Transcript Highlights:

• in my district in the east end of, of, uh, Houston, Harris County, and the city has just passed disability
• Across the US, people with disabilities, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• And they still said you have to stay here, you have to adhere to that, and she's disabled.
• She was disabled. How is she going to go up and down the stairs? She can't.
• Uh, this, so this only applies to disabled and low-income indigent tenants.

Bills: HB303

Keywords: jail standards, living conditions, Harris County jail, safety, inmate welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• LORENA, YOU ARE THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS PROGRAMS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
• IT SERVES INDIVIDUALS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.
• THESE ARE FOLKS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.
• THE AGENCY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES THAT HAS A PROGRAM.
• INCLUDING THOSE WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Next on the agenda, item D, presentation on Developmental Disabilities Provider Association, DDPA.
• So, Developmental Disabilities Provider Association, DDPA. So you're welcome to come to the table.
• I'm Executive Director of Developmental Disabilities Provider Association. Good morning.
• So I guess there's no point maybe to explain what the developmental disabilities are in this group.
• IDD, intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Summary: The Arkansas Legislative Autism Task Force approved the April 1, 2026 meeting minutes and discussed several vacant membership slots, including positions tied to the Arkansas Psychology Board, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, UAMS, and parent or guardian appointments. Members said they would try to fill the vacancies and, if not, include the issue in the legislative report and consider statutory changes in the next General Assembly. The task force then heard from the Developmental Disabilities Provider Association and Civitan Services about DDPA’s role in supporting 80 provider organizations serving more than 13,000 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across 75 counties. They described services such as early intervention day programs, adult day programs, supported employment, intermediate care facilities, work activities, and community/residential waiver services, and said autism falls within the populations they serve. They also shared survey information on services used by older adults with IDD and offered contact information for providers. Members also heard a proposal to amend Act 656 of 2021 to add licensed psychological practitioners as qualified providers for autism waiver-related evaluations. The presenter argued this would reduce wait times, avoid duplicate assessments, and help families access services sooner, while noting that Arkansas Medicaid already pays for some of these evaluations. Task force members and Dr. Scott discussed the roles of psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and the possibility of using training or board oversight to ensure evaluators are properly qualified, with some noting that speech pathologists’ inclusion has historical and clinical roots. The task force also said it still needs a future discussion on fraud, plans to invite the Attorney General’s office, and wants to identify priorities for the 2027 session before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities.
• <00:49:25.880> on<00:49:26.079> Zoom disabilities on Zoom disabilities on Zoom thank<00
• ensures that people with disabilities ensures that people with disabilities can<00:49:42.839>
• <00:50:31.760> and reality for people with disabilities and reality for people with disabilities
• <00:51:27.880> are ensure that people with disabilities are ensure that people with disabilities

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 302, which would repeal the requirement that a provider-patient relationship for medical cannabis certification be established in person first. The Department of Health said it supported the House Draft 2 version as a way to expand patient access, and several testifiers from the medical cannabis community and dispensary industry supported the bill, especially for patients on outer islands or those unable to travel. One witness asked that earlier language removed in committee be restored to further improve access. Representative Shimizu asked whether follow-up in-person visits would still occur, and DOH responded that this varies by provider, with some continuing in-person care and others moving to telehealth for chronic conditions. The committee then took up House Bill 712, relating to the federal 340B drug pricing program and contract pharmacies. The Office of Consumer Protection and the Attorney General’s office both said they supported the bill’s purpose but wanted it clarified and possibly moved into a standalone chapter rather than chapter 481B. Supporters, including Hawaii Pacific Health and the Queen’s Health Systems, said the bill is needed to protect safety-net funding and access to discounted drugs, citing large financial benefits from 340B and losses caused by manufacturer restrictions on contract pharmacies. PhRMA opposed the bill, arguing the issue is not access to discounts but accountability and transparency in how contract pharmacies distribute benefits, and said it was willing to discuss amendments. Members asked follow-up questions about whether there was data showing misuse; PhRMA said it did not have numbers, while hospital witnesses said the program is federally audited and used appropriately in Hawaii. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 1482, HD1, which would tighten hemp and controlled-substance definitions to exclude Schedule I cannabinoids from manufactured hemp products and clarify the treatment of artificially derived cannabis. The Department of Health supported the measure, saying it adds clarity to existing prohibitions. Kūre Hawaii and other supporters said it would close loopholes involving Delta-8 and similar products. An individual testifier urged stronger language to also cover compounds such as HHC, THCA, THCP, and THCO. In response to questions about enforcement against mislabeled hemp products, DOH explained that THC percentages are relative to product weight, that some products can remain under the hemp threshold while still containing significant THC, and that hemp flower is already prohibited from direct retail sale, though enforcement can be complicated and involves both administrative and criminal authorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 1335 is about equity and fairness for the disability community.
• This bill is sponsored by the California Disability Services Association.
• Colleagues, this bill levels the playing field for those with disabilities seeking employment.
• I encourage you to join me in advocating for the disability community.
• I encourage you to join me in advocating for the disability community.

