Transcript Highlights:

• The minimum age requirement of 21 remains. The minimum age requirement of 21 remains unchanged.
• So what's required to become a registered elector?
• requires.
• requires.
• have included those labeling requirements.

Summary: The Senate met with a quorum present, opened with prayer and the Pledge, approved the prior journal, and then moved through committee reports, gubernatorial and House messages, and bill introductions. Several measures were referred to committees or held for later action, including new Senate bills on taxation, immigration-related enforcement, and refugee/illegal alien accountability, which were sent to Judiciary and Rules for printing. The Senate also received and processed numerous enrolled bills and committee reports on education, finance, resources, health and welfare, and state affairs. On the floor, the Senate considered and passed a series of bills. Among the measures approved were Senate Bill 1410 on Medicaid state plan amendments for federally qualified health centers and rural health centers; Senate Bill 1426 appropriating additional funds to the Idaho Transportation Department; Senate Bill 1427 funding the Department of Lands; House Bill 797 requiring fire protection sub-district appointees or electors to live in the district; House Bill 843 changing the homestead exemption so the full exemption applies once a complete application is approved rather than prorating it; House Bill 711 creating an alternative administrator authorization pathway for principals and superintendents; House Bill 832 revising CTE industry-professional qualification rules; House Bill 795 cleaning up definitions for obscene material and lewd matter; and House Bill 817 updating tobacco retailer permitting rules for cigar-related businesses while keeping age restrictions in place. The Senate also passed House Bill 831 on school polling places, House Bill 872 allowing constitutional amendments and initiatives to be printed within available ballot space, House Bill 893 making codifier’s corrections, House Bill 650 codifying a Tenth Amendment-based presumption favoring state authority, House Bill 674 streamlining telecom service discontinuance review by removing a duplicative state process, and House Bill 810 adding a 120-day fixed-habitation requirement for legislative candidates, though that bill drew constitutional objections. Most of these measures passed on roll calls, some by unanimous consent to reuse prior vote counts, and titles were approved before transmission back to the House or onward to the Governor as appropriate. The session also included a page graduation presentation and several brief recesses and announcements.

Transcript Highlights:

• These terms require workers to trap.
• So, the condition of the hiring doesn't require repayment at—it's just a side agreement.
• And so, where that wage suppression requires an expert, where it requires an economist to come in, that
• </c> so, where that wage suppression requires so, where that wage suppression requires an<00:37:45.240
• 37:47.400><c> an</c> an expert, where it requires an an expert, where it requires an economist<00:37:

Committee: Senate Labor

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> do</c> background checks and require them to do background checks and require them to do all<00:
• Requires<00:31:20.480><c> self-</c><00:31:20.720><c> surrender</c><00:31:21.200><c> after</c> Requires
• </c> constitutional protection that requires constitutional protection that requires a<00:44:15.440><
• </c><00:49:32.079><c> a</c> under Alabama constitution require a under Alabama constitution require a
• </c> additional charges we will be required additional charges we will be required to<00:55:25.680><c

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is already required of school personnel and law enforcement.
• There's nothing for, they can already have a local requirement.
• And because better decisions require some understanding, the bill also includes a baseline requirement
• It raises the damage amount requiring a police officer to come out to from $300 to $3,000.
• If there's any kind of injury, they would still be required to work that accident. Thank you.

Bills: HB2936 , HB2937 , HB2951 , HB2960 , HB2979 , HB2980 , HB3062 , HB3082 , HB3087 , HB3148 , HB3152 , HB3262 , HB3264 , HB3266 , HB3268 , HB3269 , HB3278 , HB3299 , HB3544 , HB3606 , HB3678 , HB3790 , HB3903 , HB3996 , HB4139 , HB4140 , HB4142 , HB4143 , HB4144 , HB4260 , HB4272 , HB4296 , HB4324 , HB4339 , HB4341 , HB4342

