Transcript Highlights:

• Particularly with regard to claim denials.
• or any portion of a claim must be made by a human being.
• that an artificial intelligence system not service the sole basis for determining whether to deny a claim
• And so if the AI is is parsing of the claim to the night, have of parse the claim to see if the claim
• is for illegal work and then denied claim.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• How many people filed these claims to get this data? $300 billion. So think about that.
• How many people filed these claims to get this data?
• And typically, they only get found when they actually have a claim, and when the claim comes in, it comes
• And they all file claims. They all go to the hospital.
• They all get medical receipts and submit their claims and get paid.

Summary: A joint House-Senate Insurance and Commerce meeting focused on the growing threat of financial fraud in Arkansas, with members hearing from bankers, regulators, law enforcement, AARP, and mortgage and insurance industry representatives. Witnesses described a wide range of scams, including spoofed bank calls and texts, fake websites and social media impersonation, romance and investment scams, business email compromise, gift card fraud, check fraud, wire fraud, reverse mortgage scams, and crypto kiosk schemes. Several speakers emphasized that fraud is increasingly organized, technology-driven, and amplified by artificial intelligence, and that seniors are disproportionately targeted and often suffer the largest losses. Testimony highlighted both prevention and recovery efforts. Bankers said institutions spend heavily on training, customer education, and fraud detection, but often cannot stop losses once customers have been convinced to authorize transfers. The Attorney General’s office described its Consumer Protection Division, a new Financial Fraud Task Force, and examples of recovering funds quickly from crypto kiosk and wire fraud cases. The State Bank Department and Securities Department said Arkansas’s 2025 crypto ATM legislation and related education requirements have helped, and they urged continued public education. The Insurance Department reported major insurance-fraud trends, including fake insurance cards, forged policies, premium-finance schemes, and staged auto accidents, and said it prosecutes these cases aggressively. Members asked about reporting scams, the security of tap payments, how fraud losses are tracked, the role of crypto kiosks, and whether Arkansas should pursue model legislation or stronger action against telecom and social media companies. Witnesses said tap payments are generally safer than chip or swipe, that crypto transfers are often unrecoverable, and that spoofed caller ID and impersonation ads remain major problems. Paul Benda of the American Bankers Association urged state and federal action against telecom and social media platforms and supported national scam legislation. No new bills were voted on at the meeting, but members approved the November 3, 2025 minutes and several witnesses offered to share model legislation, consumer education materials, and state-by-state fraud data with the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• made as expenses are incurred, limiting the availability of punitive damages in medical malpractice claims
• , limiting attorney fees in malpractice claims.
• made as expenses are incurred, limiting the availability of punitive damages in medical malpractice claims
• made as expenses are incurred, limiting the availability of punitive damages in medical malpractice claims
• title, is ordered not printed, and referred to the House Rules Committee. and an alleged squatter, claim

Bills: HB1

Keywords: feed bill, legislative appropriations, legislative branch, New Mexico Legislature, general fund, legislative council service, legislative finance committee, legislative education study committee, house chief clerk, senate chief clerk, per diem, mileage, session expenses, interim committees, district staff, capitol complex, capital outlay data system, legislative processing system, redistricting, census redistricting

Transcript Highlights:

• 460,000 job openings in Florida, and there's about 30,000 people that are on Florida unemployment claims
• Florida unemployment claims.
• that were, the number of fraudulent claims that have been done on an annual basis. ...number of claims
• that were, the number of fraudulent claims that have been done on an annual basis.
• Senator Bracey Davis, question. going forward on these on the fraudulent claims and who where they're

Bills: S0216 , S0246 , S0356 , S0388 , S0470 , S0488 , S0490 , S0528 , S0584 , S0594

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development

Keywords: reemployment assistance, fraud prevention, eligibility verification, Department of Commerce, benefit disqualification, specialty license plate, specialty plates, motor vehicle registration, license plate fees, annual use fees, Florida DHSMV, Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, deauthorization, financial reporting, nonprofit organizations, college license plates, university license plates, veterans plates, law enforcement plates, Fraternal Order of Police

