Transcript Highlights:

• working in these areas, licensure is required in the state of New Hampshire for the health, safety, and welfare
• systems engineering in situations where the work has direct bearing on public health, safety, and welfare
• engineer that has responsibility for activities that directly affect the public health, safety, and welfare
• engineer that has responsibility for activities that directly affect the public health, safety, and welfare
• engineer that has responsibility for activities that directly affect the public health, safety, and welfare

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The hour of nine o'clock having arrived, we'll call the House Health and Welfare Committee to order.
• I've had her for four years, even though I've had four directors at Health and Welfare.

Summary: The House Health and Welfare Committee approved the minutes from March 13, 17, 18, 19, and 25. The committee then took up House Bill 864, which concerned kratom, and members discussed it alongside a Senate regulation bill. Testimony and comments reflected sharp disagreement: some members and the bill sponsor argued kratom should be treated as a dangerous, addictive substance and favored a Schedule 1-style ban, while others said the issue is not fully studied, regulation may be preferable to an outright ban, and they wanted to see what the Senate bill would contain before acting further. The sponsor also criticized the Senate regulation approach as insufficient and said it would legitimize a harmful product. A substitute motion to send HB 864 to the floor without recommendation failed on a roll call vote, 5-11. The committee then voted 14-2 to hold HB 864 in committee subject to call of the chair, leaving the bill pending while the Senate action on related kratom legislation develops. Members noted that the committee may meet again later depending on when related bills are transmitted and assigned. At the end of the meeting, the committee recognized its page, who said she plans to attend nursing school and thanked the committee for the experience. The chair presented her with a gift and a letter of recommendation, and then adjourned the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• The hour of nine o'clock having arrived, we'll call the House Health and Welfare Committee to order.
• I've had her for four years, even though I've had four directors at Health and Welfare.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The hour of nine o'clock having arrived, we will call the House Health and Welfare Committee to order
• Once you reach over $5,000, you go back into the health and welfare space and are subject to inspections

Summary: The House Health and Welfare Committee opened with roll call, approved the February 3 and 4 minutes, and set aside House Bill 496 at the sponsor’s request for a later date. The committee then introduced RS 33187, sponsored by Representative Wheeler, which would create an evidence-based cardiac emergency response framework for Idaho schools, including AED access, staff training, and coordinated response plans. Wheeler cited a real-life school cardiac incident and said the American Heart Association supports the concept; the committee voted to introduce the RS. The committee next heard House Bill 526 from Representative Ehlers on cottage food operations. The bill would allow small sellers with annual sales of $5,000 or less to sell certain time- and temperature-controlled foods, such as ice cream, bacon, and salsa, under cottage food rules rather than requiring commercial kitchen inspections and permits. Ehlers said the measure is intended to reduce barriers for entrepreneurs while keeping labeling requirements in place, including contact information, home-kitchen disclosure, and allergen warnings. Elizabeth Criner of Food Northwest testified in opposition to the bill as drafted, saying the current cottage food rules are designed for shelf-stable products and that expanding to time- and temperature-controlled foods raises food safety concerns. She also said the bill was unclear about whether existing labeling and safety rules would still apply, especially for allergens. Committee members asked about allergen labeling, the $5,000 threshold, and consumer responsibility. Despite those concerns, the committee voted to send House Bill 526 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. The committee then adjourned and announced it would meet again the next day at 8:30 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• I rise today to present AB 1602, which establishes a statewide child welfare disaster response fund and
• In 2024, the Santa Cruz DA was the first county in the state to undergo a Welfare and Institutions Code
• In 2024, the Santa Cruz DA was the first county of the state to undergo a welfare institutions code 876
• In other cases, youth may have left the child welfare system through adoption or guardianship only to
• you supported, which helped open the process for tribal land return transactions by extending the welfare

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Senate rolled act number 68 being original Senate file 106, Welfare Fraud Prevention Act amendments
• , an act relating to welfare.
• Message 301, concurrence requested: Senate File 106, Welfare Fraud Prevention Act Amendments.
• Concurrence requested, Senate<00:09:34.160><c> File</c><00:09:34.560><c> 106,</c><00:09:35.279><c> Welfare
• </c><00:09:35.760><c> Fraud</c> Senate File 106, Welfare Fraud Senate File 106, Welfare Fraud Prevention

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 7012, a bill to be entitled an act relating to child welfare.
• Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 7012, a bill to be entitled an act relating to child welfare.
• The House stripped that language off the bill and included language from the other child welfare bill
• participating in the Florida Institute for Child Welfare's research or evaluation projects for child welfare
• participating in the Florida Institute for Child Welfare's research or evaluation projects for child welfare

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a series of member introductions recognizing interns, pages, and a retiring Senate employee. Leadership also announced that budget talks with the House were continuing and that senators should not plan to be in next week, with hopes of sharing more budget news soon. The chamber then moved to third reading and took up a major bill on citizen initiatives and constitutional amendments, with sponsors saying it was needed to address documented petition fraud and to protect the integrity of the process. That bill drew extensive debate. Supporters argued that recent investigations showed widespread fraud in petition gathering, that the measure would add reasonable guardrails, and that it would prevent taxpayer-funded government messaging from being used to influence ballot measures. Opponents said the bill would make it much harder for ordinary Floridians to place amendments on the ballot by adding costs, deadlines, registration requirements, fines, and felony exposure, and they warned it would chill grassroots participation and effectively favor wealthy or corporate-backed campaigns. After debate, the Senate passed the bill 28-10. The Senate then adopted several House amendments and concurred on a series of education and public-safety measures, including bills on stem cell therapy, student-athlete electrocardiograms, cardiac emergency planning in schools, school safety, Bright Futures and other education policy items, and educator preparation. Most of those measures passed unanimously or with overwhelming support, and the chamber also recognized additional interns and a long-serving education advocate before recessing and returning to continue with House messages.

Transcript Highlights:

• With that, I'd like to turn the time over to our Director of the Department of Health and Welfare, Juliet
• For the record, Juliet Sharon, Director of the Department of Health and Welfare.
• things that we could do, whether it's through the legislature or through CMS or through Health and Welfare
• force included a number of legislative members, so our JFAC co-chairs at the time and Health and Welfare

Summary: The Rural Health Transformation Committee met to receive an overview from Department of Health and Welfare Director Juliet Sharon on Idaho’s Rural Health Transformation Program application and the federal rules governing the five-year funding. Sharon explained the program was created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that Idaho’s award is about $186 million annually in year one, and that the state must obligate the funds by October 30 or risk losing them. She reviewed the application timeline, the federal scoring process, reporting and audit requirements, and the state’s plan to hire a 12-person limited-term team to manage solicitations, monitoring, and compliance. Committee members asked about scope-of-practice issues for dental hygienists and physician assistants, the risk of losing or gaining funds, survey methodology, telehealth, and how the state will use the money for workforce, technology, behavioral health, infrastructure, and tribal set-asides. Sharon said the department would continue working with the legislature on scope-of-practice policy, provide more detail on survey data and funding caps, and set up a shared information space with LSO for committee access. Sharon also walked through the five main initiative areas in Idaho’s plan: technology and access, innovative models, workforce, chronic disease and behavioral health, and rural infrastructure/partnerships. She emphasized that allowable uses include telehealth and EHR modernization, cybersecurity, EMS support, workforce recruitment and retention incentives, evidence-based behavioral health and chronic disease programs, renovations and mobile units, and a 3.5% tribal set-aside. She said the department is still refining what is allowable with CMS and that the committee will receive monthly summaries, procurement information, and performance reports. Members raised concerns about the survey’s heavy use of “other” responses, the amount of money going to administration, and whether telehealth spending is the best use of funds. Chris Jones of Catalyst Policy Group then offered outside perspective on rural health strategy and the federal program. He praised Idaho’s application but urged the committee to think in terms of integrated, patient-centered systems rather than isolated projects. He highlighted examples from other states involving community health workers, telehealth hubs, remote monitoring, value-based care networks, rural training pipelines, and partnerships among hospitals, FQHCs, and tribal providers. He cautioned against focusing on social determinants of health funding, encouraged use of technology to reduce labor burden and improve sustainability, and emphasized that training providers in rural areas tends to keep them there. No votes were taken. The committee agreed to tentatively meet again on May 28 during CMS’s planned Idaho visit, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, we, the Committee on Health and Welfare, report that we have had under consideration House Bill
• So, for example, as it relates to the Department of Health and Welfare and a Medicaid contract, the division
• administrator would work with the Department of Health and Welfare to take advantage of their Medicaid
• Further announcements: The House Health and Welfare Committee will meet Friday, March 20th, at 9:00 a.m

