Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> together</c> wife were in in medical school together wife were in in medical school together and
• </c> patient to go to a particular pharmacy patient to go to a particular pharmacy and<00:45:39.599><
• official sport for its member schools. >> Senator from Jefferson 19. >> Thank you, Mr.
• </c><01:26:00.159><c> Athletic</c> the Kentucky High School Athletic the Kentucky High School Athletic
• </c> member schools. member schools.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for your testimony and also for the advocacy you do to make sure kids are fed in school, in
• </c> do to make sure kids are fed in school do to make sure kids are fed in school in<01:18:20.280><c
• this is like what you do every school this is like what you do every single<01:31:09.080><c> day</c>
• like have you thought about schools like have you thought about approaching<01:45:27.119><c> the</c>
• </c><01:45:28.920><c> if</c> approaching the um schools and seeing if approaching the um schools and

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• , close the school.
• I want my kids to be safe while attending school.
• Allowing conscientious exemptions to school immunization requirements would make kids in public schools
• I'm a postpartum nurse, school immunization requirements would make kids in public schools less safe.
• Jacqueline Gonzalez-Cuba, who looks like a high school student, on behalf of a high school PTA, waving

Bills: S1082, S1168, S1756, S1156, S1480

Keywords: provider disputes, health plan, dispute resolution, Medicare, Medicaid, healthcare regulation, background screening, athletic coaches, youth sports, criminal history, expungement, Florida statutes, medical freedom, vaccination, ivermectin, healthcare practitioner liability, immunization exemptions, ambulatory surgical centers, patient safety, licensure

Summary: The committee took up several health-related bills. SB 1082, on a statewide provider and health plan claim dispute resolution program, was presented as a way to let providers and insurers use the federal independent dispute resolution process for emergency out-of-network claims under state-regulated commercial plans. A late-filed amendment clarified when providers and health plans could access the state program, and the bill was reported favorably as a committee substitute. SB 1168, which would centralize background screening clearinghouse functions at the Agency for Health Care Administration, also passed as amended after an amendment requiring sealed and expunged records to be included in screenings for qualified entities. Supporters said centralization would improve turnaround times, reduce duplication, and save costs; the sponsor said the bill also addresses coaches’ background screening language from last session. The committee then approved SB 1156, which moves ambulatory surgery center regulation out of the hospital-focused chapter of law into a standalone section, and SB 1480, as amended by a strike-all, which would grandfather certain temporary certificate holders practicing in areas of critical need if federal designation changes affect those areas. Testimony on SB 1480 emphasized continuity of care for patients in underserved communities, and the bill was reported favorably. The final and most heavily debated measure was SB 1756 on medical freedom, which would require state-approved educational materials on childhood vaccines, require practitioners to provide those materials and alternative schedules before vaccination, expand school immunization exemptions to include conscience-based objections, clarify that the Surgeon General cannot order vaccination during a public health emergency, and authorize pharmacists to provide ivermectin behind the counter without a prescription with written information and safeguards. The sponsor argued the bill strengthens parental choice and informed consent. Committee members raised concerns about vaccine-preventable disease risks, immunocompromised children, school outbreaks, and the impact of adding a new exemption. A Department of Health representative said the department would need to provide details on the history of exemption consultations and noted that removing the earlier consultation requirement had not been shown to increase outbreaks. The committee adopted a friendly amendment to give physicians the same liability protection as pharmacists for ivermectin dispensing, but rejected a substitute amendment that would have required a consultation for exemption requests. Public testimony was overwhelmingly opposed to the bill, with physicians, pediatric specialists, cancer advocates, parents of immunocompromised children, and public health groups warning that it would lower vaccination rates and endanger vulnerable Floridians. The bill remained pending after testimony, with the committee continuing to hear public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 5248 transfers the administration of the pilot program from the Texas State Board of Pharmacy
• Under the bill, pharmacies eligible to be registered with DEA can apply to participate.
• DSHS will support these pharmacies by covering the cost of one collection receptacle per site, destruction
• today's model of drive-through medicine where you, where you can go to Target and have an unlicensed pharmacy

Transcript Highlights:

• of Virginia, which is now the VCU School of Medicine, where she pursued a career in pharmacy.
• Director of Child Nutrition Services and members of the school nutrition team from schools across the
• and more than 1,200 schools.
• House Bill 416 permits any local government body that uses school buses to reimburse the school board
• House Bill 416 permits any local government body that use school buses to reimburse the school board

Keywords: March 12, 2026 - Regular Session, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also, since the conversion, have much higher... that the pharmacy when drugs were denied that the
• Uh, clearly there was some indication through the school system that he needed that level of academic
• system that he needed through the school system that he needed that<00:20:49.280><c> care</c><00:20:
• </c> the doctors, hospitals, pharmacies the doctors, hospitals, pharmacies directly. directly. directly
• at the school of public health.<01:13:47.760><c> I</c><01:13:48.000><c> appreciate</c><01:13:48.400>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• privilege to attend a place of worship and travel to and from essential businesses like grocery stores, pharmacies
• Travel to and from essential businesses like grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, and similar places
• not limited to grocery stores, supermarkets, hardware stores, convenience and discount stores, pharmacies
• People have family obligations, commitments, work, school, etc. What are you going to do?
• federal government involved, that that would be sold, and then the money would be turned over to our school

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• could do it on a smaller scale and impact teens, not just the ones that work there, who are high school-age
• teens, ages 14 to 18, in varying high schools.
• So there is a reciprocal relationship at all three schools.
• That might be out of school for a week, and I just couldn’t do it.
• That might be out of school for a week. And I just couldn’t do it.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Part of that was because there's now no pharmacy in her community as well.
• So over Because there's now no pharmacy in her community as well.
• My name is Eric Straka, and I'm a senior at Lake Washington High School.
• In the summer before my junior year of high school, I needed to pay both a deductible and an insurance
• The project analysis must also assess impacts on the local business community, local school districts

Bills: HB2313, HB2451, HB2298, HB2566, HB2517

Keywords: grocery stores, public ownership, food accessibility, community services, economic development, tax increment financing, local government, municipal finance, public infrastructure, property title protection, land record fraud, county auditors, voluntary program, real estate, procurement, contracting, transparency, financial oversight, municipal permitting, transit projects

Transcript Highlights:

• NMSEA is comprised of 88 public school districts, 102 charter schools, 10 higher educational entities
• Okay, Madam Chair, Director, the decrease in claims against schools.
• Some schools are small. Therefore, they have limited staff.
• If a school district is sued, is there a cap, let's say, for sexual abuse?
• Do you have charter schools that have been charged with?

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• time for K through 12 public school students.
• , to authorize students enrolled in virtual schools to participate in public school activities at the
• public school they would otherwise attend. ...to authorize students enrolled in virtual schools to participate
• in public school activities at the public school they would otherwise attend.
• to and from school on school buses.

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 27 by Creighton, relating to the rights of public school educators and assistance provided
• to public schools by the Texas Education Agency, related to public school educators, to Education K-
• Senate Bill 1284 by Flores, relating to civics instruction in public schools, to Education K-16.
• schools, to Education K-16.
• a nurse, school counselor, or librarian, to Education K-16.

Summary: The Senate met briefly to receive first-reading referrals of a large number of bills, resolutions, and joint resolutions. The measures covered a wide range of topics, including public education, health care, criminal justice, business regulation, transportation, water and natural resources, local government, taxation, elections, and public information. Many of the filings were by Senators Hughes, Perry, Alvarado, Creighton, Hancock, Parker, Zaffirini, Blanco, and others, and included proposals on school safety, health records and billing, election procedures, water planning, housing and rent issues, energy and environmental regulation, and criminal penalties. The chamber also read several concurrent and joint resolutions, including measures designating state symbols and local honors, a proposed constitutional amendment related to gaming by the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, a proposal concerning special-session subjects, and resolutions on fiscal restraints and retirement obligations. No debate, testimony, or substantive action on the merits of the measures occurred in this portion of the transcript; the items were simply read and referred to committees. At the close of the proceedings, the Senate adjourned pursuant to a previously adopted motion and announced it would reconvene at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 4.

Transcript Highlights:

• , recognized dental therapy school, or recognized dental hygiene school.
• It states that if a board receives a complaint that names the recognized dental school or that arises
• from dental care provided at that dental school, the board must forward that complaint to that school
• complaints go to, and the board doesn't have authority over the school, so it was a separation.
• complaints go to, and the board doesn't have authority over the school, so it was a separation.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The caucus reviewed a long list of Senate and House bills, many of them on consent or with strike-everything amendments. Topics included advanced air mobility for border security (SB 1457), raising the off-highway vehicle weight limit to 3,500 pounds while striking a proposed law enforcement fund (SB 1519), school property leases and a trampoline court safety citation change (HB 2383), electronic monitoring in health care facilities (SB 1041), dental school complaint handling and board jurisdiction limits (SB 1168), pharmacist-authorized testing and HIV prevention guidance (SB 1713), school district insurance/self-insurance requirements (SB 1497), reporting-requirement cleanup for education statutes (HB 2203), historic neighborhood housing zoning (SB 1118), construction contract payment protections in revitalization districts (SB 1189), timeshare salesperson licensing (SB 1274), workers’ compensation notice and recordkeeping (SB 1428), property tax disability exemption clarifications (HB 2120), insurance modeling/data organization requirements (HB 2174), HOA rules on chickens and pet breed restrictions (SB 1582), first responder death benefits for law enforcement pilots (SB 1503), and changes to virtual veterinary prescribing periods (SB 1286). Members generally asked clarifying questions, and several sponsors were said to intend to concur or refuse amendments, with HB 2010 headed to conference because the sponsor would not accept the Senate’s five-year refund window. On the second calendar, the committee heard HB 2176 on health facility complaint investigations, allowing DHS to investigate older complaints involving alleged abuse; HB 2050 on radiologic technologists and radiologist assistants, restoring direct supervision requirements with limited general-supervision exceptions; HB 2010 on digital goods, where the Senate reduced a refund window from 10 years to five and the sponsor planned to refuse; HB 2875 on unmanned aircraft, expanding airport drone-delivery buffer rules from one mile to two and a half miles and requiring airport consultation; HB 2428 on county certification of emission reduction credits, clarifying participation is voluntary and limiting new credits if fleet participation becomes mandatory; and HB 2877, which was struck and replaced with a veterinary technician certification pathway requiring 4,000 supervised work hours and allowing nonprofit curriculum evidence. Several members noted support or opposition based on prior votes or policy concerns, but no roll-call votes were taken in the caucus itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• , recognized dental therapy school, or recognized dental hygiene school.
• It states that if a board receives a complaint that names the recognized dental school or that arises
• from dental care provided at that dental school, the board must forward that complaint to that school
• complaints go to, and the board doesn't have authority over the school, so it was a separation.
• complaints go to, and the board doesn't have authority over the school, so it was a separation.

Summary: The caucus reviewed a long list of Senate and House bills, many of them on consent or with strike-everything amendments. Early items included SB 1457 on advanced air mobility for border security, SB 1519 raising the off-highway vehicle weight limit to 3,500 pounds, and HB 2383, which now cites the 2014 trampoline court safety law known as Ties Law. Members also discussed SB 1041 on electronic monitoring in health care facilities, with supporters emphasizing resident safety and accountability and opponents from assisted living facilities arguing it could function as a mandate. SB 1168 on dental school complaint jurisdiction, SB 1713 on pharmacist testing authority and HIV prevention, SB 1497 on school district self-insurance procurement, HB 2203 on reducing redundant education reporting, and several other measures were briefly described, with some members requesting bills be pulled from consent or noting support or opposition. The caucus also covered a series of strike-everything bills on housing, labor, licensing, and insurance. These included SB 1118 on historic neighborhood middle housing design standards, SB 1189 on late-payment protections in revitalization district construction contracts, SB 1274 creating a separate timeshare salesperson license, SB 1428 on workers’ compensation notice and recordkeeping, HB 2120 on property tax disability exemptions and widow eligibility, HB 2174 on insurance predictive modeling oversight, SB 1582 on HOA rules for pets and backyard chickens, SB 1503 expanding first responder death benefits to certain law enforcement pilots, and SB 1286 changing prescription lengths for virtual veterinary visits. Members raised questions about the scope and practical effects of several bills, and in some cases noted changes in support, such as unions backing SB 1189 and some members supporting SB 1582’s limits on HOA restrictions. On the second calendar, members reviewed HB 2176 on health facility complaint investigations, HB 2050 on radiologic technologist and assistant supervision rules, HB 2010 on digital goods seller refund requirements, HB 2875 on local regulation of unmanned aircraft and drone delivery near airports, HB 2428 on county emission reduction credit permits, and HB 2877, which was amended in the Senate to create a supervised work route for veterinary technician certification rather than the original timeshare licensing language. Several sponsors were said to intend to concur with Senate amendments, while HB 2010 was headed to conference because the sponsor intended to refuse the Senate’s five-year refund window amendment. The meeting ended after the chair announced the caucus was adjourned, with no formal votes taken in the transcript beyond references to prior floor and committee votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Part of that was because there's now no pharmacy in her community as well. So over...
• Because there's now no pharmacy in her community as well.
• My name is Eric Straka, and I'm a senior at Lake Washington High School.
• In the summer before my junior year of high school, I needed to pay both a deductible and an insurance
• The project analysis must also assess impacts on the local business community, local school districts

Summary: The committee first heard HB 2517, which would give regional transit authorities, especially Sound Transit, more flexible permitting tools for high-capacity transit projects. Staff and the bill sponsor said the goal is to let permit applications and technical reviews proceed concurrently with property acquisition and land use decisions, reducing delay and uncertainty for large transit projects. Sound Transit testified that the bill could save as much as nine months, while a city representative from Bothell asked for an amendment requiring notice to property owners before permits are advanced on land not yet owned or controlled by the agency. The committee then took testimony on HB 2313, concerning publicly owned grocery stores in underserved areas. The bill would let cities acquire land, build or rehabilitate stores, seek capital grants, and create tax increment financing areas for grocery access projects, with annual reporting requirements. Supporters, including the sponsor, Food Lifeline, and Northwest Harvest, argued that grocery closures and food deserts are real problems and that local governments need tools to fill gaps when private grocers leave. Opponents, including grocery industry groups and several students, warned that public stores could undercut private grocers, burden taxpayers, and create operational and property-rights concerns; some testimony also questioned the need for government ownership and the use of tax increment financing. A proposed substitute removed eminent domain and tax increment financing provisions and narrowed the bill to grant-funded stores in underserved areas. Next, the committee heard HB 2451, a major rewrite of local tax increment financing rules. The bill would tighten notice, consultation, reporting, and mitigation requirements for TIF areas, strengthen the “but-for” test, limit where increment areas can be located, and protect existing taxing districts by excluding certain levies and requiring negotiation, mediation, or arbitration when impacts are significant. Cities, ports, counties, libraries, fire chiefs, and hospital districts largely described the bill as a negotiated compromise that improves transparency and addresses unintended impacts, though some local governments said they still wanted more flexibility or protections for existing projects. One city testified against the bill, arguing the new restrictions would make TIF much less useful for large redevelopment efforts. The committee then heard HB 2298, which would authorize county auditors to create voluntary property title protection programs to help prevent land-record fraud by allowing owners to record a protection instrument that delays recording of a title transfer for up to five business days unless identity verification is provided. Auditors, treasurers, and county officials strongly supported the bill as a practical response to rising deed fraud, while title and foreclosure industry representatives said the proposal was too limited, could interfere with foreclosures or other transfers, and would only delay—not prevent—fraud. The final bill heard was HB 2566 on local government procurement, which would raise certain small-purchase and small-public-works thresholds for counties, remove some differences between larger and smaller counties, and give counties more options when no bids are received. County representatives supported the bill as a needed update to procurement rules and a way to reduce bureaucracy and keep pace with inflation.

Transcript Highlights:

• But yet, when you go to get the pill form, they want your $10,000 at the pharmacy.
• What has happened is we passed this statute many years ago and made it so that a child in school who
• is self-administering, or a school nurse, for example, who has permission from parents and is helping
• will do is it will modernize Idaho statute to basically say, again, a child self-administering or a school

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The House Health and Welfare Committee met with a quorum present, approved the January 19 and January 20, 2026 minutes, and adjusted the agenda to remove one RS from Representative Redmond due to his absence. The committee then introduced several RSs: RS 33005 on cottage food operations, which would create a $5,000 threshold allowing small entrepreneurs to test refrigerated or frozen food products without full commercial-kitchen regulation; RS 32945 on directed blood donation; RS 32947 on requiring disclosure of cash and insurance prices for medical procedures and allowing cash payments to count toward deductibles; RS 32948 on oral parity for anti-cancer medications so oral and IV forms are treated more similarly for cost-sharing; RS 33015 updating epinephrine delivery language to cover newer delivery systems such as nasal spray; and RS 32915 repealing the Yellow Dot Program, which sponsors said is outdated and little used. Most of these were introduced by motion after brief questions, and all motions passed. During discussion, members raised practical questions about RS 32947, including how cash pricing would work in practice and how it would interact with payer-provider contracts. RS 32915 drew questions about why the Senate held it last year and what the program has cost; the sponsor said the program has spent about $15,000 over five years and is largely unused. RS 33015 was presented as a modernization of school liability protections for epinephrine administration, and RS 32948 was described as a way to align out-of-pocket treatment of oral cancer drugs with injectable ones. The committee also briefly discussed upcoming work on rules, noting there will be several chapter rewrites and likely eight or nine meetings devoted to rules this year. The chair said budget recommendations would be requested at the beginning of the following week, with discussion likely on Monday, and asked members to continue reviewing budgets and share ideas. He also said sponsors of RSs already introduced should be prepared to present their bills in committee, even if department staff assist, and indicated the committee would try to move bills through to avoid a backlog later in the session. The meeting ended with no further business and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lati, who is our medical director on a farm B, taught pharmacy at Sanford and also consulted.
• What about school bus drivers? What about people with CDLs?
• I know school bus drivers, they're not allowed to take CBD products or any of these products for fear

