Video & Transcript Research : 'preferential voting'
Page 17 of 500
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Labor and Employment Committee Jun 10th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- So with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Okay, Secretary, please call the vote.
- I respectfully ask for a aye vote at the appropriate time. Thank you.
- For these and other reasons, we respectfully ask for your no vote.
- I respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you, Senator.
- Not voting. Kalra? Aye. Kalra, aye. Chen not voting. Kalra? Aye. Kalra, aye.
Summary:
The Assembly Labor and Employment Committee heard several bills focused on worker protections, AI in the workplace, bereavement leave, and construction labor standards. SB 909 by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas would increase public works contractor registration fees, raise prevailing wage and related penalties, and direct half of collected penalties back into the Public Works Enforcement Fund. Supporters said the bill would help combat wage theft and misclassification and strengthen enforcement; opponents argued the higher fees and penalties would burden contractors without fixing enforcement backlogs. The committee voted the bill out on a due pass motion to Appropriations.
The committee also approved SB 951 by Senator Reyes, which would require 60-day notice when 25 or more workers are displaced by technology and require reporting on AI-related job impacts. Supporters framed it as a response to rapid AI-driven layoffs and a way to gather real-time data; opponents raised concerns about small employers, proprietary information, and litigation. SB 947 by Senator McNerney, the “No Robo Bosses Act,” would require human review of automated discipline, termination, or deactivation decisions and restrict predictive behavior analysis. Supporters said it would prevent biased or mistaken automated decisions; opponents objected to the inclusion of independent contractors, private rights of action, and other provisions. Both bills were advanced to the Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection.
The committee also passed SB 1149 by Senator Durazo, which would expand bereavement leave to cover a “designated person,” including chosen family relationships. Supporters, including AARP and a witness who described losing a long-term partner, said the bill reflects modern family structures; there was no opposition. In addition, SB 1185 by Senator Cortese, applying skilled and trained workforce standards to pharmaceutical facility construction, was approved despite opposition from business and construction groups who said there was no demonstrated safety problem and that the mandate could raise costs and reduce competition. Several other bills on the consent calendar were also approved, and all measures were reported out of committee.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee Jun 29th, 2026
Budget and Fiscal Review
Transcript Highlights:
- Niello, not voting. Archuleta, aye. Cabaldon, not voting. Durazo, aye. Grove, not voting.
- Seyarto, not voting. Weber Pierson, aye. I show seven aye votes and four not voting.
- Seyarto, not voting. Weber Pierson, aye. I show seven aye votes and four not voting.
- Not voting. Assembly Bill 163. Ochoa Bogh? Not voting. That's ayes 15, not voting three.
- Not voting. Ochoa Bogh? Not voting. That's ayes 13, not voting five. That bill is out.
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- that choice so I'm asking for your vote that choice so I'm asking for your vote to<00:56:44.319>
- This should be an easy vote.
- I urge you this should be an easy vote I urge you to<01:03:32.319>
vote <01:03:32.640>no ought to pass with an amendment by voted ought to pass with an amendment by voted 3<01:24:05.480 - schools I hope you'll join me in voting schools I hope you'll join me in voting for<01:44:48.760
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- Chair votes aye. Vice Chair votes aye. Senator Hashimoto votes aye. Senator Kanuha votes aye.
- Senator Kidani votes aye. Senator Kim votes aye. Senator Lee votes aye. Senator Richards votes aye.
