Transcript Highlights:

• If a PBM owns its own pharmacy, it must reimburse independent Missouri pharmacies at the same rate.
• It is a contracted pharmacy. It's not any pharmacy that a patient chooses.
• So long as that pharmacy is contracted, they can utilize that specific pharmacy.
• In the last three years, 6,000 pharmacies have been disappearing. That's six pharmacies a day.
• We think pharmacies are a key, local pharmacies are a key part of the care team.

Summary: The committee first took testimony on House Bill 1681, which would require health carriers and pharmacy benefit managers to count amounts paid by or on behalf of an enrollee for certain medications toward out-of-pocket maximums when no generic substitute is available. The sponsor described the bill as helping patients with serious illnesses afford needed drugs. The committee then adopted a substitute that rolled HB 1681 together with House Bills 1941 and 2279, including an ERISA-related labor exemption, and passed the combined committee substitute by a vote of 15-2. The committee next heard House Bill 2365, which was also combined with related bills through a substitute that changed terminology to “delivery systems.” That substitute was adopted by voice vote, and the House Committee substitute for House Bills 2365, 2490, and 2249 was then approved unanimously, 18-0. After that, the committee heard House Bill 2149, the dementia care coordinator bill. The sponsor and supporters from the Alzheimer’s Association and family caregivers argued the state needs a central point person to coordinate resources, improve early detection, support caregivers, and connect rural residents to services. Members raised concerns about the fiscal note, whether the work duplicates existing Area Agencies on Aging and Alzheimer’s Association services, and whether two FTEs would be effective statewide. No vote was taken on HB 2149 during the portion provided. The committee also heard House Bill 2309, which would prohibit Missouri insurance coverage for organ transplants or related services involving organs taken from prisoners of conscience in China. The sponsor and supporters framed the bill as a human-rights measure aimed at condemning organ harvesting and abuse of Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience. Members asked whether there was documentation of such transplants in Missouri and whether federal oversight exists; the sponsor said there is no reporting mechanism and no known opposition. No action was taken on the bill in the excerpt. Finally, the committee began testimony on House Bills 1975 and 1850, pharmacy benefit manager reform bills. The sponsors said the measures are intended to protect local pharmacies, improve transparency, limit harmful audit practices, and create a critical access pharmacy program. Supporters, including a pharmacy business group, argued PBM practices drive up drug costs and close pharmacies. Opponents, including a carpenters’ health plan representative, warned the bills could increase costs for self-funded plans, limit network and mail-order arrangements, and shift more administrative burden onto plan sponsors. The hearing continued with questions and testimony, but no final vote is shown in the provided transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• For us, these challenges are compounded because many of our mutual aid tankers must come from neighboring
• And for these, the onus is on the pharmacy benefit managers and the pharmaceutical companies to address
• The problem is compounded by a comprehensive and highly concentrated insurance market.
• Where I work in Lowell, Haverhill, and Lawrence, we are developing discrete pharmacy deserts, as well
• as specifically Walgreens closing, which are some of the main pharmacies in these areas.

Bills: S2732, S2738, S2739

Keywords: healthcare, direct primary care, insurance, referrals, network providers, payment denial, insurance costs, manufactured homes, homeowners insurance, affordability, state regulations, insurance market, consumer protection, mobile homes, firefighting, water supply, cistern program, rural areas, urban interface, state funding

Transcript Highlights:

