Transcript Highlights:

• Our culture and climate work is centered on connection, communication, and care.
• And so, as services... ...is increased, more staff is needed, etc.
• We have kiddos right now where our funding is based on our levels of service. ...services.
• New strategic plans, new direction.
• I don't have the funds to reach out in these other directions.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> cabinet and Health and Family Services cabinet and Health and Family Services versus<00:04:46.400
• As of January 2025, Kentucky has 8,31 children in out-of-home care with active placements.
• </c><00:10:48.519><c> uh</c> the bill ensures supported Services uh the bill ensures supported Services
• <c> she</c> you know there are certain Services she you know there are certain Services she has<00:15
• </c><00:20:56.360><c> Beyond</c> industry we we provide service Beyond industry we we provide service

Summary: The Senate Judiciary Committee met with a quorum and heard three bills. Senate Bill 26, sponsored by Chair Storm, would protect parents and prospective parents with disabilities by barring disability alone from being the sole basis for denying an adoption petition or terminating parental rights. Testimony from Judge Marcus Vanover and Crystal Adams described the bill as a product of the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health and its work groups, cited Kentucky and national cases and federal ADA guidance, and said the bill would require consideration of supportive services, clearer documentation, retention of records, and conforming language changes. Senator Carroll asked how the bill would apply to a hypothetical adult child with special needs; witnesses said the bill is aimed at adoption and termination proceedings where the Cabinet is already involved, not proactive service requests. The committee approved SB 26 by a unanimous 7-0 vote and sent it to the floor with favorable expression. The committee next considered Senate Bill 64, also sponsored by Chair Storm, which would expand the definition of key infrastructure assets to include telecommunications services such as telephone lines and broadband and make damaging, tampering with, or rendering those services inoperable a Class D felony. Representatives from Charter/Spectrum and AT&T testified that copper theft and vandalism have increasingly damaged fiber and other facilities, citing more than 20 incidents in Kentucky in 2024 affecting over 30,000 customers and diverting resources from broadband expansion. The committee adopted a committee substitute and then passed SB 64 by a 7-0 vote with favorable expression. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 73, sponsored by Senator Julie Adams, which would create a felony offense for sexual extortion, allow victims or their representatives to bring civil actions, include the offense in Kentucky’s sex-crime definitions, and require school-based notification and education efforts along with resource information for students. Senator Adams and witness Lady T. Thompson described sextortion as a fast-growing online crime targeting minors, often through social media, gaming, and messaging apps, and argued that stronger penalties and prevention efforts are needed. The transcript cuts off before any committee action on SB 73.

Transcript Highlights:

• Although responsible public adjusters provide a great, essential service in negotiating on behalf of
• Although responsible public adjusters provide a great, essential service in negotiating on behalf of
• With me today is Tony Signorelli, Deputy Commissioner for Consumer Services and Market Conduct from the
• So I directed insurers, including the Fair Plan, to investigate all consumer smoke damage claims and
• We have to engage face-to-face, which allows for more direct answers.

Summary: The committee first heard AB 597, a bill to strengthen consumer protections for disaster survivors who use public adjusters. The author and the Department of Insurance said the measure would cap public adjuster fees at 15% for claims tied to declared disasters, require clearer contracts, prohibit solicitation during emergency conditions, and allow consumers to rescind contracts that were solicited during prohibited periods. Insurance industry groups supported the bill, while public adjuster representatives opposed it as written but said they were willing to work on revisions. The committee approved the bill and re-referred it to Appropriations; the roll call was ultimately recorded as 16-0. The committee then held its fourth oversight hearing on the Department of Insurance’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy, with Commissioner Ricardo Lara giving an extensive update on wildfire-related market reforms and consumer protections. He said the recent Southern California wildfires had not derailed the strategy and described actions including advance claim payments, a one-year moratorium on residential non-renewals in affected areas, a new fraud strike team, smoke-damage claim guidance, additional living expense protections, and a consumer claims tracker. He reported more than $12.1 billion in claims paid, over 37,000 claims filed, and more than 7,000 survivors assisted directly. He also discussed related bills and reforms, including AB 597, SB 495, SB 547, SB 429, SB 616, AB 888, and AB 2026. Members questioned the commissioner about the Fair Plan’s growing exposure, the $1 billion assessment, rate increases, non-renewals, underinsurance, and whether the reforms would actually stabilize the market. Lara said the assessment was already approved, that policyholders would not be hit with one large bill because insurers have two years to recover costs, and that the department was pushing insurers to use catastrophe modeling and reinsurance tools in exchange for commitments to write more policies in wildfire-distressed areas. He said the department expects to see market stabilization by 2026, though he emphasized the timeline depends on insurer participation, implementation of the new regulations, and future disaster activity. Members generally expressed support for the goals of the strategy while pressing for clearer expectations for consumers and faster action on mitigation and market reform.

