Transcript Highlights:

• Ultimately, the flash to bang, preparing, getting 50,000 vehicles pre-staged out there, understanding
• Florida employees who have spent the last several years constructing that vehicle.
• Florida with Blue Origin engines powering that vehicle.
• Florida with Blue Origin engines powering that vehicle.
• We were able to do an integrated hot fire of our vehicle at the very tail end of last year and again

Committee: Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security

Summary: The committee held its first meeting of the session, with members introducing themselves and expressing support for veterans, military families, first responders, space industry growth, and domestic security. The first presentation was from the Florida Division of Emergency Management on the 2024 hurricane season and recovery efforts. Officials described response and recovery operations for Hurricanes Debbie, Helene, and Milton, including sheltering, meals, water, tarps, power restoration, flood control, debris removal, and public assistance funding. They emphasized that recovery is ongoing, that mitigation and resiliency investments are critical, and that Florida’s shelter space remains in deficit in many counties, especially for special needs populations. Senators asked about improving logistics capacity, technology for grant processing, HOA/private property debris issues, drainage and culvert maintenance, and ways to expand shelter capacity; the witness said more technology, better local coordination, and county-by-county planning would help, while noting limits on state authority over private property and county emergency manager qualifications. Committee members praised FDEM’s response and asked how the Legislature could help, including whether more logistical hubs, pumps, and flood-control equipment were needed. The witness said technology investments could reduce fatigue and improve grant and recovery processing, but that manpower would still be necessary. The committee also discussed the statewide emergency shelter plan, the use of schools as shelters, and the need to identify vacant commercial space and other facilities for future sheltering and special-needs needs. The witness said FDEM works with counties and commerce partners to identify available space and uses legislative funding for shelter retrofits and new construction when needed. The second presentation was from Blue Origin on its Florida operations. The company outlined its work in New Glenn, New Shepard, Blue Ring, lunar landers, and engine production, highlighting its Space Coast presence, more than 3,600 Florida employees, and over $3 billion invested in facilities. Blue Origin also described partnerships with Space Florida, public school Space Academies, internships, SkillBridge, and STEM outreach through Club for the Future. Members asked about the upcoming New Glenn launch window, which the company said was targeted for later that week, and the committee expressed interest in Blue Origin’s role in Florida’s space economy. The meeting ended with no further business and a motion to adjourn, which was adopted.

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 382 with the House Amendment 2 aligns with statutory language with existing vehicle rent.
• Aligns with statutory language with existing vehicle rental and peer-to-peer vehicle sharing laws.
• It eliminates conflict terminology between rental vehicles and shared vehicles, and it clears statute
• , between the terms, First, highlighted by the previous administration, between the terms rental vehicles
• and shared vehicles.

Committee: Senate Executive

Summary: The committee met in hybrid format, approved the minutes from June 24 and June 25, 2026, and then heard several bills and a resolution. On House Bill 382 with House Amendment 2, sponsored by Rep. Lynn and Sen. Hocker, the sponsor said the bill makes technical corrections to Delaware’s rental car and peer-to-peer car sharing laws after concerns raised following HB 209, clarifies when loss-of-use damages may be recovered, and preserves recovery for intentional, willful, or criminal conduct. Avis Budget Group and Enterprise Mobility supported the bill, while Allstate Insurance and Toro opposed it, arguing the measure could reintroduce unfair fees and leave too much discretion to rental companies; Sen. Townsend also said he wanted more clarity on how the bill would operate. No vote was taken in the transcript. The committee then considered House Bill 476, a Frederica charter change sponsored by Rep. Postals and Sen. Buckson. The bill would reduce town council meetings from twice monthly to once monthly and make ordinances effective immediately unless otherwise stated. Members asked why the Senate sponsor was absent and noted the bill requires a two-thirds vote, but no public comment was offered and no action was recorded. The committee also heard House Joint Resolution 13, sponsored by Sen. Sturgeon and Rep. Barry, which directs the Department of Labor to study a Delaware health care apprenticeship degree program to help address workforce shortages. The Delaware Health Care Association supported the resolution and urged coordination with existing workforce efforts; no opposition was presented and no vote was recorded. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 458 with House Amendment 1, sponsored by Rep. Lynn and Sen. Pardee, concerning backflow devices in low-hazard buildings. Sen. Pardee said the bill would exempt residences and office-type buildings from costly retrofits, while DHSS said the current regulation does not clearly define low-risk buildings and the bill’s list would not create immediate public health concerns until regulations are updated. The Delaware Association of Realtors supported the bill, saying the regulation is overly broad and expensive, while the Delaware Rural Water Association opposed it, warning that backflow prevention is important to protect aquifers and drinking water. The meeting ended with adjournment after public comment and no recorded votes in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Furthermore, we noted that the agency paid over $17,000 in error for sales tax levied on four vehicles
• And the final item was a vehicle.
• And the final item was a vehicle. It was, it had been transferred previously to M&R.
• So it's my understanding from our DDS finance staff that when we purchased the vehicles, we have a card
• When we were purchasing those vehicles, we presented that card to the revenue office.

