Transcript Highlights:

• And there's also people staying healthy or dying pointlessly from diseases we can prevent.
• Medicare Part C is a program where it's the full menu of all the services: A, B, and C.
• And for many of them, Suboxone and others, and even methadone are critical interventions that save lives
• ...access to vaccines and vaccine promotion programs. Yes.
• Early in President Trump's term, you and colleagues sent 90 papers for review by people at NIH.

Transcript Highlights:

• THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO CLIENTS AT APD AND I BUDGET PROGRAM AND ARE CONTRACTED WITH APD.
• I AM SUSAN NIPPER AND I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING AS THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND PROGRAMS
• PROGRAM SUCCESSFUL AND TO GET THOSE SERVICES TO THE RECIPIENTS THAT NEED IT.
• PREVENTION, PERFORMANCE, QUALITY MEASURES, AND INNOVATION.
• STRUCTURE TO CAPTURE PREVENTION WE HAVE TO WORK WITH THEM AND THEY HAVE TO GRADE IN THEIR SYSTEM.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> preventative and alternative therapies. preventative and alternative therapies.
• And educational and workforce program.
• and employment programs.
• </c><00:20:17.040><c> and</c> many of the workforce programs and many of the workforce programs and employment
• um through getting early intervention um through First<00:34:31.960><c> Steps</c><00:34:32.639><c> and

Keywords: Roll Call - 00:10 Discussion on SCR 61 – 01:46 Vote on SCR 61 – 11:33 Discussion on SR 18 – 12:30 Vote on SR 18 - 30:01 Discussion on Ky Residential Autism Services – 32:34 Questions & Comments – 56:56, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and first considered Senate Concurrent Resolution 61, sponsored by Senator Shelley Funke Frommeyer and Representative Matt Lockett. The resolution, as amended by committee substitute, would create a legislative task force tied to the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) framework to study Kentucky health policy, including Medicaid drug approvals, preventive and alternative therapies, holistic health education, oversight and transparency in health care, and research into integrative approaches. Supporters said the goal was to address chronic disease and reduce over-medication, while emphasizing the effort was not intended as an attack on agriculture or the pharmaceutical industry. The resolution received favorable expression and passed the committee 9-0. The committee then heard Senate Resolution 18 from Senator Neal, urging Kentucky to maximize participation in the federal SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) program. Testimony from Jessica Klein of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy and Secretary Eric Friedlander explained that SNAP E&T provides job training, education, and support services for SNAP participants, and that the program is federally matched and does not require additional General Assembly funding in the normal course. Members discussed how the program works, whether it could create new state costs, and how it fits with efforts to connect food assistance, workforce development, and local agriculture. Questions also focused on whether SNAP spending can be steered toward healthier foods and farmers markets, including Kentucky’s Double Dollars program, which was described as helping participants buy produce, meat, and dairy at participating markets and some retailers. Several members expressed support for the workforce goals but asked for more information on fiscal impacts and purchasing data. Secretary Friedlander said the SNAP E&T funds are separate from nutrition benefits, and that the state match generally comes from employer, university, or workforce partner contributions rather than new state appropriations. Senator Herron explained her vote in favor by saying the program could help people gain education and employment and reduce reliance on SNAP over time. Senate Resolution 18 was then adopted by the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• levee subventions and special projects programs.
• And the work under SB 34 took place and really helped the Delta out by preserving and preventing overtopping
• Such programs educate and support community and property owner efforts to reduce and remove attractants
• “Programs educate and support community and property owner efforts to reduce and remove attractants like
• being managed and the program went away and the problem got worse.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Crisis intervention, substance abuse treatment, health care access, and supportive services are often
• These programs reflect our shared commitment to care for one another, and they require consistent, reliable
• Hunter's disability, though significant, has not prevented him from living his best life and achieving
• and services.
• programs.

