Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:01:14.840><c> of</c> we'll start with program of we'll start with program of all-inclusive<00
• </c><00:01:28.479><c> was</c> authorized or this program was authorized or this program was authorized
• </c><00:09:55.320><c> here</c> fund a PACE program here fund a PACE program here um<00:09:58.600><c>
• Minnesota has already done a lot of work in this space with our program, and so adding a PACE program
• You mentioned the D Day program as one of the sites that they can get those programs.

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c><00:02:39.760><c> which</c> the uh Northstar Promise program, which the uh Northstar Promise program
• </c> the fostering independence grant program the fostering independence grant program so<00:04:56.800
• </c> we took care of the state grant program. we took care of the state grant program.
• and the North Star Promise program.
• and the Northstar Promise grant program and the Northstar Promise program.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> I know you focused on the program I know you focused on the program Integrity<00:01:50.920><c> which
• Health Insurance Program.
• </c><00:02:44.840><c> and</c> overview of the program and overview of the program and responsibilities
• </c><00:03:04.280><c> as</c> the state for the Medicaid Program as the state for the Medicaid Program
• </c><00:03:11.680><c> the</c> per. um for the program the per. um for the program the administration<

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee met to review the Department for Medicaid Services’ program integrity work. Commissioner Lisa Lee and Program Integrity Director Jennifer Dudinsky outlined Kentucky Medicaid’s structure, funding, enrollment, and spending, including FMAP rates, the size of the Medicaid and KCHIP populations, the number of providers, and 2024 expenditures. They also described the managed care and fee-for-service populations, noting that managed care serves most members while fee-for-service is concentrated in long-term care and waiver populations. Most of the discussion focused on fraud, waste, abuse prevention, and provider oversight. The department described its provider enrollment and certification checks, revalidation requirements, site reviews, fingerprinting for some high-risk providers, and termination grounds such as false application information, Medicare actions, unreported ownership changes, and abandonment of a provider number. Members asked about nonprofit ownership reporting, MCO fraud oversight, and how the department tracks unusual CPT code utilization, especially in behavioral health. The department said it uses data analytics, audits, policy review, and collaboration with behavioral health staff to monitor those trends. Dudinsky explained the division’s four branches: provider licensing and certification, audits and compliance, recovery, and third-party liability/estate recovery. She described prepayment and postpayment audits, referrals of credible fraud allegations to the Attorney General, monthly meetings with the AG’s office, and coordination with the Office of Inspector General, CMS, HHS OIG, MCOs, and other partners. She also explained payment suspensions, stand-downs during law enforcement investigations, and recovery efforts for overpayments, provider/member fraud, and third-party liability. The department said its recovery and avoidance efforts produced more than $251 million in savings so far in 2025. No votes or formal actions beyond approving the minutes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a wildly popular program amongst our legislators.
• These types of programs are programs we should look at statewide.
• And I'm glad that you brought the program from LA...
• I am a program coordinator for... I am a program coordinator for California Lawyers for the Arts.
• The California Arts Council supports more than just programming.

Committee: House Joint Committee on the Arts

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Arts held an informational hearing on California’s first sector-specific creative economy strategic plan, “California’s Future Is Creative,” developed under AB 127 and related legislation. Chair Allen framed the plan as a response to California’s large but vulnerable creative economy, citing workforce losses, federal funding headwinds, and the need to support artists, cultural organizations, public media, museums, cultural districts, and film/TV production. He also highlighted budget asks including support for California Humanities, museums, public media, cultural districts, a post-production incentive proposal (AB 2319), and funding to implement the strategic plan. California Arts Council Director Danielle Brazel, Institute for the Future’s Rachel Hatch, CDE’s Allison Frenzel, and CWDB’s Michael Weoff described the planning process, which included a 30-plus-member work group, interagency coordination, and a phased approach from framework development to implementation and evaluation. They identified major forces shaping the sector over the next decade, including AI, climate disruption, affordability, access to capital, and social cohesion, and outlined six action areas: workforce preparation, business stabilization, cultural identity/tourism, cross-sector incentives, ROI/data tracking, and state capacity/infrastructure. Members and panelists repeatedly emphasized that the plan must be resourced and integrated across agencies rather than left siloed. A second panel of practitioners and advocates focused on workforce pathways and local implementation. Ricarlo Handy described the Handy Foundation’s registered apprenticeship pipeline into film and TV jobs and argued that current data systems undercount gig, 1099, and LLC-based creative work. Joanna Reynolds discussed Arts for LA’s Creative Jobs Collective, which aims to create 10,000 living-wage creative jobs in Los Angeles County by 2030, while Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez urged embedding artists in health, aging, and behavioral health systems as community problem-solvers. Roxanne Messina Kaptur spoke about the need to normalize arts careers and expand residency and school-based models. Senator Rubio, who joined later, shared her own arts and teaching background, supported arts access in schools and small theaters, and raised concerns about AI, asking how schools and educators can adapt. In the final panel, Rebecca Ratzkin reported on 26 statewide town halls with more than 1,100 attendees, which confirmed support for the plan but also highlighted needs for better information access, new financial models, stronger definitions and data, and more partnerships. Julie Baker of California for the Arts and California Arts Advocates urged sustained public funding, saying the plan is actionable only if the Legislature and administration provide resources, including increased California Arts Council funding and support for implementation. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational and concluded with calls for continued legislative and cross-agency collaboration.

