Transcript Highlights:

• Insurers bring claims against utilities on behalf of their policyholders to recover the insurance claim
• homeowner insurance available.
• insurance.
• provides for earthquake insurance.
• to the insurance company.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy held a hearing on the California Earthquake Authority’s SB 254 report and broader options for reforming California’s utility wildfire recovery system. The chair framed the discussion around the Palisades and Eaton fires, the scale of wildfire-related costs on utility bills, and the need to weigh trade-offs among survivors, ratepayers, utilities, insurers, and taxpayers. The first panel featured wildfire survivors William Abrams and Joy Chen, who described long delays in compensation, housing insecurity, and what they viewed as a system that protects utility shareholders more than victims. They urged greater transparency, clearer accountability for utility spending and safety performance, faster and fuller compensation for survivors, and reforms such as independent audits and better alignment of utility incentives with wildfire prevention and restitution. The second panel began with Tom Welsh of the California Earthquake Authority, who explained that the SB 254 report was intended as a broad inventory of policy pathways rather than recommendations. He described the report’s process, including stakeholder submissions, workstreams, and a convergence process, and outlined the current wildfire fund structure: utilities remain liable, the fund reimburses eligible claims after a covered wildfire, and the CPUC later determines prudency and possible reimbursement back to the fund. RAND’s Lloyd Dixon summarized compensation data, saying utilities paid about $38 billion between 2017 and 2024, with major shares going to injured parties, insurers, and public entities, while litigation costs and survivors’ own losses remain substantial. He noted that legal fees and delays reduce the amount survivors ultimately receive. Utility and public-interest witnesses offered differing views on the report’s pathways. PG&E’s Tyson Smith said the report shows inaction is the worst outcome and argued for community wildfire risk reduction, equitable allocation of catastrophe costs, and state-led resilience tools. LADWP’s Fernando Valero emphasized the vulnerability of municipal utilities and cities, and supported inverse condemnation reform, a state-sponsored liability insurance framework, damages and subrogation limits, and stronger insurance access. Consumer Attorneys of California’s John Fisk argued that IOU-caused fires are not natural disasters but the result of negligence and sometimes criminal conduct, and opposed reducing utility liability while supporting stronger oversight and audits. The Public Advocates Office’s Nathaniel Skinner focused on affordability, saying ratepayers already bear large and growing wildfire costs and warning against shifting more costs onto bills without measurable risk reduction and tighter accountability. Committee members then began questioning witnesses about what counts as measurable mitigation, how to define full and fair compensation, and how any fast-pay process should work.

Transcript Highlights:

• mandate. insurance mandate.
• </c> he moves over to the insurance he moves over to the insurance department?
• company, reciprocal insurer, or insurer under the laws of the state.
• ><c> insurance</c> entities, private other insurance entities, private other insurance companies<04:54
• This is health insurance problem. mix. This is health insurance problem.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 47, sponsored by Senator Regina Birdsell at the request of the Insurance Department. The bill would clarify that a birth mother’s health insurance is the primary policy for a newborn’s care unless the mother has no coverage or no employer-sponsored coverage. Birdsell and Insurance Commissioner DJ Benton Court said the measure simply codifies the department’s long-standing interpretation of existing law. Representative Miles asked whether the coverage would extend to a grandchild if a young woman on her parents’ plan had a baby, and Birdsell said it would. The hearing on SB 47 was then closed. The committee next heard Senate Bill 121, introduced by Grant Bosi for Senator Kevin Avard. The bill requires insurers to notify the Insurance Department when they stop writing an entire line of business or, in some cases, when they change Medicare Advantage offerings. Benton Court said the bill was prompted by disruption in the Medicare Advantage market, where consumers and the department were confused by carriers exiting, changing plans, or narrowing offerings. He said the department does not regulate Medicare Advantage itself, but does license the carriers, and the notice requirement would help the department advise consumers; he also said noncompliance could affect a carrier’s license and could lead to fines. Members discussed the notice period, and the department and AHIP indicated support for changing it from 120 days to 90 days to align with federal timing. The hearing was closed with plans to work on an amendment in subcommittee. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 247, introduced by Representative Brian Cole, which would prohibit network exclusion for pharmacies that refuse to dispense prescriptions when PBM reimbursement is below acquisition cost. Cole said the bill is meant to stop pharmacies from being forced to sell at a loss. Members questioned whether pharmacies voluntarily enter PBM contracts, whether the bill would raise consumer prices, and whether it would mainly affect independent pharmacies. Cole and others said the issue has changed over time because PBMs now control a much larger share of the market, and that the bill would let pharmacies refuse loss-making fills and direct patients to mail order instead. The discussion also noted that the bill excludes Medicare and Medicaid and that the current proposal does not create a middle-ground option for patients to pay a premium at the counter.

