Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a practicing optometrist in Santa Fe now for over 30 years.
• Optometrists play a critical role in protecting and preserving vision.
• The procedures used by optometrists are not experimental or unsafe.
• These procedures have been performed for over 20 years by optometrists in 14 other states.
• It was stated in the House Judiciary Committee that optometrists carry their malpractice insurance.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:25:39.200> and work between op the optometrist and work between op the optometrist and
• <00:26:57.520> may before a licensed optometrist may before a licensed optometrist may administer
• <00:43:50.560> within optometrists who have practices within optometrists who have practices
• Um, as this bill goes optometrists.
• <01:00:35.839> thing last opthalmologist optometrist thing last opthalmologist optometrist

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:05:06.720> speaking will be the only optometrist speaking will be the only optometrist
• Um, optometrists<00:16:33.759> communicate,<00:16:34.560> collaborate optometrists communicate
• <00:18:39.760> in create barriers for optometrists in create barriers for optometrists in
• <00:35:03.440> is members of your the optometrist is members of your the optometrist is positive
• But all the optometrists that I were.

Keywords: 0:22 – Roll Call 0:30 – Approval of minutes 1:04 – Department of Veterans Affairs 2:06 – Board of Pharmacy 3:20 – Board of Optometric Examiners 39:26 – Board of Nursing 40:07 – Board of Emergency Medical Services 41:52 – Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources 44:36 – Transportation Cabinet: Department of Vehicle Registration 45:36 – Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control 47:00 – Cabinet for Health & Family Services: Department for Medicaid Services 49:59 – Cabinet for Health & Family Services: Department for Community-Based Services, 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee approved the minutes from the previous meeting and then took up several regulations. The first was a Department of Veterans Affairs regulation, with a staff amendment, to allow nurse practitioners to apply for the Veterans Affairs nurse loan repayment program year-round and to make technical drafting changes. The committee heard from the Office of Kentucky Veteran Centers, then adopted the staff amendment and approved the regulation without objection. The main item of the meeting was the Board of Optometric Examiners’ proposed amendment to 201 KAR 5:010, which would allow applicants to use the Optometry Examining Board of Canada written exam in place of part one of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry exam for licensure. The board said the change would improve access to care, provide an additional pathway for Canadian-trained candidates, and still require applicants to pass the remaining national board parts. Opponents, including NBEO officials, ARBO, Pearson VUE, and several optometrists, argued the Canadian exam is not equivalent, does not test the same biomedical science content, is not validated for U.S. scope of practice, and raises concerns about test security, transparency, and portability across states. They urged the committee to find the amendment deficient or vote no. Committee members questioned both sides about prior communication with the board, whether Kentucky would be the first state to adopt such a change, the rationale for the proposal, and the cost difference between the exams. Supporters said the board had received some written comments and one phone call, and that the proposal was driven by access concerns and the presence of Canadian students. Opponents said they had not had direct discussions with the Kentucky board before the hearing. No final vote on the optometry regulation is reflected in the transcript excerpt, but the committee heard extensive testimony and rebuttal before moving on.

Transcript Highlights:

• warnings were made when optometrists warnings were made when optometrists sought<02:50:37.920>
• <02:55:18.399> So by optometrists in the community. So by optometrists in the community.
• Um opthalmologists optometrists.
• > experienced<03:07:00.800> optometrist optometrist uh experienced optometrist optometrist
• four of whom are optometrists. four of whom are optometrists.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, we have 1,261 optometrists in the state.
• laws to become an optometrist laws to become an optometrist uh<01:11:56.040> for<01:11:56.280
• We have 1,261 optometrists currently licensed in Minnesota.
• However, there is a fair difficulty in replacing a retiring optometrist and having optometrists join
• their practices and having optometrists their practices and having optometrists join<01:18:38.560

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, ophthalmologists and optometrists are having to come out of exam rooms and treatment rooms to fit
• At least the ophthalmologists and the optometrists tell me that.
• who is working exclusively for and under the direct supervision of the physician or optometrist does
• In your bill, does it impact the delegation authority of an ophthalmologist or an optometrist?
• It does not affect the delegation authority of an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. Thank you.