Transcript Highlights:

• The witness continued that eligible high-need fields means occupations in health care, child care, elder
• care, and, at the end, education.
• This would increase service programs, which a lot of high schools have, like a whole junior year service
• </c><00:49:36.640><c> exposing</c> through community service exposing through community service exposing
• </c> exceed when we look at the health care exceed when we look at the health care cost<05:04:58.400>

Summary: The committee first heard HB 659, which would establish the New Hampshire College Graduate Retention Incentive Program. A Department of Revenue Administration analyst explained technical issues in the bill, focusing on whether the incentive is intended to operate as a rebate or a tax credit, how it would be administered, and how it would interact with the business enterprise tax and business profits tax. She said the bill’s language was unclear on the administering agency, effective tax years, caps, and carry-forward treatment, and noted that reducing BET can also reduce the BET credit against BPT, though not on a one-for-one basis. Committee members asked follow-up questions about the BET/BPT interaction, administrative costs, and whether the Department of Business and Economic Affairs would need additional staffing. Andrew Horn then testified in support, saying the bill is meant to address the large number of New Hampshire college graduates who leave the state after graduation by encouraging them to stay and by incentivizing businesses to hire them. The chair closed the hearing on HB 659 after no further public testimony. The committee then took up HB 770, a bill to establish a program allowing New Hampshire high school students to earn tuition credits at state higher education institutions through community service. Representative Schultz described the bill as a “triple play” intended to increase volunteerism, expand service and internship opportunities for students, and make college more affordable. Ryan Casey, a junior at Bishop Brady High School, testified that the proposal would help students reduce future loan debt while benefiting communities and encouraging young people to attend college in New Hampshire. Committee members asked about eligibility, including why private and preparatory school students were excluded, whether public school students would qualify, whether mandatory service hours would count, and how the bill’s references to education and business eligibility should be read. Schultz said the exclusion of private and prep schools was intended because public school students are more clearly New Hampshire residents, and she noted that mandatory school service hours had been excluded in revisions. The Department of Education then testified that the program would require significant administration, estimating at least three full-time staff, software or tracking systems, and rulemaking to oversee volunteer sites, schools, student eligibility, and tuition credit distribution. No vote was taken in the excerpt, and the hearing remained in testimony phase.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> committee on Health and Human Services committee on Health and Human Services yep<00:52:15.920><
• We take care of the land. We take care of the water because it's sacred.
• Department of Health and Human Services, has four strategic directions.
• Human Services has four strategic<00:59:55.039><c> directions</c><00:59:56.079><c> the</c><00:59:56.200
• ><c> fourth</c><00:59:56.599><c> is</c> strategic directions the fourth is strategic directions the fourth

Bills: HF630 , HF1435 , HF1607

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: short-call substitute, substitute teacher, substitute teaching license, pilot program, teacher shortage, education workforce, school district, charter school, Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, PELSB, background check, paraprofessional, education support personnel, temporary license, substitute training, retaliation, teacher pay, daily substitute pay, Minnesota education law, education innovation

Transcript Highlights:

