Transcript Highlights:

• uh playing for we've had the other team uh playing for oil<00:38:42.200> companies.
• We have a system, a structure that works very, very well.
• Um, and it is targeted, it's efficient, proven in structure, urgently needed.
• We have a system, a structure that works very, very well.
• Um, and it is targeted, it's efficient, proven in structure, urgently needed.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He said it brought back a memory of the gymnastics team in the U.S.
• the<00:13:20.639> to<00:13:20.839> the<00:13:21.079> gymnastic<00:13:21.720> team
• <00:13:23.440> in<00:13:23.639> the<00:13:23.839> US the to the gymnastic team
• in in the US the to the gymnastic team in in the US Olympics<00:13:25.480> how<00:13:25.680><
• <00:15:46.600> around um going to put structures around um going to put structures around

Bills: HF2371, HF2147, HF2557, HF1165, HF2466, HF2465, HF2482

Keywords: informed consent, sensitive examinations, healthcare, patient rights, anesthesia, hot water pools, rental properties, public health, safety regulations, Minnesota Statutes, health care access, hospital surcharge, fund allocation, medical assistance, health funding, health care, education, bonding capacity, financing, Minnesota Higher Education Facilities Authority

Transcript Highlights:

• Because right now, we do see not everyone does take up because they are kind of confused on how the structure
• So outside of that $10 million, we wouldn't change the current structure. Okay.
• early in our screening and then later, and that's why we do agree with kind of a more cohesive structured
• But there's also benefit in having perhaps a team of individuals specially trained come around and do
• But greater investments allow them to stabilize and build into a structure that has greater support and

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then two of our larger hospitals, being UAMS and Children's, have a different per diem structure
• I can take it back to our data team to see how they pulled this and whether they can tie it back to the
• We have to have a broad-based and uniform fee structure that is approved by the feds to be charged to
• We have to have a broad-based and uniform fee structure that is approved by the feds to be charged to
• We have worked with ones that have come to our attention that need some assistance on structuring a payment

Summary: The subcommittee met to review Arkansas DHS hospital spending and reimbursement methods, with Secretary Janet Mann and Deputy Secretary Misty Eubanks explaining Medicaid hospital payments. They described fee-for-service per diem payments, cost settlements, and the upper payment limit (UPL) program, noting that SFY 2025 hospital payments included $688 million in inpatient/outpatient claims, $473 million in UPL payments, $248 million in cost settlements, and about $47 million in other payments such as graduate medical education and disproportionate share hospital funds. Members asked about why per diem rates vary, how cost settlements work, why UPL applies mainly to private hospitals, and how assessment fees are structured and funded. DHS said the hospital assessment fee is broad-based and uniform, used as the state share to draw federal funds, and that supplemental hospital payments after federal match totaled $548 million with no general revenue used. The Arkansas Hospital Association’s Jody Ann Tritt then gave a broader overview of the hospital landscape, explaining the different hospital types in the state, including critical access hospitals, rural emergency hospitals, PPS hospitals, and specialty hospitals. She said Arkansas hospitals face financial strain, citing a negative 5.18% patient service margin statewide and lower reimbursement than surrounding states. She argued that Arkansas hospitals are paid less than hospitals in neighboring states for similar services, that commercial payer rates and administrative burdens are a major problem, and that Medicaid and Medicare rates remain below cost even with UPL support. She also said hospitals are the backbone of community care, provide emergency and public health functions, and are looking for ways to invest in technology and telehealth but often lack the revenue to do so. Members pressed for clearer data on hospital finances, reimbursement adequacy, and the impact of commercial insurers. Tritt said the association had just authorized a statewide survey to gather updated financial information from hospitals, which she said would take about a year to complete. She also explained that Medicaid pays weekly, Medicare and commercial plans can involve delays and denials, and that hospitals often spend significant resources on revenue cycle work. The discussion ended with a brief update on assisted living reimbursement: DHS said one facility, The Pillars of the Community in Crossett, had announced closure, nine Living Choices waiver clients were being transitioned, and the updated rate study would be available after cost reports are collected, likely before the end of the fiscal year. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It does seem to be an issue on our end, so we're reaching out to our tech team to make sure that we resolve
• So the structure of that is two years, Mr.
• Chair, one of those things would be to ensure that the structure that is built is following what this
• In a single-family housing area where a home is blighted, you can walk into the structure and see what's
• wrong with the structure, but you don't know what's going on below the structure.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and also I wanted to mention the structure of how they invest is completely different, um, because
• You know, there were um there was legislation to change some things regarding Paris structure including
• Whole structure that, in the tears, and that came later on.
• We have an incredible team, um, Madam Chair, that, that delivers all this information to us.
• But if we don't understand the original structure, that conversation becomes difficult.

