Transcript Highlights:

• It opens real financial opportunity for people who have been locked out for far too long.
• for people who opportunity for every for people who have<00:05:40.360> been<00:05:40.560> locked
• <00:05:43.160> I have been locked out for far too long.
• I have been locked out for far too long.
• out of the financial who've been locked out of the financial system<00:21:18.760> into<00:21:

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Elderly loved ones are retreating behind locked doors.
• Locked out of Covered California because of my immigration status.
• AB 416's solution would be to send all of the people stuck in EDs to locked psychiatric facilities.
• AB416's solution would be to send all of the people stuck in EDs to lock psychiatric facilities. would
• be to send all of the people stuck in EDs to lock psychiatric facilities.

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard a long series of health-related bills, with most measures focused on access to care, administrative simplification, and behavioral health. Early items included AB 583, allowing nurse practitioners to sign death certificates; AB 492, requiring DHCS to notify local governments when new alcohol or drug recovery facilities are licensed; and AB 280, which would tighten provider directory accuracy requirements, add enforcement benchmarks, and allow use of a centralized database. Testimony on AB 280 highlighted the harms of “ghost networks,” while insurers and some provider groups opposed the bill as written, arguing it placed too much responsibility on plans and did not fully address provider-side data problems. AB 280 passed on a roll call vote, and several other bills were placed on consent and approved. The committee also advanced AB 636, expanding Medi-Cal coverage for medically necessary diapers for children up to age 21 and lowering the age threshold for access; AB 1041, streamlining physician credentialing with a uniform form and 90-day review deadline; and AB 787, requiring health plans to help enrollees find in-network providers quickly when directories fail. Supporters of these bills emphasized family financial strain, delays in care, and the burden of administrative red tape, while opponents of AB 1041 and AB 280 raised concerns about provider participation, accuracy, and liability. All three measures were approved and sent to Appropriations. The committee then took up AB 4 and AB 29. AB 4 would allow income-eligible Californians to buy Covered California coverage regardless of immigration status, and AB 29 would authorize Medi-Cal reimbursement for community health workers and doulas conducting ACE screenings. Both bills drew strong support from immigrant-rights, health access, and community-based organizations, and both passed on roll call votes, with AB 4 receiving some no votes. The committee also approved AB 416, which would allow emergency physicians to place 5150 holds in certain circumstances; supporters said it would reduce delays and overcrowding in emergency departments, while Disability Rights California and others warned it could increase unnecessary involuntary hospitalization and transfers to locked facilities. Despite those concerns, the bill passed and was sent onward for further consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> will lock the machine. Record the vote. >> will lock the machine.
• The clerk will lock the machine. The members will vote. >> Clerk will lock the machine.
• Clerk on locking the members of 318. Clerk on locking the members of vote.
• Clerk, lock the machine and members vote. >> Clerk, lock the machine.
• Clerk, lock the machine and members vote. >> Clerk, lock the machine.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Larson, Lloyd, Larson, JT, Loi, Lean, Lean, Lean, Lock, Lucas, McCann, Lock, Lucas, McCann, Nicholas,
• McCann, Lock, Lucas, McCann, Lock, Lucas, McCann, Nicholas, Nicholas, Nicholas, >> Otman, >
• Nap, Larson, Lloyd, Larson, JT, Loi, Lean, Larson, JT, Loi, Lean. >> Lock, Lock, Lock, Lucas, McCann,
• JT, Loi, Lean,<03:33:15.359> Lock,<03:33:16.720> Lucas, Lean, Lock, Lucas, Lean, Lock,
• Lock. Lock. Chairman<03:58:20.479> Lock.<03:58:21.199> Okay.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You have your own room, it's locked, and it's a very different field versus the folks that are living
• These are going to be separate units with separate locks and all that.
• They're going to be separate units with separate locks and all that.
• The bedrooms aren’t locked, the doors between the units aren’t locked, and it’s a free flow where the
• You have your own locked door. Your entire unit, your dwelling, is closed off to others.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• lock machine vote. >> Clerk lock machine.
• Clerk, one lock machine will vote. Clerk, lock machine. Record the votes. 83 ayes, three nays.
• >> Clark<02:45:58.399> locking. >> Clark locking.
• <02:48:02.240> 97 >> Cler lock a machine record the votes. 97 >> Cler lock a machine
• Clerk one locking and the of HP 125.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative<00:03:43.680> Lock<00:03:44.159> Chairman Representative Lock Chairman Representative
• Representative Lock, Chairman.
• Lock, Lucas, Stybar, Wararf. Nose. Lock, Lucas, Stybar, Wararf. Nose.
• Representative Lock, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
• Committee number three, Representative<00:09:17.680> Lock. Representative Lock.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Nap, Larson, Lloyd, JT Larson, Loi, Lean, Lock, Lucas, Macan.
• We locked in some timber contracts that will prevent some of these catastrophic wildfires that we've
• , Lock, Lock, >> Lucas,<01:36:12.239> McCann,<01:36:13.520> Nicholas,<01:36:14.960
• , Lock, Lock, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, McCann,<02:26:41.760> Nicholas,<02:26:42.800> Lotman,
• Representative Lock, Chairman Lock, Representative Lock, Chairman Lock. >> Good try. >> Thank you, Mr

