Transcript Highlights:

• This is a document that we prepare, we, that is prepared as part of what will follow that individual
• First, in recognition that physician assistants and nurse practitioners can sign a POLST, it updates
• In fact, clinical nurse specialists train many of the nurse practitioners that are currently authorized
• under standardized procedures and are prepared through graduate-level study.
• And so that gives, again, the restaurants over a year and a half to prepare if this bill is passed and

Committee: Senate Health

Summary: The committee heard SB 1422, which would restore Medi-Cal access for income-eligible undocumented adults beginning January 1, 2027. Senator Durazo and county, labor, health, immigrant-rights, and provider supporters argued the current enrollment freeze shifts costs to counties and hospitals, worsens preventive care, and increases expensive emergency treatment. No opposition testified. Several senators voiced support but also raised concerns about funding and the need for new revenue sources; the chair said she supported the concept and would continue working on financing, but the bill was not voted on because quorum was lost. The committee also heard SB 1023 on PrEP access, SB 1071 on amending death certificates after a homicide finding, SB 1057 on conviction-history review for CNA and home health aide certification, and SB 1088 on advance care planning and POLST/DNR updates. SB 1023’s author and supporters said requiring pharmacy-benefit coverage for injectable PrEP would reduce administrative barriers and improve access, while health plans opposed it as an improper benefit-design mandate; members sought clarification about how the billing pathway would work. SB 1071 drew strong support from victims’ families, law enforcement, and prosecutors who said death certificates should reflect later legal homicide findings, while coroners opposed it as blurring medical and legal determinations and risking data integrity. SB 1057 was presented as a fair-chance workforce measure to expand caregiving jobs for rehabilitated people with records, with no opposition heard. SB 1088 would modernize POLST/DNR rules, including electronic signatures, out-of-state recognition, and clearer signer authority; supporters backed the changes, while clinical nurse specialists opposed the bill for not including them as authorized signers. After quorum was established, the committee took up SB 869, which would require large chain restaurants to display an added-sugar icon next to beverages exceeding half the daily recommended sugar limit. Senator Weber Pierson and supporters from the American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association framed the bill as a transparency measure to help consumers make informed choices and reduce chronic disease risk. The senator responded to opposition concerns by saying existing nutrition information is often hard to find and that the icon would not unduly crowd menus. The hearing continued with testimony on the bill after quorum was reached, but no final vote is reflected in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• arena for nurse practitioners.
• Pretty much based upon the nurse practitioner part of this as well as family medicine.
• Madam Chair, Representative Block, typically the overlap comes not with and nurse practitioners.
• This is the National Health Service Corps federal awards for practitioners.
• And then it goes down for PAs, a little lower for other practitioners.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Prepar? Intent, but I'm happy to work with you on making some changes.
• There are 27 states currently allow full autonomous practice by these practitioners, and over 11,000
• About safety, there are no studies that show that care delivered by nurse practitioners is unsafe.
• I'm a family nurse practitioner and psychiatric nurse practitioner.
• Chris Floyd with the Florida Association of Nurse Practitioners, waving in support.

