Transcript Highlights:

• The public insurance provides a foundation of financial...
• In our original statute, individuals could opt out of WACARE's by buying private insurance.
• The public insurance provides a foundation of financial, security and Medicare work.
• care insurance program and, of course, a WACares state-run program.
• Do they accept your form of insurance or what kind of a facility?

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Executive Committee on Planning for Aging and Disability Issues

Summary: The committee met for what was described as its final meeting, with members and staff reflecting on the work of the Joint Legislative Executive Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care and noting that future work would likely shift to standing health and wellness committees. The meeting began with introductions and then moved into updates on major initiatives that originated from the committee, including Washington Cares, the Dementia Action Collaborative, and Medicaid long-term care programs. Presenters emphasized that these efforts were developed through long-term legislative-executive collaboration and were intended to help Washington prepare for the state’s aging population. On Washington Cares, DSHS described the program’s development from a 2014 research effort to its 2019 enactment, premium collection beginning in 2023, portability improvements in 2024, and 2025 changes including a grandfathered opt-out fix and a framework for supplemental private long-term care insurance. The agency said benefits are expected to go fully live next summer, with a pilot of up to 400 applicants planned for next January. On dementia policy, the Dementia Action Collaborative reported on the state dementia plan, Project ECHO training for providers, and pilot dementia-capable community programs at area agencies on aging, citing preliminary results that about 85% of family caregivers said services helped people remain at home. DSHS also reviewed Medicaid Transformation Project initiatives, including Medicaid Alternative Care, Tailored Supports for Older Adults, presumptive eligibility, and health-related social needs benefits such as rental assistance, nutrition support, and home modifications. The committee then heard an emerging issues panel from ombuds and disability advocates. Patricia Hunter of the long-term care ombuds program raised concerns about staffing shortages, resident rights, surveillance technology, private equity ownership of facilities, and illegal discharges or evictions. Betty Sweeterman of the Developmental Disabilities Ombuds discussed people stuck in hospitals without medical need, gaps in behavioral health services for people with developmental disabilities, and the need for better workforce training. Todd Carlyle of Disability Rights Washington urged expansion and bundling of community supports such as PACT, GOSH, and peer bridgers to reduce repeated institutionalization and support discharge from inpatient psychiatric settings. Provider and labor panels followed, with nursing home, assisted living, supported living, and union representatives all emphasizing workforce shortages, low wages, Medicaid rate inadequacy, case management bottlenecks, behavioral health complexity, and the need for more flexible care models and stronger accountability for rate increases. No formal votes were taken; the meeting ended with public comment on manufactured housing and closing remarks thanking staff and participants for the committee’s work.

Transcript Highlights:

• it go through the Department of Ag.
• N M M T N and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture.
• Some of the strengths that we see within the Department of Public Health are similar to other programs
• Ricky Cerna, Department of Transportation.
• And then we can give you examples of states that are in the news because their departments of transportation

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Greg Rogers, Department of Education.
• which is a primary, a big use of, in terms of building plans, I would defer to the department on that
• I'll, so I think some of your question might be better answered by the department.
• We have state and local, and the Department of Education has a state...
• And the Department of Education has a state...

Summary: The House/Joint Education committee continued its adequacy study with a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on resource allocation, focusing first on matrix spending and then non-matrix spending. Staff explained the methodology for mapping APSCN expenditure data to matrix lines, reviewed district and school categories used in the analysis, and highlighted key findings: foundation funding covered a large share of matrix costs but total spending on matrix items exceeded foundation funding, with classroom teachers making up the largest share. Members asked for additional breakdowns on waivers, superintendent survey responses, trend data, and spending by district type, size, and rural/urban status. Staff also noted limitations in tracking two matrix lines—salary enhancement for other employees and all personnel health insurance—because of coding and definition issues. The committee then reviewed non-matrix expenditures, including instructional aides, facilities, school safety, mental health, dyslexia services, gifted and talented, and career and technical education. Staff reported that non-matrix spending remained above $2 billion over the last three years, with most of it coming from other funds rather than foundation funding. Members raised concerns about dyslexia identification and funding, mental health needs, school safety, food service, athletic transportation, and whether some items should be added to the matrix. The Department of Education clarified that the building fund reflects district-held funds for construction and maintenance projects, while the facilities partnership program is a separate state process for approved projects. In the final discussion, staff summarized total spending as more than $15,800 per student in 2025, with about 69% going to matrix resources and 31% to non-matrix resources. The chair explained the adequacy process and the committee’s role in setting future funding recommendations, and members discussed the recommendations worksheet included in the binder. The chair then proposed postponing the remainder of Part Two of the presentation until a May meeting after the fiscal session, along with inviting the Department of Education back for more detailed questions; with no objections, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2007 includes three departments: the Department of Economic Development, the Department of
• Commerce and Insurance, and the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
• We have the Department of Commerce and Insurance.
• The Department of Commerce and Insurance has 791 employees and $88 million.
• Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, and Commerce and Insurance.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• RS 32902 is the Department of Water Resources.
• RS 32903 is the Idaho Department of Lands. This is 30 sections of code.
• with the Idaho Department of Lands and floating timber and also town site claims.
• I think a lot of the folks there probably have lost their insurance like my constituents have down here
• Chairman, I'm again Dustin Miller, Director of the Idaho Department of Lands, and Josh is certainly on

