Transcript Highlights:

• Please join me in pledge of allegiance to our flag. All right.
• I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands, one

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the journal of January 16, 2026, and then moved through committee reports and floor business. The State Veterans and Military Affairs Committee reported the appointment of Robert Davis of Boulder as executive director of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and adjutant general, recommending it be placed on the consent calendar and confirmed. The chamber also considered House Joint Resolution 102, commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which was adopted by a vote of 32 ayes, 0 noes, with 3 excused. Several announcements were made about upcoming committee hearings, including SMART Act hearings for judiciary and transportation committees, as well as a blood drive and a fundraiser for the junior livestock sale. The Majority Leader announced that governor appointments would be read across the desk before adjournment and that members did not need to return later that day. The remainder of the meeting consisted of reading a long series of gubernatorial appointments to various boards and commissions, including the Colorado Coal Mine Board of Examiners, the Institute of Cannabis Research Governing Board, the Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority, College Invest, the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education, Colorado Mesa University, the Charter School Institute Board, the Private Occupational School Board, the Advisory Committee on Governmental Accounting, and the Colorado Banking Board. After the appointments were read, the Senate adopted a motion to adjourn and recessed until 9:00 a.m. on January 21, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• We ask our guests and visitors to remain standing and to join us in the flag salute.
• I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We ask our guests and visitors to remain standing to join us in the flag salute.
• I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• be this extraordinary case with artifacts and these great... ...case with artifacts and these great flags
• In that case between those are the national colors of the 167th and the regimental flag of the 366.

Bills: SB67, HB295, SB104

Keywords: veterans affairs, Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, State Board of Veterans Affairs, commissioner, Governor appointment, oversight board, veterans services, veterans benefits, state veterans homes, veterans cemeteries, Alabama Veterans Home Trust Fund, veteran service officers, district managers, assistant commissioners, county veterans offices, military veterans, disabled veterans, elderly veterans, veterans organizations, American Legion

Transcript Highlights:

• safely... parents and young people how to safely navigate the internet, making sure they know red flags
• So that is my one flag.

Bills: HB235, HB276, HB285

Keywords: social media, age verification, minors, under 16, children online safety, online privacy, platform regulation, deceptive trade practice, Attorney General, civil penalties, punitive damages, consumer protection, account creation, algorithmic feeds, internet safety, youth social media, minor safety, child online safety, teen accounts, parental controls

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't have a flag. I've done that one time before without a flag, and it was horribly awkward.

Bills: HB25, HB108, HB109, HB111, HB112, HB113, HB117, HB118, HB119, HB120, HB121, HB122, HB124, HB126, HB127, HB128, HB129, HB130, HB131, HB25

Keywords: emergency services, 911, local districts, joint operations, contracting, HB108, Alabama Sunset Law, sunset reauthorization, board continuation, speech-language pathology, audiology, licensing board, professional regulation, healthcare regulation, occupational licensing, speech therapist, speech pathologist, audiologist, Sunset Committee, Code of Alabama 1975

Transcript Highlights:

• They had flags on them saying that they were from Israel. They had their Israel flags on them.
• Could you tell me approximately how big that flag was?
• It was the regular flag, not the holiday one yet, probably a 5 by 7.
• Bangladesh's national anthem and flag Bangladesh's national anthem and flag they<04:10:47.279>
• The national flag should be removed.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, we had flagged this as a program integrity issue in the department that we had seen just this influx
• So, we had flagged this as a program integrity issue in the department that we had seen just this influx
• So, we had flagged this as a program integrity issue in the department that we had seen just this influx
• Vice Chair Gilman: You'll get to work to get us the direction we're going with the tomorrow. flags for
• me flags for me and<01:36:47.280> then<01:36:47.400> when<01:36:47.560> Mr.

Bills: HF4207, HF4338

Keywords: housing aid, local housing trust, funding projects, income provisions, technical changes, human services, medical assistance, Medicaid, provider enrollment, provider revalidation, fraud prevention, program integrity, background study, background check, fingerprinting, licensing, license revocation, payment withholding, payment suspension, prepayment review

Transcript Highlights:

• communication and transparency from DHS, system glitches, delays caused by Optum's algorithm and error flags
• communication and transparency from DHS, system glitches, delays caused by Optum's algorithm and error flags
• communication and transparency from DHS, system glitches, delays caused by Optum's algorithm and error flags
• communication and transparency from DHS, system glitches, delays caused by Optum's algorithm and error flags
• By Optum's algorithm and error flags, and the DHS enrollment delays of 30, 60, 90, and beyond days where

