Video & Transcript : 'opioid prevention' :
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WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Human Services Jan 28th, 2026 at 08:00 am
Human Services
Transcript Highlights:
- So this bill is about protecting children from preventable harm.
- But when it comes to preventing child maltreatment fatalities, we are struggling as a country.
- Viggy Abara, the Assistant Secretary for Partnership Prevention and Services with DCYF.
- Vicki Ibarra, Assistant Secretary for Partnership Prevention and Services.
- DCYF is not prevented from filing a dependency petition when appropriate.
Committee:
Senate Human Services
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Health and Human Services Oversight Committee (05/29/2026)
Transcript Highlights:
- Hampshire, State Suicide Prevention Hampshire, State Suicide Prevention Plan,<00:57:20.880><c> that</
- . prevention. prevention.
- report. we have a statewide Suicide Prevention we have a statewide Suicide Prevention Coordinator<01
- suicide prevention education in our suicide prevention education in our schools<01:11:04.280><c> and
- </c> opioid stimulants and benzodiazepines. opioid stimulants and benzodiazepines.
Summary:
The committee met on May 29 and approved the draft minutes. DHHS Commissioner Weaver then opened the department update by asking Medicaid Director Henry Litman to brief members on federal and state Medicaid changes, and later turned to DHHS Chief Operating Officer David Weathers for an update on data governance. Members also asked that acronyms be spelled out in future materials and requested a follow-up on the federal Medicaid rule once it is published.
Litman reviewed several federal Medicaid provisions tied to HR 1/"OBBA" and related state implementation issues. He said the first major change would be restrictions on certain non-citizens’ Medicaid coverage, affecting about 400 people in New Hampshire, with notices likely 30 to 60 days before the effective date. He also discussed new work requirements/community engagement rules, saying New Hampshire is on track to implement them and will likely need a state plan amendment rather than an 1115 waiver. Other changes included shorter retroactive coverage periods, a new state option for certain community-based services with an estimated $740,000 in implementation support, a freeze and phased-down reduction in the Medicaid enhancement tax beginning in state fiscal year 2029, and limits on directed payments to hospitals after a grandfathering period. He also noted that Medicaid enrollment has fallen from pandemic-era levels, with about 167,000 people covered as of May 1, and that the department is working with CMS on child premiums and other cost-sharing changes approved in HB 2.
Committee members asked how the department could plan for the 2029 changes given the number of elections before then, and Litman said federal rules may be adjusted over time as states and stakeholders raise concerns. He emphasized planning for the worst while hoping for the best, and said rural health care transformation funding would help the state prepare. In the second presentation, Weathers explained that data governance is now embedded in DHHS operations to control access, manage reporting, and respond to risk. He defined it as managing what data is collected, how it is used, who can access it, and what laws apply, and said DHHS has moved from governance as a committee to governance as an operational process. He described privacy impact assessments for new systems going into production, monthly privacy and security training, and ongoing review of access controls and data-sharing rules.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
- Both can act on the main opioid receptor in the brain, which is called the mu opioid receptor.
- It's not really a strong opioid receptor agonist, right? It's kind of more opioid-like, right?
- and opioid withdrawal.
- In 2016, with the opioid crisis, all opioids were discontinued for people with chronic pain.
- After the opioid crisis and the opioids were removed, After the opioid crisis and the opioids were removed
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.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Legislative Health and Human Services Oct 6th, 2025
Legislative Health & Human Services Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- Last but not least, substance use disorder treatment and prevention.
- Madam Chair, regarding the Injectable Opioid Treatment Program, Dr.
- I appreciate the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Prevention Program.
- funding will be directed to opioid prevention and community revitalization.
- Next, I'm going to go to the Opioid Recurring Funding Plan.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on the Judiciary Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Transcript Highlights:
- This is a strong step toward preventing more tragic loss of life as we continue to battle the opioid
- way that opioid substances do to the new opioid receptors in the brain.
