Transcript Highlights:

• HB 5194 by Capriglione relates to improving the efficiency of the state workforce development programs
• HB 5194 by Capriglione relates to improving the efficiency of the state workforce development programs
• HB 5194 by Capriglione relates to improving the efficiency of the state workforce development programs
• , health, civic engagement, and social development.
• development boards and is referred to the Committee on Trade, Workforce, and Economic Development.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's just for year one to invest in rural health care across New Mexico.
• That's just for year one to invest in rural health care across New Mexico.
• Well, I wonder what's going to happen to rural New Mexico.
• They are a lifeline to many of our communities, especially in our rural communities.
• One of them is that we know that more older adults are residing in rural areas.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If we can't develop a new computer system right away, let's figure out another way to get it done because
• Um, and then developing or convening employer partners to identify the benefits of being a... identify
• a job search platform for... to develop a job search platform for individuals that are coming out of
• So, that may be something that needs to be developed as to how it would be established.
• And that falls under workforce development and preparedness.

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The cover crop pilot program, which I don't know has ever made it out of administrative rural development
• The cover crop pilot program, which I don't know has ever made it out of administrative rural development
• The cover crop pilot program, which I don't know has ever made it out of administrative rural development
• The cover crop pilot program, which I don't know has ever made it out of administrative rural development
• The cover crop pilot program, which I don't know has ever made it out of administrative rural development

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• East rural and Central West rural, to ensure the region was appropriately represented based on its share
• background information that could be developed annually.
• annual professional development conference for legislators.
• And then last, Ongoing professional development, and then an annual professional development conference
• The idea of developing a public-facing platform for official communication, The idea of developing a

Summary: The Legislative Arrangements and Procedure Committee met with a quorum, approved the prior minutes, and then took up several follow-up items related to legislative security, public records, and the impacts of term limits. The Secretary of State’s office presented draft language to make legislators’ and candidates’ residential addresses confidential in public records, with discussion of who would be covered, how the protection would work, and whether it should expire when a candidate’s term ends. Members raised concerns about unintended consequences, transparency, and whether the public should still be able to see enough information to evaluate residency requirements. Rather than act immediately, the committee set the draft aside for a future meeting and asked for an amendment reflecting the Secretary of State’s suggested changes. The committee also reviewed a security best-practices memo and NCSL materials on capitol security. The memo encouraged legislators to be aware of their surroundings, avoid real-time vacation posting, vary routines, report threats, and follow security alerts. Members discussed a recent incident and the need to improve alert distribution and update contact information so legislators and staff receive notices consistently. The Secretary of State and committee members noted that the alert system may need refinement, including a separate legislative notification channel. The bulk of the meeting was devoted to Garrity Consulting’s final report on how to mitigate the effects of legislative term limits. The consultants summarized interviews, surveys, and focus groups with legislators, the public, and stakeholders, identifying major themes such as loss of institutional knowledge, leadership turnover, staffing pressures, and the need for stronger onboarding and training. Recommendations included considering annual sessions or shifting biennial sessions to even-numbered years, restructuring organizational session, making interim committees more consistent with regular committees, adding office hours, formalizing mentorship and leadership succession planning, expanding staff and professional development resources, creating public-facing educational tools, and improving communication and virtual testimony options. Members generally appreciated the report and its phased implementation roadmap, while also debating the practicality of some recommendations and the tension between making service more demanding and keeping the legislature accessible to new candidates.

Transcript Highlights:

• And many of them are in our rural communities and in our urban areas throughout the state.
• I also just want to add that I represent three rural hospitals in Roswell, Deming, and Carlsbad.
• We're facing significant challenges in access to health care in the rural areas of our state.
• So we're leaving the health care authority to develop the criteria.
• This is exactly what rural New Mexico needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• One of our charges as the subcommittee is to develop a state plan on Alzheimer's.
• <00:34:37.839> a comprehensive issue will be to develop a comprehensive issue will be to develop
• One of our charges as the subcommittee is to develop a state plan on Alzheimer's.
• Aging in rural New Hampshire is a little different.
• Aging in rural New Hampshire is a little different.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including roll call and approval of the prior meeting minutes, with one member abstaining because of absence and one member opposing. The main informational items were a Department of Health and Human Services update on the rural health transformation grant and a public health briefing on vaccines, followed by a quarterly budget and staffing update and an annual report from the Permanent Subcommittee on Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Related Dementias. Commissioner Lori Weaver reported that the department submitted the rural health transformation grant application on November 4, described it as reflecting input from communities and providers statewide, and said CMS review and budget negotiations would follow before final approval on December 31. She said the grant could support hiring as long as administrative costs stay within the 10% cap, and that the governor’s office will oversee administration with HHS. Ian Watt then testified that New Hampshire remains committed to vaccine access, including through the universal purchase program and annual respiratory virus guidance for flu, RSV, and COVID-19. He said the state continues to use evidence-based review for vaccine policy, noted the CDC’s change regarding the combined MMRV vaccine for the first dose in young children, and said New Hampshire’s school vaccine mandates remain at nine for schoolchildren and 10 for child care, with statutory exemptions still in place. Department staff also said there have been no supply or funding problems affecting childhood vaccine access. Nathan White, the department’s CFO, reviewed the DHHS budget and vacancy trends. He said DHHS makes up a large share of the state budget, that about 31% of its budget is general funds subject to lapse, and that lapse projections are difficult because much of the budget is driven by utilization rather than personnel. He reported current projected general fund lapse of just under $20 million, compared with about $39 million in the statewide surplus statement, and explained that only about a third of DHHS general funds can actually lapse because of statutory restrictions. He also said the department has about 400 unfunded positions, contributing to roughly a $30 million general fund reduction across the biennium, and that the hiring freeze has pushed vacancy trends upward while critical direct-care positions are being prioritized. The Alzheimer’s subcommittee reported six meetings this year, presentations on state services, silver alerts, brain health awareness, and palliative/hospice care, and work toward a new state Alzheimer’s plan. The subcommittee is developing a needs-assessment survey for people living with dementia, caregivers, and service providers, with the goal of using the results and other data sources to inform the plan. Its recommendations focus on integrating Alzheimer’s and dementia materials into chronic disease and aging outreach, embedding brain health into systems of care, adding cognitive health measures to BRFSS, and continuing partnerships with statewide organizations. Members also discussed recent research and prevention efforts, and the committee noted that a separate bill is being pursued to include Alzheimer’s and dementia in existing public health awareness campaigns.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:21:19.560> and profession students to Rural and profession students to Rural and underserved
• about different rates and um rural about different rates and um rural opportunities<01:40:58.840
• <01:44:54.239> and dor of Workforce Development and dor of Workforce Development and recruitment
• <01:46:51.520> and we've recruited have gone to Rural and we've recruited have gone to Rural
• <01:51:53.719> areas attract especially in rural areas attract especially in rural areas however

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think we really need to talk about constitutional community rural access.
• I think we really need to talk about constitutional community rural access.
• So when we're building a system for community rural access, we want to enable the current hemp growers
• And we do really want to start this dialogue and to have rural access.
• And we do really want to start this dialogue and to have rural access.

Bills: S0042, S0196, S0878, S0902, S0914, S1092, S1168, S1340, S1404, S1414, S1684, S1686

Keywords: child protection, medical records, investigation, abuse, neglect, healthcare, Child Protection Team, diagnosis, uterine fibroids, health database, medical research, personal data protection, women's health, clinical laboratory, licensure, healthcare personnel, technologist, technician, medical marijuana, low-THC cannabis

