Transcript Highlights:

• to the to the giving personal data to the to the university<00:27:52.039><c> system</c><00:27:52.360
• "Yeah, I think the limitation on our end is who can we share data with, and is it contractual that's
• </c><00:30:24.960><c> with</c> our end is who can we share data with our end is who can we share data
• Again, if it's a statutory problem, I want to fix it and get the data.
• </c><00:51:29.720><c> from</c> students and you can get the data from students and you can get the data

Summary: The Public Higher Education Study Committee held an organizational meeting and received an update from the university and community college systems on implementation of recommendations from the governor’s higher education task force. The systems said the task force report contained about 40 recommendations, and they have focused first on operational items while continuing to work on larger policy issues, including better alignment of public higher education with workforce and economic development needs. The committee also discussed reporting requirements under the amended law and whether quarterly reports are required or whether annual updates are sufficient unless the committee requests more. A major topic was expanding Early College and dual-enrollment opportunities. The chancellors reported strong growth in Early College participation, significant student and family savings, and state scholarship support that they described as producing a strong return on investment. They said the goal is to build clearer pathways so students can earn college credit, reduce debt, and stay in New Hampshire for postsecondary education. They also noted ongoing work to simplify admissions and transfer processes, including about 100 transfer pathways between the systems, direct-admit efforts for community college and university students, and continued development of transfer equivalency tools. Members pressed the systems and the Department of Education on direct outreach to high school students, especially juniors, so students would know they are eligible for direct admission and other opportunities. The main obstacle discussed was access to student contact information, with officials saying the issue may involve contract limits with the College Board and possibly statutory constraints on sharing data. Department of Education staff said they are meeting with the systems and vendors to determine what changes are needed. Committee members urged faster action so students and families can receive letters or other notices about in-state options, affordability programs such as Granite Guarantee, and pathways to community college and university enrollment.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, beginning with Section 1, there’s a lot of data practices issues with regard to data privacy issues
• </c><00:40:41.240><c> is</c> uh in our system the effective data is uh in our system the effective data
• On page three, line five, this data is going to be classified as non-public data, and that means that
• it's available to the person who is identified with the data, but not to anyone else.
• data data so<01:04:02.240><c> uh</c><01:04:02.760><c> we</c><01:04:03.079><c> recently</c><01:04:03.559

Committee: Senate Elections

Transcript Highlights:

• However, we are planning for that but expecting success with our data automation efforts.
• But we also want to build our data capability to do that kind of matching.
• Jackson's point, particularly around the data collection and reporting of outcomes.
• But this expenditure data must be sliced and analyzed carefully in order to be meaningful.
• Where's the data? Where's this?

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services heard testimony on Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and related budget and trailer bill proposals, with a major focus on the impacts of H.R. 1 on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). DDS and the Department of Social Services (DSS) said H.R. 1 could affect Medi-Cal and CalFresh access, but that people with disabilities and caregivers are exempt from the work requirements; the administration is working on data matching and automation through the statewide eligibility system to identify exemptions, with June 1, 2026 as the implementation date for CalFresh changes. Witnesses and advocates warned that any loss of Medi-Cal could create fiscal pressure on regional centers and households, while public commenters described the real-life consequences of losing services. Committee members repeatedly expressed concern about cost shifts to counties and asked for harm-mitigation strategies before the May Revision. The committee also reviewed the governor’s IHSS-related proposals. DSS said the budget would set a baseline for authorized hours, align IHSS disenrollment/reinstatement with Medi-Cal eligibility processes, and eliminate the IHSS backup provider system, while emphasizing that individual service hours would still be based on assessed need. DDS said if a person loses IHSS or Medi-Cal, regional centers may have to step in as payer of last resort for some services, potentially at higher state cost. Members and the Legislative Analyst’s Office questioned whether counties could absorb the proposed shifts without reducing services, and asked for more detail on implementation, data quality controls, and how regional centers could help families navigate disruptions. A separate trailer bill on DDS rate reform and the Quality Incentive Program drew mixed reactions. DDS proposed extending a contract exemption and delaying final rate reform regulations to 2030, saying the changes are budget-neutral and needed for implementation. DDS reported that about 81% of providers had completed the current Quality Incentive Program requirements, but providers and advocates argued the 90-10 structure can function like a penalty and may destabilize services if providers lose 10% of funding. Committee members asked for clearer assistance to providers, possible flexibility for good-faith efforts, and a redlined version of the language before the May Revision. The committee also heard DDS’s proposed trailer bill on regional center governance and provider capacity. DDS said the language would consolidate regional center contracts and performance measures, strengthen board training and oversight, require consumer advisory committees, expand independent legal support, raise the threshold for board approval of contracts, and remove barriers such as physical-office requirements and duplicate vendorization. DDS said the goal is to improve accountability and efficiency while preserving person-centered services, and members indicated they wanted further refinement and stakeholder input before moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> data analysis. data analysis.
• So, we do have a data requirement.
• So, we do have a data requirement.
• So, we do have a data requirement.
• Have a data requirement.

