Transcript Highlights:

• and limited quota hunt areas.
• <00:13:55.920> and by travel landowner license limits and by travel landowner license limits
• An act limited quota hunt areas.
• concentrated versions illegal or limited concentrated versions illegal or limited to<01:25:17.520
• Spend it as you see fit.”

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've been spending some time since session working this out.
• Chairman. >> It's a limiting and then... >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
• The instructional silo also limits local control to some degree and, as a result, limits decisions based
• They spend very...
• They spend very little time being a law enforcement officer and doing that, but they spend a lot of time

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• witnesses we have registered and to accommodate all who wish to testify, there will be a hard time limit
• I spend a lot of my time...
• Health centers are happy to share data on how they spend 340B discounts.
• They don't do policy limits oral releases on policy limits cases.
• I think we're done because we're holding everybody else to the limit.

Bills: HB712, HB722, HB946, HB1687, HB1809, HB1899, HB2528, HB2583, HB2741, HB2750, HB3021, HB3150, HB3265, HB3658, HB3812, HB3960, HB4392, HB4432

Keywords: prostate cancer, health benefit plans, insurance coverage, cost sharing, preventive health care, auto insurance, total loss evaluation, disclosure, insurance materials, vehicle appraisal, HB 946, Texas Insurance Code, automobile insurance claims, oral release, written release, settlement agreement, claim release, property damage, bodily injury, psychological injury

Transcript Highlights:

• Consolidation among providers can limit patient choice and reduce competition.
• The ACA created a limit, a maximum, but it goes up every year.
• My employer also has fairly limited, Very little I can do to make an impact.
• My employer also has fairly limited options, so I feel like it's the insurance company.
• Because we're looking at costs, so we're looking at the total spend. Yes.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ESMC is not isolated to our city limits. ESMC is not isolated to our city limits.
• case, more personal, it's like I spend case, more personal, it's like I spend half<00:30:38.960>
• So I but it's it's pretty limiting.
• speed limit for implements of husbandry. speed limit for implements of husbandry.
• bill or speed limit increase as limit bill or speed limit increase as well<01:34:15.280> as<01

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• :56.320> dollars, >> Don't we spend Medicaid dollars, >> Don't we spend Medicaid dollars
• <00:39:08.280> over per member, but we're also spending over per member, but we're also spending
• So, we're limited.
• So, So, So, we're<00:48:14.720> limited. we're limited. we're limited.
• spending and performance. spending and performance.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board met on January 12, 2026, to approve the December 10, 2025 minutes and continue finalizing its findings and recommendations. Members reviewed findings on administrative inefficiencies, Medicaid and workforce participation under HR 1, Medicaid budget growth, rural health transformation fund development, and provider tax/state-directed payment changes. The board approved a motion to change “pilot” to “partnership” in the workforce-related recommendation, and also adopted a technical amendment clarifying overlapping HCBS services by removing reference to adult daycare waiver services and revising the language to focus on reducing duplication, simplifying provider contracting, and standardizing processes across programs. A separate technical correction was noted to change “DMS” to “DPH” in the rural health transformation finding, to be handled in the final edits. Several findings drew discussion but no final substantive vote during the meeting. On the rural health transformation fund, Dr. Berg said Kentucky had done well in federal funding and noted limits on what could be shared publicly, while Commissioner Lee said a public website had been created and recommended the department reference be changed to the Department for Public Health. Finding five prompted extended discussion about provider taxes, state-directed payment reductions under HR 1, and whether the board should address the relationship between actuarial studies, MCO payments, and actual provider reimbursement more directly. Senator Meredith and others argued for a broader, more transparent baseline review of rates across provider groups, while Commissioner Lee said CMS will require certain fee schedule comparisons to Medicare beginning July 1, 2026, and that quarterly expenditure reports already go to LRC. The board did not finish resolving finding five during the meeting and agreed to return to it after staff prepared more explicit language. Members also discussed the possibility of an all-payers claims database as a better way to understand what is being paid across payers and services. No final vote on the full findings package was taken in the portion of the meeting provided, but the board did adopt the noted amendments and continued working through the remaining language.

