Transcript Highlights:

• It shifts the long-term cost to emergency care, the county indigent health systems, and providers we
• We have to begin to calculate and measure the long-term effects.
• systems and we're happy to answer. essential indigent care systems and we're happy to answer those questions
• And it's short-term—how long can we get that exemption for?
• We also urge the legislature to consider long-term sustainable revenue solutions.

Committee: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a problem for the entire health care system in Los Angeles County. Thank you.
• We are asking for long-term, sustainable revenue solutions. Thank you.
• We are asking for long-term, sustainable revenue solutions. Thank you.
• And it can often be more costly to these systems than preventative care.
• managed care delivery system.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an extended briefing on the impacts of H.R. 1 on Medi-Cal and CalFresh, followed by testimony from the Legislative Analyst’s Office and county officials. DHCS described major Medi-Cal changes in H.R. 1, including work/community engagement requirements, six-month redeterminations, reduced federal matching for some emergency services, narrower immigrant eligibility, reduced retroactive coverage, and limits on provider taxes and directed payments. CDSS outlined CalFresh changes, especially the expanded able-bodied adults without dependents time limit, reduced exemptions and waivers, and the new federal-state-county administrative cost split. Both departments emphasized implementation plans, automation, outreach, and county coordination, while acknowledging significant expected coverage losses and administrative burden. The LAO and an independent policy expert discussed how H.R. 1 could increase demand on county indigent care systems and public hospitals as people lose Medi-Cal. They reviewed the history of county indigent care, 1991 realignment, and AB 85, explaining that counties already rely on a patchwork of funding and that current realignment revenues are often used for public health rather than indigent care. They warned that counties may face large increases in uninsured residents, with wide variation in how counties respond, and raised concerns about equity, financing, and whether a more standardized state-county program should be created. Committee members pressed witnesses on county funding, exemptions, homelessness, older adults, undocumented residents, and the effect of administrative burden versus true ineligibility. County representatives from Los Angeles, Santa Clara, Tulare, and San Bernardino described the expected local impacts and asked for additional state support. They said H.R. 1 would drive major losses in Medi-Cal and CalFresh enrollment, increase uncompensated care, strain eligibility staff, and worsen homelessness and food insecurity. Several counties urged the Legislature to fund eligibility workers, preserve enrollment, and consider a CalFresh match waiver; Santa Clara and San Bernardino also cited local tax measures and staffing reductions already underway. No formal vote or committee action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's very clear that they're trying to dismantle our public health care system, but especially for
• It also helped partnerships with schools, shelters, long-term care facilities to really help them understand
• And furthermore, if you are talking about attacking inclusion in a health care system, or you're attacking
• equity in a health care system,...
• If you're attacking those things in a health care system, you're saying, let's exclude people.

Summary: The subcommittee held an oversight hearing on federal actions affecting California’s public health and family planning systems, focusing first on the freeze to Title X family planning funds and then on broader CDC/public health grant terminations. Chair and members described the cuts as abrupt, harmful, and likely to create major gaps in disease surveillance, vaccination, contraception, STI testing, and other preventive services, while also criticizing the federal administration’s explanation that the actions were tied to DEI or civil-rights compliance. The chair thanked Attorney General Bonta for legal action and said the hearing was intended to document the real-world impacts and inform state budget responses. Witnesses from Essential Access Health, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, a Central Coast clinic, and other providers said California’s Title X network serves more than half a million low-income patients annually and relies on the funds for staffing, outreach, training, mobile and school-based clinics, and confidential care. They warned that the freeze has already forced reserve spending, delayed services, and could lead to layoffs, reduced hours, longer waits, and fewer appointments, especially for sexual and reproductive health care. Public comment included support for a proposed state backfill of Title X losses, with advocates emphasizing impacts on low-income, LGBTQ+, and communities of color. On the public health side, CDPH, county health officials, and local health officers testified that the CDC’s rescission of $11.4 billion in grants would affect California by an estimated $840 million and threaten lab capacity, immunization programs, health disparities work, and data systems such as CalConnect and vaccine registries. Sacramento County and others described how the grants supported outbreak response, sequencing, community vaccination clinics, and equity-focused partnerships, and said terminations had already led to canceled appointments, stopped contracts, and layoffs. Several speakers urged the Legislature to preserve and expand state “future of public health” funding and to backfill federal losses, while public commenters from HIV, immunization, labor, and county organizations echoed concerns about workforce losses and worsening health outcomes.

