Transcript Highlights:

• ONE OF THE HOSPITAL STATED IN THEIR PLAN THAT THEY WOULD ASSIST THE PATIENT WITH ACTUALLY MAKING THE
• ONE OF THE HOSPITAL STATED IN THEIR PLAN THAT THEY WOULD ASSIST THE PATIENT WITH ACTUALLY MAKING THE
• PROGRAM PERTAINING TO THE LAST TWO QUARTERS OF STATE FISCAL YEAR 24 25.
• THIS IS TO SHOW THE REACH OF THE PROGRAM THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
• THE FIRST IS THE FRAME FLORIDA REIMBURSEMENT ASSISTANCE FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM WHICH ENCOURAGES

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The cost-of-living adjustment for the child care programs and the state preschool program, the 2.01%
• post-program placement within the state or counties.
• These are a little bit different because it's kind of state operations or state programs. Okay.
• that this program is prioritized should the need arise for state assistance.
• is prioritized should the need arise for state assistance.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These programs work for all students, but they're not universally available to schools across the state
• the state is going to continue to grow that program so that our operational expenses for that will be
• Our ECHO program is in the top-performing schools of the state, and that's...
• ECHO program is in the top-performing schools of the state.
• And we're not going to stand a program up in the state and then start to pull back.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Cal OES administers both the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program and the Federal Nonprofit
• In fiscal year 2025, the state program received approximately 1,200 applications requesting more than
• For fiscal year 2025, the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program includes $76 million available
• In addition to traditional facility security projects, the state program includes funding dedicated to
• But awareness and greater assistance and getting out the training and technical assistance.

Summary: The committee held a hearing on active and mass shootings in California, focusing on prevention, response, training, communications, and gaps in preparedness across law enforcement, schools, campuses, fire, EMS, and state agencies. Opening remarks emphasized the frequency and impact of gun violence, the need for faster coordinated response, and the importance of learning from recent tragedies such as the Stockton-area mass shooting described by Sheriff Patrick Withrow. The first panel included representatives from police, sheriff, and campus public safety agencies, who discussed incident command, interoperable communications, next-generation 911, threat assessment, emergency notification systems, and the value of joint drills and cross-agency planning. Witnesses also highlighted differences in training and authority across jurisdictions, especially for private university public safety departments versus public campus police. Campus representatives said they rely heavily on municipal law enforcement for armed response, while also using run-hide-fight protocols, text alerts, surveillance, and threat assessment teams. Members raised concerns about standardized training, after-action reviews, mental health resources, school resource officers, and whether campus safety plans and drills are sufficiently consistent or workable. Sheriff Withrow argued that early intervention and accountability are being weakened by well-intentioned laws, while other witnesses stressed prevention through relationships, diversion, and coordinated support services. The second panel from Cal OES, the Department of Education, POST, and EMSA described statewide systems and standards. Cal OES outlined its Reduce the Risk initiative, gun violence restraining orders, mutual aid, unified command, after-action reporting, and nonprofit security grants. The Department of Education explained California’s statutory school safety framework, annual safety plans, regulated armed assailant drills, and local flexibility, while acknowledging compliance gaps and the need for more mental health support. POST described the new requirement for 16 hours of standardized active shooter training for recruits and ongoing local training options. EMSA explained its role in medical response and terrorism training standards. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We provide TA, technical assistance, including policy options that states can customize, examples of
• New Jersey established a state program that sets procurement goals for contracting agencies to increase
• We have access to information and data research across states specific to certain programs and policies
• So we do have a program in place for that. So let's open the state website at least.
• This state as a model employer program.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Disability Employment Subcommittee met with roll call, approved prior meeting minutes, and shared an inspirational quote from Jane Goodall about the importance of every individual. Members then introduced themselves and their roles, including state disability advocates, providers, and commission members, before hearing a presentation from Katia Alpanis and Dina Klumkina of the State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED). SEED described its role as a technical assistance and policy resource for states, focused on sharing best practices and examples from other states to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The presentation outlined SEED’s seven policy areas: career readiness and work-based learning, behavioral health and work, stay-at-work/return-to-work supports, employer recruitment and retention tools, entrepreneurship and disability-owned business development, interagency coordination, and state government as a model employer. Examples from other states included scholarship and transition supports in Kentucky and Virginia, stay-at-work programs in Alaska and Washington, accommodation funds in Minnesota, procurement and small business initiatives in New Jersey and Virginia, and model employer efforts in Colorado, New York, and Tennessee. Members also asked about digital accessibility and PEAT; SEED said PEAT has been refunded and that SEED can help with policy-level questions and peer examples, but not implementation of accessibility requirements. Discussion then shifted to possible Massachusetts projects. Members raised concerns about upcoming Medicaid work or civic engagement requirements and how people with disabilities might fall through the cracks, and they asked whether SEED could help Massachusetts use existing documentation, such as IEPs, to reduce barriers. The group identified two main areas for follow-up: a Massachusetts “state as a model employer” roadmap and a youth/young adult employment and volunteer pipeline, potentially linked to transition services and apprenticeship opportunities. SEED agreed to provide Massachusetts-specific analysis and two briefs, one on career readiness policies and one on state-as-model-employer strategies, and the subcommittee planned an offline follow-up meeting to narrow priorities and develop a scope of work.

