Video & Transcript : 'visa wait times' :
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MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development
Transcript Highlights:
- longer than acceptable wait times.
- Louise is another compelling case who was just waiting and waiting for months for an initial determination
- and waiting for a determination that ultimately is not relevant.
- over this time last year.
- over this time last year.
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a hearing on House 5188, a late-filed bill to establish a special commission to study access to unemployment insurance in Massachusetts. Representatives Hadley Luddy and Joshua Tarski, the bill’s sponsors, said they filed it after seeing many constituent cases involving delays, unresolved claims, and difficulty navigating the unemployment system, especially for seasonal workers and others facing financial instability. They argued the commission should review claim data, gather stakeholder input, and identify gaps in the process so the system is more efficient, equitable, and transparent.
Greater Boston Legal Services testified in support, describing numerous client cases in which claimants waited months for determinations or were stuck in limbo after the launch of a new online benefits system. Attorneys said DUA’s backlogs and timeliness metrics had worsened, citing large increases in non-monetary, separation, and hearings backlogs, and they urged the committee to consider systemic fixes, including better notice about paid family and medical leave and possibly more funding or staff for DUA. Committee members generally praised the bill and the sponsors’ collaboration, and one suggested the commission’s reporting deadline might need to be extended.
No vote was taken during the hearing. After testimony and brief discussion, the chair closed the hearing and concluded the committee meeting.
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee (1-13-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- Go through it again for us one more time.
- </c> group that we would uh we would not wait group that we would uh we would not wait uh<00:08:53.120
- </c><00:09:02.160><c> those</c> had to determine how to wait those had to determine how to wait those
- </c> that it does not show how the waiting that it does not show how the waiting which<00:17:38.200><
- We were waiting on an attorney general opinion that should come down any time later on.
Summary:
The subcommittee met with a quorum, approved the minutes, and welcomed new members before taking up Council on Postsecondary Education regulations 13 KAR 2:120 and 13 KAR 2:130. The regulations, as amended by staff and agency amendments, update public university and KCTCS performance funding models to conform to 2024 Senate Bill 191 and the performance funding work group’s recommendations. Changes discussed included replacing the underrepresented minority metric with an underrepresented students metric defined as first-generation students, adding an adult learner metric, increasing the low-income degree premium, adjusting small-school and nonresident credit-hour weights, revising data aging and progression metrics, and adding STEM+H criteria in 13 KAR 2:120.
Travis Pal of the Council on Postsecondary Education explained that the changes reflect the work group’s three-year review process and that the work group ultimately voted to define underrepresented students as first-generation students and to apply half-weighting between research and comprehensive universities for the new metric. Michael Frasier of the Kentucky Student Rights Coalition and Eastern Kentucky University student government opposed 13 KAR 2:120, arguing that the regulation improperly applies weights where the statute does not clearly authorize them and that the funding changes disadvantage comprehensive universities and vulnerable students. He asked the committee to find the regulation deficient or, alternatively, recommend legislative clarification and a revised fiscal analysis. Pal responded that weighting has been part of the model since 2017, that CPE was following the statute and work group recommendations, and that the model could be changed by future legislation.
Members asked about the timing of the broader performance funding review, and Pal said the full model is reviewed every three years, with the next work group cycle beginning in 2026. No motion to find the regulation deficient was made, and the committee allowed the regulations to proceed to the committee of jurisdiction. The committee then approved a staff amendment to Teachers’ Retirement System regulations 102 KAR 1:195 and 102 KAR 1:340, which require annual reporting of accumulated sick leave, leave policies, and salary schedules to TRS and make technical changes to the final average salary calculation and related definitions.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
House - Appropriations and Finance Feb 16th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- That wait list is clearly A need to implement co-payments and a wait list.
- That wait list is clearly defined.
- Wait list by month.
- We're under 29, but they said really a full-time contract is what I need, or I just need a part-time
- So if the parent prefers a full-time contract, they'll have a full-time contract. Mr.
Summary:
The committee met late in the evening and announced that Senate Bill 132 would be rolled until the next day. The only bill heard was Senate Finance Committee substitute for Senate Bill 241, which would codify New Mexico’s Child Care Assistance Program in statute, establish eligibility, payment, wait-list, and co-payment rules, require reporting and transparency, and tie reimbursement rates to a cost-estimation model and wage scale/career lattice. The sponsor and administration described the bill as creating a durable framework for universal child care, with protections for program integrity, inclusion of children with developmental needs, and requirements to maximize state and federal child care tax benefits. Public testimony was largely supportive of the bill’s child care expansion goals, with endorsements from State Police, firefighters, early childhood advocates, and women’s policy groups, but many providers and educators said they could not support it without stronger wage and career-ladder protections and clearer guarantees that funding would reach staff salaries rather than owners or institutions.
