Transcript Highlights:

• So they need that in there, I think, for CMS. beneficiaries when the biomarker test is beneficiaries
• </c><01:58:48.480><c> We</c><01:58:48.800><c> have</c><01:58:48.960><c> simply</c> Medicaid beneficiaries
• We have simply Medicaid beneficiaries.
• Uh, it says biomarker testing shall be covered by the New Hampshire Medicaid program for beneficiaries
• So average cost per beneficiary, 27,000. We know the eligible population is less than 20.

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• And again, that affects the beneficiaries as well.
• And again, that affects the beneficiaries as well.
• My question is, on this last slide, prorated to the beneficiaries, I look at it as more as participants
• I'm trying to figure out why the State Water Commission would be a beneficiary of this project.
• Yeah, I was having trouble with the word beneficiary.

Committee: Joint Water Topics Overview Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• So pension beneficiaries, including employees whose retirements depend on CalPERS, in my opinion, have
• In my opinion, I've taken the position that pension beneficiaries have a right to know what businesses
• make sure that in doing those investigations that we distinguish between bad actor providers and beneficiaries
• make sure that in doing those investigations that we distinguish between bad actor providers and beneficiaries
• The Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse does not investigate or prosecute beneficiary fraud.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're responsible for ensuring interpreter services for all of our programs and staff and beneficiaries
• We're responsible for ensuring interpreter services for all of our programs and staff and beneficiaries
• what we're proposing to you in this situation is to ask and verify, ask that the clients, the beneficiaries
• what we're proposing to you in this situation is to ask and verify, ask that the clients, the beneficiaries
• </c> ask that the clients, the beneficiaries ask that the clients, the beneficiaries if<00:57:02.319>

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.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:47:27.440><c> So,</c><00:47:27.640><c> the</c><00:47:27.760><c> beneficiaries</c><00:47:28.480
• So, the beneficiaries of general fund.
• So, the beneficiaries of the<00:47:28.680><c> subsidy</c><00:47:29.440><c> didn't</c><00:47:29.720><c
• We are a beneficiary in many ways.
• At least our customers are the beneficiaries of the renewable energy fund that has been in place here

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• the past fiscal year, we hit $1 billion in pension benefits that were paid to our retirees and beneficiaries
• With most of our retirees and beneficiaries living in state, most of these retirement benefits support
• </c> and beneficiaries. and beneficiaries.
• /c><01:31:04.639><c> and</c> With most of our um retirees and With most of our um retirees and beneficiaries
• living in state, most of beneficiaries living in state, most of these<01:31:07.120><c> retirement</c

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• and requests that the government take action when we're trying to increase equity for Medicare beneficiaries

Committee: Senate Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• There they sit until the beneficiary Or can come to claim them.

Committee: House House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• I am the beneficiary of investments that are being made in the kinds of programs that folks are talking
• I am the beneficiary of investments that are being made in the kinds of the beneficiary of investments

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses

Summary: The Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business held its final hearing of the session on H. 5187 and S. 3022, the Enough Act, with Chair Andy Vargas and Senator Adam Gomez opening by thanking committee members and stakeholders for their work during the session. The bills were described as a grant-based, place-based anti-poverty initiative intended to support cradle-to-career services by funding local nonprofits, schools, community organizations, and backbone entities that can coordinate housing, education, health, workforce, and family supports in high-poverty neighborhoods. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support of the bills. Speakers including Strategies for Children, Chelsea Public Schools, Bunker Hill Community College, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian, Rep. Antonio Cabral, the Harlem Children’s Zone’s Kwame Owusu Kesse and Jeffrey Canada, former Education Secretary Paul Reville, AFT Massachusetts, United Way, the Boston Foundation, Give Black Alliance, Eastern Bank Foundation, and others argued that poverty is a systems issue that schools alone cannot solve. They emphasized the need for local control, community voice, coordinated services, and long-term public-private investment, often citing examples from Chelsea, New Bedford, Springfield, Lowell, Boston, and other communities, as well as the Harlem Children’s Zone and Maryland’s similar model. Committee members asked several questions about how the bill would function in practice, including what organizations would do on day one, how it would interact with existing efforts like community schools, McKinney-Vento, and the Student Opportunity Act, and how it would be sustained over time. Witnesses said the act would help create or strengthen backbone organizations, reduce duplication, align existing resources, and leverage philanthropy and future revenue sources for long-term sustainability. No vote was taken during the hearing, but multiple speakers urged the committee to report the bill favorably and quickly.

Transcript Highlights:

• This would designate Beneficiary ERS. There are objections in consideration. Chair hears none.
• This would designate Beneficiary ERS. There are objections in consideration. Chair hears none.
• Who are going to be the beneficiaries of these grants and loans by having a more secure system.

Bills: HB2293 , HB2694 , HB2999 , HB3694 , HB3254 , HB4662 , HB5629 , HB5632 , HB5675 , HB5664 , HB5671 , HB5680 , HB5682 , HB5693 , HB4158 , HB5695 , HB4669 , HB5696 , HB5698 , HB5677 , HB5699 , HB5694 , HCR81 , HCR83 , HCR84 , HCR89 , HCR111 , HCR142 , HR868 , SB682 , SB1351 , SB1895 , SB1931 , SB2141 , SB3044 , SCR1 , SCR6 , SCR37 , SB458 , SB482 , SB927 , SB984 , SB651 , SB1620 , SB2124 , SB2448 , SB841 , SB843 , SB402 , SB2662 , SB2053 , SB2332 , SB2112 , SB745 , SB1247 , SB1789 , HB75 , HB5354 , HB4683 , HB4847 , HB1449 , HB3833 , HB265 , HB1845 , HB 108 , HB1960 , HB1955 , HB2512 , HB2581 , HB2803 , HB1738 , HB636 , HB2638 , HB2655 , HB871 , HB 1107 , HB1765 , HB1822 , HB3679 , HB4099 , HB3732 , HB3171 , HB3749 , HB2814 , HB3977 , HB4204 , HB4207 , HB4449 , HB1820 , HB1876 , HB1939 , HB1347 , HB2593 , HB2136 , HB2658 , HB2757 , HB2080 , HB3063 , HB3006 , HB2844 , HB3241 , HB3680 , HB3169 , HB2078 , HB2507 , HB4559 , HB3405 , HB475 , HB3463 , HB3441 , HB3520 , HB3178 , HB158 , HB2060 , HB4991 , HB1991 , HB5596 , HB2014 , HB2731 , HB2417 , HB2399 , HB2301 , HB3335 , HB3234 , HB3320 , HB4848 , HB4748 , HB4769 , HB4795 , HB2086 , HB2234 , HB4916 , HB5624 , HB4505 , HB5093 , HB5302 , HB5402 , HB5606 , HB4630 , HB4924 , HB3339 , HB3793 , HB3631 , HB4882 , HB5509 , HB5499 , HB5520 , SB1177 , SB1559 , SB746 , SB434 , SB1383 , SB1214 , SB1079 , SB3031 , SB2141 , SB2185 , SB1895 , SB1241 , SB901 , SB1883 , SB552 , HB 1249 , HJR218 , HB5623 , SB687 , SB1332 , SB458 , SB482 , SB927 , SB984 , SB651 , SB1620 , SB2124 , SB2448 , SB841 , SB843 , SB402 , SB2662 , SB2053 , SB2332 , SB2112 , SB745 , SB1247 , SB1789 , HCR76 , HCR127 , HCR9 , HCR40 , HCR118 , HR559 , HCR59 , HCR135 , HCR141 , HCR46 , HCR109 , HCR10 , SB3037

Keywords: Sweeny Hospital District, board of directors, local governance, elections, healthcare administration, Brazoria Drainage District, commissioners, vacancies, resignation, hydrogen vehicles, weight limitations, transportation, environmental impact, clean energy, deep fake, intimate depictions, consent, digital media, criminal penalties, State Board of Education

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> for non-Medaid beneficiaries. for non-Medaid beneficiaries.
• to use the standing orders beneficiary to use the standing orders that<00:34:34.720><c> will</c><00:
• We cannot reimburse a beneficiary for a medication. We can't pay them.
• We cannot reimburse a beneficiary<00:37:24.800><c> for</c><00:37:24.880><c> for</c><00:37:25.200><c>
• </c><00:37:26.640><c> We</c> beneficiary for for a medication. We beneficiary for for a medication.

Summary: The Division 3 work session focused largely on amendment 1176 to HB 2, which would have incorporated the substance of HB 548FN, a House-passed bill creating a direct-pay or membership-based model for health care facilities. Representative Mlan described the proposal as a way to increase competition in health care by extending the direct-care model used in primary care to facilities, arguing it could encourage innovation and that concerns about widespread harm to critical access hospitals were overstated. He pointed to Oklahoma’s long-standing Surgical Center model as evidence that the approach had not spread broadly or displaced hospitals there. Several members and witnesses raised concerns. Representative Stringham questioned whether the model would shift profitable services and patients away from existing hospitals, potentially worsening their finances and affecting Medicaid-related funding. David Ross, speaking for county nursing homes, opposed the language because it also removed moratoriums on nursing home, skilled nursing, inpatient rehabilitation, and self-pay beds, warning that it could increase pressure on Medicaid rates and undermine community-based care. Ben Bradley of the New Hampshire Hospital Association said the proposal appeared to create a separate regulatory framework for direct-pay facilities and raised concerns about patient safety, CMS participation rules, and a separate patient bill of rights. The chair concluded that, because HB 548 was already moving through the Senate, the HB 2 process was not the best vehicle for the policy and that the issue should be left to the Senate’s more deliberative committee process. Representative Ferski moved to not accept or remove amendment 1176 from the agenda, and the committee approved the motion by roll call, 9-0, withdrawing the item from HB 2.

Transcript Highlights:

• reflected in the fiscal note here, and it really significantly narrows the scope of who would be beneficiaries
• 41.760><c> be</c><00:24:42.240><c> uh</c> the scope of who would be uh the scope of who would be uh beneficiaries
• </c><00:24:44.559><c> Uh</c><00:24:44.960><c> and</c><00:24:45.360><c> with</c> beneficiaries of this
• Uh and with beneficiaries of this bill. Uh and with that,<00:24:45.919><c> Mr.

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• was adequate communication currently between agencies, federally qualified health centers, and beneficiaries
• qualified health agencies, fedally qualified health centers<00:47:15.920><c> and</c><00:47:16.240><c> beneficiaries
• </c> centers and beneficiaries of Medicaid. centers and beneficiaries of Medicaid.

Committee: House Human Services & Homelessness

Summary: The committee met on March 20, 2025, to hear a series of Human Services and Health resolutions. HCR 146, which asks the Department of Human Services to apply for and implement the Elderly Simplified Application Project, drew strong support from disability, public health, and hunger advocates. Testifiers emphasized that the measure could create a more uniform benefits application, reduce repeated paperwork, extend certification periods from one year to three years, and ease burdens on both applicants and DHS staff. DHS said it stood on its written testimony and was available for questions. The committee also heard that a universal application could help people with disabilities avoid delays and denials caused by complex or duplicative forms. The committee then heard HR 170/HCR 174, which requests review of Aloha-based learning programs for youth in the juvenile legal system. Supporters from Opportunity for Youth Action Hawaii and DebtFree Justice Hawaii said the resolution would help advance restorative justice, community service, and culturally grounded rehabilitation, especially if youth fees and fines are reduced or eliminated. Testimony also supported HR 133/HCR 139, which asks the Office of Wellness and Resilience to report on the developmental needs of children born during the COVID-19 pandemic. Witnesses from the developmental disabilities council, the Office of Wellness and Resilience, the Hawaii Community Foundation, and others said the pandemic’s trauma and behavioral impacts justify a multidisciplinary, evidence-based report, and the office requested more time to complete its findings, suggesting a deadline at the end of 2026. The committee also heard HR 88/HCR 92, proposing a two-year homelessness sanctuary pilot program in Honolulu. One testifier described sleeping in a car and said the pilot could provide a safer option, while the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions said it supported the intent but stressed that a sanctuary is still an unsheltered situation and should lead people toward permanent housing. HCR 180, calling for collaboration among homelessness and law enforcement agencies, received comments that many of the issues are already being addressed locally. HR 103/HCR 107, which would convene a working group to strengthen Title 9 protections, received support from education, women’s, and LGBTQ advocates, who asked for student and queer representation on the working group and said federal Title 9 changes make state action important. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided, and the committee moved from one resolution to the next after testimony and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• and requests that the government take action when we're trying to increase equity for Medicare beneficiaries

Summary: The committee first approved moving Senate Bills 5067 and 5758 from the X-file to the white sheet. It then advanced a long series of measures from the white sheet to the floor calendar, including SB 5067 on impaired driving (lowering the per se BAC threshold from 0.08 to 0.05), SJM 8002 opposing Medicare privatization, ESSB 5061 on annual prevailing wage adjustments for public works contracts, SB 5855 restricting unlawful face coverings by law enforcement, SB 5865 updating garnishment forms for variable pay schedules, and SB 5081 clarifying remote vehicle starting on streets. Also advanced were ESSB 5268 on 12 months of community custody for unlawful firearm possession, SB 5272 on school event safety and interference penalties, SCR 8406 on civic health, SB 5000 making “the Evergreen State” the official nickname, SB 5500 modernizing Working Connections Child Care reimbursement rates, ESSB 5105 addressing digitally altered sexually explicit depictions of minors, and SSB 5156 on elevator standards. Additional measures moved forward included SJM 8006 asking the state Supreme Court to reinstate and expand the limited licensed legal technician program, SB 5325 designating the Columbia Plateau cactus as the state cactus, SB 5286 creating a community partnership policing program for Medical Lake and Eastern State Hospital while recognizing the existing Lakewood/Western State Hospital partnership, and SB 5937 concerning smart access systems in residential properties under the Landlord-Tenant Act. Several members briefly explained their bills, with some noting bipartisan support, prior committee approval, or existing budget provisos. The only recorded substantive opposition came from Senator King, who said he had concerns that SB 5067 might not achieve its intended safety outcomes. Most other motions were adopted by voice vote with no further debate. The meeting ended after a brief clarification that one motion should have been to the second-and-third-reading calendar, followed by adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• government and community relations; Nadia Holt, manager of government and business advocacy; and beneficiaries

Transcript Highlights:

• fact those smaller inner-city stores really suffer when their entire base of customers are SNAP beneficiaries
• fact those smaller inner-city stores really suffer when their entire base of customers are SNAP beneficiaries
• fact those smaller inner-city stores really suffer when their entire base of customers are SNAP beneficiaries
• Smaller inner-city stores really suffer when their entire base of customers are SNAP beneficiaries.
• This is for Medicare beneficiaries.

Summary: The committee approved the minutes unanimously and then heard extended testimony from Senator Jimmy Higdon, who reflected on Kentucky’s 2011 childhood obesity task force and said the state’s childhood obesity problem has worsened since then. He described prior recommendations from that task force, including more physical education, nutrition education, classroom-based physical activity, complete streets, bike lanes, sidewalks, and safe routes to school. Higdon also argued that government programs have contributed to obesity and drug abuse, focusing especially on SNAP and Medicaid, and said he has long advocated for a waiver to distribute SNAP benefits twice a month rather than once a month. Higdon said SNAP fraud and abuse are significant, claiming some recipients sell benefits and some retailers bend the rules on eligible purchases. He also said spreading benefits through the month could help families keep fresh food in the home and stabilize grocery store business, especially in food deserts and rural areas. In response to questions, he said he would not support allowing hot prepared foods under SNAP, though he said a grocery-store produce incentive similar to the farmers market match could be beneficial if structured separately. He also said the WIC program is a model for how SNAP could be better administered. Members thanked Higdon for his service and discussed whether the issue is food insecurity or poor nutrition. Senator Douglas emphasized adding stronger guardrails to nutrition-related programs, and Representative Proctor asked about the challenges of operating grocery stores in rural areas and food deserts. Higdon said independent grocers face thin margins, competition, and cyclical market pressures, and that SNAP distribution patterns can worsen those challenges. After Higdon’s testimony, the committee heard from Ann Cressilious, a registered dietitian with the Kentucky Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, who began a presentation on the profession and on efforts to improve nutrition and access to nutrition information in Kentucky.

Transcript Highlights:

• These funds have been, um, are for the benefit of the university system, the beneficiary of this trust
• These funds have been, um, are for the benefit of the university system, the beneficiary of this trust
• These funds have been, um, are for the benefit of the university system, the beneficiary of this trust
• benefit of the university<01:01:10.559><c> system</c><01:01:10.960><c> the</c><01:01:11.200><c> beneficiary
• </c><01:01:11.760><c> of</c> university system the beneficiary of university system the beneficiary of

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• modernize our funding model in a few ways, and we believe that PEG stations could be considered as beneficiaries
• modernize our funding model in a few ways, and we believe that PEG stations could be considered as beneficiaries
• modernize our funding model in a few ways, and we believe that PEG stations could be considered as beneficiaries
• modernize our funding model in a few ways, and we believe that PEG stations could be considered as beneficiaries
• modernize our funding model in a few ways, and we believe that PEG stations could be considered as beneficiaries

Committee: Senate Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• As a beneficiary of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and the Folk and Traditional Arts Grant
• 00:52:14.319><c> initiatives</c><00:52:15.319><c> as</c><00:52:15.440><c> a</c><00:52:15.599><c> beneficiary
• </c><00:52:16.319><c> of</c><00:52:16.480><c> the</c> many initiatives as a beneficiary of the many initiatives
• as a beneficiary of the state<00:52:17.079><c> Foundation</c><00:52:17.480><c> cultureal</c><00:52:17.760
• funds for the performing arts, but I do not believe it should be at the expense of the current beneficiaries

Summary: The joint committees first heard House Bill 229, which would establish a statewide speed restriction for motor vehicles under certain circumstances. Testimony on the bill was limited and came in support from the City and County of Honolulu’s transportation services, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization. No one testified in opposition, and there were no questions. The committees then took up House Bill 860, which would grant immunity from liability to the state or counties when they repair or maintain a street whose ownership or jurisdiction is disputed between them. The Department of Transportation and the Department of Land and Natural Resources submitted written testimony, and the Hawaii State Association of Counties, Maui County Council Chair Alice Lee, Hawaii County Council member Heather Kimble, and the Iolani Homestead Community Association for Justice testified in support. The Ho Association for Justice opposed the bill, arguing the immunity was too broad and that the issue had already been addressed by prior legislation. In discussion, members raised concerns about liability and asked whether a different approach, such as extending the 2017 law transferring Oahu roads in limbo to the counties, would be acceptable; county representatives said that path could be considered if immunity were removed. House Bill 1161, which would authorize counties to use a road usage charge mechanism similar to the state’s, drew support from the Department of Transportation, the Energy Office, the Hawaii State Association of Counties, several county and city offices, and the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization. Rental car companies and industry groups supported the concept but asked for amendments, including a flat fee instead of a per-mile charge, relief for plug-in hybrid vehicles, and a delayed implementation date. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii also supported relief for hybrids. Members questioned the rental car representatives about the flat-fee proposal, and they said a per-mile charge would be difficult to calculate and pass on to customers. At the end of the joint agenda, the committees deferred decision-making on HB 1161 to Tuesday, March 18 at 3:00 p.m., and the Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs committee also deferred the three measures to that date and time. The Transportation and Culture and the Arts committee then began hearing House Bill 925, which would create a Performing Arts Special Fund, and House Bill 1378, which would establish a Performing Arts Grants Program and Special Fund and revise the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts’ responsibilities and funding sources. HB 925 received support from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and written support or comments from DBEDT, the Hawaii Arts Alliance, and others. HB 1378 drew extensive testimony and discussion focused on preserving arts funding while addressing concerns about the use of Works of Art Special Fund dollars for positions and programming. The Governor’s office said it supported the intent but had concerns; the Attorney General warned that the bill’s cap and transfer provisions were unclear and could affect the tax-exempt status of bond-funded dollars; and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts opposed the measure, urging an audit, tracking of deposits, and a shift of positions and programs to general funds instead of changing the law. The chair explained that the bill was intended to protect arts funding while tightening the legal guardrails around bond-financed dollars and preserving federal support, and asked testimony to focus on new points as the hearing continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• You are a Medicaid beneficiary because Medicaid benefits all of us.
• Now, before you say, beneficiaries.
• Cut Medicaid and public beneficiary.
• Cut Medicaid are a Medicaid beneficiary.
• ><c> benefits</c> beneficiary because Medicaid benefits beneficiary because Medicaid benefits all<02: