Transcript Highlights:

• It will also cut into substance abuse treatment and staff connections with those kids.
• It will also cut into substance abuse treatment and staff connections with those kids.
• Treatment and Prevention, Mental Health Services, Psychiatric Hospitalization, the Domestic Violence
• The second motion would eliminate those underlined portions that you see and would prevent funding from
• The second motion would eliminate those underlined portions that you see and would prevent funding from

Summary: The committee first received updates from LSO on the latest green sheet, including the revenue impact of House Bill 559, recent cash transfers, and the Idaho Budget Rescissions Act for FY 2026. Members then moved through a series of FY 2027 maintenance budgets, beginning with the legislative branch. The committee discussed the statewide 2% reduction layered on top of the governor’s recommendation, benefit-cost adjustments, and how those decisions were being built into the maintenance budgets. The legislative branch budget passed, followed by unanimous-consent adoption of related language. The committee next considered public safety, natural resources, health and human services, economic development, judicial branch, constitutional officers, and general government budgets. In each case, analysts explained how rescissions, ongoing base reductions, and statewide adjustments were incorporated. Several members objected to the across-the-board cuts, arguing they would reduce staffing or services in corrections, juvenile corrections, environmental quality, health and welfare, public defender services, crime victims compensation, tax administration, and treatment courts, while supporters said the committee needed a target and would revisit details in enhancement work groups. Most budget motions passed on divided votes and were forwarded with do-pass recommendations. The committee also adopted multiple sections of standard and nonstandard language, including cash transfers, reporting requirements, and agency-specific provisions. In Health and Human Services, members debated language requiring reporting on large acquisitions and transfers, and in Economic Development and General Government they adopted language affecting the State Public Defender, the Department of Insurance, and group insurance premiums. The meeting ended while the committee was still working through a disputed general government language item about funding employee health insurance premiums from reserve accounts, with members debating whether the language should reference specific reserve funds or broader reserve funding and whether the proposal was properly within JFAC’s scope.

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas utility companies are committed to emergency preparations and grid resiliency to prevent customers
• However, some transparency measures are being abused by government entities seeking to prevent the truth
• Thus, if you abuse it, you lose it. Revocation would be published on the OAG's website.
• You're going to end up with citizens not getting information, and those that abuse the exceptions are
• Partition of Heirs Property Act to protect heir owners' property rights and prevent the loss of homes

Bills: SB231 , SB584 , SB600 , SB668 , SB841 , SB986 , SB1003 , SB1244 , SB1625 , SB1960 , SB1963 , SB1964 , SB2026 , SB2056 , SB2368

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• Legal aid exists in our state because we save Florida millions of dollars annually by preventing costly
• On behalf of Florida is abused, abandoned and neglect. at the direct detriment to Florida's working poor
• You know, we've got fraud prevention software we're providing to the attorneys.
• Senate Bill 774 amends the laws on involuntary mental health examinations, involuntary substance abuse
• Senate Bill 774 amends the laws on involuntary mental health examinations, involuntary substance abuse

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met with a quorum present and considered several bills. SB 106 on exploitation of vulnerable adults would allow service of process on scammers through the same nontraditional communication methods they use; it passed 8-0. CS/SB 280 on candidate qualification would create an enforceable party-affiliation requirement and a private right of action to disqualify noncompliant candidates; it passed unanimously. CS/SB 948 on flood disclosures was amended to extend disclosure requirements to residential leases, condo developer leases, and mobile homes, with tenant remedies if disclosures are not provided and flooding causes major losses; it passed 8-0. The committee also advanced CS/SB 498 on IOTA interest rates after a lengthy debate over legal aid funding and bank regulation. Supporters argued the bill would restore sustainability and fairness to the program by setting alternative interest-rate benchmarks, while opponents said it would cut funding for civil legal aid and that banks participate voluntarily. After testimony from legal aid leaders and bankers, the bill passed 7-2. SB 774, requiring clerks to electronically transmit certain mental health, substance abuse, and risk protection orders to sheriffs within six hours, was presented in response to a fatal Volusia County incident and passed 11-0. CS/SB 752 on defamation and online publication was amended to require removal from a website rather than the internet, then passed 8-2 after testimony from the media, a private attorney, and supporters who said it would help people harmed by false online reports. The committee also heard SB 832 on former phosphate mining lands, which would create a narrow defense against strict liability claims if notice and gamma radiation survey requirements are met. The bill was amended to clarify notice provisions and received support from industry and technical witnesses describing radiation surveys and reclamation practices. The transcript cuts off before the final vote on SB 832, so no committee action on that bill is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Both are preventable.
• It's a preventative strategy.
• We want to be preventative.
• If we get in front of this, how many lives can we prevent? How many suicides can we prevent?
• But those are being abused.

Committee: House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:20.639><c> because</c> recognizing and reporting abuse because recognizing and reporting abuse
• </c> we get more people for preventative we get more people for preventative dental<02:06:04.719><c>
• Uh, one of my favorites, it prevention.
• the abuse of omnibus the abuse of omnibus bills.<03:02:03.279><c> Omnibus</c><03:02:03.840><c> bills
• Spotting physical abuse. There's money in here to train people how to spot physical abuse.

Transcript Highlights:

• this bill should be our threshold and should ensure that there are robust requirements in place to prevent
• any potential abuse.
• I'm not aware of any or many counties out there abusing this, but this is something that our counties
• Actually, I have heard of counties abusing this and using the banking for three years and getting it

Bills: SB1277 , SB1531 , SB2452 , SB2520 , SB2521 , SB2529 , SB2538 , SB2539 , SB2541 , SB2873

Committee: House Ways & Means

Keywords: municipal sales tax, street maintenance, local option tax, Tax Code Chapter 327, sales and use tax, street repair, sidewalk maintenance, water infrastructure, wastewater system, stormwater system, local election, ballot language, reauthorization, municipal finance, infrastructure funding, Texas municipalities, street and sidewalk tax, special district tax, public works, property tax

Transcript Highlights:

• a family law proceeding almost always being labeled as an abuser.
• I mean that under this bill it constitutes abuse to be suicidal.
• It constitutes abuse to clean a firearm.
• It is abuse to threaten to make reports to law enforcement.
• That is abuse under this bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I guess my question is, is there something equivalent to this for child abuse or not?”
• “Well, I mean, we have mandatory processes when it comes to child abuse or suspected child abuse.
• </c><00:45:36.200><c> so</c> child abuse or suspected child abuse so child abuse or suspected child abuse
• </c> concerned citizens have called in abuse concerned citizens have called in abuse Char<00:59:33.520
• ><c> and</c><00:59:35.880><c> he's</c> Char um thoughts of abuse and he's Char um thoughts of abuse and

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 153, which would require two or more law enforcement officers in each county to receive animal cruelty training through the police standards system. Representative Barbara Coma, the sponsor, said the bill was prompted by problems in animal cruelty cases, especially in rural areas without animal control officers, and she described it as a limited training measure. She said an amendment was forthcoming that would add an eight-hour approved course and a two-hour refresher every three years, and she emphasized that the trained officers would serve as resources rather than being required to take action themselves. Members asked about cost, due process, overlap with animal control officers, how trained officers would be identified and notified, and whether veterinarians could fill the role. Coma responded that the bill would not be a heavy financial lift, would not interfere with animal control officers, would apply to livestock as well as companion animals, and would still require law enforcement involvement because veterinarians cannot lawfully remove animals from property. She also said the training could improve due process by helping officers better understand when animal removal is appropriate and how cases should proceed. Sheriff William Wright, speaking for the New Hampshire Sheriffs Association, testified in opposition. He said training itself was acceptable, but the bill went beyond training by creating an obligation for sheriffs and state police to respond to and potentially investigate animal cruelty cases, which he argued would be ambiguous, unfunded, and burdensome for staffing and resources. He said some sheriff’s offices do not have investigative deputies and that the bill could create liability and uncertainty about who would lead investigations. In response to questions, he said the association would likely have no objection if the bill were limited to training, but it opposed the assistance/investigation mandate as written.

