Transcript Highlights:

• That's just something that is worked out at the local level and determined at the local level of exactly
• <00:49:21.560> and worked out at the local level and worked out at the local level and determined
• to the state level for procurement. to the state level for procurement.
• <01:48:59.840> It every level of local control failed.
• It every level of local control failed.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, seeing no further questions, I think I inadvertently promoted you to the federal cabinet level
• more tasks, being able to do them in a sense more quickly and to see more patients because the higher level
• So that wraps up kind of my high-level conversation.
• little curious if we're starting to move towards thinking maybe there is an opening for different levels
• At a high level, I will summarize each section.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first approved the December 3 minutes, then heard a request from the Board of Clinical Laboratory Practice to amend its proposed rule on exempt test methods to add certain closed-system DNA/RNA tests, including rhinovirus. After testimony explaining that the board had considered late comments from BioMérieux and wanted the rule record to reflect that review, the committee agreed to a limited amendment and passed the motion unanimously. The Department of Agriculture then outlined broad rule updates affecting dairy, eggs, poultry, pesticides, animal health, environmental mitigation, and the Egg Product Utilization Commission. The commissioner said the changes mostly clarified existing requirements, updated references, and reduced some burdens, such as easing dairy hauler training/licensing timing and clarifying out-of-state grade A milk language. Members asked about dairy industry decline, the APUC scoring system, and the rationale for the milk-hauler and out-of-state milk provisions. The State Board of Dental Examiners presented extensive rule changes tied to recent legislation and workforce issues, including a new professional health program for dentists, expanded duties for assistants and hygienists, broader local anesthetic authority for hygienists, and fee increases to fund the program and cover administrative costs. Testimony from Dr. Edward May strongly supported the professional health program based on his own recovery experience. The committee also heard from Game and Fish on rules easing some guide/outfitter experience requirements, allowing electronic exams, and modifying boating safety equipment rules, with no public comment and no fiscal impact. Later, Health and Human Services received approval for an extension to update tattoo/body art rules and a separate motion to repeal an obsolete nurse aide training chapter. HHS also described nursing facility rule updates, lodging sanitation revisions, and related clarifications on licensing, safety, pest control, and fire requirements. The Department of Environmental Quality received an extension for septic-system installer rules, and also presented rules for above-ground storage tanks and water/wastewater operator certification, including new fees and third-party testing options. The Industrial Commission’s oil and gas division described multiple rule changes, some withdrawn after comments, including drilling unit flexibility, site stability, wildfire authority, and streamlined transport/reporting procedures. Finally, DPI began presenting several rule packages, including school construction loan limits, school bus standards, cooperative agreements, special education rules for public charter schools, and new math curriculum and intervention requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• Potential fixes at the court level include requiring the court to produce...
• Potential fixes at the court level include requiring the court to produce, upon request, written confirmation
• And we already have, as my colleague noted, a great level of disproportionality in our criminal system
• It's the lowest level we can do.
• And I have elected the lowest level of schedule possible for a lethal drug.

