Transcript Highlights:

• to the fact that our IHSS workers are leaving the work. workforce at alarming rates because of low wages
• While IHSS wages vary across California, there is not a single county that pays IHSS workers. a living
• wage.
• And by transitioning to a collective bargaining process at the state level, we can provide living wages
• As we are looking at our home health workers and looking at the low wages, we need to recognize that

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It is not like an election campaign where the candidates wage their campaigns and the one with the most
• Only for the purposes of breaking labor unions that were trying to build in some of our lowest wage markets
• And a brief quote that will hopefully inspire us to continue to fight for fair wages, safe working conditions
• Union rights, family security, wages, and benefits.
• Sometime they got over 600% of decent wages and benefits from the collective bargaining agreement.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't set a minimum standard score of 70.
• We don't set a minimum standard score of 70. That said, when we get the applicants in the...
• So now that's another issue when it comes to staffing an institution with minimum staffing numbers.
• But when you're talking a minimum operational number, when it comes to security personnel, health care
• Now Boston's not certified, and there's a minimum of what, 800 hours or something, but Boston's doing

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held its sixth public hearing on the Governor’s H-2 budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, focused on public safety and judiciary agencies, at the Foxborough Community Center. After opening remarks and local welcomes, the committee heard first from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, led by Secretary Gina Kwan, who outlined a $1.72 billion budget, up $69.8 million from FY26. She said the proposal emphasizes core operations, readiness, and partnerships with municipalities, and highlighted work on firearms-law implementation, State Police reform, DOC reentry efforts, hate-crimes prevention, emergency response, and planning for major events including the World Cup. Members also raised concerns about DNA backlog reporting, State Police academy boxing and training standards, ICE communication, disaster relief funding, crime lab staffing, EMS placement, and diversity in public safety leadership. Several exchanges focused on specific operational issues. Secretary Kwan and her team said the State Police are tracking the influx of forensic work from local sheriffs, that the boxing program remains suspended pending an IACP review and likely will not return in its prior form, and that EOPS has no direct communication with ICE but supports law-enforcement coordination where appropriate. On disaster preparedness, officials said the new disaster relief fund is being developed with MEMA and A&F, currently capitalized at $14 million with another $14 million expected, though members urged a more permanent funding source. On the crime lab, staff said the roughly $4.5 million increase is intended to cover core operations and a structural funding gap rather than expand services. The secretary also said EOPS is not ready to absorb OEMS from DPH at this time, though she would keep an open mind. The committee then heard from district attorneys, led by Suffolk County DA Kevin Hayden, who said the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association is seeking a 10% increase in operating budgets, including about $16.7 million for staffing salaries, to recruit and retain prosecutors, advocates, and support staff. He said the request reflects rising workload and the need to keep the criminal justice system functioning efficiently and fairly. The hearing was recessed briefly after the district attorneys’ opening remarks, with additional testimony expected to continue afterward.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so this is a real opportunity to create family-sustaining wages in drilling.
• And so this is a real opportunity to create family-sustaining wage.
• And so this is a real opportunity to create family sustaining wages in drilling.
• wage.
• Addressing the low wages of our staff and faculty is an urgent concern.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Higher Education held its second public hearing of the 194th General Court on capital investments in higher education, focusing primarily on H.54, the Bright Act, along with H.1426/S.949 on green and healthy public colleges and universities and deferred maintenance, and H.1424 on capital investment in Gateway Cities. Chairs and administration officials framed the hearing as a response to aging campus infrastructure, climate goals, workforce needs, and federal pressures on higher education, and explained that testimony would be taken from pre-registered speakers in person and virtually. University of Massachusetts leaders strongly supported the Bright Act, describing large deferred maintenance backlogs, aging buildings, and the need to decarbonize campuses while modernizing research and teaching facilities. UMass officials said the bill would help keep tuition and fees lower by reducing the need for campuses to finance capital work themselves, and argued that the investments would improve competitiveness, support research, and create construction jobs. Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, Secretary of Education Tuttweiler, and Secretary of Administration and Finance Gorzkowicz also backed the bill, saying it would leverage Fair Share surtax revenues for a proposed $2.5 billion in campus investments plus additional targeted grants, and that it would support affordability, economic growth, and climate resilience. Committee members asked about the balance between deferred maintenance and decarbonization, the role of grant programs versus direct spending, the impact on tuition and fees, and how the plan would help campuses respond to federal cuts such as NIH and NSF funding. Administration officials said the proposal was designed to be phased in quickly, with some projects ready to start immediately and others taking longer, and that the grant programs would be structured to include all campuses equitably. They also said the plan would build on an existing financing model similar to the Commonwealth Transportation Fund and could help campuses avoid future tuition increases tied to capital costs. Additional testimony came from MassBay Community College, where President David Podell and recent nursing graduate Deanna Cavazos described the benefits of a new Framingham campus building and said community colleges need modern labs, better planning capacity, and deferred maintenance support to serve the enrollment growth from MassReconnect and MassEducate. State university leaders, including President Mary Grant, President Linda Thompson, and President John Keenan, said their campuses face outdated classrooms, insufficient electrical capacity, and aging facilities, and urged passage of the Bright Act as a long-overdue investment in student success and workforce preparation.

Transcript Highlights:

• These aren't just jobs; they're careers with good wages, with benefits, with real opportunity that did
• These aren't just jobs; they're careers with good wages, with benefits, with real opportunity that did
• When you add wages on top of that, you're above 90%.
• And while we're talking about wages, the one thing I want you to consider is when you look around and
• We pay our workers a living wage. They're able to raise a family. What's it made up of?

Bills: SB287

Keywords: solid waste, recycling, universal recycling, single-stream recycling, multifamily housing, apartment recycling, commercial recycling, waste diversion, recycling grants, low-interest loans, Delaware Recycling Fund, Delaware Solid Waste Authority, DNREC, waste hauler, curbside recycling, yard waste, source-separated recycling, pay-as-you-throw, extended producer responsibility, waste bans

Summary: The House Natural Resources and Energy Committee met and considered three Senate bills. SB 287 with Senate Amendment 2, a DNREC cleanup bill on recycling, would tighten recycling collection rules for haulers and commercial generators, require multifamily recycling education, repurpose the Delaware Recycling Fund, and add annual reporting; after brief questions and no public comment, the committee motion to release did not initially receive enough votes, so the bill was circulated for signatures. SB 346, which would speed Environmental Appeals Board hearing and decision timelines so DNREC secretary decisions become final if deadlines are missed, drew support from the Nature Conservancy and also failed to get enough votes at the meeting, so it too was circulated for signatures. The committee then took up SB 326, a major utility-regulation bill sponsored by Senator Hanson and Representative Heffernan that would cap certain non-mandatory utility spending, limit interim rates, increase oversight and transparency, and streamline rate-setting. SB 326 generated extensive testimony and debate. Supporters, including the Public Advocate, Sierra Club, PSC staff, and some legislators, argued that Delmarva Power’s spending on non-mandatory infrastructure has risen far faster than inflation, that the company is a regulated monopoly, and that the bill would help restrain future delivery-rate increases without harming reliability because mandatory reliability, storm response, and vegetation management spending would remain allowed. Opponents, including Delmarva Power, business groups, contractors, labor representatives, and the Delaware Contractors Association, argued the cap would delay needed reliability and capacity projects, hurt economic development, reduce jobs, and interfere with utility planning; they also said supply costs, not distribution spending, are the main driver of recent bill increases. After public comment and additional questioning, the committee voted to release SB 326 on a split roll call, but because several members were absent the bill was also walked for additional signatures. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is they're Wage Statistics.
• >> Wages. >> Wages.
• >> Wages<00:34:56.679> Employment<00:34:57.240> and<00:34:57.360> Wages.
• <00:34:58.360> QCEW, >> Wages Employment and Wages.
• QCEW, >> Wages Employment and Wages.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we're not able to offer them the funding that they need to get their wages up to be competitive,
• wages similar to folks doing similar work in other boards.
• <00:08:31.039> and wages up to be competitive uh wages and wages up to be competitive uh wages
• and wages<00:08:31.919> similar<00:08:32.240> to<00:08:32.640> folks<00:08:33.039
• > doing<00:08:33.360> similar wages similar to folks doing similar wages similar to folks

