Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:23:16.039><c> for</c> system heat is a life support system for system heat is a life support
• </c> bus system just the transitway system bus system just the transitway system has<00:42:48.800><c>
• These are local projects that are on the municipal collection system, the public system.
• These are local projects that are on the municipal collection system, the public system.
• Projects that are on the municipal collection system, the public system.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill also ensures school systems have advanced notice of changes to the accountability system. them
• And to me, this system...
• systems.
• Then it builds off... ...of the existing local accountability system in the A through F system, with
• Restoring confidence and trust in the system is crucial.

Bills: HB8

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

Transcript Highlights:

• But this is a real problem, and 25% of the kids in our school system, which is a 24,000-student system
• But this is a real problem and a 25% of the kids in our school system, which is a 24,000 school system
• Curbside pickup systems and drop-off systems at transfer stations like you may have in your district.
• systems and transfer station drop-off systems.
• The systems need to be convenient. Curbside and drop-off systems are the most convenient systems.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused mainly on two subjects: expansion of the Massachusetts bottle bill and bills to remove woody biomass from state clean-energy and greenhouse-gas programs. On the bottle bill, supporters from municipal, environmental, public health, and local government groups argued that the 5-cent deposit is outdated, redemption rates have fallen, and expanding coverage to more beverage containers—especially water, sports drinks, and small alcohol bottles—would reduce litter, cut plastic waste and microplastics, and save cities and towns money. Several speakers also backed raising handling fees for retailers and redemption centers, and some supported restoring a Clean Environment Fund so unclaimed deposits would support recycling-related purposes. Opponents, including the Massachusetts Beverage Association and the National Waste and Recycling Association, argued that curbside recycling and transfer-station systems are more convenient, that the targeted containers are valuable to local recycling programs, and that the proposal would shift costs onto consumers and municipalities. Committee members questioned witnesses about redemption rates, handling fees, the 2014 ballot question, and whether the bill had changed from prior sessions. The biomass portion drew strong support from Springfield officials, state legislators, environmental advocates, and public health groups. They said woody biomass should not count as clean energy because burning wood produces particulate pollution and carbon emissions, and they warned that current law contains a loophole that could help finance the proposed Palmer Renewable Energy biomass plant in Springfield. Witnesses emphasized Springfield’s air-quality and asthma burdens, the public health impacts of PM2.5, and the need to close the loophole before a January 1, 2026 deadline. One forest-industry witness supported a separate bill promoting modern wood heat with pollution controls, arguing it is cleaner than older wood systems and has minimal ratepayer cost, while noting that those credits would be affected if the governor’s broader energy affordability bill repeals the alternative energy portfolio standard. No votes were taken during the hearing. The chairs managed testimony by alternating between the bottle bill and biomass topics, asking speakers to keep remarks brief and to note when they agreed with prior testimony. Several legislators also testified in support of the bills, and committee members asked follow-up questions on deposit levels, retailer handling fees, recycling economics, and the public-health rationale for the biomass restrictions.

Transcript Highlights:

• We talk about the voucher system.
• We talk about the voucher system. There needs to be accountability.
• Verify that changes in the system have not been made?
• the electronic system. ...about years down the road to test out the electronic system.
• We will have a discussion with them about the new system.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're a nonprofit hospital system.
• system for a punitive damage award.
• What system failed to bring that forward?
• We would send them through the federal system.
• Getting the system fixed.

Bills: HB99, HB49, HB164, SB30, SB43, SB50, SB136

Keywords: medical malpractice, malpractice reform, patient's compensation fund, PCF, health care liability, tort reform, damage caps, punitive damages, hospital liability, physician liability, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, outpatient facility, ambulatory surgical center, urgent care, free-standing emergency room, insurance surcharge, superintendent of insurance, New Mexico hospitals, medical review process

