Video & Transcript Research : 'excessive rates'

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OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • regulate insurance rates?
  • , they have cheaper rates.
  • to lower rates.
  • rate that's being filed, it has no impact on that rate that's being filed.
  • To raise rates, then another carrier can come in and just charge a lesser rate.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Commerce and Economic Development Oversight REVISION 2: HB3127 - Added Mar 5th, 2026 at 10:30 am

Commerce & Economic Development Oversight

Transcript Highlights:
  • As we all know, in the headlines, we are looking at the highest insurance rates in Oklahoma for homeowner's
  • It also gives some power to the insurance commissioner to determine to do a check to see if the rates
  • do appreciate the clarification and when it comes to having the test be administered at an earlier rate
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Energy Finance and Policy Committee 3/10/26

Energy Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • great job of controlling rate increases. great job of controlling rate increases.
  • to adjust and reasonable rate of return. to adjust and reasonable rate of return.
  • Our rates are fair and reasonable.
  • how the PUC is to consider a utility's request for a rate of return in that rate case.
  • How would that help with rate like? How would that help with rate cases?
Summary: The committee approved the March 5, 2026 minutes and then took up House File 3458, as amended, which would exempt tribes from utility exclusive rights and assigned service areas. The bill’s author and the Upper Sioux community chairman said the measure was prompted by a dispute over a solar project at the tribal casino and argued the issue is really about tribal sovereignty, not solar, citing tribal civil regulatory authority and prior court cases. The amendment A1 was adopted before testimony. Testimony was split. Chairman Kevin Jensel of the Upper Sioux community strongly supported the bill, saying the tribe should not be forced to follow utility service territories and that the state should correct a long-standing omission in law. Derek Mo of the Minnesota Rural Electric Association opposed the bill, warning it would undermine the regulatory compact, reliability, long-term planning, and financing for electric service, especially in tribal areas. Justin Johns of East Central Energy also opposed the bill, but emphasized that many cooperatives have productive tribal partnerships and said his co-op has worked successfully with the Mille Lacs Band on solar, resilience, and workforce efforts; he cautioned that removing service obligations could leave difficult-to-serve areas underinvested. Members discussed whether the Public Utilities Commission process already underway should be allowed to resolve the dispute and whether the bill’s scope could extend beyond the current solar issue. The chair responded that the bill was a legislative approach to a problem that had not been resolved and said the amendment addressed concerns about removing the obligation to serve. A roll call was requested, and the committee voted to re-refer House File 3458, as amended, to the General Register.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Business and Insurance 2ND REVISED Feb 19th, 2026 at 09:30 am

Business and Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • the insurance commissioner the option of declaring an excessive rate if necessary when reviewing that
  • Would you believe that Oklahoma law already prohibits rates that are deemed excessive and unfairly discriminatory
  • This bill is focused on ensuring fiscal stability for the companies without excessive rates burdening
  • and potentially not be able to reduce their rates.
  • If we want to get serious about attacking insurance rates and trying to achieve some rate reduction,
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs May 12th, 2025

Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • However, in some cities, municipally owned utilities adopt increased rates charged to tax-exempt entities
  • House Bill 685 keeps a municipality from adopting an increased rate for water or sewer utility service
  • rate increases.
  • For excessive iron, like you have in the Carrizo-Wilcox, you're looking at an ozone system.
  • There's been two rate increases. We're willing to pay for good water.
Bills: HB630, HB685, HB1318, HB2692
Summary: The Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met with no quorum at the start, but later reached quorum and took up several bills. House Bill 2692, codifying the San Antonio River Authority’s enabling legislation and making non-substantive modernization changes, received brief supportive testimony from the River Authority and was left pending before later being voted out favorably. House Bill 685, which would prevent municipalities from charging higher water or sewer rates to tax-exempt entities than comparable customers, also drew support and was reported favorably. House Bill 1318, clarifying compensation issues when a municipality decertifies part of a retail water utility’s service area, was heard without opposition and passed out of committee. House Bill 630, exempting certain older outboard motors from title requirements, likewise passed and was placed on the local and uncontested calendar. The committee spent the most time on Senate Bill 2497, relating to filtration systems for certain public drinking water systems. Senator Zaffirini described the bill as a response to ongoing secondary water quality complaints, while TCEQ testified that such contaminants are aesthetic rather than health-based and that the water remains safe to drink if primary standards are met. The Texas Rural Water Association opposed the bill as written, arguing filtration may not solve most water quality problems and could be costly for small systems, while a consumer witness from Floresville supported it and described repeated rate increases and brown water after a filtration system was removed. Members discussed narrowing the bill through a committee substitute and emphasized the need for flexibility and technical expertise; the committee substitute was adopted and the bill was reported favorably, with Senator Kolkhorst later asking to be recorded as voting no. The committee also heard Senate Bill 2850, which would create a pollinator task force to study habitat loss, public education, and best practices for protecting bees and other pollinators. Senator Menendez and invited witness Erica Thompson of Texas BeeWorks highlighted major colony losses and the economic importance of pollinators to Texas agriculture, and Environment Texas and the Texas Beekeepers Association supported the measure. Members discussed monarch butterflies, native grasses, milkweed, and conservation efforts, and the bill was reported favorably and sent to the local and uncontested calendar. After testimony, the committee also voted out several pending items, including House Bill 5560 with a committee substitute addressing water-loss penalties and infrastructure improvements, and then recessed subject to the call of the chair.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Business and Insurance 2ND REVISED Mar 5th, 2026 at 09:30 am

Business and Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • They don't have any control over what the tax rate would be on their products.
  • It's a variable rate. They don't have any control. They don't have Any way to foresee that?
  • land on something that I think will will protect consumers here in Oklahoma help hedge some of these rate
  • We currently have a use-and-file system, which means that carriers can effectively change rates, and
  • costs will trickle down and for all of us, whether it's homeowners or business insurance, can see rates
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs May 12th, 2025

Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • House Bill 685 prevents a municipality from increasing the rate for water or sewer utility service on
  • That qualify for a sales tax or ad valorem tax exemption that is higher than the rate established for
  • Water contaminants and repeated excessive rate increases.
  • The potentially better solution is using chemical treatment for excessive...
  • There's been two rate increases. We're willing to pay for good water. We have tailored this down.
Bills: HB630, HB685, HB1318, HB2692
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Insurance Mar 26th, 2025

Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • Well, yeah, I can only speak in, in a very general term to, to our physician, you know, payment rates
  • The facility is, is a different billing system, different contracting, different payment rates, but to
Bills: HB139
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

CPC Public Hearing - Thu Apr 9, 2026 @ 2:00 PM HST

Consumer Protection & Commerce

Transcript Highlights:
  • /c><01:14:09.640> case<01:14:10.000> was rates outside of the rate case was rates outside
  • a rate case.
  • More contentious rate cases means more expensive rate cases.
  • rate increases.
  • rate case. rate case.
Summary: The committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce met on April 9, 2026, and heard testimony on several measures. SB 3302 SD1 HD1, dealing with homemade food products, would require the Department of Health to adopt rules for farm kitchens producing homemade food products that are no more stringent than rules for home kitchens. The Department of Health said it supported the bill with technical amendments, and the Hawaii Food Industry Association and Grassroot Institute of Hawaii also supported it. No opposition was heard. A lengthy discussion focused on SB 2061 SD2 HD1, which concerns a 99-year leasehold residential condominium project and HCDA’s rules for sales, income restrictions, and buyback pricing. HCDA supported the bill and said the House draft clarified unclear provisions and would help move the project to pre-sales. Testimony and committee questions centered on whether the project should remain owner-occupied in perpetuity or allow investor purchases after an initial sales period. HCDA explained that the bill was revised to make the project feasible in the market, that 60% of units would be income-restricted for buyers at or below 140% of area median income, and that the remaining units could be sold without owner-occupancy restrictions. Some members and testifiers expressed concern that the bill had shifted away from the original owner-occupancy vision and could become an investment property model, while others argued the changes were necessary for the project to pencil out and compete with fee-simple developments. No vote was taken during the discussion shown. The committee also heard SB 2050 SD1 HD1, which would allow chiropractic students in accredited programs to engage in clinical practice beginning July 1, 2028. The Hawaii Board of Chiropractic and the Hawaii State Chiropractic Association supported the measure, and one testifier described personal experience with student chiropractic care in California. Members questioned why the board requested delaying implementation until 2030, and the board said it needed more time to develop rules because it meets only a few times a year and rulemaking is lengthy. Finally, SB 2102 SD2 HD1, on industrial hemp in commercial feed, was introduced; the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity offered comments, the Department of Health raised concerns about regulating pet food and possible jurisdictional conflict, and a farmer testifying in support suggested narrowing the bill to federally approved livestock feed rather than pet food.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Business and Insurance REVISED Feb 5th, 2026 at 09:30 am

Business and Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • especially around our property insurance issues in this state, and where Oklahomans are in terms of rates
  • So that's why this bill would disallow the use of credit scores in our Premium rating system.
  • The question would be: Has there been any state that has banned the credit scoring and seen their rates
  • mean in the three hundreds, we're talking about in the 600s, is Paying 104% more for their insurance rates
  • one of the discussions was centered around the ability to Purchase eyeglasses in context, discounted rates
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee 3/4/25

Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • rate add-ons and rate cutbacks different rate add-ons and rate cutbacks which<00:07:01.599> again
  • So these are rates that are not currently cost-based rates.
  • were but um these rates these sud rates were but um these rates these sud rates were mostly<00:19
  • rate?
  • <00:40:11.040> and mental health rates and sud rates um and mental health rates and sud rates
Bills: HF1005
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee 3/12/26

Higher Education Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • fall 2027, they're eligible for the resident student tuition rate.
  • non-state outofstate rates. non-state outofstate rates. >> Mr.<00:08:28.720> Hopkins.
  • student tuition resident tuition rate. student tuition resident tuition rate.
  • Um, as far as resident tuition rates, no. Um, we did not include that in this bill.
  • Um as far as resident tuition rates,<00:32:23.919> no.
Bills: HF3432, HF3411
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

S/C on State-Federal Relations Mar 13th, 2025

S/C on State-Federal Relations

Transcript Highlights:
  • Death rate. We are now the number one nation of human trafficking in the entire world.
Bills: HB176, HB180
MN

Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session

House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee 2/27/25

Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • My understanding is that because it fell below what is already assumed to increase in rates, then it
  • Nursing homes are paid via the VBR rate methodology, which increases over time, and that rate methodology
  • any direction to DHS to update the rates any direction to DHS to update the rates or<00:49:04.520
  • I'm also pleased to see that House File 1419 provides an annual update to elderly waiver rates.
  • update to the elderly waiver rates update to the elderly waiver rates ensuring<01:04:21.279>
Bills: HF1419, HF500
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Human Services Finance and Policy Committee hears HF500 2/27/25

Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • As a nursing home provider operating under Minnesota's rate equalization policy, we have no mechanisms
  • As a nursing home provider operating under Minnesota's rate equalization policy, we have no mechanisms
  • As a nursing home provider operating under Minnesota's rate equalization policy, we have no mechanisms
  • As a nursing home provider operating under Minnesota's rate equalization policy, we have no mechanisms
  • As a nursing home provider operating under Minnesota's rate equalization policy, we have no mechanisms
Bills: HF1419, HF500
Summary: The committee took up House File 500, which would require the legislature to fund the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board’s standards before they could take effect. An author’s DE2 amendment was adopted first; the amendment was described as pausing the board’s standards unless the legislature estimates and fully pays the cost for each nursing home. The bill author argued that mandates without money create serious consequences for seniors and providers, and said the measure would keep budget authority with the legislature rather than an appointed board. Supporters, including nursing home operators and the Long-Term Care Imperative, said the board’s holiday pay and minimum wage standards would create large unfunded costs, citing estimates ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars for individual facilities and more than $200 million statewide. They argued that some facilities could face debt, reserve depletion, or reduced access to care if the standards are not funded. Opponents, including SEIU workers and union leaders, said the board has improved staffing, recruitment, morale, and worker safety, and that caregivers deserve higher wages and holiday pay. They argued the bill would weaken the board’s ability to address chronic understaffing and would shift focus away from worker protections. Members also debated whether nursing home reimbursement rates have already risen enough to cover wages and whether the problem lies with how funds are used by providers. After public testimony closed, several members spoke in opposition and support. A roll call was requested, and the committee voted 9-7 to re-refer House File 500, as amended, to the Committee on Labor and Workforce and Economic Development Finance and Policy.
KY
Transcript Highlights:
  • Upon a payment error rate.
  • Higher rate of 10% of error rate share.
  • the state error rates. the state error rates.
  • do to make sure the air rates lower? do to make sure the air rates lower?
  • <01:04:19.039> It affect error rates? It affect error rates?
Summary: The committee first established a quorum, approved the July minutes, and recognized Jennifer Hayes of the Department of State Budget Director for her retirement and long service. Secretary Hicks then presented a review of fiscal year 2025 closeout for the general fund and road fund, explaining that the general fund ended with a $313 million surplus and the road fund with a $61 million surplus. He attributed the general fund result to strong corporate income and LLC tax receipts, investment income, and lower-than-budgeted spending, while noting that individual income tax and sales tax underperformed estimates. He also described how the general fund surplus was allocated, with $62 million used for necessary government expenses and $251 million deposited into the budget reserve trust fund, which remained at historically strong levels. For the road fund, he said the surplus would be deposited into the Department of Highways construction account, and he highlighted record motor vehicle usage tax receipts despite lower motor fuels tax revenue due to a rate decline. Members asked questions about the pass-through entity tax, delayed filing deadlines, THC beverage sales, and income tax collection from undocumented workers. Hicks said the pass-through entity tax remains difficult to model because of timing issues and the first year’s unusual filing pattern, and that staff are still working with the Department of Revenue and other states to improve forecasting. He said the delayed filing deadline likely would not require a major restatement and that any related receipts would still be counted in fiscal 2026. On THC beverages, he said the issue would be considered in the next forecasting cycle. On the undocumented-worker question, he said withholding may capture some of the revenue but referred broader collection efforts to the Department of Revenue. The committee then shifted to an overview of the federal reconciliation act’s potential impact on the next biennial budget, with Hicks and Commissioner Lisa Dennis focusing on Medicaid and SNAP. Hicks said the Congressional Budget Office estimated roughly $900 billion in federal savings over 10 years, driven in part by work or community engagement requirements for the Medicaid expansion population and limits on state-directed payments. He emphasized that CMS still must issue regulations to define how the state-directed payment reductions will be calculated, making the exact fiscal impact uncertain. He referred members to a prior Medicaid Oversight Advisory Board presentation for more detail, and the discussion remained informational with no votes or formal actions taken on the federal changes.