Summary: The House opened with roll call, prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a moment of silence for Nampa Mayor Rick Hogaboam. Members then approved the journal and received a series of messages from the Senate and governor, including enrolled bills and new Senate measures. Standing committee reports moved several bills and resolutions forward, including House Bill 911 and Senate Bill 1258 from State Affairs, and House Concurrent Resolution 36 supporting the Idaho National Guard. The chamber introduced several new bills, including House Bills 933-935, and later took up a number of memorials and resolutions. House Joint Memorial 20, urging Congress to address the fiscal impact of Plyler v. Doe on Idaho schools, passed without objection. House Joint Memorial 19, supporting federal efforts to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, passed 61-8-1 after debate over whether eliminating the department would shift enforcement costs to the state. House Concurrent Resolution 34, directing feasibility studies on Bear River Basin water development, also passed, 67-2. The House then considered and passed several Senate bills, including SB 1301 on adding a retail location for small breweries, SB 1256 cleaning up outdated reporting requirements for the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, SB 1345 allowing voluntary secure electronic tax commission communications, and a series of water-related bills clarifying ditch easements, water district fees, withdrawal procedures, canal/lateral responsibilities, and irrigation district board eligibility. SB 1286, restricting predatory veteran disability-claims services, also passed after supportive testimony from veterans’ advocates. Later, the House approved a House Business Committee report on administrative rules, then suspended rules to move a large set of appropriation and policy bills, including HB 919 through HB 925 and HB 889 and HB 931, all of which passed with varying vote margins. The day ended with announcements, committee meeting notices, and adjournment until March 20, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• seeing very strong outcomes both with regard to housing as well as other system outcomes such as child welfare
• evaluation of the BFH program that found very significant outcomes with regard to both housing and child welfare
• To support greater clarity for CBO partners, the County Welfare Directors Association convened counties
• destabilized by their inability to access housing and at risk of entering the more expensive child welfare

Summary: The Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services heard a series of budget items focused first on the California Department of Aging and then on the Department of Social Services. For Aging, the director reported the state is at the midpoint of the Master Plan for Aging, with about 300 initiatives launched and roughly three-quarters completed, nearly $1 billion invested, and expanded local planning, research, and stakeholder engagement. The committee also discussed HICAP modernization, which would add ongoing funding from the Special HICAP Fund to expand Medicare counseling capacity, and senior meal programs, including support for virtual congregate/to-go meals and the use of prior one-time nutrition investments. The chair raised concerns about federal H.R. 1 and its downstream effects on older adults, food assistance, and other safety-net programs, and the department said its direct budget was not affected but that other programs serving older adults could be under pressure. The committee then reviewed multiple CDSS proposals. These included implementing the federal Medicaid Access Rule by creating a statewide grievance process and critical incident reporting system for IHSS and other home- and community-based services; housing and homelessness programs such as CalWORKs Housing Support, Housing and Disability Advocacy, Home Safe, and Bringing Families Home, where the department described strong outcomes but warned that one-time funding is expiring and services are scaling back; and permanent position authority for the Housing and Homelessness Division. Members also heard about the facility management system modernization for Community Care Licensing, home care services branch solvency and regulation work, child care centers in multifamily housing, the Seizure Emergency Response Act, licensing during emergencies and disasters, the Family Preparedness Plan Act, and social services automation projects including CalSAWS, the enterprise data pipeline, and CalWORKs child support notices. The LAO and Department of Finance generally had no additional comments or were still reviewing several requests. A notable exchange occurred on the Community Care Licensing item, where Senator Grove pressed the department about the Autumn Oaks facility in Tulare County, citing dozens of complaints and severe conditions affecting seniors. The department said it had worked with the county and ombudsman on relocation, was reviewing what went wrong, and had authority to pursue administrative action even after a license surrender. The hearing ended with a stakeholder presentation from the California Association of Area Agencies on Aging supporting a $62.3 million Older Californians Act request, followed by public comment from advocates for housing, Meals on Wheels, HICAP, Home Safe, and H-DAP. The subcommittee adjourned without taking votes, and all items were held open.

