Transcript Highlights:

• can mean these projects wait in a long funding queue. project dependence on public funding can mean
• these projects wait in a long funding queue.
• Yeah, there are programs that fund scattered-site supportive housing.
• On the funding side, I think there's a lot of concern that this is limited to only general fund or capital
• Fund the shelter, choose humanity, choose action, choose life. Thank you.

Summary: The Senate Housing Committee held public hearings on four bills and then took executive action on several measures and two gubernatorial appointments. At the start, the committee waived the five-day notice rule for Substitute House Bill 2354, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2266, and Second Substitute House Bill 2590. The committee also heard public testimony on House Bill 1859, which would expand affordable housing on property owned by religious organizations by lowering the affordability threshold needed to qualify for a density bonus. Supporters, including the sponsor, faith leaders, and local officials, said the current 100% affordability requirement has made projects difficult to finance and that the bill would better unlock underused church land for housing. The committee then heard Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2266, which would further standardize where and how permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, indoor emergency housing, and shelters can be sited, while limiting local barriers and allowing some negotiated conditions near schools or when local governments provide significant support. The sponsor and supporters from King County, housing providers, the Attorney General’s office, disability advocates, medical professionals, and others argued the bill would reduce discriminatory or inconsistent local siting rules and expand needed housing. Some local government representatives supported the bill but asked for additional amendments to preserve local flexibility, require on-site contacts, and clarify how operating conditions and funding agreements would work. The committee also heard House Bill 2590, which would revise rules for limited equity cooperatives so they can better function as a long-term affordable homeownership model and remain exempt from certain Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act requirements. Supporters said the bill would help preserve manufactured housing communities and other cooperative housing while maintaining affordability and oversight. House Bill 2354, a trailer bill to WACOIA, would make technical changes affecting common interest communities, including EV charging and heat pump cost responsibility, reserve studies, and audit thresholds; the Washington State Community Association’s Institute testified in support. In executive session, the committee confirmed gubernatorial appointments Aaron T. McGrath and Ann T. Malone and voted do-pass recommendations for EHB 1687, SHB 2269, and HB 2304, all subject to signatures.

Transcript Highlights:

• 90% of the fund revenues to the state general fund.
• Public welfare and safety.
• Liam, when you were talking about the formula to some of the trust fund, the 2021 Compact Trust Fund
• The Arizona Benefits Fund is the single largest recipient of those funds.
• gets deducted from that fund.

Committee: Senate Senate Regulatory Affairs & Government Efficiency Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee first heard the Arizona Auditor General’s 2025 sunset review of the Arizona Barbering and Cosmetology Board. The audit found the board generally processed licenses and complaints timely and had adopted required school curriculum rules, but it also identified inconsistent disciplinary actions, gaps in required infection-prevention and law education for some reciprocity and instructor applicants, weak application review controls, and noncompliance issues involving open meeting law, public records, and conflicts of interest. Auditors also recommended statutory changes on esthetics scope of practice, cease-and-desist authority, and eyelash technician training standards. The board’s executive director said the agency agreed with the findings, had already implemented some changes including updated disciplinary parameters, conflict-of-interest training, lawful presence verification, and revised cash-handling procedures, and was working through the remaining recommendations. After questions, the committee voted 7-0 to recommend the board implement the audit recommendations and be continued for six years, until July 1, 2032. The committee then took up the combined sunset review and performance audit of the Arizona Department of Gaming, the Arizona Racing Commission, and the Arizona Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Commission. The Auditor General reported that while the department distributed tribal gaming funds and issued some licenses appropriately, it failed to consistently obtain and review required independent audit reports for event wagering and fantasy sports operators, did not fully comply with conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements, lacked comprehensive complaint-handling processes, and had delayed some compact trust fund distributions. Additional issues included IT security documentation, horse-racing suitability checks, fee-setting reviews, rulemaking, and public records procedures; the Boxing and MMA Commission also had licensing and fee-setting deficiencies. The department and commissions agreed to implement the recommendations, and the department director said the agency was already making changes, including updated guidance to operators, a new complaint-tracking process, conflict-of-interest training, and work on trust fund distributions and rule changes. Committee members pressed both the auditor and the department on why fantasy sports audit reviews had not been completed, whether underpayments would be recovered, and why no distributions had yet been made to certain Category 3 tribes under the 2021 compact trust fund. The director said the department was now doing a look-back review, would seek any owed fees, penalties, and interest, and was helping tribes resolve the baseline-revenue formula needed for distributions. Members also asked about conflict-of-interest practices, problem gambling, and whether prediction markets fall under gaming regulation. The discussion continued into the department’s broader presentation, with the director describing the agency’s regulatory role and ongoing modernization efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• The funding does not come from public school funding. It comes from the surplus.
• Have any impact upon the TRS pension fund. You know, we've been very protective of this fund.
• I'm for Senator Middleton's ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying, so. Okay. Taxpayer funded lobbyists.
• And part of that was funding the School Safety Commission. Is that accurate? That's right.
• And the funding will reflect that.

