Transcript Highlights:

• many additional responsibilities, and it handles all our various health care facilities, hospitals, nursing
• 998, a bill to be entitled an act relating to physician assistant and advanced practice registered nurse
• Survivors of deceased hospice patients are currently experiencing delays in death certificates due in
• This bill allows physicians to utilize advanced practice registered nurses to certify death and file
• death certificates under a written protocol.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions and moments of silence, including tributes related to the FSU campus shooting, Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, John Thrasher, the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and visiting student and community groups. The chamber then moved into special order bills and adopted a resolution honoring Coach Abdur-Rahim. A number of measures were taken up and passed, including child care and early learning provider regulation updates, false reporting/swatting penalties, health care billing and collection protections, hazardous walking conditions for schoolchildren, young adult housing support for foster and homeless students, the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, trust fund interest rules for IOTA accounts, transportation-related changes, public records exemptions for AHCA investigators, JQC employees, and appellate court clerks, municipal water and sewer utility rates in Miami-Dade, motor vehicle offenses involving obscured plates and impersonating law enforcement, trespass at large-scale ticketed events, refund of patient overpayments, stem cell therapy standards, insulin administration by direct support professionals and relatives, pre-arranged transportation services, and the Uniform Commercial Code update for digital assets. Several bills were amended before passage, often by substituting House companions and adopting late-filed amendments. The transportation bill was significantly revised to remove speed-limit increases and utility-related provisions while adding beach equipment removal, flood-wake enforcement, expectant mother parking permits, and local regulation of micromobility devices; it passed 37-0. The trust fund interest bill drew the most debate, with supporters arguing it right-sized a volatile funding stream for legal aid and opponents warning it would sharply reduce support for legal aid organizations; it passed 28-10. The municipal water and sewer rate bill also prompted extended debate over fairness, fiscal impact, and accusations of racism, but passed 36-2. Public records exemption bills for AHCA investigators, JQC employees, and appellate clerks passed with varying margins, with supporters emphasizing safety and anti-doxing protections. One bill on cardiac emergencies and another on education were temporarily postponed. Most measures were adopted by wide margins, often unanimously, after brief sponsor explanations and little or no debate. The Senate also adopted a resolution honoring the late USF coach Amir Abdur-Rahim and recognized several visiting groups in the gallery. After completing the day’s special order calendar, the Senate recessed for lunch until 1:30 p.m. or on call of the President.

Transcript Highlights:

• 2 Cervantes energy energy energy ization to pass out on an a-roll call SB 3 13 Cervantes birth certificates
• SB 778, Lamone, migrant child care programs, due pass is amended to clarify self-certification.
• SB 596 Menjivar, nursing staff ratio penalties do pass with author amendments to remove timelines.
• SB 312 Umberg, Dog Import Health Certification or Certificates.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you remember last year, for those of you who were here, I had a bill on nursing, and it was for nurse
• My nurse retention bill was well received by nurses, doctors, and the medical field.
• <01:02:43.000> program accounting level in the nursing program accounting level in the nursing
• Oh, there are the nurses. Yeah, I have two of the nurses.
• the nurses yeah I have two of the nurses the nurses yeah I have two of the nurses apparently<01:

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, that's supposed to be the non-credit, more so the professional certification side.
• We build on our 55-year-old health care program in nursing, but more.
• So, Madam Chair, how does the funding work if a student goes in for stackable certificates?
• Is there a separate track for each certificate, or how do you do that?
• Next, we will be moving on... to healthcare with nursing and then office personnel.

Transcript Highlights:

• will help address our healthcare workforce shortage and improve the access and affordability of a nursing
• will help address our healthcare workforce shortage and improve the access and affordability of a nursing
• California is projected to be short over 44,000 registered nurses by 2030.
• In one case, the death certificate delay was over three years.
• The bill most importantly requires development and certification of a local coastal plan for the City

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly convened, first dealing with quorum and routine procedural matters before moving through a series of third-reading bills, many focused on immigration enforcement, worker protections, child care, and school or voting-site safety. Early measures included AB 2393, AB 1994, AB 1929, AB 1633, AB 1650, AB 1655, AB 1851, AB 1896, and AB 2230, with authors and supporters arguing these bills would provide accountability, protect immigrant communities, preserve access to benefits and services, and limit intimidation by immigration enforcement. Opponents repeatedly argued the bills were anti-law-enforcement, unconstitutional, or based on exaggerated or nonexistent threats. Several bills passed by recorded vote, including AB 2393 (41-15), AB 1994 (58-0), AB 1929 (41-17), AB 1650 (44-19), AB 1655 (50-14), AB 1851 (56-0), AB 1896 (41-19), and AB 2230 (42-15). AB 1633, a 54-vote bill imposing a tax on for-profit detention facilities, was debated at length but the roll was not completed in the excerpt and the item was moved on from temporarily. After a caucus break, the House returned and took up additional bills. AB 2379 would require child care providers to be informed of constitutional protections and receive multilingual training regarding immigration enforcement; it passed 59-10 on both the urgency and the measure. AB 2460 would direct the education department to update referral protocols so schools can better respond to students affected by immigration enforcement trauma and family deportation; it passed 52-8. AB 2495 would expand prohibitions on unfair immigration-related practices by employers, making immigration-related threats unlawful in workplace disputes; it passed 50-15. Throughout the day, debate was highly partisan and often heated, with repeated exchanges over whether the bills addressed real harms or were political messaging, but the Assembly ultimately advanced the measures that came to a vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• consistent and clear certification consistent and clear certification guidance<03:11:15.560>
• <03:15:07.200> certification<03:15:07.920> labeling certifications certification labeling
• certifications certification labeling and<03:15:08.479> enforcement<03:15:08.960> Provisions
• <03:32:45.960> would and repealing the certification would and repealing the certification
• finalized new and amended certificate finalized new and amended certificate certification<03:38:

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, fraudulent and substandard nursing licenses out of, uh, nursing programs in Florida.
• the number of nurses.
• She's, she's a nurse, but she moved away to work at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, um,
• I represent the Texas Nurses Association.
• Um, but as we expand the nursing profession and the number of licenses, the Board of Nursing is definitely

Transcript Highlights:

• design meetings define the required scope as it relates to security, correctional officer stations, nursing
• But we wanted them to have a good shelf life, because you need to be able to use them in the certification
• And that is a larger certification than we've had in the past, but that was driven in significant part
• This system is critical to the certification process that I mentioned, and we use it for other allocation
• It makes me wonder about the whole Supreme Court certification when I hear those kinds of stories from

Summary: The committee first heard an update from the Florida Department of Corrections on the proposed Lake Correctional Institution mental health project in Clermont. Tim Fitzgerald explained the project’s history, including the 2016 Disability Rights Florida litigation, the 2018 consent decree, and the original plan for a 550-bed inpatient mental health facility. He said inflation and design changes pushed the project above the bond amount, leading the department to shift to a “continuum of care” alternative with 572 beds total: 92 inpatient beds and 480 residential treatment beds in three special housing units. Fitzgerald said the project is currently paused pending House concurrence, while the Senate has already agreed to the alternate plan, and noted the bond balance, prior expenditures, and the need to spend down the tax-exempt bond by August 2026. Members questioned how the new plan differs from the original facility, whether it satisfies the consent decree, and what caused the cost increases. Fitzgerald said the department believes it has already met the consent decree through systemwide improvements to housing, staffing, programming, and out-of-cell time, though he said he would confirm the court documentation. He also said the original scope grew from 275,000 to 350,000 square feet as treatment, nursing, security, and programming needs were refined, and that inflation, fees, permitting, and contingencies contributed to the higher cost. Several members asked for follow-up information on Senate approval, consent decree documentation, and the project’s impact on crisis-stabilization capacity. The committee then received a joint court-system presentation from State Courts Administrator Eric McClure and Clerks Corporation Executive Director Jason Welty on caseload trends, case tracking, and staffing. McClure described statewide filing trends, the use of weighted caseload studies to certify judicial need, and recent Supreme Court rule changes aimed at active civil case management, including differentiated case tracks, stricter deadlines, and proportional discovery. He said the latest workload study led the Supreme Court to certify a need for 23 circuit judges and 25 county judges. Welty reviewed clerk workload trends, the statewide case maintenance and CCIS systems, and declining clerk FTE despite rising case volumes, and said clerks are seeking additional funding for injunctions, Baker Act/Marchman Act/sexually violent predator work, and juror management. In questions, members pressed both presenters on data quality, case-weight calculations, filing fees, and whether current resources are enough to reduce delays. McClure clarified that the workload weights are based on judge time studies and that a capital murder case averaged 3,177 minutes, while other examples such as auto negligence and dissolution cases were much lower. Welty said the Legislature could help by increasing funding or potentially revisiting filing fees, and noted that many clerk services are unfunded or underfunded, especially indigent and protective filings. The chair and members also raised concerns about backlog, inconsistent case reporting across circuits, and enforcement of judicial time standards; McClure said there is no direct sanction in the rules, and compliance is largely managed through chief judges and the Supreme Court. The meeting ended with no votes taken and adjournment by motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• previously approved rule through emergency promulgation, and this rule involves changes to the SNAP Certification
• I am before you this morning regarding changes to the rules for our nurse aide training program.
• Those changes are regarding two definitions: the general nursing experience definition and the primary
• However, they do have to have their certificate of business that's given through the Secretary of State's
• I mean, a certificate of good standing is just paying and remitting your franchise taxes, which I understand

