Transcript Highlights:

• <00:27:13.679> um would be needed to conduct analysis um would be needed to conduct analysis
• <00:31:45.200> without<00:31:45.679> being conduct an impact analysis without being
• conduct an impact analysis without being able<00:31:46.159> to<00:31:46.559> identify<
• Erl's analysis is available to everyone in writing. Senator Nelson.
• these penalties with modified behavior. these penalties with modified behavior.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The computer science supervisor would also oversee associated activities, such as data analysis support
• monitoring the the cafeteria um for monitoring the the cafeteria um for student<01:09:43.279> behavior
• <01:09:44.000> making<01:09:44.400> sure<01:09:44.560> that student behavior
• making sure that student behavior making sure that students<01:09:45.199> are<01:09:45.359>
• That would track cases and conduct financial analysis of programs.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We will not accept disruptive behavior or behavior that incites or threatens violence.
• Now, the amendments referenced in the committee analysis unfortunately do not address our primary concern
• As noted in the committee analysis, first, we proposed our four-year term to provide review by the board
• And so the, within the statute or within the analysis, it talks about the county counsel position, which
• But, as you could see, as reflected in the committee analysis, there's still a number of cities that

Summary: The committee heard multiple bills, with extensive discussion focused on short-term rental regulation, street vending, park/public safety financing, transit-oriented housing fees, and demographic data collection. SB 346 would require short-term rental platforms to provide local governments with listing addresses and related information to help collect transient occupancy taxes and enforce local ordinances; supporters argued cities and counties need the data to identify unlicensed operators and recover taxes, while opposition from platforms raised privacy and due process concerns and said administrative subpoenas already exist. The bill was amended and passed 7-0 to the Judiciary Committee. SB 635, the Street Vendor Business Protection Act, sought to protect street vendors’ personal information from being shared in ways that could expose them to federal immigration enforcement; supporters described raids and fear in vendor communities, and the bill passed 6-1 to Public Safety. SB 499 would clarify that certain park and recreation facilities designated in local safety or hazard mitigation plans can qualify for fee deferral exemptions when they serve emergency or public safety functions; supporters said parks can serve as fire buffers, evacuation sites, and recovery hubs, while some housing advocates sought a clearer nexus to development impacts. The bill passed as amended 6-0 to Appropriations. SB 358, which would modernize traffic impact fee rules to better reflect lower automobile trip generation for walkable, transit-oriented housing, drew support from housing and transportation advocates and passed 8-0 to Appropriations. SB 515, aimed at improving demographic data collection and reporting by local governments and state entities, passed to Appropriations on a 4-0 vote. The committee also took up SB 276, presented by Assembly Member Stefani on behalf of Senator Wiener, which would allow San Francisco to create a permit-and-enforcement system for the sale of commonly stolen goods on sidewalks. Supporters said the measure is needed to address fencing operations and protect legitimate vendors, while emphasizing it is narrowly targeted and not aimed at food vendors or permitted sellers. The transcript ends during testimony on SB 276, with supporters from the Mission street vendor community and San Francisco Public Works describing enforcement problems and the need for clearer rules and city resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, please, everyone in your testimony, avoid profanity and uncivil behavior.
• 06:19.600> profanity<00:06:20.080> and<00:06:20.319> univil<00:06:20.880> behavior
• avoid profanity and univil behavior. avoid profanity and univil behavior.
• So, we don't want to incentivize that potential behavior, but this will disincentivize it.
• this will that potential behavior, but this will disincentivize<01:40:06.239> it.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard opening remarks and ground rules from Chair David Tarnas, including a request for two-minute testimony limits, clear speaking, Zoom etiquette, and respectful conduct. The first measure taken up was HB 2062, relating to gun violence prevention, which would appropriate funds for enforcement of gun violence protective orders and for public awareness campaigns. Judiciary submitted written testimony recommending technical changes to clarify that it does not enforce laws and instead should be funded for personnel to process temporary restraining orders and gun violence protective orders; the Department of Law Enforcement supported the bill and said it is well positioned to conduct public education. Support also came from county and advocacy witnesses, including Moms Demand Action, Giffords Gun Owners for Safety, HGEA, and a retired police officer, while opposition testimony argued the measure raises due process and Fifth Amendment concerns and that education, not enforcement, should be the focus. The chair noted 37 testimonies in support, 103 in opposition, and three comments; no vote was taken in the portion provided. Testimony on HB 2062 emphasized both public safety and constitutional concerns. Supporters described the bill as a way to increase awareness of an existing legal tool, prevent suicides and shootings, and help law enforcement and the public understand gun violence protective orders. Opponents, including gun owners and firearms groups, argued that red flag laws can be abused, lack due process, and should not be expanded through state funding. A county neighborhood safety witness suggested an amendment to allow public, private, and nonprofit consultants to assist with training and implementation. Members asked a few questions, but the agencies with written testimony were not present, so the chair referred members to their submissions. The committee then moved to HB 2061, relating to firearms, which appropriates money for the state gun buyback program and requires at least two buyback events in each county. Written support was noted from the Department of Law Enforcement, Hawaii County Council, the County of Kauai Prosecuting Attorney, and the Hawaii State Association of Counties, with the latter emphasizing that buybacks are voluntary prevention tools that can reduce risk before crises escalate. Opposition came from the Mid-Pacific Pistol League, SDM Training Group/Bows and Bullets, and others; one witness argued buybacks are ineffective, costly, and can be vulnerable to misuse or black-market diversion, and suggested a year-round surrender option instead. The committee heard additional support from a retired police officer and from a gun violence survivor with Students Demand Action, but no final action or vote was taken in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• rates this year to support a new residential program model for our individuals with the highest behavior
• One of the things you mentioned was a pilot for the highest-risk behavior kids, and I was wondering if
• We have a criminal element that is engaged in predatory behavior and has targeted the most vulnerable
• In overview of the IRT, you must be 22 years of age, disabled, have a complex behavioral health or special
• In overview of the IRT, you must be 22 years of age, disabled, have a complex behavioral health or special