Summary: The committee heard several public safety bills, with testimony split between supporters who framed the measures as targeted fixes and opponents who warned about overcriminalization and unintended consequences. SB 701, by Senator Wahab, drew support from law enforcement and local government groups, who said state law lacks a tool to address the conduct at issue; the ACLU opposed it as duplicative of existing law, while public defenders said they may withdraw opposition after amendments. Because there was no quorum at that point, the bill was held open without a vote. SB 834, by Senator DeRazzo, was presented as a technical cleanup bill to improve California’s automatic record clearance system by preventing outdated “pending” charges from blocking relief, requiring local court records to match DOJ records, and creating a way for people to obtain proof of relief. It received broad support from criminal justice reform and defense organizations, with no opposition, and the chair indicated support, but no final action was taken during the hearing. SB 248, by Senator Rubio, would require DOJ to send new gun purchasers educational materials during the waiting period about safe storage, suicide prevention, domestic violence, and related resources; supporters called it common-sense education, while one opponent argued the information is already available. The committee voted the bill out on a due-pass motion to Appropriations, but it remained on call pending one additional vote. Senator Rubio’s SB 19, the Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act, would create a new offense for credible threats against schools or houses of worship even when no specific individual is named. Supporters, including law enforcement and Jewish community advocates, said current law leaves a loophole and that the bill would help prevent panic and resource-draining lockdowns; opponents from civil liberties and youth justice groups argued existing law already covers threats and that the bill would worsen the school-to-prison pipeline. After a motion and second, the committee voted due pass to Appropriations, with the measure also left on call. Later, SB 759 by Senator Archuleta, prompted by the killing of Whittier Officer Keith Boyer, would require a court hearing after a third supervision violation or new offense for people on post-release community supervision; supporters said it adds accountability, while opponents said it removes probation discretion and could increase jail and court burdens. The bill passed due pass to Appropriations and was reported as passing. The committee also heard SB 6 by Senator Ashby, which would schedule xylazine as a controlled substance while preserving veterinary use. Supporters, including veterinarians, law enforcement, and a parent who lost a son to a drug-related death, said the drug is increasingly present in fentanyl mixtures and needs to be controlled; opponents from drug policy and civil liberties groups argued scheduling would criminalize users, hinder research, and repeat failed drug-war policies. After extensive debate, the committee voted the bill out due pass to Appropriations, and it passed. Finally, SB 11, the AI Abuse Protection Act, was introduced to regulate AI-generated voice, image, and video replicas, with supporters emphasizing protection against deepfakes and nonconsensual images; the California Chamber of Commerce opposed unless amended, seeking narrower definitions and limits on consumer warnings. The hearing ended while SB 11 was still under discussion, with no final vote reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• for a past chairman of legislation ler for a past chairman of legislation ler and and and occupational
• Adequately screening, diagnosing, and treating hepatitis C at the community level is believed to be one
• Adequately screening, diagnosing, and treating hepatitis C at the community level is believed to be one
• is believed to be the community level is believed to be one<00:15:15.000> of<00:15:15.160>
• <00:40:42.119> we actually change on the state level we actually change on the state level

Keywords: 00:00 Introductions 02:46 Roll Call 03:35 Discussion on SB 14 46:13 Vote on SB 14 48:07 Discussion on SB 17 50:38 Vote on SB 17, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Health Services opened with the chair welcoming several new members and outlining session rules: hearings would start and end on time, the committee would limit the number of bills heard each meeting, prioritize bills heard during the interim, and generally avoid using the consent calendar except in extreme circumstances. The committee then briefly considered administrative regulations, which were treated as approved if members had no questions. The main item was Senate Bill 14, a measure addressing the 340B drug discount program. The chair said the bill had already passed the Senate in a prior session and had been heard in interim, so he did not present it again. He described the bill as prohibiting drug manufacturers from discriminating against 340B covered entities by refusing 340B pricing when the same drug is offered at that price in the state. He also said the committee would not debate the federal 340B program itself, but would hear testimony on the bill. Hospital leaders and Kentucky Hospital Association representatives testified in support, arguing that 340B savings are essential to rural hospitals, oncology services, transportation support, chronic care, addiction recovery, and new service lines such as chemotherapy and hepatitis treatment. They said the program helps keep care close to home and that manufacturer restrictions on contract pharmacies have reduced access and cost hospitals millions. Opponents from BIO Kentucky and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions argued the bill would expand federal law beyond Congress’s intent, create administrative burdens, and not lower patient out-of-pocket costs. The chair repeatedly pressed opponents to address why Kentucky should be denied the same 340B pricing available in other states. No vote on the bill was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• At the federal level, laws have been made to make it easier to qualify for qualified public service to
• Certain changes have also been made at the state level to allow more Texans working in higher education
• There are three state-level issues making it difficult for Texans working in higher education to take
• Current allocation levels for higher education are set at $393.8 million per fiscal year.
• at that level to $893 million.

