Transcript Highlights:

• losing more nursing home beds.
• </c> more nursing home beds. more nursing home beds.
• </c> of nursing home care in New Hampshire. of nursing home care in New Hampshire.
• </c> fast as the cost of nursing home care. fast as the cost of nursing home care.
• </c> included a number of the county homes. included a number of the county homes.

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• So for a small commercial customer.
• Add customer focus groups, we start talking about Beryl.
• What we're talking about is that small—40 stores is not small—but you have no negotiating power.
• Small businesses, in particular, lack...
• What's your group? What's the name of your group?

Bills: SB231 , SB584 , SB600 , SB668 , SB841 , SB986 , SB1003 , SB1244 , SB1625 , SB1960 , SB1963 , SB1964 , SB2026 , SB2056 , SB2368

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a small ask today, but it has a massive impact.
• When I came home, I dealt with my trauma by drinking it away.
• I went to recovery groups, I went to veteran support groups, and I see a therapist at Magnus.
• The developments currently provide about 200 homes to 500 residents.
• You know, small city. I guess I'm excited to live in this community.

Bills: HF568 , HF433 , HF1689 , HF3135 , HF3137 , HF3145 , HF2887 , HF2819 , HF2802 , HF2664 , HF2267 , HF799 , HF800 , HF3049 , HF296 , HF580 , HF1438 , HF1237

Committee: House Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• In Ocala, Florida, it's a Florida small business. I can tell you that every brick...
• We are a small business, and HB 105 will devastate not only our small business...
• So it's a full circle where a lot of small businesses are supported.
• And I don't know of anybody in this group, and there are a lot of good horsemen in this group, that were
• We move away from home, but this conversation has definitely reminded me of home.

Committee: House Commerce Committee

Summary: The Commerce Committee held its first meeting, took roll, established a quorum, and heard opening remarks from the chair, vice chair, and ranking member emphasizing the committee’s broad scope and focus on Florida’s economy and daily-life issues. The committee then considered several bills, with members and staff noting the agenda included four bills and a PCS. The first measures dealt with insurance and consumer regulation. CS/HB 367 on home and service warranty associations was explained as allowing financial requirements to be met through one or more contractual liability policies and reducing certain filing requirements; an amendment adding requirements for liability insurance coverage was adopted, and the bill passed favorably. HB 655 on pet insurance and wellness programs created a regulatory framework for pet insurance and also passed favorably. HB 6015, which deleted the word “reusable” from the wine keg statute, had brief support testimony and passed favorably. The committee spent the most time on CS/HB 105, a strike-all PCS on thoroughbred permit holders and decoupling racing from gaming. The sponsor said the revised bill would decouple racing and gaming while adding protections for the thoroughbred industry, including a notice period before racing could stop, permit transferability, and changes to how breeders’ and owners’ funds are administered. Supporters argued the bill would preserve and strengthen the industry through clearer rules and more direct support, while opponents—horsemen, breeders, trainers, veterinarians, and related businesses—warned it would harm a major rural industry, threaten jobs, and favor casino interests. After extensive debate, the strike-all was adopted and the bill was reported favorably on a divided vote. Finally, HB 11 on municipal water and sewer utility rates was presented as correcting an unintended consequence in surcharge law for utilities owned by one municipality but located in another. Testimony focused on the fairness of the current surcharge structure and the impact on Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach. After debate about negotiation, parity, and local impacts, the bill passed favorably. The committee then adjourned after its first meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• credit, folks can donate to affordable housing, including new construction and rehabilitation of their homes
• Small businesses will feel the repercussions of a bill like this.
• It's a small step towards a fair way for them to give back some of what they take.
• They want small businesses there. They want you to create profiles. And give them their data.
• A year moratorium on new local sales taxes, and we put together a work group.

