Video & Transcript : 'occupational disease' :
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MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Ways and Means Jun 21st, 2026 at 10:30 am
Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Transcript Highlights:
- The Division of Occupational Licensure, which is led by Sarah Wilkinson, is responsible for occupational
- The Office of Private Occupational School Education.
- I wonder what the percentage of occupancy for family beds is right now in the Commonwealth.
- I wonder what the percentage of occupancy for family beds is right now in the Commonwealth.
- So we're essentially at 50% occupancy at the lower rate when it drops to 3,200.
Committee:
Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a public FY27 budget hearing at Barnstable Town Hall, with opening remarks emphasizing the Cape and Islands’ seasonal infrastructure, housing, transportation, workforce, and digital needs. The hearing began with testimony from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, which outlined the Healey-Driscoll administration’s budget priorities for job training, apprenticeship, youth employment, reentry programs, and unemployment insurance modernization. The secretary highlighted proposed funding for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, Career Technical Initiative, YouthWorks, reentry workforce development, and services for young adults with disabilities, along with a proposal to streamline youth work permits. Members also discussed the unemployment trust fund, the COVID assessment on employers, rising unemployment, and the need to improve DUA customer service and claims processing.
Committee members asked about job seeker barriers such as child care, housing, transportation, and out-migration of young workers, as well as how to keep Cape Cod graduates and seasonal workers in the region. The administration said its strategy is to pair training with broader affordability investments and to expose students to career pathways earlier, including through middle school, early childhood STEM, YouthWorks, pre-apprenticeships, and Building Pathways. Senators and representatives also raised concerns about regional funding disparities, especially for Hampshire Franklin MassHire, and the administration said it is reviewing MassHire funding and service equity through a policy committee and statewide workforce board. On unemployment assistance, officials reported major improvements in wait times and claims processing, but said they are still working through backlogs and staffing challenges while maintaining program integrity.
The committee then heard testimony from the Executive Office of Economic Development. The secretary described House 2 as a fiscally restrained budget with no new taxes or fees, while preserving core programs and using the Mass Leads Act tools to support competitiveness. EOED’s proposal included funding for the Community One Stop for Growth, rural economic development, social enterprise operating grants, regional economic development organizations, the Workforce Investment Trust Fund, Community Workforce Partnerships, Pathmaker, advanced manufacturing training, life sciences, innovation vouchers, AI initiatives, small business assistance, and tourism and live theater support. The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation also testified on its FY27 request, focusing on consumer protection, licensing, banking, insurance, and public safety regulation. No votes were taken during the hearing.
WY
Transcript Highlights:
- It's just a variety of all occupations.
- And it's hard to get comparisons of job descriptions, salaries, and benefits for the same occupation
- . occupations. occupations.
- </c> for the same occupation in this state. for the same occupation in this state.
- I just don't want to lose the payroll deduction for our members, but we represent almost all occupations
Committee:
Senate Judiciary
AL
Transcript Highlights:
- On page 16, Senate Bill 227 by Senator Elliott regarding the Office of Occupational and Professional
- </c><00:57:20.160><c> and</c><00:57:20.319><c> Professional</c> Office of Occupational and Professional
- Office of Occupational and Professional Licensing.<00:57:21.920><c> On</c><00:57:22.160><c> page</c>
- He's been working on an occupational license bill for years, and so this is about his fourth year to
- </c> He's been working on an occupational He's been working on an occupational license<02:30:07.840><
Summary:
The Alabama Senate convened with prayer and the pledge, then established a quorum with 27 senators present. The body excused absent senators, approved the previous day’s journal, and allowed bills and committee reports to be introduced throughout the day. The Senate also welcomed guests in the gallery, including Auburn University McCarter School of Building Science students and retired MPD Sergeant Martin Bean.
The chamber received multiple House messages and gubernatorial confirmations, referring several local bills and appointments to the appropriate committees. Committee reports included favorable action on Senate Bills 298 and 91 from County and Municipal Government, and House Bills 297, 365, and 436 from Local Legislation. The Senate adopted several resolutions, including recognitions for Tharptown Baptist Church, Tuskegee University Day, Dr. Bradley Heim, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, McGill-Toolen Catholic High School volleyball, and a special order calendar resolution setting priority bills for the 15th legislative day.
