Transcript Highlights:

• We offer prenatal care. We offer prenatal care. Um. We offer prenatal care.
• for reproductive health care.
• We must care for those who are caring for others. I respectfully ask for your support for HB 2403.
• We must care for those who are caring for others. I respectfully ask for your support for HB 2403.
• daily living: hygiene, personal care, oral care, all of these very intimate things that you cannot do

Bills: HB2211, HB2229, HB2389, HB2403, HB2445, HB2502, HB2620, HB2813, HB2872, HB2889, HB2960, HB4028, HCR2007

Keywords: contractors, subcontractors, resident preference, public contracts, materials supply, Arizona Revised Statutes, local businesses, pregnancy resource center, pregnancy center, crisis pregnancy center, DHS, Arizona Department of Health Services, state appropriation, general fund, nonprofit grant, women's health, maternal health, reproductive health, abortion funding, pro-life

Transcript Highlights:

• , and on health care.
• , and on health care.
• It was created decades ago to help people with child care and dependent care expenses, but it kind of
• It was created decades ago to help people with child care and dependent care expenses, but it kind of
• </c> families already get child care subsidy. families already get child care subsidy.

Bills: HB2410, HB2235, HB1904, HB2201, HB2349, HB1972, HB2007, HB2385, HB2444, HB2391, HB2575

Keywords: Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, economic diversification, small business, innovation, manufacturing assistance, grants, technology programs, advanced manufacturing, military, community relations, economic development, defense-related programs, workforce development, local business readiness, in-state manufacturing, federal investment, space operations, orbital sustainability, aerospace, space traffic management

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several measures, beginning with HB 2410 relating to the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation. Testifiers from HTDC and the Hawaii Food Industry Association stood on written testimony, and members discussed the funding request, which was described as $1 million each for three programs, for a total of $3 million. The measure appeared to have broad support, with no opposition noted. The committee then took up HB 2235 HD1 on the military and community relations office, where Lori Moore of MACC asked for additional funding to support local businesses and education-to-career initiatives statewide. Members asked about the amount, and the request was identified as $1.3 million total. HB 904 on space operations followed, with three supporters and one opponent, though no substantive testimony was captured beyond the vote counts. HB 2201 on state enterprise zones drew testimony from Georgia Skinner of DBEDT’s Creative Industries division, who said the measure would build on a well-run enterprise zone program and help make Hawaii’s film industry more competitive. Tom Yamashita of the Tax Foundation also provided comments. The committee then considered HB 2349 relating to DCCA and DBEDT coordination; DCCA explained it already provides links and information to DBEDT programs, while DBEDT argued that direct data sharing would allow more proactive outreach. Members raised privacy and cost concerns, and DBEDT said it would consider opt-in collection and acknowledged system changes and possible funding needs. The committee also heard two tax credit bills. HB 1972 HD1, on a caregiver tax credit, received strong support from AARP, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, the Hawaii Children’s Action Network, and others, who described caregivers as an “invisible workforce” and argued the credit would help families keep loved ones at home and reduce financial strain. The Tax Foundation suggested a grant or subsidy program might be more efficient than a tax credit and raised concerns about debarment provisions. HB 20007 HD1, on the household and dependent care services tax credit, also drew strong support from public health and family advocacy groups, who said Hawaii families face some of the nation’s highest child care costs and that the bill would better reflect current expenses; the Tax Foundation again raised technical concerns about complexity and debarment. Members asked about fiscal impacts, and testimony indicated the current credit costs about $6 million, with the bill expected to increase that amount. The committee then moved on to HB 2385 HD1 on housing, where the Deputy Attorney General began presenting written comments on whether the bill limits county authority.

Transcript Highlights:

• The the group home is designed to care for the individual consumer.
• Who is a recipient of the waiver and Whoever was caring for the infant or designated to care for the
• Uh, we are, um, a home care agency out of the Rio Grande Valley.
• We're just careful. I'm a lawyer. I like to be careful about these things as well.
• Yes, um, as they exit foster care. These are extremely important.

