Transcript Highlights:

• And members, this is a work in progress.
• We will continue to work on this.
• We don't know if it's going to work.
• Gino and crew, outstanding work.
• Gino and crew, outstanding work.

Bills: S0598, S0934, S1260, S1300, S1452, S1510, S1566, S1580, S1668, S7034

Keywords: funeral homes, cemetery law, cremation, embalmer, funeral director, preneed contract, preneed funeral, human remains, unclaimed cremated remains, disposition of remains, hospice, palliative care, end-of-life care, direct disposal, mortuary science, funeral service arts, licensure by endorsement, cemetery license, contiguous acres, consumer services

Summary: The committee first took up appointments, recommending confirmation of James Patrick Grambling and Brian J. Aungst on a single favorable vote. It then heard and approved several committee bills, including CS/CS/SB 1260 on building code inspections, which directs the Department of Management Services to contract with private providers for plan review and inspections; CS/SB 1668 on NICA, which updates benefits, oversight, funding, and immunity language; SB 1300 on a workforce/CDL training program for selected nonviolent inmates; CS/CS/SB 598 on funeral and cemetery services; CS/SB 1580 on illegal gaming enforcement; CS/SB 934 on Florida Keys affordable housing tax exemptions; and CS/CS/SB 1452, an agency bill updating DFS programs and licensing rules. Each of those bills was reported favorably after committee debate and, in several cases, amendments were adopted. The committee spent substantial time on CS/CS/SB 1510, the DEP package, which reorganizes environmental rulemaking and land acquisition authority, expands septic-to-sewer and nutrient-reduction requirements in sensitive areas, updates stormwater and resilience provisions, and revises related permitting and grant programs. Two amendments were adopted, including one adding solar-energy and stormwater-related provisions and another removing septic disclosure reporting language. Testimony included support from DEP and concerns from environmental advocates about septic timelines and implementation. The bill was ultimately reported favorably. The committee also considered CS/CS/SB 1566 on local government budget transparency, requiring counties and municipalities to post budgets and related materials online for extended periods in a standardized format. The League of Cities opposed the bill as an unfunded mandate, while the sponsor argued it would improve taxpayer access and accountability; the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard SB 7034, a rule ratification for minimum flows and levels for the lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers and priority springs, with testimony focused on the proposed Water First restoration strategy, conservation measures, and concerns about water quality, funding, and local opposition. The transcript ends during closing remarks on that ratification bill, before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to work—” Representative Murray said, “I want to work with you, Representative Adams, to get this
• The member said it was private, but they took it on, moved it under public works, and public works began
• I’d work on it and work on it with you.” Another member said, “Okay. All right.”
• There were previous bills related to monuments filed in the past that mandated, mandated that they had
• to keep a monument. monuments filed in the past that mandated, mandated that they had to keep a monument

