Transcript Highlights:

• Specifically, a long-term aging and supports administration and part of DDA were consolidated into the
• This bill does exactly that, keeping momentum going into employment, stability, and long-term contribution
• At the time the youth in their care exits the foster care system, the only unrelated adults the individual
• exits the foster care system.
• As a first step, the department dissolved three existing service administrations—Aging and Long-Term

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee heard several Department of Social and Health Services-related bills. Senate Bill 6024, sponsored by Senator Gildon, would streamline oversight of community residential service providers by limiting DSHS to one annual routine review per subject area when possible, requiring better document sharing within the department, and preserving investigations tied to complaints, incidents, mortality reviews, and other legally required oversight. Supporters said the bill would reduce duplicative audits and paperwork so providers can spend more time on direct client services. No vote was taken during the hearing. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6063, an agency-request bill sponsored by Senator Bateman and supported by DSHS Secretary Angela Ramirez, to update statutes to reflect DSHS’s recent reorganization into the Home and Community Living Administration and the Behavioral Health and Habilitation Administration. Testimony described the measure as a technical cleanup with no fiscal impact. In addition, Senate Bill 6036, sponsored by Senator Kaufman, would exempt certain former foster parents and kinship caregivers from adult family home licensure when they continue caring for a former foster youth who is now an adult and the only unrelated adult in the home. DSHS supported the bill as a narrow way to preserve continuity and stability for vulnerable young adults. The committee spent the most time on Senate Bill 5681, sponsored by Senator Cortez, as amended in a proposed substitute. The bill would lower the age for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to access employment and community inclusion services from 21 to 20, and rename community access as community inclusion. Senator Cortez and multiple advocates, educators, and service providers argued that earlier access would reduce service gaps, support transition from school to work, and help young adults maintain employment. Staff explained that the substitute changed the eligibility age from the original bill’s 19 to 20. No final action was taken; the chair closed the hearings and announced upcoming executive sessions on previously heard bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's about protection for ratepayers, for groundwater, and for California's long-term water future.
• Long-term oversight.
• We have no coordinated regional mechanism to secure and sustain long-term stewardship funding for natural
• Long-term stewardship is the work they do every day.
• Obviously, we care very much about our transit system and know the fiscal cliff and challenges that they

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• spotlight was on fraud in health care, I think long before the federal spotlight was on fraud in health
• As you can see, the breakout across the providers, there's 126,000 in long-term care, 45,000 in acute
• Our Medicaid program, as you know, is delivered through two different systems: managed care, which we
• Choice, again, we've seen some, you know, in other states there's been some discussion about some long-term
• We provide long-term care services and community care services from Corpus Christi over to Laredo, down

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee met to hear interim charges on higher education transparency and on preventing fraud, waste, and abuse in state government. The chair emphasized accountability for taxpayer dollars and asked witnesses to address financial reporting, audit practices, and whether more frequent or comprehensive audits would improve oversight. Legislative Budget Board staff described how public university systems and most community colleges respond to requests about internal audit practices, noting that university systems generally follow a similar annual audit timeline and that community colleges use a more varied mix of internal and external audit arrangements. Members focused on gaps in reporting, especially Texas Southern University’s missing submissions for several years and Collin County Community College’s nonresponse to the LBB survey. The State Auditor’s Office then outlined its higher education audit work, including mandatory statewide single audits, DEI compliance audits, HUB and State Use Program audits, benefits proportional audits, and discretionary audits based on risk. The auditor said the office has released 43 higher-ed audit reports since fiscal year 2021 and has two audits in progress, and explained that internal audit reports from institutions help guide future audit selection. Senators pressed the office on the lack of enforcement authority, the value of internal auditors at each institution, and whether community colleges should have more standardized reporting and audit requirements. The auditor and general counsel said the SAO can refer suspected fraud to law enforcement but cannot itself enforce findings, while several senators suggested stronger clawback authority and more robust internal audit structures. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board explained that it collects annual financial reports, sources-and-uses data, and community college finance reports, and uses them for funding formulas and other reporting. It also trains governing board members and said it has limited regulatory authority, though community colleges must certify compliance annually and can lose eligibility for state funds if they do not. Members questioned the reliability of self-attested data, the adequacy of board training, and whether a single reporting structure would be more efficient. During public testimony, a ScholarShot representative argued for clearer, student-facing financial transparency so students can see total cost of attendance and the gap they must cover before enrolling.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> systems in place uh to care for folks. systems in place uh to care for folks.
• This is a stopgap we need while we work on long-term funding solutions this session.
• This is a stopgap we need while we work on long-term funding solutions this session. Thank you.
• This is a stopgap we need while we work on long-term funding solutions this session. Thank you.
• </c> addiction, uh, disability, and long-term addiction, uh, disability, and long-term homelessness.<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Now my primary care physician is part of the St. Joseph's system, and right now St.
• time, and in terms of my experience, this is an issue that really is long-term.
• experience, this is an issue that is really long-term.
• The problem is we now have a conflict between what our health care system is designed to work in terms
• The problem is we now have a conflict between what our health care system is designed to work in terms

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard testimony on House Bill 167, which would add ski, snowboard, and boat wax containing PFAS to the state’s consumer-product restrictions. The sponsor argued the product is already banned in many places, has PFAS-free alternatives, and is used in ways that can directly contaminate water rather than landfills. She cited high PFAS levels in several New Hampshire lakes and said the bill was a simple extension of prior PFAS legislation. A witness also described a personal experience where a liquid ski wax disappeared from the market and later returned, likely because of PFAS concerns. The chair then closed the hearing on HB 167 without a vote. The committee then opened a hearing on House Bill 312, dealing with college athletes’ name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights. Representative Moffett said the bill was modeled on New Jersey law and intended to let student-athletes earn compensation from NIL without losing institutional scholarships, while also requiring licensed representation and setting limits on certain endorsements. He described the measure as proactive because NIL rules are evolving and could create conflicts among schools and future lawsuits. Members questioned whether the bill should apply to two-year institutions, whether it should exclude firearms and weapons, and whether the scholarship protections would cover need-based or academic aid as well as athletic scholarships. Moffett said the scholarship language was intended to protect scholarships generally, but not need-based aid specifically, and he acknowledged discomfort with some of the endorsement restrictions. Public testimony on HB 312 was mixed. One supporter, a former Division III athlete and coach, backed the bill but urged removal of a section allowing institutions or athletic bodies to use an athlete’s NIL without compensation, arguing most New Hampshire athletes do not receive NIL money and should not have to work extra jobs to cover basic expenses. The chair also raised concerns about the bill’s contractual and identity-rights implications, referencing prior committee work on a J.D. Salinger-related identity case and noting the committee had previously declined to get involved in similar contractual disputes. No vote was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So that's one type of long term investment, and then New Mexico also has a very unique type of long term
• So I'll talk about both of those long term investments in this presentation.
• That's the, the one part of our long-term investments.
• benchmark or a long-term benchmark, and I'll get into those later.
• Pra outperformed its short term, its long term target in the one year period, but missed that long term

Committee: House Investments & Pensions Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> statute the system of care but just statute the system of care but just realize<01:02:49.559><c>
• system of Care Success critical for the system of Care Success over<01:18:22.400><c> the</c><01:18:22.560
• c> and</c> the the system of care assessment and the the system of care assessment and and<01:22:59.679
• </c><01:25:47.440><c> I</c> system of care assessment that I system of care assessment that I outlined
• </c> currently in another long-term currently in another long-term relationship<03:51:00.199><c> and<

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with committee process reminders from the chair, including rules for questioning witnesses, time limits for testimony, and how motions and committee reports are handled. The chair also discussed the committee’s history, emphasized a cooperative approach with agencies and the Judiciary, and noted that a special committee on the Family Division of Circuit Court had previously done useful work; he said a new subcommittee could be appointed later to continue looking at judicial-system issues. He also mentioned that the Speaker’s office was expected to name members to the DHHS oversight committee by Friday at 1. The substantive presentation was from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Child Support Services. Attorney John Williams introduced the bureau team, and Bureau Chief Lisa Dekowski described the program’s mission: encouraging responsible parenting, family self-sufficiency, and child well-being by locating parents, establishing paternity, setting or modifying support orders, and enforcing court-ordered child and medical support. She said the bureau operates statewide under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, works with courts, employers, and other partners, and serves both in-state and out-of-state cases, with some international and tribal coordination. She also cited program scale, saying the bureau dispersed about $76 million to families in New Hampshire in fiscal year 2023 and that most collections go directly to families. Members asked about enforcement tools, especially passport denial. In response to a question about a case involving a very small shortfall, the bureau said the federal passport-denial threshold is $2,500 in arrears, not a few cents, and that denial remains in place until the balance is resolved or an arrangement is made with the agency, with hardship factors potentially considered. The bureau also explained that either parent can apply for services when a child support order exists and that the bureau can help initiate income withholding orders. No votes or formal actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Long-term care is an issue specific to what you guys are facing.
• But when you exclude long-term care, Medicaid growth is at 9.1%. ...term care.
• But if you exclude long-term care, you drop down to about 9%.
• But like for, especially for long-term care, right?
• care, some type of long-term care.

Keywords: 962, all

Summary: The Complex Care Committee meeting focused first on a new Diabetes Caucus launched at the Capitol. Rep. Johnson described the caucus as a forum to educate people about type 1 and type 2 diabetes, genetic risk, early testing, pregnancy-related diabetes, and ways Medicaid policy might improve prevention and lower long-term costs. Members agreed the caucus could intersect with care management, and Carolyn Grandell of CHNCT offered to share information about current diabetes-related care management services at a future meeting. The committee then heard a detailed presentation from Alex Rigger of the Office of Health Strategy, who is moving to the Office of Policy and Management. He reviewed Connecticut health care benchmark data, including total health care expenditures, medical spending, and market-by-market trends. He said 2023 to 2024 per-capita spending grew more than 8.5% statewide and 14% in Medicaid, with long-term care accounting for about 46% of Medicaid spending and retail pharmacy also identified as a major cost driver. Members asked about enrollment changes, dual-eligible populations, Medicare Savings Program members, 340B drug pricing, and value-based payment models. Rigger explained that his office tracks alternate payment models and quality benchmarks, but does not separately capture 340B data. Discussion then shifted to Medicare Advantage, dual eligibles, and hospital discharge planning. Members said they want better data on how many Medicaid members are in Medicare Advantage plans and whether those plans shift costs back to Medicaid or affect access to care, especially for complex-care patients. Staff noted DSS does have some Medicare Advantage indicators and that CMS is developing encounter-data rules for states. Kathy Holt and others raised concerns about denials, nursing home stays, and the need to compare Medicaid spending for dual eligibles in Medicare Advantage versus traditional Medicare. The meeting ended with plans for follow-up data sharing, including Alex Rigger’s slides, the diabetes caucus materials, and a future discussion with DSS and other agencies; no formal votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• , that that will continue to decline long term.
• , that that will continue to decline long term.
• We're going to be conservative long-term.
• cost-share program is sustainable long term.
• will help affordability for the long term.

Committee: Joint Water Topics Overview Committee

Summary: The Water Topics Overview Committee met to review several interim studies and receive updates from the Department of Water Resources. The committee approved the March 26, 2026 minutes, observed a moment of silence for the late Representative Conmy, and welcomed Representative Hansen to the committee. Staff then reported that the watershed management study and the stormwater/wastewater study had both satisfied the presentation requirements in their study directives, with no further required testimony unless members wanted additional information. The department’s main presentation focused on major water projects and agency operations. Reese Haas and staff updated members on the NAWS project, the Southwest Pipeline Project, Devils Lake outlet operations, low-head dam safety work, floodplain management repository implementation, data center water use, and the 2027 Water Development Plan. Members asked detailed questions about NAWS funding sources, remaining project costs, capacity concerns for All Seasons and other users, and whether current construction is being designed for future demand. The department said NAWS remains on track for substantial completion by October, that remaining NAWS funding will come from a mix of federal, state, and local sources, and that current construction is designed for ultimate capacity while some future components will be adjusted for increased demand. A large portion of the meeting was devoted to the department’s cash management, Resources Trust Fund revenues, carryover balances, and the State Water Commission’s cost-share program. The department reported $340.6 million in carryover remaining, explained that much of it is already obligated to long-term projects, and noted that oil price forecasts and stripper-well exemptions will affect future revenues. Members raised concerns about large carryovers, affordability for local sponsors, and whether the state should continue obligating money multiple bienniums ahead. The department said it is working with the commission on a revised prioritization framework, including high/moderate/low project categories and a two-tier pre-construction/construction approach, to better manage obligations and affordability. The committee also reviewed Deloitte’s finalized studies on regional governance/finance and cost-share policy. Deloitte presented options for Southwest, NAWS, and Red River governance, with stakeholders generally favoring keeping NAWS largely as is, using the current Southwest model with improvements, and pursuing a more structured governance option for Red River. On cost share, the department said Deloitte’s recommended package would cover projected needs through the 2030s, but would require policy changes such as lower percentages for some project types, a 25% replacement-project rate with a cap, and possible bonding or delayed reimbursement strategies. No votes were taken on these policy questions, and the chair indicated the committee would continue the discussion at future basin meetings and the September Water Topics meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• , for HCA to overhaul a system to be able to support New Mexicans receiving health care, to food banks
• I know that we increased our funding to aging and long-term services on a recurring basis.
• Is that a New Mexico term or a federal term?
• there are going to be far fewer dollars, potentially $4 billion less coming to New Mexico annually, long-term
• That even if long-term we were going to lose a lot of funding, we would have a short-term sort of five-year

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 1477, which clarifies that the monthly needs allowance afforded to individuals living in certain long-term
• </c><00:06:48.160><c> care</c> living in certain long-term care living in certain long-term care facilities
• Children who are forcibly separated from their families experience long-term emotional and psychological
• using terms like group child care center and group child care home.
• using terms like group child care center and group child care home.

Committee: House Human Services & Homelessness

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard several Human Services measures focused on Medicaid access, long-term care benefits, home health reimbursement, SNAP administration, trauma-informed child welfare, and child abuse reporting. HP 702 would increase funding for Medicaid in-home services if federal matching funds are secured, and testimony from disability advocates supported the measure as needed to help people with disabilities cover medical expenses. HB 1477, described as a correction to a prior session’s mistake, would clarify that the monthly needs allowance for certain long-term care residents does not replace state supplemental payments and would raise the ceiling by $25 to fix the prior issue and by an additional $20 as a new benefit; DHS supported it with amendments, and the committee indicated it would amend accordingly. HB 713 would fund a DHS rate study for home health services, with the Healthcare Association of Hawaii strongly supporting it and describing rising labor costs, losses on Medicaid patients, and access concerns if agencies cannot keep serving Medicaid clients. HB 1099 would appropriate emergency funds to DHS after a USDA penalty tied to SNAP response times, with supporters including Catholic Charities Hawaii, Hawaii Public Health Institute, and others arguing the money should be reinvested in staffing and systems to improve access and avoid further penalties. HB 1079 would direct the Office of Wellness and Resilience and DHS to create trauma-informed assessments and training for Child Welfare Services staff; testimony from state offices and advocacy groups supported it, citing the Mālama ʻOhana Working Group, staff burnout, and the need for a sustainable train-the-trainer model. Finally, HB 239 would narrow when failure to provide a child’s needs constitutes abuse or neglect, but DHS raised concerns that the current wording could broaden abuse findings and leave families in poverty without a clear safety net, while the Honolulu prosecutor’s office opposed it, warning it could weaken mandatory reporting and hinder investigations of child abuse. No formal votes were taken in the portion provided, though the chair said HB 1477 would be amended and several measures were left open for further questions and testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• We know that personally, in our own lives: to take care of those who rely on us, we need to take care
• We know that personally, in our own lives, to take care of those who rely on us, we need to take care
• So going into the last section of just setting up the slides for the discussion on the long-term reliability
• So that brings in just a few points for our long-term discussion, again just recognizing that we have
• So we have terms of reduced demand or it could be negative in terms of reduced supply, so we're kind

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy heard SB 1259, which would require refineries to provide advance closure and remediation planning information, and SB 1425, which would authorize the High-Speed Rail Authority to create a permit process for encroachments in its right of way. The committee also held an informational hearing on California electricity reliability and the future of the Strategic Reliability Reserve. The chair opened by noting the hearing room change, testimony limits, and that the committee would proceed without a quorum at first, then later established quorum for votes. On SB 1259, Senator Blake Spear argued the bill would give communities and state agencies needed information to plan for refinery closures, cleanup, and land reuse, comparing the requirement to estate planning. Supporters, including Benicia City Councilmember Carrie Birdseye and UC Santa Barbara professor Ranjit Schmook, said the bill would help communities facing refinery closures avoid being left without information and better prepare for redevelopment and remediation. Opponents, including the Western States Petroleum Association, the State Building and Construction Trades Council, and business groups, argued the bill could send negative market signals, create conflicts with federal reporting, and potentially accelerate refinery closures. The committee passed SB 1259 on a 7-3 vote, later reopening the roll and recording additional votes before moving it out as amended to Appropriations. On SB 1425, Senator Cortese and sponsor Robert Pearsall said the bill would help the High-Speed Rail Authority manage utility, broadband, drainage, and vegetation encroachments along the project corridor and reduce delays. Labor and construction groups supported the measure as a way to add certainty and speed project delivery. Utilities and local agencies, including LADWP, Southern California Gas, Southern California Edison, PG&E, and others, opposed unless amended, saying the bill needed clearer language on emergencies, existing agreements, and potential impacts on their own rights of way and service obligations. After discussion about emergency language and utility coordination, the committee passed SB 1425 as amended to Appropriations on a 10-3 vote. In the oversight hearing, CEC, CPUC, CAISO, and DWR officials reported that California’s summer reliability outlook is better than in prior years, with substantial new procurement, storage, and demand-response resources added since 2020. They said the state is projected to meet its summer reliability standard and has not needed a flex alert for three straight years, but cautioned that extreme heat, fire, hydro conditions, and federal policy uncertainty still pose risks. Officials emphasized that the current Strategic Reliability Reserve remains important as a backstop, while longer-term planning must address rising demand from electrification and data centers and the eventual retirement of emergency resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• I hope that the national landscape becomes clearer and that there is some real reckoning with the long-term
• highly successful programs that have demonstrated their Effectiveness, and so I'm interested in a long-term
• like for us to dig in a little bit in the future on how to prevent those cuts from having detrimental long-term
• That ends up actually just costing us more in the long term, so I hope we'll dig into that as we move
• They have long-term... Credibility, and they can analyze anything about the budget.

Committee: House Budget

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Too often patients encounter a health care system that is disjointed and is a dysfunctional maze.
• We are using seeds and chemicals that, over the long term, are costing them and us.
• I happen to believe that our health care system is profoundly broken.
• That's a broken health care system.
• There's been a lot of conversation about long, late-term abortions here.

Committee: Senate Finance Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a question of how to restart it responsibly and without increasing long-term risk to the state
• It's certainly part of the system in terms of how credit hours are weighted, but there's not this explicit
• What we are proposing is a program that would prioritize long-term student success over just students
• Hinkley, in answer to that question, in terms of cost effectiveness, most of these systems either work
• It's long term on what the environment is for their practice.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee heard a lengthy presentation from the Office of the State Board of Education on its budget, including the FY 2026 supplemental reversion for the Empowering Parents program, the FY 2027 Canvas learning management system renewal, a transfer of risk manager positions back to the institutions, and a one-time federal grant for AI-related subgrants. Members asked about staffing growth, federal-fund spending trends, the Canvas contract, the school safety tip line CETL Now, and the rationale for moving risk management functions. Director Jennifer White said the Canvas contract had been extensively reviewed and remains the best statewide solution, and she explained that the risk managers are being moved back because they work more efficiently embedded at the institutions. She also discussed the board’s data modernization efforts and said the office is pursuing better data-sharing and a phased approach to any future changes. A major portion of the meeting focused on White’s presentation of an outcomes-based funding proposal for higher education. She said the proposal is only the beginning of the work and would shift Idaho from an enrollment-based model toward one that rewards progression, completion, and workforce-relevant outcomes. The proposal would place 10% of base funding at risk, with institutions earning back funds through momentum measures and Idaho First funds tied to resident enrollment, completions, and priority programs. White emphasized the need for better data, a phased rollout, caps to avoid volatility, and special consideration for community colleges and dual enrollment. Committee members generally supported the concept but raised concerns about accountability, community college impacts, and how unearned funds would be handled. The committee then reviewed family medicine residency funding. Dr. Campbell outlined the Family Medicine Residencies budget request for additional residents and a fellowship, and program leaders explained the mixed funding structure that combines state positions, federal support, and patient-care revenue. Members asked about the impact of the 3% holdback, clinical placement capacity, and whether federal rural health funds might help. Program officials said the holdback affects some programs more than others, but they do not expect current residency numbers to drop, and they stressed the importance of continued legislative support to grow Idaho’s physician workforce. The committee also heard from Eastern Idaho Medical Residencies and the psychiatry residency program. Dr. Hinkley said Idaho has a severe shortage of psychiatrists, especially child and adolescent psychiatrists, and that residency training is the main way to retain physicians in-state. He and Dr. Moe described the program’s growth, the role of local recruitment, and the three-legged funding model involving state support, patient revenue, and hospital sponsorship. Members asked about expanding training to other regions, private support, and the program’s 10-year strategic plan. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided, and the committee moved on to the next medical education budget item.

Transcript Highlights:

• As a result, projects that could create jobs, improve infrastructure, and generate long-term economic
• In doing so, it unlocks private investment, supports job creation, and generates sustainable long-term
• reality, supporting job creation, increasing ongoing state and local tax revenues, and generating long-term
• time, it helps address the real financial challenges facing many fairgrounds by creating a pathway to long-term
• reality, supporting job creation, increasing ongoing state and local tax revenues, and generating long-term

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation heard several bills dealing with tax policy, local revenue authority, consumer protections, and incentives for development. AB 1726 would create catastrophe savings accounts for homeowners to save pre-tax dollars for disaster mitigation and recovery costs; it drew support from the Department of Insurance and the California Bankers Association, while the California Teachers Association opposed it because of the General Fund and Prop. 98 impact. The bill was referred to suspense. AB 1768 would authorize Los Angeles and Contra Costa counties to ask voters to approve local transaction and use taxes to offset projected federal funding cuts affecting health care and safety-net services; it received broad support from health providers and county representatives, opposition from one member and a resident, and passed the committee 5-2 to the Assembly Local Government Committee. The committee also considered AB 1790, which would repeal the Waters Edge corporate tax election and require worldwide combined reporting for multinational corporations. The author and supporters argued it would close a loophole, raise several billion dollars annually, and help fund schools, Medi-Cal, and other programs; opponents warned of double taxation, compliance burdens, retaliation from foreign governments, and job losses. After extensive testimony and member debate, the bill was referred to suspense. AB 2020 would provide a full property tax exemption for the primary residence of 100% disabled veterans and surviving spouses, and AB 2069 would create a targeted sales and use tax exemption to spur development projects at fairgrounds; both measures had support from sponsors and related organizations, no opposition, and were referred to suspense. Finally, AB 2705 would regulate third-party “asset finders” who help claim excess proceeds from tax sales by requiring written agreements, disclosure that claims can be filed free with the county, and a cap on fees at 10%. County officials and local government groups supported the bill as a consumer protection measure, while recovery companies and related firms opposed it, arguing the work is complex and the cap would reduce access to services. The committee moved AB 2705 to the Assembly floor on a 4-0 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, not just about facility stabilization, but really about prevention, connectivity, and long-term
• We’re looking at transformation in health care, long-term sustainability, nor can we cover routine facility
• And again, I think I’ve said it five or six times already, but we’re seeking a commitment to long-term
• And again, I think I've said it five or six times already, but we're seeking a commitment to long-term
• sustainability for health care at Arkansas. meant to long-term sustainability for health care in Arkansas

Summary: The committee first heard extensive public testimony from youth and advocates urging stronger restrictions on vaping. Speakers described vaping as a youth-targeted public health problem, citing flavored products, social media marketing, nicotine addiction, brain development concerns, school disruption, and exposure to harmful aerosol. They recommended prohibiting vaping in public indoor spaces and aligning vape rules with smoke-free laws. Committee members praised the speakers and encouraged them to continue building support for future legislation. The main presentation was on Arkansas’s Rural Health Transformation Program, administered through DFA. Secretary Jim Hudson and program director Brad Andi explained that Arkansas received about $209 million in the first year under the federal program, with potential for roughly $1 billion over five years if performance is strong. They emphasized that the program is meant for long-term rural health transformation, not general operating support, debt relief, or new construction. The state’s plan centers on four initiatives: HEART for prevention and community health, PACT for access and provider collaboration, RISE for workforce development, and THRIVE for technology and telehealth. Officials said applications will be handled through upcoming notices of funding opportunity, with a focus on local, shovel-ready projects, regional collaboration, and transparency. Committee members asked how the program would work for hospitals, clinics, nonprofits, schools, faith groups, and urban providers serving rural patients. Officials said eligibility is broad if applicants can show a connection to rural health, and that targeted renovations, mobile units, school-based clinics, farm-to-school or garden projects, EMS equipment, residency expansion, and behavioral health initiatives may fit if they align with the plan. They stressed that the program cannot fund working capital, routine maintenance, or new buildings, but can support repurposing space and collaborative networks. Members also raised concerns about protecting existing rural providers from being displaced, and officials said applications would be reviewed by a state committee with technical assistance and a reimbursement-based process. The committee then reviewed and took no objection to several DHS and Health Department rules. DHS presented a Medicaid/CHIP rule implementing federal requirements for incarcerated youth, including pre- and post-release coverage, care coordination, targeted case management, and screening services, with no public comments received. The Health Department also presented a licensing rule for audiology and speech pathology that implements recent acts and changes the renewal deadline; that rule was likewise reviewed without objection. The meeting adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• Are there any long-term provisions you can plan for?
• Are<00:35:46.720><c> there</c><00:35:46.880><c> any</c><00:35:47.119><c> long-term</c><00:35:47.599><
• c> provisions</c><00:35:48.000><c> you</c> Are there any long-term provisions you Are there any long-term
• And so, particularly in Kentucky, no deaths that I'm aware of. >> Long-term sequelae?
• <01:48:33.280><c> squle</c> &gt;&gt; long-term squle &gt;&gt; long-term squle &gt;&gt; um<01:48:34.800

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met and approved the minutes from its August 27 meeting. It then received a presentation from Katherine Castanza of the National Conference of State Legislators on the Medicaid provisions in the 2025 budget reconciliation bill, referred to as HR1. She explained that the bill is estimated by CBO to save the federal government $911 billion over 10 years, with more than 20 Medicaid-specific provisions, most of the savings concentrated in five policies and largely backloaded into 2030-2034. She emphasized that the bill’s effects will vary by state, but that expansion states and hospitals are expected to be most affected, in part because of changes to eligibility, provider taxes, and state-directed payments. Castanza highlighted several new funding and flexibility provisions, including a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund for 2026-2030 and a new home- and community-based services waiver option effective July 1, 2028, with $100 million in grants in fiscal year 2027. She also outlined major eligibility changes for Medicaid expansion adults: work or community engagement requirements effective January 1, 2027; twice-yearly redeterminations for the expansion population effective the same date; and new cost sharing for certain expansion adults effective October 1, 2028. She noted that Kentucky, as an expansion state, would be subject to these changes and that state agencies would face significant implementation demands, especially because federal guidance and timelines are tight. A substantial portion of the presentation focused on financing changes. Castanza described new limits on provider taxes, including a 0% safe harbor for new taxes and a phased reduction for existing taxes in expansion states beginning in 2028, while nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities are exempt from the reduction if already taxed. She also explained that state-directed payments will be capped and phased down over time, with existing arrangements grandfathered only briefly; she said Kentucky has 11 approved state-directed payments and could see significant fiscal effects. She added that the bill also bars Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood or similarly situated providers for one year, changes immigrant eligibility rules effective October 1, 2026, lowers the federal match for certain emergency services, and expands the scope of the federal erroneous payment recoupment provision effective October 1, 2029. Throughout, she stressed that federal savings may translate into state cost shifts and that implementation timing will be critical.

Transcript Highlights:

• Certainly, uh, we have a health care system that is not working for people, and there is a lot of work
• Certainly, uh, we have a health care system that is not working for people, and there is a lot of work
• Certainly, uh, we have a health care system that is not working for people, and there is a lot of work
• Certainly, uh, we have a health care system that is not working for people, and there is a lot of work
• Certainly, uh, we have a health care system that is not working for people, and there is a lot of work

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• list, without more, and then the long-term care provider, again, when we have a long-term care setting
• list, without more, and then the long-term care provider, again, when we have a long-term care setting
• list, without more, and then the long-term care provider, again, when we have a long-term care setting
• list, without more, and then the long-term care provider, again, when we have a long-term care setting
• list, without more, and then the long-term care provider, again, when we have a long-term care setting

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Keywords: 1187, senate, all