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Potentially a checkbox on MDE complaints to kind of red flag them for restraint and seclusion allegations
• Potentially a checkbox on MDE complaints to kind of red flag them for restraint and seclusion allegations
• Potentially a checkbox on MDE complaints to kind of red flag them for restraint and seclusion allegations
• Potentially a checkbox on MDE complaints to kind of red flag them for restraint and seclusion allegations
• Potentially a checkbox on MDE complaints to kind of red flag them for restraint and seclusion allegations

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Seclusion Working Group approved the minutes from its November 5, 2025 meeting and then heard presentations from Jessica Heiser and Aaron Sansmark of Solutions Not Suspensions and the Minnesota Disability Law Center on the misuse and illegal use of seclusion in schools. They described illegal seclusion as including use outside emergencies, for discipline or noncompliance, beyond the emergency period, in unregistered rooms, without parent notice, without required observation or documentation, for students outside the grade-limit rules, when meals/restroom/water are withheld, or when staff are not properly trained. They emphasized that Minnesota lacks a single reliable data source for identifying illegal seclusion and that families often learn about incidents late, if at all, making complaints and legal action difficult because of barriers such as time, cost, language, and access to advocates. The presenters summarized Minnesota Disability Law Center records, saying they receive about one seclusion-related case per month during the school year, statewide, and that in the cases reviewed over the last year the children were all boys with disabilities, including autism, ADHD, developmental delay, or emotional disabilities; three were white and two were children of color, and four of the five were age 10 or younger. They said all of those families pulled their children from school afterward, and that five of five cases potentially had valid illegal-seclusion claims, though only three pursued legal action. They also noted PACER reports many discipline and behavior calls involving seclusion but does not keep hard records. The presenters proposed better statewide data collection, including identifying school buildings, staff, or students involved, reporting incident duration, and adding a checkbox on MDE complaints to flag restraint/seclusion allegations. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on disproportionality. The presenters cited national research showing students with disabilities and students of color, especially Black boys, are disproportionately restrained or secluded, while acknowledging Minnesota does not have a single statewide racial aggregate for seclusion. Members discussed whether banning seclusion would reduce misuse and disproportionality, whether it could increase physical holds or injuries, and whether the issue should be viewed in the broader context of emergency interventions. Heiser argued Minnesota is moving in the same direction as federal actions and other states that have restricted or banned seclusion, and noted that the current birth-through-third-grade ban has reportedly reduced seclusion by 40%. Other members agreed disproportionality is a serious systemwide problem, but emphasized the need to keep the conversation focused on seclusion and emergency use. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think this is really significant when they determine that, um, that there's a flag.
• /c><01:17:34.480> that<01:17:34.719> there's<01:17:34.880> a<01:17:35.040> flag
• that there's that there's a flag. that there's that there's a flag.
• Oregon uh recommends<01:18:30.480> shifting<01:18:30.960> Paris<01:18:31.280> flag
• c> recommends shifting Paris flag recommends shifting Paris flag beneficiaries<01:18:32.159> from<

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board meeting began with a roll call and approval of the October 7 meeting minutes. The chair then reordered the agenda to hear the item on Medicaid reimbursement rates and network adequacy first because of scheduling issues. Dr. Steve Robertson of the Kentucky Dental Association was sworn in and testified at length about Kentucky’s dental Medicaid program, arguing that reimbursement rates are unsustainably low, have been largely flat for decades, and are often below the cost of providing care. He said Kentucky ranks near the bottom nationally in oral health, dental Medicaid rates are often 60% or less of commercial rates, and the program’s share of the Medicaid budget has effectively remained around 2% despite growth in enrollment and services. Dr. Robertson said the low rates are contributing to provider losses, rural access gaps, longer wait times, dental deserts, and greater use of emergency rooms for preventable dental problems. He cited examples of office costs exceeding reimbursement for basic procedures, noted that many dentists are small private businesses, and said the state is struggling to recruit and retain dentists because of low payment levels and high student debt. He also pointed to disparities with neighboring states and said recent increases in some oral surgery and cleaning codes were not enough to address the broader problem. His recommendations included completing the rebasing study, increasing dental reimbursement in the upcoming budget, tying future reviews to inflation and cost data, aligning benchmarks, and prioritizing preventive and restorative care to improve workforce stability and access. Board members asked about the size of the needed increase, the effect of private insurance on dental practice finances, and what a new dentist might expect to earn. Dr. Robertson said the association is working on an appropriations request and that private insurance pressures are part of the problem as well, since many plans are HMOs or PPOs with limited provider control over rates. He also said the association can no longer conduct reimbursement surveys because of FTC restrictions, but would try to obtain current ADA data. In response to questions about the future of the program, he warned that without significant changes it could become unsustainable and cited Ohio and Missouri as examples where higher reimbursement improved provider participation and access. The board then heard from Mr. Bowman of Baldwin Consulting, who discussed outpatient behavioral health providers, including ABA therapy and mental health/substance use disorder services. He said these providers face similar issues of rising costs, flat reimbursement, and access problems. He reviewed Kentucky’s network adequacy standards, including travel-time standards, 30-day appointment limits, and newer federal requirements that will require services within 10 business days by 2029. He said wait times for outpatient behavioral health, especially children’s services and ABA, have grown substantially, sometimes to more than a year, and emphasized that the Medicaid department must enforce these standards.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then I also just wanted to flag a separation of powers issue on the A15 amendment, line 2.22.
• <01:19:50.280> this points um we have been flagging this points um we have been flagging this
• I helped put a data request together and got a lot of correspondence back, and I want to flag that as
• and<01:20:56.600> I<01:20:56.679> want<01:20:56.800> to<01:20:57.159> flag
• correspondents back and I want to flag correspondents back and I want to flag that<01:20:57.960>

Bills: HF25, HF1, HF428

Keywords: pregnancy support, women's health, maternity homes, nonprofit organizations, grant funding, abortion, family services, Office of Inspector General, inspector general, legislative audit, fraud prevention, waste and abuse, public funds, grant oversight, state grants, grant management, whistleblower protection, retaliation, subpoena power, data practices

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, are we flagging anything at this time, or we're going to— Who from?
• Chair, are we flagging anything at this time, or we're going to— You can flag any item you want to flag
• I'd appreciate that being flagged. Thank you. All right, Senator Dismang, you're recognized.
• We'll put a flag on the budget, uh, I guess Representative Lady, but you're the last one on the list.

Summary: The committee heard budget presentations and took executive recommendations on several Department of Human Services divisions, including Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health Services; Children and Family Services; County Operations; Developmental Disability Services; and Medical Services, with most divisions showing little or no significant change in total appropriations. Staff and agency witnesses repeatedly explained that many large appropriations are maintained for flexibility, federal matching requirements, or contingency needs, even when actual spending is much lower than the authorized amount. Members also raised concerns about staffing vacancies, long-vacant budgeted positions, and the use of excess appropriation authority across DHS. In Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health, members questioned federal funding levels for mental health and substance abuse grants, the status of senior centers and Meals on Wheels, the Medicaid tobacco settlement program, community alcohol safety grants, and the veterans mental health grant. Agency officials said federal block grants are largely committed, that senior center funding had been delayed by shutdown timing but was now back on track, that the tobacco settlement program had been moved internally within DHS, and that the veterans mental health appropriation remains unfunded. Senators also criticized the adequacy of support for seniors and asked for more detail on how transportation, meal services, and local contributions are funded. In Children and Family Services, members asked about rising appropriation levels, foster care and adoption subsidies, professional fees, the number of children in foster care, and the Children’s Trust Fund. DHS said increases reflect added flexibility for residential treatment, adoption subsidies, and prevention services, while the foster care population has remained fairly steady at about 3,400 children. The Children’s Trust Fund was described as supporting primary prevention programs such as Baby and Me and community schools, and members asked whether it could be administratively combined with other efforts. Questions also covered TANF subgrants, with DHS explaining that it had reduced outside subgrants after discovering over-obligation and was rebuilding reserves. In County Operations, members focused on the summer EBT program, SNAP employment and training, the farmer’s market program, and the state’s TANF reserve position. DHS said summer EBT is still being funded through temporary appropriations because it is a newer program, SNAP employment and training is largely federally funded and may expand under a pending policy change, and TANF reserves were drawn down after prior over-obligation but are now being stabilized. In Developmental Disability Services, members asked about vacancies, human development center staffing, facility construction funds, and the Booneville work program, and DHS said the program has reopened and staffing recruitment continues. In Medical Services, members asked about FMAP, the Our Kids B CHIP program, school-based Medicaid reimbursements, nursing home distress funds, and several large appropriation lines that far exceed actual spending; DHS said these are maintained for claims payment, nursing home receivership contingencies, and other flexibility needs. Each division reviewed was adopted by executive recommendation after questions concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• to be led today by our guest from New Mexico International School, and the salute to the New Mexico flag
• I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands
• One of them is in China, and they got to see the Chinese flag there because there's a sister city.
• One of them is in China, and they got to see the Chinese flag there because there's a sister city in
• But I appreciate you flagging this, because everyone needs to understand that...

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The other gentleman from San Juan, Representative Hernandez, with the pledge to the New Mexico flag.
• And you know this because they're burning things down and they're waving the flag of another country.
• beginning, but who want to contribute to America, be part of America, pledge allegiance to the American flag
• , and not raise a different flag above our flag. burn the American flag.

