Transcript Highlights:

• And they're having to quit jobs, they're losing income and their livelihood for the family, rent, food
• Duties include placement of administration and case management for children and families who have been
• justice agencies know when a child in their custody has foster care experience, including their placement

Bills: HB 660 , HB 4845 , HB 3902 , HB 5396 , HB 4615 , HB 1825 , HB 1403 , HB 4336 , HB 4585 , HB 4371 , HB 863 , SB 1589 , HB 5223 , HB 3195 , HB 2734

Committee: House Human Services

Keywords: child protective services, adult protective services, caseload limits, call processing goals, child-care licensing, employee workload, reporting requirements, employee caseload limits, protective services, workload management, accountability, Department of Family and Protective Services, employee goals, call processing, child care, human resources, government accountability, Medicaid, provider enrollment, revalidation

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a first good step for network adequacy standards for placement for long-term care.
• This is a first good step for network adequacy standards for placement for long-term care.
• This is a first good step for network adequacy standards for placement for long-term care.
• Dan did an excellent job summarizing, so I'm not going to cover that as well.

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on a series of bills, beginning with House Bill 2689 on Working Connections Child Care. Staff explained that the proposed substitute would keep eligibility at 60% of state median income, eliminate scheduled expansions to 75% and 85%, reduce future subsidy rates from the 85th to the 75th percentile of market, end enhanced regional rates, and change reimbursement rules from prospective enrollment-based payments back to attendance-based payments with a reduced monthly payment after 11 absent days. Child care advocates thanked the committee for removing the proposed cap on the program but opposed the cuts to provider rates and eligibility expansions, warning of harm to families and providers. The committee then heard Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5124 on Medicaid network adequacy for post-acute care, with staff noting administrative costs and indeterminate fiscal effects; hospitals supported the bill as a way to reduce discharge delays and reliance on single-case agreements. Senate Bill 5832, which would raise the new motor vehicle arbitration fee from $3 to $6 to support the Lemon Law arbitration program, drew support from the Attorney General’s Office and auto dealers, who said the fee had not been updated since 1995 and the program was underfunded. The committee also heard Substitute Senate Bill 5862, providing a one-time 3% COLA for certain PERS 1 and TRS 1 retirees, with retirees testifying in favor and local government representatives warning about added employer costs. The committee next heard Senate Bill 5922, allowing school districts to transfer money from the Transportation Vehicle Fund to other funds if they reduce their fleet and receive OSPI approval; staff said the bill would mainly add administrative work for OSPI, and no one testified. Substitute Senate Bill 5923 would allow a hospital on an island in Skagit County to qualify as a critical access hospital if federally certified; Island Health testified that the designation would help sustain rural services, and a committee member asked about bed count and Medicaid/charity-care pressures. Senate Bill 5944 would require language access providers to bargain over compensation for missed or canceled appointments and clarify that statutes prevail over conflicting contract terms; WFSE supported the bill, saying it would equalize bargaining rights across agencies. Substitute Senate Bill 5972 would extend interest arbitration rights to correctional employees in city and county jails regardless of population size; labor supported the bill as a retention tool, while cities and counties opposed it, arguing it would raise costs and should include ability-to-pay protections. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5988, authorizing the Department of Health to continue accrediting opioid treatment programs and charge accreditation fees, which DOH said was needed to avoid winding down the program. Later, the committee heard Senate Bill 6151, which would move Ecology fee revenues for landfill methane emissions and laboratory accreditation into dedicated accounts; Ecology supported the bill as improving transparency and reinvesting fees into the programs, and staff said the lab fee shift would be offset by a related budget action. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6194 would pay a rural hospital on a federally recognized Indian reservation, specifically Astria Toppenish, at 150% of the Medicaid fee-for-service rate beginning in 2027; hospital leaders and community members testified that the hospital serves a high-Medicaid, rural, and tribal population and faces persistent losses. Finally, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6302 would direct L&I to investigate possible misclassification of independent contractors on public works projects involving multiple workers doing the same finishing work; labor and business representatives both described it as a negotiated compromise to address underground economy abuses. The committee took no final votes during the hearing and ended by reiterating amendment deadlines for bills scheduled for executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• But I lost my sight and was no longer able to function in that job.
• Under foster care redesign that privatized the placement part of foster care, uh, that, uh, contract
• Region two, which is Abilene, but as those regions have privatized, they're, they're closed to our placements
• years or older who are part of a sex trafficking investigation, 12 years or older with 5 or more placements

