Transcript Highlights:

• So, quality of care or access to care.
• </c><01:39:07.840><c> to</c> position I have, I have access to position I have, I have access to information
• It's access to health care, not the quality, but just having access.
• It's access to health care, not the quality, but just having access.
• It's access to health care, not the quality, but just having access.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• While expansions to Medi-Cal have created unprecedented access to dental services in the past decade,
• workforce while creating access to good-paying middle-class careers that do not require a four-year
• access, and ensure the construction trades are open and accessible to all.
• The subjects that we're going to be covering are the Office of Emergency Services and the Department
• and to advocacy.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, offered a prayer and pledge, welcomed a seventh-grade class from Contra Costa Jewish Day School, and made routine announcements, including birthday wishes for Senator Hurtado and committee meeting notices. The body then took up two resolutions on the daily file. SR 82 by Senator Perez recognized Children’s Dental Health Month and highlighted the importance of early oral health care, the prevalence of tooth decay among California children, disparities affecting Latinx, Black, and low-income children, and Medi-Cal and other state efforts to expand dental access. SR 84 by Senator Caballero commemorated Women in Construction Week and emphasized the need to expand opportunities for women in the construction trades through apprenticeships, inclusive job sites, and workforce development to address labor shortages and support California’s housing and infrastructure goals. Both resolutions were adopted unanimously by roll call votes of 31-0. Afterward, members announced upcoming budget subcommittee meetings. The Senate then heard multiple adjourn-in-memory requests, including one from Senator Alvarado-Gil honoring eight victims of the February 17 avalanche near Truckee and another from Senator Wiener honoring Camille Moran, a San Francisco transgender advocate, artist, and community leader. The presiding officer noted the Senate would recess and reconvene on Monday, March 9, 2026, with an adjournment motion to follow later that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• statewide camping bans and enforcement of public rights-of-way, increased access to treatment for serious
• camping bans and enforcement of public rights of way, increased access to treatment for serious mental
• And I'm encouraging the Department of Human Services to take advantage of that and bring those dollars
• I'm encouraging the Department of Human Services to take advantage of that and bring those dollars into
• who are coming genuinely to receive services, those services aren't being a drag on the community.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They Mississippian has access to food.
• expand access to employer supported expand access to employer supported health<00:43:18.079><c> benefits
• to be accessed by ACH not being able to be accessed by employees. employees. employees.
• This provides a local tool to help stabilize small rural hospitals that are often the only access to
• > in</c><00:57:02.319><c> their</c> only access to emergency care in their only access to emergency care

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 25 February, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• simplify access, to give people an opportunity to navigate our products and...
• To simplify access, to give people an opportunity to navigate our products and they get some decisions
• Earth observation awareness, to give an opportunity to the broader community to access products that
• will need to access that data.
• Created, the more data that needs to be accessed, I think the more power that we will need to access

Summary: The Natural Resources and Disaster Subcommittee met to discuss the use of artificial intelligence in emergency management and related public-safety applications. The panel included the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the University of Florida, and Florida International University. FDEM described current uses of AI for invoice anomaly detection, automated situation report drafting, and data synthesis in WebEOC, emphasizing that AI is used to speed analysis and improve efficiency but not to replace human decision-making. The agency also said counties retain access through backup communications such as Starlink and generators, and that WebEOC provides shared visibility, archived documentation, and a common operating picture across all 67 counties. University of Florida representatives highlighted Beacon, an AI-enabled public safety audio service developed with FDEM and public media partners to distribute official alerts across multiple platforms, including mobile devices and digital streams. UF IFAS described a geospatial AI “Gaia bot” that turns satellite data into natural-language answers and maps for crop damage assessment and flood-risk mapping, with a focus on making complex Earth-observation data more accessible to growers and policymakers. FIU presented AI models that predict water levels and flood mitigation settings much faster than traditional simulation tools, with comparable or better accuracy, and said the work includes explainability features and broader research on compound flooding. Members asked extensive questions about storm surge, hallucinations, whether generative AI or large language models were being used, data vetting, and hardware needs. The witnesses repeatedly stressed that their systems are not autonomous, that human review remains central, and that the models used are primarily data-driven predictive tools rather than chatbot-style generative AI. The meeting ended with thanks to the panelists and an announcement that the committee’s policy chief was leaving for another position. Representative Mooney then moved that the committee rise, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I want to just say good morning to all of you.
• Many are low income, have limited or no access to checking and savings accounts, and are unable to make
• These protections ensure that underbanked and unbanked individuals have equal access to necessary goods
• Businesses do know best, operational best practice, how to deliver the service that they're delivering
• to their clients, to their customers.

Committee: House Special Committee on Tax Reform

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:54.520><c> to</c><00:04:54.680><c> the</c> of dedicated public service to the of dedicated
• And we're going to the access is Yes.
• Taylor would like to thank you for your sacrifices and service to our great nation.
• </c><02:56:35.640><c> Our</c><02:56:35.840><c> debt</c><02:56:36.160><c> to</c> service to our great
• Our debt to service to our great nation.

Keywords: House streaming session for Friday, April 10, 2026, 957, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• go to third read consent because it doesn’t need to go to caucus to be amended.
• I am part of the Health and Human Services Committee. Thank you for allowing me to be here.
• It also grants parents the right to request, review, and access their child's complete educational record
• to SNAP and jeopardized access to WIC.
• Garcia, does this make accessibility to education any easier or any more affordable?

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The caucus began with introductions from pages and interns, followed by a procedural reminder on consent calendars and how bills can be pulled for floor debate or amendment. Members were told that third-read consent bills bypass caucus debate, while caucus consent bills may have committee amendments adopted together unless pulled. The meeting then moved into Minority Caucus Calendar No. 2. A large number of bills were briefly presented, with several members pulling measures from consent or voicing opposition. Topics included appropriations and federal monies accounting (HB 2148), a Buffalo Soldiers memorial (HB 2062), school library funding restrictions (HB 2008), prayer at school governing body meetings (HB 2110), school safety center administration (HB 2142), parental rights and social transitioning disclosures (HB 2249), insurer assessments (HB 2091), agricultural property classification and inspection rules (HB 2104 and HB 2105), firefighter workers’ compensation definitions (HB 2138), truth-in-taxation bond notices (HB 2289), late tax filing penalties (HB 2016), engineering and professional licensing reciprocity (HB 2122), felony murder involving an unborn child (HB 2043), body concealment and mutilation penalties (HB 2044), domestic violence order-of-protection service rules (HB 2048), mandatory reporting of partial-birth abortions (HB 2074), unlawful flight sentencing enhancements (HB 2108), weapons trafficking and fentanyl sentencing changes (HB 2131 and HB 2132), drive-by shooting forfeiture rules (HB 2045), probation review notice changes (HB 2046), venue changes for cases involving court employees (HB 2126), and child support for pre-born children (HB 2144). Members repeatedly criticized several abortion-related bills, the library bill, and the tax and agriculture measures as harmful, unnecessary, or unfunded mandates. The latter part of the meeting focused on water and election legislation. Water bills included snowpack augmentation funding (HB 2024), water conservation grant disclosures (HB 2029), removal of education/research as an eligible water grant use (HB 2030), stormwater recharge mapping with an appropriation (HB 253), cesspool remediation assistance (HB 2096), groundwater pumping limits in INAs (HB 2097), Colorado River litigation funding (HB 2116), and natural resource conservation board changes (HB 2117). Election-related items included moving the primary date earlier and changing signature cure timelines and observer rules (HB 2022), a memorial urging designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization (HCM 2001), a memorial urging review of CAIR for terrorist designation (HCM 2002), and a constitutional amendment on citizenship, voter ID, foreign contributions, and early voting limits (HCR 2001). Members raised concerns about voter access, anti-Muslim rhetoric, and the practical effects of the election changes. The caucus concluded with birthday acknowledgments and an announcement for Muslim Day at the Capitol before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• > the</c> service quality reputation to the service quality reputation to the members<01:03:09.400><c
• related to services related to the IEP, the students' IEP.
• /c> Educational Services to students that Educational Services to students that fit<01:15:48.000><c>
• </c> Based Services compared to to New Based Services compared to to New Hampshire<01:49:48.000><c> but
• /c><01:51:25.199><c> a</c> for for adding service to the state um a for for adding service to the state

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Finance Division III held an informational hearing on Medicaid, Medicare, Choices for Independence, and related financing, while postponing nursing facility financing and the county cap discussion to a later date. DHHS officials Ann Landry, Jonathan Ballard, and Medicaid Director Henry Litman provided an overview of Medicaid’s role, noting it is a federal-state partnership with state-specific eligibility and benefits, and emphasizing that Medicaid is a major funding and programmatic support for other DHHS initiatives. They also distinguished Medicaid from Medicare and explained that Medicaid funding is not the same as grant funding, though some providers may also receive federal grants through other channels. The presentation focused on New Hampshire’s relatively small Medicaid program and why it differs from national averages. Officials said about 184,000 residents are covered, roughly one in seven Granite Staters compared with one in five nationally, and attributed the difference largely to the state’s higher per-capita income and older population. They highlighted that about 65% of Medicaid-enrolled adults in New Hampshire are working, that only 22% of births are covered by Medicaid versus 42% nationally, and that the state’s uninsured rate is lower than the national rate. Members asked about covered services, income limits, federal matching rates, and the names of optional eligibility groups; staff explained that New Hampshire offers the optional groups discussed, with matching rates varying by category, including 90% for Granite Advantage and certain other groups, and 65% for children above the required level. A substantial portion of the hearing covered eligibility rules and recent policy changes. Officials reviewed the history of Medicaid, including HCBS waivers, the CFI program, Katie Beckett, the Olmstead decision, the ACA, and the end of continuous enrollment after the public health emergency. They also discussed the 2023 legislative expansion of postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months and child eligibility changes. In response to questions, DHHS said it is tracking utilization and costs for the postpartum expansion and reported that many maternal deaths occur after the prior 60-day coverage period, often involving substance use disorder or suicide; they said the longer coverage is intended to improve access to treatment and prevention. The committee also walked through household-income examples, clarified that Medicaid eligibility is based on household income and categorical rules, and confirmed that Granite Advantage ends at 138% of the federal poverty level unless another categorical basis applies. No votes were taken, and the hearing remained informational.

Transcript Highlights:

• is being collected about them, with the ability to access and correct it.
• No one ability to access and correct it.
• data,</c> for employees to access their own data, for employees to access their own data, as<00:25:39.480
• I think I already talked about right to access, right to appeal, and then of course there's the enforcement
• </c> I think I already talked about right to I think I already talked about right to access,<01:17:57.840

Committee: Senate Labor

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to reserve the right to close, please, sir.
• to that system is.
• Provided if somebody requests authorization to access it as a law enforcement officer. OK.
• They'll identify a target that has certain access, whether that's going to be access inside the talk.
• Members, this is the bill we heard previously related to the access of, access and use of certain criminal

Committee: House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• able to access that for a haven't been able to access that for a couple<00:25:56.240><c> of</c><00:25
• Again, we are access to 100 by 20.
• And so, um, we will continue to work with our internet service providers, um, to be able to move that
• , um, to be internet service providers, um, to be able<00:57:46.880><c> to</c><00:57:47.040><c> move<
• </c><01:09:11.839><c> satellite</c><01:09:12.319><c> service</c> comes to satellite service comes to

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

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is relating to civil service exempt positions within the Department of Land and Natural Resources
• </c> trying to address. trying to address.
• Like if to be able to sit for licensure.
• We're going to wait to do what that.
• Moving on to HB 2325 HD1 relating to civil service exempt positions within the Department of Land and

