Transcript Highlights:

• HCD also has a data portal.
• And if you put bad data in, you get bad data out.
• accurate data about what's happening in our communities.
• If you can share that data, that would be great.
• For fees established in regulations, it will allow HCDs For fees established in regulations, it will

Summary: Assembly Budget Subcommittee 5 on State Administration heard two housing-related trailer bill items tied to the Governor’s reorganization plan. The first item would codify the creation of a new Housing and Homelessness Agency and a Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency structure; the second would further streamline the state housing finance system by creating a Housing Development and Finance Committee and reserving most private activity bond capacity for affordable housing. Administration officials said the changes are intended to reduce duplication, speed awards to construction, and make housing funding more predictable and efficient. Agency leaders described recent housing investments and implementation steps, including work groups, coordination with Finance, the Controller, and the Treasurer’s Office, and development of new guidelines and staffing. Members raised concerns about limited funding, the need for better program-by-program outcome data, youth homelessness, excess sites, and fraud prevention. The Interagency Council on Homelessness presented new three-year action plan metrics, including goals to increase exits from unsheltered homelessness to 70% and move more people into permanent housing, while also noting current performance data and quarterly public reporting. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said it had no concerns with the first trailer bill, but supported the general concept of the second while recommending changes, including removing or revising the proposed 50% bond-cap floor for the new committee and adding attention to 9% and state tax credits. Public commenters, including local governments, nonprofit developers, housing authorities, and advocacy groups, largely supported the reorganization and streamlining goals, but several urged stronger protections for deeply affordable housing, earlier reallocation of unused bond authority, continued access to 9% credits, and more funding for housing programs. No votes were taken in the portion provided; the chair closed item one and moved to item two after member and public testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• necessary to respond to the comment. disaster and existing gaps in the data necessary to respond to
• Current law gives the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, DPR, the authority to regulate the
• This has resulted in a situation where the boats within California are utilizing paints regulated by
• with both the opposition and the Department of Pesticide Regulation to discuss AB 1691.
• It merely requires the completion of all Regulation requires no new studies.

Committee: House Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• data now and how this data is harvested and how this data is used.
• You're taking different data. You're taking basically HIPAA data.
• The state is selling your data. The state is buying your data.
• data.
• data.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Just to recharge your own electric vehicle is going to increase our energy usage by quite a bit. data
• and the electricity that those will data and the electricity that those will consume<00:03:33.640><c
• Even as we're sitting here, I checked right before coming to this interview some of the real-time data
• </c><00:05:24.160><c> of</c> checked some of the real-time data of checked some of the real-time data
• You know, what data do we have on the health risks posed by nuclear energy?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You mentioned data.
• that that that I is and is there data that that that I is there<00:05:22.680><c> data</c><00:05:23.000
• ><c> that</c><00:05:23.120><c> shows</c> there data that shows there data that shows that<00:05:25.440
• Do you have data that shows that, or do you not have any?
• The boards have to regulate their industries, right?

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee heard House Bill 2712, which would remove the exam requirement for licensure as a Licensed Social Work Associate (LSWA). Members expressed concern that the exam requirement was only added in 2021 and has not been in place long enough to evaluate, but they also questioned whether licensure should be granted without a meaningful measure of competency. Testimony was split: supporters argued the exam is a barrier for applicants without formal social work education, while opponents said licensure should still require some standard of competency, especially because the title carries public expectations and insurance reimbursement implications. Karina Bonia, speaking for NASW New Hampshire, said there is very limited data because only one person in New Hampshire currently holds an LSWA. She explained that LSWA applicants may have degrees outside social work, unlike licensed social workers, and that the current exam is the same national social work exam used for higher levels of licensure. She argued that this creates a significant barrier for LSWA applicants and noted that LSWA holders are already required to complete 30 hours of training and substantial supervised hours. Members asked for data on pass/fail rates and whether a different exam or practical skills test would be more appropriate. Committee members and OPLC representatives discussed whether the current statute and board rules already provide enough authority for the board to set other criteria, and whether the exam requirement is tied to the social work compact. OPLC indicated that the current rule requires passage of a national proctored exam approved by the board, but that no national exam exists specifically for this level, and that the board may need legislative authority to develop different criteria. The discussion ended with interest in obtaining the existing rule language and possibly revisiting the issue through amendment or future legislation rather than immediately removing the exam requirement.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, this is staff time, maybe using connections or using data, helping with data, identify areas of need
• So, this is staff time, maybe using connections or using data, helping with data, identify areas of need
• So, this is staff time, maybe using connections or using data, helping with data, identify areas of need
• , helping with data, identify using data, helping with data, identify areas<00:15:18.079><c> of</c><00
• Also, the bill updates regulations.