Transcript Highlights:

• on potential... ...to affect July 1, 2026, anticipated cost savings based on potentially, you know, abuse
• think we have... to affect July 1, 2026, anticipated cost savings based on potentially, you know, abuse
• In addition to the cap on state-directed payment levels, H.R. 1 also prevents growth that we had been
• Here to tell you that a toothache is one of the leading causes of preventable school absences.
• Preventative care keeps children healthy in school and able to focus on learning.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an overview of the Department of Health Care Services’ proposed budget, including a $229.1 billion total-funds budget and projected Medi-Cal enrollment decline as redeterminations continue. Members focused heavily on the fiscal and programmatic effects of prior budget solutions and federal changes, especially the elimination of General Fund-supported Prop. 56 dental supplemental payments beginning July 1, 2026, the hospice utilization-management change, and the impact of reduced caseloads alongside rising health care costs. DHCS said it is still completing required access and rate-reduction analyses for the dental cuts and has been engaging stakeholders, but could not yet quantify the real-world effect on utilization or provider participation. The committee also reviewed the November 2025 Medi-Cal local assistance estimate, which shows higher General Fund spending despite lower enrollment, driven by managed care rate growth, Medicare cost growth, state-only claiming, and federal policy changes. The hearing then turned to provider taxes and federal H.R. 1 constraints, with extensive discussion of the MCO tax, the hospital quality assurance fee, and other health care-related taxes. DHCS explained that H.R. 1 phases down allowable tax levels and tightens “generally redistributive” rules, making the current MCO tax structure and the proposed higher hospital fee levels difficult or impossible to renew as originally designed. Staff and the LAO described the tradeoff between preserving Medi-Cal funding and avoiding higher costs on private providers and consumers. Members asked about options for preserving revenue, including possible amendments to Prop. 35 or returning to voters, and were told the department is still evaluating approaches while federal guidance remains in flux. The committee also reviewed hospital payment increases already implemented through state-directed payments, with DHCS noting that H.R. 1 will force those payments down to Medicare levels over time. Several budget change proposals were discussed and left open, including requests tied to the managed care final rule, managed care operations, hospital value strategy, long-term care payment transparency, and interoperability requirements. The committee also heard about a one-year trailer bill extension for skilled nursing facility financing, including continuation of the SNF workforce standards program, the SNF quality assurance fee, and annual rate growth, while the department develops a longer-term financing redesign for 2027-28. Members expressed skepticism about repeated rate reform efforts and questioned whether a one-year extension of the eliminated workforce quality incentive program should be restored during the transition. Finally, Covered California presented its budget and enrollment update, reporting that the expiration of the federal enhanced premium tax credit is expected to reduce affordability significantly, with average premiums roughly doubling for many enrollees and as many as 400,000 Californians potentially losing marketplace coverage over time. The exchange said California’s $190 million subsidy program is helping lower-income enrollees, but not enough to offset the federal loss, and it is also implementing a new gender-affirming care benefit and awaiting federal action on benchmark plan changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• But remember them we must, for only then can we best prevent the unthinkable cruelty beyond words that
• remember, importantly, the victims and survivors of the anti-Semitic and discriminatory targeted abuses
• , sexual abuse, torture, and murder.
• And the shared history that each of us have in preventing hate is so critically important to the future
• He pushed back on rules that prevented him from buying a hungry player a meal.