- Chair<00:03:43.440>
votes <00:03:43.680>eye. Chair votes eye. Chair votes eye. - Okay, seeing none, chair votes<00:05:20.800>
I. votes I. votes I. - The votes out. Any discussion? The votes out.
Keywords:
coconut trees, tax credit, natural management, Hawaii, agriculture, biosecurity, environment, coconut rhinoceros beetle, student-athletes, name image likeness, NIL, compensation, transparency, University of Hawaii, Title IX, funding, protections, pharmacy benefit managers, maximum allowable cost, drug pricing
Summary:
The joint committee on Ways and Means and Consumer Protection met for decision-making only on two agendas and took action on a large number of Senate bills, with no oral testimony heard. On the 1016 agenda, the committee recommended passage of measures including SB 2088, SB 2925, SB 2781, and several others, and passed a number of bills with amendments. Notable amendments included SB 3263, which adopted AG amendments related to the name, image, and likeness endowment trust fund; SB 2047 on pharmacy benefit managers, which incorporated Hawaii Pharmacist Association changes; SB 2087 on health insurance, which added Insurance Division clarifications; SB 2100 on pesticides, which added a blank appropriation; SB 2353 on outdoor signage, which removed provisions related to the Wiki special district; and SB 2902 on renewable energy, which clarified certification standards for portable solar devices and exempted them from certain disclosure requirements. Most recommendations were adopted without objection, though a few members noted reservations on selected bills. The committee also deferred one bill on the agenda, SB 3327.
The committee then moved to the 1015 agenda and acted on additional measures. SB 2003 was passed with amendments tied to Act 255, including a repeal trigger if deadlines are missed; SB 2497 on utility-related transparency drew the most discussion, with one member warning about litigation and costs while another argued it was simply about electricity-rate transparency, and it ultimately passed with PUC-related amendments and an exemption for utility cooperatives. Other measures were passed unamended or with technical or fiscal amendments, including bills affecting land planning, tax credits, conveyance tax language, shoreline maintenance, and community improvement projects. Several bills had appropriations blanked or effective dates deferred to 2050, and many were adopted with members noting reservations rather than opposition.
On the 1017 agenda, the committee continued approving measures, including SB 709 on crisis intervention officers and assisted community treatment, SB 2153 on defining bona fide farmer/agriculture activity, SB 2694 on water rate adjustments, SB 3025 on income eligibility limits, and SB 3085 on the Hawaii film studio, which included a five-year repeal provision if the studio has not relocated. The committee also passed numerous other bills unamended or with technical amendments, often deferring effective dates or blanking appropriations. Across both agendas, the committee’s actions were largely consistent: bills were advanced with amendments tailored to agency requests, technical corrections, or fiscal adjustments, and votes were generally unanimous or near-unanimous with occasional reservations recorded.
CO
Colorado 2026 Regular Session
Colorado House 2026 Legislative Day 023 Feb 5th, 2026
Colorado House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- I ask for an I vote. vote. vote.
- <01:10:26.159>
of they vote that in, that is the vote of they vote that in, that is the vote - for a yes vote. for a yes vote.
- I urge a no vote. Thank not our job. I urge a no vote.
- preferential treatment. preferential treatment.
Summary:
The House convened, established a quorum, and approved the journal from February 4, 2026. Members then took up resolutions out of order, including Senate Joint Resolution 9 recognizing Missing Persons Day. Supporters described the scale of missing-person cases in Colorado and nationally, emphasized the role of families, law enforcement, and the public, and noted the importance of prompt investigations and technology. The resolution was adopted on a 58-0 vote, with seven excused.
The chamber then moved to special orders and considered House Bill 1041, concerning electronic vehicle records and electronic certificates of title. The committee report was adopted after an amendment clarifying that any party to a vehicle transaction may request a paper or electronic title. Supporters said the bill would reduce delays, costs, and administrative burdens while preserving ownership and lienholder protections and keeping paper titles available as the default. The bill passed the House unanimously.
Finally, the House began consideration of House Bill 1038 on county commissioner redistricting. The sponsor outlined seven committee amendments addressing county commissioner authority, outdated hearing references, competitiveness language, legislative declaration wording, elector standing to challenge maps, a correction to the competitiveness formula, and a bill-number fix. Debate then focused on amendment L10, which would remove the word “integrity” from the short title; supporters said the term could imply wrongdoing, while opponents wanted to keep it. L10 failed on a voice vote. Members then moved to amendment L8, which would carve out smaller counties from the bill’s redistricting requirements; discussion began, but the transcript cuts off before a final vote on that amendment or the bill itself.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Banking and Insurance Mar 31st, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- So they're getting preferential treatment compared to any other charity.
