Transcript Highlights:

• We will be kind of reverse engineering that back to the training completion and so on.
• Do we feel like the training, is this short-term training or long-term training?
• Or what's the term of the training? Is it six months, three months?
• Do we feel like the training, is this short-term training or long-term training?
• Or what's the term of the training? Is it six months, three months?

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee met on May 18, 2026, with eight members present and began by noting the state’s projected REC budget deficit and the need to consider fiscal impacts carefully. The committee first advanced HB 12, which extends the $250,000 surviving spouse benefit to reserve officers killed in the line of duty. Members noted the bill is prospective and that it draws from the same capped fund as other related bills, but it was reported favorable without opposition. The committee also adopted an amendment and reported HB 874 favorable as amended; the bill allows colleges, technical schools, the Louisiana Bar Association, and additional credentials to be added to LA Wallet, with the amendment changing mandatory language to permissive language. HB 951 was then reported favorable, creating an employer-facing workforce unit within Louisiana Works, to be funded through repurposed state and federal funds and existing staff, with a floor amendment expected to rename the unit. The committee also reported HB 979 favorable with amendments after reducing the proposed increase in survivor benefits because members learned several bills were drawing from the same $5 million fund, and HB 1193 favorable as amended, after striking a section that would have extended IDIQ authority to supply contracts for CPR. The committee then heard HB 909, which would require commercial payers to cover behavioral health crisis services. Representative Spell and LDH officials said the measure is intended to support crisis response centers and steer patients away from emergency rooms when appropriate, and they testified that it should be cost-neutral or absorbed within existing funding. Despite concerns raised by Senator Andrews about premiums, the bill was reported favorable after discussion of its potential savings and a possible pilot in Acadiana. HB 222, requiring Medicaid to cover dental procedures when needed to complete another medically covered procedure, was also reported favorable; LDH said it would absorb the cost within its existing budget and draw down federal matching funds. HB 291, which prevents health plans from penalizing hospitals when an out-of-network physician is involved in an otherwise covered hospital service, generated extensive debate over a disputed fiscal note and the No Surprises Act. OGB officials said any network “leakage” could cost the plan money, while supporters argued the policy is preventative and that the fiscal estimates were speculative. The committee adopted amendment 3941 to exempt OGB from the bill, then reported HB 291 favorable as amended. Later, the committee took up HB 145, which expands the authority of the law enforcement and firefighter survivor benefit board to cover extraordinary medical and dental expenses. Because members learned it also draws from the same fund as HB 12 and HB 979, an amendment reduced the amount from $50,000 to $25,000, and the bill was reported favorable as amended. HB 430, a local bill for Lafayette to continue paying health insurance costs for surviving families of fallen officers until Medicare eligibility, was reported favorable. Finally, HB 821, which establishes the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools within the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement Administration and transfers related duties from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, was introduced and discussed as a move with a one-time general fund expenditure already included in HB 1. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our community-based organizations with limited resources having a reimbursement payment method caused
• You have all the information for reimbursement or a disbursement.
• We're in training with the entities that we're working with, and internally and externally.
• Yes, I'm wondering, did this whole project require training or retraining of personnel?
• I was wondering if there's some type of training somewhere to show them or teach them.

Transcript Highlights:

• My nonprofit is certified by the Department of Health to do the trainings.
• Happens with the Medicaid reimbursement.
• So there is not just one avenue of people being able to get trained.
• Therefore, this is a reimbursement, but it's going to be a cash facility.
• They're Actually, easier to train than ranchers. No, I guess.

