Bills: SB843, SB1733, SB1476, SB1237, SB1410, SB1894, SB1272, SB1204, SB1721, SB1725, SB1735, SB1337, SB1339, SB1461, SB1975

Keywords: school boards, educational governance, conflict of interest, employee relations, Oklahoma statutes, child abuse, reporting requirements, sexual misconduct, law enforcement, school personnel, confidentiality, student safety, land office, land exchange, investment, education funding, real estate management, Teachers' Bill of Rights, education, teachers' rights

Transcript Highlights:

• This fosters a healthy behavioral economic philosophy for a student.
• Chelsea placement for him.
• So where then they move forward with the placement.
• Yes, and I've helped facilitate roughly ten placements over the past year.
• It isn't about placement.

Bills: SB205, SB582, SB625, SB1884, SB1903, SB2600, SB2617, SB2751, SB111, SB3061, SB1908

Keywords: fetal development, health curriculum, public schools, middle school health education, grade 7, grade 8, State Board of Education, school health advisory council, Texas Education Code, pregnancy, reproductive health, infertility, birth defects, prenatal development, unborn child, trimester, medically accurate instruction, age-appropriate instruction, drug and alcohol effects, lead exposure

Transcript Highlights:

• When someone is looking for placement, the referral agency gives them a few options.
• Referral agencies have a massive online presence, where individuals seeking placement are essentially
• These individuals do not get these funds back, even if the placement lasts only mere days.
• Vulnerable individuals are trusting hospitals, social workers, and private agencies to find placement
• Unregulated improper referrals pose on vulnerable individuals seeking group home placements?

Bills: SB331, SB883, SB926, SB1137, SB1138, SB1144, SB1151, SB1236, SB1270, SB1522, SB1869, SB2207, SB2422

Keywords: healthcare, cost disclosure, transparency, administrative penalties, health facility compliance, COVID-19, off-label use, prescription drugs, patient access, medical standards, insurance, physician ranking, incentives, fiduciary duty, health plan issuers, SB 1137, group home, assisted living, residential care, board and care

