Transcript Highlights:

• There are also changes to state financing mechanisms or health care provider taxes and state-directed
• They don't necessarily seek care with counties for indigent care.
• It's also a direct threat to public hospitals' financing structure that supports care for these vulnerable
• and home care.
• and home care.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Whitten, members, House Bill 2344 directs the state treasurer to manage the local government investment
• House Bill 2344 directs the state treasurer to manage the local government investment pools and allows
• Additionally, the bill directs an ASRS employee to pay the alternate contribution rate for an ASRS member
• The bill also creates the Child Care Infrastructure Fund to support various child care infrastructure
• The bill also creates the Child Care Infrastructure Fund to support various child care infrastructure

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The meeting was a caucus-style review of two packets of bills, with staff reading summaries and members briefly explaining several measures. Topics included appropriations for pregnancy resource centers, home- and community-based services for the elderly and people with disabilities, veteran specialty courts, child care grants and infrastructure, language acquisition services for deaf or hard-of-hearing infants and toddlers, ambulance service regulation, short-term rental rules, tourism improvement areas, manufactured home installer licensure, CPR/AED training in schools, veterans’ park fee exemptions, and multiple child welfare and family-court bills. Several Senate bills were also reviewed, including optometry standards, behavior analyst licensure transfer, virtual mental health hearings, and assisted-living residency rules. Members speaking for bills emphasized themes such as supporting aging in place, improving rural ambulance access and reporting, protecting children in DCS cases, preventing poverty alone from being treated as neglect, and expanding access to health screenings and services. Other sponsors described measures to help veterans, strengthen school safety, and create local funding or improvement mechanisms for tourism and child care. Some bills were described as technical or administrative changes, such as post-nuptial agreement rules, tax lien procedures, and local government contract posting requirements. No formal votes were taken in the transcript excerpt, but many bills were noted as being on the consent calendar or third-read consent calendar, while a few had been removed from consent or were not yet on a calendar. The meeting concluded after the final bill on the second packet, HB 4025, was summarized as creating a study committee on gasoline and petroleum refinery feasibility.

Transcript Highlights:

• COST AND CENSUS DATA ARE CATEGORIZED BY A GROUP OF CARE IN BOTH MODELS. SO WHAT IS A GROUP CARE?
• GROUPS OF CARE WERE REFINED.
• THE CBC'S AREN'T OPERATIONS AND THEY ARE DIRECT PAYMENTS AND DIRECT SERVICE.
• IN THE PREVIOUS MODEL YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE WERE TEN GROUPS OF CARE. TEN GROUPS OF CARE.
• EACH INDIVIDUAL GROUP OF CARE.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number six, she cares for the state. Number five, she cares for people.
• Number six, she cares for the state. Number five, she cares for people.
• On free universal child care, Mr.
• and health care and education.
• You mentioned other areas that we are now taking care of: SNAP, taking care of our seniors, and so there's

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, prayers and pledges, and several procedural announcements, including permission for cameras, a relaxed dress code for guests, and excusing a few senators. Members also recognized numerous guests and honorary lieutenant governors, and discussed a planned bolo tie contest tied to New Mexico tradition and state history. The chamber then moved to business, including the confirmation of Anna Silva as Secretary of the General Services Department. The confirmation drew broad support from senators on both sides, who praised Silva’s long career in state government, her management experience, and her work on major projects such as the executive office building, procurement reforms, and facilities management. After debate, the Senate voted unanimously to confirm her appointment. Silva’s family and guests were recognized from the floor after the vote. The Senate then took up House Bill 2 and 3, the state budget. Senator Muñoz presented the Senate Finance version as a balanced budget with about $11.1 billion in spending, 27% reserves, recurring investments in health care, early childhood, public safety, education, roads, housing, and economic development, and targeted nonrecurring spending for items such as water, universities, and innovation sectors. Supporters emphasized affordability, teacher health insurance parity, medical residency funding, rural and community investments, and public safety funding. Critics raised concerns about the size of the budget, the late availability and complexity of the bill, the removal of a proposed 1% pay raise for state employees, and whether spending priorities and education dollars were being allocated effectively. No final vote on the budget was shown in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> seek care. Absolutely. seek care. Absolutely.
• </c> care for minors. Thank you. care for minors. Thank you.
• Parents cannot direct health care if they're kept in the dark.
• At its core, this bill is about a parent's right to direct the upbringing, care, and well-being of their
• I don't care if my name is on it. I don't care.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SHORTAGES AND CONTINUED CARE DENIALS AND BEING TREATED AS A STATISTIC WITHIN PERSONAL CARE.
• BUT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL MANAGED CARE PLAN IS NOT JUST A BAD FIT BUT AT A DIRECT PATH TO ISOLATION, AND
• CARE.
• IT IS MANAGED CARE AND SENATOR DAVIS I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE NOT A FAN OF MANAGED CARE.
• THESE STRUCTURED PROGRAMS PROVIDE JOB SHADOWING, CLINICAL AND NONCLINICAL TRAINING, DIRECT PATIENT CARE

