Transcript Highlights:

• I've taken care of older adults in long-term care settings, acute care settings, community-based settings
• denial rate at 47%.
• But they often will still have a sort of uniform set of criteria.
• out to outpatient settings.
• The Medicaid rate of $163 on average is among the lowest nationally.

Transcript Highlights:

• So they're both used in different settings.
• And so instead of being... we've set a new set of guiding values, which you'll learn in August.
• And so instead of being, we've set a new set of guiding values, which you'll learn in August.
• And we had an approval rate of 55.2%. In 2025, we had 33 requests and an approval rate of 69.7%.
• Currently, it is a daily rate service.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know it lists municipalities can set their own rate, but I don't know why anyone would set something
• I know it lists set a rate of 325 per.
• set their own rate municipalities um can set their own rate but<01:19:10.440> I<01:19:10.520>
• I think to set a rate like this for out-of-network providers, I don't think this is a reasonable rate
• those rates I think to set a<01:21:34.560> rate<01:21:34.840> like<01:21:35.040> this

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee took up HB 297 with a non-germane amendment proposed by the Insurance Department to create the Granite State Home Mitigation and Resiliency Program. Commissioner DJ Beton explained that the program is intended to help homeowners reduce rising insurance premiums and avoid surplus lines coverage by funding proactive home and property improvements such as roof fortification, exterior and foundation work, flood protection, and tree removal. He said the proposal was developed after leadership asked for more statutory detail and for the idea to be vetted through policy committees rather than handled only in the budget process. Beton said the program would be funded by the first $1 million collected annually from the insurance premium tax, with grants of up to $10,000 awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. He described the program as modeled on similar efforts in other states, with means testing tied to the Department of Energy’s weatherization/home heating assistance criteria. He also said the department would administer the program using one existing staff position, with coordination through Treasury, and that unspent funds would roll over for several years before reverting to the general fund. Members asked about the unusual use of a non-germane amendment and how the bill would be handled procedurally, since the underlying bill and the new insurance proposal were unrelated. The chair explained that the amendment was being used as a vehicle to move the department’s proposal through the committee process and that the committee could later accept one part, both parts, or neither. No vote was taken in the portion of the meeting shown; the discussion ended with questions about administration, staffing, and the relationship between the underlying bill and the amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• , high interest rates and buyers' expectations that interest rates will decline if they wait.
• , high interest rates and buyers' expectations that interest rates will decline if they wait.
• , high interest rates and buyers' expectations that interest rates will decline if they wait.
• , high interest rates and buyers' expectations that interest rates will decline if they wait.
• , high interest rates and buyers' expectations that interest rates will decline if they wait.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:07 Roll Call 00:00:14 Discussion of Pro-Growth Housing Policies 00:02:01 Discussion of Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit 01:11:13 Adjournment 01:40:27, 958, all

Summary: The Kentucky Housing Task Force met and heard first from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, which presented findings from a housing study done with the Home Builders Association. The chamber said housing is now a major economic-development issue, citing survey results that 90% of community leaders said their region could not absorb a major job announcement and 66% said housing is holding back Kentucky’s economy. The chamber described Kentucky’s housing shortage, rising home prices, declining permits since 2008, and the need for more production to support growth. It urged policy changes including zoning and land-use reform, tax incentives, regional approaches, and especially a residential infrastructure fund modeled on Indiana’s low-interest loan program to help communities finance roads and other infrastructure needed for new housing. Members asked about the severity of the problem, workforce shortages in permitting and construction, the loan interest rate, repayment, and whether Kentucky could replicate Indiana’s results; the witness said the issue is a crisis and that the program would be a revolving public-private partnership, likely around 3% interest, with implementation details still to be worked out. The Kentucky Bankers Association then testified that the housing gap is especially acute for households at 80% of area median income and below, which it said represents about 70% of Kentucky’s housing need. It emphasized that the shortage affects both urban and rural counties and pointed to examples such as Rowan County, where workers at major employers must commute long distances because local housing is unavailable or unaffordable. The bankers said high interest rates remain a major barrier and proposed a $20 million bank commitment for a revolving fund tied to tax credits to finance new housing, not refinances. They cited Hope of the Midwest as an example of a successful tax-credit housing model with a long track record and no defaults, and said the proposal would leverage public-private partnerships to create new units. Committee members questioned how the proposed fund would compare with industrial revenue bonds and whether it could be structured like Kentucky’s tobacco settlement fund, with seed money, a review board, scoring criteria, and possible population thresholds to ensure smaller communities benefit. The bankers said the proposal would be another tool for cities and counties, specifically tied to residential infrastructure, and that larger cities should not be able to capture all of the resources. No formal votes or actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• and asked for a significant rate and asked for a significant rate increase<00:22:02.559> in
• substantial even with these rate substantial even with these rate increases<00:22:17.679> the
• We're looking at it from rate.
• We're looking at it from rate.
• We're looking at it from rate.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• care rate.
• the contract rates.
• property rate increases. facility property rate increases.
• It limits rate 36 was unchanged.
• rate study from a rates based on the um rate study from a couple<01:02:29.760> of<01:02:29.920

