Transcript Highlights:

• They're different payment mechanisms and depending upon the need or the quality of the provider, part
• What is the process to identify and ensure the payments are being sent Pro-law?
• I would also echo that if providers are having are experiencing and have been sent of payment issues,
• Another problem that I mentioned earlier about physicians not being paid and receiving payment for the
• It's a must be noted here that some of the excesses from the opioid Settlement Trust fund funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• The budget includes reductions associated with reversions and excess budget and 324 vacant positions,
• There's also a massive discussion about direct payment programs and DPP and where that money might come
• The bill establishes quarterly payment dates and prohibits the release of payments outside of those dates
• But I'll tell you that the biggest category that was in other were carry-forward payments across the
• It also applies payments made to out-of-network practitioners to the patient's deductible.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present, then adopted the special order report and moved into a series of budget-related bills. The chamber first took up HB 5011/SB 2506 on environmental resource management and natural resources funding, where Democrats argued the bill would reduce recurring support for the Resilient Florida program, the Florida Wildlife Corridor, invasive species removal, and other conservation efforts. Supporters said the change would shift money from recurring to nonrecurring funding so the Legislature could reassess priorities each year and rely more on private-sector stewardship. After a strike-all amendment and conference posture change, SB 2506 passed 97-12. HB 5013, reducing state-funded property reinsurance reserves, passed 108-0, and HB 5501, redirecting documentary stamp tax distributions from housing and transportation trust funds into general revenue, passed 82-26 after extended debate over its impact on affordable housing and transportation funding. The House also passed HB 5015 on state group insurance, which requires DMS to develop a formulary management system and was described as producing significant savings; members raised concerns about prescription access and implementation, but the bill passed 109-0. HB 5201 on state financial accounting and HB 5203 on the Capitol Center both passed unanimously, as did HB 5009, which creates a Florida Accountability Office and reorganizes audit functions. The chamber then passed HB 7031, a major sales tax reduction bill lowering the state sales tax rate and several related rates; supporters framed it as permanent relief for all Floridians, while opponents said property tax relief would be more meaningful and that the sales tax cut would also benefit tourists and out-of-state visitors. HB 7031 passed 112-0. The House then began consideration of HB 501, the proposed fiscal year 2025-26 budget, totaling $112.9 billion and emphasizing reduced recurring spending and large reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined their budget silos: K-12 education at $20.6 billion with teacher raises, school hardening, literacy, transportation stipends, and security funding for Jewish day schools; health care at $47 billion with full Medicaid and KidCare funding, opioid settlement spending, mental health beds, and senior services; transportation/economic development at $18.5 billion; agriculture and natural resources at $5.8 billion with reduced Everglades spending but continued water, resiliency, and land management funding; higher education at $8.7 billion; state administration at $2.9 billion; justice at $7.3 billion; and IT at $529 million for Florida PALM, FX, and other systems. Members then began questioning the K-12 budget, focusing on FEFP funding, proration, voucher growth, stabilization dollars, mental health and school safety funding, and whether districts would be held harmless under the proposed allocations.

Transcript Highlights:

• The budget includes reductions associated with reversions and excess budget and 324 vacant positions,
• In addition, the bill establishes a defined process for the department to cross-check each payment file
• The bill establishes quarterly payment dates and prohibits the release of payments outside of those dates
• But I'll tell you that the biggest category that was in other were career and technical payments across
• It also applies payments made to out-of-network practitioners to the patient's deductible.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the pledge, quorum call, and several recognitions, including guests for Education and Sharing Day, law enforcement officer of the day Detective Miata Anderson, and later FAMU Day at the Capitol and other visiting groups. The chamber adopted the special order report and then moved through a series of budget-related bills and conforming measures, with debate focused largely on recurring funding, environmental programs, housing, insurance reserves, and tax policy. Members approved HB 5011/SB 2506, which conform environmental resource funding to the proposed budget by shifting Seminole Gaming Compact-related dollars from recurring to nonrecurring funding; supporters said this preserves annual legislative review, while opponents warned it would reduce funding for the Resilient Florida program, wildlife corridor protection, invasive species removal, and other conservation efforts. The House then passed HB 5013, reducing state-funded property reinsurance reserves by lowering the RAP program and repealing FORA funding, and HB 5501, which redirects documentary stamp tax revenues from housing and transportation trust funds to general revenue; Democrats argued the housing changes would reduce affordable housing support, while Republicans said the move was needed to control recurring spending. The chamber also passed HB 5015 on state group insurance, HB 5201 on Florida PALM accounting conforming changes, HB 5203 on Capitol Center tenancy and utilities control, and HB 5009 creating a Florida Accountability Office and revising audit and budgeting functions. The most extended debate came on HB 7031, which permanently reduces the state sales tax rate from 6% to 5.25% and also lowers several related tax rates. Supporters described it as broad-based, immediate tax relief for Floridians, while opponents said property tax relief would be more targeted and that sales tax cuts also benefit tourists and out-of-state visitors. The bill passed 112-0. The House then took up the main budget bill, HB 501, and subcommittee chairs outlined the proposed $112.9 billion budget, including education, health care, transportation, agriculture and natural resources, higher education, state administration, justice, and IT spending. Members began questioning the pre-K-12 budget on school funding, vouchers, proration, mental health and safety allocations, and inflation, with the discussion continuing beyond the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• , uh, payment.
• </c> expense, they have to issue uh payment. expense, they have to issue uh payment.
• </c> challenge um when issuing that payment. challenge um when issuing that payment.
• </c> authorized to get those payments back. authorized to get those payments back.
• </c><02:44:30.640><c> to</c> settlement payment they move on to settlement payment they move on to something

Committee: House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services

Transcript Highlights:

• The payment deferrals as soon as one-time funding becomes available.
• Doing so would return UC's payments to their original schedule.
• payments to the UC retirement program.
• Unless Congress reverses this reduction, it will reduce payments to UC academic health centers, which
• Unless Congress reverses this reduction, it will reduce payments to UC Academic Health Centers, which

Transcript Highlights:

• Delaware's share of the settlement flows each year into the Delaware Health Fund, supporting some of
• clarifies that the Attorney General's Office may use the health fund dollars to enforce the master settlement
• “The second issue is that the bill addresses child care co-payments.
• Regardless of whether the care is full day or not, they are still required to make that payment.”

Bills: SB313 , SB296

Committee: House Health & Human Development

Summary: The House Health and Human Development Committee met and considered a series of health, human services, and related bills. The committee heard and advanced House Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 13, which standardizes hospital charity care and financial assistance statewide, and Senate Bill 296 with Senate Amendment 1, which restructures the Delaware Health Fund grant process with a more formal, transparent competitive rubric. Both measures received supportive testimony from DHSS, the Delaware Healthcare Association, and the Delaware Nurses Association, and both were released by committee on roll-call votes. The committee also released Senate Bill 313 with Senate Amendment 1, which places a temporary moratorium on acquisitions of nonprofit acute care hospitals by for-profit entities and expands notice/review requirements for sales of hospital real estate; Senate Bill 340 with Senate Amendment 1, which requires long-term care facilities to carry specified liability insurance, with questions raised about the exemption for state-owned facilities; Senate Joint Resolution 20, which directs DHSS to study independent assessment tools for Medicaid home- and community-based services; and Senate Bill 341, which updates Delaware Health Information Network law and formally recognizes DIN as the state’s health data utility. Testimony on these bills was generally supportive, with some discussion on constitutional concerns, insurance coverage, and the rationale for the state exemption in SB 340. Later, the committee advanced Senate Bill 257, which requires new animal shelters to be licensed and inspected before operating and removes a prior exception for certain rescue organizations; and Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 278 with House Amendment 1, which allows earlier pre-authorization for summer child care enrollment and lowers copays for half-day care. Public testimony on these measures came from animal welfare advocates, YMCA representatives, and other stakeholders, all largely in support. Each bill was released by committee, with several votes walked for absent members, and the meeting adjourned after all agenda items were addressed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, there will not be a direct payment to a parent in any form of this.
• Um, there will not be a direct payment to a parent in any form of this.
• Uh and we've childcare payment program.
• their payment error rate down to a lower level. program in Mississippi.
• And not only do we reverse that case.

Committee: Joint Public Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• In closing, I'll say the changes to CalFresh under H.R. 1... ...improve payment accuracy.
• We didn't always give this payment. So this, it's PPS for the UIS population.
• Okay, so for about 10 years, they've had this payment.
• Okay, so for about 10 years, they've had this payment.
• I would want the reverse, right?

