Transcript Highlights:

• As you may recall, I had a $5 million special last year.
• Specialized training.
• We received a $2 million special appropriation.
• for the fraud program, industry assessments, but again, doesn't revert. $1.6 million in industry assessments
• The Special Appropriation: This is really a very important one.

Transcript Highlights:

• The safety assessment tool rose from 91% in '23 to 94 in '24, and the risk assessment tool from 88 to
• Um Um Um the<00:04:13.840><c> intake</c><00:04:14.560><c> assessment</c> the intake assessment the intake
• </c><00:04:45.800><c> tool</c> risk assessment tool risk assessment tool and<00:04:47.200><c> all</c>
• </c> That is part of assessing for safety. That is part of assessing for safety.
• </c> that agenda is going to be for a special that agenda is going to be for a special session.<01:15

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call- 00:00:01 SERVS Informational Update- 00:01:22 Child Removal and Reunification Update: Department for Community Based Services Financials- 00:03:00 Small Business Sales Tax Websites: Department of Revenue-00:28:05 Senior Citizen Meal Programs: Department for Aging and Independent Living-00:35:50 Adjournment-01:41:57, 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from the September 11 meeting by motion and voice vote. It then received a brief update on the statewide emergency responder voice system, but no presenter was present. The chair said he expected a more substantive update in November and warned that if there is not real progress on acquiring needed private properties, the committee may consider further action, including possibly freezing funding. The main discussion centered on the Department for Community Based Services’ child removal and reunification work and its structured decision-making tools. Commissioner Lisa Dennis and General Counsel Wesley Duke explained that the intake, safety, and risk assessment tools are being used at very high rates and that the department is still implementing and evaluating the system. Dennis said the tools are meant to inform, not replace, professional judgment; when staff disagree with a recommendation, the worker and first-line supervisor consult and decide together. Members questioned whether the system favors keeping children in the home, whether the department has studied safety outcomes for in-home cases versus removals, and whether foster home shortages affect removal decisions. Dennis said child safety remains the top priority, that the practice has not changed, and that the department would provide additional data on outcomes later. Members also asked about permanency timelines and delays in termination of parental rights cases; Dennis said federal timelines are difficult to meet because of family progress, substance use recovery, and court delays, and she confirmed foster parent shortages were not the reason for those delays. The committee then heard a presentation from the Department of Revenue on the new My Taxes portal. Staff said the portal, launched in March, replaced DOR’s portion of the old Kentucky One Stop Business Portal and now allows businesses to file and pay multiple taxes, update account information, and receive official notices. They reported the system is available 24/7 except for scheduled maintenance every other Thursday evening, has maintained over 99% availability since launch, and now has a dedicated contact center with 50 agents plus a public help line and email. In response to questions, the department said early downtime was caused by unexpectedly high traffic, but server capacity was increased and in the last three months there had been only one day of unexpected downtime.

Transcript Highlights:

• Director of Bridges Humward and currently a special member of the parole board.
• We have special expertise when it comes to risk assessment, how to implement risk assessment, and classification
• tools are just another version of risk assessment in many ways.
• We have special expertise when it comes to risk assessment, how to implement risk assessment, and classification
• tools are just another version of risk assessment in many ways.

