Transcript Highlights:

• They've been found by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards to have many infractions, and there's a
• With your bill, the Commission on Jail Standards, what information do you think we would get from this
• Chairman Tepper: Representative, we have the Commission on Jail Standards.
• Brandon Wood, executive director, Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
• Is Harris County the most egregious offender of the standards?

Transcript Highlights:

• If we were back on standard time, we’d be waking up at 5:47 in the morning.
• I'm the president of the non-profit organization Safe Standard Time in Arizona.
• More states are looking at permanent standard time now than at daylight saving time.
• Missouri, Wisconsin, and Indiana—many states are looking at standard time.
• Please keep permanent standard time, which is federally pre-approved, as Arizona has done.

Bills: SB1888, SB3003, SB2417, SB2459, SB3055, HB1393, HB2884, SB2943

Keywords: grand jury, jury qualifications, jury wheel, small counties, Texas legislation, age verification, obscene devices, online sales, juvenile protection, penalties, antitrust, attorney general, Texas Free Enterprise, business regulations, legal confidentiality, personal identifying information, data brokers, judicial safety, civil rights, data privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• If we were back on Standard Time, we'd be at 5:47 in the morning waking up.
• Um, so if we were still back on standard time.
• More states are looking at permanent standard time now than at daylight saving time.
• The Kansas Senate recently passed a bill for standard time.
• Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, many states are looking at standard time.

Bills: SB 1888, SB 3003, SB 2417, SB 2459, SB 3055, HB 1393, HB 2884, SB 2943

Keywords: grand jury, jury qualifications, jury wheel, small counties, Texas legislation, age verification, obscene devices, online sales, juvenile protection, penalties, antitrust, attorney general, Texas Free Enterprise, business regulations, legal confidentiality, personal identifying information, data brokers, judicial safety, civil rights, data privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• So one commenter had identified in the standards table a couple of standards that were more stringent
• than the national primary drinking water standards.
• drinking water standards... ...comment and to streamline the standards that DEQ adopted by reference
• In addition, the standard for lead was reduced from 15 to 10 based on the new drinking water standards
• Because incorporation of unresolved federal standards into Idaho's groundwater standards may establish

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee began with a brief introduction of new Senate page Antoine Taylor, who spoke about his interest in the legislative process, plans to serve a mission in Paris, and future studies in business at BYU-Idaho. The committee then approved a gubernatorial appointment of James Keating to the Parks and Recreation Board and approved several sets of prior meeting minutes without opposition. The main rulemaking item was the Department of Environmental Quality’s groundwater quality rule docket 58-01-1-211. DEQ explained the zero-based regulation cleanup and noted substantive changes tied to updated drinking water standards, including lower arsenic and lead thresholds and added uranium and PFAS references. Because of ongoing federal litigation and uncertainty around PFAS standards, the committee adopted a motion to approve the docket except for Section 003 and Section 200(01A), rejecting those provisions while the rest of the rule moved forward. The committee also heard testimony on a gubernatorial appointment of Michael Linden of Post Falls, a longtime Alaska oil and gas consultant, but deferred confirmation until a later meeting. House Bill 587, which would create continuous spending authority for Idaho Rangeland Improvement Act funds so grants and other revenues can be spent without delay, was advanced to the floor on a 6-2 vote despite concerns from several senators about ceding appropriation authority. Finally, Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller delivered the agency’s annual update, highlighting timber revenue, fire suppression performance, shared stewardship and Good Neighbor Authority work, and a proposed bill to raise the structure surcharge cap on improved private forest parcels from $40 to $100 to support wildfire preparedness and suppression. He also warned that proposed budget holdbacks could reduce staffing, treatment acres, and fire response capacity, especially in eastern Idaho.

Transcript Highlights:

• Fortified standards are recognized as the gold standard for constructing durable residential and commercial
• Standard they were built to.
• Easier for you to step up to a better standard.
• It's a different building standard.
• The fortified standard is actually a wind standard, but as Dr.

