Video & Transcript : 'community preparedness' :
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KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Senate Legislative Session Day 12 (1-22-26)
Kentucky Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- The clerk of the House is here to communicate with our Senate. >> Madame Clerk, please communicate. >
- </c> Communications and announcements. Senator from Taylor. >> Communicate with the body. Mr.
- </c> communications as we go into next week. communications as we go into next week.
- </c> thriving arts community attracts thriving arts community attracts tourists<01:03:31.280><c> who<
- </c> that we think about the arts community that we think about the arts community as<01:05:27.440><c
Summary:
The Senate convened with an invocation and pledge, established a quorum, excused absent members, and approved the journal. During second reading, several bills and a joint resolution were reported to the Rules Committee, including measures on trauma center provider coverage, cremation, public library trustees, local occupational license fees and taxes, and a food-is-medicine resolution. The House also communicated passage of House Bills 176, 178, and 280 and requested concurrence. Committee reports advanced Senate Bill 39, Senate Bill 181 with a committee substitute, Senate Bill 17 with a committee substitute and title amendment, and Senate Bill 34.
The chamber then took up and passed Senate Bill 13, which would allow military installations to have ex officio representation on nearby planning and zoning bodies to improve communication about land use near bases. It passed 37-0. Senate Bill 46, concerning school transportation, was amended by committee substitute to require background checks and drug testing for drivers of school vans and to extend van use to 10-passenger vehicles; it passed 37-0 after a brief clarification about the amendment’s display in the system. Senate Bill 22, expanding the dual credit scholarship program to support a teacher apprenticeship pathway, was amended to require a 2.75 GPA and then passed 36-1 after questions about employment status and liability; the sponsor explained it would help address teacher shortages and reduce student debt.
The Senate also passed Senate Bill 90, which extends the behavioral health conditional dismissal pilot program from 2027 to 2031 to continue offering treatment-based alternatives to incarceration for eligible low-level offenders; it passed 37-0. Senate Bill 51, a proposed constitutional change to freeze property tax assessment increases for homeowners age 65 and older on their primary residence, also passed 37-0. Senate Bill 30 was passed over but retained its place in the orders of the day. The rules committee later posted Senate Bills 27, 40, and 76 for the next day, and the Committee on Committees referred Senate Bill 109 to Licensing and Occupations, Senate Bill 68 to State and Local Government, and Senate Resolutions 45 and 46 to the Senate floor.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Status of Persons with Disabilities Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Transcript Highlights:
- the needs of the disability community.
- And I think that's good for the community and the people that we serve.
- is how it will affect community... ...is very worried about how it will affect community-based programs
- For instance, the Institute for Community Inclusion will be there.
- It's a way to enhance and communicate further. I'm very interested.
Summary:
The Massachusetts Permanent Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities held its quarterly meeting virtually and in person at the State House. The commission approved the March minutes and elected its officers by unanimous roll call vote: Denise Garlick as chair, Chris White as vice chair, Carl Richardson as treasurer, and Osmondahar as secretary. The meeting also welcomed several new commissioners, including Rep. Jay Livingstone, Rep. Vanna Howard, Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, Rep. John Marzi, and Leo Sarkisian, with brief introductions from the new legislative members.
A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the commission’s current work and the broader policy environment affecting people with disabilities. Commissioners and subcommittee leaders raised concerns about federal threats to Medicaid/MassHealth, Section 504 accessibility protections, DEI-related rollbacks, immigration policy impacts on the direct care workforce, and the loss of funding for youth employment and vocational rehabilitation programs. Members also discussed ableist language in public discourse and the need for stronger advocacy and communication in response to these developments.
Subcommittee reports highlighted recent activity on disability employment, workforce supports, and long-term services and supports/health equity. Presentations included veterans with disabilities, employment programming for young adults with disabilities, immigration and labor protections, MassHealth’s PCA working group, and a health equity roundtable. The commission also discussed future plans to create an advisory board, develop successor and mentoring planning, and launch regional “meeting the moment” listening sessions across the Commonwealth to strengthen outreach and leadership development. The meeting ended with an open invitation for commissioners to share urgent information with staff for broader distribution and a unanimous motion to adjourn.
NY
New York 2025-2026 Regular Session
New York State Senate Session - 05/05/2026
New York Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- These rights opened so many doors for so many communities, including women.
- THESE RIGHTS OPENED SO MANY DOORS FOR SO MANY COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING WOMEN.
