Transcript Highlights:

• So can our state say, we want this all to be a statewide program so that we can direct these things,
• Can our state say we want this all to be a statewide program so that we can direct these things maybe
• Some, if they only treat adults, would have to partner and have a direct collaborating organization to
• Are there any advanced communications that you can share with us?
• Are there any advanced communications that you can share with us to shed light on that?

Summary: The committee first approved a motion, then heard a lengthy presentation on homelessness in Arkansas, with a focus on unsheltered homelessness, untreated mental illness and substance use, public safety, and the role of local law enforcement and shelters. Presenters from law enforcement, homeless service providers, mental health, and policy groups discussed federal Continuum of Care funding, the need for better data and accountability, and proposals such as statewide camping enforcement, stronger treatment access, and consolidating or reworking the continuum-of-care structure. Much of the discussion centered on the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model, with witnesses describing it as a way to expand crisis services, treatment, and coordination with housing and justice systems. They also discussed homelessness among sex offenders, family homelessness, workforce supports, and how to scale successful local programs statewide. No formal action was taken on the homelessness proposals during the discussion. The committee then reviewed several Department of Energy and Department of Health/Board of Nursing rules. The energy rule updated solid waste post-closure cleanup thresholds from $50,000 to $2 million to match Act 791 of 2025. Nursing-related rules added fees for the new dialysis patient care technician registration created by Act 198 of 2025, updated contact-information requirements, implemented APRN authority under Act 862 of 2025, clarified durable medical equipment language under Act 431 of 2025, and incorporated delegation changes from Act 959 of 2025. Additional nursing rules updated certified medication assistant training and duties under Act 265 of 2025, and corrected rules for full independent practice to include clinical nurse specialists under Act 872 of 2023. Each rule was reviewed without objection. At the close of the meeting, members received an update that UAMS had completed its NCII designation submission for the Winthrop Rockefeller Cancer Institute, which was described as a major milestone. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then, a psychiatric evaluation is necessary every so often, can be between 50 and 100 dollars.
• And<00:19:32.000><c> then,</c><00:19:32.159><c> a</c><00:19:32.240><c> psychiatric</c><00:19:33.000><
• c> evaluation</c><00:19:33.679><c> is</c> And then, a psychiatric evaluation is And then, a psychiatric
• They need at least one weekly visit with a therapist, a monthly psychiatric evaluation, so we can see
• and some funding a a some direction and some funding stream, And you will.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So when we come back next session, we have real solid data and direction that is fact-based on how to
• Eskamani: Thank you for reaching out to us in advance. Where would this information be listed? Rep.
• could inform their votes, and others who think it's fine and it will inform their vote to the other direction
• During this shift I worked on the unit, a young woman arrived from Aubree Powell: The jail in acute psychiatric
• So there would not be a direct line between business tax that goes toward this specific type of activity

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill directed to third reading. >> Move to accept the Rules Committee. >> All in favor, please signify
• And these delays can lead to more psychiatric deterioration, hospitalization, or emergency room visits
• AND THESE DELAYS CAN LEAD TO MORE PSYCHIATRIC DETERIORATION, HOSPITALIZATION OR EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate met on May 6, 2026, approved the prior journal, and accepted a Rules Committee report advancing the government appropriations bill to third reading. The chamber then took up the tenth budget extender, which sponsor Senator Serrano said would keep state government operating through Monday, May 11 and contained $482 million in new spending, bringing the total across extenders to $20.3 billion. In questioning, Senator O’Mara and Senator Helming pressed Serrano for details on the reported $268 billion budget deal, policy outcomes, revenue raisers, and whether local governments, schools, and rural health programs would receive certainty; Serrano said final budget bills were not yet in print and declined to speculate on unresolved issues. The extender passed 60-1, with Senator Weik voting no. The Senate also adopted several previously adopted resolutions honoring the North Tonawanda High School girls varsity basketball team, the Tappan Zee High School girls basketball team, and SUNY student Chriss-Ann Pryce. Members praised the teams’ state championships and Pryce’s academic and leadership achievements through the Educational Opportunity Program. The chamber then returned to legislation and passed a bill designating May 9 as Overdose Awareness Day in New York; Senator Fernandez said it recognized the harm of overdose and the need to continue funding harm reduction and recovery services. Additional bills passed included a statewide domestic violence lethality assessment measure, with Senators Murray, Rolison, Webb, and Ramos describing it as a tool to identify dangerous situations and prevent fatalities; a mental health insurance bill limiting step therapy/prior authorization for serious mental health medications, supported by Senator Fahy; and measures on education, real property tax, election law, general business law, kitchen incubator economic impacts, public buildings, state finance, and mental hygiene. Several bills drew recorded opposition, including the real property tax bill and the election law and general business law measures. The Senate concluded by adjourning until Monday, May 11 at 3:00 p.m., with intervening days designated legislative.