Transcript Highlights:

• And long-term care insurance, Mr.
• ,</c><01:35:14.240><c> on</c> long-term care, on elderly waiver, on long-term care, on elderly waiver
• </c> substitute for long-term care coverage. substitute for long-term care coverage.
• </c><01:36:35.880><c> care</c> the need to expand long-term care the need to expand long-term care planning
• And then we actually long-term care.

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and desire to accept my son as a long-term care patient.
• I'm confident in their skills and desire to serve this strata of long-term care patient.
• and desire to accept my son as a long-term care patient.
• I'm confident in their skills and desire to serve this strata of long-term care patient.
• and desire to accept my son as a long-term care patient.

Summary: The committee heard a budget oversight hearing on the Department of Health Care Services, focusing first on the overall Medi-Cal budget and a March General Fund loan to cover a current-year shortfall. DHCS said the 2025-26 budget proposal totals $193.4 billion, with Medi-Cal projected at $188.1 billion total funds and $42.1 billion General Fund, driven by higher enrollment, pharmacy costs, managed care growth, and costs tied to eligibility expansions and the COVID-era redetermination unwinding. The department said the $3.44 billion loan was needed to manage cash flow and ensure timely payments to providers and plans, while the LAO noted Medi-Cal’s cash-basis budgeting creates volatility and that more detailed estimates would come with the May Revision. Members discussed federal Medicaid threats, the need for transparency on cost drivers, and the impact of pharmacy spending, long-term care, and immigration-related coverage expansions. The second major topic was family health programs, including California Children’s Services, the continuous coverage unwinding, and opioid settlement fund spending. DHCS described CCS funding methodology changes, ongoing county stakeholder work, and a delayed rollout of CCS monitoring and oversight until July 1, 2025, while county representatives and advocates argued the program is underfunded and asked for more technical assistance and a delay in implementation. On the unwinding, the department explained that federal redetermination flexibilities helped maintain coverage after the pandemic, but the Governor’s budget proposes ending them at the end of June 2025; advocates urged making the flexibilities permanent to avoid coverage losses. For opioid settlement funds, DHCS and Finance said the budget increases funding for naloxone distribution while reducing other harm-reduction spending based on updated settlement revenues, prompting criticism from members and public commenters who argued the change would weaken effective harm-reduction programs. The hearing also included an update on Proposition 35 implementation. DHCS said the voter-approved measure continuously appropriates MCO tax revenues beginning in 2025, with up to $4.6 billion annually available for specified Medi-Cal and provider investments in 2025 and 2026, but implementation depends on consultation with the required stakeholder advisory committee. The department and LAO noted uncertainty about future federal rules affecting the MCO tax after 2026. Public testimony largely supported maintaining Medi-Cal expansions, protecting immigrant coverage, preserving harm-reduction funding, and increasing support for community health workers, pediatric dental care, and CCS county administration. No votes were taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• This one goes to long-term care Medicaid ALF rates: where in the budget do those rates come from?
• So our ALF rate is a waiver service in our long-term care program, so that is provided.
• The funding is in the prepaid long-term care capitation payment line.
• So all of our services that are encompassed in the long-term care program are really paid for through
• as you asked for, really in that long-term care prepaid line.

Summary: The Health Care Budget Subcommittee held a panel discussion on Florida’s mental health and substance abuse system, with representatives from DCF, AHCA, two managing entities, and two providers describing how the state’s behavioral health network is funded and operated. Members focused on the implementation of prior legislative investments, especially the $50 million in recurring funding from Representative Maney’s bill and the earlier $126 million community behavioral health appropriation. Witnesses said the newer funds were used mainly for crisis beds, discharge planning, outpatient services, regional collaboratives, and a USF Marchman Act report, while the larger behavioral health appropriation supported CAT, FACT, FIT, forensic teams, residential and outpatient services, and crisis care, with most dollars going directly to services and only a small share to administration. A major theme was access to crisis care and the role of mobile response teams, 988, and central receiving facilities in diverting people from Baker Act admissions and reducing readmissions. DCF and providers said mobile response teams have expanded, are being used to de-escalate crises and connect people to care, and have shown strong diversion results and reductions in Baker Acts in some regions. Members also asked about waitlists, children in crisis, and how to handle people without housing or support; providers said discharge planning is individualized but often constrained by homelessness, transportation, and a lack of safe placements, and several witnesses identified housing as one of the biggest barriers to recovery and stability. The committee also examined provider sustainability, reimbursement, and funding gaps. Witnesses described delays caused by contract timing, cost allocation rules, and Medicaid reimbursement rates that do not always keep pace with labor and operating costs, especially for smaller providers and rural networks. DCF and AHCA said managing entities can provide advances, retroactive rate adjustments, and technical assistance, and that Medicaid managed care plans have network standards and complaint/dispute processes. Members raised concerns about a reported $7 million loss in federal non-sustainable funds, provider closures, and whether there is a formal ombudsman process for disputes; DCF said the federal reductions were known and tied to one-time funds, and that the department generally handles provider issues informally while working with managing entities to preserve continuity of care.

Transcript Highlights:

• and long-term work going and the funding required.
• </c><00:21:41.920><c> and</c> about um how to get short-term and about um how to get short-term and long-term
• teams, patient safety, and subsequently further erode trust in the health care system.
• teams, patient safety, and subsequently further erode trust in the health care system.
• teams, patient safety, and subsequently further erode trust in the health care system.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, I think we just have to prioritize our care system.
• You know, I think we just have to prioritize our care system.
• , long-term, systemic?
• , long-term, systemic?
• um, use and some of these long-term um, use and some of these larger<00:28:04.480><c> systems</c><00

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Palliative care is long-term care.
• </c><01:49:47.199><c> is</c> long-term issues and palative care is long-term issues and palative care
• ><c> sort</c><04:15:57.840><c> and</c> long-term care facility of some sort and long-term care facility
• I focus on long-term care and older.
• But that's not to say it isn't also for nursing homes, for all kinds of long-term care.

Committee: House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to call this meeting to order for today's January 29th Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee
• As many know, we spend a great deal of time here in the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee focusing
• I'd like to welcome Senator Bob Hasegawa to our Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee this morning
• And I like to welcome Senator Bob Hasegawa to our Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee this morning
• They are defined by its health care system.

Summary: The Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee held a public hearing on six bills, with the chair repeatedly emphasizing one-minute testimony limits because of the large number of sign-ins. The committee first heard SB 6292, which would create a joint legislative-executive committee on health care financing to study strategies for improving statewide access and coverage and report in 2027. Supporters, including the Health Care Authority, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, community health centers, carriers, and provider groups, said the bill could help the state respond to affordability and system sustainability challenges and coordinate policy work across branches of government. The committee then heard SB 6258, which would create a non-disciplinary pathway for voluntarily relinquishing certain Washington Medical Commission licenses. The sponsor and supporters said the bill would provide a humane exit option for physicians and other licensees who are medically disabled or otherwise leaving practice, without forcing them into a disciplinary process. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive, and the hearing closed with 17 people signed in pro and 2 con. The committee also heard SB 6182, establishing an abortion savings program funded by a new assessment on health carriers. Supporters argued it would recapture funds originally set aside for abortion care under the ACA and protect access amid federal changes, while opponents raised concerns about hidden taxes, lack of opt-out, and the impact on premiums and conscience rights. The hearing drew very large public interest, with 245 signed in pro and 1,775 con. The committee next took testimony on SB 5947, which would establish the Washington Health Care Board and prepare a state universal health care plan contingent on federal authorization and funding. Supporters from labor, health care, tribal, and universal coverage advocacy groups said the bill would position Washington to act quickly if federal waivers become available and argued that health care should be treated as a human right; opponents warned about costs, vagueness, and government overreach. The hearing then moved to SJR 8206, a proposed constitutional amendment declaring access to affordable health care a fundamental right. Supporters framed it as an aspirational commitment and a necessary step toward universal coverage, while opponents argued the language was vague, legally risky, and could create costly obligations. Finally, the committee heard SB 5823, which would require hospitals to employ or provide access to patient advocates to help patients navigate bills, records, and appointments. Hospital and patient coalition witnesses supported the goal but asked for amendments to clarify staffing, exemptions, and scope; the hearing closed with 20 signed in pro, 792 con, and 3 other. No votes were taken on the bills during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• and the state to make both short and long-term plans.
• When survivors receive comprehensive, trauma-informed care early, we reduce long-term health care costs
• When survivors receive comprehensive, trauma-informed care early, we reduce long-term health care costs
• The long-term statewide provider will be required to deliver a system that will achieve 99.999% availability
• And lastly, looking at the long-term future for these systems, including the potential for nationwide