- I respectfully asking you to please vote no on this bill.
- So just want to make that point as we as we vote on, Mr. Chair.
- I thought someone else passed a bill because I was voted for it.
- Any senators wishing to record on the votes. Okay.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection - 04/14/26
Commerce and Consumer Protection
Transcript Highlights:
- Proud to vote yes on Senator Marty's bill.
- Proud<00:45:01.280>
to <00:45:01.359>vote <00:45:01.600>yes <00:45:01.880>on< - to vote yes on Senator Marty's bill.<00:45:03.359>
I <00:45:03.440>do <00:45:03.640> - But a vote to legalize online sports betting would do just that.
- A vote to not legalize sports betting is not going to stop those harms.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services (04/14/2026)
Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services
Transcript Highlights:
- five 10 minutes later you were you voted five 10 minutes later you were you voted on<01:56:57.040
- He said he is here to urge them to vote against SB 416, and he will explain why.
- Ace Caleb said he is here to urge members to vote against SB 416, and he will explain why.
- money while working a more preferential money while working a more preferential shift<03:29:51.359
- Um, we deal them preferential treatment.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services (04/14/2026)
Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services
Transcript Highlights:
- The chairman's plan is to vote on this bill this afternoon.
- five 10 minutes later you were you voted five 10 minutes later you were you voted on<01:56:57.040
- money while working a more preferential money while working a more preferential shift<03:29:51.359
- Uh, give them good shifts, give them preferential treatment.
- Um, we deal them preferential treatment.
Summary:
The committee opened its labor hearing on SB 655 and outlined the day’s schedule, including a later working session on SB 416 and an executive session planned for 2:30 p.m. Senator Dan Innis introduced SB 655, describing it as a technical bill affecting employee leasing companies/professional employer organizations (PEOs), workers’ compensation coverage, and a Senate-added minimum wage exemption for minor league baseball players covered by a collective bargaining agreement. He said the PEO change would let either the PEO or the client business hold workers’ comp coverage, while still requiring coverage, and argued it would align New Hampshire with most other states and reduce barriers for small businesses and multi-state employers. He also said the baseball provision would clarify wage treatment for minor league players and support the Manchester team.
Justin Warell of Insperity testified in support of the PEO portion, explaining that PEOs provide HR, payroll, benefits administration, and workers’ compensation administration through a co-employment model. He said the bill would preserve mandatory coverage while allowing flexibility for the client or PEO to maintain the policy, which could help clients who already have preferred coverage or who face cost or administrative issues in multiple states. He noted that most clients would still remain under the PEO’s policy and said Insperity would submit written comments. Committee members asked about how the arrangement would work, whether the client or PEO would pay, and whether the bill would affect liability insurance packaging; Warell said the employer still bears the cost and that the bill mainly gives larger clients an option. One member asked him to remain available for possible follow-up after hearing from the labor department.
Stephen Gonzalez of Major League Baseball testified in support of the minor league baseball exemption. He said MLB and the MLB Players Association negotiated a collective bargaining agreement that already provides players with salary, housing, meals, per diems, health and retirement benefits, disability continuation, tuition assistance, and signing bonuses. He argued that treating players as hourly workers creates impractical time-tracking problems because players do work-related activities on their own time, and said the bill would recognize them as salaried workers and avoid litigation over what counts as hours worked. Committee members questioned why the exemption was needed if players are already salaried and whether MLB could simply amend its CBA; Gonzalez said the bill would help prevent wage-and-hour lawsuits and noted that similar exemptions have been enacted in other states. No vote was taken during the hearing, and the chair indicated the bill would be considered for executive action later that afternoon.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
Legislative Finance Sub Committee Nov 19th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- increasing resources to improve MAT for opioid-addicted adolescents and young adults and sees it as a preferential
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Higher Education Committee Mar 18th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- Not voting. Sharp-Collins not voting.
