Transcript Highlights:

• These are people that many times are disabled, living in our Section 8, and now to say you're either
• My name is Conrad Crump and I'm here on behalf of Disability Rights California and we appreciate the
• to protect home and community-based services for as many Californians as possible, including our disabled
• , let people with disabilities live full lives in their communities, and they also save the state money
• . accommodate additional rural patients.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• as many people as possible. ...modifications to what was originally filed in order to accommodate as
• We've worked to redraft the language, and it now accommodates prior concerns.
• And we hope that you guys will sign on to protect those lives, especially persons with disability.
• Risking its infrastructure and public safety to accommodate vessels beyond tested and safe parameters
• Risking its infrastructure for public safety to accommodate vessels beyond tested and safe parameters

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee hearing covered several bills related to environmental, natural resources, and maritime issues. Representative Markey testified in support of H. 1000, which would create a commission to study financing wastewater infrastructure, especially in southeastern Massachusetts and the South Shore, citing combined sewer overflows and impacts on aquaculture. Members agreed the core challenge is finding long-term financing for wastewater solutions. The committee also heard testimony on H. 902 to establish an Office of Outdoor Recreation, with supporters describing its role in expanding access, supporting underrepresented communities, and helping grow the outdoor economy. Related testimony also supported H. 986, which would codify the Division of Ecological Restoration and the Office of Fishing and Boating Access within the Department of Fish and Game, with witnesses emphasizing habitat restoration, flood reduction, public access, and boating/fishing opportunities. A major portion of the hearing focused on H. 901/S. 597, “An Act Providing Nature for All,” which would dedicate existing sporting goods sales tax revenue to a new conservation fund. Supporters from Mass Audubon, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Appalachian Mountain Club, Trust for Public Land, Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, and conservation groups argued the bill would provide a sustainable revenue stream for land conservation, parks, trails, wetlands, water protection, and climate resilience, while also advancing environmental justice and outdoor recreation. They said the state needs roughly $300 million more per year to meet land conservation goals and that the bill could generate about $100 million annually without raising taxes. Committee members asked about balancing conservation with housing and development, and witnesses said the goals are compatible and that the bill includes safeguards. Witnesses also noted similar funding models in other states. The hearing also included H. 1053, a bill to create a Merrimack River Collaborative. Regional planning and watershed advocates said the river faces bacterial contamination, heavy metals, combined sewer overflows, and other pollution, and that a formal collaborative would help coordinate municipalities, state agencies, and nonprofits across the watershed and possibly across state lines. Another bill, H. 4109, would relocate harbor lines in New Bedford Harbor to allow reconstruction of deteriorating bulkheads at a waterfront industrial site; the New Bedford Port Authority, engineers, and the property owner said the change is needed for permitting and would support port modernization and jobs. Finally, the committee heard extensive testimony on S. 641 regarding marine pilotage in New Bedford. Supporters argued the bill would remove a District 3 pilotage restriction and improve port flexibility and offshore wind operations, while opponents warned it would undermine the state’s compulsory pilotage system, weaken safety, and allow ship owners to shop for pilots. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• , a medical accommodation, a disability, or a 504, all of those are exceptions, and there's a very clear
• , a medical accommodation, a disability, or a 504, all of those are exceptions, and there's a very clear
• , a medical accommodation, a disability, or a 504, all of those are exceptions, and there's a very clear
• , a medical accommodation, a disability, or a 504, all of those are exceptions, and there's a very clear
• medical accommodation uh education a medical accommodation uh disability<04:50:35.878> 504<04:

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 362, which would grant the Department of Education rulemaking authority related to educator licensure and testing requirements, including passing scores on professional education assessments. Representative Ladd said the bill is intended to preserve New Hampshire’s standards for classroom teachers and CTE instructors, while allowing DOE flexibility through rulemaking. He emphasized maintaining high standards, including for career and technical education, and said he was open to DOE clarifying the language further. Committee members raised concerns that the bill, as written, could remove language recognizing industry-recognized credentials for CTE instructors. Department of Education Director Steven Appy said DOE had drafted an amendment to clarify that the requirement applies to an initial New Hampshire license, to exempt CTE teachers from content exams, and to preserve current administrative practice allowing basic academic skills testing and industry-recognized credentials as substitutes. The committee discussed the distinction between basic academic skills tests and content assessments, and Appy said the amendment was meant to avoid conflating those requirements. The chair said the committee would take up executive session on HB 362 and related bills later. The committee then took up House Bill 90, which narrows and defines the rules for part-time teachers, especially in concurrent enrollment settings. Representative Ladd explained that the bill is meant to allow qualified college faculty or adjuncts from the University System or Community College System to teach high school concurrent-enrollment courses when local schools lack a teacher with the needed master’s-level credentials, particularly in math and STEM subjects. He said the bill is intended to expand student access to college-level coursework, save money, and preserve standards, while still requiring background checks and adherence to ethics and conduct rules. Members began asking questions about how the bill would work in practice, including certification and endorsement issues, but the hearing was not concluded in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for accommodating me and taking me out of order.
• Four hundred applicants, and we can only accommodate 150, and that's crowded as it is.
• My wife has disabilities. She can't take care of herself.
• Many of our clients are on fixed income, Social Security, disability, in some cases not even that.
• year-old son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and other cognitive disabilities

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a hybrid hearing on several property and local tax bills. The main focus was H.56, the Municipal Empowerment Act, which the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, MAPC, and Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo supported as a package of local options and administrative reforms. Supporters said municipalities need more tools to relieve pressure on property taxes and fund services, citing proposed increases to local meals and lodging taxes, a new local vehicle excise surcharge, senior property tax relief, one-year override flexibility for emergencies, and central valuation of telecom and utility property by DOR. The administration said the bill was based on municipal listening sessions and was intended to give cities and towns optional, not mandatory, revenue tools. Opponents, including the National Federation of Independent Businesses, argued the tax increases would hurt restaurants, hotels, tourism, and small businesses and add to affordability concerns. The committee also heard testimony on H.3211, dealing with deeds excise receipts, from Norfolk County Commissioner Richard Staidi. He said Norfolk County is financially stable but needs additional revenue for major capital needs at its agricultural school, especially a new cafeteria and other aging facilities, and also to support county programs such as veteran transportation services. On S.2020, a bill to allow settlements of tax liability, Greater Boston Legal Services, the Asian American Civic Association, and several individual taxpayers urged creation of a more workable offer-in-compromise process at DOR. They said the current system is too subjective, requires an unaffordable $5,000 threshold, lacks clear standards and appeal rights, and leaves low-income taxpayers stuck with unmanageable debt, license suspensions, or business closures. Supporters said the bill would give both taxpayers and DOR a practical way to resolve liabilities and bring people back into compliance. The committee also took testimony on S.1966, which would require nonprofits selling property to disclose any back-tax obligations to buyers. Senator Peter Durant said the bill was prompted by a personal experience in which a tax bill arrived after a nonprofit property purchase was already completed, and he argued the disclosure would prevent buyers from being surprised by retroactive tax liability. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair closed the session after hearing from all scheduled witnesses.

Transcript Highlights:

• we embark on a new two-year session, to review the rules changes that we made two years ago to accommodate
• A couple of disability advocates reached out to me wanting to speak to folks about the Medical Aid in
• Dying and explain, from a disability perspective, why they don't support that legislation.
• <02:16:50.040> Advocates<02:16:50.479> reached uh a couple Disability Advocates reached
• <02:16:56.679> perspective explain from a disability perspective explain from a disability

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Due to time constraints and the desire of the chair to move quickly through our agenda and to accommodate
• one criminal offense. criminal offenses that target the abuse of children, the elderly, and the disabled
• our law by creating an offense to target those who abuse elderly individuals, children, and the disabled
• I'm sorry, who abused the individual children and the disabled?
• sentences. for multiple convictions under Section 22.04 against a child, elderly individual, or disabled