Summary: The Conservation and Resources Committee approved the January 27, 2026 minutes and then considered several RSs tied to the Idaho Code Cleanup Act. Representative Dustin Manwaring explained that the RSs were recommended by the DOGE task force to repeal outdated or unused code: RS 32887 (Fish and Game, wolf-management transition and hunting fine provisions), RS 32890 (Parks and Recreation, an unused outdoor recreation enhancement/Park and Recreation Fund program), RS 32902 (Water Resources, obsolete compact and trust-account provisions), and RS 32903 (Lands, provisions on floating timber and townsite claims). Each RS was introduced by committee vote. Representative Mark Sauter presented RS 33049, which would expand and update rules for water-skiing activities on public waters, including allowing driver-and-skier-only skiing in limited circumstances with added equipment, age, and time restrictions. A committee member asked whether other user groups such as paddlers or kayakers had been consulted; Sauter said he had not reached out broadly but would be prepared to answer more if the measure received a hearing. The committee voted to introduce RS 33049. The committee then heard House Joint Memorial 9 from Representative Judy Boyle and J.R. Simplot Company representative Elizabeth Kreiner. The memorial asks Congress to reaffirm FLPMA as the governing law for federal land exchanges after a Ninth Circuit decision raised questions about older land-disposal statutes. Kreiner described a decades-long Simplot-BLM exchange that was later challenged in court and said the ruling could affect completed and future exchanges across the West. The committee voted to send H.J.M. 9 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 511, also from Representative Boyle, to raise the cap on the wildland-urban interface fire-protection surcharge from $40 to $100. Boyle and Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller said the current cap has not changed since 2009 and no longer covers rising firefighting costs amid growth in the WUI; logging and forest-industry witnesses supported the bill as a modest way to fund fire protection. After testimony, the committee voted to send H.B. 511 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• North Dakota partnered with Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota and the Department of Health to support
• session, but we'll have just gone through one, is the way it needs to happen is either one of the departments
• So, child-serving organizations, as well as the Department of Justice and other entities dealing with
• The federal government still uses the term child pornography, but the Department of Justice even recognizes
• with, or a position within, Department of Health and Human Services.

Committee: Joint Protection and Victim Services Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Workforce reductions across federal departments, including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the
• Department of Education, may affect service delivery across the Commonwealth.
• go to the Department of Public Health and their nonprofit receives a grant or they get some level of
• people in Massachusetts losing insurance and it will cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.
• One of the things we've been talking about a lot is health insurance.

