Transcript Highlights:

• This is an act transferring the Office of Emergency Medical Services from the Department of Public Health
• This is an act transferring the Office of Emergency Medical Services from the Department of Public Health
• by the fire service, the Department of Fire Services with the Marshal.
• A couple of years ago, the Brockton Hospital fire department and the Department of Public Health really
• by the fire service, the Department of Fire Services with the Marshall, if you look at the state mobilization

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Summary: The hearing focused on a range of public safety bills, with especially emotional testimony on the Maggie Hubbard Rental Safety Act, which would require short-term rentals to be inspected for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and require platforms or agents to verify compliance before listing. Rep. Hadley Luddy, Sen. Julian Cyr, and the Hubbard and Waldron families described the fatal Airbnb fire that killed Shannon Hubbard and her daughter Maggie in New York, saying the deaths were preventable and that the bill would save lives. Committee members expressed sympathy and support for the families’ efforts to turn their loss into legislation. The committee also heard testimony on a proposed peace officer oath (S. 1680), described by Sen. Lydia Edwards as a binding ethical standard tied to certification and recertification, with discipline and annual reporting to promote accountability and de-escalation. Rep. Tom Walsh testified for a bill requiring hotel and motel workers to be trained to recognize human trafficking and to post hotline signage, and later testimony supported a school safety data grant program to provide first responders with standardized, up-to-date school maps for emergencies. Another major topic was a bill to allow temporary door-locking devices in public buildings; supporters said the devices are removable, do not alter fire code, and could improve lockdown response during active shooter events. Additional bills discussed included measures to transfer the Office of Emergency Medical Services to EOPSS, increase penalties for unlicensed hood-system cleaning, expand membership on the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, and strengthen confidentiality for peer support and critical incident stress debriefings. Firefighters and fire chiefs also supported a bill to tighten penalties for violations of hot-work regulations, citing the 2014 Beacon Street fire that killed Lt. Walsh and Firefighter Kennedy. Law enforcement groups backed a package including a Blue Star plate and Blue Alert system for fallen officers’ families, stronger move-over penalties, and a memorial fund, while the State Police Association supported the move-over provisions but asked for further work on the special state police officer bill before final action. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• at the Department of Human Services.
• at the Department of Human Services.
• at the Department of Human Services.
• at the Department of Human Services.
• :25.160><c> that</c><00:14:25.320><c> answer</c> of Human Services you'd have that answer of Human Services

Committees: Senate Health and Human Services , Senate Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• This is about who you deem deserving of humanity. I'm tired.
• By Human Services Subcommittee. from Read the bill a third time by title: By Human Services Subcommittee
• But because it leaves it up to the Department of Education, many of us are very scared.
• annually through the Department of Health.
• It expands the current Department of Corrections program.

Transcript Highlights:

• As the human services side of ESF-8 has kind of expanded in the past several years, we’ve worked heavily
• Um, we work with the Department of Laboratory Services and KSP and the FBI on any suspicious packages
• </c><00:07:21.199><c> services</c> you know, for for the human services you know, for for the human services
• Um as u as kind of the human services<00:08:05.599><c> side</c><00:08:06.080><c> of</c><00:08:07.039>
• Department of Health and Human Services: the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement

Summary: The committee met to adopt the minutes of the second meeting by voice vote, then heard an update focused on disaster preparedness, resiliency, response, and coordination among state agencies and partners. The chair emphasized avoiding duplication of resources and highlighted the importance of agriculture-related response issues, including animal evacuation, feed distribution, and the role of extension services during disasters. The Department for Public Health was invited to explain its role in emergency planning and response. Public Health described its Emergency Preparedness and Response Branch as the lead coordinating agency for Emergency Support Function 8, covering health and medical services under Kentucky’s emergency operations framework. Testimony outlined its broad responsibilities, including support for hospitals, morgues, local health departments, behavioral health, crisis counseling, suspicious package testing, disease outbreaks, and coordination with emergency management, EMS, transportation, and nonprofit and private partners. Officials also described the agency’s risk-assessment process, training and exercise programs, and deployed assets such as PPE caches, deployable communications, a federal medical station, a mobile treatment center, and alternate care support used in events like the eastern Kentucky floods and COVID-19. The agency also discussed funding through federal cooperative agreements for public health emergency preparedness and hospital preparedness, noting that these programs have evolved since 9/11 and have been shaped by major disasters and emerging threats. Officials said Kentucky’s funding has declined over time and that current awards are partially funded for the first time in the program’s history. They expressed support for efficiency if federal programs are consolidated, but cautioned that combining programs could risk further funding losses.

