Transcript Highlights:

• It extends the automatic report filing extension, which I know is something that many people have utilized
• It extends the automatic report filing extension, which I know is something that many people have utilized
• This says that candidates themselves can utilize campaign funds for certain reasonable and necessary
• campaign funds for electronic security systems and safety expenses without a monetary cap instead of utilizing

Bills: HB344

Keywords: campaign finance, elections, transparency, political committees, reporting requirements, enforcement

Summary: The Senate Elections and Government Affairs Committee heard several election- and campaign-related bills. House Substitute 2 for House Bill 155 would make Public Integrity Commission reports publicly available on the commission’s website, add a specific travel-expense reporting category, and remove the FOIA requirement for accessing reports; Senator Richardson said he supported the transparency measure and asked to be added as a co-sponsor. The committee also took up House Bill 444, the Delaware John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would create state protections against voter suppression and vote dilution, expand language access, prohibit intimidation and deception, and allow court remedies for violations. The bill drew strong support from advocacy groups including YWCA Delaware, the League of Women Voters, the ACLU, and the Legal Defense Fund, and several senators voiced support and interest in moving it quickly. House Bill 430, a constitutional amendment proposal, would make explicit that only natural persons may vote in Delaware elections, including municipal elections, in response to concerns about corporate or other artificial-entity voting in some towns. The discussion focused heavily on Fenwick Island, where the mayor testified that the town’s charter has long allowed certain artificial entities to vote in local elections and said the system is limited and has worked for years; other speakers argued the bill was needed to prevent corporate dilution of residents’ votes. Senator Richardson expressed concern about restricting entities with a local stake, while Senator Hoffner and others emphasized the principle of one person, one vote. Senator Townsend presented House Bill 344, which would tighten campaign finance rules by requiring Delaware bank accounts for candidates and committees, recurring training, better documentation of candidate loans, longer record retention, automatic filing extensions, and inactive status for noncompliant committees; one public commenter opposed the bill on cost grounds. He also presented House Bill 448, which would allow campaign funds to be used for reasonable security expenses for candidates and elected officials, with guardrails, and a commenter suggested allowing electronic security systems without a cap. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 472, a local de-annexation measure for Noble’s Pond in Cheswold to remove scattered residential lots from town boundaries and resolve uneven tax treatment; Senator Hoffner noted local law enforcement supported the change. The committee adjourned after hearing no further public comment on HB 472, and the vote to adjourn was unanimous.

Transcript Highlights:

• PBMs' very complex bids into projections of what those bids will actually cost the state, given utilization
• We utilize the national average drug acquisition cost, which is actually a survey sent out to pharmacists
• Do you guys utilize a GPO in any case? We do. Who is your GPO?
• And so that's another control mechanism for utilization management: being paid under your acquisition

Summary: The Senate Insurance Committee met on May 13, 2026, adopted the May 6 minutes, and then took up several bills dealing with pharmacy benefit managers, prescription access, behavioral health coverage, and Citizens Property Insurance. HB 938, as amended, was the main PBM reform measure. After the committee adopted a large amendment set that narrowed the bill, members heard extensive testimony in support from Mark Bloom, Justin Joseph of Capital Rx, and Kathy Ue of Pontchartrain Cancer Center, all emphasizing transparency, pass-through pricing, reverse auctions, and patient access. Supporters described savings from reverse auctions and administrative models, while the cancer center testified that PBM-owned specialty pharmacy requirements can delay cancer medications and create financial hardship. The committee reported HB 938 favorably with amendments. The committee also heard HB 1154, which prohibits prior authorization for certain generic medications prescribed by qualified physicians, with a $250 cap discussed as a safeguard against higher-cost generics. The bill was supported by representatives from Ochsner Health and the Louisiana State Medical Society and was reported favorably. HB 909, which requires commercial coverage for behavioral health crisis services, was amended to clarify the insurers covered and then reported favorably with support from the Office of Behavioral Health and several outside groups. Testimony on HB 909 focused on reducing emergency room and law enforcement burdens and expanding crisis response capacity across the state. HB 1187, dealing with excess emergency assessment funds from Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, was explained by the Insurance Commissioner as a way to transfer remaining Katrina-era assessment funds to the Fortified Roof Program. The committee reported the bill favorably. Finally, SB 511 and SB 512 were deferred and converted into a study resolution approach because there was not yet consensus on the underlying issue. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1620, amending section 9-461.17, A.R.S., relating to telecommunication utilities.
• Senate Bill 1620, amending section 9-461.17, A.R.S., relating to telecommunication utilities.
• bill, whether this reimbursement will apply only if the municipality requires the telecommunication utility
• uncertainty on whether this would apply, whether in the circumstance in which the telecommunication utility

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• would make sense and provide some comfort as this fund sits there going to be raided, going to be utilized
• sits there going to be rated going<00:14:51.120> to<00:14:51.279> be<00:14:51.519> utilized
• > now<00:14:52.079> for<00:14:52.240> about<00:14:52.399> a going to be utilized
• now for about a going to be utilized now for about a million<00:14:52.959> dollars<00:14:53.199

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair and members, SB 1448, aggravated assault to utility workers, classifies as aggravated assault
• victim is an employee of one of the following who is engaged in the employee's work duties: a public utility
• Nguyen amendment dated March 6 at 3:30 p.m. adds an employee of a utility as defined in Section 40-491
• It allows a utility in a county with a population of less than 500,000 persons to construct an SMR without

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee heard a long series of Senate bills, mostly on third-read consent, covering education, public safety, health, courts, labor, and water. Several bills were briefly explained and then pulled from consent for further discussion, including measures on public records review standards (SB 1078), sexually explicit materials in schools/libraries (SB 1435 and SB 1567), burial costs in death cases (SB 1135), military flags in HOAs/COAs (SB 1184), court-ordered treatment guardianship (SB 1243), standardized state hiring (SB 1665), released-time religious instruction (SB 1741), firearm safety instruction in schools (SB 1424), student participation in extracurriculars after certain convictions (SB 1475), Celebrate Freedom Week (SB 1572), federal scholarship-granting organizations/vouchers (SB 1142), immigration-related arrest notifications (SB 1055), defamation standards (SB 1099), peace officer certification for military police veterans (SB 1107), mandatory reporting of child abuse/neglect directly to DCS (SB 1127), attorney licensing and discipline issues (SB 1148 and SB 1039), concealed weapons on college campuses (SB 1068), and firearm muffling devices/silencers (SB 1069). Members also raised constitutional, policy, and school-safety concerns on several of these bills, while supporters emphasized alternative pathways for students, veterans, and workers, and tighter reporting or licensing rules. Other bills were described without extended debate, including claims against the state for unpaid contracted services (SB 1097), workers’ compensation death benefits for surviving spouses who remarry (SB 1136), burial expense increases (SB 1135), state agency web pages for internal guidance (SB 1586), court-ordered treatment procedures and service of process in mental health cases (SB 1113), medical examiner authorization (SB 1123), tribal MOUs with DCS (SB 1125), controlled-substance scheduling conformity with federal classifications (SB 1188), EMT personal information protections (SB 1193), mammography notice updates (SB 1318), assisted-living referral disclosures (SB 1477), accommodation school GED instruction for 11th graders and students over 16 (SB 1166), credit enhancement board continuation (SB 1422), school district and charter school obligations related to religious release time (SB 1741), school firearm safety instruction (SB 1424), and school civics/freedom-week instruction (SB 1572). The committee also heard bills on CPA certification pathways (SB 1181), insurance adjuster licensing (SB 1415), county voter-registration rules online (SB 1040), campaign address privacy (SB 1259), federal land acquisition notification (SB 1281), water supply/demand assessments (SB 1202), environmental compatibility for power plants and small modular reactors (SB 1418), and groundwater recovery rules (SB 1785). The meeting ended with announcements and a brief recognition of Rep. Stephanie Hamilton with an “Affordability Award.” No final votes are shown in the transcript excerpt; instead, many bills were either left on consent, pulled for later discussion, or flagged for closed caucus. The chair then asked guests to leave so members could hold a closed caucus.

