Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Liz Kulder Kumar, and I am a board-certified behavior analyst and serve on the board of directors
• home health aides.
• What it does specifically is modernize the certification process for certified nurse assistants and home
• homes and health agencies without compromising safety.
• roles such as certified nursing assistants and home health aides are not afforded the same protections

Committee: House Health

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, we are also requesting other workforce related areas in a workforce education center.
• Celebrating 50 years of service, our School of Nursing is among the top five largest nursing programs
• Care Nurse Training Pathway.
• Board of Regents.
• by the Texas Coordinating Board.

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Article III

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• WERE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN CHANGING POLICY ON THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD AND WE CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY
• OF THE FORMULA USED FOR THE LETTER GRADES OF THE LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS AND WE CONTINUE
• THROUGH OUR NETWORK OF 21 LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS AND MORE THAN 100 CAREER CENTERS ACROSS
• FOR EXAMPLE TO BRING IT HOME IF THE BOARD IS FOUND THROUGH COMPLIANCE NOT ENTERING TO HAVE DISALLOWED
• THE FIRST IS CAREER SOURCE SOUTH FLORIDA WHICH IS OUR LARGEST LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm very happy to be here to present SB 1185, which applies skilled and trained workforce standards to
• Existing law prescribes skilled and trained workforce standards on a variety of high-risk public...
• Existing law prescribes skilled and trained workforce standards on a variety of high-risk public and
• Finally, we reject the idea that a strong workforce and those standards make California less competitive
• Safety standards at a higher level through apprenticeships, through the skilled and trained workforce

Committee: House Labor and Employment

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill expands the scope of the Linking Industry to Nursing Education Fund to address workforce shortages
• We have some nurses from the Florida Nurses Association.
• Nurses Association, as well as Sandra Falk, a retired operating room nurse.
• We have some nurses from the Florida Nurses Association.
• The Florida Nurses Association is a voice for over 440,000 nurses in each of our districts. 440,000 nurses

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm sorry, I'm a nurse.
• I have been a nurse for 25 years.
• And many of our residents cannot afford to buy a home.
• Teachers, firefighters, they can't purchase a home.
• The nurse at that moment is the first responder.

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

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

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:

• And nursing programs first look to their partners at the Texas Board of Nursing as their first stop.
• That as my work or through my work as chair of the Texas Board of Nursing Education Task Force, I've
• We can pass this out and continue to strengthen the nursing workforce pipeline.
• Our workforce shortage is vast. Nursing, of course, has the highest shortage.
• Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, um, and their 2023 data shows that our schools of nursing have

Committee: House Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Meredith Salazar Baker, registered nurse for nine years and on the board of directors for California
• Nurses are not anti-tech. I'm an OR nurse.
• Hi, Selina Howe, nurse practitioner, nurse for 13 years, strongly support.
• Hi, Selina Howe, nurse practitioner, a nurse for 13 years, strongly support. Thank you.
• I want my nurse or I want my nurse.

Committee: House Privacy and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then those are presented to the state Board of Education and upon the State Board of Education's
• And so this is the exam that nurses that want to enter into the registered nursing profession.
• That looks at all the credentials that can be submitted by a local workforce board, a local school district
• We encourage that industry to work specifically with that local workforce board or that Florida College
• Prior to the workforce.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It requires CNA serving in a nursing home to receive training on recognizing the signs and symptoms of
• So my question is: how will the nursing homes ensure that these certified nursing assistants receive
• Make it functional so that our assisted living facilities, our nursing homes, have the ability to correctly
• , our nursing home staff, LPNs, and CNAs, that it's appropriate for their level of responsibility so
• This bill creates the Home Away From Home tax credit, which...

Committee: Senate Health Policy

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health Policy considered several health-related measures. SB 890 on improving screening and treatment for blood clots was presented as a work-in-progress based on a prior working group. The bill would define certain clot-related conditions as chronic diseases, create a DOH registry, require screening and training in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities, and several senators raised concerns about definitions, training requirements, facility responsibilities, and public records impacts. Survivors and family members testified in strong support, describing blood clots as a preventable public health crisis. The bill was reported favorably after a roll call vote. SB 668 on storage and disposal of prescription drugs and sharps would direct a study of medical sharps collection and address conflicts between state and federal law on disposal of certain prescription drugs. Senators discussed whether the study should include both individual and commercial disposal and whether newer injectable medications increase sharps waste. The bill received supportive testimony from waste and recycling stakeholders and was reported favorably. SB 762 on preventing the spread of avian influenza would create a DOH task force to develop a statewide response strategy, monitor outbreaks, study wastewater monitoring, and recommend cost-effective testing and prevention measures. An amendment extended the task force deadline, and the bill was reported favorably as a committee substitute. The committee also approved SB 182, which creates the Home Away From Home tax credit for businesses donating to charities that house families of critically ill children, with supporters saying it would help expand lodging for families in need. SB 942, the chair’s bill on restrictive covenants in health care, would limit non-compete clauses for physicians under a salary threshold, with debate focused on patient access, workforce retention, and concerns about small practices and contract enforcement. The bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee adopted SPB 7018 to preserve a public records exemption for minors seeking judicial bypass of parental consent requirements for abortion, and then reported it favorably. Several members later recorded votes on earlier bills, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Nurses set nursing standards through professional boards.
• And I say the story because in that setting, in a nursing home, you have to be a nursing assistant, 75
• </c><01:07:56.880><c> homes</c> early 2000s when uh nursing homes early 2000s when uh nursing homes weren't
• </c><01:08:20.640><c> be</c><01:08:20.719><c> a</c> in a nursing home, you have to be a in a nursing
• home, you have to be a nursing<01:08:21.199><c> assistant.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm David Dawson, General Counsel for the Board of Nursing. Hi, I'm Ashley Davis.
• I'm the Director of the Board of Nursing. Matt Gilmore, Department of Health.
• to perform the nursing task.
• So this change was made to add clinical nurse specialist among the nurse practitioners who can apply
• of uh... uh... board of trustees and the found hard with uaMS and the uaMS board of uh board of trustees

