Video & Transcript : 'lottery vending machine' :

Page 58 of 261
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services (01/21/2025)

Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • </c><03:13:08.800><c> thank</c> on a machine thank on a machine thank you<03:13:11.160><c> any</c><03
  • Usually, we're talking like machine rooms or engines, not usually music, but it applies across the board
  • Usually, we're talking like machine rooms or engines, not usually music, but it applies across the board
  • Usually, we're talking like machine rooms or engines, not usually music, but it applies across the board
  • ticket that came in right or a lottery ticket that came in right or an<05:08:24.558><c> inheritance<
Keywords: 1189, house, all
AR

Arkansas 2026 Regular Session

ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE Jun 15th, 2026

ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE

Transcript Highlights:
  • open for institutions to apply this year, and also because of the constitutional amendment to make lottery
  • used to make private career training providers and vocational technical schools eligible to receive lottery
  • Training providers and vocational technical schools eligible to receive lottery funds, we did have that
Summary: The meeting focused on Arkansas’s proposed workforce system overhaul, including a combined WIOA/Perkins state plan and a package of federal waiver requests intended to consolidate workforce governance, reduce administrative costs, and redirect more funding to training and supportive services. Commerce officials said the plan would replace the current structure of 10 local workforce boards and more than 200 board members with a single statewide board and one administrative entity, while keeping local offices open and using regional business councils to preserve employer and local input. They said the state has already reduced Commerce headcount and operating costs, and that the changes would improve coordination with higher education, adult education, vocational rehabilitation, DHS, and Arkansas Industry Connect. Much of the discussion centered on the waiver package, especially the proposal to make the state board function as the local board, allow more flexible movement of funds across regions, eliminate the WIOA “last dollar” requirement for training and supportive services, create affiliate sites instead of requiring every area to maintain a comprehensive center, and relax the 14 youth program element requirement. Officials said the State Board of Workforce Development approved the waiver package 11-3 before it was submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor, and that implementation would begin only after federal approval and a closeout process, likely taking up to a year. They also described plans to streamline referrals and data sharing, expand mobile and virtual services, and use a more centralized model to improve customer service and employer engagement. Members raised repeated concerns about rural representation, local control, board composition, and whether jobs and relationships would be lost if local boards were eliminated. Commerce officials responded that local offices would remain open, some current staff could be rehired by the state, and regional business councils would help ensure local employer voice. Several members also questioned how the funding was being used, citing audit findings that only about $1.8 million to $1.9 million of roughly $14 million to $15 million in federal workforce funds had gone to training and supportive services. Officials said the reorganization could increase annual training spending to roughly $6 million to $7 million by reducing overhead, one-stop operator contracts, and board administration. The committee also discussed how the changes might support workforce training facilities, apprenticeships, child care and transportation assistance, and employer-driven training in fields such as manufacturing, health care, technology, and welding. The Division of Higher Education also briefed members on Workforce Pell. Officials explained that the new federal program would extend Pell eligibility to short-term programs, but only within narrow limits, such as 150 to 599 clock hours and 8 to 15 weeks of instruction, with additional completion and employment benchmarks. They said Arkansas is working with colleges and universities to identify programs that fit the criteria and that the governor has designated the Division of Higher Education to lead implementation. No votes were taken by the committee during this portion of the meeting.
MO