Transcript Highlights:

• Not spend that money or give that money to the sports authority.
• It's limited to a specific capital project only.
• It's limited to a specific capital project only.
• The city far beyond our city limits.
• So those are city limits there as well.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 31% of the medical spend.
• <00:07:34.960> today about 18% of the medical spend today about 18% of the medical spend today
• <00:07:38.199> you they're 31% of the medical spend you they're 31% of the medical spend you
• Like, um, we have upper payment limits in certain situations. We have Medicare limits in others.
• Like, um, we have upper payment limits in certain situations. We have Medicare limits in others.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• tools, limits on prior authorizations.
• >> Because your length of stay is very limited.
• There are lifetime limits on those services and there are requirements that you can't spend more than
• But it's limiting those numbers.
• They were supposed to help us manage the spend. They are now representing over 20% of the spend.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services convened to discuss interim charges regarding fraud, waste, and abuse in Texas human services, particularly focusing on Medicaid and childcare programs. The meeting highlighted the importance of preventing misuse of taxpayer funds, with testimony from various stakeholders emphasizing the need for increased oversight and accountability in these programs. Key points included the alarming rise in healthcare fraud in other states, the necessity for Texas to enhance its fraud prevention measures, and the potential financial repercussions of failing to meet federal compliance standards. Several committee members expressed concerns about the impact of fraud on vulnerable populations, particularly those relying on Medicaid services. Testimonies from experts underscored the effectiveness of Texas's Office of Inspector General (OIG) in combating fraud, yet pointed out existing vulnerabilities, such as inconsistent enforcement and the need for better data sharing among agencies. The discussion also touched on the challenges faced by hospice care providers, with a significant increase in the number of hospices in Texas raising concerns about quality and oversight. The committee heard from various witnesses, including representatives from health plans and advocacy organizations, who provided insights into the complexities of managing Medicaid and the importance of maintaining program integrity. The meeting concluded with a commitment to further explore legislative solutions to enhance oversight and ensure that resources are directed to those in genuine need.

Transcript Highlights:

• We managed to spend it all every.
• And you do see individuals spending more.
• Our agency in particular has a very limited role in that.
• We have more limitations placed on us today than ever before.
• Texans believe in limited government and local decision-making.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:05:01.040> my in the interest of time I will limit my in the interest of time I will limit
• With a limited operating adjustment.
• And then it spends expungement board.
• um requiring the housing staff to spend um requiring the housing staff to spend a<00:54:46.480><
• <01:49:29.360> authority majority of this is spending authority majority of this is spending

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And on... ...changes the threshold for each university on what they can spend.
• The Tech is an R2; they spend about $35 million.
• There's a limited pile of money. You go for everything you can get.
• Time limits on which certain post-conviction relief can be applied for.
• for the Office of the Governor and to provide for a lifetime term limit.