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Lock the board and record the vote. 32 yays. Zero nays, Mr. President. Show the bill passes.
• Lock the board and record the vote. 32 yays, zero nays, Mr. President. Show the bill passes.
• Lock the board and record the vote. 32 yays, zero nays, Mr. President. Show the bill passes.
• Lock the board and record the vote. 32 yays, zero nays, Mr. President. Show the bill passes.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are locked in cramped prison cells for nearly 10 hours daily under DOC regs.
• At that point, instead of being brought to a hospital, they are locked in a prison.
• They're locked in a prison. That is what happens at Bridgewater State, quote, hospitals.
• Having the doors locked behind you makes a person feel so confined and often hopeless.
• They kept it locked away. I felt quite lost without it.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on a broad set of mental health, substance use, recovery, and patients’ rights bills. Early testimony focused on H. 2227, which would replace stigmatizing substance use terminology in the General Laws, and H. 3950, which would support parents in recovery involved with DCF by requiring more individualized recovery plans, clearer benchmarks for parenting time, access to recovery coaches or counselors, family counseling after sustained recovery, and staff training on addiction and lived experience. Speakers described the bills as ways to reduce stigma, increase accountability, and improve reunification outcomes for families. A major portion of the hearing centered on S. 1386, which would transfer Bridgewater State Hospital from the Department of Correction to the Department of Mental Health. Advocates, family members, and disability groups testified that Bridgewater functions like a prison rather than a hospital, with excessive restraint, seclusion, involuntary medication, poor conditions, and racial disparities, and argued DMH should oversee a treatment setting. One DMH occupational therapist and MNA member opposed the transfer, saying the real issue is mixing forensic and continuing-care patients and that DMH should instead create designated forensic units under bills H. 228/S. 1408. Committee members asked about Bridgewater’s population, the history of DOC control, capacity, staffing, and how a transfer might be implemented. The committee also heard testimony on modernizing the six fundamental rights for psychiatric inpatients, including expanding communication options, clarifying visitation and advocacy definitions, and improving access to gender-appropriate and culturally relevant items. Another bill, H. 2216, would require stronger oversight before antipsychotic medication is prescribed in nursing homes, prompted by concerns about inappropriate use. Finally, testimony supported H. 2240 and H. 2239 on sober homes, with supporters saying discharge and relocation policies are needed when a resident returns to active use or becomes unsafe, while preserving the recovery environment and resident rights. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not locked. Our lives changed forever that day.
• Being behind locked doors is so scary.
• The hospital locked up my cell phone.
• The hospital locked up my cell phone, and I felt quite lost without it.
• Not being locked in was so important to me.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing opened with remarks from House Chair Mindy Domb and Senate Vice Chair Robyn Kennedy, who outlined procedures for the hybrid public hearing, noted the committee would hear testimony on 15 bills related to treatment settings, and recognized members present. The first major bill discussed was H. 4200, authorizing a pilot program for psychedelic-assisted treatment in licensed facilities. Representative Jim O’Day and witnesses from Control Z supported the bill, describing it as a tightly controlled, medically supervised pilot with DPH oversight, limited sites, and screening requirements. Committee members asked about the number of sites and whether Column Health still existed; witnesses said the bill contemplated three separate pilot programs and that Column Health no longer existed after being purchased by another company. The committee also heard testimony on S. 1405 to make the drug stewardship program permanent by removing its 2026 sunset date. Senator John Keenan and others said the program helps collect and safely dispose of unused medications, reduces diversion, and should remain in place because manufacturers should bear disposal costs. A member from Boston added support based on local concerns about people searching through bags for drugs, and Keenan explained the original sunset reflected pilot status and industry pushback. A large portion of the hearing focused on S. 1394 and H. 2193, which would strengthen implementation of the 2023 Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform. The Children’s Mental Health Campaign, Parent/Professional Advocacy League, Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, and Elliott Community Human Services testified that the roadmap’s helpline, community behavioral health centers, and crisis services are important but unevenly implemented. They urged a single point of accountability within EOHHS, regular strategic planning, a public data dashboard, and financial analysis of the behavioral health system and the access and crisis intervention trust fund. Witnesses said commercial insurance often does not fully reimburse community behavioral health center services, making sustainability difficult, and asked for better coordination across agencies and crisis response systems. Committee members asked whether the roadmap includes substance use disorder; witnesses said it is intended to cover behavioral health broadly, including mental health and substance use. The committee also heard testimony on bills to ban aversives and on suicide prevention signage. Lisa Jean Graff testified in support of S. 1394 by urging a statewide ban on aversive practices, including electric shock, withholding food or bathroom access, and other painful interventions, arguing disabled people deserve the same protections from harm as others. Fonda Bryant and Carol McLean supported a bill requiring suicide prevention signs on tall parking garages, describing personal experiences and saying the signs could create a brief pause and connect people to 988 or other help. McLean said her son died by suicide from a parking garage and that signage might have made a difference. The committee also heard strong testimony in support of creating intensive stabilization and treatment units within DMH facilities (S. 1398/H. 2204), with the Massachusetts Nurses Association and a DMH nurse arguing that highly assaultive patients need specialized, more secure units to protect staff and other patients and to improve care. Additional testimony supported creating a dedicated board for licensed mental health counselors (H. 4696/S. 1382), with Rep. John Badger, the Mass Mental Health Counselors Association, and others saying LMHCs are a large and growing workforce that needs its own licensing board, clearer standards, and faster implementation of existing licensure reforms. The committee also heard extensive testimony on H. 2223 regarding benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics. Survivors and advocates described severe withdrawal, lack of informed consent, cognitive harms, and long-term disability, while a physician supported the bill as a way to improve disclosure of risks. Finally, the committee heard multiple witnesses in favor of H. 2231/S. 1383 to establish peer-run respite centers statewide. Advocates and people with lived experience said peer respites provide non-coercive, home-like alternatives to hospitalization, can reduce trauma and repeated admissions, and may be especially important for marginalized communities; they also cited cost savings and existing positive outcomes from current respite programs. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing portion reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Primarily because we have a lot of students that have reached out to us saying, “I was locked in this
• Primarily because we have a lot of students that have reached out to us saying, “I was locked in this
• I mean, we've heard stories of a child, you know, locked in a room.
• You know, when seclusion was used, he was locked in a room. He was screaming.
• was properly locked locked in put in was properly locked locked in put in secl<01:19:16.560>

