Transcript Highlights:

• Well, I would say that that child should be coming into the child welfare system if they do not have
• Because a child could answer a question that... ...be followed up on with a child because a child could
• child and suggesting to every single child that have you thought about committing suicide?
• and put their child in danger.
• That child is.

Summary: The committee on Pre-K through 12 Education took up SB 1288, a parental rights bill by Sen. Grall, which would expand the Parents Bill of Rights to require written parental consent for minors’ medical care and prescriptions, give parents access to medical records, require parental review/consent for surveys and questionnaires, and restrict use of biofeedback devices without parental permission. The sponsor said the bill is intended to restore parents’ role in major medical decisions and to address concerns about schools or providers collecting sensitive information from children without parents’ knowledge. She said she was open to clarifying language, especially around exceptions and definitions, but maintained that parents should generally be the decision-makers. Committee members pressed the sponsor on how the bill would affect minors who are abused, homeless, estranged from parents, or otherwise without a safe guardian, as well as access to STI treatment, mental health care, contraception, and care after sexual assault. The sponsor repeatedly said children in unsafe situations should come into the child welfare or law enforcement system and that she was open to changes for truly unsafe or unavailable parents, but she rejected the idea that the bill was merely about notification rather than consent. She also defended the survey provisions as a way to stop routine questioning of children about suicide and other sensitive topics without parental awareness, and said the biofeedback language was aimed at school settings where data about children’s anxiety or stress is allegedly being shared with classmates. Public testimony was heavily divided, with many speakers opposing the bill and describing personal experiences with abuse, rape, mental health crises, lack of supportive parents, and the need for confidential access to birth control, STI testing, and counseling. Opponents argued the bill would delay care, endanger vulnerable minors, and reduce access to medically necessary services and surveys that can identify risk. Supporters said the bill would restore parental authority, improve transparency, and protect children from inappropriate surveys and biometric monitoring. During debate, Sen. Berman and Sen. Davis opposed the bill, saying it conflicts with existing law and could harm vulnerable youth, while Sen. Yarborough supported it, arguing that not all parents are bad actors and that the state should not treat all families as if they were. The transcript ends with debate underway and no final vote or action recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• person, missing child, or drug interdiction, they are called upon to assist with that.
• And the question was, is there a way to identify a person last seen with a child who went missing?
• You're not having to manually upload an image of a suspect or an image of a missing child.
• Are they a missing child? That would be fantastic.
• Imagine if that was a sensor and it picks up a child who's missing, you know, and they're registered

Bills: HB2134, HB2253, HB2270, HB2402, HB2404, HB2673, HB2941

Keywords: critical infrastructure, foreign adversaries, China, communications, security, law enforcement, disciplinary action, administrative appeals, investigative files, due process, retaliation, county seal, law enforcement authority, sheriff's posse, public safety, county governance, ambulance services, certificate of necessity, emergency medical services, state regulations

Summary: The Committee on Public Safety met, approved the March 11, 2026 minutes, and heard two presentations before moving to bills. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry presented on its K-9 program, describing staffing, dog types, functions such as contraband interdiction, search and rescue, and offender apprehension, and noting aging vehicles and the need for replacement canines. Biometrica then presented a privacy-focused facial recognition/sensor system intended to help law enforcement identify missing persons and known offenders in real time without storing video or audio; members asked questions but took no action on the presentation. The committee then considered HB 2134, which would create the Arizona Critical Infrastructure Protection Act to restrict Chinese-owned or Chinese-produced equipment and software in critical infrastructure and require reporting and oversight by the Corporation Commission. The sponsor said the bill was revised to be prospective and more workable; supporters framed it as a national security measure, while some members raised cost and implementation concerns. The bill passed 4-3. HB 2404, which shifts inter-facility transport of behavioral health patients away from peace officers and toward authorized transporters except in limited circumstances, drew support from a Phoenix police crisis intervention officer and the Arizona Police Association and passed 7-0. HB 2402, dealing with ambulance certificates of necessity for small or underserved areas, was amended to require rather than allow certain certificates and to streamline reporting and application processes; the sponsor and firefighters said it would preserve access and modernize a decades-old system. It passed as amended 7-0. HB 2673, as amended, was reduced to creating a study committee on inmate mental health services after originally proposing broader jail and prison screening and treatment requirements; the sponsor and a victim’s family member described the bill as a response to failures in the mental health and jail systems. It passed 6-0 with one not voting. HB 2253, protecting employees from retaliation for testifying in law enforcement disciplinary appeals, passed 5-0 with two not voting, and HB 2270, expanding county control over use of county seals, logos, and sheriff’s posse names, passed 6-0 with one not voting. Finally, HB 2941, which would make certain motorcycle lane-splitting or passing behavior reckless driving except as allowed by existing lane-filtering rules, drew support from the sponsor and motorcycle advocates who said it targets dangerous high-speed lane splitting, but one speaker warned the language could unintentionally criminalize safe filtering. The bill passed 5-1 with one not voting. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• A young autistic child went missing near the lagoon, where he was later found drowned.
• During the search, I learned many people nearby did not even know the child was missing because they
• When a child with autism or intellectual developmental disability goes missing, time is everything.
• I respectfully ask you to support SB 34, because when a child like mine goes missing, we should not be
• You have the authority to ensure that when the next child with a disability goes missing, the response

