Transcript Highlights:

• of federal guidance, grocers and other retailers are navigating inconsistent and unclear rounding practices
• At the same time, we would like to highlight several practical implementation challenges with AB 1842
• And with the very practical understanding, If this is trying to get at that.
• And that maybe a 12-month or, you know, how the rules exist right now are probably not practical and
• And in practice, those types of determinations are typically made by specialized fraud teams.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• association and our clients and their members have put a lot of time and money into what are best practices
• That was also the tax assessment. No kidding. In three months, the tax assessment went to $750,000.
• How are we going to regulate rates unless we're going to become insurers ourselves, which is not practical
• How are we going to regulate rates unless we're going to become insurers ourselves, which is not practical
• Are you currently practicing in Idaho? I am not. Okay. Follow-up, Representative Green?

Summary: The committee first approved the February 11 minutes, then unanimously sent House Bill 721 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. HB 721, sponsored by Representative Crane, expands an existing 30-day initial plan review timeline from public school projects to all public works projects. Crane and supporters from the Idaho Associated General Contractors said the bill would improve efficiency, reduce regulatory burden, and let projects go to bid sooner; no opposition testified. The committee then heard extensive testimony on House Bill 618, a wildfire insurance transparency bill sponsored by Representatives Sauter and Church. The bill would require insurers using wildfire or catastrophe models to disclose certain risk-model information and mitigation-related details to policyholders and to the Department of Insurance, with annual data collection and website posting. Sponsors and several homeowners and fire-related witnesses said the measure would help consumers understand nonrenewals, appeal ratings, and learn what mitigation steps matter; opponents, including the American Property Casualty Insurance Association and some committee members, argued it could expose proprietary information, increase compliance costs, and raise premiums. After debate, the committee rejected a motion to send the bill forward and instead voted to hold HB 618 in committee. House Bill 817, sponsored by Representative Petsky, was then advanced to the floor with a due pass recommendation. The bill would allow mobile cigar-event businesses and related “cigar garden” operations under tobacco permitting rules, with age restrictions and compliance checks still in place. Supporters described it as a small-business and entrepreneurship update, while opponents worried mobile retail would make tobacco compliance enforcement harder; the sponsor said the Department of Health and Welfare believed enforcement could still work. Finally, the committee began hearing House Bill 801 from Representative Redman, which would ease land-use barriers for faith-based organizations to develop housing and related uses on religious land. Redman said the bill is intended to help churches use underutilized land for attainable housing and services, while preserving guardrails such as setbacks from heavy industrial uses, airports, and military zones. Members raised concerns about parking, building height, setbacks, and airport rules, and Redman said he was open to amendments; the transcript ends during that discussion before any final action on HB 801.

Transcript Highlights:

• association, our clients, and their members have put a lot of time and money into what are best practices
• That was also the tax assessment. No kidding. In three months, the tax assessment went to $750,000.
• How are we going to regulate rates unless we're going to become insurers ourselves, which is not practical
• need to encourage doctors from diverse backgrounds to enter residency programs and to establish practices
• Are you currently practicing in Idaho? Mr. DeRossi? I am not. Okay.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But in practice, the analysis notes, in practice, personal Like, we wouldn't want it.
• But in practice, the analysis notes, in practice, personal pricing looks like this: personalized coupons
• is happening as a business practice, as a business additive practice.
• happening as a business practice, as a business additive practice.
• But, you know, that's an abusive practice.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A couple things I want to talk about are the practical aspects.
• In closing, he said this issue is not about politics; it is about safety, ethics, and practicality.
• practicality practicality and<00:31:58.639><c> legislators</c><00:31:59.600><c> law</c><00:31:59.880
• </c><00:32:10.559><c> and</c><00:32:10.760><c> third</c><00:32:11.120><c> endorse</c> hunting practices
• and third endorse hunting practices and third endorse Common<00:32:11.960><c> Sense</c><00:32:12.399

