Transcript Highlights:

• Once we have a finalized package, we will take that to the NMFA board for approval.
• Does that mean, Marquita, that we're looking at rules that we will approve at the next meeting?
• Our board will then review and approve. and then we'll bring it back to you.
• after the initial approval.
• I believe you put here approval, contractor bonding, or phased disbursements.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am the director of Workforce and Community Development for Operating Engineers Local 49.
• Uh, we're here today to talk about the Operating Engineer High School pathway program, a program that
• I am the director of Workforce and Community Development for Operating Engineers Local 49.
• Uh, we're here today to talk about the Operating Engineer High School pathway program, a program that
• Uh, we're here today to talk about the Operating Engineer High School pathway program, a program that

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But I understand the need for this, so I do approve it.
• if not do I have a motion to approve if not do I have a motion to approve both<01:11:00.080>
• <01:17:16.400> Services selection for these Engineering Services selection for these Engineering
• <01:17:34.360> of okay do I have a motion for approval of okay do I have a motion for approval
• have a motion for approval have a motion for approval a<01:49:53.199> motion<01:49:53.520

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first reorganized by electing Representative Hart as House co-chair and Senator Douglas as Senate co-chair by acclamation, then approved the December 10 minutes. It then took up deferred and routine contract items, beginning with a Council on Postsecondary Education item that was withdrawn after staff explained the contract had been canceled and should not have come before the committee because the granting authority, not CPE, was issuing it. The committee next reviewed a Department for Local Government contract tied to an Eastern Kentucky flood recovery housing project in Jackson. Members questioned the high per-unit cost and whether renovation was more expensive than new construction. Staff explained the cost included acquisition of an existing downtown building and needed water and sewer infrastructure upgrades, and said developable land was limited in the area. With no motion to object, the contract was allowed to move forward. The committee then considered Kentucky Transportation Cabinet professional services contracts for highway design work. Members asked about the size of the contracts and how much of the available funding is typically used; staff said the contracts are two-year agreements, that the prior cycle reached close to $2 million per contract, and that this year’s limits were reduced because less money is available in the Highway Plan. The committee also approved a PSC amendment contract for the Bridging Kentucky program after staff explained the $150 hourly loaded rate was within the normal range for consultants. Both Transportation Cabinet items were approved without objection. Finally, the committee heard a Kentucky Communications Network Authority contract for an $85,000 study of the dark fiber market. Members asked what dark fiber is, why the study was needed, whether there was coordination with the Office of Broadband Development, and whether existing service meant there was already a market. KCNA said dark fiber is unused fiber that local providers can light to deliver service, that the study was needed because the contractor said no market existed while ISPs said demand exists, and that the report would help both KCNA oversight and broadband development planning. The contract was reviewed without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's quite literally the engine that fuels economic activity for many, certainly throughout my district
• that fuels economic activity from It's quite literally the engine that fuels economic activity for many
• So, for instance, the budget that was approved by the House of Representatives increases minimum per-pupil
• Madam President, I ask for unanimous approval. Thank you so much.
• The ayes have it with unanimous approval. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Clear it on. Thank you.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate took up Senate House No. 4010, a fiscal year 2025 supplemental appropriations bill funded largely by surplus Fair Share revenues. The Ways and Means chair described the bill as a $1.28 billion package, with major investments in education and transportation, including special education circuit breaker aid, higher education deferred maintenance, career technical education capital grants, school construction relief, high-dosage tutoring, English language learning grants, MBTA reserve replenishment and safety training, commuter rail maintenance, Chapter 90 local road aid, regional transit authority support, ferry and micro-transit funding, and a small World Cup transportation appropriation. Members from both parties generally praised the bill’s one-time, regionally balanced approach while emphasizing fiscal discipline and the limited, surplus-based funding source. The minority leader and others questioned the fund balances and the use of the education and transportation innovation and capital fund, the Student Opportunity Act trust fund, and the transitional escrow account; the chair said the bill would zero out the innovation and capital fund, leave about $430 million in the SOA trust, and about $200 million in the escrow account. Several members highlighted specific priorities. Senator Cronin and Senator Feeney strongly supported the $100 million career technical education investment, arguing it would expand vocational opportunities in comprehensive high schools and help meet workforce needs. Senator Feeney also emphasized MBTA funding, special education, local road repairs, English language learning tied to workforce needs, and World Cup preparations in Foxborough. Senator Comerford praised the bill’s regional equity, higher education maintenance funding, special education support, and transportation investments, while also noting the need for broader future work on Chapter 70 and school finance. Senator Tarr supported the bill but repeatedly stressed that the spending was a unique one-time opportunity and that the Commonwealth should preserve fiscal reserves and continue to address school funding inequities and MBTA finances more broadly. The chamber then considered numerous amendments. Amendment 1 on tariff pricing transparency was withdrawn after brief remarks, and Amendment 14, proposing a DESE study on educational outcomes for young men and boys, was rejected. Amendment 182, funding Worcester Regional Transit Authority capital expenses, was adopted. Amendment 228, adding $500,000 for Free Period to expand access to menstrual products in schools, was adopted. Amendment 257, funding Springfield Public Schools communication and safety systems, was also adopted. Other amendments, including Tarr amendments on supplemental district aid, MBTA reporting, and the Foundation Budget Review Commission, were rejected. Amendment 308 concerning MBTA Communities and Milton was withdrawn, after which Senator Driscoll began a presentation arguing Milton was being misclassified under the MBTA Communities Act and should be treated fairly under the law.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are very happy that companies such as Maverick are finally getting their engineering, hopefully stamped
• There’s also a growth in engineering jobs, and I think students, especially at the high school level.
• The pamphlets or the packets on your desk, and we just need approval for that right away.
• We also have professional engineers on site for many projects, making sure that the projects are up to
• From one quarter mile to the next, it might be different jurisdictions. ...approving a right-of-way,

