Transcript Highlights:

• We have color-coded the boxes so that items highlighted in red fall under my division, the Division of
•   658 AND WE ENCOUNTERED THE DATA AND WAS TREED FROM  PROCEDURAL CODES BILLED BY HOME HEALTH
• AGENCIES   659 The procedure codes were then filtered, but the managed care organization and
• Thinking of this from a coding perspective, is it the same reimbursement for the—I’m forgetting the exact
• 905 THINKING OF THIS 906 FROM A CODING PERSPECTIVE  IS AT THE SAME REIMBURSEMENT FOR 907 THE I'M

Summary: The Health Facilities Subcommittee met to receive implementation updates from the Agency for Health Care Administration on three bills passed in prior sessions. First, Deputy Secretary Brian Meyer reported on the transfer of the Children’s Medical Services managed care plan from the Department of Health to AHCA under HB 1085. He said the move was administrative only, with no change to enrollment, providers, services, or clinical eligibility functions, and that it was intended to create efficiencies by aligning procurement and shifting staff resources between agencies. Members then questioned AHCA about reports of reductions in private duty nursing and therapy services for medically fragile children, including concerns about appeals, provider credentialing, and whether families were losing services or being transitioned appropriately. AHCA said it was reviewing denials, monitoring the plan, and using contractual remedies while focusing on maintaining access for members. The committee also reviewed implementation of a bill creating permanent Medicaid eligibility for individuals with permanent disabilities. AHCA staff explained that the agency had submitted a federal 1115 waiver request after public comment and stakeholder meetings, but CMS had indicated it did not anticipate approving the requested authority. Members pressed AHCA on why the waiver was submitted later than the bill’s directive date and on whether the delay was avoidable. AHCA said the waiver was complex and required review, drafting, and public input, and noted that DCF already has a specialized unit to help with redeterminations while the agencies work on operational changes. The committee discussed the practical impact on families who struggle with annual eligibility renewals and the need for clearer communication and faster follow-up from the agency. Finally, AHCA presented on the home health aide program for medically fragile children and related Medicaid eligibility changes. The agency described the 2023 law that created a family caregiver provider type and the 2025 changes that increased the hourly rate, expanded hours, reduced training requirements, and removed caregiver earnings from Medicaid eligibility calculations, subject to federal approval. AHCA said it had completed state public comment, submitted the waiver amendment to CMS, and was awaiting federal action. Members raised concerns that some families may have enrolled or begun work before the eligibility fix was in place and may have lost benefits, especially in Broward County. AHCA said it would work with affected families and plans, review outreach through DCF and the health plans, and continue rulemaking, system updates, and provider training. The meeting ended with the chair noting that the committee had received the updates and adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• But there may not be a The code section.
• As my representative, everything you're talking about is some other section of the code.
• That's not this section of the code.
• That's a different section of the code. The other thing is a pendulum. is a pendulum.
• It's not about this code or anything like that.

Bills: HB202 , HB42 , HB146 , HB492 , HB285 , HB7 , HB454 , HB42 , HB7

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: law enforcement, immunity, civil liability, use of force, recruitment, bail reform, cash deposit, judicial discretion, criminal justice, Alabama law, youthful offender, capital murder, public safety, victims' rights, juvenile offenders, delinquent acts, juvenile court, nonfelony offenses, water safety offenses, illegal immigration

Transcript Highlights:

• CJA made the tax code more progressive, helped all Americans keep more of their hard-earned money, and
• His experience covers every aspect of the Internal Revenue Code, and since 1981, he's been involved in
• In both roles, he was outstanding and his understanding of the federal tax code, to my view, is encyclopedic
• These opportunities have afforded me an opportunity to work in virtually every aspect of the tax code
• A current policy baseline is a path to achieving permanence in the tax code.

Committee: Senate Finance Committee

Keywords: Commerce, International Trade, Tax Policy, Nominees, Inflation, Middle-class, Trade Practices, Economic Concerns

Summary: The committee convened to discuss various bills and nominees, including the critical nominations of William Kimmett for Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade and Ken Keyes for Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at the Treasury Department. Discussions highlighted the nominees' roles in managing critical trade and tax policies amidst rising economic concerns, particularly focusing on inflation and its impact on American families. Members expressed both support and skepticism, emphasizing the significance of fostering fair trade practices and ensuring tax policies that benefit the middle-class amidst claims of an agenda favoring affluent individuals and corporations.

