Transcript Highlights:

• people with disabilities.
• <01:13:52.040><c> people</c><01:13:52.239><c> with</c> support people with support people with disabilities
• Ticket to Work supports individuals receiving Social Security disability benefits in obtaining and maintaining
• <01:15:03.239><c> disability</c><01:15:03.920><c> benefits</c><01:15:04.679><c> in</c> disability disability
• For the past 10 years, I have dedicated myself to supporting people with disabilities and achieving their

Bills: HF1538 , HF1965 , HF2251 , HF2838

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

Transcript Highlights:

• There are a lot of other disabilities.
• There are a lot of other disabilities.
• Laura Minetue also is waving in support, Disability Rights Florida. Okay.
• Barney Bishop, Florida Smart Justice Alliance, is waving in support, and also waving in support from
• Barney Bishop, Florida Smart Justice's Alliance is waving in support, and also waiving in support.

Bills: S0132 , S0418 , S0646 , S0820 , S1734

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice met with a quorum and took up several bills. SB 646, relating to drug paraphernalia, was presented by President Gates as a narrow measure to allow drug testing tools such as fentanyl test strips and reagent kits to detect dangerous adulterants and help prevent overdose deaths. Senator Osgood spoke in strong support, describing the bill as important for people in recovery. The bill had one support appearance and was reported favorably by unanimous roll call. The committee then heard SB 418 on law enforcement interactions with individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Senator Jones explained that the bill requires autism awareness and communication/de-escalation training for officers and creates a voluntary Blue Envelope Program for drivers with ASD. Multiple advocates, including Disability Rights Florida, an Autism Society representative, parents, and a retired federal officer, testified in support, emphasizing safety, communication, and the need to avoid tragic misunderstandings during police encounters. Senators also discussed whether broader disability training should be considered in the future. SB 418 was reported favorably unanimously. Next, the committee considered SB 132 on restoration of voting rights, which would require the Florida Commission on Offender Review to create and maintain a public database to help people determine whether they have completed sentence requirements for rights restoration and to publish clearer instructions for eligible individuals. An amendment was adopted to make the database subject to legislative appropriation. The bill was then reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 1734, which recognizes juvenile probation and detention officers as officers under state law and extends training, certification, and certain benefits, and CS/SB 820, which strengthens reporting requirements for problem-solving courts and sets annual reporting deadlines. Both bills were reported favorably after brief discussion and support appearances.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> place and also have the disability place and also have the disability determination<00:28:57.279
• </c> the proposal to shift 5% of disability the proposal to shift 5% of disability waiver<00:43:24.440
• Services to motans with day Support Services to motans with disabilities<01:10:56.679><c> thank</c><
• Directed Community Supports program, and the consumer support grant.
• for our direct support staff.

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• So that is why I'm in support of both parts of this bill.
• So that is why I'm in support of both parts of this bill.
• Without the support provided by SB 40 boards, some individuals with developmental disabilities could
• We want to support and incentivize the service.
• We're creating unique and new programming to support young people with disabilities to gain competitive

Committees: House Local Government , House Local Government, Elections and Pensions

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• Approximately 59% of adults with a mobility disability and 65% with multiple disabilities in Vermont
• Approximately 59% of adults with a mobility disability and 65% with multiple disabilities in Vermont
• Approximately 59% of adults with a mobility disability and 65% with multiple disabilities in Vermont
• </c> um support the bill was 7-4-0. um support the bill was 7-4-0. Thank<00:50:24.240><c> you.
• </c> support on the amendment of this bill. support on the amendment of this bill.

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• Californians with disabilities, particularly those with the most significant support needs, face enormous
• A unique and core component of H-DAP is the legal advocacy to support participants in applying for disability
• This combination of housing support and disability benefit advocacy is designed to quickly stabilize
• This combination of housing support and disability benefit advocacy is designed to quickly stabilize
• It is the only game in town if you need long-term services and supports and you have a disability.

