Transcript Highlights:

• First, I want to thank our hosts, the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, for hosting us today
• Innovation and Development Research Coordinator, all from the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually
• Our Birth to Three department works with any kiddos who have a diagnosed visual impairment or who are
• for the tuition of educators in the state who want to become certified as teachers of students with visual
• trying to understand complex things visually and hands-on.

Committee: House Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• And just recently, Donald Trump posted on his personal social media a video depicting President Barack
• Truth Social, and I'd be very frank: what you all said in the committee yesterday, in this country, depicting
• It made mention of it being depicted as lynching. Thank you.

Summary: The Senate convened with an opening prayer, pledge, and a series of introductions recognizing guests, visiting groups, and special honorees in the galleries. The chamber then took up committee and executive appointment business, adopting a report confirming 42 gubernatorial appointments by a vote of 36-0. The Senate next considered a long special-order calendar of bills, most of them passing with little or no opposition. Measures included public-records sunset reviews and trade secret/cybersecurity exemptions; a child-abuse reporting statute of limitations bill; commercial driving school oversight; human trafficking training for nurses; a new injunction for protection against serious violence and its related public-records exemption; nature-based coastal resiliency and mangrove protection; a chiropractic trust-funds cap repeal; specialty license plates; a waiver of late financial disclosure fines; public school personnel compensation; the Florida Farm Bill with multiple agriculture, biosolids, and enforcement provisions; homestead exemption clarification for long-term leases; disability presumption clarifications for first responders; reinsurance intermediary manager conformity; patriotic displays in public schools; ADS-B aviation fee restrictions; autism-related law enforcement training and the Blue Envelope program; campus safety reporting procedures for public postsecondary institutions; and veterinary prescription disclosure. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including local vessel restrictions, temporary critical-need practice certificates, and domestic animals. The floor debate featured the most discussion on the farm bill, the HCSM/nonprofit religious organizations bill, the autism law-enforcement bill, and the school athletics bill. The HCSM bill drew extended debate over whether licensed insurance agents should be allowed to market faith-based health care sharing ministries, with supporters emphasizing consumer choice, free speech, and religious liberty, and opponents warning about unregulated products and commissions; it passed 32-5. The athletics bill, prompted by the Teddy Bridgewater/Miami Northwestern situation, would let coaches provide good-faith support to student-athletes while requiring reporting and FHSAA oversight; it passed 38-0. Most other measures passed overwhelmingly, including the autism bill 38-0, the campus safety bill 37-0, the public school patriotic displays bill 36-2, and the farm bill 38-0 after amendments addressing Everglades lands and biosolids timing were adopted.

Transcript Highlights:

• And just recently, Donald Trump posted on his personal social media a video depicting President Barack
• Truth Social, and I'd be very frank: what you all said in the committee yesterday in this country, depicting
• It made mention of it being depicted as lynching. Thank you.

Summary: The Senate convened with an opening prayer, pledge, and a series of member and guest introductions recognizing visitors, local delegations, and honorees. The chamber then took up a report from the Committee on Ethics and Elections on 42 executive appointments; the report was adopted and the appointments were confirmed by a 36-0 vote. The Senate also adopted a resolution honoring the Ripple Project for childhood cancer awareness and fundraising. The body then moved through a long special-order calendar of bills, largely focused on public records exemptions, public safety, education, agriculture, health care, and licensing. Measures passed included bills to extend or consolidate exemptions for aquaculture records, trade secrets, and cybersecurity information; a child-abuse reporting statute-of-limitations bill; regulation of commercial driving schools; human trafficking training for nursing graduates; a new injunction for protection against serious violence by a known person and its companion public-records bill; nature-based coastal resiliency and mangrove infrastructure; chiropractic patient trust funds; specialty license plates; waiver of late financial disclosure fines; public school personnel compensation; the Florida Farm Bill/Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services package; homestead exemption clarification for long-term leases; disability presumption clarifications for first responders; reinsurance intermediary manager conformity; patriotic displays in public schools; ADS-B aviation fee restrictions; autism-related law enforcement training and the Blue Envelope program; campus safety policy transparency at public colleges and universities; and veterinary prescription disclosure. Several bills drew debate or amendments. The Farm Bill received amendments protecting Everglades restoration lands from surplus sale and clarifying biosolids timing, and it passed 38-0 after extensive discussion. The HCSM/nonprofit religious organizations bill prompted debate over whether allowing licensed insurance agents to market faith-based health care sharing ministries would create consumer confusion or free-speech concerns; it passed 32-5. The patriotic displays bill also drew discussion and passed 36-2. The athletics bill allowing coaches to provide good-faith support to student-athletes, prompted by the Teddy Bridgewater situation, passed 38-0. The affordable housing bill clarifying Live Local Act definitions to exclude farms from certain commercial/mixed-use/industrial categories passed 38-0 after a technical amendment. Several other measures were temporarily postponed, and the session concluded with the Senate continuing through the remaining calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• And just recently, Donald Trump posted on his personal social media a video depicting President Barack
• Truth Social, and I'd be very frank: what you all said in the committee yesterday, in this country, depicting
• It made mention of it being depicted as lynching. Thank you.