- She was truly an enormous force in Congress and in our communities.
- It is about real community impact.
- And the other members, obviously, will talk about their communities.
Summary:
The Senate met on May 4, 2026, approved the prior journal, and then took up a series of resolutions and floor bills. The chamber first adopted a resolution honoring Carlos Beltran on his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, with several senators praising his Mets career, athletic achievements, and philanthropy in Puerto Rico. The Senate also adopted resolutions recognizing the 2026 Women of Distinction, including tributes to living honorees and posthumous recognition of Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Dr. Hazel Dukes, and later adopted resolutions commemorating May Day and Panama’s Black Heritage Month. A Queens Chamber of Commerce resolution also prompted extensive remarks celebrating Queens’ diversity, small businesses, immigrant communities, and cultural institutions.
On legislation, the Senate recalled two bills from the Assembly and restored them to the third reading calendar by a 62-0 reconsideration vote. The chamber then passed a long list of bills, including measures affecting public health, agriculture and markets, insurance, criminal procedure, public officers, labor, not-for-profit corporations, and executive law. Several bills passed unanimously or near-unanimously, while a few drew recorded opposition, including the environmental conservation bill on animal cruelty and the public health bill on Calendar 840. Supportive floor explanations emphasized animal welfare, protections for abandoned pets, and other public-interest reforms.
The Senate also heard brief explanatory remarks on some bills, such as concerns about animals left behind in vacated housing and the treatment of wild animals in traveling circuses. After completing the calendar, the Senate reported no further business and adjourned until Wednesday, May 6, at 3:00 p.m.
AR
Arkansas 2026 1st Special Session
ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE Feb 19th, 2026
ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE
Transcript Highlights:
- One of the things we're going to do first, I'd like to recognize the Arkansas Community Colleges Leadership
- , the Northeast Community College in Mississippi County is also a The Northeast Community College in
- Madam Chairman, you're ready for us to move to community engagement? Yes, ma'am.
- Yeah, I would just like to add we're working on the communication and the toolkits.
- and multiple forms of communication and with all different groups.
Summary:
The subcommittee received a brief DHS update on the Living Choices Assisted Living Waiver reimbursement rate process, with Secretary Janet Mann reporting that the new cost reporting period began in January and that DHS has begun provider and contractor conference calls as the process moves forward.
The bulk of the meeting focused on DHS’s overview of TANF and, especially, SNAP changes under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill. Mary Franklin explained new SNAP work requirements for adults ages 18 to 64 who are not otherwise exempt, including the three-month time limit in a 36-month period unless they meet an 80-hour monthly work, volunteer, education, or training requirement. She also reviewed exemptions, noted that some prior exemptions were removed while new tribal-related exemptions were added, and described SNAP Employment and Training providers, budgets, service areas, participant characteristics, and outcomes. Members asked about how mandatory referrals will work, whether funding and vendors are sufficient, how cross-program participation is tracked, how verification and recertification will be handled, and how error rates and sanctions will be managed. DHS said mandatory participants will be referred directly to providers, verification will occur at application and recertification, interviews can be by phone, and the department will return with more information on error-rate mitigation and other requested data.
DHS then outlined upcoming Medicaid community engagement requirements for the ARHOME population under the same federal law, which must be implemented by January 1, 2027. The department said it is preparing policy, system changes, data matching, communications, and an outbound customer-service verification process, with a soft launch planned for July to help identify who would meet the requirement or need to provide more information. Members raised concerns about notice, local versus centralized decision-making, and how clients will document work, school, caregiving, or medical exemptions. The meeting concluded with broader discussion of the Alliance for Opportunity audit and a shared emphasis on using SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, and workforce programs together to improve outcomes, expand training options, and better connect Arkansans to education and employment opportunities. The committee also discussed extending the audit contract at a future meeting and adjourned without taking any formal vote in the transcript provided.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Feb 19th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- Our small communities throughout Washington always bear these consequences.
- And they want that reflected not just throughout their communities, throughout the state, around the
- This bill will coalesce efforts more effectively to better serve our communities.
- In rural communities like mine, local producers are critical to our food supply, but that food costs
- Thank you, Chair Chapman, and committee and community members. My name is Jennifer Antos.