Summary: The committee took up a large health and human services agenda and first approved HB 711, the Spectrum Alert bill, which would create a statewide alert system for missing autistic children and require FDLE to coordinate training with state and local agencies. The measure drew a supportive waiver from the Florida Smart Justice Alliance and passed unanimously, 24-0, reported favorably. Members then considered CS for HB 229 on health facilities, which modernizes the Health Facilities Authority Act to allow additional nonprofit health system structures to use tax-exempt financing. Two amendments were adopted: one requiring advance notice, public hearings, and stakeholder notifications before a nonprofit hospital closure, and another removing a property tax exemption for a nonprofit hospital that closes and fails to maintain emergency services for 120 days, applied retroactively to January 1, 2025. The Florida Hospital Association opposed the amendments, citing workforce and nonprofit-status concerns, but the bill as amended passed 24-0. The committee also approved CS for HB 1405 on juvenile justice status offenders, expanding early truancy intervention, parent involvement, and shelter placement review timelines; it passed 24-0. CS for HB 27, joining the Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact, and its linked public records bill CS for HB 29 both passed unanimously after supportive testimony from several advocacy and business groups. The committee then debated HB 111 on out-of-network referrals and HB 1083 on patient access to records. HB 111 would require referring practitioners to inform patients in writing when a referral is out of network and to apply out-of-network payments to deductibles; it drew opposition from medical groups over administrative burden and patient-care concerns, but passed 17-8. HB 1083 would shorten the time for producing medical records to 14 working days and standardize access rules, with amendments clarifying portal access and delaying the effective date to January 1, 2026; despite opposition from some health information and provider groups over HIPAA and access concerns, it passed 19-7 as amended. Later, the committee approved HB 883, allowing autonomous practice for psychiatric nurse practitioners with the required credentials, after strong support from nurse practitioner groups and opposition from psychiatric and medical associations; it passed 23-3. HB 1297, which aligns Florida’s electronic prescribing exceptions with federal law and removes several state exemptions, passed 19-7 despite opposition from hospice, emergency physician, rheumatology, and medical groups concerned about paper prescriptions in emergencies and hard-to-find medications. HB 1353 on home health care services and CS for HB 989 on foster home licensure transfers both passed unanimously after supportive amendments. The committee also heard HB 1505 on parental rights, which would require written parental consent for many health care services, surveys, and biofeedback devices for minors and expand parental access to records; the bill drew extensive support testimony but also questions and concerns about confidentiality, abuse reporting, and existing exceptions, and the transcript ended before a final vote on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• The New Mexico Occupational Therapy Association provides support to occupational therapy practitioners
• And whereas family and consumer sciences prepares students to become competent, caring, and confident
• FCS programs prepare students with real-life skills in areas like nutrition, financial literacy, human
• DECA is an international organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in the fields
• DECA, again, is an internationally recognized student organization that prepares emerging leaders and

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> doesn't need this but as a practitioner doesn't need this but as a practitioner as<01:32:43.520>
• </c> of the New Hampshire Nurse Practitioners of the New Hampshire Nurse Practitioners Association.<01
• </c> director of the nurse practitioners director of the nurse practitioners association.<01:46:01.040
• So, we're going to be practitioners.
• Meg Thompson, who is a nurse practitioner, obviously the lead nurse practitioner at the New Hampshire

Committee: House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• As I said, there is a committee sub with the number 233920.1, and I'm prepared to address why we have
• I'm a real nurse and a nurse practitioner.
• As a frontline nurse practitioner in critical care, I know what my challenges are in my unit, just as
• It's like preparing for the invasion of Normandy on a daily, if not more often, basis.
• It's like preparing for the invasion of Normandy on a daily, if not more often, basis.

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 279, on a committee substitute that narrowed the bill to privacy and safety protections for reproductive and gender-affirming health care. The substitute would strengthen limits on disclosure of protected health information, restrict geofencing around care facilities with exceptions for security and research, clarify emergency stabilization obligations under state licensing law, and allow abortion-medication labels to omit a prescriber’s personal name and address. Supporters including ACOG, the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, the Health Care Authority, and advocacy groups said the bill protects patients and providers from surveillance, harassment, and out-of-state investigations. Some members raised concerns about HIPAA, research data, and whether the bill could go too far, but the substitute passed 6-2. The committee then approved House Memorial 1, which asks the Legislative Finance Committee to study whether a constitutional amendment should create an independent commission to manage CYFD. Supporters said the department needs a comprehensive structural review, while opponents argued New Mexico already has enough reports and should act on existing recommendations instead of commissioning another study. House Memorial 31 also passed; it directs the Health Care Authority to re-evaluate a rule limiting home health agencies to serving patients within 100 miles of their licensed locations, in light of access needs in remote areas such as the Navajo Nation and anticipated demand from uranium workers. House Bill 306, dealing with facility fees, was amended by substitute to prohibit such fees for certain preventive services, vaccinations, telehealth, and some services provided in vehicles, while exempting rural hospitals and requiring notice to patients. Hospital representatives opposed the bill, warning it would add financial pressure and could still be passed through to patients or premiums, while insurers, retiree advocates, and consumer groups supported it as a way to curb confusing and costly add-on charges. The committee also advanced House Memorial 36 to create an unfunded nursing shortage task force focused on graduation rates, retention, and barriers to training, and House Memorial 35, which would ask HCA to seek a Medicaid state plan amendment for pediatric palliative care. Supporters of the palliative care memorial described major access gaps for children with complex conditions, especially in rural areas, and the memorial passed after testimony from a rural pediatric hospice nurse and committee discussion about the small number of eligible children and the burden on families.

