Transcript Highlights:

• The bill streamlines standards for licensing and experience of evaluators at residential treatment centers
• Evaluators must be a psychiatrist or a psychologist licensed in Florida with at least three years of
• a residential treatment center, and maintains the current experience requirements for qualified evaluators
• treatment center, and maintain the current experience requirements for qualified evaluators.
• I know the court would evaluate that.

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs considered several bills. SB 590, by Senator Bradley, would toll the statute of limitations for failure to report suspected child abuse by mandatory reporters until the offense is known to law enforcement, with a retroactivity amendment adopted. Supporters said it would help hold mandatory reporters accountable in institutional abuse cases; it was reported favorably. SB 778, by Senator Simon, would update the definition of forensic client so certain individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism whose charges were dismissed for incompetency could be housed in the same secure setting under Chapter 916, reducing duplicative staffing and space needs at APD; it was also reported favorably. The committee then took up SB 560, by Senator Garcia, which streamlines psychotropic medication procedures for children in DCF custody, clarifies when new medical reports are needed, reduces duplicative background checks, and simplifies consent documentation. An amendment removed language expanding who could serve as a qualified evaluator and revised the Road to Independence Program changes to focus only on post-secondary education services and support, extending eligibility ages to 26 while keeping a five-year maximum. Members discussed fiscal impacts and funding sources, and the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard SB 1010, by Senator Yarbrough, which strengthens enforcement of existing prohibitions on sex-reassignment prescriptions and procedures for minors and adds civil and criminal penalties, along with Attorney General enforcement authority and related parental rights provisions. An amendment clarified that actions could be brought by individuals as well as the Attorney General and that the provisions apply only to minors. The bill drew extensive public testimony both for and against, with supporters emphasizing child protection and accountability and opponents warning about chilling effects on medical care, schools, and parental rights. Senators raised concerns about standing, scope, and impacts on teachers and clinicians, but the bill was ultimately reported favorably on a 5-1 vote, with Senator Sharif voting no.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first is to have the department actually submit the evaluation that it is... that it is proposing
• We recommend requiring this evaluation and strategy by get back.
• We recommend using budget committee hearings to clarify how the department plans to evaluate success
• We've had some areas where it hasn't provided a clear plan, evaluation plan at this point, and those
• So it's unclear, particularly unclear in that case how they will be evaluating success since.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• department, but with the other agencies, as well as our collaboration with industry partners, our evaluation
• that's key in on some of the performance and production review characteristics and items that we evaluate
• We have performance measures focused on the 7 areas that you see on the screen that we evaluate on a
• It identifies key challenges and opportunities and administering the program and evaluate alternative
• So on the technology that we get to test and evaluate. So it's actually implemented in the feed.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That’s been a really critical distinction that hasn’t been evaluated until recently.
• I will evaluate that with Deputy Director Huff in the room, who just heard that comment as well, and
• I will evaluate that with Deputy Director Huff in the room, who just heard that comment as well, and
• So we continue to evaluate all that technology. ...station across the state.
• So we continue to evaluate all that technology.

