Transcript Highlights:

• We also have our research universities and comprehensive universities.
• to help us make sure we're research to help us make sure we're relevant,<00:19:38.360><c> aligned</c
• Although each institution is different as far as you get your research and your comprehensive and your
• as you get your research and your comprehensive<00:32:00.520><c> and</c><00:32:00.640><c> your</c><00
• Representative Tipton said he was glad to see research on dual credit.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Education met for an overview of the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE). After approving the prior meeting minutes, staff from CPE explained that the council was reconstituted in 1997 and serves as Kentucky’s statewide coordinating body for higher education, with responsibilities including advising the General Assembly and governor, coordinating the postsecondary system, supporting budget and performance funding work, and using data to track outcomes. They described Kentucky’s governance structure, including the KCTCS governing board, independent boards at public universities, and CPE’s role in licensing private institutions and overseeing transfer, closed-school records, and tuition approval. CPE staff emphasized statewide strategic planning and the “60 by 30” goal of having 60% of working-age Kentuckians hold a meaningful credential by 2030. They said the agency uses dashboards, KPIs, and peer comparisons to set targets for institutions and monitor enrollment, retention, and graduation. They also highlighted the Kentucky Graduate Profile, a voluntary effort to embed 10 essential workforce skills into general education and major programs, and noted ongoing work on academic program approval, performance funding, and a biennial budget request. The presentation also focused on student support and workforce alignment initiatives. Staff described the Kentucky Advising Academy, the Commonwealth Education Continuum, and the Kentucky Student Success Collaborative, which work with K-12 partners and campuses to improve advising, transfer, wraparound supports, and career planning. They also discussed GEAR UP, the Futurity career-planning platform, and efforts to connect education pathways to workforce needs, including healthcare, veterans, and other adult learners. CPE reported that student debt at graduation has fallen to $10,168 at public institutions and that six in ten Kentucky undergraduates graduate debt free.

Transcript Highlights:

• My group is the Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education, and Research Project in San Francisco.
• Research cited by this committee analysis itself raises concerns Research cited by this committee analysis
• My group is the erotic service providers, legal, education, and research project in San Francisco.
• First, research consistently shows that higher fines do little to deter unlawful behavior.
• The research is consistent on this point.

Committee: House Public Safety

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Research shows that they increase confidence, perceived competence, and overall preparedness for real-world
• Research shows that they increase confidence, perceived competence, and overall preparedness for real-world
• From some of the research that you did in data from the Boston hospitals, did you find in any that even
• For example, in a project on integrated pharmacists led by one of our policy researchers, Drew Ritchie
• Compelling new research, led by a Harvard student, Anthony Zong, shows that for those 65 years of age

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Health Care Financing

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing held a public hearing on a large docket focused on primary care, workforce development, and medical debt. Chairs Cindy Friedman and John Lawn outlined hearing procedures and noted that testimony would be taken on 17 matters. The committee first heard testimony on bills to establish a community health center nurse practitioner residency program and to strengthen mental health centers. Senator Keenan, Rep. Keefe, and health center leaders described the Worcester nurse practitioner residency as a successful pipeline and retention strategy, citing workforce shortages, training needs in community health centers, and the cost of the program. Rep. O’Day also supported the mental health centers bill, saying it would raise payment rates, improve reimbursement for behavioral health services, and help clinics retain staff and expand access. The committee then took testimony on bills to address medical debt through hospital financial assistance reform. The Attorney General’s Office, Health Care for All, Health Law Advocates, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and individual patients supported the measure, arguing that hospital financial assistance policies are inconsistent, hard to find, and difficult to navigate. Witnesses said the bill would standardize eligibility criteria, create a uniform application, improve notice requirements, and expand access to discounted care up to 400% of the federal poverty level. Several personal stories described medical bills being sent to collections, confusion over insurance billing, and the burden of debt on low-income and chronically ill patients. Committee members asked about hospital concerns, the role of the health safety net, and whether the bill addressed root causes of medical debt; testimony emphasized that the proposal was meant to improve transparency and access rather than replace broader insurance reforms. The hearing also focused heavily on “Primary Care for You” legislation, H. 1370 and S. 867, which would increase primary care investment and create a new payment model. Rep. Haggerty, physicians, a patient, community health center leaders, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers described a primary care crisis marked by low reimbursement, staffing shortages, long waits, burnout, and difficulty recruiting clinicians. Supporters said the bills would shift spending toward preventive, team-based care, improve access and equity, and reduce long-term costs. The Massachusetts Association of Health Plans said it was directionally supportive of increased primary care investment but warned that any new spending must stay within the cost growth benchmark and preserve existing contracting structures. The hearing ended with additional testimony on a community health center workforce and loan repayment grant bill from Rep. Stanley, and with further discussion from Dr. Alan Garo about the need for payment reform in primary care.

