Transcript Highlights:

• <00:10:17.120> this<00:10:17.360> test<00:10:17.760> to<00:10:18.079> all
• <00:10:19.120> uh<00:10:19.360> law able to provide this test to all uh law able to
• provide this test to all uh law enforcement<00:10:20.079> entities<00:10:21.040> in<00
• <00:10:36.959> Um, test. also standardized questions.
• Um, test. also standardized questions.

Bills: HB0032

Keywords: English proficiency, commercial drivers, vehicle operation, traffic safety, penalties, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• tested positive for at least one drug.
• And 67% of the population tested positive for two or more substances.
• And then when you break that down a little more and you look at that, 7,455 that tested positive, 48%
• So can you tell me what percentage of the population is testing positive for substance use?
• percent of those of that number that was tested that tested positive for substance abuse.

Transcript Highlights:

• My biggest concern on the bill is testing.
• So I'm concerned about the testing.
• So I'm concerned about the testing. That is not...
• So this is my biggest concern: how the testing will include diversity, how much testing is already being
• After being in the classroom for 25 years, it was like more testing.

Bills: SB234, SB210, SB243, SB244, SM16, HB8

Keywords: foster children, school transportation, education funding, public education, child welfare, New Mexico Highlands University, soccer field, women's sports, infrastructure improvement, funding allocation, student athletes, appropriation, New Mexico State University, nutrition, travel support, funding, education, university support, financial assistance, parenting students

Transcript Highlights:

• Worldwide, over 150 million animals are used in research and testing, and in U.S. laboratories alone
• Worldwide, over 150 million animals are used in research and testing, and in U.S. laboratories alone
• Therefore, animal tests are an unreliable way to predict effects in humans.
• Food and Drug Administration released a plan titled "Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing and Preclinical
• Scientific and medical research and testing can be improved without the use of animals, but by employing

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The joint committee held a public hearing on several bills covering state administration, land/public housing redevelopment, construction safety, memorialization, records management, rural grant equity, and animal research. Testimony in support of H. 3329 described an inequity in the Governor’s Council reimbursement statute, which currently cuts off travel, meals, and lodging reimbursement after four terms; the witnesses argued this disproportionately burdens members from western Massachusetts and creates geographic and economic barriers to service. The Boston Housing Authority supported legislation for the Brighton/Faneuil Gardens area, saying it would allow a mixed-use redevelopment that replaces all existing public housing units one-for-one, adds new affordable housing, creates replacement rehearsal space for displaced musicians, and preserves prevailing wage standards. A major portion of the hearing focused on S. 2112, a construction safety bill. Suffolk Construction, Boston building trade representatives, and local inspectors testified that the measure would strengthen training, site safety standards, oversight of high-risk work, and enforcement, while helping protect workers and the public and improving retention and recruitment of inspectors. Witnesses said the bill would align Massachusetts more closely with higher safety standards in other states and build on lessons from past construction-related incidents. The committee also heard support for S. 2162, which would create a COVID-19 memorial; the witness emphasized the scale of pandemic deaths in Massachusetts and the educational value of public memorials. Other testimony addressed H. 3321, which would modernize records preservation for registers of deeds by reducing reliance on costly microfilm in an increasingly electronic system; the witness said current law is outdated and expensive. H. 3311, aimed at advancing equity for rural communities receiving state grants, drew support from town officials in Leyden and Ashfield, who said small towns lack staff for grant writing and should be evaluated more on need and regional impact, especially for climate and public safety projects. Finally, S. 2117, concerning animal research, was supported by an animal welfare advocate who urged prohibiting state funds for animal experiments and shifting to non-animal research methods. After the hearing concluded, the chairs noted that additional hearings and polling votes would follow, and the committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And lastly, thank you for the rejection of the asset tests. Thank you.
• The commission really appreciates the committee's rejection of reinstating the Medi-Cal asset limit test
• In addition, we're here to support the changes, or the rejection of, the Medi-Cal asset tests and also
• including the proposal to push implementation for both the elimination of dental premiums and asset test
• to push implementation for the elimination of dental premiums as well as monthly premiums and asset test

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I remember when teachers took tests at one time in the state of Alabama.
• is a test that they take. >> I know you mentioned ACT scores. >> Yeah, that's what they...
• There's a reading test, Foundations of Reading. All the tests that they take would be evaluated.
• going to be concerned because why have they not been taught the necessary components to pass those tests
• There's a few other tests that they have to... that they'll evaluate and they'll do.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• THERE WILL BE A TEST AFTERWARDS.
• AND UNLIKE DOCTOR BOYD I DON'T HAVE A TEST AND IT COLLECTS THINGS LIKE TEMPERATURE, IT'S MOVEMENT XY
• QUESTION OUR CASE AI DOES MAKE MISTAKES BY THE WAY SO IN OUR CASE WE DO A LOT OF FIELD TESTING SO ANY
• EQUIPMENT THAT WE DEVELOP GOES OUT TO THE FIELD AND THEN WE TEST IT FOR ACCURACY, WE MONITOR ERRORS.
• THINGS HAPPEN YOU WOULD NOT HAVE DREAMED OF HAVING AND SO THERE IS A TESTING PROCESS AND THEN YOU ALSO