Bills: SB2 , SJR36 , SB2 , SB2 , SR29 , SB2

Transcript Highlights:

• These safety nets are about racial and economic equity.
• These safety nets are also about gender equity.
• They were life safety hazards.
• As student workers, we get no state-mandated safety net.
• I have three months of expenses saved in an emergency fund.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services held a public hearing with about 43 witnesses and a 1:00 p.m. hard stop, and the chair repeatedly asked speakers to keep testimony to three minutes. Much of the hearing focused on S. 747/H. 1336, which would extend paid family and medical leave and unemployment insurance to graduate student workers. Supporters included legislators, union leaders, graduate workers from MIT, Harvard, BU, WPI, UMass Lowell, and others, and legal advocates. They argued graduate workers perform full-time teaching and research work, pay taxes, and should not be excluded from basic safety-net benefits; several witnesses described personal hardships involving childbirth, serious illness, mental health crises, funding cuts, or fear of losing income. Testifiers also said the change would be revenue-neutral or revenue-generating and would not create major administrative burdens for universities, which already provide similar benefits to other employees. The committee also heard testimony on insurance-related bills. Christopher Stock of the Massachusetts Insurance Federation supported H. 1113 on public adjusters and H. 1345/S. 753 on flood-zone notifications for homebuyers, but opposed H. 4112, which would add a $2 surcharge on home insurance policies to fund fire cistern programs. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council strongly supported H. 1345, saying flood disclosure is needed because Massachusetts lacks statewide flood-notification requirements and flooding risks are increasing. Karen Alvarado supported H. 4352 on travel insurance, and John Fielding supported H. 1186 on pet insurance; both said the bills would create uniform regulatory frameworks and consumer protections. Rep. LeBoeuf testified for H. 4061 on workers’ compensation premium fraud, describing the bill as a transparency measure to combat fraud in construction by creating a public certificate-of-insurance database and QR-code verification system. Joe Bright of the carpenters’ union also supported H. 4061, citing fraud, misclassification, and the harm to injured workers. The hearing also included testimony on H. 4112, a bill to create a statewide fire suppression water resource fund and cistern program. Rep. Hogan and a Stowe fire chief described drought, brush fires, and the need for dedicated cisterns in communities without municipal water systems, saying the tanks provide reliable water for firefighting and are relatively low-tech once installed. Committee members asked questions about tank capacity, siting, maintenance, and funding. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• A couple questions regarding funding. Where does that funding come from?
• With the McKinney-Vinto Act and the funding around that, are there other county-based programs or funding
• I would want to make sure that we're able to fund, adequately fund our education.
• I would want to make sure that we're able to fund adequately fund our education. resource officer.
• I would want to make sure that we're able to fund, adequately fund our educators on campus and our student