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 3874, the Judiciary budget bill, and first moved it to the Ways and Means Committee. The bill was described as funding the judicial branch’s budget request, including courthouse and judge security measures, home safety for judges and staff, a $1 million courthouse safety grant program, and funding related to paid family and medical leave costs that the courts must absorb. A court administrator explained that some base adjustments were budget-neutral internal shifts within the court system, moving money from district courts to other courts to better meet overall needs. Members then debated several amendments. The A7 amendment, which reduced some of the requested security funding for administrators and aligned it more closely with legislative security levels while retaining flexible Supreme Court security personnel, was adopted. The A1 amendment, which would have deleted the additional operating adjustment for paid family and medical leave, failed on a 7-7 tie after debate over whether the courts should bear the employer share of that cost and whether the program itself was an unfunded mandate. The A2 amendment, also related to paid family and medical leave funding, likewise failed on a 7-7 tie after similar discussion about the judiciary’s ongoing employment costs and the branch’s inability to raise its own revenue. The committee then adopted the A4 amendment, which increased the courthouse safety grant program from $1 million to $4 million. Supporters said there was unmet demand for courthouse security grants and that the money would help with hardware such as screening equipment, while the court administrator said the branch would not spend more than it could use and that the grants would be reviewed by a committee including law enforcement and county representatives. The administrator noted the funding would be one-time money and would not cover staffing costs. The committee also discussed the judiciary’s ongoing need for funding, with members arguing both that the courts should be treated like other employers and that the judicial branch, as an independent branch of government, must be funded by the legislature. The final A5 amendment was then introduced, with staff noting it would delete a section already covered by the adopted A7 amendment and reduce an appropriation on page four, line 14.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those who exited programs as employed did so at an average wage of $20.38 an hour.
• of $20.38 an hour at an average wage of $20.38 an hour these<00:40:46.960> life-changing<00:40
• Those who exited the program as employed did so at an average wage of $20.38 per hour.
• I was interviewed and was offered a livable wage, and I now have great benefits.
• and I now have great benefits wage and I now have great benefits I<00:46:57.200> would<00:46:

Bills: HF1027, HF101, HF1021

Keywords: mortgage foreclosure, redemption, foreclosure surplus, sheriff's sale, junior lienholder, mortgagor, homeowner protections, loss mitigation, dual tracking, foreclosure redemption period, certificate of redemption, certificate of sale, sheriff, county recorder, registrar of titles, homeownership center, lien priority, real property, foreclosure by advertisement, surplus funds

Transcript Highlights:

• we really see this bill as an opportunity for New Mexico to be even more competitive, drawing high-wage
• More competitive, drawing high-wage jobs and a lot of economic investment here.
• This is a smart, targeted update that improves competitiveness, supports high-wage job growth, and helps
• This is a smart, targeted updates that improves competitiveness, supports high-wage job growth, and helps
• These are high-wage jobs, a lot of revenues for communities, and the space industry is just becoming

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• THAT PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH IS THE FOUNDATION FOR HIGHER WAGES.
• LIKELY BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THOSE TASKS FOR THEM AT LESS EXPENSE TO THE BUSINESS THAN THEIR HOURLY WAGE
• MANAGERS DO ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS IN A WAY THAT MAKES THE MANAGERS MORE PRODUCTIVE AND RAISES THEIR WAGES
• IT PROVIDES HIGHER WAGES AND HIGHER INCOMES TO WORKERS WHILE ALSO GIVING WORKERS THE DIGNITY THAT COMES
• BEING CERTIFIED ARE SKILLS THAT ARE ACTUALLY IN DEMAND BY EMPLOYERS AND THEY ACTUALLY LEAD TO HIGHER WAGES

Transcript Highlights:

• It certainly sets a minimum damage threshold.
• are punitive damages it certainly<04:22:53.319> sets<04:22:53.520> a<04:22:53.680> minimum
• <04:22:54.159> damage certainly sets a minimum damage certainly sets a minimum damage threshold

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 148, which Rep. Jim Kofalt said is the same language as last year’s HB 396, vetoed by the governor. He described the bill as allowing, but not requiring, separation by biological sex in three areas: bathrooms and locker rooms, houses of correction, and certain athletic competitions. Kofalt argued the bill would give local school boards and other policymakers discretion to set practical rules, citing concerns about safety, privacy, and a Milford incident involving a biological male in girls’ locker rooms. Committee members pressed him on the lack of a definition of “biological sex,” and he said he did not think one was necessary because males and females are commonly understood. He also said the bill was meant to address situations where outside groups threaten lawsuits and leave local boards with no latitude. Testimony then split sharply. Supporters, including Executive Counselor Karen Hill and several others, said HB 148 would roll back anti-discrimination protections, contradict New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” values, and harm transgender and non-binary people. Opponents described the bill as discriminatory and unnecessary, arguing that existing bathroom and sports policies already work and that the bill would invite harassment, invasive enforcement, and legal conflict. Several speakers, including trans residents and parents of trans children, said they had used public restrooms without incident and warned that enforcement would be impractical or abusive. One supporter argued the bill was needed to protect girls’ privacy and safety and cited school sports disputes and a concern about a sex offender at a game as examples of why sex-segregated rules should be restored. Committee members asked questions about how biological sex would be defined, whether the bill was responding to real incidents in New Hampshire, and how any restrictions would be enforced. Kofalt said he was aware of issues in several school districts and at the State House, but did not have detailed documentation for every case. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the hearing provided; the chair instead moved through public testimony under a strict two-minute limit and noted that follow-up questions would be limited so the committee could hear multiple bills that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• I leave work four years early in an example of, let's say, I make $50,000—that's about the average wage
• leave work four years early, in an example of, let's say, I make $50,000—that's about the average wage
• <00:25:23.600> in that's about the the average uh wage in that's about the the average uh
• wage in state<00:25:24.720> and<00:25:24.960> pers<00:25:25.360> employment<00:25
• <00:31:41.039> that<00:31:41.360> they back at a reasonable wage that they back at

Keywords: Finance - Room 216, 2 February, 2026; 3:00 PM, 925, all

Summary: The committee first heard a bill concerning tax increment financing (TIFs). The sponsor explained that the measure would not change the existing financing structure, but would add an optional arrangement cities could negotiate with developers: a revenue bond guaranteed by taxes generated from the development. The goal was to let developers guarantee the bond and access funds sooner on the front end of a project rather than waiting to see whether tax revenues meet projections. After no questions, the committee adopted a motion that the title was sufficient and reported the bill out do pass as a committee substitute. The next bill, Senate Bill 2873, came from the Department of Revenue and dealt with enforcement of the state’s vape registry law. The sponsor said the bill fills a gap left by prior legislation by creating a statutory forfeiture process for seized products valued at $20,000 or less, including notice, a right to contest, and rules for disposition of forfeited property. The committee then moved the bill title sufficient and do pass, and it was reported out. Senate Bill 2894 addressed local improvement projects funded in 2021 through 2024 that had not been executed or had unspent money remaining. The bill would require return of certain funds after a memorandum of understanding was not signed or after three years with unspent balances, require remittance of unspent interest, allow withholding of some city diversion or state aid road funds for noncompliance, and require periodic status reports to the Legislative Budget Office. The sponsor also offered an amendment giving entities 60 days from the bill’s effective date to request a one-time six-month extension; the amendment and the bill both received favorable votes and were reported out. Senate Bill 2910 would require employers in the PERS system to settle the books if a unit of government or other employer terminates participation. Senate Bill 2911 proposed a new return-to-work option for PERS retirees, shortening the separation period from 90 days to 30 days and allowing certain retirees to return to public employment at up to 80% of the stated salary, with employer-paid retirement contributions and possible health insurance support. The sponsor said the bill would exclude elected officials, K-12 superintendents, and IHL/community college administrators, and he discussed the bill’s expected effect on PERS funding with questions from members about actuarial impact and whether the proposal would affect existing retirement rules. Both bills were discussed but the transcript excerpt does not show final committee action on Senate Bill 2911.