Transcript Highlights:

• With Senate Bill 5785 last session, the amount was changed to be 50% of the research rate.
• With Senate Bill 5785 last session, the amount was changed to be 50% of the research rate starting in
• The private four-year not-for-profit College Bound rate was the average of the research institution's
• Well, it would require some additional research and contracting on this.
• Well, it would require some additional research and contracting on this.

Bills: HB2689 , SB5420 , SB5868 , SB5877

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: Working Connections Child Care, child care subsidy, subsidized child care, Washington DCYF, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, low-income families, child care providers, licensed child care centers, family child care, market rate survey, subsidy rates, income eligibility, state median income, SNAP, Basic Food, collective bargaining, provider reimbursement, daily payment, half-day care, partial-day care

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, you can see in that bottom right picture there, um, I'm also a researcher and in front of that scientific
• Um, you can see in that bottom right picture there, um, I'm also a researcher and in front of that scientific
• Um, you can see in that bottom right picture there, um, I'm also a researcher and in front of that scientific
• Um, you can see in that bottom right picture there, um, I'm also a researcher and in front of that scientific
• Um, you can see in that bottom right picture there, um, I'm also a researcher and in front of that scientific

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Health and Family Services met in person, approved the July 15 minutes, and heard a presentation from Dr. Matthew Holder and Dr. Henry Hood of the Lee Specialty Clinic in Louisville. The clinic serves people with complex intellectual and developmental disabilities through a transdisciplinary model that combines medical, dental, behavioral, psychiatric, therapy, and other services under one roof. The presenters argued that this population is large-cost but small in number, often receives little provider training, and is vulnerable to diagnostic overshadowing, overmedication, and missed medical or dental problems. The clinic reported that in Tennessee, payer data showed average costs of about $5,200 per member per month before clinic involvement, with a 44% reduction in overall health care spending after patients were seen, including lower emergency room use, inpatient admissions, and prescription use. They said those savings were measured by the payer, not the clinic, and that the savings accrued to Medicaid or managed care payers rather than the clinic itself. They also shared a case example of a patient who had been placed on hospice but improved after diagnosis and treatment at the clinic. Patient and parent satisfaction were described as very high, generally above 95%. The clinic asked for roughly $5 million to expand into Northern Kentucky, estimating 500 to 700 patients would use the new site and projecting annual savings of about $13 million to $19 million once mature. Members asked about the budget, startup and operating costs, where the savings go, and whether the clinic had considered taking full risk or another value-based model. Senator Meredith and others encouraged the clinic to explore an accountable care or risk-based arrangement, while the presenters said they were open to that discussion but had not pursued it yet. The exchange ended with follow-up questions about the clinic’s overall budget structure and public-private funding mix.

Transcript Highlights:

• Marty Garrity, Director of the Bureau of Legislative Research, just want to let this committee know that
• Legislative Research.

Committee: All ALC-EXECUTIVE SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The committee met and first heard from Superintendent Chester Shannon, who requested an addendum to a previously approved waiver related to TIPS/TAPS construction work. He explained that while construction was underway, the district was able to use grants and take advantage of lower-cost change orders to make additional building improvements, including items that could be viewed as either construction or maintenance, such as door replacement. He said he wanted the board’s waiver to cover those changes. A member apologized for requiring him to return, noting there was no procedure to approve the added amount without another presentation. The committee then approved the waiver request by motion and vote. In other business, Marty Garrity, Director of the Bureau of Legislative Research, reported that the Bureau’s most recent independent audit had no findings. Members congratulated him on the result. No other business was raised, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Marty Garrity, Director of the Bureau of Legislative Research, just want to let this committee know that
• Legislative Research.

Committee: All ALC-EXECUTIVE SUBCOMMITTEE

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the research director for Northstar Policy Action.
• I'm the research Aaron Rosenthal.
• This matters because research is clear. Repeated exposure to trauma causes substantial harm.
• </c> This matters because research is clear. This matters because research is clear.
• Decades of research on substantial harm.

Committee: House Ways and Means

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Research consistently shows that family income is one of the strongest predictors of child outcomes.
• And research also shows that stability throughout childhood and adolescence matters, too.
• And research also shows that stability throughout childhood and adolescence matters, too.
• And research also shows that stability throughout childhood and adolescence matters, too.
• And research also shows that stability throughout childhood and adolescence matters, too.

Bills: HF4621 , HF4123 , HF4616 , HF1183

Committee: House Taxes

Keywords: child tax credit, financial assistance, low-income families, state revenue, tax policy, net investment income, taxation, business income, self-employment, tax increase, wealth tax, fairness, public services, high-income earners, economic equity, Internal Revenue Code, employee classification, federal law, Minnesota statutes, 1183

Transcript Highlights:

• But still the research institutions have been unwilling frankly to share why they're against it.
• But still the research institutions have been unwilling, frankly, to share why they're against it.
• But still the research institutions have been unwilling, frankly, to share why they're against it.
• But still the research concerns.
• :00.160><c> team,</c> our institutional research team, our institutional research team, Representative

Committee: House Postsecondary Education

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And the research is clear.
• We have provided the committee with an abundance of research and science that provide evidence as to
• </c><00:41:06.720><c> These</c> And the research is clear. These And the research is clear.
• </c><00:42:07.119><c> on</c> International Agency for Research on International Agency for Research on
• </c><00:43:51.680><c> and</c> with an abundance of research and with an abundance of research and science

Keywords: Reupload to restore attendance roll call Roll Call 00:00:00 Approval of Minutes from September Meeting 00:00:24 Presentation of the Kentucky Association of Counties Legislative Platform for the Upcoming 2026 Session 00:01:48 Discussion of Legislation Concerning Firefighter Death Benefits 00:35:43 Discussion of DNA Collection in Jails for Felony Arrests 00:45:52 Discussion of Federal Immigration Law Enforcement 00:54:18 Adjournment 01:15:39, 958, all

Summary: The committee met for its sixth meeting, established a quorum, and approved the minutes from the October 21 meeting. The main agenda item was a presentation from Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) leaders and county officials on jail funding and jail-system reform. Speakers said county jail costs have reached crisis levels, citing large and rising general-fund subsidies in counties such as Hardin, McCracken, and Warren, and noting that county general-fund contributions to jail funds have increased by 76% since 2019. KACo outlined a three-part legislative approach for the upcoming session: incentivizing regional jails, clarifying responsibility for pre-trial felony detainees, and redefining the model for housing state inmates in county jails. On regional jails, they proposed one-time state construction funding, statutory changes to allow former county jails to serve as 96-hour holdover facilities, broader participation of jailers on regional jail authority boards, an increased supplement for closed county jails, and a one-time payment for counties that close local jails and join regional facilities. Union County Judge Adam Onan described his county’s savings from contracting with Webster County and said regionalization can reduce costs where feasible. Harlan County Judge Executive Dan Mosley focused on pre-trial felony detainees, saying counties bear the full cost of housing people awaiting trial for long periods, sometimes years, and that pre-trial time is later credited toward state sentences. He argued the state benefits from that credit and referenced prior bills that would have reimbursed counties for time-served credit. Shelley Hampton then proposed replacing the current per diem model for state inmates with contracts requiring the Department of Corrections to pay actual housing costs and to support programming such as substance abuse treatment, cognitive behavioral programming, re-entry services, workforce training, and academics. No votes were taken on the jail proposals, and the meeting ended with the presentation and discussion of the county recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our first phase was a research and discovery phase, which was very comprehensive.
• As I mentioned, we had a very robust and comprehensive research study to get to this point.
• </c><00:41:37.760><c> and</c><00:41:38.000><c> discovery</c> first phase was a research and discovery
• </c><00:43:16.319><c> study</c> robust and comprehensive research study robust and comprehensive research
• What we found in doing research with them is similar to what we see in Kentucky: a lack of awareness

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee met with leaders of the First Frontier Appalachian Trail System for an update on trail development, economic impact, and funding needs. Speakers said the system has expanded from 18 to 21 counties over the past year, with interest from additional counties, about 450 miles of trails currently open, and a goal of surpassing 1,000 miles within two years. They described the project as primarily an economic development effort that is already drawing public and private investment, supporting lodging and campground businesses, and creating new enterprises such as guide services, repairs, and recovery services for ATVs. The presentation highlighted permit sales, which began on a soft-launch basis earlier in the year and are now available both physically and online. Permits cost $25 per year for in-state residents and allow riding on First Frontier trails. Officials also discussed landowner agreements, saying the standard license agreement is modeled on Hatfield-McCoy, is favorable to landowners, and can be ended with 60 days’ notice. They said the agreements, along with patrols and cleanup efforts, help address trespassing and illegal dumping while encouraging property owners to participate. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Captain Jason Sloan reported 638 hours of patrols under the memorandum of agreement since January 1 and said the partnership has focused on safety, enforcement of existing laws, emergency planning, and cleanup support. The group also cited partnerships with the National Forest, Onyx Off-Road, ARC, and Yamaha, and said a Jeep Jamboree in Lee County drew 237 registered participants, mostly from out of state. They said a GNCC race in Knox County is being pursued for spring. The authority requested $3.5 million for the next two-year budget cycle and said it needs additional staffing, including two full-time trail development coordinators and part-time office help, to keep up with growth. Members praised the project’s progress and its potential to boost tourism and regional economic development.

Transcript Highlights:

• So research is 40% of the users are daily users.
• is 40% of the users are are research is 40% of the users are are daily<00:30:45.000><c> users</c><00
• What research has come out in November?
• What research has come out in November?
• </c> earlier speaker talked about research earlier speaker talked about research showing<01:25:45.400

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Health and Human Services and Judiciary meeting heard testimony on several measures, with most of the discussion focused on SB 709 and SB 955. On SB 709, relating to mental health data and related appropriations, the Department of Health supported the bill’s intent and said the funding would help maintain a data dashboard and positions, though it had no suggested amount for one blank appropriation. Members also discussed whether sections of the bill were duplicative of existing data reporting. The committees later recommended SB 709 be passed with amendments, including technical changes, deferring the date to December 31, 2050, and blanking out the appropriation for later clarification. SB 955, relating to fitness to proceed, drew mixed testimony. Judiciary opposed portions of the bill, saying some changes could have unintended practical consequences. The Office of the Public Defender supported the bill’s intent but urged keeping a three-member evaluation panel rather than reducing it to two, warning that a two-panel process could create delays if a third evaluator had to be added later. A former Hawaii State Hospital clinician said the bill placed too much blame on the courts and should address institutional and administrative problems at the hospital more directly. The Department of Health supported the intent and said it appreciated efforts to address overcrowding. After discussion about examiner shortages and status hearings, the committees recommended SB 955 be passed with amendments reducing the number of qualified examiners from three to one and making related technical changes. The committee also heard SB 1228, a child welfare services measure creating a working group related to youth legal representation and child welfare reform. DHS requested adding a Child Welfare Services representative to the work group, and multiple advocates, including the National Center for Youth Law and Hawaii Youth Services Network, testified in strong support, emphasizing the need for youth voice and implementation of Malama Ohana recommendations. Members asked whether this working group overlapped with another recently passed working group bill; testimony indicated the two measures addressed different issues. The meeting then recessed and later resumed for decision-making on the 9 o’clock calendar, where SB 709 was adopted with amendments and SB 955 was adopted with amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• They said at that time that research shows that 13% should sort of be the target, and this would have
• It’s not as bad as what the reading research was, but it’s not great.
• with common core because the research with common core math<01:28:45.560><c> is</c><01:28:45.840><c>
• That’s really, I mean, the best research on Common Core is that it has the same effect as the way we
• Most of the research says that it has a negative effect.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> research issue. research issue.
• That's not a research question. That seems to me to be a policy question for this body.
• I don't know how you would possibly answer that with any research.
• I don't know how you would possibly answer that with any research.
• I don't know how you would possibly answer that with any research.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting opened with a quorum present and approval of the April 17 minutes. The commission then heard a presentation from attorney Jacob Rhodes of Cleveland, Waters and Bass on the history and legal basis of New Hampshire’s timber tax, explaining that timber was historically treated as part of real property, that a 1913 case confirmed that view, and that a 1949 constitutional amendment created a separate timber yield tax to discourage clear-cutting and support forest conservation. He described the tax as a tax on the yield when timber is severed, not an income tax, and noted that towns are reimbursed through a system based on Department of Revenue Administration market data and local reports of cut. Members and guests asked how “yield” is defined, how the timber tax interacts with current use, and whether carbon sequestration could be treated similarly. Testimony explained that current use generally is not affected by harvesting timber, that towns can tax standing timber under RSA 79:5 but rarely do because it is labor-intensive, and that carbon credits might be valued using a similar market-data approach. Several speakers discussed a prior bill drafted with DRA input that would have treated carbon more like timber, but noted it never fully advanced in the General Court and that the version ultimately discussed by the House differed from the earlier DRA-comfortable draft. The discussion also covered whether carbon sequestration agreements are effectively long-term leases or transfers of timber rights, with Rhodes suggesting that 99-year arrangements could be taxable transfers of real property under DRA rules, though he had not reviewed specific agreements. DRA staff said they do not currently have a timber-like survey mechanism for carbon and would likely need access to proprietary market data or a subscription service to build one. No formal vote was taken beyond approving the minutes; the commission appeared to agree to revisit the carbon/timber valuation issue and the draft bill at a future meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Registrars have the ability to research and to look into these records.
• Becker with the Center for Election Innovation and Research. Hello, sir.
• I work for the Center for Election Innovation and Research. We're a nonpartisan nonprofit.
• I work for the Center for Election Innovation and Research.
• So I can do a little bit of research and get you some data. I would love that.

Committee: House Elections

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill helps move Minnesota closer to that goal by grounding school safety in research, prevention
• This bill helps move Minnesota closer to that goal by grounding school safety in research, prevention
• This bill helps move Minnesota closer to that goal by grounding school safety in research, prevention
• This bill helps move Minnesota closer to that goal by grounding school safety in research, prevention
• :55.720><c> when</c><01:35:55.880><c> we</c> Research consistently shows that when we Research consistently

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But research at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute also is leading initiatives that reach the and
• But research at Henipin rural Minnesota.
• But research at Henipin Healthcare<01:27:43.040><c> Research</c><01:27:43.440><c> Institute</c><01:27
• :44.080><c> also</c><01:27:44.480><c> is</c> Healthcare Research Institute also is Healthcare Research
• </c><01:30:32.159><c> that</c> the emergency and trauma research that the emergency and trauma research

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• are at number uh and these researchers are at number of<00:20:39.760><c> various</c><00:20:40.240><c
• What my research says is that it's in the millions.
• Um, so a lot of it is basic science research as opposed to epidemiologic data that will address large
• </c><00:34:32.320><c> I</c><00:34:32.560><c> don't</c> research it's in the millions.
• I don't research it's in the millions.

Keywords: Discussion of SB 126 (2025 RS) 00:05:13 Discussion of HB 16 (2025 RS) 00:15:40 Kentucky Department of Parks – Overview 01:05:06, 958, all

Summary: The committee met jointly for State Government, State and Local Government, and Elections and Constitutional Amendments, approved the minutes from the September 23 meeting, and then took up discussion of Senate Bill 126, a proposed constitutional amendment to restrict the governor’s pardon power. Senator Chris McDaniel said the measure was prompted by concerns over pardons issued in 2019 and would bar pardons for 60 days before a gubernatorial election through the swearing-in of a new governor, leaving the power otherwise intact. Members who spoke generally supported the proposal as a way to increase accountability, and McDaniel said he intended to place it on the 2026 ballot. No vote was taken on the bill during the discussion. The committee then moved to House Bill 16 on water fluoridation. Representative Hart and Senator Greg Elkins said the bill would remove Kentucky’s fluoridation mandate and give local water districts the choice to add fluoride or not. They emphasized that the revised draft also adds immunity language to protect districts from civil litigation regardless of their decision. Dr. Jack Call, a Louisville dentist, presented against fluoridation, arguing that the main dental benefit is topical rather than from drinking water and citing studies and reports he said linked fluoride exposure to reduced IQ in children and other health concerns. Cindy Batson, a nurse and parent, also supported the bill and said she had testified on the issue for years. During questions, Senator Rollins raised concerns about fluoride being an industrial byproduct and described fluoridation as forced medication. The discussion remained focused on the bill’s local-control and immunity provisions, with sponsors saying they were not trying to relitigate the broader science but wanted to remove the mandate. The transcript ends while questions and testimony on HB 16 were still underway, and no final committee action is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• I had research do some work and, although it's not mentioned or referenced in that specific bill, um,
• I had research<00:07:22.880><c> do</c><00:07:23.120><c> some</c><00:07:23.360><c> work</c><00:07:24.080
• ><c> and</c><00:07:24.400><c> although</c><00:07:24.720><c> it's</c> research do some work and although
• it's research do some work and although it's not<00:07:25.199><c> mentioned</c><00:07:26.000><c> or<
• </c> is going on the water on the research is going on the water on the research array<01:30:23.280><

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Keywords: 1191, senate, all