Transcript Highlights:

• <00:16:55.400> Are Commerce and Economic Development.
• Are Commerce and Economic Development.
• <00:17:57.640> Development,<00:17:58.200> be Commerce and Economic Development, be
• <00:18:39.760> Members,<00:18:40.680> at and Economic Development.
• Members, at and Economic Development.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House first took up Senate Bill 214, relating to pre-kindergarten education in geographically isolated school districts. After third reading, the chamber voted by voice to pass the bill in concurrence. The House then recessed briefly before returning to Senate Bill 326, a motor vehicle bill with several proposed amendments. On S. 326, the House adopted an amendment from Representative Burke clarifying that the DMV could not use the bill to change emissions-inspection rules. It then adopted an amendment from Representative Tomlinson adding a website-based public notice step to the abandoned-vehicle process, intended to supplement certified-mail notice and help owners protect their property; the committee reported support for the change, and the DMV testified in favor. Representative Noise then offered an amendment to move non-commercial vehicle inspections to every other year while keeping annual emissions compliance unless federal approval is obtained, but after explaining the proposal, he asked leave to withdraw it, and no objection was made. The House then passed S. 326 in concurrence with proposal of amendment and suspended the rules to message its action to the Senate forthwith. Finally, the House considered House Bill 674, relating to the Vermont Sister State Program. On a procedural motion, the chamber voted to commit the bill to the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development. A member asked whether the referral was intended to fix the bill or delay it, and the chair said the committee was working on another way to address the governor’s concerns and would revisit the issue the next day. The House then recessed until 3:30 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• But we as a family, we're looking at it as an economic development opportunity, so.
• And the second thing I wanted to say, and I'm glad you brought up economic development, it goes all through
• The paradigm of economic development, not just in New Mexico, it's kind of the paradigm everywhere, is
• And I think a paradigm shift with economic development where we start incorporating housing is necessary
• So from an economic development standpoint, I'm glad we're finally starting to have conversations about

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a very exciting for Minnesota, all our producers, such great economic development for our state
• and can spur significant Economic and can spur significant Economic Development<00:27:00.159>
• A recent economic study found that developing a robust sustainable aviation fuel industry can increase
• A recent economic study found that developing a robust sustainable aviation fuel industry can increase
• The race is on, and Minnesota cannot lose out on this important economic development opportunity.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• mobility and economic self-sufficiency on hold, right?
• DL was required to develop and submit a budget amendment for approval.
• So they've got a little bit more skin in the game. services and toward economic self-sufficiency.
• DEL developed rule and corresponding guidance for implementation of the SR Plus program.
• self-sufficiency and economic mobility.

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met with a quorum and focused on School Readiness, specifically the new provider reimbursement rates and the School Readiness Plus program. The chair gave an overview of how School Readiness is funded and administered, noting that the Legislature now sets county-based reimbursement rates using market and cost data, and that School Readiness Plus was created to help families who would otherwise fall off the subsidy “cliff” at 85% of state median income by extending assistance up to 100% of state median income. Panelists from the Children’s Forum, the Association of Early Learning Coalitions, and the Division of Early Learning described the programs as major workforce and family-support tools that help parents stay employed and help providers recruit and retain qualified staff. Testimony emphasized that higher reimbursement rates increase parental choice, help providers cover rising child care costs, and support better staffing and lower turnover. The panel also said School Readiness Plus is easing the pressure on families to turn down raises or promotions for fear of losing child care assistance, though uptake is still early because the program only began in late 2024 and is only available to current School Readiness families at redetermination. The Division of Early Learning reported about 275 children enrolled in School Readiness Plus as of March 10, with expenditures of about $161,420 through January 2025, and said participation is increasing. Members asked about the federal-state funding split, wait lists, reverted funds, coalition accountability, county-based rate differences, and whether the entrance eligibility threshold should be raised or shifted to state median income. The panel said roughly 70% of School Readiness funding is federal, about 4% has typically reverted in recent years, and the wait list is around 12,000 children, with reasons including income ineligibility, lack of available seats, and funding limits. They argued that raising the entrance threshold would expand access but would require additional funding, and they also discussed the need to reduce workforce barriers such as in-person testing and training requirements. The meeting ended with no formal action beyond the presentation and member discussion, and the subcommittee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our chamber is rooted in five foundational pillars: small business, economic development, leadership,
• I served as the Director of Economic Development for the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and
• From an economic development standpoint, repealing this policy would be a severe blow.
• So the Texas Dream Act is a strong workforce development law and allows for the same economic contributions
• So the Texas Dream Act is a strong workforce development law and allows for the same economic contributions

Summary: The committee heard several education bills, with most of the discussion focused on Senate Bill 1835, Senate Bill 784, Senate Bill 1049, Senate Bill 2942, and Senate Bill 2928. SB 1835 would raise from 5% to 20% the cap on nonresident students who can receive resident tuition and fees through competitive scholarships at certain regional universities in slower-growing workforce development areas, provided the schools have capacity as determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Supporters, including West Texas A&M University, said the bill would help fill underused capacity, attract students who may stay and work in Texas, and support regional workforce needs. SB 784 would strengthen a prior law allowing peace officers’ children to transfer between public school districts for safety reasons by requiring both districts’ approval, making clear that districts of innovation are not exempt, and prohibiting tuition charges. SB 1049 would require districts and open-enrollment charters to excuse students, at a parent’s request, for religious release-time instruction for up to one hour per day and five hours per week; witnesses said the program is constitutional, voluntary, and already operating in other states and some Texas districts. Each of these bills was left pending after testimony, with no public witnesses opposing them. SB 2942 would expand and adjust the state’s adult charter high school pilot program. Senator Creighton said the bill is intended to help the estimated 7 million Texas adults without a high school diploma by removing barriers to expansion, aligning legal protections with ISDs, changing TEA’s disapproval window for expansion amendments to a 30-day period after receipt, and updating funding to reflect part-year attendance. A committee substitute kept the upper enrollment age at 50 and removed a proposed testing change. Testimony from New Heights students and leadership described the program as life-changing, emphasizing that it combines diplomas with career credentials, childcare, transportation, and other supports to help adults stabilize their families and enter better-paying work. TEA witnesses explained the expansion process and said adult charter schools are overseen by the commissioner rather than the SBOE. The committee substitute was adopted, public testimony closed, and the bill was left pending. SB 2928 would set a uniform school start date for public school districts at the third Wednesday in August, while preserving existing district-of-innovation flexibility for current DOI districts and allowing year-round systems to continue. Senator Creighton argued the bill would reduce the patchwork created by DOI exemptions, support students and families, and preserve summer employment and tourism revenue. A committee substitute was adopted. Testimony came largely from tourism, hospitality, and recreation interests, including hotel, water park, zoo, chamber of commerce, and camp representatives, who said later start dates would extend the summer travel season, improve staffing and revenue, and give students more opportunities for summer jobs and camps. Several witnesses cited large economic impacts from tourism and said early school starts reduce August business. Some senators raised concerns about charter schools being excluded and about year-round calendars, but the bill was left pending after testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• impact in terms of jobs and on the state economic output.
• Last year, so since 2022, there's 36.7 million in economic.
• Input or economic output is 79.8 million.
• Helps justify additional investments and attracts further economic development.
• development. economic success.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Data centers will contribute to our tax base and our economic growth.
• Data centers will contribute to our tax base and our economic growth.
• Data centers will contribute to our tax base and our economic growth.
• Data centers will contribute to our tax base and our economic growth.
• <00:10:08.040> in engagement in data center Development in engagement in data center Development

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm calling to order this meeting of the House Workforce, Labor and Economic Development Finance and
• <00:05:16.080> Development<00:05:16.479> in Employment and Economic Development in
• <00:46:02.400> development<00:46:02.880> across<00:46:03.200> our economic development
• Thank you. >> Liil, I am the director of operations for the Latino Economic Development Center.
• the Latin Economic Development Center. the Latin Economic Development Center.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't want districts that go on and on simply because the Economic Development Authority or the cities
• um simply because the Economic um simply because the Economic Development<00:35:26.480> Authority
• development Authority a city an economic development Authority says<00:40:49.520> you<00:40:49.680
• <00:44:02.000> development uh among the economic development uh among the economic development
• <01:04:21.240> Development city or its Economic Development city or its Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's about ensuring that the state's investments in health care, housing, education, and economic development
• It's about ensuring that the state's investments in health care, housing, education, and economic development
• Even with a slowdown in some development, we're seeing a lot of development in our area.
• It's an economic driver.
• This bill can help us develop those.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on a wide range of transportation bills focused on rural microtransit, commuter rail fares and service, rail electrification, climate alignment, and safety. Several speakers supported H. 4054 and related microtransit proposals, arguing that rural communities need stable, permanent funding for services like the Tri-Town Connector and Quaboag Connector, which have strong ridership, high satisfaction, and measurable economic and health benefits. Testimony also supported a commission bill to study microtransit funding and definitions, with witnesses emphasizing that current grant programs are helpful but short-term and insufficient for long-term service planning. A major theme was commuter rail equity and expansion. Boston-area officials and advocates backed bills to make all Boston commuter rail stations Zone 1A, citing large fare disparities between nearby stations in Hyde Park, Roslindale, and Readville. Related testimony supported studying an Orange Line extension from Forest Hills to Roslindale Square and expanding The Ride to Foxborough, as well as restoring commuter rail service to Cape Cod via Middleborough to Buzzards Bay and beyond. Speakers said these projects would improve access, reduce car dependence, and better serve neighborhoods and regions that currently face limited rapid transit options. Multiple panels urged action on electrification and climate-focused transportation planning, including H. 3726, the Freedom to Move Act, and bills to electrify commuter rail, buses, school buses, and public fleets. Advocates from environmental, transit, and public health groups said transportation is the state’s largest emissions source and argued that statutory goals, coordinated planning, and streamlined permitting are needed to speed decarbonization while improving safety, affordability, and reliability. The committee also heard support for a bill to streamline rail electrification permitting, a bill to exempt certain transit projects from MEPA review, and a bill to improve commuter rail pedestrian safety with gates, fencing, and warning devices at at-grade crossings. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, Senator, the Economic Development Department has an application process, and they have a kind
• development.
• And then finally, investment for future workforce and economic development And here I want to highlight
• From Sandia National Laboratories, I lead our Economic Development Office.
• And we're leveraging these to be able to support local economic development.

