Transcript Highlights:

• Are enforcement staffing levels appropriate considering the number of licenses who are being regulated
• license applications, or is it a smaller number based on the experience over the last couple of years
• So that is a public record that does go on their license.
• There are also different levels of disciplinary action that we can take. So one...
• It is just noticed on their license so that a future employer... ...or somebody does know that this did

Transcript Highlights:

• 59.040><c> license</c> observation number one about license observation number one about license portability
• And we've can deny a license based on.
• There was some fast-tracking, and other boards had been working on this on an individual level to say
• There was some fast-tracking, and other boards had been working on this on an individual level to say
• There was some fast-tracking, and other boards had been working on this on an individual level to say

Summary: The meeting focused on the Legislative Budget Assistant audit of the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification’s response to 12 findings, especially those tied to mental health workforce licensure. The executive director said 10 findings were substantially resolved, one fully resolved, and one partially resolved, with most issues tied to ongoing rulemaking. He explained that the office regulates 61 professions, has limited rules-drafting staff, and is working through a long rulemaking process while also adapting to frequent statutory changes. The committee discussed the first finding on license portability/endorsement, which the director said was the office’s highest priority and had been implemented through universal recognition rules adopted in 2023. Members asked detailed questions about how the office reviews other states’ licensing standards, whether it evaluates jurisdictions case-by-case or maintains a database, and how many jurisdictions qualify for endorsement in various professions. The director said the office initially reviewed all states and professions at once, now maintains and updates a list of substantially similar jurisdictions, and sometimes evaluates narrower jurisdictions such as counties, cities, or foreign countries. He noted that some professions, like nursing, have broad reciprocity, while others, including some mental health-related fields, vary widely and may have only a limited number of qualifying jurisdictions. He also said the office is exploring whether AI could help with research and tracking, though not with final verification. The committee then turned to expedited licensure processing. The director said the office now handles examination, review, and issuance or denial based on board-set criteria, rather than requiring every board to review every application, which has sped up processing. He said delays still occur with criminal background checks and FBI fingerprint processing because of paper forms, federal involvement, and back-and-forth with the Department of Safety when releases are incomplete or incorrect. Members raised concerns about broader state process bottlenecks and asked whether legislation could help streamline the system. A legislator said he was already working on related background-check language for another agency and believed the current draft may satisfy FBI requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then the level one provider has 2,000 hours of clinical experience or training and the equivalent of
• Then the level one provider has 2,000 hours of clinical experience or training and the equivalent of
• Then the level one provider has 2,000 hours of clinical experience or training and the equivalent of
• Chair, do you have the numbers of, like, how many CMDEs, how many QSPs, how many level one?
• and on the ethics side, like I have a board, I'm licensed, and I can lose my license, and uh, that doesn't

Committee: Senate Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• I know you guys have busted your backsides off on this, but we need to get that six-year level.
• held a vehicle dealer For a manufacturer that in Washington held a vehicle dealer license on January
• Is they going to come and buy one license fee for every sales location in the state?
• Ford welcomes competition on a level playing field, and we firmly believe that state Ford welcomes competition
• on a level playing field, and we firmly believe that state laws regulating the sale and service of vehicles