- or synthetic opioid receptor-stimulating substances, prevent the sale of kratom to minors, and eliminate
- And at that point, they highly recommended that Big Pharma look at 7-OH as a potential opioid-safe opioid
- Those opioid deaths begin to fall early in '24.
Committee:
Joint Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Summary:
The hearing covered a wide range of Judiciary Committee bills, with much of the testimony focused on criminal justice, public safety, and civil asset forfeiture reform. Several lawmakers and advocates supported bills to increase penalties or create new offenses related to assaults on sports officials, assaults on transit workers, reckless discharge of firearms, fires and explosives, pill press machines, and drug-induced homicide. Testifiers described rising harassment and violence against youth sports officials and transit workers, as well as the fentanyl overdose crisis and the need for stronger tools to prosecute dealers whose conduct leads to death. Supporters of the sports-official and transit-worker bills emphasized declining referee availability and repeated assaults on commuter rail and MBTA workers. District attorneys also backed bills on reckless firearm discharge and fires/explosives, saying current law does not adequately address dangerous conduct that endangers bystanders.
The committee also heard testimony on several proposals related to youth diversion and prison mitigation. Supporters of the youth court justice fund bill said youth courts are peer-led diversion programs with strong compliance and low recidivism, and argued for a stable funding source rather than annual earmarks. A representative from Bridgewater supported a prison mitigation fund for municipalities that host state prisons, saying the costs of public safety and emergency services are not fully covered. On gun policy, testimony split between supporters of a bill to ban in-state manufacture of assault-style rifles for civilian sale and opponents or skeptics of other firearm-related measures, including a bill on collateralizing firearms and a bill to increase penalties for drug trafficking combined with illegal firearm offenses.
A major portion of the hearing was devoted to civil asset forfeiture reform. Advocates from the ACLU, CPCS, the Boston Bar Association, the Institute for Justice, and others supported bills to increase the burden of proof, improve transparency and reporting, require counsel, and limit or eliminate the current practice of directing forfeiture proceeds to law enforcement. They argued the current system creates perverse incentives, lacks adequate due process, and is insufficiently transparent. District Attorney Paul Tucker defended current forfeiture practices, saying his office has reporting and oversight, uses the funds for investigations and community programs, and warned that reducing forfeiture revenue would hinder crime fighting. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing; the chairs repeatedly thanked witnesses and indicated the bills would remain under consideration.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Financial Services Jun 21st, 2026 at 12:30 pm
Joint Committee on Financial Services
Transcript Highlights:
- IUDs are one of the most effective ways to prevent pregnancy.
- It should not be easier for me to write a prescription for an opioid than it is to prescribe a non-opioid
- preventive service, The U.S.
- Preventive Services Task Force, if it gives an A rating to a preventive service, it has to be covered
- patients and 3,500 patients on PrEP for HIV prevention.
Committee:
Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Financial Services held a public hearing on a wide range of bills, with testimony first focused on H. 1315/S. 824, which would require insurance coverage for pain management options during IUD insertion. Representative Sabadosa, Planned Parenthood clinicians, and policy advocates said sedation can reduce fear and trauma, improve access to effective contraception, and should be reimbursed so providers can continue offering it. A Tufts OB-GYN resident also testified that pain control should be standard care for intrauterine procedures. No votes were taken during the hearing.
The committee then heard extensive testimony on firefighter health bills, especially H. 1230/S. 690 requiring insurance coverage for cancer screenings for firefighters. Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts leaders, a Dana-Farber oncologist, and firefighters themselves described occupational exposure to carcinogens and personal stories of late-stage cancer detection, arguing that early screening can save lives and reduce long-term costs. Representative Crichton and Representative Howitt also spoke in support, and Representative Ayers testified for H. 4012, which would require neurological disorder screenings for firefighters. Committee members expressed support and sympathy, but no action was taken.