Committee: Senate Families & Children

Transcript Highlights:

• In January of this year, I got the data for that month.
• It's also limited to wealth data.
• This bill isn't about data systems or legal framework.
• You've heard about the urgency, the data crisis, direct services.
• systems. ...are accurately identified in state data systems.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills related to open meeting law, municipal meetings, town meetings, and remote participation. Senator Rausch supported S. 2205 and S. 2206, and House companion H. 3382, saying they would make remote participation in public bodies permanent and streamline open meeting law and public records complaint processes to reduce burdens on local officials. Committee members and the senator discussed concerns about complaints being weaponized, the role of the Attorney General, and whether public testimony should be presumed allowed unless a chair limits it with justification. The senator said the bills do not change public records fees and are meant to improve process and transparency. A large portion of the hearing focused on H. 3342 and S. 2197, which would modernize municipal meetings, town meetings, and local elections by allowing permanent remote or hybrid participation. Supporters included Wayland officials, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, MAPC, MACC, and others, who argued that hybrid and remote options increase participation, help parents, caregivers, people with disabilities, and residents with travel or work constraints, and have worked well during the pandemic-era extensions. Municipal officials emphasized that a mandate would be costly and difficult for smaller communities because of staffing, technology, room design, cybersecurity, and uneven internet access, especially in western Massachusetts. Committee members asked about equal access, funding, and whether local discretion should remain; the chair said the committee wants a permanent solution beyond emergency rules but must balance access with local capacity. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3328, which would allow remote participation to count toward quorum for statewide appointed bodies such as commissions on women and LGBTQ issues. Supporters argued this would improve regional equity and make it easier for people outside Greater Boston to serve, while committee members noted it is a separate issue from municipal meetings and may be easier to address than broader local-government changes. Another bill, H. 4351, was supported by Rep. Brandy Fluker Reed, who described it as creating an Office of Freedmen Affairs to address longstanding racial wealth disparities affecting descendants of enslaved Americans. The hearing also included testimony on H. 3299 from Common Cause and MASSPIRG in favor of guaranteed hybrid access for public meetings with public participation components, with advocates saying it would improve transparency, accessibility, and civic engagement.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for your data. Thank you. Q.
• And that data is available? Yes. We have it.
• We have data on referrals. We have data on dispositions.
• I would like to see some data on how. Me too. I'm with you. But I'll give you the data.
• On the back end of that all of our data we have access to that data and we want to be able to plan for

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles I, IV, & V

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> release their uh data to other doctors? release their uh data to other doctors?
• </c> contracting with third party data contracting with third party data vendors<01:36:01.760><c> who
• I just want to add to that: the national data, I don't have state-specific data, but the national data
• </c> have any data coming from those states. have any data coming from those states.
• So the the particular data.

Committee: House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• student success and career readiness; and eliminates the requirement that the board maintain a public data
• And so that is essentially kind of a black box where you can go back in time and track that data year
• And so that is essentially kind of a black box where you can go back in time and track that data year
• You can go back in time and track that data year by year, but it's quite tedious.
• In addition to this, with data-sharing agreements already in place to identify eligible students, we

Summary: The Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee held public hearings on two bills. Substitute Senate Bill 5931 would make administrative changes to the Workforce Education Investment Accountability and Oversight Board, including extending co-chair terms from one to two years, allowing more than four meetings per year, requiring consultation with the Student Achievement Council when evaluating outcomes, and removing the statutory public dashboard requirement. Staff and the bill sponsor, Senator Warnick, described it as a technical, no-fiscal-impact measure requested by the Student Achievement Council. Joel Anderson of WOSAC testified in support, explaining that the board’s role is advisory, that the bill would improve operations, and that WOSAC has spent significant staff time tracking Workforce Education Investment Account spending, especially carry-forward appropriations. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5963, which would modify Passport to Careers and Washington College Grant eligibility. The bill would automatically make Passport to Careers students income-eligible for the Washington College Grant beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, align the Passport financial-need formula with the federal student aid index, and direct Passport funds into the state financial aid account. Staff noted the bill was identical to the House companion. Testimony from WOSAC, the Washington Student Association, and a Western Washington University student representative all supported the bill, emphasizing the high barriers faced by former foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth and the value of guaranteed, earlier access to aid. Senator Nobles said the bill would fulfill the state’s promise to help these students access higher education and would not increase costs. At the close of the hearing, the chair announced amendment deadlines for possible Tuesday executive action: requests due Monday at 10 a.m. and approval by 6 p.m. The committee planned to caucus and did not meet on Friday.