Summary: The subcommittee began by announcing a change in the agenda order, moving item 6 ahead of item 1 and then item 7, and noting there would be no votes taken on any items that day. Item 6 covered a proposed operational efficiencies control section for the Natural Resources Agency that would let multiple departments jointly fund landscape-scale or multi-jurisdictional projects and allow Finance to transfer climate bond funds to a lead state entity. The LAO said the proposal was reasonable but suggested the Legislature consider requiring summary notification on how it is used; Finance said it would consider that request. Item 7 focused on the 2026-27 biodiversity and nature-based solutions spending plan. Finance and the Wildlife Conservation Board described the climate bond funding for habitat restoration, wildlife crossings, public access, tribal nature-based solutions, and related work, including $111 million proposed for WCB and $30 million for Salton Sea habitat and public access projects. The LAO supported the overall approach but flagged the San Andreas Corridor Program as an area where the Legislature may want to specify geographic priorities. Members discussed the pace of Salton Sea work and whether the proposed projects would count toward disadvantaged community goals. Item 8 addressed Cal Fire’s aviation contract and staffing needs for wildfire response. Cal Fire said year-round fire activity, a larger and more complex aircraft fleet, and labor market pressures justified the proposed contract increase, including more mechanics, pilots, and maintenance support. The LAO recommended approval, saying the proposal addressed health and safety concerns. Members asked about contractor staffing, competition in the bidding process, and future technology for early fire detection and suppression. The committee then took up item 1 on golden mussel containment. Fish and Wildlife described the invasive species’ spread in the Delta, the task force and response framework, and a request for eight new positions funded by Prop. 4 to support control plans, outreach, monitoring, research, and coordination with partners and law enforcement. Members pressed the department on whether the state should fund more direct decontamination infrastructure and grants to local water managers, and on the realistic goal of containing the mussel. The chair and several members emphasized the urgency of the threat and requested an itemized breakdown of the $20 million request. The hearing then moved to a broader LAO overview of wildfire prevention and response funding, where the LAO summarized the state’s funding mix and warned that ongoing wildfire resilience funding will likely decline as one-time bond and GGRF funds are exhausted, prompting discussion of long-term funding options and the balance between prevention, suppression, and community hardening.

Transcript Highlights:

• So this grid security commission would come up with all these recommendations after their evaluations
• And the other good news is that this bill gives the state of Texas the opportunity to evaluate those
• Is there anything in the bill that ERCOT does not evaluate? In Senator Hall's bill? Correct.
• We do not evaluate those types of services—health care, financial services.
• That is outside the grid for ERCOT to evaluate those types of services. Okay, thank you. Thank you.

Bills: SB75, SB715, SB776, SB1299, SB1405, SB1968, SB2021, SB2077, SB2148, SB2321, SB2330, SB2411

Keywords: electric generation, reliability, ERCOT, Public Utility Commission, penalties, performance requirements, energy policy, construction contracts, compensatory damages, government delays, contractor, legislation, nonprofit donor privacy, membership lists, supporter confidentiality, volunteer privacy, association rights, public records exemption, Texas Public Information Act, government transparency

Summary: The committee first took up pending business and favorably reported several bills without objection or by recorded vote, including SB 783, SB 1238, SB 1706, SB 1791, SB 458, SB 1644, and SB 1810, with some of them also sent to the local and uncontested calendar. The committee then moved into hearings on additional bills. SB 1968, by Senator Schwertner, would update the Real Estate License Act by repealing subagency, requiring written buyer-agent agreements before showings, and clarifying when a formal buyer representation agreement must be signed. Texas Realtors testified in support, saying the bill modernizes agency rules and increases transparency, while a committee substitute corrected drafting issues. SB 2411, the annual update to the Texas Business Organizations Code, was also laid out and left pending after supportive testimony from the Texas Business Law Foundation and drafting committee representatives. The committee also heard SB 2321, which would codify ERCOT’s current practice of notifying TCEQ when backup generation needs enforcement discretion for grid reliability; Sierra Club and a chamber of commerce witness supported it with suggestions for clearer emissions reporting, and the bill was left pending. SB 2077 would broaden eligibility for the Texas Mutual Insurance Company board by narrowing conflict restrictions tied to insurance-related interests; Texas Mutual supported the change and the bill was left pending. SB 1405, a broadband bill, would align state law with FCC standards and streamline Broadband Development Office processes; it was left pending after supportive testimony. SB 1299, protecting nonprofit donor privacy, drew support from privacy advocates and concerns from one witness about transparency for publicly funded nonprofit operations; it was left pending. The committee then heard SB 776, which would bar government construction contracts from shifting delay damages to contractors when delays are caused solely by the public owner. Contractors, surety representatives, and water infrastructure advocates supported the bill, arguing it would improve fairness and reduce inflated bids, while water utilities and critical infrastructure entities opposed it, warning of more litigation and higher costs; the bill was left pending. Finally, SB 715, which would apply reliability requirements retroactively to all generation resources in ERCOT, drew opposition from renewable and storage groups and support from some critics of renewable subsidies, with witnesses split over whether it would improve reliability or raise costs; testimony was underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a re-evaluation of opiate settlement funds, and due to this re-evaluation of the revenues, the administration
• has re-evaluated the opioid settlement fund expenditure plan and has...
• I'd like to highlight how we're looking at the evaluation of these programs.
• The final evaluation report is due December 31st, 2028.
• I think the evaluation that you were talking about.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We evaluated that and looked into what happened with Gallup.
• of that discussion about how we make decisions when projects need To be done, because how we're evaluating
• We're evaluating each of them based on their current capacity to pay for any projects.
• And so maybe that's something else we kind of need to think about: trying to make that evaluation and
• What, you know, the costs, the evaluation criteria.