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> heroes Hawaii needs more water safety heroes Hawaii needs more water safety Champions<01:17:13.560
• locally with state funds rather than federal funds, even if the current situation in Washington wasn't
• We also have had county funding in the past. We have had state funding.
• We also have had county funding in the past. We have had state funding. We have had state funding.
• </c> on from you and if we don't fund on from you and if we don't fund something<01:27:42.560><c> like

Summary: The hearing opened with committee procedures and then took up SB 1, relating to vegetation management near utility lines. DLNR opposed the bill, saying it would shift rights, responsibilities, and liability onto the state and private landowners. Hawaiian Electric supported the measure with amendments, describing it as a first step to address wildfire risk and improve public safety and system reliability. The Hawaii Farm Bureau and Command Schools both raised concerns that the bill could impose significant costs, liability, and access burdens on farmers, ranchers, and other landowners, especially where easements are old or unclear. Life of the Land argued the issue belongs before the Public Utilities Commission, and PUC staff explained that the commission is already reviewing Hawaiian Electric’s wildfire mitigation plan and vegetation management in a docket, with a decision expected by September and public meetings scheduled for April 23 and 24. Committee members questioned the need for legislation versus negotiated solutions, and witnesses said private parties could potentially renegotiate easements without statute. The committee then heard HB 1296, relating to disaster recovery. DLNR and OPSD supported the bill, saying it would ease regulatory burdens in post-disaster rebuilding and help speed permit review. Testimony and member questions focused on the bill’s five-year rebuilding timeline, the role of the coastal zone/SMA process, and how long permit reviews typically take; OPSD said SMA major/use permits generally take about six months, while minor permits are faster. Members also discussed whether the bill would apply to existing structures damaged in disasters and whether the amendments from the Attorney General’s office and OPSD were acceptable; no objections were raised. Finally, the committee heard SB 1170, relating to the expeditious redevelopment and development of affordable rental housing. HHFDC supported the bill, and testimony from a Maui affordable housing project said the measure is needed to rebuild the Weinberg Court Apartments, a 63-unit affordable project in Lahaina, using insurance funds rather than government money. Members asked whether the bill would help existing affordable rental projects damaged before the enactment of related coastal rules, and the response was that the bill is aimed at existing structures damaged during events and intended to speed rebuilding of affordable housing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, for example, surplus funds can be deposited in a separate surplus funds account and used to pay non-reimbursed
• Any funds authorized from a candidate's or elected official's active campaign fund or surplus fund to
• Sometimes it's, a lot of times it is personal safety.
• Washington already understands licensing and safety.
• Washington has similar safety protocols and licensing.

Committee: Senate Law & Justice

Transcript Highlights:

• I will now call to order this Committee on Crime and Public Safety.
• Title change on there that will be public safety.
• The ayes have it. title change on there that will be public safety, it'll go from public safety personnel
• school safety.
• And I don't know of a similar fund either.

Committee: House Crime and Public Safety

Summary: The Committee on Crime and Public Safety met with a quorum and first took up several bills in executive session. House Bill 2323, relating to a domestic violence registry, was discussed as a private law-enforcement database for domestic abuse offenders; members noted it was similar to other registry bills already advanced, though some said it differed in details. House Bill 2530, described as the scrap metal bill, was also voted do pass without discussion. House Bill 1882 was withdrawn from consideration after members noted it had been rolled with another bill and had been sent back from fiscal review and Rules. The committee then adopted a House committee substitute and two amendments for House Bill 3332, which concerns public safety personnel recruitment and retention and employment benefits for first responders; the substitute removed additional degree programs from scholarship eligibility and the amendments fixed scholarship prioritization language and removed a sunset from the line-of-duty death benefit. HB 3332 was voted do pass. In public hearing, Representative Justice presented House Bill 3174, Missouri’s version of Alyssa’s Law, requiring each school employee to have access to a wearable panic alert system tied to local emergency responders and school personnel. He said the bill is subject to appropriations and would use a qualified vendor list; members questioned cost, funding, liability, and whether schools could already implement such systems. Support testimony came from Lori Alhadeff, Alyssa’s mother, who described the Parkland shooting and argued that faster alerts save lives, including in medical emergencies, and from a teacher who said the system would help in both active shooter and non-shooter emergencies. No opposition testimony was offered. Representative Williams then presented House Bill 3434, which would create a Missouri statewide sexual assault response task force to examine reporting, investigation, medical response, advocacy, and prosecution and report recommendations by December 31, 2028. She said the task force would build on progress made reducing the sexual assault kit backlog but address ongoing inconsistencies across jurisdictions. Members asked about overlap with a prior expired task force, appointment structure, and whether the group should include more medical or law-enforcement representatives. Support testimony from the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence described the history of the kit backlog, the Telesane program, uneven services across the state, and the need for continued coordination and accountability; the Missouri Emergency Nurses Association also supported the bill, citing the need to address both rural and urban response challenges.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're critical to public safety, but justice is incomplete if we fail to fund survivors equitably.
• Public safety requires both accountability and healing.
• They're critical to public safety, but justice is incomplete if we fail to fund survivors' safety, but
• Public safety requires both accountability and healing.
• So the thing, the funding form...

Summary: Washington State Sen. Manka Dhingra opened a press conference focused on survivor-centered policies and funding for victim services, saying the state should continue supporting survivors despite a difficult budget climate and reduced federal support. She highlighted prior state actions such as extending the statute of limitations for sexual assault, restricting firearms for abusers, protecting survivors from discrimination, easing access to protection orders, and addressing female genital mutilation, while emphasizing the need to fund services that are trauma-informed and victim-centered. Much of the event focused on the request to restore about $21.38 million in victim services funding. Colleen McIngles of the King County Children’s Justice Center warned that without the funding, programs statewide would close, eliminating forensic interviewers, advocates, and coordinated response teams. Kate Garvey of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center said agencies have already laid off staff and are triaging clients, and that the money would only maintain existing services. Several speakers tied the need for funding to broader public safety and survivor support, including references to federal VOCA cuts and the national reckoning over the Epstein case. Legislators also discussed several bills. Sen. T’wina Nobles described SB 5169, which would reduce the need for child victims and witnesses to repeatedly relive trauma in court. Rep. Jamila Taylor and Rep. Roger Goodman discussed HB 1591, which would provide mitigating treatment, resentencing options, and possible vacatur for survivors whose criminal conduct was connected to coercion or abuse. Rep. Chris Stearns and Sen. Tina Orwall discussed court-process reforms in SB 6017 and related efforts to prevent retraumatization of sexual assault survivors, along with recognition of female genital mutilation as sexual assault. Rep. Lauren Davis shared her personal experience with domestic violence and argued that cuts to system-based victim advocacy have left many survivors without support. The press conference also celebrated unanimous Senate passage of the Ebony Alert bill, which advocates said is needed to improve responses to missing Black women and girls; speakers urged the House to pass it next.

Transcript Highlights:

• I wanted to ask, is this fund an eligible fund to use, say, as an example... ...with BNSF for P3 work
• It's a million dollars... ...and I know about the local road fund or local transportation fund because
• Is our legislative funds, our House Bill funds that we've received beginning in 2019.
• Is it fully funded yet, Mr. Chair?
• They're all fully funded?

Transcript Highlights:

• But we fund Broward Behavior, help the different coalitions where we have a funding entity, and then
• Looking at last year's budget, we were funded at $10 million in the safety categorical, just talking
• Funded at $10 million, spent $24 million on safety. We were funded at $5 million for mental health.
• Looking at last year's budget, we were funded at $10 million in the safety categorical, just talking
• Funded at $10 million, spent $24 million on safety. We were funded at $5 million for mental health.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education met to hear the governor’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget recommendations for education from the Office of Policy and Budget and the Department of Education. Shelby Salmons and Commissioner Stasi Kamoutsis outlined the governor’s proposed $117.4 billion state budget, including about $32.5 billion for education, with major emphasis on public schools and early learning. The presentation highlighted a $30.6 billion K-12 budget, a $486 million VPK program, continued funding for VPK Summer Bridge, TEACH, HIPPY, and Help Me Grow, as well as increases for teacher pay, base student allocation, mental health, school safety, civics education, and school hardening initiatives. The commissioner also cited a 92.2% statewide graduation rate and Florida’s national rankings in education and education freedom. Senators used the question period to raise concerns about counselor staffing, mental health services, school closures, school choice oversight, the Guardian Program, data reporting, and school capacity. Senator Jones asked about counselor ratios, school closures in historically Black communities, and whether school choice schools are properly monitored for safety and instructional quality. Senator Osgood argued that mental health funding should support more clinical services on campuses, not just academic counselors, and Senator Bradley asked whether the centralized data repository includes scholarship students. Senator Gates praised the civics and debate funding and asked for more detail on the Guardian Program’s performance; the commissioner said 53 of 67 districts participate and described it as a successful safety option with sheriffs approving training. Senators Simon and Osgood also pressed for better use of the FISH report and more accurate space data to understand school capacity and right-sizing. During public testimony, Pinellas County School Board member Laura Hine said her district is an A-rated district with no D or F schools, but spends far more on safety and mental health than it receives in state categorical funding. She said Florida’s mental health staffing ratio is about one counselor per 2,203 students, compared with a recommended one per 1,106, and urged the committee to consider funding full-day VPK statewide, estimating it would cost about $375 million. Committee members followed up on her comments about local flexibility and whether districts can shift funds to meet needs. The meeting ended after members thanked DOE and executive branch staff for the presentation, and the committee adjourned without taking any substantive vote on legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• The funding that's been approved, which, thank you for that funding, we were able to say, we might get
• this funding.
• must augment Chapter 90 funds with other capital funds to execute road projects.
• I know that transportation funding is so, so important; infrastructure funding is so integral to the
• The plan also calls for $185 million in capital funding for MassDOT to take action on safety and congestion

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Transportation

Summary: The Joint Committee on Transportation held its first hearing of the session on H. 53, Governor Healey’s Chapter 90 proposal to increase state funding for municipal roads, bridges, sidewalks, and culverts. Committee chairs outlined the hybrid hearing process and invited testimony from municipal officials, labor groups, regional planning organizations, contractors, and administration officials. Across the hearing, speakers consistently supported the bill, emphasizing long-deferred maintenance, inflation in construction costs, climate-related flooding, and the need for more predictable, multi-year funding so cities and towns can plan projects and take advantage of the construction season. The administration described H. 53 as part of a broader $8 billion transportation package, proposing to raise annual Chapter 90 funding from $200 million to $300 million for five years, with the additional $100 million distributed by road mileage to better support rural and small communities. They also highlighted $200 million for culverts and small bridges, plus other transportation investments, and said the five-year authorization would provide certainty for municipal capital planning. Municipal witnesses from places including Carlisle, Beverly, Granby, Hatfield, Newton, Nahant, Gardner, Beckett, and Yarmouth described local road and culvert backlogs, rising asphalt costs, and the difficulty of maintaining infrastructure on limited local budgets. Labor and industry witnesses from the AFL-CIO and MAPA said the bill would support good-paying jobs and provide stability for contractors and producers. The MBTA Advisory Board and regional planning representatives also backed the proposal, noting the connection between local roads and the broader transportation system. Committee members asked questions about the road-mile formula, culvert needs, asphalt costs, and the rationale for a five-year authorization. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the committee adjourned after testimony concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 685 is a critical funding mechanism.
• This funding is critical because it's needed to augment funding that has either sunset or gone away due
• So we have to spend the funds.
• So the small businesses don't receive the funding.
• I mean, I think we all are concerned about safety.