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 883, which would protect physicians’ ability to prescribe off-label medications and treatments, framed by the author as a “Right to Treat” measure tied to COVID-19 care. Supporters, including physicians and patient-choice advocates, said the bill would safeguard the doctor-patient relationship and prevent interference by boards, pharmacies, or hospitals. Several witnesses described using hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, budesonide, antibiotics, steroids, and monoclonal antibodies during the pandemic, and said they faced complaints, board scrutiny, or pharmacy refusals for those prescriptions. The bill was left pending after public testimony closed. The committee then took up Senate Bill 331, which would extend hospital price-transparency requirements to additional health care facilities such as freestanding ERs, urgent care and retail clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, outpatient clinics, and birthing centers. Proponents argued that broader disclosure of prices for shoppable services would help consumers compare costs and reduce surprise billing, while opponents from ambulatory surgery centers said the bill would impose costly compliance burdens on small providers and that insurers or the state already have much of the needed data. The bill was also left pending. Senate Bill 2422 would expunge Texas Medical Board records and impose reparations for disciplinary actions tied to COVID-era treatment decisions, including references to ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, budesonide, and masks. The author and supporters argued that doctors were unfairly targeted for trying to save patients and should be made whole; the Texas Medical Board representative said most pandemic complaints were dismissed, that actions generally involved broader issues such as privileges, documentation, or informed consent, and that no physician was disciplined solely for prescribing off-label COVID medications. The bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 2207, which would loosen Texas Medical Board rules on physicians advertising themselves as board certified, especially by reducing barriers tied to maintenance of certification requirements. Supporters said the current rule is overly restrictive, inconsistent, and costly, and that it drives physicians out of practice; they also said Texas is one of only a few states with such a rule. Witnesses described hospitals using the rule against physicians and said the change would improve transparency and competition. The bill remained pending after testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• Foster children are less...
• Foster children are more... ...and foster care enters the new school is currently haphazard at best.
• , and I serve as an education surrogate for children in foster care also.
• care or move placements so that they can support these children.
• Schools can't support kids in foster care if they don't know who they are.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities held a hybrid hearing focused largely on DDS-related bills, with chairs Kennedy and Livingstone outlining strict time limits, accessibility procedures, and a 5 p.m. stop to preserve ASL and CART services. The committee heard testimony on several measures, including a bill from Sen. Mike Moore to create a centralized electronic education records system for students in out-of-home placements, which supporters said would improve communication, preserve IEP continuity, and reduce missed services. Paul DePaulo also testified in support, describing the educational and justice-system harms that can follow when foster youth do not receive coordinated records and supports. A major portion of the hearing centered on H. 242/S. 149, a bill to enhance standards of care for people with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Rep. Garballey and many advocates, parents, clinicians, and disability leaders supported the bill, saying it would require provider training, statewide standards, and better emergency department practices to reduce misdiagnosis, trauma, and unnecessary ER boarding. Testimony described sensory and communication barriers in medical settings, lack of provider training, and the need for continuing education and license-related requirements. Related testimony also supported H. 213/S. 111, which would improve access to behavioral health services for children involved with state agencies by requiring better discharge planning, coordination with hospitals and agencies, and more appropriate post-hospital placements. The committee also heard strong support for H. 256/S. 102, requiring universal changing stations in public buildings, from parents, advocates, and the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council. Witnesses said current restroom accommodations often force unsafe or undignified changes on floors, in cars, or in inaccessible spaces, and argued the cost of adding changing stations to new or renovated buildings would be modest compared with the benefits to dignity, safety, and community access. Another major topic was H. 261/S. 155 on supported decision-making agreements for certain adults, which supporters described as a less restrictive alternative to guardianship that preserves autonomy while providing trusted support. Finally, testimony on Tommy’s bill (S. 168/H. 282) described a preventable death after a hospital discharge and urged clearer communication and training requirements for residential staff handling life-sustaining equipment; the bill was presented as a safeguard for people with disabilities relying on such equipment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Studies show that youth in foster care often have a history of mental health issues.
• As we've heard this morning, this data is critical as youth in foster care...
• four times more than children who are not involved in the foster care system.
• I'm sorry, HHSC licenses the operation, and then DFPS makes the placement.
• And then we are working to select the most appropriate placement for the...

Bills: HB1531, HB2667, HB2809, HB2865, HB3589, HB3151, HB3748, HB3750, HB4419, HB4643, HB3597, HB4129, HB4130, HB4131

Keywords: workplace violence prevention, health and safety code, Chapter 331, facility definition, home and community support services agency, home health agency, home health care, nursing staff, registered nurses, health care workplace safety, hospital, nursing facility, ambulatory surgical center, freestanding emergency medical care facility, mental hospital, Texas health care regulation, provider compliance, occupational safety, senior living, referral agencies

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:24:51.919> had<00:24:52.400> um<00:24:52.640> a foster care placements or
• have had um a foster care placements or have had um a number<00:24:53.120> of<00:24:53.279>
• <00:31:09.440> in<00:31:09.760> foster said two or more placements in foster said two
• or more placements in foster care,<00:31:11.039> correct?
• <00:31:58.000> and more placements um in foster care and more placements um in foster care

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and first heard brief presentations on Kentucky’s 2025 Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant and Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant. Department for Public Health staff explained that the preventive health block grant provides about $2.3 million annually and supports programs such as accreditation and performance improvement, local health department grants, community health workers, prescription assistance, asthma and COPD programs, workforce development, and a sexual assault programs set-aside. They said the Title V block grant provides about $11.7 million, with 35% directed to children and youth with special health care needs and 65% to maternal and child health populations, largely through local health departments and a five-year needs assessment process. After no questions, a motion was made and seconded to approve both block grants. The roll call vote passed 19-0, and the two block grants were approved. The committee then approved the minutes from the prior meeting. The next item was a discussion of the child waiver created in House Bill 6. Committee members raised concerns that the proposed 1915(c) waiver did not match the legislature’s intent, which they said was to move children from the Michelle P. waiver to free slots for adults. Cabinet officials from DCBS, behavioral health, and Medicaid described the proposed “Community Health for Improved Lives and Development” waiver as a targeted home- and community-based program for children under 21 with severe behavioral health or developmental needs, including those stepping down from inpatient or residential care or at risk of out-of-home placement. They said the waiver is designed for about 100 slots, uses a standardized needs-based assessment, and includes case management, community living supports, home modifications, respite, supervised residential care, and clinical therapeutic services. Officials said the public comment period ended July 15, responses are being compiled for August submission to CMS, and the waiver is part of the broader Families First initiative.

