Transcript Highlights:

• </c> taxes. um if we need to fund our schools taxes. um if we need to fund our schools and<00:25:26.640
• </c><00:41:05.760><c> say</c> much do we need to fund and then say much do we need to fund and then say
• about half of what they need to fund a a about half of what they need to fund a a teacher<01:01:43.359
• <c> economic</c> of funding, student needs, and economic of funding, student needs, and economic conditions
• And yes, we have to have many parts of funding, actual needs or needs which go beyond due to needs or

Committee: House Education Funding

Transcript Highlights:

• for early settlement funding to conduct hydrologic assessments to figure out what we need to do in these
• We need funding to hire people.
• these resources get the funding they need.
• We provided a portion of our opioid settlement funds to Luna County to fulfill their needs in that area
• These funds are intended for high-need geographical areas to establish health care services.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• So we really need to make sure that these funds get brought back in order to help workforce development
• I do want to commend the budget chair in such a big way for helping us get measures funded where it needed
• We just fund ag. We need to fund tourism. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
• And I did receive a lot of emails about that specific funding cut and the need of it.
• That being said, Unfortunately, several other good organizations lost much needed funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is, we need further funding for this in the future because I believe it's a three-year grant that
• And I'm just advocating that we need further funding for this grant as we are already awarded it.
• I think there genuinely is discussion around this topic and funding that needs to happen, continue to
• As you just mentioned, there needs to be a continuation of funding, and we're talking about the grant
• Funding, I know it's a hard thing to bring up in this year, but it is the honest truth that we do need

Transcript Highlights:

• With our limited funds, we need to be building the projects that meet our current community goals, not
• Our unmet needs include funds for case management and financial assistance, which are projected to be
• We think we can provide clarity on what funding is needed. And underspend on local projects.
• We think we can provide clarity on what funding is needed, specifically for this project: for 2025-27
• We need consistency across the funding to help get our members back to work.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee held public hearings on three bills: SB 6225, a proposed substitute bond bill authorizing transportation funding bonds; SB 6005, the proposed substitute supplemental transportation budget; and SB 6354, a bill to expand access to electric vehicles through limited direct sales by qualifying EV-only manufacturers and changes to the documentary service fee. Staff explained that SB 6225 would authorize $1.1 billion in general obligation bonds, an additional $400 million for selected Move Ahead Washington highway projects, a $500 million increase in SR 520 bond authority, and the expiration of some older unused bond authorizations. For SB 6005, staff described a $17.5 billion supplemental budget with $1.5 billion in new funding, including reappropriations, preservation and maintenance spending, ferry investments, Climate Commitment Act-related adjustments, and a six-year balanced plan through 2031. For SB 6354, staff outlined the direct-sales framework for qualifying EV manufacturers, dealer licensing requirements, penalties for violations, and a fee increase that would direct revenue to EV rebates and multimodal transportation. Testimony on the budget and bond bills was broadly supportive from transit, local government, labor, construction, ports, and climate advocates, who praised preservation funding, ferry investments, safety programs, EV charging, rail electrification, and flood-response or local project funding. Several witnesses asked for specific project or account changes, including support for Skagit Transit, Day Road and Poplar Way bridge-related funding, Spokane TMC operating support, Kent corridor funding, and additional rail capital projects. Some speakers also urged more Climate Commitment Act funding for EV rebates, charging, and rail electrification, while others warned against deeper cuts to local programs and stressed the need for long-term preservation and bonding to stabilize the system. Testimony on SB 6354 was sharply divided. Rivian, Lucid, and several Washington auto dealers supported the bill as a compromise that would allow limited direct sales for EV-only manufacturers while preserving franchise protections and generating revenue for EV rebates. Climate advocates supported the bill as a way to accelerate EV adoption and asked that more of the fee revenue go to instant rebates for low-income buyers. In opposition, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and Honda argued the bill creates unequal rules, weakens the franchise system, and was not the product of a true compromise. The committee announced that SB 6225 and SB 6005 would be in executive session Thursday at 8 a.m., with amendments due by noon the prior day, while SB 6354 would be scheduled for executive action later.