Transcript Highlights:

• Pledge of Allegiance, please remain standing and recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United
• 02:23.000> the recite the pledge of allegiance to the recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag
• That, to me, is concerning and raises a red flag. We want to talk about unelected billionaires.
• and<00:47:47.400> raises<00:47:48.040> a<00:47:48.400> red<00:47:48.839> flag
• <00:47:49.720> we is concerning and raises a red flag we is concerning and raises a red flag

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And only at this point, when we think about fraud rate, only 0.4% of transactions were flagged as potential
• That is something to wave a flag about—quite an achievement. So thank you. I do have two questions.
• That is something to wave a flag about quite an achievement. So thank you. I do have two questions.

Summary: The Commission on Unemployment Compensation met, established a quorum, and elected Delegate Destiny LeVere Bolling as chair and Senator Mike Jones as vice chair. The commission also adopted its electronic meeting policy and heard introductions from new members, staff, and officials from the Secretary of Labor’s office and the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC). Secretary Jessica Lumen outlined the administration’s workforce and labor priorities, including supporting workers, employers, and program transparency, while members raised concerns about business climate, job losses, labor participation, and the implementation of paid family and medical leave. Staff provided legislative updates on recent unemployment-related bills. These included increases to the weekly unemployment benefit amount enacted in 2025 and 2026, a bill on labor dispute disqualification that changed how lockouts are treated for benefit eligibility, and a budget item providing $75,000 for actuarial support to the commission. The commission also discussed the 2025 work group on annual adjustments to weekly benefit amounts; staff reported that the work group did not complete its charge, and members agreed to revisit whether to reconstitute it at a future meeting. Delegate Martinez expressed support for continuing the work, and the chair said the issue would be taken up at the next meeting. Deputy Commissioner Joanna Darkus gave a detailed presentation on Virginia’s unemployment insurance system, including current claims data, eligibility rules, employer tax structure, benefit levels, trust fund solvency, fraud prevention, and customer service operations. She reported that Virginia’s unemployment rate remains low, weekly claims are modest, the current weekly benefit range is $160 to $478, and the trust fund balance factor is projected at 50.9 percent, near the threshold for additional employer charges. Members asked about the taxable wage base, trust fund solvency, the effect of benefit increases, fraud controls, and the planned paid family and medical leave program. VEC said it is implementing that program through regulations, staffing, IT procurement, public listening sessions, and consultation with other states. A public commenter from the Virginia Poverty Law Center urged the commission to strengthen state investment in unemployment insurance and warned that federal support is uncertain. The commission then adjourned without taking further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• comments from the commission members and some of the concerns because I think that what you are flagging
• it would be your group, Robin, if they say, well, there's too many things here that are raising red flags
• If they say, well, there's too many things here that are raising red flags, you have to come back to

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission meeting focused on continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), beginning with a presentation from Two Life Communities on its Opus Newton model, which is opening in the fall. Two Life described Opus as a middle-income, modern CCRC built around affordability, care coordination in residents’ apartments rather than separate care buildings, and resident-driven community life. Commissioners asked about financing, home care arrangements, affordability, Medicaid/MassHealth access, and the role of resident councils versus board representation. Two Life said it wants to remain within the CCRC framework, but expressed concern about proposals that would require multiple discrete care levels, impose deadlines on entrance-fee refunds, or require resident board seats. The commission then discussed possible recommendations. There was broad support for Senate Bill 478, which would require clearer disclosure of entrance-fee refund terms in a separate document for prospective residents. On refund timing, members were divided: some favored a one-year deadline or a deadline with waivers, while others opposed a fixed deadline because of financing risks and the potential impact on new development and current residents. Several members suggested keeping the status quo but adding better data collection and reporting on refund timing. On the CCRC definition and marketing, members debated whether the current statutory definition is too vague and whether the commission should recommend clearer standards or a certification-like process, while also noting resource limits for state oversight. Members also discussed the Age CCRC Consumer Guide, with general agreement that it should be updated and made more useful to consumers, possibly with clearer questions to ask and more information about facilities, though some cautioned against adding subjective financial-risk statements that would be hard to administer. On resident representation, several commissioners strongly supported requiring resident voting members on boards, while providers argued that strong resident associations and regular meetings with boards may be preferable and that communities should retain flexibility. The meeting ended with a request for written comments by July 11, draft recommendations to be circulated July 18, and a possible final meeting on July 21, with the commission aiming to finish by August 1.

Transcript Highlights:

• fair lending concerns and can conduct a more extensive fair lending examination whenever risks or red flags
• fair lending concerns and can conduct a more extensive fair lending examination whenever risks or red flags
• fair lending concerns and can conduct a more extensive fair lending examination whenever risks or red flags

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I don't know anything of my knowledge, and I'll defer to our expert if there are any red flags there
• So I don't know to anything of my knowledge, and I'll defer to our expert if there are any red flags
• Red flags there.

Keywords: 996, all