Transcript Highlights:

• a structural shift to rely on relative kin care for foster placements instead of the maybe the traditional
• Over 60% of child foster care placements are with relative kin caregivers, and this is a good thing.
• <00:34:49.399> care<00:34:49.560> placements over 60% of child foster care placements
• over 60% of child foster care placements are<00:34:50.200> with<00:34:50.440> relative
• foster care from aging out of foster foster care from aging out of foster care<00:42:13.599>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, for example, for foster family homes.
• care placements at the end of December of 2024.
• Is it for both the residential foster as well as the young ones that age out of foster care?
• I am, I foster family.
• Initially, we can't find a placement.

Keywords: budget, House Bill 1, public education, healthcare, border security, federal funding, spending limits

Summary: The meeting primarily focused on reviewing the proposed budget for the upcoming biennium, with substantial discussions around House Bill 1 and its implications for public education, healthcare, and border security. The Comptroller presented a revenue overview indicating a total of $194.6 billion available for general purpose spending, which reflects a slight decrease compared to previous years due to fluctuating economic conditions. Members raised questions regarding spending limits and the impact of federal funding on state programs, highlighting concerns about the sustainability of funding in light of potential changes at the federal level.

Transcript Highlights:

• placement of his second cousin.
• placement of his second cousin.
• And during his placement in foster care, he had a younger sibling born.
• about and this is basically for foster about and this is basically for foster uh<00:03:15.159>
• > children uh care parents or foster children uh care parents or foster children parents<00:03

Keywords: 00:00 Call to Order/Roll Call 01:32 Discussion on 25RS HB 164 10:07 Roll Call Vote on 25RS HB 164 11:30 Discussion on 25RS HB 242 13:09 Roll Call Vote on 25RS HB 242 15:08 Consideration of Referred Administrative Regulations 17:37 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Families and Children held its first meeting of 2025, with the chair welcoming new members and Vice Chair Wilson. After roll call, the committee took up House Bill 164, sponsored by Representative Wesley, which concerns an honorary adoption situation. The committee adopted a House committee substitute clarifying that any survivor benefits or inheritance would not go to honorary adoptive parents, and heard emotional testimony from Caitlyn Rollins about fostering and adopting a child who later died before a scheduled adoption date. Members discussed the bill’s purpose as providing closure and ensuring legal parentage is recognized in life and death, while also noting a possible drafting issue about whether all listed conditions must be met. The committee agreed to address that concern through a possible House floor amendment, and HB 164 passed favorably 16-0. The committee then heard House Bill 242, sponsored by Representative Sam, and testimony from child welfare researcher Matthew Walden. The bill is intended to increase transparency in Kentucky’s child welfare system by making program data available to researchers while protecting privacy. With no questions from members, the bill passed the committee favorably by a 16-0 vote. Finally, the committee reviewed referred administrative regulations and considered agency amendment 490 related to adoption assistance and Title IV-E adoption assistance. CHFS representatives explained that the amendment removes a civil determination requirement from certain sections because the cabinet cannot make such determinations and already relies on substantiations and other safety checks. The committee approved the agency amendment by voice vote, then concluded its review of the remaining regulations without further action. The next meeting was announced for February 20, 2025, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Are you keeping siblings together, kinship placements?
• So, for example, for foster family homes.
• care placements at the end of December of 2024.
• as well as the young ones that age out of foster care?
• Initially, we can't find a placement.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Extended foster care is a specialized program.
• As someone who has worked with foster youth, I'm a therapist, and I work with foster youth, and I feel
• Children in the foster system deserve our best efforts to ensure safety, placement, stability, and to
• This legislation will also help improve outcomes and needs to foster youth placement transition for children
• This legislation will also help improve outcomes and needs to foster youth placement transition for children