Transcript Highlights:

• 11.080><c> criminal</c> procedure and capital murder criminal procedure and capital murder criminal code
• My old agency, as just an example, our city council mandated that we come up with a policy to videotape
• A lot of these things—uses of force, violence, property damage—are not analogous to the criminal code
• <c> criminal</c> um they're not analogous to the criminal um they're not analogous to the criminal code
• although many of those may be code although many of those may be crimes<02:53:33.080><c> they're</c>

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As we'll note in Code Section 30-19.9, that is where the code describes the neutral language and 500
• So let me let everyone know what the email said, what the Code of Virginia says, and why we are here

Committee: House Privileges and Elections

Summary: The joint meeting of the Privileges and Elections Committees convened with a quorum present to approve explanatory ballot language for three proposed constitutional amendments scheduled for the November ballot. The committee reviewed the amendments on reproductive freedom, the right to vote, and the right to marry, with staff explaining that the committee was only approving neutral voter-facing explanation language, not the constitutional text itself. Members raised questions about wording, ballot order, and whether the explanations were sufficiently clear or potentially leading, especially on the reproductive freedom amendment. For HJ 1/SJ 1, the committee debated the explanation at length, including objections that it was misleading or incomplete and responses from counsel and supporters that it accurately tracked the amendment text. A motion to insert “Question 1” into the explanation was adopted, and the amended explainer language for the reproductive freedom amendment was then approved. The committee then moved through the right-to-vote and right-to-marry amendments, similarly adding question numbers to the explanatory language before approving the amended explanations. Recorded votes showed the amendments to the explanatory language passing on party-line divisions in both chambers, generally with Senate support from the majority and House support from the majority, while several members voted no. After approving the amended explainer language for all three amendments, the committee concluded the meeting and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's the Government Code, Section 26602.
• For example, the Elections Code provision in the new 1507 prohibits a peace officer from, quote, interfering
• The code is clear on that front, and no one, including law enforcement, can take those ballots.

Committee: House Public Safety

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• passed that in 2021—to be a credit against the sales tax to really tackle the regressivity of the tax code
• That's a good thing, as an important tool in the toolbox for addressing the regressivity of the code.
• tax and set ourselves, is what I'm trying to say, on a path towards a more rational, sustainable tax code

Summary: Senate budget writers, led by Chair June Robinson with Senators Noel Frame and Derek Stanford, rolled out the Senate operating budget and described it as a difficult supplemental budget shaped by flat revenue growth, rising maintenance costs, and uncertainty from federal actions, including H.R. 1 and tariffs. They said the proposal aims to preserve core services such as K-12 education, health care, food assistance, housing stability, and long-term care while making targeted reductions and avoiding broad-based tax increases like sales, property, or B&O tax hikes. A major focus of the discussion was how to pay for the Working Families Tax Credit and how to handle cuts in the Working Connections child care program. Robinson said the Senate budget uses policy changes, especially an attendance-based payment adjustment, rather than the governor’s proposed enrollment cap and waitlist, because lawmakers wanted to avoid destabilizing the child care workforce and reduce harm to families. She also said the Senate is open to negotiating with the House on the Climate Commitment Act use of funds for the tax credit, noting that the statute allows it, though some advocates oppose that approach. The senators defended using $750 million from the rainy day fund, saying it was preferable to deeper cuts and still leaves reserves above $1 billion in the near term. They also argued that Washington’s revenue system is too dependent on property and sales taxes and that a future “millionaires tax” could help stabilize funding, especially for education and other core services. In response to criticism from educators and Republicans, they said the state has made progress on school funding and that rising program costs reflect increased need and utilization rather than waste. No votes were taken in the transcript, and the event was a budget rollout and press Q&A rather than a formal committee action.