Transcript Highlights:

• And if we're going to fund it with ratepayers, we need to move it away from that.
• I'm just saying that if it's ratepayer funded, then it needs to be not the CEC DSGS program.
• I'm just saying that if it's ratepayer funded, then it needs to be not the CEC DSGS program.
• And in order to fund everyone that's eligible, revenues are needed to fund the program. Thank you.
• Yes, and... ...revenues are needed to fund the program. Thank you. Yes.

Transcript Highlights:

• funds.
• In our leadership funds, we're able to fund projects with corrections and DJJ, as well as fund our CTSOs
• And our reserve fund is where we fund our laboratory schools throughout the state for CTE funding, as
• . ...fund to expand equipment and the needs of our automotive technology training program, which we will
• they need to?

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education received an overview of Florida’s career and technical education (CTE) system from Chancellor Kevin O’Farrell, who described the state’s CTE pathways, program types, enrollment and completion growth, quality audit metrics, and the Master Credentials List used to identify credentials of value. He highlighted record postsecondary CTE enrollment and completions, strong statewide performance in talent attraction, and several funding tools supporting expansion, including Open Door, the Florida First Responder Scholarship, Workforce Development Capitalization grants, Perkins funding, CAPE performance incentives, and apprenticeship grants. Senators asked about eligibility for Open Door and first responder aid, top industry certifications, and the teacher apprenticeship initiative. A panel of college and technical school leaders then described how state and federal funding has supported local program growth and facility expansion. Santa Fe College, Palm Beach State College, North Florida Technical College, Lake Technical College, Florida Gateway College, and Manatee Technical College each cited increases in enrollment, high placement or licensure pass rates, and new or expanded programs in nursing, welding, CDL, automotive, manufacturing, public safety, and apprenticeship. Several speakers emphasized partnerships with hospitals, employers, school districts, and local governments, and noted that grants helped fund equipment, renovations, and new training hubs. Palm Beach State also raised a request to broaden line funding beyond nursing to other health science fields, and multiple presenters asked for more flexibility, multi-year support, and continued or increased funding to sustain growth. Members discussed broader challenges, including the difficulty of sustaining grant-funded growth after initial awards, the lag between enrollment growth and funding formulas, and alignment problems for dual enrollment and technical programs with high school schedules. Senators also noted the need to balance support for high-demand core programs like nursing and welding with the ability to respond quickly to emerging industries such as AI and space. The meeting ended with no formal action beyond adjournment after Senator Davis moved to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then rise those up so they can come forward for the discussions on what funding may be needed.
• Sometimes it's not funding that's needed; it's something else that is needed.
• of the funding in these bills is to make sure we have what we need to do all that upfront activity,
• There are other mechanisms, so if additional funding is needed to address all of the needs as they come
• We need to have a disaster recovery with additional funding for the L.A. County Land Bank.

Committee: Assembly Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• So did you get the full funding for 2025 then, or partial funding for the year?
• So they retain those funds until we prove that we need them for X, Y, Z.
• I think we need to come up with some sort of a permanent funding source.
• I don't need a...
• I'm just saying this is where the difficult portion of this funding, which probably is needed, but how

Summary: The Government Finance Transportation Study committee heard detailed presentations from transit officials in Grand Forks, Bismarck/Mandan (Bisman Transit), and Fargo about fixed-route and paratransit service. Grand Forks described Cities Area Transit’s routes, fare structure, ridership recovery after COVID, fleet replacement needs, and rising costs, noting fares cover only a portion of expenses and that the system relies on local, state, federal, and university funding. Bisman Transit outlined its history, service hours, route structure, recent expansion of hours, fare levels, ridership growth, funding sources including mill levies, federal grants, and new local sales tax revenue, and major challenges such as aging buses, driver recruitment, and the need for more stable operating support. Fargo’s representative briefly reinforced the importance of public transit and asked the committee to consider additional funding for urban fixed-route systems.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not funded. It's not fully funded; it still needs more money. It doesn't need more.
• Looking forward, it needs more funding and it needs longer authorization, I believe.
• But I think that the short answer to the question is, yes, we have a lot of plans for funding needs,
• We do have a need for more funding for staff.
• But there are definite needs, and there's a lot of progress being made right now with the funding that

Committee: House Economic & Rural Development & Policy Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Our greatest need is regular, reliable funding dedicated to renewing existing buildings and infrastructure
• We need a regular and reliable source of funds to solve this challenge, and with full funding of our
• As you will see in a minute, we don't need any more space; we need better, and we need different space
• We need different space. We need better space. We definitely don't need more space.
• We need to look at alternatives, funding mechanisms for this type of treatment.