Bills: HB42, HB 125, HB 1233, HB2853, HB3148, HB3326, HB3701, HB4066, HB4361, HB4762, HB4909, HB4912, HB42, HB125

Keywords: higher education, funding, financial allocation, state budget, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, education funding, medical education, osteopathic medicine, healthcare workforce, Tarleton State University, industry-recognized credentials, workforce development, career opportunities, feasibility study, student fees, university funding, student union, education, UT El Paso

Transcript Highlights:

• If we can provide that, it makes our occupation so much better, because we can get timely vaccination
• nitrogen do not leach and do not volatilize, and therefore do not contribute to the high nitrate levels
• So the first you will see is for maintaining our current service levels.
• But again, this is just maintaining the current service levels for the Department of Agriculture.
• You see that the nitrate drops to nearly negligible levels.

Transcript Highlights:

• lifeguard with the City and County for 20 years, working from the beach all the way up to the chief level
• It influences access to higher levels of medical training, mental health resources, and proper professional
• ><00:18:39.520> access<00:18:40.040> to<00:18:40.240> higher<00:18:40.520> level
• <00:18:40.880> of It influences access to higher level of It influences access to higher level
• comprehensive workforce strategy has the potential to address persistent disparities, such as occupational

Bills: HCR112

Keywords: HCR112, House Concurrent Resolution, DHRD, Department of Human Resources Development, civil service, classification system, compensation system, salary study, pay scale, job classification, position classification, state workforce, vacancy rate, hard-to-fill positions, labor shortage, recruitment, retention, public employees, state agencies, labor organizations

Transcript Highlights:

• So you'll see a whole variety of state level issues that we'll be hearing from particular departments
• there, there is currently a rulemaking taking place through the EIB that's being delayed on the occupational
• I think, I think we all recognize that crime and the level of crime has a direct correlation to economic
• Uh, available to us at the state level as well as the federal level to push back against, um, those land
• The other thing that was mentioned, Madam Chair, is that at the federal level when they cut back and

Transcript Highlights:

• young men and women a real love of nursing and, and understand that it's a, it's a, it's a, uh, an occupation
• metric and perhaps say maybe that's not the best indicator of my quality, but I think at a higher level
• While the publicly lands, uh, in across the state burn at adequate levels, they only represent less than
• for 59,000 physicians when I say, you know, our focus is patient care and maintaining the highest level
• You have to go in all this level of detail.

Bills: HB139

Keywords: ad valorem tax, tax rates, voter-approval, taxing unit, property tax, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• clarifies that a fee of only 20 percent may be charged if needed to maintain food safety staffing levels
• We also would generally. ...really like to see a reduction in the level of rate riders for the reasons
• bill also ensures all information... ...that it's confidential under current law, retains the same level
• a snapshot of total costs and revenues. to give the utility a reasonable opportunity to earn that level
• Everybody should be able to participate at the level that they have. I think it's necessary.

Bills: SB483, SB522, SB783, SB1239, SB1254, SB1255, SB1259, SB1341, SB1664, SB1762, SB1856, SB1877, SB1977

Keywords: utility, proprietary information, customer data, data protection, electric service, customer information, emergency communication, electric utility, privacy, certification, public accountants, interstate licensing, accounting, regulatory amendment, energy efficiency, construction regulations, building codes, Texas, sustainability, cost-effectiveness

Transcript Highlights:

• There are very high-level skills involved that make it difficult for people to understand what exactly
• Who our favorite LGBT personality was in different segments and occupations within the culture in the
• It starts at the NAR and then breaks down to the states, going down to the local level.
• They should have run that rule adoption at the state level through its membership.
• So the first level of defense was your state membership because this is kind of how we break up.

Bills: SB2101, SB2334, SB2633, SB2637, SB2713, SB2781, SB2782, SB3059, HB1130, HB256, HCR19

Keywords: minors, sexually explicit materials, public libraries, age verification, civil penalties, library collection review, alcohol storage, airline permits, beverage regulations, airport, commercial flights, alcoholic beverages, local option election, zoning regulations, municipality control, land use, state law, social media, bot accounts, misinformation

Transcript Highlights:

• Residents cannot go into a condo association unless it occupies has full occupancy.
• Remember, these are level for these are not level 1, 2, or 3.
• It doesn't eliminate anything on the federal level.
• What it eliminates, I think more so the federal level.
• , the federal levels, the federal level, I don't have any right to prepare statute, our problem gate,

Transcript Highlights:

• And I imagine that—have you guys pursued the county levels, starting with H as the largest?
• probably has more expertise in the decision-making behind why this bill is presented at the state level
• um so I'll defer to her the state level um so I'll defer to her on<00:20:46.600> those on those
• i in many different levels.
• <02:07:30.159> of they don't provide the same level of they don't provide the same level of

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1233, relating to storm management systems, which would add safety and maintenance requirements for detention and retention ponds. Supporters, including Alison Schafers of the Ki Injury Prevention Coalition and Kristen Herstead of the Hawaii Lifeguard Association, said the measure is needed because poorly maintained ponds can become hidden drowning hazards, especially for children, and argued that fencing, signage, and life-saving equipment would have minimal cost. Schafers described the death of her daughter in a detention pond and said the bill reflects recommendations in the Hawaii Water Safety Plan. Members asked about whether the issue should be handled at the county level; testifiers responded that a statewide standard is needed, though counties would likely handle permitting. No vote was taken on the bill during the excerpted discussion. The committee then heard HB 867, relating to recreational facilities, which would require accessible playgrounds. The Department of Land and Natural Resources said it submitted comments and that state parks do not generally have recreational facilities affected by the bill, while most such facilities are under county jurisdiction. The Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Disability Communication Access Board, and the Disability Rights Center all supported the bill’s intent but recommended changes, including replacing the term “special needs” with “accessible,” focusing the requirement on new and renovated playgrounds, and specifying wheelchair-accessible swings. Testifiers emphasized that accessible play spaces promote inclusion for children with disabilities and benefit all children. No final action or vote was reported. The committee also took up HB 1358, relating to a public land trust working group. DLNR supported the measure and said it had provided written comments, while the Office of Hawaiian Affairs strongly supported the bill and described longstanding problems with incomplete land inventories, self-reported revenue data, and disputed public land trust payments. OHA said an audit it funded suggests the state owes more than current payments reflect, and other supporters said the bill is needed for transparency, accountability, and a complete inventory of public trust lands, including submerged lands. Committee questions focused on how the public land trust information system is maintained, who updates it, and how revenue reporting works; DLNR said the system is older, has limited dedicated IT staffing, and relies on agency self-reporting rather than independent verification. No vote or final committee action was announced in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• will be devastating to both the state of California and our partners at the local and university levels
• And there's a lot of conversations that go both at the federal level and the state level to ensure the
• or late legislation at the state level, or a pandemic.
• So that's a way or a step that FTB reacts when changes take place at the federal level to the state level
• So the, at the federal level, the president's budget is actually supposed to be released.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• actually starts at the federal level actually starts at the federal level with<00:26:50.200>
• So why don't we do this at the federal level, not the state level? Yes, exactly.
• We need to price carbon at the federal level.
• Because by anticipating a future... know the at the federal level it's kind know the at the federal level
• at the federal level not the state level at the federal level not the state level yes<01:48:00.000

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on House Bill 233, which would impose transparency and reporting requirements on the New Hampshire Vaccine Association. The prime sponsor, Representative Comto, said the bill and a proposed amendment were intended to increase public access by requiring a physical meeting location, making meetings available online, and publishing a complete list of vaccines and pharmaceutical products purchased. She argued the association should be more transparent because it is involved in vaccine purchasing and public trust is important, especially given controversy around vaccines. Committee members questioned the sponsor about the association’s legal status, who sets vaccine requirements, whether other private entities would be covered, and whether the proposal should instead apply more broadly to all meetings or include recordings. The sponsor said the association was created by the legislature, that childhood vaccine requirements come from DHHS and CDC-related processes, and that she would be open to broader recording requirements. Some members raised concerns about misinformation and whether requiring answers to public questions could be problematic in a contentious policy area. Patrick Miller, executive director of the Vaccine Association, and attorney Mark McHugh testified in opposition. They described the association as a not-for-profit voluntary corporation created by statute in 2002 to serve as a funding mechanism for the state’s universal childhood vaccine purchase program, with no policymaking role and no public funding. They said the association already posts notices, agendas, minutes, and allows public webinar access and comments, while also providing annual audits and reports and other statutory reporting. They argued HB 233 would impose unnecessary administrative costs on a private entity, interfere with its limited charitable purpose, and ultimately increase costs borne by insurers, employers, and consumers. No vote or final action was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• At the federal level, the taxable wage base is $7,000.
• And we have now moved ahead of Maryland, Its benefit levels.
• statutory level.
• To build up the reserves to the level, the statutory level.
• We're not seeing that same level of improper payments, and we, We're not seeing that same level of improper

Keywords: Commission on Unemployment Compensation, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• pre at maintain being maintained at the pre at the<00:10:00.399> pre-leave<00:10:01.040> level
• And uh employers the pre-leave level.
• But I believe it is the state's responsibility at commissioner levels to be communicating this.
• But I believe it is the state's responsibility at commissioner levels to be communicating this.
• That's again that's a levels um to date.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• um reacting to low-level crime. um reacting to low-level crime.
• <00:54:24.480> of considerably more in the occupation of considerably more in the occupation
• work at the prison are at a high level work at the prison are at a high level of<01:09:09.560>
• We don't have support at the federal level.
• don't have support at the federal level. don't have support at the federal level.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This committee amendment and the levels.
• It's not clear in the bill how the mandate to ignore grade or age levels works in the context of grade-level
• It's not clear in the bill how the mandate to ignore grade or age levels works in the context of grade-level
• It's not clear in the bill how the mandate to ignore grade or age levels works in the context of grade-level
• I Medicaid level of medical necessity.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• At the federal level, the taxable wage base is $7,000.
• And we have now moved ahead of Maryland, Its benefit levels.
• statutory level.
• To build up the reserves to the level, the statutory level.
• We're not seeing that same level of improper payments, and we, We're not seeing that same level of improper

Summary: The Commission on Unemployment Compensation met, established a quorum, and elected Delegate Destiny LeVere Bolling as chair and Senator Mike Jones as vice chair. The commission also adopted its electronic meeting policy and heard introductions from new members, staff, and officials from the Secretary of Labor’s office and the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC). Secretary Jessica Lumen outlined the administration’s workforce and labor priorities, including supporting workers, employers, and program transparency, while members raised concerns about business climate, job losses, labor participation, and the implementation of paid family and medical leave. Staff provided legislative updates on recent unemployment-related bills. These included increases to the weekly unemployment benefit amount enacted in 2025 and 2026, a bill on labor dispute disqualification that changed how lockouts are treated for benefit eligibility, and a budget item providing $75,000 for actuarial support to the commission. The commission also discussed the 2025 work group on annual adjustments to weekly benefit amounts; staff reported that the work group did not complete its charge, and members agreed to revisit whether to reconstitute it at a future meeting. Delegate Martinez expressed support for continuing the work, and the chair said the issue would be taken up at the next meeting. Deputy Commissioner Joanna Darkus gave a detailed presentation on Virginia’s unemployment insurance system, including current claims data, eligibility rules, employer tax structure, benefit levels, trust fund solvency, fraud prevention, and customer service operations. She reported that Virginia’s unemployment rate remains low, weekly claims are modest, the current weekly benefit range is $160 to $478, and the trust fund balance factor is projected at 50.9 percent, near the threshold for additional employer charges. Members asked about the taxable wage base, trust fund solvency, the effect of benefit increases, fraud controls, and the planned paid family and medical leave program. VEC said it is implementing that program through regulations, staffing, IT procurement, public listening sessions, and consultation with other states. A public commenter from the Virginia Poverty Law Center urged the commission to strengthen state investment in unemployment insurance and warned that federal support is uncertain. The commission then adjourned without taking further action.