Transcript Highlights:

• Engrossed Committee Substitute for House Bill 4012, relating to reducing the regulatory burden on utility
• Engrossed Committee Substitute for House Bill 4012, relating to reducing the regulatory burden on utility
• Ingrossed Committee substitute for House Bill 4012, relating to reducing the regulatory burden on utility
• companies when constructing and maintaining elected. ...to reducing the regulatory burden on utility

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• relating to installation, operation, and sharing of customer bank communication terminals and the utilization
• rule is also the Tax Department to promulgate a legislative rule relating to the valuation of public utility
• Operating property is property used for public utility purposes and is assessed by the State Board of
• The proposed rule simply removed Section 4 of that rule, which required licensees to utilize a geolocation

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There are, as my understanding, approximately 33 counties that utilize diversion specialists.
• House side, and this money is going straight from the Treasury to the counties for the counties that utilize
• And so ultimately, you're utilizing all the resources that you have available.
• And so ultimately, you're utilizing all the resources that you have available is when do you approach

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from its prior meeting and then took up House Bill 5537, a bill to repeal several obsolete or outdated code sections. Counsel explained that the bill would remove provisions related to professional development, a behavioral interventionist pilot program, county lists of facilities for child daycare, and high school graduation rates, with a proposed amendment adding another outdated education code section from 1923. The committee adopted the amendment and reported HB 5537 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass as amended. The committee then considered House Bill 4656, which would shift truancy policy toward chronic absenteeism and earlier intervention. Counsel said the committee substitute would replace punitive status-offense treatment with wraparound services, student support specialists, and a new child-in-need-of-supervision process, while also ending compulsory attendance at age 18 and removing criminal penalties for 18-year-olds. Members questioned how the new thresholds would work, including the role of attendance directors, prosecutors, judges, and the Department of Human Services, and whether the bill would change current diversion funding or court authority. Witnesses from Fayette County, Greenbrier County, and Taylor County largely opposed the bill or urged caution. The Fayette County attendance director said current truancy procedures, including school-based probation and court involvement, help secure family participation and services, and warned that removing the status offense would weaken enforcement. A Greenbrier County probation officer said diversion programs are effective and that court involvement often leads to needed services. A Taylor County juvenile prosecutor said status-offense jurisdiction gives courts meaningful leverage and flexibility, and asked that counties be allowed to keep existing approaches that work locally. After testimony, the committee voted to report HB 4656 to the full Senate without recommendation and with a recommendation that it be re-referred to the Committee on Education, then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are, as my understanding, approximately 33 counties that utilize diversion specialists.
• House side, and this money is going straight from the Treasury to the counties for the counties that utilize
• at 3, 5, and 10 today, and then when does that student become truant so you can make sure that you utilize
• And so ultimately, you're utilizing all the resources that you have available.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That basically allowed, based on a multiplier that they utilize, agencies to apply for certificates of
• We provide a variety of different services that are underfunded, and we utilize the... with dignity in
• populations in our counties we provide a variety of different services that are underfunded and we utilize
• the Different services that are underfunded, and we utilize the proceeds from the certificate of need

