Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, even under the expansion population, there are populations that are exempt from many of
• expansion population. expansion population.
• Medicaid<00:13:08.240> expansion<00:13:09.680> population Medicaid expansion population
• c> that population, there are populations that population, there are populations that are<00:13:20.720
• populations include pregnant These populations include pregnant women,<00:13:28.399> caregivers

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House convened with an invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, established a quorum, excused absent members, suspended rules to allow co-sponsorships and vote modifications, and approved the journal from February 26, 2026. The clerk then reported several bills on second reading, including measures on state personnel, domestic violence, fish and wildlife resources, open records, workforce investment, data centers, guardians ad litem and domestic relations, along with Senate Concurrent Resolution 9 on a Medicaid pilot feasibility study and Senate Joint Resolution 23 declaring Kentucky a “food is medicine” state. The main floor business was House Bill 2, the Medicaid reform and appropriation bill. The sponsor described it as a response to rising Medicaid costs and federal changes, saying it would improve transparency, oversight, fraud prevention, and program operations. He said the bill would apply mainly to the Medicaid expansion population and include community engagement, cost-sharing, eligibility safeguards, stronger managed care oversight, transportation and dental delivery changes, waiver program prioritization, greater legislative access to CHFS data, a transparency dashboard, periodic auditor review, and limits on certain weight-management drug coverage. A House committee substitute was adopted, and a floor amendment on phasing in a marginal medical loss ratio requirement over four years was offered as a friendly amendment and adopted. The House then debated House Floor Amendment 1, which would have removed state-mandated co-payments and limited cost sharing to the federal minimum, while also prohibiting reporting medical debt to credit agencies. Supporters argued the amendment would protect low-income Kentuckians from barriers to care and prevent medical debt from worsening poverty. Opponents said the bill’s co-pays were intended to encourage appropriate use of care, especially to reduce non-emergency emergency room visits, and noted that providers and MCOs could waive or work around some charges. After a roll call vote, the amendment failed 20-39. After the amendment vote, the House continued discussion of the bill, with the sponsor defending the co-payment structure as a way to promote personal responsibility and sustainability while preserving access to primary care. The transcript ends during further debate on House Bill 2, and no final passage vote is shown in the provided excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• to work with those populations.
• to work with those populations.
• to work with those populations.
• to work with those populations.
• c> of of the largest urban populations of of the largest urban populations of Native<01:14:48.520

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so the population is very dense. There’s a lot of needs.
• It has been used by states to do all sorts of things like for family planning or to cover populations
• The IMD waivers, at least, are not limited or divided in that way for populations.
• Was there like an oversampling of tribal populations?
• Was there like an oversampling of tribal populations?

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And when you have a population like Medicaid, they treat very rare conditions.
• Is that for the aging population, or is it more school-based? Mr.
• So we can't pick and choose which populations get those.
• We're really mindful of sustainability and what populations they need to serve.
• Population. Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the average for the full population the average for the full population there's<00:40:53.599>
• Yeah, so these are again average effects for the population.
• Yeah, so these are again average effects for the population.
• Yeah, so these are again average effects for the population.
• We divide that by the state's population.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So one of which being identifying specific populations for specific or targeted policy interventions,
• understanding how current policies or litigation may disproportionately affect certain populations by
• And we're focusing then on the full population of adult Medicaid beneficiaries. Next slide.
• data, we find that about 17.6 million adults need LTSS, which is a little under 7% of the adult population
• A little under 7% of the adult population in the United States, but then we find that 6.4 million adults

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities’ Long-Term Services and Supports and Health Equity Subcommittee met to hear a presentation from the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University. Monica Mitra introduced the institute’s work on disability health equity and long-term services and supports, and staff described several research centers focused on community living policy, disability and pregnancy, and parents with disabilities. The presentation emphasized participatory research, accessible dissemination, and the connection between health equity and access to home- and community-based services. Joe Caldwell discussed the Community Living Policy Center’s work on Medicaid HCBS, the direct care workforce crisis, housing, and policy advocacy, including efforts related to the Money Follows the Person program and the Medicaid access rule’s interested parties advisory group. Sid Pickern highlighted a workforce study interviewing direct care workers, a forthcoming policy brief on the access rule, and housing research including Massachusetts’ Alternative Housing Voucher Program. Teresa Nguyen described the Community Living Equity Center’s focus on disparities in community living for people of color, especially a study on self-direction and community living outcomes, and asked for help recruiting participants. Lauren Bixby demonstrated the community living data dashboard, which compares adults who need LTSS with those receiving Medicaid LTSS using ACS and TMSIS data. She explained that the dashboard can be filtered by state and demographics, but noted major race and ethnicity data gaps for Massachusetts and other states. Commissioners praised the dashboard and the institute’s work, asked questions about data sources and the 1115 waiver, and discussed possible connections to the Health Equity Compact. No votes were taken; the meeting ended with an invitation for follow-up, including a forthcoming direct care workforce brief and the institute’s October 28 lecture.