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, a specific learning disability. And then you could see 2025-2026.
• Again, I'm Stephen Alamon with Disability Rights Texas.
• We serve children across the state, every kind of disability, every degree of disability.
• Students with disabilities most harmed.
• Students with disabilities, students who are learning English, they cannot stop to provide accommodations

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Bills: SB1287, SB1983, SB1796, SB1806, SB1558, SB2135, SB483, SB1198, SB1265, SB2154, SB2139, SB1552, SB2118, SB1775, SB259, SB1344, SB1380, SB2007, SB1572, SB2074, SB1423, SB1425, SB1502, SB1503, SB1833, SB1561, SB1555, SB2044, SB1749, SB904, SB1565, SB1500, SB667, SB1484, SB1562, SB1644, HR1045, SB227, SB1627, SB1475, SB1966, SB2049, SB1531, SB80, SB1734, SB1630, SB1894, SB1975, SB1432, SB1437, SB1812, SB346, SB710, SB1489, SB1614, SB2045, SB1250, SB1304, SB1501, SB1946, SB592, SB65, SB1257, SB444, SB640, SB2178, SB1242, SB1642

Keywords: abstraction, licensing, Oklahoma Abstractors Board, criminal background, good moral character, SB1983, foster care, resource family partner, resource family partners, Department of Human Services, DHS, child welfare, foster homes, foster children, placement data, data sharing, de-identified data, aggregated data, sibling groups, placement disruptions

Transcript Highlights:

• I know we were on a little bit of a schedule change today because we're trying to accommodate a lot of
• We are going to jump around a little bit on this agenda to accommodate noncommittee members and folks
• Thank you, Chairman, for accommodating my schedule. Thank you, committee. Mr.
• I had a number of parents reach out to me who have children with disabilities, and what would that do
• out was that I didn't want to take care of kids on IEP, so I didn't care about children that were disabled

Bills: SB1632, SB1594, SB2045, SB1251, SB1884, SB1250, SB1630, SB1262, SB1374, SB1292, SB1432, SB1199, SB1790, SB1481, SB1614, SB1734, SB1437, SB1489, SB1718, SB1778

Keywords: career readiness, education reform, high school assessments, workplace skills, state education, credentialing, teacher certification, principal requirements, education administration, special education, Oklahoma education law, SB2045, Grow Your Own Educator Program, teacher recruitment, teacher retention, alternative certification, alternative teacher certification, teacher preparation, tuition reimbursement, course fee reimbursement

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Stephen Aleman with Disability Rights Texas, and I'm in support of the bill.
• Disability Rights Texas represents the interests of people with disabilities, including students with
• disabilities in our public schools.
• They don't have expertise in students with disabilities and special education... ...settings.
• They're disabled or older; they just don't have the same kind of resources, and there would be not one

Bills: SB623, SB1266, SB1310, SB1373, SB1580, SB1952, SB2032, SB2269, SB2544, SB2653, SB2796

Keywords: pharmacist, vaccine administration, COVID-19, exclusive authority, healthcare, Medicaid, provider enrollment, credentialing, administrative burden, Texas Health and Human Services, senior retirement communities, emergency response, residential safety, contract provisions, health and safety regulations, medical staff privileges, hospital administration, healthcare regulation, Texas Health and Safety Code, consistency in privileges

Transcript Highlights:

• institutions, collecting data on school performance and graduation rates, ensuring students with disabilities
• receive a free and appropriate public education through the Individuals with Disabilities Education.
• Of having a right to currently and that's to give accommodations to students in the classroom so that
• Laws that protect students with disabilities under IDEA.
• Seniors and disabled Americans waiting on their Social Security checks are not fraudsters.

Transcript Highlights:

• Germany and its collaborators during World War II, and millions of others, including Roma, Poles, disabled
• SB 1341, anti-discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, immigration, government agencies
• SB 355, anti-discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations.
• SB 1397, pregnant employees reasonable accommodation.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and an electronic roll call showing 30 members present. The body approved the previous journal and then paused for several memorial and guest recognitions, including a moment of silence for former Representative Noel Campbell, who died in a motorcycle accident. The chamber also welcomed visiting school district leaders, Grand Canyon University Government and History Club students, and Food Bank Day at the Capitol participants. Members then adopted a proclamation recognizing International Holocaust Remembrance Day, with remarks emphasizing the history of the Holocaust, the rise in antisemitism, and the importance of education and remembrance. A guest shared a personal family story about escaping Germany in 1938. Senator Bolick also read a proclamation for National School Choice Week, highlighting Arizona’s public, charter, private, homeschool, and microschool options and urging members to engage with schools in their districts. The Senate received numerous governor communications and introduced a long list of first- and second-reading bills covering topics such as education, water, energy, public safety, elections, health care, taxes, housing, and border issues. The chamber also received House Concurrent Resolution 2045 honoring the late Congressman Raul Grijalva; it was adopted unanimously, and the Senate observed a moment of silence. The session ended with committee announcements for the next day and adjournment until Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 1:15 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• If accommodation is needed, communicate with the sergeant's staff.
• I know that a lot of work has already been done, and many accommodations have already been made.
• and testified, and especially our staff. for keeping up with our conversations and always being accommodating
• I don't quite know for a fact, but I do believe I am the only combat disabled veteran in this committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair and members, Samuel Jan with Disability Rights California.
• youth experiencing racial, gender, or disability discrimination in school.
• Samuel Jan with Disability Rights California, in support. Thank you.
• Disability Rights California is also in strong support.
• Same with Disability Rights, California, a strong support.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you require a reasonable accommodation, please speak with our sergeant staff.
• please<00:01:13.040> speak a reasonable accommodation, please speak a reasonable accommodation
• Maybe it was intentional to keep out people with disabilities. I don't know.
• Um, maybe it's intentional to keep out people with disabilities.
• Either way, there's an disabilities.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Disabilities Act and also Minnesota law. Disabilities Act and also Minnesota law.
• So that tells me that accommodations.
• One is it's adding HOAs to the accommodation, but also other training accommodation, but also other training
• So the housing accommodations that's in existing law would cover the non-HOAs.
• So, every second non-disabled peers.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senators, let's take Up Tab. 5 SB 1050, on Agency for Persons with Disabilities by Senator Bradley.
• There are over 22,000 individuals with disabilities on the APD waitlist, some waiting for a decade or
• It requires AHCA to have a call center for those with developmental disabilities and families to learn
• It's for adult, disabled children.
• By the way, we've been fortunate enough to have that raising someone with development disabilities is

