Legislative Action at a Glance

This week’s legislative activity included state action to extend Medicaid coverage postpartum and to encourage employer support for child care. 

• Medicaid: Wisconsin Governor Evers signs postpartum Medicaid extension bill.  

• Child Care: Legislators in Virginia and West Virginia are advancing bills to encourage employer support for child care. 

Our policy analysts monitor legislative activity across these nine policy areas, with weekly updates reflecting where states are taking action. 

• Tennessee H.B. 957 would provide up to 6 weeks of paid leave for state employees who foster a child. This bill passed both chambers and was sent to the governor. 
• Virginia S.B. 2 and H.B. 1207 would create a statewide PFML program of up to 12 weeks. A conference committee reached an agreement on the proposal, and both chambers passed the conference report.  

• Hawaii H.B. 2009 would extend child care subsidy eligibility to parents with disabilities regardless of their employment status. This bill passed the House. 
• Oklahoma H.B. 3320 would remove the 2028 sunset for the child care subsidies for child care workers program. This bill passed the House.  
• Virginia S.B. 3 would establish a cost-share model in which the state provides matching funds to employers’ contributions for child care on behalf of an employee. This bill passed both chambers and was sent to the governor. 
• West Virginia H.B. 4191 would require the state to use a cost estimation model to set reimbursement rates, pay providers based on enrollment, implement policies to mitigate the subsidy benefits cliff, and increase the tax credit for employers providing child care for employees. This bill passed both chambers and was sent to the governor. 

• Florida H.B. 687 would have created a state earned income tax credit (EITC) worth 20% of the federal credit (Working Floridians Tax Rebate Program). This bill died in subcommittee.  
• Wisconsin A.B. 373 would create a nonrefundable tax credit of $2,000 for parents who experience a stillbirth in the tax year. This bill passed both chambers. 

• Connecticut H.B. 5561 would direct the Commissioner of Social Services, within available appropriations, to amend the Medicaid state plan to increase reimbursement rates for doulas and other providers. 

• Florida H.B. 1043 would have established the Doula Workforce Development Support Program within the Department of Commerce to support doula training programs, doula organizations, and community-based birthing services providers. This bill died in subcommittee. 

• California S.B. 1054 would respond to new federal work requirements by requiring larger employers to adhere to new data reporting rules to streamline Medicaid and SNAP eligibility and renewal processes. 
• Idaho H. 912 would implement new federal work requirements and amend Medicaid eligibility processes by prohibiting self-attestation, increasing documentation requirements, and mandating more frequent eligibility checks.  
• Utah H.B. 15 will change the state's Medicaid expansion trigger law by adjusting the timing of its sunset clause. The bill also includes a directive that if the federal matching rate is expected to fall below the 90% threshold, the state must create a cost-containment plan within 60 days. This bill was enacted. 
• Wisconsin S.B. 23 will extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months, effective July 1, 2026. This bill was enacted. 

• Idaho H. 903 would direct the state to seek a new, modified SNAP purchase restriction waiver with more specific definitions of "candy" and "soda."  
• New Hampshire H.B. 1797/S.B. 615 would make several administrative and fiscal changes to the state's SNAP program to respond to federal rules and funding cuts.  
• Wisconsin A.B. 180 would direct the state to pursue a federal waiver to prohibit the purchase of candy and soft drinks using SNAP benefits, among other provisions. This bill passed both chambers and was sent to the governor. 

• Wisconsin A.B. 1158 would gradually increase the minimum wage to $20.00 per hour (up from $7.25), reaching that level by January 1, 2030, for large employers and January 1, 2033, for small employers (50 or fewer employees), with annual cost-of-living adjustments thereafter. The bill would also repeal the preemption law that prevents local governments from setting a higher minimum wage.