Transcript Highlights:

• So this bill provides relative to expedited partner therapy, just as it says.
• certainly I think back to last year when my father, in the late stages of his disease, which was a respiratory
• person coming into that room to have an appropriate PPE because the reality was any sort of other respiratory

Committees: Senate Health & Welfare , Senate Health and Welfare

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health and Welfare met on May 13 with a quorum present and approved the prior meeting minutes. The committee first heard HB 971, which would equalize Medicaid reimbursement rates between independent clinics and hospital-owned rural health clinics; supporters said independent clinics are disadvantaged by a large payment disparity, and the bill was reported favorable without objection. The committee also recognized visiting Alpha Phi Alpha members and other guests during personal privilege remarks. Members then considered HB 414, which would bar hiring certain health care workers and direct support professionals with serious disqualifying convictions from other states and address background-check issues for therapeutic group homes. After adopting three amendment sets, the bill was reported as amended. HB 740, creating an independent review process for Medicaid behavioral health claim disputes in the coordinated system of care, was amended to clarify applicability and CSOC definitions and then reported as amended. HB 288, which would place the term “miscarriage” alongside “spontaneous abortion” in medical documentation, drew emotional testimony from affected parents and advocates; the committee reported it favorable. The committee also advanced several more bills: HB 405, updating the name of the national acupuncture certifying body, was reported favorable; HB 786, prohibiting extrapolation in certain managed-care claims recoupments, was reported favorable; HB 1095, allowing alternative backup power sources for nursing homes, was reported favorable; HB 403, raising the cottage food gross-sales cap, was amended from $50,000 to $150,000 and then reported favorable; HB 930, modernizing cosmetic-product regulation and creating a small-producer exemption, was reported favorable; HB 557, defining long-term pharmacies for policy purposes, was reported favorable; HB 779, on expedited partner therapy for sexually transmitted diseases, was reported favorable; HB 915, setting utilization-management timelines and standards, was reported favorable; HB 546, expanding criteria for peace officers to take someone into protective custody during a mental health crisis, was reported favorable; HB 796, creating a chiropractic preceptorship program, was reported favorable; and HB 933, authorizing commemorative birth certificates, was reported favorable. The final major item was HB 1041, a “no-mandate” bill barring discrimination based on medical intervention status. The sponsor and Surgeon General said it was aimed at healthy, asymptomatic individuals and not at public health quarantine powers, but Senator Boudreaux objected to exemptions for schools and hospitals and offered an amendment to restore broader coverage. That amendment failed on a roll-call vote, and the bill remained under discussion as the transcript ended, with no final committee disposition shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Therapy has helped me. In my own story, therapy has helped me.
• So I go to therapy once a week.
• and released dangerous pollutants like lead, asbestos, and silica, all of which cause long-term respiratory

Summary: The Assembly met in session, established a quorum, and opened with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Members then moved through guest introductions, including students and fellows from California Lutheran University, UC Merced’s CAPE program, the Maddy Institute, and Madera High School’s Madtown Robotics Team 1323, which was recognized for multiple robotics world championships. The chamber also adopted an adjournment in memory and took up the daily file. Several bills and resolutions were considered and passed, including AB 1390 on school board compensation thresholds, AB 1338 on air district cost recovery for fence-line air monitoring, AB 648 on community college housing, AB 1207 on cap-and-trade price ceilings, ACR 66 recognizing Skin Cancer Awareness Month, AB 49 on keeping ICE out of public schools, AB 317 on a CEQA exemption for certain single-family homes, AB 527 on geothermal exploratory wells, AB 665 on the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation ombudsman report, AB 940 creating quantum innovation zones, AB 1021 on workforce housing for education agencies, AB 1112 on property tax apportionment in Rancho Mirage, AB 1318 on nonprofit eligibility for public funding, and AB 1470 on using student housing loan funds for affordable housing in downtowns and commercial districts. Most measures passed with broad support; AB 49 and AB 1318 were urgency bills and passed with the required higher vote threshold. The floor also adopted H.R. 40, declaring May 25 as Rosenda’s Day to honor a teen killed by a drunk driver, and H.R. 42, recognizing May as Behavioral Health Awareness Month. Both drew extensive personal testimony from members about mental health, suicide, substance use, and the need to reduce stigma and expand access to care. Additional health-related bills passed, including AB 408 creating a physician health and wellness program, AB 546 requiring coverage for HEPA purifiers for certain enrollees after wildfire disasters, AB 967 expediting licenses for out-of-state physicians, and AB 968 expanding pharmacist authority to provide non-hormonal contraception. The Assembly also debated AB 1056 on phasing out gill net fishing and AB 1376 on limiting juvenile probation terms, with supporters framing both as conservation or rehabilitation measures and opponents warning about economic harm or public safety concerns. Both bills ultimately passed. Throughout the session, members repeatedly emphasized public safety, education, housing, climate, health care access, and support for immigrant and youth communities, with recorded roll-call votes and voice votes taken on each measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• Conversion therapy is quackery and it is psychological torture.
• This ban mental health professionals from engaging in conversion therapy.
• So this bill will ensure that victims of conversion therapy have the time and the space to be able to
• I respectfully ask for an aye vote in the name of all of the survivors of conversion therapy.
• For an aye vote in the name of all of the survivors of conversion therapy. Thank you.