Transcript Highlights:

• the insurance the room, i.e. to the insurance commissioner.
• </c> insurance commissioner come up. insurance commissioner come up.
• </c> impact of that on your insurance market? impact of that on your insurance market?
• She dropped her<05:53:14.480><c> insurance</c> her insurance her insurance all<05:53:16.240><c> the</
• </c> with the insurance? with the insurance?

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON BANKING AND INSURANCE WILL NOW COME TO ORDER.
• ONE BY INSURANCE COMMISSIONER AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE.
• GENERALLY SPEAKING OFFICE OF INSURANCE REGULATION HANDLES INSURANCE AND INSURANCE IDENTITIES AND EVERYTHING
• THE AVERAGE MARKET COST FOR INSURANCE IN FLORIDA IS $700,000.
• INSURANCE COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is the cost of insurance.
• So how is it, the insurance fee, currently?
• The short answer is insurance, right? That's it.
• size one specific part of our insurance requirements which is uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance
• To provide, have some other type of insurance if it isn't R-U-M-U-I-M insurance. I got it. Amazing.

Committee: House Communications and Conveyance

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> is liable, not the insurance company. is liable, not the insurance company.
• </c><00:15:36.800><c> I</c> insurance claims handling. I insurance claims handling.
• This fundamentally alters the contractual relationship between the insurer and the insured.
• </c> you aren't getting insurance companies. you aren't getting insurance companies.
• </c><00:24:59.679><c> in</c><00:24:59.919><c> the</c> insurance company and its insured in the insurance

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:48.000><c> coverage</c> an act relative to insurance coverage an act relative to insurance
• I called my insurance.
• I called my insurance. quick phone call. I called my insurance.
• </c> payers and I've heard about insurers. payers and I've heard about insurers.
• </c> commercially insured. commercially insured.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• know insurance company doesn't mind know insurance company doesn't mind covering<00:47:54.839><c> it<
• </c><01:16:52.560><c> that</c> Casualty versus health insurance that Casualty versus health insurance
• </c> anybody who is a domestic insurance anybody who is a domestic insurance company<01:17:00.840><c>
• having insurance rates maybe be a little having insurance rates maybe be a little bit<01:20:35.800><c
• c> oh</c> bill the insurance the insurance bill oh bill the insurance the insurance bill oh the<03:06

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee first reviewed its schedule, noting that 13 bills were being executed the next day and that additional subcommittee work would be scheduled around Town Meeting Day and the following session days. The chair explained that the committee would not meet on Town Meeting Day, would handle the remaining bills on the next available subcommittee day, and would continue any unfinished items later in the month. The committee then took up House Bill 774, which concerned Medicare-related coverage issues. Members discussed the bill’s purpose and the differences between Medicare standard and Medicare Advantage, with one member saying the proposal was informative but did not offer a workable solution. The committee also moved to inexpedient to legislate on House Bill 185, and the motion passed on a 6-0 vote. House Bill 241, relating to alternatives to opioids, was retained for further work. Members said the bill raised concerns about insurers effectively practicing medicine and about the lack of evidence on the efficacy of some alternative treatments, while also noting that chiropractic coverage mandates already exist in statute. The committee voted to retain the bill, with the motion passing 6-0. The most extended discussion was on House Bill 648, which would expand insurance coverage for glucose monitoring. Testimony and committee comments focused on whether coverage should be tied to insulin use or instead to a physician’s medical judgment, the role of continuous glucose monitoring for people with type 2 diabetes who are not on insulin, and the potential cost impact. An insurance department fiscal analyst said the original $22-per-member estimate was based on the unamended bill and that the amended version would require updated analysis; members agreed to retain the bill to narrow the eligible population and revisit the language later.