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

Transcript Highlights:

• This includes training, practical tools, and ongoing support to assist our members.
• This includes our county partners through comprehensive training, monthly work groups, and additional
• And that is going to either cost us because now we have to reimburse the care in those clinics or, if
• I'm going to ask how HR 1 affects the reimbursements and their federal funding for Medi-Cal. Okay.
• I'm going to ask how HR1 affects the reimbursements in their federal funding for Medi-Cal. the reimbursements

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on the impacts of H.R. 1 and related federal actions on Covered California, Medi-Cal, and immigrant access to care. The chair framed the discussion around three main issues: expected losses in marketplace coverage as enhanced federal premium subsidies expire, new federal work and renewal requirements that would add administrative burden to Medi-Cal, and the loss of eligibility for certain lawfully present immigrants. Covered California testified that H.R. 1 and new federal rules, combined with the end of enhanced premium tax credits, are driving higher premiums, lower new enrollment, and more cancellations, especially among middle-income, Latino, and Black enrollees. The agency said California’s $190 million state subsidy program is helping lower-income enrollees but cannot replace the lost federal assistance, and it noted that roughly 120,000 lawfully present immigrants in Covered California will lose federal tax credits in 2027. On Medi-Cal, the Department of Health Care Services said H.R. 1 will require work and community engagement verification, six-month renewals for certain adults, and other changes that the department expects will reduce enrollment substantially. DHCS estimated 233,000 members could lose coverage by June 2027 from the work requirement and 289,000 from six-month renewals, with losses rising much higher by 2028; it also said it is using automation, outreach, clinic navigators, coverage ambassadors, community health workers, and street medicine providers to reduce procedural disenrollments. The department described a two-phase outreach plan and said it is working with counties on implementation, while the Department of Finance said the Governor’s budget maintains $190 million for the state subsidy program and does not propose additional changes at this time. The LAO said its independent forecast is somewhat higher than the administration’s, estimating about 2.1 million fewer Medi-Cal enrollees by June 2028, and urged the Legislature to review county administrative workload and readiness. Public testimony and member comments focused on the human and fiscal consequences of coverage losses. A representative from the Sacramento Native American Health Center warned that reduced reimbursement and coverage losses would destabilize community health centers, increase uncompensated care, and worsen outcomes by pushing patients into emergency care. Members raised concerns about paperwork burdens, county capacity, outreach effectiveness, and whether the state should do more to preserve coverage, including possible modeling of additional H-CARF spending and support for middle-income consumers and immigrant enrollees. The hearing did not take any votes or formal actions, but it ended with public comment and continued discussion of implementation and budget options.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sabara to the Health Care Workforce Training Commission. I move due pass, Mr. Chairman.
• If you look to to replace himself on the Health Care Workforce Training Commission.
• Sabara to the Health Care Workforce Training Force. I move due pass, Mr.
• One of the things that they talked about was funding and reimbursement.
• a clear path to reimbursement of whatever the state does contribute.

Bills: HB3767 , HB3934 , HB4199 , HB4336 , HB2947 , HB3834 , HB4302 , HB4095 , HB3287 , HB3649 , HB4430 , HB4431 , HB2059 , HB3647

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: controlled dangerous substances, controlled substances, drug scheduling, Schedule I, Schedule IV, anti-drug diversion, drug diversion, synthetic opioids, fentanyl analogs, designer drugs, synthetic cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, benzodiazepine analogs, opioids, hallucinogens, depressants, pharmacy regulation, narcotics control, Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, DEA scheduling