Summary: The Arkansas Administrative Rules Subcommittee met to review a large slate of agency rules and related reports. The chair announced that several items were stricken from the agenda and that the maternal health providers and remote monitoring rules were pulled by the agency. The committee filed reports on emergency rules, ALC subcommittee rule reviews, and administrative directives, then moved through agency rules from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce/Insurance, Department of Corrections, and multiple divisions of the Department of Human Services. Most rules were explained as technical updates or implementations of 2025 legislation and were approved without objection. Examples included repeal of obsolete equine ID-chip rules, updates to agriculture financing and pesticide rules, removal of duplicative workers’ compensation plan language, a unified visitation rule for correctional facilities, DHS marketing rules for PASS programs, a comprehensive DCFS policy manual revision, Medicaid-related changes for fictive kin, ABLE accounts, presumptive eligibility for pregnant women, SNAP work requirements and alien eligibility, coverage for certain incarcerated youth, nurse aide training updates, and permanent rules for state employee insurance and procurement. The committee also approved requests to exclude the Insurance Department from rulemaking requirements for Act 772 on forced organ harvesting and for restorative reproductive medicine, with the department saying it would issue rules later when more guidance is available. The most extended discussion concerned DHS’s dental Medicaid rate rule under Act 1025. Members and witnesses debated whether the statute’s language covered only oral surgeons or also general dentists performing oral surgery procedures, and whether the rate increase should apply more broadly to the services rather than the provider title. DHS said it was following the black-letter language of the law and could not confirm a broader interpretation without further approvals and funding, while legislators and a Dental Association representative said the intent was to increase payment for the services, especially in rural areas. Members also discussed the possibility of fixing the language in a future session or through a new rule if approvals and CMS review allow. Despite the concerns, the committee approved the rule. The meeting ended with approval of rule review reports and monthly updates, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• previously approved rule through emergency promulgation, and this rule involves changes to the SNAP certification
• I am before you this morning regarding changes to the rules for our nurse aide training program.
• Those changes are regarding two definitions: the general nursing experience definition and the primary
• However, they do have to have their certificate of business that's given through the Secretary of State's
• I mean, a certificate of good standing is just paying and remitting your franchise taxes, which I understand