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Even if it may take longer, people with disabilities do matter as much as people without disabilities
• Regardless of a disability label, people with disabilities deserve to be treated equally, not less.
• , bans metrics in the provision of health care that devalue disabled lives over non-disabled lives, and
• Negative perceptions of disability presume that disabled lives have less worth and are of lower quality
• than non-disabled lives.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing held a public hearing on 16 bills, with the chairs noting a busy legislative day and asking speakers to keep testimony brief. The committee first heard testimony on Senate 860/House 1405, the Medicare for All bill, with Sen. Jamie Eldridge and many advocates, clinicians, municipal officials, and patients arguing that a single-payer system would make care a right, reduce administrative waste, lower costs, and protect residents from rising premiums, medical debt, and hospital closures. Several speakers cited the Steward hospital crisis, affordability problems, and polling or ballot questions showing public support for single-payer coverage. No vote was taken during the hearing. The committee then took testimony on S. 863, a bill on non-opioid options for chronic pain. Pain specialists, patients, and advocates said the bill would improve care coordination for MassHealth members, expand access to non-opioid medications, require provider education, and collect data on chronic pain. Testifiers described long delays in diagnosis and treatment, stigma toward pain patients, and the need for multidisciplinary care and transportation support. Again, the committee heard testimony only and took no action. A large portion of the hearing focused on H. 1360/S. 869, which would prevent discrimination against people with disabilities in health care. Disability advocates, clinicians, and patients described being denied or delayed care, pressured into DNR orders, or treated based on assumptions about quality of life rather than medical facts. Speakers referenced COVID-era crisis standards of care, discriminatory metrics, and personal stories involving canceled procedures, inadequate accommodations, and poor treatment in hospitals. Committee members thanked speakers for their testimony and said they would review the bill and its implications, but no vote was announced. The committee also heard testimony on H. 1399, an individual Medicare marketplace option for municipal retirees, where supporters said it would give cities and towns a lower-cost alternative for retiree health benefits through HRAs and individual Medicare plans. The hearing then returned to Medicare for All testimony, with additional supporters repeating arguments about cost, access, municipal budget pressure, and the need for global budgeting and universal coverage. The transcript ends with continued testimony and no recorded committee vote or final action on any bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• And in that on disability for our state.
• And we count it a pleasure disabilities.
• <00:07:45.480> Monitoring Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Developmental Disabilities
• So, right students with disabilities.
• So, we have several disabilities.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Prisons are not equipped to serve people who are disabled or terminally ill or who have trouble with
• decision, who were 18, 19, or 20 when they committed the crimes, and then also to people with disabilities
• who have been found to need a reasonable accommodation.
• accommodation, and some remarks on classification that are a little different from what other people
• do provide counsel for people serving different life sentences, but those are just people with disabilities

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission on correctional consolidation and collaboration heard testimony focused on how Massachusetts uses custody levels, staffing, programming, and medical release tools, with Prisoners’ Legal Services arguing that the system is overusing expensive high-security settings and underusing step-down options. Dave Rainey said the incarcerated population has dropped substantially over the last several years, but spending and staffing have not fallen in proportion. He argued that DOC overclassifies people into medium and maximum security, relies too heavily on behavioral assessment units that function like segregation, and keeps people in restrictive settings such as Souza-Baranowski and Shattuck Hospital longer than necessary. He also said medical parole is underused and that many people with serious chronic illness or advanced age pose little public-safety risk and should be released through existing legal pathways. Sheriffs and other commission members pushed back on some of those points, emphasizing that staffing needs are driven by the acuity of the current population, that corrections is not overstaffed, and that classification decisions involve serious public-safety judgments. They also stressed that some high-cost medical placements are necessary because people remain under sentence and require care, and that furloughs and other release tools can create security risks if contraband or substance use is involved. The discussion also covered the role of county sheriffs versus DOC in reentry, with several members saying county systems tend to do more day-to-day step-down and release planning, while DOC has more difficulty moving people through lower-security settings before release. Ben Foreman of MassINC offered a more systemwide, data-focused perspective, praising the state’s transparency and arguing that Massachusetts has made major progress in reducing incarceration and increasing public safety. He said the state still has an opportunity to improve by right-sizing facilities, investing in community-based mental health treatment, and using the commission to better understand the capital and operating costs of the current system. In response to questions, he said he was aware of DOC studies on programs like furlough but had not reviewed recent ones, and he noted that total-control facilities like Souza-Baranowski have long been criticized in the research literature for poor outcomes. Nora Wassel of the Women and Incarceration Project then testified that the commission should issue an interim report and scrutinize the planned new women’s prison, which she said is not justified by current population trends or available data. She argued that women are overclassified under DOC’s own tools, that reentry beds and minimum-security placements are underused, and that the system may be failing to account for women’s distinct medical and reentry needs. The meeting ended with continued discussion of reentry, furloughs, day reporting, and whether consolidation should mean fewer facilities, better step-down pathways, or both.