Transcript Highlights:

• This approach departs from established industry standards and will create unnecessary operational and
• This approach departs from established industry standards and will create unnecessary operational and
• It's a different standard and a different process.
• Now, a court can go back and say, look, we have legal standards for what constitutes a homicide.
• This is contrary to the standard that any advance care planning document must be voluntary.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To get to that amount, we also adjusted the standard deduction.
• It's like the standard deduction in personal income tax.
• So we set a new standard for Louisiana by doing that.
• So we've not just set a new standard for Louisiana; we're setting a new standard for the rest of the
• honestly, the national standard for how to do that.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are now in our third iteration of our ePollBook standards.
• Our standards define the testing rules and regulations and summarize some of our requirements that are
• defined and have become much stricter. released some updated standards which include some additional
• And we've also updated these standards to address situations when a poll book vendor is new to Texas,
• That was the golden standard. Thank you. Any other questions? Ms.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Once they get into the eligibility system, we use standard processes which have built into them sort
• So that's the first kind of backstop that we have built into how we standardize these processes.
• It takes dedicated intention, time, and resources, and we need to make it a standard board practice.
• Today, these staff support community engagement, training, and development of standardized processes
• standardized process to support consistent statewide implementation of the program.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Once they get into the eligibility system, we use standard processes which have built into them sort
• So that's the first kind of backstop that we have built into how we standardize these processes.
• , Although one of the goals of rate reform was to standardize the vendorization process through rate
• standardized process to support consistent statewide implementation of the program.
• We are asking for standards, clear supervision, and real accountability.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services heard testimony on Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and related budget and trailer bill proposals, with a major focus on the impacts of H.R. 1 on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). DDS and the Department of Social Services (DSS) said H.R. 1 could affect Medi-Cal and CalFresh access, but that people with disabilities and caregivers are exempt from the work requirements; the administration is working on data matching and automation through the statewide eligibility system to identify exemptions, with June 1, 2026 as the implementation date for CalFresh changes. Witnesses and advocates warned that any loss of Medi-Cal could create fiscal pressure on regional centers and households, while public commenters described the real-life consequences of losing services. Committee members repeatedly expressed concern about cost shifts to counties and asked for harm-mitigation strategies before the May Revision. The committee also reviewed the governor’s IHSS-related proposals. DSS said the budget would set a baseline for authorized hours, align IHSS disenrollment/reinstatement with Medi-Cal eligibility processes, and eliminate the IHSS backup provider system, while emphasizing that individual service hours would still be based on assessed need. DDS said if a person loses IHSS or Medi-Cal, regional centers may have to step in as payer of last resort for some services, potentially at higher state cost. Members and the Legislative Analyst’s Office questioned whether counties could absorb the proposed shifts without reducing services, and asked for more detail on implementation, data quality controls, and how regional centers could help families navigate disruptions. A separate trailer bill on DDS rate reform and the Quality Incentive Program drew mixed reactions. DDS proposed extending a contract exemption and delaying final rate reform regulations to 2030, saying the changes are budget-neutral and needed for implementation. DDS reported that about 81% of providers had completed the current Quality Incentive Program requirements, but providers and advocates argued the 90-10 structure can function like a penalty and may destabilize services if providers lose 10% of funding. Committee members asked for clearer assistance to providers, possible flexibility for good-faith efforts, and a redlined version of the language before the May Revision. The committee also heard DDS’s proposed trailer bill on regional center governance and provider capacity. DDS said the language would consolidate regional center contracts and performance measures, strengthen board training and oversight, require consumer advisory committees, expand independent legal support, raise the threshold for board approval of contracts, and remove barriers such as physical-office requirements and duplicate vendorization. DDS said the goal is to improve accountability and efficiency while preserving person-centered services, and members indicated they wanted further refinement and stakeholder input before moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, I don't think it's overexceeding the standards, but it gets back up to the standards that are now
• So, uh, that's a standard we need to be thinking about.
• </c><02:00:43.920><c> that</c> might be excluded by the standards that might be excluded by the standards
• So that is not by any means standard.
• Would that's an unreasonable standard.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are—you mentioned talking about standardizing, right?
• And there's a standard we can send you the NIST handbook if you want.
• It's based on a standard that's a national standard that looks at how to, you know, measure electron
• standards are required for us to be able to be accredited.
• standards are required for us to be able to be accredited.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill modernizes those standards.
• It standardizes and creates transport... ...to product safety, removing a layer of unnecessary expenses
• It standardizes and creates transparent lab reporting that will discourage inconsistent or inflated THC
• I mean, isn't it challenging, though, to collect data when the standards aren't even in place to test
• And then finally, we need to create some consistency across the labs, as well as standardization for