Summary: The subcommittee met to hear budget-related updates from the Judicial Branch and the Office of Emergency Services, with no votes taken. The Judicial Council supported the Governor’s proposed budget, highlighting $70 million for increased trial court operating costs, additional funding for court-appointed counsel, Court of Appeal case processing, and courthouse construction and facilities. Trial court representatives emphasized staffing retention problems, especially in counties like San Bernardino, and said stable funding is needed to avoid delays and maintain access to justice. Members also discussed the branch’s remote proceedings program, which has been used in more than 6 million hearings statewide since 2022 and was described as especially important in rural areas and for vulnerable litigants; several members urged making the authority permanent rather than extending it temporarily. A major portion of the hearing focused on Proposition 36 implementation. Finance said the Governor’s budget maintains the $130 million provided in the 2025 Budget Act for court workload and pretrial services, but adds no new Prop. 36 court funding. Judicial Council staff reported nearly 35,000 felony Prop. 36 filings in 2025, with most cases still pending and only a small share of treatment-mandated cases already dismissed after treatment. Witnesses said courts are using the funds for staffing, coordinators, clerks, and treatment-court operations, but that workload varies widely by county and that data collection is limited because courts report aggregate information rather than case-level outcomes. The LAO raised a technical concern about the Department of Finance’s Prop. 47 savings estimate and recommended revising the methodology at May Revision. The committee also reviewed the Orange Central Justice Center facility modification project, where the Judicial Council explained that hidden construction deficiencies and fire-life-safety issues caused costs to rise substantially after demolition began. The LAO said the project itself was supportable but recommended that the Legislature set an ongoing funding level for court facilities, require a long-term facilities plan, and consider more oversight of facility modification projects. Finance said it continues to fund courthouse projects individually and through the State Public Works Board, while acknowledging project delays and cost increases. Finally, Cal OES and advocates discussed victim services funding. Cal OES said it administers about $315 million annually for victim service programs, including VOCA-funded services, but federal VOCA allocations have fluctuated sharply and the state has used one-time General Fund backfills to maintain services. Trauma recovery center advocates warned that an 85% reduction in funding would sharply reduce services for survivors of violent crime, while human trafficking advocates urged reauthorization of the Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Program before funding reverts to pre-pandemic levels in July 2026. Members asked about federal and state funding stability, referral pathways, and the long-term value of these programs in preventing worse outcomes and reducing public costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• But I think the long-term trend is simply attributable to the fact that there's more people entering
• So there's variation from one county or managed care plan to the next in terms of exactly what services
• HMIS is the federally governed system used by all 44 of California's Continuums of Care.
• HMIS is the federally governed system used by all 44 of California's Continuums of Care.
• We risk losing, you know, excuse me, we increase long-term costs, and we risk losing our shared goal

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• care settings or institutional... ...and who would otherwise be in long-term care settings or institutional
• So both in our disability services programs for youth and adults and then in our long-term care program
• for elderly and physically disabled adults, In our long-term care program for elderly and physically
• And then on the long-term care side, we actually have a team of nurse reviewers.
• I have staff both in the developmental disabilities programs and on the long-term care side who review

Summary: The House Health and Welfare Committee approved the February 5, 2026 minutes and then heard a lengthy budget presentation from Department of Health and Welfare Director Juliet Sharon and Medicaid Director Sasha O’Connell. The department outlined numerous supplemental and line-item requests across Medicaid, child and family services, welfare/self-reliance, and support functions, including funding for state hospital billing authority, Medicaid caseload and cost growth, rural health transformation staffing and program funds, child care capacity and program integrity work, kinship navigation, home visiting, and IT and procurement modernization. The committee also discussed the department’s reorganization and the need for additional procurement support for large Medicaid contracts. Much of the discussion focused on Medicaid spending growth, especially in disability services and behavioral health. Sharon said higher utilization and more intensive services, including residential habilitation, youth residential treatment, and substance use services, were driving costs. Members asked about safeguards against provider overuse or steerage; the director said the department uses annual assessments, internal reviews, data mining, and referrals to program integrity, and that some provider behavior had already prompted a proposed rate reduction for residential habilitation. She also explained that the department is seeking to maintain contractor support for disability assessments rather than absorb the work in-house. The committee also reviewed the department’s response to budget reductions and federal changes. Sharon explained the 4% provider rate reduction, the resulting savings, and the need for an additional $22 million in general funds to balance Medicaid, with options for further cuts still before the legislature. Other topics included the state’s Medicaid estate recovery and program integrity contractors, the impact of new SNAP administrative cost-sharing rules, Medicaid work requirements and more frequent eligibility reviews under state and federal law, and a request for three dedicated procurement staff in the Department of Administration to speed Medicaid contracting. No further votes were taken beyond approval of the minutes, and the committee adjourned to attend the floor session.