Transcript Highlights:

• They had to say, hey, we got to re-evaluate and see what's happening.
• Finding the exact way to evaluate that is sort of the challenge.
• The only way that you get out of that mass evaluation is you file a protest.
• You know, there are several things that we need to sort of evaluate and work through.
• I think there are several things that we need to evaluate and work through.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, thank you, and we will have our final presentation, healthcare affordability fund evaluation
• Thank you for your partnership and transparency as it has related to this program evaluation.
• Today I'll present the program evaluation report.
• timeline, the data availability, the LFC evaluation team evaluated roughly the extent to which program
• Thank you for the opportunity to present this program evaluation report to your committee today.

Transcript Highlights:

• Most recently, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did an evaluation of our core programs, and we have that report
• As my partners at NextGen have mentioned, extensive evaluation has been done on this program, and the
• As my partners at NextGen have mentioned, extensive evaluation has been done on this program.
• As my partners at NextGen have mentioned, extensive evaluation has been done on this program, and the
• We support independent program evaluation and wanted to note that the Cal Poly evaluation that was referenced

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee heard the administration’s spending plan for Proposition 4’s climate smart agriculture and biodiversity chapters, along with related trailer bill language. CDFA outlined proposed funding for existing programs such as SWEEP, Healthy Soils, Urban Agriculture, and invasive species work, plus new or phased-in programs including year-round and mobile farmers’ markets, tribal food sovereignty, and regional farm equipment sharing. The Department of Conservation described funding for the California Farmland Conservancy Program and Working Lands and Riparian Corridors Program, while the Department of Finance and LAO discussed pending allocations and generally found the overall approach reasonable, though LAO suggested the Legislature may want more statutory guidance and reporting, especially for new programs. Members focused on implementation details, equity, and accountability. Questions covered how programs would serve vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, whether new solicitations would be reopened for previously oversubscribed grants, how outcomes are tracked, and how to structure guidance for new programs such as farm equipment sharing. The chair emphasized that the Legislature wants clearer direction on program design and noted that AB 2313 should guide implementation of the regional farm equipment sharing allocation. The committee also discussed the administration’s request to directly appropriate bond funds to departments and to exempt bond program guidelines from the Administrative Procedures Act; LAO supported the APA exemption with possible legislative guardrails for public notice and comment. The committee then heard on the farm-to-school proposal, with CDFA requesting $24.9 million General Fund for incubator grants, technical assistance, and network support. CDFA said the program has reached nearly half of California schoolchildren and has shown strong demand and positive evaluation results. LAO supported the core program but recommended rejecting the $3 million technical assistance component as too broad and suggested the Legislature consider using Proposition 98 for some of the funding. Members debated that point, with some expressing concern about using General Fund dollars for a new discretionary request during a tight budget year. The biodiversity and nature-based solutions chapter included funding for the Wildlife Conservation Board, state conservancies, and tribal nature-based solutions. WCB described major recent investments and proposed projects tied to 30 by 30, habitat restoration, tribal partnerships, and public access. Members raised concerns about long-term stewardship, the size of the WCB allocation, and whether the Legislature should receive more detail on how funds will be distributed. The committee also heard requests for Bolsa Chica wetlands maintenance and Rincon Island decommissioning funding from the State Lands Commission, with members questioning long-term liability, remediation costs, and the role of private oil operators. No votes were taken, and the hearing ended with public comment from stakeholders largely supporting the APA exemption, farm-to-school funding, biodiversity investments, and related conservation programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• 00:11:58.079> based<00:11:58.320> on<00:11:58.640> expert<00:11:59.040> evaluations
• rankings are based on expert evaluations rankings are based on expert evaluations of<00:12:00.079
• Referring the patient for immediate medical evaluation, Clearway staff focused on encouraging her to
• These are places where women are met with dignity, not judgment, and where families are supported not
• 04:47:40.878> with<04:47:41.200> dignity,<04:47:42.320> not<04:47:42.560> judgment