Committee: House Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> uh 41% was from group uh 41% was from group use<00:04:05.000><c> and</c><00:04:05.439><c> our</c
• </c><00:04:22.880><c> as</c> I mean we cater to uh such groups as I mean we cater to uh such groups as
• So I came home, and I came home from work the next day and I told my husband I'm going to start Vets
• So I came home, and I came home from work the next day and I told my husband I'm going to start Vets
• So I came home, and I came home from work the next day and I told my husband I'm going to start Vets

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development - Subcommittee on Veterans

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> essentially what we have with this small essentially what we have with this small slice<00:06:21.319
• </c><00:21:06.080><c> of</c> come to mind as just one group of come to mind as just one group of citizens
• </c> notary public does not come to your home notary public does not come to your home this<00:28:56.559
• People in nursing homes.
• </c> came and testified no veterans group came and testified no veterans group came<01:00:00.599><c>

Committee: Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• homes.
• homes that are providing that care on behalf of Arizona.
• This includes contracted individuals from group homes that the state and the taxpayers fund.
• And we have a small memorial and a small museum at Fort Huachuca.
• The group home leader took my grandson to a new pediatrician in Tucson, not the one that they had written

Committees: House Government , House House Government Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• Meanwhile, each damaged property was losing up to 20 gallons of water per minute across 500 homes.
• Stern when the Woolsey fire happened, and his home was impacted.
• And to put it on the backs of some resident, a small group of residents, may not make the most sense.
• And to put it on the backs of some resident, a small group of residents may not make the most sense.
• So, a small group of residents may not make the most sense.

Committee: Senate Emergency Management

Transcript Highlights:

• I, Rule 80, I build my own home, and I pull a lot of my homeowner permits. Okay, this is fun.
• Good lady, for me, did you build your home too? Yeah, to declare a conflict, Mr.
• What the fear is becoming in the brave new world we have, a home business.
• What this does is, with some frequency in small towns, positions will go unfilled.
• So my small cities will greatly appreciate your green light. Thank you. Debate on the motion?

Transcript Highlights:

• And through them, taking the time, bless this great state of Oklahoma, our home in Jesus' name.

Bills: HB3057 , HB3130 , HB4113 , HB3310 , HB3314 , HB3985 , HB4486 , HB3040 , HB3407 , HB4343 , HB2981 , HB3764 , HB3765 , HB3767 , HB3982 , HB3321 , HB3322 , HB3323 , HB4126 , HB4130 , HB4170 , HB3345 , HB2941 , HB3062 , HB3244 , HB3298 , HB2977 , HB3304 , HB3299 , HB3297 , HB4260 , HB3906 , HB3648 , HB3319 , HB2933 , HB3544 , HB1322 , HB4104 , HB4105 , HB4106 , HB4107 , HB4108 , HB3974 , HB3134 , HB3055 , HB3115 , HB3471 , HB3497 , HB3500 , HB3505 , HB3755 , HB4202 , HB4226 , HB4236 , HB4139 , HB4144 , HB4422 , HB4423 , HB4317 , HB4321 , HB4322 , HB3176 , HB3239 , HB3263 , HB3673 , HB3794 , HB3796 , HB4265 , HB4266 , HB2123 , HB3048 , HB2445

Keywords: government reporting, information technology, child welfare, environmental policy, state agency compliance, gender transition, minors, health services, punitive damages, parental rights, health care providers, voter registration, voter eligibility, felony disenfranchisement, restoration of voting rights, formerly incarcerated, reentry, parole, probation, supervision

Transcript Highlights:

• Not to keep it certified, to recertify the bargaining group.
• My husband runs a small business back home, and policies like this negatively affect families like ours
• I believe that the union is representing an employee group.
• And many of our residents cannot afford to buy a home.
• Teachers, firefighters, they can't purchase a home.