Committee: House Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight

Keywords: HB2936, children, child protection, adoption, Oklahoma Adoption Code, gestational carrier, gestational agreement, surrogacy, intended parent, preplacement home study, home study, prospective adoptive parent, foster placement, child abuse, child neglect, child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation, lewd molestation, sex offender registry, Oklahoma Sex Offenders Registration Act

Summary: The committee heard a long series of House bills, mostly on criminal justice, public safety, transportation, and administrative procedures. Measures included lowering school-zone speed issues on certain highways (HB 2979), allowing DMV staff to accept physical proof of insurance (HB 2980), barring people convicted of pedophilia from adopting children (HB 2936), allowing lawful weapon carry on boats (HB 2937), and restricting fire departments from hiring people required to register as sex offenders (HB 382). Other bills addressed warrant fee increases for counties (HB 3262), making strangulation in domestic violence cases an 85% crime (HB 3264), creating offenses for reckless driving tied to racing and collisions (HB 3266), criminalizing knowingly making or displaying fictitious license plates (HB 3268), and allowing electronic arrest warrants (HB 3269). The committee also advanced bills on Open Meetings Act enforcement, OCC port-of-entry arrest authority, expanding protections for municipal officials and notaries, creating vessel titling, and modernizing vehicle inspection/title procedures. Several members raised questions about costs, enforcement authority, and whether new penalties would shift burdens to consumers or local governments. For example, HB 3262 drew concern about passing warrant-fee costs to the public, and HB 3268 prompted questions about existing law and the need for a new felony for fake tags. The OCC port-of-entry bill generated extended discussion about whether a regulatory agency should have arrest authority, with supporters arguing it would free up Highway Patrol and sheriff resources and opponents questioning the expansion of quasi-law-enforcement powers. Other bills were presented as request bills from agencies or constituents, including the Attorney General, Oklahoma City police, the Bomb Squad, the Corporation Commission, and local residents. The committee also approved a number of bills with little or no opposition, including a domestic violence strangulation measure, a bill on Open Meetings Act remedies, a bill allowing sentence modification requests by district attorneys, and a bill requiring domestic violence incident reports and judicial training. Later, the committee considered additional public safety and criminal procedure bills such as making firearm theft a felony, increasing the damage threshold for police response in property-damage crashes, and requiring the state to pay expert witness costs in capital appeals. Most measures were reported out do pass, with several unanimous votes and a few split votes, including HB 3262 and the OCC port-of-entry bill. The meeting ended after laying over a few bills and adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• the updating of the state uniform fire prevention and building... ...law in relation to requiring the
• when these... ...Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code Act, there's not a statutory requirement
• to do this review that this bill would require.
• This is not about, this bill is not, for the most part, about the content of these code requirements.
• Bill number 6368A by Senator Scufus, an act to amend the Executive Law in relation to requiring that

Committee: Senate Housing, Construction, and Community Development

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee met with quorum present and considered a full agenda of housing, code enforcement, and rent regulation bills, many of which had passed the Senate in prior years. Early measures included a statewide residential rental registry (S.912), penalties and reporting for vacant and abandoned properties (S.925), and extending tenant response time for major capital improvement rent increase applications (S.1461). The committee also advanced several code-enforcement and fire/building-code bills, including measures to expand remedies for Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code violations (S.3406), increase the Secretary of State’s code enforcement powers (S.4165 and S.4534), and authorize investigations into code administration and enforcement (S.4535). Members raised concerns about local fiscal impacts, the scope of state authority, contractor use, and whether the bills adequately define or limit “imminent threat” and related enforcement powers. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on S.4852, which would require the Codes Council to review and act on updates to international model codes within 18 months. Senators debated whether the bill would speed up code adoption or, as some feared, weaken economic reasonableness considerations by striking the word “economically” from the statutory standard. Supporters said the bill was intended to ensure prompt review of widely used model codes and noted other statutory safeguards remain in place; opponents worried about reduced attention to cost and practical impacts, especially amid housing and utility capacity constraints. The committee also discussed S.6368A, requiring complainants to receive copies of compliance orders issued after code complaints, and S.6600B, mandating inspections of certain non-fireproof buildings in New York City. Additional bills advanced included standards for all-gender bathroom design and construction (S.7131A), compensation for required code-enforcement personnel training (S.7159), and audits of individual apartment improvements in rent-regulated units (S.8046A). Several measures were reported to Finance, while others were reported to the floor. Throughout the meeting, votes were largely along expected lines, with some members voting negative or “without recommendation” on the more expansive code-enforcement bills. No bill was defeated, and all items on the agenda were reported out of committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• lotteries, revising the powers and duties of the Department of Lottery, revising the information required
• Water safety requirements for the rental and residential property by Senator Burgess.
• The bill requires simple, safe compliance for rental and vacation rental...
• This bill removes that arbitrary time requirement. It is licensed, active, and in good standing.
• education, passing examinations, and meeting all competency requirements.