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing was an informational and oversight session of the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities, with chairs and members hearing agency updates from several commissioners. The Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition described its maternal and child health work, including home visiting, early intervention, WIC, newborn hearing screening, and cross-agency efforts on prenatal substance exposure, respite care, children’s vision, and maternal health initiatives. DPH emphasized that federal grant cuts, layoffs, and the loss of data systems such as PRAMS would weaken services and planning, and members asked about Title V funding and the impact of federal uncertainty. The Massachusetts Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing highlighted communication access services, interpreter and CART referrals, emergency after-hours support, family navigation, and independent living services. Commissioners and members discussed the shortage of ASL interpreters and the need to expand training pipelines, including partnerships with colleges and possible ASL programming for younger students. The Department of Developmental Services reported serving nearly 50,000 people and focused on youth and adult services, transition-age supports, autism services, self-direction, respite, and new high-acuity residential models. Members asked about respite availability, self-direction outcomes, and workforce shortages; DDS said it was expanding clinical capacity and provider rates while monitoring possible federal Medicaid, SNAP, and immigration-related impacts. The Commission for the Blind described services for about 28,000 legally blind residents, most of whom are older adults, including social rehabilitation, orientation and mobility training, children’s services, assistive technology, vocational rehabilitation, and Turning 22 supports. The commissioner discussed a UMass-based effort to build the workforce pipeline for blindness services and said the agency was watching federal restructuring but had not yet seen direct cuts. MassAbility’s leadership then warned about major federal changes affecting Social Security disability determinations, including staff restructuring, office closures, and a new overpayment repayment policy, and said the agency was preparing for possible increases in claims and uncertainty around reallotment dollars that help fund services. The Disabled Persons Protection Commission closed the hearing with an update on its abuse investigations and protective services for adults with disabilities. DPPC reported rising hotline calls and investigations, a growing caseload, its sexual assault response team, the abuser registry, and a new interagency protective services integration system funded by ARPA dollars through 2027. The agency also flagged new federal rules that could affect funding eligibility and said it may need statutory changes to comply. Members asked about funding, reporting pathways, and how complaints reach DPPC, and the commissioner said the agency uses both mandated reporting and proactive outreach to identify and respond to abuse.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 246 deals with allowing, as an affirmative defense, behavior due to a mental or cognitive
• House Bill 1370 now before you relates to the Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services,
• House Bill 1370 now before you relates to the Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services,
• months of negotiations and would require sewage distributors to collect regular samples for PFOS analysis
• months of negotiations and would require sewage distributors to collect regular samples for PFOS analysis