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Members met to review a budget bill agreement using a nonpartisan spreadsheet and summary materials. Chairs and members thanked fiscal, research, revisers, and agency staff for the collaborative process, noting the bill had been difficult and that the final product reflected compromise. The chair also said only minor technical changes were expected before final enactment, and the spreadsheet walkthrough was then turned over to fiscal staff. Fiscal staff explained that the agreement met the overall budget target and walked through major human services provisions. Key items included nursing facility payment changes, including a phased PDPM change, APS inflation, modified single-bed incentives, and a CPI-U capped payment cap; a nursing facility surcharge; workforce standards board rule costs; continuation of certain nursing facility property tax rates; regulation of for-profit acquisitions of nursing homes and assisted living facilities; repurposing assisted living special project funds; funding the SEIU self-directed worker agreement; CFSS reimbursement in acute care hospital settings; and multiple disability waiver rate and authorization changes, including CPI-U inflation caps, waiver authorization reforms, and a waiver reimagined advisory task force. The agreement also included family residential service rate increases, a temporary extension of customized living disproportionate share payments, tribal eligibility for targeted case management, positive supports training changes, out-of-home respite modifications, swimming lessons as an allowable service for certain children with disabilities, a provisional EID provider license, and program integrity services funded by licensing fee increases. Additional provisions covered MinnChoices studies and assumed savings, behavioral health fund changes, substance use disorder treatment billing and rate changes, supportive recovery housing, housing support supplemental rates for specific providers, disability determinations, enteral nutrition payment timing, temporary funding for Boundary Waters Care Center, several one-time human services grants, senior nutrition funding, and grant reductions and extensions. No formal vote was described in the transcript; the discussion focused on explaining the agreement and its fiscal effects.

Transcript Highlights:

• We thank you, Lord, that we know that you've ordained government and that you have set those that are
• Senator Dismang continued: "This lowers the top rate from 3.9% to 3.7%.
• And what is that rate now, if there is a minimum or a maximum? What's the maximum?"
• Senator, I seem to recall in 2013 when we started cutting the income tax rate, that the income tax rate
• has, their effective tax rate has decreased by 45% since 2013.

Summary: The Arkansas Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a brief morning hour that included an announcement about volunteers for the Hunger Caucus “Serving Up Solutions” fundraiser. The chamber then moved to its business agenda, where the main item was Senate Bill 1 by Senator Dismang, which would reduce income tax rates for individuals, trusts, estates, and corporations. Senator Dismang explained the bill as a continuation of tax reductions begun in 2013, lowering the top individual rate from 3.9% to 3.7% effective January 1, 2026, and reducing the corporate rate to 4.1% starting next year. The bill drew debate over state priorities and fiscal tradeoffs. Senator Flowers questioned local sales tax limits and whether future needs such as Medicaid, education, and educational freedom accounts could be funded if taxes were cut further. Senators Tucker and Leding spoke against the bill, arguing the state should prioritize investments in early childhood education, hospitals, maternal health, and public schools rather than returning revenue to taxpayers. Senator McKee spoke in favor, saying money should be returned to the people who produced it. Senator Dismang closed by emphasizing that the tax cut was supported by surplus revenue and that a family making $65,000 had already seen a significant reduction in effective tax burden since 2013. The Senate passed Senate Bill 1 by a vote of 29 yeas to 6 nays and transmitted it to the House. Afterward, members announced that the Revenue and Taxation Committee would meet after House adjournment if the House sent over its tax bill, and the Senate adjourned subject to clearing the desk and reading House Bill 1001 across the desk, until 9 a.m. the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• The payment error rate.
• That we've been able to get that payment error rate to go down, so our intent is to use our 2026 rate
• Based on the error rate that you are trying...
• Federal payment error rate, when calculating the payment error rate, does the federal take into account
• rates compared to where we are?