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Human Services heard and advanced a series of foster care, benefits, housing, and poverty-related bills. AB 373 would require appointed counsel for nonminor dependents in dependency proceedings to represent the young adult’s expressed wishes rather than substitute counsel’s judgment; supporters said it would respect autonomy for foster youth ages 18 to 21, and the bill passed 4-0, later updated to 6-0 and then 7-0 as absent members were added. AB 42 would exempt merit-based scholarships, grants, loans, and fellowships from income calculations for CalWORKs and CalFresh and align the two programs’ exclusions; student and anti-poverty advocates said it would prevent students from losing benefits when they pursue education, and it passed 6-0, later updated to 7-0. AB 534 would encourage transitional housing providers serving foster youth to move from leasing to owning properties by extending contract terms and improving access to financing; witnesses said ownership would improve stability and reduce landlord barriers, and it passed 4-0, later updated to 7-0. AB 562 would require counties below the state average for family placements to use a family-finding checklist and best-practice support; supporters emphasized family-first placements for foster youth, and it passed 6-0, later updated to 7-0. AB 661 would direct the Department of Social Services to develop an implementation plan for a permanent statewide guaranteed basic income program; supporters described positive results from pilot programs and the bill passed 5-2, later updated to 7-0. The committee also approved a consent calendar of additional bills, all without opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• On page 12, I just want to point out the placement types for children.
• in foster care being placed with relatives, and then secondary to that is in foster homes.
• At the bottom of page 15, re-entries into foster care, 4.5%.
• of the time we have to remove the child again into foster care.
• Thank you, Madam Chair. here through the interstate compact placement.

Summary: The Joint Committee on Aging, Children and Youth approved the February 11 minutes and then reviewed a DCFS policy manual update from Director Tiffany Wright. Wright said the changes move internal procedures out of administrative rule into DCFS’s internal procedure manual under an executive order, while also updating terminology, conforming to enacted laws, revising foster family continuing education hours, and removing obsolete requirements. Members asked whether the changes would alter practice; Wright said they were mainly terminology and process-location changes, intended to make the department more efficient and flexible. The committee then accepted the rule review without objection. Wright next presented DCFS quarterly performance data for the third quarter of FY 2026. She reported 8,610 hotline reports accepted, 6,919 assigned to DCFS, 22% of investigations found true, neglect as the most common substantiated allegation, and continued staffing shortages in some counties affecting timeliness. She also reported 3,420 foster care cases, 1,788 in-home cases involving 4,568 children, 72% monthly home-visit compliance, 36% permanency within 12 months, 4.5% re-entry into foster care, and 156 children available for adoption. Members asked about neglect trends, sexual abuse/exploitation data, behavior-related removals, staffing recruitment and retention, training improvements, and whether ACE-style testing should be considered for children; Wright said DCFS is expanding recruitment, retention, and training efforts and was open to further discussion on education-related assessments. The committee also received DCFS’s biannual overturned investigations report, covering July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, which tracks hotline calls, accepted reports, true findings, appeals, and overturned findings by county. A member asked for comparison to the prior year’s report. Major Jeff Drew then presented the Crimes Against Children Division annual report, saying the hotline received 67,987 calls in 2025, 37,986 were accepted for investigation, and CACD handled 6,539 cases with a 28% substantiation rate. Members asked about hotline operator training, qualifications, salary, and whether Arkansas compares with other states; Drew said operators receive a four-week training that includes law, policy, scenarios, recorded calls, live-call monitoring, and evidence-chain/decision-making instruction. Finally, Elizabeth Pooley of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas reported that the statewide network of 29 CACs and 64 multidisciplinary teams served 13,568 children and families in 2025, up about 3,000 from the prior year, and hosted 259 trainings for professionals. She said funding comes from a mix of state, federal, and community sources, with state funding set at roughly $70,000 to $75,000 per center and not based on caseload. Members asked about funding stability and standards of care; Pooley said CACs follow national standards and Arkansas is developing state best practices. The meeting adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• for change so that more foster youth have similar experiences.
• I was also able to represent foster youth at the executive order signing on fostering the future by President
• However, not every foster youth has that same experience.
• I entered care at the age of 12, and I've been in six placements.
• I've only received an allowance in one placement, my current one.

