Transcript Highlights:

• When sudden cardiac events take place, timely intervention is That is why the legislation unanimously

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 1151 ensures that only cases involving clear and substantial risk of harm warrant government intervention

Bills: HB451, HB645, HB 1041, HB 1151, HB 1155, HB1536, HCR12, HCR12

Keywords: commercial sexual exploitation, child sex trafficking, human trafficking, child welfare, foster care, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, juvenile probation, risk assessment, needs assessment, trauma screening, child abuse prevention, exploitation screening, validated screening tool, evidence-informed tool, conservatorship, juvenile justice, at-risk youth, trafficking prevention, Child Sex Trafficking Prevention Unit

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1660 thoroughly outlines prevention and intervention measures to address this range of sexual violence

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So much so that they came and testified against the bill because they were afraid of government intervention

Bills: SB2, SJR36, SB2, SB2, SR29, SB2

Keywords: Maverick County, recognition, economic development, Texas Senate, community celebration, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Mental and behavioral health continues to be a significant stressor throughout society.
• There are several operators, behavioral health residential facilities, sober living homes, behavioral
• behavioral health residential facilities, so we're living homes, behavioral health inpatient facilities
• Some folks navigate toward sober living, and some folks do behavioral health.
• Access acknowledged that it changed behavioral health rates without an impact study.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Aligned, when we talk about behavioral health, they are aligned in some of the behavioral health districts
• Justice Amor often talks about behavioral health...
• We are not here to be the behavioral health experts.
• I don't have behavioral health scientists. I don't have behavioral health providers.
• Behavioral health for a long time before this bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the other area I want to focus on this morning is behavioral health.
• But when I hear behavioral health, and this might be where Chris and Rep.
• There is a Behavioral Health Workforce Center that's a separate website, too.
• Yeah, it appears I'm reading ahead on the Behavioral Health Workforce.
• That's the research agenda within behavioral health workforce, behavioral health and workforce.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The subcommittee met to approve the April and May minutes, welcome a new member, and hear an update from Gina Frey of EOHHS on statewide health and human services workforce development efforts. Frey described cross-secretariat initiatives under the Workforce Skills Cabinet, including MA Repay loan repayment awards, expanded community college and tuition supports, ESOL/work-readiness programming for immigrants, and efforts to build career pathways and reduce attrition in nursing, behavioral health, direct care, and primary care. She also reviewed a $46 million ARPA-funded home and community-based services grant program that supported 82 grantees, led to hiring 8,752 new staff, over 1,000 interns, 2,000 new certifications, and a drop in vacancy rates from 22% to 12%. Members raised concerns about the impact of immigration policy changes on the direct care workforce, including losses of trained workers in provider agencies, and asked whether any exemption or other relief efforts were underway. Frey said EOHHS is tracking the issue closely but did not identify a specific exemption effort. The discussion also touched on Medicaid and related program changes, with Frey noting the administration is focused on understanding potential impacts to eligibility and work requirements. Rep. Howard asked about initiatives for direct support professionals and wraparound supports, and Frey said those efforts are often led by individual agencies such as MassAbility and DDS, with EOHHS coordinating across them. The latter part of the meeting shifted to planning FY26 subcommittee goals and possible events. Members discussed using the Health Policy Commission’s Behavioral Health Workforce Center and possibly asking for a study comparing compensation in DDS and related direct care roles against health care and education jobs. They also discussed a possible cross-state public event on immigration’s impact on the workforce, especially for people with disabilities and direct support services, and agreed to continue refining goals and event ideas by email and at the next meeting. Frey provided a website link and contact information for Amy Doyle at the Health Policy Commission to facilitate future presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• to this committee is not any single failure; it is the pattern of Access implementing a covered behavioral
• Arizona Medicaid members, particularly those seeking behavioral health treatment, recovery services,
• For behavioral health-specific prior authorizations, our average processing time is 17 days.
• For behavioral health prior authorizations, the average processing time is 17 days. Okay, perfect.
• And even within behavioral health, for example, there are multiple iterations of service types.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I am a licensed behavioral health therapist. I practiced for a number of years.
• There is a huge need for access to behavioral health services.
• Kind of an overview of the state of behavioral health with DHS.
• Kind of an overview of the state of behavioral health with DHS.
• It's just our forensic behavioral health services.

Summary: The House Health Services Subcommittee met to approve the October 7, 2024 minutes and then shifted to behavioral health as the main topic. Representatives Woodridge and Vaught described the work of the behavioral health working group, saying Arkansas needs a more proactive system that improves access, reduces red tape, and focuses on a few achievable policy changes for the 2027 session rather than many bills. Members discussed barriers such as low reimbursement, workforce shortages, licensing and credentialing hurdles, rural access problems, and the need to better use community providers, compacts, and step-down services. Director Paula Stone of DHS’s Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health gave a detailed overview of the behavioral health system. She said Medicaid pays for more than 75% of behavioral health services in Arkansas and explained that when people are jailed or admitted to the state hospital, Medicaid generally stops, leaving state general revenue to cover care. She described current efforts including family-centered treatment for children, community reintegration group homes, a new adolescent substance use disorder residential unit, expanded community mental health center contracts, a secured restoration unit to reduce state hospital backlogs, and an IMD waiver to allow Medicaid payment for certain residential services. She also said DHS is working on crisis services, forensic evaluations, and provider rebidding in areas previously served by ERISA. Members asked about reimbursement for jail services, the lack of a statewide behavioral health dashboard, civil commitment options, crisis stabilization units, and whether Arkansas should expand step-down or long-term facilities for people who cannot safely return to the community. Stone said the state hospital backlog remains significant, average stays are still about 14 months, and crisis stabilization units have had mixed success, with Fort Smith and Jonesboro performing better than Fayetteville and Little Rock. The meeting ended with a commitment to continue the work, with more substantive discussion planned for August.

Transcript Highlights:

• So how is this going to help your behavior?
• Okay, Madam Chair, Senator Kavanaugh, how is this going to help the behavior?
• "Madam Chair, I think the behavior of a child is helped by the discipline that it receives.
• "Asella, how does this bill offer a solution to student behavior?" "It really doesn't.
• So that would be, I mean, the behavior itself, So that would be, I mean, the behavior itself is what

Bills: SB1074, SB1327, SB1475, SB1582, SB1583, SB1598

Keywords: student discipline, classroom management, temporary removal, administrative action, education policy, foreign relations, university governance, research security, international agreements, Arizona Board of Regents, interscholastic activities, student eligibility, criminal offenses, school district, youth sports, academic participation, conduct, planned communities, homeowners association, HOA

Transcript Highlights:

• They can get away, it appears to me, with any amount of reckless behavior and they simply have no checks
• 33:13.760> reckless to me, with any amount of reckless to me, with any amount of reckless behavior
• and they simply have no checks behavior and they simply have no checks on<02:33:19.600> that.
• So we want to intervene during the window where intervention is actually open.
• So we want to intervene during the window where intervention is actually open.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The idea is that it should be able to function on its own without constant intervention or subsidies,
• on its own without<00:57:03.599> constant<00:57:04.000> either<00:57:04.319> intervention
• <00:57:04.720> or without constant either intervention or without constant either intervention

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• on lines 29, there's a reference to tier one benchmarks, and are you referring to response to intervention
• are you referring to to<00:16:29.040> response<00:16:29.360> to<00:16:29.519> intervention
• <00:16:30.000> tier<00:16:30.279> one<00:16:30.880> uh to response to intervention
• tier one uh to response to intervention tier one uh benchmarks<00:16:31.560> or<00:16:31.680>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee began by announcing that afternoon hearings, including House Bill 283, would be moved to Representatives Hall because of expected public interest. It then took up House Bill 671, which would establish a kindergarten literacy readiness program. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mark Pearson, described the measure as a way to close gaps in early reading readiness and said it was intended as a first step, with only a placeholder appropriation while details are developed. He framed it as a targeted effort to help children who are not entering first grade ready to read. Testimony on HB 671 was largely supportive. Representatives asked about the bill’s structure, whether a specific program had been identified, how it would interact with play-based learning, and why the provider was limited to a registered nonprofit. Waterford.org representatives Teresa Rosenberger and Rob Riley testified in support, describing Waterford Upstart as a home-based, evidence-based early learning program already used in New Hampshire. They said the program provides adaptive instruction, family coaching, and technology support, including computers, tablets, internet access, and translation services in more than 100 languages. They also said the model has been successful in New Hampshire, including a Nashua pilot and later statewide efforts, and that similar legislation has existed in other states. Rep. Jonah Wheeler also spoke in support of the bill. The chair then closed the hearing on HB 671. After a fiscal note for HB 671 was distributed, the committee moved to House Bill 781, which would require school districts to adopt policies for a cell phone-free education and includes an appropriation. The transcript cuts off as Rep. Litchfield was introduced to testify on that bill, so no testimony, debate, or vote on HB 781 is included in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Verbal outburst, shouting, and disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.
• In 2024, there were over 460 traffic fatalities in Minnesota, with human behavior playing a role in many
• Within our plan, we have three intervention levels that are based on the per-passenger subsidy.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:19:03.000> Health in A funds to Behavioral Health in A funds to Behavioral Health Administration
• Drug Abuse Administration and Behavioral Drug Abuse Administration and Behavioral Health<00:19:15.640
• <00:19:26.080> Health in A funds to Behavioral Health in A funds to Behavioral Health Administration
• <00:19:36.240> Health in A funds to Behavioral Health in A funds to Behavioral Health Administration
• Behavioral Health Administration. Behavioral Health Administration.

Bills: HB389, HB469, HB1510, HB1573, HB1705, HB1858, HB1875, HB1946, HB1961, HB1962, HB2001, HB2093, HB2096, HB2097

Keywords: HB389, uncrewed aircraft, drone, drones, UAS, unmanned aerial vehicle, misuse of uncrewed aircraft, criminal offense, felony enhancement, drone crime, public safety, police, deputy sheriff, fire department, intoxicated operation, registration number tampering, property damage, bodily injury, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Package, Hawaii Revised Statutes

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to talk a little bit more about behavioral health.
• So with our model, and I'm thinking specifically of behavioral health, we spent a lot more money on behavioral
• So with our model, and I'm thinking specifically of behavioral health, we spent a lot more money on behavioral
• Behavioral health is challenging in terms of its metric profile and how to review that.
• We have huge issues elsewhere in the behavioral health space.

Keywords: 907, all

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing focused first on Oregon Medicaid coordinated care organization (CCO) finances and rate setting. Oregon Health Authority staff explained how 2025 CCO financial results will inform 2027 capitation rates, including reserve requirements, subcapitation arrangements, and major cost drivers such as behavioral health, pharmacy, rural hospital costs, and dental directed payments. They said the Legislature’s added 2025 funding materially improved CCO margins and that, without it, the program would have been negative overall. Members asked about retained earnings, subcapitation, behavioral health utilization, ABA therapy, and whether outcomes are being evaluated; OHA said rate setting is actuarial and that CCOs, OHA, and other partners all play roles in monitoring efficacy and access. OHA also reviewed House Bill 4039 changes intended to increase transparency and give CCOs earlier access to rate information and reconciliation exhibits. CCO representatives then testified that the system is under significant financial pressure and that behavioral health state-directed payments, benefit changes, and federal uncertainty from H.R. 1 are reducing flexibility. CareOregon said it has lost more than $500 million over the last couple of years and is now making provider terminations and other network changes to align spending with available funding, while emphasizing that CCOs must make hard decisions about which services and providers can be sustained. Eastern Oregon CCO said rural and frontier factors, cost-based hospitals, air ambulance needs, and statewide efficiency adjustments are not fully reflected in rates, and that dental funding is especially strained. Trillium similarly warned that state-directed payments and benefit expansion pressures are constraining the global budget model and that H.R. 1 could worsen acuity and volatility. Members pressed the witnesses on who is responsible for evaluating treatment effectiveness, especially for ABA and psychotherapy, and on how utilization limits and reimbursement changes are being used to control costs. The committee then shifted to an overview of the Affordable Care Act and Oregon’s commercial insurance market. Department of Consumer and Business Services staff explained actuarial value, metal tiers, premium tax credits, medical loss ratio rules, and the main drivers of premium rates: cost trend, utilization trend, and administrative costs. They said mandates have likely added only a limited amount to premiums over the past decade, though the exact effect is difficult to isolate, and they gave examples of how high-cost, low-volume services versus broad, high-utilization services can affect rates differently. Staff also noted that Providence Health Plan and PacificSource Health Plans are withdrawing from the individual market, though consumers should still have at least three insurer options in every county and may have four in many counties. The division said it is in the middle of reviewing proposed 2027 rates and will continue its public rate review process, including hearings and written comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a board-certified behavior analyst.
• I'm a board-certified behavior analyst, and we run this organization based on behavioral principles.
• We do have people with challenging behaviors.
• Behavior as a go-to.
• Her behavior is very complex and also very destructive to herself.

