Transcript Highlights:

• One of those key things is making sure you're placing with kin.
• So we look at nationally how many youth are placed with kin. It's about 41 percent.
• are placed with kin.
• So they should really be praised for their good work on placing with kin.
• DCS is doing really well on placing with kin.

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on the Department of Child Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• The court-appointed guardian may opt out of becoming the designated next of kin. Who steps in?
• So it would go back to what it originally was and would go back to their next of kin.
• So it would go back to what it originally was and would go back to their next of kin.
• And I think there’s a time period that they have to wait for next of kin to basically show up and say
• , hey, I’m next of kin.

Committee: House Children and Families

Transcript Highlights:

• The court-appointed guardian may opt out of becoming the designated next of kin. Who steps in?
• So it would go back to what it originally was and would go back to their next of kin.
• make sure during the court process that they would have the ability to opt out of being the next of kin
• And I think there's a time period that they have to wait for next of kin to basically show up and say
• , 'Hey, I'm next of kin.'

Committee: House Children and Families

Summary: The Committee on Children and Families heard public testimony on House Bills 1839, 2921, and 3015, all aimed at requiring age verification for access to online pornography. The sponsors argued the bills are needed to protect children from early exposure, exploitation, sextortion, and related harms, and said the measures mirror laws in other states and recent Texas litigation. Supporters, including the Missouri Children’s Trust Fund, pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners, child advocacy groups, the Missouri Catholic Conference, and the Attorney General’s office, testified that pornography contributes to child sexual abuse risk, addiction, and unhealthy sexual development. Committee members asked about privacy protections, enforcement, penalties, and whether third-party verification or website-based verification would be used; the Attorney General’s office said identifying information should not be retained and that enforcement would occur through court action. No one testified in opposition, and the hearing concluded with the bills remaining under consideration, with a committee substitute to follow for one portion of the legislation. The committee then heard House Bill 2610, which would use the state legal expense fund to cover claims and judgments involving foster care, case management, and residential service providers under contract with the state. Representative Murphy and supporters said the private insurance market for these providers has become unstable and unaffordable, with some agencies facing large premium increases, repeated denials, or inability to find coverage at all. Testimony from the Missouri Coalition for Children, Missouri Alliance for Children and Families, Family Forward, and the Attorney General’s office described the issue as a market failure that could force providers to close and disrupt services for foster children. The Attorney General’s office explained how legal expense fund coverage would work, noted that it can cover negligence and intentional acts for covered entities, and said the bill would shift risk to the state in the absence of adequate private insurance. No opposition was offered. Finally, Representative Terry briefly presented House Bill 24, describing it as the same as Representative Dolan’s grandparents’ bill and emphasizing that grandparents should have first consideration for custody if a child’s parents are unable to care for them. No testimony was offered on the bill. The committee then moved into executive session and voted do pass on House Committee Substitute for House Bill 1696, House Committee Substitute for House Bills 2505 and 24, and House Bill 1772, each by unanimous 14-0 votes. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• an individual is the court-appointed guardian, that they can opt out of actually being the next of kin
• So if something tragic does happen, the courts know exactly who the next of kin is and won't cause a
• When she killed herself, the next of kin went back to the father that abused her.
• When she killed herself, the next-of-kin went back to the father that abused her.
• The next of kin, the words next of kin, is very important.

Transcript Highlights:

• First of all, the coroner has to make a 30-day bona fide attempt to locate next of kin and notify them
• If that can't happen, uh kin and notify.
• Most of the time, or a good part of the time, next of kin is not hard to find.
• </c><00:14:51.640><c> Most</c><00:14:51.959><c> of</c> for and look for a next of kin.
• Most of for and look for a next of kin.

Committee: House Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• the importance of caregiving in our state as well, really most importantly, the caregiving done by kin
• fact sheet I'm going to reference here in a moment, but it has a lot of the information of how many kin
• with no parent present. 485 children in foster care being raised by kin.
• So for every one child raised by kin in foster care, there are 18 being raised by kin outside of foster
• Raised by kin outside of foster care, which we know strengthens family relationships, that foundation

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a rendering of Kin Lake.
• </c> This is a rendering of uh Kin Lake. This is a rendering of uh Kin Lake.
• </c><00:10:23.519><c> Lake</c> projects are taking place at Kin Lake projects are taking place at Kin
• Uh Kentucky Dam Village, Kin furniture.
• Dam Village and Kin Lake. Uh additional Dam Village and Kin Lake.

