Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1110 authorizes Medicaid to cover specified orthotics or prosthetics services and directs the Agency
• What makes this disease especially challenging is the outcomes are time-dependent.
• What makes this disease especially challenging is the outcomes are time-dependent.
• It happens with thoughtful systems that you put in place as an owner of an agency.
• That is something that we... ...that you put in place as an owner of an agency.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services met with a quorum present and took up several health-related bills. CS/SB 1110, covering Medicaid and insurance coverage for medically necessary orthotics and prosthetics, including activity-specific devices without lifetime or continuous-use caps, received emotional testimony from families and athletes describing high costs and the importance of access for children and adults with disabilities. Members voiced strong support, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee also heard SB 1574, which would add biliary atresia screening to the newborn screening program using the existing birth blood specimen. The sponsor and a parent testified that earlier detection could prevent severe liver damage, transplants, and deaths, and the bill was reported favorably. CS/SB 794, dealing with background screening for employees at residential facilities and day training programs for people with developmental disabilities and a review of waiver support coordination, was amended to align with the House companion and then reported favorably after testimony emphasizing the importance of strong support coordinators for APD waiver families. Members then considered SB 162, requiring hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to adopt policies for smoke evacuation systems during procedures that generate surgical smoke. Nurses and other supporters described surgical smoke as a serious occupational hazard, while the Florida Hospital Association said hospitals are already regulated in this area and the bill was somewhat prescriptive; an amendment was adopted and the bill was reported favorably. CS/SB 254, which tightens oversight of nursing education programs, adds preceptorship and provisional licensure pathways for graduates awaiting NCLEX results, and increases transparency and accountability for low-performing programs, drew support from nursing advocates and opposition from private nursing schools concerned about workforce impacts; after amendment, it was reported favorably. Finally, SB 688 to reestablish licensure and regulation of naturopathic doctors in Florida was heard with testimony both supporting expanded health care choices and opposing the bill over safety and scope concerns, and it too was reported favorably. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think because they had a backlog, there was, you know, a staffing challenge to catch up.
• So we are continuing to do work on this bill and with the agencies to see if we can bring down that cost
• or assign medical debt for ambulance services following a motor vehicle accident to a collections agency
• So HB 2363 addresses this challenge by allowing a limited temporary exemption for applicable applicants
• There were physicians, non-physician providers, regulatory agencies, the Washington Hospital Association

Bills: HB2540 , HB2113

Committee: Senate Health & Long-Term Care

Keywords: emergency medical services, EMT recertification, healthcare, first responders, public health, radiologic technologists, diagnostic imaging, healthcare regulation, professional supervision, state licensing, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You heard the previous bill about prior auth, and sometimes that's the challenge, but this is just a
• That's the challenge, but this is just a timely payment for a clean claim, as you heard the definition
• I am here to speak in support of our agency request legislation, Senate Bill 5988.
• Today, my testimony focuses on the structure of this bill, the agency it assigns responsibility to, and
• So extended timelines create operational challenges.

Bills: SB5915 , SB5988 , SB6025 , SJM8002

Committee: House Health Care & Wellness

Keywords: SB 5915, health technology assessment, HTA, clinical committee, medical technology review, coverage determination, state-purchased health care, Washington health care, RCW, evidence-based medicine, cost-effectiveness, safety and efficacy, Medicare coverage, national coverage determination, clinical guidelines, patient advocacy, public comment, medical necessity, rare disease, life-threatening disease

Transcript Highlights:

• I think having transparent quality measures where in a process for physicians to, um, challenge the tier
• Um, the opportunity to have a back and forth, respond with, you know, uh, and challenges, etc. to their
• I think it's sort of a, the bill is sort of a challenge to health plans.
• When you look at it, the people that have the data are the federal government, state agencies.
• Public land burning is generally done by those agencies. This is all private land, right?

