Transcript Highlights:

• One of the most powerful ways Black history continues to be written is through service to the next generation
• History continues to be written through service to the next generation, especially young Black men.
• service to young people and to the community.
• to extract settlements rather than improve accessibility.
• people gain access to places just like the regular public. and they've People gain access to places

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then approved the House Journal for February 4, 2026 by roll call vote, 123-1. Members spent a substantial portion of the morning introducing special guests and recognizing birthdays, including visitors from Missouri Technology Corporation, educators, pediatricians, a longtime legislative photographer, and several family members and constituents. A member also delivered a lengthy personal-privilege tribute for Black History Month honoring his father’s military service, postal career, ministry, and mentorship work, and another member paid tribute to the late Donna Kramer Scott. The chamber then took up first reading of House Bills 3218, 3219, and 3220. On third reading, House Committee Substitute for House Bills 1667 and 2294 was debated as a “born alive”/abortion-related measure; supporters argued it protects infants born alive and clarifies provider duties, while opponents said the issue is already covered in statute and that the House should focus on other priorities. The bill passed 103-40. The House also considered House Committee Substitute for House Bills 1694, 1674, 1780, 2056, 2312, and 1755, a package centered on the Act Against Abusive Website Access Litigation and related accessibility/ADA litigation concerns. Supporters described it as curbing settlement-driven lawsuits and helping businesses, while opponents and some supporters emphasized the need for real accessibility improvements. That package passed unanimously, 149-0. During announcements, members highlighted an American Idol contestant from a district, an upcoming rural health care funding informational session, a property tax reform committee executive session, a St. Charles festival, an American Heart Month photo opportunity, and several committee meetings. The House was told to be prepared to consider additional bills upon return, and it adjourned until 4 p.m. Monday, February 9, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• of enable folks to get outdoors, but there's a lot more that we need to do to promote access.
• accessible to all.
• to services.
• I respectfully urge your no vote in order to keep the coast accessible to all Californians. Okay.
• I'm just still sensitive to this idea of access.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The most common unmet need, according to this joint CHIS study, related to mental health services such
• California needs to have the right resources and services to support impacted individuals and communities
• So we need this kind of access to data, which a lot of these companies are not doing.
• First, we'd like to ask the legislature to make safety funding fair and accessible.
• CAIR California's work providing immigration legal services to recently arrived Afghans.

Summary: The committee on Hate, Racism, and Xenophobia met to review California hate-crime trends and hear from state agencies and community organizations about current impacts and policy responses. The California Department of Justice reported that 2025 hate-crime events declined modestly from 2024 but remained historically elevated, with race and ethnicity still the largest category, anti-Black bias the most frequently reported, and notable increases in anti-Hispanic/Latino and citizenship/immigration-status bias. The California Commission on the State of Hate said its research and victimization studies show hate is broader than official crime data alone, with millions of Californians experiencing hate incidents and many victims needing services beyond law enforcement, including mental health care, legal help, and workplace protections. The commission also emphasized online radicalization, the need for better data infrastructure, and stronger training and support systems. Members then heard from the NAACP, LULAC, Jewish California, CHIRLA, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, CAIR California, and Equality California. Testimony described fear, underreporting, and the effects of rhetoric, federal policy changes, and online misinformation on Black, Latino, Jewish, immigrant, Asian American, Muslim, and LGBTQ+ communities. Witnesses urged sustained funding for Stop the Hate and nonprofit security grants, stronger language access, civic education, and community-based reporting and victim services. Several groups also called for specific legislation, including measures on racial profiling, immigration detention oversight, Jewish ethnicity recognition, safe worship zones, anti-Muslim hate prevention, and LGBTQ+ data privacy and health protections. Committee discussion focused on the conditions that fuel hate, especially political polarization, social media radicalization, and the role of public figures and institutions in normalizing dehumanizing language. Members and witnesses discussed the limits of current data, the need for long-term research and prevention strategies, and the importance of solidarity across communities. No formal votes or final committee actions were taken in the transcript, though members referenced existing and pending bills and ongoing efforts to expand training, funding, and anti-hate infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• services and to facilitate the provision of instructional instruction and services to exceptional students
• We open the gate for parents to have access to the dentist.
• But it's an a I would say there's an uneven access to the services that you're providing.
• A bill to provide. These services will provide the services to families.
• key to to all of the service is not just about the therapeutic needs, but also around what other services

