Transcript Highlights:

• In rural counties, where care and transportation are not a simple...
• This is restricting access to care. 290 newborns are at risk, and we're bickering.
• Care.
• I practice in rural northeast Alabama in some of those maternity care deserts and in Chattanooga, Tennessee
• And I think we need to just take care of our kids first. I don't think people need to...

Bills: SB87 , HB491 , SB43 , SB101

Committee: House Health

Keywords: midwifery, licensed midwives, State Board of Midwifery, licensure fees, professional liability insurance, complaints investigation, emergency care plan, out-of-hospital care, HB491, public schools, K-12, school nutrition, school lunch, cafeteria, artificial dyes, food additives, food coloring, synthetic dyes, Red Dye No. 3, Red Dye No. 40

Transcript Highlights:

• As the designated community health care.
• Uh, the Maternal Infant and Child Health Subcommittee will meet at 11:00 a.m. via Zoom.
• :04.079><c> Health</c> Maternal Infant and Child Health Maternal Infant and Child Health Subcommittee
• He takes care of all of us. So, please, when you see him, tell him thank you, Morgan. Okay.
• He takes care of all of Morgan rocks.

Summary: The House convened with 132 members present, offered prayer, approved the previous day’s journal, and adopted a House resolution honoring United Communities Against Poverty for 60 years of service in Prince George’s County fighting poverty. The organization’s board members were recognized in the gallery. The chamber then handled introductory business, including first-reading referral of House Bills 1587-1596, two introductory House bond initiatives referred to Appropriations, and Senate Bill 25 and other Senate bills received in the House and referred to committees. The House also took up committee reports and special orders. The Economic Matters Committee reported favorably on several bills, including House Bills 236, 241, 242, 259, and 308, all of which were adopted and ordered printed for third reading. On House Bill 146 regarding on-site wastewater systems, a friendly amendment was adopted to allow repair or replacement of failed drain field components needed to meet the bill’s requirements. On House Bill 220 concerning individual water meters/submetering, a substitute amendment was adopted to strike a provision related to eviction proceedings and keep the bill aligned with existing law; the bill was then ordered printed for third reading. Members also made several announcements recognizing visiting groups and observances, including the ALS Association, Career and Technology Education Month, Economic Development Day, Developmental Disabilities Day, Alzheimer’s Advocacy Day, the start of Ramadan, and Easter season. The House heard a Black History Month-style recognition of Ethel Beh Hill and welcomed multiple delegations and student groups. Committee and subcommittee meeting announcements followed, and with 134 members present, the House remained in session before the majority leader moved adjournment until Thursday, February 19 at 10:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• . care. care.
• . care. care.
• health care and directing the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a rural maternal health
• </c><04:06:53.920><c> healthc</c><04:06:54.239><c> care</c> to develop a rural maternal healthc care
• to develop a rural maternal healthc care delivery<04:06:54.960><c> pilot</c><04:06:55.439><c> program

Committee: House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• and gender-affirming care, putting money into care for seniors and dental care, and Covered California
• is going to get health care.
• through managed care.
• through managed care.
• We represent more than 250,000 child care providers and home care workers.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Committee met to consider the final three-party agreement for the 2026-27 state budget and 19 implementing bills, including two budget bill juniors and 17 trailer bills. Committee leadership and administration officials described the budget as a balanced plan that reduces out-year structural deficits, maintains large reserves, and makes major investments in health care, education, housing, child care, public safety, and other core services while also responding to expected federal cuts and fiscal uncertainty. The Department of Finance outlined the package’s major components, including Medi-Cal adjustments, education funding increases, higher education changes, child care and human services updates, housing and homelessness funding, energy and transportation provisions, and tax and general government changes. Members asked questions about several provisions, including CSU enrollment targets and turnaround plans, the Prop. 98 settle-up mechanism, the plastics market development payment program, housing accountability measures, NextGen 9-1-1 implementation, and veteran services. Staff and administration witnesses explained that the higher education language is intended to improve campus-by-campus reporting and oversight, that Prop. 98 settle-up would be finalized later through the statutory certification process, and that NextGen 9-1-1 now includes one-time funding, quarterly reporting, an independent technical review, and a state audit. Members also discussed the HAP homelessness funding increase to $900 million and the balance between accountability and timely distribution of funds. The most extended exchange centered on comparisons between funding for veterans and Medi-Cal/immigrant health coverage. Republican members argued the budget spends far more on undocumented immigrant services than on veterans, while Democratic members and Finance staff responded that the comparison was misleading because many veterans’ services are federally funded and the state budget also includes dedicated veteran support. The chair and other members emphasized that the budget reflects difficult tradeoffs and that the package protects vulnerable populations, preserves health care access, and advances affordability. No final vote was described in the excerpt, but members indicated support for the overall package and said they would support it on the floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• We know that we rank very highly in maternal deaths.
• care industry?
• Thank you for bringing be trauma-informed care.
• When we're talking about patient safety and them understanding who's giving them care and what that care
• The proposed name change does not improve quality of patient care, reduce costs, increase access to care