Transcript Highlights:

• Are you prepared to answer Ranking Member Schmidt's question now, or would you like to send it in writing
• We get a group of well-intentioned practitioners with less than a medical doctor's degree who come forward
• and tell us... ...practitioners with less than a medical doctor's degree who come forward and tell us
• and tell us, practitioners with less than a medical doctor's degree who come forward and tell us, we
• Quite simply, if we're going to have to pay doctors' costs eventually for these non-doctor practitioners

Bills: HB2107 , HB2137 , HB2243 , HB2264

Committee: House Labor & Workplace Standards

Keywords: construction safety, hazard notification, worksite regulations, labor safety, state law, law enforcement, correctional officers, interest arbitration, collective bargaining, public safety, workers' compensation, healthcare providers, physical therapy, occupational therapy, employment, unemployment insurance, benefits, layoffs, workforce reduction

Transcript Highlights:

• from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, dietitian regulatory boards, and industry-leading practitioners
• </c> not dietitians but other practitioners not dietitians but other practitioners in<00:15:08.959><c
• </c><00:19:32.480><c> for</c> identities, and ultimately prepare for identities, and ultimately prepare
• I'm saying until we have a way of knowing that we have a good valid practitioner on our hands.
• </c> that we have a good valid practitioner that we have a good valid practitioner on<00:47:02.720><c

Summary: The committee met on October 23, 2025, approved the September 25 minutes, and heard several informational presentations on occupational licensing and workforce access. The first major topic was the dietitian licensure compact, presented by Rep. Vanessa Gracel, Whitney Duddy, and Caitlyn Bison. They said the compact would be revenue-neutral, improve licensure portability, support military families, expand telehealth and rural access, and preserve state regulatory authority. Testimony noted that 15 states had joined the compact, including Ohio and Tennessee, and that Kentucky would have a seat on the compact commission if it enacted the measure. Members asked about bordering states and possible telehealth competition concerns; witnesses said they had not seen evidence of harmful effects in other compacts and described the compact as expanding access rather than displacing local providers. The committee then heard testimony on music therapy licensure, with Chris Millet, Laura Elliot Buckner, and Dr. Kimberly Cinemore speaking in support of Senate Bill 42. They described music therapy as a clinical, board-certified profession requiring formal education, supervised training, and national certification, and argued that state licensure would protect the public, clarify scope of practice, and help retain Kentucky-trained professionals. Witnesses said the bill would not require new state funding, could be administered through a self-sustaining licensing structure, and would not prevent others from using music in their work. In response to questions, they said licensure could help open doors to insurance, waiver, and HSA reimbursement, but would not guarantee coverage. Finally, the committee heard testimony on expanding physician access through a provisional licensure pathway for internationally trained physicians. Adam Meyer of the Cicero Institute said Kentucky faces a severe physician shortage, especially in rural areas, and argued that qualified international physicians should not have to repeat residency if they meet strict criteria, including an employment offer, prior training and experience, good standing, U.S. exam passage, and a three-year provisional period before full licensure. Rapender Carr of Baptist Health supported the concept, saying it could help fill hard-to-recruit positions across the state and improve access in rural markets. No votes were taken on these policy topics during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a private practitioner and reading interventionist. I'm up here in Duluth.
• Dyslexia is introduced in these professional development programs, but it is not taught in a way that prepares
• I'm a private practitioner<00:02:45.960><c> and</c><00:02:46.120><c> reading</c> practitioner and reading
• practitioner and reading interventionist.<00:02:47.520><c> I'm</c><00:02:47.720><c> up</c><00:02:47.880
• </c> it is not taught in a way that prepares it is not taught in a way that prepares teachers<00:04:07.240

Transcript Highlights:

• and I think the analysis prepared by the health committee is very thorough and not addressing those,
• Counties are going to do our best to prepare for HR-1, but the impacts will be significant, and we know
• I work very closely with various civil society groups, as well as AI practitioner networks, including
• , human health care practitioner, we were flooded. an actual health care practitioner, human health care
• I know what it feels like to face a pregnancy you were not prepared for.