Transcript Highlights:

• General Counsel, the Criminal Justice Information Law Unit, has since notified ISP that the particular code
• is under the umbrella... ...has since notified ISP that the particular code is under the umbrella.
• the problems with two or three bills, which is amazing, because they're all under the same area of code

Summary: The Judiciary and Rules Committee met to consider six introduction requests and emphasized that future RS packets should be submitted early, with meetings planned on odd-numbered calendar days until the committee’s work is complete. The committee quickly moved through the introductions without extended public-hearing style questioning, and all measures were introduced unanimously. RS 32828 would standardize hearing notices related to the Office of Administrative Hearings across agencies. RS 33011 would correct a prior fingerprinting rule for vulnerable populations by moving the authorization for certain non-criminal justice private entities to submit fingerprints into a new statutory section after federal guidance indicated the earlier placement was incorrect. RS 33026 would revise a prior proposal on drones near correctional facilities by limiting the security zone to the direct perimeter of Idaho Department of Correction facilities, up to 400 feet, and specifying a misdemeanor penalty. RS 32843 would expand Capitol Mall and state-building security authority, allowing the Department of Administration and Idaho State Police to bar disruptive or noncompliant individuals from the Capitol and Supreme Court buildings for up to a year and to regulate tents, camping, and related structures on state property. RS 33038 would address child custody interference by creating graduated penalties, shortening the time for return of a child from 24 hours to four hours, clarifying law enforcement duties, and allowing lost parenting time to be made up; sponsors said it was based on an interim task force that heard extensive testimony from citizens, judges, lawyers, law enforcement, and others. RS 32845 would be a cleanup bill extending discovery and disclosure protections for people and entities involved in carrying out executions by lethal injection or firing squad, ahead of the state’s planned shift to firing squad as the primary method of execution on July 1, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• So when I first got involved and ran for city council, somebody within the local court system reached
• community health centers that care for one in six people in the state and every other person in the city
• disease and illness, and ensuring safe and healthy communities regardless of race, income, or zip code
• Already, 171 public water systems in 96 cities and towns exceed the legal limit for this chemical, so
• outcomes across a wide spectrum, but with the accelerating impacts of climate change threatening cities

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Health

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Health held an introductory informational hearing for the new session, with Chairs Marjorie Decker and Senator Michael Driscoll outlining the committee’s scope and emphasizing the impact of the federal landscape on Massachusetts public health. They noted the hearing would focus on testimony from agencies and advocates, with short testimony limits due to the hybrid format. No votes were taken; the meeting was for briefing and discussion of priorities. Commissioner Robbie Goldstein of the Department of Public Health described the department’s budget and federal funding, warning that recent CDC grant terminations could cut nearly $100 million and affect lab testing, surveillance, vaccines, and community engagement. He highlighted DPH priorities including racial equity, maternal health, substance use and child welfare coordination, emergency preparedness, data transparency, and public hospital quality. MassHealth Assistant Secretary Michael Levine discussed MassHealth’s role covering about 2 million residents and its priorities in health equity, behavioral health, primary care, member independence, and customer service, while noting the agency relies heavily on federal Medicaid dollars and would face major strain from federal cuts. Several advocacy and provider groups focused on reproductive health and maternal health. Planned Parenthood warned of threats to Title X, 340B savings, and other federal funding, and supported a bill to eliminate parental consent and judicial bypass for abortion care for young people. Reproductive Equity Now urged stronger shield-law protections and changes to Massachusetts’ later-abortion framework. Dr. Indyamaka Anugaka called for full implementation of the maternal health law, better reimbursement for doulas and midwives, stronger data collection, and support for full-spectrum pregnancy care coverage. The Health Policy Commission said new maternal health and primary care task forces would begin work soon. Mental health and health system access were also major themes. The Mass Medical Society urged action on vaccine hesitancy, removal of non-medical school vaccine exemptions, and primary care reform. The Massachusetts Association for Mental Health and the Children’s Mental Health Campaign opposed proposed cuts to DMH and substance use services, called for more school-based supports, and raised concerns about inpatient capacity, including a unit serving LGBTQ youth. The Massachusetts Nurses Association and 1199 SEIU warned that staffing shortages, low wages, workplace violence, hospital closures, and possible Medicaid cuts threaten patient care and the health care workforce. The Betsy Lehman Center also urged investment in automated patient-safety monitoring to reduce harm and costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill closes the current gaps in consumer protection code.
• I've personally worked on that carriage in cities as close as Nashville in a state where equine culture
• I've personally worked on that carriage in cities as close as Nashville in a state where equine culture
• I've personally worked on that carriage in cities as close as Nashville in a state where equine culture
• I've personally worked on that carriage in cities as close as Nashville in a state where equine culture

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• team of, of individuals or, uh, staff, uh, back first part of, of, of, uh, July, they went to Mexico City
• Cube, we have We have you registered as Warren Code, representing the Texas Farm Bureau.
• They're the ones helping us try to get Mexico City to take responsibility, to take action.
• And this is in a city that has almost 1 million people in Veracruz, where it was caught.
• jobs back into these communities that have lost in the, in the case of, of Beeville, 5000 jobs for a city

Committee: House Agriculture & Livestock

Transcript Highlights:

• Anderson and Cleborne move to amend House File 23, the first engrossment, and the amendment is coded
• They had gotten some out of the Twin Cities, some out of St. Cloud.
• out</c><00:56:51.240><c> of</c><00:56:51.320><c> the</c><00:56:51.440><c> Twin</c><00:56:51.720><c> Cities
• ,</c> had gotten some out of the Twin Cities, had gotten some out of the Twin Cities, some<00:56:52.920

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill represents a comprehensive reexamination of Hawaii's mental health code with the goal of clarifying
• Over the years, law enforcement agencies started co-opting that term and training other city staff and
• other<00:37:35.079><c> um</c><00:37:35.880><c> uh</c><00:37:36.079><c> other</c><00:37:36.359><c> City
• </c><00:37:36.760><c> staff</c><00:37:37.480><c> employment</c> other um uh other City staff employment
• other um uh other City staff employment employees<00:37:39.359><c> to</c><00:37:39.599><c> kind</c><

Committee: Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: On the deferred agenda, the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs took up SB 1364, which makes emergency appropriations for law enforcement personnel costs, and SB 1452, which relates to the Uniform Controlled Substances Act. The chair recommended both measures pass with amendments, including technical corrections and a committee-report effective date of July 1, 2077. For SB 1364, the amendments included specified general fund and transfer fund amounts for DAGS, the Judiciary, and the Department of Law. For SB 1452, the chair said the bill was being corrected to fix a drug-name error that had been replicated from a federal mistake. Both recommendations were adopted by vote, with Senator Dort excused. The committee then discussed SB 1612, a joint measure on fitness to proceed that would require and appropriate funds for a five-year pilot program involving the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Department of Health, with interim and final reports to the Legislature. Testimony was mixed: the Judiciary and Department of Health were supportive, while the Office of the Public Defender and the Disability Rights Center opposed it, arguing it conflicted with best practices and the Clark consent order, and that people found not fit to proceed must be sent to the state hospital. DCR said its main concern was that the bill would still require patients to be housed in its facilities, which it said are not rehabilitative and are already strained by staffing shortages and limited access. The bill’s author argued the proposal was meant to create joint custody and reduce the high cost of state-hospital placement, but the committee did not take final action in the portion provided. In the joint hearing with Health and Human Services, the committees heard SB 1322, a broad rewrite of the state mental health code. The Attorney General supported the measure as a comprehensive cleanup and modernization effort, but many testifiers raised concerns. Queen’s Health System and Hawaii Health Systems Corporation supported the concept but warned about emergency-room impacts and asked for amendments; IHS supported the bill with a caveat about assisted community treatment procedures; and the Public Defender, Disability Rights Center, and others opposed parts of it, citing due process, privacy, HIPAA, counsel rights, liability immunity, and the reduction of an involuntary-treatment panel from three clinicians to one psychiatrist. The hearing also covered SB 951 on child protection, where the Department of Defense supported the bill and proposed technical amendments and MOUs with military components to clarify reporting and coordination procedures; DHS and the Attorney General said they were still working through possible changes. Finally, SB 228 on excited delirium was heard, with the Public Defender and Disability Rights Center supporting the bill and arguing the term has been misused and that better police de-escalation training is the real solution.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, but city treasurers were not noticed or were not cited by RSA.
• I don't know what a I represent a city.
• And that's written in our city charter.
• </c> but that's written in our city charter. but that's written in our city charter.
• </c><04:25:08.319><c> to</c> to cost towns and cities to to cost towns and cities to work<04:25:10.640

Committee: House Municipal and County Government

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Minnesota should be able to get the care they need when they need it, regardless of their zip code and
• They need access to this program, and it shouldn't matter what that zip code is.
• </c><00:03:38.000><c> what</c><00:03:38.159><c> that</c><00:03:38.400><c> zip</c><00:03:38.640><c> code
• </c> shouldn't matter what that zip code is. shouldn't matter what that zip code is.
• is as in regards to what our zip code is as far<00:08:38.640><c> as</c><00:08:38.800><c> it</c><00:08

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 369 was the main topic, with House authors Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar, Rep. Robert Bierman, and Rep. Dave Baker arguing that the bill would give Minnesota’s 2024 340B law “teeth” by enforcing protections for nonprofit and rural hospitals’ access to the federal drug pricing program. They said the measure costs the state nothing, aligns with similar laws in more than 20 other states, and is needed before adjournment to help hospitals close funding gaps, support services like emergency care, obstetrics, behavioral health, and pharmacy access, and preserve care in remote communities. Several hospital leaders from across greater Minnesota testified that 340B revenue helps keep their facilities viable and that losing it would threaten services and, in some cases, hospital survival. Witnesses described severe financial pressure on rural hospitals, including reimbursement cuts, workforce shortages, inflation, and rising drug costs. Leaders from United Hospital District in Blue Earth, Lakewood Health System in Staples, Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, Northshore Health in Grand Marais, Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet, and Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby said their hospitals serve as safety-net providers and often operate with thin or negative margins. They emphasized long travel times to other hospitals, seasonal tourism pressures in some areas, and the importance of local emergency, ambulance, inpatient, and specialty services. The Minnesota Hospital Association president also criticized pharmaceutical company messaging and said nonprofit hospitals are working around the clock to maintain access. In response to questions, Zeleznikar said she had considered other enforcement approaches but now supported using the original Senate-passed bill, citing concerns about fraud and the difficulty of alternative enforcement mechanisms. She and hospital leaders distinguished this bill from a separate hospital stabilization-grant proposal, saying both are needed but serve different purposes. No vote was taken at the meeting, and the speakers repeatedly urged House leadership to bring the bill to the floor before session ends.

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment is coded<00:04:34.880><c> A3.
• 36.160><c> recognize</c><00:04:36.479><c> a</c><00:04:36.639><c> member</c><00:04:36.800><c> from</c> coded
• I recognize a member from coded A3.
• blank store and go to the crypto machine and I need you to put money in, and I need you to put this code

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This is amendment set 1897, coded in the upper right-hand corner. It is online and in your folders.
• Amendment set 1998 is coded in the upper right-hand corner. Mr. Chairman.
• Amendment set 1998 is coded in the upper right-hand corner, is online and in your folders.
• Members, this amendment set is coded 1815 in the upper right-hand corner, is online and in your folders

Committee: House Retirement

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and three years, and how do the standards and the coursework within the program align to our Alabama code
• within the program align to<00:11:22.640><c> our</c><00:11:22.880><c> Alabama</c><00:11:23.360><c> code
• ><00:11:23.680><c> Are</c><00:11:23.839><c> they</c><00:11:24.000><c> teaching,</c> to our Alabama code
• Are they teaching, to our Alabama code?

Committee: House Education Policy

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• understanding, and as I read this, is if you are in contract currently, you will fall under this additional code
• We are changing the penalty for a violation of the follow-on code, which is the proposed follow-on 54
• We are changing the penalty for a violation of the follow-on code, which is the proposed follow-on 54
• introduction so that we can move forward with a good hearing and hopefully get some of this legislation in code

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• pages basically cover the legislation, and the other rest of the sections in the bill bring forward codes
• bring</c> sections in the in the bill bring sections in the in the bill bring forward<00:02:44.240><c> codes
• </c><00:02:44.680><c> to</c><00:02:44.800><c> bring</c><00:02:45.320><c> to</c> forward codes to bring
• to forward codes to bring to conform<00:02:46.800><c> to</c><00:02:46.880><c> Medicaid</c><00:02:47.720

Committee: Joint Insurance

Keywords: Insurance - Room 210, 26 February, 2026; 9:00 A.M., 925, all