Transcript Highlights:

• Is there a threshold permit is needed.
• Uh, anyone here in person or online feel free to just speak up too. majority. majority.
• So, our threshold for voting is 80%.
• Um uh Steve majority of us saying yes.
• or one in the majority of us as a five. or one in the majority of us as a five.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not a secret that I oppose the bear hunt, as did, by the way, the vast majority of Floridians based
• Major Bill Holcomb, boating and waterways.
• The law now changes the threshold to establish the zones from preventing harm to preventing significant
• Experts for and reviewing agencies have been instructed as to the new threshold for recommendation of
• beaching anchoring more your grounding or or one of the of the 4 is definitely what is causing the majority

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The majority of our plants in California, specifically in Sacramento, are union plants.
• intention for this bill is California, why would you consider limiting the hobby and husbandry of the majority
• It's hard to prove intent in court, especially to meet the threshold for a felony, for folks to be able
• But the actual issue is the proving of the intent, and especially at the threshold that you have to pass
• As noted, California table grapes are one of the major commodities in the state. want to take more of

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 877 expands Medicaid eligibility thresholds for state funding commitments, compelling taxpayers to
• expands Medicaid eligibility thresholds expands Medicaid eligibility thresholds for<00:13:30.480
• , Cheruino, I'm sorry I might have the wrong bill on this one. 877 expands Medicaid eligibility thresholds
• A major problem, a huge problem, with elder abuse and professionals who take advantage of their position
• A major problem, a huge problem, with elder abuse and professionals who take advantage of their position

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Health and Human Services opened its first hearing of the 2026 session and heard testimony on several bills, with the chair emphasizing one-minute testimony, written submissions, and live streaming. For SB 768, relating to an alternative water source income tax credit, the Department of Taxation said a drafting issue needed clarification on the $500 cap and estimated a revenue loss of $6.8 million per year beginning in fiscal year 2028. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii and the Libertarian Party opposed the bill as an unnecessary subsidy and tax-code complication, while one supporter was noted. A member questioned the size of the projected loss and suggested future analysis of net fiscal impacts and methodology. The committee then heard SB 389, which expands a general excise tax exemption to additional health-related providers and purchases. The Department of Taxation said the change would be a minimal code adjustment but would require public education; the Tax Foundation said the bill should be framed in light of the original physician-shortage rationale for the exemption. The Hawaii National Guard and Aloha Care supported the measure, along with several other organizations and individuals, while the Libertarian Party opposed it as favoritism and tax-code complexity. A member asked about administrative burden and potential tax impact, and the department said it did not yet have a calculation but was working on one. The committee also heard SB 877, which would appropriate funds to increase Medicaid in-home services if federal matching funds are maximized, and SB 1139, which would direct DHS to expand Medicaid eligibility for children from birth to age five regardless of household income. DHS stood on written testimony for both bills, and Aloha Care, the Hawaii Medical Association, disability advocates, children’s advocates, and CARES testified in support, arguing the measures would improve access and family stability. The Libertarian Party opposed both bills, warning of higher long-term costs, entitlement