Transcript Highlights:

• What's the population?' I was told 500. I was told 1,500. 10 years ago, I was told 2,500.
• There is a bear population up northeast, but in southeast Oklahoma, those constituents have a problem
• Yeah, so I'm going with 2,500 bears as the population.
• So, I have no intention of devastating the harvesting of the bear population in Oklahoma.
• That is somewhere in the 10% of our population range. Thank you for the question.

Bills: HB4246, HB4230, HB3617, HB3657, HB2976, HB3391, HB4459, HB4128, HB3989, HB2989, HB4060, HB3145, HB2992, HB3464, HB4246, HB4230, HB3617, HB3657, HB2976, HB3391, HB4459, HB4128, HB3989, HB2989, HB4060, HB3145, HB2992, HB3464

Keywords: water rights, rural water districts, board members, training requirements, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, right to repair, agriculture, OEM, repair providers, documentation, farm equipment, parts availability, maintenance, labor, employment definitions, agricultural services, Oklahoma Workforce Commission, confidentiality, data access, environmental protection

Transcript Highlights:

• Which is how we govern and purchase and serve the adult expansion population.
• We use fee for service for our core populations, managed care for our highly complex, and then, as stated
• DMS, Division of Medical Services, is covering the bulk of our fee-for-service population.
• So we have a very specific waiver for a very specific population that we're trying to serve.
• So expansion population is called our home currently.

Summary: The Medicaid Subcommittee of the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee met to receive a primer on the subcommittee’s history and on how Medicaid oversight works in Arkansas. Legislative audit staff reviewed the subcommittee’s origins in response to earlier Medicaid audit concerns and explained that Medicaid is audited every year in the statewide single audit because it is a high-risk, large federal program. Staff summarized recent audit findings, including issues with eligibility controls, data matching, contractor charging, incarcerated juveniles’ coverage handling, provider eligibility support, and the state’s Medicaid recovery audit contractor exception request. They also noted a DHS departmental audit finding involving employees who improperly received benefits, which was referred for possible prosecution. The Department of Human Services gave an overview of the Medicaid program, describing eligibility groups, delivery systems (fee-for-service, managed care/PASSE, and premium assistance for expansion adults), the size of the program, and the agency’s budget and provider base. DHS also outlined the difference between state plan amendments and waivers and said other committee materials would be sent to members. The Office of Medicaid Inspector General described its role in detecting and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse, explaining that it investigates suspected intentional fraud, suspends providers when there is a credible allegation of fraud, recovers improper payments in mistake cases, and recommends policy changes when trends are identified. The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit explained that it prosecutes provider fraud criminally and civilly, handles neglect, abuse, and exploitation cases in long-term care settings, and works with DHS, OMIG, and federal partners. Members asked about where cases are filed, how provider suspensions work, whether beneficiary fraud is investigated, and how education is provided to providers. DHS confirmed that beneficiary fraud cases are referred to local prosecutors and said the expansion population will move toward community engagement/work requirements under federal changes, with a soft launch planned before full implementation. The meeting ended with no formal votes beyond adoption of the prior minutes and no other committee actions.

Transcript Highlights:

• At what point do we begin to consider other populations in regard to how many of them are...
• Now, schools that don't fit into this category with the ELL population are now wondering, "Wait..."
• The population, they're now wondering, "Wait!
• Then it'd be sort of an escalating type of count towards their student enrollment population, as it was
• Those local school boards that are elected by their population are going to elect people that do what

Bills: HB298, HB342, HB332, HB344

Keywords: athletic classification, public high schools, English language learners, state education policy, athletic associations, religious instruction, elective credit, released time, public education, school policy, educational intervention, State Superintendent, local boards of education, subpoena, accountability, state control, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, a number of the charter schools have higher populations of students of need, and then others
• have smaller populations.
• of students of need and then populations of students of need and then others<00:03:54.799> have
• c><00:03:55.120> smaller<00:03:55.720> populations<00:03:56.680> so<00:03:56.959
• > again others have smaller populations so again others have smaller populations so again I<00

