Transcript Highlights:

• A healthy competitive market requires a neutral and transparent default service benchmark, not one supported
• A<01:16:07.720><c> healthy</c><01:16:08.040><c> competitive</c><01:16:08.480><c> market</c><01:16:08.760
• ><c> requires</c><01:16:09.200><c> a</c> A healthy competitive market requires a A healthy competitive

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• When citizens feel unrepresented and do not trust their government, that is not a healthy democracy.
• not trust their government, that is not not trust their government, that is not a<01:38:44.400><c> healthy
• 38:46.320><c> urge</c><01:38:46.480><c> you</c><01:38:46.639><c> all</c><01:38:46.880><c> to</c> a healthy
• I urge you all to a healthy democracy.

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• a first step to facilitating drama at school can also be very helpful, because at school we need healthy
• school</c><01:23:27.040><c> we</c><01:23:27.440><c> need</c><01:23:28.159><c> um</c><01:23:28.320><c> healthy
• </c> because at school we need um healthy because at school we need um healthy relationships<01:23:29.360

Summary: The committee on Education heard testimony on HB 1895, which would add education-worker protections by expanding harassment-related offenses. The Department of Education, HSTA, HGA, and several school employees and principals testified in support, describing increased harassment and threats toward teachers and staff, especially since COVID, and saying the bill would help deter bad actors. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the measure, saying the language was vague and overbroad, could criminalize ordinary parental advocacy or speech, and might not survive constitutional scrutiny. In response to questions, the public defender said existing statutes already cover threatening or assaultive conduct against educational workers, while DOE representatives said the bill was aimed at excessive and repetitive disruptive behavior. No vote or final action was taken in the excerpt. The committee then took up HB 1592, concerning protections for educational workers and sports officials. DOE, the Charter School Commission, HGA, HSTA, school principals, athletic programs, and many individual testifiers supported the bill, with several describing threats, harassment, and aggressive behavior at schools and athletic events. One principal said he had repeatedly involved law enforcement after threats and incidents on campus, and a teacher testified about the need to keep school environments safe and orderly. The Office of the Public Defender again opposed the bill, arguing that current law already enhances penalties for assaults and terroristic threatening against educational workers and sports officials, and that new offenses would have little deterrent effect. Committee members questioned whether the bill should be a separate statute and how to distinguish passionate advocacy from harassment; DOE said the line was crossed when conduct became excessive and repetitive, while the public defender urged clearer drafting and more emphasis on prevention, education, security, and de-escalation. No vote or final action was announced in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't know if we got anywhere, but we've had a healthy discussion here. >> Oh, no.
• know if we got anywhere, but we've<02:12:52.560><c> had</c><02:12:52.639><c> a</c><02:12:52.880><c> healthy
• </c> we've had a healthy discussion here. we've had a healthy discussion here.

Summary: The commission to study the cost of special education met, confirmed a quorum, introduced members and guests, and approved the minutes from the October 29 meeting. Members noted the commission’s mandate under Senate Bill 57 and emphasized the need to focus on recommendations and findings by July 1, 2026. The chair also distributed additional handouts, including materials related to the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program and administrative rules tied to differentiated aid and disability determinations. The main discussion centered on how students qualify for differentiated aid under the EFA program. Matt Sutherton of the Children’s Scholarship Fund explained that the organization, which contracts with the state to administer EFAs, accepts either school-district/IEP documentation or a medical certification of disability (MCD) from a licensed medical professional. Members questioned how this process relates to the state’s special education rules and whether the school-district examiner standards in ED 107/1107.04 apply to EFAs. Sutherton said the MCD form, created with the department, requires the medical professional to sign that they are qualified to make the determination and to identify the disability. Several members expressed concern that the EFA process is less rigorous than the school-district IEP process and may be inflating disability counts. One member argued that the administrative rules cited are primarily for school districts, not EFAs, and said the Department of Education may not know how many of the roughly 890 EFA students receiving differentiated aid came through school-district documentation versus the MCD pathway. Another member said the EFA system appears more generous than the school system and raised concerns about oversight, auditing, and whether the program’s data are accurate. Sutherton said the organization reviews signed documentation, credentials, and diagnosis information, and may request additional records to help adjudicate expenses. No votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the prior minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• parents the right to have video visitation with their children because it was not safe and it was not healthy
• safe and it children because it was not safe and it was<01:11:38.320><c> not</c><01:11:38.640><c> healthy
• <c> the</c><01:11:39.440><c> children</c><01:11:39.679><c> to</c><01:11:39.920><c> go</c> was not healthy
• for the children to go was not healthy for the children to go to<01:11:40.159><c> the</c><01:11:40.400