growth, and reduced private-sector options. Members questioned the fiscal and programmatic differences between crisis and warm-line services during discussion of SB 787, a bill to fund a Department of Health warm line; the department said the warm line would serve noncrisis callers more cheaply than crisis staffing, and that about 34.7% of 2024 Hawaii CARES contacts were mild issues that could have been routed to a warm line. Supporters cited mental health needs after the Lahaina wildfire and the affordability crisis, while opponents argued the service duplicated existing resources and expanded government involvement.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, the law allows hospitals to create their own eligibility criteria and assistance thresholds
• You're looking for a threshold at 400% of the federal poverty level.
• If I, $25,000 of income would be the threshold for eligibility.
• The Senate President Spilka has talked about major primary care legislation this session.
• This bill on both the House and Senate sides is a major step forward in helping us to stabilize.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing held a public hearing on a large docket focused on primary care, workforce development, and medical debt. Chairs Cindy Friedman and John Lawn outlined hearing procedures and noted that testimony would be taken on 17 matters. The committee first heard testimony on bills to establish a community health center nurse practitioner residency program and to strengthen mental health centers. Senator Keenan, Rep. Keefe, and health center leaders described the Worcester nurse practitioner residency as a successful pipeline and retention strategy, citing workforce shortages, training needs in community health centers, and the cost of the program. Rep. O’Day also supported the mental health centers bill, saying it would raise payment rates, improve reimbursement for behavioral health services, and help clinics retain staff and expand access. The committee then took testimony on bills to address medical debt through hospital financial assistance reform. The Attorney General’s Office, Health Care for All, Health Law Advocates, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and individual patients supported the measure, arguing that hospital financial assistance policies are inconsistent, hard to find, and difficult to navigate. Witnesses said the bill would standardize eligibility criteria, create a uniform application, improve notice requirements, and expand access to discounted care up to 400% of the federal poverty level. Several personal stories described medical bills being sent to collections, confusion over insurance billing, and the burden of debt on low-income and chronically ill patients. Committee members asked about hospital concerns, the role of the health safety net, and whether the bill addressed root causes of medical debt; testimony emphasized that the proposal was meant to improve transparency and access rather than replace broader insurance reforms. The hearing also focused heavily on “Primary Care for You” legislation, H. 1370 and S. 867, which would increase primary care investment and create a new payment model. Rep. Haggerty, physicians, a patient, community health center leaders, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers described a primary care crisis marked by low reimbursement, staffing shortages, long waits, burnout, and difficulty recruiting clinicians. Supporters said the bills would shift spending toward preventive, team-based care, improve access and equity, and reduce long-term costs. The Massachusetts Association of Health Plans said it was directionally supportive of increased primary care investment but warned that any new spending must stay within the cost growth benchmark and preserve existing contracting structures. The hearing ended with additional testimony on a community health center workforce and loan repayment grant bill from Rep. Stanley, and with further discussion from Dr. Alan Garo about the need for payment reform in primary care.

