Transcript Highlights:

• That would encompass state of the art instructional spaces and laboratories.
• Uh, there's just only so many assets across the nation.
• Amy Swinford, director of Texas A&M Veterinary Medical diagnostic Laboratory.
• So to be clear, AI is a national security imperative and we are at the leading edge of that national
• Um, we've been given, uh, Humvees before by the National Guard, but they're not really.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our National Natural Toxins Research Center is the nation's only federally funded.
• Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, or TVMDL.
• Again, would we see savings, Texas National Guard, State Guard?
• There's just only so many assets across the nation, you know.
• AI is a national security imperative and we are at the leading edge of that. national security work that's

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Takedown Tobacco Day, a national day of action.
• </c> University Laboratory University Laboratory School<00:02:52.000><c> and</c><00:02:52.400><c> Moana
• board of directors for the National Federation<00:13:14.639><c> of</c><00:13:14.959><c> State</c><00
• Although unable to join us today, I'm excited to recognize Principal Dale Araki as the 2024 National
• </c> Elementary recognition as a national Elementary recognition as a national blue<00:15:34.240><c>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's an urgent national security imperative.
• We've been leading the nation in reduction of poverty and the census data.
• Now, Madam Chair, members, we're the fifth largest state in the nation and low population, but we have
• We're connecting manufacturers, energy customers to the national freight network.
• We had the labs, both Sandia and Los Alamos. And that was a major part of our economy.

Bills: SB36, SB88, SB92, SB97, SB48, SB55, SB58, SB76, SB93, SB89, SB60

Keywords: quantum technology, tax credit, infrastructure, economic development, New Mexico, corporate tax, research and development, innovation, foster care, income tax, guardianship, youth services, financial relief, affordable housing, gross receipts tax, tax deduction, construction materials, multifamily housing, low income, tax credits

Transcript Highlights:

• Some studies have said nationally that it's an hour. About the use.
• Some studies have said nationally that it's an hour.
• There is a fabulous physical science laboratory at New Mexico State University.
• So this memorial resolves that the Physical Science Laboratory of New Mexico State be recognized and
• defense and national security.

Bills: SB194, SB200, SB203, SB204, SJR3

Keywords: appropriation, higher education, sports facilities, community college, Luna Community College, KANW, educational radio, rural news, public education, funding, education, documentary, historical figure, Padre Antonio Jose Martinez, cultural heritage, research funding, federal funding, New Mexico, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University

Summary: The committee first announced that House Bill 161 would be rolled over until Monday so the sponsor could work out unintended errors and bring back a clean amendment. The committee then heard House Memorial 2, which calls for a Legislative Education Study Committee study of screen time in elementary classrooms, including instruction, assessment, and general use. The sponsor and supporters said the memorial is intended to examine the effects of screen use on young children’s learning, attention, literacy, social-emotional development, and physical well-being, and to develop research-based guidance rather than rely on anecdotes. Testimony in support came from educators and school leaders, including AFT New Mexico, NEA New Mexico, and the superintendent of Carlsbad Municipal Schools, who argued that screens are being used too heavily in elementary settings and that hands-on learning and direct interaction are being displaced. Committee members raised questions about whether the study should extend beyond elementary grades to secondary education, online books, and AI-related assessment issues such as voice recording and accessibility. The sponsor and legislative staff said the memorial is currently limited to elementary classrooms but could potentially be expanded; they also noted that assessment-related AI concerns would fall within the study. The committee then approved HM2 on a do-pass motion with no opposition. The committee next heard House Memorial 16, recognizing the New Mexico State University Physical Science Laboratory for 80 years of service and contributions to research, innovation, national security, workforce development, and economic prosperity. Support testimony highlighted the laboratory’s role in southern New Mexico and its status as one of eight FAA test sites for unmanned aerial systems. A member of the public also testified in support as an NMSU alum and STEM advocate. The committee approved HM16 on a do-pass motion with no opposition. The meeting also included introductions from visiting high school students and a reminder that Monday is NMSU Day at the Capitol.