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's not direct dispatch. What it is is they have a direct line to who dispatches.
• We have a much better streamlined system of care now.
• That access to care being all in one call center model made sense for us. Thank you.
• Hirsch Mental Health Services, Ashley Mills, Vice President of the Crisis Care, D.D.
• That's why culturally grounded behavioral health care matters so deeply.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Alvich, care to continue your explanation? That should take care of it.
• I don't care about organizations. I care about kids and teachers. That's it.
• Senator Devers, you care to close. Seeing no debate, Senator Devers, care to close.
• Senator Devers, do you care to vote? Senator Hicks, do you care to vote? Do you care to vote?
• Senator Hicks, do you care to vote? Senator Mann, do you care to vote? Senator Seifried?

Summary: The committee took up a long agenda of education bills, with several measures passing on bipartisan votes. Early items included SB 1632 on career readiness assessments and college credit pathways, SB 1594 requiring principals to be trained in special education law, SB 2045 establishing 30 minutes of daily recess for younger grades, and SB 1630 allowing districts to count a day of virtual instruction when high school students are taking statewide assessments. Other bills passed addressed school security funds (SB 1251, adding licensed mental health services as an allowable use), teacher association access (SB 1884), library book complaints and penalties (SB 1250), human trafficking survivors’ access to higher education (SB 1262), reduced-price meals moving students into free meal status (SB 1374), high-dosage tutoring for early literacy (SB 1292), and the repeal of the sunset on the Innovative Pathways to Teaching Program (SB 1432). Votes were generally favorable, though SB 1251 and SB 1884 drew the most debate and both passed 8-3, while SB 1250 passed 7-3 and SB 1374 passed 9-1. Several bills generated extended discussion over local control, school safety, and teacher retention. SB 1251 drew concerns that school security funds were being broadened beyond physical security, while supporters argued mental health supports can also improve safety. SB 1884 prompted questions about whether it would open collective bargaining or negotiation meetings to other associations; the author said the intent was to prevent “closed shops” and ensure equal access, while opponents argued equal access already exists and the bill could create confusion. SB 1790, the Protected Learning Environments Act, drew testimony from educator Dr. Elizabeth Pleasant about classroom discipline, teacher burnout, and student behavior; the bill would direct SDE to provide guidance for a three-tier discipline matrix, and it passed 7-2. SB 1481, increasing recess to 40 minutes and prohibiting it as punishment, and SB 1614, limiting adjunct teachers in early grades, also passed after brief discussion. The committee also heard broader policy proposals on federal uncertainty and school leadership. SB 1489 would prepare Oklahoma for a possible federal block grant of IDEA funds, fold some parent-rights and principal-training provisions into state law, and address the cost and backlog of special education dispute resolution; it passed 9-0. SB 1718 proposed an Oklahoma Principal Leadership Development Program for new and early-career principals, with discussion focused on program structure, portability, and stipends. Throughout the meeting, members repeatedly emphasized teacher support, student safety, and the balance between state guidance and local district discretion.

