Transcript Highlights:

• We are fortunate to have a representative from the Department of Ag along with the nutrition science
• As the House Ag Committee's $230 billion cut likely to nutrition programs like SNAP would be devastating
• He is the original milkman in the Senate Ag Committee and proud of it. I just have to ask this.
• So while today most women start developing osteopenia and when you reach that peak bone mass at age 28
• , the rest of our life that aging process starts.

Bills: SB222

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee

Keywords: whole milk, school lunch, school meals, National School Lunch Program, Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, Child Nutrition Act, USDA, nutrition standards, dairy, nonfat milk, low-fat milk, reduced-fat milk, lactose-free milk, nondairy beverages, plant-based milk, milk substitution, parental consent, legal guardian, food allergies, allergic reaction

Summary: This meeting of the committee focused primarily on the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, S222, which aims to permit schools to offer a fuller range of milk options, including whole, reduced, and low-fat varieties, that have garnered bipartisan support. Chairman Bozeman opened the session by highlighting concerns over children's nutrition and the obesity epidemic, emphasizing the significance of nutritious school meals in addressing these issues. Experts from various organizations were invited to discuss the implications of this bill as well as the current challenges facing school meal programs, including budget constraints and food supply issues. The meeting included passionate testimonies about the direct impacts of current dietary guidelines and federal funding reductions affecting schools' abilities to provide healthy meal options.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is SB 794, which requires that every employee of a residential facility or day training program
• It exempts a person under 18 or a referee of any age from the background screening requirement if they
• The bill also adds provisions for solar facilities, designating solar facilities as a permitted use in
• You and I are about the same age growing up on the east coast of Florida.
• , including acts such as, well, you can read about it in the bill, while viewing a person under the age

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What I can tell you is that 90% of adult smokers started before the age of 18.
• 90% of adult smokers started<00:03:35.159><c> before</c><00:03:35.360><c> the</c><00:03:35.480><c> age
• c><00:03:35.760><c> 18</c><00:03:36.599><c> speaking</c><00:03:36.959><c> in</c> started before the age
• of 18 speaking in started before the age of 18 speaking in my<00:03:37.319><c> capacity</c><00:03:37.760
• Thank you, Representative Gentry. stores I AG agree enforcement by stores I AG agree enforcement by chfs

