Transcript Highlights:

• care provider found to have committed child care subsidy fraud is permanently disqualified from licensure
• , including probationary licensure, and that current licenses must be revoked.
• care provider found to have committed child care subsidy fraud is permanently disqualified from licensure
• , including probationary licensure, and that current licenses must be revoked and may not be suspended
• the board for private and our own DOC detention facilities, and you've got to at least...

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee met on February 25 and received staff briefings on three bills. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2253, the DCYF licensing bill, was described as affecting foster care licensing, crisis residential center staffing ratios, and child care licensing. Staff reviewed multiple proposed amendments, including changes related to immediate threats to children’s safety, substance use, subsidy fraud, reporting channels, and DUI-related ineligibility, as well as a Wilson striking amendment that would remove many of those floor changes. After caucus, the chair announced she would pull ESHB 2253 from executive action for further work over the interim, and no vote was taken on the bill. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2319, which renames certain residential habilitation centers, had one amendment to rename Yakima Valley School as the Yakima Valley Residential Habilitation Center. The committee adopted the amendment despite opposition from Senators Warnick and Christian, who said constituents in Yakima did not support the change. The bill then received a do-pass recommendation and was sent to Rules, with Senators Warnick and Christian voting no. House Bill 2464, concerning incident reporting by private detention facilities to the Department of Health and local law enforcement, was also considered. Senator Christian offered six amendments, including a JLARC study, public posting and legislative sharing of reports, expanded reporting requirements, food-safety consistency, and reimbursement for compliance costs; all six amendments failed. The committee then approved the bill on a do-pass recommendation and sent it to Rules, with Senator Christian opposing and Senator Orwall supporting the measure as a human-rights and safety bill. The chair closed the meeting after noting the committee had reached the policy cutoff and thanking staff for their work.

Transcript Highlights:

• Licensure by credential process, so I would need to hear from the dental board on how fast they issue
• Dental and Dental Hygienist Licensure Compact.
• Now, do we have great communications between our dentistry board and all the other dentistry boards so
• Have CSG come to one of our board members to speak?
• Yes, your licensure.

Bills: HB3000 , HB2622 , HB2283 , HB541 , HB1776 , HB1803 , HB1669 , HB2588 , HB220 , HB3415 , HB50 , HB1314 , HB 107 , HB220 , HB50 , HB107

Committee: House Public Health

Transcript Highlights:

• But the board is actually—the executive director of the board is actually here and could probably clarify
• In my trust, I listened to board members Wayne Bennett, executive director Alyssa Vanderbine, and board
• In my trust, I listened to board members, Wayne Bennett, executive director, Alyssa Vanderbine, and board
• I mean, I've seen boards, not just the chiropractic board, that investigate situations, and they do.
• , taken on the nursing board.

Summary: The committee first approved the January 28, 2026 minutes and held Senate Bill 1241 for a later hearing because a witness was unavailable. It then took up Senate Bill 1144, which would create an alternative pathway for veterinary technician certification through supervised on-the-job training and board-approved skills standards. Supporters, including the Arizona Humane Society, a high school student in a veterinary program, and other advocates, said the bill would help address workforce shortages, reduce student debt, and improve access to care, especially in rural and low-income areas. Opponents, including the Arizona Veterinary Technician Association and several veterinarians, argued the bill could weaken training standards, increase liability, and create safety risks; the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association ultimately moved to neutral after amendments added supervision and affidavit requirements. The committee adopted the amendment and then passed SB 1144 as amended on a 6-1 vote. The committee next passed Senate Bill 1247 unanimously. That bill would allow a person who does not receive care services to live with a resident in an assisted living center, and would bar the Department of Health Services from imposing requirements on that person that the resident would not face. Supporters said the bill was needed to fix a recent agency interpretation that could force spouses or other companions to separate or pay for services they do not use, and noted a possible floor amendment to extend the same treatment to assisted living homes. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1286, which would extend from 14 days to 60 days the period for veterinary prescriptions and renewals issued through telemedicine. Supporters said the change would improve access in underserved and rural areas and reflect how telemedicine is already used in human medicine, while opponents warned that longer telemedicine prescriptions could delay necessary exams and diagnostics, increase the risk of misdiagnosis, and create animal welfare and liability concerns. After testimony, the sponsor asked that the bill be held for a possible amendment next week, so no vote was taken. The committee also passed Senate Bill 1164, which would allow Medicaid claims to continue under a prior owner’s billing number during a skilled nursing or assisted living facility change of ownership until new enrollment is complete; supporters said this would prevent long reimbursement delays, while Access raised concerns about federal-law conflicts and said it needed advance notice to process ownership changes. The bill passed 6-0 with one member not voting. Finally, the committee passed Senate Bill 1181, which expands CPA licensure pathways by allowing combinations of degree and work experience and updates reciprocity and rulemaking provisions, and Senate Bill 1415, which creates a licensing path for salaried insurance adjusters with out-of-state credentials, subject to an amendment clarifying exam and employment requirements. Both bills were supported as workforce and mobility measures, and both were reported out of committee on unanimous or near-unanimous votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• A bill enacting the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, providing for the appointment of New Mexico
• sections of the Medical Practice Act, and providing for a contingent repeal of the Interstate Medical Licensure
• An act relating to licensure, enacting the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. of New Mexico Compact
• An act making an appropriation to the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico to develop and
• 7, sponsored by Senators Nava, Bergman, Duhigg, and Hickey, an act making an appropriation to the Board

Transcript Highlights:

• A bill enacting the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, providing for the appointment of New Mexico
• sections of the Medical Practice Act, and providing for a contingent repeal of the Interstate Medical Licensure
• An act relating to licensure, enacting the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. of New Mexico Compact
• An act making an appropriation to the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico to develop and
• 7, sponsored by Senators Nava, Bergman, Duhigg, and Hickey, an act making an appropriation to the Board

Transcript Highlights:

• podiatric physicians to obtain licensure in other compact states.
• This bill is a product of the Interstate Podiatric Medical Licensure Compact.
• boards.
• No, it's only people that would apply for licensure under the compact.
• regarding the Interstate Podiatric Medical Licensure Compact.

Committee: House House Health & Human Services Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee heard a JLBC presentation on H.R. 1’s SNAP impacts, including expanded work requirements, higher state administrative costs, and a potential state share of benefits if Arizona’s payment error rate remains above 6%. JLBC estimated the administrative cost increase at about $33 million in FY 2027 and $44 million in FY 2028, and said a 2024 error rate of 8.8% could expose the state to about $139 million in benefit costs starting in FY 2028. The chair also opened the meeting by asking members and speakers to keep remarks shorter to improve efficiency. The committee then considered several SNAP-related bills. HB 2797, which requires DES to more frequently verify eligibility through data matching, post fraud/noncompliance data, and address out-of-state EBT purchases, passed 7-5. HB 2442, requiring certain able-bodied SNAP adults with school-age children to participate in employment and training unless exempt, also passed 7-5. HB 2448, which limits DES’s ability to seek work-requirement waivers or discretionary exemptions without legislative authorization, passed 7-5. HB 2206, which sets a goal of reducing the SNAP payment error rate to 3% by 2030 and adds reporting and corrective-action requirements, passed 7-5 after debate over staffing, technology, and whether the target was realistic. The committee also advanced HB 2180, appropriating $2.5 million to the University of Arizona for AZ REACH, a hospital transfer coordination program serving rural facilities. Supporters said it improves patient transfers and reduces burdens on rural hospitals; some health system representatives were neutral but asked for operational improvements. HB 2180 passed 11-1. HB 2184, as amended, passed 7-4-1; it would extend fetal death certificate filing and require patients to be informed of the option to transfer fetal remains to a funeral home, with supporters describing it as a matter of parental dignity and closure. HB 2188, as amended, creating a Language Acquisition Grant Program for deaf or hard-of-hearing infants and toddlers, passed unanimously after testimony about balancing spoken-language and ASL options. The committee then began hearing HB 2194, a bill requiring insurers to provide a contact for detailed explanations after claim or prior-authorization denials, but the transcript ends before action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> of</c><04:36:00.639><c> the</c> to the board, stripping the board of the to the board, stripping
• In New Hampshire, licensure relies on supervised experience and board judgment working together.
• In New Hampshire, licensure relies on supervised experience and board judgment working together.
• In New Hampshire, licensure relies on supervised experience and board judgment working together.
• </c> satisfactory to the board. satisfactory to the board.

Committee: House Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a board-certified medical and radiation oncologist.
• the Board directing the Department of Health to do so.
• The Board of Nursing is in the process of revising rules related to ARNP licensure and practice, and
• The Board of Nursing is in the process of revising rules related to ARNP licensure and practice.
• The Board of Nursing is in the process of revising rules related to ARNP licensure and practice, and

Summary: The committee heard public hearings on several health-related bills. House Bill 1904 would prohibit cat declawing except for therapeutic purposes, with staff explaining definitions, fines, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements. The prime sponsor and animal welfare advocates described declawing as cruel and linked it to pain and behavior problems, while the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association supported the substance of the bill but asked to remove the added reporting and disciplinary provisions as redundant and burdensome. House Bill 2211 would provide guidance for medically tailored meals under existing Medicaid-related nutrition supports, including standards for Washington-based nonprofit providers where possible, menu review, and nutrition requirements. The sponsor said it would clarify implementation without expanding the program, and supporters from meal providers, food distributors, and local farms said it would improve health outcomes, keep dollars local, and support Washington jobs and agriculture. House Bill 2329 would allow licensed midwives to delegate certain tasks to medical assistants and to supervise medical assistants, with the sponsor and birth center operators saying it would fix an omission in current law and help rural and under-resourced birth centers operate more efficiently. Supporters said it would improve staffing and financial stability, while the sponsor indicated the lactation consultant language would likely be removed because those consultants are not regulated by the Department of Health. The committee then returned to House Bill 1904 for additional testimony from humane organizations, veterinarians, shelter leaders, and local officials, all supporting a ban on declawing and emphasizing animal pain, shelter impacts, and available alternatives. House Bill 2247 would expand and clarify veterinary telehealth and veterinarian-client-patient relationship rules, allowing a VCPR to be established in certain telehealth circumstances and setting guardrails for consent, practice standards, and when in-person exams are still required. Supporters from shelters, animal welfare groups, mobile clinics, and veterinarians said telehealth would improve access in rural and underserved areas, reduce shelter intake, and help animals receive care sooner; the veterinary association supported the bill with amendments to clarify recordkeeping and access-to-care findings. House Bill 2339 would update nursing license terminology and processes for advanced registered nurse practitioners, including title changes, controlled substance rules for CRNAs, transcript submission, and interim permits. Nursing board and ARNP representatives supported the technical updates, while the hospital association and medical association raised concerns about title language for clinical nurse specialists and the deletion of a reference to the medical profession. Finally, House Bill 2106 would require health carriers to give 90 days’ notice of significant mid-contract payer modifications and provide the actual modification language, with the sponsor and hospital and provider representatives saying insurers are increasingly making unilateral changes that affect payment, services, and patient access. UW Medicine and a rural hospital district described examples where insurers changed imaging or preventive service coverage mid-contract, causing financial losses and forcing difficult choices about network participation. Carriers were noted as opposing the bill, while providers and facilities argued it would improve transparency and prevent one-sided contract changes that disrupt care.

Transcript Highlights:

• The medical board, as Dr.
• I'm board certified.
• It creates a pathway for life under the Texas Medical Board and establishes a dedicated advisory board
• And as far as licensure, like I stated in my testimony, we reserve licensure for...
• under the Texas Medical Board.

Bills: HB3772 , HB1656 , HB4504 , HB1896 , HB4420 , HB4421 , HB4076 , HB3708 , HB2806 , HB3540 , HB1586 , HB5459 , HB4553 , HB4535 , HB3811 , HB3749 , HB4255 , HB4051 , HB5098 , HB3554 , HB4539 , HB5274

Committee: House Public Health

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> forward uh with respect to uh the Board forward uh with respect to uh the Board of of of Cosmetology
• </c> violations now tobacco retail licensure violations now tobacco retail licensure is<00:20:29.480>
• We can't find anything on minutes from our Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure, and have had no idea
• Have you had those conversations with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure about those changes, and
• Board of medical licensure the Kentucky Board of medical licensure and<00:52:14.960><c> and</c><00:52

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Licensing and Occupations met on February 18, 2025, and first took up Senate Bill 22 by Senator Reginald Thomas, which was presented as a cleanup measure following prior cosmetology reforms and a Legislative Oversight and Investigations report. The bill would allow cosmetologists to retake exams multiple times with a one-month wait, authorize the Board of Cosmetology to immediately close facilities that intentionally use unlicensed workers while preserving due process, give the board flexibility to hire an executive director based on qualifications rather than licensure, and recognize certain out-of-state or territorial cosmetology licenses. Board officials said the changes were intended to improve fairness, equality, and administrative due process. Senators asked about retesting fees and whether partial retests could dilute standards; Thomas clarified that the exam is cumulative and must be retaken in full. The committee approved SB 22 with all favorable votes, and Senator Meredith explained his support as a workforce and fairness issue. The committee then heard Senate Bill 100 by Senator Jimmy Higdon, as substituted, concerning tobacco, nicotine, and vapor product retail licensing and enforcement. Youth advocates from the University of Kentucky testified in support, describing youth nicotine use as a public health crisis and urging stronger enforcement, annual compliance checks, retailer licensing, and tougher penalties for illegal sales to minors. Higdon said the bill would create a Division of Tobacco, Nicotine, and Vapor Products Licensing within ABC, require licenses for retailers, authorize inspections and confiscation of contraband, impose escalating criminal and civil penalties for unlicensed sales and sales to minors, publish a list of licensed retailers, and dedicate fine revenue to enforcement and youth education. He said the measure targeted bad actors rather than responsible retailers. A retailer witness also supported licensing but raised concerns about contradictory product definitions that could sweep in hemp and medical marijuana vapor products, and asked that the bill be delayed until after an expected Supreme Court decision affecting federal vapor-product rules. The transcript ends during discussion of SB 100, before any committee vote on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've got the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and the State Board of Registration for Professional Soil
• Ashley Davis, Director, Arkansas State Board of Nursing.
• David Dawson, General Counsel for the Board of Nursing.
• They'll just make a few opening statements and comments about the board and their licensure process,
• Currently, the board regulates 72,000 nurses.

Committee: All ALC-OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING REVIEW SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The Occupational Licensing Review Subcommittee met to review two occupational licensing reports: the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and the State Board of Registration for Professional Soil Classifiers. For nursing, board officials described the board’s history, scope, and licensure categories, saying it regulates about 72,000 nurses across RN, LPN, advanced practice, medication assistant, and dialysis technician-related roles. Members asked about workforce shortages, complaint volume, and the board’s finances. The board said Arkansas has enough licensed nurses overall but faces vacancy and distribution issues, receives about 2,200 complaints annually, and most serious complaints involve criminal backgrounds, fraud or misrepresentation, misappropriation, drug abuse, and criminal investigations. Officials also said they are looking at ways to improve efficiency in case handling, including better documentation and added help positions, and noted outreach efforts through nursing associations and the Arkansas Center for Nursing. For professional soil classifiers, Agriculture Department officials explained that the occupation was created in 1975 and now is administered by the Natural Resources Commission after the former board was abolished in 2023. They said the profession is small and specialized, with about 29 registered soil classifiers in Arkansas, and requires a four-year degree plus coursework in biological, earth, and soil sciences. Members asked whether the current number is sufficient, what the work involves, and how the licensing fund is used. Officials said the current number appears adequate, though demand could change with more nutrient management or related work, and that soil classifiers commonly assist with septic system design, perk testing, wetland determinations, and other soil-related projects. They also noted the program has a small reserve and may look at training, curriculum, testing, and administrative budget adjustments. Both reports were reviewed without objection, and no votes were taken. The next meeting was announced for February 19 at 1:30 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• The licensure compact is not up and running yet.
• That conveyance then they added another board member to our... So now we have six board members.
• So the board rejected that one.
• the board review and approval, ...are reviewed by the board.
• I'm on a bank board and we travel.

Summary: The Administrative Rules Committee met on June 11 and first approved the March 12, 2026 minutes by voice vote. It then granted the Board of Medicine an extension of time to implement rules tied to recent legislation, including North Dakota’s participation in the physician assistant licensure compact and a new physician nutrition continuing education requirement. The Board said it was waiting on compact rules and fee information before finalizing its own changes. The committee heard a lengthy presentation from the Office of Management and Budget on broad personnel rule revisions, including salary administration, recruitment, leave, sick leave, funeral leave, service awards, appeals, and shared leave. OMB said the changes modernize HR language and implement recent legislation such as enhanced annual leave for hard-to-fill positions and new hire leave. Members questioned the hard-to-fill leave provisions, but OMB and counsel said those standards come from statute, not the rules. The committee also heard and accepted rule packages from the Lottery, the Board of Examiners for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, the State Electrical Board, the Industrial Commission, PERS, and Health and Human Services, with each agency describing mostly technical, clarifying, or statutory-conforming changes and noting the public notice and comment process. The most significant action came during the Gaming Commission rules presentation. After questioning whether the commission had authority to raise the poker tournament buy-in limit from $300 to $1,500, members moved to void Section 99-01.3-09-01 on the ground that the agency lacked statutory authority for that change. The motion passed on a roll call vote. The committee also discussed several gaming-related issues, including online raffles, kiosk use, advertising restrictions, and the broader policy question of whether charities should be allowed to own bars, but took no further formal action on those topics.

Transcript Highlights:

• Board.
• Home Builder Licensure Board. Chairman Shed, you’re recognized. Uh, thank you, Mr.
• This is to renew the Home Builder Licensure Board for four years with the substitute coming after the
• Board for Interpreters.
• But tell me, what does the regulatory board do? So, tell me what the regulatory board does.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've had two rounds of licensure for microbusinesses so far, and each round during that verification
• period right after licensure, Each round, during that verification period right after licensure, our
• In the first round of licensure, we took what we believed to be very strong action that should have been
• We could have kept going with additional rounds of licensure, additional revocations.
• verification period that will now be accessed during the Licensure verification period that will now

Committee: House Joint Committee on Administrative Rules

Summary: The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules met to review Missouri marijuana microbusiness rule amendments, especially 19 CSR 100-1.060 and 19 CSR 100-1.190. The Department of Cannabis Regulation explained that the changes were intended to clarify what it means for a microbusiness to be “owned and operated” by eligible individuals, move compliance review earlier in the application process, and address repeated instances where licenses were later found to be controlled by ineligible or noncompliant parties. The department said it had used stakeholder outreach, town halls, listening sessions, and public comments in drafting the rules, and noted that 25 standalone comments were received during formal rulemaking. Committee members focused heavily on whether the rules were too broad, whether they effectively punished applicants for past agency revocations, and whether the department had clear authority to impose a lifetime ban on people denied or revoked under the ownership-and-operation provisions. Several members argued the language should be narrowed to intentional or egregious violations and better tied to specific conduct rather than prior agency action. Witnesses from the public, including applicants and attorneys, testified that the department’s guidance on “predatory practices” and acceptable ownership structures had been unclear, that some applicants relied on consultant arrangements later deemed problematic, and that similar agreements were treated inconsistently. Others supported stronger enforcement, saying the rules were needed to prevent manipulation of social equity applicants and preserve the constitutional requirements of the program. The committee also discussed training and technical assistance requirements, the five-day document deadline, and whether the department should provide more concrete guidance or model forms. Members raised concerns that the proposed definitions could burden small or first-time business owners and that some applicants might be unfairly penalized despite acting in good faith. No substantive vote on the rule package was taken; instead, the committee voted to adjourn and return on Thursday after working with the department on possible corrections, clarifications, or amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> applying for a light or for a licensure applying for a light or for a licensure or<00:02:58.640>
• </c> adopted similar licensure adopted similar licensure portability<00:08:40.280><c> standards,</c>
• </c> Family Therapy to improve licensure Family Therapy to improve licensure portability. portability
• ><c> different</c> Um licensure portability is different Um licensure portability is different than<00
• ><c> a</c><00:10:44.480><c> more</c> Thus, licensure portability is a more Thus, licensure portability

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• We've got the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and the State Board of Registration for Professional Soil
• Ashley Davis, Director, Arkansas State Board of Nursing.
• David Dawson, General Counsel for the Board of Nursing.
• So they'll just make a few opening statements and comments about the board and their licensure process
• Currently, the board regulates 72,000 nurses.

Committee: All ALC-OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING REVIEW SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The Occupational Licensing Review Subcommittee met to review two occupational licensing reports: the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and the State Board of Registration for Professional Soil Classifiers. For nursing, board officials described the board’s history, scope, and licensure categories, noting it regulates about 72,000 nurses and oversees RNs, LPNs, advanced practice nurses, medication assistants, and a new dialysis patient care technician registry. Members asked about workforce shortages, complaint types, and the board’s finances; the board said Arkansas has enough licensed nurses overall but has vacancy issues in some areas, complaints commonly involve criminal backgrounds, fraud, misrepresentation, drug abuse, and misappropriation, and the average case length is 191 days though some cases remain open much longer while awaiting criminal adjudication. Officials also said they are working on efficiency improvements and have added help positions with Department of Health support. The report was accepted without objection. The committee then reviewed the soil classifier program, now housed under the Natural Resources Commission after the former board was abolished in 2023. Agriculture Department officials explained that soil classifiers are a small, specialized profession requiring a four-year degree with coursework in biological, earth, and soil sciences, and that the state currently has 29 registered soil classifiers. Members asked whether that number is sufficient, what the work involves, and how the program’s finances are used. Officials said the profession is mainly used for septic system design, wetland determinations, nutrient management, and other soil-related work, and that current staffing appears adequate. They also noted the program has about $20,000 in reserves, above the statutory three-year balance, and discussed possible uses such as training, curriculum upgrades, and expanded administrative funding. The report was also accepted without objection, and the meeting adjourned with the next meeting scheduled for February 19 at 1:30 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Mu Kamala, who is here on the Board of Regents.
• She continually engages with families through a parent advisory board.
• Just simply the board has the wrong motion up there.
• We're on Senator Lopez's motion, not on the motion that's up on the board.
• therapy licensure, An Act Relating to Licensure, enacting the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact, amending

Transcript Highlights:

• The board has the fewest number of licenses out of any license board in Doppel.
• The board has the fewest number of licenses out of any license board in Idaho.
• Yep, the day before that board meeting... ...the day before that board meeting, DOPL, not the board,
• And that's why we believe that having some licensure and board oversight is important.
• on that board.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• So blind and visually impaired, for example, we don't have any licensure programs.
• with BOSA, the board of school administrators.<00:07:28.639><c> We</c><00:07:28.880><c> currently</c
• Seventy percent of our students in teacher licensure are over 25.
• Seventy percent of our students in teacher licensure are over 25.
• Are we missing anything in licensure if someone is, you know, we have different licensure standards in

Transcript Highlights:

• Today I'm pleased to sponsor the National Board Certified Teachers Day at the Roundhouse.
• We have 1,513 National Board Certified Teachers out of 22,000 K-12 teachers in New Mexico.
• Now the next four are brand new National Board Certified Teachers.
• She is also a National Board Certified Teacher, and she has been my contact for the National Boards,
• in the Senate, depending on what the Compact Board does.

Bills: HM3 , HM11 , HM14 , HM15 , HM18 , HM21 , HB10 , HB11 , HB12 , HB13 , HB14 , HB31 , HB50