Transcript Highlights:

• The next topic I'll talk about is electric vehicle supply equipment testing.
• So we're proposing to authorize Commerce's Weights and Measures unit to test and inspect electric vehicle
• One of the biggest challenges new markets and cannabis face is the ability to test product fast enough
• This testing capacity often results from the onerous burden to become a licensed testing facility.
• Like the testing facility, there's a one-time cost associated here, but the agency can absorb that cost

Bills: HF1646, HF2443

Keywords: medical debt, debt relief, healthcare financing, consumer protection, financial hardship, commerce, cannabis, insurance, housing, ombudsperson, affordability, property, task force, financial institutions

Transcript Highlights:

• We've had a lot of conversations about the labs, about the testing, and we did give money for testing
• and um, we did give money for testing and um, we did give money for testing<03:10:14.640> and
• <03:10:45.279> my we do need more money for testing my we do need more money for testing my
• <03:25:34.479> Uh DNA test work needing to happen. Uh DNA test work needing to happen.
• have contracted with outside testing have contracted with outside testing agencies.<03:30:12.080

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the February 18, 2026 journal, and received several committee and House messages. Judiciary reported juvenile parole board appointments to the consent calendar for confirmation, and Transportation and Energy reported Senate Bills 28 and 25 along with other measures. The House transmitted multiple bills to the Reviser of Statutes, and the Senate later agreed to take up a large group of House bills on special order and consent calendar. A major portion of the meeting was devoted to personal-privilege remarks recognizing visiting groups, including the Mad Moms and Mad Dads advocating for people with serious mental illness, and the Colorado Gifted and Talented Association. Members spoke about stigma and the need for mental health legislation, and about supporting gifted students and their families. These remarks were welcomed by the chair and other senators. The Senate then considered a package of supplemental appropriation bills, including House Bills 1150 through 1179, covering agency budgets, school finance adjustments, education fund uses, and capital construction transfers. The committee of the whole adopted the package on second reading, and the full Senate later adopted the committee report by a vote of 33 ayes, with one excused and one vacant seat. The bills were ordered placed on the calendar for third reading and final passage. House Bill 1151, a supplemental appropriation to the Department of Corrections, drew extended debate. Supporters argued the bill was needed to cover existing obligations, avoid more costly jail backlogs, and prevent unsafe conditions, while critics said the department’s population management failures and broader sentencing policies were driving unnecessary costs and called for accountability and structural reform before more funding. Despite the debate, the bill was included in the adopted second-reading package.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill would push along that avenue of actually giving, uh, the cities some guidelines on testing
• So Flower Mountain has stepped up and has started testing, but my brothers and sisters across the state
• There are multiple cities that do not test their firefighters for cancer, do not screen them.
• Um, in Flower Mound, we test 140 line personnel, and, um, that, that tag is on the expensive side.
• Than stepping up and actually testing for cancers.

Bills: HB318, HB198

Keywords: ERCOT, interconnection, electric utilities, power grid, transmission, election administration, school board elections, trustee terms, general election, Education Code

Transcript Highlights:

• So testing really focused on the long-term care facilities, which makes up 62% of this population, and
• So testing really focused on the long-term care facilities, which makes up 62% of this population, and
• So testing really focused on the long-term care facilities, which makes up 62% of this population, and
• During our testing, we were not able to confirm balances for 20 of the 59 providers that we tested.
• During our testing, we were not able to confirm balances for 20 of the 59 providers that we tested.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee approved the January 16, 2024 minutes without objection. Members then heard a presentation from the Office of the Legislative Auditor on its December 2024 performance audit of the Department of Human Services’ outstanding provider debt in Minnesota’s Medicaid fee-for-service program. Legislative Auditor Judy Randall said the audit was launched after the office noticed a large accounts receivable balance during the state financial statement audit and became concerned that DHS did not understand the extent of the overpayments, had poor data, and planned to forgo recovery of some recoverable balances. Deputy Legislative Auditor Lori Lyson explained that DHS had reported $51.7 million in provider debt across about 2,500 providers in fiscal year 2023, with testing focused on long-term care facilities and the largest balances. The audit concluded DHS did not comply with legal requirements and lacked adequate internal controls. Findings included that DHS had not attempted to recover more than $40 million since collection notices were last sent in 2015 and 2019; that the department planned to write off some balances under $1,000 and some older than six years despite the auditors’ view that at least some of that debt may still be recoverable; that DHS overstated accounts receivable in its financial reporting because it had not updated its allowance calculation since 2019; and that MMIS data were insufficient to verify balances, with 20 of 59 sampled providers not reconciling and many dates inaccurate. In response to member questions, the auditors said the overpayments appeared to be routine program adjustments rather than fraud, but the department could not explain many of them because detailed data are only retained for about three years. They also said they did not know which specific DHS leader approved not collecting the debt, and that responsibility for recovery appeared split between program and finance staff, with each pointing to the other. The auditors recommended DHS recover the debt where possible, improve internal controls, retain better documentation, ensure accurate financial reporting, and work with the legislature if needed to clarify recovery authority.

