Melissa G. Ballard

• S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Explains that the amendment adds the speech-language pathology and audiology licensing act and the hearing instrument specialist licensing act to the sunset revision bill.

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  Let me grab that amendment. That amendment is amendment number one under Representative Ballard's name? Yes. Um, this just includes the speech language pathology, audiology Licensing Act, hearing Instrumental Specialist Licensing Act into the Sunset revision. Bill.

  ▶ Watch at 1:56:28

• S.B. 232 Regulatory Impacts on Families · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Ballard says S.B. 232, Regulatory Impacts on Families, asks state agencies, counties, cities, and school boards to consider how their rules, ordinances, and policies affect families, with examples such as noise ordinances, zoning, and park placement, and that the bill does not penalize a body that fails to do so.

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  Thank you Mr. Speaker. Um, the legislation that we do in this body really affects the families and neighborhoods all across the state. And so this, uh, bill titled Regulatory Impacts on Families literally addresses state agency rulemaking, county or municipal Legislative Body ordinances, um, or local school board adopting policies to ask them to consider the impact that their rulemaking, ordinance, or policy will have on the health, uh, of the family, the stability and the formation of, of their families. Let me give you some examples of this. One of them may be if a city's wanting to pass a noise ordinance, or it could be a housing or zoning laws that could have positive or negative impacts …

  ▶ Watch at 1:23:54

• H.J.R. 18 Joint Resolution Urging Congress to Eliminate Marriage Penalties · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Says the resolution urges the federal government to eliminate tax and penalty provisions that affect marriage, a effort also being pursued by Congressman Blake Moore.

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  Uh, thank you Mr. President. This is something that, um, is actually not only being worked on here on a state level, but also um, on the federal level with Congressman Blake Moore, who is also championing, excuse me, championing this, uh, issue. And basically it just urges, um, the federal level to get rid of those things that would eliminate, um, or excuse me, that would tax and, and penalize, uh, marriage.

  ▶ Watch at 1:38:59

• S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Moves House Amendment one to add sunset dates for the Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Licensing Act and the hearing instrument specialist licensing act, to 2036, as originally proposed in the policy bill.

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  Thank you Mr. Speaker. Motion to adopt House Amendment one. Thank you representative. That motion is in order. Would you like to speak to It? I would. I love that these Sunset and repeal dates are now combined into this bill. So since it's a new process, uh, there was one that was, uh, left out and that is an, an addition of the Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Licensing Act. The hearing instrumental, uh, specialist Licensing Act, uh, to be sunsetted in 28 36, um, as initially proposed in the policy. Bill.

  ▶ Watch at 2:03:12

• S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Says the sunset dates are now combined into this bill and that the amendment adds the Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Licensing Act and the hearing instrument specialist licensing act, to be sunset in 2036 as originally proposed in the policy bill.

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  It? I would. I love that these Sunset and repeal dates are now combined into this bill. So since it's a new process, uh, there was one that was, uh, left out and that is an, an addition of the Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Licensing Act. The hearing instrumental, uh, specialist Licensing Act, uh, to be sunsetted in 28 36, um, as initially proposed in the policy. Bill.

  ▶ Watch at 2:03:19

• S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Says the sunset came from HB 374, a Business and Labor bill tied to the review of licenses, and was moved into the Sunset bill on recommendation.

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  It was HB 3 74, uh, that was brought forward to our Business and Labor Committee, um, to, uh, as part of the ler uh, review sunsets that they do or not review since, excuse me, the review of licensure of those, uh, different, uh, licenses throughout the state. And this was one that they evaluated. So initially we had the Sunset in that bill, but with this, um, it was recommended to take it out and have it part of the Sunset bill instead of part of the policy bill.

  ▶ Watch at 2:04:17

• S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Says the sunset was in HB 374 in the Business and Labor Committee, which reviewed licensing, and that it was moved into the regular sunset bill.

  Read what they said

  It was HB 3 74, uh, that was brought forward to our Business and Labor Committee, um, to, uh, as part of the ler uh, review sunsets that they do or not review since, excuse me, the review of licensure of those, uh, different, uh, licenses throughout the state. And this was one that they evaluated. So initially we had the Sunset in that bill, but with this, um, it was recommended to take it out and have it part of the Sunset bill instead of part of the policy bill.

  ▶ Watch at 2:04:17

• S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Explains that an earlier date was set to align with the licensing review, but it was decided to keep them separate, so the sunset was placed in the regular Sunset schedule.

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  Uh, yes. Mr. Speaker, the, the main reason is because in initially we had put a different, uh, date thinking we could align LERs uh, review with Sunset, and then it was determined that we probably need to keep them separate. So, um, that was also part of putting this in the regular Sunset schedule that was set, um, instead of in the policy.

  ▶ Watch at 2:05:17

• S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Explains that the date was first set to align with licensing review, then the decision was made to keep them separate and place the extension on the regular sunset schedule.

  Read what they said

  Uh, yes. Mr. Speaker, the, the main reason is because in initially we had put a different, uh, date thinking we could align LERs uh, review with Sunset, and then it was determined that we probably need to keep them separate. So, um, that was also part of putting this in the regular Sunset schedule that was set, um, instead of in the policy.

  ▶ Watch at 2:05:17

• S.B. 323 Criminal and Juvenile Justice Recodification · House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee · Mar 4, 2026

  Moves to adopt the first substitute for S.B. 323.

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  Go ahead. Uh, thank you Mr. Chair. Motion to adopt first substitute of SB 3 23 criminal and juvenile justice reification.

  ▶ Watch at 1:00:37

• S.B. 323 Criminal and Juvenile Justice Recodification · House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee · Mar 4, 2026

  Moves to adopt Amendment #1 to the first substitute for S.B. 323.

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  Go ahead. Motion to adopt, is it amendment one? Is that correct? That's correct. Okay.

  ▶ Watch at 1:01:28

• S.B. 323 Criminal and Juvenile Justice Recodification · House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee · Mar 4, 2026

  Moves to pass the first substitute for S.B. 323 out favorably.

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  Uh, um, motion to, um, pass out favorably a SB 3 23 Criminal and juvenile Justice reification.

  ▶ Watch at 1:02:12

• S.B. 323 Criminal and Juvenile Justice Recodification · House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee · Mar 4, 2026

  Praises Director Ross and CCJJ's restructuring and says it could save the state money and improve data alignment. · speaker not certain

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  Um, I am, I I wanted to mention a couple things. The first one is, um, thank you Director Ross. Under your leadership, it has brought all of these entities under an umbrella to be able to collaborate and coordinate, um, under your leadership with this perspective, um, of, of re codifying and bringing them under in an umbrella with you having, uh, uh, assistant deputy directors. Right? Um, I, I think this is for number one reason is because nobody else could have, could do this except for you. So, so this is a great way to perpetuate this great, um, CCJJ moving into the future. Um, secondly, for all of these entities that come to our standing committee …

  ▶ Watch at 1:03:03

• S.B. 297 School Social Worker Amendments · House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee · Mar 4, 2026

  Supports the bill, noting all listed professions require a master's degree and that the intern language relates to the Grow Your Own program.

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  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I'm also in favor of that. I just wanna have a couple of comments. Number one, every one of those professions require a minimum of a master's degree. So this is not, um, below bachelor's or just a certification. They're all master's degree, um, recipients. And then to my knowledge, the intern, the qualified personnel as an intern has a lot to do with the Grow Your Own program that the schools have for these professionals. Uh, that they are able their senior year as part of their internship to, to finish their diploma, uh, their master's degree, that they can go in as a paid intern, um, and work in the schools. So I …

  ▶ Watch at 1:25:39

• H.B. 230 Offender Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Explains that H.B. 230 helps people leaving prison get state ID, requires testing results to be shared with the Department of Corrections so parole officers can check compliance, and aims to help them keep jobs and reintegrate.

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  Thank you very much. So, as people are exiting our prisons, uh, there's a, there's a problem where oftentimes they don't have state id and so this provides that prisoners will, that the department will take them, help them get id, issue id, and then it's a lot easier for them to hold down a job. To get a job. It also provides that they will, that any testing will be shared back with the Department of Corrections. So essentially there's a problem on like hipaa, where oftentimes a parole, uh, a parole officer won't get the test results back due to HIPAA and other privacy concerns. So this asks them to pre, uh, fill out the HIPAA forms and …

  ▶ Watch at 1:26:26

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