Summary: The Committee on Regulated Industries met and reported several bills favorably. SB 530 on state lotteries was presented with two technical amendments and passed as amended. The bill revises Department of Lottery powers and duties, updates bid/proposal information requirements, adds definitions related to ball machines, and gives the department more flexibility to purchase rather than lease machines. SB 204 also passed favorably; it increases penalties for illegal slot machine operations to a third-degree felony and creates a process for veteran service organizations to seek binding declaratory statements from the Gaming Commission about whether a machine is lawful. Testimony on SB 204 included support from Florida Gaming and soft opposition from a veteran organization that wanted clearer language and more cooperation on electronic bingo-type games. The committee then took up a combined proposed committee substitute merging SB 658 and SB 608 on water safety requirements for rental and residential properties. The merged bill requires certain rental properties near water bodies or with swimming pools to have specified safety devices, such as exit alarms, self-closing/self-latching locks, pool fences, pool covers, or pool alarms, and allows DBPR enforcement for vacation rentals. Supporters emphasized the bill’s goal of preventing child drownings, citing Florida’s high number of fatal drownings and the disproportionate impact on young children and children with autism. The combined bill was reported favorably. SB 980 on nicotine dispensing devices was amended with a delete-all amendment creating the Florida Agegate Act. The substitute bill restricts advertising, promotion, and display of non-FDA-approved nicotine devices in retail settings accessible to those under 21, sets escalating penalties, directs fine revenue to enforcement and youth prevention, and authorizes inspections and warrantless searches tied to retail permits. Members discussed whether the bill would effectively curb illegal and counterfeit products and how enforcement would work; the sponsor said the measure is intended to reduce youth access in light of limited enforcement resources. The bill passed favorably. SB 1708 on veterinary licensure by endorsement also passed, removing a three-year out-of-state practice requirement for licensed veterinarians while keeping other qualifications intact to help address veterinary shortages. Finally, SB 680 on electric vehicle charging taxation passed with a strike-all amendment creating a sales tax exemption for electricity sold to EV charging station operators and transferred to consumers, provided it is separately metered and properly documented. The committee adjourned after noting additional support forms and inviting members to a later K-12 speech and debate bill presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, numerous changes in Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, and other federally funded programs will require
• benefits, MCOs can reduce duplication and better manage high-needs populations, including those requiring
• </c> federally funded programs will require federally funded programs will require significant<00:06:
• </c> populations including those requiring populations including those requiring long-terms<00:06:57.360
• </c><00:14:08.000><c> I</c> component, I think, uh it requires I component, I think, uh it requires I

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Committee to Study Long-Term Managed Care met to approve the prior minutes and then focused on its final report. The chair reviewed the committee’s earlier options—maintaining the status quo, adopting DNIP, adopting an HCBS carveout model, or moving fully to managed care for the aging population—and noted that ABD and developmental disabilities had already been excluded from consideration. He proposed a final recommendation that New Hampshire consider adopting DNIP as a voluntary option to better coordinate Medicare and Medicaid for dual eligibles, reduce duplication, and create a possible pathway toward future managed care, while acknowledging that a majority and minority report could be issued if needed. Members generally supported the draft recommendation and asked questions about whether federal budget changes would incentivize states to move in that direction, how the proposal would align with current department efforts, and whether the program would remain voluntary. Director Henry Litman said he did not see a specific federal mandate in OB3, but noted incentives in rural health transformation funding and said the proposal aligned with existing managed care contract direction. He and others emphasized that DNIP should be voluntary and that implementation timing would need to account for federal deadlines and broader changes facing the department. Members also discussed PACE, with one member saying it appeared feasible mainly in more populous areas and expressing neutrality, while another raised concerns about county risk and the need to preserve patient choice and maintain three MCOs. After discussion, members indicated agreement with the majority report approach and no further changes were proposed. The committee then moved to accept the draft language as presented and issue it as its report; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• This annual open government refresher is a very, very high-level overview of the requirements of the
• Public Records Act, to which I will refer off and on as the PRA, and the requirements of the Open Public
• Disclosure requirements of the PRA are liberally construed by courts, and an exemption that is claimed
• The PRA requires the agency to provide a response to a request.
• The PRA requires the agency to provide a response to a requester within five business days, generally

Committee: Joint Citizen Commission for Performance Measurement of Tax Preferences

Summary: The Citizen Commission for Performance Measurement of Tax Preferences met on May 7, 2025, with quorum present. The commission approved the October 22, 2024 meeting minutes and then received its annual open government refresher from the Attorney General’s office, which reviewed key requirements under the Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act, including record retention, response deadlines, exemptions, and meeting notice rules. Staff then provided a 2025 legislative session update, noting that the legislature passed 23 tax-preference-related bills, with several signed by the governor and others pending. Highlights included bills that extended or repealed certain preferences, added reporting requirements for newspaper and digital content exemptions, authorized JLARC to adjust its work plan when data is unavailable, and created a new exemption for zero-emission buses. The commission approved updates to the 2026 tax preference review schedule, which includes eight preferences in seven reviews, and approved unchanged testimony questions for 2025. The commission also received the 2025 expedited preference review report covering 52 tax preferences, presented as an interactive table drawing on prior JLARC reviews and Department of Revenue studies. Staff then outlined the process for developing the next 10-year review schedule for 2027-2036, including surveying the legislature, incorporating new and repealed preferences, and considering a possible rolling 10-year schedule. No public comment was registered. The meeting ended with acknowledgments of Ron Buing’s long service on the commission and an announcement that the next meeting would be held August 6, 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• Background checks are not required.
• This law does not require background checks.
• Paul, Dakota, and Washington counties to the requirement to use responsible contractors.
• for this and modifies the building income requirements to allow for up to 60% of AMI.
• So those two lines clarify the eligibility requirements.

Committee: House Housing Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• While federal law requires schools to identify and support these students only about 10.
• The bill would also require annual reporting on outcomes so the Legislature can evaluate the success
• This bill would require...
• Current law requires background checks for school employees, volunteers of youth service organizations
• However, there are currently no background check requirements in state law for employees of behavioral

Committee: House Human Services

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• LAWS AND CROSS-REFERENCING IN STATE STATUTE AND COMPLETING TIES BETWEEN VETERANS FLORIDA FDBA TO REQUIRE
• WE WILL NEVER EVER HIT THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF BEDS DUE TO COST AND LOGISTICS IF WE OPERATE SKILLED NURSING
• UNFORTUNATELY GIVEN THE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS WE DID NOT APPLY FOR THAT IN OUR NURSING HOME IN PORT ST
• THEY HAVE INCREDIBLE MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT REQUIRE DIRECT PHYSICIAN INVOLVEMENT.
• AFIBRILLATION REQUIRING 2 CARDIO VERSIONS GOES TO THE PHARMACY LAST WEEK FOR AN ANTIBIOTIC.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the only vote the Commission is statutorily required to take, and it requires a majority of members
• As we heard before the commission, some of the thresholds and filing requirements are very confusing.
• It's also the expenditures and gift levels of what would require someone to register as a lobbyist.
• them to register to lobby and all the other various filing requirements.
• Will Bucknell: Changes requiring action.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> school year all schools will be required school year all schools will be required to<00:20:32.600
• </c> reference the redac required reference the redac required professional<00:25:56.520><c> learning
• Federal requirements to match Federal requirements<01:03:53.559><c> and</c><01:03:53.720><c> so</c><
• </c><01:40:42.960><c> the</c> implemented the redac requirements the implemented the redac requirements
• </c><01:47:24.960><c> more</c> syi and the pby audit requires more syi and the pby audit requires more

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> concluded that two strict requirements concluded that two strict requirements disenfranchise<00:
• </c> absentee ballots should not require absentee ballots should not require individuals<00:57:05.119
• </c><02:00:19.639><c> to</c> that but there was no requirement to that but there was no requirement to
• </c><03:59:51.399><c> a</c> I don't think it actually requires a I don't think it actually requires a
• </c> over a thousand or less is not required over a thousand or less is not required to<04:31:07.640>

Committee: House Election Law

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill requires This bill requires the Department of Health to incorporate screening for biliary atresia
• It does not require any new infrastructure. It does not require any new equipment.
• So it would require 100. It would require 60 percent of those 100 employees. Okay.
• There's a 30% requirement, a requirement that 30% of that bargaining group say, hey, we want an election
• I read that the mail requirements, this bill removes certified mail requirements for PERC for unlawful

Bills: S0042 , S0688 , S0762 , S1168 , S1296 , S1298 , S1300 , S1318 , S1332 , S1376 , S1548 , S1570 , S1574 , S1632 , S1634 , S1750

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Keywords: child protection, medical records, investigation, abuse, neglect, healthcare, Child Protection Team, diagnosis, criminal defense, legal representation, death penalty, indigent defense, regional counsel, conflict of interest, background screening, athletic coaches, youth sports, criminal history, expungement, Florida statutes

Summary: The committee first took up CS for SB 42 on specific medical diagnosis and child protective investigations. A late-file strike-all amendment was adopted that made only stylistic changes to align with the House version. Supporters said the bill would help DCF and child protective teams better identify rare medical conditions and give parents a chance to defend against mistaken abuse findings. The bill was then reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 1570, which restores a prior program to help locate missing persons with special needs through voluntary tracking devices and coordination with sheriff’s offices and CARD centers, with nonrecurring funding included. Members then advanced several education, disability, and public services measures. CS for CSSB 182 created a teacher training and mentoring program for high-performing current and retired teachers to mentor teachers in D- and F-rated schools, and CS for CSSB 794 required background screening for employees in residential and day training programs for people with developmental disabilities while directing APD to study support coordination quality, workforce issues, and service gaps. Testimony on SB 794 strongly supported better training, lower caseloads, and more consistent support coordination. The committee also favorably reported CS for CS SB 1168 on background screenings, CS for CS SB 214 to allow rural special districts to pay verified invoices directly, CS for SB 1376 to create grants for genetic counseling education, and SB 1574 (Maddie’s Law) to add newborn screening for biliary atresia; the latter drew emotional support and testimony that early screening could save lives and reduce transplant costs. The committee heard and passed a number of other policy bills, including CS for CS for SB 1510, the DEP agency package, after environmental groups warned that one provision could delay basin management protections and allow more septic systems in impaired watersheds; the bill still passed favorably. Members also approved CS for CS for SB 598 on funeral and cemetery regulation, SB 688 to license naturopathic doctors, SB 1318 on scholarship account reversion rules, CS for CS for SB 682 on domestic violence injunctions and penalties, SB 130 on workforce training for current and former inmates, and SB 1548, the latest Live Local affordable housing update. Several bills were briefly postponed or taken up later in the meeting. In the latter portion of the meeting, the committee approved CS for C.S. for SB 536 on criminal gang membership criteria, CS for C.S. SB 762 on assigning conflict capital cases across regional counsel offices, SB 1332 on career offender registration requirements, CS for CS for SB 1742 creating a new offense for indecent exposure of sexual organs to a child, and CS for SB 1750 increasing penalties for serious sex offenses and child sexual abuse material crimes. The committee also debated CS for SB 1226 on Public Employee Relations Commission procedures and union certification rules, including a late-file amendment setting a 60% threshold and 25% quorum for recertification; the discussion focused heavily on constitutional concerns, union rights, and differences between first responders and other public employees. The transcript ends while that bill’s debate is still underway, with the committee having already taken numerous favorable votes throughout the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, I believe that if they meet the standards required under 390 to move forward, I don't know..
• I believe that if they meet the standards required under 390 to move forward with an abortion, whether
• But all of those, this bill does not change any of the other requirements in our civil justice system
• Instead, the following provisions shall apply: one, microchipping requirement.
• Two, signage requirements.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard Senate Bill 1272 on guardianship, which would limit a guardian’s ability to isolate an adult ward from family and require notice of major events such as a ward’s death or relocation to a more restrictive setting. Senator Jones and supportive speakers said the bill was intended to protect wards from abuse and isolation by bad actors, while still preserving good-faith guardianship. With no opposition testimony or debate, the committee voted 8-0 to report the bill favorably. The committee then considered CS for Senate Bill 1284, which would expand Florida’s Wrongful Death Act to allow civil claims for the death of an unborn child. An amendment was adopted to define “unborn child” as a member of the species Homo sapiens carried in the womb and to state that the act does not authorize claims against the mother or against health care providers acting within the lawful standard of care. The bill drew extensive debate and testimony. Supporters argued it would give parents parity and fuller damages, including economic losses and mental anguish, when negligence causes the death of an unborn child. Opponents, including the ACLU, medical professionals, and reproductive rights advocates, warned it could be used to target abortion care, increase malpractice exposure, worsen physician shortages, and create speculative damages. The committee approved the bill 6-4. Finally, the committee took up Senate Bill 1288 on parental rights, with a strike-all amendment that would strengthen parental control over minors’ medical decisions, surveys, and biofeedback devices, while adding exceptions for emergencies, court orders, certain legal statuses, and situations involving abuse or out-of-home placement. Supporters said the measure restores parents as primary decision-makers and protects children from inappropriate questioning or treatment without consent. Opponents argued it could block minors from confidential care for STIs, mental health, or abuse-related issues, and could chill school and medical screenings. The transcript ends during testimony and debate on this bill, before any final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c><00:03:50.600><c> Amendment</c> air conditioning requirement, Amendment air conditioning requirement
• </c> also it requires also it requires um, um, um, that<00:37:47.720><c> a</c><00:37:47.840><c> back<
• </c> Training Requirements. Training Requirements.
• We move to requires state approval.
• were required in the House bill.

Keywords: House streaming session for Monday, April 13, 2026, 957, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:42:54.240><c> certain</c> original bill, but does require certain original bill, but does require
• c> reporting requirements from the reporting requirements from the commission<00:42:56.960><c> that</
• 00:46:13.440><c> anybody</c> any training requirement for anybody any training requirement for anybody
• </c><00:46:26.880><c> for</c> currently no other requirement for currently no other requirement for servers
• :18.239><c> which</c><01:22:18.400><c> the</c> grant requirements to which the grant requirements to