On local bills, the Senate advanced and gave final passage to a series of county and municipal measures, including SB 301 (Perry County), SB 314 (Morgan County), SB 295 (Montgomery County), SB 312 (Marshall County), HB 371 (Pike County constitutional amendment), HB 386 (Elmore County), HB 330 (Etowah County), HB 409 (City of Alabaster), HB 408 (Shelby County), SB 299 (Barbour County), HB 416 (Cleburne County), and HB 421 (Lawrence County constitutional amendment). HB 337 on Madison County was carried over. The Senate also adopted a resolution honoring Alabama’s record-breaking economic development year, citing major investments and job creation, and heard a lengthy Black History recognition segment on W.E.B. Du Bois, Patricia Roberts Harris, Langston Hughes, and Maya Angelou.
The main policy discussion centered on Senate Bill 240 regarding parole hearings, with the sponsor explaining it would allow the Pardons and Parole Board to hear from inmates and victims by phone or video to reduce travel burdens and improve access. The sponsor said an amendment was being worked on and moved to carry the bill over to the call of the chair, while another senator raised questions about whether inmates currently have an in-person opportunity to speak and whether board members would be able to question participants remotely.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on the Arts May 14th, 2026
Joint Committee on the Arts
Transcript Highlights:
- local programs align coursework with industry expectations and apprenticeship pathways across 34 occupations
- local programs align coursework with industry expectations and apprenticeship pathways across 34 occupations
- And it's because this is about people who have jobs and occupations, and then we have businesses, and
- on various shows as assistant editors, production coordinators, story editors, and several other occupations
Committee:
Senate Joint Committee on the Arts
Summary:
The Joint Committee on the Arts held an informational hearing on California’s first sector-specific creative economy strategic plan, developed under AB 127 by the California Arts Council with an interagency work group and outside research support. Committee members and panelists described the plan’s purpose as strengthening the state’s creative workforce, stabilizing creative businesses, expanding equity and access, and building infrastructure for long-term implementation. The opening presentation highlighted major forces shaping the sector over the next decade, including AI, climate disruption, affordability, access to capital, and social cohesion, and outlined six action areas: workforce preparation, business growth, cultural tourism and identity, cross-sector incentives, ROI/data tracking, and state capacity-building.
Testimony from the California Department of Education and the Workforce Development Board focused on existing workforce pipelines, including updated arts/entertainment/design CTE standards, the Entertainment Equity Alliance, apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship pathways, and High Road Training Partnership investments. Speakers said these efforts are producing strong placement outcomes, including paid on-the-job training, union placements, and support for workers facing barriers, while also emphasizing the need for entrepreneurship training and wraparound supports. Committee discussion also centered on a major unresolved issue: how to define and measure the creative economy consistently across agencies, since current labor data often misses gig, contract, nonprofit, and business activity.
A second panel of practitioners and advocates described local examples of the plan in action. The Handy Foundation, Arts for LA’s Creative Jobs Collective, the Arts Council of San Bernardino County, and the California Arts Council chair all argued that artists and creative workers should be treated as essential contributors to education, community health, local economies, and resilience, not as peripheral workers. They urged stronger school partnerships, more arts access, and better recognition of creative careers. Members also discussed AI’s impact on creative work, with panelists saying it should be treated as a tool that requires guardrails, training, and union and educator involvement rather than as a replacement for human creativity. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational, and members expressed support for continued implementation, better data systems, and additional funding in future budget and policy actions.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Floor Session Mar 6th, 2026 at 04:30 pm
Washington House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- The bill limits the insurance premium exemption to the business and occupation tax.
- The amendment does not address the insurance premium exemption to the business and occupation tax.
- The bill limits the insurance premium exemption to the business and occupation tax.
- The amendment does not address the insurance premium exemption to the business and occupation tax.
Bills:
HB2720 , HB2073 , HB2487 , SB5816 , SB5919 , SB5831 , SB6137 , SB6244 , SB6044 , SB6132 , SB5109 , SB5877 , SB6258 , HB2720 , HB2073 , HB2487 , SB5816 , SB5919 , SB5831 , SB6137 , SB6244 , SB5420 , SB5868 , SB6044 , SB6132 , SJM8002
Keywords:
behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, insurance tax, state regulation, insurers, taxation, budget impact, juice grapes, agriculture, commerce, market access, fire safety, insurance incentives
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Additionally, I think you're talking about dorm rooms which are single occupancy private spaces, which
- This bill applies only to multiple occupancy private facilities like bathrooms and locker rooms, not
- Sex-separated spaces, which of course, there's an exemption for single occupancy, right?