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator might not be surprised that I am thinking that something more aligned with early neutral evaluation
• Senator might not be surprised that I am thinking that something more aligned with early neutral evaluation
• Senator might not be surprised that I am thinking that something more aligned with early neutral evaluation
• <00:20:01.440> would<00:20:01.600> be with early neutral evaluation would be with early
• neutral evaluation would be appropriate<00:20:02.520> so<00:20:02.799> right<00:20:02.960

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint hearing first took up SB 696, which would create an emergency management office and fund tax credits, grants for low-income taxpayers to fortify homes, shelter development, and staffing. Supporters argued Hawaii needs a dedicated preparedness office and funding before the next hurricane season, while the Tax Foundation said the bill was too vague, especially on who would qualify for the tax credits and under what conditions. The Department of the Attorney General and the insurance division offered comments, and both committees recommended deferral of SB 696. The Commerce and Consumer Protection committee then heard SB 179 on construction defect remedies and the contractor repair act. Builders, Realtors, carpenters, and a mortgage industry witness supported the bill, saying it would reduce abusive litigation, speed repairs, and help housing production and affordability. Homeowner advocates and plaintiff attorneys opposed it, arguing it would weaken consumer protections, shift repair costs to homeowners, and delay or limit legitimate claims. One testifier suggested the Senate focus instead on stronger alternative dispute resolution, and the committee noted 105 written supporters, four opponents, and one comment submission. The committee next heard SB 416 on allowing pets in rental housing, with the Attorney General recommending a non-impairment safeguard because of possible effects on existing contracts. SB 593 on commercial dog breeders drew support from the Hawaii Humane Society and others, with concerns raised that counties would be expected to enforce the new regime without funding. SB 641, creating a tax on low-alcohol-by-volume spirits beverages, drew opposition from the Wine Institute, which said it would create a tax break for one segment and likely reduce state revenue. SB 1048 on online crowdfunding received support from GoFundMe and comments from the Attorney General, with GoFundMe urging changes to reduce burdens on charitable fundraising. SB 1213, allowing businesses to accept service of process by email instead of maintaining a registered agent, drew DCCA comments and opposition from LegalZoom, which warned email service could be unreliable and vulnerable to phishing.

