Transcript Highlights:

• To ask questions of the author on this bill? Do you yield? I do.
• I rise to ask the author of the bill questions. Thank you.
• Questions of the author, Mr. President. Do you yield?
• author. Do you yield? Certainly. Senator King.
• Does the author have some questions? Do you yield? I do.

Bills: SJR18, SCR5, SCR13, SCR25, SB3, SB6, SB10, SB11, SB12, SB13, SB15, SB17, SB18, SB35, SB388, SB412, SB441, SB495, SB666, SB687, SB706, SB740, SB815, SB842, SB917, SB925, SB995, SB1006, SB1281, SB1300, SB1379, SB1451, SB1902, SJR36, SJR18, SJR12, SCR13, SCR25, SCR5, SCR22, SB565, SB372, SB495, SB842, SB765, SB62, SB19, SB18, SB666, SB707, SB888, SB687, SB706, SB847, SB290, SB11, SB10, SB13, SB412, SB441, SB1248, SB740, SB14, SB1006, SB504, SB917, SB925, SB388, SB1902, SB1121, SB995, SB857, SB305, SB296, SB284, SB35, SB6, SB815, SB3, SB1281, SB1379, SB1300, SB1497, SB1499, SB1498, SB1451, SB1061, SB15, SB65, SB241, SB304, SB402, SB499, SB621, SB974, SB1023, SB1024, SB1025, SB1106, SB686, SB112, SB371, SB204, SB400, SB609, SB1447, SB670, SB502, SB427, SB850, SB854, SB413, SB1555, SB1362, SB1346, SB1033, SB1220, SB1073, SB810, SB987, SB1539, SB893, SB447, SB875, SB406, SB509, SB985, SB965, SB17, SB1119, SB1505, SB12, SB24, SB57, SB1194, SB1253, SB1215, SB1532, SB1268, SCR12, SCR24, SB1302, SB856, SB650, SB583, SB673, SB840

Keywords: capital gains, taxation, constitutional amendment, state revenue, individual investment, SCR 5, Senate Concurrent Resolution 5, Texas School for the Deaf, TSD, Robert Rives, gymnasium naming, building naming, honorary resolution, commemorative resolution, deaf education, hard of hearing, Gallaudet University, alumni hall of fame, football coach, school facility naming

Transcript Highlights:

• With the partnership of the legislature, Massachusetts now has the authority and the flexibility for
• This authority proved essential when the federal government significantly altered the childhood immunization
• South Coast Health has been pretty big in my area for opening up urgent cares.
• Policy Commission, since last January, we have been really focused on implementing the expanded authorities

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a Health and Human Services budget hearing in Clinton, with opening remarks from Chairs Meg Kilcoyne and Robin Kennedy, local officials, and many House and Senate members introducing themselves. The hearing focused on Governor Healey’s FY27 EOHHS and MassHealth budgets, with repeated themes of rising health care costs, federal funding uncertainty, workforce shortages, and access to care in underserved regions. Members also raised concerns about primary care shortages, rural and regional disparities, behavioral health access, maternal health, food insecurity, and the impact of federal policy changes on Massachusetts programs. EOHHS Secretary Kiame Mahaniah said the FY27 EOHHS budget totals $33.7 billion, reflecting mostly non-discretionary growth from health care costs, labor costs, caseload increases, and provider rate pressures. He highlighted targeted investments in foster care, family resource centers, maternal health, youth services, nutrition programs, immigrant legal services, and human service workforce rates, while warning that federal actions could strip roughly $3.5 billion annually from the state’s health care funding. In response to questions, he defended the administration’s cooperation with federal audits and program integrity efforts, discussed the primary care crisis, and said the state is trying to preserve core services while preparing for a more difficult FY28 budget cycle. MassHealth Undersecretary Mike Levine then described two major FY27 challenges: double-digit cost growth and the expected effects of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He said MassHealth’s proposed $22.7 billion gross budget includes a 7.5% increase and relies on a moratorium on new expansions plus targeted reductions, including a $1,000 annual adult dental cap, ending GLP-1 coverage for weight loss only, reducing care management to peer-state levels, and work groups to slow growth in PCA, adult foster care, and adult day health spending. Members questioned the impact on Boston Health Care for the Homeless, preventive care, and regional access; Levine said the changes are meant to preserve sustainability, that children and certain disabled populations remain protected, and that the administration will continue working with providers, advocates, and the Legislature on implementation and longer-term reforms.