Transcript Highlights:

• that the fee set for paying lawyers is that the fee set for paying lawyers is $125<00:35:14.240>
• And if not, schedule statutoily set?
• <00:37:37.920> for establishing a single blended rate for establishing a single blended rate
• > charge<00:37:49.280> to in that the rates that we charge to in that the rates that we
• for a partner versus one rate for an associate versus one rate, let's say, for a summer law clerk.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:30 Personnel Cabinet 00:03:25 Department of Veterans Affairs 00:12:40 Auditor of Public Accounts 00:22:39 State Treasurer 00:42:24, 958, all

Summary: The committee first heard from Personnel Cabinet officials on House Bill 6, which required the Kentucky Employees Health Plan to offer a qualified high-deductible health plan by the 2026 plan year. Officials said the plan was already added for 2025, described it as the lowest-premium option with higher deductibles, and explained that federal rules prevent first-dollar coverage except for limited preventive services. They said 264 members had selected the plan out of about 142,000, and noted it also allows health savings accounts. Members asked about the plan’s benefits, what “catastrophic” meant, the deductible amounts, and whether employees were aware of the option; the cabinet said it would continue to highlight the plan in communications and that the deductible is above $8,000 for individuals and above $16,000 for families. The committee then received an update from the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs on the Bowling Green veterans center. Officials said the current target is to move into the building on October 28, with first admissions about two months later, pending final fixes and certification steps for Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA. They explained that about $7 million in FY25 appropriations lapsed because of construction delays, staffing ramp-up was postponed to avoid unnecessary spending, and the unspent funds should be considered in the next budget request. Members praised the project and asked about annual operating costs; officials said the current operating budget is about $15 million, though they do not expect to spend all of it this year. The commissioner also announced the fifth annual state commanders conference in Lexington, focused on veterans issues and featuring state, federal, and advocacy leaders. State Auditor Allison Ball then outlined her office’s budget priorities. She said the office is primarily a billing agency that charges audited entities for its work, and warned that some agencies are now signaling they may refuse to pay for audits related to kinship care and the medical cannabis application process. She said the office plans to continue requesting outlier credits for unusually burdensome county audit fees, funding for the ombudsman office’s transition and expanded in-office operations, and revenue replacement for local government audits and possibly state audits and special examinations. Ball also said the office conducts about 500 audits, reviews, and examinations a year and wants to restore performance audits with seed funding, as well as add investigators to the ombudsman office to focus more on child abuse and neglect cases. Members discussed the value of performance audits, the possibility of raising certain board thresholds to account for inflation, and the need for additional capacity to handle more audits.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're setting up...
• The maximum millage rate calculation, or the maximum millage rate, determines what millage rate can be
• The bill aligns the maximum millage rate with the rolled-back rate.
• to the rollback rate.
• This sets a baseline for a rollback rate as being that baseline.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And the pop quiz is: what is the graduation rate and employment rate for your selected program?
• The pop quiz is: what is the graduation rate and employment rate for your selected program?
• rate, 80 percent employment rate.
• And also the diversity as well at the school, the graduation rate and the employment rate.
• It has about a 95% placement rate.

