Transcript Highlights:

• This bill also improves our accountability system by codifying the accountability refresh process. so
• House Bill 8 increases oversight of the accountability system and updates the accountability rules in
• Which school is accountable for that kid?
• It's big, dealing with accountability and the STAAR test.
• And yes, we've had plenty of time to talk about accountability.

Bills: HB8 , HB12 , SB 3 , HJR1 , SB 11 , SB 16 , SB 14 , HB8 , HB 12 , SB3 , HJR1 , SB11 , SB16 , SB14

Transcript Highlights:

• care organizations, as well as accountable health communities and accountable communities for health
• , accountable care And finally, accountable care organizations,<00:50:01.000><c> or</c><00:50:01.320>
• accountable in an ACH model.
• accountable in an ACH model.
• accountable in an ACH model.

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board met on September 24, 2025, approved the minutes from the September 9 meeting, and then continued its discussion of Medicaid waivers with Leslie Hoffman and Carmen Hancock from the Department for Medicaid Services. Members asked for updates on the 2024 waiver waitlist management assessment recommendations, including aligning waiver policies, standardizing applications and waitlist placement, and modernizing data systems. DMS said that work is being done jointly with Aging and Independent Living and Behavioral Health/Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities through task forces, that ARPA spending delayed action, and that implementation timelines extend through March 2027. The board also reviewed per-member waiver cost averages for fiscal years 2023 through 2025 for ABI, ABI long-term care, HCBS, Model II, Michelle P, and SCL. DMS emphasized these figures were benefit-only averages based on paid claims, not full waiver costs, and explained that true budget neutrality is calculated on an aggregate basis against institutional care comparisons approved by CMS. DMS said all six waivers remain in compliance with budget neutrality and that the most recent 18-month lag review for FY 2022 and FY 2023 found costs at or below institutional care. Members also asked about unused waiver slots; DMS said slots generally cannot be reallocated mid-year if they have been used, except in cases such as death or reserved capacity, because CMS treats participants as unduplicated for the waiver year. A major portion of the meeting focused on the new child waiver created under House Bill 6. Legislators questioned whether the waiver’s design, including the exclusion of participant-directed services and the emphasis on high-acuity children with behavioral health, DCBS, or juvenile justice involvement, matched the bill’s intent to keep children at home. DMS said it used the $14.7 million appropriated for FY 2026 to develop the program, that there is no priority list, and that the waiver is intended to serve the highest-acuity children while also addressing residential needs for those sleeping in offices or placed out of state. Members also raised concerns about the rapid growth of the HCBS waiting list and asked for more detail on age and timing patterns, which DMS said it would provide later. Finally, DMS gave average processing times from application to eligibility determination and from approval to service start, and said the overall average from application to services beginning was about 80 days, while members requested follow-up information on the Carewise assessment contract and related costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Accountability is holding you accountable to the actions you did when no one was looking.
• When kids are at risk, accountability should never be optional.
• When kids are at risk, accountability should never be optional.
• And we need an assessment and we need accountability.
• system and we need an assessment and we need accountability.

Bills: HB4 , HB20

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, fraudulent solicitation, disaster relief, nonprofit organizations, criminal penalties, consumer protection, fraud prevention, charitable donations

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2853, which would allow the UT System Board of Regents to adjust the University of Texas at El Paso student union fee above the current statutory cap, subject to student approval, to help fund a new student union building. Senator Blanco explained the bill and the committee substitute, there were no questions or witnesses, public testimony was closed, and the committee adopted the substitute and left the bill pending subject to the call of the chair. The committee then heard House Bill 610, which would limit severance payments for terminated independent school district superintendents to six months’ salary and benefits. Senator Paxton described large severance payouts and said the bill had passed the House overwhelmingly. There were no witnesses, public testimony was closed, and the bill was left pending. A lengthy hearing followed on House Bill 4623, which would waive school district immunity in certain cases involving negligent hiring, supervision, or employment of professional school employees who commit abuse or related misconduct against students. Senator Paxton and several witnesses, including survivors and parents, argued the bill was needed to address cover-ups, delayed reporting, and repeated failures to remove dangerous employees; some members raised concerns about liability caps, litigation, and how the bill would interact with the Tort Claims Act. The committee also heard from TEA staff and employee-group witnesses who discussed possible injunctions and stronger no-hire protections. Public testimony was then closed and the bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 4, an accountability and assessment bill that would restore A-F ratings, change the state testing system, and replace STAAR with shorter, more instructionally useful assessments. Senator Bettencourt explained the committee substitute, including annual ratings, limits on taxpayer-funded lawsuits, and a phased-in testing redesign with beginning, middle, and end-of-year assessments. Testimony was generally supportive from education and business groups, though some witnesses favored norm-referenced testing while others emphasized criterion-referenced, TEKS-aligned assessments; one witness noted social studies assessments were restored in the bill. The hearing concluded with additional invited testimony and no final vote reported in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• We take our accountability to the public and the state seriously.
• I've also been an accounting professor at St. Ben's and St.
• I've also been an accounting professor at St. Ben's and St.
• The demand for accountants continues to rise while the supply of accountants is declining.
• Board of Accountancy and the State Board of Accountancy and the State Auditor<00:32:59.560><c> for</c

Bills: HF1458 , HF2063 , HF2164 , HF1377 , HF927 , HF1059 , HF1910 , HF2232

Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy

Keywords: CPA, certified public accountant, public accounting, accountancy, licensure, license mobility, substantial equivalency, interstate practice, out-of-state accountant, NASBA, Uniform CPA Examination, board of accountancy, attest services, audit, tax preparation, financial advisory, consulting, accounting education, master's degree, bachelor's degree

Transcript Highlights:

• , commonly referred to as Trump accounts.
• I will just point out that there are a lot of different savings accounts, retirement accounts, even at
• I will just point out that there are a lot of different savings accounts, retirement accounts, even at
• And we're doing better at our accountability.
• The big city mayors welcome accountability.

Transcript Highlights:

• These changes were not justified, nor were they properly filed with the DFA Office of Accounting.
• These changes. for uncollectable accounts related to unemployment benefit payments.
• These changes were not justified, nor were they properly filed with DFA Office of Accounting.
• Chair, this concludes my presentation. accounting entries. Mr.
• Martin Talley, I’m the accounting manager at Division Workforce Services.” “Thank you.

Committee: All LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING

Transcript Highlights:

• And the other account as of account.
• We've got an operating account and we've got a special project account.
• </c> account.
• I'm sorry. 441, no 446 account account.
• </c> trust account. trust account.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• In terms of the accountable communities of health, some of the accountable communities of health are
• So some of the accountable communities of health are quite involved in supporting CARES programs.
• In terms of the accountable communities of health, some of the accountable communities of health are
• So some of the accountable communities of health are quite involved in supporting care programs. accountable
• An evaluation system, I should say, that takes into account many different sectors.

Committee: Joint JLARC I-900 Subcommittee for SAO Performance Audits

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee’s Initiative 900 subcommittee held a hybrid public hearing on two State Auditor performance audits. The first audit examined efforts to reduce non-emergency use of emergency systems through CARES programs. Auditors reported that Washington has 52 fire-agency-led CARES programs in 26 counties, but many communities without programs said they need one. Major barriers included unstable funding, difficulty hiring qualified staff, volunteer-based rural departments, and lack of statewide guidance. The audit also found that only about half of programs tracked both required performance measures, and it recommended that the legislature consider private insurance reimbursement options and convene a statewide work group to develop guidance, standards, and possible changes to the role of the Department of Health. Agency representatives and fire officials largely supported the findings and emphasized that short-term grants and one-year contracts make programs hard to sustain. Committee discussion focused heavily on financing, especially Medicaid reimbursement and accountable communities of health (ACHs). Auditors clarified that the 10% figure cited in the report referred to direct Medicaid reimbursement for treat-and-refer services, which some agencies do not pursue because the $115 rate is too low relative to the administrative effort. Several fire officials testified that their programs rely on grants and ACH support, but that funding is often year-to-year and uncertain. They also described the value of CARES programs in reducing emergency room use, jail detentions, and long ambulance wait times, while noting barriers to sharing patient records across systems. Members asked whether the new public safety sales tax authority could help, but fire district representatives said it is not a direct funding option for them. The second audit reviewed performance management in the Department of Commerce’s Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness. Auditors found that the division does not yet have a statewide economic development strategic plan and that performance management is inconsistent across its 16 programs. In a limited review, all six sampled programs had goals, but only half clearly identified performance measures and targets, and only three tracked outcomes and published results. The audit highlighted leading practices from other states, including strategic planning, regular progress reporting, aligning program goals with agency goals, and using performance-based contracts and grant monitoring. Recommendations urged Commerce to seek stakeholder input, assess internal and external conditions, set goals and measures, align programs with the strategy, and strengthen monitoring and evaluation. Commerce officials agreed with the audit and said the division is already working toward a strategic plan, with a new assistant director to be hired and a target of completing the work by mid-next year. Members pressed the department on how the plan would connect to workforce, higher education, housing, and other economic development systems, and asked Commerce to return to JLARC next year with progress updates. The meeting ended with instructions for submitting written public comments and notice of the next JLARC meeting schedule.