Transcript Highlights:

• The on line analysis advancement grant.
• Um the first direct care and treatment.
• </c><00:34:27.200><c> care</c> and clients at some direct care and clients at some direct care facilities
• </c> 1086 is an item for a locked psychiatric 1086 is an item for a locked psychiatric residential<00
• </c> for individual providers of direct for individual providers of direct support<00:54:03.160><c> services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Are there limitations on economic advancement? Yes. Are there limitations on economic advancement?
• provide grants to entities for the advancement of...
• Advanced Air Mobility Fund in FY 2027 to the office to provide grants to entities for the advancement
• of advanced air mobility.
• what we know as advanced air mobility.

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 1630, which would direct AHCCCS to seek federal approval for a home- and community-based services program for adults determined to be seriously mentally ill, with quarterly implementation updates, a stakeholder work group, and a cap on enrollment. The sponsor and advocates from Arizona Mad Moms argued the bill would create a Medicaid-funded long-term care option for the most disabled SMI patients, reduce costly hospital and state-only care, and improve continuity of care. A committee amendment narrowed eligibility to individuals needing a long-term SMI level of care, changed reporting to semiannual, reduced the initial cap to 250 members with possible growth tied to savings, and required AHCCCS to keep pursuing approval if CMS denies it. The amendment was adopted, and SB 1630 as amended passed 10-0. The committee then considered Senate Bill 1131, which originally required every school district and charter school to adopt a cardiac emergency response plan and appropriated $1 million for implementation. A Warner amendment replaced the mandate with a reporting requirement on AED counts, CPR/AED-trained staff, and whether a plan exists, while shifting the appropriation toward AED grants and limiting school spending to purchasing and maintaining AEDs. The American Heart Association supported the amendment as a way to gather baseline data and target resources, while some members questioned the funding split and the rural-school priority. The amendment was adopted, and SB 1131 as amended passed 9-1. Next, the committee took up Senate Bill 1582, dealing with the school safety interoperability fund. The amendment changed the appropriation from ADE to ADOA and allocated funds to specific county sheriff’s offices to continue existing interoperable communication systems linking schools and first responders; supporters said the systems had been used in drills and some real incidents, and were important for school safety. One member raised concerns about the auditor general’s report and whether the program should continue, but sheriffs and school officials described it as a useful communication tool. The amendment was adopted, and SB 1582 as amended passed 6-4. Finally, the committee began hearing Senate Bill 1504, which would change retirement rules for Tier 2 and Tier 3 public safety personnel and reduce the waiting period for cost-of-living adjustments. The sponsor, police and fire representatives, and pension consultants argued the bill would improve recruitment and retention and align benefits more closely with what employees were promised, while cities, counties, and taxpayer groups warned it would add substantial unfunded liabilities and undermine the 2016 pension reforms. The committee spent extensive time on actuarial costs, funding status, and the effect of the amendment exempting the bill from statutory pre-funding requirements; the transcript ends during that discussion before a final vote on SB 1504 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• out of the ICPC off of the ICPC website and so this comes out of their resource material so I would direct
• Instead, the agency will focus on more advanced, data-driven and fraud detection methods.
• certain mental health and substance abuse services are currently authorized after the legislature directed
• And we look forward to working with your office to advance these priorities.
• Artie's advanced nutritional status of patients and clients.

Bills: HB26 , HB140 , HB141 , HB142 , HB215 , HB26 , HB140 , HB141 , HB142 , HB215

Committee: House Human Services

Keywords: Medicaid, nutrition support, maternal health, chronic conditions, pilot program, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, child protective services, child abuse investigations, child neglect, child exploitation, advisory committee, Family and Protective Services Council, council abolition, foster care, due process, investigative procedures, child welfare, parental rights, family preservation services

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> &gt;&gt; um and our you know two main psychiatric &gt;&gt; um and our you know two main psychiatric
• </c><00:41:21.119><c> where</c> in a slightly different direction where in a slightly different direction
• So, I'm going to try to direct this specifically to what you said about SNAP.
• </c><01:30:13.199><c> causal</c> able to identify a direct causal able to identify a direct causal connection
• Well, I mentioned health care, home health care, they're in advanced manufacturing, they are in IT.

