Transcript Highlights:

• This is the Senate Disabilities Committee. I'm Senator Pat Fahy.
• So we'll move right away to the first bill, which is Bill 1197 by Senator Adabo, and our clerk will read
• to requiring day care facilities to maintain evacuation and block-off plans for children with disabilities
• An act to amend the Civil Rights Law and the Public Buildings Law in relation to enacting the Traveling
• And the meeting of the Senate Disabilities Committee is adjourned.

Committee: Senate People with Disabilities

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Disabilities Committee met on March 31, 2026, with Senator Pat Fahy presiding and a quorum present. The committee considered several bills related to disability services, education, housing, and accessibility. Bills advanced included S.1197, requiring day care facilities to maintain evacuation and block-off plans for children with disabilities during emergencies; S.4042, the Traveling with Dignity Act, which was reported to Senate Finance; S.4845, concerning closure or transfer of state-operated individualized residential alternatives; S.4848, extending the OPWDD Care Demonstration Program; S.4908, creating an innovative housing initiative for people with developmental disabilities; S.5538, expanding early intervention eligibility for infants with elevated venous blood levels; and S.7826, directing school districts to establish parent advisory councils on special education. The committee also discussed S.7792C, which was laid aside for further work with academics and advocacy groups. Most bills were moved by committee members and approved unanimously or without objection. Several measures were reported to the calendar, while others were referred onward, including S.4042 to Senate Finance and S.7826 to Education. The meeting concluded after all listed bills were acted on, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Right.
• Right. Yeah. Right. So, I mean, not everybody doesn't restore. Right. Right.
• So right now... So right now.
• All right. Go right ahead. Okay, page 35. I'm sorry. All right, go right ahead. Okay, page 35.
• Right, right.

Committee: House Budget

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, we will begin our final hearing on Budget Subcommittee Number Three on Human Services.
• I'm Evan Fern with Disability Rights California.
• Jeanette Siddiqu Bettina on behalf of the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights.
• These are some of our most vulnerable communities right now.
• Right now they cannot, so we just need some trailer bill for that.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Evan Fern with Disability Rights California.
• Right now. That's right now today.
• Right.
• I'm Evan Fern with Disability Rights California.
• I'm Evan Fern with Disability Rights, California.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All right. Okay.
• All right. Okay. So, we are >> Yes. No. No. All right. Okay.
• </c><00:15:03.920><c> Um</c> All right. Thank you. Um All right. Thank you.
• Thank you. >> All right.
• All right. Uh there being no Yeah. All right.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Right. Okay.
• Right.
• Is it passed right now? No, it's not passed right now.
• Right.
• Right.

Committee: House General Laws

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and against cutting in the disability space.
• We see disabled people getting benefits cut.
• And that does feel like what we're doing here right now.
• But how do you get those contracts written and get that done right?
• But how do you get those contracts written and get that done right?

Summary: The House Health and Welfare Committee approved the February 2, 2026 minutes and then introduced RS 33180, the Prior Authorization Reform Act, sponsored by Representative Wheeler. Wheeler said the bill would set enforceable standards for insurer prior authorization, including public disclosure of criteria, electronic processes, decision timelines, specialty-appropriate reviews, and protections against retroactive denials. Members raised questions about whether the bill’s physician language could exclude advanced practice providers, and Wheeler said that language may need to be revisited before a full hearing. The bulk of the meeting was a wide-ranging budget discussion ahead of Health and Welfare’s budget presentation. Members debated possible Medicaid and department savings, including trimming optional services, reducing provider reimbursement cuts, using reserves, delaying or renegotiating contracts, expanding audits, and improving department efficiency. Several members argued against cutting disability, home- and community-based, and other vulnerable-population services, while others supported looking at Medicaid expansion, ResHab, and administrative overhead as places to find savings. There was also discussion of hospital rate reductions, work requirements, improper payments, and the use of Millennium Fund dollars. Representative Kaler presented specific ideas for the youth safety and permanency budget, including repealing the extended foster care expansion if participation remains low, reducing FTEs, and moderating benefit increases. Other members emphasized the need for evidence-based budgeting and stronger oversight of contracts and program integrity. No budget votes were taken; the committee mainly gathered ideas and directed members to provide more detailed numbers before the Health and Welfare budget hearing the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• And, after visiting with the committee, some of our veterans said that to honor the disabled veteran
• All right.
• Speaker, we had a committee substitute. >> All right. Let's hear about the substitute.
• &gt;&gt; All<00:19:26.400><c> right.
• Let's hear let's hear about &gt;&gt; All right. Let's hear let's hear about sub. sub. sub.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All right.
• So we're right there.
• Right on. Right on. I don't know how much. It's just a man. I don't know. I don't know. Right on.
• Absolutely, this is right.
• Absolutely, this is right.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Right here. Thank you. Glenn Hill. And Stacey Combest. Right here. Thank you. Donald Hesseman.
• That's right.
• That's right.
• Lamont with Disability Rights Texas, here in favor of the legislation.
• All right.