Summary:
The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held public hearings on several House bills. ESHB 2238 would require the Department of Agriculture to develop a statewide food security strategy, monitor food system performance, and report on agricultural regulatory costs and competitiveness; the sponsor and many stakeholders from agriculture, food banks, school nutrition, counties, and advocacy groups supported it as a coordinated response to food insecurity and farm viability, while one requested amendment was addressed on the House floor. HB 2199 would expand the derelict vessel removal program by changing the definition of derelict vessel to allow earlier intervention when vessels are unregistered for two annual periods; ports, local officials, and environmental advocates testified in support, and the bill had no fiscal impact noted. HB 2104 would remove the sunset from the Aviation Assurance Funding Program for wildland fire response, with support from fire chiefs and the sponsor emphasizing its value for rapid initial attack and cost savings. HB 2554 would repeal statutes from Initiative 456 that conflict with treaty fishing rights; the Attorney General’s Office, Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the sponsor supported repeal as necessary to remove unenforceable anti-tribal language, while testimony comments showed substantial opposition. HB 2619 would create a legislative task force to review regulatory stress in agriculture and recommend changes; the sponsor linked it to farmer mental health and suicide prevention, and there was no public testimony. HB 2343 would require public game farms operated by Fish and Wildlife to obtain water discharge permits and meet manure/runoff controls; staff noted it would apply to the known public facility and carry modest compliance costs, with no public testimony. The committee also unanimously waived the five-day notice rule for HB 2104, 2554, 2619, and 2343, and closed the hearings without taking final votes, planning to consider all six bills in executive session at a later meeting.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Senate Standing Committee on State and Local Government. (2-11-26)
State & Local Government
Transcript Highlights:
- Community.
- our local communities depend on those our local communities depend on those newspapers<00:07:36.560><
- Senate Bill 9 gives their community.
- </c><00:14:36.160><c> needs</c> for exactly what their community needs for exactly what their community
- </c> like that, those local communities like that, those local communities understand<00:16:32.320><c
Committee:
Senate State & Local Government
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Jan 23rd, 2026 at 10:30 am
Environment, Energy & Technology
Transcript Highlights:
- I appreciate the work that the sponsor is doing and the communication that we've had.
- These industries provide thousands of family-wage jobs and are vital to our communities.
- communities.
- Our community has been transformed by the coming of data centers for nearly 20 years.
- Our community has been transformed by the coming of data centers for nearly 20 years.
Committee:
Senate Environment, Energy & Technology
Keywords:
energy facilities, large energy consumers, regulation, environment, sustainability, retail bags, pollution, customer impact, consumer-owned utilities, clean energy, port districts, market customers, energy transformation, renewable energy, public entities, electric generation, contracting, SB 6010, Washington energy siting, EFSEC
WY
Wyoming 2026 Regular Session
House Floor Session-Day 11, February 21, 2026-PM
Wyoming House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- , communities, communities, showing<00:51:03.920><c> me</c><00:51:04.240><c> what</c><00:51:04.480><c
- communities ready for to get our communities ready for business. business. business.
- . communities. communities.
- </c> smaller communities didn't get anything. smaller communities didn't get anything.
- </c> important for uh for these communities. important for uh for these communities.
MO
Transcript Highlights:
- That is directly to challenge the rural communities, what the rural communities face in attracting private
- That is not sustainable for private capital or for our communities.
- design of the community, right?
- with the community around it and looks like it was part of the original design of the community, right
- These innovation districts would be very beneficial to each community.
Committee:
House Commerce
FL
Florida 2026 5th Special Session
Education Pre-K - 12 Nov 4th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- That is what the folks in these communities look to. They are really the heartbeat of communities.
- Really the heartbeat of communities.
- It was a young man that grew up in a community and understood the needs of that community.
- It was a young man that grew up in a community and understood the needs of that community.
- Understood the needs of that community.
Summary:
The Education Pre-K through 12 Committee heard a presentation from Florida High School Athletic Association Executive Director Craig Damon, joined by student athletes Sydney Daniel and Taylor White. The students spoke about the value of education-based athletics, leadership, and the need for safe, equitable opportunities. Damon then discussed FHSAA issues including rising sportsmanship problems, ejections, violent incidents, recruiting allegations, transfers, mental health pressures on student athletes, and the need for qualified coaches. He said the association tries to be proactive, work with schools on discipline, and emphasize that school changes should be for academic reasons rather than athletics. Senators asked about mental health, transfer rules, and a recent Jacksonville incident; Damon explained the current transfer exceptions and said the association lacked authority over the Jacksonville football game because the schools were not in FHSAA football.
The committee then heard a panel on high school coaches’ compensation led by Florida Coaches Coalition Executive Director Dr. Andrew Ramgett, with Coach Mike Hickman, Coach Charlie Ward, and superintendents from Okaloosa and Walton counties. Ramgett argued that coaching supplements are outdated, have not kept pace with the expanding year-round demands of coaching, and amount to very low hourly pay in many sports. He also said Florida’s restrictions on booster club funding and minimal certification requirements contribute to turnover and difficulty retaining qualified coaches. Hickman and Ward described coaching as a demanding, year-round profession that affects students beyond athletics, including academics and mental health. The superintendents said they value coaches but must balance compensation against limited district funds and other staffing needs; one noted Walton County uses a dedicated administrative lane for football coaching and athletic administration. Senators discussed whether booster club funding should be allowed, whether compensation should be tied to performance, and whether any increase in base student allocation would actually reach coaches. Public commenters, including Florida Athletic Coaches Association Executive Director Shelton Cruz and former coach Tyrone McGriff, urged support for coaches and emphasized their broader impact on students’ lives and school safety.
At the end of the meeting, the committee took up confirmation hearings for appointments on tabs 3 through 6 and, with no appearance forms filed, voted unanimously to recommend confirmation. Senator Burgess then moved to adjourn, and the committee concluded the meeting.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children.(6-17-26)
Families & Children
Transcript Highlights:
- </c><00:18:11.920><c> Community</c><00:18:12.320><c> and</c> College, Owensboro Community and College
- </c><00:25:31.880><c> It</c> participate in their communities. It participate in their communities.
- </c> own home and in their own communities. own home and in their own communities.
- So, community.
- </c> Department for Community Based Services. Department for Community Based Services.
Committee:
Joint Families & Children
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Housing Finance and Policy Committee 2/25/26
Housing Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- We strengthen local community development, um, both across Minnesota and rural communities and with tribal
- We strengthen local community development, um, both across Minnesota and rural communities and with tribal
- We strengthen local community development, um, both across Minnesota and rural communities and with tribal
- states and different uh communities that states and different uh communities that even<00:10:03.920>
- </c> tribes, state agencies, and community tribes, state agencies, and community partners. partners.
Committee:
House Housing Finance and Policy
Keywords:
supportive housing, grants, housing assistance, funding, Minnesota Statutes, eviction, rent, nonpayment of rent, landlord-tenant, residential tenant, notice to quit, unlawful detainer, housing, lease violation, late fees, rental assistance, legal aid, tenant rights, Minnesota Statutes 504B.321, pre-eviction notice
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- community.
- communities.
- Last year we helped a community of 144 homes, and that community cost $18 million.
- </c> and that community costs $18 million. and that community costs $18 million.
- </c> and our taxpayers in our communities. and our taxpayers in our communities.
Committee:
House Housing
Summary:
The Housing Committee opened with a public hearing on HB 196, which would repeal the Housing Champion program. Representative Matt Drew, the prime sponsor, argued the program is an unnecessary and poorly targeted subsidy, saying it rewards municipalities after projects are completed and may not be limited to new housing production. He questioned the transparency of the program, cited difficulty finding required annual reports, and noted a fiscal note suggesting the state could recover up to $3 million if obligations are terminated. Committee members and witnesses debated whether the program’s criteria amount to political favoritism or a standard grant process; supporters said the rubric is specific and that municipalities are evaluated against objective requirements. Representative Priest, Nick Taylor of Housing Action New Hampshire, and Karen Benfield of Stay Work Play New Hampshire all opposed repeal, saying the program encourages local zoning and regulatory changes, helps smaller communities participate, and supports housing supply and young people’s ability to stay in the state. The hearing on HB 196 was then closed.
The committee then opened a hearing on HB 1405, a bill establishing an affordable housing guarantee program within the Housing Finance Authority. Prime sponsor Representative Chris Muns said the bill would reduce lender risk by guaranteeing up to 80% of principal on qualifying loans for affordable housing, with a cap of $30 million per lender per year and $300 million outstanding at any time. He described the measure as a low-cost public-private partnership backed by the full faith and credit of the state, and said it was identical to a prior Senate bill that had received unanimous bipartisan committee support before dying later in the process. He framed the bill as one part of a broader housing package aimed at financing, infrastructure, workforce, zoning reform, and other housing-related issues.
No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided. The only formal actions were opening and closing the public hearing on HB 196 and opening the public hearing on HB 1405, with testimony continuing on HB 1405 at the end of the transcript.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Transportation Committee Jun 23rd, 2026 at 09:00 am
Transportation
Transcript Highlights:
- The communities that need them the most.
- Does the community know they're being surveilled, and who lives in that community? Go ahead.
- So how is this actually benefiting the community?
- It also better helps us assign communication tasks.
- And then Spokane County, their communications team, and then the SRTMC group and their communications
Committees:
Joint Transportation , Joint Joint Transportation Committee
CA
Transcript Highlights:
- We are a nonprofit law firm that works to uplift the needs of low-income communities and communities
- and every community, frankly.
- Community and every community, frankly. So just want to thank you.
- It's a one-way communication.
- An entire community was destroyed.
Committee:
House Judiciary
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- </c><00:04:15.400><c> this</c> across all Minnesota communities this across all Minnesota communities
- Our work improves both our communities here in the metro area as well as communities across our entire
- :23.640><c> our</c> area as well as communities across our area as well as communities across our entire
- </c> and so uh every county is communicated and so uh every county is communicated with<00:40:11.880>
- </c><01:03:15.000><c> that</c> really appreciate the communities that really appreciate the communities
Committee:
House Capital Investment
Keywords:
wastewater, infrastructure, funding, Litchfield, economic development, environmental compliance, Hastings, water treatment, PFAS, nitrates, bonds, capital investment, public health, HF212, Round Lake-Brewster, Independent School District No. 2907, school construction, school building, sales tax exemption, use tax exemption
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee 3/19/25
Human Services Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- </c><00:14:36.040><c> to</c> with some of those rural communities to with some of those rural communities
- </c> along excuse me the disability community along excuse me the disability community and<01:25:12.560
- We are asking that you require DHS to communicate with CMS, to show those communications, and justify
- </c><01:31:40.199><c> Based</c> more than Home and Community Based more than Home and Community Based
- </c><01:32:34.480><c> and</c> CMS to show those Communications and CMS to show those Communications and
Committee:
House Human Services Finance and Policy
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee 3/11/25
Judiciary Finance and Civil Law
Transcript Highlights:
- Uh, what can we do to start building trust with our advocates in communities like the trans community
- Uh, what can we do to start building trust with our advocates in communities like the trans community
- Uh, what can we do to start building trust with our advocates in communities like the trans community
- ><c> the</c><00:48:15.359><c> trans</c><00:48:15.720><c> Community</c> like the trans Community like
- community</c><00:48:19.880><c> that</c> especially black Trans community that especially black Trans
Committee:
House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law
Keywords:
data practices, public official, transparency, government accountability, employment data, domestic abuse, domestic violence, battered women, victim advocate, advocacy, confidentiality, privilege, evidence law, witness privilege, court-ordered disclosure, shelter, crisis intervention, sexual assault counselor, victim services, protective services
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
House - Government, Elections And Indian Affairs Feb 18th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- Because it's not just cities, it's also rural communities.
- Neighboring communities.
- We also went to different organizations. neighboring communities.
- I know in my community we have many different stakeholders.
- the family but to an entire community is huge.
Summary:
The committee first heard House Memorial 64, which urges the Indian Affairs Department to quickly fill open positions and build technical assistance capacity to help tribes, pueblos, and nations use capital outlay funds effectively, especially in light of changes made by House Bill 247. The sponsor and several members discussed concerns that the new capital outlay rules could cause tribal projects to lose funding and be forced into a competitive tribal infrastructure process. After brief discussion and no public opposition, the committee voted do pass.
The committee then heard House Memorial 65, which asks the Department of Health and the Department of Public Safety to convene a task force and study firearm safety and gun violence as a public health issue, with recommendations to reduce firearm deaths in New Mexico. Supportive testimony emphasized gun violence, school shootings, suicide, rural impacts, and the value of data-driven prevention; several members also raised concerns about including gun safety trainers, rural and tribal voices, and clarifying some language in the memorial. The sponsor said the task force would meet monthly and report by September 15. After debate, the committee approved the memorial on a 4-3 vote.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- Communications just for athletics well Communications just for athletics well they<00:33:45.960><c> won
- </c><01:08:19.080><c> so</c> doing uh back in your communities so doing uh back in your communities so
- </c><01:31:24.280><c> communities</c> serve Minnesota community communities serve Minnesota community
- </c> coaches living learning communities coaches living learning communities health<01:32:07.440><c>
- </c><01:38:01.480><c> by</c> professionally in their communities by professionally in their communities
Committee:
Senate Higher Education