Transcript Highlights:

• And I acknowledge Stony Brook for doing their best to not be a prison or seem like a prison or look like
• And I think we need to acknowledge... ...portion of it, and I thought that was really, really, really
• And I think we need to acknowledge, right, we talk a lot about data and what we do here should be evidence-based
• The legislature added that language in acknowledgement that two to five days to meet a client who has

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held its fourth public hearing of the 2025-2026 session on bills dealing with involuntary commitment and access to addiction treatment, especially proposals to move Section 35 civil commitments away from jails and prisons and into facilities licensed or approved by DPH or DMH. Chairs Velis and Domb framed the hearing as a discussion of how to support people in crisis with compassion, while also warning against using involuntary commitment as a way to remove unhoused people from public view. The hearing also touched on related concerns about discharge practices, treatment capacity, and the need for a broader continuum of care. Testimony split largely along two themes. Addiction researcher Keith Humphreys argued that many people enter treatment under pressure, that involuntary treatment can be ethically justified in the face of overdose risk, but that it should not be mandated unless high-quality services exist first; he emphasized the need for inpatient care when someone is a grave danger, followed by case management and outpatient support. MAMH’s Kate Alicante supported the bill, saying Massachusetts is the only state that commits people with substance use conditions to jails or prisons and that carceral settings add trauma and stigma; she pointed to prior legislative steps, including the Section 35 commission and the planned closure of DOC’s MESAC facility, as evidence that the Commonwealth is moving toward health-based settings. A major portion of the hearing focused on Stony Brook, a sheriff-run stabilization and treatment center in Hampden County. Boston City Councilor John Fitzgerald, several committee members, and multiple people in recovery described the facility as humane, well-run, and effective, with longer stays, medical monitoring, medication-assisted treatment, counseling, and warm handoffs to aftercare. Several witnesses said Stony Brook saved their lives or helped family members recover, and they argued that the sheriff’s office model should be expanded rather than eliminated. Others, including family members and advocates, countered that even a well-run correctional setting remains stigmatizing and that people should not be treated in facilities run by sheriffs or corrections when they have committed no crime. No vote was taken. The hearing concluded with continued testimony, including Senator Friedman’s support for Section 35 as a civil commitment tool but not in a criminal justice setting, and her separate support for a bill to speed inpatient mental health treatment.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think everybody can acknowledge that. But I'll say a few things about, uh, Hane.
• We're talking about acknowledging children's concerns, acknowledging their experience, we're talking
• He can't find his bootstraps they're not there, and that's the choice we make if we don't acknowledge

Bills: HB2268, HB3000, HB3043, HB3066, HB3078, HB3143, HB3144, HB3244, HB3298, HB3320, HB3467, HB3321, HB3329, HB3431, HB3464, HB3499, HB3500, HB3586, HB3590, HB3650, HB3671, HB3695, HB3700, HB3701, HB3764, HB3767, HB3834, HB3931, HB3934, HB3940, HB3944, HB3979, HB3985, HB4113, HB4294, HB4302, HB4317, HB4324, HB4359, HB4426, HB4427, HB4430, HB4431, HB4434, HJR1077, SR42, SR35, HJR1023, HB1225, HB1374, HB1381, HB1590, HB1675, HB2153

Keywords: HB2268, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, OHCA, appropriation, General Revenue Fund, PACE, Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, elderly care, aging Oklahomans, long-term care, Medicaid, health care funding, provider reimbursement, rate increase, low-income seniors, senior services, integrated care, emergency measure, cosmetology, barbering

Transcript Highlights:

• We pause today to acknowledge your presence among us, within this chamber, in the halls beyond, and in
• President, I want to acknowledge that I understand that the funding that we're talking about today and
• President, I want to acknowledge that I understand that the funding that we're talking about today and
• President, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge how we got here.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• At the same time, it's important to acknowledge that policies designed for large employers can have very
• :34:37.640> it's<00:34:37.800> important<00:34:38.200> to<00:34:38.280> acknowledge
• <00:34:38.760> that time, it's important to acknowledge that time, it's important to acknowledge

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I think lastly, it would be remiss not to at least acknowledge that there are going to be voters in our
• to<00:38:48.680> not<00:38:48.920> at<00:38:49.040> least<00:38:49.359> acknowledge
• <00:38:50.600> that<00:38:50.720> there to not at least acknowledge that there to not
• at least acknowledge that there are<00:38:50.920> going<00:38:51.040> to<00:38:51.120>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• creates an exception for expunction and sealing of records, so that a person may not deny or fail to acknowledge
• Union leadership will privately acknowledge that a termination was justified, but they will still file
• We are just as essential as the next, and we are counting on you to do more than just acknowledge us.
• part for me, and I know Senator Davis would share this, the frustrating part of all this is to acknowledge

Bills: S0042, S0688, S0762, S1168, S1296, S1298, S1300, S1318, S1332, S1376, S1548, S1570, S1574, S1632, S1634, S1750

Keywords: child protection, medical records, investigation, abuse, neglect, healthcare, Child Protection Team, diagnosis, criminal defense, legal representation, death penalty, indigent defense, regional counsel, conflict of interest, background screening, athletic coaches, youth sports, criminal history, expungement, Florida statutes

Summary: The committee first took up CS for SB 42 on specific medical diagnosis and child protective investigations. A late-file strike-all amendment was adopted that made only stylistic changes to align with the House version. Supporters said the bill would help DCF and child protective teams better identify rare medical conditions and give parents a chance to defend against mistaken abuse findings. The bill was then reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 1570, which restores a prior program to help locate missing persons with special needs through voluntary tracking devices and coordination with sheriff’s offices and CARD centers, with nonrecurring funding included. Members then advanced several education, disability, and public services measures. CS for CSSB 182 created a teacher training and mentoring program for high-performing current and retired teachers to mentor teachers in D- and F-rated schools, and CS for CSSB 794 required background screening for employees in residential and day training programs for people with developmental disabilities while directing APD to study support coordination quality, workforce issues, and service gaps. Testimony on SB 794 strongly supported better training, lower caseloads, and more consistent support coordination. The committee also favorably reported CS for CS SB 1168 on background screenings, CS for CS SB 214 to allow rural special districts to pay verified invoices directly, CS for SB 1376 to create grants for genetic counseling education, and SB 1574 (Maddie’s Law) to add newborn screening for biliary atresia; the latter drew emotional support and testimony that early screening could save lives and reduce transplant costs. The committee heard and passed a number of other policy bills, including CS for CS for SB 1510, the DEP agency package, after environmental groups warned that one provision could delay basin management protections and allow more septic systems in impaired watersheds; the bill still passed favorably. Members also approved CS for CS for SB 598 on funeral and cemetery regulation, SB 688 to license naturopathic doctors, SB 1318 on scholarship account reversion rules, CS for CS for SB 682 on domestic violence injunctions and penalties, SB 130 on workforce training for current and former inmates, and SB 1548, the latest Live Local affordable housing update. Several bills were briefly postponed or taken up later in the meeting. In the latter portion of the meeting, the committee approved CS for C.S. for SB 536 on criminal gang membership criteria, CS for C.S. SB 762 on assigning conflict capital cases across regional counsel offices, SB 1332 on career offender registration requirements, CS for CS for SB 1742 creating a new offense for indecent exposure of sexual organs to a child, and CS for SB 1750 increasing penalties for serious sex offenses and child sexual abuse material crimes. The committee also debated CS for SB 1226 on Public Employee Relations Commission procedures and union certification rules, including a late-file amendment setting a 60% threshold and 25% quorum for recertification; the discussion focused heavily on constitutional concerns, union rights, and differences between first responders and other public employees. The transcript ends while that bill’s debate is still underway, with the committee having already taken numerous favorable votes throughout the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• this would aid both recruitment and retention and help personnel feel supported when the risk is acknowledged
• when<00:48:10.880> the<00:48:11.040> risk<00:48:11.280> is<00:48:11.440> acknowledged
• /c><00:48:11.920> by<00:48:12.240> the<00:48:12.480> law when the risk is acknowledged
• by the law when the risk is acknowledged by the law leading<00:48:13.920> to<00:48:14.079>

Bills: HF2358, HF3496, HF3504, HF2169, HF3440

Keywords: public safety, coercion, criminal penalties, law enforcement, victim protection, HF3496, supervision abatement, earned compliance credit, earned compliance credits, conditional release, supervised release, corrections, Minnesota Department of Corrections, restitution, willful nonpayment, probation-like supervision, release supervision, community supervision, lifetime conditional release, early termination of supervision

Transcript Highlights:

• And I do also want to acknowledge the challenge of that because it is challenging, right?
• Um, and I do also want to acknowledge<00:48:25.200> the<00:48:25.520> challenge<00:48:25.760
• > of<00:48:26.000> that acknowledge the challenge of that acknowledge the challenge of

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And acknowledgment to the Hurley family and the New Mexico Military Museum.
• The New Mexico State Senate does hereby extend its recognition and acknowledge February 11, 2026, as
• And just specific to my question, the existing law you're conceding, acknowledging the current law requires
• President, but I want to be very clear and acknowledge that we've all been hearing from our constituents

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Tahajali was here today, I don't know if he's in the audience or in the room, but I just want to acknowledge
• co-president of that Native American Chargers for Change and helped lead her school to their land acknowledgement
• The New Mexico State Senate does hereby extend its recognition and acknowledge February 6, 2026, as New
• I appreciate that acknowledgement as a mighty woman.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• While I do acknowledge the challenges relating to delays in public projects and the subsequent overruns
• First, I'd like to acknowledge all the great work that the stakeholders have been doing during the interim
• You know, acknowledging this is an incredibly personal issue for the state of Hawaiʻi and for all the
• I do also want to acknowledge that DI currently has an actuarial and legal analysis study underway.

Bills: SB2198, SB2140, SB3055, SB3090, SB3091, SB3092, SB2761

Keywords: workforce development, craftspersons, skilled trades, artisan, craftsmanship, trade recognition, award program, DLIR, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Meilleur Ouvrier de France, vocational education, career pathways, cultural preservation, workforce excellence, apprenticeship, Hawaii trades, economic diversification, public nominations, governor awards, historically significant venue

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, we acknowledge this is 24, but this is a real number, not our number.
• Again, we<01:05:11.440> acknowledge<01:05:12.000> this<01:05:12.240> is<01:05:12.480
• :13.039> but<01:05:13.280> this<01:05:13.440> is<01:05:13.520> a we acknowledge
• this is 24, but this is a we acknowledge this is 24, but this is a real<01:05:13.920> number,

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:01 Department for Public Health Budget Request 00:01:46 Department for Community Based Services Budget Request 00:31:58 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) 00:57:13, 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes, then heard a lengthy presentation from the Department for Public Health on Kentucky’s rural health transformation plan and related budget questions. Commissioner John Langfeld said the state received a $212.9 million federal award, one of the larger awards nationally, and outlined five focus areas: maternal and infant health, integrated EMS/trauma response, behavioral health and substance use disorder, oral health, and chronic disease prevention with an emphasis on obesity and diabetes. He stressed that the effort is intended to be integrated, data-driven, and sustainable, and that the federal funds cannot be used for new construction, clinician salaries, research and development, EHR replacement, or to pay for currently billable services. He also said the program carries accountability requirements and that funds can be clawed back if milestones are not met. Members pressed for clarification on duplication with other budget requests, sustainability after the five-year funding period, and how success would be measured. Langfeld said he was not aware of any duplicate funding with the department’s additional budget requests and said the rural health funds were separate from those requests. He also said the program will be tracked through specific metrics and timelines, using both execution measures and outcome measures such as readmissions, with more rapid-cycle feedback to allow course correction. Representative Fleming raised concerns about possible overlap with navigator funding and asked for more detail on the budget breakdown; Langfeld said a detailed line-item budget had been prepared but was still awaiting final CMS approval before release, and that he would explore sharing more information once restrictions were lifted. The committee then heard from the Kentucky State Public Health Laboratory about a request for a new central lab expansion. The presenter described the current 35-year-old facility as outdated and constrained by aging infrastructure, obsolete equipment, deferred maintenance, and inadequate space, and said the lab performs critical work with no in-state alternative for many services, including newborn screening, select-agent and biosafety level 3 testing, animal necropsy for rabies, genetic sequencing, environmental and food safety testing, and response to emerging infectious diseases. The project is already in design phase C, expected to finish in mid-April, with construction funding sought at roughly $276 million on top of about $35 million already approved for design. Members asked about long-term operating costs, backup arrangements, and whether the current facility would remain in use; the presenter said the current lab would continue to be used by the department while other divisions move into vacated space, and that the lab has mutual-aid agreements with the Southeast Consortium and universities for contingency support. Finally, the Department for Community Based Services began its budget presentation on SNAP and relative caregiver issues. Commissioner Lisa Dennis and budget director Misty Sammons identified the governor’s recommended budget items tied to new federal requirements under HR1, including changes affecting payment error rates. The discussion was just beginning when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to acknowledge that I speak as a minority in a majority Hispanic district, which gives me a unique
• How is it that after four years of vehemently denying in court, suddenly the state acknowledges potential
• I acknowledge the motivation.
• I acknowledge the motivation by the Trump administration to redistrict in the middle of the traditional

Summary: The Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting met virtually for its West Texas regional hearing, established a quorum, and explained that the hearing was part of a series of statewide information-gathering sessions before any map was filed. The chair outlined the Zoom procedures, the two-minute testimony limit, and the availability of written comments through the committee’s public portal. Senators also discussed the logistics and transparency of the process, including the expectation that any proposed map or amendment would be made public once filed and that additional hearings would follow. Senator Blanco, whose district includes West Texas and the border region, said the area’s communities of interest should be kept together and warned against repeating the loss of representation that followed the last redistricting cycle. Senators Alvarado, Hinojosa, Miles, and others debated the value of virtual hearings versus in-person hearings, the number of people who had testified, and whether the committee could subpoena witnesses after the regional hearings ended. The chair said he was awaiting legal guidance and would consider a subpoena motion at a formal meeting the next day. A lengthy exchange also occurred over the tone of public testimony and the chair’s view that some comments directed at Republicans and the president had been offensive or historically inaccurate. Invited witnesses and public commenters largely opposed mid-decade redistricting and argued that any new map should reflect population growth, especially among Latino and other minority communities, and comply with the Voting Rights Act. Nina Perales of MALDEF said the hearings were not meaningful without a draft map and testified that Texas has a long history of discriminatory redistricting; senators questioned her about litigation, DOJ’s July 7 letter, and the 2021 congressional map. Tania Chavez Camacho, Luis Figueroa, and several El Paso residents emphasized that maps should preserve communities of interest, avoid cracking and packing, and be transparent and participatory. A smaller number of witnesses supported redistricting, including one El Paso resident who said the current districting leaves the area underrepresented and another who argued that some communities want to return to a map closer to the earlier District 16 configuration. Several witnesses also criticized the DOJ letter as inconsistent with the state’s position that the 2021 maps were drawn race-blind, while others said the current process was too rushed and lacked sufficient public input.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, I'd like for you to recognize and acknowledge our guest, Dr. Ballum, as well.
• To acknowledge my great friend, Dr. Jesse W.
• I'd like to proudly acknowledge our three outstanding interns. And if you will stand, Michelle.
• prayer that was prayed in almost every public school in America in the 1950s: "Almighty God, we acknowledge

Bills: SB263, SB370, SB663, SB924, SB987, SB1939, SB1937, SB1598, SB2798, SB2801, SB2580, SB2569, SB2514, SB2064, SB1940, SB1621, SB2601, SB1379, SB1376, SB1372, SB1353, SB2216, SB2166, SB2148, SB535, SB777, SB827, SB1141, SB1330, SB1352, SB1664, SB1612, SB1862, SB1936, SB1453, SB1448, SB1398, SB2137, SB2111, SB53, SB226, SB1677, SB1723, SB1839, SCR8, SB31, SB33, SB3, SB1405, SB1948, SB243, SB20, SB217, SB264, SB269, SB650, SB681, SB528, SB502, SB740, SB916, SB995, SB2581, SB3031, SB24, SB2570, SB1566, SB552, SJR1, SB646, SB379, SB1171, SB1121, SB1120, SB1061, SB1036, SB1019, SB890, SB11, SB868, SB1188, SB1254, SB2778, SB2543, SB2443, SB1333, SB1259, SB1401, SB1404, SB2139, SB2165, SB2237, SB2268, SB1202, SB1198, SB1212, SB1451, SB1470, SB1498, SB965, SB1547, SB1667, SB1818, SB1902, SB2129, SB2078, SB2069, SB1737, SB1589, SB1318, SB387, SB1150, SB1574, SB2127, SB3034, SB860, SB1278, SB263, SB370, SB663, SB924, SB987, SB1939, SB1937, SB1598, SB2798, SB2801, SB2580, SB2569, SB2514, SB2064, SB1940, SB1621, SB2601, SB1379, SB1376, SB1372, SB1353, SB2216, SB2166, SB2148, SB535, SB777, SB827, SB1141, SB1330, SB1352, SB1664, SB1612, SB1862, SB1936, SB1453, SB1448, SB1398, SB2137, SB2111, SB53, SB226, SB1677, SB1723, SB1839, SCR5, SCR32, SCR8, HB3228, HB2802, HB45, HB1318, HB5560, HB2894, HB4344, HB4238, HB2775, HB34, HB33, HB 12, HB148, HB 130, HB4273, HB4850, HB2733, HB4783, SB1833

Keywords: SB 263, Texas franchise tax, cost of goods sold, COGS, broadcasters, television broadcasting, radio broadcasting, media tax, broadcast license, FCC, 47 C.F.R. Part 73, 47 C.F.R. Part 74, film production, television production, tax deduction, margin tax, Texas Tax Code, depreciation, amortization, broadcast rights

Transcript Highlights:

• So I had deviated and I put 1042 as my number, um, acknowledging that the changes they're making in that
• 00:46:48.319> that<00:46:48.800> uh<00:46:48.960> recogni<00:46:49.839> acknowledging
• <00:46:50.319> that from that uh recogni acknowledging that from that uh recogni acknowledging

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Also want to acknowledge that since the bill has been introduced, I understand many institutions have
• Also want to acknowledge that since the bill has been introduced, I understand many institutions have
• what that means absent the context of the past, because present discrimination, to me, is not acknowledging
• Chair and committee members, we acknowledge and appreciate the intent of the Majority Leader, you know

Summary: The committee hearing covered several higher education bills, with extensive testimony on student aid, affordability, and institutional debt. AB 587 would add veteran representation to the California Student Aid Commission; the author said the change would bring lived experience from the veteran community to student aid policy, and members raised a concern about keeping the commission’s membership odd-numbered, which the author said would be addressed by amendment. AB 791 would standardize cost-of-attendance housing calculations using objective data and improve notice of the adjustment process; supporters said current budgets often underestimate students’ real living costs, while UC, CSU, and independent colleges opposed or had concerns about the bill’s prescribed methodology, fiscal impact, and a 14-day turnaround for adjustments. AB 850 would create a one-term grace period for students with institutional debt to re-enroll while arranging repayment, bar reporting that debt to credit agencies, and require more transparency; proponents described students being blocked from continuing school over debts, while CSU, UC, and private-college representatives said they already use holds and payment plans and worried about added liabilities and budget pressures. AB 537 would extend the California College Promise Program to part-time community college students; supporters said most community college students attend part-time and should not be excluded from fee waivers, while the committee noted fiscal concerns but ultimately advanced the bill. AB 7 would allow universities to consider whether an applicant is a descendant of American chattel slavery in admissions as a reparative measure; supporters framed it as lineage-based reparative justice, while opponents argued it would function as a racial proxy and conflict with Proposition 209 and equal-protection principles. The committee took roll-call votes on the measures, advancing AB 587, AB 791, AB 850, and AB 537 to Appropriations, with AB 850 and AB 537 receiving fewer votes and the roll left open for additional members.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, yeah, this is acknowledging a difference in revenue for the higher fee and then appropriating that
• Um yeah, this um this is<00:20:26.960> a<00:20:27.120> acknowledging<00:20:27.760> a
• <00:20:28.080> difference<00:20:28.480> in is a acknowledging a difference in is a
• acknowledging a difference in revenue<00:20:29.679> for<00:20:29.919> the<00:20:30.080>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It fails to acknowledge that severe mental illness can profoundly impair a person's ability to understand
• I am proud to acknowledge the bipartisan support that this bill has garnered, both this session and last
• First, I want to acknowledge why this bill may seem like an attractive idea.
• This bill also strikes the right balance by acknowledging the needs of indigent defendants.

Bills: HB 1194, HB 1221, HB1738, HB1913, HB2177, HB2178, HB2180, HB2229, HB2282, HB2448, HB2492, HB2777, HB2984, HB3357, HB3553, HB3602

Keywords: emergency protection order, protective order, magistrate, criminal procedure, victim safety, family violence, domestic violence, stalking, assault, magistrate's order, temporary protection, court order duration, defendant restrictions, Article 17.292, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, emergency restraining order, victim protection, firearm restriction, pretrial intervention, reimbursement fee

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative West acknowledged the blatant conflict of interest in this bill, justify it by saying
• representative<00:14:30.079> West around it representative West around it representative West acknowledged
• the<00:14:31.120> blatant<00:14:31.600> conflict<00:14:31.959> of acknowledged
• the blatant conflict of acknowledged the blatant conflict of interest<00:14:32.399> in<00:14:

Bills: HF550

Keywords: redistricting, Bipartisan Commission, Minnesota Constitution, census, legislative districts, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So I appreciate your testimony and importance of acknowledging, you know, the mitochondrial abundance
• Jones said earlier, they don't remember, is there a way to give... them as a patient the clarity to acknowledge
• 1996, the CDC through National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health published a statement acknowledging
• organization in the U.S. that focuses on safety in the workplace has published their own guidelines acknowledging

Bills: HB5, HJR3, HB155, HB513, HB5, HB155

Keywords: dementia, research, health care, Texas Institute, grants, medical breakthroughs, oversight, prevention, funding, healthcare, Texas, autopsy, confidentiality, public records, medical examiner, law enforcement, HB 513, surgical smoke, surgical plume, smoke evacuation