Transcript Highlights:

• , the water treatment, the land availability, the industrial parks and other things are.
• , the water treatment, the land availability, the industrial parks and other things are.
• , the water treatment, the land availability, the industrial parks and other things are.
• , the water treatment, the land availability, the industrial parks and other things are.
• We're believers that if it's easier for our regulated industries to follow, it's easier for us to regulate

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:01:00 Approval of Minutes 00:02:31 Kentucky Farm Bureau 00:02:42 Kentucky Department of Agriculture 00:28:18 Kentucky Cattlemen's Association 01:48:13, 958, all

Summary: The committee heard first from Kentucky Farm Bureau leaders, who outlined the organization’s current priorities and recent work on farmland transition. Eddie Melton said Farm Bureau is working through 983 county and advisory committee resolutions and highlighted support for the updated selling farmer tax credit, now law through House Bill 775, as well as Senate Bill 28’s agriculture economic development provisions. He said Farm Bureau’s likely priorities include maintaining the 50% share of the tobacco settlement fund for agriculture, protecting funding for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, preserving sales tax exemptions on farm inputs, keeping property taxes controlled, and exploring additional tools to keep farmland in active farmers’ hands, including possible loan or inheritance-tax changes. He also raised concerns about eminent domain transparency, nuisance deer permits, and access to agricultural inputs and crop protection products. Alita Bots described the farmland transition initiative in more detail, saying the revised state tax credit is generating strong interest and that a new federal tax provision now allows eligible land sales to actively engaged farmers to spread capital gains taxes over time. She said the initiative has reached 22 counties and more than 1,300 people this year through outreach and meetings, and that Farm Bureau is pairing policy work with resources to help farm families plan transitions and prepare wills and other estate documents. Drew Graham added that the effort is also meant to bridge the rural-urban divide and support rural communities, and Farm Bureau invited members to its annual meeting in early December. Members asked about rising insurance costs and deer damage. Farm Bureau representatives said severe convective storms, inflation, and higher repair and material costs have driven insurance rate increases, citing five major storm events since 2021 and a recent Owensboro hailstorm that caused about $350 million in losses; they said the company is moving toward percentage deductibles to help moderate increases. On deer, they said crop-loss totals are hard to quantify but acknowledged the problem and discussed possible coordination with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Hunters for the Hungry. Commissioner Jonathan Shell then began the Department of Agriculture presentation, reporting gains from the department’s school agriculture outreach program, including a 23% increase in county participation between March and September and improved teacher-reported student learning, before continuing into the department’s legislative priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're issuing contracts, or they're adopting regulations, or they're really in the weeds of the administrative
• Would you like to catch your breath, get a drink of water, catch your... me in the heart.
• Would you like to catch your breath, get a drink of water, catch your ...are relevant to the case.
• And that is, is the governor sort of made a request that you promulgate regulations to create one process
• We didn't have codified policy and regulation to not make it underground regulation, to make sure it's

Committee: Senate Rules

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• May hope be as common as grain in our midst and integrity as ubiquitous as water.
• 00:01:08.560><c> our</c> May hope be as common as grain in our midst and integrity as ubiquitous as water
• helps ensure our statutes are clear, predictable, and provide certainty to borrowers, lenders, and regulators
• certainty to borrowers, lenders, provide certainty to borrowers, lenders, and<00:30:14.320><c> regulators
• I'd also like to and regulators alike.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• “Well, I think since those are already all regulated entities, it would be transparent to the user because
• directing LED to establish brick manufacturing as a priority industry and to promulgate rules and regulations
• directing LED to establish brick manufacturing as a priority industry and to promulgate rules and regulations
• ... right now they're only down at ports, because they primarily buy them and they put them on the water
• And members, this is House Bill number six... buy them and they put them on the water and they send them