Bills: HB 2510, HB 3589, HB 4611, HB 4655, HB 4665, HB 4666, HB 4670, HB 4700, HB 4730, HB 4798, HB 4838, HB 5136, HB 5243, HB 5302, HB 5539

Keywords: assisted living, healthcare, licensing, criminal offense, personal assistance, group home, regulation, health and safety, inspections, resident care, criminal background checks, adoption, parental rights, registry, vital statistics, disclosure, counseling, foster care, independent living, financial literacy

Transcript Highlights:

• Confidential child care facilities. The chair offers a committee substitute.
• plans. and Medicaid managed care organizations.
• . caring for People LLC, but what they discovered was far from caring.
• In the fall of 2022, it was becoming too much for me to care for him at home.
• . care.

Bills: HB2510, HB3589, HB4611, HB4655, HB4665, HB4666, HB4670, HB4700, HB4730, HB4798, HB4838, HB5136, HB5243, HB5302, HB5539

Keywords: assisted living, healthcare, licensing, criminal offense, personal assistance, group home, regulation, health and safety, inspections, resident care, criminal background checks, adoption, parental rights, registry, vital statistics, disclosure, counseling, foster care, independent living, financial literacy

Transcript Highlights:

• And whoever was caring for the infant or was designated to care for the infant, if they were on staff
• We are a home care agency out of the Rio Grande Valley.
• We're just careful. I'm a lawyer; I like to be careful about that. These things as well.
• The next millionaire, but they care about it.
• child care in Texas repeatedly.

Bills: HB2510, HB3589, HB4611, HB4655, HB4665, HB4666, HB4670, HB4700, HB4730, HB4798, HB4838, HB5136, HB5243, HB5302, HB5539

Keywords: assisted living, healthcare, licensing, criminal offense, personal assistance, group home, regulation, health and safety, inspections, resident care, criminal background checks, adoption, parental rights, registry, vital statistics, disclosure, counseling, foster care, independent living, financial literacy

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, that's really into your care.
• </c> Are actively involved in seeking care, but care is not currently available.
• Fosters cannot foster care system.
• </c><01:42:07.199><c> so</c> accessible to those in foster care so accessible to those in foster care
• As a teen parent in foster care, I didn't know I had the right to have custody of my child or to care

Bills: HF2362, HF2136, HF1316, HF2009, HF1918, HF1614

Keywords: youth intervention, funding, mental health, education, community programs, HF1316, child support, new hire reporting, centralized work reporting system, independent contractors, payors, employers, payor of funds, withholding orders, income withholding, child support enforcement, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, gig economy, rideshare drivers, delivery drivers

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> in correctional health care. in correctional health care.
• care for incarcerated medical care care for incarcerated persons,<01:02:16.840><c> not</c><01:02:17.120
• </c> provide the medical care that they need. provide the medical care that they need.
• </c><01:09:28.200><c> So,</c> care provider. So, care provider.
• </c> not to delay necessary care. not to delay necessary care.

Bills: HF3547, HF3651, HF4043, HF4282, HF4095

Keywords: fireworks, public safety, regulation, tax revenue, local government, sale, safety standards, fire safety, ethanol, fuel equipment, compatibility standards, law enforcement, peace officer, unauthorized practice, criminal justice, civics education, jail medication, correctional facility, detention, incarcerated persons

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:13:27.360><c> per</c> uncompensated care and changes to per uncompensated care and changes to
• Hennepin County taxpayers currently contribute $38 million in uncompensated care to HCMC.
• </c> going to impact our uncompensated care. going to impact our uncompensated care.
• </c> contribute $ 38 million in uncompensated contribute $ 38 million in uncompensated care<00:54:16.079
• He said rural places are also going to suffer because of uncompensated care.

Bills: HF3439, HF3763

Keywords: Medical Assistance, Medicaid, MNsure, MinnesotaCare, disability determination, expedited eligibility, state medical review team, compassionate allowance, rare disease, home and community-based services, long-term care, managed care, county-based purchasing, eligibility redetermination, periodic data matching, death master file, Social Security Administration, program integrity, income eligibility, asset test

Transcript Highlights:

• And how will that be taken care of?
• And ICE is not a careful agency. ICE is such a problematic agency.
• And so the Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Freedom Act dealt with access to care, and the
• Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act dealt with the... ...to care, and the Reproductive
• It's not a health care facility.

Bills: SB40, SB104, SB136, SB164

Keywords: SB40, Driver Privacy and Safety Act, automated license plate reader, ALPR, license plate reader, vehicle surveillance, privacy, data sharing, law enforcement data, immigration enforcement, reproductive health care, gender-affirming care, civil liberties, surveillance, public records, Inspection of Public Records Act, New Mexico State Police, Department of Public Safety, data sovereignty, vehicle tracking

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a foster care housing program for former foster care youth...
• care just after their 16th birthday.
• the foster care system, have a lack of supports.
• That is why broader foster care reform matters.
• and extended foster care.

Bills: HB2455, HB2468, HB2529

Keywords: housing assistance, youth, foster care, pilot program, social services, terminology correction, healthcare, regulatory compliance, department reorganization, Washington, DCYF, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, accountability board, oversight board, child welfare, juvenile rehabilitation, juvenile justice, early learning, family preservation, children and families

Summary: The Early Learning and Human Services Committee held public hearings on three bills. House Bill 2468 would update the Revised Code of Washington to match DSHS’s 2025 reorganization, replacing references to eliminated administrations with current names or broader agency references. The bill also removes the 2028 sunset on the Dementia Action Collaborative, adjusts DSHS membership on the Permanent Supportive Housing advisory committee, and eliminates a requirement to hire two full-time employees for the no-paid-services caseload. The sponsor and DSHS testified in support, describing the bill as technical cleanup tied to the department’s “Reimagined DSHS” initiative, while members raised questions about possible amendments and the policy choice to extend the dementia collaborative. DSHS indicated it was open to changes, including correcting remaining outdated statutory references. House Bill 2529 would rename the DCYF Oversight Board as the DCYF Accountability Board, move it to the Office of Financial Management for administrative purposes, broaden some membership qualifications, and reduce reporting from annual to every other year starting in 2027. The prime sponsor said the changes were intended to make the board less political, improve attendance and flexibility, and focus on a concise, useful report. A union representative supported the restructuring but asked for language ensuring the DCYF caseworker board member can attend meetings as part of the job without being forced to use personal leave, saying the issue had raised retaliation concerns. Members also discussed whether the report should remain annual and whether it should include stronger recommendations. House Bill 2455 would create a two-year pilot program providing rental assistance and housing fees for 50 youth in extended foster care who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, beginning in 2027. The bill limits assistance to 24 months and requires DCYF to report on the pilot by June 30, 2029, while also adding transition planning for youth approaching age 21. The sponsor and multiple youth advocates testified that stable housing is essential for education, employment, mental health, and safety, and described personal experiences with homelessness and instability while in or after foster care. Some testimony urged the pilot to be expanded beyond 50 youth, and members questioned whether the timeline should include an interim review or be adjusted so the report can inform future decisions. The hearing concluded with no votes taken, and the committee then made housekeeping announcements about upcoming meeting times and amendment deadlines before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I think we need to be careful about that.
• So I think we need to be careful about that.
• provider who understands what access to care truly means for...” “...frontline health care provider
• From a health care perspective, this funding helps ensure continuity of care, protects emergency response
• In 2007, we initiated a trauma care study, and we had a trauma care surgeon at the podium, and I asked

Bills: HB1623

Keywords: HB 1623, North Dakota, rural health, rural health transformation program, medical facility infrastructure loan fund, medical facility infrastructure loan program, rural health loan program, Bank of North Dakota, Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, federal grant, health care infrastructure, rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, nonprofit health care providers, gap financing, loan fund, public health funding, healthcare financing, Medicaid