Committee: All LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-STATE AGENCIES

Summary: The committee first approved prior meeting minutes by motion and voice vote. It then took up audit reports, with several reports without findings filed without objection. The main discussion centered on the FY24 Department of Human Services audit, which contained three findings: alleged fraud involving disaster SNAP and Medicaid benefits, a delayed notification of a nearly $610,000 altered state warrant, and asset-control issues including missing or misidentified equipment and improper sales tax paid on vehicle purchases. DHS representatives said some fraud cases had been resolved with restitution, others were pending or dismissed, and they described corrective steps such as updating internal notification procedures and asset controls. Committee members questioned the missing assets, the notification delay, and the sales tax issue, and the report was deferred to the next meeting so DHS could return with written policy changes. The committee also reviewed the FY24 Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism audit, which had two findings: loss of nearly $3,500 in museum receipts and cash-control exceptions involving $100 missing from a park camping drawer and an $80 overage at War Memorial Stadium. Agency officials said the museum loss was believed to be theft, that controls had since been strengthened with a point-of-sale and reservation system, and that the stadium issue reflected the unique mix of cash and bank balances used for events. Members asked about the investigation, reimbursement through the bond board, and whether the employee’s final paycheck could be withheld. The chair later relayed that the prosecutor’s office said the Parks and Tourism investigation remained open and that additional information had been requested from the agency, so the report was also deferred to the next meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• that support critical safety improvements and improve traffic and rail movement by separating the vehicle
• Give you guys an overview on the motor vehicle account.
• So currently the motor vehicle account provides funding to enforce the rules and regulations of the vehicle
• And so it's a combination of short-term GHG reductions, such as funding for zero emission vehicles but
• also building infrastructure that supports that transition of zero emission vehicles.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The next measure is SP 1286 SD1 relating to motor vehicles.
• ><c> to</c><00:03:40.720><c> motor</c> sp1286 sd1 relating to motor sp1286 sd1 relating to motor vehicles
• So the recommendation would be to keep this vehicle moving with a defective date.
• So the recommendation would be to keep this vehicle moving with a defective date.
• moving with a defective date vehicle moving with a defective date yeah<00:14:49.279><c> any</c><00:14

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection held decision-making and hearing sessions on February 25, 2025, on several measures. In decision-making, the committee passed with amendments SP 588 SD1, SP 1245 SD1 (pharmacists), SB 1287 (transparency), and SP 1298 SD1 (recycling), generally adopting agency-requested or technical amendments and in several cases pushing the effective date far into the future to keep the bills moving. The committee deferred SP 1149 SD1 and SP 281 SD1 for one day, and indefinitely deferred SP 1286 SD1 on motor vehicles after noting no supportive or opposing testimony and that the Office of Consumer Protection wanted to work further with the introducer. In the later hearing on consumer-protection-related measures, the committee heard testimony on SB 419 (insurance), SB 942 (rental applications), and SB 1142 (insurance proceeds). SB 419 would require auto insurance to cover replacement of a damaged child passenger restraint system; the Attorney General’s office suggested language to avoid contract impairment, and the measure was advanced with amendments. SB 942 would bar landlords from rejecting applicants solely for lack of a recent paycheck if they can show sufficient liquid assets or unearned income; testimony was largely supportive, with Realtors asking for clarifying amendments to protect their fiduciary duties, while a witness opposed those changes as an unnecessary burden on retirees and elders. SB 1142 would impose requirements on mortgage services for disbursing insurance proceeds after damage to residential property; DCCA and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement supported it, and the committee advanced it with technical amendments and a defective effective date. Across the actions, the committee repeatedly voted to pass measures with amendments, with the chair voting aye and, on SB 942, the vice chair voting with reservations over the Realtors’ amendments. No measures were rejected in the portions provided, and the committee adjourned after adopting the recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• So then you have more complex vehicles like CMAR or design-build, or you have concurrent processes once
• And there are some vehicles that are more amenable to doing that than others.
• And all of those vehicles, in one way, shape, or form, cities and water authorities have the ability
• This fly moves because humans load animals onto trailers or vehicles and drive them many hundreds of
• TAHC would equip these field positions with field vehicles for traveling across the state, equipment

Committee: Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:06:17.919><c> pass</c><00:06:18.160><c> by</c> big trucks and and vehicles pass by big trucks
• and and vehicles pass by excessive<00:06:19.199><c> rates</c><00:06:19.520><c> of</c><00:06:19.680><
• If somebody has an affirmative defense, you know, I was at work, I was not driving the vehicle, they
• If somebody has an affirmative defense, you know, I was at work, I was not driving the vehicle, they
• If somebody has an affirmative defense, you know, I was at work, I was not driving the vehicle, they

Bills: SB341 , SB340 , SB341 , SB354 , SB340

Committee: Senate Transportation and Energy

Keywords: SB341, Alabama, veteran license plate, veteran tag, distinctive license tag, specialty plate, radiation exposure, atomic bomb testing, ionizing radiation, World War II veterans, Vietnam veterans, Korean War veterans, Cold War veterans, Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Inherent Resolve, Department of Veterans Affairs, probate judge

Transcript Highlights:

• IT DOES NOT SAY WHAT TYPE OF VEHICLE YOU WERE IN OR WERE YOU IDLING IN THE VEHICLE OR WERE YOU DRIVING
• MILES IN THE VEHICLE.
• IF IT IS A VEHICLE OVER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF OR WERE YOU DRIVING MILES IN THE VEHICLE.
• IF IT IS A VEHICLE OVER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF HORSEPOWER IS IT REIMBURSED BY THE HOUR NOT THE MILE.
• NOBODY KNOWS BETTER WHAT THAT VEHICLE DOES OR WHAT THE VEHICLE IS BEING USED AS OR ITS PURPOSE THAN THE

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Vehicle theft was down 37%.
• I want to delve into vehicle theft.
• This is motor vehicle theft over the last six years. That's a dramatic decrease.
• , and led to a dramatic increase in those vehicles being stolen.
• Vehicles led to a dramatic increase in those vehicles being stolen, and for a variety of reasons that

Summary: The House Committee on Community Safety held a December 4, 2025 work session focused first on crime trends and then on policing effectiveness. Adam Gelb of the Council on Criminal Justice reviewed long-term national data showing major declines in reported crime and victimization since the early 1990s, a pandemic-era spike in homicide and some violent crime, and a recent drop back toward pre-pandemic levels. He also highlighted a sharp decline in juvenile arrests and incarceration, a substantial reduction in racial disparities in imprisonment, and noted that much of the disparity reduction appears tied to changes in arrest patterns. James McMahon of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs then presented Washington’s 2024 crime report, saying total crime fell 8.4% from 2023, with decreases in violent crime, property crime, murders, robberies, aggravated assaults, hate crimes, and vehicle theft, while crimes against society rose. He emphasized that domestic violence makes up about half of crimes against persons, that Washington remains above its 2019 levels in several categories, and that underreporting affects the data. Marshall Clement of the Council of State Governments Justice Center added that Washington remains one of the states still above 2019 violent-crime levels, with homicide and juvenile victimization especially concerning, and noted wide variation in juvenile arrests and violent-crime trends across cities and counties. Jeff Asher of the Real Time Crime Index said his near-real-time data through September 2025 suggests continued national and Washington declines in murder, violent crime, and property crime, with Washington’s murder trend likely continuing downward into 2025. The second half of the work session shifted to policing methods and clearance rates. Richard Hahn of the Niskanen Center argued that disorder and neighborhood conditions affect public safety perceptions, that environmental design and street lighting can reduce crime, and that police agencies need better deployment, investigative capacity, and clearance rates, especially amid staffing shortages. Mark Kropanski of Arnold Ventures summarized research finding that police staffing matters, hotspots and problem-oriented policing reduce crime, and better investigations increase deterrence and trust; he stressed that homicide clearance rates remain only around 60% in Washington and that property-crime clearance is much lower. Marshall Clement returned to focus on Washington’s solve rates, saying only 44% of violent crimes reported to police are solved, with 62% of homicides, 51% of aggravated assaults, 25% of rapes, and 31% of robberies cleared in 2024, and that large numbers of serious crimes remain unsolved over a three-year period. He urged state leaders to set goals, improve data collection, strengthen investigative resources, and support victims and witnesses. No votes or formal actions were taken; the session was informational and included extensive member questions about juvenile crime, domestic violence, underreporting, detective staffing, and how to improve clearance rates.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our clean vehicle programs include rules to advance zero-emission vehicle deployment and incentives,
• , given the useful life of vehicles and the fact that clean vehicle regulatory requirements phase in
• And so it includes things like strategies around vehicle miles traveled and things like that.
• They can go to hybrid vehicles, EVs. So is that taken into account in the demand projections?
• Because I do know that for the last two years, roughly one in four vehicles are electric vehicles.

Summary: The joint informational hearing of the Assembly Committees on Utilities and Energy, Transportation, and Natural Resources focused on California’s transportation fuels sector, especially the state’s response to refinery closures and the broader transition away from fossil fuels. Opening remarks emphasized the tension between climate and air-quality goals, fuel affordability, refinery jobs and local tax bases, and the need to avoid crisis-driven responses as Phillips 66 and Valero consider shutting refineries in Wilmington and Benicia. Professor Emily Grubert framed the issue as a long-term managed transition in which the public already bears much of the risk and should also capture benefits from a well-planned shift. CARB Chair Leanne Randolph reviewed the state’s emissions and fuel policies, including AB 32, the low-carbon fuel standard, clean vehicle programs, and the at-berth regulation for ocean-going vessels. She said California’s transportation sector remains the largest source of greenhouse gases and a major source of smog-forming pollution, but that the state has made substantial progress and still needs to reduce demand for fossil fuels while maintaining compliance with federal air-quality standards. Randolph also said CARB’s recent LCFS amendments had not caused the predicted spike in gas prices and explained that compliance pathways for the at-berth rule include emissions-reduction technologies or payments into a remediation fund. CEC Vice Chair Gunda described declining gasoline demand, shrinking in-state refining capacity, and growing dependence on imports, arguing that the state is in a “mid-transition” period that requires both support for legacy infrastructure and continued investment in cleaner alternatives. He outlined the administration’s petroleum market stabilization proposal, which aims to return California crude production to 125 million barrels a year through four components: codifying the ban on fracking, validating the Kern County oil-and-gas permitting ordinance, creating a temporary CEQA exemption paired with a two-for-one plug-and-drill framework, and strengthening pipeline and spill-safety requirements. Department of Conservation Director Jennifer Lucasey said the proposal is intended to stabilize crude supply and pipeline throughput while preserving health and environmental protections, and noted that CalGEM would still review permits and enforce other requirements. Mayor Steve Young of Benicia testified that a Valero closure would significantly reduce city revenue and leave the community facing years of cleanup and redevelopment challenges. He said the city supports environmental protection but is worried about the economic hit, the possibility that Benicia becomes a fuel-import terminal, and the lack of local influence over refinery decisions. Members pressed the panel on the CEQA exemption, tribal and habitat review, disclosure of closure liabilities, fuel-demand projections, and whether the proposal should include more demand-side measures. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational, and officials said some proposals, including a margin-cap pause and further transition planning, would be taken up later in the process.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then we also have training, commercial vehicles, headquarters, and investigative services that serve
• We have specialty vehicle storage placed throughout the Metro.
• spaces vehicle storage we have specialty Vehicles<00:36:44.079><c> placed</c><00:36:44.440><c> throughout
• is being stolen from our evidence lot because we don't have a secure space for those vehicles.
• </c> involved in a crash or their vehicle involved in a crash or their vehicle breaks<00:37:24.400><c

