Bills: HB1845, HB2192, HB2438, HB2529, HB2607, HB2658, HB3348, HB3505, HB3305

Keywords: rural prosecution, salary assistance, staffing grant, legal support, criminal justice, fireworks, permit requirements, sale, county regulations, public safety, hospital district, administration, elections, director qualifications, public contracts, salary supplement, county judges, judicial functions, state law, government compensation

Bills: SB 2082, SB 2203, SB 2351, SB 2550, SCR 48

Keywords: concrete crushing, hospital proximity, environmental regulation, public health, zoning laws, concrete plants, standard permit, construction regulation, environmental compliance, health and safety code, water rights, property transfer, disclosure requirements, coastal property, Texas legislation, real estate, environmental impact, Gulf of America, coastal resources, Texas sovereignty

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a cost to hospitals.
• We're a rural critical access hospital and public hospital district providing acute, skilled, and emergency
• I try to transfer him, but the receiving hospital won’t accept him because without a diagnosis they don
• I can arrange for immediate transfer to a surgical hospital, and his family has... ...transfer to a surgical
• hospital, and his family has the answers.

Bills: HB2110, HB2113, HB2122, HB2152, HB2168

Keywords: ambulance, interfacility transport, specialty care transport, emergency medical services, EMS, registered nurse, nurse staffing, paramedic, emergency medical technician, EMT, patient transfer, hospital transfer, critical care transport, medical transport, workforce shortage, scope of practice, Department of Health, RCW 18.73, first responder, basic life support

Summary: The House Health Care and Wellness Committee heard public testimony on several bills. HB 2152 would require hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice facilities to allow qualifying terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis under facility policies that prohibit smoking/vaping, require patient self-administration and secure storage, and protect facilities from licensure consequences; the prime sponsor and supporters framed it as a compassionate end-of-life measure based on the experience of Ryan Bartel, while the Washington State Hospital Association asked for amendments to limit it to inpatient beds and to bar staff from retrieving cannabis. HB 2122 would require hospitals to offer flu vaccines to inpatients age 65 and older and to inpatients with chronic conditions during flu season; supporters cited rising flu deaths and benefits for high-risk patients, while opponents questioned the need and urged stronger informed-consent language, and hospitals raised cost and operational concerns. HB 2110 would relax staffing rules for inter-facility specialty care transports by allowing a registered nurse without EMT certification to serve when no paramedic or RN-EMT is available; rural hospitals and ambulance providers said the change would improve timely transfers, while nurses’ representatives raised concerns about training, medical oversight, and staffing impacts on hospital units. The committee also heard HB 2113, which would update supervision rules for radiologic technologists performing IV contrast procedures by allowing virtual direct supervision by a physician and direct supervision by an ARNP or PA for contrast administration, while keeping other parenteral procedures under physician supervision. Supporters said the bill would align state law with current practice and federal CMS rules and improve access in rural areas; radiology stakeholders supported the bill but asked for a proximity requirement for virtual physician supervision. Finally, HB 2168 would require the Department of Health to rapidly share overdose data from the EMS information system to ODMAP within 24 hours, with privacy protections and limits on law-enforcement use; supporters said it would improve near-real-time overdose response and save lives, while the Washington Poison Center asked to be added as a data source and to clarify the bill’s overdose terminology. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after public hearings.

Bills: HB304, HB285, HB312, HB311, SB60

Keywords: impoundment, driver licenses, vehicle redemption, local identification cards, law enforcement, HB285, TJ's Law, traffic infraction, traffic ticket, uniform traffic ticket and complaint, minor driver, juvenile driver, parent notification, guardian notification, emergency contact, citing agency, traffic citation, driver safety, youth safety, Alabama traffic law

Transcript Highlights:

• provide an appropriation to the Bank of North Dakota to administer a loan program, to provide a transfer
• Provide a transfer to amend and reenact Section 6-09-47 of the North Dakota Century Code relating to
• So section 2 has to do with line-item transfers within the Department of Human Services and also provides
• that we can transfer this money to other agencies.
• It allows line-item transfers.

Bills: SB2401, SB2402, SB2403, SB2404

Keywords: SB 2401, North Dakota, Century Code, occupational therapy, occupational therapy board, criminal history record check, background check, licensee investigation, physician continuing education, medical license renewal, nutrition education, metabolic health, chronic disease prevention, health occupation boards, medical board, licensure fee, audit response, disciplinary action, Title 43, board of medicine

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, roll call, and a quorum present, then took up second reading and final passage of several House bills related to the Rural Health Transformation Program and other matters. House Bill 1621, requiring the presidential fitness test in school physical education with exceptions and a delayed effective date, passed 43-3. House Bill 1623, appropriating federal rural health transformation grant funds and creating a related loan program and reporting structure, passed 46-0 after extensive debate about using the federal money for community health, infrastructure, and sustainability. House Bill 1622, joining the physician assistant licensure compact, also passed unanimously 46-0. House Bill 1625, authorizing the Ray Richards Golf Course land sale to support a Grand Forks transportation project and golf course improvements, passed 46-0. House Bill 1626, clarifying that the primary residence credit is applied after the early payment discount so taxpayers receive the full $1,600 benefit, passed 40-6.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam President, 2403 is a bill to provide gap loan funding for hospitals in severe financial trouble
• We had a rural hospital that has experienced a perfect storm of financial trouble.
• Of course, you don't create legislation for one hospital or for one district.
• I guess the other thing is that if this does not pass, that hospital would close more than likely.
• How this hospital got into this situation is kind of what I'm trying to get at. Thank you.

Bills: SB2401, SB2402, SB2403, SB2404

Keywords: SB 2401, North Dakota, Century Code, occupational therapy, occupational therapy board, criminal history record check, background check, licensee investigation, physician continuing education, medical license renewal, nutrition education, metabolic health, chronic disease prevention, health occupation boards, medical board, licensure fee, audit response, disciplinary action, Title 43, board of medicine

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present. It adopted the procedural employment committee report naming Senate staff for the special session. The chamber then took up several health-care and appropriations measures, first adopting amendments to Senate Bills 2401, 2402, and 2403 before moving them to final passage. Senate Bill 2401 passed 44-2 and requires physicians to complete at least one hour of continuing education in nutrition and metabolic health, part of a broader rural health care package. Senate Bill 2402 passed 46-0 after major amendments negotiated between the medical and pharmacy boards; as amended, it expands pharmacists’ prescriptive authority and therapeutic substitution in limited areas while excluding categories such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, chemotherapy agents, Schedule II drugs, biological products, and narrow therapeutic index drugs. Supporters said it would improve rural access and help secure rural health transformation funding, while questions focused on how pharmacist competence would be measured and enforced. Senate Bill 2403, also passed 46-0, creates a short-term medical facility emergency operating loan program through the Bank of North Dakota, reduced by amendment from $10 million to $5 million, to help a financially distressed rural hospital. Senators discussed the hospital’s mismanagement, the need for a bridge loan, and safeguards including a limited application window and expiration in 2027. Senate Bill 2404 passed 46-0 and provides supplemental appropriations to the Information Technology Department for ADA-related website accessibility compliance and to the Public Service Commission for additional legal costs in federal energy-rate litigation. The Senate then made announcements about a Highway Patrol safety presentation and filing deadlines, excused an absent member, and adjourned until the next morning.

Bills: SB2401, SB2402, SB2403, SB2404

Keywords: SB 2401, North Dakota, Century Code, occupational therapy, occupational therapy board, criminal history record check, background check, licensee investigation, physician continuing education, medical license renewal, nutrition education, metabolic health, chronic disease prevention, health occupation boards, medical board, licensure fee, audit response, disciplinary action, Title 43, board of medicine

Summary: The Senate convened in special session with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and roll call establishing a quorum of 45 members present and two absent. The chamber received certification from the Secretary of State and the governor’s executive order calling the special session to address funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program and to act quickly to accept and appropriate federal funds. The main action was adoption of the procedural rules for the extraordinary session. Senator Klein explained the proposed rule changes, which were designed to speed up consideration of bills during the short session, including limits on bill introduction, same-day second reading and final passage, elimination of standing committees for the session, creation of a Joint Policy Committee and Joint Appropriations Committee, and authorization for remote testimony and limited remote participation. The procedural committee’s report on these rules was adopted without opposition. The Senate also adopted reports naming members to the Joint Policy Committee and Joint Appropriations Committee. Announcements noted that the Senate Employment Committee, Joint Policy Committee, and Joint Appropriations Committee would meet later that morning, that the Senate would not reconvene at 4 p.m., and that a Highway Patrol presentation on legislator safety would be held. The Senate then moved through the listed orders of business and recessed, planning to meet in joint session with the House before adjourning until Thursday, January 22, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• So therefore, have a hospital in them.
• It’s all over the state. miles away to another hospital to get miles away to another hospital to get
• It clears up space in our hospital.
• It clears up space in our hospital.
• It clears up space in our hospital.

Bills: HB185, HB378, SB28, HB400, SB155, HB312, HB185, HB378, SB28, HB400, SB155, HB312

Keywords: appropriation, transportation, judicial system, funding, state budget, Pickens County, local act, vehicle tag fee, registration fee, issuance fee, motor vehicle registration, license plate, replacement tag, transfer tag, renewal fee, county revenue, earmarked funds, ambulance service, emergency medical services, EMS

Transcript Highlights:

• So what happens is someone who provides medical care or a hospital, a physician, um, anybody in the health
• Now, 50% of hospitals, for instance, and so on, they might have a contractor that they work with, and
• </c> groups or you know or is it the hospital groups or you know or is it the hospital association<00
• And if that information is not transferred appropriately, then again, people get into big trouble.
• :13:03.200><c> then</c> isn't transferred appropriately, then isn't transferred appropriately, then again

Bills: HF3521, HF1807, HF1270, HF2070, HF3136

Keywords: hospital moratorium, hospital construction, bed capacity, hospital expansion, health care facilities, hospital licensing, safety-net hospital, level I trauma center, Ramsey County, Minnesota health law, hospital beds, new hospital exception, certificate of need, inpatient capacity, emergency care, trauma services, health system regulation, state moratorium, hospital modernization, health infrastructure

Transcript Highlights:

• It was a transfer from our critical access hospital from Wheaton to Minnesota.
• Um, as you recall, region's hospital.
• </c><00:04:51.360><c> construction</c> exception to the hospital construction exception to the hospital
• </c><00:10:34.959><c> can't</c> regulation that says a hospital can't regulation that says a hospital
• . hospital. hospital.

Bills: HF3521, HF1807, HF1270, HF2070, HF3136

Keywords: hospital moratorium, hospital construction, bed capacity, hospital expansion, health care facilities, hospital licensing, safety-net hospital, level I trauma center, Ramsey County, Minnesota health law, hospital beds, new hospital exception, certificate of need, inpatient capacity, emergency care, trauma services, health system regulation, state moratorium, hospital modernization, health infrastructure

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:53:06.319><c> to</c> 2023, provided employees transferring to 2023, provided employees transferring
• </c> hospital, we're assigning those forms. hospital, we're assigning those forms.
• </c> language just effectuates transferring language just effectuates transferring those<01:09:10.480
• </c> allows these studies to be transferable allows these studies to be transferable across<01:10:14.239
• So we now have a hospital association.

Bills: HF3935, HF2216, HF4354, HF4210, HF4212

Keywords: assisted living, healthcare, training, unlicensed personnel, resident rights, safety regulations, nursing home, long-term care, guardian, conservator, arbitration, mandatory arbitration, consumer protection, fee increase, rate increase, price hike, private pay, public funds, Medicaid, waiver services

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman. ...is able to enter the hospital air vents.
• All of these individuals are going to be in LBJ Hospital.
• I guess I'm asking, what's the definition of a hospital?
• definition of hospital.
• It's that grouping of hospitals we're talking about.

Bills: SB2082, SB2203, SB2351, SB2550, SCR48

Keywords: concrete crushing, hospital proximity, environmental regulation, public health, zoning laws, SB 2203, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, TCEQ, State Office of Administrative Hearings, SOAH, contested case, administrative law judge, ALJ, discovery, scope of discovery, certification, administrative procedure, permit dispute, agency rules, Government Code

Bills: SB176, HB155, HB247, HB311, HB312, HB317, HB466, SB176, HB155, HB247, HB311, HB312, HB317, HB466

Keywords: controlled substances, unlawful distribution, marijuana, violent offense, sentencing guidelines, criminal justice, state holidays, federal holidays, public holidays, legal holidays, office closures, state employees, personal leave, compensatory leave, bank closures, school closures, Mardi Gras, Mobile County, Baldwin County, Rosa Parks Day

Transcript Highlights:

• go to the hospital. through our immunization training.
• Also, of course, with the hospitals and emergency.
• She went in for an ED, went to the hospital.
• Like, she just got out of the hospital.
• Potentially. and would be taken to the hospital and you're saying the hospital. can't keep them.

Bills: HB 3772, HB 1656, HB 4504, HB 1896, HB 4420, HB 4421, HB 4076, HB 3708, HB 2806, HB 3540, HB 1586, HB 5459, HB 4553, HB 4535, HB 3811, HB 3749, HB 4255, HB 4051, HB 5098, HB 3554, HB 4539, HB 5274

Keywords: e-cigarettes, health and safety, regulations, directory, penalties, regulation, certification, compliance, manufacturers, FDA, nicotine, mental health, emergency detention, paramedic authority, mental illness, healthcare facility, public health, covenants not to compete, health care practitioners, physicians

Transcript Highlights:

• only patients of the hospitals who have been admitted to the hospital.
• All those in favor of Substitute Hospital 2110 signify by saying aye. Aye.
• access hospitals, and allows... ...and critical access hospitals, and allows the act to be called Ryan's
• Access Hospitals, and allows... and critical access hospitals and allows the act to be called Ryan's
• I did talk to my critical access hospitals, and it was interesting.

Bills: HB2261, HB2283, HB2425, HB2110, HB2113, HB2122, HB2152

Keywords: healthcare, transparency, patient communication, credentials, professional standards, medical loss ratio, insurance, health plans, cost management, nursing delegation, registered nurse, RN, home care aide, nursing assistant, certified nursing assistant, CNA, medical assistant, home health, hospice, community-based care

Summary: The House Health Care and Wellness Committee held public hearings on House Bills 2261, 2283, and 2425, then took executive action on House Bills 2110, 2113, 2122, and 2152. HB 2261 would require health care providers to wear badges showing name, credential, and degree initials, require similar disclosures in advertising, and restrict use of the title “physician surgeon”; supporters framed it as a patient transparency measure, while many providers and associations opposed it as burdensome, confusing, and harmful to access, especially for adult family homes and solo practices. HB 2283 would raise the medical loss ratio for fully insured plans to 90%; supporters said it would direct more premium dollars to care and lower costs, while insurers warned it could destabilize markets and reduce flexibility for administrative services. HB 2425 would modernize nurse delegation rules, expand what tasks can be delegated, and broaden liability protections; supporters said it would reduce barriers and help address workforce shortages, while opponents raised patient safety and accountability concerns. During executive session, the committee advanced all four bills. HB 2110, allowing certain nurses without EMT certification to provide care on inter-facility specialty care transport, was amended and reported out with a due pass recommendation. HB 2113, which addresses radiological technicians performing IV contrast procedures under certain supervision arrangements, was reported out without amendment. HB 2122, requiring hospitals to offer flu vaccines under specified conditions, was amended three times and then reported out. HB 2152, requiring certain facilities to allow medical cannabis use by qualifying patients with terminal conditions, was amended to include exemptions and policy details, including naming it Ryan’s Law, and was then reported out as amended. The committee adjourned after these votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are a variety of types of hospitals. Those types of services are those provided by hospitals.
• There are a variety of types of hospitals. One of those types are critical access hospitals.
• To be a critical access hospital, the hospital must be certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
• Only 6% of hospitals in the country were designated as five-star hospitals last year.
• We proudly support our independent public hospital.

Bills: SB5872, SB5879, SB6047, SB5988, SB5923, SB5832, SB5970, SB5994, SB5949

Keywords: preK promise account, early childhood education, child care, preschool, pre-kindergarten, DCYF, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, state treasury, trust fund, investment earnings, gift grants donations, dedicated account, general fund, nonreverting balance, appropriation, treasurer, Washington early learning, school readiness, education assistance program, legislative audit

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held a public hearing on nine bills. Senate Bill 5872 would create the Pre-K Promise Account to receive philanthropic gifts for the ECAP preschool program; supporters including the Ballmer Group, DCYF, and the governor’s office said the account would support a 10-year commitment to expand access by up to 10,000 seats per year, while members asked how the annual funding would flow. Senate Bill 5879 would eliminate two JLARC studies, one on lodging tax revenue use and one on the training benefits program; supporters said the reports were redundant and burdensome, while the Washington Hospitality Association cautioned against losing transparency on lodging tax spending. Senate Bill 6047 would permanently codify and update capital budget administration provisions, including minor works flexibility, lapse rules for projects, and a higher eligible percentage for some early learning grants; testimony focused on technical fixes for capital and early learning projects, including nonprofit co-located developments and a cultural center’s BCF funding issue. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5988, which would authorize the Department of Health to charge fees for accrediting opioid treatment programs; DOH said the fee authority would keep accreditation services available, including for tribal programs, and would replace current funding sources. Senate Bill 5923 would allow Island Hospital in Skagit County to be paid as a critical access hospital once federally certified, which supporters said would improve rural hospital sustainability and Medicaid reimbursement. Senate Bill 5832 would raise the new motor vehicle arbitration fee from $3 to $6 to fund the Attorney General’s Lemon Law program; supporters said the program has a high consumer success rate and returns significant value, while the bill would increase receipts to the arbitration account and require system updates. Two tax-related bills drew substantial testimony. Senate Bill 5970 would make permanent the property tax exemption for multipurpose senior citizen centers; AARP supported it as a way to preserve community services for older adults and caregivers. Senate Bill 5994 would preserve timber tax distributions for school districts that recently lost qualifying levies, with forest industry witnesses supporting the school funding fix and noting possible implications for state forest transfer lands. Senate Bill 5949 would narrow the B&O tax exemption for insurance-related businesses so it applies only to the insurer paying the premium tax and would apply retroactively to 2019; the Department of Revenue and supporters said it would restore tax equity and generate about $73 million over four years, while insurers and business groups opposed it, warning of retroactive liability, higher premiums, and possible effects on health, auto, home, and life insurance costs. No votes were taken; each bill was heard and the committee adjourned after public testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, if a baby dies after a hospital transfer, it will become hospital data without much context
• Once we make that transfer, if the baby is born in the hospital, it is up to the hospital and the staff
• So when I transfer a client, I am transferring to the hospital.
• At the hospital, there is no tracking for the transfer, where the transfer came from, and all of those
• transferred to the hospital.

Bills: HB3772, HB1656, HB4504, HB1896, HB4420, HB4421, HB4076, HB3708, HB2806, HB3540, HB1586, HB5459, HB4553, HB4535, HB3811, HB3749, HB4255, HB4051, HB5098, HB3554, HB4539, HB5274

Keywords: e-cigarettes, health and safety, regulations, directory, penalties, regulation, certification, compliance, manufacturers, FDA, nicotine, mental health, emergency detention, paramedic authority, mental illness, healthcare facility, public health, covenants not to compete, health care practitioners, physicians

Bills: HB3772, HB1656, HB4504, HB1896, HB4420, HB4421, HB4076, HB3708, HB2806, HB3540, HB1586, HB5459, HB4553, HB4535, HB3811, HB3749, HB4255, HB4051, HB5098, HB3554, HB4539, HB5274

Keywords: e-cigarettes, health and safety, regulations, directory, penalties, regulation, certification, compliance, manufacturers, FDA, nicotine, mental health, emergency detention, paramedic authority, mental illness, healthcare facility, public health, covenants not to compete, health care practitioners, physicians

Transcript Highlights:

• During Minnesota's transition to practice period, CNSs and NPs must work in a hospital or integrated
• During Minnesota's transition-to-practice period, CNSs and NPs must work in a hospital or integrated
• 01:09:49.199><c> a</c> period, CNS's and MPs must work in a period, CNS's and MPs must work in a hospital
• or integrated clinical setting hospital or integrated clinical setting where<01:09:52.400><c> a</c><
• for diabetes and other chronic conditions, hospital stays for—oh, I'm sorry, that's not where I meant

Bills: HF3521, HF3563, HF82, HF2689, HF1794, HF3544, HF3516, HF1752

Keywords: hospital moratorium, hospital construction, bed capacity, hospital expansion, health care facilities, hospital licensing, safety-net hospital, level I trauma center, Ramsey County, Minnesota health law, hospital beds, new hospital exception, certificate of need, inpatient capacity, emergency care, trauma services, health system regulation, state moratorium, hospital modernization, health infrastructure

Transcript Highlights:

• Average length of stay in the state hospital here is about four years in the civil hospital.
• admitting to hospitals and having hospital privileges?”
• They were not in hospital settings.
• I don't think this bill is about hospitals or not hospitals.
• I don't think this bill is about hospitals or not hospitals.

Bills: SB1095, SB1114, SB1116, SB1162, SB1164, SB1178, SB1179, SB1249, SB1253, SB1346, SB1347, SB1446, SB1561, SB1813

Keywords: gender transition, minors, irreversible surgery, health professionals, puberty-blocking drugs, medical procedures, prohibition, Arizona Revised Statutes, behavioral health, patient brokering, appropriation, state funds, Maricopa County, claims review, medical necessity, American Indian health program, healthcare regulations, healthcare compliance, behavioral health technicians, licensing