• a vendor for that service.
• c><00:26:46.240><c> keep</c> directed care program uh to keep directed care program uh to keep veterans
• </c> provide services for our communities. provide services for our communities.
• </c> services and grandparent caregiver services and grandparent caregiver services.<00:38:07.839><c>
• One of our most egregious examples is in our PDS program, patient directed services, where the caregivers

Summary: The committee first heard an update from representatives of the Kentucky County Clerk’s Association on the transition to electronic recording and land records modernization. They reviewed the 2021 task force work, the legislation and budget funding that followed, and the requirements for county clerks to provide online search portals and complete 30-year property record searches, with a 60-year standard expected next summer. Speakers said most counties are still working through scanning and verification, with only a small number fully complete, and emphasized that verification of records is the main bottleneck because it requires staff time and careful matching of indexes to deeds. They also noted limited vendor availability, differences among counties in what records are already digitized, and that the association and land title attorneys are now working more closely on future “continuous improvement” legislation. The clerks also raised related issues, including concerns about deed fraud as more records become searchable online. They said some counties already offer notification services that alert property owners when a document is recorded, which can help owners respond quickly to suspicious filings. They also discussed the filing document storage fee and KDLA digitization grants, saying the funding structure has generally worked but that two grant cycles have been missed. Another topic was whether, once records are fully digitized and searchable, some permanent records should remain publicly accessible or be moved to a safer archive. In response to committee questions, the witnesses said the remaining delays are less about money than staffing shortages and the need for more manpower to complete verification, and they said they would follow up on the balance in the KDLA fund and other details. The committee then received a presentation from an Area Development District representative, who described the districts as regional, nonpartisan service organizations that help cities and counties pool resources, provide technical assistance, and leverage public and private partnerships. He highlighted examples of regional cooperation, including veterans-directed care and other shared programs, and argued that the districts create efficiencies and economies of scale for local governments and the state. No votes or formal actions were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Postal Inspection Service.
• Postal Inspection Service.
• </c> um the United States Postal Service um the United States Postal Service change<01:21:14.600><c>
• And we think that points to a direction if you want to try and boost compliance.
• Somebody that is so caring about doing the right thing and helping people.

Committee: House Elections Finance and Government Operations

Transcript Highlights:

• care doctors.
• Madam Chair, Representative, we don't have a legal department, so we don't provide direct legal services
• So we certainly can help there, but we don't provide direct legal services. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• Madam Chair Representative, we don't have a legal department, so we don't provide direct legal services
• So we certainly can help there, but we don't provide direct legal services. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 25, which would prohibit a juvenile who committed a firearm-related delinquent act that would be a felony if committed by an adult from legally owning or possessing a firearm for 10 years after disposition. The sponsor and supporters said the bill is intended to address serious youth gun violence without lengthening juvenile sentences or unsealing records, and they emphasized that the substitute language was meant to clarify, not change, the bill’s intent. Support came from law enforcement, the district attorney’s office, CYFD, and business interests, while opponents including the Public Defender, ACLU, and criminal defense advocates argued it conflicts with juvenile-code principles, creates civil disabilities based on juvenile conduct, and could raise Second Amendment and sealing-record concerns. Members raised extensive questions about how the NICS background-check process would work, what offenses would qualify, whether the measure would apply retroactively, and how sealed juvenile records and pardons would be handled. After discussion, the committee adopted the committee substitute, but no final vote on the bill was taken in the portion provided; members discussed possibly working on the language further in Judiciary or tabling it. The committee then took up House Bill 15, the Medical Injury and Collaborative Resolution Act, described by the sponsor as New Mexico’s version of a candor law. The bill would create a protected adverse outcome conference process allowing patients and providers to discuss medical injuries or undesirable outcomes outside of court, with the goal of improving communication, giving patients answers, and reducing litigation. A family medicine doctor and a trial lawyer testified in support, saying patients often want explanations more than money and that open conversations can sometimes resolve disputes early. Public commenters also supported the concept, though one noted concerns about how pro se litigants would fit into the process. Committee questions focused on how the bill would define injury, how confidentiality would be enforced, whether statements could be used in court, who would pay for the process, and how it would interact with existing malpractice procedures. The sponsors said the conference would be voluntary, not require an apology, and would be protected by evidentiary rules; if protected statements were introduced at trial, they said remedies such as mistrial could apply. The discussion continued into procedural details, but no final action on HB 15 appears in the provided portion.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have 24 health care advocates.
• Employment services.
• Could be health care, could be...
• Could be employment, could be child care, and recognize their service as well.
• Our clinic provides timely access to high-quality, evidence-based mental health care for veterans, service