The hearing also covered H. 3946/S. 756 on hearing aid coverage, with testimony from students, adults with hearing loss, disability advocates, and HLAA representatives describing the educational, social, and financial barriers caused by lack of coverage and urging broader insurance mandates. Later, Representative Donahue and Representative Vargas testified for H. 1337 to expand insurance coverage for opioid antagonists and related medications, including naloxone dispensed at discharge. The committee additionally heard testimony on H. 1134 to improve chronic pain care coordination and non-opioid access, and H. 4162 to improve ostomy supply coverage and access to certified ostomy care, with patients and clinicians describing denials, quantity limits, and non-medical switching. The transcript ends while testimony on H. 1315/S. 824 is still ongoing; no votes or formal committee actions are recorded in the excerpt.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs (04/15/2026)
Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> little bit of background, the Opioid little bit of background, the Opioid Abatement<00:06:10.880
- </c> Abatement Trust Fund and the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund and the Opioid Abatement<00:06:12.600><
- </c> opioid abatement projects. opioid abatement projects.
- Then no opioid I thought you Oh, okay. Then no opioid question.
- </c> prevention is worth a pound of cure. prevention is worth a pound of cure.
AL
Committee:
Senate Tourism
Keywords:
youth residential facilities, abuse prevention, law enforcement, video surveillance, civil penalties, record keeping, child rights, background check, criminal history, biometric identifiers, fingerprints, iris scan, palm print, photograph, rap back, NGI Rap Back, ALEA, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, AJIC, Alabama Justice Information Commission
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Housing Finance and Policy Committee 3/4/26
Housing Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- Mediation can also prevent evictions, which we know are disruptive and traumatic.
- Mediation can also prevent evictions, which we know are disruptive and traumatic.
- Mediation can also prevent evictions, which we know are disruptive and traumatic.
- Mediation can also prevent evictions, which we know are disruptive and traumatic.
- Mediation can also prevent evictions, which we know are disruptive and traumatic.
Committee:
House Housing Finance and Policy
Keywords:
housing, infrastructure bonds, funding, appropriation, Minnesota Statutes, HF2687, single-family homes, corporate landlords, corporate ownership, real estate investment trust, REIT, landlord registry, landlord database, tenant transparency, housing affordability, homeownership, deed tax, transfer tax, property tax, affordable housing
OK
Committee:
House Energy
Keywords:
environmental protection, water quality, aluminum, Department of Environmental Quality, EPA standards, groundwater conservation, water rights, permit allocation, metering, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, liquefied petroleum gas, safety regulation, LP-Gas Board, inspections, accident investigations, rural water service, district organization, emergency legislation, Oklahoma, water management
WA
Transcript Highlights:
- imposition of an undue burden on certain tribal traditional cultural practices may not be construed to prevent
Committee:
House Capital Budget
Keywords:
housing finance, affordable housing, housing commission, state agency, financial assistance, tribal relations, government, state policy, sovereignty, federalism, HB 2514, global war on terror, GWOT, war on terror memorial, Capitol campus memorial, Washington veterans, fallen service members, military memorial, post-9/11 veterans, Iraq War
AL
Alabama 2026 Regular Session
Alabama Senate Transportation and Energy Committee Feb 4th, 2026
Transportation and Energy
Transcript Highlights:
- But uh the organization is made up of utility owners, and the Underground Damage Prevention Act is really
- But uh the organization is made up of utility owners, and the Underground Damage Prevention Act is really
- But uh the organization is made up of utility owners, and the Underground Damage Prevention Act is really
- The Underground Damage Prevention Act is really meant to first and foremost protect life.
Committee:
Senate Transportation and Energy
Keywords:
appropriation, education funding, priority schools, Alabama education, State Department of Education, medical clinic board, clinic board, hospital bankruptcy, Chapter 11, bankruptcy, debt restructuring, municipal indebtedness, municipal bankruptcy, health care provider, acute care hospital, lease property, board immunity, director liability, civil liability, healthcare finance
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Consumer Protection & Business Jan 30th, 2026 at 08:00 am
Consumer Protection & Business
Transcript Highlights:
- Did you say it was an opioid or did you say that it was an alkaloid?
- So it is an opioid, but they're also alkaloids. Does that make sense?
- So, I mean, the opioid framework is good, especially as it comes, as it equates to 7-OH.
