Transcript Highlights:

• They're being able to allocate some costs from the hospital over to the clinic, and they get cost plus
• All right, so it says that the Attorney General may be awarded attorney's fees and cost.
• Can they get their attorney's fees back or their cost back? That's not addressed in this bill.
• This is a bill for veterans, a one-time fee... My apologies.
• Waddell said he played a fee. Does Mr. Waddell want to come down and test? No, no. That's a joke.

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health and Welfare met on May 13 with a quorum present and approved the prior meeting minutes. The committee first heard HB 971, which would equalize Medicaid reimbursement rates between independent clinics and hospital-owned rural health clinics; supporters said independent clinics are disadvantaged by a large payment disparity, and the bill was reported favorable without objection. The committee also recognized visiting Alpha Phi Alpha members and other guests during personal privilege remarks. Members then considered HB 414, which would bar hiring certain health care workers and direct support professionals with serious disqualifying convictions from other states and address background-check issues for therapeutic group homes. After adopting three amendment sets, the bill was reported as amended. HB 740, creating an independent review process for Medicaid behavioral health claim disputes in the coordinated system of care, was amended to clarify applicability and CSOC definitions and then reported as amended. HB 288, which would place the term “miscarriage” alongside “spontaneous abortion” in medical documentation, drew emotional testimony from affected parents and advocates; the committee reported it favorable. The committee also advanced several more bills: HB 405, updating the name of the national acupuncture certifying body, was reported favorable; HB 786, prohibiting extrapolation in certain managed-care claims recoupments, was reported favorable; HB 1095, allowing alternative backup power sources for nursing homes, was reported favorable; HB 403, raising the cottage food gross-sales cap, was amended from $50,000 to $150,000 and then reported favorable; HB 930, modernizing cosmetic-product regulation and creating a small-producer exemption, was reported favorable; HB 557, defining long-term pharmacies for policy purposes, was reported favorable; HB 779, on expedited partner therapy for sexually transmitted diseases, was reported favorable; HB 915, setting utilization-management timelines and standards, was reported favorable; HB 546, expanding criteria for peace officers to take someone into protective custody during a mental health crisis, was reported favorable; HB 796, creating a chiropractic preceptorship program, was reported favorable; and HB 933, authorizing commemorative birth certificates, was reported favorable. The final major item was HB 1041, a “no-mandate” bill barring discrimination based on medical intervention status. The sponsor and Surgeon General said it was aimed at healthy, asymptomatic individuals and not at public health quarantine powers, but Senator Boudreaux objected to exemptions for schools and hospitals and offered an amendment to restore broader coverage. That amendment failed on a roll-call vote, and the bill remained under discussion as the transcript ended, with no final committee disposition shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• the rules because there is the possibility that it will take longer than the 15 minutes otherwise allocated
• the rules because there is the possibility that it will take longer than the 15 minutes otherwise allocated
• Office of Medical Cannabis and direct them that if they need more money, they have to raise their own fees
• directs that any savings would be used to increase reimbursement rates for services provided to Medicaid fee-for-service

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that lensure fee. that lensure fee. 12280<00:05:03.600> is<00:05:03.759> being<00:
• <00:09:15.120> rule, occupational therapy compact fee rule, occupational therapy compact fee
• fee to the<00:24:48.640> 66.
• registration fee. registration fee. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> Okay.
• <00:25:56.960> addresses additional fee addresses additional fee addresses >> and<00