Transcript Highlights:

• The two charts contain data.
• This ensures that the agency is reporting and using accurate data to help us make strategic data-driven
• The first discussion is the migration of data and servers owned by HPC into DIR's data center services
• center services migration of the servers and data I mentioned earlier.
• The board can better collect and track data.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• , talk about data, and then use data to prompt action in the partnership. work that we're doing uh that
• Systems but how are we longitudinal Data Systems but how are we connecting<00:09:50.880><c> data</c>
• and</c><00:10:04.760><c> then</c> look at data talk about data and then look at data talk about data
• </c><00:13:38.480><c> strategy</c><00:13:39.240><c> and</c> integrated data strategy and integrated data
• I don't have that data with me, but I do have a data specialist who's pulled that, so I can send that

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh everything else from data bill.
• They have more data now.
• </c> much much um many data centers here. much much um many data centers here.
• They gave us data, uh, the Public Service Commission data.
• >> Uh, this isn't about data. This isn't about data collection or reporting.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that could help to develop better data.
• We've already had some conversations about what was accessible and what wasn't, breaking out data on
• Right now this data lumps together all applicants, but we'd like to see it broken out between municipal
• we've already had develop better data we've already had some<00:02:56.840><c> conversations</c><00:02
• I could give you the data; I don't have it right in front of me.

Transcript Highlights:

• provisions and how clients in the sex offender program were using data requests to get information on
• this amendment just expands it to make sure that we were covering all staff in that program. using data
• requests to get information using data requests to get information on<00:04:22.520><c> the</c><00:04
• It will help us manage certain sex offender program data, update statutes to accurately reflect DCT's
• </c><00:25:05.240><c> privacy</c> while preserving strong data privacy while preserving strong data privacy

Summary: The committee took up House File 729, an omnibus policy bill, and walked through a series of amendments before moving the bill forward. Early amendments addressed adult maltreatment accountability, senior nutrition flexibility, MA provider enrollment and fraud prevention, Direct Care and Treatment data and staffing provisions, disability and aging policy changes, technical corrections from DHS, behavioral health language, and MDH policy updates. Most amendments were adopted without public opposition, and several members and testifiers described them as clarifications or technical fixes to existing policy. Testimony focused on the practical effects of the bill’s provisions. Direct Care and Treatment representatives said the changes would help with data sharing, governance, staffing, patient care, and longer return stays for certain patients. Several witnesses from the substance use disorder and health care provider community supported changes to discharge summary deadlines and claims recoupment rules, arguing that business-day timelines and limits on late clawbacks would reduce administrative burden and financial uncertainty. A disability advocate also urged passage of the bill, saying services for people with disabilities were at risk if it did not advance. After public testimony and member discussion, the committee adopted the DE2 amendment as amended and then approved the bill as amended. Chair Noor renewed the motion to re-refer House File 729 to the Committee on Ways and Means, and that motion passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, with 3621, we're recreating the State Data Center.
• Members, with 3621, we're recreating the State Data Center.
• We're talking about census-related data.
• United States that all interact with the census data.
• But in the real-world data that Superintendent Fields presented, we have seen...

