Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Chair: Please silence cell phones and any other electronic devices.
• presentation focuses on, but there are other components such as newborn screening, Early Steps, Child Protection
• TO ENSURE PARENTS WERE PROPERLY TRAINED AND  HOME HEALTH AGENCY IS PROTECTED FROM LIABILITY.
• Can you do something to protect Florida families?
• To protect Florida's families.

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:

• mercy, your grace, your discernment, and your wisdom, your spirit of peace upon us, your hand of protection
• Under this bill, a farmer's ability to grow hemp that is federally protected as a 0.3% dry weight on
• We all, everyone on this floor wants to protect children.
• What is a necessary step in order to protect our kids?
• I can't speak to what Benadryl cells are. So next, I want to talk about the law enforcement aspect.

Bills: SB5, SB11, SB12, SB9, SB42, SB15, SB5, SB11, SB12, SCR1

Keywords: hemp regulation, consumable products, cannabinoids, occupational licenses, criminal offenses, SB 11, Texas attorney general, election crimes, election law enforcement, criminal prosecution, Election Code, Government Code Chapter 402, local prosecutors, county attorney, district attorney, grand jury, probable cause reports, state election offenses, voter fraud, election integrity

Transcript Highlights:

• Californians and protect the progress we have made as a state.
• That's just a few of the things that we're working on to protect California's assets. so we're hoping
• That experience taught me that safety doesn't start in the courtroom or a jail cell.
• where they are not only harmed by traffickers, but also criminalized by the very systems that should protect
• should not be on the chopping block that goes toward funding essential. shelter programs to our protective

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But we have to protect human dignity and preserve public trust.
• due to the absence of necessary rulemaking required to enforce the statutory changes intended to protect
• We will protect the rights of residents to make autonomous decisions regarding their end-of-life care
• Unfortunately, there are current gaps in Texas statutes about protecting the dignity of the deceased.
• Students that receive an exemption under this law are protected from being excluded from school during

Bills: SB1406, SB1681, SB2480, SB2721

Keywords: body donation, medical science, forensic science, willed body program, informed consent, boarding home, boarding home facility, adult care home, group home, assisted living, county reporting, municipal reporting, annual report, reasonable accommodation, fair housing, disability accommodation, local ordinance, permit requirement, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, HHSC

Transcript Highlights:

• loss is what drives new laws, but I love that you guys are able to take that and move forward and protect
• We need more troopers on the road to protect our citizens. So, it's really about recruiting.
• foster continuous care for patients, keeping them off the street and out of hospital beds and jail cells
• a budget boost are higher education, housing and homelessness prevention, commerce and consumer protection
• , jobs and economic consumer protection, jobs and economic development,<00:26:18.000> labor,<00

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• educational<00:11:37.639> trust<00:11:37.959> fund<00:11:38.360> I protecting
• the educational trust fund I protecting the educational trust fund I I<00:11:38.720> don't<00
• 00:17:25.520> please<00:17:25.760> silence<00:17:26.120> your<00:17:26.600> cell
• meeting to please silence your cell meeting to please silence your cell phones<00:17:27.240>
• :17:30.960> off<00:17:31.200> all<00:17:31.320> the<00:17:31.520> time cell

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: Division 3 opened a work session focused on direct care agencies, with the chair saying the day would center on the Veterans Home and other state hospitals and homes. Members first discussed the upcoming Finance Committee process, including how many bills would be assigned to Division 3, whether they would appear on the House calendar, and how much time would be allowed for each bill. The chair said the division would likely spend about an hour on each bill, then return for a second day of review before making recommendations. Staff later identified three bills expected on the calendar: House Bills 704, 751, and 54. Members also raised a question about the use of educational trust fund money in the budget, but that issue was deferred. The main presentation came from Kim McKay, commandant of the New Hampshire Veterans Home, who described the facility as a long-term care intermediate facility serving eligible veterans. She said the home is licensed for 250 beds, budgeted for 225 veterans, and currently has 135 residents with four more scheduled to arrive. McKay highlighted improvements over the last two years, including a reduction in the admission wait list from more than a year to about three to six months, the creation of an LNA training program, energy-saving and Wi-Fi upgrades, and a new electronic learning management system that will provide mandatory training and continuing education units for staff. She said the home’s long-term goal is to return to a 225-bed census, but staffing remains the biggest hurdle. Members asked about admissions, wait times, staffing, vacancies, and the home’s use of contract nurses. McKay explained that the wait time is measured from the initial application date, not from a completed packet, and that staff now help families gather records and paperwork more quickly. She said the home averages about 45 deaths per year, residents stay about 2.5 years on average, and the vacancy rate is around 35 percent, though some positions are intentionally held open until census grows. She attributed staffing shortages largely to retention problems, citing higher private-sector pay, bonuses, and more flexible hours, and said the home has a handful of contract nurses, mainly on second shift. On finances, she said pharmacy services are contracted, the VA reimburses some medication costs based on disability, and the home is pursuing federal changes to cover high-cost medications and catastrophic disability cases. The discussion also covered the home’s off-book donation account, which is overseen by the state and transferred into the state system when funds are spent.

Transcript Highlights:

• facilitate today's hearing, I ask that you abide by the following procedures: Please silence your cell
• back to my question about the facilities and the staffing, you know, we, I think if we’re going to protect
• back to my question about the facilities and the staffing, you know, we, I think if we're going to protect
• youth, we have to We're going to be able to be The staffing, you know, I think if we're going to protect

Summary: The Health and Human Services Committee held an invited-testimony hearing on LR 425, which examines the Whitehall campus in Lincoln and possible long-term options for youth currently served there. Chair Brian Hardin explained that Whitehall houses two separate programs for adolescent males: a substance use program and a youth-who-sexually-harm program. Testimony from DHHS officials described Whitehall as a Joint Commission-accredited psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) that provides about 40 hours of weekly programming, family involvement, school services, and community reintegration activities. Officials said the department is evaluating whether the programs should remain at Whitehall or move to another state-owned facility, with Hastings described as the department’s preferred alternative because it is more residential in design than a youth rehabilitation treatment center (YRTC).

Transcript Highlights:

• facilitate today's hearing, I ask that you abide by the following procedures: please silence your cell
• But back to my question about the facilities and the staffing: I think if we're going to protect the
• back to my question about the facilities and the staffing, you know, we, I think if we're going to protect
• youth, we have to We're going to be able to be the staffing, you know, we, I think if we're going to protect

Keywords: 956, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It mandates buying that there is a way to divert these people and still successfully protect the public
• And we need to protect that kiddo.
• And guys, I'm not, I'm not gonna Tell you that there aren't dangerous people that we have to protect
• That was multiple busts of everything from K2 to ice to tobacco to cell phones.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The statute talks about opening protection is the words that it uses.
• I did not recognize vice chair of the cell ranking member. >> Being here today.
• residential property insurers for a portion of their catastrophic hurricane losses for the purpose of protecting
• viable and in order made that 17 billion just in this example here is I say we're going to just that protected

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill is a work product of the Interim Select Committee on Protecting Texas LNG.
• So whether that be hydrogen fuel cell or electric or other advanced technologies, we really are making
• HB 5033 is a safeguard for taxpayers. protections on the road, and not a gamble.
• It seeks to protect current waste service providers. from sudden displacements.

Bills: HB5057, HB4519, HB5033, HB3997, HB 1237, HB1904, HB4400, HB 1227

Keywords: solid waste management, exclusive contracts, public agency, contract amendment, notification requirements, Texas Health and Safety Code, Texas Emissions Reduction Plan, TERP, air quality, emissions reduction, clean fleet, alternative fuel, natural gas vehicles, hydrogen fuel, hydrogen infrastructure, diesel replacement, fleet grants, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, clean school buses

Transcript Highlights:

• addition to the cases that we investigate, there's another division in our office, the Consumer Protection
• Property and casualty insurers protect over 4.5 million cars and 2.1 million homes in Massachusetts.
• They said most members already had their cell phone number, and if not, they were happy to share it.
• consumers, and they essentially... ...whose primary interest is to protect consumers.
• We are protecting their interest. We are pro-consumer all the way.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held an informational opening hearing for the Financial Services Committee, with Chair Murphy and Senator Feeney introducing new and returning members and explaining that no bills were being heard that day beyond brief introductory testimony. Commissioner of Banks Mary Gallagher thanked the committee for last session’s money transmission modernization law, and several members echoed appreciation for her office’s work. The hearing then featured a long series of stakeholder introductions and overviews of their priorities for the session. Testimony covered a wide range of financial, insurance, housing, health care, and consumer issues. Banking and mortgage groups discussed housing affordability, foreclosure delinquencies, flood insurance, regulatory changes, and the impact of federal policy shifts. Insurance representatives raised concerns about auto and homeowners market pressures, labor rates, tariffs, rebates, e-titling, third-party litigation funding, and public adjuster restrictions. Consumer and advocacy groups highlighted debt collection reform, earned wage access, retirement savings access, public banking, and consumer protections in financial services. Several speakers also emphasized the need for committee expertise and offered themselves as resources for future bills. Health-related organizations focused on insurance mandates, prior authorization, behavioral health access, pharmacy benefit manager reform, community health center funding, maternal health and midwifery reimbursement, and anesthesia reimbursement parity. Other groups, including credit unions, retailers, auto dealers, dental and medical associations, and behavioral health providers, described their roles in the Commonwealth and previewed legislation or policy areas they expect to follow this session. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational and ended after testimony from the sign-up list and a few late additions.