Transcript Highlights:

• and the services that those jobs and those people rely upon. shares with me is that, how is it structured
• that we fully understand, you know, what you're getting at, Representative Patterson. and what our team
• They allow the governor. to approve any changes in the structure of the MPOs themselves.
• I will say that the structural pylons, large architectural columns that are on a cable-stayed bridge
• There we have to take about a year to demolish the existing structure.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The problem is structural.
• Thank you so much for inviting our team.
• Thank you so much for inviting our team.
• My team and I serve over 1,000 students at our rural public school.
• I I was on the negotiating team I I was on the negotiating team for<01:34:45.200> teachers

Bills: HF3119

Keywords: teacher compensation, educational staff, unlicensed staff, minimum wage, inflation adjustment, education finance, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The team makes the determination.
• our district um we have it's an IEP team our district um we have it's an IEP team decision<01:34
• funds and assign that at a team meeting. funds and assign that at a team meeting.
• The team doesn't—it's not someone making a decision at the team that we need to have a para.
• someone making a decision at the team someone making a decision at the team that<01:45:14.480>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee opened its second meeting on House Bill 742, which would require catastrophic special education aid to be drawn from the education trust fund, and discussed whether to also examine differentiated aid within the adequacy formula. The chair said the committee had previously heard from HHS/Medicaid officials and now wanted to hear from local special education directors about how the aid system works in practice, including billing, training, data collection, and whether districts handle claims consistently. Members also referenced Arkansas as a possible comparison state and said they hoped to develop ideas by November to address the current funding process. Committee members focused on the current special education aid thresholds and the impact of proration. The chair described the existing formula as requiring districts to absorb costs up to 3.5 times the state average per student, with the state paying 80% from 3.5 times through 10 times and paying above that, and said FY25 appropriated about $34 million while actual claims were about $50.1 million, leaving roughly a $16 million shortfall that caused proration. Members also raised the possibility of lowering the threshold to 2.5 times and asked how that would affect the number of eligible students and costs. Another member asked about how districts decide whether services are education-related or medical-related and how Medicaid or private insurance reimbursement affects later state aid claims. District representatives from Boothby Therapy Services, Bedford, and Guilford introduced themselves and described their roles. Guilford’s director said the district tracks students with paraprofessional support, nurses, transportation, or specialized programming, uses a data system to log every service touchpoint, and tries to maximize both Medicaid and special education aid; she said a lower threshold would likely capture all students with paras or nurses and that rising staffing and service costs would increase the number of students over the cap. Bedford’s assistant director said the district uses a different system, tracks roughly 60 to 80 students a year, and pursues Medicaid and special education aid simultaneously but does not pursue private insurance if it would affect FAPE; she said reducing the threshold to 2.5 times would likely double the number of qualifying students. Members asked follow-up questions about software, data entry, and how districts decide whether to bill Medicaid or seek state catastrophic aid, and the directors explained that their systems log services by staff type and student, with some districts using the same data for both Medicaid and state reimbursement claims.

Transcript Highlights:

• Georgia took on Florida's structure.
• Now if you go to California, California's got a different structure.
• Now, if you go to California, California's got a different structure.
• Georgia took on Florida's structure.
• Now if you go to California, California's got a different structure.

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard Senate Bill 1272 on guardianship, which would limit a guardian’s ability to isolate an adult ward from family and require notice of major events such as a ward’s death or relocation to a more restrictive setting. Senator Jones and supportive speakers said the bill was intended to protect wards from abuse and isolation by bad actors, while still preserving good-faith guardianship. With no opposition testimony or debate, the committee voted 8-0 to report the bill favorably. The committee then considered CS for Senate Bill 1284, which would expand Florida’s Wrongful Death Act to allow civil claims for the death of an unborn child. An amendment was adopted to define “unborn child” as a member of the species Homo sapiens carried in the womb and to state that the act does not authorize claims against the mother or against health care providers acting within the lawful standard of care. The bill drew extensive debate and testimony. Supporters argued it would give parents parity and fuller damages, including economic losses and mental anguish, when negligence causes the death of an unborn child. Opponents, including the ACLU, medical professionals, and reproductive rights advocates, warned it could be used to target abortion care, increase malpractice exposure, worsen physician shortages, and create speculative damages. The committee approved the bill 6-4. Finally, the committee took up Senate Bill 1288 on parental rights, with a strike-all amendment that would strengthen parental control over minors’ medical decisions, surveys, and biofeedback devices, while adding exceptions for emergencies, court orders, certain legal statuses, and situations involving abuse or out-of-home placement. Supporters said the measure restores parents as primary decision-makers and protects children from inappropriate questioning or treatment without consent. Opponents argued it could block minors from confidential care for STIs, mental health, or abuse-related issues, and could chill school and medical screenings. The transcript ends during testimony and debate on this bill, before any final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• We talk about various structures.
• We talk about various structures.
• rate structure in New Hampshire.
• um if it's a permanent structure um if it's a permanent structure >> if<00:56:14.880> it's
• larger planning structure. larger planning structure. um<01:49:18.239> this<01:49:18.800>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• have the nurses with the nursing home, but then hospice comes in with a whole different care delivery team
• has grown rapidly and, make no mistake, done tremendous good, there is still a need for consistent structure
• They are designated and structured and were developed with different universities and research-based
• They are designated and structured and were developed with different universities and research-based
• They can go out on ACT teams.