Missouri 2026 Regular Session

Budget Mar 9th, 2026

Budget

Transcript Highlights:
  • on the foundation formula, looking at lines two and three there, there is a proceeds increase in lottery
  • because we cut an admin expense in lottery and House Bill 4.
  • I did cut the lottery advertising request, and we moved that to the foundation formula.
Committee: House Budget
Summary: The committee heard extended discussion of the chair’s House budget substitute, especially House Bill 2 for elementary and secondary education and House Bill 3 for higher education. The chair said the operating budget leaves roughly $300 million in reserve, explained several cuts and restorations, and described proposed changes to child care, including cutting enhancement payments and keeping attendance-based rather than enrollment-based subsidy payments. Representative Fogle objected to the child care cuts and the proposed language limiting the department’s move to prospective payment and enrollment-based reimbursement; State Budget Director Dan Hogg testified that the governor’s office still intended to move to payment on enrollment in May if the budget language did not block it, while prospective payment remained under review because of federal funding concerns. The chair also explained a restriction on Parents as Teachers services for children already in public pre-K, and members debated whether that would reduce duplication or improperly limit services. The chair further proposed a new competitive Title I innovation grant program funded by a reallocation of some Title I dollars, with questions raised about what services would be reduced to offset it. The bulk of the meeting focused on a major higher education funding overhaul in House Bill 3. The chair and vice chair proposed replacing the current base-plus model with an FTE-based formula that would distribute the same overall state funding according to student credit hours, with community colleges funded on a 12-hour FTE, four-year undergraduate students on a 15-hour FTE, and graduate enrollment discussed as a separate issue. They said the goal was to make funding follow students rather than institutions and to reduce long-standing disparities between schools. Several members supported the idea as overdue and more transparent, while others warned it was being done too quickly and could harm institutions with high-cost programs, research missions, or smaller enrollments. Concerns were raised about possible closures, accreditation problems, and unintended effects on workforce programs such as nursing, engineering, and technical training. The chair and vice chair said there was no intent to force consolidation, but acknowledged that some institutions would gain and others would lose under the new model. Members also questioned how the formula would treat research and doctoral funding, especially at the University of Missouri, and whether graduate programs were properly counted. The chair said some special-purpose lines were retained, but a large portion of MU’s research and doctoral funding was folded into the broader pool and redistributed through the FTE model. Several members asked for clarification on whether graduate hours were counted at nine credits, and the chair said he was not certain and would seek follow-up from staff or the department. Community college representatives were discussed as having unanimously opposed the recommendation, and the chair noted that the institutions were briefed only shortly before the hearing. No votes were taken during the exchange, and the committee appeared to be gathering testimony and concerns ahead of markup and future action on the budget bills.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate Chamber Feb 16th, 2026

New Mexico Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Are you talking about the opportunity scholarship, the lottery scholarship in higher ed, or the total
  • Some of that is lottery, but lottery generates its own revenue. And, Mr.
Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, prayers and pledges, and several procedural announcements, including permission for cameras, a relaxed dress code for guests, and excusing a few senators. Members also recognized numerous guests and honorary lieutenant governors, and discussed a planned bolo tie contest tied to New Mexico tradition and state history. The chamber then moved to business, including the confirmation of Anna Silva as Secretary of the General Services Department. The confirmation drew broad support from senators on both sides, who praised Silva’s long career in state government, her management experience, and her work on major projects such as the executive office building, procurement reforms, and facilities management. After debate, the Senate voted unanimously to confirm her appointment. Silva’s family and guests were recognized from the floor after the vote. The Senate then took up House Bill 2 and 3, the state budget. Senator Muñoz presented the Senate Finance version as a balanced budget with about $11.1 billion in spending, 27% reserves, recurring investments in health care, early childhood, public safety, education, roads, housing, and economic development, and targeted nonrecurring spending for items such as water, universities, and innovation sectors. Supporters emphasized affordability, teacher health insurance parity, medical residency funding, rural and community investments, and public safety funding. Critics raised concerns about the size of the budget, the late availability and complexity of the bill, the removal of a proposed 1% pay raise for state employees, and whether spending priorities and education dollars were being allocated effectively. No final vote on the budget was shown in the transcript excerpt.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability

Transcript Highlights:
  • It's like 10 times what we get from the lottery.
  • It's like 10 times what we get from the lottery.
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The inaugural hearing of the newly named House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability focused on how federal policy changes could affect Massachusetts, especially in education, health care, research, infrastructure, climate, and business conditions. Chair LaNatra said the committee was created to monitor federal funding decisions and their impacts on state programs and services. Members introduced themselves, then heard testimony from Doug Howgate of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, Sarah Mills of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, and Quentin Palfrey, the governor’s Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure. Howgate argued that the Trump administration and new Congress pose ideological, practical, and process-related risks to Massachusetts, citing proposed cuts to Medicaid, education, research, and other domestic programs. He said federal dollars make up about a quarter of the state operating budget and capital plan, warned against using one-time reserves to backfill ongoing federal cuts, and urged the state to prioritize core services while protecting areas where Massachusetts is especially strong, such as higher education and research. In response to committee questions, he said the House Medicaid proposal would still cost Massachusetts hundreds of millions and that international student and NIH-related changes could harm the state’s labor force and innovation economy. He also advised that the state communicate clearly without overreacting to daily federal developments. Mills testified that AIM members are most concerned about uncertainty, tariffs, Medicaid cuts, and NIH reductions. She said tariffs are raising costs, disrupting supply chains, and hurting small and medium-sized businesses, housing construction, and exporters, with AIM’s business confidence index falling to its lowest level since the pandemic. She said Medicaid cuts would raise employer health costs, reduce productivity, and strain the health care system, while NIH cuts would threaten Massachusetts’ life sciences and academic research ecosystem. In questions, she said AIM has increased federal outreach, is coordinating with the U.S. Chamber and the Massachusetts delegation, and is hearing concerns from employers about immigration compliance and workforce disruptions. Palfrey described the Healey-Driscoll administration’s efforts to maximize federal funding, including a biweekly interagency council, a municipal partnership effort, and a statewide roadshow. He said Massachusetts has secured nearly $9 billion from major federal laws for projects such as the Cape Cod bridges, Allston Multimodal, grid modernization, clean-energy school buses, and broadband. He also said the administration launched a public website to track federal impacts and is working with municipalities, nonprofits, and the Attorney General on grant changes, legal issues, and litigation. In response to questions, he warned that cuts to NOAA, NSF, Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs could affect services and the state budget, and said the administration is tracking changes to federal grant applications and conditions. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational only.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Revenue Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Joint Committee on Revenue

Transcript Highlights:
  • have purchased at our store, so we lose the gas, we lose the food, we lose the snacks, we lose the lottery
  • So we lose the gas, we lose the food, we lose the snacks, we lose the lottery, and the state loses all
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a long hybrid hearing on a wide range of tax bills, with testimony covering cigarette and tobacco taxes, nicotine pouches, contractor rental equipment exemptions, aircraft sales tax exemptions, rolling stock, advanced sales tax payments, a gun and ammunition excise tax, a digital services tax, and a psilocybin cultivation/tax proposal. Committee chairs outlined the hearing process and noted that 39 House-filed sales and excise tax bills were being heard for required reporting by November 28. No votes were taken during the hearing. On tobacco-related bills, supporters including Senator Keenan, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and Tobacco Free Mass backed higher cigarette taxes and closing the synthetic nicotine loophole, arguing the measures would reduce youth initiation, encourage cessation, and offset health care costs. Retailers, wholesalers, and convenience-store groups opposed the increases, warning of smuggling, out-of-state purchasing, and harm to small businesses; premium cigar representatives argued cigars should be treated separately from cigarettes. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3067 and related bills concerning nicotine pouches, with public health advocates supporting taxation and industry witnesses urging a lower, more competitive rate. Several other bills drew sharply divided testimony. United Rentals supported H. 3065 to simplify contractor rental equipment exemption paperwork, while airport and aviation groups opposed bills to repeal the aircraft sales tax exemption, saying it would hurt airport competitiveness and jobs. The Transportation Association of Massachusetts backed rolling stock tax exemptions, saying the current tax discourages fleet investment and interstate commerce. Restaurant industry representatives supported repealing advanced sales tax payments and changing penalty rules, saying businesses were hit with retroactive penalties after unclear pandemic-era changes. On H. 3082, an excise tax on guns and ammunition, gun violence prevention advocates, Roca, and Giffords supported the bill as a dedicated funding source for prevention and survivor services, while sportsmen’s groups opposed it as unfair to lawful gun owners and harmful to conservation funding. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3208, a digital advertising services tax, with Representative Paulino supporting it as a way to capture revenue from online advertising and fund public needs, while the Chamber of Progress opposed it as costly and burdensome for small businesses and campaigns. Finally, multiple witnesses testified on H. 4050 regarding psilocybin cultivation and taxation: advocates from Mass Healing, Roca, the Reason Foundation, and individuals describing personal medical benefits urged a regulated, permit-based system, while the hearing ended after all signed-up speakers were heard and the chair adjourned the meeting.
MO