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and considered ten bills, beginning with SB 594 on local housing assistance plans. Senator Burton explained that the bill would make residents of mobile home parks and manufactured housing communities eligible for SHIP rental assistance and, in some cases, repair or rehabilitation funds, recognizing that many own their homes but rent the lot. Supporters from AARP and the Federation of Manufactured Homeowners said the bill would help seniors and low-income residents remain housed. The bill was reported favorably by a roll call vote. Members then approved two Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles measures: SB 488, the agency package updating Florida’s motor fuel tax compliance with IFTA, allowing online filing and private license plate agencies to act as agents, raising the crash-damage reporting threshold, expanding email communications, and updating tank vehicle compliance; and SB 490, a related public records exemption for email addresses collected for renewal notices. Both were reported favorably without opposition. The committee also passed SB 246, creating a specialty license plate for the UFC Foundation, despite concerns raised that the foundation is based out of state and that the plate was politically motivated; the bill was approved on a split vote. The committee gave favorable reports to SB 216 on reemployment assistance eligibility, which would tighten job-search requirements, require more frequent eligibility verification, and add reporting on fraudulent claims. The bill drew substantial opposition from labor and policy advocates who argued it would add barriers for unemployed workers, especially in rural and skilled-trades jobs, and that the state’s unemployment system remains difficult to navigate. Supporters said the bill was aimed at fraud prevention and ensuring claimants remain eligible. SB 356 on utility terrain vehicles generated extensive debate over safety, local control, and whether UTVs should be allowed on certain roads; supporters emphasized rural utility and law enforcement benefits, while opponents cited manufacturer warnings and crash risks. The sponsor ultimately temporarily postponed the bill. The committee also reported favorably SB 528 on manufacturing, which expands the Department of Commerce’s manufacturing responsibilities, codifies the chief manufacturing officer position, and creates workforce development grant support; SB 584 on commercial driving schools, which authorizes DHSMV agreements with county tax collectors to help enforce school regulation; and SB 388, which raises the annual use fee for the Florida Wildflower specialty plate from $15 to $25 to support the Florida Wildflower Foundation. The final bill, SB 470 on the Fraternal Order of Police specialty plate, was introduced as a measure to broaden eligibility for the existing plate and stabilize funding for law enforcement memorial efforts, but no final action on that bill was reached in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• being paid out, and there's many reasons that claims being paid out have escalated.
• being paid out, and there's many reasons that claims costs go up.
• That is related to claims being paid out.
• And there's many reasons that claims being paid out have escalated.
• and act for the defense of the claim itself.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on House Bill 2255, House Bill 2548, and House Bill 2320. HB 2255 would regulate third-party litigation funding by requiring disclosure of funders and agreements, prohibiting funder control over litigation, capping funder recovery at 25%, and creating enforcement remedies. Supporters, including the sponsor, insurance groups, and liability reform advocates, described it as a transparency and consumer-protection measure that could improve court efficiency and reduce costs. Opponents, including the Washington State Association for Justice and the commercial litigation funding industry, argued it would burden plaintiffs, reveal protected work product, chill access to justice, and create satellite litigation. No vote was taken; the chair closed the hearing and asked testifiers to submit written comments. HB 2548 would expand state oversight of health care market transactions by broadening the types of mergers, acquisitions, asset sales, and ownership/control changes that trigger notice to the Attorney General, pausing transactions until information requests are substantially complied with, expanding interagency data sharing, and revoking nonprofit status in certain transactions. Supporters, including patient advocates, nurses, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, the Attorney General’s office, physicians, and individual health care workers, said private equity and consolidation are driving higher costs, reduced access, and lower quality. Opponents from the Washington State Hospital Association and MultiCare said the bill is unclear, may contain drafting errors, does not adequately target private equity structures, and could create problems around nonprofit status and charitable assets. The hearing ended with the committee moving on to the next bill. HB 2320 would update Washington’s ghost gun laws to address 3D-printed firearms, CNC manufacturing, digital firearm manufacturing code, and the sale of machines marketed for firearm production, and would make certain violations per se Consumer Protection Act violations. The sponsor and supporters, including school officials, gun violence prevention advocates, a trauma survivor, a 3D-printing industry representative, and others, said the bill closes a public safety loophole and responds to the growing availability of untraceable weapons. Opponents, including the NRA, makerspace representatives, and some industry witnesses, argued the bill is overbroad, may sweep in lawful 3D-printing and CNC activity, raises First, Second, and Fifth Amendment concerns, and could create uncertainty through rebuttable presumptions and the CPA provisions. The transcript ends during the HB 2320 hearing, with additional testimony panels still to come and no final committee action recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm in the trenches working with clients to document claims.
• These claims often remain open for a year or more, sometimes while the client is still receiving care
• This client had not used their PIP claim in over a year.
• This client had not used their PIP claim in over a year.
• PIP claim over a year. This is real work that takes real time, time away from patient care.