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The House Municipal Committee met at 12:09 p.m. with a quorum present and heard several local government bills. HB 990 by Rep. Lyons, supported by Jefferson Parish, would extend lien/privilege authority for unpaid sewerage and water service charges to Jefferson Parish, including issues involving multifamily properties with master meters. After questions about tenant impacts and administrative burden, the committee reported the bill favorably with no objection. HB 1087 by Rep. Adams, authorizing the City of Zachary to use certain inmates to cut grass in a private cemetery, drew significant concern from members about using unpaid prison labor on private property, the lack of clear ownership/contact with the cemetery board, and whether the property should instead be acquired or otherwise addressed. After discussion, the author withdrew the motion and the committee voluntarily deferred the bill to a later meeting. HB 893 by Rep. Knox, concerning the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, and HB 1007, creating the Foeberg Nouveau-Marine Improvement District in New Orleans Parish, were both reported favorably without objection. HB 1153 by Rep. Coates would allow parishes and municipalities to declare and enforce burn bans. The committee adopted amendments clarifying publication, lifting bans when risk subsides, and adjusting penalties, and then reported the bill favorably as amended. HB 1215 by Rep. Baham, dealing with the disposition of removed historical statues and monuments through the Lieutenant Governor’s Office of State Parks, was amended to require coordination rather than imposing costs solely on local governments, but members raised concerns about fiscal impact, local zoning authority, and the need for the lieutenant governor’s staff; the bill was voluntarily deferred for two weeks. HB 362 by Rep. Newell creating the Regency Park Townhomes Crime Prevention and Security District was reported favorably, while HB 484 on the New Orleans Regional Business Park was deferred after confusion over a proposed amendment and board appointment changes. Several other bills and resolutions were also deferred, and the committee adjourned after announcing the next agenda would include the deferred items.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 2233 does not expand benefits or mandate new services.
• I work with a single mother raising two children, both authorized to receive ABA services.
• She works multiple jobs to support her household.
• There are times when work obligations require her to cancel a session.
• Because this law is actually mandating it.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• embraces that experience as a formative experience of her own and something that really defines her work
• Americans and the Irish have learned from those experiences, and again we try to apply them to our work
• As president of the American Irish Legislators Society, I'm happy to work with leaders in this chamber
• I have a bill, of course, that prohibits the mandate that requires school districts to purchase, operate
• I HAVE A BILL OF COURSE THAT PROHIBITS THE MANDATE THAT REQUIRES SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO PURCHASE OPERATE

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate met on March 13, 2026, approved the prior day’s journal, received a message discharging Assembly Bill 2330 from committee and substituting identical Senate Bill 5843, and welcomed visiting delegations from Connecticut. The chamber also adopted privileged resolution J.1753, honoring Saint Patrick and Irish Americans and memorializing the Governor to proclaim March 2026 as Irish American Heritage Month. Senators Kavanagh and Fahy spoke in support, emphasizing Irish heritage, immigration, public service, and the St. Patrick’s Day tradition; the resolution was adopted and opened for co-sponsorship. The Senate then acted on a series of bills on the calendar. Measures passed included bills by Senators Hinchey, Comrie, Skoufis, Stavisky, Sanders, Kavanagh, Gianaris, Cleare, and others, with several receiving unanimous support and a few drawing recorded negative votes. Senator Fernandez’s education bill related to placing opioid antagonists with AEDs and first aid kits in schools passed 60-1 after supportive remarks from Senators Oberacker and Fernandez. A bill authorizing a study on lithium-ion battery fires also passed unanimously, with Senators Borrello and Weik explaining affirmative votes while urging caution about electric bus mandates. The most debated item was Calendar 446, Senator May’s bill directing the Department of Economic Development to move the Central New York Welcome Center from Destiny USA to the Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn. Senator Walczyk questioned the move’s cost, location, visitor traffic, and local support, arguing Destiny USA was the better site; Senator May responded that the state had built the Auburn facility and should provide sustainable operating support. The bill passed 47-15. The Senate then completed the controversial calendar and adjourned until Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Let's work with our providers.
• Let's work with our providers.
• To his co-prime's point, RTD just isn't working well and hasn't worked for a really long time.
• hasn't worked for a really long time. hasn't worked for a really long time.
• who<00:43:33.280> want<00:43:33.520> to working with working people who want to working

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That'll work. Would you be? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. That'll work. Okay.
• So, of course, this is work that the, So, of course, this is work that the task force has been working
• Okay, so going back to, as I stated before, this is the work that we've been working on for the past
• I mean, it is the greatest work. It is the most important work we do in the state.
• I'm working with the secretary.