- And of course, what we're doing here is amending the occupations code, not the local government code.
Bills:
SB2 , SB3 , SB5 , SB9 , SB10 , SB14 , SB16 , SB18 , SB34 , SB6 , SB7 , SB8 , SB11 , SB12 , SB13 , SB15 , SB 2 , SB 3 , SB 5 , SB 9 , SB 10 , SB 14 , SB 16 , SB 18 , SB 34 , SB 6 , SB 7 , SB 8 , SB 11 , SB 12 , SB 13 , SB 15 , SB 17 , SB 4 , SB1 , SB2 , SB3 , SB5 , SB9 , SB10 , SB14 , SB16 , SB18 , SB34 , SB6 , SB7 , SB8 , SB11 , SB12 , SB13 , SB15 , SB17 , SB4
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Land Grant Aug 14th, 2025
House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- There are other services our community needs: occupational therapy, maybe speech therapy.
- You know, occupational therapists, emergency technicians, and occupational therapists, so we're working
- About two years before it had full occupancy and the right staff to run it.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
House - Health and Human Services Feb 5th, 2025
House Health & Human Services
Transcript Highlights:
- The Greater Albuquerque Medical Association, occupational therapists, and psychologists all support this
- educational institutions, some of the research that is mandated by the bill to identify the full set of occupations
- Occupation and education, which are also in the bill, possess beneficial predictive value for consumers
- Not every company uses occupation and education.
Committee:
House House Health & Human Services
LA
Transcript Highlights:
- dive into the system shaping health in Louisiana, from workforce shortages to rural access, chronic disease
- Minors seeking treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. Thank you. Totally.
- Minors seeking treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. So there's things in here.
- You'll notice that we talk about public health condition, public health disease, public health inquiry
- So if we've got someone who comes down with a very rare disease that came in from somewhere, we're going
Bills:
SB57 , SB405 , HB62 , HB193 , HB203 , HB222 , HB246 , HB420 , HB475 , HB486 , HB574 , HB584 , HB815 , HB949 , HB1092 , HB1214
Committee:
House Health and Welfare
Keywords:
SB 57, Act 735, Act 463, nutrition, public health, food additives, artificial colors, banned chemicals, ingredient labeling, food labeling, FDA, food and beverage regulation, consumer disclosure, school nutrition, Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 40, Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 17, food manufacturers, food retailers, compliance, effective date delay
DE
Delaware 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Housing & Land Use Committee Meeting Jun 24th, 2026
Housing & Land Use
Transcript Highlights:
- It does not invalidate lawful occupancy standards and does not require a new theory of discrimination
- enumerated list of covered practices, including references to lending, underwriting, appraisal practices, occupancy
Committee:
Senate Housing & Land Use
Summary:
The Senate Land Use Committee met in hybrid format but did not have a quorum, so it did not approve minutes or take formal votes. The committee first heard House Bill 457, which would raise the appraisal threshold for certain DELDOT real property dispositions from $10,000 to $25,000 to match federal highway standards and reduce the time and cost of selling small surplus properties. There was little discussion and no public comment on that bill, and the chair indicated it would be circulated.
The committee then took up House Bill 451, which would codify a disparate impact framework under Delaware’s Fair Housing Act. The bill was described as clarifying that housing policies or practices can violate the law even without discriminatory intent if they have an unjustified discriminatory effect on a protected class, using a burden-shifting test similar to federal law. The sponsor and DHSA said the measure was intended to preserve fair housing protections amid uncertainty at the federal level, and an additional amendment was discussed that would delay implementation for 180 days and require DHSR, with DSA and stakeholders, to conduct outreach, education, and training.