Summary: The committee heard briefings and public testimony on three transportation bills. Substitute Senate Bill 6170 would raise WSDOT monetary thresholds for doing repairs in-house and for contracting work intended to support small, veteran-, minority-, and women-owned businesses, increasing the regular repair limit from $60,000 to $100,000, the emergency repair limit from $100,000 to $160,000 with annual inflation adjustment, and the contracting threshold from $100,000 to $160,000. The sponsor and WSDOT supported the bill as an efficiency measure; the fiscal note indicated no fiscal impact. Washington Federation of State Employees also supported it, saying the higher limits would let highway maintenance crews do more work in-house while preserving the existing work split with contractors. Substitute Senate Bill 6225 would authorize new and expanded transportation general obligation bonds, including $1.1 billion for highway projects in the Move Ahead Washington account, $400 million for listed highway projects with cost increases, and a $500 million increase to the SR 520 bond authorization, while also ending issuance of certain older unissued bond authorizations after June 30, 2026. Committee members asked about debt service, bond capacity, and how the money would be allocated; staff said the projects would be handled through the budget process and that the bill was intended to provide flexibility. Labor and business groups supported the bill as a way to fund preservation and maintenance and provide predictability, while Transportation Choices Coalition said any bonding should be limited and paired with broader transportation funding reforms and protection for multimodal programs. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6354 would allow certain qualifying U.S.-based battery electric vehicle manufacturers that have Washington service facilities and no prior franchise agreements to own and operate dealer licenses and sell directly, while also raising the dealer documentary service fee from $200 to $250 until the end of 2026 and directing part of the increase to an EV rebate program and the multimodal transportation account. Rivian and Lucid supported the bill as a compromise that would expand EV access and direct-sale options; Climate Solutions and the Port of Seattle also supported it, citing emissions reduction and affordability goals. Washington State Auto Dealers Association supported the compromise, saying it strengthens franchise protections while allowing limited direct sales. Honda, Toyota, Ford, GM, and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation opposed the bill, arguing it creates special treatment and weakens the franchise system, and some urged added consumer protections, service requirements, or bonding. The committee took no final action and closed the public hearings after testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, and I have one baby and another one on the way.
• Any program that isn't one of those license types has to be explicitly excluded from licensure in order
• ><c> license</c><00:53:17.640><c> type</c> that um isn't one of those license type that um isn't one
• Do we have data on the amount of the fines for the state-licensed child care providers versus the county-licensed
• And then there are one-time payments that are available for legal non-licensed providers.

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• You submit a license application, and there's never one ADHS person assigned to your case or to your
• Now it's taking about three to six months to get an ADHS license approved and one year for an Access
• And so when... ...ADHS license approved and one year for an Access approval, and so when the operator
• You know, sober living homes are essentially the lowest level of care that we license.
• ones that are— ...can you, even if the ones that are unlicensed, or even the ones that are licensed,

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

Transcript Highlights:

• license plate agency, and one highway safety regional office.
• So what we're requesting is Phase 2 licensing and support costs as a part of our ask, not to build on
• We're just sustaining the licensing... ...to build on any additional functionality.
• You're recognized for an update on the Digital Drivers License Program. Okay, thank you.
• Okay, so now we're paying $2.5 million on licensing for this product.

Summary: The subcommittee heard updates on several state technology modernization efforts, beginning with the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s Enterprise Business Solution (DEMS). FDEM said DEMS is about 50% complete, with some grants and finance functions already live, and is intended to replace manual disaster and grants processing with a cloud-based system. Officials described faster reimbursement timelines after recent storms, major return-on-investment claims, and a planned final phase focused on design, testing, communications, data governance, and additional functionality. Members asked about the total cost, the role of Florida Digital Service, deliverables-based contracting, and how much of the system is live; FDEM said the project is expected to cost about $16 million to $16.8 million and finish by June 2027, with some follow-up information to be provided. The Department of Legal Affairs presented its Office of Attorney General Modernization Program, a follow-up to an earlier effort that failed after spending about $26 million. Acting Attorney General John Gard said the department has now moved to an off-the-shelf case management product, LawBase, and is in development and testing, with the Office of Statewide Prosecution already live and full implementation expected by the end of the fiscal year. The request includes funding for staff augmentation, cloud storage, the LawBase license, redundancy through a backup site in Orlando, and OnBase support. Members questioned the prior failure, the use of Florida Digital Service standards, data location and cloud migration, and the redundancy plan; Gard said lessons learned included better scoping and that the current effort is on track. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles then updated the committee on Motorist Modernization, including the Orion system and the MyDMV portal. Officials said Phase 1 and Phase 2 have modernized driver license and motor vehicle services, with Phase 2 statewide rollout scheduled to begin in April 2025 and Phase 3 proposed at $16.5 million for dealer services, data warehouse improvements, and call center modernization. Members asked about payment options, organ donor questions, staffing, cybersecurity, cloud strategy, and the digital driver license program. The agency said the portal already allows some sanctions to be cleared online, an ACH option is being developed, the digital driver license vendor has changed with a fall go-live anticipated, and the department is using security testing and a managed security service provider. Officials also said the system is currently on an on-prem private cloud, with future workloads expected to move to public cloud where appropriate. Finally, Florida Commerce presented on the Reemployment Assistance modernization system, Reconnect, and the FLWINS workforce system. Commerce said Reconnect is hosted in the Azure Government Cloud, has reduced claim filing time, improved fraud detection, and increased appeals capacity, and now needs $4.9 million in recurring funding to cover ongoing operations, cloud hosting, licenses, and staff augmentation. Members asked about adjudication issues, wait times, fraud prevention, and whether the system stores caller identifiers; Commerce said the average wait to speak to a representative is about 18 minutes and claims are generally processed in four to six weeks. The committee then began hearing about FLWINS, which is intended to create a “no wrong door” workforce portal under the REACH Act, but the transcript cuts off before that presentation concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• We can also work on revoking that license.
• We can also work on revoking that license.
• And I've talked about one of them previously: public health licensing.
• And if we had one that put conversion therapy on their application, I think we would license it.
• There's some sort of action taken on the license.

Summary: The Committee on Director Nominations met with four members present and approved the prior minutes without objection. Chair Jay Kaufman outlined the committee’s role in reviewing executive nominations and explained the hearing process for three nominees: Mary Foote for the Office of Economic Opportunity, Debbie Johnston for the Department of Health Services, and Chuck Bassett. Foote did not appear for her hearing, and members discussed her absence and alleged omissions in her disclosure materials, including prior service with Planned Parenthood-related organizations. The committee then moved to reject her nomination, and the motion passed 3-2, recommending that the full Senate reject Mary Foote. Debbie Johnston, nominee to lead the Department of Health Services, appeared and gave an opening statement describing her Arizona background, prior Senate staff work, and more than 20 years with the Arizona Hospital and Health Care Association. She said her priorities at ADHS include rebuilding trust in public health licensing, improving stakeholder engagement, standardizing rulemaking communication, addressing alleged religious discrimination and retaliation concerns in licensing, and using technology and AI to improve efficiency. In questioning, senators pressed her on her management style, conflict-of-interest safeguards given her prior industry role, enforcement priorities, budget pressures, behavioral health and assisted living oversight, and the department’s response to COVID-19. Johnston said she would follow statutes, recuse herself from enforcement matters involving former contacts, and resign if directed to carry out an unlawful policy. She also said the department does not regulate therapy itself, only facilities, and that it would rely on legal counsel regarding the governor’s conversion-therapy executive order and related federal civil-rights allegations. Several senators focused on public health trust and the department’s pandemic response, with Johnston acknowledging concerns about closures, data collection, and communication during COVID-19 while saying she would review past after-action materials and be better prepared in the future. Public testimony from stakeholders in aging services and health care strongly supported her confirmation, praising her accessibility, responsiveness, and collaborative approach. After testimony, the vice chair moved to recommend Johnston’s confirmation to the full Senate. The roll call was underway when the transcript ended, with several members voting aye and one member expressing reservations about her not reviewing the pandemic after-action report before another crisis occurs.

Transcript Highlights:

• that are licensed by one agency in facilities licensed by another.
• that are licensed by one agency in facilities licensed by another.
• <01:18:14.040><c> facilities</c> licensed by one agency in facilities licensed by one agency in facilities
• </c><01:27:27.000><c> level</c> comparison Bloomington has one level comparison Bloomington has one level
• > licensed</c> licensing requirements on state licensed licensing requirements on state licensed group

Bills: HF1937 , HF2407 , HF1678 , HF1477 , HF2040 , HF1840 , HF257

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• on the back page, still under subsection 4, it says as part of a condensed military application a licensing
• I'm a licensed professional counselor, and I'm asking you to vote no on this bill.
• I'm a licensed professional counselor, and I'm asking you to vote no on this bill.
• Be able to enter at our first expectations for a licensed professional counselor level.
• Just one follow-up.

Committee: Senate Commerce and Human Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• To my colleague, I believe the state of Utah has that on their license.
• in particular on the license suspensions, given how big an impact that can have on people.
• Kevin had 14 license suspensions. 2007. Kevin had 14 suspensions on his driver's license.
• Kevin had 14 suspensions on his driver's license.
• here today on behalf of the licensed DUI programs.

Summary: The joint Senate Public Safety and Transportation hearing focused on DUI, impaired driving, traffic violence, speed management, and how criminal and administrative systems interact. Chairs Jesse Arreguín and Dave Cortese said the hearing was intended to inform upcoming legislation and noted that no bills would be acted on that day. They emphasized the scale of roadway deaths and serious injuries, the need for a holistic Safe System approach, and the importance of hearing from law enforcement, researchers, victims’ advocates, judges, and DMV officials. The first panel reviewed current DUI law and research. Thomas Nozowitz of the Committee on Revision of the Penal Code outlined California’s DUI penalties, including escalating misdemeanor and felony consequences, ignition interlock device requirements, license suspensions, Watson advisories, and homicide-related offenses. Stephanie Doherty of the Office of Traffic Safety described statewide crash trends, the role of alcohol, drugs, speed, and vulnerable road users, and the state’s Safe System and safety corridor efforts. Dr. Julia Griswold of UC Berkeley presented research supporting systemic interventions such as self-explaining roads, safer speed limits, speed safety cameras, ignition interlocks, sobriety checkpoints, and treatment for chronic offenders; she also noted that many DUI fatalities involve first-time offenders and that punitive measures alone have limited effect on high-risk drivers. Members pressed witnesses on ignition interlocks, speed governors, DUI treatment, diversion, and whether current penalties are strong enough. Several senators, including Archuleta and Blakespear, argued for stronger immediate consequences and better use of in-car technology, while witnesses said chronic offenders often need treatment and that some existing programs may be underused or inconsistently effective. The discussion also touched on data gaps, the need to distinguish alcohol- from drug-involved crashes, and the possibility of allowing diversion for some first-time DUI cases while preserving consequences for repeat offenses. The second panel addressed DMV and court processes. DMV Director Steve Gordon said the department handles mandatory, court-ordered, and administrative actions, and that recent process changes have reduced DMV hearing delays from roughly 170 days to under 70 days in many cases. Judge Lisa Rodriguez explained that county-by-county court practices, case filing delays, sentencing timelines, and paper or mixed electronic systems can slow reporting to DMV, especially for misdemeanors and felonies. She said courts are reviewing reporting requirements, training, and case-management coding to improve transmission of DUI orders, while DMV said it is open to simplification and better coordination but is constrained by aging systems and the motor vehicle account’s financial limits. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• It'll be after hours or, to some clients, 24-7 service, one-on-one, or it could be shared staff.
• So in 2025, the legislature passed that there could now be master's-level licensed psychological practitioners
• And Arkansas was actually one of the first states to sort of take that on and to reopen that license.
• . view, but all that can also be administered by a master's level or a specialist level licensed psychological
• On the licensing board, do you have an update on that?