Transcript Highlights:

• . program. program.
• program.
• </c> to update the program. to update the program.
• . program. program.
• program.

Committee: Senate Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And now you take away programs. You take away the program at Ka'iwai.
• . program. program.
• </c> programs are being used. programs are being used.
• </c> after school program. after school program.
• > per</c> program or individual program per program or individual program per student?

Bills: SB3263 , SB3261

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: student-athletes, name image likeness, NIL, compensation, transparency, University of Hawaii, Title IX, funding, protections, athlete agents, student athletes, endorsement contracts, professional representation, registration requirements, sports law, 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard testimony on Senate Bill 3263, which would create a state-supported endowment for University of Hawaii athletics NIL (name, image, and likeness) funding. University of Hawaii Athletics Director Matt Eliott supported the bill, saying NIL requires both immediate funding and a longer-term sustainable solution. He asked for several changes: lowering the initial endowment target from $10 million to $2 million so the fund could start sooner, allowing NIL reporting by team rather than by individual student-athlete, and clarifying that athletes may choose whether to use an agent, while still allowing certified agents or a parent/guardian if desired. Committee members raised concerns about using taxpayer dollars for athlete compensation, the burden on a small-state budget, and whether the university could realistically raise the required matching funds. Several senators questioned whether the university had a concrete fundraising plan and whether the endowment would meaningfully help UH compete with larger programs. Eliott said UH is already fundraising privately for current NIL obligations, had raised more than $1.6 million toward a $3 million annual goal, and would continue fundraising for both short-term needs and the endowment match. He also said the university is not trying to compete with Power Five schools on the same scale, but to be successful at its own conference level. Members also discussed transparency and privacy, with some senators arguing that if state money is used, the public should know how it is spent, while Eliott said individual student-athlete NIL information should remain private and team-level reporting would be preferable. He confirmed international student-athletes are eligible for NIL and said about 60 to 70 UH athletes are currently participating, with more than 100 expected next year. The discussion also touched on UH’s Mountain West media rights and local TV rights, with Eliott explaining that the conference distribution is expected to remain around $3.5 million and that local TV rights would be negotiated separately. No vote or final action was taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are some programs that are faith-based but Rep.
• Blanco: they are not allowed because of that component of their program.
• Research on the success of many of these programs confirms offering multiple program options increases
• the BIP program, the individual sentenced by a judge to this particular program, they get to choose which
• , which overturned decades of proven success in these programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we've had advertising programs by the National Flood Insurance Program for well over 30 years trying
• I'm curious as to what that program is, just so that I can let my— I'm curious as to what that program
• Is it a state insurance program? What is that safety net program? So these are not state programs.
• What is that safety net program? So these are not state programs.
• Page 204 is the Relay Missouri program and equipment distribution program.

Committee: House Budget

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Slide 12, program support roll-up.
• Can you clarify specifically which program?
• Can you clarify specifically which program?
• So you're to pilot that program.
• They're a pilot program.