Bills: HB778, HB 1266, HB1576, HB2213, HB2517, HB2518, HB2841, HB3306, HB3320, HB3388, HB3508, HB3520, HB3689

Keywords: credentialing, healthcare, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, managed care, hurricane, windstorm, loss mitigation, grants, insurance discounts, property retrofitting, insurance, Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, board composition, coastal counties, property insurance, taxation, Texas FAIR Plan Association, premium taxes, maintenance taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• standard.
• standard.
• </c> dying underneath minimal standards. dying underneath minimal standards.
• </c> Minimal standards are not sufficient. Minimal standards are not sufficient.
• The risk standard the risk standard.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Attendance Roll Call 02:38 SB 178 Discussion 03:36 SB 178 Roll Call Vote 43:10 SCR 66 Discussion 47:55 SCR 66 Roll Call Vote 53:48, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And elder abuse is a nationwide issue that can be prevented by basic worker verification standards.
• Let's set high standards to protect customers and our ...and our providers.
• Let's set high standards to protect customers and our employees.
• Let's set high standards to protect customers and our, sorry, that's okay.
• What they ask about are standards for hiring and how we train.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Aging and Independence held a hearing on several bills, led by Chair Tom Stanley and Senate Chair Patricia Jehlen. The committee first heard testimony on H. 765/S. 487, an act relative to councils on aging, which would update outdated statutory language and allow directors of councils on aging to make staffing decisions when a council is structured as an advisory body. Representative Donahue and Betsy Connell of the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging said the change reflects how most councils now operate and would resolve conflicts like the one that arose in Sherborn. Members asked about whether the bill would affect town managers, volunteer roles, and whether the language should more clearly exempt informal volunteer help; supporters said the bill is aimed at municipal staffing structures, not unpaid volunteer assistance. The committee then took extensive testimony on H. 789/S. 470, an act to improve Massachusetts home care, which would create a statewide licensure system for non-medical home care agencies and entities. Julie Watt, Jay Krillovich, Betsy Krimmins, Lisa Gargoni, Tim Foley, and several providers and advocates supported the bill, arguing that licensure would establish baseline standards for background checks, training, service plans, insurance, complaint procedures, and labor-law compliance, while helping consumers identify legitimate providers and reducing fraud and abuse. Several witnesses described problems with unlicensed or poorly supervised providers, and family members and dementia advocates emphasized the need for dementia-specific training and better oversight for vulnerable clients. Tim Foley also raised concerns about private equity’s growing role in home care and said stronger regulation is needed to protect consumers and workers. Committee members focused on practical questions about the bill’s scope, including whether it would reach informal paid helpers, volunteers, or people doing occasional household tasks, and what agency would enforce the rules. Supporters said the bill is intended to cover entities advertising home care services, not unpaid volunteer help, though they acknowledged regulators would need to work out details. John Sneeth of Tribute Home Care offered a more cautious view, saying licensure should not unduly burden smaller providers or reduce competition, and that enforcement would be key. The hearing also included testimony from the Alzheimer’s Association and family caregivers, who strongly supported the bill’s dementia-training provisions and described how trained caregivers improved safety and quality of life for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. At the end of the hearing, the committee also heard support for H. 778/S. 473, regarding the Commission on LGBTQ Aging, with Lisa Krinsky urging funding for a full-time director and continued support for the commission’s strategic plan. After public testimony concluded, the committee adjourned the hearing by motion and voice vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• , so we don't want to not have safety standards.
• I'm just talking about just a standard routine type of care.
• When our initial statute was written, which was back in 2001, that was still the standard.
• So the standard at the time was the CRT credential as the minimum requirement.
• We, you know, to clarify that, all of the schools have to maintain certain standards, and those standards

