Transcript Highlights:

• Um, we served many years together on the claims committee, a bicameral committee that, if you had many
• The toughest time was when Mary and I were the only two that voted against a claim because it would have
• Um, we served many years together on the claims committee, a bicameral committee that, if you had many
• The toughest time was when Mary and I were the only two that voted against a claim because it would have
• The claims committee was a bicameral committee that, if you had many years of tenure in you, you weren't

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Obviously, in the metro area, with the Met Council, there's a lot of money available for water, Clean
• </c><00:30:20.799><c> Water</c> of money available for water Clean Water of money available for water
• And for now, I'm still thinking through, but I'll talk to Clean Water Action and see.
• </c> think through but I I'll talk to clean think through but I I'll talk to clean water<01:46:55.440
• I'm Avana Stark, state director of Clean Water Action.

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Because all politicians claim to speak for the people.
• Cuz all politicians claim to speak for the people.
• We all claim to say that we know what our constituents want.
• Cuz all politicians claim to speak for the people.
• We all claim to say that we know what our constituents want.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And as a veteran myself, my father is a veteran, I recognize how complicated these claims can be.
• </c><00:17:25.520><c> And</c><00:17:25.679><c> so,</c> complicated these claims can be.
• And so, complicated these claims can be.
• In your ideal scenario, would you like to see that all people who provide these claim services to our
• Uh, these public companies that assist veterans with disability claims currently cannot be accredited

Keywords: Convene 00:00 Calendar/2nd Readings 06:06 Report of Committees 07:10 Orders of the Day 09:21 HB 253 09:35 HB 508 16:18 HCR 44 29:09 HB 436 31:53 Motions, Petitions, and Communications 35:50 Introduction of New Bills and Resolutions 41:19 Recess for ConC/Rules Meeting 43:02 ConC/Rules Report 46:27 Floor Amendments 47:56 Adjournment 48:34, 958, all

Summary: The House convened with an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, a quorum present, and approval of the prior day’s journal. Committee reports were read for a range of bills and resolutions, including measures on privacy protection, theft by deception, social work, licensed occupations, an adult workforce diploma pilot program, parole board changes, alternative high school diplomas, campaign finance, child care, mental health treatment, gubernatorial transitions, unclaimed property, and state contracts. Those items received first reading and were placed on the calendar. The chamber then considered House Bill 253, relating to reading and language arts instruction. Supporters said the bill follows the earlier Read to Succeed law by requiring instruction grounded in the science of reading and phasing out the three-cueing system, which they argued encourages memorization rather than phonics. A member from House District 93 opposed the prohibition, saying teachers need flexibility and that some district-approved methods remain useful in classrooms. The House adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill 94-1, then laid a motion to reconsider on the table. House Bill 508, relating to the protection of veterans benefits, was also debated and passed unanimously 93-0. The sponsor said the bill regulates paid veterans-claims services, requires clear disclosures about free services, limits fees, bars certain practices, and adds annual reporting, while exempting attorneys and law firms. Several members spoke in support, citing personal experiences and the need to protect veterans from bad actors, though some also expressed concern about access to help and urged future federal accreditation language. House Concurrent Resolution 44, urging Congress to create a VA accreditation pathway for private claims companies, was adopted 95-0, and House Bill 436, creating a PGA HOPE-related state parks benefit for veterans and active-duty military participants, passed 94-0. At the end of the session, the House received Senate Bill 172, relating to utility fuel adjustments and declaring an emergency, for first reading and return to committee. Members also made announcements about upcoming breakfasts, meetings, guest groups, and other events.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative, this has to do with YDC claims administration.
• Representative, this has to do with YDC claims administration.
• Those gift card balances exceeding $250 that are more than five years old and have not been claimed must
• than five years old that have<00:36:58.880><c> not</c><00:36:59.119><c> been</c><00:36:59.440><c> claimed
• in accordance with have not been claimed in accordance with state<00:37:01.520><c> law.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee first approved the June 20, 2025 minutes, with several members abstaining, and then adopted the consent calendar after removing items 223 and 224 under tab five, item 222 under tab six, and item 231 under tab seven. The committee also noted that an old business item related to YDC claims administration would be removed at a future meeting because the fiscal year had closed and no further committee action was needed. The main substantive discussion centered on Department of Health and Human Services requests. Item FIS-223 would fund a shared database between the Department of Education and HHS to identify children eligible for the summer EBT program; members asked whether it could also help with Medicaid or school reimbursement tracking, but the witness said the item was specifically for summer EBT and that broader integration questions would need follow-up with Education and Medicaid staff. The committee then adopted the item, with Representative Mooney voting no. Item FIS-224 concerned the phrase "high quality services" in child care-related funding; HHS said the standards come from the federal Office of Child Care, and the committee adopted the item. Item FIS-222 related to Money Follows the Person; HHS explained it is a 100% federally funded program that supports transitions from institutions to community living with services such as housing navigation, furnishings, and case management. Members questioned the scale and cost of the program, and HHS said the initial federal award was $5 million, with additional federal IT funding later approved; the committee adopted the item, again with Representative Mooney voting no. Under tab seven, the committee discussed item 231 involving ARPA funds and the YDC project. The Department of Administrative Services explained that recent Treasury guidance allows leftover ARPA dollars from approved projects to be repurposed only for additional work on already approved projects, not new projects. Members asked about whether the project was over budget and whether some items had been in the original plan; officials said the work reflected add alternates from the original bid and that the project was on track to meet the deadline. The committee adopted the item. The meeting then moved to the audit presentation on the New Hampshire Liquor Commission’s fiscal year 2024 management letter, which identified 13 internal control comments, including two material weaknesses, largely tied to the new NextG system. Recommendations included strengthening controls, formal risk assessment, reconciliations to New Hampshire First, cash receipt controls, subsidiary ledgers, SOC reports for vendors, internal audit functions, lease accounting, gift card breakage reporting, and IT security and access controls. The Liquor Commission said it concurred with most findings, described the system transition as successful overall, and said remediation would continue; committee members asked for estimated completion dates for audit findings and discussed the need for more regular follow-up on audit issues and budget monitoring.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 2721 addresses the urgent need for improved oversight and regulation of One claim remains
• or exploited. remains from being used as research materials simply because no one comes forward to claim
• being vilified and lumped in with dubious bad actors, including those that recklessly provided on-claim
• If a physician makes a claim of being board certified when they are not, the TMB should be able to prevent
• that claim.