Summary: The committee first opened with brief remarks about a member’s recovery and then heard House Bill 518, which would require the commissioner of Health and Human Services to provide a detailed annual report of all costs related to DCYF. The sponsor, Representative Erica Layon, said the bill was intended to improve transparency, clarify how much time and money are spent on DCYF work versus other departmental work, and help future discussions about staffing, resources, and whether DCYF should remain within DHHS or become a separate department. She said the department could likely produce the report without additional cost, though she was open to adjusting the reporting date and possibly adding more detail about federal mandates. Former Representative Betty Gay and several members supported the bill as a way to better document costs and procedures, while DCYF Director Marie Nunan said the department was not taking a position on the bill, already has many policies and operating procedures, and believed it could comply without a fiscal note. Members raised questions about whether the reporting requirement duplicated existing oversight, whether it should apply to other agencies, and whether the report should include federal funding mandates. Some suggested that a broader review or subcommittee on DCYF might be more useful than a single reporting bill. In executive session, the committee voted 15-1 to retain HB 518, so it will not go on the calendar. Members said they wanted more time to discuss the bill, watch the budget process, and consider whether the reporting requirement could be implemented informally or through a broader oversight effort. The committee then moved on to House Bill 775, which was introduced by Representative Jodi Nelson as a measure to support supervised visitation centers. Dr. Scott Hampton testified in favor, describing the loss of visitation centers since 2019, the role of supervised visitation in protecting children and vulnerable parents in domestic violence cases, and the potential benefits for child safety, crime prevention, and family preservation.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd sit here five more minutes before those spreadsheets arrive so everybody can have a good, healthy
• 01:04:03.200><c> good</c> arrive so everybody can have a good arrive so everybody can have a good healthy
• 04.599><c> see</c><01:04:05.240><c> how</c><01:04:05.480><c> these</c><01:04:05.720><c> towns</c> healthy
• look and see how these towns healthy look and see how these towns shape<01:04:06.480><c> up</c><01:04

Summary: The committee met in executive session on HB 563, which revises the adequacy education grant formula, including differentiated aid for free and reduced-price meals, English language learners, and special education, and also restores fiscal capacity disparity aid. Members explained that for FY 26 the formula largely stays the same with the usual 2% increases, while FY 27 would raise the base cost and several aid categories, including a substantial increase in special education differentiated aid. Supporters said the bill recognizes higher special education costs and separates fiscal capacity disparity from the extraordinary needs grant, which they argued better targets property-poor communities. A major point of discussion was the fiscal capacity disparity aid component. Some members asked for more detail on how the formula affected individual towns and how much money was being allocated. The sponsors said the spreadsheet showed the impacts and estimated the fiscal capacity disparity portion at about $13.3 million, benefiting roughly 40 communities, with Manchester the only municipality expected to receive less under the new approach. They also said the change partially rebalances money that had shifted heavily toward larger cities under the extraordinary needs grant and that the special education increase is new money, not taken from the hold harmless or extraordinary needs funds. Several members supported the amendment as a good-faith step and a bipartisan compromise, while others expressed frustration that they did not have enough time or information to review the spreadsheets in detail before voting. After extended debate, the committee recessed for lunch to allow the spreadsheet to be distributed and reviewed, with the understanding that the bill would continue later in the day and then move on to the other bills on the docket.

Transcript Highlights:

• acknowledge the great work that you do because I think sometimes, or oftentimes, that there is a healthy
• that</c><01:17:50.639><c> there</c><01:17:50.760><c> is</c><01:17:50.920><c> a</c><01:17:51.360><c> healthy
• </c> oftentimes that there is a healthy oftentimes that there is a healthy tension<01:17:52.080><c> between

Transcript Highlights:

• So that would be Healthy Blue, UnitedHealthcare, and Home State Health. Okay.
• I mean, they’re in their older age. They can’t get out.
• But my point is, if you could do it electronically, you know, we're at an age that technology is an amazing
• We're kind of aging out, and it's kind of what's happening with some of our scratcher sales.

Committee: House Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• So the there are people that<01:39:43.119><c> age</c><01:39:43.520><c> out</c><01:39:43.679><c> of</c
• out of this program uh and that age out of this program uh and there<01:39:45.600><c> are</c><01:39:
• and that was also it based on ages and that was also reflected<01:40:32.000><c> in</c><01:40:32.239>
• out. um and how we can the term of aging out. um and how we can make<01:40:47.520><c> sure</c><01:40
• The youth population, you know, the population here is aging.

Summary: House Finance Division 3 met in work session and opened with procedural remarks from the chair about the committee’s schedule, deadlines, and recommendation options, noting the meeting was advisory and no votes were expected. The first bill discussed, House Bill 1569, concerned repealing the directive to sell the Anna Philbrook Center for Children property in Concord. Testimony from DHHS and New Hampshire Hospital focused on whether the property could be subdivided, the relationship to Senate Bill 572, the status of the city of Concord’s first right of refusal, and the practical effects of a sale. Witnesses said the $5 million sale estimate was a budget assumption, that moving staff and equipment would create some relocation costs, and that the center had required significant recent maintenance and renovation spending. Members also discussed the number of transitional housing beds at the site, the temporary nature of those beds, and whether the property should remain available given hospital workforce and service needs. The committee then turned to House Bill 661, which had been recommitted for further review after new information emerged. The chair summarized federal developments, including a December 2025 ACF letter and a related executive order, as well as a federal HHS press release about states diverting foster youths’ Social Security survivor benefits. Representative Walner explained that amendment 3055H had been drafted to move the bill forward in smaller steps, with a fiscal note requested on the amendment because the original bill was viewed as too large and expensive. Members discussed whether the committee had received copies of the amendment and whether federal guidance or funding had changed the policy landscape. The discussion also included broader questions about foster youth benefits and whether federal action would support state implementation. One member cited ACF language stating that only 11 states had enacted policies to stop interception of survivor benefits and that technical assistance would be available to the remaining states. The meeting remained in work-session mode throughout, with no votes taken and no final recommendations made during the portion provided. The chair indicated the committee could return to the bills later in the month.

Transcript Highlights:

• Colleagues, I know we had a good, healthy discussion on this bill yesterday.
• Uh, you know, we heard this bill in Ag.
• And with that Uh, you know, we heard this bill in Ag.
• heard</c><02:30:17.240><c> this</c><02:30:17.480><c> bill</c><02:30:18.120><c> in</c><02:30:18.560><c> Ag
• </c> Uh you know, we heard this bill in Ag. Uh you know, we heard this bill in Ag.

