Transcript Highlights:

• So unless there are questions, let's proceed to the State Auditor's status reports.
• Unless there are questions, let's proceed to the State Auditor's status reports.
• So now we'll proceed to the State Auditor for the status report.
• A quick overview on the status of my office's work before we consider audit requests at today's hearing
• A quick overview on the status of my office's work before we consider audit requests at today's hearing

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit Committee met to hear new audit requests and receive a status update from the State Auditor. The auditor reported 10 JALAC audits in progress, noted that all 2025-approved audits are underway, said the first 2026 audit is focused on DMV license revocations, and described several statutory and high-risk audits already in progress. The committee also approved a consent calendar of four audit requests: UC library resources, law enforcement information sharing, EDD unemployment insurance claims, and Housing and Community Development housing development monitoring. The committee then considered Assembly Member DeMaio’s audit request on SANDAG road project management. DeMaio argued the audit was needed to examine whether transportation funds, including voter-approved and restricted revenues, were used for allowable purposes and whether past management failures warranted outside review. SANDAG’s CEO and CFO said the agency already undergoes extensive oversight and audits, that funds are tracked by multiple “colors of money,” and that internal controls have improved. Several members questioned whether the issues were already addressed in public records or existing audits, and the request failed on a roll call vote. Next, Senator Valadares presented an audit of the Board of State and Community Corrections’ Proposition 47 grant administration, arguing that more transparency is needed on outcomes, recidivism data, and oversight of grantees. The BSCC said it already has oversight mechanisms, that the State Controller conducts biennial audits, and that program data shows positive outcomes. The committee approved the audit unanimously. Senator Cortese then presented an audit of CalHR’s dental benefits procurement and Delta Dental contract, citing long-standing benefit caps, provider network concerns, and retiree out-of-pocket costs. CalHR said its network remains strong, that it recently completed an RFP adding MetLife as a second carrier starting in 2027, and that contracts include performance guarantees. Members from both parties expressed concern about access and competition, and the audit was approved unanimously. The committee then completed add-on votes on the consent calendar and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So unless there are questions, let's proceed to the state auditor's status reports.
• Unless there are questions, let's proceed to the state auditor's status reports.
• So now we'll proceed to the state auditor's status report.
• A quick overview on the status of my office's work, Chair Cabaldon and members of the committee, a quick
• overview on the status of my office's work before we consider audit requests at today's hearing.

Committee: House Joint Legislative Audit

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What is the current status of them in Missouri? Very good question.
• What is the current status of them in Missouri? Very good question.
• What is the current status of them in Missouri? Very good question.
• What was the status or what happened to that bill? How far along the process did it get to?
• What was the status or what happened to that bill? How far along the process did it get to?

Committee: House General Laws

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• issue bond or issue bail for an individual on DUI to inform the person, 'Hey, you are in a different status
• continue to release them as opposed to increasing the penalty to be able to review their custody status
• Maybe the best way to put it is your status as a defendant, if you were arrested, your status depends
• entirely on, or I'm sorry, your status is determined at the time of arrest.

Bills: SB1936 , SB1612 , SB1543 , SB1260 , SB1988 , SB1859 , SB2041 , SB1257 , HB4272 , HB3277 , HB3148 , HB3651 , HB3323 , HB4287 , HB4105 , HB3304 , HB3345

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Keywords: forfeiture, criminal offenses, law enforcement, Class D1 offenses, property seizure, SB1612, mandatory reporting, violent injury reporting, gunshot wound, stab wound, poisoning, burn injury, explosive injury, medical reporting, healthcare providers, law enforcement notification, evidence preservation, patient video records, confidentiality waiver, misdemeanor penalty

Transcript Highlights:

• We collect and aggregate the land and building data, the sales data, the confidential parcel status.
• So everything is assessed based on its status as of that date, and it has to be substantially completed
• Exemptions and our classified-use status are also determined as of January 1.
• Property owners have to apply for this exemption status.
• We need to know that you're requesting the exempt status, and the legislature has put in the statute

