Transcript Highlights:

• But I think your analysis is pretty close to the truth.
• He said the analysis is pretty close to the truth.
• But I think your analysis is pretty close to the truth.
• But I think your analysis is pretty close to the truth.
• Um why we think enabling legislation.

Bills: HF3830, HF3688

Keywords: utilities, rate cases, cost recovery, reporting requirements, gas infrastructure, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, all the initiative, all the it initiatives, all the legislative changes and we surface them up
• We have last year's legislative changes on the tech side we had to implement.
• We do a business analysis. they come up within the agency. We do a business analysis. Okay.
• They review rate cases, conduct financial and economic analysis.
• One position has already been filled for positions up and submitted in our legislative budget request

Transcript Highlights:

• Our analysis indicates otherwise.
• We'll hear from the Legislative Analyst's Office next. Good morning, Mr. Chair, members.
• We'll hear from the Legislative Analyst's Office. Dylan Hoxha-Coletso with DLAO.
• Edgar Cabral with the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO).
• Have you done any initial analysis on that? Are we seeing any impacts?

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We, as legislators, love to carry bills; we love to say we know best.
• analysis of the program.
• This is a heavily stakeholded piece of legislation.
• Legislation for community solar just last year, and their starting point was Minnesota's legislation.
• an analysis and to hear that there are benefits to the program.

Bills: HF2103, HF2793

Keywords: energy, renewable energy, ammonia, hydrogen, certificate tracking, funding, environment, community solar, energy policy, sustainability, solar garden program, regulation sunset

Transcript Highlights:

• Of course, you have several entities that are participating in that analysis and assessment.
• <01:13:46.480> and participating in that analysis and participating in that analysis and assessment
• 34.080> to<01:25:34.320> do, is a is analysis that's possible to do, is a is analysis that's
• This way we give LRC ongoing real-time access to data systems for independent analysis.
• <01:47:21.520> that<01:47:21.920> provides and legislators that provides and legislators

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board reconvened and heard a presentation from the Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control unit. AG staff described the unit’s structure and work: it investigates and prosecutes Medicaid provider fraud, and also handles abuse, neglect, and exploitation cases involving vulnerable adults in facility settings when asked to assist. They said the office has prosecutors, detectives, auditors, and support staff, works with federal partners, Commonwealth’s attorneys, CHFS, DMS, OIG, and MCOs, and uses a hotline and referral line for complaints. They also explained the MCO referral process, including monthly meetings, stand-down lists, and review of referrals for a “credible allegation of fraud” before the AG office decides whether to open a criminal or civil investigation. The presentation focused heavily on current fraud trends. Staff said behavioral health is a major concern, along with participant-directed waiver services, medically assisted treatment, cash billing for services, controlled-substance billing, and vision and dental fraud. They gave examples such as duplicate time sheets for family caregivers, questionable Suboxone counseling and urine drug screening practices, and a prior optometry case involving false claims for children’s glasses. They also discussed CMS’s estimate that about 5% of Medicaid payments are improper, noted that most improper payments are at the fee-for-service level, and said there is no reliable overall fraud-rate estimate. They highlighted a sharp shift in behavioral health billing after the cabinet’s November 1, 2024 policy changes, saying individual psychotherapy spending dropped while group billing increased, suggesting providers may have moved billing to different codes. Members asked about the scale and timing of cases, how MCO referrals are screened, and whether the data reflected more people being served or just higher spending. The AG office said investigations can take years, with some federal cases still awaiting sentencing from 2018 and 2019 matters, and that they currently had nine individuals awaiting sentencing in federal court. They also reported 58 hotline reports during the referenced period, six cases opened from MCO referrals, and four additional MCO referrals not accepted for active cases. Several members raised concerns about home-based services and the risk of abuse or fraud when family members are reimbursed, and asked whether the process could be streamlined; the AG office said it had no immediate recommendations but would be willing to return with suggestions after further review.

Transcript Highlights:

• We got outside experts to help us with secondary reviews for company analysis.
• And we may bring a piece of legislation forward that basically... Requires...
• Legislation that I come by your group before I put it out there.
• Municipalities and legislative entities. And state printing.
• Of costs due to those pieces of legislation that we passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:04:38.080> of<00:04:38.320> the conducting an analysis of the conducting an analysis
• and some of the critiques of legislation and some of the critiques of your<00:34:37.119> legislation
• , your legislation, your legislation, uh,<00:34:39.040> and<00:34:39.280> you<00:34
• I was speaking about past legislation.
• I legislation for this coming session.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting opened with roll call and approval of the prior minutes, including a requested correction to Thomas Han’s statement about a Granite State Division of the Society of American Foresters subcommittee studying the timber yield tax and current use forest land tax assessment formula. The correction was adopted, and the minutes were then approved as amended. The main agenda item was a hearing of landowners on forest taxation and carbon credits. Several scheduled speakers canceled, so the committee received a letter from Ross Karen, a Coos County landowner and forester, who opposed carbon credit sales because of “leakage” and argued that diverse local markets and productive forests are better than carbon sales. Aean Kelly of White Mountain Lumber and the Randolph Town Forest also testified, saying many Coos County landowners and forest managers have declined carbon credit offers because they do not fit New Hampshire’s working-forest tradition. He argued that carbon agreements should be treated on a level playing field with traditional harvesting and that, if they are to be encouraged, they should face a fiscal adjustment comparable to the timber tax. Kelly also gave a detailed history of the timber tax, explaining that it was created in 1948 to replace uneven local property taxation on standing timber, discourage clearcutting, and stabilize the tax base while preserving working forests. He said the tax was intended to be collected when timber is harvested, not to stop logging, and that a later commission found the 10% rate roughly matched the revenue towns lost. In response to questions, he said pre-1948 assessments varied widely by town and tax collector, and that carbon projects today are already being valued by sophisticated models, so he believes carbon should be included in the assessment system. He also said short-term carbon agreements may simply monetize existing forest value, while 100-year agreements raise enforceability concerns. No votes or other formal actions were taken beyond approving the amended minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• The second is alternative analysis, where you review everything from the do-nothing option to what if
• The expert did the analysis, Mr. Chair, if...
• With the hydrological analysis, we do have an engineer who will testify today.
• He's been with this case for 6 and a half years, so I'd like to defer that analysis and let him talk
• So there needs to be a complete review by the Office of the Legislative Auditor regarding more of these

Transcript Highlights:

• Leah Headley, Bureau of Legislative Research. Good morning, members.
• The statute further states that this is accomplished by completing an expenditure analysis and resource
• Next, looking at our school type analysis categories, we have four here.
• On page 13, matrix line expenditure analysis, I'm trying to figure out what this decimal amount here
• And that is a handbook that's used for analysis purposes to help identify which codes mean what.

Summary: The House/Joint Education committee continued its adequacy study with a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on resource allocation, focusing first on matrix spending and then non-matrix spending. Staff explained the methodology for mapping APSCN expenditure data to matrix lines, reviewed district and school categories used in the analysis, and highlighted key findings: foundation funding covered a large share of matrix costs but total spending on matrix items exceeded foundation funding, with classroom teachers making up the largest share. Members asked for additional breakdowns on waivers, superintendent survey responses, trend data, and spending by district type, size, and rural/urban status. Staff also noted limitations in tracking two matrix lines—salary enhancement for other employees and all personnel health insurance—because of coding and definition issues. The committee then reviewed non-matrix expenditures, including instructional aides, facilities, school safety, mental health, dyslexia services, gifted and talented, and career and technical education. Staff reported that non-matrix spending remained above $2 billion over the last three years, with most of it coming from other funds rather than foundation funding. Members raised concerns about dyslexia identification and funding, mental health needs, school safety, food service, athletic transportation, and whether some items should be added to the matrix. The Department of Education clarified that the building fund reflects district-held funds for construction and maintenance projects, while the facilities partnership program is a separate state process for approved projects. In the final discussion, staff summarized total spending as more than $15,800 per student in 2025, with about 69% going to matrix resources and 31% to non-matrix resources. The chair explained the adequacy process and the committee’s role in setting future funding recommendations, and members discussed the recommendations worksheet included in the binder. The chair then proposed postponing the remainder of Part Two of the presentation until a May meeting after the fiscal session, along with inviting the Department of Education back for more detailed questions; with no objections, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• THE BILL ANALYSIS HIGHLIGHTS SEVERAL FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS FIGHTING BIP.
• DENYING FAITH-BASED OPTIONS NOT ONLY CONTRADICTS LEGISLATIVE INTENT IT UNDERMINES PUBLIC SAFETY.
• I ASK FOR YOUR YES VOTE AND THANK THE SPONSOR FOR HER INCREDIBLE WORK ON THIS LEGISLATION, THANK YOU
• SIMILAR LEGISLATION HAS PASSED IN A DIFFERENT STATE AND IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING PASSED IN GEORGIA
• NOTE IN THE DCF ANALYSIS IN FLORIDA THE CULTURE OF DCF IS DUE IN FACT ALLOW THIS TYPE OF INDEPENDENCE

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Curtis Ging, State Senator of the 14th Legislative District, runs from Yakima all the way down to Pasco
• Hi, Brandy Donaghy, State Rep in the 44th Legislative District, including Snohomish cities of Mill Creek
• Is there any analysis that you're aware of?
• And then that's something we can use in our analysis.
• Yes, that's part of the impact analysis. What's the potential impact to shipping?

