Transcript Highlights:

• We talk about strategy for the next 12 months and beyond.
• You're well aware of the age requirement.
• You're well aware of the age. Age restriction require the requirement.
• to two months—to get the dollars to them.
• So, yes, to your point, it is something to be aware of.

Committee: Joint Tax Reform and Relief Advisory Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It also does not get in the way of month-to-month good cause exemptions provided for reasons like getting
• Are you aware of any changes that have happened?
• Six months later, using ARPA funds.
• But if the average stay of six months is six months, then we would want to reevaluate that.
• But if the average stay of six months is six months, then we would want to reevaluate that.”

Committee: House House Health & Human Services Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee heard a JLBC presentation on H.R. 1’s SNAP impacts, including expanded work requirements, higher state administrative costs, and a potential state share of benefits if Arizona’s payment error rate remains above 6%. JLBC estimated the administrative cost increase at about $33 million in FY 2027 and $44 million in FY 2028, and said a 2024 error rate of 8.8% could expose the state to about $139 million in benefit costs starting in FY 2028. The chair also opened the meeting by asking members and speakers to keep remarks shorter to improve efficiency. The committee then considered several SNAP-related bills. HB 2797, which requires DES to more frequently verify eligibility through data matching, post fraud/noncompliance data, and address out-of-state EBT purchases, passed 7-5. HB 2442, requiring certain able-bodied SNAP adults with school-age children to participate in employment and training unless exempt, also passed 7-5. HB 2448, which limits DES’s ability to seek work-requirement waivers or discretionary exemptions without legislative authorization, passed 7-5. HB 2206, which sets a goal of reducing the SNAP payment error rate to 3% by 2030 and adds reporting and corrective-action requirements, passed 7-5 after debate over staffing, technology, and whether the target was realistic. The committee also advanced HB 2180, appropriating $2.5 million to the University of Arizona for AZ REACH, a hospital transfer coordination program serving rural facilities. Supporters said it improves patient transfers and reduces burdens on rural hospitals; some health system representatives were neutral but asked for operational improvements. HB 2180 passed 11-1. HB 2184, as amended, passed 7-4-1; it would extend fetal death certificate filing and require patients to be informed of the option to transfer fetal remains to a funeral home, with supporters describing it as a matter of parental dignity and closure. HB 2188, as amended, creating a Language Acquisition Grant Program for deaf or hard-of-hearing infants and toddlers, passed unanimously after testimony about balancing spoken-language and ASL options. The committee then began hearing HB 2194, a bill requiring insurers to provide a contact for detailed explanations after claim or prior-authorization denials, but the transcript ends before action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> as arts education month in Colorado. as arts education month in Colorado.
• , Theater in Our Schools Month, Dance in Your Schools Month, and Youth Art Month, all of which are celebrated
• , Theater in Our Schools Month, Dance in Your Schools Month, and Youth Art Month, all of which are celebrated
• ><c> of</c><00:31:38.399><c> which</c> month, and youth art month, all of which month, and youth art
• </c> month in Colorado, arts education month month in Colorado, arts education month in<00:34:24.800>

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• within every six-month one month within every six-month eligibility<00:42:23.119><c> period</c><00:42
• ... redeterminations every six months. redeterminations every six months.
• </c> Medicaid uh annually every 12 months. Medicaid uh annually every 12 months.
• Um, is there a specific month? Is it the first month that you would be looking at?
• ,</c><00:46:23.040><c> you</c> third month or the fourth month, you third month or the fourth month,