Committee: Senate Finance and Tax

Summary: The Committee on Finance and Tax met with a quorum present and heard a presentation from the Property Appraisers Association of Florida on ad valorem valuation, exemptions, and the property tax process. Lauren Levy reviewed the legal and historical framework of Florida property taxation, including Save Our Homes, the 10% cap on non-homestead assessments, portability, tangible personal property exemptions, TRIM notices, and the distinction between taxable value and millage rates. He emphasized that property appraisers are independent constitutional officers who assess just value, administer exemptions, and are overseen by the Department of Revenue, with values and exemptions generally determined as of January 1 and subject to challenge through the Value Adjustment Board or circuit court. Mike Twitty described the mass appraisal process in Pinellas County, explaining how property appraisers value large numbers of parcels using the same core approaches as fee appraisals but with statistical testing, field reviews, aerial imagery, and technology. He discussed the importance of budget, staffing, and the January 1 valuation date, and noted that recent hurricanes caused significant damage, increased petitions, and required new procedures to help property owners with value reductions and FEMA-related issues. Paul Polk focused on Department of Revenue oversight, explaining sales ratio studies, uniformity measures such as COD and PRD, time adjustments, sales qualification reviews, and in-depth studies that can lead to corrective action if assessment standards are not met. He also noted that the Department reviews property appraiser budgets to preserve independence from county pressure. Senators asked about the supersized homestead concept, DOR review and rejection standards, value trends, and the impact of storms and new construction on taxable value. Twitty and Polk said value growth has been driven by a mix of new construction, market appreciation, cap resets, and storm-related adjustments, while noting that some counties saw market value decline even as taxable value rose. They also said some property tax relief proposals would be easier to implement than others depending on how local tax bills are structured, especially where law enforcement millage is separately identified. No votes were taken on legislation, and the committee adjourned after the presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• THIS SLIDE SHOWS A CHART OF THE ACTION STEPS AND TARGET DATES AND STATUS FOR COMPLETION FOR EACH ACTION
• THE PRESENTATION WILL LEAD US TO THE STATUS OF THE REQUESTED FUNDING MODEL REFINEMENT PER SENATE BILL
• STATUS.
• THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO PRESENT TO YOU THE STATUS OF
• SOMETHING WE BEEN WORKING WITH THE CBCS ON AND I BELIEVE IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO READ THE AUGUST STATUS

Transcript Highlights:

• Status was that it was using...
• Tell me how you would maintain your SDSI status, but make sure that you continue to keep the trust of
• without going down the road of what potentially, years ago, looked like abuse of that trust of SDSI status
• Probably the SDSI status, if folks interpret that wrong, the folks in that agency interpret that incorrectly
• It gives it an SDSI status. It doesn't mean go forth and do what you will.

Committee: Senate Nominations

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's the status quo or the FTE model, which, again, the status quo, nobody can explain... ...It's the
• status quo or the FTE model, which again, the status quo, nobody can explain.
• Basically, the status quo is one.
• And if we want to talk about getting rid of the status quo, we have to get rid of the status quo way
• We all want our piece and the status quo.

Committee: House Budget

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, it is designed to uh assist individuals in uh improving their health status, reduce future costs
• ,</c><00:03:55.680><c> reduce</c> improving their health status, reduce improving their health status
• We look at the current health status of individuals enrolled in the Medicaid program.
• health care status as we move<00:08:57.440><c> forward.
• </c> improve their health status. improve their health status.

Keywords: 0:00 – Meeting start/roll call 0:10 - Roll call/approval of minutes 1:43 - Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), Department for Medicaid Services 27:40 - Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control 55:54 - Board of Veterinary Examiners 1:33:15 - Testimony in support of 804 KAR 13:010E, 020E, 030E and 040E. 1:49:04 - Education Professional Standards Board 1:49:58 - Attorney General, Office of Regulatory Relief 1:52:18 - Kentucky Public Pensions Authority (KPPA) 1:54:28 - Board of Nursing 1:56:44 - Board of Occupational Therapy 1:57:37 - Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy 1:58:58 - Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources 1:59:50 - Economic Development Finance Authority 2:01:34 - Department of Corrections 2:02:37 - Department of Juvenile Justice 2:04:02 - Department for Employment Services, Unemployment Insurance 2:04:57 - Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), Department for Public Health, 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and then took up Department for Medicaid Services regulations 907 KAR 23:010 and related rules. DMS explained that one regulation would establish a beneficiary advisory council and another would remove language barring coverage of GLP-1 drugs for obesity-related use. The department said coverage would still be limited by prior authorization and clinical criteria, with use tied to underlying chronic conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, and that the pharmacy and therapeutics committee would help set the detailed standards. Members discussed the potential health benefits, but several raised concerns about cost, timing, and whether the legislature and the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board should review the policy first. DMS said the drugs are already on the formulary, that current Medicaid users with diabetes are already covered, and that the fiscal impact was estimated using current utilization, rebates, and expected savings; the department also said it would only cover the drugs if subject to rebates. The committee then voted 5-1 to find 907 KAR 23:010 deficient. The committee next considered several emergency regulations from the Public Protection Cabinet’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control implementing SB 100. The rules covered tobacco, nicotine, and vapor product licensing, including the application form, denial standards, and transitional licensing. ABC counsel said the department had received about 5,500 applications and issued nearly 5,000 licenses, with additional provisional licenses issued to avoid interruption in sales after the law’s effective date. He said some applications remained pending because inspections and photographs revealed possible unauthorized nicotine vapor products, and the department was seeking documentation before approval. A staff amendment was adopted without objection before the ABC presentation continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• So when you achieve one of these goals, then you provide some sort of status.
• </c> Transparent New Hampshire on the status Transparent New Hampshire on the status of<00:50:29.200>
• </c> requires it's a self-reported um status requires it's a self-reported um status of<00:50:50.720>
• What is the status of the approval of the commission's rules?
• </c><01:54:18.239><c> The</c><01:54:18.480><c> status</c><01:54:18.880><c> as</c> The status, as far