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• DHS discovered that substance use providers had bad billing practices that resulted in some providers
• challenge DHS discovered that practices challenge DHS discovered that substance<00:15:20.199><c> use
• that resulted in some practices that resulted in some providers<00:15:26.480><c> providing</c><00:15
• </c><00:15:41.720><c> by</c><00:15:41.920><c> aligning</c> to stop this practice by aligning to stop
• which is not recordkeeping practices which is not conducive<00:20:51.880><c> to</c><00:20:52.080><c>

Bills: HF1470, HF1310, HF1837

Keywords: opioids, substance use, addiction recovery, mental health, state cabinet, HF1310, Office of Cannabis Management, cannabis, marijuana, tribal consultation, government-to-government relationship, Minnesota tribes, Tribal governments, state government, consultation, rulemaking, Indian affairs, cannabis regulation, tribal sovereignty, state-tribal relations

Transcript Highlights:

• The specific graduated fines for a violation of the code of conduct include how those fines are assessed
• require, when a renewable energy facility reaches its life, recycling is considered to the extent practical
• saying any decommission plan or energy facility will provide recycling components to the extent practical
• We're okay with the extent practical language.
• So we have conservation enforcement specialists that will go out into the field to do the site assessments

Summary: The House Natural Resources Committee met on April 29, 2026, with a quorum present and took up several bills related to property rights, expropriation, renewable energy recycling, and local permitting. Representative Domangue first presented HCR 80 on private property rights, using it to highlight the 2025 landman code of conduct and the need for stronger guardrails in expropriation negotiations. She then deferred the resolution in order to allow Chairman Geymann to present HB 841, which was described as establishing a code of conduct for landmen and expropriation-related negotiations. The committee heard testimony and watched video examples from landowners describing intimidation, inadequate compensation offers, and the need for fair treatment. Amendments were adopted to broaden the bill to all certificate holders, prohibit threats about court costs and attorney fees, shorten response times, and add graduated fines and public posting for violations. HB 841 was reported favorably as amended, with no opposition cards recorded. The committee then considered HB 621 by Representative Coates, which would require recycling of decommissioned renewable energy infrastructure to the extent practical. After discussion with DEQ, the bill was amended to clarify that existing universal waste rules apply and to remove language that would have required the renewable facility owner to pay decommissioning costs in that section; the effective date was set for January 1, 2027. Testimony from renewable energy industry representatives supported the measure and explained that solar panels and related components can be recycled at high rates, with established markets for recovered materials. The committee adopted the amendments and reported HB 621 favorably. Next, Representative Jacob Landry presented HB 595, aimed at preventing local governments from unreasonably delaying or impeding energy projects through permit requirements, especially road permits affecting Haynesville Shale operations. After amendment, the bill required timely action on local road permits and deemed them approved if not acted on within 30 days. Supporters emphasized the economic importance of the Haynesville and the need for predictable permitting, while opponents argued the bill could further erode local authority, particularly regarding carbon capture and sequestration. The committee reported HB 595 favorably. Landry then presented HB 1191, creating a certificate of compliance process for oilfield and exploration and production sites to provide a cleaner path for cleanup, finality, and future investment. The bill drew technical and substantive amendments, including changes to definitions, confidentiality, and the role of DEQ; discussion continued over whether the bill should be deferred to allow more time to work through the remaining issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• And how those fines are assessed, collected, and deposited, and requires the department to maintain a
• require, when a renewable energy facility reaches its life, recycling is considered to the extent practical
• saying any decommission plan or energy facility will provide recycling components to the extent practical
• We're okay with the 'extent practical' language.
• So we have conservation enforcement specialists that will go out into the field to do the site assessments

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that a fair assessment to say the only way that we're going to ensure that our Republican cities and
• They also do not have a statutory purpose of supporting or opposing candidates or assessing one or more
• The imposition of fines or assessment of costs has not served as a deterrent or motivation for members
• This was a nonpartisan practical cleanup suggested by Texas election officials, but now because We've
• It's a practical amendment.