Bills: SB2024 , SB227 , SB268 , SB1467 , SB1580 , HB5537 , SB1313 , SB1677 , SB918 , SB331 , SB2207 , SB2721

Committee: House Public Health

Keywords: e-cigarettes, marketing prohibition, youth protection, criminal penalties, public health, school funding, education reform, state budget, property taxes, equity in education, health care, licensing, complaint procedure, disciplinary action, law enforcement, death records, vital statistics, healthcare, trauma facility, Medicaid

Transcript Highlights:

• So you've got pre-pandemic, where all the insurance agencies had there either claims adjusters or its
• I'll repeat myself, with the claim adjusters. And then also in law enforcement.
• I'll repeat myself with the claim adjusters. And then also in law enforcement.
• What I failed to mention was we haven't stopped adjusting claims.
• think, as a follow-up to that question, I would ask that you potentially give us an example on the claims

Summary: The subcommittee met to review agency vacancy reports and agency-requested budget reductions, with Chair Lopez framing the discussion around stewardship of taxpayer dollars, agency efficiency, and whether long-vacant positions should be cut or repurposed. Members were given vacancy summaries and asked to focus on how agencies are functioning with current staffing, which positions are mission critical, and whether some vacancies reflect market pay issues, re-engineering of work, or true excess capacity. The chair also noted that agency heads had been asked to provide follow-up information on current openings, average vacancy duration, mission-critical roles, and reasons for vacancies. The Department of Revenue was the first major agency reviewed because it had the largest number of vacancies. Its leadership said vacancies had improved from pandemic-era highs due to market pay adjustments, but that some areas—especially general tax and audit—still had long-term openings. The department explained that some positions are intentionally frozen while work is restructured, that it hires above minimum salary in some cases to stay competitive, and that it is using automation and process changes to reduce backlogs. Members raised concerns about vacancies outside Leon County, out-of-state auditor positions, salary compression, and whether the department should provide a list of frozen positions and the salaries actually needed to recruit. The Department of Financial Services said its long vacancies were concentrated in risk management, law enforcement, and the general counsel’s office, where salaries and competition from private employers and other agencies make hiring difficult. DFS said it was using outside vendors in some areas, had reduced vacancies in its general counsel office significantly, and was willing to identify positions that could be cut, including some from treasury and OAT. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation reported progress in lowering vacancies through statewide recruiting, centralized legal hiring, automation in service operations, and leadership changes in alcoholic beverages and tobacco; it said one recommended cut could be achieved by combining two half-time positions. The Florida Lottery reported a low vacancy rate, said all positions were critical, and explained its longer onboarding time due to extensive background checks; members discussed sales reps, incentives, and the agency’s field-office structure. The Office of Financial Regulation said many of its vacancies were already in the hiring pipeline, with recent vacancies tied to promotions, a death, and internal moves, and noted that it often serves as a training ground for federal agencies. The Office of Insurance Regulation, which had a high vacancy rate concentrated in Leon County, said it had been reducing vacancies from a much higher level and was still working through hiring and administrative constraints.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, Fresh Energy is a Minnesota-based clean energy nonprofit, and our organization regularly participates
• out, you know, we participate in rate cases regularly, and I would respectfully disagree with the claim
• we have big goals for the state, both in terms of economic development that needs power, uh, and in clean
• Uh, every dollar that a private citizen or private business can invest in clean energy is a dollar that
• Uh, every dollar that a private citizen or private business can invest in clean energy is a dollar that