The committee adopted Vice Chair Dixon’s amendment, which lowered the proposed transfer from the Early Childhood Education and Care Trust Fund from $1 billion to $700 million and added reporting requirements on the wait list, consultation requirements for rate-setting, additional facility reporting, a prohibition on supplanting certain public education funds, tribal facility participation, and food program reporting. A separate amendment from Representative Duncan to require first-come, first-served enrollment was debated at length but was tabled by a 9-7 vote after the sponsor and secretary said it conflicted with federal prioritization rules and the bill’s targeted access goals. Members also questioned how the bill would affect public entities, nontraditional-hour providers, co-pay triggers, and whether the wage scale would adequately compensate educators.
After debate, the committee voted 10-7 to give the amended bill a do-pass recommendation. Supporters said the bill would strengthen workforce stability, improve access for working families, and help sustain New Mexico’s universal child care system; opponents warned about the long-term fiscal impact, the potential growth of the program, and whether the bill sufficiently protected early childhood educators’ wages and other state priorities. The meeting adjourned with notice that the committee would reconvene at 8 a.m. the next day to hear the Senate’s actions on House Bill 2.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
- I'll cite for you a patient that we've had waiting for seven days.
- We have delays in the ER for patients waiting for beds.
- So a lot of times we...
- Increased wait times in the emergency departments.
- waiting and taking up an inpatient bed, that...
Committee:
House Public Health
Summary:
The meeting focused on hospital “avoidable days” and the difficulty of discharging medically stable patients who still need post-acute placement or social services. Presenters from Saint Anthony Hospital Midtown, the Oklahoma Hospital Association, City Care, and OU Health described common barriers including lack of skilled nursing, rehab, long-term care, behavioral health, and hospice placements; insurance prior authorization delays; Medicaid and Social Security eligibility delays; guardianship and Adult Protective Services bottlenecks; limited home health and private duty nursing; and the challenge of placing unhoused, uninsured, or medically complex patients. Several speakers emphasized that these delays reduce bed availability, increase emergency department boarding, contribute to staff burnout, and expose patients to hospital-acquired conditions and other harms.
The testimony included multiple examples of patients remaining in acute care for days, weeks, or even months after being medically ready for discharge, including patients awaiting guardianship, disability determinations, or placement in facilities willing to accept them. Speakers also highlighted special populations such as patients with behavioral health or substance use disorders, medically fragile children, patients with criminal histories, and unhoused individuals who need respite or hospice care. City Care described its planned 40-bed medical respite facility, set to open in 2027, as a way to provide clinical support and housing navigation for patients too sick to recover on the street or in shelters.
Witnesses recommended policy and system changes such as standardizing preauthorization protocols, expanding rural swing-bed and home-based services, increasing public guardianship resources, improving data collection on homelessness, expanding private duty nursing hours, and creating more placement options for complex patients. They also suggested better coordination between hospitals, DHS, APS, the Health Department, and post-acute facilities, including a database of facility services to improve discharge planning and keep patients closer to home. No votes or formal committee actions were taken in the transcript, but the chair indicated the issue would require collaboration across multiple agencies and partners.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House/Senate Press Conference 4/8/25
Transcript Highlights:
- This translates to longer wait times for critical care, especially in rural areas where distance is already
- This translates to longer wait times for critical care, especially in rural areas where distance is already
- This translates to longer wait times for critical care, especially in rural areas where distance is already
- </c><00:02:42.640><c> times</c><00:02:42.959><c> for</c> This translates to longer wait times for This
- translates to longer wait times for critical<00:02:43.519><c> care,</c><00:02:43.920><c> especially<
Summary:
The meeting focused on the financial and workforce crisis facing Minnesota emergency medical services, especially ground ambulance providers in rural areas. Michael Johnson of the Minnesota Ambulance Association said EMS serves more than 600,000 Minnesotans a year and argued that reimbursement rates do not cover the cost of readiness, staffing, and 24/7 response. He and others called for ongoing EMS sustainability funding of about $50 million, higher Medicaid reimbursement, and continued support for EMT/paramedic scholarships, first responder training, and high school EMS programs.