Keywords: 1212, all

Summary: The Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration met with DOC leadership and UMass Chan researchers to discuss Massachusetts DOC’s objective point-based classification system, with a focus on whether inmates are overclassified and how discretionary and non-discretionary overrides affect placement decisions. DOC explained the system’s history, its goals of public safety and reintegration, the initial and reclassification tools, and the use of overrides and restrictions. Staff described several non-discretionary restrictions for minimum and medium security, the limited use of discretionary overrides, and current population breakdowns showing most classified in medium security, with smaller shares in maximum and lower security. UMass Chan presented preliminary findings from a NIJ-funded study using historical DOC data from 2019 to 2022, primarily on male reclassification cases. They said the scored custody level predicted institutional misconduct well, with stronger separation among minimum, medium, and maximum groups. They also said predictive accuracy declined after applying override-informed custody levels, and that the decline appeared to be driven mainly by non-discretionary restrictions rather than discretionary overrides. The researchers noted that violent misconduct in the sample was relatively rare and that the study was based on group-level statistics, not individual cases. Commission members and guests raised concerns about whether the data captured the effects of facility conditions, historical bias, step-down and step-up decisions, and the role of civil commitment restrictions, especially Code C. DOC and UMass Chan responded that the study did not show evidence that discretionary overrides reduced accuracy, that the non-discretionary restrictions were the main factor affecting results, and that Massachusetts’ system should not be directly compared with other states because of differences in facility structure and population. The commission asked members to send follow-up data questions to staff for transmission to DOC and the researchers.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first is the assessment payment via electronic funds.
• That was very, very special and very thoughtful. Thank you so much. Okay.
• Legislature to assess whether the change is effective.
• However, a copy of that assessment wasn't submitted with this report.
• And there are oncologists who specialize in just seeing cancer patients in dealing with them.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first is the Arizona State Board of Chiropractic Examiners special audit, January 2026 follow-up
• Madam Chair, that is not a correct assessment of what occurred. Dr.
• There’s a one-time special assessment to recover the balance of those funds that were taken. Okay.
• We're moving people for the one-on-one special education and things like that.
• What was the assessed value per—what is it, per hundred or per thousand?

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Audit Committee

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• judge that I found in an older part of state law that isn't in place right now, basically a specially
• appointed or specially summoned. ...investigative demand would be a judge kind of specially appointed
• or specially summoned to review this situation and determine that it was worthwhile.
• appointed or specially summoned. investigative demand would be a judge kind of specially appointed or
• specially summoned to review this situation and determine that it was worthwhile.

Summary: The committee heard Substitute Senate Bill 5520, which revises Washington’s wrongful conviction compensation law. Staff said the bill changes the proof standard for filing claims, expands treatment of Alford pleas, requires the Attorney General to concede qualifying claims in most cases, includes civil detention in compensation calculations, changes attorney fee provisions, and extends filing deadlines. The prime sponsor and supporters from the Washington Innocence Project and exonerees said the bill would reduce unnecessary relitigation and improve access to compensation, while one witness argued it would broaden eligibility and state costs. The bill was not acted on in the excerpt, but testimony was taken and questions focused on the term “actually innocent.” The committee then heard Senate Bill 5536 on property division in dissolution and legal separation cases, which would direct courts to consider real-estate sale costs, homelessness risk, and housing needs when dividing property and liabilities, and would clarify enforcement of real property orders. The sponsor said the bill is meant to make property divisions more equitable when one spouse must keep and later sell the family home. No public testimony was taken on the bill in the excerpt. In executive session, the committee considered Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5925 on Attorney General civil investigative demands. Members debated and voted on many amendments; most Republican-sponsored amendments were rejected, but Amendment 279, limiting use by the Criminal Justice Division, and Amendment 273, requiring consultation with local law enforcement in matters that may involve criminal violations, were adopted. The committee then passed the bill out with a do pass as amended recommendation by a 7-5 vote. The committee also heard and advanced Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6002 on automated license plate readers, adopting a striker and then passing the bill out 7-5 as amended, with members emphasizing privacy protections, retention limits, and limited law-enforcement uses while some members urged broader operational flexibility. Later, the committee took brief public testimony on Gross Substitute Senate Bill 6086, which would let Administrative Office of the Courts security staff conduct threat assessments and expand Supreme Court bailiff authority; witnesses described rising threats to judges and court personnel. It also heard Senate Bill 5868 to add one superior court judge each in Skagit and Yakima counties, with local officials citing caseload growth and budget strain. Senate Joint Memorial 8006, urging restoration and expansion of the limited license legal technician program, drew support from a paralegal and victim advocate who said it would improve access to justice for domestic violence survivors. Finally, the committee considered Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5993 on medical debt interest rates, which would lower the interest cap on new medical debt and prohibit interest in certain circumstances; the bill was moved out of committee with a do pass recommendation in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• For adults, we assess criminal responsibility.
• Varela, who is also going to be providing bilingual competency assessments.
• They're in custody, and I'm asking a new provider to make a new assessment.
• Assessment, and then we've been able to move forward on a few of those.
• I'm devastated to learn that 33 kids under special juvenile immigrant status were deported.

