Transcript Highlights:

• And then the last one's a big one: it's our risk assessment.
• Knowledge of what their practices are and why they have those practices doesn't leave with them.
• , and we are assessing their risk.
• and maintain those practices during the course of the engagement.
• We had to go with what was given, so we are doing the assessment now.

Transcript Highlights:

• We heard a little bit about evidence-based practices from LFC, and I did want to touch on that.
• So I'm wondering, when it comes to evidence-based practices, how are we tracking that in New Mexico's
• I will also, looking at slide five, the needs assessment.
• that is closely aligned with the Head Start needs assessment requirements.
• When you implement a program, you need to assess its impact on rising health care costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:09:25.040><c> this</c> they um assess this they um assess this person<01:09:27.199><c> to</c>
• I got her through this assessment.
• </c><01:19:54.400><c> the</c><01:19:54.800><c> assessment</c> out doing the assessment the assessment
• out doing the assessment the assessment comes<01:19:55.760><c> back</c><01:19:56.000><c> to</c><01:19
• </c> particularly how to perform assessments particularly how to perform assessments for<02:04:58.599

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These practices were ...27.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
• Each practice and grant program was validated and overseen by staff within our Office of Agricultural
• Those farmers that adopt climate-smart agriculture practices have then gone on to participate in our
• We always make sure that each practice is grounded in a quantifiable greenhouse gas reduction.
• Have you done any kind of assessment on that end?

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:56.320><c> over</c> the um property value assessments over the um property value assessments
• </c> property transactions practically property transactions practically everything<00:15:12.839><c>
• The one that's kind of scary is property assessments.
• The one that's kind of scary is property assessments.
• </c> budget there's two property assessment budget there's two property assessment related<00:20:03.880

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development received a presentation from Kentucky Department of Education officials on the final SEEK estimate for fiscal year 2025. Commissioner Robbie Fletcher, Matt Ross, and Chay Ritter explained that SEEK is developed through a consensus process with the Office of the State Budget Director using multiple models and district-level inputs, and that the estimate is a projection made well before actual data are available. They emphasized that the discussion was separate from the pending education-funding lawsuit and described SEEK as one part of a much larger K-12 budget picture. The presenters said the current SEEK estimate shows a statutory shortfall of about $14.7 million, or roughly 0.53% of the appropriation, with additional optional items that could bring the total to about $40.5 million if funds are available. They noted that prior years have sometimes produced excess funds, which are redirected according to budget language rather than automatically flowing back through SEEK. They also reviewed the main drivers of the estimate, including property assessments, average daily attendance, free lunch counts, exceptional child counts, home hospital, and limited English proficiency, and said property assessments have been especially volatile while exceptional child counts and ELL populations are difficult to predict. Members asked about why the estimate missed on some categories, especially special education and ELL, and whether district-level changes were being monitored closely enough. The presenters said KDE does monitor special education counts and will review larger districts and districts with unusual growth, and they acknowledged that exceptional child growth has been hard to forecast. Representative Bojanowski asked about the Cloverport virtual school, and staff said its growth was much larger than projected and accounted for a significant portion of the shortfall. Members also discussed the impact of property value growth, population shifts, illness, and legislative changes on SEEK projections. No vote or formal action was taken, and the meeting ended after questions and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• The safety assessment tool rose from 91% in '23 to 94 in '24, and the risk assessment tool from 88 to
• So we always want to ensure this tool did not change practice. Nothing changed in our practice.
• That is part of assessing for safety. Um, so again, that has been a part of our practice.
• </c> That is part of assessing for safety. That is part of assessing for safety.
• </c> part of our practice. part of our practice.

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call- 00:00:01 SERVS Informational Update- 00:01:22 Child Removal and Reunification Update: Department for Community Based Services Financials- 00:03:00 Small Business Sales Tax Websites: Department of Revenue-00:28:05 Senior Citizen Meal Programs: Department for Aging and Independent Living-00:35:50 Adjournment-01:41:57, 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from the September 11 meeting by motion and voice vote. It then received a brief update on the statewide emergency responder voice system, but no presenter was present. The chair said he expected a more substantive update in November and warned that if there is not real progress on acquiring needed private properties, the committee may consider further action, including possibly freezing funding. The main discussion centered on the Department for Community Based Services’ child removal and reunification work and its structured decision-making tools. Commissioner Lisa Dennis and General Counsel Wesley Duke explained that the intake, safety, and risk assessment tools are being used at very high rates and that the department is still implementing and evaluating the system. Dennis said the tools are meant to inform, not replace, professional judgment; when staff disagree with a recommendation, the worker and first-line supervisor consult and decide together. Members questioned whether the system favors keeping children in the home, whether the department has studied safety outcomes for in-home cases versus removals, and whether foster home shortages affect removal decisions. Dennis said child safety remains the top priority, that the practice has not changed, and that the department would provide additional data on outcomes later. Members also asked about permanency timelines and delays in termination of parental rights cases; Dennis said federal timelines are difficult to meet because of family progress, substance use recovery, and court delays, and she confirmed foster parent shortages were not the reason for those delays. The committee then heard a presentation from the Department of Revenue on the new My Taxes portal. Staff said the portal, launched in March, replaced DOR’s portion of the old Kentucky One Stop Business Portal and now allows businesses to file and pay multiple taxes, update account information, and receive official notices. They reported the system is available 24/7 except for scheduled maintenance every other Thursday evening, has maintained over 99% availability since launch, and now has a dedicated contact center with 50 agents plus a public help line and email. In response to questions, the department said early downtime was caused by unexpectedly high traffic, but server capacity was increased and in the last three months there had been only one day of unexpected downtime.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are welcome to file either an objection or an unfair labor practice charge.
• If it is an unfair labor practice charge, that's investigated by the general counsel.
• They are welcome to file either an objection or an unfair labor practice charge.
• And if there is an unfair labor practice, then we would seek remedies for that.
• There are unfair labor practice charges that have been, we have received unfair labor practice charges

Summary: The committee first approved several governor’s appointments not required to appear, including Arthur Krantz to the Public Employment Relations Board and Christopher Ferguson, Brian Haynes, Anna Marie de Mars, and Ronald Fiore to the Student Aid or Student Athletic commissions, all by unanimous 5-0 votes. It also approved references of bills to committees by a 5-0 vote. The committee then heard from Julia Montgomery, nominated for a third term as General Counsel of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, who described her work on farmworker rights, outreach, and enforcement of labor protections. Members questioned Montgomery closely about card-check unionization procedures, signature authenticity, outreach to Spanish-speaking and indigenous-language farmworkers, make-whole enforcement delays, and a long-running Tri-Fanucchi farm case. Montgomery said objections and unfair labor practice charges can be investigated, that signature verification is handled by board staff rather than her office, and that delays often stem from appeals, difficulty locating workers, employer obstruction, and court backlogs. Vice Chair Grove voted no, while Senators Laird and Reyes supported the nomination; the committee advanced Montgomery to the full Senate on a 3-2 vote. The committee then considered three State Board of Education appointments: Cynthia Glover Woods, Brenda Lewis, and Gabriela Orozco Gonzalez. In opening statements, all three emphasized long careers in public education and support for students, teachers, and families. Questions focused on math achievement, the 2023 math framework and access to Algebra I in middle school, transitional kindergarten, community schools, and the effectiveness of education spending. The nominees said the framework still allows ready eighth graders to take Algebra I, pointed to new instructional materials, professional learning, TK expansion, and community schools as key improvements, and said they had not been involved in the governor’s proposed education governance changes. Public witnesses and education groups testified in strong support. The committee advanced Glover Woods 3-1, Lewis 4-1, and Gonzalez 3-1 to the full Senate.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then regarding assessment, the state has to have an assessment, and it must contain at least three
• So with that, ATLAS assessments for grades 3 through 10 assess in three main subjects: English language
• So with that, Atlas Assessments for grades 3 through 10 assess in three main subjects, English language
• The ATLAS assessments include summative assessments for students in grades 3 through 10, as well as end-of-course
• The ELPA 21, or English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century, is the assessment used

