Video & Transcript Research : 'minimum wage'

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US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Monday, May 5, 2025)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • That's a minimum for admission to NATO.
  • Beijing has waged a systemic blunt.
  • of fariting out wage, fraud, and abuse. of fariting out wage, fraud, and abuse.
  • <08:39:24.000> They other union workers higher wages.
  • They other union workers higher wages.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion

Transcript Highlights:
  • If our aim is to quell the violence ICE is waging on our communities, we must first clearly If our aim
  • is to quell the violence ICE is waging on our communities, we must first clearly name where the responsibility
  • We need to amp up our wage theft laws so that if this is used, if you are deporting your workers, we
  • And people are only leaving their homes for bare minimum trips.
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on responding to federal immigration enforcement in Massachusetts, with opening remarks from Sen. Liz Miranda and Rep. Bud Williams emphasizing fear in immigrant communities, recent ICE operations, and the need to learn from advocates and affected residents rather than debate individual bills. The hearing was organized around three topics: detention, arrests, and surveillance, with members repeatedly asking what the legislature can do to improve transparency, legal access, and oversight. On detention, Leah Hastings of Prisoners’ Legal Services said most people end up in ICE custody through contact with the criminal legal system and argued that state carceral systems are deeply intertwined with immigration enforcement. She described conditions at Plymouth County House of Correction and Burlington ICE holding as concerning, citing limited medical care, disability accommodations, solitary confinement, retaliatory transfers, and poor attorney access. Hastings said Massachusetts should reduce funding for sheriffs and the Department of Corrections, ban intergovernmental service agreements and 287(g) agreements, and invest instead in housing, treatment, and other community supports. Members also discussed ICE reimbursement, the immigrant legal defense fund, and the need for more immigration attorneys. On arrests and enforcement tactics, David Albright of JALSA said federal immigration enforcement has been expanded by major new funding and incentives, including higher payments for 287(g) and bed contracts, and he noted that most ICE detainees nationally do not have criminal records. He said Massachusetts has one 287(g) agreement with the Department of Corrections and one IGSA with Plymouth County, and that ICE also uses Burlington, Hanscom, and informal local collaboration in places such as Milford and Auburn. Danny Tampona of Neighbor to Neighbor and the LUCE Rapid Response Network described more than 10,000 hotline calls from 46 cities and towns, with arrests often involving masked agents, surveillance of workers and families, traffic stops, broken windows, and arrests at check-ins or schools; he said the network is concentrated in places including Everett, Chelsea, Lynn, New Bedford, Milford, Marlboro, Framingham, and Springfield. He urged legislation requiring clear identification for law enforcement, limits on surveillance technologies, and stronger legal defense resources. On surveillance, Joshua Dancoff of Citizens for Juvenile Justice argued that current state policies allow broad sharing of fingerprints and surveillance data with ICE, including through BRIC, the Massachusetts Fusion Center, and municipal police policies. He cited cases in Chelsea and Everett where children were taken from police custody into ICE custody and said many departments automatically share arrest fingerprints and other information with federal authorities. He recommended limiting fingerprint sharing, restricting surveillance databases and task-force participation, and curbing police and sheriff collaboration with ICE even where no formal 287(g) exists. Members and witnesses also discussed the need for more immigration lawyers, possible bar advocate-style funding for immigration defense, and legislative action to prevent further collaboration and deportation infrastructure.
NH

New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

House Finance (01/30/2026)

Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • <01:44:46.960> increases wage increases wage increases of<01:44:48.800> taxpayer<01:44:
  • So, they're at the very bottom of wages in our country. The U.S.
  • <02:13:53.679> from line up a 100 people from wages from line up a 100 people from wages from
  • <02:14:00.719> in they're at the very bottom of wages in they're at the very bottom of wages
  • The lost wages is 180 million a year. The lost wages is 180 million a year.
Keywords: 1189, house, all
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • growth and unique LEA costs for administering preschool, overall, we are supportive of increasing wages
  • high-cost counties, is making it challenging to recruit and retain qualified staff and pay a living wage
  • However, we do have concerns about A living wage to our critical workforce.
  • The next question is, in light of the APP relinquishment, should agencies have higher minimum service
  • proposal would add enforcement provisions related to collective bargaining agreements for IHSS provider wages
Keywords: 988, house, all
Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services held a hearing on the Governor’s May Revision, with no votes taken. The first major discussion focused on child care and early education, including proposed reductions tied to federal Child Care and Development Fund and Proposition 64 revenue changes, the shift of reductions from general child care to the California Alternative Payment Program, the end of funding for prospective pay implementation, a 2.01% cost-of-living adjustment, child care infrastructure grants, and a proposal to increase administrative funding for alternative payment agencies. The Legislative Analyst’s Office generally supported removing prospective pay funding and urged caution on the administrative-rate shift, while also recommending more justification for the slot reduction approach and more detail on infrastructure grant alignment. Committee members strongly objected to eliminating about 6,000 child care slots, arguing the Legislature should preserve and expand child care access. The Department of Education supported the preschool QRIS block grant increase and the COLA but raised concerns about rate alignment for three- and four-year-olds and the lack of funding to maintain enrollment growth. The committee then reviewed trailer bill language affecting child care, including codifying age-based reimbursement categories, expanding documentation for enhanced inclusion rates, clarifying CalWORKs child care eligibility, aligning health and safety standards with federal requirements, coordinating disaster-related infrastructure funding, and updating oversight language. Administration officials said the proposals were intended to support the single reimbursement rate structure, improve safety compliance, and coordinate disaster recovery funding. LAO said it had no major initial concerns with the trailer bill language but would continue reviewing it. The hearing then turned to CalFresh and nutrition programs. CDSS described projected caseload declines, a one-time augmentation for county administration to implement federal H.R. 1 changes, a proposed reassessment schedule for county administrative funding, and updated estimates that H.R. 1 could cut CalFresh funding by $2.3 billion to $3.7 billion annually and affect about 500,000 people. Members pressed the administration on the impact of H.R. 1, the “chilling effect” on immigrant households, county workload, and whether the state should backfill federal cuts, especially for families with children subject to new work requirements. The committee also discussed a one-time CalFood augmentation, state administrative expense funding, staffing for H.R. 1 implementation, and a small increase to the CACFP meal reimbursement rate. Finally, the committee began IHSS items, including the impact of reinstating the Medi-Cal asset limit, automatic IHSS termination tied to Medi-Cal loss, and related savings and caseload estimates, with the administration explaining that these proposals would reduce eligibility and that there is no broad substitute for IHSS for many recipients.
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Wednesday, July 16, 2025)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Under Biden, most of the new jobs were snapped up by foreigners and real wages fell.
  • Under Trump, most are real wages fell.
  • <00:14:49.760> for going to Americans and real wages for going to Americans and real wages
  • Wages long undercut by cheap illegal labor are already rising.
  • FEMA is designed to have immediate response within a minimum of 15 hours.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Health and Human Services - 01/23/25

Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • Right now, as my colleague mentioned, it's around 51% for Minnesota, and the state minimum is 50%.
  • Right now, as my colleague mentioned, it's around 51% for Minnesota, and the state minimum is 50%.
  • Right now, as my colleague mentioned, it's around 51% for Minnesota, and the state minimum is 50%.
  • Right now, as my colleague mentioned, it's around 51% for Minnesota, and the state minimum is 50%.
  • of early Educators uh and our work wages of early Educators uh and our work as<01:41:19.719> an
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
MN

Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session

Committee on Human Services - 01/22/25

Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • is that participants must complete an application before receiving their first meal, and then at a minimum
  • and<00:18:31.559> then<00:18:31.799> at<00:18:31.960> a<00:18:32.159> minimum
  • <00:18:33.000> the<00:18:33.200> service meal and then at a minimum the service meal
  • and then at a minimum the service providers<00:18:34.280> again<00:18:34.559> that's<00
  • and benefits to that individual in wages and benefits to that individual and<01:46:31.520> so
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
Summary: The Human Services Committee met on January 22, 2025, to focus early in session on waste, fraud, abuse, and program integrity in Minnesota human services programs. The chair said taxpayers expect funds to reach people in need and asked the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) to present on resources, progress, and possible solutions. Members also asked the auditors to note where the legislature or agencies had already taken action to address prior findings. OLA staff summarized recent reports on grants management and oversight. They said noncompliance with grants policies has been pervasive across agencies, including problems at DHS in conflict-of-interest documentation and pre-award financial reviews. In one DHS review, 30 of 41 grant reviewers had missing or incomplete conflict forms, and 20 of 57 grants lacked required financial review documents; the issues affected about $11.5 million in grant funding. OLA said DHS spent more than $400 million in grants to nonprofit organizations from 2018 to 2022, and they identified broader factors affecting compliance such as inconsistent funding for grants administration, ad hoc training, inconsistent data systems, and limited enforcement authority. They noted 2023 legislative changes that allowed agencies to retain some grant funding for administration and directed an assessment of a statewide grants management system, and they said OGM training and staffing have increased, though training is still not required for all staff. The Financial Audit Division then discussed the senior nutrition program at DHS, which delivered about 3.1 million meals to more than 40,000 participants in 2022 through the Minnesota Board on Aging, area agencies, service providers, and subcontractors. The audit found nine findings across documentation, monitoring, contract oversight, participant recertification, and data quality. Examples included service providers failing to recertify participants or recording inaccurate data, the Board on Aging not performing monitoring visits since 2017 or financial reconciliations in 2022, and area agencies failing to complete required site visits. Survey results also suggested participant database inaccuracies. OLA recommended stronger monitoring, clearer procedures, and more reliable data to ensure services reach intended recipients. No formal votes or committee actions were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.
NH

