Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:13:35.279><c> of</c> and um we do defer to the department of and um we do defer to the department
• And as of regulate these ecigarettes.
• And first up, we have the Department of Taxation.
• </c><02:10:13.280><c> Department</c><02:10:13.679><c> of</c> And first up, we have Department of And
• Department</c><02:20:34.560><c> of</c> heard from the AG and from Department of heard from the AG and

Summary: The joint hearing opened with House Bill 1969, which would provide state funding for colorectal cancer screenings for uninsured and underinsured residents. The Department of Human Services said it supports the goal of early screening but would need new administrative capacity, including a program manager and claim pre-screening, to run the program. The Department of Health supported the measure and cited low screening rates in Hawaii, noting an educational campaign to encourage screening. The Insurance Division raised concerns about reliance on federal FAQs, warning that guidance can change and may create state cost exposure. Supporters including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the Hawaii Medical Association argued the bill would close a preventive-care gap, reduce late-stage diagnoses, and save long-term costs; the committee also discussed implementation costs, estimated by DHS at roughly $1.4 million to $2 million annually plus administrative expenses, and a 6-month to 1-year timeline to establish the program. The committee then took up House Bill 1965, which would require health carriers to spend at least 6% of total medical expenditures on primary care providers. The Insurance Division said several provisions raise technical and legal concerns, including the premium freeze, the medical loss ratio language, the lack of an existing external review process for downcoding claims, and a new mandate for medically necessary inter-island transportation that could trigger an ACA defrayal. The Department of Human Services supported the intent but suggested broader language to include primary care supports and services, and noted that QUEST integration plans already invested at least 9% of total medical expenditures in primary care in 2024, with additional spending on supports and low-value care reductions. State health planning officials strongly supported the bill as an investment in primary care, saying it could improve outcomes and lower long-term costs, though they acknowledged a possible temporary premium increase during the transition. Testimony in support emphasized Hawaii’s physician shortage, especially on Maui, the Big Island, and other neighbor islands, and warned that clinics are under financial strain and may close without higher primary care reimbursement. The Hawaii Healthcare Task Force, AARP Hawaii, and other supporters said the bill would help retain providers, improve access for Medicare and Medicaid patients, and prevent downstream costs from emergency room use and avoidable hospitalizations. No votes or final committee action were taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lacey Kirchner, Counsel for the Department of Labor and Licensing.
• Ralph Hudson, Department of Labor and Licensing Division of Labor Director.
• And I'm Dan Parker, the Chief Legal Counsel, Department of Labor and Licensing.
• Council of the Department of Labor and Licensing.
• the Department of Labor and Licensing.

Committee: All ALC-ADMINISTRATIVE RULES

Summary: The Administrative Rules Subcommittee reviewed a long agenda of agency rules, with most items approved without objection after brief presentations and no public comment. Early items included Department of Energy and Environment rules on landfill post-closure trust fund spending thresholds and liquefied petroleum gas standards, DFA’s electronic odometer disclosure rule, and several Department of Health rules covering ionizing radiation, mobile home and RV parks, lead-based paint, counseling board revisions, hearing instrument dispensers, athletic training, dental examiners, nursing, pharmacy, medical board, speech-language pathology and audiology, radiologic technology, massage therapy, community health workers, doula certification, and cosmetology/body art. Most of these changes were described as updates to match recent acts, federal standards, compact participation, fee adjustments, or cleanup/clarification, and the committee repeatedly approved them without objection. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the Arkansas State Board of Nursing’s broad set of rule changes implementing multiple 2025 acts. Those changes included creating a dialysis patient care technician registry, updating contact information requirements, expanding APRN authority to delegate certain tasks, clarifying death certificate and pronouncement authority, allowing substitution of therapeutically equivalent medications, permitting purchase of compounded products, and updating certified medication assistant rules and training standards. Members asked detailed questions about the meaning of therapeutically equivalent substitutions, delegation limits, compounded products, and how often medication lists would be updated; the board said it would review rules annually and use future rulemaking as needed. The committee also approved new nursing rules for declaratory orders and the new dialysis registry. The Department of Education’s rules drew the most discussion, especially the Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom Account Program. The department said the revisions, based on Act 920 of 2025, were intended to add guardrails, clarify eligible expenses, and streamline approvals. Changes included defining core educational expenses, limiting sports-related spending, adding an intentional misuse standard, restricting certain technology purchases and requiring extra justification over $1,000, capping carryover funds at $8,500, and creating a reconsideration process for denied expenses. Members raised concerns about oversight, appeal timelines, sports equipment, provider credentialing, and whether the rules were too restrictive; department officials said the rules were meant to protect taxpayer funds while preserving flexibility, and they noted the program had received extensive public comment. The committee also approved Education rules for scholarships, residency classification, teacher programs, accelerated learning, and graduate medical education, as well as Labor and Licensing rules on wage and hour standards, boiler rules, motor vehicle commission requirements, professional wrestling regulation, appraiser qualifications, and military recruiting incentives.