Transcript Highlights:

• year, around 75% of the errors that we see in Oklahoma are client-caused, and I don't think the majority
• Those individuals still have to meet the income threshold, but would no longer be required to meet the
• Very much, and so unless we're right at 5.9 or 6.1 or 7.9 or like right on that threshold, we'll have
• So, the majority of cases right now that we spend our time in investigations is the Department of Human
• OK, because it is a major issue in the state and in the country.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, I am presenting House Bill 1127, a bill aimed at improving child welfare by addressing three major
• So a major driver of, of course, is, you know, in an ideal world with a magic wand we'd got a trillion
• and above a certain threshold.
• Then if a particular provider has a certain threshold, does that cause ACA to intervene to...
• Representative Steele then asked one last question: whether the majority of the stop loss policies that

Summary: The Health Care Budget Subcommittee took up two bills and then continued oversight discussions with APD and AHCA. CS/HB 27, the Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact, was presented as a way to let Florida social workers practice in other compact states and vice versa; AARP, the Florida Chamber, and NASW Florida supported it, and the bill passed favorably. HB 1127, a child welfare bill, would create a treatment foster care pilot for children with high behavioral needs, improve DCF data collection on commercially sexually exploited children, and expand recruitment for protective investigators and case managers; the bill also passed favorably after brief supportive testimony. The committee then questioned APD at length about the iBudget waiver waitlist, enrollment pace, spending projections, and provider capacity. APD said it had sent more than 1,100 interest letters in categories 3, 4, and 5, enrolled 1,124 people so far this year, and expects to spend about 96.4% of its waiver appropriation, leaving roughly $82 million unspent. Members pressed APD on why prior discussions suggested more reserve was needed, how long the SANS process takes, whether category 6 could be expanded, and whether the agency has enough waiver support coordinators and direct support providers. APD said it has about 1,061 waiver support coordinators statewide, adequate capacity for current enrollees, but would need further analysis if the legislature directed a much larger enrollment increase. Members also asked about outreach, annual maintenance of the waitlist, portability for military families, and whether communication efforts should be privatized. Finally, AHCA walked the committee through the 2023 Achieved Savings Rebate (ASR) report for Aetna and explained how the report is used for financial monitoring, rebate calculations, and transparency. AHCA said the ASR is separate from the medical loss ratio (MLR) calculation, though both are reviewed, and that Florida uses the ASR mechanism rather than an MLR remittance requirement to recover funds from plans. Members asked about related-party disclosures, CVS/Caremark relationships, expanded benefits, encounter data, network adequacy penalties, denials and appeals reporting, interest earned on capitation payments, and whether rate increases were reaching providers. AHCA and the outside auditors said they review the plans’ reported data, reconcile it to underlying records, and can assess liquidated damages for network adequacy violations; several members requested follow-up data on rebates, interest, provider capacity, and related-party reporting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Therefore, I'll jump first right to the appropriation because that was the major change which came before
• The speaker said the issue is where the threshold is when it becomes part of a job description.
• is is when it becomes part of threshold is is when it becomes part of a<01:20:04.239> job<01:
• threshold to qualify for EFA funding. threshold to qualify for EFA funding.
• never taken it's that the vast majority never taken it's that the vast majority of<02:41:28.240>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• How can we ensure that evaluations for all of these major investments are in place, and how can we keep
• shortages, we examined the latest data on shortages in the state and also the uptake of the state's major
• And depending upon the curriculum at the university, being a math major or a physics major while taking
• Where I think the LAO is raising a good point is, is 55 percent, which is the current threshold.
• The threshold we should be utilizing to focus these efforts.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Corporate structure probably is not good for our major infrastructure.
• I would say so for the majority of the 2108 vulnerabilities, yes.
• They'll be over the large-load threshold.
• They'll be over the the large load 4761 threshold.
• And or maybe they're just going to do a 4762 threshold.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce held its first interim hearing on securing critical infrastructure and supply chain integrity, with a focus on Texas’s electric grid and the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act. The chair also highlighted Texas’s relatively low electricity prices and welcomed new committee members. ERCOT, the Public Utility Commission (PUC), and the Attorney General’s office were invited to explain how the state screens market participants and grid equipment for ties to China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and how the agencies respond to noncompliance. ERCOT testified that it has implemented the requirements of three related Senate bills by requiring attestations on corporate affiliations and on critical grid equipment and services. ERCOT said it has processed thousands of attestations, used additional requests for information and third-party verification tools such as Dun & Bradstreet, and terminated nonresponsive market participants. ERCOT also said it has not seen a case requiring direct Attorney General involvement, but it does refer matters to the PUC when needed. The PUC said it can investigate suspected violations and impose penalties of up to $1 million per violation per day, and that most investigations into late or missing attestations have been resolved through compliance, market exit, or removal by ERCOT. The Attorney General’s office said its role is currently limited to audits and court involvement, and that it lacks broad independent investigatory authority under the act. Members pressed the panel on whether the current system is too reliant on self-reporting and whether it adequately addresses indirect foreign influence, especially through supply chains for batteries, inverters, transformers, and other equipment with routable connectivity. ERCOT acknowledged that the current attestation process has gaps and said it plans to refine definitions of critical grid equipment and grid services, improve information requests, and continue stakeholder rulemaking. The panel also discussed possible legislative changes, including tying prohibitions to the Department of Defense Section 1260H list and the Texas Prohibited Technologies list, clarifying warranty and service access, and expanding the statute to cover grid services more directly. Several senators raised concerns about cost, reliability, and the extent to which foreign-sourced components remain embedded in Texas infrastructure, while others suggested incentives for domestic manufacturing and stronger verification tools, including possible work with national labs such as Sandia.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's not the majority. Children, one five or under and one 15 or over.
• That's not the majority of people who would be affected.
• Because the 12th step teaches you a major, important principle.
• So I want to talk a little bit today, then, about the voting threshold.
• SB 1296 changes the threshold for certification and recertification elections from a majority of those

