Transcript Highlights:

• It is to me >> It doesn't. No, does not.
• a</c><00:50:29.040><c> lot</c> court. uh it really makes it a lot court. uh it really makes it a lot
• </c> move it today. move it today.
• I've dealt do it. We do it all the time.
• It just it just in what you're doing.

Bills: SB169 , SB180 , SB203 , SB87 , SB195 , SB192 , SB169 , SB180 , SB203 , SB87 , SB195 , SB192 , HB132 , HB37 , HB13 , HB54 , HB126 , HB7 , SB30 , HB188 , HB189 , HB26 , HB264 , HB288 , HB248 , HB249 , HB227 , HB228 , HB132 , HB37 , HB13 , HB54 , HB126 , HB7 , SB30 , HB188 , HB189 , HB26 , HB264 , HB288 , HB248 , HB249 , HB227 , HB228

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: Lieutenant Governor, vacancy, governor appointment, Alabama Constitution, state government, media monitoring, government contracts, state agencies, local agencies, media regulations, transparency, dental insurance, medical loss ratio, premium regulation, insurance commissioner, rebate, consumer protection, midwifery, licensed midwives, State Board of Midwifery

Transcript Highlights:

• I couldn't find it. Purely technical amendment? It is. It just changes the title. Got it.
• Okay, I'll make it. Technical amendment? It is. It just changes the title. Got it.
• It was, like I said, it was three different. Okay.
• Well, it— It will go up. It just depends on what it would go up that particular year.
• it.

Bills: HB287 , HB340 , HB412 , HB440 , HB514 , HB515 , HB521 , HB543 , HB553 , HB570 , HB961

Committee: House Ways & Means

Keywords: HB 287, Louisiana Tax Commission, ad valorem, property tax, property assessment, assessment fees, fee extension, sunset extension, public service property, utility property, insurance company property, financial institution property, tax administration, R.S. 47:1838, Act 296, reappraisal, ad valorem tax, valuation, Louisiana tax law, homestead exemption

Transcript Highlights:

• also will it perform the way I hope it will?
• it was that it was a legal map under all applicable law, and I would assume it remains...
• It certainly can be cities, it can be counties, it can be historic neighborhoods, it can be school districts
• Go online, take it off the web, pull it down from the website and look at it.
• it?

Bills: SB 2 , SB 5 , SB 9 , SB 7 , SB 17 , SB 4 , HB4 , HB1 , HB3 , HB20 , HB22 , SB9 , SB7 , SB17 , SB4 , HB4 , SB2 , SB5

Keywords: disaster relief, flood preparedness, emergency funding, local government support, meteorological forecasting, school assessment, public education, accountability, transparency, education standards, STAAR, Texas Education Agency, TEA, public school accountability, school ratings, A-F ratings, assessment reform, student testing, benchmark tests, interim assessments

Transcript Highlights:

• It ends in 0-2-H. It has been distributed, and I move for its adoption.
• I mean, it is what it is. That is a concern, but otherwise I like it.
• passed, it would have that 25% added to it.
• And so it went through without it.
• it out, send it on to somebody else, and let them fix it.

Committee: House Special Committee on Property Tax Reform

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, it looks like I wrote it. I can read my own writing. LDVA. It looks like I wrote it.
• it.
• it.
• Well, why does it say it is?
• , then it takes it from those that have already received it.