Keywords: March 11, 2026 - Regular Session, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . ...makes it harder for sponsors to detect concerning behavior.
• It does not demonstrate levels of fraudulent behavior.
• It does not demonstrate levels of fraudulent behavior.
• And it also helps to detect if there is concerning behavior.
• And it also helps to detect if there is concerning behavior.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for Deputy Will May of the Walton County Sheriff’s Department, the Pledge of Allegiance, and quorum established. The Rules and Ethics Committee report setting the special order calendar was adopted, and CS for HB 947 was recommitted to the Judiciary Committee. The chamber then took up several special-order bills, mostly reviser and technical measures, including SB 36, SB 42, SB 40, and SB 38, all of which passed unanimously or near-unanimously after brief explanations that they updated or cleaned up Florida statutes. Members also passed HB 513 on electronic transmittal of court orders, requiring clerks to send certain petitions, notices, summonses, and orders within six hours, including Baker Act, Marchman Act, and risk protection orders. HB 615, on electronic delivery of landlord-tenant notices by email when both parties agree in writing, passed after adoption of a tenant-protection amendment offered by Rep. Gottlieb. HB 655 establishing a regulatory framework for pet insurance and wellness programs passed unanimously. HB 1145 on workforce education passed 100-4, expanding CAP grant eligibility to public charter schools for CTE startup/expansion and increasing minimum program offerings tied to a money-back guarantee program. HB 299 on elevator accessibility requirements passed unanimously, and HB 649 on autonomous practice by certified registered nurse anesthetists passed 77-30 after structured debate. The most extensive debate centered on CS for HB 1205, which would significantly revise Florida’s citizen initiative process. The bill would require a $1 million bond after 25% of required signatures are collected, require petition handlers and circulators to be Florida residents and U.S. citizens, impose background checks and training for paid circulators, shorten petition turn-in deadlines to 10 days, increase penalties, add signature revocation notices, require more identifying information on petition forms, and create felony penalties for certain misconduct. Supporters argued the changes were needed to combat fraud and protect petition integrity; opponents said the bill would burden First Amendment activity and make ballot initiatives harder for ordinary Floridians to pursue. Multiple amendments sought to roll back or soften the bill’s requirements, protect personal information, restore longer deadlines, lower validation thresholds, and bar public funds from being used to advocate for or against amendments. Some amendments were adopted, but several key ones failed as debate continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, I'm here to request funding for the Behavioral Health Innovation Grant Program. created under
• There was a psychiatric specialty program in the behavioral health innovation grant.
• And the Children's Behavioral Health Strategic Plan.
• So, funding the behavioral health innovation grant is a critical step to address these shortages and
• Or to echo my colleague, we recommend $20 million for the Behavioral Health Innovation Grant Program,

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, we are doing um analysis on what the end impact of that phase down would be, but that is a
• on what the end we are doing um analysis on what the end impact<00:29:58.960> of<00:29:59.120
• tax that funded um health behavioral tax that funded um health behavioral healthcare<00:31:08.559
• One little follow-up with that analysis: would you please be ready to come back?
• So it may be a more challenging<00:57:55.839> analysis<00:57:56.319> to<00:57:56.559>

Bills: HR1

Keywords: January 6 insurrection, pardon, law enforcement, violent crimes, public safety, justice system, political accountability, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So if we could move to that Behavioral Health 200 on your long sheet.
• On the long sheet in the upper left corner, Behavioral Health 200. Okay.
• Behavioral Health 200, okay. So, Mr.
• Behavioral health services for nursing homes. We talked about that.
• This is for very ill people; this isn't every other behavioral health.

Bills: SB2399

Keywords: mental health, psychiatric treatment, reimbursement, medical assistance, legislative report, 908, all

Summary: The Senate Appropriations HR Division met to work through amendments and budget items in House Bill 2012/HB 1004, focusing first on long-term care, disability services, and behavioral health. Members discussed competing approaches to a four-plex for medically complex individuals, a value-based care payment withhold for nursing facilities, accreditation requirements for providers, a study of developmental disability services, and funding for Family Voices and Ann Carlson-related services. Several amendments were accepted or set aside after discussion, including a study amendment for disability services and a Family Voices grant amendment that was adjusted to remove “one-time” language so it could continue as an ongoing grant. The committee also agreed to keep or defer some items for conference committee, including the youth crisis stabilization pilot and other long-term care proposals. A major discussion centered on the state hospital project. Members debated whether the $330 million project should remain in the DHS budget or be moved to the OMB budget for construction management. After discussion of costs, alternates, and the role of a steering committee and BND loan language, the committee agreed to remove the state hospital funding and related loan language from the DHS budget while leaving the steering committee language in place. The committee also considered a proposed Altru grant for additional beds and settled on a smaller planning-focused approach, with a $1 million grant and a line of credit concept to be refined later. The committee then turned to behavioral health items, including QRTP funding, nursing home behavioral health training, and a youth crisis stabilization pilot. Members generally supported keeping the QRTP funding level, but were divided on the nursing home behavioral health training and the crisis stabilization pilot, with some preferring to leave those issues for conference committee. The division also reviewed the HHS block grant and underfunding structure, with Donna Ackland explaining salary, vacancy, and flexibility calculations; the committee discussed adjusting the underfund and revenue assumptions but did not finalize every number before moving on. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 1577 on wastewater treatment grants. Senator Davison moved to hoghouse the bill into a study-focused version using the proposed amendment language, and the motion passed. The committee then moved HB 1577 as amended with a do pass recommendation; the roll call passed with Senators Cleary, Davison, Dever, and Mathern voting yes, and Senator Magrum not recorded as voting. The meeting adjourned with plans to return later in the day to continue budget work.

Transcript Highlights:

• projects in each of your communities, from prisons in Clayton to office buildings in Farmington to behavioral
• From prisons in Clayton to office buildings in Farmington to behavioral health facilities in Las Vegas
• We have not done that analysis. Okay, I'm going to move to page five.
• Based on this analysis, reference-based pricing is estimated to generate approximately $16 million in
• She's been working on the analysis on the 80-20. Right.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In the middle of page six on the staff analysis, it says exactly what the difference between an express
• foster care pilot program that will increase family-like placements for children with high-acuity behavioral
• homes, treatment foster parents receive specialized training to care for the children with high behavioral
• format that's extractable and able to be analyzed at the request of the legislature for better data analysis
• bill finally requires DCF to contract for a bed capacity study for residential treatment and a gap analysis

Summary: The Senate opened with prayers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions recognizing FSU Day at the Capitol, the Red Mass, visiting students, school board members, veterans, and other guests. The chamber then moved to the special order calendar and took up a series of bills, with several measures temporarily postponed before and during the day’s proceedings. Committee and executive reports were largely absent, and the Senate proceeded directly to floor action on the listed bills. The Senate passed a number of mostly unanimous bills, including SB 36, SB 38, SB 40, and SB 42 on Florida Statutes revision; CS/SB 50 on nature-based coastal resilience, amended to strengthen the Florida Flood Hub and related research; CS/SB 116 on veterans, expanding benefits coordination, mental health training, adult day health care, and other veterans services; SB 126 on mailing prescription hearing aids to adults; SB 150 on abandoning restrained dogs during natural disasters, amended to conform to the House; SB 294 limiting collaborative pharmacy practice for certain serious cardiac conditions; SB 322 creating a nonjudicial process for removing unauthorized persons from commercial property; SB 348 on ethics, including false military rank claims and collection of delinquent ethics fines; and CS/SB 7012 on child welfare workforce recruitment, treatment foster care pilots, and data collection for commercially sexually exploited children. Senate Memorial 314 urging Congress to increase Florida National Guard force structure was also adopted by voice vote. Two bills drew more extended debate. SB 118 on presidential libraries passed 36-3 after questions about local zoning, traffic, and whether the bill’s express preemption would limit county and municipal authority; supporters argued it would prevent local obstruction and help Florida attract a presidential library, while one senator said she would vote no because of concerns about local safety and planning issues. CS/SB 160 on public accountancy passed 39-0 after an amendment clarifying contracted services; supporters said it would broaden pathways into the CPA profession and address workforce shortages. CS/SB 108 on administrative procedures and CS/SB 110 on rural communities were temporarily postponed, then later taken up and passed after extensive debate, with SB 110 amended to prioritize certain rural transportation projects, expand housing, health care, broadband, and economic development support, and draw strong bipartisan praise for its focus on rural Florida. At the end of the session, the Senate waived rules to immediately certify all bills passed that day to the House, observed a moment of silence for former Surfside Chief John Healy, and made several closing announcements and recognitions.

Transcript Highlights:

• In the middle of page six on the staff analysis, it says exactly what the difference between an express
• foster care pilot program that will increase family-like placements for children with high-acuity behavioral
• homes, treatment foster parents receive specialized training to care for the children with high behavioral
• format that's extractable and able to be analyzed at the request of the legislature for better data analysis
• bill finally requires DCF to contract for a bed capacity study for residential treatment and a gap analysis

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions recognizing visiting groups, including FSU students and officials, Catholic lay leaders, Broward County school officials and students, and veterans-related guests. The chamber then took up a series of bills, with several routine reviser measures passing unanimously: SB 36 adopting the 2025 Florida Statutes, SB 38 changing a division name in the statutes, SB 40 deleting repealed provisions, and SB 42 cleaning up obsolete language and cross-references. SB 50 on nature-based coastal resilience was amended to strengthen the Florida Flood Hub’s role and passed 39-0 after debate about mangroves, oyster reefs, living shorelines, and hybrid green-gray infrastructure. SB 116, a major veterans bill, passed 39-0 after extensive discussion of veteran benefits awareness, mental health training, coordination with federal agencies, adult day health care, and the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame. SB 118 on presidential libraries passed 36-3 after questions and debate over state preemption of local zoning and related regulation, and SB 126 on mailing prescription hearing aids passed 39-0 to expand access for adults after licensed evaluation. The Senate also passed SB 150, as amended, to conform to the House by changing the bill’s wording from “animals” to “dogs” in the natural-disaster abandonment context. SB 294 passed 38-0 to limit collaborative pharmacy practice from being expanded to certain serious cardiac conditions. Senate Memorial 314 was adopted by voice vote, urging Congress to seek a larger Florida National Guard force structure. SB 322 passed 39-0 creating a nonjudicial process for commercial property owners to have unauthorized occupants removed by the sheriff. SB 348 passed 39-0, making it an ethics violation to falsely claim a military rank for material gain and allowing delinquent ethics fines to be withheld from public paychecks. SB 7012 on child welfare passed 39-0 and would recruit former public safety workers into CPI/case manager roles, create a treatment foster care pilot in two judicial circuits, and improve data collection and services for commercially sexually exploited children. Later, the Senate returned to SB 108 on administrative procedures, which passed 39-0 after debate over a five-year review cycle for agency rules, reporting requirements, and greater transparency in rulemaking. SB 160 on public accountancy passed 39-0 after an amendment clarifying contracted services and discussion of easing pathways into the CPA profession while maintaining standards. SB 110 on rural communities passed after an amendment package and extensive debate, with provisions described as creating an Office of Rural Prosperity, a Renaissance grant program, housing and road funding, school support, and health care investments for rural areas. At the end of the session, the Senate waived rules to immediately certify all passed bills to the House, observed a moment of silence for former Surfside Chief John Healy, and received additional announcements before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's based on our analysis of the controller's exemptions and incidents report.
• Oh, because we, after an analysis from the controller's exemptions and incidents report...
• And so, it's really the same analysis across all taxing units. Thank you.
• inventory in place. on January 1st of each year in order to minimize their BPP tax and that that is a. behavior
• not really productive and so the more we can reduce the tax on BPP the less you have that kind of behavior

Bills: HB8, HB9, HJR1, HB22, HB8, HB9, HJR1, HB22

Keywords: HB 8, school finance, compressed tax rate, maximum compressed tax rate, MCR, PYMCR, property tax, school district taxes, Education Code, Tax Code, state aid, school funding formula, local school taxes, Texas school finance, tax rate compression, public education funding, ad valorem tax, tangible personal property, income-producing property, business personal property

Transcript Highlights:

• As far as my analysis, I'll just say the original starting point is that the spending cuts do not equal
• They include our behavioral health hospitals, our inpatient physical rehabilitation hospitals, and our
• We've increased behavioral health, primary care, and obstetric reimbursement rates for providers up to
• Chair, and Representative, we have not done any analysis.
• My hospital, fortunately, was granted a grant this year to try to bring behavioral health.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am going to focus on our children's behavioral health system.
• And so that's what our children's behavioral health system of care seeks to do.
• is our um youth risk behavior is our um youth risk behavior surveillance<00:17:35.440> system
• <00:54:35.720> Health them whether it's the Behavioral Health them whether it's the Behavioral
• our certified community behavioral our certified community behavioral health<01:27:35.239> clinic

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: House Finance Division III held an informational hearing with the Department of Health and Human Services focused on child and family services, children’s behavioral health, DCF, juvenile justice, and adult mental health. Before the presentation, members discussed scheduling a future site visit to Waypoint, including possible dates, mileage reimbursement logistics, and whether to reschedule the department’s developmental disabilities and healthy aging presentation because the associate commissioner was out sick. The department then outlined that it would concentrate on children’s behavioral health, DCF residential care and the Sununu Youth Services Center/YDC new build, and adult mental health, while noting the broader DHHS structure and the value of keeping related services under one leadership. The department emphasized an integrated “system of care” approach and said it was trying to shift resources toward earlier, lower-intensity interventions rather than relying mainly on high-cost residential and acute services. It cited youth risk data showing roughly four in ten New Hampshire high school students feeling sad or hopeless and about one in five considering suicide in the past year, and said these trends worsened during the pandemic, peaking in 2021 and easing somewhat by 2023. Members asked how New Hampshire compared with neighboring states and about pre-COVID trends; the department said it would follow up with more exact data. The presentation also described a long-term policy effort beginning with federal funding in 2012, the state’s 10-year mental health plan, and later legislation aimed at strengthening children’s behavioral health and transforming juvenile justice so that youth with behavioral health needs are not routed into punitive systems first. Members raised questions about out-of-state residential placement oversight and the statutory basis for inspections and follow-up. The department said the General Court had funded more “boots on the ground” oversight, in coordination with the Office of the Child Advocate, and agreed to provide a longer follow-up presentation on that topic after the governor’s budget is released. The department also described evidence-based prevention efforts, including home visiting programs such as Healthy Families America and a DCF-connected home visiting cohort for families already touching the child welfare system, as examples of trying to keep children out of deeper system involvement.

Transcript Highlights:

• We had so Karen's team does a significant analysis of the state buildings.
• So we did an analysis, and lo and behold, I was right.
• So we did an analysis, and lo and behold, I was right.
• They'll call behavioral health services.
• Uh yes, the RFQ for structural analysis Uh yes, the RFQ for structural analysis is<01:51:51.679>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• worked tirelessly with all parts of HHS, whether it was Medicaid, our commissioner, public health, behavioral
• And may I also add that behavioral health is the umbrella, which includes both mental health and substance
• So anytime you see behavioral health, it's going to be covering one or both of those topics.
• All of the critical access hospitals will have access to this, and the analysis will be used to support
• Perhaps there are going to be expansions of primary care and behavioral health services offered by critical

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Joint Policy Committee met to hear an overview of North Dakota’s Rural Health Transformation Program before taking up the related policy bills. Department of Health and Human Services staff explained that the state received a $198.9 million CMS award, with funding focused on four pillars: strengthening rural workforce, bringing care closer to home, connecting technology and data, and improving population health through prevention. They emphasized that the program is intended to benefit rural and frontier residents statewide, including areas near urban centers when the project serves rural patients, and that CMS approval, provider readiness, and sustainability will drive what can be funded. Committee members asked about how the program would treat border communities, frontier counties, urban providers serving rural patients, multilingual outreach, tribal consultation, and whether there would be information sessions for applicants. HHS said the website will include sign-up and translation features, more listening sessions and training will be offered, and a rural health tribal liaison will work alongside the existing Medicaid tribal liaison. Members also raised concerns about reimbursement timing, cash flow for providers, and whether projects in urban areas could qualify; HHS responded that urban projects may be eligible if they clearly benefit rural residents. The department then outlined the four policy bills tied to the grant scoring: nutrition continuing medical education for physicians, the presidential fitness test, the physician assistant compact, and pharmacist scope of practice. HHS said these policy actions were incentivized in the federal funding opportunity and that failure to pass them could reduce future funding. The committee did not take final action on the bills in this portion of the transcript and recessed for lunch before moving on.

Transcript Highlights:

• ACTIVITIES AND ENVIRONMENTS ARE DESIGNED TO FOSTER THE ACQUISITION OF SKILLS, BUILDING POSITIVE SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
• REQUIRES MINIMAL ASSISTANCE AND LOWER STAFF TO CLIENT RATIOS ARE USED FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEHAVIORAL
• THESE ARE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF ANALYSIS BUT THE STARTING POINT DECISION IS WORKING WITH CURRENT DATA
• DO YOU TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE HIGHER NEEDS OF SOME OF THESE HIGH ACUITY USE WITH INTENSIVE BEHAVIORAL
• SEVERAL OF MY CONSTITUENTS AND OTHERS IS I SEE FAMILIES STRUGGLING WITH SOME OF THOSE COMMON ISSUES BEHAVIORAL

Transcript Highlights:

• LB 901 has cash funds adding to the Behavioral Health Services cash fund a $470,000 addition in fiscal
• LB 901 has cash funds adding to the Behavioral Health Services cash fund a $470,000 addition in fiscal
• You know, retaining students oftentimes is linked to lower self-esteem, behavioral issues, long-term
• First, obviously, was a deep analysis of the entire landscape.
• Kay out of Columbus, and he did a wonderful analysis of it. ...of Columbus, and he did a wonderful analysis

Bills: LB878, LB958, LB958A, LB762, LB1187, LB966, LB929, LB962, LB1209, LB937A, LB962A, LB1050, LB1050A, LB965, LB1022, LB753, LB788, LB913, LB1055, LB1195, LB429, LB721, LB722, LB727, LB745, LB749, LB778, LR293, LR296, LR422, LR495, LR496, LR497, LR498, LR499, LR500, LR501, LR502, LR503, LR504

Keywords: paid parental leave, state employees, workplace benefits, family support, economic impact, Medicaid, Medical Assistance Act, home and community-based services waiver, HCBS waiver, waiver participant, assessment tool, clinical interviewing, service tier, retroactive coverage, doula, doula reimbursement, maternal health, prenatal care, pregnancy, birth outcomes