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy held a hearing on a broad set of cannabis and hemp bills, with the chairs opening by emphasizing unfinished work on equity, public health, safety, and market stability. The committee heard testimony on House Bill 146, which would create more efficient cannabis testing standards by increasing batch sizes, reducing or eliminating some environmental testing, standardizing lab reporting, and requiring annual scientific review and public data reporting. Industry witnesses, including a representative of the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition, cultivators, and a testing lab owner, said current testing rules are overly burdensome, costly, and inconsistent, and argued the bill would lower compliance costs while preserving consumer safety. A testing lab witness also said some operators switch labs to obtain higher THC results or pass contaminated batches, and urged greater transparency and better sampling protocols. A major portion of the hearing focused on intoxicating hemp and related bills that would bring hemp-derived intoxicating products under a stronger regulatory framework. Legislators and industry witnesses described products sold in gas stations, smoke shops, and convenience stores as often untested, not age-gated, and sometimes mislabeled or far above the federal hemp THC threshold. Testimony from attorneys and cannabis business leaders said states can regulate these products more strictly under the Farm Bill’s non-preemption language, and pointed to New Jersey and other states as possible models. Some witnesses and committee members stressed that any new rules should avoid harming non-intoxicating CBD businesses or lawful hemp farmers, while others argued that the products are effectively cannabis and should be regulated like cannabis for licensing, testing, age limits, and taxation. The committee also heard extensive public-health testimony in support of bills S. 95, S. 96, S. 97 and their House counterparts H. 191, H. 192, and H. 193. Parents, advocates, and public health professionals urged stronger warning labels, THC potency caps, and improved data collection on cannabis-related harms, citing cannabis-induced psychosis, addiction, anxiety, and youth exposure to high-potency products. Several witnesses said Massachusetts has not done enough to track health outcomes or warn consumers, and referenced other jurisdictions such as Connecticut, Vermont, Colorado, Canada, and Quebec as examples of stronger limits or warnings. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing; the committee primarily received testimony and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• CDE recently updated the Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards for Arts, Entertainment
• And critically, we're connecting Californians to career-track opportunities with labor standards and
• And critically, we're connecting Californians to career-track opportunities with labor standards and
• The register... tracks with related supplemental instruction aligned to CTE standards.
• The register Each aligned to California CTE model curriculum standards.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Standards.
• Allowing pharmacy-level substitution of products that have not demonstrated they have met the standard
• FDA has already taken steps to standards.
• Food and Drug Administration's rigorous standards for approval for the conditions of use described in
• And this is why it's important that this state law pass so we can have a statewide standard.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I disagree that these standards of care wouldn't come before you in the Board of Medicine because you
• So can you commit to applying CDC, FDA standards when a...
• So can you commit to applying CDC FDA standards when a out. I'm concerned about that.
• with that standard of care from the federal government?
• He is in compliance with the standards that are outlined as a part of the accountability bill.

Summary: The committee first considered the confirmation of Dr. John Lattell to the Florida Board of Medicine. In questioning, senators focused heavily on his views on abortion, vaccines, ivermectin, hormonal birth control, and the role of CDC/FDA guidance in board discipline cases. Dr. Lattell said the board should apply Florida statutes, described himself as strongly pro-life and skeptical of some federal health guidance, and said he would be sympathetic when judging fellow physicians because of his own experience in practice. Supporters praised his medical background, military service, and family medicine experience, while opponents argued his stated views could affect his ability to fairly discipline other doctors. The committee voted 5-2 to recommend confirmation, with Senators Polsky and Rouson voting no. The committee then took up the confirmation of Taylor Hatch as Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families. Hatch outlined her background at DCF and APD and described department priorities including streamlining services, improving child welfare and behavioral health systems, expanding peer support, and reducing SNAP error rates. Members asked detailed questions about Hope Florida, the number and role of Hope Navigators, agency responsiveness on bill analyses, and accountability for community-based care contractors. Hatch said Hope Florida is a partnership-based navigation effort aimed at self-sufficiency, that 143 Hope Navigators are in place, and that the department is working to improve transparency and oversight through contracts, audits, and a proposed funding model. Senators also pressed Hatch on the Hope Florida Foundation’s compliance history and on forensic audits of community-based care agencies, especially Northwest Florida Health Network. Hatch said the foundation is now in compliance and under audit, and that the contractor had completed corrective actions and was operating within current accountability limits. She said DCF had not yet conducted new forensic audits under her tenure but was preparing another round and was considering using contracted-services dollars to support that work. The discussion ended with continued questioning on oversight, staffing, and whether the agency could provide more formal bill analyses going forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• like United States Pharmacopeia standards and state laws.
• Federal standards already ensure safety.
• These standards are frequently reviewed with input from the FDA.
• HB 4036 would impose additional testing requirements beyond established national standards.
• There's the federal standards that are having to be followed, too.