Bills: HB 451 , HB 645 , HB 1041 , HB 1151 , HB 1155 , HB 1536 , HCR 12

Committee: House Human Services

Keywords: commercial sexual exploitation, child sex trafficking, human trafficking, child welfare, foster care, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, juvenile probation, risk assessment, needs assessment, trauma screening, child abuse prevention, exploitation screening, validated screening tool, evidence-informed tool, conservatorship, juvenile justice, at-risk youth, trafficking prevention, Child Sex Trafficking Prevention Unit

Transcript Highlights:

• So the support of calling people here and say, I need the power of a job, I need an awful job, I need
• an offer a job, and I need an offer a job.
• There's seven-to-seven jobs.
• Your jobs, our jobs, the commissioner's job, and everybody at our table.
• placement rates, in housing placement rates?

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration met at 10:07 a.m. and approved the minutes from its February 9 meeting. The commission said it would accept Department of Correction testimony in writing because of a scheduling issue, and then spent most of the hearing hearing from people with lived experience in county and state correctional settings. Members repeatedly reminded witnesses to keep remarks to about three minutes and focused the discussion on correctional consolidation, collaboration, programming, and reentry. Testimony from multiple sheriff’s offices was broadly supportive of county-based programming, treatment, education, and reentry services. Witnesses from Hampshire, Barnstable, Hampden, and Franklin counties described access to GED and college courses, vocational training, recovery meetings, therapeutic groups, housing and ID assistance, work release, and reentry centers. Several said these programs helped them gain sobriety, employment, family reunification, and parole readiness. Hampden County witnesses emphasized immediate reentry planning and individualized case management; Franklin County witnesses praised respectful treatment and an accessible off-site reentry center; Barnstable witnesses highlighted the women’s therapeutic treatment program, creative writing, and the Bridge Center; Hampshire witnesses described the Bridge House, work release, and transition supports. Several witnesses contrasted those experiences with what they described as limited or delayed programming in DOC facilities, especially for people serving longer sentences or with restrictive classifications. One witness said DOC programming was hard to access because shorter sentences and offense labels affected eligibility; another described overcrowding, little counseling, and no reentry planning in state prison. A juvenile lifer testified that classification barriers and lack of tailored programming left him feeling unprepared, and another witness said DOC’s handling of classification hearings and records was unfair and opaque. Some speakers also raised concerns about mental health care and visitation policies, especially at Framingham, where one witness said suicidal thoughts were met with inadequate responses and another said family visitation was denied without clear explanation. Commissioners asked follow-up questions about DOC access, step-down opportunities, family support, and whether more transitional housing or acclimation time before release would help. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the prior minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> sure that I mentioned, which is job sure that I mentioned, which is job readiness<00:18:07.360><
• You should have in your packet some additional information on the job readiness programming and job placement
• </c> the job readiness programming and job the job readiness programming and job placement,<00:26:29.200
• It is our job to tell it.
• </c> our job to tell it. our job to tell it.

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One of our other proposals, which I will talk about in a moment, is to merge the Community Placement
• One of our other proposals, which I will talk about in a moment, is to merge the community placement
• So the CPP Community Placement Plan has been in place for a long time.
• Provisional placement would not give them another two years.
• It's provisional placement would not give them another two years.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the support of calling people here and say, I need the power of a job, I need an awful job, I need
• an offer a job, and I need an offer a job.
• There's seven-to-seven jobs.
• Your jobs, our jobs, the commissioner's job, and everybody at our table.
• placement rates, in housing placement rates?

