Transcript Highlights:

• We're also in the process of interviewing for the two special assistants, the policy coordinator, the
• <00:46:07.480> for<00:46:07.760> those interviewing for those interviewing for those positions
• <03:16:56.680> on them on the spot we did um interviews on them on the spot we did um interviews
• Resume development for interview, resume development for interview, practicing that sort of thing
• the yellow about 80% are clinically the yellow about 80% are clinically stable<04:26:15.119>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They do more than just clinical trials, though.
• So it really is, in some ways, a clinical operations question.
• program um we increased our Clinic program um we increased our Clinic capacity<00:59:29.760>
• <01:14:23.560> Laboratory 75 um and then the Clinical Laboratory 75 um and then the Clinical
• paid directly to hospitals clinics paid directly to hospitals clinics Physicians<02:31:38.120>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Ways and Means and Health and Human Services committees heard Hawaii Health Systems Corporation’s biennium budget request, with testimony from HHSC leadership on the Hilo/Big Island region (HTH 212) and the Oahu region (HTH 215), plus discussion of capital improvement projects and systemwide partnerships. HHSC described its role as the rural healthcare safety net, serving a high share of Medicare, Medicaid/Quest, and uninsured patients, and said its costs are elevated by state employee fringe benefits, which it said are about 64% compared with roughly 30% in the private sector. HHSC also said pandemic-era federal aid, including relief funds and PPP loans totaling about $100 million, reduced the need for general fund support in prior years. For HTH 212, HHSC said its general fund request for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 was higher than the governor’s recommendation because of rising insurance, pharmaceutical, and contractor labor costs, and because it includes $13.2 million in FY 2026 and $2.3 million in FY 2027 for Epic electronic medical record implementation in East Hawaii. For HTH 215, HHSC said the requested general funds were aligned with the governor’s recommendation, in part because of increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for long-term care facilities under prior legislation. HHSC also said it was restoring a special fund ceiling so the region could spend its cash collections on operations. Members asked about the 64% fringe rate, and HHSC explained the difference was mainly due to defined-benefit pension and retiree health insurance costs, which private hospitals generally do not bear at the same level. Members also asked about the Daniel K. Akaka State Veterans Home, and HHSC said operations would be funded through the general fund corporation for the home when it opens, with management by Ohana Pacific, but no additional legislative operating funds were being requested at that time. Other questions focused on staffing and vacancies, including an abolished procurement position and an ongoing IT help desk recruitment need. HHSC highlighted several capital and partnership projects, including a $25 million state CIP request matched by $25 million from the Benioff family for the Benioff Health Center, an ER expansion and reconfiguration at Corner Community Hospital, and $7.5 million in each fiscal year for Kauai EMR capital funds to join the Epic platform. Testimony also described collaborations with Queen’s, the University of California San Francisco, Hawaii Pacific Health, the Hawaii Cancer Consortium, the Department of Health, and the state hospital to improve specialty access, clinical trials, behavioral health, and patient placement across the system.

Transcript Highlights:

• In my current role at ARCHI, our goal is to help rural hospitals and clinics succeed.
• In my current role at ARCHI, our goal is to help rural hospitals and clinics succeed.
• I went to the best clinics in the country, and specifically here in Texas, for five years.
• We would prepare the family for the interview with the landlord.
• We would drive them to the interview. We would pay the rent and security deposit.

Bills: HB18, HB37, HB 116, HB388, HB879, HB913, HB 1151, HB2216, HB2358, HB2809, SB577, SB1590, SB1782, SB1887, SB2744

Keywords: rural health, hospital funding, healthcare access, mental health services, financial stability, perinatal bereavement, healthcare, hospital training, bereavement support, maternal care, fetal demise, stillbirth, neonatal death, parent-child relationship, involuntary termination, family law, child welfare, child protection, HB 388, HB388