Summary: The Senate convened with an opening prayer, pledge, and a series of gallery introductions recognizing visitors, local officials, students, and public safety personnel. The chamber first took up a report from the Ethics and Elections Committee on 42 executive appointments; after Senator Gaetz explained that the committee had reviewed the appointees’ qualifications and suitability, the Senate adopted the report and confirmed the appointments by a 36-0 vote. The Senate then moved through a long special-order calendar focused largely on open-government sunset reviews and other policy bills. It passed measures to continue or consolidate public records and meeting exemptions for aquaculture records, agency-held trade secrets, and cybersecurity information, with one technical amendment adopted on the cybersecurity bill. The chamber also approved bills extending the statute of limitations for failure to report child abuse, strengthening regulation of commercial driving schools, requiring human trafficking education for nursing graduates, creating a new injunction for protection against serious violence by a known person, and making the related public-records exemption. Additional bills passed included a nature-based coastal resiliency measure with an amendment restricting dredge-and-fill in Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, a chiropractic trust-funds bill, specialty license plates, a one-time waiver of late financial disclosure fines, public school personnel compensation changes, the annual Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services “Farm Bill,” homestead exemption clarification for long-term leaseholders, disability-presumption clarifications for first responders, reinsurance intermediary manager changes, patriotic displays in public schools, ADS-B fee restrictions, autism-related law enforcement training and a Blue Envelope program, campus safety policy transparency at public colleges and universities, and veterinary prescription disclosure. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including local vessel restrictions, temporary certificates for practice, and domestic animals. The Senate also debated and passed a bill allowing licensed insurance agents to market health care sharing ministries, despite concerns raised by Senator Polsky about consumer confusion, commissions, and the sale of non-insurance products; supporters argued it restored free speech, religious liberty, and consumer choice. The chamber approved the bill 32-5 after debate. Most other measures passed with strong bipartisan support, often by unanimous or near-unanimous votes, and several companion House bills were substituted in place of Senate bills before final passage.

Transcript Highlights:

• And just recently, Donald Trump posted on his personal social media, a video depicting President Barack
• Truth Social, and I'd be very frank: what you all said in the committee yesterday, in this country, depicting
• It made mention of it being depicted as lynching. Thank you.

Transcript Highlights:

• That radar That's going to be installed to allow some of this beyond visual line of sight flying.
• So that beyond visualized sight, that sense and avoid matrix How do we make sure that drones are able
• You had mentioned that these UASs that they don't have visual cameras but they have to go off sensors
• They do have visual cameras.
• The visual cameras do not pass the See and avoid test that you would be able to do if you're flying in

Committee: House A&B Transportation Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• The visual signal that matters the most is the flashing red lights.
• The visual signal that matters the most is the flashing red lights.
• The visual signal that matters the most is the flashing red lights.
• The visual signal that matters the most is the flashing red lights.
• </c><00:41:55.839><c> It's</c> visual. It's making that stop. It's visual. It's making that stop.

Bills: HF3131 , HF3436 , HF3106 , HF3241 , HF3531

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• However, they only protect visual artists against very specific types of misuse.
• However, they only protect visual artists against very specific types of misuse.
• I'm also a teacher at San Jose State University who teaches visual development as well, and I'm in support
• of AB 412. ...State University, who teaches visual development as well, and I'm in support of AB 412

