Transcript Highlights:

• All the goals of good health care, but unfortunately, this health care, just like all health care, but
• Without any cuts, 50% of New Mexico home health agencies are operating at a loss.
• operating at a deficit.
• They have home health, they have hospice.
• A few agencies have reduced their health insurance premiums by decreasing the level of health care coverage

Transcript Highlights:

• We operate year-round.
• We operate year round. In the programs. We operate year round.
• Public Health has data.
• Public Health has data.
• </c> Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Keywords: 1. Call to Order and Roll Call – 00:00:24 2. Discussion of The Center for Courageous Kids – 00:02:46 3. Discussion of Adult Protective Services and State Guardianship Programs – 00:25:22 4. Discussion of Annual Report of the External Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Panel – 01:00:34 5. Consideration of Referred Administrative Regulations – 01:33:41 6. Adjournment – 01:42:07, 958, all

Summary: The committee’s first interim meeting opened with roll call and a reminder that Kentucky had 8,641 children in out-of-home care with active placements as of June 1, 2025. The first presentation was from the Center for Courageous Kids (CCK), a donor-funded camp in Scottsville that serves children with lifelong illnesses and disabilities at no charge. Representatives described the camp’s history, its year-round family retreats and summer sessions, its medical and accessibility supports, and its impact on campers’ confidence and independence. They said CCK has served more than 43,000 campers from 46 states and 13 countries, including 22,000 from Kentucky, and noted plans to reach all 120 Kentucky counties. CCK also outlined future capital needs: a new art barn and a medical lodge. The organization said the art barn project would cost $2.5 million, with a legislative request of $1.5 million, and the medical lodge would cost $2.875 million, with a legislative request of $1.75 million. Members responded very positively, with several praising the camp’s work and one member asking about operational challenges. CCK said its main challenges are awareness, staff and volunteer recruitment, and expanding medical and housing capacity; it also said it is accredited by the American Camp Association and receives health and safety visits and audits. The committee then moved to a presentation on adult protective services and state guardianship programs from Jessica Wayne and Cliff Bryant of DCBS. They explained the legal framework for guardianship, the difference between full and limited guardianship/conservatorship, emergency appointments, and the state’s role as a last-resort guardian when no family member or private entity is available. They reported 4,464 individuals under state guardianship as of June 1, with most cases involving dementia, developmental disability, intellectual disability, nursing home or long-term care placement, severe mental illness, or brain injury. They also said the division has 89 field workers across 14 regional offices, with an average caseload of 52 and a goal of reducing that into the mid-40s through additional hiring.

Transcript Highlights:

• of all Californians through the administration and oversight of a number of health, behavioral health
• as separate health systems.
• That is not health reimagined; that is health extorted. We don't need noble declarations.
• , we have Heather Chamezzo, the chief of field operations for the Northern Division of Center for Health
• , we have Heather Chamezzo, the chief of field operations for the Northern Division of Center for Health

Summary: The committee held an inaugural hearing on the health care and support needs of older LGBTQ Californians, with members and witnesses emphasizing that this population has made major gains in rights and longevity but still faces discrimination, isolation, economic insecurity, and gaps in services. Opening remarks highlighted concerns about older LGBTQ people entering nursing homes and feeling forced back into the closet, as well as the growing number of Californians aging with HIV. The hearing was structured into three panels, with public testimony considered if time allowed. The first panel focused on the overall health and support landscape. Justice in Aging described survey findings showing discrimination, poor health, difficulty with errands, and economic insecurity among older LGBTQ Californians, and warned that federal Medicaid cuts and broader federal actions could worsen access to home- and community-based services and culturally competent care. CalHHS and the Department of Aging described the Master Plan for Aging, the first statewide LGBTQIA older adult survey, and efforts to support gender-affirming care, PACE, care management, and community supports. Witnesses stressed the need for better outreach, data collection, and a “no wrong door” approach so people can more easily find and access services. The chair and senators pressed the departments on how survey findings are being translated into concrete action and how state agencies are coordinating across silos. The second panel addressed health care for seniors living with HIV. A longtime survivor described severe financial and benefits consequences from a federal clawback and argued that California needs stronger legal, navigation, and housing supports, including HIV-specific housing funding. The Department of Aging reported on implementation of SB 258, saying it has educated area agencies on aging, added HIV data to planning tools, and found that 20 of 33 area agencies identified HIV as a target population, with 16 including specific strategies. The Office of AIDS outlined Project Cornerstone, Ryan White, ADAP, HOPWA, a Medi-Cal waiver, and PrEP-AP, noting these programs serve thousands of older clients and that local case managers are expected to coordinate whole-person care. Case managers and advocates said housing, food, transportation, mental health, and premium assistance remain major needs, and senators asked whether future ADAP rebate funds could support navigation, housing, and other gap-filling services. The final panel turned to transgender, gender nonconforming, and intersex seniors. The Department of Social Services described protections under SB 219, including nondiscrimination notices, resident rights postings, required records for preferred names and pronouns, and annual inspections of licensed facilities. The Department of Public Health and a TransLatin Coalition leader were introduced to discuss additional supports for TGI seniors. Across the hearing, members repeatedly returned to the themes of visibility, coordination, and implementation, asking departments to follow up on how they will better connect services, improve outreach, and ensure that existing laws and programs are actually reaching the people they are meant to serve.

Transcript Highlights:

• outcomes, more challenge physical health outcomes despite that. challenge mental health outcomes, more
• LGBTQ older Californians experienced significant challenges with respect to health and health care coverage
• of all Californians through the administration and oversight of a number of health, behavioral health
• That is not health reimagined; that is health extorted. We do not need noble declarations.
• , we have Heather Chamezzo, the chief of field operations for the Northern Division of Center for Health

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It ensures that summer camps operating in our state develop comprehensive emergency plans.
• If Missouri can afford to operate camps, it can afford to make them safe.
• "Your bill, I think on page two, line 25, an entity operating a public building shall not construct,
• It is a public health issue.
• Things like blood, brain, body... Sex characteristics, things like blood, brain, body.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• for a job is safety, particularly certain concerns by the employers about the Federal, Occupational Health
• with the Florida Center for students with unique abilities and the Federal Occupational Safety and Health
• The bill reduces regulations on school board operations aligning school district school, but I'm sorry
• We not agree that our high school students need sleep and need health issues.
• And that's just how kids operate heritage. And it is it.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c><00:14:48.080><c> or</c> of an abandoned, non-operational, or of an abandoned, non-operational,
• </c> really critical time of growth and brain really critical time of growth and brain development<01
• </c> health concerns. health concerns.
• </c> those schools about long-term health those schools about long-term health effects.<01:21:15.320>
• </c> through ANR and the Department of Health through ANR and the Department of Health how<01:27:28.320

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They warn of unintended health and environmental consequences.
• Constitution to safeguard public health.
• Constitution to safeguard public health.
• These operations threaten our air quality, our health, our agriculture, our wildlife, and our environment
• Most importantly, our health.

Summary: The Environment, Energy, and Technology Committee met with a quorum and first took up HCR 32, a resolution on Idaho’s energy future. Representative Leavitt said the measure emphasizes baseload generation, transmission, energy sovereignty, and private property rights, citing Idaho’s reliance on imported energy and concerns about projects such as Lava Ridge and the Southwest Intertie Project North. Public testimony included support from Renewable Northwest, whose representative praised the resolution’s recognition of regional market participation, ratepayer protection, and the need for more generation and transmission, while noting that regional market access can reduce the amount of baseload generation needed. The committee then voted to send HCR 32 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. The committee next considered H.J.M. 18, a memorial urging opposition to solar geoengineering. Representative Hostetler explained that the memorial had been revised to focus specifically on solar geoengineering rather than weather modification generally. A long line of public testimony supported the memorial, with witnesses arguing that solar geoengineering poses risks to health, agriculture, water, soil, wildlife, and property rights, and calling for Idaho to assert state sovereignty and urge federal action. Several witnesses cited federal reports, research plans, and alleged environmental and health impacts, while others described personal observations and sampling results they believed showed harmful particulates in rain or air. One witness, a federal trial practitioner, argued that airplane trails are not merely water vapor and urged independent scientific study, while other speakers claimed links between geoengineering and infertility, neurological illness, bee decline, drought, and crop impacts. A sponsor clarified the memorial’s language in response to a question about the term “generally,” explaining it was intended to distinguish solar geoengineering from broader weather modification. After testimony ended, the committee voted to send H.J.M. 18 to the floor with a due pass recommendation and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also appreciate the funding in the bill for an operational adjustment for the judicial branch.
• </c><00:35:53.600><c> adjustment</c><00:35:54.560><c> for</c><00:35:54.680><c> the</c> an operational
• adjustment for the an operational adjustment for the judicial<00:35:55.120><c> branch.
• </c><00:36:00.320><c> and</c> us sustain core court operations and us sustain core court operations and
• And your family, because they have given a lot, as all of your families do, to endure this profession

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That outlines the TEC's four operational missions.
• Texas endured an unprecedented election cycle. Lots of money coming into this.
• I'm honored to provide an overview of our agency's mission, operations, and the impact.
• Another one would be the Permian- Basin Behavioral Health Center in Midland.
• None of those projects are currently operating. So zero, right?

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> 21 house bill one is the operating 21 house bill one is the operating budget budget budget typically
• </c><01:23:07.040><c> that's</c> collected by the operator that's collected by the operator that's remitted
• </c><01:31:39.880><c> here</c> counties and then on the operators here counties and then on the operators
• we are not for-profit public health we are not for-profit public health<03:52:00.800><c> agency</c><
• </c> would tell you that a less mature brain would tell you that a less mature brain is<03:53:48.439>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee received an overview from Chris of the Legislative Budget Assistance Office on how it will estimate unrestricted revenues for the General Fund, Education Trust Fund, Highway Fund, and Fish and Game Fund. He explained that the committee’s work is based on current law, not pending bills, and that the estimates will feed into a House resolution and an amendment to House Bill 1, the operating budget. He also described the broader budget process, including how House and Senate estimates are reconciled, how surplus statements account for revenue changes from enacted bills, and how a committee of conference could resolve differences later in the session. No votes were taken. Members then asked about why the Education Trust Fund was running below plan. Chris said the shortfall appeared to be driven largely by business taxes, including differences in the BET/BPT split and improved tax-processing systems that better track where business tax payments belong. Representative Orr also asked about tobacco tax collections and out-of-state sales; Chris said tobacco revenue was likely overestimated in 2023 based on COVID-era patterns, with more people smoking at home, and noted that e-cigarette tax revenue goes to the General Fund while cigarette taxes are split between the General Fund and Education Trust Fund. He said he did not have a specific estimate for cross-border sales. Commissioner Lindsay St. Pierre of the Department of Revenue then began a deeper dive into the department’s role and the taxes it administers. She reviewed the department’s mission, organizational structure, taxpayer services, and the tax policy and legislative analysis staff who prepare fiscal notes and testify on bills. She noted that the department administers about $2.9 billion in revenue across major taxes such as business taxes, meals and rooms, and utility property tax, and that the figures being discussed were preliminary because the annual report had not yet been issued. The discussion was informational only, with no formal action taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> uh along those lines for medical health uh along those lines for medical health professionals<00
• </c><01:08:01.080><c> Thank</c> Department of Health in person.
• Thank Department of Health in person. Thank you.
• Unfortunately Department of Health EMS.
• </c> testimony already Department of Health. testimony already Department of Health.

Bills: SCR180

Keywords: wildfire, fire hazard, Lahaina, West Maui, Maui wildfire, vegetation management, fuel reduction, defensible space, fuel breaks, invasive grasses, emergency access, evacuation route, fire lane, state lands, public safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal, community risk reduction, hazard mitigation, brush clearance, wildland-urban interface

Summary: The committee opened by noting it was likely its last hearing of the 2026 session, then took up several resolutions. SCR 54, on appointing a hydrogen fire safety expert and training on hydrogen-related protocols, and SCR 59, on allowing certain health care professionals to practice without a license during a state of emergency, drew no testimony. Members discussed SCR 59 as a response to past emergencies and the need for pre-approved, updated registries of professionals who could be deployed quickly in emergencies. SCR 62 SD1, which asks the 911 Board to form a working group with the disability community to address access issues in emergency and 911 responses, received testimony from disability advocates and the 911 Board. Testifiers said the measure should ensure an integrated system with EMS infrastructure, real-time access for dispatchers and field personnel, and public education about the system; they also noted that Smart911 is no longer being used on Oahu and Maui and that a statewide, integrated approach is needed. Members agreed to work the suggested language into the resolution. SCR 179, urging Maui County to enforce fire code provisions on brush clearance, fuel breaks, roadside vegetation clearing, and emergency access, was noted as having no testimony but continuing to raise important issues. SCR 74, calling for an audit of no-bid contracts issued under emergency proclamations from 2020 through 2025, drew strong support from a late testifier who tied the measure to emergency procurement concerns after the Lahaina wildfire and COVID-era contracting. The witness argued that procurement rules should not be waived in ways that compromise safety, and described concerns about unlicensed contractors and construction problems in a state housing project. Members asked about the scope of the audit and whether it would interfere with criminal investigations; the witness said the audit should cover a broad range of contracts, including nonprofit contracts, and should not be limited to the wildfire period. The committee also heard SCR 28 SD1 on creating a Hawaii Vietnam Veterans Medal, with support from the Department of Defense and veterans advocates, who said the resolution is intended to do the groundwork for a future appropriation and to determine eligibility and distribution procedures. Finally, SCR 60 SD1, requesting updates on the “Breaking Cycles” rehabilitation and restorative justice study, received support from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Correctional System Oversight Commission, and reform advocates. The department asked that reporting be annual rather than quarterly because of the complexity of the OCCC project, and supporters said the measure would promote transparency and help ensure the study’s recommendations are implemented. No votes were taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, it brings down crime; it supports health.
• It's very critical for 911 operators to be trained in this so they can at least assist people on the
• So the current guidelines that 9-1-1 operators give for a cardiac event happening elsewhere, of course
• It also helps local water operators, including those in rural areas of the state and along the border
• I'm with the National Center for Frontier Communities based in Silver City, New Mexico, and we operate

Transcript Highlights:

• LGBTQ community, I am fortunate to have not experienced. the hardships that past generations have endured
• Longer, and it's very critical for 9-1-1 operators to be trained in this so they can at least assist
• Then the operator is able to instruct you in the CPR preservation methods. Madam Chair.
• So the current guidelines that 9-1-1 operators give for a cardiac event happen.
• One of the things this bill also does is it helps local water operators, including those in rural areas

Transcript Highlights:

• This amendment seeks to allow pharmacies operated by the Department of Public Health the ability to distribute
• The same forces that are attacking reproductive health care are attacking affirming health care, transgender
• health care with the same ferocity.
• Friedman: corrections to the Health Policy Commission and the Center for Health Information and Analysis
• Friedman: corrections to the Health Policy Commission and the Center for Health Information and Analysis

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate considered a series of amendments to a supplemental appropriations bill and related measures, with several adopted and several rejected or withdrawn. Early amendments on equitable approaches to public safety and a Holyoke local account clarification failed, while amendments providing $2.5 million for Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers technical assistance and expanding access to gender-affirming medications and mifepristone were adopted. The chamber also adopted a technical amendment on alternative protein grants, a clarification to ETF modernization, and an energy storage systems amendment. Other proposals on homeowner protections, La Casa funding, emergency contract reform, an energy dashboard, EV charging ratepayer impacts, hate crimes, distressed hospital payments, and task force membership were rejected or withdrawn. A substantial portion of the debate focused on health care, food assistance, and public safety. Senators spoke in support of funding for community health centers, hospital relief, and EBT anti-skimming protections, including $15.5 million for chip-enabled EBT cards and related replacement-benefit support. One amendment to strengthen protections against impersonating federal officers was rejected, while another on professional protections was withdrawn after discussion of ballot address privacy and security concerns. The Senate also adopted amendments to continue prior appropriations for a North Shore food pantry and drought management efforts, and it later approved a sick leave bank for a Department of Mental Health employee. The chamber then took up the fiscal year 2025 fair share supplemental budget conference report, which Ways and Means described as $1.39 billion in spending split between transportation and education, including MBTA improvements, Chapter 90 aid, regional transit authorities, special education circuit breaker reimbursements, higher education deferred maintenance, and career technical education capital grants. After a roll call, the bill passed, with one recorded negative vote. The Senate also adopted a separate Ways and Means amendment and ordered the bill to third reading before final passage. The session ended with adjournment motions and a moment of silence honoring Melissa and Mark Hortman and other victims of political violence, along with a memorial adjournment for firefighter Jeffrey DeSanchez.

Transcript Highlights:

• campaign trains youth leaders across the state of California to advocate for equitable access to mental health
• services under the Behavioral Health Services Act.
• will engage youth representatives with policymakers committed to improving access to the behavioral health
• It is about prosperity and wishes of wealth, health, and love for loved ones.
• him Grandpa Little Man—brother, mentor, and friend whose legacy of leadership and generosity will endure

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call and brief procedural business, including approval of a motion to withdraw SB 107 and SB 117 from the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and place them on third reading. Members also approved procedural requests for adjournment-in-memory remarks and guest seating, and later took up the daily file. The main floor item was H.R. 80, a resolution recognizing Lunar New Year. Assembly Member Fong presented the resolution, and several members from different caucuses spoke in support, emphasizing the holiday’s cultural significance, themes of renewal and family, and California’s large AAPI community. The resolution was opened for coauthors, received 62 coauthors, and was then adopted by voice vote. Fong also distributed prosperity cookie boxes to members after passage. The chamber also observed moments of silence for Reverend Jesse Jackson and later for Babatunde Akinlola and Harold Tripp during adjournments in memory. Members gave tributes highlighting Akinlola’s film and education career and Tripp’s leadership in the Karuk Tribe and work on tribal restoration and natural resources. The session ended with announcements of upcoming committee meetings and adjournment until Thursday, February 19 at 9 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• campaign trains youth leaders across the state of California to advocate for equitable access to mental health
• services under the Behavioral Health Services Act.
• will engage youth representatives with policymakers committed to improving access to the behavioral health
• It is about prosperity and wishes of wealth, health, and love for loved ones.
• him Grandpa Little Man, brother, mentor, and friend whose legacy of leadership and generosity will endure

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our health insurance costs next year, the university's health insurance costs, are increasing 19%.
• Health<01:19:15.120><c> insurance</c><01:19:15.480><c> costs.</c> Health insurance costs.
• Health insurance costs.
• 20.320><c> year,</c><01:19:20.520><c> the</c> health insurance costs next year, the health insurance
• ><c> costs,</c><01:19:22.920><c> are</c> university's health insurance costs, are university's health

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Education met for its first summer interim meeting, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and took roll. The first presentation came from Jerry Gels, principal of Ignite Institute in Erlanger, who focused on the rising cost of dual credit. He said dual credit tuition has increased from about $150 to $290 for a three-credit course over roughly five years, which he argued is discouraging participation, especially for working-class and low-income students. He cited Ignite data and broader college outcomes to argue dual credit improves college persistence, shortens time to degree, and reduces student debt, noting that many of his students enter college with substantial credit and that low-income students at Ignite have increasingly participated after targeted efforts and scholarship use. He also said the instructional labor is largely paid by county school systems, so he questioned the size of the tuition increase and said the committee should examine how the costs are being set and whether college tuition should be stabilizing as more students arrive with credits already earned. Members asked about who pays for dual credit, the role of state scholarship support, and whether tuition varies by institution. Gels said students in his district generally pay the dual credit cost themselves, though some districts may cover it, and he noted the dual credit scholarship now covers fewer classes than before. He said the price appears to be set centrally rather than varying by university, and he emphasized that the higher cost is creating barriers even though the courses are taught largely by local teachers on school payrolls. He also described Ignite’s efforts to expand access for free- and reduced-lunch students, saying participation among that group rose from 27% with no dual credit to about 90-92% taking at least one dual credit class. The committee then heard from the Goldwater Institute, represented by Michael Frazier and Dr. Tim Minella by Zoom. They argued Kentucky’s public universities should face stronger accountability and transparency, citing declining public confidence in higher education, rising costs, and what they described as administrative growth and research spending that does not clearly benefit students or the Commonwealth. They proposed requiring a 10-year accounting of staffing growth by category, comparing it to enrollment and low-income Kentucky enrollment, and limiting non-STEM faculty teaching releases for research unless approved under a baseline consent process. They also criticized certain university-funded research projects as examples of misdirected spending and said public reporting should distinguish Kentucky residents from non-residents more clearly, pointing to a reported decline in low-income in-state undergraduate enrollment. No votes or formal actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> in compliance with all of these Health in compliance with all of these Health codes<00:51:50.799
• </c> have trouble wrapping their brains have trouble wrapping their brains around<01:35:04.480><c> titles
• Reckless operation.
• </c> in terms of Community Mental Health in terms of Community Mental Health agencies<04:58:48.600><c
• </c><05:11:32.120><c> that</c> have more than a month to operate that have more than a month to operate

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , is really the foundation to their health and development.
• care is really the foundation to health care is really the foundation to their<01:23:57.679><c> health
• </c><01:23:58.960><c> When</c> their health and development. When their health and development.
• Next, moving on to the health domain.
• </c> low rate of children without health low rate of children without health insurance<01:26:52.000><

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee approved the October 22, 2025 minutes and then heard a presentation from the Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel on accidental ingestion of illegal drug products by children. Panel members said pediatric ingestions have become the most common case type they review, with the highest-risk children ages one to four, and that fatal cases have increased in recent years. They reported that the substances most often involved are fentanyl, cannabinoids including THC products, methamphetamine, and increasingly xylazine; they also noted a decline in buprenorphine-related ingestions, which they viewed as a positive trend. The panel used several case examples to highlight recurring problems in investigations and medical response, including delayed DCBS involvement, failure to administer Narcan, inadequate drug testing, lack of child abuse team involvement, and limited or absent law enforcement investigation. They said law enforcement issues are especially common in pediatric ingestion cases and are concentrated in Jefferson County and the Bluegrass/KIPA regions. One example involved a one-year-old who died from fentanyl and Benadryl intoxication; another involved a two-year-old who died after ingesting multiple substances; and a third involved a four-year-old with near-fatal THC gummy ingestion where delayed treatment worsened the child’s condition. They also described a 10-month-old THC ingestion case that resulted in a criminal abuse conviction, which they presented as an example without missed investigative opportunities. Committee members discussed possible policy responses, including creating a more specific criminal child abuse offense or clarifying existing abuse and neglect definitions to cover unsafe access to illegal drugs, while preserving room for true accidents and prescribed medications. Members also raised the need for statewide standardization in reporting, investigation, and medical response, and suggested the panel should be able to call in agencies such as law enforcement, DCBS, judges, and hospitals for closed-session review of selected cases. The panel chair said they were already pursuing meetings with LMPD and would provide Jefferson County-specific breakdowns, and members expressed interest in additional data and agency follow-up before considering legislation.