Transcript Highlights:

• , investing only $7 per person in public health, which is the lowest per-resident spending in the nation
• It's a statewide process and we're modeling from a national model.
• Adam Perkins, the division director, laboratory director for the state public health laboratory.
• results that make the state laboratory a trusted partner for all Missourians.
• That concludes the budget for the state public health laboratory.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The committee heard the Department of Health and Senior Services’ FY 2027 budget presentation from Director Sarah Wilson and budget director Maddie Starns, followed by testimony from division directors. Wilson framed the budget as one shaped by fiscal pressure, federal funding dependence, and the need to preserve core public health and senior services while reducing spending. She emphasized the department’s role in outbreak response, newborn screening, cannabis regulation, senior services, licensure, and administration, and said priorities include workforce capacity, data modernization, and protecting essential functions. Members repeatedly praised the department for being responsive and for working to identify savings and reallocate funds carefully. A major focus was the shift in substance use disorder funding. The department explained that the governor’s budget reduces DHSS’s direct SUD grant authority from the Health Reinvestment Fund while proposing transfer authority to the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Corrections for related initiatives. Several members pressed for clarity on whether this represented real cuts or a transfer of the same adult-use marijuana revenue, and staff said some line items were reductions while others would be picked up in other departments’ budgets. The committee also discussed tobacco prevention and cessation reductions, local public health agency support, and the department’s use of federal versus general revenue, with members urging the department to spend federal and other funds before GR whenever possible. Members asked detailed questions about lapses, vacant FTEs, donated funds, loan repayment defaults, rural health programs, CHIP vaccine costs, nutrition services, and the J-1 visa waiver program. DHSS said many lapses were due to federal timing, pandemic-related funds, or program realignment, and that some excess authority was being reduced to better match actual spending. The department reported low default rates in its loan repayment programs and noted that Missouri’s J-1 waiver recommendations are capped federally at 30. There were also questions about local health department incentive payments, minority health activities, and the extended women’s health program, which the governor proposed transferring out of DHSS. The committee also reviewed community and public health programs including communicable disease control, environmental health, maternal and infant mortality review, vital records, and COVID/ARPA cleanup reductions. DHSS said the fetal and infant mortality review program is now operating statewide, though some members raised concerns about a pause during the transition from local NGOs to the new statewide model. The hearing concluded with the state public health laboratory budget, where staff explained funding needs for newborn screening, cannabis reference testing, safe drinking water testing, and courier services, and said some authority increases were needed to match growing program activity.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's only two states in the nation that have outlawed this. Cannot do CWIP.
• I mean, ...and our ability for national security of manufacturing, that it's a top issue.
• I spent 20 years at national laboratories, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which is
• a premier strategic weapons design laboratory, so nuclear was our DNA when I was there.
• Laboratory, the premier nuclear energy research laboratory for DOE.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Some studies have said nationally that it's an hour.
• There is a fabulous physical science laboratory at New Mexico State University.
• They're celebrating 80 years of their research and contributions to innovation, national security, and
• So this memorial resolves that the physical science laboratory of New Mexico State be recognized and
• And from that, I was able to work in Farmington, New Mexico, in an analytical environmental laboratory

Bills: SB194, SB200, SB203, SB204, SJR3

Keywords: appropriation, higher education, sports facilities, community college, Luna Community College, KANW, educational radio, rural news, public education, funding, education, documentary, historical figure, Padre Antonio Jose Martinez, cultural heritage, research funding, federal funding, New Mexico, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University

Transcript Highlights:

• But that is the reality for health care workers who work in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.
• But that is the reality for healthcare workers who work in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.
• And in 2026, health care workers who work in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.
• We can achieve zero radiation in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.
• It's only for places that have cardiac catheterization laboratories.

Summary: The committee heard a series of bills and public testimony, beginning with introductions and then taking up several health and human services measures. A major focus was SB 1120 and SB 1121, which address radiation protection in cardiac catheterization and other ionizing-radiation procedure rooms. SB 1120 would require health care facilities to equip at least 50% of procedure rooms with radiation protection systems by July 1, 2027, while SB 1121 would prohibit requiring lead aprons in rooms with such systems and instead require real-time dosimeters for staff who opt out of lead aprons. Physicians, nurses, and a hospital executive testified that enhanced radiation protection systems can dramatically reduce occupational exposure, lower cancer and orthopedic risks, and help with workforce recruitment and retention; a hospital alliance remained neutral pending further stakeholder discussions. Both bills were amended and passed out of committee on 7-0 votes, and SB 1118, which appropriates state funds for a rural hospital grant program to install radiation protection systems, also passed 7-0. The committee also approved SB 1001, which appropriates $1 million to the Department of Economic Security for the Older Individuals Who Are Blind program, after testimony from blind and low-vision Arizonans and advocates describing long waitlists, the need for independent living training, and the program’s role in preventing unnecessary dependence. SB 1072, a major funding bill for home- and community-based services and room-and-board rate increases for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, drew testimony from providers about severe staffing shortages, overtime, turnover, and underfunding; it passed 6-0 with one not voting. SB 1125, requiring DCS to pursue MOUs with tribes and improve tribal communication and access to licensing and enforcement information, also passed 6-0 with one not voting. The committee then considered SB 1123, which removes a board-certification requirement so trained forensic pathologists can supervise autopsy training for residents and fellows; Maricopa County supported it as a workforce and training fix, and it passed 6-0 with one not voting. SB 1052, allowing mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy in assisted living facilities under physician order and DHS rules, generated mixed testimony: supporters argued it could improve health and independence for residents, while opponents raised concerns about off-label treatment in nonmedical settings. The bill passed 5-2. SB 1112, which reduces the number of acquaintance witnesses required in court-ordered treatment proceedings from two to one and allows the court to waive the witness requirement under certain conditions, drew strong testimony from families and mental health advocates on both sides; it passed 5-2. The committee also began hearing SB 1113, which would allow certain service of process in court-ordered evaluation and treatment cases by evaluation-agency employees or other court-authorized persons, but the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• long-term strategic resource management in our schools, especially as 71 of district leaders in a national
• And also to Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School, which is very highly ranked nationally and which
• Cottonwood is highly ranked at both the state and national levels.
• I am from the Diné Nation, and my son goes to Cottonwood. Classical Preparatory School.
• I drive about 2.5 miles to work on the Nation, and we keep him here in the Albuquerque region just to

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They can run laboratories, they can order laboratories, and things of that nature.
• Tab 14 is Senate Bill 878 on clinical laboratory personnel by Senator Yarbrough.
• , and medical laboratory scientists.
• And George Levesque, Laboratory Corporation of America. Waving in support. Thank you.
• PCMA is the national trade association that represents pharmacy benefit managers.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:08:14.800><c> facility</c> office and laboratory facility office and laboratory facility comparable
• c> 12,000</c> at the Bemidji laboratory, we had 12,000 at the Bemidji laboratory, we had 12,000 items
• The laboratory is what drives this.
• The laboratory is what would rent. The laboratory is what drives<00:14:24.040><c> this.
• The FBI does Nation is in that location.

Bills: HF3599, HF3761, HF3523, HF3515, HF573

Keywords: water treatment, infrastructure, municipal funding, bond issuance, Becker, sewer improvements, sanitation, Hibbing, state bonds, infrastructure funding, capital investment, safety improvements, mobility, U.S. Highway 12, bonds, transportation funding, trails, Prior Lake, bond funding, recreational improvements

Transcript Highlights:

• Our national organization is working with CMS and other stakeholders at the national level.
• The national P... No. Okay. No, no, no, no. So they're opposing this bill? The national... No. No.
• ABB is a nationally recognized certifying board for laboratory directors and supervisors.
• the National Commission for Health Certifying Agencies.
• the National Commission for Health Certifying agencies.