Bills: HB18, SB 54, SB 10, HR 76, HR 77, HR 78, HR 82, HR 83, HR 88, HR 89, HR 93, HR 94, HR 95, HR 98, HR 101, HR 102, HR 104, HR 105, HR 107, HR 108, HR 109, HR 110, HR 111, HR 112, HR 113, HR 123, HR 125, HR 79, HR 80, HR 81, HR 84, HR 85, HR 86, HR 87, HR 90, HR 91, HR 92, HR 96, HR 97, HR 100, HR 103, HR 106, HR 114, HR 115, HR 116, HR 117, HR 118, HR 119, HR 120, HR 121, HR 122, HR 124, HB 18, SB 54, SB 10, HB 8

Keywords: HB 18, Texas Legislature, quorum break, quorum-busting, legislative walkout, absent legislators, political contributions, campaign finance, political expenditures, legislative caucus, specific-purpose committee, Texas Ethics Commission, civil penalty, show cause order, district court, Fifteenth Court of Appeals, session fundraising, travel lodging food expenses, legislative session, compelled attendance

Transcript Highlights:

• Is there guidance around what is most effective—best practices on encouraging students to participate
• courses where there's a similar pathway at a high school level and a community college, I made the assessment
• The plan calls for assessing regional assets, as well as addressing challenges related to regional coordination
• This research will build on the work that Jobs First and the K-16 collaboratives have started and assess
• ensure that community college classes taught on high school campuses maintain community college practices

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• IT ADDS THE CLT TEN ASSESSMENT FOR TENTH GRADERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FLORIDA PARTNERSHIP ASSESSMENT
• INVESTIGATIONS THAT THE OFFICE WOULD FIND PETITION CIRCULATORS WHO WOULD SOMETIMES LATER ADMIT TO BAD PRACTICES
• OR FRAUDULENT PRACTICES THAT WERE HAPPENING EITHER WITH THE SUBCONTRACTOR THEY WERE WORKING WITH OR
• PROCEDURE IF THE SECRETARY DECIDED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH CHARGES AND SAID THAT IT WASN'T AS SOON AS PRACTICAL
• WHO ASSESSES THE FINE? SECRETARY OF STATE?

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• gaps between managed care and county specialty behavioral health systems, gaps that function in practice
• Communities of practice where they are engaging with their colleagues and peers in identifying best practices
• So the notice of privacy practices does say that it can be changed at any time, but that's sure.
• They provide in-the-moment de-escalation, suicide risk assessment, safety planning, and direct links
• In the implementation of BHSA, we were required to have a revenue and stability work group to assess