Committee: House Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs

Summary: The House Committee on Commerce met on March 17, 2026, adopted its rules again because they had not been properly posted, and voluntarily deferred several bills before taking up the day’s agenda. The committee then moved through a series of commerce and financial services measures, with members repeatedly noting the bills had been worked on jointly by authors and stakeholders. HB 489, on transfer-on-death securities, was amended to make the transfer requirements mandatory and to remove a liability limitation for registering entities, then reported favorable. HB 545, which narrowed a consumer-loan bill to origination fees only, was amended and reported favorable. HB 555, expanding protections for eligible adults from financial exploitation, was amended with technical changes and an amendment from Rep. Boyd, then reported favorable after testimony from bankers and advocates describing scams targeting seniors and the need for delayed transactions, trusted contacts, and training. HB 797, creating the Bayou Gold Program, was amended to clarify electronic payment platforms and reported favorable after questions about state involvement, insurance, and consumer protections. HB 952, modernizing the consumer loan framework, was amended to a three-tier rate structure and to add ability-to-repay and disaster-relief provisions, then reported favorable. The committee also considered two economic development bills from Rep. Owen. HB 672 would encourage brick manufacturing in Louisiana; after an amendment changed LED’s role from directing a priority industry to allowing support through existing programs and guidance, the bill was reported favorable. Testimony emphasized Louisiana’s clay deposits, limited in-state brick production, and potential benefits for housing costs and jobs. HB 670, on wood pellet manufacturing, received a similar amendment limiting LED to support and guidance rather than mandates, and was also reported favorable. A consultant testified that a proposed North Louisiana pellet facility could generate significant payroll, local spending, and revenue from timber that is currently underused, while LED described the sector as part of the state’s agribusiness and energy strategy and discussed global demand, carbon footprint requirements, and the role of CCUS in attracting large projects. The discussion on HB 670 continued at the end of the transcript, with members probing how the industry works and how Louisiana could benefit from it.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> before modern environmental regulations. before modern environmental regulations.
• The Colorado River is an essential water resource supplying water for municipal and agricultural uses
• The Colorado River is an essential water resource supplying water for municipal and agricultural uses
• The Colorado River is an essential water resource supplying water for municipal and agricultural uses
• </c><05:07:56.080><c> for</c> independently through the water for independently through the water for

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And in a schools need to be regulated.
• </c> that's why I think that um regulating that's why I think that um regulating the<01:38:05.760><c>
• Regulating student phone use should not be left to individual districts.
• ><c> should</c><01:51:02.560><c> not</c> Regulating student phone use should not Regulating student phone
• </c><01:51:07.520><c> a</c> should not make cell phone regulation a should not make cell phone regulation

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , talk to non-regulated providers, talk to your regulators, get full consensus, package that in a report
• </c> impacted parties, talk to regulated impacted parties, talk to regulated providers,<01:13:14.640>
• <c> talk</c><01:13:14.800><c> to</c><01:13:14.960><c> non-regulated</c> providers, talk to non-regulated
• regulators, get providers, talk to your regulators, get full<01:13:17.360><c> consensus,</c><01:13:18.239
• </c> collaboration with division regul collaboration with division regul regulated<01:31:29.760><c> child

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from its July 30, 2025 meeting. Members then heard a presentation from Roger McCann of the Department for Community Based Services on Kentucky’s 2026-2027 Community Services Block Grant state plan. He explained that the federally funded grant, now about $12 million annually, is distributed through 23 local community action agencies that use flexible funds for locally identified needs such as housing, nutrition, transportation, Head Start, and domestic violence services. McCann said the plan is submitted every two years and that the agencies served about 264,000 Kentuckians and 130,000 families in 2024. Senator Meredith asked whether there was a central place to review local projects, and McCann said regular reports exist and could be shared with members. The committee then approved the CSBG state plan by roll call vote. After that, members received an update on Kentucky’s state-designated domestic violence shelter programs from Angela Yanelli of ZeroV, Mary Foley of Maryman House Domestic Crisis Center, and Elizabeth Martin of the Center for Women and Families. The presenters described ZeroV’s role as the statewide domestic violence coalition, its 15 member programs across all area development districts, and its contract with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to provide emergency shelter, supportive services, housing assistance, and batterers intervention programming. They emphasized that services are available 24/7 and are trauma-informed, with a strong focus on children and family support. The domestic violence providers reported high demand and rising costs. ZeroV said its network served more than 14,000 adults and children in fiscal year 2025, including nearly 900 children in shelter and more than 500 in outreach, while Maryman House reported operating at 90-92% capacity, with 53 households waiting for emergency shelter and 63 more waiting for intake. Maryman House also described an 8-unit transitional housing complex and plans for a 48-unit apartment complex if tax credit funding is approved. The Center for Women and Families highlighted school-readiness support for children, tutoring, counseling, and family services, including back-to-school supplies and rights information for homeless students. No additional votes or formal actions were taken during the domestic violence presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• time, we noticed that he was really struggling with regulating his emotions at home and focusing in
• In addition to making the MCAS an adaptive assessment, it asks that Bessie developed regulations for
• Students learned how to perform water chemistry testing to see the fluctuation of nitrogen compounds.
• Students learn about what happens when water runs through sand, ...of issues with sand.
• If students learn about what happens when water runs through sand, they'll have greater ideas for how

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education heard testimony on several bills centered on school accountability, receivership, graduation requirements, charter school access, community schools, school libraries, and student voting rights. Much of the discussion focused on the Thrive Act, S. 374, which would end state receivership and change the state’s accountability approach. Supporters, including educators, parents, advocacy groups, and students, argued that receivership has not improved outcomes in districts such as Lawrence, Holyoke, Southbridge, Boston, and the Dever, and that local communities should have more control, with greater emphasis on community schools, wraparound services, and broader measures of school quality. They also supported related bills on community schools and school library standards, and several witnesses backed a bill to expand student representative voting rights on school committees. Opponents of S. 374, especially charter school leaders, parents, students, and some education advocates, focused on Section 4 of the bill, which would change the charter school net school spending cap in the lowest-performing districts. They argued that the provision would reduce access to charter seats in communities where families are seeking more options, and that schools such as Roxbury Prep, Excel Academy, Brook, Veritas Prep, and Libertas Academy have produced strong results for students, including students of color, low-income students, and students with special needs. Several witnesses said the section would force schools to shrink or close and would remove opportunities for families in districts with long waitlists. Committee members questioned witnesses on both the effectiveness of receivership and the charter school cap language. Chair Lewis and Chair Gordon emphasized the need for a better accountability system and noted concerns about whether current measures, including MCAS-based designations, accurately reflect school quality. Some witnesses said they had discussed the possibility of removing Section 4 from the Thrive Act and suggested it might be addressed in separate charter reform legislation. No votes were taken during the hearing; testimony was received and the committee later closed testimony on S. 374 and several related bills before moving on to the student voting rights bill, S. 367.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's the sum accumulation of a lot of different issues: taxes, regulations, you name it, a lot of different
• Waters. Wiley. Wiley. Yvara. Yvara. Zahn. Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker. Evara. Zahn. Aye.
• For the remarks, the good member from the 17th, Representative Waters. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
• It's the sum accumulation of everything, the taxes, the regulation, and the effect with no relief, no
• Valdez, Bowles, Walen, Walsh, Walsh, Walsh, Walsh, Waters, Waters, no, Wiley, Ybarra, Sawn.

Bills: HB2720 , HB2073 , SB5816 , SB5919 , SB5831 , SB6244 , SB6044 , SB5109 , SB5877 , SB6258

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, juice grapes, agriculture, commerce, state regulation, market access, fire safety, insurance incentives, best practices, community protection, voluntary measures, mortgage modification

Transcript Highlights:

• Our main focus continues to be patient safety and responsible regulation.
• I think that it needs to be regulated with proper packaging.
• It's not any of the regulators. It's us. If it wasn't for us, nobody would be here.
• It's completely over-regulated because they do the same thing.
• I see us going in the exact... ...regulated because they do the same thing.