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The committee met, approved the March 5, 2026 minutes, and then took up several health- and human-services-related bills. House Bill 5086, concerning peer support programs for covered caregivers, was explained as creating training and testimonial privilege protections; the committee adopted an amendment clarifying that boards may still require participation in a board-designated professional health program, and then reported the bill to the full Senate with the recommendation that it do pass. House Bill 5004, an educational bill on PANS and PANDAS, was supported by the sponsor, who described his family’s experience and the importance of earlier diagnosis; it was reported to the Senate without amendment. House Bill 5327, which would require the Department of Human Services to create an ALS services program, also received supportive testimony from the sponsor and members, but the transcript reflects the bill being reported as House Bill 537; it was moved forward without amendment. The committee then considered House Bill 5096, which would remove personal care and intellectual/developmental disability waiver services from certificate-of-need review. The sponsor argued the change would reduce regulatory burden and expand access, while a county aging-program director testified that certificate-of-need revenues help fund senior meals and services and that eliminating the requirement would reduce important support for aging providers. After a division vote, the motion to report the bill failed 3-9. House Bill 4695, allowing PEIA patients to switch to an alternative medically appropriate covered treatment without new prior authorization if it costs no more than the original treatment, was explained as carrying an estimated $13 million annual cost to PEIA and was reported to the Senate. The committee also advanced House Bill 5582, enacting the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, after discussion of a committee amendment removing a new-background-check-at-initial-licensure provision; the amendment was adopted and the bill was reported. Another House Bill 5582, concerning the TANF drug screening program, was described as removing the sunset date and allowing oral fluid testing in addition to urine samples; it too was reported. Finally, House Bill 5466 renamed the batterer intervention program as an abuse intervention program and allowed live synchronous virtual delivery with an in-person option; the sponsor said the change would expand access statewide, and the bill was reported to the Senate. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, I think that we're more in the lane of utilities when we talk about analyzing what's necessary
• I heard the senator earlier mention about other industries like utilities being capped.
• What on those industries that are capped like utilities, or does the consumer have another option for
• that utility?

Bills: SB1969, SB1953, SB1277, SB1287, SB1061, SB1916, SB1589, SB2178, SB1444, SB1438, SB1501, SB1873, SB1364

Keywords: massage therapy, licensing, multistate compact, regulation, healthcare, professionals, Employer Health Plan Transparency Act, health insurance, claims data, contract provisions, health care providers, auditable materials, HIPAA compliance, insurance regulation, unemployment benefits, employment security, work search, job search, reemployment, jobless benefits

Transcript Highlights:

• In fact, I have had them here in Arizona, meeting with our three utilities.
• Coordination itself becomes more efficient, which matters for infrastructure, utilities, and remote operations
• You're literally utilized in multiple areas, analyzing data, especially utilizing AI, different on the

Bills: HB2809

Keywords: cybersecurity, post-quantum encryption, CMMC 2.0, state agencies, data protection, US-based vendors, 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• THE PROBLEM IS WE HAVE OUT OF STATE COMPANIES THAT ARE UTILIZING THIS.
• I KNOW IT HAS NOT BEEN USED YET BUT WHAT WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF UTILITY AND WHAT IT SHOULD BE EXEMPT.
• THESE ARE PUBLIC UTILITIES.
• WHAT IS INFORMATION THAT IS A TRADE SECRET FOR A REGULATED PUBLIC UTILITY.

Transcript Highlights:

• INSURANCE, BUT SPECIFICALLY USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND PRIVATE INSURANCE, BUT SPECIFICALLY UTILIZATION
• PROVIDERS AND INSURERS THAT THERE WAS BROAD RECOGNITION THAT THERE ARE BENEFITS USING AI AS PART OF THE UTILIZATION
• WE ALSO THINK IT IS IMPORTANT WHEN INSURERS ARE USING AI FOR UTILIZATION MANAGEMENT, THERE NEEDS TO BE
• WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY OF UTILIZING AI AND TREATMENT OPTIONS ANY OF THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not even open to the public at that were utilizing some of the land management funds that we're
• And so road maintenance has always been an issue there and so were utilizing some of the funding to repair
• knowing that every 5 years you're going to look at all of the boundary on all of your forests and were utilizing
• larger local governments face when doing removals themselves and is another funding avenue for them to utilize