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• homes.
• Um, children in ISS, which is like day habilitation, a lot of people in group go, group. homes go to
• If we see something that looks like. it to regulatory for investigation. years ago looking at group homes
• New foster homes, let's see, finding new foster homes and providing new places. for the children.
• A few months later, a judge sends the baby from a new couple's home. home where they've taken care of

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• There are two types of clinics: independent RHCs, owned by local providers or small groups, and provider-based
• I left a large hospital group, a critical care group at Our Lady of the Lake, as their hospital nurse
• And I support small business, but I have concern for small businesses that already paid their dues to
• Cottage food laws give people a low-cost way to start small in their homes, selling low-risk food.
• Cottage food laws give people a low-cost way to start small in their homes, selling low-risk food.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Summary: The committee met on April 1 and considered several health-related bills and one resolution. HB 933, by Rep. Charles Owen, would create commemorative birth certificates and adjust vital records fees; after adopting a technical amendment, the committee reported the bill favorably. HB 288, by Rep. Boyer, would require the term “miscarriage” to appear alongside “spontaneous abortion” in medical documentation and billing; after an amendment changed the bill from mandatory “shall” language to permissive “may,” the committee heard emotional testimony both in support and opposition and then reported the bill favorably as amended. HB 420, by Rep. Berault, would require criminal background checks and registry review for all DCFS employees, not just those with direct contact with children; it was reported favorably. The committee also voluntarily deferred HB 927 and HB 962. The committee then heard HB 971, by Rep. Stagney, which seeks to equalize Medicaid reimbursement rates for independent rural health clinics and hospital-owned provider-based clinics. Supporters, including clinic owners and practitioners, testified that independent clinics provide the same services under the same rules but receive far lower reimbursement, making it difficult to retain staff and avoid sale to hospital systems. The author said the bill is intended to prompt discussion and eventual parity without harming hospitals, and the committee reported the bill favorably. HB 815, by Rep. Carver, would allow federally insured financial institutions to receive death certificate information from vital records to reduce losses and help reconcile account issues after a death; credit union representatives supported the measure, and it was reported favorably. The committee also adopted HR 74, by Rep. Sterling, which urges the Department of Education and local school authorities to report on how schools accommodate students with seizure disorders. Sterling described personal experience with epilepsy and said the resolution is meant to gather data on implementation of existing seizure action plan law and identify gaps in access to rescue medication and training. Finally, the committee took up HB 915, by Rep. Dickerson, which would place Medicaid prior authorization and utilization management timelines into statute. After technical and substantive amendments, including changing some deadlines from five business days to seven calendar days, the bill drew support from providers and health groups concerned about delays in care, and the committee reported it favorably as amended. The committee also began consideration of HB 944, by Rep. Hilferty, creating a women’s consortium within LDH focused on menopause and related women’s health issues; technical amendments were adopted and testimony emphasized coordination of existing research and resources, but the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> seniors we see have to sell their homes seniors we see have to sell their homes or<00:21:07.679>
• businesses, which are residential homes.
• businesses, which are residential homes.
• businesses, which are residential homes.
• uh residential homes the report found uh residential homes the report found that<00:43:36.240><c> residents

Committee: House Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• It’s comprised of about 45 members, dentists, advocacy groups, and member-centered groups that are really
• , just as important as a primary care home.
• We also work very closely with the CHM,... ...care home. Okay.
• We're part, again, of the CMS Oral Health Affinity Group.
• We're going to be doing that with our professional network groups.

Summary: The MAPOC Women and Children’s Health Subcommittee heard a presentation from Kate Parker Riley, executive director of the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership, on the Husky Dental Program and efforts to improve oral health during pregnancy. She reviewed the structure of Connecticut’s Medicaid dental benefit, the ASO model, provider network, utilization trends, and member barriers to care. She noted that children’s dental measures remain above the national median, but adult utilization is lower and the dental provider network has been shrinking, with longer wait times in rural areas. A major focus was the state’s goal to raise the rate of oral evaluation during pregnancy from about 17.5% to 25% by 2030. Riley described planned outreach to OB/GYN practices using a draft “snapshot” report showing each practice’s pregnancy oral-health rate compared with the state average, along with education materials based on ACOG and AAP guidance. Committee members and guests discussed barriers such as lack of provider training, workflow burden, access to dentists who will see pregnant patients, and the need for stronger referral bridges. Suggestions included adding simple oral-health screening questions in OB settings, using human support to make appointments, and exploring co-located dental hygienists or other embedded models. Riley also highlighted partnerships with DSS, DCF, Head Start, WIC, Read to Grow, YMCA programs, refugee resettlement agencies, and school-based and hospital partners, as well as data-sharing and navigation efforts. She said pregnant members newly identified through HUSKY will now receive outreach and navigation support. DSS dental director Carolyn MacArthur introduced herself and said she supports the initiative, noting the literature linking untreated maternal dental disease to poor child oral-health outcomes. No votes were taken; the meeting ended with thanks and a preview of upcoming July presentations on integrated behavioral health and home visitation programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Y'all have approved a MUD with a 600-home development.
• Shortly thereafter, she joined the Environmental Flows Advisory Group.
• I also worked with staff to identify impediments to small businesses.
• Senator Alvarado: In a lot of ways, I think of your district and that community as home.
• So, it's home. Congratulations to you. Senator Birdwell: Thank you, Madam Chair. Real quick, Ms.