Bills: HB1496 , HB2182 , HB2196 , HB2242

Committee: House Health Care & Wellness

Keywords: patients' rights, healthcare information, medical confidentiality, health data security, healthcare access, abortion, medications, reproductive health, access, healthcare, PANDA, PANS, treatment access, mental health, legislation, preventive services, state authority, definitions clarification, public health, 904

Transcript Highlights:

• A civil action alleging a website access claim... So, let's go through it.
• A civil action alleging a website access claim is considered abusive only if, based on the totality of
• , but not the claim that's currently pending.
• , but not the claim that's currently pending.
• I think the idea here is that if you fix the problem, then you shouldn't have a claim. Okay.

Committee: House General Laws

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, that was part of the reforestation part of the claim.
• The HPCC Claims Office is unique to this disaster.
• FEMA: There's more than 70; 67 have been referred to the claims office.
• It got denied and referred to the claims office. Hasn't been paid yet.
• As Paula had mentioned, these claims get kicked back. We have to supply.

Committee: House House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• So I need is explain to me in layman's terms here, Senator Martin, when a claim of negligence is filed
• largely it will cause a mistrial if either lawyer gets into the fact that there was a prior adverse claim
• And then the second thing I want to point out is these are claims that have been substantiated. >> By
• The timeframe for an insurer to submit claims 4 h overpayments to a licensed psychologist with claims
• overpayments to a licensed psychologist with claims started on or after January one 2026.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> to claim or disclaim the property. to claim or disclaim the property. Hold<00:19:35.760><c> it.
• And and claim or disclaim a property.
• Uh because once once you claim property.
• </c><00:29:56.799><c> Um,</c><00:29:57.360><c> and</c> claim it later. Um, and claim it later.
• </c> Of time to claim or disclaim property.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> responsibilities of those claims. responsibilities of those claims.
• We have one claim, 69 policies at $3,000 a piece is $27,000. One claim in a year is $144,000.
• We have one claim, 69 policies at $3,000 a piece is $27,000. One claim in a year is $144,000.
• We have one claim, 69 policies at $3,000 a piece is $27,000. One claim in a year is $144,000.
• </c><01:03:24.400><c> are</c> five years of what those claims are five years of what those claims are

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Since the bill was introduced, nine new claims have been added, for a total of 17 claims for a total
• With the new claims, there are a total of 17 claims for a total amount of $5,091,200.
• Since the bill was introduced, nine new claims have been added, for a total of 17 claims for a total
• With the new claims, there are a total of 17 claims for a total amount of $5,091,200.
• </c> bill was introduced um nine new claims bill was introduced um nine new claims have<01:05:48.000>