Bills: HF3220

Committee: House Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• Or do we need to be in a situation where we need to be buying or selling?
• It'll just be in the general fund. It'll say we have to have it. Not the general fund.
• a fund.
• Many countries have sovereign wealth funds, including Britain. Britain has the Prince's Fund.
• Britain has the Prince's Fund.

Committee: House Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• general fund.
• This proposal will also benefit out-of-state producers when we need to focus funds on in-state transportation
• This proposal will also benefit out-of-state producers when we need to focus funds on in-state transportation
• Fund backfill.
• This $9.9 million BCP represents the absolute minimum level of funding needed to maintain the core functions

Summary: The subcommittee heard extensive testimony on the governor’s proposed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credit, which would provide a $1 to $2 per gallon credit against the diesel excise tax for SAF sold for use in California from 2026 to 2036. The Department of Finance and CARB argued the proposal would help decarbonize aviation, support a long-term transition in the fuel sector, and encourage in-state investment and jobs. The Legislative Analyst’s Office and several outside witnesses recommended rejecting the proposal, saying it is a relatively expensive way to reduce greenhouse gases, could have uncertain or limited net climate benefits, and may shift limited feedstocks away from renewable diesel rather than create additional fuel supply. A major point of debate was whether the credit would mainly benefit California refineries and workers or instead subsidize out-of-state producers while reducing revenue for transportation programs. Supporters, including union members, refinery workers, airlines, Boeing, and airport representatives, said SAF is one of the few viable near-term options for aviation, that California should keep fuel production and jobs in-state, and that the credit would help maintain refinery operations and support the industry’s transition. Opponents, including the LAO, trucking and fuels groups, environmental organizations, and county/road advocates, warned that the proposal could raise gasoline and diesel prices, reduce diesel excise tax revenue for highways and local streets and roads, and provide limited climate benefit compared with other uses of state funds. Some members also raised concerns about feedstock availability, food-system impacts, and whether the policy should be more narrowly targeted if the goal is to support a specific refinery. No vote was taken. The chair stated at the outset that all items on the agenda were being held open for a future hearing, and public comment was taken after the first item because of the level of interest. The hearing then continued with public testimony, which was split between strong support from labor and industry and strong opposition from environmental, transportation, and local government groups.

Transcript Highlights:

• Running a deficit means using general funds, and in the current environment these funds are needed to
• , and in the current environment these funds are needed to fund all the other parts of government.
• c><01:48:49.679><c> all</c><01:48:49.920><c> the</c> these funds are needed to fund all the these funds
• In the current biennium, the education trust fund built up a large surplus which wasn't needed to fund
• The general fund is where other needs.

Summary: The meeting was a House budget briefing focused on the overall state budget and the first of three divisions. The presenter reviewed the size and structure of the budget, noting that the state had eliminated the interest and dividends tax and still balanced the budget. He explained the major spending categories in the general fund and total budget, emphasizing that health and human services and education remain the largest areas, while transportation is largely self-funded. He also walked through the revenue picture, including business taxes, insurance taxes, court fees, communications taxes, and Medicaid recoveries, and said the remaining interest and dividends tax revenue reflected late payments from prior assessments. Members asked about the size of the tax cut from eliminating the interest and dividends tax, federal funding stability, and why Medicaid was being reduced if federal support was expected to remain steady. The response was that the lost revenue would have been about $200 million absent repeal, and that the budget gap was addressed through many small cuts across departments. On federal funds, the presenter said most aid is tied to multi-year grants and that core programs such as Medicare and Medicaid were expected to remain relatively stable, though some federal reductions could occur. He also said some agency reductions came from eliminating long-vacant, funded positions and from expected lapses. The discussion then moved into Division One, which covers smaller and miscellaneous agencies. The division made cuts to the governor’s office, eliminated a temporary position at the Governor’s Commission on Disability, reduced Department of Information Technology spending through a back-of-budget cut, and found savings in Administrative Services. It also delayed maintenance at the Sununu Youth Services Center, stopped advertising for paid family medical leave, changed retiree health insurance funding, and consolidated several personnel-related boards into one. The division eliminated the Commission on Aging and the Office of the Child Advocate, made a temporary special education advocate position permanent, reduced the Secretary of State’s budget, kept municipal rooms-and-meals distributions flat, and made changes to the retirement system, including $55 million to improve Group 2 retirement benefits and a new retirement structure for future state hires. The judicial branch was also asked to find savings and received two additional judges because of expected caseload increases from other eliminations.

Transcript Highlights:

• for secure funding.
• In fact, we may need to downsize because, as I’ll get to, there’s not a lot of funding for this project
• Because, as I’ll get to, there’s not a lot of funding for this project relative to the needs.
• when funds need to be received to stay on schedule.
• Yes, we do need a tool to accelerate those funds forward so we can actually deliver on, you know, a 2032

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee held an informational hearing on the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s 2026 draft business plan, with testimony from the authority, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, and the High-Speed Rail Inspector General. Chair Cortese framed the hearing around the project’s recent changes: a new CEO, revised delivery strategy, proposed station and scope changes in the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment, the loss of major federal funds, and the authority’s push for private investment and ancillary revenue. He also raised concerns about financing risks, the proposed changes to the initial operating segment, and the Inspector General’s finding that the draft plan may be missing required statutory elements. Authority CEO Ian Chaudhry said the project is now in a more disciplined phase, citing major construction progress in the Central Valley, near-completion of right-of-way and utility work, and plans to begin track and systems procurement. He said the authority expects the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment to be completed around 2032-33, with broader Phase 1 service later, and argued that design optimization, direct procurement, and public-private partnerships could reduce costs and attract private capital. He also described plans for ancillary revenue from real estate, broadband, energy, and logistics, and said the authority is discussing station locations and value-capture tools with local governments rather than locking them in yet. Several senators questioned the legality and practicality of tax increment financing, utility relocation authority, transparency, and whether the project’s revised scope still meets high-speed rail standards and public expectations. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said the draft plan assumes major statutory changes, including changes to station locations and scope, and warned that the plan’s cost and schedule estimates depend on assumptions that may not materialize. LAO said the plan lacks transparency because it does not clearly disclose the assumed station changes, and it questioned whether even the shorter segment can be delivered within existing funding once borrowing costs and other risks are included. The office also noted uncertainty around future greenhouse gas reduction fund revenues and said ancillary revenues are not yet credit-worthy for financing. The Inspector General’s office said the draft business plan does not appear to meet several statutory requirements, including requirements added in AB 377, and reiterated that the final plan must address those omissions. Chaudhry said the authority would respond to the OIG’s findings in the final business plan and committed to resolving the compliance issues before final adoption.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the programs with the holistic needs for state education funding.
• transportation funds in a general revenue fund.
• The funds are not just released. So where are the funds?
• What do you need? Do you need a badge? Do you need guys with gut? What do you need?
• And y'all know I continue to feel that we need to do a better job with the way that we fund education

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education met for its first meeting of the 2025 session to hear the Auditor General’s operational audit on 2024-25 school funding accountability challenges, focused largely on the Family Empowerment Scholarship and its interaction with the FEFP. Deputy Auditor General Matthew Tracy described rapid growth in scholarship enrollment, timing mismatches between scholarship payments and public-school funding calculations, delayed membership survey processing, weak cross-check and recoupment procedures, inconsistent handling of parent survey responses, and limited documentation for withholding and returning funds. The audit said these issues contributed to funding inequities, duplicate-payment risks, and an unexpected draw on state education funds, and it recommended separating scholarship funding from the FEFP, aligning application windows with budget timing, strengthening controls and staffing, and creating clearer, documented recoupment and balance-limit processes. Committee members questioned whether current law gives the department and scholarship funding organizations enough authority and whether the system is effectively a pay-and-chase model. Several senators expressed concern about the lack of timely reconciliation, the size of the funds involved, and the absence of clear records showing how money was recovered or withheld. Adam Emerson, executive director of the Office of School Choice, said the department is working more closely with school districts and scholarship funding organizations, including pausing payments when districts identify students still enrolled in public schools, and said the office wants to improve the process. President Gates then previewed legislation he said would address the audit’s findings by funding Family Empowerment Scholarships as a separate FEFP categorical, expanding the Education Stabilization Fund, setting clearer application and acceptance deadlines, moving to monthly payments with eligibility verification before each payment, assigning student IDs for scholarship assistance, lowering SFO management fees, requiring annual audits, and requiring prompt return of audit-related funds. Public comment included a private-school attorney describing losses from unpaid scholarship amounts. Members generally supported the need for reform, with several senators saying the program should be preserved but better structured and more accountable. The committee adjourned after the discussion, with no vote taken on the legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Funding to end HIV item.
• We need to ensure funding now to continue our work.
• But current funding is not enough to serve all seniors in need.
• Lastly, we truly need a bonding bill with a larger target in order to fund a new 50-bed facility at AMRTC
• the need at hand.