Summary: The Assembly convened without a quorum, then quorum was established and the chamber proceeded with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, journal approval, and a series of procedural motions. Members approved multiple unanimous-consent requests to suspend rules, re-refer bills to committees, and allow committees to notice bills pending re-referral. The day also included several guest introductions recognizing student leaders, public power executive Randy Howard, a family member of Assemblymember Gallagher, higher education leaders, Leadership Torrance, and the Vacaville PAL program. On the floor, the Assembly adopted several resolutions and heard extensive remarks in support of them. ACR 160, proclaiming April 2026 as Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month, was adopted by voice vote after co-authors were added. H.R. 98, designating California Holocaust Memorial Day, received broad bipartisan support and was adopted after 76 co-authors were added. H.R. 100, recognizing Vaisakhi, also passed by voice vote after 73 co-authors were added, with members highlighting Sikh history, service, and cultural contributions. The Assembly then took up several bills on the third-reading file. AB 1977, relating to online notarization and notaries public, passed 69-5. AB 1987, which would direct wildlife-area fees back to operation and maintenance of state wildlife areas, passed 69-0. Other items on the second- and third-reading files were passed and retained, continued, or placed on the consent calendar as noted by the presiding officer. The session concluded with adjournment-in-memory tributes for La Mesa Police Officer Lauren Craven, community organizer Cynthia Brantley Pierce, coach John Beam, and Ralph Cavallo. The Assembly then adjourned until Thursday, April 16, at 9 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• But remember them we must, for only then can we best prevent the unthinkable cruelty beyond words that
• remember, importantly, the victims and survivors of the anti-Semitic and discriminatory targeted abuses
• , sexual abuse, torture, and murder.
• And the shared history that each of us have in preventing hate is so critically important to the future
• He pushed back on rules that prevented him from buying a hungry player a meal.

Transcript Highlights:

• and, you know, the charge of battering law enforcement officers dismissed become felony, you know, prevent
• and, you know, the charge of battering law enforcement officers dismissed become felony, you know, prevent
• It's prevention.
• This bill is known as Missy's Law, and it requires courts to immediately remand Prevent additional harm
• given to the district's opinions about what is appropriate and what will provide incentive not to abuse

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice met with a quorum and took up several bills before returning to the budget and public testimony. CS/SB 600 on bail bonds was explained as revising bail bond agent training, limiting solicitation, clarifying partial release procedures, and directing clerks to automatically discharge certain bonds when detention is ordered; an amendment adjusted cash bond return rules, charitable bail fund treatment, forfeiture remission timing, and clerk procedures. The bill and amendments were adopted, and CS/SB 600 was reported favorably after supportive appearances from clerks and industry stakeholders. The committee then approved CS/SB 436 on felony battery, which expands qualifying prior offenses for felony reclassification and adds felony battery resulting in bodily injury to prison release offender status, after a technical amendment and supportive testimony from law enforcement. CS/SB 928, known as Missy’s Law, requiring immediate remand to custody upon conviction of dangerous crimes, drew both support and opposition; defense lawyers warned of unintended effects on co-defendants and docket management, while the victim’s family supported the measure. The bill was reported favorably. CS/SB 1332 on career offender registration, requiring more frequent in-person registration and stricter reporting, also passed favorably. The committee next approved a substitute amendment and then CS/SB 682 on violent criminal offenses, which strengthens domestic violence penalties, electronic monitoring, injunction protections, and related procedures, including military protective orders and body camera use. CS/SB 1072 creating an anti-Semitism task force in the Attorney General’s Office was reported favorably after extensive public debate over definitions, free speech concerns, and representation on the task force; the sponsor said the bill does not criminalize criticism of Israel but addresses threats and intimidation. CS/CS/SB 532 on clerks of the court was also approved, authorizing clerks to retain more revenue and, through amendment, clarifying foreclosure sale procedures and clerk administration of judicial sales. Finally, the committee heard the criminal and civil justice budget overview, described as a $7.9 billion proposal focused on corrections, juvenile justice, law enforcement, and courts. Public testimony centered heavily on prison conditions, staffing, heat, infrastructure, and inmate care, with speakers urging higher pay, better transparency, and more investment in facilities and air conditioning. The chair announced that SB 1632 and its conforming bill would be temporarily postponed and read into the record the many registered supporters and opponents. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a member of the Fraud Prevention Committee, and this is a subject that we spend a lot of time on.
• The ideas that were coming up on the Fraud Prevention Committee were related to paper, but we're spending
• We do know that there is abuse and misuse in there, so I'm very open.
• I think the terms waste, fraud, and abuse sometimes flow together, and they lose their meaning.
• an accurate and transparent drug pricing index, reduce duplicative administrative spending, stop abusive