Committee: Senate Nominations

Summary: The Senate Committee on Nominations met with a quorum and first took up pending nominations from an earlier agenda. Members severed Douglas McReecken, nominated to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents, from the rest of the list and then voted to report the remaining nominees to the full Senate by a 7-0 vote. The committee then voted on the severed nomination itself and reported Douglas McReecken to the full Senate as well, by a 5-2 vote. The committee heard testimony from Brooke Pop, reappointed as chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and later from Commissioner Katarina Gonzalez, also of TCEQ. Questions focused on whether TCEQ rules comply with state law, ex parte restrictions, public transparency, concrete batch plant permitting, MUD approvals, water availability, illegal dams, enforcement, and the agency’s role in local environmental disputes. Both nominees said they follow the law as written, described internal legal review of rules, and emphasized transparency, public outreach, and enforcement; Gonzalez said she had already sent back two rules she believed did not comply with legislation. Members also discussed TCEQ’s authority limits and the need for clearer public communication about what the agency can and cannot regulate. The committee also considered Alethea Sullivan, nominated to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents. Questions centered on TSU’s status as an independent institution, the role of HBCUs amid DEI-related legal changes, and student outcomes. Sullivan said she would focus on ensuring taxpayer and student resources produce valuable credentials and noted concerns from her review of graduation and bar passage rates. The committee then heard from Benjamin Barkley, appointed chief executive and public counsel of the Office of Public Utility Counsel. Barkley said OPUC’s main need is additional funding to recruit and retain attorneys and expert witnesses, reduce turnover, and continue representing residential and small commercial consumers in utility rate cases; he said the office was involved in 73 contested cases and saved Texans $2.2 billion in FY 2024. No final action was taken on the later nominees, and the committee recessed with nominations left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, um, can be revoked or returned home. And you can be revoked or returned home.
• ,</c> that that they would be taking home, that that they would be taking home, that<00:17:22.640><c>
• </c> at home at home uh<00:41:51.760><c> focused</c><00:41:52.280><c> on</c><00:41:52.960><c> their</
• </c><00:53:04.240><c> Um</c><00:53:05.120><c> and</c><00:53:05.480><c> so</c> small small exception.
• Um and so small small exception.