Summary: The Assembly Human Services Committee met with quorum established after beginning as a subcommittee. The committee heard AB 790, which would require jurisdictions receiving state homelessness funds to develop systems specifically supporting women and children, especially single mothers and survivors of domestic violence. Supporters said current homelessness programs overlook this population; the bill was amended and passed unanimously on a 7-0 vote. The committee also heard ACA 4, the Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act, which would dedicate a minimum share of the state general fund to affordable housing and homelessness programs. Supporters argued more stable funding is needed to address the housing crisis, while opponents questioned whether more spending would help; the measure passed 5-2 to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Members then heard AB 349, which would index the infant supplement for parenting foster youth to inflation. The author and sponsor described the needs of pregnant and parenting teens in foster care and rising costs for diapers and formula; the bill passed 6-0 to Appropriations. AB 779, which expands a domestic violence consultant pilot in child welfare offices statewide, also passed 6-0 after testimony that it would help keep families together safely and improve trauma-informed responses. AB 1335, which would remove a private CARF accreditation requirement for regional center employment programs and rely on state oversight instead, drew support from disability service providers but opposition from the chair over concerns about weakening quality checks; it failed on a 2-2 vote and reconsideration was denied. The committee also considered AB 1066, a bill to bar state-funded immigration legal services for people unlawfully present in the country who have certain serious felony convictions. Supporters framed it as a public-safety and fiscal-responsibility measure, while opponents said it would restrict due process and align California with mass-deportation policies. The bill failed on a 2-2 vote. Two bills, AB 277 and AB 318, were pulled by the author and not heard. After final roll calls on absent members, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• disabilities is that I see that if we disabilities is that I see that if we could<00:17:48.799> take
• > and<00:25:59.399> complex physical disabilities and complex physical disabilities and
• developmental disabilities developmental disabilities and<00:31:29.200> um<00:31:29.440><
• have a positive impact on the disability have a positive impact on the disability Community<00:41
• ensure that people with disabilities ensure that people with disabilities would<00:42:06.480>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on HB 530, a bill to increase funding for New Hampshire’s Affordable Housing Fund. Representative Jessica Lontine, the sponsor, described the state’s housing crisis, citing high rents, low vacancy, and the lack of affordable units. She said the bill would double the annual transfer-tax deposit into the fund from $5 million to $10 million, and she later presented an amendment to hold the Education Trust Fund harmless by directing the housing-fund deposit from remaining revenue after that trust fund is funded. She also explained a prospective appropriation idea tied to a possible future sale of the Laconia State School property, with the goal of supporting community housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Much of the testimony focused on the shortage of accessible and supportive housing for people with disabilities and aging family caregivers. Lontine, Ben Saul of Visions for Creative Housing Solutions, Lori McIntosh of Our Place NH, and Maddie Mandelbaum all described the difficulty families face in planning for adult children with disabilities as parents age or die. They emphasized that many people need not only affordable housing but accessible, supportive settings, and they argued that state investment would help nonprofit providers build such housing and prevent homelessness or inappropriate institutional placement. Several witnesses also noted that existing projects rely on capital funding and that operating revenues are limited because residents often depend on SSI and Medicaid. Committee members asked questions about the fiscal impact of the bill and amendment, including whether the proposal would shift money from the general fund or education trust fund and whether the Finance Committee should have final say over spending priorities. Lontine said she understood those concerns but argued that housing should be prioritized. Housing Action New Hampshire’s Tom Duroza also testified in support of the bill, saying the state’s housing shortage is driving record prices and vacancy rates below 1%, and that the Affordable Housing Fund has leveraged more than $500 million in private investment and helped build thousands of rental homes. He said his organization supported the underlying bill but had not yet reviewed the amendment. No vote or final action was taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• In Article 2, we deal with the disability services areas.
• For individuals with disabilities, the state will honor that.
• CADI stands for Community Access for Disability Inclusion.
• She advocates for our disability services.
• Article 1 is our Aging and Disability Services piece.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it and or or as far as elderly and disabled or elderly or disabled? I saw it both ways.
• disabled and elderly on a fixed income. disabled and elderly on a fixed income.
• <00:13:03.760> I<00:13:04.000> saw disabled or elderly or disabled?
• with disability. with disability.
• income or they could be uh disabled. income or they could be uh disabled.

Bills: HB87, HB96, HB28, HB87, HB96, HB28

Keywords: HB87, Marengo County, coroner, deputy coroner, county commission, expense allowance, mileage allowance, travel reimbursement, local act, local legislation, county general fund, public official compensation, county office, Section 45-46-60, Alabama Code, salary increase, allowance increase, National Signing Day, athletic scholarships, military enlistment

Transcript Highlights:

• 14% of our population have a disability, 14% are mobility disabled like me, and half of those are kūpuna
• 14% of our population have a disability, 14% are mobility disabled like me, and half of those are kūpuna
• 14% of our population have a disability, 14% are mobility disabled like me, and half of those are kūpuna
• disability 14% are Mobility disabled disability 14% are Mobility disabled like<01:04:26.880>
• the majority of my own disability the majority of my own disability accommodation<01:04:39.440><

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House convened, completed roll call with 48 members present and three excused, deferred reading of the journal, and received Senate communications noting adoption of House Concurrent Resolutions Nos. 1 and 2. The chamber also recognized several visiting groups and guests, including Congresswoman Jill Tuda, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii participants and students, Okinawan visitors, Farrington High School students, James Campbell High School students, and Waiau High School students, many of whom were introduced in connection with Chamber Week activities and educational presentations. The main business was unfinished business on House Resolutions 6 and 7, which adopted the House rules for the 33rd Legislature, including rules for the Committee on Standards of Conduct. Members generally supported the rules package as a transparency and modernization update, citing earlier public access to testimony, a public list of Speaker appointees, changes to conference committee eligibility, telework for staff, social media guidance, and a public list of bills introduced by request. Several members raised reservations or opposition, focusing on concerns about staff involvement in approving written remarks, budget information timing, the Vice Speaker’s role, social media/free speech issues, and whether some changes reduced public access or conflicted with constitutional open-meeting requirements. No vote on the rules package is recorded in the excerpt. The debate ended with multiple members yielding time and the discussion continuing on the merits of the proposed rule changes, especially the balance between transparency, internal House procedure, and public participation.

Transcript Highlights:

• We stand in Disability Law Center.
• . disability. disability.
• This is a disabilities as well.
• the Individuals with Disabilities the Individuals with Disabilities Education<00:14:35.240> Act
• students with disabilities. students with disabilities.

Bills: HF3493, HF4114

Keywords: safe schools, charter schools, nonpublic schools, Tribal education, funding increase, special education, funding, education finance, appropriations, budget, cross subsidy

Transcript Highlights:

• My caregivers help me with daily tasks that I cannot do on my own because of my disability.
• Thank you for your time and for supporting California's disability community.
• Thank you for your time and for supporting California's disability community.
• I'm Evan Fern with Disability Rights California.
• I'm Evan Fern with Disability Rights, California.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:02:07.399> and for individuals with disabilities and for individuals with disabilities
• also are part of the disability also are part of the disability Community<00:08:07.080> as
• the rights of people with disabilities the rights of people with disabilities and<00:14:55.000><
• As we really look at the Human Services disability division, they started in 2016.
• there are individuals with disabilities there are individuals with disabilities individuals<01:19

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:34:07.080> related disability related disability related organizations<00:34:09.800> um
• <00:34:13.520> it's governor's Council on disability it's governor's Council on disability
• disabilities and those are disabilities disabilities and those are disabilities identified<00:34
• related to developmental disabilities related to developmental disabilities access<00:38:49.160>
• better include people with disabilities better include people with disabilities in<00:39:49.760>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard from the Personnel Appeals Board, which explained that it became an independent state agency after Senate Bill 487 and was presenting its first standalone operating budget. The board described its quasi-judicial role in hearing appeals from classified state employees over disciplinary actions such as warnings, suspensions, and terminations, and said it handles about 25 to 35 cases a year, with some cases lasting longer because of their complexity. Members also outlined the need for a chair and vice chair who are attorneys, the board’s current staffing and space needs, and its plan to move away from reliance on Administrative Services for office support and website functions. The board requested about $353,500 for fiscal year 2026, including startup costs, routine operating expenses, and two new part-time positions: a program director and a paralegal. Members said the budget reflects the new independent status, includes funding for only four board members rather than the authorized five, and is designed to avoid full-time staffing costs and benefits. Legislators asked about the cost per case, the board’s relationship to DAS, whether appeals must go through the board before court, and how often cases are appealed further. The board said appeals must first go through it, that court appeals are infrequent but have increased recently, and that the board’s process is intended to resolve disputes more quickly and less expensively than court litigation. Committee members also asked about the board’s caseload, outcomes, and staffing. The board said that in the prior year there were 22 cases, with four decisions overturned in favor of employees, nine dismissals, and nine settlements, and that many disputes are resolved before reaching the board through a multi-step internal process. A member noted the governor and council had recently approved a new board member and were expected to approve a fifth soon. The discussion ended with questions about the board’s website and records access, which members said would need to be moved from Administrative Services as part of the agency’s transition. The committee then moved to the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities. The executive director explained that the council is 100 percent federally funded under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act and develops a five-year plan to address the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She said the council works with state agencies and advocacy organizations on quality-of-life issues, accessibility, voter rights training, and plain-language or easy-to-read materials, and that 60 percent of its membership must be individuals with disabilities or family members/guardians. She also described the council’s funding structure, including reimbursement to the state for operating costs, and noted that it currently has three full-time and three part-time positions, with no new positions requested but one full-time position being eliminated and replaced after a pandemic-era staffing change did not work out as planned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We must ensure that Californians with disabilities can fully and equally participate in the electoral
• and Eric Harris, who is, I think he's here, who is the associate director of external affairs at Disability
• My name is Eric Harris and I'm the Director of Public Policy at Disability Rights California.
• We are the state's protection and advocacy system for all people with disabilities.
• Students with disabilities. Not just folks who are coming to vote on our campuses.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• our disability service system. our disability service system.
• <00:16:18.320> services disabilities who ser whose services disabilities who ser whose services
• are coming to the Minnesota Disability are coming to the Minnesota Disability Law<00:20:51.200><
• represented disability waiver service represented disability waiver service providers<00:48:35.520
• seniors, and people with disabilities. seniors, and people with disabilities.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a disabled veteran.
• finest Navy, and I am a disabled finest Navy, and I am a disabled veteran. veteran. veteran.
• <01:25:45.600> benefits they get their VA disability benefits they get their VA disability
• they do more than just disability they do more than just disability claims.<01:28:41.120> But
• 56.239> to<01:30:56.400> help disability compensation is to help disability compensation

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It's by the Governor's Commission on Disability.
• I'm Stan Ross, Director of the Governor's Commission on Disability.
• So, it's you have to have a disability, and just about everybody who's aging has got some kind of disability
• And I want to verify that Alzheimer's or dementia does qualify as a disability.
• Congratulations for the Developmental Disabilities Council. My name is Carly Malone.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Article one is our aging and disability services piece.
• In some instances, I've had children taking care of their disabled adult family members where there's
• Another instance is where people had disability services and their waiver ended up getting...
• In some instances, I've had children taking care of their disabled adult family members where there's
• <00:09:59.200> services they were on uh disability services they were on uh disability services

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• proportionate exemption reflecting a veteran's disability.
• But what's new is that the disabled exemption used to be just a 100% exemption for a 100% disabled veteran
• If you are partially disabled, let's say 90% disabled, and you receive the $10,000 exemption, which do
• Chair and Vice-Chair Cadena, the disabled prorated. It is more difficult.
• of disability, and their home values—all of that is very, very difficult.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 888 addresses a critical flaw in the system that unfairly penalizes disabled veterans by counting
• their disability benefits as income when determining their eligibility for the disabled veterans' property
• SB 888 simply extends that same principle to property tax relief for our disabled vets.
• Disability compensation is not a source of wealth.
• Disability compensation is not a source of wealth.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation heard several bills focused largely on veterans’ tax relief, disaster-related property tax rules, contractor tax compliance, and nonprofit property tax exemptions. The chair reviewed committee procedures, including the suspense file process for bills with significant revenue impacts, and noted that only one bill would be voted on immediately. Most measures were presented with supportive testimony and then referred to suspense. SB 888 would exclude VA service-connected disability compensation from household income when determining eligibility for the low-income disabled veterans’ property tax exemption. The author argued the bill would prevent disabled veterans from being unfairly penalized and help them remain in their homes; a VFW representative testified in support, and there was no opposition. SB 1053 would allow county boards of supervisors, for disasters declared on or after January 1, 2026, to extend the five-year period for transferring a damaged property’s base-year value by up to three years. Support came from the California Assessor Association, and the bill was also sent to suspense. SB 1407 would exempt the first $40,000 of military retirement pay and surviving spouse benefit payments from state income tax for qualifying filers, with the author and witnesses arguing it would improve veteran retention in California and support the state economy. Multiple organizations and veterans spoke in support, and the committee members expressed strong sympathy for the measure, but it too was referred to suspense. SB 420 would deny charitable property tax exemption to organizations tied to private immigration detention facilities; the author and supporters said the bill would close a loophole that had allowed a detention facility in Imperial County to avoid millions in property taxes. Members voiced strong support and concern about the reported conditions at the facility, and the bill was also sent to suspense. The only bill taken up for a vote was SB 1165, which would improve coordination between the CDTFA and the Contractors State License Board so unpaid tax liabilities by contractors could be used in licensing enforcement, while preserving due process and installment agreement flexibility. After supportive testimony from the author and the California Tax Reform Association, the committee approved a due pass motion to Appropriations on a 7-0 vote. The committee then adjourned.