Transcript Highlights:

• And I myself have personally visited many rural communities, hospitals, and providers in the last year
• They have more health care visits. They receive early screenings for health conditions.
• By 2021, home visiting and peer support were bringing services directly into family homes.
• , which is often the last time that you have a visit that's specifically focused on the pregnant person
• I think I would like to add, too, just advocating for home visiting and the opportunity to kind of get

Summary: The Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee met on July 30, 2026, to hear two main briefings. The first, from the Health Care Authority, focused on implementation of federal H.R. 1 Medicaid changes and Washington’s rural health transformation funding. HCA said the state is preparing for major eligibility changes, including the October 1 loss of Medicaid coverage for about 14,000 lawfully present non-citizens and January 1, 2027 work requirements, six-month renewals, and reduced retroactive coverage for roughly 600,000 Medicaid expansion adults. Officials described outreach efforts, new automated verification systems, a verification hub, and plans to use available data sources to reduce manual paperwork, while noting that about one-third of the affected population may still need manual processing. They also said H.R. 1 will limit state-directed payments over time, with an estimated long-term impact of up to $1.5 billion in hospital reimbursements. On rural health transformation, HCA said it is moving quickly to obligate its $181 million federal award through contracts and competitive grants for rural hospitals, workforce, behavioral health, technology, and tribal and community partners. Committee members asked about the impact on rural providers, community service as a work-requirement pathway, emergency Medicaid, tribal and federal reimbursement issues, and whether the state would submit comments on the federal work-requirement rule. HCA said it would file comments, that emergency Medicaid coverage for certain services remains available, and that it is working with tribes and other agencies to avoid erroneous terminations and to move eligible people into other coverage where possible. Members also raised concerns about the administrative burden on families and providers and the need for congressional attention on issues such as TRICARE reimbursement. The second briefing addressed maternal health and the Department of Health’s Maternal Mortality Review Panel report. DOH said maternal mortality in Washington increased for the first time in the report series, but most pregnancy-related deaths remain preventable. Nearly half were linked to behavioral health conditions, especially overdose deaths, with suicide, cardiovascular disease, and COVID-19 also significant causes; most deaths occurred postpartum rather than during delivery. The report found higher mortality rates among American Indian and Alaska Native, Black, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, multiracial, rural, and Medicaid-covered populations, and identified lack of access to care, financial hardship, housing instability, discrimination, bias, and systemic inequities as major contributors. DOH highlighted existing state actions such as one-year postpartum coverage, doula reimbursement, inpatient substance use treatment coverage for birthing people, and vaccine coverage requirements, and offered 12 legislative recommendations focused on affordable and high-quality care, basic needs and community supports, and equitable, culturally responsive services. Presenters from the Suquamish Tribe and Kitsap OBGYN described how the tribe acquired and stabilized a threatened OB-GYN practice to preserve regional access amid provider shortages and hospital service losses. They said rural obstetric care is difficult to sustain because of thin margins, workforce shortages, long travel distances, and higher-risk patients, and emphasized that tribal health systems can offer stronger reimbursement and integrated family-centered care. The Foundation for Healthcare Quality and the Bree Collaborative then outlined statewide maternity-care quality efforts, including work on perinatal behavioral health, care coordination, postpartum screening, doula support, and better-aligned payment models. They said Washington has strengths in innovation but still needs more OB-GYN capacity, better transitions of care, and more culturally responsive, trauma-informed maternal and Native health services.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I've visited with a dentist, a pediatric dentist in Bismarck.
• As of the last time we visited, Patients with anesthesia.
• So when we think about those visits, how can we reduce those visits to help save the health care system
• So when we think about those visits, how can we reduce those visits to help save the health care system
• We can see that it's costing a lot of money for these visits.

