Transcript Highlights:

• and procured their own risk assessment.
• , they procured their own risk assessment.
• So we are not relying on that original Milliman assessment.
• They have to undergo a risk assessment, an individual risk assessment, and pay an additional charge associated
• with that risk assessment.

Bills: SB41 , SB153 , SB165 , SB261 , SB264

Committee: Senate Senate Judiciary

Keywords: sexual crimes, statute of limitations, criminal justice, victim rights, child abuse, procurement, contracting, small business, local government, disaster recovery, emergency procurement, certification, public spending, juvenile justice, delinquency, rehabilitation, community corrections, risk assessment, public safety, health regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• That was not mentioned there, and that’s not a fair assessment of what happened.
• How do you assess recruitment and retention right now for the department?
• How do you assess recruitment and retention right now for the department? Certainly.
• They can probably provide the most clear assessment of what the job entails.
• They can probably provide the most clear assessment of what the job entails.

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The Senate Committee on Rules first handled several routine items, including governor’s appointments not required to appear, references to bills, and floor acknowledgments. The committee approved the appointments of Heather Lynn Gonzalez and Allison Salton-Sall to the Court Reporters Board, and then moved on to appointments required to appear from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Kathleen Ratliff and Joseph Tuggle, both proposed associate directors in CDCR’s Division of Adult Institutions, testified about their backgrounds and emphasized staff safety, rehabilitation, trauma-informed practices, and the California model. Senators focused heavily on the rollout of the California model, the August 2024 use-of-force incident at Central California Women’s Facility, sexual abuse prevention, retaliation concerns, and prison visitation. Both nominees said the department had improved communication and training, had disciplined or removed staff in response to misconduct, and was working to strengthen PREA reporting, investigations, and family visiting consistency. Public testimony was strongly supportive, and the committee voted 4-0 to send both nominations to the Senate floor. The committee then heard from Jason Johnson, nominated as CDCR Undersecretary of Operations. Johnson framed his work around rehabilitation, public safety, and culture change, and addressed concerns raised in late opposition letters and a lawsuit alleging retaliation, hostile work environment, discrimination, and whistleblower issues. He said he could not discuss pending litigation in detail, but described his leadership as focused on accountability, professional standards, and improving relationships with staff and community partners. Senators questioned him about parole supervision, risk assessment, contraband interdiction, and the Prison Rape Elimination Act response; Johnson said adult parole uses risk-based supervision and GPS for registered sex offenders, operations is working with correctional safety and law enforcement on contraband and drone interdiction, and CDCR continues to expand reporting channels and training. The committee also discussed the importance of rehabilitation and reentry programs, with Johnson saying most people return to the community and that CDCR must prepare them for successful reintegration.

Transcript Highlights:

• criminal case, and they can include such things as victim restitution, costs, and various fines and assessments
• I made a heat map of fee assessments and it looks like a patchwork quilt, basically random from county
• A couple of counties have actually seen increased assessment.
• After they're assigned to collection, there is a fee assessed for the collection services.
• It strengthens fairness and consistency in how courts assess ability to pay and helps prevent poverty

Bills: HB2161 , HB2332 , HB2102

Committee: House Civil Rights & Judiciary

Keywords: attorney general, legal authority, state powers, judiciary, civil rights, driver privacy, data protection, personal information, surveillance, consumer rights, legal obligations, financial responsibility, debt management, consumer protection, court systems, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 6077 relates to property assessment appeal procedures.
• or class of personal property is entered on the assessment list at its true and fair value, according
• A taxpayer may appeal the annual assessed value of their property by the county assessor by submitting
• I'm the chief appraiser for the King County Department of Assessments. My name is Jim Hall.
• I'm the chief appraiser for the King County Department of Assessments.

Summary: The Senate Local Government Committee heard briefings and public testimony on several bills. SB 6064 would let qualifying regional fire protection districts or authorities take over administration and enforcement of the International Fire Code within their boundaries, with notice to counties and equivalent jobs for displaced workers; supporters said it would improve consistency and local control, while counties, fire marshals, and builders opposed it as unnecessary and likely to add permitting complexity and delay. SB 6101 would require county coroners to be appointed rather than elected, while preserving appointed medical examiners in larger counties; the sponsor cited the Yakima County coroner controversy as the reason for the bill, and opponents argued it would reduce voter accountability and could increase costs, though some supporters said appointment would professionalize death investigations and improve consistency. SB 6077 would extend from 21 to 28 business days the deadline for assessors and taxpayers to exchange valuation evidence before property tax appeal hearings, with supporters saying the change would give taxpayers a fairer chance to respond and opponents saying the bill should also address long delays in scheduling hearings themselves. The committee also heard SB 5820, which would repeal Clark County-specific Growth Management Act authority allowing freight rail-dependent uses on certain resource lands adjacent to a short-line railroad. The sponsor and supporters said the 2017 law was a poorly written special exemption that threatens agricultural and resource lands and should be repealed; opponents, including the railroad operator, business groups, and local officials, argued the rail overlay supports economic development, jobs, and low-emission freight movement and that the county should retain local control. Testimony on SB 5820 also raised concerns about safety, land-use conflicts, and the meaning of “adjacent,” with some witnesses saying the land is currently underused and others saying it is needed for future industrial and rail-served development. Finally, the committee heard SB 6013, an agency-request bill updating ski-area terminology and safety provisions to include aerial tramways, toes, and conveyors in the state’s ski lift regulations. State Parks supported the measure as a technical update to align safety inspections, insurance requirements, and rider conduct rules with current equipment terminology. The transcript ended before any vote or executive action was taken on these bills, and the chair noted some previously scheduled executive session items were moved to a later date.

Transcript Highlights:

• And as the fund has grown, unfortunately, employers' workers' compensation assessments are now being
• The plan calls for assessing regional assets as well as challenges related to regional collaboration.
• What they do tell us in our assessment is that the project is starting to get tricky.
• The employer assessment has increased approximately $800 million in the last 10 years.
• By what amount will you recommend changes to lower the assessments of this plan?

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We do a needs assessment at our treatment facilities for each participant.
• So if you go to slide seven, the team that's responsible for assessing, continuously assessing, a person
• So once the violence risk assessment is completed, that will go back to that treatment...
• The violence risk assessment is completed.
• There is a great deal that goes into this independent risk assessment.

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So it would specifically say that personal property tax is not assessed. It's an arrest.
• </c> assessed. It's an arrest. assessed. It's an arrest.
• I'm here on behalf of the Minnesota Association of Assessing Officers, representing assessors across
• </c> Minnesota Association of Assessing Minnesota Association of Assessing Officers<01:06:21.200><c>
• and will be liable for the 25 assessment and will be liable for taxes<01:08:07.440><c> in</c> taxes

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate, it was amended to add a feasibility study conducted by ADOA and paid by a third party to assess
• Chair and members, HB 2032 as passed the House alters the testing window for the statewide assessment
• and the deadlines by which a local education agency must receive statewide assessment scores and data
• interventions to a third-grade student who does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills on the statewide assessment
• from being longer than six consecutive school weeks rather than four and prohibits the statewide assessments

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The House Democratic Caucus met on Minority Caucus Calendar items and reviewed several Senate-amended House bills. HB 2003 would lower the learner’s permit age from 15½ to 15 and increase supervised driving time; the Senate added a delayed effective date of December 1, 2026, and the sponsor was said to have refused the amendment after previously concurring. HB 2693 would allow chambers of commerce to set up insurance purchasing pools for small businesses, and the Senate added a third-party-funded feasibility study by ADOA on what it would cost for state health insurance to enter the marketplace; members raised concerns that the study could be used to undermine the state self-insured plan, but no action was taken. HB 2133, dealing with synthetic sexual depictions and online sexual material verification, had multiple Senate changes that removed the synthetic-depiction expansion, added parody/artistic-expression exceptions, altered verification and record-retention rules, and removed AG inspection authority; the sponsor was expected to refuse the changes, and members were directed to stakeholder emails outlining concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate, it was amended to add a feasibility study conducted by ADOA and paid by a third party to assess
• Chair and members, HB 2032, as passed the House, alters the testing window for the statewide assessment
• and the deadlines by which a local education agency must receive statewide assessment scores and data
• interventions to a third-grade student who does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills on the statewide assessment
• from being longer than six consecutive school weeks rather than four and prohibits the statewide assessments

Summary: The House Democratic Caucus reviewed several Senate-amended bills on the Minority Caucus Calendar. HB 2003, which lowers the learner’s permit age and increases supervised driving time, had a Senate delayed effective date added; members were told the sponsor had previously concurred but now intends to refuse. HB 2693, allowing chamber-of-commerce insurance purchasing pools and adding a third-party-paid feasibility study on state health insurance entering the marketplace, drew questions about possible impacts on the state employee health plan and whether the study could be used to undermine the current self-insured system. HB 2133, dealing with sexual material consent and synthetic depictions, generated the most discussion. The Senate removed the synthetic-depiction language from the revenge porn statute, added parody/comedy/artistic-expression exceptions, narrowed and expanded various verification provisions for commercial entities, removed limits on retaining identifying information, and eliminated AG inspection authority; members were told the sponsor intends to refuse the changes and that stakeholder concerns were outlined in emailed comments from the ASEO of Arizona and the Motion Picture Association. HB 2013, requiring ADEQ to submit exceptional-event demonstrations to EPA for certain wildfire impacts, had a Senate amendment limiting it to wildfires over 25,000 acres and tied to smoke or land damage; the sponsor was expected to concur, though stakeholders’ concerns remained unresolved. HB 2226, which requires courts to ask about veteran status at initial appearance and provide information about veterans’ services, was amended by the Senate to have the court rather than the prosecutor provide the information; members said the sponsor likely would concur. HB 2032, adjusting statewide assessment testing windows and related deadlines, was amended to extend the testing window to six consecutive school weeks and move the start of testing for grades 3-8 to the second week of April; the sponsor concurred, and members noted that organizations previously opposed had shifted to support. The caucus then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're largely amending that section of statute, and the assessments or how the provisions of 2060 will
• This bill authorizes the district to levy special assessments on property inside the district, and then
• it says those assessments become a lien on the real property from the date of the levy until paid.
• These assessments and powers, lien rights are in place, and the burden travels with the land, so the
• You don't want to pay that additional assessment, Mr. Speaker. Don't buy a property in a district.

Summary: The House convened, took a roll call, and heard the daily prayer and Pledge of Allegiance before several special presentations. Members recognized recipients of the Oklahoma Seal of Biliteracy, the Fort Gibson High School wrestling team, the Doctor of the Day Dr. Jason Lees, the Nurse of the Day Teddy Cole, and the 32nd Annual Cattlemen’s Leadership Academy group. The chamber then stood at ease while awaiting the Senate and later convened a joint session with the Senate to honor the Oklahoma National Guard. In the joint session, Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell presided over Oklahoma National Guard Appreciation Day. Chaplain Josh Byrd delivered the invocation, Major General Thomas Mancino and Representative Hildebrandt spoke in praise of the Guard’s service and history, and Lieutenant Colonel Neil Harvey read the proclamation. Speakers highlighted the Guard’s deployments, disaster response, and the commemorative arch and museum projects. The joint session was then dissolved. Back in the House, members considered Senate Bill 2060, the Build Act, which would authorize master development districts and alternative infrastructure financing for residential and other developments. Supporters said it would help finance roads, water, sewer, and other infrastructure without creating public debt, while opponents argued it created an unelected quasi-government entity with strong lien powers, limited local control, and similarities to State Question 833, which voters had rejected. After debate, the House passed SB 2060 by a vote of 54-40. The House also adopted and passed several committee reports and bills with emergency clauses: House Bill 4042, appropriating funds to the Department of Commerce for census-related technology and staffing, passed 90-6 with the emergency approved; House Bill 4037, increasing the Ethics Commission revolving fund cap as its oversight duties expand, passed 91-0 with the emergency approved; and House Bill 4043, appropriating resources to Oklahoma Task Force One and the Department of Emergency Management, passed 93-3 with the emergency approved. The House then recessed until 12:30 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• have the cities and counties still collect the fees, but you'd have one public hearing that would assess
• And then, to assess the fees and to approve the fees, and then they sign the intergovernmental agreement
• have the cities and counties still collect the fees, but you'd have one public hearing that would assess
• And those are the five board members that then really assess, are we setting their number at a defendable
• , they can't find those people, is it circumventing that process of those citizens coming in and assessing

Committee: Senate Local Government and Taxation

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It allows the board to approve and seek a ticket assessment fee and a capped 2% sales tax only on that
• So the commission can charge special assessment on real property.
• , which allows them to put the ticket assessment, a ticket fee on it, and then the sales tax of 2% on
• , which allows them to put the ticket assessment, a ticket fee on it, and then the sales tax of 2% on
• , which allows them to put the ticket assessment, a ticket fee on it, and then the sales tax of 2% on

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The Missouri House met with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then approved the House Journal for March 3, 2026 by a 122-0 roll call vote. The chamber also spent a long portion of the morning recognizing special guests, including Special Olympics athletes, occupational therapy and social work students and professionals, teachers, civic leaders, and other visitors in the gallery. On legislation, the House perfected and printed House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2974, which would codify telehealth access within Missouri’s licensed reciprocity law. Supporters said it would help seniors and rural residents access care and ensure reciprocity licensees can provide telehealth services. The House also perfected and printed House Bill 2934, a bipartisan St. Louis convention-center governance bill that would merge existing entities, create a new board with city, county, and state appointments, and clarify funding and tax authority for the convention district. An amendment narrowing governor appointments to two city, two county, and one at-large member was adopted before final approval. The House likewise perfected and printed House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2057, a technical fix allowing Osage Beach to create an entertainment district; supporters said it would promote tourism and economic development and align the city with similar districts elsewhere in Missouri. The most contentious debate was on House Committee Substitute for House Bills 1839, 2921, and 3515, which require age verification for pornographic websites. Supporters framed the measure as child protection and cited the Supreme Court’s Texas decision and the Attorney General’s enforcement rule; opponents raised privacy concerns, questioned effectiveness, and argued it could push users toward less scrupulous sites. A proposed amendment to extend the bill to firearms and ammunition websites was ruled not germane, the previous question was ordered 92-44, and the substitute was adopted. The combined bill package was then perfected and printed by a 104-16 vote with 20 present, and the House recessed until 2 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• If assessments are really elevating and they need to roll back a penny or whatever, they will have that
• You don't get the foundation formula money unless your assessment is at 275.
• And then Hancock revisions, you know, if its assessment goes up, they may need to roll back half percent
• It's going to go up, and now everyone else has to have their tax rate increase around their assessments
• Calculate the levy, apply it to the total assessment and the new construction, reduce, and then come

Committee: House Special Committee on Property Tax Reform

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The other thing I mentioned: special assessments are treated separately.
• reported under permits fees and special assessments, not as a part of taxes.
• The other thing I mentioned, special assessments are treated separately.
• reported under permits fees in special assessments, not as a part of taxes.
• Special assessment charges for public services was most common among those 51 counties.

Summary: The Select Committee on Property Taxes met for a listening session focused on a presentation by Amy Baker of the Joint Legislative Office of Economic and Demographic Research on local government revenues and expenditures. Baker reviewed statewide financial data for counties, municipalities, and independent special districts, using 2018-19 as a baseline year because it was stable and pre-COVID. She explained that counties rely heavily on taxes, with ad valorem taxes making up about 73% of county tax revenue and about 24% of total county revenues statewide, while municipalities rely more on charges for services and have a lower statewide ad valorem share of about 14.7%. She also noted wide variation across local governments, with some counties and cities highly dependent on property taxes and others using them minimally or not at all. Special districts were shown to be very different from counties and cities, with hospital-related revenues and expenditures dominating many of them, while water management districts were more reliant on ad valorem taxes and focused expenditures on the physical environment. Baker also summarized expenditure patterns: counties spent the largest share on public safety, while municipalities spent the largest share on general government services, followed by physical environment and public safety. She emphasized that local government structures vary widely and that the committee should study what characteristics are associated with greater property tax reliance. She said the next research steps would be to extend the analysis through later years, including the COVID and inflation period, and to examine institutional and legal factors that shape local fiscal structures. Members asked about unfunded mandates, fuel taxes, reserves, school taxes, millage rates, and how property taxes relate to specific services such as police and fire. Baker said the current analysis did not yet account for mandates or school taxes and that further work could examine links between revenues and expenditures, commercial versus residential tax burdens, and other factors. After the presentation, members reported back on local meetings with counties and municipalities. Several described large differences in millage rates, revenue mixes, and the impact of any property tax changes on fiscally constrained counties versus larger, wealthier ones. Concerns were raised about how local governments would replace lost revenue, especially for public safety and emergency response, and members discussed the need to consider both revenue replacement and ways to rein in spending. The co-chairs said the committee would continue gathering information, send members follow-up homework and requests for panel suggestions, and invite additional input from constituents, stakeholders, and local governments. The meeting ended with no votes or formal actions beyond adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's also over 200,000 that we are still assessing the status of, and that work is ongoing.
• /c><00:05:14.240><c> we</c><00:05:14.360><c> are</c><00:05:14.440><c> still</c><00:05:14.680><c> assessing
• </c><00:05:15.520><c> the</c> 200,000 that we are still assessing the 200,000 that we are still assessing
• c> that's</c><00:09:57.400><c> roughly</c><00:09:57.840><c> a</c><00:09:58.000><c> thousand</c> assessment
• , that's roughly a thousand assessment, that's roughly a thousand dollars<00:09:58.680><c> or</c><00:

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House and Senate capital investment leaders held a public discussion focused primarily on lead service line removal and the need for a new bonding bill. Rep. Fue Lee and Chair Jeff Franzen said Minnesota’s existing state and federal lead-line funds will be exhausted by the 2026 construction season, warning that without action there would be no lead removal program in 2027. They framed the issue as a bipartisan public health and infrastructure priority, emphasizing that no amount of lead is safe and that regular capital investment is needed to keep communities moving forward. Testimony from Raquel Vasquez of St. Paul Regional Water Services, Bradley Peterson of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, and Joel Smith of LiUNA Minnesota and North Dakota described the scale of the problem and the progress made so far. Vasquez said St. Paul’s pilot program is working, with costs coming down and about 6,000 of roughly 26,000 local lead service lines expected to be replaced by the end of the season, but warned that 18,000 to 20,000 would remain without more funding. Peterson said there are about 100,000 known lead service lines statewide and more than 200,000 still being assessed, with replacement costs averaging $10,000 to $15,000 per line. Smith stressed that funding gaps would stall momentum, leave at least 90,000 lead pipes in the ground, and cost the state thousands of union jobs. In response to questions, Sen. Sandy Pappas said she supports including $100 million in appropriation bonds for lead service lines in the Senate bonding proposal, while acknowledging the need is closer to $250 million. House leaders said they were discussing the size and contents of the bonding bill and were considering both general fund cash and appropriation bonds, with affordability for homeowners a key concern. The chairs also discussed broader bonding priorities, including other water, sewer, road, and facility projects, and noted that decisions would depend on whether leadership can reach agreement on a final bonding package before the end of session.

Transcript Highlights:

• the governor, as well as additional require documentation, some among which is a state abilities assessment
• , as well as a duplication assessment that the state has to perform to identify and confirm that there's
• We had to submit a duplication assessment. There's a number of other kind of required farms.
• And in terms of scope says that the organization's assessment at the time of application. >> All up,
• So the scoring Florida will be receive will be based on those external national organizations, assessments

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a system of assessments called MnCHOICES, which is frankly a disaster.
• We spend a half a billion dollars assessing people sometimes.
• </c><00:02:36.599><c> called</c> there's a system of Assessments called there's a system of Assessments
• </c><00:02:44.319><c> people</c><00:02:45.319><c> sometimes</c> bium on assessing people sometimes bium
• on assessing people sometimes people<00:02:45.720><c> have</c><00:02:46.400><c> a</c><00:02:46.560><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We assess health care entities and provide Impact the general fund.
• It also directs and authorizes the office and the HPC to do rapid, focused assessments.
• Historically, the assessment applied to payers, hospitals, and ambulatory surgical centers.
• Historically, the assessment applied to payers, hospitals, and ambulatory surgical centers.
• They provide our operations support, and we are funded through the same assessment, industry assessment

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard budget testimony from Department of Mental Health Commissioner Brooke Doyle, who said DMH serves about 29,000 people and is facing rising demand, higher operating costs, and uncertainty about federal funding. She explained that the FY26 budget prioritizes fully funding the state-operated inpatient system, which is at 100% occupancy and often serves people transferred from Bridgewater State Hospital, while making reductions in other areas to balance the budget. Those reductions include a 50% cut to case managers, a pause on closing the Pocasset unit pending a working group on Cape access, and changes to youth and contracted services such as right-sizing IRTP and CIRT, reducing Youth PACT from seven teams to three, scaling back flex and jail diversion grants as ARPA funds wind down, and preserving the behavioral health helpline and community-based crisis services. Members from Western Massachusetts and the Cape raised concerns about access, staffing, and the impact of cuts, and Doyle said the department would continue operating IRTP services, improve the referral process, and work with stakeholders on the Pocasset review and other access issues. The committee also discussed school-based mental health, 988, loan forgiveness for workforce recruitment, and the role of co-response programs for law enforcement. Secretary Robin Lipson then testified for the Executive Office of Aging and Independence, describing a proposed FY26 budget increase of about 21% to support councils on aging, home care, elder abuse investigations, caregiver support, care transitions, and nutrition programs. She said the agency is managing rising demand, especially from the growing 80-plus population, and noted uncertainty around federal Older Americans Act funding after the federal disbursement agency was disbanded. To control costs, the office will manage intake and caseload growth in a fully state-funded home care program, but current clients will not lose services. Lipson also highlighted a new $1 million line item for local mini-grants to support age-friendly initiatives. In questions, members focused on elder scams, and Lipson said scams are increasing and the agency is working with banks, district attorneys, and public awareness campaigns. The Health Policy Commission’s Executive Director David Seltz presented the agency’s FY26 request and said the biggest challenge is health care affordability, with family premiums near $29,000 annually and many residents delaying care because of cost. He emphasized that recent legislation significantly expands HPC’s role through a new Office of Pharmaceutical Policy and Analysis, which will examine the drug supply chain and pricing, and a new Office of Health Resource Planning, which will support statewide planning around closures and access gaps. The new law also creates task forces on maternal health access and primary care, and adds transparency and oversight for private equity in health care. Members asked about pharmaceutical costs, GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, 340B, and maternal health closures; Seltz said the data show rapid growth in GLP-1 spending and that the new offices will help the state better understand cost drivers and access problems. The Center for Health Information and Analysis then began its testimony, describing its role as the state’s data hub for health care spending, utilization, quality, and affordability analysis.

Transcript Highlights:

• An athletic trainer may perform a clinical assessment and evaluation.
• An athletic trainer may perform a clinical assessment and evaluation.
• We may have a clinical impression, but for the ultimate diagnosis that, assessment and evaluation.
• It's prevention, it's clinical assessment, diagnosis, or clinical assessment. Domains.
• It's prevention, it's clinical assessment, diagnosis, or clinical assessment, clinical exam and assessment

Committee: House Health and Mental Health

Summary: The committee first heard House Bills 2365, 2490, and 2249, a bipartisan version of Elijah’s Law, which would require child care facilities to receive training and guidance on recognizing and responding to food allergies and anaphylaxis. Sponsors described the bill as a response to the death of Elijah, whose daycare did not administer epinephrine quickly enough after a food exposure. Witnesses in support, including a parent and food allergy advocate, said the measure would improve preparedness and save lives. Committee members asked about whether the bill should use broader epinephrine terminology, whether the requirements could also be handled through child care licensing rules, and whether the bill was already included in a larger measure. No opposition was presented, and the hearing on those bills was closed. The committee then heard House Bill 1965, which would require insurers to reimburse athletic trainers for covered services and add athletic trainers to the practitioner definition for billing purposes. The sponsor and athletic training witnesses said the bill would recognize athletic trainers as licensed health care providers, improve access in rural and underserved areas, and allow reimbursement when trainers work in clinics, hospitals, or other non-school settings. Committee members raised repeated questions about the difference between athletic trainers and physical therapists, whether school-based services were already paid through contracts, whether the bill would increase costs or create double payment, and how diagnosis and billing would work under the current scope of practice. Opponents from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and the Missouri Insurance Coalition argued the bill would create a mandate, increase costs, and expand billing before clarifying the underlying scope of practice. No vote was taken in public hearing. The committee then moved into executive session and voted several bills do pass. A substitute was adopted for House Bill 1826 and the committee substitute for House Bills 1826, 2560, 2349, and 2194 passed 17-0. House Bill 1783 also passed 17-0. House Bill 2372, which incorporated multiple related provisions including changes to epinephrine terminology and other committee items, passed 17-1 after a substitute and amendment were adopted. House Bill 1827, the occupational therapy bill related to disabled placards and license plates, passed 18-0. The committee then returned to public hearing and heard House Bills 1941 and 2279, which would prohibit copay accumulator programs for fully insured plans so that third-party assistance counts toward a patient’s deductible and out-of-pocket maximum. Sponsors and a rheumatologist testified that the bills would prevent patients with serious illnesses from being forced to pay the same deductible twice and said similar laws have been enacted in many other states. Opponents from America’s Health Insurance Plans argued the measure would affect only a minority of plans, raise costs in the individual and small-group market, and could worsen affordability for remaining enrollees. The hearing ended without a vote on those bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• I read the bill is that they could go up to 10%, at which point TDI would, I assume, evaluate and assess
• TDI, what are the mechanisms that we have to make sure that they have current data to evaluate and assess
• It assesses layers directly to growth in the PML, reflecting the Texas Windstorm Association's increasing
• We would especially point out the indexing of the assessment on insurers, which would encumber surplus
• under .017, which could drastically increase those member assessments.

Bills: SB1642 , SB1643 , SB2530

Committee: House Insurance

Keywords: Texas Department of Insurance, commission appointments, insurance regulation, oversight, consumer advocacy, insurance rates, property insurance, commercial automobile insurance, rate approval, consumer protection, windstorm insurance, Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, administrative penalties, coastal counties, 1184, house, all