Transcript Highlights:

• c> the</c> validity of the vital Services the validity of the vital Services the agency<00:05:34.520>
• Minnesota Department of Health has grown Minnesota Department of Health has grown not<00:09:35.880><c
• ><00:38:07.839><c> sure</c><00:38:08.119><c> the</c> Department of Health we made sure the Department
• that the most basic fundamental human right is afforded to all humans regardless of age.
• After my birth, my mother sought the services of Gentilly Medical Center for women.

Committee: House Health Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:36:42.720><c> they</c> department of human services, but they department of human services, but
• c> Services</c><00:37:40.079><c> has</c> The Department of Human Services has The Department of Human
• of the work that the Department of Human Services has been doing than we did in the November forecast
• of the work that Department of Human<00:53:02.079><c> Services</c><00:53:02.720><c> has</c><00:53:03.040
• My name is Elise Bailey, and I'm the budget director at the Department of Human Services.

Summary: The Senate Rules and Administration Select Subcommittee on Federal Impacts on Minnesotans and Economic Stability met on February 20, 2026, to hear from Minnesota Management and Budget State Budget Director Anna Mingi about federal funding changes affecting the state budget. Before testimony began, Senator Rasmusson objected to a draft committee report that had been prepared in advance of the hearing, arguing it was inappropriate to summarize testimony before it occurred. The chair responded that nonpartisan staff had prepared the draft from Mingi’s submitted presentation and could revise it after the hearing if needed. Director Mingi explained that federal dollars make up more than one-third of state spending and support about 650 federal awards totaling over $23 billion this year, with more than $15 billion supporting state entitlement programs. She said the federal funding environment had changed significantly since January 2025 through executive orders, pauses, terminations, new grant conditions, delayed awards, and the July 2025 passage of H.R. 1, the federal reconciliation bill. Her main focus was H.R. 1’s effects on health care and food assistance, including work requirements for some adults, changes to eligibility for legal non-citizens, limits on retroactive Medicaid coverage and directed payments, new limits on provider taxes, and SNAP changes that shift some benefit and administrative costs to the state and counties. She estimated H.R. 1 would reduce federal funds to state-administered programs by about $327 million in the current biennium and $1.6 billion in the next, with additional costs to hospitals, counties, and other partners beyond the budget horizon. Members asked follow-up questions about whether the estimates were relative to the forecast and whether federal Medicaid funding would still rise over time. Mingi said the estimates were based on the November forecast baseline and that Medicaid federal dollars would likely continue growing overall, though the law still creates significant losses relative to prior projections. Senator Rasmusson emphasized that point in remarks to the committee. The discussion then shifted to federal grant pauses and cancellations: MMB’s tracker showed about six awards on hold totaling roughly $491 million, 13 confirmed cancellations across areas including clean energy, education, food assistance, and public health, and additional threatened or litigated cuts not included in those totals. Mingi identified two canceled violence-prevention-related grants, including a FEMA public safety grant and a justice reinvestment grant, and noted that CDC had recently moved to cancel or seek cancellation of several Minnesota public health grants, including a $65 million public health infrastructure award.

Transcript Highlights:

• which we will discuss today with the Department of Health and Human Services on this House Bill 1750
• The title of which is making a supplemental appropriation to the Department of Health and Human Services
• with the Department of Health and<00:11:11.519><c> Human</c><00:11:11.760><c> Services.
• The title is relative to the funding of the SNAP program by the Department of Health and Human Services
• the Department of Health and Human Services.