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 99, which would make changes to the Medical Malpractice Act, especially around punitive damages. The chair and sponsor said the bill would not be voted on that day and that public comment would wait until Monday, when a fuller presentation and any recommended substitute would be considered. Dr. Brooke Baker, a physician-lawyer, gave a long presentation on physician wellness, malpractice stress, and the effect of litigation on staffing and burnout, while also discussing hospital ownership structures, private equity, and rural hospital vulnerability. She argued that punitive damages are often pled too broadly in New Mexico, that the amendment language was unclear about which entities would be capped, and that better oversight and internal quality systems—not punitive damages—are the better tools for addressing bad actors and unsafe care. Committee members from both sides asked extensive questions about the patient compensation fund, indemnification, corporate structures, the effect of caps on insurance and recruitment, and whether the bill would protect physicians’ personal assets. No vote was taken on HB 99, and the committee recessed before moving to the next bill. The committee then returned to House Bill 49, a public safety measure increasing penalties for felons who possess firearms. The sponsors and law enforcement witnesses said the bill is aimed narrowly at serious violent felons who are already prohibited from having guns, and that it would align state sentencing with federal law and give police and prosecutors a stronger tool against repeat violent offenders. An amendment was offered to narrow the bill further, add destructive devices, and make the offense a second-degree felony rather than escalating to first degree on repeat offenses. The amendment was adopted without opposition. Public testimony on HB 49 was largely opposed. The Law Office of the Public Defender argued the bill criminalizes possession without a new act of violence, that current law already punishes felon-in-possession conduct, and that New Mexico has repeatedly increased penalties without evidence of reduced gun crime. The ACLU of New Mexico also opposed the bill, saying increased penalties are not a proven deterrent. The transcript cuts off as additional online opposition testimony was beginning.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> system that really needs a lot of work. system that really needs a lot of work.
• </c> management system from a fragile system management system from a fragile system as<00:53:55.280>
• </c> multiple complex systems. multiple complex systems.
• </c><01:12:39.760><c> Uh,</c> challenges in the system. Uh, challenges in the system.
• we adopt the new system?

Bills: HF3738, HF2295, HF3520, HF3666

Keywords: pediatric care, hospital discharge, home care, healthcare accessibility, nursing services, family support, mental health, crisis services, Dakota County, mobile crisis response, public safety, treatment services, rehabilitation, behavioral health fund, client eligibility, home and community-based services, case management, waiver services, county services, disability advocacy

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, I think early on in the system, the bifurcated system that Michelle talked about at the beginning
• They navigated a complex system to provide a human solution when the traditional system had run out of
• It is designed into the system.
• That is not system flexibility. It's system failure.
• It's going to tear down the system.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Systems now open to Senate would not vote.
• The system is now open.
• The system is closed. Secretary, record the vote.
• The system is closed. Secretary, record the vote.
• The system is closed. Secretary, record the vote.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So yours is more like a systems request. Is that right?
• So yours is more like a systems request. Is that right?
• We identified four system-wide pressures.
• So let's get into system efficiency.
• Who can do a system readjustment?

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee approved minutes from September 25 and December 2, 2025, then heard seven topic requests for possible Office of Performance Evaluations studies. Topics included the impacts of growth on agriculture and infrastructure, Medicaid hospital billing, Your Health Idaho plan selection, fund balance management for boards and commissions under DOPL, the Board of Community Guardians, sexual assault in women’s prisons, and drivers of prison population growth. Requesters emphasized issues such as conversion of farmland to development, possible Medicaid billing upcoding, uninsured Idahoans’ costs, uneven board fund balances after consolidation, gaps in guardianship services, prison safety and oversight, and factors driving incarceration growth. OPE staff said all were feasible, with some smaller, medium, or larger in scope depending on the topic. After a secret ballot, the committee selected four studies for OPE: the Board of Community Guardians, drivers of prison population growth, impacts of growth on agriculture and infrastructure, and oversight of sexual assault in women’s correctional facilities. Members noted the remaining topics received fewer votes, but the director said the office could potentially take on additional work later if capacity allowed. The committee also agreed to follow up on the Idaho Home Learning Academy report and the 2023 direct care workforce report, with follow-up timing suggested for December and June, respectively. The committee then received a follow-up report on Idaho’s 911 system. OPE said the system faces four major pressures: insufficient funding, staffing shortages, too many centers relative to call demand, and weak statewide data and oversight. The report recommended evolving the Idaho Public Safety Communications Commission into a statewide program with authority to oversee the system, collect standardized financial data, set performance standards, and clarify cost responsibilities. The committee heard responses from the IPSCC chairman, the Military Division, and others, who generally agreed with the need for better data and coordination but stressed local control, outdated radio infrastructure, and the lack of a clear funding estimate. The committee discussed whether to pursue a follow-up focused on funding gaps and system costs, and OPE said it could do additional background work with the commission and Military Division to see what data are available.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so it's important that if we're using AI systems, they're AI systems that actually support learning
• These are systems that are district.
• Those systems require for a cop, a compliance within the system for student use.
• It is very likely they're in an open system are closed system that is student is going to get an answer
• Notice your your recommendation about not using open systems in the K through 12 System K to 12 setting