Summary: The committee first approved a motion, then heard a lengthy presentation on homelessness in Arkansas, with a focus on unsheltered homelessness, untreated mental illness and substance use, public safety, and the role of local law enforcement and shelters. Presenters from law enforcement, homeless service providers, mental health, and policy groups discussed federal Continuum of Care funding, the need for better data and accountability, and proposals such as statewide camping enforcement, stronger treatment access, and consolidating or reworking the continuum-of-care structure. Much of the discussion centered on the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model, with witnesses describing it as a way to expand crisis services, treatment, and coordination with housing and justice systems. They also discussed homelessness among sex offenders, family homelessness, workforce supports, and how to scale successful local programs statewide. No formal action was taken on the homelessness proposals during the discussion. The committee then reviewed several Department of Energy and Department of Health/Board of Nursing rules. The energy rule updated solid waste post-closure cleanup thresholds from $50,000 to $2 million to match Act 791 of 2025. Nursing-related rules added fees for the new dialysis patient care technician registration created by Act 198 of 2025, updated contact-information requirements, implemented APRN authority under Act 862 of 2025, clarified durable medical equipment language under Act 431 of 2025, and incorporated delegation changes from Act 959 of 2025. Additional nursing rules updated certified medication assistant training and duties under Act 265 of 2025, and corrected rules for full independent practice to include clinical nurse specialists under Act 872 of 2023. Each rule was reviewed without objection. At the close of the meeting, members received an update that UAMS had completed its NCII designation submission for the Winthrop Rockefeller Cancer Institute, which was described as a major milestone. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• age in their home, the fewer people that age in nursing homes, the lower the cost to the state.
• , the fewer people that age in their home, the fewer people that age in nursing<00:02:37.959><c> homes
• homes, the lower the cost to the nursing homes, the lower the cost to the state.<00:02:40.400><c> So
• We will move on to the next one, which is Medicaid nursing home asset limits.
• And really this causes a ton of administrative burden not just for our nursing homes and long-term care

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The committee opened by explaining it would work through a long list of interim topics one at a time and asked members to complete a selection form at the end. The first topic, long-term care, drew testimony from AARP Wyoming and the Wyoming Long-Term Care Association. AARP emphasized Wyoming’s aging population, the state’s roughly $200 million annual Medicaid spending on long-term care, and the need to examine whether more support for home-based care could reduce nursing home use and costs. The association agreed with supporting people at home as long as possible, but asked that any study also consider increased support for nursing homes and assisted living when home care is no longer feasible. Committee discussion also touched on adult day care and PACE-like services, with Mr. Laycock noting prior Department of Health discussion and limited adult day availability due to reimbursement concerns. The committee then heard proposals for neonatal intensive care unit family leave, expanded midwifery scope, and a modification to workers’ compensation law. The NICU leave idea, presented by the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, would explore leave options for families with premature infants in intensive care, potentially paid or unpaid, while considering business size and the burden on families who may need out-of-state care. The midwifery topic was framed as a way to address rural maternity and women’s health gaps by allowing midwives to practice to the full extent of their training. On workers’ compensation, the Wyoming Association of Municipalities sought to classify dispatch personnel as first responders so they could receive mental health coverage under workers’ compensation; the Department of Workforce Services explained that current law covers dispatchers under workers’ compensation generally, but the first responder mental health provision added in 2018 applies to law enforcement and firefighters and does not currently include dispatchers. Other topics included problematic gaming and program funding, breast cancer diagnostic and supplemental exams, prescription drug coverage for advanced metastatic cancer, SNAP education, behavioral health workforce clinical training site shortages, CPR in schools, and broader midwifery oversight. The behavioral health workforce proposal, brought by a WICHE commissioner, focused on increasing psychology internship slots in Wyoming, noting that the state currently has only three and that expanding placements could improve recruitment and retention. The CPR in schools topic drew strong support from the American Heart Association, which argued that CPR training in high school could improve bystander response in a rural state with long EMS response times; committee members asked about cost and curriculum fit, and the witnesses said hands-only CPR could be taught by school staff rather than requiring expensive certification. The midwifery discussion later broadened into concerns about oversight and standards after a representative described a constituent’s pregnancy loss and said complaints involving midwifery practice and staffing delays in investigations warranted a deeper review. No votes were taken during the portion provided, and most topics were simply introduced, discussed, and left open for further testimony or later committee selection.

