Transcript Highlights:

• , Human Resources Code, and what we know to be- sound correctional practices.
• Agency Chief for the Commission on Fire Protection.
• Executive Director for the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Welcome back, Brandon.
• BRANDON WOOD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TEXAS COMMISSION ON JAIL STANDARDS.
• It's been an exciting time to come aboard the Texas Commission.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm John Nau, chairman of the Texas Historical Commission.
• And thank you and the commission.
• We'll call up the Commission on the Arts.
• We'll call up the Commission on the Arts.
• Next up: Library and Archives Commission.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The committee heard budget presentations from the Legislative Budget Board and agency officials on several agencies, starting with the Texas Historical Commission. LBB described a large biennial reduction driven mainly by the removal of one-time funding and discussed capital projects, rider changes, and exceptional items including Presidio La Bahia and the National Museum of the Pacific War. Senators asked about heritage trails, courthouse grants, unexpended balance authority, and the status of historical-site funding. Historical Commission leadership emphasized preservation, courthouse restoration, heritage tourism, coordination with the Alamo and other Texas Revolution sites, and requested additional IT, staffing, and vehicle funding. No votes were taken. The committee then reviewed the Pension Review Board and the Employees Retirement System. The Pension Review Board’s budget was largely unchanged aside from IT maintenance and salary adjustments, with an exceptional item for additional IT enhancements. Members discussed the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System’s funding dispute and the need for a workable restoration plan. ERS presented a much larger budget, including funding for the retirement system, the group benefits plan, and the legacy payment intended to reduce unfunded liability. Senators focused heavily on pension investment returns, benchmark comparisons, and rising health-care costs, especially pharmacy spending driven by GLP-1 drugs; ERS said the plan covers about 540,000 lives and that premiums would rise 8% while benefits remain unchanged. ERS also said it had no exceptional items, and committee members requested more detailed benchmark information. The committee also heard from the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. TESSORS reported an unfunded liability, an infinite amortization period, and requested additional state support, staffing, and IT funding, including a statutory change to allow a higher contribution level; the agency warned that without more funding it may have to cut benefits. CEPRIT’s presentation covered its bond-funded cancer research and prevention portfolio, revenue-sharing from funded projects, and a request to increase salary limits for its CEO and chief scientific officer. Senators questioned CEPRIT’s accomplishments and return on investment, while CEPRIT cited screening, prevention, and research outcomes, including tens of thousands of detected cancers and precursors and hundreds of thousands of first-time screenings. The meeting ended after these presentations and questions, with no recorded committee action or vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• On the back of your testimony is a QR code that will link you to the 287(g) task force model.
• on the back of also available by QR code on the back of your<00:53:38.559> testimony.
• <01:11:35.440> that of the testimony is the QR code that of the testimony is the QR code that
• work of Governor Cenudo and a commission work of Governor Cenudo and a commission and<01:34:24.719
• The purpose was to increase commission. The purpose was to increase public<01:42:30.239> trust.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And familiar with in the criminal code.
• "Under the criminal code, but then somebody could come back and file an action under the civil code also
• Does the criminal code but then prosecuted or the criminal code but then prosecuted or then<00:52:35.359
• <01:03:38.960> Actually, in the federal code. Actually, in the federal code.
• code.

Bills: SF0087, SF0088, SF0092

Keywords: felony, law enforcement, police officer, criminal penalties, public safety, sex offender, child care facility, residency restrictions, criminal law, sex offenders, child care facilities, legislation, false claims, civil penalties, state accountability, whistleblower protection, fraud prevention, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The commenters believed that that applied to a set of codes that is billed by oral surgeons and that
• I'll again compliment and thank DHS for helping us through many of these codes.
• That's just one example, and they'll bill the same code, but they'll get a different rate.
• They are meant to bill back under Hickspix codes under the MMS.
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission. These rules were open for public comment.