Summary: The committee heard presentations on three Arkansas programs serving students and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. University of Arkansas representatives described the Empower Program, a non-degree, four-year inclusive postsecondary program for young adults with mild intellectual disabilities, and the Autism Support Program, which provides intensive academic, peer, and career coaching for degree-seeking students with autism. They explained the programs’ person-centered planning, residential and employment supports, fee structure of $5,000 per semester for each program, and scholarship/fundraising efforts to offset costs. Members asked about dorm arrangements, mentoring, individualized plans, and how students move in and out of support services, and the presenters emphasized independence, integrated campus life, and transition planning. Pulaski Technical College staff then presented the 3D program, a three-year transition program in culinary, baking, and hospitality for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They outlined integrated classes, internships, job placement outcomes, and data showing strong completion and employment retention rates. Questions focused on how success is measured, tuition and financial aid, and the challenge of securing community partners for practicum and employment sites. The presenters said the program uses rubrics that include technical and professional skills, charges $5,700 per semester, and is pursuing accreditation through the Inclusive Higher Education Accreditation Council. The final presentation was from SLS Community, a Fayetteville nonprofit serving neurodivergent adults through residential supports, supported employment, and community initiatives. Leaders described their vision for a future mixed-use “live-work-play” development at Cato Springs, current residential and vocational services, and community events such as a 5K and a neurodiversity health care conference. Family members testified about the need for adult services, trained direct support professionals, and better reimbursement and behavioral health supports after age 21. No formal votes were taken beyond approving the prior meeting minutes, and members also announced upcoming autism-related events and requested future discussion on task force appointments and ABA-related issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• It depends on the path of behavioral health that you're seeking out.
• To be an addiction counselor or a behavioral health specialist.
• Degree here in behavioral health or addiction counseling.
• not included in behavioral health?
• Thinking back to my days, admittedly, it wasn't in behavioral health.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I am a licensed behavioral health therapist. I practiced for a number of years.
• So it's time that we be a proactive state when it comes to behavioral health.
• There is a huge need for access to behavioral health services.
• Representative Wooldridge, do you think the CCBHC helps access behavioral health?
• Representative Woolridge, do you think the CCBHC helps access behavioral health?

Summary: The House Health Services Subcommittee met to approve the October 7, 2024 minutes and then shifted to a broad discussion of behavioral health policy, taking up work previously handled by a behavioral health working group. Representatives Wooldridge and Vaught described major gaps in Arkansas behavioral health care, emphasizing access problems, workforce shortages, rural service barriers, low reimbursement, and the need to move from a reactive crisis system to more proactive community-based care. Members discussed possible 2027-session priorities such as reducing red tape, improving provider licensing and supervision pathways, expanding billing codes and reimbursement structures, and considering interstate compacts and other workforce fixes. A major focus was the state’s crisis and forensic system, including long waits for competency evaluations, the backlog at the Arkansas State Hospital, and the use of county jails for people awaiting treatment. DHS Director Paula Stone explained that Medicaid pays for most behavioral health services, but cannot pay for services in jails or state hospitals because those individuals are treated as inmates of public institutions, leaving state general revenue to cover much of that cost. She outlined DHS efforts including secured restoration beds, therapeutic communities, community mental health center contracts for jail-based services, and plans for an institution-for-mental-disease waiver that could allow Medicaid payment for certain hospital-based services. Members also discussed crisis stabilization units, with DHS noting that Fort Smith and Jonesboro have been more successful than Fayetteville and Little Rock, largely because of location, partnerships, and law enforcement coordination. Questions covered reimbursement for county jails, step-down facilities, civil commitment options, non-emergency behavioral health transportation, and whether DHS should create a bed-availability dashboard similar to hospital systems. DHS said it does not currently have such a dashboard but is exploring the idea. The meeting ended with a commitment to continue the work, with more detailed discussion planned for August, and the subcommittee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Behavioral Health Trust Fund was created to provide permanent support for behavioral health services
• Or it's the Behavioral Health Trust Fund or Tax Evasion Reserve that are finalized.
• They are for behavioral health, or for Medicaid, or for early childhood.
• Okay, I thought it was 55-45: 45 to Medicaid and 55 to Behavioral Health.
• No, to Behavioral Health. Sorry. Behavioral Health. Behavioral Health.