Transcript Highlights:

• BECAUSE IT BASICALLY LEADS, EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A DECEDENT AND THAT PERSON IS NO LONGER HERE, IF THERE
• TO LOWER QUALITY CARE WHICH WILL THEN LEAD TO MORE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CLAIMS.
• THEN LEAD TO MORE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CLAIMS.
• THIS LEADS TAXPAYERS PAYING FOR NEGLIGENT CARE CAUSES DEATH.
• A FREE PASS WHEN NEGLIGENCE LEADS TO PREVENTABLE DEATH.

Transcript Highlights:

• To assist state agencies and OAL with these tasks, the bill charges the LAO with developing guidelines
• First, the bill requires agencies to analyze cost-of-living impacts as part of every regulatory analysis
• So requiring state agencies to consider the impacts of their regulations could have a tremendous impact
• Meanwhile, the number of community banks has declined, leading to concentrated financial power among
• Second point, Section 6276B2 is the first step toward leading the requirement that local public banks

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact heard several bills focused on trade, affordability, and public finance. AB 2745 (Fong) would update California’s international trade and investment strategy, add a public advisory process, and allow regional trade hubs; supporters from the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and California Forward said it would help California compete globally and attract investment, while no opposition testified. AB 2366 (Avila Farías) would require state agencies to analyze cost-of-living impacts when adopting regulations and direct the LAO to develop guidance; supporters from the New California Coalition and the California Manufacturers and Technology Association argued it would improve transparency and help address affordability, while members noted concerns about implementation and unintended consequences. The committee also heard AB 2243 (Haney), which creates a commission to study whether California should establish a state public bank and how it might be structured. Supporters from the California Public Banking Alliance, climate groups, and other organizations said a public bank could reduce borrowing costs and finance housing, climate, and small business needs; the California Bankers Association and credit unions opposed the bill, arguing it could compete with private banks, duplicate prior studies, and raise unresolved regulatory and cost issues. Several committee members said they would support the study concept but wanted the bill amended so any final decision would return to the Legislature, and the author agreed to clarify that point and remove language related to extending local public bank licensing timelines. The committee also took up consent items AB 2048 (Calderon), AB 2583 (Hoover), and ACR 129 (Haney), which were approved without opposition. After quorum was established, the committee voted AB 2366 out on a 7-0 basis to Judiciary, AB 2745 out on a 7-0 basis to Appropriations, and AB 2243 out on a 7-0 basis to Finance, with the consent calendar also approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• The agency... ...and imposing costly pressures with unclear value.
• First, in both the state and federal law, state agencies and political...
• as the Department of Health, and I can answer. no fiscal impact for those agencies.
• The state needs to take the lead on this emerging issue.
• I will say that the agency did And how? already sacrificing the most.

Summary: The Labor and Commerce Committee heard public testimony on several bills. Senate Bill 618, the Eric Schrauss Memorial Act, would remove the current time-and-exposure qualifiers for the workers’ compensation presumption that certain heart problems in firefighters and law enforcement officers are occupational diseases. The sponsor and family members of fallen firefighters testified in support, describing delayed claims and arguing the bill would spare grieving families from lengthy appeals. Opponents including counties, self-insurers, cities, and L&I’s research staff said the current qualifiers are based on science, warned the change would greatly expand claims and costs, and noted a 2023 advisory committee did not recommend the change. No vote was taken. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5379, which would extend interest arbitration rights to Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission law enforcement rangers. The sponsor and a park ranger testified that rangers are commissioned peace officers who cannot strike and are paid less than comparable law enforcement, leading to staffing shortages and turnover. The bill was presented as a fairness and retention measure. Testimony on Senate Bill 6147, concerning grocery store closures in food deserts, was split: supporters from Tacoma, labor, and local government said a six-month notice requirement would help communities respond to closures like the Fred Meyer shutdown in South Tacoma, while grocers and industry groups argued the bill was too prescriptive, would add legal risk, and would not solve underlying crime and business pressures. Senate Bill 6106, requested by the Employment Security Department, would exempt tribes from the state WARN-style notice law and make employee names and addresses submitted in layoff notices confidential under the Public Records Act. ESD and business groups supported the bill as a clarification and privacy fix, and no opposition was heard. The committee then took testimony on Senate Bill 5927, which would cap future workers’ compensation COLAs at 3%; employers and self-insurers supported it as a way to address volatility and long-term liabilities, while labor, injured-worker advocates, and others opposed it as an across-the-board benefit cut that would erode wage replacement. L&I explained it has been studying possible COLA changes but did not bring forward its own proposal. Finally, Senate Bill 6287 on kratom would restrict adulterated or harmful kratom products, require labeling, set a 21+ sales age, and allow local regulation; supporters backed the age limit and bans on concentrated 7-OH, while some industry witnesses opposed the private right of action and local patchwork rules. The committee adjourned after public testimony; no final votes or executive action were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• The agency is actively working to address visitor safety at our 42 state historic sites.
• The agency is also working with the State Office of Risk Management on insurance coverage.
• find a way to move forward in partnership with agencies that may still be needing that.
• I ask for support from the agency that this is a multiple sort of a multi-agency function.
• But we had alerts leading up to it. Afterwards, they just weren't calibrated. Thank you.