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

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Surveillance data means your data, my data, is defined based on your online behaviors.
• ><c> your</c><02:02:49.920><c> data</c> Surveillance data that means your data Surveillance data that
• </c> your geo geol geoloccation data. your geo geol geoloccation data.
• </c> incidental or harmless use of data. incidental or harmless use of data.
• </c> as far as collecting data. as far as collecting data.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• reactors to power those data houses, both of which we don't have in Hawaii.
• </c><00:32:45.240><c> data</c><00:32:46.000><c> data</c><00:32:46.279><c> houses</c><00:32:46.799><c>
• as</c> investing in data data data houses as investing in data data data houses as well<00:32:47.120
• That's a tricky question because I think regulations are so varied according to industry.
• </c> that's monitoring all the regulations that's monitoring all the regulations and<00:42:36.200><c>

Committee: Senate Economic Development and Tourism

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism heard confirmations for two Hawaii Technology Development Corporation board nominees, Jaclyn Ka and Gregory Oara. Testimony for both was overwhelmingly in support. Supporters for Ka emphasized her Kauaʻi roots, work in workforce development and digital equity, and ability to connect schools, industry, and community needs. In her own remarks, Ka said she wants to bring resources to Kauaʻi and the neighbor islands, strengthen local workforce pathways, and use the HTDC board to help local residents access technology jobs and training. Members questioned Ka about how to reduce reliance on mainland hires for jobs at PMRF and other technology employers, how to better align training with local needs, and how to connect Kauaʻi schools, community college programs, and creative media/digital technology efforts. Ka described KDB’s role in building islandwide digital media and drone clubs, professional development for teachers, and partnerships intended to create a pipeline from school to workforce. She also said the legislature can help mainly by listening and staying informed about local needs. For Oara, supporters highlighted his engineering and semiconductor background, his experience in academia, industry, and startups, and his potential to help HTDC with technology commercialization, IP, and exportable services. Oara said he wants HTDC to better support early-stage companies, improve coordination among universities, government, and the private sector, and create a directory of technical skill sets to connect startups with needed expertise. He also discussed AI, saying Hawaii can contribute by developing smaller, locally relevant models rather than only relying on large-scale data-center infrastructure. The hearing focused on these nominations and testimony; no vote or final committee action was stated in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's why we have supported efforts to regulate I'll be I'll be him. I'll be I'll be him.
• And have some more guardrails around how that data is used.
• And have some more guardrails around how that data is used.
• And have some more guardrails around how that data is used.
• And have some more guardrails around how that data is used.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Bring back a new regulation bill.
• And states like Wyoming and Utah this year chose regulation over prohibition because regulation allows
• You can divide them up between those that are regulated and pay a tax and those that maybe are not regulated
• It does put some regulation, manufacturing regulation, and those kind of things on it.
• Again, tools, regulation. Again, tools, regulation. We have nothing.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, approved the journal, and moved through routine orders before taking up committee reports, gubernatorial messages, House messages, and first and second reading calendars. Several bills were advanced, including appropriations measures and enrolled bills transmitted to the House, Governor, or Secretary of State. The chamber then proceeded to third reading and final action on a series of bills, with debate focused largely on budget priorities, Medicaid, firearms preemption, medical education funding, rural health, and kratom regulation. The Senate passed Senate Bill 1420, creating a dedicated funding source for medical education beginning in 2028; Senate Bill 1430, strengthening state firearms preemption enforcement and authorizing penalties and injunctions against local violations; Senate Bill 1432, an appropriation for Health and Welfare indirect support and related modernization items; Senate Bill 1433, a large Medicaid enhancement budget with discussion of MMIS procurement, estate recovery, program integrity, hospital assessment fund alignment, and population/cost growth; Senate Bill 1434, the Division of Welfare budget reflecting SNAP administrative cost changes and Medicaid eligibility system updates; Senate Bill 1437, an appropriation for Idaho State Police tied to DNA collection for sexual battery and domestic violence offenses; Senate Bill 1439, delaying a school facilities model report deadline to 2027; and Senate Bill 1264 as amended, creating a rural health transformation account and legislative oversight committee for federal rural health funds. Most of these measures passed on party-line or split votes, while SB 1437 and SB 1439 passed unanimously. The most extended debate centered on Senate Bill 1264, where supporters said the bill would give the Legislature oversight over already-awarded federal rural health money and help ensure sustainable uses, while opponents argued it would deepen federal debt and create a process that could still leave control with the executive branch. Another major debate was on Senate Bill 1418, the kratom consumer protection bill, which would restrict sales to adults 21 and older, set product limits and labeling standards, and allow inspections and enforcement against synthetic or adulterated products. Supporters framed it as a consumer protection and harm-reduction measure; opponents raised concerns about warrantless inspections, lack of pharmacy board support, and whether the bill would effectively normalize kratom. The transcript ends during continued debate on SB 1418, before a final vote is taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• The way that we have it in our regulations, it's not just cancer; it's cancer in situ as well.
• Consider the data between... Access to FDA-approved drugs that are safe and effective.
• And I think we're going to have to continue to come back and do new regulations after new regulations
• I don’t know if the health plans have any data, have collected any data on what the cost of treating
• We don’t have data. I don’t have it on me at this point, but...” “Senator, we don’t have data.

