Transcript Highlights:

• It establishes program eligibility and verification requirements for a variety of economic assistance
• It establishes program eligibility and verification requirements for a variety of economic assistance
• It establishes program eligibility and verification requirements for a variety of economic assistance
• Chapter 256P, the Economic Assistance Program Eligibility and Verification chapter, establishes program
• > verification eligibility and verification eligibility and verification requirements<00:40:49.160

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• programs, including how they're built-in accountability measures, new technology to assist the verification
• For example, many states require electronic visit verification for PCA services and other services.
• Trust without verification<00:28:56.559> is<00:28:56.880> negligence.
• <00:28:58.320> And<00:28:58.480> that verification is negligence.
• And that verification is negligence.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: Senate Republican leaders held a press event to roll out a package of anti-fraud proposals focused on state welfare and human services programs. Mark Johnson opened by citing recent fraud scandals, including a shuttered housing program and reports of vulnerable adults being left without care while providers billed for full services, and said Republicans want top-down reform, stronger accountability, new technology, and tighter oversight of taxpayer dollars. Michael Kreun said Republicans support an independent Office of Inspector General and argued the Senate-passed bill should not be weakened in the House; he also said the Senate should restore its role in confirming agency commissioners, especially at DHS, which he described as central to the fraud problem. Jordan Rasmusson outlined a plan to stop “blank checks” for DHS and DCYF services by requiring legislative audit review when a program exceeds budget by 5 percent and legislative approval for additional spending at 10 percent over budget. He also said DHS should adopt basic integrity tools such as electronic visit verification and client sign-off. Steve Drazkowski described two bills: a statewide “do-not-pay” list to block payments to ineligible people or entities, and an “I’m Not a Robot” proposal for Medicaid managed care that would require enrollee verification forms, with a 2 percent payment withhold used to encourage compliance and potentially fund county system upgrades. Mark Krueger said the state should improve technology and data use for eligibility determinations, citing other states’ rapid fraud-fighting systems, and proposed penalties for false reporting to the Legislative Auditor after a DHS audit found falsified site-visit records. Steve Gruenhagen said his bill would require DHS and DCYF to resume annual fraud-prevention and oversight reports to the legislature, which he said had stopped after 2017 despite rising fraud cases. Michael Holmstrom proposed unannounced site visits for all DHS and DCYF providers before enrollment, reenrollment, and revalidation, funded through provider service fees, and cited a recent case involving a woman with autism who was billed for far more care than she received. In the Q&A, Kreun said House Democrats’ delete-everything amendment to the inspector general bill removed the law enforcement division and stripped the bill of its “teeth,” and he suggested the governor’s office may have been involved in efforts to replace the bill with a weaker coordination council model. No votes were taken in the press conference.

Transcript Highlights:

• is there's a bill uh with<00:09:46.640> around<00:09:46.959> age<00:09:47.200> verification
• <00:09:48.560> and<00:09:49.360> um<00:09:49.920> you with around age verification
• and um you with around age verification and um you know,<00:09:50.720> just<00:09:51.120>
• 56.800> age whether it be cell phone bills or age whether it be cell phone bills or age verification
• , uh we were just talking verification, uh we were just talking about<00:09:59.680> this,<00:10