Committee: All TASK FORCE ON AUTISM

Summary: The Arkansas Legislative Autism Task Force approved the April 1, 2026 meeting minutes and discussed several vacant membership slots, including positions tied to the Arkansas Psychology Board, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, UAMS, and parent or guardian appointments. Members said they would try to fill the vacancies and, if not, include the issue in the legislative report and consider statutory changes in the next General Assembly. The task force then heard from the Developmental Disabilities Provider Association and Civitan Services about DDPA’s role in supporting 80 provider organizations serving more than 13,000 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across 75 counties. They described services such as early intervention day programs, adult day programs, supported employment, intermediate care facilities, work activities, and community/residential waiver services, and said autism falls within the populations they serve. They also shared survey information on services used by older adults with IDD and offered contact information for providers. Members also heard a proposal to amend Act 656 of 2021 to add licensed psychological practitioners as qualified providers for autism waiver-related evaluations. The presenter argued this would reduce wait times, avoid duplicate assessments, and help families access services sooner, while noting that Arkansas Medicaid already pays for some of these evaluations. Task force members and Dr. Scott discussed the roles of psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and the possibility of using training or board oversight to ensure evaluators are properly qualified, with some noting that speech pathologists’ inclusion has historical and clinical roots. The task force also said it still needs a future discussion on fraud, plans to invite the Attorney General’s office, and wants to identify priorities for the 2027 session before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not going to go into each one of those one by one.
• If you need a Microsoft license or an Adobe license, you consume the license.
• You consume the license... ...a Microsoft license or an Adobe license.
• You consume the license, so you get a charge back on your invoice.
• And then the last one is an enterprise-level chargeback.

Committee: Joint Government Finance Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• We can also work on revoking that license.
• And I've talked about one of them previously: public health licensing.
• And I've talked about one of them previously, public health licensing.
• And if we had one that put conversion therapy on their application, I think we would license it.
• uh There's some sort of action taken on the license.

Committee: Senate Director Nominations

Transcript Highlights:

• We found that licensing staff are rarely on site and rely heavily on the facilities' documentation to
• And then three instances where a six-month license was provided and one provisional license.
• The matrix recommends actions based on the risk level associated with the facility's violations.
• No defined process for how to respond to safety issues, no guidance on when to coordinate with licensing
• It is one of the required reporting instances for facilities to let licensing know if they've had a youth

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• So they in turn decided to make one of those penalties a license suspension.
• If they have it at one level in the state and the federal government has it set at a different level,
• We just don't know what they're going to do on the federal level.
• Uh but we do know one the federal level.
• level or to default to hemp on the state level or to default to um<01:22:59.120><c> the</c><01:22:59.360

Committee: House Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, I also just have brief comments on this one.
• Yeah, so on that one, the money is running out. It was the one-time money.
• There's feces on the beds, feces on the floor, feces on patients.
• , the license for the license has been revoked.
• And so I just want to make sure, number one, this person never gets a license again to open another facility

Summary: The Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services heard a series of budget items focused first on the California Department of Aging and then on the Department of Social Services. For Aging, the director reported the state is at the midpoint of the Master Plan for Aging, with about 300 initiatives launched and roughly three-quarters completed, nearly $1 billion invested, and expanded local planning, research, and stakeholder engagement. The committee also discussed HICAP modernization, which would add ongoing funding from the Special HICAP Fund to expand Medicare counseling capacity, and senior meal programs, including support for virtual congregate/to-go meals and the use of prior one-time nutrition investments. The chair raised concerns about federal H.R. 1 and its downstream effects on older adults, food assistance, and other safety-net programs, and the department said its direct budget was not affected but that other programs serving older adults could be under pressure. The committee then reviewed multiple CDSS proposals. These included implementing the federal Medicaid Access Rule by creating a statewide grievance process and critical incident reporting system for IHSS and other home- and community-based services; housing and homelessness programs such as CalWORKs Housing Support, Housing and Disability Advocacy, Home Safe, and Bringing Families Home, where the department described strong outcomes but warned that one-time funding is expiring and services are scaling back; and permanent position authority for the Housing and Homelessness Division. Members also heard about the facility management system modernization for Community Care Licensing, home care services branch solvency and regulation work, child care centers in multifamily housing, the Seizure Emergency Response Act, licensing during emergencies and disasters, the Family Preparedness Plan Act, and social services automation projects including CalSAWS, the enterprise data pipeline, and CalWORKs child support notices. The LAO and Department of Finance generally had no additional comments or were still reviewing several requests. A notable exchange occurred on the Community Care Licensing item, where Senator Grove pressed the department about the Autumn Oaks facility in Tulare County, citing dozens of complaints and severe conditions affecting seniors. The department said it had worked with the county and ombudsman on relocation, was reviewing what went wrong, and had authority to pursue administrative action even after a license surrender. The hearing ended with a stakeholder presentation from the California Association of Area Agencies on Aging supporting a $62.3 million Older Californians Act request, followed by public comment from advocates for housing, Meals on Wheels, HICAP, Home Safe, and H-DAP. The subcommittee adjourned without taking votes, and all items were held open.