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Other Affairs considered four bills. SB 1690 on early childhood education was amended with a delete-all amendment that would require DCF and local licensing agencies to publicly post inspection reports and annual data on child deaths, injuries, and substantiated abuse in child care facilities, revise notice requirements for certain child care homes, add website disclosure requirements for exempt facilities, address insurance coverage for family and large family child care homes, and create the Florida Endowment for Early Learning. The committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably, with support noted from United Way of Florida. The committee then heard SB 1022 on children’s initiatives, which would create two new children’s initiatives in Bay County and Pompano in Broward County. The sponsor said the bill would expand local service networks for children in disadvantaged communities with no state fiscal impact. The bill was reported favorably after support was noted from representatives of Florida Children’s Initiative and others. SB 996 on dependent children drew extensive testimony from Florida Youth SHINE members and other foster youth advocates, who supported the bill’s focus on lived experience, regular consultation with youth-serving organizations, public reporting on implementation, and normalcy in foster care, including allowance to help youth learn budgeting. The bill sponsor said it would help make the system more responsive to youth needs. The committee also adopted an amendment to SB 1642 on temporary cash assistance eligibility, narrowing a SNAP-related eligibility carve-out to people who were victims of human trafficking at the time of a drug conviction. The sponsor said the change would remove barriers for trafficking survivors while keeping existing program requirements in place. Both SB 996 and the amended SB 1642 were reported favorably, and the meeting adjourned without further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• youth of trauma, whether through abuse, neglect, or instability of foster placements. and sometimes
• They lose access to former foster care child Medicaid, so there goes their health insurance.
• They lose access to extended foster care, which can include a foster family home or supervised independent
• living placement up to the age of 21.
• Yes, sir, and then they would be able to technically age out of foster care.

Bills: HCR10, HB1814, HB2160, HB2353, HB2643, HB2971, HB3282, HB3382, HB3996, HB4507, HB4509, HB4805, HB5551, HB1863, HCR10

Keywords: family abduction, child safety, custodial rights, parental kidnapping, awareness day, marriage license, informal marriage, family code, identity verification, child support, family law, child custody, court interview, parent-child relationship, child welfare, attorney ad litem, compensation, legal representation, government entity, HB 2643

Transcript Highlights:

• So HB 419 ensures that children in foster care are automatically eligible for Delaware's purchase of
• strain on foster and kinship caregivers who are stepping up to support vulnerable children.
• access child care immediately when placement occurs.
• in foster care unless it is absolutely necessary.
• helps maintain stable placements.

Bills: HB359, HB385, HB165

Keywords: human remains, indigent, burial, cremation, next of kin, social services, environmental impact, nursing education, preceptorship programs, healthcare workforce, nurse shortage, clinical training, dry needling, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, occupational therapist, referral process, neuromusculoskeletal pain, Western medicine

Summary: The Senate Health and Social Services Committee met with a quorum, approved the minutes from the prior two meetings, and briefly acknowledged the tragedy at Christiana Care before moving to legislation. The committee heard House Bill 385, which creates a statewide nurse preceptor grant program to expand clinical training placements for nursing students; testimony from nursing organizations, health care associations, and educators emphasized workforce shortages, the need for preceptor stipends and training, and the bill’s potential to help students complete programs and remain in Delaware. Members asked about eligibility and reporting, and several senators asked to be added as co-sponsors. Public comment was uniformly supportive, and the bill was advanced out of committee. The committee then considered House Bill 424, which repeals Delaware’s Autism Surveillance and Registration Program and requires DHSS to expunge protected health information collected through the registry. The sponsor and DHSS said the registry is no longer used for research or policy development and that repeal would reduce outdated reporting burdens; Autism Delaware, the Delaware Health Care Association, and the State Council for Persons with Disabilities support the change. A committee member raised the question of whether families would be notified before records are expunged, and DHSS said that process was not yet clear and would need further verification. Members discussed the issue, and the bill also moved forward. House Bill 419 was next, making children in foster care automatically eligible for the Purchase of Care child care subsidy and extending the same treatment to certain kinship and safety-plan placements through House Amendment 1. The Children’s Department and advocacy groups said the bill would provide immediate stability for children and caregivers, reduce delays from applications and income verification, and support working foster and kinship families. The committee also heard House Bill 359, which would allow cremation as an option for unclaimed and indigent remains when there is no family objection or next of kin cannot be found, addressing a shortage of burial plots and lowering costs; funeral industry testimony focused on preserving next-of-kin rights. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 475, creating a Delaware Nursing Advancement Fund financed by a $10 surcharge on nursing licenses and disciplinary fines to support workforce data collection and analysis through a nonprofit partner, and House Bill 165, authorizing physician associates, occupational therapists, and APRNs to perform dry needling under training and practice standards set by the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline. All of the bills received supportive testimony, several members added their names as co-sponsors, and the committee adjourned after moving through the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• And third, children should not languish in foster care.
• Foster care is intended to be a temporary setting for children.
• , languishing in placement.
• , to prioritize getting kids into relative placement.
• We are looking at the number of kids in relative placement.