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee met in August with a quorum present and approved the prior meeting minutes without objection. The committee then reviewed several regulations, generally adopting staff-suggested amendments without objection, and heard brief explanations from agency representatives on each item. The Board of Pharmacy regulations would clarify what registered and certified pharmacy technicians may do under supervision and what certified technicians may not do, while updating registration applications. The Board of Cosmetology package included changes to executive director authority, licensure and reciprocity rules, school requirements, training hours, instructor ratios, sanitation and disease-related rules, complaint procedures, and permit terms; members asked about straight razor language and the increase in student-to-instructor ratios, and the board explained that cosmetologists are not permitted to use straight razors and that the higher ratio was intended to give schools flexibility, especially for part-time students and schools with wait lists. The Occupational Therapy emergency compact regulation added four compact rules adopted in April 2025, and Senator West raised a technical question about certification requirements under House Bill 6; the agency said it had been instructed to file the regulation as submitted. The Department for Fish and Wildlife Resources presented a package covering wildlife management area rules, a northern pintail bag limit increase, reportable disease reporting, and a repeal tied to boat registration fees. After a brief explanation of the new wildlife disease reporting rule, the agency requested and received a deferral of 301 KAR 2:031 to avoid a gap while replacement language is finalized. The Economic Development Finance Authority explained an emergency regulation for the Kentucky Entertainment Incentive Program, saying it was needed because the program had become oversubscribed and because administration was shifting to a new film office and council; members also asked about certification issues under House Bill 6, and the agency said it had filed the regulation as directed. The Department of Workplace Standards emergency PPE regulation was also discussed, with members asking about HB 6 certification language, and the agency gave the same response. The Department of Insurance regulation would create a $10,000 registration fee and a $1,000 annual licensing fee for pharmacy benefit manager licenses, with an agency amendment exempting PBMs that solely serve workers’ compensation plans. Members asked how many PBMs would be affected and why workers’ compensation PBMs were carved out; the agency said there were 70 registered PBMs total, four solely workers’ comp, and that workers’ comp rates are set by statute and could not absorb the fee. Finally, the Public Service Commission’s pole attachment regulation was summarized as a broadband-expansion measure that speeds application review, increases the number of poles allowed in a single application, and shortens dispute timelines; the commission explained it grew out of earlier legislative direction and subsequent emergency amendments, and the committee adopted the staff amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• The plans are to have races, and race sanctioning fees are going to help come into that.
• The plans are to have races, and race sanctioning fees are going to help come into that.
• The plans are to have races, and race sanctioning fees are going to help come into that.
• The plans are to have races, and race sanctioning fees are going to help come into that.
• The plans are to have races, and race sanctioning fees are going to help come into that.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The chair will alternate recognition between the parties, with time equally allocated between the parties
• system just completely has uh allocation system just completely has uh fragmented<00:20:59.039> uh
• about $30 million up to about $200 million are always subject to a 7% fee.
• At the same time, smaller companies fee.
• million are always subject to a 7% fee. million are always subject to a 7% fee.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, July 21, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The percentage of the state's budget allocated for higher education has diminished since those days.
• The percentage of the state's budget allocated for higher education has diminished since those days.
• <00:18:08.320> funding<00:18:08.679> will<00:18:08.799> be<00:18:09.000> allocated
• <00:18:09.480> for population funding will be allocated for population funding will be allocated
• He said you have 100% for 100% disability, and it did say 50% covering tuition, fees, and books and so

Bills: HF2090, HF982, HF2229

Keywords: higher education, scholarship, financial aid, state grant, tuition assistance, Pell grants, student retention, education equity, disabled veterans, veterans' dependents, dependent children, college affordability, books and fees, University of Minnesota, public colleges, Office of Higher Education, veterans benefits, military families, permanent disability, 100 percent disability

Transcript Highlights:

• These funds that we're allocating this year are non-recurring.
• They're just going to not going to get the fee waiver that they had in their previous semesters.
• I'm talking about students who are in a fee waiver, and let's be clear about something.
• I'm talking about students who are in a fee waiver, and let's be clear about something.
• Since the passage of 2023B, the $10 million has been allocated, and $4.3 million has been spent.

Summary: The Senate opened with a quorum, prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance, then read an amended joint proclamation expanding the special session call to include financial penalties for government officials, criminal penalties for offenses committed by illegal aliens, and programs and appropriations to support law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. No committee reports, governor’s messages, or House messages were on the desk before the chamber moved to the special order calendar. The main item was Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 2B, the immigration bill, along with a late-filed strike-all amendment by Senator Gruters. Gruters said the amendment aligned terminology with federal law, increased penalties for crimes by unauthorized aliens, added transnational crime organizations to gang definitions, required stronger participation in the federal 287(g) program, created financial penalties for noncompliance, offered a $1,000 bonus for officers assisting ICE in large operations, directed more information-sharing with federal agencies, and barred DHSMV from issuing licenses or IDs to unauthorized aliens. He framed the bill as supporting President Trump’s immigration agenda and focusing on criminal illegal aliens rather than street-level enforcement. A long question-and-answer period followed, with Senators Polsky, Pizzo, Smith, Jones, Roscoe, Berman, and others pressing the sponsor on scope, legality, costs, and implementation. Questions focused on whether the bill would require participation beyond jails and detention centers, whether schools or churches could be affected, liability and immunity for local agencies, the size and purpose of the proposed appropriations, and the impact on undocumented students receiving in-state tuition waivers. Gruters and Senator Fine said the 287(g) provisions were intended to apply to jails and detention facilities, that green-card holders and lawful residents would not be affected, and that the tuition waiver repeal would end discounted tuition for students in the country illegally while not affecting their ability to attend. Fine also defended the mandatory death penalty provision for certain capital offenses committed by illegal immigrants, acknowledging it would likely be challenged in court but arguing the bill was designed to test and advance the policy. No final vote or other action on the bill is reflected in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• These funds that we’re allocating this year are non-recurring, so we’re going to have to come back every
• They're just going to not going to get the fee waiver that they had in their previous semesters.
• I'm talking about students who are in a fee waiver, and let's be clear about something.
• I'm talking about students who are in a fee waiver, and let's be clear about something.
• Since the passage of 2023B, the $10 million has been allocated, and $4.3 million has been spent.