Summary: The committee received a lengthy Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on Arkansas academic standards, accountability systems, and adequacy requirements. Staff reviewed how state curriculum and standards have evolved from the 1997 Public Education Act through the 2003 Quality Education Act and the 2017 Educational Support and Accountability Act, including required coursework, standards for accreditation, career and technical education, graduation requirements, and recent additions such as computer science, personal finance, firearm safety, and fetal growth and development instruction. Members asked for a chart comparing the major laws and repeals over time, and staff agreed to provide one. The presentation then turned to federal ESSA requirements and Arkansas’s state accountability system. Staff explained Arkansas’s long-term goals for proficiency, English learner progress, and graduation rates, and reported 2025 ATLAS proficiency results, which remained below the 80% goal across student groups. They also reviewed English learner progress, graduation rates, school support and improvement, and equitable access to educators. Data showed gaps by subgroup and by school poverty/minority concentration, with Title I and high-poverty schools more likely to have emergency/provisional teachers and less experienced staff. Members questioned the lack of recent data for some ESSA measures, including equity labs and school index calculations, and asked staff to follow up with the Department of Education. The committee also discussed NAEP results, ACT scores, and teacher quality measures under the state accountability act. Arkansas’s NAEP performance remained below national averages in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math, and ACT composite scores and benchmark attainment were also reviewed. Members asked for additional information on historical highs and lows, the number of assessments students take by grade, dropout data, and comparisons with other states. No formal votes were taken; the main action was agreement to request additional information from DESE and to schedule department follow-up at a future meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 2313 is practical, forward-looking... ...it's customer-centric.
• Third, this assessment is a narrower, structurally biased version of assessments already underway.
• Potentially contradictory to ongoing assessments.
• And so it really is an assessment of what the long-term gas need is.
• But from a practical standpoint, things cost more in California.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• tools that lead to more accurate and uniform assessments.
• It claims to incentivize better assessments.
• tool designed by the state when assessing these hours.
• What is your assessment?
• What are some of the promising practices?

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on the impact of H.R. 1 on older Californians and related county administration issues. Chair Jackson and Chair Addis opened by emphasizing California’s rapidly aging population and the need to protect seniors’ access to food, health care, housing, and in-home support services. Testimony from the Department of Social Services, Department of Health Care Services, and Department of Aging described how H.R. 1 would expand work and reporting requirements in CalFresh and Medi-Cal, increase redeterminations, and create new eligibility barriers. Witnesses and advocates warned that these changes could lead to large coverage losses, especially for adults ages 55 to 64, people experiencing homelessness, caregivers, and some immigrant groups, while also increasing administrative burden on counties. The LAO noted that many provisions do not directly apply to Californians 65 and older, but highlighted indirect effects and some direct impacts, including a new home equity limit for certain long-term care recipients and narrower immigration eligibility rules. Committee members pressed the administration and counties on how exemptions would be identified and implemented, whether data systems could automatically protect eligible people, and how outreach would reach older adults, women, LGBTQ seniors, and people with limited digital access. DHCS and CDSS said they are working to use existing data, cross-program information sharing, and human-centered communications to maximize exemptions and reduce churn, including text outreach, print and radio campaigns, and navigator support. Members also raised concerns about the need for legal aid and county eligibility workers to help people navigate complex rules, and requested updated analyses on the number of people likely to lose both Medi-Cal and CalFresh and the broader human and system impacts. No votes were taken. The second major topic was the administration’s proposal to shift some future IHSS costs to counties by establishing a statewide baseline for average authorized hours per case. CDSS said the proposal is intended to improve consistency in assessments and not reduce services, while counties and labor groups strongly opposed it, arguing that rising hours reflect real increases in need, an aging and higher-acuity caseload, and state-mandated assessment tools rather than county error. County representatives said the proposal would strain already limited local revenues, worsen the effects of H.R. 1, and could force cuts to other safety-net services. Committee members questioned the proposal’s timing and impact, but the hearing ended without action, with the chairs asking for continued updates, additional analysis, and more information before May Revision.

