Transcript Highlights:

• all internal within the state. all internal within the state.
• <00:52:22.800> state >> and I think those are state state >> and I think those
• the state level. the state level.
• state? state?
• It's not state language. So while we can It's not state language.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The commission held an organizational meeting under SB 57 to study the cost of special education, with the meeting streamed publicly at the chair’s request. Members introduced themselves, and the chair explained that the bill creates two separate pieces, one dealing with SAU structure and the other with a commission on special education costing. He outlined his background in education and special education and said the commission’s work would focus on understanding and controlling special education costs. The commission reviewed its membership requirements and noted several vacancies or unfilled appointments, including the special education advocate, two governor-appointed parent advocates, and a Department of Health and Human Services representative. The members then elected Representative Rick Ladd as chair, Representative Dick Ames as vice chair, and Representative Megan Murray as clerk. Representative Ames briefly described his legal and policy background in disability and special education work in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The chair then walked through the commission’s study topics, including referral rates by IDEA category, reasons for increases in categories such as autism and other health impairment, post-COVID referral trends, pre-referral interventions, Medicaid and 504-related costs, out-of-district placements, dispute resolution, billing practices, privacy, reimbursement, legal services, graduation rates, attendance, and adult learning. Members discussed how special education costs are distributed, noting that the state spends about $977 million annually on special education, with only part covered by state aid and the remainder largely borne by local districts. Testimony also noted that out-of-district placement costs have risen sharply since rate-setting changes around 2018, and that some categories may reflect changes in identification practices, medical factors, or broader population shifts. The commission agreed to continue reviewing the data and formulas in future meetings.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,<00:17:59.120> it Uh and so in each of those states, it Uh and so in each of those states
• <00:50:02.480> offset,<00:50:03.200> state to that effect or state offset, state to
• So, as a direct the United States.
• is conducted across the United States. is conducted across the United States.
• Canada, hospitals and state and Canada, hospitals and state registries<01:09:45.279> utilize.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Health and Family Services met in person, approved the October 15 minutes, and began with a moment of silence following a Louisville UPS plane explosion that was described as a local tragedy affecting many families and first responders. The main presentation was an overview of Kentucky’s Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation (NMT) program from the Department for Medicaid Services and the Transportation Cabinet. Witnesses explained that NMT is a federally required Medicaid benefit, administered by the Transportation Cabinet under a risk-based capitated model, with eligibility limited to Medicaid members traveling to medically necessary, Medicaid-covered services and who lack access to other transportation. They also described exclusions, including certain KCHIP, QMB, and PACE members, and outlined the brokered regional structure, call center operations, scheduling rules, vehicle and driver oversight, complaint handling, and rider surveys. The presenters reported that NMT handled more than 3.1 million trips in state fiscal year 2024, with over 1.38 million trips already recorded in October, and said customer satisfaction surveys were high. They said the FY 2025-26 contract total is about $360.6 million, with monthly per-member capitation rates set by region through an actuarial process and approved by CMS. They emphasized that payments are tied to monthly Medicaid enrollment and that the state draws down federal funds for the exact amount paid, with no leftover balance. They also said most NMT use comes from adult day centers and rehabilitative care such as dialysis. Members questioned the witnesses about how quality metrics and contract standards are set, whether the state had explored alternatives such as Uber Health or other integrated models, and how utilization was calculated. The witnesses said contract requirements are developed collaboratively by Medicaid Services, the Transportation Cabinet, and other agencies, and that studies of other models generally found higher costs and lower approval ratings, with additional research on a hybrid model expected by the end of the year. They clarified that one figure reflected the share of Medicaid members with registered vehicles, while another reflected actual NMT users, and they defended the capitated structure as shifting financial risk to brokers rather than the state. Representative Fleming also raised concerns about oversight, reporting, and the apparent gap between budgeted and contracted amounts, asking whether any unused funds would return to general funds; the discussion ended before a final answer was given.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sol Al to the of the United States of America.
• According to a national think tank, New Hampshire was the 11th best state in the state innovation ranking
• According to a national think tank, New Hampshire was the 11th best state in the state innovation ranking
• , a lot of assessors and different municipalities across the state, and a lot of state legislators and
• We live in a great state.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• right here, it says, "Many state right here, it says, "Many state universities<00:21:16.559>
• You went through the, um, just briefly, the enrollment with regards to UNH, Plymouth State, Keene State
• think it's very promising for the state. think it's very promising for the state.
• institutions I'll speak for Keen State institutions I'll speak for Keen State over<01:08:57.199>
• Massachusetts has a barrier at the state Massachusetts has a barrier at the state legislature<01

