Transcript Highlights:

• The bill would create a remote retail license and a path to pay that tax. Yes, ma'am.
• And the remote retail sellers on the internet—if you go on to, and I won't mention the website names
• So if you exceed 100K or make 200 or more separate remote sales, right?
• I'm just trying to get an idea, I mean, I understand, you know, going after the remote retailer...
• And you try to capture additional folks through remote sales. I support.

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My social worker assured me that if they placed me somewhere, I would feel safe.
• When I was a social worker in California in 2007, When I was a social worker in California in 2007, we
• When I was a social worker in California in 2007, When I was a social worker in California in 2007, we
• Most workers are spending hours per day moving children from one placement to the next.
• We need those caseloads reduced by one-third, to 10 per worker.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities held a hybrid hearing on a series of child welfare bills focused on DCF, foster care, mandated reporting, educational records, and family support. Chair Kennedy and Chair Livingstone opened with accessibility and testimony rules, then heard testimony on bills including S.127 on expanding mandated reporters, S.107/H.235 on a Foster Children’s Bill of Rights, S.106/H.228 on transferring foster care review from DCF to the Office of the Child Advocate, H.258/S.125 on an electronic backpack for foster children’s educational records, H.205 on kinship foster care background checks, H.246/H.266 on minimizing trauma in care and protection cases, and S.159 on support for families after sudden unexpected infant death. Supporters of the mandated reporter bill, led by Sen. Feeney and Foxborough advocates, described a local model that trains all adults who work with children and argued the state should scale that approach statewide to improve recognition and reporting of abuse. Testimony on the foster care bills emphasized the need for clearer rights, better notice to children and attorneys, stronger remedies, and independent oversight. Advocates, youth with lived experience, and legal organizations described placement instability, delayed notifications, abuse in care, poor educational continuity, and the need for rights around safety, family contact, culture, language, and access to records. Several witnesses urged that the Foster Children’s Bill of Rights include enforceable court remedies, not just reporting requirements. On the oversight bill, supporters argued DCF should not review its own foster care system and pointed to poor outcomes, high placement instability, and recent investigative reporting as evidence for moving review responsibilities to the Office of the Child Advocate. On the electronic backpack bill, testimony focused on the need for real-time data sharing and a centralized system so schools can receive foster students’ records quickly and support continuity. On the trauma-minimization bill, Rep. Miskin framed the proposal as a set of practical changes to reduce harm during removals and court involvement. On the SUID bill, Sen. Lovely said families should be given information about available grief and support resources after an infant death. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee primarily received testimony and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• So they can vote remotely.
• So they can vote remotely.
• That, whilst a few members could participate remotely due to illness or weather, what have you, a quorum
• So they can vote remotely.
• So they can vote remotely.

Keywords: HB 66 – discussion began at 00:03:37, 958, all

Summary: The House State Government Committee met and established a quorum after opening with the Pledge of Allegiance and introductions of several guests and interns. Representatives introduced their interns and other visitors, who were welcomed by the chair before the committee turned to its only agenda item, House Bill 66, sponsored by Representative Hodgson. The committee adopted a committee substitute for HB 66. Hodgson explained that the bill concerns the use of video meetings by public agencies, boards, and commissions. The substitute would require agencies to post members’ names, term dates, and contact information; allow routine, informational, or advisory meetings to be conducted entirely by video conference to reduce travel costs; require a physical quorum for meetings involving policy, taxation, regulation, or large grants; and require agencies to adopt procedures for remote participation. He emphasized that the bill would not affect legislative committee meetings. Members asked whether the bill would apply to local boards, whether board members are compensated for attendance and travel, and whether it would affect legislative committees. Hodgson said it would apply broadly to public agencies, including local boards such as library boards, but not to legislative committees. He also said compensation for attendance would remain unchanged, while travel expenses would not be paid when no travel occurs. The committee then voted HB 66 favorably with 18 yes votes and one pass, and later adopted a title amendment by voice vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:22.959> again<00:03:23.280> a misclassified workers again a misclassified workers
• The report stated that the effects of worker misclassification are wide-reaching, impacting workers,
• It was a gig company, so they had workers who were working remotely, working from home, classified them
• It was a gig company, so they had workers who were working remotely, working from home, classified them
• We want workers to have their due.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that will inure to the benefit, most importantly, of American workers who have seen their wages
• We need healthy businesses, small, medium, and large, to hire our great American workers to drive our
• And have them do that manufacturing in America with American workers. Let's drive that. Thank you.
• , especially to the workers in Michigan.
• Case in point: the semiconductor industry has estimated a need for 115,000 additional workers by 2030

Transcript Highlights:

• And so at that point, we're going to bring in remotely uh Mark Deal, uh Eric Lebla, and Peter Master
• And so at that point, we're going to bring in remotely uh Mark Deal, uh Eric Lebla, and Peter Master
• And so at that point, we're going to bring in remotely uh Mark Deal, uh Eric Lebla, and Peter Master
• <00:50:24.960> In and our school social workers. In and our school social workers.
• ><01:21:34.320> well-balanced not just workers but well-balanced not just workers but well-balanced

Bills: HF3650, HF1791, HF3489, HF4231, HF4232, HF4269, HF4270, HF3490

Keywords: student career pathways, education framework, experiential learning, employer engagement, career technical education, career and technical education, CTE, postsecondary scholarship, postsecondary grant, school district funding, cooperative unit, Minnesota high school, apprenticeship, certificate program, tuition assistance, workforce training, military transition, education finance, student aid, career pathways

Transcript Highlights:

• ,<02:43:53.120> cut<02:43:53.439> workers overtime pay for workers, cut workers overtime
• They want workers to get less workers.
• their workers less because that worker their workers less because that worker happened<05:27:50.638
• help tip workers. help tip workers.
• basis whether a worker counts as a tipped worker.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:10:08.880> in LGBTQ plus people, and workers in LGBTQ plus people, and workers in Chicago
• Trump tariffs on the U.S. and Canada put our workers not first. They put them last.
• He's firing workers, making it harder for seniors to get the benefits that they earned.
• > it<02:13:57.840> harder He's firing workers, making it harder He's firing workers, making
• <06:22:15.920> and explore some of the most remote and explore some of the most remote and

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, with that, I believe we would want to move first to a remote testifier to talk about school safety
• move<00:02:17.360> first<00:02:17.680> to<00:02:17.840> a<00:02:18.080> remote
• <00:02:18.520> testifier<00:02:19.520> to to move first to a remote testifier to to
• move first to a remote testifier to talk<00:02:20.000> about<00:02:20.319> school<00:02
• that came out and met protection worker that came out and met with<00:14:25.279> them.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You could take all that money and you would not even come remotely close to a backstop for what USDA
• You could take all that money and you would not even come remotely close to a backstop for what USDA
• You could take all that money and you would not even come remotely close to a backstop for what USDA
• tangent here, but I had a bill this morning in a committee to allow farmers that employ five or fewer workers

Bills: HF1704, HF2052

Keywords: Minnesota agriculture budget, Department of Agriculture appropriation, Board of Animal Health, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Office of Broadband Development, farm bill, rural development, agricultural grants, soil health, livestock compensation, crop damage, meat inspection, poultry inspection, county agricultural inspectors, biofertilizer, nitrogen management, commercial nitrogen fertilizer, water quality, farm down payment assistance, beginning farmers

Transcript Highlights:

• that. these investments are going to save life. from eligibility workers this year, and this budget
• Courtney Padilla, with United Domestic Workers.
• Gabriela Chavez, with United Domestic Workers.
• We represent more than 250,000 child care providers and home care workers.
• We appreciate your commitment to protecting seniors, people with disabilities, and home care workers.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Committee met to consider the final three-party agreement for the 2026-27 state budget and 19 implementing bills, including two budget bill juniors and 17 trailer bills. Committee leadership and administration officials described the budget as a balanced plan that reduces out-year structural deficits, maintains large reserves, and makes major investments in health care, education, housing, child care, public safety, and other core services while also responding to expected federal cuts and fiscal uncertainty. The Department of Finance outlined the package’s major components, including Medi-Cal adjustments, education funding increases, higher education changes, child care and human services updates, housing and homelessness funding, energy and transportation provisions, and tax and general government changes. Members asked questions about several provisions, including CSU enrollment targets and turnaround plans, the Prop. 98 settle-up mechanism, the plastics market development payment program, housing accountability measures, NextGen 9-1-1 implementation, and veteran services. Staff and administration witnesses explained that the higher education language is intended to improve campus-by-campus reporting and oversight, that Prop. 98 settle-up would be finalized later through the statutory certification process, and that NextGen 9-1-1 now includes one-time funding, quarterly reporting, an independent technical review, and a state audit. Members also discussed the HAP homelessness funding increase to $900 million and the balance between accountability and timely distribution of funds. The most extended exchange centered on comparisons between funding for veterans and Medi-Cal/immigrant health coverage. Republican members argued the budget spends far more on undocumented immigrant services than on veterans, while Democratic members and Finance staff responded that the comparison was misleading because many veterans’ services are federally funded and the state budget also includes dedicated veteran support. The chair and other members emphasized that the budget reflects difficult tradeoffs and that the package protects vulnerable populations, preserves health care access, and advances affordability. No final vote was described in the excerpt, but members indicated support for the overall package and said they would support it on the floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madison Hanson, I'm with the National Association of Social Workers. Hello, everybody.
• Thank you for allowing me to present remotely. Thank you for allowing me to present remotely.
• certified behavioral health clinics, community health clinics, mobile crisis units, and peer support workers