Public testimony was divided. Supporters, including Housing Alliance Delaware, YWCA Delaware, and the Delaware Human and Civil Rights Commission, said the bill would protect against discriminatory outcomes, align state law with longstanding fair housing principles, and preserve recourse if federal enforcement changes. Opponents and housing-provider groups, including the Delaware Association of Realtors, Greater Wilmington Housing Providers, and the Delaware Apartment Association, argued the bill could create liability for neutral policies, rely on statistical outcomes landlords cannot easily measure, and increase litigation and costs; several asked for more time, a right-to-cure process, or further amendments. The committee adjourned without taking a formal vote.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Health Committee Jun 3rd, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- You mentioned cultural competency and the need for more people to enter into these occupations and careers
- You mentioned cultural competency and the need for more people to enter into these occupations and careers
Summary:
The Senate Committee on Health met in Room 2100 and first handled its consent calendar, which included several bills and resolutions with amendments. The committee established a quorum, approved the consent calendar 6-0, and placed it on call. AB 2233 by Assemblymember Taw was then heard; the bill would clarify that authorized ABA therapy for autistic patients should remain usable across the authorization period rather than being effectively reduced by weekly utilization caps. Supporters, including behavior analysts, family advocates, and health organizations, described missed sessions caused by provider shortages, scheduling conflicts, and family disruptions. Health plans and insurers initially expressed fraud and utilization-management concerns but said they would remove opposition after the amendments preserved utilization management. The committee voted 7-0 to pass AB 2233 as amended and re-refer it to Appropriations, placing it on call.
The committee next heard AB 96 by Assemblymember Jackson, which would remove the high school diploma or equivalent requirement for Medi-Cal peer support specialist certification. Supporters from county behavioral health agencies, nonprofits, and local governments argued that lived experience, communication, empathy, and cultural competency are the key qualifications for peer work, and that the current education requirement excludes capable candidates and worsens workforce shortages. One opposition witness from the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals raised concerns, but the bill’s proponents explained that peer certification still requires 80 hours of training, testing, and recertification on core competencies. The committee voted 7-0 to pass AB 96 and re-refer it to Appropriations, placing it on call.
AB 1876, the Fair Care for All Act by Assemblymember Addis, was then heard. The bill would codify federal nondiscrimination protections into state law to ensure people are not excluded from health care coverage or services based on a protected class. Support came from transgender health advocates, psychologists, county and state health groups, and other organizations, who said the bill would help protect access to gender-affirming and other medically necessary care. Opposition testimony argued the bill would force coverage of sex-rejecting interventions and weaken insurer safeguards, while the author responded that the measure simply mirrors existing federal nondiscrimination law and does not expand coverage. The committee voted 7-1 to pass AB 1876 and re-refer it to Judiciary, placing it on call. After the roll was reopened for absent members, the committee also finalized votes on the earlier bills and adjourned after concluding its business.
ID
Transcript Highlights:
- It requires candidates for the Idaho House and Senate to maintain actual physical presence and occupancy
- To maintain actual physical presence and occupancy at their declared residence for at least 120 nights
Committee:
Senate State Affairs
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Floor Session Mar 11th, 2026 at 04:40 pm
Washington Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- 11, entitled: Clarifying Applicability of Recent Changes to Sales and Use Taxes and Business and Occupation
- provisions titled: Clarifying Applicability of Recent Changes to Sales and Use Taxes and Business and Occupation
Bills:
SCR8410
Summary:
The Senate considered engrossed substitute Senate Bill 6346, a major tax package creating a new income tax on high earners, providing tax reductions and credits, and funding various spending priorities. A point of order was raised that House amendments exceeded the bill’s scope under Senate Rule 66, focusing on new provisions affecting sales and use taxes and business and occupation taxes. The President ruled the amendments were within scope, finding they were tax reductions similar to those already in the Senate-passed bill, and the Senate then took up the motion to concur in the House amendments.
Members debated the House changes at length. Supporters said the amendments improved the bill by expanding the Working Families Tax Credit, adding exemptions for diapers and over-the-counter medicines, bringing forward some tax relief, preserving business loss carryforwards, and adding funding or intent language for items such as Fair Start for Kids, K-12 investments, local government replacement funding, and universal school meals. Opponents argued the bill remained unconstitutional or unfair, criticized the income tax structure and inflation indexing changes, objected to the gambling-loss deduction and limits on charitable deductions, and said the bill’s promises on public defense, education, and other priorities were not secured in the body of the measure.