Transcript Highlights:

• then exciting part of the real estate development side of our business is is it allows me to really utilize
• We want to to to to learn behind the screen and be able to utilize the technology that that is moving
• But we also want them to be able to utilize and participate, experience the outdoors.
• for storm water, but creating good fisheries out of those ponds so that kids and and adults can can utilize

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, are there any state or national local programs that these workers can utilize now to still meet those
• 00:02:50.560> these<00:02:50.800> workers<00:02:51.200> can<00:02:51.440> utilize
• programs that these workers can utilize programs that these workers can utilize now<00:02:52.160

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The purpose again is to lay it out and recognize that other states are utilizing this. technology, figure
• So, a trucking company seeking to utilize and maximize the safety benefits of technology...
• These trucks are utilizing the latest in safety equipment, including lane departure systems. crash avoidance
• These cameras utilize AI technology that watches for certain situations such as distracted driving, rolling

Bills: SB215, SB1104, SB1351, SB1931, SB2245, SB2589, SB2707, SB2807, SB1423, SB1568

Keywords: education, funding, school districts, local control, equity, digital identification, identity verification, Department of Public Safety, Texas legislature, wireless communication, Texas, technology, identification program, fee structure, wireless devices, public safety, hunting license, handgun license, fingerprinting, dealer license

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's why we're utilizing that money for something else this biennium.
• let alone trying to figure out a specific vendor that's going to have proprietary leverage if we utilize
• It should just be adding a line onto this list of things, saying, you know, decrease in utilization for
• Saying, you know, decrease in utilization for 1915(i).

Bills: SB2399

Keywords: mental health, psychiatric treatment, reimbursement, medical assistance, legislative report, 908, all

Summary: The committee reconvened and first reconsidered House Bill 1612, the aerospace medical and mental health support center bill. Senator Cleary offered an amendment to reduce the general fund appropriation from $500,000 to $250,000 and require the university or project sponsors to find the remaining funding from other sources. The amendment passed, and the bill was then recommended do pass as amended, with members citing concerns about university funding, but others supporting the project as a one-time seed investment. The committee also discussed a possible future FMAP increase beginning October 1, 2026, which could reduce general fund costs by roughly $9 million, though members noted the figures were still preliminary and could be addressed later if needed. The committee then returned to Human Services budget items, including early childhood and child care funding, a community cultural center grant, and several other adjustments. Members discussed reducing the “best in class” amount, changes to child care grants and quality/infrastructure funding, and clarifying that prior child care assistance appropriations were in fact being spent. They also agreed to reduce the 1915(i) Medicaid waiver line by $2 million, with the understanding that the entitlement would still be funded as needed. The committee also considered taking guardianship funding out of House Bill 1012 because a separate bill, Senate Bill 2029, would move that funding elsewhere; members agreed that removing it from the budget could help the overall bill and could be restored if the separate bill failed. Several study amendments were discussed. Senator Cleary proposed adding a maternal health study related to prenatal services, doulas, midwives, and Medicaid, and members expressed support. The committee also discussed a software/case-management study proposal, but the department said it had not requested it and would not support it as presented, so members leaned against advancing it unless the department first evaluated it. Another amendment would authorize the department to work with the city of Grafton on a long-term plan for the LSTC campus and require a report back to the legislature; members supported that as legislative intent. The committee also agreed to remove a truancy study section for later conference discussion, and it reviewed other possible study ideas, including assistive technology, before adjourning to await updated long sheets and bill text.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the Board of Regents of the Texas A&M System to construct, acquire, improve, extend, and equip utility
• HB 3810 by Alders relates to the dissolution of the Rose City Municipal Utility District for the Committee
• benefit plan pre-authorization requirements for certain healthcare services and the direction of utilization
• of certain compensation contracting, employment, and performance criteria in connection with the utilization

Keywords: 1184, house, all