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 1624, the “Universal Lunch Bill,” from Rep. Mike Nathie. He argued the proposal should be placed in Century Code rather than the Constitution so future legislatures can adjust it if state finances tighten, and said the bill would start the program a year earlier with a $65 million appropriation for one school year. DPI testified that the estimate did not include nonpublic schools that do not participate, and members questioned the impact on Title I, free-and-reduced applications, private-school accountability, breakfast mandates for schools that do not currently serve breakfast, and whether the funding could come from the DPI budget or other sources. Supporters, including North Dakota United, the North Dakota Catholic Conference, a pediatrician, and the American Heart Association, said universal meals improve student health and learning, reduce family costs, and are better handled in statute than by constitutional amendment. No opposition testimony was offered, and the chair closed the hearing for later work-session action. The committee then took up House Bill 1627, introduced by Rep. Tye Dressler, which would raise the income threshold for the state-funded school lunch program from 225% to 300% of poverty, with an estimated cost of about $7 million for 2026-27. Dressler said the bill is intended as a targeted, budget-friendly alternative to the ballot measure and emphasized that the state should maximize federal meal dollars while improving participation in the current program. Members questioned whether raising the threshold would actually increase utilization, whether a dollar amount would be clearer than a percentage, and how the change would affect federal reimbursements and application rates. DPI said it could quickly calculate additional percentage levels, and the chair closed the hearing, directing DPI to prepare more numbers for the work session. Finally, the committee opened Senate Bill 2403, presented by Sen. Schiable, to create a short-term bridge-loan program for financially distressed hospitals, centered on Jacobson Memorial Hospital in Elgin. The bill would authorize up to $5 million per loan, with a $10 million appropriation available on a first-come, first-served basis, and would run only through June 30, 2027. Schiable said the hospital’s debt and operating problems threaten local health care, ambulance service, and the community’s economy, and that the proposal was designed narrowly with Bank of North Dakota review to avoid creating a broad precedent. Committee members asked whether the appropriation could be reduced and whether the bank would still apply commercial feasibility and repayment standards; Schiable said yes, the bank would still evaluate the loan and could reject it if it was not sound.

Transcript Highlights:

• health care provider, school, Would like every health care, rural health care provider, school, public
• And that would apply to eye care as well as dental care, as well as primary care simulation.
• We want to make sure, as we interviewed health care to health care facilities.
• Care in the home, one person at a time. Care in the home. One person at a time, right?
• Palliative care in the home.

Bills: HB1623

Keywords: HB 1623, North Dakota, rural health, rural health transformation program, medical facility infrastructure loan fund, medical facility infrastructure loan program, rural health loan program, Bank of North Dakota, Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, federal grant, health care infrastructure, rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, nonprofit health care providers, gap financing, loan fund, public health funding, healthcare financing, Medicaid

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 1623, the appropriations bill tied to North Dakota’s Rural Health Transformation Program, which is funded through a new federal rural health care grant. Senator Bekkedahl explained the bill’s background, the interim committee process that developed it, and the federal conditions attached to the award, including spending deadlines, administrative cost limits, and restrictions on uses such as new construction, supplanting existing funding, and certain other costs. Legislative staff then walked through the seven sections of the bill, including appropriation authority, transfer authority, contingent appropriations for pass-through grants, procurement and public improvement exemptions, recipient reporting, legislative reporting, and immediate effective date. Commissioner Traynor and HHS staff described how the department plans to implement the program, emphasizing that the funding is intended to improve rural access, workforce recruitment and retention, technology and data connectivity, and community health initiatives. They said the department will rely on local applications, technical assistance, templates, listening sessions, and partnerships with providers, schools, public health units, tribal entities, and other community groups. Members asked about reimbursement timing, upfront costs, administrative expenses, sustainability after the five-year grant period, and whether CTE centers, public health units, gyms, grocery stores, and other community partners could participate; the department said yes, within program rules and with a focus on measurable outcomes and sustainability. Several supporters testified in favor. Mental Health America of North Dakota and the Mental Health Advocacy Network supported the bill and urged investment in community-based mental health, crisis response, children’s services, peer support, and mobile crisis teams. HIA Health described the grant as a chance to expand home-based and hospice care, noting that rural providers already have workable models but need funding to scale them. A cybersecurity representative also supported the bill, warning that the large amount of health data and AI-related tools will require strong data protection and professional support. The hearing was closed with no opposition testimony, and the committee announced it would return later in the day for further work on the bill and other measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• I will move the amendment to the House budget resolution, which changes access to the health care access
• One of the changes is a target change in the general fund, and then one is the health care access fund
• And then the other line that Chair Stevenson referenced, the budget resolution change to the health care
• So, we helped out with those programs, and that was able to be done with our uncompensated care pool.
• So, we helped out with those programs, and that was able to be done with our uncompensated care pool.