Summary: The Health Policy Committee heard and advanced several health-related bills. SB 1546 on background screening for athletic coaches was explained as another extension of the deadline for coaches to be added to the background screening clearinghouse; it passed favorably with support from athletic and youth sports organizations. SB 958 on type 1 diabetes early detection was amended to match the House version, requiring the Department of Health to provide school districts, school boards, and charter schools with informational materials for parents; it was reported favorably as a committee substitute. CS/SB 1070 on electrocardiograms for student athletes drew extensive discussion about sudden cardiac arrest prevention, implementation timelines, costs, funding through private and public sources, and whether insurance, KidCare, or Medicaid should cover screenings; after supportive testimony from school and athletic groups, it was reported favorably as a committee substitute. The committee also heard SB 1060, which would create a joint legislative oversight committee for Medicaid managed care to review encounter data, financials, audits, and rebate calculations with assistance from an actuary and the Auditor General. The sponsor and several senators framed it as a transparency and verification measure in response to large mid-year Medicaid funding increases and concerns about network adequacy and vertical integration; it passed favorably. CS/SB 944, which shortens the insurer overpayment recovery look-back period for claims involving psychologists from 30 months to 12 months, also passed favorably with support from the Florida Psychological Association. SB 1370, moving ambulatory surgical centers into their own statute rather than under hospital licensure provisions, was supported by surgery center representatives and reported favorably. The committee approved SB 768, as amended, to narrow the foreign-country-of-concern licensure attestation for health care entities to direct controlling interests and clarify the “reasonable efforts” standard; it passed after questions about how the standard would work in practice. SB 1544 on opticianry prompted significant debate over whether the bill would limit nonlicensed staff in ophthalmology and optometry settings; after a proposed amendment was withdrawn and multiple witnesses spoke both for and against, the bill was temporarily postponed. Finally, the committee adopted a strike-all amendment to SB 1808 requiring health care practitioners and facilities to refund patient overpayments within 30 days, with enforcement through AHCA fines or professional discipline, and then reported the bill favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:05:55.680> in<00:05:55.919> the of practice for optometrists in the of practice
• for optometrists in the state<00:05:56.240> of<00:05:56.600> Minnesota.
• in the room get your optometrist in the room get your insights.<00:12:15.600> Thank<00:12:15.760
• Expanding the scope for optometrists to perform these minor eyelid procedures will ease this burden and
• It's important to note that in our communities, optometrists and ophthalmologists get along famously.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• , someone from the optometrist organization in the room that could provide some information.
• um, the provisions from the optometrists um, the provisions from the optometrists um,<01:09:05.759
• , someone um if there's an optometrist, someone um if there's an optometrist, someone<01:10:36.640
• > from<01:10:36.800> the<01:10:36.880> optometrist someone from the optometrist
• But if there is optometrists or theirs.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, this bill makes some changes to the Optometry Act that allows for optometrists to perform
• Are optometrists medical doctors? Madam Chair, members of the committee, no, we're not.
• And do optometrists carry currently do they carry medical malpractice insurance?
• And I was lucky enough to get into my optometrist and get new glasses the week before I came.
• And he was so happy that he was not included in that because he's an optometrist.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Meanwhile, ophthalmologists and optometrists are having to come out of exam rooms and treatment rooms
• Smith Block, who is the optometrist.
• Does it impact the delegation authority of an ophthalmologist or optometrist?
• It does not affect the delegation authority of an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Thank you.
• This amendment deletes the ability of a physician or optometrist to supervise a registered apprentice

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But optometrists are not medical doctors.
• c> Allowing optometrists perform procedures Allowing optometrists perform procedures with<07:41:09.920
• are located in states where optometrists are located in states where optometrists are<07:41:52.240
• Optometrists are not physicians.
• <07:44:56.680> are statement, well, optometrists are statement, well, optometrists are doctors

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The A13 amendment brings important new language to the bill, updating the scope of practice for optometrists
• As the optometrist in the room, I welcome your insights. Representative Gander [member_11241].
• Optometrists routinely perform procedures that align very closely with those being proposed.
• Expanding the scope for optometrists to perform these minor eyelid procedures will ease this burden and
• It's important to note that in our communities, optometrists and ophthalmologists get along famously.

