Transcript Highlights:

• I am Kimo Alameda, Mayor of Hawaii County, and I am 48 days in, and I know about 80% of our budget, which
• Seventy-five percent have already been implemented or are in progress for police, and 5% have been implemented
• I also failed to mention we also have our council member, uh, uh, for budget.
• Michelle Yoshimura, our former budget director, who also is here.
• And I think the point... council member uh uh for budget she's council member uh uh for budget she's

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• allocates $500,000 in taxpayer funds to the Nevada Clean Energy Fund, circumventing the executive budget
• This is extended foster care that will be implemented across our state here on July 1.
• And then of course in debate on this floor as we have talked about passing that very same budget that
• Assembly Bill 562 provides appropriations as part of the Governor's budget to the VREMS program at the
• account for the cost and implementation of a statewide trial court electronic filing system.

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition to your current budget. OK. that He said 1 million.
• They would like to implement in their sites.
• They need to be able to build it into their budget.
• Can we implement some of the GIS technology that you may have in place, etc.
• surplus and they have a budget deficit.

Bills: HB206

Keywords: HB206, school district bonds, bond election, voter approval, Education Code, Chapter 45, Section 45.003, Section 45.0034, Texas schools, school finance, local tax election, bond referendum, school construction, capital improvements, election frequency, five-year waiting period, district bonds, public school funding

Transcript Highlights:

• THE SENATE BILL 674 PERMITS PROPERTY APPRAISERS IN ADDITION TO TAX COLLECTORS TO BUDGET FOR AND PAY A
• HIRING OR RETENTION BONUS TO AN EMPLOYEE OF SUCH EXPENDITURE APPROVED IN THEIR BUDGET BY THE DEPARTMENT
• STAFF AND PUBLIC AGENCIES FACE CHALLENGES SUCH AS BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, COMPETITION WITH THE PUBLIC SECTOR
• RATHER IT IS ALLOWING PROPERTY APPRAISERS THE FLEXIBILITY WITHIN THEIR BUDGETS TO BUDGET FOR RETENTION
• IT REMOVES THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE LANGUAGE BE IMPLEMENTED BY GENERAL LAW, MAKES A TECHNICAL CHANGE

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And this bill, budget, everything else.
• worked within the context of the budget worked within the context of the budget that<00:24:44.960
• And this is what we do budget targets.
• In fact, we're facing a $6 billion budget deficit.
• when we're facing a $6 billion budget when we're facing a $6 billion budget deficit,<01:37:38.719

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• technical differences in implementation technical differences in implementation but<00:38:20.320
• <01:01:22.640> uh still requires the implementation uh still requires the implementation uh
• So it requires the study of how that would be implemented.
• midst of a really challenging budget midst of a really challenging budget outlook<01:32:13.280><
• <01:33:54.880> in<01:33:55.199> both governor's budget in both governor's budget in