Bills: HB2

Committee: Senate Education K-16

Keywords: disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace, medical examiner, county judge, sheriff, mayor, emergency coordinator, emergency manager license, volunteer management system, volunteer registration, criminal history check, background check, Texas Division of Emergency Management

Summary: The committee continued public testimony on House Bill 2, which would make major changes to public school funding, teacher pay, special education, early learning, school safety, and related programs. Many superintendents and education advocates supported the bill’s overall direction but urged changes, especially a larger basic allotment and more flexible funding for rural and small districts. Witnesses from Paint Creek, West Hardin, Cushing, Blooming Grove, Mildred, Buffalo, Plano, and rural school groups said the bill’s targeted raises and new requirements would not fully cover inflation, TRS/Medicare costs, transportation, insurance, or support staff salaries, and several asked the committee to restore the House version’s higher basic allotment and small-school allotment. Charter school representatives supported the facilities funding changes and said charter schools need state help because they cannot levy taxes, while also noting the funding gap with ISDs. Fine arts advocates asked the committee to restore the fine arts allotment, arguing arts improve engagement, attendance, and academic outcomes, especially in rural and at-risk communities. Early learning and special education witnesses supported parts of the bill but raised concerns about pre-K restrictions, disability-related pre-K access, and the need to preserve or clarify special education provisions and mental health oversight language. Several witnesses praised the teacher pay raise, teacher incentive allotment expansion, and teacher preparation investments, saying they would help recruit and retain educators and improve student outcomes. Others, including counselors and support staff advocates, argued the bill should also include raises for counselors, nurses, librarians, bus drivers, custodians, aides, and other non-teaching employees who keep schools running. One witness from the Texas Counseling Association opposed the substitute because it removed a counselor pay provision, warning of counselor shortages and inequities. A parent and special education advocate said the bill’s structure creates too many strings attached and asked for a larger basic allotment instead of more targeted funding. Another witness from Mental Health America urged keeping the collaborative task force on public school mental health services through 2031, and a disability rights advocate said the committee substitute appears to omit some special education items that were in the House version. The committee also briefly took up House Bill 6, a school discipline bill. After questions about automatic mandatory expulsion for vape possession and concerns about younger students, the committee adopted the substitute and voted to report HB 6 favorably to the full Senate by a 9-1 vote, with Senator Menendez voting no and Senators West and Menendez expressing reservations but supporting further discussion. After that vote, testimony on HB 2 resumed. Senators used the hearing to ask about the bill’s cost, the difference between the basic allotment and the bill’s targeted funding buckets, and whether the permanent teacher pay increase shifts pressure off districts. The bill’s supporters emphasized that it represents an historic, roughly $8 billion investment and that many of the new funding streams are intended to be permanent or to address specific district needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:08:20.320><c> Uh</c> right? The program is live and going. Uh right?
• </c><00:10:22.080><c> Rights</c><00:10:22.400><c> Center</c><00:10:22.640><c> in</c> Kawaii Disability
• Rights Center in Kawaii Disability Rights Center in support.<00:10:23.480><c> Please</c><00:10:23.680
• Right.
• </c> to speak up for this community, right? to speak up for this community, right?