Committee: House Capital Investment

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And so there may be better options to outfit some of the fleet vehicles. I'm not sure.
• vehicles are exempted, but that's per state law, what is defined as an emergency vehicle, whereas for
• , because emergency vehicles are exempted, but that's per state law, what is defined as an emergency
• vehicle, whereas for us, we also had, you know, animal control, public infrastructure, public health,
• and also hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Committee: Senate Rules

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:14:12.159><c> industry,</c> representing the motor vehicle industry, representing the motor vehicle
• Michelle Elder: “New Hampshire’s retail installment sales of motor vehicle code governs the motor vehicle
• </c><01:18:14.320><c> with</c> graduate may want a new vehicle with graduate may want a new vehicle with
• </c> customers choose to trade their vehicles customers choose to trade their vehicles as<01:18:28.880
• As Dan said, we're their vehicle.

Committee: Senate Commerce

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're working hands-on with cancer, and we're trying to create liposomes that essentially behave as a vehicle
• We're working hands-on with cancer and we're trying to create liposomes that essentially behave as a vehicle
• At NDSU, we developed several primers that match or beat chromated systems, and one of them was licensed
• At NDSU we develop several primers that match or beat chromated systems and one of them was licensed
• We licensed them from the recent foundation and started the slow journey from research to commercialization

Committee: Joint Higher Education Institutions Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So how does the administration view the relationship between the two vehicles?
• specifically in the truck driving industry, where right now there's a big gap of 17,000 commercial driver's licenses
• We work with the nail salon workforce, which comprises licensed manicurists who are often Vietnamese
• I am a graduate of Freeworld.org, which is a commercial driver's license training for parolees and ex-felons

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Corrections, Public Safety, Judiciary, Labor, and Transportation heard presentations on labor and public employment issues from the Employment Development Department (EDD), the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB), and the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). The committee first focused on EDD Next modernization, where EDD described progress on online claims, call center upgrades, language access, fraud prevention, and the Integrated Claims Management System (ICMS). The Legislative Analyst’s Office urged closer legislative oversight, especially as the project moves into the most difficult phase. Senators asked about the revised timeline, total cost, fraud reduction, stress testing, transparency around change orders, and the decision to phase in disability insurance and paid family leave before unemployment insurance. EDD said the overall project cost remained about $1.2 billion, that it had no major cost overruns, and that it had saved more than $20 million by shifting some shared customer portal work into ICMS. The subcommittee then considered CWDB’s request for additional operational resources and trailer bill language to streamline reporting. CWDB and the Department of Finance said staffing had been expanded during the pandemic-era surge in grant funding and should now be reduced as one-time grant programs wind down. Senators questioned the proposed staffing reduction, arguing that workforce development needs remain strong and that the board’s policy role still requires adequate capacity. The committee also discussed a proposal to consolidate multiple annual and interim reports into a single biennial report, with LAO supporting the streamlining. Members asked about reporting for specific programs and the cost savings from reducing duplicative evaluations. A major portion of the hearing addressed DIR’s proposed reforms to the Subsequent Injury Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF) and related workload funding. DIR and LAO described rapid growth in applications, a large and growing backlog, and sharply rising liabilities and employer assessments. The administration’s trailer bill would tighten eligibility, apply reforms to open cases, and use contemporaneous evidence and QME reports to document preexisting disabilities. LAO said the proposal largely matched its prior recommendations and would help return the program to its original intent. Senators raised concerns about fairness to pending claimants, the effect on workers with undocumented preexisting conditions, and whether the QME system could absorb the added workload. The committee also heard DIR’s request to eliminate vacant positions under a statewide vacancy sweep, with members objecting that some vacancies reflect unmet enforcement and safety needs rather than excess capacity. The hearing continued with DIR proposals for additional Cal/OSHA investigative staff, permanent changes to Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board petition deadlines, and apprenticeship-related funding increases. DIR sought 14 permanent positions for its Bureau of Investigation to handle serious workplace fatalities and injuries, and members emphasized the importance of timely investigations and family communication. The WCAB requested making permanent a 2024 change that starts the 60-day reconsideration clock when a case is transmitted rather than when the petition is filed; the board said this had reduced the number of cases awaiting decisions from 637 to 460. Finally, DIR proposed increasing apprenticeship training grants from $3 million to $20 million annually using the Apprenticeship Training Contribution Fund, citing an $80 million fund balance and workforce demand tied to rebuilding and infrastructure needs, and then began discussion of a separate request to expand pre-apprenticeship programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• He has a $65,000 salary, $50,000 vehicle, fuel card, benefits. fit package of approximately $25,000,
• I'm a licensed professional engineer.
• And so the number of qualified and licensed operators in Texas is dwindling.
• I'm a professional engineer at a law lease. but there are water and wastewater operator licenses science

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As a licensed marriage and family therapist and a licensed professional clinical counselor, I personally
• combines on the job training, classroom instructions, and graduates when they earn their journeyman license
• Maybe, I don't know that this is the right vehicle, but how to address that, because that also seemed

Committee: House Education

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The owners ability to register a vehicle or vessel and the state until the Costa removal is repaid.
• So they want to be able to register the vehicle or vessel and they do end up every paying the state local
• or is it also a automobiles and other registrations, this vehicle or vessel?
• So I mean, do they have to pay all, you know, fines and fees before they can register a current vehicle
• It doesn't prevent a spouse or someone else registering a vehicle for them so that you see what happens

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• transit operating property tax and replaced it with state general funds and support from the motor vehicle
• c><00:03:11.080><c> from</c><00:03:11.239><c> the</c><00:03:11.360><c> motor</c><00:03:11.560><c> vehicle
• </c><00:03:11.920><c> sales</c> and support from the motor vehicle sales and support from the motor vehicle
• By law, 34.3% of all motor vehicle sales tax in the state and 83% of the regional sales tax collected
• Again, this bill vehicles, and more.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• :47:35.760><c> or</c> internet, no household internet or or internet, no household internet or or vehicle
• . vehicle. vehicle.
• I would be, and I don't know if you have the access to that, if you can pull a license and overlay that
• <02:08:58.560><c> a</c> the access to that if you can pull a the access to that if you can pull a license
• and overlay that but I think license and overlay that but I think that<02:09:01.119><c> would</c><02

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first approved the draft minutes from its May 29 meeting and then received an informational update from the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing about the state’s ASL interpreter pipeline. Representative Woods and Associate Commissioner Ann Landry explained that the American Sign Language program at UNH Manchester, the nation’s first fully accredited program, is facing viability concerns because high tuition has left only two of a potential 20 students committed so far. They warned that if enrollment does not recover, the program could face a teachout and eventually be lost, which they said would be detrimental because many state services and legal proceedings require qualified interpreters. Members discussed possible alternatives, including whether community colleges could help, and asked for follow-up research and contact information for UNH officials. The committee also heard that interpreter demand across DHHS continues to rise and that the department must ensure compliance with civil rights and service-access requirements. The committee then turned to Medicaid policy changes tied to Senate Bill 134 and a new federal interim final rule on Medicaid community engagement, or work, requirements. DHHS officials Olivia May and Ann Landry explained that the state law and federal rule align in many areas, but the committee still needed to decide how to implement several remaining policy choices. The department recommended adopting all four short-term hardship exceptions because the federal rule requires states to take them all or none: inpatient or institutional care, federally declared emergencies, high-unemployment areas, and extensive out-of-state travel for serious medical care. Members generally supported the exceptions but raised concerns about how they would be defined and applied, especially the emergency and medical-travel categories. Several legislators asked for more clarity on terms like “extensively” and “serious or complex medical care,” and DHHS said the federal rule does not rigidly define them, though the state could refine implementation through rulemaking if authorized. The department also said the emergency exception would apply only to federally declared emergencies, not state declarations, and would be tied to the emergency event itself. No final vote on the Medicaid policy was recorded in the portion provided, but the discussion indicated the committee was reviewing the remaining decisions needed to implement Senate Bill 134 under the new federal framework.