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee met on February 12 at 2 p.m. and heard several measures related to corrections, re-entry, law enforcement, retirement benefits, and gun violence prevention. On HB 10002, which would extend the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission coordinator’s term and clarify unannounced inspection authority, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said it had no objection to the term length or to 24/7 unannounced access. The commission’s chair, Commissioner Mark Patterson, asked for a longer term, saying the commission needs more time and stability to manage reform efforts after years without staff during COVID. Community Alliance on Prisons and Carolyn Eaton also supported a longer term, with both suggesting six years would better insulate the position from politics. The chair noted he had asked Chair Bot for background on the prior committee’s changes and said that could be discussed during decision-making. The committee then heard HB 67, which would require DCR to help inmates obtain civil identification documents such as IDs, birth certificates, and Social Security cards as soon as practicable, including for people in furlough or community placement programs. DCR said it supported the bill and described ongoing work with the city and county on ID machines and with agencies on certificates and Social Security cards. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Oversight Commission, Community Alliance on Prisons, and the Office of Public Defense all supported the measure, emphasizing that identification is essential for housing, employment, and successful re-entry and noting the disproportionate impact of incarceration on Native Hawaiians. On HB 1183, which would classify certain law enforcement administrators and Department of Law Enforcement employees as Class A members for retirement purposes, the Department of Human Resources Development, the Employees’ Retirement System, and the Department of Law Enforcement all supported the bill. DHRD said it would help recruitment and retention, ERS said it had technical amendments to suggest, and DLE said the change would help with succession planning and allow the governor to appoint the most qualified leader. The committee also heard HB 1045, an emergency appropriation bill to cover payroll fringe benefits for Department of Law Enforcement personnel after salary funding had been shifted to other departments; Budget and Finance and DLE explained the need for the supplemental funding, and no opposition was noted. Finally, the committee took up HB 664, which would create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention, a grant program, a resource bank, and a special fund. The Attorney General recommended adding standards for grant awards and warned of overlap with the existing Gun Violence and Violent Crimes Commission, suggesting consolidation and repeal of the older commission to avoid duplication. Supporters included the Brady Campaign, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action Hawaii, a physician, and an Army veteran, who argued the office would centralize data, coordinate prevention efforts, and help secure outside funding. Testimony was mixed, with the chair noting 37 supporters, nine opponents, and three commenters, but no vote was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• ATTORNEY GENERAL JAMED UTHMEIER MET WITH SATEEN ON AT LEAST THREE OCCASIONS TO DISCUSS THE STATE'S CLAIMS
• THEIR LETTER THEY IDENTIFIED DIFFERENT LINES OF SERVICES IN FLORIDA FOR WHICH THE STATE MAY HAVE HAD A CLAIM
• THE STATE NOTIFIED LISTER AND DIAZ THAT THEY WOULD BE TERMINATING THEIR AGREEMENT IN HANDLING THE CLAIM
• ANY STATE AGENCY OR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE TO THIS POINT IT APPEARS NOTHING HAPPENED ON THIS CLAIM
• NOTABLY THE STATE REMOVED THE CLAIMS FROM FLORIDA HEALTHY KIDS FROM THE FINAL SETTLEMENT.

Transcript Highlights:

• activity, wholly unfamiliar to other situations where an executive branch constitutional officer claims
• to put forward in this so-called report that Senator Sinykin and I only received yesterday that you claim
• Taxpayer dollars should not be used to chase unfounded claims or manufacture controversy in hopes to
• And, you know, there were, again, claims of these are bread and butter issues... ...and, you know, there
• were, again, claims of these are bread-and-butter issues.

Committee: Senate Senate Special Committee on Oversight of the Department of Justice

Keywords: 970, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When damages are under $5,000, he can take a case to small claims court and represent himself without
• The system works... ...really well for small, very small claims.
• It raises the current small claims, which is essentially People's Court.
• So if I was a small claims operator, contractor, and the fee, or the amount that I was trying to collect
• that situation where you had $16,000, say, we pass this and make it law, you would file a $15,000 claim

Summary: The Idaho Judiciary and Rules and Administration Committee approved the minutes from March 19, 2026, and recognized page Obregon for his service, including remarks about his college plans and interest in law and public service. The chair presented him with a committee gift and signed card. The committee then heard House Bill 614, which Rep. Brandon Mitchell said would modernize Idaho’s mental health and developmental disability laws, update definitions to include neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, and create clearer pathways for treatment and civil commitment in cases where defendants are found incompetent and not restorable. Nez Perce County Chief Civil Deputy Prosecutor Travis Hartshorn testified in support, explaining that the bill addresses gaps in current law that can leave such individuals without a commitment option, especially in rural counties, and that the added sexual-offense language was intended to cover cases where harmful conduct is not strictly physical. After questions about guardianship boards and the scope of the problem, the committee voted to send HB 614 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. The committee also considered Senate Bill 1330 as amended, sponsored by Sen. Cody Galloway and Rep. John Schurz, which would raise Idaho’s small claims court limit from $5,000 to $15,000. Supporters said the increase would better reflect inflation and help small businesses and individuals resolve modest disputes without hiring attorneys. After a brief discussion, including a question about whether claimants could waive amounts above the new limit, the committee voted unanimously to send SB 1330 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. The chair then thanked members for their work and indicated the committee’s session work was concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• By Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee, Representative Maggard, C.S.
• By Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee, Representative Maggard, C.S.
• approved claims.
• My office saw more than 60,000 claims, but many of us each had our workload.
• So this bill, again, does not affect the person with a valid claim.

