Transcript Highlights:

• It has made significant progress, achieving almost 80% state coverage so far and is working on the remaining
• They have almost 80 percent coverage of the state now, but that last 20 percent is still a lift.

Transcript Highlights:

• So addressing coverage gaps that you indicated, I think I have it stated correctly, the new The All-Payer
• But when our providers are paying two to three times more for their coverage than their colleagues who

Transcript Highlights:

• It changes Medicaid coverage by requiring a 5% of family income premium for our lowest-income families
• 42.960> budget<00:26:43.840> it The Health and Human Services budget changes Medicaid coverage

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Finance Committee met for final approval of HB 1 and HB 2, with legislative budget staff Michael Kain reviewing the final amendment documents and surplus statements. Kain explained that HB 1474H and HB 1484H incorporated the committee’s prior votes and the Governor’s recommended sections, and he walked through the budget math for the general fund, education trust fund, Highway Fund, and Fish and Game Fund. He said the committee’s proposal remained balanced overall, though the current-year general fund showed a projected deficit that HB 2 would address by allowing a possible rainy day fund transfer if needed. He also noted that the committee’s revenue estimates were below the Governor’s, requiring reductions and adjustments to appropriations and lapse assumptions. Members discussed the rainy day fund provisions, including a section in HB 2 that suspends existing restrictions so a transfer can be made if the deficit materializes. Kain said the committee’s approach differed from the Governor’s because the state was not below the overall revenue plan, and the fiscal committee would retain a role in determining any transfer. He also summarized that the Highway Fund would end with about a $13 million balance and Fish and Game with about $3 million, both without additional general fund support. The committee then adopted two amendments to HB 2 unanimously: Amendment 1473H, a technical cleanup to the Group 2 retirement seven-year rule, and Amendment 1482H, a technical correction to the recreational services language. Amendment 1484H, which incorporated those changes into HB 2, was adopted on a 14-1 vote after minority members objected to the bill’s broader cuts and policy changes, including reductions to state agencies, health and human services, and education-related provisions. The committee also adopted Amendment 1474H to HB 1A on a 14-1 vote after similar debate over budget reductions, vacancies, university funding, and school spending limits. Finally, the committee voted 14-1 to report HB 1A and HB 2 as amended as ought to pass, with the minority voting no and the committee planning a full House presentation the following week.

Transcript Highlights:

• And, you know, however the coverage looks, um, we have patrolmen in Sheridan County.
• <03:19:52.280> looks,<03:19:53.200> um know, how however the coverage looks, um know
• , how however the coverage looks, um we<03:19:54.360> have<03:19:55.200> patrolmen<03:19
• Uh, back when, um, the Highway Patrol had a hiring issue and the coverage was tight.
• issue and the coverage was was tight.<03:21:09.360> And<03:21:10.480> um tight.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's going to analyze health challenges, treatment access, and ensure coverage for practices related
• <04:26:28.319> It's<04:26:28.560> going<04:26:28.640> to also coverage practices
• It's going to also coverage practices.
• <04:26:32.640> for access, and ensure coverage for access, and ensure coverage for practices
• I want to ask you, will the people have a selection of or options of what their coverage will be?

Keywords: MS House Floor - 12 February, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The House convened with a prayer led by Reverend Lewis Dixon of Crystal Springs and then recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Members also welcomed several guest groups, including the Hazerhurst Middle School girls basketball team, the Mississippi Society of Radiologic Technologists and students from several colleges, and Oakdale Elementary students visiting the Capitol. On the calendar, the House first took up several rules-calendar items and adopted them overwhelmingly, including a Senate concurrence resolution and multiple resolutions, with votes such as 118-0 and 121-0. The chamber also tabled House Bill 965. Later, House Bill 517, the Mississippi Charter Schools Act, passed 88-10 after members explained it was a technical bill with no substantive changes. House Bill 644, an Administrative Procedures Act measure requiring agencies to report rules or actions costing over $100,000, passed 114-0. The House then approved House Bill 1015, which replaces an inactive member on the Title 5 Advisory Council, by 119-0. House Bill 1314, dealing with contractor bonding and procurement thresholds, was amended to raise a bond amount from $25,000 to $75,000 and to increase a bidding threshold from $10,000 to $15,000; it passed 119-2. House Bill 1468, which narrows public-records access by excluding certain personal information, was amended with a reverse repealer to allow further work on the language and passed 118-1. House Bill 1529, a peer bill with a reverse repealer, passed 128-0. House Bill 1640 authorized DHS to use automated wage verification services and passed 115-2. House Bill 1754 created a fast-track option for cyber security software and hardware emergencies and passed 121-0. The House also adopted a strike-all amendment to House Bill 1218, extending the MyKids youth-court software authority for one year, requiring a progress report, and allowing continued use of MyKids or a replacement system; the bill passed 128-0 after questions about the system’s outdated nature and the need to keep AOC accountable. Finally, House Bill 1225, concerning non-consensual towing, was explained as requiring tow operators to identify who requested the tow and to provide VIN and lienholder information so certified notices can be sent; the discussion was still underway at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're finding some challenges with the Dairy Margin Coverage Program, very important for our dairy farmers

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture first moved through a series of animal welfare bills, reporting all of them to the floor. The measures included bills on sentencing for aggravated cruelty to animals, additional aggravated cruelty provisions, penalties for animal abandonment, requiring owners or lessors of vacated properties to inspect for abandoned animals, and restricting surgical depopulation procedures on dogs and pets. Members generally expressed support, and each bill advanced by motion and voice vote with no noted opposition or recusals; one additional bill was held by the sponsor. The committee then heard from Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball, who gave an update on state and federal agriculture issues. He discussed the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center, federal farm bill negotiations, specialty crops, labor and H-2A reform, dairy margin coverage concerns, possible cuts to EQIP, organic certification funding, trade and USMCA review, tariffs and input costs, and disaster concerns affecting Long Island seafood producers. He also highlighted state programs such as Nourish New York, Dairy Modernization, farm-to-school efforts, and workforce development initiatives. Members asked questions about raw milk sales, H-2A labor, solar siting on farmland, farm-to-school expansion, tariff impacts, and support for farmers facing federal cuts and rising costs. Ball said raw milk sales remain limited to licensed on-farm sales with inspections and warnings, supported reform of H-2A and broader labor policy, urged protecting prime and actively farmed land from solar development, and emphasized the need to preserve food access programs like Nourish New York and farmers market nutrition benefits. The meeting ended after the commissioner’s testimony and member discussion, with no further formal action beyond the earlier bill reports.

Transcript Highlights:

• On our civic access, we do live and edit an edited coverage of the governor's inauguration in the state

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The amount of coverage that the counties and all the tax units can and can't accept for disaster reappraisal

Bills: HB198, HB303, HB1535, HB2742, HB3305, HB3348, HB3505, HB3711, HB4753, HB2715, HB21, HB30, HB21, HB198, HB303

Keywords: HB 198, Wade Cannon Act, firefighter cancer screening, occupational cancer screening, fire protection personnel, local government, political subdivision, Texas Commission on Fire Protection, National Fire Protection Association, NFPA standards, occupational medical examination, public safety, firefighter health, cancer prevention, annual health screening, confidential medical exam, pulmonary function test, electrocardiogram, chest x-ray, blood test

Transcript Highlights:

• Talk a little bit about what we aim to achieve there, the coverage of that project, and it's a pilot

Bills: HB2838, HB2964, HB3213, SB924

Keywords: broadband, internet access, digital equity, tax reduction, government funding, rural counties, fiber-optic, state funding, infrastructure, digital divide, economic development, fiber-optic cable, excavation, utilities, civil penalties, municipal regulations, video services, regulation, public right-of-way, franchise authority

Transcript Highlights:

• The state shall be the responsible employer for purposes of workers' compensation coverage for students

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Library and Technology Committee met on March 14, 2025, to hear House Bill 430, House Draft 2, which would create an internship/on-the-job training program administered by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, with the state serving as the responsible employer for workers’ compensation coverage and appropriations included. Testimony was uniformly supportive from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the University of Hawaii, the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, and the Department of Education. Supporters emphasized the value of internships as a high-impact educational and career pathway opportunity. The Department of the Attorney General supported the bill’s intent but raised a concern about the criminal history background check language, recommending that the bill be revised so DLIR may conduct checks “as appropriate” rather than requiring a mandatory check for all interns. The AG noted that juvenile records would remain confidential for 16- and 17-year-old interns under existing law and suggested deleting the more specific background-check language or replacing it with the more flexible wording. Several organizations submitted support, including business, health care, tourism, and industry groups. During decision-making, the committee discussed amendments incorporating the Attorney General’s recommendation, adding a 2.5 GPA minimum reference, and clarifying language about private or public sector organizations and placement of interns in state executive branch departments, agencies, or programs. The committee adopted the recommendation to pass the bill with amendments, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We won't even close the coverage gap in this state of Alabama.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Homeowners insurance denied coverage for remediation, and it took time for the family to figure out that
• Homeowners insurance denied coverage for remediation, and it took time for the family to figure out that
• Homeowners insurance denied coverage for remediation, and it took time for the family to figure out that
• Because many homeowner's insurance policies exclude coverage for remediation caused by the use of chemical
• irritants, this bill says that those policies cannot exclude coverage to innocent third parties who