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Seclusion Working Group approved the minutes from its previous meeting by motion and vote. Members then began discussing a set of proposed recommendations submitted by Woodward, Havman, and Hull aimed at addressing concerns about the use of seclusion in special education settings. The recommendations focused on several areas: requiring a mental health professional on the IEP team before seclusion is added to a student’s plan; replacing passive parental consent with explicit written consent in the parent’s native language; limiting seclusion to students receiving setting 3 or setting 4 services; requiring annual review of seclusion frequency and duration data by the IEP team; and creating stronger monitoring and accountability through a reporting system modeled on Minnesota’s existing disproportionality process. The group also proposed mandatory annual staff training, more preventive crisis-intervention supports such as CPI and Ukeru, direct funding and technical assistance for districts, and incorporating restraint/seclusion data into disproportionality calculations. Members discussed how the proposed accountability system might work in practice, including whether a third party or parent reporting mechanism should be added. Woodward explained Minnesota’s current disproportionality framework, including year 1, year 2, and year 3 notifications and the possibility of required coordinated early intervening services if problems persist. Participants also raised concerns about whether schools should track law-enforcement involvement as an alternative or related response to student behavior; some noted that such data is already collected in certain district reporting systems and could be useful to monitor alongside seclusion data. The discussion remained ongoing, with no final action taken on the recommendations during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lock the board, record the vote. 36 yeas, zero nays, Mr. President.
• Lock the board and record the vote. 35 yeas, 0 nays, Mr. President.
• Lock the board and record the vote. 34 yeas, 1 nay, Mr. President.
• Lock the board and record the vote. 35 yeas, 0 nays, Mr. President.
• Lock the board and record the vote. 33 yeas, 1 nay, Mr. President.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Lock the board, record the vote. 36 yeas, zero nays, Mr. President.
• Lock the board and record the vote. 35 yeas, zero nays, Mr. President.
• Lock the board and record the vote. 35 yeas, zero nays, Mr. President.
• Lock the board and record the vote. 32 yeas, two nays, Mr. President.
• Lock the board and record the vote. 33 yeas, one nay, Mr. President.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Locke. Present. Representative Lord. Here. Representative Romero.
• Do you have to say, do you have to put those locks? Because that was in the example.
• It doesn't have to be locked for you to break something to enter into it.
• I do not want to lock people up. That's not what I want to do.
• Representative Locke. No to table. Representative Lord. No to table. The explanation, please.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• LOCK THE BOARD AND RECORD THE VOTE. >> 36 YES, ZERO NO. >> PRESIDENT: SHOW THIS PASSES.
• LOCK THE BOARD AND RECORD THE VOTE. > 36 YES AND ZERO NO. >> Chair: PLEASE READ THE NEXT BILL. >> SENATE
• LOCK THE BOARD AND RECORD THE VOTE. >> 36 YES, ZERO NO. >> President: THIS PASSES READ THE NEXT. >> SENATE
• LOCK THE BOARD AND RECORD THE VOTE. >> 36 YES, ZERO NO. >> President: THE BILL PASSES.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The clerk will lock the machine and announce the presence of a quorum. 103 members voting.
• The clerk will lock the machine and announce the vote. 93 ayes, 7 nays, Madam Speaker.
• The clerk will lock the machine and announce the vote. 101 ayes, 0 nays, Mr. Speaker.
• The clerk will lock the machine and announce the vote: 98 ayes, 5 nays, Mr. Speaker.
• The clerk will lock the machine and announce the vote. Ayes 24, nays 0, Mr. Speaker.