Transcript Highlights:

• outpatient care, and in-jail care.
• Was that the direction from the governor's office or the direction of the Department of Mental Health
• This is for ongoing inflationary costs for medical care and food in our 24-7 care.
• This is for training needed for direct care staff and to provide maintenance costs for our learning management
• That act requires states to implement EVV for all personal care services and home health care services

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The Budget Committee heard a Department of Mental Health budget presentation for FY 2027, with no public testimony taken. Director Valerie Hoon outlined the department’s $4.4 billion budget request and explained major changes in behavioral health and developmental disabilities funding, including Medicaid growth, provider tax adjustments, mental health reinvestment funds tied to cannabis revenue, and several offsets. The committee also reviewed funding for youth mental health services, outpatient competency restoration, crisis services, substance use treatment, and nursing facility supports for people with mental health conditions. A major focus of the meeting was the department’s response to the backlog of people awaiting competency restoration while held in county jails. Members pressed the department on the cost, effectiveness, and legal implications of outpatient competency restoration, jail-based restoration, and long-term state hospital beds. Hoon said the department currently has eight outpatient beds operating through University Health, is working to expand to 50, and is also building a Kansas City hospital that would add 150 beds, including 100 for competency restoration and 50 for long-term supports. Members raised concerns about long jail waits, the 60-day statutory timeline, the six-month court update requirement, and the high cost of state hospital care compared with outpatient alternatives. The committee also discussed developmental disability funding changes, especially proposed reductions to self-directed services rates and community specialist services. Several members objected to the proposed rate cuts, saying they had received significant constituent concern and questioning whether reducing provider rates was the right approach. The director said the department had presented multiple options to the governor, that the selected reductions were part of a broader effort to align rates and manage growth, and that some services would be eliminated or reduced while others would see wait lists if not fully funded. The meeting ended before the committee finished the full budget review, with members planning to continue questions later and the department agreeing to provide additional data by email.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the families and the families take care of the soldiers and the airmen.
• care of them again when they come back.
• You're the first nominee who said that they've received any direction.
• We haven't had a direct request from ICE for that support. Okay.
• That directive by DOD had not been declared unconstitutional.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's health care. A health care authority, or? Health care authority. Okay.
• If we want access to health care, the most accessible health care providers in Oklahoma and the country
• I mean, I think we are moving in a positive direction.
• So I think that was a step in the right direction as well.
• I mean, I think we are moving in a positive direction.

Summary: The Public Health Committee heard several bills, beginning with HB 4336, which updates definitions of acute and chronic pain to align with the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act and adds certain violations as unprofessional conduct. The committee adopted a PCS as the working draft, took no questions, and passed the bill 7-0. HB 3194, which would prevent pregnancy centers from being singled out for discrimination or censorship based on pro-life principles, drew questions about oversight, medical staffing, ultrasound interpretation, and contraceptive counseling; after discussion, it passed 6-1. The committee then passed HB 3934, described as a measure to help rural Oklahoma children get dental care through dental hygienists, with a question confirming parents could opt in or out. HB 3762, dealing with chiropractic practice and defining “serum” to cover vitamins, minerals, and nutrients while excluding blood products, was amended in committee but did not receive a motion and remained in committee. HB 1818, clarifying licensed social workers as licensed bachelor social workers and aligning Oklahoma with neighboring states, passed 6-0. Later, HB 3538 on pharmacy benefit manager vertical integration and community pharmacy reimbursement passed 7-0 after extensive discussion about independent pharmacy closures, mail-order pharmacy issues, specialty drugs, and network access. HB 3682, the Oklahoma Clean Indoor Air Act, would prohibit smoking in most public gathering places while allowing certain exceptions and local governments to adopt stricter rules; it passed 7-0. The committee also heard HB 3793, a placeholder bill on nursing education and diploma programs intended to address workforce shortages, but no motion was made and it remained in committee. The meeting ended with a short recess for the swearing-in of a new representative-elect.

Transcript Highlights:

• for child care centers.
• caring and capable and compassionate.
• be there taking care of their children.
• We have many deserts where there is no real child care.
• be there taking care of their children.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on several education bills. SB 6078 would provide pre-licensing supports for prospective child care providers through DCYF, fire protection consultations, and a licensing resource guide; the sponsor, DCYF, and a community nonprofit all supported it, emphasizing that it would reduce fragmented permitting barriers and help expand child care access, while a senator raised the possibility of overlap with existing early learning facilities support. SB 6089 would create a public-private partnership account to support coordination across the P-20W system and fund a public-facing data dashboard; the sponsor and many advocates supported it as a way to align early learning through workforce systems and improve transparency, while some testifiers urged stronger public oversight, caution about private influence, and explicit inclusion of early learning. SB 5859 would expand competency-based assessments as graduation pathway options; supporters said it would better reflect how students learn and provide flexibility, while the State Board of Education and school principals urged caution and suggested waiting for the board’s broader Future Ready graduation review. SB 5861 would require more school board directors to be elected from director districts in larger districts; supporters said it would improve community representation, while some districts and WSSDA warned about local control, added costs, and governance disruption. SB 6065 would allow districts in binding conditions or under enhanced financial oversight to use transportation vehicle funds for temporary loans or transfers with OSPI approval; supporters said it could help districts recover financially without harming transportation needs. After the hearings, the committee moved into executive session and acted on two bills. It adopted a proposed substitute to SB 5956, which restricts certain automated decision systems, surveillance technologies, biometric data, and facial recognition uses in student discipline and school safety decisions, and then advanced the bill with a do-pass recommendation to Rules. It also adopted a proposed substitute to SB 5901, which concerns state funding for on-base school construction, and advanced that bill with a do-pass recommendation to Ways and Means. Both measures were reported out subject to signatures.