Committee: House House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The inaugural hearing of the newly named House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability focused on how federal policy changes could affect Massachusetts, especially in education, health care, research, infrastructure, climate, and business conditions. Chair LaNatra said the committee was created to monitor federal funding decisions and their impacts on state programs and services. Members introduced themselves, then heard testimony from Doug Howgate of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, Sarah Mills of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, and Quentin Palfrey, the governor’s Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure. Howgate argued that the Trump administration and new Congress pose ideological, practical, and process-related risks to Massachusetts, citing proposed cuts to Medicaid, education, research, and other domestic programs. He said federal dollars make up about a quarter of the state operating budget and capital plan, warned against using one-time reserves to backfill ongoing federal cuts, and urged the state to prioritize core services while protecting areas where Massachusetts is especially strong, such as higher education and research. In response to committee questions, he said the House Medicaid proposal would still cost Massachusetts hundreds of millions and that international student and NIH-related changes could harm the state’s labor force and innovation economy. He also advised that the state communicate clearly without overreacting to daily federal developments. Mills testified that AIM members are most concerned about uncertainty, tariffs, Medicaid cuts, and NIH reductions. She said tariffs are raising costs, disrupting supply chains, and hurting small and medium-sized businesses, housing construction, and exporters, with AIM’s business confidence index falling to its lowest level since the pandemic. She said Medicaid cuts would raise employer health costs, reduce productivity, and strain the health care system, while NIH cuts would threaten Massachusetts’ life sciences and academic research ecosystem. In questions, she said AIM has increased federal outreach, is coordinating with the U.S. Chamber and the Massachusetts delegation, and is hearing concerns from employers about immigration compliance and workforce disruptions. Palfrey described the Healey-Driscoll administration’s efforts to maximize federal funding, including a biweekly interagency council, a municipal partnership effort, and a statewide roadshow. He said Massachusetts has secured nearly $9 billion from major federal laws for projects such as the Cape Cod bridges, Allston Multimodal, grid modernization, clean-energy school buses, and broadband. He also said the administration launched a public website to track federal impacts and is working with municipalities, nonprofits, and the Attorney General on grant changes, legal issues, and litigation. In response to questions, he warned that cuts to NOAA, NSF, Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs could affect services and the state budget, and said the administration is tracking changes to federal grant applications and conditions. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• of Dr. and or a nurse of the day, correction of previous day's journal, House and Senate bills and joint
• She was raised in Shawnee and is the daughter of a public school teacher and an insurance agent.
• As a resident professor and vice chair in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the OU
• Health University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Dr.
• to the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs equipment and capital improvement program.

Summary: The House convened, took the roll, heard an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then recognized Dr. Rachel Franklin as Doctor of the Day. Members also held a special presentation honoring the Christian Heritage Academy varsity cheer team for winning national titles in two divisions and grand champion honors. On the floor, House Bill 3044 was presented by Leader West. The bill renews the tax checkoff allowing taxpayers to donate part of their refund to the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs equipment and capital improvement program. The House advanced the bill from general order and passed it 95-0. House Resolution 1032, designating February 17, 2026, as Oklahoma Aggregates Day at the Capitol, was also presented and adopted without objection. The remainder of the session consisted largely of announcements and introductions, including recognition of visitors from the aggregates industry, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission Leadership Class, ALS advocates, and several constituent and guest groups. Members also announced upcoming committee meetings, and the House adjourned until Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• saw the cost of their health insurance<00:05:01.520><c> skyrocket.
• </c><00:13:03.040><c> of</c><00:13:03.279><c> Human</c> existing OIG in the Department of Human existing
• OIG in the Department of Human Services<00:13:04.399><c> to</c><00:13:04.560><c> the</c><00:13:04.720
• </c><00:15:09.519><c> of</c> inspector general and the department of inspector general and the department
• of out of you on that which is kind of out of you guys'<00:19:01.440><c> control.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So Louisiana Department of Health puts out a protocol and a plan every year.
• Freeman, and talking about the Department of Justice and a little bit about Rep.
• Well, we would agree that the Department of Corrections is not responsible for the issue of death certificate
• Randy Labasphere, Chief Medical Officer with the Department of Corrections.
• I'm the Director of Public Health and Policy at the New Orleans Department of Health and Human Services

Committee: House Administration of Criminal Justice

Summary: The committee first deferred HB 374 without objection. It then heard SB 46, which creates the crime of unlawful operation of a group home aimed at protecting vulnerable adults living in unsafe, unlicensed residences where operators control residents’ assets. The Attorney General’s office described severe neglect and exploitation in some homes, while the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center opposed the bill over concerns it could create confusion, criminalize legitimate recovery or disability housing, and chill protected housing arrangements. After discussion, including assurances that the bill was narrowly targeted at bad actors, the committee reported SB 46 favorably. The committee next took up HB 276, which sets a statewide minimum bail amount for certain sexual offenses against minors. Testimony from a victim’s mother and an anti-trafficking expert supported the bill as a way to keep dangerous offenders detained and protect children, while members debated whether the original $50,000 minimum was too low and could be treated as a benchmark. The committee amended the bill in committee to raise the minimum to $1 million and to add human trafficking involving a victim under 18 to the covered offenses, then reported HB 276 favorably as amended. Members then heard SB 42 and SB 110, both addressing AI-generated child sexual abuse material. SB 42 expands the definition of child sexual abuse material to include digital and AI-generated depictions, while SB 110 prohibits using a child’s image to train AI to produce such material. The Attorney General’s office and survivor advocates supported the measures as necessary updates to keep pace with technology and protect children; the committee reported both bills favorably. HB 998, dealing with forensic medical exams and reimbursement for domestic violence victims, especially strangulation cases, was also heard and amended to remove human trafficking references and set implementation steps; advocates said the bill would improve evidence collection and reimbursement, and it was reported favorably with amendments. Finally, the committee heard SB 51 on fraudulent representation of military service or awards, which was supported as a tool to address stolen valor and was reported favorably, and HB 323 on notification and reporting of inmate deaths, which was presented as a transparency measure after a family testified about learning of a relative’s death from the news rather than the facility.