Summary: The House met on the final day of session, swore in Representatives Boyles and Hodgers, and observed a moment of silence for the Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as for Representative Rosenwald’s father. The chamber then moved into final budget work, with leaders outlining the plan to take up H.J.R. 5019, HB 7031, HB 5017, HB 5015, and then the general appropriations act once the Senate transmitted it. H.J.R. 5019, a proposed constitutional amendment to expand the budget stabilization fund, was explained and amended to raise the rainy day fund cap, require annual deposits, and allow withdrawals for critical state needs by a two-thirds vote; it passed 100-1. The House then adopted the conference report on HB 7031, the tax package. The bill repeals the business rent tax and aviation fuel tax, delays the natural gas fuel tax, creates or expands several sales tax holidays and exemptions, including permanent exemptions for disaster-preparedness items, hunting/fishing/camping items, and ammunition and firearms-related purchases, and makes changes to property, corporate income, local tax, and economic development provisions. Members debated the removal of recurring housing trust fund and transit-related revenue streams, the new ammunition exemption, and the data center tax changes; supporters argued the package reduces taxes and preserves annual budget flexibility, while opponents raised concerns about housing, transportation, and gun violence. The conference report passed 93-7. HB 5017, creating a debt reduction program funded by a recurring transfer to retire state bonds early, passed unanimously. HB 5015, the state group insurance conforming bill, which directs DMS to develop a formulary management plan and codifies the administrative health insurance assessment, also passed. The House then began explanation and questions on the fiscal year 2025-26 general appropriations act, described as a $115.1 billion budget that is down $3.8 billion from the current year and includes more than $12 billion in reserves. Subcommittee chairs summarized major spending areas, including pre-K-12 funding increases, health care funding for Medicaid, KidCare, nursing homes, opioid treatment, and mental health, transportation and economic development funding, environmental and water projects, higher education, state administration, justice, and information technology. Questions focused on school vouchers, inflationary pressures on school districts, and the adequacy of funding for housing, transportation, and other priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Locke excused. Representative Lucas excused. Representative Webb here.
• Representative Lockach, Representative Lock uh leaves a committee absentee voting form of I.
• >> Representative<00:10:04.000> Lock<00:10:04.720> uh<00:10:04.959> leaves
• <00:10:05.440> a >> Representative Lock uh leaves a >> Representative Lock uh leaves

Bills: HB0002, HB0022

Keywords: building permits, local government, residential construction, permit timelines, code compliance, municipal officers, recall election, petition requirements, local governance, voter participation, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• doors providing direct access to the exterior need to be equipped with a self-closing, self-latching, locking
• device with a release mechanism placed no lower than 54 locking device with a release mechanism placed
• flotation alarm that sounds when there's an unexpected entry into the swimming pool, or the self-latching lock
• on all the doors and windows I just described, or the locking lock on all the doors and windows I just

