCR48, SCR28, SCR74, SCR62, SCR60, SCR89, SCR147, SCR179, SCR182, SCR59, SCR54, SCR180

Keywords: affordable housing, housing credits, perpetual credits, development, Hawaii Housing Finance, Vietnam veterans, commemorative medal, recognition, working group, Hawaii, no-bid contracts, emergency procurement, audit, state agencies, public funds, accountability, emergency response, disability access, 911 systems, life-saving measures

Transcript Highlights:

• Based rate making uh efforts Performance Based rate making uh efforts are<00:10:09.079> and<00
• law encapsulates the FTC standards.
• FTC standards are already FTC standards are already Incorporated<00:23:33.559> uh<00:23:33.919
• <00:23:38.919> when difference to those FTC standards when difference to those FTC standards
• state law encapsulates the FTC standards state law encapsulates the FTC standards then<00:23:45.200

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee held its first hearing of the 2025 session and reviewed several measures. SB 102 would restrict third-party restaurant reservation services from listing or selling reservations without a written agreement from the restaurant; the Attorney General recommended amendments to strengthen the bill against First Amendment and Contracts Clause challenges, and the Hawaii Restaurant Association strongly supported it, saying restaurants should control who represents them. The committee also heard SB 137 on electric utility mergers and acquisitions, with support from Ulupono Initiative and IBW Local 1260. Supporters said the bill would preserve state policy protections, including renewable energy and rate-making goals, and protect workers; IBW also suggested amendments, including a severability clause. The committee discussed a possible alternative approach from the PUC involving solicitation of bids from non-investor-owned utilities, and Ulupono said it would consider that idea but was concerned about preserving time for co-op formation. Members then heard SB 142, which would require insurers paying claims by check to send them by certified mail with restricted delivery and return receipt. The Insurance Division stood on its written testimony, while the Hawaiian Insurers Council, State Farm, NAMIC, and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association opposed the bill. A senator questioned whether the measure was too prescriptive and could create problems for claimants displaced by disasters; the response was that insurers and claimants usually remain in contact and that other payment methods may already be available depending on the carrier. SB 157 would ban algorithmic price setting in Hawaii’s rental market and require a public education program; the committee noted written testimony in support and comment, but no oral testimony was taken before moving on. SB 158 would create a state-owned bank implementation board within DCCA; DCCA’s financial institutions division, the Budget and Finance Department, and the Legislative Reference Bureau submitted comments, while the Hawaii Bankers Association opposed and the Hawaii Credit Union League commented. The committee also heard SB 318, which would require DCCA to adopt privacy rules for direct-to-consumer genetic testing and specify whether genetic information may be used for investigative genetic genealogy. The Office of Consumer Protection and Andrew Crossland opposed the bill, saying federal law and existing state protections already cover much of the area and that rulemaking would be a better way to address it; members raised concerns about federal changes and the need for state protections, but OCP said the bill was not the best approach. SB 332 would prohibit bundling foreclosed homes at public sale and delay finality of sales; L. Strong and written testimony supported it, citing Lahaina’s post-fire foreclosure risks and warning of investors profiting from the disaster. The final measure, SB 525, would require written notice and consent before mortuaries, cemeteries, or pre-need funeral authorities sell or recycle precious metals recovered after cremation. DCCA’s consumer protection and licensing divisions offered comments, while the Hawaii Funeral and Cemetery Association opposed the bill, saying it was surprised by the measure and was unaware of current consumer problems in the industry.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I'm going to go to the third quarter performance report because you'll see second and third— ...to
• the third quarter performance report because you'll see second and third quarter next to each other
• So not only is Arkansas under those national standards, but all states.
• So not only is Arkansas under those national standards, but all states.
• So even taking the national standards in saying we could do a better job.

Summary: The Joint Committee on Aging, Children and Youth approved the February 11 minutes and then reviewed a DCFS policy manual update from Director Tiffany Wright. Wright said the changes move internal procedures out of administrative rule into DCFS’s internal procedure manual under an executive order, while also updating terminology, conforming to enacted laws, revising foster family continuing education hours, and removing obsolete requirements. Members asked whether the changes would alter practice; Wright said they were mainly terminology and process-location changes, intended to make the department more efficient and flexible. The committee then accepted the rule review without objection. Wright next presented DCFS quarterly performance data for the third quarter of FY 2026. She reported 8,610 hotline reports accepted, 6,919 assigned to DCFS, 22% of investigations found true, neglect as the most common substantiated allegation, and continued staffing shortages in some counties affecting timeliness. She also reported 3,420 foster care cases, 1,788 in-home cases involving 4,568 children, 72% monthly home-visit compliance, 36% permanency within 12 months, 4.5% re-entry into foster care, and 156 children available for adoption. Members asked about neglect trends, sexual abuse/exploitation data, behavior-related removals, staffing recruitment and retention, training improvements, and whether ACE-style testing should be considered for children; Wright said DCFS is expanding recruitment, retention, and training efforts and was open to further discussion on education-related assessments. The committee also received DCFS’s biannual overturned investigations report, covering July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, which tracks hotline calls, accepted reports, true findings, appeals, and overturned findings by county. A member asked for comparison to the prior year’s report. Major Jeff Drew then presented the Crimes Against Children Division annual report, saying the hotline received 67,987 calls in 2025, 37,986 were accepted for investigation, and CACD handled 6,539 cases with a 28% substantiation rate. Members asked about hotline operator training, qualifications, salary, and whether Arkansas compares with other states; Drew said operators receive a four-week training that includes law, policy, scenarios, recorded calls, live-call monitoring, and evidence-chain/decision-making instruction. Finally, Elizabeth Pooley of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas reported that the statewide network of 29 CACs and 64 multidisciplinary teams served 13,568 children and families in 2025, up about 3,000 from the prior year, and hosted 259 trainings for professionals. She said funding comes from a mix of state, federal, and community sources, with state funding set at roughly $70,000 to $75,000 per center and not based on caseload. Members asked about funding stability and standards of care; Pooley said CACs follow national standards and Arkansas is developing state best practices. The meeting adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• Beyond the waste and increased costs, the inconsistent standards and limited interagency coordination
• <00:42:46.800> and<00:42:46.920> limited the inconsistent standards and limited the
• This was the performance pay for performance. note I was recalling in 2011 we had some note I was recalling
• I think that's a possibility. >> That's an idea too. pay for performance.
• You might recall we pay for performance.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all