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognized several introductions and memorials, including a resolution designating August 9, 2026, as Bob Graham Day and a moment of silence for firefighter Roger Timmy Miley. The chamber then moved through a long special-order calendar, with several bills substituted with House companions and adopted by voice vote or recorded vote. Early measures included a tax conformity bill tied to federal Internal Revenue Code changes, which passed 34-0, and a Medicaid/public assistance bill that drew extensive debate over work requirements, fraud reduction, behavioral health services, and SNAP/EBT reforms. Amendments offered by Senators Berman and Osgood to condition or soften the work and photo-ID provisions were rejected, and the underlying bill was placed on the third-reading calendar after lengthy questioning about implementation, exemptions, and eligibility effects. The Senate also passed bills on computer science education and AI instruction, a Parkinson’s disease registry public-records exemption and registry update, designation of the SS American Victory as Florida’s official state flagship, electronic payments for local governments, repeal of the legal-tender sunset for gold and silver, public-records protections for gold/silver custodians and stablecoin-related entities, a Florida stablecoin pilot program, and local government budget transparency/spending measures. Most of these measures were adopted after minor amendments or technical substitutions, with votes generally ranging from 31-3 to 34-0. The chamber also recognized the Florida Channel’s 30 years of legislative coverage. Later, the Senate approved a digital voyeurism bill expanding the reasonable-expectation-of-privacy definition to include private fenced yards, and an insurance customer representative licensing bill allowing high school students to complete insurance/personal finance coursework and later qualify for licensure. The final major item was a medical freedom bill that would expand parental vaccine information requirements, add a conscience-based exemption to immunization mandates, allow behind-the-counter ivermectin for adults, and repeal the sunset on the mRNA mandate prohibition; two amendments clarifying anti-kickback rules and requiring vaccine information to include risks, benefits, safety, and efficacy were adopted, while questions from Senators Smith and Massullo focused on public-health impacts and the content of the required materials. The transcript ends during discussion of that bill, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• The college is facing a major environmental remediation effort that is not optional.
• c> expense,<00:15:47.360> which<00:15:47.600> is<00:15:47.760> the to the major
• expense, which is the to the major expense, which is the comprehensive<00:15:48.560> cleanup<
• Maybe you're just going to lower that threshold even more at schools in terms of the amount of uh work
• , taking a few prerequisites before they're fully admitted to the major. strategy in improving their

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I voted for it to lower the threshold to allow for the death penalty.
• , not a vast majority.
• They're the ones who told us this is the vast majority of students.
• It is the vast majority of students.
• But the majority of my voters, the vast majority of my constituents, Democrats and Republicans in Northwest

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the pledge, and a moment of silence honoring former Senator and Judge Thomas Gallen. The chamber then moved to special order items focused on immigration and related enforcement measures. Senate Memorial 6C, urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide guidance and training for 287(g) agreements, passed by voice vote. The Senate then took up Senate Bill 4C, an immigration measure that would impose a mandatory death penalty for unauthorized aliens convicted of capital felonies and create state crimes for illegal entry and re-entry. Senators Pizzo, Polsky, and Sharief raised concerns about constitutional issues, plea bargaining, trial and penalty-phase procedures, prosecutorial discretion, and the effect on victims’ families. Supporters, including Senators Fine and Gruters, argued the bill was a strong deterrent and a response to serious crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. The bill passed 25-11. The chamber next debated Senate Bill 2C, a broader immigration enforcement package. The bill would create a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, expand local-federal cooperation, fund detention and enforcement efforts, strengthen pretrial detention rules for unauthorized aliens, and end in-state tuition waivers for undocumented students. Senators Davis and Pizzo questioned enforcement mechanics, jurisdiction, bond procedures, and whether local agencies were actually mandated to participate; supporters said the bill was designed to maximize cooperation with federal authorities and the Trump administration. A late-filed amendment by Senator Pizzo to preserve tuition waivers for current students failed 14-22, and a second amendment was withdrawn after discussion. Debate then continued on the bill, with opponents arguing it was costly, federal in nature, and harmful to Dreamers and other students, while supporters said it was necessary to crack down on illegal immigration and align state policy with federal enforcement priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• the sort of competitiveness question, which is a totally fair one, many states, if not the vast majority
• the sort of competitiveness question, which is a totally fair one, many states, if not the vast majority
• The thresholds applicable are 50 and 100 megawatts of power. Those are enormous.
• Pennsylvania, where we get the majority of our power, they're signing on new businesses every single
• in parts one, two, and three—not that it would... ...thresholds in parts one, two, and three.