Summary: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee first considered three executive nominations. Shonda Lasseter was reappointed to the State Board of Pharmacy, with discussion focused on pharmacy staffing shortages, PBMs, and broader health care workforce challenges; she was advanced 11-0. Dr. Lane Sabara was renominated to the Health Care Workforce Training Commission, where members discussed rural physician shortages and training pipelines; he was advanced 12-0. Dr. Paul Wright was nominated to fill an unexpired term on the same commission and was advanced 12-0 after questions about his availability and experience supporting rural medicine. The committee then heard several health-related bills. HB 3767, which adds 14 chemicals used to enhance fentanyl to Oklahoma’s controlled substances schedules, advanced 10-0. HB 3934, a dentistry workforce and cleanup bill updating insurance-claim and billing language, advanced 11-0. HB 4199, creating a three-year tri-share workforce pilot program for the Department of Commerce, was amended to change eligibility language and then advanced 9-2. HB 2947, allowing supervised behavioral health interns to bill Medicaid, advanced 10-1. HB 3834, authorizing the Department of Health to begin stage-one clinical trials for ibogaine and creating a revolving fund for that purpose, drew extensive testimony about veteran and first responder treatment, safety, funding, and state liability, and advanced 10-2. Additional measures also moved forward. HB 4302, after amendment, advanced 12-0 on a juvenile oversight reporting and law enforcement notification issue. Committee member bills included HB 495, reinstating the 211 Collaborative advisory council, which advanced 11-0; HB 3287, requiring domestic violence and human trafficking signage in health facilities, which advanced 11-0; HB 3649, allowing the Mental Health Department to sell underused property and keep the proceeds in its trust, which advanced 12-0 after amendment; HB 4430, clarifying malpractice coverage for APRNs and PAs at state facilities, which advanced 12-0; HB 2059, creating a mechanism to reimburse medication costs for incarcerated people in county and municipal jails, which advanced 12-0 after questions about continuity of care; and HB 3647, creating an all-payer claims database and transparency board, which advanced 10-2. The committee adjourned after announcing another meeting the following week.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to research approaches to increasing schools claiming for federal reimbursement.
• Because the more federal reimbursement that comes through, the better.
• We have several of our lawyers embedded in children's health care facilities, so we regularly train,
• You'll see in a minute that mostly focuses on private providers and training staff to use those.
• What kind of evidence-based interventions and trainings happening now in the state at schools?

Keywords: 962, all

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the May minutes and then moved into administrative updates on several 2025 legislative workstreams. Staff reported progress on two marketing efforts tied to the youth mental health crisis: one focused on increasing awareness and use of urgent crisis centers, and another broader crisis-continuum campaign led by United Way. Both projects are refining materials based on working-group feedback and aim to have materials ready before the start of the school year. Updates were also given on the UCC private insurance review and the crisis continuum review, both of which are gathering data and reconvening working groups over the summer. The main discussion centered on a Civic Solutions Group update on Medicaid school billing. The contractor explained that the project is examining why Connecticut schools are not billing for behavioral health and related services, with the goal of maximizing federal reimbursement. Members clarified that the study is about schools billing for services, not private providers billing in schools. Questions focused on whether Medicaid has caps or authorization issues when students receive services both in school and in the community, and whether recent federal or state changes affect billing. The contractor said the work is still in data collection and analysis, and that some issues, such as reauthorization procedures, were outside his scope. Participants also raised concerns about perceived barriers, fee-for-service limitations, and the need to distinguish school-based billing from provider billing. A second major presentation came from Disability Rights Connecticut on a separate legislative study concerning behavioral health issues affecting students receiving special education. The subgroup is examining the feasibility and impact of requiring evidence-based interventions, especially for challenging behaviors that can lead to restraint and seclusion, and is also looking at monitoring and random audits of restraint and seclusion practices. The team described its project plan, including literature reviews, interviews, focus groups, surveys, and data requests from the State Department of Education and other stakeholders. Members emphasized that the work is aimed primarily at private providers under the statute, but may have broader relevance. Questions from the group focused on whether the study would include public schools, how evidence-based practices apply to students with intellectual disabilities and autism, and whether caregivers or parents would be interviewed; the presenters said caregiver input is not currently part of the charge. The meeting ended with reminders about the July 15 meeting, which will include a Solnit briefing, and a note that August TCB meetings will not be held, though a workshop on the Connecticut Children’s Behavioral Health Provider Survey is being planned for late July or early August.

Transcript Highlights:

• Service was dismal, the training was dismal.
• No higher reimbursements for affiliates?
• Senator Werner, would training just be more helpful and all?
• This means that your facility is operating without any reimbursement.
• A forensic interview is done by trained forensic interviewers; the training is actually in statute, so