Summary: The House opened with prayer, a moment of silence for the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Joseph Di Alessandro, the Pledge of Allegiance, and announcements confirming a quorum. Members also adopted the special order report and recognized several guests in the gallery, including former Speaker Dan Webster and law enforcement and civic visitors. The chamber then moved through a long special-order calendar of bills, mostly on third reading, with several measures passing unanimously or by wide margins. Among the bills considered were measures on civil procedure and estates, including C.S. HB 1407 on commencement of civil actions, HB 895 on trustee settlement and discharge, C.S. HB 1337 on estates, HB 131 on curators of estates, and C.S. HB 351 on concurrent legislative jurisdiction over military installations. The House also passed C.S. HB 441 on conservation lands, which would lengthen notice and increase transparency for land swaps involving conservation property, and C.S. CS HB 919 on commercial service airports, which created a statutory definition for major airports and preempted local naming authority for several airports. HB 919 drew extensive debate over the proposed naming of Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald J. Trump, with amendments to delay or alter the naming failing before the bill passed. Other bills approved included HB 409 requiring K-12 schools to observe Veterans Day, CS HB 461 allowing certain students to volunteer at polling places for community service hours, CS HB 1115 creating grants for genetic counseling education, HB 569 revising forensic client services, CS HB 505 regulating virtual currency kiosks to address fraud, and HB 271 on foreign and alien bail bond insurers. The House also passed HB 191 on re-employment assistance eligibility verification after extended questioning about its effects on benefits, appeals, and suitable work standards. One bill, CS HB 243 on electric bicycles, was temporarily postponed, and CS HB 1073 on school districts was also postponed.

Transcript Highlights:

• planning for the future is resolving our Indian water rights settlements and resolving the water rights claims
• Right now, we're working on negotiating their claims from Cochiti to Isleta.
• We have some more momentum to ensure, similarly, for some water rights claims in Utah that the Navajo
• We have almost 700 million for Owinge's claims on the Rio Chava, over 700 million. So we have.
• We are trying the claims of the Navajo Nation within the Zuni River Store system.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have a lot of edits in our claim system.
• So in our claim system, we have automatic edits and audits, as we call them, that will make sure a claim
• The MCOs have similar standards in their claim systems.
• We have subrogation claims.
• Almost overnight, new claims increased to unimaginable levels.

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee met to hear interim charges on higher education transparency and on preventing fraud, waste, and abuse in state government. The chair emphasized accountability for taxpayer dollars and asked witnesses to address financial reporting, audit practices, and whether more frequent or comprehensive audits would improve oversight. Legislative Budget Board staff described how public university systems and most community colleges respond to requests about internal audit practices, noting that university systems generally follow a similar annual audit timeline and that community colleges use a more varied mix of internal and external audit arrangements. Members focused on gaps in reporting, especially Texas Southern University’s missing submissions for several years and Collin County Community College’s nonresponse to the LBB survey. The State Auditor’s Office then outlined its higher education audit work, including mandatory statewide single audits, DEI compliance audits, HUB and State Use Program audits, benefits proportional audits, and discretionary audits based on risk. The auditor said the office has released 43 higher-ed audit reports since fiscal year 2021 and has two audits in progress, and explained that internal audit reports from institutions help guide future audit selection. Senators pressed the office on the lack of enforcement authority, the value of internal auditors at each institution, and whether community colleges should have more standardized reporting and audit requirements. The auditor and general counsel said the SAO can refer suspected fraud to law enforcement but cannot itself enforce findings, while several senators suggested stronger clawback authority and more robust internal audit structures. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board explained that it collects annual financial reports, sources-and-uses data, and community college finance reports, and uses them for funding formulas and other reporting. It also trains governing board members and said it has limited regulatory authority, though community colleges must certify compliance annually and can lose eligibility for state funds if they do not. Members questioned the reliability of self-attested data, the adequacy of board training, and whether a single reporting structure would be more efficient. During public testimony, a ScholarShot representative argued for clearer, student-facing financial transparency so students can see total cost of attendance and the gap they must cover before enrolling.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> claims about uh abuse there. claims about uh abuse there.
• There is a big difference between a claim and a settlement.
• </c> each of these claims each of these claims for<00:51:16.400><c> legitimacy.
• </c> Youth Development Center Claims Youth Development Center Claims Administration<00:59:07.080><c>
• </c><01:08:34.200><c> against</c> federal funds that we can claim against federal funds that we can claim