Transcript Highlights:

• He asked whether the item is appropriate for the age group or whether it is material that a parent would
• He asked whether it is something appropriate for that age group or whether it is material that a parent
• it uh item that is appropriate<00:23:40.640><c> for</c><00:23:40.880><c> that</c><00:23:41.200><c> age
• </c><00:23:41.520><c> group</c><00:23:42.240><c> or</c> appropriate for that age group or appropriate
• for that age group or is<00:23:44.080><c> it</c><00:23:45.039><c> uh</c><00:23:45.360><c> bit</c><00

Bills: HF3698 , HF3067 , HF3730

Committee: House Education Policy

Keywords: libraries, electronic books, digital audiobooks, licensing agreements, public access, paraprofessional, paraprofessional qualifications, education support staff, teacher aide, teacher assistant, special education, Title I, federal personnel qualifications, Minnesota Department of Education, school district, charter school, cooperative unit, Read Act, reading instruction, math instruction

Transcript Highlights:

• We actually have, if you look at the index of age and nursing homes, one of the four oldest nursing home
• We actually have, if you look at the index of age and nursing homes, one of the four oldest nursing home
• We actually have, if you look at the index of age and nursing homes, one of the four oldest nursing home
• We actually have, if you look at the index of age and nursing homes, one of the four oldest nursing home
• A healthy insurer holds 33 cents in reserves for every dollar in contributions coming through.

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• to go from here, what are some of the areas in which we need to focus on to support a robust and healthy

Committee: House Health

Transcript Highlights:

• Now more than ever, our member businesses need consistency and predictability to support a healthy and

Committee: House House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability

Summary: The inaugural hearing of the newly named House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability focused on how federal policy changes could affect Massachusetts, especially in education, health care, research, infrastructure, climate, and business conditions. Chair LaNatra said the committee was created to monitor federal funding decisions and their impacts on state programs and services. Members introduced themselves, then heard testimony from Doug Howgate of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, Sarah Mills of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, and Quentin Palfrey, the governor’s Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure. Howgate argued that the Trump administration and new Congress pose ideological, practical, and process-related risks to Massachusetts, citing proposed cuts to Medicaid, education, research, and other domestic programs. He said federal dollars make up about a quarter of the state operating budget and capital plan, warned against using one-time reserves to backfill ongoing federal cuts, and urged the state to prioritize core services while protecting areas where Massachusetts is especially strong, such as higher education and research. In response to committee questions, he said the House Medicaid proposal would still cost Massachusetts hundreds of millions and that international student and NIH-related changes could harm the state’s labor force and innovation economy. He also advised that the state communicate clearly without overreacting to daily federal developments. Mills testified that AIM members are most concerned about uncertainty, tariffs, Medicaid cuts, and NIH reductions. She said tariffs are raising costs, disrupting supply chains, and hurting small and medium-sized businesses, housing construction, and exporters, with AIM’s business confidence index falling to its lowest level since the pandemic. She said Medicaid cuts would raise employer health costs, reduce productivity, and strain the health care system, while NIH cuts would threaten Massachusetts’ life sciences and academic research ecosystem. In questions, she said AIM has increased federal outreach, is coordinating with the U.S. Chamber and the Massachusetts delegation, and is hearing concerns from employers about immigration compliance and workforce disruptions. Palfrey described the Healey-Driscoll administration’s efforts to maximize federal funding, including a biweekly interagency council, a municipal partnership effort, and a statewide roadshow. He said Massachusetts has secured nearly $9 billion from major federal laws for projects such as the Cape Cod bridges, Allston Multimodal, grid modernization, clean-energy school buses, and broadband. He also said the administration launched a public website to track federal impacts and is working with municipalities, nonprofits, and the Attorney General on grant changes, legal issues, and litigation. In response to questions, he warned that cuts to NOAA, NSF, Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs could affect services and the state budget, and said the administration is tracking changes to federal grant applications and conditions. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• and medical advice to patients and the people who are in their lives that would help keep patients healthy

Summary: The special commission on xylazine met virtually to review and discuss the first draft of its final report. Chair Mindy Domb opened the meeting, confirmed quorum, and the commission approved the minutes from its December 11 public meeting. Staff then walked commissioners through the proposed report structure, including background on xylazine as both an FDA-approved veterinary drug and an illicit drug supply contaminant, as well as appendices for public meeting materials and public resources. The commission discussed findings and recommendations for several working groups. For oversight and enforcement, members focused on licit versus illicit sources of xylazine, noting that the illicit supply is typically obtained through online vendors rather than diverted from veterinary use. Recommendations included better storage and reporting practices in authorized settings, review of manufacturing and distribution information, and focusing enforcement on fentanyl trafficking and large-scale xylazine importation rather than personal possession. Commissioners also discussed whether xylazine should remain in Schedule 6 or be subject to additional penalties, and several members emphasized the need for coordination, information-sharing, and possibly a DPH task force or advisory body to monitor emerging drug threats. For outreach and treatment, staff summarized strong existing programs such as drug checking, wound care education, naloxone distribution, mobile and low-threshold care, and self-directed wound kits, while noting gaps including the lack of an FDA-approved reversal agent for xylazine, difficulty distinguishing xylazine from other exposures, and uneven access by geography, insurance, and audience. Commissioners stressed the need for provider education, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, family support networks, and first responders, and for clear guidance on wound care and when more intensive treatment is needed. The education and training section identified first responders, clinicians, non-clinicians, and people who use drugs and their families as key audiences for tailored, stigma-free materials, with emphasis on real-time, centralized data, naloxone and breathing support, recognition of overdose versus xylazine exposure, and adapting materials as the drug supply changes. The meeting ended with discussion of next steps: staff will circulate a revised draft by March 2, the commission will meet again on March 9 to consider the report and recommendations, and an additional late-March meeting was reserved if needed before the statutory deadline.

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendments this bill has taken is a healthy balance.

Committee: House Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• is going to save a lot of women's lives, save a lot of pregnancies, and make sure that there are healthy

Transcript Highlights:

• lives, is going to save a lot of pregnancies, and it's going to save and make sure that there are healthy

Summary: The House opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then approved the House Journals for the 65th and 66th legislative days. Members also spent time on personal privilege and special guest introductions, including a recognition of law enforcement officers who were injured in the line of duty and several interns serving in House offices. The chamber then took up several fiscal review committee reports and moved to conference and Senate bills. House Bill 2818, dealing with annexation and related local government language for St. Joseph Airport, St. Charles County, and Jefferson County, was explained as a compromise on voluntary annexation standards; after debate it was adopted and then third read and passed by a vote of 136-7. House Bill 1825, concerning county salary commissions and county classification changes for Lafayette, Pettis, and Saline counties, drew debate over county pay and the exclusion of coroners, but the Senate substitute was adopted 109-35 and finally passed 106-39. The House also considered House Joint Resolution 87, the so-called constitutional sheriff resolution, which would place sheriff duties and the office itself in the Missouri Constitution. Members debated its scope, including concerns about the term “traitors,” possible effects on Kansas City’s police governance, and whether the measure was necessary; a St. Louis City amendment clarifying the City of St. Louis sheriff provisions was adopted. The resolution then passed 100-47. Finally, Senate Bill 878 on pharmacy practice and rural health access, including pharmacist treatment for common illnesses, emergency waivers, and access to certain medications and supplies, passed 132-13 after an amendment on blood pressure cuffs for pregnant women and opioid-alternative language was adopted. Senate Bill 903, addressing telecommunications infrastructure and copper theft, passed 137-5. The House then announced upcoming committee work, including a born-alive bill, and adjourned until May 12, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• Browning or Senator Stewart or Senator Green, but on the uptake, what's considered not healthy on the

Bills: HB3005 , HB3007 , HB3403 , HB1907 , HB3175 , HB3986 , HB3466 , HB3411 , HB4246

Committee: Senate Energy

Summary: The committee took up several measures dealing with environmental regulation, waste management, and energy. Early on, it passed sunset-extension bills for the Oklahoma Climatological Survey and several environmental advisory councils. It then heard extensive debate on HB 1907, the Battery Stewardship Act, which would create a battery recycling system for small and medium batteries through DEQ. Supporters argued it would reduce landfill and garbage-truck fires, protect the environment, and create recycling value, while opponents raised concerns about added regulation, costs shifted to producers and retailers, and the creation of a new state FTE. Despite those objections, the bill passed 8-3. The committee also considered HB 3403, a pilot study on biosolids and sewage sludge applied to farmland. Members debated a committee substitute that shortened the study timeline from five years to three years and added a phased rollback of land application. Supporters said the study was needed because of unresolved questions about PFOS, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, and other contaminants, while critics argued the timelines conflicted and the bill could be hard to implement. The committee substitute was adopted, an amendment to delete key rollback provisions failed, and the bill ultimately passed 8-2 after testimony from Oklahoma City utilities officials and multiple rounds of questions about testing, health risks, and disposal practices. The committee then passed HB 3175 to establish the Oklahoma Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, with members noting it would have minimal fiscal impact and could help Oklahoma build nuclear expertise and jobs. It also passed HB 3986, expanding a gross production tax exemption for wells completed with recycled water, and HB 3466, which removes the statutory requirement that the Corporation Commission maintain a petty cash fund. Finally, HB 3411, another biosolids-related bill to buy testing equipment and provide information to landowners, and HB 4246, a rural water transparency/lowest-bid bill, both passed unanimously or near-unanimously. The meeting ended with the chair thanking members and adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• healing to help individuals regulate their central nervous systems, process their trauma, and develop healthy

Committee: House House Appropriations Committee of Reference

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee met on March 25 for what was described as its last regular meeting, with a possible special meeting the following week. The committee first took up Senate Bill 1112, adopting a Livingston strike-everything amendment that appropriates $1 million from the special services fund in fiscal year 2027 to the Department of Corrections for holistic, studio-based rehabilitative programming and requires a report on spending, self-harm, discipline, and recidivism by June 30, 2028. Supporters from Art of Our Soul testified that the trauma-informed art and music therapy program has reduced disciplinary violations, self-harm, and mental health watches, and members described it as a rehabilitation effort with documented benefits. The bill, as amended, received a due pass recommendation by a 16-2 vote. The committee then considered Senate Bill 1776, which would expand AHCCCS coverage for traditional healing services to include urban Indian organizations. AHCCCS testified neutrally but said the change would require a waiver amendment, would not qualify for 100% federal match, and would carry an estimated $1.3 million general fund impact. The sponsor argued the bill would align Arizona with federal policy and correct an omission of urban Indian organizations from the existing waiver. After discussion about costs and whether the bill should proceed with a committee of the whole amendment, the committee gave SB 1776 a do pass recommendation by a 9-6-2-1 vote, with several members expressing concern about AHCCCS growth and the funding source. Senate Bill 1537, which would rename the Peace Officer Training Equipment Fund as the Public Safety De-escalation and Life Safety Fund and repeal its advisory commission, failed. Testimony explained that the commission has not met in years and that the bill was largely a cleanup measure, but the Arizona Police Association opposed the change and some members wanted the commission reformed rather than repealed. The committee voted it down 6-9, with members split over whether the fund should remain tied to its current structure. The committee next adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 1584 that shifted a $1 million appropriation for Department of Corrections recruitment and training from the general fund to the Peace Officer Training Equipment Fund. Supporters said DOC remains understaffed and that the training/recruitment program has worked elsewhere; some members questioned whether the fund could legally be used for that purpose, but the amendment passed and the bill received a do pass recommendation by a 10-5-2-2 vote. Finally, Senate Bill 1673, which funds the law enforcement crime victim notification system, was amended to reduce the appropriation from $5 million general fund to about $2.595 million from the victim compensation fund. Testimony from the Arizona Sheriffs Association, victim notification vendors, and Phoenix officials emphasized the program’s importance, while others argued the amendment would raid victim compensation resources. The amendment and the bill as amended both passed, and the committee adjourned after noting the next calendar had not yet been posted.