Transcript Highlights:

• Driving drunk or on a suspended license.
• in particular on the license suspensions, given how big an impact that can have on people.
• Because we heard one of my colleagues—I thought it was a great idea—is putting a tag on the license.
• So-called points add up on somebody's license.
• Kevin had 14 suspensions on his driver's license.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it just based on people? Is it based on income levels in those community action areas?
• What we're finding on a system level, there's two data points that are helpful if we can peek out with
• child care licensing, just to kind of level set for the whole group.
• information about child care licensing, just to kind of level set for the whole group.
• As you all have already tagged on to, HHS noted that the assisted living license carries very little

Committee: Joint Human Services

Summary: The Human Services Committee met in interim session and first approved the previous meeting minutes before receiving a series of presentations on homelessness and housing stability. Jennifer Henderson of the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency updated members on the new Interagency Council on Homelessness, describing its executive-order mandate to review resources, gather input from stakeholders, identify gaps, and develop recommendations. She said the council’s first work is building a statewide program matrix of existing homeless services and funding sources, with attention to youth, tribal communities, and other vulnerable populations. Members raised concerns about youth homelessness, homeless veterans, and how the council will stay focused on a practical framework rather than getting lost in details. The committee also discussed possible connections to the rural health transformation grant and agreed to continue the topic later in the spring. Beth Olson of Presentation Partners in Housing described the organization’s housing-first model in Cass County and Clay County, including homeless prevention/diversion, housing navigation, and Cooper House, a 42-unit permanent supportive housing building in Fargo. She said the organization focuses on people with long-term and chronic homelessness, many with mental health, addiction, health, domestic violence, and Indigenous identity-related barriers, and reported strong outcomes: 85 of 86 people housed in 2025, 91% still housed after one year, and major reductions in emergency room use, ambulance rides, jail stays, detox days, and shelter use. She also explained that state funding has grown from a small share of the budget to about $1.1 million in state-connected funding for fiscal 2026, largely through contracts tied to supportive services. Members asked about vouchers, rent contributions at Cooper House, length of stay, and whether similar projects could be expanded elsewhere. Andrea Olson of the Community Action Partnership of North Dakota outlined statewide homeless and housing-related services delivered through six community action agencies in all 53 counties. She explained the Community Services Block Grant structure, said housing was identified as the top need in the most recent statewide needs assessment, and described programs including Supportive Services for Veteran Families, North Dakota Homeless Grant services, and Home ARP supportive services. She emphasized that the end of North Dakota Rent Help has increased pressure on the system, that the current $2 million annual homeless grant is far smaller than prior rent-help assistance, and that community action is using case management and financial assistance to move households toward self-sufficiency. Members asked about funding formulas, rural service delivery, and coordination with Presentation Partners to avoid duplication. YouthWorks then began a presentation on youth homelessness, describing services for ages 12 to 24, the special needs of youth and former foster youth, and the organization’s use of federal and state funds to support transitional housing, emergency shelter, maternity housing, and diversion services.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, that is depending on when their renewal of their license. So, if it's a tier one, it is yearly.
• </c> on a full-time teaching license on a full-time teaching license um<01:03:23.280><c> that's</c><01
• Knock on wood, one day, and be able to have an online licensing system that helps expedite licensing
• out on if we were license she's missing out on if we were to<01:28:29.440><c> become</c><01:28:29.760
• </c><01:30:57.360><c> And</c> try and get a tier one license. And try and get a tier one license.

Bills: HF3635 , HF3638

Committee: House Education Policy

Keywords: teacher mobility, interstate compact, licensure, military spouses, education, teacher regulation, teacher qualifications, state sovereignty, educator licensing, paraprofessional credentials, mental health, professional development, data sharing