Keywords: Call to Order 00:00 SB 100 Discussion 00:05 SB 100 Vote 06:42 SB 202 Discussion 08:35 SB 202 Vote 43:17 SB 17 Discussion 47:37 SB 17 Vote 48:08 SB 22 Discussion 49:22 SB 22 Vote 52:55 SB 133 Discussion 53:55 SB 133 Vote 55:15 SB 190 Discussion 56:00 SB 190 Vote 56:38 Adjournment 57:19, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 100, which would place cigarettes, vapes, and related nicotine products under the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) system, add enforcement tools against bad actors, and regulate nitrous oxide/laughing gas sales to those under 21. Supporters, including youth advocates Mallerie Jones and Griffin Kian Neth, argued the bill would reduce youth access to nicotine products through retail licensing, compliance checks, and escalating penalties. Higdon said the bill targets illegal sales rather than most retailers, and noted the measure also updates House Bill 11 from the prior year and raises the retail license fee from $250 to $500. The committee adopted the committee substitute and then passed the bill on a roll call vote, with members voting yes and no opposition recorded in the transcript. The committee then considered Senate Bill 202, focused on cannabis-infused beverages. Senator Julie Raque Adams said the bill was intended to create common-sense public health guardrails for a rapidly growing product category sold in gas stations, liquor stores, and vape shops, and to address enforcement gaps. She explained the committee substitute would define cannabis-infused beverages at a 5-milligram limit per 12-ounce can, place enforcement under ABC while keeping CHFS manufacturing and testing rules in place, require a University of Kentucky report back to the General Assembly, allow existing higher-dose inventory to be sold through June 1, exempt festivals and fairs until January 1, 2026, and allow stores to obtain licenses to continue selling the product. The committee adopted the substitute and then heard testimony from hemp-industry representatives and a consumer. Opponents of SB 202/SB 22, including Dee Taylor of the Kentucky Hemp Association, Cornbread Hemp co-founder Jim Higdon, Annie Rouse of Cannabuzz Barn, and consumer Nancy Roberts, argued the bill would hurt a legal Kentucky hemp industry, reduce consumer access, and force sales into liquor stores. They said the 100-milligram beverage referenced in debate is actually 10 servings with a resealable top, that hemp retailers educate customers, and that the industry already operates under 2024 regulations and needs better enforcement rather than new restrictions. Higdon and Rouse objected to the 5-milligram cap, the on-premise sales ban, the move to ABC enforcement, and the taxation approach, warning the bill could wipe out a large share of business and jobs. No final vote on SB 202 was taken in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sorry, age has gotten to me. Let me put my cheaters on.
• We knew at a young age that she was going to need an IEP, and that scared me.
• We knew at a young age that she was going to need an IEP, and that scared me.
• We knew at a young age that she was going to need an IEP, and that scared me.
• Most of your problem with the proficiency scores seems to be in the elementary age group.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate Education Committee met with a quorum and heard first from the Washway Nicotine Youth Advocacy Group, which urged stronger enforcement of Kentucky’s Tobacco 21 law. Youth advocates described the harms of flavored vaping products, argued that nicotine use is targeting children, and called for retailer licensing, annual compliance checks, harsher penalties for illegal sales, and more funding for enforcement. Committee members praised the presentation, and one senator said he had heard a bill on licensed retailers may be coming soon. The committee then heard a lengthy presentation from Cloverport Independent School District and the Kentucky Virtual Academy about the state’s virtual school model. Superintendent Keith Haynes and principals Brandy Fagan and Sally Johnson said KYVA serves about 2,800 students, many of whom are at-risk or have health, safety, behavioral, or family reasons for choosing virtual education. They emphasized that the program uses live synchronous instruction, provides devices and materials, and offers special education and related services. They also said the school had a large wait list and that virtual programs need more flexibility in staffing ratios, scheduling, and testing windows. School leaders acknowledged criticism of KYVA’s proficiency scores and said many students entered far below grade level, with 59% not proficient in English language arts and 79% not proficient in math on recent state testing. They argued the program is too new to judge solely on one year of data and pointed to growth in MAP scores, as well as middle and high school rankings in the top half of Kentucky schools. Fagan and Johnson outlined improvement efforts, including daily interventions, small-group instruction, literacy programs, staff training, and expanded clubs and student activities. No votes or formal committee actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• um show that hearing age can reduce the<00:05:39.199><c> incidence</c><00:05:40.000><c> of</c><00:05
• We confer on facility issues.
• There really is the CO process for Department of Health facilities has proven unnecessary.
• We confer on facility issues.
• There really is the CO process for Department of Health facilities has proven unnecessary.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony on several health-related measures, with most of the discussion focused on SB 1419, SB 1494, and SB 1495, which were taken out of order to accommodate ASL/Death Blind Task Force testimony. SB 1419, relating to Act 253 (Session Laws of Hawaii 2023), drew support from the Department of Human Services and the National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii, with testimony emphasizing use of the term “low vision” and support for the program timeline. The committee later recommended passage with amendments, including technical changes and updated appropriation fiscal years, and the motion was adopted unanimously by the members present. SB 1494, concerning hearing aids, drew broad support from disability advocates and others who argued that hearing aids improve health, reduce accidents, and may help reduce dementia risk. Testifiers also urged that the bill define hearing aids as prescription hearing aids rather than including over-the-counter devices, and the Department of the Auditor and Insurance Division raised cost and coverage questions. The committee recommended passage with amendments, changing the coverage approach to optional coverage similar to vision and dental and requesting a sunrise analysis for prescription hearing aids; that recommendation was adopted. SB 1495, which exempts hearing aids from the general excise tax, also received support, while the Attorney General flagged a possible single-subject issue and the Tax Department estimated a potential $1.1 million revenue impact. The committee recommended passage with amendments, including deletion of the challenged language, technical fixes, and noting the revenue estimate; that recommendation was adopted. The committee then moved through additional measures with mostly supportive testimony. SB 1421 on medical records prompted questions about what happens when a solo practitioner dies or closes practice, and the discussion centered on ensuring patients can obtain records, including a proposed amendment requiring a successor provider to send records to the patient’s last known address. SB 1422, dealing with a special fund and vital statistics funding, was supported by the Department of Health, which said the special fund did not meet criteria and that deposits should instead go to the Vital Statistics Improvement Special Fund. SB 1423 on certificate of need exemptions for Department of Health facilities drew support, with discussion of possibly extending exemptions to dialysis and behavioral health/psychiatric services; the Department indicated it would not oppose that change. SB 1424 on credentialing of health care providers also received support, and SB 1425 on the State Emergency Medical Services Committee focused on reducing quorum requirements because many members are active first responders and cannot always attend meetings. The committee also heard support for SB 1426 on emergency medical services, SB 1431 on viral hepatitis, and SB 1433 on harm reduction, with testimony on hepatitis outreach funding and syringe access best practices; for SB 1433, the Department of Health identified a blank in the bill and recommended a six-month period for the syringe-possession exception.