Summary: The committee reviewed a series of Arkansas Medicaid and Department of Health rules, many implementing 2025 acts. Early items covered presumptive eligibility and Medicaid policy updates, including adding a definition of fictive kin for foster children and changing the disability onset age for ABLE accounts from 26 to 46. Another rule clarified that continuous glucose monitors may be billed by both pharmacies and durable medical equipment providers, with committee members questioning prior authorization timing, system lag, and a fiscal impact estimate of about $3 million over two years; the rule was reviewed, but members requested additional cost breakdowns. Other Medicaid-related rules addressed an RSV vaccine administration fee increase, an ET3 telemedicine exemption for ambulance treat-triage-transport services, a dental rate increase under Act 1025, expanded physical therapy access, and the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies package covering doulas, lactation consultants, remote monitoring, and expanded prenatal testing. Most were reviewed without objection after brief discussion or no questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• has seen only minimal updates, most notably a recodification into the Special District Local Laws code
• provisions relating to procurement and public notice for chapters 2269 and 2253 of the government code
• I think it's, uh, local government code.
• To standardize the code, bless you, to standardize the code and hopefully spread their risk, bless you
• The fees, court fees under 133 of the criminal code pay for the salary, so it's not.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are here seeking review of the Pollution Control and Ecology Commission rules regarding solid waste
• management, specifically found in Arkansas Code, Part 60, as it relates to post-closure cleanup.
• Our actions are already essentially approved by the commission. Yes, I believe so.
• Commission to receive that approval. All right, and just to reiterate, and I'll be done here.
• So Act 959 of 2025 amended Arkansas Code 17-87-107 regarding the delegation of certain nursing tasks

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I think the best way is to look at California's government code for the California Film Commission
• So I think the best way is to look at California's government code for the California Film Commission
• um which is the California code um which is the California government government government code<04:
• um for the California Film code um for the California Film commission<04:14:05.880> to<04:14:
• <04:14:16.720> that structure of um the Commission in that structure of um the Commission

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The commission is not a state agency; it is a nonpartisan commission created to administer aid in the
• The Student Aid Commission is one of those.
• The Student Aid Commission is one of those.
• The commission staff does that.
• The commission staff does that.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• subcommittee today, we're going to be going over three different topics: Department of State Hospitals, Commission
• subcommittee today, we're going to be going over three different topics: Department of State Hospitals, Commission
• Moving on to our next: Commission for Behavioral Health. Thank you for joining us today. Thank you.
• Moving on to our next: Commission for Behavioral Health. Good morning.
• Brenda Graylish, Executive Officer for the Commission for Behavioral Health.

Summary: The subcommittee heard presentations from the Department of State Hospitals (DSH), the Commission for Behavioral Health, and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) on budget proposals and implementation updates. DSH outlined its proposed 2026-27 budget, including funding for patient operating expenses, IST solutions savings, conditional release program costs, LPS bed allocation changes, electrical infrastructure projects at Napa and Patton, SB 380 transitional housing feasibility work, and expanded dental services at Metropolitan and Patton. DSH also reported that it has met court-ordered IST treatment benchmarks in the Stiavedi v. Clinton case, with average time to initiate treatment down to about five days and pending placements reduced to roughly 250, while noting that Proposition 36 could increase referrals and SB 1323 may divert some individuals earlier into community-based treatment. Members asked about rising outside hospitalization costs, Medicare enrollment, the timing and structure of capital projects, and whether IST solution funds are being fully used; DSH said the savings reflect slower-than-expected ramp-up of community programs and that the Central California FACT replacement program is still on track for January 2027 activation. The Commission for Behavioral Health described its role under the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), including data, evaluation, grantmaking, technical assistance, and transparency work. It highlighted the new statewide Innovation Partnership Fund, a five-year, $20 million-per-year program with small and large grant categories; the first RFA drew strong interest, with more than 400 questions and over 1,000 bidders’ conference participants. The Commission also discussed a proposed extension to spend down about $4.1 million remaining for the Alcove Youth Drop-in Center grants so sites can finish implementation and Stanford can complete the final evaluation. Members asked about grant duration, whether projects can be renewed, what qualifies as innovation, and whether the fund could support service delivery rather than awareness campaigns or training; the Commission said awards are expected to be three-year contracts and that proposals must be new or meaningfully expanded approaches that support BHSA priority populations. DHCS reviewed major behavioral health changes under CalAIM and BH Connect, including peer support, mobile crisis, contingency management, traditional health care practices for tribal members, updated specialty mental health access criteria, and new substance use treatment standards based on ASAM’s fourth edition. DHCS reported strong contingency management results, with more than 13,000 members served and 95% testing negative for stimulant use during treatment, and said 21 Indian health care providers have been approved to offer traditional health care practices. It also described BH Connect initiatives such as the $1.9 billion access reform and outcomes incentive program, workforce investments, evidence-based practice expansion, IMD participation by four counties, and transitional rent services. On BHSA implementation, DHCS said it is not tracking individual county contract cuts but is monitoring county plans and statewide outcomes, while stakeholders raised concerns about local prevention and service gaps. DHCS also outlined its H.R. 1 implementation strategy, including outreach, streamlined renewals, exemptions for disabled, substance use, and medically frail individuals, and proposed clinic navigator and outreach funding; it said it has not yet produced a focused estimate of H.R. 1 impacts on behavioral health populations. The discussion ended with DHCS noting that B-CHIP bond funding has supported 437 infrastructure projects, creating 546 new or expanded facilities and more than 9,500 residential beds across the state.