Bills: SB651 , SB897 , SB1814 , SB1818

Committee: Senate Veteran Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• oversees the homeless services.
• CSA4 is a per acre assessment that the County Service Area 4.
• We bring in an FQHC that provides health services.
• We're really careful about how much information we keep on file there.
• We're really careful about how much information we keep on file there.

Summary: The committee held an outcomes review hearing on AB 457 and related farmworker and rural housing policy, with members and witnesses discussing whether recent streamlining laws are actually increasing production. Chair Haney, Assembly Members Soria and Pellerin, and others described the purpose of AB 457 and its predecessor bills AB 1783 and AB 3035: to make farmworker housing easier to build through ministerial approval and other reforms. Witnesses emphasized that farmworkers face severe overcrowding, high rents, long commutes, and limited access to housing in both rural and coastal agricultural regions. The first panel focused on practical barriers and local models. Napa County described its county-owned farmworker centers, which provide nightly lodging, meals, and services, funded by lodger fees, a grower assessment, and state support. Testimony stressed that these centers function as navigation hubs rather than permanent housing, and that stable, inflation-adjusted operating funding, language access, transportation, and local set-asides are critical. United Farm Workers urged that local farmworkers be prioritized over H-2A workers and warned against displacing long-term resident workers. Several witnesses said the biggest barriers remain infrastructure, land costs, local opposition, and insufficient subsidy rather than approval streamlining alone. The second and third panels addressed AB 457’s implementation and broader state funding issues. Santa Clara County said the bill could help on a county-owned Gilroy site, but financing remains the main obstacle. Self-Help Enterprises said AB 457’s expanded geography and project-size rules may help future sites, but rural projects still struggle with water, sewer, and environmental review costs, and with the state’s Super NOFA process, which tends to favor deeper-income projects that do not match farmworker household incomes. HCD reported that CERNA and other programs have increased farmworker housing production in recent years, but witnesses argued that rural regions still receive too little funding, that infrastructure dollars are too fragmented, and that more rural-specific set-asides, local funding incentives, and predictable allocations are needed. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm helping people who always need help, elderly people, and I'm caring.
• </c><00:08:55.440><c> I'm</c> elderly people and I'm caring I'm elderly people and I'm caring I'm protecting
• </c><00:20:45.919><c> of</c> being pointed toward the direction of being pointed toward the direction
• </c> ensuring the benefits and services ensuring the benefits and services provided<00:27:26.080><c>
• </c> ensuring the benefits and services ensuring the benefits and services provided<00:29:10.640><c>

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• service on the video service regardless of technology, regardless of whether it's a streaming service
• not other services they provide, only on the video services is that fee charged.
• the service paid.
• And one small piece of the service is the video service.
• Steris is a global leader of products and services that support patient care within emphasis on infection

Bills: SB264 , SB542 , SB924 , SB1008 , SB1029 , SB1036 , SB1057 , SB1058 , SB1185 , SB1202 , SB1358 , SB1364 , SB1376 , SB1569 , SB1664 , SB1697 , SJR50

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• Health care workers are very familiar with it, that says if you believe certain things have happened
• And I care deeply about education in this state. And I'm a fourth-generation educator.
• And I care deeply about education in the state, just as you do.
• So we offer this for current teachers, in-service teachers, to continue to improve their practice to
• This is a group of institutions of higher education that are working together to prepare pre-service