Summary: The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority advisory council met for its first public comment session, approved the November 21, 2025 minutes, and heard extensive comments from patients, industry members, and advocates. Public testimony focused on concerns about proposed legislative changes, including potency limits, tax increases, grow-license caps, reclamation bonds, hemp-derived cannabinoids, and bills affecting employee credentialing and edible definitions. Commenters also raised transparency concerns about the council’s composition, OMMA’s “secret shopper” program, access to records, and the need for more patient, processor, lab, and small-business representation. OMMA leadership gave agency updates, reporting that the medical portal had improved after earlier problems and that turnaround times were now about 36 days for commercial renewals, same day for credentials and transport agents, and eight days for patients. The agency also said it had added an administrative actions tab to its website, was moving forward with QA lab accreditation, and was working more closely with law enforcement on hemp-derived cannabinoid enforcement. The new Chief Science Officer reported accreditation progress for the QA lab, completion of several validation processes, 12 lab cases filed for 2024-2025 inspections, and one lab license revoked for noncompliance. Legislative staff reviewed bills moving through the session, including measures extending a moratorium, capping commercial grow licenses at 2,550, repealing the grow bond and adding a reclamation fee, and limiting THC in certain products, though one THC-cap bill had been amended into an advertising bill. Council discussion centered on proposed 10 mg per serving and 100 mg per package limits, with members arguing those limits could harm patients who need individualized dosing and create business disruptions. Members also discussed the need for better scientific testing methods, more timely inspection reports, and clearer guidance on license transfers. A major portion of the meeting addressed coordination between OMMA and OBNDD on enforcement against illegal or “gas station” cannabis products and bad actors. OBNDD explained its role in criminal enforcement, the use of search warrants and emergency suspensions, and how OMMA license revocations automatically affect OBN registrations. OMMA said it is now receiving more regular information from OBNDD and using that data to shut down licenses more quickly. The council also discussed whether public-facing license information should be redacted for safety, and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, which passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:22:09.920><c> sewer</c> uh it's the capital city water sewer uh it's the capital city water sewer
• "Oh, I want it to hold all the damn water it can hold.
• </c> more water, couldn't it? more water, couldn't it?
• Is &gt;&gt; You want them to hold more water.
• </c> &gt;&gt; Oh, I want it to hold all the damn water &gt;&gt; Oh, I want it to hold all the damn water

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

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 789 by Ways and Means Committee, an act relating to the Coeur d'Alene Tribe Water Rights,
• Code, by the addition of a new section 42-165B, Idaho Code, to provide for the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Water
• Houseful 1789 by Ways and Means Committee and act relating to the Coralane Tribe Water Rights, amending
• I think that we can be a friendly state for regulation and still stand for law and order.
• Board of Drinking Water and Wastewater Professionals fee rule, proposed rules, specifically rejected.

Summary: The House convened with 63 members present, approved the journal, and received Senate and governor messages, including enrolled House Bills 533, 502, 555 and several Senate bills for first reading. Standing committee reports advanced a number of bills, including House Bills 713, 723, 664, 667, 716, 650, and 717, and introduced a large slate of new House and Senate bills covering health care, taxation, education, public safety, alcohol regulation, tribal water rights, and other topics. In Committee of the Whole, members amended and advanced several bills. House Bill 570 on reckless driving was amended to clarify language about children and construction zones and reported back with amendments and without recommendation. House Bill 561 on flags was amended to add the Basque autonomous community flag and to prohibit certain political, religious, or ideological flags on government property; it was also reported back with amendments and without recommendation. House Bills 692, 575, and 562 were each amended with mostly clarifying changes and reported back with amendments and without recommendation. House Bills 530, 627, 598, and 673 were held in committee with progress reported and leave to sit again. The House then considered House Bill 704, which would require employers to use E-Verify to screen new hires for work authorization. Debate focused on immigration enforcement, labor shortages, agriculture, constitutional concerns, and whether the bill would burden businesses or displace workers. After extended debate, the House passed HB 704 by a vote of 43-26 with one absent and excused. House Bill 700, a related E-Verify measure with criminal penalties and broader application, also drew extensive debate on constitutionality, existing employees, labor impacts, and immigration policy; it passed 36-33 with one abstention and one excused. The House then adopted committee reports, held the remaining third-reading bills until Monday, received administrative rules letters, made announcements, and adjourned until March 2, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:07:48.039><c> a</c> much lower standard of regulations a much lower standard of regulations a
• </c><00:15:57.800><c> it's</c> not the specifics in the regulation it's not the specifics in the regulation
• </c> this is you know stating regulations this is you know stating regulations that<00:26:21.600><c>
• It is also one of the most highly regulated.
• If you take a child out of the classroom for a walk or a drink of water to calm down and help co-regulate