Bills: HB2746, HB2750, HB2765, HB4036

Keywords: trade offices, committee, Arizona commerce authority, stakeholder input, efficiency, Arizona-Sonora, Sonora, Mexico, trade commission, cross-border trade, bilateral trade, international trade, economic development, foreign relations, border economy, investment, infrastructure, business exchange, academic exchange, legislative commission

Transcript Highlights:

• A statutory grid establishes the standard sentencing range for a particular offense based on the offense
• This applies to juvenile offenses with a standard range confinement over 30 days, except for certain
• the standard range for juveniles found to have committed robbery one and robbery two in juvenile court
• the standard range for juveniles found to have committed robbery one and robbery two in juvenile court
• This is a major change to the standard range sentence for all but the most serious violent offenses.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 2456, which would create a juvenile firearm early intervention alternative for youth charged in juvenile court with unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree. Staff explained that the program would require prosecutor agreement, intensive community supervision, random suspicionless searches, therapy and mentoring services, periodic court review, and dismissal of the charge upon successful completion. The bill would also raise concealed pistol license fees by $100 each and dedicate the revenue to a new account funding the alternative. Representative Davis said the bill is intended to fill the gap between firearm possession charges and later juvenile sentencing, and to fund evidence-based services; one member questioned whether the fee increase functions more like a tax than a fee. The chair then paused testimony on HB 2456 to return to the other bill. The bulk of the hearing focused on House Bill 2389, which would expand suspended disposition alternatives, reduce some juvenile robbery sentencing ranges, add a midpoint review for certain youth committed to DCYF, and create new rules for juvenile rehabilitation capacity and emergency transfers. Supporters, including youth currently or formerly in juvenile facilities, defense advocates, restorative justice providers, and some judges, argued the bill would reduce overcrowding, improve rehabilitation, address racial disparities, and give judges more individualized options. Several testified that youth need treatment, family connection, and incentives for progress rather than long confinement, and that current sentencing practices are outdated and underuse suspended dispositions. Opponents, including sheriffs, prosecutors, county officials, victim advocates, and some judges, argued the bill would shift costs and responsibility to counties, require resources that do not exist, and weaken accountability for serious offenses such as robbery, assault, and trafficking. They raised concerns about expanded appeals, added court workload, the need for more staffing and programming, and the impact on victims and public safety. DCYF said it supports reducing overcrowding but wants clearer emergency transfer authority for Green Hill; facility staff described improved conditions as population has fallen, but said overcrowding still creates safety and programming problems. No vote was taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the council ultimately approves all of the new standards, the revisions.
• It doesn't say, you know, you can go into the standards and find those minimum qualifications.
• It doesn't say, you know, you can go into the standards and find those minimum qualifications.
• So, yes, we've had a standard of using Career Bridge. You can find the information there.
• Is that standard? Yes. And is that standard through Sound Transit or who determines 20%?

Summary: The work session focused first on Washington’s apprenticeship system, especially building trades programs and support services. Labor and Industries staff explained how registered apprenticeship works in the state, including the role of the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council, the requirements for paid on-the-job training and classroom instruction, and the difference between apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship. Panelists emphasized that apprenticeship is tied to actual jobs and training agents, and that many waitlists reflect a shortage of job openings and employer participation rather than a lack of interest. They also discussed youth apprenticeship, the growth of apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, and the use of Career Bridge and L&I’s database to help people find programs. Representatives asked whether the state should expand apprenticeship programs and how people can find openings. Speakers said more programs alone would not solve the backlog without more employers signing on as training agents and more apprenticeship utilization on projects. The panel also highlighted the Constructed Career Initiative, a grant-funded navigation and support program that helps people enter and stay in building trades apprenticeships through outreach, case management, and wraparound aid such as transportation, tools, and work clothes. A related nonprofit, Build Up, described similar support services, including prison-based boot and PPE programs and assistance for reentry participants. The panel said these services are especially important because apprentices often face unstable income, housing, food, and transportation barriers. The panel also discussed House Bill 2084 and the new Construction Training Pathway Oversight Committee, which is examining construction training in correctional facilities and how to create clearer pathways from prison-based training to apprenticeship, college, or work. Speakers said the committee is still in its early stages and will report to the legislature. The session ended with committee members thanking the panel and noting the importance of support services and referral networks for apprentices. The meeting then resumed at Renton Technical College, where college leaders and faculty discussed serving non-traditional students. The college reported strong enrollment growth, a median student age of 30, a diverse student body, and high job placement rates, while also noting significant budget cuts and program reductions from the prior year. Health care and early childhood education programs were highlighted, including efforts to expand access through hybrid scheduling, evening and Saturday classes, Spanish-language offerings, and in-person wraparound support for admissions, financial aid, and registration. Faculty said these changes were driven by student data and were aimed at helping working parents, English learners, and other non-traditional students complete credentials and enter family-wage careers.

Transcript Highlights:

• Secretary of State the ability to provide contact information of notaries to the public, as was the standard
• for code officers are substantially equivalent to Texas standards.
• Senator Menendez. ...are substantially equivalent to Texas standards. Thank you. Thank you, Dean.
• The compact also maintains high licensing standards.
• However, the compact would lower that bar requiring only a clinical assessment, a vague standard that

Bills: HB111

Summary: The committee heard a long series of House bills, with most measures laid out by Senate sponsors and then left pending after brief public testimony. Early bills focused on construction and licensing issues, including HB 305 on prompt payment for public construction audits, HB 5093 on restoring public access to notary contact information, HB 2037 on updating landlord-tenant repair and security deposit rules, HB 4214 on a centralized public information request contact database, and HB 5435 exempting higher education institutions from a 90-day notice requirement for certain public-private partnership projects. Testimony was generally supportive on these bills, and no votes were taken; each was left pending. The committee also considered several transparency and regulatory bills. HB 111 would expand the Public Information Act to certain nonprofit state associations and narrow some attorney-client and working-paper exceptions, with supporters arguing it would improve oversight of public funds and critics questioning the scope and thresholds. HB 5129 would protect occupational license holders’ personal identifying information from disclosure without consent, HB 4350 would allow peace officers to redact personal information from online real property records, HB 4748 would authorize multiple-award state purchasing contracts, and HB 4765 would clean up code enforcement officer licensing rules. HB 4134 would allow motor vehicle creditors to charge limited fees for electronic payment options while requiring a free alternative, and HB 1043 would direct a study of blockchain-based property title records; both drew testimony, with some concern about the practical effects and vendor implications of the blockchain study. Several bills addressed insurance, workforce, and digital-asset regulation. HB 3520 would reduce the insurance coverage required for transportation network companies during the period when a driver is en route to pick up a passenger, drawing support from Texans for Lawsuit Reform and opposition from trial lawyers who argued the higher coverage better protects the public. HB 3320 would create a self-insurance pool for religious institutions, with TDI explaining it would still be regulated but operate under a special statutory framework. HB 4233 would modernize rules for digital asset service providers by removing certain auditor-access requirements and updating reporting and licensing provisions. HB 3923 would reduce bachelor’s-degree requirements for some state jobs, though Every Texan argued low pay, not degree requirements, is the main driver of turnover. HB 4518 would create a legal structure for decentralized unincorporated nonprofit associations tied to blockchain governance; business law experts opposed it as unnecessary and potentially risky, while crypto advocates supported it. Finally, HB 1803 would join an interstate compact for dentists and dental hygienists, with supporters citing workforce shortages and opponents saying Texas already licenses quickly and that the compact could weaken state oversight. Throughout the hearing, the committee repeatedly closed testimony and left bills pending, and a quorum was eventually established before later items were heard.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that standard has held up in the courts so far, and we do think it’s the most flexible approach.”
• Similarly, Instagram is moving teen accounts toward a PG-13 content standard by default, meaning teens
• While there were diverging viewpoints, the work group ultimately recommended that clear, standardized
• I served as a member of the Wildfire Mitigation and Resiliency Standards Work Group as well, and I'm
• We would like to see standardized disclosure forms that are developed by the OIC.