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Over the past year, our professional liability insurance costs have tripled, and our coverage options
• So you would just go and get an additional coverage.
• 08.400> additional would just go and get an additional would just go and get an additional coverage
• 19:09.760> know<01:19:09.920> you<01:19:10.080> get<01:19:10.239> two coverage
• So you know you get two coverage.

Bills: HB1946, HB1515, HB1514, HB1648, HB1644, HB1619, HB1571, HB1810, HB2475, HB1645, HB2301, HB1889, HB1840

Keywords: time shares, registration, renewal, real estate, Hawaii, Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, workers' compensation, functional capacity examination, occupational therapy, physical therapy, employer responsibilities, injured workers, medical stabilization, vocational rehabilitation, injury recovery, employment services, return to work, nonprescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, healthcare providers

Summary: The committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce met on February 26, 2026, and heard several bills, mostly in the areas of workers’ compensation and consumer protection. HB 1946 HD1 on timeshare registration renewal drew support from DCCA’s timeshare program and major industry groups including Hilton Grand Vacations, the American Resort Development Association, and Marriott Vacations Worldwide, with no opposition noted. HB 1515 HD1, which would allow an attending physician to request a functional capacity examination without employer permission, was supported by DLIR and the Department of Human Resources Development and had no other in-person testimony; the bill was then moved on without questions. The committee spent substantial time on HB 1514 HD1, which would streamline workers’ compensation vocational rehabilitation by clarifying provider selection and requiring vocational plans within 90 days. DLIR supported the intent but asked for amendments, saying the 90-day deadline was too rigid given case-by-case complexity, limited staffing, and the need for coordination among injured workers, employers, and counselors; members discussed possible extensions and whether a 120-day timeline or other flexibility would be better. Testimony on the bill included one individual in support and seven in opposition. HB 1648 HD1, concerning workers’ compensation and physician dispensing of non-prescription drugs, drew support from DHRD and comments from DLIR and industry witnesses. DLIR said the bill should be narrowed so it does not restrict medically necessary over-the-counter medications or oral guidance from providers, while Aloha Billing Company and Solera Integrated Medical Solutions urged tighter limits on physician dispensing and raised concerns about pricing abuse through average wholesale price. Members discussed clarifying the bill’s language so it targets written prescriptions rather than oral advice. HB 1644 HD1, requiring a standardized disclosure form for residential solar contracts, received support from the Hawaii Solar Energy Association and Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative, while DCCA’s Office of Consumer Protection supported the consumer-protection goal but proposed stronger remedies, including a three-day cancellation right, voidability for missing disclosures, and possible lender liability; members questioned how those remedies should apply to lenders, and no vote was taken on the measures in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• But I think we need to keep that mandated minimum sentence in the books because it gives a signal to
• But I think we need to keep that mandated minimum sentence in the books because it gives a signal to
• mandated sentence. mandated sentence.
• We have it when it mandated sentence.
• deserve a mandated result upon conict<02:02:10.239> conviction.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yet it creates a new mandate on both superintendent and the Department of Children and Families without
• /c><00:34:56.320> creates<00:34:56.639> a<00:34:56.879> new<00:34:57.119> mandate
• <00:34:57.599> on<00:34:57.839> both Yet it creates a new mandate on both Yet it creates
• a new mandate on both superintendent<00:34:58.960> and<00:34:59.119> the<00:34:59.280>
• to be amended twice, but in the original bill, section 21 is the section that changes the vehicle coverage

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, um, as you may have seen sort of on the commentary and the coverage on this, um, this is one of its
• 00:32:38.320> responding<00:32:38.720> to<00:32:38.880> that<00:32:39.120> mandate
• specifically responding to that mandate specifically responding to that mandate the<00:32:39.840
• Like, let make no mistake, this is a huge task that the legislature has mandated, but the principle is

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committees received an informational briefing from Hawaii DOT and related partners on the Navahine settlement and the department’s plan to meet its climate and transportation commitments. Speakers described the settlement as a first-of-its-kind agreement rooted in the state constitution, the public trust doctrine, and prior legislative findings and laws, including Act 131. They said the settlement is intended to formalize DOT’s work, establish milestones, and keep climate and transportation policy less dependent on changes in administration. The presentation emphasized that transportation is Hawaii’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and that the plan is aimed at meeting 2030 and 2045 clean energy goals. DOT outlined several major implementation pieces: creation of a new Office of Energy Security and Community Outreach, formation of a youth council, and development of an emissions reduction plan that will be updated over time. The youth council reported on its membership, statewide representation, meetings, and work on charter, bylaws, and committees focused on policy and legislation, events and advocacy, and ground transportation. Youth members said they provided feedback on the energy security plan and discussed walk audits and safe routes to school. The department also described a new project-scoring tool to measure greenhouse gas impacts of every DOT project, which it said is intended to make Hawaii a national leader in evaluating transportation emissions. A major topic was the settlement’s transportation network requirement, which speakers said compresses roughly 15 years of pedestrian, bicycle, and transit network work into five years and will require about $40 million to $50 million per year over the next five years. They said a GIS map is being developed to identify gaps and that the work will involve counties and other partners, with benefits for safety, connectivity, and emissions reduction. Other topics included clean fuel standards, electrification of ground transportation, sustainable aviation fuel, marine fuel transitions, cold ironing at ports, and the costs and availability challenges associated with those transitions. DOT also reported progress on EV charging infrastructure, including two completed sites and more planned, and said it is using a sustainability partner contract to maintain chargers and recover only electricity costs. The briefing also highlighted carbon sequestration and fire mitigation work, including native tree planting. DOT said it has exceeded its minimum annual tree-planting commitment, with 3,000 trees planted in 2024 and 4,200 by mid-2025, and noted that the Legislature provided $15 million for fire mitigation that is being used for this work. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the informational briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Jeanette's story has received coverage in local news outlets.
• But you acknowledged to me in our conversation a moment ago that instead of a mandate, they now just
• But you acknowledged to me that in our conversation, in a moment ago, that instead of a mandate that
• they have in our conversation in a moment ago that instead of a mandate that they have to age verify
• House Bill 5033 gives Texas more control over statewide emissions policies if federal mandates no longer

Bills: SB17, SB1569, SB2420, HB5138, HJR161, HB1937, HB3334, HB5444, HB5137, HB361, HB321, HB5447, HB464, HB678, HB2294, HB4172, HB3225, HB1769, HB5394, HB1837, HB1787, HB2271, HB2440, HB5134, HB5149, HB2151, HB2073, HB2186, HB2025, HB1936, HB1777, HB1663, HB 1306, HB 1290, HB1527, HB4802, HB3462, HB2963, HB2462, HB2560, HB644, HB2725, HB2621, HB2588, HB1443, HB1403, HB3032, HB1557, HB1664, HB2811, HB2088, HB2598, HB3062, HB3134, HB3940, HB4027, HB4097, HB4862, HB4170, HB4157, HB4205, HB4279, HB4377, HB4838, HB5424, HB5294, HB4870, HB4763, HB5639, HB4112, HB2275, HB1677, HB5014, HB3848, HB3797, HB3727, HB3709, HB3177, HB3057, HB4176, HB4202, HB2180, HB3528, HB3658, HCR76, HCR127

Keywords: foreign ownership, real property, national security, criminal penalties, civil penalties, personal information, higher education, privacy protection, governing board, institutional security, software applications, mobile devices, age verification, parental consent, data protection, app store regulation, HJR 161, Texas constitutional amendment, voting rights, non-citizen voting

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, received the invocation and pledges, and heard several announcements and recognitions before moving into floor action. Members honored the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley chess team for winning a share of the 2025 President’s Cup, recognized educator Jessica Lopez, and paid memorial tribute to Jennifer Maddenly, along with recognitions for Jeanette Valdez Duran’s food pantry work, TAMACC’s 50th anniversary, and Bernardine Steptoe’s retirement from WFAA. The House also granted permission for committees to meet while the House was in session, set a local consent calendar, and suspended posting rules for a Public Health Committee hearing on SB 2721. The chamber then considered a long series of Senate and House bills, with many passing on record votes. Measures addressed local law enforcement authority (SB 906), veterans highway designation (SB 1229), foster care medical billing (SB 855), massage therapy trafficking safeguards (SB 703), tax ballot language (SB 1025), occupational licensing for people with convictions (SB 1080), lien deadlines (SB 929), liquor sales complaints (SB 1355), higher education application fee waivers (SB 2231), utility data access (SB 1877), pediatric preceptorships (SB 1998), and several House bills on bond forfeiture notice, health workforce coordination, indigent civil commitment representation, consumer transaction cancellations, bird dispersal rules, theft venue for digital property, military grant applications, AI cancer-detection grants, cybersecurity contract language, in-state tuition for military-related programs, utility capital recovery, energy waste advisory oversight, gas utility rate recovery, psychedelic therapy study, teacher retirement funding transparency, pension changes, tax payment plans, and voter registration security. Some measures drew notable debate or amendments, including HB 5247, where a ratepayer-credit amendment failed, and HB 2298, HB 4014, HB 510, HB 561, HB 1128, HB 1904, HB 30, HB 200, HB 3045, and HB 5111, which all passed after recorded votes with varying margins. A major point of contention was SB 2420, the app store age-verification bill, which prompted extended debate over whether the bill should also require app developers to verify users’ ages. Representative Bryant offered an amendment to preserve developer verification obligations, arguing the bill would otherwise shift responsibility away from app makers; the author opposed it, saying the bill’s approach was more workable and raised concerns about First Amendment issues. Multiple points of order were raised and withdrawn during the debate, and the amendment discussion remained unresolved in the excerpt. The House also postponed further consideration of SB 17, SB 552, and SB 2420 at different points, and recessed for lunch after completing a large block of third-reading votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• government insurance agent, covering property insurance needs as well as the state workers' compensation coverage
• your agency considered where the federal government is taking a different direction on some of the mandates
• <00:21:14.799> some<00:21:14.919> of<00:21:15.000> the<00:21:15.120> mandates
• <00:21:15.520> around direction on some of the mandates around direction on some of the mandates

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• credit, by returning advertising costs to small businesses, ultimately supports the essential news coverage
• outlets, many of which are small businesses themselves, are then turning those ad dollars into news coverage
• those advertising expenses eligible, with any organization that is employing journalists in the coverage
• Organization that is employing journalists in the coverage area of their local community to gather and
• liability insurance, and has 33% of its audience over the previous 12 months on average within their coverage

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These delays can create unnecessary gaps in child care coverage, disrupt placements, and place financial

Bills: HB359, HB385, HB165

Keywords: human remains, indigent, burial, cremation, next of kin, social services, environmental impact, nursing education, preceptorship programs, healthcare workforce, nurse shortage, clinical training, dry needling, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, occupational therapist, referral process, neuromusculoskeletal pain, Western medicine

Summary: The Senate Health and Social Services Committee met with a quorum, approved the minutes from the prior two meetings, and briefly acknowledged the tragedy at Christiana Care before moving to legislation. The committee heard House Bill 385, which creates a statewide nurse preceptor grant program to expand clinical training placements for nursing students; testimony from nursing organizations, health care associations, and educators emphasized workforce shortages, the need for preceptor stipends and training, and the bill’s potential to help students complete programs and remain in Delaware. Members asked about eligibility and reporting, and several senators asked to be added as co-sponsors. Public comment was uniformly supportive, and the bill was advanced out of committee. The committee then considered House Bill 424, which repeals Delaware’s Autism Surveillance and Registration Program and requires DHSS to expunge protected health information collected through the registry. The sponsor and DHSS said the registry is no longer used for research or policy development and that repeal would reduce outdated reporting burdens; Autism Delaware, the Delaware Health Care Association, and the State Council for Persons with Disabilities support the change. A committee member raised the question of whether families would be notified before records are expunged, and DHSS said that process was not yet clear and would need further verification. Members discussed the issue, and the bill also moved forward. House Bill 419 was next, making children in foster care automatically eligible for the Purchase of Care child care subsidy and extending the same treatment to certain kinship and safety-plan placements through House Amendment 1. The Children’s Department and advocacy groups said the bill would provide immediate stability for children and caregivers, reduce delays from applications and income verification, and support working foster and kinship families. The committee also heard House Bill 359, which would allow cremation as an option for unclaimed and indigent remains when there is no family objection or next of kin cannot be found, addressing a shortage of burial plots and lowering costs; funeral industry testimony focused on preserving next-of-kin rights. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 475, creating a Delaware Nursing Advancement Fund financed by a $10 surcharge on nursing licenses and disciplinary fines to support workforce data collection and analysis through a nonprofit partner, and House Bill 165, authorizing physician associates, occupational therapists, and APRNs to perform dry needling under training and practice standards set by the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline. All of the bills received supportive testimony, several members added their names as co-sponsors, and the committee adjourned after moving through the agenda.