Summary: The committee first heard an update on the Joint Transportation Committee study of transportation impacts if the Lower Snake River dams were removed. WSDOT and Jacobs described the study’s phases, including current work on geology, infrastructure risk, and a total logistics cost model. They explained that the study is examining how freight now moved by barge—especially wheat, fertilizer, and wood—could shift to rail and roads, and they outlined several scenarios ranging from no-dam future conditions to new unit-train terminals, short-line rail options, and a combined “many solutions” scenario. Members asked about irrigation, impacts in Idaho and Oregon, port capacity, emissions, competition, EV trucks, and whether the model could estimate transportation effects if grain volumes decline. The presenters said the study assumes current production levels continue, does not model irrigation changes or broader farm-economics impacts, but does account for transloading costs and can estimate transportation impacts under different volume assumptions. WSU’s independent review team said the model has improved substantially but still needed refinement, especially in routing, road data, and spatial detail, and that stakeholder engagement had been strong though delayed by model development. No votes were taken. The committee then received a presentation on the alternative sidewalk funding study. Staff and consultants said the study is exploring ways local governments could sustainably fund sidewalk maintenance, repair, and new construction, using a statewide survey, interviews, national research, and case studies in eight jurisdictions. They noted sidewalks are important for pedestrian safety and connectivity, but there is no dedicated funding source in Washington, and existing grants and local revenue tools are highly competitive or limited. The consultants highlighted sidewalk fees or utility-style charges as the most promising option to study, while a parcel tax was largely set aside because of state property-tax uniformity concerns. Members asked whether the study would duplicate existing funding or add to current taxes, and how a sidewalk fee would be collected; the consultants said the goal is to expand local options, not mandate adoption, and that fees would likely be billed through utilities rather than property taxes. A preliminary draft report is due December 15, with a final report due in mid-June. Next, staff gave a brief update on the ocean-going vessels study, which is examining shore power and emissions rules for vessels at berth. The presenter explained that federal Clean Air Act rules and California waiver authority create legal limits on how far Washington can go if it wants to adopt similar standards, and that deviations from California’s approach can increase litigation risk. The report will summarize stakeholder outreach and will be presented in draft form at the next JTC meeting. Finally, county engineers from Chelan and Douglas counties began a presentation on county transportation challenges, with the association’s director emphasizing collaboration with state agencies and local partners on issues such as fish passage barriers and infrastructure needs. The county presentation was only beginning when the transcript ended, and no committee action or votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• Reapply that helped to inform our analysis about the anticipated number of people we think will turn
• Is it possible to send me the full analysis of how you guys work these numbers, Madam Chair?
• We do quarterly Medicaid budget projections with the legislative finance committee staff, and we just
• Madam Chair, Representative Herrera, I believe an early And we passed legislation so that all kids got
• I ordered the art piece that you're supposed to order through the legislative funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• We want to thank LIS, Legislative Information Services, and the housing committee staff for making this
• And I'll speak about this somewhat personally from the time I was a legislator.
• I was eager to write legislation and do policy.
• But a summary of our analysis is worth highlighting.
• And I think we would love to work with leadership in the legislative.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Housing held its second introductory hearing to frame the session’s housing agenda. Chairs Cyr and Haggerty described the hearing as a chance to hear a wide range of perspectives on Massachusetts’ housing crisis, including underbuilding, zoning and permitting barriers, rising costs, and the need for both state and local action. The committee heard from court, municipal, advocacy, and regional housing leaders, with recurring themes of increasing supply, preserving existing housing, preventing displacement, and expanding resources for renters and homeowners. Chief Justice Diana Horan of the Housing Court said the court is handling more than 40,000 new filings annually with only 15 judges, and estimated the court would need about 21 judges to meet demand. She described complications from RAFT-related stays, mental health and guardianship issues, aging housing stock, and the new eviction sealing law, which she said was being implemented smoothly but may require additional resources if filings continue to rise. The Massachusetts Municipal Association and MAPC emphasized that municipalities need flexibility, funding, and better tools such as MassWorks, Housing Works, H-DIP, 40R reforms, inclusionary zoning changes, and a local option transfer fee; they also said local control concerns and long permitting timelines remain major barriers. MAPC and others stressed that supply growth alone will not solve the crisis and urged continued support for subsidized housing, access to counsel, and modular/off-site construction. Advocates and housing providers focused on displacement, preservation, and tenant protections. Homes for All Massachusetts and Mass Law Reform Institute called for rent stabilization, stronger tenant protections, foreclosure prevention, elimination of junk fees, continued funding for RAFT and HomeBASE, and expanded access to counsel. Mass Union of Public Housing Tenants said the state needs far more extremely low-income housing, more operating subsidy, and major investment to repair public housing, while also supporting tenant technical assistance during redevelopment. Franklin County’s housing authority warned that rural communities are being left out of many state programs and asked for a rural LIHTC set-aside, a permanent rural credit boost, and a review of housing choice programs. A Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation researcher presented findings that communities that add housing generally see stronger municipal finances, and that housing growth can improve property tax and state aid outcomes. Seasonal community representatives from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket described extreme affordability pressures and the need for tailored tools. Nantucket’s housing trust chair said the island has made progress through local funding, inclusionary zoning, and deed-restricted units, but still needs a real estate transfer fee and faster ways to preserve year-round housing. Across the hearing, members and witnesses repeatedly returned to the need for a mix of production, preservation, tenant protections, and local flexibility, rather than relying on any single policy solution.