Summary: The committee heard a lengthy update on Washington child welfare from Casey Family Programs and DCYF. Dr. David Sanders said Washington has sharply reduced out-of-home care and increased kinship placements, but he flagged concerns about low screening-in rates, long stays in foster care for many children, and a recent rise in repeat maltreatment and child fatalities, especially among infants. He urged more focus on infants and young children, better coordination among child protection, health care, and law enforcement, and more proactive review and investigation practices. Members asked for disaggregated data on children lingering in care, fatalities, and causes such as fentanyl exposure. DCYF said it has increased relative placements and guardianships, but also reported a concerning rise in 2025 critical incidents, mostly near-fatalities involving children age three and under, many opioid-related. The department described responses including safe child consults for opioid cases, more training, hotspot analysis, and proposed investments in peer support, public health nurses, community referrals, and an updated safety framework. Members also discussed whether a broader commission on child abuse prevention would be useful, and DCYF said it was open to that idea. The committee then received a DSHS reorganization update from Secretary Angela Ramirez, who described the “Reimagined” plan to consolidate four administrations into three new ones, with the stated goals of reducing silos, improving customer experience, and making transitions between services smoother. She said the agency is seeking statutory changes and CMS approval to align the new structure, and members asked about preparing for federal HR1 impacts, especially SNAP. Ramirez said DSHS is monitoring those impacts closely and emphasized the need for accurate data and cross-agency coordination. Finally, DSHS’s Behavioral Health and Habilitation Administration updated the committee on residential habilitation centers and implementation of Substitute Senate Bill 5393, which phases out Rainier School by June 30, 2027 and limits new admissions. Officials reported current census and staffing levels at the state’s RHCs, said Rainier has had some residents transition to supported living or adult family homes, and explained that emergency and permanent rulemaking was needed to implement the law. They also said Rainier was recently cited by federal surveyors for not meeting the active treatment requirement for two residents, and that the facility has 90 days to return to compliance before possible payment penalties or further remedies. Members pressed for details on the citation, the meaning of active treatment, the assessment process for admissions, and whether Rainier could be repurposed for other services; DSHS said it is working on corrective action and will follow up in writing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I am a foster parent and I recently went through an adoption.
• I had my foster son, Ezekiel, for two full years before adopting him.
• The state incurs a much higher cost when children are placed in foster care versus kinship placements
• , actually from placement, because of a lack of resources.
• home. foster home.

Bills: HB557, HB732, HB1892, HB1954, HB2301, HB3180, HB3405, HB3650, HB3758, HB4035, HB4621, HB4795, HB4870, HB5069, HB5137, HB5149

Keywords: child support, arrears, court enforcement, contempt, legal protections, healthcare, insurance, cost reduction, accessibility, regulations, impotency, marriage annulment, Family Code, Texas law, family law, Texas legislation, dissolution of marriage, annulment, marriage, child custody

Transcript Highlights:

• of foster placements, and sometimes even as a result of interactions with the system itself.
• They lose access to extended foster care, which can include a foster family home or supervised independent
• living placement up to the age of 21.
• Yes, sir, and then they would be able to technically age out of foster care.
• They have to go get licensed as a foster family, and once they're licensed, the child.