Bills: HB3622 , HB3621 , HB3151 , HB3882 , HB3661 , HB4273 , HB3644 , HB3706 , HB3708 , HB2021 , HB3986 , HB3972

Committee: House Appropriations and Budget

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several bills, beginning with HB 3622 and HB 3621, both related to census and state data functions. HB 3622, as amended, removed direct appropriation language and would let Department of Commerce staff carry out census-related duties such as updating local census addresses and upgrading technology. HB 3621 would recreate the State Data Center at the Legislative Service Bureau to coordinate census-related programs across agencies such as Commerce, Tax, and others; both bills received unanimous or near-unanimous support and were reported out due pass. A lengthy portion of the meeting focused on HB 3151, which would redefine instructional days so that only time students are actually in the classroom counts toward the instructional minimum, excluding professional development and parent-teacher conference time. The author argued the bill would close Oklahoma’s instructional-time gap and improve outcomes, while members raised concerns about funding, teacher pay, contract negotiations, and how districts would absorb the change. After debate, the bill passed 19-7. The committee also advanced HB 3706, which sets minimum elementary math instruction standards and expands math screening requirements, and HB 3708, which would allow private schools to use scholarship-granting organization funds for capital improvements to increase instructional capacity; both drew questions about funding, scheduling, and the scope of the programs but were reported out due pass. Other measures approved included HB 3661, extending a sunset on a timber equipment tax provision; HB 3882, creating a revolving fund for ODOT’s lake access and industrial access grants; HB 4273, extending a tax credit to certain aerospace engineers at an ARM 1 higher education institution; HB 3644, tied to medical training and best practices after a fatal misdiagnosis; HB 2021, creating a DHS grant program for out-of-school programming, with discussion centered on whether it would effectively favor Boys and Girls Clubs and exclude other providers; HB 3986, extending a sunset; and HB 3972, cleanup language related to the Comanche County prison purchase. Most bills passed with strong support, and the meeting adjourned after the final votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Do you use the latest data to calculate landing fees currently? Yes, so we do use the ADS-B data.
• Could you use tire data, as far as aircraft that actually land and do touch-and-goes, to help with your
• The majority of our members are negatively affected by the misuse of surveillance data.
• This bill will assist in limiting the misuse of the ADS-B data, and we support its passage.
• that utilize an airport will go to an FBO, and there's other opportunities beyond using the safety data

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met and first considered SB 86, which would make it unlawful for unauthorized aliens to operate commercial motor vehicles in Florida. The sponsor described the bill as a highway safety measure, requiring lawful presence, a valid CDL, English proficiency, and the ability to communicate with law enforcement. The bill also provides for impoundment, custody transfer to federal authorities, a civil penalty on the motor carrier, and an out-of-service order. An amendment was adopted, public testimony included support from the Florida PBA, and the committee reported the bill favorably. The committee then heard SB 706, which preempts naming of major commercial service airports to the state and would rename Palm Beach International Airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport. An amendment was adopted to make the change subject to FAA approval, a trademark agreement, and a reasonable implementation period for Palm Beach County. Palm Beach County representatives supported the measure and the amendment, and the committee reported the bill favorably. Next, the committee approved SB 1670, a specialty license plate bill for the “outsider” plate, after adopting an amendment reducing the Huber Brothers Foundation’s share of proceeds from 25% to 10%. The committee also passed SB 1054, which increases penalties for traffic infractions that result in crashes involving red lights or stop signs, including higher fines, license suspensions, and a one-year bodily injury insurance requirement after injury-causing crashes. Testimony from law enforcement and advocacy groups supported the bill, and it was reported favorably. Finally, the committee considered SB 422 on ADS-B aviation surveillance data. The bill would prohibit use of ADS-B data to calculate or collect landing-related fees, and an amendment narrowed the prohibition to fees tied to landings, touch-and-goes, or entering a fee-assessing airspace radius. Aviation groups, pilots, and airport officials offered extensive testimony, with supporters arguing the bill protects safety and prevents inaccurate or surprise billing, while airport representatives said they use the data for fee collection and operational purposes and wanted further changes. Despite those concerns, the committee reported the bill favorably. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is truly a delight to be here with you all this morning and to share some exciting data points that
• Again, data analytics and AI are very high at 19.51%.
• May have been a little bit of a Gatling gun going through, but we have so many great data points.
• There’s some supplemental data that they can submit to us on that, and we've been providing the data
• a lot of data points in terms of headcounts and dollars in grants.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> you put together uh what did the data you put together uh what did the data show?
• </c> are three years uh based on the data are three years uh based on the data provided<00:26:19.279>
• </c> of data to determine that? of data to determine that?
• I think the person who put the data together, the data does show that it was also taken into account
• The public, that was part of the data.

Committee: House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services

Transcript Highlights:

• And I just think we need a little more data.
• And once that data came out, we just kind of turned away from that data.
• Why have we not heard about the data?
• Well, it turns out some of the data that we've gotten tends to cast some dispersions upon the data that
• Once again, I’m just asking for data, for the sophisticated, official third-party data.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> discuss the increasing amounts of data discuss the increasing amounts of data that<00:03:27.519>
• But what data is available for humans?
• </c> what what data is available for humans? what what data is available for humans?
• </c><00:32:35.360><c> MDA</c> provide this data voluntarily. MDA provide this data voluntarily.
• </c> expects to receive this data by April. expects to receive this data by April.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the chief with the Technology and Data Analysis Bureau with the CDTFA.
• , and the ability to leverage additional data capture.
• , and the ability to leverage additional data capture.
• You know, we'll be looking at the more recent data.
• And clearly the data proves us out.