- And for that, with that, I'll be a recommended aye vote today. I'll be voting aye as well.
- Vote change AB 90: Jackson from not voting to aye. Thank you. Voting to aye.
- Burner: not voting to aye.
- One no vote. Thank you so much. Bill's out. Keep it a call. One no vote. Thank you so much.
Summary:
The committee first adopted its 2025-26 rules on a 7-0 roll call, then approved three consent items—AB 88, AB 240, and AB 313—on a due-pass motion to Appropriations. The hearing then moved to AB 648, which would give community college districts the same zoning authority as the UC and CSU systems to build student and staff housing on property they own or lease. The author and supporters argued the bill would help address severe housing insecurity and homelessness among community college students, while opponents and some members raised concerns about local control, zoning exemptions, and the impact on nearby communities. AB 648 passed the committee on a 5-2 vote and was sent to the Local Government Committee.
The committee next heard AB 466, which would require California Community Colleges and CSU campuses to provide organ and tissue donor registry information during student orientation, and request UC campuses to do the same. Supporters shared personal stories about transplants and donation, saying college orientation is a good opportunity to increase registrations. Some members worried about information overload during orientation and suggested campuses have flexibility in how they present the material, but the bill advanced on a unanimous 7-0 vote to Appropriations.
AB 326 followed, proposing campus-by-campus external audits of the CSU every three years and public release of the audits. The author, faculty supporters, and a student argued that systemwide audits do not provide enough transparency about how money is spent at individual campuses, citing examples of financial mismanagement and fee increases. CSU opposed the bill, saying it already conducts annual consolidated external audits and that campus-level audits would add cost without added benefit. After extensive discussion about transparency, audit scope, and implementation, the bill passed 6-1 to Appropriations. The committee then took up AB 335, which would create a California Black-Serving Institution Grant Program to support Black student success and broader underserved student services; supporters emphasized persistent equity gaps and low completion rates, while an opponent argued the bill needed to be carefully amended to comply with Proposition 209 and equal protection requirements. The transcript ends during that item’s discussion, before a final vote is shown.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Ways and Means Jun 21st, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Transcript Highlights:
- that evenly dividing the resources is important given what the question spoke to and what the voters voted
- The new administration, via a USDA directive, ordered preferential treatment for places with higher birth
- The new administration via a USDA directive ordered preferential treatments for places with higher birth
Summary:
The hearing focused on House Bill 55, the governor’s FY25 supplemental budget proposal to spend about $1.3 billion in surplus Fair Share revenue. House and Senate chairs framed the bill as a one-time opportunity to invest fairly in education and transportation, while also noting the need to protect the state’s long-term fiscal balance. Administration officials said the proposal should be considered alongside the FY26 budget and related bills, since the governor’s broader Fair Share plan aims for roughly an even split between education and transportation over time.
Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorzkowicz, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler outlined the administration’s priorities. Transportation funding would go mainly to the MBTA and related reserves, including money for the Federal Transit Administration reserve, MBTA stabilization reserve, low-income fares, winter resilience, RTA workforce support, MassDOT workforce and project delivery, and micro-transit grants. Education funding would support universal preschool expansion, early education and care capacity, early literacy tutoring, adult basic education and ESOL, early college and career technical education, MyCAP expansion, and special education circuit breaker funding. The administration emphasized that many of these investments are one-time or multi-year measures designed to address current needs without creating unsustainable recurring costs.
Committee members raised concerns about regional equity, especially the large share of transportation money going to the MBTA versus regional transit authorities and rural areas. Several members asked for more detail on how the proposal would benefit Western Massachusetts and other non-MBTA regions, and whether micro-transit and Chapter 90-related investments would be sufficient. Education questions focused on special education reimbursement shortfalls, federal funding cuts to school districts, and how CTE and vocational investments would align students with workforce needs. The administration said it would provide additional data on MBTA versus RTA investment and explained that the special education circuit breaker and transportation reimbursement changes were intended to improve predictability and relief for districts.