Bills: HF3830 , HF3688

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Keywords: utilities, rate cases, cost recovery, reporting requirements, gas infrastructure, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The subcommittee also authorized BLR to move forward with a contract with claims administration agreement
• districts and the state captive insurance program, OPR contracts with Deningberg-Tuffley, PLLC, Sedgwick Claims
• districts and the state captive insurance program, OPR contracts with Deningberg-Tuffley, PLLC, Sedg, Claims

Committee: All ARKANSAS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (ALC)

Summary: The Arkansas Legislative Council met and first adopted the previous meeting minutes, then honored Lori McDonald of the Department of Human Services for nearly 28 years of state service. Members read a resolution recognizing her legislative, constituent, and leadership work at DHS, and the council adopted it unanimously. McDonald thanked members for their support, and the Senate also presented her with a citation, a flag flown over the Capitol, and a commemorative coin. The council then received the May 2026 revenue report, which showed gross adjusted collections of $7.76 billion year-to-date, up 4.4% from the prior year, and net available for distribution of $6.36 billion. The Bureau of Legislative Research noted collections were running above last year and that the updated forecast reflected a surplus. The Executive Subcommittee report was adopted after members were told it had approved captive insurance premiums and deductibles, a claims administration contract, emergency DHS rules, waiver requests, committee fund allocations, and the cancellation of the regular July ALC meeting in favor of only meeting for urgent matters. Several subcommittee reports were then adopted, including Administrative Rules, Game and Fish and State Police, Hospital/Medicaid/Developmental Disabilities, Lottery Oversight, Occupational Licensing Review, Peer Review, Review, State Insurance Programs Oversight, and Personnel. During the Administrative Rules discussion, members questioned the Department of Education about delays and vendor performance under the ClassWallet contract; department officials said they were meeting regularly with the vendor, keeping expense review in-house, and would consider other options if needed. In Personnel, the Department of Commerce clarified that a reallocation request was part of a broader departmental realignment and shared services move, not the Arkansas Workforce Connection waiver. The council also reviewed and took action on several communications, including filing retirement system investment summaries as reviewed, approving rural community grant funding, giving favorable advice for state park acquisitions/expansion, approving special maintenance funding for state parks, and filing proposed Office of State Technology service rates as reviewed before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• The subcommittee also authorized BLR to move forward with a contract with claims administration agreement
• districts and the state captive insurance program, OPR contracts with Deningberg-Tuffley, PLLC, Sedgwick Claims
• districts and the state captive insurance program, OPR contracts with Deningberg-Tuffley, PLLC, Sedg, Claims

Committee: All ARKANSAS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (ALC)

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, I will follow the prior Senator Schroeder's point and claim the fifth.
• Chairman, I will follow the prior Senator Schroeder's point and claim the fifth.
• have learned, if further information or thoughts come forward, we can always pull it out of the 14th claim