Committee: House Culture, Recreation & Tourism

Transcript Highlights:

• There are no staff amendments or agency amendments.
• Do we amendments or agency amendments.
• There is also an agency amendment.
• Are there any questions or discussion regarding the agency amendment?
• </c> the staff amendments and the agency the staff amendments and the agency amendment.<00:09:19.279>

Summary: The Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee met to reorganize its leadership for the new term, renewing Representative Derek Lewis as House co-chair and Senator Steven West as Senate co-chair. The committee then approved the minutes and moved through a series of agency regulations, generally adopting staff-suggested amendments without objection. Among the regulations reviewed were an Attorney General rule changing how a commission reviews and distributes funds and how grant reporting is handled; Personnel Board changes abolishing and renaming certain job classifications and adjusting probationary periods; an Education and Labor Cabinet rule removing references to local board of education members; several Public Protection Cabinet rules covering Board of Claims and Crime Victims’ Compensation procedures; an Alcoholic Beverage Control rule on direct-to-consumer shipping forms; and a Medicaid Services emergency regulation establishing the Kentucky Trauma Hospital Rate Improvement Program for rural hospitals serving many Medicaid patients. The committee also heard that the Board of Claims and Crime Victims’ Compensation regulations included both staff and, in one case, an agency amendment, which were approved. The most extended discussion came on the Department for Community Based Services’ regulation increasing per diem rates for private child-placing therapeutic foster care levels 2 and 3. Committee members questioned the estimated $10 million biennial cost, the source of the funding, and why the cabinet had not yet filed regulations implementing Senate Bill 151 on kinship care. DCBS staff said the rate increase was discretionary and intended to address placement crises for children with high needs, while acknowledging they could not personally explain the budget decisions. A kinship caregiver testified in support of the rate increase but urged the cabinet to also implement SB 151 and expand support for kinship families. The committee expressed frustration over the lack of SB 151 implementation but stated the rate increase itself was appropriate and allowed the regulation to proceed.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> planning vendor to support agency planning vendor to support agency efforts<00:09:40.240><c> for
• </c> representatives from uh state agencies representatives from uh state agencies including<00:11:01.760
• c><01:19:42.560><c> care</c><01:19:42.880><c> and</c> forth this lead and care and forth this lead and
• Best agency in the state. I'll amazing. Best agency in the state.
• </c> the the standing this up as a new agency the the standing this up as a new agency and<01:37:25.360

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> health clinical lead. health clinical lead. Please<00:12:42.639><c> proceed.
• ><c> contributors</c><00:13:14.639><c> to</c> are all leading contributors to are all leading contributors
• </c><00:35:08.000><c> shipa</c> planning and development agency shipa planning and development agency
• 02:03.040><c> in</c> Hawaii Emergency Management Agency in Hawaii Emergency Management Agency in support
• ,</c> Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii<01:34:14.080><c>