Summary: The committee received testimony from Personnel Cabinet Secretary Mary Elizabeth Bailey and Deputy Secretary Robert Long on the state’s telecommuting policy. Bailey explained that telecommuting in the executive branch is governed by a statewide policy requiring eligible employees to work in the office three days a week and telecommute up to two days a week. Eligibility depends first on the position, not the person: public-facing jobs, roles requiring special equipment or insecure document handling, and other duties that cannot be performed remotely are not eligible. Employees and managers must complete training, sign agreements, comply with safety and IT requirements, and telecommuting privileges can be revoked for poor performance or discipline. She said the cabinet audits compliance and that telecommuting has helped maintain services during inclement weather, disasters, and building renovations. Bailey also said about 33% of the workforce is hybrid, 11% telecommutes full-time, and 56% does not telecommute. Members asked about cost savings, eligibility, discipline, and technology requirements. Bailey said she did not have statewide cost-savings figures and referred that question to the Finance and Administration Cabinet. She said employees must have reliable connectivity and appropriate equipment, but there is no fixed broadband speed requirement; if an employee cannot connect, they must come into the office. She also said telecommuting postings indicate whether a position is eligible, and that performance issues are handled through progressive discipline rather than being ignored. Transportation Cabinet officials then described how their agency manages remote work. Deputy Secretary Mike Hancock, along with IT and human resources leaders, said the cabinet follows the executive branch policy and actively manages telecommuting employees through Microsoft Teams, VPN access, daily standups, project tracking, and manager oversight. They said more than 2,600 of the cabinet’s 4,000 employees cannot telecommute because their jobs are public-facing or field-based, while about 35% are eligible to telecommute up to two days per week. The cabinet also has 13 state employees and 94 contract employees working full-time remotely in IT. Officials said telecommuting has improved recruitment and retention, supported emergency response and weather operations, and allowed the cabinet to continue working during storms and other disruptions. Members asked about phone equipment, monitoring, and “mouse jiggler” devices; officials said phones are often forwarded to personal or state devices, Teams shows real-time availability, and managers rely on daily accountability and project management tools to monitor work.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, when we talk about this group of chemicals, fluorine is never lost.
• We are in small communities, and we can't exactly go back.
• There was a group, uh, as an agency.
• Um, there was a group, uh, The municipal league and a group of industry formed the Environmental Federation
• Absolutely, because we use products in our homes, so you...

Committee: House Agriculture

Summary: The meeting focused on the use of biosolids on farm and ranch land, with testimony from Oklahoma State University experts, a conservation official, and an engineering representative about the benefits, risks, and regulatory implications. Dr. Lusk described OSU’s long history of soil fertility research and said biosolids can provide nutrients and organic matter, but also may carry contaminants such as PFAS, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and pathogens. He emphasized that many questions remain unanswered, especially about contaminant uptake into soil, crops, livestock, and humans, and said existing EPA and Oklahoma DEQ regulations address some treatment and application standards but may not fully cover PFAS. Dr. Arnell expanded on nutrient management, explaining that biosolids can function similarly to manure as a fertilizer source, especially for nitrogen and phosphorus, but should be tested, incorporated into soil, and applied under permit conditions to reduce runoff and other losses. He said PFAS testing methods are not yet standardized and that more research is needed to determine sampling protocols, movement in soil, and long-term effects. Committee members asked whether farmers and ranchers should be notified of risks, whether PFAS is currently tested, how many counties use biosolids, and what research would be needed for a dissertation-level study. The witnesses generally agreed that landowners should be informed of known risks and uncertainties, but said the science is still developing. Dr. Arnell said a unified testing method is needed before reliable PFAS monitoring can be done, and suggested that a multi-year study would be required to understand soil movement, crop uptake, and livestock impacts. Greg Scott of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission framed the issue as a waste-management problem, noting that human waste streams contain contaminants and that soil type affects how pollutants move; he said sandy soils pose greater movement risks than clay soils and that current best practice is incorporation, careful timing, and avoiding steep or sensitive sites. He also said PFAS are widespread and not naturally occurring in the way some other compounds are, and that liability and cleanup costs are major concerns. Mary Elizabeth Mock of Garver Engineering focused on the practical and financial consequences of a possible moratorium on land application, saying most of Oklahoma’s biosolids are currently land applied and would otherwise have to go to landfills. She warned that many landfills are nearing capacity, tipping fees could rise sharply, and cities such as Tulsa and Norman could face large increases in disposal costs, which would ultimately be borne by ratepayers and taxpayers. She also said septic system maintenance costs could rise if land application options shrink, potentially leading to deferred maintenance and system failures. Mock urged a tiered, data-driven approach to PFAS regulation and said advanced treatment technologies may help in the future, but they are still emerging and expensive. No votes were taken; the session consisted of presentations and member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Supports small and independent care.
• It saves homes.
• It saves homes. It saves It saves farms. It saves homes.
• So with as well as group discussion.
• </c> requirements for short-term and small requirements for short-term and small dollar<01:15:24.080>

Bills: HF2400 , HF1724 , HF3437 , HF4333 , HF2874 , HF4052

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy