Transcript Highlights:

• :09:40.519> a So this isn't a person that's in the office every day; it's somebody you can access
• And this isn't a simple service that you can just set up an Uber app on and take care of. this because
• set<00:43:11.800> up<00:43:11.960> an<00:43:12.119> Uber<00:43:12.520> app
• <00:43:12.760> on that you can just set up an Uber app on that you can just set up an Uber
• app on and<00:43:13.160> take<00:43:13.400> care<00:43:13.599> of<00:43:14.240>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• You have access to all of this through the voter rolls.
• You have access to all of this through the voter rolls.
• So 16-5-6-7(a) talks about accessible ports.
• If you have access to ClassDojo or previous access to ClassDojo, please contact your school and see the
• If you have access to ClassDojo or previous access to ClassDojo, please contact your school and see the

Bills: SB1037, SB1040, SB1259, SB1281

Keywords: elections, voting systems, vote tabulation, election security, internet connectivity, offline voting, chain of custody, polling place equipment, counting center, central counting center, election management system, EMS gateway, tabulation equipment, secretary of state, certification, decertification, HAVA, Help America Vote Act, ballot images, audit logs

Transcript Highlights:

• Minors face limits on access to certain medications.
• It denies them access to these vast democratic forums.
• This bill is not about restricting children's access.
• It's about restricting social media from accessing our children.
• to this growing mode of accessible transportation.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• motans with disabilities accessing motans with disabilities accessing Medicaid<00:02:16.000>
• accessing this accessing the services accessing this accessing the services and<00:10:06.880>
• <00:13:14.399> to those how many provide 247 access to those how many provide 247 access to
• <00:15:56.720> apartment turn down the uh accessible apartment turn down the uh accessible
• access to these<00:52:23.599> um<00:52:24.440> access<00:52:24.799> to<00:52:25.079

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They also prevented new entries into the use of 14C by not allowing new individuals to access it.
• They did not allow new individuals who were not already receiving it to access it.
• collaborate all that together, where every kid with a disability is leaving high school either with an app
• parent perspective, the fear is a big barrier, but if we're able to structure it where it's very accessible
• for parents, very accessible for Individuals with disabilities, very accessible for employers who don't

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We offer various ways for citizens to access our services, whether they want to visit one of our 200+
• Our goal is to provide accessibility for written tests across the state.
• Would be somewhere like an airline application on your phone, like your American Airlines app.
• It's not something that we as Service Oklahoma have access to.
• Those are the ones that we really need to be and be able to have that accessibility as well.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, those are the access to that too.
• , what emergency access single accesses, what emergency access points<00:55:42.800> do<00:55:42.880
• Um and accesses where nec necessary.
• So we both have access to this.
• which the counties also have access to. which the counties also have access to.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Public Safety held an informational briefing on hazard mitigation planning and recent tsunami and wildfire threats. Chair Dela Buladi opened by framing the meeting around the need for iterative disaster planning and lessons learned from events such as the Lahaina wildfires, the Puna Coast earthquake/tsunami, and recent wildfire activity. The committee heard first from Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Tomage Magno, who explained the federal and local hazard mitigation planning process, including the requirement for an active five-year mitigation plan to qualify for federal disaster funds. He described the plan as a living document built from prior plans, public and agency outreach, risk and capability assessments, and ongoing updates, with county departments, state agencies, and subject matter experts participating in the process. Magno outlined several FEMA-related mitigation funding programs, including flood mitigation assistance, post-fire assistance, pre-disaster mitigation, revolving loan funds, and dam safety grants. He emphasized that the Hawaii County plan was recently approved by FEMA, that the county council approves the plan, and that the county reviews it annually with a formal revision process beginning in the fourth year. Members asked about how the plan tracks project status, how priorities and funding changes are handled, and whether federal funding programs might be affected by HR1; Magno said the county is proceeding on the assumption that funding will remain available and noted some sources have been reestablished. He also said the county encourages council participation in meetings and planning. Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen then addressed the committee on DOT’s response to a recent tsunami threat, saying the agency had about four hours to prepare before the first wave arrival and was focused on its own operational response rather than the broader statewide planning process. In response to questions, he stated that FHWA funds cannot be used for evacuation routes, which is why prior legislative funding was important. Members also discussed specific mitigation projects such as fire breaks, bridge retrofits, and the Singing Bridge, with DOT noting that work is underway and that a replacement bridge upstream is being planned to carry traffic during repairs. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the informational briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• It grants the prison oversight coordinator access to the facilities at any time.
• It grants the prison oversight coordinator<00:08:24.720> uh<00:08:25.199> access<00:08:
• 25.680> to<00:08:25.840> the<00:08:26.080> facilities coordinator uh access to the
• facilities coordinator uh access to the facilities at<00:08:26.960> any<00:08:27.199> time
• , the accessibility of data and<00:09:58.080> the<00:09:59.200> outreach<00:09:59.920><