Transcript Highlights:

• The framework for testing children and student athletes who are involved in sports.
• Suppose he has a test. Suppose he just wants to get out of class.
• By second grade, she could not function because of timed tests.
• She had a severe, severe anxiety to timed tests.
• DIBELS are timed tests.

Summary: The committee first heard SB 206, which would require cardiovascular pre-screening and blood pressure testing for student athletes beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Chairman Miller said the bill was prompted by concerns about undiagnosed hypertension and sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes, and Coach Marcus Scott testified about his own kidney transplant after years of untreated high blood pressure. Members asked about who would perform the screenings and how follow-up would work; the American Heart Association said existing athletic physical processes and referral networks could handle it. An amendment was adopted, and the committee reported SB 206 favorably as amended. The committee then took up SB 305, which would require a publicly available statewide career-alignment dashboard showing how degree programs connect to workforce outcomes, including completion, employment, wages, and high-demand jobs. Chairman Edmonds and student task force member Cruz Cassard said the goal was to help students understand job opportunities in Louisiana and reduce the number leaving the state after graduation. Workforce and higher education stakeholders supported the measure as a transparency and workforce-planning tool. The committee reported SB 305 favorably. Next, the committee considered HB 624, a school safety cleanup bill updating references from crisis management plans to emergency operations plans and aligning school emergency language with national standards. Representative Johnson and the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools said the bill would not create new mandates or costs, but would clarify existing requirements. The committee reported HB 624 favorably. The committee then heard HB 1022, as substituted, concerning school-based health care services. Representative Jackson said the bill was intended to clarify that medical decisions in school-based health centers should be made by licensed health professionals, not school staff, while preserving parental consent. Testimony from school-based health center providers supported the bill, but several members raised concerns about consent, parental authority, and whether the language shifted too much responsibility away from schools; the Charter School Association suggested adding more collaborative language. After discussion, the committee adopted the substitute and reported HB 1022 favorably by a 10-4 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm an advocate for competency-based testing.
• Um, I think sanitation and a law test.
• um competency based testing. um competency based testing.
• , as testing, as testing, if<00:53:49.520> they<00:53:49.760> have<00:53:50.000>
• like they can test and pass. Why not? like they can test and pass. Why not?

Keywords: Public Health - Room 216, 27 January, 2026; 3:00 PM, 925, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 3, a Medicaid and certificate-of-need measure described as a revised version of a bill vetoed by the governor the previous year. The bill would remove a prohibition on a psychiatric residential treatment facility in one county from Medicaid participation, add 20 beds for a Madison County facility, allow crossover status for a Harrison County hospital, require MC to obtain a certificate of need for facilities outside the original Jackson campus area, increase capital expenditure limits, and remove the provision the governor had objected to. Members discussed whether the bill was really a study item or a substantive new requirement, especially a provision tied to acute adult psychiatric units treating uninsured patients or paying a fee. The chair explained the policy concern as preventing “cherry-picking” of insured patients and shifting more uncompensated care to public facilities. The committee voted that the title was sufficient and the ayes appeared to have it, then voted to rise and report. The committee then heard Senate Bill 2453, a clarifying bill on window tinting/glazing exemptions. The sponsor explained that current law requires a physician’s affidavit for an exception, and the bill would clarify that licensed optometrists, along with physicians, may sign the affidavit for people whose eyes are sensitive to light. After brief questions, the committee again voted that the title was sufficient and the ayes appeared to have it. The chair said the two bills were being moved quickly to the docket room for processing and that the committee would reconvene immediately afterward. The final portion of the meeting was a hearing on Senate Bill 2566 involving the Board of Cosmetology and Barbering. The chair explained that the hearing was prompted by complaints from last session about inspectors being overly aggressive, fines for technical violations, and delays or problems with licensing. Board representatives said the newly appointed board had met for the first time, elected officers, and intended to focus on workforce development, easing burdens on the industry, and protecting public health and safety. They said the board had already restored prior passing scores for exams, adjusted work-permit timing to help students, reviewed contracts and staffing, and planned further meetings. Members and the chair discussed possible legislative changes, including mobile barber establishments, reducing fines, and extending license terms from two years to three years, with the chair asking the board to work with Senator Johnson on amendments before the deadline.

Transcript Highlights:

• We’re currently in Phase One and testing Phase Two. We paused. We did pause.”
• We had various rounds of testing.
• We had an entire year of hybrid testing where we ran it in parallel.
• And that has still to date never occurred, not in testing, not last year.
• You know, so, never occurred, not in testing, not last year.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 5179 by Davis, relating to health benefit plan coverage of biomarker testing, is referred to the Committee
• HB 5179 by Davis, relating to health benefit plan coverage of biomarker testing, is referred to the Committee
• HB 5179 by Davis, relating to health benefit plan coverage of biomarker testing, is referred to the Committee
• HB 5179 by Davis, relating to health benefit plan coverage of biomarker testing, is referred to the Committee
• HB 5179 by Davis, relating to health benefit plan coverage of biomarker testing, is referred to the Committee

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, same as a breath test. All right.
• Unless it's a felony, we don't have the blood test scenario.
• We don't have the blood tests. And we don't have blood tests.
• We don't have the blood tests. And we don't have blood tests.
• I don't know that I could pass a field sobriety test, okay?

Keywords: 977, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We in education are slammed with data: what are your test scores? What are your test scores?
• So the test scores are usually in the spring.
• So it's early test scores provided to the districts, parents are informed.
• It sounds great, and we've all said we're still waiting on our test scores.
• They may not have the business skills, but if they can pass the test, and we can get them to pass a test

Transcript Highlights:

• So you did your homework, you test, you, you completed the witness affirmation form.
• second skills test.
• They instead of pivoted to reimagine the current test as it currently is. We'll see what comes out.
• Like, and we can actually design a test. Um, that fits the needs of, you know, the next 50 years.
• This test is, was, was conceived in the 1960s. There's never been another one.

Transcript Highlights:

• And it's important to note that people can't just take the test.
• The high school equivalency tests—who requires them?
• So who's requiring that equivalency test to take place?
• So they rush in and take a free test.
• These tests, for example, one of them is an example is GED Ready.

Bills: SB37, SB29

Keywords: high-quality literacy instruction, science of reading, structured literacy, reading instruction, literacy assessment, dyslexia screening, phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, biliteracy, English language learner, ELL, bilingual education, dual language program, reading intervention, reading difficulty, reading improvement plan, literacy coach

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently in the state of Texas, HIV testing is not included in the standard screening of panel tests
• Does that include an HIV test? Not at this time.
• STD and I want you to give me an HIV test, they will not receive an HIV test. Is that right?
• This bill, as I understand it, I understand it does not require HIV testing.
• Absolutely, you have to consent for every test that's performed.

Bills: HB29, HB 125, HB145, HB171, HB255, HB50, HB796, HB363, HB 116, HB491, HB589, HB1495, HB368, HB 1285, HB1905, HB1360, HB2002, HB917, HB2723, HB2067, HB 1238, HB2337, HB745, HB 1188, HB1606, HB2003, HB2147, HB2391, HB2355, HB2546, HB2495, HB2818, HB2249, HB1749, HB3109, HB3228, HB3240, HB1507, HB658, HB1748, HB1851, HB1922, HB2001, HB2798, HB 107, HCR29, SB5, SB262, HB 11, HJR72, HB 106, HB18, HB48, HB27, HB37, HB1481, HB581, HB1696, HB2216, HB 1035, HB1633, HB742, HB754, HB1689, HB1690, HB2669, HB391, HB517, HB 1024, HB1607, HB252, HB1716, HB1562, HB4116, HB1866, HB1741, HB2103, HB2637, HB2884, HB503, HB 1089, HB2986, HB972, HB502, HB29, HB 125, HB145, HB171, HB255, HB50, HB796, HB363, HB 116, HB491, HB589, HB1495, HB368, HB 1285, HB1905, HB1360, HB2002, HB917, HB2723, HB2067, HB 1238, HB2337, HB745, HB 1188, HB1606, HB2003, HB2147, HB2391, HB2355, HB2546, HB2495, HB2818, HB2249, HB1749, HB3109, HB3228, HB3240, HB1507, HB658, HB1748, HB1851, HB1922, HB2001, HB2798, HB 107, HCR29

Keywords: water audit, water loss, water loss mitigation plan, municipally owned utility, municipal utility, water conservation, Texas Water Development Board, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, water leakage, leak detection, billing data accuracy, utility validation, water audit validation, water scarcity, water management, infrastructure, public utility, conservation plan, administrative penalty