Bills: S0530, S0658, S0608, S1708, S0680, S0980, S0204

Keywords: Florida lottery, state lottery, lottery tickets, lottery retailer, Department of the Lottery, Division of Security, ball machine, lottery vending machine, instant tickets, online lottery tickets, major procurement, vendor disclosure, performance bond, retailer bond, security report, counterfeit ticket, altered ticket, false claim, ticket theft, fraud

Summary: The Committee on Regulated Industries considered and reported several bills. SB 530 on state lotteries was presented with two technical amendments adopted, including changes to lottery department contracting language and machine-purchase flexibility; the committee then reported the bill favorably. SB 204, which increases penalties for illegal slot machine operations to a third-degree felony and creates a declaratory-statement process for veteran service organizations to confirm machine legality, drew support from gaming interests and some soft opposition from a veterans group concerned about implementation; it was also reported favorably. The committee then took up a proposed committee substitute combining SB 658 and SB 608 on water safety requirements for rental and vacation properties. The combined bill would require certain rental properties near water bodies or with pools to install specified alarms, locks, fences, covers, or similar safety devices, with enforcement through DBPR and a grace period for correcting some violations. Senators emphasized the bill as a response to child drowning deaths, including those involving autistic children, and the PCS was reported favorably. SB 980, as a delete-everything amendment, would create the Florida Agegate Act to restrict advertising, promotion, and display of non-FDA-approved nicotine devices in areas accessible to those under 21, with penalties and inspection authority; after questions about counterfeit products and enforcement, it was reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 1708, which removes a three-year out-of-state practice requirement for veterinary licensure by endorsement while keeping other competency requirements, and SB 680, as amended, which creates a sales tax exemption for electricity sold to EV charging station operators and transferred to consumers, subject to metering and affidavit requirements. Several members recorded votes after the roll calls, and the meeting ended with an invitation to return later for another bill before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• The court may issue a closure order, lock order, or receiver only upon notice and an opportunity to be
• The court may issue a closure order, lock order, or receiver only upon notice and an opportunity to be
• The court may issue a closure order, lock order, or receiver only upon notice and an opportunity to be
• The court may issue a closure order, lock order, or receiver only upon notice and an opportunity to be
• The court may issue a closure order, lock order, or receiver only upon notice and an opportunity to be

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard testimony on several bills related to bribery and public corruption. On SB 2249, which would increase penalties for bribery under certain circumstances, the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office and Honolulu Police Department supported the measure, arguing that Hawaii’s current class B felony penalty is probationable and too weak to secure cooperation in corruption cases, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Snyder decision narrowed federal bribery prosecutions. The Public Defender opposed the bill, arguing that elevating bribery to a class A felony and making it non-probationable was excessive, overbroad, and would remove judicial discretion. Multiple individuals also testified in support. Committee members questioned the prosecutor about removing deferred acceptance of plea provisions and asked HPD about the $20,000 threshold; the prosecutor said alternative charges could still be used in plea bargaining, and HPD said the threshold aligns with first-degree theft. The committee also discussed how current law tolls the bribery statute of limitations while an official remains in office, with the prosecutor explaining it can extend up to six years total. The committee then heard SB 2494, which would set a nine-year statute of limitations for bribery offenses. The Public Defender opposed the extension, saying the justification based on the length of federal investigations was too broad and that bribery already has a longer limitations period than most felonies. The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office supported the bill, saying bribery cases often involve coordination with federal investigators, that federal and state evidence-gathering methods may differ, and that a longer period would help ensure admissible evidence and allow state prosecution when federal law no longer applies. Members asked whether there were public examples of cases lost to the current limitations period; the prosecutor said he was not aware of any publicly available examples, but maintained nine years was a reasonable period. The committee also considered SB 2737, which would create a misdemeanor for failure by a state or county elected official to report bribery. The Department of the Attorney General offered comments and suggested changing the term to “public servant” for consistency with existing law. The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office supported the intent but warned the reporting requirement could create Fifth Amendment issues for witnesses who might otherwise be useful in grand jury proceedings. The bill drew broad public support, with 33 supporters and no opposition noted. Finally, the committee took up SB 3071, which revises sex trafficking and promoting prostitution statutes by redefining “profits from prostitution” and adding an affirmative defense for certain lawful transactions. The Public Defender opposed the measure, saying it still could reach people without the required criminal intent and that the affirmative defense language could be applied unevenly. The Attorney General and Honolulu Prosecutor supported the bill, saying it better addresses concerns raised by the State v. Ibarra decision while closing loopholes that allow traffickers to disguise profits as loans or gifts. The prosecutor emphasized that traffickers are sophisticated and can structure transactions to evade current law.