Summary: The Arkansas Administrative Rules Subcommittee met to review a large set of agency rules and reports. Early items were routine filings: emergency-rule reports, subcommittee review reports, and administrative directive reports were filed without objection. One rule from the Department of Agriculture on maternal health providers and remote monitoring was noted as pulled by the agency and not considered. The committee then reviewed and approved several Agriculture rules, including repeal of equine ID-chip rules after Act 703 of 2025, updates to finance rules adding a new water and sewer treatment facilities grant and consolidating revolving-fund rules, and a pesticide rule creating a Class J pesticide category for feral hog toxicant use. It also approved a Commerce/Insurance rule removing duplicative workers’ compensation plan provisions, and a Corrections rule creating a unified visitation rule for correctional facilities and community correction centers. A member asked about prison visitation hours during COVID, and staff said they would check on that. The committee next approved multiple Department of Human Services rules. These included marketing rules for provider-led organizations under Act 301 of 2025, a comprehensive revision of the DCFS policy manual, changes to Medicaid eligibility to include fictive kin placements and to expand ABLE account eligibility under Act 875, presumptive eligibility changes for pregnant women to align with federal rules, and a follow-up SNAP/TEA/Work Pays rule with updated work requirements, mandatory employment and training, alien eligibility changes, and job-search requirements for certain applicants. DHS also presented a rule implementing federal coverage for certain incarcerated youth before and after release, and the committee approved it. Another DHS rule updated nurse aide training requirements to match federal CNA hour standards and moved criminal-records-check procedures to the agency website. The most extended discussion involved DHS Division of Medical Services’ dental rate rule under Act 1025. The agency explained that it was increasing pediatric dental rates and certain oral-surgery-related rates, but not orthodontic rates or a broader special-needs benefit limit because CMS would not approve a diagnosis-based limit. Members debated whether the statutory language was intended to cover general dentists performing oral surgery procedures, with legislators, the Dental Association, and DHS discussing legislative intent, fiscal impact, and whether a future fix or emergency rule might be needed. Despite the disagreement, the committee approved the rule. The committee also approved other DHS medical rules: adverse-decision appeal changes and prior-authorization posting requirements, an increased RSV administration fee for children, expanded emergency treat/triage/transport ambulance authority, and clinic-based physical and occupational therapy coverage. Later, the committee approved permanent rules for the new state insurance program under Shared Administrative Services, procurement rule revisions recommended after an ACASO review, and commodity-management rule updates including a new revenue distribution model. Under Act 595 of 2021, the committee granted two Department of Commerce/Insurance requests to be excluded from rulemaking requirements: one for Act 772 on forced organ harvesting, and one for restorative reproductive medicine, with the department saying it would promulgate rules later when clinical guidelines are available. Finally, the committee accepted a recommendation to keep and extend the Department of Education, Division of Career and Technical Education rules, filed outstanding rulemaking updates, and adjourned without further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• A prime example is that we pay a nurse practitioner less than we pay a physician for the same CPT code
• Services and Quality Assurance, and this rule is related to the Arkansas long-term care facility nursing
• Madam Chair, our first rule is a new rule that we are proposing to enact Act 965 of 2025 for the certification
• This is enacting Act 435 of 2025 regarding certification of community health workers.
• Shane David, Branch Chief, Health Systems Licensing and Certification, Department of Health.

Summary: The committee reviewed a series of Arkansas DHS and Department of Health rules, most tied to 2025 legislation. Early items covered Medicaid changes including presumptive eligibility application timing, adding a fictive kin definition for foster child eligibility, raising the able account disability onset age to 46, allowing continuous glucose monitors to be billed by both pharmacy and DME providers, increasing the RSV vaccine administration fee for children, a telemedicine exemption for ET3 ambulance services, and a physical therapy access rule that also included occupational therapy. Members generally asked limited questions and most rules were reviewed without objection. A major portion of the meeting focused on the dental rate increase rule under Act 1025. DHS said it implemented rate increases for certain pediatric, special-needs, and oral surgeon services, but not orthodontics, and it interpreted the act as applying only to oral and maxillofacial surgeons, not general dentists. The Arkansas State Dental Association and legislative sponsors testified that the intent was to cover general dentists performing oral surgery procedures for special-needs patients, estimating the broader interpretation would add about $1.5 million annually. Committee members debated the plain language of the act versus legislative intent, and the rule was reviewed, but with testimony noting the issue should be fixed in future legislation. Later items included the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies rule adding doula and lactation consultant billing and remote monitoring benefits; an adverse decisions rule extending provider appeal time from 35 to 65 days; CNA training program updates; PASSE network-status disclosure rules; certification rules for community-based doulas and community health workers; cosmetology, massage therapy, lead-based paint, radiation, radiologic technology, and RV park rule updates. Most of these were described as technical, statutory, or federally driven changes and were reviewed without objection. The committee briefly reopened the CGM rule after a motion to expunge the prior vote, and Representative Wardlaw said he would hold the rule for further review because he believed the billing changes did not match the law’s intent. The meeting ended with no further business and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• GENTLEMEN, IT IS AN EXISTING RULE REGARDING MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR HOME HEALTH AGENCIES IN BOTH THE CERTIFICATES
• RESIDENT CARE STANDARDS, MEDICATION PRACTICES, LIMITED NURSING SERVICES AS WELL AS ALF MINIMUM TRAINING
• THERE ARE CERTIFICATES OF NEED EXEMPTIONS.
• THERE IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING PROCEDURE ASSOCIATED ALSO WITH THE HEALTH FACILITIES AND CERTIFICATE
• THERE IS A RULE ON PAYMENT METHODOLOGY FOR NURSING HOME SERVICES, PAYMENT METHODOLOGY OR SERVICES THAT

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• discharged from hospitals or nursing discharged from hospitals or nursing facilities<01:20:21.920
• food safety training and certification food safety training and certification support<01:57:01.520
• We are requesting just under $161,000 to sustain our Aloha certificate program.
• We are requesting just under $161,000 to sustain our Aloha certificate program.
• to sustain our Aloha certificate to sustain our Aloha certificate program.<03:04:24.640> This