Transcript Highlights:

• In both directions. So that would be helpful to know. Absolutely, I'll do that.
• Is it one in five for infant care? And that is certainly not what it is for K-12.
• And they're not going to get that just by dropping their child off at child care.
• And they're not going to get that just by dropping their child off at child care.
• And someone has told me that no, child care centers, there's actually been 56.

Summary: The committee met to review early childhood education funding, access, and program sustainability, with Secretary Aleva and Director Ashland Abney providing updates on Arkansas’s ABC state-funded preschool program and the federal CCDF/SRA program. Members discussed the long-standing flat funding for ABC, which rose from $11 million to $14 million in 2018, compared with roughly $137 million in federal CCDF/SRA funding. Officials said ABC serves about 23,000 children, while SRA serves about 14,871 children and has a wait list of about 2,971 children. Members also asked for more data on rural versus urban access, provider types, and the number of slots and providers by region. A major topic was how to improve quality and access while aligning early childhood with K-12. Officials said the department is moving from the Better Beginnings environmental rating system toward CLASS observations, using local leads and a kindergarten-readiness strategy tied to quality improvement. Members raised concerns about deserts and islands in service availability, the cost of school-based versus community-based providers, and the need to support infant-toddler care as well as preschool. The commissioner said early learning should be part of long-term state education investment, but that simply adding money would not solve access gaps without broader structural changes. The committee also discussed recent funding changes and their effects on providers and families. Officials said a $14.741 million PDG-BFV competitive grant will support systems-building work, including local leads, workforce, data systems, and third-party CLASS observations, but it is a one-year grant and not direct service funding. Members questioned the impact of new co-pays, provider closures, and slot reallocations; officials said eight closures were tied specifically to funding changes, and that paying only for enrolled children rather than allocated slots saved about $576,000. They also discussed dual enrollment in home visiting and ABC, with officials estimating that limiting double enrollment could save about $2.4 million and potentially serve about 470 more children. The meeting ended with agreement to continue regular updates and further discussion, and the committee adjourned without a vote on legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• health care that were removed.
• It does include tribal members in our state, foster care and former foster care youth, those who are
• It does include tribal members in our state, foster care and former foster care youth, those who are
• So the state-directed payments are starting in 2028... ...state-directed payments are starting in 2028
• that care.

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held a work session to review how H.R. 1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) could affect Washington’s Medicaid, long-term care, developmental disabilities, and food assistance programs, with a focus on implementation challenges, fiscal impacts, and likely coverage losses. Staff and agency officials explained Washington’s Medicaid financing structure, eligibility categories, caseload trends, and the role of the Health Care Authority and DSHS in administering Apple Health and related services. They also described how Medicaid expansion increased access to behavioral health services and how H.R. 1’s provisions are expected to affect the expansion population most directly. Health Care Authority and DSHS officials outlined several major H.R. 1 changes: new work and community engagement requirements for the Medicaid expansion population, six-month redeterminations instead of annual renewals, changes to immigrant eligibility, limits on provider taxes and state-directed payments, new cost-sharing requirements, reduced retroactive coverage, and changes affecting long-term care eligibility. They said Washington is still awaiting federal guidance on many details, but estimated that about 620,000 Apple Health expansion enrollees could be subject to work requirements, that roughly 30,000 immigrants could lose Medicaid eligibility under the new definition of qualified alien, and that some long-term care and developmental disability clients could be indirectly affected. Officials also said the state is working with other agencies to build shared verification systems and may seek a delay waiver, though they do not expect broad federal flexibility. The committee also heard that H.R. 1 immediately blocks Medicaid reimbursement for Planned Parenthood services for one year, with the state planning to backfill about $11 million to preserve access. In addition, officials warned that the law could reduce federal Medicaid revenue by billions over time and strain hospitals and emergency rooms as more people become uninsured. They noted that Washington’s rural health transformation grant application is due November 5 and could bring some funding, but not to offset coverage losses. No votes were taken; the session was informational only. The committee then heard a separate presentation on food assistance, where staff and DSHS described H.R. 1’s SNAP changes, including expanded work requirements, immigrant eligibility restrictions, higher state administrative costs, and a possible future state share of benefit costs tied to payment error rates. DSHS estimated a four-year fiscal impact of about $750 million for food assistance changes and said the state is working on system and policy changes across agencies before the new requirements take effect.