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 135, which would redirect a portion of wagering dedications from the sports fund to the Louisiana Early Childhood Education Fund and remove a cap affecting that funding stream. The author and staff explained the amendment was designed to avoid any impact on the State General Fund while increasing support for early childhood education. The committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably as amended. Senate Bill 202, from the Secretary of State’s office, would increase the number of compensated days for parish board of election supervisors to cover additional election-related duties. Secretary Landry and election officials testified that the change was needed because supervisors now perform more work, including ballot tabulation, machine sealing, and verification tasks. The committee adopted technical and appropriation-related amendments and reported the bill favorably as amended. The committee then took up several health and human services bills. Senate Bill 155 would require insurance coverage for medically necessary dental procedures needed before cancer treatment; testimony from medical and dental professionals emphasized that untreated dental problems can delay chemotherapy or radiation and worsen outcomes. After adopting amendments to narrow the fiscal impact, the bill was reported favorably as amended, with discussion of a possible subject-to-appropriation amendment to be worked out later. Senate Bill 237, a major DCFS reform bill, drew extensive testimony and debate over child welfare oversight, mandatory reporter training, law enforcement coordination, and the bill’s large fiscal note. The committee adopted amendments, including a subject-to-appropriation provision, and reported the bill favorably as amended after emotional testimony from supporters and former DCFS employees. The committee also advanced Senate Bill 465 on prompt-pay insurance reform after an amendment reduced the fiscal note to zero; Senate Bill 261 on unclaimed property after a substitute bill was adopted; Senate Bill 295 on expanded coverage for traumatic brain injury rehabilitation after amendments narrowed the mandate and added subject-to-appropriation language; Senate Bill 157 providing six weeks of paid parental leave for K-12 educators and staff, also subject to appropriation; Senate Bill 276 requiring bail bond producers to certify outstanding obligations before new appointments; Senate Bill 83 on human trafficking services after removing the age-expansion cost; Senate Bill 143 on bulletproof vests after shifting funding away from a direct state appropriation; and Senate Bill 450 on school safety assessments after an amendment limited implementation to available funds and resources. In each case, the committee’s actions focused on reducing or eliminating fiscal notes while keeping the bills moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• PERA worked on it, the city worked on it.
• with how payrolls work and reporting with how payrolls work and reporting works<01:14:43.520>
• mandate.
• This is literally a mandate mandate.
• Um the DE1 uh work group or the uh work group set forth in the DE1 is patterned after the work that we

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The committee first approved the April 14, 2026 meeting minutes without objection. It then took up Senate File 4860 / House File 4812, the St. Paul Teachers Retirement Fund Association bill, which would reduce the employee contribution rate for coordinated members from 9% to 8% starting after June 30, 2026, raise the retiree COLA from 1% to 1.5% beginning January 1, 2027, and increase the state-funded employer contribution by 2.7%. Staff said the bill’s cost is just over $12 million per year over 15 years. Representative Lilly said the bill was intended to bring parity to St. Paul teachers after prior work in this area left some behind. Several St. Paul teachers testified in support, describing financial strain, burnout, and the difficulty of balancing teaching with family responsibilities. Hannah Geimer said the 1% contribution change would make a meaningful difference in her budget as a single parent. Eric Erickson said he and his wife have spent decades working extra hours and coaching, and argued that St. Paul educators pay more and receive less in retirement than other teachers. Arzoo Faroozan Yazdani, a Central High teacher, said the higher contribution rate and lower COLA make it hard to stay in the district and raise a family. Lisa Hodek said teachers are undercompensated for the demands of the job and that the pension disparity has created frustration and a sense of betrayal. Phil Tensic, the SPTRFA director, summarized the request as seeking an 8% contribution and 1.5% COLA to match TRA, and noted that the plan’s members are spread across legislative districts, not just in St. Paul. Members discussed the history behind the pension disparity. Senator Nelson questioned whether “parity” was the right term given the plan’s funding problems and the legacy of the “big red box,” referring to past underfunding. Tensic and Senator Pappas explained that the state had previously allowed St. Paul schools not to contribute for a period of years, that supplemental district and state aid began in 2018, and that the plan is projected to be amortized by 2039 and must be paid off by 2048. Members also noted that the bill and related pension proposals depend on available funding; Representative O’Driscoll and others said no final financing agreement had been reached, though leadership was continuing discussions. The committee received letters of support from Education Minnesota, the St. Paul Federation of Educators, and 40 individual supporters. No final vote on the bill was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, the committee amendments mandate that certain criteria listed in 0.3 of your caucus sheet must
• As amended, mandates Access cover diagnosis and treatment of mild obstructive sleep apnea, including
• As amended, mandates Access cover diagnosis and treatment of mild obstructive sleep apnea, including
• appropriation for this for people, so unfunded mandate.
• do the work by keeping us laughing and keeping joy on the floor.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The meeting was a caucus review of a large slate of House and Senate bills, with staff giving short descriptions and members flagging a few concerns. Topics included veterans’ services and courts, child care grants, midwife medication authority, home- and community-based services funding, EMS reciprocity, prescription monitoring, electronic monitoring in care facilities, pregnancy resource center funding, mental health transportation, Access coverage for mild obstructive sleep apnea, school spending requirements, mobile home park training, local government investment pools, task order contract posting, tourism improvement areas, child welfare and kinship placement, neglect standards, family court evidence, prostate cancer cost sharing, assisted living hearings, manufactured home installer licensing, supervised parenting time, vulnerable adult trespass penalties, uranium contamination monitoring, a gas and petroleum refinery study committee, and state park fee exemptions for veterans. Several bills were described as unanimous or on consent, while others drew objections or were noted as controversial. Members raised privacy concerns about electronic monitoring in nursing homes, due process and rural capacity concerns about restricting police transport for mental health patients, opposition to pregnancy resource center appropriations, concerns about environmental review for power plant replacement, and questions about the Access sleep apnea mandate as potentially favoring vendors. Some bills were noted as having committee amendments, including changes to appropriations, eligibility criteria, reporting requirements, and definitions. No floor votes were taken in the transcript itself; instead, the chair repeatedly noted whether bills were unanimous, on consent, or had split votes in committee. The caucus also heard brief announcements about an upcoming breakfast with the CAP director, a Latino Caucus meeting, and an Affordability Award presented to Representative Volk, after which the caucus adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:05:12.880> So, mandates and without new taxes. So, mandates and without new taxes.
• I'll work on an amendment.
• Again, that's a path that would work.
• We're happy to work with the now.
• Um all we're 20 years doesn't work.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I will continue to work.
• But again, appreciate the work of Origins Council and some of the amendments, and we will be working
• The bridge still remains unlit to this day, and somebody who worked on this bridge and working with the
• Flora for their hard work on this.
• I was deep into the work of becoming an architect, but without a name for that work.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I've worked with on this.
• But we as legislators are mandating what God did not mandate.
• are mandating what God did not mandate. are mandating what God did not mandate.
• Faith thrives through example, not<02:21:39.600> mandates. not mandates. not mandates.
• her working on this.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I also say, we already have an E-Verify mandate.
• And I also say, we already have any verified mandate. We passed any verified mandate.
• I believe. this bad bill and I also say we already have any verified mandate we passed any verified mandate
• Who were they working for? What dime were they on?
• Workers that work in the service industry are some of the hardest-working people in the state that I