Transcript Highlights:

• Program, or SNAP, which is the largest anti-hunger program in the United States.
• and, accordingly, to the CalFresh program.
• Program, CalFresh, which is funded through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, provides
• most important anti-hunger program.
• The United States would require states to pay a portion of the benefits, as well as 75% of administrative

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Human Services heard two measures after announcing that SB 792 had been pulled from the agenda. The first bill, AB 412, would require affiliated home care aides to receive training on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care. The author and supporters, including the Alzheimer’s Association, AARP, and the Home Care Association of America, said the bill would help ensure more consistent and compassionate care for people living with dementia. A witness described difficult personal experiences finding aides who understood her husband’s needs. There was no opposition, and the committee members expressed support and personal appreciation for the issue. AB 412 was moved on a do-pass-as-amended motion to the Assembly Appropriations Committee and passed 7-0. The committee accepted the author’s committee amendments. The committee also heard SJR 3, a resolution urging Congress to avoid cuts to SNAP, known in California as CalFresh. The author and supporters from the California Association of Food Banks and End Child Poverty California argued that the program is essential to reducing hunger, supporting children and families, and sustaining the food economy, and that food banks could not replace lost benefits. Public testimony was overwhelmingly in support, with no opposition. Members from both parties spoke in favor, including one member who shared personal experience relying on SNAP. SJR 3 was adopted 7-0 and sent forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition to our nursing and human services programs, our allied health programs are doing well.
• Our dental assisting and medical laboratory technician programs are both nationally accredited with advisory
• Do you do that for the other health care-related programs, behavioral health programs?
• So, your program here is a two-year program for the... The RN, is that correct?
• So the state is not invested in the IBES program here? Not currently, I would say. Okay.

Transcript Highlights:

• intended to assist people based on their income and their financial need.
• is intended by the sponsor, as was a previous ability on this committee, to assist with ...to assist
• So you do have to qualify for the SONYMA existing program.
• Senator Ryan, and we've funded in the last couple years, but this would codify the program in state
• Ryan, and we've funded in the last couple years, but this would codify the program in state law and