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The interview focused on Minnesota K-12 education, with the representative describing schools and educators as doing strong day-to-day work but saying policymakers need to address major problems such as literacy, math performance, and chronic absenteeism. He argued for more local control, fewer mandates, and flexible funding so districts can meet local needs, while also saying the READ Act and science-of-reading implementation should be carried out with fidelity to improve reading outcomes. A substantial portion of the discussion centered on chronic absenteeism and truancy. The representative said he has worked in a bipartisan way with Rep. Keeler on the issue, including home visits and district reporting efforts, but argued schools cannot solve every social problem alone and need families and other partners to help get students to class. He also criticized the Department of Education for not prioritizing a simple reporting mechanism related to the 15-day drop rule for students who disappear from enrollment. School safety was another major topic, especially after the Annunciation Catholic School shooting in Minneapolis. He said students should be safe regardless of whether they attend public or nonpublic schools and supported giving nonpublic schools access to safety funding. He said he and Sen. Pratt are working on flexible school-safety funding ideas and mentioned the Shield Act and multi-layered safety approaches as models. He also revisited universal school meals, saying the program has constrained future budget options and that a prior proposal would have redirected some of those dollars into flexible supplemental aid for districts. The interview ended with brief discussion of other constituent concerns, including age verification, cell phone use, and a youth skills training program that he said should allow students to gain office-based experience. No votes were taken; the representative mainly outlined policy priorities and frustrations with agency implementation and legislative priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, we're really working to enforce the existing two-signature policy for the property disposition request
• We need to strengthen the enforcement of our two-signature policy for the PDRs.
• We're really working to enforce the existing two-signature policy for the property disposition request
• We need to strengthen the enforcement of our two-signature policy for the PDRs.
• So at times, if that asset has very low value and gets the two-signature approval, it may just be disposed

Keywords: 907, all

Summary: The Joint Interim Committee on Legislative Audits met on June 17 for informational presentations. The Department of Administrative Services, through Chief Audit Executive Eli Ritchie, gave an overview of statewide internal audit requirements and the fiscal year 2025 report. He explained the difference between internal and external audit, described Oregon’s statutory and rule-based internal audit structure, and reported that 30 agencies had internal audit functions, with most meeting required standards. He said 73 audits and 49 advisory/consulting engagements were completed statewide, with strong compliance overall, though a few agencies were rebuilding audit committees after vacancies. No committee questions were raised after the presentation. The Secretary of State’s Audits Division then presented its Government Waste Hotline annual report. Director Steve Bergman and audit manager Olivia Rekhed described changes made to align the hotline with statute, including renaming it the Government Waste Hotline, creating a review panel, improving anonymity protections, removing fraud reporting from the hotline’s scope, and adjusting reporting timelines. They said hotline volume increased modestly in 2025, most reports were referred elsewhere or closed for insufficient evidence, and two reports were substantiated, including questioned costs of about $856 for personal use of a state vehicle and about $2.9 million tied to the Preschool Promise program. Committee members asked about hotline staffing, cost, anonymity, and follow-up on findings; staff said the hotline is lightly resourced, uses a contracted intake service, and referrals or recommendations are followed up through management letters and later reviews. The committee also heard an audit of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s safety inspections and asset tracking. The Secretary of State’s office reported that OPRD had not consistently conducted or documented quarterly OSHA safety inspections and had incomplete asset records, including missing acquisition dates and costs for many assets. The audit made eight recommendations covering safety inspection policies, asset management guidance, tagging, reconciliations, disposition controls, training, and a new asset management system; OPRD agreed to all recommendations. OPRD officials said they had already begun training staff, improving inspection procedures, and working toward a replacement asset system, while noting operational challenges from a large, dispersed park system and manual processes. Committee members asked about what kinds of assets are tracked, how tagging works, whether items were actually being lost, and how much tracking is necessary for low-value tools; OPRD said the main issue was inconsistent classification and documentation rather than widespread loss. The meeting ended with no votes or formal actions taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• offenses into a tiered system to comply with federal standards, and aligns registration durations and verification
• With that, the verification periods would now match along with those tiers.
• And so you would have, for the 15-year Tier 1 registration period, annual verification.
• For the Tier 2 registration period of 25 years, you'd have semi-annual verification.
• For Tier 2 registration period of 25 years, you'd have semi-annual verification, and for Tier 3 lifetime

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the SAVE system is the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system.
• So if you had particular information, if you had an alien verification number as a unique identifier
• It could be a verification of naturalization. It could be a U.S. passport.
• So a lot of that verification actually is occurring in time period that required it and many of those
• So a lot of that verification actually is occurring at the DMV.