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• </c> and Community Support and Community Support issues<00:03:42.000><c> Mr</c><00:03:42.239><c> chair
• </c><00:25:34.200><c> which</c> again the Council on disability which again the Council on disability
• Long-term care services and supports are available to the elderly and disabled through sort of three
• </c> eligible under elderly or disabled eligible under elderly or disabled categories<00:28:52.480><c
• Family Support grants provide state cash assistance for maintaining a child with developmental disabilities

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• disabilities.
• So with this support, we will continue to support your constituents.
• So with this support, we will continue to support your constituents.
• Thank you for your support and for your continued support to make this happen.
• So with this support, we will continue to support your constituents.

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• National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities.
• Developmental disabilities are the very fabric of our community.
• So when recognizing Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, So when recognizing Developmental Disabilities
• Also rising in strong support of this resolution.
• support it.

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• Coast is waving in support, twice.
• Access for people with disabilities.
• who meet disability criteria.
• Disabled people and disabled parking go together despite this effort to seem to want to separate us.
• And the standards that I have to meet to get disabled parking—I've been disabled my entire life.

Transcript Highlights:

• Californians with disabilities, particularly those with the most significant support needs, face enormous
• A unique and core component of H-DAP is the legal advocacy to support participants in applying for disability
• This combination of housing support and disability benefit advocacy is designed to quickly stabilize
• With the fiscal outlook as it is, we need to shore up, support, and sustain our existing aging and disability
• It is the only game in town if you need long-term services and supports and you have a disability.

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on the impact of H.R. 1 on older Californians and related county administration issues. Chair Jackson and Chair Addis opened by emphasizing California’s rapidly aging population and the need to protect seniors’ access to food, health care, housing, and in-home support services. Testimony from the Department of Social Services, Department of Health Care Services, and Department of Aging described how H.R. 1 would expand work and reporting requirements in CalFresh and Medi-Cal, increase redeterminations, and create new eligibility barriers. Witnesses and advocates warned that these changes could lead to large coverage losses, especially for adults ages 55 to 64, people experiencing homelessness, caregivers, and some immigrant groups, while also increasing administrative burden on counties. The LAO noted that many provisions do not directly apply to Californians 65 and older, but highlighted indirect effects and some direct impacts, including a new home equity limit for certain long-term care recipients and narrower immigration eligibility rules. Committee members pressed the administration and counties on how exemptions would be identified and implemented, whether data systems could automatically protect eligible people, and how outreach would reach older adults, women, LGBTQ seniors, and people with limited digital access. DHCS and CDSS said they are working to use existing data, cross-program information sharing, and human-centered communications to maximize exemptions and reduce churn, including text outreach, print and radio campaigns, and navigator support. Members also raised concerns about the need for legal aid and county eligibility workers to help people navigate complex rules, and requested updated analyses on the number of people likely to lose both Medi-Cal and CalFresh and the broader human and system impacts. No votes were taken. The second major topic was the administration’s proposal to shift some future IHSS costs to counties by establishing a statewide baseline for average authorized hours per case. CDSS said the proposal is intended to improve consistency in assessments and not reduce services, while counties and labor groups strongly opposed it, arguing that rising hours reflect real increases in need, an aging and higher-acuity caseload, and state-mandated assessment tools rather than county error. County representatives said the proposal would strain already limited local revenues, worsen the effects of H.R. 1, and could force cuts to other safety-net services. Committee members questioned the proposal’s timing and impact, but the hearing ended without action, with the chairs asking for continued updates, additional analysis, and more information before May Revision.

Transcript Highlights:

• Christopher Arroyo, for the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and we support this bill.
• I'm a parent of a child with a disability. I support AB 1220.
• Javier Torres is also part of the Ives Torres Foundation, and we support people with disabilities in
• Javier Torres is also part of the Ives Torres Foundation, and we support people with disabilities in
• Gregory Kramer, on behalf of Disability Rights California, in support. Thank you.