Senator Grant Hoschild and Representative Jeff Backer echoed the urgency, describing EMS as a moral imperative and emphasizing that rural communities cannot wait for ambulances when lives are at risk. Backer, who also volunteers as an EMT, described staffing shortages, reliance on volunteers, and a recent cardiac arrest response to illustrate the importance of local EMS coverage. Becca Hitch of PUM Area EMS said rural services are paid only when patients are transported, not for responding or treating on scene, and that one-time aid helped but did not solve underlying deficits.
Bradley Peterson of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities said local governments that hold ambulance licenses are being forced to absorb unrecovered costs through property taxes, and that state support is needed to prevent service failures and rising local burdens. In response to questions, speakers said a 2023 statewide study found about $120 million in need, with roughly half tied to operational deficits and half to volunteer support; last year’s aid included about $24 million for rural services and some improvements in volunteer call pay and equipment needs. They also discussed a proposed 10% Medicaid increase, possible special tax district ideas, and the need to target any new funding toward rural services most at risk.
MO
Missouri 2026 Regular Session
Commerce Mar 25th, 2026
Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment
Transcript Highlights:
- I hear it on the radio all the time.
- Okay, so it time-bounds it to 30 days.
- They're working in very time-sensitive situations.
- This is, they have already gotten to the, they're already at crunch time by the time they get to this
- And that’s why we have to have a waiting period in there so that they’ve got time to go seek.
Summary:
The Commerce Committee met in executive session and voted to do pass House Bill 3027 by an 8-0 vote. It then considered House Bill 3490, which deals with historic preservation and colleges and universities. Members debated local control, private property rights, and whether the bill should apply statewide rather than only to Kansas City. The committee adopted a House Committee Substitute that removed the geographic limitation and made the measure apply to public and private colleges and universities, with an option for institutions to opt in or out of local historic commission rules. The substitute was then passed 6-2.
The committee next took up House Bill 3316, which includes Department of Revenue cleanup changes related to vehicle registration, temporary plates, boats, trailers, and lien notice language. Members discussed the bill’s effect on temporary tags and enforcement. The committee adopted a House Committee Amendment, rolled it into a substitute, and then voted unanimously 8-0 to do pass the House Committee Substitute for House Bill 3316.
The committee then moved to a public hearing on Senate Bill 973, a consumer protection bill sponsored by Senator Curtis Trent. The bill requires disclosures for real estate wholesaling and sale-leaseback transactions so sellers understand that wholesalers are not acting as fiduciaries and may not be maximizing the seller’s price. Supporters said the bill would protect distressed or uninformed sellers, while opponents from the real estate industry supported the disclosure concept but raised concerns about the 14-day waiting period before a transaction can proceed, especially in foreclosure or other time-sensitive situations. Some members also questioned whether the bill should require licensed real estate agents or allow waivers of the waiting period. No final action was taken on SB 973, and the committee adjourned after the hearing.
AZ
Transcript Highlights:
- How many times have we all said, go to the head of the line? You don't have to wait in line.
- How many times have we all said, go to the head of the line? You don't have to wait in line.
- How many times have we all said, go to the head of the line? You don't have to wait in line.
- long time to vote.
- long time to vote.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Human Committee Meeting - 2025-04-02
Human Services Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- The current average wait times to access beds at direct care and treatment for forensic services and
- When we look at the data for the last half of 2024, a six-month span of time, the average wait days to
- We had lots of advice over time.
- Yet at the same time, that number almost doubles by 2050.
- Thank you for your time today.
Committee:
House Human Services Finance and Policy
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee 2/18/26
Children and Families Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- and have been waiting and and waiting and have been waiting and and expecting this for a long long time
- and have been waiting and and waiting and have been waiting and and expecting this for a long long time
- and have been waiting and and waiting and have been waiting and and expecting this for a long long time
- and have been waiting and and waiting and have been waiting and and expecting this for a long long time
- and have been waiting and and waiting and have been waiting and and expecting this for a long long time
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
HOU-PSM, HOU-HWN, HOU Public Hearings 03-11-2025
Transcript Highlights:
- Um, but we also have the wait list closed right now, so the next time we open it, um, we'll be sure to
- <00:11:18.560><c> limit</c><00:11:18.920><c> for</c><00:11:19.320><c> our</c> time limit for our time
- I won't take too much of your time.