Summary: The House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee held a virtual work session focused first on federal actions affecting elections. A representative from NCSL reviewed recent U.S. Supreme Court and pending cases, including a redistricting/Voting Rights Act case and a case on whether mailed ballots received after Election Day can be counted. She also discussed a Trump executive order directing USPS to draft mail-ballot rules, the federal SAVE system’s expanded use for voter list maintenance, DOJ requests for unredacted voter rolls, and reduced federal election-security support. Committee members asked about proof of citizenship requirements, whether DOJ requests are compulsory, and how federal election funding and grants may be changing. The Attorney General’s Office then described Washington’s litigation challenging two election-related executive orders and DOJ’s lawsuit seeking unredacted voter registration lists. State lawyers said courts have already enjoined parts of the executive orders, including documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements and voting-system changes, and have upheld Washington’s ballot-receipt deadlines so far. They said DOJ’s voter-roll demands have been rejected by multiple courts and that Washington’s position is that state law limits disclosure of sensitive voter data. Members asked about the legal basis for DOJ’s requests, the risk of immigration-enforcement use, and whether attestation on registration forms counts as proof of citizenship; the office said it does under state law and that no evidence of mass voter-fraud problems in Washington has been shown. Deputy Attorney General Todd Bowers then gave a broader overview of the Attorney General’s federal litigation, saying Washington has filed 61 cases since January 2025, often with other states, and has had notable success obtaining preliminary injunctions and favorable summary judgments. He highlighted cases involving election rules, environmental and energy disputes, public health funding, student loans, housing, and data privacy, and said many challenges involve executive-branch conditions added to congressionally appropriated funds. He also described a growing number of federal audits and inquiries directed at state agencies. Finally, Office of Equity Director Megan Matthews discussed how federal actions are affecting state and local equity work, community organizations, and public confidence. She said the office is coordinating more closely with the Attorney General, governor’s office, other agencies, and local governments through the immigration subcabinet, while also working on data privacy, Keep Washington Working compliance, and community outreach. Committee members asked about the office’s human-trafficking work and how it is encouraging agency compliance; Matthews said the focus is on clearer guidance, technical support, and consistent expectations across agencies. The committee adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• These investments also modernized login.mn, the state's identity validation and verification service,
• <00:30:17.640> service, validation and verification service, validation and verification service
• They said there are quite a few significant and relevant examples already where identity verification
• It stands for Fast Identity Verification System. IP addresses, all these type of things.
• It stands for fast identity<01:11:08.920> verification<01:11:09.720> system.

Bills: HF1338

Keywords: Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General, state oversight, government accountability, fraud, waste, abuse, audit, investigation, subpoena, whistleblower, public integrity, transparency, state agencies, executive branch, public funds, taxpayer funds, law enforcement oversight, public safety programs, advisory council

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:48:10.319> Um, uh through uh verification of age.
• Um, uh through uh verification of age.
• <00:53:59.040> And<00:53:59.200> and produced or parent verification.
• And and produced or parent verification.
• Um it also updates for age verification.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the prior meeting minutes, and then heard testimony on the use of artificial intelligence in therapy and mental health settings. Representative Lisa Willner and Brenda Rosen of NASW Kentucky argued for “guard rails” on AI chatbots so they cannot present themselves as licensed therapists or replace school counselors, psychologists, or social workers. They said AI can support licensed professionals, but warned that chatbots cannot reliably recognize nonverbal cues, escalate crises, or provide accountable care, and they cited examples of harmful chatbot interactions, including a suicide case and a chatbot telling a user to “Please die.” The witnesses also raised concerns about data privacy, commercialization of sensitive mental health conversations, and the use of personal clinical content to train AI models. They said minors should require parental consent and suggested transparency about how a chatbot is trained and who created it. They distinguished between unvetted consumer chatbots and AI tools that have been scientifically validated or approved as digital therapeutics, noting that some evidence-based tools may be useful for specific conditions such as depression, anxiety, or eating disorders. Committee members asked whether regulation should be handled by the legislature or by professional boards, and whether a multi-state model would be preferable to 50 different state approaches. The witnesses generally favored expert-led standards and said a board or panel of experts could review and approve mental health chatbots, but members cautioned that boards can become too restrictive and that legislation should preserve flexibility and avoid discouraging children from seeking help. The discussion ended with a request for the witnesses to restate their proposed policy ideas, including privacy protections, bans on commercialization, limits on training AI with clinical content, transparency requirements, and informed consent.

Transcript Highlights:

• It allows for more robust verification of ownership, licensing, business registration, exclusion, and
• It allows for<00:05:35.600> more<00:05:35.759> robust<00:05:36.240> verification
• <00:05:36.800> of for more robust verification of for more robust verification of ownership,<00
• Chair, we're also doing uh the electronic visit verification to make sure that individuals get the care
• Chair, we're also doing uh the electronic visit verification to make sure that individuals get the care

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• verification verification data.
• data. personal age verification data. personal age verification data.
• B, an age verification system accuracy. B, an age verification system accuracy.
• Two, transmitting personal age verification data using industry verification data using industry verification
• A, age verification following methods. A, age verification following methods.

Keywords: 920, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and filing the signatures with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
• requirement of Article 48 of the Constitution, there's an additional signature-gathering requirement
• of 12,429 signatures for all pending ballot initiatives to qualify for the 2026 ballot if the legislature
• And of that $1.3 million, $1.29 million went to signature gathering.
• How many of those— How many of those do you know were volunteer signatures rather than paid signatures

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions held a public hearing on Initiative Petition 25-03, House Bill 5000, which would allow single-family homes on small lots in areas with adequate infrastructure. Committee chairs outlined the Article 48 process and the hearing format, then heard first from two subject-matter experts. Under Secretary Chris Clutchman of Housing and Livable Communities explained that the proposal would amend Chapter 40A’s Section 3 (the Dover Amendment) to require most municipalities, except Boston, to allow single-family homes on residentially zoned lots of at least 5,000 square feet with 50 feet of frontage and access to public water and sewer, while still allowing reasonable local regulations on setbacks, height, bulk, and short-term rentals. He distinguished the proposal from Chapter 40Y starter-home zoning, said implementation would likely require regulations to address issues such as wetlands, infrastructure capacity, and nonconforming lots, and answered committee questions about lot subdivision, MBTA Communities, and the relationship to existing zoning tools. Attorney Susan Murphy testified that the petition would significantly override local zoning and could create conflicts with existing statutes, including Chapter 40A Section 6 protections for certain nonconforming lots, subdivision control law, and other residential zoning districts. She raised concerns about how “access” to water and sewer would be defined, whether the measure could apply in business or industrial districts where residential uses are allowed, and whether the proposal could allow large homes on small lots without any affordability limits. She also warned that the measure could have significant infrastructure impacts and argued that the Legislature should consider broader, more comprehensive housing legislation rather than expanding exceptions to the zoning framework. Committee members asked both experts about frontage, lot size, infrastructure capacity, and how the proposal would interact with 40Y and MBTA Communities. The proponents, led by Andrew McCulla of the Legalized Starter Homes Coalition, argued that Massachusetts faces a severe housing shortage and affordability crisis, citing high home prices, high rents, declining listings, and outmigration of younger residents. They said the measure would legalize modest single-family homes on smaller lots, increase housing supply, and help first-time buyers and downsizing seniors, while leaving most other local rules in place. Other proponents, including representatives from Abundant Housing Massachusetts, the Charles River Regional Chamber, and individual residents, emphasized workforce retention, the need for more starter homes, and the view that large minimum lot sizes are a major barrier to production. Committee members pressed the panel on the lack of any home-size or affordability requirement, possible effects on 40B compliance, the number of new lots and homes that might result, and the fact that the ballot initiative would not be amendable by the Legislature. The hearing then turned to opponents from the Massachusetts Municipal Association, who urged the committee to take no action. MMA leaders said zoning should remain a local decision made by residents and elected local officials, and argued that the proposal would preempt local control with a one-size-fits-all mandate. They also said the measure is impractical because many communities with water and sewer are already at or near capacity, so infrastructure availability does not necessarily mean development capacity. The hearing ended during the MMA’s testimony, with no vote or final committee action taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• signature on a reassessment.
• signature on a reassessment.
• So, I think with electronic signatures.
• electronic signature on a reassessment. electronic signature on a reassessment.
• Frankly, there there have signatures.

Bills: HF2115, HF2276, HF1644, HF99, HF2068, HF2707, HF2704, HF2406, HF1674, HF1579

Keywords: human services, aging services, disability services, behavioral health, long-term care, nursing home, nursing facility, assisted living, waiver services, medical assistance, Medicaid, case mix reimbursement, PDPM, RUG, direct care and treatment, developmental disabilities, day services, positive support, guardian, conservator

Transcript Highlights:

• So here, I see there's a sentence that says age verification is a privacy-intrusive and costly requirement
• And it says age verification.
• Age verification is a privacy-intrusive and costly requirement to impose broadly on AI developers.
• Boykin, that there is nowhere in the bill that talks about age verification or requires age verification
• stunning that it is a part of your opposition letter to point out the cost associated with age verification

Summary: The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee heard several bills focused on AI, immigration-related health care protections, digital financial assets, and online cannabis/hemp sales. SB 69 by Senator McNerney would create an AI-focused team within the Department of Justice to build enforcement expertise on civil rights, public safety, and legal issues tied to AI. SB 81 by Senator Arreguín would codify hospital and health facility policies limiting disclosure of patient immigration status and restricting immigration enforcement access without a judicial warrant. SB 97 by Senator Grayson would update and clarify California’s digital financial assets licensing law. SB 243 by Senator Padilla would impose guardrails on AI companion chatbots, including disclosures, anti-addictive design limits, self-harm protocols, and a private right of action. SB 378 by Senator Wiener would allow civil penalties against online marketplaces that advertise illicit intoxicating hemp and unlicensed cannabis products. Testimony on SB 69 emphasized that California needs in-house AI enforcement expertise at the DOJ; supporters said AG offices generally lack tech-policy specialists, while members asked about the Attorney General’s role and noted the office was neutral. SB 81 drew broad support from nurses, immigrant advocates, hospitals, labor, and community groups, who argued that hospitals should remain safe places for care regardless of immigration status; there was no opposition. SB 97 was described as a technical cleanup bill with stakeholder consensus, and the main public comment focused on ensuring blockchain-based nonfinancial products are not unintentionally swept into the law. SB 243 generated the most debate. Supporters, including the mother of a Florida teen who died by suicide after interacting with a chatbot, urged stronger protections for minors and vulnerable users. Opponents argued the bill’s definitions were too broad and could capture general-purpose AI systems, and raised concerns about privacy, cost, and a private right of action. Committee members largely supported the bill’s intent and discussed the need for guardrails without stifling innovation. SB 378 was supported by cannabis workers, retailers, and local government representatives who said online sales of untested intoxicating hemp and illegal cannabis are harming public health and the legal market; opponents from hemp and tech groups argued the bill could sweep in lawful hemp businesses and that definitions need refinement. The committee ultimately passed SB 69, SB 81, SB 97, SB 243, and SB 378, with SB 81 and SB 243 amended, and all five bills were sent onward to their next committees.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've been collecting signatures, and I'll leave this with the committee.
• There's about 300 signatures on here.
• These are signatures we've collected over the past several months.
• So, having a license verification sold by a distributor who also has a license, it keeps it contained
• So, having a license verification level.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That is the measuring, the quantification, the monitoring, the reporting, the verification, all kind
• There seems to be a lot of concern about the inflated baselines and kind of the verification of those
• They basically redo the entire verification. So, it's a slog.
• <00:45:54.360> and independent third-party verification and independent third-party verification
• basically redo the entire verification. basically redo the entire verification.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with introductions, approval of the March 6 minutes as amended to add an attendee list, and a brief overview of the day’s agenda. The committee heard two presentations from carbon project developers, with the first from Dylan Jenkins of Finite Carbon. He described Finite Carbon’s work in improved forest management projects, its role in developing carbon methodologies and protocols, and its experience with projects in New England, Appalachia, Alaska, and Canada. He also outlined the difference between compliance and voluntary carbon markets, the role of registries and intermediaries, and the types of buyers in the market, including large corporate buyers and long-term off-take partners. A major focus of the presentation was how forest carbon projects are structured and how credits are monetized. Jenkins distinguished between removals and reductions, explaining that removals come from new forest growth while reductions are tied more closely to baseline assumptions and standing stock. He said improved forest management projects can generate both types of credits, and that removals generally command higher prices because they are easier for buyers to understand and verify. He also emphasized that carbon project commercialization can occur before, during, or after credit issuance, and that landowners may be paid through a variety of structures, including leases, advance fees, per-unit payments, or off-take agreements. Jenkins then addressed the committee’s tax-related questions, saying House Bill 123 appeared intended to treat carbon credit sales similarly to timber sales for local tax purposes. He argued that carbon credits are a forest product and that taxing them can be reasonable in principle, but he stressed that lawmakers should distinguish between commoditization and commercialization when deciding what event to tax. He noted that credits may be created but never sold, and that in some programs landowners retain timber and carbon rights while in others the developer has deeper control over those rights. In response to questions, he said the industry uses protocols, verification, and third-party oversight to address baseline and quality concerns, but acknowledged that baseline setting remains a major point of debate in the market.