Bills: HR174, HR194, HCR98, SB39, SB124, SB190, SB236, SB270, SB273, SB359, SB415, SB426, SB437, SB451

Keywords: fenbendazole, cancer treatment, public health, FDA, clinical trials, patient safety, visual acuity, student health, de-identified data, longitudinal analysis, education policy, SNAP, food stamps, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, grocery delivery, delivery fees, service charges, online grocery, food access, food insecurity

Summary: The House Committee on Health and Welfare met on May 12 and first reported HCR 98 favorably without objection. The resolution asks the Louisiana Department of Health to study whether SNAP benefits could be used to pay grocery delivery fees and related costs, especially for elderly and mobility-limited recipients. The author said the measure would not change SNAP rules, only request a study, and LDH was not opposed. The committee then advanced several Senate bills. SB 273, on hospice care in inpatient licensed facilities, was amended and reported favorably; the bill requires documentation of hydration, nutrition, and care decisions and clarifies facility responsibility when multiple providers are involved. SB 415, creating the Empower Louisiana Food Purchase Program, was amended and reported favorably; the author described it as a privately funded, charity-run food card program for people in need, with LDH to develop rules. SB 437, a cleanup bill on judicially referred residential substance abuse treatment facilities, was reported favorably, with LDH explaining that facilities providing treatment must be licensed and surveyed. The committee also approved SB 451 on newborn hearing screenings, which updates terminology and expands reporting requirements to improve early detection and intervention for deaf or hard-of-hearing children. SB 426, modernizing the addictive disorder regulatory authority and creating a licensure pathway for peer support specialists, was reported favorably with amendments after testimony from behavioral health providers and training organizations. SB 236 on annual LDH reviews of kidney disease treatment in Medicaid, SB 39 creating provisional licenses for massage therapist graduates, SB 190 tightening oversight of nursing facilities in the CMS Special Focus Facility Program, and SB 124 allowing peer review sharing within a health system were all reported favorably, most with technical amendments. The committee also reported favorably HR 174 urging study of fenbendazole for cancer, SB 270 allowing terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana in health care facilities, SB 359 changing terms for a Morehouse Parish hospital district board, and HR 194 requesting de-identified school visual acuity screening data for researchers. The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• have the nurses with the nursing home, but then hospice comes in with a whole different care delivery team
• has grown rapidly and, make no mistake, done tremendous good, there is still a need for consistent structure
• They are designated and structured and were developed with different universities and research-based
• They are designated and structured and were developed with different universities and research-based
• They can go out on ACT teams.