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 611 by Rep. Freeman, which would require pregnancy-related service centers that provide health care services to be licensed or, as amended, to clearly disclose that they are not a licensed medical facility regulated by the Louisiana Department of Health. Rep. Freeman and supporting witnesses argued the bill was prompted by a legislative auditor report and concerns that some centers provide ultrasounds, STI testing, pregnancy tests, and related services without clear medical oversight. The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners’ executive director testified that interpreting ultrasounds and performing certain tests can constitute the practice of medicine, while opponents argued the centers already operate under medical directors and that the disclosure requirement was unconstitutional under the NIFLA case. The committee adopted an amendment, but after debate on the amended bill, a motion to report favorably failed on a roll call vote, and the bill was voluntarily deferred. The committee then heard House Bill 902 by Rep. Marcelle, which directs the Louisiana Department of Health to develop trauma-informed training. Supporters said the bill grew out of a task force on student behavior, mental health, and discipline, and that educators need a more consistent, evidence-based trauma-informed curriculum than what is currently available online. Some members raised concerns about cost and whether the bill would mandate new school obligations, while a witness from the Louisiana Baptist Convention opposed the measure as mission creep and argued trauma-informed care is too specialized for general teacher training. Other members supported the bill as a way to help educators identify and respond to children facing trauma. The bill was amended with technical changes and then discussed further, but the transcript ends before a final vote on HB 902 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• We know that we rank very highly in maternal deaths.
• care industry?
• But I can tell you this: trauma-informed care is...
• When we're talking about patient safety and them understanding who's giving them care and what that care
• The proposed name change does not improve quality of patient care, reduce costs, increase access to care

Bills: HB611 , HB897 , HB902 , HB931 , HB1030 , HB1092 , HB1100 , HB1118 , HB1138 , HB1143 , HB1160 , HB1185 , HB1216

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: pregnancy help centers, healthcare services, licensure, Department of Health, medical services, counseling, regulatory compliance, public health, healthcare data, privacy, pregnancy services, confidentiality, client rights, Louisiana Pregnancy and Baby Care Initiative, trauma-informed, child education, mental health, training program, adverse childhood events, religious instruction

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and you know, and we're also working on that maternal and fetal care and all the other things that
• </c><00:17:25.679><c> and</c><00:17:25.839><c> fetal</c><00:17:26.319><c> care</c> working on that maternal
• and fetal care working on that maternal and fetal care and<00:17:27.199><c> all</c><00:17:27.360><c>
• As well as we continue building the OB system of care, we're using that funding for that: our maternal
• </c> don't care. They obviously don't care. don't care. They obviously don't care.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• Guys, be careful. Seconds later, gunfire just erupts. for the 95th House District.
• But thanks to Co-Chair Hickman, we now have maternity leave throughout the state.
• </c> order to take off for maternity leave. order to take off for maternity leave.
• So, me, too. >> Be careful. All right, we are moving along.
• &gt;&gt; Be<00:45:56.960><c> careful.