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee met on April 27 and first took up House Bill 175 and its companion House Bill 165, both dealing with lottery proceeds for veterans. HB 175 was amended to create a Veterans Service Grant Board within the Department of Veterans Affairs and direct $500,000 annually from Louisiana Lottery net proceeds into a Veterans Service Grant Fund, with unused money returned to the lottery proceeds fund that supports the MFP. Supporters, including the bill sponsor, The Boot Louisiana, LDVA Secretary Charlton McGinley, and Bastion Veterans Organization, argued the grants would help veteran services, workforce placement, mental health, housing, entrepreneurship, and retention of veterans in Louisiana. Members raised concerns about drawing from lottery proceeds that traditionally support education, but the committee adopted amendments and reported HB 175 favorably as amended. HB 165, the constitutional amendment companion, was also amended for technical and ballot-language changes and then reported favorably as amended for voter consideration. The committee then considered House Bill 457, which would authorize the Louisiana Department of Health and the State Fire Marshal to set minimum housing standards for homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes. The sponsor said the bill responded to a state auditor recommendation and to unsafe conditions in some facilities; he also explained an amendment changing the Fire Marshal’s duties from mandatory to permissive to reduce fiscal impact and allow agencies flexibility. Some members questioned whether local standards already existed and how enforcement and funding would work, while others supported the need for statewide minimum standards for human housing. The committee adopted the amendment and reported HB 457 favorably as amended. House Bill 488, by Representative Brough, sought to create a Belle Chasse Bridge Merit-Based Special Fund using recurring severance tax revenues from Plaquemines Parish to help buy out the Belle Chasse toll bridge and end what the sponsor described as excessive tolls and fees. He and several local witnesses, including business owners, a YMCA representative, and a parish council member, testified that the tolling arrangement had harmed access, businesses, and quality of life. The committee adopted a technical amendment clarifying the revenue source and then reported HB 488 favorably as amended. House Bill 566, which would prohibit state funds from supporting net-zero greenhouse gas initiatives tied to the 2022 Louisiana Climate Action Plan, drew significant debate over whether it would interfere with agency funding and economic development efforts; the sponsor argued the plan lacked legislative approval and should be repudiated, while members urged caution and suggested hearing from affected agencies. The sponsor agreed to consider deferring the bill, and the committee did not advance it at that time. House Bill 603, a constitutional amendment authorizing investment of state funds in digital assets and precious metals, was discussed as a way to hedge inflation and preserve value; members asked about limits and safeguards, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then began hearing House Bill 763, a transparency measure creating a public database for settlement agreements involving state agencies.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is science-based. It is data.
• Its own numbers show that it can.
• Its own numbers show that it can.
• Its own numbers show that it can.
• That is what science-based policy does: it identifies what works, it improves it, and it scales it.

Committee: House Natural Resources & Environment

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• with it.
• It has gone well, and now we're ready to make and establish it, codify it, for permanency.
• That would be keeping it the way it is now. Because the way it is... ...statement.
• That would be keeping it the way it is now.
• But the model duck, it has its own pattern. Yes, it does. Yes, it does.

Bills: HB9 , HB10 , HB16 , HB44 , HB46 , HB61 , HB101 , HB126 , HB153 , HB164 , HB233 , HB242 , HB436 , HB455 , HB571 , HB594

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: HB 9, HB9, Act 527, Shreveport, Stuffed Shrimp Capital, state symbol, Louisiana symbols, municipal designation, honorary title, cultural designation, tourism, local pride, seafood, shrimp, stuffed shrimp, cuisine, city branding, Louisiana Revised Statutes 49:170.26, legal holiday, Acadia Parish

Transcript Highlights:

• It always makes you restart. The first time you open laws, it makes you restart it. So, fear.
• If it moved it to an even number, but I said this does make it odd.
• If it moved it to an even number, but I said this does make it odd.
• It isn't that they're doing it wrong. It works for them.
• My only concern is that it gets to our floor and it passes as it is. It is my biggest concern.

Bills: HB1162

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Keywords: Lake Agassiz, water authority, board of directors, state highways, water management, 908, all

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 1162, which would add the West Fargo mayor as a voting member of the Lake Agassiz Water Authority board. The sponsor and Fargo’s mayor argued West Fargo has grown into a major regional water stakeholder and should have a formal vote, while members questioned the board structure and why the change was not framed more specifically. The bill was supported in testimony, closed without opposition, and received a 6-0 do pass recommendation. The committee then took up House Bill 1259 on annual legislative sessions and session structure. Members adopted an amendment that left the structure and logistics of sessions to legislative management rather than prescribing details in statute, after discussion about flexibility, committee workload, annual versus biennial sessions, and concerns about preserving debate and committee process. The amended bill received a 4-2 do pass recommendation, with some members voting no because they preferred a different committee recommendation or had concerns about the broader change. House Bill 1254, which would allow any North Dakota resident to obtain a State Library card, drew supportive testimony from the bill sponsor and State Library staff. They said the change would align law with current practice and expand access to books, e-materials, and other resources statewide, including for military families and out-of-state state employees. The committee closed the hearing and approved the bill 6-0. The committee also considered House Bill 1469, which narrows financial disclosure requirements so only business or trust interests directly related to the office sought or held must be disclosed. After brief discussion that the change would reduce unnecessary disclosure burdens, the committee adopted the amendment and then gave the bill a 6-0 do pass recommendation. House Bill 1368, dealing with administrative rules and the standard for challenging them, was opposed by committee counsel as too broad and legally problematic; the committee rejected it on a 4-2 do not pass vote. Finally, House Bill 1219, which would reduce the required perpetual care fund set-aside for certain cemeteries from 20% to 10%, received supportive testimony from the sponsor, cemetery representatives, and local users, but also concern about long-term fund health. The committee ultimately recommended do pass on a 5-1 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, it looks like I wrote it. I can read my own writing. LDVA. It looks like I wrote it.
• Well, why does it say it is?
• and chart it out and graph it?
• , then it takes it from those that have already received it.
• it.