Summary: The House Committee on Health and Welfare met on May 12 and considered a wide range of health, social services, and licensing measures. Early in the meeting, the committee reported favorably HCR 98, which asks the Louisiana Department of Health to study whether SNAP recipients should be allowed to use benefits for grocery delivery fees. The author said the proposal would not change SNAP rules directly, but would examine access issues for elderly, disabled, rural, and transportation-limited residents. The committee also advanced SB 273, a hospice patient-protection bill requiring documentation of hydration, nutrition, and care decisions in inpatient licensed facilities where hospice is provided, with LDH oversight and enforcement authority; members discussed how responsibility is shared between facilities and outside hospice providers, and adopted technical amendments. The committee then approved SB 415, creating the Empower Louisiana Food Purchase Program, a privately funded charitable food-card program intended to let nonprofits distribute food-only cards to people in need. Members and the author discussed whether the cards would be reloadable, which retailers could accept them, and whether prepared foods could be included; LDH said the program could use all SNAP-authorized retailers, and the bill was reported favorably with amendments. SB 437, a cleanup bill for judicially referred residential substance abuse treatment facilities, was also reported favorably with amendments after LDH clarified that facilities providing treatment must be licensed, while residences only housing individuals would not be. SB 451, updating newborn hearing screening terminology and reporting requirements, was reported favorably after testimony that the bill would strengthen early detection and follow-up for deaf or hard-of-hearing children. Later, the committee advanced SB 426, which modernizes the addictive disorder regulatory authority and creates a formal peer support specialist licensing pathway. Supporters said the bill would strengthen the behavioral health workforce, improve accountability, and create a progression from peer support to higher credentials; the committee adopted technical and transition amendments and reported the bill favorably with amendments. SB 236, requiring LDH annual reviews and reports on kidney disease treatment services in Medicaid, was also reported favorably with amendments. Additional measures approved included SB 39, allowing provisional licenses for massage therapy graduates; SB 190, which tightens oversight of poor-performing nursing facilities in the CMS Special Focus Facility Program and sets an 18-month improvement timeline; SB 124, allowing hospitals within the same health system to share peer review records without waiving privilege; HR 174, urging study of fenbendazole as a possible cancer treatment; SB 270, allowing terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana in health care facilities; SB 359, changing terms for certain Morehouse Parish hospital district commissioners; and HR 194, requesting de-identified school visual acuity screening data for research. The committee adjourned after reporting all measures favorably, several with amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'm going to let my team introduce themselves as they present. Good morning.
• The statutory intent of the structure was really to create a regulatory process to require... ...was
• And I think those four areas as part of our review structure really speak to the pillars of the health
• So again, exploring ways to reduce our fiscal kind of liability within that legal structure.
• These slides here just speak to the current CN structure and then what the modernized approach for CN

Summary: The committee heard a JLARC presentation on the Department of Health’s oversight of hospital inspections, complaints, and reporting. JLARC said DOH was late on 72% of acute care hospital inspections as of December 2024, had not verified that third-party accrediting standards were substantially equivalent to state standards, did not consistently require proof of those inspections, did not review adverse health event corrective plans, and could make hospital data more accessible. JLARC also raised a possible language-access barrier in the complaint system. Members asked about complaint filing by staff, the meaning of adverse health events, inspection outcomes, and whether the audit compared DOH to other agencies. JLARC said it had not reviewed inspection results or cross-agency comparisons, but noted inspectors were dedicated and working long hours. DOH later said it concurred with the recommendations and outlined a strategic plan with target dates for improving timeliness, verifying accreditation standards, expanding language access, reviewing adverse event laws, and improving public data access, with annual reporting to the Legislature expected. The committee then heard a Department of Health presentation on certificate of need modernization. DOH described the current certificate of need process, which reviews need, financial feasibility, quality, and cost containment for certain facility changes and new services, and said the program has not been modernized since the 1980s. DOH proposed 10 statutory modernization recommendations, including clarifying the program’s purpose, creating a planning entity, adding flexibility, reducing legal costs, updating access-to-care standards, expanding oversight to freestanding emergency departments and urgent care, addressing equity, improving cost control coordination, strengthening long-term funding, and using better data systems. Members asked about oversight of freestanding urgent care and EDs, funding sources, and whether the process could be streamlined or made more responsive to complaints or other triggers. A third panel discussed artificial intelligence in health care. Lucy O’Rourke of the Coalition for Health AI described CHAI’s work on responsible AI principles, technical standards, model cards or “nutrition labels,” testing and governance tools, and educational resources for providers. She said the group is focused on trust, transparency, fairness, safety, security, and privacy, and noted Washington’s AI-related policy work as among the more progressive in the country. No questions were asked. The final portion focused on the financial impact of federal and state health care policy changes. The Washington State Hospital Association said hospitals are facing low or negative operating margins, service reductions, layoffs, and closures, and that state cuts and taxes enacted in 2025, combined with federal HR1 changes, will significantly worsen finances. Providence Swedish leaders described staffing reductions, service cuts, delayed capital investments, and pressure from denials, tariffs, and reimbursement changes, while emphasizing that frontline staffing cuts are tied to service reductions rather than nurse-to-patient ratio changes. The Washington Health Benefit Exchange then began a presentation on expiring federal ACA premium tax credits, state Cascade Care Savings assistance, and eligibility changes affecting lawfully present non-citizens, with examples showing large premium increases for customers if federal subsidies expire.