Bills: HB139

Committee: House Insurance

Keywords: ad valorem tax, tax rates, voter-approval, taxing unit, property tax, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• These slides in the SharePoint at 3-03B and the agency slides at 3-03C.
• And for a $400 million agency, 11.4% is a significant amount.
• And this is an agency-wide summary of the budget.
• I might pause if there are any agency-wide questions.
• Did the agency give you any reasoning for the 296 vacant positions? Mr.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee met jointly with Senate Finance and House Appropriations to review the Idaho Department of Correction budget, beginning with an agency overview from Legislative Services analyst Noah Peterson and then testimony from Director Bree Derrick. Discussion focused on the department’s overall funding mix, declining balances in dedicated funds such as inmate labor and probation/parole receipts, vacancy management, and the impact of the governor’s holdback exemption. Members also asked about software and technology costs, the Hepatitis C Fund, replacement items, and why some positions remain vacant or are held open as a budget strategy. A substantial portion of the meeting covered the department’s major divisions and cost drivers. In state prisons, county/out-of-state placement, community corrections, community-based substance use disorder treatment, and medical services, the analyst and director explained enhancement requests, supplemental needs, and rising operating costs tied to inflation, population growth, and contract rates. Members questioned the inmate labor fund’s decline, the loss of work contracts, the cost and effectiveness of recidivism and transparency software, the Pocatello reentry center, body-worn cameras, RFID and drone detection technology, and the medical contract with Centurion. The department said some cuts were made or planned in response to budget pressure, including reduced spending on Recidivis and other contracts, while body-worn cameras and some public-safety tools were retained. The committee also discussed prison population pressures, county jail and out-of-state placement costs, mandatory minimum sentences, and the use of county jails as overflow. Director Derrick said the department is seeing more admissions than releases and that Idaho’s incarceration rate remains high relative to neighboring states. She also said the department is working to expand county and out-of-state options and to pursue more inmate labor contracts. Several members asked for follow-up information on staffing, contract counts, program impacts, and fund balances. The meeting then moved to the Commission of Pardons and Parole budget, where Director Christine Starr testified that commissioners are part-time but effectively work full-time, are not paid for training or all preparation time, and that turnover remains a concern. No votes were taken; the committee adjourned to resume the next day after work groups.

Transcript Highlights:

• But in life, we encounter any number of challenges, physically, emotionally, professionally, relationally
• I guess we'll need clarity on whether or not this two million is going to the agency or to the nonprofit
• But when it comes to any other agency that comes before us, we ask multiple questions.
• I do want to bring up that there are a couple agencies.
• What's our way of being when it comes to funding agencies? Or, I guess at this point, nonprofits.

Summary: The House convened, completed the roll call, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance, and then took up several measures. The main floor debate centered on House Bill 2787, a one-time $2 million supplemental for the Choosing Childbirth program through the State Department of Health. Supporters said the money would prevent a lapse in services for more than 4,000 mothers and children, especially in rural areas, until the organization can reenter the bidding process in 2028. Opponents questioned the nonprofit’s transparency, donor base, leadership, and prior use of state funds, arguing the Legislature should not provide another supplemental without clearer accountability. The bill passed 70-19, and the emergency clause also passed. The House also considered Senate Bill 546 on data privacy. After floor amendments removed the emergency clause and set a January 1, 2027 effective date, the bill was explained as a comprehensive consumer data privacy measure applying to certain businesses operating in Oklahoma. It would give consumers rights to access, delete, and opt out of the sale of personal data, with enforcement through the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division and civil penalties for violations. The bill passed 84-4. In addition, House Bill 2786 received a joint committee report and passed with no debate; it provides supplemental funding to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to complete fiscal year 2025 payments to CCBHCs and other vendors, and its emergency clause also passed. The House adopted House Resolution 1034 recognizing February as Black History Month. The chamber also heard several introductions and announcements before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the Minnesota Fluction Control Agency. the Minnesota Fluction Control Agency.
• </c> then I think you would have a challenge. then I think you would have a challenge.
• </c> with many many different uh, agencies with many many different uh, agencies all<01:19:52.800><c>
• </c> uh agencies that they're comparable to. uh agencies that they're comparable to.
• </c> or is it the agency that matters? or is it the agency that matters?

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Line 24 is for agency administration.
• Line 24 is for agency administration.
• Line 24 is for agency administration.
• Um it includes education's agency bill.
• ><c> you</c><02:30:36.240><c> must</c> We recognize the challenges you must We recognize the challenges

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Higher Education Finance and Policy Conference Committee met publicly to compare House and Senate positions on the higher education budget, with the chairs emphasizing transparency and alternating gavel control. Nonpartisan fiscal staff walked through a spreadsheet of differences across the Office of Higher Education and Minnesota State, including major items such as state grants, childcare grants, work study, tribal college grants, emergency assistance grants, hunger-free campus grants, student parent support, direct admissions, paramedic scholarships, and several medical residency and fellowship programs. The House and Senate also differed on administrative funding, campus sexual assault reporting, and a House FY25 cancellation that would be carried forward. Members discussed several of the larger policy and funding choices. The Senate explained its increase for Minitex as support for operating costs and statewide access to information. The House explained its cuts to student parent support and other items as necessary to work within a zero target and to prioritize direct aid to students, while the Senate said it focused on direct appropriations and access-related programs. On hunger-free campus grants and emergency assistance grants, the Senate said it was changing the distribution method and direct appropriations rather than reducing the overall money, while the House noted differences in whether nonprofit institutions remained included. The committee also reviewed Senate-only additions and reductions in Minnesota State, including free course materials, Lake Superior College remediation, and changes to the Kids on Campus appropriation. A representative from Lake Superior College testified that the PAS remediation funding would help address contamination issues at an emergency training site near Lake Superior and that the money was shifted from the Kids on Campus initiative. No final conference agreement or vote was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the committee continued discussing differences and testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have people with challenging behaviors.
• But she is flourishing in spite of her challenges. I'm going to share a bit of her challenges.
• The challenge is in our current environment,... Them with him.
• Where are his challenges? What are his triggers? What are his goals?
• And so the challenge for my son is having appropriately trained staff.

Committee: All TASK FORCE ON AUTISM

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• head, the agency head of the agency.
• head, the agency head of the agency.
• We want to work and look at these agencies that are primarily reserve agencies, where those officers
• “So when you say an agency, are you referring to a police agency?
• That’s on that agency. I have a picture in the state. I have a picture in the agency.

Bills: HB1455 , HB1777 , HB2101 , HB2136 , HB2609 , HB3142 , HB3552 , HB3846 , HB4155 , HB4514 , HB4879 , HB4995 , HB5014 , HB5139 , HB5228 , HB5436 , HCR40

Committee: House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: mental health, jail diversion, law enforcement, reporting requirements, criminal justice, data collection, criminal justice reform, intellectual disability, mental illness, data reporting, public safety, reporting, substance abuse, sex offender, driver's license, identification, gunshot detection, unreported gunshots, municipal police, crime investigation

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and heard several bills, generally leaving them pending after testimony. HB 4995 would create a training/certification program allowing licensed physicians and certain EMS personnel assigned to tactical units to carry firearms during high-risk deployments, with supporters saying it would protect tactical medical staff and improve emergency care; the committee substitute was withdrawn and the bill left pending. HB 2609 would repeal the OmniBase/failure-to-appear-or-pay license hold program; the author and supporters argued it unfairly compounds debt and traps drivers in noncompliance, while judges and municipal court representatives said it is an effective, voluntary tool that prompts court appearances and reduces warrants. HB 4879 would create a grant program to help local law enforcement pay for lab testing of suspected hemp/THC substances, and HB 5436 would allow licensed auto recyclers to purchase certain untitled vehicles for scrap or parts to curb illegal sales, VIN cloning, and chop shop activity; both bills drew supportive testimony and were left pending. The committee also heard HB 1777, which would place a discrete sex-offender designation on driver’s licenses and state IDs for registrants under Chapter 62. The author said the marker would help law enforcement and businesses quickly identify potentially dangerous offenders and cited other states and research in support, while opponents argued it would function as a scarlet letter, increase harassment, and punish people who are already complying with the law. HB 4155 would create a Family Violence Criminal Homicide Prevention Task Force in the Governor’s Office to study risk factors, coordinate agencies, and recommend policy changes; the author, HHSC, TCFV, and a survivor testified in support, emphasizing the number of family violence homicides and the need for coordinated, data-driven prevention, and the bill was left pending. Finally, HB 4514 would authorize DPS to use facial image verification, with consent and confidentiality protections, to help businesses verify identities and combat fraud. Supporters from the lumber and identity-verification industries said it would reduce losses from fake IDs and organized theft, while the author stressed privacy safeguards and limited, consent-based use. The committee substitute was withdrawn and the bill was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• H. 534, an act relating to community action agencies.
• </c> action agencies. action agencies.
• </c> Agency of Human Services. Agency of Human Services.
• </c><01:05:31.720><c> of</c> municipality and the Agency of municipality and the Agency of Agriculture
• </c> very challenging balance. very challenging balance.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> kind of you know performance challenges kind of you know performance challenges and<00:32:20.640
• KCNA is a state agency all 120 counties.
• </c> KCA2, the agencies that it serves. They continue to be served by us.
• </c><01:36:43.280><c> They're</c><01:36:43.520><c> here</c> stateto-state agencies.
• They're here stateto-state agencies.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:15 Kentucky Department of Education 00:01:20 Kentucky Communications Network Authority 00:36:45 Accelecom 01:01:22 Auditor of Public Accounts 01:29:50, 958, all

Summary: The Information Technology Oversight Committee met to hear a presentation from Kentucky Department of Education officials David Couch and Mike Lingham on the history and current status of Kentucky’s K-12 internet network, including its relationship to KentuckyWired. They described the original KETS design from 1995, when KDE established district internet hubs and left local districts to connect to them, and said that model helped Kentucky become a national leader in school connectivity and cloud-based services. They also emphasized the importance of E-rate eligibility, saying it has saved the state substantial money and remains central to KDE’s network contracting. Couch and Lingham said the current “next generation Kentucky K-12 internet” contract with Education Networks of America is more reliable, offers more functionality, and costs less than the prior system, including lower bandwidth and firewall costs. They explained that the transition was complicated by build-out and provisioning issues, especially the need for more “type two” connections through local providers, which pushed some implementation past the June 30, 2024 E-rate deadline. As a result, 39 sites remain on type two connections, and KDE absorbed the loss of federal discount dollars for the portion of the transition that extended into July. The witnesses also discussed home internet access for students. They said KDE has tracked home access for about 20 years and estimates about 4.5% of students still lack adequate internet at home, with roughly 3% able to reach access nearby and 1.5% having no access. They said the biggest barrier is usually cost rather than lack of available lines, and noted that temporary hotspot support during COVID helped students continue schoolwork. Senator Williams asked about the costs of the transition, the current type two sites, and the potential cost of any future transition, but the transcript cuts off before a full answer was given.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill tackles those challenges head-on.
• So Section 7 provides that they have 30 days to challenge the designation.
• the challenge would come at the time that the only challenge contemplated in this bill is that of the
• to be used in the underlying hearing or challenge of the designation.
• Quick question. ...challenge of the designation. Thank you.

Bills: S0002

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: retirement, Deferred Retirement Option Program, DROP, pension contributions, Special Risk Class, retirement benefits, cost-of-living adjustment, state officials, 999, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee took up a long agenda of bills, including several claims bills and policy measures. It heard and approved, mostly unanimously, bills on curators of estates (SB 326, as amended), remedies under the Florida Civil Rights Act (SB 1096), a claim for Reginald Jackson against the City of Lakeland (SB 28), a DCF-related claim for L.E. (SB 6), trust administration reform (SB 786, as amended), a Broward County claim for the estate of a deceased minor (SB 18, as amended, 10-1), a DOT claim for the estate of Mark Legata (SB 26), veterans’ courts (CS/SB 50), extracurricular activities in public K-12 schools (CS/CS/SB 538, as amended), and pet sale protections for dogs and cats (SB 1004). The committee also considered the sovereign immunity claims bill (SB 1366), which was presented as a starting point for negotiations with the House and was reported favorably after testimony from local government, hospital, and school representatives who urged the Senate to hold to its current lower cap levels. The committee later approved a claims bill for the estate of Daniel Maudsley against DHSMV (SB 2). The meeting included repeated roll calls and favorable reports on each measure, with the only recorded no vote on SB 18 from Senator Osgood. Several bills drew testimony from supporters and, in some cases, objections. SB 50 on veterans’ courts received broad support from veterans’ groups, criminal justice organizations, and community advocates who said it would expand problem-solving court options for veterans dealing with service-related issues. SB 538 on extracurricular activities drew support and opposition, and was amended to address home education eligibility, a school activity fee issue, technical conforming changes, and compensation for extracurricular sponsors. SB 1004 was presented as consumer protection legislation aimed at retail pet dealers, requiring disclosure of animal health records and financing terms and creating a private right of action for violations. The committee also heard extensive testimony on SB 1178, which would create a foreign interference restriction and enforcement framework targeting foreign countries of concern and designated foreign terrorist organizations. Supporters described it as a national-security measure to limit foreign influence, protect critical infrastructure, and restrict gifts, contracts, and sister-city ties; the sponsor withdrew one amendment and the bill was reported favorably. Finally, SB 1632, dealing with ideologies inconsistent with American principles, prompted substantial questioning about due process, domestic terrorist organization designations, Sharia law references, student discipline, and notice procedures. The sponsor said the bill was intended to protect constitutional principles and target conduct rather than belief, but the transcript ends while public testimony on that bill is still underway.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're always with other agencies.
• </c> different person within that agency. different person within that agency.
• </c><04:04:22.640><c> By</c> mental health challenges. By mental health challenges.
• Agencies are often forced to agencies.
• I know that they are challenging.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard Senate Bill 254, which Senator David Roford described as a technical correction to controlled substance inventory law for pharmacies. He said the bill would remove outdated language requiring inventories to be done in an odd-numbered year, while keeping the existing requirement that pharmacies conduct a full controlled substance inventory every two years in line with federal law. Members asked several clarifying questions about whether the requirement is pharmacy-by-pharmacy, whether new pharmacies would be affected, and whether the change would alter scope or compliance; the sponsor and a representative of the New Hampshire Pharmacist Association said it would not, and that it mainly provides clarity for pharmacies and inspectors. The public hearing on SB 254 was then closed, and the committee also heard support from a representative of the pharmacist community, who said the association supports the bill. The committee then discussed a non-germane amendment to SB 254 dealing with FBI background checks for educational surrogate parents under the Department of Education. Representative Leyon explained that the amendment was requested by the Department of Education after the FBI rejected prior statutory language, and that the goal was to allow people serving as educational surrogate parents to complete FBI fingerprint-based background checks so they can perform their duties. Department of Education and Department of Safety staff testified that the amendment mirrors language that has worked in other education-related background check statutes, including provisions with specific disqualifying offenses tied to child safety, and that the FBI requires precise statutory language and direct transmission of records through the Department of Safety. Members questioned why the FBI’s approval was needed, whether individuals could simply provide their own records, and whether changing federal leadership could require future changes; witnesses said the state needs both state and national records, that records must come directly from the FBI through the Department of Safety, and that the language is intended to satisfy current federal requirements. During the discussion, some members expressed skepticism about the need for the amendment and about placing it on a bill about controlled substance inventories, but no vote was taken during the portion of the transcript provided. The committee also briefly discussed a separate bill on physician assistants/physician associates, with members noting that the proposed name change would not alter scope of practice and that some outside groups had raised concerns about transparency, but that discussion was interrupted and not concluded in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Let's uh let's go to the agencies next. Is there uh agency members that need to opine on this?
• </c> this bill before I get to agencies? this bill before I get to agencies?
• Is there uh agency members that next.
• Um, which creates some challenges.
• </c> includes any of those agency requests. includes any of those agency requests.

Bills: SF0032 , SF0010 , SF0001 , HB0001

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: 911 services, emergency response, grant funding, next generation technology, government accountability, public safety, mental health, detention, competency evaluation, treatment, contractual agreements, Wyoming, budget, funding, education, wildfire prevention, healthcare, community colleges, grants, economic development

Transcript Highlights:

• IN THEIR COOPERATION AND COORDINATION WITH FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENCIES IN THE ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL
• OF THE AWARDS NIGHT AGENCIES RECEIVE AWARD APPROVAL TOTALING $159,760.90.
• IF AN AGENCY HAS A CONTRACT FOR $40 A DAY, THE STATE GRANT PROGRAM CAN SUPPLEMENT THAT FOR A TOTAL OF
• Daniels: DO YOU KNOW WHAT STATE AGENCIES ARE DIRECTLY HANDS-ON WITH THAT.
• HOWEVER, IF AN AGENCY SUBMITS FOR AN LLOYD'S UNTIL MAY.

Transcript Highlights:

• agencies agencies with<00:42:36.079><c> regard</c><00:42:36.400><c> to</c><00:42:36.720><c> the</c><
• </c> requests of the US federal agencies requests of the US federal agencies indicates<01:00:59.119><
• Senate has found that federal agencies were suppressing the data, not our own state agencies.
• can trust the federal agencies.
• </c> the federal agencies. the federal agencies. um<02:49:05.680><c> question.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee met as a special House committee on COVID response efficacy, noted absences, and restated its mission to review New Hampshire’s pandemic response, including federal guidance, federal funds, emergency use authorization vaccination efforts, long COVID treatment, patient bill of rights implementation, and vaccination policies. The main business was discussion of a proposed letter or report language concerning current COVID vaccine recommendations for young children, especially those under age two, and how to support any conclusions with cited scientific and state sources. Representative Polozov argued that the committee should ask the governor or agencies to reconsider current recommendations, saying the committee should focus on whether vaccination is needed for that age group, whether it is effective, and whether the risks outweigh the benefits. He said he had distributed articles and wanted the committee to pair its conclusions with scientific and statistical data. Other members asked him to identify the specific New Hampshire DHHS and American Academy of Pediatrics sources for the recommendation, clarify the age range being discussed, and separate any evidence about adverse effects in other age groups from the infant/toddler demographic so the letter would be transparent and not misleading. Members generally agreed the letter should be carefully sourced and refined, with citations for each claim. The chair said the committee would treat the request as urgent and try to finalize a version by the next meeting, noting that some members would be traveling. The committee also discussed scheduling additional testimony in September and October, possibly with extra meetings, to continue gathering evidence and to hear from witnesses. The chair then began reviewing supporting articles, including studies he said were new since the 2024 report, and introduced a 2025 South Korea cohort study and another 2025 Italian cohort study as examples of the evidence he wanted to incorporate into an updated 2026 report.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is DOR agency request legislation that has been sent over to you by the House.
• That is our role as an administrative agency: we interpret statutes and advise taxpayers on how we expect
• a change retroactively, and then courts have upheld that retroactive change in subsequent cases challenging
• , or challenging work schedules.
• are appropriated for administration, public health, and other cannabis-related programs at state agencies

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held its last scheduled public hearing of the year on March 9, 2026, taking testimony on House Bill 2487, Substitute House Bill 2689, and Engrossed House Bill 2681. For HB 2487, staff and the Department of Revenue explained that the bill would narrow a B&O tax exemption for insurance-related businesses after a 2024 Supreme Court decision, make several related changes including annuity and assigned risk plan exemptions, adjust the advanced computing surcharge threshold for certain affiliated groups, and allow a penalties-and-interest waiver with a repayment plan. DOR supported the bill as clarifying the original intent and preventing double taxation, while insurers and health plan groups opposed it, arguing it would create higher costs, retroactive tax liability, and uncertainty; consumer and policy groups testified in support, saying it closes a loophole and restores the intended tax structure. Committee members questioned the retroactivity, the number of affected businesses, and the fiscal estimates, and the chair reminded members that amendment requests were due by noon for the next day’s executive session. For Substitute HB 2689, staff described changes to the Working Connections Child Care program that would keep income eligibility at 60% of state median income, reduce future rate-setting from the 85th to the 75th percentile, block enhanced rates for certain cross-region providers, cancel the planned move to enrollment-based prospective payments, revise attendance-based reimbursement to a full month for absences of 10 days or fewer and half-month for longer absences, and require a 65% market survey response rate for validity. The fiscal note projected substantial savings, offset by implementation and staffing costs. SEIU 925 and Head Start representatives supported the simpler House approach to attendance billing but raised concerns about the new survey threshold and the risk of increased audits and provider burden; they also noted an amendment under discussion to address the 2026 survey issue. Committee questions focused on how a full month is defined under the attendance rules. For HB 2681, staff said the bill would raise annual issuance and renewal fees for cannabis producer, processor, and retail licenses by $400, generating about $866,000 per year for the dedicated cannabis account with minimal administrative cost. No one signed up to testify, and the chair closed the hearing without a vote on any of the bills. The chair also thanked committee staff for their work and reiterated that amendments for the heard bills were due by noon that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• addition to, any public participation process required by federal or state law or by a federal or state agency
• addition to any public participation process required by federal or state law or by federal or state agency
• I'm having challenges this morning. Eat your cookie. Thank you. Get some energy in that.
• We know how challenged we are with making sure that we have the electricity, energy generation, storage
• How challenged we are with making sure that we have the electricity, energy generation, storage, and

Bills: SB6132

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: indebtedness limits, inland port districts, federal funding, infrastructure improvements, economic development, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• addition to, any public participation process required by federal or state law or by federal or state agency
• addition to any public participation process required by federal or state law or by federal or state agency
• I'm having challenges this morning. Eat your cookie. Thank you. Get some energy in that.
• We know how challenged we are with making sure that we have the electricity, energy generation, storage
• them the tools that they need regarding some self-performance and non-contract thresholds. ...how challenged

Summary: The Local Government Committee met for its final meeting of the session and considered six bills in executive session after a caucus break. The committee first took up Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6026 on residential development in commercial and mixed-use zones. Members debated how to balance housing production with local control and walkable downtowns. The committee adopted a striking amendment that removed some exemptions, capped ground-floor commercial or mixed-use requirements at 40% of affected acreage, extended the compliance deadline to 18 months, and barred such requirements on publicly subsidized affordable housing projects. A proposed amendment to raise the population threshold from 30,000 to 40,000 was rejected. The bill was then reported out with a do pass recommendation on a 5-2 vote. The committee next considered Substitute Senate Bill 6309 on permitting tools for high-capacity transit projects, including development agreements with regional transit authorities. Two property-rights-related amendments were rejected or modified, and an ADA-related amendment was adopted to ensure accessibility requirements were not waived. The bill was reported out as amended. Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5374 on tribal representation in transportation planning also advanced after an amendment changed “consult” to “coordinate,” aligned county processes with the Growth Management Act, and added access to technical assistance; the bill passed out of committee with a do pass recommendation. Senate Bill 6132, allowing a narrow increase in indebtedness for select inland port districts to preserve federal funding eligibility, passed unanimously without amendment. The committee also approved Substitute Senate Bill 6076, which streamlines procurement rules for consumer-owned utilities on clean energy, storage, transmission, and distribution projects, with members noting broad support from utilities and labor. Finally, Substitute Senate Bill 5729, which limits local governments from charging applicants for certain third-party reviews already covered by staff review in affordable housing permitting, was reported out unanimously. The meeting ended with members thanking staff for their work during the session and adjourning the committee.