Summary: The committee first took up HB 703 on utility relocation, as amended by a strike-all. The sponsor said the bill would require government authorities that order communication service providers to move infrastructure to pay the relocation costs, clarify expedited timelines, and align the House bill with the Senate version. Supporters argued the communication services tax should help cover these costs, while cities and counties warned the bill would shift major unfunded costs to local governments and taxpayers, especially in fiscally constrained counties. After public testimony from local government and industry representatives and debate over fairness, coordination, and the tax’s intended use, the committee adopted the strike-all and then passed the bill favorably on a roll call vote. The committee then heard and passed CS/HB 379, a securities package updating Chapter 517. The bill and conforming amendment made several technical and policy changes, including expanding certain exemptions, updating foreign jurisdiction and exchange considerations, revising merger-and-acquisition broker rules, aligning fingerprinting requirements with FBI standards, and adding protections related to financial exploitation of specified adults. Industry and Office of Financial Regulation witnesses supported the measure, and the committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably without opposition. Next, the committee passed CS/HB 867 establishing the Coastal Link Commuter Rail Service Act to create a legal framework for commuter rail operations along Florida’s coastal corridor and to help Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties secure insurance and indemnification for service on the Florida East Coast Railway right-of-way. The Florida Chamber supported the bill, and it was reported favorably without debate. The committee also passed CS/HB 1161, which revises Florida’s deepfake law to require covered platforms to remove altered sexual depictions and copies upon request by the victim; the bill drew emotional testimony from a student victim and broad support from members, and a severability amendment was adopted before the bill passed unanimously. The committee then passed CS/HB 453 on pool and spa contractors, which updates Chapter 489 terminology and scope-of-practice rules and, through amendment, limits certain equipment to commercially available products. Finally, the committee passed HB 955 requiring all private employers to use E-Verify for new hires, removing the small-employer exemption. Supporters framed it as workforce integrity and rule-of-law legislation, while opponents warned about labor shortages, burdens on small businesses, and impacts on immigrant workers. After debate, the bill passed 19-3. The committee then began hearing CS/HB 541 on minimum wage requirements, which would allow voluntary waivers of minimum wage for certain internships, pre-apprenticeships, and on-the-job training; the sponsor presented an amendment limiting the duration and clarifying minor waivers, and the committee heard both support from small business groups and opposition from labor, immigrant, and worker advocates before the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• I raced to the daycare and called Hunter frantically to get home as he was working on the other side
• on the other side of the working on the other side of the country.
• allowed to ever work with children again.
• This work started last session. We established safeguards for the data that these cameras retain.
• This mandates a closed-circuit networks.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: State Representative Nolan West announced “Harvey’s Law,” a proposal to require child care centers that receive state funding through CCAP, early learning scholarships, or Great Start compensation to install cameras in infant and toddler rooms and retain footage for 28 days. West said the bill is an expansion of portions of House File 1915 passed last year, arguing that cameras are needed for transparency, accountability, and child safety, and that waiting for a maltreatment violation before requiring cameras is too late. He also said the measure is aimed at centers rather than family child care, and that he would like to see cameras more broadly but is focusing this bill on state-funded centers. West and Harvey’s parents, Catherine and Hunter Mucklebust, described Harvey’s death at daycare and said cameras could have revealed earlier abuse, prevented later harm, and led to stronger accountability. They said they believe Harvey would still be alive if cameras had been installed, and that even if the bill does not pass in full, any step toward cameras would be meaningful. A statement from Blaine Police Captain Mark Borboom was read, saying a 2024 child care abuse investigation showed how a 7-day retention period can cause critical evidence to be lost and that cameras are about transparency and protection, not surveillance. During questions, West addressed privacy and cybersecurity concerns, saying the bill uses closed-circuit systems, access controls, and audit logs, and that cybersecurity experts would testify at the committee hearing. He said the main opposition is the risk of hacking, but he believes child safety outweighs that concern. West also clarified that the bill discussed at a separate 3:00 hearing was a different measure related to CCAP fraud and attendance verification, not Harvey’s Law. The Mucklebusts said they expect a long legislative process but remain committed to pushing the bill forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:05:26.840> with childhood music program we work with childhood music program we work with
• to use music and we know that it works to use music and we know that it works because<00:07:54.280
• <00:15:08.320> with kindergarten um I've been working with kindergarten um I've been working
• educators are professionals and work educators are professionals and work very<00:15:54.720>
• We need to somehow make this work. I don't even think some of the mandates are bad.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He's worked in state government.
• He's worked at the AG's, worked at the EPA, and now he's just having fun.
• , and land-based work.
• Incentives don't work very well.
• And that doesn't work... How to live and what to do and how to act. And that doesn't work.

Bills: SB12, SB36, SB92, SB120, SB133, SB151, SB18, SB96

Keywords: tax credit, physician, healthcare, income tax, rural health, quantum technology, infrastructure, economic development, New Mexico, corporate tax, research and development, innovation, affordable housing, gross receipts tax, tax deduction, construction materials, multifamily housing, low income, journalism, local news

Transcript Highlights:

• I got to experience the best nurse work environment ever. I enjoyed my work.
• Madam Chair, by mandating...
• They will choose to do other types of work rather than bedside work because bedside work is so dangerous
• I worked in an ER as the registrar for one time. I see how all this works.
• Do I want to work at a hospital? Do I want to work somewhere else?

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, and members, on this blessed day of Sunday, we're here working.
• My last 13 years were spent working on adult sex crimes.
• I have literally worked thousands of sexual assault cases.
• This is about mandating, without even conscience protections, mandating every facility and every hospital
• For the last 13 years, I worked in sexual assault—adult sexual assault—and now I work for the Texas Association

Bills: HB220, HB783, HB2240, HB3336, HB4202, HB4449, HB4904, HB3441, HB4284

Keywords: sexual assault, healthcare facilities, forensic examination, survivor support, emergency contraceptive, online impersonation, civil liability, social media, identity theft, defamation, counseling damages, injunctive relief, public health, safety regulations, community health, state standards, healthcare access, HB 3336, alcoholic beverage tax credit, spent grain

Transcript Highlights:

• So I'm glad to know that you're still working on the bill.
• So I'm glad to know that you're still working on the bill.
• So we're working on it.
• In Volusia County, that model is working.
• It deserves to be a funded mandate. Thank you. Thank you.

Summary: The committee first heard SJR 1104, a proposed constitutional amendment on voluntary religious expression in public schools. Senator Massullo said the measure would protect students and school personnel from discrimination for lawful religious expression, while not requiring prayer or religious activity. Questions focused on whether the proposal would change existing law, whether it could be used to protect coercive conduct by school officials, and whether the staff summary accurately reflected the bill. Public testimony included support from religious-freedom advocates and opposition from American Atheists and some senators who said the measure could make minority-faith students uncomfortable. The committee voted to report SJR 1104 favorably. The committee then took up SB 1738 on educational facilities, which directs state education offices to review facility requirements and recommend design and construction practices to improve safety and accountability. Senator Yarborough offered and the committee adopted an amendment removing crime-prevention-through-environmental-design language and adjusting the bill to preserve safe spaces during emergencies. The bill was reported favorably after brief discussion about balancing transparency, access control, and emergency safety. The committee also adopted a delete-all amendment to SB 824 on charter schools, replacing it with a transparency measure requiring districts to submit annual reports on unimproved land holdings to the Department of Education, which would publish a statewide report; the amended bill was then reported favorably. The committee next approved confirmation recommendations for appointees on tabs 7 and 8, then took up SPB 7036, a committee bill sponsored by Chair Simon. The package included school turnaround and early literacy changes, updates to school safety and health policies, early learning revisions, instructional changes, and educator pipeline provisions. The most contentious part was a proposal to let the state develop instructional materials; several senators questioned costs, guardrails, and whether the state should enter the textbook business. Simon said that portion was still being considered and that the bill would need safeguards if it moved forward. The committee adopted a motion to submit the bill as a committee bill and reported it favorably. Finally, the committee heard SB 1620 on public education, described by Senator Leak as a “school board members’ bill of rights.” The bill would give individual board members direct access to district documents and staff, limit district attorneys’ ability to represent both the board and administration, strengthen nepotism rules, and prohibit nondisclosure agreements for employees. Testimony from Volusia County board members, educators, and advocates was sharply divided: supporters argued the bill would improve transparency and protect minority board members, while opponents warned it could undermine superintendent authority, expose confidential student or personnel information, and create confusion in district operations. After debate, the committee voted to report SB 1620 favorably. The committee then heard SB 1170 on cameras in self-contained special education classrooms, with an amendment changing the proposal from a statewide mandate to a district policy allowing parents of students with disabilities to request cameras. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive, centered on protecting non-speaking and vulnerable students and documenting abuse; one witness opposed the bill as an unfunded mandate. The committee was still in debate on the bill when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• These girls work really hard.
• And in that answer, you mentioned federal mandates and red tape.
• You mentioned federal mandates and red tape. Those come from federal law.
• How do we get rid of all of these rules and other mandates that you're concerned about since they are
• So, yes, I think we do good work. Present Maynard recognized for a question on the bill.