Summary: The Department of Public Safety presented its FY27 budget request, emphasizing three priorities: improving community engagement through a redesigned website and outreach, expanding statewide data and intelligence integration through intelligence-led policing, and improving emergency response and officer safety through fleet replacement, a driving track, and a requested helicopter. DPS said much of its increase is driven by rising health care premiums, and it is also seeking special appropriations for fleet replacement, the website rebuild, and an Honor Guard program created after the 2022 helicopter crash that killed four public servants. Members asked about vacancies, fleet costs, cybersecurity compliance, the real-time crime center, EV fleet participation, and the Metro DPS facility. DPS said its vacancy rate is about 9%, its fleet replacement needs are driven by mileage and condition, it is compliant with federal CJIS standards even though DoIT has raised concerns, the real-time crime center would be built as a regional model to complement Albuquerque’s center, and the Metro facility is moving toward a January groundbreaking. Committee members also discussed several DPS-related capital and IT requests, including the intelligence-led policing data lake, recurring maintenance for critical systems, and a $5.6 million reauthorization for state crime lab DNA backlog work and a $900,000 reauthorization for fingerprinting equipment. DPS explained that the website request is high because the current site must be rebuilt from scratch to support missing-person alerts, memorial updates, ADA compliance, and better communication with law enforcement and the public. Members also raised concerns about speed enforcement, construction-zone cameras, and whether EVs are practical for patrol use; DPS said it is not pursuing speed cameras and is only partially participating in the state EV initiative because patrol needs make full electrification difficult. The committee then received an LFC quarterly update on non-recurring appropriations from the 2025 General Appropriation Act. LFC reported that of the $1.4 billion appropriated in Section 5, $164 million had been expended and $333 million encumbered, leaving $897.4 million unspent, which is a slower pace than the prior year. Staff highlighted a number of reauthorization requests and slow-moving projects across agencies, including AOC cybersecurity funding, DFA housing and public safety grants, DoIT cybersecurity and higher education funds, EDD economic development and energy programs, OSI mitigation and malpractice funds, EMNRD energy and geothermal grants, Health Care Authority behavioral health-related appropriations, DPS crime lab and fingerprinting funds, PED career technical education and special education initiatives, and higher education loan repayment and technology funds. Members questioned why some large appropriations had little or no spending, discussed the need to monitor reauthorizations more closely, and asked for follow-up on several specific line items and project balances.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those programs oversee around 630 licensure programs across the state, and by licensure programs we mean
• :37.280><c> lure</c> programs oversee around 630 lure programs oversee around 630 lure programs<00:04
• across the state and by lure programs across the state and by lure programs<00:04:40.000><c> we</c><
• And what this would do program.
• </c> programs are entirely competencybased. programs are entirely competencybased.

Bills: HF3635 , HF3638

Committee: House Education Policy

Keywords: teacher mobility, interstate compact, licensure, military spouses, education, teacher regulation, teacher qualifications, state sovereignty, educator licensing, paraprofessional credentials, mental health, professional development, data sharing, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:52:54.559><c> and</c> Minnesota this program has really and Minnesota this program has really
• I love this program.
• 02:55.319><c> uh</c><01:02:55.480><c> program</c> School um uh program School um uh program and<01:02
• That is available through programs such as our grant program or co-op program, which require input from
• </c><01:12:53.560><c> or</c> programs such as our grant program or programs such as our grant program

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> ever uh which is a really cool program ever uh which is a really cool program that<00:02:59.920>
• </c> businesses uh our our connects program businesses uh our our connects program is<01:13:12.840><c
• </c> do you believe the value of the program do you believe the value of the program is<01:23:54.440>
• </c> of this program but also the pro program of this program but also the pro program of<01:26:17.639
• Those programs are ever evolving.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, Engrossed Senate Bill 5649 creates an account in the state treasury for the program.
• So this would create a grant program.
• I won't belabor the program description.
• I don't know what their grant needs will be for that specific program.
• But yeah, we would not be proposing FIMSIV and this program as funding sources.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on two bills. Senate Bill 5420 would expand access to state benefits and preferences for veterans, uniformed service members, and military spouses by adding the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and NOAA Corps to various eligibility provisions, extending some employment preferences to military spouses, and updating related protections. Staff and the prime sponsor, Sen. John Lovick, described it as a long-worked-on measure that passed the Senate overwhelmingly. Tammy Pro of the Department of War supported the bill, saying it modernizes state law and better recognizes service members and military families. The committee also heard Engrossed Senate Bill 5649, which would create a Washington State supply chain competitiveness infrastructure program to provide grants and loans for public and tribal port projects tied to freight mobility and supply chain performance. Sen. Marko Liias and port representatives testified in support, saying ports are critical to Washington’s trade-driven economy and that the bill would help fund needed infrastructure, including rail and terminal improvements, especially for smaller and rural ports. Testifiers said the program would fill a gap because ports lack a dedicated state grant program and could help leverage federal funding. An amendment to SB 5649 was explained as limiting eligible projects to those not already eligible for funding from the Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board, to avoid duplication. The committee paused and later closed the hearing on SB 5649, then returned to SB 5420 to hear additional testimony. No votes were taken, and the meeting ended after the public hearings were closed.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a tremendous program.
• The RFA beginning farmer loan program helped us kind of fill the gap there.
• After I participated in a farm business management program to sort of get our financial feet under us
• This program also helped me connect with a community bank, which at the time was the only one listed
• The RFA's loan programs, including the beginning farmer loan program and restructuring loan program,