Transcript Highlights:

• With the partnership of the legislature, Massachusetts now has the authority and the flexibility for
• This authority proved essential when the federal government significantly altered the childhood immunization
• South Coast Health has been pretty big in my area for opening up urgent cares.
• Policy Commission, since last January, we have been really focused on implementing the expanded authorities

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we've got population in Minnesota in blue here, and then we've got new private housing units authorized
• This one is troubling, and... units authorized so basically building units authorized so basically building
• Some of our peer cities and on the coasts are already 40, 50, or more percent of their income, so I suppose

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• But it's interesting because it caught me off guard.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education heard the Governor’s proposals for universal school meals, the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP), and community schools. On universal meals, the Department of Education supported continued funding for the Universal School Meals Program and a fourth round of Kitchen Infrastructure and Training Grants, citing meal-count growth, improved meal service, and the need to offset federal uncertainty, inflation, and reduced direct certification tied to immigration-related policy changes. The LAO recommended rejecting another kitchen grant round, arguing prior rounds are still being spent and the state has not clearly defined unmet need. Members also raised concerns about the state’s ability to backfill federal meal funding and about how federal requirements affect programs like Summer EBT/SUN Bucks. Public commenters largely supported school meals and kitchen investments, with some urging support for plant-based milk options and continued infrastructure funding. For ELOP, the Department of Finance proposed $4.7 billion ongoing Proposition 98 funding, including $62.4 million to set a minimum Tier 2 rate of $1,800 per pupil. The LAO recommended going further and fully fixing the Tier 2 rate, saying rate uncertainty complicates district planning. CDE supported the proposal and said the program has improved attendance and academic outcomes, while noting new CalPADS reporting will provide more data soon. Senators discussed whether ELOP should remain a standalone program or be folded into LCFF, and whether the state should require stronger outcome reporting. Public testimony generally backed stabilizing Tier 2 funding, but some speakers urged more support for older youth and more timely, user-friendly reporting. On community schools, the administration proposed $1 billion ongoing Proposition 98 funding to expand the model to thousands more schools and to support existing grantees, along with stronger technical assistance, statewide alignment, and an accreditation/self-certification framework. The LAO recommended continuing the current one-time grant approach instead of creating a new ongoing categorical program, warning about reduced flexibility, administrative burden, and the state’s capacity to support a much larger cohort. CDE supported the ongoing investment but asked for additional county office and technical assistance funding. Senators and public commenters were broadly supportive of community schools, emphasizing improved attendance, graduation, and student engagement, while also debating accountability, accreditation, and whether non-classroom-based charter schools should be eligible. Public testimony strongly favored ongoing funding and highlighted community schools’ role in mental health, family engagement, and wraparound supports.

Transcript Highlights:

• But it's interesting because it caught me off guard.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But it's interesting because it caught me off guard.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education heard the Governor’s proposals on universal school meals, the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP), and community schools, with the Kitchen Infrastructure and Training Grants Program also discussed. For universal meals, the Department of Education supported continued investment, citing high student meal need, reported gains in meal participation and service efficiency from prior kitchen grants, and concerns that federal changes and underreporting could affect funding. The Department of Finance outlined $1.8 billion Proposition 98 General Fund for universal meals and an additional $100 million for a fourth round of kitchen grants, while the LAO recommended rejecting the new kitchen grant round because prior rounds are still being spent and the allowable uses are broad. Members raised questions about federal matching requirements, Summer EBT, and whether immigration-related federal policy changes could reduce meal counts and state/federal reimbursements. For ELOP, the Department of Finance described $4.7 billion ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund plus $62.4 million to set a minimum Tier 2 rate of $1,800 per pupil. The LAO recommended modifying the proposal to fully fix Tier 2 at the current $1,579 rate and tie future changes to program requirements, while CDE supported the Governor’s approach and said the added stability would help districts plan. Committee discussion focused on whether ELOP should remain a standalone before- and after-school program or be folded into LCFF, with some members and witnesses arguing for more local flexibility and clearer outcome measures, while others emphasized the value of guaranteed expanded learning access, especially for elementary students and working families. CDE noted new CalPADS reporting will provide more data beginning with the 2025-26 school year. For community schools, the Governor proposed $1 billion ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund to expand the model to thousands more schools and sustain existing ones, along with stronger technical assistance and future accreditation/self-certification. The LAO recommended continuing the current one-time grant approach instead of creating a new ongoing categorical program, citing concerns about scalability, administrative burden, and the need for earlier planning and clearer accreditation timelines if ongoing funding is adopted. CDE strongly supported the ongoing investment, saying community schools have improved attendance, suspensions, and achievement, and that technical assistance and county office support are essential for expansion. Members and public commenters largely supported community schools, with some urging stronger accountability, more support for county offices and MTSS, and debate over whether non-classroom-based charter schools should be excluded from eligibility. No formal votes were taken in the portion provided; the committee heard testimony and moved through the agenda items and public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• determine pay schedules comparable to those used for federal civil service employees of the National Guard

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee first received a briefing on the updated “green sheet” budget materials and how to read the FY 2027 columns, along with a review of several bills with fiscal impacts, including HB 503, HB 556, HB 559, and HB 578. Staff explained where the documents could be found online and answered questions about the timing and size of the bills’ fiscal effects, including the tax conformity bill and county jail reimbursement changes. The main business was the 2026 Idaho Budget Rescissions Act. Members debated whether to adopt the governor’s 3% rescission, add an additional 1% reduction, or add an additional 2% reduction. Supporters of deeper cuts argued the state needed structural balance, a larger ending balance, and a response to revenue uncertainty and the pending tax conformity bill. Opponents said across-the-board cuts were too blunt, could harm Medicaid, education, public safety, and other programs, and should be handled agency by agency. The committee first rejected the 1% and 2% substitute motions, then approved the governor’s 3% rescission motion on a due-pass recommendation. The committee then approved a transfer of $22,366,500 from the Public School Income Fund to the General Fund, with the motion passing after a roll call vote. It next took up statewide decisions, starting with ongoing base reductions for selected state agencies. After debate over whether the reductions should be 3%, 4%, or 5%, the committee rejected the higher-cut substitutes and approved the governor’s 3% base reduction recommendation. Members emphasized that the work groups would still have flexibility to adjust individual agency budgets later. Finally, the committee considered personnel benefit cost increases for FY 2027. Staff explained the proposed health insurance and other variable-rate adjustments, and members debated whether to use the governor’s recommendation or a DOGE Working Group recommendation that slightly changed the funding mix and total. The governor’s recommendation was defended as more consistent with prior employee-benefit review practice, while supporters of the DOGE proposal said it would tighten legislative control over funding. The governor’s recommendation was ultimately rejected, and the committee moved on after the roll call votes on the competing motions.