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services met to hear and vote on a series of health, human services, and education-related bills, along with a presentation of the committee’s proposed HHS budget. The budget was described as increasing by more than $2.1 billion over the current base, with major funding highlighted for Medicaid and KidCare, rural health, provider rate increases, child welfare, mental health and substance use, opioid treatment, Alzheimer’s initiatives, cancer research, ADAP, veterans’ services, and IT modernization. Public testimony on the budget focused heavily on AIDS Drug Assistance Program funding and concerns about Department of Health changes affecting access, premium assistance, notice, and continuity of care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Among the bills reported favorably were measures on podiatric medicine and tissue-based products (SB 1092), background screening and clearinghouse procedures (SB 1168), child protective investigations involving specific medical diagnoses and second opinions (SB 42), clinical laboratory personnel licensure standards (SB 878), uterine fibroid data tracking and research (SB 196), medical marijuana treatment center oversight and related health provisions (SB 902), dyslexia and dyscalculia screening and intervention in schools (SB 1340), memory care licensure for assisted living facilities (SB 1404), congenital CMV education materials (SB 1414), Parkinson’s disease registry and related public records exemption bills (SB 1684 and SB 1686), and occupational therapy dry needling licensure standards (SB 914). Several bills were amended before passage, including SB 1092, SB 42, SB 902, SB 1684, and SB 1404. Testimony generally came from professional associations, advocacy groups, and affected stakeholders, with support voiced for most measures. The committee adopted amendments on the floor, heard no opposition during debate on the bills described, and then voted to report each measure favorably. At the end of the meeting, senators requested to be recorded in the affirmative on selected bills, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• That in rural areas, specifically rural county jails, it was a lot harder for deployment.
• The distribution services there in rural areas?
• The workforce, uh, are they not developing a plan of action?
• Once all of those plan development phases are completed, plan submission will occur.
• What's going to happen to our particularly rural providers? But all of our providers.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um and in the Development Agency.
• <01:18:25.199> to<01:18:25.440> test developing that, we're happy to test developing
• terms of um but we have been developing terms of um but we have been developing our<02:03:47.840
• mean, rural—that's not going to be covered by the rural health transformation fund.
• and not rural?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint informational briefing by the Health and Human Services and Commerce and Consumer Protection committees focused on projected impacts to Hawaii consumers from federal changes affecting Med-QUEST and the ACA marketplace, including the loss of ACA premium tax credits, OBVA/HR1-related Medicaid changes, immigrant eligibility restrictions, and new Medicaid work/community engagement requirements. Committee members noted the meeting was being streamed live and emphasized the need to explain potential coverage losses affecting a significant share of the state population. Med-QUEST administrators reported current enrollment at 390,766, about 27% of Hawaii’s population, and broke that down into major groups including roughly 128,000 ACA expansion adults and about 52,000 parent/caretaker relatives. They said the expansion adult population would be most affected by the new federal requirements, which will shorten renewal periods from 12 months to 6 months and impose community engagement rules beginning in late 2026 and 2027. They described the work requirement as 80 hours per month of work, community service, work program participation, or half-time education, with an income-based pathway tied to $580 per month at the federal minimum wage; they also noted a long list of exemptions, but said many details are still awaiting federal guidance and rulemaking. The administrators said federal changes to immigrant eligibility would eliminate Medicaid coverage for certain noncitizen categories, with an estimated 1,200 to 2,400 people affected, though about 200 may remain covered through a state-funded program for otherwise eligible individuals. They also said marketplace subsidies would no longer be available for some immigrants under 100% of the federal poverty level starting January 1, 2026, with further restrictions expected in 2027. For Hawaii overall, they estimated the new Medicaid work and renewal rules could push an additional 19,000 to 38,000 people into uninsured status, with another estimated 6,000 at risk from the six-month renewal process alone. Members asked about how exemptions would be determined, especially for medically frail and seriously mentally ill individuals, and administrators said they were still awaiting detailed federal rules and were working on data-matching and verification processes to reduce coverage losses.

Transcript Highlights:

• So first, in 2022, we designed and developed the ILP data lake and all the related systems.
• Moving on to page... ...six, we're starting with the Economic Development Department.
• Oh yes, that is Line 56 for the Economic Development Department Community Benefit Fund.
• That's 25 million for development allocations for nonpublic settlement beneficiaries.
• Economic Development Department, is that the one you're referring to?

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Legislative Reference Bureau to cooperate with the Hawaii State Public Library System to identify rural
• to conduct an inventory of bus stops on Hawaii Island utilized by children to travel to school and develop
• underserved<00:14:46.000> communities<00:14:46.959> in<00:14:47.279> the rural
• and underserved communities in the rural and underserved communities in the state<00:14:47.680> with
• strategies to improve safety at develop strategies to improve safety at each<00:16:41.920> location

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Education heard three resolutions. STR 53 SD1 sought to have the Legislative Reference Bureau work with the Hawaii State Public Library System to identify rural and underserved communities needing better telecommunications access so residents can participate in the legislative process. Testimony from the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities supported the measure, emphasizing that many advocates cannot always travel to the Capitol and need better access. STR 117 SD1 urged the Department of Education to work with the Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee and the County of Hawaii to inventory bus stops on Hawaii Island used by students and develop safety improvements; DOE described an upcoming live route audit, noted the large number of routes and stops on the Big Island, and said some stops are on private roads. The Department of Transportation, Hawaii County Council, the mayor’s office, and others supported the measure, and members discussed whether the effort could eventually expand statewide. STR 134 asked the Department of Education to provide a detailed report on the true cost of producing school meals to improve transparency and avoid unnecessary price increases. DOE said it already tracks food, labor, benefits, supplies, equipment, and other costs to calculate per-meal costs, but does not currently include transportation costs in the same way; it stated its breakfast cost was $5.80 and lunch cost was $8.66. Support testimony came from the Hawaii Public Health Institute, Hawaii Appleseed, the Hawaii Children’s Action Network, the Hawaii Hunger Action Network, and others, who said clearer cost information is especially important amid funding uncertainty. In decision making, the committee amended and passed STR 53 SD1, reverting it to the original draft by replacing the Legislative Reference Bureau with the Controller and adding coordination with the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office, while removing references tied to the LRB and the public access room outreach clause. The committee also amended and passed STR 117 SD1, shifting the lead role to the Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee and adding a request for the County of Hawaii to consider funding the effort. STR 134 was passed unamended. Representative Souza was excused for the votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• In response to your third question, according to a national program participation tracker developed by
• CDSS is grateful for the Legislature's investment to support the development.
• We're also developing a distribution and communication plan for the revised training.
• I'm Jason Wimbley, Director of the Department of Community Services Development.
• We've developed guiding principles to navigate the impacts of HR1.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But realistically, in rural police departments, that leaves their communities unprotected.
• They understand the challenges, especially in small rural law enforcement agencies.
• One is people have a lot of fear about higher costs and diminishing economic development.
• I want to ground this in what our rural communities are already experiencing.
• Indian, rural, and cultural affairs tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We bolstered health resources for rural communities through the rural health fund, rural health transformation
• people living in rural America. people living in rural America.
• The rural transformation fund, that money goes directly to rural hospitals.
• great things for rural communities. great things for rural communities.
• in rural America. in rural America.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Extending to rural hospitals that may...
• areas. rural.
• In rural and suburban areas, and I'm of course pretty rural being in Roswell, where most of my operations
• in the rural area with assistance.
• In rural areas, it is $41,000.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we know this is true in lots of rural communities, right?
• in rural areas because the reimbursement is so low.
• We have five bases of air ambulances that serve rural California.
• We have five bases of air ambulances that serve rural California.
• CalEVV now receives 75% federal participation instead of 90% available for development.