Committee: House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs heard HB 1790-FN, which would address involuntary admissions for certain individuals with a substance use disorder. Representative Lucy Weber introduced the bill for Representative Long, and the committee heard extensive testimony both in support of and in opposition to the proposal. Opponents, including John Burns of SOS Recovery and Jake Barry of New Futures, argued that involuntary commitment is not well supported by research, can retraumatize people, may increase overdose risk after release, and could undermine New Hampshire’s existing recovery and harm-reduction efforts. They emphasized that treatment should be voluntary, trauma-informed, and paired with housing, recovery supports, and other community-based services. Representative Long said he was willing to accept DHHS’s request to amend the bill into a study commission, though he expressed concern that a prior state study had not led to action. He said the commission should focus on implementation details, including where people would be placed, staffing, withdrawal management, elopement prevention, length of commitment, and aftercare. He described involuntary commitment as one tool for people with severe dangerous addictions, distinct from drug court, and said it could help avoid criminal records. Committee members asked about capacity at New Hampshire Hospital and how the proposal would work in practice. DHHS officials Katya Fox and Cynthia Pabonis testified that the bill raises major policy and fiscal concerns. They said New Hampshire’s current system has benefited from investments in naloxone, medication-assisted treatment, recovery centers, and community-based services, and that those investments have helped reduce overdose deaths. They estimated the bill would require a new 70-bed facility costing about $40 million to build and about $33.3 million annually to operate, with only a small portion offset by insurance, plus more than $600,000 in annual legal costs and additional staffing and system changes. They also said New Hampshire Hospital has 185 beds, with about 100 patients typically ready for less restrictive settings, and that housing shortages are a major bottleneck. NAMI New Hampshire also testified in opposition, saying families often want any possible treatment for loved ones but still opposed the bill. No vote or final action was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And you say to the doctor or the psychiatric nurse, what's your tuition bill?
• Modern medicine and psychiatric care basically says get somebody into acute care, find out what the issue
• $900 a day for someone in general psychiatric care. The costs are dramatic.

Bills: SB2012

Committee: Senate Appropriations - Government Operations Division

Keywords: transportation, funding, infrastructure, grants, municipal, 908, all

Summary: The Government Operations division met to consider House Bill 1015, the OMB budget, with several amendments already in hand. A major portion of the discussion centered on Senator Mathern’s concerns about the proposed new state hospital in Jamestown. He argued the project is outdated, too expensive, and should be delayed or reduced in favor of local behavioral health services and deferred maintenance at the existing LaHogue facility. Other members questioned him about staffing, capacity, constitutional issues, and the relationship between the hospital proposal and broader mental health investments in other bills. The committee also reviewed budget mechanics, including the transfer of up to $240 million from the Social Services Fund to the Human Services Finance Fund, a $40 million deferred maintenance fund, a $3 million deficiency appropriation for the new and vacant FTE pool, and other OMB-related items. Members discussed whether OMB should have managerial control over the Jamestown project and generally agreed that OMB oversight could help manage costs, though concerns about the hospital remained. The committee then considered two funding items that drew the most debate: guardianship grants and a pro-life education campaign. After testimony from a representative supporting the campaign, members agreed to reduce that item by $500,000 and add $1 million for guardianship grants, while leaving the overall bill to be finalized in conference. The committee adopted Amendment Version 2006 with those changes and then passed HB 1015 as amended on a roll call vote, with all members voting aye except Senator Burckhard on the amendment vote; he later voted aye on the bill itself. The chair indicated the bill would move to conference committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm an agricultural economist at the University of California, Davis, where I direct the university's
• We took away Devon, and he went to a psychiatric ward.
• I have been hospitalized more than once and needed psychiatric treatment.
• You'll have higher concentrations directed at kids with the labels, no age gate, no nothing.
• Psychiatrics. It is to bring people down. It is not a management.

Bills: HB5

Committee: House Public Health

Keywords: hemp, cannabinoids, regulation, occupational licenses, consumable products, marketing, criminal offenses, labeling requirements, health and safety, 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Alternatively, consider an advisory approach directing parents to existing data with appropriate context
• Directing parents to existing data with appropriate context or focus outreach on families who are truly
• The first is advanced notification.
• California has long been a leader in both health care and technological advancements.
• In general, does your bill then further regulate direct-to-consumer options as well?

