Transcript Highlights:

• It also rewards you for having clean audits.
• So they will still be audited 500,000.
• So rewards you for having clean audits.
• if an entity has a couple clean audits if an entity has a couple clean audits in<00:28:01.560>
• The cost of audit.

Bills: SB141, SB124, SB56, SJR116, SB94, SB37, SB127, SB197, SB66, SB70, SB133, SB160, SB214, SB312, SB52, SJR62, SJR75

Keywords: legal advertisements, tax rates, public hearings, transparency, local government, sick leave, education, teacher retirement, benefits, employee compensation, Medicaid, nonopioid analgesics, pain management, health care regulation, utilization controls, physician shortage, health care access, medically underserved areas, medical education, workforce development

Transcript Highlights:

• We actually received access for<01:11:28.000> this<01:11:28.480> audit<01:11:29.280>
• like that's the way that auditing is done."
• like that's the way that auditing is done."
• like that's the way that auditing is done."
• like that's the way that auditing is done."

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board meeting began with a roll call and approval of the October 7 meeting minutes. The chair then reordered the agenda to hear the item on Medicaid reimbursement rates and network adequacy first because of scheduling issues. Dr. Steve Robertson of the Kentucky Dental Association was sworn in and testified at length about Kentucky’s dental Medicaid program, arguing that reimbursement rates are unsustainably low, have been largely flat for decades, and are often below the cost of providing care. He said Kentucky ranks near the bottom nationally in oral health, dental Medicaid rates are often 60% or less of commercial rates, and the program’s share of the Medicaid budget has effectively remained around 2% despite growth in enrollment and services. Dr. Robertson said the low rates are contributing to provider losses, rural access gaps, longer wait times, dental deserts, and greater use of emergency rooms for preventable dental problems. He cited examples of office costs exceeding reimbursement for basic procedures, noted that many dentists are small private businesses, and said the state is struggling to recruit and retain dentists because of low payment levels and high student debt. He also pointed to disparities with neighboring states and said recent increases in some oral surgery and cleaning codes were not enough to address the broader problem. His recommendations included completing the rebasing study, increasing dental reimbursement in the upcoming budget, tying future reviews to inflation and cost data, aligning benchmarks, and prioritizing preventive and restorative care to improve workforce stability and access. Board members asked about the size of the needed increase, the effect of private insurance on dental practice finances, and what a new dentist might expect to earn. Dr. Robertson said the association is working on an appropriations request and that private insurance pressures are part of the problem as well, since many plans are HMOs or PPOs with limited provider control over rates. He also said the association can no longer conduct reimbursement surveys because of FTC restrictions, but would try to obtain current ADA data. In response to questions about the future of the program, he warned that without significant changes it could become unsustainable and cited Ohio and Missouri as examples where higher reimbursement improved provider participation and access. The board then heard from Mr. Bowman of Baldwin Consulting, who discussed outpatient behavioral health providers, including ABA therapy and mental health/substance use disorder services. He said these providers face similar issues of rising costs, flat reimbursement, and access problems. He reviewed Kentucky’s network adequacy standards, including travel-time standards, 30-day appointment limits, and newer federal requirements that will require services within 10 business days by 2029. He said wait times for outpatient behavioral health, especially children’s services and ABA, have grown substantially, sometimes to more than a year, and emphasized that the Medicaid department must enforce these standards.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, you do have a summary in your materials as well as the actual omnibus DE1.
• And then the second part is that it doesn't, as long as the auditor is not going to conduct an audit
• not going to as long as the auditor is not going to conduct<00:46:01.680> a<00:46:02.000> audit
• <00:46:03.040> Paul<00:46:03.280> Teachers conduct a audit of the St.
• Paul Teachers conduct a audit of the St.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• enter a structure, we're exposed to carcinogenic gases and particulates released from synthetic materials
• The Office of the Inspector General, they do annual audits on the labs as well as random.
• The Office of the Inspector General, they do annual audits on the labs as well as random.
• The Office of the Inspector General, they do annual audits on the labs as well as random.
• The Office of the Inspector General, they do annual audits on the labs as well as random.

Keywords: Reupload to restore attendance roll call Roll Call 00:00:00 Approval of Minutes from September Meeting 00:00:24 Presentation of the Kentucky Association of Counties Legislative Platform for the Upcoming 2026 Session 00:01:48 Discussion of Legislation Concerning Firefighter Death Benefits 00:35:43 Discussion of DNA Collection in Jails for Felony Arrests 00:45:52 Discussion of Federal Immigration Law Enforcement 00:54:18 Adjournment 01:15:39, 958, all

Summary: The committee met for its sixth meeting, established a quorum, and approved the minutes from the October 21 meeting. The main agenda item was a presentation from Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) leaders and county officials on jail funding and jail-system reform. Speakers said county jail costs have reached crisis levels, citing large and rising general-fund subsidies in counties such as Hardin, McCracken, and Warren, and noting that county general-fund contributions to jail funds have increased by 76% since 2019. KACo outlined a three-part legislative approach for the upcoming session: incentivizing regional jails, clarifying responsibility for pre-trial felony detainees, and redefining the model for housing state inmates in county jails. On regional jails, they proposed one-time state construction funding, statutory changes to allow former county jails to serve as 96-hour holdover facilities, broader participation of jailers on regional jail authority boards, an increased supplement for closed county jails, and a one-time payment for counties that close local jails and join regional facilities. Union County Judge Adam Onan described his county’s savings from contracting with Webster County and said regionalization can reduce costs where feasible. Harlan County Judge Executive Dan Mosley focused on pre-trial felony detainees, saying counties bear the full cost of housing people awaiting trial for long periods, sometimes years, and that pre-trial time is later credited toward state sentences. He argued the state benefits from that credit and referenced prior bills that would have reimbursed counties for time-served credit. Shelley Hampton then proposed replacing the current per diem model for state inmates with contracts requiring the Department of Corrections to pay actual housing costs and to support programming such as substance abuse treatment, cognitive behavioral programming, re-entry services, workforce training, and academics. No votes were taken on the jail proposals, and the meeting ended with the presentation and discussion of the county recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members have the contents of their virtual packets available to them, and for the public these same materials
• This language was in response to the OLA audit and involved feedback from many stakeholders.
• 04.480> ola this language was in response to the ola this language was in response to the ola audit
• involved<00:58:05.839> feedback<00:58:06.240> from<00:58:06.400> many audit
• and involved feedback from many audit and involved feedback from many stakeholders stakeholders stakeholders

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Education Finance Committee met remotely on February 16, 2022, with a quorum present and approved the minutes from the previous day by voice vote. Chair Dabney said the committee was spending the week on public school staffing shortages, especially efforts to increase and retain BIPOC teachers, and introduced testimony on the Collaborative Urban and Greater Minnesota Educators of Color Grant Program (CUGMEC) and the broader Increasing Teachers of Color Act. Testifiers from St. Thomas, Augsburg, and Hopkins described the history and impact of the legacy educator-of-color programs. Kathleen Campbell said the original Q program was created to address underrepresentation, remove financial barriers, and provide mentorship and culturally relevant support; she argued that when the grant became competitive in 2017 without additional funding, support was spread too thin and student capacity dropped. Audrey Lensmeyer described Augsburg’s East African Student-to-Teacher Program, rooted in community advocacy in Cedar-Riverside, and said it has produced strong completion and licensure outcomes. Keenan Jones shared his path from paraprofessional to teacher and district leader, emphasizing the importance of scholarships, mentorship, and outreach to high school students, including a statewide co-enrollment Intro to Teaching course. Representative Hassan then presented House File 3079, saying the bill aims to attract, prepare, complete, and retain more teachers of color and American Indian teachers through several grant and program changes, including Closing the Educational Opportunity Gap grants, Cook Mac funding, teacher mentorship and retention updates, and revisions to CUGMEC. He said the bill responds to a severe shortage of BIPOC teachers and that the requested investment is small relative to the state surplus. Student and educator testimony followed, including a third-grade student from Crookston and Ava Roots, both of whom described the importance of having teachers who reflect students’ cultures and experiences. Natalia Benjamin, the 2021 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, also testified about retention challenges for educators of color and racialized workplace treatment. The committee indicated it intended to lay over HF 3079 for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill, and Representative Richardson moved the bill to be laid over for further consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• 57th Legislature, Second Session, submission of Senate Bill 145, a bill providing for federal single audits
• , amending the Audit Act, restructuring audit requirements, amending local public body audit thresholds
• , amending definitions, updating terms, amending audit reporting requirements, amending the audit fund
• , amending the Audit Act, restructuring audit requirements, amending local public body audit thresholds
• , amending definitions, updating terms, amending audit reporting requirements, amending the audit fund

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• know if that was something that's didn't know if that was something that's in No, sir. in terms of an audit
• or in No, sir. in terms of an audit or in No, sir. in terms of an audit or anything in terms of making
• We will do random audits. will do random audits. will do random audits.
• We won't ro audit all of them, but we'll We won't ro audit all of them, but we'll We won't ro audit all
• of them, but we'll do random audits to make sure that do random audits to make sure that do random audits

Bills: SB199, HB142, SB86, HB152, HB297, SB1, SB1

Keywords: parental leave, state employees, local education agencies, adoption, work-life balance, family support, portable benefits, portable benefit account, independent contractor, gig worker, 1099 worker, freelancer, app-based worker, rideshare, delivery driver, worker benefits, health insurance, retirement benefits, life insurance, income replacement insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• One, there are stricter financial audits and reporting required.
• and Reporting required secondly Audits and Reporting required secondly there<00:25:55.279> are
• I think it was the 2007 OA audit made a lot of recommendations to the legislature.
• I think it was the 2007 OA audit made a lot of recommendations to the legislature.
• In the 2007 OA audit, a lot of recommendations were made to the legislature.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• includes anywhere between five and 10 of our programs could be audited in a single year.
• Could be audited in a single year, anything that includes major federal funding.
• So the single audit and all of the other individual federal audits, we will sit with the program area
• We can do audits.
• <03:39:29.439> or audits those might be desk audits or audits those might be desk audits or

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: Finance Division 3 met for a work session on House Bill 519, which concerns funding for Waypoint. The chair noted general support for the organization but said the bill would likely need to be suspended and folded into the budget process because the committee did not yet know available revenues or what amount, if any, could be committed. Kya Fox, director of the Division for Behavioral Health, testified that the department supports the bill and the program, explaining that it had been funded with other available funds, including $100,000 for 2024 and $400,000 for 2025, under a contract running through June 30 of this year. She said the shelter serves a unique population of young adults and is part of the department’s children’s system of care and Mission Zero efforts to reduce barriers to psychiatric discharge and emergency department use. Members questioned Fox and Waypoint representatives about the budget placement of the request, the difference between the efficiency budget and prioritized needs, and whether state budget documents would show any internal Waypoint revenues. Fox said the request appears as a general fund item and that the state would not see Waypoint’s internal financial operations in the budget. A legislative member explained that prioritized needs are critical services already in place but not necessarily included in the efficiency budget, and another member said the distinction is not strictly applied. The committee also raised a separate question about how DHHS would handle any future state or federal restrictions on DEI practices; Fox said that was a question for department leadership and legal staff, but that the department follows state law and contract requirements. Waypoint CEO Bor Alvare and Director Mandy Lancaster then described the shelter and related services. They said the shelter serves ages 18 to 24, is a 14-bed open-room facility with half walls, and is staffed overnight by two full-time workers. They said admission is first come, first served, with some vulnerability factors considered, and that they do not discriminate by race, gender, or sexual orientation. They reported no known incidents of sexual violence, though some youth are turned away each night because the shelter is full. They also explained that Waypoint provides broader services beyond the shelter, including outreach, drop-in centers, housing support, rental assistance, and family mediation, and said they serve about 400 youth and young adults in Manchester alone. The discussion ended with questions about whether lowering the upper age limit would affect the program; Waypoint said most residents are already in the 18-to-23 range, but that housing shortages make the current age span important for helping young adults avoid chronic homelessness.