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• NOAA has over $450 million of capital available, primarily from 25 regulated Oregon banks, and also from
• We need a public-private stakeholder group to fully review the patchwork of rules and regulations governing
• combination of household contribution and prioritization of placement into rent-subsidized or rent-regulated
• So, for our in-home services, we provide heat pump water heater installations.
• So I mentioned that we do install heat pump water heaters, as well as ductless heat pumps. ...that provide

Keywords: 907, all

Summary: The committee met for a series of information sessions focused on housing stabilization, rental assistance, senior housing, and heat resilience. In the first panel, OHCS and NOAA described the state’s affordable housing preservation work, including the $35 million in 2025 stabilization funding used to reduce debt and keep distressed affordable rental projects operating, plus manufactured home park preservation efforts. OHCS said the portfolio remains under strain, with about a third of projects at debt coverage ratios of 1.0 or less and rising insurance and operating costs. NOAA urged faster closings on the stabilization awards, more funding in 2027, and broader rent assistance and process reforms. Committee members asked about the gap between current appropriations and need, and OHCS explained that the new Article 11-Q bond preservation program is structured differently and requires full refinancing rather than simple cash infusions. The committee then heard a detailed discussion of the state’s eviction prevention and rental assistance program, ORDAP. OHCS said the program is administered through community action agencies, prioritizes households at imminent risk of eviction, and is now funded at a much lower level than in the prior biennium, reducing expected service to about 8,200 households this biennium. The Oregon Law Center, a county community action agency, and Multifamily Northwest all agreed the program prevents homelessness and is effective, but they differed on whether assistance should be tied so closely to eviction court. Legal aid and community action witnesses said the current system is underfunded and that eviction filings are the clearest indicator of need, while Multifamily Northwest argued the process can push people into court unnecessarily and should be moved earlier when possible. Legislators raised questions about whether a pre-eviction model could be developed and about the costs of court involvement; one member shared a personal story about how rental assistance helped keep their family housed. Next, the governor’s office, OHCS, and OHA presented on the new senior housing initiative and healthy homes work. The governor’s housing director said Oregon is making progress on homelessness and housing production, with reductions in homelessness outside Multnomah County and an estimated 50,000 future units added to the pipeline through recent state actions. OHCS outlined the senior housing programs launched in May: a debt-financing program using elderly and disabled bond authority, an older adult housing development program funded through the senior property tax deferral revolving account, and a rehousing program for older adults that will use bridge funding and services to move at least 400 unsheltered older Oregonians into housing. OHA also described its Healthy Homes Grant Program, including $24.6 million already awarded, a new $5 million grant round for seniors and people with disabilities, and examples of home repairs and weatherization that help people remain safely housed. The final information session focused on home cooling and heat resilience. OHA presented data showing rising extreme heat days, more heat-related emergency visits, and likely undercounted heat deaths, especially among older adults, people with disabilities, low-income communities, and people without access to healthy homes. ODOE reviewed implementation of Senate Bill 1536, including a cooling needs study that found 58% of surveyed households in the studied housing types needed permanent cooling, with estimated statewide costs of $582 million to $1 billion. ODOE said its rental home heat pump and community heat pump programs have supported 4,638 installations so far, with a temporary reopening planned using remaining funds. The session ended with a remote presentation from a Community Action Partnership of Oregon representative, continuing the discussion of how community action agencies help deliver energy and anti-poverty services.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the water board in Santa Clara County is not going to build permanent housing units on their water
• And so, to my witness's point, if it were a water district property that wants to move people out of
• I would like to also state for the record that CACM and all of our members support regulation in this
• CACM and all of our members support regulation in this industry, as we have discussed over the last few
• But I don't think that this, you know, as the opposition even stated, there's enough regulation in this

