Transcript Highlights:

• approach to ...of explaining the treatment or intervention approach to people who didn't have a common
• For someone struggling with pain, facing a flare-up, or needing rapid intervention, these delays are
• For someone struggling with pain, facing a flare-up, or needing rapid intervention, these delays are
• However, the amount California spends on violence prevention and intervention pales in comparison to
• First, it expands the coverage of fluoride varnish to more youth enrolled in Medi-Cal and commercial

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee met on April 22 and took up a special order of bills focused largely on prior authorization and utilization management in health care. The chair framed the discussion as part of a broader legislative effort to reduce delays and barriers to care, especially in behavioral health, chronic disease management, cancer treatment, and rehabilitation services. AB 384 by Assembly Member Connolly would prohibit prior authorization for inpatient mental health or substance use emergency admissions and related physician care; supporters said it would prevent dangerous delays in crisis care, while insurers and health plans warned about fraud, abuse, and ambiguity around residential treatment facilities. The bill was moved on a due pass as amended motion and passed the committee on a party-line style vote, with Republicans largely absent or not voting. The committee then heard AB 510 by Assembly Member Addis, which would require health plans, upon request, to provide a peer reviewer of the same or similar specialty when a treating provider appeals a prior authorization denial or modification. Supporters argued that specialty-matched review would make appeals fairer and more clinically informed; opponents said the requirement was too rigid and that timelines and electronic submission rules needed changes. After discussion about the need for timely, specialty-specific review, the bill was approved on a due pass as amended motion and placed on call. AB 539 by Assembly Member Schiavo would extend prior authorization approvals to one year or the duration of the physician’s prescribed treatment for chronic conditions; supporters cited repeated denials and treatment interruptions, while opponents raised concerns about overbreadth, fraud, and the need for shorter validity periods. The bill was also passed as amended and placed on call. The committee next considered AB 669 by Assembly Member Haney, which would bar concurrent and retrospective review for the first 28 days of medically necessary substance use disorder treatment and limit prior authorization for related outpatient medications. The bill was presented with a powerful personal story from Ryan Matlock’s mother about her son’s death after an insurer cut off treatment early; supporters said the measure would keep patients in care long enough to stabilize, while opponents argued it would reduce oversight and could allow lower-quality or non-evidence-based care. The bill was moved on a due pass as amended motion and placed on call. Finally, AB 512 by Assembly Member Harabedian would shorten prior authorization response times to 24 hours for urgent requests and 48 hours for non-urgent requests; supporters said delays can worsen outcomes, while opponents warned the timelines were unrealistic and could increase administrative burdens and safety issues. The bill was approved as amended and placed on call. AB 574 by Assembly Member Mark Gonzalez was then heard; it would allow up to 12 medically necessary physical therapy sessions for a new episode of care without prior authorization, with supporters emphasizing stroke and neurological recovery and opponents warning of reduced oversight and unnecessary care. The transcript ends during testimony on AB 574, before final action is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• I do think that we have such a lesser amount of funds in this if it was in Children, Youth, and Families
• You served for a long time, and now you're serving our youth again. I appreciate that.
• I think that we really should be spending Children, Youth, and Family dollars on this.
• I think that really benefits the veterans as much as it does the youth. And I also just...
• I'm so passionate about investing in youth as a way to protect public safety.

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs Division

Transcript Highlights:

• If we value our future, the youth, why are we allowing the cost of rent to determine who gets to stay
• All youth deserve a steady education and a safe environment.
• , Mass., which is a youth-led organization mainly focused on dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline
• while also having youth voice and decision-making at the center of our values.
• I've coached youth sports for many years and really enjoyed giving back to the community that gave so

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Summary: The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held a long public hearing focused mainly on two sets of issues: proposals to amend or repeal the MBTA Communities Act, and bills to allow local rent stabilization. Committee chairs opened by explaining the hearing would be tightly managed because of the very large number of speakers, with testimony limited to two minutes per person and written testimony still accepted by email. Members and witnesses were called in a mix of in-person and virtual order throughout the hearing. On the MBTA Communities Act, several legislators and local officials argued the law is too rigid and should be revised to account for local conditions. Speakers from small, rural, or infrastructure-limited communities such as Hanson, Halifax, Marshfield, Winthrop, Dracut, Carver, Rehoboth, and others said the law’s one-size-fits-all approach does not fit towns with limited water, sewer, transit access, or buildable land. Some filed bills would repeal the law, exempt certain communities, or create appeals processes based on infrastructure, environmental, or historical constraints. Supporters of the law’s changes emphasized local control and the need to avoid forcing development where communities believe it is impractical or inconsistent with town character. A large portion of the hearing was devoted to rent stabilization legislation, especially S. 1447 and related House bills. Supporters included legislators, city councilors, tenant advocates, labor leaders, housing nonprofits, public health organizations, and residents who described sharp rent increases, displacement, homelessness risk, and the strain on working families, seniors, students, and people with disabilities. They argued local-option rent stabilization would let municipalities cap excessive increases and prevent no-fault evictions while preserving flexibility for local conditions. Opponents, including small landlords and property owners, said rent control would discourage investment, worsen housing quality, burden responsible owners, and drive small landlords out of the market. Some witnesses also supported a Cape Cod/Island transfer fee bill and a suburban infrastructure fund, arguing those would provide local revenue for housing or roads. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• partner is the property owner who has shown tremendous patience, partnership, and truly cares about our youth
• truly cares patience, partnership, and truly cares about<00:03:58.960><c> our</c><00:03:59.240><c> youth
• the</c><00:03:59.840><c> Waianae</c><00:04:00.360><c> Coast</c><00:04:00.840><c> and</c> about our youth
• on the Waianae Coast and about our youth on the Waianae Coast and its<00:04:01.560><c> future.
• student progress and collaborated with teachers to analyze data to identify areas for growth and intervention

Bills: HB1576 , HB2490 , HB1546 , HB1588

Transcript Highlights:

• name is Logan Howard, licensed master social worker and director of public policy for Families and Youth
• PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and difficulty forming healthy relationships for youth
• When youth experience violence in systems meant to help them heal, we erode trust in institutions and
• establishes essential protections, reporting requirements, and trauma-informed training to ensure youth
• And intervention services in New Mexico.

Bills: HB195 , HB279 , SB30 , HB234 , HB292 , SB100 , SB23 , SB221 , SB261 , SB264

Committee: House House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• Without intentional intervention, the economic cost is staggering.
• Opportunity youth is not a problem.
• In just the first year of Elevate 361, we've served over 200 youth.
• Services, representing the voice of disconnected youth and young adults with the Texas Opportunity Youth
• I was an opportunity youth before I even knew what the term meant.

Bills: HB875 , HB1667 , HB2369 , HB3844 , HB4415 , HB4479 , HB4483 , HB4676 , HB5118 , HB5400 , HB5545

Committee: House S/C on Workforce

Summary: The subcommittee heard testimony on a broad agenda of workforce, labor, and workers’ compensation bills. HB 4676 would require political subdivision workers’ compensation networks to follow the same notice, access, and complaint rules as certified TDI networks; supporters said public employees and first responders deserve equal access to care, while municipal risk pool representatives opposed added regulation and said existing 504 networks already perform well. HB 4479 would create a rural workforce development grant program at TWC to support college-and-career readiness and local workforce alignment, and HB 3844 would define “opportunity youth” in state law to improve data, coordination, and access to services for disconnected young Texans; both drew strong support from rural, education, and chamber witnesses. HB 5545 would clarify federal tax treatment for wage-replacement benefits in non-subscriber injury benefit plans, with proponents calling it a win for employers and injured workers. HB 5118 would direct TWC and DIR to study AI and automated employment decision tools in hiring, including bias and oversight concerns. HB 1667 would move existing PTSD workers’ compensation language into a broader Labor Code chapter so more first responders, including state and campus officers, could qualify for benefits; supporters called it a technical fix to extend coverage more evenly across agencies. The committee also heard several first-responder and workers’ compensation bills. HB 2369 would speed up claims handling for injured first responders by allowing a single medical evaluation, giving carriers 60 days to accept or deny a claim, and letting workers seek treatment while disputes proceed; law enforcement supporters said it would help injured officers return to work faster, while opponents warned it would revive extent-of-injury waiver problems and increase litigation. HB 4483 would reclassify certain workers’ compensation maintenance taxes as surcharges to reduce retaliatory taxes imposed by other states on Texas-domiciled carriers, and HB 875, as revised by committee substitute, would create a small-project exception to municipal workers’ compensation and bonding requirements for certain low-value construction contracts in small cities; both were presented as cost-saving measures for Texas employers and local governments. HB 4415 would extend anti-retaliation protections for workers’ compensation claimants from first responders to all public employees and expressly waive sovereign immunity for those claims, with supporters describing it as closing a loophole that leaves public workers without the same remedy available in the private sector. The committee also took testimony on HB 5400, which would expand remedies for sexual harassment victims by removing the requirement to first file an administrative charge, extending the filing deadline from 300 days to two years, clarifying retaliation, and eliminating current damages caps. Supporters, including employment lawyers and a parent of a victim, said the current deadlines and caps prevent many survivors from obtaining counsel or full relief, especially younger workers and those in small workplaces or franchises. Across the agenda, witnesses repeatedly emphasized access to care, fair treatment for injured workers, rural workforce development, and stronger protections for vulnerable employees. After each bill was laid out and testimony heard, the chair generally closed the public hearing and left the bill pending; no final votes were taken, and the subcommittee adjourned after completing the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have some laws in place that could change the system, that could help out our children and youth in
• The system could help out our children and youth in the next generations.
• I'm working with Assembly Member Garcia on mental health crisis intervention training.
• We seek to close the gap in intervention, prevention, response, and recovery.
• I speak to the youth councils of our tribes. They go out and have direct access to me.

Summary: The Select Committee on Native American Affairs opened its 2025 hearing with a traditional song and remarks about the importance of Native visibility and land acknowledgment. The hearing focused on missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP), exploitation and trafficking in a Public Law 280 (PL 280) state, and California’s response. Members and tribal leaders emphasized that MMIP is tied to historical trauma, forced removal, undercounting, and ongoing inequities in law enforcement response, media attention, and access to resources. Several panelists urged stronger tribal consultation, better data collection, more funding, and culturally informed education and victim services. In the first panel, tribal chairpersons described personal and community impacts. Chairperson Antonet Del Rio spoke about the need to include federally and non-federally recognized tribes and to educate schools and communities, while naming long-unsolved cases from her tribe. Chairperson Cheyenne Stone connected MMIP to the history of violence in Owens Valley and to the disturbance of Indigenous remains during infrastructure projects, calling for forensic resources, mandatory consultation, and accountability. Chairperson Charles Martin described the death of Morongo citizen Amy Porter and said the Feather Alert failed her family because law enforcement did not act quickly enough; he called for reforms and better coordination, especially in PL 280 jurisdictions. Chairwoman Nelson and committee members echoed the need for equity, urgency, and government-to-government respect. The second panel examined how PL 280 complicates MMIP and trafficking cases. Professor Carol Goldberg explained that PL 280 created an unfunded mandate, reduced federal jurisdiction and funding, and contributed to under-resourced policing and mistrust; she recommended mandatory training, community-oriented policing, formal tribal-county collaboration, and possible retrocession in some cases. Yurok Chairman Joe James tied MMIP to boarding schools, trafficking, and the need to advance bills such as AB 31, SB 4, ACR 39, AB 285, and AB 1378, along with increased budget funding. Morning Star Gali argued that PL 280 enables traffickers and violent offenders to exploit jurisdictional gaps and called for tribally led public safety, housing, victim services, and stronger consultation. Dustin Contreras, a human trafficking investigator, described the overlap between trafficking and MMIP, stressed partnerships and task forces, and supported more education for law enforcement, schools, and families. In the final panel, state and county officials described current efforts and acknowledged remaining gaps. The Attorney General’s Office said it is working on MICIC outreach, tribal response planning, PL 280 training through an advisory council, and improved data systems, while supporting bills and the Feather Alert. Humboldt County Sheriff Hansel described the case of a missing woman, Emily, as an example of how people with mental illness or justice involvement can become invisible, and said counties need more consistent training and clearer jurisdictional protocols. He and other officials supported the Feather Alert, tribal police authority, and a pilot program for POST status for tribal police, which they said had been vetoed previously. Across the hearing, speakers repeatedly called for better coordination, more funding, stronger tribal authority, and sustained action rather than symbolic recognition.

Transcript Highlights:

• Most importantly, as part of my job, I deal with the consequences of our struggling youth from drugs
• As someone who is deeply invested in our youth, I don't just believe we have an opportunity.
• We owe it to our youth. We must act swiftly and decisively. Thank you.
• We're talking about youth who are trying to find themselves, and there's a lot of distraction in this
• after finding the nearly 300 people, I think that the the testimony is compelling we're talking about youth

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• What is a layer one intervention? What is a layer two intervention?
• Teachers are able to differentiate instruction and provide additional support. and interventions.
• We have incorporated intervention blocks not only in our elementary schools, but we are very specific
• about when interventions are taking place in all of our secondary schools.
• They received training most recently in IXL, an intervention program that we've been.

Transcript Highlights:

• We appreciate the Legislature's continued focus on youth protection, preventing youth access to cannabis
• There were no obvious youth-appealing features.
• There was no obvious youth appealing features.
• I'm the executive director of Youth Forward.
• I run a youth organization.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are certain demographics of youth that are more vulnerable than others, as well as adults.
• Now that I'm interacting and talking to youth and other adults, I get it.
• It's still a vulnerability for youth. It's still a vulnerability for adults.
• We have to educate our youth. We have to educate our communities.
• He coached youth soccer. He loved hunting and fishing.

Committee: House Children and Families

Transcript Highlights:

• Accelerate intervention for students throughout their time at the university before they get into deep
• What we lack is the connection to these foster youth. earlier in the process.
• provide a year-round resource for all involved to call upon when they need help connecting foster youth
• Data-driven interventions enhance academic support structures and by implementing more tenured track
• Furthermore, interventions supported by this funding resulted in Texas...

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Article III

Transcript Highlights:

• Many of these youths struggle just to get out of high school, and should they get out of high school,
• Members, I want to let you know I have three adoptive boys, and I've worked a lot with youth.
• Many foster youth are often discouraged for one reason or another from following their dreams towards
• BCFES works to improve educational outcomes for foster youth.
• Foster youth often enroll in college at a later age, and they often take longer to graduate.

Bills: HB173 , HB184 , HB484 , HB678 , HB 1211 , HB1507 , HB1705 , HB1868 , HB2290 , HB2851 , HB2856 , HB3041 , HB3204 , HB173 , HB184

Committee: House Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Unfortunately, this is about the best that we can hope for with a text message intervention alone.
• Children and youth in foster care.
• So as you know, we oversee the Guaranteed Income Pilot Program now, which targets former foster youth
• This is a new program for foster youth, pregnant individuals, and older adults.
• request the legislature to provide full funding for AB 661, the guaranteed income rate for foster youth

Transcript Highlights:

• The survey includes questions that speak to the underlying trends of our youth.
• </c> the underlying trends of our youth the underlying trends of our youth questions<00:37:08.359><c>
• This would include the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
• </c> into irreversible medical interventions into irreversible medical interventions is<03:28:10.840>
• </c><05:46:53.240><c> and</c> youth in New Hampshire trans Youth and youth in New Hampshire trans Youth

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> health care that comes from the youth health care that comes from the youth risk<00:55:02.359><c
• behavior survey which is youth um the behavior survey which is youth um the data<00:59:20.640><c> um<
• This data comes from that youth risk behavioral survey.
• </c><03:59:48.279><c> um</c> the prevention activities for youth um the prevention activities for youth
• </c> prevention for cannabis use among youth prevention for cannabis use among youth that<04:01:09.880

Summary: The Finance Division III work session focused on the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health Services budget. Department staff said Public Health has a relatively small budget compared with other DHHS divisions, is supported mostly by federal and other non-General funds, and contains nearly 100 accounting units and more than 50 federal grants. They emphasized that the governor’s budget did not include significant cuts, but that federal funding uncertainty and the winding down of pandemic-era resources were major factors affecting the division. The division also explained that some apparent budget growth reflects reorganizations, including moving the Bureau of Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery and some programs from other DHHS divisions into Public Health. The presentation described Public Health’s mission as serving the entire state through food and water safety, disease surveillance, emergency response, maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, WIC, community health center support, and public health data collection. Members asked about bird flu, and staff explained that human-health response would involve Public Health’s lab, infectious disease, and emergency preparedness units, while animal-health issues are handled with the Department of Agriculture; they also noted ongoing milk testing requested by FDA and USDA. The division said its organizational structure includes bureaus for Family Health and Nutrition, Infectious Disease Control, Public Health Protection, Emergency Preparedness, Prevention and Wellness, Statistics and Informatics, and Public Health Laboratories, with about a 15% vacancy rate. Committee members questioned whether the division’s budget and staffing had really grown since pre-COVID, and staff responded that full-time authorized staffing is about the same as in 2018, with the increase largely due to federal pandemic funding that has since receded and to program transfers between divisions. They said Public Health’s General Fund share is about $24 million out of roughly $1.1 billion in DHHS General Fund spending, or about 2.2% of the department total. Members also asked about the 3,000-position cap and unfunded positions; staff explained that the cap remains in chapter law through June 30, 2025, that 394 positions were unfunded in the governor’s budget, and that the division expects flexibility to move money from personnel lines and fill unfunded positions to manage changing needs. No votes or formal actions were taken in this portion of the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• A third of trans and non-binary youth in Texas identified school as an affirming place.
• A favorable vote is a wanton disregard for the lives of... trans youth.
• So this bill isn't about parental rights; it's about erasing trans youth.
• Youth whose names and pronouns are respected at home are half as likely to attempt suicide.
• And that's a big deal because 14% of trans youth attempted suicide in the year 2024.

Bills: HB1325 , HB1655 , HB3312 , HB5526 , SB13 , SB57 , SB207 , HB441 , HB591 , HB5019 , SB27 , SB843 , SB 13 , SB 27 , SB 57

Committee: House Public Education

Transcript Highlights:

• red-headed stepchild of our services for children and keep funding other programs when the Early Intervention
• I'll be presenting about MAT services for justice-involved adults and youth, and so maybe that'll answer
• I'd like to listen into one of the substance use disorder Suggest some different things, such as how youth
• Particularly when we look at the number of youth in the state of New Mexico, the second highest cause
• So it kind of gets rid of some of the human intervention in it. So that's one of the things.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• It's because I'm a former pro youth and I'm a grief and facil... and not very many people with disabilities
• I'm</c><00:04:20.799><c> a</c><00:04:21.079><c> former</c><00:04:21.560><c> pro</c><00:04:21.959><c> Youth
• <00:04:22.440><c> and</c><00:04:23.440><c> I'm</c><00:04:23.560><c> a</c> because I'm a former pro Youth
• and I'm a because I'm a former pro Youth and I'm a grief<00:04:24.080><c> andr</c><00:04:24.680><c>
• early diagnosis, I mean, if they have this annual assessment, they could have earlier access to interventions

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several health-related bills. HB 72 on pharmacy drew only support, with testimony from the University of Hawaiʻi system, the Board of Pharmacy, pharmacists, and others; no questions were raised. HB 237 on peer support programs also received broad support from the Department of Health, DHS, early learning officials, families, and advocates, with testimony emphasizing the value of peer-to-peer mentoring and support for parents, youth, and people with disabilities; no opposition or questions were noted. HB 250, the prior authorization bill, generated the most discussion. SHPDA supported a revised version focused on reporting prior authorization practices and creating a nonbinding working group to develop automation standards, while PCMA, HMSA, Kaiser Permanente, and others raised concerns about duplicative pharmacy requirements, unintended consequences, and alignment with federal timelines and reporting. Several medical groups and individual patients supported the measure, describing delays and burdens caused by prior authorization. A committee member asked whether the bill’s working group differed from a similar group in Senate Bill 1449, and the witness said it was intended to be the same. HB 303 on health care preceptors was supported by the Department of Health, University of Hawaiʻi, nursing and health care organizations, and the Hawaii Pharmacists Association, which asked that pharmacists’ residency programs be specifically tied to national accreditation standards. HB 341, relating to issuance of SPURS to assist the Hawaii Island Community Health Association, drew support from the health center and related groups. HB 692 on Preschool Open Doors received extensive support from early learning, education, family, labor, and community organizations; testimony stressed the shortage of child care and preschool slots, especially on Kauai, and the need to expand access for families. Committee members asked about adding family child care providers and about licensing/certification barriers, and DHS said the bill was focused on current licensed child care facilities and that certification issues were a separate, broader problem. HB 700 on cognitive assessments also drew strong support, with the Department of Health, the Executive Office on Aging, disability advocates, the Alzheimer’s Association, caregivers, and others urging use of a validated cognitive assessment tool during annual wellness visits and asking that the age 65 threshold be removed; some witnesses supported keeping the data-collection portion as a pilot and emphasized early detection and reporting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Whereas, FFA, formerly Future Farmers of America, has been a premier youth leadership organization in
• And whereas today the New Mexico FFA Association has more than 5,200 youths between the ages of 12 and
• 21 years participating in FFA youth development programs in 93 chapters statewide.
• President, where there are thousands of different negative influences affecting our youth.
• They provide not only crisis intervention, which includes crisis calls, examinations, and therapy for