Summary: The Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration met to approve prior minutes and then heard extensive testimony from people incarcerated or formerly incarcerated in county and state facilities, along with a few family/community perspectives. Much of the testimony focused on how county sheriff programs, reentry services, and step-down placements helped people obtain education, treatment, work experience, housing, IDs, and support for sobriety and family reunification. Witnesses from Hampshire, Barnstable, Hampden, and Franklin counties repeatedly described these programs as life-changing and credited staff with treating them with dignity, helping them prepare for release, and connecting them to community resources. Several witnesses contrasted county programming favorably with their experiences in DOC custody, saying DOC facilities often had overcrowding, limited access to programs, long waits, and little individualized reentry planning. Some said their sentence length or classification status made them ineligible for needed programs, while others described county facilities as more responsive and rehabilitative. A few witnesses also highlighted the value of culturally specific programming, educational blocks, restorative justice, and employment training. One witness from Hampden County described All-Exclusive Support Services as pivotal to her recovery and later employment with the sheriff’s office; another from Franklin County said the reentry center’s outside location made it easier to access help after release. Not all testimony was uniformly positive. A witness from Framingham described serious mental health needs that were not adequately addressed, saying she was offered superficial coping tools instead of counseling and that visitation restrictions for family members worsened her mental health. Another witness, a juvenile lifer, said long sentences and classification barriers limited access to meaningful programming and delayed preparation for release. Commissioners asked follow-up questions about DOC programming access, reentry preparation, visitation policies, and whether people were ready to benefit from services. No formal votes or policy actions were taken beyond approving the prior meeting minutes and moving through the testimony agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• have, where they have roughly one in two students learning English, still doing such an incredible job
• You've done an excellent job. Thank you, ma'am.
• Great job you do, I learned a lot just talking to you.
• I have been doing this job for some time. that I am not inherently surprised about people who get real
• But he could not fill out the job application. His level of literacy was insufficient.

Bills: SB8 , SB 8

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Keywords: education, accountability, public school assessment, state law, transparency, intervention, performance ratings, sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• new code, and this would ensure virtual instruction for foster students while they're in temporary placement
• requires that the children will receive their education through virtual learning while awaiting placement
• . ...while awaiting placement with a foster family, provides that a virtual charter school will be used

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Select Committee on School Choice met, established quorum, and approved the minutes from its February 25, 2026 meeting. The committee then took up House Bill 4588, which was explained as a measure to align with Senate Bill 644 and require the Secretary of Commerce to participate in the federal tax credit scholarship program under Public Law No. 119-20 and 119-21, with the change intended to place administration under Commerce rather than the Economic Development Authority. The committee adopted the amendment and reported HB 4588 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass as amended. The committee next considered House Bill 5048, which would create new code to ensure foster students in temporary placement facilities receive virtual instruction until placed in a permanent home. Counsel explained that if a county lacks a virtual program, a virtual charter school could be used, and the West Virginia Department of Education would provide free training for those responsible for the child, along with a plan to transfer information to the new school district and foster family. The committee adopted the proposed amendment, noting it had been worked out with the House, and then reported HB 5048 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass as amended. At the end of the meeting, the chair thanked the committee and staff for their work during the session. The committee then adjourned by motion and unanimous voice vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• know when they do, then that results in greater costs, and it results in those non-traditional placements
• </c> in those non-traditional placements. in those non-traditional placements.
• Then we're trying to do your job. That's not my purpose here.
• That's your job.
• That's your job.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:19 DCBS 00:01:58, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• times and talked about how government should get out of any place where the marketplace does a better job
• times and talked about how government should get out of any place where the marketplace does a better job
• And I thank God that at the time, I had a really good job that allowed me to basically have more choices
• And I thank God that at the time, I had a really good job that allowed me to basically have more choices
• Madam President, I might say you're doing an outstanding job upon the roster.