Bills: SB524, SR108, SR109, SCR56, SCR57, SCR12, HB227, HB398, HB689, HB897, HB1029, HB1107, HB1217, HB221, HCR58, HB136, SB162, SB382, SCR33, SCR30, SB112, SB194, SB307, SB341, SB346, SB363, SB495, SB503, SB507, SB509, SB513, SB408, SB131, SB145, SB333, SB464, SB466, SB500, SB283, SB338, SB488, SB35, SB65, SB215, SB228, SB246, SB249, SB268, SB269, SB282, SB296, SB312, SB319, SB323, SB369, SB431, SB474, SB484, SB490, SB492, SB501, HCR14, HB537, HB652, HB653, HB661, HB726, HB756, HB851, HB964, HB966, HB34, HB35, HB48, HB474, HB553, HB758, HB852, HB10, HB16, HB36, HB44, HB46, HB52, HB61, HB78, HB98, HB102, HB124, HB126, HB131, HB135, HB141, HB142, HB164, HB170, HB171, HB179, HB194, HB231, HB245, HB280, HB292, HB294, HB297, HB305, HB336, HB337, HB351, HB436, HB594, HB789, HB956, HB957, HB995, HB1040, HB50, HB117, HB120, HB122, HB139, HB148, HB149, HB185, HB199, HB247, HB271, HB286, HB301, HB358, HB359, HB384, HB413, HB428, HB450, HB462, HB547, HB613, HB631, HB657, HB669, HB675, HB680, HB691, HB712, HB716, HB720, HB723, HB727, HB728, HB735, HB747, HB759, HB825, HB842, HB845, HB846, HB903, HB904, HB907, HB923, HB929, HB941, HB962, HB965, HB1036, HB287, HB370, HB515, HB521, HB570, HB1200, HB29, HB39, HB58, HB67, HB73, HB76, HB77, HB82, HB112, HB121, HB125, HB132, HB134, HB151, HB154, HB155, HB161, HB166, HB187, HB191, HB207, HB211, HB224, HB238, HB241, HB242, HB250, HB260, HB265, HB275, HB300, HB320, HB338, HB339, HB349, HB379, HB399, HB427, HB463, HB464, HB468, HB545, HB550, HB551, HB565, HB588, HB639, HB725, HB782, HB805, HB808, HB834, HB847, HB853, HB858, HB861, HB883, HB916, HB937, HB977, HB1012, HB1027, HB1044, HB1054, HB1071, HB1091, HB1117, HB119, HB129, HB677, HB850, SB68, SB149

Keywords: Jump Start, career and technical education, CTE, career diploma, career pathways, workforce development, high school diploma, career major, individual career and academic plan, ICAP, individual graduation plan, IGP, work-based learning, apprenticeship, internship, dual enrollment, articulation agreement, transfer credit, rural schools, rural LEA

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a full agenda today, so we'll be limiting testimony to 2 minutes.
• These limit retroactive eligibility for medical assistance, as Ms. Stern described.
• Um, and it caps the home equity limit Um, and it caps the home equity limit for<00:25:48.120>
• <00:26:07.800> retroactive Um, uh, and these limit retroactive Um, uh, and these limit retroactive
• because we're already planning to spend because we're already planning to spend that<01:03:35.640

Bills: HF4401, HF4466

Keywords: HF4401, Minnesota Medical Assistance, dental reimbursement, dental rates, critical access dental providers, Medicaid dental, MinnesotaCare, managed care plans, county-based purchasing plans, fee-for-service, oral health access, safety-net clinics, federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, Indian health services, state-operated dental clinics, low-income patients, children's dental care, provider reimbursement, dental access

Transcript Highlights:

• As a result, my educational opportunities were limited.
• As with most Gateway Cities, we spend very close to the foundation.
• I want to thank everybody for spending their afternoon.
• You're just reclassifying extra spending.
• achievement gaps and spending them on evidence-based practices.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education opened a hybrid public hearing on a large slate of bills related to school buildings, school finance, technology, data privacy, safety, and related education issues. Chairs Jason Lewis and Ken Gordon outlined procedures for the hearing, including two-minute testimony limits and the plan to group similar bills together. Several bills drew no testimony and were closed without further discussion, while others drew extensive testimony from legislators, school officials, parents, advocates, and educators. A major theme was school safety and student well-being. Lori Al-Hadeth testified in support of bills on alert systems in public schools, describing the loss of her daughter in the Parkland shooting and urging adoption of Alyssa’s Law-style panic alert technology. Representative Gallagher and disability advocates also supported a bill authorizing, but not requiring, airway clearance devices in schools, arguing they could save lives in choking emergencies and provide an option for people who cannot use the Heimlich maneuver. Another bill on reducing cafeteria waste drew support from a legislator and a Lexington sustainability official, who said installing dishwashers during construction would reduce waste and long-term costs. Much of the hearing focused on Chapter 70 school funding and the inflation cap. Senator Pavel Payano, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Representative Senna, and multiple local officials and school committee members from Bridgewater, Chelsea, Groton-Dunstable, and other districts argued that the 4.5% cap on inflation adjustments has left schools underfunded during years of high inflation, forcing layoffs, larger class sizes, and cuts to programs and student supports. They urged bills to eliminate the cap, restore lost funding, increase the Commonwealth’s share of the foundation budget, or create commissions to study reforms. Testimony also highlighted the impact on special education, English learners, and low-income students, with Chelsea witnesses saying the cap has cost their district about $7 million annually. School construction and MSBA reform were the other major topic. AIA Massachusetts, Boston Public Schools, Lynn officials, and AFT Massachusetts described aging facilities, overcrowding, deferred maintenance, and the difficulty of financing new schools under current reimbursement rules. Boston officials said the district has many pre-World War II buildings and has only built a handful of new schools in decades, while Lynn leaders said reimbursement rates have fallen well below the statutory 80% because of caps and ineligible costs. Witnesses urged modernization of the MSBA program, higher reimbursement rates, and more resources for school construction. The committee also heard support for a bill to study the adequacy and equity of the school building program, and chairs indicated some bills would be closed after no one signed up to testify.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are on track to spend all of that.
• We didn't always spend 4.8, 4 to 8 billion.
• I mean, we could easily spend that, we could spend north of that building up. here in Texas.
• We will spend all of this, and then we will spend more if it's available.
• spend more money.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's about limiting educators' ability to make their own professional choices.
• Tomorrow, it could be flexible spending accounts, life insurance, who knows?
• And yet here we are targeting educators for how to spend their own paychecks.
• They spend their own money, I should say our own money, on school supplies.
• And this HCR would make it—it would limit more people.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Though we had limited historical data, we felt it was important to provide a preliminary estimate for
• The data that we have is very limited, right?
• As a percent of its overall spending, but it also came closer to meeting that target.
• This appears consistent with the language and general limitations and reductions.
• We did spend about $4 or $5 billion less, so I mean, both things can be true.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Many families face... ...rising housing costs, stagnant wages, and limited access to credit.
• Debit transactions are limited by federal law and how much each transaction costs.
• We see consumer spending.
• We're all really aware about spending money. This is all inflation here.
• This leaves me with limited time for anything else and creates significant stress.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services heard testimony on several bills focused on financial security, banking regulation, and payment-card fees. Treasurer Deborah Goldberg supported the Massachusetts baby bonds proposal (H. 48) and also endorsed bills on matched savings (H. 1158/S. 737) and retirement planning/Secure Choice (H. 1143/S. 722), arguing these measures would help address wealth inequality, build assets, and improve retirement readiness. Supporters of baby bonds included policy experts and health advocates from Children’s Health Watch and Boston Medical Center, who said early-life asset building could improve long-term economic and health outcomes for children in low-income families. AARP also urged passage of the retirement planning bill, citing the large share of private-sector workers without access to an employer retirement plan. Representative Donato testified for H. 1143, describing it as a voluntary retirement-savings opportunity for workers at small employers. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3933, concerning the Massachusetts Credit Union Share Insurance Corporation, from former Bank Commissioner Mike Hanson, who defended the state’s full deposit insurance system for credit unions and savings institutions as a longstanding consumer-protection model. The Massachusetts Bankers Association raised concerns about the bill’s technical provisions and broader credit union/bank competitive issues, while the Cooperative Credit Union Association supported related legislation allowing modest compensation for credit union directors (S. 821/H. 1338) and flexibility for state financial institutions to grow through partnerships (S. 723). Bankers opposed those credit union bills, arguing they would upset a level playing field and blur long-standing distinctions between banks and credit unions. A major portion of the hearing focused on H. 1259/S. 688, which would prohibit card interchange fees on the tax and gratuity portions of restaurant transactions. Restaurant owners and the Massachusetts Restaurant Association testified in favor, saying the fees are a significant and growing expense, especially as most customers now pay by card; they argued the bills would save restaurants money without affecting state revenue. Credit union, banking, and payments-industry representatives opposed the bills, saying interchange helps fund fraud protection and payment infrastructure, that the proposal would create compliance burdens and likely litigation, and that it would mainly affect Massachusetts-chartered institutions while national banks could be preempted. Committee members noted that a commission on payment-card fees is being established and said the issue would be studied further. The hearing also included support for a separate bill on virtual credit cards for dental providers, with dentists saying automatic virtual-card payments impose hidden processing fees and fraud risks.