• You had small rural pharmacies, and you had big, giant pharmacies.
• The rural pharmacies and the small pharmacies didn't want to have to accept that lower price, and so
• To the point that, and I myself experience this, you can go to the pharmacy counter, not show your pharmacy
• We don't cover compounding. We just cover, you know, through our standard pharmacy benefit.
• medical and pharmacy.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It helps them keep their local pharmacy.
• You see pharmacies closing all around Missouri.
• You see pharmacies closing all around Missouri.
• If a PBM owns its own pharmacy, it must reimburse independent Missouri pharmacies at the same rate.
• Pharmacies get a clear appeals process.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony and took executive action on several health-related bills. House Bill 1681, along with identical bills 1941 and 2279, would require health carriers and pharmacy benefit managers to count amounts paid by or on behalf of an enrollee for certain medications toward out-of-pocket maximums when no generic substitute is available. A committee substitute was adopted, including an ERISA-related labor exemption, and the House Committee substitute for HB 1941, 2279, and 1681 was approved by a vote of 15-2. The committee also adopted a substitute and passed the House Committee substitute for House Bills 2365, 2490, and 2249 by a vote of 18-0. The substitute changed terminology to “delivery systems.” Later, House Bill 2149, the dementia care coordinator bill, received extensive testimony but no vote. Supporters, including the sponsor, the Alzheimer’s Association, and family caregivers, argued the position would help coordinate services, improve early detection, connect families to resources, and reduce confusion in a fragmented system. Several members raised concerns about cost, duplication with existing Area Agencies on Aging and Alzheimer’s Association services, and whether two FTEs could effectively serve the whole state; the sponsor said he would seek appropriations language and provide more data on outcomes. House Bill 2309, which would prohibit Missouri insurance coverage for organs transplanted from communist China or from prisoners of conscience, especially Falun Gong practitioners, also received testimony without a vote. The sponsor said the bill was intended to prevent Missouri from supporting organ harvesting abuses abroad. Finally, House Bills 1975 and 1850, both pharmacy benefit manager reform bills, drew extensive testimony from sponsors and supporters who argued they would increase transparency, protect independent pharmacies, and lower drug costs, while opponents warned about higher costs being passed to consumers and employers, limits on plan flexibility, and added administrative burdens. The hearing on those bills was recessed after testimony and was not concluded in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• If a compounding pharmacy, especially gray and black markets, are doing something nefarious, then yes
• That said, a majority of compounding pharmacies are not, and we appreciate that.
• We are by no means trying to do away with compounding pharmacies.
• We want to honor the work that compounding pharmacies are doing.
• </c> want to honor the work that compounding want to honor the work that compounding pharmacies<02:08

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Before PCCA, he owned pharmacies in Tulsa for over two decades, pioneering the introduction of compounding
• Basani embraces opportunities to give back, teaching extemporary compounding principles to pharmacy students
• ><c> and</c> pharmacy, long-term care, pharmacy, and pharmacy, long-term care, pharmacy, and compounding
• </c> leader and visionary in the pharmacy leader and visionary in the pharmacy compounding<00:15:37.760
• compounding principles to pharmacy<00:16:07.360><c> students</c><00:16:07.600><c> at</c><00:16:07.839

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We at the DOC do not offer a compounding pharmacy per se for those biologics.
• </c><02:10:34.480><c> pharmacy</c><02:10:34.960><c> per</c><02:10:35.199><c> se</c> not offer a compounding
• pharmacy per se not offer a compounding pharmacy per se for<02:10:35.520><c> those</c><02:10:35.760>
• </c><02:13:26.480><c> Is</c> necessarily the same uh compound. Is necessarily the same uh compound.
• </c><02:13:39.840><c> So</c> AB- rated uh in in pharmacy. So AB- rated uh in in pharmacy.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee discussed House Bill 185, which would amend RSA 3109 to add timelines for OPLC’s complaint review and investigation process. Members reviewed the existing five-year limitation period for misconduct complaints and noted that the bill would add a 30-day deadline for the office to make a recommendation to the board and a 90-day deadline to complete investigations. Some members raised concerns that the new deadlines could conflict with the existing statute of limitations, create pressure to dismiss cases too quickly, and potentially undermine the separation between OPLC’s investigative role and the boards’ adjudicatory role established by House Bill 655. Nicholas Fry, OPLC general counsel, testified that the agency’s fiscal note originally assumed it would need roughly double its staff to meet the proposed deadlines, though a later amendment reduced that estimate somewhat. He said OPLC would still need additional personnel, including investigatory paralegals and a physician investigator for the Board of Medicine, to meet the timeframes. He also explained OPLC’s current complaint and hearing procedures, including new consumer-friendly correspondence, website guidance, and efforts by the enforcement division to improve transparency and communication with complainants and licensees. Bob Quinn of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors testified in support of the bill’s basic goal of speeding up intake and investigation, saying the 30-day intake/review period was reasonable and that the bill would not change OPLC’s role in that first step. He argued, however, that the investigation step is where delays occur, especially for lower-priority complaints, and that some cases have remained unresolved for years. Committee members also questioned how the added staffing costs would be paid, with discussion of whether they would come from license fees or the general fund. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The increase in fiscal year 2027-28 reflects the addition of new pharmacy benefit manager data to the
• The long-term trend in the compound annual growth rate for premiums is about 5.2%.
• SB 41 builds upon the previously established pharmacy benefit manager...
• SB 41 builds upon the previously established pharmacy benefit manager licensure requirements enacted
• , prohibiting discrimination against non-affiliated pharmacies and requiring PBMs to include any pharmacy