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first approved the draft minutes from its May 29 meeting and then received an informational update from the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing about the state’s ASL interpreter pipeline. Representative Woods and Associate Commissioner Ann Landry explained that the American Sign Language program at UNH Manchester, the nation’s first fully accredited program, is facing viability concerns because high tuition has left only two of a potential 20 students committed so far. They warned that if enrollment does not recover, the program could face a teachout and eventually be lost, which they said would be detrimental because many state services and legal proceedings require qualified interpreters. Members discussed possible alternatives, including whether community colleges could help, and asked for follow-up research and contact information for UNH officials. The committee also heard that interpreter demand across DHHS continues to rise and that the department must ensure compliance with civil rights and service-access requirements. The committee then turned to Medicaid policy changes tied to Senate Bill 134 and a new federal interim final rule on Medicaid community engagement, or work, requirements. DHHS officials Olivia May and Ann Landry explained that the state law and federal rule align in many areas, but the committee still needed to decide how to implement several remaining policy choices. The department recommended adopting all four short-term hardship exceptions because the federal rule requires states to take them all or none: inpatient or institutional care, federally declared emergencies, high-unemployment areas, and extensive out-of-state travel for serious medical care. Members generally supported the exceptions but raised concerns about how they would be defined and applied, especially the emergency and medical-travel categories. Several legislators asked for more clarity on terms like “extensively” and “serious or complex medical care,” and DHHS said the federal rule does not rigidly define them, though the state could refine implementation through rulemaking if authorized. The department also said the emergency exception would apply only to federally declared emergencies, not state declarations, and would be tied to the emergency event itself. No final vote on the Medicaid policy was recorded in the portion provided, but the discussion indicated the committee was reviewing the remaining decisions needed to implement Senate Bill 134 under the new federal framework.

Transcript Highlights:

• About 18 months later, that was then included in that rate-setting process.
• We were being floated by the state to be able to pay our claims mid-month.
• We were able to pay our claims mid-month.
• I mean, the last committee meeting that was earlier this month four That was earlier this month.
• As everyone in this room is aware, everything has gotten more expensive.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Immediately begin collection now as y'all are all aware like everyone's situation could be different
• On a monthly basis, so if, for example, if the child is with grandmothers. mother one month and then
• moves to an aunt, the next month we would be able to reroute that.
• TPC, that is almost a guaranteed delay of four to six months.
• So raising awareness about, excuse me, raising awareness about the importance of nutrition and providing

Bills: HB26 , HB140 , HB141 , HB142 , HB215 , HB26 , HB140 , HB141 , HB142 , HB215

Committee: House Human Services

Keywords: Medicaid, nutrition support, maternal health, chronic conditions, pilot program, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, child protective services, child abuse investigations, child neglect, child exploitation, advisory committee, Family and Protective Services Council, council abolition, foster care, due process, investigative procedures, child welfare, parental rights, family preservation services

Transcript Highlights:

• Literally month to month, there are changes in what is possible.
• ><c> regarding</c> person can also be made aware regarding person can also be made aware regarding what
• I wasn't aware of the dangers.
• I wasn't aware of the dangers. A up. I wasn't aware of the dangers.
• :20:03.679><c> became</c><01:20:04.000><c> so</c> short months, her delusions became so short months,

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we completed $3.1 million over the last 18 months.
• Currently, I am aware of four.
• I am aware of Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Doña Ana, and Las Cruces having Customs.
• They are the only official aviation high school in the state that we are aware of.
• This month is pedestrian safety awareness month, so in a couple of weeks, you'll have a...

Transcript Highlights:

• And right now, May has been coined Mental Health Month.
• One time at the jail, when he's finally stabilized and will see me, which takes months and months of
• We're aware of the information that was just shared by the department.
• We're aware of the information that was just shared by the department.
• So every six months, there's a new cohort.