Summary: The Senate Committee on Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection heard three bills. AB 412, the AI Copyright Transparency Act, would require generative AI developers to let copyright holders know whether their works were used in training. The author said the bill was narrowed by amendments to remove prescriptive technical language and focus on transparency rather than compensation or training restrictions. Supporters included voice actors, artists, labor groups, and technical experts who argued creators need a way to know if their work was used. Opponents, including business and tech groups, argued the bill was premature given unsettled copyright law and raised concerns about technical feasibility, scale, and ownership identification. After discussion, the committee passed AB 412 on a 6-2 vote and sent it to Judiciary. AB 2448 would require electronic health record vendors to enable technical safeguards so providers can better segregate sensitive reproductive and gender-affirming care information. The author and supporters, including Planned Parenthood, the Attorney General’s office, medical groups, and privacy advocates, said the bill builds on existing California privacy law and helps protect patients from misuse of sensitive health data. There was no opposition testimony. The committee passed AB 2448 on a 7-1 vote and sent it to Health. AB 2561 would prohibit changes to consumers’ preferred privacy settings without their consent, aiming to prevent apps and software from resetting privacy choices after updates. The author said the bill would reduce the burden on users and strengthen privacy protections. CalChamber and TechNet said they had moved from opposition to support after amendments were taken. The committee passed AB 2561 unanimously, 8-0, and adjourned after the final vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• chiefs: “Minnesotans expect and deserve absolute confidence when the individual presents themself visually
• confidence when the individual presents confidence when the individual presents themself<00:17:48.640><c> visually
• <c> or</c><00:17:49.760><c> verbally</c><00:17:50.480><c> as</c><00:17:50.720><c> a</c> themself visually
• or verbally as a themself visually or verbally as a police<00:17:51.280><c> officer</c><00:17:52.440

Transcript Highlights:

• And so when students engage in visual art, in music, in theater, in dance, and literary arts, they are
• So we're sharing the love between performing and visual arts.
• The Friendship Cafe manager, Dale, loves visual arts and has extensive resources to support individual
• And for the last one, it was nice seeing people come into the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, too
• Or there's this fantastic center for the visual arts. So that was also a great added bonus.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that what you're looking at, or help me visualize that?”
• In addition, on line 1.14 of the bill, you will see an appropriation for $150,000 for visual markers,
• In addition, on line 1.14 of the bill, you will see an appropriation for $150,000 for visual markers,
• In addition, on line 1.14 of the bill, you will see an appropriation for $150,000 for visual markers,
• In addition, on line 1.14 of the bill, you will see an appropriation for $150,000 for visual markers,

Committee: House Legacy Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• they then have 90 days to complete the first milestone, which is milestone one, which is a sort of visual
• have then 90 days to complete the first milestone, which is milestone one, which is to a sort of visual
• It is a visual inspection to make sure it is safe for the first.
• It is a visual inspection to make sure it is safe for the first.
• That it is a visual inspection to make sure it is safe for the people to continue to live there.

Committee: Senate Regulated Industries

Summary: The committee on Regulated Industries convened with a quorum and began a panel discussion focused on condominium milestone inspections and structural integrity reserve studies (SIRS), with members framing the topic as part of Florida’s post-Surfside condo safety reforms. The chair and panelists reviewed how the state got here, emphasizing that the problems predated Surfside and were driven by long-term deferred maintenance, underfunded reserves, and aging buildings. Panelists included representatives from Florida Realtors, engineering and reserve-study firms, a CPA, a community association attorney, and Broward County’s building safety official, all of whom described their roles in inspections, reserve planning, and code enforcement. Testimony centered on what inspectors are finding in the field. Panelists said the most common problems are not subsidence but wear-and-tear and maintenance failures, especially in stairways, balconies, roofs, parapet walls, waterproofing, and corrosion. They described examples of buildings with hidden deterioration, hurricane-exposed damage, and associations that were underfunded despite prior inspection regimes in Miami-Dade and Broward. Dr. Barbosa explained that Miami-Dade’s recertification program began in the 1970s and Broward’s in 2005, with current timelines generally requiring notice, a first milestone review, and then time to begin substantial repairs; she said the program has improved compliance but that SIRS has added confusion. Members also raised concerns about the cost and implementation of SIRS, including whether reports are being used to generate unnecessary work, whether contractors or firms have conflicts of interest, and whether the law’s use of “fully funded” is being misunderstood. Panelists said the statutory reserve requirement is better understood as baseline funding, not having all money in the bank immediately, and suggested clearer definitions and possibly changing the terminology to “adequately funded.” They also discussed the need to separate required structural items from optional or cosmetic items in reserve reports, improve transparency for buyers and lenders, and ensure associations provide documents through websites and other portals. No votes were taken. The committee used the meeting as an information-gathering session and signaled that more panels and discussion would follow, with members and witnesses agreeing that the state may need further clarification, education, and possible statutory adjustments to reduce confusion while preserving building safety.