Committee: House Health

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ASJ is a multi-state organization that aims to advance public safety. ...priorities that stop cycles
• The implementation requirements direct both the TDCJ and the Commission on Jail Standards to adopt rules
• Adams for maintaining his innocence, denying tier advancement, subjecting him to abuses of official capacity
• impose a life sentence in practice, if not in name, simply refuses them the ability to engage in psychiatric

Bills: HB1826 , HB1969 , HB2708 , HB2729 , HB3618 , HB4515 , HB4764 , SB1021 , SB1610

Committee: House Corrections

Keywords: mental health, women's health, county jail, depression screening, criminal justice, inmate release, identification certificate, Texas Department of Corrections, personal identification, driver's license, state law, reentry services, nondisclosure, criminal history, criminal defendants, community supervision, misdemeanors, felonies, rehabilitation, hearsay

Transcript Highlights:

• did not fully evaluate strangulation, coercive control, suicidal or filicidal ideation, and acute psychiatric
• did not fully evaluate strangulation, coercive control, suicidal or filisidal ideation, and acute psychiatric
• instability, together before granting unscathed ideation and acute psychiatric instability together
• A lot of these nonprofits, especially the direct service ones, that are engaging with large numbers of
• A lot of these nonprofits, especially the direct service ones, that are engaging with large numbers of

Committee: House House Judiciary Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee first heard HB 2931, which continues the Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board for eight years. The sponsor and a Civil Rights Division representative testified that the board helps examine civil rights issues and supports transparency and justice. The bill received a due pass recommendation on a 5-3 vote. The committee then considered HB 2862, a strike-everything amendment creating a sentencing enhancement for crimes committed while wearing a mask to conceal identity, narrowed by amendment to Title 13 offenses. Opponents, including CAIR Arizona and the ACLU, argued it could burden religious expression and protest activity, while supporters said it targets criminal concealment and improves accountability. The committee adopted the striker and amendment and gave the bill as amended a due pass recommendation by a 7-2 vote. HB 4042 followed, requiring a potential father in a paternity action to serve the mother to avoid waiving certain rights and allowing failure to do so to support termination of the parent-child relationship. An adoption attorney said the change would close a loophole and align termination law with adoption statutes. The bill passed unanimously with a due pass recommendation. The committee also heard HB 4136, creating unlawful entry into a residence where a vulnerable adult lives as a felony, with an amendment removing immediate-arrest language and other provisions. The sponsor described a case involving repeated harassment of a vulnerable adult, while opponents said existing trespass, burglary, and aggravating-factor laws already cover the conduct. The amended bill received a due pass recommendation on a 6-3 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• We used to think of community-based care as operating through our staff doing the direct delivery, and
• The model was designed for the direct delivery, and it has been a very conscious effort of looking ahead
• So I think we're moving in the right direction.
• So they were taking their children to psychiatric hospitals and then refusing to pick them up.
• Second, it directs HHSC to check for.

Bills: SB596 , SB961 , SB1398 , SB1183 , SB1952

Committee: House Human Services

Keywords: DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, child protective services, foster care, child welfare, Family Code, conservatorship, managing conservator, parental child safety placement, authorization agreement, temporary authorization order, child abuse, child neglect, placement reporting, court-ordered removal, investigation, family preservation, transparency, public reporting, data reporting

Transcript Highlights:

• He was held on an emergency detention order and admitted to the psychiatric ward for 36 hours.
• And this is as far as compared to direct care.
• This is why we believe that if you strengthen the VA direct care, you know, Direct care, then you would
• I agree I don't want to gut the VA's direct care system.
• That's their direct care, but also the community.

Committee: Senate Senate Veterans' Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the direction that the industry is going.
• And I think this bill is a step in that direction.
• He clarified that the RS would also open the program to advanced practice providers and PAs.
• Like, is this something you could anticipate moving in a positive direction?
• H 723 is a step in that direction. These are basic safeguards. They protect children.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are integrally involved in conducting psychological and psychiatric evaluations of persons who are
• Historically, the Department of Psychiatry has provided psychiatric services to juveniles in detention
• For adults, MDC, to deliver psychiatric services in there as well.
• Unless there's another direction you want me to go, I'm just going to recognize you in the order that
• But I'm not aware of his comments being directed or contemplated by them specifically.

Committee: House Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• instances in which a new medical report must be filed and considers prescribing physicians and psychiatric
• I would think especially foster kids really don't know the direction they want to go in.