Committee: Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• We are asking for funding for that.
• ask and OSBI legacy funds, that fund ask, you know, we were asked, hey, is there something we can do
• So the building that we're looking at now, which is the funds that we would use out of our own funds
• I would also tell you every year where we're at on that wire transfer fund: that wire transfer fund is
• So wire transfer fund decreasing?

Summary: The Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary heard presentations from several agencies. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported full National Association of Medical Examiners accreditation, major improvements in turnaround times, staffing growth to 18 forensic pathologists, and expanded rural coverage, but warned that a flat budget would leave it short of funds by August. The agency requested $4.5 million in recurring funding for professional staff and operations, citing rising supply, transport, IT, and facility costs, and said failure to fund the request would cause a catastrophic collapse. Members asked about cremation fees, other revenue sources, and the consequences of not funding the request; the chair said the recommendation would be forwarded but not necessarily adopted. The Council on Judicial Complaints said complaints against judges have roughly doubled since 2018, with most complaints involving dissatisfaction with judicial rulings rather than misconduct. The council emphasized its goal of responding within 90 days, its new judges college to prevent ethics problems, and the cost of removal proceedings. It requested an additional $125,000 on top of its current $300,000 appropriation to cover rising operating costs, a lease increase, judicial college expenses, and salary adjustments. Senators asked about case prioritization, turnover, staffing, and whether a specific courtroom incident could be investigated; the director said it would be an appropriate complaint to review. The Oklahoma Indigent Defense System described heavy caseloads in rural counties, a mix of satellite offices and county contracts, and a need to reduce attorney workloads, especially in Norman and Lawton. It requested funding for six resource navigators, a project manager, direct-care support, eight additional attorneys, internal training, and continued county contract funding, while also discussing possible diversion programs and grant opportunities. The Department of Corrections requested increases for county jail backup per diem and ICON maintenance, highlighted contraband interdiction, centralized visitation, mobile check-ins, and tablet-based efficiencies, and discussed an ICE detention contract at Watonga that brings in monthly revenue and jobs but is not counted in the budget request. The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs presented a revised legacy-fund request tied to purchasing and remodeling a building shared with OSBI, saying the new plan would cost about $25 million total and save money compared with new construction; it also noted declining wire-transfer revenue tied to fewer grow operations and other enforcement changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• So that would enhance safety.
• So that would<00:04:30.880><c> enhance</c><00:04:31.360><c> safety.
• </c><00:04:32.479><c> Uh</c> would enhance safety. Uh would enhance safety.
• </c> of Education in order to u to fund of Education in order to u to fund driver's<00:05:39.199><c>
• And I objective, which is public safety.

Committee: Joint Highways and Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, I move that funding for the Florida Senior Veterans and Crisis Fund in Specific Appropriation
• Representative Redondo moves that funding for the Florida Senior Veterans and Crisis Fund in Specific
• Fund and Specific Appropriation 602 on page 144, regular session.
• There is no legal And in fact, it is integral to public safety.
• It would allow them to take responsibility for their own safety and the safety of their children and

Summary: The House convened for opening-day business, with prayer, a moment of silence for Captain Bill Guston, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum established. The Speaker outlined a budget message emphasizing reduced spending and a proposed permanent 0.75% sales tax cut, and the chamber then received the Governor’s veto message on portions of HB 5001. Members moved to reinstate several vetoed appropriations, including the Florida Senior Veterans and Crisis Fund, Rockledge Advanced Water Treatment Phase 1, the Department of Corrections automated staffing/time management system, and Baldwin sewer and water main work; each reinstatement passed unanimously. The House also adopted a special order calendar and special amendment procedures for the General Appropriations Act and related bills. On the special order calendar, several bills passed unanimously or near-unanimously, including Lucy’s Law on boating safety (CS/CS/CS/HB 289), HB 735 on water access facilities, HB 11 on municipal water and sewer utility rates, CS/CS/HB 85 on hazardous walking conditions, and CS/HB 157 on service of process. These measures focused on boating safety, water infrastructure, utility-rate fairness, school walking safety, and procedural civil-law updates. A major floor debate centered on HB 6017, which would repeal Florida’s “Free Kill Law” limiting wrongful-death damages in medical negligence cases. Supporters described the bill as a long-awaited justice measure for families who lost adult children or unmarried relatives to medical malpractice, while opponents were not recorded in the final vote tally; the bill passed 104-6 after extensive emotional testimony from sponsors and affected families. The chamber also heard a lengthy, highly divided debate on HB 759, which would lower the firearm purchase age from 21 to 18. Supporters argued the current law is inconsistent with adult rights and responsibilities and cited constitutional precedent, while opponents emphasized Parkland, youth gun violence, and public-safety concerns; the transcript ends during continued debate on that bill, with no final vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• opportunities to better help Minnesota access available federal funds, state funds, and county funds
• opportunities to better help Minnesota access available federal funds, state funds, and county funds
• opportunities to better help Minnesota access available federal funds, state funds, and county funds
• opportunities to better help Minnesota access available federal funds, state funds, and county funds
• opportunities to better help Minnesota access available federal funds, state funds, and county funds

Transcript Highlights:

• And as that grows, I think public safety is in jeopardy to a degree. Their safety is in jeopardy.
• Their safety is in jeopardy. So anything we can do in this direction.
• This funding will run out in 2026.
• funding.
• He noted that the safety standards regarding youth operation are clear: the Consumer Product Safety Commission

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• Worshippers, people in their safety of their own religious community, the safety. of their synagogue
• I do not agree that taking away NIH funding or research funding is the right approach, but I will stand
• We provide everything from event security funding and personal safety apps for students to weekly intelligence
• than half the applicants receive the funding they need.
• And so it is imperative that NSGP is funded further. Thank you.

Committee: Senate Aging (Special) Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• It's issues about shareholder funding and what we can do with those dollars.
• costs, not below-the-line accounting issues, which are shareholder funded.
• The vast majority of our advertising is shareholder funded.
• And it's so important, especially when we have these safety tools in front of us.
• But safety comes first, and including our fire authority is so important.

Committee: House Utilities and Energy

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy met without a quorum at first and began as a subcommittee, hearing SB 24 by Senator McNerny. The bill would prohibit investor-owned utilities from using ratepayer funds for political advertising, lobbying, and efforts against municipal utility formation, while also tightening related accounting and consultant-fee rules. Supporters argued ratepayer money should not subsidize utility advocacy or branding during an affordability crisis; opponents said the bill was too broad, could affect legal and regulatory communications, and raised concerns about First Amendment and unintended consequences. After amendments were accepted, the committee later voted the bill out on a 10-1 vote, with one member not voting, and the roll was held open for additional members to add on. The committee then heard SB 283 by Senator Laird, the Clean Energy Safety Act of 2025, which responds to the Moss Landing battery storage fire. The bill would establish stronger safety standards for battery energy storage systems, including fire authority consultation and inspections, compliance with NFPA and building/fire code standards, and a prohibition on locating battery storage in indoor combustible facilities. The author and supporters, including firefighters, local governments, utilities, and industry groups, said the measure would improve safety and coordination as battery storage expands; there was no opposition testimony. The committee approved SB 283 unanimously, 16-0, and later the roll was reopened and the measure ultimately advanced 18-0. The consent calendar included SB 80, SB 491, SB 593, SB 804, and SCR 25, all of which were approved together without opposition. The committee also held the roll open for absent members to add on after the votes, then adjourned after all business was completed.