Bills: HB426, SB24, SB106, SB254, HB505, HB458, HB535, HB509, HB320, HB518, HB261, HB426, SB24, SB106, SB254, HB505, HB458, HB535, HB509, HB320, HB518, HB261, SB316, HB228, SB318, SB260, HB132, HB347, HB405, HB86, HB263, HB302, SB336

Keywords: Alabama Ad Valorem Advisory Committee, ad valorem taxes, property tax, real property, personal property, tax assessment, tax collection, county tax officials, Department of Revenue, Commissioner of Revenue, taxpayer representation, resident taxpayers, local government, property tax administration, Association of Alabama Tax Administrators, tax policy, advisory committee, public input, governance reform, body-worn camera

Transcript Highlights:

• with this is that we need to be accessible to be able to be monitored and to give them that helping
• But yes, there is a robust ankle monitoring industry as well as app-based monitoring.
• in a jury trial, but nowhere in that amendment does it state the citizen must first pay a fee to access
• There's simply no reason to be charging this fee to access your constitutional rights.
• To that point, you just said equal voice and equal access.

Bills: HB2205, HB2265, HB2413, HB2415, HB2418, HB2495, HB2589, HB2661, HB2720, HB2771, HB2833, HB2870

Keywords: criminal damage, trespassing, critical facilities, felony, Arizona Revised Statutes, court fees, public defender, criminal justice, legal aid, indigent defense, appeals, administrative assessments, sex offender, electronic monitoring, registration, public safety, youth protection, Kratom, narcotic drugs, regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• And if you're the least bit like me, that causes you to fire up the ISO New England app on your phone
• on my on your phone or the England app on my on your phone or the ISO<01:22:40.800> New<01:22
• :40.960> England<01:22:41.280> app<01:22:41.520> on<01:22:41.760> your<01
• :22:42.000> computer<01:22:42.639> and ISO New England app on your computer and ISO New
• England app on your computer and watch<01:22:43.280> what<01:22:43.840> uh<01:22:44.000

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The voting is available on your apps and computers. If you, I just...
• The voting is available on your apps and computers.
• And so really we see the five A's of access hold true: affordability, availability, accessibility, accommodation
• However, the pharmacist does not have access to your patient records.
• I too prioritize access to care, and you guys who have heard me testify over the years know that access

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 2401, which would require physicians to complete continuing education on nutrition and metabolic health as part of the state’s rural health transformation effort. HHS supported the bill, saying it would help physicians better address chronic disease and preserve federal grant points tied to the state’s application. A member of the public also testified in favor, arguing that better nutrition education could improve diabetes outcomes and reduce costs. The committee then adopted an amendment to add the Board of Occupational Therapy Practice to the background-check statute so the occupational therapy compact could proceed, and it passed the bill as amended on a roll call vote. The committee next heard House Bill 1621, which would require the Presidential Fitness Physical Fitness Test in elementary, middle, and high school physical education courses. HHS said the bill was part of the rural health transformation application and could help preserve federal funding, but members raised many questions about the test’s criteria, adaptive options for students with disabilities, equipment needs, and whether the bill should apply to non-public schools. Senator Clemens offered an amendment to limit the requirement to public schools, but it failed. Senator Hogan then offered an amendment to clarify exemptions and allow DPI to align implementation with federal guidance; that amendment passed. A further amendment adding language allowing DPI to establish criteria for and exceptions to the test also passed. The committee then approved the bill as amended on a roll call vote. The committee also considered House Bill 1622, which joins North Dakota to the physician assistant licensure compact. HHS said the compact would improve access to care, especially in rural areas, support military families, and help preserve rural health transformation funding. Members noted the compact had been discussed in a prior session and that many earlier concerns had been resolved. After brief discussion about the compact process and its consistency with other interstate compacts, the committee voted to do pass the bill. Finally, the committee began Senate Bill 2402, which expands pharmacists’ prescriptive authority and therapeutic substitution powers. HHS and the Board of Pharmacy supported the bill as a way to improve access to care and maintain rural health transformation funding. Senator Roers introduced a detailed amendment negotiated with the Board of Medicine and Board of Pharmacy to narrow and clarify the bill, including notification requirements, limits on certain drug categories, and patient-protection language for therapeutic substitution. The Board of Pharmacy then testified in support of the broader bill and explained the CLIA-waived testing provisions and the repeal of the older, narrower pharmacist-testing language. The hearing and amendment discussion were still underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• They include widely used apps like Instagram, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat.
• Instead of making that offense a second-degree felony, it cuts off our access to our Penal Code Chapter
• We still have access to our Penal Code Chapter 12 enhancements, and I'm happy to answer any questions
• Breaking into the pump and damaging the pulser allows those criminals to gain unlimited access to the
• This bill is not about... restricting gun access or gun rights or even just possession or exhibition

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So patients must be given access to the right information and tools to do so. Patients must.
• We feel it might disadvantage providers with fewer resources, threatening access to care.
• Only about 20% of eligible patients receive CAR T, largely due to access barriers.
• This bill is about increasing access to life-saving treatment.
• the... legislature to pass HB 3057 to promote expanded access to qualified oncology centers.

Bills: HB345, HB721, HB2580, SB815, HB3057, HB4603, HB3233, SB495, HB3863, HB3914, HB4570, HB5099, HB5173, SB458

Keywords: insurance, appraisal process, disputed losses, residential property, policyholder rights, insurer obligations, natural disasters, appraisal expenses, umpire selection, policyholder, insurer, umpire, claims management, health care, cost disclosure, benefit plan, administrators, traumatic brain injury, health benefit plans, insurance coverage

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is one of the solutions of providing high-performance high student outcome operator access to
• We're we're talking about that access point of the actual facilities access this bill is contemplating
• So school access is a big for school safety.
• And eventually the standard of education that is accessible to all students just won't be.
• Students are given access to enriching education via schools of hope.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:19:21.679> and establishing an early learning app and establishing an early learning app
• access<00:19:28.480> expand<00:19:29.120> access<00:19:29.520> and child care
• to access expand access and child care to access expand access and address<00:19:30.080> child
• <00:37:08.000> for the communication access specialist for the communication access specialist
• <00:57:49.920> resources students aren't accessing resources students aren't accessing resources

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committees heard testimony on HB 1872, which would create an early learning apprenticeship grant program to help early childhood providers participate in approved apprenticeship programs, require annual reporting, and appropriate funds. Testifiers in support included the University of Hawaiʻi, the Executive Office on Early Learning, the City and County of Honolulu, Commit to Keiki, the Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi, the Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network Speaks, Parents for Public Schools of Hawaiʻi, and Kīʻoka Family Learning Centers. Supporters said the bill would reduce financial barriers, strengthen recruitment and retention, improve compensation and career pathways, and help address child care shortages and workforce instability. The committee then voted to pass HB 1872 with amendments, including an HD1 and a defective date to allow further discussion. The committee next took up HB 2489, which would appropriate funds for the University of Hawaiʻi to establish a bachelor’s degree program in American Sign Language interpretation, with a longer-term plan for a master’s program. Testimony in support came from the Disability Communication Access Board and the University of Hawaiʻi, and members also heard detailed support from DECAP and other advocates describing a statewide shortage of ASL interpreters, long waiting lists for ASL courses, and the need for locally trained interpreters who understand Hawaiʻi’s cultural and community needs. Witnesses said the shortage affects schools, courts, hospitals, emergency services, and other settings, and that the program could be expanded through articulation with other campuses. The committee voted to pass HB 2489 with amendments, again using an HD1 and defective date. After those two measures, the committee moved to HB 441 on campus safety, which would require students, including transfer students, to complete training on federal laws and university policies regarding sexual misconduct before initial registration and would change how often training is provided to students and employees. The University of Hawaiʻi stood on its written testimony, while supporters including IMUA Alliance and other testifiers urged passage, citing survivor experiences, national best practices, and the need for prevention before harm occurs. No vote on HB 441 was reached in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• partake in a in a a health insurance options that that are significantly affordable and way more accessible
• Again, we're trying to, you know, the increase access to health care for farmers who live in rural or
• If an employee with access to such information leaves for similar implement with another company and
• So it's not the defining by types of workers is telling us to find it by access to information.
• And during that time I have access to the men's Wearhouse Rolodex of customers, clients who were that