Bills: HF2436, HF2435

Keywords: child welfare, economic assistance, child care, grant program, video security cameras, healthcare, dementia services, public health funding, opioid prevention, women's health, community health boards, mental health, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> program what it does it provides care program what it does it provides care for<00:02:46.599><c>
• if they don't have access to Home care if they don't have access to Home Care Care Care Services<00:
• ><c> three</c> home care care evaluation visits three home care care evaluation visits three specific
• care.
• in home care services.

Bills: HF729, HF728

Keywords: human services, provider enrollment, medical assistance, healthcare, housing stabilization, substance use disorder, vulnerable adults, fraud prevention, respite care, children, licensed settings, home and community-based services, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• to pay for health care only leads to higher health care inflation and elevates the affordability barrier
• House Bill 2607 concerns child care subsidy rate regions used for the Working Connections Child Care
• House Bill 2607 concerns child care subsidy rate regions used for the Working Connections Child Care
• You know, we might have child care closing in Franklin County.
• We do not limit Working Connections child care slots.

Bills: HB2073, HB2403, HB2587, HB2607, HB1170, HB1570, HB1710, HB1750, HB1834, HB2441

Keywords: health insurance, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, failure to register, criminal justice, registration requirements, public safety, law enforcement, nonprofit, grant funding, pilot program, financial support, community development, child care, childcare, subsidy rates, rate regions, market rate survey

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 2073, which would require nonprofit health carriers with surplus above 600% of risk-based capital to pay 3% of the excess to support the Cascade Care Savings premium assistance account. Committee staff said the bill could generate about $80 million in FY 2027, while OIC costs would cover rulemaking and hearings. Supporters argued the bill would redirect excess consumer premium dollars to help people afford coverage, while opponents from nonprofit health plans and business groups said the reserves are needed for claims, market stability, and to weather downturns, and warned the bill could raise costs or destabilize coverage. The bill then moved to public hearing only, with no action taken. The committee also heard Second Substitute House Bill 2132, which limits disclosure and retention of personally identifying and financial information in WASFA applications. Staff explained the bill would exempt WASFA records from public disclosure, restrict sharing except for limited purposes, and shorten retention to one year after the award year, but could create significant purge and systems costs for WSAC and colleges. The sponsor and student advocates said the measure is needed to protect student privacy and encourage aid applications, especially for vulnerable and undocumented students. No opposition was heard, and the bill remained in hearing. House Bill 2403, which reduces the penalty for failure to register as a sex offender, adds community custody and DOC support, and requires a review of registration policies, drew testimony in strong support. Staff said the bill would produce DOC savings and modest one-time costs for court and law-enforcement updates. Testifiers said the measure had broad consensus among criminal justice stakeholders and would better address the practical reasons people fail to register. The committee also heard House Bill 2587, creating a Commerce pilot to provide advance grant funds to eligible nonprofits, and House Bill 2607, which would periodically rebase child care subsidy rate regions; both drew support from nonprofit and child care providers, with staff describing indeterminate or moderate fiscal impacts. In executive session, the committee considered several amendments and then advanced multiple bills. For Second Substitute House Bill 1170 on generative AI disclosures, all proposed amendments were rejected, and the bill passed the committee 18-9. Substitute House Bill 1570, limited by amendment to Western Washington University student employees, also passed. Proposed Third Substitute House Bill 1710, which creates a state preclearance process under the Voting Rights Act for certain jurisdictions with prior voting-rights violations, had one fiscal amendment adopted and then passed. The committee also received amendment briefings on House Bills 1750, 1833, and 1834, but the transcript ends before final action on those measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• Health, University of South Alabama received $1 million for the training of primary care providers in
• When I look at the senior services for kinship care, we find the number of our young people, young children
• who have been cared for by their grandparents or individuals because of family members. ...individuals

Bills: HB186, HB185, HB184, HB183, HB181, HB312, HB405, HB182, HB460

Keywords: Alabama budget, general fund appropriations, fiscal year 2026, state budget, appropriations act, HB186, executive branch funding, legislative branch funding, judicial branch funding, debt service, capital outlay, corrections, Medicaid, public health, mental health, transportation, education, law enforcement, tourism, veterans affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• those conditions are necessary to maintain that safety when the child is released or maintained in the care
• of a parent following a shelter care hearing.
• So the underlying bill authorizes the court to order these conditions at a shelter care hearing, which
• in this committee before, that everybody in this committee is committed to children and we really care