Transcript Highlights:

• the adoption, the Department will publish a list of recommended standards-aligned instructional materials
• materials for districts and<00:36:31.640> develop<00:36:32.120> a<00:36:32.200> new
• Administrators don't materialize out of thin air.
• Administrators<01:37:43.800> don't<01:37:44.040> materialize<01:37:45.040> out<01
• :37:45.200> of Administrators don't materialize out of Administrators don't materialize out of

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The material being distributed to you is from the Minnesota County Attorneys Association.
• You will see in the material being distributed to you at least four examples from uh Sherburn County,
• The material being distributed to you is from the Minnesota County Attorneys Association.
• And it's going to be something's going to materialize. Um, I hope. But right now it's not in there.
• Um I hope um but right now materialize.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Or number two, maybe this is a perfect item to refer to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and prioritize
• an audit, have the auditor put together a study committee... ...prioritize an audit, have the auditor
• And we can have a more deliberative and thoughtful process with a full-blown audit to look at these issues
• I really encourage my colleagues to either consider the audit approach or perhaps trailing the bill so

Summary: The Assembly Higher Education Committee met in a special hearing and took up SB 638 by Senator Padilla, a workforce development bill aimed at creating a coordinating entity called the Middle Class Pipeline Project. The bill would streamline interagency education and workforce programs, improve career technical education and career pathways, and direct resources toward high-unemployment, low-income regions through changes to the CTE incentive grant program. Supporters, including the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, the California Edge Coalition, National University, Long Beach City College, and United Ways of California, argued that California needs a statewide coordinating body to reduce silos, improve access to high-quality jobs, and better align education with labor market needs. Committee members focused heavily on whether the proposed entity would duplicate existing bodies such as the California Workforce Development Board and other education/workforce agencies, and whether its broad duties could be carried out with the $1.5 million budget allocation. The author said the bill is intended to move an operational coordinating entity into broader tri-party negotiations with legislative leadership and the Governor, and that the final structure and staffing would depend on those talks. Some members supported the concept but raised concerns about scope, duplication, and whether the bill should be delayed or audited; one member opposed it as too broad and underfunded. The committee ultimately voted to pass SB 638 to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a courtesy vote. The roll call showed five ayes and three noes, with one member not voting, and the chair later allowed additional members to add on, including an additional aye from Assemblymember Haney. The hearing then adjourned with the chair noting that further conversations would continue on the coordinating entity and its responsibilities.

Transcript Highlights:

• governor must ultimately appoint the OIG, a bipartisan group of legislators modeled after the Legislative Audit
• governor must ultimately appoint the OIG, a bipartisan group of legislators modeled after the Legislative Audit
• of<00:08:16.800> each And it would assist agencies in securing specialized internal audit
• And it would assist agencies in securing specialized<00:08:52.160> internal<00:08:52.720> audit
• , specialized internal audit, specialized internal audit, investigation,<00:08:54.160> or<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• They audited the entire thing.
• <00:19:03.320> and homes and how they will be audited and homes and how they will be audited
• for 17 years there was a system in place for audits.
• for 17 years there was a system in place for audits.
• they looked through 990s audited they looked through 990s audited Financial<00:30:03.320> reports

Bills: HF25, HF4

Keywords: pregnancy support, women's health, maternity homes, nonprofit organizations, grant funding, abortion, family services, tax relief fund, budget surplus, surplus revenue, tax rebate, tax refund, one-time refund, income tax, property tax, constitutional amendment, Minnesota Constitution, general fund, budget reserve, taxpayer relief

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe that audit found. I'm not going to go into that.
• Last week in Joint Audit in the Education Subcommittee, we had a report.
• Last week in joint audit in the Education Subcommittee, we had a report.
• University of Arkansas systems had done an internal audit and had found where students had falsified
• Okay, and are you checking on the back end, in my case that I brought up from audit, as it relates to

