Transcript Highlights:

• We kept writing, we kept publishing, we kept coming down here to testify.
• We kept writing, we kept publishing, we kept coming down here to testify.
• We kept writing, we kept publishing, we kept coming down here to testify.
• I'm picking up what you're putting down.
• We've been not to assault or kick a city that it's down.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• in Texas, down in Boston, and he's a catcher.
• I'd like to see a track added down the line at some point.
• So yes, they can walk, or they'll be able to drive their car down the road.
• So we go down and play non-conference games down there. And Mr.
• They went down, and funding for education actually went down during that time. So, thank you.

Bills: SB194, SB200, SB203, SB204, SJR3

Keywords: appropriation, higher education, sports facilities, community college, Luna Community College, KANW, educational radio, rural news, public education, funding, education, documentary, historical figure, Padre Antonio Jose Martinez, cultural heritage, research funding, federal funding, New Mexico, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, is it up or down? Thank you. We have a quorum. Senator Fine is excused from today's meeting.
• President, if I may. ...pays for it and then passes that cost down to us. And Mr.
• But when you get all the way down to Section EEE in 453.04, subsection 2, Triple E, and I wrote it down
• And we like to talk about how the enrollment is down, and that is true.
• This man here made sure that ship sailed, and it's, you know, it's got a following wind.

Summary: The committee first heard the Pre-K-12 education budget proposal for fiscal year 2025-26 and voted to adopt it as the committee’s recommendation to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The proposed $34.7 billion budget includes increases for the FEFP, Family Empowerment Scholarships, VPK, school safety, the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, school hardening, Jewish day school security, and an education enrollment stabilization fund. Members asked no questions on the budget before it was advanced, and staff was authorized to make technical corrections. The committee then passed CS/SB 1402, which expands eligibility for dropout retrieval services to any individual who has withdrawn from high school and clarifies how school grades are calculated for virtual instruction providers that offer only dropout retrieval services. An amendment to clarify the grading calculation was adopted without objection, and the bill was reported favorably after a roll call vote. The committee also took up SPB 7030, a comprehensive scholarship-program bill sponsored by Senator Gates, which would separate Family Empowerment Scholarship funding as its own categorical, expand the education stabilization fund, create fall and spring application windows, require a single scholarship application and more documentation, assign student IDs, change payments to a monthly schedule, require background checks for paid instructional providers, mandate annual FTE audits by the Auditor General, and standardize reimbursement and eligibility procedures. After extensive discussion and public testimony, the bill was adopted as a committee bill and reported favorably, with Senator Osgood voting no. Finally, the committee considered CS/SB 508, which requires private schools participating in the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program to disclose in writing what accommodations, modifications, and services they will provide for students with existing plans such as IEPs, 504 plans, or ELL plans. An amendment was adopted to require public schools to consult with private schools about equitable services, and the bill was reported favorably. Public testimony included support from parent-choice advocates and concerns from private-school representatives about administrative burden and the scope of the required disclosures. The meeting concluded after the final roll call votes and adjournment motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• But it wasn't until there was an awareness that the grantee was not drawing down funds from the wire
• And so that's what we're looking at to try to help bring down costs and make them more reasonable for
• But what often happens is... ...bring down costs and make them more reasonable for this program.
• the rise in homelessness. ...funds in an effective way to try to bring down the rise in homelessness
• Thank you for having us down here today.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Committee on Director Nominations met to consider Ruby Dylan Williams for Director of the Arizona Department of Housing. Chair Jay Kaufman opened with remarks about the committee’s role in scrutinizing nominees’ commitment to faithfully executing state law. Williams, who has served in housing roles since 2020 and as interim director since March 2025, described her background in both public service and the private sector and said her priorities would be expanding housing supply, preserving housing stability, and improving technology-driven operations and transparency. Members questioned Williams extensively about department oversight, fraud prevention, auditor general findings, homelessness policy, budget priorities, and the cost of affordable housing programs. She said the department had strengthened internal controls, added verbal verification steps for wire transfers, increased site inspections and grantee monitoring, and was tracking 68 performance metrics. She also defended the use of LIHTC and other federal housing programs as key public-private tools, said the department was working on a real-time homelessness data system, and explained that if state funding were cut, staffing would likely be reduced before core programs. Several members pressed her on past fraud and audit findings and on whether the department had been sufficiently proactive in preventing them. Public testimony was overwhelmingly supportive. Developers and industry representatives praised Williams’ experience, her knowledge of housing finance, and her role in streamlining the qualified allocation plan and improving the department’s responsiveness. They argued that her leadership has helped attract investment and increase housing production in Arizona. After debate, the committee voted 3-2 to recommend Williams’ confirmation to the full Senate, with Senators Kavanagh and Shope voting no and Senators Bravo and Ortiz voting yes.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll come up with a bill and say, please vote for my bill and then sit down.
• That's for the folks down the hallway on the north side of the building.
• It's statewide; it pares it down to what the bill says. So then my friend at the...
• It pares it down to what the bill says.
• On page six, verse on line 33, and then you get that and it continues to go down.

Keywords: 964, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He's been riding a great horse, but that horse is slowing down and getting old.
• Then I'd figure out about tearing down the old one and doing something else with it.
• So we go down there once in a while. The Arizona State Fair hasn't changed very much.
• I'd also like to begin by saying, as you might expect, we're winding down our current operating season
• down there.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you bring it up, people try to shut you down. We're not supposed to talk about this.
• We're not supposed to to shut you down.
• I mean, I had a family member who was certainly not going down this road, and as a result, she could
• Let's go to lunch before they get down there. Oh, yeah. That's freaking... second.
• >> Let's go to lunch before they get down >> Let's go to lunch before they get down

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:37:50.480> up<00:37:50.720> to from 79% down up to from 79% down up to 100%<00:
• allowed it to track 100% down to zero. allowed it to track 100% down to zero.
• But right now, we're facing staring down But right now, we're facing staring down a<00:58:43.280
• to nothing down to $6 billion deficit. to nothing down to $6 billion deficit.
• changing it from 115% down to 110%. changing it from 115% down to 110%.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Higher Education Conference Committee reviewed differences among the Governor’s, House, and Senate proposals for state grant parameter changes and their effects on state grant spending, North Star Promise spending, and average student awards. Nonpartisan staff explained that the proposals use different combinations of parameter changes, with the Governor’s and Senate plans modeled to avoid or minimize rationing, while the House plan would require rationing to balance the program. Staff reported projected biennium balances of a positive $29.836 million for the Governor’s proposal, a negative $60.758 million for the House proposal without rationing, a positive $994,000 for the House proposal with rationing, and a positive $3.623 million for the Senate proposal; North Star Promise balances also varied, with the Senate showing a positive balance and the Governor and House with rationing showing negative balances. Staff also said the Senate proposal would extend availability of the state grant appropriation and suspend surplus procedures through fiscal year 2029, allowing the balance to carry forward. The committee then focused on the House-only tuition and fee cap provision, which would limit the tuition recognized for state grant purposes for four-year programs to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities level, with 1% annual increases in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. House members said the cap was intended to address rising tuition, especially at the University of Minnesota, and to produce savings in the state grant program. The governor’s office confirmed the provision was not included in the Governor’s bill. Representatives from the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Private College Council opposed the cap, arguing it would reduce awards for low-income students and shift costs to students rather than address underlying tuition pressures; they also said it could discourage enrollment at higher-cost institutions. Supporters from Minnesota State argued the cap would improve fairness because students at lower-tuition institutions are effectively capped lower, while students at more expensive institutions receive larger awards, and they said the legislature should intervene in a variable that has grown substantially over time. Committee members questioned how the cap would work and whether it was tied to the Twin Cities campus rate. Testifiers clarified that the state grant formula is tied to the University of Minnesota level, but because Minnesota State institutions are below that level, the cap effectively limits their students to their own lower tuition while allowing higher awards at the University of Minnesota and private colleges. No formal vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the chair indicated the committee would continue with item-by-item review of the remaining parameter changes and hear additional testimony from agencies and institutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• No, I'm trying to, like, I'm counting down.
• Chair and Senator, I'm thinking of my area down in southern New Mexico.
• I'd love for it to be passed down to the consumer. I think that's important.
• Izzy, our first quarter GRT income tax was down last year by $40 million.
• Down last year by $40 million. The second quarter was due yesterday.

Bills: SB151, HB8, SB177

Keywords: corporate income tax, franchise tax, gross receipts tax, tax credit, tax deduction, controlled foreign corporation, CFC, bonus depreciation, interest expense, apportionment, unitary group, high-wage jobs tax credit, local journalism, news media, newspaper printer, physician incentive, health care workforce, affordable housing, multifamily housing, construction materials

Transcript Highlights:

• Look down on the poor in spirit, God. Look down on those who are in need of you.
• So if you have a guest that comes in, just wave me down. All right.
• We have prices that have, where inflation was down and now it's back up again.
• Senators Hoffman, Gobble down, and how do you vote?
• If this passes, it could slow down fee increases.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Senate convened, recorded attendance, dispensed with reading the journal, and recognized several guest groups, including landscape architects and FFA representatives who delivered plants to senators. The chamber then moved through multiple Committee of the Whole calendars, considering a large number of bills and resolutions, with most measures receiving do-pass recommendations, often after committee or floor amendments. Topics included public monies and cryptocurrency/stablecoin use by the state (SB 1042, SB 1043, SB 1044, SB 1045, SCR 1003, SCR 1033), attorney discipline and family court matters (SB 1039, SB 1139, SB 1147, SB 1148, SB 1328), public records, scholarship organizations, HOA flag rules, deed conveyances, environmental restrictions on solar radiation management, federal land acquisition consent, small modular reactors, water quality testing, and state revenue-related constitutional changes (SCR 1028). One notable procedural dispute occurred when an Epstein amendment to SB 1043 was ruled not germane; the chair’s ruling was upheld on a 14-10 division vote, and the bill later advanced without that amendment. The Senate also retained SB 1419 on the calendar. On later calendars, the Senate advanced health and human services measures focused on Arizona’s Access program and DCS, including SB 1052, SB 1115, SB 1149, SB 1193, SB 1233, SB 1345, SB 1346, and SB 1631. Testimony on SB 1115 centered on whether Access employees should be barred from remote work, with supporters arguing in-person work was needed and critics warning of staffing and service disruptions without a new facility or appropriation. SB 1233 drew discussion about a short cure period for administrative deficiencies; supporters said the bill addressed retaliatory enforcement practices, while opponents said the timeframe was too short. SB 1345 and SB 1346 also drew Access-related debate, including a floor amendment removing Access from SB 1345 and an objection that the bill could conflict with federal Medicaid law. The committee reports for these bills were adopted, and the measures were sent forward with do-pass recommendations. The Senate also advanced regulatory and utility-related bills on another calendar, including SB 1137, SB 1144, and SB 1205. SB 1137 dealt with underground facilities excavation notification and passed with a Kavanaugh floor amendment described as stakeholder-driven technical detail. SB 1144 addressed veterinary technician certification and education alternatives and passed with committee amendment. SB 1205, concerning motor vehicle booting fees regulation, was amended to require an appeals process for private parking lots using booting services after a senator described a personal experience of paying a boot fee and receiving no response to an appeal. The calendar was still in progress at the end of the transcript, with SB 1286 just beginning to be read.

Transcript Highlights:

• And if anybody has any other questions, I'm happy to track that information down for you, and I'm happy
• So, we sat down with her and talked to her.
• events, which is laid out in the bill, but it literally starts out as a result of death all the way down
• Winding on his combos. Yeah. Let's set a bill.

Bills: SB670, SB1388, SB627, SB912, SB269, SB528, HB2711, HB4819, HB5248, HB4175

Keywords: SB 670, investigational sun protection products, sun protection, sunscreen, FDA approval, clinical trial, phase one trial, patient access, informed consent, physician prescription, Texas Health and Safety Code, Texas Medical Board, compassionate use, experimental treatment, medical freedom, patient autonomy, healthcare regulation, dietitian, dietitians, licensed dietitian

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, I mean the question comes down to if everyone that finds out about it is already using transit,
• Even if it winds up being modest benefits, it pays for itself pretty rapidly, and we can make it easier
• My son, Harvey, is in the room just down the hall from me.
• our last hearing before the deadline, and whether or not potential policy needs to make it further down

Bills: HF1367, HF2732, HF1897, HF1424, HF1383, HF2728, HF2863, HF1685, HF2929

Keywords: child maltreatment, child abuse, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, human trafficking, child protection, local welfare agency, county social services, Minnesota Department of Human Services, judicial review, district court appeal, venue, out-of-state abuse, cross-border investigation, Minnesota child welfare, family assessment, maltreatment determination

Transcript Highlights:

• of folks are, including myself, um, also was gonna highlight that I saw, uh, the bill author write down
• the schools open where you can really benefit from NIFA, we don't get that benefit when 2 to 3 years down
• But of those that get a college education, only about 15% statistics show wind up in a career that's
• It is, it would be down here, less than 1%.

Bills: HB20, HB120

Keywords: fraudulent solicitation, disaster relief, nonprofit organizations, criminal penalties, consumer protection, fraud prevention, charitable donations, higher education, LGBTQ studies, DEI studies, program prohibition, educational policy, HB120, Texas, Texas Education Code, public universities, public colleges, queer studies, gay studies, lesbian studies

Transcript Highlights:

• to drive down to Kerrville.
• I rushed down to Kerr County.
• So let's move on down it.
• So let's move on down it.
• Skip down to Del Rio.

Summary: The joint Senate and House disaster preparedness and flooding hearing opened with quorum calls, prayer, testimony time limits, and remarks from legislative leaders emphasizing decorum, respect, and the goal of learning from the July 4 flood to prevent future loss of life. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dustin Burrows said the special session and hearings were intended to hear directly from local officials and residents, and that the state would pursue immediate and longer-term legislation and continue working beyond the current session. The committee then heard invited testimony from Kerr County, Kerrville, Kendall County, Real County, and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, followed by member questions. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, Sheriff Larry Leitha, and emergency management coordinator William B. Thomas described the flood as a sudden, unprecedented event that overwhelmed local systems before many officials or residents understood the danger. They said the county received multiple National Weather Service and IPAWS alerts, but the rain fell in remote upstream areas with limited gauges, and the flood rose too quickly for normal response. They detailed the emergency response, including dispatchers handling heavy call volumes, deputies and volunteer firefighters conducting rescues, and state and federal partners assisting. County officials said 108 people died, including 37 children, and two remained missing. They called for better real-time flood detection, stronger rural emergency management resources, improved broadband and cell coverage, and more funding for swift-water rescue and warning systems. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring and City Manager Dalton Rice said the city had floodplain rules, emergency plans, and prior preparedness efforts, but the event exposed gaps in communications and regional warning capacity. They urged the Legislature to fund a flood warning system, whether sirens, automated alerts, or a hybrid, and asked for support for predictive weather modeling, broadband expansion, a hazard mitigation fund, and disaster recovery resources. The Upper Guadalupe River Authority said it had long funded gauges and pursued flood-warning and mitigation projects, including a new software-based flood prediction system and possible retention dams, and planned to dedicate reserve funds to feasibility studies and infrastructure improvements. Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk said his county’s emergency action plan and early alerts helped prevent deaths there, and he recommended easier access to alerting tools, a river-wide warning system, simpler grant applications, and regional coordination. Real County Judge Bella Rubio said rural counties face major challenges because of limited cell service, broadband, staffing, and funding, especially for camps and visitors along the Frio and Nueces rivers, and argued that reliable alert systems should be treated as a necessity, not a luxury. Members asked about the timeline of the flood, low-water crossings, communications failures, sirens, bridges, and funding, and several witnesses said the key lessons were better communications, better warning systems, and more investment in rural flood mitigation and emergency response.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our fiscal office takes it down as factual.
• We revised down to 5 to 11. I would suggest to you that shows sort of the...
• We revised down to 5 to 11.
• And I will tell you, we dropped it down.
• And I will tell you, we dropped it down.

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee met on May 18, 2026, with eight members present and began by noting the state’s projected REC budget deficit and the need to consider fiscal impacts carefully. The committee first advanced HB 12, which extends the $250,000 surviving spouse benefit to reserve officers killed in the line of duty. Members noted the bill is prospective and that it draws from the same capped fund as other related bills, but it was reported favorable without opposition. The committee also adopted an amendment and reported HB 874 favorable as amended; the bill allows colleges, technical schools, the Louisiana Bar Association, and additional credentials to be added to LA Wallet, with the amendment changing mandatory language to permissive language. HB 951 was then reported favorable, creating an employer-facing workforce unit within Louisiana Works, to be funded through repurposed state and federal funds and existing staff, with a floor amendment expected to rename the unit. The committee also reported HB 979 favorable with amendments after reducing the proposed increase in survivor benefits because members learned several bills were drawing from the same $5 million fund, and HB 1193 favorable as amended, after striking a section that would have extended IDIQ authority to supply contracts for CPR. The committee then heard HB 909, which would require commercial payers to cover behavioral health crisis services. Representative Spell and LDH officials said the measure is intended to support crisis response centers and steer patients away from emergency rooms when appropriate, and they testified that it should be cost-neutral or absorbed within existing funding. Despite concerns raised by Senator Andrews about premiums, the bill was reported favorable after discussion of its potential savings and a possible pilot in Acadiana. HB 222, requiring Medicaid to cover dental procedures when needed to complete another medically covered procedure, was also reported favorable; LDH said it would absorb the cost within its existing budget and draw down federal matching funds. HB 291, which prevents health plans from penalizing hospitals when an out-of-network physician is involved in an otherwise covered hospital service, generated extensive debate over a disputed fiscal note and the No Surprises Act. OGB officials said any network “leakage” could cost the plan money, while supporters argued the policy is preventative and that the fiscal estimates were speculative. The committee adopted amendment 3941 to exempt OGB from the bill, then reported HB 291 favorable as amended. Later, the committee took up HB 145, which expands the authority of the law enforcement and firefighter survivor benefit board to cover extraordinary medical and dental expenses. Because members learned it also draws from the same fund as HB 12 and HB 979, an amendment reduced the amount from $50,000 to $25,000, and the bill was reported favorable as amended. HB 430, a local bill for Lafayette to continue paying health insurance costs for surviving families of fallen officers until Medicare eligibility, was reported favorable. Finally, HB 821, which establishes the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools within the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement Administration and transfers related duties from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, was introduced and discussed as a move with a one-time general fund expenditure already included in HB 1. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• What's the balance between cracking down on fraud and serving the people?
• The Capitol schedule is winding down, but there's a lot to do and a lot happening. >> Absolutely.
• Um, but you know, what's the balance between cracking down on fraud and serving the people?
• And so you crack down hard on those who are fraudulent.
• And then someone's going to say, no, you didn't crack down hard enough. That's the hard part.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are down in fiscal years 28 and 29. These are unfunded years.
• Go down to fiscal year 29, and you'll see at the bottom there's a bunch of I-40 projects.
• Is our anti-distraction campaign, just like telling people, just drive, put it down, slow down, and buckle
• I get a lot of complaints about the main highway that goes down my legislative district.
• I wasn't trying to buck anyone in line, just trying to wave a flag down here.

Transcript Highlights:

• But as we head down this journey, and it will take Highlands or any university, they could give 45% of
• Well, the chances of survival go down by 10%.
• And you have that down. All right. Committee, does everybody follow that? Okay. Okay. And then, Mr.
• The reason I ask is that I know my public radio station down in Las Cruces, KRWG.
• Slow down, you're talking too fast. Oh, I'm sorry, I get nervous, Senator.

Transcript Highlights:

• And you started talking about infamous, and I started to stand up and I sat back down again.
• Welcome to the committee, and thank you for the drive down. That would take six hours.
• Not one time has somebody called to invite us to a meeting to sit down and talk about our concerns.
• Stone, for making the drive down here.
• We want to appreciate everybody coming down, especially the 6-hour drive from Roseau.

Transcript Highlights:

• No copper landline customer whose home or business burned down or who were evacuated by fire.
• A wildfire or a high wind public safety power shut off, or simply a downed power line.
• Motion by Kaloski. second by Bonta all right what are we okay calm down a good first year I know what
• A few items that is going down. I want to share a couple of data points.
• Conversely, the cost of wireless has gone down 44%. That is the data.

Keywords: 988, house, all