Transcript Highlights:

• to speak from the perspective of a college music program, a therapy.
• I'm here today to speak from the perspective of a college music program, a therapy program director,
• Quality checks will be done at the program level, continuing to ensure quality.
• And there will be a program-level check to ensure safety and quality continues.
• So there is an additional check that the applicant has officially graduated from a program.

Summary: The Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee held a Friday morning hearing with several House bills and then took executive action on three measures. In executive session, the committee voted do pass on Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2242, Substitute House Bill 2152, and Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2168, sending the first two to Rules and the overdose-mapping bill to Ways and Means. The committee also waived the five-day notice rule for several bills on the agenda. Public hearings focused on hospital inspections, continuing care retirement communities, radiologic technologist supervision, music therapy licensure, nursing regulation, ambulance billing after motor vehicle accidents, and EMT recertification. Representative Macri presented HB 2577 to require hospital inspections at least every 18 months, allow limited pauses during emergencies, and clarify when CMS or accrediting-body surveys may substitute for state inspections; DOH supported the bill, citing JLARC recommendations, while many people signed in opposed. Macri also presented Second Substitute HB 2384, which would require actuarial analysis review for certain CCRCs; OIC supported the transparency goal, while CCRC representatives opposed the added cost, though residents and association witnesses argued the oversight would protect seniors and their life savings. Representative Engel’s HB 2113 drew strong support from radiology, hospital, and provider groups for allowing virtual direct supervision for IV contrast procedures and aligning state law with CMS practice. Representative Ryu’s HB 1187 would bar ambulance services from sending motor-vehicle-accident medical debt to collections for 120 days; she described a personal experience with an ambulance collection issue, and the hearing was closed after no testifiers appeared. Representative Reed’s HB 2363 would let music therapy applicants practice under supervision for up to six months while exam results are processed; music therapy witnesses said it would prevent workforce gaps. Representative Simmons’ HB 2339 would update nursing title and transcript requirements and allow the board to issue interim permits directly, with the Board of Nursing and ARNP groups calling it a technical cleanup. HB 2540 would extend EMT recertification intervals to six years for long-tenured EMTs, and firefighters supported it as an administrative simplification without changing training requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• The sunset has allowed time to step back and evaluate the best course of treatment for children.
• Just this month, the American Medical Association ...of treatment for children.
• Children must be handled with compassion and be given the treatment that's needed to effectively treat
• simple bill removing a statute of limitations, and it provides an off-ramp for those undergoing treatments
• On Monday at noon, the Scouting America program will be honoring over 160 Eagle Scouts who earned this

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the previous day’s journal by a 119-0 vote. Members then used personal privilege remarks to recognize a 40th wedding anniversary, honor Sherry Anderson for her service to the House, and observe Black History Month with a tribute to former Senator Yvonne Starks-Wilson. The chamber also welcomed several guest groups, including representatives from the Alzheimer’s Association, the Festus girls cross-country team, the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce Leadership Conference, and advocates connected to the blind pension fund. The main floor debate centered on House Committee Substitute for House Bills 2033, 1608, 1672, and 1854, which would remove the sunset from the SAFE Act and continue restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors. Supporters argued the bill protects children, citing concerns about puberty blockers, hormones, surgery, and evolving medical guidance; opponents said it targets transgender youth, interferes with family and medical decisions, and misstates the science. After extended debate, the previous question was adopted 102-45, and the combined bill package passed 102-40. House Bill 1847, creating the Dental Licensure Compact, also passed 138-10 after questions about reciprocity, data sharing, and state sovereignty. The House then passed House Committee Substitute for House Bill 1866, which bars peace officer licensure for applicants whose certification was revoked or suspended and for non-citizens, by a 101-36 vote after debate over citizenship, military service, and law enforcement standards. House Committee Substitute for House Bills 1908 and 2337 passed 147-0; the sponsor described it as protecting women and children in abusive situations and addressing legal responsibility in marriage. House Bill 1961, allowing temporary dietitian licenses and a compact for interstate practice, passed 137-8. House Bill 2180, changing Department of Revenue and blind pension notice delivery methods and allowing electronic notices, passed 146-0 and was described as both a service improvement and a cost saver. House Bill 2591, updating speech-language pathologist licensure to allow out-of-state training and practice in Missouri, passed 144-0. The House then announced upcoming committee meetings, a Scouting America Eagle Scout recognition, an America 250 celebration event, and a Labor Caucus meeting before adjourning until Monday, February 16, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• The uh that is fully tanniff program.
• bridge program.
• </c><00:43:22.560><c> in</c> current budget for two new programs in current budget for two new programs
• </c> million for the county bridge program. million for the county bridge program.
• </c> million for the high acuity treatment million for the high acuity treatment facility. facility.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:11 Executive Budget 00:00:50, 958, all

Summary: The committee met to hear a presentation from Dr. Hicks on the governor’s recommended budget for the next biennium. He reviewed the revenue outlook, noting modest general fund growth, a large rainy day fund balance, and the impact of recent income tax reductions. He said the budget was built around recurring reductions, lower debt service and retirement contribution rates, and the use of excess restricted funds, while protecting K-12 education, Medicaid, postsecondary education, public safety, and pension obligations. Dr. Hicks outlined several major spending and reserve proposals, including $350 million from the Department of Insurance’s excess restricted funds to support Medicaid in the first year, $150 million for the affordable housing trust fund, $125 million for rural hospitals, $100 million to offset lost federal ACA premium tax credits, $75 million for utility assistance, and $50 million for food assistance. In education, the proposal included a phased pre-K for all plan funded by sports wagering tax revenue, a 3% annual salary increase for full-time school personnel, continued full funding of teacher pensions, a 2.5% annual increase in SEEK base funding, and additional support for career and technical education and school facilities. He also discussed Medicaid cost pressures, including higher managed care, pharmacy, behavioral health, and nursing facility costs, and explained the expected effects of federal HR1 changes on Kentucky’s Medicaid program. Those changes include work and community engagement requirements and more frequent eligibility redeterminations for expansion members, which the administration estimated would reduce enrollment by about 4,300 in the first year and 28,000 in the second year. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the meeting, which was limited to the budget presentation and member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• , as well as the Encampment Resolution Program.
• And where we we hope to go with our grantees of these programs So to get started and The the HAP program
• In more than 1,900 people through our family unification program.
• Simply saying yes is not the implementation of the program.
• But then prevention strategies are absolutely eligible uses in the program.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:09:54.959><c> that</c> asking for similar treatment that asking for similar treatment that medicine
• So these types of programs, these types of centers, are critical for us to survive as an island.
• This is relating to an early learning apprenticeship grant program.
• This bill establishes an early learning apprenticeship grant program.
• Up next is House Bill 549, relating to an Early Learning apprenticeship grant program.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education met on January 31 and heard six bills. The chair opened by outlining committee practices, including giving at least 72 hours’ notice for hearings, releasing testimony by 5:00 p.m. the day before hearings, and deferring bills needing substantive HT1 changes so members would not vote “blind.” Members briefly thanked the chair for the transparency approach before moving to the agenda. HB 223 would create a Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy special fund and workforce assessment fee to support a pharmacy center. Testimony from the Board of Pharmacy, the Hawaii Pharmacists Association, the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo College of Pharmacy, Mokai Drugs, and others generally supported the measure, emphasizing workforce data, rural access, student loan repayment, and retention. The committee later advanced HB 223 with amendments, including leaving fee amounts blank for further discussion and inserting a defective date, and the motion passed unanimously. HB 940 would appropriate funds for the rat lungworm lab at UH Hilo; HB 546 would establish the Aloha Intelligence Institute at UH to advance AI; HB 549 would create an early learning apprenticeship grant program; HB 1172 would add the Department of Taxation to the Statewide Longitudinal Data System for wage-data sharing; and HB 1320 would require UH to collect and publicly report graduate outcome data and create a dashboard. Testimony on these bills was largely supportive, with some privacy concerns raised on HB 1172 and a request to protect taxpayer confidentiality. In decision-making, the committee passed all five bills with amendments, generally deleting or blanking appropriations and FTEs for Finance Committee review, adding defective dates for further discussion, and in HB 549 adding a statement that the program is a matter of statewide concern. The committee recessed briefly for decision-making and then adopted the chair’s recommendations on each bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:30.520><c> Um</c> medical standards in treatment. Um medical standards in treatment.
• </c> you're able to get treatment. you're able to get treatment. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm.
• </c> able to receive proper treatment. able to receive proper treatment.
• </c><01:04:25.920><c> that</c> dignity, prevention, and treatment that dignity, prevention, and treatment
• </c> anyone from getting emergency treatment. anyone from getting emergency treatment.

Keywords: 00:00:00 Call to Order/Roll Call 00:01:10 Discussion of 25RS HB 414 00:44:26 Roll Call Vote on 25RS HB 414 00:50:25 Discussion of 25RS SB 27 00:53:44 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 27 00:55:49 Discussion of 25RS SB 93 00:57:57 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 93 00:59:29 Discussion of 25RS SB 132 01:37:39 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 132 01:40:55 Discussion of 25RS SB 153 01:42:05 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 153 01:43:46 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Health Services Committee met with a quorum and took up House Bill 414 with a committee substitute. The bill, described by sponsors and supporters as a continuation of prior maternal-health legislation, was framed as a clarification of medical standards and an effort to improve care for women and families facing complicated pregnancies. Representative Tate, Representative Nemes, Adair Wushar of Kentucky Right to Life, and Dr. Jeff Goldberg of ACOG Kentucky all testified in support, saying the substitute was developed collaboratively to reduce confusion in the law and help physicians provide evidence-based care without fear of criminal penalties. Supporters said the committee substitute was intended to define what is not an abortion under Kentucky law and to spell out medical treatments for conditions such as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, sepsis, hemorrhage, preeclampsia, premature rupture of membranes, and fetal demise. Dr. Goldberg said current statutes contain significant ambiguity and have created unintended barriers to treating pregnancy complications, including emergency situations, and he gave examples of patients who were delayed or harmed because physicians were uncertain about what the law allowed. Representative Nemes said the measure was the result of unusual cooperation among groups that do not usually agree and described it as a first step toward fixing a discrete problem. Representative Wilner raised concerns that the language could effectively require a patient to be in severe distress before treatment is clearly permitted and that it was too prescriptive about how physicians should manage miscarriages. In response, Dr. Goldberg and the sponsors said the substitute was not perfect, was meant as a short-term solution, and was designed to give doctors more confidence in providing routine, medically necessary care for pregnancy complications. The transcript indicates the committee substitute was adopted, but no final vote on the bill itself is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• youth of this state with the virtue and intelligence necessary for self-government through a liberal program
• unique mission, and in this committee, we've struggled with making sure not to give charters special treatment
• unique mission, and in this committee, we've struggled with making sure not to give charters special treatment
• Unique mission, and in this committee we've struggled with making sure not to give charters special treatment
• That is a five-month program to get children back on track. It is not a year-round school.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Affairs and Elections, Senate Bill 1275 allows a county attorney to establish a veteran's diversion program
• It's not being fully vetted and used on programs that may or may not have a dual purpose with defense
• It's not being fully vetted and used on programs that may or may not have a dual purpose with defense
• An affirmative defense is outlined if, during pregnancy, she completed alcohol or drug treatment.
• Madam Witt, members, Senate Bill 1400 allows law enforcement agencies to establish a wellness program

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The caucus reviewed a long agenda of Senate bills across elections, commerce, education, government, health and human services, judiciary, public safety, transportation, rural development, and ways and means. Many measures were described as consent or third-read consent items, including bills on campaign finance termination statements and late-report penalties, AI provenance data for media, adjuster/contractor conduct during emergencies, Industrial Commission changes, association meeting closures, banking and remittance rules, central bank digital currency, public safety parity funding, barbering and cosmetology board continuation, digital asset reserve management, contractor licensing, gaming and racing commission continuation, school AED instruction, classroom removal procedures, school safety reporting, special education complaint transparency, foreign influence and land ownership restrictions, DCS and DES process changes, health care licensing and reimbursement rules, EMS compact adoption, and multiple tax, housing, and transportation measures. Staff repeatedly summarized each bill and answered questions, with several bills noted as mirror or identical to House measures or as strike-everything amendments from committees. A few bills drew discussion. On SB 2874, staff explained that the Senate amendment would limit penalties for untimely campaign finance reports when a committee certifies it received no contributions and made no expenditures, but the sponsor did not concur. SB 1074 prompted questions about whether parental notification changed; staff said it did not and that the bill was aimed at improving communication between teachers and principals about discipline. SB 1175, requiring DCS caseworkers to photograph children at each interaction in abuse or neglect cases, drew concern about the scope of the photos, while supporters said it would improve continuity and documentation. SB 1180 also drew comment because the sponsor and committee chair disagreed over an amendment, though the bill was advanced for further work. The most extended debate came on SB 1751, which would allow death-row inmates to choose firing squad, lethal injection, or lethal gas if voters approve the related constitutional measure. One member strongly opposed the bill on moral and personal grounds, another argued it could be a more humane option if the state is going to carry out executions, and a third raised concern that it could be used against Second Amendment rights. The bill remained on the third-read consent calendar despite the objections. The caucus concluded after moving through the remaining agenda items, with no formal votes recorded in the transcript beyond committee status and consent-calendar placement.

Transcript Highlights:

• programs are classrooms in childare programs are closed. closed. closed.
• </c> previous program. previous program.
• </c> localized programs. localized programs.
• Um, is 15% kind of high for a program like this in all kinds of programs?
• Um, is 15% kind of high for a program like this in all kinds of programs?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It is an established program.
• The program needed a GR...
• it's a good program, too.
• This is a really good program.
• program.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One of the first programs was the assertive community treatment.
• So the ACT team program continues to work with him.
• The ACT program is an important one. It works.
• Again, this is an evidence-based program.
• That's the ACT program.

Summary: The committee met briefly to discuss how to use available funding and to clarify priorities after a recent JFAC action removed funding from one program. Senator Kevin Cook was invited to outline several behavioral health and Medicaid-related options, emphasizing that he was not lobbying but providing cost and program information. The main programs discussed were assertive community treatment (ACT), adult peer support services, and Healthy Connections. Cook described ACT as an evidence-based team service for people with severe mental illness, peer support as a trained recovery-based support model, and Healthy Connections as a statutory program that had ended due to legislation rather than a department decision. Department of Health and Welfare Medicaid administrator Sasha O’Connell explained that ACT had been cut under the governor’s holdback direction and that the department had already pursued rate reductions and other cuts to meet budget targets. She said ACT and peer supports were not protected in statute, while some other services were, and that the department had limited options once it reached the point of service reductions. She also clarified federal match rates for ACT participants and said the program had been moved into the Magellan contract to leverage federal funding. Estimated costs to restore the programs were discussed, including about $1.3 million for ACT in fiscal year 2026 and $4.1 million in fiscal year 2027, $2 million and $6 million for peer support, and $1.5 million and $6.3 million for Healthy Connections. Several members expressed support for restoring ACT, citing its impact on law enforcement, hospitals, and vulnerable individuals, and noting reported deaths among former participants after the service ended. Others questioned how the program fit within the committee’s mission and whether it should be funded from the Millennium Fund or through a statutory change. No final vote was taken; the chair said the committee would consider the information, possibly meet again, and then decide on next steps.

Transcript Highlights:

• To qualify for the program, inmates must meet all criteria and would only be able to qualify if they
• program applicant must reside in a location where GPS monitoring is functional.
• Violating the terms of the program may result in a return to incarceration.
• not exceed 50 inmates for every one officer, and the Department of Corrections must adopt rules for program
• So it's a proven, well-done program. We want to do it here in Arizona. So what does this bill do?

Bills: SB1110, SB1140, SB1234, SB1275, SB1426, SB1436, SB1470, SB1489, SB1512, SB1540, SB1556, SB1568, SB1569, SB1573, SB1585, SB1609, SB1627, SB1634, SB1635, SB1648, SB1654, SB1687, SCR1027, SCR1040

Keywords: home confinement, electronic monitoring, community supervision, criminal justice reform, recidivism, expungement, misdemeanor, criminal record, Arizona Revised Statutes, judicial process, record sealing, juvenile court, legal representation, appointed attorney, guardian ad litem, child welfare, veterans, mental health, criminal diversion, military service

Transcript Highlights:

• She's a program manager and has been operating this program for 12 or 13 years.
• Programs have been lumped together in this instance.
• The water, the colonias program, and the tribal infrastructure fund, which are very similar programs
• All three of those programs operate under NMFA; they're three of our, I'd say, 15 active programs.
• So, it's another program that the Finance Authority offers.

Transcript Highlights:

• I too belong to the Mano area Rock Steady program, which is a program where we use boxing to facilitate
• </c> in the Mano area the Rock Steady program in the Mano area the Rock Steady program which<00:10:27.920
• It gives me hope that there's be more funding in the future for more programs like this.
• </c><00:16:10.320><c> So,</c><00:16:10.480><c> on</c> treatments and ultimately a cure.
• So, on treatments and ultimately a cure.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The meeting focused on two Parkinson’s-related bills in Minnesota: one to ban paraquat and another to create a state Parkinson’s research trust fund. Rep. Christy Purcell said the research bill would create a dedicated pot of money to coordinate and fund Parkinson’s research in Minnesota, with Sen. Mann as the Senate author. Supporters said Minnesota should act because Parkinson’s is growing rapidly, there is no cure, and state institutions could serve as a research hub. Several people living with Parkinson’s testified about the personal and family impact of the disease, including early-onset diagnoses, loss of work, mobility challenges, and the burden on caregivers. Speakers from the Parkinson’s Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation supported both bills, arguing that paraquat is strongly linked to Parkinson’s, that exposure can affect farmers and nearby residents, and that prevention and research are both needed. The paraquat bill was described as especially important because alternatives exist and the chemical is reportedly used very little in Minnesota. During the discussion, Rep. Hansen said the paraquat bill would be held over and not voted on that day because a fiscal note was requested. He said the committee would hear the bill later that day and urged colleagues to keep an open mind. In response to questions, supporters said they anticipated little opposition beyond chemical-industry interests, and they emphasized that the bill was aimed specifically at paraquat rather than other chemicals. The research bill was discussed as a possible $25 million request, though no vote was taken on that proposal in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Make it apparent that the asset is not unclaimed and not subject to this treatment.
• The controller's office administers the state unclaimed property program, a law that was enacted in 1959
• Similarly, the controller's office needs guidance as to the proper treatment and holding of cryptocurrency

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• TAB NINE SENATOR GRUTERS' HE HAS CS FOR SB 1140 ON CRIMINAL OFFENDERS SUBSTANCE ABUSE PILOT PROGRAM.
• THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES ELIGIBILITY FOR UP TO A 150 PARTICIPANTS WHO HAVE COMMITTED A FELONY OR A FIRST
• IT WILL HELP FAMILIES BE STRENGTHENED BECAUSE INDIVIDUALS THAT GO TO THE PILOT PROGRAM WILL HAVE THE
• AND THAT IS SB 1070 DO EXPEDITED DNA TESTING GRANT PROGRAM.
• NOT EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT DIABETES TREATMENT IN KENTUCKY SO I APPRECIATE THAT.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> We came back and had a pilot program We came back and had a pilot program drafted.<00:05:03.199>
• </c> program has a sunset provision on there. program has a sunset provision on there.
• </c> So June 1st, 2028 uh is when the program So June 1st, 2028 uh is when the program will<00:05:31.759
• And again, it's just a pilot program.
• </c> special treatment. special treatment. &gt;&gt; Okay.<00:16:00.079><c> Um</c> &gt;&gt; Okay.

Bills: SB341, SB340, SB341, SB354, SB340

Keywords: SB341, Alabama, veteran license plate, veteran tag, distinctive license tag, specialty plate, radiation exposure, atomic bomb testing, ionizing radiation, World War II veterans, Vietnam veterans, Korean War veterans, Cold War veterans, Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Inherent Resolve, Department of Veterans Affairs, probate judge

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> create</c><01:01:02.319><c> a</c> transformation program will create a transformation program will
• So, the fact of the Medicaid program.
• and residential programming.
• </c><03:00:08.319><c> 12</c> eight treatments rather than 12 eight treatments rather than 12 which<03
• </c> was 12 treatments. was 12 treatments.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , which is a behavioral health treatment program at the Department of Corrections.
• In addition to that, they also have substance abuse treatment programs, family counseling programs, and
• In addition to that, they also have substance abuse treatment programs, family counseling programs, and
• In addition to that, they also have substance abuse treatment programs, family counseling programs, and
• In addition to that, they also have substance abuse treatment programs, family counseling programs, and

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Without it, diagnosis can be questioned, treatment decisions can be compromised, and ultimately lives
• Protection of patients starts with diagnoses and treatment plans from their primary care physician, not
• Today, the CSU San Luis Obispo program explored Black and Indigenous solidarity and acknowledged the
• We can no longer normalize the treatment toward California's first people, where data and the statistics
• , we were able to successfully reach. years ago to create the Distress Hospital Loan Program, we were

Summary: The Assembly met in session after a quorum call, heard a prayer and pledge, and then moved through a large daily file of bills and resolutions. Early procedural motions were adopted, including re-referrals and a motion to allow the Appropriations Committee to notice SB 73, which passed 46-15. Members also introduced several guests, including young legislators, schoolchildren, a championship girls’ basketball team, realtors, and CASA advocates. On the floor, the Assembly concurred in Senate amendments to AB 1389, a tribal gaming compact urgency bill for the Yurok Tribe, which passed 55-0 on the urgency and measure. The body then passed a series of bills on topics including trespass enforcement (AB 1632), pest control fees (AB 2380), county investment authority (AB 2080), pupil achievement gap reporting (AB 2149), transit board stipends (AB 1625), e-filing for workplace violence restraining orders (AB 2179), election eligibility restrictions for registered sex offenders (AB 2753), juvenile firearm possession and deferred entry of judgment (AB 2636), court access and First Amendment issues (AB 1544), physician medical record integrity (AB 1637), forced marriage protections (AB 2534), and local authority to restrict under-12 e-bike use in San Mateo County (AB 2595). Most of these measures passed with little or no opposition, with votes ranging from 53-0 to 63-0. The Assembly also adopted ACR 173, reaffirming California’s sister-state relationship with Jalisco, Mexico, after adding 50 coauthors. Later, it adopted ACR 163 designating May as Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Month after extensive testimony from the author and multiple caucus members emphasizing the crisis, data gaps, tribal sovereignty, and the need for more resources and action; 64 coauthors were added before the resolution passed by voice vote. The chamber likewise adopted ACR 180 designating Compost Awareness Week and ACR 182 establishing Youth Mental Health Awareness Week, both after coauthor roll calls and voice votes. The day concluded with urgent action on AB 108, which provides up to $25 million in one-time emergency bridge funding for distressed hospitals facing imminent closure. Members from both parties spoke in support, citing rural access, prior hospital closures, and the need to protect community health care; the bill passed 59-0 and was sent to the Governor immediately. The Assembly then handled consent calendar items, heard an adjournment in memory for labor leader Larry Mazzola Sr., and adjourned until Monday, May 11 at 1 p.m.