Transcript Highlights:

• services it can be much intervention services it can be much longer<00:31:30.240> we've<00:31
• I think just a couple of pieces on that, and it goes back to the preventive and early intervention piece
• I think just a couple of pieces on that, and it goes back to the preventive and early intervention piece
• I'm trying to figure out where we come up with $800 million, because I'm not doing that math.
• "I think it's rough math, maybe 70,000 individuals. It looks like 20,000 plus 14,000 plus 12,000.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board meeting began with a roll call and approval of the October 7 meeting minutes. The chair then reordered the agenda to hear the item on Medicaid reimbursement rates and network adequacy first because of scheduling issues. Dr. Steve Robertson of the Kentucky Dental Association was sworn in and testified at length about Kentucky’s dental Medicaid program, arguing that reimbursement rates are unsustainably low, have been largely flat for decades, and are often below the cost of providing care. He said Kentucky ranks near the bottom nationally in oral health, dental Medicaid rates are often 60% or less of commercial rates, and the program’s share of the Medicaid budget has effectively remained around 2% despite growth in enrollment and services. Dr. Robertson said the low rates are contributing to provider losses, rural access gaps, longer wait times, dental deserts, and greater use of emergency rooms for preventable dental problems. He cited examples of office costs exceeding reimbursement for basic procedures, noted that many dentists are small private businesses, and said the state is struggling to recruit and retain dentists because of low payment levels and high student debt. He also pointed to disparities with neighboring states and said recent increases in some oral surgery and cleaning codes were not enough to address the broader problem. His recommendations included completing the rebasing study, increasing dental reimbursement in the upcoming budget, tying future reviews to inflation and cost data, aligning benchmarks, and prioritizing preventive and restorative care to improve workforce stability and access. Board members asked about the size of the needed increase, the effect of private insurance on dental practice finances, and what a new dentist might expect to earn. Dr. Robertson said the association is working on an appropriations request and that private insurance pressures are part of the problem as well, since many plans are HMOs or PPOs with limited provider control over rates. He also said the association can no longer conduct reimbursement surveys because of FTC restrictions, but would try to obtain current ADA data. In response to questions about the future of the program, he warned that without significant changes it could become unsustainable and cited Ohio and Missouri as examples where higher reimbursement improved provider participation and access. The board then heard from Mr. Bowman of Baldwin Consulting, who discussed outpatient behavioral health providers, including ABA therapy and mental health/substance use disorder services. He said these providers face similar issues of rising costs, flat reimbursement, and access problems. He reviewed Kentucky’s network adequacy standards, including travel-time standards, 30-day appointment limits, and newer federal requirements that will require services within 10 business days by 2029. He said wait times for outpatient behavioral health, especially children’s services and ABA, have grown substantially, sometimes to more than a year, and emphasized that the Medicaid department must enforce these standards.

Transcript Highlights:

• teachers in Minnesota to reduce those class sizes and help with those core issues of math and reading
• and reading and I know issues of math and reading and I know those<00:27:10.679> scores<00:27
• <00:51:22.799> programs<00:51:23.280> for prevention and intervention programs for
• prevention and intervention programs for youth<00:51:23.920> in<00:51:24.119> neglected
• activities that math enrichment activities that complement<00:57:13.640> regular<00:57:14.200

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee met to hear a Minnesota Department of Education presentation on federal education funding and the potential effects of federal actions on those dollars. Chair Kunesh framed the discussion around concerns about threats to the U.S. Department of Education and noted that federal funds make up about 10% of Minnesota’s education budget, or roughly $1.4 billion. Senator Lang pushed back, emphasizing that 90% of school funding comes from state and local sources and urging the committee to focus on state mandates and how to pay for them. New member Senator Clark introduced himself and said he would teach ethics or running if he were a teacher. Department staff explained that federal education dollars are divided between entitlement/formula funds and competitive/discretionary grants. They said Minnesota receives federal money through established systems and that the department is seeking clarity about how federal changes might affect the flow of funds, oversight, and program administration. They also outlined Minnesota’s legislative review process for federal funds, which includes several pathways such as the governor’s biennial budget, supplemental budget submissions, legislative advisory committee review, and expedited review processes when needed. The presentation then focused on ESEA Title funding, especially Title I. Staff said Title I is one of the largest federal education programs in Minnesota, with about $200 million in current funding, and supports 476 local education agencies. They described how funds are allocated through Minnesota’s North Star accountability system and Compass support structure, based on measures such as poverty, graduation rates, and state assessment performance. Examples of allowable supports included professional development, attendance initiatives, reading curriculum, training, and peer coaching. Senators asked whether executive action could affect these funds and whether the money flows directly to districts or through the state; staff responded that they would avoid speculation and would continue explaining the different funding streams and oversight structure.

Transcript Highlights:

• . levels of math.
• What this bill does is it starts to put in place policies to elevate math and math education to the same
• They are currently at so that we can provide early interventions and get them back on track in math.
• Being a good teacher but without math content is not sufficient either, and particularly for the math
• ; that's why I went into this other profession, because I'm not good at math, I'm not a math person.

Transcript Highlights:

• provider status for violations they did not cause, expands VPK summer bridge eligibility, and aligns math
• and reading interventions with a student's disability.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Pre-K-12 Appropriations met with a quorum present, but the chair announced that the committee would not be presenting its budget that day due to a Senate memorandum. The only bill heard was SB 7036 by Senator Corey Simon, which was described as a broad education package strengthening school turnaround tools, early literacy supports, early learning policies, academic interventions, and educator pipeline provisions. Simon explained that the bill would expand educational emergency authority, clarify use of Title I funds for STEM, align charter renewal and dismissal rules, update epinephrine policy, protect gold seal provider status in certain cases, expand VPK summer bridge eligibility, support math and reading interventions, expand agriculture and Algebra I career-based instruction, re-engage students through GATE, and update teacher certification pathways, including computer science. The committee adopted an amendment offered by Simon that removed provisions on temporary door locks and DOE-developed instructional materials and added a GATE startup grant update to expand rule eligibility and allowable implementation costs. The bill drew many appearance forms, with several individuals and the Florida Education Association waving against, while one speaker, Ella Latimore, appeared in support/for the bill. Simon said concerns from the prior stop had been addressed by removing the contested language and noted discussions with the CFO’s office and law enforcement regarding the door lock provisions. After closing debate, the committee approved the bill on a roll call vote and reported CS for SB 7036 favorably. The remainder of the meeting included brief remarks recognizing visiting students from Childs High School and the Rack Pack, comments about community member Misty Cash, and a discussion by Senator Osgood about declining immigrant student enrollment and its budget impact on school districts. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• provider status for violations they did not cause, expands VPK summer bridge eligibility, and aligns math
• and reading interventions with a student's disability.

Bills: S7036

Keywords: education, epinephrine, charter schools, voluntary prekindergarten, school funding, teacher incentives, student progress monitoring

Summary: The Senate Committee on Pre-K-12 Appropriations met with a quorum present and announced it would not be presenting its budget at this time, per a Senate memorandum. The sole bill on the agenda was SB 7036 by Senator Corey Simon, which was described as a broad education package strengthening school turnaround tools, early literacy supports, early learning policies, academic offerings, and educator pipeline provisions. Senator Simon explained that the bill addresses persistently low-performing schools, Title I use for STEM curricula, charter school renewal and dismissal rules, epinephrine device policies, VPK summer bridge eligibility, disability-aligned interventions, agriculture and Algebra 1 instruction, GATE access, and certification updates for teachers and computer science. An amendment was adopted that removed provisions on temporary door locks and DOE-developed instructional materials and added a GATE startup grant update. The committee heard numerous appearance forms, with many individuals and organizations waving against the bill, while one student, Ella Latimore, appeared and spoke briefly. Much of the exchange with her was lighthearted and unrelated to the bill, but Senator Simon used his closing to note that concerns from the prior stop had been addressed by removing the DOE materials and door-lock language, and he asked for favorable support. The committee then voted on the bill as amended, and CS for SB 7036 was reported favorably. After the vote, members made several informal statements, including remarks about a Valentine’s Day visit from students and appreciation for community member Misty Cash. Senator Osgood also raised a serious concern about declining immigrant student enrollment affecting district budgets, especially in Broward County, and urged the committee to address the issue proactively with school districts. The chair said staff were already working with districts on the matter and that more discussion would follow. The meeting then adjourned after additional light banter among members.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do arguably just as much intervention as we do data collection and research.
• We do so much intervention. As far as being fiscally responsible, I mean, it's a real no-brainer.
• And when the math doesn't work, families are forced into impossible choices.
• And when the math doesn't work, families are forced into impossible choices.
• c><01:16:21.679> are<01:16:21.920> forced math doesn't work, families are forced math doesn't

Bills: HB1183, HB1656, HB1658, HB1661, HB1663, HB1664, HB1859, HB2116, HB2271, HB2276, HB2335, HB2360, HB2387, HB2472, HB1805, HB2469, HB1815, HB1860, HB2117, HB2118, HB2437, HB2438, HB2604, HB1590, HB2156, HB2268

Keywords: retirement, pension, law enforcement, public safety, Hawaii Revised Statutes, indebtedness, salary recovery, employee compensation, deductions, financial management, collective bargaining, employee relations, impasse procedures, arbitration, public employment, HB1661, cafeteria plan, Section 125, Internal Revenue Code, flexible spending account

Transcript Highlights:

• In math, fourth grade scores fell by five points and eighth grade scores fell by eight points.
• Chairman, the latest NAEP scores show that students' reading and math scores are down in almost every
• The latest scores from the nation's report card show achievement in K through 12 math and reading at
• We have all this nonsensical teaching of what we call common core of math.
• They were rapidly coming up to grade level reading and doing math. They were teaching differently.

Keywords: educational reform, federal grants, bureaucracy, wealth disparity, public testimony

Summary: The committee meeting engaged in discussions focused primarily on educational reform, the influence of federal grants on local education systems, and the growing disparities in wealth and access to quality education. Members expressed concerns about the bureaucracy surrounding federal funding that hampers schools' ability to obtain necessary resources for improvement. Several members highlighted personal anecdotes from constituents, emphasizing the urgent need for reform to help students succeed in both K-12 and higher education environments. The meeting included public testimonies that provided insights into various community perspectives on these pressing issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• That is not a neutral intervention.
• That is not a neutral intervention.
• Um, that is not a neutral intervention.
• We interventions during the school day.
• They significant medical intervention.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• FFT, for those who are not familiar, is an evidence-based intervention that serves the entire family.
• While receiving the intervention, the dad shared with the worker that they actually They were communicating
• Our internal outcomes, which we track at a state level, also show that this is a very effective intervention
• So, instead of just focusing on our therapist at Kojak being trained in that intervention, we trained
• We want these kids to have the interventions they need to be productive members of society, which is

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• heard about in this presentation, but research related to vaping to inform targeted prevention intervention
• Sometimes my math doesn't add up, but yeah... We'll check to see if it was nine weeks.
• with me, the Juul settlement funds have been more strictly aligned with educational cessation interventions

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not just easy math.
• We did some calculations, and 46 to get to a one-year It's not just easy math.
• And I wanted to mention this model, outpatient biopsychosocial interventions in IDD.
• Against these, Haven stands out as a proven, efficient, and already at-scale intervention.
• Haven stands out as a proven, efficient, and already at-scale intervention.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Evidence shows that surgical intervention performed within the first 30 to 45 days of life offers the
• Evidence shows that surgical intervention performed within the first 30 to 45 days of life offers the
• So the math in this is really simple. I'm going to run through it very quickly.
• engaged in my family and in my community, and I'm no longer reliant on repeated acute medical interventions

Bills: S0162, S0254, S0688, S0794, S1110, S1574

Keywords: surgical smoke, health standards, hospital safety, patient protection, medical regulations, nursing education, licensure, remedial courses, temporary license, graduate nursing preceptorship, Agency for Persons with Disabilities, background screening, support coordination services, developmental disabilities, Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome, public hearings, orthotics, prosthetics, healthcare, Medicaid

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services met with a quorum present and took up several health-related bills. CS/SB 1110 on Medicaid and insurance coverage for orthotics and prosthetics was heard first. The bill would require coverage for medically necessary orthotics and prosthetics without lifetime or continuous-use caps, direct AHCA to seek federal approval and update contracts, and require annual reporting. Testimony from a child using prosthetic “gymnastics blades,” his mother, and another young person with a prosthetic leg emphasized the high cost of activity-specific devices and the impact on children’s mobility, sports participation, and quality of life. Senators voiced strong support, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then approved SB 1574, “Maddie’s Law,” which adds newborn screening for biliary atresia using the existing blood specimen collected at birth. The sponsor and the child’s father described the condition as time-sensitive and potentially fatal without early detection, and argued the screening could prevent transplants and save money. The bill was reported favorably. The committee also considered CS/SB 794 on background screening for employees of residential facilities and day training programs for people with developmental disabilities, plus a review of waiver support coordination quality, training, and access issues. Parents and a support coordinator testified that strong support coordination is essential for families and that the bill would help standardize expectations and improve services. An amendment aligning the bill with the House companion was adopted, and the bill was reported favorably. Members next heard SB 162, which requires hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to adopt policies using smoke evacuation systems during procedures that generate surgical smoke. Supporters, including nurses and the Florida Nurses Association, described surgical smoke as a workplace hazard with toxic chemicals and potential cancer risks; hospital representatives said they support the intent but argued existing federal and state standards already regulate the issue and the bill is too prescriptive. A late-filed amendment clarifying the smoke must be “effectively captured and filtered” was adopted, and the bill passed favorably. The committee also approved CS/SB 254, a major nursing education bill that tightens oversight of low-performing nursing programs, creates a temporary provisional license and preceptorship pathway for graduates awaiting NCLEX results, requires remediation for delayed testing, and increases transparency by posting passage rates. Nursing groups supported stronger standards, while private nursing schools warned the bill could reduce capacity and discourage program directors; the amended bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard SB 688, which would reestablish licensure and regulation of naturopathic doctors in Florida, create a board of naturopathic medicine, set licensure and renewal requirements, and define the scope of practice while excluding most prescription authority. Supporters said it would expand health care choices and allow naturopathic doctors to practice openly, while opponents from the medical community warned the bill could authorize diagnosis and treatment without sufficient training and rely on unproven therapies. The bill was reported favorably. The committee then adjourned after members thanked staff for their work.

Transcript Highlights:

• Kirkeby spoke to it earlier, at all affordable housing levels is both a homelessness intervention and
• How much to invest in these other interventions by population.
• provided cities like mine with the HAP funding, I think that's is allowing us to innovate, create new intervention
• this room and we need to understand where that return on investment is and and who who needs more intervention
• it costs to run a shelter, and the dollars that look really big to them initially, when I show the math

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're trying to prevent delays in care by ensuring immediate intervention to tackle this issue.
• immediate intervention immediate intervention um<00:37:37.920> all<00:37:38.079> to
• The math ain't working out here when you're saying we're going to give you a little rebate, but what
• The math ain't working out here million.
• math about what might be happening. math about what might be happening.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• government intervention into 193 home<00:13:29.120> educating<00:13:29.839> families.
• One out of four is proficient in English, one out of five in math, and one out of six in science.
• So, when they're younger, um, I'm not going to give my kid a grade in math.
• We have to hide if we're deficient in math. I never complied with the law. I have six kids.
• We have to hide if we're deficient in math.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Paggio, I want to ask again and reiterate, there is absolutely a need to do targeted interventions and
• have this new cash, you know, this cash advance program with merchant cash advance that if you do the math
• and I've done the math it comes out to about a hundred and ten interest rate about a hundred and ten
• percent interest rate if you really do the math on an APR level so it's really important now the partnership

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are free to make that mistake in math. I'm an English teacher, not a math.
• We are free to make that mistake in<01:26:16.880> math.
• I'm an English teacher, not a in math.
• I'm an English teacher, not a math.<01:26:19.360> All<01:26:19.360> right.
• court intervention if there's like<02:05:36.000> a<02:05:36.239> final<02:05:36.400>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The math just doesn't work.
• prescriptions filled below cost the math prescriptions filled below cost the math just<00:51:01.319
• Um, the math, this doesn't work, and uh, you know, it has been eroding for 20 years at least.
• Um, the math, this doesn't work, and uh, you know, it has been eroding for 20 years at least.
• communities um without intervention communities um without intervention these<01:06:54.920> community

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• are funded, on average, $1,600. dollars less per ADA, so the only way to make it work, to make the math
• reading, um, the one, one of them in my district was one of those and some of them were emphasis on math
• Which, just the math, I mean it's more than $100 per kid that you're going to spend on facilities. when
• ISD in San Antonio and their TIA system only includes math and English teachers.
• And I was checking my math and then the attorneys that are . . .

Bills: HB2, HB2

Keywords: public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace

Transcript Highlights:

• She does math that I no longer understand.
• The second piece is they don't know they're eligible for early intervention.
• That is the leading referral source for early intervention.
• children were not receiving early intervention services.
• Early intervention was another challenge.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a hybrid hearing on a range of bills affecting children, families, disability rights, homelessness, and social services. Early testimony focused on H.215, which would support children experiencing homelessness by speeding access to child care vouchers and early intervention screenings. Boston officials, Horizons for Homeless Children, Head Start, pediatric and early education advocates, and families described delays in child care and early intervention, the developmental risks of homelessness, and the need for automatic referrals and faster access to services. Testimony also supported H.216, which would improve emergency housing assistance by restoring presumptive eligibility, reducing documentation barriers, extending shelter stays from six to nine months, and creating an ombudsperson; providers and legal advocates said current rules leave families sleeping in cars or outside and create unnecessary administrative hurdles. The committee also heard strong support for H.210, which would repeal the “Learn Fair” school attendance sanction that cuts cash assistance to families when children miss school. Advocates from legal aid, education, and anti-poverty organizations argued the policy is punitive, burdensome, and ineffective, disproportionately affecting low-income, disabled, and Hispanic/Latino families. Several speakers said chronic absenteeism should be addressed through supports such as family outreach, wraparound services, and school engagement rather than benefit cuts. Legislators and school officials from Salem also testified that their districts reduced absenteeism through supportive strategies, not sanctions. Additional testimony addressed children’s vision bills H.202 and H.166, with optometrists and researchers urging better screening, data systems, and treatment access to close achievement gaps caused by untreated vision problems. Senator Lovely also presented S.2714, proposing a study of discrimination in public accommodations for people with service animals. Later, testimony on H.279 supported changing social work licensure rules to remove exam requirements that speakers said disproportionately exclude multilingual candidates and candidates of color. The hearing also included testimony on bills related to the Judge Rotenberg Center and electric shock devices, with disability rights advocates opposing continued use of the devices and urging the committee to reject licensing or authorization for them. No votes or committee actions were taken during the hearing.