Bills: SB2936 , SB2850 , SB2851 , SB2521

Committee: House Health

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several health-related bills. HB 1871, establishing a maternal health monitoring pilot program, drew support from the Department of Health, the Hawaii State Commission on Status of Women, and the Hawaii affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives, with testimony urging provider-neutral language so midwives and other qualified providers would not be excluded. HB 1977, requiring a maternal and infant health information mobile app, received support from ACNM and Philips, which said similar apps in other states improved awareness of services and helped families navigate care; a member asked the Department of Health about implementation time. HB 1858, relating to certificates of fetal deaths, was supported by the Department of Health and clinicians, who said the current statute is outdated and inconsistent with CDC guidance; the department and a physician testified that the bill should shift documentation responsibilities to physicians and APRNs, and members discussed optional versus mandatory issuance language and whether the bill would improve data on home births and transfers. The committee also heard HB 1591, expanding definitions for preceptor and volunteer-based clinical training to improve income tax credits. The Department of Health supported the measure but preferred a similar, broader bill; Taxation suggested clarifying terms; the University of Hawaii and the State Center for Nursing supported it. ACNM asked that midwifery preceptors and Hawaii-based students enrolled in mainland programs be included, while the Hawaii Public Health Institute supported expansion of the program as a workforce solution. HB 1574, on the health care education loan repayment program, also drew broad support, including from the governor, SHPDA, OHA, and health organizations, but ACNM raised concerns that the bill’s 30% Medicaid-client threshold could exclude many providers and limit participation. For HB 1575, creating a feasibility committee on Parkinson’s patient air transport, the Department of Health supported the intent but said transportation is more likely an insurance or benefit issue and suggested redirecting funds to Parkinson’s research; the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Hawaii Parkinson Association supported the bill, citing inter-island travel barriers and high costs for patients and caregivers. HB 1854, establishing certification of community behavioral health clinics, was supported by the Department of Health and DHS, which said certification would help clinics qualify for enhanced Medicaid reimbursement and expand access; the Attorney General’s office raised a legal concern about the special fund language and recommended a purpose section, and the committee discussed whether the fund would be self-sustaining and noted a possible amendment to change membership language and reduce the board size if the amendment moved forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• What the clock is done, it's time to lead.
• And we should have these jobs in Minnesota, and we should lead the way.
• And we will lead the way one way or the other.
• And we should have these jobs in Minnesota, and we should lead the way.
• And we will lead the way one way or the other.

Bills: HF3023 , HF3078 , HF107 , HF2171 , HF3079 , HF689 , HF1316

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Keywords: unemployment benefits, iron ore mining, economic support, workforce development, Minnesota, unemployment insurance, deferred resignation, employment, worker rights, benefits eligibility, Ellsworth Independent School District, ISD 514, school construction, school renovation, sales tax exemption, use tax refund, construction materials, HVAC replacement, boiler replacement, window replacement

Transcript Highlights:

• , and when I say that we're not just leading in the U.S., we're really leading globally.
• , and when I say that we're not just leading in the U.S., we're really leading globally.
• , and when I say that we're not just leading in the U.S., we're really leading globally.
• , and when I say that we're not just leading in the U.S., we're really leading globally.
• , and when I say that we're not just leading in the U.S., we're really leading globally.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Transcript Highlights:

• and prosecutorial agencies in California.
• Some law enforcement agencies have been saying they need this law to come back so they can engage with
• We did get the most responsiveness from California agencies, and so that was much appreciated.
• As the human trafficking coordinator, I coordinate efforts among law enforcement agencies and victim
• I really appreciate you highlighting that case as a gold standard of how the department leads the way

Committee: House Public Safety

Summary: The Assembly Standing Committee on Public Safety held an informational hearing in Pomona on sex work-related crimes and efforts to combat human trafficking. Opening remarks framed the hearing around the repeal of the old loitering law in SB 357 and the recent enactment of AB 379, which will again make loitering with intent to purchase commercial sex a misdemeanor starting January 1, 2026. Members said the goal was to better understand the sex work industry, trafficking, law enforcement practices, and survivor support, with a focus on prevention and accountability. The first panel featured a DOJ representative, a USC law professor, and an ACLU attorney. DOJ presented arrest and conviction data for the repealed loitering statute and said the data did not distinguish clearly between buyers and sellers. USC researchers said anti-trafficking raids and stings often lacked transparency, disproportionately harmed marginalized groups, and frequently failed to identify traffickers or connect survivors to services. The ACLU argued that loitering laws have historically been used to police people of color and that criminalizing sex work or purchase of sex can worsen harm, increase racial disparities, and create immigration consequences. Committee members asked about better data collection, racial disparities, and whether the new law would help communities; responses emphasized public health approaches, housing, job training, and trauma-informed services. The second panel included DOJ, Pomona Police Chief Mike Ellis, and survivor advocate Jess Torres. DOJ described regional human trafficking teams, task forces, prosecutions, and survivor services. Chief Ellis said the repeal of the loitering law reduced officers’ ability to intervene early, contributed to visible open-air prostitution near schools and businesses, and made it harder to rescue juveniles; he supported AB 379 and related local efforts. Torres, speaking as a survivor, argued that survivor voices are often excluded, that many youth in the sex trade are boys or LGBTQ youth, and that criminalization and street enforcement can retraumatize people and push the problem out of sight rather than solve it. She urged prevention, unmet-needs services, and survivor inclusion in policymaking. In the final panel, a Riverside County prosecutor said AB 63 would restore a useful enforcement tool with safeguards and could help officers make earlier contact with potential victims, while stressing the need for training and oversight. A public defender argued that arresting trafficked people reinforces traffickers’ control, creates lifelong barriers, and undermines cooperation, pointing to a Pomona diversion program as evidence that treatment and wraparound services can work. No formal votes were taken during the hearing; the committee used the session for testimony, questions, and discussion of competing approaches to trafficking enforcement and survivor support.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I'm going to ask Don to share a little bit more about the Community Action Agency. Thank you.
• So we do have a state statute that also governs community action agencies.
• Our agencies directly and indirectly generate millions of dollars into our local businesses.
• So, the state's investment is leading to increased participation.
• The agency has been working on this initiative throughout this administration.

Transcript Highlights:

• and leading recovery and have been helping all these communities.
• It was also regional resource agency representatives who attended our block captain meetings.
• And collaborating not only with our fellow water agencies in the region.
• Whether the agency has the funding to be doing the proactive work or not.
• So some fire agencies are doing that, but there's also another option.

Summary: The hearing focused on lessons from the 2017 Tubbs Fire and how Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, and local partners have changed wildfire prevention, recovery, and rebuilding practices since then. Assemblymembers emphasized that the region has become a model for the state, with a shift from suppression to prevention, and panelists described improvements in defensible space, home hardening, vegetation management, alerting, and community coordination. The discussion also highlighted the continuing importance of sharing Sonoma County’s experience with other wildfire-impacted communities across California and beyond. Fire officials and local leaders described specific prevention measures now in place, including Santa Rosa’s vegetation management ordinance, ignition-free/Zone Zero requirements in rebuilding, restrictions on certain mulches, removal of dead and dying trees near roads and defensible space zones, and expanded prescribed burning authority. They also stressed the importance of community organization through block captains, Firewise/COPE-style networks, and the Mark West Area Community Fund. Speakers said these networks helped residents navigate recovery, avoid fraud and bad contractors, coordinate with local agencies, and support neighbors, but they argued that such efforts need more formal structure and stable funding. Water and permitting officials discussed how the fires changed their work. Santa Rosa Water described new regional coordination, generator and backup power upgrades, emergency training, and lessons learned about wildfire-related contamination in water systems, including the need to restore pressure, flush, and test quickly after a fire. Permit Sonoma said rebuilding was balanced by streamlining permits while still requiring safer, more resilient construction, and noted that reduced fees and one-stop permitting helped speed recovery. United Policyholders described helping residents maximize insurance proceeds, organize information, and avoid scams, while warning that insurance availability and affordability remain major barriers and that insurers are increasingly rewarding risk-reduction measures. Across the panels, the main policy requests were for faster and more flexible grant processes, more stable long-term funding for prevention and community programs, stronger support for home hardening and defensible space, better training and tools for local governments and legislative staff, and continued attention to insurance and utility-related resilience. No formal votes or actions were taken in the transcript excerpt; the hearing was informational and ended with a transition toward public comment and further discussion of remaining statewide wildfire policy needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• core uh who will be today we have lead core uh who will be uh<00:01:15.280><c> testifying</c><00:01:
• and the federal of the state agencies and the federal agencies<00:53:45.680><c> and</c><00:53:45.920
• </c> agencies and locals that use that data. agencies and locals that use that data.
• This information is used across the board in state agencies for a wide variety of things.
• that they mention four or five agencies that they mention in<01:19:52.159><c> this.