Transcript Highlights:

• rules and take up for action S64, enacting relating to amendments to the scope of practice for optometrists
• We would have loved to heard the senator from Bennington talk about optometrists. Thank you, Mr.
• And that beginning on January 1st, 2031, at least one of the optometrist members shall hold an advanced
• We did not hear directly from the optometrists or the ophthalmologists.
• I wasn't really curious about the optometrists, but I was curious if the ophthalmologists are interested

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make optometrist, Dr. Mean Young.
• Monique Carr, who's an optometrist Dr. Monique Carr, who's an optometrist in<01:10:12.440> Byron.
• <01:11:04.960> Steven recognize my optometrist, Dr. Steven recognize my optometrist, Dr.
• <01:30:50.160> Jay introduce my optometrist, Dr. Jay introduce my optometrist, Dr.
• > their<01:55:03.480> meal The optometrists are having their meal The optometrists are

Keywords: MS House Floor - 25 February, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, dispensed with the reading of the journal, and welcomed several student and FFA groups from around the state, including chapters from Tippah, Forrest, Newton, and Wheeler counties, as well as the Puckett High School student council and an AP government class from Madison-Ridgeland Academy. After announcements, the chamber moved to the Ways and Means calendar and took up a series of tax and finance measures. House Bill 327 would extend Mississippi’s existing film tax credit to television production businesses, with a $42 million aggregate cap and a requirement that qualifying production activity occur in-state. House Bill 343 would create a tax credit for employers offering private health insurance to employees, set at $400 per employee in the first year and $200 in the second, capped at $10 million. House Bill 420 would lower the age threshold for an existing full homestead exemption for honorably discharged veterans and spouses from 90 to 85; members discussed the local cost impact, but the sponsor said the state cost would be zero. House Bill 489 would exempt from income tax any capital gains from a forced sale through eminent domain, so the property owner would not owe tax on that transaction. The House also passed House Bill 715, clarifying that both perishable and non-perishable food sold to food pantries are exempt from sales tax. House Bill 1063 would adjust an alternative energy/local tax provision by allowing a fee-in-lieu rate down to 10% and adding energy storage, such as large-scale batteries, to qualifying projects. House Bill 1793, by committee substitute, would add gun safes to the state’s Second Amendment sales tax holiday. House Bill 1941 would raise the Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund’s administrative fee from 2% to 3% and authorize $5 million in bonds. House Bill 1942 would create a conduit bond mechanism under the TIF code for local development projects. House Bill 1944, by committee substitute, would expand the Children’s Promise Act tax credit program from $18 million to $40 million over three years and add a new $1 million credit for facilities serving adults with mental handicaps; members debated its effects on private schools, foster care entities, and public education funding. Most bills passed overwhelmingly, including several unanimous votes; House Bill 327 passed 115-1, House Bill 343 passed 118-0, House Bill 420 passed 120-0, House Bill 489 passed 120-0, House Bill 715 passed 120-0, House Bill 1063 passed 115-0, House Bill 1793 passed 109-3, House Bill 1941 passed 118-0, House Bill 1942 passed 116-0, and House Bill 1944 passed after extended debate. The discussion on House Bill 1944 featured questions about whether the credits favored private schools over public schools, whether schools could also receive ESA-related funds, and how much money individual institutions could receive; the sponsor said the credits are separate from tuition, are administered by DOR on a first-come, first-served basis, and do not reduce direct public school funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• By contrast, optometrists do not attend medical school and are not overseen by the Board of Registration
• implies medical training and expertise that optometrists do not have.
• between the expertise of ophthalmologists, who are medical doctors, and optometrists serving on their
• It is somewhere between 75 and 80 percent women, and yet the current law states that if the optometrist
• It creates a single clear standard where all optometrists hold the highest level of licensure.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Health heard testimony on a wide range of bills focused on children’s health, tobacco control, newborn screening, pediatric cancer, palliative care, and professional licensure. Early testimony highlighted Senate bills to expand newborn screening for pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency, lysosomal storage disorders, and congenital CMV, with families and clinicians describing severe diagnostic delays, missed treatment windows, and the benefits of early detection. Speakers also supported a bill to improve pediatric cancer research through a dedicated trust fund, and a bill to extend pediatric palliative care services to age 22, with parents and providers emphasizing continuity of care for seriously ill young people. Several witnesses gave personal accounts in support of the newborn screening measures. Families described children who endured years of misdiagnosis before receiving diagnoses such as Gaucher disease, Fabry disease, Pompe disease, Niemann-Pick disease, and CMV, often after irreversible damage had already occurred. Medical and advocacy witnesses said Massachusetts already collects some of the relevant screening data and argued that results should be reported to families, while others urged the committee to add conditions to the state panel because effective treatments already exist. The committee also heard support for a bill to establish a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder program and training for providers. On tobacco and youth health, testimony supported bills to ban internet tobacco sales, strengthen youth protections, and reduce lung cancer deaths through point-of-sale information and quit-line access. A student testified about easily purchasing flavored nicotine products online without meaningful age verification, and public health advocates backed measures to keep tobacco out of children’s environments. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to ensure parents have access to their children’s medical records through age 16, with exceptions for sensitive services already protected by law. The committee additionally took testimony on an optometry licensure bill, where ophthalmologists opposed language they said could broaden scope of practice and allow optometrists to use the title “optometric physician,” while optometry educators and students supported the bill as a modernization measure with no scope expansion. No votes were taken during the hearing; the chair repeatedly reminded speakers of time limits and noted that written testimony could be submitted for additional comments.