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Health and Human Services committee hearing opened with notice that the meeting was being streamed and could reconvene later if technical problems forced an abrupt end. The chair also announced a one-minute testimony limit and proceeded through several bills, taking mostly written and oral support testimony and asking limited questions. No votes were taken in the portion provided. HB 1626, relating to youth penalties, drew strong support from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, youth advocates, the ACLU, the Department of Education, and others. Testifiers said financial sanctions on youth are ineffective, disproportionately burden Native Hawaiian youth, and function as poverty penalties; they urged replacing fines with community service, restorative practices, and ʻāina-based programs, and eliminating uncollectible legacy debt. The chair moved on after no member questions. HB 1643, relating to pharmacy, was discussed with support from the Hawaii Pharmacists Association, Kaiser, the Board of Pharmacy, independent pharmacies, and PBM representatives. Testimony focused on amendment language, audit procedures, HIPAA concerns, and the need for flexibility for small island pharmacies. HB 1668, relating to Medicaid, received broad support from disability advocates and the Department of Human Services; witnesses said CMS had already approved the underlying state plan amendment removing income and asset limits for certain workers with disabilities, but they wanted the protection codified in law to preserve it long term. The chair asked whether codification was necessary and was told it would not be harmful and would help ensure continuity if federal policy changed. The committee then heard HB 1550 on drug paraphernalia and syringe access, with support from Shipta and the Department of Health; testimony emphasized preserving flexibility for the statewide syringe access program to respond to emerging drugs like xylazine. HB 1974, relating to health, was presented as a planning measure for hearing loss; testifiers said Hawaii lacks a comprehensive hearing-loss plan and that the bill would fund a state planning process, not direct services. HB 1858 on vital statistics drew support from clinicians and medical organizations, who said better data on spontaneous fetal deaths is needed and that the term used in the bill is standard medical and CDC terminology. HB 1871 and HB 1966 also received support, with HB 1966’s EMS special fund prompting discussion about the cigarette-tax revenue source; the chair questioned the nexus to EMS, and the Department of Health said the revenue currently funds the special fund and there is no alternative funding stream.

Transcript Highlights:

• right Perfect all right sir Mr chair all right Perfect all right so<00:42:32.839><c> with</c><00:42:
• All right, Mr. Chair, the other author was right... Chair, so next up, we'll have Senator Hoffman.
• disabilities in Minnesota.
• to have the right to education, the right to live in a neighborhood, and the right to be free from restraint
• disabilities to have the<00:57:20.880><c> right</c><00:57:21.039><c> to</c><00:57:21.359><c> education

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All right.
• So we're right there. We're right there.
• Right on. Right on. I don't know how much. It's just a man. I don't know. I don't know. Right on.
• Yeah, I said, quite all right, quite all right. But, you know, your family is so lucky.
• Absolutely, this is right.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, we'll move on.
• All right, we'll move on.
• All right, we'll keep it moving.
• All right, we'll keep it moving.
• </c> Elizabeth Pearson I with the disability Elizabeth Pearson I with the disability communication<00

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Hawaii State Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection held decision-making and hearing sessions on February 4, 2025, covering a range of bills on public funds, cremation contracts, condominium insurance, insurance protections, veterinarians, landlord-tenant issues, agriculture, sex offender licensing restrictions, and service animals. In decision-making, SB 69 on deposits of public funds was passed with a defective effective date, SB 525 on cremation service contracts was deferred for later work on a concurrent resolution, SB 805 on condominium insurance was passed with amendments incorporating Attorney General recommendations, and SB 1141 on insurance protections was passed with amendments expanding the bill to catastrophic disasters and adding insurer response and loss-run reporting requirements. All of those measures were adopted by committee votes, with some members excused. During the hearing portion, SB 493 on veterinarians drew mixed testimony: state agencies and animal welfare groups supported efforts to create a workforce development fund and scholarship/loan repayment program, while the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association opposed the bill as written, arguing the board lacked capacity to administer the program, suggesting more WICHE funding instead, and objecting to new licensing fees. SB 606 on online business registration received comments from DCCA, SB 822 on landlord-tenant injunctions drew opposition from HPD and comments from the Judiciary, and SB 825 on eviction mediation received broad support from mediation advocates, the Judiciary, and others. Other measures heard included SB 276 on false labeling of Hawaii-grown roasted coffee, SB 1293 on tenant recovery in disaster areas, SB 1369 on solvency reporting for insurers and mutual benefit societies, and SB 1373 on automatic license actions against registered sex offenders, which received support from DCCA and several licensing boards. The committee also heard SB 1493 on emotional support animals, where the Attorney General raised constitutional and enforcement concerns, while disability advocates and others supported the bill and suggested clearer enforcement and disclosure language. SB 1662 on landlord application fees was also heard with comments from Hawaii Realtors and support testimony from individuals. In the later decision-making session, SB 493 was passed with amendments removing the proposed licensing fees and blanking appropriations, while SB 606 was deferred. SB 822 was passed with amendments adopting Judiciary recommendations, adding a Judiciary-facilitated working group to review the landlord-tenant code, and setting a defective effective date of July 1, 2050.