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• My police chief and fire chief, and subsequent other public service chiefs, haven't directed me that
• My police chief and fire chief, and subsequent other public service chiefs, haven't directed me that
• My police chief and fire chief, and subsequent other public service chiefs, haven't directed me that
• It is administratively attached by statute to the Department of Environmental Services.
• </c> an unnecessary tax increase directed an unnecessary tax increase directed specifically<01:40:41.679

Summary: The committee first held a public hearing on HB 660, which would require historic horse racing facilities to provide 10% of HHR winnings to host municipalities as mitigation. Representative Om said the bill was intended to offset local costs associated with large gaming facilities, noting that prior gaming measures included opt-in provisions and that this proposal would leave charities and the state whole while taking the 10% from the operator’s share. Members questioned why 10% was chosen and whether municipalities were currently experiencing added costs; Om said the amount was meant to address projected future impacts, not broader municipal budget issues, and cited a study on casino-related community costs. Opponents from the New Hampshire Charitable Gaming Operators Association argued the bill unfairly singled out one industry and said gaming facilities do not impose more municipal burden than other entertainment venues. The hearing closed without a vote, and a member clarified the bill would apply to existing and future casinos/facilities. The committee then opened a hearing on HB 658-FN, which raises the cap on reimbursements from the Oil Discharge and Disposal Cleanup Fund and makes related changes to the Oil Pollution Control Fund. Representative Malloy introduced the bill, and Representative Aly described the funds as an insurance backstop for oil spill cleanup and low-income tank replacement, saying the program helps prevent environmental hazards and satisfies financial responsibility requirements. Bob Scully of the Energy Marketers Association supported the bill but noted that fee changes are ultimately passed on to consumers. Department of Environmental Services officials Robert Bishop and Jennifer Marts explained that the bill would change reporting deadlines, raise the reimbursement cap for low-income homeowners, extend the fee collection period for 10 years, and adjust petroleum import fees based on an actuarial review. They said the funds cover spill response, prevention, and tank replacement, and that the fee structure was designed to keep the funds solvent while balancing costs across fuel categories. Committee members asked about the actuarial basis for the fee changes, why some fees would rise while others would fall, and how the funds are used. DES said the review used 10 years of claims and exposure data and that the fuel oil fee would otherwise need to rise sharply, so the board proposed a smaller increase and rebalanced other fees. Members also asked about the scope of covered oil imports, and DES explained that the fee applies to oil destined for use in New Hampshire, not merely passing through the state. The discussion also covered home heating oil spills, which DES said are often discovered by homeowners or fire departments and are usually caused by tank corrosion, piping, or overfills. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair noted that the policy committee had already approved the bill before the finance-focused review.

Transcript Highlights:

• 09:09.040><c> development</c> are also direct workforce development are also direct workforce development
• Care work is real work.
• Care work is real work.
• </c><00:31:42.240><c> and</c> for their contribution to the care and for their contribution to the care
• Care work is real work. Our workers. Care work is real work.

Committee: Senate Labor

Transcript Highlights:

• I direct your attention to page 16, lines one through seven.
• You know, the janitors, the bus drivers, the cooks, they all care about these children.
• Create another situation, whether in the affordability or access of health care.
• As we all know, employees who have access to health care are healthy employees that come to work.
• I just want to make sure that we do it right and that everybody's taken care of.

Committee: House House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• But they just didn't care. You know, this makes sure they care.
• Right now, sole proprietors and they access health care coverage.
• I started my flagship company, Foresight Real Estate Services, in 2012.
• But we reached a point where we need health care for our family.
• I wouldn't care if it was 1 to 25.