- solidarity with my fellow prevention leaders and with the youth across Washington.
- As youth, we are asking you to act now because prevention matters.
Committee:
House Consumer Protection & Business
Keywords:
kratom, consumer protection, regulation, health safety, substance control, infrastructure, protection, safety, security, state regulations, public health, tobacco regulation, smoking cessation, vapor products, health policy, youth prevention, pet insurance, insurance regulation, animal welfare, claims processes
NM
Committee:
House House Judiciary
Keywords:
interstate medical licensure compact, physician licensure, medical license reciprocity, expedited licensure, medical practice act, New Mexico medical board, compact commission, physician mobility, telemedicine, license portability, background check, disciplinary action, joint investigation, reproductive health care, gender-affirming care, scope of practice, medical board transparency, multistate compact, licensure renewal, health care workforce
NM
Transcript Highlights:
- This bill creates a balanced framework that allows earlier intervention, prevents avoidable harm, and
- officer discretion, and connects individuals to care earlier, reducing repeated calls for service and preventable
- Chair, Senator, the reason for the change was to prevent an overreach, right?
Committees:
Senate Senate Judiciary , Senate House Judiciary
Keywords:
interstate medical licensure compact, physician licensure, medical license reciprocity, expedited licensure, medical practice act, New Mexico medical board, compact commission, physician mobility, telemedicine, license portability, background check, disciplinary action, joint investigation, reproductive health care, gender-affirming care, scope of practice, medical board transparency, multistate compact, licensure renewal, health care workforce
TX
Texas 89th Regular
S/C on County & Regional Government Mar 10th, 2025
S/C on County & Regional Government
Transcript Highlights:
- Preventive care is very cheap. It keeps guys in, in, in the line of duty longer.
- I just don't, I can appreciate having a preventive measure and that we put so much money into training
Committee:
House S/C on County & Regional Government
Keywords:
hospital district, Cedar Creek, scholarship, dissolution, county judges, healthcare funding, grant program, rural counties, law enforcement, sheriff's departments, funding, public safety, deputy shortages, sheriff, prosecutor, salary assistance, HB 198, Wade Cannon Act, firefighter cancer screening, occupational cancer screening
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Interim Joint Committee on Health Services (9-16-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> in prevention 35. in prevention 35.
- . prevention. prevention.
- Um, that is The youth prevention initiative is for substance use prevention.
- </c><01:29:06.800><c> use</c> to take opioids in those with opioid use to take opioids in those with
- opioid use disorder.
Summary:
The committee met and approved the minutes from its August 27 meeting. It then received a presentation from Katherine Castanza of the National Conference of State Legislators on the Medicaid provisions in the 2025 budget reconciliation bill, referred to as HR1. She explained that the bill is estimated by CBO to save the federal government $911 billion over 10 years, with more than 20 Medicaid-specific provisions, most of the savings concentrated in five policies and largely backloaded into 2030-2034. She emphasized that the bill’s effects will vary by state, but that expansion states and hospitals are expected to be most affected, in part because of changes to eligibility, provider taxes, and state-directed payments.
Castanza highlighted several new funding and flexibility provisions, including a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund for 2026-2030 and a new home- and community-based services waiver option effective July 1, 2028, with $100 million in grants in fiscal year 2027. She also outlined major eligibility changes for Medicaid expansion adults: work or community engagement requirements effective January 1, 2027; twice-yearly redeterminations for the expansion population effective the same date; and new cost sharing for certain expansion adults effective October 1, 2028. She noted that Kentucky, as an expansion state, would be subject to these changes and that state agencies would face significant implementation demands, especially because federal guidance and timelines are tight.
A substantial portion of the presentation focused on financing changes. Castanza described new limits on provider taxes, including a 0% safe harbor for new taxes and a phased reduction for existing taxes in expansion states beginning in 2028, while nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities are exempt from the reduction if already taxed. She also explained that state-directed payments will be capped and phased down over time, with existing arrangements grandfathered only briefly; she said Kentucky has 11 approved state-directed payments and could see significant fiscal effects. She added that the bill also bars Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood or similarly situated providers for one year, changes immigrant eligibility rules effective October 1, 2026, lowers the federal match for certain emergency services, and expands the scope of the federal erroneous payment recoupment provision effective October 1, 2029. Throughout, she stressed that federal savings may translate into state cost shifts and that implementation timing will be critical.