Committee: House House Health & Human Services Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee heard several bills related to radiation protection in cardiac catheterization labs and later a stem cell/regenerative therapy bill. On SB 1121, which would allow hospitals with radiation protection systems to let clinicians forgo lead aprons if they work in the designated safety area and use real-time dosimetry, testimony was largely supportive or neutral after a late amendment gave radiation safety officers discretion to require protective gear if exposures approach thresholds. The committee adopted the amendment and passed SB 1121 on a 9-1 vote. SB 1120, a more prescriptive bill requiring at least 50% of cath lab rooms in hospitals to be equipped with the radiation protection system, drew divided testimony: sponsors and several physicians argued it would reduce orthopedic injury and radiation exposure and improve recruitment and retention, while hospital and radiology groups objected to the mandate, cost, limited vendor pool, and lack of clarity in the bill’s definitions. After adopting an amendment excluding children’s hospitals, the committee deadlocked 6-6 and SB 1120 failed to pass. The committee then considered SB 1118, which would appropriate $3 million to help rural hospitals install radiation protection systems in cath lab rooms. The sponsor said the funding would help rural facilities meet the same safety goals, and the committee passed the bill 6-5. The committee also heard SB 1214, a “guardrails” bill regulating non-FDA-approved stem cell and regenerative therapies, requiring informed consent, sourcing and reporting standards, advertising limits, and civil penalties for violations. Supporters said it would protect patients while allowing access to promising therapies; some members raised concerns about evidence and commercialization, but after adopting a technical amendment, the bill passed 9-3. The transcript ended as the committee moved on to SB 1630, which would seek federal approval for a home- and community-based service benefit for adults with serious mental illness; the sponsor described it as a capped, Medicaid-based community care option, and Access testified neutral while estimating a fiscal impact, but no final action on SB 1630 appears in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first being those federal reimbursements.
• Reimbursement models were there were some caution around them because of the lag for reimbursement, the
• Reimbursement.
• And when we did that analysis, the reimbursement if we were on CEP was 104,768.54, But our actual reimbursement
• >> That that's just on the federal reimbursement. Those are only the federal reimbursement numbers.

Committee: Joint Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> those be um be um Medicaid reimburse those be um be um Medicaid reimburse potentially<00:41:02.720
• </c> potentially Medicaid reimburseable. potentially Medicaid reimburseable.
• </c> for CAT uh CAT aid reimbursement. for CAT uh CAT aid reimbursement.
• </c> getting reimbursement for Medicaid. getting reimbursement for Medicaid.
• </c> reimbursement for that. reimbursement for that. Represent<02:12:05.280><c> Peoples.</c> Yeah.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee met to begin work on HB 742, which would require catastrophic special education aid to be drawn from the education trust fund, and more broadly to study special education aid/differentiated aid and related costing issues. The chair said the group was starting early because the issue has been debated for years without resolution, local districts are being forced to absorb prorated costs, and the committee wants to send the Department of Education and HHS Medicaid a clear request for data and recommendations before retained bills return in the fall. A committee clerk was also selected, with Representative Reverend volunteering to take notes for the meeting. Members reviewed background materials on special education enrollment, high-cost students, and possible funding formulas, including data on students in high-cost brackets and prior ideas such as category-based funding and caseload-based approaches. The chair also referenced research on other states, including Arkansas, which uses a different special education funding structure and audits IEPs. The committee emphasized that it was focused on the funding mechanics and costs, not on questioning whether services should be provided. Henry Lipman of HHS explained how Medicaid-to-schools currently works in New Hampshire. He said 172 school districts participate, but utilization dropped during the pandemic and remains below historical levels, in part because districts need the capacity to bill Medicaid. Under the current system, schools receive reimbursement based on half of the Medicaid fee schedule, with the school district effectively providing the state share. He said the federal government is requiring a shift by July 1, 2026, to a true certified public expenditure model based on actual costs, which should allow schools to recover 50% of their true costs and some administrative overhead. The department has received a roughly $2.5 million grant to hire a vendor and support districts through the transition, and an RFP and stakeholder meetings are underway. Committee members asked about how costs would be determined, whether the new system would use actual district-specific costs rather than averages, and how the department would support districts that do not currently participate. Lipman said the cost model would be based on each district’s own reasonable costs, subject to audit standards, and that the department expects to provide templates and technical assistance through the vendor because its staff is limited. He also said about one in four New Hampshire children are enrolled in Medicaid, that child enrollment has been relatively stable, and that continuous coverage rules should reduce churn. No votes or formal actions on HB 742 were taken during the meeting beyond organizing the subcommittee and beginning testimony and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• We started with claiming reimbursements for Medicaid. It was a year earlier than projected.
• “We weren’t able to get federal reimbursement, and so we had enough empty beds in the system.
• Eligible for medical reimbursement.
• Medi-Cal is federal reimbursement. It's federal. Medi-Cal is federal reimbursement.
• Joining me is Dr. ...for training, travel, and public meetings that are required by law.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the Texas Workforce Training Program.
• We provide support and training to all individuals.
• I've used some of y'all services actually for training purposes.
• Why doesn't TWC reimburse? you at your full published tuition rates.
• What's the normal time frame that you get reimbursed?