Transcript Highlights:

• She's a doctoral program candidate in occupational therapy.
• She's a doctoral program candidate in occupational therapy.
• to schools or school districts prescribing albuterol for any student or individual experiencing respiratory

Bills: SB6192 , SB6206 , SB5346 , SB6125 , SB5841 , SB5907 , SB5951

Committee: Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education

Keywords: education, reading, mathematics, student intervention, instruction, academic standards, child care, first responders, incentives, pilot program, mobile phones, cell phones, smartphones, school phones, classroom distraction, digital citizenship, media literacy, internet safety, cyberbullying, student mental health

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1304 is the sunset bill for the Respiratory Care Board.
• And with me today is Christine Molina, executive officer of the Respiratory Care Board.
• I'm Christine Molina, Executive Officer of the Respiratory Care Board, and I thank you for the opportunity
• Jennifer Tanna Hill with Aaron Reed and Associates, on behalf of the California Society for Respiratory
• Existing statute and RCB regulations related to LVNs providing respiratory care have resulted in confusion

Summary: The Assembly Business and Professions Committee heard a long agenda of licensing, consumer protection, and sunset-review bills. Early items included SB 1148, which would let aspiring security guards complete all required training before a guard card is issued; SB 342, which would soften the penalty for contractors who were licensed during part of a project but had a brief lapse; and several sunset bills for boards and bureaus, including the Board of Registered Nursing (SB 1302), the Board of Naturopathic Medicine (SB 1303), the Respiratory Care Board (SB 1304), the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (SB 1363), and the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board (SB 1368). The committee also heard SB 1311, which makes various updates to DCA boards and programs, and SB 1314, which restricts new tobacco retailers from locating within 600 feet of schools or daycare centers and bans nitrous oxide sales and related paraphernalia. Testimony was generally supportive on the training, sunset, and licensing cleanup bills, though several measures drew “opposed unless amended” or neutral positions over scope and implementation details. On SB 1314, supporters including prosecutors and school administrators argued it would reduce youth exposure to tobacco, while gas station, convenience store, cigar lounge, pharmacy, and business groups raised concerns about impacts on existing businesses, transferability of tobacco licenses, and possible de facto limits on future stations; some public health groups shifted to neutral after amendments. On SB 1302, nursing groups supported the board sunset bill, while the California Medical Association objected to allowing out-of-state nurse practitioner transition-to-practice experience to count without a California attestation process. On SB 1304, health facilities and long-term care groups supported the board extension but sought broader clarification so LVNs could perform respiratory tasks consistently across settings. After quorum was finally established, the committee voted to send the consent calendar bills SB 1376, SB 1391, SB 1416, and SB 1315 to Appropriations, and then approved SB 342, SB 1148, SB 1302, SB 1303, SB 1304, SB 1311, SB 1314, SB 1363, and SB 1368, all moving forward to the Committee on Appropriations. SB 1314 passed with some no votes, while the other measures advanced with broad support. The hearing ended after additional members were added on the record and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you have symptoms of upper respiratory or something in your lungs or something that could be pneumonia
• or something in your lungs respiratory or something in your lungs or<01:14:41.200><c> something</c><
• <c> radiation</c> is in the medical imaging and radiation is in the medical imaging and radiation therapy
• </c><01:44:50.680><c> So,</c> therapy rule-making authority. So, therapy rule-making authority.
• </c> radiation therapy educational programs. radiation therapy educational programs.