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We do make hospital access payments and cost settlements.
• We do make hospital access payments and cost settlements.
• And the hospitals contribute through what we call access payments.
• We're really proud of the 27 critical access hospitals we have in the state.
• We're really proud of the 27 critical access hospitals we have in the state.

Summary: The subcommittee met to review Arkansas DHS hospital spending and reimbursement methods, with Secretary Janet Mann and Deputy Secretary Misty Eubanks explaining Medicaid hospital payments. They described fee-for-service per diem payments, cost settlements, and the upper payment limit (UPL) program, noting that SFY 2025 hospital payments included $688 million in inpatient/outpatient claims, $473 million in UPL payments, $248 million in cost settlements, and about $47 million in other payments such as graduate medical education and disproportionate share hospital funds. Members asked about why per diem rates vary, how cost settlements work, why UPL applies mainly to private hospitals, and how assessment fees are structured and funded. DHS said the hospital assessment fee is broad-based and uniform, used as the state share to draw federal funds, and that supplemental hospital payments after federal match totaled $548 million with no general revenue used. The Arkansas Hospital Association’s Jody Ann Tritt then gave a broader overview of the hospital landscape, explaining the different hospital types in the state, including critical access hospitals, rural emergency hospitals, PPS hospitals, and specialty hospitals. She said Arkansas hospitals face financial strain, citing a negative 5.18% patient service margin statewide and lower reimbursement than surrounding states. She argued that Arkansas hospitals are paid less than hospitals in neighboring states for similar services, that commercial payer rates and administrative burdens are a major problem, and that Medicaid and Medicare rates remain below cost even with UPL support. She also said hospitals are the backbone of community care, provide emergency and public health functions, and are looking for ways to invest in technology and telehealth but often lack the revenue to do so. Members pressed for clearer data on hospital finances, reimbursement adequacy, and the impact of commercial insurers. Tritt said the association had just authorized a statewide survey to gather updated financial information from hospitals, which she said would take about a year to complete. She also explained that Medicaid pays weekly, Medicare and commercial plans can involve delays and denials, and that hospitals often spend significant resources on revenue cycle work. The discussion ended with a brief update on assisted living reimbursement: DHS said one facility, The Pillars of the Community in Crossett, had announced closure, nine Living Choices waiver clients were being transitioned, and the updated rate study would be available after cost reports are collected, likely before the end of the fiscal year. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And in addition to the regular fee-for-service payments, we do make hospital access payments.
• And the hospitals contribute through what we call access payments.
• And the hospitals contribute through what we call access payments to help fund the state share of the
• We're really proud of the 27 critical access hospitals we have in the state.
• We're really proud of the 27 critical access hospitals we have in the state.