Transcript Highlights:

• single-income households below the poverty line, with parents trying to make ends meet as security guards

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight held a hearing on the Trump administration’s freeze of federal child care and social services funding and its potential impact on California. The chair opened by emphasizing that child care is economic infrastructure and warning that the freeze could destabilize California’s $10 billion child care system. The Legislative Analyst’s Office and the Department of Social Services explained that California child care programs rely on roughly $1.4 billion in federal CCDF and TANF funds, which are blended with state dollars and support hundreds of thousands of children and families. CDSS said the state and four other Democratic-led states quickly sued, obtaining a temporary restraining order that has kept the funds flowing for now. Witnesses including Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, child care provider Amisha Griffin, and parent advocate Mara Linda Bustamante described the practical consequences of a funding interruption: providers could lose reimbursement, close centers, cut enrollment, or lay off staff; parents could lose child care, jobs, or school opportunities; and counties could not backfill the lost federal dollars. Several speakers stressed that child care centers also provide wraparound supports such as nutrition, developmental screening, and referrals, especially in rural and low-income communities. Mitchell and others argued that the freeze would worsen child care deserts and disproportionately harm women, single parents, and communities of color. Members repeatedly challenged the federal rationale of “waste, fraud, and abuse,” asking for oversight details. CDSS said providers face extensive audits, fraud policies, monitoring, and recoupment procedures, and that identified fraud amounts to about $7 million over two years compared with roughly $6.5 billion in annual child care spending. Several members said the fraud rate is under 1 percent and criticized the freeze as politically motivated and illegal. They also discussed the need for a state “bridge plan” to protect families if federal funds remain disrupted, and some members referenced prior legislation to modernize CalWORKs and child care eligibility. During public comment, parents, providers, county representatives, and advocacy groups echoed the same concerns, citing waiting lists, workforce losses, and the risk of families falling back into homelessness or poverty. No formal vote was taken; the hearing concluded with broad bipartisan expressions of support for child care funding and a commitment to continue working on state protections and federal advocacy.

Transcript Highlights:

• single-income households below the poverty line, with parents trying to make ends meet as security guards

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We do acknowledge and work to prevent further system involvement and guard against collateral or long-term

Summary: The committee began with a work session on juvenile rehabilitation institution capacity, services, and staffing. DCYF Assistant Secretary Jennifer Redmond described overcrowding at Green Hill School and Echo Glen, driven by longer adult-style sentences extending past age 25, limited community placements, and small facility sizes. She said Green Hill remains above safe operating capacity, but staffing, injuries, large-scale aggression, and use-of-force incidents have improved over the past year. She also discussed Harbor Heights, a new 46-bed flex facility that had opened with 22 youth and would expand once a medical trailer arrives, as well as community transition services, vocational programming, behavior management reforms, and a request for more resources for mental health-focused facilities and staffing. Members asked about success metrics, developmental disability screening and supports, college access at Echo Glen, Mission Creek planning, and gender-responsive programming; Redmond said JR uses assessments, family involvement, and specialized living units, and that some requested funding had already been secured for returning a girls’ program at Echo Glen. The committee then heard from Team Child and the Youth Action Coalition. Greta Schultz said youth perspectives should guide system reforms and identified key concerns: overuse of sentence extensions, underuse of community transition services, continued criminal referrals from Green Hill to Lewis County, limited family contact, inadequate mental health access, and unequal education opportunities, especially for young women at Echo Glen. Justella Gonzalez, a former system-involved youth, said her time in county and state facilities was harmful, with staff mistreatment, poor education, limited therapy access, and humiliating restraint practices; she also said girls at Echo Glen lacked the same college opportunities as boys at Green Hill. Committee members asked for follow-up on county versus state experiences and on telehealth mental health services. The next presentation covered county-level services for youth involved or at risk of involvement with the justice system, led by juvenile court administrators Christine Simon-Smeyer and Judge Rachel Anderson. They outlined the juvenile court continuum from prevention and truancy work through diversion, detention alternatives, community supervision, and disposition alternatives, emphasizing evidence-based, trauma-informed, and restorative practices. Clark County was used as an example of a court that partners closely with schools and community providers, uses risk assessments and wraparound behavioral health probation, and offers detention alternatives without electronic home monitoring. They said most courts do not use detention for status offenses, but instead use court involvement to connect youth to services. They also described funding, noting that courts rely on a mix of state block grant and local dollars, and that recent cuts to early intervention funding reduced programming and staff hours. Members asked about detention for truancy, developmental disability identification, restorative justice practices, and the juvenile block grant. Finally, DCYF Assistant Secretary Nicole Rose and Katie Warren of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECAP discussed child care and early learning impacts from recent policy and budget changes. Rose said Fair Start for Kids investments had increased child care access, provider participation, and kindergarten readiness, with more than 60,000 children in Working Connections care and rising ECAP enrollment and provider capacity. She said recent reductions will raise most family copays in 2026, delay eligibility expansions, eliminate some expanded eligibility categories, reduce ECAP slots by about 3,000, delay entitlement timelines, and cut provider supports such as rate increases for centers, complex-needs grants, trauma-informed and dual-language incentives, and infant/early childhood mental health consultation. Warren emphasized ECAP’s role in family stability, workforce participation, and reducing poverty, and noted its two-generation approach to supporting both children and parents.

Transcript Highlights:

• medical director makes that decision, but if the medical director says yes, then the doctor is authorized
• I would just ask maybe the author just to look at the amendment and see where it says the medical reimbursement
• secretary or ODG schedule as referenced herein shall have tacit approval, not subject to prior authorization
• But you're authorizing another commission who's unelected to come after businesses on just a verbal,
• They do it for banks, and they know an armed security guard is still there.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The committee first disposed of several measures without debate, including deferrals of House Bill 460, House Bill 561, Senate Bill 322, and another deferred Senate measure, before taking up House Bill 819 by Chairman Cruz. HB 819 would replace Louisiana’s current workers’ compensation medical treatment schedule with ODG by MCG, a private evidence-based guideline system used in other states. Cruz and Troy Prevo argued ODG is more comprehensive, updated more frequently, and could reduce claim duration, medical costs, and premium rates; Dr. Jason Picard said Louisiana already uses ODG as a secondary reference for gaps in the state schedule and that the bill would not change appeals or variance procedures. Opponents, including injured-worker advocates Joseph Jola St. and Robin Crumholt, argued Louisiana’s current guidelines are working, that ODG is more cost-cutting and insurer-driven, and that the bill could increase denials and delay care. Members discussed amendments to add a two-year sunset, allow tacit approval when treatment follows the schedule, require payment within 30 days, and raise the carrier’s burden to challenge care; the committee adopted the amendments and then reported HB 819 favorably by a 7-6 vote. The committee then began Senate Bill 409 by Senator Myers, the Louisiana Living Donor Leave Protection Act. The bill would provide paid leave protections for living organ donors, set eligibility and verification procedures, and prohibit forfeiture of leave in certain circumstances for private employers. Myers said the measure is intended to remove job and paycheck barriers for people willing to donate organs and to support better transplant outcomes. Technical amendments were adopted at the start of the presentation, and the bill was introduced for further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• I’m a physician, an advocate, an author, and a legislator.
• </c> of view comes in here with some guard of view comes in here with some guard rails<01:40:07.880><
• </c> then thus gives the commission authority then thus gives the commission authority to<01:43:11.080
• </c> statute so that they statutory Authority statute so that they statutory Authority and<01:46:23.800
• c> organization with an authorization and I organization with an authorization and I wanted<04:36:36.480

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> is a good example of how State Authority is a good example of how State Authority might<01:49:11.560
• </c> nothing prior but prior authorization nothing prior but prior authorization which<01:52:51.599><
• </c><01:58:11.159><c> over</c> no authority over no authority over so<01:58:14.440><c> so</c><01:58:15.159
• </c> created would require ire authorization created would require ire authorization of<03:11:18.319>
• </c> perform the Service rulemaking authority perform the Service rulemaking authority and<03:11:22.560

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Judges will still retain authority to order and modify alimony.
• Judges will still retain authority to order and modify alimony.
• Judges will still retain authority to order and modify alimony.
• I've authored U.S.
• I've authored U.S.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As the author and as the chair of the committee, I want everyone to testify exactly where they are. on
• Educators benefit from a more reliable, standards-aligned curriculum by affirming the SOE's authority
• And this gave authority to the State Board of Education. to govern the review and approval process of
• Chairman, and thank you, Senator Campbell, for authoring the this legislation.
• Just a quick question, maybe to the the authors.

Bills: SB451, SB762, SB1490, SB1262, SB1459, SB1750, SB1962, SB2252, SB2253, SB2365

Keywords: instructional materials, public schools, Education Code, adoption, rejected materials, local funds, open educational resources, Texas Education Code, school districts, open enrollment charter schools, funding restrictions, environmental regulation, business compliance, local authority, economic development, state preemption, local control, open education resources, SB 762, Texas public schools

Transcript Highlights:

• No, I'm taking on guard, but I was, you know...
• authority within clearly defined parameters.
• Now that's just the authority we're given to pharmacists. But here's the practical.
• Now that's the authority we're given to pharmacists, but here's the practical.
• It does not authorize unlimited tax increases.

Keywords: 1064, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Any federal employee who doesn't respect the authority of the people and the president they elected has
• of the people and the authority of the people and the president<00:20:50.159><c> they</c><00:20:50.480
• I want to urge our country, as it says in First Timothy, to pray for those who are in authority and to
• Hell, he wasn't even on the East Coast. Are they going to be censured?
• Hell, he wasn't even on the East Coast. Are they going to be censured?

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not the Edwards Aquifer Authority.
• But again, we are a nonprofit, so we don't actually have any authority.
• , San Antonio River Authority, and the river authorities are great: Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority,
• So where do, in the stack of authorities, where does, like, the Bandera...
• They already have the ability or the authority to use pre-approved plans.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, the bill authorizes no appropriations to cover these costs, creating a structural deficit.
• Again, the bill authorizes no appropriations to cover these costs, creating a structural deficit.
• Again, the bill authorizes no appropriations to cover these costs, creating a structural deficit.
• Again, the bill authorizes no appropriations to cover these costs, creating a structural deficit.
• </c> they do not have regulatory uh authority they do not have regulatory uh authority or<01:09:40.000

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs heard HB 1790-FN, which would address involuntary admissions for certain individuals with a substance use disorder. Representative Lucy Weber introduced the bill for Representative Long, and the committee heard extensive testimony both in support of and in opposition to the proposal. Opponents, including John Burns of SOS Recovery and Jake Barry of New Futures, argued that involuntary commitment is not well supported by research, can retraumatize people, may increase overdose risk after release, and could undermine New Hampshire’s existing recovery and harm-reduction efforts. They emphasized that treatment should be voluntary, trauma-informed, and paired with housing, recovery supports, and other community-based services. Representative Long said he was willing to accept DHHS’s request to amend the bill into a study commission, though he expressed concern that a prior state study had not led to action. He said the commission should focus on implementation details, including where people would be placed, staffing, withdrawal management, elopement prevention, length of commitment, and aftercare. He described involuntary commitment as one tool for people with severe dangerous addictions, distinct from drug court, and said it could help avoid criminal records. Committee members asked about capacity at New Hampshire Hospital and how the proposal would work in practice. DHHS officials Katya Fox and Cynthia Pabonis testified that the bill raises major policy and fiscal concerns. They said New Hampshire’s current system has benefited from investments in naloxone, medication-assisted treatment, recovery centers, and community-based services, and that those investments have helped reduce overdose deaths. They estimated the bill would require a new 70-bed facility costing about $40 million to build and about $33.3 million annually to operate, with only a small portion offset by insurance, plus more than $600,000 in annual legal costs and additional staffing and system changes. They also said New Hampshire Hospital has 185 beds, with about 100 patients typically ready for less restrictive settings, and that housing shortages are a major bottleneck. NAMI New Hampshire also testified in opposition, saying families often want any possible treatment for loved ones but still opposed the bill. No vote or final action was taken in the hearing.