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: Division Three of the Finance Committee met in work session on April 20, 2026, to consider Senate Bills 481, 603, and 663, with the discussion focused primarily on SB 481, relative to the sale of the Sununu Youth Services Center property. The chair explained that the bill was advisory only and that the committee’s recommendations would go to full Finance on April 27. For SB 481, members reviewed conflicting provisions in the prior budget law about whether sale proceeds should go to the general fund or the Youth Development Center Claims and Administration Settlement Fund, and the bill was described as a compromise that would direct proceeds to the general fund before June 30, 2027, and to the settlement fund after that date. It was noted that the settlement fund had originally received about $20 million and had roughly $10 million remaining. The committee also received an extensive update from DCYF Director Marie Noonan on the new Youth Development Center in Hampstead. She reported that construction remained on schedule, with major structural and interior work complete, substantial completion expected in late summer or early fall 2026, and occupancy anticipated in early 2027. The presentation highlighted the facility’s design features, including single-occupancy bedrooms, sensory rooms, an education wing, medical and clinical suites, visitation space, a gym, and multiple outdoor courtyards, all intended to support a trauma-informed setting. Members asked about the facility’s funding, square footage, fencing, and scanner; staff said the building is about 34,000 square feet, funded entirely with federal ARPA state recovery funds to date, and that the scanner is on site but not yet operational pending policy and staff training. Committee members also raised concerns about the facility’s design and security. In response, DCYF said some concrete walls are required for structural and safety reasons, but they are being painted to maintain a brighter environment, and that the fencing will be about 15 feet high with privacy netting because the campus is shared with Hampstead. Officials said the new facility is legislatively limited to a maximum of 12 youth, while the current center can house 12 to 18, and emphasized that courts ultimately determine placements. No votes or final actions were taken during the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:37:18.960><c> cost</c> um start with uh claim cost um start with uh claim cost uh<00:37:20.880
• :37:22.720><c> the</c> uh claim cost calculation for the uh claim cost calculation for the impact.<00
• </c> several different tables here for claim several different tables here for claim costs<00:41:32.079
• I see. claim cost impact uh both on a PMP and claim cost impact uh both on a PMP and percentage<00:43
• ,</c><01:32:09.679><c> and</c> education costs, disability claims, and education costs, disability claims

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:00:23 Kentucky Bankers Association 00:02:32 How to Read and Understand KRS 6.948 Health Mandate and Federal Cost Defrayal Impact Statements 00:25:40 Proposed Amendments to Kentucky's Essential Health Benefit-Benchmark Plan 00:50:18 Proposed Health Insurance Legislation for the 2026 Session 01:04:22 Reimbursement for Covered Benefits Delivered Through the Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model 01:01:46 Coverage of Eating or Feeding Disorders 01:18:47 Coverage of Hearing Loss 01:25:31, 958, all

Summary: The Interim Joint Committee on Banking and Insurance met for its first interim meeting, established a quorum, approved routine opening items, and welcomed a new committee assistant and a legislative intern. The committee first heard a Kentucky Bankers Association presentation from Tim Shank and John Cooper focused on the state’s housing shortage, which they described as affecting all 120 counties and especially low- and moderate-income and workforce housing. They urged support for a proposed $20 million banker-backed revolving fund, paired with tax credits, to finance new housing construction; they said the program would be flexible, could support alternatives such as manufactured housing, and would use below-market loans with tax credits vesting over five years only after units are completed. They also asked for extension of the historical tax credit carryforward from five to seven years and for continued support of new market tax credits, arguing that supply-chain delays make the longer period necessary for historic rehabilitation projects. The bankers also raised concerns about credit unions, arguing that because credit unions do not pay the same taxes as banks, they should not be allowed to acquire healthy state-chartered banks or hold state and local deposits. They cited the recent purchase of First State Bank of Middlesborough as an example, saying the transaction would reduce state, county, and city tax revenue and weaken local tax bases. In response to committee questions, the presenters said local regulations, zoning, parking, sidewalk, and utility easement issues can significantly delay housing projects, and they emphasized that state policy and infrastructure support are needed to help address affordability and development barriers. The committee then shifted to a Department of Insurance presentation by Commissioner Sharon Clark on how to read KRS 6.948 health mandate and federal cost defrayal impact statements. Clark explained that the mandate statements were created in 1998 so legislators would have actuarial estimates of how proposed health insurance mandates would affect administrative costs, premiums, and total costs, and she noted that later legislation added federal cost-defrayal analysis. She also reviewed the background of the Affordable Care Act’s essential health benefits framework and said the department’s statements are intended to help lawmakers make informed decisions on proposed health coverage mandates. No votes or formal actions were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.