Transcript Highlights:

• Right?
• </c><00:29:21.360><c> Right?
• Right? So, this is people who, the rise. Right?
• Well, that's that's dang right just be. Well, that's that's dang right just a<00:43:48.599><c> lie.
• </c><00:47:53.839><c> We</c> want to make sure we do it right. We want to make sure we do it right.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, I'm going to bang the gavel.
• All right.
• All right.
• All right.
• I think it's in Asia Minor, right? All right. Yes. Okay, thank you. All right.

Summary: The committee met to take executive action on House Bill 2523, concerning the Community Reinvestment Program, and House Bill 2606, concerning the Office of Privacy and Data Protection. Staff briefed a proposed substitute for HB 2523 and several amendments. The substitute would change how Community Reinvestment Account funds are distributed, require tribal consultation, update the community reinvestment plan on a regular cycle, expand reporting and Office of Equity responsibilities, add definitions, and broaden the WSIPP study. Amendments to shorten the plan update cycle, restrict recipients from receiving other state housing assistance, bar certain officers and family members from grants, require independent audits, and expand WSIPP review were debated; only the amendment changing the plan update cycle from 10 years to 5 years was adopted. The committee then voted 8-5 to report the substitute HB 2523 out of committee with a do pass recommendation. HB 2606, which was described as implementing JLARC recommendations to reduce redundancy and improve efficiency in privacy/data protection functions, was then approved unanimously and reported out with a do pass recommendation. The committee then held public hearings on House Bill 2684 and House Joint Memorial 4012. HB 2684 would establish rebuttable presumptions that members of certain groups are socially disadvantaged for purposes of OMWBE certification, including adding Middle Eastern and North African individuals to the framework. Testimony was split: some speakers opposed the bill as discriminatory or constitutionally problematic, while others, including representatives of MENA businesses, CAIR Washington, and OMWBE, supported it as a needed fix to improve access to certification and contracting opportunities. The chair noted that amendments could still be submitted before the next day’s executive session, and the bill was set for further consideration the following morning. House Joint Memorial 4012 urges Congress to bring the Major Richard Star Act to a floor vote. The prime sponsor and veteran advocates testified that the memorial seeks to address the “wounded veteran tax” by allowing combat-injured service members who retire before 20 years of service to receive both retirement pay and VA disability compensation. Supporters said the change would correct an inequity affecting Washington veterans and their families. The committee closed the hearing on the memorial and announced that both HB 2684 and HJM 4012 would be considered the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• All right. Thank you, Okay. All right.
• Right.
• All right, give or take. around there. All right, give or take.
• Right.
• Right.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee for Health and Family Services met for its first meeting, established quorum, and heard a presentation from Department for Medicaid Services Commissioner Lisa Lee and CFO Steve Becktold. The department reviewed its compliance with House Bill 695, which requires legislative approval before certain Medicaid eligibility, service, benefit, or waiver changes, along with fiscal impact reporting to the Legislative Research Commission. They described current waivers, including home and community-based waivers, managed care and transportation waivers, and the 1115 re-entry waiver, and said the community engagement waiver is in public comment and on track for submission to CMS. They also said required reports and other HB 695 tasks, including a pharmacy rebate fund, budget analyses, expenditure reports, and a behavioral health scorecard, are underway or completed as required. The CFO outlined Medicaid’s budget, saying the department has two appropriation units and projecting near-full use of state funds while leaving some federal funds unspent because of matching-rate differences. They reported roughly 211 filled positions and 11 vacancies. Members asked about the vacancy makeup, the behavioral health scorecard, and whether a provider involved in quality metrics could have a conflict if used in the scorecard process; the department said it would follow up. Members also asked about the community engagement waiver and its interaction with federal policy, and the department said CMS guidance is still pending and that it will proceed under HB 695. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on federal Medicaid policy changes under a reconciliation bill, including possible limits on provider taxes, directed payments, cost-sharing, and community engagement requirements. Department officials said the final federal impact is still uncertain because the Senate bill is not finalized, but they have modeled several scenarios and warned that any reduction in federal support or benefits would be harmful, especially for hospitals and rural hospitals. They estimated Medicaid benefits are funded about 80% federal and 20% state overall, with expansion populations closer to 90% federal funding, and said administrative costs would also rise if federal requirements change. Members also asked about work requirements and eligibility. The department said the community engagement waiver would mainly affect the expansion population, which they estimated at about 450,000 people out of roughly 1.5 million total Medicaid enrollees, and that many groups are exempt, including children, the aged, blind, disabled, and people in substance use disorder treatment. Officials said they can provide data on how many enrollees are working or work-ready and explained that their eligibility system is designed to prevent duplication by automatically placing people in the correct category and correcting errors quickly. They also noted a federal proposal to require expansion eligibility reviews every six months, compared with current annual renewals.

