Transcript Highlights:

• PBMs tend to act as a shell game. I rarely trust them. So how do you audit this?
• There are no changes in the base hourly rate that was already agreed to, and we've added in performance
• So you'll see that we have bucketed this based upon the occupancy or the type of entity that's being
• What we were finding when we worked with the actuarial advantage is that there was no actuarial base
• Now we have that base. ...that the three individual programs were producing. Now we have that base.

Committee: All ALC-STATE INSURANCE PROGRAMS OVERSIGHT SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The State Insurance Programs Oversight Subcommittee met on June 17 and reviewed a series of Employee Benefits Division and Office of Property Risk items. The committee approved formulary changes for March and April that favored lower-cost generics, removed some new-to-market drugs from coverage pending more evidence, and made maintenance changes to migraine and diabetes medications. Members also approved a cell and gene therapy policy that would route those therapies through prior authorization rather than automatic coverage; officials said the process should not delay urgent cases and that no current members would be affected. The committee then reviewed a UAMS pharmacy benefit consultant contract amendment, but after extended discussion about the written scope and dollar amounts, the motion was approved with the understanding that any use of optional services would return to the committee for further review. The committee also reviewed the U.S. Able Mutual/Blue Advantage third-party administration contract and the CompSack employee assistance program contract, which officials said would reduce per-member costs and add services. The subcommittee approved proposed 2027 rates for state employees and public employees, with a 9.8% increase for state employees and a 4.9% increase for public school employees. Officials also reported that the UnitedHealthcare rebid was in its final negotiation stage and would return in August, with medical and pharmacy coverage split as previously recommended. In response to questions, the director said the division was considering broader preventive-care offerings, including weight-loss drug coverage, but would proceed cautiously and with strong utilization controls and holistic support if such a program were adopted. On the property risk side, the committee reviewed permanent rules making prior temporary rules permanent, a contingency-fee subrogation contract, and renewals for claims management, actuarial services, and investment management. Members raised concerns about Sedgwick’s claim-adjustment timeliness and communication with school districts after severe weather events; officials said performance guarantees and communication expectations had been strengthened, but the renewal was kept at three years for continuity. Finally, the committee approved 2026-27 captive insurance program rates, which included no change to minimum deductibles, a 10% overall rate reduction, and bucketed rate changes by entity type. Officials said the captive program was working as intended, with improved actuarial support and claims experience, and the meeting adjourned after the approvals.

Transcript Highlights:

• If that student enrolls after the first Friday in November, we receive no salary-based apportionment
• accounts for about 70% of our state-based revenue.
• He's doing a lot of early learning things that, based on his disability, are appropriate for him.
• based on his disability are appropriate for him.
• So they've got skin in the game.

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• specifies that there are three circumstances where a person may be eligible to vacate a conviction based
• The amendment reduces the classification of the base offense of reckless interference with emergency
• The amendment reduces the classification of the base offense of reckless interference with emergency
• The classification of the base offense of reckless interference with emergency operations from a gross
• I am encouraging passage of this bill based on the evidence from other countries.

Bills: HB1228 , HB1982 , HB2156 , HB2165 , HB2173 , HB2203 , HB2220 , HB2362 , HB2403 , HB2464

Committee: House Community Safety

Keywords: DUI, driving under the influence, impaired driving, toxicology, forensic toxicology, breath test, blood test, THC, marijuana, cannabis, alcohol concentration, state toxicologist, implied consent, evidence admissibility, venous blood draw, forensic phlebotomist, certified laboratory, accredited laboratory, law enforcement, DWI

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:08:47.240><c> on</c><00:08:47.360><c> an</c><00:08:47.560><c> HOA</c> prevented from doing so based
• on an HOA prevented from doing so based on an HOA rule<00:08:48.880><c> prohibiting</c><00:08:49.440
• I am executive director at Can Do Canines, based in New Hope, and I do have Tucker with me.
• Um, it's a rough estimate based on DCT's current wait list for people who qualify under the priority
• Who's got the skills?

Committee: Senate Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• They did a shed-building program that was more hands-on than the computer-based one.
• This is an evidence-based approach from a leading country in recidivism, the Norwegian model.
• on the communities that they serve, based on the individuals that we serve.
• on the communities that they serve, based on the individuals that we serve.
• I would say, too, just based on...

Summary: The special commission on consolidation and cooperation in public safety held a hearing focused on correctional labor testimony, with union leaders and officers from multiple county facilities and the Department of Correction describing staffing, safety, wellness, and programming concerns. Speakers emphasized that correctional officers face high levels of workplace violence, exposure to synthetic drugs like K2, inmate suicides and assaults, and significant mental health strain. They also raised concerns about gender-identity housing policies, arguing that current practices can create unsafe conditions for staff, and urged stronger debriefing and wellness supports after traumatic incidents, including fuller use of programs like OnSide Academy. Several witnesses from unions including KCU/NCU and local county bargaining units argued against consolidating sheriff’s offices or merging them with the Department of Correction. They said consolidation could weaken collective bargaining, harm retention and recruitment, increase commute times, and disrupt locally tailored programming and reentry services. Multiple speakers stressed that county facilities are distinct and should be evaluated individually, not by a single formula, and that staffing levels, training, and facility-specific needs must drive any policy changes. One witness described innovative programming such as welding and shed-building partnerships, while another highlighted Norfolk County’s accreditation, budget stability, and reentry efforts. Commission members largely thanked the witnesses and echoed concerns about officer safety and wellness. They discussed the need for more facility tours, including Norfolk, and debated whether the commission should seek an extension beyond its September 30 reporting deadline. After discussion, the commission voted to request an extension to November 30, with the understanding that the report would still be completed and filed later. Members also discussed the possibility of examining the Norwegian correctional model and reaching out to the judiciary for additional testimony. The hearing concluded with an adjournment after public testimony closed.

Transcript Highlights:

• , I'm sure the committee is familiar: all real and personal property is subject to a tax each year based
• So, for example, moving away from income-based qualifications, would that then incorporate other types
• If this particular preference is not passed, these jobs more than likely will be based somewhere else
• It's based on, again, as long as projects like these go forth.
• This is how we train the next generation of skilled trade workers.

Bills: HB1983 , HB1974 , HB2334 , HB2367 , HB2650 , HB2655

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: timberland, real estate, excise tax, governmental entities, property taxation, land bank, land banking authority, affordable housing, housing crisis, housing supply, public corporation, public housing authority, nonprofit housing, tax-foreclosed property, blight remediation, redevelopment, anti-displacement, equity, redlining, racial segregation

Transcript Highlights:

• And so that's really what I'm trying to do here, is to provide a mechanism where skilled, trained teachers
• Where skilled, trained teachers can come back into the classroom.

Bills: HB17 , HB21 , HB24 , HB41 , HB42 , HB45 , HB1134 , HB1237

Committee: Senate Retirement

Transcript Highlights:

• I've always admired Senator Lakey for his keen analytical skills, particularly with respect to his ability
• to decipher complex issues. ...skills, particularly with respect to his ability to decipher complex

Transcript Highlights:

• They went on to defeat Hopkinton in the Division 5 softball championship game and claimed the school's
• unnecessary trauma because a treating physician is afraid that they will somehow run afoul of the law based
• their pregnancies at 24 weeks and whose circumstances demonstrate the limitations of an exceptions-based
• people, and members of the LGBTQ plus community deserve access to medically appropriate, evidence-based
• Today's bill, if pregnancy exists 24 weeks or more, an abortion may be performed based upon the professional