Summary: The committee heard testimony from Rep. Ashley Tackett Laferty on a bill to extend minimum line-of-duty hazardous duty retirement benefits to certain CERS and KERS non-hazardous members who are injured in the line of duty and cannot return to that work. She used a video and examples from Eastern Kentucky first responders, including a deputy who lost a leg and an emergency management director who lost an eye, to argue that some injured officers and responders fall through the cracks because their employers did not elect hazardous-duty coverage. She said the proposal would provide 25% of pay to the disabled officer, plus 10% for dependent children and minimal health benefits, and noted estimated actuarial costs of about $2.9 million for CERS and $0.542 million for KERS, funded through small employer-rate increases. Members asked how far back the bill would reach, how many people might qualify, and whether the benefit would apply only to active employees or also to past injuries. Laferty said the bill would include a five-year window for recent situations and could potentially cover a total of 3,333 positions statewide that could be certified as hazardous, though benefits would only apply if the person was injured in the line of duty and disabled from returning to that work. Questions also focused on whether a non-hazardous employee could qualify if injured in a hazardous situation; Laferty said yes, if the position could be certified as hazardous, but only for the bill’s minimum benefits. Rep. Josh Calloway and others noted that local governments choose whether to pay the higher hazardous-duty contribution rates, which they said often drives the coverage decision. The committee then heard Rep. Daniel Gberg present a separate bill revising school leave rules so teachers and school employees may use accumulated sick leave to observe religious holidays not on the school calendar, with a required personal statement and advance notice. He said the change would address a longstanding inconsistency for teachers who observe non-Christian holidays and currently may have to choose between unpaid leave or improperly using sick days, and he said prior concerns about retirement service credit and maternity leave were reduced by other policy changes. The discussion ended without a vote, with members indicating they had the relevant materials and that the bill would be revisited later.

Transcript Highlights:

• and our health care assets.
• So, members, 949 is a workforce and access care bill.
• Members, 949 is a workforce and access care bill.
• HB 584 is about our children in foster care.
• H.P. 584 is about our children in foster care.

Committees: Senate Health & Welfare , Senate Health and Welfare

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health and Welfare met on May 6, 2026, with five members present. After adopting the April 28 minutes, the committee heard a brief presentation on the new Leadership Louisiana Health Fellows Program, which is intended to bring together health care, business, policy, and education leaders to study Louisiana health challenges and build a network for action. Members expressed support for the program and its potential value to health policy work. The committee then advanced several bills, often with technical or substantive amendments. SB 57, a nutrition-labeling bill, was amended to push its effective date to December 31, 2028 and reported as amended. HB 62 increased the membership of the Louisiana Women’s Policy and Research Commission to 27 members and was reported as amended. HB 193 updated membership rules for the sickle cell commission foundations so long-serving executive directors would not have to reapply repeatedly, and it was reported as amended. HB 815 would allow financial institutions to receive death certificates to help families manage accounts after a death; it was reported favorably after a question about state-licensed banks. SB 405 was substantially revised to codify LDH’s new Ascend nursing-facility quality initiative, including statewide quality oversight goals, stakeholder involvement, reporting requirements, and tools such as dashboards and surveys; after reconsidering prior action and adopting the new amendment, the bill was reported as amended. The committee also approved HB 222, which provides Medicaid dental coverage when needed for another covered medical procedure, and HB 420, which requires background checks for all DCFS employees with access to sensitive information. HB 475 requires verbal consent when AI is used to record or transcribe a medical visit and was reported favorably after a technical question. HB 246 updated membership of the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board and the council on grandparents raising grandchildren, including replacing an inactive coalition seat with the state police superintendent or designee. HB 486 would enter Louisiana into the psychology inter-jurisdictional compact to expand access to mental health care, and HB 574 updated outdated board names on the Mental Health Advisory Services Board; both were reported favorably. Later, the committee reported HB 949, which creates a licensure framework for radiologist assistants to help address imaging workforce shortages, especially in rural areas, and HB 584, which requires foster children to be provided luggage instead of trash bags for their belongings and restores “rights” language in the Foster Youth Bill of Rights. The committee also reported HB 1214, restructuring certain LDH facilities into a single system under the secretary’s office; HB 1092, a technical renaming/terminology cleanup bill; and HB 203, which adds members to the uterine fibroids commission. Throughout the meeting, members and witnesses emphasized access to care, workforce shortages, child welfare, and quality improvement, and the committee repeatedly adopted amendments and reported the bills favorably or as amended before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's for the care centers. You know how valuable they are.
• Senator Hicks, do you care to vote? Hasste, Senator Hall. 21 ayes, zero nays.
• Senator Brooks, do you care to vote? Hasste, Senator Hall. 21 ayes, zero nays.
• We're doing 250,000 dollars for foster care aged out home.
• That'd care the same. Two have passed.