Summary: The subcommittee met to review Department of Human Services hospital payments in Arkansas Medicaid, with DHS Secretary Janet Mann and Deputy Secretary Misty Eubanks presenting first, followed by Arkansas Hospital Association Executive Vice President Jody Ann Tritt and a brief comment from Arkansas Children’s. DHS outlined the main hospital payment streams: fee-for-service per diem payments, upper payment limit (UPL) supplemental payments, cost settlements, and smaller payments such as graduate medical education and disproportionate share hospital funds. Members asked for plain-language explanations of cost settlements, why per diem rates vary by hospital type, and why UPL applies to private hospitals. DHS said cost settlements and UPL are mechanisms to help offset Medicaid underpayment, with SFY 2025 hospital payments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars and no general revenue used for supplemental payments beyond the state share funded through hospital assessments and related financing structures. Committee members focused heavily on whether Arkansas hospitals are adequately reimbursed and why rural hospitals struggle. Tritt explained that critical access hospitals, rural emergency hospitals, PPS hospitals, and specialty hospitals operate under different federal and state rules, and said lower per diem rates for some facilities help with cash flow and later cost settlement adjustments. She said Arkansas hospitals are under financial strain, citing a negative patient services margin statewide and noting that Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial payers all contribute to the problem. She also said the association had just authorized a statewide survey of hospital finances and costs, which she expected would take about a year to complete. A major theme was commercial insurance reimbursement. Tritt argued Arkansas hospitals are paid far less than hospitals in neighboring states even though premiums are similar, and said administrative burdens, prior authorizations, and denials add to the problem. She said hospitals receive about 52 to 53 cents on the dollar for Medicaid costs without UPL and about 78 cents with UPL, still below cost. Members also discussed Medicare wage index issues, Medicare Advantage, and whether hospitals could use technology or alternative arrangements to improve finances. No votes were taken on the hospital presentation. At the end of the meeting, DHS provided a brief update on Living Choices and assisted living reimbursement. Officials said one assisted living facility, Pillars of the Community in Crossett, had announced closure, with nine waiver clients being transitioned to other settings. DHS said the current cost reporting period was underway and that a new rate study could be ready for review before the end of the fiscal year if reports were submitted on time. Members also asked about the broader waiver plan, and DHS said the next waiver iteration would likely be brought back to the committee in the summer.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we understand there's crisis in access and treatment in schools.
• And then there's a crisis in access and treatment in the colleges.
• And we understand there's crisis in access and treatment in schools.
• And then there's a crisis in access and treatment in the colleges.
• We need to make it easier for folks to get access, and we need to make sure we're paying for it.

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from Dr. Kelly O’Dare on first responder behavioral health access, peer support, and suicide prevention. She described UCF Restores, the Second Alarm Project, and related partnerships that provide culturally competent treatment, peer training, clinician education, disaster response support, and behavioral health navigation. She cited survey and state data showing significant rates of sleep problems, anxiety, depression, substance use, and suicide among Florida first responders, and said evidence-based treatment has helped many patients recover, including a reported 76% who no longer met PTSD diagnostic criteria after treatment. Senators asked about measuring outcomes, peer support standards, and whether the state should create more consistent statewide requirements; O’Dare said peer support training must be specialized, linked to higher levels of care, and supported by sustainable funding and statewide coordination. The committee also heard from a public commenter who supported the work and emphasized the need for adequate resources and peer support infrastructure. The committee then received a Department of Children and Families presentation from Casey Penn on the proposed funding methodology for community-based care lead agencies under HB 7089. Penn explained that the new model is intended to be actuarially based, reimbursement-oriented, and more transparent than prior funding approaches, using historical expenditures, standardized reporting, and two main tiers: Tier 1 for largely fixed administrative and operational costs, and Tier 2 for direct child-serving costs based on per-child-per-month blended rates. He said the model includes a 2% risk corridor for Tier 2, hold-harmless funding in the first year, and optional Tier 3 performance incentives, with an estimated additional state appropriation need after offsets. Senators raised concerns about prevention, historical inequities, reasonableness of costs, administrative overhead, blended state and federal funds, adoption subsidies, high-acuity placements, and disaster-related disruptions. Penn said some of those issues could be addressed in future iterations as the child welfare information system is modernized, and he agreed to provide written responses to committee questions. Representatives of the Florida Coalition for Children and CBCs responded that the model is a major improvement but urged additional safeguards, including an administrative cap, clearer separation of direct and indirect costs, and better treatment of federal and pass-through funds. They argued that the system already has oversight and that deficits reflect insufficient appropriations rather than excess spending, while also noting that higher-acuity children and regional differences can drive costs. No votes were taken on either topic, and the meeting ended with committee staff introductions and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• to health care or lose access. access to food in this case.
• It means that that vital component of health and learning is harder to access. Mr.
• And I know the importance of access to health care and healthy food in a rural area.
• Today, right now, we should be planning for an app, an app that connects.
• Would we have access to that study that was conducted? Mr.