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• boards to make difficult ongoing budget boards to make difficult ongoing budget decisions.<00:08
• <00:19:00.480> the resources to not only implement the resources to not only implement the
• <00:27:26.480> and implementation, and coordination. and implementation, and coordination.
• <00:27:33.600> in ensure that this bill is implemented in ensure that this bill is implemented
• The cost will be our limited budget.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• discussions and come out with a fine budget.
• The budget from the Governor was $260 billion.
• We've done that in the past in our budgets.
• OUR BUDGETS.
• These are some of the changes in an enacted budget.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Education Budget Conference Joint Committee met on March 18 to begin negotiations on the state education budget. Co-chairs Senator Shelley Mayer and Assembly Member Benedetto outlined their chambers’ priorities, with the Senate emphasizing Foundation Aid changes to better support students experiencing homelessness or foster care, English language learners, a minimum 2% increase for all districts, expanded universal pre-K, and continued support for special education programs and nonpublic schools. The Assembly highlighted its one-house proposal, including a $1.4 billion increase in Foundation Aid, a higher ELL and pupil needs weighting, a new weight for students in foster care or housing instability, removal of the pupil needs cap, $600 million for New York City class size reduction, additional community schools funding, and restorations or increases for libraries, teacher resource centers, 4201 schools, My Brother’s Keeper, and educational television and radio. Members from both chambers offered opening remarks stressing education as a top budget priority and expressing confidence that a compromise could be reached. Senator Tedisco focused on school safety and bullying, arguing that parents should be notified when their children are bullied and citing the need to protect students’ ability to learn. Assembly Member Vanel emphasized education as a tool for economic mobility and called for stronger financial literacy instruction. Assembly Member Carroll supported funding for libraries and evidence-based reading programs, while Assembly Member Smith said the Foundation Aid formula remains outdated and urged more support for English language learners, special education, and community schools. Assembly Member Chludzinski stressed local control, criticized the electric school bus mandate, and called for greater support for libraries and fiscal restraint. No votes were taken. The meeting was an opening conference session, with both sides stating their intent to continue negotiations and work toward an on-time budget that reflects shared priorities for students, schools, and libraries across New York State.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um and so um how to do it on a budget.
• <01:25:20.800> a other any way that we can implement a other any way that we can implement
• been implemented anywhere else. been implemented anywhere else.
• <01:47:26.239> these executive branches to implement these executive branches to implement
• <01:47:31.600> Um consider in implementing it. Um consider in implementing it.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The meeting opened with roll call and housekeeping, including moving standing attendees to an overflow room and asking the audience to avoid interruptions. The task force then heard testimony from Allison Adams of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, who presented statewide health trend data showing Kentucky ranked 41st overall and 44th in health outcomes, with especially poor performance on premature death, chronic disease, diabetes, and vaccination rates. She emphasized that Kentucky has the highest rates of residents with multiple chronic conditions, that diabetes remains above the national average, and that childhood immunization rates have worsened. She also highlighted major provider shortages in rural areas, noting that 43 of 120 counties meet shortage criteria and that more than half of primary care providers are concentrated in Fayette and Jefferson counties. Adams urged the task force to focus on prevention, early intervention, access to care, physical activity, and healthier school and community environments, and said the foundation is prepared to share results from its demonstration projects. Task force members asked follow-up questions about the age range for chronic-condition data and whether the diabetes figure reflected type 1 or type 2 diabetes; Adams said the chronic-condition measure spans all ages and that the diabetes figure likely reflects type 2, though she offered to provide the full report. The task force then approved the minutes from the prior meeting. The committee next turned to SNAP benefits and heard from Lisa Dennis, commissioner of the Department for Community Based Services, and Roger McCann, director of the Division of Family Support. They explained that SNAP is not only a food assistance program but also a public health and family stability tool, arguing that poor diet contributes to chronic disease and that food insecurity is linked to family stress, child welfare involvement, and neglect-related CPS referrals. They cited research showing that more generous SNAP policies are associated with fewer CPS reports, fewer substantiated reports, and fewer foster care placements, and said SNAP helps reduce risk and promote stability across vulnerable populations including children, older adults, people with disabilities, and pregnant women. They also described SNAP-Ed as the nutrition education component that teaches healthy eating, cooking on a budget, and how to use fresh produce, but warned that recent federal legislation eliminates federal funding for SNAP-Ed beginning in federal fiscal year 2026. McCann outlined the remaining SNAP outreach and employment-and-training components, noting that outreach is typically run by nonprofits with a 50% match and that employment and training funds job-skills programs to help recipients move toward better jobs and self-sufficiency. The discussion emphasized that access to nutritious food, education, and job supports are all part of improving health outcomes and reducing food insecurity.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2022, the Texas DMV implemented fingerprint requirements for all retailers of motor vehicles, recreational
• However, when TDLR implemented these changes through rulemaking, they applied the new requirements only
• , and at any given time, anywhere from 60 to 70 percent of the city's budget, you would...
• About 40 percent of that budget is based on aggregate and materials.
• And you began soliciting Duval County on behalf of Bus Patrol to implement the...

Bills: HB767, HB 1242, HB1373, HB1404, HB1708, HB1936, HB2041, HB2198, HB2270, HB2315, HB2415, HB2427, HB2455, HB2457, HB2522, HB2523, HB2686, HB2763, HB2775, HB2944, HB3034, HB1683, HB1695

Keywords: highway designation, memorial, Montgomery County, Paul P. Mendes, transportation, HB 1242, Texas Transportation Code, U.S. Highway 281, Brooks County, Ernesto Soliz Cantu, memorial highway, road naming, TxDOT, road signage, commemorative resolution, memorial markers, county road 304, Huppergate Road, Los Robles Trail, Farm-to-Market Road

Transcript Highlights:

• Spotlight, a deep dive into special education after it receives special attention during the November budget
• What does that mean for that budget?
• Well, it means that that budget is going to be stressed, as most budgets are.
• of the big spenders that's bringing us closer to a budget deficit.
• of the big spenders that's bringing us closer to a budget deficit.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Section nine: State implementation plan revisions. This is a technical change.
• We've already started to implement, and I won't touch on them all, Mr.
• We've already started to implement, and I won't touch on them all, Mr.
• Several of these changes are also proposed in the governor's budget.
• Several of these changes are also proposed in the governor's budget.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The budget that comes to you actually is worked through a budget committee.
• The budget that comes to you actually is worked through a budget committee.
• as part of their budget.
• They are trying to implement this new case management system that has a large contractual services budget
• an $8.1 million budget.

Keywords: 996, all

Summary: The committee first heard an Aging and Long-Term Services Department budget presentation comparing the LFC and executive recommendations. The main differences were in the Aging Network, Adult Protective Services, Program Support, and Long-Term Care Division, especially the executive’s proposed $10 million infusion into the Kiki Savadra Senior Dignity Fund and $6.2 million for expanding New Mexico Care. LFC staff explained that the committee recommendation was lower in general fund and fund-balance use, while the executive emphasized rising senior population needs, meal and transportation costs, and the cost savings of keeping older adults at home. The secretary also reviewed the department’s special requests, including the conference on aging, outreach, emergency preparedness, and the Kiki fund, and described New Mexico Care’s growth, its evaluation results, and the department’s plan to separate Kiki into its own accounting fund. Members largely focused on senior services, rural meal delivery, transportation, caregiver support, and the Kiki fund. Several members urged stronger support for non-metro aging providers and for New Mexico Care, citing its role in keeping seniors out of nursing homes and the program’s reported savings and outcomes. Questions also covered eligibility, background checks for caregivers, respite care, dementia and Alzheimer’s screening, and whether Kiki funds can support home modifications such as ramps. The committee then voted to adopt the LFC recommendation with one executive language change: adding the executive’s page 14 language allowing an additional 12.5% distribution for initial payments to aging network providers at the start of FY27. Representative Dow opposed the motion. The committee then moved to the Attorney General’s budget. LFC staff explained that the office’s budget relies heavily on the Consumer Settlement Fund, with both recommendations reducing general fund revenue while increasing settlement-fund use, and that performance measures were in consensus. The Attorney General said the office was not seeking more general fund, but wanted greater ability to use funds it recovers. He highlighted major consumer and public safety work, including litigation against major social media and AI platforms, a case involving Snapchat and child exploitation/extortion, the statewide crime gun intelligence center, efforts to address oilfield theft, work on missing and murdered Indigenous persons, and efforts to protect federal funds coming into New Mexico.

Transcript Highlights:

• in her budget.
• We have a staff of 27 and an annual operating budget of $5.5 million.
• the operating budget.
• If we had the transfer fee, our housing budget would double.
• Our housing budget would double.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Housing opened its second hearing of the session with remarks from Chairs Haggerty and Cyr emphasizing that the hearing was a broad look at Massachusetts’ housing crisis rather than a single bill. They highlighted topics including zoning, permitting, rental assistance, public housing, homelessness prevention, and housing production. The first witness, Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Augustus, reviewed implementation of the Affordable Homes Act and the state’s new housing plan, citing a 1.6% vacancy rate, a projected need for 222,000 new homes over 10 years, and ongoing efforts such as ADUs by right, fair housing enforcement, eviction record sealing, seasonal communities planning, and new funding for affordable housing, public housing, and the Momentum Fund. He also discussed infrastructure support for municipalities, technical assistance for ADUs, and concerns about possible federal funding cuts. Committee members questioned the secretary about ADU financing and technical assistance, the likely unit yield from the Affordable Homes Act, infrastructure barriers in suburban and rural communities, public housing waitlist management, supportive housing, and federal budget risks. MassNAHRO then testified that public housing authorities are facing rising operating and capital costs, a statewide waitlist nearing 300,000, and uncertainty over federal Section 8 and HUD funding. Witnesses described recent state support for operating subsidies, capital improvements, vacancy turnover teams, and resident service coordinators, while warning that proposed federal cuts could sharply affect voucher issuance and agency operations. CDAC’s executive director Roger Herzog described the agency’s role as a quasi-public source of early-stage financing and technical assistance for nonprofit housing developers, noting its loan capital, supportive housing bond programs, home modification loans, and preservation work under Chapter 40T. He said CDAC has helped produce or preserve more than 55,000 units and stressed the importance of patient capital and preservation tools. CHAPA CEO Rachel Heller urged the committee to focus on production, preservation, planning, and political will, supporting goals for affordability, supportive housing, and homeownership, and endorsing policy changes such as YIGBY, clearer site plan review rules, stronger fair housing funding, and more support for vouchers and public housing. MassHousing then outlined its financing role, including mortgage lending, down payment assistance, the Community Climate Bank, and the Momentum Fund, while noting that permitting delays, capital gaps, and possible federal changes could affect production. Members also asked about transparency, prevailing wage compliance, and a recent internal restructuring related to diversity and business engagement.

Transcript Highlights:

• 10% back of the budget cut.
• But this was a cost we did not budget for because the federal bill was signed after the state budget
• <01:13:56.880> for uh was a cost we did not budget for uh was a cost we did not budget for
• after the bud state budget was signed. after the bud state budget was signed.
• of the the HHS budget. of the the HHS budget.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting covered two committee of conference items. On HB 1260, the House and Senate debated a Senate amendment dealing with sealing certain divorce-related financial records. House members argued the amendment conflicted with the Keane Sentinel decision and would improperly flip the burden of proof on public access to court records, raising constitutional concerns under the state constitution’s open government and privacy provisions. Senate members responded that the privacy amendment and modern conditions support more protection for sensitive financial information, especially in limited uncontested divorces, but several members agreed the issue should be studied in a separate bill with a full hearing next year rather than resolved in conference. The committee ultimately voted unanimously to have the Senate recede and pass HB 1260 in the form originally passed by the House, preserving the underlying bill without the Senate amendment. The committee then took up HB 1574, which extends free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs and provides funding for SNAP administrative costs. The main dispute was the Senate’s addition of $4.4 million for SNAP administration. Senator Gray and DHHS officials said federal changes will shift more administrative costs to the state and that underfunding administration could raise the SNAP error rate, which could trigger future federal penalties and larger state costs; DHHS reported a current error rate of 7.57%, below the national average, and said a higher error rate could cost the state roughly $12 million in a partial fiscal year and nearly $16 million in a full year. Representative Papovich said he understood the department’s needs but was reluctant to support the bill as amended, noting the Senate language resembled a prior bill that had already failed in the House. The discussion ended with the committee still considering the Senate amendment, with members weighing the immediate appropriation against possible future costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to today's Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Education Finance.
• Certainly, budget challenge years make...
• And that was budgeted for $651 million.
• this investment if it were included in the budget.
• this investment if it were included in the budget.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Implementing high quality literacy instruction.
• Now, some key differences in implementation include oversight of implementation, implementation plans
• Now, 54% of HQMI implementation can be interpreted in two ways.
• How is that implemented to improve the student's reading ability?
• So my, that's my big concern and the other, another thing right now, the budget in our budget, 47% goes

Transcript Highlights:

• , department responsible for budgeting, department responsible for budgeting, administrative<00:53
• <00:53:57.200> budgeting transfer the budget budgeting transfer the budget budgeting administrative
• transfer, does DLIR get the budgeted transfer, does DLIR get the budgeted amount<00:55:16.960>
• that have come since the implementation that have come since the implementation of<01:14:27.040>
• be interpreted to mean use or implement. be interpreted to mean use or implement.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 83, which would require hotel keepers to give adequate notice of service disruptions to guests and third-party vendors. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection supported the bill but asked for amendments to restore remedies and add a nonwaiver provision, arguing that without penalties the measure would lack consequences and that consumers should not be able to waive the notice rights. Supporters, including Unite Here Local 5 and individual testifiers, said guests deserve transparency and meaningful recourse when disruptions occur, especially for labor disputes, construction, or other service interruptions that affect the experience they paid for. Hotel industry representatives, including the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, and hotel workers/testifiers, opposed the bill in its current form while offering amendments. They said the measure was too broad, difficult to implement, and could interfere with collective bargaining, third-party booking systems, and existing contracts. They also argued that some disruptions are not easily known in advance and that the bill unfairly singles out hotels compared with other industries. One testifier emphasized that notice should be required only for actual, known disruptions rather than potential events, and another raised concerns about applying the bill to properties not directly involved in a labor dispute. After the SB 83 testimony, the committee moved on to SB 2798, which would make permanent and expand statewide the agricultural enforcement pilot program created in 2025 and rename it the agricultural enforcement program. The chair introduced the measure and called on the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity as the first testifier, but the transcript excerpt ends before testimony or any vote on SB 2798.

Transcript Highlights:

• It will on the other hand their budgets.
• address the forecasted bud budget address the forecasted bud budget deficit<00:26:56.559> in<
• :26:59.960> 2023,<00:27:00.960> the change was implemented in 2023, the change was implemented
• <00:27:12.320> This General fund budget shortfall.
• And that is deeply compromised with the cuts proposed in the House budget.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• employees and they're currently budget employees and they're currently budget at<00:12:50.839>
• <00:50:14.119> standards control costs and to implement standards control costs and to implement
• <01:07:38.799> you that within your operating budget you that within your operating budget
• efficiently so our significant budget efficiently so our significant budget requests<01:32:45.520
• <01:46:35.679> is which in a 10.2 or10 billion budget is which in a 10.2 or10 billion budget

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Finance held informational briefings first with the Department of Defense on its FY 2026 budget request, then with the Hawaii School Facilities Authority. Major General Steve Logan outlined the Department of Defense request for $40.5 million in state funds, which he said would leverage about $74 million in federal matching funds and support 411 open projects that could attract up to $2.3 billion in additional federal grant money. He said the budget focuses on sustainment, safety, and reorganization in light of lessons from the Maui wildfires. Key requests included $1.3 million to sustain IT systems, $2.7 million for 32 HEMA emergency management positions, three new Hawaii Army National Guard positions plus four upgrades, and $1.9 million for the Youth Challenge Program to cover state-mandated fringe costs and staffing needs. He also reviewed capital improvement projects, including Youth Challenge facility upgrades, siren modernization, ADA improvements, building retrofits for disaster resilience, Army facility upgrades, a third state veterans home on Maui, HEMA EOC improvements, and a maintenance/fuel building at Diamond Head. Members asked about the siren modernization timeline, and HEMA said roughly 26 to 31 sirens would be modernized this year, with 15 on Maui, eight on Oahu, and eight on the Big Island. Questions also focused on Youth Challenge and Job Challenge enrollment and vacancies, with the department saying the Hilo Job Challenge Academy is growing and that combining Youth Challenge recruiting statewide into one Kilauea program has helped enrollment. Logan also answered questions about the New Year’s Eve medical transport mission, explaining the Hawaii Air National Guard’s relationship with active-duty Air Force assets and saying the flight cost is about $20,000 per flight hour, though the final bill had not yet been determined. On the Maui veterans home, staff said the University of Hawaii site was no longer viable after faculty senate opposition, so the department is now focused on a 10-acre Puna District site; the project remains tied to a certified $35 million state match and August 2025 and August 2026 federal suspense dates. Logan said the veterans home remains one of the department’s highest priorities, but it could not be moved higher in the submitted CIP ranking. The department also discussed a Governor’s add-on for a fire marshal/Office of Recovery and Resiliency proposal. Logan said the fire marshal position was reestablished last session but has not yet been filled, and that if the function is transferred to the Department of Defense, the department wants funding ready to move quickly. Staff later said the request would include about $1.1 million for seven positions and about $2.2 million for operating costs, though details were still preliminary. The committee then reconvened for the School Facilities Authority briefing, where Executive Director Ricky Fujitani described the agency as a startup created in 2020 to improve school and workforce housing development through standardized designs, prefabrication, best-value procurement, and public-private partnerships. He said Hawaii’s single school district still functions like 15 different districts because of its 264 schools across 15 complex areas, and that the authority’s goal is to create more efficient, maintainable, and cost-effective facilities.