Transcript Highlights:

• DEES supports the intent of this legislation.
• Those cost analyses are made by the Legislative Budget Assistant, and I'm sure the Legislative Budget
• <01:52:59.239> that possibility of crafting legislation that possibility of crafting legislation
• are made by the those cost analysis are made by the Legislative<01:54:54.639> budget<01:54:55.000
• I'm Legislative budget assistant and I'm sure<01:54:56.280> the<01:54:56.400> legislative<

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It feels good to get behind something good like this legislation.
• And I'm proud to support this legislation today. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Smith.
• It feels good to get behind something good like this legislation.
• And I'm proud to support this legislation today. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Smith.
• But I'm so proud of this piece of legislation.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a series of introductions recognizing FSU Day at the Capitol, Catholic lay leaders, seniors advocates, Broward County school officials, and veterans-related guests. The chamber then moved through its special order calendar, beginning with several Florida Statutes revision bills. SB 36 adopted the 2025 Florida Statutes and prior session law; SB 38 conformed statutory terminology for the Division of Criminal Investigations; SB 40 removed repealed provisions; and SB 42 cleaned up obsolete language, cross-references, and typographical errors. Each passed unanimously or nearly unanimously after brief explanations and no substantive debate. The Senate also passed CS/SB 50 on nature-based coastal resilience, as amended to strengthen the Florida Flood Hub’s role under USF and clarify research and modeling responsibilities; CS/SB 116 on veterans, which expanded veteran awareness and coordination efforts, added mental health training, and authorized adult day health care; SB 118 on presidential libraries, which preempted local regulation to give a future Florida presidential library maximum flexibility; CS/SB 126 on prescription hearing aids, allowing mail distribution for adults after appropriate professional evaluation; SB 150 on abandoning restrained dogs during natural disasters, amended to conform to the House; SB 294 limiting collaborative pharmacy practice from being expanded to certain serious cardiac conditions; and SM 314 urging Congress to increase Florida National Guard force structure. Most of these measures passed with strong bipartisan support, though SB 118 drew questions about local zoning, parking, and safety and passed 36-3, with one senator later changing to a no vote over local control concerns. Later, the Senate approved CS/CS/SB 322 creating a nonjudicial process for removing unauthorized persons from commercial property, and CS/SB 348 on ethics, which would penalize false claims of military rank or honors for material gain and require paycheck withholding for delinquent ethics fines owed by public employees. The chamber also passed CS/CS/SB 7012 on child welfare, which included a CPI/case manager recruitment program, a treatment foster care pilot in two judicial circuits, and improved data collection and capacity analysis for commercially sexually exploited children. CS/SB 108 on administrative procedures was adopted after a detailed explanation of rule review, transparency, and rulemaking deadlines, and CS/SB 160 on public accountancy passed after an amendment clarifying contracted services and discussion of CPA licensure pathways. The longest and most celebratory debate centered on CS/SB 110 for rural communities. The bill created an Office of Rural Prosperity, a Renaissance grant program, housing and road funding, school and health care investments, and related rural support measures. Amendments refined transportation priorities in the Everglades agricultural area and clarified the FARM road program. Senators from across the chamber praised the bill as a long-awaited investment in rural Florida, agriculture, broadband, health care, and quality of life. After extensive debate and emotional closing remarks from the sponsor and leadership, the bill passed overwhelmingly.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's why there is like the scalp analysis and all of that.
• Scalp analysis, scalp detox, scalp treatment, all by an esthetician.
• Scalp analysis, scalp detox, scalp treatment, double cleanse, conditioning.
• I have no idea why an aesthetician is doing scalp analysis. Because they apparently can.
• There is no scalp analysis beforehand. There is nothing done afterward.