Transcript Highlights:

• through that process, but the one thing that has been left over in the old system is the insurance verification
• through that process, but the one thing that has been left over in the old system is the insurance verification
• some glitches and bugs to work out, but the one thing left in the old system is the insurance verification
• is a good piece of legislation because all of us realize the importance of real-time insurance verification
• He noted that the legislation is a good piece because of the importance of real-time insurance verification

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00 Roll Call: 00:12 HB390 Discussion: 01:05 HB390 Vote: 02:35 HB233 Discussion: 04:18 HB233 Vote: 07:12 HB423 Discussion: 08:17 HB423 Vote: 10:51, 958, all

Summary: The committee first considered House Bill 390, which would complete the Department of Transportation’s transition from the old AVIS system to CAVIS for insurance verification. Rep. Michael Meredith explained that the current insurance verification process still runs on the old system, creating a 30- to 45-day reporting delay that allows people to register vehicles by showing only an insurance card. Members voted to give the bill a favorable expression, with Chair Carpenter noting it would support real-time verification and could help reduce uninsured motorists. The committee then heard House Bill 233, a consumer protection measure aimed at post-disaster repair scams. Rep. Wade Williams said the bill expands existing protections to all contractors and tree removal companies, creates a five-day cancellation period after an insurer says some services are not covered, bars mechanic’s liens in certain consumer financial disputes while preserving them for work outside the insurance claim, and adds a $5,000 civil penalty enforced by the Attorney General. After questions about how it differed from Senate Bill 24, the bill also received favorable expression. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 423, with a committee substitute adopted at the outset to allow commercial insurers and the Department for Medicaid Services to provide more specific reasons for prior-authorization denials. Rep. Kim Moore and Cory Meadows of the Kentucky Medical Association described the bill as a long-negotiated prior-authorization reform that would create a gold-carding or exemption program for qualifying providers, reduce red tape, and speed patient care. The committee approved the substitute and then gave the bill favorable expression. At the end, Senator Yates corrected the record to be marked as voting yes on House Bill 390 and House Bill 233.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then let's address the electronic signatures. We all have phones and iPads.
• Uh, electronic signatures, take care of that. Address our right to settle negotiate a claim.
• And then let's address the electronic signatures. We all have phones and iPads.
• Uh, electronic signatures, take care of that. Address our right to settle negotiate a claim.
• And then let's address the electronic signatures. We all have phones and iPads.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:00:11 Discussion HB 527 00:02:29 Vote HB 527 00:08:02 Discussion HB 627 00:09:09 Vote HB 627 00:24:29 Discussion HB 355 00:25:59 Vote HB 355 00:34:28 Discussion HB 568 00:35:18 Vote HB 568 01:12:10, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 527, a cleanup bill related to insurance matters and the Strengthen Kentucky Homes program. The committee substitute removed language that would have repealed the workers’ compensation deductible range, added a one-time grant/reimbursement provision for contractor fortified-roofing certifications, and added an emergency clause. The Department of Insurance said the bill also updates licensing language, addresses issues with unlicensed pharmacy benefit managers, and supports contractor training tied to the roof grant program. The commissioner noted the program is set to go live March 1 and asked members to inform constituents about possible roof grants of up to $10,000. House Bill 527 received a favorable report after the committee adopted the substitute and title amendment by voice vote and then approved the bill on a roll call vote. The committee then heard House Bill 627, a PIP reform bill. The sponsor and State Farm’s legislative agent said the substitute clarified language so the Attorney General can prosecute insurance fraud and reflected negotiations with hospitals, the Kentucky Hospital Association, the Kentucky Justice Association, chiropractors, and physical therapists. The bill would apply the workers’ comp fee schedule to most PIP claims, require bills within 180 days, prohibit balance billing and credit impairment, raise funeral benefits to $5,000 and weekly wage benefits to $500, require an annual fraud report, and give the Attorney General concurrent jurisdiction over insurance fraud cases. A physician testifying in opposition argued the bill would cut reimbursement for non-hospital providers, shift costs to hospitals and other payers, reduce access to care, and create an uneven playing field that favors hospitals. Committee members asked about the lack of a PIP fee schedule and the effect of the workers’ comp schedule relative to Medicare and commercial insurance. After debate, the committee adopted the substitute and then passed House Bill 627 with favorable expression on a roll call vote, with one member voting no. The committee also considered House Bill 355 on real estate appraisers. The sponsor said the bill would restore an independent board, allow evaluations under federal guidelines, and move Kentucky from a voluntary to a mandatory appraisal state. Testimony from insurance and appraisal representatives said the bill would require licensure for real property damage appraisers, exempt insurance agents and claims adjusters licensed under the insurance code, and create clearer standards and oversight. Members asked about the cost of an executive director and whether the board could sustain itself through fees; the sponsor said the board had historically been self-sustaining. The committee adopted the substitute and then gave House Bill 355 a favorable report by roll call vote. Finally, the committee began House Bill 568, which would prohibit new public adjuster licenses while allowing current licensees to renew. The sponsor said the bill responds to ongoing complaints and investigations in the industry and noted that most licensed public adjusters in Kentucky are not residents of the state. The transcript cuts off as the bill’s presentation was beginning.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,<00:11:41.320> income,<00:11:41.880> and<00:11:42.000> immigration verification
• , income, and immigration verification, income, and immigration status.<00:11:43.400> So<00:11
• <00:12:44.200> Other<00:12:44.480> systems verification documents.
• Other systems verification documents.
• modern accountability, verification. modern accountability, verification.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We procured a system integrator and independent verification and validation services.
• If you're not a citizen, we then take that, and we will run that through the lawful verification, lawful
• If it doesn't, sometimes there's secondary verification we've got to do.
• But again, at the end of the day, if you don't get verification through that system, you're ineligible
• This is the client data management and electronic visit verification system.

