Requires the department of education to equip all classroom doors with interior locks, maintain a public address system, feature an emergency access route, and maintain fire alarms. Mandates the establishment of a school emergency management plan. Requires schools to conduct regular testing and emergency preparedness drills. Appropriates funds.
Requires the Chief Data Officer to enhance the State's open data portal website through the phased development and publishing of an artificial intelligence chatbot and necessary data visualizations on statewide shared data sets to assist the public in navigating the open data portal website and finding information about statewide services across state departments and agencies. Requires the Chief Data Officer to develop a system to evaluate and select for procurement artificial intelligence governance tools for use by state departments and agencies and establish a mechanism for reporting and publication of artificial intelligence use cases and artificial intelligence vendors used by the departments and agencies. Appropriates funds.
Establishes a temporary working group to study the current capacity of state utility services, the expected lifespan of existing coastline utility infrastructure, and the financial implications of necessary expansions. Requires a report to the Legislature.
Establishes the Office of Payment Monitoring within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to monitor and enforce prompt payment of clean claims for reimbursement from health or sickness insurers. Appropriates moneys.
Requires the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions to establish a permanent Return-to-Home Program to return homeless individuals in the State to families and relatives in their home states. Requires the Office to report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.
Exempts food and groceries from the general excise tax. Expands the general excise tax exemption implemented in 2024 for certain medical and dental services to include all medical and dental services.
Establishes the Trade-Oriented Production Capacity Grant Program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to support one-time capital investments that expand the State's manufacturing and production capacity for trade. Provides grants for equipment, automation, and facility improvements that directly increase output, efficiency, and competitiveness for eligible businesses, with required private-sector matching funds. Prioritizes traded-sector businesses with interstate or international market potential to help generate measurable near-term trade and economic returns. Appropriates funds.
Appropriates funds for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) grant writer position within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and converts the position from temporary to permanent.
Establishes patient rights with respect to timely access to specialists and referrals and prior authorization determination timelines. Establishes certain requirements for health carriers for prior authorization determinations. Establishes certain requirements for the use of automated decision support tools for claims determinations and utilization review. Requires health carriers to establish certain safeguards for protected health information. Establishes certain reporting requirements for network adequacy. Establishes certain provider protections. Expands the Insurance Commissioner's enforcement authority.
Establishes the Ombudsman's Office for Condominium Associations within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Updates the Condominium Property Act to integrate the role and functions of the ombudsman's office for condominium associations. Appropriates funds from the Condominium Education Trust Fund for establishment of the Ombudsman's Office for Condominium Associations.