Committee: House Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• And a screening may not be a formal assessment. I believe screening is a formal assessment.
• Most districts will use the same people who do the assessments in special ed.
• There's a programming class, a curriculum class, and an assessment class.
• That basically requires special programming in the same way that is required for special education students
• That basically requires special programming in the same way that is required. basically requires special

Committee: House Elementary and Secondary Education

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Special education is, as always, perpetually a high-needs area.
• We've got special ed teachers.
• Really good questions about special education.
• For finance, there are currently no assessments at this time.
• They have AAs and BA degrees specialized in child development.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Special Committee on Property Tax Reform will now come to order.
• You don't get the foundation formula money unless your assessment is at 275.
• You're saying two should have special permission to do something. Because they're well below...
• You're saying two should have special permission to do something.
• There's two that are less because they get special permission because they have so much local support

Committee: House Special Committee on Property Tax Reform

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The rest will go to the special counsel. And I assume that you... It is in there, sir.
• One other aspect of the bill is assessments in these communities consist of two types: the annual assessment
• The associations can also apply a special assessment, and that special assessment can be of some significant
• So what we've done in this... ...bill is to address those special assessments and say for any special
• assessment and a threat of immediate foreclosure.

Committee: House Government

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• programs such as special education or CTE.
• For special use classrooms. Mr.
• Specialized classrooms are classrooms that are sort of electives that have special equipment in them,
• We'll call a special meeting.
• I still have to have a special ed space.

Committee: House Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• Communities are facing substantial increases in the cost of insurance, special assessments for deferred
• We had to have a special assessment, and it was very painful.
• of a special assessment, they would duly call a meeting of the members to vote on said assessment, this
• of a special assessment, they would duly call a meeting of the members to vote on said assessment, this
• </c><00:48:03.599><c> assessment,</c><00:48:04.079><c> they</c> process of a special assessment, they

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill relates to the use of video cameras in certain special education classrooms.
• Current law requires special education classrooms to be equipped with a video camera and an audio recording
• So those are our initial assessment workers.
• workers that would do the initial family assessments.
• So initial assessments are to be completed within 30 days. That's our time frame.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The committee considered and advanced several bills. House Bill 4995, concerning video cameras in special education classrooms, was explained as requiring parents to be notified of recording interruptions, providing written notice of the law to parents and school employees, shortening the required random review of recordings from every 90 days to every 30 days, and clarifying that school boards must still conduct independent investigations even if DHS or prosecutors do not act. The committee adopted the motion to report the bill to the full Senate. House Bill 5214, dealing with drug testing in child abuse and neglect cases, would allow courts to order testing of parents in certain cases, require laboratory confirmation of positives, and require DHS to notify the court and other parties; the committee adopted the strike-and-insert amendment, then reported the bill as amended and adopted a title amendment. The committee also advanced House Bill 4025 and House Bill 5441, both restructuring state personnel systems. HB 4025 would exempt employees of the Department of Health, health facilities, and human services from classified civil service and grievance procedures beginning July 1, 2026, while preserving status for some current employees and allowing exemptions to comply with federal requirements; the committee adopted a piecemeal amendment and reported it as amended. HB 5441 would eliminate separate civil service systems for Transportation, Revenue, and the Bureau for Social Services and move classifications and compensation structures to the Division of Personnel, with testimony from the governor’s counsel emphasizing faster hiring and more flexibility; the committee adopted the strike-and-insert amendment and reported the bill as amended. House Bill 4602, a child welfare pilot program creating a private community-based system for post-removal services, drew testimony from DHS about concerns over costs, continuity, oversight, and child well-being outcomes, while supporters argued it could reduce caseloads and improve flexibility. The chair amended the bill to remove one of the two pilot regions, leaving only the Berkeley/Jefferson County pilot, and the committee then reported the bill as amended despite opposition from the senator from Marion. House Bill 4106, removing the provisional concealed handgun license requirement for ages 18 to 21, heard testimony from a pediatrician opposing the change and from a gun rights advocate supporting it; an amendment requiring firearms training for under-21 carriers failed by a 1-14 roll call, and the committee then reported the bill as amended. Finally, House Bill 4198, after a subcommittee rewrite, was advanced with a strike-and-insert amendment that refined E-Verify requirements for public and private employers, added exemptions for certain small or new employers and sole proprietors, clarified recordkeeping and notice requirements, and adjusted penalties and enforcement procedures. After a motion for the previous question, the committee adopted the amendment and reported HB 4198 as amended. House Bill 5319 was removed from the agenda, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The report of the annual assessment findings... ...services.
• In terms of the annual assessment report, the agency issued the assessment in October 2024, and responses
• Some of these folks have special needs in and of themselves.
• It's a home health agency that specializes in pediatrics.
• I'm a mother of a special needs child with comorbidity of issues.

Summary: The subcommittee held its first meeting of the 2025-2026 term, took attendance, confirmed a quorum, and heard introductory remarks from members and staff. Chair Anderson outlined the subcommittee’s jurisdiction over access and affordability issues, including health facility regulation, insurance, Medicaid, CHIP, and state employee health coverage. The main agenda item was an update on implementation of HB 391, which created a family home health aide program for medically fragile children. Representative Tramont, the bill sponsor, explained that the law was intended to let trained family caregivers be paid through Medicaid to care for their children, reduce reliance on private duty nursing, and relieve families. He and several members expressed frustration that implementation had taken nearly two years and that families still faced barriers. Deputy Secretary Brian Meyer of AHCA and Bridget Royce of DCF said the program was implemented October 1, 2024, with billing available, but no home health agencies had yet launched the required 80-hour training program and no claims had been paid. They described the program’s requirements, including agency employment, background screening, training, a $25-per-hour Medicaid rate paid to the agency, and an annual assessment report. A major issue discussed was that income earned by family caregivers counts toward Medicaid eligibility and could cause families to lose coverage. AHCA and DCF outlined two possible fixes that would require CMS approval: disregarding the income for eligibility purposes or treating the child as a family of one. Members and public witnesses strongly urged changes to avoid forcing families to choose between income and coverage. Several providers said they had begun preparing training programs, but asked for clearer approval processes and more patient-specific training requirements. The committee then heard extensive public testimony from parents and caregivers of medically fragile children, who described the financial, emotional, and logistical strain of caring for children with severe disabilities and argued that the bill should be expanded to include Florida KidCare families and others in the coverage gap. They also raised concerns about the eight-hour-per-day limit, low pay, and the need for simpler rules and direct support. Home health providers and associations supported the concept but asked for modifications, including more targeted training and clearer implementation guidance. The meeting then shifted to a second agenda item on the Andrew John Anderson Rapid Whole Genome Sequencing Program, which was funded in the 2023 budget. Deputy Secretary Meyer said the program has been implemented since January 1, 2024, but utilization has been lower than expected, with only about 60 claims paid and many denials occurring through managed care. Public testimony from a lab, a hospital, and a pediatric rare disease expert said the program is clinically valuable and cost-saving, but managed care billing barriers, prior authorization issues, and DRG-related denials are limiting access; they urged direct billing to Medicaid and possible expansion to all newborns.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill establishes that any government entity other than a local government special purpose district
• jurisdiction's total assessed value.
• The bill amends provisions related to the assessment of impacts in the project analysis.
• The assessment must be done in consultation with any impacted taxing district.
• Are we talking special purpose districts? Special purpose districts.

Committee: Senate Local Government

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:18:30.000><c> going</c><00:18:30.320><c> into</c> um assessment on revenue going into um assessment
• </c> appropriation, we collect an assessment appropriation, we collect an assessment on<02:00:15.040>
• </c><02:37:03.200><c> That</c> administrative assessment. That administrative assessment.
• assessment isn't assessment premium assessment isn't applied<02:50:39.520><c> to</c><02:50:39.680><c
• assessments. Um so there was some assessments.

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's one of our special things about the Fifth.
• Now we'll talk about the assessments that are used in JR.
• State law requires assessments that are used to determine risk to be validated.
• I mean, one has to do with the training of staff and then the assessment.
• In terms of assessments, we determined they were not validated.

Summary: The committee met on July 15, 2026, but initially lacked a quorum, so it could not adopt prior minutes. Chair Jerry Pollett welcomed new member Senator Victoria Hunt and new JLARC staff, and noted national recognition for recent JLARC reports. The meeting then moved into a series of preliminary audit presentations and an agency strategic management update, with committee members asking questions after each item. JLARC presented a preliminary audit of DCYF’s Juvenile Rehabilitation programs. Staff concluded that crowding, staffing shortages, weak risk assessments, and inconsistent programming combine to create unsafe conditions. The report found that most youth are housed in two large secure facilities operating near or above capacity, incidents rise as population rises, 47% of frontline staff leave within a year, current assessment tools are not valid for the population, and program access depends more on facility than individual need. JLARC made one recommendation to the legislature to address crowding and seven to DCYF, including improving retention, training, incident response procedures, validated assessments, program alignment, and data quality. DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter said the agency agreed overcrowding is a serious problem, described ongoing efforts to improve staffing and safety, and said a detailed response would be provided later. Committee members raised concerns about education access, retaliation against staff or youth who participated in the audit, and whether JR-25 has helped or worsened conditions. JLARC then presented a preliminary audit of Labor and Industries’ enforcement of farm worker labor laws. The audit found that L&I generally meets inspection timelines for health and safety complaints, but not for wage and hour or retaliation complaints, where delays are driven largely by time before assignment to an investigator. Staff said complaint volume exceeds capacity, though the agency has added staff, created screening processes, and reorganized workloads, and 2026 legislation now allows prioritization of complaints and broader investigations. JLARC recommended that L&I report back in December 2026 and December 2027 on backlog reduction and implementation of the new law. An L&I representative said the agency is hiring additional staff and will provide a formal response later. The committee also received a JLARC overview and Department of Health strategic management plan update on hospital data reporting, inspections, complaints, and adverse event reporting. DOH reported measurable progress on inspection compliance, new staffing and licensing systems, translated complaint forms, and plans for future work on language access, adverse event reporting, and financial data dashboards. After lunch, JLARC began its 2026 tax preference performance reviews. The first review covered the Main Street tax credit, which JLARC said has helped increase the number of Main Street communities and businesses, with positive growth near designated districts; JLARC recommended continuing the preference and improving business-count data. The second review covered the equitable access to credit program, which JLARC said appears to support underserved communities by funding loans through CDFIs; JLARC recommended continuing the preference beyond its 2027 expiration. The committee began questions on the program mechanics and the role of the Community Reinvestment Act, and the presentation was still underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do assessments assessment centers.
• That doesn't necessarily mean every assessment that we offer is offered in every assessment center.
• That doesn't necessarily mean every assessment that we offer is offered in every assessment center.
• That doesn't necessarily mean every assessment that we offer is offered in every assessment center.
• That doesn't necessarily mean every assessment that we offer is offered in every assessment center.

Keywords: Consideration of HB 139 -- 00:03:15 Consideration of HB 356 -- 00:08:48, 958, all

Summary: The committee first adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 139, which would allow a political party to replace a candidate who dies or withdraws after the filing deadline but before ballot certification. Representative Decker explained the substitute as a narrow election-related fix, and the bill was then passed by the committee on an 11-yes, 1-pass vote and sent to the full House. The committee then heard House Bill 356, which would move the Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) qualification test from a once-every-four-years, Frankfort-based format to administration through the Kentucky Community and Technical College System at multiple locations and times. Representative Bridges said the Department of Revenue would still write and control the exam, KCTCS would only administer it, the fiscal note was zero, and the change would improve access and convenience without weakening standards. KCTCS said it was prepared to help if directed. Members generally agreed PVAs should be tested, but some raised concerns about test integrity, whether a broader testing network could create uneven conditions, and whether the change should instead use a smaller number of regional test sites. Others supported the bill as a common-sense way to expand access and avoid forcing candidates to wait years after missing a single test date. The committee also discussed the lack of a study guide for the exam and whether that should be addressed separately. No final vote on House Bill 356 is reflected in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> report</c><00:35:28.560><c> um</c> So the assessment practices report um So the assessment practices
• </c> 2025 assessment year. 2025 assessment year.
• </c> submitted September of the assessment submitted September of the assessment year.<00:37:32.240><
• </c> in April following the assessment year. in April following the assessment year.
• </c><01:23:45.360><c> year</c> previous year from uh assessment year previous year from uh assessment

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: 1187, senate, all