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But a predictable network adequacy system for these placements makes a whole heck of a lot more sense
• occur that we think utilization is staying too low, whether it's the rebate game, buying preferred placement
• as far as the question that just came up, we agree that biosimilars should be in a preferred tier placement
• Biosimilars should be in a preferred tier placement with the PBMs and the insurers, but one thing I want

Summary: The Health Care and Wellness Committee met on February 10 at 8:30 a.m. and heard two bills. On Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5594, staff explained that the bill would expand state policy on biosimilars by allowing health carriers to require patients to try a biosimilar before covering the equivalent brand drug starting in 2027, directing exchange plans to increase biosimilar utilization, and changing pharmacist substitution rules so substitution is generally allowed unless the prescriber says not to substitute. The prime sponsor, Sen. Harris, said the bill would lower costs and noted many other states already allow similar substitution. Supporters from health plans and generic/biosimilar manufacturers said biosimilars are safe, effective, and can save consumers and the system money, while a patient advocate raised concerns that the bill may not guarantee lower out-of-pocket costs at the pharmacy counter and suggested preferred formulary placement as a fix. AAM supported the bill with a technical amendment to place biosimilars in the same section as generics and interchangeable products, and the hearing on the bill was closed with no vote taken. The committee also heard Engrossed Senate Bill 5142 on Medicaid network adequacy for post-acute care. Staff said the bill would require the Health Care Authority to adopt network adequacy standards for nursing homes and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, considering community access, regional availability, timeliness, and federal Medicaid rules, with standards due by January 1, 2028 and implementation by July 1, 2028. Sen. Muzzall described it as a follow-up to last year’s bill that would create a pre-approved pathway for patients who are difficult to discharge because continuing care is hard to secure. Testimony from hospital and health system representatives strongly supported the bill, saying patients often remain in hospitals longer than medically necessary because of delays in finding skilled nursing or rehab placements and because single-case agreements are time-consuming and unpredictable, especially in rural areas. Public testimony on SB 5142 was then closed, and the meeting adjourned without any recorded votes or other action.

Transcript Highlights:

• we just weren't auditing people at that point in time, because we didn't have state workers on the job
• Most stressful job—not to diminish what doctors are doing—but it's hard for a doctor to give the care
• And let's process those cases and get them placement.
• In foster placements that exceed 50, 60, 70 different placements, and the target is on those children
• And that's before AI has taken all of the jobs.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're fighting against each other for jobs that they got to get direct training when they get the job
• They're fighting against each other for jobs that they got to get direct training when they get the job
• Maybe a job should be the measure of success. Maybe a job should be the measure of success.
• We feel like our job is not complete until that student enters their first job.
• So my first work-study job. Appreciate it.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Number one, I would like to thank, first of all, Chairman Buckley for doing a tremendous job of really
• Requiring school district personnel who are not the experts in what an SSL... policy placement means
• that would... would apply for the charters, for the most part, I felt like we... did a pretty good job
• For example, my upper-level Spanish student who are capable of successfully taking advanced placement
• You do an amazing job with the kids, we'll pay. We will tuition reimburse you.

Bills: HB2 , HB2

Committee: House Public Education

Keywords: public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace

Transcript Highlights:

• So it makes our job a little bit more difficult than normal.
• So it makes our job a little bit more difficult than normal.
• It is often a complicated and compounding series of events that can include health crises, job loss,
• , et cetera. offs for various ways of conducting counts, depending on timing, placement, et cetera.
• And if, like I said, if they're not enrolled currently, part of our job is to get them enrolled.