Summary: The Senate Business, Trade and Economic Development Committee first held a work session on protecting children online. Testimony focused on a proposed Kids Online Protection Act that would limit addictive algorithmic feeds for minors and restrict push notifications during school hours and at night. Supporters included a former tech executive, a Meta whistleblower, and a psychology researcher, who argued that social media design exploits adolescent development, harms well-being, and that the bill gives parents and children more control without banning access to content. Industry and trade group witnesses opposed the approach, arguing it would violate the First Amendment, create privacy risks through age verification, and could reduce useful personalization and safety tools; they said companies are already implementing teen protections and parental controls. The committee did not take a vote during the work session. The committee then held a public hearing on Senate Bill 5928, sponsored by Senators Warnick and Short at the request of the Insurance Commissioner. The bill would require property insurers using wildfire risk scores or models to disclose more information to consumers, explain adverse factors, provide appeal and rescoring processes, and account for mitigation actions in rate filings and discounts. The Office of Insurance Commissioner, a Colville Tribal representative, fire district testimony, climate advocates, realtors, hospitality businesses, and insurance agents generally supported the bill as a transparency and consumer-protection measure, with some urging inclusion of commercial lines and stronger recognition of local fire mitigation. Several insurance trade groups opposed or were neutral, warning that the bill goes too far, could expose proprietary underwriting information, increase regulation and costs, and should be narrowed to align with other states’ approaches. No vote was taken, and the chair adjourned after the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• tailored to each individual student, and a summary criterion-based assessment based on the Texas standards
• Tests meet the standards spelled out in the statute.
• Like Commissioner Morath said, students will be measured against clear state-adopted academic standards
• It relates the student to a standard.
• That's correct, so you'll get one that we provide, which we know is standards-aligned and has to meet

Bills: SB8, SB 8

Keywords: education, accountability, public school assessment, state law, transparency, intervention, performance ratings, sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Or at least two times, if not three times, and applying slightly different standards.
• So, House Bill 4585 seeks to address the challenges by establishing clear and consistent standards for
• Establishing a caseload standard for every other part of DFPS will similarly help protect vulnerable
• Today, the only caseload standards have been in conservatorship, and that's due to the current federal
• Having safe caseload standards will help us fulfill this mandate. Any questions?

Bills: HB660, HB4845, HB3902, HB5396, HB4615, HB1825, HB1403, HB4336, HB4585, HB4371, HB863, SB1589, HB5223, HB3195, HB2734

Keywords: child protective services, adult protective services, caseload limits, call processing goals, child-care licensing, employee workload, reporting requirements, employee caseload limits, protective services, workload management, accountability, Department of Family and Protective Services, employee goals, call processing, child care, human resources, government accountability, Medicaid, provider enrollment, revalidation

Transcript Highlights:

• However, their education standards meet the dental education standards for the similar procedures that
• Those competency standards mean something.
• For the procedures they perform, including... ...these standards mean something.
• There is a standard Grace and Smalls Mobility Index.
• The standard tooth mobility standard Grace and Smalls Mobility Index, the standard tooth mobility classification

Summary: The Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee heard and advanced three bills. HB 21 would create a new licensed profession of dental therapy under the Department of Health and Board of Dentistry, allowing trained dental therapists to provide a limited scope of care under a supervising Florida-licensed dentist through a collaborative management agreement. Sponsor Rep. Cheney argued the bill would help address severe dental shortages and improve access in underserved areas; opponents from the Florida Dental Association and oral surgery groups warned that the bill would allow irreversible procedures by less-educated providers and could compromise patient safety. Supporters, including dentists, hygienists, and community health center leaders, said dental therapists would expand access and free dentists to handle more complex care. An amendment was adopted to require proof of local anesthesia training, adverse-incident reporting, and updated background screening language. The bill was reported favorably as amended by a 14-1 vote. The committee then considered HB 27, which creates the Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact to allow licensed social workers to practice across member states, including through telehealth, and to help military families and address workforce shortages. Supporters from the National Association of Social Workers and other advocates said the compact would improve mobility, reduce administrative burdens, and expand access to mental health services, especially in underserved and rural areas. A technical amendment restoring model language and setting an effective date of July 1, 2025 was adopted, and the bill was reported favorably as amended on a 15-0 vote. Finally, the committee heard HB 29, the public-records companion to the social work compact, which creates exemptions needed for compact compliance and allows the compact commission or its committees to meet in closed session when discussing information exempt under law. After a technical amendment authorizing closed meetings for exempt matters was adopted, the bill was reported favorably as amended on a 15-0 vote. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• This creates unequal standards and protections for law enforcement.
• established by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training as ...and who meets the same standards
• And it's lowering that standard.
• And having a uniform standard is something we should explore.
• And having a uniform standard is something we should explore.

Keywords: 988, house, all