Committee: House Health Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, I practice law in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and involuntary commitment for substance abuse
• How should the facility prevent or respond to elopement?
• How should the facility prevent or respond to elopement?
• </c> state's alcohol and substance abuse state's alcohol and substance abuse center,<00:30:37.279><c>
• </c> are upset that there are child abuse are upset that there are child abuse laws<04:08:48.960><c>

Committee: House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

Summary: The House Committee on Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs heard HB 1790-FN, which would address involuntary admissions for certain individuals with a substance use disorder. Representative Lucy Weber introduced the bill for Representative Long, and the committee heard extensive testimony both in support of and in opposition to the proposal. Opponents, including John Burns of SOS Recovery and Jake Barry of New Futures, argued that involuntary commitment is not well supported by research, can retraumatize people, may increase overdose risk after release, and could undermine New Hampshire’s existing recovery and harm-reduction efforts. They emphasized that treatment should be voluntary, trauma-informed, and paired with housing, recovery supports, and other community-based services. Representative Long said he was willing to accept DHHS’s request to amend the bill into a study commission, though he expressed concern that a prior state study had not led to action. He said the commission should focus on implementation details, including where people would be placed, staffing, withdrawal management, elopement prevention, length of commitment, and aftercare. He described involuntary commitment as one tool for people with severe dangerous addictions, distinct from drug court, and said it could help avoid criminal records. Committee members asked about capacity at New Hampshire Hospital and how the proposal would work in practice. DHHS officials Katya Fox and Cynthia Pabonis testified that the bill raises major policy and fiscal concerns. They said New Hampshire’s current system has benefited from investments in naloxone, medication-assisted treatment, recovery centers, and community-based services, and that those investments have helped reduce overdose deaths. They estimated the bill would require a new 70-bed facility costing about $40 million to build and about $33.3 million annually to operate, with only a small portion offset by insurance, plus more than $600,000 in annual legal costs and additional staffing and system changes. They also said New Hampshire Hospital has 185 beds, with about 100 patients typically ready for less restrictive settings, and that housing shortages are a major bottleneck. NAMI New Hampshire also testified in opposition, saying families often want any possible treatment for loved ones but still opposed the bill. No vote or final action was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:34:48.399><c> final</c><00:34:48.720><c> relief</c><00:34:49.119><c> from</c><00:34:49.359><c> abuse
• I do believe very strongly that there are places where guns create more danger than they prevent.
• the kind of gun truly about preventing the kind of gun violence<01:02:09.520><c> and</c><01:02:10.079
• </c> preventing chronic absenteeism. preventing chronic absenteeism. recognize<01:20:27.760><c> the</
• of chronic absenteeism on the prevention of chronic absenteeism and<01:25:51.120><c> truency</c><01:

Transcript Highlights:

• They are preventative medicine.
• So in conclusion, HB 2034 is about fairness, responsibility, and smart preventative health care.
• It’s about prevention. It’s about dignity. Every child deserves the chance to run and play sports.
• Access to the correct prosthetic prevents future medical costs and protects my health.
• Would it be under the topic of preventative care cost savings?