Summary: The committee heard several housing-related measures. SB 866 by Senator Blakespear would require jurisdictions that do not receive HAP homelessness grants to include homelessness data strategies and regional coordination in their housing elements. Supporters said the bill would close a planning gap and improve transparency and accountability; opponents, including the League of California Cities and several cities, argued it would impose costly, duplicative reporting requirements and ask cities to collect data outside their control. Members raised concerns about burden on small cities and possible amendments for lower-population or low-homelessness jurisdictions, but no final vote was taken because the committee initially lacked a quorum. SB 967, also by Senator Blakespear, would allow qualifying interim housing units to count toward a portion of a jurisdiction’s RHNA obligation for acutely low-income housing, with safeguards against double counting and reporting requirements. Supporters said the bill would incentivize rapid, dignified interim housing and help move people out of encampments; opponents warned it would blur the line between temporary shelter and permanent housing and could reduce pressure to build deeply affordable permanent units. After extensive debate, the committee reached quorum and voted the bill out on a due pass basis to the Senate Appropriations Committee, with members noting continued work on amendments. The committee also considered SCR 131, a resolution calling for a coordinated state effort to end unsheltered homelessness and prioritize a broad range of interventions, including interim housing, permanent supportive housing, and prevention. Supporters emphasized the scale and urgency of unsheltered homelessness and the need for clearer state goals and funding. One member said the resolution’s language was too broad and abstained, but the author agreed to consider wording changes. The resolution was adopted on a roll call vote and held on call for absent members. Finally, SB 1238 by Senator Wahab would increase oversight and transparency for homeowners associations and HOA managers, including disclosures, reserve-fund rules, and a proposed fiduciary-duty standard. Realtors and homeowner supporters backed the bill as a way to improve accountability, while community-manager groups opposed the fiduciary-duty provision and raised concerns about litigation and insurance costs. Members discussed the reserve-fund language and fiduciary-duty issue, noting that further changes would be considered in the Judiciary Committee; the bill was not yet voted on in this hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the water board in Santa Clara County is not going to build permanent housing units on their water
• And so, to my witness's point, of it being a water district property that wants to move people out of
• I would like to also state for the record that CACM and all of our members support regulation in this
• CACM and all of our members support regulation in this industry, as we have discussed over the last few
• about that, but I don't think that this, you know, as the opposition even stated, there's enough regulation

Committee: Senate Housing

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Just to highlight a few things, we are not regulating what is being said.
• Cities are to amend their comprehensive plans and land use regulations.
• Cities are to amend their comprehensive plans and land use regulations from October 1, 2026, to February
• But Section 9 in particular deals with the Big Payette Lake Water Quality Act.
• the agency itself for repeal, and the only public opposition was related to that Big Payette Lake Water

Summary: The Senate met with a quorum present, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and approved the previous day’s journal. Early in the day, members received committee reports and messages from the Governor and House, including the transmission of several bills and resolutions. The chamber also advanced a number of measures to later orders of business, and several bills were held on the calendar or referred to committees for further action or possible amendment. The Senate then considered and passed a series of bills on third reading. Among them were Senate Bill 1227 on generative AI in education, which passed after debate over teacher control, local control, and parent transparency; House Bill 603 on camping at the Capitol Mall, which passed after debate over free speech, public safety, and sanitation; House Bill 688 updating airbag and counterfeit airbag laws; House Bill 645 creating a voluntary portable benefits framework for independent contractors; House Bill 738 allowing LLCs to use a commercial registered agent’s address; House Bill 521 correcting background-check statutory placement; House Bill 615 clarifying disturbing-the-peace protections for houses of worship; House Bill 695 correcting a fee reference from possession to restitution; House Bill 568 repealing obsolete Department of Lands provisions; House Bill 774 repealing outdated fish and game penalty language; House Bill 762 revising charter school admissions preferences for foster and military children; House Bill 661 extending solid-waste competition rules to counties; House Bill 733 adopting a partnership audit procedure aligned with federal law; House Bill 749 revising city annexation rules to address hardship and property-rights concerns; House Bill 662 expanding milk testing provisions and Department of Agriculture dispute resolution; House Bill 664 eliminating differential speed limits for heavy trucks; and House Bill 716 revising transportation-funding distributions and increasing bridge inspection funding. Most of these measures passed by substantial margins, often using the same roll-call vote by unanimous consent, and titles were approved without correction. One bill, House Bill 684, was sent to the 14th order for possible amendment. The Senate also received committee reports on additional bills and gubernatorial appointments, then moved into the Committee of the Whole, where it began reviewing several measures and adopted amendments to Senate Bill 1297 and Senate Bills 1352, 1353, and 1354, with motions to report those bills back as amended without recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, we regulate the number of, of, yeah, we can take it.
• These are all. insurance, disaster response, and water infrastructure.
• , which insurance regulation, which I like.
• By being self-funded, they're exempt from state regulations. Self-funded.
• So to me, there are only two ways to regulate markets.