Transcript Highlights:

• to reoffend, and public safety increases when offenders take accountability for their actions.
• Confidentiality in circles and restorative practices encourages accountability.
• Confidentiality in circles and restorative practices encourages accountability.
• Public safety increases when offenders take accountability for their actions.
• Confidentiality in circles and restorative practices encourages accountability.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:27:51.760><c> for</c> over to VTS we have to account for over to VTS we have to account for what's
• </c> don't care about so in the accounting don't care about so in the accounting unit<01:00:06.839><c
• , so it still appears in the chart of accounts for the state of New Hampshire's accounting system under
• for the state of New accounts for the state of New Hampshire's<01:19:47.639><c> accounting</c><01:19
• </c> know bank account but we had to account know bank account but we had to account for<01:22:06.400

Summary: The committee first heard Representative Sweeney present and defend the budget amendment legalizing video lottery terminals (VLTs) and setting a 30% tax rate, with 65% of the tax going to the state and 35% to charities. He argued the lower rate was needed to encourage operators of historic horse racing (HHR) machines to convert to VLTs, saying the higher 45% rate would discourage adoption. He walked through revenue projections for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, estimating significant increases in state and charity revenue as machines transition over time, and said the amendment was designed to expand charitable gaming revenue overall. Several members questioned the assumptions behind his projections and the basis for his analysis, including why his independent research differed from the governor’s and Lottery Commission’s estimates. Sweeney said his figures were based on research into other states and conversations over many years, and he maintained that a 45% tax would likely result in no VLT adoption. Members also debated whether the transition costs for operators would be quickly recouped and whether the state’s share should be larger. One member emphasized that the committee was effectively choosing between a lower operator share and a higher state share, while Sweeney argued the 30% structure would produce revenue for everyone. The committee then moved to other revenue items on the tracking sheet. It voted 7-0 to accept the Lottery Commission’s revised base revenue estimates. Members also discussed an amendment to repeal the local option requirement for Kino games, which would expand Kino availability and was estimated to generate additional lottery profit in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. That amendment drew opposition from members who said local control was an important part of the original Kino policy and that removing it would override municipal decisions. The committee also noted that the VLT/HHR revenue item had already been adopted and was being revisited only to confirm the associated revenue estimates.

Transcript Highlights:

• , where non-matured deposit accounts are provided that IOTA accounts meet or exceed the same minimum
• balance or other account requirements.
• Each law firm has a business operating account and an IOTA, a trust account, which is filled with client
• It says we have to pay the highest rate available to any other client account that has similar account
• Generally speaking, checking accounts are unlimited.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met with a quorum present and considered several bills. SB 106 on exploitation of vulnerable adults would allow service of process on scammers through the same nontraditional communication methods they use; it passed 8-0. CS/SB 280 on candidate qualification would create an enforceable party-affiliation requirement and a private right of action to disqualify noncompliant candidates; it passed unanimously. CS/SB 948 on flood disclosures was amended to extend disclosure requirements to residential leases, condo developer leases, and mobile homes, with tenant remedies if disclosures are not provided and flooding causes major losses; it passed 8-0. The committee also advanced CS/SB 498 on IOTA interest rates after a lengthy debate over legal aid funding and bank regulation. Supporters argued the bill would restore sustainability and fairness to the program by setting alternative interest-rate benchmarks, while opponents said it would cut funding for civil legal aid and that banks participate voluntarily. After testimony from legal aid leaders and bankers, the bill passed 7-2. SB 774, requiring clerks to electronically transmit certain mental health, substance abuse, and risk protection orders to sheriffs within six hours, was presented in response to a fatal Volusia County incident and passed 11-0. CS/SB 752 on defamation and online publication was amended to require removal from a website rather than the internet, then passed 8-2 after testimony from the media, a private attorney, and supporters who said it would help people harmed by false online reports. The committee also heard SB 832 on former phosphate mining lands, which would create a narrow defense against strict liability claims if notice and gamma radiation survey requirements are met. The bill was amended to clarify notice provisions and received support from industry and technical witnesses describing radiation surveys and reclamation practices. The transcript cuts off before the final vote on SB 832, so no committee action on that bill is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> are validated and accountable. are validated and accountable.
• </c> the accountability in these proposals? the accountability in these proposals?
• . accountability. accountability.
• </c><00:54:08.600><c> that</c> MMB to have the accountability that MMB to have the accountability that
• </c> Families with its own accountability Families with its own accountability measures,<01:05:16.200