- this time please understand during<00:21:51.600><c> this</c><00:21:51.760><c> time</c><00:21:51.919>
- </c> $600 million that they need more time $600 million that they need more time which<00:30:42.200><
Summary:
The joint Housing and Public Safety/Water and Land hearing first took up HB 1096, which would repeal statutory tenant-selection preferences for disabled veterans and spouses of deceased veterans in state low-income housing. HPHA testified in support, saying the change was a housekeeping measure because the same preferences already exist in administrative rules and could be adjusted later to align with other local preferences, while also noting the federal VASH program provides stronger veteran housing support. Several members questioned why the preference should be removed at all, emphasizing that veterans have long been underserved and asking for a stronger justification; the committees ultimately deferred HB 1096.
The later Housing/Hawaiian Affairs agenda heard HB 606 HD1, a measure to extend Act 279 funding and related exemptions for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Supporters argued the bill would give DHHL more time to use the $600 million appropriation to acquire land, work with developers, and address a wait list of about 29,000 applicants, while also helping restore Hawaiian communities and reduce the Hawaiian diaspora. Opponents focused on accountability and oversight, saying DHHL needs clearer plans, measurable goals, and stronger safeguards before receiving more money, and warning that prior spending and strategic-plan changes had reduced the number of applicants served. The committee also heard testimony that the bill would help DHHL fulfill long-standing obligations to Native Hawaiians and that the housing need affects the broader state, not only Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development Apr 29th, 2026
Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development
Transcript Highlights:
- times in adjudications and determinations.
- We've continued to hear from constituents who have experienced longer than acceptable wait times.
- Louise is another compelling case who was just waiting and waiting for months for an initial determination
- over this time last year.
- over this time last year.
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a hearing on House 5188, a late-filed bill to establish a special commission to study access to unemployment insurance in Massachusetts. Chairs and members noted the hearing was in hybrid format and limited to this one bill. Representatives Hadley Luddy and Joshua Tarski testified in support, saying they filed the bill after seeing many constituent cases involving delayed or difficult unemployment claims, especially for seasonal workers and others facing housing and financial instability. They argued a commission could review claim data, identify gaps, and recommend improvements to make the system more efficient, equitable, and transparent.
Greater Boston Legal Services also testified in favor. Attorneys described representing many low-income workers whose claims were delayed for months after the launch of the new online DUA system, often leaving them in limbo while trying to pay bills. They cited examples where claimants were denied or delayed due to issues that could have been resolved more quickly, and said the new system has contributed to major backlogs. They reported that DUA’s non-monetary issue backlog more than doubled, separation issues tripled, and hearings appeals grew to more than 12,500 pending cases, with average appeal times far above required timelines. They said the commission could help identify root causes and systemic fixes, and suggested the bill might be improved by giving the commission more time to report.
Committee members generally praised the bill’s intent and the filers’ collaboration. Several members shared their own experiences with constituent unemployment cases and emphasized that people should not have to contact legislators to get claims processed. Some asked whether the commission should include broader stakeholder representation, such as business groups, MassHire, staff, and people with direct claims experience, and whether its scope should be widened. No vote was taken during the hearing, and the chair concluded the meeting after testimony and questions.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development Apr 29th, 2026
Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development
Transcript Highlights:
- longer than acceptable wait times.
- Once again, I appreciate you taking the time.
- Louise is another compelling case who was just waiting and waiting for months for an initial determination
- over this time last year.
- over this time last year.
Bills:
H5188
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health Apr 6th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- “The average wait times from waiver application to enrollment varies.
- There are different referral pathways for each of these waivers, and so the wait times vary depending
- We have a wait list. So what is—explain the difference between the wait list and the slots.
- We are asking for time — time to survive, time to continue caring for the people who depend on us, time
- left waiting for care today.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact Jul 8th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- So we'll be waiting for both.
- I just want to thank you for being on time, and we'll just keep waiting. Thank you. Thank you.
- That's what I was waiting for.
- We're waiting for the senators to come.
- We'll wait five more minutes, so we'll wait for Ms. Bonta to get here. Thank you so much.
Summary:
The Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact met on July 11, 2025, and heard six measures focused on small business contracting, ports and trade, local economic development, clean energy transition, tariff impacts, and infrastructure finance. SB 70 would raise the Small Business Procurement and Contract Act contract cap from $250,000 to $350,000 and index it to inflation; supporters said it would reflect current economic conditions, while opponents argued it could reduce transparency, favor larger firms, and strain small businesses’ ability to carry inventory and wait for payment. The bill was approved 7-0 to Appropriations.
AJR 14 urged federal agencies to consider the effects of tariff policy on California ports, with testimony emphasizing impacts on cargo volumes, jobs, supply chains, and infrastructure needs; it passed 7-0. SB 781 would require cities and counties to adopt small business utilization plans and strengthen the California Small Business Technical Assistance Program; chambers of commerce and committee members supported it as a way to expand procurement opportunities and technical assistance, and it passed 7-0 to Local Government. SB 227 would extend and expand the Green Empowerment Zone in Contra Costa County, add environmental justice representatives, and extend authorization to 2040; it passed 7-0 to the floor.
SB 263 would direct the California Transportation Agency to study the statewide impacts of tariffs, with supporters from the ports, retail, and trucking sectors arguing that better data is needed to guide budgeting and policy responses; it passed 7-0 to Appropriations. SB 769 would create the Golden State Infrastructure Fund to finance major infrastructure projects through a revolving public-private investment model; supporters said it would help address long-term infrastructure needs and prepare for major events, and the bill passed 6-0 to Appropriations after opposition was withdrawn. All measures were reported out of committee, and the meeting adjourned at 10:39 a.m.
FL
Florida 2026 5th Special Session
Joint Legislative Budget Commission Apr 17th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- I was having a hard time hearing the first part of the answer.
- up if there is a wait list here.
- and using trend information available at that time.
- It was my understanding that we were waiting for federal approval.
- We were waiting for federal approval.
Summary:
The Legislative Budget Commission met to consider 21 budget amendments, beginning with the Department of Education’s request for $14.751 million in federal grant authority for the Preschool Development Grant. Members asked whether any funds would support VPK or provider payments; the department said the money is for birth-to-kindergarten early learning work, including IT modernization, workforce credentialing, training, and streamlining director certification. The amendment was adopted without objection.
The commission then approved amendments for the Department of Veterans Affairs to shift $2.2 million within its trust fund to cover higher nursing home occupancy and reduce staffing agency use, and for the Department of Health to realign about $9.1 million for disability determinations amid a backlog of roughly 140,000 cases. The Agency for Health Care Administration presented multiple Medicaid-related amendments, including $766 million for indirect medical education, $1.9 million for managed care network adequacy audits, $209 million for the Rural Health Transformation Program, and several large supplemental payment programs for KidCare, hospitals, physicians, cancer hospitals, nursing IME, and public hospital payments. Members questioned network adequacy, rural access, and the KidCare surplus and expansion; the KidCare realignment drew debate, with some members objecting because the 2023 eligibility expansion has not been implemented, but the amendment passed on a roll call vote.
Other amendments adopted included FDLE’s $16.3 million for counter-UAS detection and mitigation equipment, DJJ’s $1.6 million for Florida Scholars Academy and a Social Services Block Grant realignment, and emergency management pass-throughs for FIFA World Cup security and counter-drone funding to the Miami host committee. The Department of Commerce received $148.4 million for disaster recovery under the CDBG-DR program, with questions about the split between housing, infrastructure, and administrative costs. The Department of State also received $408,377 for arts and culture grant authority. Most amendments were adopted without objection, and the commission adjourned after completing the agenda.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- By 2010, the average wait time for admissions to Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center was 19 days.
- </c> consideration factors other than wait consideration factors other than wait time<00:20:05.120><c
- the reality of the wait times.
- I just want to underline the significant average wait times to access appropriate beds, particularly
- So just want to underline the significant average wait times to access appropriate beds.
Committee:
Senate Human Services
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Jun 21st, 2026 at 02:00 pm
Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight
Transcript Highlights:
- We are momentarily waiting for...
- Chairman, that time is now.
- That's around $4.7 million per acre, times the 8.4 acres that Norwood sits on— Times the 8.4 acres that
- The waiting times and capacity issues facing the South Shore are not going to go away.
- We talked a lot about the impact to our ambulance services, the longer transport to the time, timing,
Summary:
The committee first heard testimony on H. 3599, a bill concerning access to historic Indian lands and easements for landlocked tribal parcels in Massachusetts. Witnesses, including members of the Mashpee Wampanoag and Herring Pond communities, said the bill would restore access to family lands that have long been treated as landlocked and had been denied easements by necessity in prior court rulings. They described heavy tax burdens, prior litigation, and support from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, with conditional support from the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe pending language changes. Committee members asked about the tax assessments and the status of tribal support, and the chair said the committee would follow up on possible amendments.
The committee then took up S. 2922, which would authorize an underground easement at Magazine Beach in Cambridge for the Greater Cambridge Energy Project. Eversource representatives said the easement is needed for a transmission line connecting the Brighton and Kendall Square substations, supporting grid reliability and the Commonwealth’s clean energy transition. They said DCR would receive fair market value and replacement land in Wendell to satisfy Article 97 requirements. No objections were raised, and the panel’s testimony concluded without a vote recorded in the transcript.
Most of the hearing focused on H. 5047, which would authorize the Commonwealth to take the Norwood Hospital site by eminent domain so the hospital can be restored. Sponsors, local officials, hospital task force members, EMS and fire representatives, a chamber of commerce leader, and a former hospital administrator all argued that the 2020 flood and Steward’s bankruptcy left the region without adequate care, causing longer ambulance transports, emergency room boarding, staffing strain, and economic losses. They said the site remains a partially completed shell, that the state should be able to acquire it and bring in a nonprofit operator, and that the taking would not require state funding because an operator would pay the acquisition costs. Committee members from both chambers expressed support and asked about costs, timing, infrastructure, and whether a nonprofit operator is being pursued. The chair took the bill under advisement after extensive testimony; no vote was taken in the transcript.
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
Joint Legislative Budget Commission Apr 17th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- So we were waiting for the LBC, but in addition to that, our base...
- up if there is a wait list here.
- and using trend information available at that time.
- It was my understanding that we were waiting for federal approval.
- We were waiting for federal approval.
Summary:
The Legislative Budget Commission considered 21 budget amendments, most of them routine authority adjustments tied to federal grants, Medicaid payment programs, and trust fund realignments. The Department of Education received $14.751 million for a Preschool Development Grant to support early learning system improvements, workforce credentialing and training, IT modernization, and related early childhood certification work. The Department of Veterans Affairs shifted $2.2 million within its trust fund to cover higher nursing home occupancy, replace contract nursing with OPS staff, and meet rising operating costs. The Department of Health moved about $9.1 million to support Disability Determinations, where roughly 140,000 cases were pending or in process, and said the change would help reduce backlog and avoid a deficit. The Agency for Health Care Administration presented multiple amendments for Medicaid-related programs, including $766 million for indirect medical education, $1.9 million for managed care network adequacy audits, $209 million for the Rural Health Transformation Program, and several large supplemental payment programs for hospitals and physicians; members asked about CMS approval delays, provider access, and how rural funds would be distributed. The commission also adopted an amendment realigning KidCare funds, placing a $32.1 million surplus into reserve, though several members objected that the state had not yet implemented the 2023 KidCare expansion and that children remained on a wait list. Another Medicaid amendment placed a $376 million surplus into reserve after updated estimating conference projections.
Other agencies also received approvals. FDLE received $16.26 million to buy counter-unmanned aircraft systems equipment such as radar and RF sensors to detect and mitigate drone threats. The Department of Juvenile Justice received $1.6 million for the Florida Scholars Academy and a Social Services Block Grant realignment, with staff confirming corrective action had been taken after prior audit findings about allowable SSBG spending. The Division of Emergency Management received federal pass-through authority for FIFA World Cup security and counter-UAS funds, both controlled by the Miami host committee, and members noted the state had little direct oversight over how those local grants would be used. The Department of Commerce received $148.4 million for Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery work, with questions focused on the split between housing, infrastructure, and administrative costs. The Department of State received $408,377 for arts and culture federal grant obligations. All amendments were adopted, generally without objection, after brief questioning and no public testimony.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
Senate Health and Human Services (03/19/2025)
Health and Human Services
Transcript Highlights:
- She told me at that time there were 24 people waiting to get admittance to our nursing home.
- > to</c> time there were 24 people waiting uh to time there were 24 people waiting uh to get<00:37:03.440
- all the time.
- all the time.
- And are there<01:02:54.559><c> times</c><01:02:54.960><c> when</c> there times when there times when
Committee:
Senate Health and Human Services
MO
Transcript Highlights:
- I hear it on the radio all the time.
- Okay, so it time-bounds it to 30 days.
- They're working in very time-sensitive situations.
- This is—they have already gotten to the, this—they're already at crunch time by the time they get to
- And that’s why we have to have a waiting period in there so that they’ve got time to go seek.