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles VI, VII, & VIII

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They invest in training and equipment, but when it comes to warranty work, they are reimbursed at a level
• They invest in training and equipment, but when it comes to warranty work, they are reimbursed at a level
• So is their reimbursement rate different? The system of reimbursing? I don't think that they're...
• We buy the part, we get reimbursed for the part.
• Reimbursed for the part.

Committee: House Emerging Issues and Professional Registration

Summary: The committee first met in executive session and adopted House Committee Substitutes, then passed several bills by roll call vote. HCS for House Bills 1746 and 1769 was adopted and then voted do pass by 10-0. HCS for House Bill 3005 was adopted and passed 10-0 after the sponsor explained it removed a sentence requiring specific local review boards in library appeals processes. HCS for House Bills 1717 and 1643, dealing with alternative therapies, passed 7-2 with two present. HCS for House Bills 2817 and 2961 passed 8-1 with two present. HCS for House Bills 2035 and 2350 passed 10-0 with one present after a brief question about statutory citations. HCS for House Bills 1887, 2361, 1913, 2862, and 2321, a combined bill package, also passed 10-0 after members discussed digital depiction language and written victim request provisions. The committee then held a public hearing on House Bill 1914, which would change Missouri’s franchise law on warranty and recall reimbursement for auto dealers. Rep. David Castile presented the bill as a fairness measure, arguing manufacturers should pay dealers market-rate labor and parts reimbursement and that current warranty work often loses money for dealers and hurts service access. Supporters, including several dealers and technicians, said manufacturer time guides underpay warranty work, that the bill would help retain technicians, and that current appeal processes are cumbersome and time-consuming. They described large gaps between warranty and customer-pay labor times and said technicians often invest heavily in tools and training. Opponents, including the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Toyota, General Motors, Ford, and business groups, argued the bill would raise costs for consumers, amount to a large increase in dealer compensation, and interfere with existing contracts. They said manufacturers already provide a process for requesting additional time, that most requests are approved, and that warranty work remains a profitable captive source of business for dealers. Several witnesses also argued the bill would not directly raise technician wages because technicians are employed by dealers, not manufacturers, and suggested broader competition or allowing independent repair shops instead. The hearing featured extensive questioning about recall versus warranty work, labor time guides, documentation requirements, and whether the legislature should be involved in these franchise disputes.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's an eight-hour training.
• The jail enforcement model is a four-week training in South Carolina.
• Again, we're reimbursed for the training, but they're not reimbursed for the travel cost of per diem
• backfill and things like that, something they can't reimburse over $100,000.
• He said the training was done online.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Pharmacists are highly trained experts trained with a professional Doctor of Pharmacy degree, known as
• ><c> a</c><00:56:26.240><c> professional</c> experts trained with a professional experts trained with
• </c><01:11:19.000><c> fairly,</c> ensurearmacies are reimbursed fairly, ensurearmacies are reimbursed
• </c> purchase invoice is used to reimburse purchase invoice is used to reimburse the<01:22:11.520><c>
• </c><01:27:01.679><c> to</c><01:27:01.920><c> our</c> cost reimbursements to our cost reimbursements

