Transcript Highlights:

• The offender does this behavior for weeks, months, and years on end.
• Yet his worrisome behavior didn't end.
• Due to a diagnosed behavior abnormality, not because of new crimes.
• So also you said impaired behavior and, you know, uh, they lash out at state or staff.
• And much of the evidence used against them was because of their behavior in prison, aggressive behavior

Transcript Highlights:

• And often the interventions for a certain type of behavior might be more a custodial response.
• community behavior, that's why you see some of these overrides.
• They lead restorative justice and behavioral programs. Please.
• They lead restorative justice and behavioral programs.
• People get incarcerated for their behavior.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission on correctional consolidation and collaboration heard testimony focused on how Massachusetts uses custody levels, staffing, programming, and medical release tools, with Prisoners’ Legal Services arguing that the system is overusing expensive high-security settings and underusing step-down options. Dave Rainey said the incarcerated population has dropped substantially over the last several years, but spending and staffing have not fallen in proportion. He argued that DOC overclassifies people into medium and maximum security, relies too heavily on behavioral assessment units that function like segregation, and keeps people in restrictive settings such as Souza-Baranowski and Shattuck Hospital longer than necessary. He also said medical parole is underused and that many people with serious chronic illness or advanced age pose little public-safety risk and should be released through existing legal pathways. Sheriffs and other commission members pushed back on some of those points, emphasizing that staffing needs are driven by the acuity of the current population, that corrections is not overstaffed, and that classification decisions involve serious public-safety judgments. They also stressed that some high-cost medical placements are necessary because people remain under sentence and require care, and that furloughs and other release tools can create security risks if contraband or substance use is involved. The discussion also covered the role of county sheriffs versus DOC in reentry, with several members saying county systems tend to do more day-to-day step-down and release planning, while DOC has more difficulty moving people through lower-security settings before release. Ben Foreman of MassINC offered a more systemwide, data-focused perspective, praising the state’s transparency and arguing that Massachusetts has made major progress in reducing incarceration and increasing public safety. He said the state still has an opportunity to improve by right-sizing facilities, investing in community-based mental health treatment, and using the commission to better understand the capital and operating costs of the current system. In response to questions, he said he was aware of DOC studies on programs like furlough but had not reviewed recent ones, and he noted that total-control facilities like Souza-Baranowski have long been criticized in the research literature for poor outcomes. Nora Wassel of the Women and Incarceration Project then testified that the commission should issue an interim report and scrutinize the planned new women’s prison, which she said is not justified by current population trends or available data. She argued that women are overclassified under DOC’s own tools, that reentry beds and minimum-security placements are underused, and that the system may be failing to account for women’s distinct medical and reentry needs. The meeting ended with continued discussion of reentry, furloughs, day reporting, and whether consolidation should mean fewer facilities, better step-down pathways, or both.

Transcript Highlights:

• have better outcomes than foster care, with children experiencing greater stability and improved behavioral
• Individualized intervention and ongoing monitoring to ensure that the care is tailored to the patient's
• Nutrition counseling may be utilized as an intervention within MNT, but its application varies.
• Um, tailoring interventions to address their nutrition-related concerns directly associated with the
• We also need to be doing interventions at an early age because our children can bring that back to the

Bills: HB 26, HB 140, HB 141, HB 142, HB 215

Keywords: Medicaid, nutrition support, maternal health, chronic conditions, pilot program, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, child protective services, child abuse investigations, child neglect, child exploitation, advisory committee, Family and Protective Services Council, council abolition, foster care, due process, investigative procedures, child welfare, parental rights, family preservation services

Transcript Highlights:

• And so, for Utah, in one behavioral health code, you are 3% above what Utah's behavioral health code
• health. for non-urgent behavioral health.
• Our behavioral health initiatives are listed here.
• ECHO behavioral health programs to upskill the workforce.
• of the Behavioral Health Subcommittee of this committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• , behavioral health services, or transfer within the system.
• actually to have that interventional actually to have that interventional procedure<05:36:46.240
• And I know we might coin as behaviors.
• who have significant behaviors. who have significant behaviors.
• We need to do what it takes behaviors.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As we're thinking through how that works with our behavioral health services and that. Handoff.
• I'm the Deputy County Manager for Behavioral Health. It's a relatively new position.
• Our County Commission, on June 28th of last year, passed the Behavioral Health Ordinance.
• Throughout my career, which now spans 53 years in behavioral health, most of that has been focused on
• So we take a very behavioral health-centered approach to this.

Transcript Highlights:

• That was targeted interventions to low-income at-risk kids.
• That was when we were doing targeted interventions based on income.
• I'm sick and tired of your intrusive behavior. We like our accrediting body.
• We have thousands being served in child care and in early intervention.
• They get connected to our early intervention program. We intervene early.

Summary: The committee heard first from LFC staff on a brief about New Mexico’s universal child care expansion. Staff said child care assistance has clear benefits for parents and families, but LFC has not found evidence in New Mexico that it improves children’s educational outcomes; they argued pre-K is the better tool for that goal. The brief highlighted four concerns with universal access: an estimated annual cost of about $849.7 million, a sharp decline in registered homes, possible crowding out of lower-income families, and reduced access for children under age two. Staff also suggested possible mitigations such as prioritizing slots for low-income and at-risk families, reinstating sliding-scale co-pays, and tying quality improvements to workforce wages. Members raised questions about the cost estimate, funding sources, provider quality, and whether the data showed actual crowding out. Several lawmakers expressed support for child care generally but concern about the fiscal impact and whether universal access would divert resources from the families most in need. Others emphasized the importance of child care for workforce participation, rural communities, and family stability, and questioned how registered homes are counted and regulated. LFC staff clarified that the cost estimate was for child care assistance only, not the entire ECECD budget, and that the data showed declines in the share of lowest-income children and infants/toddlers served, though not causation. The ECECD secretary then presented the department’s response, saying universal child care is intended to complete a cradle-to-career system and that the department has already seen strong uptake, increased capacity, and rising workforce participation. She said 6,206 families were found eligible in the first month, the share of infants and toddlers served rose, and new provider applications and licensed slots increased after the November rollout. The department also emphasized wage increases, quality improvements, and a new wage scale/career lattice, while projecting a lower near-term cost than LFC’s estimate and requesting additional funding for child care, early pre-K, home visiting, workforce systems, and capacity-building. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided; the discussion was informational and focused on questions and testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the executive director of the Youth Intervention Programs Association.
• Intervention Programs Association. Intervention Programs Association.
• We're the Youth Intervention Program Association.
• We're the Youth Intervention Program Association.
• We've had conversations about the important youth intervention programming.

Bills: HF2362, HF2136, HF1316, HF2009, HF1918, HF1614

Keywords: youth intervention, funding, mental health, education, community programs, HF1316, child support, new hire reporting, centralized work reporting system, independent contractors, payors, employers, payor of funds, withholding orders, income withholding, child support enforcement, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, gig economy, rideshare drivers, delivery drivers

Transcript Highlights:

• and behavioral sciences at the<00:48:18.960> University<00:48:19.280> of<00:48:19.440>
• This is widely recognized as the gold standard in early intervention.
• <00:49:02.480> And gold standard in early intervention.
• And gold standard in early intervention.
• And underserved communities to ensuring that early interventions for serious mental health.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm an interventional spine specialist.
• I'm an interventional spine specialist.
• I'm an interventional spine specialist.
• I'm an interventional spine specialist.
• cognitive<05:20:59.958> behavioral counseling and cognitive behavioral counseling and cognitive

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard testimony on House Bill 167, a PFAS-related measure to add ski, snowboard, and boat wax to the state’s list of banned consumer products containing PFAS. The sponsor said the product is already banned in many other places, alternatives exist, and the concern is that these products go directly into water rather than landfills. She cited high PFAS levels in several New Hampshire lakes and argued the bill would help stop further contamination. A member of the public also described personal experience with ski wax products disappearing from the market, suggesting PFAS may have been the reason. The chair then closed the hearing on HB 167. The committee next opened a hearing on House Bill 312, dealing with college athletes’ name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights. Representative Moffett explained the bill was prompted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s NCAA v. Alston decision and was modeled on New Jersey law. He said the bill would prevent colleges from restricting NIL compensation, require athletes to use licensed attorneys or registered sports agents, and limit certain endorsements involving addictive drugs, adult entertainment, firearms, and weapons. He framed the measure as a proactive response to a changing college sports landscape and noted possible future conflicts involving schools, agents, and endorsements. Committee members raised several concerns and suggested changes. One member questioned the bill’s exclusion of two-year institutions, another objected to the weapons restriction, and others asked how the bill would affect scholarships. The sponsor said the intent was to protect scholarships, especially athletic scholarships, and clarified that need-based scholarships were not meant to be affected. He also acknowledged discomfort with the endorsement restrictions and said the committee might want to broaden or revise the language. The hearing remained open for further consideration, with no vote taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I suspect that kind of behavior is unconstitutional.
• <03:48:00.960> Um, ethical behavior. Um, ethical behavior.
• 10 years of non-intervention and they're actually going to start intervening.
• But any evaluation that interventions.
• Sex-denying hormonal interventions and mastectomies aren't evidence-based.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , and behavioral health.
• Pre-service and annual training on de-escalation, crisis intervention, and behavioral health.
• , and behavioral health for correctional officers. ...to training on de-escalation, crisis intervention
• , and behavioral health for correctional officers.
• intervention.

Summary: The Senate opened with an invocation by Pastor Tedrick Woods, followed by routine chamber actions including excusing Senator Gutierrez and receiving House messages that the House had passed HB 21 and HB 49. Senators also recognized advocates visiting the gallery on focal segmental glomerulosclerosis awareness and introduced the Doctor of the Day. The chamber adopted several resolutions, including HCR 66, by voice vote. The Senate then took up and passed a series of measures, often by suspending the regular order and the constitutional three-day rule. Among the bills finally passed were HJR 2, which would prohibit state death taxes; HB 206, limiting counties from requiring cash bonds for pipeline construction; HB 517, barring property owners associations from fining homeowners for discolored vegetation during watering restrictions; HB 2756, requiring TDCJ correctional officers to receive de-escalation and behavioral health training; HB 451, expanding screening for commercial sexual exploitation risk among children in DFPS and TJJD custody; SB 705, cleaning up the air conditioning and refrigeration contractors advisory board; SB 2017, creating an offense for burnouts and wheelies; SB 1858, expanding body armor grant eligibility to ISDs; SB 1400, directing a study on transfer-student outcomes for community college funding; SB 2764, requiring notice to manufactured home buyers about converting homes to real property; SB 748, a licensing cleanup bill on laser hair removal; SB 2519, restricting certain ad valorem tax uses and bonds after amendment; SB 2878, the courts bill with amendments on Brazoria County courts and youth diversion provisions; SB 466, allowing families to request fetal death certificates at any gestational age; SB 1608, requiring timely physical exams for inpatient mental health admissions; SB 1730, limiting civil damages claims arising from certain uses of force or deadly force; SB 2417, clarifying Attorney General antitrust investigation work product and discovery rules; and SB 1946, creating a family violence, criminal homicide prevention task force. The Senate also passed HB 3204, renaming and updating the Polytechnic College at Sam Houston State University, and SB 1986, requiring opioid warning labels. Several bills drew brief debate or amendments. Senators discussed broader HOA reform while considering HB 517, and SB 2203 on TCEQ discovery procedures was amended to require party motions, set a 15-day expiration for certified issues, and limit hearing abatement. SB 2017 was amended to change the mens rea language from knowingly to intentional. SB 2519 was narrowed by amendment to a forward-looking policy statement separating maintenance-and-operation taxes from debt-service taxes. SB 2878 also received amendments to reduce the number of new Brazoria County courts and add youth diversion and crisis-response provisions. SB 466 prompted a floor debate over whether fetal death certificates are appropriate for pre-20-week losses, with supporters emphasizing family closure and opponents arguing the document has no estate-related purpose. SB 1730 also prompted questions about the relationship between criminal findings and civil liability in self-defense cases. The session concluded with additional House and Senate measures being signed in the presence of the Senate and continued consideration of SB 2177, a grant program to help local law enforcement solve violent and sexual offenses.

Transcript Highlights:

• The third reform contained in Senate Bill 1758 is a substantial expansion of behavioral health services
• If you identify these students early, we want to make sure they get the appropriate interventions.
• Plans must include evidence-based interventions aligned with instructional best practices in reading
• The disease. 1620 required the use of person-first language and behavioral health.
• A bill to be entitled an act relating to batterers intervention program activities.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opening prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions and recognitions, including a resolution honoring Bob Graham and a moment of silence for firefighter Roger Timmy Miley. The chamber then moved through a special-order calendar with multiple bills, many of them paired with House companions and amended before final passage. Early action included adoption of a tax conformity bill tied to federal changes in the Internal Revenue Code, with a 34-0 vote. The most extensive debate centered on CS/CS/SB 1758, a Medicaid and SNAP reform bill. The sponsor described provisions to strengthen fraud enforcement, impose work requirements for able-bodied adults, expand behavioral health services through a waiver, modernize Medicaid drug purchasing, and require a SNAP fraud-reduction plan and photo ID on EBT cards. Democrats offered amendments to delay work requirements until Medicaid expansion and to add protections for SNAP users such as caregivers, seniors, disabled individuals, and domestic violence survivors; both amendments failed. Senators also questioned implementation details, exemptions, and potential effects on vulnerable populations. After debate, the bill was placed on the calendar for third reading. The Senate also passed bills on technology education and AI instruction, a public records exemption and related Parkinson’s Disease Registry measures, designation of the SS American Victory as the state flagship, electronic payments for local governments, repeal of the sunset on legal tender recognition for gold and silver, public records protections for financial and digital-asset custodians, a Florida stablecoin pilot program, local government budget transparency, digital voyeurism, insurance customer representative licensing, and a medical freedom bill with amendments on vaccine-related materials and anti-kickback provisions. Most of these measures passed with little or no opposition, though the public records bill for gold/silver custodians and the legal tender repeal drew a few dissenting votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 4923 decriminalizes this behavior.
• This bill doesn't prevent intervention.
• This ensures that children who engage in non-criminal behavior are not subjected to inappropriate or
• By supporting this legislation, we choose a smarter, more approach, more just approach to youth behavior
• a lasting negative impact, and our justice system is meant to serve youth with more significant behavioral

Transcript Highlights:

• The Youth Who Sexually Harm Program serves adolescent males who have engaged in sexually harmful behaviors
• Thomas Janicek, T-H-O-M-A-S J-A-N-O-U-S-E-K, and I am the Director of the Division of Behavioral Health
• It significantly impacts patient behavior.
• The committee has heard testimony from the Director of Behavioral Health and received information on
• These programs operate under the Department of Behavioral Health's general authority.

Summary: The Health and Human Services Committee held an invited-testimony hearing on LR 425, which examines the Whitehall campus in Lincoln and possible long-term options for youth currently served there. Chair Brian Hardin explained that Whitehall houses two separate programs for adolescent males: a substance use program and a youth-who-sexually-harm program. Testimony from DHHS officials described Whitehall as a Joint Commission-accredited psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) that provides about 40 hours of weekly programming, family involvement, school services, and community reintegration activities. Officials said the department is evaluating whether the programs should remain at Whitehall or move to another state-owned facility, with Hastings described as the department’s preferred alternative because it is more residential in design than a youth rehabilitation treatment center (YRTC).

Transcript Highlights:

• The Youth Who Sexually Harm Program serves adolescent males who have engaged in sexually harmful behaviors
• Thomas Janicek, T-H-O-M-A-S J-A-N-O-U-S-E-K, and I am the Director of the Division of Behavioral Health
• Thomas Janicek, T-H-O-M-A-S-J-A-N-O-U-S-E-K, and I am the Director of the Division of Behavioral Health
• It significantly impacts patient behavior.
• These programs operate in the Department of Behavioral Health's general authority.

Keywords: 956, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2526 for the behavioral health virtual services platform, I don't know what that is.
• Then it says under the Children Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, Laura Yala from the Department of
• There is $50 million for behavioral health grants to the counties.
• One concern is regarding the youth behavioral health initiative.
• I have asked about this and will be chairing a select committee on youth behavioral health and access

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This data points to a prevailing reluctance among school administrators to apply disciplinary intervention
• Evidence includes loss in schools, including lives, teachers, student behavior, academic performance,
• lays out House Bill 497 by Representative Patterson relating to requiring parental consent for behavioral
• Please note that parental consent is already required for any type of mental health intervention in schools
• House Bill 497 would require that a school get written parental consent before they provide any behavior

Transcript Highlights:

• They were joined by the intervention.
• Cutting attempted suicide, behaviors?
• ,<04:05:28.479> we development, medical, uh behavioral, we development, medical, uh behavioral
• But that is not those interventions.
• > implications intervention with long-term implications intervention with long-term implications

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Others with very high degrees of obesity may require a surgical intervention.
• . intervention. intervention.
• There are a range of surgical interventions for the disease.
• <00:47:34.480> They<00:47:34.800> have interventions for the disease.
• They have interventions for the disease.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board met on February 23, 2026, approved the January 12 minutes, and then focused primarily on Kentucky Medicaid’s coverage and potential expansion of GLP-1 drugs, especially for weight loss. Department for Medicaid Services Commissioner Lisa Lee explained that Medicaid currently does not cover drugs for weight loss, anorexia, or weight gain, but the department had filed a regulation to remove that blanket exclusion so GLP-1s could be covered when used for an underlying health condition. She said the administrative regulation review subcommittee found the regulation deficient, and the co-chairs wanted the board to discuss the policy and financing implications before any change. DMS also said it would be open to adding caveats to ensure coverage would not extend to cosmetic weight loss alone. The department provided several data points on current utilization and spending. In 2025, Kentucky Medicaid paid for appetite-stimulating drugs such as Megestrol, Dronabinol, and Marinol, but did not pay for weight-loss drugs. For GLP-1s, DMS said coverage began in 2025 and is limited to FDA-approved medical conditions, with prior authorization requiring a type 2 diabetes diagnosis code and A1C documentation. DMS reported $234.6 million in GLP-1 spending in 2025 before rebates, about 240,931 prescriptions, and said GLP-1s accounted for 7.3% of pharmacy spend in 2024 and 8.3% in 2025. It also said there were 24,844 expansion members and 13,638 non-expansion members using GLP-1s, with spending of about $156 million and $78.5 million respectively, and that 10 pediatric weight-loss prescriptions were covered under EPSDT. The department said outcome analyses, including whether GLP-1 use reduces insulin or other diabetes treatment, are underway and should be completed in a couple of months. Members asked about cost, rebates, and whether the state should wait for more outcomes data before expanding coverage. DMS said average reimbursement to pharmacies was $975 per prescription and the average dispensing fee was $109; it also said 2025 rebate invoices totaled $90.8 million, with $7.6 million collected so far. Several members expressed concern about the high cost and the need to evaluate whether the drugs improve health outcomes before expanding access, while others noted the potential benefits for obesity and diabetes treatment. Some members also discussed whether GLP-1s are effectively being used for weight loss in diabetic patients and whether broader data collection should be used to assess long-term value. After the Medicaid discussion, Eli Lilly executive Tracy Sims presented on obesity as a chronic disease and the economic burden it creates in Kentucky. She said Kentucky’s adult obesity rate is a little over 37%, that obesity is linked to about 200 diseases, and that untreated obesity costs the state billions in GDP and hundreds of millions in state budget impact. She highlighted recent federal access programs for GLP-1s, including a Medicaid-related program that she said could lower the state share of a Zepbound prescription to about $71 per month after federal matching. No votes were taken on the GLP-1 policy question during the meeting, and the main action was the receipt of testimony and discussion of the department’s proposed regulatory change.