Committee: House Health Care Affordability, Select

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When you think of today's fire service and today's construction, typically these regulations weren't
• So the regulation. it before it actually gets down further into the tubing.
• So the regulation, if there is going to be a cost incurred, it would be to the individual if they're
• Thankfully, you know, we haven't seen a runaway train water from the faucet kind of thing, budgets being
• Because right now they do regulate that to certain professions.

Summary: The committee first approved the previous meeting minutes and then heard a detailed annual report from Dr. Thomas Arnold, chair of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee, on maternal mortality trends and policy issues. He explained the committee’s review process, confidentiality protections, and national and North Dakota data showing that most maternal deaths are preventable and that mental health conditions, substance use, cardiovascular issues, infection, hemorrhage, and embolism are the leading causes. Members asked about suicide, domestic violence, midwife training, home births, and whether pregnancy testing at death scenes should be expanded; Dr. Arnold said better coroner education, more investigation of unexplained deaths, and possible post-mortem pregnancy testing could improve case identification, especially in rural areas. He also noted that deaths often occur well after 42 days postpartum and that mental health-related deaths remain a major concern. The committee then heard from State Fire Marshal Dr. Matthew Clark on cigarette reduced-ignition-propensity standards and related fire prevention issues. He recommended updating the state’s cigarette propensity law to current national standards and also raised a separate recommendation to require fast-breakaway oxygen tubing for home oxygen users, citing fatal fires linked to smoking around oxygen. Members asked about implementation, cost, insurance coverage, and whether the standards apply in tribal communities; Dr. Clark said he would provide follow-up information and was willing to help with any legislation, but no agency bill had yet been planned. Next, Christine Greff of the Department of Health and Human Services reported on the North Dakota Stroke System of Care. She described the statewide network of stroke-ready hospitals, registry-based quality improvement, and performance data showing continued improvement in stroke recognition, imaging, thrombolytic treatment, transfers, and EMS pre-notification. She highlighted new quality measures for inter-facility transfers and intracerebral hemorrhage care, and said the system remains strong but depends on continued legislative and hospital support. Committee members asked about participation by the VA hospital and were encouraged to consider outreach to include it more fully in the stroke system. Finally, the committee began a presentation on prior authorization and non-opioid pain treatment from Taha Khan of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He argued that prior authorization can delay access to non-opioid acute pain medications, especially in the 24- to 72-hour post-discharge window when pain is most severe, and said delays can push patients toward opioids. He emphasized that prior authorization has a role in utilization management but should not create barriers in acute pain care, and he noted that current use of the company’s non-opioid product remains very low. The discussion was still underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we will use and zoning regulations.
• Number one, the cost of infrastructure to put in water, sewer, storm, and roads.
• </c><00:25:43.279><c> the</c> symbolic then of the regul the symbolic then of the regul the regulations
• I think it's a—I think we need to get our oar in the water for the discussion.
• I think it's a—I think we need to get our oar in the water for the discussion.

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Keywords: 1187, senate, all