Bills: HB165 , HB175 , HB198 , HB272 , HB457 , HB488 , HB566 , HB603 , HB763 , HB902 , HB909 , HB971 , HB981 , HB1066 , HB1125 , HB1154 , HB1231

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: HB165, lottery proceeds, Lottery Proceeds Fund, Veterans Service Grant Fund, constitutional amendment, veterans, military veterans, veterans' benefits, veterans services, family support, state lottery, education funding, Minimum Foundation Program, problem gambling, compulsive gaming, state treasurer, ballot proposition, constitutional referendum, lottery revenue, Louisiana resident veterans

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, you submit it. ...of that information. Well, you submit it. Exactly. You submit it.
• I'm not going to debate them on it. It happened.
• It ends in .098. It has been distributed. I move for its adoption.”
• If I rent it out, it didn't make it a commercial property, did it?
• It doesn't have to be a limited liability company. It could be you. It could be me.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The House established a quorum and then took up several bills for perfection and printing. House Bill 2189, sponsored by the Jasper member, would allow five-year vehicle registrations, eliminate the old even/odd model-year registration rule, and limit the five-year option to vehicles six years old or newer. Members discussed how the bill would interact with emissions, safety inspections, insurance verification, and county tax collection systems. House Amendment 1, which set the five-year fee at $45, was adopted, and the bill was then perfected and printed. The chamber next considered House Committee Substitute for House Bill 1790, a ballot-language measure sponsored by the St. Louis County member. The bill requires clearer ballot wording for local tax levies, including stating levy amounts in dollar terms, alphabetic labeling of propositions, disclosure when a measure would nullify a prior sunset, and a rollback rule tied to reassessment years and voter-approved levies. Members generally supported the transparency goals, and a drafting correction amendment adding a comma was adopted before the committee substitute was perfected and printed. House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2178, sponsored by the Pike member, drew the most extended debate. The bill would limit commercial property assessment increases to 15% per reassessment cycle, require a physical inspection if increases exceed that threshold, and require Board of Equalization decisions by the end of September or revert to the prior year’s assessment. Amendments were adopted to add short-term rental protections so assessors cannot reclassify residential short-term rentals as commercial property, to incorporate ballot-language provisions from other bills, and to add taxpayer protections requiring clearer assessment notices, faster refunds, and litigation-cost recovery in some successful appeals. The body adopted House Amendment 1 by roll call, 92-43 with 5 present, and later adopted House Amendments 2 and 3; House Amendment 4 was then taken up for further discussion at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• It needs to, it needs to stop. It has to stop. If it does not stop, the Texas miracle will.
• It, it doesn't exist.
• It would, it would change.
• It's separate and distinct from mental anguish, and it, it, it is compensable on its own.
• up or it can strike it down.

Committee: House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Transcript Highlights:

• it.
• It should be where should it actually reside.
• It should be where should it actually reside.
• it may be.
• way it is now where it would be a So if everybody's K, we'll just leave it the way it is now where it