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, the spiraling cost of insurance has become an alarming burden on property owners of all kinds
• Right now, the spiraling<00:59:55.839><c> cost</c><00:59:56.160><c> of</c><00:59:56.400><c> insurance
• </c><00:59:56.799><c> has</c><00:59:57.040><c> become</c> spiraling cost of insurance has become spiraling
• cost of insurance has become an<00:59:57.440><c> alarming</c><00:59:57.920><c> burden</c><00:59:58.319
• Senator Port explained that through the Commerce Department there is a small state-supported insurance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You're seeing it with the Department of War. They just announced that...
• I mean, there's really a plethora of things that I know a lot of members, whether they have a small department
• new fire department, or any of those things, radios, what have you.
• If you're a homeowner, that's property insurance and property taxes. It's both of those things.
• Instead of eliminating property taxes, why not cap property insurance?

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Do we not receive any funding from the Department of Education, the United States Department of Education
• So this program came from the Department of Health, so the Department of Emergency Management did not
• Moved to the Department of Health? No, it came from the Department of Health.
• Representative Lady of Matt Gilmore, Department of Health.
• Representative Lady, of Matt Gilmore, Department of Health.

Committee: All JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE

Summary: The committee heard a series of Arkansas Department of Human Services budget presentations and questions, beginning with the Secretary’s Office and then the Division of Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health Services. Staff described the divisions’ appropriations, funding sources, and major programs, including senior centers, Meals on Wheels, mental health grants, substance abuse treatment, community alcohol safety, the Medicaid tobacco settlement program, and crisis stabilization units. Members raised concerns about flat or limited funding for senior services, the use and tracing of federal block grants, the lack of a funding source for the veterans’ mental health grant, and the mechanics of the community alcohol safety and treatment programs. The committee also discussed patient benefits funds at state facilities, transportation for senior center clients, and whether some special-language appropriations or fund balances should be revisited. Executive recommendations were adopted for the divisions considered. The committee then reviewed the Division of Children and Family Services and the Division of County Operations. Questions focused on foster care growth, adoption subsidies, professional fees tied to staff training and onboarding, vacancies, the Children’s Trust Fund, and TANF subgrants. Members asked about the reduction or elimination of TANF funding to child advocacy centers and other subgrantees, and DHS explained that prior reserves had been spent down and that the department was now trying to live within the annual TANF block grant and rebuild reserves. County operations questions also covered summer EBT, SNAP employment and training, the farmers’ market program, and the expected impact of a federal SNAP administrative match change, which DHS estimated would increase state costs by about $24 million annually, with roughly $18 million affecting the current year because the change begins October 1. Executive recommendations were again adopted. Finally, the committee heard from the Division of Developmental Disability Services and the Division of Medical Services. DDS testimony covered vacancies, staffing shortages, human development center construction and repairs, the reopening of the Boonville work training program, and funding for infant infirmary and child/family life programs. Medical Services testimony covered the Medicaid program, the current FMAP rate, the Our Kids B CHIP program, Medicaid payments to schools, nursing home distress funding, and large appropriation lines used to provide flexibility for claims and potential facility closures. Members asked for more detail on school Medicaid payments, reserve balances, and why some appropriations were much larger than actual spending. In each division, the committee moved and adopted Executive REC after questions concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first one is with Department of Commerce, State Insurance Department with UAMS.
• Wayne Ruth, Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Department of Education.
• Courtney Sallis, for the Department of Education. Greg Rogers, Department of Education.
• Number 20, on Department of Public Safety. Department of Public Safety.

Committee: All ALC-REVIEW

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Kevin Burt with the Department of Workforce Services.
• Kevin Burt with the Department of Workforce Services.
• Unemployment insurance is housed under the Department of Workforce Services.
• Each of these measures not only evaluates the accuracy of the department, but it measures the accuracy
• I'm the executive director of the Department of Cultural and Community Engagement.

Committee: Joint Economic Development and Workforce Services Interim Committee

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They are the guests of Representatives of Taunton and Representative Plow of Brockton.
• They are the guests of Representatives of Taunton and Representative Plow of Brockton.
• Scarsdale, that the Department of Conservation and Recreation be authorized to designate a certain trail
• Senate No. 907, an act directing the City of Boston Police Department to waive the minimum age requirement
• Senate No. 907, an act directing the City of Boston Police Department to waive the minimum age requirement

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House took up several procedural orders from the Committee on Rules extending reporting deadlines for the Education, Mental Health/Substance Use/Recovery, and Revenue committees, and each order was adopted after suspension of the rules. The chamber also suspended Joint Rule 12 to allow several petitions to be referred, including measures on consumer-connected devices, a trail designation in Groton, beach and habitat management, genetic discrimination in insurance, and antitrust enforcement. The Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling reported a slate of bills for House consideration, including measures on Taunton water billing, public insurance adjusters, electronic filing for property valuation forms, tax payment interest rates, local property tax exemptions in Milton and Marblehead, a tax exemption for the surviving spouse of a Rentham deputy chief, and West Tisbury’s affordable housing trust fund. The House ordered these bills to a third reading after suspending Rule 7A. The House then passed several engrossed bills to be enacted, including local measures on Boston police age waivers, Bridgewater town council stipends and town manager procedures, and a Cambridge employment and job training trust. Later, the House concurred in a Senate amendment to the Rockland charter bill, passed a Wellesley property tax deferral bill and a Harrell police civil service age-waiver bill to be engrossed, and adopted an order to meet again Wednesday at 11 a.m. before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Department of Education.
• Last year, the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions, DIFI, adjudicated the primary proponent
• The insurance companies and Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions came to an agreement.
• The Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions came to an agreement.
• The modeling method can be submitted to the Department of Insurance.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > our</c><01:19:54.239><c> department</c><01:19:54.560><c> of</c> lot of work for our department of lot
• of work for our department of revenue<01:19:56.000><c> for</c><01:19:56.239><c> our</c><01:19:56.960
• They're issued by the Department of Transportation.
• </c><04:10:18.800><c> of</c> They're issued by the Department of They're issued by the Department of
• my paycheck for money taken out of my paycheck for insurance, insurance, insurance, uh,<05:05:16.000

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Secretary of State, the Department of State, has the ability today to do this.
• this needs to be originated from the Department of State.
• There is a process in the state of Florida whereby somebody can ask for an opinion of the Department
• The Senator of the 14th District, Senator Entitled an act relating to the Department of Health.
• At the heart of this amendment is the creation of the Office of Rural Prosperity within the Department

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including interns, Denim Day awareness, a resolution honoring Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and a remembrance of former Senator Karen Johnson Gendron. The chamber then moved to special order bills. CS/HB 687 on transportation offenses involving death was substituted for SB 138, amended to add warnings and penalties for refusal of breath or urine tests, and passed 37-0. CS/SB 306 on Medicaid providers, requiring broader after-hours access and network availability for Medicaid enrollees, also passed 37-0. The Senate then took up CS/CS/HB 913 on condominium associations, a major post-Surfside reform bill. Senator Bradley explained that the measure was intended to provide financial relief and flexibility while preserving safety and accountability. The bill was substituted for SB 1742, amended several times to limit milestone inspections and structural integrity reserve studies to buildings three habitable stories or more, and then passed 37-0 after extensive debate. Senators from both parties praised Bradley, Pizzo, Garcia, and staff for years of work on condo safety and affordability, with several members describing the bill as a balance between protecting residents and avoiding financial hardship. The final major item was CS/HB 1205, the bill on amendments to the state constitution and citizen petition drives. Sponsors Gates and Grohl argued the bill was needed to combat fraud, identity theft, and misuse in the petition process, citing a lengthy Office of Election Crimes and Security report. The House bill was substituted for SB 7016, and the chamber considered a long series of amendments and substitute amendments addressing petition circulator registration, volunteer participation, submission deadlines, invalid-signature thresholds, voter notification, and fiscal impact statements. Several amendments were adopted, while others were debated over whether they would protect access to the citizen initiative process or strengthen election integrity. The transcript ends during debate on the main substitute amendment, before final disposition on the bill is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Next, we're going to take up tab 15, SB 7020, OGSR: aquaculture records held by the Department of Agriculture
• We do so, and at the same time, we thank the Department of Management Services and the governor for following
• Are they going to report it to the Department of State? Are they going to report it?
• You've got a whole agency, the Office of Insurance Regulation, that regulates those folks.
• Insurers have a duty of good faith. If they don't, thank you. Insurers have a duty of good faith.

Committee: Senate Rules

Keywords: 999, senate, all