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 3111, which concerns bail bonds oversight. Representative Phelps offered a committee substitute that moved bail bondsmen into the existing Board of Private Investigators, Private Fire Investigators, and Professional Surety Bail Bonds to avoid a fiscal note. An amendment was adopted to remove fee caps in the substitute, and the committee then adopted the revised substitute and voted it do pass 21-0. The committee then heard Senate Substitute No. 2 for Senate Bill 1233, the CPA licensure bill, along with related provisions for social work supervisors and speech pathologists. Senator Trent and supporters from the Missouri Society of CPAs, the speech-language association, the social work community, and the State Auditor’s Office said the bill would address CPA shortages by creating a new licensure path based more on experience, while preserving exam standards and adding reciprocity. No opposition was offered, and the hearing concluded without a vote. House Bill 2999 on optometry scope of practice drew extensive testimony and debate. The sponsor and ophthalmology witnesses described the bill as a negotiated compromise that would codify specific procedures optometrists may perform, while opponents from optometry argued it would freeze scope in statute, limit modernization, and require repeated legislative action as standards change. Witnesses disagreed sharply over whether the bill improved patient safety and access, whether the procedures were already within current practice, and whether surgical procedures such as lasers should be included. The bill was heard but no committee action was taken in the transcript. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2957 on respiratory therapist licensure. Representative Castile and respiratory care witnesses said the bill would phase out the CRT as the entry credential for new applicants in favor of the higher RRT standard, while grandfathering current CRTs and adding renewal audits to confirm active credentials. Supporters said the change reflects current training standards and would raise patient-care quality without reducing workforce numbers. No opposition testimony was presented, and the hearing adjourned without a vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> um variances on professional standards um variances on professional standards for<00:53:34.000><
• Chair. standards for headteer, assistant standards for headteer, assistant teacher,<00:55:20.319><c>
• Not design the standards.
• </c> need to address these standards need to address these standards separating<01:16:58.239><c> from
• </c> standards and have background checks. standards and have background checks.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, last session, we enacted the reasonable and prudent parent standard in statute.
• by that standard.
• And I think it's encompassed in the reasonable and prudent parent standard.
• And I'm wondering, is that the standard that we are now adopting?
• The adoption of the reasonable prudent parent standard, I think, gets closer...

Summary: The House Health and Welfare Committee approved the January 26 and 27 minutes, then introduced RS 3-2-884, a proposal by Rep. Josh Tanner to protect Social Security survivor benefits for children in foster care from being used by the state to offset other costs. Tanner said the measure would codify protections already being pursued nationally and noted that Nebraska had recently acted on the issue. A question was raised about whether the funds could go into ABLE accounts; Tanner said ABLE accounts were different and the goal was simply to keep the benefits intact for the children. The committee then took up Department of Health and Welfare foster care licensing rules, including both a temporary and pending rule under docket 16-0602-2-2501. The department said the rule primarily implemented last year’s legislation extending foster care from age 21 to 23 and creating kin-specific licensure. Members asked about the removal of language on the reasonable and prudent parent standard, corporal punishment, and discipline requirements. Department staff said some language was moved or removed because it was now in statute or considered duplicative, and that licensing decisions could rely on a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard even if criminal charges were not filed or resulted in acquittal, with supervisory review and appeal protections in place. The committee extended the temporary rule to July 1, 2026, and approved the pending rule. Finally, the committee approved a repeal of state rules for the Emergency Assistance for Families and Children program under docket 16-613-13-23-2501. The department said the program is entirely federally funded and governed by federal law, so the state rules were being repealed as part of zero-based rulemaking because they largely duplicated federal requirements. The committee approved the repeal, and the chair announced the committee would not meet the next day while budget discussions continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• Should we be looking at trying to create uniform standards?
• That is not a safety standard. That is a loophole.
• I was more looking for a standard.
• What would be an appropriate response time standard that aligns with public safety standards?
• Welcome. what would be an appropriate response time standard that aligns with public safety standards

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• c><00:20:45.600><c> standards,</c><00:20:46.400><c> US</c> against contemporary US standards, US against
• contemporary US standards, US practice<00:20:47.280><c> standards.
• Substituting a practice standards.
• </c><00:20:51.760><c> is</c> national standard is national standard is unprecedented.<00:20:53.520><c
• </c><00:21:15.039><c> by</c> Kucky's established standards by Kucky's established standards by reconsidering

Keywords: 0:22 – Roll Call 0:30 – Approval of minutes 1:04 – Department of Veterans Affairs 2:06 – Board of Pharmacy 3:20 – Board of Optometric Examiners 39:26 – Board of Nursing 40:07 – Board of Emergency Medical Services 41:52 – Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources 44:36 – Transportation Cabinet: Department of Vehicle Registration 45:36 – Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control 47:00 – Cabinet for Health & Family Services: Department for Medicaid Services 49:59 – Cabinet for Health & Family Services: Department for Community-Based Services, 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee approved the minutes from the previous meeting and then took up several regulations. The first was a Department of Veterans Affairs regulation, with a staff amendment, to allow nurse practitioners to apply for the Veterans Affairs nurse loan repayment program year-round and to make technical drafting changes. The committee heard from the Office of Kentucky Veteran Centers, then adopted the staff amendment and approved the regulation without objection. The main item of the meeting was the Board of Optometric Examiners’ proposed amendment to 201 KAR 5:010, which would allow applicants to use the Optometry Examining Board of Canada written exam in place of part one of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry exam for licensure. The board said the change would improve access to care, provide an additional pathway for Canadian-trained candidates, and still require applicants to pass the remaining national board parts. Opponents, including NBEO officials, ARBO, Pearson VUE, and several optometrists, argued the Canadian exam is not equivalent, does not test the same biomedical science content, is not validated for U.S. scope of practice, and raises concerns about test security, transparency, and portability across states. They urged the committee to find the amendment deficient or vote no. Committee members questioned both sides about prior communication with the board, whether Kentucky would be the first state to adopt such a change, the rationale for the proposal, and the cost difference between the exams. Supporters said the board had received some written comments and one phone call, and that the proposal was driven by access concerns and the presence of Canadian students. Opponents said they had not had direct discussions with the Kentucky board before the hearing. No final vote on the optometry regulation is reflected in the transcript excerpt, but the committee heard extensive testimony and rebuttal before moving on.