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• :44:21.680><c> unicorn</c><00:44:22.240><c> program,</c> >> Into the unicorn program, is there—are they
• , and maybe what you're mentioning is that one-off program you're mentioning is that one-off program
• So they would be excluded because of the uniqueness in their program, even though their program is the
• </c> their program, even though their program their program, even though their program is<00:48:03.839
• for a degree program.

Committee: House Postsecondary Education

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the $100 million was set up in a program we called the Invest NH program, that launched in the summer
• But that was a very popular program, and we have run the course on that program.
• c><00:15:23.399><c> uh</c> course on that program another one uh course on that program another one uh
• /c> course that particular program I think course that particular program I think we<00:17:53.799><c>
• I worked with all types of HUD programs, including many housing programs.

Committee: House Housing

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of our program and this report.
• Donors' exceptional program management.
• Then I look under the description that says, Catch a Serial Offender Program.
• So the CATCH Program is an active duty-centric program. It's run by Navy's NCIS.
• But the match program or the CATCH program allows individuals to know that someone was matched and, knowing

Keywords: 970, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Programs like our small bridge program exemplify our dedication to safety, travel experience, and better
• You brought up the small bridge program, and I mentioned at the hearing a couple of days ago: great program
• And so we both started an HVAC program at Lintech and expanded our advanced manufacturing program.
• And I know there are innovative programs across the state that are aligned with new programming to juniors
• The program also was a program we worked on with the Treasurer's Office that allowed for some provisions

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 55, the governor’s FY25 supplemental budget proposal to spend about $1.3 billion in surplus Fair Share revenue. House and Senate chairs framed the bill as a one-time opportunity to invest fairly in education and transportation, while also noting the need to protect the state’s long-term fiscal balance. Administration officials said the proposal should be considered alongside the FY26 budget and related bills, since the governor’s broader Fair Share plan aims for roughly an even split between education and transportation over time. Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorzkowicz, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler outlined the administration’s priorities. Transportation funding would go mainly to the MBTA and related reserves, including money for the Federal Transit Administration reserve, MBTA stabilization reserve, low-income fares, winter resilience, RTA workforce support, MassDOT workforce and project delivery, and micro-transit grants. Education funding would support universal preschool expansion, early education and care capacity, early literacy tutoring, adult basic education and ESOL, early college and career technical education, MyCAP expansion, and special education circuit breaker funding. The administration emphasized that many of these investments are one-time or multi-year measures designed to address current needs without creating unsustainable recurring costs. Committee members raised concerns about regional equity, especially the large share of transportation money going to the MBTA versus regional transit authorities and rural areas. Several members asked for more detail on how the proposal would benefit Western Massachusetts and other non-MBTA regions, and whether micro-transit and Chapter 90-related investments would be sufficient. Education questions focused on special education reimbursement shortfalls, federal funding cuts to school districts, and how CTE and vocational investments would align students with workforce needs. The administration said it would provide additional data on MBTA versus RTA investment and explained that the special education circuit breaker and transportation reimbursement changes were intended to improve predictability and relief for districts. After the administration panel, Jessica Tang of AFT Massachusetts testified in support of using Fair Share funds to protect public education amid federal uncertainty and cuts. She argued that schools are facing a fiscal cliff, that vulnerable students would be hit hardest by funding losses, and that the Fair Share revenue should be used to preserve services and support students’ needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> not only represents running the program not only represents running the program but<00:14:46.000
• program? program?
• program if that's done.
• </c> harm to the SNAC program if that's done. harm to the SNAC program if that's done.
• ><c> on</c><01:07:29.599><c> people</c> that the program has not only on people that the program has

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The work session was limited to House Bill 1750, a supplemental appropriation for the Department of Health and Human Services’ SNAP administration. Before testimony, Representative Terski distributed a written statement from Representative Priest for the record. Department officials Karen Heert and Nathan White then walked the committee through a chart showing SNAP participation, federal benefit dollars, and state administrative costs, emphasizing that the benefits themselves do not flow through the state budget. They explained that the reported administrative cost includes overhead and cost-allocation methods used to maximize federal reimbursement, and that the current participant count is about 75,000 with the trend steady in recent years. Members questioned whether the reported costs were stable, how much of the administrative expense was directly tied to SNAP, and whether reducing overhead would lower the need for the appropriation. The department said the cost per participant and per dollar distributed would be lower if SNAP were isolated, but that the broader allocation system also supports federal claiming across multiple programs. Officials said SNAP eligibility is redetermined every six months, that the department processes nearly 50 eligibility programs with about 250 field staff, roughly 70 unfunded positions, and a vacancy rate around 25%. They also said most errors in the program are unintentional and can come from either staff or participant mistakes, and that the department reviews errors to identify systemic fixes. The committee discussed the fiscal impact of the bill and related budget issues. DHHS said the current adjusted authorization for 2026 is about $31 million, but actual spending is expected to be closer to $25–26 million because of vacancies and unfilled positions. Members asked whether the $4.4 million shortfall identified in the fiscal note would come from the rainy day fund; staff said it would not be taken directly from that fund, but would reduce the amount available to flow into it at the end of the biennium. The committee also reviewed Senate Bill 603 FN, which was described as an alternative approach that would require DHHS to transfer funds within its existing budget rather than provide new money; officials said it would simply codify an option the department already has. No vote or final action on House Bill 1750 was taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• It has grown from a $1.6 billion program to a $2 billion program in a very short period of time.
• intact and kept the integrity of the program intact.
• intact and kept the integrity of the program intact.
• So a lot of these LTSS programs are entitlement programs, but is that not true?
• One of the programs that I expect you to see that related to will be the AFC program, which has grown

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The subcommittee opened with roll call and approved the November 2025 minutes. Commissioner Charlie Carr then introduced Leslie Darcy, chief of LTSS at MassHealth, who provided an update on the PCA working group and on federal and state budget pressures affecting MassHealth and long-term services and supports. Darcy said the PCA working group had completed its work and submitted recommendations, including reinstating the 66-hour overtime cap, strengthening program integrity, and ending paid paperwork time for EVV users; she said those changes were implemented on 11/26 and were expected to save $7.4 million. She also described additional consensus recommendations to lower the overtime cap from 66 to 60 hours, create a seven-hour weekly meal-prep support limit, and continue exploring benchmarks, though the group could not reach consensus on a benchmark standard. Darcy warned that a federal bill enacted about six months earlier would significantly affect MassHealth, with an estimated $3.5 billion loss to the Commonwealth by 2028. She outlined upcoming changes including revised immigrant eligibility rules in October 2026, work requirements for certain non-disabled adults beginning in January 2027, six-month redeterminations for some adults, and shorter retroactive coverage periods. In response to questions, she said people with disabilities and Medicare beneficiaries would be exempt from the work and six-month redetermination requirements. She also explained that reduced federal ACA subsidies were being offset in Massachusetts by state spending, including $250 million in additional state support to keep premiums lower for middle-income families. Members raised concerns about community hospitals, the health safety net, and the impact of federal funding changes on provider rates and uncompensated care. Darcy said restrictions on provider taxes would limit MassHealth’s ability to use those revenues to support rates, and she noted a current $300 million shortfall in the health safety net. She said FY27 would likely include a rate freeze, targeted reductions, one-time budget measures, and further work groups to examine programs such as adult foster care, which she said had grown 40% in two years. Carr emphasized that the situation was serious but potentially fluid, and the meeting ended with no further business; the subcommittee agreed to adjourn before the next meeting and noted an upcoming February presentation from the Department of Public Health.