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, the bill directs the Department of Health Care Services to develop a standardized referral form
• , we wouldn't have Care Act today.
• , and mental health care.
• , and mental health care.
• Care Court is 100% voluntary.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, the bill directs the Department of Health Care Services to develop a standardized referral form
• , and mental health care.
• , Care Court is 100% voluntary.
• They buy direct from the manufacturer. They buy direct from the manufacturer.
• As studies show, preventative care is the best Thank you. Life-saving follow-up care.

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several bills focused on mental health access, preventive care, health care costs, detention oversight, and daylight saving time. SB 989 would streamline Care Court referrals by allowing first responders to ask county behavioral health agencies to review and file petitions; supporters, especially firefighters and families, said the current process is too burdensome, while Disability Rights California and other opponents argued Care Court is coercive and unproven. SB 1089, as amended, would direct CalRx/HHS to help distribute GLP-1 medications more broadly and more affordably; the author described her own experience with the drugs, and the bill drew support from medical and life sciences groups with no opposition. SB 1309 would eliminate out-of-pocket costs for medically appropriate lung cancer screening follow-up care; cancer advocates and survivors strongly supported it, while health plans and insurers opposed it as costly and said the bigger problem is low initial screening rates. The committee also heard SB 1284, which would require DHCS to report large employers whose workers are enrolled in Medi-Cal and estimate taxpayer costs, framed by supporters as a transparency measure about corporate reliance on public coverage. SCR 7, urging permanent standard time for health reasons, passed with support from medical groups and no opposition. SB 995, the Masuma Khan Justice Act, would create statewide inspection and enforcement standards for large involuntary residential facilities, including private immigration detention centers and certain youth facilities; supporters cited unsafe and inhumane conditions, while county probation officials objected to duplicative oversight for secure youth treatment facilities. The committee took votes on each measure, and the bills and resolution advanced, with SB 1309 and SB 1284 moving on amended and the others also reported out; the consent calendar was approved as well.

Transcript Highlights:

• care force.
• and the kind of care and the various interagency collaboration the level of care and the kind of care
• In almost 20 years providing direct care in the private sector, it was really the first time I'd ever
• for hospital care.
• Do they need a lower level of care or a higher level of care?

Keywords: 1212, all

Summary: The hearing focused on the future of Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, with commissioners, agency officials, workers, and families describing the hospital as a unique integrated setting combining medical care, rehabilitation, education, residential services, and adaptive engineering. Opening remarks from legislators emphasized continued budget funding, the legal requirement that Pappas not close before the commission reports, and a request to extend the commission’s deadline. Several commissioners and witnesses argued that admissions have effectively been curtailed while discharges continue, creating what they described as a de facto closure. Union leaders from AFSCME, SEIU, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association said staff are experiencing uncertainty, morale problems, and loss of confidence because referrals are being discouraged and the census is shrinking. They urged immediate action to stop admission denials and unnecessary discharges, and some proposed temporary modular units or other short-term investments to restore admissions while longer-term plans are developed. Parents and former patients testified that Pappas provided life-changing opportunities and supports that they could not find elsewhere, and that alternative programs or proposed Western Massachusetts options would not meet the same needs. Department of Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein said the administration supports keeping Pappas open and stable during the commission’s work, but argued that admissions must comply with hospital-level-of-care rules and that the campus’s deteriorating infrastructure limits who can be safely served. He said DPH is continuing admissions where appropriate, backfilling staff, and exploring ways to expand services, including outpatient therapies and adaptive engineering, while also acknowledging that Pappas is a one-of-a-kind system with no true in-state duplicate. Commissioners requested de-identified admissions and denial data and continued to press the department on whether the current operational changes amount to a silent closure.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've also seen the rapid deployment of AI in health care, impending upheaval in our health care system
• law reserves to licensed human health care professionals.
• And health care is obviously not an exception.
• , quote unquote, in health care, unlike many other domains, are highly motivated to care about the outcomes
• AI makes them trust health care less. ...already say that AI makes them trust health care less.