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: This joint informational briefing focused on Act 310 grants and aid, with committee members hearing one-minute testimony from organizations first in person and then by Zoom. At the outset, the chairs explained there would be no Q&A during the briefing and asked testifiers to focus on how federal cuts were affecting their work. The meeting was organized by registration number and included both neighbor island and Oʻahu applicants. Testimony centered on organizations seeking state support to offset federal funding losses or anticipated reductions. Health and social service providers described impacts from Medicaid, SNAP, ACA subsidy, Title X, and other federal changes, including Aloha Care, Community Clinic of Maui, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, West Hawaiʻi Community Health Center, Hawaiʻi Disability Rights Center, Hawaiʻi Youth Services Network, Alcoholic Rehabilitation Services of Hawaiʻi, and Kokua Kalihi Valley. Other groups highlighted losses affecting food security, housing, disaster preparedness, and climate resilience, including the Kohala Center, Feeding Hawaiʻi Together, Hawaiian Lending and Investments, Dynamic Community Solutions, and the Pacific Tsunami Museum. Several arts, youth, and education organizations also testified, including Hawaiʻi Literacy, Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony, Honolulu Theatre for the Youth, Sounding Joy Music Therapy, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi, Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi, Kids Hurt Too Hawaiʻi, and US Vets, each requesting funding to preserve programs and staffing. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing. The only action was procedural: the chairs moved through the applicant list, limited testimony time, and then transitioned from neighbor island in-person testimony to Oʻahu and later Zoom participants.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:06:36.599> social exception of things like nurses social exception of things like nurses
• Another real treasure is a certificate of Hawaiian birth.
• The certificate of Hawaiian birth is on onion skin paper.
• You can see President Obama's birth certificate.
• I'm a retired registered nurse.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Because it's not on the birth certificate.
• We can't call the birth certificate.
• committee issuing a a certific cificate. committee issuing a a certific cificate.
• committee can only issue a certificate committee can only issue a certificate if<05:55:50.558>
• Could a nurse treating a severe wound be questioned?

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, it didn't nurse Michael going into a little bit of the where you see the grant applications coming
• It's where we applied for, which was best fitted for the virtual reality AI presence with the nursing
• could possibly promote more of our teachers transferring from emergency cert or adjunct to full certification
• I think ours would be dependent upon what higher education would accept for teacher certification.
• Adults who are trying to get these certifications that are requested.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those investigations are funded largely out of teacher certification fees, and we have far fewer teachers
• the way that you phrased your question you are referring to something called the National Board certification
• So national board certification has been around for umpteen years, I don't know, and it is a it's like
• their net new money must be spent on compensation. 75% of that must be spent on teachers, counselors, nurses
• I'm a nurse. Evaluated. And that's costs.

Keywords: committee meeting, legislation, public testimony, discussion, procedural

Summary: The meeting covered various topics, but specific discussions and bills were not detailed in the available transcript. Despite the lack of documented debates or acknowledgments, it was noted that committee members were present, and there may have been attempts to address crucial legislative matters. The dynamics of the meeting suggested a standard procedural gathering where routine insights were likely shared among the attendees.

Transcript Highlights:

• social workers, special education social workers, counselors and school psychologists, SROs, and nurses
• Um, this last year, our high school students earned 1,543 industry certifications.
• that certification, it stays with them for their life.
• High School, in addition to office types of certifications in Excel and Word.
• Last year, uh, 60% graduated with an associate degree, and um we had industry certifications.

Transcript Highlights:

• certification certification uh<00:30:37.760> as<00:30:38.080> they<00:30:38.240> have
• Um, nurse practitioners Senator Abler.
• Um, nurse practitioners certainly<00:38:04.880> still<00:38:05.119> to<00:38:05.359>
• <00:42:09.760> are that many nurse practitioners are that many nurse practitioners are doctoral
• <00:48:20.800> midwives, process for certified nurse midwives, process for certified nurse

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, we have the nurse, and we have a medical director who consults with the nurses.
• First, those are nurses, correct?
• Secretary: Madam Chair, Representative Jones, the Nurse Family Partnership home visitors are nurses,
• Family Connects and Nurse Family Partnership require nurses, and our Families First program is staffed
• I think a couple of distinctions, so Nurse Family Partnership and Families First as nurses, to your point