Summary: The committee heard a budget oversight hearing on the Department of Health Care Services, focusing first on the overall Medi-Cal budget and a March General Fund loan to cover a current-year shortfall. DHCS said the 2025-26 budget proposal totals $193.4 billion, with Medi-Cal projected at $188.1 billion total funds and $42.1 billion General Fund, driven by higher enrollment, pharmacy costs, managed care growth, and costs tied to eligibility expansions and the COVID-era redetermination unwinding. The department said the $3.44 billion loan was needed to manage cash flow and ensure timely payments to providers and plans, while the LAO noted Medi-Cal’s cash-basis budgeting creates volatility and that more detailed estimates would come with the May Revision. Members discussed federal Medicaid threats, the need for transparency on cost drivers, and the impact of pharmacy spending, long-term care, and immigration-related coverage expansions. The second major topic was family health programs, including California Children’s Services, the continuous coverage unwinding, and opioid settlement fund spending. DHCS described CCS funding methodology changes, ongoing county stakeholder work, and a delayed rollout of CCS monitoring and oversight until July 1, 2025, while county representatives and advocates argued the program is underfunded and asked for more technical assistance and a delay in implementation. On the unwinding, the department explained that federal redetermination flexibilities helped maintain coverage after the pandemic, but the Governor’s budget proposes ending them at the end of June 2025; advocates urged making the flexibilities permanent to avoid coverage losses. For opioid settlement funds, DHCS and Finance said the budget increases funding for naloxone distribution while reducing other harm-reduction spending based on updated settlement revenues, prompting criticism from members and public commenters who argued the change would weaken effective harm-reduction programs. The hearing also included an update on Proposition 35 implementation. DHCS said the voter-approved measure continuously appropriates MCO tax revenues beginning in 2025, with up to $4.6 billion annually available for specified Medi-Cal and provider investments in 2025 and 2026, but implementation depends on consultation with the required stakeholder advisory committee. The department and LAO noted uncertainty about future federal rules affecting the MCO tax after 2026. Public testimony largely supported maintaining Medi-Cal expansions, protecting immigrant coverage, preserving harm-reduction funding, and increasing support for community health workers, pediatric dental care, and CCS county administration. No votes were taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And really focusing on healthy development.
• And we have an overall problem developing across the educational system as far as... ...problem developing
• So they're a good rural example.
• This is the last slide, so this is some policy development...
• YouthWorks is rooted in positive youth development.

Summary: The committee met to approve prior minutes and then heard a presentation from Dr. Ramona Danielson on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), focusing on the economic and public-system impacts in North Dakota. She explained that ACEs are a population-level measure, not a diagnostic tool for individuals, and said higher ACE exposure is consistently associated with more chronic illness, mental health challenges, child welfare involvement, justice-system contact, and reduced workforce participation. She emphasized that precise dollar estimates are difficult because of the many interacting factors across a person’s life course, but said the direction of the impact is clear and that evidence-based prevention and protective factors can reduce harm. Members asked about definitions of a “healthy family,” same-sex couples, divorce, substance abuse, historical trends in ACEs, and the role of positive childhood experiences and home visiting. The committee then heard from Allison Mahoney and Missy Barranco about evidence-based home visiting programs in North Dakota, including Healthy Families, Early Head Start, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Parents as Teachers. They described home visiting as voluntary, relationship-based, and tailored to family needs, with referrals coming from hospitals, WIC, human service zones, pregnancy navigators, self-referrals, and other community sources. A parent, Abby, shared that home visiting helped her family after premature births and NICU stays by providing support with postpartum mental health, breastfeeding, developmental screenings, referrals, and parenting guidance. The presenters said the programs are funded through a mix of federal MIECHV/Title IV-E dollars, Medicaid targeted case management, state and tribal funds, philanthropy, charitable gaming, and grants, and they noted that current funding is fragmented and insufficient to serve all eligible families statewide. Members discussed whether the state should expand or better fund these services and how to improve outreach and referrals. Later, the committee received a memorandum on artificial intelligence and sexual exploitation, followed by a presentation from a BCI special agent on how AI is already affecting child exploitation investigations in North Dakota. The memo and testimony described AI-generated child sexual abuse material, deepfakes, sextortion, and risks posed by chatbots, along with relevant federal and state law and recent executive orders. The agent said North Dakota saw 2,698 cyber tips in 2025, the highest on record, and that investigators are increasingly encountering AI-assisted exploitation that is harder to detect and verify. Members discussed the need for child-safety protections, the limits of executive orders, and broader concerns about AI undermining critical thinking and spreading misinformation. No votes were taken on the AI materials during the portion provided, and the committee recessed briefly after the report.

Transcript Highlights:

• assistance on on on that to develop assistance on on on that to develop something<00:51:39.599><
• <01:14:27.960> in brief history of pace Development in brief history of pace Development in
• programs are also uh required to develop programs are also uh required to develop a<01:19:40.960
• many<01:37:02.639> states rural rural populations in many states rural rural populations
• Indiana uh that have a pretty wide rural Indiana uh that have a pretty wide rural area<01:37:16.280

Keywords: 1187, senate, all