Summary: The hearing focused first on behavioral health, especially serious mental illness and anosognosia, a condition described by witnesses as a neurological symptom that prevents people from recognizing they are ill. The chair framed the issue around families cycling through emergency rooms, jails, conservatorships, and short-term stabilization without lasting treatment, and warned that federal changes under H.R. 1 could reduce Medi-Cal funding and worsen access. Dawn Marie Anderson gave a personal account of her son’s long history of psychosis, homelessness, arrests, repeated jail and state hospital stays, and eventual stability when he received sustained medication and coordinated support. She argued that the system often treats the problem as criminal rather than medical and that voluntary programs and short-term services are not enough for people who lack insight into their illness. Other panelists, including representatives from the California Behavioral Health Association, Santa Barbara County Behavioral Health, and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association, agreed that anosognosia is not denial or noncompliance and said the system needs long-term, coordinated care, including assertive community treatment, mobile crisis, supportive housing, medication support, and stronger handoffs between county and managed care systems. They said CalAIM and other reforms have improved some coordination, but significant gaps remain, especially for people with serious mental illness, for those in jail or locked settings, and for people with private insurance, which witnesses said often offers little meaningful coverage for early psychosis or intensive behavioral health services. Several witnesses urged the Legislature to protect Medi-Cal, shore up county safety-net services, and invest in training and family engagement. The committee then turned to the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, with a focus on the virtual services platforms BrightLife Kids and Soluna and the CYBHI fee schedule. DHCS reported strong growth in app registrations, coaching sessions, referrals, and positive user outcomes, saying the platforms provide free, culturally responsive, early-intervention support statewide and help connect users to higher levels of care when needed. On the fee schedule, DHCS said more than 500 LEAs, colleges, universities, and school-linked providers are participating, 181 LEAs have submitted claims, and $9.6 million has been reimbursed to date, with 41,556 students represented in claims. The chair and several members criticized the pace of implementation and the amount of money spent relative to reimbursement levels, saying the Legislature had requested data earlier and that the return on investment still appeared low. DHCS responded that many claims are still being submitted, that 70% of denials are correctable, that $400 million in capacity grants has been distributed locally, and that reimbursement is increasing rapidly as more districts come online. Public comment included a rural county behavioral health director who said private insurance denials leave counties with significant uncompensated work, especially for unlicensed staff providing case management and mobile crisis services.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a long-standing practice in both bodies that when we're dealing with data practices, it needs to
• It is a long-standing practice in both bodies that when we're dealing with data practices, it needs to
• It is a long-standing practice in both bodies that when we're dealing with data practices, it needs to
• It is a long-standing practice in both bodies that when we're dealing with data practices, it needs to
• /c> comprehensive assessment to modernize comprehensive assessment to modernize the<03:53:55.600><c>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In short, they are best practices.
• But how does the school system usually, in my experience practicing with kids in school system, wants
• </c> you know I'm not about risk assessments you know I'm not about risk assessments much<00:38:26.160
• They need access to treatment vouchers for those MAT, which I mentioned, Casey's Law assessments.