Summary: The subcommittee heard updates on several state technology modernization efforts, beginning with the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s Enterprise Business Solution (DEMS). FDEM said DEMS is about 50% complete, with some grants and finance functions already live, and is intended to replace manual disaster and grants processing with a cloud-based system. Officials described faster reimbursement timelines after recent storms, major return-on-investment claims, and a planned final phase focused on design, testing, communications, data governance, and additional functionality. Members asked about the total cost, the role of Florida Digital Service, deliverables-based contracting, and how much of the system is live; FDEM said the project is expected to cost about $16 million to $16.8 million and finish by June 2027, with some follow-up information to be provided. The Department of Legal Affairs presented its Office of Attorney General Modernization Program, a follow-up to an earlier effort that failed after spending about $26 million. Acting Attorney General John Gard said the department has now moved to an off-the-shelf case management product, LawBase, and is in development and testing, with the Office of Statewide Prosecution already live and full implementation expected by the end of the fiscal year. The request includes funding for staff augmentation, cloud storage, the LawBase license, redundancy through a backup site in Orlando, and OnBase support. Members questioned the prior failure, the use of Florida Digital Service standards, data location and cloud migration, and the redundancy plan; Gard said lessons learned included better scoping and that the current effort is on track. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles then updated the committee on Motorist Modernization, including the Orion system and the MyDMV portal. Officials said Phase 1 and Phase 2 have modernized driver license and motor vehicle services, with Phase 2 statewide rollout scheduled to begin in April 2025 and Phase 3 proposed at $16.5 million for dealer services, data warehouse improvements, and call center modernization. Members asked about payment options, organ donor questions, staffing, cybersecurity, cloud strategy, and the digital driver license program. The agency said the portal already allows some sanctions to be cleared online, an ACH option is being developed, the digital driver license vendor has changed with a fall go-live anticipated, and the department is using security testing and a managed security service provider. Officials also said the system is currently on an on-prem private cloud, with future workloads expected to move to public cloud where appropriate. Finally, Florida Commerce presented on the Reemployment Assistance modernization system, Reconnect, and the FLWINS workforce system. Commerce said Reconnect is hosted in the Azure Government Cloud, has reduced claim filing time, improved fraud detection, and increased appeals capacity, and now needs $4.9 million in recurring funding to cover ongoing operations, cloud hosting, licenses, and staff augmentation. Members asked about adjudication issues, wait times, fraud prevention, and whether the system stores caller identifiers; Commerce said the average wait to speak to a representative is about 18 minutes and claims are generally processed in four to six weeks. The committee then began hearing about FLWINS, which is intended to create a “no wrong door” workforce portal under the REACH Act, but the transcript cuts off before that presentation concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• We allow DocuSign and Adobe Sign as well for signatures because it's hard to get signatures when you're
• Because it's hard to get signatures when you're sending them to two or three different people, then having
• c><00:16:07.040> of cumbersome, especially in terms of cumbersome, especially in terms of signature
• 08.079> were<00:16:08.240> able<00:16:08.399> to<00:16:08.639> review signature
• But we were able to review signature.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission met on March 9, 2026, with a quorum present in person and one commissioner participating from Florida. The meeting began with the swearing-in of new commissioner Joe Palumbo, who briefly introduced himself and his family and business background. The commission then approved the February 2, 2026 minutes and approved the staff budget report, with staff noting the office remained within spending parameters. Staff gave an update on the heavy workload from re-registration and reporting season, saying roughly 4,500 re-registrations and about 10,000 total forms had been processed. They credited the new online payment portal with reducing manual work and discussed ongoing LRC technology work to build a new system for desktop use, online re-registration, payment processing, and a searchable register. Commissioners asked about the timeline and current paper-based process; staff said the system is being built from scratch and that, for now, forms are still often downloaded, completed, emailed or mailed, and manually entered by staff. The commission also reviewed financial disclosure processing. Staff said all required disclosures had been received except one outstanding candidate filing, and that the candidate was still officially running, so notice was being sent by certified mail under the statute. Staff explained that their review is for completeness rather than audit-level accuracy, and that disclosures from legislators, candidates, and certain upper-management/LRC officials are posted for public access. The commission then discussed its informal advisory opinions, including how staff tracks and organizes them, and praised staff for quick turnaround before voting to enter executive session to discuss confidential complaints and informal opinions.