Transcript Highlights:

• <01:11:04.640> or regardless of the individual's age or regardless of the individual's age
• It may be a toddler who gets hurt at age two, or it may be somebody like me at age 50 that falls off
• injuries and disabilities have no age. injuries and disabilities have no age.
• two or it may be somebody like me at age two or it may be somebody like me at age 50<01:47:56.080
• don't have an age don't have an age criteria.<01:48:11.520> Um<01:48:12.480> what<

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm an assistant director of aging at the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
• And Jay Hill, Division Director for Aging, Adult Behavior Health Services at DHS. Thank you, Mr.
• I believe it was in the aging.
• Yeah, when we looked at all the aging programs as well as behavioral health.
• We use the, you know, we do assessments for the aging waiver for the IDD population and for behavioral

Summary: The committee approved the December 8 minutes and referred items C1 and C2 to the labor and environment subcommittees, adopting the chair’s recommendations. The main substantive item was a DHS rule package revising the State Plan Personal Care Manual and the Arkansas Independent Assessment (ARIA) Manual. DHS said the revisions would repeal and replace the current manuals with streamlined versions, remove overlapping language, implement Act 853 by shifting licensure/certification for personal care agencies to the Department of Health, lengthen personal care prior authorizations from six months to one year, and keep the 64-hour monthly cap. For ARIA, DHS said it would remove references to state plan personal care, clarify telehealth and in-person assessments, and add/update sections for PASS, AR Choices, Living Choices, and PACE. DHS argued the current independent assessment process is costly and not controlling utilization, citing a 95% approval rate, annual spending of more than $212 million on personal care for about 17,000 people, and an estimated $6.173 million in savings from eliminating the Optum assessment and reducing prior-authorization frequency. Agency witnesses said the new process would reinsert primary care practitioner involvement, use standardized evaluation and prescription forms, and rely on personal care provider nurses for the assessment step, with training already available through an AFMC contract. Several members questioned whether PCPs should be used as gatekeepers, whether the change would delay services, and whether the savings estimate accounted for training or provider burden. Some members also raised concerns about conflicts of interest, the workload on physicians, and whether the agency had adequately worked with the existing vendor to improve the current system. The discussion became contentious, with Senator Irvin and others strongly opposing the proposal as inconsistent with the earlier independent-assessment approach and urging DHS to slow down and work with legislators. Other members asked for clarification on how the new process would work for new applicants and whether it would affect waiver or PASS participants; DHS said the rule would not apply to PASS and should not delay services. At the end of the hearing, the chair offered DHS the option to pull the rule down and work off-record with legislators on a revised proposal, and DHS agreed. The meeting then adjourned without further business or a final vote on the rule.

Transcript Highlights:

• codifies those provisions, plus, as Representative Hammond said, robust enforcement language granting AG
• It should be age-gated. Stuff should be kept behind the counter.
• We've been good at age-restricted products for decades.
• There’s nothing to stop them from selling that to any person of any age whatsoever.
• Every product in my store is age-gated, packaged in child-resistant containers, and is never marketed

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in the remaining age groups.
• I'm just wondering if we could get a breakdown of the age. Can we get a breakdown of that?
• So race, ethnicity, age, gender, county.
• 34% of Green Hill's population that have release dates that extend beyond age 25.
• That extend beyond age 25. We do still have complex dynamics on campus.