Transcript Highlights:

• We did age-gate.
• to pretend like age is something we can control.
• We’ve never been able to control anything based on age.
• And really, that's to age 21 or 25.
• Again, if you start using at a young age, especially...

Bills: SB5 , SB11 , SB12 , SB 5 , SB 11 , SB 12

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Keywords: hemp regulation, consumable products, cannabinoids, occupational licenses, criminal offenses, SB 11, Texas attorney general, election crimes, election law enforcement, criminal prosecution, Election Code, Government Code Chapter 402, local prosecutors, county attorney, district attorney, grand jury, probable cause reports, state election offenses, voter fraud, election integrity

Transcript Highlights:

• Our new facility will be open by December of 2026.
• Our new facility will be open by December of 2026.
• so not a residential treatment facility so not a residential treatment facility<00:55:00.920><c> or<
• </c> think about uh factors such as the age think about uh factors such as the age of<00:56:15.119><c
• </c><01:19:11.320><c> at</c> our one designated receiving facility at our one designated receiving facility

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with committee process reminders from the chair, including rules for questioning witnesses, time limits for testimony, and how motions and committee reports are handled. The chair also discussed the committee’s history, emphasized a cooperative approach with agencies and the Judiciary, and noted that a special committee on the Family Division of Circuit Court had previously done useful work; he said a new subcommittee could be appointed later to continue looking at judicial-system issues. He also mentioned that the Speaker’s office was expected to name members to the DHHS oversight committee by Friday at 1. The substantive presentation was from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Child Support Services. Attorney John Williams introduced the bureau team, and Bureau Chief Lisa Dekowski described the program’s mission: encouraging responsible parenting, family self-sufficiency, and child well-being by locating parents, establishing paternity, setting or modifying support orders, and enforcing court-ordered child and medical support. She said the bureau operates statewide under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, works with courts, employers, and other partners, and serves both in-state and out-of-state cases, with some international and tribal coordination. She also cited program scale, saying the bureau dispersed about $76 million to families in New Hampshire in fiscal year 2023 and that most collections go directly to families. Members asked about enforcement tools, especially passport denial. In response to a question about a case involving a very small shortfall, the bureau said the federal passport-denial threshold is $2,500 in arrears, not a few cents, and that denial remains in place until the balance is resolved or an arrangement is made with the agency, with hardship factors potentially considered. The bureau also explained that either parent can apply for services when a child support order exists and that the bureau can help initiate income withholding orders. No votes or formal actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Merkel be authorized to take the State Police examination, notwithstanding the maximum age requirement
• Merkel be authorized to take the State Police examination, notwithstanding the maximum age requirement
• Merckle be authorized to take the State Police examination notwithstanding the age of the maximum age
• An act relative to the maximum age requirement for police officers in the City of Newton, House No. 4718
• The proposed Palmer Renewable Energy Biomass Facility would operate right in the heart of my district

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Project Search is a program we've used for the last 15 years that allows students, so high school age
• students, to get job experience in our facilities.
• And so many of those folks who were not moved into community employment were really at retirement age
• We have a situation where we've put people into these sheltered workshop situations at a young age, and
• Deborah, there were some changes to the ABLE account, so the age limit, the age of onset of disability

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also know that alongside decreasing or stagnant population growth and an aging workforce, Minnesota
• We know that those 100,000 jobs, the individuals, are aging out, and we're not replacing them as fast
• </c><00:21:19.440><c> to</c><00:21:19.760><c> news,</c> production facilities to news, production facilities
• </c> 100,000 jobs, the individuals, are aging 100,000 jobs, the individuals, are aging out,<00:21:38.400
• ,</c><01:04:39.119><c> uh,</c> long you've been around, the ages, uh, long you've been around, the ages

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I've been in some discussions with the AG's office, and I'm waiting for a written opinion from the AG
• The AG is in the process of giving a formal opinion on that.
• opinion um and that waiting for the AG opinion um and that it'll<00:34:10.599><c> be</c><00:34:10.720
• We project that we'll employ 4,000 hardworking men and women in our manufacturing facility.
• We're extremely fortunate to receive essential seed funding from Volkswagen AG, so we're working hard

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The joint hearing covered HB 1484 on transit-oriented development and HB 157 on transportation. For HB 1484, testimony included a request from the Hoi Community Development Authority to be removed from the measure while offering to assist if the transit-oriented development law is implemented, along with testimony in opposition and support from several individuals. The committees later recommended HB 1484 be passed with amendments, including an HD1, a defective date, deletion of a reference to section 225 on page 11, adoption of H-CDA’s proposed amendment, and related committee report changes. The vote was adopted in both committees, with Representatives Cochran and Lee excused and Representative Mora voting with reservations. HB 157 concerned the transfer and acceptance of roads in the Villages of Kapolei. HHFDC supported the bill’s intent and explained that the roads were originally self-permitted, the city had not accepted dedication, and HHFDC has been maintaining and upgrading the roads under an MOA that requires improvements to city standards before transfer. Testimony from the Villages of Kapolei Association and others described ongoing problems with non-emergency police services, illegal parking, abandoned vehicles, and the need for city enforcement on roads that are open to the public. Committee members asked about the current holdup, the possibility of transferring roads in segments, and whether a cash settlement could resolve the issue; HHFDC said it was working in segments and that the city had mentioned a $60 million figure. The committees then recommended HB 157 pass with amendments, noting they were awaiting an Attorney General opinion on authority to compel the transfer and that the matter would continue to the Committee on Water and Land. The Transportation Committee also heard several additional bills. HB 1083, concerning vessels in state commercial harbors, drew support from the Department of Transportation and some industry groups and opposition from charter operators; HB 1159, which would require compliance with harbor master evacuation orders and increase penalties, drew DOT support and opposition from multiple vessel operators, who argued the bill was too broad and should define emergencies more clearly and use tiered penalties. HB 58, limiting civil liability for firefighting at commercial harbors, received DOT and Maritime Group support. HB 1165, on county disposal of ocean-bordering property and state highway acquisition, received DOT support. HB 938, a broad motor vehicle franchise and EV-related bill, drew support from the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association and the Motor Vehicle Industry Licensing Board, but strong opposition from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Tesla, Rivian, Scout Motors, and others; opponents argued it would restrict direct-to-consumer EV sales and innovation, while dealers said the bill was too broad and needed further stakeholder work. No final votes were taken on the Transportation Committee’s remaining measures in the portion provided, and the joint hearing was adjourned after decision-making on HB 1484 and HB 157.

Transcript Highlights:

• We did age 71 a couple of years ago.
• We did age 71 a couple of years ago.
• Representative Skaug: Chairman Crane, Representative Mikkelson, a pediatric is child under the age of
• Representative Skaug: Chairman Crane, Representative Mikkelson, a pediatric is child under the age of
• Representative Crane, Representative Nicholson, Chairman Crane, excuse me, if a school or educational facility

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• will include financing, drilling new wells. constructing pipelines, and building water treatment facilities
• have met the 50, and then you have to have a compliance plan. everything has to be approved but the AG
• If there is an injury in fact, then the AG can bring an action, but the individual doesn't have a right
• So if the AG brings that action, usually damages by a public prosecutor do not include real damages for
• Sherry but okay but I'm not this this is already state law okay and we're not changing the ability the AG

Committee: House Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• students with special education needs, and a growing number of people in long-term care because of an aging
• of people in long-term care<00:03:30.159><c> because</c><00:03:30.480><c> of</c><00:03:30.720><c> aging
• </c><00:03:32.000><c> A</c><00:03:32.159><c> lot</c> care because of aging population.
• A lot care because of aging population.
• nursing</c><00:05:23.680><c> homes</c> Have a huge impact in our nursing homes and long-term care facilities

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• facilities, but I guess I don't always consider them natural gas facilities.
• They're just facilities we've been using natural gas in. ...but we can modify them.
• facilities, but I guess I don't always consider them natural gas facilities.
• They're just facilities we've been using natural gas in. always consider them natural gas facilities.
• They're just facilities we've been using natural gas in, but we can modify them.

Committee: House Utilities and Energy

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And now we have in excess of 800 facilities from those 27 licenses.
• This slide reflects the MMTC facilities, again, over 800 around the state.
• This reflects both the dispensing facilities, or you might call retail. We already have 706.
• Additionally, we go out to the facilities that we regulate.
• Well, we have recently found pesticides that should not have been in that facility.

Committee: Senate Health Policy

Summary: The Senate Health Policy Committee received updates from the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Health on implementation of 2024 health care laws. AHCA reviewed progress on workforce and reimbursement measures in Senate Bill 7016 and related bills, including FRAME and TEACH funding, graduate medical education reporting, behavioral health teaching hospitals, acute hospital care at home, advanced birth centers, non-emergent care access plans, and rural emergency hospitals. Agency officials said several programs are already operational or have begun payments, while others are still in rulemaking, federal approval, or report-preparation stages. Senators asked about timing, funding reversion concerns, and whether appropriated dollars would be spent on schedule, especially for behavioral health teaching hospitals and the new birth center category. The Department of Health then reported on practitioner licensure and public health programs. MQA described implementation of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, the Mobile Act licensure pathway, massage therapy enforcement changes, background screening expansion, liposuction safety requirements, pharmacist HIV post-exposure prophylaxis authority, and chiropractic dry needling. Public health staff updated the committee on FRAME and dental loan repayment, the Sinati screening grant program, the cancer research and innovation changes, the health care innovation council and loan program, the pediatric rare disease grant program, telehealth maternity care expansion, newborn screening for congenital CMV, the sickle cell registry and grants, and the swimming lesson voucher program. Members focused questions on how practitioners were being recruited to underserved areas, the pace of licensure approvals, and whether new programs were on track to use appropriated funds. The committee also heard a lengthy update from the Office of Medical Marijuana Use. The director reported more than 900,000 qualified patients, real-time seed-to-sale tracking now integrated across most dispensaries and labs, and ongoing compliance work on product testing, advertising, diversion, and patient safety. Senators questioned the decline in qualified physicians, how THC potency is labeled and verified, and what the agency can do about diversion to non-patients. The director said the office relies on complaints, inspections, lab audits, and coordination with law enforcement, and that patients can be suspended if violations are confirmed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Approval of this request is vital to ensure the continued operation of state correctional facilities
• </c> efficient operation of our facilities efficient operation of our facilities and<00:25:26.120><c>
• </c><00:42:47.520><c> are</c> come from a correctional facilities are come from a correctional facilities
• We are not talking about every single phone and every single facility and every single unit.
• , which will turn the facility safer along with everyone in the general public.

Committee: House Public Safety Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Program requirements under the School Facility Program.
• school facility program totaling 177.5 million one-time general fund.
• Yeah, there's not a facility. So who's doing those proposals for them?
• Was it related to facility, sorry?
• I was 22 and aged out in the middle of the COVID pandemic.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I noticed that your bill says any person under the age of 18 on our farm.
• We have a worker who is my age and by no fault of his own is what I would consider semi-literate.
• So does this only apply to people under the age of 18?
• So this, if they're over the age of 18, this isn't going to affect them at all.
• Did you consider how this might impact those working families where a child that is between the ages

Bills: HB3329 , HR1039 , HR1040 , HB3413 , HB3414 , HB3415 , HB3416 , HB3417 , HB3418 , HB3419 , HB3420 , HB3706 , HB3711 , HB4139 , HB1268 , HB3660 , HJR1023 , HB3298 , HB3056 , HJR1084 , HB3934 , HB3919 , HB4118 , HB4119 , HB3791 , HB4260 , HB4178 , HB4215 , HB4324 , HB3270 , HB4352 , HB4305 , HB2955 , HB3315 , HB3066 , HB1245 , HB4125 , HB3075 , HB3129 , HB3239 , HB4153 , HB3265 , HB4491 , SB680 , HB4263 , HB4268 , HB1675 , HB3885 , HB2984 , HB3697 , HB2959 , HB3671 , HB3852 , HB2933 , HB3057 , HB3802 , HB4294 , HB4285 , HB3708 , HB3979 , HB3977 , HB3986 , HB3985 , HB3588 , HB3742 , HB3845 , HJR1070 , HB3590 , HB3595 , HB3391 , HB3183 , HB3764 , HB3765 , HB1002 , HB4434 , HJR1086 , HB4060 , HB3881 , HB3500 , HB4408 , HB3648 , HB3127 , HB3606

Keywords: long-term care, advisory board, sunset legislation, mental health, psychologists, University of Oklahoma, gymnastics, NCAA, congratulations, sports excellence, recognition, honor, athletics, Joseph Castiglione, leadership, education, sports management, HB3413, public finance, state budget

Transcript Highlights:

• But I look forward to the tour as well of the facility, so maybe a big group of us can go down there
• And if you look at the demographics in Arizona, we're an aging state.
• He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the age of 58. Obviously, this was just devastating.
• of people under the age of 18 by 2028.
• He was diagnosed at age 58, and that was five years ago. And you all just saw him walk out of here.

Committee: House House Appropriations Committee of Reference

Summary: The Appropriations Committee met on January 28 and heard several bills, beginning with introductions of members and staff. The committee first considered HB 2056, which would appropriate $100,000 to the Arizona Department of Water Resources for a feasibility study of brackish groundwater desalination sites. Sponsor Rep. Gail Griffin argued the state should explore use of large brackish groundwater reserves amid Colorado River concerns, while one speaker opposed the bill on aquifer-protection grounds. The committee voted 11-6-1 to give HB 2056 a due pass recommendation. The committee then took up HB 2798, as amended, which appropriates $100,000 to the Arizona Geological Survey to compile data on materials relevant to nuclear energy, including thorium and other non-uranium fuels. Rep. Carbone and others framed the bill as an economic development and national security measure, while opponents questioned whether Arizona has meaningful deposits and whether the state should fund the research. The University of Arizona testified that the Geological Survey could do the work. The committee adopted the Livingston amendment and then approved the bill 11-5-1. Next, the committee considered HB 2303, which codifies investment standards for the State Treasurer, emphasizing safety and principal preservation and prohibiting speculative investments and insider misuse. The Treasurer’s Office supported the bill, saying it reflects existing policy and ethics rules, though members asked for clearer definitions of “speculative” and how the bill would interact with other statutes. The committee passed HB 2303 15-0 with two members present and one not voting. HB 2344, which directs the Treasurer to manage the local government investment pool internally and allows a third-party contract only for emergency backup, also passed after questions about local control and whether the bill was necessary; the vote was 12-2-3 with one not voting. The committee later heard HB 2759, a $500,000 appropriation to the Department of Veterans’ Services to partner with an educational institution in Yavapai County for veterans programs. Retired Navy SEAL Chief Richard Rodriguez testified about Embry-Riddle’s veteran population and emergency assistance needs for housing, travel, and equipment, while opponents objected to using state funds for a private institution and argued veterans services should be broader and statewide. The bill received a due pass recommendation 11-6-1. The committee also approved HB 2207, which funds the prison Braille transcription program at $300,000 and was described as a successful rehabilitation and service program, and HB 2224, as amended to $1 million, which funds the Double Up Food Bucks produce incentive program through SNAP; supporters said it helps families, farmers, and local economies, and the committee adopted the amendment and passed the bill.