Transcript Highlights:

• After he retired, the insurance didn't cover that anymore.
• This bell costs and lacking insurance coverage.
• For years, insurance has denied the correct monthly amount.
• When insurance companies and others call hearing aids accessories, When insurance companies and others
• After the age of 18, insurance kept going up and up and up.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services held a public hearing on a wide range of bills, with testimony first focused on H. 1315/S. 824, which would require insurance coverage for pain management options during IUD insertion. Representative Sabadosa, Planned Parenthood clinicians, and policy advocates said sedation can reduce fear and trauma, improve access to effective contraception, and should be reimbursed so providers can continue offering it. A Tufts OB-GYN resident also testified that pain control should be standard care for intrauterine procedures. No votes were taken during the hearing. The committee then heard extensive testimony on firefighter health bills, especially H. 1230/S. 690 requiring insurance coverage for cancer screenings for firefighters. Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts leaders, a Dana-Farber oncologist, and firefighters themselves described occupational exposure to carcinogens and personal stories of late-stage cancer detection, arguing that early screening can save lives and reduce long-term costs. Representative Crichton and Representative Howitt also spoke in support, and Representative Ayers testified for H. 4012, which would require neurological disorder screenings for firefighters. Committee members expressed support and sympathy, but no action was taken. The hearing also covered H. 3946/S. 756 on hearing aid coverage, with testimony from students, adults with hearing loss, disability advocates, and HLAA representatives describing the educational, social, and financial barriers caused by lack of coverage and urging broader insurance mandates. Later, Representative Donahue and Representative Vargas testified for H. 1337 to expand insurance coverage for opioid antagonists and related medications, including naloxone dispensed at discharge. The committee additionally heard testimony on H. 1134 to improve chronic pain care coordination and non-opioid access, and H. 4162 to improve ostomy supply coverage and access to certified ostomy care, with patients and clinicians describing denials, quantity limits, and non-medical switching. The transcript ends while testimony on H. 1315/S. 824 is still ongoing; no votes or formal committee actions are recorded in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:08:46.160><c> Uh</c> the on behalf of the insured insured.
• Uh the on behalf of the insured insured.
• </c><00:34:21.040><c> Um</c> insurance fraud. Um insurance fraud.
• It's not the insurer.
• It's not the insurer.

Committee: Senate Banking & Insurance

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:00:02 Discussion HB 144 00:00:58 Vote HB 144 00:02:40 Discussion HB 169 00:03:21 Vote HB 169 00:05:02 Discussion HB 568 00:05:56 Vote HB 568 00:28:27 Discussion HB 627 00:32:26 Vote HB 627 01:00:26, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ... ...firsthand Alabama's broken B insurance system.
• We have over 300 employees, and through our subsidiaries—Canopy Insurance, Canopy Insurance Corporation
• As costs go up, ...dental insurance.
• I'm the director of the PUP Health Insurance Plan.
• insurance business model.

Committee: Senate Banking and Insurance

Keywords: 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the leadership of Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.
• Second, in my letter, footnoted... ...benefits for insurers, benefits for the insured, and cost savings
• sustainable insurance strategy, a necessary part of the ongoing efforts to stabilize California's insurance
• insurance strategy, a necessary part of the ongoing efforts to stabilize California's insurance market
• insurer in California.