Committee: Senate Health

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The committee is authorized to hold hearings, conduct site visits, request data, and gather input from
• The committee is authorized to hold hearings, conduct site visits, request data, and gather input from
• Right now there's really no regulation.
• It's actually a reduction in government, a reduction in regulation, and I urge you to support it.
• It's actually a reduction in government, a reduction in regulation, and I urge you to support it.

Summary: The meeting covered a long series of House bills across health, commerce, education, elections, government, and veterans issues, with many measures described as consent-calendar items. In health and human services, members discussed updates to radiology technology standards, a tribal Medicaid waiver bill, an emergency medicine study committee, fetal death certificate and remains-transfer requirements, a physician assistant licensure compact, dementia care telemonitoring funding, and SNAP error-rate reduction and eligibility oversight. Sponsors generally framed these bills as technical updates, workforce or access improvements, cost savings, or support for families and vulnerable populations, while some bills drew brief questions about implementation or opposition. In commerce and finance, the committee heard bills on mobile food vendor licensing, earned wage access services, CPA certification, cash acceptance by retail businesses, unmanned aircraft regulation, timeshare salesperson licensing, social credit score restrictions for lending, and a ban on state assistance to the International Criminal Court. Sponsors emphasized reduced regulation, consumer protections, transparency, and state sovereignty. The committee also considered tax and retirement-related measures, including conformity with the Internal Revenue Code, ASRS technical changes, and a 529 plan update that also addressed Roth IRA rollovers. Education and school governance bills focused heavily on school district oversight and transparency. Members discussed patriotic youth group presentations in schools, school board term limits and mandatory training, bond-advisor requirements, restrictions on school districts buying operating charter or private schools to affect funding formulas, conflicts of interest on the School Facilities Oversight Board, public meeting and travel disclosure rules, limits on long-term school property leases, job-order contracting caps, and a computer science proficiency seal. Sponsors repeatedly argued these bills would improve accountability, prevent misuse of public funds, and increase public access to school board decisions. The meeting also included elections, veterans, government, and other administrative measures. These included changes to sample-ballot mailing deadlines, a requirement that courts ask about veteran status at first appearance, a veterans awareness study, broader military leave protections, SAVE database verification for voter registration and licensing, U.S.-sourced election equipment requirements, Electoral College affirmation, justice court due-process protections, library trustee reporting deadlines, adult protective services reporting cleanup, and procurement transparency. No final floor votes were taken in the excerpt, and most items were presented for questions or moved through consent with brief sponsor explanations and occasional opposition noted in committee testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c><00:02:08.399><c> we</c> or questions about the regulation, we or questions about the regulation
• The regulation, the substitute to the regulation, has been adopted by voice vote.
• </c> claims, they look at all of their data claims, they look at all of their data to<00:09:49.400><c
• > Department</c><00:15:35.040><c> of</c> regulation through the Department of regulation through the
• ,</c> Reserve's own data, Reserve's own data, we<01:07:39.760><c> see</c><01:07:40.040><c> that</c><01

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:00:38 Consideration of Referred Administrative Regulations 00:01:34 Proposed Legislation for the 2026 Session 00:10:14 Basic and Added Reparation (PIP) Benefits 00:10:41 Prior Authorization 00:46:15 Measures to Strengthen Kentucky’s Economic Infrastructure 00:59:46, 958, all