Summary: The Senate Revenue and Tax Committee met to consider Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Senator Jonathan Dismang, which continues the state’s long-running effort to reduce Arkansas income tax rates. Dismang said the bill would lower the personal income tax rate retroactive to January 1, 2026 and delay the corporate income tax change until the following January, bringing the rate down from 7% to 3.7%. He also said the bill would use existing surplus funds and estimated that a person making $65,000 would see their effective tax burden reduced by about 45% compared with earlier rates. The committee heard several witnesses in opposition, including a United Methodist pastor/social worker, a parent describing her son’s disability and need for supported living services, representatives from Arkansas Appleseed and Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and a Marshallese community advocate. They argued that Arkansas should preserve revenue for public schools, health care, food assistance, housing, rural hospitals, early childhood education, and disability services, and said the tax cuts would disproportionately benefit higher-income taxpayers while providing little relief to working families. Several speakers cited low state spending relative to national averages and warned that further cuts would worsen existing service gaps. In closing, Dismang and other supporters said the state can be both compassionate and competitive, that no essential services would be cut by the bill, and that Arkansas has continued to grow revenue despite prior tax reductions. Members emphasized balancing service funding with economic competitiveness and noted the legislature’s focus on lower-income tax brackets in earlier reforms. The committee then voted to do pass SB1, and the bill was approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• These tools allow individuals to detect risks early, pursue preventative care, and make informed medical
• It protects privacy, promotes early detection, and reinforces trust in both our health care and insurance
• preventable and people just need to slow the heck down.
• necessary, determine which specific questions need answering for program audits and evaluations, and
• knew would be of primary use and need to be able to fully understand the early childhood programming

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on privacy, accessibility, labor, and public safety. AB 1798 by Assemblymember Wilson would bar life and disability insurers from using non-diagnostic genetic information, including direct-to-consumer test results, in underwriting. Supporters argued the bill would protect privacy and encourage genetic testing, while insurers opposed it as unnecessary and said genetic data should be treated like other predictive health information. The bill passed the committee on a 7-0 vote and was held open for absent members. AB 2190 by Assemblymember Wallace would create website accessibility standards based on WCAG guidelines and add affirmative defenses intended to reduce serial litigation while improving access for people with disabilities. Disability advocates supported the measure as a needed civil-rights update, while business groups warned it could increase liability and create unclear compliance obligations. The bill passed 9-0 and was sent to Appropriations. AB 2721 by Assemblymember Carrillo would require hotels to post notice when they know or should know that U.S. Customs and Border Protection or ICE are using the premises, with supporters saying workers and guests deserve transparency and safety. Hotel and business groups opposed it, citing privacy, liability, and concerns about interfering with federal operations. The committee voted 6-2 to pass the bill to Appropriations, with the roll left open. AB 2027 by Assemblymember Ward would restrict employers from using worker data to train AI systems that replace workers and limit sharing of worker data for automation; labor groups supported it and business and public-sector groups opposed it as too broad. The bill passed 7-2 to Appropriations, with the roll left open. The committee also heard AB 1837 by Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez, which would extend and tighten privacy rules for transit agencies’ use of forward-facing cameras to enforce bus-lane violations; supporters said the cameras improve transit flow and safety, and the bill was presented with amendments, though no final vote is reflected in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And outreach and education through various programs like the Domestic Worker Education and Outreach Program
• And we're putting people into programs.
• We use liners and tarps to securely transport materials and employ water misting to prevent dust and
• and Office of Small Business and hundreds of programs and services capital and place-making projects
• programs and apprenticeships.