Transcript Highlights:

• Entry-level jobs at Amazon are near the starting wage for Guardians ad Litem.
• starting earns significantly less with a starting earns significantly less with a starting wage
• <00:09:04.000> of wage of wage of 2312<00:09:05.920> that's<00:09:06.200> the<00
• Amazon are near start near<00:09:19.040> the<00:09:19.160> starting<00:09:19.519> wage
• your the the graph of kind of the wage your the the graph of kind of the wage study<00:41:16.680

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee approved the January 21 minutes and then reviewed committee rules, emphasizing deadlines for handouts, testimony notices, and substantive amendments, along with a warning that disruptive signs, noise, or demonstrations could lead to removal from the hearing room. The chair said the rules would be shared with the full House and noted the committee would operate with quorum and not tolerate chaos. The committee then heard a presentation from Tammy Baker Olson, the state program administrator for the Guardian ad Litem Board, on the program’s structure and budget request. She explained that guardians ad litem are independent voices for children’s best interests in child protection and family court cases, not attorneys or direct service providers. She said the program operates statewide, with 243 employees, and in 2024 advocated for more than 12,000 children, attended over 30,000 court proceedings, and filed reports in over 16,000 hearings. She also described specialized Family Court and Indian Child Welfare divisions, efforts to address racial disparities, and training requirements for guardians. Members asked about mileage and travel demands, the distinction between a child’s attorney and a guardian ad litem, caseloads, re-entry outcomes, the move from contractor/volunteer models to employee-based staffing, and the role of volunteers. Olson said most guardians use personal vehicles and mileage reimbursement, average caseloads are about 24, and the program has not seen a statewide increase in cases but does face staffing vacancies and turnover in some areas. She said the board believes the employee model improved advocacy and supervision, while the program is rebuilding a modest volunteer pool. She also said the program supports Indian Family Preservation Act-related work and has a formal process for handling conflicts of interest, which should be raised immediately to a supervisor rather than waiting for a complaint process.

Transcript Highlights:

• And of course, in Minnesota, we have the prevailing wage law.
• <00:20:04.160> According have the prevailing wage law.
• According have the prevailing wage law.
• We've increased our starting wages by a dollar an hour for all product distribution center positions.
• prevailing wage. prevailing wage.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• However, if you have the same income in another salary or wages that are not overtime-defined, then you
• ...it is seen as making the federal tax code more complex because you have to track those types of wages
• someone is in a job, they might be getting insurance through that job, and they might be earning more wages
• Effects if some of these people move to a different wage level that allows their consumption patterns
• That would indicate that those who are on Medicaid don't have a living wage yet.

Transcript Highlights:

• while take a training program um to wage while take a training program um to better<01:13:46.280>
• <01:25:55.480> in<01:25:55.639> that Grant in part because the wages in that Grant
• in part because the wages in that work<01:25:56.199> don't<01:25:56.520> necessarily<01
• Is it a livable wage, and do they stay here?
• and do they stay here we a livable wage and do they stay here we we'll<01:34:23.520> have<01:

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee received an orientation from University System of New Hampshire Chancellor Katherine Preventure and Senior Director of Government Relations Lauren Banker on the system’s enrollment, finances, workforce role, and academic programs. They described the system as consisting of UNH, Keene State, and Plymouth State, with about 23,000 students, $928 million in FY24 operating expenses, a $3.7 billion economic impact, and UNH’s R1 research status. They emphasized the system’s role in graduating students into the New Hampshire workforce, its statewide Cooperative Extension and regional campus presence, and its alignment of degree offerings with top occupations identified by New Hampshire Employment Security. The presentation also highlighted partnerships with businesses, internships, and collaboration with the community college system, including 100 transfer pathways and a direct-admit program. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on tuition, state support, and student costs. The chancellor said the state invested $95 million in FY25, with about $81 million used to reduce resident tuition and about $14 million for statutory programs such as Cooperative Extension and the Agricultural Experiment Station. She said the state subsidy is about $7,300 per New Hampshire student, and that resident net tuition averages about $7,000, while nonresident net tuition averages about $16,600. She provided published tuition figures for UNH, Plymouth State, and Keene State, and explained that resident tuition has been held flat for five years while financial aid has increased, reducing average net tuition and fees for New Hampshire students from about $10,500 in 2020 to $9,800. Members asked for clarification on how residency and workforce-retention percentages were calculated, and the chancellor said she would follow up. Members also asked about comparisons with peer institutions, housing and meal costs, research funding, and the reasons for declining enrollment and staffing reductions. The chancellor said peer comparisons were based on flagship universities for UNH and smaller regional publics for Plymouth and Keene, and noted that out-of-state tuition has risen about 2.5% annually. She said housing for a UNH double room is $8,536 and a meal plan is $5,100, and offered to provide a consolidated cost document. On research, she said the system’s direct research spending includes federal funding and that indirect costs were about $34 million last year, with a follow-up promised on the federal/state and direct/indirect split. She attributed enrollment declines largely to demographics and said the system is responding by reducing costs, selling buildings, exiting leases, moving the system office to NHTI, and implementing Workday. She also noted that Plymouth received approval for five three-year bachelor’s degree programs and that members praised the shorter, workforce-focused pathways, especially for manufacturing and other in-demand fields.

Transcript Highlights:

• She writes, "Can you please explain to me how a 100% S corporation owner paying him or herself wages
• corporation owner paying him<00:01:54.480> or<00:01:54.560> herself<00:01:54.960> wages
• <00:01:55.320> is<00:01:55.520> not him or herself wages is not him or herself wages
• I think the question is the actual wages that are paid and what that impact would be.
• I think the question is the actual<00:10:37.720> wages<00:10:38.080> that<00:10:38.200>

Bills: HF3843, HF3597, HF4003, HF3167, HF4193

Keywords: workforce development, appropriations, nonprofit organizations, employment services, state funding, paid leave, S corporations, employment law, exemptions, Minnesota Statutes, cancer, healthcare, appropriation, Rural Cancer Institute, Minnesota clinicians, pilot program, nursing, education, University of Minnesota, equity

Transcript Highlights:

• included if the company fails to create and maintain the outlined jobs and/or fails to pay the required wage
• wages as defined in the compliance states.
• outlined jobs and/or fails to pay the outlined jobs and/or fails to pay the required<00:27:41.520> wage
• <00:27:41.840> wages<00:27:42.320> as<00:27:42.640> defined<00:27:43.360>
• in<00:27:43.679> the required wage wages as defined in the required wage wages as defined