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met to hear the Legislative Budget Assistant Office’s performance audit of the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights. Auditors said the commission was inefficient and ineffective in investigating discrimination complaints and closing cases in a timely manner during fiscal years 2020 through 2023. The report contained 25 observations; the commission fully concurred with 24 and concurred in part with one. Auditors highlighted major problems with case processing delays, inaccurate case data, lack of a case management system, weak strategic planning and risk assessment, outdated and disorganized policies, confidentiality issues, expired administrative rules, fee-setting practices, incomplete financial-interest filings, and failure to complete required reports and reconciliations. Two recommendations, involving complaint screening and conciliation, may require legislative action. Several observations focused on the commission’s intake and investigation practices. Auditors said complaints may have been screened out before docketing, potentially preventing commissioner review required by statute, and that the investigation process lacked clear rules and guidance. They also found investigators were assigned non-investigative tasks, training was inadequate, interview requirements were unclear, supervisory duties were burdensome, and confidential information was not always protected by encrypted email. The audit recommended clearer administrative rules, better internal controls, more focused staffing, a supervisory investigator position, and improved training and documentation. Commission representatives said they had already made progress on several items since the audit began, including posting overdue biennial reports and moving toward a case management system expected to go live in June. They said they were working with EEOC counterparts and legal counsel, but emphasized staffing shortages and high turnover, noting the commission currently had nine people working out of 15 authorized positions, with three investigator vacancies and a vacant paralegal position. Committee members thanked the auditors and commission staff, discussed the history of the audit request, and raised concerns about how long the recommended corrective actions might take. The committee took no vote or formal action during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And, as noted, similar to us... ...those with unsatisfactory immigration status, and as noted, similar
• Higher than projected caseload and pharmacy costs for individuals with unsatisfactory immigration status
• the expansion of full-scope coverage to individuals aged 26 through 49, regardless of immigration status
• The unsatisfactory immigration status components were required, were kind of new programs for us to be
• And the other is the status of the health coverage of the student.

Summary: The committee heard a budget oversight hearing on the Department of Health Care Services, focusing first on the overall Medi-Cal budget and a March General Fund loan to cover a current-year shortfall. DHCS said the 2025-26 budget proposal totals $193.4 billion, with Medi-Cal projected at $188.1 billion total funds and $42.1 billion General Fund, driven by higher enrollment, pharmacy costs, managed care growth, and costs tied to eligibility expansions and the COVID-era redetermination unwinding. The department said the $3.44 billion loan was needed to manage cash flow and ensure timely payments to providers and plans, while the LAO noted Medi-Cal’s cash-basis budgeting creates volatility and that more detailed estimates would come with the May Revision. Members discussed federal Medicaid threats, the need for transparency on cost drivers, and the impact of pharmacy spending, long-term care, and immigration-related coverage expansions. The second major topic was family health programs, including California Children’s Services, the continuous coverage unwinding, and opioid settlement fund spending. DHCS described CCS funding methodology changes, ongoing county stakeholder work, and a delayed rollout of CCS monitoring and oversight until July 1, 2025, while county representatives and advocates argued the program is underfunded and asked for more technical assistance and a delay in implementation. On the unwinding, the department explained that federal redetermination flexibilities helped maintain coverage after the pandemic, but the Governor’s budget proposes ending them at the end of June 2025; advocates urged making the flexibilities permanent to avoid coverage losses. For opioid settlement funds, DHCS and Finance said the budget increases funding for naloxone distribution while reducing other harm-reduction spending based on updated settlement revenues, prompting criticism from members and public commenters who argued the change would weaken effective harm-reduction programs. The hearing also included an update on Proposition 35 implementation. DHCS said the voter-approved measure continuously appropriates MCO tax revenues beginning in 2025, with up to $4.6 billion annually available for specified Medi-Cal and provider investments in 2025 and 2026, but implementation depends on consultation with the required stakeholder advisory committee. The department and LAO noted uncertainty about future federal rules affecting the MCO tax after 2026. Public testimony largely supported maintaining Medi-Cal expansions, protecting immigrant coverage, preserving harm-reduction funding, and increasing support for community health workers, pediatric dental care, and CCS county administration. No votes were taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• c><00:20:37.600><c> a</c><00:20:37.840><c> factor</c><00:20:38.320><c> in</c> status or donor status
• as a factor in status or donor status as a factor in their<00:20:38.600><c> admissions</c><00:20:39.280
• Minnesotans agree that the status quo is untenable.
• The status quo is not sustainable.
• </c> Health Care challenges that the status Health Care challenges that the status quo<01:05:26.920><

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• historical structures and monuments, to provide relative to the disposition of certain historical statues
• With the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, to provide for certain historical statues and
• for interpretive signage to explain why the statue is taken down, and that's it.
• for interpretive signage to explain why the statue is taken down, and that's it.
• School systems have a team of professional access to status, evaluation, and legal guidance.

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The Senate Education Committee met to hear several education-related measures. It reported favorably, without objection, on House Bill 1215, which would transfer certain removed historical statues and monuments to the Office of State Parks, prohibit re-erection in the parish where they were removed, and require interpretive signage. The committee also advanced House Bill 682, which creates a school guardian program for honorably discharged veterans employed or contracted by local school systems or charter schools; testimony emphasized that guardians would be unarmed, trained, and used for mentoring and school safety. House Bill 1079, giving enrollment preferences in charter schools to children in early childhood programs, military families, foster children, and children in custody disputes, was also reported favorably, as was House Concurrent Resolution 81, directing the Department of Education to study options for districts facing declining enrollment. The committee then took up House Bill 1084, which would allow public postsecondary institutions to raise tuition and mandatory fees by up to 15 percent annually, with higher increases requiring Board of Supervisors approval. The bill drew extended debate over affordability, TOPS, student retention, and whether universities should have more autonomy to set prices. Members raised concerns about fee burdens on families and whether the state should first study the issue; supporters argued the bill would increase transparency and let institutions respond to funding needs and market conditions. Senator Mazzell offered an amendment lowering the cap from 15 percent to 10 percent, and the committee adopted the amendment before reporting the bill favorably as amended. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 342, which would shift the burden of proof in special education due process hearings from parents to local education agencies. The author and parents testified that the current system places an unfair burden on families of children with disabilities, who often lack access to records and legal resources, and that schools already control the documentation and should have to show compliance with IEP obligations. Jefferson Parish school officials opposed the bill, arguing it would increase legal costs, require more staff and attorney time, and potentially lead to more hearings; they also questioned the fiscal note. The Legislative Fiscal Office said the fiscal impact was indeterminable, and the committee continued hearing testimony from parents and school representatives as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• historical structures and monuments, to provide relative to the disposition of certain historical statues
• With the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, to provide for certain historical statues and
• for interpretive signage to explain why the statue is taken down, and that's it.
• for interpretive signage to explain why the statue is taken down, and that's it.
• School systems have a team of professional access to status, evaluation, and legal guidance.

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and I go to a meeting on my way to the Capitol, I do not cease to give up my independent contractor status
• It doesn't interrupt your independent contractor status.
• versus employee status and this further carve-out.
• than independent contractor status, working through those various factors of assessment for those people
• Yet these drivers demand, and rightfully so, to stay independent contractors so that their status can

Bills: LB815A , LB838A , LB912A , LB972A , LB1126A , LB962A , LB1114 , LB921 , LB937 , LB803 , LB803A , LB1032 , LB1032A , LB1075 , LB1075A , LB889 , LB878 , LB933 , LB304 , LB304A , LB1096 , LB1096A , LB1165 , LB1165A , LB958 , LB958A , LB762 , LB1187 , LB966 , LB929 , LB962 , LB753 , LB788 , LB913 , LB1055 , LB1195 , LB429 , LB721 , LB722 , LB727 , LB743 , LB745 , LB749 , LB778 , LB787

Keywords: LB815A, LB815, appropriation, appropriations bill, Nebraska Department of Revenue, Motor Fuel Tax Enforcement and Collection Cash Fund, motor fuel tax, gas tax, fuel tax, tax enforcement, tax collection, cash fund, budget, state spending, per diem, salaries, fiscal year, enrollment and review, final reading, Nebraska

Transcript Highlights:

• Number one is maintain the status quo, do nothing.
• So I think that is a consequence also that would be part of maintaining the status quo.
• So I think that is a consequence also that would be part of maintaining the status quo.
• So I think that is a consequence also that would be part of maintaining the status quo.
• </c> would be part of maintaining the status would be part of maintaining the status quo. quo. quo.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee approved the previous meeting minutes and then reviewed a draft preliminary report on long-term managed care. The chair explained the report is intended to frame issues and outline legislative options, not make a final recommendation, especially given unresolved questions about the federal One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3). The report’s key issues included the current financing of county and private nursing homes through Medicaid rates, ProShare, MQUIP, and related funding mechanisms, and the concern that those payments could be affected or eliminated under a managed care model. Members also discussed managed care organizations’ role in Medicaid and cited other states’ experiences, noting examples of savings in Florida and Tennessee but higher costs in California. One member raised Indiana as another important comparison, and the committee agreed to add it to the report’s state examples. The committee also reviewed sections on dual eligibility, D-SNP, PACE, and CFI waivers. The chair raised concerns about whether OB3 creates incentives for states to move toward D-SNP and whether federal changes could affect provider taxes, state-directed payments, and intergovernmental transfers. Henry Litman, the state Medicaid director, said he would confirm details on D-SNP incentives and explained that ProShare is based on certified public expenditure rather than an IGT, while county cap financing is the relevant intergovernmental transfer issue. He said IGTs are not going away and that the main risk is whether current financing mechanisms could be preserved if the state later changed course. Members discussed the possibility of a waiver not being granted or renewed and the high fiscal impact that could have on counties and property taxes. The committee then discussed the population that any long-term managed care model should cover. Members agreed that there is no appetite to move developmental disability or acquired brain disorder populations into long-term managed care at this time, and the chair changed the report’s terminology from “elderly” to “aging population.” The chair also noted that the status quo option should reflect the recent shift toward home and community-based services and reduced nursing home utilization since earlier county reports. The report’s four policy options were summarized as: maintain the status quo; pursue D-SNP for dual eligibles, with DHHS potentially submitting an application as early as 2027; adopt an HCBS carveout; or move fully to managed care for the aging population. No final policy recommendation was made, and the committee discussed making edits to the draft before circulation, including adding Indiana, clarifying OB3-related issues, and changing the report title from “final” to “preliminary” or “interim.”

Transcript Highlights:

• It is partnered with the City and County of San Francisco through the Department on the Status of Women
• We are embodying that, but we have a political status.
• We are a non-federally recognized tribe, and we don't hold federal status, which means that everything
• I wish, over 25-plus years ago, when I was fighting this state, we don't have that voice and status.
• We may not have that federal status, but at least give us California state recognition in our state.

Summary: The Select Committee on Native American Affairs held a historic hearing at Table Mountain Rancheria focused on tribal education, culture, resilience, leadership, and trust. The opening prayer and remarks emphasized the significance of holding the first committee hearing on tribal land. Members said the hearing was intended both to hear testimony about ongoing problems in schools and to identify next steps for legislation and policy, especially as the session neared its end. The committee also referenced recent efforts supporting Native students’ right to wear regalia at graduation and broader concerns about representation in education and state institutions. The first panel centered on Native students’ experiences in public schools. Bella Garcia described a two-year fight with Clovis Unified over wearing tribal regalia at graduation, including a restrictive approval form and administrators who she said denied Native identity and made her feel invisible. Morningstar Ghali connected those experiences to the legacy of boarding schools, racial profiling, suspensions, and the “boarding school to prison pipeline,” and called for culturally responsive education, Native educators, counselors, Native studies, and restorative justice. Janet K. Bill, from the Attorney General’s Office of Native American Affairs, described her own path from tribal Head Start to Stanford, law school, tribal council, and state service, and said education, justice, and sovereignty are linked. Members asked about restorative justice, representation, and how to build pipelines into leadership and education roles. The second panel focused on solutions. Chairwoman Michelle Heredia Cordova urged a reimagined education system that is more personalized, experiential, culturally grounded, and balanced with land-based learning, while also recruiting Native teachers and creating stronger tribal partnerships. Chairman Leo Sisku said schools should educate educators, stop tokenizing Native students, and create accountability and consequences for discriminatory behavior; he also supported stronger tribal-school partnerships and more positive outreach. Chairman Fred Bean emphasized consistent engagement from tribal leaders at every level of schooling, stronger transitions from elementary to college, and programs that prepare Native youth for leadership, trades, and higher education. Chairman Shaineto of Tule River argued that schools and administrators should face consequences for violating Native students’ rights, and that Native people should not have to keep educating institutions about basic cultural respect. Committee members responded by discussing possible statewide solutions, including regional tribal boards, better enforcement of existing laws, stronger pipelines into teaching and leadership, and improved representation on boards and in state agencies. Several members raised the need to implement existing laws, fill vacant Native appointments, and consider broader protections for Native regalia and cultural expression. No formal vote was taken in the transcript, but the hearing concluded with a clear call for continued collaboration, accountability, and legislation driven by Native voices.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> uh the qualifications for exempt status uh the qualifications for exempt status and<00:17:49.400
• conversely if if there is on status conversely if if there is on January<00:18:12.320><c> 2nd</c><00
• </c> transfer from taxable to exempt status transfer from taxable to exempt status and<00:18:55.240><
• So the home where you would reside, and if you have homestead status, would be residential homestead.
• So the home where you would reside, and if you have homestead status, would be residential homestead.

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I do not have the information about current status of the funding. What's left right now.
• of the, you know, current current status of the, you know,<00:07:43.280><c> the</c><00:07:43.400><c>
• And last thing, we'll maybe I'll try to even work in something about like a preferred provider status
• And last thing, we'll maybe I'll try to even work in something about like a preferred provider status
• if we can preferred provider status if we can figure<00:44:29.080><c> out</c><00:44:29.280><c> that.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Diversity and Racial Equity
• We need to be better at reporting and differentiating between residential status so that you all can
• </c> by rural and also marginalized status by rural and also marginalized status here<01:04:16.960><c
• </c><01:04:48.400><c> and</c><01:04:48.640><c> how</c><01:04:48.799><c> we're</c> residential status
• and how we're residential status and how we're actually<01:04:49.280><c> helping</c><01:04:49.680><c>

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Education met to hear updates from Kentucky public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System on compliance with House Bill 4, which restricts DEI-related activities and requires institutional and viewpoint neutrality. The chair emphasized that the hearing should focus on both compliance and the financial effects of the law. Eastern Kentucky University said its board adopted a House Bill 4 compliance resolution and an institutional neutrality policy. KCTCS reported systemwide reviews of programs, websites, scholarships, personnel, and admissions language, along with board actions removing a cultural competency course requirement, adopting institutional neutrality, and certifying compliance. KCTCS said about $2.5 million annually had been reallocated to other needs, and that no personnel were eliminated, though some roles were reassigned and DEI-related offices closed. Kentucky State University said it had already dissolved DEI offices before the bill passed, ended DEI-specific training, revised policies and gift acceptance rules, adopted a viewpoint neutrality policy, and was conducting ongoing reviews of programs, job descriptions, and web content. KSU said it had achieved substantial compliance, expected full operational integration by August 1, and had not terminated staff or closed academic programs because of the law. In response to questions, KSU said it was broadening outreach to all students rather than targeting specific populations and that its prior diversity finding was tied to not meeting a diversity quota. Morehead State University said it had no DEI office before House Bill 4, amended its non-discrimination statement to include political and social viewpoint neutrality and condemnation of religious and ethnic discrimination, and remained focused on serving its largely low-income student body. Murray State University reported reviewing scholarships, expenditures, training, and academic programs to ensure no differential treatment or indoctrination, revising its neutrality policy, and updating non-discrimination posters and training. When asked about a statement that DEI would “look different,” the university said it meant student support services would continue in a different form. Northern Kentucky University said it dissolved its diversity office and chief diversity officer position in 2024, reviewed programs, events, scholarships, and employee affinity groups, adopted a statement on intellectual diversity and viewpoint neutrality, and reviewed about 2,000 courses for compliance. NKU also said its new Center for Belonging would focus on first-generation and commuter students rather than rebrand prior DEI efforts. The University of Kentucky began its presentation by describing earlier changes made in August 2024, including disbanding its office of institutional diversity, removing diversity statements and mandatory training, adopting institutional neutrality, and ending race-based consideration in admissions and scholarships; the transcript cuts off before the rest of UK’s testimony and any committee votes or formal actions beyond receiving the presentations.