After the administration panel, Jessica Tang of AFT Massachusetts testified in support of using Fair Share funds to protect public education amid federal uncertainty and cuts. She argued that schools are facing a fiscal cliff, that vulnerable students would be hit hardest by funding losses, and that the Fair Share revenue should be used to preserve services and support students’ needs.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
- Voting changes.
- It reinterpreted the Voting Rights Act to protect equal opportunity to vote for all citizens over preferential
- Johnson: not voting. Bennett: aye. Berman: not voting. Elhawary: aye. Ellis: not voting.
- The current vote is three to two, with the chair voting aye.
- opportunity to vote.
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- I'm respectfully asking you to vote no on this bill today.
- Senators, by your vote, Senate Bill 132 Yes.
- I thought someone else passed a bill because I voted for it.
- I voted for it.
- Senators, are there any senators wishing to record a vote? Rep.
Summary:
The committee heard several bills and amendments, beginning with CS/SB 498 on trust fund interest for IOTA accounts. The sponsor said a 2023 Florida Supreme Court rule sharply increased interest paid into legal aid funding, creating a windfall and making participation difficult for banks. An amendment was adopted requiring savings institutions to pay the higher of 0.25% or the highest comparable rate offered on certain non-IOTA accounts, and the bill then passed favorably after testimony from banks, legal aid representatives, and other stakeholders both supporting and opposing the measure.
The committee also approved CS/SB 232, which clarifies Florida’s consumer collection law applies only to phone calls during restricted hours and not emails or text messages, after a delete-all amendment and supportive testimony from industry groups. It then approved SB 132, as amended, to designate gold and silver as legal tender and set rules for custody, audits, electronic transfer, and government acceptance of payments; supporters called it a sound-money measure, while the banking association said it still had unresolved technical concerns.
Later, the committee passed SB 1466 to create a trust fund for the My Safe Florida Home Program, with an amendment funding it from 20% of collected insurance premium tax revenue. It also considered SB 1206 on transportation network company insurance, reducing coverage during the “dead-leg” period before a rider is picked up from $1 million to lower limits; the bill drew sharp opposition from trial lawyers and support from insurers and some business groups, and the committee adopted a clarifying amendment before reporting the bill favorably. Finally, CS/SB 924 on fertility preservation for cancer patients was amended several times to narrow scope and clarify coverage rules, then passed favorably after debate over cost, preauthorization, and post-treatment storage obligations. The committee adjourned after allowing technical and conforming changes to implement the adopted amendments.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- I'm not asking for us to vote this out today.
- Vote no on this bill. Thank you very much. We'll go with Ms. McLaughlin. Yeah.
- To the representatives on this panel voting no, thank you.
- I am strongly against SB 12 and urge you to vote against it.
- So I ask you to vote against this bill.
Keywords:
parental rights, education, social transitioning, diversity, equity, inclusion, school policy, student clubs, residency, public schools, child safety placement, enrollment, education code, school boards, transparency, public meetings, attendance, recording, released time, religious instruction
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
Senate - Health and Public Affairs Jan 30th, 2026 at 03:13 pm
Senate Health & Public Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- By a vote of 10 to 0, you have a due-pass recommendation. Thank you.
- By a vote of 10 to 0, you have a due-pass recommendation. Thank you.
- By a vote of 9 to 0, we have a due-pass recommendation. Thank you. Thank you very much.
- going to vote for it.
- By a vote of 9 to 0, you have a do pass recommendation. Thank you.
Keywords:
SB 21, Medicare supplement, Medigap, open enrollment, guaranteed issue, birthday month enrollment, health insurance, insurance regulation, senior health coverage, elderly, retiree, Medicare beneficiaries, preexisting conditions, underwriting restrictions, premium discrimination, New Mexico insurance law, superintendent of insurance, health care coverage, policy portability, healthcare
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Higher Education Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Joint Committee on Higher Education
Transcript Highlights:
- By voting to pass the Bean New Deal, you'll be voting for a future where everyone has access to healthy
- You'll be voting for a more just and nonviolent food system.