Transcript Highlights:

• In Northampton, 62% of our budget goes to education spending.
• But thank you all so much for spending your time here today. Thank you, Jonathan.
• They have students who spend an hour each direction on the bus each day.
• , and that limit has been reached.
• What I don't do is go out and spend a whole lot more money to design a new car.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Ways and Means Committee held its final public hearing on the FY26 state budget, with chairs and members emphasizing that public testimony would help shape the budget and asking speakers to keep remarks brief. Committee leaders introduced members, explained the hearing process, and repeatedly thanked residents, students, and advocates for participating. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony focused heavily on education funding and the Chapter 70 formula. Students from Amherst, Northampton, Gateway Regional, Chester Elementary, and other districts described budget-driven cuts to electives, special education supports, paraprofessionals, counselors, transportation, and building maintenance. They urged higher Chapter 70 aid, increased minimum aid, rural school aid, and a reopening or restructuring of the funding formula, arguing that current formulas leave many districts unable to meet student needs and force local layoffs and overrides. Other speakers urged funding or protection for a range of programs and facilities, including the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for homicide survivor services, the Museum of African American History, the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and CART/interpreter services, the Access to Counsel housing legal aid program, the Department of Mental Health and Pocasset Mental Health Center, and Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. One speaker opposed offshore wind-related spending and urged a reset of the state’s energy approach, while another advocated ending the aircraft sales tax exemption. Committee members responded sympathetically to many speakers, asked a few follow-up questions, and several expressed support for maintaining or expanding the programs discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• It actually defines a limit, some limitations on the number of credits that attendees can get without
• <00:49:39.280> plan least it it aligns your spending plan least it it aligns your spending
• bill house bill 675 this was the limit bill house bill 675 this was the limit on<01:08:27.600>
• Education seems like it's going to be the heaviest lift, and I think it's important to spend the limited
• Education seems like it's going to be the heaviest lift, and I think it's important to spend the limited

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Finance Division II work session focused on organizing the committee’s remaining budget work and reviewing a set of recommended changes to House Bills 1 and 2. Mr. Landrian explained the committee’s tracking sheets and draft amendment package, noted that the division was being asked to find roughly $200 million in reductions, and said the governor’s lottery proposal in House Bill 2 could help offset part of that target. Members also discussed how revenue estimates tied to fee changes would be handled, with the chair saying the committee could seek Ways and Means input but would ultimately decide the estimates itself. The committee then considered four mostly technical amendments to House Bill 2. It voted unanimously to delete Section 81, which duplicated CCSNH dual and concurrent enrollment language already moving in House Bill 192; to delete Sections 143 and 144, which duplicated police standards and training extra-duty language already in House Bill 778; to adopt a correction to Section 151 that removed an inadvertently repeated sentence; and to delete Section 178 because the same Lottery Commission language already appears in House Bill 1. The committee also agreed to approve Section 4 of House Bill 1, the Lottery Commission boilerplate language, while deferring action on Section 2 of House Bill 1 until the university and community college budget is settled. A substantial portion of the meeting was spent planning upcoming work sessions and discussing possible revenue measures. The committee planned to invite Fish and Game on Monday to review a large set of follow-up materials and to discuss a possible amendment requiring hunters and trappers to pay the license fee before taking free training classes, with a second chance to retake the class if needed. Members also discussed possible fee adjustments for Safety and Fish and Game, including using dedicated-fund fees to reduce reliance on general funds and help stabilize the Highway Fund and Fish and Game Fund. The chair emphasized that all actions were recommendations until the committee’s final deadline and encouraged members to review draft language carefully before voting.