Summary: The hearing focused first on behavioral health, especially serious mental illness and anosognosia, a condition described by witnesses as a neurological symptom that prevents people from recognizing they are ill. The chair framed the issue around families cycling through emergency rooms, jails, conservatorships, and short-term stabilization without lasting treatment, and warned that federal changes under H.R. 1 could reduce Medi-Cal funding and worsen access. Dawn Marie Anderson gave a personal account of her son’s long history of psychosis, homelessness, arrests, repeated jail and state hospital stays, and eventual stability when he received sustained medication and coordinated support. She argued that the system often treats the problem as criminal rather than medical and that voluntary programs and short-term services are not enough for people who lack insight into their illness. Other panelists, including representatives from the California Behavioral Health Association, Santa Barbara County Behavioral Health, and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association, agreed that anosognosia is not denial or noncompliance and said the system needs long-term, coordinated care, including assertive community treatment, mobile crisis, supportive housing, medication support, and stronger handoffs between county and managed care systems. They said CalAIM and other reforms have improved some coordination, but significant gaps remain, especially for people with serious mental illness, for those in jail or locked settings, and for people with private insurance, which witnesses said often offers little meaningful coverage for early psychosis or intensive behavioral health services. Several witnesses urged the Legislature to protect Medi-Cal, shore up county safety-net services, and invest in training and family engagement. The committee then turned to the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, with a focus on the virtual services platforms BrightLife Kids and Soluna and the CYBHI fee schedule. DHCS reported strong growth in app registrations, coaching sessions, referrals, and positive user outcomes, saying the platforms provide free, culturally responsive, early-intervention support statewide and help connect users to higher levels of care when needed. On the fee schedule, DHCS said more than 500 LEAs, colleges, universities, and school-linked providers are participating, 181 LEAs have submitted claims, and $9.6 million has been reimbursed to date, with 41,556 students represented in claims. The chair and several members criticized the pace of implementation and the amount of money spent relative to reimbursement levels, saying the Legislature had requested data earlier and that the return on investment still appeared low. DHCS responded that many claims are still being submitted, that 70% of denials are correctable, that $400 million in capacity grants has been distributed locally, and that reimbursement is increasing rapidly as more districts come online. Public comment included a rural county behavioral health director who said private insurance denials leave counties with significant uncompensated work, especially for unlicensed staff providing case management and mobile crisis services.

Transcript Highlights:

• Are you aware of any efforts?
• Are you aware of any efforts?
• Are you aware of any efforts?
• So that data will be getting refreshed over the next month or so.
• We had a great co-event a few months ago with disability employment focus.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The subcommittee met to approve the April and May minutes, welcome a new member, and hear an update from Gina Frey of EOHHS on statewide health and human services workforce development efforts. Frey described cross-secretariat initiatives under the Workforce Skills Cabinet, including MA Repay loan repayment awards, expanded community college and tuition supports, ESOL/work-readiness programming for immigrants, and efforts to build career pathways and reduce attrition in nursing, behavioral health, direct care, and primary care. She also reviewed a $46 million ARPA-funded home and community-based services grant program that supported 82 grantees, led to hiring 8,752 new staff, over 1,000 interns, 2,000 new certifications, and a drop in vacancy rates from 22% to 12%. Members raised concerns about the impact of immigration policy changes on the direct care workforce, including losses of trained workers in provider agencies, and asked whether any exemption or other relief efforts were underway. Frey said EOHHS is tracking the issue closely but did not identify a specific exemption effort. The discussion also touched on Medicaid and related program changes, with Frey noting the administration is focused on understanding potential impacts to eligibility and work requirements. Rep. Howard asked about initiatives for direct support professionals and wraparound supports, and Frey said those efforts are often led by individual agencies such as MassAbility and DDS, with EOHHS coordinating across them. The latter part of the meeting shifted to planning FY26 subcommittee goals and possible events. Members discussed using the Health Policy Commission’s Behavioral Health Workforce Center and possibly asking for a study comparing compensation in DDS and related direct care roles against health care and education jobs. They also discussed a possible cross-state public event on immigration’s impact on the workforce, especially for people with disabilities and direct support services, and agreed to continue refining goals and event ideas by email and at the next meeting. Frey provided a website link and contact information for Amy Doyle at the Health Policy Commission to facilitate future presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is indeed a pleasure to be with you just shortly after nine months.
• can see all the various customers and clients that we work with: service members within about 24 months
• campaign. and a Skillbridge awareness campaign and working with the senator we take this this mission
• And the hope is that they'll... ...spend while they're going through six months of training.
• This is 10 veterans completing six months of hardware security semiconductor training at the University

Committee: Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security

Summary: The Committee on Military Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security met to consider SB 96, which originally proposed a new veterans dental care program but was amended to expand the existing Veterans Dental Care Grant Program. The amendment raised eligibility from 300% to 400% of the federal poverty level and added a recurring $500,000 general revenue appropriation. Members discussed whether expanding eligibility without guaranteed additional funding could dilute services for veterans already being served, while supporters argued it would help veterans currently turned away for dental care. The committee adopted the amendment and then reported CS/SB 96 favorably by roll call vote, with Chair Wright voting no. The committee also approved two committee bills continuing public records exemptions: SPB 7000, covering the address and telephone number of people staying in public emergency shelters during storms or catastrophic events, and SPB 7002, covering certain Department of Military Affairs records stored in or transmitted through Department of Defense systems or related to military cyber operations. Both were moved as committee bills without objection and were favorably reported. Members then received presentations from Dr. Pia Woodley of the Florida Veterans Foundation and Joe Marino of Veterans Florida. Dr. Woodley outlined the foundation’s dental initiatives, emergency assistance, transportation support, benefits guide distribution, new programs for state veterans’ homes and community grants, and recent audits with no findings. Marino described Veterans Florida’s SkillBridge, entrepreneur, and workforce programs, including outreach and federal partnerships, and noted legislative priorities to allow stipends for training at UF IFAS AGVets facilities and to rename a program in statute for clarity. The meeting concluded with no further business and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a picture of us on vacation about a month ago.
• Two months into the infusion, Tim was hospitalized on an unrelated health issue, and when we went to
• into the infusion Tim was months into the infusion Tim was hospitalized<00:08:53.720><c> on</c><00:08
• can make a big difference to 12 months can make a big difference in<00:10:51.839><c> the</c> in the
• Are they aware of the bill? Are they interested in meeting you where you're at?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> aid public understanding and awareness aid public understanding and awareness of<01:08:17.359><c
• > does</c><01:18:45.760><c> not</c> emphasizing early awareness does not emphasizing early awareness
• </c><01:34:07.360><c> It</c> because awareness changes lives. It because awareness changes lives.
• Are you aware of that? Was that that? Are you aware of that?
• </c> surprise bills that we all see a month surprise bills that we all see a month or<04:25:06.560><c

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I'm sure you're aware, I believe you're an attorney as well.
• So since you were aware of it in 24, I'm thinking, because I don't remember it.
• That's four months from satisfactory proof of loss, and that often can take a month to produce.
• And that often can take a month to produce.
• I'm aware that there were heavy losses because of Hurricane Delta and Ida and Laura.

Committee: House Insurance

Summary: The House Committee on Insurance met on March 25 and took up House Bill 577 by Representative Glorioso, which would change Louisiana’s bad-faith insurance penalty language from a flat 50% to “up to 50%,” giving judges discretion to award a lower penalty in cases involving minor or technical delays. Glorioso argued the bill would correct an omission from the 2024 consolidation of the bad-faith statutes, reduce unnecessary litigation over nominal delays, and potentially help lower reinsurance and homeowners’ insurance costs. Committee members questioned whether the change would weaken consumer protections or reward insurer misconduct, especially in catastrophe claims after storms, and whether any real rate relief would follow. Opposition testimony came from the Louisiana Association of Justice and Real Reform Louisiana. They argued the current penalty provisions are important guardrails that help force timely payment and fair handling of claims, especially after hurricanes, and that the bill would reduce deterrence without producing meaningful premium reductions. They also said insurers already have substantial time and procedural protections under the law, and that penalties are rarely awarded but serve as leverage in settlement negotiations. Supporters and the Department of Insurance said Louisiana’s penalty structure is an outlier compared with other states and that the bill could make the market more competitive, though the department said it did not have court data on bad-faith judgments and could not quantify the bill’s effect on rates. After debate, Representative Glorioso closed by saying he was open to further language changes but asked the committee to advance the bill. The committee then voted 10 yeas and 6 nays to report House Bill 577 favorably. Afterward, the committee moved on to the next item, House Bill 955.

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendments change the effective date to the first day of the 12th month rather than the sixth month
• At this time, we are only aware of the three.
• Again, we've provided a lot of information over the months and a lot of studies.
• I'm not aware... ...a moratorium is in place.
• And yes, we have been raising that concern for the past four months as well.

Committee: Senate Senate Budget and Appropriations

Keywords: 1146, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Awareness of first responder.
• The platform's average about 2500 but hits per month.
• And it incentivizes based on the PC pm per child per month.
• This is a fresh one month old.
• Each month it was not for those that accident. What, what day of the month to the exit?

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You said, you know, is it just one more number that people aren't aware of?
• And we get phone calls because people—I'm on the radio station every month.
• Every month I'm at business meetings. I'm at Chamber of Commerce meetings.
• As Sandy stated, next month will be 11 years since my diagnosis.
• There's an 18-month wait list if you can get on the wait list.

Committee: House Health and Mental Health

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's been seven months since then, and here we are again with a similar bill.
• I mean, that one I’m fully aware of, because that is part of my district.
• I am not aware of any other situations around the country.
• I mean, that one I'm fully aware of, because that is part of my district.
• I am not aware of any other situations around the country.

Summary: The Senate Local Government Committee heard briefings and public testimony on several bills. SB 6064 would let qualifying regional fire protection districts or authorities take over administration and enforcement of the International Fire Code within their boundaries, with notice to counties and equivalent jobs for displaced workers; supporters said it would improve consistency and local control, while counties, fire marshals, and builders opposed it as unnecessary and likely to add permitting complexity and delay. SB 6101 would require county coroners to be appointed rather than elected, while preserving appointed medical examiners in larger counties; the sponsor cited the Yakima County coroner controversy as the reason for the bill, and opponents argued it would reduce voter accountability and could increase costs, though some supporters said appointment would professionalize death investigations and improve consistency. SB 6077 would extend from 21 to 28 business days the deadline for assessors and taxpayers to exchange valuation evidence before property tax appeal hearings, with supporters saying the change would give taxpayers a fairer chance to respond and opponents saying the bill should also address long delays in scheduling hearings themselves. The committee also heard SB 5820, which would repeal Clark County-specific Growth Management Act authority allowing freight rail-dependent uses on certain resource lands adjacent to a short-line railroad. The sponsor and supporters said the 2017 law was a poorly written special exemption that threatens agricultural and resource lands and should be repealed; opponents, including the railroad operator, business groups, and local officials, argued the rail overlay supports economic development, jobs, and low-emission freight movement and that the county should retain local control. Testimony on SB 5820 also raised concerns about safety, land-use conflicts, and the meaning of “adjacent,” with some witnesses saying the land is currently underused and others saying it is needed for future industrial and rail-served development. Finally, the committee heard SB 6013, an agency-request bill updating ski-area terminology and safety provisions to include aerial tramways, toes, and conveyors in the state’s ski lift regulations. State Parks supported the measure as a technical update to align safety inspections, insurance requirements, and rider conduct rules with current equipment terminology. The transcript ended before any vote or executive action was taken on these bills, and the chair noted some previously scheduled executive session items were moved to a later date.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think you’re aware of the actual information that was provided.
• At this time, we are not aware of any changes by the IRS as it relates to the VITA program.
• That F&A rate reduction was also halted by a district court earlier this month.
• If you interrupt a clinical trial, you don't put it back together again six months later.
• Budget later this month, with the full budget for federal fiscal year 2026 in mid-May.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Transparency held a hearing focused on three issues: federal funding cuts and delays, possible state revenue impacts from reduced IRS enforcement, and the fiscal effects of AB 218 on local governments. The Franchise Tax Board described how state and federal tax systems are closely linked, how most returns are filed electronically through software, and how FTB relies on IRS information sharing for compliance, fraud prevention, offsets, and nonfiler work. Members raised concerns that federal staffing cuts at the IRS could weaken audits of large corporations and reduce California revenue, and asked about VITA and ITIN filers; FTB said it was not aware of VITA reductions, noted ITIN returns are processed the same as other returns, and said ITIN filing appeared slightly down this year. The Department of Finance said it is monitoring federal developments, summarized the continuing resolution and reconciliation process, and noted that California lost nearly $940 million in earmarked federal projects under the CR, while major federal budget decisions remain uncertain until the President’s budget and later congressional action. The University of California reported substantial federal pressure on research, student aid, and health care. UC said hundreds of millions of dollars in federal awards have already been canceled, with additional threats to NIH and DOE facilities-and-administration rates, graduate fellowships, student loan repayment plans, international student visas, Pell Grants, and Medicaid/Medi-Cal funding. Committee members pressed UC on the effects of DEIA-related federal restrictions, the loss of clinical trials and research staff, and the impact on low-income students and patients. UC said it is pursuing litigation with the Attorney General and other institutions, but emphasized that court action is only a temporary solution and that sustained state and private support may be needed. The second panel addressed the fiscal consequences of AB 218, which extended the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims against public agencies. FCMAT presented a report with 22 recommendations, including better statewide data collection, financing mechanisms, a possible victims compensation fund, and prevention measures. Los Angeles County described a tentative $4 billion settlement tied to AB 218 claims, saying it will require reserves, borrowing, and long-term annual payments through 2050, while also forcing curtailments and cuts to vacant positions to preserve services. Members discussed insurance pools, retroactive premiums, unidentified future claims, and the need for a compensation fund or other financing tools. No formal votes were taken; the hearing concluded with public comment, including testimony from local health officials about nearly $400 million in terminated federal public health grants and the resulting layoffs and service impacts.