Summary: The joint Senate and Assembly labor committees held a hearing on the Los Angeles wildfires and their impact on workers, employers, and recovery efforts. Chairs and members emphasized that rebuilding should prioritize worker safety, equity, local hiring, and strong labor standards rather than simply moving quickly or relying on the lowest bidder. They also stressed the need to learn from past disasters and to create a more coordinated state response for future emergencies. Worker advocates described how domestic workers, day laborers, firefighters, and other frontline workers were affected by the fires. Testimony focused on workers being trapped in evacuation zones, lacking timely information in Spanish, losing jobs and income, and facing exposure to toxic debris without adequate PPE. Speakers called for expanded outreach and education, stronger Cal/OSHA enforcement, broader occupational safety coverage for domestic workers and day laborers, recall and transfer rights, childcare and transportation support, and a centralized disaster relief system that can quickly deliver cash aid and equipment regardless of immigration status. Firefighter Derek Irwin said California firefighters face serious carcinogenic exposure and urged continued funding for the firefighter cancer prevention and research program, along with a long-term state health monitoring and research effort similar to the World Trade Center Health Program. Building trades and labor representatives argued that cleanup and rebuilding should be done through community workforce agreements, prevailing wage, apprenticeship requirements, and local hire provisions, and said the state already has trained workers available. They also said federal debris-removal work through the Army Corps has limited the state’s ability to impose some standards, but that state and local funding or subsidies should trigger labor requirements. Employer and business representatives described major losses to property, inventory, revenue, and jobs, especially in Altadena and nearby areas. The Altadena Chamber said it is coordinating recovery resources, while a construction business owner said small local firms are being shut out of disaster contracts and proposed a more accessible procurement process for local and minority businesses. LAEDC presented preliminary estimates of billions in property damage and business disruption, tens of thousands of potential job losses, and a recovery timeline of five to ten years, warning that low-income communities will be disproportionately affected and that workforce retraining and upskilling will be needed alongside the broader economic recovery.

Transcript Highlights:

• We talked about that earlier, and this is a Medicaid program.
• The budget is $1.8 million and zero FTE. On page 155 is the SUD Prevention and Education.
• These grants do support a lot of a variety of programs that includes prevention services and recovery
• Here's...' and now, is this the program?
• And it, yeah, it's a pretty cool intervention.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I hope you step up to the plate and help us out in our community and our region.
• Now we have Mike Connors and Rob Green, right, and Tom Mendoza and Julie Pinkham.
• Now we have Mike Connors and Rob Green, right, and Tom Mendoza and Julie Pinkham. And Tom Inneson.
• They require some airway management interventions and some advanced-level medication.
• It's an administrative and financial and medical and legal challenge to those individuals.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee first heard testimony on H. 3599, a bill concerning access to historic Indian lands and easements for landlocked tribal parcels in Massachusetts. Witnesses, including members of the Mashpee Wampanoag and Herring Pond communities, said the bill would restore access to family lands that have long been treated as landlocked and had been denied easements by necessity in prior court rulings. They described heavy tax burdens, prior litigation, and support from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, with conditional support from the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe pending language changes. Committee members asked about the tax assessments and the status of tribal support, and the chair said the committee would follow up on possible amendments. The committee then took up S. 2922, which would authorize an underground easement at Magazine Beach in Cambridge for the Greater Cambridge Energy Project. Eversource representatives said the easement is needed for a transmission line connecting the Brighton and Kendall Square substations, supporting grid reliability and the Commonwealth’s clean energy transition. They said DCR would receive fair market value and replacement land in Wendell to satisfy Article 97 requirements. No objections were raised, and the panel’s testimony concluded without a vote recorded in the transcript. Most of the hearing focused on H. 5047, which would authorize the Commonwealth to take the Norwood Hospital site by eminent domain so the hospital can be restored. Sponsors, local officials, hospital task force members, EMS and fire representatives, a chamber of commerce leader, and a former hospital administrator all argued that the 2020 flood and Steward’s bankruptcy left the region without adequate care, causing longer ambulance transports, emergency room boarding, staffing strain, and economic losses. They said the site remains a partially completed shell, that the state should be able to acquire it and bring in a nonprofit operator, and that the taking would not require state funding because an operator would pay the acquisition costs. Committee members from both chambers expressed support and asked about costs, timing, infrastructure, and whether a nonprofit operator is being pursued. The chair took the bill under advisement after extensive testimony; no vote was taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, the bill significantly increases local government aid and county program aid to counties
• </c> increases local government aid and increases local government aid and county<00:01:12.400><c> program
• And the legislature has the ability to distribute resources and help counties with program aid and local
• And you can't keep passing programs and asking either state taxpayers or property taxpayers or sales
• government aid program for ever and ever in this state, designed to address this problem.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 4845 was presented as a tax modernization and local aid bill that would adjust Minnesota income tax brackets for inflation, add a new top bracket of 10.85% for high earners, and increase local government aid and county program aid beginning in 2026. Representative Hollins said the bill would strengthen local government funding and require the Department of Revenue to recertify aid distributions. The chair noted the bill would be laid over for possible inclusion in the 2026 tax bill. Supporters, including St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter? no, Mayor Kelly Her of St. Paul, AFSCME Local 34, and Rebuild Minnesota, argued that cities and counties need more stable revenue to cover rising costs, public safety, human services, and property tax pressure. They said the bill would help local governments meet unmet needs and reduce reliance on property taxes. Opponents from the Minnesota Business Partnership and Minnesota Chamber of Commerce argued the new top rate would hurt competitiveness, talent recruitment, and business investment, especially because many businesses pay through the individual income tax code. Some testifiers also opposed directing more aid to cities that they said restrict housing development, while others urged the committee to address unfunded mandates and fraud instead of raising taxes. During member discussion, Representative Joyce opposed creating another bracket and suggested using cannabis tax revenue instead. Representative Wiener said the state has a spending problem and cited fraud concerns, while Representative Roach questioned whether the bill truly helped greater Minnesota and noted the current LGA appropriation is just over $644 million. Representative Hollins responded that the proposal would mostly benefit greater Minnesota by shifting more of the tax burden to high earners in the metro area. No vote was taken; the bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the 2026 tax bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• animal shelters and animal control programs across the state.
• My name is Zara and I serve as the program manager and social worker at Seattle Veterinary Outreach.
• that could have been prevented with earlier intervention.
• With the funding that was provided to them through the We Feed WA program and other various programs,
• Programs like this connect those things and make them easier and repeatable. Okay, great.