Summary: The Senate opened with a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the reading of an amended joint proclamation expanding the Legislature’s immigration agenda. The proclamation added items calling for financial penalties for government officials, enhanced criminal penalties for offenses committed by illegal aliens, and programs and appropriations to support law enforcement in enforcing federal immigration law. The chamber then took up the special order calendar, beginning with Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 2B, the immigration bill. Most of the meeting was devoted to debate and questions on the strike-all amendment to SB 2B. Sponsor Senator Gruters described the bill as a broad immigration enforcement package aligned with President Trump’s agenda. He said it would require greater cooperation with federal immigration authorities, strengthen participation in the 287(g) program, create a chief immigration officer and council, authorize financial penalties for noncompliance, provide bonuses for officers assisting ICE, and direct information-sharing with federal agencies. He also said the bill would bar DHSMV from issuing licenses or ID cards to unauthorized aliens and would end in-state tuition waivers for undocumented students. Senators Polsky, Pizzo, Smith, Jones, Berman, Osgood, and others questioned the scope of the bill, whether it would affect schools, churches, cities, nonprofits, and green-card holders, and how the 287(g) provisions would work in practice. Gruters repeatedly said the operational focus was on jails and detention facilities, not street-level enforcement. A major point of controversy was the bill’s proposed mandatory death penalty for unauthorized aliens convicted of certain capital offenses. Senator Fine said the covered crimes were the most serious capital felonies, including murder, child sexual battery, destructive-device offenses causing death, and certain trafficking offenses, and argued the provision was intended to withstand constitutional challenge. Senator Pizzo raised Eighth Amendment concerns and questioned whether the bill could mandate death sentences. The tuition waiver provisions also drew extended debate: Fine said the state would save about $41 million by ending discounted tuition for undocumented students, while Democrats argued the savings would not return to general revenue and that the policy would harm students who are already enrolled. Fine and Gruters said green-card holders would not be affected and that the bill targeted only students in the country illegally. The discussion also covered appropriations and implementation. Senator Smith asked about the bill’s large funding levels, and Fine broke down the spending as including $375 million for the chief immigration officer, $100 million in grants to local law enforcement, $29 million for the new Office of State Immigration Enforcement, and $10 million for an unauthorized-alien transport program. Gruters said the funds would reimburse local governments and help address staffing shortages, while critics questioned the lack of benchmarks and the fiscal impact. No final vote or disposition on the bill appears in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Do you still need everything we've allocated?
• They were able to turn back in some of those allocations, particularly for the home care program.
• , tire fee, telecommunications tax, commercial mobile radio service and utilities gross receipts tax,
• ,<01:07:59.599> tire<01:08:00.000> fee, tax, transient room fee, tire fee, tax, transient
• room fee, tire fee, telecommunications<01:08:02.000> tax,<01:08:02.880> commercial telecommunications

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 State Health Insurance Plans 00:00:03 Executive Branch Salary Schedule Adjustments 00:29:15 Nutrition Program for the Elderly 00:34:52 Update on DORIS 01:05:38, 958, all