- By voting in favor of the bill, you'd be voting for the next step in both mitigating the climate change
- For these reasons, I urge you to vote yes on S. 922. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much.
- In conclusion, a vote for beans today is a vote for a better tomorrow. Thank you.
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Higher Education held its first hearing and heard testimony on a wide range of bills, including hunger-free campuses, FAFSA completion, early college/college-in-high-school programs, banning legacy preferences, AP credit consistency, and tuition equity for the Stockbridge School of Agriculture. Committee leaders opened by outlining the hearing process and noting the three-minute testimony limit. Legislators and advocates generally framed the bills as equity and access measures aimed at improving college affordability, student success, and workforce development.
Representative Vargas testified for H. 1466 and H. 1467, arguing that hunger-free campus should be codified because many public college and community college students face food insecurity, and that FAFSA completion should be improved through individualized outreach and an opt-out or completion requirement. Senator Lovely, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and other advocates supported the hunger-free campus bill, citing data that 44% of public university and community college students experienced food insecurity in 2023 and that food insecurity harms graduation rates. Femi Stoltz and Shanti Lopez Toro backed the FAFSA bill, saying many students miss out on Pell grants and need direct support; they pointed to state examples such as Louisiana and to recent state action requiring FAFSA awareness. Committee members asked about the federal FAFSA rollout, regional equity in food access, and the need for long-term funding and data collection.
A large panel supported H. 1455 on college and high school/early college, including former Chair Roy, the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College, a student graduate, MBAE, and Tripp Jones. They described early college as a proven model that helps low-income and first-generation students, improves degree attainment, and supports workforce needs; witnesses said the goal is to scale from about 9,000 students and 55 partnerships toward 22,000 to 25,000 students by 2030, with possible future growth beyond that. Members raised questions about funding, public-private partnerships, parental involvement, faculty development, and whether the bill should include data review and more standardized policies across institutions. Representative Garcia also testified for H. 1432 on AP credit, saying students should receive consistent credit for AP scores of 3, 4, or 5. Senator Edwards and James Murphy testified for the legacy preference ban, arguing it is unfair and rooted in exclusionary history; they said some states have already banned legacy preferences in public and private institutions. Finally, UMass Dean Michael Fox, alumnus Dan Mayer, and student Jake Rasmussen supported S. 920 to include Stockbridge associate degree programs in MassEducate, saying tuition equity would help enrollment and support Massachusetts agriculture and green-industry jobs.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Finance Division III (02/21/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- But I think that doing a premium is preferential to cost sharing because then it's at the provider level
- But I think that doing a premium is preferential to cost sharing because then it's at the provider level
- But I think that doing a premium is preferential to cost sharing because then it's at the provider level
- But I think that doing a premium is preferential to cost sharing because then it's at the provider level
- But I think that doing a premium is preferential to cost sharing because then it's at the provider level
Summary:
The House Finance Division Three work session on February 21, 2025 focused on the Division of Medicaid Services budget. The chair opened with procedural guidance, noting the division’s role is to make recommendations to the full Finance Committee, that the budget must be balanced, and that members should track possible amendments ahead of a March 26 target for House Bills 1 and 2. Members also discussed the importance of using official budget documents and online resources, and the chair said no motions would be taken at this session.
A major early topic was concern over a five-point Medicaid policy document and the timing of House Bill 2. Representative Tarki objected that the document appeared to be an unofficial draft and argued that significant Medicaid policy changes should have been transmitted by February 15 under state law. He said the lack of an official, posted document raised transparency concerns because the changes could affect tens of thousands of residents. Committee leadership responded that the five-point document was a working document, that it would be posted online within minutes, and that House Bill 2 is often delayed while the Office of Legislative Services finalizes and formats the governor’s proposed trailer bill.