Bills: HB4030 , HB4031 , HB4032 , HB4033 , HB4034 , HB4035 , HB4036 , HB4037 , HB4038 , HB4039 , HB4040 , HB4041 , HB4042 , HB4043 , HB4044 , HB4045 , HB4046 , HB4047 , HB4048 , HB4049 , HB4050 , HB4051 , HB4052 , HB4053 , HB4054 , HB4056 , HB4057 , HB4065 , HB4067 , HB4071 , HB4072 , SB1144 , SB1145 , SB1146 , SB1147 , SB1148 , SB1149 , SB1156 , SB1157 , SB1158 , SB1159 , SB1161 , SB1162 , SB1163 , SB1164 , SB1165 , SB1166 , SB1167 , SB1174 , SB1175 , SB1176

Committee: Senate Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget

Keywords: education funding, budget appropriations, public schools, teachers' retirement, early childhood education, aeronautics, infrastructure, funding, sustainability, Oklahoma, mining, operator fees, coal production, noncoal mining, department of mines, revenue, state budget, budgetary reform, financial legislation, fiscal accountability

Transcript Highlights:

• Bayshore, would you care to vote? Declare the vote.
• Representative Blancett, would you care to vote? Thank you.
• what the Health Care Authority does.
• Grego, would you care to vote? Declare the vote.
• Munson, Blancett, Fugate, you care to vote? Declare the vote.

Bills: HB4030 , HB4031 , HB4032 , HB4033 , HB4034 , HB4035 , HB4036 , HB4037 , HB4038 , HB4039 , HB4040 , HB4041 , HB4042 , HB4043 , HB4044 , HB4045 , HB4046 , HB4047 , HB4048 , HB4049 , HB4050 , HB4051 , HB4052 , HB4053 , HB4054 , HB4056 , HB4057 , HB4065 , HB4067 , HB4071 , HB4072 , SB1144 , SB1145 , SB1146 , SB1147 , SB1148 , SB1149 , SB1156 , SB1157 , SB1158 , SB1159 , SB1161 , SB1162 , SB1163 , SB1164 , SB1165 , SB1166 , SB1167 , SB1174 , SB1175 , SB1176 , HB4030 , HB4031 , HB4032 , HB4033 , HB4034 , HB4035 , HB4036 , HB4037 , HB4038 , HB4039 , HB4040 , HB4041 , HB4042 , HB4043 , HB4044 , HB4045 , HB4046 , HB4047 , HB4048 , HB4049 , HB4050 , HB4051 , HB4052 , HB4053 , HB4054 , HB4056 , HB4057 , HB4065 , HB4067 , HB4071 , HB4072 , SB1144 , SB1145 , SB1146 , SB1147 , SB1148 , SB1149 , SB1156 , SB1157 , SB1158 , SB1159 , SB1161 , SB1162 , SB1163 , SB1164 , SB1165 , SB1166 , SB1167 , SB1174 , SB1175 , SB1176

Committee: House Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget

Keywords: education funding, budget appropriations, public schools, teachers' retirement, early childhood education, aeronautics, infrastructure, funding, sustainability, Oklahoma, mining, operator fees, coal production, noncoal mining, department of mines, revenue, state budget, budgetary reform, financial legislation, fiscal accountability

Transcript Highlights:

• Throughout her career, she's been involved in various models of providing surgical care in our state
• Mandatory reporting is already required in health care for maternal mortality, Mandatory reporting is
• already required in health care for maternal mortality, surgical complications, infectious diseases,
• That is a horrific use of ...health care. That is a horrific use of the law, but it gets worse.
• House Bill 2074 ...are lowering the cost of housing and health care and utilities.

Transcript Highlights:

• Without workforce growth, families will continue to face limited access to safe maternity care.
• and linguistically competent care.
• SB 1179 is about access to bilingual, culturally sensitive health care because health care is a human
• because health care is a human right.
• On behalf of clinical... culturally sensitive health care because health care is a human right.

Summary: The committee heard several bills, beginning with SB 936 on nitrous oxide sales. Senator Blakespear and supporters, including Orange County and Humboldt County supervisors, described growing misuse of large nitrous canisters, impaired driving, youth access, and waste and safety problems. There was no formal opposition testimony, and multiple organizations and local governments voiced support. Committee members generally supported the bill but raised questions about enforcement and the role of existing licensing agencies; the author said amendments addressed concerns about balloons and bags. The bill was moved on a due-pass recommendation to Senate Appropriations and left on call. The committee also heard SB 1312 on abandoned cemeteries, SB 1340 on small business procurement reporting, and SB 903 on AI in mental health care. SB 1312 would build on last year’s cemetery workgroup to address abandoned private cemeteries; the author and the Cemetery and Mortuary Association said the bill is intended to use forthcoming recommendations to improve maintenance and oversight. It was moved due pass to Senate Appropriations and left on call. SB 1340 would require state agencies to report contract and payment data involving small businesses to the Office of the Small Business Advocate; the Controller’s office supported the measure, and it was moved due pass to Senate Appropriations and left on call. SB 903 drew the most extensive debate. The bill would restrict the public offering of psychotherapy services through AI unless a licensed professional is involved, require disclosure and informed consent, and preserve confidentiality rules. Supporters argued that chatbots and AI therapy tools can mislead consumers and create safety, bias, and privacy risks, while opponents from the California Medical Association and TechNet warned the definitions were too broad and could hinder beneficial clinical tools, triage, research, and FDA-approved applications. Committee members pressed the author on clarity, administrative uses like note-taking, and whether the bill would allow clinician-supervised AI; the author said the intent is to keep a human clinician in the loop and continue refining the language. The bill was moved to the Senate Privacy, Digital Technology, and Consumer Protection Committee and left on call. Finally, the committee heard SB 1271 on midwifery preceptor data and SB 1327 on EV charger accuracy oversight. SB 1271 would collect data on licensed midwives’ capacity to serve as preceptors to strengthen the training pipeline; supporters described workforce shortages, rural access problems, and closures of labor and delivery units. It was moved due pass to the Senate Health Committee and left on call. SB 1327 would shift EV charger accuracy oversight from CDFA’s Division of Measurement Standards to the California Energy Commission; supporters said this would standardize enforcement and better match the agency already regulating EV infrastructure, while county sealers and others opposed the move as unnecessary, costly, and potentially weakening local consumer protection. The bill was moved due pass to the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee and left on call.

Transcript Highlights:

• and our health care assets.
• So, members, 949 is a workforce and access care bill.
• Members, 949 is a workforce and access care bill.
• HB 584 is about our children in foster care.
• H.P. 584 is about our children in foster care.

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health and Welfare met on May 6, 2026, with five members present and adopted the April 28 minutes. The committee first heard a presentation on the new Leadership Louisiana Health Fellows Program, a leadership and networking initiative focused on Louisiana health care challenges such as workforce shortages, rural access, chronic disease, and the economic impact of health care. Speakers described it as a cross-sector program intended to build informed leaders and support collaboration with health systems, insurers, providers, LDH, and the Louisiana Hospital Association. The committee then moved through a series of bills, generally adopting amendments and reporting measures favorably. SB 57, a nutrition/labeling bill, was amended to delay the effective date for the labeling provision until December 31, 2028, and was reported as amended. HB 62 increased membership of the Louisiana Women’s Policy and Research Commission and was reported as amended, and HB 193 adjusted membership rules for the Sickle Cell Commission foundations and was also reported as amended. HB 815 would allow financial institutions to receive death certificates to help close accounts and avoid problems with automatic payments and federal benefit clawbacks; it was reported favorably. SB 405, which had been heard earlier, was reworked to codify LDH’s new Ascend nursing home quality initiative, including short- and long-term quality oversight goals, stakeholder involvement, internal expertise, and reporting requirements; after reconsidering prior amendments, the committee adopted the new amendment and reported the bill as amended. The committee also advanced several health and human services bills. HB 222 would allow Medicaid dental coverage when needed to clear a patient for another covered medical procedure, and it was reported as amended after LDH said the cost could be absorbed. HB 420 expanded DCFS background-check requirements to cover staff with access to sensitive records, and HB 475 required verbal consent before AI is used to record or transcribe a medical visit; both were reported favorably. HB 246 updated membership of the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board and the council for grandparents raising grandchildren, including replacing an inactive coalition seat with the state police, and was reported as amended. HB 486 joined Louisiana to the psychology interjurisdictional compact to expand access to psychologists through telepsychology and temporary practice across state lines, and HB 574 updated outdated board names in the Mental Health Advisory Services Board statute; both were reported favorably. Later, the committee heard HB 949, which would create a licensure framework for radiologist assistants to help address radiologist shortages and improve imaging access, especially in rural areas. Testimony emphasized that RAs work under radiologist supervision and would extend capacity without replacing physicians; the bill was reported favorably. HB 584 required foster children to be provided luggage or similar items instead of trash bags when moving placements, and also corrected language in the Foster Youth Bill of Rights from “privileges” back to “rights” while extending the bill’s applicability to children from birth to age 18; it was reported as amended. The committee also reported HB 1214, which restructures certain LDH state facilities into a more unified system, and HB 1092, a technical renaming/terminology cleanup bill, both favorably. Finally, HB 203 added members from Christus Health System and Xavier University’s College of Medicine to the uterine fibroids commission and was reported favorably before the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Trust is a foundation of patient care.
• Abortion care is common and safe, and APCs have been trained in providing this care for over a decade
• I know firsthand how restrictions to abortion care impact pregnant people and how delays in humane care
• I know firsthand how restrictions to abortion care impact pregnant people and how delays in humane care
• We strongly support access to abortion care.

Committee: House Business and Professions

Transcript Highlights:

• Trust is a foundation of patient care.
• Abortion care is common and safe, and APCs have been trained in providing this care for over a decade
• humane care...
• humane care.
• We strongly support access to abortion care.

Summary: The Assembly Business and Professions Committee heard a full agenda of bills covering travel consumer protections, cannabis commerce with tribes, medical record integrity, pest control licensing, pawn and gold-buying regulation, pharmacy discipline, land surveying, and expedited licensing for veterans separated under a federal transgender military policy. Members also later heard AB 1973, which would expand the ability of advanced practice clinicians to provide abortion care, with supporters arguing it would improve access and opponents warning about safety and scope-of-practice concerns. Several bills were presented before quorum was reached, and the chair repeatedly urged absent members to arrive so the committee could vote. Testimony on the bills was largely in support. Authors and witnesses said AB 1758 would raise the seller-of-travel assessment cap to keep the Travel Consumer Restitution Fund solvent; AB 2506 would allow state cannabis licensees to sell products from tribal licensees while respecting tribal sovereignty; AB 1637 would prevent non-physicians from altering physician-authored medical notes; AB 2477 would create a short provisional period for pest control workers awaiting licensure; AB 2633 would close a loophole involving remote gold-buying events and stolen property reporting; AB 2141 would let the Board of Pharmacy resolve some cases through stipulated settlements before formal accusations; and AB 1933 would make technical clarifications to land surveying law. AB 1775 drew emotional testimony from transgender service members and advocates describing the impact of federal separation policies and the need for California licensing and support. Once quorum was established, the committee voted out the consent calendar and each of the heard bills, generally on party-line or near-unanimous votes. AB 1637, AB 1758, AB 1775, AB 1933, AB 2141, AB 2477, AB 2506, and AB 2633 all passed out of committee, most to Appropriations or another policy committee as noted. AB 1973 also passed, despite a no vote from some members and an opposition witness from the California Family Council. The committee later took vote changes and additional roll calls for absent members before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Dennis Clevis-Stromeda with the California Primary Care Association.
• Without workforce growth, families will continue to face limited access to safe maternity care.
• I need to be careful on how exactly the CEC feels.
• and linguistically competent care.
• SB 1179 is about access to bilingual, culturally sensitive health care because health care is a human