Summary: The committee met on November 5, 2025, and first approved the minutes after a moment of silence for the UPS airport tragedy. The main presentation was from the Personnel Cabinet on the state health insurance plans and executive branch salary schedule adjustments. Officials said the health plan covers roughly 265,000 active members and up to about 300,000 across all benefit offerings, including school board employees, retirees, and other eligible groups. They described rising claims and expenditures, especially from high-cost claimants and pharmacy spending, and said recent premium and benefit changes were intended to balance costs while preserving recruitment and retention efforts. They also explained that employee premiums had not increased for several years, while employer contributions rose sharply in recent years, and projected a 10% employer increase and 3% employee increase going forward based on actuarial analysis. Committee members asked about deductibles, GLP-1 drug costs, claims validation, and the causes of cost growth; officials said the plan uses multiple payment-integrity vendors and that the increases reflect utilization, drug trends, and high-cost cases rather than a change in coverage. The committee also discussed executive branch salary schedule adjustments. Personnel and budget officials explained that when the legislature approves annual pay increases, the salary schedule is adjusted by the same percentage through executive order so the minimum and midpoint stay aligned with approved compensation levels. They said the 2025 adjustment was a 3% match effective September 16 and that the change was costless because salaries had already been increased. Members raised concerns about salary compression, noting that new hires can sometimes be paid near the level of long-serving employees. Officials said the adjustment helps prevent compression from worsening but does not solve it, and they acknowledged prior RFP efforts to address the issue were unsuccessful because no qualified bidder met the requirements. After the health plan and salary discussions, the committee began a presentation from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services on Kentucky’s senior meal program. Secretary Stack explained that the program is a federal-state-local partnership under the Older Americans Act, with area development districts helping deliver services. He outlined eligibility rules, noting that congregate meals at senior centers are available to people age 60 and older, with a spouse of any age allowed to join, and that home-delivered meals have additional homebound and assistance requirements. Members asked whether there was any means test for congregate meals, and the secretary said there is not; the only threshold is age for the center-based meals, while the home-delivered program has additional criteria.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill also closes a loophole on alternative fees that are being charged outside of the impact fee
• That’s an extra mitigation fee on top of normal impact fees that are charged.
• That’s an extra mitigation fee on top of normal impact fees that are charged. It’s outside of that.
• But that is why fees are being paid.
• But that is why fees are being paid.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including remarks from the new Democratic caucus leader, Senator Berman, who emphasized affordability, education, health care, public safety, and opposition to measures he said would roll back child labor protections, book access, and gun safety laws. The chamber also recognized military leaders from U.S. Army Special Operations Command and an intern from Senator Polsky’s office. No committee reports or executive messages were on the desk at the start. The Senate then took up and passed several bills, often after substituting House companions and adopting technical amendments. Among the measures approved were the dangerous dogs bill (the Pam Rock Act), local government land regulation, vessel-related voter freedom/boating provisions, blood clot screening and treatment, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, concealed carry licensing for certain officers and service members, timeshare management firms, disability history and awareness instruction, manufacturing and manufacturing fees, public education on background screening requirements, utility service restrictions, educational opportunities for military children, Medicaid oversight, health facilities authorities, and veterans’ nursing home beds. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including measures on human trafficking, waste management, Bright Futures, Medicaid oversight earlier in the day, mammogram coverage, and others. Debate on the disability history bill was especially extensive, with senators discussing the use of the word “disability,” the role of bias, and whether the bill fit with broader DEI-related policy debates. The bill’s sponsor and supporters framed it as a first step toward helping students understand and respect people with disabilities, and the chamber opened co-sponsorship before substituting the House version. Other bills drew focused questions about local government costs, impact fees, staffing burdens, grant criteria for small manufacturers, and the scope of utility preemption. Most measures passed on strong votes, including several unanimous votes, with the concealed carry/firearms bill passing 33-3 and the local government land regulation bill passing 26-8.

Transcript Highlights:

• education in a very difficult position, which I understand, and it was the intent of the JBC to allocate
• all of the... ...the JBC to allocate all of the loss to the students in private education in order to
• the legal profession and, in connection therewith, creating the Colorado Legal Practice Integrity and Fee
• Uh, what they did do in the Senate is they changed some of the language around the alternative fee structures
• at the request of some of the stakeholders. ...to clarify how some of those alternative fee structures

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• about instruction like adoption of high-quality instructional materials and effective resource allocation
• First step is if school district does file against the state, the legal... fees that would normally be
• Texans deserve to know how effectively their public schools are educating students, so they can allocate
• But no, there's no fee or fine or anything like that. associated with it, it just prohibits them from
• debt, which lowers their interest. rate, and y'all aren't able to do that in the same way as ISTRA. fees

Bills: SB451, SB762, SB1490, SB1262, SB1459, SB1750, SB1962, SB2252, SB2253, SB2365

Keywords: instructional materials, public schools, Education Code, adoption, rejected materials, local funds, open educational resources, Texas Education Code, school districts, open enrollment charter schools, funding restrictions, environmental regulation, business compliance, local authority, economic development, state preemption, local control, open education resources, SB 762, Texas public schools

Transcript Highlights:

• >> pesticide registration fee increase. >> pesticide registration fee increase.
• Um, this bill is to increase the fees Um, this bill is to increase the fees for<02:25:51.040>
• It is a fee. It's not a tax. Wyoming. It is a fee. It's not a tax.
• Currently, Wyoming's fee is real cost. Currently, Wyoming's fee is $140. $140. $140.
• fee to $210. fee to $210. 195<02:26:25.200> would<02:26:25.439> be<02:26:25.600>

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• font> dollars paid to locals are not currently allocated
• font> dollars paid to locals are not currently allocated
• So we currently allocated towards any of those
• need-based plate with the funds from new fee
• towards need-based scholarships, academic fee