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• There are multitudes of things within the body that happen that also cause respiratory distress, as I
• So respiratory distress is something that is very thoroughly covered in pediatric advanced life support
• She said school nurses would assess respiratory status by listening to the lungs, looking at color, and
• She said this could be because of a respiratory infection, smoke inhalation, or other reasons for an
• She added that respiratory conditions such as asthma are exacerbated by chronic wildfires in the state

Summary: The House Education Committee first heard House Bill 2246, which would update school discipline rules for firearm-related violations. Committee staff explained that the bill extends existing firearm expulsion and readmission provisions to charter schools, state tribal education compact schools, the School for the Blind, the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth, and educational service districts, and would allow governing boards to deny readmission or limit participation in activities after a firearm-related incident. Representative Lowe said the bill was prompted by a local incident and was intended to give districts more flexibility and clarity while still ensuring students continue receiving educational services. Committee members questioned how the bill interacts with constitutional rights to public education, whether it applies to imitation firearms or social media threats, and whether the school board or administration should make the initial discipline decision. OSPI testified “other,” noting concern about limiting appeals to one reconsideration and citing 48 firearm-related expulsions and 198 suspensions in 2023-24. Team Child testified in opposition, arguing the bill would make reentry harder and could unnecessarily exclude students from extracurriculars after they had served their discipline period. The public hearing on HB 2246 closed with 246 pro, 7 con, and 1 other signed in. The committee then heard House Bill 2360, which would allow public and private schools to maintain stock albuterol under a statewide standing order for use in asthma or other respiratory emergencies. Staff described the bill as authorizing trained school personnel or nurses to administer school-supplied albuterol in certain circumstances, including on school property, buses, and sanctioned excursions, with limited liability protections and a refusal option for employees not wishing to administer it. Representative Donaghy said the bill was meant to address life-threatening asthma attacks, especially when a student’s own inhaler is unavailable or when emergency response times are long. OSPI and the Washington State Nurses Association/School Nurse Organization of Washington testified in support, emphasizing the prevalence of asthma, the bill’s permissive nature, and the need for a standing order. The Department of Health had sent a letter asking to strike one section, and some witnesses raised concerns about administering albuterol to students without a prior prescription or diagnosis. Opponents, including a school nurse, argued the bill should wait until the state has clearer protocols, more training, and better staffing, and said nurses should not be asked to diagnose or medicate without physician orders. Supporters, including a pediatric pulmonologist and school nurses, said stock albuterol is safe, can prevent emergency room visits and deaths, and should be paired with parent notification and follow-up care. The public hearing on HB 2360 closed with 113 pro, 2 con, and 1 other signed in.

Transcript Highlights:

• The most serious toxicology concern is dangerous slowing of breathing, also known as respiratory depression
• That animals demonstrate abstinence, withdrawal, and respiratory depression at higher doses.
• Studies show concentrated synthetic 7-OH causes morphine-like respiratory depression.
• Higher doses mean more risk of respiratory depression.
• does not work on opioid receptors and cause respiratory depression like 7-OH.

Committee: Senate Health

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), focusing on public health risks, overdose deaths, and regulatory gaps in California. The chair opened by noting that FDA and CDPH consider kratom and 7-OH products unlawful for consumption, yet they remain widely sold in smoke shops, vape stores, gas stations, and convenience stores. The hearing was framed as part of ongoing legislative work, including a future review of AB 1088, and members emphasized the need to weigh potential benefits against risks and consider whether stronger safeguards are needed. Expert testimony from a toxicology professor and several public health and medical officials described kratom as a plant with multiple alkaloids, with 7-OH identified as the more potent opioid-like compound associated with tolerance, dependence, withdrawal, and respiratory depression. CDPH reported 362 kratom-related overdose deaths in California from 2019 to 2023 and 15 deaths involving 7-OH, while Los Angeles County officials described unexplained deaths in young adults that led them to expand toxicology testing and identify 7-OH as a common factor. County and state public health representatives said they have issued advisories, contacted retailers, removed products from shelves, and taken enforcement actions, but they stressed that local enforcement is patchy, under-resourced, and limited by unclear jurisdiction and lack of testing capacity. Medical witnesses said patients are presenting with 7-OH dependence and withdrawal in ways similar to fentanyl-related cases, sometimes requiring buprenorphine, methadone, or repeated naloxone. They argued that unregulated retail sales and misleading marketing make the products especially risky, and that a statewide framework would be more effective than a patchwork of local ordinances. Some officials said the safest current policy is to keep kratom and 7-OH unlawful for consumption, while others said any new regulation would need resources, packaging rules, and clearer authority for enforcement. Industry and consumer advocates urged the committee to distinguish natural kratom leaf from concentrated or synthetic 7-OH products. They argued that kratom leaf has long-standing use, that 7-OH should be targeted rather than the whole plant, and that regulation should focus on age limits, labeling, testing, serving-size caps, and restrictions on adulterated products rather than prohibition. Several speakers warned that bans could push demand to the black market and reduce access for people using the products for pain relief or harm reduction, while critics of the industry said the products are being marketed deceptively and that more comprehensive regulation is needed.

Transcript Highlights:

• I’m just talking about respiratory illnesses.
• I mean, there's respiratory illnesses.
• </c> see during respiratory illness season. see during respiratory illness season.
• </c> in a broader sense as to all respiratory in a broader sense as to all respiratory illnesses,<01:
• </c> many children die a year respiratory many children die a year respiratory problems<01:11:47.920>

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 22, the Board of Respiratory Care, was the standard budget only.
• Section 62, Board of Physical Therapy, was standard budget only.
• </c> Section 62, Board of Physical Therapy Section 62, Board of Physical Therapy was<02:00:50.159><c>
• Page 97, section 83, Board of Occupational Therapy, is the standard budget only.
• Page 97, section 83, Board of Occupational Therapy, is the standard budget only.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 36, an act relating to respiratory care. Senator from Taylor.
• So, House Bill 36, it started off as an act related to respiratory care, which is a respiratory therapy
• So, House Bill 36, it started off as an act related to respiratory care, which is a respiratory therapy
• boards that govern these individual disciplines—the athletic trainers, the dieticians, and the respiratory
• boards that govern these individual disciplines—the athletic trainers, the dieticians, and the respiratory

Bills: HB567 , HB776 , HB2 , HB568 , HB619

Transcript Highlights:

• Through intensive speech therapy and excellent instruction, she's received...
• boxes, saying either I'm a wheelchair user, I can't walk more than 200 feet, I'm blind, or I have a respiratory

Transcript Highlights:

• We now co-locate free mental health therapy onsite at two of our brick-and-mortar clinics, free to anyone
• While we have been able to incorporate COVID-19 into our overall respiratory disease response, many of

Transcript Highlights:

• Most importantly, BetterHelp offers Texans access to professional, affordable, and tailored therapy in
• In New York, a lady was on Xanax, which is a benzodiazepine that can cause respiratory depression as
• Additional outreach will soon expand to allied health programs, including respiratory care and surgical
• Additional outreach will soon expand to allied health programs, including respiratory care and surgical
• We also work on surgical tech, radiologic tech, respiratory therapy, and medical assistance.

Committee: House Public Health

Transcript Highlights:

• mandated that when you walk out of the door of a MedQuest or a wholesale supplier of your oxygen therapy
• time at the first hospital prior to transfer for acute therapy of less than or equal to 90 minutes,
• than or equal to 25 minutes, dysphagia screen, documentation of last known well, IV thrombolytic therapy
• When a patient's on two months, one month opioid therapy, when it comes to designing PA criteria, when
• And non-surgical actually is a big part of where these therapies are getting used.

Committee: Joint Health Care Committee

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and then heard a detailed annual presentation from Dr. Thomas Arnold, chair of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee, on maternal mortality trends and review findings. He explained the committee’s structure, the de-identified review process, and the distinction between pregnancy-associated and pregnancy-related deaths. He said national maternal mortality has declined from its 2021 peak, but mental health conditions, substance use, overdose, suicide, cardiovascular disease, hemorrhage, infection, and embolism remain major causes. He emphasized that many deaths are preventable, with especially high rates among non-Hispanic Black women and in the American Indian/Alaska Native population, and noted that a large share of deaths occur after 42 days postpartum. Committee members asked about suicide, domestic abuse, pregnancy testing in unexplained deaths, and the role of home births and midwife training. Dr. Arnold said the committee is adding a caseworker, exploring post-mortem pregnancy testing in suspicious cases, and working with coroners and forensic officials; he also said home births and untrained midwifery pose safety concerns and that better public education and facility-based care are important. The committee then heard from State Fire Marshal Dr. Matt Clark on cigarette ignition propensity standards and fire prevention. He recommended updating North Dakota’s cigarette ignition legislation to the current national standard and also considering legislation requiring fast-breakaway oxygen tubing, citing fatal fires involving smoking around home oxygen. He explained that his office verifies manufacturer testing and maintains certification for cigarettes sold in the state, but does not itself conduct the testing. Members asked about implementation, cost, and whether the standards apply in tribal communities; Clark said he would follow up with cost information and additional details, and that he had not seen evidence of a major issue on tribal lands but would look further. Christine Greff of the Department of Health and Human Services presented the North Dakota Stroke System of Care report. She described the statewide network of two comprehensive stroke centers, four primary stroke centers, and 30 acute stroke-ready hospitals, along with the stroke registry and quality-improvement efforts. She reported that most strokes are ischemic, that the median stroke patient age is 71.5, and that common risk factors include hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes. She highlighted improvements in door-to-CT, thrombolytic treatment times, dysphagia screening, EMS pre-notification, and interfacility transfer performance, and said new priorities include hemorrhagic stroke quality measures and standardized EMS stroke screening tools. Members asked about the VA hospital’s participation, and Greff said she would pursue outreach. After a break, the committee heard testimony from Taha Khan of Vertex Pharmaceuticals as part of the prior authorization study, focused on non-opioid pain treatment. He argued that prior authorization can delay access to acute pain treatment and may push patients toward opioids, especially in the critical 24- to 72-hour post-discharge window. He cited data showing that even short opioid exposure can increase the risk of long-term use and said prior authorization is often a barrier for physicians and patients. Khan recommended open access with a quantity limit rather than prior authorization, suggesting a 14-day limit supported by the product’s data and an episode-of-care approach. Members asked about dental use, payer discussions, and cost; he said the product’s wholesale acquisition cost is about $16.10 per tablet, with patient assistance available, and that he would follow up on payer and comparison-cost questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• That’s why actually it may be involved in, and when normal respiratory depression happens, it helps.
• Because mitragynine does not cause respiratory depression, period. 7-OH causes respiratory depression
• Okay, it's not a negative. respiratory depression happens, it helps. Okay, it's not a negative.
• Because metrogenin does not cause respiratory depression, period. 7.0.H. cause respiratory depression
• , period. 7.0.H causes respiratory depression.

Transcript Highlights:

• A vast array of services in outpatient therapy, psychiatry, family support services.
• That's respiratory conditions—no surprise there—hypertension... diabetes and pain management.
• years or so in Medicaid, GLP-1s took over as the lead cost driver drugs, not behavioral health or respiratory

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• House 671, an act relative to undesignated glucagon rescue therapies in schools.
• students should be taught CPR, teaching them to administer Narcan and recognize the signs of a respiratory
• Carlos receives direct speech and language therapy focused on articulation, resonance, and language development
• indispensable services, we urge lawmakers to amend Medicaid regulations recognizing school-based speech therapy
• situations with low air quality at school, they experience immediate effects like headaches, lung and respiratory

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a public hearing on a large slate of bills, with the chairs emphasizing time limits, written testimony, and grouping similar measures together. Early testimony focused on opioid use disorder education in schools (S.382), with Senator Keenan arguing that students should be taught about the risks of substance use disorder and naloxone use as part of health curricula. Representative DeCost also briefly introduced H.551, a narrow bill concerning parent rights for children in third grade and younger. Several bills were then closed without testimony, including measures on type 1 diabetes informational materials and other diabetes-related proposals. A major portion of the hearing centered on school health and emergency response bills. Supporters of H.652/S.342 on diabetes management in schools described inconsistent district practices and urged clearer standards so students can receive care in classrooms rather than being sent out of instruction. Bills on epinephrine access and seizure disorders drew extensive testimony: advocates for stock epinephrine in schools argued that unassigned epinephrine can save lives and should be funded in a cost-neutral way, while a pediatrician opposed one version as an unfunded mandate. For seizure-safe schools (S.422/H.635), students, parents, educators, and advocates described missed or delayed responses to seizures, stigma, and the need for staff training, seizure action plans, and emergency medication protocols. A separate bill, H.645, allowing anti-seizure medication on school buses, was supported by a parent and student who said current law forces costly and restrictive transportation arrangements. The committee also heard testimony on youth skin health bills (S.334/H.600/H.619), which would let students carry and apply sunscreen at school and camp without a physician’s note. Supporters from melanoma prevention, dermatology, and industry groups said the bills would remove unnecessary barriers and promote sun-safe habits, while one witness cautioned about drafting details and unintended consequences. The hearing then moved to CPR/AED education for graduation (S.456), where Senator Tarr, a student advocate, and the Red Cross all supported requiring hands-on CPR certification for high school students. Finally, the committee took testimony on healthy school lunches (H.539/S.401): supporters from the Healthy School Lunch Coalition and school food directors backed stronger nutrition standards and a standing advisory council, while Consumer Brands Association witnesses opposed the bill as too vague and potentially disruptive. A nutrition scientist also warned about unintended restrictions on medically necessary or innovative foods. The chairs closed the hearing on the healthy lunch bills and then opened testimony on universal school meals for virtual schools (H.700), with Superintendent Patrick Latuka supporting access for students in Commonwealth virtual schools who currently receive no meal support.

Transcript Highlights:

• partner therapy, to provide for liability, and to provide for related matters.
• This bill allows physicians to use expedited partner therapy and amends the current law on what and how
• That's why I have them. is this bill is allowing physicians to use expedited partner therapy and amends
• And myself in the pharmacy, this expedited partner therapy, a lot of folks don't even know about it.
• at the average cost and working with an independent pharmacy, they're also working on MTM, medical therapy

Bills: HB62 , HB124 , HB182 , HB193 , HB198 , HB203 , HB223 , HB237 , HB469 , HB486 , HB574 , HB779 , HB796 , HB919 , SCR2 , SB4 , SB36 , SB38 , SB109 , SB152 , SB168 , SB195 , SB216 , SB221 , SB236 , SB404

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: Louisiana Women's Policy, gender equality, policy research, commission membership, women's representation, Domestic Violence, judicial experience, legislation, criminal law, family law, HB182, sexual assault, rape kit, forensic examination, forensic medical exam, sexual assault survivor, sexual assault nurse examiner, SANE, emergency department, hospital staffing

Bills: HB4248 , HB3194 , HB3849 , HB4095 , HB4302 , HB3342 , HB3344 , HB3287 , HB3645 , HB3647 , HB3930 , HB3931 , HB1818 , HB4454 , HB4336

Committee: House Health and Human Services Oversight

Keywords: HB4248, hemp beverage, hemp drinks, THC beverage, cannabis beverage, intoxicating hemp, age restriction, under 21, minor possession, youth access, public health and safety, Title 63, Oklahoma Statutes, retail sales, alcohol-style regulation, controlled substances, beverage regulation, pregnancy centers, abortion, abortion-inducing drugs