Committee: House Health and Mental Health

Summary: The House Committee on Health and Mental Health met in executive session and advanced several bills. HB 1881 was voted do pass without discussion. HB 3010 was amended with a committee substitute that removed a subsection allowing payers to remove “gold carding” based on procedure volume changes, then passed 10-0. HB 2355, the “Food is Medicine” bill, received a committee amendment to align terminology with other partnerships and then passed 11-0. HB 1855, dealing with alpha-gal reporting, was substantially revised: the substitute narrowed the bill to alpha-gal, removed Lyme disease, changed a department duty from mandatory to discretionary in one section, and delayed reporting implementation; it then passed 14-0 after members discussed the need for better disease tracking and the department’s workload. The committee then heard testimony on HB 2034, which would require insurance coverage for activity-based prostheses, orthotics, and high-performance or mobility-supportive wheelchairs. Sponsor Representative Carolyn Caton said the bill is intended to cover devices that help people live, exercise, and avoid secondary health problems, while preserving prior authorization and medical-necessity review. Supporters included clinicians, parents, amputees, and athletes who described being denied running blades, water-safe prostheses, or durable wheelchairs and said the devices are essential for health, independence, mental well-being, and participation in school, work, and sports. Several witnesses said the bill would reduce long-term costs and reliance on charity. Opponents, including the Missouri Insurance Coalition and America’s Health Insurance Plans, argued the bill is an expansion of coverage with unclear definitions and potentially significant costs, especially for Medicaid and other state-regulated plans. They cited the fiscal note, warned about possible federal ACA rule changes that could shift costs to states, and questioned whether the bill’s language on Medicare supplemental coverage and “perceived disability” was workable or preempted. Committee members pressed both sides on cost savings, definitions of “normal” activity, and whether the bill could be narrowed or otherwise revised, and several said they were willing to keep working on the issue. The hearing on HB 2034 was left open and then recessed after testimony, with no vote taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Exemptions preventing any for-profit entities from benefiting from this exemption.
• buying apparatus, to prevent adding fire stations, and to prevent adding firefighters.
• Preventative maintenance might be one of those things.
• So I don't think we're abusing anything, right?
• I have an opportunity to prevent this from happening.

Bills: HB17 , HB23 , SB 10

Committee: House Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:

• services and, in connection therewith, continuing the Colorado Child Abuse Prevention Trust Fund and
• the Colorado Child Abuse Prevention Board. distress and seek help earlier, reducing distress and seek
• </c> an unfortunate reality that child abuse an unfortunate reality that child abuse and<01:50:53.840
• Thank you.” going back into an abusive environment. going back into an abusive environment.
• </c> want to prevent that. want to prevent that.

Transcript Highlights:

• When it comes to substance abuse disorder, this is an official diagnosable disorder.
• The fraud, waste, and abuse in this area is phenomenal. We've got a lot of work to do.
• How do we know about this abuse?
• And that person might be able to do that horrific abuse to someone else.
• Members, we've heard a lot about the abuse and tragedy...

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the very addiction it then prevents the very addiction it then prevents pretends<00:09:24.880><c
• Institute on Drug Abuse report.
• </c> more likely to develop substance abuse more likely to develop substance abuse issues<00:13:16.880
• </c><00:13:20.320><c> Bottom</c><00:13:20.720><c> line,</c><00:13:21.600><c> our</c> Drug Abuse report
• Bottom line, our Drug Abuse report.

Committee: Senate Hawaiian Affairs

Summary: The Committee on Hawaiian Affairs briefly met and adjourned after noting that GM 574, a nomination on its agenda, had been withdrawn, leaving the committee with no business to consider. A separate joint hearing of the Senate Committees on Economic Development and Hawaiian Affairs then took up HCR 192, a resolution to convene a tourism and gaming working group. Testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including representatives from the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Nation of Hawaii, and CARES, said the measure would allow Hawaiians to have a seat at the table, learn from Native nations with gaming experience, and make informed decisions about whether and how gaming should be approached. Some supporters emphasized that the working group was about research and self-determination, not immediate legalization, and suggested the state should focus on broader economic development options as well. Opponents, including the Honolulu prosecuting attorney and several community members and faith leaders, warned that gambling would increase addiction, crime, family breakdown, debt, and exploitation of low-income and vulnerable residents. They argued that online sports betting and other forms of gaming would be especially harmful, with some citing examples from other states and concerns about problem gambling, domestic violence, and illegal activity. Committee members questioned witnesses about the purpose of the working group and whether it could provide enough data to make an informed decision, while supporters and opponents alike acknowledged the need for Hawaiians to be involved in any future discussion. No vote or final action on HCR 192 was taken in the portion provided.