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 611 by Rep. Freeman, which would require pregnancy-related service centers that provide health care services to be licensed or, as amended, to clearly disclose that they are not a licensed medical facility regulated by the Louisiana Department of Health. Rep. Freeman and supporting witnesses argued the bill was prompted by a legislative auditor report and concerns that some centers provide ultrasounds, STI testing, pregnancy tests, and related services without clear medical oversight. The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners’ executive director testified that interpreting ultrasounds and performing certain tests can constitute the practice of medicine, while opponents argued the centers already operate under medical directors and that the disclosure requirement was unconstitutional under the NIFLA case. The committee adopted an amendment, but after debate on the amended bill, a motion to report favorably failed on a roll call vote, and the bill was voluntarily deferred. The committee then heard House Bill 902 by Rep. Marcelle, which directs the Louisiana Department of Health to develop trauma-informed training. Supporters said the bill grew out of a task force on student behavior, mental health, and discipline, and that educators need a more consistent, evidence-based trauma-informed curriculum than what is currently available online. Some members raised concerns about cost and whether the bill would mandate new school obligations, while a witness from the Louisiana Baptist Convention opposed the measure as mission creep and argued trauma-informed care is too specialized for general teacher training. Other members supported the bill as a way to help educators identify and respond to children facing trauma. The bill was amended with technical changes and then discussed further, but the transcript ends before a final vote on HB 902 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• governments are not required to use a private laboratory.
• And I'm here representing the Sikh Coalition, a national organization. organization.
• At the same time, given national politics, we are concerned.
• I'm a transportation safety specialist at the National Transportation Safety Board.
• I'm a transportation safety specialist at the National Transportation Safety Board.

Summary: The committee heard briefings and testimony on several bills, with members repeatedly noting limited time and that some measures were already familiar from prior hearings. Second Substitute Senate Bill 5880 would allow cities and counties to use ISO/IEC-accredited private toxicology labs for blood or breath testing, accept private donations for that purpose, and reimburse the State Patrol for evidence transport costs. Senator Wagoner said the bill is a temporary fix for a major toxicology backlog that delays justice; prosecutors, police chiefs, and the Seattle City Attorney supported it as a way to relieve the backlog, while defense representatives said it would not solve the problem and raised due process concerns about out-of-state labs and access to witnesses. Members discussed possible amendments on in-state/out-of-state labs and litigation logistics, and the bill was set for executive action the following Tuesday. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5436 would create a gross misdemeanor for willfully or recklessly interfering with access to or from a place of worship or disrupting religious services through obstruction, trespass, repeated calls or electronic communications, or threats. Senator Solomon said the bill responds to rising intolerance and is modeled on protections for health care facilities; supporters from the Anti-Defamation League, Faith Action Network, Jewish and Sikh community organizations described harassment, threats, and security costs at houses of worship. Defense and law enforcement groups raised concerns about overbreadth, possible impacts on peaceful protest, and unintended effects on law enforcement or immigration enforcement, and asked for clarifying amendments. The sponsor said he was open to changes, and the committee indicated it would continue working on the bill before executive action next Tuesday. Second Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5105 would expand child sexual abuse material offenses to cover digitally created or altered obscene depictions, even when the minor is not identifiable, extend the statute of limitations for those felony offenses from three to ten years, and broaden sexual exploitation of a minor to include knowingly causing a minor who is unconscious or unaware to be photographed or part of a live performance. Supporters including the Attorney General’s Office, prosecutors, and sheriffs’ chiefs said the bill is needed to address AI and other technology that can evade current law and to keep pace with rapidly changing digital abuse material. Opponents from the defense bar and the Sentencing Guidelines Commission argued the bill may still be overbroad and raise First Amendment problems under Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, especially where no actual minor is identified. The committee also heard and then quickly acted on other bills: Second Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5268, requiring one year of community custody for unlawful possession of a firearm, was amended and reported out due pass as amended; Engrossed Senate Bill 5272, addressing penalties for violence against referees and school volunteers, was reported out due pass; and Engrossed Senate Bill 5286, concerning reimbursement for costs in cities with state psychiatric hospitals, was also reported out due pass.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are two states in the entire nation that defer to accreditation.
• AB 481 allows federally qualified lab personnel under the CLEE the clinical laboratory improvement of
• CCLA is a trade association representing both small and large laboratories across California.
• AB 481 provides additional capacity and improves workflow in the laboratories by allowing qualified,
• Quest is one of the largest clinical laboratories in the state with 400 patient service centers and 17

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Let’s start at the federal level with the national response framework outlining national response efforts
• </c><00:04:48.240><c> response</c> level with the national response level with the national response
• framework outlining national response framework outlining national response efforts<00:04:52.000><c>
• </c> with the Department of Laboratory with the Department of Laboratory Services<00:09:46.959><c> and
• </c> ranked nationally, which is very high. ranked nationally, which is very high.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met to adopt the minutes of the second meeting by voice vote, then heard an update focused on disaster preparedness, resiliency, response, and coordination among state agencies and partners. The chair emphasized avoiding duplication of resources and highlighted the importance of agriculture-related response issues, including animal evacuation, feed distribution, and the role of extension services during disasters. The Department for Public Health was invited to explain its role in emergency planning and response. Public Health described its Emergency Preparedness and Response Branch as the lead coordinating agency for Emergency Support Function 8, covering health and medical services under Kentucky’s emergency operations framework. Testimony outlined its broad responsibilities, including support for hospitals, morgues, local health departments, behavioral health, crisis counseling, suspicious package testing, disease outbreaks, and coordination with emergency management, EMS, transportation, and nonprofit and private partners. Officials also described the agency’s risk-assessment process, training and exercise programs, and deployed assets such as PPE caches, deployable communications, a federal medical station, a mobile treatment center, and alternate care support used in events like the eastern Kentucky floods and COVID-19. The agency also discussed funding through federal cooperative agreements for public health emergency preparedness and hospital preparedness, noting that these programs have evolved since 9/11 and have been shaped by major disasters and emerging threats. Officials said Kentucky’s funding has declined over time and that current awards are partially funded for the first time in the program’s history. They expressed support for efficiency if federal programs are consolidated, but cautioned that combining programs could risk further funding losses.

Transcript Highlights:

• our state version of that national program, match the requirements of the national program.
• our state version of that national program, match the requirements of the national program.
• <c> the</c><00:30:25.600><c> the</c> of that national program match the the of that national program
• </c> uh requirements of the national uh requirements of the national program. program. program.
• </c><00:55:01.760><c> COVID</c> epidemiology and laboratory COVID epidemiology and laboratory COVID expansion

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Laboratory Accreditation Unit at the Department of Ecology reviews and audits these laboratories.
• The Laboratory Accreditation Unit is responsible for ensuring that the methods and protocols used by
• of laboratory accreditation fees to redirect monies from the general fund to the new account.
• It would indicate that the impacts of this bill, particularly for the laboratory accreditation unit,
• And this new account then has use to cover the costs of the laboratory accreditation unit as they go

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee met on January 20, 2026, hearing several bills related to retirement systems, school employee health coverage, port district pensions, environmental fee accounts, developmental disability services, legislative budget transparency, and a new Apple Health employer assessment. Early in the meeting, the committee heard SB 5834, which would make permanent a temporary expansion allowing certain retirement trust fund earnings to pay broader administrative expenses, and SB 5835, which would raise the lump-sum retirement allowance threshold for Plan 2 members from $50 to $250. Both bills were presented by Department of Retirement Systems staff and supported by the department, with questions focused on the scope of the administrative-expense language in SB 5834 and the technical nature of SB 5835. The committee then entered executive session and moved three bills without recommendation to the Rules Committee: Substitute SB 5249, allowing kit homes as emergency housing; Substitute SB 5053, allowing certain counties to include school district boundaries when forming a public facilities district; and Substitute SB 5203, directing state agencies to develop a wildlife habitat connectivity strategy and creating related accounts. After returning to public hearing, members heard SB 5883 on SEBB eligibility for school employees in their second school year of employment. Supporters, including labor representatives and individual school workers, said the bill would reduce coverage gaps and improve recruitment and retention, while school district officials and administrators argued it would create an unfunded mandate, increase costs, and add administrative burden. No action was taken on the bill. The committee also heard SB 5905, which would exclude certain port district employees from PERS if they are covered by the federal Railroad Retirement Plan or a collectively bargained defined benefit pension plan. Port representatives, labor stakeholders, and the Department of Retirement Systems described it as a narrow technical fix to avoid duplicate pension coverage and retroactive liabilities, and the bill drew support. SB 6151 would create dedicated accounts for Ecology fee revenue tied to laboratory accreditation and landfill methane work; Ecology and county representatives supported the measure as a way to reinvest fees in the programs that generate them. SB 6163 would require the Individual and Family Services waiver for developmental disability services to be budgeted at maintenance level; advocates said it would stabilize services and prevent waitlists, and no opposition was heard. The final two bills were SB 6177, which would require LEAP’s budget website to display additional budget detail such as carry-forward data, program and subprogram expenditures, and balance sheets for all public accounts, and SB 6173, which would create an Apple Health employer assessment on larger private employers with workers enrolled in Medicaid expansion coverage. SB 6177 was framed as a transparency measure, while SB 6173 drew extensive testimony both in support and opposition: supporters said it would help offset expected Medicaid losses after federal work requirements take effect and stabilize the health safety net, while opponents argued it would be an unfunded tax, create administrative and legal complications, and could discourage hiring or reduce hours. The committee heard no final votes on the public hearing bills, and staff reminded members that signature sheets would be held for 24 hours under Senate rules.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number two, for each national drug code in DC, the notification shall provide the following information
• NADAC is a national average drug acquisition cost, which just reimburses that pharmacy and charges that
• Senator Bass: NADAC is a national average drug acquisition cost, which just reimburses that pharmacy
• worked on this compromise to partially offset it with programs that are allowed in other states in the nation

Bills: HB591, HB765, HB826, HB870, HB938, HB1151, HB1162, HB1176, HB1196, HB1236, HB1241

Keywords: family leave, insurance, paid leave, employment benefits, caregiver support, liability insurance, coverage defenses, direct action, judgment enforcement, legal procedures, insurance referrals, compensation, non-licensed agents, consumer protection, insurance products, HB 870, Act 907, Louisiana insurance, health insurance, prescription drugs

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, I know that the LINKS system, I don't know if it's a national system or not.
• And in New Orleans, New Orleans has the sixth highest rate of Alzheimer's disease in the entire nation
• Sex Registry, we do all of those. ...OIG screenings, National Sex Registry, we do all of those, as well
• I'm a Louisiana State Ambassador for NORD, which is the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Patient
• In most cases, over 4,500 hours of training, supervised clinical experience, and national competency

Bills: HB946, HB1093, SB26, SB29, SB30, SB195, SB219, SB222, SB255, SB314, SCR2, SCR22

Keywords: healthcare transparency, hospital pricing, consumer protection, collection actions, fines, naturopathic medicine, Louisiana Board of Naturopathic Medicine, licensing, healthcare, prescriptive authority, natural therapies, opioid treatment, regulation, addiction recovery, state law, SB 29, Act 732, coroner, autopsy, child death