Bills: HB4028, HB4075, HB4077, HB4074, HB4076, SB1221, SB1921, SB2118, SB1932, SB2134, HCR1025, SB1432, HCR1024, HCR1022, SB1122, HB4029, HB4063, HB4073, HB4078, SB1936, SB44, SB237, SB248, SB1360, SB985, SB1204, SB1239, SB1307, SB2143, SB1428, SB1390, SB1400, SB1405, SB1732, SB1832, SB1859, SB1989, SB2018, SB1427

Keywords: tax deduction, venture capital, economic development, Oklahoma, investment, water resources, appropriations, funding, state treasury, infrastructure projects, emergency act, emergency management, disaster relief, pandemic response, state appropriations, HB4074, Health Care Workforce Training Commission, Health Care Workforce Revolving Fund, health workforce, health care workforce

Transcript Highlights:

• I have a decade of experience working in and with substance use treatment.
• today this does not mandate today this does not mandate removal<00:23:55.919> it<00:23:56.159
• seeing and the way that it was working seeing and the way that it was working in<00:36:59.720>
• I live and work in Fulton.
• <00:48:31.000> in I'm uh Tracy pulley I live and work in I'm uh Tracy pulley I live and work

Keywords: 00:00:00 Call to Order/Roll Call 00:01:37 Discussion of 25RS HB 392 00:03:10 Roll Call Vote on 25RS HB 392 00:04:20 Discussion of 25RS HB 580 00:13:28 Roll Call Vote on 25RS HB 580 00:14:54 Discussion of 25RS HB 688 00:18:40 Roll Call Vote on 25RS HB 688 00:21:40 Discussion of 25RS HB 16 01:19:44 Roll Call Vote on 25RS HB 16 01:27:32 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 392, sponsored by Representative Proctor, which would help the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities pay for emergency medical and psychiatric services provided to patients outside state facilities when those facilities cannot meet their needs. Proctor described it as a continuing improvement bill to address payment issues for services delivered at community-based facilities. The bill received no substantive opposition in the meeting and passed the committee with favorable expression by a vote of 15 yes, 0 no, and 1 pass. The committee then considered House Bill 580, presented by Representative Kim Moser and Elena Sweezy, which tightens oversight of peer support specialists. The bill was described as building on House Bill 505 from the prior year by reinstating supervision requirements, adding parameters around group sizes, creating a pathway for temporary peer support specialists to become fully registered after nine months, and addressing Medicaid reimbursement and accountability concerns. Members asked about reimbursement; the sponsor said Medicaid was okay with the bill and that commercial insurance coverage would be up to insurers. Representative Fleming emphasized the need for stronger financial oversight of the peer support code. The committee adopted a substitute and title amendment, then passed the bill with favorable expression. House Bill 688 was then heard, with Representative Bratcher explaining that it addresses two issues: preventing fraud in nurse licensure by giving the Kentucky Board of Nursing more discretion to review out-of-state credentials, and expanding school authority to administer certain emergency medications. He said the bill changes the board’s authority from “shall” to “may” so it can verify transcripts, curricula, accreditation, and exam passage. During discussion, Representative Sharp explained his yes vote by noting the bill also adds rescue medications such as glucagon and Solu-Cortef and allows prescribed emergency medications for known conditions in schools. The committee passed the bill with favorable expression. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 16, which would leave decisions about adding fluoride to drinking water to local governing bodies rather than maintaining a state mandate. Supporters, including Representative David Hale, Dr. Jack Call, and Cindy Batson, argued that fluoridation should be a local choice and raised concerns about cost, potential health risks, and the precautionary principle. Opponents, including Dr. Steve Robertson of the Kentucky Dental Association, defended fluoridation as beneficial for preventing tooth decay and warned that local removal decisions could increase Medicaid costs and may not reflect the broader public interest. The transcript provided does not show a final committee vote on House Bill 16 in the excerpt.