Transcript Highlights:

• As you mentioned earlier, Chair, if you can't measure it, you can't monitor it.
• under EPSDT and patients with disabilities whose dental needs commonly require the administration of monitored
• We enjoy that fight, and we self-monitor ourselves on that timeliness of claims.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services heard a base budget overview for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which was presented as a $46.8 billion starting point for the silo. Staff explained that HHS accounts for about half of the state base budget and roughly 36% of general revenue, with AHCA and Medicaid making up the largest share. The committee then reviewed the PACE program for the elderly, including its eligibility, service model, growth in applications, slot funding and reversions, and the agency’s plan to move from the federal three-way agreement to a more detailed two-party contract to improve accountability, transparency, and reporting. Members raised concerns about unfilled slots, reversions, rural access, and the need for clearer return-on-investment data; the agency said it would follow up on some of those questions. The committee also heard from the Agency for Persons with Disabilities on its statewide dental program. APD described its history of appropriations, the failed January 2024 solicitation, and a new up-to-$11.5 million solicitation focused on preventive care, community partnerships, teledentistry, and coordination with other services. Members questioned overlap with Medicaid dental coverage, the effect of Medicaid unwinding on APD clients, and whether state dollars were duplicating federally supported services; APD said it tries to act as payer of last resort and that services would continue during procurement. Public testimony from an APD stakeholder and the Florida Dental Association emphasized Medicaid eligibility problems for waiver recipients, low reimbursement rates, limited access to anesthesia and hospital-based dental care, and concerns that proposed Medicaid changes could reduce access for special-needs patients. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs then presented on state veterans service officers and benefits assistance. FDVA highlighted its role in helping veterans access federal benefits, reporting about $27.9 billion in federal dollars flowing into Florida and a high return on state investment. The department said it has increased outreach, claims processing, and services, and has trained staff to identify mental health concerns through its Overwatch program. In response to questions, FDVA discussed plans to expand adult day health care at a new veterans nursing home and possibly at existing locations with additional state funding. At the end of the meeting, the committee completed its presentations and adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• So like in, I don't—his name is Kurt Staferon, I think, with the North Dakota Monitor.
• Risks needing time to mitigate require continuous monitoring, and that's what we do at NDIT through a
• And then once we go live, continuous monitoring. We don't forget about it.
• We have to keep monitoring. It's a living, breathing document, frankly, just with everything.
• We have to keep monitoring.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Another thing: the ankle monitor. There's no set limit on how long it can be on.
• this would create hearings, termination hearings, non-compliance hearings, appeals, and monthly monitoring
• It offers evidence-based court-monitored with and promotes.
• It offers evidence-based court-monitored ...really addresses this gap.
• It offers an evidence-based, court-monitored framework for medication in the outpatient setting, in unlocked

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a lengthy hearing on several juvenile justice and parole-related bills, with much of the testimony focused on H. 2051/S. 1087 to end lifetime parole for juveniles and emerging adults, and H. 1923 to raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to include 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds. Chairs Brandy Fluker-Reid and Lydia Edwards opened the hearing by noting the large number of bills and witnesses, the need to keep testimony moving, and special procedures for incarcerated witnesses and sensitive testimony. They also acknowledged the historic nature of the hearing being chaired by two Black women attorneys. No votes were taken during the hearing itself. Many incarcerated speakers and advocates supported ending lifetime parole, arguing that young people can change, that lifetime supervision creates constant fear of technical violations, and that it undermines rehabilitation, family stability, employment, and reintegration. Several testified about their own trauma, youth, and growth in prison programs, while others emphasized the costs of decades of supervision and the racial disparities in the system. Support also came from elected officials, UTEC, the Transformational Prison Project, United Way, CPCS’s Youth Advocacy Division, the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, and others, who said juvenile systems are better suited to developmentally appropriate treatment and that the bills would improve public safety and reduce recidivism. There was also opposition, including testimony from family members of a murder victim who argued that lifetime parole should remain for serious violent crimes and that some offenders are not sufficiently rehabilitated. One virtual witness described a family tragedy involving the kidnapping and murder of her infant nephew and warned that ending lifetime parole could remove needed long-term supervision for dangerous offenders. In addition to the juvenile justice bills, the committee heard testimony on H. 1867, a bill related to continuing care for severe mental illness, and H. 2063, which would increase penalties for assaults on correction officers and other prison staff; the correction officers’ union supported H. 2063 and related safety bills. The hearing continued with many more witnesses and bill topics, but no final committee action was announced in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And again, we have mechanisms in place to monitor that spend to make sure that all of the subrecipients
• And again, we have mechanisms in place And again, we have mechanisms in place to<00:13:51.400> monitor
• that spend to make sure that to monitor that spend to make sure that all<00:13:53.880> of<00:
• Those are all monitored and all responded to.
• um and all Um those are all monitored um and all responded<01:04:15.080> to.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those two are being monitored for a period of about 66 months for remdesivir and 65 months for the COVID
• 29.839> period<00:49:30.079> of<00:49:30.240> about<00:49:31.200> 66 monitored
• for a period of about 66 monitored for a period of about 66 months months months uh<00:49:33.520>
• of vaccines out there that that have of vaccines out there that that have been<01:09:46.000> monitored
• for only a few days or a been monitored for only a few days or a few<01:09:48.560> months<01:

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The New Hampshire House Special Committee on the COVID Response Efficacy met to continue its fact-finding review of the state’s pandemic response, with the chair restating the committee’s mission and focus on federal guidance, federal funding, emergency use authorization vaccination efforts, long COVID, patient rights, and vaccination policies. The chair said the committee had previously reviewed materials about the U.S. Supreme Court declining to hear a COVID vaccine case and CDC internal emails about vaccine risks, and introduced additional research on CDC testing and communications failures. A large portion of the meeting was devoted to summarizing articles and a recent U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report titled *Unmasked: How Biden Health Officials Purposely Turned a Blind Eye Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Signals*. The chair argued that CDC testing and guidance were flawed, citing delayed data publication, confusing guidance, a faulty early COVID test, missed opportunities to study silent spread, and alleged suppression of safety information. The Senate report was described as alleging that FDA and CDC officials knew their surveillance systems could mask vaccine safety signals, that officials discouraged internal analysis from being shared externally, and that newer analytical methods identified multiple statistically significant adverse-event signals. The chair also discussed the V-safe system, VAERS, and claims that federal officials downplayed or concealed adverse-event data. Members and the chair connected these federal issues to New Hampshire, noting changes in the state’s health care landscape since the pandemic, including more urgent care facilities and satellite ERs. The chair suggested New Hampshire should develop independent scientific assessment resources to validate federal information in future emergencies. Representative Wheeler noted that the materials would be entered into the committee record and made available on the House website. No votes were taken; the committee discussed the materials, invited further questions, and indicated that a proposed committee communication would be revisited later after additional supporting information is gathered, with a goal of issuing a statement by the end of June.

Transcript Highlights:

• Does this, uh, allow us to monitor the same way that the federal program would have been monitoring them
• ,<00:11:02.000> allow<00:11:02.480> us<00:11:02.680> to<00:11:02.800> monitor
• <00:11:03.360> the Does this, uh, allow us to monitor the Does this, uh, allow us to monitor
• > them,<00:11:05.600> or<00:11:05.760> is<00:11:05.880> this have been monitoring
• them, or is this have been monitoring them, or is this just<00:11:06.200> a<00:11:06.240>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The court didn't really have avenues for monitoring or supervising what was happening with them in that
• and the competency attainment board was to be able to have an individual who could provide that monitoring
• for monitoring or supervising what<00:30:30.399> was<00:30:30.640> happening<00:30:30.960
• <00:30:50.320> and<00:30:50.640> assistance provide that monitoring and assistance
• provide that monitoring and assistance and<00:30:51.440> make<00:30:51.600> sure<00:30:

Bills: HF2825

Keywords: expungement, criminal justice, background check, security industry, private detective, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• But are we monitoring anything on the back end to see how that plays out?
• So, yes, we want to monitor that and look at that frequently.
• We've also been monitoring expenses for the program.
• They have contracts with providers to set the meal rates, and we have been monitoring those meal rates
• We've also been monitoring expenses for the program.

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call- 00:00:01 SERVS Informational Update- 00:01:22 Child Removal and Reunification Update: Department for Community Based Services Financials- 00:03:00 Small Business Sales Tax Websites: Department of Revenue-00:28:05 Senior Citizen Meal Programs: Department for Aging and Independent Living-00:35:50 Adjournment-01:41:57, 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from the September 11 meeting by motion and voice vote. It then received a brief update on the statewide emergency responder voice system, but no presenter was present. The chair said he expected a more substantive update in November and warned that if there is not real progress on acquiring needed private properties, the committee may consider further action, including possibly freezing funding. The main discussion centered on the Department for Community Based Services’ child removal and reunification work and its structured decision-making tools. Commissioner Lisa Dennis and General Counsel Wesley Duke explained that the intake, safety, and risk assessment tools are being used at very high rates and that the department is still implementing and evaluating the system. Dennis said the tools are meant to inform, not replace, professional judgment; when staff disagree with a recommendation, the worker and first-line supervisor consult and decide together. Members questioned whether the system favors keeping children in the home, whether the department has studied safety outcomes for in-home cases versus removals, and whether foster home shortages affect removal decisions. Dennis said child safety remains the top priority, that the practice has not changed, and that the department would provide additional data on outcomes later. Members also asked about permanency timelines and delays in termination of parental rights cases; Dennis said federal timelines are difficult to meet because of family progress, substance use recovery, and court delays, and she confirmed foster parent shortages were not the reason for those delays. The committee then heard a presentation from the Department of Revenue on the new My Taxes portal. Staff said the portal, launched in March, replaced DOR’s portion of the old Kentucky One Stop Business Portal and now allows businesses to file and pay multiple taxes, update account information, and receive official notices. They reported the system is available 24/7 except for scheduled maintenance every other Thursday evening, has maintained over 99% availability since launch, and now has a dedicated contact center with 50 agents plus a public help line and email. In response to questions, the department said early downtime was caused by unexpectedly high traffic, but server capacity was increased and in the last three months there had been only one day of unexpected downtime.

Transcript Highlights:

• So these folks would actually be monitored at home by the Department of Corrections, Division of Field
• So these uh these folks would actually<00:06:20.560> be<00:06:20.800> monitored<00:06:21.280
• at home by the actually be monitored at home by the Department<00:06:22.800> of<00:06:22.960>
• And in fact, there was one in the Concord Monitor just today. Allegations from 2009 to 2011.
• conquered monitor just today. conquered monitor just today.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Lastly, I wanted to tell you that in my monitoring of these chats, I feel like it's a very serious public
• Lastly, I wanted to tell you that in my monitoring of these chats, I feel like it's a very serious public
• know that over the the past few years, know that over the the past few years, I've<01:16:45.280> monitored
• 46.960> board<01:16:48.159> um<01:16:48.320> in<01:16:48.640> a I've monitored
• a message board um in a I've monitored a message board um in a um<01:16:51.120> in<01:16:51.360

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Obviously, those things are being monitored.
• So it's something we're monitoring, but no, not something we've put anything in reserves to address.
• This bill increases penalties for removing an electronic monitoring device and changes the process for
• Speaker this bill increases penalties for removing electronic monitoring device and changes the process
• Line 24: If somebody fails to charge their electronic monitor, would that be considered?

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the pledge, quorum call, and several recognitions, including guests for Education and Sharing Day, law enforcement officer of the day Detective Miata Anderson, and later FAMU Day at the Capitol and other visiting groups. The chamber adopted the special order report and then moved through a series of budget-related bills and conforming measures, with debate focused largely on recurring funding, environmental programs, housing, insurance reserves, and tax policy. Members approved HB 5011/SB 2506, which conform environmental resource funding to the proposed budget by shifting Seminole Gaming Compact-related dollars from recurring to nonrecurring funding; supporters said this preserves annual legislative review, while opponents warned it would reduce funding for the Resilient Florida program, wildlife corridor protection, invasive species removal, and other conservation efforts. The House then passed HB 5013, reducing state-funded property reinsurance reserves by lowering the RAP program and repealing FORA funding, and HB 5501, which redirects documentary stamp tax revenues from housing and transportation trust funds to general revenue; Democrats argued the housing changes would reduce affordable housing support, while Republicans said the move was needed to control recurring spending. The chamber also passed HB 5015 on state group insurance, HB 5201 on Florida PALM accounting conforming changes, HB 5203 on Capitol Center tenancy and utilities control, and HB 5009 creating a Florida Accountability Office and revising audit and budgeting functions. The most extended debate came on HB 7031, which permanently reduces the state sales tax rate from 6% to 5.25% and also lowers several related tax rates. Supporters described it as broad-based, immediate tax relief for Floridians, while opponents said property tax relief would be more targeted and that sales tax cuts also benefit tourists and out-of-state visitors. The bill passed 112-0. The House then took up the main budget bill, HB 501, and subcommittee chairs outlined the proposed $112.9 billion budget, including education, health care, transportation, agriculture and natural resources, higher education, state administration, justice, and IT spending. Members began questioning the pre-K-12 budget on school funding, vouchers, proration, mental health and safety allocations, and inflation, with the discussion continuing beyond the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:30:27.720> change<00:30:28.120> es focusing on uh uh monitoring change es focusing
• on uh uh monitoring change es in<00:30:28.279> the<00:30:28.360> healthcare<00:30:28.919
• But there was a lump in my breast, and I did have to go through years of monitoring.
• <01:25:19.520> and<01:25:19.639> I go through years of monitoring and I go through
• years of monitoring and I think<01:25:19.960> about<01:25:20.199> the<01:25:20.360>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• DHS takes seriously our responsibility to monitor for non-compliance and prevent, detect, and investigate
• seriously our law DHS takes seriously our responsibility<00:03:15.799> to<00:03:16.000> monitor
• <00:03:16.680> for responsibility to monitor for responsibility to monitor for non-compliance
• And in closing, I just want to reiterate that DHS remains committed to our responsibility for monitoring
• our responsibility for monitoring our responsibility for monitoring non-compliance<01:35:40.639>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And the way that we monitor that is something that we provide updates on twice a year through the budget
• 01:02:07.559> something<01:02:07.839> that<01:02:08.000> we<01:02:08.640> Monitor
• <01:02:09.039> and that is something that we Monitor and that is something that we Monitor
• Chair, Senator Pratt, MMB generally, as a part of our role monitoring the state finances, we have a team
• the state finances we role monitoring the state finances we have<01:04:27.279> a<01:04:27.440

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the fiscal note process, prompted by concerns raised in a prior hearing about the fiscal note for the Paid Family and Medical Leave law. Chair Marty, Senator Pratt, and Senator Wiklund said the goal was not to revisit the bill itself but to strengthen understanding of fiscal note standards, the role of the Legislative Budget Office (LBO), and communication with agencies. They emphasized bipartisan concern that fiscal notes must be respected and that the process should be clearer going forward. Christian Larison of the LBO explained that the 2024 fiscal note issues stemmed from three main problems: choosing the proper baseline for a program that had not yet started, interpreting the seven-day qualifying event/waiting period, and determining whether DEED could adjust the first-year premium rate. He said the LBO, DEED, MMB, and House fiscal staff ultimately used the October 2023 actuarial analysis as the baseline because it was the most recent and likely most accurate estimate, but that choice meant the fiscal note did not show the difference from the 2023 enacted budget. He also described how DEED later interpreted the seven-day provision as a waiting period and how the premium-rate assumptions affected the fiscal impact. Larison outlined possible responses, including more assertive early communication from the LBO, providing more detailed analysis in unusual cases, and possibly creating a working group through the LBO Oversight Commission to consider new standards for substantial assumption changes, complex new programs, and third-party actuarial work. He also noted the LBO has authority to issue unapproved fiscal notes if standards are not met, though it has not used that authority. In questions, Senator Murphy asked about protecting the credibility of fiscal notes, and Larison said maintaining independence, objectivity, and consistent standards is central to the LBO’s role. No votes or formal actions were taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• strategically address poor conditions through education citations while keeping animals in place and monitoring
• An amendment like this would allow us a little bit more teeth to continue to monitor, and hopefully the
• owners would make changes with monetary violations. ...to monitor, and hopefully the owners would make
• However, in practice, enforcement has proven difficult due to vague definitions and complex monitoring

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a lengthy hybrid hearing of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, with testimony spanning local board training, animal welfare and enforcement, municipal charters, water district dissolution, and other home rule matters. Chairs Rausch and Lewis set strict time limits because of the large number of speakers and explained that written testimony would also be accepted. Members heard from local officials, advocates, municipal employees, and residents, with many bills receiving broad support from municipal and advocacy witnesses. Several speakers supported bills requiring or expanding training for local boards and commissions, including pre-service training for planning, zoning, and other land use boards. Supporters said training would help volunteers understand complex laws, improve consistency, reduce legal challenges, and speed up housing and development decisions. Related testimony also backed a bill to modernize historic district commissions and another to allow associate planning board members to serve more broadly when needed to maintain quorums. A major portion of the hearing focused on animal legislation. Witnesses supported bills to expand citations for cruel conditions beyond dogs, update dangerous dog procedures, improve animal health inspections and breeder oversight, strengthen tethering rules, and protect pet consumers. Animal control officers, humane organizations, and some victims of dog attacks described enforcement gaps and the need for clearer standards, while several dog trainers and the American Kennel Club opposed parts of the dangerous dog bill and tethering restrictions, arguing they would limit humane training tools and professional discretion. The committee also heard strong support for a bill to create a statewide pet shop and consumer protection framework. The committee also heard testimony on several local home rule petitions. Medford officials and residents strongly supported a new city charter that would replace the current at-large council with ward-based representation and periodic charter review. Wayland representatives supported a bill to preserve the library’s Millennium Fund as intended, Cambridge officials backed creation of an employment and job training trust, and Carver officials supported dissolving the North Carver Water District due to compliance and financial problems. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair repeatedly invited written testimony and follow-up materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• The EPA quality monitors in Massachusetts currently assign a 17 to Springfield, as compared to a 24 for
• I'm a Newton resident, and I'm also an appointed member of Newton's commission that monitors waste disposal
• part-time as a research fellow with the Conservation Law Foundation and with their group that just monitors
• part-time as a research fellow with the Conservation Law Foundation and with their group that just monitors

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused mainly on two subjects: expansion of the Massachusetts bottle bill and bills to remove woody biomass from state clean-energy and greenhouse-gas programs. On the bottle bill, supporters from municipal, environmental, public health, and local government groups argued that the 5-cent deposit is outdated, redemption rates have fallen, and expanding coverage to more beverage containers—especially water, sports drinks, and small alcohol bottles—would reduce litter, cut plastic waste and microplastics, and save cities and towns money. Several speakers also backed raising handling fees for retailers and redemption centers, and some supported restoring a Clean Environment Fund so unclaimed deposits would support recycling-related purposes. Opponents, including the Massachusetts Beverage Association and the National Waste and Recycling Association, argued that curbside recycling and transfer-station systems are more convenient, that the targeted containers are valuable to local recycling programs, and that the proposal would shift costs onto consumers and municipalities. Committee members questioned witnesses about redemption rates, handling fees, the 2014 ballot question, and whether the bill had changed from prior sessions. The biomass portion drew strong support from Springfield officials, state legislators, environmental advocates, and public health groups. They said woody biomass should not count as clean energy because burning wood produces particulate pollution and carbon emissions, and they warned that current law contains a loophole that could help finance the proposed Palmer Renewable Energy biomass plant in Springfield. Witnesses emphasized Springfield’s air-quality and asthma burdens, the public health impacts of PM2.5, and the need to close the loophole before a January 1, 2026 deadline. One forest-industry witness supported a separate bill promoting modern wood heat with pollution controls, arguing it is cleaner than older wood systems and has minimal ratepayer cost, while noting that those credits would be affected if the governor’s broader energy affordability bill repeals the alternative energy portfolio standard. No votes were taken during the hearing. The chairs managed testimony by alternating between the bottle bill and biomass topics, asking speakers to keep remarks brief and to note when they agreed with prior testimony. Several legislators also testified in support of the bills, and committee members asked follow-up questions on deposit levels, retailer handling fees, recycling economics, and the public-health rationale for the biomass restrictions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 13-3828.0, appropriating monies relating to sex offender monitoring
• It specifies that the electronic monitoring may only happen if there was a felony domestic violence and
• Transportation, and Technology, having had under consideration SB 1654 relating to appropriations and point monitoring
• Relating to appropriations and point monitoring elections, the filing report your committee recommends

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They have an ankle monitor on or they're under community corrections or something of that nature.
• They have<00:30:18.000> an<00:30:18.159> ankle<00:30:18.480> monitor<00:30:18.799
• > on<00:30:19.039> or<00:30:19.200> they're have an ankle monitor on or they're
• have an ankle monitor on or they're under<00:30:19.600> community<00:30:19.919> corrections

Bills: HB41, HB149, SB230, SB87, SB169, SB238, SB233, HB72, HB41, HB149, SB230, SB87, SB169, SB238, SB233, HB72

Keywords: sexual offenses, penalties, rape, sodomy, criminal justice, Judicial Branch, Alabama State Bar, legal profession, commissioners, government agency, campaign finance, security measures, candidates, elected officials, legislative protection, civil procedure, statute of limitations, real estate appraisers, legal complaints, appraisal board

Transcript Highlights:

• here is that while the General Assembly will define, study, fund, and determine what adequacy is and monitor
• There's also the requirement that the state has to assess, evaluate, and monitor the entire spectrum
• of public education. ...that the state has to assess, evaluate, and monitor the entire spectrum of public
• That's something that the adequacy study is continually monitoring and looking at: do we need to change

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and then shifted to an update from Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva and Deputy Commissioner Stacey Smith on early childhood education, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. They said Arkansas had received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ABC as a large state program with about 23,800 funded slots and roughly $114 million in annual appropriations. Department officials said they are reviewing slot allocations because about 1,000 seats are funded but unfilled, while more than 2,000 families are on waiting lists, and they plan to reduce or reallocate slots from providers that have not filled them over several years. They also said they are examining whether income thresholds, curriculum expectations, daily rates, and summer programming should be updated, and members raised concerns about access, local control, transportation, and whether the program should better align with K-12 choice and school readiness goals. The committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee and asked the Bureau of Legislative Research to help gather historical data and other information for future discussion. The committee then received a legal presentation from BLR attorney Taylor Lloyd on the constitutional and statutory framework for education adequacy in Arkansas. She reviewed the Dupree and Lake View cases, explaining that the state must maintain a general, suitable, and efficient system of free public schools, and that adequacy and equity are distinct but related concepts. She emphasized that the General Assembly is responsible for defining adequacy, studying whether the system meets that standard, and reacting to the evidence, while the courts ultimately decide constitutional compliance. Lloyd also explained the current adequacy definition, the role of the matrix as a funding tool rather than a spending mandate, and the distinction between unrestricted foundation funding and restricted categorical funding. BLR’s Elizabeth Bynum followed with a historical overview of how Arkansas responded to the court cases and developed the current adequacy process. She traced major legislative actions from the 1980s through the Lake View litigation, including the creation of funding formulas, categorical aid, isolated funding, declining enrollment funding, and the 2003-2004 adequacy study that led to the Continuing Adequacy Evaluation Act and the matrix used to set foundation funding. She also described later changes to the adequacy statute, the financial reporting requirements for districts, and the ongoing use of surveys, stakeholder testimony, and consultant studies in the biennial adequacy process. Members asked questions about whether private or homeschool programs could use public funds for expenses like utilities, whether stakeholders should include those groups, the difference between average daily membership and attendance, and whether school board members are surveyed; staff said those issues would need further research or were outside the scope of the presenters’ role.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then from there, we're going to go into kind of a monitoring and measuring mode for a short period
• into<00:14:13.519> kind<00:14:13.680> of<00:14:13.760> a<00:14:13.920> monitoring
• <00:14:14.399> and<00:14:14.560> measuring into kind of a monitoring and measuring
• into kind of a monitoring and measuring mode<00:14:15.120> for<00:14:15.360> a<00:14:15.519

Keywords: 1:00 Roll Call 2:38 Overview of Citizen Identity Security and Threat Reduction 9:36 Identity Solution and Casts 13:51 System Application and Discovery Issues 21:31 Staffing and Timelines 29:14 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Personnel, Public Retirement, and Finance received a presentation from Jim Barnhard, CIO of the Commonwealth Office of Technology, and David Carter, deputy CIO/CISO, on the state’s citizen identity management project. They said the project is intended to streamline citizen logins across agencies, reduce duplicated identity-management costs, improve security by centralizing authentication, and provide a flexible system that can scale with demand. The presenters described major implementation challenges, including integrating with diverse and legacy applications, and said the chosen software-as-a-service vendor was selected because it can connect to many systems and maintain the service in a federally certified cloud environment. The presenters emphasized that the project scope is limited to login, authentication, identity management, and identity proofing, while leaving authorization decisions to the individual applications and agencies. They said the work is being done in phases, beginning with discovery sessions with agencies, then selecting representative applications for onboarding rather than attempting a “big bang” rollout. They also said the vendor agreement includes professional services and knowledge transfer to reduce long-term dependence on outside support, and that the state has already begun outreach to agencies, including initial work with the Finance Cabinet and the Department of Revenue. Members asked about staffing, current spending, future costs, and whether existing systems or contracts could be reduced. The presenters said the project is being supported with existing staff, with no expectation of a large increase in positions, and that the vendor will carry most of the operational load. They said they did not have statewide spending figures with them but could try to gather them, and explained that the negotiated pricing is intended to be all-inclusive, with fixed costs for the first five years and capped increases in years six and seven. They said centralizing identity services should eventually allow the Commonwealth to stand down some duplicated agency-level licensing and reduce overall operational costs.