Bills: HF2434

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Having the flexibility to move funds around to where those needs, or where those workforce development
• three buckets of funds.
• So these funds are federal funds.
• , not duplicating funding.
• What excites me most about this. ...and braiding funding, not duplicating funding.

Committee: All ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The meeting focused on Arkansas’s proposed workforce system overhaul, including a combined WIOA/Perkins state plan and a package of federal waiver requests intended to consolidate workforce governance, reduce administrative costs, and redirect more funding to training and supportive services. Commerce officials said the plan would replace the current structure of 10 local workforce boards and more than 200 board members with a single statewide board and one administrative entity, while keeping local offices open and using regional business councils to preserve employer and local input. They said the state has already reduced Commerce headcount and operating costs, and that the changes would improve coordination with higher education, adult education, vocational rehabilitation, DHS, and Arkansas Industry Connect. Much of the discussion centered on the waiver package, especially the proposal to make the state board function as the local board, allow more flexible movement of funds across regions, eliminate the WIOA “last dollar” requirement for training and supportive services, create affiliate sites instead of requiring every area to maintain a comprehensive center, and relax the 14 youth program element requirement. Officials said the State Board of Workforce Development approved the waiver package 11-3 before it was submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor, and that implementation would begin only after federal approval and a closeout process, likely taking up to a year. They also described plans to streamline referrals and data sharing, expand mobile and virtual services, and use a more centralized model to improve customer service and employer engagement. Members raised repeated concerns about rural representation, local control, board composition, and whether jobs and relationships would be lost if local boards were eliminated. Commerce officials responded that local offices would remain open, some current staff could be rehired by the state, and regional business councils would help ensure local employer voice. Several members also questioned how the funding was being used, citing audit findings that only about $1.8 million to $1.9 million of roughly $14 million to $15 million in federal workforce funds had gone to training and supportive services. Officials said the reorganization could increase annual training spending to roughly $6 million to $7 million by reducing overhead, one-stop operator contracts, and board administration. The committee also discussed how the changes might support workforce training facilities, apprenticeships, child care and transportation assistance, and employer-driven training in fields such as manufacturing, health care, technology, and welding. The Division of Higher Education also briefed members on Workforce Pell. Officials explained that the new federal program would extend Pell eligibility to short-term programs, but only within narrow limits, such as 150 to 599 clock hours and 8 to 15 weeks of instruction, with additional completion and employment benchmarks. They said Arkansas is working with colleges and universities to identify programs that fit the criteria and that the governor has designated the Division of Higher Education to lead implementation. No votes were taken by the committee during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• You can see again the same breakdown long term investment funds, our pension funds, the current fund
• funds.
• , our pension funds, and other public funds.
• Uh, and then next, I'll go ahead, um, fund by fund.
• Next fund is P.

Committee: House Investments & Pensions Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• It expands the funds eligible to receive funding from the water fund to allow transfers to the Flood
• Having access to this Texas Water Fund funding is also very important.
• areas fund under the Texas water fund, as well as funding for wastewater infrastructure projects and
• , as well as the estimated state funding required to address those needs.
• It's funding, funding, funding, and yet we see project costs increasing by 20, 40, 50% year over year

Bills: SB7

Committee: House Natural Resources

Keywords: water infrastructure, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, water supply, environmental sustainability