Bills: HB2200, HB2468, HB2660

Keywords: developmental disabilities, residential settings, data access, safety, stability, terminology correction, social services, healthcare, regulatory compliance, department reorganization, child welfare, court authority, shelter care, family law, court conditions, 904, all

Summary: The House Early Learning & Human Services Committee met in executive session on three bills. HB 2200, dealing with JLARC review of safety and stability outcomes for DSHS developmental disabilities clients and replacing a public dashboard with annual reporting, was amended with a technical fix and then reported out with a do pass recommendation on a 9-2 vote. Supporters said the substitute would reduce fiscal impact while still producing useful, comparable data; opponents raised concerns about how the data might affect providers and whether it could stigmatize difficult placements. HB 2468, which updates statutory references to DSHS divisions after agency restructuring and makes related technical changes, was advanced without amendment. The substitute restored two current-law provisions: the expiration date for the Dementia Action Collaborative and the requirement that DSHS employ two permanent full-time staff to review and maintain the no-paid-services caseload. The committee reported the bill out unanimously. HB 2660, authorizing courts to order parents to comply with safety conditions for children under age five after shelter care hearings, was amended with a tribal-requested change requiring the conditions to be the least restrictive necessary, reviewed every 30 days, and consistent with state and federal Indian Child Welfare Act requirements. Members said the bill responds to rising critical incidents and aims to improve child safety, while acknowledging broader system challenges. The committee then reported the substitute bill out on a 9-2 vote and adjourned after noting it had reached the end of its first half of work.

Transcript Highlights:

• At 13 years old, I was adopted out of foster care.
• , which spans education, disability, health care.
• , which spans education, disability, health care.
• The children's behavioral health system of care, which spans education, disability, health care, child
• I'm a pediatric critical care physician in Spokane, Washington.

Bills: SB5979, SB6308, SB6319

Keywords: opioids, substance abuse, dependent children, child welfare, caregiver substance use, court orders, shelter care, judicial discretion, family law, early childhood, family services, diversion programs, court-ordered assessments, 904, all

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee held an evening hearing on January 28th and took testimony on several bills. Senate Bill 6249 would require all people convicted of stalking to be supervised by the Department of Corrections after release. Staff explained current sentencing and community custody rules, and Senator Torres said the bill is intended to increase accountability and survivor safety. Victims and advocates testified in support, describing stalking as dangerous and arguing that mandatory supervision would help prevent reoffending; one sponsor noted possible amendment language had been emailed to the committee. No vote was taken. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6255, which renames and expands the Legislative Executive Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force into the Legislative Executive Economic Justice and Well-Being Task Force. Staff said the bill updates membership, duties, and reporting requirements tied to the 10-year plan to dismantle poverty, with a partial fiscal note showing a $4,000 OSPI cost. Senator Lovelett and agency and public witnesses supported the measure as a cleanup and coordination bill that strengthens poverty-reduction work and better incorporates lived experience and ethnic commissions. No vote was taken. Senate Bill 6286 would authorize the Department of Health to fine private detention facilities that deny entry for inspections, with escalating daily penalties and a new account to fund assistance for wrongfully detained people and others harmed by ICE agents. Senator Orwall and Senator Trudeau framed the bill as a human-rights and accountability measure, and testimony from a Tacoma councilmember and others supported stronger enforcement. The committee then heard Senate Bill 6224, which creates a Children and Youth Behavioral Health Leadership Council and formalizes implementation of the Washington Thriving strategic plan. The bill drew broad support from parents, providers, advocates, and state officials who emphasized early intervention, coordination, and system accountability, though a few witnesses raised concerns about psychiatric framing and urged amendments. The chair adjourned the meeting after testimony concluded; no votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• What about how many children are entering foster care, or entering out-of-home care?
• What about how many children are placed in a group care, a congregate care setting?
• degree to have a revolving door back into foster care or group care out of child welfare.
• child out of care.
• Care Hearings.