Summary: The committee met at Spirit Lake Tribe and heard an extended discussion with Spirit Lake tribal leaders and program directors about government-to-government relations with the state. Chairwoman Street and others outlined a number of concerns and requests, including taxation of tribal and trust lands, state school support for non-beneficiary students, homelessness services, Indian-managed health care, gaming/e-tabs, the Feather Alert system, industrial farming near waterways, tourism and cultural issues, and the need for more consistent tribal consultation. Committee members responded that many of these issues had previously been passed along without direct action, and several members emphasized the committee’s role in education, communication, and preparing possible legislation or resolutions for the next session. Tribal representatives also offered to provide training on treaties, IHS 638, and compact services to help legislators better understand tribal jurisdiction and billing issues. A major portion of the meeting focused on Spirit Lake Fish and Wildlife concerns, especially jurisdictional “gray areas” around hunting and fishing on the reservation, recognition of tribal licenses, and the boundary of the reservation around Spirit Lake/Devils Lake. Tribal officials said they wanted a co-stewardship agreement or MOU with the state to clarify jurisdiction, improve cooperation, and address invasive species and aquatic nuisance species. Committee members discussed whether to draft legislation or a resolution directing the executive branch and state agencies to negotiate such an agreement, and they asked for further input from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at a future meeting. The committee also discussed county involvement in land status changes and trust land issues, with Spirit Lake leaders describing a past Benson County resolution that tried to block fee-to-trust transfers and saying it was later rescinded. The committee then heard from Benson County tax equalization director Randy Thompson, who explained how the county values land and handles tax-exempt, inundated, and fee-to-trust parcels. Members asked about the impact of tax-exempt lands on county services and discussed prior legislation that helped counties with large tax-exempt bases. The committee also received a presentation from Dr. Steven Smith of Sisseton Wahpeton College, who described the college’s programs, economic impact, and funding needs, including support for non-beneficiary students and workforce training. Members asked about expanding tribal college education into correctional settings, and Smith said the idea was worth exploring through the tribal college system. Finally, HHS interim medical services director Christoph Framing presented remotely on 1115 Medicaid waivers and the IMD exclusion, explaining current state funding mechanisms for inpatient and residential behavioral health services and the bill draft directing HHS to pursue a waiver for IMD payments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yet this bill would train every health care professional and every CPS worker in Texas to view all...
• ...train every health care professional and every CPS worker in Texas to view all complex medical cases
• And in some cases, IBCLCs are not staffed at all and are only available remotely.
• We appreciate... ...staffed at all and are only available remotely. Thank you so much.

Bills: HB136, HB451, SB425, SB466, SB905, SB1986, SB2311, SB2450, SB2805, SB2826, SB2919, SB3001

Keywords: Medicaid, lactation, healthcare, consultation, reimbursement, maternal health, infant care, 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

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and announced it would vote on pending bills at 10:30, with public testimony limited to two minutes. It first took up Senate Bill 905, a TDLR cleanup bill on licensing regulation of speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Senator Zafferini said the committee substitute would streamline advisory board consultation, remove obsolete provisional licenses, and allow any licensed physician to authorize hearing instruments for minors; the substitute was adopted and the bill left pending. The committee then heard House Bill 451, which would require universal screening for commercial sexual exploitation risk for children in DFPS conservatorship and youth under TJJD jurisdiction. The author and witnesses from Children at Risk, the Fort Bend Anti-Trafficking Collective, and Texas CASA supported the bill as a prevention tool with existing infrastructure and training; the committee adopted the substitute and left the bill pending. The committee next considered Senate Bill 466, which would clarify that families may request a fetal death certificate at any gestational age, while keeping existing filing requirements for physicians. A constituent father testified about losing his 11-week-old daughter and being told he could not obtain a certificate, which he said prevented funeral arrangements; the substitute was adopted and the bill left pending. Senate Bill 2311 followed, requiring residential treatment centers to have a written agreement with the school that will educate resident children before becoming operational. The author cited a local dispute where an RTC and school district lacked communication, and witnesses from Texas CASA and Disability Rights Texas supported clearer educational planning while suggesting the Education Code may need conforming changes; the bill was left pending. The committee then heard Senate Bill 2826, known as Alyssa’s Law, which would create a statewide education program on medical child abuse for medical students, health care professionals, and CPS caseworkers. The author and Sheriff Bill Weyburn described Alyssa’s case as involving repeated unnecessary surgeries and argued the bill would improve awareness and early identification, while several witnesses and members raised concerns about false accusations, impacts on medically fragile children, and the need for scientific, peer-reviewed training and safeguards. After extensive discussion, the chair left the bill pending. The committee also heard House Bill 136, which would add certified lactation consultants as Medicaid providers to expand breastfeeding support; witnesses from lactation and nutrition fields said the bill would improve access, maternal and infant health, and long-term savings, and the bill was left pending. Finally, the committee took up Senate Bill 2805, a surprise-billing/arbitration measure that would clarify provider identifiers and shift arbitration costs to the losing party. The author said the substitute was a legislative counsel draft with no substantive difference, and witnesses from the Texas Medical Association, Texas Society of Anesthesiologists, and U.S. Anesthesia Partners supported the bill as a modest improvement that would reduce administrative confusion and make arbitration fairer without weakening patient protections. Members discussed how arbitration costs affect settlement behavior and how to define the “winner” in close cases. The bill was heard but not voted out during this segment.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean some stuff some areas don't lend themselves to remote work.
• So the remainder quarter of the staff have a varying degree of telework options, remote work options.
• The apprenticeship program is one of TWC's strategies to target the shortage of middle-skilled workers
• . workforce workers in Texas.
• I'm here today to actually talk about the workers at the Texas Workforce Commission. specifically in