Committee: House Health

Transcript Highlights:

• Alternative practitioners helped give my life back.
• The majority of the practitioners are sole practitioners who hold instructional programs in their living
• I am a Guild-certified Feldenkrais teacher and practitioner.
• There's been an outcry from clients and practitioners.
• And this is what I require from the practitioners. They...

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure

Summary: The committee opened a hearing of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure and reviewed a broad agenda including credit card fees, event ticketing, music therapy licensure, senior psychologist licensure, CPA pathways, school mental health licensure, and a bill regulating alternative healing therapies. The chairs explained hearing logistics, including three-minute testimony limits and submission of written testimony, and noted that more than 70 people had signed up to testify. Legislators and advocates were heard out of order throughout the day. A major portion of the hearing focused on credit card surcharge and interchange legislation. Restaurant owners, the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, NFIB, and other small-business witnesses supported bills allowing merchants to add convenience fees and, in one proposal, preventing card companies from charging fees on tax and tip portions of transactions. They argued that swipe fees are a major and growing cost, especially for restaurants, and that Massachusetts is one of only two states that bars surcharges. Opponents from the Cooperative Credit Union Association, the Electronic Payment Coalition, and the Electronic Transactions Association warned that the proposals would create compliance burdens, fragment the payment system, raise legal preemption issues, and disrupt a system they described as efficient and secure. The committee also heard competing testimony on ticket transferability and ticket resale. Supporters, including the National Consumers League and Sports Fans Coalition, said bills on ticket transferability would protect consumers who cannot attend events and would increase competition and savings in the secondary market. Opponents, including United Musicians and Allied Workers and theater owners, argued that mandatory transferability would weaken artists’ and venues’ ability to prevent scalping and predatory resale, and that some ticket sellers should be exempt from the broader ticketing regulations. Separate testimony supported music therapy licensure, senior psychologist licensure, and new CPA education pathways, with witnesses saying these measures would expand access to care and strengthen the workforce while maintaining professional standards. The hearing also drew extensive opposition to S.261 on alternative healing therapies, with practitioners and clients arguing it would overregulate spiritual and holistic practices and was not an effective response to human trafficking concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• Are you prepared to answer Ranking Member Schmidt's question now, or would you like to send it in writing
• We get a group of well-intentioned practitioners with less than a medical doctor's degree who come forward
• We get a group of well-intentioned practitioners with less than a medical doctor's degree who come forward
• and tell us, practitioners with less than a medical doctor's degree who come forward and tell us, we
• Quite simply, if we're going to have to pay doctors' costs eventually for these non-doctor practitioners

Summary: The Labor and Workplace Standards Committee held its first meeting of the session and heard four bills. HB 2107 would make permanent and slightly narrow a temporary L&I requirement that, after an on-site safety inspection at a building construction site, the agency make a good-faith effort to notify the owner or employer within 10 working days if an immediately identified hazard could injure a worker. Construction industry groups and L&I supported the bill and said the pilot had worked well, with L&I reporting it had been able to notify owners almost 96% of the time during about 1,400 inspections. HB 2137 would remove the population threshold for binding interest arbitration for correctional employees in city and county jails. Teamsters representatives said the change would give corrections officers in smaller jurisdictions the same bargaining rights as other uniformed personnel and help address safety, staffing, and wage inequities. County representatives opposed the bill, saying it would increase bargaining and compensation costs for many counties, and asked for amendments requiring arbitrators to consider county finances and making awards nonbinding on county legislative authorities. HB 2264 would clarify unemployment insurance eligibility for workers who opt into an employer-initiated layoff or reduction-in-force plan, even if they can rescind their decision, so long as the termination results from the employer’s plan. Supporters said current court rulings create confusing and unfair denials of benefits for workers who leave in good faith during layoffs; NFIB raised questions about severance, retirement, and UI solvency. HB 2243 would allow physical therapists and occupational therapists to serve as attending providers in the workers’ compensation system. Physical therapy and occupational therapy advocates said this would speed care and return workers to work sooner, while retailers, food industry representatives, NFIB, the Washington State Medical Association, and L&I raised concerns about diagnosis, scope of practice, added costs, and the possibility that all PTs and OTs would have to join the provider network. No votes were taken; the committee heard testimony and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• ambitious timeline of December 31, 2026, for the board to adopt new rules governing the safe receipt, preparation
• I am a doctorally prepared nurse practitioner and a clinician. Ms.
• Osman, I am a doctorally prepared nurse practitioner and a clinician here in Washington State.
• I am a doctorately prepared nurse practitioner and a clinician. Ms.
• Osman, I am a doctorately prepared nurse practitioner and a clinician here in Washington State.

Bills: SB6087 , SB5934 , SB5520 , SB6017 , SB5890

Committee: Senate Law & Justice

Keywords: children's items, donations, charitable donations, nonprofit, religious organization, public health agency, liability shield, gross negligence, intentional misconduct, car seats, child safety seats, baby formula, diapers, strollers, cribs, playpens, high chairs, used goods, donation centers, Washington RCW

Transcript Highlights:

• So, you know, I'll look into that and certainly be prepared to answer that question in detail at the
• Be prepared to answer that question in detail at the next committee stop. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• and allowing them to perform more advanced duties in our hospitals will fulfill this mid-level practitioner
• Yes, this is different than human prescribing laws that allow PAs and nurse practitioners to prescribe
• Elevating veterinary technicians to a mid-level practitioner is what they seem to indicate.

Bills: S0754 , S0796

Committee: Senate Regulated Industries

Summary: The Committee on Regulated Industries met with a quorum and took up two bills. First, it heard SB 754 on heated tobacco products. The bill would statutorily define heated tobacco products and exempt them from the cigarette tax. Senator Davis questioned why the exemption was needed, and Senator Bernard asked about youth access; the sponsor said the bill was limited to taxation and would look into age and regulatory issues. A Florida Retail Federation representative appeared in support. The committee voted the bill favorably, and Senator Bracey Davis later asked to be recorded as voting in the affirmative on tab 1. The committee then considered SB 796 on veterinary medicine, after adopting a delete-everything amendment. The amended bill would create a Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA) role for individuals with a master’s degree in veterinary clinical care to perform delegated tasks under a licensed veterinarian’s responsible supervision. It also would extend the time period for telehealth prescriptions for flea and tick products from one month to six months and for other medications from 14 days to 30 days. Senator Boyd raised liability concerns, and the sponsor said existing statute already places liability on the supervising veterinarian. The Florida Veterinary Medical Association testified against the bill, arguing Florida should expand and better utilize existing veterinary technicians rather than create a new mid-level role, and warning about federal prescribing restrictions and animal safety. Supporters, including the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Dr. Wayne Jensen, argued the bill would expand access to care, reduce costs, and provide a well-trained supervised workforce. Several senators said the bill balanced access and safety, and the committee reported SB 796 favorably. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I'll look into that and certainly be prepared to answer that question in detail at the next committee
• Be prepared to answer that question in detail at the next committee stop. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• and allowing them to perform more advanced duties in our hospitals will fulfill this mid-level practitioner
• Yes, this is different than human prescribing laws that allow PAs and nurse practitioners to prescribe
• Elevating veterinary technicians to a mid-level practitioner is what they seem to indicate.

Bills: S0754 , S0796

Committee: Senate Regulated Industries

Transcript Highlights:

• in Washington, PLU will be building a pipeline of qualified music therapy professionals who are prepared
• Those are PAs, nurse practitioners.
• Those are certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist
• ARNPs may use the titles of advanced registered nurse practitioner, nurse practitioner, and nurse anesthetist
• Advanced registered nurse practitioners may also use the title of advanced practice registered nurse,

Summary: The Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee held a Friday morning hearing with several House bills and then took executive action on three measures. In executive session, the committee voted do pass on Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2242, Substitute House Bill 2152, and Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2168, sending the first two to Rules and the overdose-mapping bill to Ways and Means. The committee also waived the five-day notice rule for several bills on the agenda. Public hearings focused on hospital inspections, continuing care retirement communities, radiologic technologist supervision, music therapy licensure, nursing regulation, ambulance billing after motor vehicle accidents, and EMT recertification. Representative Macri presented HB 2577 to require hospital inspections at least every 18 months, allow limited pauses during emergencies, and clarify when CMS or accrediting-body surveys may substitute for state inspections; DOH supported the bill, citing JLARC recommendations, while many people signed in opposed. Macri also presented Second Substitute HB 2384, which would require actuarial analysis review for certain CCRCs; OIC supported the transparency goal, while CCRC representatives opposed the added cost, though residents and association witnesses argued the oversight would protect seniors and their life savings. Representative Engel’s HB 2113 drew strong support from radiology, hospital, and provider groups for allowing virtual direct supervision for IV contrast procedures and aligning state law with CMS practice. Representative Ryu’s HB 1187 would bar ambulance services from sending motor-vehicle-accident medical debt to collections for 120 days; she described a personal experience with an ambulance collection issue, and the hearing was closed after no testifiers appeared. Representative Reed’s HB 2363 would let music therapy applicants practice under supervision for up to six months while exam results are processed; music therapy witnesses said it would prevent workforce gaps. Representative Simmons’ HB 2339 would update nursing title and transcript requirements and allow the board to issue interim permits directly, with the Board of Nursing and ARNP groups calling it a technical cleanup. HB 2540 would extend EMT recertification intervals to six years for long-tenured EMTs, and firefighters supported it as an administrative simplification without changing training requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• As I said, there is a committee sub with the number 233920.1, and I'm prepared to address why we have
• I'm a real nurse and a nurse practitioner.
• As a frontline nurse practitioner in critical care, I know what my challenges are in my unit, just as
• It's like preparing for the invasion of Normandy on a daily, if not more often, basis. ...Chavez, no.
• It's like preparing for the invasion of Normandy on a daily, if not more often, basis. ...preparing for

Committee: House House Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• and case manager positions with people and experienced trusted professions such as health care practitioners
• Because of the short timeline, to further support preparation, the department facilitated kickoff meetings
• There are also instances where the prior authorizations are denied, but the treating practitioner says
• It ensures that foster parents will receive consistent, high-quality preparation in the pilot sites.
• So we are in full preparation for that as well.

Summary: The subcommittee heard two Department of Children and Families implementation updates on measures passed in prior sessions. First, DCF reviewed House Bill 633, which increased oversight of behavioral health managing entities through biennial independent audits, standardized claims-based reporting, and new monthly outcome dashboards. The department said it had awarded the inaugural audit to Ernst & Young, found no significant waste, fraud, or abuse, but identified process risks involving financial controls, claims validation, data access, and system access controls. DCF also described its transition to standardized behavioral health coding and said the new public dashboard of 11 measures is posted on its website, though members asked for easier access and for hard copies of the audit report. Members asked about how the department distinguishes Medicaid-covered services from department-funded services, how duplicate payment risks are being addressed, and whether the new reporting and audit requirements would improve oversight without disrupting services. DCF said it is the payer of last resort for uninsured or underinsured individuals, that some overlap with Medicaid is expected because Medicaid does not cover all behavioral health services, and that new claims edits and cross-checks are being built into the system. The department also said it had not found significant negative feedback from providers and that the new requirements are intended to improve transparency and accountability. DCF then updated the committee on Senate Bill 7012, covering human trafficking data collection, domestic violence center certification, limited background-screening exemptions, expanded recruitment for child welfare staff, subcontractor liability protections, a four-year treatment foster care pilot, case management efficiency recommendations, and a statewide study of residential bed capacity for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The department said several items are already complete or underway, including limited exemptions in the screening clearinghouse, while others are in procurement or rulemaking. It identified Circuits 4 and 12 as the treatment foster care pilot sites and said the pilot will launch in January 2026. Members questioned recruitment metrics, pilot timing, and report deadlines; the department said final reports are expected by January and that some dates were flexible because of procurement and implementation timelines. The meeting ended after the presentations and questions, and the subcommittee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• UAMS denied liability and moved to dismiss the claim, arguing that the nurse practitioner was covered
• UAMS denied liability and moved to dismiss the claim, arguing that the nurse practitioner was covered
• UAMS denied liability and moved to dismiss the claim, arguing that the nurse practitioner was covered
• Do you have a prepared statement? I do. You're welcome to present.
• I prepared a rebuttal for reconsideration, and I'll kind of briefly read to you.