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a very critical step to ensure young children with disabilities have access to effective early
• These gaps made it clear who had access to opportunity and who didn't.
• again I want to thank you for your service to the state.
• Since 2022, we've accessed over a million dollars to support our employer partners.
• Access to early education is critical to long-term success, especially for children with disabilities

Bills: HB2

Keywords: public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• communities that don't have access to reliable internet.
• access the internet to find the relevant content we deliver.
• Everyone deserves equal access to that information.
• how to access that.
• And I want to thank you for your service to Arizona and to this body and to the Senate.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ...learning to increase your capacity to offer these services?
• Some are tracking service rates, like I mentioned to you.
• Shop 55 provides students with access to mental health services, wellness supports, and referrals in
• So we had to sit down and put together a plan on what they had to access.
• So families and community partners organized together to protect this access to school.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All provisions regarding a business that provides an online service product or feature likely to be accessed
• age, mechanisms to limit their access to any addictive feed, limit their ability to view likes or other
• , products, or features likely to be accessed by minors.
• It is not going to restrict access to any platform. And I see my time is up.
• or special access to or control over the data or accounts of their minor child.

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee held public hearings on several bills related to artificial intelligence, student employee bargaining, and online safety. For HB 1170, staff explained that the bill would require certain large generative AI providers to offer provenance detection tools and include latent or optional manifest disclosures in AI-generated audio, image, and video content, with enforcement by the Attorney General under the Consumer Protection Act. Committee discussion focused on whether the bill would apply to AI-generated text code, and staff clarified that it would not. Testimony from the Washington Technology Industry Association opposed the bill as written, citing enforcement ambiguity, definition changes, and interoperability concerns, while noting support for continued work on the issue. For HB 1570, staff described the underlying bill as extending collective bargaining rights under the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act to student employees at several state higher education institutions, with a striking amendment narrowing the bill to non-academic student employees at Western Washington University and listing covered job classifications. Staff estimated the original bill’s fiscal impact at about $1.5 million per biennium, reduced to roughly $200,000 per biennium under the striking amendment. Testimony from labor and student representatives supported the narrowed bill, emphasizing student worker safety, organizing support, and the need to move forward after prior union votes. The committee also heard substitute HB 1833, which would create the Spark Act grant program in the Department of Commerce to support innovative uses of AI, with grants requiring a state benefit and shared technology, and with Commerce consulting the Attorney General’s AI Task Force. Staff estimated administrative costs of about $160,000 per year plus grant funding that could bring total annual program costs to roughly $660,000 to $1.6 million. Representative Keaton said an amendment would update dates and incorporate changes. Testimony was generally supportive from industry and retail representatives, who framed the bill as a pro-innovation public-private partnership. Finally, the committee heard a proposed third substitute for HB 1834, which would prohibit addictive feeds for minor users and restrict push notifications during evening and school hours unless parents consent, while allowing all users to limit feeds and privacy settings. Supporters, including the Attorney General’s Office, Children’s Alliance, and a parent who lost a child to social media harms, argued the bill would protect children and reduce behavioral health costs. Opponents from technology, civil liberties, and industry groups raised constitutional, privacy, and vagueness concerns, warning that age determination could function like age verification and that the bill could restrict access to beneficial content. No votes or executive action were taken; the committee concluded public hearings and announced amendment deadlines for upcoming executive sessions.

Transcript Highlights:

• So all this does is send it back to the court to have them do community service work or something for
• So all this does is send it back to the court to have them do community service work or something for
• any funds to be able to do this and order community service if necessary.
• provide access to the patient's medical records or payment records within seven calendar days.
• The Senate adopted a strike-everything amendment to the bill to require an access contractor to reimburse

Summary: The Republican caucus reviewed a long list of House bills with Senate amendments, mostly hearing brief staff summaries and sponsor comments on whether they concurred. Topics included tax filing penalties, water and court procedures, vaccination and mask rules, bullion investment, nursing care complaint timelines, privacy protections for property and voter records, medical-record access, professional licensing procedures, school and family law changes, public records access for legislators, AI procurement, fingerprint clearance for traffic survival school instructors, development fees, infrastructure districts, distracted driving penalties, health aide scope of practice, eviction record sealing, backyard structure rules in planned communities, inmate transition services, nuclear-ready community designation, DCS parent-rights notices, domestic-violence evidence standards, inmate mental health study committee, legislative subpoena enforcement, trade office oversight, public power reporting, Native American language proficiency, mental health judicial review timelines, mobile food vendor licensing, medical-intervention requirements in schools, and school board training and meeting transparency. In most cases, the sponsor or a representative indicated concurrence with the Senate amendments, and the caucus generally moved through the bills without extended debate. A few bills drew brief explanation from sponsors about the policy purpose, such as aligning nursing-facility oversight with federal requirements, improving access to medical records, clarifying rules for licensed health aides, and adjusting school-related provisions. Some bills were noted as being sent back to the Senate or otherwise set aside, including HB 2035 and HB 2249. No formal votes were taken in the transcript; the meeting functioned as a caucus review of Senate amendments and sponsor concurrence before floor action. The caucus concluded after HB 2380, with members thanked for attending.

Transcript Highlights:

• So all this does is send it back to the court to have them do community service work or something for
• So all this does is send it back to the court to have them do community service work or something for
• To be able to do this and order community service if necessary. And I'm assuming you concur then?
• provide access to the patient's medical records or payment records within seven calendar days.
• The Senate adopted a strike-everything amendment to the bill to require an access contractor to reimburse

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Republican caucus reviewed a long list of House bills returned from the Senate with amendments, generally asking staff to describe the changes and then confirming whether the sponsor concurred. Many measures were accepted with little or no debate, including bills on tax filing penalties (HB 2016), court-ordered restitution for homeless or indigent defendants (HB 2028), vaccination and mask restrictions (HB 286), bullion investments by the state treasurer (HB 2140), nursing care complaint timelines (HB 2195), privacy protections for county records (HB 2327), cold plunge regulation (HB 2439), medical records access timelines (HB 2557), licensing board procedures (HB 2660), school and public records provisions, AI governance (HB 2592), fingerprint clearance temporary work authorization (HB 2916), development fees (HB 2946), affordability infrastructure districts (HB 2999), distracted driving penalties (HB 2109), health aide scope of practice (HB 2189), eviction record sealing (HB 2244), backyard structure rules in planned communities (HB 2342), inmate transition services (HB 2440), nuclear-ready community designation criteria (HB 2456), address confidentiality protections (HB 2594), groundwater/medical reimbursement changes (HB 2932), traffic citation signature authority (HB 2369), advanced math enrollment (HB 2423), school district training and intervention requirements (HB 2435), job order contracting limits (HB 2482), special education and placement rules (HB 2621), DCS parent rights notice changes (HB 2661), domestic violence expert testimony standards (HB 2662), inmate mental health study committee provisions (HB 2673), legislative subpoena enforcement (HB 2745), ACA trade office oversight (HB 2752), utility reporting changes (HB 2756), Native American language proficiency credit (HB 2895), mental health judicial review timelines (HB 2923), mobile food vendor licensing (HB 2118), medical intervention/school attendance rules (HB 2248), school board finance training (HB 2379), and school board meeting access/video requirements (HB 2380). Sponsors repeatedly stated they concurred with the Senate amendments, and no roll-call votes were taken in the transcript. A few items were set aside or sent back, including HB 2035 and HB 2249, and one bill (HB 2594) was left pending because the sponsor had not yet responded.

Transcript Highlights:

• For patients, the compact improves access to respiratory care and supports continuity of treatment.
• in Florida deserves access to health care no matter where they live.
• Because some have no access to doctors at all, to address that Florida allowed qualified physicians licensed
• This PCS protects patients in areas of need from losing access to care because a designation change.
• So for now, we will be protecting these doctors, and patients will have access to them. >> Chair Tuck

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present and heard a series of health care-related bills, with Chair Tuck emphasizing respectful debate and noting that all bills on the agenda would be voted on that day. The first measure, HB 743, would give the Attorney General authority to investigate and bring civil actions against health care practitioners who violate Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, and would make aiding or abetting such conduct a third-degree felony. Supporters said it closed loopholes and protected minors and parental rights, while opponents argued it was vague, overbroad, and could chill lawful care and professional judgment. The bill passed 13-4 and was reported favorably. The committee then unanimously approved PCS for HB 567, which narrows a continuing-education requirement for podiatrists so only those who prescribe controlled substances must take the related two-hour course. It also unanimously approved HB 439, allowing chiropractors, under specified training and certification requirements, to inject vitamins and nutrients while continuing to prohibit intravenous injections. The committee also passed HB 1235 to enter Florida into the respiratory care interstate compact, and HB 1237, a linked public-records/public-meetings exemption needed to implement that compact; both measures were supported as workforce and access-to-care bills and passed without opposition. Later, the committee approved PCS for HB 809, which addresses temporary physician certificates in areas of need and aims to prevent doctors from losing the ability to practice when area designations change. Members asked about licensure pathways and the effect of federal or board designation changes, and supporters framed the bill as protecting continuity of care in underserved communities. The committee also unanimously passed HB 1347 to align clinical laboratory personnel licensing with federal CLIA standards amid staffing shortages, and HB 1515, a public-records exemption tied to a uterine fibroid research database. Finally, the committee approved HB 169 updating acupuncture statutes, including terminology changes and limits on injection therapy, and HB 1021, Representative Young’s first bill, allowing qualified hospital pharmacists in Level I and II trauma centers to administer emergency medications at a physician’s direction during life-threatening situations. HB 1021 drew the most questions, mainly about scope, definitions, and who could authorize the pharmacist, but after a technical amendment it passed unanimously. All remaining bills were reported favorably, and the meeting adjourned after the final vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• But Colonel Park is really grateful to have you here, and for your service to JBLM.
• For now, we will use the $50,000 to update our computer system to allow us to send letters to service
• service to our transitioning service members and veterans without homes.
• and helping folks that are struggling and have access to counseling and services.
• in Washington have access to both legal, economic, and educational resources. ...have access to both

Summary: The Joint Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs met to hear updates from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the Washington Military Department, the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Commerce on federal and state impacts affecting veterans, military families, and military installations. JBLM’s garrison commander said the base remains focused on housing, child care, and spouse employment, but is facing workforce reductions tied to federal personnel actions, especially in air traffic control, 911 dispatch, and firefighting. He also said JBLM is preparing for increased mutual-aid needs during fire season, and that the Army Transformation Initiative could change unit composition at JBLM over time without a major overall population shift. He confirmed that the Lewis Army Museum is on a closure list, but said the building will remain in use for training and that the base is exploring partnerships to keep museum functions operating, possibly with volunteers or local partners. The Washington Military Department reported about 400 Guard members deployed on federal missions and described ongoing state missions in cybersecurity and firefighting. The department said the Army National Guard’s 81st Stryker Brigade will transition to a mobile combat team, with associated changes in equipment, manning, and end strength. It also warned that continuing resolutions are delaying funding, limiting new military construction starts, and increasing costs. The Washington Department of Veterans Affairs outlined a $3.2 million reduction from the governor’s budget and related cuts affecting internships, vacant positions, outreach travel, claims support contracts, counseling and wellness, veterans’ innovation assistance, and the military transition and readiness council staff position. WDVA said it is ending or scaling back several programs, including in-house nursing assistant training, the veteran farm at Ordean, Vet Corps due to AmeriCorps funding changes, and the tobacco cessation program, while noting that the legislature funded about $23.7 million in capital projects for veteran homes, cemeteries, and transitional housing. The Department of Commerce presented on the Defense Community Compatibility Account, which funds projects that reduce conflicts between military installations and nearby communities. The program currently has 10 projects across five legislative districts, including school and child care improvements, water wells, land acquisition, and a joint firefighting training center in Everett. The presenter said the main challenge is that DCCA projects often need non-state funding secured before they can compete, which can make it hard to leverage federal Defense Community Infrastructure Program dollars; he recommended more flexible state timing to help projects qualify for federal funding. In closing discussion, members raised possible future agenda items including child care near bases, veteran homelessness, suicide prevention, Navy Day, military family housing, and a possible Department of Licensing issue involving guard and reserve designations on driver’s licenses. No formal votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after members were invited to suggest topics for the October and December committee meetings.

Transcript Highlights:

• access public services.
• </c><01:08:13.280><c> It's</c> rights to access public services.
• It's rights to access public services.
• accommodations, not simply a one-size-fits-all checkbox for public services to be considered accessible
• access to threat to equitable access to professional<02:01:28.800><c> development</c><02:01:29.280><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• respect to years of service, again declining years of service.
• We again worked with our sister agencies to seek an emergency order from the court to reinstate access
• Our attorneys have also made it a point to meet with advocates and service providers in the state to
• to follow our state laws and policies when it comes to ensuring access to government services.
• Access to health care and access to the ballot remains unimpeded.

Transcript Highlights:

• . ...to make agency information more accessible.
• The CAPE aims to remove barriers to DNR services, takes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging,
• Is it access to health care? What? Fire risk? Is it air quality? Is it access to health care?
• We are prioritizing outreach to students in schools that have historically had less access to outdoor
• We are prioritizing outreach to students in schools that have historically had less access to outdoor

Summary: The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a work session on HEAL Act implementation, beginning with an orientation from Environmental Justice Council member David Mendoza. He described the law’s purpose as integrating environmental justice into agency decision-making, community engagement, tribal consultation, strategic planning, and environmental justice assessments, with the goal of reducing environmental health disparities and improving accountability to communities and tribes. He also discussed the council’s role, the interagency work group, challenges with limited volunteer and agency capacity, and concerns about inconsistent assessment formats and future funding pressures. Committee members asked about council composition, including the balance of tribal, community, business, and other representation, whether the HEAL Act increases permitting time or costs, how “overburdened” and “vulnerable” populations are defined, and whether the council should be refreshed or audited. Mendoza said the statute is not limited to racial categories and can include rural and low-income communities, that the council has not quantified permitting delays, and that there is no formal audit requirement, though the council is discussing how to improve its work. Members also raised questions about the relationship between the Environmental Justice Council and the Office of Equity, with Mendoza saying the bodies are complementary but should coordinate more closely. The Department of Agriculture then reported on its HEAL Act work. Director of Equity and Environmental Justice Nicole Johnson said WSDA conducts environmental justice assessments for significant actions, applies an equity lens to licensing, funding, rulemaking, and strategic planning, and has completed 11 EJ assessments to date. She highlighted pesticide regulation, animal health, and weights-and-measures work as examples of environmental and economic justice, and said the department recently hired a full-time tribal consultant and has only 1.5 FTE supporting HEAL implementation. Members asked whether WSDA’s assessments apply to its role on boards such as the Forest Practices Board; Johnson said the department’s current understanding is that assessments are conducted on agency work. The Department of Natural Resources then presented on its HEAL Act implementation, focusing on strategic planning, community engagement, tribal consultation, environmental justice assessments, and equitable funding. DNR officials said environmental justice is being embedded in the agency’s 2025-2029 strategic plan, in its Community Access and Impact Plan, and in its advisory committee and board representation efforts. They reported conducting EJ assessments for sustainable harvest calculations, agency request legislation, and a prescribed burn manager certificate program, and said DNR has invested about $130 million in overburdened communities and vulnerable populations in fiscal year 2025 through wildfire resilience, youth education, and urban forestry programs. Committee members pressed DNR on how it identifies impacted communities, why landowners were not more visible in the process, how agency-request legislation is being assessed, and whether assessments are required for actions taken through other boards and commissions. DNR said its current interpretation is that assessments apply to internal agency actions, that some notices may appear on OFM’s notices page rather than the completed-assessments dashboard, and that it would follow up on specific questions about its posted assessments and process.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I've been so lucky to have been serviced, which receives services from those doctors.
• collaboration among clinical stakeholders, and ensure access to treatments and services to prevent amputations
• outcomes. ...also develop strategies to address disparities in access to health care and outcomes.
• So we must act with this bill to expand access to treatment initiation and keep people in care.
• Accordingly, to ensure that residents of Massachusetts continue to have access to compounded medications

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Health held a hearing focused on children’s health, disease prevention, screening, treatment, and pharmacy-related bills. The chair explained that the session was for public testimony only, with no votes or decisions taken that day, and outlined the three-minute limit for individual testimony. The committee then heard testimony on a range of bills, including H. 2413 on adding electromagnetic sensitivity to the state’s MAVEN registry, S. 1508 and H. 2433 on creating an amputation prevention task force, H. 2535 and S. 1551 on establishing a naloxone purchase trust fund, S. 1635 on authorizing pharmacists to provide opioid use disorder treatment, H. 2385 on creating a special commission on avian influenza, and S. 1497 on patient safety and non-FDA-approved compounded drugs. Testimony on H. 2413 came largely from advocates and individuals who described electromagnetic sensitivity as a real health condition and argued that adding it to the registry would improve data collection, provider education, and public awareness. Testimony on the amputation prevention task force bills came from the American Diabetes Association and podiatry groups, who said diabetes-related amputations are often preventable, disproportionately affect people of color, and could be reduced through earlier screening, better care coordination, and improved insurance coverage for preventive foot care. On the naloxone trust fund bills, a representative, emergency physician, and nurse testified that hospitals often cannot reliably send overdose patients home with naloxone because of billing and reimbursement barriers, and that a bulk-purchase fund would expand access at no added cost to payers or providers. The committee also heard strong support for S. 1635 from pharmacists and public health researchers, who said community pharmacists could safely initiate and maintain buprenorphine treatment and help close gaps in opioid use disorder care. On H. 2385, a local board of health chair supported a special commission on avian influenza, citing gaps in emergency preparedness and the need for clearer coordination across agencies. On S. 1497, a pharmacy representative opposed restrictions on compounded drugs from outsourcing facilities, warning that changes could reduce access to life-saving medications and harm patient safety. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• to pay for these services.
• services, as well as the need to concurrently expand access to outpatient services, including medications
• health access to mental health care.
• to have this person admitted to medical, or to mental health services.
• is trying to access emergency services or they walk in.

Summary: The committee met at Spirit Lake Tribe and first heard welcoming remarks and introductions from tribal leaders and program directors. Chairwoman Street and other tribal representatives outlined a range of concerns and requests for state action, including taxation of reservation lands, support for non-beneficiary students at the tribal school, homelessness funding, Indian-managed health care, gaming and e-tabs, Feather Alert improvements, industrial farming near waterways, tourism, and better state-tribal consultation. Committee members responded that the meeting was intended to improve understanding and communication, and several members suggested future legislation or resolutions could be used to advance some of the issues. The tribe also offered to provide training on treaties, IHS 638, and compact services to legislators and staff. A major portion of the discussion focused on Spirit Lake fish and wildlife jurisdiction and the lake boundary. Tribal representatives asked for an MOU or co-stewardship agreement with the state to clarify hunting and fishing rights, recognize tribal licenses, and reduce recurring disputes over “gray areas” on the reservation and lake. Committee members discussed whether to draft a bill or resolution directing the executive branch and state agencies to negotiate such an agreement, and asked that North Dakota Game and Fish be invited to a future meeting. Related concerns included aquatic nuisance species prevention, with both sides agreeing that more aggressive boat inspection and cleaning measures would be beneficial. The committee also discussed taxation and county relations. Tribal leaders raised concerns about county resistance to fee-to-trust transfers and about property and vehicle taxation affecting members living on or near reservation lands. Committee members and tribal counsel reviewed federal treaty principles and court cases, and one member noted that the committee had previously taken no formal action on similar issues. Later, Benson County’s tax equalization director explained how the county values taxable land, handles inundated land applications, and tracks land coming off the tax rolls when the tribe repurchases acreage. The discussion ended with a presentation from the president of Sisseton Wahpeton College, who described the college’s programs, economic impact, and funding needs, followed by an HHS presentation on 1115 Medicaid waivers and the IMD exclusion as the committee moved to its next topic.

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't want to hurt folks that need these services, but we want to make sure that they're using our
• Well, if they are trying to, that would get turned over to the Department of Social Services to evaluate
• lose access to their food.
• lose access to their food.
• The entire purpose of TANF is to provide cash access.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is to get to... ...and implemented to improve accessibility and safety in our local communities.
• to access the drug that took their life.
• We know that the longer it takes for people to be able to return home, the harder it is to maintain services
• We know that the longer it takes for people to be able to return home, the harder it is to maintain services
• I want to thank you for your service.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ensure that every individual in the program has access to the services that they need.
• do have access to behavioral health services.
• to Behavioral Health better access to Behavioral Health Services<00:23:24.159><c> in</c><00:23:24.360
• has access to the and care<00:23:55.600><c> to</c><00:23:55.760><c> the</c><00:23:55.880><c> services
• to Behavioral Health have access to Behavioral Health Services<00:24:08.200><c> okay</c><00:24:08.360

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Health and Family Services held its first meeting and received an overview from the Department for Medicaid Services on Medicaid’s behavioral health and substance use disorder services. Commissioner Lisa Lee and CFO Steve Beal said Kentucky Medicaid serves about 1.4 million members, including over half of Kentucky children, with 485,000 expansion members, more than 69,000 enrolled providers, and total fiscal year 2024 expenditures of $18.5 billion. They said Kentucky covers a broad range of behavioral health services, and behavioral health provider enrollment has grown from a little over 4,500 in 2019 to nearly 8,000 in 2024. They also described how Medicaid spending and utilization are tracked through claims and encounter data, with most members served through managed care organizations. Members focused on sharp increases in certain behavioral health billing codes, especially peer-to-peer services, and asked about reimbursement, utilization review, and whether the growth reflected increased need or expanded coverage. DMS said the rise was partly tied to combining facility and nonfacility behavioral health fee schedules in 2023, choosing the higher reimbursement rate to avoid cuts, and that the department has seen an uptick in peer-to-peer services. In response to concerns about overutilization, DMS said it mailed a letter to behavioral health providers, is considering limits and prior authorizations for some services, and plans to create a standardized monthly behavioral health report to monitor trends consistently and identify when controls may be needed. Lawmakers also asked whether the provider network is sufficient and whether access is adequate, especially for children. DMS said provider enrollment has expanded because behavioral health services were added to Medicaid in 2014 and because demand increased after COVID, but acknowledged studies showing children have less access than adults and said that would be an area of focus. The department said managed care organizations are required to ensure access to needed services and that current trends indicate access is available, though one member disagreed and said workforce shortages remain a major concern. Another member asked about non-emergency medical transportation spending, and DMS explained that it is handled through a capitated arrangement administered by the Transportation Cabinet rather than directly by the managed care organizations.