Transcript Highlights:

• And one of the community members came up to me afterwards and shared some photos of a few advertised
• And one of the community members came up to me afterwards and shared some photos of a few advertised
• And one of the community members came up to me afterwards and shared some photos of a few advertised
• This change reflects the seriousness of operating without a license and aligns massage therapy enforcement
• ><c> therapy</c> license and aligns massage therapy license and aligns massage therapy enforcement<00

Committee: Senate State & Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• And I make light of it, Mr.
• She serves as the Secretary of the Department of Health, and she's sitting on your right.
• We appreciate the opportunity to speak and for the Department of Health to provide us with concrete and
• to ECCD and licensed child care and licensed early childhood programs.
• I know some of the other departments gave responses for version two, and this is the only thing that

Committee: Senate Senate Health & Public Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:04:40.800><c> the</c> And I don't know about all of you on the And I don't know about all of you
• </c> licensed peace officers in the state of licensed peace officers in the state of Minnesota.<00:10
• And of all of those responsibilities that peace officers hold in the state of Minnesota and all the roles
• </c> arrest of federal agents by local and arrest of federal agents by local and state<00:16:00.720><
• term of great concern and the right as a term of great concern and I<00:36:06.400><c> think</c><00:36

Transcript Highlights:

• Has the Department of Labor looked at that and said you can separate them by location? Oh, I see.
• 00:38:40.079><c> of</c> by trustees, and by the Department of by trustees, and by the Department of Justice
• Armagan, director of liquor enforcement and<01:10:26.159><c> licensing.
• The Department of Health and Human Services, represented by Colleen Smith and Erica Davis.
• We have a government of laws, and the state and these communities have the authority to regulate what

Committee: Senate Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• They currently already operate off of a grant, and they work at the intersection of immigration and work
• And these self-audits allow them to identify some of their areas of need and then request support.
• So there probably will be more work with the IEP and the creation of it, and then making of the forms
• and all of that.
• and screening of educational offerings.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, Assembly Bill 2406 requires the Department of Environmental Protection to regulate scrap
• the regulation of certain real estate. education requirements for real estate licensees and the regulation
• what's happening at the federal level, the weaponization of the Department of Health and Human Services
• what's happening at the federal level, the weaponization of the Department of Health and Human Services
• , the weaponization of conservative state governments, again. ...of the Department of Health and Human

Transcript Highlights:

• So the implications and the call for action has a lot to do with how... ...how the Department of Health
• We have gone through all of the questions that were answered by Department of Health Services and Access
• We have gone through all of the questions that were answered by Department of Health Services and access
• The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and Arizona Department of Health Services.
• I called up the head of licensing at the Department of Health, and he said to me that they weren't scared

Committees: Senate Health and Human Services , Senate Senate Health and Human Services COR

Transcript Highlights:

• It's outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations, and that process started back in 2017.
• much of this definitional change, but the code of federal regulations and that code of federal regulations
• Department of Agriculture's food licensing framework.
• Department of Agriculture's food licensing framework.
• cost</c><01:19:46.280><c> of</c> of uncertainty and the cost of of uncertainty and the cost of everything

Bills: HF2446 , HF2878 , HF2667 , HF1795 , HF2683 , HF2916

Committee: House Agriculture Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• and reintegration of veterans.
• or permit, and allows for the suspension of a license for one verified violation of the building code
• and won't have a bunch of more things put onto it between now and the end of the Senate.
• The end of the Senate, and I obviously take them at their word, and yeah. Any further discussion?
• providers and may adopt rules, policies, and procedures to carry out the purposes of the program.

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:

• of the work that the department is very involved in and leading on, and that's essential to all of us
• The governor said, well, we have the Department of Health Office of Injury and Violence Prevention.
• out of the Department of Health and the number of people served.
• And, yeah, our workforce is the largest and happiest that's been in the history of the department.
• So really proud of that, and I know many of you... ...happiest it's been in the history of the department