Committee: Senate Commerce

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:03:45.760><c> uh</c> substance inventories which required uh substance inventories which required
• Um we not require every odd number year.
• ><00:44:55.760><c> through</c> require is required to go through require is required to go through specific
• </c><00:46:00.960><c> by</c> Um, surrogate parents are required by Um, surrogate parents are required
• </c><01:44:06.000><c> Does</c> requirements for cosmetologist. Does requirements for cosmetologist.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard Senate Bill 254, which Senator David Roford described as a technical correction to controlled substance inventory law for pharmacies. He said the bill would remove outdated language requiring inventories to be done in an odd-numbered year, while keeping the existing requirement that pharmacies conduct a full controlled substance inventory every two years in line with federal law. Members asked several clarifying questions about whether the requirement is pharmacy-by-pharmacy, whether new pharmacies would be affected, and whether the change would alter scope or compliance; the sponsor and a representative of the New Hampshire Pharmacist Association said it would not, and that it mainly provides clarity for pharmacies and inspectors. The public hearing on SB 254 was then closed, and the committee also heard support from a representative of the pharmacist community, who said the association supports the bill. The committee then discussed a non-germane amendment to SB 254 dealing with FBI background checks for educational surrogate parents under the Department of Education. Representative Leyon explained that the amendment was requested by the Department of Education after the FBI rejected prior statutory language, and that the goal was to allow people serving as educational surrogate parents to complete FBI fingerprint-based background checks so they can perform their duties. Department of Education and Department of Safety staff testified that the amendment mirrors language that has worked in other education-related background check statutes, including provisions with specific disqualifying offenses tied to child safety, and that the FBI requires precise statutory language and direct transmission of records through the Department of Safety. Members questioned why the FBI’s approval was needed, whether individuals could simply provide their own records, and whether changing federal leadership could require future changes; witnesses said the state needs both state and national records, that records must come directly from the FBI through the Department of Safety, and that the language is intended to satisfy current federal requirements. During the discussion, some members expressed skepticism about the need for the amendment and about placing it on a bill about controlled substance inventories, but no vote was taken during the portion of the transcript provided. The committee also briefly discussed a separate bill on physician assistants/physician associates, with members noting that the proposed name change would not alter scope of practice and that some outside groups had raised concerns about transparency, but that discussion was interrupted and not concluded in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> freedom restoration act that requires freedom restoration act that requires strict<01:17:12.080>
• </c><01:38:34.199><c> age</c> like one in Louisiana that required age like one in Louisiana that required
• </c><01:41:49.440><c> to</c> says it has a filter it's required to says it has a filter it's required
• </c> law does invoke age as a key requirement law does invoke age as a key requirement and<01:44:58.159
• </c> processing or other acts may be required processing or other acts may be required to<02:19:30.800

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 232, which would protect health care workers’ conscience rights in connection with certain procedures, especially abortion and sterilization, and also referenced contraception. The prime sponsor, Rep. Mark Pearson, said the bill is meant to prevent medical professionals from being forced to participate in procedures that violate their beliefs, while still prohibiting discrimination against patients based on protected characteristics. He said the measure was intended to help retain health care workers in New Hampshire and noted he had added an amendment to address concerns about people taking jobs only to later refuse duties, as well as emergency situations where a provider is the only one available. Committee members raised concerns about how broadly the bill and amendment were written. Questions focused on whether the protections could apply to non-physician staff such as schedulers, receptionists, or pharmacy employees; whether a provider could refuse to schedule, refer, or otherwise assist with services; and how “emergency” would be determined in practice. Several members also questioned whether the bill could affect access to contraception, including pharmacy sales and procedures such as tubal ligation, and whether the language was clear enough to prevent confusion or unintended refusals of care. Pearson said the bill was not intended to allow refusal of emergency care or general patient discrimination, and he acknowledged some language could be tweaked. Rep. Paige Boerman, a maternal-child health nurse, testified in opposition, saying she had seen pharmacists question prescriptions related to miscarriage care and that the bill could create barriers to contraception and other reproductive health services. She warned that the lack of a disclosure requirement and the broad definitions could create risks, especially in rural areas with limited providers. She also pointed to problems she said had occurred in other states, arguing the bill could lead to delayed care in emergencies. The hearing ended after questions and discussion; no vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.