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee met in Albany and considered a series of housing and homeownership bills. Early actions included reporting S.852 (Homebuyer Renovation Property Tax Exemption Act) to Finance, S.955 on smart access systems to Internet and Technology, and S.7933A on registrations of residential mortgages in default. The committee also advanced S.8675, the CAREforce First-Time Homebuyers Act, after a lengthy discussion about whether the bill inappropriately targets a specific workforce; supporters said it addresses a documented shortage of human services workers and includes existing SONYMA income eligibility, while opponents raised concerns about favoring one occupation over others. The bill was reported with some members in the negative and others voting to advance without recommendation. Members then reported S.9650, which would prohibit landlords from including incorrect rent decontrol information in certain leases and standardize notices for Affordable New York Housing Program units, and S.9679, which would codify the Block-by-Block Home Ownership Program in state law. Both had prior Senate history and drew some negative or AWR votes. The committee also discussed and advanced S.9742, which would allow residential units in multiple dwellings to omit openable windows if they meet ASHRAE ventilation standards; supporters said the change is needed to facilitate office-to-residential conversions, while members raised questions about maintenance, egress, and the bill’s limited application to localities under the multiple dwelling law. Finally, the committee reported S.989, establishing the vacant rental improvement program, after noting it had previously passed the Senate and was being reintroduced. Throughout the meeting, several bills were described as reintroductions or prior Senate measures, and multiple motions were made to report bills either to Finance, the floor, or another committee, with several members voting in the negative or to advance without recommendation on selected measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our program is a state program. We receive no federal dollars. No federal dollars. Okay.
• I oversee our state disadvantaged business enterprise, or DBE, program.
• That is the legal framework that all states must follow. The DBE program applies to U.S.
• successfully without program assistance.
• The DBA program states must follow.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The August 2025 interim meeting of the Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity began with roll call, confirmation of a quorum, approval of the June meeting minutes, and welcoming a new member, Ivonne Smith, who noted her background in MWBE and DBE work. The chair also offered condolences to a member whose father recently passed away and explained that the committee had invited agency officials to answer questions raised at the prior meeting. The first presentation was from Singer Buchanan of the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet, who described the state’s equal opportunity and contract compliance office and its certification programs for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses and minority/women business enterprises. He outlined outreach efforts, including partnerships with veterans’ organizations, the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, UK, and transportation-related groups; explained that the programs are intended to expand market access rather than provide grants; and said the office has moved to an online application portal that has processed 227 new applications since December 2023. He reported 536 total vendors across the programs, including 29 service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and said the office is considering website testimonials to improve outreach. Members asked about staffing, application assistance, and whether the state program conflicts with federal policy; Buchanan said the office has three staff members and that the program is state-funded and, based on legal advice, should continue under Kentucky law. Tony Yusefi of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet then presented on the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program. He explained the program’s legal basis under federal DOT regulations, its eligibility standards, and its purpose of creating a level playing field while helping firms grow and eventually compete without assistance. He described certification requirements, annual documentation, prompt-payment protections, commercially useful function reviews, good-faith effort requirements, and sanctions for violations. He also discussed barriers facing DBEs, including access to capital, bonding, insurance, training, and prequalification requirements, and noted that 50 firms were removed last month for noncompliance with annual documentation rules. Yusefi said the cabinet has expanded supportive services, including an online application platform, bid notifications, and a nine-class business development program; 95 DBEs are enrolled this year, and the bid-matching system reaches an average of 377 DBEs monthly.

Transcript Highlights:

• This could look like a respite care program, which again, we're very proud to see that the state has
• So we were very, very pleased to deliver on behalf of the state the respite care program, as well as
• Each state, under the basic program, can authorize 30 national medical graduates to go to work in the
• Because they figured out how to work the state program and get 30 and then refer those applications to
• We do have a Certified Nursing Assistant program.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the increase is actually for the supplemental student financial assistance grant program.
• State College of Science.
• and assistance programs that already have a structure and already have a process.
• program.
• program.

Bills: SB2003

Keywords: higher education, student loans, scholarships, capital projects, workforce development, funding, North Dakota university system, 908, all

Summary: The committee met to work through the higher education budget, beginning with a conflict-of-interest request from Representative Martinson, who was excused from voting because of a partnership that leases office space to Bismarck State College. Members then reviewed the higher education institution budget sheets, covering ongoing and one-time funding items for campuses and system projects such as BSC housing, Lake Region roof repairs, UND’s STEM and National Security Crossroads projects, the UND allied health facility, NDSU projects including New Horizons, DSU deferred maintenance and campus security, Mayville’s Old Main, Minot projects, and the regional health institutes. Members also discussed student financial assistance, the professional student exchange program, IT security funding, and workforce/education innovation grants. Several amendments and policy questions were debated. The committee adopted an amendment to make workforce education innovation grants competitive rather than automatically distributed, and then voted to remove language prohibiting those funds from being used to duplicate academic programs. Members also removed similar anti-duplication language from the New Horizons section. They agreed to extend the UND hyperbaric chamber transfer authority to 2027 and clarified language around UND land-sale proceeds. A proposed amendment to add $5.6 million for the Wahpeton State School of Science building purchase failed for lack of a second, and a proposal to restore fetal alcohol spectrum disorder funding to UND was left for conference. The committee also discussed, but did not add, a tuition cap change, a study on the Praxis exam, and several governance-related provisions. The committee spent significant time on broader higher education policy items, including a $3 million enterprise resource planning request for the university system, a $2 million grant program for students who are pregnant, recently gave birth, or are caring for young children, and a $1.1 million request for library age-verification software tied to the Odin system. Members also discussed dual-credit authority for UND and NDSU, a goal for the UND medical school to increase North Dakota resident enrollment, and intent language regarding the commissioner/chancellor model and presidential search authority. At the end of the meeting, the committee approved the amendments and then gave the higher education budget a do-pass recommendation as amended, with Representative Sanford designated as the carrier. The Forest Service budget was also approved, including two additional FTEs, and the committee adjourned after noting it would continue with other budgets the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• When we do trails and maintenance, it's State Parks. Cal Fire represents about 30% of our program.
• this program...
• And then, as a follow-up, rather than having these state, these state, costly state contracts, what about
• and proven practices of the California Wildfire Mitigation Financial Assistance Program.
• Our RFFC program staff also work closely with our colleagues at other state departments to make sure