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee held a work session on child welfare dependency, focusing on implementation of HB 1227 (Keeping Families Together) and SB 6109 (the fentanyl response bill), along with related data and system updates. DCYF first reviewed the dependency process, explaining intake, shelter care, fact-finding, disposition, and review hearings, and emphasized that removal standards are separate from service provision and that children may be in-home or out-of-home at different stages. DCYF said 1227 raised the removal threshold to imminent physical harm and strengthened kin placement, with nearly 60% of children now placed with relatives or suitable others. The department also said 6109 directs courts to give great weight to fentanyl’s lethality and added legal liaisons to support staff in court preparation. DCYF presented data showing that entries into out-of-home care declined after 1227 but rose again after 6109, returning close to pre-1227 levels. The agency also reported a sharp increase in reviewable critical incidents in 2022-2025, especially near-fatalities, which it linked to the opioid and fentanyl crisis, parental stress, and system complexity. DCYF said it has responded with statewide Safe Child Councils, staff consultations, hotspot monitoring, and additional training, and noted that some contracted services authorized under 6109 were not implemented because of fiscal constraints. Senators asked about where children are in the process, who participates in court, the timing of data releases, age breakdowns, and geographic hotspots. Advocates and lived-experience witnesses from LCYC and a family intervention clinic argued that 1227 has not prevented courts from removing children when necessary and said the law appropriately requires the state to show a causal link between home conditions and risk. They said 6109 appropriately highlights fentanyl’s danger, but stressed that the larger issue is lack of prevention and treatment resources, inconsistent county-by-county practice, and insufficient supports such as inpatient beds, family treatment, housing, transportation, and third-party safety plan participants. A parent ally described how early support, peer guidance, and kin placement helped her achieve recovery and stability after losing parental rights in an earlier case. The committee also heard an update on SB 6068 from the Administrative Office of the Courts and K Implementation and Evaluation. The report identified 15 dimensions of relational permanency and child well-being, found that some data already exist while other measures need development, and recommended a phased data collection plan, a restored data-sharing agreement between AOC and DCYF, and a standing cross-agency work group. AOC said its dependency data system lapsed when the prior agreement expired in June 2025 and needs to be rebuilt. The meeting also included a brief update on bridge housing for youth exiting inpatient treatment, with presenters saying two programs are now open, one in King County and one in Spokane, and a short introduction to juvenile rehabilitation capacity updates before the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• The only request that I do make is to amend this bill to adjust the age to 39 years and younger.
• The only request that I do make is to amend this bill to adjust the age to 39 years and younger.
• Next, we have Deputy AG providing comments.
• comments next we have Deputy AG comments next we have Deputy AG providing comments<00:27:07.760>
• <00:33:14.080> of individuals above the age of individuals above the age of 26 26 26 second

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Health and Human Services began by explaining strict one-minute testimony limits, reliance on written testimony, and that it had quorum and would move directly to decision making on deferred measures. It first adopted the chair’s recommendation to pass SB 8 with amendments, creating a five-year trial period for a jury-duty exemption for actively practicing APRNs, delaying implementation to January 1, 2027, and adding a defective date. It then adopted amendments to SB 189 on breast cancer screening, replacing references to “woman” with “patient,” clarifying that supplemental imaging and mammograms must be medically necessary and ordered by the patient’s provider, deleting one subsection, and adding a defective date. The committee then heard testimony on several bills. SB 46 on insurance/mental health coverage drew support from a member of the public and others, but later the chair said it would be deferred indefinitely pending a required sunrise analysis and a concurrent resolution. SB 642 on fertility preservation services received broad support from providers, advocacy groups, and an individual who described facing cancer treatment and high out-of-pocket costs; the chair later amended it to make coverage optional, limit it to those over 26, and add a defective date. SB 49 on terminal illness had limited testimony and was later passed with amendments incorporating agency and professional association changes plus a defective date. The committee also heard strong support for SNAP-related bills. SB 53, expanding SNAP eligibility to 300% of poverty, drew testimony about the “benefits cliff,” but the chair later deferred it indefinitely, citing uncertainty about costs and system issues. SB 58 on public assistance had no testimony. SB 960 and SB 961, both SNAP-related, drew extensive support from nonprofits, health groups, and others; DHS said its modernization work would not be ready until fall 2026 and that current systems could not automatically extend certification periods. SB 963 on SNAP also received support, including testimony from a volunteer reentry advocate and a public health advocate, but the chair later said it would be deferred indefinitely because the committee could not determine the fiscal impact and wanted to wait until next year. Finally, the committee heard SB 798 on child welfare and SB 974 on foster care. Testimony on SB 798 included support from child welfare and advocacy organizations, but also criticism from a witness who said the bill lacked voices of those harmed by the system and another who emphasized the need for independence, implementation, and accountability. The committee then recessed to regain quorum and later returned to decision making, where it deferred SB 46 indefinitely, passed SB 642 with amendments, passed SB 49 with amendments, and deferred SB 53 indefinitely. The transcript ends while the chair is continuing through the remaining measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• One is the multisector plan for aging, a 10-year blueprint for how we intend to support aging in New
• Um in state commission on aging.
• Commission on Aging is on deck. Commission on Aging is on deck.
• are privileged to live to older ages. are privileged to live to older ages.
• about important issues related to aging. about important issues related to aging.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• statute was a vestage of the analog age. statute was a vestage of the analog age.
• So, this bill just says under 21 age. Where does it say what's the minimum age?
• So, this bill just says under 21 age. Where does it say what's the minimum age?
• <03:36:28.880> I student at that age. I can guarantee. I student at that age.
• nice sweet spot for a legal age. nice sweet spot for a legal age.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first discussed a budget-related issue involving liquor commission enforcement staff and tobacco enforcement funding. A member explained that proposed cuts to “group two” enforcement positions at the liquor commission could jeopardize the tobacco enforcement money that flows to Health and Human Services, and expressed confidence that the enforcement division would ultimately be preserved. The main hearing was on Senate Bill 19, which would modernize hotel and motel statutes by repealing outdated requirements. The sponsor and the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association said the bill would remove obsolete rules such as the old guest book/card system and antiquated posting requirements for room rates and motel signs. Members questioned whether the bill would eliminate the requirement to record guest departure dates or affect inspection rights, and the witnesses said the intent was only to remove the book-and-card reference while leaving the rest of the recordkeeping requirement in place. Supporters argued the rate-posting rules are widely ignored, hard to enforce, and outdated in an era of digital reservations and variable pricing; the committee also discussed whether any consumer-protection purpose remained. The public hearing on SB 19 was then closed. The committee then heard Senate Bill 280FN, which would require food delivery services to have an agreement with a restaurant or food retail store before offering delivery from that business. The sponsor said the bill restores a prior law that had sunset and was intended to prevent third-party platforms from listing restaurants without consent. Restaurant industry testimony strongly supported the bill, describing problems with unauthorized listings, delayed deliveries, and reimbursement disputes, and saying the agreement requirement protects restaurant brands and consumer expectations. Members shared examples of delivery problems and voiced support for reinstating the safeguard.

Transcript Highlights:

• THESE INCLUDE PORNOGRAPHIC OR AGE INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT.
• THESE ARE NOT APPROPRIATE TO THAT AGE. WHAT I WOULD SAY IS IF THERE IS SOMETHING.
• NUMBER ONE, DISTINGUISH AGE GROUPS INSTEAD OF USING ONE STANDARD FOR ALL MINORS.
• I READ A LOT OF CONTENT THAT WAS NOT AGE-APPROPRIATE.
• I KNOW PARENTS EXPECT AGE APPROPRIATE STANDARDS IN SCHOOL SETTINGS.

Transcript Highlights:

• IF A CHILD HAS A DISABILITY OF NOT AGE REMOVAL.
• I THINK IT WAS ARISTIDE, WHAT A MINOR WHO IS HOMELESS WERE ESTRANGED FROM THEIR PARENTS SOMETIMES AGED
• ALSO, PEOPLE AGE 15 TO 24 HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ACTIVE. PEOPLE AGE 15 TO 24 HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ACTIVE.
• OF 18 IS IT BEING THE AGE AT WHICH A CHILD BECOMES AN ADULT.
• AS FAR AS THE SURVEYS GO, I GREW UP IN THE ICE AGES.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we also have a presentation about protecting minors from age-restricted products.
• The minimum legal age to purchase these items was raised from 18 to 21 years.
• The minimum legal age to purchase these items was raised from 18 to 21 years.
• So they're, I mean, you join the military at the age of 18, right? They're not kids.
• They're just under the age of 21. Okay, that's better. I'm sorry if I misspoke.

Summary: The subcommittee first heard presentations on protecting minors from age-restricted products from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Attorney General’s office. DBPR described its Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco division’s licensing and enforcement work on alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, and hemp sales, including inspections, undercover underage-purchase operations, arrests, and coordination with the Attorney General on hemp and nicotine enforcement. Members asked about trends in youth use, retailer training, use of underage decoys in investigations, and whether additional education or penalties could help reduce sales to minors. The Attorney General’s office then outlined the new nicotine dispensing device directory created under last year’s law, explaining the criteria for listing devices attractive to minors, the notice process for manufacturers and retailers, and enforcement consequences once listed devices become contraband. Members discussed online sales, product descriptions, notice to industry, and whether more outreach to parents, schools, and local partners could help. The committee then took up House Bill 105, which would decouple thoroughbred pari-mutuel permit holders from the requirement to conduct live racing in order to operate card rooms/slot gaming. The bill sponsor said the measure would align thoroughbred permits with other live-event permits and argued the industry is already declining and heavily subsidized, so the Legislature should not force a private business to keep an unprofitable line of business. An amendment by Rep. Yeager was adopted to remove live-racing requirements for thoroughbred permit holders who are card room licensees, broadening the bill’s effect to include Tampa Bay Downs as well as Gulfstream Park. Public testimony was sharply divided: supporters said decoupling would give tracks flexibility and not end racing, while opponents from the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry warned it would undermine live racing, breeding, jobs, farmland, and the broader equine economy. After debate, several members spoke in favor of the bill, emphasizing business flexibility, declining foal counts, and the view that the state should not require a private industry to maintain racing to keep gaming rights. Opponents argued the bill could damage a signature Florida industry and its economic impact. The committee then voted 10-6 to report HB 105 favorably, with several members voting no and some excused. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, when land designated as Ag For example, when land designated as Ag Preserves<01:20:
• 21:11.840> until Ag Preserves designation continues until Ag Preserves designation continues until
• Chair Agbaje. of Ag Preserves land, and tax shifts due of Ag Preserves land, and tax shifts due to<01
• I'll pause here to take questions on Ag I'll pause here to take questions on Ag Preserves<01:22:
• Similar metrics proposed for Ag Preserves land could be used to evaluate the Ag Preserves credit, such

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Tax Expenditure Review Commission met on June 17, 2026, approved the January 20, 2026 minutes, and then adopted updated commission procedures. The procedural changes, presented by Legislative Budget Office Director Christian Larson, required a quorum of voting members to complete evaluations before a formal recommendation vote, and allowed members to bundle or unbundle tax expenditures for voting. The commission approved the revised procedures by roll call vote, with five ayes and four excused. The commission then reviewed member evaluation summaries for tax expenditures presented in December 2025 and January 2026. It first considered the alcoholic beverage tax credits for small brewers and microdistilleries, and after discussion voted to recommend repeal of those two expenditures, while leaving the small winery credit for a later meeting because it lacked enough member responses under the new procedures. The vote on the repeal recommendation passed 4-1, with Commissioner Marquart voting no. The commission next approved the lawful gambling bundle, which included bingo, raffle, and related exemptions. Larson reported that most members recommended continuation for each item, and the commission voted to recommend continuing all six lawful gambling expenditures. It then reviewed the residential utility services bundle—residential heating fuels, residential water services, and sewer services—where members generally favored continuation but several noted possible modifications or caps for higher-income users; the commission voted to recommend continuation of the bundle. Finally, the commission reviewed the data center equipment sales tax exemption, which Larson said had an estimated annual revenue loss of $95 million and was intended to create jobs in construction and data center industries. Members raised questions about its effectiveness and whether the exemption should be modified or capped, but the commission ultimately voted to recommend continuation. The meeting concluded with these recommendations set to be included in the commission’s 2026 annual report.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:38:15.520> by year olds prime working age by year olds prime working age by definition
• We'll look at prime age here in just a minute.
• Sometimes we call this the working age population.
• So overall workforce participation, ages 25 to 54 at the bottom, are prime age workers.
• Attract more working age strategy.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Major Tax Provisions in H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21) 00:02:45 Kentucky’s Workforce 00:33:35, 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and heard a brief member introduction before taking up an overview of major tax provisions in HR1, referred to by the presenters as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Representatives from the Kentucky Society of CPAs explained new federal deductions for tips, overtime, and car loan interest; a new tax-favored “Trump account” for children; expanded bonus depreciation and Section 179 expensing for businesses; changes to R&D expensing; and a new limit on wagering loss deductions. Members asked several clarifying questions about the duration of the provisions, W-2 and 1099 reporting changes, and how overtime deductions would work. The presenters emphasized that tips and overtime remain subject to payroll taxes and that many of the business provisions are permanent, while the individual deductions are temporary through 2028 or otherwise phased in over time. The discussion then shifted to individual and nonprofit provisions, including the increase in the state and local tax itemized deduction cap from $10,000 to $40,000 with income-based phaseouts, the temporary senior deduction, and a new deduction for car loan interest with income limits and vehicle qualifications. On charitable giving, the presenters described a permanent nonitemizer deduction, new floors for individual and corporate charitable deductions, and a new scholarship-granting organization credit that would allow donors to receive a dollar-for-dollar federal credit up to $1,700, beginning in 2027. Members focused heavily on the SGO provision, asking about state implementation, oversight, whether churches would qualify, and whether the credit could support both public and private education. The presenters said the state would need to establish the mechanism and that additional federal guidance is still pending. After the tax presentation, the committee heard from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce on workforce issues, with a focus on child care and housing as barriers to labor force participation. Chamber representatives said they were not proposing large new government programs, but rather targeted policy recommendations for the 2026 session. They described Kentucky’s long-term decline in workforce participation since 2000, attributing much of it to demographic change, an aging population, and fewer younger workers entering the labor force. The presentation continued into a broader discussion of workforce trends and the need for practical policy responses, but no votes or formal actions were taken on these informational items.

Transcript Highlights:

• I just wanted to point out that Louisiana does have an age of majority.
• I just wanted to point out that Louisiana does have an age of majority.
• So age of majority is established in Children's Code Article 29 at age 18.
• There's a ton of vaccines that they're going to get in that age group.
• Lara Freeman, Chief Deputy AG, and Natalie LeBird, Assistant Chief Deputy AG, both have blue cards.

Bills: SB57, SB405, HB62, HB193, HB203, HB222, HB246, HB420, HB475, HB486, HB574, HB584, HB815, HB949, HB1092, HB1214

Keywords: SB 57, Act 735, Act 463, nutrition, public health, food additives, artificial colors, banned chemicals, ingredient labeling, food labeling, FDA, food and beverage regulation, consumer disclosure, school nutrition, Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 40, Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 17, food manufacturers, food retailers, compliance, effective date delay

Transcript Highlights:

• at age 50 or 60.
• What have you found, if anything, about what is the level of danger at that age or past that age?
• It's the lowest of any age range that exists.
• It's the lowest of any age range that exists.
• she really going to commit at that age she really going to commit at that age so<01:28:02.400>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, remember, we're averaging all... ...age groups, all settings, all rates to come to that.
• An unexpected pregnancy at the age of 19 kind of became the catalyst of that.
• At the age of 19, kind of became the catalyst of that.
• You're interested in school-age children 6 to 12. Mr.
• We have a part-time rate for pre-K, I mean for preschool age children.

Bills: SB2

Transcript Highlights:

• The age of medical consent is 14.
• of 12. ...a child under the age of 12.
• The original bill as drafted was under the age of six.
• I introduced a bill several years ago that started at age 12 and went down to age 6.
• The bill originally was for children under the age of six.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• age 13.
• Florida provide support to families for students ages 3 to 5 who may need additional services.
• , ages 3 to 5.
• The average age for diagnosis is between 3 and 4.
• The average, the age that we can confidently make a diagnosis is as early as 18 months.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . betting this bill raises the minimum age betting this bill raises the minimum age for<03:40:45.920>
• the age the minimum age gambling raising the age the minimum age for<03:42:34.640> sports<03:42
• I gu... under the age of 21 accounted for under the age of 21 accounted for 1.9%<03:46:19.520> of<
• where Sports gambling is legal the age where Sports gambling is legal the age to<03:54:38.159>
• So I support raising the age to 21.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee received an overview from Chris of the Legislative Budget Assistance Office on how it will estimate unrestricted revenues for the General Fund, Education Trust Fund, Highway Fund, and Fish and Game Fund. He explained that the committee’s work is based on current law, not pending bills, and that the estimates will feed into a House resolution and an amendment to House Bill 1, the operating budget. He also described the broader budget process, including how House and Senate estimates are reconciled, how surplus statements account for revenue changes from enacted bills, and how a committee of conference could resolve differences later in the session. No votes were taken. Members then asked about why the Education Trust Fund was running below plan. Chris said the shortfall appeared to be driven largely by business taxes, including differences in the BET/BPT split and improved tax-processing systems that better track where business tax payments belong. Representative Orr also asked about tobacco tax collections and out-of-state sales; Chris said tobacco revenue was likely overestimated in 2023 based on COVID-era patterns, with more people smoking at home, and noted that e-cigarette tax revenue goes to the General Fund while cigarette taxes are split between the General Fund and Education Trust Fund. He said he did not have a specific estimate for cross-border sales. Commissioner Lindsay St. Pierre of the Department of Revenue then began a deeper dive into the department’s role and the taxes it administers. She reviewed the department’s mission, organizational structure, taxpayer services, and the tax policy and legislative analysis staff who prepare fiscal notes and testify on bills. She noted that the department administers about $2.9 billion in revenue across major taxes such as business taxes, meals and rooms, and utility property tax, and that the figures being discussed were preliminary because the annual report had not yet been issued. The discussion was informational only, with no formal action taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe in the conference draft you took out or added in some language allowing the AG to enforce as
• Yeah, it is AG enforcement, right? Okay. Passing SB 888 SD2 HD2 with conference draft one.
• you added in some language<00:08:36.560> allowing<00:08:36.760> the<00:08:36.840> AG
• to enforce as language allowing the AG to enforce as well,<00:08:38.320> right?
• Yeah, it is AG enforcement, right? Okay. Yeah, it is AG enforcement, right? Okay.

Bills: SB2876, SB3253, SB2125, SB2781, HB549, HB1768, SB2053, SB2494, SB2851, SB3073, HB1678, HB1721, HB2475, HB2246, HB1667, HB1516, SB2532, SB3131, SB3154, HB2297, HB1737, SB2143, SB2398, SB2623, HB1740, HB1920, HB1682, SB2153, SB3140, HB1515, SB2835, HB2282, SB3083, SB2031, SB2519, SB2667, SB2140, SB2544, SB2069, SB2697, SB874, SB2043, SB888, SB2721, HB2152, HB1334, HB2385, HB1643, HB2314, HB1688, HB1692, SB2568, SB2983, SB2108, SB3136, HB1959, SB3156, HB1511, HB1753, HB1824, HB2137, HB1810, HB2279, HB2309, HB1548, HB2078, HB2293, SB3262, SB2169, SB2607, SB2964, SB3255, HB2576, HB1481, HB1864, HB1550, SB2818, SB3067, SB2061, HB1728, HB1881, HB2361, HB2395, HB1823, SB2050, SB2397, SB2175, SB2852, SB847, SB3001

Keywords: natural hair braiding, hair braiding, braids, braider, braiding license, cosmetology, barbering, barber board, Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, registration, licensure exemption, sanitation training, health and safety, hair extensions, cornrows, twists, locks, protective hairstyles, beauty industry, occupational licensing

Transcript Highlights:

• Anderson said, there currently is a gap in treatment resources for children and youth under the age of
• of the appropriation of any funding that would increase resources for children and youth under the age
• /c><00:03:42.440> youth<00:03:42.840> under<00:03:43.080> the<00:03:43.280> age
• <00:03:43.480> of<00:03:43.560> 21 children and youth under the age of 21 children
• <00:04:20.560> of for children and youth under the age of for children and youth under the

Keywords: 1183, house