Transcript Highlights:

• There were many areas, for example, the extent to which performance standards should be done for treatment
• That's in our CERC: an 11% increase across the state for the ability to provide the increased treatment
• Literal areas around stormwater treatment ponds that are wet systems—those are just some of the many
• That were already meted out to what additional stormwater treatment requirements would be done.
• Provide a treatment volume, and that's separate from making sure that your pond was adequately sized

Summary: The Joint Administrative Procedures Committee met on February 3, 2025, with a quorum present and took up three main items. First, the committee considered a large set of recommended objections to Agency for Health Care Administration rules, all centered on sunset provisions stating the rules would expire after five years. AHCA asked for another deferral while it reviewed the rules, arguing the sunset language was a form of self-restraint rather than an invalid exercise of rulemaking authority. Committee leadership disagreed that further delay would resolve the issue and moved to a single vote covering all objections. The motion passed by roll call, and the committee informed AHCA that an objection would be filed unless the agency amended the rules within 30 days. The committee then heard an informational briefing from the Department of Environmental Protection on its Outstanding Florida Springs rule and stormwater rule. DEP explained that it did not prepare a statement of estimated regulatory cost for the springs rule because the proposed standards largely mirror existing water management district rules and the Central Florida Water Initiative framework, so DEP said there was no new regulatory burden. Members asked about permit authority, costs, and whether the rules were functionally different from prior rules. DEP maintained the rules set minimum standards and did not add costs beyond what regulated parties were already doing. DEP also described implementation of the stormwater rule adopted under the 2020 Clean Waterways Act and later ratified by the Legislature in 2024. DEP said the rule was the product of years of workshops and technical advisory committee meetings, and that the final version included lower-cost alternatives, grandfathering, and phased implementation. DEP estimated the rule’s cost at about $2,600 per acre in the revised CERC, while industry witnesses said the real cost could be much higher, especially if land costs are included. A home builders representative argued the estimate understated impacts, while a stormwater engineer said the rule gives more flexible, performance-based tools and could become more cost-effective over time. Finally, Senator Graal presented proposed Chapter 120 changes in SB 108, aimed at tightening and modernizing rulemaking. The proposal would require five-year rule reviews, annual agency reporting, faster notice of proposed rulemaking after authorizing legislation, electronic filing, public access to incorporated materials, clearer tracking of technical changes, and limits on how long rules can remain pending ratification. Members discussed whether the Legislature should be more specific in statutes about rulemaking deadlines and whether agencies should be more accountable when rules stall. No formal action was taken on the Chapter 120 proposals, and the committee adjourned after discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Paula Stone, talk about the emergency rule on hospital-based residential treatment.
• Hospital-based residential treatment.
• But this rule is for adolescent residential substance use disorder treatment services in a hospital setting
• But this rule is for adolescent residential substance use disorder treatment services in a hospital setting
• services, so mental health services, and in psychiatric hospitals or in psychiatric residential treatment

Summary: The committee opened with prayer and approved the minutes. It then heard an emergency rule from the Department of Human Services on hospital-based residential treatment for adolescents with substance use disorders. Paula Stone explained that the rule would allow Medicaid reimbursement for residential treatment services provided in a hospital unit for ages 12 and up, with Unity Hospital in Searcy expected to be the first provider. Members asked about licensure, length of stay, and cost; Stone said stays would be determined by ASAM criteria rather than a fixed cap, the projected rate submitted to CMS was $850 per day, and the unit would have 24 beds split between boys and girls with an on-site school. The committee next considered an electronic visit verification rule for in-home personal care, attendant care, respite care, and home health services. Elizabeth Pittman said the update was intended to keep the state compliant with federal EVV requirements, improve auditing and corrective action authority, and encourage more electronic claims submissions. She also noted the rule would remove the W-9 submission requirement for provider enrollment to allow IRS verification. Members asked whether EVV was federally required and were told Arkansas uses an open system that allows providers to use the state option or a third-party vendor. After the presentations, the committee took no further action beyond noting that the EVV rule stood reviewed. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Paula Stone, talk about the emergency rule on hospital-based residential treatment.
• But this rule is for adolescent residential substance use disorder treatment services in a hospital setting
• And does Medicaid not pay, like, in other types of treatment facilities, the private type facilities?
• psychiatric services, mental health services, and in psychiatric hospitals or in psychiatric residential treatment
• psychiatric services, mental health services, and in psychiatric hospitals or in psychiatric residential treatment

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, we have<00:54:47.640><c> treatment,</c><00:54:48.640><c> prevention,</c> have treatment, prevention
• He received no treatment whatsoever except food and water for two and a half weeks.
• </c> resources, training, and treatment resources, training, and treatment received<03:09:52.160><c>
• It was not given to me as clinical treatment as it usually is.
• We've covered mental health courts, veterans courts, treatment courts.

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• But it can also completely change the treatment plan of a patient.
• Chair, Representative Willoughby, now are we just talking about treatment?
• And you said it's a shall, but are we talking about just treatment?
• I understand for treatment, but how are we leaving this open-ended, Mr. Chair? Sure. Mr.
• But is it just for treatment? Yeah, that's the records, but who is it being requested by?

Bills: HB2495 , HB2557 , HB2594 , HB2615 , HB2800 , HB2861 , HB2862 , HB2931 , HB2995 , HB4042 , HB4070 , HB4117 , HB4136

Committees: House Judiciary , House House Judiciary Committee of Reference

Keywords: vulnerable adults, sentencing, felonies, criminal justice, enhanced penalties, medical records, patient rights, healthcare access, privacy, healthcare providers, timeliness, address confidentiality, domestic violence, privacy protection, voter registration, court proceedings, parenting time, supervised visitation, family court, high-risk cases

Transcript Highlights:

• On top of the fire risk, there is also a significant water conservation benefit to these treatments.
• There is also a significant water conservation benefit to these treatments.
• There is also a significant water conservation benefit to these treatments.
• We are then planning repetitive year-after-year retreatments, spray-cut treatments of that site.
• ’s a mechanical treatment or a less intensive grazing regimen or hand thinning.

Bills: SB47 , SB110 , SB122 , SB143 , SB168

Committee: Senate Senate Conservation

Transcript Highlights:

• Step housing creates the stability required for treatment, recovery, employment, and long-term housing
• Once housed, people stabilize, they attend appointments, they comply with treatment voluntarily, and
• We find Not wanting help or treatment resistant.
• outreach to the homeless population, offering services, housing, and treatment.
• He was able to connect to vital medical treatment and has since transitioned into permanent housing.

Bills: HB2266 , HB2489

Committee: House Housing

Keywords: housing, supportive housing, transitional housing, emergency shelters, homelessness prevention, public space, local governance, life-sustaining activities, statewide standards, regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• Step housing creates the stability required for treatment, recovery, employment, and long-term housing
• Once housed, people stabilize, they attend appointments, they comply with treatment voluntarily, and
• We find Not wanting help or treatment resistant.
• outreach to the homeless population, offering services, housing, and treatment.
• He was able to connect to vital medical treatment and has since transitioned into permanent housing.

Summary: The Housing Committee held work sessions on federal Continuum of Care homelessness funding and on state step-housing siting rules before moving into public hearings on House Bill 2266 and House Bill 2489. Commerce staff said HUD’s late and restrictive Continuum of Care funding notice put about $120 million a year in Washington operating support for existing homeless housing projects at risk, but a lawsuit led by the Attorney General forced HUD to restart renewal funding. Commerce also reviewed how local governments are implementing step-housing requirements, including model ordinances, planning updates, and ongoing compliance reviews under recent state law. House Bill 2266 would require cities and counties to allow step housing in all nonindustrial zones, apply the same permitting and environmental review as other residential uses, limit design review to administrative processes, and remove certain local standards and conditions on existing buildings and affordable housing. Supporters, including Plymouth Housing, Disability Rights Washington, King County, the Attorney General’s Office, and Catholic Community Services, argued the bill would reduce discriminatory barriers, protect people with disabilities, and make it easier to site shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing. Several city representatives and the Association of Washington Cities opposed or sought amendments, saying the bill was too broad and could limit local authority over operational agreements, safety plans, spacing, community engagement, and funding conditions; some asked for clearer carveouts for emergency shelters and related uses. House Bill 2489 would bar local governments from enforcing public-space anti-camping or similar laws unless adequate alternative shelter space is available, with “life-sustaining activities” and “adequate alternative shelter space” defined in detail. Rep. Gregerson said the bill would create a statewide floor and prevent punishment for survival conduct when no real shelter option exists. The ACLU, service providers, and shelter operators supported the bill, citing displacement from fragmented local ordinances, enforcement costs, and the need to align enforcement with actual shelter availability. Testimony also described low-barrier shelter operations and examples of people stabilizing once housed. The hearing on HB 2489 began with staff explanation and initial testimony; no votes were taken on either bill in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• They get to use it to pay for mental health services or other cancer treatment, whatever out-of-pocket
• to pay taxes on that money they get to use it to pay for mental health services or other cancer treatment
• whatever whatever out-of-pocket expenses they have that quality. ...or other cancer treatment, whatever
• to worry about to make sure that your daughter is being monitored and has access to life-saving treatment
• about to make sure that you know your daughter is being monitored and has access to life-saving treatment

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services held a hearing with Chair Jamie Murphy and Senate co-chair Senator Feeney presiding. Members asked witnesses to keep testimony to three minutes and noted that written testimony could still be submitted. The committee heard testimony on several health insurance and pharmacy-related bills, including a proposal to allow controlled prescriptions to be transferred between pharmacies within the same chain, legislation affecting health savings account (HSA)-compatible plans and future insurance mandates, a bill on small business health insurance incentives, and H. 1212 on emergency insulin access. Several parents and patients testified in support of emergency insulin access, describing severe diabetes emergencies, diabetic ketoacidosis, prescription delays, and the need for pharmacists to dispense insulin in urgent situations when doctors or insurers are unavailable. A parent also described the burden of repeatedly obtaining new prescriptions for ADHD medication when pharmacies are out of stock. Witnesses supporting the HSA bill argued that state coverage mandates can unintentionally disqualify HSA-qualified plans and that the bill would preserve tax advantages for enrollees while avoiding repeated legislative fixes. A representative of the Retailers Association supported the small business health insurance incentives bill, saying it could help retain small employers in the merged market by allowing carriers to offer financial incentives tied to cooperative purchasing and utilization efforts. One witness, Kathleen Demarest, testified against a co-pay assistance restriction, saying a state rule had unexpectedly cut off her drug assistance before a generic was actually available, leaving her with very high out-of-pocket costs. Committee members asked a few clarifying questions about HSAs, insulin dispensing, and school support for diabetes care. After all scheduled witnesses had testified and no additional testimony was offered, the committee voted to close the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Through her leadership in both clinical practice and research, she continues to advance cancer treatment
• Through her leadership in both clinical practice and research, she continues to advance cancer treatment
• complex skin cancers with precision while minimizing both the physical and emotional burdens of treatment
• Paneker's experience and attentive patient-centered care, she was able to undergo treatment with confidence
• complex skin cancers with precision while minimizing both the physical and emotional burdens of treatment

Bills: SB2723 , HB9

Transcript Highlights:

• or different types of very treatment or different types of very expensive<01:59:31.440><c> treatments
• And if determine the treatment plan?
• </c> you're paying for the right treatment you're paying for the right treatment and<02:06:29.119><c>
• </c><02:12:26.560><c> This</c> may impact treatment decisions. This may impact treatment decisions.
• </c><02:26:41.680><c> that</c> who might benefit from treatments that who might benefit from treatments

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> you don't even receive any treatment. you don't even receive any treatment.
• </c><00:24:56.080><c> 88%</c> one treatment. 88% one treatment. 88% 86%<00:24:59.360><c> of</c><00:24
• . treatment. treatment.
• </c> Members, if that was cancer treatment Members, if that was cancer treatment and<00:25:11.520><c>
• :25:52.400><c> in</c><00:25:52.640><c> that</c> treatment they've done they in that treatment they've

Transcript Highlights:

• Of those 3,817, judges approved only 393 treatment plans.
• When someone cannot engage in treatment, we should not assume that they need less help.
• And the criminal justice system is what routes them into some sort of mental health treatment.
• It's currently resulting in its first full year of implementation in under 1,000 treatment plans.
• And just to repeat that it does not turn Care Court into any type of involuntary treatment.

Committee: House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• In your closing, you said that people have the right to receive treatment.
• They have the right to receive the treatment that they desire.
• So it is, in follow-up, okay for a family to reach out and ask for treatment that legally I wouldn't
• on their own dime, I course of treatment on their own dime, I would<00:51:36.400><c> disagree</c><00
• and say that they regret those procedures and those treatments, and that those procedures and treatments

Summary: The committee first took up administrative regulations, found no concerns, and then passed House Bill 389 with a favorable expression by a 9-0 vote. HB 389 was described as a cleanup bill for the CASPER prescription monitoring program: it clarifies that practitioners must have active CASPER accounts, exempts charitable health care providers from e-prescribing requirements, allows sharing CASPER data with certain federal entities such as military-base providers, and updates references to hydrocodone’s Schedule II status. The sponsor said there was no expected fiscal impact. The committee then passed House Bill 392, also by a 9-0 favorable expression. HB 392 would streamline payment for non-elective medical care for patients in state mental facilities when the facility cannot provide the needed treatment, allowing care in community-based settings and payment to those providers. The sponsor said the bill was intended to improve efficiency and would not have a fiscal impact on the cabinet. House Bill 501 was next and likewise passed 9-0 with favorable expression. The bill would allow pharmacists, in their professional judgment, to refill certain prescriptions for up to 180 days when a physician has died, while excluding controlled substances and preserving pharmacist discretion to require follow-up care. Senators raised concerns that the bill does not require patients to seek a new provider during that period, but supporters said the longer window addresses rural provider shortages and access delays. The committee then heard House Bill 495, as amended by a committee substitute. The substitute would prohibit Medicaid services and managed care organizations from covering cross-sex hormones above normal levels and gender reassignment surgery. Testimony on the bill was overwhelmingly opposed, with speakers including a former senator, psychologists, advocates, and legal and social work representatives arguing that conversion therapy is harmful, that the substitute would deny medically necessary gender-affirming care, and that the measure could increase suicide risk and litigation. One witness from the Family Foundation of Kentucky spoke in favor, arguing the executive order on counseling limits free speech and that counseling should not be restricted by government. The transcript ends during testimony, with no final committee vote on HB 495 shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, many of these services are Destinations, tests, and treatments like physical therapy.
• For instance, it requires employees to make a reasonable effort to schedule treatment outside of work
• It also requires employees to give their employers reasonable advance notice of treatment that will take
• Employees will not be required to grant leave if business necessity would require the treatment to occur
• Right now, there is nothing that requires a worker to try to secure this treatment outside of work hours

Committee: House Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• This is for the Board of Certification of Operating Personnel Wastewater Treatment Plants.
• Board of Certification of Operating Personnel Wastewater Treatment Plants.
• So thank you very wastewater treatment. So thank you very much. much. much.
• Okay, and finally GM790, which was the operating personnel wastewater treatment plants, Ms.
• </c><00:20:40.720><c> plants,</c> personnel wastewater treatment plants, personnel wastewater treatment

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Summary: The Health and Human Services Committee heard several governor’s message nominations for health-related boards and commissions. Kanwardeep Kaleka was considered for the Substance Abuse Kauai Service Area Board; he said his work as a psychiatrist and family physician on Kauai motivates him to improve mental health and addiction services. Kunani Dryer was considered for the Hawaii Advisory Commission on Drug Abuse and Controlled Substances; he emphasized 26 years of personal recovery, harm reduction experience, and representation of rural, LGBTQIA+, and Native Hawaiian communities. Olivia Kim was considered for the Center for Nursing Advisory Board; testimony highlighted her experience in nursing leadership, long-term care, and LPN workforce issues. Trisha Lynn Yamashita was considered for the Kauai Subarea Health Planning Council; she described her hospice leadership, public health and palliative care background, and focus on data-informed, community-centered planning. Emily Dong was considered for the Board of Certification of Operating Personnel Wastewater Treatment Plants; she stressed wastewater’s public health importance and the need to strengthen the operator workforce pipeline. Testimony in support came from the Department of Health and several organizations and individuals, including the Hawaii State Center for Nursing, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Hina Mauka, the Kauai mayor, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and others. Committee members generally praised the nominees’ credentials and community ties, and repeatedly noted the value of lived experience, rural perspective, and workforce expertise. One nominee, Olivia Kim, was not present and was deferred to a later meeting for decision-making. At the end of the hearing, the committee took up the governor’s messages and recommended advise and consent for GM707, GM537, GM545, GM724, and GM790, with Senator Fevella excused and no objections recorded. GM662 was deferred to Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 3:20 p.m. in Room 225 because the nominee could not attend. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• with respect to the safe and effective care they are already receiving so they can continue their treatments
• Trans Survey shows that respondents who received the gender-affirming treatment they needed had lower
• Patients are also reporting that they are cutting back on their currently prescribed treatment in order
• factors, and cancer screening, which is made more difficult when patients are on inadequate hormone treatment
• discriminatory encounters with pharmacy staff on a monthly basis simply by picking up prescribed treatment

Committee: House Business and Professions

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> A patient now you're now it's on a patient will receive treatment from a multitude of health care
• Each provider will create and maintain a record of treatment.
• This creates unnecessary obstacles for patients and discourage is active engagement in their treatment
• The bill removes obstacles and empowers patients to be more engaged in their treatment by standardizing
• And therefore, because I'm a legal representative, be able to change the the treatment of the patient

Transcript Highlights:

• The Forest Service is still failing to increase the pace and scale of its treatments.
• such as prescribed thinning treatments such as prescribed thinning and<02:57:35.239><c> burning</c><
• legislation simply treatment this legislation simply requires<02:57:52.080><c> the</c><02:57:52.200>
• Speaker, to the misleading and inaccurate way hazardous fuel treatments are reported.
• </c><03:19:18.800><c> and</c> and increased water treatment and and increased water treatment and erosion

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> a treatment plan to an employer. a treatment plan to an employer.
• First up is DLIR in support. a physician to transmit a treatment plan a physician to transmit a treatment
• </c> period, and clarifies that a treatment period, and clarifies that a treatment plan<00:14:31.960>
• </c> undergoing medically necessary treatment undergoing medically necessary treatment that<00:53:31.560
• </c> &gt;&gt; They're assuming the primary treatment &gt;&gt; They're assuming the primary treatment

Bills: HB2323 , HB2324 , HB1509 , HB2164 , HB2165 , HB2367 , HB2619 , HB1765 , HB2187 , HB1864 , HB1452 , HB2314 , HB1898 , HB2558 , HB2319 , HB1643 , HB2121

Committee: House Consumer Protection & Commerce

Summary: The committee heard several administration bills related largely to workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance. On HB 2323 HD1, which would modernize workers’ compensation notice and filing procedures, DLIR and other agencies testified in support of the original bill language but said HD1 removed key components and weakened the bill’s clarity and continuity. HB 2324 HD1, which would repeal state hoisting-machine certification requirements and the separate crane operator certificate, drew support from DLIR; members asked about whether the change would affect safety or local operators, and DLIR said OSHA-compliant certifications already exist and the union supported the change. HB 1509 HD1, which would require faster employer responses to treatment plans and impose penalties for nonresponse, received support from DLIR and others, while DHRD said it wanted an amendment. The committee also took up HB 2164 HD1 on compounded prescription drugs in workers’ compensation. DLIR supported the bill as a way to define compounded drugs and curb inflated pricing, but DHRD and a medical provider opposed it and asked for amendments. Testimony focused heavily on whether the definition should include 503B compounding facilities and whether physician dispensing should be limited to the first 30 days after injury. HB 2165 HD1, dealing with unemployment insurance eligibility and removing the two-year limit on recouping overpayments, was supported by DLIR but opposed by Unite Here Local 5, which argued it would make it harder for striking workers and other claimants. Members questioned the impact of changing reporting deadlines from calendar days to business days and raised concerns about future benefit offsets; DLIR said the bill was needed for federal conformity and that the committee would revisit the offset percentage and effective date. Later, the committee heard HB 2367 on pay transparency, requiring salary ranges in job postings and removing the small-employer exemption. The Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, AAUW, Hawaii Women Lawyers, and an individual testifier supported the bill, saying pay transparency promotes fairness, trust, and pay equity; one testifier described being underpaid compared with a predecessor and said posting ranges would save applicants’ time. HB 2619 HD1, concerning homemade food products and farm kitchens, received generally supportive comments from the Department of Health, which requested an amendment to preserve flexibility in future rulemaking. HB 1765 HD1, on spear-fishing safety warnings, drew support from a safety educator and comments from DLNR; supporters said warning labels would help prevent hypoxic blackout deaths and were low-cost and easy to implement. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.