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard updates from the chancellors of the state university system and the community college system on ongoing restructuring, collaboration, and enrollment trends. The university system said its office move to the NHTI campus is ahead of schedule and should save students about $250,000 a year while creating revenue for the community college system. Both systems described continued work on transfer pathways, direct-admit outreach, shared advising, and broader efforts to shrink footprints, reduce costs, and improve operational efficiency in response to declining enrollment and demographic pressure. A major topic was a possible federal change to Pell Grant eligibility that would require students to enroll in at least 7.5 credits. The chancellors said most community college students are part-time because of work and family responsibilities, and that the change could affect roughly 2,000 current Pell recipients and make it harder for students to afford or sustain enrollment. Members also discussed how the state’s governor’s scholarship statute largely benefits full-time students, suggesting possible future statutory changes. The chancellors explained how credits typically work, noting most courses are three or four credits and that students would likely need to add an entire course to meet the proposed threshold. The committee also discussed the broader higher education landscape, including declining high school cohorts, competition among New England institutions, and the need to right-size capacity. One member raised concerns about the health of regional campuses such as Plymouth and Keene; the chancellors said incoming enrollment is down at UNH and Plymouth and holding at Keene, attributing the trend to demographics rather than one campus drawing students away from another. They emphasized the importance of community colleges, adult learners, and short-term workforce programs as part of the state’s future education mix. Finally, the committee touched on the value of the university system’s research enterprise. The chancellor said about $250 million a year flows into the university system in federal research grants, with about $9.5 million currently under stop-work orders from federal agencies. She said the immediate concern is not DEI-related but federal cuts and possible caps on indirect cost recovery. Members noted that the R1 research designation supports business partnerships, student opportunities, and economic development projects such as West Edge in Durham.

Transcript Highlights:

• certain under the state. certain under the state.
• The State Department does have a database that they maintain for passports, and so if anybody is labeled
• The the state >> Correct.
• The state department does have<01:42:38.800> a<01:42:39.040> a<01:42:39.600> database
• state, much less another country. state, much less another country.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And as was stated.
• I work for a state fund.
• We love this state.
• We love this state.
• I am a state worker who can already barely afford to live in this state.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• this state. this state.
• They're not across state agencies and they're not within state agencies.
• They're not across state agencies and they're not within state agencies.
• They're not across state agencies and they're not within state agencies.
• They're not across state agencies and they're not within state agencies.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• That's already the state law.
• That's already the state law.
• State.
• Figure two just notes those regulations within states and which states don't have regulations.
• But there is multiple drug use in students across the state, in all corners of the state.

Bills: SF0071, SF0088, SF0056

Keywords: homeland security, search and rescue, grants, emergency response, Wyoming, sex offender, child care facility, residency restrictions, public safety, criminal law, sex offenders, child care facilities, legislation, kratom, regulation, healthcare, age restrictions, manufacturing standards, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• by state.
• So if you are a resident in the state of California and you are in another state, you buy something and
• In roughly six months, out-of-state agencies ran more than 1.6 million searches of San Francisco's database
• been provided to other states and law enforcement in other states.
• What other states are able to do successfully—some states, as we know, I think it was New Hampshire,

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You can be licensed in one state and drive in another state without the need for additional tests or
• The state board of Accountancy will continue to have the authority to regulate out of state licenses
• States.
• Please state your name. Please state your name, who you represent, and your position on the bill.
• states.

Transcript Highlights:

• this state. this state.
• :54.639> remain<00:15:55.440> fully state privacy protections remain fully state privacy
• are the only elected people in the state are the only elected people in the state who<00:27:27.840
• , the 200 school boards in this state, the 200 school boards in this state, small<00:27:55.120>
• anyone receiving a check from the state anyone receiving a check from the state government<00:46

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's 23 other states that have a data utility, a data dashboard, an all payers claims database.
• But like I said, 23 other states. But like I said, 23 other states.
• The largest being the uh States.
• Why do states use managed care?
• this state. this state.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board met on September 24, 2025, approved the minutes from the September 9 meeting, and then continued its discussion of Medicaid waivers with Leslie Hoffman and Carmen Hancock from the Department for Medicaid Services. Members asked for updates on the 2024 waiver waitlist management assessment recommendations, including aligning waiver policies, standardizing applications and waitlist placement, and modernizing data systems. DMS said that work is being done jointly with Aging and Independent Living and Behavioral Health/Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities through task forces, that ARPA spending delayed action, and that implementation timelines extend through March 2027. The board also reviewed per-member waiver cost averages for fiscal years 2023 through 2025 for ABI, ABI long-term care, HCBS, Model II, Michelle P, and SCL. DMS emphasized these figures were benefit-only averages based on paid claims, not full waiver costs, and explained that true budget neutrality is calculated on an aggregate basis against institutional care comparisons approved by CMS. DMS said all six waivers remain in compliance with budget neutrality and that the most recent 18-month lag review for FY 2022 and FY 2023 found costs at or below institutional care. Members also asked about unused waiver slots; DMS said slots generally cannot be reallocated mid-year if they have been used, except in cases such as death or reserved capacity, because CMS treats participants as unduplicated for the waiver year. A major portion of the meeting focused on the new child waiver created under House Bill 6. Legislators questioned whether the waiver’s design, including the exclusion of participant-directed services and the emphasis on high-acuity children with behavioral health, DCBS, or juvenile justice involvement, matched the bill’s intent to keep children at home. DMS said it used the $14.7 million appropriated for FY 2026 to develop the program, that there is no priority list, and that the waiver is intended to serve the highest-acuity children while also addressing residential needs for those sleeping in offices or placed out of state. Members also raised concerns about the rapid growth of the HCBS waiting list and asked for more detail on age and timing patterns, which DMS said it would provide later. Finally, DMS gave average processing times from application to eligibility determination and from approval to service start, and said the overall average from application to services beginning was about 80 days, while members requested follow-up information on the Carewise assessment contract and related costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, Steve Rawlings, State Senate District 11. Vanessa Gracel, State Rep, District 88.
• TJ Roberts, State House District 66.
• ,<00:05:48.240> and public resources, local, state, and public resources, local, state, and
• States. And then all final hardware States.
• States. States.

Keywords: Discussion of BR 25 (2026 RS) 04:15 Presentation on voting systems by ES&S 48:14 Presentation on voting systems by Hart InterCivic and Harp Enterprises 01:13:07, 958, all

Summary: The committee met to approve the October 21 minutes and then took up BR 25 for the 2026 regular session, a proposal relating to prohibited uses of tax dollars and public resources. The sponsors said the bill is intended to strengthen existing law by adding civil and criminal penalties for taxpayer-funded advocacy on ballot questions, especially in light of controversies during the 2024 election over school officials and districts using public resources to oppose a constitutional amendment. They also described related concerns about school districts hiring third-party lobbyists and public relations firms, particularly in Fayette County, and said the proposal was meant to keep tax dollars focused on public services rather than political persuasion. Committee members raised several concerns about scope and drafting. Some asked whether the bill should specifically mention schools, school boards, and school employees, and the sponsors said they would add that language. Others questioned whether the measure would also affect local government lobbying through groups like KLC and KCO, and the sponsors said they intended to focus narrowly on schools while exempting certain advocacy organizations and internal government lobbyists. Members also asked whether public employees could still speak as private individuals, and the sponsors said yes. Several members suggested splitting the lobbying and ballot-advocacy issues into separate bills, and the sponsors said they would consider that. Members also pressed for clarification on how the bill would apply in practice, including whether it would cover legal challenges to petition drives or only advocacy after a question is on the ballot. Counsel for the sponsors said the bill would not cover some petition-related litigation as drafted, though they believed it should. The sponsors and supporters argued the proposal was needed to give the existing prohibition real enforcement, while some members warned that the language could unintentionally limit legitimate public representation or be too broad if not carefully drafted. No final vote was taken during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• With state collaboration, we can scale and replicate these initiatives across the state.
• Effects across the state.
• The issues that he stated here.
• Around our state and our country.
• Our state support, even if we were to have the state support to cover that $45 million gap, comes in

Transcript Highlights:

• If you move with me to page 10, the report states that our state has tried to minimize these effects
• However, only some states, like New Mexico, provide state versions of these as well.
• I own an assisted-living home in another state, not this state. ...state, but I wouldn't own one in this
• state for what they pay.
• You have to be licensed in a state; it doesn't matter what state.

