Video & Transcript Research : 'binding determination'
Page 89 of 500
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Senate Standing Committee on Education (3-10-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- Um, that process is determined by the board, um, but at the sort of year-by-year level, um, that's, I
- Um, that process is determined by the board, um, but at the sort of year-by-year level, um, that's, I
- <00:57:47.359>
to <00:57:47.480>be that we believe will be determined to be that we - <01:10:46.040>
how consultation was to try to determine how consultation was to try to determine - because again those are determinations because again those are determinations that<01:14:35.080>
Summary:
The Senate Education Committee met with a quorum and first considered two concurrent resolutions. SCR 76, sponsored by Sen. Amanda Bledsoe, would create a Kentucky School for the Deaf Governance Task Force to examine the school’s future governance and its relationship with the Kentucky Department of Education. Bledsoe described the school’s long history and said the task force would give the small deaf-school community more voice. The committee adopted the resolution unanimously with favorable expression.
The committee then took up SCR 131, sponsored by Sen. Max Wise, to continue the Efficient and Effective Districts Task Force from 2024. Wise said the prior task force met about 10 times and focused on student achievement and district policy, and the new version would continue that work as a legislature-only task force. The resolution passed unanimously with favorable expression.
Members next considered HB 240 on primary school promotion. Rep. Truitt explained that the bill would require students who are not ready in kindergarten to repeat kindergarten, while a committee substitute softened the approach by allowing a school to hold a child back in kindergarten but requiring action in first grade. He said the bill aligns with existing reading-screening efforts and is intended to strengthen early literacy foundations. The committee adopted the substitute and passed the bill unanimously with favorable expression; Sen. Williams briefly explained his support as favoring performance-based advancement.
The committee also approved HB 298, which would change the identification of schools for comprehensive support and improvement from every three years to annually, require KDE recommendations during management audits, add professional development in reading and math, and require effective instructional resources. The committee substitute also allowed districts with multiple CSI schools to contract for a turnaround vendor. The bill additionally carried employee-misconduct provisions from prior sessions, including disclosure requirements for applicants; the only change discussed was removing the word “investigation” from one disclosure section. HB 298 passed unanimously with favorable expression, and the committee also adopted a title amendment.
Finally, the committee heard HB 424 on employment at public postsecondary institutions. Rep. Tipton said the bill would require performance and productivity reviews for faculty at least every four years, clarify appointment and removal authority for presidents at certain institutions, and expand “cause” for dismissal to include failure to meet performance and productivity requirements. Dr. Ray Horton, speaking for faculty groups, proposed a small substitute that would tie any performance measures to existing employment contracts to preserve academic integrity and avoid unintended changes to tenure processes. Members discussed how tenure works at Kentucky universities, and the committee was still in the middle of considering the proposed substitute when the transcript ended.
TX
Texas 89th Regular
89th Legislative Session - Second Called Session Aug 28th, 2025
Texas House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Who's going to make that determination? I mean, just if you...
- The determination of gender or sex is unclear. There are no provisions to prove this.
- How is that determination going to be made?
- Violating someone else's body through a strip search in order to make that determination?
- I trust our courts to determine.
Keywords:
sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, abortion, healthcare, jurisdiction, civil action, qui tam, prohibition, state law, youth camp, safety regulations, advisory committee, child welfare, health standards, summer camp, camp safety, child abuse reporting
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- That competency would be raised, and then once the person had an evaluation to determine they were not
if <00:24:26.120>competency <00:24:26.640>had <00:24:26.799>been to determine- if competency had been to determine if competency had been restored<00:24:27.799>
at <00:24:27.960 - He continues that the judge would already know the evidence in the case and could determine whether the
- through accident determine whether through accident mistake<01:04:12.200>
or <01:04:12.319>
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
HLT-HHS Joint Info Briefing - Fri Mar 6, 2026 @ 10:00 AM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- , bringing social determinants, bringing social determinants, health-related<00:29:42.160>
social - determinants of health and interventions and all of that.