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What the Senate wanted to do is narrow the supervision piece to rural hospitals, so there's the population
• Hospitals, so there's the population cap as well as critical access hospitals, which, again, I concur
• You heard the population cap, so we would exclude, like, Pima and Maricopa.
• hospitals so there's the population cap as well as critical access hospitals which again I concur with
• scope of this bill has been narrowed to only affect rural hospitals rural counties you heard the population

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The meeting was a Republican caucus review of several Senate and House bills, with staff summarizing committee amendments and members indicating whether sponsors concurred with Senate changes. Topics included electronic monitoring in residential rooms (SB 1041), dental school complaint forwarding and licensure exemptions (SB 1168), revitalization district contracts (SB 1189), timeshare salesperson licensing (SB 1274), veterinary telehealth prescribing (SB 1286), insurance zero-estimated-exposure policies (SB 1428), advanced air mobility funds for border security (SB 1457), death benefits for law enforcement pilots (SB 1503), ATV definitions (SB 1519), pet and fowl restrictions in planned communities (SB 1582), and pharmacist independent testing/treatment authority (SB 1713). The caucus also reviewed education-related measures on school district self-insurance procurement (SB 1497) and a strike-everything amendment to SB 1118 that instead allowed duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and townhomes in historic areas if compatible with surrounding character. The group then considered several blue-sheet House bills. HB 2120 made technical changes to align property-tax disability language with updated statute; the sponsor concurred. HB 2174 changed terminology from advisory organization to modeling and data organization and required model filing; the sponsor concurred. HB 2203 directed ADE to review statutory reporting requirements and report recommendations to the legislature; the sponsor concurred. HB 2383’s Senate amendment simply designated a 2014 trampoline court law as “TIE’s law,” with the sponsor concurring. HB 2877 was amended into an alternative education pathway for certified veterinary technicians, and HB 2875 adjusted municipal and county drone restrictions near airports, expanding the relevant airport buffer and preserving some local authority. Additional bills discussed included HB 2428 on voluntary county emissions-reduction credit permits, HB 2176 on DHS health care institution complaint investigations, and HB 2050 on radiologic technology standards and radiologist assistant supervision. Members discussed that HB 2050’s Senate changes narrowed some supervision provisions to rural counties and critical access hospitals, prompting questions about the scope. Finally, HB 2010 on digital goods refunds was amended to shorten the refund window from 10 years to five years, but a sponsor said the amendment contained a drafting error and refused concurrence, meaning a conference committee would be needed. The caucus then concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know that that population means a lot to the governor and it means a lot to me.
• issues and I want to continue that working relationship with you all taking care of the special population
• I believe as far as a pilot program with this population.
• You know, this population deserves that. And so again, I really appreciate your engagement.
• And quite honestly, this particular population deserves that. So I love it.

Transcript Highlights:

• Do you have an accurate count of what the current bear population is in Florida?
• They're going to give us the numbers of what they think the bear population is.
• And they mentioned that there were population studies being done.
• Those population studies won't be done for a few years.
• But right now, from the last population study, the FWC estimates 4,030 bears left in the state of Florida