Committee: House Health Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Wiconda in different places where the train used to stop back in the day.
• She’s the director for Missouri One Start, our premier training program.
• The Missouri One Start Community College Training Program provides training to workers normally associated
• eligible training costs.
• The upskill credential training program is the competitive grant that provides resources to reimburse

Summary: The House Budget Committee heard the Department of Economic Development’s fiscal year 2027 budget presentation, beginning with Director Michelle Hadaway and division leaders. The department emphasized that most of its budget is federally funded and walked through requests for regional engagement, international trade and investment offices, business recruitment and marketing, Delta Regional Authority dues, business and community solutions, tax increment financing, MODESA, DRPP, CDBG, disaster recovery, Missouri Main Street, AmeriCorps, Missouri One Start, the Missouri Technology Corporation, semiconductor and API reshoring efforts, SSBCI, and other economic development items. Members repeatedly asked about lapses, one-time appropriations, whether general revenue could be reduced or replaced with other funds, and how the department prioritizes federal and other non-GR sources. Several members also praised regional engagement, Missouri Partnership, and rural economic development efforts. A major portion of the discussion focused on specific one-time or performance-based projects. Members questioned the large GR transfer for TIFs and MODESA, the use of funds for the Urban League plaza renovation, the Northeast Missouri housing fund, the Highway MM corridor, and the Missouri Technology Corporation. Department witnesses explained that many of these amounts are based on projected performance or are tied to multi-year obligations, and that some unspent balances reflect project timing, federal reimbursement timing, or delayed construction. The committee also discussed the Missouri Main Street program, with staff explaining it supports both new and existing Main Street communities and can be adapted for county-wide models. The committee spent significant time on workforce and innovation programs. Missouri One Start described its customized training and upskilling programs, including a statutory fund switch to align with existing law, while members asked for more data on participation and impact. Missouri Technology Corporation explained that reduced funding last year limited some entrepreneur-support programs, and that its venture fund has leveraged state dollars into private capital and jobs. Members also discussed the API reshoring item and semiconductor funding, asking what the money would do, what companies would benefit, and how much federal leverage the state could expect. Witnesses said the API request supports a nonprofit center working with existing Missouri companies to reshore pharmaceutical production, while the semiconductor item is tied to federal matching opportunities that have moved slowly. The committee did not take final action on the budget during the portion of the hearing provided. The chair recessed the committee to go to session, stating that the hearing would resume afterward and that public testimony on House Bill 2007 would follow completion of the department presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• medical graduate training grants.
• . um rural training education grants. um rural training tracks<00:43:13.920><c> and</c><00:43:14.160>
• </c> international medical graduate training international medical graduate training grants.<00:43:18.880
• </c> reimbursed by MCO contracted PBMs. reimbursed by MCO contracted PBMs.
• </c> often leading to total reimbursements often leading to total reimbursements that<00:56:20.240><c

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I'm assuming that, with no FTEs, we're going to be training people that we already have—training the
• , train me new tricks.
• So that training will happen.
• That would also be a 75% reimbursement.
• We will not get reimbursement on that.

Committee: House Budget

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• only allowed for reimbursement of PEBB, not Medicare.
• So they went from being fully reimbursed to not being reimbursed for their Medicare premium.
• only allowed for reimbursement of PEBB, not Medicare.
• So they went from being fully reimbursed to not being reimbursed for their Medicare premium.
• And so we had members contacting us who had paid those premium reimbursements.

Committee: Joint Select Committee on Pension Policy

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The funding will support voter education and training programs for election officials and poll workers
• Again, this would require significant staff increases and enhancing training to be able to recognize
• training and materials to each of the 58 counties.
• I'm a PhD trained research scientist.
• CalHR is not able to reimburse us for this time. Thank you.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Telehealth payment parity or reimbursement requirements like those added by AB 744 Telehealth payment
• parity or reimbursement requirements, like those added by AB 744, take that a step further, ensuring
• It should be reimbursed at the same rate.
• no differently than how they reimburse for in-person services.
• is sort of my area of expertise where reimbursement is a topic across many different areas.

Committee: House Health

Keywords: 988, house, all