Transcript Highlights:

• It's something that's very specific, requires very specific training for the individuals who are part
• ACT are continuing it as best they can with their own dollars because they don't want to lose the trained
• individuals that's part of the ACT program were to schedule an appointment, go sit down with their counselor
• in their office, then that counselor in that business could bill under Medicaid codes for that service

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, let’s get those paraprofessionals trained up.
• , addiction counselors, and the expected job growth for them.
• Obviously, the faculty and staff training and ongoing compliance monitoring.
• Obviously, the faculty and staff training and ongoing compliance monitoring.
• And then that additional training policy and procedure we just implemented.

Summary: The Higher Education Institutions Committee met on the Minot State University campus for presentations on campus operations, enrollment, and new academic initiatives. President Shirley reviewed recent audits, noting mostly clean results with only minor technical findings, and highlighted MSU’s broad academic offerings, specialized accreditations, athletics, and partnerships with Minot Air Force Base and the MSU Development Foundation. Members asked about declining interest in teacher education, tuition waivers for athletes, dual credit incentives, and how MSU decides when to launch new programs and avoid duplication within the university system. Shirley also discussed several workforce-focused initiatives supported by the Legislature’s Workforce Education Innovation Funds, including the purchase of the Trinity Health Center West building for a downtown health sciences hub, a new daycare/preschool partnership near campus, the Aspire program to recruit rural students into teaching, and a paraprofessional-to-special-education degree pathway. Enrollment data showed overall headcount was flat at just under 2,750, but full-time equivalent enrollment rose slightly and new student numbers increased, including the largest freshman class in 15 years. The committee also discussed Minot State’s in-state tuition rate for all students, its dual credit “Emerging Scholars” scholarship, and concerns about the share of high school graduates who do not immediately pursue postsecondary education. Faculty then presented two new programs funded in part by WEAF: an Innovation Engineering degree and a master’s program in counseling with an integrated addiction studies focus. The engineering program was described as industry-driven, designed with broad early coursework, hands-on learning, and local employer input to prepare students for western North Dakota workforce needs; officials said it had already drawn more applicants than expected and would use renovated library space and donated or grant-funded equipment. The counseling program will be mostly face-to-face with hybrid options, aims to address shortages in mental health and substance use providers, and is structured to help students meet licensure requirements. Committee members asked about startup costs, licensure supervision hours, and whether the programs would be on campus rather than online, and presenters said both programs had recently received required approvals and were moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Once somebody finds a mental health provider — a counselor, psychiatrist, whoever it may be — it is so
• Once somebody finds a mental health provider, a counselor, psychiatrist, whoever it may be, it is so
• They have ample training and experience in mental and behavioral health.
• Knowing firsthand social work training versus PA training, there's no question in my mind that PAs are
• not provided the adequate training to provide this function.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a hearing on a large group of behavioral health and insurance-related bills. Topics included expanding access to mental health services by allowing physician assistants to authorize Section 12 emergency holds and be recognized as licensed mental health professionals (H. 1131/S. 773); improving coverage for community behavioral health centers so commercial insurance matches MassHealth’s bundled outpatient and crisis services (H. 1276/S. 703); eliminating cost sharing for certain behavioral health services (S. 718); extending detox and clinical stabilization coverage from 14 to 30 days and adding transitional support services (H. 1319/S. 772); requiring coverage for dual-diagnosis treatment in psychiatric facilities (H. 1277/S. 771); and preserving access to treatment for serious mental illness through coverage of coordinated specialty care and assertive community treatment (H. 1135/S. 709). The committee also heard bills on preventive behavioral health services for children (H. 1228/S. 802) and post-pregnancy mental health care, including postpartum depression and pregnancy loss-related care (H. 1314/S. 823).

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:11:55.519><c> creates</c><00:11:56.000><c> a</c> program counselors creates a program counselors
• But 988 needs to be funded trained.
• </c> Counselor Hill on Deck. Counselor Hill on Deck.
• Thank you, Executive Counselor.
• </c> overworked officers having to be trained overworked officers having to be trained to<03:26:39.920

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And while training in Georgia, he attended officer candidate school and was commissioned as an infantry
• If you have a scheduled appointment, your counselor will be out to get you.
• They took a trained eye, a skillful hand, and human intuition to fix me up and get me back in the fight
• How can we expect physicians, nurses, claims raters, vocational rehab. staff counselors, and other staff
• these recent firings in terms of the number of counselors and the vital role they play and they oddly

Committee: Senate Senate Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: veteran services, Secretary Collins, healthcare provisions, contract cancellations, transparency, accountability, committee meeting, legislation

Summary: During this committee meeting, various bills were discussed with a specific focus on veteran services and healthcare provisions. Notably, the cancellation of critical contracts under Secretary Collins sparked significant debate, with representatives emphasizing the adverse impact on veteran care. The meeting featured testimonies from veterans and stakeholders who expressed their concerns regarding the potential fallout of these cancellations, demonstrating the urgency of transparency and accountability in management decisions. Discussions also delved into various legislative proposals aimed at improving services for veterans amidst these challenges.

Transcript Highlights:

• That will mean enhanced training, quality assurance, and data verification within the agency.
• That will mean enhanced training, quality assurance, and data verification within the agency.
• training programs that you would consider leading to something intellectual?
• A bill to be entitled an act relating to school counselors.
• standards of the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opening prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and doctor-of-the-day introduction, then moved through a long special-order calendar. Early proceedings included a resolution honoring former Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham and a moment of silence for firefighter Roger Timmy Miley. The chamber also heard several member introductions and recognitions before taking up bills. The most substantial debate centered on CS/CS/SB 1758 on public assistance and Medicaid/SNAP reforms. The bill would strengthen fraud enforcement, impose a Medicaid work requirement for able-bodied adults, expand behavioral health services through a waiver, modernize Medicaid pharmacy purchasing, and require a SNAP fraud-reduction plan and photo ID on EBT cards. Senators Berman, Smith, Bracy Davis, Osgood, and others argued for Medicaid expansion and added protections for vulnerable SNAP recipients, while Gates defended the bill as a compliance and cost-saving measure. Multiple amendments were offered, including Berman’s Medicaid-expansion condition and Osgood’s SNAP photo-ID safeguards; both were defeated. The bill was placed on the calendar for third reading after extended questioning. The Senate then passed a series of bills, often substituting House companions before final vote. These included tax conformity legislation (7031/7048), technology and computer science education (1503/1694), Parkinson’s disease registry and related public-records measures (1443/1684), designation of the SS American Victory as the official state flagship (249/1656), electronic payments for local governments (967/1612), legal tender and related public-records exemptions for gold, silver, stablecoins, and virtual currency kiosks (1311/1588/1087/7044/1568), local government finance and spending transparency (1329/1566), digital voyeurism (1536), insurance customer representative licensing (1343/1504), and medical freedom legislation (1756) with amendments on anti-kickback rules and vaccine information materials. Most bills passed on largely party-line or near-unanimous votes, with several amendments adopted and some withdrawn; the medical freedom bill was still under consideration at the end of the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Training costs are determined locally.
• She went through this training, not the firearm portion, but the rest of the training.
• that training?
• It focuses on giving emergency training, and that's where most of the focus of this bill is, on the training
• So I think that's a great option in the training, to insist on the training.

Committee: House Education

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And, and that being said, is that, uh, those that are graduates of the game warden Training Center are
• to include sexual abuse training and reporting training for all of those staff.
• Every summer we begin with a um multi-day orientation training all of our staff.
• A camp should clearly be trained in these procedures.
• For our members is education and professional training to address crisis situations.

Committee: House Culture, Recreation & Tourism

Transcript Highlights:

• clinical counselors, LPCCs, and alcohol and drug counselors.
• clinical counselors, LPCCs, and alcohol and drug counselors.
• </c> citizens alcohol and drug counselors citizens alcohol and drug counselors provide<00:10:18.320><
• I am trained as a physician and as a sociologist.
• </c><01:48:55.520><c> and</c> provide uh more robust training and provide uh more robust training and

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, maybe we should hire a few more auditors to be trained by the current auditors, using the current
• In Lincoln High we have approximately 3,000 students and we have only eight counselors serving our diverse
• Additional council and we have only eight counselors serving our diverse student population.
• This funding could also bring the much-needed additional resources such as full-time nurses, counselors
• Resources such as full-time nurses, counselors, and mental health clinicians to assist in addressing

Summary: The joint informational hearing examined California’s taxation of multinational corporations, especially the state’s water’s-edge election versus worldwide combined reporting. The LAO and Franchise Tax Board explained the basic mechanics of unitary taxation, apportionment, and how water’s-edge generally excludes most foreign subsidiaries while worldwide reporting includes the full unitary group. FTB officials said water’s-edge filers are a small share of corporate filers but account for a large share of tax liability, and they described filing trends, industry mix, and the administrative steps needed to administer either system. Members and witnesses debated the policy trade-offs. Supporters of moving away from water’s-edge argued that it enables profit shifting, especially for large multinational and IP-heavy firms, and that eliminating it could raise significant revenue and improve fairness for smaller domestic businesses. They cited estimates of billions in potential revenue and said California already has the audit and reporting infrastructure to handle worldwide reporting, though some transition time would be needed. Opponents argued that worldwide reporting would tax foreign activity unrelated to California, create double taxation, increase compliance burdens and litigation, and could be difficult for foreign-based multinationals to document. They also warned that some of the revenue estimates are highly uncertain because foreign affiliate income is not directly observable. Committee members asked about foreign government pushback, the risk of companies leaving California, the effect on intellectual property shifting, and whether federal or Supreme Court action could block a change. Witnesses generally said major firms would be unlikely to leave because California taxes sales rather than physical presence, but some costs could be passed on to consumers. The panel also discussed alternatives such as conforming to federal international tax rules like NCTI/GILTI and adding anti-abuse rules. No vote or bill action was taken; the hearing was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• That basically have nobody trained for right now.
• It currently does not include CTE programs, including those that train future first responders.
• Leangelo Reed on behalf of the California Association of School Counselors in support.
• We train teachers on how to integrate mindfulness...
• We train teachers on how to integrate mindfulness techniques into classrooms.

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That will mean enhanced training, quality assurance, and data verification within the agency.
• training program that's actually leading to a job satisfies the work requirement.
• training programs that you would consider leading to something intellectual?
• A bill to be entitled an act relating to school counselors.
• standards of the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions, including a resolution honoring the late Bob Graham and a moment of silence for firefighter Roger Timmy Miley. The chamber also adopted a resolution designating August 9, 2026, as Bob Graham Day in Florida. Later, the Senate adopted a memorial-style recognition of the Florida Channel’s 30 years of legislative coverage. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including measures on health care coverage, veterinary licensure, and affordable housing. The most extensive debate centered on CS/CS/SB 1758, a public assistance/Medicaid and SNAP reform bill. The sponsor described five major changes: stronger anti-fraud authority, a Medicaid work requirement for able-bodied adults, expanded behavioral health services through a waiver, pharmacy program changes to reduce costs, and a SNAP fraud-reduction plan with photo ID and work requirements. Democrats offered amendments to condition the work requirement on Medicaid expansion and to add protections for SNAP photo ID use by caregivers, seniors, disabled people, and domestic violence survivors; both amendments failed. Senators then questioned implementation details, exemptions, and eligibility impacts. The bill was placed on the calendar for third reading. The Senate also passed CS/HB 7031 on taxation, substituting it for the Senate bill and adopting a technical amendment, by a vote of 34-0. The chamber passed a series of other bills, generally after substituting House companions and adopting technical amendments. These included a computer science education bill adding digital literacy and AI instruction, a Parkinson’s disease registry bill and related public records exemption, a bill designating the SS American Victory as Florida’s official flagship, a local government electronic payments bill, a legal tender bill repealing a sunset on gold and silver recognition, public records exemptions for gold/silver custodians and stablecoin-related entities, a stablecoin pilot program, local government spending transparency requirements, a digital voyeurism bill expanding privacy protections to private fenced yards, an insurance licensing bill allowing high school students to complete insurance/personal finance coursework, and a medical freedom bill addressing vaccine information, conscience exemptions, ivermectin access, and the mRNA mandate sunset. Most of these measures passed with little or no opposition, with recorded votes ranging from 31-3 to 34-0.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's statutory required training is outlined in in various bills the coordinating board provides training
• And we work on that, we train on that, and we hire for that.
• Do not approach the counselor because she has already left.
• Now, this was a counselor of a school.
• And counselors, thank you both.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we were looking at those, just trying to get them into training.
• And that would bring on two case managers, an addiction counselor, a human relation counselor, which

Committee: House Appropriations - Human Resources Division

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee met to review Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation budget items, with Representative Steeman asking for clarification on FTE counts and dollar amounts in several line items. DOCR officials explained that the Hart River Correctional Center request was reduced from 26 new FTEs to 7, focused on pre-opening staffing such as security leadership, HR, staff development, warehouse support, and a dentist and dental assistant to address a long dental waiting list. The MRCC temporary housing unit line was adjusted from 7 FTEs to 12.5 FTEs to add case management, treatment, nursing, and maintenance staff, while pretrial, corrections temporary positions, education services, and maintenance items remained unchanged. The Grand Forks line was reduced from 31.5 FTEs to 4, with the remaining staffing tied to case management and treatment rather than full facility operations, and officials estimated that personnel cost at about $670,000. Members also discussed how the staffing changes would be viewed against the closure or transition of Dakota Women's Correctional and Rehabilitation Center in New England. DOCR said the comparison would not be apples-to-apples because Hart River will expand from a 126-bed to a 304-bed facility with more services, and because Dakota Women's staff are not state employees and therefore not counted as state FTEs. Officials noted anticipated efficiencies through shared services such as warehousing, commissary, laundry, kitchen, medical, and dental support across facilities, but acknowledged those savings would be difficult to quantify. The chair thanked the witnesses, noted the committee would return later to address amendments and the bill, and then recessed the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• The training itself is some phenomenal training.
• And the training piece.
• Or lack of training.
• We are training coaches. We will train your coaches. Roswell, unbelievable.
• You know, there, there's more training and there's just as good a training in other areas that needs

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not just a training pipeline. It's a retention strategy.
• I'm a professor of medicine who has trained medical students over four decades.
• We have to train more providers.
• This is because mental health centers have well-trained staff, extensive training, comprehensive systems
• This is because mental health centers have well-trained staff, extensive training, comprehensive systems

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Health Care Financing

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:

• Over all the trains you see here demonstrates consistent growth in funding enabling districts to better
• strengthening the health care and public safety sectors while continuing to align education and training
• a program, they could be can currently enrolled in what's called it or integrated education and training
• Imagine maybe guidance counselors get this information.
• I do know that information is shared with our social workers or our guidance counselors across the state

Transcript Highlights:

• School counselors and school staff.
• Responsibilities that we are not trained for.
• As counselors and social food shelf.
• Our counselors, social workers, and therapists are overwhelmed.
• Our counselors, social workers, threats.

Committee: House Education Finance

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So the first thing that comes to mind is most of my training is in the FERPA area because we do a lot
• This legislation also eliminates a requirement for the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating
• Right now we're running on fumes, and if this program is successful, that will only lead to a train wreck
• So think it through the different stations, and then the counselor then backs it up with what you were
• So college counselors in school can only spend so much time for so many students, right?

Summary: The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee began with a work session on student complaints in higher education. Faculty, union, and research witnesses argued that current complaint systems are sometimes misused in bad faith, disproportionately affecting faculty of color, women, and contingent faculty, consuming institutional resources, and chilling academic freedom. They called for an initial screening process for bias or retaliation, routine data collection and equity review, and a faculty bill of rights. Committee members asked about FERPA, Title IX, and how complaint data could be tracked consistently across institutions. The committee then held public hearings on several bills. SB 6090 would create a Heritage Orchard Program at Washington State University to register and preserve heritage orchards and rare apple varieties; Senator Braun said it would honor Washington’s apple history and support research at low cost. SB 5931 would make technical changes to the Workforce Education Investment Oversight Board, including two-year co-chair terms, a later annual report date, and removal of a dashboard requirement; WASAC, labor, and Microsoft testified in support. SB 5963 would automatically qualify Passport to Careers students as income-eligible for the Washington College Grant and align financial aid definitions; WASAC, College Success Foundation, students, and student advocates supported it as a way to reduce barriers for foster and homeless youth. The committee also heard SB 5978, which would codify and expand the Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program and require annual student notifications about admissions, financial aid, dual credit, and related opportunities. Supporters included the Council of Presidents, faculty, students, parents, and the Washington Roundtable, who said guaranteed admission and better outreach would reduce anxiety, improve transparency, and help more students enroll. Finally, SB 6082 would direct JLARC to audit fraud in state financial aid programs, including fictitious students and AI-enabled abuse; the sponsor cited recent fraud concerns, while community and technical college officials said colleges already have fraud controls in place, warned the audit was unfunded and potentially duplicative, and asked for more resources. No votes were taken, and the committee adjourned after closing the hearings.

Transcript Highlights:

• Train workers and counselors to implement the plan.
• Train workers and counselors to implement the plan.
• For safety training.
• Louis on the train. I am pro-trains, pro-trans.
• Louis on the train. I am pro-trains, pro-trans, and I'm in opposition of this bill.

Committee: House Emerging Issues

Keywords: 959, house, all