Keywords: 00:01 Call to Order and Roll Call 01:49 Approval of Minutes 02:06 Information Items 03:48 Project Rpt from Finance and Admin Cabinet 14:38 Lease Rpt from Finance and Admin Cabinet 18:50 OFM – Ky Infrastructure Authority 26:40 OFM – Cabinet for Economic Development 31:50 Office of Financial Management 40:40 Remaining 2025 Meeting Dates 41:25 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The meeting opened with prayer and a quorum call, then the committee approved the prior meeting minutes. Staff reported several informational items, including University of Kentucky medical and research equipment purchases, school district debt issues, leasehold improvements, and Kentucky Community and Technical College System bond allocations. The committee then approved a line-item appropriation increase of $350,000 in federal funds for the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ Cumberland Forest Conservation Program, along with two Department of Military Affairs projects: the Ashland Readiness Center window replacement and the MATES HVAC replacement at Fort Knox. It also approved four larger maintenance-pool projects without further action: HVAC and smoke evacuation work at the Kentucky State Penitentiary, HVAC and hot water tank replacements at Oakwood, a Green Bank energy-savings performance project across state facilities, and roof replacement at Lake Barkley Lodge. Members asked about the prison project, the roof procurement process, and whether minority-owned firms receive special bidding preference; staff said capital projects are awarded through open low-bid procurement with qualification and warranty requirements, and that minority participation is preferred but not a bidding criterion. Two lease modifications were approved for Franklin County agencies: an expansion and renovation for the Auditor of Public Accounts and a downsizing and renovation for the Kentucky Workers Compensation Funding Commission. The committee also approved Kentucky Infrastructure Authority items, including a Monticello sewer loan, several Cleaner Water Program grants and reallocations, and a House Bill 1 water grant that required no action. Members questioned engineering costs and were told the KIA board reviews technical details and anomalies before approval. Finally, the committee approved six economic development grants: one EDF grant for V Simple in Jefferson County and five KPDI EDF grants for projects in Breckinridge, Erlanger, Todd, and Washington counties. The last action item was approval of Western Kentucky University’s up-to-$10 million general receipts revenue bond issue for athletic facilities. An informational Kentucky Housing Corporation multifamily bond item prompted concern from members about rising per-unit costs for affordable housing, and they requested further explanation from the housing corporation at a future meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, whether they're workers in the rubber plants in Alabama, who, by the way, because our wages were
• It's a partial wage replacement.
• Half your wages up to six months when you're looking for other work.
• loved one, be with a newborn, or when they ask for more training or to be protected from things like wage
• loved one, be with a newborn, or when they ask for more training or to be protected from things like wage

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• An estimated $240 million impact in wages. That's just in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
• From the Twin Cities to greater Minnesota, workers lost wages.
• <00:03:15.800> Owners<00:03:16.280> burned workers lost wages.
• Owners burned workers lost wages.
• Workers lost wages. And families were afraid to shop, work, and move through their own communities.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House and Senate DFL lawmakers held a Capitol news conference to press for a $100 million small business relief package in response to the economic fallout from Operation Metro Surge and related ICE enforcement activity. Representatives Cedrick Frazier and Jay Xiong, along with Senator Susan Pappas and other supporters, said the enforcement surge caused widespread fear, reduced customer traffic, lost wages, and closures for immigrant-owned and other small businesses in Minneapolis-St. Paul and greater Minnesota. They argued the state has a history of providing disaster-style aid when communities are harmed through no fault of their own and said this situation warrants similar action. Business and community testimony described specific losses: a Willmar restaurant closed after both parents were detained, a North Mankato grocery store opening was delayed, The Coven reported a 33% revenue drop at two locations, and Lake Street businesses were said to have lost substantial revenue and staff. Speakers said the damage affected workers, landlords, suppliers, and neighborhood corridors statewide, and several emphasized that the relief should come as grants or forgivable loans rather than additional debt. They also criticized House Republican leaders for tying the relief to changes in paid family leave and for blocking a public hearing. In response to questions, Frazier said negotiations were ongoing through committee chairs and conference committee, with the issue still being discussed in broader leadership talks. He said the House would need only one Republican vote in committee and on the floor to advance the measure, and identified Chair Baker as a possible supporter because of harm in his district. Speakers said the Senate has already passed the relief and urged the House to act quickly before the end of session.