Bills: HCR 10

Keywords: balanced budget amendment, federal budget, deficit reduction, deficit spending, fiscal restraint, constitutional amendment, U.S. Constitution, Congress, PAYGO, Gramm-Rudman-Hollings, national debt, budget deficit, taxpayer dollars, balanced budget resolution, memorial resolution, Texas Legislature, federal spending, budget reform, fiscal conservatism

Transcript Highlights:

• This is for education and training for the DCFS Family Services staff, foster parents, and students.
• It's for therapeutic foster care. 109 is with CET of Arkansas, also therapeutic foster care. 110 is with
• They're qualified residential treatment, licensed placement agencies, and therapeutic foster care. 113
• They're qualified residential treatment, licensed placement agencies, and therapeutic foster care. 116
• license placement agency. 129 is with Treatment Homes.

Summary: The committee met to review a supplemental agenda item, procurement rule revisions, methods of finance, discretionary grants, contracts, reports, and a member disclosure. The supplemental agenda was accepted, and the Office of State Procurement’s rule revisions were approved after Jessica Patterson explained they were driven by 2025 legislative changes, including Act 782, CASO Consulting recommendations, and updates to sole source, bid, protest, and debarment provisions. The methods of finance and discretionary grants were also approved, covering a range of university capital projects, health and human services grants, historic preservation awards, and tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The committee then reviewed RFQs and six ratifications. The ratifications included a Workforce Connections payment to ACT WorkKeys for services provided during a contract gap, a Department of Health ratification for water-leak repairs, a large Department of Public Safety ratification for Motorola’s Arkansas Wireless Information Network upgrade, a Veterans Affairs HVAC ratification, an ADFA medical services ratification, and a UA Little Rock painting contract ratification. Members questioned the Public Safety ratification at length about why the expired Motorola contract was not caught sooner and why it took months after discovery to come forward; agency officials said the work was tied to bond funding and was not tracked in ASIS, and the chair urged agencies to develop better monitoring procedures. The committee approved a large slate of construction, intergovernmental, out-of-state, and in-state contracts, including many recurring service agreements for DHS, higher education institutions, corrections, health agencies, and state support functions. Several members asked about specific contracts, including aerial application services for correctional farms and a Southern Arkansas University custodial contract, and staff or agency representatives provided brief explanations. The meeting concluded with review of reports and approval of a member disclosure involving Representative Andrew Collins’ investment interest in a company leasing property to Arkansas Rehabilitation Services.

Transcript Highlights:

• Three of the major concerns are placement issues.
• The goal is to recruit a diverse range of foster parents that we lack.
• Three of the major concerns are placement issues.
• I actually am a foster mom and a mentor of foster kids for many, many years, and still currently am very
• involved in foster children.

Summary: The Human Services Subcommittee considered three bills and reported all of them favorably by unanimous votes. HB 355, by Rep. Jay Alvarez, would allow public K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions to purchase, use, and maintain FDA-approved emergency opioid antagonists rather than being limited to naloxone. The bill was described as giving schools more flexibility and a lower-cost option for overdose response; it received supportive public testimony and passed 18-0. HB 531, by Rep. Hanchowski, expands background screening requirements for child care facilities and programs to include certain recreational enrichment programs, and creates a statewide public awareness campaign about screening requirements. An amendment narrowed the definition of recreational enrichment programs to in-person dance, gymnastics, and martial arts lessons and conformed a statutory cross-reference; the amendment was adopted without objection. The bill then passed 18-0, with support from Florida Smart Justice Alliance and some discussion about strengthening enforcement against bad actors. HB 1127, by Rep. Weinberger, addresses child welfare by creating a treatment foster care pilot program for high-acuity children, directing DCF to study residential treatment capacity, and improving data collection on commercially sexually exploited children. The bill also includes recruitment and funding proposals for foster parents and workforce strategies for DCF. Members praised the bill’s focus on difficult cases and system gaps, public testimony was supportive, and the bill passed 18-0. The meeting then adjourned.