Summary: The committee met to consider a series of appropriation, reserve transfer, and grant requests. Early items included temporary appropriations for the Department of Education’s Educational Freedom Account program ($32 million), the State Crime Lab ($476,000), and DFA Assessment Coordination ($90,000), along with a $1 ARPA return from the Department of Health. The committee approved these items after brief questions, including a discussion about contract cost increases at Assessment Coordination and a clarification that the $1 ARPA item was simply an unused-funds return. The most extensive discussion centered on the Department of Education’s EFA funding. Members questioned the growth in participation, the use of one-time funds and restricted reserves, and safeguards against fraud or improper purchases. Agency officials said about 44,000 students were being funded, that purchases are reviewed and flagged for unusual activity, and that homeschool students are not required to buy a curriculum so long as purchases are eligible and approved. The committee approved the EFA appropriation and related reserve transfer, and officials said the governor’s proposed budget would include the program in the RSA going forward. The committee also approved a DHS reallocation request and reviewed a building authority loan for a data center power supply replacement. In the federal grant section, members discussed a Department of Agriculture request for Central Arkansas Water to acquire land in the Maumelle watershed. Debate focused on the environmental benefits versus local property-tax and development concerns in Perry County, with testimony from the agency, Central Arkansas Water, and Potlatch about watershed protection, public access, and potential development impacts. After extended discussion, the committee adopted a motion to defer the item to the full Legislative Council and asked the department to remove the Perry County portion from the request, limiting the grant-funded purchase to Pulaski County property. The committee then reviewed remaining items, including a Veterans Affairs pay-plan appropriation, and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to make this simple for them, but we need to make sure that it's accountable and auditable.
• We need to make this simple for them, but we need to make sure that it's accountable and auditable.
• Then the bill requires the scholarship funding organizations to return funds as a result of any audit
• And I would say, and certainly stand to be corrected by staff, that the audit...
• I would say, and certainly stand to be corrected by staff, that the audit would be the method by which

Summary: The committee first heard the proposed Pre-K-12 education budget for fiscal year 2025-26, totaling $34.7 billion. The chair highlighted major increases for the FEFP, including $29.6 billion for public schools and K-12 scholarships, a $984 million year-over-year increase, along with higher per-FTE funding, $4 billion for the Family Empowerment Scholarship, $431.4 million for VPK, funding for school safety, the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, school hardening, Jewish day school security, and an education enrollment stabilization fund. With no public comment, the committee adopted a motion for staff technical corrections and then approved the budget proposal as a recommendation to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The committee then considered SB 1402 on dropout retrieval programs. The bill expands eligibility so any individual who has withdrawn from high school may enroll in dropout retrieval services and clarifies how school grades are calculated for virtual instruction providers that offer those services. An amendment clarifying the grading calculation was adopted, and the committee reported the bill favorably. Next, the committee took up SPB 7030 on educational scholarship programs, a broad measure addressing school choice funding and administration. The bill would fund the Family Empowerment Scholarship as a separate categorical, expand the education stabilization fund, create fall and spring application windows, require a single scholarship application and more documentation, assign student IDs, standardize payment timing to monthly installments, require continued eligibility verification, and add Level 2 background checks for providers receiving state funds. Members raised questions about background-check enforcement, payment timing, data sharing, and the impact on homeschool and private-school families. Public testimony included support from school-choice advocates and concerns from private-school representatives about added regulatory burdens and deadlines. The committee adopted the bill as a committee bill and reported it favorably, with Senator Osgood voting no. Finally, the committee considered SB 508 on the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, which requires private schools to disclose in writing what accommodations, modifications, and services they will provide to students with existing plans such as IEPs, EEPs, 504 plans, or ELL plans before enrollment. An amendment was adopted to require public schools to consult with private schools about equitable services. Testimony was mixed: supporters said the bill would give parents needed information for informed choice, while private-school representatives said the language could be burdensome and vague. The committee reported the bill favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• There would be a system in place to identify them, where they would have their financials audited, and
• expended for, and it provides the clarity that the Office of Emergency Medical Services can perform audits
• uh where they would have their uh where they would have their uh financials<00:02:21.519> audited
• and<00:02:22.720> then<00:02:23.440> uh<00:02:23.760> the financials audited
• and then uh the financials audited and then uh the larger<00:02:24.480> areas<00:02:24.920>

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 337, a bill addressing long-term funding for rural and Greater Minnesota EMS and ambulance services. The author offered the A2 amendment, moved to divide it, and the committee adopted lines 1.2 to 1.19 of the amendment. The bill, as amended, was described as creating a policy framework for identifying ambulance services with operating deficits, requiring financial audits, and setting up a future grant program, with the author emphasizing that the proposal was still being developed and was intended to be a long-term solution rather than a short-term fix. Testimony was largely supportive. Eric Simonson of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities said the bill builds on last session’s one-time aid and would target grant dollars using state data, clarify eligible uses, allow audits, address uncompensated care and readiness costs, and require reporting back to the legislature. Mike Warner of the Red Wing Fire Department said his city’s ambulance service operates with a heavy government-funded payer mix and a persistent operating shortfall. Tim Meyer of Sanford Ambulance said low-volume rural services face widening revenue gaps, staffing pressures, and the loss of the volunteer model. Nathan Zacharias of the Association of Minnesota Counties and Kevin Lee of North Memorial Health also supported the bill, citing rising costs, staffing shortages, stagnant reimbursement, and the need for a sustainable statewide funding model. Members raised concerns about how the bill would work in practice, especially around communities that straddle metro and non-metro boundaries and around local control over grant dollars. Representative Pel asked how the eligibility language would apply to places like Northfield and New Prague; the author and a testifier said eligibility would depend on whether a service area is mostly outside the metro area, but acknowledged more review was needed. Representative Huitt argued the bill should give more local control and should address EMS as a statewide issue, not only a Greater Minnesota issue. Representative Ryer asked whether the bill would eventually include revenue recapture or another funding source, and the author said the proposal was still at an early stage and all options were being considered. The committee laid HF 337, as amended, over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• searches on behalf of immigration agencies that were somehow missed by existing audits.
• SB 1013 addresses this by requiring audits by the California Department of Justice.
• This is why a strict data retention limit backed up by an auditing requirement is essential.
• This is why a strict data retention limit backed up by an auditing requirement is essential.
• Some of the functions around the audit, the oversight, the safeguards, and the training we think are

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee met first as a subcommittee due to the lack of a quorum, then later obtained a quorum and took up several bills. The committee heard SB 1064, which would reduce the frequency of Clean Truck Check testing for low-use heavy-duty vehicles; supporters said it would ease burdens on rural agricultural businesses, while clean air advocates opposed it as weakening an important emissions program. The bill was approved and sent to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The committee also heard SB 1174, which would give Caltrans bid preferences to construction firms with employee stock ownership plans; supporters argued it would build worker wealth and improve project quality, while contractor groups opposed it as likely to raise costs and reduce competition. That bill was approved and sent to the Assembly Judiciary Committee. The consent calendar items SB 607, SB 962, and SB 990 were also approved. The committee then heard SB 1279, which would allow Long Beach to place additional speed safety cameras on Pacific Coast Highway. Long Beach officials and several safety and advocacy groups supported the bill, citing high fatality rates and repeated pedestrian crashes on that corridor, while some members raised concerns about fines, affordability, and whether cameras would address pedestrian-related collisions. The bill passed as amended to the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. SB 1213, the Clean Truck Transportation Act, would require more price transparency for medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission truck incentives and direct agencies to explore alternative financing tools; supporters said it would improve affordability and competition, while one manufacturer and the trucking association raised implementation concerns. It passed to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. The committee also heard SB 1013, which would tighten rules for automated license plate reader use by limiting retention to 30 days, requiring audits and training, and restricting access and hot list use. Privacy advocates supported the bill as overdue accountability, while law enforcement groups argued the retention limit would hinder investigations and that some technical definitions needed work. The bill passed to the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. SB 1315, dealing with advanced driver assistance systems, would prevent automakers from disabling a consumer’s ability to drive their own vehicle through software updates and would encourage DMV testing questions about ADAS responsibilities; after amendments, industry opposition softened and the bill passed to the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Finally, SB 1246, on autonomous vehicle emergency response, would require U.S.-based remote drivers, quicker on-scene response, and better coordination with local agencies; first responders and labor groups supported it, while AV industry groups remained opposed unless amended. The bill passed to the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee. The transcript ended as the committee began hearing SB 1250, a planning bill to incorporate wildlife connectivity into transportation asset management, with the sponsor and supporters explaining it would improve safety and habitat planning without mandating specific projects.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first topic is a presentation on the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee report on hospital
• Most are researchers, and we all complete performance audits for the legislature.
• Most are researchers, and we all complete performance audits for the legislature.
• That's something we didn't do during the course of our audit. Representative Rule: Thank you, Mr.
• As you saw, we concurred... ...colleagues for the audit and their recommendations.

Summary: The committee heard a JLARC presentation on the Department of Health’s oversight of hospital inspections, complaints, and reporting. JLARC said DOH was late on 72% of acute care hospital inspections as of December 2024, had not verified that third-party accrediting standards were substantially equivalent to state standards, did not consistently require proof of those inspections, did not review adverse health event corrective plans, and could make hospital data more accessible. JLARC also raised a possible language-access barrier in the complaint system. Members asked about complaint filing by staff, the meaning of adverse health events, inspection outcomes, and whether the audit compared DOH to other agencies. JLARC said it had not reviewed inspection results or cross-agency comparisons, but noted inspectors were dedicated and working long hours. DOH later said it concurred with the recommendations and outlined a strategic plan with target dates for improving timeliness, verifying accreditation standards, expanding language access, reviewing adverse event laws, and improving public data access, with annual reporting to the Legislature expected. The committee then heard a Department of Health presentation on certificate of need modernization. DOH described the current certificate of need process, which reviews need, financial feasibility, quality, and cost containment for certain facility changes and new services, and said the program has not been modernized since the 1980s. DOH proposed 10 statutory modernization recommendations, including clarifying the program’s purpose, creating a planning entity, adding flexibility, reducing legal costs, updating access-to-care standards, expanding oversight to freestanding emergency departments and urgent care, addressing equity, improving cost control coordination, strengthening long-term funding, and using better data systems. Members asked about oversight of freestanding urgent care and EDs, funding sources, and whether the process could be streamlined or made more responsive to complaints or other triggers. A third panel discussed artificial intelligence in health care. Lucy O’Rourke of the Coalition for Health AI described CHAI’s work on responsible AI principles, technical standards, model cards or “nutrition labels,” testing and governance tools, and educational resources for providers. She said the group is focused on trust, transparency, fairness, safety, security, and privacy, and noted Washington’s AI-related policy work as among the more progressive in the country. No questions were asked. The final portion focused on the financial impact of federal and state health care policy changes. The Washington State Hospital Association said hospitals are facing low or negative operating margins, service reductions, layoffs, and closures, and that state cuts and taxes enacted in 2025, combined with federal HR1 changes, will significantly worsen finances. Providence Swedish leaders described staffing reductions, service cuts, delayed capital investments, and pressure from denials, tariffs, and reimbursement changes, while emphasizing that frontline staffing cuts are tied to service reductions rather than nurse-to-patient ratio changes. The Washington Health Benefit Exchange then began a presentation on expiring federal ACA premium tax credits, state Cascade Care Savings assistance, and eligibility changes affecting lawfully present non-citizens, with examples showing large premium increases for customers if federal subsidies expire.

Transcript Highlights:

• up for substandard tutoring services and signing away their rights to tax refunds or inviting a tax audit
• children up for substandard tutoring services and sign away their rights to tax refunds or invite a tax audit
• and the funny thing is, when I joined Feeding Our Future, the first thing I did was do an internal audit
• When I joined Feeding Our Future, the first thing I did was do an internal audit, and I sent an email
• Additionally, families being audited by the Department of Revenue with financial penalties hanging over

Keywords: 1183, house