Transcript Highlights:

• A complaint basically with the home office. It's a $200 fine.
• But this is a workforce development and an open pipeline bill.
• This bill does not lower the standards.
• This compact is gold standard. I know we talked about simple bills.
• It's kind of the gold standard.

Committee: House Economic Development

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• She has served her community as a school board chair, select board chair, town moderator, church leader
• I need to be home with him. So uh July. I need to be home with him.
• </c> board that oversees them. board that oversees them.
• </c> maintain the current standard of care. maintain the current standard of care.
• </c> sustainable healthcare workforce. sustainable healthcare workforce.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 2011 simply codifies those federal standards into California law.
• The bill only codifies existing standards.
• AB 2311 does not solve workforce problems it claims to address.
• So would it point to the European standards for now?
• Neal Arendt, certified nurse midwife and member of the United Nurses Association of California Union

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several bills focused on workforce access, consumer protection, behavioral health parity, and public health safety. AB 1591 by Assembly Member Michelle Rodriguez would create a podiatric medicine pipeline program to address shortages of podiatrists, especially in rural and underserved counties; it drew strong support from podiatrists and medical groups and no opposition. AB 2011 by Assembly Member Hart would codify federal mental health and substance use disorder parity standards into state law; supporters argued it would preserve access if federal enforcement weakens, while health plans and insurers opposed it as premature and potentially confusing. The bill was moved on a due pass motion to Appropriations and remained on call after a roll vote with several ayes and some noes. The committee also considered AB 2311 by Assembly Member Chiavo, which would allow public health care district hospitals to directly employ physicians. Supporters said the change would help district hospitals recruit and retain doctors and stabilize care in underserved communities, while CMA and emergency physicians warned it could weaken the corporate practice of medicine protections and physician autonomy. Members raised concerns about guardrails, but the author said the bill would continue to be refined; it passed on a due pass motion to the Business and Professions Committee. AB 2030 by Assembly Member Lowenthal would prohibit sales of over-the-counter diet pills and weight-loss or muscle-building supplements to minors, with supporters citing eating disorder risks and opponents objecting to scope, age-verification, and retail requirements. The bill passed on a due pass motion to the Judiciary Committee. AB 1864 by Assembly Member Berman would require screening of gene synthesis orders to prevent misuse for bioterrorism and would authorize enforcement penalties for noncompliance. Supporters from Stanford, Encode, and the medical community said the measure would align California with federal best practices and address growing biosecurity risks, while life sciences representatives raised concerns about operational burdens and supply-chain impacts. Members discussed whether the bill should include an urgency clause and how to keep the standards current; it passed to the Judiciary Committee. AB 2457 by Assembly Member Connolly would standardize and speed up Medi-Cal managed care credentialing for physicians, and it passed to Appropriations with broad support. Finally, AB 2302, presented on behalf of Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez, would require infant formula manufacturers to test for toxic elements such as lead and arsenic and post results publicly; pediatric and disability advocates supported the measure as a transparency and infant safety bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our nurse practitioners are in a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program.
• home.
• This program allows other nurse practitioners, for example, a family nurse practitioner, to complete
• We want to ensure that our nurse practitioners, both our family nurse practitioners and our psychiatric
• It allows family nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and even nurse anesthetists to come to

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• home to provide care there because they were desperate for nurses.
• home to provide care there because they were desperate for nurses.
• c> I</c><01:08:27.719><c> worked</c> the nursing home facility that I worked the nursing home facility
• I had, I was in office, I was on my county's nursing home subcommittee.
• I had, I was in office, I was on my county's nursing home subcommittee.

Committee: House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Humphrey to the Alabama Board of Trustees. Can you use the previous roll?
• Cooper III to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees.
• Barrett Vaughn to the Agriculture Exhibition Center Corporation Board of Directors.
• It was a hard time to go home. It was all right, you're recognized. Thank you very much.
• Home, but I wanted to come up here to commend the gentleman for this piece of legislation.

Bills: SJR 5 , SJR 36 , SJR 5 , SJR 5 , SR 105 , SR 121 , SB 17 , SB 19 , SB 25 , SB 28 , SB 17 , SB 19 , SB 25 , SB 28

Keywords: bail, felony offenses, criminal justice reform, public safety, constitutional amendment, school safety, mental health, emergency response, education policy, law enforcement, SR 121, Senate Resolution 121, Pete Alfaro, Pedro Cuellar Alfaro, Pedro Alfaro, Baytown, Texas Senate tribute, in memory, memorial resolution, condolence resolution

Transcript Highlights:

• homes.
• IHSS costs $30,000 per year compared to $137,000 for nursing homes.
• IHSS costs $30,000 per year compared to $137,000 for nursing homes.
• It is an indispensable alternative to skilled nursing home care at a fraction of the cost.
• care so that they don't end up in nursing home care or other care that is vital to their needs.

Keywords: 988, house, all