Bills: HB1904, HB2106, HB2211, HB2247, HB2329, HB2339

Keywords: animal welfare, cats, declawing, animal rights, pet care, healthcare, contract modifications, provider notifications, insurance carriers, health facilities, HB 2211, medically tailored meals, medical nutrition therapy, medical assistance, Medicaid, Health Care Authority, Department of Social and Health Services, nutrition support, chronic disease, dietary accommodations

Transcript Highlights:

• Crisis intervention, substance abuse treatment, health care access, and supportive services are often
• These programs reflect our shared commitment to care for one another, and they require consistent, reliable
• Hunter's disability, though significant, has not prevented him from living his best life and achieving
• It doesn't help the senior citizen who is homebound and hungry because our community programs are underfunded
• programs.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We fund auditory and early intervention, and we fund bridge to speech every year so that children can
• Under her leadership, she promotes prevention, education, and early intervention.
• Under her leadership, she promotes prevention, education, and early intervention Thank you. ...leadership
• She promotes prevention, education, and early intervention through community outreach and school programs
• Please join me... ...for early intervention and a chance at survival.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But I also believe in prevention and intervention.
• and prevention.
• programs and youth engagement, not just enforcement.
• It's a hospital-based violence intervention program that has saved lives and broken cycles of trauma.
• Please talk to the advocacy programs and the direct service programs in your communities and find out

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• There was great work and research done on early literacy, and numeracy, on teacher preparation, on discipline
• then you had your early adopters and then only after the early adopters get in there do their teachers
• The education code, it says the agency, SBEC, and THECB. shall develop and implement programs to recruit
• them to hire personnel and or... start new programs, and they're finding that this year they no longer
• So you have a K-12 program of study really, a high school program of study, and. college program of study

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Zara and I serve as the program manager and social worker at Seattle Veterinary Outreach.
• that could have been prevented with earlier intervention.
• a pilot, and we... ...state program that is now sunsetted, like a pilot, and we continue our work now
• With the funding that was provided to them through the We Feed WA program and other various programs,
• Programs like this connect those things and make them easier and repeatable. Okay, great.