Transcript Highlights:

• provisions of this section shall not supersede state or local laws that protect public health, safety, welfare
• , and welfare. ...or local laws that protect public health, safety, welfare, and welfare, including building

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 751, which would expand the STARS program for commercial transportation infrastructure by lowering the minimum project floor from $6 million to $5 million and raising the cap from $35 million to $100 million. Representative Monks explained that STARS lets developers front infrastructure costs and be repaid from a portion of new sales tax generated by the development, and supporters said it helps fund major roadway improvements without costing the state upfront. The committee advanced the bill on a due pass recommendation. The committee then considered Senate Bill 1347, a transparency measure for Idaho Housing and Finance Association’s pass-through homelessness grants, specifically the Continuum of Care and Emergency Solutions Grant programs. Sponsors said the bill would require annual reporting on grant recipients, uses of funds, and outcomes such as housing exits, income changes, and referrals, while not changing funding levels. Testimony included support from transparency advocates and concerns from a senator and nonprofit/housing professionals that the bill could duplicate existing federal and IHFA audits and add unnecessary reporting burden. The committee sent the bill to the floor with a due pass recommendation, with Senators Robbie and Taylor voting no. Finally, the committee took up Senate Bill 1352, which would create state standards for “starter home subdivisions” on parcels of at least four acres in cities over 5,000 population by limiting minimum lot sizes and allowing higher density, while preserving local authority over infrastructure, safety, and environmental requirements. Supporters argued the bill would help address Idaho’s housing shortage by enabling smaller, more attainable homes and reducing regulatory barriers; opponents from city, planning, and local government groups said it would override local control, lacked an income-based affordability requirement, and could create infrastructure and neighborhood impacts. After extensive testimony, the committee’s initial motion for a due pass recommendation failed on a 4-5 roll call, and the bill was then moved to the 14th order for possible amendment. Senate Bill 1354 was held over until the next meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• provisions of this section shall not supersede state or local laws that protect public health, safety, welfare
• , and welfare. ...or local laws that protect public health, safety, welfare, and welfare, including building

Committee: Senate Local Government and Taxation

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Maybe this is something that the chair of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee should have
• 19:52.720><c> and</c> chair of the Senate Public Health and chair of the Senate Public Health and Welfare
• 54.880><c> should</c><00:19:55.120><c> have</c><00:19:55.280><c> been</c><00:19:55.440><c> doing</c> Welfare
• Committee should have been doing Welfare Committee should have been doing all<00:19:56.000><c> these

Committee: Joint Finance

Keywords: Finance - Room 216, 19 February, 2026; 1:30 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first is House Bill 841, an act relating to miscellaneous animal welfare procedures, introduced by
• 21.520><c> to</c><00:05:21.680><c> miscellaneous</c><00:05:22.400><c> animal</c><00:05:22.800><c> welfare
• </c> relating to miscellaneous animal welfare relating to miscellaneous animal welfare procedures. procedures

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• what is happening is that these matters, which don't rise to the level of the health, safety, and welfare
• violations, versus critical violations that rise to the level of jeopardizing the health, safety, and welfare
• These are the instances that are... ...and welfare of residents or patients, and put it right there in
• So again, these are not things that necessarily rise to the health, safety, and welfare of the residents