Transcript Highlights:

• for approval when there's a five-alarm fire.
• Speaker. approval when you got when there's a approval when you got when there's a five<00:50:20.079>
• >> Not the Army Corps of Engineers. We have EMA.
• well as the army core of engineer well as the army core of engineer because<01:08:10.960> with
• And then the next step once maybe approved, maybe not approved, maybe an extension is applied for...”

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the administrator for the Bureau of Traffic and State Traffic Engineer, formerly assistant state
• traffic engineer under Bill Amber. >> Just a couple things from the previous question.
• said that they didn't need engineer said that they didn't need traffic<03:26:08.880> signals<
• <03:26:27.359> and<03:26:27.520> traffic uh the engineering and traffic uh the engineering
• So we have done speed studies because we can do the engineering and traffic investigation starts with

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• DO HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE OPERATIONAL READINESS REVIEW PROCESS WHICH IS A FEDERAL REVIEW BY CMS TO APPROVE
• WE ARE ALSO EXPLORING THE OPTION TO MODERNIZE OUR EXISTING PLATFORM BY LEVERAGING A BUSINESS RULE ENGINE
• PROVE THAT YOU CAN GET IT TO BE COMPLIANT AND MEET THE MODERNIZATION EXPECTATIONS THAT THEY WOULD APPROVE
• MAKING SURE THE DELIVERABLE ISN'T APPROVED UNLESS IT MEETS THE QUALITY STANDARD BEFORE IT MOVES FORWARD
• WE'VE STREAMLINED THE DELIVERABLE REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS.

Transcript Highlights:

• Clearly maybe an engineer or something like that.
• So approving this bill would, as a matter of law, codify all those decisions.
• So approving this bill would, as a matter of law, codify all those decisions.
• So approving this bill would, as a matter of law, codify all those decisions.
• So approving this bill would, as a matter of law, codify all those decisions.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of for the rate that FEMA's approved of for the pads<00:35:04.079> for<00:35:04.320> the
• <00:35:13.200> those<00:35:13.440> rental approved FEMA rate for those rental approved
• <00:37:11.839> on see that mitigation has been approved on see that mitigation has been approved
• and construction of of some engineering and construction of of some kind<00:57:19.520> of<00:
• They work closely with the United States Corps of Engineers.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The first meeting of the Disaster Prevention and Resiliency Task Force focused on the task force’s mission and on recent Kentucky flooding disasters. The co-chairs described the need to better prepare for increasingly frequent and costly natural disasters, including flooding, tornadoes, wildfires, and ice storms, and emphasized coordination among local, state, federal, and interstate partners. The discussion also stressed the importance of budgeting for mitigation, infrastructure resilience, housing, insurance, and recovery planning, with several members sharing personal experiences with disaster impacts in their districts. Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson gave the main presentation, responding to questions about the February and April flooding events. He said the February event affected the entire state, with 11,825 individuals registering for assistance and 1,194 public-assistance projects written so far; he also reported 134 households still sheltered, 190 households moved to permanent housing, and three disaster recovery centers still open after a regional consolidation. For the April event, he said 37 counties had individual assistance, 83 counties were still pending public assistance, and no hazard mitigation had yet been declared; 5,893 people had registered for individual assistance, and 144 households were sheltered, with 83 families already moved to permanent solutions. He noted that counties without public assistance would have to cover expenses locally unless state or federal aid is approved. Gibson also outlined Kentucky Emergency Management’s tools and resources, including a 24/7 state operations center and warning point, embedded National Weather Service meteorologists, five regional warehouses stocked with water, MREs, blankets, and kits, a statewide web-based damage reporting system, laundry trailers, generators, a disaster needs hotline that has received 6,972 calls, and a mutual aid system used to deploy resources such as water tankers. He highlighted ongoing work on urban search and rescue, qualification systems for emergency operations personnel, and aerial documentation of storm damage. No votes or formal actions were taken at this meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• for the district before considering our plat for county approval once our plan is submitted.
• "We'll never approve your project; you ought to consider doing a solar farm."
• Number two, unrealistic plat approval requirements.
• ...our plat approval.
• We hope you will approve Senate Bill 3016 to prevent such blatant disregard for the laws passed by the

Bills: SB324, SB1978, SB2139, SB2401, SB2587, SB2610, SB2858, SB3016

Keywords: E-verify, employment verification, state contracts, immigration, labor compliance, ERCOT, Texas electric grid, interconnection, Public Utility Commission, PUC, Public convenience and necessity, electric cooperative, municipally owned utility, electric utility, transmission, generation facilities, grid reliability, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC, SERC

Transcript Highlights:

• The staff comments refer. to the important role that the legislature has in approving project funding
• We'll likely replace our existing process for approving things like IT projects over time.
• First one is the one that was just mentioned, was we laid out a new process for project approvals that
• Through the project approval life cycle, typically known as PAL, and this was done in January 2025.
• Proposition 2 was approved by California voters in November 2024 to authorize $10 billion in bonds for

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to follow the law, and importantly through unleashing American innovation and our economic growth engine
• actions related to Maryland's state implementation plan for the Clean Air Act. that are pending approval
• Thank you. 0% of chemicals approved within their statutory guideline.
• So by not approving them, we're out. They're actually really harming our environment.
• And for instance, the California waiver granting is similar to a SIP approval process.

Transcript Highlights:

• Pending in Congress for approval of those settlements.
• The State Engineer indicates to us that those, even if they happen before the settlement is approved
• The Engineer and Mr.
• Line 123, State Engineers. Sorry, Mr. Chair and Representative Lujan.
• I asked the two of them, does that mean not upon approval but in consultation they shall approve?

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, I'd like to make a motion to approve the minutes.
• Part of the issue, the reason it's so long, which will be touched on later, is the need for more engineers
• We have hired two additional engineering firms, so now we have three different engineers working on this
• that the Association was doing, but also the capital outlay that you run through ISC, the Corps of Engineers

Transcript Highlights:

• He's a professional engineer, real estate developer in New Jersey, and being in New Jersey, I'm sure
• together for 41 years, ever since we met at Villanova University, where I was studying to be an engineer
• Just recently the State Department announced that they'd approved the sale of 200 Tomahawk land-attack
• My other background, though, really, is an engineer, and I do think the engineering kind of mindset of

Keywords: diplomatic nominations, foreign policy, ambassadors, U.S.-European relations, Bilateral relationships, security, trade

Summary: The meeting focused primarily on diplomatic nominations, featuring discussions about the implications of these roles on U.S. foreign policy. Notable was the introduction of nominees for key ambassadorial positions, including ambassadors to the Dominican Republic, France, and the Netherlands. Senator Shaheen emphasized the importance of U.S.-European relations, particularly in light of current global challenges, while other members voiced their concerns regarding the nominees’ qualifications and the impact on bilateral relationships. Public support for these nominations was evident, as was the committee's commitment to fostering stronger connections with allied nations, particularly in addressing security and trade issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I ask you today to unanimously approve AB 283. Thank you. Thank you.
• Neal, representing the County of Contra Costa and the County of Lake and the American Council of Engineering
• Neal, representing the County of Contra Costa and the County of Lake and the American Council of Engineering
• Neal representing the County of Contra Costa and the County of Lake and the American Council of Engineering
• Aaron Reed and Associates, representing the California Association of Hybrid Patrolmen, Professional Engineers

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement met for its first hearing of the session, adopted committee rules, and heard several labor-related bills. The chair reviewed hearing procedures, including limits on testimony and expectations for orderly conduct. Members then took up measures affecting public employee bargaining, contracting, confidentiality, school employee benefits, pay stub information, and state correctional health staffing. AB 672 would require public employers to notify PERB when filing court actions involving statutes PERB administers and allow PERB to intervene; it drew support from SEIU, AFSCME, school employees, labor groups, and no opposition, and was passed out of committee. AB 283 would move IHSS bargaining from the county to the state level; providers and recipients testified about low wages, long delays in bargaining, and care access concerns, while counties and public authorities raised cost, scope, and implementation issues. The bill passed 7-0 after members discussed family care worker concerns and the author said he would continue working on the issue. AB 339 would require local governments to give unions 120 days’ notice before contracting out bargaining-unit work. Labor supporters said the bill would make existing meet-and-confer rights meaningful and protect jobs, while counties, cities, special districts, chambers of commerce, and staffing groups argued it would burden local agencies and interfere with existing MMBA procedures. The committee also heard AB 340, which would make communications between employees and union representatives confidential for PERB purposes; supporters said it codified existing case law, while school administrators, special districts, counties, and business groups warned it could hinder investigations. AB 378 would extend the classified school employees summer assistance program to JPA employees, and AB 374 would require more detailed pay stubs for classified school employees; both had labor support and some education-sector opposition over implementation and cost concerns, and both advanced. AB 393 would require cost analyses before contracting out physician work at CDCR and the Department of State Hospitals; supporters argued the state was overpaying contractors amid high vacancy rates, and the bill also advanced. At the end of the hearing, the committee recorded final votes showing AB 283, AB 340, AB 374, AB 378, AB 393, and AB 672 all passing out of committee, while AB 339 remained on hold with a 4-0 vote and some members not voting.

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, only require graduate degree jobs or engineer jobs.
• So I, like, respectfully, I actually beg you to please not approve this.
• As a retired systems engineer, a PhD systems engineer, I am confident that this legislation will curtail
• The history of these weapons is that they were engineered for combat.
• These weapons put battle... engineered for combat.

Bills: SB48, HB250, SB17

Keywords: State Fairgrounds District, fairgrounds bonds, public financing, bond authorization, gross receipts tax, gaming tax, tax-backed bonds, infrastructure funding, Albuquerque fairgrounds, State Fair Tid, economic development, municipal bonds, revenue pledge, capital projects, New Mexico finance, technology, innovation, advisory board, entrepreneurial support, stakeholder representation

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh then all in favor of approval of the A2 amendment, please say I. >> I. >> Any opposed?
• All in favor of approval of the A1 amendment as amended, please say I. >> I. >> Any opposed?
• the A2 amendment, please say approval of the A2 amendment, please say I.
• <00:31:02.640> They electricians and um engineering.
• They electricians and um engineering.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:26:03.199> from the department obtain approval from the department obtain approval from
• some adjustments within our engineer some adjustments within our engineer positions<02:21:08.520
• <02:21:26.160> um retain uh qualified Engineers um retain uh qualified Engineers um planning
• program manager for airport engineering.
• engineering.

Keywords: 912, senate, all