Summary: The committee heard public hearings on several health-related bills. House Bill 1904 would prohibit cat declawing except for therapeutic purposes, with staff explaining definitions, fines, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements. The prime sponsor and animal welfare advocates described declawing as cruel and linked it to pain and behavior problems, while the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association supported the substance of the bill but asked to remove the added reporting and disciplinary provisions as redundant and burdensome. House Bill 2211 would provide guidance for medically tailored meals under existing Medicaid-related nutrition supports, including standards for Washington-based nonprofit providers where possible, menu review, and nutrition requirements. The sponsor said it would clarify implementation without expanding the program, and supporters from meal providers, food distributors, and local farms said it would improve health outcomes, keep dollars local, and support Washington jobs and agriculture. House Bill 2329 would allow licensed midwives to delegate certain tasks to medical assistants and to supervise medical assistants, with the sponsor and birth center operators saying it would fix an omission in current law and help rural and under-resourced birth centers operate more efficiently. Supporters said it would improve staffing and financial stability, while the sponsor indicated the lactation consultant language would likely be removed because those consultants are not regulated by the Department of Health. The committee then returned to House Bill 1904 for additional testimony from humane organizations, veterinarians, shelter leaders, and local officials, all supporting a ban on declawing and emphasizing animal pain, shelter impacts, and available alternatives. House Bill 2247 would expand and clarify veterinary telehealth and veterinarian-client-patient relationship rules, allowing a VCPR to be established in certain telehealth circumstances and setting guardrails for consent, practice standards, and when in-person exams are still required. Supporters from shelters, animal welfare groups, mobile clinics, and veterinarians said telehealth would improve access in rural and underserved areas, reduce shelter intake, and help animals receive care sooner; the veterinary association supported the bill with amendments to clarify recordkeeping and access-to-care findings. House Bill 2339 would update nursing license terminology and processes for advanced registered nurse practitioners, including title changes, controlled substance rules for CRNAs, transcript submission, and interim permits. Nursing board and ARNP representatives supported the technical updates, while the hospital association and medical association raised concerns about title language for clinical nurse specialists and the deletion of a reference to the medical profession. Finally, House Bill 2106 would require health carriers to give 90 days’ notice of significant mid-contract payer modifications and provide the actual modification language, with the sponsor and hospital and provider representatives saying insurers are increasingly making unilateral changes that affect payment, services, and patient access. UW Medicine and a rural hospital district described examples where insurers changed imaging or preventive service coverage mid-contract, causing financial losses and forcing difficult choices about network participation. Carriers were noted as opposing the bill, while providers and facilities argued it would improve transparency and prevent one-sided contract changes that disrupt care.

Transcript Highlights:

• Early communication and coordination with the utility is critical.
• First, it will remove a layer of review that has blocked a significant number of projects and prevent
• AB 2182 will reform the industrial energy efficiency program to move more quickly and effectively to.
• Reform the industrial energy efficiency program to move more quickly and effectively to support grid
• And your first question about agriculture, they can be part of a program as well.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Early communication and coordination with the utility is critical.
• First, it will remove a layer of review that has blocked a significant number of projects and prevent
• AB 2182 will reform the industrial energy efficiency program to move more quickly and effectively to.
• AB 2182 will reform the industrial energy efficiency program to move more quickly and effectively to
• And your first question about agriculture, they can be part of a program as well.

Summary: The committee heard several energy-related bills. AB 710 would require investor-owned utilities to share critical circuit and grid information with local and tribal governments and community choice aggregators to help plan microgrids for resilience during PSPS events and wildfires. Supporters from counties and cities said better data sharing is needed to develop microgrids for critical facilities; PG&E and SDG&E opposed the bill as drafted, citing privacy and grid-security concerns, though SDG&E said amendments may address some issues. Members generally supported the bill’s goal, and the author accepted committee amendments. AB 2182 would restructure the CPUC’s industrial energy efficiency program so industrial customers’ funds are used for industrial projects, with less review and more focus on projects that reduce transmission and distribution needs. Support came from large energy users, with members praising the bill’s ratepayer protections and asking about caps, agriculture, and carbon capture; the author said agriculture could participate and carbon capture was removed from the bill. AB 2589 would require utility federal tax savings to be returned to ratepayers, building on prior legislation; it drew little debate and no opposition on the record. The committee also heard AB 2163, which would create strategic clean energy and critical mineral development zones, especially to support geothermal and lithium development in places like Imperial County and the Salton Sea. Supporters emphasized jobs, domestic supply chains, and state competitiveness, while some members raised questions about whether other zero-carbon resources should be included; the author said the bill could be receptive to those ideas. AB 2505 would allow hydrogen refueling stations to use dedicated utility meters and service lines, with supporters from the hydrogen industry and labor. AB 1577 would require data centers to report energy and water-use information to the Energy Commission and local planners; supporters said it would protect ratepayers and communities, while industry groups opposed the bill as too broad and duplicative, though they welcomed amendments narrowing the scope and adding trade-secret protections. AB 2065 would impose penalties on utilities that seek to recover prohibited or double-counted costs from ratepayers, and AB 2516 would create a California Grid Manufacturing Initiative to reduce equipment costs and expand in-state manufacturing; both drew strong support and some concerns about overreach and implementation. Finally, AB 2647 would direct the Energy Commission to study advanced nuclear’s role in meeting California’s electricity needs, with testimony in support from nuclear advocates and academics; the hearing ended before any final votes were taken, with several motions pending quorum.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I ask you all to support this amendment and this bill because April is also Prevention of Cruelty
• job quality and key job sectors, workforce training programs, and addressing job loss and displacement
• self-betterment programs and courses in the department.
• That prevents FWC from going and sitting on that property.
• Park and Parramore, which provide free preschool programs and scholarships for colleges and vocational

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge, and heard several member introductions and recognitions. The Rules Chair moved CS/CS/SB 622 to the end of the special order calendar, which was adopted without objection. SB 80 on state land management was temporarily postponed, as were later bills SB 716 and CS/CS/CS/SB 1348. The chamber then took up a series of bills, often substituting House companions and adopting amendments before final passage. Measures approved included a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan (HB 295, 38-0), mitigation banking and land development changes with a phosphate mining lands amendment (CS/CS/SB 492, 35-3), aggravated animal cruelty with a searchable FDLE database and sentencing multiplier (HB 255, 37-0), the Spectrum Alert for missing children with autism and related training/funding (HB 711, 37-0), newborn screening for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (CS/CS/HB 1089, 36-0), and revisions to the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program to expand eligible mitigation projects and adjust approval thresholds (CS/CS/HB 393, 37-0). The Senate also passed workforce education legislation allowing charter schools access to grant funding and expanding money-back guarantees (HB 1145, 37-0), a statewide study on automation and workforce impact (HB 827, 35-0), parole guideline revisions (HB 181, 37-0), court-appointed psychologist procedures in family law cases (HB 901, 37-0), sexual cyber harassment protections covering digitally forged intimate images (HB 1451, 37-0), a home health aide program for medically fragile children with training and reimbursement provisions (CS/CS/SB 1156, 37-0), substance abuse and mental health care changes including 988 oversight and involuntary examination procedures (HB 1091, 37-0), a feasibility study for a statewide pond data database (HB 1359, 37-0), and Department of Law Enforcement housekeeping changes and retired police dog reimbursements (HB 1053, 37-0). The most extensive debate centered on the charter schools bill (HB 443), which expanded charter autonomy, reporting parity, enrollment flexibility, and governance rules; after a delete-all amendment and a friendly amendment, it was placed on the third-reading calendar rather than immediately voted on. Several bills were briefly discussed with concerns about transparency, accountability, funding, and constitutional issues, but all bills brought to a vote during this segment passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• I wanted to share the importance of this bill as an early prevention stage race in intervention.
• And I would hope that as part of this bill and acknowledgement of the importance of early learning on
• and include extensive coursework, inpatient assessment, and preventive treatment planning, as well as
• He didn't get this early onset, dementia, and Alzheimer's.
• She understands the program and my family has what we need.