Summary: The Information Technology Oversight Committee met with a quorum, approved the prior meeting minutes, and then heard a presentation from Leadcore representatives Jimmy Bird, Mike Murray, and Rebecca Moss on the Kentucky Wired network. Leadcore described its role as the design-builder and service provider under the KCNA contract, saying the network was built with roughly 13,200 feet of fiber, mostly aerial, and that the use of non-armored cable was a Kentucky-side decision made to reduce cost. They also said aerial construction and non-armored cable increase maintenance challenges, including storm damage and squirrel-related damage, and reported FY25 service activity of 104 break-fix events, 30 maintenance replacements, 64 storm-damage events, and nearly 13,000 feet of fiber replaced to date. Committee members questioned whether the original project anticipated this level of replacement and whether any forecast existed for maintenance under non-armored cable. Leadcore said it did not do a formal forecast and could not say whether the replacement rate was above or below norms, though it acknowledged the decision not to use armored cable came from the Kentucky side of the contract. Members also asked about whether replacements caused network degradation; Leadcore said it tries to replace cable at existing splice points to avoid degradation and, where needed, uses armored cable for replacement sections going forward. The committee then explored Leadcore’s relationship with Excel and KCNA. Leadcore said it has a service-level agreement for KCNA-related fibers but not for dark fibers used by Excel, and that Kentucky Wired fibers get priority on service requests. It said outages are reported through a 1-800 number and that it was not aware of any access problems to the huts. On the tech refresh, Leadcore said its understanding is that maintaining the network is its responsibility, but the technology refresh is not; it said only a very limited amount of refresh has occurred and that this did not match the original contract intent. Leadcore also said it had not been asked to defer maintenance. The chair closed by saying the testimony would inform a committee report and that he intended to recommend clawing back or withholding some previously authorized Kentucky Wired and refresh funding until an audit is complete, with the committee to vote on a report later.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:07:43.479><c> are</c> for Independent Living our agencies are for Independent Living our agencies
• </c> uh we manage that cost for the agency uh we manage that cost for the agency manage<00:08:30.280>
• However, I was assigned multiple agencies, but these agencies would send people out, but they did nothing
• I have the honor of leading my tribe's ceremonial traditions as the eagle staff carrier.
• That's me leading the entire tribe. I went from homeless to leading my people.

Transcript Highlights:

• to communicate with the tribal agencies to come up with the proper MOU.
• There's kind of a leading case, White Eagle v.
• So we never know where life is going to lead us, I guess. That case was a challenge by...
• Chair Holle, members of the committee, no, my understanding is that only the state Medicaid agency is
• It's a small agency right now. And I would like to see some flexibility given to Mr.

Committee: Joint Tribal and State Relations Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• We went around and started talking to the agencies on our own. And we came up with a compromise.
• I rise as the DFL lead in the Fraud Prevention and Agency Oversight Committee, and of course, what we're
• Representative Olson's bill had the agreement of the departments and agencies.
• Information must be prominently displayed on the agency website.
• This is our moment, and this is the movement that we can lead.

Transcript Highlights:

• Florida has been a leader, and Florida again leads the way.
• Right now, this state leads the country in exonerations of people on the death penalty.
• So it goes to the individual officer, or does it go to the agency?
• Representative McClure. the agency. Representative McClure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
• enforcement agency; they were afraid of the agency's cooperation with local law enforcement.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for the Parkland shooting victims, the Pledge of Allegiance, and adoption of the special order report for the day. The chamber then moved into a special-order agenda focused almost entirely on immigration-related measures, beginning with Senate Memorial 6C urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide guidance and training for 287(g) agreements. The memorial was adopted 85-27 after brief debate, with supporters arguing Florida should help maximize federal immigration enforcement and opponents saying Congress, not the state, should fix immigration policy. The House next took up Senate Bill 4C, an immigration bill creating new state offenses for illegal entry and reentry by adult unauthorized aliens and requiring a mandatory death sentence for an unauthorized alien convicted of a capital felony. Members debated constitutional concerns, due process, racial profiling, fiscal impacts, and whether the bill intruded on federal immigration authority. Several amendments were offered and defeated, including proposals to extend protections to Venezuelans with TPS, to remove the mandatory death penalty, to protect certain long-term immigrant workers and teachers, to expand exemptions for Haitians and humanitarian parole recipients, and to create a task force on best practices for immigration enforcement in schools and other sensitive locations. A final amendment to strip the bill as unconstitutional was also rejected. The bill then passed 85-29. The final measure discussed was Senate Bill 2C, which creates a State Board of Immigration Enforcement led by the Governor and Cabinet, establishes grants and incentive bonuses for local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, repeals the fee waiver for undocumented students beginning July 1, 2025, and appropriates more than $300 million for immigration enforcement. The sponsor described it as a broad enforcement package, while questions from members focused on the impact on current students who receive in-state tuition and whether the bill would remove incentives for those already enrolled. The transcript ends during that exchange, before final action on SB 2C is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:20:46.480><c> have</c> 2026 than some federal agencies have 2026 than some federal agencies have
• </c><00:26:19.600><c> to</c> federal government which could lead to federal government which could lead
• , drug task force, joint terrorism task force, all those agencies?
• ,</c> it would require state agencies, it would require state agencies, including<00:58:01.520><c> the
• </c> schedules that every government agency schedules that every government agency has.<01:41:14.800>

Bills: HF3477 , HF3414 , HF103 , HF3661 , HF3146

Committee: House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law

Keywords: civil rights, law enforcement, federal collaboration, accountability, state law, constitutional rights, color of law, 42 U.S.C. 1983, section 1983, civil action, damages, injunctive relief, attorney fees, law enforcement task force, federal-state cooperation, intergovernmental agreement, federal agency partnership, Minnesota Constitution, U.S. Constitution, police accountability

Transcript Highlights:

• to better outcomes management will lead to better outcomes for<00:21:22.680><c> kids.
• </c><00:43:19.600><c> whose</c> request data from the agencies whose request data from the agencies whose
• ,</c> on this bill on behalf of the agency, on this bill on behalf of the agency, and<00:46:11.360><c
• ,</c> And for its part, the state agency, And for its part, the state agency, despite<01:03:55.240><c
• </c><01:05:28.320><c> policy</c> is read by some of the leading policy is read by some of the leading

Bills: HF4277 , HF3819 , HF3489 , HF4408 , HF3901 , HF4316

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Keywords: child care, child care center, day care, licensed child care, video security cameras, surveillance, security cameras, maltreatment, child abuse, child safety, public and shared areas, camera mandate, child care assistance program, CCAP, Great Start Compensation Support, early learning scholarships, licensed provider, Minnesota Statutes 142B.68, Harvey's Law, privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• Most of these initiatives we're working with our sister agencies even outside of CHFS, such as DJJ and
• even outside of CHFS sister agencies even outside of CHFS such<00:21:30.159><c> as</c><00:21:30.320>
• And again, I'm working with my sister agencies that are sitting at this table.
• In this particular case, we had cooperation with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services agency.
• </c> had concerns both as a head of an agency had concerns both as a head of an agency and<01:29:27.360

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and first heard brief presentations on Kentucky’s 2025 Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant and Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant. Department for Public Health staff explained that the preventive health block grant provides about $2.3 million annually and supports programs such as accreditation and performance improvement, local health department grants, community health workers, prescription assistance, asthma and COPD programs, workforce development, and a sexual assault programs set-aside. They said the Title V block grant provides about $11.7 million, with 35% directed to children and youth with special health care needs and 65% to maternal and child health populations, largely through local health departments and a five-year needs assessment process. After no questions, a motion was made and seconded to approve both block grants. The roll call vote passed 19-0, and the two block grants were approved. The committee then approved the minutes from the prior meeting. The next item was a discussion of the child waiver created in House Bill 6. Committee members raised concerns that the proposed 1915(c) waiver did not match the legislature’s intent, which they said was to move children from the Michelle P. waiver to free slots for adults. Cabinet officials from DCBS, behavioral health, and Medicaid described the proposed “Community Health for Improved Lives and Development” waiver as a targeted home- and community-based program for children under 21 with severe behavioral health or developmental needs, including those stepping down from inpatient or residential care or at risk of out-of-home placement. They said the waiver is designed for about 100 slots, uses a standardized needs-based assessment, and includes case management, community living supports, home modifications, respite, supervised residential care, and clinical therapeutic services. Officials said the public comment period ended July 15, responses are being compiled for August submission to CMS, and the waiver is part of the broader Families First initiative.