Committee: All ALC-CLAIMS REVIEW/LITIGATION REPORTS OVERSIGHT

Transcript Highlights:

• Jill Puckett, with the Florida Association of Nurse Practitioners, waiving in support. Thank you.
• Allison Carval Hall, Board of Nurse Practitioners Network, waiving in support.
• So as well as myself, I'm a health care practitioner. I work in the industry as well.
• Myself as a health care practitioner, as well as my daughter, as an RN, as well as a sickle cell warrior
• I'm so sorry. myself as a health care practitioner, as well as my daughter, as an RN, as well as a sickle

Bills: S0006 , S0036 , S0560 , S0778 , S0844 , S0864 , S1002 , S1016 , S1022 , S1030 , S1630

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services heard and advanced a series of health, child welfare, aging, disability, and public records bills. CS/SB 1002, on child welfare and parental substance abuse, was described as clarifying that acute or chronic parental drug abuse can constitute harm or neglect when it creates an ongoing risk to a child; it passed after limited questions and supportive testimony from Florida Smart Justice Alliance. CS/SB 1630, a broad aging and long-term care modernization bill, would streamline eligibility screenings, allow temporary DOEA services during emergencies or lead agency failures, tighten oversight of area agencies on aging, permanently establish the Florida Alzheimer’s Care Center of Excellence, and expand guardianship training and enforcement tools; it drew support from AARP, area agencies, and the Alzheimer’s Association and was reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 1022 to add Bay County and Pompano to the Florida Children’s Initiatives, and CS/SB 1030, via strike-all amendment, to streamline regulation of substance abuse and behavioral health providers and clarify background screening and privacy rules. Several bills focused on health care practice and patient access. CS/SB 36, with an amendment, allows nurses with doctoral degrees to use appropriate titles while requiring clear identification as nurses and making misuse grounds for discipline; nursing organizations supported it and it passed. CS/SB 844 requires physicians and nurses to complete a one-time, board-approved continuing education course on sickle cell disease care management, with multiple patients and advocates testifying about delayed care, bias, and the need for better provider education; the bill was reported favorably after an amendment aligning it with the House version. CS/SB 560 streamlines procedures for psychotropic medication for children in DCF custody by reducing duplicative reports, clarifying evaluator qualifications, limiting repeated background checks, and simplifying consent documentation; an amendment removed postsecondary education language, and the bill passed. The committee also approved a public records exemption bill for a uterine fibroids research database (CS/SB 864). The committee also advanced measures affecting disability services and forensic care. SB 6, a claims bill, would pay $3.8 million to a trust for a child who suffered severe abuse-related injuries after DCF involvement; it passed without opposition. SB 778 updates the definition of forensic clients so certain individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism found incompetent to proceed can be housed in the same secure forensic setting, reducing duplicative staffing and space needs; it was reported favorably. CS/SB 1016 codifies the Working People with Disabilities Program, allowing eligible developmentally disabled adults to work while retaining Medicaid waiver benefits and requiring notice to enrollees; advocates described the bill as essential to employment and independence, and it passed. Throughout the meeting, most bills received supportive public testimony, few questions, and unanimous or near-unanimous favorable votes.