Summary: The subcommittee began with an informal “college day” exercise in which members described what careers and colleges they would choose if starting over, often citing factors such as program reputation, location, cost, graduation rates, employment outcomes, and family or personal interests. Members mentioned a range of possible paths including law, aviation, education, construction management, psychology, social work, criminal justice, nursing, intelligence studies, and the arts. Several also highlighted the value of historically Black colleges and universities, dual enrollment, and career/technical education. The chair used the exercise to frame the meeting’s broader focus on Florida’s higher education pathways and student outcomes. Dr. Kathleen Plinsky of Valencia College then gave an overview of the Florida College System and Valencia’s role in it, emphasizing Florida’s statewide articulation and transfer framework, open-access mission, affordability, and workforce alignment. She described Valencia’s record enrollment, high retention, large share of first-generation and working students, and partnerships such as Direct Connect to UCF, Osceola Prosper, and Open Door grants for short-term training. Members asked about guaranteed transfer, apprenticeships, enrollment trends, student demographics, out-of-state residency, county scholarship costs, dual enrollment outcomes, and barriers to expanding career dual enrollment. Dr. Plinsky said the system supports transfer and acceleration well, but funding constraints limit growth in some areas; she also noted that dual enrollment participation is high and that Valencia’s affordability and student support efforts have driven recent enrollment gains. Dr. Jim Clark of Florida State University followed with an overview of the State University System, describing its governance, performance-based funding, low tuition, and strong graduation and research outcomes. He highlighted FSU’s enrollment, research profile, transfer student success, FSU Health, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, partnerships with K-12 schools and Tallahassee State College, and efforts to expand nursing and medical education to address workforce shortages. After the presentations, the committee heard from a panel on student acceleration and mobility: Shannon Mercer of the Department of Education explained the Office of Articulation, the statewide course numbering system, FASTER records, the 2+2 transfer model, specialized AA transfer degrees, and credit for industry certifications, military, medical, and law-enforcement training. Panelists from Kaiser University, Florida State University, and Pinellas County Schools described their institutions’ roles in transfer, advising, career pathways, apprenticeships, and dual enrollment. No formal votes or bills were taken up in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• When we set our rates, we're not just paying for child care slots.
• We are improving compensation for early childhood professionals through multiple approaches: rate setting
• Again, remember we're averaging all age groups, all settings, all rates to come to that.
• They also have to have two sets of teachers, two sets of rules, two sets of curriculum, two sets of peers
• Representative Herrera, we work with the health care authority to set our rates, and then they give So

Bills: SB2

Keywords: SB 2, State Highway Project Bonds, highway funding, transportation bonds, state road fund, motor vehicle fees, vehicle registration fees, electric vehicle fee, EV surcharge, plug-in hybrid fee, weight distance tax, road construction, infrastructure financing, Department of Transportation, State Transportation Commission, bonding authority, county road funds, municipal road funds, transportation improvement program, state highways

Transcript Highlights:

• Victoria touched on adequate rates. Victoria touched on adequate rates.
• We talked about the rates a lot.
• to get our rate increase through.
• It shows the inadequate rate. I mean, the last rate increase was in 2021.
• It shows the inadequate rate. I mean, the last rate increased 2021.

Summary: The Assembly Insurance Committee held an oversight hearing on the California Fair Plan, focused on the plan’s rapid growth, its financial stability after the January Southern California wildfires, and its role as the insurer of last resort. Fair Plan officials explained that the plan was created in 1968, is a not-for-profit involuntary association of licensed property insurers, and is intended to be a temporary safety net until policyholders can return to the admitted market. They emphasized that the plan is not a state agency or taxpayer-funded, but is regulated by the Department of Insurance and supported by member-company assessments if claims exceed available funds. Victoria Roach and Armand Feliciano said the Fair Plan has grown sharply since 2018 and especially after market pullbacks by major insurers, reaching about 575,000 policies and roughly $600 billion in exposure by spring 2025. They noted that growth is increasingly occurring in lower wildfire-risk areas, where the plan can sometimes be cheaper than the voluntary market, and said this undermines depopulation back into the private market. They also discussed recent policy expansions, including coverage for farms, higher residential and commercial limits, and pending or proposed changes such as AB 290, SB 525, and AB 226, which would add tools like a line of credit and bond access. A major portion of the hearing addressed the January wildfire losses and the plan’s financial response. Fair Plan officials said they assessed member insurers for $1 billion after determining claims and cash flow would exceed available resources, and that the process was approved quickly and paid smoothly, with more than 80% of the assessment collected within 10 days. They also described the reinsurance tower, the plan’s limited surplus, and the need for actuarially sound rates to reduce future reliance on assessments. On claims handling, they said the plan has received over 5,500 claims from the fires, has paid more than $2.9 billion so far, expects total payments near $4 billion, and has focused on advancing payments quickly for total losses and other urgent needs. Members questioned the plan’s solvency, the growth in non-wildfire areas, claim denials, smoke-loss coverage, and how depopulation works. Roach said most closed claims without payment were duplicates rather than denials, and that smoke claims require direct physical loss under the policy, with coverage determined case by case. Public commenters from the California Building Industry Association and the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of California said the Fair Plan’s growth reflects a weak voluntary market, inadequate rates, and insurer fear of future assessments, and urged support for rate increases and AB 226. The hearing concluded with no vote, but with a commitment from Fair Plan officials to follow up on unanswered questions and continue providing more transparency through public data and website disclosures.