Transcript Highlights:

• All right.
• I have a statement, is that right? Did you wish to make a statement? Well, yeah, yeah.
• All right. Thank you so much. And that will conclude the hearing on House Bill 2594.
• The law says parents have a right to see the evaluation report.
• All right. And that will have an end to our hearing on Senate Bill, House Bill 2557.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several House education bills. HB 1796 would allow school districts, under existing debt limits and with voter-approved capital levies, to issue non-voted bonds for certain new construction projects. The sponsor and school district witnesses said it would let districts front-fund projects, speed construction, and reduce inflation-related costs; a member of the public opposed it as bypassing voters. HB 2317 would exempt school-day ECEAP and Head Start programs located in public school or community/technical college buildings from child care licensing. The sponsor and providers said the current licensing process is duplicative, delays services, and creates barriers to expanding early learning; no opposition was heard. The committee also heard HB 2594, which would codify McKinney-Vento homeless student protections in state law, require OSPI planning and reporting, and reinforce district responsibilities for students experiencing homelessness. The sponsor gave personal testimony about experiencing homelessness as a student, and advocates said the bill would improve coordination and accountability at no added cost. For HB 2557, which requires school districts to give parents a copy of special education evaluation reports by the 35th school day and hold the eligibility meeting at least five school days later, the sponsor said it would give families time to review reports; school psychologists and OSPI supported the substitute version, while some advocates asked for shorter timelines and clearer waiver language. After the hearings, the committee moved to executive session and advanced two bills: Substitute HB 2360, allowing schools to maintain and use stock albuterol under specified conditions, and Engrossed Substitute HB 2534, updating requirements for military families’ enrollment, records transfer, and related services. Both bills received due pass recommendations and were sent to Rules, with no recorded opposition in the executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:11:00.440><c> of</c> programs, and ensuring the rights of programs, and ensuring the rights of
• 42.320><c> veterans</c> employment to disabled veterans employment to disabled veterans navigating<00
• </c> parking for disabled veterans. parking for disabled veterans.
• And finally, parking for disabled veterans.
• </c> And finally, parking for disabled And finally, parking for disabled veterans. veterans. veterans

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All right. Now we Minutes are accepted. All right.
• Right? So when the attorney Minnesota. Right?
• Right?
• Am I right? I'm rests on the counties. Am I right?
• All right. Um just I know we Thank you. All right.

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Keywords: 1183, house