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• They want the accountability.
• I am here for accountability. This bill is all about accountability.
• Is there any specific sort of bank account or receiving account that a 1099 employee would have to have
• and $50 into my bank account?
• So the contributions to the account from that account are made the payments to the insurance company

Committee: House Business

Transcript Highlights:

• and ensures that the investments funded from the account produce the intended results and increased
• And so this is one I didn't even know this workforce accountability board existed, and so I'm glad...
• And the only funding that WOSAC receives for this board accounts for one FTE to staff the board, which
• 98, 99% of the funds coming out of the account.
• 98, 99% of the funds coming out of the account.

Summary: The Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee held public hearings on two bills. Substitute Senate Bill 5931 would make administrative changes to the Workforce Education Investment Accountability and Oversight Board, including extending co-chair terms from one to two years, allowing more than four meetings per year, requiring consultation with the Student Achievement Council when evaluating outcomes, and removing the statutory public dashboard requirement. Staff and the bill sponsor, Senator Warnick, described it as a technical, no-fiscal-impact measure requested by the Student Achievement Council. Joel Anderson of WOSAC testified in support, explaining that the board’s role is advisory, that the bill would improve operations, and that WOSAC has spent significant staff time tracking Workforce Education Investment Account spending, especially carry-forward appropriations. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5963, which would modify Passport to Careers and Washington College Grant eligibility. The bill would automatically make Passport to Careers students income-eligible for the Washington College Grant beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, align the Passport financial-need formula with the federal student aid index, and direct Passport funds into the state financial aid account. Staff noted the bill was identical to the House companion. Testimony from WOSAC, the Washington Student Association, and a Western Washington University student representative all supported the bill, emphasizing the high barriers faced by former foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth and the value of guaranteed, earlier access to aid. Senator Nobles said the bill would fulfill the state’s promise to help these students access higher education and would not increase costs. At the close of the hearing, the chair announced amendment deadlines for possible Tuesday executive action: requests due Monday at 10 a.m. and approval by 6 p.m. The committee planned to caucus and did not meet on Friday.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> divisions and from different accounts. divisions and from different accounts.
• Also from the ATV account, program.
• And then this other account that's in the game and fish one, the heritage enhancement account, has a
• </c> the game and fish operating in account the game and fish operating in account in<00:21:43.320><c
• </c><00:26:45.360><c> I</c> contingency action trust account. I contingency action trust account.

Summary: The conference committee on the Environment budget for Senate File 2077 met to introduce members and staff, then walked through the Senate and House budget spreadsheets side by side. Nonpartisan staff explained that the Senate budget was built around a smaller general fund increase and more use of environmental and dedicated funds, while the House met its target through several reductions, including cuts to DNR, PCA, and Board of Water and Soil Resources appropriations. The committee reviewed major agency items for the Pollution Control Agency, DNR, the Metropolitan Council, the Minnesota Zoo, and other accounts, including operating adjustments, permit-related funding, and transfers between funds. Several major differences were highlighted. For the PCA, the Senate included operating adjustments, permitting efficiency funding, composting grants, outreach funding, and a closed landfill investment fund approach that repeals an expiring statutory appropriation, while the House instead extends that appropriation for four more years. For the DNR, the Senate included operating adjustments, groundwater and AIS fee increases, aquatic invasive species funding, trail grants, outdoor schools for all, abandoned watercraft enforcement, and a sustainable foraging task force; the House had fewer of these fee and policy items and used reductions to meet its target. The committee also noted Senate-only policy provisions on outreach to diverse communities, field citations and mercury certification for skin-lightening products, disabled veteran license fee changes, and a moratorium on foraging rulemaking until July 1, 2027. Agency testimony followed. The MPCA commissioner praised both chambers for recognizing core agency work and urged adoption of operating adjustments, the closed landfill fund access, and the air appropriation increase. The DNR assistant commissioner supported operating adjustments, groundwater and AIS fee increases, and the veteran license proposal, but raised concerns about the Senate’s foraging task force language, saying it overweights consumptive users and could limit the agency’s ability to manage foraging without clear data. He also noted support for the land transfer funding and said the agency would continue working with the committee on unresolved issues. No votes were taken in this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are approximately 200 accounts open. memorandum and balancing accounts that never expire.
• There are approximately 200 accounts open, creating more work for the CPUC to give each account the time
• SB 1098 does not eliminate these accounts altogether, as it allows for the use of these accounts when
• And if the commission approves one of these accounts, they must explain why the account is necessary
• Oftentimes these accounts are created, and then once they determine it cannot be forecast, the accounts