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on energy, public safety, and environmental cleanup. House Bill 455 would create a historic preservation license plate to raise funds and awareness for Delaware preservation efforts, and House Bill 471 would tighten rules and penalties for off-highway vehicles on shared private roads, with golf carts excluded. House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill 439, the Truth in E-Bike Marketing Act, would require clearer disclosures when selling electric mopeds and electric motorcycles so consumers understand classification, power, and licensing/insurance requirements. House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill 407, related to the Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act and brownfields, would shift funding for brownfield cleanup from the original realty transfer tax approach to a dedicated share of the hazardous substance cleanup fund and raise civil penalties for fraudulent acts. The committee also approved the June 18, 2026 minutes once quorum was reached. Most of the meeting centered on House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill 233, as amended, a large-load/data center bill intended to protect ratepayers from costs tied to massive new electricity users. The sponsor and Public Advocate said PJM’s warnings about a coming reliability backstop auction made it urgent to establish a Delaware framework now, requiring large energy users to sign utility agreements, cover their share of transmission, distribution, and capacity costs, and comply with curtailment and other protections. Supporters from environmental groups and some labor and business voices said the bill was needed to prevent cost shifts to households and small businesses, while opponents argued it was being rushed, could deter investment, and might unintentionally affect other industries; several asked for more time and clearer definitions. No vote was taken in the portion provided. The committee also took up House Bill 470, which would authorize Delmarva Power, with PSC approval, to build and operate utility-owned battery storage and spread costs across the customer base. The sponsor and Delmarva said the bill would improve reliability quickly and help avoid outages, while the chair expressed concern that the state had not yet fully studied whether utility-owned or competitively procured storage is the best model, noting a recent SEU storage study and broader policy questions. Supporters said utility storage could be deployed faster and help with peak shaving, while others urged a competitive process; the transcript cuts off before any final action on HB 470.

Transcript Highlights:

• Actually, one of them is kind of major.
• Actually, one of them is kind of major.
• The best example would be Oklahoma because Oklahoma didn't have a 2/3 majority requirement.
• And yeah, I agree not many things do require a 2/3 majority vote.
• but that twothird vote majority but that twothird vote majority threshold<01:59:25.679> is

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with a call of the Senate, prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance, then established a quorum and moved to messages from the House. The chamber received several House-passed Senate files, including SF 2814 (real estate appraisers), SF 3637 (transportation), and SF 4244 (technical corrections), and took up SF 1714 on payment transparency and public contracts. The Senate concurred in the House amendments to SF 1714, advanced it to third reading, and then passed the bill 65-0. The Senate also received House amendments to SF 3432 on public safety, but instead of concurring, it voted to send the bill to a five-member conference committee. The Senate likewise agreed to a conference committee request on HF 4188, a commerce bill dealing with consumer protections for insurance and financial products. The Senate then handled additional House messages and routine business, including first reading of several House files and adoption of committee reports. A committee report on SF 453, relating to thermal energy networks as public improvements and water works, recommended amendment and passage under Senate Concurrent Resolution 6, and the report was adopted except for the referenced resolution item. The chamber also completed second readings of several Senate bills and one House bill, and approved a motion to withdraw SF 4464 from the Committee on State and Local Government and return it to the author. The main floor debate centered on HF 1141, the housing finance and policy omnibus. Senator Port described the bill as focused on affordability, including $50 million in housing infrastructure bonds, greater Minnesota infrastructure grants, manufactured housing protections, limits on large institutional investors buying single-family homes, and increased oversight of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. The Senate adopted several amendments, including a technical A12 amendment, A7 to dedicate $5 million of bonding to manufactured home park improvements, and A4 on manufactured housing protections such as rent receipts and longer move-out time after eviction. Senator Abler then offered A14, which would limit rent increases in certain non-market-rate, tax-credit housing for seniors to CPI-based increases; supporters framed it as a humanitarian measure for elderly residents facing steep rent hikes, while opponents raised concerns about rent control, the scope of the amendment, and the need for more detail. The transcript ends during continued debate on A14, with no final vote shown on that amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that might just be because the thresholds and the standards around our unrelated-occupancy table
• The majority of the recovery homes around are single-family or two-family homes.
• of the the recovery uh the majority of the the recovery homes<01:13:49.360> around<01:13:49.639
• of homes in New Hampshire are majority of homes in New Hampshire are uh<01:16:13.239> not<01:
• Also, the threshold for congregate living in many zoning ordinances is typically aligned with a fire