Transcript Highlights:

• typically exit that ownership structure typically exit that ownership structure after<00:19:59.120
• It's just not practical with this structure.
• . structure. structure.
• team up with a city, to be able to do a smaller project.
• <00:35:50.320> differently transactions is structured differently transactions is structured

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, we do have a team here.
• Um, we do have a team here.
• Um, we do have a team here.
• And I do uh Fanning and his team.
• out by Miss Lovado and her amazing team. out by Miss Lovado and her amazing team.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In the packet that we handed out, the very back has our current fee structure.
• We'd lay our new rate structure against that.
• That's kind of some background about how the IT rates are done, how the structure is.
• Yesterday we spent three hours going through, if there were to be a structure built, floor by floor,
• . a three-floor structure with parking, two levels of parking.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , one that better statutory structure, one that better reflects<00:48:43.200> the<00:48:43.320
• , the vehicles, and ownership structures, the vehicles, and ownership types. types. types.
• , to regulate investment structures, to regulate investment structures, but<01:32:30.600> it's
• vehicles or company structures?
• 36:23.480> is<01:36:23.760> structured,<01:36:25.200> then that corporation is structured

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House opened with a devotional reflection on Nowruz, the Persian New Year, emphasizing renewal, spring, and the challenges facing Iranian families amid conflict. The speaker connected the holiday’s themes of hope and responsibility to Vermont and democracy, then the chamber moved to routine business, including first readings and referrals of five House bills: H.945 on hemp products, H.946 on utility advertising and costs in rental agreements, H.947 on a residential universal design building code, H.948 on membership of the Retired Employees Committee on Insurance, and H.949 on homestead and non-homestead property tax yields and technical education finance changes. Three Senate bills were also read and referred: S.189 on hospital service reductions, S.203 on penalties for repeat DUI offenses, and S.313 on transforming Vermont’s career technical education system. The House also recognized several guests and announcements, including family members of members, airport employees, a UVM student intern, and visitors from Brazil. A House concurrent resolution, HCR 168, was read and congratulated Girl Scout Troop 60336 of Milton on earning the Bronze Award for a community garden project that improved accessibility through rain barrels and raised beds. The resolution highlighted the troop’s leadership and the role of its co-leaders, and the chamber applauded the guests in attendance. The main floor action centered on House Bill 642, relating to youthful offender proceedings, where Representative Booton of Barre City offered an amendment to stop the scheduled expansion of Raise the Age to 20-year-olds. Supporters argued the change would preserve current treatment of 18-year-olds while preventing an automatic expansion they said could strain the system and raise public safety concerns; opponents, including the Judiciary Committee, urged waiting for required Department for Children and Families reports due in 2026 before making changes. After debate, a roll call vote was taken on the amendment, with members calling the roll as the vote proceeded.

Transcript Highlights:

• uh committee room structure. uh committee room structure.
• Our home visiting team served 306 individuals.
• <01:29:15.520> has A recent uh joint leadership team has A recent uh joint leadership team
• Our home visiting team individuals.
• > and Mobile crisis response teams and Mobile crisis response teams and protective<01:57:33.600

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Just Steve Marcus on behalf of Enterprise Community Partners and our Southern California team that's
• I'm Caroline Paulus, an Altadena resident living in the burn zone in a standing structure.
• know, the move that you've made locally to get people to build ADUs on their property without a structure
• By utilizing an existing reporting structure, SB 866 improves transparency and accountability while minimizing
• But these strategies only provide short-term relief, where what we need are structural solutions to the

Summary: The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee heard several housing-related bills. SB 996 by Senator Padilla would let manufactured homeowners opt to title their homes as real property, with supporters saying this would improve access to conventional mortgages, consumer protections, and lower-cost financing. SB 866 by Senator Blakespear would require cities and counties to include homelessness-related information in their annual housing element reports, with supporters saying the bill would improve transparency, regional coordination, and accountability around homelessness funding and services. The committee also heard SB 1090 by Senator Perez, which would impose a temporary moratorium in Altadena on certain state housing density laws after the Eaton Fire. Supporters, including Supervisor Catherine Barger and many Altadena residents, argued the bill would protect fire survivors from speculative investors and give families time to rebuild and return home. Opponents argued the bill could limit tools that homeowners need to finance rebuilding and could reduce future housing production. After extensive testimony, the committee passed SB 1090 to the Assembly Local Government Committee on a 10-0 vote. SB 1388 by Senator Durazo would create an Affordable Housing Risk Reduction Program to help affordable housing providers reduce insurance costs through technical assistance and risk-mitigation support. Supporters said rising insurance premiums are threatening the viability of affordable housing developments and existing units. The committee also reconsidered and then voted on SB 1092, which was taken up only for reconsideration and final vote; after a split vote, the bill ultimately passed the committee. Final recorded votes showed SB 866 and SB 996 passing unanimously, SB 1388 passing with one no vote and one not voting, and SB 1092 passing 7-5 after reconsideration.