Transcript Highlights:

• How do we support those rural providers that are not going to have the volume of services and be able
• We've not moved to daily rate services other than family-centered treatment on the kid side, but on the
• The families that may not have that support, and families that are not, you know, I think with juveniles
• So thinking about how do we provide that support, either for the family?
• Family-centered treatment started out with child welfare and with DYS, the Division of Youth Services

Summary: The House Health Services Subcommittee met to approve the October 7, 2024 minutes and then shifted to behavioral health as the main topic. Representatives Woodridge and Vaught described the work of the behavioral health working group, saying Arkansas needs a more proactive system that improves access, reduces red tape, and focuses on a few achievable policy changes for the 2027 session rather than many bills. Members discussed barriers such as low reimbursement, workforce shortages, licensing and credentialing hurdles, rural access problems, and the need to better use community providers, compacts, and step-down services. Director Paula Stone of DHS’s Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health gave a detailed overview of the behavioral health system. She said Medicaid pays for more than 75% of behavioral health services in Arkansas and explained that when people are jailed or admitted to the state hospital, Medicaid generally stops, leaving state general revenue to cover care. She described current efforts including family-centered treatment for children, community reintegration group homes, a new adolescent substance use disorder residential unit, expanded community mental health center contracts, a secured restoration unit to reduce state hospital backlogs, and an IMD waiver to allow Medicaid payment for certain residential services. She also said DHS is working on crisis services, forensic evaluations, and provider rebidding in areas previously served by ERISA. Members asked about reimbursement for jail services, the lack of a statewide behavioral health dashboard, civil commitment options, crisis stabilization units, and whether Arkansas should expand step-down or long-term facilities for people who cannot safely return to the community. Stone said the state hospital backlog remains significant, average stays are still about 14 months, and crisis stabilization units have had mixed success, with Fort Smith and Jonesboro performing better than Fayetteville and Little Rock. The meeting ended with a commitment to continue the work, with more substantive discussion planned for August.

Transcript Highlights:

• Witnesses and support must be those accompanying the author or who otherwise have registered a support
• This bill simply expands cost-sharing prohibitions to more services, making it easier for families to
• I also want to stress that although families win big with this bill, the affordability is for families
• Jane's family has good insurance. Both parents work. Jane's family has good insurance.
• We support AB 298's elimination of cost-sharing barriers that force families to choose between their

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Neither Arkansas nor New Hampshire implemented such an array of services and supports to help individuals
• He said the federal government is pointing out that some programs, including in-home support services
• In total, in 2025, we supported over 7,000 individuals through our Medi-Cal navigation services.
• to support Indigenous migrant families through pregnancy and up to one year postpartum.
• to support Indigenous migrant families through pregnancy and up to one year postpartum.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Natalie Pita, on behalf of the California Academy of Family Physicians, in support.
• Nancy Netherland with Family Voices of California, in support.
• Fineska Hina on behalf of the California Academy of Family Physicians, here in support.
• I think you're making very good points about supporting families, supporting parents, moms who want to
• Janice Canallen with Family Voices of California in strong support.

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard a long agenda of health-related bills, beginning with AB 2651 by Bonta, which would require schools to notify parents when school vaccination rates fall below herd immunity thresholds. Supporters, including family physicians, PTA representatives, and medical groups, said the bill would improve transparency and help parents protect children and vulnerable family members. Opponents argued the data could be misleading, could identify medically exempt or conditional students, and might lead to stigma or discrimination. The bill was later moved out of committee on a due-pass-as-amended motion, with one no vote recorded on the roll call. The committee also heard AB 2123 by Aguirre-Curry on medical debt relief, AB 1570 by Wilson to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for medically necessary breast diagnostic and supplemental imaging, AB 2201 by Berner to restore Medi-Cal eligibility and renewal flexibilities, AB 2448 by Berman to strengthen privacy protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care records, AB 2034 by Addis on food additive safety and transparency, and AB 2598 by Krell to require better notification of next of kin when a patient dies in a hospital. Each bill drew strong support from authors, advocates, and affected individuals, while some drew opposition from insurers, industry groups, or transparency critics who raised concerns about cost, duplication, implementation, or unintended harm. Several bills were moved forward on due-pass-as-amended motions, including AB 2123, AB 2201, AB 2448, AB 2034, and AB 2598. The committee also heard AB 2551 by Elhawary, which would require health plans to collect and publish data on how often enrollees must go out of network for behavioral health care and why. Supporters said the measure would expose access barriers and high out-of-pocket costs, especially for communities of color and people with language access needs; opponents said it would add another reporting mandate and might not solve provider shortage problems. Members generally expressed support for the bill’s goals and several described personal or district-level experiences with behavioral health access problems. The bill was then moved out of committee on a due-pass motion. The committee also took up consent items and other procedural motions, with multiple bills reported out and some placed on call.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2024, Rondo Community Land Trust received enough funding to support 31 home buyer-initiated families
• </c> housing tax credit to include supportive housing tax credit to include supportive services.<01:15
• He said supportive housing does not have enough service dollars, and the current tax credit does not
• housing, not the services that would be funded for supportive housing.
• Painter said the section describes supportive housing, not the services that would be funded for supportive

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When a child and their family is referred to CPT, what services we provide will depend largely on the
• the services and support that they need.
• Florida's CACs and CPTs are committed to protecting children and supporting families.
• So we provide those services to the family and the children involved, to the family as a whole, to the
• The case plan outlines the services that that family needs.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs held a panel discussion on Florida’s child protection teams (CPTs), child advocacy centers (CACs), and the related roles of DCF, DOH, and law enforcement. Testimony from DCF, the Department of Health, a local CAC director, the Florida Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers, a Pinellas County CPT nurse practitioner, and a Jacksonville sheriff’s sergeant described how the system is intended to work: hotline reports are screened by DCF, mandatory referrals are sent to CPT, forensic interviews and medical exams are coordinated through CPT/CACs, and multidisciplinary teams share findings with law enforcement and prosecutors. Speakers emphasized the value of co-location, telemedicine, multidisciplinary staffings, and trauma-informed practices to reduce repeated interviews and improve child safety and case outcomes. Committee members focused heavily on communication breakdowns, staffing shortages, and delays in response times. Senators raised Jordan’s Law and asked what had been done to improve coordination among DCF, CPT, and law enforcement. Several members questioned whether the promised 24-hour response standard is being met in practice, citing reports of delayed referrals, delayed forensic interviews, and bottlenecks that can affect medical evaluations and criminal investigations. Law enforcement testimony from Jacksonville described cases where CPT interviews were scheduled one to two weeks out and reports were not received for weeks, while DCF acknowledged average CPI caseloads of about 12 investigations and turnover commonly occurring within 12 to 18 months. The panel also discussed access gaps and funding concerns. The Florida Network of CACs said Florida has 26 member centers, with some counties lacking CAC coverage and some centers having closed due to funding challenges. Speakers said CACs are voluntary but critical for integrated services, and that workforce shortages in medical and mental health providers limit expansion. DCF and DOH representatives said they would provide follow-up information on the number of CPT medical staff and other requested data. No bills were voted on; the meeting ended with committee members requesting additional information and recommendations for statutory and budgetary changes, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, adult day services, community residential services, day support services, family residential support
• services, family residential services, and integrated community supports.
• So, adult day services, community residential services, day support services, family residential support
• services, family residential services, and integrated community supports.
• </c> family residential services homes close. family residential services homes close.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Dixie with the California Alliance of Child and Family Services.
• Good afternoon, Dixie, with the California Alliance of Child and Family Services. Good afternoon.
• Dixie with the California Alliance of Child and Family Services.
• I work for Two Feathers Native American Family Services. I am a substance abuse counselor.
• Al Grant, on behalf of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services... Good afternoon.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health held an informational hearing on the Governor’s May Revision, focusing first on the Commission on Behavioral Health, then EMSA, and then the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The Department of Finance said the state faces a third consecutive deficit and that the May Revision includes difficult trade-offs, including proposed eliminations or reversions of some behavioral health and public health funds. The LAO echoed concern about the structural deficit and said it was still awaiting some budget details before offering a full analysis. For the Commission on Behavioral Health, Finance proposed eliminating $20 million in Mental Health Wellness Act funds, arguing the money would help offset General Fund costs and noting future Proposition 1 innovation funding. The commission strongly opposed the cut, saying it would eliminate or delay launch-ready grants for early childhood supports, full-service partnerships, and peer respite, and would eventually end ongoing grant programming. Several advocates and commissioners testified that the funds support underserved communities and that Proposition 1 is not a substitute for the existing programs. The chair asked Finance to look for alternatives, but no vote was taken. EMSA presented mostly technical budget adjustments: increased authority for the California Poison Control System, a correction to EMSIS funding, and a reappropriation for enterprise services and data management. CDPH then reviewed a broader set of May Revision proposals, including reversions from the California Reducing Disparities Project, workforce development, STD prevention, hepatitis C prevention, hospice, and extreme heat funding, as well as a new generative AI pilot for health facility survey reporting. Members raised concerns about cuts to CRDP and gender health equity programs, especially because many grants are mid-contract and serve underserved communities; CDPH said the reversions were part of solving the deficit and that CRDP had been successful, while also clarifying that abortion.ca.gov would not be eliminated. Public comment was overwhelmingly opposed to the CRDP and related cuts, with many speakers describing the programs as life-saving and cost-effective. No formal votes or actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So thank you for your time, consideration, and the continued support for the fire service.
• His family has suffered unimaginable loss.
• His family has suffered unimaginable loss.
• The Town Board of Selectmen has supported it, the Finance Committee has supported it, the town manager
• Spinelli deserves our support and deserves our support today.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Service held its 21st hearing and took up late-filed bills, with testimony focused mainly on firefighter and police personnel matters. The committee heard strong support for H.5429/H.6138, Governor Healey’s bill to provide injured-on-duty compensation and full pay and benefits to Chelmsford firefighter Nicholas Spinelli after he was seriously injured while instructing at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. Testimony from Rep. Simon Cataldo, Rep. Rodney Elliott, PFFM leaders, Chelmsford Fire Chief Gary Ryan, and others emphasized that Spinelli was performing public service training work, that the incident exposed gaps in coverage for firefighters serving in academy roles, and that the bill should be a prompt, statewide fix. Several speakers also urged future legislation to address broader policy gaps for DFS support-branch and part-time personnel. The committee also heard testimony on a Topsfield home rule petition, H.54435, to allow Police Chief Neil Hovey to continue serving until age 68 or retirement. Rep. Kristen Kasner and local officials praised Hovey’s leadership, training, regional coordination, and management of public safety at the Topsfield Fair, and asked for favorable passage. In addition, Sen. Ryan Fattman and Rep. Joe McKenna testified for S.3051, a bill to provide certain retirement benefits to the surviving spouse of fallen Uxbridge Police Officer Stephen LaPorta, describing his death while assisting a stranded motorist in a snowstorm and the town’s support for honoring his family. PFFM and other police/fire union representatives generally supported the firefighter and LaPorta bills, while PFFM also stated opposition to H.5389, a separate bill authorizing continued employment of the Upton police chief. After testimony concluded, the committee adjourned without taking a recorded vote during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• of AB 412 and support creative working families.
• of AB 412 and support creative working families.
• Michael Henning on behalf of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services in support.
• Michael Henning, California Alliance of Child and Family Services, in support. Good afternoon.
• Ignoster Hernandez, authorized to register support on behalf of APA Family Support Services, Asian Pacific

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have really focused on prevention services, and last year served over 3,000 families.
• We want to meet families early before they come into the protective services division.
• And contacts that family to try to engage them in service.
• We did not revert any money in 25 in protective services, juvenile justice, or program support.
• , families involved with Child Protective Services, and the CARA program.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These families really do deserve recognition and support for the essential role they already play in
• supports, home- and community-based services, hospice, home health, and nursing facility.
• children, facilitate pathways to natural supports, and address service gaps.
• children, facilitate pathways to natural supports, and address service gaps.
• service, many of whom a parent or another family member was actually serving in the role of complex

Bills: HB2402, HB2555, HB2599, HB2685

Keywords: phthalates, medical equipment, healthcare regulation, intravenous therapy, toxic substances, Medicaid, healthcare, traditional practices, health insurance, coverage expansion, therapy, psychotherapy, mental health, regulation, professional standards, tribal data, data protection, privacy, sharing of information, Indigenous rights

Transcript Highlights:

• by providing 39 service members and four rotary-wing aircraft in support of Operation Vigilant Sentry
• their family, and for Gold Star families.
• and their spouses with in-demand employment opportunities through career, training, and supportive services
• The grant supports services and training scholarships to help participants break through the difficult
• includes ongoing support through the individual's employment journey, and 4,472 resume preparation services

Summary: The committee took up SB 116 by Senator Burgess, a veterans bill aimed at several FDVA-related changes. The bill would reduce annual nominations to the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame from 20 to 5, expand FDVA’s survey work to assess veterans’ awareness of available programs and their health literacy, add mental health training to the veterans suicide prevention pilot, strengthen coordination and reporting between Veterans Florida and FDVA, direct FDVA to develop a plan for adult day health care facilities statewide, and allow the Florida Veterans Foundation to use a portion of Gadsden flag plate proceeds for administrative costs. Senator Burgess said the measure builds on prior “Forward March” efforts and helps close service gaps for aging veterans and others who may not know about available benefits. Testimony on SB 116 was uniformly supportive. FDVA leadership said adult day health care could be added at existing facilities such as Port St. Lucie and Lake City, and that the state would need authority and funding to move forward. A veterans legal collaborative, AARP Florida, and Endeavors all voiced support, with speakers emphasizing the importance of better outreach, mental health awareness, and care options that allow veterans to remain at home. The committee then voted favorably on SB 116. The remainder of the meeting was devoted to agency and stakeholder presentations. Florida National Guard officials described a high operational tempo, deployments at home and abroad, hurricane response efforts, and the need to grow the force and infrastructure. FDVA’s adjutant general reported Florida now has the nation’s second-largest veteran population, rising in-migration of younger veterans, a large and aging Vietnam-era population, strong claims and outreach activity, declining veteran homelessness, and improved suicide prevention outcomes. The Florida Veterans Foundation outlined its emergency relief, dental, transportation, and license-plate-funded programs, while Veterans Florida and CareerSource Florida detailed workforce, apprenticeship, SkillBridge, entrepreneurship, and job-fair programs for veterans and spouses, along with efforts to expand recurring funding and better protect customer information.