Transcript Highlights:

• In the 1920s, photography was used to depict the cruel environments that children were forced to work
• In the 1920s, photography was used to depict the cruel environments that children were forced to work
• :44:38.600><c> to</c> In the 1920s, photography was used to In the 1920s, photography was used to depict
• c> the</c><00:44:39.240><c> cruel</c><00:44:39.680><c> environments</c><00:44:40.400><c> that</c> depict
• the cruel environments that depict the cruel environments that children<00:44:41.480><c> were</c><00

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• So we really can't depict on a map things like this, and this is kind of transit-oriented development
• So we really can't depict on a map things like this, and this is kind of transit-oriented development
• Uh, so we really can't depict<01:36:18.000><c> on</c><01:36:18.239><c> a</c><01:36:18.400><c> map</c>
• 20.159><c> things</c><01:36:20.480><c> like</c><01:36:20.639><c> this</c><01:36:20.880><c> and</c> depict
• on a map uh, things like this and depict on a map uh, things like this and this<01:36:21.360><c> is<

Bills: HB1721 , HB1714 , HB1718 , HB1732 , HB1740 , HB1777 , HB1842 , HB1919 , HB1701 , HB1923 , HB1741 , HB1734 , HB1739

Committee: House Housing

Summary: The House Housing Committee met on February 4 and heard testimony on several housing measures, beginning with HB1721, which clarifies insurance, indemnification, and certificate-of-occupancy requirements for expedited permits. Testimony on HB1721 was uniformly supportive from the American Council of Engineering Companies, the Grassroot Institute, and individual testifiers, who said the bill would fix insurance issues for design professionals and encourage more participation in the expedited-permit program. No opposition was heard and no questions were raised. The committee then heard HB1714, which would raise salary caps for the executive director and deputy executive director positions at the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and allow more autonomy in personnel matters, including employment contracts. HHFDC supported the bill, saying greater flexibility is needed to recruit and retain staff and that current pay ceilings are not the main issue because the agency lacks operating funds to reach them. The Department of Human Resources Development offered comments and raised concerns about autonomous personnel authority and employment contracts, saying state personnel matters are governed by existing statutes and collective bargaining rules; the Hawaii Public Housing Authority also offered comments, and one board member and one individual opposed the measure. Members questioned whether performance-based pay or existing incentive policies could address retention instead of statutory salary changes. The committee also heard HB1718, which would make permanent county authority to facilitate mixed-use developments and issue county bonds for low- and moderate-income housing projects. Support came from OPSD, HHFDC, the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Housing and Land Management, and Housing Hawaii’s Future, all emphasizing that permanent authority is needed to finance long-term mixed-use and transit-oriented projects. A member asked whether the sunset provision would make bonding impractical, and the city representative agreed that temporary authority would make financing difficult because development takes time. Later, the committee took up HB1732, establishing the Kamina Homes program to fund counties’ purchase of voluntary deed restrictions from eligible buyers. The Department of Taxation and several groups, including HHFDC, AARP Hawaii, the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, Hawaii Realtors, Holomua Collaborative, and others testified, with most supporting the bill as a way to help local families remain in Hawaii and age in place. Holomua said a recent survey found 75% of 3,200 working families were considering moving, and argued the bill could preserve housing for local residents. Members asked about the bill’s 8% cap on deed-restriction cost and why the program focuses on residency rather than resale restrictions; the bill’s proponents said the cap allows flexibility for county negotiations and that the measure is aimed at workforce preservation rather than land-trust-style appreciation limits. Finally, the committee heard HB1740, which would modify a prior HHFDC housing pathway by reducing the qualified-resident requirement from 100% to 80% and allowing more flexibility for long-term rental instead of owner occupancy. HHFDC and Holomua Collaborative supported the change, saying the earlier 100% requirement had produced no developments or applicants and that the revised standard would make projects more feasible while still preserving housing for local residents. The committee did not take final votes on these measures during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• She says this big transition that they've gone through, or are currently going through, is a good depiction
• So this is just a depiction of where we were in 2020 on the DD and CADI waivers and how that's grown
• is</c><01:31:15.480><c> just</c><01:31:15.760><c> a</c><01:31:16.520><c> a</c><01:31:16.719><c> depiction
• </c><01:31:17.520><c> of</c><01:31:18.119><c> um</c> said so this is just a a depiction of um said so
• this is just a a depiction of um where<01:31:18.400><c> we</c><01:31:18.520><c> were</c><01:31:18.679