On a roll call vote, the Senate concurred in the House amendments by a vote of 27-21, with one excused. The Senate then passed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6346 as amended by the House by the same 27-21 vote, and the President signed the bill in open session. The chamber also received several messages from the House announcing signed bills, and then adjourned until the next scheduled meeting.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Notice required when deploying chemical irritants in a building 3/10/26
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- So, the just to kind of walk through the bill quickly, it gives building owners and occupants, who of
- standardized notice that we've asked DPS to provide, just to leave some information behind for the owner or occupant
ID
Transcript Highlights:
- In the House of Representatives, House Bill 703 by the Business Committee, an act relating to occupational
- In the House of Representatives, House Bill 703 by the Business Committee, an act relating to occupational
AR
Transcript Highlights:
- This is for occupational therapy services for the Jonesboro Human Development Center.
- This is occupational therapy services for the Human Development Center.
Committee:
All ALC-REVIEW
Summary:
The committee first considered an $88,000 used tire program contract for District 4 with LTR Intermediate Holdings. Senators raised concerns that the tire district’s revised business plan had not yet been approved and that the contract could worsen cash flow before funding was confirmed. Questions were also raised about procurement language in the RFP that excluded bidders under corrective action plans. After discussion, a motion was made and approved to hold the contract until next month so the tire board could appear and answer questions.
Members then reviewed a large slate of methods of finance, alternative delivery projects, and discretionary grants. These included capital projects at ASU Mid-South, Arkansas Tech, Ozarka, UA Fayetteville, UA Little Rock, UAMS, and UCA; a new UCA multi-purpose arena project estimated at $75.5 million; and DHS and Department of Health grants for aging services, substance abuse prevention, mental health, nutrition, hearing-loss follow-up, HIV services, and rural hospital quality improvement. All of these items were reviewed without objection.
The committee also heard a ratification request from UAMS for a Family and Medical Leave Act outsourcing contract with FMLA Source. UAMS said an amendment had been prepared but never submitted for review, and payments continued after expiration; members expressed frustration and asked UAMS to review whether other contracts had similarly lapsed. The committee then reviewed numerous construction-related, intergovernmental, out-of-state, and in-state contracts, including airport economic impact study work, parking guidance technology at the University of Arkansas, veteran nursing services, and multiple DHS service contracts. Most items were reviewed without objection, and the meeting adjourned after reports of routine contract amendments and minor contracts were presented for information.
AR
Transcript Highlights:
- This is for occupational therapy services for the Jonesboro Human Development Center.
- This is occupational therapy services for the Human Development Center.
Committee:
All ALC-REVIEW
ID
Transcript Highlights:
- Representative Redmond, is there any provisions for what if a situation where the occupancy of a rental
- short-term rental, is creating nuisance, potentially, you know, with a lot of traffic, transient occupants
Committee:
House Business
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Floor Session Aug 29th, 2025
California House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- This is a bill that empowers local governments to collect the correct amount of transit occupancy taxes
- all these sites to see who is renting their homes out and go and collect the TOT, the transient occupancy
Summary:
The Assembly met after a quorum call and opened with a prayer marking the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and several guest introductions, including a recognition of UC Merced’s 20th anniversary. Members then moved through the Daily File, with several items passed or retained on file, and took up concurrence votes on a number of bills.
Among the measures discussed, AB 385 on park property and AB 1119 on teacher credentialing both received unanimous concurrence in Senate amendments. SB 351, dealing with health practices and enforcement of California’s corporate practice of medicine rules, was presented as a way to protect physician decision-making from private equity and hedge fund interference and passed 61-0. SB 697 on water rights adjudication and use of technology, including drones for investigations, also passed unanimously.
The most detailed debate centered on SB 346, which would help local governments enforce short-term rental ordinances and collect transient occupancy taxes by requiring platforms to provide property information. Supporters argued it would improve local control, public safety, and revenue collection, while members with local government experience described the difficulty cities face regulating short-term rentals. The bill passed 50-0. The chamber then moved to adjournment-in-memory remarks honoring Miguel Antonio Cano, Vincent Dino, Andrew Meredith, and Erica Hoffman, before adjourning until Tuesday, September 2 at 1 p.m.
TX