Summary: The subcommittee heard an extended briefing on the impacts of H.R. 1 on Medi-Cal and CalFresh, followed by testimony from the Legislative Analyst’s Office and county officials. DHCS described major Medi-Cal changes in H.R. 1, including work/community engagement requirements, six-month redeterminations, reduced federal matching for some emergency services, narrower immigrant eligibility, reduced retroactive coverage, and limits on provider taxes and directed payments. CDSS outlined CalFresh changes, especially the expanded able-bodied adults without dependents time limit, reduced exemptions and waivers, and the new federal-state-county administrative cost split. Both departments emphasized implementation plans, automation, outreach, and county coordination, while acknowledging significant expected coverage losses and administrative burden. The LAO and an independent policy expert discussed how H.R. 1 could increase demand on county indigent care systems and public hospitals as people lose Medi-Cal. They reviewed the history of county indigent care, 1991 realignment, and AB 85, explaining that counties already rely on a patchwork of funding and that current realignment revenues are often used for public health rather than indigent care. They warned that counties may face large increases in uninsured residents, with wide variation in how counties respond, and raised concerns about equity, financing, and whether a more standardized state-county program should be created. Committee members pressed witnesses on county funding, exemptions, homelessness, older adults, undocumented residents, and the effect of administrative burden versus true ineligibility. County representatives from Los Angeles, Santa Clara, Tulare, and San Bernardino described the expected local impacts and asked for additional state support. They said H.R. 1 would drive major losses in Medi-Cal and CalFresh enrollment, increase uncompensated care, strain eligibility staff, and worsen homelessness and food insecurity. Several counties urged the Legislature to fund eligibility workers, preserve enrollment, and consider a CalFresh match waiver; Santa Clara and San Bernardino also cited local tax measures and staffing reductions already underway. No formal vote or committee action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The hospital is the highest recipient of Medi-Cal supplemental payments.
• So there are existing payments that are trying to...
• Is it the loan payments? What is it?
• Well, obviously, I'd like to know about the payment terms.
• And if it's not reversed immediately, we're going to have... every day.

Summary: The committee heard AB 108, a budget bill junior that would amend the 2025 Budget Act to create a one-time $25 million General Fund grant program at HCAI for hospitals in immediate and significant financial distress, along with a technical change related to property tax deferments for eligible low-income seniors. Finance explained that eligible hospitals would need to show less than 10 days cash on hand, best efforts to exhaust other financing options, a payer mix of more than 50% government payers and uninsured patients, and nonprofit status, with expedited contracting and rulemaking exemptions so funds could be distributed quickly. Members repeatedly questioned whether $25 million was enough, how many hospitals would qualify, and whether the 10-day threshold was too narrow, while also raising broader concerns about hospital reimbursement rates, seismic compliance costs, federal policy changes, and the need for more up-to-date data and a longer-term solution. Several members and the LAO noted that the bill was intended as a short-term bridge to keep a very small number of hospitals open until July 1, while the larger distressed-hospital discussion would continue in the May Revision and next year’s budget. Some members argued the state should consider grants rather than loans more broadly, and others emphasized that hospitals serving Medi-Cal and uninsured patients, including safety-net facilities like MLK Community Hospital and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, face structural pressures. Public comment was uniformly supportive of the bill, with the California Hospital Association, district hospital representatives, counties, and CHLA all backing the proposal and urging additional funding for distressed hospitals in the coming budget. The committee approved AB 108 on a roll call vote of 18-0 and held the roll open briefly to secure remaining votes before formally reporting the bill out.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:21:48.400><c> repealer</c><00:21:48.880><c> just</c> that point or or a reverse repealer just
• that point or or a reverse repealer just to to to &gt;&gt; No,<00:21:50.000><c> I</c><00:21:50.159><
• </c><00:21:50.960><c> repeal</c> &gt;&gt; No, I I don't want to reverse repeal &gt;&gt; No, I I don't
• want to reverse repeal unless<00:21:51.520><c> that's</c><00:21:51.760><c> what</c><00:21:51.840><c>
• if the rental payment for safe deposit<00:29:30.320><c> box</c><00:29:30.480><c> is</c><00:29:30.640

Committee: Joint Business and Financial Institutions

Transcript Highlights:

• Lease payments provide reliable income, allowing farmers and landowners to secure their financial future
• We got settlements; these are the only settlements that have happened in the state of Minnesota to buy
• Since then, there have been no other settlements, and there's a reason why.
• In the Bent Tree settlements, after years of complaining, they finally got me involved, and we got the
• After these settlements in the Bent Tree project, there were other applications.