Transcript Highlights:

• No impact study for key rate setting. Access did not conduct an impact study.
• For AIHP, this means rates may have been set without modeling an effect on provider viability or access
• Access responded that the rate study focused on the fee-for-service rates.
• Those are the only rates that Access pays directly to providers.
• MCOs are not required to base their rates on the MCO's fee schedule.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, setting aside money.
• Well, now that Medicaid rate needs to go up that 5% too.
• This is just a ratio that we use to try to set rates. Thank you. Thank you, Representative.
• Provider rates.
• On the error rate, you know, the error rate on page 21...

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of them are set up to be a permanent type fund, while others are set up to be more temporary, like
• You can see here that our ability to invest at a differential rate lower than the rate that we would
• return, and that's this differential rate.
• and have your differential rate.
• So, the 7% inflation rate is the true inflation rate because 7% is how much money they're printing on

Transcript Highlights:

• And so instead of being, we've set a new set of guiding values, which you'll learn in August.
• And so instead of being, we've set a new set of guiding values, which you'll learn in August.
• And we had an approval rate of 55.2%. In 2025, we had 33 requests and an approval rate of 69.7%.
• Who sets up this agenda here?
• Who sets up this agenda here?

Summary: The committee first heard an update on North Dakota’s Interagency Council on Homelessness and Continuum of Care funding. Jennifer Henderson of the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency reported that homelessness remains driven by tight housing markets, low incomes, rising rents, and barriers to rental assistance, public benefits, and disability determinations. She said the state’s one-time North Dakota Homeless Grant is serving all regions but reaches far fewer households than the former Rent Help program, and that aging homelessness, shelter staffing shortages, and limited affordable units are growing concerns. Members discussed the need for more housing supply, better coordination with Health and Human Services, landlord engagement, reentry housing, and possible continued one-time funding for the $10 million Homeless Grant and $25 million Housing Incentive Fund. Henderson also warned that federal Continuum of Care funding is uncertain, with HUD expected to issue a new notice June 1 and possible shifts away from permanent supportive housing toward transitional housing and other models. The committee then took testimony on accessibility of government services for people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing. Paul Olson of North Dakota Vision Services School for the Blind described the school’s services for infants, children, and adults, including screenings, mobility training, assistive technology, and outreach across the state. He said the agency works closely with Vocational Rehabilitation and is also involved in improving website and document accessibility, especially for PDF materials. Public testimony highlighted barriers such as inaccessible CAPTCHA systems, online forms, driver’s license requirements on job applications, and limited transportation in rural areas. A deaf resident urged broader use of video remote interpreting and video relay services, along with training so people know how to use them effectively. Finally, Kay Larson presented the final report on the child care provider licensing study. The report recommended streamlining North Dakota’s child care licensing structure into three provider types plus a preschool designation, while preserving health and safety standards and maintaining eligibility for child care assistance. The committee discussed simplifying training and qualification rules, revising ratio and group-size requirements, and adjusting age bands for infants and toddlers. The report also noted that some changes would require statutory amendments and later administrative rule changes, with a transition period likely extending through 2029. No formal votes were taken in the transcript, but the committee accepted the updates and scheduled follow-up presentations for a later meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is just the rate piece, doing the rate increase for those three populations.
• being used for this rate increase, it dropped the orthodontic rates from where we were previously.
• They get 80% of the physician rate. That's just their rate. That's just one example.
• So the bifurcated rate to use Mr.
• They get 80% of the physician rate. That's just their rate. That's just one example.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Key data from the report highlighted child maltreatment rates, repeat maltreatment rates, and turnover
• Appendix A tells you about our rate comparisons Across the various levels of quality and settings.
• Senator Lanier, that's my third presentation, and it's about how we determine what we set the rates at
• That's why it's important that we Actually, we set that rate because then parents aren't being shortchanged
• And lastly, I wanted all the members to also be able to see how we set our rates, and so we're not just

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Many constituents don't realize that we are not the ones setting their tax rates.
• However, you have removed much of our ability to set the actual tax rate due to compression at this point
• While they may not set the tax rate, they do have to decide how to spend the dollars they receive.
• tax rate.
• You've never raised the rate; there is no fixed rate.

Bills: HB26, HB73, SB 14, HB46

Keywords: HB26, law enforcement contracts, sheriff, constable, county commissioners court, commissioners court, private security, special law enforcement district, property owners association, POA, municipal utility district, school district, junior college district, local government, contract policing, supplemental police services, large counties, population over 3.3 million, Texas Local Government Code, Harris County