Transcript Highlights:

• address because it talks about that it limits contracts that between vision plan organizations and optometrists
• four, top line, line one, section number Three, so this would prohibit either incentivizing an optometrist
• And I get a discount through the insurance program that I use with my optometrist.
• we prohibit that through this bill, that now I will pay more for the contacts I order through my optometrist
• My amatri in my optometrist in my district and optometry association requested this. And thank you.

Bills: SB1303, SB1343, SB1435, SB1438, SB1444, SB1641, SB1765, SB1916, SB2067

Keywords: workers' compensation, workers comp, Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission, Administrative Workers' Compensation Act, self-insurance guaranty fund, multiple injury trust fund, physician advisory committee, advisory council on workers' compensation, workers' compensation court, insurance, employer liability, self-insured employer, fund transfer, records transfer, agency reorganization, statutory cleanup, technical corrections, Title 85A, SB1343, Vision Plan Contractual Requirements Act

Transcript Highlights:

• Tommy Lucas, and I'm an optometrist practicing in Killeen, Texas.
• tells the optometrist that they must call the vision plan company for a contract.
• tells the optometrist that they must call the vision tries to join the network of the MCO.
• The MCO tells the optometrist that they must call the vision plan company for a contract.
• I'm an optometrist, and I represent myself and the Texas Optometric Association.

Bills: HB136, HB451, SB425, SB466, SB905, SB1986, SB2311, SB2450, SB2805, SB2826, SB2919, SB3001

Keywords: Medicaid, lactation, healthcare, consultation, reimbursement, maternal health, infant care, commercial sexual exploitation, child sex trafficking, human trafficking, child welfare, foster care, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, juvenile probation, risk assessment, needs assessment, trauma screening, child abuse prevention, exploitation screening

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and announced it would vote on pending bills at 10:30, with public testimony limited to two minutes. It first took up Senate Bill 905, a TDLR cleanup bill on licensing regulation of speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Senator Zafferini said the committee substitute would streamline advisory board consultation, remove obsolete provisional licenses, and allow any licensed physician to authorize hearing instruments for minors; the substitute was adopted and the bill left pending. The committee then heard House Bill 451, which would require universal screening for commercial sexual exploitation risk for children in DFPS conservatorship and youth under TJJD jurisdiction. The author and witnesses from Children at Risk, the Fort Bend Anti-Trafficking Collective, and Texas CASA supported the bill as a prevention tool with existing infrastructure and training; the committee adopted the substitute and left the bill pending. The committee next considered Senate Bill 466, which would clarify that families may request a fetal death certificate at any gestational age, while keeping existing filing requirements for physicians. A constituent father testified about losing his 11-week-old daughter and being told he could not obtain a certificate, which he said prevented funeral arrangements; the substitute was adopted and the bill left pending. Senate Bill 2311 followed, requiring residential treatment centers to have a written agreement with the school that will educate resident children before becoming operational. The author cited a local dispute where an RTC and school district lacked communication, and witnesses from Texas CASA and Disability Rights Texas supported clearer educational planning while suggesting the Education Code may need conforming changes; the bill was left pending. The committee then heard Senate Bill 2826, known as Alyssa’s Law, which would create a statewide education program on medical child abuse for medical students, health care professionals, and CPS caseworkers. The author and Sheriff Bill Weyburn described Alyssa’s case as involving repeated unnecessary surgeries and argued the bill would improve awareness and early identification, while several witnesses and members raised concerns about false accusations, impacts on medically fragile children, and the need for scientific, peer-reviewed training and safeguards. After extensive discussion, the chair left the bill pending. The committee also heard House Bill 136, which would add certified lactation consultants as Medicaid providers to expand breastfeeding support; witnesses from lactation and nutrition fields said the bill would improve access, maternal and infant health, and long-term savings, and the bill was left pending. Finally, the committee took up Senate Bill 2805, a surprise-billing/arbitration measure that would clarify provider identifiers and shift arbitration costs to the losing party. The author said the substitute was a legislative counsel draft with no substantive difference, and witnesses from the Texas Medical Association, Texas Society of Anesthesiologists, and U.S. Anesthesia Partners supported the bill as a modest improvement that would reduce administrative confusion and make arbitration fairer without weakening patient protections. Members discussed how arbitration costs affect settlement behavior and how to define the “winner” in close cases. The bill was heard but not voted out during this segment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thibodeau, practicing optometrist in Santa Fe.
• This is optometrists who are not medical doctors and who do not complete surgical residency to perform
• Kentucky lacks medical board oversight and adverse event reporting for optometrists, creating a closed
• Optometrists do not attend medical school and are not required to complete a surgical residency.
• I'm a practicing optometrist down there.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I recall those of you that might have been here back when the ophthalmologist and optometrist—Senator
• The optometrists were protected because they have good working relationships and they depend on each
• I recall those of you that might have been here back when the ophthalmologist and optometrist—Senator
• The optometrists were protected because they have good working relationships and they depend on each
• uh Senator Wilson probably optometrist uh Senator Wilson probably remembered<00:10:29.519> that