Transcript Highlights:

• If the project meets the standards for the comprehensive plan that were laid out and the development
• Senate Bill 6279 would require counties to integrate wildfire-related development standards into land
• Senate Bill 6279 would require counties to integrate wildfire-related development standards into land
• Standards into land use and permitting frameworks that are already under strain.
• We're going to move into a staff report on Senate Bill 6274, Street Standards. Thank you, Mr.

Summary: The Senate Local Government Committee heard several land use and infrastructure bills. SB 5633 on subdivision of land drew the most discussion: staff described a broad rewrite that would move many subdivision decisions from legislative bodies to administrative personnel, limit or eliminate public hearings for preliminary plats, require notice to nearby landowners, set completeness and 100-day decision timelines, and streamline concurrent review of related permits. Builders, Realtors, and some cities supported the bill as a long-overdue modernization that could reduce delays and housing costs, while county and city representatives raised concerns about eliminating public hearings, implementation details, and local accountability. The committee also heard SB 6274 on street standards and frontage improvements, which would require jurisdictions to identify infrastructure barriers to infill and middle housing and periodically review street and frontage standards; supporters said frontage mandates can make housing infeasible, while local government witnesses warned about conflicts with safety, ADA, and transportation goals. SB 6309 on high-capacity transit permits would let Sound Transit apply for permits before acquiring property and before some land use decisions, and would allow certain development agreements and subdivision exemptions to speed transit delivery; Sound Transit and city representatives supported it, and the committee waived the five-day notice rule to hear it. The committee also took testimony on SB 6279, which would incorporate the wildland-urban interface code into the state building code after statewide wildfire maps are completed and require state and local coordination on defensible space and local amendments. Supporters framed it as needed wildfire resilience planning, while opponents from counties, builders, environmental groups, and local officials argued the bill was premature, too rigid, and potentially inconsistent with environmental laws, local conditions, and insurance realities; several asked for more local flexibility, clearer map processes, and changes to the timing and scope of adoption. SB 6291 would extend from two to four years the period during which local health jurisdiction staff may inspect on-site wastewater systems under supervision before certification; public health officials supported it as a workforce and training fix, saying the current timeline is too short and costly. The committee also heard SB 5903, SB 6016, SB 5820, SB 6132, and SB 6189 in executive session, adopted substitutes on some bills, and advanced SB 6016, SB 5820, SB 6132, and SB 6189 out of committee by due-pass votes, with SB 6016 receiving a substitute and a member noting support but remaining concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's also standards for... ...for antipsychotic medications.
• Straightforward bill, and it would establish a standard.
• It sets a standard so that in state and local parks there are testing standards to make sure that there
• So we need to do all these lead line inspections by a federal standard by '28.
• This is a standard that already exists for football programs across the state.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The committee considered a series of health-related bills, many of which were described as repeat measures previously passed by the Senate. Topics included expanding telehealth coverage, increasing Department of Health oversight of correctional health services, improving transparency for managed long-term care plans, requiring written consent for psychotropic medications in nursing homes and adult care facilities, extending Medicaid inpatient coverage for childbirth, expanding abortion travel funding eligibility for active-duty military families, simplifying Medicaid enrollment and recertification, adding certified recovery peer advocates to standard coverage, strengthening protections against sexual misconduct by medical providers, covering medically tailored meals and nutrition therapy, regulating retail clinics, requiring nurse representation on hospital governing boards, creating a blood clot and pulmonary embolism work group, testing potable water in parks, setting PFAS drinking water standards, improving lead service line identification, creating a quality incentive program for Medicaid managed care, expanding concussion information requirements to additional youth sports, setting a residency requirement for funeral director licensure, and changing Medicaid Inspector General audit practices. Most bills were briefly explained by sponsors or the chair, with limited debate. Several members asked clarifying questions on specific provisions, including the frequency of park water testing, how concussion information would be distributed, and details of the nurse representation requirement. The chair also noted pulling one correctional health bill from the agenda in favor of a more comprehensive measure, and one bill on correctional health was formally removed from consideration. The committee voted on each remaining bill, generally with unanimous or near-unanimous support. Most measures were reported to either first reading or finance, while the bill on psychotropic medications was sent to aging. The correctional health bill that remained on the agenda was approved despite one opposition, and the bill on funeral director licensure was also advanced with one abstention. The meeting concluded after all listed bills were acted on.

Transcript Highlights:

• With absent these standards, inconsistent insurers, practice. absent these standards, inconsistent insurers
• standards while this is being finalized.
• But without standards, we are operating in a patchwork.
• AB 2322 helps standardize the definition of CIA sites in three ways.
• once a federal standard is set.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So our hands are tied by the federal law because it is a lifetime ban and that standard is there for
• So our hands are tied by the federal law because it is a lifetime ban and that standard is there for
• So our hands are tied by the federal law because it is a lifetime ban and that standard is there for
• So, the federal law has their own standard.
• That statute is not the same standard as the pardon or expungement.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• smoke testing and restoration while statewide standards are being finalized.
• As a result, Statewide standards for testing or remediation of smoke damage.
• they are still working on developing standards for wildfire disasters.
• are still working on developing standards for WI disasters.
• or from a medical standard, but from a public policy and equity standard.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> diverse</c> The single standard across diverse The single standard across diverse settings,<01:03
• So we don't have this standards.
• </c> following the same rigorous standards. following the same rigorous standards.
• </c> national accredititation as a standard national accredititation as a standard that<01:25:27.040>
• </c> now we have like different standards in now we have like different standards in 40<01:26:00.880>

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• standard time.
• Congress</c><00:02:37.920><c> allows</c> Standard time is what Congress allows Standard time is what
• </c> would implement permanent standard time. would implement permanent standard time.
• :01.440><c> keeps</c> Permanent standard time basically keeps Permanent standard time basically keeps
• I'm the president of the nonprofit Save Standard Time.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• They also should meet good manufacturing standards.
• Idaho now gets the opportunity to create the blueprint of a high-standard KCPA to be the minimum standard
• That seems to be a pretty standard course across the food industry.
• that this, in fact, does not meet the standards that are embodied in the bill.
• not meet the standards that are embodied in the bill.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee first approved a change to the agenda and heard an annual update from the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission. Commission representatives described the history and growth of Idaho’s wine industry, including about 65 wineries, 1,300 acres of vineyards, and three AVAs. They also outlined challenges involving county land-use rules, water supply, and labor shortages, and said the commission uses excise tax revenue, industry assessments, and specialty crop grants for marketing and education. A vineyard owner testified that the industry requires large upfront investment, efficient drip irrigation, and significant labor, and said commission education programs have improved grape quality and production practices. The committee then took testimony on Senate Bill 1282, which would create a kratom consumer protection framework. The bill’s sponsor and supporters said it would preserve access to natural kratom while banning adulterated or synthetic 7-OH products, requiring testing, labeling, age limits, and supply-chain accountability. Supporters included business owners, consumers, and some health advocates who argued the bill would reduce harm by regulating the market rather than banning kratom outright. Opponents, including family members of people who died after using kratom, police representatives, and addiction medicine physicians, argued that natural kratom itself is dangerous, that the bill is too weak, and that it should be replaced by a full ban or much stricter regulation. Testimony focused heavily on whether deaths and overdoses were linked to natural kratom, adulterated products, or polydrug use, and on whether the bill should allow a private cause of action. Several witnesses and senators questioned the bill’s low civil penalties and the prohibition on private lawsuits, while supporters said responsible manufacturers already use testing and insurance and that the bill targets unsafe products. No final vote or committee action on the bill was taken during the portion provided, and the chair indicated the committee would continue with testimony and then vote later in the meeting.