Transcript Highlights:

• and long-term health care affordability.
• way to maintain a stable health care system.
• Primary care is the foundation of our health care system.
• I urge the legislature to consider the long-term effects of rolling back coverage or making that care
• Medi-Cal allows my patient to access the kind of complex coordination and long-term care that she needs

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then it speaks to, again, the need for that long-term sustainable strategy.
• And then it speaks to, again, the need for that long-term sustainable strategy.
• The bottom line is that investments in early childhood education and care deliver long-term value, an
• People who long-term worked on this issue, some advocates, providers, higher ed.
• People who've long-term worked on this issue, some advocates, providers, higher ed.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• long-term stability and health for the program.
• There's a high likelihood of NICU stays, low birth weight, birth defects, and other long-term health
• We also provide long-term services and support. supports for seniors and people with disabilities.
• That's not sustainable for us in the long term.
• These nurses do surveillance utilization reviews in hospitals. long-term care facilities and acute care

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Article II

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• going</c><01:29:50.800><c> to</c> long-term care imperative I'm going to long-term care imperative I'm
• </c><01:29:57.080><c> care</c> finish us off with the long-term care finish us off with the long-term
• long-term long-term care<01:41:06.800><c> uh</c><01:41:06.960><c> compony</c><01:41:07.520><c> these
• </c><01:46:13.440><c> care</c> 70% likelihood of needing long-term care 70% likelihood of needing long-term
• </c><01:47:30.880><c> care</c> commitment to its long-term care commitment to its long-term care population

Committees: Senate Health and Human Services , Senate Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of our health care system.
• I mean, our health care system is already plagued by unfair and inadequate reimbursement rates.
• our health care system.
• , and anyone who's needed a home health aide or anyone who's gone into a nursing home or long-term care
• and prevention is critical to any long-term public health strategy.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Health

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Health held an introductory informational hearing for the new session, with Chairs Marjorie Decker and Senator Michael Driscoll outlining the committee’s scope and emphasizing the impact of the federal landscape on Massachusetts public health. They noted the hearing would focus on testimony from agencies and advocates, with short testimony limits due to the hybrid format. No votes were taken; the meeting was for briefing and discussion of priorities. Commissioner Robbie Goldstein of the Department of Public Health described the department’s budget and federal funding, warning that recent CDC grant terminations could cut nearly $100 million and affect lab testing, surveillance, vaccines, and community engagement. He highlighted DPH priorities including racial equity, maternal health, substance use and child welfare coordination, emergency preparedness, data transparency, and public hospital quality. MassHealth Assistant Secretary Michael Levine discussed MassHealth’s role covering about 2 million residents and its priorities in health equity, behavioral health, primary care, member independence, and customer service, while noting the agency relies heavily on federal Medicaid dollars and would face major strain from federal cuts. Several advocacy and provider groups focused on reproductive health and maternal health. Planned Parenthood warned of threats to Title X, 340B savings, and other federal funding, and supported a bill to eliminate parental consent and judicial bypass for abortion care for young people. Reproductive Equity Now urged stronger shield-law protections and changes to Massachusetts’ later-abortion framework. Dr. Indyamaka Anugaka called for full implementation of the maternal health law, better reimbursement for doulas and midwives, stronger data collection, and support for full-spectrum pregnancy care coverage. The Health Policy Commission said new maternal health and primary care task forces would begin work soon. Mental health and health system access were also major themes. The Mass Medical Society urged action on vaccine hesitancy, removal of non-medical school vaccine exemptions, and primary care reform. The Massachusetts Association for Mental Health and the Children’s Mental Health Campaign opposed proposed cuts to DMH and substance use services, called for more school-based supports, and raised concerns about inpatient capacity, including a unit serving LGBTQ youth. The Massachusetts Nurses Association and 1199 SEIU warned that staffing shortages, low wages, workplace violence, hospital closures, and possible Medicaid cuts threaten patient care and the health care workforce. The Betsy Lehman Center also urged investment in automated patient-safety monitoring to reduce harm and costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• The investment will complement the more systemic, long-term work happening under the Governor's Literacy
• So how do we plan long-term?
• What does that mean for our larger health care system?
• How do we start to manage Medicaid costs long term?
• What does that mean for our larger health care system, right?

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 55, the governor’s FY25 supplemental budget proposal to spend about $1.3 billion in surplus Fair Share revenue. House and Senate chairs framed the bill as a one-time opportunity to invest fairly in education and transportation, while also noting the need to protect the state’s long-term fiscal balance. Administration officials said the proposal should be considered alongside the FY26 budget and related bills, since the governor’s broader Fair Share plan aims for roughly an even split between education and transportation over time. Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorzkowicz, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler outlined the administration’s priorities. Transportation funding would go mainly to the MBTA and related reserves, including money for the Federal Transit Administration reserve, MBTA stabilization reserve, low-income fares, winter resilience, RTA workforce support, MassDOT workforce and project delivery, and micro-transit grants. Education funding would support universal preschool expansion, early education and care capacity, early literacy tutoring, adult basic education and ESOL, early college and career technical education, MyCAP expansion, and special education circuit breaker funding. The administration emphasized that many of these investments are one-time or multi-year measures designed to address current needs without creating unsustainable recurring costs. Committee members raised concerns about regional equity, especially the large share of transportation money going to the MBTA versus regional transit authorities and rural areas. Several members asked for more detail on how the proposal would benefit Western Massachusetts and other non-MBTA regions, and whether micro-transit and Chapter 90-related investments would be sufficient. Education questions focused on special education reimbursement shortfalls, federal funding cuts to school districts, and how CTE and vocational investments would align students with workforce needs. The administration said it would provide additional data on MBTA versus RTA investment and explained that the special education circuit breaker and transportation reimbursement changes were intended to improve predictability and relief for districts. After the administration panel, Jessica Tang of AFT Massachusetts testified in support of using Fair Share funds to protect public education amid federal uncertainty and cuts. She argued that schools are facing a fiscal cliff, that vulnerable students would be hit hardest by funding losses, and that the Fair Share revenue should be used to preserve services and support students’ needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those are both long-term care facilities primarily.
• Those are both long-term care facilities primarily.
• Those are both long-term care facilities primarily.
• c> you'll</c> both long-term care facilities uh you'll both long-term care facilities uh you'll see<05
• about</c><05:52:21.920><c> 85%</c> long-term care facilities and about 85% long-term care facilities

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Finance held an informational briefing with the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations on its budget, staffing, and operations. The director reviewed department leadership and reported on recruitment and retention efforts, including a 14% vacancy rate, a 10.5% workforce increase from filling 189 positions, and the Hela Imua internship program, which has placed 516 interns since inception and led to 62 permanent hires. The department also described modernization efforts, including the UI Huakai project and the Disability Compensation Division’s electronic case management system, and said the unemployment compensation trust fund exceeded $71.5 million, triggering Schedule C for calendar year 2025. The department’s main budget requests included $2.9 million for fiscal year 2026 to support maintenance and operations of the electronic case management system, plus restoration of two enforcement specialist positions. Officials said those positions are needed to address a decline in investigators from 11 to six since 2009, improve compliance, and handle Hawaii Compliance Express certificate work. Additional requests included two human resources specialists to address recruitment backlogs, two labor enforcement specialists to reduce a backlog of Chapter 104 prevailing wage and wage cases, and two positions for the Office of Community Services to expand immigrant services and access centers. The department also discussed federal funding for unemployment insurance and workforce programs, including National Dislocated Worker Grants and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds, and said some funding is received in increments and may require extensions. Members asked about Kauai inspection coverage, federal funding uncertainty, the size of the special unemployment insurance fund, and whether the department could ramp up staffing during a future crisis. Officials said Kauai is currently served by inspectors from Honolulu and there are no plans to open a permanent island position because of staffing constraints. They said the department is meeting federal guidelines and is not in jeopardy, and that the special unemployment insurance fund has about $10 million, with current UI operations funded at a little over $15 million, meaning the fund may need to cover roughly $5 million if federal support declines. The director said the department would use the special fund to supplement shortfalls, but noted that federal funding cuts and the loss of ARPA support have already affected operations.