Summary: The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee 4 met to hear an information-only agenda focused on homelessness. The chair and vice chair opened with remarks about affordability, accountability, and the need for flexible but effective state responses. The committee then heard an update from Dr. Ryan Finnegan of UC Berkeley’s Turner Center on homelessness trends, data limitations, and program impacts. He said homelessness remains high, with 2024 point-in-time counts showing about 187,000 people experiencing homelessness statewide, though unsheltered homelessness has declined somewhat as shelter capacity expanded. He emphasized that California’s high housing costs and shortage of affordable housing are the main drivers, while also noting persistent racial disparities, high chronic homelessness, and the importance of coordinated housing, health, and social services. He also warned that cuts or changes to federal programs and state funding streams like HAP could threaten progress. Members questioned Dr. Finnegan about the 9% decline in unsheltered homelessness, the timing and methodology of point-in-time counts, how to interpret trends over time, and the role of policy changes such as Housing First, Proposition 47, and Martin v. Boise. He explained that the 9% figure came from 30 continuums of care that had completed 2025 counts, and that HUD’s eventual statewide number would likely differ because not all regions counted that year. He also discussed how different funding sources are layered in local programs, including HAP, local funds, philanthropic support, federal funds, and CalAIM reimbursements. Several members stressed the need for clearer, more comparable measures of effectiveness and outcomes, including whether programs reduce long-term homelessness and move people toward self-sufficiency. The committee then heard from the California Interagency Council on Homelessness on statewide data systems, especially the Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS). Staff described HDIS as the first state-level integrated homelessness data system, built from local HMIS data and used to track demographics, services, outcomes, and program performance across all 44 continuums of care. They said HDIS has enabled statewide dashboards, system performance measures, and new accountability tools under AB 977 and AB 799. Cal ICH also said HAP Round 4 was highly cost-effective under the State Auditor’s methodology, estimating a cost of about $9,172 per person permanently housed, and that new AB 799 dashboards are intended to provide clearer public reporting on outcomes, fiscal data, and progress toward statewide goals. Members asked about measuring self-sufficiency, identifying the best local partners, detecting fraud, and whether the new dashboards will allow better comparisons among program types and funding uses. No votes were taken, and the one scheduled vote was postponed.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> they do not a district placement school. they do not a district placement school.
• I mean, how do you take a job world? I mean, how do you take a job right<00:50:35.839><c> now?
• It's a job.
• It's a job.
• We try to um find jobs potentially.

Committee: House Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The public hearing was on an SP 15 replace-all, non-germane amendment to Senate Bill 15, a proposal to require hard labor for certain serious offenses in the New Hampshire prison system. Representative Jennifer Rhodess, the co-sponsor, said the bill is intended to make incarcerated people productive, help reduce costs, and serve as a deterrent; she also noted a two-year effective date for implementation and said anyone who refuses hard labor would receive a 50% sentence increase. She framed the work as ordinary labor already done by many people in the state and said the committee would later hear related testimony and possible amendments. Committee members questioned how the proposal would work in practice, especially for people already incarcerated, the difference between current prison work and the bill’s “hard labor,” and the impact on prison security and staffing. Rhodess said the bill only applies going forward, not retroactively, and that the Department of Corrections could better address operational details. Members also discussed the terminology, noting that “capital murder” is not a current New Hampshire charge and that the relevant offense is first-degree murder with mandatory life without parole. Department of Corrections officials Jane Graham and Nicholas Duffy testified in a neutral position but raised significant implementation concerns. They said the department would need more resources, vehicles, security equipment, and possibly armed supervision for higher-risk crews, and noted a 47% corrections officer vacancy rate. Duffy described current work programs inside prisons and in the community, including correctional industries, kitchen and education jobs, transitional work crews, and community service projects such as road work and landscaping. He explained that current community crews are limited by custody level, court approval, staffing, and safety, and said C1 and C2 inmates are already in transitional or work-release settings, while C3 and higher inmates would pose greater risks if taken outside the walls. No vote was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're big on clinical placements and community service.
• We're big on clinical placements and community service.
• We're big on clinical placements and community service.
• We're big on clinical placements and community service.
• placement rate and graduate school...

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, we have three times the placement stability rate for the youth in the RAC program than we do for
• We also are in emergency shelter placement, so if the youth can't go back, and they don't have a viable
• placement with their family at the moment, then we can offer that stay to them within our shelter.
• Youth need quality education, treatment, diversion programs, and opportunities such as job trainings
• Of the 850 position placements that have happened, 800 of those came out of UNM.

Bills: SB5 , SB6 , SB8

Committee: Senate Senate Health & Public Affairs

Keywords: physician residency, healthcare, rural communities, medical education, appropriation, education, medical school, New Mexico, construction, behavioral health, funding, mental health services, general fund transfer, 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Please stand for the prayer by Brian Job, senior pastor of Compass Christian Church, Chandler, Arizona
• They create one out of every 30 jobs in the county, adding $8.8 billion to our economy.
• Committee on Education, having under consideration HB 2482 relating to building renewal grants and job
• school districts are ordering, and I'm just going to read it: it specifies the $1 million limitation on job
• It specifies that the $1 million limitation on job order contracting for construction services applies

Keywords: 1182, all