Missouri 2026 Regular Session

Higher Education and Workforce Development Apr 7th, 2026

Higher Education and Workforce Development

Transcript Highlights:
  • conversation to have about putting that HBCU percent, at least another 1 percent, coming from the video lottery
  • terminal legislation to allocate that. ...percent coming from the video lottery terminal legislation
Summary: The Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development heard two bills. House Bill 3221, sponsored by Rep. Castile, would bar state funds from supporting higher education degree programs that the federal government designates as low-earning, with the Coordinating Board for Higher Education reviewing the federal list and reporting impacts. The sponsor framed it as taxpayer accountability and return on investment, while many committee members and witnesses argued it was premature, lacked data, and could harm essential but lower-paid fields such as education, social work, early childhood education, counseling, and the arts. Supporters said the bill would mirror federal policy and affect only a small number of programs; opponents warned it could discourage universities from offering needed programs and would not account for long-term career outcomes or transferable skills. No vote was taken, and the sponsor said the bill was still a work in progress. Testimony in support of HB 3221 came from a lobbyist for FGA Action and others who said federal law is already moving in this direction and cited a small number of affected programs. Opposition came from representatives of independent colleges, community colleges, and other witnesses who said the federal rules are still being developed, the earnings test is based on a limited snapshot, and some low-wage programs serve important workforce needs or lead to later advancement. Several members asked for more information on the federal list, the number and demographics of affected students, and possible unintended consequences for rural schools and workforce development. The committee then heard House Bill 3416, sponsored by Rep. Bosley, which would create the Strengthening HBCUs Fund and direct a portion of gaming and classroom trust revenues to Lincoln University and Harris-Stowe State University for capital improvements and related support. The sponsor said the bill is intended to address historic underfunding of HBCUs and align Missouri with similar efforts in other states and at the federal level. Lincoln University President John Mosley testified in support, describing recent growth, major campus projects, and the need for additional infrastructure funding without increasing debt. Committee members asked about the funding amounts, whether Lincoln receives any special state support, and how the money would be distributed. No opposition testimony was heard, and the committee adjourned after the HB 3416 hearing without taking a vote.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate - Finance Feb 9th, 2026 at 10:03 am

Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • I'd highlight student financial aid: if costs come in higher because of enrollment for the lottery, they
  • the way that House Bill 2 sits right now, it's basically if you increase the cost of opportunity or lottery
Keywords: 996, all
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

April 8, 2025 - 01:00 PM

Transcript Highlights:
  • The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, funded by the Florida Lottery since 1997, has benefited
Summary: The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee met with two bills on the agenda. HB 1055, by Rep. Albert, would make permanent the Center for the Study of Election Law at Florida State University’s College of Law, which was created temporarily in 2023. The sponsor described the center as successful and tied to Florida’s election reputation. There was brief public testimony, including support from FSU-affiliated witnesses, and no debate or amendments. The bill passed unanimously. The committee then heard HB 1105, by Rep. Kinghart-Johnson, a broader education bill affecting Bright Futures and related programs. As explained by the sponsor, the bill would change the Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship requirement from three full credits in one program to three full credits total, align the CTE diploma with scholarship eligibility, add the AP Capstone Diploma as an automatic Bright Futures Academic Scholarship qualifier, and remove barriers for some students whose parents are retired military or public service employees stationed out of state. An amendment was adopted that revised AP Capstone requirements, kept the Gold Seal GPA requirement unchanged, and added the ACE diploma as a qualifier for the Florida Seal of Fine Arts. Public testimony on HB 1105 included two social work students who supported expanding opportunities but warned that the bill could steer students into vocational tracks without enough safeguards, transparency, or access to transportation, internships, and counseling. Several members spoke in support of the bill’s goal of recognizing multiple paths to success, while also acknowledging concerns raised by speakers. In closing, the sponsor said the bill was intended to improve access and correct language that treated vocational pathways as lesser options. HB 1105 passed unanimously as amended, and the meeting adjourned afterward.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/31/2026 - House Appropriations

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • The soldiers and their families and bases, and it basically just makes it an economic development machine
  • Kupper's statement, and I have yet to win the lottery, so I am voting aye. ...walks of life, we don't
  • Kupper's statement, and I have yet to win the lottery, so I am voting aye.
  • And I have yet to win the lottery, so I am voting aye. Representative Win. Mr. Chairman.
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

CPN Informational Briefing 11-12-2025

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • You can kind of think of it like a vending machine.
  • Like if you put your money in, the machine just checks like, "Hey, did you put the right amount of money
Keywords: 912, senate, all
Summary: The Hawaii State Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection held an informational briefing on digital assets, blockchain, and related regulatory developments. Chair Jarrett Keohoko said the committee was focusing on national and state policy issues around digital assets, while leaving the separate issue of Bitcoin kiosks and fraud to the House Consumer Protection Committee, which had already noticed a similar briefing. No public testimony was taken; the session was for informational updates and member questions. Representatives from the Aptos Foundation, including JC Yun and Michael Cheng, gave a detailed presentation on blockchain basics and Aptos’s technology. They described blockchain as a tamper-resistant digital ledger, explained proof-of-work and proof-of-stake systems, and argued that proof-of-stake networks are faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly. They also emphasized smart contracts and potential uses beyond speculation, such as car titles, college transcripts, collectibles, digital IDs, real estate, and other tokenized assets. The presenters highlighted Aptos’s Hawaii connections and said the technology could help local residents and businesses participate in the digital economy. They cited adoption statistics, including billions of transactions on Aptos, tokenized money market funds from major financial firms, micro-lending applications, decentralized cloud infrastructure, and the rapid growth of stablecoins. They acknowledged concerns about scams and consumer protection, but argued that the answer is stronger regulation and education rather than avoiding the technology altogether.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Elections - 03/25/25

Elections

Transcript Highlights:
  • voters to sign similar petitions in swing states during the 2024 elections and a chance to enter a lottery
  • 18:31.360><c> a</c> 2024 elections and a chance to enter a 2024 elections and a chance to enter a lottery
  • </c> lottery and win a million dollars a day. lottery and win a million dollars a day.
Committee: Senate Elections
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Environment, Climate and Legacy - 02/11/25

Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:
  • Thanks to the work of this committee, we now receive 1.5% of lottery in the metro, and the DNR each received
  • receive 1 and a this committee we now receive 1 and a half%<01:04:40.920><c> of</c><01:04:41.119><c> lottery
  • </c><01:04:41.480><c> in</c> half% of lottery in half% of lottery in L<01:04:43.200><c> the</c><01:04
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • including places like garment factories, nursing homes, car washes, metro stations, and also street vending
Summary: The hearing focused first on how wildfires and other disasters affect child care providers, families, and early education infrastructure. State officials from the Department of Social Services and Department of Education described disaster response and preparedness efforts, including shelter coordination, licensing outreach, emergency waivers, distribution of supplies, and the statewide child care disaster plan. Testimony from providers and advocates emphasized major gaps in recovery funding, insurance coverage, rebuilding support, mental health services, and coordination with local rebuild plans. Several witnesses urged more dedicated disaster-recovery funding for child care facilities and suggested statutory changes, including allowing greater flexibility for rebuilding costs and requiring early childhood programs to be included in local disaster planning. The second panel addressed immigration enforcement and its impact on child care. Advocates from the Children's Partnership, Every Child California, and CHIRLA said enforcement activity is causing families to keep children home, disrupting continuity of care, reducing enrollment, and creating fear and trauma for children and providers. They argued that immigrant and mixed-status families need clearer protections, privacy safeguards, legal support, trauma-informed guidance, and safe-haven policies for child care settings. Speakers also stressed that the child care workforce is heavily immigrant and that recent state laws such as AB 49 and AB 495 will require funding, training, and technical assistance to implement effectively. Public commenters, including child care providers, described personal experiences with fire damage, displacement, permit delays, lost income, and the emotional toll of serving families during crises. Others described how immigration enforcement has made parents afraid to attend events, drop off children, or remain connected to providers. Committee members repeatedly noted that child care is often overlooked in emergencies and asked state officials how child care systems are being integrated into disaster planning and how local and state agencies can better coordinate. No formal votes were taken during the hearing.
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

Senate Finance (05/06/2025)

Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • The House chose to give casino operators 70% of the revenues from new slot machines rather than the 55%
  • The House chose to give casino operators 70% of the revenues from new slot machines rather than the 55%
  • terminals and slot machines: 45% to the state, as opposed to the House-recommended 30% to the state.
  • terminals and slot machines: 45% to the state, as opposed to the House-recommended 30% to the state.
  • <c> 45%</c><05:06:35.360><c> to</c> lottery terminals slot machines 45% to lottery terminals slot machines
Committee: Senate Finance
Keywords: 1191, senate, all
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Human Services May 5th, 2026

Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • This includes things like unreported income, lottery winnings, and transactions on their Lone Star card
  • process of trying to build a system, as my colleague Susan mentioned in our prior hearing, where our machine
  • Right now, we have to query the machine. We have to say, "Run something."
  • We're getting there, but we're not there yet where the machine will actually tell us where the outliers
Keywords: 1184, house, all
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee 2/18/26

Agriculture Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • How we administer that is a lottery application with priority for farmers who earn less than $100,000
  • Uh, you say it's a lottery application.
  • We also, to me, have a pretty well-oiled machine, whether we're same old, you know, here's your money
  • We also, to me, we have a pretty<00:43:06.480><c> welloiled</c><00:43:07.200><c> machine,</c><00:43:07.520
  • ><c> whether</c><00:43:07.839><c> we're</c> Commissioner: We're a pretty well-oiled machine, whether
Keywords: 1183, house
MO

Missouri 2026 Regular Session

Professional Registration and Licensing Feb 25th, 2026

Professional Registration and Licensing

Transcript Highlights:
  • gas station, and in some parts of the state, many of the grocery stores, I think, have these video lottery
  • You know, lottery tickets, tobacco.
  • because the SNAP cards would also have to be replaced to allow for them not to use them at the ATM machines
Summary: The committee first met in executive session and adopted a House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2300 by a unanimous roll call vote of 18-0. The substitute combined a number of previously approved professional registration items, including emergency suspension authority, chiropractic and massage therapy provisions, accountant regulations, the athletic trainer compact, social worker regulations, a speech-language pathologist fix, telehealth, nonprofit pharmacies, and the physician assistant compact. Members noted that work was still ongoing on bell bondsman language before the committee moved into public hearing. The main public hearing was on House Bill 2897, which would expand optometrists’ authority to perform certain laser and in-office procedures. Representative Farnan and optometry supporters argued the bill is about patient access, especially in rural areas, and said it would allow three laser procedures—YAG capsulotomy, laser trabeculoplasty, and laser iridotomy—plus clarify other already-performed office procedures, while still excluding major surgeries such as cataract surgery, LASIK, and corneal transplants. Supporters said optometrists already receive relevant training, that a 32-hour certification course would serve as a safeguard, and that patients often face long waits or long travel times for care. Opponents, including ophthalmologists, argued the bill would blur the line between optometry and surgery, create safety risks, and rely on insufficient training and ambiguous language. They cited complications from laser procedures, questioned emergency care claims, and said optometrists should not be regulated as surgeons unless placed under the State Board of Healing Arts. No vote was taken on HB 2897, and the chair recessed the hearing for later continuation. The Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education then took up House Bill 3239 and adopted Amendment 0.01H, which capped the program at $4 million to keep it from becoming an open-ended cost. The committee then adopted the House Committee Substitute and voted the bill do pass by 11-7. The committee also combined House Bills 2913 and 3228 into one substitute and voted that combined measure do pass by 19-0. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2195, which would create the Missouri Integrated Safe Driving Program and encourage school districts to incorporate driver-safety content into existing courses without adding a fiscal note or mandating a standalone driver’s ed class. Sponsor Representative Reedy and supporters from AAA Missouri and the Missouri Driver Education Coalition said the bill would address teen crash rates, improve access to driver education, and help schools use existing curriculum time more flexibly. The hearing remained in discussion with testimony continuing.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund bill passes the House 4/30/26

Minnesota House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • funds from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, which is funded with proceeds from the lottery
Keywords: 1183, house
ID

Idaho 2026 Regular Session

Agenda Mar 16th, 2026

Education

Transcript Highlights:
  • I don't know if you've ever felt like you've won the lottery as far as being able to sponsor a bill on
Committee: Senate Education
Keywords: 989, all