Summary: The committee heard a series of child care, social services, immigrant support, disability services, and language access bills, with many measures drawing strong support and no opposition. Early in the hearing, AB 450 proposed a Department of Aging task force to study and recommend policies for undocumented adults age 55 and older; AB 593 would let CDSS identify data-sharing opportunities to improve CalFresh administration and participation; and AB 904 would clarify child care subsidy eligibility so families do not lose care during pregnancy leave, family leave, caregiving, or job search periods. All three were presented as ways to reduce barriers and improve access to essential services, and AB 904 was moved out on a 1-0 call after support testimony from child care advocates and a member of the public. AB 617, which would expand and standardize respite care access for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by requiring licensing and registry participation, drew both support and significant opposition from respite providers and disability service organizations concerned about added regulation, cost, and possible delays; the author said she would continue working with opponents, and the bill was moved out on a 2-0 call. The committee also heard AB 1220, which would require regional centers to document denials, notices of action, and appeals in individual program plans and include that data in annual reports to improve transparency and equity in developmental services. The bill drew extensive public support from parents, advocates, and disability organizations, with no opposition, and passed 5-0. AB 752 would make child care centers by right in certain residential zones when co-located with multifamily housing or institutional uses, and supporters argued it would reduce zoning barriers and help expand child care capacity; it also passed 5-0. AB 1242 would create a CalHHS language access director, require human review of machine translation, and improve language coverage determinations for state and local agencies; supporters emphasized health equity and the need for better access for limited-English communities, and the bill was moved out on a 4-0 call. Later, AB 548 would continue and expand the Asylee and Vulnerable Non-Citizen Program, which provides case management and integration services for asylees and certain visa holders; supporters said the program had been effective but had run out of funding, and the bill passed 4-0. AB 495, the Family Preparedness Plan Act, would strengthen family safety planning for immigrant families, standardize acceptance of caregiver authorization affidavits, and create a joint guardianship process for temporary separations; testimony focused on fear of family separation and the need for clear school and medical procedures, and the bill passed 4-0. AB 1357 would exclude guaranteed income payments from being counted as income for state public assistance eligibility, with supporters arguing it would prevent recipients from falling off the “benefits cliff”; it passed 4-1. Finally, AB 1201, the Reunity Act, was introduced to require individualized court assessments before denying reunification services to parents with certain violent felony convictions after a five-year period, with the author and a witness describing the bill as a trauma-informed approach to family reunification.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are here to connect those with disabilities and mobility issues with the wilderness to help support
• We are here to connect those with disabilities and mobility issues with the wilderness to help support
• We are here to connect those with disabilities and mobility issues with the wilderness to help support
• We are here to connect those with disabilities and mobility issues with the wilderness to help support
• I am a 60% rated disabled veteran, and I am here in support of House File 53 because Camp Bliss changed

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs Division

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• The Aging and Disability Resource Connection, or ADRC Network, provides services and supports to older
• Full support. Hello.
• Veronica Bravo, here for the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, here in support of this very
• They support people with disabilities who often fall in between the cracks and help them avoid costly
• We were in support of the bill. Michael Haswell, as an individual, in support.

Committee: House Aging and Long-Term Care

Transcript Highlights:

• care facilities, MA elderly disabled waiver services, Alternative Care, general assistance housing support
• care facilities, MA elderly disabled waiver services, Alternative Care, general assistance housing support
• , including Alternative Care, Essential Community Supports, the MA disability waivers and the disability
• supports the ma Care essential community supports the ma disability<00:34:52.320><c> waivers</c><00:
• the disability disability waivers and the disability waiver<00:34:54.280><c> rate</c><00:34:55.079><

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• The mental health support treatment.
• You know, people are going to need certain supports, and we want to make sure that those natural supports
• And in-home supports can be delivered by a DSP, which we can In-home supports can be delivered by a DSP
• And in-home supports can be delivered by a DSP, which we can. in-home supports can be delivered by a
• It's based on the ability of a provider to support that person and all of their support needs as they