Summary: The House first took up several local and committee-reported bills, including a Ways and Means amendment to House No. 2370, an act prioritizing patient access to care, and a Senate bill authorizing the Town of Dighton to use a portion of conservation land for public way purposes. The House suspended rules to advance both measures, adopted the Ways and Means amendment to House No. 2370, and ordered that bill to a third reading. It also passed to be enacted a group of local bills concerning Leominster police civil service exemptions, additional liquor licenses in Milton and Southborough, Carlisle town administrator powers, and Watertown tax classification, and passed to be engrossed bills involving Petersham police employment and land transfers in Weston and Marion. The House then approved Senate No. 2735, dissolving the North Carver Water District, by roll call, and House No. 5388, a Marion land transfer bill, also by roll call. The major debate centered on House No. 5595, an act prioritizing patient access to care, which would revise Massachusetts abortion law for pregnancies after 24 weeks by replacing specific statutory exceptions with reliance on the treating physician’s professional medical judgment, and clarifying that outside review boards could not override that judgment. Supporters, including the bill’s sponsors and public health leaders, argued the measure was needed to remove legal barriers, reduce trauma, and ensure patients can receive care in Massachusetts without being forced to travel out of state. They cited testimony from patients, physicians, hospitals, and advocacy groups such as Reproductive Equity Now, Planned Parenthood, the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, and the Massachusetts Medical Society. Opposition came from Representative Sotomayor of Bellingham, who said he supported abortion rights generally but objected to removing what he viewed as safeguards, especially reporting and parental-rights concerns, and argued the bill went too far by relying solely on physician judgment. Representative Svara of Northampton responded that the bill still leaves reporting requirements in statute and is intended to prevent patients from being forced to leave the Commonwealth for care. A proposed amendment by Representative McKenna of Sutton was ruled out of order as beyond the scope of the bill. The House then passed House No. 5595 to be engrossed by roll call, 119-33, and later adopted an order to adjourn until the next day at 11 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• She is committed to a team-based, patient-centered approach that emphasizes early detection, prevention
• You threw me off my game. Representative Gutierrez coming in right under the banner.
• This model legislation is backed by the Pro Voucher Center for Arizona Policy and an Arizona-based anti-LGBTQ
• That will eventually be part of a moon base.
• That will eventually be part of a moon base.

Transcript Highlights:

• Rate based on patients’ refusal to get vaccinated. So should we pull it? Yeah, that’s pulled out.
• Based on the ridiculous language alone. Yes. SB 1432, Nicole.
• Madam Chair, members, SB 1671, gaming, racing, boxing, conflict of interest continuation, passed commerce
• Madam Chair, members, the dues that are due from 2021 to the current date based on penalties, what's
• Madam Chair, members, the dues that are due from 2021 to the current date based on penalties, what's

Summary: The meeting was a caucus review of a large calendar of Senate bills, with members mainly hearing short titles, committee vote counts, and whether bills were on consent or pulled for further discussion. Many measures were reported out on party-line or split votes and several were flagged to be removed from consent, especially bills involving artificial intelligence content verification, public benefits eligibility, gender transition procedures liability, health insurance reimbursement for vaccines, light rail feasibility review, public employees merit hiring, public records fees, virtual currency payments, tax conformity, undocumented immigrants and financial services, central bank digital currency, and public monies investment in trust currency. The caucus also discussed a number of education, public safety, child welfare, health, and regulatory bills. These included measures on school communications, bullying liability, AED training, classroom management, school safety reporting, DCS procedures, fingerprinting at behavioral health facilities, probation conditions, missing children reporting, sex offender monitoring, crimes against children probation monitoring, and domestic violence release conditions. Several members raised objections or concerns about specific bills, including mandatory sentencing, religious sectarian law language, concealed weapons notice repeal, and a bill on death sentence by firing squad, with some members asking to pull those bills from consent. A final topic was a blue-sheet Senate amendment to HB 2874 on campaign committee termination statements and penalties. Rhonda explained the Senate changes would void penalties for committees with no contributions or expenditures, retroactive to December 2021, but noted the Senate did not secure enough votes for the emergency clause. Members asked about the rationale, the Secretary of State’s position, and the amount of outstanding penalties. The chair later announced that the Senate amendment was being refused, so the bill would not receive final passage that day and would instead be sent back for further action or conference.

Transcript Highlights:

• A risk-based, materiality-driven approach is used in planning the audit work, which generally includes
• The next slide breaks it down a little bit further for you to see our kids, home and community-based
• Then our non-claim-based payments—this is my least fun category—are where we pay our contracts.
• We pay supplemental payments based upon prescribed statutes and rules and the state plan to different
• Director Blassing Game is where the buck stops.

Committee: All LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-MEDICAID SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The Medicaid Subcommittee of the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee met to receive a primer on the subcommittee’s history and on how Medicaid oversight works in Arkansas. Legislative audit staff reviewed the subcommittee’s origins in response to earlier Medicaid audit concerns and explained that Medicaid is audited every year in the statewide single audit because it is a high-risk, large federal program. Staff summarized recent audit findings, including issues with eligibility controls, data matching, contractor charging, incarcerated juveniles’ coverage handling, provider eligibility support, and the state’s Medicaid recovery audit contractor exception request. They also noted a DHS departmental audit finding involving employees who improperly received benefits, which was referred for possible prosecution. The Department of Human Services gave an overview of the Medicaid program, describing eligibility groups, delivery systems (fee-for-service, managed care/PASSE, and premium assistance for expansion adults), the size of the program, and the agency’s budget and provider base. DHS also outlined the difference between state plan amendments and waivers and said other committee materials would be sent to members. The Office of Medicaid Inspector General described its role in detecting and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse, explaining that it investigates suspected intentional fraud, suspends providers when there is a credible allegation of fraud, recovers improper payments in mistake cases, and recommends policy changes when trends are identified. The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit explained that it prosecutes provider fraud criminally and civilly, handles neglect, abuse, and exploitation cases in long-term care settings, and works with DHS, OMIG, and federal partners. Members asked about where cases are filed, how provider suspensions work, whether beneficiary fraud is investigated, and how education is provided to providers. DHS confirmed that beneficiary fraud cases are referred to local prosecutors and said the expansion population will move toward community engagement/work requirements under federal changes, with a soft launch planned before full implementation. The meeting ended with no formal votes beyond adoption of the prior minutes and no other committee actions.

Transcript Highlights:

• a light touch, a heavy touch, is holding up appropriate money for an entire department, you know, based
• think that it is the heaviest touch to hold up appropriated money for an entire department, you know, based
• potential legal issues with removing an entire agency's appropriation or getting rid of the agency based
• Based on some of the history you've had for folks not obeying a law, I think this committee is sensitive
• and looked at it, and we felt it took away the transparency that we like to put out there for our games

Committee: House State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• My taxes are set based on what I paid for that house.
• I would say yes, there is a gap that's based on statutory law in place.
• don't know about all of you, the property tax discussions we've been having are starting to feel like Game
• agreements with both our fire and police unions, negotiated in good faith that include annual percentage-based
• unexpected but now is almost considered the norm and I worry about those services shifting to fee-based

Transcript Highlights:

• So they have to have a client base. They have to have patients return to them.
• So, you know, it’s a...” “...completely different game.
• “And that’s just based on, again, eliminating this part of the Optum contract.
• and it says that it will result in a reduction of cost, total reduction of cost is...” “...and now, based
• “So are these cost savings stated in the financial impact solely based on the elimination of the contract

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:

• the record is just really impeccable, I think, over these last few years, and efficiency is Their game
• We had two federal policy briefs posted based on that site visit.
• It's based on population, so Mora County is one of the counties that's getting a lesser amount.
• And then you've got an intellectual base here, Madam Chair, that complements.
• We're not just talking about direct healthcare cuts and impacts on school-based health centers, Medicaid

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• make sure people understand the history here, this was established in 2018 and invested in nature-based
• make sure people understand the history here, this was established in 2018 and invested in nature-based
• We could manage for deer and small game. So Secretary Bioswerp has approved that.
• We could manage for deer and small game. So Secretary Bioswerp has approved that.
• But we have It’s always been a fairly stable shoreline based on its substrate.