Committee: Joint Higher Education Funding Review Committee

Summary: The Higher Education Funding Review Committee met to continue work on a draft higher education funding formula and related capital building fund changes. Lisa Johnson of the North Dakota University System updated the committee on the board’s developing policy for low-producing academic programs. She said the board is using a five-year rolling window, with thresholds of fewer than 10 undergraduate graduates or fewer than 5 graduate graduates, and that programs flagged in three consecutive review cycles would go to the board for review. Possible outcomes include continuation, continuation with modifications, inactivation, or termination. Members asked about how the policy would account for enrollment, program costs, workforce need, and programs that serve students outside their major. Johnson said the board would likely use an accompanying procedure to consider those factors. She also reported that about 200 programs could potentially be reviewed under current guidance, with 135 inactivated and 112 terminated, and said the process is intended to support quality and stewardship rather than simply cut programs. Jamie Wilkie then reported on the Capital Building Fund. He reviewed the fund’s history, matching requirements, and use for extraordinary repairs, deferred maintenance, and some legislatively authorized projects. He said about $334 million in state and matching dollars has been invested overall, with roughly 78.7% going to deferred maintenance and extraordinary repairs. Committee members pressed for updated information on how much deferred maintenance has actually been reduced, and several members said they wanted clearer reporting on the return on investment from new buildings versus repairs. NDSU representatives said the tier funding has helped significantly reduce deferred maintenance and allowed demolition and renovation work on campus. The committee also discussed the need for updated five-year facility plans and space-utilization information from the institutions. The committee then began a section-by-section review of a draft bill that would replace the current higher education funding formula with an FTE-based model and restructure the capital building fund. The draft would fund UND and NDSU differently from the other nine institutions, use fall enrollment rather than completed credits, add performance funding for completions in in-demand fields, create research incentives for UND and NDSU, and combine capital building fund tiers while changing matching requirements and eligible uses. Members raised concerns about the treatment of professional students, the use of CIP codes, incentives for waivers, and whether the formula should rely on more current data. The committee did not take final action on the draft during this meeting, but it continued detailed discussion and indicated more review would follow.

Transcript Highlights:

• it.
• And I think that's part of our problem over the years: it is and it ain't. It is, it ain't. It is.
• We hear it in the barbershop. We hear it at home. We hear it here.
• It could be a guardhouse. It could be fencing. It could be cameras.
• It could be a guardhouse. It could be fencing. It could be cameras.

Bills: SB83 , SB135 , SB143 , SB155 , SB157 , SB202 , SB237 , SB261 , SB276 , SB295 , SB450 , SB465 , SB506 , HB1070

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: human trafficking, trafficking prevention, school safety, public schools, elementary and secondary education, charter schools, mandatory reporting, victim identification, victim services, child trafficking, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, commercial sexual activity, DCFS, Department of Children and Family Services, Louisiana State Police, governor's office of human trafficking prevention, counselor training, mental health professional, administrator training

Transcript Highlights:

• So it is what it is.
• It takes time to get a handle on it.
• Is it noon? Oh, it is noon. I think maybe we'll just thank you. Is it noon? Oh, it is noon.
• Click on county, it breaks it out further to county; click on city, it breaks it out further to city.
• It really, it sounds small, but it isn't small. And so we just, and we'll all get it done.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The subcommittee of the Tax Reform and Relief Committee met with a quorum to begin its study of whether the content of North Dakota real estate tax statements should be revised to improve transparency. Legislative Council staff reviewed the background for the study, including House Bill 1176, current statutory requirements for tax statements, and recent changes such as separate line items for bonded debt, primary residence credit, and legacy fund-related amounts. The Tax Department then explained the current statement format and noted that the form is prescribed and approved by the tax commissioner, with changes typically driven by statute and implemented collaboratively with counties and vendors. County officials from the North Dakota Association of Counties described the full annual process for preparing budgets, setting levies, calculating taxable values, and issuing notices and tax statements. They said counties spend significant time coordinating with taxing districts, neighboring counties, and software vendors, and that the new budget hearing notices and valuation notices have not generated much public response. Members raised concerns about the usefulness and clarity of certain line items, especially the legislative tax relief calculation and the primary residence credit, and discussed whether the current statement creates confusion rather than transparency. Testimony also addressed the 3% cap, mill levy worksheets, assessment cycles, and the role of county auditors and tax directors in maintaining accurate values. The committee also heard from software vendors CPT and Tyler Technologies about how legislative changes are programmed into tax systems and how online taxpayer portals can provide more detailed breakdowns of tax bills. Vendors said changes required by law are generally absorbed in contracts rather than billed directly to counties, and they demonstrated web tools and pie-chart style breakdowns that show where tax dollars go. NDACO presented a survey of eight counties estimating tax statement preparation and mailing costs, concluding that outsourced printing tends to be cheaper on average and that total statewide tax statement costs may be roughly $600,000, though the estimate was based on limited data. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational and focused on gathering testimony and identifying issues for possible future recommendations or bill drafts.

Transcript Highlights:

• And it offsets it in that way.
• They're a model for this state, and it doesn't mean Winsville can't do it. We did it. Or St.
• It didn't take very long to do it, and I filed it with them when I got my tax bill.
• buy it.
• It is a business. It is not a commercial business.

Committee: House Special Committee on Property Tax Reform

Summary: The committee heard extensive testimony on House Bill 2651, a broad property tax reform bill sponsored by Representative Burns. Burns said the bill is intended to close perceived loopholes in the Hancock Amendment, including moving tax-related elections to November, eliminating the new-construction exclusion, allowing multiple subclass rates, and preventing counties from opting out of multiple levies. Supporters argued the bill would better protect homeowners from large tax increases, while opponents and several members raised concerns about the loss of local control, the impact on growing communities, and whether the proposal was revenue neutral. No vote was taken; the bill remained in public testimony. The committee then heard House Bill 2944, which would change Missouri’s senior homestead property tax relief so eligible seniors would only have to apply once instead of annually. Representative Billington said the current yearly paperwork burdens older residents on fixed incomes and can contribute to them losing their homes. Some members supported simplifying the process, but others and the Missouri Association of Counties opposed the bill as written, arguing annual recertification helps ensure only eligible taxpayers receive the credit and that counties need a way to verify continued eligibility. Questions also focused on how to handle deaths, moves, and possible recapture of improperly granted credits. No action was taken. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 1786/2060, a joint short-term rental property tax classification proposal from Representatives Brown and Vernetti. The sponsors argued that single-family homes used as short-term rentals should remain classified as residential, not commercial, and said some assessors have reclassified them in a way that sharply raises taxes. They cited case law and IRS treatment to support their position and said the bill would protect homeowners and local tourism economies. The Missouri Hotel Lodging Association opposed the measure, saying short-term rentals used as a business should be taxed accordingly, while the Missouri Realtors supported it. Testimony highlighted concerns about local control, the effect on housing availability, and whether short-term rentals should be treated differently based on frequency of use. No vote was taken on this bill either.

Transcript Highlights:

• it or not fit into it.
• and it would have opened it up to everything.
• and it would have opened it up to everything.
• and it would have opened it up to everything.
• I can help you with it. I can help you with it. It wasn't the current bill sponsor.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It passed twice unopposed, without objection, and it gets to the Senate and the Senate stops it. ...twice
• So that makes these, while everybody loves it, it does make it more difficult.
• It removes it? It removes the 20% and puts in numerical caps. He changes the cap.
• And if it doesn't perform, then it comes off.
• And if it doesn't perform, then it comes off.

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee met on March 16, 2026, and heard several bills dealing mainly with tax checkoffs, severance tax revenue, and estimated tax administration. The first major item was HB 156 by Rep. Bagley, a proposed constitutional amendment to remove the cap on the 20% share of severance tax revenues remitted to parishes where production occurs. Supporters from local government and the Police Jury Association argued that the cap prevents parishes from receiving the full share intended to help repair roads, bridges, drainage, and other infrastructure damaged by oil and gas activity. Members raised concerns about the bill’s roughly $42 million fiscal note and the state budget outlook, and the author ultimately agreed to voluntarily defer the bill after discussion of possible phase-ins and other compromises. The committee then took up HB 602 by Rep. Bamberg, another severance-tax-related constitutional amendment that would phase in a higher parish cap over five years, with a separate amendment tying the increase to parishes that exempt business inventory from ad valorem taxes. After questions about how it would interact with the pending inventory-tax amendment and its fiscal impact, the committee adopted the amendment and voluntarily deferred the bill pending a fiscal note. The committee also heard HB 852 by Rep. Lyons, which restores the income tax checkoff for donations to the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence by lowering the performance threshold from $10,000 to $5,000; members discussed the number of checkoffs on the return and the need to keep the form manageable, but the bill was reported favorably as amended. Next, the committee considered HB 474 by Rep. Young, creating an individual income tax checkoff for the Grambling University National Alumni Association. Members again debated whether tax-return checkoffs amount to government-facilitated fundraising and whether they crowd the return, but the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard HB 633 by Chairman Bacala, a cleanup bill adjusting estimated tax penalty timing and calculations to match current tax law; an amendment set was adopted to replace references to personal exemptions with the standard deduction, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. The meeting concluded with adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is just bringing it out and making it...
• Let's stick it to them and give it.
• We define face-to-face—what really is it? Is it the hybrid? Is it this?
• We define face-to-face—what really is it? Is it the hybrid? Is it this?
• in it.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Higher Education Funding Committee met to discuss possible changes to North Dakota’s higher education funding formula, with a particular focus on separating the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences MD program from the general formula. Dr. Jenkins outlined several options for the MD program, including a fixed-funding model, a hybrid model, or keeping it in the formula, and emphasized the need to preserve strong support for medical education while making future funding clearer. He also discussed efforts to increase the share of North Dakota students in the MD program through ND85, expanded recruiting, early acceptance pathways, MCAT prep, a four-plus-one program, and the Primary Care Accelerated Track, along with future cost pressures such as AI licensing and residency growth. The committee then reviewed a simplified funding model from the University System Office that would base funding more heavily on student FTE, credentials awarded, and a few incentive factors such as small institution and research adjustments. Members questioned the use of placeholder numbers, the lack of a clear methodology for the small institution and research factors, and whether the model would adequately account for differences among institutions, high-cost programs, and graduate education. Several members raised concerns that arbitrary factors would be hard to defend politically and could distort funding or create competition between schools, while others said the exercise was useful as a starting point for discussion. Alex presented a second alternative that kept the current SIP-code structure but increased CTE weighting, added a progressive economic size factor, and separated out the MD program. His model also added an on-campus face-to-face headcount component and a credentials component, with the intent of rewarding in-person enrollment and completions. Members questioned the use of headcount instead of FTE, how hybrid, online, dual-credit, and off-campus students would be treated, and why face-to-face enrollment was weighted more heavily than completion. No formal votes or final actions were taken; the committee instead continued discussion and asked members to provide direction on which elements, if any, should be developed further.

Transcript Highlights:

• it.
• it.
• it?
• it?
• It looked like it might be. It can't be. Conformity.

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• it.
• it.
• And I think that's part of our problem over the years: it is. And it ain't. It is, it ain't. It is.
• We hear it in the barbershop. We hear it at home. We hear it here.
• It could be a guardhouse. It could be fencing. It could be cameras.

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 135, which would redirect a portion of wagering dedications from the sports fund to the Louisiana Early Childhood Education Fund and remove a cap affecting that funding stream. The author and staff explained the amendment was designed to avoid any impact on the State General Fund while increasing support for early childhood education. The committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably as amended. Senate Bill 202, from the Secretary of State’s office, would increase the number of compensated days for parish board of election supervisors to cover additional election-related duties. Secretary Landry and election officials testified that the change was needed because supervisors now perform more work, including ballot tabulation, machine sealing, and verification tasks. The committee adopted technical and appropriation-related amendments and reported the bill favorably as amended. The committee then took up several health and human services bills. Senate Bill 155 would require insurance coverage for medically necessary dental procedures needed before cancer treatment; testimony from medical and dental professionals emphasized that untreated dental problems can delay chemotherapy or radiation and worsen outcomes. After adopting amendments to narrow the fiscal impact, the bill was reported favorably as amended, with discussion of a possible subject-to-appropriation amendment to be worked out later. Senate Bill 237, a major DCFS reform bill, drew extensive testimony and debate over child welfare oversight, mandatory reporter training, law enforcement coordination, and the bill’s large fiscal note. The committee adopted amendments, including a subject-to-appropriation provision, and reported the bill favorably as amended after emotional testimony from supporters and former DCFS employees. The committee also advanced Senate Bill 465 on prompt-pay insurance reform after an amendment reduced the fiscal note to zero; Senate Bill 261 on unclaimed property after a substitute bill was adopted; Senate Bill 295 on expanded coverage for traumatic brain injury rehabilitation after amendments narrowed the mandate and added subject-to-appropriation language; Senate Bill 157 providing six weeks of paid parental leave for K-12 educators and staff, also subject to appropriation; Senate Bill 276 requiring bail bond producers to certify outstanding obligations before new appointments; Senate Bill 83 on human trafficking services after removing the age-expansion cost; Senate Bill 143 on bulletproof vests after shifting funding away from a direct state appropriation; and Senate Bill 450 on school safety assessments after an amendment limited implementation to available funds and resources. In each case, the committee’s actions focused on reducing or eliminating fiscal notes while keeping the bills moving forward.