Committee: Senate Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you look at the first visual, this is a visual of our California statewide system of support.
• Now, on the final visual...
• Now, on the final visual is our technical assistance support by numbers.
• Now, on the final visual, differentiated assistance and our universal supports.
• Now on the final visual is our technical assistance support by numbers.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on three education budget items: the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP), differentiated assistance/statewide system of support, and universal school meals plus kitchen infrastructure grants. For ELOP, the Department of Finance described the Governor’s proposal to provide $4.7 billion ongoing Proposition 98 funding and $62.4 million to set a minimum Tier 2 rate of $1,800 per pupil. The LAO recommended instead fixing the Tier 2 rate at $1,579, and committee members questioned how the rate was determined, how much funding is actually spent, and whether overlapping funding from ELOP, ACEs, and 21st Century programs is being tracked. CDE said ELOP is showing positive attendance and math outcomes, but some requested data will not be available until mid-2027; members also raised concerns about double-funding, transparency, and whether middle and high school students are being equitably served. On differentiated assistance, CCEE outlined the statewide system of support and the various tiers of universal, targeted, supplemental, and intensive assistance. Finance explained the Governor’s proposal to replace the current DA structure with a more stable universal and targeted assistance model, funded at $131.9 million ongoing, with a three-year support cycle aligned to LCAP and ESSA timelines and broader State Board authority to revise eligibility criteria. The LAO objected to considering the proposal before the State Board finalizes the new performance criteria, and committee members expressed concern that moving to a three-year cycle could delay support for LEAs that newly fall into need mid-cycle. There was also discussion about whether the proposal would weaken subgroup-based equity guardrails or give the State Board too much discretion over who qualifies for support. For school meals and kitchen infrastructure, Finance proposed $1.8 billion ongoing for universal meals and an additional $100 million ongoing plus $100 million one-time for a fourth round of kitchen infrastructure and training grants. The LAO recommended rejecting the new kitchen grant round because prior rounds are still being spent and the unmet need is not yet clear. CDE said prior investments have improved meal participation, efficiency, and menu variety, but many schools still lack the facilities for scratch cooking and face construction, electrical, and procurement barriers. Members asked for more data on how prior grants were used, which schools are benefiting, and whether funds could also support lower-cost food access strategies such as pantries, while noting federal restrictions on some meal-service innovations.

Transcript Highlights:

• the community to ensure that this legacy asset is a good neighbor to the community by minimizing visual
• trees in this area or the need to replace trees that we displaced, and other measures, whether it's visual
• There will be significant changes with landscaping in a sustainable manner and the addressing of visual
• our Jason neighborhood, along with the City of Spokane, who's a partner in this, in addressing the visual
• impacts in and around this area, and using visual strategies and design measures that are built in to

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met for work sessions, public hearings, and executive action. In the work session, WSDOT briefed the committee on the U.S. 12 corridor near Walla Walla and the North Spokane Corridor. Brian White said U.S. 12 is an eight-phase project with seven phases complete, and phase eight would finish the corridor, improve freight mobility and safety, and include a jurisdictional transfer of the old highway back to Walla Walla County. He said the project remains short of full funding, including a gap between the $350 million corridor cost and the $110 million federal Rural Surface Transportation grant, but WSDOT hopes to build smaller independent-utility pieces and begin construction in summer 2027. Charlene K. then reported that the North Spokane Corridor is seven of eight highway miles open, with major remaining work on the I-90 connection and related interchanges, bridges, and trail segments. She described the project as on track for design completion in 2027 and construction completion around 2030, while noting risks tied to federal approval, tight construction space, labor and contractor availability, utilities, and community impacts. The committee also heard from Karen Messmer of the Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council, who summarized the council’s 2025 report and 2026 priorities. She emphasized that pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities remain unacceptably high and urged a safe-system approach focused on safer speeds, roads, road users, vehicles, land use, and post-crash care. She highlighted recommendations including safety-based performance measures, better speed management, more local safety planning support, improved driver education, attention to micromobility and large vehicles, and faster toxicology and crash-data processing. In public hearings, the committee heard Senate Bill 6131, which would expand the Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s fatal crash review authority, designate it as a public health authority for limited access to health information, and create a confidential fatality review committee. The sponsor and Traffic Safety Commission said the bill would help identify common contributing factors in all fatal crashes while protecting confidential information; a media representative testified that the bill preserves public access to records already open and supports the goal of improving safety. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6155, which would extend disability parking placard renewal from every five years to every 20 years and remove the need for a health care practitioner’s signature at renewal; supporters said this would reduce burdens on permanently disabled people, while opponents warned it could increase fraud and misuse of placards. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 6238, which would raise the minimum tug escort horsepower for oil tankers in restricted waters to 3,000 horsepower or 5% of tanker deadweight, whichever is greater; the sponsor and Board of Pilotage said the change would align statute with current practice and newly adopted rules. Testimony was mixed, and the hearing closed with two people signed in pro and two con. In executive session, the committee advanced several bills. It passed Senate Bill 5746 on EV charging infrastructure property crime, Senate Bill 5824 on fifth wheel travel trailer length, Senate Bill 6110 on e-bikes and e-motos, Senate Bill 5839 on county ferry district passenger-only service, and Senate Bill 6148 on regional transit authority bond terms, all with due pass recommendations to the Rules Committee. An amendment to SB 6110 adding several state agency leaders to the e-moto work group was rejected. The committee adjourned after signing committee reports.