Keywords: Reuploaded to restore full meeting 00:00 – Meeting Start 00:37 – Attendance Roll Call 02:20 -Discussion on SB 69 18:10- Roll Call Vote, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Agriculture Committee met to reconsider a committee substitute for a bill dealing with equine dental care and the regulation of non-veterinarian dental practitioners. The chair reopened the bill after prior testimony, and members focused on how the bill would set standards for training, testing, insurance, continuing education, and a registry for practitioners. Discussion also centered on whether the measure would affect veterinary practice or create a precedent for other animal care areas; supporters said it was meant to preserve access and affordability for horse owners, especially in rural areas where veterinarians are scarce or unavailable for routine work. A major topic was the bill’s grandfathering or “legacy candidate” provision. Senators asked how existing practitioners would qualify, whether they would need to apply, and what documentation would be required. Committee witnesses, including a Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association representative and the Board of Veterinary Examiners executive director, said the board could set licensing terms by regulation, including an application process, background/history checks, and letters of recommendation from licensed veterinarians. They also said the process would include an application window to allow current practitioners time to comply. Several members explained their votes in favor, while noting lingering concerns they wanted addressed on the floor. Supporters emphasized that the bill was the product of years of work, surveys, stakeholder meetings, and multiple drafts, and that it was intended to legitimize existing practitioners while protecting animal welfare. The committee substitute was approved, the bill passed the committee unanimously, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I do want to ask the bill sponsor, the original bill sponsor, can an optometrist call themselves a doctor
• go under Medicare and federal law, and in Chapter 456, it defines, for purposes of Medicare, an optometrist
• So if optometrists are physicians, they should be able to call themselves physicians.
• And so I don't want to disenfranchise optometrists and nurse practitioners and all of that because if
• But you asked me to address whether an optometrist, a Ph.D. in optometry, or doctor or a physician of

Summary: The Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee met with a quorum present and considered two bills. HB 361, by Rep. Nix, would reclassify registered interns as registered associates for clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental health counseling, and would streamline supervision rules by removing the requirement that licensed supervisors be physically present in private practice settings. Supporters said the bill would modernize terminology, reduce barriers to practice, and expand access to mental health care while maintaining supervision and public safety. Several members raised concerns about possible unintended effects on community health centers and Medicaid workforce issues, but the bill drew broad support and passed 17-0, reported favorably. The committee then heard HB 1341, by Rep. Gonzales Pittman, which is aimed at preventing misuse of physician specialty titles and limiting those titles to practitioners who are actually board-certified in the specialty they claim. The sponsor emphasized that the bill does not address the general use of “doctor” or “physician,” only specialty designations such as dermatologist, gynecologist, neurologist, or plastic surgeon. Testimony in support came from medical and professional groups, including anesthesiologists and plastic surgeons, who said clearer titles help patients know who is treating them and improve safety. The Florida Optometric Association opposed the bill, arguing it could create confusion or omit optometric titles and other designations. Two amendments were adopted without objection. One removed a hospital name-tag requirement from the bill. The other changed a claims-denial provision so that denial letters need only disclose that a Florida-licensed physician in good standing made the decision, while the insurer must retain the physician’s identifying information for potential litigation or discovery. Some members supported the privacy protections, while others questioned whether the amendment was germane to the bill. As amended, HB 1341 passed 13-4 and was reported favorably.