Transcript Highlights:

• those members of vulnerable populations who have a physical or mental disability, a history of psychiatric
• </c><00:55:09.040><c> hospitalization,</c> of psychiatric hospitalization, of psychiatric hospitalization
• But I think some of the time frames can be a little bit short to provide psychiatric treatment.
• But I think some of the time frames can be a little bit short to provide psychiatric treatment.
• that will allow us to make sure we get out notices at the right time, as well as the materials in advance

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The working group convened with all members present, approved the minutes from its October 16, 2025 meeting and its October 28, 2025 Halawa Correctional Facility site visit by unanimous consent, and received no public testimony on the agenda or minutes. The chair then reviewed the statutory timeline under Act 292/SB 104, noting the group continues until January 8, 2027, and discussed required reporting dates and the need to develop a work plan for the remaining meetings. The chair also said the October 16 DCR presentation would be treated as satisfying the group’s interim-report purpose, though the legal reporting obligations to the Legislature and oversight commission still needed to be sorted out. The main discussion focused on DCR’s proposed amendments to Act 292 and the department’s interim report. Director Johnson said the department’s October 16 presentation included recommended statutory amendments because the law, as written, could not be fully complied with; the proposals were described as section-by-section changes intended to address implementation problems. Members discussed several specific issues, including transfer language for higher levels of care, the 2010 MOA with the Department of Health, and replacing “physician” with “clinician” to reflect staffing realities. DCR explained that the change would allow licensed clinicians, including APRNs and doctors of osteopathy, to make decisions when physicians are not on duty, and that the MOA is being updated so transfers can occur from any DCR facility to the state hospital. An OHA staff member gave a detailed critique of the proposed amendments, saying they would weaken Act 292’s intent by reducing procedural protections, expanding exceptions, and relying on aspirational language such as “strive” and “if practicable.” OHA also raised concerns about the lack of baseline data on restrictive housing use and said the department’s report showed serious operational problems, including overcrowded and outdated facilities, limited space for private medical or mental health exams, and the use of suicide/safety cells for people who may not need mental health treatment. DCR responded that it had requested 35 new medical positions in the budget, supported by the governor, and said those positions are needed to meet basic care obligations for people in custody. The group did not take a vote on the proposed amendments. Instead, members agreed to continue the discussion, with the chair saying the reports, settlement tracker, 2010 MOA, and comparison guidelines would be distributed and used as the basis for future work. In the final discussion on work-plan priorities, members identified staffing shortages, physical plant limitations, and the need to examine humane alternatives and implementation challenges as key topics for upcoming meetings.

Transcript Highlights:

• "Okay, I'll organize it for 11:00 and make sure that everyone gets directions."
• "I'll organize it for 11:00 and make sure that everyone gets directions, and probably you need to let
• High-need acute care, psychiatric care, residential treatment—the entire system is predicated on thinking
• </c><00:38:46.720><c> that</c> that um there's often a a direction that that um there's often a a direction
• Psychiatric inpatient facility and residential treatment center.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: House Finance Division III held an informational hearing with the Department of Health and Human Services focused on child and family services, children’s behavioral health, DCF, juvenile justice, and adult mental health. Before the presentation, members discussed scheduling a future site visit to Waypoint, including possible dates, mileage reimbursement logistics, and whether to reschedule the department’s developmental disabilities and healthy aging presentation because the associate commissioner was out sick. The department then outlined that it would concentrate on children’s behavioral health, DCF residential care and the Sununu Youth Services Center/YDC new build, and adult mental health, while noting the broader DHHS structure and the value of keeping related services under one leadership. The department emphasized an integrated “system of care” approach and said it was trying to shift resources toward earlier, lower-intensity interventions rather than relying mainly on high-cost residential and acute services. It cited youth risk data showing roughly four in ten New Hampshire high school students feeling sad or hopeless and about one in five considering suicide in the past year, and said these trends worsened during the pandemic, peaking in 2021 and easing somewhat by 2023. Members asked how New Hampshire compared with neighboring states and about pre-COVID trends; the department said it would follow up with more exact data. The presentation also described a long-term policy effort beginning with federal funding in 2012, the state’s 10-year mental health plan, and later legislation aimed at strengthening children’s behavioral health and transforming juvenile justice so that youth with behavioral health needs are not routed into punitive systems first. Members raised questions about out-of-state residential placement oversight and the statutory basis for inspections and follow-up. The department said the General Court had funded more “boots on the ground” oversight, in coordination with the Office of the Child Advocate, and agreed to provide a longer follow-up presentation on that topic after the governor’s budget is released. The department also described evidence-based prevention efforts, including home visiting programs such as Healthy Families America and a DCF-connected home visiting cohort for families already touching the child welfare system, as examples of trying to keep children out of deeper system involvement.