• You have to have two assessments and our folks are not connected to insurance before this.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee first heard from the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet’s Grants Management Division on federal victim-services funding. Staff described the main grant programs they administer, including STOP VAWA, VOCA victim assistance, sexual assault services, Byrne state crisis intervention, and Project Safe Neighborhoods. They emphasized that VOCA is especially volatile because it is funded by the federal Crime Victims Fund, which has declined sharply in recent years, reducing Kentucky’s available awards and forcing cuts to state, local, and nonprofit subgrants. They also outlined steps the cabinet has taken to stabilize funding, including changing the subaward formula, aligning the grant period with the state fiscal year, subawarding one year behind the federal cycle, and retaining a reserve. Members asked about how funds reach victims, how subgrantee amounts are determined, and requested a breakdown of grant recipients and amounts; staff said they would provide that information later. The committee then received a detailed presentation from the Department of Juvenile Justice on alternatives to detention. Commissioner Randy White and staff explained that ATDs are short-term, less restrictive placements for low-risk youth, including electronic monitoring, home supervision, group homes, foster care, private child care, community programs, mentoring, evening reporting centers, and in-home wraparound services. They described the referral and approval process involving court-designated workers, detention alternative coordinators, courts, and county attorneys, and said DJJ currently has 16 ATD-related contracts, with placements, programs, and electronic monitoring among them. They also reported that between July 1, 2024, and July 30, 2025, 1,652 juveniles were involved in the process, including 168 diversion cases. Members questioned the cost of juvenile detention versus adult incarceration, whether families pay for electronic monitoring, whether there is a national model for juvenile detention, and what alternatives exist for truancy and contempt cases. DJJ said families do not generally reimburse for electronic monitoring, there is no single national model, and day treatment centers are an important alternative for some youth. The department also said it builds daily routines and wellness education into its facilities, and that more than two-thirds of its programs are evidence-based. Officials said they currently monitor vendor performance through quarterly reviews and can end contracts for poor performance, but that data tracking is still largely manual. They said the new JCOM system, now in pilot in the eastern region, should improve reporting and help identify outcomes and recidivism more effectively.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> does it just puts a current practice does it just puts a current practice into<01:04:16.160><c>
• </c><01:10:44.320><c> you</c> respect to what we do in practice you respect to what we do in practice
• </c><01:50:37.560><c> or</c> but mostly it's not a common practice or but mostly it's not a common practice
• So does DEES also assess penalties and fines and collect monies? I'm not sure.
• It says that currently it's a one-time penalty plus interest maybe assessed for non-payment.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Environment and Agriculture Committee held a hearing on HB 566, which would require permit applications for new landfills to include a detailed leachate management plan. Representative German introduced the bill and explained that it was prompted by recent reporting on leachate management problems at New Hampshire landfills, including alleged violations and deficiency letters from DES. He said the bill was intended to address public health concerns, PFAS contamination, and increased leachate volumes tied to more severe rainstorms, while still allowing innovation in treatment and transportation methods. He also described a set of proposed amendments developed after discussions with DES and a landfill operator, including changing “permit for construction” to “operating approval,” applying the bill to landfill expansions, moving contract-related language into the planning section, and removing a proposed new subparagraph. Committee members asked whether the bill would limit operator flexibility or duplicate existing DES rules. Representative German said the bill would not dictate specific treatment methods or lock operators into long-term contracts, but would require a plan showing how leachate will be managed, transported, and disposed of, with later contract changes reported to DES. Several members and the BIA representative questioned whether the bill was necessary given existing Env 806 rules and DES enforcement authority. The Business and Industry Association opposed the bill as introduced, arguing that DES already has rules and technical expertise, that the issue is better handled through rulemaking, and that moving requirements into statute could freeze the framework and make future adjustments harder. Supporters countered that a statute would provide a stronger, more durable policy commitment in response to ongoing problems. No vote or final committee action was taken during the hearing. The discussion ended with the bill still under consideration and with the sponsor indicating that a revised amendment would likely be brought forward for later work session or executive session review.

Transcript Highlights:

• Without Suquamish, Kitsap OBGYN was facing almost certain closure for their entire practice.
• The Suquamish model is simple in principle, but ambitious in practice.
• So our message is simple: it's practical. Protect what works, and help it grow.
• We stepped forward because losing that practice would have affected families across the county and region
• And we focus on maternity care through our clinician-led obstetrical care outcomes assessment program

Summary: The Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee met on July 30, 2026, to hear two main briefings. The first, from the Health Care Authority, focused on implementation of federal H.R. 1 Medicaid changes and Washington’s rural health transformation funding. HCA said the state is preparing for major eligibility changes, including the October 1 loss of Medicaid coverage for about 14,000 lawfully present non-citizens and January 1, 2027 work requirements, six-month renewals, and reduced retroactive coverage for roughly 600,000 Medicaid expansion adults. Officials described outreach efforts, new automated verification systems, a verification hub, and plans to use available data sources to reduce manual paperwork, while noting that about one-third of the affected population may still need manual processing. They also said H.R. 1 will limit state-directed payments over time, with an estimated long-term impact of up to $1.5 billion in hospital reimbursements. On rural health transformation, HCA said it is moving quickly to obligate its $181 million federal award through contracts and competitive grants for rural hospitals, workforce, behavioral health, technology, and tribal and community partners. Committee members asked about the impact on rural providers, community service as a work-requirement pathway, emergency Medicaid, tribal and federal reimbursement issues, and whether the state would submit comments on the federal work-requirement rule. HCA said it would file comments, that emergency Medicaid coverage for certain services remains available, and that it is working with tribes and other agencies to avoid erroneous terminations and to move eligible people into other coverage where possible. Members also raised concerns about the administrative burden on families and providers and the need for congressional attention on issues such as TRICARE reimbursement. The second briefing addressed maternal health and the Department of Health’s Maternal Mortality Review Panel report. DOH said maternal mortality in Washington increased for the first time in the report series, but most pregnancy-related deaths remain preventable. Nearly half were linked to behavioral health conditions, especially overdose deaths, with suicide, cardiovascular disease, and COVID-19 also significant causes; most deaths occurred postpartum rather than during delivery. The report found higher mortality rates among American Indian and Alaska Native, Black, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, multiracial, rural, and Medicaid-covered populations, and identified lack of access to care, financial hardship, housing instability, discrimination, bias, and systemic inequities as major contributors. DOH highlighted existing state actions such as one-year postpartum coverage, doula reimbursement, inpatient substance use treatment coverage for birthing people, and vaccine coverage requirements, and offered 12 legislative recommendations focused on affordable and high-quality care, basic needs and community supports, and equitable, culturally responsive services. Presenters from the Suquamish Tribe and Kitsap OBGYN described how the tribe acquired and stabilized a threatened OB-GYN practice to preserve regional access amid provider shortages and hospital service losses. They said rural obstetric care is difficult to sustain because of thin margins, workforce shortages, long travel distances, and higher-risk patients, and emphasized that tribal health systems can offer stronger reimbursement and integrated family-centered care. The Foundation for Healthcare Quality and the Bree Collaborative then outlined statewide maternity-care quality efforts, including work on perinatal behavioral health, care coordination, postpartum screening, doula support, and better-aligned payment models. They said Washington has strengths in innovation but still needs more OB-GYN capacity, better transitions of care, and more culturally responsive, trauma-informed maternal and Native health services.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill would establish a special commission to study and assess the financial, environmental, public
• bill requires developers and contractors to submit disclosures about their workforce development practices
• The council will have the power to establish and review standards on best practices for minimizing and
• bill establishes and codifies an advisory council to protect wildlife by requiring input on best practices
• This analysis requires project proponents to assess the impacts and burdens, including but not limited

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on a wide range of energy bills, with much of the discussion focused on offshore wind, battery storage, solar, nuclear study proposals, and a bill to redefine clean energy. Several Barnstable-area legislators and witnesses raised concerns about offshore wind transmission infrastructure near neighborhoods, beaches, and drinking water supplies, and supported bills to create a special commission and increase local input and oversight. In contrast, environmental, consumer, labor, and clean energy groups strongly backed offshore wind expansion bills, arguing that offshore wind lowers long-term costs, improves winter reliability, reduces fossil fuel dependence, supports jobs and local supply chains, and should include wildlife protections, labor standards, and community benefits. Some witnesses and committee members noted that parts of the offshore wind legislation overlap with the Governor’s energy affordability bill, and asked for clarification on which provisions were new versus duplicative. The committee also heard testimony on battery storage and solar legislation. Two student witnesses and several industry representatives supported a bill to study grid battery storage, saying storage can reduce outages, lower peak prices, and improve grid resilience during extreme weather. Witnesses from solar and storage companies supported a broader clean energy transition bill that would expand storage procurement, create a retail-style storage program for distributed batteries, set a 10-gigawatt solar target by 2035, and streamline siting and interconnection. Committee members pressed witnesses on whether these provisions were already included in the Governor’s affordability bill and asked for a section-by-section breakdown of what was new. One witness also urged allowing developers to bond interconnection payments to reduce financing costs. Another major topic was a bill defining clean energy, especially whether existing pumped-storage hydropower should qualify for subsidies or be excluded. Supporters of the bill argued that existing pumped storage should not receive additional ratepayer subsidies because it is already built, can have environmental impacts on rivers and ecosystems, and could cost ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Opponents said pumped storage is an important reliability resource and should remain eligible. The committee also heard testimony on nuclear-energy study bills: some witnesses supported creating a commission to examine nuclear power as a reliable, carbon-free option, while others opposed nuclear study bills and argued that nuclear is costly, unsafe, and inconsistent with the state’s clean energy goals. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• and it's because this legislature passed a bad bill about two or three years ago that took best practice
• and it's because this legislature passed a bad bill about two or three years ago that took best practice
• This creates a recurring administrative hurdle that serves no practical oversight purpose, but, will
• This creates a reoccurring administrative hurdle that serves no practical oversight purpose, but, This
• AB 2149 requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to assess and publicly report the state's progress