Summary: The board met on January 21, 2026, approved the agenda and minutes, and received a CPRA implementation update from Executive Director Michael Hare. Hare reported about 103 active projects, with work focused on completing existing projects and moving more into construction. He highlighted several projects, including Port Fourchon shoreline protection, Northwest Little Lake marsh creation, Sugar Ridge Pump Station, a large RESTORE-funded marsh creation project, Schooner Bayou saltwater barrier rehabilitation, Cain Bayou marsh creation redesign, West Shore river reintroduction work, Morganza to the Gulf reaches, NERDA Raccoon Island restoration, and Chenier-O-Tig ridge restoration. He also reviewed recreation and partnership projects such as Bayou Pigeon and Destrehan boat launches, Grand Bayou Marsh Creation, Highway 1 terracing, and four Louisiana projects funded through the National Coastal Resilience Fund. Hare noted the annual plan public meetings were complete and the comment period remained open through February 17, 2026. Board members asked about the Rockefeller shoreline project, and Hare said the Corps and state agencies were working through geotechnical and environmental issues and that leadership remained committed to moving it forward. The board then heard a joint presentation from CPRA and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on the White Lake Conservation Area and Management Plan. Officials described White Lake as a 72,000-acre property in Vermilion Parish with major habitat, recreation, and revenue functions, but said aging infrastructure, levee erosion, limited water control structures, and maintenance costs made a master plan necessary. The plan, finalized in October 2025, recommends coastal restoration projects, lodge and facility revitalization using private dollars, revenue-generation improvements, and long-term partnerships. Proposed work includes GIWW shoreline protection, Unit 2/Caddo levee stabilization, and north shoreline protection, with about $30 million already secured for engineering and construction and total needs estimated at roughly $120 million to $130 million. Officials also discussed broader habitat management, conservation incentives for private landowners, possible land acquisition in southwest Louisiana, and coordination with federal partners and other state agencies. Members praised the White Lake effort as a model of interagency collaboration and emphasized its importance for waterfowl habitat, public access, and tourism. Questions focused on funding sources, oil and gas revenue, and whether other agencies such as economic development and tourism should be involved. Several members also urged the state to apply similar management approaches to other refuges, including Sabine, Cameron Prairie, and Lacassine, where they said federal management has lagged. The discussion underscored a broader shift toward landscape-scale habitat management and public recreation investment. The final major presentation covered CPRA’s marsh creation design guidelines and related construction logistics. Staff explained that marsh creation makes up a large share of the coastal master plan and that the agency is updating its 2017 design guidelines after nearly a decade of use. The updates will address survey standards, geotechnical methods, dredge production estimates, construction monitoring, and oil and gas infrastructure conflicts. A second presentation reviewed safety, access, and logistics for marine construction, including equipment access routes, pipeline identification and coordination, cultural resources, private landowners, oyster resources, and permitting. Board members asked about reducing geotechnical costs, improving land-rights coordination, considering uncontained marsh creation where appropriate, and managing pipeline impacts; staff said they would consider those suggestions as part of the guideline updates.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:36:45.280><c> for</c> motive there's skin in the game for motive there's skin in the game for
• </c><01:07:42.240><c> on</c> lawsuit based on lawsuit based on seeing<01:07:44.720><c> something</c><
• </c> have jurisdiction over an action based have jurisdiction over an action based upon<01:08:19.359>
• It's based on DC's law. >> Yeah.
• </c> based on DC's law. based on DC's law.

Bills: SF0087 , SF0088 , SF0092

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• system works as it currently exists, and we can guess that the answers to some of these questions based
• We can guess that the answers to some of these questions based on research from other jurisdictions,
• </c> attracting and retaining u a skilled attracting and retaining u a skilled security<00:48:53.119>
• Chairman, it's looking like this maybe just originated in the other body based on what we have here.
• on what we have here other body based on what we have here but<01:34:19.080><c> uh</c><01:34:19.199>

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• 609.066 says that it should be about the perspective of a reasonable officer in the same situation based
• Based on that Either lack of a record or a record.
• They also are subject to a fingerprint-based check looking for the same exact disqualifying offenses,
• And also, your inherent value should not be based on how much money you have.
• We must continue funding proven community-based solutions that address violence at its roots.

Committee: House Public Safety Finance and Policy