Transcript Highlights:

• The last two coordinating commission.
• non-disclosure agreements, secret code non-disclosure agreements, secret code names,<01:45:40.400
• <02:15:36.159> So<02:15:36.400> the commission for you on this issue.
• So the commission for you on this issue.
• first paragraph says, "The commission first paragraph says, "The commission concludes<02:15:38.880

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The commission local governments.
• and how do we identify as a commission and how do we identify as a commission here<00:29:30.080>
• they're a related service object code. they're a related service object code.
• commission members. on the commission commission members.
• I got like three or four commissions.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The commission met to approve the November 21, 2025 minutes, making several clerical corrections before adopting them as amended. The edits included adding the date, correcting a misspelled name, clarifying references to a scholarship fund representative’s title, removing an incorrect “DOE” reference, and fixing a few wording errors. The minutes were approved with one abstention from members who were absent. The bulk of the meeting focused on organizing the commission’s work under SB 57 and identifying which special education cost issues should be prioritized for research and reporting. Members discussed a long list of topics, including student referral rates, why students are classified as other health impaired, increases in referrals since school closures, interventions before referral, costs of non-medically necessary services in IEPs and 504 plans, differences between federal and state requirements, reporting of special education costs, out-of-district and residential placements, dispute resolution, Medicaid and insurance use, graduation rates, and adult learning participation. Several members emphasized the need to combine or narrow topics and to gather better data before the report due July 1, 2026. Representative Ames highlighted HB 742, which would eliminate prorated special education aid payments when state appropriations fall short, and explained that the Education Funding Committee recommended interim study. He argued that local districts are bearing too much of the cost and that the state and federal governments should provide more support. Other members raised concerns about rising special education identification rates, possible overidentification, school climate and mental health factors, bullying, staffing, speech therapy access, and residential placements. One member cautioned that DOE website numbers may be inflated or at least difficult to interpret because of how students are counted. Department of Education staff then explained how special education data and costs are monitored. They said student counts are tied to IEPs and SASIDs in the state system, districts are checked through both desk audits and on-site monitoring, and billed services are compared against IEP requirements. They also described IDEA funding, noting that most DOE special education staffing is federally funded, with a large share of federal money flowing through to local education agencies and the remainder supporting administration, monitoring, and training initiatives. Members discussed whether more staff and more robust oversight would improve accuracy and accountability.

Transcript Highlights:

• A focused time limit commission that will bring forward recommendations to improve how we fund teacher
• HB 5627 directs the commission to explore how these contributions can be integrated into the Foundation
• , uh, and we're a little bit concerned about commission creep, uh, over the course of that 2 years, uh
• Right, so what this does, what this, what this bill does is it creates the Texas Commission on Public
• With the funeral, uh, commission, uh, their objections.

Transcript Highlights:

• one by the military stability commission one by the military stability commission one by the protim
• that we bring every board and commission that we bring every board and commission that we bring before
• they came up with a QR code that if code they came up with a QR code that if code they came up with
• a QR code that if you just hit that QR code it gave you you just hit that QR code it gave you you just
• that they can just just have a QR code that they can just just have a QR code that they can just hit

Bills: SB 2

Keywords: 920, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a denied and dismissed claim from the Claims Commission that was appealed by the claimants.
• Irby is here from the Claims Commission, and I'll recognize her to introduce herself and then she can
• Catherine Irby, I'm the Director of the Claims Commission.
• motion, finding that the Claims Commission... ...and moved to dismiss the claim, and the Claims Commission
• Okay, we have a motion and a second to affirm the ruling of the Claims Commission.

Summary: The Joint Budget Committee’s Claims Review and Litigation Oversight Subcommittee met to consider two proposed litigation settlements from the Department of Corrections and one appealed claim from the Claims Commission. In the first settlement, Caroline Arnett v. Larry Norris, et al., members asked about the underlying sexual assault allegations, whether policies had changed, and whether PREA audits and other safeguards were in place. The department said audits were underway and that steps had been taken to prevent similar conduct. The committee approved the settlement by voice vote. In the second settlement, Latasha Ridgel v. Arkansas Department of Corrections, members raised concerns about the length of the case and the fact that it involved similar allegations. The department cited attorney turnover, COVID-related delays, and scheduling difficulties; the settlement was approved by voice vote. The committee then reviewed Sharon Greer and Deanna Hayes v. Commissioner of State Lands, an appeal of a Claims Commission dismissal involving a 2009 tax sale of family property in Crittenden County. The claimants said they did not learn of the sale or the $4,200 in excess proceeds until 2025, and argued that notice was inadequate and that the overage should not have gone to the county. The Commissioner of State Lands’ office responded that notice was sent to addresses on file, certified mail receipts were returned, and a post-sale notice explained the process for contesting the sale and claiming excess proceeds. The office also argued the claim was untimely, that the commission lacked jurisdiction, and that state law bars monetary damages against the commissioner for actions related to tax-delinquent land sales. Members discussed broader concerns about the tax-sale and excess-proceeds process, including whether excess proceeds should be held longer or routed differently, but noted those issues would require legislative changes rather than action in this case. The committee then voted to affirm the Claims Commission’s dismissal of the claim. The meeting adjourned after the motion passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• The SAO also conducted an audit of financial practices at the Commission.
• I'm the Executive Director of the Texas Ethics Commission.
• How would it be something that the Historic Commission can do by looking at?
• Executive Director of the Texas Historical Commission. Thank you so much.
• Texas Commission on the Arts.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This project was conceptually approved by a majority vote of the City Commission.
• With the support of the City Commission, ...
• One was a question about asbestos, which was attended to by the commission.
• That is for our code enforcement from the river, from the Intracoastal Waterway.
• And in fact, during that time period, the commission set a time.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee first heard a long-running audit finding involving Daytona Beach’s unexpended building permit funds, which have exceeded the statutory limit for several years and were reported at $10.8 million in the most recent audit. Mayor Derek Henry and city staff said the city has analyzed the fund, adopted a corrective action plan, waived more than $5.5 million in permit and inspection fees over several periods, and used some excess funds for a training facility rehabilitation and a proposed City Hall expansion. Committee members repeatedly questioned whether the city was simply trying to spend down the money, raised concerns about the legality and necessity of proposed expenditures, and asked about interest earnings, truck purchases, and the lack of detailed tracking for training-facility use. The city said an Attorney General opinion allows construction of a new building for building-code functions but not purchase of an existing building, and that if the city cannot comply through permissible construction it would have to return the funds. No vote was taken, but members expressed strong frustration and urged the city to resolve the issue quickly and lawfully. The committee then received the Auditor General’s presentation on the Town of Greenville, which found 31 findings and described pervasive control failures, possible fraud, waste, and abuse. The findings covered elections and quorum issues, conflicts of interest, late or missing financial disclosure forms, related-party transactions, poor meeting notices and minutes, council involvement in day-to-day operations, missing ethics training, budget and accounting deficiencies, weak bank reconciliations, improper utility billing and rates, grant compliance problems tied to a grocery store project, personnel and compensation issues involving the town manager, late vendor payments, weak procurement and P-card controls, vehicle-use and property-control problems, public records issues, and IT/fraud-policy weaknesses. The auditor said the review focused mainly on October 2022 through February 2024 but went back further for some grant-related matters. Greenville’s mayor and staff said the audit reflected actions of a previous administration and that the current council and staff have already adopted seven new policies to improve procurement, financial controls, inventory management, grant oversight, and ethics. They said the town has a new manager and clerk, that the former manager was terminated, and that the town referred matters to FDLE, which is investigating. Committee members asked about the manager’s salary increase, severance, P-card use, and whether the town should consider consolidation or dissolution. The mayor said the town is on a better path, that most of the prior leadership has been voted out, and that the town is working with auditors and an outside accounting firm to correct the problems.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not sure if that exists in state code, but regardless of CDT codes or anything like that, it's the
• Okay, it's the same code, but this doctor is going to be paid more than this doctor.
• They’ll bill the same code, but they’ll get a different rate, and our system does allow for that.
• They are meant to bill back under HCPCS codes under the MMIS.
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission. These rules were open for public comment.

Summary: The committee reviewed a series of Arkansas DHS and Department of Health rules, most tied to 2025 legislation. Early items covered Medicaid changes including presumptive eligibility application timing, adding a fictive kin definition for foster child eligibility, raising the able account disability onset age to 46, allowing continuous glucose monitors to be billed by both pharmacy and DME providers, increasing the RSV vaccine administration fee for children, a telemedicine exemption for ET3 ambulance services, and a physical therapy access rule that also included occupational therapy. Members generally asked limited questions and most rules were reviewed without objection. A major portion of the meeting focused on the dental rate increase rule under Act 1025. DHS said it implemented rate increases for certain pediatric, special-needs, and oral surgeon services, but not orthodontics, and it interpreted the act as applying only to oral and maxillofacial surgeons, not general dentists. The Arkansas State Dental Association and legislative sponsors testified that the intent was to cover general dentists performing oral surgery procedures for special-needs patients, estimating the broader interpretation would add about $1.5 million annually. Committee members debated the plain language of the act versus legislative intent, and the rule was reviewed, but with testimony noting the issue should be fixed in future legislation. Later items included the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies rule adding doula and lactation consultant billing and remote monitoring benefits; an adverse decisions rule extending provider appeal time from 35 to 65 days; CNA training program updates; PASSE network-status disclosure rules; certification rules for community-based doulas and community health workers; cosmetology, massage therapy, lead-based paint, radiation, radiologic technology, and RV park rule updates. Most of these were described as technical, statutory, or federally driven changes and were reviewed without objection. The committee briefly reopened the CGM rule after a motion to expunge the prior vote, and Representative Wardlaw said he would hold the rule for further review because he believed the billing changes did not match the law’s intent. The meeting ended with no further business and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:03:12.040> with<01:03:12.200> that care commission was charged with that care commission
• Part of the insurance code. Yes, it's part of the insurance code. Thank you.
• Part of the insurance code. that? Part of the insurance code.
• >> Yes, it's part of the insurance code. >> Yes, it's part of the insurance code.
• , code, code, um, um, um, that<03:14:23.080> that<03:14:23.440> allowed<03:14:23.840>

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's what we're working on with Regents and Workforce Commission, trying to get a longitudinal system
• Another one that I would show you is a change that we made in coding to be real honest.
• SIP and so codes is how the federal government tracks what ELL dollars are going to have to move into
• We're actually, it's going to be coded just as apprenticeships to make sure we know what we're giving
• I'm on the Route 66 Centennial Commission.

Keywords: 914, all