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• we can put stipulations in there that say if Medicaid goes over and exceeds this, then Health and Welfare
• has to use the cuts, has to take cuts within Health and Welfare in other areas.
• I mean, especially within the Health and Welfare Committee, that has to come back to the floor on some
• JFAC, and then especially within the Health and Welfare Committee that has to come back to the floor

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Inmate Welfare Trust Fund.
• The Welfare Trust Fund that is established that would support the contractor operated institutions.
• My question is we have an Inmate Welfare Trust Fund.
• Removes lines 3 through 5 and inserts requiring funds from the contractor-operated institution Inmate Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• The day that these welfare checks were done, they weren't there to look for criminals, unless in the
• And the reason that these children are safe today wasn't because of the welfare checks, it was because
• Non-profits is currently defined through the Welfare and Institutions Code as an organization that has
• Awareness Month, and it doesn't seem like we are aware on this floor that being touched by the child welfare

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill is essential to resolving significant problems relating to animal welfare, public safety, and
• 00:16:31.839><c> relating</c><00:16:32.160><c> to</c><00:16:32.320><c> animal</c><00:16:32.639><c> welfare
• ,</c> problems relating to animal welfare, problems relating to animal welfare, public<00:16:33.440><

Committee: House Agriculture & Food Systems

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• more openings we can provide in senior housing would be really critical for their health and their welfare
• really critical for their health and really critical for their health and their<00:02:31.280><c> welfare
• 32.080><c> we</c><00:02:32.239><c> thank</c><00:02:32.400><c> you</c><00:02:32.480><c> for</c> their welfare
• so we thank you for their welfare so we thank you for listening<00:02:33.080><c> to</c><00:02:33.319

Committee: Senate Housing

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Housing heard testimony on several housing-related measures. Senate Bill 65 would appropriate funds to the Hawaii Public Housing Authority for rehabilitation and repair of public housing units. Testifiers from the Department of Human Services, HPHA, Catholic Charities Hawaii, and Roar Cares supported the bill, emphasizing that repairing vacant units is a fast, cost-effective way to increase available housing for homeless and elderly residents. HPHA later told the committee it had 139 vacant units, with an estimated average repair cost of about $73,000 per unit. In decision-making, the committee recommended passage of SB 65 with amendments, including an appropriation of $10,147,000, and the motion passed. The committee also considered Senate Bill 40, which would allow HHFDC to secure a line of credit or other indebtedness for the bond volume cap recycling program. HHFDC supported the measure and explained that Act 35 had provided a $150 million line of credit for fiscal year 2025 only, so this bill would extend that authority; HHFDC said the bonds involved would be revenue bonds. Roar Cares supported the bill, while the chair asked whether the Legislature would need to pass such a bill annually. In decision-making, the committee recommended passage with amendments to specify revenue bonds and noted the administration should study other ways to secure the line of credit without annual legislation. For Senate Bill 35, which would create a Housing Efficiency and Innovation subaccount within the rental housing revolving fund and allow fund transfers without legislative approval, HHFDC and several others supported the measure, arguing that more flexible fund movement would improve efficiency. The committee adopted a recommendation to pass SB 35 with amendments, including language prioritizing projects on state or county land or projects by entities required to reinvest surplus into housing, and noting nonprofit developers could qualify for prioritization. Senate Bill 42, which would repeal certain 30% AMI set-aside and preference requirements for rental housing revolving fund projects, drew opposition from Catholic Charities Hawaii, which argued the bill would reduce the supply of the most vulnerable housing units, while HHFDC warned it could reduce production of 30% AMI units. The committee deferred SB 42. The final bill discussed was Senate Bill 75, which would establish a working group to revise the state’s qualified allocation plan and related rental housing revolving fund loan terms and report back to the Legislature. HHFDC and others offered comments, while Catholic Charities asked that the bill be deferred, saying HHFDC already had the capacity to work with the community without a new law. Roar Cares supported the concept but urged broader stakeholder inclusion. In decision-making, the chair said the committee report would note concerns about prior QAP revisions and the need for more transparent, ongoing stakeholder participation, and the committee recommended passage of SB 75 without amendments. All recommendations were adopted, and the hearing adjourned.