Committee: House Labor

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Labor met on February 19, 2026, and heard a series of bills largely focused on public employment, staffing, and professional licensing. Early measures included HB 2276 and HB 2472, both relating to Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund staff salaries, which were supported by trust fund representatives and received no opposition or questions. The committee also heard HB 1714 HD1 on housing, where the Hawaii Public Housing Authority testified with comments and the Deputy Attorney General raised concerns about the scope of autonomy, civil service, collective bargaining, and a possible separation-of-powers issue involving legislative approval of long-term contracts. The committee then considered several personnel and civil service bills. HB 2325 HD1, relating to civil service exempt positions at DLNR, drew support from DLNR and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, but HGEA opposed it and urged the department to seek other recruitment and retention solutions while keeping employees in civil service. HB 1541, relating to Department of Health positions, was supported by DOH on the grounds that the positions serve vulnerable populations and require specialized expertise, while HGEA opposed. HB 2140 HD1, relating to essential permanent positions, received support from OPSD, HGEA, and the Chamber of Commerce, with written comments from the city Department of Budget and Fiscal Services. HB 2315 HD1, relating to state employment benefits, was strongly supported by DOH, UPW, and HGEA as a recruitment and retention incentive; members questioned the pilot program, and DOH explained it would allow employees to cash out vacation leave earlier than current policy allows. The committee also heard HB 2295 on government contracting, with DOE support not present and IBEW 1186 in opposition. HB 1720, relating to professional engineers, drew strong support from the City and County of Honolulu’s planning department, which argued the bill would help with affordable housing review and only affect eligibility to sit for the licensure exam, but strong opposition from engineering industry and licensing board representatives, who warned it would lower licensing standards and harm reciprocity; members questioned both sides about plan review experience and licensure requirements. HB 2367, relating to employment earnings and pay transparency, received strong support from the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, AAUW, the Commission on the Status of Women, and others, who said transparency helps small businesses and retention, while written opposition came from the Maui Chamber of Commerce and NFIB. Finally, HB 1935, relating to personal information, drew comments from the Attorney General and the Campaign Spending Commission about implementation burdens and disclosure requirements, with UPW supporting the home-address redaction portion but opposing the broader disclosure process; additional written testimony was noted from OIP, the League of Women Voters, Public Press Law Center, HGEA, and DCCA.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm going to call the meeting to order.
• , and we're providing through this consortium free access to these refrigerators in addition to.
• To talk a little bit more about the Venture Studio on Site 11, the access to quantum networks, we talked
• Access to dilution refrigerators is also incredibly important.
• come here because they have access to a capital stack they wouldn't have otherwise. access to otherwise

Committee: House Investments & Pensions Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• access to the SAVE database for state, territorial, tribal, and local government agencies.
• And so there is not a cost with regard to accessing that system.
• before—don't have documents or access to documents.
• Voters could lose access due to bureaucracy, not wrongdoing.
• These are sensitive documents that people don't have easy access to.

Bills: S0174 , S1342 , S1334 , S1362 , S1602 , S1604

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development

Keywords: transportation, memorial, honorary designation, Miami-Dade, Charlie Kirk, transit-oriented development, housing affordability, mixed-use zoning, urban development, traffic congestion, elections, voter registration, citizenship, provisional ballots, election fraud, vertiports, aviation, airport infrastructure, economic development, veterans

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> service, dedication, and commitment to service, dedication, and commitment to our<00:34:52.560><
• access to capital from any other means.
• Native survivors are significantly less likely to access traditional western services due to historical
• to access traditional western likely to access traditional western services<01:44:55.760><c> due</c>
• > lack</c> services due to historical trauma, lack services due to historical trauma, lack of<01:44:57.920

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the access to not only a decent education with that of the healthcare system.
• already in law, the bill doesn't change, do screenings, then they're able to have access to the screening
• to the school because they're trying to also provide the services for kids.
• have access to.
• education to determine access to threat management records, which must remain consistent, state and

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I want to welcome each of you to the Health and Human Services Committee.
• And they're just grateful to get services.
• They have to do with the timeliness of service.
• And then how do families find out about these service providers and access? Whoever wants to, Ms.
• the providers in order for you to be able to retain those good providers to provide the services?

Summary: The Health and Human Services Committee received an overview of Florida’s intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) managed care pilot, created by legislation in 2023 to test whether a managed care model could integrate Medicaid medical services with iBudget waiver home- and community-based services for adults in pre-enrollment categories. AHCA explained the existing system, the pilot’s scope in Regions D and I, and the rollout timeline, including federal approval, contract execution with Florida Community Care, and the October 2024 go-live. Officials reported that, as of early February, 370 individuals had been sent for onboarding and 168 more were in queue, with about $35.8 million of the appropriation remaining. APD also clarified the difference between the pre-enrollment categories and the waiver waitlist, and noted that crisis cases can be enrolled more quickly depending on eligibility and funding. Florida Community Care described the pilot as a comprehensive managed care model offering medical, long-term care, and iBudget services, plus enhanced benefits such as bed-hold days, caregiver transportation, and help with legal guardianship costs. The plan said it uses one care coordinator, a 1:18 coordinator ratio, a face-to-face assessment within five days of enrollment, and 180 days of continuity of care for existing providers. The company emphasized that it is recruiting providers by offering higher rates than some iBudget rates, lower administrative burden, and network adequacy incentives, while APD said it continues to monitor provider supply and demand and recruit across service types and regions. Members repeatedly questioned whether the pilot’s costs, provider rates, and service levels were truly comparable to the iBudget system, and AHCA and APD said it was too early to draw firm conclusions because claims data are still lagging. Committee members also raised concerns about communication, enrollment delays, provider shortages, and whether the pilot could scale statewide. APD said it has used letters, phone calls, texts, emails, and community meetings to reach eligible individuals, and that some delays stem from required assessments, Medicaid eligibility checks, and level-of-care determinations. Several members asked for more detailed comparisons of costs and provider reimbursement between the pilot and iBudget, and APD said it would provide additional data. Public testimony at the end was strongly critical of managed care, with a participant and his mother describing poor service, transportation failures, and loss of control under prior managed care arrangements, and urging the committee not to expand such a model without safeguards. No votes or formal committee action were taken before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is relating to language access.
• This is relating to language access.
• </c> This is relating to language access. This is relating to language access.
• </c> if you wanted to open up access so that if you wanted to open up access so that the<00:50:04.319
• ><c> access</c><01:05:39.359><c> to</c> schools by requiring access to schools by requiring access to

Bills: SB2003

Committee: Senate Water, Land, Culture and the Arts

Keywords: Mauna Kea, land management, University of Hawaii, astronomical observatories, leasable lands, natural resource management, stewardship authority, 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees on Water, Land, Culture, and the Arts and Education heard testimony and discussed SB 20003, which would require the auditor’s report under Act 255 to include a recommendation on whether the Monarch Stewardship and Oversight Authority is fit to continue managing Monaca lands. Testimony focused on the bill’s reversion language, the role of the auditor, and whether the measure gave the auditor too much discretion without clear criteria. The Office of the Auditor’s position, read into the record, was that it had strong reservations because the bill did not provide standards for assessing fitness and asked that the requirement be held or amended. Other testimony suggested a work group with relevant agencies and Hawaiian practitioners to manage the transition and reduce conflict. Committee members debated whether the bill should simply restore the original reversion language or also require an audit-based fitness determination. Several members questioned the need for a 2031 audit when Act 255 already provides for a performance and financial audit in 2031 and noted that the bill could shift authority away from the legislature. In response, the committee chair explained that the measure was intended to restore language removed during conference and to address the transition back to the University of Hawaii if the authority was not meeting the act’s purpose. The committees ultimately recommended SB 20003 be passed with amendments. The amendments would strike the auditor/audit section, add language addressing timelines by providing a 10-year lease extension and sublease extension, and make technical changes including a defective date. The committees voted to adopt the amended measure and send it forward as an SD1. The transcript also included a separate Education Committee hearing on SB 3286, which would require the University of Hawaii to develop a facilities and student housing master plan and report to the legislature. University of Hawaii testimony said the system supports the intent but that the bill’s requirements are a heavy lift across 10 campuses and should follow development of a broader academic strategy. Members raised concerns about deferred maintenance, shifting priorities, and the lack of a systemwide plan, while the university said it already has a six-year capital improvement plan but acknowledged it does not fully incorporate the broader academic and housing strategy the bill contemplates.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Health and Human Services Committee report passes to the bill.
• because, as many of you may know, access to capital and the ability to continue to operate, especially
• ><c> as</c> community to access capital because as community to access capital because as many<00:51:
• </c><00:51:06.079><c> to</c><00:51:06.319><c> capital</c> many of you may know access to capital many
• . >> Senate Bill 32 will be assigned to the Committee on Health and Human Services.

Keywords: 981, all