Bills: HB1

Keywords: feed bill, legislative appropriations, legislative branch, New Mexico Legislature, general fund, legislative council service, legislative finance committee, legislative education study committee, house chief clerk, senate chief clerk, per diem, mileage, session expenses, interim committees, district staff, capitol complex, capital outlay data system, legislative processing system, redistricting, census redistricting

Transcript Highlights:

• At our developers in the community.
• variance in the plan unit development. variance in the plan unit development.
• We agreed with the developer. The developer said, "You're the experts.
• impose on a development like parking. impose on a development like parking.
• support the development moving forward. support the development moving forward.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the director of the Questa Economic Development Fund.
• It aligns with economic development. We respectfully urge you to pass this bill. Thank you.
• development professionals.
• Across New Mexico, we consistently hear from economic developers that the lack of available and affordable
• Center for Housing Economics. Yeah. This is Roger, and he is with the Center for Housing Economics.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• c> the economic development efforts of the economic development efforts of the entire<01:29:46.960
• What can be to economic development.
• :45:10.320> state economic development leaders, no state economic development leaders, no state
• of a CDFI economic development lender. of a CDFI economic development lender.
• This economic development is important to us.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to economic development and tourism to economic development and tourism to convene<00:35:50.160
• And with all due respect, gambling is not economic development. It's economic extraction.
• And with all due respect, gambling is not economic development. It's economic extraction.
• <00:40:14.320> It's<00:40:14.560> economic economic development.
• It's economic economic development.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• An act relating to economic development incentives, requiring the Economic Development Department to
• Requiring the Economic Development Department to compile and present an annual report on the Economic
• the **Legislative Finance Committee** for purposes of evaluating the Economic Development Incentives
• Economic development in the state of New Mexico and what happens if we start electrifying New Mexico
• We're going to hear a lot about that today from the PRC and the Economic Development Department, and

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe many of the barriers to microgrids are economic at this point.
• And importantly, the economic barriers are not there because they make an economic decision to say, if
• However, this isn't necessarily a viable economic model going forward.
• There's some brackish surface water development.
• And that is we develop code where if you stay within these boundaries...

Summary: The Select Committee on Climate Innovation and Infrastructure held a hearing focused on emerging technologies for climate resilience and infrastructure. The first panel discussed the Calistoga Resiliency Center, a utility-driven microgrid that keeps the city powered during public safety power shutoffs using hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and liquid hydrogen storage. PG&E described microgrids as a resilience tool but emphasized that cost remains the main barrier to wider deployment. Energy Vault explained the project’s design, its ability to provide at least 48 hours of backup power on a small parcel of land, and its use of green hydrogen and battery storage to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. A Calistoga councilmember and NCPA representative also discussed the Lodi Energy Center hydrogen project, saying it could help decarbonize power generation and transportation, but that federal and state funding changes, tax credit timing, and other policy shifts have made the project difficult to advance. The Green Hydrogen Coalition supported the Calistoga model as a blueprint and urged policy changes to create demand and reduce barriers for renewable hydrogen, including addressing behind-the-meter rules and recognizing hydrogen in state energy planning. The second panel focused on water resilience and desalination, with the California Desal Association and Oneka Technologies discussing wave-powered desalination for the City of Fort Bragg. Cal Desal said California’s changing hydrology, reduced snowpack, and drought conditions make local water supply options increasingly important, but noted that conventional desalination is expensive and slow to permit. Oneka described its offshore, wave-powered system as a zero-electricity desalination technology that produces drinking water without greenhouse gas emissions and with limited land use, and said the Fort Bragg pilot is intended to demonstrate the technology under California conditions. The company and Cal Desal both stressed that permitting is a major obstacle, with the project requiring multiple agencies and a timeline far longer than in other jurisdictions. They also said the technology’s autonomous operation could improve water resilience because it does not depend on the electrical grid. The final panel featured the Climate Foundation’s marine permaculture proposal, which aims to restore kelp forests and support carbon removal and coastal food systems. The presenter said warming oceans and nutrient loss have devastated kelp forests along the California coast and argued that offshore platforms that raise and lower seaweed to access nutrients and sunlight could help regenerate ecosystems while producing food, feed, fertilizer, and carbon benefits. He said the technology has shown strong growth rates and storm resilience in other regions, but that California permitting remains a major hurdle, involving 17 state and federal agencies. He proposed a streamlined, code-based permitting approach for smaller projects and said the group is seeking matching funds to complete a first California pilot. Throughout the hearing, members and witnesses repeatedly highlighted the tension between innovation and the high cost, complexity, and length of California’s permitting and funding processes.

Transcript Highlights:

• But here we're recognizing that's not going to work for economic development, you're going to have to
• I think we want the economic development, but there's no doubt that other states are competing for that
• economic development as well.
• SB 6 was crafted to encourage data center growth, that economic development, but also protect greater
• You've heard today a lot about the economic development benefits and water needs.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:10:05.519> update going to provide an economic update going to provide an economic update
• is will that lead to an economic is will that lead to an economic downturn<00:11:17.079> and<
• Hampshire 2030 it's an economic Hampshire 2030 it's an economic competitiveness<01:15:10.360>
• Something that may be less aggressive, but also something that is still economically viable for the developer
• economically viable for the developer economically viable for the developer and<02:59:56.640>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting was a Ways and Means briefing opened by the vice chair, who introduced Jason Wong of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston to discuss the national and regional economy. Wong focused on inflation, asking why it had fallen from about 9% in 2022 to the 2%–3% range, and what that meant for monetary policy and the risk of an economic downturn. He said the Fed’s target is 2%, noted that recent PCE inflation was about 2.4% and core PCE about 2.7%, and described the ongoing debate over whether interest rates should stay tight or be lowered further to protect the labor market. Wong explained that the improvement in inflation has been driven largely by goods prices, especially durable goods such as cars, appliances, and furniture, as well as non-durable goods like food. He said supply-chain disruptions during the pandemic caused major price spikes in 2022, but those pressures have eased and many goods prices are now at or below the Fed’s target. He also referenced the New York Fed’s Global Supply Chain Pressure Index, saying it showed extreme pandemic-era disruptions that have since receded. The main remaining inflation problem, he said, is in services, especially housing. Wong broke services into rent of shelter and all other services, explaining that shelter is a large share of household budgets and that housing inflation has a lag because rent measures often reflect older lease terms rather than current market rents. He said monthly Zillow data suggest market rents have cooled and may eventually feed through to official inflation measures. Members asked several questions about the chart’s time scale, the treatment of real estate, property taxes, and utilities, and Wong clarified that housing costs are counted in services and that the slides would be shared digitally. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to welcome you to Meeting 6 of the Standing Committee on Economic Development, Labor, and Tourism
• recreational amenities to boost economic development and tourism in the Pulaski County and Lake Cumberland
• the economic development tourism and the economic development tourism and the palaski<00:03:46.239
• What sort of anticipated economic development do you think is possible now that you've been able to establish
• <00:04:13.360> Development sort of anticipated Economic Development sort of anticipated Economic

Keywords: This meeting will take place upon Recess of the Senate Chambers. There is not an exact time for this meeting therefore a placeholder time for the live stream has been set for 1:00PM est. Meeting Start 00:00 Roll Call 00:17 HB 114 Discussion 00:38 HB 114 Vote 01:56 HB 808 Discussion 02:24 HB 808 Vote 06:30, 958, all

Summary: The Standing Committee on Economic Development, Labor, and Tourism met with a quorum and first considered House Bill 114, sponsored by Representative Truett. He explained that the bill clarifies the recreational use statute by expressly adding rock climbing, bouldering, and rappelling, removing liability for landowners who give permission for those activities on their property. After no questions, the committee voted unanimously in favor and reported the bill to the floor with a favorable expression. The committee then took up House Bill 808, sponsored by Representative Ken Upchurch, which would establish the Burnside Island Development Authority to promote recreation and tourism at General Burnside Island State Park in Pulaski County. Testimony described the authority as a public-private partnership entity that could develop lodging, restaurant, and recreational facilities, with potential for significant tourism and economic development. Members asked about expected economic impact and how revenues would be used; witnesses said direct fees would go back to the authority for the bill’s purposes, and referenced a feasibility study suggesting substantial private investment and indirect tax benefits. Several senators expressed support but also raised questions about whether the proposal had been fully reviewed by Appropriations and Revenue and about the governor’s potential response. The committee ultimately voted to report House Bill 808 favorably to the floor, with Senator Boswell requesting his vote be recorded. The meeting then moved toward adjournment.