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- </c><01:52:06.320><c> or</c><01:52:06.639><c> opioid</c> applied to every other opioid or opioid applied
- </c><01:57:36.239><c> receptor</c> containing opioid receptor containing opioid receptor opioid<01:57
- </c> preventable harm to accumulate. preventable harm to accumulate.
- We've heard that it targets the opioid receptors much like an opioid would.
- </c> products there resemble more opioids. products there resemble more opioids.
Committee:
Senate Judiciary
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Legislative Health and Human Services Oct 8th, 2025
Legislative Health & Human Services Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- facilities known as opioid treatment programs, or OTPs.
- Medications for opioid use disorder.
- Every individual suffering from opioid use disorder does not necessarily... for opioid use disorder,
- and violence prevention more broadly.
- When we invest in sexual violence prevention, we invest in the prevention of all manner of other forms
AZ
Arizona 2026 Regular Session
02/16/2026 - House Health & Human Services #2
Transcript Highlights:
- HB 2444 does not authorize opioid treatment. Opioids are explicitly prohibited.
- each opioid that was dispensed.
- Our role in providing education for opioid overdose predates our most current opioid or fentanyl epidemic
- Our role in providing education for opioid overdose predates our most current opioid or fentanyl epidemic
- for opioid overdose for victims, and are the only life-saving therapies available for opioid overdose
Summary:
The committee heard House Bill 2433, which would require insurers offering Medicare supplement policies to people 65 and older to also offer them to Medicare beneficiaries under 65 with ALS or end-stage renal disease, with enrollment periods and premium protections tied to 65-year-old rates. Supporters, including dialysis and ALS advocates, said the bill would help a small population facing high out-of-pocket costs and could improve access to transplants and care; opponents argued it would shift costs onto older seniors and raise Medigap premiums. The committee recommended the bill do pass on a 12-0 vote.
The committee also heard House Bill 2593, appropriating $1.5 million to the University of Arizona for the Arizona Perinatal Psychiatry Access Line. The sponsor and physicians testified that the line helps obstetric and pediatric providers quickly consult on perinatal depression, postpartum psychosis, suicidality, and other mental health crises, improving outcomes for mothers, children, and families and reducing costly emergency and crisis care. The bill received a do pass recommendation on a 10-1 vote.
House Concurrent Resolution 2013, proclaiming June 2026 as Celebrate Life Month, drew emotional testimony from a young woman with spina bifida and another speaker supporting the sanctity of life. Some members objected that the state should focus on practical supports such as paid leave, child care, and health care access, while others supported the resolution as a statement of human dignity. The resolution passed the committee 7-5. The committee then approved House Bill 4010, creating a Board of Genetic Counselors and licensure standards, after testimony from genetic counselors and a patient advocate about the need for qualified counseling and better access; it passed 11-1.
Later, the committee approved House Bill 2196, which would require pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse non-affiliated pharmacies at least their acquisition cost and pay a dispensing fee, and establish an appeals process. Independent pharmacists and their coalition said PBM practices are driving closures and unfairly favor affiliated pharmacies, while PBM and employer representatives warned of major cost increases and said the bill would interfere with private contracts; the bill passed 11-1. The committee also adopted a strike-everything amendment to House Bill 2182 requiring insurers and health plans to report claims denial and prior authorization data to DIFI, and then gave the amended bill a 12-0 do pass recommendation. Finally, the committee approved House Bill 2189, directing the Board of Nursing to update rules for licensed health aides and collect annual data, with the sponsor and board staff saying it would help implement routine ventilator care in the home; it passed 12-0. The committee then began hearing House Bill 2404, a strike-everything amendment on inter-facility transports for behavioral health patients, but the transcript cuts off before action on that bill.