Summary: The committee first approved the previous meeting minutes and then heard a detailed annual report from Dr. Thomas Arnold, chair of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee, on maternal mortality trends and policy issues. He explained the committee’s review process, confidentiality protections, and national and North Dakota data showing that most maternal deaths are preventable and that mental health conditions, substance use, cardiovascular issues, infection, hemorrhage, and embolism are the leading causes. Members asked about suicide, domestic violence, midwife training, home births, and whether pregnancy testing at death scenes should be expanded; Dr. Arnold said better coroner education, more investigation of unexplained deaths, and possible post-mortem pregnancy testing could improve case identification, especially in rural areas. He also noted that deaths often occur well after 42 days postpartum and that mental health-related deaths remain a major concern. The committee then heard from State Fire Marshal Dr. Matthew Clark on cigarette reduced-ignition-propensity standards and related fire prevention issues. He recommended updating the state’s cigarette propensity law to current national standards and also raised a separate recommendation to require fast-breakaway oxygen tubing for home oxygen users, citing fatal fires linked to smoking around oxygen. Members asked about implementation, cost, insurance coverage, and whether the standards apply in tribal communities; Dr. Clark said he would provide follow-up information and was willing to help with any legislation, but no agency bill had yet been planned. Next, Christine Greff of the Department of Health and Human Services reported on the North Dakota Stroke System of Care. She described the statewide network of stroke-ready hospitals, registry-based quality improvement, and performance data showing continued improvement in stroke recognition, imaging, thrombolytic treatment, transfers, and EMS pre-notification. She highlighted new quality measures for inter-facility transfers and intracerebral hemorrhage care, and said the system remains strong but depends on continued legislative and hospital support. Committee members asked about participation by the VA hospital and were encouraged to consider outreach to include it more fully in the stroke system. Finally, the committee began a presentation on prior authorization and non-opioid pain treatment from Taha Khan of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He argued that prior authorization can delay access to non-opioid acute pain medications, especially in the 24- to 72-hour post-discharge window when pain is most severe, and said delays can push patients toward opioids. He emphasized that prior authorization has a role in utilization management but should not create barriers in acute pain care, and he noted that current use of the company’s non-opioid product remains very low. The discussion was still underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• They'll get visitation with their child.
• Parenting, visitation.
• They'll get visitation with their child.
• want to go to the visit today.'
• And that parent is missing visits.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There are now companies that provide kits to families that do telehealth visits at their home.
• Being able to do this, to ER visits and inpatient admissions.
• I know that CMS is coming to visit at the end of May, coming to Idaho.
• They're planning to be here on the 27th and the 28th for a site visit.
• They're planning to be here on the 27th and the 28 for a site visit.

Summary: The Rural Health Transformation Committee met to receive an overview from Department of Health and Welfare Director Juliet Sharon on Idaho’s Rural Health Transformation Program application and the federal rules governing the five-year funding. Sharon explained the program was created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that Idaho’s award is about $186 million annually in year one, and that the state must obligate the funds by October 30 or risk losing them. She reviewed the application timeline, the federal scoring process, reporting and audit requirements, and the state’s plan to hire a 12-person limited-term team to manage solicitations, monitoring, and compliance. Committee members asked about scope-of-practice issues for dental hygienists and physician assistants, the risk of losing or gaining funds, survey methodology, telehealth, and how the state will use the money for workforce, technology, behavioral health, infrastructure, and tribal set-asides. Sharon said the department would continue working with the legislature on scope-of-practice policy, provide more detail on survey data and funding caps, and set up a shared information space with LSO for committee access. Sharon also walked through the five main initiative areas in Idaho’s plan: technology and access, innovative models, workforce, chronic disease and behavioral health, and rural infrastructure/partnerships. She emphasized that allowable uses include telehealth and EHR modernization, cybersecurity, EMS support, workforce recruitment and retention incentives, evidence-based behavioral health and chronic disease programs, renovations and mobile units, and a 3.5% tribal set-aside. She said the department is still refining what is allowable with CMS and that the committee will receive monthly summaries, procurement information, and performance reports. Members raised concerns about the survey’s heavy use of “other” responses, the amount of money going to administration, and whether telehealth spending is the best use of funds. Chris Jones of Catalyst Policy Group then offered outside perspective on rural health strategy and the federal program. He praised Idaho’s application but urged the committee to think in terms of integrated, patient-centered systems rather than isolated projects. He highlighted examples from other states involving community health workers, telehealth hubs, remote monitoring, value-based care networks, rural training pipelines, and partnerships among hospitals, FQHCs, and tribal providers. He cautioned against focusing on social determinants of health funding, encouraged use of technology to reduce labor burden and improve sustainability, and emphasized that training providers in rural areas tends to keep them there. No votes were taken. The committee agreed to tentatively meet again on May 28 during CMS’s planned Idaho visit, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• That visit in the hospital 17 years ago launched my family on this journey.
• That visit in the hospital 17 years ago launched my family on this journey.
• That visit in the hospital 17 years ago launched my family on this journey.
• prison are practicing their reading with Dolly Parton Imagination Library books to prep for those visits
• </c> for those visits with their children. for those visits with their children.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We conduct site visits, and during these site visits our staff go and educate workers about their rights
• We conduct site visits, and these site visits, our staff go and educate workers about their rights and
• Last year, we visited 450 sites and met with 25,000 H2A workers and domestic workers in corresponding
• I really appreciate the adding information about the unannounced visits.
• Site visits every year.

Bills: SB6014, SB5972, SB5869, SB5874

Keywords: pregnancy accommodations, pregnant workers, workplace accommodations, reasonable accommodation, undue hardship, lactation, breastfeeding, express milk, maternity leave, childbirth, pregnancy discrimination, employment law, labor and industries, L&I, confidential records, public records exemption, health care certification, workplace standards, employee rights, employer obligations

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, Senate Bill 38 in its simplicity um allows us to avoid, um, reduce and avoid ER visits and have reduced
• And if we're going to tout that we're saving ER visits, then they need to be open.
• And if we're going to tout that we're saving ER visits, then they need to be open. Thank you."
• We had over 26,000 ER visits a year, and as you suspect in most rural communities, a good portion of
• </c><00:09:18.240><c> a</c> 100,000 we had over 26,000 ER visits a 100,000 we had over 26,000 ER visits

Keywords: 26RS SB 38 Testimony 00:28 26RS SB 38 Roll Call Vote 06:54 26RS SCR 9 Testimony 11:06 26RS SCR 9 Roll Call Vote 32:00 Adjournment 32:49, 958, all

Summary: The committee first considered Senate Bill 38, sponsored by Sen. Richardson, which would require Medicaid to reimburse pharmacists for services already within their legal scope of practice. Richardson and Taylor Williams of the Kentucky Pharmacists Association argued the bill would improve access to care, especially in rural areas, reduce emergency room use, and lower Medicaid costs by using pharmacists as lower-cost providers. Members asked whether the bill’s language simply aligned Medicaid with an earlier commercial parity law, and Richardson confirmed that it did. He also cited prior study work, research articles, and examples such as strep/flu testing and medication therapy management as covered services. The bill passed unanimously, and several members commented in support, including concerns about pharmacy access and the need for pharmacists to remain available to patients. The committee then took up a concurrent resolution sponsored by Sen. Meredith calling for a feasibility study of a proposed new Medicaid delivery model. Meredith argued that Kentucky’s Medicaid spending is growing unsustainably and that current managed care arrangements are not improving outcomes enough. He proposed an accountable community health care organization, described as a locally owned, not-for-profit public-private partnership combining elements of accountable care models, with the goal of reducing bureaucracy, improving outcomes, and lowering costs. He said the study would examine a five-year program and ultimately test the model in five regions, with initial focus on the Lincoln Trail, Green River, and Barren River area development districts. Members asked about the study timeline, vendor costs, rural versus urban impacts, and provider recruitment; Meredith said the resolution would be studied by November and that no fiscal note had been prepared. The resolution passed unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• Over the interim, I had a chance to visit Oklahoma City as part of an NCSL conference, and while I was
• there, I visited their Capitol.
• I like visiting state capitals. And they have an interesting story in Oklahoma City.
• Senator Elias, for coming and visiting us.
• I think this is already an icon that people like to visit.

Bills: SB6313

Keywords: Capitol Centennial Stewardship, funding, gifts, grants, donations, legislative support, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This led to a hospital visit and a subsequent admission to detox.
• During that visit, he confided in the PA that he was suicidal, and the PA did not have the ability to
• Preventive care visits are incredibly helpful at all pediatric ages.
• Preventive visits can mitigate the risk of more serious concerns.
• The six behavioral health visits covered by MassHealth are ideal for this type of work.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a hearing on a large group of behavioral health and insurance-related bills. Topics included expanding access to mental health services by allowing physician assistants to authorize Section 12 emergency holds and be recognized as licensed mental health professionals (H. 1131/S. 773); improving coverage for community behavioral health centers so commercial insurance matches MassHealth’s bundled outpatient and crisis services (H. 1276/S. 703); eliminating cost sharing for certain behavioral health services (S. 718); extending detox and clinical stabilization coverage from 14 to 30 days and adding transitional support services (H. 1319/S. 772); requiring coverage for dual-diagnosis treatment in psychiatric facilities (H. 1277/S. 771); and preserving access to treatment for serious mental illness through coverage of coordinated specialty care and assertive community treatment (H. 1135/S. 709). The committee also heard bills on preventive behavioral health services for children (H. 1228/S. 802) and post-pregnancy mental health care, including postpartum depression and pregnancy loss-related care (H. 1314/S. 823).

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, for tourist activities, for short visits, For tourist activities, for short visits, both West Virginians
• Yes, so I am very proudly serving on the West Virginia Irish Trade Commission, and I have been visiting
• I have been visiting Ireland doing some recruiting of economic development, and Senator Mark Daley, who
• Once they can drive there when they visit, they can drive there when they visit for tourism.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative, appreciate your visiting with me ahead of time on this.
• As okay, and we visited Baptist as well.
• Representative, I appreciate you letting me visit with you about this, and I just wanted to state publicly
• Members of the committee and leader, West, thank you for visiting with me about this and Letting me express
• I appreciate you taking the extra time to visit with me about all of these various changes.

Bills: HB3257, HB3428, HB3043, HB3044, HB3078, HB3940, HB3432

Keywords: veterans, disability benefits, federal law, Oklahoma Statutes, military service, veterans benefits, workplace poster, human resources, employment law, mental health resources, educational resources, HB3043, Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, ODVA, seasonal employees, project labor, pro rata jobs, unclassified service, state personnel law, state employee benefits

Transcript Highlights:

• RS 32994 deals with visitation of children, and basically it's a good, simple bill to balance parent
• summer, when an incident was described to me where the department was requiring children to do visitation
• summer, when an incident was described to me where the department was requiring children to do visitation
• So again, what we're looking at here is making sure that we're not sending children into visitation if
• there are substantiated claims... ...sending children into visitation if there are substantiated claims

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And our constituents that come to visit us daily, Lord, be with them as they leave here, that they would
• Just a nice place to visit.
• She's a homeschool student visiting the Capitol with Christian Association of Parents Educators.
• Speaker, is breakfast at the El Dorado Hotel with all of our visiting school board members.
• Speaker, is breakfast at the El Dorado Hotel with all of our visiting school board members.

Bills: HB95, HB111, HJR1, HB32, HB33, HB61, HJM2, HM7, HM17, HM4, HM22, HM23, HM24, HM26, HM3, HM11, HM14, HM15, HM21, HM34, HM50, HB8, HB30, HB43, HB156, HM2, HM16

Keywords: HB95, additional judgeship, district court, judicial district, First Judicial District, Second Judicial District, district judges, court administration, judicial staffing, caseload, access to justice, New Mexico courts, judiciary, judge vacancy, court backlog, state courts, water law, state engineer, civil penalty, compliance order

Transcript Highlights:

• be a good partner and we want to increase price transparency for consumers in the market that are visiting
• , they're seeing... ...them for in-home visits, they're seeing less emergent calls out of our elderly
• And so if you take an emergency department in a rural community in Wyoming, if three people visit that
• And so if you take an emergency department in a rural community in Wyoming, if three people visit that
• Where a physician visit in a clinic is reimbursed at a different rate than that exact same visit happening

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The purpose of those visits were to visit their schools of social work, to really recruit to New Mexico
• In that case, there were no visits on a regular basis. There were attempts to visit by CYFD.
• Were visits made to that baby, to that foster home?
• , face-to-face visitation with a child.
• So the workers are making the home visits anyway.

Transcript Highlights:

• I render an order saying, no, you get only supervised visitation.
• her child support, and maybe she has a phone call visit a week.
• She is not able to attend a medical visit, including her postpartum visits, without a parent present.
• I was given custody of my child for ten and a half months, of which I practiced the visitation...
• To say that we stop visits for crazy reasons is not accurate.

Bills: HCR 16, HB 782, HB 2159, HB 2288, HB 3281, HB 3819, HB 4656, HB 4696, HB 5494

Keywords: fatherhood, family support, fatherlessness, community engagement, youth development, social policy, male role models, child development, policy reform, role models, mental health, parenting, single-parent homes, welfare reform, economic opportunity, mentorship, community initiatives, children, welfare programs, education

Transcript Highlights:

• I rendered an order saying, no, you get only supervised visitation.
• For instance, I give the mom, who's the offending person, Domestic Relations Office visits, and...
• I give her child support and maybe she has a phone call visit a week.
• She is not able to attend a medical visit, including her postpartum visits, without a parent present.
• I have a client right now whose child was sent to Missouri, and she can only visit on Zoom.

Bills: HCR16, HB782, HB2159, HB2288, HB3281, HB3819, HB4656, HB4696, HB5494, HCR16

Keywords: fatherhood, family support, fatherlessness, community engagement, youth development, social policy, male role models, child development, policy reform, role models, mental health, parenting, single-parent homes, welfare reform, economic opportunity, mentorship, community initiatives, children, welfare programs, education

Transcript Highlights:

• It's hard work and often dangerous work being around large animals, and I have been visited a lot of
• IT'S HARD WORK AND OFTEN DANGEROUS WORK BEING AROUND LARGE ANIMALS, AND I HAVE BEEN VISITED A LOT OF
• They are going to be moving around today to visit different locations in the Capitol, and our offices
• THEY ARE GOING TO BE MOVING AROUND TODAY TO VISIT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN THE CAPITOL, AND OUR OFFICES
• ARE VISITING TODAY FROM QUEENS, WE WELCOME YOU ON BEHALF OF THE SENATE.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the prior journal, and then took up a Rules Committee report advancing several bills directly to third reading, including Senate Print 9630, an appropriations extender for government operations, and Senate Print 9631, an extender related to Part U1 of Chapter 61 of the Laws of 2023. The chamber then moved to the controversial calendar and debated the first extender, with Senator O’Mara questioning what the bill covered, how much funding it extended, and the status of budget negotiations. Senator Krueger said the extender covered about $1 billion for payroll and certain payments for agencies including Health, Law, OPWDD, and Veterans Services through April 7, and described the budget talks as still unresolved, with no announced follow-up Joint Budget Conference Committee meetings or table targets. She also discussed utility affordability proposals, including a three-year moratorium on A.I. and crypto data/storage facilities and support for green energy and low-income ratepayer relief. O’Mara argued the lack of urgency and absence of written proposals on climate and utility costs was concerning. Both extender bills were then passed, with the first receiving 59 ayes and the second passing 46-13 after debate over its two-year duration. The Senate then adopted the resolution calendar, excluding two items initially, and took up two resolutions. Resolution 1821, sponsored by Senator Ramos, recognized Farmworkers Day and highlighted the essential role of farmworkers, the history of organizing for farmworker rights, and concerns about immigrant workers facing fear and retaliation; Senator May added support, noting the importance of farm labor to dairy production and food supply and the impact of deportation fears on farms in her district. The resolution was adopted. Resolution 1823, sponsored by Senator Zellner, proclaimed March 20, 2026 as Behavior Analysis Day in New York, recognizing applied behavior analysis and its benefits for individuals with developmental disabilities, autism, education, healthcare, and other fields; it was also adopted. The chamber also welcomed a group of students from Queens visiting Albany, with Senator Comrie speaking about the importance of civics education and government engagement. After the introductions and acknowledgments, there was no further business, and the Senate adjourned until Wednesday, April 1, at 11:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• And his visit here in California this week, after the Supreme Court ruling, that is going to devastate
• I want to take a moment to commend Visit California, a nonprofit that, in partnership with the state's
• Greater Palm Springs, and Travis Scott, CEO of Visit Big Bear.
• Greater Palm Springs, and Travis Scott, CEO of Visit Big Bear.
• I've had the honor of visiting some sites after fires, and not only do they put out the fires, but they

Summary: The Senate met with a quorum present, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then spent much of the session on floor privileges and recognitions. Members welcomed a delegation from Catalonia on the 40th anniversary of the California-Catalonia sister-state relationship, Solano Community College’s speech and debate team, and several small business honorees, including Royal Clothiers and Old California Botanicals. The chamber also recognized Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones for his advocacy on democracy and voting rights, with multiple senators speaking in support of his visit. On business, the Senate confirmed Rick Simpson to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and Laura Ederton Speed as Executive Director of the State Bar, both by unanimous 35-0 votes. The body adopted SCR 163 designating May as California Tourism Month, highlighting tourism’s economic impact, and SCR 170 declaring Firefighter Mental Health Awareness Week, with extensive testimony from senators about the trauma firefighters and first responders face and the need to reduce stigma and expand support. The Senate also adopted SCR 174 marking the 60th anniversary of California’s pilot regional centers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, emphasizing the system’s role in community-based care. The Senate adopted SR 111 recognizing the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia after extended debate focused on LGBTQ rights, hate violence, and the need for allies to speak out; the resolution passed 26-0. The chamber then approved a second-day consent calendar of multiple bills by 34-0, moved SCR 116 to the inactive file, granted reconsideration on SR 111 for a later session, and heard motions to adjourn in memory of Carl Anthony and Lupe Estrella. The Senate announced committee hearings and then adjourned to reconvene Monday, May 18, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• And his visit here in California this week, after the Supreme Court ruling, that is going to devastate
• I want to take a moment to commend Visit California, a nonprofit that, in partnership with the state's
• Greater Palm Springs, and Travis Scott, CEO of Visit Big Bear.
• Greater Palm Springs, and Travis Scott, CEO of Visit Big Bear.
• I've had the honor of visiting some sites after fires, and not only do they put out the fires, but they

Keywords: 987, senate, all