DHHS Chief Financial Officer Nathan White and Medicaid Director Henry Litman then began the budget presentation. White said the committee would use the PowerPoint as the document of record, starting with the governor’s operating budget pages 885-893, and noted that Medicaid is the largest accounting area in the state budget. He said the governor’s budget reflects about $60 million in reductions within the Medicaid area, with Granite Advantage handled off-budget and another $10 million in reductions there, for roughly a $70 million difference overall. Members asked whether the comparison was being made against an efficiency budget or a prioritized-needs budget, and White said the department could look at it different ways.
The presentation then outlined Medicaid’s role in New Hampshire: it provides health coverage, serves as the state’s direct interface with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and helps finance related services such as long-term supports, school-based services, adult dental coverage, and re-entry programs for people leaving correctional settings. White also reviewed enrollment and program context, saying New Hampshire has about one in seven residents enrolled in Medicaid, making it the fourth smallest Medicaid program in the country by enrollment, and described recent efforts such as youth re-entry and the Medicaid unwind after the end of the federal continuous coverage period. He said the state had to process more than 238,000 redeterminations after the public health emergency and that the department tried to avoid unnecessary coverage loss during that transition.
AZ
Transcript Highlights:
- Just like we have people on the voting rolls in multiple states.
- But since we are not voting, this is information I think it’s really important to hear all we can.
- They've already made their decision because it's not a vote.
- We have to end; however, we have to go upstairs and start to vote.
- We have to end; however, we have to go upstairs and start to vote.
Summary:
The committee met for a presentation-only hearing on the Arizona Department of Child Safety, with no bills on the agenda. Chair Blackman opened by emphasizing that the hearing was intended to be data-focused and respectful, and that personal attacks or false accusations would not be tolerated. Director Catherine Patak then presented DCS data on hotline volume, investigations, reunifications, adoptions, guardianships, foster care entries and exits, kinship placement, congregate care, missing youth, and extended foster care. She said the department investigated more than 43,000 cases in 2025, kept the out-of-home care population relatively steady, and had reunified about 3,000 children with parents, while also noting that older youth and behavioral-health-driven removals are creating a mismatch with available foster homes. She also described kinship supports, foster parent recruitment, and the impact of Family First on funding, saying DCS lost federal drawdown for congregate care while waiting on approval for prevention programs.
Members questioned the director about kinship caregivers, behavioral health access, reunification services, parental rights terminations, notice and documentation practices, and the effect of increased reimbursement rates. Patak said unlicensed kin can receive support through the kinship supports contract, that behavioral health assessments are done quickly at the welcome center or within 24 hours for kin placements, and that provider capacity remains a major constraint outside DCS control. She explained reunification conditions and services, said the department is working on documentation and notice issues flagged by the Auditor General, and noted that kinship reimbursement increases have helped some families step forward. She also said DCS procurement for group homes is handled internally through an RFP process and that about 10% of kinship caregivers become licensed.
Representative Gillette then delivered a lengthy presentation arguing that the child welfare, Medicaid, and disability systems are structurally intertwined and that procurement and funding rules create incentives for volume and congregate care use. He criticized DCS, DES, and AHCCCS/Access oversight structures, argued that the system diffuses accountability, and said the committee’s work and related materials would be referred to special counsel. He also raised concerns about documentation, placement decisions, and the cost of congregate care, while asserting that the system over-relies on large providers and that reforms should focus on structural and financial incentives. Vice Chair Fink followed with a brief slide noting that congregate care costs far more per child than foster or kinship care, reinforcing the committee’s concern about placement costs and the need to shift children toward family-based care when possible.
MO
Transcript Highlights:
- these are property tax dollars that the county spends on, you know, the things that the people have voted
- And there's nothing that gives these data centers any preferential treatment or anything like that.
- I would also note that the Missouri Senate, the full Missouri Senate, has voted to ban construction work
- The full Missouri Senate has voted to ban construction work in progress for nuclear plants as an amendment
- And I understand the House voted to mandate it, so there's conflicting bills on that.