Transcript Highlights:

• So New Mexico Military Institute, New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and New Mexico
• For the Blind and Visually Impaired and New Mexico School for the Deaf.
• Chairman, next you'll have the School for the Blind and the Visually Impaired on page 32.
• I am the superintendent for the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
• Miller on the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired is that we are a K-12 school.

Bills: SB37 , SB29

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: high-quality literacy instruction, science of reading, structured literacy, reading instruction, literacy assessment, dyslexia screening, phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, biliteracy, English language learner, ELL, bilingual education, dual language program, reading intervention, reading difficulty, reading improvement plan, literacy coach

Transcript Highlights:

• No member may indulge in personalities, impugn motives of members, or use indecent or profane language
• of members, personalities, impug motives of members, or<03:54:14.800><c> use</c><03:54:15.199><c> indecent
• </c><03:54:17.600><c> So</c> or use indecent or profane language.
• So or use indecent or profane language.

Transcript Highlights:

• I do have a few slides, a few visuals, and after that I'm more than happy to answer any questions.
• And now I just wanted to provide a visual and an example of one program that we work with that does have
• So this is just a visual of what it could look like.
• So this is just one example and a visual, but again, we're working with others.
• deadline for digital accessibility to make sure all of their services are accessible to individuals with visual

Summary: The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities held its quarterly virtual/in-person meeting and approved the December minutes. The chair announced plans for the next “Meeting the Moment” community forum in Lowell on March 27, in partnership with MassAbility, focused on digital accessibility, education-to-employment transition, workforce supports, long-term services and supports, and health equity, along with a resource fair. The commission also began planning for its October National Disability Employment Awareness Month event and sought volunteers for a small planning group. The meeting featured an update from the Attorney General’s office on federal litigation affecting Massachusetts, including challenges to federal actions on higher education diversity data collection and DEI-related funding conditions, immigration/TPS for Haitians, NIH research grant disruptions, and the nonrenewal of mental health services grants for schools. The presenter said the state has helped protect more than $3 billion in federal funding and noted ongoing or pending appeals in several cases. Commissioners asked about possible impacts on disability-related DEI work and Medicaid; the AG’s office said guidance on DEIA/employment initiatives is available and that the state is closely monitoring federal Medicaid communications and coordinating with the governor’s office. Undersecretary of Labor Josh Cutler and apprenticeship liaison Amara Riemann presented on registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, emphasizing paid, employer-driven pathways with classroom instruction and wage progression. They highlighted growth in nontraditional fields such as human services, IT, early education, biotech, and banking, and described Bridgewater State University’s Excel program for neurodivergent people and people with disabilities as a model that can lead from pre-apprenticeship to apprenticeship. Commissioners discussed expanding similar models through community colleges and disability-focused workforce pipelines. Subcommittee reports covered disability employment, long-term services and supports, and health equity. The employment subcommittee heard from CED on state disability employment initiatives and planned future presentations from the Lawrence Partnership for Transition to Employment and Veterans Affairs. The long-term services and supports subcommittee discussed MassHealth budget pressures, anticipated federal Medicaid changes, the personal care attendant working group, and an upcoming discussion on crisis standards of care. In commissioner announcements, members highlighted recent honors for several commissioners, updates on municipal digital accessibility grants, a June Medicaid summit, and other commission activities. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the minutes.