Committee: House Utilities and Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• It creates the Washington Wildlife Corridors Account and the Washington Wildlife Crossings Account in
• the state treasury and defines authorized uses for each account.
• It creates the Washington Wildlife Corridors account and the Washington Wildlife Crossings account in
• the state treasury and defines authorized uses for each account.
• And then in terms of the other account that's created for the air pollution control account, that is

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee met on January 20, 2026, hearing several bills related to retirement systems, school employee health coverage, port district pensions, environmental fee accounts, developmental disability services, legislative budget transparency, and a new Apple Health employer assessment. Early in the meeting, the committee heard SB 5834, which would make permanent a temporary expansion allowing certain retirement trust fund earnings to pay broader administrative expenses, and SB 5835, which would raise the lump-sum retirement allowance threshold for Plan 2 members from $50 to $250. Both bills were presented by Department of Retirement Systems staff and supported by the department, with questions focused on the scope of the administrative-expense language in SB 5834 and the technical nature of SB 5835. The committee then entered executive session and moved three bills without recommendation to the Rules Committee: Substitute SB 5249, allowing kit homes as emergency housing; Substitute SB 5053, allowing certain counties to include school district boundaries when forming a public facilities district; and Substitute SB 5203, directing state agencies to develop a wildlife habitat connectivity strategy and creating related accounts. After returning to public hearing, members heard SB 5883 on SEBB eligibility for school employees in their second school year of employment. Supporters, including labor representatives and individual school workers, said the bill would reduce coverage gaps and improve recruitment and retention, while school district officials and administrators argued it would create an unfunded mandate, increase costs, and add administrative burden. No action was taken on the bill. The committee also heard SB 5905, which would exclude certain port district employees from PERS if they are covered by the federal Railroad Retirement Plan or a collectively bargained defined benefit pension plan. Port representatives, labor stakeholders, and the Department of Retirement Systems described it as a narrow technical fix to avoid duplicate pension coverage and retroactive liabilities, and the bill drew support. SB 6151 would create dedicated accounts for Ecology fee revenue tied to laboratory accreditation and landfill methane work; Ecology and county representatives supported the measure as a way to reinvest fees in the programs that generate them. SB 6163 would require the Individual and Family Services waiver for developmental disability services to be budgeted at maintenance level; advocates said it would stabilize services and prevent waitlists, and no opposition was heard. The final two bills were SB 6177, which would require LEAP’s budget website to display additional budget detail such as carry-forward data, program and subprogram expenditures, and balance sheets for all public accounts, and SB 6173, which would create an Apple Health employer assessment on larger private employers with workers enrolled in Medicaid expansion coverage. SB 6177 was framed as a transparency measure, while SB 6173 drew extensive testimony both in support and opposition: supporters said it would help offset expected Medicaid losses after federal work requirements take effect and stabilize the health safety net, while opponents argued it would be an unfunded tax, create administrative and legal complications, and could discourage hiring or reduce hours. The committee heard no final votes on the public hearing bills, and staff reminded members that signature sheets would be held for 24 hours under Senate rules.

Transcript Highlights:

• But used to deny account access, it becomes something very different.
• An account is part of our infrastructure of digital belonging.
• If a policy reduces account access, but youth move to private accounts, anonymous spaces, gaming communities
• Would you then be moving to private accounts, anonymous spaces?
• Would you then be moving to private accounts, anonymous spaces?

Committee: House Privacy and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• So this includes our action plan goals and accountability commitments.
• HDIS data is the backbone of statewide accountability.
• And so that's why I asked, are we taking into account the real estate market?
• We also want to just really clearly communicate that we welcome accountability.
• Regarding accountability, we use subcontractors for our HAP contracts.

Transcript Highlights:

• This system is designed to ensure accountability and proper use of funds.
• And so many options are available. education savings account to be created.
• Taking that into account, would you agree that? Mr.
• All schools should be held accountable to ensure high academic standards.
• All schools should be held accountable to ensure high academic standards.

Bills: SB 2

Committees: Senate Education K-16 , Senate Education