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• not you have a role or some other agency within the administration has a role for providing best practices
• There should be an impact assessment of the regulation, which is reported back to the General Assembly
• These are entities that assess AI's adherence to specific standards.
• It would also be helpful to the patron if they knew about best practices or if similar laws had been
• from... ...if there have been any best practices that really hit on the protection of children from

Keywords: Technology and Science, Joint Commission on, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, In addition, there is an assessment of how many health professionals are needed in different
• certified, so they can find out what medicine they want to do, if it be internal medicine or family practice
• There are no commitments to practice in a rural area after training, and the reason for that is we're
• want to be a doctor, but they really don't have any idea what they want to do, how they want to practice
• And as general practice in this committee, I'll be just listing the names.

Summary: The committee approved the March 18 and 19 minutes and heard a presentation from the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix on its new tuition-free, three-year regional medical school branch in Yuma. The presenter said the program is designed to address Arizona’s primary care shortage by training students in a high-need rural area, with 18 months in Phoenix and 18 months in Yuma, and members asked about residency placement, applicant eligibility, and whether students would be required to remain in rural Arizona after training. The program was described as open to applicants from in and out of state, with no post-graduation practice commitment, but with an emphasis on recruiting students already interested in rural care. The committee then heard several health and child welfare bills. HB 2923 would expand judicial review procedures for court-ordered mental health treatment, add timelines and counsel protections, and require clear and convincing evidence to continue treatment; supporters said it updates outdated 1970s law and preserves due process. HB 2434 would change the controlled substances prescription monitoring program by requiring updated patient utilization reports before opioid or benzodiazepine prescribing, tightening reporting rules, and replacing a task force with a compliance workgroup. HB 2035 would broaden kinship foster care to include extended family, strengthen sibling and family placement preferences, require written findings when kin placement is denied, and shift the standard from promoting to presuming kinship placement as in the child’s best interest; DCS said the policy largely matches current practice but raised an implementation concern about a report deadline before preliminary protective hearings. The committee also heard HB 2611, which would expand foster youth rights and safety protections in group homes, including anti-retaliation rules, drug-screening requirements for staff, and new safety rules for DCS and DHS; foster youth and group home staff testified in support, while DCS was neutral and noted possible fiscal and operational impacts. HB 2732 would continue the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy until 2032, and HB 2733 would make various pharmacy regulation changes, including medication delivery flexibility, continuing education timing, change-of-ownership permits, and wholesale distribution permitting. HB 2830, as amended, would require instruction on fetal and prenatal development and initially restricted abortion-provider materials in schools, but the amendment removed that prohibition; testimony split between supporters who framed it as educational and opponents who objected to its implications for reproductive rights. HB 2932, as amended, would require AHCCCS contractors to reimburse noncontracting providers for referred lab services and limit prior authorization and retaliation; health plans opposed it as a threat to managed care tools, while lab providers supported it as fair payment for covered services. Finally, HB 4004 would require DCS to investigate credible abuse or neglect reports even when one parent is considered protective, and to report annually on cases where it declined to intervene. Parents testified that abuse was minimized or left uninvestigated because of the “protective parent” concept, while supporters said the bill would close a dangerous gap. The committee also considered HB 2086, which would bar government and businesses from imposing mask or vaccination requirements, though an amendment removed the business prohibition; supporters framed it as bodily autonomy and opponents argued it would weaken public health protections. The committee voted to give do pass recommendations to HB 2035, HB 2086 as amended, HB 2434, HB 2611 as amended, HB 2732, HB 2733, HB 2830 as amended, HB 2923, HB 2932 as amended, and HB 4004, with recorded no votes on some measures, including opposition from members on HB 2086, HB 2830, HB 2932, and HB 4004.