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health heard updates on five health-related budget items. First, members reviewed state support for distressed hospitals and health facilities. The California Health Facilities Financing Authority and HCAI described the Distressed Hospital Loan Program as a lifeline for 16 hospitals, many of which remain financially strained and are expected to seek loan forgiveness rather than repayment. Speakers cited reduced contract labor, new service lines, strategic partnerships, and the reopening of Madera Hospital as signs of progress, but also warned that federal policy changes under H.R. 1 will likely increase uncompensated care and pressure emergency departments. Public commenters from hospital, dental, and consumer groups supported additional funding, including a request to refresh the program with another $300 million. The committee then heard HCAI’s update on the California Rural Health Transformation Program, a five-year federal initiative funded at $233.6 million for California. HCAI said the program will focus on rural care models, workforce development, and health technology, with grants to be rolled out on a fast timeline and all funds obligated by October 30, 2026. Members raised concerns about rural provider capacity to apply for grants, and HCAI said it will use a third-party administrator, a technical assistance center, webinars, and other supports to help applicants. HCAI also presented its budget request for the health care payments database, seeking ongoing non-General Fund support to continue operations and expand data, including pharmacy benefit manager data. The Emergency Medical Services Authority presented three budget change proposals: funding to replace disaster medical services fleet vehicles, funding for IT security work, and additional positions for HR, enforcement, and legal workload. A member also raised concern that EMSA has not yet completed the annual ambulance rate reporting required by AB 716, and EMSA said it remains committed to the requirement but lost prior funding through later budget reductions. Covered California reported that it is still finalizing its own budget, but expects a lower operating budget due to efforts to reduce baseline costs and align spending with actual expenditures; it also projected enrollment declines tied to the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, H.R. 1, and federal rule changes, while noting that revenues may still rise because premiums are expected to increase. Finally, the Department of Managed Health Care outlined budget proposals tied to menopause coverage and education, PBM licensure and enforcement under AB 116 and SB 41, credentialing reforms under AB 1041, and prior authorization reporting under SB 306. Public testimony generally supported the menopause and PBM proposals, while also urging clearer language and attention to Medi-Cal parity. The hearing concluded after public comment, including additional advocacy for sickle cell services and rural health workforce funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• The long-term trend in the compound annual growth rate for premiums is about 5.2%.
• legal requirements related to PBM revenue practices and pharmacy network reforms.
• legal requirements related to PBM revenue practices and pharmacy network reforms.
• , prohibiting discrimination against non-affiliated pharmacies, and requiring PBMs to include any pharmacy
• It just seems to me, you know, pharmacy benefit managers, they're supposed to be adding such a great

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This moment is compounded by the more than $30 million in federal cuts our system has received, rising
• That impact compounds to potentially thousands of people over the years.
• The reductions to FPHS in the proposed budget compound the reductions adopted last year.
• The reductions to FPS in the proposed budget compound the reductions adopted last year.
• We appreciate in the proposed budget compound the reductions adopted last year.

