Transcript Highlights:

• So they would have to go through the first two parts of the medical board test.
• Just briefly, so they have this additional training, and then do they still have to take a test to be
• And they have to pass the final step of the medical licensing exam, which is the same test that all physicians
• Is there no easy way, short of testing, to determine the toxicity of fentanyl unless it's medical grade
• Do we have to test it at a lab, Madam Chair?

Bills: HB99 , HB38 , HB165 , HB127 , HB72 , HB151 , SB40 , SB104 , SB136 , SB164

Committee: House House Judiciary

Keywords: medical malpractice, malpractice reform, patient's compensation fund, PCF, health care liability, tort reform, damage caps, punitive damages, hospital liability, physician liability, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, outpatient facility, ambulatory surgical center, urgent care, free-standing emergency room, insurance surcharge, superintendent of insurance, New Mexico hospitals, medical review process

Transcript Highlights:

• So they would have to go through the first two parts of the medical board test.
• Just briefly, so they have this additional training, and then do they still have to take a test to be
• And they have to pass the final step of the medical licensing exam, which is the same test that all physicians
• Representative Hall and then Representative McQueen: Is there no easy way, short of testing, to determine
• Do we have to test it at a lab, Madam Chair?

Bills: HB99 , HB38 , HB165 , HB127 , HB72 , HB151 , SB40 , SB104 , SB136 , SB164

Committee: House House Judiciary

Keywords: medical malpractice, malpractice reform, patient's compensation fund, PCF, health care liability, tort reform, damage caps, punitive damages, hospital liability, physician liability, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, outpatient facility, ambulatory surgical center, urgent care, free-standing emergency room, insurance surcharge, superintendent of insurance, New Mexico hospitals, medical review process

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 38, which would require insurance coverage for specialized wheelchairs, activity chairs, and related mobility devices for people with limb loss or other disabilities, with guardrails limiting the number of covered devices over time. The sponsor and supporters, including the Office of Superintendent of Insurance, Disability Rights New Mexico, the Disability Coalition, physical therapists, and disability advocates, said the bill would improve access, inclusion, and physical activity without significant premium impact. Questions focused on the substitute language, the device limits, and how Medicaid would handle coverage separately. The committee ultimately passed the House Health and Human Services Committee substitute for HB 38 on a 10-0 vote. The committee then approved House Bill 165, which expands the C-PACE financing program to businesses using industrial revenue bonds and clarifies that counties and municipalities are not liable for payments. Support came from economic development and business groups, who said the bill would remove a barrier to energy- and water-efficiency upgrades and encourage investment. The bill passed on a 10-0 vote. House Bill 127 also passed unanimously after discussion of its three parts: a provisional licensure pathway for internationally trained physicians, a telehealth registry for out-of-state providers, and changes to expedited licensure. Supporters said it would help address provider shortages, especially in rural and underserved areas, while the sponsor explained that the amended version includes safeguards such as exam requirements, supervised practice, and a provisional-to-restricted-to-full licensure path. The committee voted 11-0 to advance the bill. House Bill 72, which would increase penalties for distributing certain controlled substances, including methamphetamine, to minors, drew strong support from law enforcement and the chamber of commerce but significant concern from the Public Defender and several members over strict liability, mandatory sentencing, and the breadth of the penalty. After debate over whether the bill could reach low-level or peer-to-peer conduct and whether the penalty was proportionate, the committee voted to table the bill by a 6-4 vote. The committee then took up House Bill 151, a revised childhood sexual abuse statute of limitations bill. The sponsor presented a committee substitute that changed commission appointments, added reporting and solvency-related provisions, and adjusted procedures for compensation and appeals. Members raised concerns about parity, definitions, administrative costs, and how awards would be determined, but the committee approved the committee substitute on a 7-0 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• 22.959><c> and</c> And then that third item there is the EV, electronic vehicle charging station and testing
• So here's the programs, you know, all the things that we do every from motor fuels testing program, weights
• <00:14:26.800><c> from</c><00:14:27.040><c> motor</c><00:14:27.279><c> fuels</c><00:14:27.600><c> testing
• </c> we do every from motor fuels testing we do every from motor fuels testing program,<00:14:28.320>

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:20 Approval of Minutes 00:00:41 Department of Agriculture 00:01:06, 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government met for its third meeting, approved the minutes, and heard a budget presentation from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Department representatives Brandon Reid, Lee Macintosh, and Mark Bolan outlined the agency’s funding mix and requested support for several priorities in House Bill 500, including continuation of existing items, county fair grants, and an additional $5 million for the new economic development fund. They also discussed a capital request to replace two aging scale trucks, noting the vehicles are from 2002 and 2006 and have become unreliable and expensive to repair. The department emphasized several additional needs: funding to begin regulating and inspecting electric vehicle charging stations through the weights and measures division, retention and recruitment funding after losing 108 employees over three years, and a request to pay off tobacco-related debt service so more money can flow through the tobacco formula. They also cited House Bill 417, filed by Speaker Osborne, as supporting farmland preservation, saying the agency has a program ready but needs funding to implement it. Officials said the farm-to-food-banks and rural mental health items in the budget were acceptable as reduced by the tobacco formula. Members asked questions about pump inspection fees and staffing losses. The department said the inspection fee is $100 per station, not per pump, and that the same fee applies even to larger stations. On retention and recruitment, officials said the cost of turnover is significant but they did not have a dollar estimate. No votes were taken beyond the motion to approve the minutes, and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• and this is a great bill, there's great concepts to it on trying to address child literacy and the test
• Address child literacy and the test scores going down, but there's a big gap.
• should realize that every single person in this room that has a child will make sure their child is tested
• Challenges, and the fact that 30 or 40 or 50 percent, whatever the percentage is, that don't get tested
• There's clear evidence of positive and significant improvements to ELA testing performance following

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• this as an opportunity, working with both border agencies, Canada and the United States, on trying to test
• States on trying to test out some new opportunities and innovations with technology to help facilitate
• We'll hopefully withstand the test of time, need less water, and should be a little more hardy and also
• It authorizes DOL to test or pilot the verification system without any enforcement action for 12 months
• It authorizes DOL to test or pilot the verification system without any enforcement action for 12 months

Summary: The committee began with a work session on transportation planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Western Washington. April Putney of the Seattle FIFA World Cup 26 Local Organizing Committee described the event as a statewide, 39-day tournament with six Seattle group-stage matches, additional possible matches, fan zones across the state, and major transportation impacts centered in the Seattle area, including street closures, increased I-5 traffic, and heavy use of transit, shuttles, ferries, and active transportation. She said the goal is safe, seamless mobility with 80% of stadium attendees arriving by non-personal vehicle, and noted coordination with federal agencies on border crossings and security. WSDOT’s Travis Phelps outlined roughly $25.65 million in World Cup-related funding for tunnel maintenance, traffic operations, signage and digital messaging, public transit support, ferries, and related staffing and training, emphasizing use of existing staff, overtime, and current fleets rather than new hires or vehicles. Senators asked about border staffing and ferry capacity, and WSDOT said it would follow up on ferry staffing concerns. The committee then held public hearings on several bills. SB 5839 would remove the “passenger only” limitation for county ferry districts, allowing them to support vehicle ferries; supporters from Whatcom County and the Association of Counties said the change would help aging ferry systems, improve funding flexibility, and support essential island access, while some testimony was opposed. SB 6032 would amend the secure-your-load law to allow vehicles with mud, rocks, or debris on them to be covered instead of cleaned before being towed on paved highways; the sponsor and industry witnesses said it would save time and water for construction equipment operators, and the hearing closed with strong support and little opposition. SB 5824 would clarify how fifth-wheel travel trailers are measured, allowing up to 46 feet measured from the kingpin to the rear of the trailer; RV industry, dealer, and business groups supported it as a safety-neutral clarification that would align Washington with other states and improve competitiveness, and the hearing closed with overwhelming support. Finally, SB 5864 would create an online motor vehicle insurance verification system at the Department of Licensing, require insurers to provide policy data, and use the system at registration renewal beginning in 2029 after a pilot period. The sponsor and supporters from insurers and law enforcement said the bill would reduce uninsured driving, improve roadside verification, and lower costs shifted to insured drivers, while county auditors and vehicle subagents supported the policy but warned that implementation must be technically reliable and adequately funded so renewals are not slowed. The public hearing closed with substantial support and some operational concerns raised, and the committee adjourned after the final hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• The next change is, currently the election authority must have automatic tabulating equipment tested
• We need to expand the time frame to ensure that thorough and meaningful public testing is done.
• And meaningful public testing is done. It's a big catchword authority. It's advertised.
• Currently, the election authority does a test within 14 days. I go and attend almost all of those.
• Currently, the election authority does a test within 14 days. I go and attend almost all of those.

Committee: House Elections

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, it's getting a test. It takes forever to get a test lined up.
• The rewrite of the test Level One had questions for Level Two or Three.
• It skews the operator's study for a certain test.
• So that's been one of our issues to get people trained in tests.

Committee: House New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• And if there were maybe a penalty for saying, okay, if you take the kid and then right after the test
• is done and they are not prepared or they didn't do well in tests, you send them back to public school
• Lastly, this expansion would allow TIA to reach beyond tested subject matters in many districts.
• Lastly, this expansion would allow for TIA to reach beyond tested subject matters in many districts.
• And also keep me thinking about that test or that essay or that thing that I had to keep the grades up

Bills: HB2

Committee: Senate Education K-16

Keywords: disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace, medical examiner, county judge, sheriff, mayor, emergency coordinator, emergency manager license, volunteer management system, volunteer registration, criminal history check, background check, Texas Division of Emergency Management

Summary: The Senate Education K-16 Committee met to consider HB 2, the major school finance bill, with the chair explaining that the committee substitute would provide about $8 billion in new public education funding. The bill was described as including permanent teacher compensation increases, expanded teacher incentive allotment funding, support for early literacy and numeracy, teacher certification and residency pathways, special education funding, career and technical education, school safety dollars, and facilities support for charter schools. The committee adopted the committee substitute without objection after roll was called and a quorum was present. Members questioned the bill’s structure, especially the balance between across-the-board teacher pay and the teacher incentive allotment, the treatment of uncertified teachers, and differences in requirements between traditional public schools and charter schools. Senator Menendez and Senator West raised concerns about equity, charter-school parity, facilities funding, inflation, and whether the bill should include more support for fine arts and extracurricular programs. The chair responded that the bill was designed to direct most new money to traditional public schools while also preserving flexibility and that charter-school and public-school alignment would need further work. Invited witnesses Dr. Imelda De La Rosa and Val Acri testified in support of the bill, emphasizing that the Teacher Incentive Allotment helps recruit and retain teachers in rural districts and supports mentorship and certification pathways. Public witnesses also supported the bill but urged more funding for fine arts, local flexibility, and full restoration of House-proposed funding levels. Dr. Josh Jones supported year-long teacher residencies, Dr. Philip Morgan asked for more local control and restoration of fine arts funding, Rich Saina supported the bill but warned about hold-harmless reductions, and Dr. Greg Poole supported the bill while asking for flexibility for high-performing districts that already pay high salaries. After the invited testimony and some public testimony, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair so members could attend the Senate floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is a test or there's some questions that are asked of the individual.
• I'm the CEO of Georgetown Behavioral Health Hospital, and I'm testing, testifying on behalf of Signature
• We offer free services including pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, life-affirming options counseling, case
• Uh, we provide free pregnancy tests, sonograms, life-affirming options, educational classes.
• So the testing protocol is different and.

Committee: House Public Health

Transcript Highlights:

• and so people are not being able to access justice because that data hasn't been analyzed, and that testing
• It's a two-part test.
• So I think this is a very good test case, but a very unique test case.
• previously relating to the creation of a grant program to assist local law enforcement agencies in testing

Bills: HB 1065 , HB2929 , HB2956 , HB3009 , HB3420 , HB3626 , HB3649 , HB4956 , HB4993 , HB5293 , HB5308 , HB5528 , HCR118 , SB36 , HB4023 , SB 36

Committee: House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: employee classification, private security, misclassification, workforce regulations, Texas Workforce Commission, autism, peace officers, training program, law enforcement, intervention, communication, developmental disability, family violence, central database, criminal offense, registration, public safety, violent offenses, criminal database, Department of Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• And I guess the identities I do not to do is try to not actually I did not tested well, but I great bunch
• that's we're going to say it's teaching or its facilities or that the HVAC system, if it's the actual testing
• It's we would need to actually see test scores in assessments over just income. You agree?
• I mean, exchange, you know, if they have the Graduate Management Admissions Council GB, Testing Services
• , then Minutes, 5,000 third-party test center relationships and over 200 countries.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That a well-nourished child is a better learner, test taker, and participant in school.
• Our position has been that creating another means-tested approach to free meals by reintroducing income
• remiss if I didn't mention something that Representative Jordan said on the floor: We don't means test
• We don't means test for a book.
• Why are we means testing for food when it's just as essential as those other two items? To learn.

Bills: HF51 , HF1161 , HF2201 , HF2786 , HF1053

Committee: House Education Finance

Keywords: HF51, Sibley County, State-Aid Highway 21, capital investment, bonding bill, general obligation bonds, transportation infrastructure, road improvements, sanitary sewer, water main, storm sewer, local infrastructure, county grant, Minnesota Department of Transportation, bond proceeds fund, public works, utility infrastructure, education finance, school district funding, tax base adjustment

Transcript Highlights:

• One is that You, you, you, if there's, if it's uneconomical, and there's already tested on what's uneconomical
• It requires 20 hours, that's it, and passing a test. I have a D-level license.
• Another issue that we see with many of these packaged plants is they are not required to be tested or
• so once that quality, uh, for the water system is, is determined to be poor or had, uh, failed, uh, tests
• Even though they may, may or may not have failed any TCQ, um, uh, testing requirements or anything along

Bills: HB 29 , HB 685 , HB 1633 , HB 1689 , HB 1690 , HB 1918 , HB 2010 , HB 2500 , HB 2608 , HB 2626

Committee: House Natural Resources

Keywords: water audit, water loss, water loss mitigation plan, municipally owned utility, municipal utility, water conservation, Texas Water Development Board, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, water leakage, leak detection, billing data accuracy, utility validation, water audit validation, water scarcity, water management, infrastructure, public utility, conservation plan, administrative penalty

Transcript Highlights:

• There's norm reference testing that's required and reportable. where we can look at that, but you know
• going to know by the levels of educational attainment, we're going to know by by the norm reference testing
• back to their their home school because of either the ability not to not perform well, and when it's test
• time, we send them back to the private, the public schools. so they can be tested on that test goes

Bills: HB3 , HB3

Committee: House Public Education

Keywords: education savings account, educational expenses, certified educational assistance organization, school choice, funding, special education, tuition reimbursement, emergency communication, public safety, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, grant program, emergency communications, public safety radio, first responders, radio system, dispatch, 911, emergency management, Texas Division of Emergency Management

Transcript Highlights:

• Coverage under health benefit plans for colorectal cancer examinations and laboratory tests was originally
• rectal cancer examinations<00:16:00.720><c> and</c><00:16:00.920><c> laboratory</c><00:16:01.680><c> tests
• </c><00:16:02.600><c> was</c> examinations and laboratory tests was examinations and laboratory tests
• c> legal</c> Coverage under health benefit plans for colorectal cancer examinations and laboratory tests

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00 Roll Call: 00:20 SB18 Discussion: 01:36 SB18 Vote: 05:07 SB24 Discussion: 06:37 SB24 Vote: 10:50 HB524 Discussion: 12:03 HB524 Vote: 13:55 HB421 Discussion: 15:13 HB421 Vote: 20:50 HB236 Discussion: 21:53 HB236 Vote: 23:34 HB210 Discussion: 25:40 HB210 Vote: 29:56, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and took up several insurance and health-related bills, beginning with Senate Bill 18, which was presented by Senator Girdler and insurance witness Adam Sheridan. The bill was described as addressing a shortage of garage liability insurance for used auto dealers in Kentucky, which has left many small dealers with only one or two coverage options and, in some cases, unable to obtain the insurance needed for a dealer license. The committee adopted a motion and second, then passed SB 18 unanimously and reported it favorably with the recommendation that it pass on the House floor. The committee then considered Senate Bill 24, also presented by Senator Girdler with testimony from Eric DeCampo of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The bill was framed as an anti-fraud measure that would expand the definition of a fraudulent insurance act to cover misrepresentations about property damage and repair costs in property insurance claims. Testimony emphasized that insurance fraud raises premiums for consumers and that the bill would help deter inflated or fabricated claims. After a brief question about whether the bill created new felonies, the committee voted to pass SB 24 unanimously and report it favorably. House Bill 524, presented by Rep. Aaron Thompson with officials from the Office of the Controller and State Risk, would extend reinsurance requirements for the state’s fire and tornado/self-insurance fund from July 1 of this year to July 1, 2030, and rename the fund the Commonwealth’s Property and Casualty Insurance Fund. The bill was moved, seconded, and passed unanimously. House Bill 421, presented by Rep. Amy Neighbors, would require full coverage of FDA-approved bowel preps without out-of-pocket cost or prior authorization issues and update colorectal cancer screening coverage rules for high-risk patients by incorporating multisociety task force guidelines. Members discussed the bill’s personal importance and its minimal fiscal impact; it passed unanimously with a committee substitute. House Bill 236, presented by Rep. Adam Moore and Commissioner Sharon Clark, would cap annual out-of-pocket costs for epinephrine at $100. Members spoke in support, including personal remarks about the importance of access to epinephrine, and the bill passed unanimously with a favorable recommendation. Finally, House Bill 210, presented by Rep. Michael “Sarge” Pollock and Dr. Steve Robertson of the Kentucky Dental Association, addressed dental limited benefit plans and direct payment to dentists. Members asked whether the bill also affected vision/hearing arrangements or third-party administrators; the witness said it was intended for non-ERISA dental plans in Kentucky and suggested follow-up with the commissioner for further clarification. The committee adopted the committee substitute and then passed HB 210 favorably, with 15 yes votes and no votes against. The meeting then adjourned, with a reminder about the Banking and Insurance dinner later that evening.

Transcript Highlights:

• While recent weeks have tested us all, today is a day that we come together, that we move forward, and
• This will test the leadership's skills on every level in the next couple years.
• like we have never done before<00:01:49.439><c> this</c><00:01:49.759><c> will</c><00:01:50.159><c> test
• </c><00:01:51.079><c> the</c> before this will test the before this will test the leadership's<00:01:

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• BUT WITH ALL THE STUFF THAT WE DO WHEN IT COMES TO THESE MITIGATION CREDITS WE DON'T JUST USE LAB TESTING
• I EMPTIED REALLY INTERESTED IN THE COMPOSITE TILE SOME LAB TESTING DATA.
• I EFFECTUATED IT TO MEAN THAT THE LEGISLATURE INTENDED ME TOO SPEND HUNDRED 50 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO TEST
• HOW MANY OTHER VENDORS HAVE TESTED PRODUCTS AT THE WALL OF WIND FIU THAT YOU HAVE CONSIDERED OR VIEWED
• BECAUSE FEMA SPECIFICALLY SAYS IN THEIR REPORT THE FCB AND FCR PROVIDE EXCEPTION TO WATER PENETRATION TESTING

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A couple of challenges that the applicants face: in 2024, only 4.17% passed the testing.
• A couple of challenges that the applicants face: in 2024, only 4.17% passed the testing.
• 00:07:05.800><c> the</c> uh passed the it looks like pass the uh passed the it looks like pass the testing
• 07.680><c> national</c><00:07:08.160><c> average</c><00:07:09.160><c> uh</c><00:07:09.280><c> is</c> testing
• um a national average uh is testing um a national average uh is approximately<00:07:10.160><c> 32%</

Committee: Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs heard several bills on January 27, 2025. SB 24, relating to identification, would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to help inmates obtain civil ID cards and other vital documents for reentry. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support from DCR, the Hawaiʻi Correctional System Oversight Commission, DHS, the Hawaiʻi Disability Rights Center, health and youth advocates, and others, with comments emphasizing that reentry should begin on day one and that lack of identification is a major barrier to housing and employment. A senator asked about the low number of IDs issued in 2022 and DCR said it already has a satellite ID card machine at Hālawa and plans to procure more for other facilities. The committee recommended passage of SB 24 as is. SB 474, relating to psychologists, would require DCR clinical psychologists to obtain licensure within 10 years of employment and would sunset in 2035. DCR strongly supported the bill, citing a severe staffing shortage, low exam passage rates, and many vacant positions, while the Hawaiʻi Psychological Association expressed concerns and one testifier argued psychologists serving incarcerated people should be licensed before employment. Committee members questioned whether the 10-year period was too long and discussed alternative solutions such as pay incentives and shortage differentials. The committee ultimately recommended passage with amendments, shortening the licensure period to 5 years, moving the sunset to July 1, 2030, and making other technical changes. SB 353, relating to emergency management, would clarify emergency authority, bar suspension of public records or vital statistics requests during emergencies, define “severe warning,” and allow the legislature or city councils to terminate a state of emergency. DHS and HMA opposed the bill, arguing it could limit executive flexibility and cut off access to the major disaster fund, while supporters included public-interest and good-government groups. The committee discussed whether legislative termination authority could interfere with ongoing emergency response and recovery, with the bill’s sponsor explaining it was aimed more at situations where emergency conditions have ended, such as prolonged COVID-era proclamations. The committee recommended passage with amendments, including a delayed effective date and committee report notes referencing DHS request data and HMA’s opposition. The committee also heard SB 259, relating to recordkeeping for secondhand dealers and pawn brokers, and SB 37, relating to recordings of law enforcement activities. SB 259 was set for amendment and deferred decision-making to January 29, 2025, so the committee could seek input from HPD. SB 37 drew support from the Legal Clinic and other advocates, with a clarifying question about civil enforcement actions, and the committee recommended passage with amendments and a delayed effective date. The meeting concluded with the committee adopting its recommendations and adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• We now expect that the ASRS to be received by the end of this calendar year and be tested and fully operational
• by the end of this calendar year<00:04:38.560><c> and</c><00:04:38.880><c> be</c><00:04:39.040><c> tested
• <00:04:39.360><c> and</c><00:04:39.600><c> fully</c><00:04:39.919><c> operational</c> year and be tested
• It's, uh, um, that has to be tested, apparently. Forensic science doesn't do that.
• The first one is Southeast Medical Group, and the contractor provides physicals and medical testing for

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• How would we test it? Are there weak places, weak spots?
• And again, I can guarantee you in the testing phase, it wasn't perfect out of the shoot.
• And again, I can guarantee you in the testing phase, it wasn't perfect out of the shoot.
• So that was something we found along the way, and we tested, to be honest, we tested another half a dozen
• scenarios, just to say, okay, And we tested, to be honest, we tested another half a dozen scenarios,

Committee: Joint Tax Reform and Relief Advisory Committee

Keywords: 908, all