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Protection, Tourism, and Energy received an update from Kentucky State Parks and the Finance Cabinet on the status of major capital projects funded through recent legislative appropriations. Commissioner Mark Keelin, Deputy Commissioner Chris Perry, and Finance Cabinet/DECA representatives described progress on campground upgrades, utility and broadband improvements, building systems repairs, life-safety work, accommodations and hospitality renovations, pool and beach projects, playgrounds, golf course improvements, marina work, and wastewater upgrades across the state park system. They emphasized that Kentucky has 44 state parks and that the funding has supported completed work and projects still under construction or in design. The presentation highlighted funding tied to House Joint Resolution 76, House Joint Resolution 56, and House Bill 6. Parks reported roughly $72 million invested to date, with 66 projects completed and 17 under construction, including campground renovations at sites such as My Old Kentucky Home, Kin Lake, Carter Caves, Cumberland Falls, and others; broadband projects at several campgrounds; electrical grid resilience work at parks including Kentucky Dam Village and Kin Lake; and completed life-safety upgrades such as lock systems. Officials also noted pool and beach work, ADA improvements, lodge and guest room renovations, marina replacements, and wastewater plant upgrades. DECA said it currently manages 1,335 active capital projects statewide, including 149 for Parks, and credited additional project management capacity and regular coordination meetings for accelerating delivery. Committee members asked for a copy of the presentation and pressed the department for more detailed accounting of House Joint Resolution 56, including how much money remains, which projects are complete, and whether current appropriations are sufficient to finish the listed work. The department also requested a larger maintenance pool appropriation of $40 million for the next budget, arguing that routine and emergency maintenance needs across 44 parks exceed current resources and that preventative maintenance would reduce long-term costs. No votes were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• There have been many instances where there is confusion about why a child was not placed with kin.
• that if the decision to place the child in foster care and not with a biological relative, next of kin
• So my understanding is that more than half of the children in out-of-home care are placed with kin.
• About half of the children are placed with kin already.
• We believe it is existing in all of our policy already, and it is in law to promote kin currently.

Bills: HB2035 , HB2086 , HB2434 , HB2611 , HB2732 , HB2733 , HB2830 , HB2923 , HB2932 , HB4004

Committees: Senate Health and Human Services , Senate Senate Health and Human Services COR

Keywords: kinship care, child welfare, foster care, relative placement, child protection, vaccination mandates, mask requirements, public health, government entities, COVID-19, controlled substances, prescription monitoring, opioid crisis, healthcare regulations, patient safety, Arizona State Board of Pharmacy, pharmacy practice, state regulations, termination, regulatory framework

Transcript Highlights:

• California has embraced a kin-first culture, meaning that the state strongly prioritized.
• The standardized process can create unnecessary administrative barriers and undue delay for these kin
• applicants, sometimes preventing children from being placed with kin altogether.
• CWDA is committed to moving forward a process that prioritizes kin-first culture because we know that
• children in foster care simply do better when they are placed with kin and keep ties to their culture

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Human Services heard testimony on a series of bills affecting disability services, child welfare, foster youth, domestic violence survivors, guaranteed income pilots, crisis response, and child care providers. AB 1575 would update the Lanterman Act to use person-first language and broaden respite services to allow safe community access; supporters said it would improve dignity and consistency in services, and there was no opposition. AB 2470 would create a statewide one-stop reentry program for survivors of intimate partner violence to replace documents, repair credit, and access housing supports, while also giving CalWORKs emergency housing funds more flexibility; the Little Hoover Commission backed the bill based on its prior recommendations. AB 2510 would clarify and expand CalWORKs family reunification aid so parents can keep receiving support during reunification even if not all children are removed, and supporters said it would reduce barriers and better align with reunification goals. AB 2585 would expand guaranteed income pilot funding to rural and underserved counties, with testimony emphasizing the need for geographic diversity and data from places like the Central Valley. AB 1932, the Crisis Act 2.0, would continue and strengthen community-based mental health crisis response programs; testimony from family members and advocates strongly favored non-law-enforcement responses, and the bill drew broad support. AB 1925 would direct a feasibility study on a statewide permanent disability certification process to reduce repeated verification burdens; the committee approved it 4-0 and sent it to Appropriations. AB 2189 would fund a statewide special education parent action network to train and connect parents for systemic advocacy; after some opposition over the use of state funds for advocacy, it passed as amended and was referred to Education. AB 2684 would allow out-of-state nonminor dependents to do monthly social worker visits virtually, with in-person visits still required quarterly; it passed to Judiciary. AB 1967 would improve pathways for older youth experiencing homelessness or failed adoptions to enter or reenter foster care, and it passed to Appropriations. AB 2126 would create a targeted background-check exemption for certain former foster youth hired as peer partners, and it passed as amended to Public Safety. AB 2379 would require DSS to notify family child care providers of Fourth Amendment rights and provide multilingual know-your-rights training regarding immigration enforcement; it passed to Judiciary after some members questioned whether DSS was the right agency to administer the training.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not one that we talk about burying folks, but certainly not the next-of-kin conversation as often
• he's an adult, but his next of kin would probably still be his mother.
• So I even know that when you pick up someone from a morgue, it has to be the next of kin that has to.
• And sometimes it's even in the system who the next of kin is.
• They ask for the next-of-kin signature on everything, everything.

