Video & Transcript Research : 'special needs'
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MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Ways and Means Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Transcript Highlights:
- everyday needs?
- , their police department needs.
- We need to do in the immediate.
- I need more human capital there.
- There are a lot of people in need. There are a lot of people in need.
Summary:
The joint budget hearing opened the FY27 budget process with remarks from the Senate and House Ways and Means chairs, who described the fiscal outlook as challenging because of slow revenue growth, rising health care and other costs, and uncertainty from federal policy changes. Governor Healey and Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorzkowicz then presented House 2, a $62.8 billion budget that they said grows by about 1% and does not raise taxes or fees. They emphasized affordability, fiscal discipline, protection of core services, and continued investment in education, transportation, housing, child care, health care, and public safety. The administration also discussed a separate bill to delay and phase in certain federal tax-code changes from the so-called OB3 law, especially research and experimental expense provisions, to reduce immediate budget impacts and preserve competitiveness.
A major portion of the hearing focused on education and municipal aid. The administration said House 2 provides about $7.6 billion for Chapter 70 aid, fully funds the final year of the Student Opportunity Act, increases special education circuit breaker funding, and raises rural school aid. Senators and representatives from both parties raised concerns that Chapter 70 and other aid formulas are not equitable for small, rural, and low-wealth communities and are not keeping pace with inflation, and several called for broader review of the formula and related funding streams. The governor and secretary said they are open to further discussion, pointed to additional support through rural aid, special education, transportation reimbursements, and minimum aid, and said total Student Opportunity Act investment would reach about $2.1 billion over the life of the law.
Transportation, housing, and fair share spending were also central topics. The administration said fair share revenues are being used holistically, with education-heavy spending in the operating budget and transportation-heavy spending in the supplemental budget, and estimated the overall split to date at roughly 57% education and 43% transportation. They highlighted MBTA stabilization, regional transit authority support, microtransit, fare-free regional transit, and bridge and commuter rail investments, while noting the MBTA remains a major fiscal concern. On housing, the governor stressed production, permitting reform, ADUs, down-payment assistance, and support for public housing authorities, while lawmakers pressed for more funding for local housing authorities and for ways to address out-migration, energy costs, and affordability. The governor also said the administration will not withhold fire safety grants from communities over MBTA Communities Act noncompliance and will handle such issues case by case. No votes were taken at the hearing; it was an informational presentation and question-and-answer session.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
- And I'm just, you know, this is okay—we need to take a reset.
- So when we do that with this committee, then we need to certainly...
- Do we really need a Tobacco Settlement Committee? I don't know.
- We got to take care of this special interest group.
- You say we don't need a committee to come up with...
MD
Transcript Highlights:
- Give each of them the courage to change their minds when a change of mind is needed.
- Senate President, if we can special order this bill. >> Uh, the senators moved to special order the bill
- Let's go to special order calendar number 10.
- Sarah's move to special order >> All right.
- objection, the bill will be special objection, the bill will be special ordered<00:14:44.880>
Summary:
The Maryland Senate met on Friday, February 27, with an invocation by Reverend Howard Travers and several guest introductions, including family members, defense organization leaders, a South Asian Herald editor, Eagleton Institute fellows, and physicians from Johns Hopkins. The chamber journalized the prayer, confirmed a quorum, and then moved into bill introductions, House messages, and committee reports. Several measures were advanced without objection, including Senate Bill 338 to extend a work group report deadline on transfer of retirement system member services, Senate Bill 448 authorizing Carroll County public facilities bonds up to $27 million, Senate Bill 453 clarifying that the Arabian horse race associated with Preakness can be run at Laurel Park, Senate Bill 614 allowing Dorchester County detention officers to join the correctional officers retirement system if the county opts in, and Senate Bill 724 making a technical emergency adjustment to cost-of-living calculations for retirees because October CPI data was unavailable during a government shutdown. Each of those bills received favorable committee reports and was ordered printed for third reading after no objections or amendments were offered.
Two bills were postponed for later consideration: Senate Bill 538 on Baltimore City raffles tied to organizations affiliated with professional baseball and football teams was special ordered to Wednesday of the following week, and Senate Bill 108 on water resources and wetlands enforcement was special ordered to March 3 while members worked on possible amendments. Senate Bill 56 on the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center and third-party data sharing was also special ordered to the following Wednesday because committee discussion was ongoing. House Bill 6 and House Bill 372 were received and referred to the appropriate standing committees.
The Senate also took up Executive Nominations Committee Report No. 3 and, after no nominations were separated out, confirmed the executive nominations by a vote of 41 in the affirmative. Later, the chamber heard a personal privilege statement from a Montgomery County senator about Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald schools in Maryland, highlighting preservation efforts and an upcoming Scrabble tournament fundraiser at a Rosenwald school. The Senate then confirmed a quorum, and the Majority Leader moved that the Senate stand in recess until Monday, March 2 at 8:00 p.m., which was adopted without objection.
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- Members, we are moving on to House Bill 1065, HD1, relating to Early Childhood educator special special
- special fund.
- fund, repeals a Hawaii early childhood education educator special fund. special fund repeals a Hawaii
- educator<00:02:56.360>
special childhood education educator special childhood education educator - We always need to try to get better.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Floor Session Jun 30th, 2025
California House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Need to have technical difficulties with that microphone.
- . they need to get more housing built.
- When we speak about those freedoms, we need to think about everyone.
- We need to remove these barriers. CEQA is an impediment. we can do better.
- I realized that the special interests are very strong in this state.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
EEP/AEN Joint Info Briefing - Tue Jan 7, 2025 @ 9:00 AM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- We need a solid waste permit, we need an air permit.
- We need a solid waste permit, we need an air permit.
- We need a solid waste permit, we need an air permit.
- We need a solid waste permit, we need an air permit.
- So currently we have a special use permit for Waimānalo Gulch landfill, and the reason that you need
Summary:
The informational briefing focused on the City and County of Honolulu’s effort to site a replacement landfill for Oahu before the Waimanalo Gulch landfill closes in 2028. Chair Nicole Lowen and other legislators opened the meeting by framing the issue as important statewide and encouraging recycling, composting, and proper use of the curbside bins. The city’s Department of Environmental Services, led by Director Roger Babcock and Deputy Director Mike O’Keefe, then presented the background and siting process.
ENV explained the legal and technical constraints that shaped the search, including the 2019 Land Use Commission decision requiring closure of Waimanalo Gulch by March 2, 2028, and the 2020 Act 73 restrictions on landfill siting near residences, schools, hospitals, conservation districts, airports, and tsunami inundation areas. They said a landfill advisory committee reviewed six candidate sites in 2021-2022 and rejected them because they fell within the Board of Water Supply’s no-pass zone. After further evaluation and an extension of the naming deadline, the city selected a site in central Oahu near Wahiawa, on agricultural land currently used as a Dole pineapple field.
City officials said the selected site was chosen as the best of the evaluated options and, in their view, could be permitted under state and federal law. They described planned environmental protections, including a modern sanitary landfill design with double liners, leachate collection systems, monitoring wells, and post-closure monitoring, and said the existing Waimanalo Gulch landfill has operated for 35 years without leachate leaks. They also emphasized that the site would still require a special use permit, Department of Health approvals, an environmental impact statement, and other public permitting processes, and that public engagement would continue over the next several years.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Legislative Finance May 13th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- needs and stuff up here.
- We don't need all the square footage, but we still need it. It's still a requirement.
- need a break, right?
- We need an owner's rep.
- That needs to be funded.
MO
Missouri 2026 Regular Session
2026 Legislative Session - Day Fifty Nine - Tuesday, April 28
Missouri House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Today is a special day for me and my family.
- Introduction of special guests. Proceed, gentleman.
- But real quick, if I may, I would like to make a special announcement for a special guest. Proceed.
- We need to have all of this reviewed.
- So we do need to be mindful of that.
Summary:
The House opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then approved the House Journal for the 58th day by roll call vote, 123-1. Members also introduced a number of special guests, including physicians, sheriffs, students, interns, and a police chief, before moving to third reading and perfection of bills.
House Bill 1758, dealing with permanent daylight saving time in Missouri, was debated at length. Supporters said it would end the twice-yearly clock changes and argued it could benefit children, productivity, and quality of life. Opponents warned it would create darker morning commutes, safety concerns, and health issues tied to circadian rhythms. The bill passed third reading by a vote of 107-31 with two present.
The chamber then perfected and printed House Bill 3329, which repeals expired or unused tax credits, and House Bill 3405, which clarifies that SALT/pass-through entity provisions are deductions rather than tax credits for Department of Revenue processing. Both bills were described as cleanup and efficiency measures, with supporters emphasizing accountability and reduced manual work at DOR; both moved forward without opposition in committee and were approved on the floor.
Finally, House Bill 2426, a parental rights bill, drew extensive debate and an amendment. The bill would elevate parents’ rights in education, medical, privacy, and related decisions to a fundamental-rights standard and add provisions on school records, recordings, evaluations, and certain health-care decisions. Critics argued it was overly broad, could interfere with school operations and existing protections, and might create problems in areas such as IEPs, truancy, and medical consent; supporters said it simply codified and strengthened parental authority. House Amendment 1, focused on IEP procedures and requiring parental consent for major changes, was adopted 98-25 with six present, and debate on the underlying bill continued.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Conference Committee on HF2431 5/8/25
Transcript Highlights:
- those programs may need a sunset. those programs may need a sunset.
- collect needed local and state data. collect needed local and state data.
- data that's needed for prevention work. data that's needed for prevention work.
- it most when they need it most.
- Students who need it most when they need it most.
Summary:
The Higher Education Finance and Policy Conference Committee met publicly to compare House and Senate positions on the higher education budget, with the chairs emphasizing transparency and alternating gavel control. Nonpartisan fiscal staff walked through a spreadsheet of differences across the Office of Higher Education and Minnesota State, including major items such as state grants, childcare grants, work study, tribal college grants, emergency assistance grants, hunger-free campus grants, student parent support, direct admissions, paramedic scholarships, and several medical residency and fellowship programs. The House and Senate also differed on administrative funding, campus sexual assault reporting, and a House FY25 cancellation that would be carried forward.
Members discussed several of the larger policy and funding choices. The Senate explained its increase for Minitex as support for operating costs and statewide access to information. The House explained its cuts to student parent support and other items as necessary to work within a zero target and to prioritize direct aid to students, while the Senate said it focused on direct appropriations and access-related programs. On hunger-free campus grants and emergency assistance grants, the Senate said it was changing the distribution method and direct appropriations rather than reducing the overall money, while the House noted differences in whether nonprofit institutions remained included.
The committee also reviewed Senate-only additions and reductions in Minnesota State, including free course materials, Lake Superior College remediation, and changes to the Kids on Campus appropriation. A representative from Lake Superior College testified that the PAS remediation funding would help address contamination issues at an emergency training site near Lake Superior and that the money was shifted from the Kids on Campus initiative. No final conference agreement or vote was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the committee continued discussing differences and testimony.
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- If I know that this amendment creates a special education committee, and if I know that we need to find
- that special education costs are an issue in every school district and this state budget and need to
- He said there is no need to rush the process and that they owe it to the over 32,000 special education
- He said there is no need to rush the process and that they owe it to the over 32,000 special education
- Another definition that was needed was to define an approved educational environment for special education
ND
North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Budget Section Commerce and Legal Service Division Jun 24th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- We are very specialized, both with regard to the specialization for our individual clients, but also
- The specialization for our individual clients, but also specialization in terms of representing the state
- In fact, we are highly specialized.
- Security measures need to be much higher.
- of regulation we'd need.
Summary:
The committee met to review the Attorney General’s budget and related agency operations, beginning with Legislative Council staff walking members through compliance reports and a blue-sheet base budget document. Staff highlighted current-biennium items such as FTE changes, one-time appropriations, litigation funding, opioid settlement receipts, continuing appropriations, and major special and federal funds. Members asked for clarification on items including the Missing Indigenous People Grant Fund, the Internet Crimes Investigation Fund, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit grant funding.
Assistant Attorney General Clare Ness then gave an overview of the office’s structure, staffing, and budget pressures. She emphasized the office’s broad statutory duties, the value of its legal services to state and local government, and concerns about attorney pay lagging behind other agencies. Members discussed whether attorney compensation should be benchmarked more consistently across state government and whether some legal work could be consolidated within the AG’s office. Ness also addressed questions about AG opinion turnaround times, boards-and-commissions training, the new-and-vacant FTE pool, operating expense cuts, office leases, and the state’s criminal justice information systems.
The crime lab presentation drew significant attention. Director Jennifer Penner described severe space, safety, and infrastructure problems at the current lab, including cramped work areas, glycol leaks, outdated fire and burglar alarms, air-handling limits, and equipment failures that have delayed toxicology work. She said the 2024 study projected a much larger facility would be needed and that the preferred location would be near the current health department site, but in a new building. Members asked about possible evidence risks, backlog status, and whether the proposed building would solve the current problems; Penner said it would and noted backlogs have improved overall, though some delays remain.
The committee also heard from the new Medicaid Fraud Control Unit director, who described the unit’s civil and criminal work, federal-state funding split, and examples of fraud such as billing for services not provided or upcoding. The gaming division reported continued growth in charitable gaming and e-tabs, with members expressing concern about large trust-account balances, site competition, and possible misuse of proceeds. Finally, BCI outlined its caseload, cybercrime work, missing Indigenous persons task force, and the surge in CSAM cyber tips; members asked about AI-generated CSAM, and the AG’s office noted that last session’s law increased penalties and expressly allowed AI-generated CSAM to be prosecuted like other CSAM. No formal votes or actions were taken beyond approval of the minutes.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- need in education, those evaluations are expensive.
- So we need to think about wrapping up comments.
- A discussion much needed in terms of public education.
- They need to be included always at the table.
- They need to be included always at the table and we need to have metrics in place where they benefit.
Bills:
HB2
Keywords:
disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace, medical examiner, county judge, sheriff, mayor, emergency coordinator, emergency manager license, volunteer management system, volunteer registration, criminal history check, background check, Texas Division of Emergency Management
Summary:
The Senate Education K-16 Committee met to consider HB 2, the major school finance bill, with the chair explaining that the committee substitute would provide about $8 billion in new public education funding. The bill was described as including permanent teacher compensation increases, expanded teacher incentive allotment funding, support for early literacy and numeracy, teacher certification and residency pathways, special education funding, career and technical education, school safety dollars, and facilities support for charter schools. The committee adopted the committee substitute without objection after roll was called and a quorum was present.
Members questioned the bill’s structure, especially the balance between across-the-board teacher pay and the teacher incentive allotment, the treatment of uncertified teachers, and differences in requirements between traditional public schools and charter schools. Senator Menendez and Senator West raised concerns about equity, charter-school parity, facilities funding, inflation, and whether the bill should include more support for fine arts and extracurricular programs. The chair responded that the bill was designed to direct most new money to traditional public schools while also preserving flexibility and that charter-school and public-school alignment would need further work.
Invited witnesses Dr. Imelda De La Rosa and Val Acri testified in support of the bill, emphasizing that the Teacher Incentive Allotment helps recruit and retain teachers in rural districts and supports mentorship and certification pathways. Public witnesses also supported the bill but urged more funding for fine arts, local flexibility, and full restoration of House-proposed funding levels. Dr. Josh Jones supported year-long teacher residencies, Dr. Philip Morgan asked for more local control and restoration of fine arts funding, Rich Saina supported the bill but warned about hold-harmless reductions, and Dr. Greg Poole supported the bill while asking for flexibility for high-performing districts that already pay high salaries. After the invited testimony and some public testimony, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair so members could attend the Senate floor.
AL
Transcript Highlights:
- We need a quorum to get to the floor. We need a quorum to get to the floor.
- I need we need 63 votes to approve the I need we need 63 votes to approve the constitutional amendment
- We need need some give us some help. We need need some give us some help. We need some relief.
- You need to give it to the We need to submit it. We need to submit it. We need to submit it.
- So we need not only do we need business. So we need not only do we need business.
Keywords:
appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, state budget, mental health funding, education funding, infrastructure improvements, public safety, groundwater, water conservation, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, innovation fund, local conservation districts, transportation protection agreement, funeral services, insurance exemption
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Legislative Audit Commission - Evaluation Subcommittee 10/6/25
Transcript Highlights:
- need to be nominated by the LAC for action.
- our special review unit on that. our special review unit on that.
- reviews um don't necessarily and special reviews um don't necessarily need<00:26:03.039>
to <00 - review a number of irregularities. that we need to um I think it gets very that we need to um I think
- Uh do we need to >> All right. All right.
Summary:
The Legislative Audit Commission Evaluation Subcommittee met on October 6, 2025, to choose additional program evaluation topics for the Office of the Legislative Auditor. Deputy Legislative Auditor Jody Mson Rodriguez explained that the commission had previously selected seven topics from an initial list of 11, with background papers already prepared on five of those items, and that the subcommittee was now being asked to select five more topics for background papers before narrowing the full set to four recommendations later in the fall or early spring.
Members discussed several possible topics, especially emergency medical services, non-emergency medical transportation, MinnesotaCare eligibility, child care assistance, medical assistance fraud prevention, and U.S. Bank Stadium. David Kersner of OLA said emergency medical services and non-emergency medical transportation are distinct programs, and noted the EMS topic was evaluated in 2022 while non-emergency medical transportation had not been reviewed since 2011. Auditor Judy Randall said MinnesotaCare eligibility, child care assistance, and medical assistance fraud prevention are better suited to OLA’s financial audit division or special review unit rather than program evaluation, and that financial audits and special reviews do not require Legislative Audit Commission nomination.
On process, Mson Rodriguez said the subcommittee had already met its minimum required selections under the commission’s policy and was free to choose additional topics. The discussion also covered whether to broaden the stadium topic beyond U.S. Bank Stadium; staff said the U.S. Bank financing structure alone would be a major undertaking, but they could help craft a future topic focused on maintenance across multiple facilities. No final vote or motion was taken in the portion of the meeting provided, and the chair indicated the committee would continue nominations and discussion.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
Transcript Highlights:
- I need not go through the particulars of the bill.
- I don't need all three minutes.
- And this is where we need to focus our efforts.
- We need your help. Right at the buzzer, sir. Well done. We need your help.
- For a small special town meeting, it’s on the low end.
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held a hybrid hearing on bills related to land use, zoning, permitting, municipal governance, and homelessness. Early testimony focused on a home rule petition for Ipswich to remove a residency requirement for a town manager, with supporters saying it would broaden the applicant pool and help fill a vacant permanent manager position. Another panel backed legislation to change the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission’s governance so ratepayers in surrounding communities would have representation, arguing the current board structure leaves many users without a voice in rate-setting and capital decisions.
Several housing and zoning bills drew testimony. Senator Keenan and the Home Builders and Remodelers Association supported a bill to toll the one-year period for acting on a variance while an appeal is pending, saying appeals should not consume the time needed to implement approved projects. Representative Murray and the Real Estate Bar Association also testified on broader zoning reforms, including changes to undersized lots, merger rules, hearing deadlines, appeals, and variance standards; they argued the proposals would reduce delay and uncertainty and help housing production. Committee members questioned whether shifting zoning appeals from de novo to closed-record review would limit new evidence, and the witnesses said the change would speed cases while preserving limited opportunities to supplement the record.
The committee also heard testimony on bills to end the criminalization of homelessness. Representatives, advocates, and shelter organizations said local camping bans and fines are counterproductive, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision, and urged a statewide response centered on housing and public health rather than punishment. Other municipal bills included remote participation in open town meetings for Wayland and a statewide local option, Fairhaven and Mattapoisett charter changes, and Cambridge’s request to use automated parking enforcement and mail parking tickets. The hearing also included testimony supporting fairground zoning flexibility, a Shrewsbury solar siting bill, and an Inspector General bill clarifying county land disposition procedures by requiring written notice to DCAM and a defined response period. No votes were taken during the hearing.
AR
Transcript Highlights:
- There are questions that need to be asked.
- We need answers.
- We need answers from one person that knows, and I feel like the governor needs to compel him to come
- , refer it to special language.
- by Representative Underwood, special language, Senator Tucker, Senate Bill 77, has special language.
AZ
Transcript Highlights:
- Will they cut funding to support our community members with special needs and different abilities?
- We need to do it. We need to do it now. I call on the governor to sign this bill. I vote aye.
- Talk about putting food in people's mouths, the people who actually need it and need some help and need
- Need it and need some help and need a leg up, which we should be helping, right?
- I find it kind of laughable that we're talking about we need more money. We always need more money.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
- We need to go back and let the Congress know.
- We do need to know. Madam Chair, we asked you.
- We are going to ensure that the counties will have everything that they need to conduct a special election
- I think we need to we agree on that.
- We are closing education, so children that need special education.
AZ
Transcript Highlights:
- We need real solutions, not corner-cutting.
- We need real solutions, not corner-cutting. We need real solutions, not corner cutting.
- And we need energy.
- It does need to remain that way, and there are a lot of factors that also need to be addressed and are
- There's already a couple other going on in the country, but we need to have our—we need to be ready to
Bills:
HB2014, HB2055, HB2145, HB2150, HB2696, HB2755, HB2763, HB2781, HB2782, HB2787, HB2795, HB2889, HB2975, HB2985, HB2986, HCM2009, HCR2020, HCR2038
Keywords:
air emissions, fuel blends, environmental quality, feasibility study, Arizona Department of Agriculture, brackish groundwater, water supply development, desalination, Arizona Revised Statutes, water infrastructure, financial assistance, environmental reviews, fuel reformulation, gasoline standards, environmental regulations, ethanol supply, Air Quality, state land department, mineral lease, renewals
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
Balancing the Budget – Senator John Marty Mar 24th, 2025
Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- But when you have people with severe disabilities, students with special education needs, and a growing
- have special education needs, you have special education needs, you have growing<00:03:28.319>
- people need more help, not less. people need more help, not less.
- I want to avoid a special session. I want to make sure we get it done on time.
- I want to avoid a special session. I want to make sure we get it done on time.