Summary: The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources met to consider confirmation appointments, beginning with Rodney Barreto’s reappointment to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Barreto described his background and defended his record, saying the commission has expanded public access, conserved land, supported youth conservation programs, and maintained strong law enforcement and wildlife management. Senators questioned him about public opposition to his confirmation, his role in supporting Amendment 2, a proposed use of submerged land near Singer Island, the Split Oak land swap, and whether FWC may reopen a bear hunt. Barreto said he saw no conflict in his Amendment 2 involvement, denied that any condo application existed for the Singer Island property, defended the Split Oak deal as a conservation and land-acquisition tradeoff, and said bear-hunt options would be presented later by staff and biologists. Several members of the public spoke against Barreto’s reconfirmation, arguing that FWC needs reform, term limits, and more scientific leadership, and criticizing his real estate and lobbying ties as conflicts of interest. Speakers also objected to his positions on development, habitat protection, trap use, herbicide spraying, and the handling of bear management and public notice at FWC meetings. Senator Avila spoke in strong support of Barreto, citing FWC’s role in Biscayne Bay restoration, juvenile redfish releases, invasive species control, and community involvement. The committee then voted to recommend Barreto’s confirmation favorably, with Senator Smith voting no. The committee next considered tabs 2 and 3, the reappointments of Kathy Chapman and Michael Kennedy to the Florida Inland Navigation District. With no separate vote requested and no public opposition, the committee recommended both confirmations favorably by voice roll call. The meeting concluded with thanks to staff and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• > that vulnerable populations in that vulnerable populations in that distribution<00:14:11.839
• Is that some group aging population.
• We have the highest population by median age, the second highest in the country.
• The over-65 population is a huge contributor to the workforce.
• for an aging population. for an aging population.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including roll call and approval of the prior meeting minutes, with one member abstaining because of absence and one member opposing. The main informational items were a Department of Health and Human Services update on the rural health transformation grant and a public health briefing on vaccines, followed by a quarterly budget and staffing update and an annual report from the Permanent Subcommittee on Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Related Dementias. Commissioner Lori Weaver reported that the department submitted the rural health transformation grant application on November 4, described it as reflecting input from communities and providers statewide, and said CMS review and budget negotiations would follow before final approval on December 31. She said the grant could support hiring as long as administrative costs stay within the 10% cap, and that the governor’s office will oversee administration with HHS. Ian Watt then testified that New Hampshire remains committed to vaccine access, including through the universal purchase program and annual respiratory virus guidance for flu, RSV, and COVID-19. He said the state continues to use evidence-based review for vaccine policy, noted the CDC’s change regarding the combined MMRV vaccine for the first dose in young children, and said New Hampshire’s school vaccine mandates remain at nine for schoolchildren and 10 for child care, with statutory exemptions still in place. Department staff also said there have been no supply or funding problems affecting childhood vaccine access. Nathan White, the department’s CFO, reviewed the DHHS budget and vacancy trends. He said DHHS makes up a large share of the state budget, that about 31% of its budget is general funds subject to lapse, and that lapse projections are difficult because much of the budget is driven by utilization rather than personnel. He reported current projected general fund lapse of just under $20 million, compared with about $39 million in the statewide surplus statement, and explained that only about a third of DHHS general funds can actually lapse because of statutory restrictions. He also said the department has about 400 unfunded positions, contributing to roughly a $30 million general fund reduction across the biennium, and that the hiring freeze has pushed vacancy trends upward while critical direct-care positions are being prioritized. The Alzheimer’s subcommittee reported six meetings this year, presentations on state services, silver alerts, brain health awareness, and palliative/hospice care, and work toward a new state Alzheimer’s plan. The subcommittee is developing a needs-assessment survey for people living with dementia, caregivers, and service providers, with the goal of using the results and other data sources to inform the plan. Its recommendations focus on integrating Alzheimer’s and dementia materials into chronic disease and aging outreach, embedding brain health into systems of care, adding cognitive health measures to BRFSS, and continuing partnerships with statewide organizations. Members also discussed recent research and prevention efforts, and the committee noted that a separate bill is being pursued to include Alzheimer’s and dementia in existing public health awareness campaigns.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 1990, their population was approximately 1,790 people.
• Currently, their population is roughly 1,770 people.
• In contrast, the city of Ellendale in 1990 had a population of about 1,700.
• Currently, our population, as of the last census, is roughly about 1,100.
• The smallest city in the data set has a population of 16, and the largest city has a population of 136,000