Summary: The committee met in a special-called session of the Interim Joint Committee on Banking and Insurance and first took up three Department of Insurance regulations tied to House Bill 256, the Strengthen Kentucky Homes program: 806 KAR 22:00, 22:10, and 22:20. Commissioner Sharon Clark said the program would provide $5 million in grants to help homeowners strengthen roofs, with regulations covering eligibility and operations, contractors and evaluators, and reinspections in cases of suspected fraud. A committee substitute to 806 KAR 22:10 was explained as a technical correction to conform to the statutory preference for in-state contractors and evaluators. Representative Hampton moved and Representative Rudy seconded approval of the substitute, and it was adopted by voice vote; the amended regulations were then reviewed. Clark also said the grant money would be distributed statewide rather than targeted to storm-prone areas. The committee then heard an update from Commissioner Clark on mental health parity in response to questions from Representative Pollock. Clark said the department reviews insurer filings and conducts market conduct examinations, but does not have authority over provider reimbursement rates or to require providers to join insurer networks. She said complaints are investigated and, when needed, teams review claims and data on site to check compliance with parity requirements. No action was taken on that discussion. After approving the November 4 meeting minutes, the committee heard testimony on a proposed PIP reform package from Representative Josh Bray, the Kentucky Hospital Association, the Kentucky Justice Association, and State Farm. Supporters said the bill would apply the workers’ compensation fee schedule to most PIP medical claims, keep the $10,000 PIP limit in place while stretching benefits further, reduce balance billing, modernize benefit amounts, and address fraud and delayed billing. They noted hospitals would be exempt from the fee schedule, while hospital-based physical therapy would be included, and said the compromise reflected negotiations among stakeholders. Some members questioned whether exempting hospitals undercut the bill’s purpose and asked about possible rate effects; proponents said they had not done a rate analysis and that the bill could lead to more treatments within the existing PIP limit. No vote was taken on the PIP proposal during this meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Any data?
• Any data?
• Any data?
• And we now have access to really good data.
• We also license and regulate five... meat.

Committees: Joint Judiciary , Joint Judiciary Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so now they depend on that data. So it's kind of hard not to make decisions without the data.
• And so now they depend on that data. So it's kind of hard not to make decisions without the data.
• Was there, like, a data officer at HHS or an analytics officer that you worked with for the data use
• Anita says we took that data.
• Chairman Azure said is the data, for one, because we have put together data.

Summary: The meeting focused heavily on behavioral health and substance use treatment, especially the IMD exclusion and whether North Dakota should pursue a Section 1115 waiver to allow Medicaid reimbursement for services in institutions for mental diseases for adults ages 21 to 64. Turtle Mountain representatives described major local needs, including limited access to care, high syphilis rates, and the importance of timely public health data. They also discussed the tribe’s recovery center, which opened the prior year, now operating five levels of care with 16 beds, and the desire to expand capacity, possibly through an IMD waiver or related policy changes. Committee members also raised related issues such as rural health transformation funding, telehealth, workforce retention, and the need for better coordination between tribal and state public health systems. A central issue was Turtle Mountain Public Health’s long-running effort to secure a data use agreement with the state so it can receive surveillance data and respond directly to infectious disease cases among tribal members. Speakers said the tribe had a successful COVID-era agreement that allowed faster contact tracing and case management, but that agreement ended with the pandemic. They argued that current delays in sharing data, especially for sexually transmitted infections, leave the tribe unable to respond quickly, while the state and county epidemiology workload is too distant and stretched to be effective. Committee members expressed support and said they would look into the issue, noting that other tribes have secured similar agreements. The committee also heard a detailed presentation from the National Health Law Program on the IMD exclusion. The presenter explained that federal Medicaid law generally bars payment for care in facilities with more than 16 beds, but that states can use other tools such as state plan amendments, managed care arrangements, telehealth, and community-based services. He said IMD waivers are administratively complex, time-limited, and have shown mixed results in other states, with some gains in residential treatment access but limited evidence of improved overdose outcomes or stronger community-based care. He urged the committee to consider broader continuum-of-care solutions and cautioned that waivers alone are not a cure-all. No final vote was taken on the bill draft during the portion shown, but the committee discussed the proposal to appropriate $49,000 and one FTE to HHS to pursue an IMD waiver and report back in the next interim. Members also debated the policy rationale for the 16-bed limit, the role of the state versus tribal sovereignty, and whether the bill should move through the Health Care or Human Services committee in the future.

Transcript Highlights:

• We regulate tobacco marketing to minors. We regulate alcohol advertising to minors.
• </c><00:38:17.120><c> We</c> I mean we regulate slot machines. We I mean we regulate slot machines.
• </c> We regulate tobacco marketing to minors. We regulate tobacco marketing to minors.
• 23.680><c> to</c> We regulate alcohol advertising to We regulate alcohol advertising to minors. minors
• </c> administrative regulations. administrative regulations.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We just want to gather data. So, it's going to be de-identified kind of data gathering.
• We just want to gather data. members. We just want to gather data.
• and data sets.
• </c> of data of data and<01:10:18.760><c> data</c><01:10:19.000><c> sets.
• And it really is old data.

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The committee opened by taking roll for the Joint Transportation, Highways, and Military Affairs Committee and noting that 20 topics had been submitted for discussion, including one late addition. Members were asked to number the topics for reference, and the chair explained that each presenter should give a brief overview before the committee returned to the dais for questions and possible ranking or action. No votes were taken during the portion provided. The first topic was a request from the Associated General Contractors of Wyoming to have TRIP, a third-party transportation research organization, present a report on Wyoming’s highway system. The report is intended to identify transportation needs and 25 priority projects, and the committee generally supported hearing the report and methodology directly from TRIP. The next topic combined two similar railroad safety proposals. Representative Chestek described a bill addressing train length, wayside detectors, and track inspections, citing the East Palestine derailment and concerns about reduced inspection frequency. Committee members raised questions about federal preemption and enforcement authority; Chestek said states can be more protective of safety where federal rules leave gaps, and WYDOT said it would need additional expertise and staffing to administer such a program. No public testimony was offered on the railroad topic. The committee then heard two proposals from the Wyoming Military Department. One would study Tricare subsidies for mental health providers by comparing Tricare reimbursement rates with other insurers, gathering de-identified data on eligible members and provider participation, and then returning to the committee with findings before any legislative recommendation. Members discussed whether the issue might fit better in Labor, Health, and Social Services, but the military department said it believed the committee had a strong connection to the topic. The second military topic would study Service Group Life Insurance for state active duty, comparing state and federal death benefits for Guard members to identify any shortfalls. The committee also briefly discussed a VSO program review raised by Representative Neff, focusing on the number of veterans service officers and retention, but no action was taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• But I do think there is room to tighten our rules in our regulated space.
• Do you, you're a regulator, your job is to... Are you, do you, you're a regulator.
• Your job is to make sure that these dispensaries are following the law and the regulations.
• It's just functionally getting into the protected environment that we regulate. Okay.
• Let's see With the best data we have available, versus just like, “that feels wrong.”

Committee: Senate Rules

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One is the timeframe of this data.
• Now we’re getting data.
• If there's data, the data members of the Commission want...
• So to the extent that people have questions, if you want to send them to us for data, additional data
• So your data is consistent with that.

Keywords: 1212, all

Summary: The Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration met with DOC leadership and UMass Chan researchers to discuss Massachusetts DOC’s objective point-based classification system, with a focus on whether inmates are overclassified and how discretionary and non-discretionary overrides affect placement decisions. DOC explained the system’s history, its goals of public safety and reintegration, the initial and reclassification tools, and the use of overrides and restrictions. Staff described several non-discretionary restrictions for minimum and medium security, the limited use of discretionary overrides, and current population breakdowns showing most classified in medium security, with smaller shares in maximum and lower security. UMass Chan presented preliminary findings from a NIJ-funded study using historical DOC data from 2019 to 2022, primarily on male reclassification cases. They said the scored custody level predicted institutional misconduct well, with stronger separation among minimum, medium, and maximum groups. They also said predictive accuracy declined after applying override-informed custody levels, and that the decline appeared to be driven mainly by non-discretionary restrictions rather than discretionary overrides. The researchers noted that violent misconduct in the sample was relatively rare and that the study was based on group-level statistics, not individual cases. Commission members and guests raised concerns about whether the data captured the effects of facility conditions, historical bias, step-down and step-up decisions, and the role of civil commitment restrictions, especially Code C. DOC and UMass Chan responded that the study did not show evidence that discretionary overrides reduced accuracy, that the non-discretionary restrictions were the main factor affecting results, and that Massachusetts’ system should not be directly compared with other states because of differences in facility structure and population. The commission asked members to send follow-up data questions to staff for transmission to DOC and the researchers.

Transcript Highlights:

• Data centers, over $200 billion there. $7.5 billion in my area alone.
• People are exhausting their benefits, and we have data about exhaustions.
• Based on June 15 data, we project an annual fund balance factor of 50.9%.
• And as a legislator, I appreciate good data.
• We welcome comments from the public about the regulations, about the program.

Keywords: Commission on Unemployment Compensation, 976, house, all