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Summary: The Senate State Affairs Committee heard several bill introductions and resolutions focused on budget savings, transparency, election rules, and cleanup of outdated code. Senator Cook presented RS-33715, which would reduce executive branch elected officials’ salaries by 5% in calendar year 2027, and RS-33735, which would print a proposal to study transfer-on-death deeds; both RS requests were introduced. The committee also heard House Bill 575, which would require asset forfeiture reports to be sent to the State Controller and published on Transparent Idaho; sponsors said it would not change forfeiture authority, only improve transparency. A prosecutor testified in support, and the bill was sent to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. House Bills 798 and 799, both code cleanup measures repealing outdated statutes, also advanced unanimously. The committee then considered HCR 33, which would create an interim committee to study sextortion, its prevalence, prevention, and impact on minors. Senator Lakey and Representative Greene described the crime as technology-driven, harmful to youth, and often difficult to prosecute because offenders may be overseas; the resolution was sent to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. House Bill 810, which would require legislative candidates to have lived in their district for 120 nights in the year before filing, drew questions about military, religious mission, and redistricting exceptions; after discussion, the committee voted to send it to the 14th order for possible amendment rather than directly to the floor. The committee also advanced HCR 27, honoring Morrison-Knudsen employees and Idahoans who served and died at Wake Island during World War II, after hearing about civilian sacrifice and wartime losses. House Bill 736, which lowers the threshold for ballot name rotation from political entities with 100,000 registered voters to those with 25,000, was described as a way to reduce ballot-order bias and was sent to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. Finally, House Bill 793, which reallocates beer tax revenue to help fund Alcohol Beverage Control and law enforcement rather than the permanent building fund, passed the committee on a voice vote and was sent to the floor with a do-pass recommendation before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• If a family member or friend comes to try to claim the vehicle or claim belongings, then we learn that
• comes—if they're involved in an accident, or a fatal accident, or they're incapacitated and never come to claim

Bills: SB2007 , SB2104 , SB2543 , SB2545 , SB2926 , SB2938

Committee: Senate Veteran Affairs

Keywords: military status, vehicle registration, veterans, Texas transportation, state records, discrimination, employment rights, spouses of service members, labor code, SB 2543, Texas veterans cemeteries, state veterans cemetery, Texas Veterans Commission, Veterans Land Board, Natural Resources Code, veterans land fund, veterans housing assistance fund, veterans burial, burial eligibility, cemetery location

Summary: The Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs heard several bills focused on veterans’ mental health, criminal justice coordination, cemetery expansion, housing, vehicle registration, and anti-discrimination protections. SB 2926 would transfer administration of veterans’ mental health initiatives from HHSC to the Texas Veterans Commission, create a community-based mental health grant program, require a statewide veteran suicide prevention action plan, and add annual reporting requirements. SB 2938 would require county jails to verify and report veteran status at intake, help veteran inmates apply for federal benefits, and provide access to county veteran services and free visitation with service coordinators. Both bills were described as joint or practical efforts to improve coordination and service delivery for veterans, and both were left pending after no public testimony was offered. The committee also heard SB 2543, which would give more flexibility to expand the Texas veterans cemetery system, and SB 2545, which would explore using manufactured homes as another affordable housing option for veterans through the Veterans Land Board. SB 2545 drew questions about how manufactured-home loans would work; a Texas Veterans Land Board witness said implementation would likely require closing at a title company rather than through a retail bill of sale, and the Texas Manufactured Housing Association testified in support. Both cemetery and housing bills were left pending. Members then heard SB 2007, which would let vehicle registration applicants voluntarily designate military status so the DMV could record it and help with benefits and towing/impound issues involving deployed service members. Witnesses from the towing industry and DMV supported the bill, saying the current system lacks enough identifying information to run military-status checks and that the indicator could help prevent vehicles from being sold while owners are deployed. SB 2104 would add military status as a protected class under state anti-discrimination laws for employment, housing, and utilities; the author said it would address ongoing discrimination against service members, veterans, and military families. The Texas VFW supported the bill, citing the Leroy Torres case as an example of why additional state protections are needed. After discussion about overlap with federal law and existing state protections, SB 2104 was also left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we want to focus on the substance of this issue, certainly Bigfoot is a claim to Washington, a claim
• This special team has invited members of the public like me to package up all the evidence and claims

Committee: House Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AND SERVICES BUT DOES NOT DIRECT SUPERVISOR CONTROL THE JUDGES OF COMPENSATION CLAIMS
• THE JUDGES I COMPENSATION CLAIMS ARE CLASSIFIED AS SENIOR MANAGEMENT.
• THE OFFICE OF JUDGES OF COMPENSATION CLAIMS IS HEADED BY DEPUTY CHIEF WHO REPORTS THAT THE DIRECTOR OF

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that last year, two-thirds of the electrons that powered this vast economy in our vast state were clean
• . 90% of days last year, at some point in that day, 100% of our energy was delivered by clean energy
• And this partnership is not actually focused on anything related to clean energy or the energy transition
• And this partnership is all, it's not actually focused on anything related to clean energy or the energy
• This includes things like cleaning up the properties, bringing in interpretive panels across different