Transcript Highlights:

• They heroically tried to hold it shut to protect their friends.
• The Texas Constitution protects the rights of Americans and Texans to keep and bear arms.
• The laws being passed should protect communities, not put them at greater risk.
• Barring that, everyone deserves their right to self-protection of themselves and others.
• Their cell phones were stolen.

Bills: HB259, HB 1128, HB1337, HB1506, HB1794, HB2215, HB2470, HB2771, HB2882, HB2993, HB3053, HB3428, HB3669, HB3789, HB3924, HB4201, HB4675, HB259

Keywords: healthcare, insurance, patient rights, medical expenses, access to care, affordability, legislation, firearms, penal code, regulation, short-barrel firearms, ammunition, gun control, public safety, Texas law, short-barrel, law enforcement, election judges, concealed handgun, polling places

Transcript Highlights:

• There is growing evidence that MP residency programs improve protect. in a community setting.
• Policies that protect people with serious illnesses like cancer from medical debt and harassment from
• CAR T-cell therapy, and I'm happy to say that my myeloma is in remission.
• Thank you, Senator Friedman, for an excellent provision in S. 867 that protects and strengthens these
• It's about protecting access to care for people who needed the It's about protecting access to care for

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing held a public hearing on a large docket focused on primary care, workforce development, and medical debt. Chairs Cindy Friedman and John Lawn outlined hearing procedures and noted that testimony would be taken on 17 matters. The committee first heard testimony on bills to establish a community health center nurse practitioner residency program and to strengthen mental health centers. Senator Keenan, Rep. Keefe, and health center leaders described the Worcester nurse practitioner residency as a successful pipeline and retention strategy, citing workforce shortages, training needs in community health centers, and the cost of the program. Rep. O’Day also supported the mental health centers bill, saying it would raise payment rates, improve reimbursement for behavioral health services, and help clinics retain staff and expand access. The committee then took testimony on bills to address medical debt through hospital financial assistance reform. The Attorney General’s Office, Health Care for All, Health Law Advocates, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and individual patients supported the measure, arguing that hospital financial assistance policies are inconsistent, hard to find, and difficult to navigate. Witnesses said the bill would standardize eligibility criteria, create a uniform application, improve notice requirements, and expand access to discounted care up to 400% of the federal poverty level. Several personal stories described medical bills being sent to collections, confusion over insurance billing, and the burden of debt on low-income and chronically ill patients. Committee members asked about hospital concerns, the role of the health safety net, and whether the bill addressed root causes of medical debt; testimony emphasized that the proposal was meant to improve transparency and access rather than replace broader insurance reforms. The hearing also focused heavily on “Primary Care for You” legislation, H. 1370 and S. 867, which would increase primary care investment and create a new payment model. Rep. Haggerty, physicians, a patient, community health center leaders, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers described a primary care crisis marked by low reimbursement, staffing shortages, long waits, burnout, and difficulty recruiting clinicians. Supporters said the bills would shift spending toward preventive, team-based care, improve access and equity, and reduce long-term costs. The Massachusetts Association of Health Plans said it was directionally supportive of increased primary care investment but warned that any new spending must stay within the cost growth benchmark and preserve existing contracting structures. The hearing ended with additional testimony on a community health center workforce and loan repayment grant bill from Rep. Stanley, and with further discussion from Dr. Alan Garo about the need for payment reform in primary care.

Transcript Highlights:

• PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR CELL PHONES TURNED OFF.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome, everyone, and just as a friendly reminder, please ensure your cell phones are turned on silent

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure you've got your cell phones turned off.

Summary: The Appropriations Conference Committee on Health and Human Services, Health Care, was called to order and the House presented its offer on both the budget and projects. President Andrade said the House had made considerable movement in response to the other side’s prior offer and expressed hope that a counteroffer would be returned soon. No members of the public or committee chose to address the conference committee. The chair reminded members that future meetings would be on one-hour notice. With no further business, Representative Vandrata moved to adjourn, and the committee adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure all cell phones and other communication devices are turned off or placed on silent mode

Summary: The health care budget conference convened and the House presented its second offer on the health care budget and related projects, with changes marked in yellow on the documents. Senator Trumbull responded positively, noting that the House appeared to have funded a substantial number of Senate priorities. No members of the public or others requested to address the conference committee. With no further business before the committee, Senator Trumbull moved to adjourn, and the meeting ended without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure all cell phones and other communication devices are turned off or placed on silent mode

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure all cell phones and other communication devices are turned off or placed on silent mode

Summary: The health care budget conference convened and the House presented House Offer Number Two on the health care budget and projects, with changes marked in yellow on the left side of the pages. Senator Trumbull responded positively, noting that the House appeared to have funded a substantial number of Senate priorities and that this had been the goal. No members of the public or others came forward to address the conference committee. With no further business before the committee and the meeting being on one-hour notice, Senator Trumbull moved to adjourn. The conference adjourned without objection.