Transcript Highlights:

• How do you evaluate the different CASes then? Because if Nanakuli—why not?
• >> how do you who evaluates >> how do you who evaluates the<03:31:59.520> different
• So I don't know what kind of evaluation that you're doing, but certainly there's concerns.
• So I don't know what kind of evaluation that you're doing, but certainly there's concerns.
• What kind of evaluation that you're doing, but certainly there's concerns.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Secretary Hatch the to take several key actions to conduct financial and operational audit to evaluate
• The bill requires an an individualized treatment plan must be re-evaluated.
• Number 4, it incorporates the DLA 20 assessment to an evaluation for children and adolescents to ensure
• What is working that we can accelerate and what do we need to re-evaluate which it always be met and
• We will focus and evaluate our supports our pathways and our processes to promote prevention, as well

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill empowers OPPAGA to conduct a thorough evaluation and reporting on these data points.
• It requires an initial review and evaluation report by December 31st.
• It requires an initial review and evaluation report by December 31st, 2025, with recommendations for
• other relevant data and information to perform an effective annual evaluation of outcomes, capacity,
• A final review and annual evaluation report by December 1, 2026. That is the bell.

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several bills related to children, families, elder affairs, mental health, disability services, and child care. SB 1050 on the Agency for Persons with Disabilities was amended and reported favorably after discussion of expanding the voluntary IDD managed care pilot statewide, improving transparency on the APD wait list, creating a statewide family care council, addressing transition services for youth leaving foster care, and seeking federal approval for an adult pathways waiver. Testimony from providers and a parent emphasized workforce capacity, county-level identification of clients, Medicaid delays, and the importance of keeping the pilot voluntary; the bill passed with support and some discussion about possible future clarifications on services and Medicaid eligibility. The committee also passed SB 1310, which directs OPPAGA to evaluate student mental health outcomes tied to school mental health assistance funding, and members discussed the need for better data, coordination with managing entities, and avoiding duplication of services. SB 976 on court-appointed social investigators was amended and approved, with the sponsor describing due process protections and fee-shifting provisions for parents challenging court-appointed psychologists. SB 886, creating a crisis care coordination team pilot in Volusia and Polk counties to reduce Baker Act recidivism and improve follow-up care, was reported favorably after the sponsor described its law enforcement and community provider partnerships and an independent evaluation requirement. Later, SB 614 on child care facility and program background screening requirements was amended and passed; the bill requires a public educational webpage explaining Level 2 screening, the clearinghouse, disqualifying offenses, exemptions, and related job listings and timelines. Finally, SB 276 on sheltering or aiding unmarried minors was approved; it increases the offense from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, creates a presumption regarding knowledge of the minor’s age, and adds a defense when the conduct was necessary to protect the minor from danger. All bills considered were reported favorably, and the committee adjourned at the end of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• at least from our perspective, and probably where many states were going, was this overlay of an evaluation
• I think we're evaluating that. Okay. Yes, those would be public. Those would be very public.
• So we'll continue to evaluate the opportunity on that particular aspect.
• , we can certainly get back to you as well as we continue to hear the detailed guidance and the evaluation
• Was that, are we evaluating the impact of this whole HR1 project? Yes. Okay.

Keywords: 962, all

Summary: The Care Management Committee met to receive a status update on the DSS/CHN PCMH program and to discuss implementation of HR1, especially the new medical frailty requirements. CHN reported the PCMH program remained steady at 124 practices and 553 sites, with 54.6% of the HUSKY population attributed to PCMH providers, and noted ongoing recruitment, provider turnover, and recent practice consolidations/acquisitions that will shift some sites to Yale and Hartford HealthCare. CHN also reported strong quality improvement engagement for 2026, with 83% of contacted PCMHs engaged, and said preliminary 2025 results showed improvement across measures. The bulk of the meeting focused on DSS’s response to the June 1 CMS interim final rule on HR1. DSS explained that it had been building a medical frailty definition based on diagnosis codes and comparisons with other states’ approaches, but the new federal rule adds a requirement that the condition significantly impair a person’s ability to work or comply with community engagement requirements. DSS said it is still evaluating how to combine claims-based data with the new federal overlay, may submit comments to CMS during the open comment period through July 31, and is considering options such as self-attestation, especially given CMS’s allowance of self-attestation for calendar year 2027. Committee members raised concerns about the rule’s complexity, possible legal challenges, the need for a good-faith waiver or implementation delay, and the risk of noncompliance if the state gets the process wrong. Members also pressed DSS for broader outreach, clearer public communication, training, and better reporting on implementation impacts and costs. DSS said it is developing a website, webinars, and a communications plan, and is working with community-based organizations, community health workers, and administrative services organizations to reach potentially affected members. DSS said it is also building a Medicaid pre-screener to help people determine whether they may be subject to work requirements. In the PCMH Plus discussion, DSS said it was not yet ready to present the 2024 quality data but would try to bring the Wave 3, Year 5 results and related quality/shared savings information to the July 8 meeting, along with the regular PCMH update and another HR1 update. The committee also discussed future agenda items including community health worker reimbursement, peer support services, and the inmate medical program.

Transcript Highlights:

• The potential patient would then fill out a health screener and risk evaluation to make sure that it
• We also ask the department to re-evaluate the entire program at the end of 3 years to see how it can
• Two questions specifically about program evaluation for your members on the committee at some point,
• and 7.2, where that program evaluation is talked about.
• I don't have an exact number for you, but I would certainly want that to be part of the evaluation of

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• use of the OLA's information all the time, and so I just—we're going to go back again to the 2017 evaluation
• use of the OLA's information all the time, and so I just—we're going to go back again to the 2017 evaluation
• use of the OLA's information all the time, and so I just—we're going to go back again to the 2017 evaluation
• use of the OLA's information all the time, and so I just—we're going to go back again to the 2017 evaluation
• and what it says is that 2017 evaluation and what it says is that first<00:10:29.040> of<00:10

Keywords: 919, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This will be a structured three-year pilot project with annual reporting requirements and evaluation
• Initiatives funded out of that fund would have to undergo a pretty extensive planning and evaluation
• We have partnered with UNM Research. to evaluate our after-school programming.
• We are evaluating our program and stand in strong support of this initiative, both in terms of one-time
• Familiar with the current evaluation that I know is in process through the Community Schools Division

Transcript Highlights:

• In this evaluation, we really researched two main questions.
• In this evaluation, we really researched two main questions.
• I will say that we have continued across audits and evaluations to find issues with documentation of
• to find issues with and evaluations to find issues with documentation<00:35:34.599> of<00:35:
• <01:28:20.239> on in 20203 about doing evaluations on in 20203 about doing evaluations on

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee held its first meeting on February 10, 2025, with member and staff introductions and opening remarks from Chair Kristin Robbins about the committee’s bipartisan mission to address state fraud and improve oversight of executive branch spending. Robbins said the committee would focus on both legislation and informational oversight hearings, likely in coordination with standing policy committees, and emphasized concerns about reported fraud in state government and the need to prevent waste before it occurs. Members from both parties generally expressed support for the committee’s work and interest in learning more about the issues. The sole agenda item was a presentation from the Legislative Auditor on the 2023 report, “Oversight of State-Funded Grants to Nonprofit Organizations.” Legislative Auditor Judy Randall and Deputy Legislative Auditor Jodi Munson Rodriguez explained that the report reviewed how comprehensive Minnesota’s grants management policies are and how well agencies follow them. They said the policies cover the grant lifecycle but often lack detail, and the office found widespread noncompliance in recent years. The presentation included examples such as limited standards for progress reports, flexible monitoring requirements, and no required timeline for closeout reviews. The auditors also noted that state agencies spent an average of about $514 million annually on nonprofit grants from fiscal years 2018 through 2022, with about 2,400 nonprofit organizations receiving grants. The auditors said several factors contribute to compliance problems, including inconsistent funding for grants management, limited training, and uneven use of electronic grants systems. They also noted that statutes gave little authority to enforce compliance. Since the report was released, the Department of Administration has taken some steps, including changes to pre-award financial review policies and a timeline for closeout reviews, but the auditors said other recommendations remain only partially implemented. No votes were taken and no bills were acted on at this meeting.