Committee: House Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment

Summary: The committee first went into executive session on House Bill 2099, adopting a House committee substitute and an amendment clarifying language about non-private, non-commercial property and authorized agents, including executors, administrators, trustees, and verified heirs. Members discussed the amendment as a way to prevent people from exploiting recent obituaries to occupy property without authorization. The committee then voted unanimously to do pass the House committee substitute for HB 2099. The main public hearing was on House Bill 1791, which would set deadlines for political subdivisions to act on building permit applications and reduce fees if deadlines are missed. The sponsor and supporters, including the Missouri Municipal League’s critics from the construction industry, argued the bill would reduce costly delays, improve predictability, and help housing and business development. Opponents from municipal groups said the bill could create liability concerns, impose one-size-fits-all mandates on cities of different sizes, and interfere with local inspection and safety processes. Several witnesses said they were willing to work on the bill’s definitions and timelines, but no vote was taken in the transcript. The committee also heard House Bill 2465, which would let sole proprietors and single-member businesses obtain group health coverage outside the ACA framework and would revise the employee-count threshold from two to one, with discussion about whether the upper limit should remain 50 or be changed. Supporters said the bill would help small businesses, especially family-run firms, access more affordable and flexible coverage, including out-of-network options; one witness described personal difficulty obtaining coverage for a spouse who works in the business. Members raised questions about federal implications and the impact of changing the 50-employee cap, but the hearing ended without a recorded vote. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2717, a storage-unit and public notice bill that would modernize notice requirements by reducing reliance on newspaper advertisements, allow electronic delivery of rental agreements, shorten certain notice periods, and address storage units being used as housing. Supporters said the bill reflects current business practices and improves communication and efficiency, while opponents focused on preserving newspaper notice and raised concerns about public awareness and process. The sponsor said the bill had been repeatedly introduced in prior sessions and was intended to update the industry’s rules; the hearing concluded without final action in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• I have no way of shopping online or I don't care to shop online.
• We've got providers and 50 states that we service.
• So currently health care facility.
• But I think, you know, it sounds like you're working going in the right direction.
• Instead, the bill speaks to all licensed health care practitioners, not up. Thomas.

Transcript Highlights:

• ">wartime service may be able to </font> <font color="aaaaaa">utilize such military service </font> <
• font color="aaaaaa">towards the credible service </font> <font color="aaaaaa">utilize such military service
• </font> <font color="aaaaaa">for your service. Thank you.
• I </font> <font color="aaaaaa">their time in service.
• </font> <font color="aaaaaa">It also directs the Florida </font> <font color="aaaaaa">active duty service

Transcript Highlights:

• I wonder if some of those organizations that provide direct services might get funding from federal grant
• Be careful how you say that.
• Be careful how you say that.
• services, those kinds of things?
• So we isolate those, and the victim service unit comes in and takes care of the victim, the medical,

Summary: The committee met to hear the Attorney General’s budget and related agency presentations. Legislative Council first reviewed the compliance with legislative intent report and the base budget worksheet, highlighting current and ongoing appropriations, FTE changes, one-time funding items, continuing appropriations, and major special and federal funds. Members asked about items such as the Missing Indigenous People Grant Fund, the Internet Crimes Investigation Fund, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit grant funding, and staff explained the funding sources and status of those programs. Assistant Attorney General Clare Ness then outlined the Attorney General’s office structure, staffing, and budget pressures. She emphasized the office’s broad statutory duties, the value of its legal and investigative work for state and local governments, and concerns about attorney salary competitiveness, the new and vacant FTE pool, and the impact of the 3% operating budget reduction on BCI, IT, and the crime lab. Members also discussed AG opinions, boards and commissions training, and the office’s litigation and settlement recoveries. Ness and committee members raised the possibility of broader attorney salary benchmarking across state government. The crime lab director described severe space and infrastructure constraints, including overcrowding, shared workspaces, glycol leaks, air handling limits, and aging fire and burglar alarm systems. She said the 2024 study projected a much larger facility would be needed and that a new building on the current health department site would best address the lab’s needs. She also reported that backlogs have improved significantly in DNA, drug, fingerprint, and firearms work, though toxicology had a recent delay after an air compressor failure. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit director described the unit’s fraud, abuse, and neglect work, noted federal-state funding and recent federal scrutiny, and said the unit needs more staff. The gaming division reviewed charitable gaming growth, e-tabs, trust accounts, and compliance issues, while BCI covered its caseload, cybercrime and child sexual abuse material investigations, the missing indigenous person task force, and the use of lottery funds for drug task forces. No formal votes or budget actions were taken during the meeting.