Bills: SB274

Keywords: cannabis, psychoactive cannabinoids, CBD, delta-8 THC, delta-9 THC, delta-10 THC, criminal penalties, youth protection, medical cannabis, 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• model that includes collaboration with our medical director, who rounds on-site weekly, established pharmacy
• RPs do have structured education and servicing and training provided by my staff, along with the pharmacy
• The pharmacy as well. Is that change? No self-administration. Thank you very much.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Aging and Independence held a hearing on two assisted living bills, Senate 3057 and House 5376, which would create an Assisted Living Residence Trust Fund to support certification staffing, compliance reviews, complaint investigations, ombudsman services, public reporting, appeals, and oversight. Testimony from MassALA, AARP, and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman generally supported the bills and the dedicated funding stream, but MassALA urged amendments to expand career pathways for staff through certified medication aides and to add guardrails on the use of fines as a funding source. The Ombudsman supported the fund and emphasized the need for additional staffing to better serve the state’s assisted living residents. Committee members asked for draft amendment language, and the chairs indicated they were open to further discussion, especially on fines and CMA language. The committee then heard testimony on Senate 3056 and House 5243 regarding medication administration in rest homes. Providers, including the Massachusetts Association of Residential Care Homes, LeadingAge Massachusetts, and several rest home operators, opposed proposed Department of Public Health changes that would eliminate the long-standing “responsible person” model and move rest homes toward the Medication Administration Program (MAP). Witnesses said the current model has been used for decades, is tailored to rest homes, and is essential to affordability, staffing stability, and resident continuity of care; they warned that replacing it with MAP or nurse-only administration would raise costs, worsen workforce shortages, and could force closures or resident displacement. They asked the committee to support legislation preserving responsible persons’ authority to administer medications while improving training and oversight. Committee members asked questions about the history of the responsible person model, how medication administration works day to day, whether other states use similar systems, and whether data exist comparing medication error rates under MAP and the current model. The chairs said they were still reviewing building-code-related recommendations raised in the assisted living discussion and noted that some issues might be better addressed through a task force. The hearing concluded after testimony and questions, and the committee voted to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• model that includes collaboration with our medical director, who rounds on-site weekly, established pharmacy
• RPs do have structured education and servicing and training provided by my staff, along with the pharmacy
• The pharmacy as well. Is that changed? No self-administration. Thank you very much.

Summary: The Joint Committee on Aging and Independence heard testimony on Senate 3057/House 5376, a bill to create an Assisted Living Residence Trust Fund and implement recommendations from the Assisted Living Residence Commission. Supporters, including AARP and the state long-term care ombudsman, backed the trust fund for certification staffing, compliance reviews, investigations, ombudsman services, public reporting, and appeals. The assisted living industry, represented by MassALA, supported the affordability task force and certified medication aides, but asked for amendments to expand career paths and to remove or limit fines as a funding source, arguing fines should be capped and tied to health or safety risks. The ombudsman emphasized the need for more staffing and resources, noting the current caseload and travel burden across the state. The committee also took testimony on Senate 3056/House 5243 concerning medication administration in rest homes. Rest home operators, MARCH, and LeadingAge Massachusetts opposed proposed Department of Public Health changes that would replace the long-standing responsible person model with a MAP-based framework or require more licensed nursing staff. They argued the current model has been used for decades, is safe and affordable, and is better suited to rest homes than MAP, which they said was designed for different settings. They urged the committee to preserve responsible person medication administration while improving training and oversight, and several witnesses asked for a task force or substitute language to study best practices rather than impose immediate regulatory changes. Committee members asked questions about the history of the responsible person model, how medication administration works in practice, and whether other states use similar systems. Chair Stanley said the committee was still reviewing building code-related recommendations for assisted living and noted that those issues may require more time. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the committee adjourned after testimony concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• model that includes collaboration with our medical director, who rounds on-site weekly, established pharmacy
• RPs do have structured education and servicing and training provided by my staff, along with the pharmacy
• The pharmacy as well. Is that changed? No self-administration. Thank you very much.

Bills: H5243, H5376, S3056, S3057

Keywords: rest home, rest homes, medication administration, medication management, assisted living, long-term care, elder care, older adults, senior care, nursing home, resident care, self-administration, licensed facility, Chapter 111, section 71, Responsible Person, caregiver, direct care staff, care facilities, funding