Transcript Highlights:

• . ...the entire system, how the system is being efficient or non-efficient, how we can continue to develop
• Because if you're going to have a system that tracks their grades, why not also have a system to track
• I'll just talk about our case management system.
• Justice system.
• Justice system.

Summary: The Senate and House Joint Committee on Children and Youth approved the December 10 minutes and confirmed Representative Mary Bentley to the Child Maltreatment Investigations Oversight Committee. The committee then heard the annual Arkansas Infant and Child Death Review report, which said the state reviewed 148 of 170 non-natural child deaths in 2023; the reviewed deaths included 69 accidents, 14 suicides, 18 homicides, and 47 undetermined causes. Members asked about how the report’s recommendations could be used, grant opportunities tied to prevention work, and whether the data could be broken down by age; presenters said the report is intended as a prevention tool for agencies and nonprofits and that some age detail is available in later pages of the report. The committee next took up HCR 1010 and then a broader discussion of juvenile justice reform. Senator Missy Irvin, judges, and Administrative Office of the Courts staff described Arkansas’s use of validated risk assessments, including SAVRY, the Ohio Youth Assessment Tool, MAYSI, and substance-abuse screening, as part of a long-running effort to reduce juvenile incarceration and tailor services to individual youth and families. They said the reforms have contributed to fewer delinquency filings, fewer DYS commitments, and more diversions, while also emphasizing that mental health, substance abuse, school issues, and trauma often drive juvenile court involvement. Several members raised concerns about data gaps, school collaboration, and whether community-based services are sufficient, and presenters said more shared data and stronger school use of safety dashboards could help intervene earlier. Division of Youth Services Director Michael Crump then presented custody, education, recidivism, and cost data. He said DYS commitments rose after the pandemic, secure residential populations remain high, and detention-center use increased when intake beds filled; he also noted that DYS pays about $320 per day for secure custody and that detention beds cost roughly $90 to $100 per day. Crump said most youth in custody are older teens, about 80 percent are male, and many have behavioral-health needs or educational deficits; he reported 222 GEDs and 102 high school diplomas over six years. He also said about 15 to 19 percent of youth return to DYS within three years and that a larger share later enter the Department of Corrections, while members pressed him on how assessments relate to commitments, how low-risk cases are handled, and how to improve mental health and substance-abuse services statewide.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our CSU system.
• We are a system, and as a system, we are serving the entire state of California.
• And as a proud graduate of the UC system and CSU system and took a number of classes at the community
• colleges... ...of the UC system and CSU system and took a number of classes at the community colleges
• The CSU system is the largest four-year public university system in the U.S., serving over 450,000 students

Summary: The subcommittee heard an overview hearing on the 2026-27 budget and policy issues for California’s three public higher education segments: the Community Colleges, CSU, and UC. Chair David Alvarez emphasized shared responsibility to expand access, right-size campuses to enrollment trends, improve transfer pathways, align programs with workforce needs, and measure success by completion, transfer, and job placement rather than participation alone. The chancellors and president each described their systems’ current enrollment trends, budget priorities, and efforts to collaborate more closely across segments. Chancellor Sonia Christian said community college enrollment has rebounded strongly and asked for 3% enrollment growth funding, more support for the Common Cloud Data Platform, credit for prior learning, AI literacy, and recovery-related workforce training in Los Angeles. She highlighted right-sizing efforts such as Peralta’s proposed consolidation into Oakland City College, and described partnerships with CSU, UC, employers, unions, and housing projects. Chancellor Mildred García said CSU is focusing on CSU Forward, enrollment growth, student success, facilities, and fiscal health monitoring, while reallocating enrollment and resources to higher-demand campuses. She cited intersegmental programs such as nursing pathways, 2+2 and 3-year degree programs, and AI curriculum work, and said the system is also addressing labor and compensation issues. President J.B. Milliken said UC is facing federal funding threats, investigations, and rising costs, but has reached record enrollment of more than 300,000 students, including over 200,000 California resident undergraduates. He supported continued compact funding, said UC is exploring more use of technology, experiential learning, and short-term credentials, and stressed the need to adapt while preserving UC’s research and medical mission. Members pressed all three leaders on common course numbering, transfer outcomes, enrollment reallocation, BSN capacity, deferred maintenance, and the role of the master plan; the leaders generally agreed more collaboration and flexibility are needed, and several committed to follow up with updated data and timelines. No formal votes were taken. Public comment followed, including support from the CSU employees union for the Governor’s budget and full funding of CSU obligations.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, what is the behavior management system?
• It's a three-tiered system that outlines rule violation levels.
• It also complements our classification system.
• So our goal is to build up to crisis response systems.
• And on a macro level, it really modernizes an antiquated system.

Bills: SB6062

Keywords: juvenile justice, criminal offense, minors, rehabilitation, legal provisions, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , Idaho Rules for Public Drinking Water Systems.
• And by community systems, those are your municipal systems like your Veolia, your city of Coeur d'Alene
• We have 27 systems that that would impact.
• And there we have eight systems that meet that.
• public drinking water system stakeholder concerns regarding the 80 PSI maximum distribution system pressure

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee first considered two gubernatorial appointments to the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Licensing Board: Carl Ray and Kenneth Long. Both were moved to the floor with recommendations that they be confirmed by the Senate, and both motions passed without opposition. Members then heard several legislative resolutions and administrative rules. Senator Lakey presented a joint memorial on depredation claims, explaining that ranchers who report livestock losses to wolves or grizzly bears should not have their grazing permits affected; the committee voted to send RS 3-13-113 to print. Senator Foreman presented RS 32927C1, which would require a 30-day public comment period for Idaho Fish and Game season-setting proclamations, and the committee voted to introduce it. Representative Raibold presented four related water infrastructure resolutions for the state’s water districts, covering projects such as managed aquifer recharge, the Milner Dam spillway, Anderson Ranch Dam, Priest Lake outlet modifications, and other regional water projects; the committee voted to introduce RS 33051 through RS 33054. The committee also reviewed several DEQ rules. It approved docket 5801-16-2501, then approved the cyanidation ore-processing rules under docket 5801-13-2501, which update DEQ rules to conform to 2025 statutory changes while negotiated rulemaking continues on more substantive issues. It approved docket 580108-2501, updating public drinking water system rules to adopt federal Consumer Confidence Report and Lead and Copper Rule Improvements requirements, and docket 580108-2502, which reverts an earlier maximum static pressure change in drinking water distribution systems back to the prior standard with an early effective date of sine die. Finally, the committee approved docket 580112-2501, revising wastewater and drinking water loan fund rules to create a tiered affordability system for disadvantaged communities and add flexibility on professional liability insurance while protecting public funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, I think early on in the system, the bifurcated system that Michelle talked about at the beginning
• They navigated a complex system to provide a human solution when the traditional system had run out of
• It is designed into the system.
• That is not system flexibility. It's system failure.
• It's going to tear down the system.

Summary: The hearing focused first on behavioral health, especially serious mental illness and anosognosia, a condition described by witnesses as a neurological symptom that prevents people from recognizing they are ill. The chair framed the issue around families cycling through emergency rooms, jails, conservatorships, and short-term stabilization without lasting treatment, and warned that federal changes under H.R. 1 could reduce Medi-Cal funding and worsen access. Dawn Marie Anderson gave a personal account of her son’s long history of psychosis, homelessness, arrests, repeated jail and state hospital stays, and eventual stability when he received sustained medication and coordinated support. She argued that the system often treats the problem as criminal rather than medical and that voluntary programs and short-term services are not enough for people who lack insight into their illness. Other panelists, including representatives from the California Behavioral Health Association, Santa Barbara County Behavioral Health, and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association, agreed that anosognosia is not denial or noncompliance and said the system needs long-term, coordinated care, including assertive community treatment, mobile crisis, supportive housing, medication support, and stronger handoffs between county and managed care systems. They said CalAIM and other reforms have improved some coordination, but significant gaps remain, especially for people with serious mental illness, for those in jail or locked settings, and for people with private insurance, which witnesses said often offers little meaningful coverage for early psychosis or intensive behavioral health services. Several witnesses urged the Legislature to protect Medi-Cal, shore up county safety-net services, and invest in training and family engagement. The committee then turned to the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, with a focus on the virtual services platforms BrightLife Kids and Soluna and the CYBHI fee schedule. DHCS reported strong growth in app registrations, coaching sessions, referrals, and positive user outcomes, saying the platforms provide free, culturally responsive, early-intervention support statewide and help connect users to higher levels of care when needed. On the fee schedule, DHCS said more than 500 LEAs, colleges, universities, and school-linked providers are participating, 181 LEAs have submitted claims, and $9.6 million has been reimbursed to date, with 41,556 students represented in claims. The chair and several members criticized the pace of implementation and the amount of money spent relative to reimbursement levels, saying the Legislature had requested data earlier and that the return on investment still appeared low. DHCS responded that many claims are still being submitted, that 70% of denials are correctable, that $400 million in capacity grants has been distributed locally, and that reimbursement is increasing rapidly as more districts come online. Public comment included a rural county behavioral health director who said private insurance denials leave counties with significant uncompensated work, especially for unlicensed staff providing case management and mobile crisis services.

Transcript Highlights:

• We as a system that paid out 605 million in salary increases.
• Number one system in the country.
• Our system is that 78%.
• All of these are things that are system apart compared to other systems.
• And currently there are only 3 systems, Florida, North Carolina and the University of Texas System which

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , an AMI network system.
• </c> information system and a billing system information system and a billing system that<00:55:32.400
• It just makes sense. ...in my career was implement large IT systems, enterprise-level systems.
• They have specific systems for utilities, which include billing systems.
• </c><02:11:36.840><c> for</c> systems they have specific systems for systems they have specific systems

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> system that we currently have in place. system that we currently have in place.
• </c><00:14:22.800><c> that's</c> kind of rebuild the system that's kind of rebuild the system that's
• </c> we're going to have to make some system we're going to have to make some system modifications.
• that is the LMS system, which license management system about 12 different agencies use.
• that is the LMS system, which license management system about 12 different agencies use.

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 409, 28 January, 2026; 1:30 P.M., 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• health system.
• That's a fourth system.
• did in the juvenile justice system and in the child welfare system.
• than in the system.
• justice system.

Transcript Highlights:

• system.
• system.
• system.
• a system.
• a system.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce held its first interim hearing on securing critical infrastructure and supply chain integrity, with a focus on Texas’s electric grid and the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act. The chair also highlighted Texas’s relatively low electricity prices and welcomed new committee members. ERCOT, the Public Utility Commission (PUC), and the Attorney General’s office were invited to explain how the state screens market participants and grid equipment for ties to China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and how the agencies respond to noncompliance. ERCOT testified that it has implemented the requirements of three related Senate bills by requiring attestations on corporate affiliations and on critical grid equipment and services. ERCOT said it has processed thousands of attestations, used additional requests for information and third-party verification tools such as Dun & Bradstreet, and terminated nonresponsive market participants. ERCOT also said it has not seen a case requiring direct Attorney General involvement, but it does refer matters to the PUC when needed. The PUC said it can investigate suspected violations and impose penalties of up to $1 million per violation per day, and that most investigations into late or missing attestations have been resolved through compliance, market exit, or removal by ERCOT. The Attorney General’s office said its role is currently limited to audits and court involvement, and that it lacks broad independent investigatory authority under the act. Members pressed the panel on whether the current system is too reliant on self-reporting and whether it adequately addresses indirect foreign influence, especially through supply chains for batteries, inverters, transformers, and other equipment with routable connectivity. ERCOT acknowledged that the current attestation process has gaps and said it plans to refine definitions of critical grid equipment and grid services, improve information requests, and continue stakeholder rulemaking. The panel also discussed possible legislative changes, including tying prohibitions to the Department of Defense Section 1260H list and the Texas Prohibited Technologies list, clarifying warranty and service access, and expanding the statute to cover grid services more directly. Several senators raised concerns about cost, reliability, and the extent to which foreign-sourced components remain embedded in Texas infrastructure, while others suggested incentives for domestic manufacturing and stronger verification tools, including possible work with national labs such as Sandia.