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> supporting supportive housing options. supporting supportive housing options.
• </c> your continued support for DCT. your continued support for DCT.
• There are aspects of this bill that make sense and others that I fully support, such as the disability
• that offers supports in residential living, employment, and day services for Minnesotans with disabilities
• service provider that offers disability service provider that offers supports<01:09:46.159><c> in</c

Bills: HF2434

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• I think you've got support on our side of the house.
• their disability benefits as income when determining eligibility for the disabled veterans' property
• Veterans must be disabled to qualify for the exemption, yet the very disability compensation they are
• Disability compensation is not a source of wealth.
• Are there any witnesses that wish to come up in support of the bill?

Committee: Senate Revenue and Taxation

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and heard two main bills before taking up a consent calendar. SB 1053 by Senator Nilo would allow county boards of supervisors in counties affected by a governor-declared disaster on or after January 1, 2026, through January 1, 2031, to extend by up to three years the five-year period for transferring a property tax base-year value to replacement property. The author said the measure responds to recent wildfires and other disasters that make rebuilding within five years difficult, and committee members broadly supported local control and disaster recovery flexibility. No opposition was heard, and the bill was approved 5-0 and sent to Appropriations. The committee then heard SB 888 by Senator Seardo, as amended, which would exclude VA service-connected disability compensation from household income calculations for the low-income disabled veterans’ property tax exemption. The author argued that counting disability benefits as income creates a catch-22 for disabled veterans and can disqualify them from tax relief despite fixed incomes and high medical costs. Members described the bill as a common-sense, bipartisan fairness measure that would help veterans remain housed in California. No opposition was presented, and the bill passed 5-0 to the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs. The committee also adopted the consent calendar, which included SB 999, SB 1073, and SB 881. After the consent items, SB 1053 was again called up and confirmed out of committee on a 5-0 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• This press conference is made possible by the support of our incredible partners.
• Galen and Senator Robert Nichols for supporting us and surprising me sometimes with the way he. supports
• When you have a child with a disability...
• Improving support and funding for special education services for all little Texans with disabilities.
• Educators are proud to serve students with disabilities from birth to age 21.

Keywords: special education, funding, equity, advocacy, Texas Legislature, SB568, HB2, disabilities

Summary: This was a press conference calling on the Texas Legislature to increase and reform funding for special education, with speakers arguing that the current system leaves a roughly $1.7 billion gap and forces districts to stretch general education dollars to cover mandated services. Sabrina Gonzalez Ocedo of The Arc of Texas opened by framing the issue as one of equity and self-determination for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and noted support for legislative efforts including Senate Bill 568 and House Bill 2. She also thanked a coalition of advocacy groups and legislators involved in special education funding work. Representative Steve Toth spoke in favor of investing surplus dollars in special education, citing high rates of functional illiteracy and dyslexia among prison populations and saying earlier intervention could change life outcomes. Amy Litzinger described how accommodations and assistive technology helped her succeed in school and urged continued investment so other students can access similar supports. Sarah Harden, a parent and disability advocate, shared her daughter’s positive experience in a well-supported district but warned that many Texas districts cannot provide comparable services because of funding shortages and that families are increasingly worried about cuts. Rachel Hull, a special education director, said well-resourced special education is transformational and outlined the need for individualized services, therapies, vocational training, and college readiness supports. Jean Mayer, a school trustee, said districts are struggling to meet state and federal requirements because funding does not match actual costs, pointing to staffing shortages and the need for parent engagement and professional development. The speakers repeatedly urged lawmakers to fully fund Senate Bill 568 and broader special education reforms this session; no votes were taken, as this was an advocacy event rather than a committee hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• for cars had support students with disabilities through state and federal funding allocations.
• for student with a disability is aligned with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
• I didn't know what to do, how to support you in supporting our students with disabilities in our families
• have disabilities.
• by our state to provide support and services to students with disabilities, specifically to students