Committee: House Children and Families

Transcript Highlights:

• currently because he's an adult, but his next of kin would probably still be his mother, despite the
• So I even know that when you pick up someone from a morgue, it has to be the next of kin that has to
• And sometimes it's even in the system who the next of kin is.
• but if one parent's name is not in that system, then that's who they're going to consider the next of kin
• They ask for the next-of-kin signature on everything, everything.

Committee: House Children and Families

Summary: The Committee on Children and Families met with a quorum and first took up several bills in executive session. House Bill 1818, dealing with protections for children involved in content creation and related financial arrangements, was amended and converted into a House Committee substitute. Members discussed that the bill is aimed at children creating content for financial gain and clarifies that platforms must comply with federal law without being drawn into disputes between children and parents. The substitute was then voted do pass by a 17-0 roll call. House Bill 1948 was also amended and substituted; the amendment changed references from the Family Support Division to the Department of Social Services, and members briefly joked about the wording of “fatherhood” versus “fathership.” The committee then voted the substitute do pass 17-0. The committee next debated House Bill 2688, which drew sharp disagreement. Opponents argued the bill’s due process language for unborn children was too vague, could create legal uncertainty, and might have consequences for IVF, miscarriage investigations, and criminal liability for women and medical providers. Supporters said the bill was about protecting pre-born life and that due process should apply. The bill was voted do pass by a 12-5 roll call. The committee then moved into public hearings. In public hearing, House Bill 1772 was presented as an adoption-fee bill intended to raise state-paid attorney fees for adoptions, increase fees for contested adoptions, and separate guardian fees so more children could be adopted from foster care. The sponsor said the goal was to reduce costs and speed adoptions; Foster Adopt Connect testified in support, while members raised questions about contested adoptions, subsidy timing, and whether the bill would affect access to attorneys. House Bill 1696 proposed clarifying who has the right of sepulcher for minors with court-appointed guardians, giving the guardian priority unless the guardian is under criminal investigation for the child’s death, and adding religious-belief protections regarding cremation. Testimony from family members described painful experiences where legal authority reverted to abusive parents after a child’s death, and committee members generally supported clarifying the law. Finally, House Bill 2505 was heard, a grandparent custody bill giving grandparents priority when both parents are found unfit, unsuitable, or unable to serve as custodians and the child’s welfare requires placement. Supporters, including Foster Adopt Connect and a grandmother who testified emotionally, said grandparents often provide the most stable care and should be recognized in statute. An opponent argued the current law already allows courts to place children with grandparents when appropriate and warned that statutory priority could override the child’s best interests in some cases. The committee adjourned after concluding public testimony on HB 2505.

Transcript Highlights:

• So if something tragic does happen, the courts know exactly who the next of kin is and won't cause a
• When she killed herself, the next of kin went back to the father that abused her.
• When she killed herself, the next of kin went back to the father that abused her.
• The next of kin, the words next of kin, is very important.
• they consider the next of kin.