Summary: The House Committee on Commerce met on May 11, 2026, with a quorum present and took up a series of Senate bills, a resolution, and one House bill. The committee reported favorably Senate Bill 79 to recreate Louisiana Economic Development, Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 to establish the Louisiana-Ireland Trade Commission, Senate Bill 375 on firefighting foam with amendments clarifying use in declared emergencies, Senate Bill 398 moving manufactured and modular housing oversight under the Contractors Licensing Board with technical and substantive amendments, Senate Bill 163 on virtual currency business licensing with an amendment providing for federal preemption if Congress enacts a national licensing regime, and Senate Bill 287 on virtual currency kiosks with consumer-protection provisions and technical amendments. The committee also reported favorably House Resolution 197, as amended, urging the Public Service Commission to study distributed energy generation and storage resources with LSU involvement, and Senate Bill 54, which would allow estheticians to blow-dry hair after certain services; that bill drew extensive testimony from supporters and opponents in the cosmetology and aesthetics industries before being reported favorably. Several bills prompted detailed discussion and testimony. On Senate Bill 398, the sponsor and Contractors Licensing Board representatives said the change would improve enforcement and consumer safety for manufactured-home installation, especially tie-downs, leveling, and foundation blocking, while not affecting HUD-regulated construction. On the virtual currency bills, OFI said it currently licenses 37 virtual currency businesses with 33 pending applications, and supporters described the kiosk bill as a response to fraud complaints by requiring clearer disclosures, refund procedures, live customer support, and reporting to OFI. For House Resolution 197, the sponsor, PSC officials, and energy stakeholders said the study would examine the value of distributed energy resources, including rooftop solar and battery storage, in light of rising demand and grid reliability concerns; PSC staff and LSU energy experts described the study as focused on market value and avoided-cost benefits. House Bill 744, which would have shifted regulation of certain New Orleans utilities from the city council to the PSC, generated discussion about constitutional history, rate impacts, and utility consolidation. PSC officials and the sponsor said the current city-council regulation is a constitutional exception dating back to 1921, and they argued that PSC regulation could reduce costs and simplify oversight, but the sponsor ultimately moved to defer the bill rather than force a floor fight, and the committee agreed. The committee then began consideration of Senate Bill 386, the Louisiana Data Privacy Act, adopting technical amendments and then a larger amendment package that revised definitions and compliance provisions; the transcript ends while that bill’s amendment process is still underway, with no final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Was there the executive analysis report.
• with legislators. with legislators.
• and have never lobbied legislators. and have never lobbied legislators.
• 00:22:08.960> Commonwealth legislative bodies in the Commonwealth legislative bodies in the Commonwealth
• Justice has also conducted analysis Justice has also conducted analysis about<00:42:21.760> health

Keywords: 00:00 Call to Order 02:45 Roll Call 05:25 Cosmetologists 13:48 Barbers 01:16:06 Adjournment, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But anyway, I represent the 14th Legislative District.
• Brian Considine, external legislative relations director for your state parks.
• This request comes as a result of direction from our Legislative Transportation Committee last legislative
• session. ...from our Legislative Transportation Committee last legislative session.
• There's also the new Joint Legislative Executive Committee...

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, and then let me get to the legislative council and what the opinion that they had.
• Unlike the legislative committees in both of these cited cases, we are not investigating the U.S.
• The DOJ entered into our legislative sphere and demanded an action on a purely state matter, drawing
• Is the map and we're going to make sure that it has. a proper analysis, so we know that it complies,
• Um I'm assuming they've already begun a legal analysis of the map.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And the new system is exactly, is exactly That there's a job measurement done through market analysis
• So the new budget that was implemented in July of this year aims for market analysis Job measurement.
• And judiciary has their different systems, and so does the legislative branch as well.
• I'm going To share my story today to share that this memorial is more than a legislative text.
• This particular piece of legislation is coming from our constituents.

Bills: SM13, SM14

Keywords: land grant, Las Vegas, governance, self-governance, judicial management, forced sterilization, coerced sterilization, Indigenous women, Native American women, women of color, reproductive justice, reproductive sovereignty, truth and reconciliation commission, memorial, trauma-informed care, reparative justice, human rights, bodily autonomy, Indian Health Service, Indian affairs