Transcript Highlights:

• The state has two years to make available the state match funds from the date of disbursement.
• The Secretary of State was included in the second wave of the rollout of the State Controller's Office
• California State Board of Pharmacy.
• state?
• ODI is new to state government.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Issue area number two: Secretary of State. All right. Issue area number two: Secretary of State.
• The states have two years to make available the state match funds from the date of disbursement.
• State as well.
• state?
• ODI is new to state government.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee 5 on State Administration held a May Revise hearing focused on state administration proposals, with the chair noting no actions would be taken and all items would remain open. The committee heard presentations on a range of budget proposals, including technical adjustments for the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement and the California Workforce Development Board, security and election-related funding for the Secretary of State, modernization and loan-backfill requests for the Department of Consumer Affairs, and multiple Employment Development Department updates covering EDD Next, UI and DI/PFL benefit estimates, workforce funding, and an EMT training reappropriation. Several items drew discussion from the LAO and committee members. The LAO generally supported technical or modernization items such as PERB’s implementation requests, GoServe’s College Corps adjustment, the Secretary of State’s security and HAVA grant items, and the Board of Pharmacy modernization proposal, but raised concerns about the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education’s proposed $10 million General Fund backfill and interest-free loan language. For EDD, the LAO flagged the size of the DI/PFL benefit adjustment and the unusual structure of the document management system proposal within EDD Next, while EDD said the changes reflected higher participation and benefit levels after SB 951 and ongoing modernization needs. The Department of Industrial Relations drew the most extensive questioning. It proposed funding for legal unit reclassifications, EAMS and Cal/OSHA data modernization, a new Cal/OSHA emerging technologies unit, a COYA reappropriation, and trailer bill changes requiring electronic payment of employer assessments and adjusting the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board timeline. Members pressed DIR on high vacancy rates, long wage theft and workers’ compensation backlogs, low collection rates for fines, and the need for clearer workload and outcome measures. DIR said the requests were intended to improve efficiency, support audits and corrective action plans, and better address emerging workplace risks, while the LAO said the workload drivers behind delays remain unclear. The hearing also included support for CalHR’s employee assistance program consolidation and CDT’s proposal to expand “Poppy,” a statewide generative AI assistant for state employees.

Transcript Highlights:

• Even the state building, the new state office building.
• space just around the state.
• space to state space.
• New Mexico is the 2nd or 3rd state aging faster than any other state in the entire country.
• Are we going to have the State Fair there? What's the plan for the State Fair itself? Speaker: Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• would provide a modest level of State would provide a modest level of State funding<00:02:29.920
• <00:03:43.920> of the state of the state of Minnesota<00:03:45.879> uh<00:03:46.000
• need that we had was a warehouse to start receiving goods from out of state and in-state so that we
• the state which I've received State the state which I've received State Goods<00:11:02.240> before
• Miss Wolf, go ahead and introduce yourself. state law for an individual to state law for an individual

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• state regulations. state regulations.
• How many other states are doing it? Do you know? >> Okay. How many other states are doing it?
• If somebody's registered in one state, they can practice in another state if we join this compact.
• states have different costs.
• member states.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the October 23 meeting minutes and then heard testimony on a planned 2026 bill to modernize Kentucky’s audiology practice act. Witnesses from the Academy of Doctors of Audiology and a Kentucky audiologist said the proposal would largely codify existing authority and add new powers to order certain imaging and lab tests related to auditory and vestibular conditions, as well as prescribe topical ear medications. They argued the changes would reduce delays, especially in rural areas, improve access to hearing and balance care, and help address provider shortages. Committee members asked about evidence for the expansion, responsibility for reviewing imaging results and incidental findings, and whether the changes might affect referrals or scope of practice. The witnesses said they could provide evidence, that the audiologist would be responsible for obtaining and reviewing radiology reports and following up with patients and primary care providers, and that the goal was to speed treatment and streamline referrals when needed. The committee then heard a separate proposal to update the Kentucky Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy statutes by licensing MRI technologists and diagnostic medical sonographers, who are not currently required to be licensed in Kentucky. The bill would create a transition period through January 1, 2028 for current practitioners, require national credentialing for new applicants after that date, expand the board from 9 to 11 members, and clarify scope and enforcement provisions. Supporters said the measure would improve patient safety, align Kentucky with most other states, and recognize national credentials. Members questioned how many workers would be affected, whether the state currently meets national standards, the cost of licensure, and whether the bill could worsen staffing shortages, especially in rural areas. The witnesses said about 800 MRI technologists and 1,600 sonographers in Kentucky are currently certified, initial licensure would cost $100, and existing licensees would not pay an additional fee. They also said the board viewed the change as a safety measure and noted increasing portability of MRI services across state lines. Finally, the committee began hearing a respiratory care interstate compact proposal. The sponsor and respiratory care representatives described the compact as a way to allow licensed respiratory therapists from member states to practice across state lines. They outlined the profession’s role in hospitals, emergency departments, home care, pulmonary labs, long-term care, and telehealth, and said the compact would help with workforce flexibility and access to care. The transcript cuts off before the discussion concluded or any action was taken on that item.