Summary: The House first established a quorum after several member introductions and announcements, including recognition of guests from foster care, a Bayless High School Scholar Bowl team, public utility representatives, and family members. The chamber then moved into House Bills for Perfection, beginning with HB 1812, a voter-roll maintenance measure that requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to send deceased-voter lists to the Secretary of State every 30 days for distribution to election authorities. An amendment added a 10-day processing deadline, and the bill was supported as an election-integrity measure before being ordered perfected and printed. Members also advanced HCS for HB 3308, a sales-tax exemption for materials used to construct facilities or improvements for public use that will be deeded to a political subdivision, such as parks. Supporters said it would help public-good projects while limiting the exemption to public-use construction; questions focused on fiscal impact and ensuring there is a formal agreement to transfer the property. The substitute was adopted and ordered perfected and printed. The House then took up HCS for HB 3010, a prior-authorization reform bill for health care providers. Supporters said it would reduce administrative burden, add an API-based tracking component, and create a gold-carding process for providers with high approval rates; members from both parties emphasized the strain prior authorization places on physicians and patients. The committee substitute and bill were adopted and ordered perfected and printed. The chamber next considered HCS for HB 2872, a major literacy bill centered on the science of reading. The bill requires phonics-based instruction, early screening in grades 1-3, teacher training, and retention for students who are not reading on grade level by the end of third grade, subject to exemptions for students with disabilities, English learners, IEPs, 504 plans, prior retention, and other good-cause cases. Amendments clarified that three-cueing cannot be the primary instructional strategy and added parent involvement and earlier intervention language; the most contentious debate focused on retention and parental rights, but the amendment passed 103-27-1 and the bill was then adopted and ordered perfected and printed. Finally, the House advanced HCS for HB 1826 and related bills to expand authorized epinephrine products beyond EpiPens to include nasal spray and other approved forms for use in schools, child care centers, nursing homes, and by first responders; supporters cited allergy emergencies and needle fear, and the substitute was adopted and ordered perfected and printed. The chamber also began debate on HCS for HB 2069/2208, a bill to authorize autonomous vehicles in Missouri, with the sponsor describing safety and economic benefits and the first amendment adding liability, jurisdiction, and U.S.-based operator requirements; a second amendment removed commercial vehicles and made technical changes. Debate on the underlying autonomous-vehicle bill continued, with supporters emphasizing modernization and opponents raising concerns about local control, surveillance, and the lack of independent safety data.

Transcript Highlights:

• relative to simplifying processes at the Registry of Motor Vehicles for surviving spouses and next of kin
• relative to simplifying processes at the registry of motor vehicles for surviving spouses and next of kin
• relative to simplifying processes at the Registry of Motor Vehicles for surviving spouses and next of kin

Summary: The House opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up several Committee on Rules reports. It adopted a resolution congratulating Jeffrey P. Lynch on his retirement from the Medway Fire Department, and it also adopted two orders extending until March 18, 2026, the reporting deadline for the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure on current House documents. The Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling reported a group of bills for House consideration, including measures on subprime loans, Registry of Motor Vehicles procedures for surviving spouses and next of kin, motor vehicle distributors, banning tinted license plate covers, councils on aging, and two sick leave banks. The House suspended Rule 7A, took the bills through second reading, and ordered them to a third reading. The House then considered House No. 3952, authorizing Dartmouth Fire District Number One to appoint the position of treasurer, and passed the bill to be engrossed. Finally, the House adopted an order to adjourn until Thursday at 11:00 a.m., and then adjourned to meet then in informal session.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> We also increase general fund by $5 million each year to provide funding for relative and fictive

Summary: The Kentucky Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee met with a quorum and first took up House Bill 503, the legislative branch budget, adopting a committee substitute and reporting it favorably. The chair said the Senate version fully funds defined calculations, provides 2% raises in each fiscal year for legislative employees, removes a paragraph on operating expense reductions, and includes $1 million in the first year for a judicial branch salary study. House Bill 504, the judicial branch budget, was then amended and reported favorably; changes included 2% annual raises for judicial employees, revised operating expense language, $1 million each year for county current services, retention of Boyle County fit-up language, reporting requirements for smaller capital projects, full funding for nine judges added in 2022, and removal of furlough prohibitions and certain budget implementation language. Both bills passed the committee unanimously with favorable expressions to the floor. The committee then considered House Bill 500, the executive branch budget, adopting a committee substitute before hearing a lengthy summary of major spending and policy changes. The chair described statewide 2% annual employee raises, agency base reductions with many exemptions, increased school safety and 911 funding, veterans and military funding, local government and severance-related changes, attorney general and auditor funding, pension and retirement system support, education funding changes including SEEK, postsecondary and scholarship provisions, public safety and corrections funding, and multiple capital projects. The chair also highlighted Medicaid-related provisions, including added waiver slots, increased state-directed payments, a 2.5% reduction in managed care vendor payments for plan years 2027 and 2028 with savings redirected to fee-for-service rates, and additional funding for behavioral health and public health programs. The bill was reported favorably after members explained their votes, with several noting they had only recently received the full 228-page bill and wanted more time for detailed review. Finally, the committee adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 900, an appropriation measure for government agencies, and reported it favorably. The chair said the bill remains a work in progress and that one-time funding requests from across the Commonwealth and across party lines would continue to be addressed as the process moves forward. All measures considered during the meeting passed the committee with unanimous or near-unanimous favorable votes, and the meeting adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• If the next of kin cannot be located, it requires them to inform the public guardian's office.
• If the next of kin is not notified within that time frame.
• , but there's no specific law that says you must notify next of kin.
• Can you give me some clarity on the definition of next of kin?
• Can you give me some clarity on the definition of next of kin?