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, the Guam model doesn't use an economic threshold.
• It uses an activity threshold for participation.
• is subsidizing the larger scale of the industry and doing so at the cost of benefits to the vast majority
• Setting an acreage threshold that is too high or beyond that limit effectively eliminates participation
• Setting an acreage threshold that is too high or beyond that limit effectively eliminates participation

Bills: SB2319, SB2407, SB2489, SB2153, SB2321, SB2805, SB3010, SB2892, SB2595, SB2781

Keywords: agriculture, biosecurity, grant funding, food security, climate resiliency, agricultural development, Hawaii Island, property manager, agribusiness, state employment, invasive species, lease provisions, environment, food safety, farmers, local food systems, rural development, livestock, forage grasses, pest management

Transcript Highlights:

• That bridge is over 100 years old, yet it is a major conduit for folks in the Lower Ninth Ward, in St
• And it effectively prohibits the use of the imposed fees on small aircraft at or below that weight threshold
• it effectively prohibits the use of the imposed fees on smaller aircraft at or below that weight threshold

Bills: HCR32, HCR53, HCR60, HCR68, HB582, HB730, HB762

Keywords: Saint Claude Avenue Bridge, Port of New Orleans, backup motors, infrastructure, traffic management, oversized vehicles, permitting, economic impact, transportation, local regulations, Louisiana economy, Interstate 12, I-12, Interstate 55, I-55 interchange, DOTD, Department of Transportation and Development, D.R.I.V.E. Initiative, highway infrastructure, transportation planning

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:46:24.560> of overlap but like I said the majority of overlap but like I said the majority
• <00:50:38.240> theme that this is going to be a major theme that this is going to be a major
• And that's kind of the thresholds that I think of when I think of the term availability.
• that's kind of the where the thresholds that's kind of the where the thresholds that<00:59:37.280
• Especially since the major storms that?

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So we do issue notices of action in all of our threshold languages.
• So they're much based on their threshold languages.
• Los Angeles County is a majority throughout the state, almost 40% of the caseload.
• The various increases in the major eligibility populations that we're serving.
• This is not really changing that threshold very much. Judy, thoughts on that? Yeah.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The subcommittee heard an overview of the governor’s IHSS budget proposals and then took public testimony from the administration, LAO, county representatives, labor, consumer advocates, and an aging/disability advocacy group. The administration described IHSS as a large Medi-Cal long-term services program serving more than 900,000 recipients and proposed three changes: shifting some growth costs tied to authorized hours per case to counties, eliminating the statewide backup provider system, and aligning IHSS terminations with Medi-Cal terminations. The administration also discussed the earlier CFCO reassessment penalty change for counties and said overdue reassessments had dropped significantly. LAO said the governor’s overall IHSS cost estimates appeared reasonable, but raised concerns about the hours-per-case cost shift, including unclear root causes for growth, limited county control over statewide averages, and uncertainty about the eventual savings. County Welfare Directors Association, SEIU, and consumer/advocacy witnesses opposed the hours cost shift, arguing counties use state tools, the proposal would pressure counties to cut services, and it could harm older adults and people with disabilities by increasing institutionalization and shifting costs elsewhere. The chair and members repeatedly questioned the rationale for the proposal, the lack of a defined baseline, and whether the current assessment tools or MOE structure should instead be revisited. On the backup provider system, the administration said the program is underused and costly to administer relative to service spending, while LAO suggested the Legislature consider whether administrative costs could be reduced instead of eliminating it. County, labor, and consumer witnesses opposed the cut, saying the system is a critical emergency safety net even if utilization is low, especially for rural areas and people with complex needs. Members also asked about data quality, county backup systems, and whether consumers know the program exists. On the Medi-Cal/IHSS alignment proposal, the administration said automation would stop General Fund-only spending when recipients lose Medi-Cal and restore IHSS automatically when Medi-Cal is regained; LAO and others noted the proposal had been rejected before and urged better notices and safeguards. Witnesses warned that automatic termination could create gaps in care and unpaid work for providers, while the department said counties already manually terminate in some cases and that automation is ready if approved. No votes were taken in the excerpt, and the chair indicated the committee would continue with public comment and later items before a hard adjournment time.