Summary: The committee first recognized Mark Roper of the Economic Development Department for his long service and retirement, with members and the secretary praising his work on economic development across the state. Secretary Rob Black then presented EDD’s budget and special appropriation requests, describing strong recent job and income growth and outlining the department’s strategy around science and technology, site readiness, workforce development, foreign direct investment, and rural/community programs. He highlighted wins in advanced energy, quantum, space and defense, and biosciences, and asked for funding for quantum/DARPA matching funds, additional site readiness work, LIDA closing funds, JTIP training support, New Mexico Partnership, and healthy foods and other community programs. Members asked detailed questions about the quantum proposal, site readiness, the new mapping tool for industrial sites, workforce participation, trade missions, foreign investment, tariffs, water and produced water, tribal site evaluation, and public engagement on major projects. Black said the quantum request was intended to match federal dollars and build a workforce pipeline, that the site-readiness software would be a set enterprise license, and that the department was working with tribes and local partners on future site evaluations. He also said tariffs have created uncertainty but New Mexico’s infrastructure and foreign trade zones could help attract manufacturing, and he acknowledged concerns about transparency and community input while noting that some projects, such as Pacific Fusion, had gone through extensive public processes. The committee also discussed specific projects and funding balances, including Mantis Space’s move to Albuquerque, the status of Virgin Galactic’s spaceport lease, and the current LIDA fund balance and encumbrances. Black and Deputy Secretary Isaac Romero said the department was trying to use State Investment Council-backed venture funds to attract companies and that the new investments were already producing deals and jobs. Members generally supported the department’s direction but pressed for more targeted expertise, faster deployment, and stronger community involvement in future economic development decisions. Later, Secretary de Blassie of the Department of Health presented the department’s budget request and progress report. He said DOH had improved revenue cycle management, reduced old Medicaid-pending cases, increased census at facilities, improved budget and contract timeliness, and responded effectively to the measles outbreak. The department requested additional base funding for epidemiology and response, the DOH helpline, the Vital Records Virtual Vault, state labs, and the veterans home, along with special requests for respiratory vaccinations and marketing and lab equipment replacement. He also noted progress on MOUD and the medical psilocybin program, and said the department was not seeking to launch new programs given the limited time left in the administration.

Transcript Highlights:

• be accountable and not allowed to operate outside the umbrella of the VA and its rules and regulations
• be accountable to and not allowed to play outside the umbrella of the VA, And the rules and regulation
• Allowed to operate outside the umbrella of the VA and the rules and regulations and the protections that
• My name is Jim Zener, and I am the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veteran
• On behalf of the Department of California DAV and the 71,000 life members in the state of California

Committee: House Judiciary

Summary: The committee heard several bills, beginning with SB 29, which would extend a sunset on California’s survival-action pain and suffering remedy and require additional reporting on settlements and cases. Senator Laird and supporters, including a family member describing a medical malpractice death and labor/building trades representatives, argued the bill protects victims whose claims would otherwise die with them and that there has been no demonstrated increase in malpractice rates. Opponents from the health care, hospital, and business sectors said the measure would increase costs, create a third category of damages, and could harm access to care, especially for clinics and rural providers. After extensive discussion about the sunset and data collection, the committee passed SB 29 to Appropriations on a divided vote. The committee then approved SB 294, which requires employers to notify workers about rights if they are arrested or detained and directs the Labor Commissioner to create an annual notice template. Supporters said the bill is needed because workers often do not know their rights amid weakened federal enforcement and workplace intimidation; there was no opposition on file after amendments removed prior concerns. SB 697, which updates stream adjudication procedures to allow the State Water Board to use modern technology instead of requiring in-person field investigations, also passed without opposition after stakeholders worked out concerns. Later, the committee took up SB 37 on attorney advertising, which would strengthen rules against misleading ads and allow consumer lawsuits. Consumer attorneys and supporters said the State Bar’s current enforcement is too weak, while joint-advertising businesses said they support the goal but want amendments to protect their model. The bill passed to Appropriations as negotiations continue. SB 645, dealing with peremptory challenges in civil cases and extending anti-bias procedures to certain discrimination-related matters, also advanced after supporters described it as a compromise and opponents said they were still working toward agreement. SB 303, narrowing protections for bias-mitigation trainings so good-faith admissions in those trainings are not treated as FEHA discrimination, passed after several groups moved to neutral. SB 464, requiring specified state workers to be included in annual pay-data reporting to better track racial pay gaps and promotion disparities, was presented as a reparations-related transparency measure and was heard with support from civil rights advocates.

Transcript Highlights:

• , as many of you are, and navigating the financials and economy of the state.
• to Regulation and Licensing, the FID Division, to obtain a license.
• they are licensed or cease operations under the new rules and regulations.
• This second piece of these models and these proposed regulations is really important.
• and, with proper regulation, have a role to play in the landscape of financial products and services

Committee: House House Commerce & Economic Development Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• So the Department of Pesticide Regulation, the very agency charged with protecting human health and the
• That success is built on a unique partnership between the Department of Pesticide Regulation, DPR, and
• regulations of the state laws and regulations.
• to and elected officials to hold California Department of Pesticide Regulation accountable for making
• That experience has created extreme distrust of the Department of Pesticide Regulation, and it tells

Transcript Highlights:

• c> and</c> amount of deductible and DME and amount of deductible and DME and prosthetics<00:12:06.640
• </c> and work on it and took a lot of input. and work on it and took a lot of input.
• is going to do is offer up the department other ways of variation of this. >> And is Adam here?
• </c><01:55:14.760><c> of</c> department other ways of variation of department other ways of variation
• </c> department has the ability to regulate department has the ability to regulate and<01:55:55.760><

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Ryan Kelly and I'm a senior traffic engineer in the Public Works Department of the City of
• My name is Ryan Kelly and I'm a senior traffic engineer in the Public Works Department of the City of
• law prohibiting the sharing of license plate data with federal and out-of-state agencies.
• And in March, the state of Washington signed legislation to regulate ALPR use and retain LPR data for
• agencies must improve their policies, procedures, and monitoring for the use and retention of license

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

Transcript Highlights:

• It clarifies that the Department of Public Safety may provide access to state and national criminal history
• I'm testifying on behalf of myself as an attorney licensed to practice in the state of Texas and on behalf
• because those regulations will fall on us to enforce, and each one of you you in your jurisdictions have
• and not regulated.
• The bill removes the Department of Banking and replaces it with the Office of Consumer Protection Commission

Bills: HB 12 , HB149 , SB229 , SB1361 , SB1749 , SB1897 , SB2113 , SB2566 , SB2677 , SB1652 , SB2327 , SB2344 , SB2696 , HB12 , HB149

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• aligned with the Department of Education's Florida Civics and Debate Initiative.
• of the department.
• of the department. grant uh it to clarify the duties and responsibilities of the department.
• of AHCA's rules becoming effective rather than at the time of the ALF's license renewal, and clarifies
• of the Department of Legal Affairs to conduct a comprehensive review of anti-Semitism. ...of the Department

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Summary: The Committee on Fiscal Policy considered a long agenda of bills covering education, health, criminal justice, aging services, labor, and commemorative measures. Among the measures reported favorably were CS/SB 1062 creating Florida Speech and Debate Week and the Florida Debate Initiative; CS/SB 196 and CS/SB 864 establishing and protecting a Uterine Fibroid Research Database; CS/SB 432, as amended, adding restrictions on xylazine and nitrous oxide sales; CS/SB 1630 modernizing aging and disability services and guardianship oversight; SB 1112 on labor pool placement fees and registration; CS/SB 524 revising FDLE and medical examiner provisions; CS/SB 530 updating lottery operations; CS/SB 646 narrowing drug paraphernalia testing equipment exemptions to fentanyl, analogs, and xylazine; SB 676 strengthening animal cruelty penalties and the animal abuser database; CS/SB 1180 creating a recall process for community development district board members; CS/SB 800 increasing penalties for unlicensed engineering practice; CS/SB 1404 creating a memory care specialty license for assisted living facilities; SB 1072 creating an anti-Semitism task force; and CS/SB 1684 and CS/SB 1686 establishing and exempting records for a Parkinson’s Disease Registry. The committee also took up several high-profile commemorative bills. CS/SB 194, designating October 14 as Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance, drew extensive public testimony both for and against, with supporters emphasizing civic engagement and free speech and opponents criticizing Kirk’s rhetoric and the appropriateness of a state honor. The bill was reported favorably after a recorded vote. SB 174, designating Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue in Miami-Dade County, also drew significant opposition testimony on similar grounds and was reported favorably. A late-file amendment to a related remembrance measure was withdrawn after discussion. Other bills, including the speech and debate, fibroid research, aging services, labor pool, animal cruelty, engineering, memory care, anti-Semitism, and Parkinson’s registry measures, were generally supported by agency, advocacy, or stakeholder testimony and advanced without major opposition. Several bills were amended before passage, including substitute or delete-all amendments on SB 432, SB 524, SB 646, SB 676, SB 1180, SB 800, and SB 1404. The committee repeatedly adopted amendments by voice vote and then reported the bills favorably by recorded roll call. The meeting ended with members requesting to be recorded on specific bills, followed by adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Executive Departments and Administration Committee asks for your support for the motion of ought
• /c><00:53:01.960><c> Services</c> Department of Health and Human Services Department of Health and Human
• Thank you, Madam President. license and they'll have a list and license and they'll have a list and they'll
• of that and less need to encourage more of that and less of<01:03:36.799><c> the</c><01:03:36.960><c
• and</c> driver's licenses of duly trained and driver's licenses of duly trained and insured<01:07:43.119