Summary: The work session was limited to House Bill 1750, a supplemental appropriation for the Department of Health and Human Services’ SNAP administration. Before testimony, Representative Terski distributed a written statement from Representative Priest for the record. Department officials Karen Heert and Nathan White then walked the committee through a chart showing SNAP participation, federal benefit dollars, and state administrative costs, emphasizing that the benefits themselves do not flow through the state budget. They explained that the reported administrative cost includes overhead and cost-allocation methods used to maximize federal reimbursement, and that the current participant count is about 75,000 with the trend steady in recent years. Members questioned whether the reported costs were stable, how much of the administrative expense was directly tied to SNAP, and whether reducing overhead would lower the need for the appropriation. The department said the cost per participant and per dollar distributed would be lower if SNAP were isolated, but that the broader allocation system also supports federal claiming across multiple programs. Officials said SNAP eligibility is redetermined every six months, that the department processes nearly 50 eligibility programs with about 250 field staff, roughly 70 unfunded positions, and a vacancy rate around 25%. They also said most errors in the program are unintentional and can come from either staff or participant mistakes, and that the department reviews errors to identify systemic fixes. The committee discussed the fiscal impact of the bill and related budget issues. DHHS said the current adjusted authorization for 2026 is about $31 million, but actual spending is expected to be closer to $25–26 million because of vacancies and unfilled positions. Members asked whether the $4.4 million shortfall identified in the fiscal note would come from the rainy day fund; staff said it would not be taken directly from that fund, but would reduce the amount available to flow into it at the end of the biennium. The committee also reviewed Senate Bill 603 FN, which was described as an alternative approach that would require DHHS to transfer funds within its existing budget rather than provide new money; officials said it would simply codify an option the department already has. No vote or final action on House Bill 1750 was taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• States Department of Homeland Security to provide guidance...
• President Trump's executive order directed the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to...
• President Trump's executive order directed the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to enter
• justice, mercy, and the sanctity of human life, not to mention the constitutionality of it.
• of Children and Families, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Department of Juvenile Justice.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for the Parkland shooting victims, the Pledge of Allegiance, and adoption of the special order report for the day. The chamber then moved into a special-order agenda focused almost entirely on immigration-related measures, beginning with Senate Memorial 6C urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide guidance and training for 287(g) agreements. The memorial was adopted 85-27 after brief debate, with supporters arguing Florida should help maximize federal immigration enforcement and opponents saying Congress, not the state, should fix immigration policy. The House next took up Senate Bill 4C, an immigration bill creating new state offenses for illegal entry and reentry by adult unauthorized aliens and requiring a mandatory death sentence for an unauthorized alien convicted of a capital felony. Members debated constitutional concerns, due process, racial profiling, fiscal impacts, and whether the bill intruded on federal immigration authority. Several amendments were offered and defeated, including proposals to extend protections to Venezuelans with TPS, to remove the mandatory death penalty, to protect certain long-term immigrant workers and teachers, to expand exemptions for Haitians and humanitarian parole recipients, and to create a task force on best practices for immigration enforcement in schools and other sensitive locations. A final amendment to strip the bill as unconstitutional was also rejected. The bill then passed 85-29. The final measure discussed was Senate Bill 2C, which creates a State Board of Immigration Enforcement led by the Governor and Cabinet, establishes grants and incentive bonuses for local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, repeals the fee waiver for undocumented students beginning July 1, 2025, and appropriates more than $300 million for immigration enforcement. The sponsor described it as a broad enforcement package, while questions from members focused on the impact on current students who receive in-state tuition and whether the bill would remove incentives for those already enrolled. The transcript ends during that exchange, before final action on SB 2C is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• July 1, 2025, to the Department of Human Services.
• July 1, 2025, to the Department of Human Services.
• July 1, 2025, to the Department of Human Services.
• We did a couple of events specifically to help the Department of Health, Department of Human Services
• of Health vacancies, Department of Human Services vacancies, as well as Department of Corrections and

Transcript Highlights:

• Refer to the Committee on Human Services. 8B646. 6.5 ISU relating to the use of an unmanned aircraft
• the committee on human services.
• Services. and the post-removal assessments are for the Human Services. of criminal offenses concerning
• Refer to the Committee on Human Services.
• referred to committee on human services.

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><01:54:52.719><c> Services</c> Department of Health and Human Services Department of Health and Human
• </c> Department of Health and Human Services. Department of Health and Human Services.
• ><c> Human</c><02:26:27.680><c> Services</c> Department of Health and Human Services Department of Health
• ><04:20:02.399><c> Human</c> Department of Health and Ser Human Department of Health and Ser Human Services
• /c><04:33:47.600><c> Services</c> Department of Health and Human Services Department of Health and Human

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• This sort of model minority characterization not only flattens the full scope of immigrant humanity,
• I would say, you know, reducing the bloated budgets of sheriff's departments and the Department of Corrections
• is to kind of see comparatively how this works within the Department of Corrections versus Plymouth
• is to kind of see comparatively how this works within the Department of Corrections versus Plymouth
• An employee of the Department of Corrections calls and says this person is about to be released, and