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The subcommittee heard overviews and budget proposals from the California Conservation Corps (CCC) and Cal Fire, with no votes taken and all items held open for a future hearing. On the CCC side, Director J.P. Patton highlighted the program’s 50th anniversary, its role in conservation, disaster response, and workforce development, and described proposals for the Greenwood Residential Center, a seven-day wildfire readiness schedule for Cal Fire hand crews, deferred maintenance, vehicle replacement, and Proposition 4 funding for local corps and tribal workforce projects. Members praised the program and asked about funding sources, recruitment, retention, follow-up with alumni, and the use of fee-for-service reimbursements; the LAO suggested the Legislature consider lower-cost alternatives for some proposals, including fewer new corps members or delaying Greenwood’s opening. Discussion then focused on Cal Fire’s wildfire readiness and staffing. Cal Fire officials described the need to align CCC hand crews with Cal Fire’s year-round fire operations, noting staffing gaps in the current model and the decline in incarcerated hand crews, which they attributed to broader criminal justice reforms and eligibility changes. Members asked about the role of goats and other grazing animals in fuel reduction, and staff said grazing can help with prevention but cannot replace hand crews for suppression. Cal Fire also presented its department overview, emphasizing its expanded workforce, year-round operations, use of technology, partnerships with federal and local agencies, and concerns about federal reorganization and reimbursement for work on federal lands. The committee also heard proposals to make defensible space inspections permanent and to increase fixed-wing pilot and mechanic contracts. Cal Fire said permanent staffing is needed to maintain roughly 250,000 annual defensible space inspections and meet AB 38 and future Zone Zero-related workload, while the LAO suggested possible modifications such as more GGRF support, a reinstated SRA fee, or one-time funding. On aviation, Cal Fire said year-round fire conditions and a larger, more complex fleet require more pilots and mechanics, and the LAO supported the proposal as addressing near-term health and safety needs. Members questioned contract costs, the value of owning versus contracting aircraft services, and how effective aircraft are in extreme wind conditions; Cal Fire said aircraft are highly effective in initial attack but limited when winds and fire behavior are severe. No actions were taken on any item.

Transcript Highlights:

• going to Jamestown State Hospital?
• We're going to talk today about our SNAP program, the State Library, our dementia coordination, and any
• North Dakota submitted its application to be a demonstration state as part of that program on April 1st
• Dementia care services program.
• A lot of our appeals, especially when it's dealing with economic assistance programs, are handled at

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the March 18 minutes, and then received a series of updates on health-related projects and Department of Health and Human Services budget matters. Representatives from CHI St. Alexius in Bismarck and Williston, and Altru in Grand Forks, reported progress on behavioral health expansion projects, including demolition and construction milestones, updated timelines, funding status, staffing plans, and barriers such as an unbudgeted air handler replacement in Williston. Members asked about original completion dates, use of telehealth, recruitment of psychiatrists and other staff, and whether the new beds might reduce the need for patients to travel to Jamestown State Hospital. The projects were described as on track overall, with completion expected in 2027 for the larger builds and earlier openings for some phases in Williston. The committee then heard from HHS leadership on technical line-item transfers and the Salaries and Wages Block Grant. Donna Ockland explained that recent transfers were administrative corrections to place spending in the proper budget lines and did not involve new spending, and she reviewed FTE counts and vacancies across the department. Questions focused on behavioral health staffing changes and the use of consultants in the Rural Health Transformation Program. Pat Rainer outlined the rural health program’s first-year grants and priorities, including workforce retention, rural rotations and housing, community wellness initiatives, behavioral health promotion, safety net services, hospital equipment, suicide prevention training, technology, and EMS support. He said North Dakota’s plan was drawing positive national attention, but the department still needed to obligate roughly $199 million by September and was working with CMS on timing and compliance. The committee also received an update on certified community behavioral health clinics from Elena Zeller. She said North Dakota had been accepted as a demonstration state, with certification efforts underway in Williston, North Central, Fargo, and Dickinson. Members asked about care coordination, service growth, staffing, and whether certification would expand to all clinics; the department said it was still collecting baseline data and evaluating impacts before making future recommendations. Finally, Rebecca Askins reviewed SNAP payment error rates, explaining that the 2025 rate was finalized at 9.89 percent and that the department is working on training, system changes, and quality assurance steps to get below 6 percent. Members pressed on the causes of monthly variability, the performance of the SPACES system, and accountability for ongoing errors, and the department said it expects improvement over the next 6 to 12 months.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is an expanded solar for schools program that supports K-12 state colleges and universities.
• schools program that supports K12 state schools program that supports K12 state colleges<00:57:06.640
• Actually, I was going to ask about the energy assistance program.
• The agency also administers the telephone assistance program from a special revenue fund.
• program from a telephone assistance program from a special<01:21:25.560> Revenue fund<01:21:30.120

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• But there is support from the state side to assist with this road.
• Who also offer really amazing programs across our state for Native communities.
• It's fundamentally an educational program, and UNM is a higher education institution in the state with
• state, in the health program would...
• Assistant (CNA) programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our program is a state-contracted, comprehensive foster care model, serving special-needs children, teens
• Our program holds the liability insurance for our program.
• Toward Training Program.
• Shelters remain overcrowded and families face limited access to the emergency assistance shelter program
• Presently, 46 states in the United States have recognized the need for CACs.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee hearing covered a wide range of child welfare, family support, and human services bills. Testimony strongly supported a guaranteed cash stipend for young adults aging out of foster care (S.161), with the Attorney General’s Office, youth advocates, and foster care providers describing high rates of homelessness and poverty after exit from care. Providers also urged action on a resolve to study the foster care liability insurance crisis (H.197/S.1280), saying premiums and coverage losses are forcing program cutbacks and could reduce foster care capacity statewide. Another major topic was a direct care worker medication administration program registry (H.237/S.162), which supporters said would help recruit and train workers, especially bilingual staff, to address workforce shortages in human services. Several bills focused on child protection and child welfare system practices. Supporters of H.267/S.145 called for advance notice to children’s attorneys when placements or other major events change, arguing that timely communication is essential to prevent unnecessary disruption and improve advocacy. Testimony also backed legislation to formally recognize and strengthen children’s advocacy centers and the Massachusetts Children’s Alliance (H.233/S.112), with prosecutors and CAC leaders describing the trauma-informed model as a longstanding, effective response to child abuse and trafficking. A bill to establish a Massachusetts children’s cabinet (S.115) drew support from advocates who said cross-agency coordination is needed to align policy and funding for children’s well-being. The committee also heard testimony on bills addressing safety, equity, and family support. Senator Lovely and survivors supported S.152, which would create a civil cause of action for sexual abuse by adults in positions of authority or trust, with witnesses describing grooming and power imbalances in schools and youth-serving settings. H.274, a bill of rights for people experiencing homelessness, was supported by advocates who said it would add anti-discrimination protections and voting and privacy rights amid rising criminalization of homelessness. H.272/S.171 to protect maternal health received support from Rep. Montaño, MLRI, and a physician, who said the bills would make cash assistance available earlier in pregnancy and remove the medical-verification barrier. H.4216 on equitable hair care for children in state custody was supported by social workers and advocates who said hair care is tied to identity, dignity, and mental health. H.255 on empowering early educators drew testimony about barriers faced by renters and condo owners trying to open home-based child care programs. H.217, concerning resources and support for pregnant and parenting families, drew testimony from anti-abortion pregnancy resource center advocates. No votes were taken during the hearing, and several bills had no one signed up to testify or were deferred when witnesses were unavailable.

Transcript Highlights:

• Earning a bachelor's degree in our CSU and our UC program, or outside of that program here in this state
• An important programming reminder is that we have students throughout the entire state of California.
• It's offered in 40 programs throughout the state using pre-established curricula.
• Degree programs. Individual degree programs.
• Also, I just want to make a brief comment that Assembly Member Alvarez mentioned the ASSIST program.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then bipolar uh disorder program.
• these programs for bipolar disorder. these programs for bipolar disorder.
• But our state also needs they need.
• <00:09:22.800> Other<00:09:23.120> states<00:09:23.440> are programs is great
• Other states are programs is great.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I direct the Health Economics program at the Department of Health, and I'm the state health economist
• . programs. programs.
• The SNAP outreach program supports the work of organizations across the state helping enroll eligible
• Please protect and strengthen food assistance programs.
• assistance programs. assistance programs.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And because uh the the the state.
• The state is continues to decline.
• As assistant commissioner Meyer had already stated, one aspect of this report was to look at recommendations
• according to state requirements.
• grants in this program according to state<00:46:04.640> requirements.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all