Transcript Highlights:

• Two, strict reporting and fraud prevention measures are now mandated.
• Department and filed a report with us, losing $17,000 in a crypto ATM scam.
• or knows someone who has been a victim of a scam or a potential victim of a scam.
• Transactions are scams. Three percent really on any given day? Yes, very interesting.
• It's a whole lot more efficient to scam people.

Bills: SB383 , SB1012 , SB1181 , SB1705 , SB2075 , SB2221 , SB2586 , SB2864 , SB2994

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair. safer Alternatives and prevent exposure safer Alternatives and prevent exposure to<00:42:50.520
• Being scammed.
• </c> um he said it was he felt it was a scam um he said it was he felt it was a scam so<01:16:40.560>
• It fills the gap of true scammers, right, um, the grandparents scam, the IRS scam, the people who are
• It fills the gap of true scammers, right, um, the grandparents scam, the IRS scam, the people who are

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> should and then and then they're scammed should and then and then they're scammed and<00:04:52.880
• Examples include identity theft scam, romance scam, or pretending to be the government.
• </c> ahead of new scams. ahead of new scams.
• </c> replete with examples of of fraud scams. replete with examples of of fraud scams.
• </c> difficult to scam people. difficult to scam people. represent<00:59:48.559><c> child.

Bills: HF3642 , HF2700 , HF3615

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• It focuses on four things: preventing deceptive, unfair, and abusive practices in the financial services
• </c><00:03:35.439><c> and</c><00:03:35.560><c> fraudsters</c><00:03:36.319><c> promote</c> from scams
• and fraudsters promote from scams and fraudsters promote transparency<00:03:38.480><c> and</c><00:03
• As well as, I'd said, scams if it's a scam that's completely outside of our realm, we'd refer that to
• As well as scams, if it's a scam that's completely outside of our realm, we'd refer that to the FTC as

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• informed decisions about how and where to spend their hard-earned money, and to protect themselves from scams
• The CFPB regulates banks, prevents deceptive trade practices, receives and addresses consumer complaints
• This rule would prevent lenders from collecting payments from people's bank accounts in ways that rack
• There is the issue of just the volume of scams and schemes.
• and schemes we we just volume of scams and schemes we we just don't<00:15:54.480><c> have</c><00:15:

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> not someone who's scamming, not someone who's scamming, &gt;&gt; right?
• scamming you, the scamming call scamming you, &gt;&gt; I'm<01:27:42.239><c> going</c><01:27:42.320><
• Because yesterday we saw all the testimony—it's all scam, scam, scam.
• c> like</c><01:49:59.360><c> scams</c><01:49:59.760><c> happen</c> these kiosks, just like scams happen
• </c><04:34:57.520><c> um</c> public sale process which prevents um public sale process which prevents

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Summary: The subcommittee focused primarily on a bill concerning long-term care insurance rate increases and consumer notice. Members and staff discussed replacing or supplementing a proposed public hearing requirement with annual reporting, website updates, and consumer-facing disclosures about approved rate increases, carriers writing the products, and how the products work. Several participants emphasized that long-term care policies are long-term products, that rate increases can be spread over many years for actuarial reasons, and that consumers need better information about trends and the impact of increases. A major point of disagreement was whether the bill should try to cap premium increases. One member argued the real problem is unexpected increases of 15% to 20% and urged a statutory cap to protect consumers. Insurance department representatives and others responded that hard caps had been struck down in prior case law, that the department’s core responsibility is solvency, and that carriers need sufficient premium to pay future claims. They also said the market is struggling because many carriers stopped selling the product, leaving in-force policies to bear the cost, and that overly restrictive caps could cause insurers to withdraw from the state. The discussion then shifted toward a compromise requiring carriers to notify policyholders before a rate increase is approved and allowing a 60-day comment period. Participants debated whether the notice should come from the carrier, how confidentiality rules would apply before approval, and what the department should do with public comments. The department said it already reviews filings carefully and that submitted rates are often adjusted before approval; lawmakers noted that prior commissioners had pushed back on increases in some cases, including a seven-year moratorium. No final vote was taken in the excerpt, and the chair repeatedly tried to move the subcommittee along to other bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Does this prevent state agencies from having accounts for Idahoans? Mr.
• Does this prevent state agencies from having accounts for Idahoans? Mr.
• It lists every scam scenario in plain language.
• You know, it slows down this scam, and that's where these scams fall apart because they're usually, they
• Third, it prevents false representations of professional care.

Transcript Highlights:

• involving organized retail crime by criminal gangs and cartels, sophisticated electronic financial scams
• Particularly, scams targeting vulnerable Texans, including the elderly.
• The last three and a half years, this formula has prevented or recovered almost $300 million.
• Despite advances in technology, fraud prevention and detection remains a challenge.
• Through this partnership, we together seek to identify and prevent this criminal activity.

Bills: SB1281 , SB1300 , SB1379 , SB1451 , SB1497 , SB1498 , SB1499

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Transcript Highlights:

• It's more like get them in one spot and how can we prevent it, if that makes sense.
• So it becomes a hybrid scam.
• And no one company has enough information to actually stop that scam from happening.
• of the scam they fell for.
• Give victims of crimes a little bit of a cool-off time to say, hey, I just got scammed.

Summary: The committee heard public testimony on several insurance and consumer protection bills. On engrossed substitute Senate Bill 5928, staff and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner described wildfire risk score and model disclosure requirements for homeowners, including notices when policies are nonrenewed, canceled, or premiums are adversely affected, plus insurer website disclosures about mitigation discounts and rate filing transparency. Supporters, including the OIC, AARP, the mayor of Medical Lake, and a fire chief, said the bill would improve transparency, help homeowners understand and reduce wildfire risk, and protect consumers facing cancellations and rising premiums. Industry witnesses said they supported the goal but warned the bill could add regulatory cost and complexity, and some urged narrower, simpler disclosure language and a delayed implementation date. On engrossed substitute Senate Bill 6031, which would expand the insurance fraud program and create a standalone Class B felony for insurance fraud, the OIC and AARP supported the bill as a tool against organized fraud and restitution for victims. A criminal defense representative raised concerns that the new felony language overlaps with existing misdemeanor insurance fraud law and could create conflicting statutes and harsher penalties for the same conduct. The committee also heard testimony that the bill had already incorporated amendments limiting criminal investigators’ role in regulatory investigations and focusing them on complex schemes. The committee then heard substitute Senate Bill 6248 on travel insurance, described as largely mirroring a House bill already passed by the committee. Testimony from the travel insurance industry said agreed-upon amendments had been incorporated, including changes addressing conflict-of-interest concerns, and urged the bill’s advancement. Finally, the committee heard substitute Senate Bill 6079, which would create the Strengthen Washington Homes grant program to fund wildfire home-hardening and prohibit insurers from using wildfire risk as a disqualifying factor for homes meeting IBHS wildfire-prepared standards. The OIC, fire commissioners, AARP, and the prime sponsor supported the bill as a way to reduce nonrenewals and improve insurability, while insurers opposed Section 7, arguing it could interfere with underwriting and should be removed if the bill is to remain a grant program. The committee also began hearing engrossed Senate Bill 5280 on virtual currency kiosks, with staff and the Department of Financial Institutions describing daily transaction caps, fee limits, disclosures, and receipts to curb fraud; consumer protection and law enforcement witnesses supported the bill, while industry witnesses raised concerns about burdens on compliant businesses and passive retail hosts.

Transcript Highlights:

• So this bill safeguards Idahoans from fraud scams and unregulated operators using crypto kiosks.
• In 2024, Idahoans lost more than $35 million to cryptocurrency scams, and that's up from $19 million
• So this bill safeguards Idahoans from fraud scams and unregulated operators using crypto kiosks.
• In 2024, Idahoans lost more than $35 million to cryptocurrency scams, and that's up from $19 million
• The bill also... ...requires measures to prevent sexually explicit content.

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• The individuals that get scammed through the grandparent scam, the IRS scam, cryptocurrency, you know
• , all the scams.
• ><c> IRS</c> through the grandparent scam, the IRS through the grandparent scam, the IRS scam,<01:28:
• 01:28:18.080><c> scams.
• So so far since all the scams.

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• letter, which I'll refer to here in a minute, from the AG, which was a warning that he put out about scams
• letter, which I'll refer to here in a minute, from the AG, which was a warning that he put out about scams
• with Over the last few years, [these machines] have been increasingly involved with scams, particularly
• It is supported by banks and credit unions who see these scams draining life savings.
• And then, once the moment that $117,000 is deposited, the call hangs up and she realizes it's a scam.

Committee: House Business

Transcript Highlights:

• financial scams by providing training to employees and warning customers who are being scammed.
• And then I also don't see how it would prevent fraud.
• And then I also don't see how it would prevent fraud.
• Our senior scam workshop that we have at that senior affair is standing-room only.
• versions of scam.

Committee: House Banking and Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:10:14.880><c> They</c> somebody sets up the scam pack. They somebody sets up the scam pack.
• </c> that's a so there's the scam PACs. that's a so there's the scam PACs.
• So, you know, if it's a scam PAC and the idea of a scam PAC is they are collecting money from people.
• So, you know, if it's a scam PAC and the idea of a scam PAC is they are collecting money from people.
• So, you know, if it's a scam PAC and the idea of a scam PAC is they are collecting money from people.

Committee: Senate Elections

Transcript Highlights:

• Some local communities have sought to ban them because of the scams.
• And who is being scammed?
• Are we a scam? Is our information request valid? Are we credentialed?
• Are we a scam? Is our information request valid? Are we credentialed?
• Engagement is another key to prevention.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• These scams are real, and often it's overseas.
• The money is going out of the country to these scams.
• Out of the country to these scams, and once they've deposited the cash, it's gone.
• And so she went up to him and said, I think you're being scammed.
• But at what point do we ask government to create new laws to prevent that?

Transcript Highlights:

• Some local communities have sought to ban them because of the scams.
• The scams.
• And who is being scammed?
• Are we a scam? Is our information request valid? Are we credentialed?
• Engagement is another key to prevention.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Summary: The hearing opened the FY27 budget process with remarks from the Senate and House Ways and Means chairs and testimony from Governor Healey and Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz. The chairs emphasized fiscal caution amid choppy revenue growth, rising health care and education costs, and federal uncertainty, while the governor framed House 2 as a $62.8 billion budget that grows spending by about 1% without new taxes or fees and aims to protect core services while advancing affordability. The administration said the budget uses efficiencies, program integrity, and Fair Share surtax revenue to support education, transportation, housing, child care, health care, and public safety, and it also filed a supplemental Fair Share bill using surplus FY25 funds. Much of the questioning focused on the federal “OB3” tax law and the administration’s separate proposal to delay or phase in certain corporate tax changes, especially research and experimental deductions, to avoid in-year budget shocks. Members also pressed the administration on Fair Share allocations, with the governor and secretary explaining that operating-budget surtax spending is weighted more toward education while supplemental spending is more transportation-focused, and that combined spending is roughly balanced overall. The administration highlighted Chapter 70 aid, special education circuit breaker funding, rural school aid, local aid, child care, the MBTA deficit, regional transit authorities, and a new HHS transportation line item as part of the broader transportation strategy. Several members raised concerns about Chapter 70 equity, rural districts, municipal overrides, out-migration, housing affordability, public housing repairs, and the MBTA Communities Act. The governor and secretary said they are open to further discussion on school funding formulas, PILOT, and municipal aid, and stressed housing production, energy affordability, and workforce development as key responses to out-migration. On energy, the governor defended an all-of-the-above approach, including renewables, gas, and exploration of nuclear, while saying she would continue pushing utilities and regulators to reduce ratepayer costs. The governor also said fire safety grants would not be withheld for noncompliance with the MBTA Communities Act, and members discussed public safety, housing, and local grant impacts in that context. Other topics included the Bright Act and higher education capital investments, with the administration saying it is preparing to support campus infrastructure across the public higher education system and that the bill is intended to strengthen Massachusetts’ competitiveness and retain graduates. Members also questioned cuts to the PCA program and EAEDC, and the governor responded that the state’s PCA program remains strong but is under pressure from large federal health care reductions. No votes were taken; the session was a hearing on the governor’s budget proposal and related policy bills, with the administration taking questions and offering explanations of its recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, this is a cryptocurrency, a virtual currency, kiosk fraud prevention piece of legislation.
• Idahoans from, you know, fraud, scams, and unregulated operators using crypto kiosks.
• He lost $25,000 to the scam.
• These protections will help prevent scams before they happen and give law enforcement better tools to
• These protections will help prevent scams before they happen and give law enforcement better tools to

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• gift card scams.
• gift card scams.
• gift card scams.
• They particularly scam Kona, um, the largest age demographic that is scammed with dementia, Alzheimer's
• They particularly scam Kona, um, the largest age demographic that is scammed with dementia, Alzheimer's

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Summary: The Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection held decision-making on SB 146, SB 147, and SB 1166. SB 146 and SB 147, both relating to condominiums, were recommended to pass with amendments. The committee adopted amendments based on testimony from Anne Anderson, including mediator/arbitrator qualifications, clarifications about disputes involving managing agents, small claims timing, lien rights, and refund determinations by an early neutral evaluator. For both bills, the effective date was deferred to July 1, 2050 for further discussion. Each measure was adopted with no objections. SB 1166, relating to insurance, was also passed with amendments. The committee removed language that would have required insurers to bring claims and condition rates on doing so, replacing it with encouraging language. The amended bill adds a private cause of action against responsible parties, authorizes insurer actions under certain conditions, defines terms tied to climate-related events and fossil fuel products, and requires HPIA to report to the insurance commissioner on whether it exercised direct action rights. The effective date was likewise deferred to July 1, 2050, and the measure was adopted without objection. The committee then heard SB 985, relating to consumer protection and gift card fraud, and SB 1525, relating to electronic smoking devices and e-liquids. SB 985 drew support from a consumer fraud victim and others who said gift card scams disproportionately harm kupuna, while the Retail Merchants of Hawaii opposed the bill’s packaging/display requirements and suggested stronger penalties instead. The committee voted to pass SB 985 with amendments, deferring its effective date to July 1, 2050, and noted it would move on to Judiciary next. SB 1525 drew significant opposition from the Attorney General’s office, Department of Taxation, Department of Health, and public health groups, who argued it conflicted with federal tobacco law, was hard for Tax to administer, and would not effectively remove unauthorized vape products. After testimony, the committee recommended deferral of SB 1525 without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Immunizations are one of the most effective tools we have to prevent disease, To protecting the health
• It's the $10 million in misspending, the ESA voucher scam that has been unaccounted for.
• It's the school voucher scam, the private school voucher scam, robbing funds.
• The school voucher scam, the private school voucher scam, robbing funds.
• But the ESA voucher scam is not even mentioned. We have no reforms that we are directly toward.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and an electronic roll call showing 24 members present and six excused. After approving the journal, the body recessed for a performance marking America’s 250th birthday, then returned for introductions and recognitions, including Hispanic Leadership Institute Day at the Capitol, Children’s Health Day advocates, guests of members, and the doctor of the day. The Senate also handled routine calendar items, including gubernatorial nominations and bill referrals, and appointed Senator Shope to temporarily serve as vice chair of the Finance Committee for the day. The main floor action was on SCR 1032, a measure relating to school district budgets and classroom spending. The bill, as amended, would require larger school districts to spend at least 60% of operational spending on direct instructional expenses, with a step-in penalty reducing classroom site fund allocations for continued noncompliance. Senator Hoffman explained the amendment as a moderated version that exempted certain rural/smaller districts and phased in penalties over several years; supporters argued it would ensure more money reaches classrooms and teachers. Opponents, including Senators Epstein, Miranda, Kuby, and others, argued it would micromanage local school districts, ignore important non-classroom costs such as nurses, transportation, counselors, and librarians, and unfairly target district schools while excluding charter schools. The Senate adopted the committee and floor amendments and then passed SCR 1032 on third reading by a vote of 16-12, with 2 not voting, sending it to the House. The Senate also considered SB 1071 concerning the Arizona Rangers. Supporters said the bill was not a full repeal but would create external oversight, improve background checks, and increase accountability and training transparency. Some members said they expected the House to further amend the measure. SB 1071 passed on third reading by a vote of 17-11, with 2 not voting, and was transmitted to the House. The session concluded with caucus and committee announcements, a recognition of World Down Syndrome Day advocates, an invitation to SRP Day at the Capitol, and adjournment until the next day.