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services met with a quorum and took up several House and Senate bills, with public testimony limited to two minutes per witness. The committee first heard HB 2358, a cleanup bill requested by HHSC that would repeal outdated training and conference requirements for long-term care facility surveyors and certain providers; there were no witnesses, and the bill was left pending. The committee then heard HB 18, the rural hospital stabilization bill, which would create financial assessment tools, a rural hospital finance office at HHSC, an academy for rural hospital officers, multiple grant programs, enhanced Medicaid reimbursement tied to average cost, OB/GYN add-on payments, expanded pediatric telehealth connectivity, and a rural pediatric mental health program. Senator Perry and witnesses from TORCH, a rural hospital, AARP Texas, and ARCHI strongly supported the bill as a way to stabilize rural hospitals, improve OB access, and address workforce and financial pressures. Committee members discussed rural hospital closures, low-volume quality metrics, system affiliation, and the need for predictable monthly reimbursement; the bill was left pending after testimony and questions. The committee next heard HB 37, which would create a perinatal bereavement care initiative for families experiencing stillbirth, neonatal death, or intrauterine fetal demise, including counseling, staff training, and access to cooling devices, with possible grants and a recognition program for hospitals. Senator Huffman explained the bill, and several witnesses testified in support, sharing personal stories about infant loss and the importance of time with the baby, trained staff, and cuddle cots or similar devices. A neonatologist also supported the bill while suggesting clarification that hospitals should not be penalized if state funding is unavailable and recommending use of regional advisory councils to help implement training. Public testimony was then closed and the bill left pending. The committee also heard HB 879, which would create a streamlined licensing pathway for veterans with medical or nursing experience to practice in Texas, and HB 913, which would add new state hospitals to statute and split the North Texas State Hospital into two separate hospitals with their own superintendents; both bills had no opposition testimony and were left pending. Later, the committee heard SB 2744, a heart disease screening bill that would update the 2009 Texas Heart Attack Prevention Act to require insurance coverage for coronary CT angiography with plaque analysis, including soft plaque detection, as a preventive screening tool. The author and invited witnesses argued the technology is more effective than calcium scoring alone, can identify patients before symptoms appear, and could save lives at a cost comparable to or lower than colonoscopy. An insurance industry witness opposed the bill, arguing the technology has not been recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for universal screening and that the mandated coverage and payment level would raise costs; the bill was left pending after testimony. Finally, the committee heard HB 1151, a parental rights bill clarifying that refusing psychotropic medication or psychiatric treatment is not neglect unless the child is harmed. Supporters, including parent advocates and attorneys, said the bill would protect parents from CPS overreach and preserve medical decision-making authority, while one witness urged broader attention to physical causes of behavioral issues. Public testimony was closed and HB 1151 was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• objectives of the Arkansas Dermatology Society are to promote the highest possible standards of clinical
• of dermatology trainees and practicing physicians dedicated to promoting the highest standards of clinical
• are dedicated to advancing excellence in dermatologic medicine and surgery through leadership in clinical
• When interviewed following the championship win, Coach Jared Johnson remarked on his coaching role, which

Summary: The House convened to finish items from an adjourned resolution and spent most of the meeting recognizing individuals, teams, and organizations through a series of House resolutions. One resolution designated May as Skin Cancer Awareness Month, with the sponsor emphasizing that skin cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in the U.S., that early detection greatly improves outcomes, and that public education on prevention and sun safety is important. Another resolution honored Frederick Henry Middleton of Arkadelphia for 50 years of service to the city’s street department and his long record of community involvement. The chamber also recognized the Rolling Razorbacks wheelchair basketball team for winning its sixth Division II national championship, and several Arkansas high school athletic programs for state titles, including Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School boys basketball, Rogers High School teams in girls cross country, baseball, boys tennis, girls wrestling, and boys golf, Mountain Home High School boys and girls cross country, Mount St. Mary Academy girls golf, and North Little Rock High School girls basketball. Members highlighted team records, championships, coaches, and individual achievements, and many resolutions were adopted by title only after brief presentations. Additional resolutions honored the Central Arkansas Christian High School choir for its state festival success, Arkansas Tech University women’s cross-country team for winning the Great American Conference championship, and Arkansas Tech women’s basketball coach Dave Wilbers upon his retirement after a highly successful career. No substantive debate or roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript; the meeting ended after the final recognition with notice that the House would reconvene later in the day.

