Transcript Highlights:

• monuments, to provide for definitions and promulgation of rules, and to provide for related matters.
• for definitions, to provide relative to veterans, to provide relative to charter schools, and to provide
• , to provide relative to children in foster care, to provide for exceptions, and provide for related
• To provide for grade levels to be served, to provide for an effective date, and to provide for related
• athletes, to provide for definitions, and to provide for related matters.

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Corporation, to provide for definitions, to provide for the disposition of certain monies, to provide
• costs, to provide for reporting requirements, to provide for effectiveness, and to provide for related
• for definitions, to provide for rulemaking, to provide for bad faith exemptions, and to provide for
• for definitions, to provide for rulemaking, to... of claims to provide for definitions, to provide for
• for applicability, to... to provide for definitions, to provide for applicability, to provide for an

Committee: House Insurance

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A purpose of the program was to help provide surety for the providers that payment would be made.
• Sometimes care would be provided. Payment would be provided retrospectively.
• This system was set in place to help provide surety for providers.
• It has been... ...set in place to help provide surety for providers.
• It has been provided, and now the hospitals have come here to, not just hospitals, providers have come

Committee: House Health and Mental Health

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> agreements with other states to provide agreements with other states to provide vocational Services
• The model that was previously used was that once an individual got a job, the provider still had to provide
• Providers were given no time to prepare for it.
• The model that was previously used was that once an individual got a job, the provider still had to provide
• The model that was previously used was that once an individual got a job, the provider still had to provide

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Roll Call 00:13 SB 15 Discussion 00:45 SB 15 Vote 08:40 SB 103 Discussion 11:12 SB 103 Vote 29:49, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Committee for Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor heard two bills. Senate Bill 15, sponsored by Sen. Amanda Bledsoe, was presented with testimony from Major League Baseball in support of exempting minor league baseball players from Kentucky wage-and-hour treatment. Witnesses said the bill would preserve the negotiated collective bargaining structure for players, avoid impractical time-tracking requirements, and keep Kentucky aligned with other states. Senators discussed minor league salary levels, the importance of baseball to Kentucky communities, and the bill’s relationship to minimum wage law. The committee then took a roll call vote and passed the bill with unanimous support from members present. The committee next heard Senate Bill 103 from Sen. Danny Carroll, which would require the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to adopt regulations under Chapter 13A, limit reciprocal agreements with other states until in-state provider contracts are exhausted, establish procedures for service fee memos before a new fiscal year, and require an annual report with operating and financial information. Testimony from community rehabilitation providers and disability advocates emphasized that the bill would increase transparency, protect local providers, and improve services for people with disabilities seeking competitive employment. They said Kentucky has a large disability population, that many working-age individuals with disabilities are not employed, and that better oversight could help address workforce shortages and reduce reliance on public assistance. Senators asked about the disability population, age ranges served, funding, and recent changes to provider rates and selection processes. The committee then voted to pass Senate Bill 103 unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• We provide service to up to 300 providers and expanded territories in Colorado. My name is Orris.
• We provide service to up to 300 providers and expanded territories in Colorado. ...treatment.
• We provide service to up to 300 providers and expanded territories in Colorado and New Mexico.
• Our goal is to provide faster clinical tools, achieve better health care, protect provider liability,
• The current situation with a patient that visits a provider: a provider has responsibility to follow

Summary: The House Health and Human Services Committee first heard House Bill 256, which would require school cardiac emergency response plans to address sudden cardiac arrest at school athletic activities and ensure AEDs are clearly marked and accessible at those events. The sponsor and an American Heart Association representative said the bill builds on last year’s law and is meant to improve implementation, not add new equipment costs. Members asked about funding, were told the AEDs are already in place, and the bill received a due pass with no opposition. The committee then took up House Bill 278 on Medicaid reimbursement for toxicology testing in substance use disorder treatment. The sponsor and Southwest Labs argued that current payer policies limit providers’ clinical judgment, that a new flat-rate code for unlimited analytes would improve care, keep Medicaid dollars in New Mexico, and support local laboratories. Several members raised concerns about whether the bill effectively rewrites bundled G-codes, whether it mainly benefits one company, how it affects MCO contracts, GRT/tax issues, and whether the fiscal estimates were realistic. After extensive questioning and conflicting views, a due-pass motion was made but the vote ended in a tie, so the bill did not advance. Finally, the committee considered House Bill 287 to create a permanent, full-time Health and Human Services Committee with a director and expanded membership, similar to other permanent legislative committees. Supporters from advocacy and policy groups said health care is too large and complex to be handled by a part-time interim committee and that year-round staffing would improve oversight and policymaking. Members discussed committee composition, staffing, subpoena power, and the proposed appropriation, and the sponsor said the bill is a starting point that could be refined later. The committee approved HB 287 on a do-pass motion and then adjourned until Monday morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• We provide services directly, but we also provide... provide services through the boards, through partnerships
• We also provide, and this is going to seem kind of odd, but we also provide re-employment services.
• Skills development is where a business will partner with an education provider to provide training. to
• You provide care for the child.
• We have over 17,500 doctors, healthcare providers in our system providing care to injured employees.

Committee: House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a provider of child care for infants.
• I'm a child care provider.
• I'm a child care provider.
• I have 11 years as a provider of child care in the home.
• I'm a foster parent and a child care home provider.

Summary: The committee opened with a public hearing on Senate Bill 5808, a proposal to require nonprofit health carriers with “excess surplus” to pay 10% of that surplus into the state health care affordability account for Cascade Care Savings. Committee staff said the bill could generate about $330 million one time in 2027, while the Office of Insurance Commissioner would have implementation costs. Supporters argued the bill would redirect consumer premium dollars to help people afford coverage, while opponents from health plans said reserves are needed for solvency, claims, and capital needs and warned the bill would destabilize nonprofit insurers. The committee also heard testimony on House Bill 2254, which would let the Partnership Access Line assessment cover administrative costs; HCA and Seattle Children’s supported it as a technical fix that saves general fund dollars, and a child psychiatrist asked that savings be reinvested in behavioral health services. House Bill 2385, which extends deadlines for the Medicaid Access Program because of federal restrictions on new provider taxes, also drew support from provider groups seeking future Medicaid rate increases. The committee then heard Substitute Senate Bill 6286, which would increase fines on private detention facilities that deny Department of Health inspections and dedicate the fines to an account for community repair and assistance to harmed individuals and families. Supporters, including Tacoma’s mayor and family members affected by detention, framed the bill as an accountability measure; fiscal staff estimated Department of Health costs of about $395,000 in the 2025-27 biennium. Senate Bill 6006 would exempt food banks from sales tax on certain services enacted last session, with food bank and tribal representatives saying the savings would go directly to food and operations. Senate Bill 6351 would create exemptions from the new sales tax on live presentations for before- and after-school care, arts and cultural nonprofit classes, and K-12 school purchases; school districts, arts groups, and PTA representatives supported it, while asking for clarifying language and broader nonprofit exemptions. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1717 would let cities and counties create local sales tax remittance programs for affordable housing projects, and housing builders, Habitat affiliates, counties, and city officials supported it as a local tool to lower development costs. In executive session, the committee received briefings on several tax and spending bills and then voted to advance multiple measures. It adopted a substitute and passed Senate Bill 5949, which narrows a B&O tax exemption related to insurance premiums; a proposed retroactivity-removing amendment failed. It adopted a substitute and passed Senate Bill 6129 on cigarette, tobacco, and nicotine taxes after rejecting several amendments, including proposals to study the tax policy or replace the bill with illicit-market enforcement language. The committee also passed Senate Bill 6228 repealing a preferential B&O rate for prescription drug resellers, Senate Bill 6231 repealing data center sales tax exemptions, and Second Substitute Senate Bill 5965, which retained a bag-fee approach rather than a full ban after adopting an amendment. The committee then returned to public hearing and began testimony on Senate Bill 6353, a major Working Connections Child Care bill that would keep income eligibility at 60% of state median income, lower the provider rate target from the 85th to the 75th percentile, and make other program changes; the briefing was underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• And they do favor the providers.
• with the provider.
• Remember the power imbalance between the residents and the providers in the provider-resident relationship
• Perhaps if the state could provide some guidance for, No, perhaps if the state could provide some guidance
• So the provider is supposed to do that.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission’s fifth meeting focused on consumer protections and resident rights in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), with a presentation by Yvonne Choyah of UC Law San Francisco. She described California’s CCRC framework, including entrance fee structures, monthly fee increases, contract types (A, B, and C), disclosure requirements, and regulatory oversight. A major theme was that residents often do not understand the contracts they sign, while providers retain broad discretion over fees, transfers, terminations, and changes to the physical plant. She also emphasized that California’s regulator is understaffed and not well suited to oversee the complex financial and insurance-like aspects of CCRCs, and that resident complaints and litigation can be slow and difficult. Choyah and commission members discussed several consumer-protection issues, including refundable versus repayable-on-resale entrance fees, rising monthly care fees, the decline of life care contracts, and the need for clearer disclosures and better comparative data for prospective residents. She noted that California requires annual disclosure statements, resident bill of rights materials, and some fee-related reporting, but that enforcement and accessibility remain weak. Members raised questions about resident board representation, accreditation, refund requirements, and whether state agencies or resident associations could help explain contracts to consumers before admission. Choyah suggested stronger oversight, more financial expertise in regulation, and better transparency about ownership and fee-setting. The meeting ended with discussion of the commission’s next steps toward its August report. Staff said a draft report would be prepared from the commission’s discussions and circulated for comment before final revisions. The chair also announced staff transitions: Jennifer would be leaving the State House role, and Juliana Fernandez and Vicky Halal would be the main contacts going forward. The commission adjourned after thanking Choyah for her presentation and answering member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:01:36.640><c> namely</c> affairs working for providers namely affairs working for providers namely
• </c> motans Early Childhood programs provide motans Early Childhood programs provide valuable<00:02:40.840
• are</c> providers about 3600 providers are providers about 3600 providers are enrolled<00:05:07.759>
• We want to make sure high-quality child care is provided, and most of our providers do provide high-quality
• someone to provide services.

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> IC provides. IC provides.
• that provide these services.
• </c> providers that provide these services. providers that provide these services.
• </c> providers. We had the closure of UKare. providers. We had the closure of UKare.
• </c><01:37:26.480><c> What</c> providers. Have you heard anything? What providers.

Committee: Senate Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's permissible so they don't have to, but it provides them that option.
• by certain ambulance transport providers.
• Senate Bill 6103 provides the essential bridge we need.
• It's very important for our providers.
• I am providing testimony on behalf of Dr.

Summary: The Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee heard testimony on several bills. SB 6159 would create a public hospital infrastructure account funded by a new annual coverage assessment on insurers and other businesses subject to the premium tax, and would allow public hospital districts and other public health entities to collaborate more freely and access capital financing for major construction or modernization projects. Senator Dhingra said the bill is intended to help public hospitals compete and modernize, especially amid federal Medicaid and ACA subsidy cuts. Supporters included UW Medicine, while hospital districts supported the general concept but said Section 2 could unintentionally narrow existing cooperative agreements with nonpublic entities. Health plans and insurers opposed the bill, arguing it would raise premiums, increase consolidation, and improperly sweep in property and casualty insurers and mutual companies; testimony also raised concerns about pass-through costs and retaliatory tax effects. The hearing on SB 6159 closed with 5 pro, 74 con, and 2 other sign-ins. The committee then heard SB 5845, which would modernize timely payment rules by requiring carriers and public employee plans to pay or deny all clean claims within 30 days, require prompt notice and a single request for additional information on incomplete claims, and impose interest or penalties for missed deadlines. Senator Slaughter said the bill would reduce uncertainty for providers and stabilize payments without increasing patient costs. Hospitals, physicians, and health systems strongly supported the measure, citing large volumes of late clean claims and examples of prolonged delays, including a Harborview claim that remained unpaid more than a year after billing. Health plans opposed the bill, saying the current 95% standard is workable, that they already meet high compliance rates, and that the bill could limit fraud, waste, and abuse review on high-dollar claims; they also sought more flexibility and additional time for responses. The hearing closed with 69 pro, 4 con, and 2 other sign-ins. The committee also heard SB 5916, which would prohibit health plans from disadvantaging non-opioid pain treatments relative to opioids in formularies and utilization management, and would require a Department of Health educational pamphlet on non-opioid alternatives. Senator Harris described the bill as a response to opioid deaths and a way to encourage safer pain treatment options. Patients, recovery advocates, and rare disease advocates testified in support, saying insurance barriers and step therapy often make non-opioid care harder to access and can push patients toward opioids. The Health Care Authority and an association of health plans opposed the bill, arguing it could reduce formulary flexibility, increase costs, and limit tools such as prior authorization and step therapy. The hearing closed with 8 pro, 1 con, and 2 other sign-ins. Finally, the committee heard SB 6102 and SB 6103, both sponsored by Senator Muzzall, and SB 6071. SB 6102 would align the ambulance transport quality assurance fee with federal rules after H.R. 1 barred new provider taxes, preserving the existing fee rate and adjusting the Medicaid add-on rate annually; the Washington Ambulance Association supported it, saying the program had improved wages and benefits for EMS workers. SB 6103 would make Medicaid payments for services provided by a rural emergency hospital subject to appropriation, creating a framework for East Adams Rural Health Care to convert to the new federal rural emergency hospital model; East Adams and the Washington State Hospital Association supported it as a way to preserve rural access. SB 6071 would shorten overpayment recovery timelines for all services to six months, or nine months for coordination-of-benefits cases, matching the shorter timelines already enacted for behavioral health services; providers and specialty associations supported the bill as a way to reduce destabilizing clawbacks, while the remaining testimony was still underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because what we know is it’s the providers who are also doing the reporting.
• So we really want to try to clean that up and streamline so that these care providers can focus on providing
• care rather than providing so many reports.
• Schools and adult transition providers provide fundamentally different supports for distinct but complementary
• a service, but they provide stability.

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee heard several Department of Social and Health Services-related bills. Senate Bill 6024, sponsored by Senator Gildon, would streamline oversight of community residential service providers by limiting DSHS to one annual routine review per subject area when possible, requiring better document sharing within the department, and preserving investigations tied to complaints, incidents, mortality reviews, and other legally required oversight. Supporters said the bill would reduce duplicative audits and paperwork so providers can spend more time on direct client services. No vote was taken during the hearing. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6063, an agency-request bill sponsored by Senator Bateman and supported by DSHS Secretary Angela Ramirez, to update statutes to reflect DSHS’s recent reorganization into the Home and Community Living Administration and the Behavioral Health and Habilitation Administration. Testimony described the measure as a technical cleanup with no fiscal impact. In addition, Senate Bill 6036, sponsored by Senator Kaufman, would exempt certain former foster parents and kinship caregivers from adult family home licensure when they continue caring for a former foster youth who is now an adult and the only unrelated adult in the home. DSHS supported the bill as a narrow way to preserve continuity and stability for vulnerable young adults. The committee spent the most time on Senate Bill 5681, sponsored by Senator Cortez, as amended in a proposed substitute. The bill would lower the age for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to access employment and community inclusion services from 21 to 20, and rename community access as community inclusion. Senator Cortez and multiple advocates, educators, and service providers argued that earlier access would reduce service gaps, support transition from school to work, and help young adults maintain employment. Staff explained that the substitute changed the eligibility age from the original bill’s 19 to 20. No final action was taken; the chair closed the hearings and announced upcoming executive sessions on previously heard bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Perhaps there are additional providers available to provide services in meeting...
• done their provisional licenses here for being a provider, or of the 500, 50 providers that It's interesting
• And so in this case, we're talking about providers.
• In 2025-26, we have opened 63 investigations into EI/DBI providers.
• We've referred 20 providers to law enforcement, and 22 administrative sanctions against providers, including

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• 5707 Ido code to provide a correct code to provide a code to provide correct code.
• Idaho Code to provide correct code references, amending Section 39-8421, Idaho Code, to provide a correct
• an emergency and providing an effective date.
• Those are vital emergency services provided by firefighters. ...unrest.
• All of that is provided for free to the school district.

Summary: The House convened with 66 members present, approved the March 3, 2026 journal, and received gubernatorial and Senate messages, including notice that the governor had signed House Bills 502, 533, and 555. Committee reports advanced several bills and resolutions to second reading or printing, and the House introduced a new slate of bills, including measures on community infrastructure districts, auxiliary containers, minimum wage, voter registration at DMV offices, education, tobacco products, and fertility preservation services. The House then moved a number of bills to the Third Reading Calendar, including measures on Medicaid, libraries, insurance, LLCs, transactions, crimes, prisoners, bribery, urban renewal, taxation, reckless driving, state government, child protection, the state controller, and insurance. On third reading, the House passed House Bills 695 and 697, both dealing with criminal or election-related code revisions; House Bill 727, which sponsors described as strengthening Idaho’s response to sextortion and threats against minors; House Bill 678, aimed at making wolf trapping more effective and humane; House Bill 745, which would bar taxpayer funds from being used for union activities, with debate focused on teacher associations and exemptions for police and fire; House Bill 733, revising partnership tax audit procedures; House Bill 720, lowering the population threshold for district elections in cities, despite concerns about college-town representation; House Bill 723, implementing child welfare and oversight reforms for residential treatment facilities; House Bill 664, addressing differential speed limits for trucks and other vehicles; and House Bill 667, removing a state requirement to offer certain driver licenses to non-citizens, with supporters citing federal uncertainty and trucking safety concerns. Several other bills were held on the calendar for one legislative day. Debate on the bills was often substantive and partisan, with supporters emphasizing safety, taxpayer protection, local representation, and child protection, while opponents raised concerns about labor rights, college-town districting, truck safety, and the scope of regulation. The House also heard announcements about Idaho Day, America 250 activities, and upcoming committee meetings. The chamber adjourned until 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• It provides greater flexibility in terms of providing cash to victims that other programs do.
• At the time, we recommended providing funding to staff the new building and then only providing the remainder
• I'll be providing the overview.
• Just because you provide the funding on a limited-term basis doesn't mean that you're not going to provide
• assault service providers funded by Cal U.S.

Summary: The subcommittee heard May Revision presentations for the Office of Emergency Services, Judicial Branch, CDCR, and the Department of Justice, with the LAO offering comments and recommendations throughout. For Cal OES, the administration outlined funding for relocating the Red Mountain communications site, increased FEMA reimbursement authority, cybersecurity grants, next-generation 911 support, and a reduction to the Flexible Cash Assistance for Survivors of Crime program. Members raised concerns about VOCA backfill and disaster reimbursement, while the LAO recommended approving the 911 request with reporting, adding contingency planning for cybersecurity grants, clarifying the FEMA reimbursement language, and increasing reporting on emergency spending. For the Judicial Branch, the May Revision included funding for implementation of the Trial Nations Access to Justice Act, reductions tied to court facilities and employee benefits, and General Fund solutions such as a reduction to the pretrial release program, a reversion from the Trial Court Trust Fund, and elimination of the jury duty pilot program. The LAO cautioned that the pretrial reduction could affect detention and release decisions and recommended tighter legislative oversight over the trust fund transfer and reallocation language. Members questioned the impact of the pretrial cut, the lack of Prop. 36 court funding, and the rationale for the jury pilot elimination; the Judicial Branch said it was generally supportive of the budget as proposed. CDCR presented requests for roof repairs, fire alarm replacements, CalAIM-related costs, and trailer bill changes on incarcerated college students, mental health hiring, and tuberculosis testing, along with a planned prison closure by October 2026. The department also proposed reducing or delaying several items, including radio replacement, ADA improvements, COVID mitigation, and some facility upgrades, while adding a $125 million placeholder for consultant-driven operational savings. The LAO recommended rejecting or reducing several San Quentin-related proposals, questioned the staffing and contract medical requests, and urged more transparency on the consultant savings plan; members expressed concern about the realism of the savings targets and the potential legal or operational risks from delaying ADA and radio projects. For DOJ, the May Revision proposed ongoing funding and 44 positions to defend against federal actions, IT and accounting system upgrades, implementation funding for AB 1877, and a special fund loan. The LAO supported the KLETS connection but asked for a contingency plan if the new DMV link is delayed, noted that AB 1877 would not be fully implemented without additional funding, and recommended limiting and reporting on the federal accountability workload. Members questioned the size and permanence of the DOJ request, the use of the earlier $25 million special session appropriation, and the pace of federal litigation; DOJ said the new request would support ongoing litigation, expert assistance, and coordination across multiple cases and states.

Transcript Highlights:

• . providers. providers.
• ><c> the</c> same provider couldn't provide both the same provider couldn't provide both the basic<00
• . providers. providers.
• . provides. provides.
• </c> provider for fraud. provider for fraud.

Committee: Senate Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> in the versions I'm providing today. in the versions I'm providing today.
• </c> um moratorium for high-risk providers. um moratorium for high-risk providers.
• </c> equipment providers. equipment providers.
• </c> a unique provider identifier. a unique provider identifier.
• . providers. providers.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Providing for provisional licensure of EIDBI providers, Sections 7, 8, and 48 modify positive support
• Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony.
• Those were not rate increases; they provide incremental care.
• We house and provide comprehensive services to 284 people.
• This would be a devastating blow to service providers.

Bills: HF2434

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Keywords: healthcare, personal care assistance, worker retention, disability services, state funding

Transcript Highlights:

• Because what we know is it's the providers who are also doing the reporting.
• We really want to try to clean that up and streamline so that these care providers can focus on providing
• care rather than providing so many reports.
• Schools and adult transition providers provide fundamentally different supports for distinct but complementary
• a service, but they provide stability.

Bills: SB5681 , SB6024 , SB6036 , SB6063

Committee: Senate Human Services

Keywords: employment services, community inclusion, age limitations, disability services, home and community living, community residential services, oversight, monitoring, service providers, streamlining, foster care, licensure, adoption, child welfare, support services, terminology alignment, social services, Washington state code, department reorganization, legislative amendment

Transcript Highlights:

• This advisory committee must provide Thank you.
• I am both a provider and a parent of youth who have experienced homelessness.
• Just to quickly provide some background on this: community residential service business providers are
• We can't verify it for more than 85% of the people we provide ongoing support for.
• Further tracking staffing will help providers better support and advocate for their staff.

Bills: HB2185 , HB2200 , HB2230 , HB2319

Committee: House Early Learning & Human Services

Keywords: homelessness, youth programs, advisory committee, prevention, protection, developmental disabilities, residential settings, data access, safety, stability, community oversight, residential services, regulation, service providers, monitoring, HB 2319, residential habilitation center, state school renaming, Rainier School, Firecrest School