- <01:00:29.360>
analyzing <01:00:29.840>the especially for determining analyzing the - especially for determining analyzing the social<01:00:30.240>
determinants <01:00:30.680>of - <01:00:30.840>
health <01:00:31.120>and social determinants of health and social determinants
Bills:
HB2246, HB2119, HB1929, HB1953, HB1572, HB2549, HB2594, HB2551, HB2595, HB2548, HB2459, HB1931, HB1604, HB1616, HB1736, HB2233, HB2241, HB1891, HB1803, HB2567, HB2534, HB2399, HB2172, HB1595, HB1811, HB2168, HB1780, HB1781, HB1785, HB2122, HB2012, HB2398, HB1779, HB2296, HB1894, HB1925, HB2019, HB1896, HB2294, HB2298, HB2300, HB2344, HB2345, HB2391, HB2037, HB2201, HB1941, HB1635, HB1943, HB2325, HB1926, HB2490, HB1710, HB2545, HB1976, HB2173, HB1804, HB1563, HB2015, HB1619, HB2475, HB1889, HB2367, HB2187, HB1765, HB1452, HB2231, HB1700, HB1705, HB1626, HB1897, HB1642, HB1523, HB2593, HB815, HB1655, HB1596, HB1732, HB1842, HB2476, HB2478, HB2022, HB1588, HB2575, HB1163, HB2153, HB772, HB1519, HB2050, HB2309, HB2147, HB2329, HB2274, HB2280, HB2547, HB2275, HB2452, HB2306, HB2148, HB2088, HB1764, HB2438, HB2117, HB1860, HB2604, HB2118, HB2017, HB2155, HB1832, HB2216, HB1601, HB1934, HB2297, HB2397, HB1893, HB2533, HB1890, HB2454, HB2004, HB2427, HB2207, HB1810, HB1840, HB1644, HB1645, HB1946, HB1648, HB2324, HB2323, HB1509, HB1514, HB1515, HB2164, HB2165, HB2283, HB1691, HB2386, HB2423, HB2121, HB1984, HB1593, HB1671, HB2619, HB1481, HB2314, HB2319, HB1643, HB2558, HB1864, HB1898, HB2214, HB2167, HB2488, HB2009, HB2007, HB322, HB1964, HB2218, HB2616, HB1535, HB1574, HB1977, HB2054, HB2046, HB146, HB2094, HB2181, HB2250, HB2515, HB2444, HB2385, HB1740, HB1724, HB1733, HB1799, HB1725, HB2049, HB2161, HB1970, HB2519, HB1790, HB2416, HB1873, HB2001, HB2151, HB1603, HB1880, HB1753, HB2198, HB1511, HB1991, HB2546, HB1615, HB1939, HB2140, HB2429, HB1870, HB1850, HB1782, HB2137
Keywords:
agriculture, federal grants, Hawaii, grant administration, revolving fund, department of agriculture and biosecurity, grant compliance, financial support, coffee, pest control, subsidy program, coffee berry borer, coffee leaf rust, economy, biosecurity, invasive species, Molokai, advisory board, quarantine, environmental protection
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses
Transcript Highlights:
- But it shouldn't determine their future, and that's what this bill is about.
- The question is, how do we overcome some of these social determinants?
- Because social determinants of health and social determinants of education, it all comes down to where
- The only thing that I'm a little bit confused on my part is how do we determine the general fund from
- I know it says include some of the state funding as well in here, but who determines how much you're
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business held its final hearing of the session on H. 5187 and S. 3022, the Enough Act, with Chair Andy Vargas and Senator Adam Gomez opening by thanking committee members and stakeholders for their work during the session. The bills were described as a grant-based, place-based anti-poverty initiative intended to support cradle-to-career services by funding local nonprofits, schools, community organizations, and backbone entities that can coordinate housing, education, health, workforce, and family supports in high-poverty neighborhoods.
Testimony was overwhelmingly in support of the bills. Speakers including Strategies for Children, Chelsea Public Schools, Bunker Hill Community College, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian, Rep. Antonio Cabral, the Harlem Children’s Zone’s Kwame Owusu Kesse and Jeffrey Canada, former Education Secretary Paul Reville, AFT Massachusetts, United Way, the Boston Foundation, Give Black Alliance, Eastern Bank Foundation, and others argued that poverty is a systems issue that schools alone cannot solve. They emphasized the need for local control, community voice, coordinated services, and long-term public-private investment, often citing examples from Chelsea, New Bedford, Springfield, Lowell, Boston, and other communities, as well as the Harlem Children’s Zone and Maryland’s similar model.
Committee members asked several questions about how the bill would function in practice, including what organizations would do on day one, how it would interact with existing efforts like community schools, McKinney-Vento, and the Student Opportunity Act, and how it would be sustained over time. Witnesses said the act would help create or strengthen backbone organizations, reduce duplication, align existing resources, and leverage philanthropy and future revenue sources for long-term sustainability. No vote was taken during the hearing, but multiple speakers urged the committee to report the bill favorably and quickly.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Surveillance-based price and wage discrimination prohibited 3/4/26
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- in complete control of the information and data that consumers or workers would need in order to determine
- and they are putting billions of dollars in investments in pricing technology and experiments to determine
- order to determine if this is happening. order to determine if this is happening.
- <00:03:49.120>
how <00:03:49.360>much the AI tool to determine how much the AI tool - to determine how much they're<00:03:49.840>
willing <00:03:50.159>to <00:03:50.400>
Summary:
House File 3794, as amended by the A4 amendment, was heard in committee. Representative Greenman described the bill as a ban on surveillance-based pricing and wage discrimination, with a disclosure requirement for companies using automated data to set individualized prices or wages. The A4 amendment was adopted; Greenman said it updated language based on attorney general and stakeholder feedback and added a burden-shifting provision that would let consumers or workers establish a presumption, which companies could then rebut with data. Greenman and supporters argued the bill would stop companies from using personal data and AI tools to charge different prices to different people, while still allowing ordinary market-based discounts and clearly offered group discounts such as those for veterans, students, or teachers.
Supportive testimony came from the Minnesota Farmers Union, a neighborhood bookstore owner, Consumer Reports, and a small business owner. They said surveillance pricing undermines fairness, transparency, and competition, and cited examples such as different online prices based on location, browser history, or loyalty-program data. Testifiers also warned that AI-driven pricing and discounting can be opaque and discriminatory, and that small businesses cannot compete with large firms that control more data. Consumer Reports said consumers should not have to use workarounds like VPNs to compare prices and noted that some discounts based on personal data may also need sunlight and guardrails.
Opposition came from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Progress. They argued the bill’s definitions are too broad and could sweep in ordinary business analytics, loyalty programs, targeted promotions, inventory tools, and even spreadsheets, creating compliance risk and discouraging innovation and investment. They also warned the bill could burden small businesses and interfere with workplace management and compensation decisions. During member discussion, several legislators voiced support for the bill as a transparency and fairness measure, while one member noted that the most egregious examples appear to be in e-commerce and said the committee was laying the bill over for further consideration.
TX
Texas 89th 2nd C.S.
89th Legislative Session - Second Called Session Aug 26th, 2025
Texas House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Clerk: HCR number 10 by Hayes proposing a constitutional amendment relating to the determination of a
- Wilson: It's wherever the Texas Water Development Board has determined, and it basically within the bill
- Harliss: Attorney General, make a determination if the lien is fraudulent, and will record the filing
- It's still up to the municipality to determine the type of credit, or is it dollar for dollar?
- what appears to be an unappealable determination that there would have been some kind of increase.
Keywords:
HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Insurance Committee Jun 17th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- Deadlines are routinely evaded through open-ended investigations, partial determinations, and claims
- California has been automatically determining eligibility for the vast majority of Medi-Cal recipients
- California has been automatically determining eligibility for the vast majority of Medi-Cal recipients
- Health care is a social determinant of work. For these reasons, we respectfully urge your support.
- Health care is a social determinant of work. For these reasons, we respectfully urge your support.
Summary:
The Assembly Insurance Committee heard several bills, with most of the discussion focused on insurance transparency, claims handling, privacy, and regulatory enforcement. SB 877 and SB 878 by Senator Pérez addressed post-disaster claims practices: SB 877 would require insurers to disclose original and revised loss estimates and related claim materials to policyholders, while SB 878 would add automatic interest penalties for delayed claim decisions or payments and require written identification of disputed items. Fire survivors, consumer groups, AARP, the Department of Insurance, and other advocates supported both bills, while insurer groups moved to neutral after amendments. Both bills were voted out on roll call and reported to the Committee on Appropriations.
The committee also considered SB 1054 by Senator Cabaldon, which would expand data sharing and reporting to improve workforce program evaluation and help counties verify work requirements for Medi-Cal and CalFresh using employer-reported hours worked. County officials, workforce advocates, and the Department of Insurance supported the measure, and no opposition was heard. The bill passed on a due-pass-as-amended motion to the Committee on Labor and Employment.