Transcript Highlights:

• They look at faculty, they look at faculty qualifications, they look at a matrix of all your clinicals
• You have clinical agreements, consistent approved clinicals for all the different areas—gynecology, pediatrics
• These are the best of the best students that are interviewed and whittled down to a small cohort that

Summary: The Education and Employment Committee met with a quorum and considered one bill, HB 121 by Representative Overdorf, relating to nursing education programs. The sponsor said Florida’s nursing shortage is projected to worsen and argued that low NCLEX passage rates show some programs are not adequately preparing students. The bill would tighten probation for underperforming programs, require program directors to be accountable, authorize Department of Health on-site inspections, require admission criteria and public posting of NCLEX passage rates, and require tuition reimbursement and free remediation for students at programs with passage rates below 30 percent. Members asked about how the bill would interact with the Board of Nursing, the Commission for Independent Education, and other agencies, and whether it would address fraudulent or low-quality schools. An opponent from the Florida Association of Independent Nursing Schools said current law already requires Board of Nursing and commission review, institutional accreditation, and provisional status for programs on probation, and argued the bill could reduce the supply of nurses. He also said Florida’s NCLEX results had recently improved. A representative of the Florida Nurses Association supported the bill, saying weak programs waste students’ time and money and do not produce licensed nurses. During debate, several members described concerns about diploma mills, fraudulent programs, student debt, and the need for stronger screening and accountability. Others emphasized that raising standards would improve patient safety and help ensure better-prepared nurses. The chair noted the importance of private nursing colleges in the state’s nursing pipeline. The committee then voted 19-0 to report HB 121 favorably and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was a sex educator in the the schools and I worked in the STD clinic and then spent years of research
• For example, in the STD clinic, I went the explosion of date rape in the 1990s that was after pornography
• Alfred Kinsey, he interviewed pedophiles. who raped children and then declared that children were sexual
• I participated in interviews with with minors.

Bills: HB14, HB 106, HB146, HB267, HB274, HB 1127, HB1359, HB1393, HB1584, HB1640, HB1710, HB2152, HCR101, HJR8, HR51

Keywords: nuclear energy, advanced reactors, energy security, grant programs, Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, HB 106, oil and gas, Railroad Commission of Texas, overhead electrical lines, electrical distribution system, power line maintenance, administrative penalty, Natural Resources Code, oil and gas lease, well operator, energy safety, utility infrastructure, regulatory compliance, cleanup fund, oil and gas regulation and cleanup fund

Transcript Highlights:

• We have clinics—primary care clinics, nonprofit, community-based—all over the state.
• All of our clinics are nonprofit.
• They may want to set up a clinic.
• municipally owned clinics.
• municipally owned clinics.

Bills: SB21, SB42, SB81, SB101, SB139

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

Transcript Highlights:

• more sense for the Commission to make that choice because the Commission meets the students, they interview
• Currently, that makes it really hard for us at the university to bring students into our law school clinic
• And luckily, we had a clinic like this give us advice to say, "You sign this, you're going against the
• So even with this wonderful clinic, it took us two years to get any help, and this past summer we were
• Or when I'm meeting with the students from this clinic.

Transcript Highlights:

• And and of course those<00:21:20.480> that<00:21:20.640> you<00:21:20.880> interviewed
• you interviewed uh didn't know<00:21:22.400> they<00:21:22.720> even<00:21:22.880>
• It could be a variety of clinical requirements in place, but what do we have there to make sure that
• It could be a variety of clinical requirements in place, but what do we have there to make sure that
• So, it was really because we do not interview and we also do not request records through the license

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Clinical observations and case studies have shown Ibogaine's ability to interrupt substance use disorders
• And so, but have you ever seen the state do something with the clinical trial like this.
• Before the treatment, 23 had clinical PTSD, 14 had anxiety disorder. 15 had alcohol use disorder, 19
• And I'm again, treatment must. always be delivered in a clinically controlled inpatient setting, which
• I think we're able to get Ibogaine to the point of being able to administer. in clinical trials in the

Bills: SB128, SB640, SB672, SB904, SB1141, SB1263, SB1525, SB1528, SB2041, SB2306, SB2308, SB2357, SB2446, SB2695, SB2857, SB2891, SB2583