Summary: The Assembly Appropriations Committee met on March 19, 2025, adopted its committee rules unanimously, and then heard a series of housing, insurance, and disaster-recovery bills. Early bills focused on wildfire relief and insurance issues, including AB 238 on mortgage forbearance for Los Angeles County wildfire survivors, AB 493 on insurance payout interest for homeowners, AB 597 on consumer protections after disasters, and AB 226 on strengthening the California FAIR Plan’s liquidity tools. Supporters generally framed these measures as necessary protections for disaster survivors and market stability, while opponents and concerned witnesses raised issues such as investor guidelines, compliance conflicts, and market disruption. Several members also noted equity concerns and the need to balance relief with consistency across the state. The committee also heard a cluster of housing-production bills. AB 306 proposed a six-year pause on new state building code updates affecting residential construction and limits on local code modifications, drawing strong support from housing and building industry groups who argued it would reduce costs and improve predictability. It also drew opposition from code, environmental, and clean-energy advocates, who warned about safety, local control, and the loss of important code updates. AB 253 would allow licensed third-party professionals to perform plan checks if local review takes 30 days or more, and AB 301 would impose state-agency permitting timelines similar to those already applied to local governments; both were presented as ways to reduce delays and speed housing development. AB 462 would exempt ADU construction from coastal development permit requirements in Los Angeles County, especially to aid fire recovery and expand housing supply. After hearing testimony and brief member discussion on each measure, the committee placed the bills on suspense or advanced them as appropriate. In the suspense hearing at the end of the meeting, the committee took up the suspense-file bills and reported AB 226, AB 238, AB 301, and AB 306 out with due pass recommendations on roll call votes. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> increasing cost of health insurance. increasing cost of health insurance.
• And what is health insurance.
• . insurance. insurance.
• </c> longer allowed in the insurance market. longer allowed in the insurance market.
• of..." insurance.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What is the definition of insurance?
• I mean, when I think of what an insurance card does, it seems... ...the definition of insurance.
• And we don't call those cards insurance.
• What is the definition of insurance?
• I mean, when I think of what an insurance card does, it seems, the definition of insurance.

Summary: The House convened, completed the roll call, prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions and recognitions, including guests from a South African refugee program, Weatherford Middle School students, international students, and the 2025 Aviation State Teacher of the Year, Sam Madewell. Representative Ranson also presented remarks for International Student Recognition Day, highlighting the economic and cultural contributions of international students in Oklahoma. The chamber then took up House Bill 4329 on dental insurance claims, with Pro Tem Moore arguing it would restore fairness by preventing insurers from controlling prices for services they do not cover; the bill drew questions about free-market effects, rural dentistry, and premiums, but Moore said it should not raise costs and noted similar laws in other states. HB 4329 passed 91-5. The House also passed House Bill 2730, which ties the interest rate on taxpayer underpayments to market rates rather than a fixed statutory rate, after brief questions about how the rate would fluctuate; it passed 87-11. House Bill 3465, extending the sunset on the emission tax credit program from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2029, passed 82-16. House Bill 4426, extending the sunset on the strategic industrial development enhancement sales tax credit from December 31, 2027 to December 31, 2032, passed 76-20. During announcements, members noted upcoming committee meetings, a rural caucus with OSU President Hess, a devotional, and a lunch event tied to International Student Recognition Day. The House then recessed until the next day, Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> pension fund to the health insurance pension fund to the health insurance trust<00:07:26.240><c>
• </c><00:07:48.319><c> school</c> to the health insurance trust. school to the health insurance trust.
• </c> know fully what our health insurance know fully what our health insurance cost<00:09:50.560><c>
• So insurance side side.
• </c> insurance trust will be fully funded. insurance trust will be fully funded.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Personnel, Public Retirement, and Finance heard testimony from Bo Barnes, deputy executive secretary and general counsel for the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), on the TRS budget request for the upcoming biennium and how it compares with House Bill 500 as introduced. Barnes emphasized that the bill fully funds the system’s additional funding request to pay down TRS’s legacy unfunded pension liability, which he described as critical to the system’s long-term funding plan. He also explained that the pension and health insurance requests are broken into several line items, including legacy benefit items, state shared-responsibility payments for retiree health insurance, and reconciliation items that adjust for prior over- or underpayments. Barnes said the state portion of shared responsibility for retiree health insurance was funded below the request in House Bill 500, but he described the health insurance trust as a success story under the post-2010 shared-responsibility model. He said the trust is projected to be fully funded in about two years if medical inflation and federal subsidies remain stable, and he noted that any shortfall in the current budget would be reconciled later and could reduce investment income. In response to questions, he explained that the legacy benefit items are treated as part of the total actuarially determined employer contribution and that unpaid legacy benefits would have the same impact on the retirement trust as unpaid ADC amounts. Barnes also addressed questions about whether the $47.2 million SEEK-related teacher contribution reconciliation could be split between fiscal years, saying it could be done but would reduce investment income and potentially increase future contribution needs. He said the pension fund is currently about 61% funded and that TRS has received full funding for the pension for 10 straight years, with the state having provided full additional funding and more in recent budgets. He concluded by asking the committee to consider TRS’s original budget request, warning that underfunding now would be reflected in future actuarial calculations and could cost the Commonwealth more over time.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's driven up insurance premiums, and insurers are pulling back on coverage.
• with insurance companies.
• Do you know what they pay for their insurance, their malpractice insurance?
• You know, it's not covered by insurance, although I understand you can insure for punitives now, which
• There's no reference to insurance.

Committee: Senate Senate Judiciary

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Lower insurance costs and improved market stability have contributed to more companies and insurance
• Insurance carriers lost money.
• or home insurance, they’re trying to run a business, health insurance...
• , Medicare, Medicaid, ERISA insurance plans, that insurance company will then seek a reimbursement out
• I got rear-ended at a gas station, and my insurance paid for his car, but his insurance didn't pay for

Committee: House Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 1645, which would reduce Missouri’s general personal injury statute of limitations from five years to two years for claims after August 28, 2026, while also extending the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims from 10 years to 20 years after the victim turns 21. Representative Overcast and supporters from the insurance and business communities argued the change would improve Missouri’s business climate, lower insurance costs, and align the state with most others; opponents, including trial lawyers and victim advocates, warned that shortening the filing window would harm injured adults and sexual abuse survivors who need more time to come forward. Representative Sites supported the child sexual abuse expansion but said broader retroactivity work was still ongoing. No vote was taken in the hearing itself, but the bill drew both support and opposition testimony. The committee then heard House Bill 1610 and House Bill 2182, both of which were described as similar proposals to shorten the general civil statute of limitations, with HB 1610 moving from five years to three years and HB 2182 moving from five years to two years. Supporters repeated the same business-climate and insurance-rate arguments, while opponents repeated concerns about access to justice and the time needed to investigate complex injuries. Several witnesses from the insurance, chamber, farm bureau, railroad, and business groups testified in support, and some said they preferred two years over three. The chair noted the testimony was largely repetitive across the bills, and the hearings concluded without recorded votes in the transcript. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2714, which would change Missouri from a pure comparative fault system to a modified comparative fault system, barring recovery if a plaintiff is found more than 50% at fault. The sponsor and supporters said the bill would make Missouri more business-friendly and more consistent with neighboring states, while opponents from the trial bar argued it would unfairly cut off recovery for injured people and that juries already apportion fault under current law. Testimony focused on how fault percentages are determined, the effect on settlements and trials, and examples such as car crashes and product liability cases. The hearing ended with continued opposition testimony and no final committee action reported in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> insurance department. insurance department.
• </c><01:39:57.760><c> for</c> is is essentially insurance for is is essentially insurance for insurance
• It's insurance the insurance industry. It's insurance for<01:52:30.400><c> insurers.
• ><c> primary</c><01:57:16.159><c> insurers</c> for primary insurers for primary insurers um<01:57:18.320
• company, a regular insurance company, a health insurance company.

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• homeowner insurance, available.
• insurance.
• homeowner insurance, available. state-backed residential homeowner insurance availability similar to
• to the insurance company.
• We also have to look seriously at a state-provided insurance ...state-provided insurance mechanism as

Committee: House Utilities and Energy

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Can you imagine a $5 health insurance premium? Five-dollar health insurance premium back then.
• adding coverages to the insurance program.
• We bid that both under a modified fully insured arrangement, which we have today, and a self-insured
• coverage and self-insured arrangements.
• Group Insurance Program.

Committee: Joint Employee Benefits Programs Committee

Keywords: 908, all