New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

House Session (05/14/2026)

New Hampshire House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • of 10 times to that will meet a minimum of 10 times to identify<05:07:05.440> and<05:07:05.760
  • PLA’s provide a collectively bargained pay scale that incorporates fringe benefits, wages, apprentice
  • wages, and no further negotiations on wages or benefits are conducted for the life of the agreement.
  • He said that PLA’s provide a collectively bargained pay scale that incorporates fringe benefits, wages
  • , apprentice wages, and no further negotiations on wages or benefits are conducted for the life of the
Keywords: 1189, house, all
CO

Colorado 2026 Regular Session

Colorado House 2026 Legislative Day 029 Feb 11th, 2026

Colorado House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • ones that stayed, now you're saying, 'Our appreciation for you is to cut $186 million out of your wages
  • <02:54:41.120> by over four years, devalued your wages by over four years, devalued your wages
  • fixed wages and then having<02:57:00.319> and<02:57:00.560> then<02:57:00.800> be
  • for basically having these fixed wages for basically having these fixed wages is<02:57:05.200>
  • And the ones that do are taking 30 to 50% off the top of the wages.
Keywords: 981, all
Summary: The House convened, led the pledge of allegiance, and established a quorum before approving the corrected journal. The Majority Leader then moved a long list of bills—House Bills 1150 through 1179—to be made special orders for February 11, 2026 at 9:15 a.m., and the chamber agreed without objection. The committee then took up House Bill 1150, a supplemental appropriation for the Department of Agriculture. Representative Serna explained it included technical adjustments tied to other agencies, plus a pilot program to test a biocontrol strategy for the mountain pine beetle infestation in Colorado’s ponderosa pine forests. After brief opposition from a member who said he would vote no on spending measures generally, the bill passed. House Bill 1151, the supplemental appropriation for the Department of Corrections, generated extensive debate. Supporters said the bill was necessary to cover major costs such as medical case loads, outside medical and mental health contracts, local jail payments, prison case load, private prison utilization, and food services, while also addressing staffing and parole/community corrections coordination. Opponents argued the state keeps funding more beds instead of investing in services that reduce incarceration, criticized DOC management and delays, and said the legislature should demand better accountability and efficiency. Supporters countered that DOC does not control the parole board or community corrections, that the prison population is aging, and that the state must pay for required custody and care. The transcript ends amid continued debate over the corrections supplemental, with no final vote on House Bill 1151 shown in the excerpt.
ND
Transcript Highlights:
  • It's really not a wage-driven thing.
  • Actually, Madam Chair and Representative Porter, I think that's right, but maybe there is a minimum threshold
  • 10 highest-earning counties in the state, Oliver County is number one with a $98,000 annual average wage
  • there is there'll be measures to strengthen the electricity grid, development of domestic critical minimum
  • And when you do that, you run them at the minimum run just to keep them operating.
Summary: The committee met at the Coteau Freedom Mine in Mercer County, approved the June 2 minutes, and heard an overview of the mine from Coteau Properties president Andrew Hawbaker. He described the Freedom Mine as the largest lignite mine in the United States, supplying coal to Dakota Gasification, Antelope Valley Station, and Leland Olds Station. He emphasized the mine’s scale, safety record, reclamation work, workforce needs, community involvement, and economic impact, including payroll, taxes, royalties, scholarships, and local hiring. Members asked about how long land stays in production, how quickly it returns to agriculture after reclamation, labor shortages, and how mining affects groundwater and water wells. Hawbaker said most tracts are mined for about three to five years, reclamation is coordinated with landowners, and the company continues to struggle to find electricians, welders, mechanics, operators, and engineers. The committee then heard from Public Service Commission Chairman Randy Christman on coal mining reclamation and permitting. He reviewed North Dakota’s coal mining history, the state’s reclamation laws, federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act primacy, bonding, permit renewals and revisions, prohibited mining areas, inspection and enforcement, and contemporaneous reclamation requirements. Christman stressed that North Dakota’s program is professional and thorough, with frequent inspections, financial assurance, and a 10-year revegetation monitoring period before bond release. He also discussed federal coal ownership issues that can delay mine plans, the treatment of prime farmland, and how reclamation differs for wind and pipelines. In response to questions, he said one challenge is sometimes releasing land too soon before long-term compaction issues are fully understood, and he noted that data centers do not currently have a comparable reclamation model because they typically own the land. In the afternoon, the committee received an update from Lignite Energy Council president Jonathan Fortner on the lignite industry. He said North Dakota’s lignite sector supports five commercial power plants, four mines, about 12,000 direct and indirect jobs, and more than $5.5 billion in economic activity, while helping keep the state’s electricity rates among the lowest in the nation. Fortner reviewed coal severance and conversion tax revenues, the lignite research fund, federal regulatory rollbacks, carbon capture policy, and the industry’s legal costs fighting federal rules. He also highlighted a study on large-load development, saying new data centers and critical mineral processing facilities could create major local tax revenue and help justify new baseload generation. Members asked whether new gas pipelines would crowd out coal plant development and whether the economic study included jobs and broader local impacts; Fortner said the industry sees room for both and that the study did include construction, operations, jobs, and tax effects.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Congressional Redistricting, Select Jul 26th, 2025

Congressional Redistricting, Select

Transcript Highlights:
  • action being taken whether... ...infringes fundamental rights, but in all cases due process is at a minimum
  • So minimum notice and hearing.
  • Economic opportunity for fair wages, infrastructure, and education.
  • effectively address the real problems faced by ordinary people: affordable housing. ...food access, living wages
  • You must also give the public a minimum of five days to review the maps.
Keywords: 997, house, all
HI
Transcript Highlights:
  • Where do you get $324 million of economic impact or $75 million of household wages?
  • <01:13:50.280> for industry that also pays these wages for industry that also pays these wages
  • There are 41 states that tax wage income that do tax capital gains.
  • In the bill, it provides for the department shall license a minimum of four operators.
  • In the bill, it provides for the department shall license a minimum of four operators.
Keywords: 910, house, all
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

House Finance Division II (03/25/2025)

Transcript Highlights:
  • So under what we currently have in law, and that's with wage limits and with everything else, we get
  • We currently have wage limits on the machines, and the machines we do have are spread more throughout
  • in the projection are based not just on the VLT machines, but it's also based off of removing the wage
  • heard this morning from Representative Sweeney without more information, and I think that's at a minimum
  • our duty here in the that's at a minimum our duty here in the division<01:17:07.840> is<01:17
Keywords: 928, house, all
Summary: The committee first heard Representative Sweeney present and defend the budget amendment legalizing video lottery terminals (VLTs) and setting a 30% tax rate, with 65% of the tax going to the state and 35% to charities. He argued the lower rate was needed to encourage operators of historic horse racing (HHR) machines to convert to VLTs, saying the higher 45% rate would discourage adoption. He walked through revenue projections for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, estimating significant increases in state and charity revenue as machines transition over time, and said the amendment was designed to expand charitable gaming revenue overall. Several members questioned the assumptions behind his projections and the basis for his analysis, including why his independent research differed from the governor’s and Lottery Commission’s estimates. Sweeney said his figures were based on research into other states and conversations over many years, and he maintained that a 45% tax would likely result in no VLT adoption. Members also debated whether the transition costs for operators would be quickly recouped and whether the state’s share should be larger. One member emphasized that the committee was effectively choosing between a lower operator share and a higher state share, while Sweeney argued the 30% structure would produce revenue for everyone. The committee then moved to other revenue items on the tracking sheet. It voted 7-0 to accept the Lottery Commission’s revised base revenue estimates. Members also discussed an amendment to repeal the local option requirement for Kino games, which would expand Kino availability and was estimated to generate additional lottery profit in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. That amendment drew opposition from members who said local control was an important part of the original Kino policy and that removing it would override municipal decisions. The committee also noted that the VLT/HHR revenue item had already been adopted and was being revisited only to confirm the associated revenue estimates.
DE
Transcript Highlights:
  • as manufactured home community taxes, insurance, utilities, and on-site employee costs, excluding wages
  • It's somebody working for a low wage or, you know, someone who Arrested and who has to pay?
  • It's somebody working for a low wage or, you know, someone who's on the road most of his life, away from
  • legislation in 2013, it was given the authority to regulate Delaware's animal shelters to ensure minimum
  • it's very, very important that we keep opportunities here in the state of Delaware alive to get good wages
Keywords: 1064, all
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Friday, January 9, 2026)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • fraud in unemployment benefits that occurred in California during the COVID years, amounting to a minimum
  • /c><03:13:32.319> of<03:13:32.720> 30<03:13:33.279> 32 years, amounting to a minimum
  • of 30 32 years, amounting to a minimum of 30 32 billion. billion. billion. $32<03:13:38.080> billion
  • <03:21:44.399> they<03:21:44.720> hadn't to pay taxes on uh wages they hadn't to pay
  • taxes on uh wages they hadn't actually<03:21:45.920> received.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • We're probably looking at a minimum of five or ten years before we will have productive...
  • on the margin gap as we continue our analysis and really double down our efforts on resupply and minimum
  • I think just going back to the previous point, we opened the proceeding to work on resupply and minimum
  • I think just going back to the previous point, we opened the proceeding to work on resupply and minimum
  • So our wages and our benefits have gotten to a very good place.
Summary: The joint informational hearing of the Assembly Committees on Utilities and Energy, Transportation, and Natural Resources focused on California’s transportation fuels sector, especially the state’s response to refinery closures and the broader transition away from fossil fuels. Opening remarks emphasized the tension between climate and air-quality goals, fuel affordability, refinery jobs and local tax bases, and the need to avoid crisis-driven responses as Phillips 66 and Valero consider shutting refineries in Wilmington and Benicia. Professor Emily Grubert framed the issue as a long-term managed transition in which the public already bears much of the risk and should also capture benefits from a well-planned shift. CARB Chair Leanne Randolph reviewed the state’s emissions and fuel policies, including AB 32, the low-carbon fuel standard, clean vehicle programs, and the at-berth regulation for ocean-going vessels. She said California’s transportation sector remains the largest source of greenhouse gases and a major source of smog-forming pollution, but that the state has made substantial progress and still needs to reduce demand for fossil fuels while maintaining compliance with federal air-quality standards. Randolph also said CARB’s recent LCFS amendments had not caused the predicted spike in gas prices and explained that compliance pathways for the at-berth rule include emissions-reduction technologies or payments into a remediation fund. CEC Vice Chair Gunda described declining gasoline demand, shrinking in-state refining capacity, and growing dependence on imports, arguing that the state is in a “mid-transition” period that requires both support for legacy infrastructure and continued investment in cleaner alternatives. He outlined the administration’s petroleum market stabilization proposal, which aims to return California crude production to 125 million barrels a year through four components: codifying the ban on fracking, validating the Kern County oil-and-gas permitting ordinance, creating a temporary CEQA exemption paired with a two-for-one plug-and-drill framework, and strengthening pipeline and spill-safety requirements. Department of Conservation Director Jennifer Lucasey said the proposal is intended to stabilize crude supply and pipeline throughput while preserving health and environmental protections, and noted that CalGEM would still review permits and enforce other requirements. Mayor Steve Young of Benicia testified that a Valero closure would significantly reduce city revenue and leave the community facing years of cleanup and redevelopment challenges. He said the city supports environmental protection but is worried about the economic hit, the possibility that Benicia becomes a fuel-import terminal, and the lack of local influence over refinery decisions. Members pressed the panel on the CEQA exemption, tribal and habitat review, disclosure of closure liabilities, fuel-demand projections, and whether the proposal should include more demand-side measures. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational, and officials said some proposals, including a margin-cap pause and further transition planning, would be taken up later in the process.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Education Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am

Joint Committee on Education

Transcript Highlights:
  • It creates a $300 million targeted grant program to expand capacity in high-demand, high-wage fields
  • vocational technical high school and agricultural high school construction by 20 percentage points, to a minimum
  • of our responsibility, because, look, for example, the Worcester Public Schools will be sending at minimum
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a lengthy hearing on a large slate of bills focused primarily on charter school policy and vocational technical education. Committee members opened with ground rules for testimony, including a two-minute limit, written testimony acceptance, and a live-streamed format. The committee then heard testimony on bills to expand collective bargaining rights in Horace Mann and Innovation Schools, reform charter school funding and reimbursement, allow enrollment preferences for high-need students in charter lotteries, and require BESE to consider district impacts when approving new or expanded charters. Several witnesses, including union leaders, parents, educators, and legislators, argued that charter growth has strained district budgets and that funding formulas should be reworked to better protect public schools; charter advocates and alumni countered that charter schools serve high-need students well and should not be penalized for their success. A major portion of the hearing focused on vocational technical education bills, including proposals to expand access and capacity, create a large grant program, and increase MSBA reimbursement rates for vocational school construction. Supporters described long waitlists, strong labor-market demand, and the higher cost of building and maintaining vocational schools, while municipal officials emphasized the tax burden on local communities. The committee also heard testimony on charter school reimbursement bills that would extend the state’s reimbursement schedule, with witnesses from districts such as Boston, Worcester, Fall River, and New Bedford describing large net losses to charter tuition and arguing for longer reimbursement periods and structural reform. The committee took no final votes during the hearing. In one instance, the chair said a bill would be held open until a missing senator could testify. Members asked several detailed questions about charter admissions lotteries, special education placements, funding formulas, and the practical effects of proposed charter caps and reimbursement changes. The hearing remained informational, with witnesses and committee members presenting sharply different views on whether the bills would improve equity and opportunity or harm existing public school systems.
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Insurance May 6th, 2026

Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • When parents who are not paying child support get an insurance settlement for things like lost wages,
  • average drug acquisition cost, which just reimburses that pharmacy and charges that plan the bare minimum
  • average drug acquisition cost, which just reimburses that pharmacy and charges that plan the bare minimum
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Insurance May 6th, 2026

Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • When parents who are not paying child support get an insurance settlement for things like lost wages,
  • average drug acquisition cost, which just reimburses that pharmacy and charges that plan the bare minimum
  • average drug acquisition cost, which just reimburses that pharmacy and charges that plan, the bare minimum
Summary: The Senate Committee on Insurance met on May 6, 2026, and first reported HB 1241 favorably. That bill, by Chairman Furman, requires insurers to check with DCFS before paying certain insurance settlements to determine whether the recipient owes delinquent child support, and to withhold and remit arrears if found. DCFS explained that Louisiana already has intercepts and other collection tools, but no current mechanism for insurance settlements. Senators raised concerns about notice to obligors and about liability if insurers fail to withhold, but the bill was advanced without objection. The committee then heard HB 870, which would require health insurers and PBMs to cover lower-cost generic or biosimilar drugs when available and to use utilization management no more restrictively on those drugs. Supporters said the bill would improve access and lower patient costs by using wholesale acquisition cost as the comparison point. Opponents, including Louisiana Blue and the AFL-CIO, argued that WAC ignores rebates and net cost, could force plans to cover higher-cost biosimilars first, and could increase premiums and disrupt ERISA and fully insured plan design. The committee adopted a technical amendment set and then a second amendment set that added notice and reporting requirements tied to net cost calculations, and HB 870 was reported favorably as amended. Several other bills were moved with little or no opposition. HB 1176, concerning Medicare Advantage coverage for integrative cancer treatments such as cold cap therapy, cryotherapy, and acupuncture, was amended to change the effective date and then reported favorably. HB 1196, dealing with colorectal cancer screening follow-up colonoscopies, was also amended and reported favorably. HB 1162, a consumer protection bill requiring DOI to verify that a contractor named on a first-party property damage check is licensed in Louisiana, was amended and reported favorably. HB 826, which modernizes insurance referral rules to allow referrals by email or website address, was reported favorably. The committee also heard HB 1151 on insurer investment limits and solvency protections, and HB 1236 on pharmacy reimbursement and copay maximizer programs; both drew substantial testimony and concern, especially over retroactivity, PBM cost allocation, and whether copay maximizers shift costs to patients, but the transcript cuts off before final action on HB 1236.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

89th Legislative Session Apr 17th, 2025

Texas House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Cecile Richards actually was a labor organizer. and helped people organize so that they could get fair wages
  • And I would ask at a minimum that we align our ideology and be consistent.
  • University system to donate a minimum of 100 acres.