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and heard a series of bills, mostly from the Senate, covering military affairs, courts, veterans’ services, tobacco/vape regulation, and emergency alerts for missing persons with disabilities. Several measures were described as cleanup or modernization bills, including SB 317 adding the House and Senate military committee chairs to the Louisiana Military Advisory Council, SB 357 updating court administration and appellate e-case management provisions, SB 421 modernizing electronic records language, and SB 232 and HB 597 addressing judicial compensation and related funding/commission issues. The committee also heard SB 164, which would add public works employees to the definition of first responders, and SB 510, which would regulate certain licensed establishments that allow on-premises consumption of hemp/THC products and related age restrictions. These bills were generally presented as technical updates or alignment with existing practices, and the committee reported them favorably after brief questions and, in some cases, amendments. A major portion of the meeting focused on SB 208, which revises Louisiana’s law on services provided to veterans after a prior version was struck down. Senator Kathy and LDVA representatives said the bill is intended to protect veterans from unaccredited “claim sharks” by limiting fees and creating state-level safeguards, while an opponent argued the issue is preempted by federal law and should be left to Congress and the pending appeal. The committee also heard extensive testimony on SB 34, which would create “Bryan’s Call” emergency alerts for missing children and adults with cognitive or developmental disabilities, including wireless alerts and responder training. Family members and disability advocates described fatal risks from elopement and drowning, and supporters said the bill would fill a gap between Amber and Silver Alerts; the committee moved the bill favorably. Another bill, HB 302, sought to restrict vape sales near schools; the sponsor and Alcohol and Tobacco Control discussed possible language changes, and public health testimony supported broader protections for youth. Several bills were voluntarily deferred, including HB 1190, HB 1097, and HB 374-1, and the committee adjourned after reporting the remaining measures favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• child abuse or any type of sex crime.
• child abuse or any type of sex crime.
• And so when we find or discover or somehow a young child has been assaulted... ...when a young child
• I often say children can't enter the child welfare system or leave the child welfare system without the
• We want to get to that place within child welfare as well, that we learn from those near misses before

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee met to review Department of Child Safety reforms developed after oversight hearings on the deaths of Emily Pike, Zariah Dodd, and Rebecca Baptiste. Members described a stakeholder process involving tribes, DCS, law enforcement, county attorneys, schools, and advocates that produced several bills already moving through the Legislature or signed by the governor. Those measures include SB 1125 on tribal-DCS information sharing, a bill requiring schools to provide records to DCS in investigations, a duty-to-report bill requiring direct knowledge, a hotline bill allowing DCS to consider 90 days of prior reports and route repeat cases to more experienced staff, a bill allowing attorneys to share more safety information with judges, and a requirement for advanced forensic interviews within 72 hours in sexual abuse cases. The chair emphasized that reforms are needed across DCS, the courts, and attorneys, and that the San Carlos Tribe’s letter would be entered into the record. DCS Director Catherine Patak presented 2025 agency data, saying the hotline received nearly 160,000 calls and 43,000 cases were investigated, while the out-of-home care population stayed relatively steady at just over 7,000 children. She reported 3,000 reunifications, 1,300 adoptions, 800 guardianships, 1,100 young adults receiving transition services, 534 new foster homes licensed, a 50% reimbursement increase for older youth caregivers, a 40% drop in youth missing from care since September 2024, and a 30% reduction in fatalities of children in care since 2024. She also discussed the annual fatality review process, noting 123 alleged fatality or near-fatality reports in the review period, 52 with prior DCS involvement, and systemic themes such as support for teens with complex needs, collaboration with law enforcement and the courts, and better staff support. Patak answered questions about group-home notification rules, saying DCS is updating rules to remove “runaway” and “AWOL” and use “missing” consistently, while also considering a statute change for the timing of notifications. She said about 300 children in care are there because of behavioral issues after adoption, and members raised concerns about insufficient behavioral health services for adopted children and the need for better training and support in group homes. Senators also asked about placement practices for sexually abused children and whether staff gender matching is considered; Patak said she was not aware of a specific requirement and would look into it. The committee then heard from Malcolm Hightower of Casey Family Programs, who said Arizona is generally near the national average on child welfare measures, does better than average on kin placements, but has a higher-than-average share of children in congregate care and slightly lower permanency within two years. He noted Arizona’s safety outcomes are roughly in line with national rates and urged continued cross-branch collaboration and timely information sharing. A final presentation from KC Melsick of Collaborative Safety focused on the agency’s systemic critical incident review model. He argued that child welfare and other public systems should move away from blame-focused responses after tragedies and toward a “safety culture” that examines system factors, near misses, and decision-making. He said Arizona has used this approach since 2016, with reported improvements including reduced turnover, and that the model is similar to after-action reviews used in the military and root-cause analysis in healthcare. Members discussed applying the same approach more broadly across state agencies. The committee ended with expressions of appreciation for the bill sponsors, DCS staff, tribal partners, and ongoing work, and adjourned with plans to continue the reforms in the interim and next session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Several other parents sent their child to school that day, not knowing that their child was going to
• was confirmed as a child care center participating in Minnesota’s child care assistance program.
• a child is enrolled for.
• States will now have the option to pay child care providers based on what a child is enrolled for.
• Rules pay child care providers based on what a child is enrolled for, pay the full authorized amount

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Miss Bailey. Uh, amendment is adopted. Miss Bailey.
• Miss Diddian. Thank you, Madam please. Miss Diddian.
• Miss Ddian. Thank you, Madam adopted. Miss Ddian.
• Miss Ddian.
• Miss Graham.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It should be noted that if a parent did nothing to find their missing child, we would likely remove that
• has gone missing.
• the child is missing from the substitute care provider.
• So when the court dismisses jurisdiction over a case while the child is missing, we're literally leaving
• And dismissing the court case while they're missing is abandoning the child.

Transcript Highlights:

• Miss Noner. Mr.
• Uh Miss Cory Thank you sir. be great. Uh Miss Cory Thank you sir.
• Miss Noner. Mr.
• We'll go to Miss Carterin. Uh, if you'll... We'll go to Miss Carterin.
• Miss Noner. Mr.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Obviously, the people who may be concerned that they take a picture of their child and their child is
• is<00:51:02.480> in<00:51:02.599> a of their child and their child is in a of their
• This bill also creates a private right of action for the child, the parent of the child, or the next
• , whether the child is suffering from a mental illness or the child is suffering from idealization of
• Now did I miss one?"

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Part of the project affects both family child care and child care centers, and there's three primary
• sessions for family child care.
• care and child care centers.
• child care and Child affect both family child care and Child Care<00:21:21.919> Centers<00:21
• Miss Cunningham was going to testify, and she had to go and open her child care, so families had child

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Miss Amato. Miss Botti. Mr. Chun. Miss Cochran, excused. Mr. Ein. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garrett.
• Miss Kapela. Miss Kusch. Mr. Kila. Miss Kitagawa, here. Mr. Kong. Mr. Kusch, here. Miss Lamosao.
• Miss Lowen, here. Miss Martin. Mr. Matayoshi. Miss Matsumoto. Mr. Miyake. Miss Morikawa. Mr.
• Rick Tabor, Miss Elizabeth Dixon, Miss Amy Noberkawa, Miss Kathleen Wyatt.
• <00:13:33.839> Amy Miss Elizabeth Dixon, Miss Amy Miss Elizabeth Dixon, Miss Amy Noberkawa,<00

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the child.
• Thank you. >> Miss Johnson and Miss Nor. >> Miss Johnson. >> I can certainly answer that.
• <00:30:20.640> Miss<00:30:20.799> Johnson. >> Miss Johnson and Miss Nor.
• Miss Johnson. >> Miss Johnson and Miss Nor. Miss Johnson.
• Miss Summer looks like Miss Summer. Miss Summer looks like Miss Summer.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• , Miss Clark.
• , spoken to a child, or seen a child, what are the consequences?
• > a to a child seen a to a child seen a child<01:03:41.960> what<01:03:42.039> are
• Maybe the child has bruises.
• I want to know what my child is doing. I will support my child.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Miss Amato? Miss Botti? Mr. Chun? Miss Cochran excused. Mr. Elefante here. Mr. Garcia? Mr. Garrett?
• Miss Grandinetti? Mr. Hashem? Mr. Holt? Mr. Hussey? Mr. Ilagan? Miss Iwamoto? Miss Iwamoto?
• Miss Kahaloa? Miss Kapela? Miss Keohokapu-Lee Loy? Mr. Kila? Miss Kitagawa here? Mr. Kong present?
• Miss La Chica? Miss Lamosao? Mr. Lee? Miss Lowen? Miss Marten? Mr. Matayoshi? Miss Matsumoto? Mr.
• Miss Morikawa? Mr. Muraoka? Miss Nakamura? Mr. Olds? Miss Perruso? Mr. Pierick? Miss Poepoe? Mr.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• CALLED UPON TO HELP EFFECTUATE THE ORDER ENTRY THE CHILD IS A MISSING CHILD.
• CHILD IS TYPICALLY CONSIDERED MISSING BECAUSE THE PARENTS ARE AWARE OF THE PENDING REMOVAL AND ATTEMPT
• BEING DESIGNATED MISSING BRINGS A GREAT MANY RESOURCES INTO PLAY TO HELP LOCATE THE CHILD INCLUDING INPUTTING
• CONCERNING THE MISSING CHILD REPORTS AND TRYING TO CLEAR UP THE AMBIGUITY OF WHICH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
• WE WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN ENSURE IF THERE IS A MISSING CHILD REPORTED THE GOAL IS THE SAFE RETURN

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• us to have better outcomes in missing us to have better outcomes in missing person<00:20:46.679>
• <00:21:23.320> sexual dolls and AI generated SE child sexual dolls and AI generated SE child
• hear what you have to say so uh Miss hear what you have to say so uh Miss Lopez<00:56:51.359>
• <00:57:56.160> Child health care coordination child Child health care coordination child Child
• Miss Alexander, thank you.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:36:29.480> a<00:36:29.599> child uh which is you know for child a child uh which
• Miss Sunderman said, “Mr.
• of the minor child.
• of the minor child.
• of the minor child.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• care provider types, family child care and child care centers.
• <00:03:51.319> um child care and Child Care Centers um child care and Child Care Centers um
• to Child Care Centers and family child to Child Care Centers and family child care<00:05:12.199>
• /c><00:24:46.360> Centers<00:24:47.240> from child care and Child Care Centers from child
• child care centers and for family child child care centers and for family child care<00:41:56.079

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• help healing their child through traditional services—child providers sometimes accuse them of creating
• PANS can look very different in every child.
• One who watched her bright, creative, joyful child spiral into a darkness no child should ever experience
• He missed four years of school.
• The other child was more of a slow unraveling.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery opened its first public hearing of the 2025–26 session with remarks from the Senate and House chairs outlining the committee’s priorities. They noted recent work on addiction and recovery legislation, the ongoing youth behavioral health crisis, and that members might need to leave periodically for floor votes. The chairs explained hearing procedures, including three-minute testimony limits, written testimony deadlines, and reporting deadlines for Senate and House bills. The hearing then focused on several bills related to youth mental health, overdose prevention, and psychedelic treatment research. A major portion of the hearing centered on bills to improve youth crisis response and overdose prevention. Testimony strongly supported bills to print the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on student ID cards, with speakers from mental health organizations, crisis centers, and individuals sharing personal stories of depression, suicide attempts, and the importance of making 988 as familiar as 911. Another set of bills would require schools to stock naloxone and provide overdose prevention education. Physicians, harm reduction advocates, students, and grieving family members testified that school-based Narcan access and education could save lives, reduce stigma, and help students recognize overdoses and understand Good Samaritan protections. Senator O’Connor and Tamika Perry also testified for a bill to strengthen substance use prevention education and reduce overdose abandonment, emphasizing the need to teach students about overdose risks and the legal protections for calling 911. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to authorize a pilot program for psychedelic treatment in licensed facilities. Senator Friedman and several medical and behavioral health professionals argued the proposal was a narrow, research-based approach distinct from the broader ballot question rejected in 2024. They said the bill would allow only a small number of supervised clinics to use psychedelics for conditions such as depression, PTSD, anxiety, and substance use disorders, with data reporting and Department of Public Health oversight. Supporters described it as a cautious way to study promising treatments while avoiding unsupervised or commercialized use. Finally, the committee heard support for a bill to create a special commission and five-year strategic plan for children’s behavioral health services, with testimony that the current system is fragmented, difficult for families to navigate, and strained by workforce and funding challenges. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing; the committee primarily received testimony and questions on the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• It could be in child care with this Child Care Aware and the whole block.
• That was missing before.
• And so, you know, that's a lot of language that a child is missing if they haven't been identified.
• Some of them do have certain protocols to where if a child misses or refers at birth, they will make
• do child care administration or, you know, the management of a child care center?

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Human Services Committee met in interim session and first approved the previous meeting minutes before receiving a series of presentations on homelessness and housing stability. Jennifer Henderson of the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency updated members on the new Interagency Council on Homelessness, describing its executive-order mandate to review resources, gather input from stakeholders, identify gaps, and develop recommendations. She said the council’s first work is building a statewide program matrix of existing homeless services and funding sources, with attention to youth, tribal communities, and other vulnerable populations. Members raised concerns about youth homelessness, homeless veterans, and how the council will stay focused on a practical framework rather than getting lost in details. The committee also discussed possible connections to the rural health transformation grant and agreed to continue the topic later in the spring. Beth Olson of Presentation Partners in Housing described the organization’s housing-first model in Cass County and Clay County, including homeless prevention/diversion, housing navigation, and Cooper House, a 42-unit permanent supportive housing building in Fargo. She said the organization focuses on people with long-term and chronic homelessness, many with mental health, addiction, health, domestic violence, and Indigenous identity-related barriers, and reported strong outcomes: 85 of 86 people housed in 2025, 91% still housed after one year, and major reductions in emergency room use, ambulance rides, jail stays, detox days, and shelter use. She also explained that state funding has grown from a small share of the budget to about $1.1 million in state-connected funding for fiscal 2026, largely through contracts tied to supportive services. Members asked about vouchers, rent contributions at Cooper House, length of stay, and whether similar projects could be expanded elsewhere. Andrea Olson of the Community Action Partnership of North Dakota outlined statewide homeless and housing-related services delivered through six community action agencies in all 53 counties. She explained the Community Services Block Grant structure, said housing was identified as the top need in the most recent statewide needs assessment, and described programs including Supportive Services for Veteran Families, North Dakota Homeless Grant services, and Home ARP supportive services. She emphasized that the end of North Dakota Rent Help has increased pressure on the system, that the current $2 million annual homeless grant is far smaller than prior rent-help assistance, and that community action is using case management and financial assistance to move households toward self-sufficiency. Members asked about funding formulas, rural service delivery, and coordination with Presentation Partners to avoid duplication. YouthWorks then began a presentation on youth homelessness, describing services for ages 12 to 24, the special needs of youth and former foster youth, and the organization’s use of federal and state funds to support transitional housing, emergency shelter, maternity housing, and diversion services.