Bills: SB5979, SB6308, SB6319

Keywords: opioids, substance abuse, dependent children, child welfare, caregiver substance use, court orders, shelter care, judicial discretion, family law, early childhood, family services, diversion programs, court-ordered assessments, 904, all

Summary: The committee focused on child welfare, with three bills and a work session on national and state child safety trends. Senator Torres briefly introduced SB 5979 on in-home dependencies and dependency filing standards, and committee staff explained it would direct DCYF to develop guidelines and training with courts and child welfare stakeholders, give greater weight to high-potency synthetic opioids and prior referrals, and require clearer petitions when removal is not sought. Senator Torres and several supporters said the bill is intended to prevent avoidable harm and improve coordinated, earlier intervention; DCYF said it already has a case-by-case process and raised concerns about duplicative work. Public testimony on SB 5979 was generally supportive, though some witnesses asked for amendments to protect access to justice and clarify the bill’s scope. The committee then heard a lengthy informational presentation from Casey Family Programs on Washington’s child welfare performance compared with national data. The presenters said Washington is doing as well as or better than the national average on several measures, including lower foster care entry rates, higher kinship care use, and lower re-entry rates, but noted continuing concerns about maltreatment recurrence, permanency timelines, and child fatalities, especially among infants. They emphasized the need for stronger safety planning, better data, more kinship and family-finding supports, and integrated services for substance use, behavioral health, and domestic violence. Senators raised concerns that fewer foster care entries may not be a success if child deaths are rising, and asked about housing and court decision-making. DCYF then provided an update on child welfare operations and critical incidents, describing intake pathways, shelter care and dependency timelines, and recent data showing 2025 as a record year for fatalities and near-fatalities, many involving fentanyl and children ages birth to three. DCYF said it has made practice changes, safe child consults, hotspot mapping, and other responses, and pointed to budget proposals for additional prevention supports. The committee also heard from providers and parents about prevention and post-reunification services, including home visiting, infant mental health, family preservation, and substance-exposed infant care. Maddie’s Place described its non-pharmacological model for substance-exposed newborns and said it is not fully Medicaid reimbursed. The committee then took testimony on SB 6319, which would allow some high-risk CPS cases involving children under four and high-potency opioids to remain open longer; supporters said it could improve engagement and follow-through, while opponents warned about constitutionality, surveillance without counsel, and the risk of leaving older children unprotected. Finally, the committee heard SB 6308, which would let courts order certain safety-related conditions at shelter care hearings when a child is returned home; DCYF supported it, while public defense raised due process and constitutional concerns about moving dispositional requirements earlier in the case.

Transcript Highlights:

• Take care of two people for 14 days. And we talk about all those things.
• We know that, at least in those instances, those communities are taking care of kupuna.
• We know that, at least in those instances, those communities are taking care of kupuna.
• So we know that, at least in those instances, those communities are taking care of kupuna.
• So we know that, at least in those instances, those communities are taking care of kupuna.

Bills: HB2437, HB1815, HB1614, HB1613, HB1612, HB2411, HB2597, HB2583, HB2474, HB1863, HB2590, HB1813, HB1838, HB2138, HB1967, HB1576, HB2139, HB1605, HB2113, HB812, HB1831, HB1707, HB2561, HB1805, HB2469, HB2472, HB2387, HB1658, HB1661, HB1664, HB1859, HB2276, HB2335, HB1656, HB2116, HB2272, HB2273, HB2340, HB2158, HB2339, HB2489, HB2159, HB2171, HB2338, HB2005, HB1952, HB1872, HB1676, HB2384, HB2614, HB20, HB1776, HB1565, HB2310, HB1975, HB1801, HB1668, HB2114, HB1972, HB1546, HB1518, HB1131, HB2208, HB2156, HB2268, HB2622, HB2581, HB2498, HB2443, HB1577, HB2033, HB2031, HB2023, HB1969, HB1973, HB1974, HB2315, HB2343, HB2501, HB2505, HB816, HB1562, HB1591, HB1853, HB1854, HB1871, HB1965, HB1966, HB1537, HB1541, HB276, HB2606, HB2270, HB1920, HB1756, HB1727, HB1718, HB1715, HB1713, HB1711

Keywords: arts education, student engagement, cultural literacy, public schools, funding, State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, SFCA, Performing Arts Grants Program, arts grants, culture and the arts, history and the humanities, King Kamehameha Celebration Commission, Works of Art Special Fund, one percent for art, public art, art in public places, relocatable works of art, DBEDT, Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, DAGS