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• energy which expressly includes clean energy which expressly includes nuclear<00:30:47.840><c> um</c
• </c><00:44:50.119><c> energy</c> multi-state RFP for clean energy multi-state RFP for clean energy including
• So what the bill does is says that that would also count as a clean energy resource to be used.
• So what the bill does is says that that would also count as a clean energy resource to be used.
• That would also count as a clean energy resource to be used.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Line 517 is the governor's proposal to establish a fee schedule for the all-payer claims database, and
• <00:18:45.000><c> database,</c><00:18:45.960><c> and</c><00:18:46.120><c> you'll</c> um all payer claims
• database, and you'll um all payer claims database, and you'll see<00:18:46.520><c> on</c><00:18:46.720
• </c> I have questions about this all claims I have questions about this all claims data<00:43:13.600>
• an insurance claim but are penalized<01:03:24.520><c> due</c><01:03:24.680><c> to</c><01:03:24.800><

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But the law also specifies that they can't claim a business expense deduction for those same expenses
• c><00:12:37.120><c> that</c><00:12:37.279><c> they</c><00:12:37.440><c> can't</c><00:12:37.600><c> claim
• </c> law also specifies that they can't claim law also specifies that they can't claim a<00:12:38.000
• And so you'll see notes that claimed.
• But what it does do is it allows for those pass-through businesses to claim a higher federal deduction

Bills: HR1 , HF387

Committee: House Taxes

Keywords: January 6 insurrection, pardon, law enforcement, violent crimes, public safety, justice system, political accountability, Blaine, local sales tax, special tax, restaurant tax, lodging tax, admissions tax, amusement tax, hotel tax, redevelopment, capital improvements, municipal finance, bonding authority, tourism tax

Transcript Highlights:

• It is updated by regulation through the Department of Workers' Claims.
• Or we may want a lot more medical management of claims and oversight.
• They take public input Workers' Claims.
• Or we would want claims and oversight.
• So, my follow-up would be most of these health claims are billed by hospitals and all that stuff.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:00:38 Consideration of Referred Administrative Regulations 00:01:34 Proposed Legislation for the 2026 Session 00:10:14 Basic and Added Reparation (PIP) Benefits 00:10:41 Prior Authorization 00:46:15 Measures to Strengthen Kentucky’s Economic Infrastructure 00:59:46, 958, all

Summary: The committee met in a special-called session of the Interim Joint Committee on Banking and Insurance and first took up three Department of Insurance regulations tied to House Bill 256, the Strengthen Kentucky Homes program: 806 KAR 22:00, 22:10, and 22:20. Commissioner Sharon Clark said the program would provide $5 million in grants to help homeowners strengthen roofs, with regulations covering eligibility and operations, contractors and evaluators, and reinspections in cases of suspected fraud. A committee substitute to 806 KAR 22:10 was explained as a technical correction to conform to the statutory preference for in-state contractors and evaluators. Representative Hampton moved and Representative Rudy seconded approval of the substitute, and it was adopted by voice vote; the amended regulations were then reviewed. Clark also said the grant money would be distributed statewide rather than targeted to storm-prone areas. The committee then heard an update from Commissioner Clark on mental health parity in response to questions from Representative Pollock. Clark said the department reviews insurer filings and conducts market conduct examinations, but does not have authority over provider reimbursement rates or to require providers to join insurer networks. She said complaints are investigated and, when needed, teams review claims and data on site to check compliance with parity requirements. No action was taken on that discussion. After approving the November 4 meeting minutes, the committee heard testimony on a proposed PIP reform package from Representative Josh Bray, the Kentucky Hospital Association, the Kentucky Justice Association, and State Farm. Supporters said the bill would apply the workers’ compensation fee schedule to most PIP medical claims, keep the $10,000 PIP limit in place while stretching benefits further, reduce balance billing, modernize benefit amounts, and address fraud and delayed billing. They noted hospitals would be exempt from the fee schedule, while hospital-based physical therapy would be included, and said the compromise reflected negotiations among stakeholders. Some members questioned whether exempting hospitals undercut the bill’s purpose and asked about possible rate effects; proponents said they had not done a rate analysis and that the bill could lead to more treatments within the existing PIP limit. No vote was taken on the PIP proposal during this meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• But this is a bill the claims predator or claim sharks, as it's sometimes called, looking to address
• Uh but this is a<00:38:09.119><c> bill</c><00:38:09.680><c> the</c><00:38:09.920><c> claims</c><00:38
• :10.400><c> predator</c><00:38:10.800><c> or</c><00:38:11.040><c> claim</c> a bill the claims predator
• or claim a bill the claims predator or claim sharks<00:38:11.760><c> as</c><00:38:12.000><c> it's</c
• regard<00:41:51.839><c> to</c><00:41:52.000><c> the</c><00:41:52.160><c> the</c><00:41:52.560><c> Claim

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development - Subcommittee on Veterans

Keywords: 1187, senate, all