Transcript Highlights:

• otolaryngologist from Paducah, and I'm president of the Kentucky Foundation for Medical Care, which is the charitable
• inpatient stays, a 100% reduction in readmissions, a reduction in ER visits, and a reduction in pharmacy
• reduction<01:14:30.239> in in ER visits, and a reduction in in ER visits, and a reduction in pharmacy
• pharmacy and medical cost. pharmacy and medical cost.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The task force opened with a moment of silence for the Louisville UPS plane tragedy, approved the October 15 minutes, and reminded members to submit policy recommendations before the December 16 meeting, when the group will discuss its report to LRC. The first informational presentation, from the Department for Public Health, focused on youth vaping. Elizabeth Good and Julie Brooks cited a recent Surgeon General report warning that youth vaping can harm brain development, mental health, lungs, asthma, and hormones, and noted Kentucky survey data showing 8.7% of students reported daily vaping and 19.7% used vaping products in the prior 30 days. They described prevention and cessation resources including Catch My Breath, I Can End the Trend, Not on Tobacco, My Life, My Quit, Quitline services, and the Kentucky TRUST retailer education program, which trained 3,371 individuals in 2024 and distributed 253 Tobacco 21 toolkits. The next presentation came from Kentucky ABC on implementation of SB 100, which created the division of tobacco, nicotine, and vapor product licensing. Commissioner Scotty Tracy and Jamar Carter said all retailers selling tobacco, nicotine, or vapor products must be licensed, regulations were filed October 31, 2025, and the online application portal is live. In response to questions about sales to minors, they said violations carry escalating fines for clerks and owners, with a fourth violation resulting in no license renewal for two years and unpaid fines also blocking renewal. They said complaints can be submitted through the portal, by phone, or on the ABC website, and enforcement investigates tips and may use underage compliance checks. The committee then heard from Kim McKenna Johnson of One Cross Community Health, who argued for a “deficiency-first” and holistic approach to care centered on nutrition, lifestyle, and targeted supplementation. She said her clinic serves more than 7,000 patients in Taylor and Marion counties and described a model that includes primary care, behavioral health, functional medicine, addiction recovery, and chronic care. She cited Kentucky health rankings, claimed nutritional deficiencies cost the state billions, and said many children are overprescribed while undernourished. She urged broader insurance coverage for nutritional testing and supplements, rural demonstration grants, and Medicaid pilots for clinically prescribed supplements. Members asked about testing costs, dietitian support, long-term cost savings, compliance, and whether medications are often used to prevent damage from noncompliance; the presenter said the lab tests are generally covered, supplements are the main cost barrier, and seeing lab results can improve family buy-in. No votes were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• we all learned a different lesson in 1976, when the Supreme Court issued Virginia State Board of Pharmacy
• where a pharmacy wanted to advertise drug prices for their pharmacy. advertise drug prices for their
• pharmacy.
• And the Virginia State Board of Pharmacy said that you're not allowed to do that.
• So they were looking at that Virginia State Board of Pharmacy case and saying, Okay, pharmacists can

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's Susan Alverson with the Alabama Board of Pharmacy.
• Um, as you know, we license pharmacists and pharmacies, including hospital chain pharmacies. ...pharmacies
• , including hospital chain pharmacies.

Bills: SB36, SB39, SB40, SB12, SB29, SB121, SB131, SB12

Keywords: competitive bidding, procurement, disclosure statements, state contracts, contract protest, board governance, occupational licensing, Sunset Law, public accountability, training requirements, SB40, Houston/Hunter Act, firearm hold agreement, gun storage, temporary firearm storage, firearms dealer, federal firearms licensee, FFL, civil immunity, gun owner

Transcript Highlights:

• for the Senate proposal is based on the most recent language coming, um, from the State Board of Pharmacy
• I'm Anna Catherine Lambert and I'm a pharmacist with the Mississippi State Department of Health Pharmacy
• Department of Health Pharmacy and I get Department of Health Pharmacy and I get to<00:01:59.880> work

Keywords: Drug Policy - Room 409, 26 February, 2026; 2:30 P.M., 925, all

Summary: The Senate Drug Policy Committee met to consider two bills. For House Bill 417, which updates the Uniform Controlled Substances Act by adding substances to Schedule I, committee counsel explained that a strike-all was needed because the House version relied on outdated correspondence. Anna Catherine Lambert of the Mississippi State Department of Health said the department updates the language each year by matching Mississippi law to the DEA’s Federal Register, including salts, isomers, and related forms of newly scheduled substances. She noted the additions largely fall into three broad categories, including fentanyl derivatives, phenidates, and tazenes. Senators asked about the number of compounds and the need to list each derivative form. The committee moved to adopt the strike-all and then the title sufficient do pass strike-all, and the bill was reported. The committee then took up House Bill 563, which would allow Mississippi law to conform automatically if psilocybin is scheduled by the federal government before the next legislative session. The chair described psilocybin as a mushroom-derived compound being studied in clinical trials for treatment-resistant depression, and noted that an email from Veterans Exploring Treatment Options supported the legislation. Members discussed that the bill would prevent delay if federal scheduling occurs and asked about the conditions for which the substance might be used; the response mentioned treatment-resistant depression, traumatic brain injury, substance use disorder, and other mental health indications. Senator Blackmon made a lighthearted comment about possible amendments, but no amendments were adopted. The committee approved the motion for title sufficient to pass, and House Bill 563 was reported.

Transcript Highlights:

• First reading of bills: HB 2141 in Environmental, Natural Resources, Energy, and Water; HB 2196 in Pharmacies
• required, 2734 employees, 2734 employee list welfare, 2730 occupation, 2731 employee list welfare, 2732 pharmacy
• board assistant board, 2733 pharmacy board renewals, 2734 employment required, 2734 employee list welfare
• . 2734 pharmacy board renewals, 2734 employment required, 2734 employee list welfare, 2737 regulation

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• really important, you know, as we look at our care across the state, you know, we we started losing pharmacies
• really important, you know, as we look at our care across the state, you know, we we started losing pharmacies
• And we were the number one state for pharmacy closings for a long time.
• Across the state, you know, we we started losing pharmacies.
• And we were the number one state for pharmacy closings for a long time.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's our vendor that we pay to generate pharmacy rebate.
• It's our vendor that we pay to generate pharmacy rebate.
• It's our vendor that we pay to generate pharmacy rebate.
• pay it to the $4 at the pharmacy pay it to the pharmacy<02:50:18.439> pay<02:50:19.120> it
• The detail behind that, and then the pharmacy cost sharing on the bottom of that, which is Pharmacy cost

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Finance Division Three work session on February 21, 2025 focused on the Division of Medicaid Services budget. The chair opened with procedural guidance, noting the division’s role is to make recommendations to the full Finance Committee, that the budget must be balanced, and that members should track possible amendments ahead of a March 26 target for House Bills 1 and 2. Members also discussed the importance of using official budget documents and online resources, and the chair said no motions would be taken at this session. A major early topic was concern over a five-point Medicaid policy document and the timing of House Bill 2. Representative Tarki objected that the document appeared to be an unofficial draft and argued that significant Medicaid policy changes should have been transmitted by February 15 under state law. He said the lack of an official, posted document raised transparency concerns because the changes could affect tens of thousands of residents. Committee leadership responded that the five-point document was a working document, that it would be posted online within minutes, and that House Bill 2 is often delayed while the Office of Legislative Services finalizes and formats the governor’s proposed trailer bill. DHHS Chief Financial Officer Nathan White and Medicaid Director Henry Litman then began the budget presentation. White said the committee would use the PowerPoint as the document of record, starting with the governor’s operating budget pages 885-893, and noted that Medicaid is the largest accounting area in the state budget. He said the governor’s budget reflects about $60 million in reductions within the Medicaid area, with Granite Advantage handled off-budget and another $10 million in reductions there, for roughly a $70 million difference overall. Members asked whether the comparison was being made against an efficiency budget or a prioritized-needs budget, and White said the department could look at it different ways. The presentation then outlined Medicaid’s role in New Hampshire: it provides health coverage, serves as the state’s direct interface with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and helps finance related services such as long-term supports, school-based services, adult dental coverage, and re-entry programs for people leaving correctional settings. White also reviewed enrollment and program context, saying New Hampshire has about one in seven residents enrolled in Medicaid, making it the fourth smallest Medicaid program in the country by enrollment, and described recent efforts such as youth re-entry and the Medicaid unwind after the end of the federal continuous coverage period. He said the state had to process more than 238,000 redeterminations after the public health emergency and that the department tried to avoid unnecessary coverage loss during that transition.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Is the pharmacy responsible if a purchase involves regulated information, and does the pharmacy have
• We've all gone to the pharmacy and got your medication and brought other things up.
• Would the same thing occur at a pharmacy that you regularly go to, in a local pharmacy, each interaction
• WOULD THE SAME THING OCCUR AT A PHARMACY THAT YOU REGULARLY GO TO IN A LOCAL PHARMACY EACH INTERACTION
• Are we asking someone in New York State government to go after Amazon or some mom-and-pop pharmacy?

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the journal, and then moved through a large number of motions to discharge bills from committees and substitute identical Senate bills for third reading. The chamber also received and accepted a Finance Committee report on nominations for Kathleen Mosier as Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Terrence O’Leary as Commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and John Kagia as Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management. All three nominees were confirmed, with Mosier and O’Leary confirmed unanimously and Kagia confirmed 57-1, with Senator Walczyk voting no. The Senate adopted previously approved resolutions recognizing June 2026 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month and mourning the death of Susan Irene Wright of Harlem. Senators Brisport and Bottcher spoke at length in support of Pride Month, emphasizing LGBTQ+ history, resilience, and ongoing threats to the trans community. On the Susan Wright resolution, Senators Cleare, Bailey, and Bottcher praised her community leadership, philanthropy, and family legacy, and Assembly Member Jordan Wright was recognized in the chamber. The body then considered and passed many bills on the calendar, including measures on insurance, environmental conservation, public health, education, business law, labor, social services, highway law, and local tax exemptions. Several bills drew brief explanations of vote, including a measure to end higher insurance premiums for widows, a bill to prohibit correctional facilities from denying visitation because of menstrual products or IUDs, and a Medicaid-related bill to expand access to blood pressure monitors for pregnant people. Most bills passed with broad support, though some had notable opposition from a small group of senators. Late in the session, the Senate took up a proposed constitutional amendment on redistricting. Senator Stewart-Cousins sponsored the measure, and Senator Walczyk questioned it extensively, arguing voters had previously approved an independent redistricting process and objecting to changes that would remove the Legislature’s two-thirds map-approval requirement and alter the commission’s role. The sponsor said the changes were needed in response to aggressive partisan redistricting in other states and would still require voter ratification in future sessions. The transcript ends during that debate, with no final vote on the amendment shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• I've been working to hold pharmacy benefit managers accountable to lower prescription drug costs.
• Last year there were at least three bills introduced on pharmacy benefit managers with a total of about
• The Pharmacy Benefit Manager issue has been one this committee has taken up in a bipartisan way.
• We passed overwhelmingly a pharmacy benefit manager bill out of this committee.
• Most of those pharmacies, if you went and talk to them, they would say the breaking point was what pharmacy

Keywords: Michael Falkender, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, IRS, taxpayer privacy, nomination process, committee hearing

Summary: The committee convened to discuss critical issues surrounding the nomination of Michael Falkender for the position of Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. This meeting included a series of remarks from committee members who expressed divergent views on Falkender's qualifications and the implications of his appointment. Senator Wyden voiced strong opposition, arguing that Falkender represents harmful policies expected to be perpetuated under the current administration, especially concerning taxpayer privacy and IRS tactics. Meanwhile, other members defended Falkender, noting his extensive experience, including a commitment to transparency in government operations if confirmed.

Transcript Highlights:

• we also added a number of employees because we, um, this body and the governor agreed to allow charitable
• I'm wondering if the assumption is that currently the folks who hold these charitable horse racing permits
• 43.920> these that currently the folks who hold these that currently the folks who hold these charitable
• 45.760> um<00:45:46.720> historical<00:45:47.200> horse<00:45:47.520> R charitable
• horse um historical horse R charitable horse um historical horse R Racing<00:45:48.319> permits

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard a budget presentation from New Hampshire Lottery Director Charlie McIntyre and CFO Jim Durus. McIntyre said the Lottery has more than tripled its return to the Education Trust Fund since 2011, from $62 million to $207 million in FY 24, while keeping expenses relatively flat over time. He explained that the Lottery operates like a business, is heavily audited, and that the governor’s budget raises the FY 26-27 revenue estimate to $185 million, up about $12 million annually from prior estimates. He attributed FY 24’s unusually strong results to record Powerball sales driven by a spike in billion-dollar jackpots tied to higher interest rates, and said scratch tickets still make up most gross sales, though Powerball is the highest-margin product. Members questioned the Lottery about the difference between gross revenue and profit, the steep rise in operating expenses, and the reasons for requested budget increases. McIntyre said the main drivers were payroll, benefits, advertising, added regulatory responsibilities from expanded gaming, and a new Salesforce customer-tracking system. He also described requested capital needs, including an outdated security system, building access and ADA improvements, and upgrades to the front office for employee safety. He said the security system is still running on an old Windows 7-based setup and that the requested upgrade would modernize cameras and add redundancy. The discussion also covered staffing and gaming expansion. McIntyre said the Lottery has 84 employees including three commissioners, with 13 funded vacancies, and that it plans to fill positions as two new gaming rooms come online in Rochester and Derry. He said the Lottery’s revenue estimates were revised upward because sports betting in Massachusetts had less impact than expected and historic horse racing machines have been more profitable than forecast. He also explained the governor’s proposal to shift historic horse racing toward slot-style machines, saying the physical machines would look largely the same but the content and math would change, and that the state’s revenue share would increase under the proposal. No votes were taken; the committee mainly asked questions and received explanations about the Lottery’s budget and revenue assumptions.

Transcript Highlights:

• or report the final amount not paid to pharmacies on its cost report because its pharmacy benefits manager
• They're allowed to go to any network pharmacy that's in the network.
• Yes, they can see which pharmacies are in the network online or through one of their websites.
• So, when another MCO is involved in your situation, do you have pharmacies?
• Who pays the pharmacies on our behalf? Okay, and all of you, I assume, have the same answer.

Bills: HB149, HB252, HB643, HB1442, HB1500, HB1672, HB1851, HB1893, HB2028, HB2768, HB2818, HB149, HB252

Keywords: artificial intelligence, regulation, biometric data, ethical AI, consumer protection, AI governance, employment compensation, state agencies, salary payments, general appropriations, government efficiency, public works, contractors, payment bonds, government contracts, construction law, transparency, open meetings, government accountability, public access

Transcript Highlights:

• bipartisan bill to enforce the lawful protection and inclusion of Minnesota hospitals' contract pharmacies
• It's the enforcement of the bill that is allowing restricting delivery of 340B by pharmacy right now.
• delivery<00:07:54.639> of<00:07:54.879> 340B<00:07:56.000> by<00:07:56.319> pharmacy
• restricting delivery of 340B by pharmacy restricting delivery of 340B by pharmacy right<00:07:57.120

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• following the changes above, with adding the ordering of lab tests to the definition of practice of pharmacy
• following the changes above, with adding the ordering of lab tests to the definition of practice of pharmacy
• following the changes above, with the ordering of lab tests being added to the definition of practice of pharmacy
• In speaking with the Board of Pharmacy and the pharmacist association, I think we do have a solution
• They should be able to do that directly at the pharmacy where they're going to be dispensing that to

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee reviewed four bill drafts for the Rural Health Transformation effort. The first required the presidential physical fitness test in PE classes; members asked about DPI and school support, then moved and approved the draft. The second required physicians to complete one hour of continuing education on nutrition and metabolic health each renewal cycle and included legislative intent encouraging other health boards to consider nutrition-related CE; it was approved after brief discussion. The third bill adopted the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact. Members discussed a separate issue involving occupational therapy compact background checks and whether that fix could be added now or would need to wait until later; the committee also discussed Board of Medicine input and the compact’s workforce benefits. The draft was moved forward to the full committee. The fourth bill expanded pharmacists’ prescriptive authority and therapeutic substitution. Legislative Council explained the draft, and Senator Roars proposed substantial amendments to narrow motion sickness, UTI, diabetes supply, and substitution provisions. Members debated whether to vote on amendments now or wait for the special session public hearing; concerns were raised about transparency, stakeholder input, and avoiding premature action. No amendment vote was taken, and the bill was left for later consideration. The committee then recessed until the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, long-term pharmacies are often treated differently from retail pharmacies on paper, but in
• Right now, long-term pharmacies are often treated differently from retail pharmacies on paper, but in
• Under federal rules, pharmacies that serve nursing home and assisted living facilities, must deliver
• These pharmacies have never closed.
• It simply gives a definition so that these pharmacies are properly recognized for the specialized work

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health and Welfare met on May 13 and approved the minutes from the prior week before taking up a series of House bills, many of them with testimony from sponsors, agency officials, and stakeholders. Early action included HB 971, which would direct LDH to equalize Medicaid reimbursement rates between independent rural health clinics and hospital-owned rural health clinics; the sponsor described a significant payment disparity and the committee reported the bill favorably. The committee also deferred HB 1030 and HB 796 until the following week before moving to other items on the agenda. Several bills dealing with Medicaid and provider regulation were advanced. HB 414, as amended, closes a loophole so health care providers cannot hire unlicensed workers with certain serious out-of-state convictions; amendments addressed effective dates, FBI background-check issues for therapeutic group homes, and delays for direct support professional applicants caused by minor record issues. HB 740, as amended, creates an independent review process for Medicaid claims disputes in the coordinated system of care for behavioral health providers, with amendments clarifying applicability dates and program definitions. HB 786, which prohibits extrapolation in managed care claims recoupments and requires recovery to be based on actual overpayments or underpayments, was also reported favorably. HB 915 set timelines and accountability standards for prior authorization and utilization management in Medicaid managed care and was reported favorably after testimony about delays in care. The committee also heard and passed several bills affecting health professions and facilities. HB 405 simply updates the name of the national acupuncture certification body. HB 1095 allows nursing homes to use alternative power sources while keeping existing generator and fuel requirements. HB 557 defines long-term care pharmacies for policy purposes. HB 779 authorizes expedited partner therapy prescriptions for certain sexually transmitted diseases. HB 933 creates an optional commemorative birth certificate, with part of the fee going to the Office of Women’s Health. HB 796, carried by another representative for the author, establishes a chiropractic preceptorship program with on-site supervision requirements and was reported favorably after questions about student training and patient safety. The committee also heard emotionally charged testimony on HB 288, which would place the term “miscarriage” alongside “spontaneous abortion” in medical documentation and patient communication. Several witnesses described the distress caused by current coding language, and supporters said the change would make records more compassionate and understandable; the bill was reported favorably. HB 403 increased the cottage food gross-sales cap, and after testimony from small producers and the committee’s discussion of other states’ higher limits, an amendment raised the cap to $150,000 before the bill was reported favorably. HB 930 modernizes cosmetic-product regulation and creates a small home-based producer exemption under a wholesale-sales threshold; it was also reported favorably. Finally, HB 1041, a no-mandate bill restricting discrimination based on medical intervention status, prompted extended debate over exemptions for schools, hospitals, and other entities, with one amendment failing on a roll-call vote and the discussion continuing over the scope of the bill and federal funding concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• charitable or nonprofit organizations. charitable or nonprofit organizations.
• And I would also point out that if you read this, that building land, personal property of charitable
• organizations, well, you take a charitable organization like Camp Bernardet or, uh, there's another
• They use for charitable purposes, given a place for kids to go.
• personal property of charitable personal property of charitable organizations,<04:57:57.600>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 148, which Rep. Jim Kofalt said is the same language as last year’s HB 396, vetoed by the governor. He described the bill as allowing, but not requiring, separation by biological sex in three areas: bathrooms and locker rooms, houses of correction, and certain athletic competitions. Kofalt argued the bill would give local school boards and other policymakers discretion to set practical rules, citing concerns about safety, privacy, and a Milford incident involving a biological male in girls’ locker rooms. Committee members pressed him on the lack of a definition of “biological sex,” and he said he did not think one was necessary because males and females are commonly understood. He also said the bill was meant to address situations where outside groups threaten lawsuits and leave local boards with no latitude. Testimony then split sharply. Supporters, including Executive Counselor Karen Hill and several others, said HB 148 would roll back anti-discrimination protections, contradict New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” values, and harm transgender and non-binary people. Opponents described the bill as discriminatory and unnecessary, arguing that existing bathroom and sports policies already work and that the bill would invite harassment, invasive enforcement, and legal conflict. Several speakers, including trans residents and parents of trans children, said they had used public restrooms without incident and warned that enforcement would be impractical or abusive. One supporter argued the bill was needed to protect girls’ privacy and safety and cited school sports disputes and a concern about a sex offender at a game as examples of why sex-segregated rules should be restored. Committee members asked questions about how biological sex would be defined, whether the bill was responding to real incidents in New Hampshire, and how any restrictions would be enforced. Kofalt said he was aware of issues in several school districts and at the State House, but did not have detailed documentation for every case. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the hearing provided; the chair instead moved through public testimony under a strict two-minute limit and noted that follow-up questions would be limited so the committee could hear multiple bills that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:43:25.839> benefit [clears throat] pharmacy benefit [clears throat] pharmacy benefit managers
• So, we want pharmacy benefit managers.
• I mean, they sometimes own pharmacies like CVS is currently owned by a health... entity like that at
• I mean, they sometimes own pharmacies like CVS is currently owned by a health... entity like that at
• I mean they sometimes<00:46:18.240> own<00:46:18.560> pharmacies<00:46:19.040> like<

Bills: HB1877, HB2006, HB2167, HB2224, HB1626, HB1690, HB2012

Keywords: LGBTQ+ rights, commission membership, representation, youth involvement, Hawaii legislation, child well-being, financial support, expectant mothers, Hawaii Rx kids program, economic stability, youth homelessness, financial assistance, housing instability, emergency services, transitioning youth, Medicaid, pharmaceutical benefits, human services, healthcare access, public funds

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1877, which would expand the membership of the Hawaii State LGBTQ+ Commission and add a youth seat. The commission’s vice chair supported the bill, saying the commission started with eight members, has growing interest, and would benefit from an odd-numbered board and youth representation. Members asked about quorum, and the commission said it has generally met monthly with only one quorum issue in the past 18–19 months and would work with legislative leaders to have appointments ready if the bill passes. Written testimony included support from Kokopac and one individual in opposition. The committee then took up HB 2006, which would create a cash assistance program for pregnant women and mothers of babies. The Department of Human Services explained current TANF rules, including eligibility requirements, child support cooperation, and work-program participation, and said the state has recently raised benefit levels to the maximum allowed, with a family of three or four receiving a little over $900 per month. Supporters from the Hawaii Public Health Institute, Hawaii Children’s Action Network Speaks, and others argued the bill could reduce child poverty and improve maternal and child health, citing evidence from Michigan’s Rx Kids program and the temporary federal child tax credit expansion. A mother and Oahu Youth Action Board member testified from personal experience about the need for direct support during pregnancy. The committee also noted support from several organizations and about 26 individuals. The committee next heard HB 2167, which would direct the Office of Youth Services to run a pilot program providing financial assistance to homeless youth. The Office of the Public Defender, youth advocates, and several organizations supported the measure, saying even small amounts of help can prevent homelessness and help youth transition safely to adulthood. The Office of Youth Services said it supports the intent of the bill but requested clarification, and committee members discussed whether the program should be run directly or through contracted community agencies, how to set performance metrics, and how to structure the RFP and contract process. The chair indicated the committee wanted to work with the vice chair and OYS offline to refine the bill before moving forward. The committee then began discussion of HB 2224, relating to Medicaid pharmacy benefit management, with testimony generally supporting giving DHS flexibility to negotiate with PBMs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, the concern is that, you know, with the proliferation of the contract pharmacies, there are so
• to purchase a drug is contract pharmacy to purchase a drug is really<00:30:21.440> qualified<
• in Hawaii right now, but nationally, since 2010, you went from 2,000 contract pharmacies across the
• So, from what I understand, there are about 1,400 contract pharmacies in Hawaii and roughly just under
• is saying in where the contract pharmacy is saying in Kansas<00:34:25.679> City.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 302, which would expand access to medical cannabis by removing the in-person provider-patient relationship requirement and related restrictions. The Department of Health supported the bill, and multiple advocates and organizations testified in support, including the ACLU of Hawaii, Hawaii Alliance for Cannabis Reform, Marijuana Policy Project, and others. Supporters said the measure would improve access for patients, especially on outer islands, and some urged broader amendments allowing providers to certify cannabis for any medical condition and to speed registration and treat in-state and out-of-state patients equally. No opposition was heard, and the bill was left with no questions after testimony. The committee also heard HB 1052 HD1, which clarifies that the Public Utilities Commission may use universal service fund monies to provide free telecommunications access for individuals with print disabilities. Testimony was uniformly supportive from the DCCA Division of Consumer Advocacy, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Human Services, the Public Utilities Commission, and the National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii. Witnesses described the program as an important accessibility service that has been operating under prior appropriations and should continue under the universal service program. HB 1482, relating to controlled substances and hemp/synthetic cannabinoids, drew support from the Department of Law Enforcement, Department of Health, Honolulu Police Department, and others, with some comments from the Attorney General’s office. Supporters said the bill would clarify that delta-8 THC is a controlled substance and help enforcement against illegal hemp products and synthetic cannabinoids. Testimony and questioning focused on the need for better lab testing capacity, retail registry and age-gating, seizure authority, nuisance abatement, and possible use of special funds or appropriations to support enforcement. Members also discussed enforcement of illegal hemp businesses and whether additional funding or statutory changes would be needed. Finally, the committee took up HB 712, a 340B drug-discount measure affecting safety-net providers and contract pharmacies. Hospitals, health centers, and provider groups testified in support, saying the bill would protect access to discounted drugs and preserve funding for services such as chronic disease management, transportation, and specialty care. Pharmaceutical-industry representatives opposed the bill or sought amendments, arguing the 340B program has expanded beyond its original intent and lacks transparency, and they requested reporting or audit-like provisions to verify claims and revenues. Members questioned both sides about alleged abuse, the growth of contract pharmacies, and whether the bill should include transparency requirements before moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• I do have an amendment to hand out on the pharmacy bill."
• I do have an amendment to hand out on the pharmacy bill."
• I do have an amendment to hand out on the pharmacy bill."
• So I'm pharmacy um the pharmacist bill.
• Um they also would pharmacy technician.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ,<01:42:43.840> and the Daniel Anoi College of Pharmacy, and the Daniel Anoi College of Pharmacy
• But the, uh, School of Pharmacy, um, Daniel K.
• Lastly, um, pharmacy has been partnering more with our nursing program at Hilo.
• > partnering<02:07:46.880> more um pharmacy has been partnering more um pharmacy has been
• pharmacy to grow as we move forward. pharmacy to grow as we move forward.

Keywords: 910, house, all