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on responding to federal immigration enforcement in Massachusetts, with opening remarks from Sen. Liz Miranda and Rep. Bud Williams emphasizing fear in immigrant communities, recent ICE operations, and the need to learn from advocates and affected residents rather than debate individual bills. The hearing was organized around three topics: detention, arrests, and surveillance, with members repeatedly asking what the legislature can do to improve transparency, legal access, and oversight. On detention, Leah Hastings of Prisoners’ Legal Services said most people end up in ICE custody through contact with the criminal legal system and argued that state carceral systems are deeply intertwined with immigration enforcement. She described conditions at Plymouth County House of Correction and Burlington ICE holding as concerning, citing limited medical care, disability accommodations, solitary confinement, retaliatory transfers, and poor attorney access. Hastings said Massachusetts should reduce funding for sheriffs and the Department of Corrections, ban intergovernmental service agreements and 287(g) agreements, and invest instead in housing, treatment, and other community supports. Members also discussed ICE reimbursement, the immigrant legal defense fund, and the need for more immigration attorneys. On arrests and enforcement tactics, David Albright of JALSA said federal immigration enforcement has been expanded by major new funding and incentives, including higher payments for 287(g) and bed contracts, and he noted that most ICE detainees nationally do not have criminal records. He said Massachusetts has one 287(g) agreement with the Department of Corrections and one IGSA with Plymouth County, and that ICE also uses Burlington, Hanscom, and informal local collaboration in places such as Milford and Auburn. Danny Tampona of Neighbor to Neighbor and the LUCE Rapid Response Network described more than 10,000 hotline calls from 46 cities and towns, with arrests often involving masked agents, surveillance of workers and families, traffic stops, broken windows, and arrests at check-ins or schools; he said the network is concentrated in places including Everett, Chelsea, Lynn, New Bedford, Milford, Marlboro, Framingham, and Springfield. He urged legislation requiring clear identification for law enforcement, limits on surveillance technologies, and stronger legal defense resources. On surveillance, Joshua Dancoff of Citizens for Juvenile Justice argued that current state policies allow broad sharing of fingerprints and surveillance data with ICE, including through BRIC, the Massachusetts Fusion Center, and municipal police policies. He cited cases in Chelsea and Everett where children were taken from police custody into ICE custody and said many departments automatically share arrest fingerprints and other information with federal authorities. He recommended limiting fingerprint sharing, restricting surveillance databases and task-force participation, and curbing police and sheriff collaboration with ICE even where no formal 287(g) exists. Members and witnesses also discussed the need for more immigration lawyers, possible bar advocate-style funding for immigration defense, and legislative action to prevent further collaboration and deportation infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• a percent sales tax, eliminating seven health and human services staff positions, cutting 50% of transit
• services</c><00:37:53.839><c> steering</c> creates the human services steering creates the human services
• The Department of Human Services testified in the past that they are operating at around 2 to 3% of the
• spending in human services is attributable to the growing need of human services for people.
• attributable to the growing need of human<01:32:20.960><c> of</c><01:32:21.360><c> services</c><01:32

Bills: HF4421 , HF1937 , HF4675 , HF4715 , HF4684

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• the importance of ensuring that AI doesn't replace that human contact, that human relationship.
• Kayam Jackson, on behalf of the Orange County Department of Education, in support.
• And 30 hours verified after a year of service is too little, too late. ...verified after a year of service
• Kayam Jackson, on behalf of the Orange County Department of Education, in support.
• Districts required to participate by the California Department of Education because of low rates of inclusion

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• The Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
• The Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
• The Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
• The Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
• The Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

Summary: The Senate Judiciary Committee met with a quorum and heard three bills. Senate Bill 26, sponsored by Chair Storm, would protect parents and prospective parents with disabilities by barring disability alone from being the sole basis for denying an adoption petition or terminating parental rights. Testimony from Judge Marcus Vanover and Crystal Adams described the bill as a product of the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health and its work groups, cited Kentucky and national cases and federal ADA guidance, and said the bill would require consideration of supportive services, clearer documentation, retention of records, and conforming language changes. Senator Carroll asked how the bill would apply to a hypothetical adult child with special needs; witnesses said the bill is aimed at adoption and termination proceedings where the Cabinet is already involved, not proactive service requests. The committee approved SB 26 by a unanimous 7-0 vote and sent it to the floor with favorable expression. The committee next considered Senate Bill 64, also sponsored by Chair Storm, which would expand the definition of key infrastructure assets to include telecommunications services such as telephone lines and broadband and make damaging, tampering with, or rendering those services inoperable a Class D felony. Representatives from Charter/Spectrum and AT&T testified that copper theft and vandalism have increasingly damaged fiber and other facilities, citing more than 20 incidents in Kentucky in 2024 affecting over 30,000 customers and diverting resources from broadband expansion. The committee adopted a committee substitute and then passed SB 64 by a 7-0 vote with favorable expression. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 73, sponsored by Senator Julie Adams, which would create a felony offense for sexual extortion, allow victims or their representatives to bring civil actions, include the offense in Kentucky’s sex-crime definitions, and require school-based notification and education efforts along with resource information for students. Senator Adams and witness Lady T. Thompson described sextortion as a fast-growing online crime targeting minors, often through social media, gaming, and messaging apps, and argued that stronger penalties and prevention efforts are needed. The transcript cuts off before any committee action on SB 73.

Transcript Highlights:

• Paula Stone, Director, Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Department of Human Services.
• And Elizabeth Pittman, Director for Division of Medical Services, Department of Human Services.
• Service across the state, particularly in that area of the state.
• The next rule is to allow the Department of Human Services to participate in the cell and gene therapy
• The next rule is to allow the Department of Human Services to participate in the cell and gene therapy

Summary: The committee met with prayer and approved the January 7 meeting minutes. It then reviewed several Department of Human Services rules. One rule would allow rehabilitative hospitals to open psychiatric units and receive Medicaid reimbursement for psychiatric acute services, addressing a service gap in places such as Jefferson County. Another would let DHS participate in a CMS cell and gene therapy model to support value-based payment agreements for treating sickle cell disorder with CGT therapy. A third DHS rule would exempt the state from the CMS recovery audit contractor requirement. DHS explained that recovery audit contractors typically work on contingency to identify fraud, waste, abuse, or overpayments, but Arkansas law prevents contingency arrangements, so the state relies instead on internal retrospective reviews, a payment integrity office, the Office of Medicaid Inspector General, and the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Members asked for clarification on how those audits work, and DHS described the existing oversight layers. During new business, Representative Pilkington asked about a reported increase in uninsured individuals in a quarterly postpartum report, but DHS said it was not prepared to answer and would follow up offline. Representative Johnson also asked about a handout related to program integrity and Arkansas Medicaid. With no further business, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Como Electric Cooperative, following 12 years of service.
• You need to look at a service map of the state of Missouri.
• Murder is the intentional killing of another human being.
• The intrinsic value of human beings of all abilities is key to the American identity. ...human beings
• The intrinsic value of human beings of all abilities is key to the American identity. human beings of

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the prior day’s journal, and a long series of special guest introductions recognizing interns, community leaders, FFA officers, library advocates, park and recreation professionals, and others. Members also used points of personal privilege to honor Black History Month and the legacy of William Clay Sr. The chamber then moved into first reading of several bills, including measures on University of Missouri curators, personal property assessment lists, and state department spending. The main floor action centered on House Bill 1757, which would require universal screening of third-graders for gifted education using flexible screening methods and would help ensure students who qualify are identified regardless of zip code or family resources. Supporters argued the bill would close gaps in gifted identification and expand access, while questions focused on funding, screening methods, and whether the bill would create an unfunded mandate. The House adopted the committee substitute and ordered the bill perfected and printed. Members then debated the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, presented as House Committee Substitute for House Bills 1667 and 2294. Supporters said the bill would require medical care for infants who survive an abortion attempt and impose civil and criminal penalties for knowingly harming such a child. Opponents argued the bill was duplicative of existing law, could criminalize medical providers, and would worsen Missouri’s maternal care shortages. The debate included extended questioning about the bill’s standards, scope, and enforcement, but no final vote on the born-alive measure was taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're getting worse services and a higher cost of living.
• Number one, we've been guided by three priorities, especially in terms of human services. ...guided by
• three priorities, especially in terms of human services budget subcommittee.
• And yes, we're proud of that because we'll stand on the side of humanity any day.
• And let's now focus on human services.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, as always, the rollout from the Department of Human Services was nothing short of a disaster
• When the Department of Human Services sanctions a provider, there's a right to an appeal.
• 00:56:21.520><c> sanctions</c><00:56:21.920><c> a</c> Department of Human Services sanctions a Department
• </c><00:59:06.640><c> the</c> department of human services and the department of human services and the
• :11.199><c> permanently</c> of Human Services ability to permanently of Human Services ability to permanently

Bills: HF3797 , HF3780 , HF4068 , HF3935

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• So, in the area of health care and human services, we are providing additional funding for the designated
• area of health care and human in the area of health care and human services,<00:05:57.080><c> we</c><
• of Day, Elderly, and Disability Services.
• of Day, Elderly, and Disability Services.
• of Day, Elderly, and Disability Services.