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee met to continue its tax reform and relief study agenda, approved the December 3, 2025 minutes, and announced a new subcommittee to examine property tax statement issues with counties, auditors, and the tax office. Representative Headland was named chair, Senator Rummel vice chair, and Representatives Dressler and Dr. Dr. and Senator Patton were also assigned. The chair noted the group may need an additional meeting and thanked staff and attendees. A major portion of the meeting focused on economic development incentives. The Department of Commerce presented on the Renaissance Zone program and TIF districts, describing Renaissance Zones as locally tailored tools that combine local property tax relief with state income tax incentives. Commerce said the program has supported thousands of projects since 1999 and cited examples from Beach and Mandan showing increases in property and taxable value, business retention, housing, and downtown revitalization. Committee members raised concerns that smaller rural communities often lack the staff and expertise to apply, and Commerce said it provides outreach through conferences, office hours, and one-on-one assistance. League of Cities and local officials from Bismarck and Ellendale echoed the capacity issue, discussed how the programs have worked in their communities, and suggested possible reforms or more targeted support for small towns. Ellendale’s mayor also described two TIF districts, one for industrial infrastructure in Oaks and one for housing infrastructure tied to a data center project in Ellendale. The committee then turned to stripper oil taxation. The Tax Department gave a comparison of oil and gas tax structures in selected states, noting that most have some form of stripper or marginal well provision, while Alaska does not appear to have a specific stripper-well exemption. Members asked for more detail on definitions and North Dakota’s annual adjusted rate. The Department of Mineral Resources followed with a detailed presentation on North Dakota stripper wells, explaining the statutory thresholds, the 12-consecutive-month production test, and the fact that once a well qualifies it remains on stripper status even if production later rises. DMR said about 11,332 stripper wells are active, representing roughly 54% of wells and about 16% of state production, and emphasized that stripper status can extend well life, preserve tax revenue, and reduce orphaned wells. Committee members and industry witnesses discussed refracs, the economics of keeping marginal wells active, and the competitive disadvantage created by North Dakota’s oil price discount. No votes were taken on these informational items.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, population. hasn't grown.
• The rest of the 80% could become part of that population as well.
• Yes. it's just it's a fully universal population. It could be the lowest income to any income.
• We have a population within the bill and a priority set. for a fully universal coverage population.
• I would imagine Dallas, probably Houston, probably our most populated areas.

Bills: SB2, SJR36, SB2, SB2, SR29, SB2

Keywords: Maverick County, recognition, economic development, Texas Senate, community celebration, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• hearing the new world screwworm presents a significant risk to our livestock industry, wildlife populations
• If it were to cross the border, what about wildlife such as our white-tailed deer population?
• They're all over South, Southern Mexico, but we're not seeing. the movement of that population.
• Populations exist and those populations will continue to exist and probably continue to increase. until
• We don't have the same South Texas that we had in the 1960s. populations.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Even if you've got a 5,000 population or you've got a 15,000, you'll get three foundational workers.
• For every range of 1 to 5,000 population For every range of 1 to 5,000 population above<00:35:15.280
• <00:37:48.880> So<00:37:49.200> 1,000 that population formula 1,000.
• So 1,000 that population formula 1,000.
• So those two populations, which capture the vast majority of everybody, are your two criteria.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Health and Human Services met to review budget items carved out in the prior session budget, including long-term care surveyor contracts, funding for local health departments, and expansion of the central laboratory. The committee approved the June 4 minutes and then heard an update from the Office of Inspector General’s Division of Health Care on long-term care certification surveys and complaint investigations. Officials said the $1 million annual appropriation for contracted survey work, along with salary increases and other resources, helped the state reduce its backlog. They reported that Kentucky completed 101 long-term care certification surveys in fiscal year 2024, up from 28 in fiscal year 2023, and had completed 186 surveys by July 7, 2025, with a goal of 40 to 50 more before the end of fiscal year 2025. Outstanding complaints fell from 1,565 at the end of fiscal year 2024 to 695 by July 7, 2025, and outstanding priority-one or immediate-jeopardy complaints were reduced to zero. Members asked about the definition of priority-one cases, survey timing, the number of facilities still overdue, vacancy rates, federal funding reliance, and the use of contract surveyors. Officials said priority-one cases involve serious harm or high risk of harm, that surveys are required within a 12- to 15.7-month window, and that the agency now has 40 contract surveyors and an outside team option. Several members praised the progress but warned that delays in surveys can endanger residents and urged continued funding and monitoring. The committee then began hearing from Mike Tuggle of the Department of Public Health on the Public Health Transformation Initiative, with Tuggle noting the legislation’s importance to public health financing. The transcript cuts off as he began his remarks.

Transcript Highlights:

• We advocate on behalf of the 706 cities with populations under 5,000.
• Um, I think currently the current law has both population—it has a geographic threshold, but it also
• it has a geographic threshold population it has a geographic threshold but<00:21:33.840> it<00
• every municipality, 300 population. every municipality, 300 population.
• I think that actually that... these people in in lesser populated these people in in lesser populated

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a declining population. We have all these other...
• They grow schools and grow schools, and we have a declining population. It's not fair.
• The low amount of student population compared to him with 600 students to manage.
• So it's a population that's pretty different and radically different from the Albuquerque school population
• Student population than our local public schools are as well.