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 00:05:27.800> life For auto, health, homeowners, life insurance, long-term care insurance, workers
• weatherization folks who are out doing different weatherization activities, and then a third are remote
• weatherization folks who are out doing different weatherization activities, and then a third are remote
• <00:37:43.200> and then they they are um fully remote and then they they are um fully remote
• It provides for the addition of a fixed gratuity to help with cost and ensure that workers are making

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Aubrey Dirkson, who is also remote. two minutes.
• Um, are remote and some are in person.
• . remote. remote.
• testify is Nathan Ryan, who is remote. testify is Nathan Ryan, who is remote.
• This remotely or in person and testify.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• and employers, helping build a workers and employers, helping build a more<00:05:10.639> inclusive
• , they change lives, strengthen workers, they change lives, strengthen families,<00:09:12.800> and
• Thousands of students have shifted to uh remote learning, reducing daily uh school meals.
• Thousands of students have shifted to uh remote learning, reducing daily uh school meals.
• Thousands of students have shifted to remote learning, reducing daily school meals. Uh, in St.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The next thing, substantively, that 66 does is it says that you can request records remotely.
• You can request records remotely, and if you make a request remotely and ask that the records be provided
• and if you make a records remotely and if you make a request<00:37:22.079> remotely<00:37:23.079
• But if you're asking for remote production, then you have to have a New Hampshire connection.
• be making the requests for remote be making the requests for remote production production production

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee met in executive session and first corrected a procedural issue by revoting on House Bills 98 and 164, which had previously been reported out unanimously before the notice had been placed on the calendar. HB 98, concerning professional limited liability company assistant managers, was again voted ought to pass by roll call 16-0 and was placed on the consent calendar. HB 164, dealing with local records, was amended with a fiscal note update from the Secretary of State’s office and then voted ought to pass as amended 17-0; because it was going to Finance, it was not eligible for consent. The committee also set aside HB 111 briefly while the amendment language was corrected. The committee then took up HR 6, a resolution condemning the judicial doctrine of disparate impact. The sponsor argued the resolution was intended to criticize the doctrine, but several members said it was too broad, legally problematic, and in need of more work, including a drafting error in the addressee. The committee voted ITL on HR 6 by 15-2, and with no objection it was placed on the consent calendar. The final major item was HB 111 FN, which would extend the right-to-know ombudsman position for two years. Representative Kuttab offered an amendment to limit remote records requests to people with a New Hampshire connection, citing testimony about out-of-state requests and the burden on municipalities. Members discussed the broader policy of the bill, with supporters saying the ombudsman has reduced court filings and saves time and money, while opponents said the office needs restructuring or more resources and that they were not ready to extend it without changes. The amendment was adopted 16-1, and the committee then voted ought to pass as amended 15-2, sending the bill to Finance.

Transcript Highlights:

• and a lot of people country uh remotely and a lot of people down<04:08:56.640> here<04:08:57.040
• So we'll go next to Lynn Stanley from the National Association of Social Workers speaking in favor of
• Association of Social Workers speaking Association of Social Workers speaking in<05:10:04.958> favor
• I am a social worker. It was formerly Stanley Lynn Courier. I am a social worker.
• I'm here representing the National Association of Social Workers, who you just heard from.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I live in one of the most rural and remote areas in New Mexico, and I love it there.
• Highly skilled workers, you're bringing PhDs.
• comes from an assessment for Workers' Compensation Administration on payroll.
• They have to use the money for these workers.
• Did that include any of those workers that left the state in that last year? Mr.