Summary: The committee heard AB 1979, which would limit the use of AI in health care by requiring licensed professionals to retain final clinical judgment, prohibiting automated systems from directing unlicensed individuals to perform licensed clinical functions, and clarifying medical-record privacy rules for direct-to-consumer health chatbots. Supporters, including nurses and labor groups, said the bill preserves patient safety and keeps care decisions in human hands. Hospital and industry groups opposed unless amended, arguing the bill could create compliance burdens and interfere with training and legitimate AI-assisted care. The bill was approved 6-1 and placed on call. Members then considered AB 2624, which would expand California’s Safe at Home confidentiality program to immigrant service providers, employees, and volunteers facing harassment or doxing. The author and supporters described threats, stalking, and online targeting of immigrant advocates and said the bill would let them use substitute addresses to protect their safety. Opposition focused mainly on concerns about the bill’s legal enforcement language, though the author said it mirrors existing Safe at Home provisions and does not create a new private right of action. The measure passed 4-1 and was placed on call. AB 2103 would make Engaged California a permanent statewide public engagement program. The author and the Office of Data and Innovation said it is meant to broaden civic participation through structured deliberation and transparent publication of results. Some members raised concerns about partisan balance and topic selection, while supporters emphasized the need to reach Californians who do not typically participate in hearings. The bill passed 6-0 and was placed on call. The committee also heard AB 2, a social media accountability bill for harms to children and teens, and AB 883, which would expand privacy protections and shorten data-broker deletion timelines for elected officials and judges; both drew support and opposition, were approved on committee votes, and placed on call. Later, the committee began AB 2023, a chatbot safety bill for children that would require age verification, safety audits, default protections, and limits on ads and data sharing; testimony was strongly supportive from child-safety advocates, while industry groups raised concerns about vague standards, audits, and liability.

Transcript Highlights:

• health care system.
• In almost 20 years providing direct care in the private sector, it was really the first time I'd ever
• I work with a... care despite repeated assurances that DPS is filing the EOHH secretary's directive to
• for hospital care.
• Do they need a lower level of care or a higher level of care?

Summary: The hearing focused on the future of the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children and the work of the special legislative commission studying whether and how the facility should continue. Senators and representatives said the Legislature has continued funding Pappas, that the hospital cannot be closed before the commission reports, and that they are seeking to extend the commission’s deadline. Multiple commissioners and witnesses described Pappas as a unique setting combining inpatient medical care, residential programming, special education, therapy, and campus-based activities for children with complex medical needs. Union leaders, staff, parents, and local officials argued that Pappas is being quietly depopulated through blocked admissions and continued discharges despite the formal pause on closure. They said the hospital’s integrated model cannot be replicated elsewhere, that families and staff are being left in limbo, and that the state should invest in repairs, modernization, and possibly temporary modular space to reopen admissions. Several witnesses emphasized the impact on children who have benefited from Pappas and on workers who fear losing a specialized workforce built over decades. Department of Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein said the state is committed to keeping Pappas open and stable while the commission works, but that admissions must meet hospital-level-of-care standards and the current infrastructure limits who can safely be served. He said the administration has been expanding outreach, hiring staff, and exploring ways to broaden services, including outpatient and therapy programs over time. Commissioners pressed him on why admissions remain so limited and whether the facility is being effectively depopulated, while Goldstein maintained that the restrictions reflect legal and safety requirements rather than an effort to close the hospital.

Transcript Highlights:

• the Agency for Health Care Administration to seek federal approval and update managed care and fee-for-service
• of small children at home, who don't take care of an elderly person at home, who don't take care of
• They're going to be using the emergency room for regular care.
• These work requirements experiments just lead to loss of care.
• Under tab 21, we have HB 5301 by Health Care.

Keywords: 999, senate, all