Transcript Highlights:

• and assessing accurately as they serve their community.
• But that's due to the assessment cycle. I've seen that happen.
• And the way it runs is because of the assessment cycle.
• You basically start an assessment cycle in September.
• But it has to do with the assessment cycle. That was my question.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> facilitate a restorative practice facilitate a restorative practice however<00:35:12.000><c> if<
• </c><00:44:24.559><c> medication</c> to assess medication to assess medication management<00:44:26.760
• One, update outdated language that is changing chemical dependency assessment to comprehensive assessment
• I'm an attorney in private practice.
• <03:16:30.680><c> transmit</c><03:16:31.399><c> information</c> practicable transmit information practicable

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Y is the family practitioner, same basic practice.
• : comprehensive assessment, medication reconciliation, risk assessment, safety planning, referrals, discharge
• She said that license is a privilege to practice, not a right.
• I do think it changes the nature of the practice quite a bit.
• I do think it changes the nature of the practice quite a bit.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They provide critical support for safe practice of medicine.
• Two, they must have completed two years of supervised practice under that license.
• This bill amends the Nurse Practice Act, which governs nursing practice and current title protection
• The bill amends the Nurse Practice Act, which governs nursing practice and title protection for nurses
• We feel like this is practical action.

Bills: SB5877, SB5904, SB5988

Keywords: anesthesiology, medical personnel, surcharges, licensing, healthcare regulations, nursing titles, licensure, healthcare professionals, patient safety, professional standards, opioid treatment, accreditation, health department, fee authority, substance abuse, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also use an assessment tool.
• An assessment tool is used to ensure that we assess potential risk factors as well as protective factors
• What restorative practices look like: For those of us who are used to traditional punitive practices,
• As well as making sure that our restorative practices are embedded in all of our disciplinary practices
• Practice and patience. Thank you. Israel?

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the practice areas that we focus on are family law and criminal history repair.
• Some of the practice areas that we focus on are family law and criminal history repair.
• One other aspect of the bill is assessments in these communities consist of two types: the annual assessment
• The associations can also apply a special assessment, and that special assessment can be of some significant
• , that assessment is foreclosable on the day it is due because of the way the statute is written.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And as the fund has grown, unfortunately, employers' workers' compensation assessments are now being
• What they do tell us in our assessment is that the project is starting to get tricky.
• The employer assessment has increased approximately $800 million in the last 10 years.
• By what amount will you recommend changes to lower the assessments of this plan?
• Additionally, the bill adds new authority for the ALRB to assess civil penalties for unfair labor practice

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We left here after the committee meeting last week to set out to assess a fee. Mr.
• So we've come to the table today for these assessments.
• So we've come to the table today for these assessments.
• , and I also had one of these assessments conducted at my own school.
• What these assessments do is they help schools in a way that is very simple and practical.