Transcript Highlights:

• therapy, children's therapeutic supports, and adult rehab mental health services.
• Investment for family residential services has increased to almost 26 percent.
• For disability services, we institute a long-term service and support cost savings reform work group.
• There's the Service of Integrated Home Supports and integrated home.
• I rise today in support of House File 3, our Human Services Budget Bill, and I'd like to just share a

Transcript Highlights:

• And those families can really— 63,000 families that were eligible.
• Once all of that occurs, a family can go and access care. The provider provides services.
• We want to improve the customer service, not only... ...to our families, but to our providers who are
• It ensures that family, children are safe and families can work.
• families, families of color, families experiencing language barriers, and families navigating disability

Summary: The committee began with a work session on Washington’s child care oversight and subsidy system, focusing on Working Connections Child Care, licensing, audits, and fraud prevention. DCYF officials said the program serves over 63,000 eligible families, with about 6,600 licensed providers and roughly 2,200 license-exempt family, friend, and neighbor providers. They described annual unannounced licensing visits, complaint investigations, attendance tracking, eligibility verification, random and focused audits, and referrals to the Office of Fraud and Accountability or Office of Financial Recovery when needed. Senators asked about voucher amounts, visit frequency, and what happens when children are not present; officials said the average subsidy is about $2,200 per month, providers are paid directly, and repeated failed visits can lead to license closure. Child Care Aware and provider testimony emphasized the quality system, Early Achievers, and a virtual provider described the practical realities of home-based care and unannounced inspections. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5952, which would standardize the process for waiving high school physical education requirements. The bill’s sponsor said the goal was to make PE waiver decisions consistent across districts so students who move schools are not disadvantaged, especially in six-period schedules with limited room for electives. Student supporters said a uniform process would improve fairness and help students fit in AP, career, or other coursework. Opponents, including PE teachers and the Washington Association of School Principals, argued that PE is a core academic subject, that athletics is not interchangeable with PE, and that local flexibility should remain. The State Board of Education supported the bill, saying current district policies vary widely and a standardized process would improve equity and transparency. Next, the committee took testimony on Senate Bill 5961, which would transfer the Imagination Library of Washington from DCYF to OSPI. The sponsor called it a simple administrative move to align the book-gifting program with early literacy and K-12 education, noting the program serves about 120,000 children in all 39 counties. OSPI and program representatives supported the transfer, saying it better fits the birth-to-grade-three literacy continuum and strengthens accountability. Testifiers highlighted the program’s role in school readiness, early brain development, and access to physical books for young children. Finally, the committee opened Senate Bill 5969, which would allow a student’s IEP transition plan to satisfy high school and beyond plan requirements if the IEP team chooses. The sponsor, a special education teacher, said the bill would reduce duplication and better support students with disabilities as they transition to postsecondary life. The committee then began hearing testimony on the proposal.

Transcript Highlights:

• , my family included, who need these services.
• , my family included, who need these services.
• , my family included, who need these services.
• , my family included, who need these services.
• , my family included, who need these services.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Hebert said the division provides child support services that encourage responsible parenting, family
• She noted that child support services are typically heard by the Children and Family Law Committee, but
• The Bureau of Family Centered Services identifies and coordinates supports that assist children from
• , um, family support.
• </c> services and the Bureau of family services and the Bureau of family centered<01:53:33.480><c> services

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Recovery residences are shared living environments that offer peer support and the connections to services
• Family Services Division appointed by the Deputy Commissioner of the division, the executive director
• of Children and Families Family Services Division, the director of Policy and Planning DCF Family Services
• Services</c><00:39:00.800><c> Division,</c> Family Services Division, Family Services Division, the<00
• <00:39:05.760><c> Services</c><00:39:06.120><c> Division,</c> Family Services Division, Family Services

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that are intended to support them.
• support them.
• </c> families especially loow inen families families especially loow inen families who<00:04:11.840><
• We know that students need support. We know students need support outside of the school day.
• We know that students need support. We know students need support outside of the school day.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Paid leave will strengthen families, support small businesses, and make our state more affordable for
• She helped provide retreat services, community support, and housing for young women and children.
• and support for needed sewer services and support for the<02:24:18.720><c> city</c><02:24:18.880><c>
• You know, it's making sure that they can support their families.
• </c><02:42:55.439><c> You</c> they can support their families. You they can support their families.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, 1012, house, all