Summary: The Senate Ways and Means Committee heard an overview from OFM Director Katie Chapman See on Governor Ferguson’s 2026 supplemental budget proposal. She said the budget was built in response to higher caseloads and inflation, a roughly $390 million revenue forecast drop, new federal costs tied to H.R. 1, and a relatively small ending fund balance. The proposal would increase near general fund spending by about $1.1 billion and solve an estimated $2.3 billion two-year gap through about $800 million in reductions, revenue shifts and tax preference changes, use of other funds, and about $1 billion from the budget stabilization account. She also noted the budget is balanced over two years but not fully over four years under the state’s outlook rules. Chapman See highlighted reductions in Working Connections Child Care, including a soft cap on enrollment and holding subsidy rates at the 75th percentile, delays to long-term care and developmental disability-related changes, and across-the-board reductions to higher education and administrative spending. She also described investments in wildfire suppression and preparedness, affordability programs like utility rebates and home energy assistance, housing-related planning and permitting support, One Washington IT replacement, behavioral health workforce programs, and continued support for some K-12 initiatives such as ninth grade success and homeless student stability. In response to questions, she said some proposed cuts were based on the governor’s subjective judgment about what was critically necessary, that current child care enrollees would not be cut off immediately, and that the budget would maintain services for about 500 highest-acuity Medicaid clients who lost eligibility under federal changes. Public testimony was largely critical of the proposed cuts in K-12, early learning, and higher education. School officials, educators, nurses, and advocacy groups opposed reductions to Transition to Kindergarten, Local Effort Assistance, Running Start, MSOC, school leadership and support grants, and higher education funding, arguing the cuts would worsen existing funding gaps and harm student outcomes. Several witnesses supported restoring or maintaining funding for ninth grade success, Treehouse’s foster youth graduation program, homeless student stability, and Science on Wheels. In early learning, child care providers and advocates opposed the Working Connections cap and subsidy-rate reduction, warning it would reduce access and destabilize providers. In higher education, campus leaders and labor representatives opposed across-the-board cuts and fund shifts, while some institutions and advocates supported targeted investments such as behavioral health workforce programs and DigiPen aid restoration. In human services, Planned Parenthood advocates praised restored abortion access funding and Medicaid reimbursements. The committee took no votes or final action in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• It says that when a pharmacy fills a prescription, the pharmacy benefit manager needs to reimburse the
• If a pharmacy is reimbursed below its costs and wins an appeal, the PBM must make the pharmacy whole
• There will also be a contract between the PBM and the pharmacy as to pharmacy reimbursement for that
• Virtually all pharmacies are part of what's called a PSAO. It's a network of pharmacies.
• Virtually all pharmacies are part of what's called a PSAO. It's a network of pharmacies.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Insurance met on May 6, 2026, and first reported HB 1241 favorably. That bill, by Chairman Furman, requires insurers to check with DCFS before paying certain insurance settlements to determine whether the recipient owes delinquent child support, and to withhold and remit arrears if found. DCFS explained that Louisiana already has intercepts and other collection tools, but no current mechanism for insurance settlements. Senators raised concerns about notice to obligors and about liability if insurers fail to withhold, but the bill was advanced without objection. The committee then heard HB 870, which would require health insurers and PBMs to cover lower-cost generic or biosimilar drugs when available and to use utilization management no more restrictively on those drugs. Supporters said the bill would improve access and lower patient costs by using wholesale acquisition cost as the comparison point. Opponents, including Louisiana Blue and the AFL-CIO, argued that WAC ignores rebates and net cost, could force plans to cover higher-cost biosimilars first, and could increase premiums and disrupt ERISA and fully insured plan design. The committee adopted a technical amendment set and then a second amendment set that added notice and reporting requirements tied to net cost calculations, and HB 870 was reported favorably as amended. Several other bills were moved with little or no opposition. HB 1176, concerning Medicare Advantage coverage for integrative cancer treatments such as cold cap therapy, cryotherapy, and acupuncture, was amended to change the effective date and then reported favorably. HB 1196, dealing with colorectal cancer screening follow-up colonoscopies, was also amended and reported favorably. HB 1162, a consumer protection bill requiring DOI to verify that a contractor named on a first-party property damage check is licensed in Louisiana, was amended and reported favorably. HB 826, which modernizes insurance referral rules to allow referrals by email or website address, was reported favorably. The committee also heard HB 1151 on insurer investment limits and solvency protections, and HB 1236 on pharmacy reimbursement and copay maximizer programs; both drew substantial testimony and concern, especially over retroactivity, PBM cost allocation, and whether copay maximizers shift costs to patients, but the transcript cuts off before final action on HB 1236.

Transcript Highlights:

• regulation related to kratom, a derivative of the Mitragyna speciosa tree containing psychoactive compounds
• regulation related to kratom, a derivative of the Mitragyna speciosa tree containing psychoactive compounds
• And would we allow somebody to just go down and grab some morphine at the pharmacy?
• morphine. of it and taking that and would we allow somebody just go down and grab some morphine at the pharmacy
• know if that's preventable or if that's just part of the chemistry of of substances that people compound

Summary: The working group met for a legislative-only discussion on kratom ahead of a special session, with members first hearing a staff memo summarizing federal and state regulation, kratom’s psychoactive effects, reported health risks, and North Dakota’s recent executive action and special session call. The chair explained that legislators in the room would speak first, then online participants, with comments limited to about five to seven minutes, and noted a public open house and later expert testimony would follow. Several legislators argued the issue had already been extensively debated in the 2025 session, citing House Bill 1101, which would have scheduled kratom as a Schedule I substance and was defeated, and House Bill 1566, which evolved into a study. They urged the group to consider both prohibition and regulation, and some suggested a temporary measure until the 2027 session. Others emphasized testimony from people who say natural kratom helps with chronic pain or PTSD and warned against banning a product that some use to function, while still supporting tighter controls on adulterated or synthetic products. Other members focused on public health and enforcement concerns. Some said the executive order created confusion for users, retailers, and law enforcement, and raised concerns about withdrawal, access to treatment such as Suboxone, and whether the state could regulate the product effectively in the short time available. A pharmacology-focused discussion distinguished natural kratom leaf from synthetic 7-OH products, with several members saying the synthetic forms pose the greatest overdose risk and should be tightly restricted or scheduled, while any legal natural product would need strict limits, labeling, and penalties. The meeting ended without a vote, with the chair saying the group would continue gathering testimony and return for further hearings next week and during the special session.

Transcript Highlights:

• We recognize the very you weigh the compounding impact that additional state reductions would bring.
• The reductions to FPHS in the proposed budget compound the reductions adopted last year.
• The reductions to FPS in the proposed budget compound the reductions adopted last year.
• We appreciate in the proposed budget compound the reductions adopted last year.
• Instead, please maintain the Medicaid pharmacy benefit in managed care to protect patient access and

Bills: SB5998

Keywords: fiscal appropriations, budget, state funding, financial management, operating expenses, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we really like to say that... ...access to a quick and efficient pharmacy experience, right?
• So moving on to the next section with medical care and pharmacy services at APO.
• So moving on to the next section with medical care and pharmacy services at APO.
• We also operate an on-site pharmacy that offers...
• For those that don't know, we're literally talking about a plant, but this compound is in such trace

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The task force heard extensive testimony on substance use treatment, recovery supports, harm reduction, and related workforce and reimbursement issues. Dan Haniken of Into Action described his own recovery from addiction and incarceration and argued that treatment alone is not enough; he said recovery housing, peer support, employment, accountability, and community connection are what help people stay sober and avoid relapse. He urged continued state investment in recovery support services, recovery housing, peer recovery support, and recovery community centers, and said his organization relies on a mix of federal, state, county, city, foundation, and private funding. Members asked about remaining housing needs, program referrals, treatment court, transportation, and support for people on medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and Haniken said longer-term housing support and public awareness about MAT would help. Matt Cushman of Raytown Community EMT made a strong case for expanding harm reduction, including syringe service programs and safer-use supplies, saying stigma and abstinence-only approaches leave many people without help. He argued that Missouri should decriminalize needle exchange programs, expand access to naloxone and test strips, and remove barriers to MAT in jails, while noting that harm reduction can reduce overdose deaths, infectious disease, hospitalizations, and crime. Committee members questioned how harm reduction would work in practice, whether evidence supports syringe services, and how it relates to faith-based recovery programs; Cushman and other witnesses said the goal is not to replace treatment but to create more entry points into care. A member also noted a pending House bill that would remove paraphernalia penalties for approved syringe service sites and require treatment-program partnerships. Representatives from Ozarks Medical Center and Four Rivers Community Health Center focused on the need to reimburse peer support specialists, community health workers, and care coordinators, especially in rural federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). COMC and Four Rivers said these staff help patients with transportation, housing, food, insurance, school, and reentry planning, and that their organizations use grants to fund many of these positions because Medicaid reimbursement is limited or unavailable in their settings. Monet Lehman of COMC gave a personal account of trauma, recovery, and her work inside the Pulaski County Jail helping people prepare for release with housing, benefits, education, and treatment connections. Members and staff discussed the confusing reimbursement structure between FQHCs, CCBHCs, Medicaid, and state grants, and several witnesses emphasized that transportation and housing remain major barriers in rural Missouri. No formal votes or actions were taken in the portion provided.

Bills: SB2169, SB2263, SB2360, SB2359, SB2031, SB2796, SB3090, SB3091, SB3092, SB2120, SB2593, SB2751, SB2135, SB2024, SB2872, SB3179, SB2308, SB2392, SB2470, SB2398, SB2902, SB2841, SB2436, SB2806, SB2691, SB2824, SB2645, SB2384, SB2697, SB3153, SB3156, SB888, SB2423, SB2746

Keywords: business competitiveness, economic development, DBEDT, Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism, business climate, regulatory reform, permitting, economic ranking, state ranking, top 10 states, business climate improvement working group, business revitalization task force, CNBC America’s Top States for Business, Hawaii business climate, workforce development, infrastructure, cost of doing business, tax competitiveness, labor unions, private sector

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 1643 relating to pharmacy.
• </c> relating to pharmacy. relating to pharmacy.
• </c> Board of Pharmacy, providing comments. Board of Pharmacy, providing comments.
• Our island pharmacies are small, they're very small staffed.
• Our island pharmacies are small, they're very small staffed.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Health and Human Services committee hearing opened with notice that the meeting was being streamed and could reconvene later if technical problems forced an abrupt end. The chair also announced a one-minute testimony limit and proceeded through several bills, taking mostly written and oral support testimony and asking limited questions. No votes were taken in the portion provided. HB 1626, relating to youth penalties, drew strong support from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, youth advocates, the ACLU, the Department of Education, and others. Testifiers said financial sanctions on youth are ineffective, disproportionately burden Native Hawaiian youth, and function as poverty penalties; they urged replacing fines with community service, restorative practices, and ʻāina-based programs, and eliminating uncollectible legacy debt. The chair moved on after no member questions. HB 1643, relating to pharmacy, was discussed with support from the Hawaii Pharmacists Association, Kaiser, the Board of Pharmacy, independent pharmacies, and PBM representatives. Testimony focused on amendment language, audit procedures, HIPAA concerns, and the need for flexibility for small island pharmacies. HB 1668, relating to Medicaid, received broad support from disability advocates and the Department of Human Services; witnesses said CMS had already approved the underlying state plan amendment removing income and asset limits for certain workers with disabilities, but they wanted the protection codified in law to preserve it long term. The chair asked whether codification was necessary and was told it would not be harmful and would help ensure continuity if federal policy changed. The committee then heard HB 1550 on drug paraphernalia and syringe access, with support from Shipta and the Department of Health; testimony emphasized preserving flexibility for the statewide syringe access program to respond to emerging drugs like xylazine. HB 1974, relating to health, was presented as a planning measure for hearing loss; testifiers said Hawaii lacks a comprehensive hearing-loss plan and that the bill would fund a state planning process, not direct services. HB 1858 on vital statistics drew support from clinicians and medical organizations, who said better data on spontaneous fetal deaths is needed and that the term used in the bill is standard medical and CDC terminology. HB 1871 and HB 1966 also received support, with HB 1966’s EMS special fund prompting discussion about the cigarette-tax revenue source; the chair questioned the nexus to EMS, and the Department of Health said the revenue currently funds the special fund and there is no alternative funding stream.

Transcript Highlights:

• Most prescriptions are made out of chemical compounds, not DNA.
• the Controller General's office so they can reach out to the other insurer who carries the state pharmacy
• So we're only talking about... ...the state pharmacy contract.
• So making sure that we had other options other than a chemical compound.
• That I would—let me check with our pharmacy. I don't want to speak out of turn on this.

Summary: The committee heard several bills, but much of the meeting focused on House Bill 306, which would require disclosure when a consumer is interacting with a chatbot rather than a human. Sponsor Senator Townsend described it as a consumer protection measure and said the bill is meant to keep pace with rapidly changing AI technology. Committee members and witnesses raised concerns about the bill’s enforcement structure, especially private rights of action and penalties that could apply even without actual consumer harm. The Department of Justice said the bill would apply where the conduct has a Delaware nexus, and that the disclosure requirement is the key consumer protection. Industry witnesses and chambers of commerce opposed the bill as drafted, arguing it would create broad compliance burdens and expose businesses to excessive litigation risk without a harm requirement or clearer safe harbor language. Earlier in the meeting, the committee discussed House Bill 429, which would update Delaware’s step therapy exception process to include biosimilars and interchangeable biologics. Senator Poore and supporters from Highmark and the Department of Insurance said the bill would modernize insurance law, improve access to effective treatments, and reduce costs; they cited national savings from biosimilars and said the bill has agency support. Members asked about Delaware-specific savings, patient switching, and how the process would work, but no vote was taken during the discussion. The committee also heard House Bill 310, which would exclude large data centers from Blue Collar Jobs Act tax credits; the sponsor said the bill is intended to ensure large energy users contribute more to state and local revenues, while supporters and opponents debated competitiveness and community impacts. House Bill 406, on allowing insureds to choose their auto repair shop, and Senate Bill 347, a cleanup bill related to medical debt collection and personal property levies, were also presented without opposition in the hearing. House Bill 253, concerning who may receive letters testamentary or of administration, was described as a cleanup to align statute with existing practice. The committee approved the meeting minutes, but the transcript does not show final votes on the bills discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• The change involved a compounding COLA.
• But it would provide some relief to retirees, and the 13th check would be in addition to any compounded
• To pass, we would have given the 0.63% compounded COLA as well as a 2% kind of bonus check for two years
• We know the impact that these could have as far as having that compounded amount.
• So if there's something that we can Could join to maybe get lower pharmacy benefit management service

Transcript Highlights:

• dissipation or the elimination of those types of chemicals like carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds
• It has intensified food and pharmacy access issues for our most vulnerable community members, and it
• It has intensified food and pharmacy access issues for our most vulnerable community members, and it
• Kratom products may contain naturally occurring alkaloids, which are a class of chemicals or compounds
• It creates an environment for a permanent cut in real income that will compound over time.

Bills: SB5379, SB6106, SB6147, SB6180, SB5927, SB6287

Keywords: interest arbitration, parks and recreation, public employees, labor relations, employee rights, laid-off employees act, WARN notice, mass layoff, business closure, plant closing, worker adjustment and retraining notification, employment security department, employee notice, layoff notice, worker protections, job loss, employment loss, public records exemption, privacy, employee names and addresses

Transcript Highlights:

• the deletion or the elimination of those types of chemicals like carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds
• It has intensified food and pharmacy access issues for our most vulnerable community members, and it
• It has intensified food and pharmacy access issues for our most vulnerable community members, and it
• Kratom products may contain naturally occurring alkaloids, which are a class of chemicals or compounds
• It creates an environment for a permanent cut in real income that will compound over time.

Summary: The Labor and Commerce Committee heard public testimony on several bills. Senate Bill 618, the Eric Schrauss Memorial Act, would remove the current time-and-exposure qualifiers for the workers’ compensation presumption that certain heart problems in firefighters and law enforcement officers are occupational diseases. The sponsor and family members of fallen firefighters testified in support, describing delayed claims and arguing the bill would spare grieving families from lengthy appeals. Opponents including counties, self-insurers, cities, and L&I’s research staff said the current qualifiers are based on science, warned the change would greatly expand claims and costs, and noted a 2023 advisory committee did not recommend the change. No vote was taken. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5379, which would extend interest arbitration rights to Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission law enforcement rangers. The sponsor and a park ranger testified that rangers are commissioned peace officers who cannot strike and are paid less than comparable law enforcement, leading to staffing shortages and turnover. The bill was presented as a fairness and retention measure. Testimony on Senate Bill 6147, concerning grocery store closures in food deserts, was split: supporters from Tacoma, labor, and local government said a six-month notice requirement would help communities respond to closures like the Fred Meyer shutdown in South Tacoma, while grocers and industry groups argued the bill was too prescriptive, would add legal risk, and would not solve underlying crime and business pressures. Senate Bill 6106, requested by the Employment Security Department, would exempt tribes from the state WARN-style notice law and make employee names and addresses submitted in layoff notices confidential under the Public Records Act. ESD and business groups supported the bill as a clarification and privacy fix, and no opposition was heard. The committee then took testimony on Senate Bill 5927, which would cap future workers’ compensation COLAs at 3%; employers and self-insurers supported it as a way to address volatility and long-term liabilities, while labor, injured-worker advocates, and others opposed it as an across-the-board benefit cut that would erode wage replacement. L&I explained it has been studying possible COLA changes but did not bring forward its own proposal. Finally, Senate Bill 6287 on kratom would restrict adulterated or harmful kratom products, require labeling, set a 21+ sales age, and allow local regulation; supporters backed the age limit and bans on concentrated 7-OH, while some industry witnesses opposed the private right of action and local patchwork rules. The committee adjourned after public testimony; no final votes or executive action were taken in the transcript.