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 135, which would redirect a portion of wagering dedications from the sports fund to the Louisiana Early Childhood Education Fund and remove a cap affecting that funding stream. The author and staff explained the amendment was designed to avoid any impact on the State General Fund while increasing support for early childhood education. The committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably as amended. Senate Bill 202, from the Secretary of State’s office, would increase the number of compensated days for parish board of election supervisors to cover additional election-related duties. Secretary Landry and election officials testified that the change was needed because supervisors now perform more work, including ballot tabulation, machine sealing, and verification tasks. The committee adopted technical and appropriation-related amendments and reported the bill favorably as amended. The committee then took up several health and human services bills. Senate Bill 155 would require insurance coverage for medically necessary dental procedures needed before cancer treatment; testimony from medical and dental professionals emphasized that untreated dental problems can delay chemotherapy or radiation and worsen outcomes. After adopting amendments to narrow the fiscal impact, the bill was reported favorably as amended, with discussion of a possible subject-to-appropriation amendment to be worked out later. Senate Bill 237, a major DCFS reform bill, drew extensive testimony and debate over child welfare oversight, mandatory reporter training, law enforcement coordination, and the bill’s large fiscal note. The committee adopted amendments, including a subject-to-appropriation provision, and reported the bill favorably as amended after emotional testimony from supporters and former DCFS employees. The committee also advanced Senate Bill 465 on prompt-pay insurance reform after an amendment reduced the fiscal note to zero; Senate Bill 261 on unclaimed property after a substitute bill was adopted; Senate Bill 295 on expanded coverage for traumatic brain injury rehabilitation after amendments narrowed the mandate and added subject-to-appropriation language; Senate Bill 157 providing six weeks of paid parental leave for K-12 educators and staff, also subject to appropriation; Senate Bill 276 requiring bail bond producers to certify outstanding obligations before new appointments; Senate Bill 83 on human trafficking services after removing the age-expansion cost; Senate Bill 143 on bulletproof vests after shifting funding away from a direct state appropriation; and Senate Bill 450 on school safety assessments after an amendment limited implementation to available funds and resources. In each case, the committee’s actions focused on reducing or eliminating fiscal notes while keeping the bills moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• This risk assessment will have to be done prior to any bond that can be paid.
• So I was surprised to see the word actuarial assessment.
• Why say actuarial assessment?
• Will this be a big cost to the counties for this assessment? No, no, it won't be at all.
• The counties, for this assessment? No, it won't be at all. Do you hear a motion?

Summary: The committee first considered Senate Bill 419, as amended to update the effective date to 2026. The bill would allow the State Treasurer and the Department of Wildlife Conservation/Wildlife Conservation Commission to employ or appoint attorneys, joining other entities already authorized to do so. Supporters argued the treasurer’s office handles highly specialized financial matters and large state assets, and that in-house counsel could provide faster, more specialized advice. Members questioned possible conflicts with the Attorney General’s role, the fiscal impact, and why Wildlife was included; the sponsor said Wildlife’s inclusion was tied to similar specialized needs and indicated willingness to remove it if needed. The bill received a due pass recommendation on a 7-2 vote. The committee then heard Senate Bill 835, also amended to update the effective date to 2026. This measure would require qualifying licensing boards and commissions to submit proposed non-rulemaking actions with anti-competitive implications for review, shifting oversight from the Attorney General to the Secretary of State. The sponsor said the bill was intended to address antitrust concerns raised by the North Carolina dental board case and to provide earlier executive-branch review of potentially anti-competitive board actions. Members raised concerns about whether the Secretary of State should be the arbiter of anti-competitive conduct and whether existing court remedies or current executive-order processes were sufficient. The bill passed on an 8-2 due pass vote. Senate Bill 1618 would require courts to conduct pretrial risk assessments early in criminal cases. The sponsor said the assessments would be one tool judges could use in setting bond and determining release conditions, and that the bill was intended to make the practice available statewide rather than only in some counties. Questions focused on who would validate the assessments, whether counties already could do this, whether it would delay release in smaller counties, and whether it would add costs; the sponsor said counties could tailor the process, that it was already being done in some places, and that the fiscal impact would be minimal. The committee voted 6-4 to report the bill due pass. Finally, the chair presented Senate Bill 262, which had been amended and had its title and enacting clause struck as part of ongoing work. The bill was described as an effort to reduce county jail overcrowding by allowing certain inmates awaiting transfer to the Department of Corrections to be handled differently, with further amendments expected. Members discussed concerns about fairness and the use of factors such as community ties in release decisions, and the sponsor said the measure was still being refined and was intended to solve a practical jail-capacity problem. The committee voted 8-1 to pass the bill out.

Transcript Highlights:

• The statute would practice for schools?
• </c> typically includes several practical typically includes several practical elements,<01:09:45.600
• </c><01:12:02.600><c> already</c> modern evidence-based practices already modern evidence-based practices
• Stinson to take practice,<01:17:48.893><c> [laughter]</c> practice, [laughter] practice, [laughter] um
• c> that</c> work designing a local assessment that work designing a local assessment that would<01:19

Keywords: 1187, senate, all