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• In fact, however, I would say the major portion of MOScholars does go towards payment of tuition.
• “Page 184 is a collection payments transfer. I think this will be the last time you'll see this.
• So if you have any of that, there's a lot of funding in the local governments on the opioid settlement
• Alderman Pam Boyd had just filed the opioid settlement fund bill.
• Audubman, Pam Boyd had just filed the opioid settlement fund bill.

Committee: House Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> vendors which administer SNAP payment vendors which administer SNAP payment systems<00:24:28.159
• in a pending announced a settlement in a pending lawsuit<01:19:31.600><c> regarding</c><01:19:32.080
• </c><01:19:35.120><c> Uh</c><01:19:35.360><c> the</c><01:19:35.520><c> settlement</c> FRT manufacturer
• Uh the settlement FRT manufacturer.
• Uh the settlement purports<01:19:36.480><c> to</c><01:19:36.719><c> obligate</c><01:19:37.120><c> the

Summary: The Judiciary Committee held an informational briefing on the State of Hawaii’s affirmative litigation against the federal administration, with no public testimony. Attorney General Lopez and deputies said the office’s goal is to enforce the rule of law, not make partisan points, and noted that Hawaii is involved in 27 ongoing cases. They grouped the cases into four broad areas: immigration, funding freezes and grant terminations, federal agency dismantling/reductions in force, and protecting elections, health, and safety. Several immigration-related cases were discussed in detail. These included a challenge to the federal sharing of Medicaid data with DHS for immigration enforcement, a similar challenge to USDA’s demand for SNAP applicant and recipient data, and litigation over immigration-enforcement conditions attached to federal grants. The office also described the birthright citizenship executive order, saying it conflicts with the 14th Amendment and Supreme Court precedent; lower courts granted preliminary relief, and the U.S. Supreme Court later addressed only the scope of nationwide injunctions, not the merits. In the Department of Transportation case, the court granted a preliminary injunction against the “Duffy directive,” finding the immigration conditions lacked statutory authority, were arbitrary and capricious, and violated the Spending Clause and APA. The briefing also covered multiple funding disputes. In the education funding freeze case, the Department of Education and OMB withheld about $6 billion in formula funds, including roughly $33 million for Hawaii; after suit was filed, the funds were released. Other cases included the termination of over $11 billion in public health grants, which affected Hawaii Department of Health grants, the NIH indirect cost cap case, and NIH grant terminations tied to DEI, transgender issues, and vaccine hesitancy. The speakers said some cases have already resulted in preliminary or permanent injunctions, while others remain on appeal or are still being litigated.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill authorizes payments not to exceed $1,000 per incident for the remediation of property owned
• The bill requires the transfer of $2.5 million of opioid settlement funds from the Fund for a Resilient
• This bill extends the reversion date for these appropriations from on or before September 19, 2025, to

Bills: SB6 , SB62 , SB74 , SB90 , SB104 , SB119 , SB132 , SB133 , SB135 , SB182 , SB185 , SB193 , SB207 , SB217 , SB229 , SB233 , SB260 , SB262 , SB280 , SB281 , SB300 , SB306 , SB378 , SB382 , SB393 , SB403 , SB422 , SB427 , SB431 , SB434 , SB442 , SB452 , SB456 , SB468 , SB472 , SB487 , SB503 , SB6

Committee: Assembly Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• In place, that process is abused to leverage higher settlement amounts.
• The goal of that is to try and encourage settlement.
• And it's because that uncertainty that you can understand would probably discourage settlement.
• Chair, you're talking about a payment that was made into the fund what two years ago?
• And so you're asking me to explain those payments to you. when this bill is addressing termination of

Committee: Senate Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• The payment and collection of the fees will be reasonable.
• Also recently, in 2023, the New York Attorney General secured a multi-million-dollar settlement from
• Also recently, in 2023, the New York Attorney General secured a multi-million-dollar settlement from
• Also recently, in 2023, the New York Attorney General secured a multi-million-dollar settlement from
• This company has paid billions in settlements, billions with a B. Is this who we want to protect?

Summary: The House convened with prayer, roll call, and a quorum present, then took up several procedural motions, including suspending House rules for three legislative days and replacing conference committee members on Senate Bill 2282 and SCR 4007. The chamber also recognized visiting student groups from Grafton/Pleasant Valley and Shiloh School. Later, the House agreed to several conference committee reports and moved a number of measures through final passage or final disposition. House Bill 1428, which would have created a sales tax exemption for clothing sold by thrift stores or nonprofit corporations, drew extensive debate over tax policy, revenue loss, and possible conflicts with streamlined sales tax rules. Supporters argued it would help lower-income shoppers and nonprofit thrift stores, while opponents said it created an unfair advantage and could reduce state and local revenue. The conference report was adopted, but the bill ultimately failed on final vote, 37-54. House Bill 1440, relating to cigar lounges, was amended in conference and then passed 75-17. House Bill 1460, concerning adult foster care for private-pay adults, electronic monitoring, and a legislative study, was also adopted and passed overwhelmingly, 91-1. The House then passed Senate Bill 2224, which revises gaming commission structure and gaming stamp requirements, adds Attorney General enforcement provisions, and includes a $25,000 general fund appropriation, by a vote of 88-0. Senate Bill 2327, which expands uses of the agriculture diversification and development fund and appropriates $15 million to it, passed 74-17 after a member was excused from voting due to a personal interest. Senate Bill 2267, creating a regulatory framework for on-site wastewater treatment systems and shifting licensing authority to the Department of Environmental Quality, passed 82-10, and Senate Bill 2276, addressing joint water resource boards for cross-county projects, passed 90-1. The most contentious debate centered on Senate Bill 2160, which would move the state employee health plan from grandfathered status to a non-grandfathered ACA-compliant plan and appropriate about $6.6 million for the transition. Supporters said it would give the PERS board more flexibility, expand preventive and other benefits, and potentially slow premium growth without charging employees premiums. Opponents warned it could raise out-of-pocket costs, add mandated benefits, and shift costs to employees, while also arguing the bill had not been adequately studied. After extended debate, the House passed SB 2160 by a vote of 55-37. The chamber also concurred in Senate amendments to House Bill 1318, a pesticide labeling bill, and placed it on final passage, but the transcript ends before the final vote on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• The legislation will give a reversion date.
• And if the project has no encumbrance at the point of time of a reversion, and we require evidence of
• Reversion. And we require evidence of that through documentation.
• See the bond proceeds at $92 million, and then you'll see the debt service payment.
• Chairman, this amount for debt service payment, Okay. So, Mr.

Bills: HB248 , HB309 , HB332 , SB48

Committee: House House Taxation & Revenue

Keywords: general obligation bonds, GO bonds, capital projects, bond election, property tax levy, state debt, state finance, capital outlay, senior centers, senior citizen facilities, aging services, long-term services, libraries, library acquisitions, broadband for libraries, higher education, university capital projects, community colleges, tribal schools, special schools

Transcript Highlights:

• quiet title action can take two to four years to resolve, sometimes five or longer, either with a settlement
• However, in 1998, during the tough-on-crime era, the Supreme Court reversed course in People v.
• And there's really no way to even have that be reversed because increasingly it's AI that's making all
• And there's really no way to even have that be reversed because increasingly, have that be reversed because

Summary: The committee met on April 14, 2006, but began without a quorum and repeatedly recessed while members were summoned. The hearing covered several public safety and criminal justice bills, with testimony largely focused on juvenile justice, mental health, property fraud, prostitution/trafficking, and child exploitation. SB 1157 (Archuleta) would create a framework for less restrictive juvenile probation placements by directing the Judicial Council to develop rules of court; supporters argued it would add needed safety, staffing, background check, zoning, and notice standards, while opponents said it would impose rigid standards on a diverse set of placements and that the Judicial Council was the wrong body to set substantive program rules. The bill drew support from county probation and local government groups and opposition from youth defense and public defender organizations. SB 1012 (Smallwood-Cuevas), the Fire Camp to Career Act, would connect incarcerated fire camp participants to apprenticeships and recognize their training toward eligibility. The author and supporters from labor, fire-related workforce programs, and formerly incarcerated workers said the bill would turn emergency-response service into real career pathways and reduce recidivism; committee members generally supported the concept, with one member emphasizing that certification should still require demonstrated skill. SB 1306 (Cortese) would align state law with federal exemptions for certain low-concentration GBL chemical mixtures used in semiconductor manufacturing and research. Supporters said the bill would remove unnecessary regulatory burdens without affecting pure GBL or public safety, and members described it as a practical competitiveness measure. SB 1401 (Stern) would align felony incompetent-to-stand-trial procedures with existing misdemeanor procedures by adding timeframes, information-sharing provisions, and conservatorship referral tools. Supporters, including a district attorney representative and a family member, said it would help ensure timely treatment and prevent people from being released without care; opponents, including Disability Rights California and public defender groups, argued it would expand court control, weaken confidentiality, and increase conservatorship referrals. The committee approved SB 1401 on a due-pass motion to Appropriations. SB 1027 (Strickland), as amended, would create a task force to study street prostitution and human trafficking, with amendments adding survivor-focused language, a prevalence study, broader membership, and more time for the task force; it passed as amended to the Governmental Organization Committee. The consent calendar, including SB 962, SB 1001, SB 1100, and SB 1211, was approved. Later, SB 1307 (Jones) was heard to speed up clearing fraudulent or forged real estate documents from the record; supporters said it would let courts void false deeds more efficiently without replacing quiet title actions, and the bill passed as amended to the Senate Floor. Finally, SB 1276 (Rubio), the In Child Exploitation Act, was presented to clarify that knowingly viewing livestreamed or AI-generated sexual exploitation of a child is a crime; the author and witnesses from prosecution and forensic nursing said the law must keep pace with technology and close loopholes that let offenders avoid accountability.

Transcript Highlights:

• This would presumably be a conclusion that the PUC could not reverse upon review.
• </c><04:19:51.239><c> shall</c> Innovation and incentive payments shall Innovation and incentive payments
• what does it do uh in terms payments what does it do uh in terms of<04:33:52.000><c> maintaining</c>
• <04:34:22.160><c> those</c><04:34:22.719><c> payments</c><04:34:23.199><c> actually</c><04:34:23.480>
• <c> come</c> payments those payments actually come payments those payments actually come out<04:34:23.840

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• That process is abused to leverage higher settlement amounts.
• I mean, I think that's pretty clear, and this is... to leverage higher settlement amounts.
• values in the litigation, and that... ...higher settlement values in the litigation.
• And the goal of that is to try and encourage settlement.
• Chair, you're talking about a payment that was into the fund made two years ago?

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 61, which would raise aggravated battery on a peace officer from a third-degree to a second-degree felony in cases involving great bodily harm or a deadly weapon. The sponsor and supporters said the bill fixes an inconsistency in current law, where aggravated assault on an officer can be punished more severely than aggravated battery causing serious injury. Law enforcement representatives, the Chiefs Association, CBRC, and chamber representatives testified in support, and the New Mexico Sentencing Commission was noted as having endorsed the bill by a 6-3-4 vote. After questions about proportionality and plea bargaining, the committee voted due pass on HB 61 without objection. The committee then returned to House Bill 99, a medical malpractice reform bill, and several members made conflict-of-interest disclosures before debating amendments. The discussion focused heavily on the patient compensation fund, surcharge setting, and whether an advisory board or the superintendent should control rates. Amendments to segregate future fund money, require surcharges no lower than the advisory board’s recommendation, and create a commission with more actuarial and financial expertise were debated at length; the committee rejected the first two amendments. Members and witnesses argued over whether past undercharging of hospitals and doctors led to insolvency and taxpayer bailouts, and whether the bill should require more transparency and oversight. The committee also debated amendments on punitive damages. One proposal would have delayed punitive damage claims until after substantial discovery; opponents said it would conflict with civil procedure, prolong litigation, and likely be struck down. Another would have tied punitive damages to a multiple of compensatory damages or a percentage of net worth; supporters said that would better deter harmful conduct, while opponents said it would create uncertainty and more discovery. That amendment also failed. A final punitive-damages amendment would have removed caps in cases involving sexual assault or intoxication by a health care provider and protected the first $5 million of an independent provider’s personal assets; it too was rejected after members said it would shield egregious misconduct and go beyond the bill’s purpose.