Keywords: hospital reporting, child abuse, neglect, administrative penalty, medical ethics, child protection, SB 640, Texas Family Code, Department of Family and Protective Services, DFPS, child welfare, foster care, managing conservatorship, suicide attempt, youth suicide, mental health, child protective services, state custody, annual report, reporting requirements

Transcript Highlights:

• It not only produces better clinical outcomes, but it has better cost outcomes, and there's a strong
• As a public health student, I had the honor of interviewing several...
• As a public health student, I had the honor of interviewing several you know.
• I’ve done all my own interviewing. I’ve done all my own vetting.
• I've done all my own vetting there are roommate services I've done all my own interviewing.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Housing held a hybrid hearing on a broad slate of housing and homelessness bills. Chairs Rich Haggerty and Julian Cyr opened by noting the committee’s focus on EOHLC programs such as RAFT, MRVP, and HomeBASE, and several members and advocates emphasized the urgency of the state’s homelessness crisis, including rising family homelessness and the need for earlier intervention, more stable subsidies, and stronger long-term housing tools. A major theme was homelessness prevention and rehousing. Multiple witnesses supported bills to codify and strengthen RAFT and HomeBASE, arguing that assistance should be available earlier in a crisis rather than only after a notice to quit or imminent loss of housing. Testimony from legal services, homelessness coalitions, social workers, municipal housing staff, and tenant advocates said the programs help families avoid eviction and shelter, but need more flexibility, higher benefit caps, and permanent statutory protection. Several speakers also urged support for codifying the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP), describing it as a critical long-term subsidy for low-income households and older adults, and warning that codification would protect the program from future budget or policy changes. The committee also heard testimony on housing stability for older adults, affordable homes for people with disabilities, supportive housing, housing cooperatives, home sharing, local preference, and reentry housing for returning citizens. Advocates for older adults described a Somerville bridge subsidy pilot that helped stabilize seniors while they waited for permanent housing, and urged statewide expansion. Supporters of supportive housing called for an interagency board to streamline funding and development, while cooperative housing proponents backed creation of a Massachusetts Center for Housing Cooperatives and a dedicated funding reserve. A bill to secure housing for returning citizens drew support from reentry providers and Senator Adam Gomez, who said stable housing is essential to successful reintegration. No votes were taken during the hearing; witnesses generally asked the committee to report the bills favorably, and some members asked follow-up questions on data and program details.

Transcript Highlights:

• education and prescribing for youth seen in our primary care clinic.
• Okay, I thought it was clinics. So they were more organization.
• So what I'm hearing you're saying is it needs to be clinical. It needs to be maintained.
• “That is not medical, not clinical. That is a set-it-and-forget-it approach.
• At 14, I finally convinced his pediatrician to refer us to the MGH PANS clinic.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery opened its first public hearing of the 2025–26 session with remarks from the Senate and House chairs outlining the committee’s priorities. They noted recent work on addiction and recovery legislation, the ongoing youth behavioral health crisis, and that members might need to leave periodically for floor votes. The chairs explained hearing procedures, including three-minute testimony limits, written testimony deadlines, and reporting deadlines for Senate and House bills. The hearing then focused on several bills related to youth mental health, overdose prevention, and psychedelic treatment research. A major portion of the hearing centered on bills to improve youth crisis response and overdose prevention. Testimony strongly supported bills to print the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on student ID cards, with speakers from mental health organizations, crisis centers, and individuals sharing personal stories of depression, suicide attempts, and the importance of making 988 as familiar as 911. Another set of bills would require schools to stock naloxone and provide overdose prevention education. Physicians, harm reduction advocates, students, and grieving family members testified that school-based Narcan access and education could save lives, reduce stigma, and help students recognize overdoses and understand Good Samaritan protections. Senator O’Connor and Tamika Perry also testified for a bill to strengthen substance use prevention education and reduce overdose abandonment, emphasizing the need to teach students about overdose risks and the legal protections for calling 911. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to authorize a pilot program for psychedelic treatment in licensed facilities. Senator Friedman and several medical and behavioral health professionals argued the proposal was a narrow, research-based approach distinct from the broader ballot question rejected in 2024. They said the bill would allow only a small number of supervised clinics to use psychedelics for conditions such as depression, PTSD, anxiety, and substance use disorders, with data reporting and Department of Public Health oversight. Supporters described it as a cautious way to study promising treatments while avoiding unsupervised or commercialized use. Finally, the committee heard support for a bill to create a special commission and five-year strategic plan for children’s behavioral health services, with testimony that the current system is fragmented, difficult for families to navigate, and strained by workforce and funding challenges. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing; the committee primarily received testimony and questions on the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• 11.280> those<01:42:12.080> studies those clinical trials uh those studies those clinical
• What's that threshold clinical trials?
• <01:51:52.719> Uh, clinical trials are conducted. Uh, clinical trials are conducted.
• <01:52:03.119> um very rigorously in clinical trials. um very rigorously in clinical trials
• need of excessive clinical services. need of excessive clinical services.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and improved oversight of clinical and improved oversight of clinical requirements<00:09:56.959>
• That often involves site visits to providers, reviewing records, interviewing recipients that receive
• reviewing records, interviewing reviewing records, interviewing recipients<00:18:26.160> that
• , on-site visits, doing interviews, on-site visits, doing interviews, looking<00:27:00.159> at
• , for some family planning clinics, for some family planning clinics, eliminating<00:41:12.480>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:58:05.440> employees<00:58:05.839> who hire, retain, or interview employees who
• hire, retain, or interview employees who do<00:58:06.319> not<00:58:06.559> support<00
• I mean, by the count and by the testimony, you have 11 of these clinics around the state, and you've
• I mean, by the count and by the testimony, you have 11 of these clinics around the state, and you've
• I mean, by the clinics are struggling?

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that we get set we have a dental clinic that we get set up<00:13:16.040> every<00:13:16.240><
• That might mean a trip to the dental clinic. It might mean a trip to the eye clinic.
• <00:53:52.799> you're almost feel like an interview you're almost feel like an interview you're
• I'm a licensed independent clinical social worker.
• Yale I'm a licensed independent clinical Yale I'm a licensed independent clinical social<00:57:45.680

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I work in a small chiropractic clinic. I own my own clinic. I run it every single day.
• You know, I want to make my clinic more efficient. It makes my job easier.
• I own my in a small Chiropractic Clinic I own my own<00:33:56.240> Clinic<00:33:56.600> I<
• <00:34:57.800> more you know I want to make my clinic more you know I want to make my clinic
• <00:53:57.640> for clinic for clinic for example<00:53:59.480> um example um example um

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, if somebody is in this country, they had their asylum interview at the border, they were admitted
• Chen is with the University of Minnesota Law School Detainees Rights Clinic. Mr.
• Chen, thank you so much Clinic. Uh Mr.
• <01:10:02.239> representing Americans, I run a clinic representing Americans, I run a clinic
• tell you that emergency room and clinic tell you that emergency room and clinic visits<02:54:48.080

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The hearing of the Minnesota Senate Select Subcommittee on Federal Impacts on Minnesotans and Economic Stability focused on federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, especially ICE and CBP operations, and their alleged constitutional and civil-rights impacts. Opening remarks from both parties emphasized the need for calm, cooperation, and public safety, though they sharply differed on the causes of the current situation. Republican members argued that violent criminal undocumented immigrants should be removed and that state and local officials should cooperate with federal authorities. Senator McEwen and other Democrats described the federal presence as abusive and terrorizing, citing deaths, family separations, and community fear, and called for accountability and truth-telling. The chair also held a moment of silence for Renee Mlin Good and Alex Prey before testimony began. Testimony from the ACLU of Minnesota and the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota described what they said was a large-scale federal enforcement operation, including Operation Metro Surge, with widespread alleged violations of the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Tenth, and other constitutional amendments. Witnesses cited alleged racial profiling, warrantless arrests, excessive force, denial of counsel, detention out of state, and failure to comply with court orders. They referenced specific cases involving Susan Tinure, Abdi Khadir Nure, Victor Manuel Diaz, and others, as well as reports of journalists and community members being threatened or detained while documenting ICE activity. The witnesses also said the federal government’s lack of transparency makes it difficult to know how many people have been detained or deported and argued that the harm extends to both immigrants and citizens. Committee members asked questions about ICE entering homes without judicial warrants, federal claims about constitutional limits, and access to counsel for detainees moved out of state. The witnesses said that out-of-state detention, poor locator systems, paid phone access, and lack of privacy make legal representation difficult or impossible, and that civil-rights remedies often come too late because people are removed before cases are resolved. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the portion of the hearing provided; the committee moved from opening statements into testimony and member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• store and how stressful that is and then it might be 100 miles or 150 miles to the nearest recovery clinic
• This tool is not designed to be a structural interview with a child.
• Youth and children, they are not interviewed or asked questions, and this helps to make sure that there
• I want to end with a study that was done by West Coast Children's Clinic.

Bills: HB 451, HB 645, HB 1041, HB 1151, HB 1155, HB 1536, HCR 12

Keywords: commercial sexual exploitation, child sex trafficking, human trafficking, child welfare, foster care, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, juvenile probation, risk assessment, needs assessment, trauma screening, child abuse prevention, exploitation screening, validated screening tool, evidence-informed tool, conservatorship, juvenile justice, at-risk youth, trafficking prevention, Child Sex Trafficking Prevention Unit

Transcript Highlights:

• But the moment that stood out for me, and the moment I told the governor about when I was interviewing
• I did an interview last night where they said, oh, you have one of the toughest jobs in the state.
• assess changes in health policy by continually reviewing data, information, and reports from credible clinical
• So they sit in various places, including hospitals, clinics, and nonprofit organizations to help really
• So they sit in various places, including hospitals, clinics, nonprofit organizations to help really kind

Summary: The committee first welcomed new DSHS Secretary Angela Ramirez, who introduced herself and described her background in public service, federal and state legislative work, and health and human services leadership. Members emphasized the importance of building strong relationships with her and noted her focus on protecting services, using strategic approaches in a tight budget environment, and improving partnerships with the Legislature. Ramirez said she wanted to keep communication open and that her priorities would be shaped by what she learns from lawmakers and agency partners. The next work session focused on the West Coast Health Alliance and the broader Governor’s Public Health Alliance. Department of Health and governor’s office staff said the West Coast alliance, involving Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii, was formed to coordinate science-based public health guidance, especially around vaccines, return-to-work guidance, and responses to federal changes. They said the alliance is intended to reduce confusion, counter misinformation, and preserve access to evidence-based recommendations, with early actions including vaccine guidance for COVID-19, flu, and RSV, a statement rejecting any vaccine-autism link, and preparation for possible ACIP changes. Members asked about workload and coordination with other regional alliances, and staff said there is informal coordination but no formal regular meetings. The committee then heard from the Washington State Health Benefit Exchange about open enrollment and the effects of federal policy changes. Exchange leaders said the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, HR1 provisions, and immigration-related eligibility changes are affecting affordability and enrollment, with some customers facing large premium increases and some counties becoming harder to serve. They reported early open-enrollment traffic increases, nearly 10,000 new sign-ups, and nearly 12,000 active coverage drops so far, while noting that many more people may disenroll later if subsidies are not extended. They also described mitigation efforts such as silver loading, Cascade Care Savings, outreach through navigators and community partners, and planning for future HR1 requirements like ending auto-renewal and adding verification steps. In the final work session, staff from the Health Care Authority and Insurance Commissioner’s office reviewed Washington’s health reform history and the state’s current affordability and access efforts. They highlighted past ACA-related coverage gains, continued work on prescription drug affordability, PBM oversight, primary care and behavioral health access, and a pending legislative proposal to preserve access to preventive services. They also discussed federal changes affecting Medicaid and the exchange, including work requirements, six-month redeterminations, and the need to coordinate across agencies to implement new rules. Members raised concerns about network adequacy, provider access, and the complexity of the health care system, while staff said they are trying to mitigate harm, simplify administration, and keep coverage and access as stable as possible.