Transcript Highlights:

• Well, you ought to know better than that. Good morning.
• that, that they would respond to legislation. ...include in this bill their response to that, that they
• So I think this might be ready to go.
• This bill is ready to go. Oh, thank you. I will be more confident. ...go. This bill is ready to go.
• Chairman, this really seems like a novel idea—something to form a group to study and then have it disbanded

Bills: HB1119

Keywords: child care, childcare, day care, daycare, early childhood education, child care licensing, provider licensing, child care regulations, administrative rules, Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, licensing advisory committee, child care providers, group child care, preschool programs, child to provider ratios, square footage requirements, staff training, certification requirements, child care funding

Summary: The Workforce Development Committee reconvened to consider House Bill 1119 with amendment version 02005. Senator Hogan explained that the amendment removed a section requiring the Department of Human Services to respond to legislative management, in order to make the bill feel more like a program evaluation than an audit and to avoid placing an unreasonable burden on the executive branch. The amendment also clarified that the Child Care Advisory Committee would provide an update and that the committee would dissolve after the rewrite of licensing standards, making it a time-limited body. Committee members discussed the bill as a novel approach to forming a group to study an issue and then disbanding after reporting back. Senator Larson noted the concept was similar to broader performance-review ideas, and Senator Hogan said the Legislative Council program evaluation effort was parallel to, but separate from, other performance-review proposals. The committee then voted 4-0-1 to adopt the amendment. Afterward, the committee moved to give House Bill 1119, as amended, a do pass recommendation. That motion also passed on a roll call vote, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this simply provides... ...cities and trying to expand with limited resources.
• providers, these nonprofit service providers for the most part, to be able to utilize this definition
• providers, these nonprofit service providers for the most part, to be able to utilize this definition
• So I just wanted to provide that clarification.
• And I would not disagree that there is a place... ...wanted to provide that clarification.

Bills: HB4422, HB4117, HB4300, HB4298, HB2984, HB3344

Keywords: immigration, public assistance, legal status, food assistance, state benefits, family resource center, community support, employment services, kinship families, social connections, child care, criminal history, background checks, child safety, licensing, Oklahoma laws, advisory committees, daycare, licensed child care facility, child care subsidy

Summary: The Children, Youth, and Family Committee met for its first meeting, with the chair emphasizing a shared goal of improving outcomes for children and families and describing the bills before the committee as work in progress. The committee first adopted a working draft and heard House Bill 4422, which would require applicants for welfare benefits to be checked through the SAVE system to verify American citizenship; the speaker said amendments removed earlier child-only and WIC changes. The bill was reported out 7-1. The committee then considered several DHS- and child welfare-related measures. House Bill 4117 would broaden the definition of family resource centers to better reflect Oklahoma organizations and support access to public and private grants, including faith-based and workforce-training efforts; it was reported due pass after discussion about the range of services such centers provide. House Bill 4298 would allow child care facilities to receive rule-change notices electronically instead of only by mail, while preserving mail delivery as an option, and House Bill 4300 would add a fingerprint requirement to child care background checks to align state law with federal Child Care Development Fund requirements; both were reported due pass. House Bill 2984 would direct DHS to seek a waiver limiting SNAP purchases to Oklahoma in order to reduce out-of-state card skimming and fraud; members discussed border-area concerns and possible radius exceptions, but the bill was reported out 6-0. The final major measure was House Bill 3344, a foster care bill intended to improve placement and support for foster children and families. The author said the bill was only a starting point and that he had been working with DHS, judges, and other stakeholders; members raised concerns about a felony penalty in the bill, and the author said that provision would be revised as the bill moved forward. The committee passed the bill 7-0. Several members also used the discussion to stress the need for stronger funding for vulnerable populations and state agencies, especially foster care and mental health services. The meeting ended with plans for further revisions and a follow-up meeting the next Wednesday.

Transcript Highlights:

• I urge you to support this bill to ensure that child care providers can maintain high-quality programs
• support this bill to ensure that child care<00:09:31.519><c> providers</c><00:09:31.959><c> can</c><
• The industry also faces revenue limits based on child-to-staff ratios and pricing structure driven by
• <c> to</c> 16-year-old who's also a child uh to 16-year-old who's also a child uh to manage<00:42:22.640
• ><c> to</c> Records the child care center has to Records the child care center has to keep<01:03:16.680

Bills: HF1247, HF628

Keywords: child care, aides, supervision, child care centers, staffing regulations, childcare, day care, licensed child care center, early childhood education, child care licensing, director qualifications, staff ratios, group size, staff-to-child ratio, substitutes, volunteers, assistant teacher, teacher qualifications, infant care, toddler age

Transcript Highlights:

• But we've amended out the revisions on the child-only section as well as the wick benefits to now Where
• the extent of the help that a family resource center and a community can provide to a community.
• It's all the way to the end of life, and that helps provide resources, whether it's diapers or formula
• So, just wanted to provide that clarification.
• I hope to operate in this space and help keep Oklahoma dollars in Oklahoma, providing the needs of our

Bills: HB4422, HB4117, HB4300, HB4298, HB2984, HB3344

Keywords: immigration, public assistance, legal status, food assistance, state benefits, family resource center, community support, employment services, kinship families, social connections, child care, criminal history, background checks, child safety, licensing, Oklahoma laws, advisory committees, daycare, licensed child care facility, child care subsidy

Transcript Highlights:

• Family child care providers are emphatically and respectfully asking the legislature to make the needed
• So, the voice and input of providers and parents who choose family child care are vital to be included
• program's absent days limit, allowing a child care provider to apply for an exemption determined by
• program's absent days limit, allowing a child care provider to apply for an exemption determined by
• It is um, it's some changes to uh regulation modernization based on feedback from family child care providers

Bills: HF4382, HF2929

Keywords: child care, day care, child care center, family child care, family day care, group family day care, licensed child care, licensing modernization, early childhood education, preschool, infant care, toddler care, school-age care, drop-in child care, night care, sick care, community-based child care, provider training, staff ratios, group size

Transcript Highlights:

• It allows written notices to be provided by email.
• And our child care providers are stretched.
• Just briefly, this gives some flexibility to our small child care providers. Please vote yes.
• This is another bill that's just going to expand providers to allow more kids in our child care programs
• can continue to provide some more opportunities for our providers to succeed.

Bills: HB1544, HB2099, HB2185, HB2219, HB2253, HB2317, HB2318, HB2319, HB2350

Keywords: child welfare, risk assessment, investigation, child abuse, neglect, military families, early childhood education, access, assistance program, education equity, homelessness, youth programs, advisory committee, prevention, protection, HB 2219, child care licensing, early learning, DCYF, Department of Children Youth and Families

Summary: The House Early Learning and Human Services Committee took up possible executive session on nine bills, first briefing amendments and proposed substitutes before voting. House Bill 2099, expanding eCAP access and prioritization for children of military families, was amended to include NOAA and Public Health Service commissioned corps members and broader deployment criteria, then passed unanimously. House Bill 2185, which strengthens the advisory committee for homeless youth services, also passed unanimously without amendments. House Bill 2219, addressing mixed-ratio time in child care centers and waiving repeat pre-service orientation in limited cases, adopted an amendment adding conditions for the waiver and then passed unanimously. House Bill 2253, a broad licensure and regulatory bill affecting child care and residential programs, saw several amendments considered; one report amendment was rejected, and an amendment restoring state monitoring and health/safety reviews at the Washington School for the Deaf was adopted. The committee then passed the amended bill unanimously. House Bills 2317 and 2318, both expanding flexibility for ECEAP and Head Start providers, passed without amendments and with unanimous support. House Bill 2319, renaming residential habilitation centers in statute, adopted a technical correction amendment and passed unanimously. House Bill 2350, requiring notice when a residential habilitation center is out of compliance with CMS requirements, was amended to emphasize posted notices, email options, preferred-language notices, and plain-language summaries, then passed unanimously. The committee then returned to House Bill 1544, which directs DCYF to study and improve its risk, strengths, and needs assessment tool and certify its validation. Four amendments were considered: one requiring domestic violence to be included in the study was adopted; amendments on defining “safe,” auditing missing data on near-fatalities and safety-plan failures, and prohibiting use of an unvalidated tool to screen out referrals were rejected. The amended second substitute bill passed on a 9-0 vote, with Representatives Burnett and Penner voting “no without recommendation.” The committee adjourned after reporting all nine bills out of committee, most with do pass recommendations and several with adopted amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• welfare to child places from child welfare to child protection protection protection where<00:04:09.720
• is to is to provide, in what the county is to is to provide, in particular,<01:04:26.480><c> to</c><
• family child care providers, including the Legislative Task Force on Access to Affordable Child Care
• of care that providers are delivering. providers to meet the existing burdens. providers to meet the
• We need the existing family child care providers to be able to take care of more children.

Bills: HF4407, HF4382

Keywords: child welfare, African American children, racial disproportionality, family preservation, reunification, foster care, kinship care, relative placement, noncustodial parent, guardian ad litem, ombudsperson, Department of Human Services, county social services, active efforts, reasonable efforts, child protection, placement, out-of-home placement, Northstar kinship assistance, data disaggregation

Transcript Highlights:

• We've got to renew it every four years, so it just would allow them to continue to have that checkoff
• going to be the VA?
• And so this would allow them to to the TAG to allow that fund to use it appropriately for things like
• If you don't have 20 years in and you have to agree to a four-year extension to receive those benefits
• I don't want to fully commit to that without talking to them first. to it, so I didn't know for sure,

Bills: HB3043, HB3044, HB3078, HB3940, HB4117, HB3428, HB4275, HB3257, HB3901, HB4298

Keywords: HB3043, Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, ODVA, seasonal employees, project labor, pro rata jobs, unclassified service, state personnel law, state employee benefits, paid leave, paid holidays, retirement benefits, health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, temporary workers, veterans affairs, Title 72, Oklahoma Personnel Act, budget reporting

Transcript Highlights:

• Father, we're grateful to come to you and to consider important matters of health and human services
• to open.
• to open.
• Although the bill does provide that the Oklahoma Department of Labor works with ODVA to develop and distribute
• Although the bill does provide that the Oklahoma Department of Labor works with ODVA to develop and distribute

Bills: HB3043, HB3044, HB3078, HB3940, HB4117, HB3428, HB4275, HB3257, HB3901, HB4298

Keywords: HB3043, Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, ODVA, seasonal employees, project labor, pro rata jobs, unclassified service, state personnel law, state employee benefits, paid leave, paid holidays, retirement benefits, health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, temporary workers, veterans affairs, Title 72, Oklahoma Personnel Act, budget reporting

Summary: The Health and Human Services Oversight Committee opened with prayer and then heard a series of bills, most of them request bills from state agencies or related to veterans and military matters. House Bill 3043 would let the Oklahoma Dental Board Association hire temporary or PRN workers during peak periods; it passed 11-1. House Bill 3044 would continue an existing tax-return checkoff for donations and passed 12-0. House Bill 3078 would create an online donation option for the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs during license and tax transactions and passed 12-0. House Bill 3940 made a number of cleanup and policy changes to a prior Oklahoma National Guard measure, including retention, benefits, discipline, museum operations, and state active duty pay issues; it passed 11-0. House Bill 4117 would define family resource centers in statute and emphasize faith-based partnerships, workforce development, and braided funding; it passed 12-0. The committee also advanced House Bill 3428, which would require certain businesses to post information about veterans’ benefits in a conspicuous place to help more eligible veterans enroll in benefits; members discussed raising the employee threshold from 50 to 100, but no amendment was adopted during the meeting, and the bill passed 10-2. House Bill 4275 would allow counties and cities to employ case managers and peer support specialists while maintaining certification, to support sheriffs and first responders, and it passed 12-0. House Bill 3257 would treat 100% disabilities caused by VA medical malpractice as service-connected for state benefit purposes, aligning state law with federal treatment, and it passed 12-0. Two public health bills also advanced. House Bill 3901 would authorize psychological autopsies in suicide and overdose cases to better understand causes and improve prevention; members discussed whether the process should include notifying prescribing physicians when patients die from opioid overdoses, and the bill passed 12-0. House Bill 4298 would allow DHS child care rule changes to be distributed by mail and electronically, reflecting current practice, and it passed 12-0. The committee adjourned after reporting all measures do pass.

Transcript Highlights:

• Depending on income, families may be required to pay a monthly copayment to their provider.
• Families meeting these criteria are not required to pay a copay to the provider.
• I'm here to testify in strong support of House Bill 1873 to provide Working Connections Child Care Program
• I'm here to testify in strong support of House Bill 1873 to provide working connections child care program
• The Department of Social and Health Services is allowed to contract with a private entity to provide

Bills: HB1873, HB2600, SB5957

Keywords: child care, Working Connections Child Care, WCCC, graduate students, professional students, higher education, full-time student, affordable child care, subsidized child care, child care subsidy, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, DCYF, income eligibility, state median income, copayment, copay waiver, family support, workforce participation, working families, special needs child care

Transcript Highlights:

• to provide a point-and-click screens to provide a point-and-click navigation<00:08:22.840><c> and</c
• statute, and then a portion of it goes to us to do to administer the child protection grant.
• </c> of child protection issues related to of child protection issues related to opioid opioid opioid
• to show providers how to properly do that.
• ><c> care</c> uh related to supervision for child care uh related to supervision for child care background

Bills: HF4525, HF3002, HF3665, HF4420

Keywords: human services, background studies, NETStudy 2.0, licensing, license suspension, license revocation, provider enrollment, program integrity, fraud, medical assistance fraud, Medicaid, payment withholding, credible allegation of fraud, background check, disqualification, variance, set-aside, foster care, family foster setting, adult foster care

Transcript Highlights:

• The intent of the bill is to provide packaging restrictions and to prohibit edible medical marijuana
• We worked with many of the childcare providers to try to get them some relief.
• And so what this bill does is make two modest but meaningful reforms to our child care law to give some
• Thank you to the childcare providers out there that brought some really good ideas to us.
• era pay, what can we do to ease the burden on providers and also give them an opportunity to get some

Bills: HB1979, HB1225, HB3931, HB4454, HB3849, HB1746, HB3720, HB4275, HB4300, HB3586, HB2268, HB3755, HB4117, HB4294, HB3650, HB4298

Keywords: early childhood education, task force, governance structure, healthcare access, stakeholder engagement, quality services, vital records, birth certificate, birth registration, biological sex, sex designation, male, female, nonbinary, gender identity, X marker, transgender, vital statistics, State Department of Health, State Commissioner of Health

Transcript Highlights:

• We worked with many of the child care providers to try to get them some relief, and this is the first
• some financial relief to our child care providers and reduce some regulatory burden.
• financial relief to our child care providers and reduce some regulatory burden.
• And we, and again, the child care providers were the ones that really came to us and said, hey, this
• Thank you to the child care providers out there that brought some really good ideas to us.

Bills: HB1979, HB1225, HB3931, HB4454, HB3849, HB1746, HB3720, HB4275, HB4300, HB3586, HB2268, HB3755, HB4117, HB4294, HB3650, HB4298

Keywords: early childhood education, task force, governance structure, healthcare access, stakeholder engagement, quality services, vital records, birth certificate, birth registration, biological sex, sex designation, male, female, nonbinary, gender identity, X marker, transgender, vital statistics, State Department of Health, State Commissioner of Health

Summary: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee first considered the nomination of Christy D. Fisher to the Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Senator Stanridge presented her as a lay member with legal and paralegal experience, and Fisher spoke about her family’s experience with speech therapy and autism-related speech needs. After brief questions, the committee advanced the nomination on an 8-2 vote. The committee then heard several bills, including measures creating an Early Childhood Task Force (HB 1979), clarifying that Oklahoma has always prohibited sex-to-gender-identity amendments on birth certificates (HB 1225), and establishing a process for correcting death certificates after one year (HB 3931). Members also advanced a bill restricting edible medical marijuana products from being attractive to children (HB 4454), updating the mentoring program for children of incarcerated parents (HB 3849), and allowing juvenile safety plans to take effect if not acted on within 24 hours (HB 1746). Other bills addressed local food sales thresholds (HB 3720), allowing case managers and peer support specialists to work for cities and counties (HB 4275), DHS background-check and email-notice updates for child care centers (HB 4300), and a clarification that raising a child consistent with biological sex is not child abuse and that adoption cannot be denied solely over refusal to support a gender transition (HB 3586). The committee also advanced bills on Medicaid reimbursement for dementia cognitive assessments and care planning (HB 2268), juvenile detention medication funding (HB 3755), family resource centers including faith-based and workforce organizations (HB 4117), epilepsy insurance coverage protections (HB 4294), extending the managed care rate floor to July 1, 2028 with a carve-out for multi-state contracts (HB 3650), and child care reforms raising subsidy co-pays and directing DHS to set more flexible master-teacher ratios for certain facilities (HB 4298). Several bills were amended or worked from committee substitutes, and most passed on unanimous or near-unanimous votes, with HB 1225, HB 3586, and HB 4294 drawing some opposition. The committee adjourned after noting it would likely meet again later for additional executive nominations.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill aims to get increased funding to our rural child care providers.
• As you see fit and have available, this would go a long way to helping our child care providers stay
• The proposed program under this bill would offer much-needed financial support to child care providers
• The program would provide a subsidy directly to child care providers on behalf of Minnesota families
• HF 1383 will provide funding to reduce child care costs significantly.

Bills: HF1367, HF2732, HF1897, HF1424, HF1383, HF2728, HF2863, HF1685, HF2929

Keywords: child maltreatment, child abuse, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, human trafficking, child protection, local welfare agency, county social services, Minnesota Department of Human Services, judicial review, district court appeal, venue, out-of-state abuse, cross-border investigation, Minnesota child welfare, family assessment, maltreatment determination

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is a particular bill to get increased funding to our rural child care providers.
• pay for child care, and one way we can do that is providing due process to providers who have received
• The Great Start affordability program would provide a subsidy directly to child care providers on behalf
• </c> would provide a subsidy directly to would provide a subsidy directly to child<00:54:02.559><c> care
• child care provider to challenging as a child care provider to get<01:19:13.320><c> here</c><01:19:13.480

Bills: HF1367, HF2732, HF1897, HF1424, HF1383, HF2728, HF2863, HF1685, HF2929

Keywords: child maltreatment, child abuse, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, human trafficking, child protection, local welfare agency, county social services, Minnesota Department of Human Services, judicial review, district court appeal, venue, out-of-state abuse, cross-border investigation, Minnesota child welfare, family assessment, maltreatment determination

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> to</c> placement a time that child to placement a time that child to stabilize. stabilize. stabilize
• to how things are for child care for to how things are for child care for licensed<00:28:00.720><c> child
• It offers us the chance to chart a new path forward on child care licensing that treats providers like
• We all agree that the current approach to child care licensing is simply not working for providers.
• We all agree that the current approach to child care licensing is simply not working for providers.

Bills: HF1918, HF2305, HF897, HF2191, HF2617, HF2551, HF2137

Keywords: HF1918, Department of Children Youth and Families, DCYF, child welfare, foster care, out-of-home placement, permanency planning, relative search, noncustodial parent, kinship care, family preservation, African American Child and Family Well-Being, racial disproportionality, maltreatment reporting, educational neglect, truancy, school attendance, Great Start compensation, child care provider payments, TEACH early childhood program

Transcript Highlights:

• we need to provide to child care providers, and in particular family child care centers, this just does
• care</c><00:15:19.880><c> providers</c> need to provide to child care providers need to provide to child
• Uh, talk to any family child care provider—the age ratios will drive all of us pretty crazy.
• It's not going to provide a child care slot. It's not going to do that.
• It's not going to provide a child care slot. It's not going to do that.

Bills: HF656, HF655, HF633

Keywords: child care, childcare, day care, daycare, licensing, variance, licensed capacity, capacity limit, staff qualifications, staffing, child care center, family child care, provider flexibility, Minnesota career lattice, Department of Children Youth and Families, DCYF, licensing rules, enrollment, indoor space, professional development

Transcript Highlights:

• provide recommendations to the state to reduce maternal mortality.
• Because the child is not choosing not to be vaccinated; the child...
• a parent or guardian to refer to a child by their biological sex.
• just to cause that child pain—that is abuse.
• It's the duty of parents to protect and provide for their child, to empower parents.

Bills: HB1106, HB3284, HB541, HB713, HB1403, HB1586, HB1942, HB2070, HB2844, HB2851, HB3151, HB3749, HB3940, HB3963, HB4454, HB4466, HB4795, HB5154, HB5394, SB1357, HB1052, HB4099, HB4638, HB5147

Keywords: child abuse, neglect, gender identity, sexual orientation, child welfare, marriage, family, Texas Commission, family welfare, marriage support, stability, premarital education, child development, strong families, direct patient care, healthcare, physicians, medical services, insurance regulation, maternal health

Transcript Highlights:

• go to work in licensed child care primarily.
• central registry and the lack of due process protections provided to individuals prior to listing.
• There's an in-between between us dispatching a provider and sending a provider to you.
• We were the first state in America to provide access to adult stem cells.
• be able to provide this type of care in an extended way to Texans, and that's why we are.

Bills: HB1106, HB3284, HB541, HB713, HB1403, HB1586, HB1942, HB2070, HB2844, HB2851, HB3151, HB3749, HB3940, HB3963, HB4454, HB4466, HB4795, HB5154, HB5394, SB1357, HB1052, HB4099, HB4638, HB5147

Keywords: child abuse, neglect, gender identity, sexual orientation, child welfare, marriage, family, Texas Commission, family welfare, marriage support, stability, premarital education, child development, strong families, direct patient care, healthcare, physicians, medical services, insurance regulation, maternal health

Transcript Highlights:

• Our system, which often is provided at no cost to schools, allows students to provide information via
• And so we need to be there to provide security. Could we try to get by with less?
• Those communities are able to provide security at a level that's necessary. to make sure it's safe.
• provide. emergency management services that we require those communities to provide.
• best suited to provide the service.

Bills: HF1354, HF1901, HF2124, HF2130, HF2260, HF2099, HF104, HF134, HF1769

Keywords: public safety, school safety, active shooter, active shooter drill, violence prevention, threat reporting, anonymous tip line, See It, Say It, Send It, Minnesota Fusion Center, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, BCA, officer-involved death, missing person, endangered missing person, criminal background check, national background check, FBI fingerprint check, adult entertainment license, massage license, correctional facilities