SB 1209 by Senator Allen, presented with Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, would give the commissioner stronger enforcement tools to require insurers to carry out corrective actions identified in market conduct examinations, including fines and hearings for noncompliance. The commissioner and author said the bill would close an enforcement gap and improve accountability; there was no opposition testimony, but the bill was left on call after the roll. The committee also heard SB 354 on insurance privacy, presented by Senator Padilla on behalf of Pro Tem Limón, which would modernize insurance privacy rules by expanding consumer rights over personal data, limiting sale and use of sensitive information, and increasing disclosure requirements. Supporters said the bill updates outdated 1980s-era rules, while insurers, agents, and business groups raised concerns about scope, compliance burdens, and small-business impacts. Members indicated the bill was still being negotiated and would return in a revised form in the Privacy Committee.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Economic impact of immigration enforcement 3/5/26
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- How would we determine the entity to do this study? In line 1.7 it says a non-partisan entity.
- How would we determine what entity would provide this? Representative Howard.
- Who who How would we determine Who who How would we determine what<00:09:59.600>
entity <00 - <00:10:13.560>
Uh <00:10:13.800>we they would make the determination. - Uh we they would make the determination.
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Licensing & Administrative Procedures Mar 11th, 2025
Licensing & Administrative Procedures
Transcript Highlights:
- You go to the federal government, they look at your formula, determine whether they think it's a safe
- The way we look at that as a public safety violation is we determine. We look at just intoxication.
- One that determines whether or not they're illegal, but you guys have the authority to determine whether
- So you've determined that they should not exist in the process? That's correct.
- The body determines whether or not they should be legal, and you guys determine whether or not they should
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
February 11, 2025 - 03:30 PM
Transcript Highlights:
- There are multiple pre-enrollment categories determined by the individual's health care needs and their
- . supports to prevent institutionalization and to foster the principles of self-determination.
- There's multiple pre-enrollment categories determined by the individual's health care needs in their
- And they determined the way in which those people should be contacted, what information they should The
- We have to conduct a needs assessment to determine and build and inform that person-centered plan.
Summary:
The Health and Human Services Committee received an overview of Florida’s intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) managed care pilot, created by legislation in 2023 to test whether a managed care model could integrate Medicaid medical services with iBudget waiver home- and community-based services for adults in pre-enrollment categories. AHCA explained the existing system, the pilot’s scope in Regions D and I, and the rollout timeline, including federal approval, contract execution with Florida Community Care, and the October 2024 go-live. Officials reported that, as of early February, 370 individuals had been sent for onboarding and 168 more were in queue, with about $35.8 million of the appropriation remaining. APD also clarified the difference between the pre-enrollment categories and the waiver waitlist, and noted that crisis cases can be enrolled more quickly depending on eligibility and funding.
Florida Community Care described the pilot as a comprehensive managed care model offering medical, long-term care, and iBudget services, plus enhanced benefits such as bed-hold days, caregiver transportation, and help with legal guardianship costs. The plan said it uses one care coordinator, a 1:18 coordinator ratio, a face-to-face assessment within five days of enrollment, and 180 days of continuity of care for existing providers. The company emphasized that it is recruiting providers by offering higher rates than some iBudget rates, lower administrative burden, and network adequacy incentives, while APD said it continues to monitor provider supply and demand and recruit across service types and regions. Members repeatedly questioned whether the pilot’s costs, provider rates, and service levels were truly comparable to the iBudget system, and AHCA and APD said it was too early to draw firm conclusions because claims data are still lagging.
Committee members also raised concerns about communication, enrollment delays, provider shortages, and whether the pilot could scale statewide. APD said it has used letters, phone calls, texts, emails, and community meetings to reach eligible individuals, and that some delays stem from required assessments, Medicaid eligibility checks, and level-of-care determinations. Several members asked for more detailed comparisons of costs and provider reimbursement between the pilot and iBudget, and APD said it would provide additional data. Public testimony at the end was strongly critical of managed care, with a participant and his mother describing poor service, transportation failures, and loss of control under prior managed care arrangements, and urging the committee not to expand such a model without safeguards. No votes or formal committee action were taken before adjournment.
TX
Texas 89th 2nd C.S.
Opening Ceremonies of the 89th Legislature Jan 14th, 2025
Texas House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- To provide a fair and transparent framework by which the will of the house can be determined so that
- The order in which members shall proceed to make a nomination shall be determined by law. B.
- The presiding officer shall draw lots to determine the color for each nominee.
- If more than 1 candidate is nominated, the Secretary of State will draw lots to determine the order of
- I will need to draw lots to determine the light colors of the runoff, so let's draw colors.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Governmental Organization Committee Jun 24th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- This DGS pathway includes a technical and evidence-based determination step that will show if any added
- Currently, as the bill stands, SB 1398 skips this process of evaluation and determines with the DGS and
- This DGS pathway includes a technical and evidence-based determination step that will show if any added
- the approval for only one certification system. and determines with the DGS and fast-tracks the approval
- And just for some clarification, DGS will make the final determination on this.
Summary:
The Governmental Organization Committee met as a subcommittee for much of the hearing because a quorum was initially absent, and it heard several bills focused on nonprofit support, alcohol regulation, immigration-related funding restrictions, outdoor advertising, and green building standards. SB 1240 by Senator McNerney would create an Office of Nonprofit Empowerment to help nonprofits navigate state procurement, grants, and reimbursement processes; supporters, including the Child Care Resource Center and the Little Hoover Commission, said nonprofits provide essential services but face delayed payments and burdensome bureaucracy. Committee members raised accountability concerns, but the author emphasized the bill does not dispense grants and would cost about $1.7 million in the first year. The bill was later approved and sent to Appropriations.
The committee also heard SB 917 by Senator Laird, which would remove the estate-grown grape requirement for wineries selling at farmers markets, allowing more family wineries to participate; winery and grape grower representatives said the change would help direct-to-consumer sales and local growers. SB 1171 by Senator Caballero would make private entities that contract with ICE ineligible for state-funded loans or grants; supporters from immigrant-rights groups described ICE detention and raids as harmful and inhumane, while some members spoke in favor of using state funds to avoid indirectly supporting ICE-related activity. Both bills advanced on party-line or near-party-line votes and were sent to Appropriations or Local Government as noted in the roll calls.
Senator Rubio presented SB 1195, which would expand tied-house exemptions for certain entertainment, convention, and sports venues in specified counties, and SB 1228, which would allow a small number of existing outdoor advertising displays to continue operating despite a statutory sunset. Supporters said SB 1195 would create economic opportunity and clarify current law, while SB 1228 was described as a narrow fix to preserve legally permitted signs and local revenue; both bills passed the committee and were sent to Appropriations. The committee also considered SB 1398, which would recognize Green Globes as an alternative green building certification for state projects alongside LEED; supporters argued it would add flexibility and competition, while the U.S. Green Building Council opposed bypassing the Department of General Services’ equivalency review. The bill was approved and sent to Appropriations. The committee also took up a consent calendar and adjourned at 2:55 p.m.
MO
Transcript Highlights:
- Like how are we preventing, I think, you know, folks who maybe we determine are work eligible and who
- Like how are we preventing, I think, you know, folks who maybe we determine our work eligible and who
- I think where I am curious is around the capable piece, right, and the determination of who gets to determine
- Okay, so then who's going to comb through those files to determine who is eligible?
- Some of these things are going to be determined by CMS.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
Committee to Study Long-Term Managed Care (10/27/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- made major changes to Medicaid, and many of the rules and implementation details have yet to be determined
- It is therefore difficult to determine with certainty whether or not a managed care model for long-term
- <00:05:56.080>
It <00:05:56.320>is details have yet to be determined. - It is details have yet to be determined.
- <00:05:58.160>
with therefore difficult to to determine with therefore difficult to to determine
Summary:
The Committee to Study Long-Term Managed Care met to approve the prior minutes and then focused on its final report. The chair reviewed the committee’s earlier options—maintaining the status quo, adopting DNIP, adopting an HCBS carveout model, or moving fully to managed care for the aging population—and noted that ABD and developmental disabilities had already been excluded from consideration. He proposed a final recommendation that New Hampshire consider adopting DNIP as a voluntary option to better coordinate Medicare and Medicaid for dual eligibles, reduce duplication, and create a possible pathway toward future managed care, while acknowledging that a majority and minority report could be issued if needed.
Members generally supported the draft recommendation and asked questions about whether federal budget changes would incentivize states to move in that direction, how the proposal would align with current department efforts, and whether the program would remain voluntary. Director Henry Litman said he did not see a specific federal mandate in OB3, but noted incentives in rural health transformation funding and said the proposal aligned with existing managed care contract direction. He and others emphasized that DNIP should be voluntary and that implementation timing would need to account for federal deadlines and broader changes facing the department. Members also discussed PACE, with one member saying it appeared feasible mainly in more populous areas and expressing neutrality, while another raised concerns about county risk and the need to preserve patient choice and maintain three MCOs.
After discussion, members indicated agreement with the majority report approach and no further changes were proposed. The committee then moved to accept the draft language as presented and issue it as its report; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The meeting then adjourned.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Criminal Justice Oct 7th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- topic on evidence collection in homicide investigations, blood and toxicology testing are central to determine
- properly become the composition of the blood, the body, it complicates the analysis of of blood to determine
- The medical examiner's determine the cause and manner of death and also can clarify specifically injuries
- But, you know, we always try to determine how did this person get here per se.
- Louis, do we look at reports to determine where's our turnaround time?
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Each HFC has to make that determination on their own.
- And they also determine what they see as capital needs and capital issues.
- They say they want the affordability to determine a public benefit.
- they make determinations on.
- And if you have the AG making this upfront determination, doesn't that become another lawsuit to determine
Keywords:
HB 21, Texas Tax Code, ad valorem tax, property tax, delinquent taxes, tax delinquency, penalty reduction, interest rate, split payment, installment payment, tax relief, county tax collector, taxing unit, property owner, tax collection, voter-approval tax rate, no-new-revenue tax rate, tax increase election, supermajority, 60 percent threshold
ND
North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Budget Section Human Resources Division Jun 24th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- And then fit-focused and friendly youth initiative, and those are to be determined.
- And as we look to year two, we can determine more... ...statement.
- Your quality control team is who is reviewing and determining your payment error rate.
- We're simply calculating if too little or too much was issued in that SNAP determination.
- They will have to look at it and make a determination: is that decision the correct decision?
Summary:
The committee met with a quorum, approved the March 18 minutes, and then received a series of updates on health-related projects and Department of Health and Human Services budget matters. Representatives from CHI St. Alexius in Bismarck and Williston, and Altru in Grand Forks, reported progress on behavioral health expansion projects, including demolition and construction milestones, updated timelines, funding status, staffing plans, and barriers such as an unbudgeted air handler replacement in Williston. Members asked about original completion dates, use of telehealth, recruitment of psychiatrists and other staff, and whether the new beds might reduce the need for patients to travel to Jamestown State Hospital. The projects were described as on track overall, with completion expected in 2027 for the larger builds and earlier openings for some phases in Williston.
The committee then heard from HHS leadership on technical line-item transfers and the Salaries and Wages Block Grant. Donna Ockland explained that recent transfers were administrative corrections to place spending in the proper budget lines and did not involve new spending, and she reviewed FTE counts and vacancies across the department. Questions focused on behavioral health staffing changes and the use of consultants in the Rural Health Transformation Program. Pat Rainer outlined the rural health program’s first-year grants and priorities, including workforce retention, rural rotations and housing, community wellness initiatives, behavioral health promotion, safety net services, hospital equipment, suicide prevention training, technology, and EMS support. He said North Dakota’s plan was drawing positive national attention, but the department still needed to obligate roughly $199 million by September and was working with CMS on timing and compliance.
The committee also received an update on certified community behavioral health clinics from Elena Zeller. She said North Dakota had been accepted as a demonstration state, with certification efforts underway in Williston, North Central, Fargo, and Dickinson. Members asked about care coordination, service growth, staffing, and whether certification would expand to all clinics; the department said it was still collecting baseline data and evaluating impacts before making future recommendations. Finally, Rebecca Askins reviewed SNAP payment error rates, explaining that the 2025 rate was finalized at 9.89 percent and that the department is working on training, system changes, and quality assurance steps to get below 6 percent. Members pressed on the causes of monthly variability, the performance of the SPACES system, and accountability for ongoing errors, and the department said it expects improvement over the next 6 to 12 months.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Transportation Committee Jun 23rd, 2026 at 09:00 am
Transportation
Transcript Highlights:
- And ultimately, what we determined is that any of these funding mechanisms could be implemented fairly
- It would really be up to local jurisdictions to determine what that meant to them and how they would
- be up to the Legislature to determine and up to local jurisdictions to determine if there were to be
- We determined that average annual spending in all categories is $1.89 billion.
- So it uses telemetrics that are opt-in in order to determine...
AZ
Arizona 2026 Regular Session
06/01/2026 - Joint Legislative Audit Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- If at the end of the 90 days, we have determined a district has not made substantial...
- And as a result of our assessment, we determined the district was no longer in non-compliance with the
- The State Board will have to make that determination.
- Each federal agency determines which areas are audit addressed.
- What that means is we cannot determine, as auditors, that those costs are allowable.