Transcript Highlights:

• Public awareness and behavioral change were also noted as essential.
• And then also education and awareness. So thank you. We can take any questions if you have any.
• As all of you are aware, agriculture and our food systems are stressed and have been for a long time.
• You know, the farmer just last week, who actually a month ago now before the floods, was plowing under
• Finally, I think... ...feedback or just elevate issues you think we should be aware of.

Summary: The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee opened its 2026 session with committee housekeeping, member introductions, and a reminder that schedules are set a week in advance and amendments must be submitted by the prior day’s deadlines. Chair Reeves emphasized solution-oriented, collaborative, and respectful participation, then outlined that the committee would focus on three interim reports relevant to its work this session: municipal water efficiency, ecosystem services, and food policy. The first presentation, from the William D. Ruckelshaus Center and WSU, reviewed Washington’s municipal water efficiency statute and regulation. Presenters said interviewees largely agreed on the need for better data collection, more technical assistance for smaller systems, and more state funding for both agency staffing and water system infrastructure. Most opposed shifting oversight of the conservation program from the Department of Health to Ecology, and the report recommended keeping oversight at DOH while improving collaboration across agencies and tribes. The presenters also urged broader statewide water planning, more consistent reporting using the AWWA water audit method instead of leakage percentage, re-evaluating the 500-connection threshold, and addressing outdoor water use, rebates, reuse, and public education. Members asked about creating a new office for water oversight, but the presenters said that idea was generally viewed as too costly and impractical under current budget conditions. DNR then presented its 2025 ecosystem services work group report. The department described ecosystem services markets it studied, including regulatory and voluntary forest carbon, avoided wildfire emissions, and water leasing, with lower potential identified for blue carbon, biodiversity, and water quality markets. DNR said about 15,000 acres of state forest land may have carbon-market potential, but emphasized that the analysis was broad and not project-specific, so the report recommends pilots, continued market monitoring, use of third-party developers, and clarification of authority through House Bill 2170. Committee members asked about economic feasibility, timber tradeoffs, and how success would be defined, and DNR said those questions would be better addressed in future, more detailed project-level work. The final presentation covered the Food Policy Forum’s 2025 report to the legislature. Speakers described broad consensus recommendations on food security, local foods in schools, farm-to-food-bank programs, a state farm bill, commercial access, and food system infrastructure. They highlighted pressures on agriculture from development, flooding, drought, water shortages, and the need to preserve farmland and support farmers, food banks, and local procurement systems. The committee chair thanked the presenters and noted that several related bills and policy proposals would be heard later in session. No votes were taken; the meeting concluded after the presentations and brief member questions.