Committee: Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development

Summary: The committee heard several bills, beginning with SB 936 on nitrous oxide sales. Senator Blakespear and supporters, including Orange and Humboldt County supervisors and public safety, medical, waste, and local government groups, argued the bill would curb youth misuse, impaired driving, and hazardous waste by prohibiting retail sale of nitrous oxide canisters larger than eight grams while preserving legitimate uses. There was no lead opposition testimony, though members raised questions about enforcement and existing regulatory agencies. The committee ultimately moved the bill on a due pass basis to Senate Appropriations, with broad support and no recorded opposition at the time of the vote. Members also heard SB 1312 on abandoned cemeteries and SB 1340 on small business contracting transparency. SB 1312 would use the existing cemetery workgroup process to develop recommendations for addressing abandoned cemeteries, with the author and the Cemetery and Mortuary Association describing vandalism, theft, and inadequate endowment funds as ongoing problems. SB 1340 would require state agencies to report more detailed small business contracting information, including actual payments, to the Office of the Small Business Advocate; the Controller’s office supported the measure as a way to improve accountability and help small businesses compete for state work. Both bills were moved forward on due pass motions to Senate Appropriations. The committee also considered SB 903 on artificial intelligence in mental health care, SB 1271 on midwifery preceptor data, and SB 1327 on EV charger accuracy oversight. SB 903 drew strong support from mental health and professional groups that said AI should not replace licensed clinicians, while medical and technology groups opposed it unless amended, warning the definitions were too broad and could hinder beneficial tools and research; the author said the bill was meant to keep a human clinician in the loop and allow administrative uses with consent. SB 1271 was supported by midwives and birth workers who said California needs better data on preceptor capacity to expand training and address maternity care deserts; it advanced to Senate Health. SB 1327 would shift EV charger accuracy oversight from CDFA’s weights and measures division to the California Energy Commission; supporters said this would modernize and standardize enforcement, while county sealers and others opposed the shift as unnecessary, costly, and potentially weakening consumer protections. SB 1327 passed on a divided vote to Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications. Several bills were held on call after votes, and the committee established quorum before taking formal actions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Dennis Clevis-Stromeda with the California Primary Care Association.
• Without workforce growth, families will continue to face limited access to safe maternity care.
• I need to be careful on how exactly the CEC feels.
• and linguistically competent care.
• SB 1179 is about access to bilingual, culturally sensitive health care because health care is a human

Committee: Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• Throughout her career, she's been involved in various models of providing surgical care in our state
• Mandatory reporting is already required in health care for maternal mortality, Mandatory reporting is
• already required in health care for maternal mortality, surgical complications, infectious diseases,
• That is a horrific use of health care. That is a horrific use of the law, but it gets worse.
• House Bill 274, are lowering the cost of housing and health care and utilities.

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the prior journal, and recognized the Doctor of the Day, Dr. Sarah Lee Davison of Tucson. Members also introduced numerous guests and advocacy groups in the gallery, including Aliento students for Education Day, gun violence prevention advocates, agricultural visitors, military veterans, and representatives of the Kino Border Initiative and Nucor Steel. The chamber then observed a moment of silence in honor of Andy Grosetta, a longtime Arizona rancher and cattle industry leader, after a proclamation was read memorializing his life and renaming a meat transparency bill the Andy Grosetta Act. The House entered Committee of the Whole and considered HB 2074 and HB 2148. HB 2074, described by supporters as a measure to strengthen mandatory reporting related to partial-birth abortion and verify compliance with existing law, drew sharp opposition from Democrats who argued it would criminalize medical workers and punish women seeking care; supporters said it targeted only those with direct knowledge of the procedure and protected unborn children. The committee adopted the Judiciary Committee amendment and then gave HB 2074 a do pass recommendation as amended. HB 2148, described briefly by its sponsor as a transparency bill, also received an Appropriations Committee amendment and a do pass recommendation as amended. The Committee of the Whole reported both bills back to the House, which adopted the report and referred HB 2074 and HB 2148 to engrossing. The House also announced committee meetings for later that day and the following morning, including Appropriations, Federalism and Military Affairs, Science and Technology, Transportation and Infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence and Innovation, and Rural Economic Development. The chamber then adjourned until 10 a.m. Thursday, January 29, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• the children of child care workers.
• care.
• She qualified for a child care scholarship.
• care coverage to ensure she could return to work.
• for child care scholarships.

Bills: HB669 , HB 1306 , HB3173 , HB3807

Committee: House S/C on Workforce

Keywords: healthcare, Medicare, insurance, financial assistance, families, wage theft, employers, penalties, Texas Workforce Commission, employee rights, employer database, worker rights, death investigation, emergency services, medical benefits, exposure claims, public safety, workforce development, TWC, youth workforce