Committee: House Health

Transcript Highlights:

• of legislation that the legislature enacted last year: extended foster care from age 21 to 23, and kin-specific
• He said that in Section 102, subsection 03, the rule adds kin-specific licensure, which fills in what
• “kin” means.
• Part of what was enacted last year broadened that definition to include kin, who are not necessarily

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• &gt;&gt; Representative<00:11:30.000><c> Kins.
• </c><00:11:30.800><c> Representative</c> &gt;&gt; Representative Kins.
• Representative &gt;&gt; Representative Kins. Representative Marcus Marcus Marcus &gt;&gt; here.
• &gt;&gt; Representative<00:11:38.240><c> Kovven</c> Representative Kins. Representative Marcus.

Bills: HB610 , HB620 , HB582 , HB610 , HB620 , HB582

Committee: House Commerce and Small Business

Keywords: state bank, public bank, government funds, financial services, constitutional amendment, tax abatements, international headquarters, publicly traded companies, economic incentives, Alabama tax reform, social-emotional learning, education policy, parental consent, K-12 education, teacher training, student surveys, disciplinary action, automatic renewal, consumer protection, cancellation policy

Transcript Highlights:

• If the next of kin cannot be located, it requires them to inform the public guardian's office.
• . ...if the next of kin is not notified within that time frame.
• , but there's no specific law that says you must notify next of kin.
• They didn't really have a good hook for failure to notify next of kin of death at the state level.
• Can you give me some clarity on the definition of next of kin?

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard a long agenda of health-related bills, beginning with AB 2651 by Bonta, which would require schools to notify parents when school vaccination rates fall below herd immunity thresholds. Supporters, including family physicians, PTA representatives, and medical groups, said the bill would improve transparency and help parents protect children and vulnerable family members. Opponents argued the data could be misleading, could identify medically exempt or conditional students, and might lead to stigma or discrimination. The bill was later moved out of committee on a due-pass-as-amended motion, with one no vote recorded on the roll call. The committee also heard AB 2123 by Aguirre-Curry on medical debt relief, AB 1570 by Wilson to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for medically necessary breast diagnostic and supplemental imaging, AB 2201 by Berner to restore Medi-Cal eligibility and renewal flexibilities, AB 2448 by Berman to strengthen privacy protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care records, AB 2034 by Addis on food additive safety and transparency, and AB 2598 by Krell to require better notification of next of kin when a patient dies in a hospital. Each bill drew strong support from authors, advocates, and affected individuals, while some drew opposition from insurers, industry groups, or transparency critics who raised concerns about cost, duplication, implementation, or unintended harm. Several bills were moved forward on due-pass-as-amended motions, including AB 2123, AB 2201, AB 2448, AB 2034, and AB 2598. The committee also heard AB 2551 by Elhawary, which would require health plans to collect and publish data on how often enrollees must go out of network for behavioral health care and why. Supporters said the measure would expose access barriers and high out-of-pocket costs, especially for communities of color and people with language access needs; opponents said it would add another reporting mandate and might not solve provider shortage problems. Members generally expressed support for the bill’s goals and several described personal or district-level experiences with behavioral health access problems. The bill was then moved out of committee on a due-pass motion. The committee also took up consent items and other procedural motions, with multiple bills reported out and some placed on call.

Transcript Highlights:

• Together, we've also invested in furthering the realization of the family care centered and kin-first
• These findings reinforce the importance of the Center for Excellence, the Kin First Accelerator pilot
• Also, in terms of the direction of the department, I fully agree with a kin-first culture.
• So we have eight counties that were selected to be part of the Kin-First Accelerator Pilot.
• We're seeing improvement in terms of kin-based placements when we can make them.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first item I'd call to your attention is section 03 on kin-specific licensure.
• This just implements what that program does so that we can do the kin-specific licensure.
• However, often, not oftentimes, but on occasion, when we are interviewing foster parents or kin to be

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare