Transcript Highlights:

• I look forward to your feedback on how the response has been so that we can strengthen the program and
• I'd be interested in what your priorities would be for SBIR as a program and whether you would...
• As I mentioned, we talked about it with your own dad and how he started his business.
• Is that your conclusion, that President Trump is right and that all DEI programs are? now removed.
• Often, the TV cameras weren't there; you're recovering on your own.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for your service. Much appreciated. We know how... Thank you for your service.
• President, I appreciate your temperance and your observance of the rules because the gentleman from Westborough
• But the C-3 program, which we're...
• But the C-3 program, which was a COVID-era program, was originally funded through so-called ARPA dollars
• but only part of a program.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, adopted two commendatory resolutions honoring the Plimpton Historical Society’s Deborah Sampson Day recognition and Megan’s Light’s Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month observance, and suspended Joint Rule 12 to refer several House petitions to committee. The chamber also briefly recognized Diane Talk of the South Shore Regional Emergency Communication Center on her retirement after 30 years of dispatch service. Later, the Senate passed two local bills to enactment: House No. 4006, authorizing Dartmouth to grant an additional all-alcoholic beverages license, and House No. 473, relating to the charter of Westwood. The main business was the Senate Ways and Means presentation of the fiscal year 2027 budget, totaling about $63.3 billion. The chair described the budget as balanced, with no new taxes or tax cuts, based on a consensus revenue estimate of $986 million in growth over FY26 (2.4%), and including about $15.8 billion in federal financial participation and roughly $2.7 billion from the Fair Share surtax. The budget emphasized record local aid, including $1.376 billion in unrestricted general government aid, $7.66 billion for Chapter 70 education aid, increased minimum school aid, higher regional school transportation reimbursement, rural aid, and the revival of the Foundation Budget Review Commission. It also highlighted major investments in MassEducate free community college, food security, housing, and support for vulnerable residents. Members then engaged in extended colloquy on the budget’s major cost drivers and policy choices. Questions focused on debt service, pension and OPEB liabilities, MassHealth caseload and rising per-enrollee costs, child care funding, and program integrity in DTA and other benefit programs. The chair said debt service would be about $2.67 billion, pension payments would be $5.1 billion, OPEB would receive a $150 million payment, and MassHealth enrollment was projected at about 2 million with costs driven by acuity and medical inflation. He also said the budget includes no collective bargaining agreements and no state tax changes. Senators supporting the budget praised its investments in education, local aid, homelessness prevention, public health, libraries, and housing, while minority leaders and others stressed the need for fiscal discipline, transparency, and further work on affordability and municipal support. The Senate also received a House message on House No. 5316, which the House had nonconcurred in, and a conference committee was appointed on the disagreement.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please state your name for the record and present your testimony.
• > your and present your and present your testimony<00:15:31.560> thank<00:15:31.759>
• , for your time.
• Please state your name and present your testimony. Thank you, Mr.
• It affects your ability as a primary physician. It affects your ability to hire workforce.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 105 was presented by Representatives Beerman and Baker and then laid over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill. The bill would implement the remaining mental health and physician service recommendations from DHS’s rate study, including raising certain Medicaid reimbursement rates to at least 100% of Medicare where a Medicare equivalent exists, increasing community-based children’s and adult mental health rates and behavioral health home rates, and phasing in additional increases over three years. The authors said the proposal also addresses master’s-level clinician reimbursement and fee-for-service hospital inpatient mental health services, and they emphasized that the changes are intended to improve access, transparency, and provider stability. Both authors argued that low MA reimbursement rates are driving access problems across Minnesota, especially for children, families, and rural communities. They said providers are struggling to hire and retain staff, clinics are closing or shrinking, and patients are facing long waits, boarding in hospitals, or delayed care. Representative Baker said the issue is personal and described the bill as a phased, long-term approach because of state budget limits and the size of the cost, which he said is in the hundreds of millions but still awaiting a fiscal note. Public testimony was strongly supportive overall. A family physician said higher rates would improve access, keep clinics open, and help patients avoid emergency care, while a Children’s Minnesota mental health leader described more than 1,200 pediatric boarding episodes in 2024 and said outpatient investment is needed to reduce pressure on emergency and inpatient services. A rural provider said her organization had to close an in-home children’s mental health program because of insufficient reimbursement, harming access in underserved counties. A psychologist testifying for the Minnesota Psychological Association supported the bill’s general direction but objected to repealing the pay differential for doctoral-level psychologists, arguing that doctoral training is more extensive and that eliminating the differential could worsen workforce shortages. After testimony and member questions about the bill’s scope and cost, public testimony was closed and the bill was laid over.

Transcript Highlights:

• Minority Leader, >> Good work buying time for your >> Good work buying time for your colleagues. >> Yeah
• You can hold it in your hands.
• And when you create a government payment program funded by a new tax on a growing industry, you are..
• It grows government.
• K-12 or higher education campuses.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It looked like your programs are almost half to Bernalillo.
• and down payment assistance to go through a homebuyer education program.
• and down payment assistance are required to go through a home buyer education program.
• For the requested grow, the money for, For the requested Grow, the money for AmeriCorps programs, I'm
• So in your proposed legislation, that it would— so that’s just for higher education.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• program, which allows soldiers and airmen to transfer their unused... ...family education program, which
• Thank you for your time. Thank you for your time. Thank you.
• I'm asking you to see my son not as another case number, but as a person, a son, maybe like your own.
• The stories you hear today may resonate with your own lived experience, or they may not.
• Thank you for your testimony, and your persistence.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills. Representative David Linsky supported HB 3383, which would designate the song “Roadrunner” as the official rock song of Massachusetts, describing its Boston roots and cultural significance. Representative Sean Garberle supported HB 3335 on public access to historical records, arguing that records from state institutions should be released after 75 years and that families and researchers should be able to identify people buried in unmarked graves at former state institutions. Representative Rodney Elliott and Lowell officials supported HB 4138, authorizing easements for a Lowell sewer separation project; they said the project is needed for Clean Water Act compliance, will reduce combined sewer overflows into the Merrimack River, and must proceed quickly to meet SRF and consent-decree timelines. Committee members asked about Article 97, the location and scope of the easement, environmental justice impacts, and minority/small business participation in construction. The committee also heard extensive testimony on Senate 2183 and its House companion, which would elevate the Massachusetts National Guard to a cabinet-level position reporting directly to the Governor. Senators Mike Moore and John Velis, along with the National Guard Association’s Matthew McKenna, argued the change would reduce bureaucracy, improve communication and readiness, and reflect the Guard’s broad domestic and military missions. Velis cited the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home tragedy as an example of a breakdown in communication, while committee members said they wanted more information, including input from the Governor’s office and Guard leadership, before acting. The committee noted the distinction between state-controlled and federalized Guard missions and said it would continue reviewing the issue. Senator Liz Miranda and a large panel of survivors, advocates, and Northeastern law students testified in support of S. 2174 and S. 2177, which would create an office and task force on unsolved homicides, allow families to petition for case review after three years, require written responses, and establish a tip line, database, and dedicated funding. Witnesses described long-standing lack of communication, low clearance rates, and the disproportionate impact on Black and Brown communities. Senator Becca Rausch also testified on S. 2210, extending public records law to the governor and Legislature, and S. 2207, creating stronger information-governance and records-retention standards; she said both would improve transparency and reduce waste. The transcript does not reflect any votes taken during the hearing, though chairs repeatedly indicated support for moving some bills favorably and said the committee would continue reviewing the National Guard proposal.

Transcript Highlights:

• cuts to support the core educational cuts to support the core educational programs<00:17:22.880>
• get te's out just for my own get te's out just for my own education<00:41:03.000> um<00:41
• The Department of Education had noted this in their own slides.
• > program Childhood special education program Childhood special education program accepts<02:06
• the Hawaii Made in Hawaii, as well as their CED loan program and their High Step program, can educate

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Finance received an informational briefing from the Department of Education on its budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. The Superintendent and staff described the department’s mission, enrollment and staffing scale, recent gains in NAEP reading and math, persistent attendance problems since the pandemic, and the need for resources to support student recovery, middle school math, and other strategic priorities. The department said its proposal is intended to be aligned with its 2023–2029 strategic plan, fiscally balanced, and reliable for schools, while also addressing inflation, workforce needs, and uncertainty in federal funding. Assistant Superintendent and CFO Brian Hallet reviewed federal grants, non-general funds, and the budget development process. He said federal funds make up about 11% of the department’s FY25 appropriation and warned that House budget proposals could threaten predictable funding for core programs. He also explained that the department began its biennial budget work in April 2024 and used an internal review group to identify possible reallocations. The department characterized its request as a “flat” budget proposal overall, with a large share devoted to continued funding for existing recurring needs, and noted challenges including a projected state funding decline, inflation, lingering pandemic impacts, recruitment and retention, and uncertainty about future federal support. A major topic was the department’s capital improvement program. DOE officials argued for a risk-based, proactive approach using lump-sum “buckets” to manage facilities and deferred maintenance across more than 21.5 million square feet at 268 sites. They said this would allow more efficient prioritization of projects and better coordination with complex area superintendents, principals, and legislators. Members asked about how legislative priorities would fit into the bucket system, county-versus-state property jurisdiction issues affecting school facilities, enrollment decline and staffing ratios, and how the department plans to adjust facilities and human resources to shifting enrollment patterns. DOE said it is studying enrollment trends, will brief the Board of Education next month, and is willing to provide further briefings to legislators. No votes or formal actions were taken during the informational briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then, to your point, our intention is because the program was only 15 months long and data was lagging
• Thank you for your support of small business and thank you for your interest in these programs today.
• So we respectfully ask for your support for the SEED 4.0 program, and thank you for your support.
• So we respectfully ask for your support for the SEED 4.0 program, and thank you for your support.
• So we respectfully ask your support for the seed 4.0 program, and thank you for your support.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an informational update from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development on the state’s Jobs First economic development strategy and related budget requests. Go-Biz described its regional planning process, priority sectors such as ag-tech, space defense, life sciences, and semiconductors, and requests including an extension of the CalCompetes tax credit, support for export promotion, additional film commission staff, innovation and emerging technology capacity, and a California brand campaign. Members questioned the campaign’s purpose, with some supporting efforts to counter misinformation about California and others warning it should not obscure regulatory and business-climate concerns. Go-Biz said the campaign would be nationally focused, could include business attraction efforts, and was intended to complement—not replace—policy work on permitting and workforce development. The item was informational only. The committee then heard from the California Office of the Small Business Advocate on the California RISE program, the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, and the Technical Assistance Program/Capital Infusion Program. CalOSBA reported that California RISE’s first round awarded $16.9 million to 61 employment social enterprises, which collectively increased revenue, secured contracts, and employed thousands of people facing barriers to work; a second round is being launched with a new administrator and expanded services. For the performing arts payroll fund, the office said all 100 awardees had been paid, but demand far exceeded available funding, and the program was oversubscribed within days. California for the Arts testified that the sector remains fragile after COVID and urged statutory changes to simplify eligibility and stretch dollars further. SBDC representatives described TAP/SIP as a statewide network supporting small businesses, capital access, and disaster recovery, emphasizing their role in underserved communities and the leverage of federal matching funds. Committee members focused on whether these programs produce durable outcomes and reach smaller or disadvantaged businesses. Questions centered on long-term job retention in California RISE, outreach to ethnic and community media in the civic media program, and whether TAP/SIP are accessible to entrepreneurs with limited capital or capacity. CalOSBA and its partners said they rely heavily on local community organizations for outreach, provide one-on-one counseling and training, and are working to collect more longitudinal data. The committee also discussed the film and television tax credit program, for which Go-Biz requested funding for three permanent positions and ongoing program support. Film Commission staff said the expanded program is tracking demographic and career-pathway data, with most productions opting into new diversity provisions, and that a formal report to the Legislature is expected in 2027. The item concluded without a vote, as the hearing was for oversight and budget discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're education workers who work with early childhood all the way up into higher education.
• So, thank you for your question.
• So, thank you for your question.
• So, thank you for your question.
• So, thank you for your question.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: Sen. Erin Maye Quade, Rep. Esther Abad, and other Minnesota DFL legislators held a press event focused on responding to Trump administration and federal Republican actions that they said threaten health care, education, housing, public health, and other state services. Speakers argued Minnesota must not make “false trade-offs” between core services and should instead protect programs like Medicaid, school funding, disability services, nutrition, and public health by raising additional revenue and closing tax breaks for wealthy individuals and corporations. Rep. Abad and others outlined possible revenue options, including a fifth-tier income tax, a corporate rate match, closing tax exemptions for luxury items and second homes, a social media tax, and ending data center tax exemptions. They said these measures would not fully replace possible federal cuts, but could help mitigate harm and preserve services. Several speakers also criticized Republican opposition to tax increases and said the state should ask wealthy taxpayers and corporations to contribute more. Testimony from Olivia Dylan, a laid-off Minnesota Department of Health epidemiologist, described the impact of federal public health funding cuts and MDH layoffs on outbreak response, nursing home support, lab work, and tribal public health. Sean Leaden of SEIU Local 284 described low pay and staffing shortages among hourly school workers and said underfunding has hurt students and employees. Sen. Doran Clark and Rep. Emma Greenman framed the issue as both a budget and democracy question, arguing that federal cuts and attacks on public programs undermine self-governance and community well-being. In response to questions, speakers said Minnesota cannot fully backfill expected federal Medicaid losses, but can use state tools to reduce harm and should press Republicans to identify what services they would cut instead.

Transcript Highlights:

• likely to increase your seed rate and your, you know, purchasing the fertilizer and things like that
• We have a program in family and community wellness, which includes our food and nutrition programs.
• So is that answer your question?"
• Was this your presentation? AgTech, yeah." "This one? Was this your presentation?"
• You, your neighbor, your neighbor, you're on the water board, your neighbor lives a mile from you or

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and opening remarks from NDSU President David Stewart, who emphasized NDSU’s land-grant mission of statewide service through teaching, research, and extension. He highlighted the university’s role in agriculture, water, soil health, and community outreach, and pointed to examples of research commercialization such as Lilac Agriculture’s work on nitrogen-fixing microbes for crops. He also said he is still early in his tenure and intends to spend time listening and learning across the state. The committee then received a detailed presentation on a state irrigation and drainage study from Tom Bodine on behalf of Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. The study estimated that North Dakota could develop about 1.3 million additional irrigated acres, with major potential in counties such as McLean, Williams, Sargent, Burleigh, Mountrail, McKenzie, McIntosh, Dunn, and Bottineau. Testimony stressed the economic benefits of irrigation for crop yields, value-added processing, dairy, and potato production, while members also discussed water availability, aquifers, downstream water use, and the need for more flexible permitting. The drainage portion of the study found significant economic benefits from legal drains, and staff explained that the impacts were calculated through increased productivity and related input purchases. Greg Lardy then gave NDSU’s required agriculture update, saying agriculture accounts for more than $41 billion in annual economic activity, one in five jobs, and about 25 percent of state GDP. He reviewed the role of SBAR, the statewide research-extension network, new crop varieties, virtual fencing, AI and weather-network tools, and Extension’s county partnerships and youth programs. He also outlined NDSU’s priorities for the next session: restoring proposed budget cuts, increasing operating support, and addressing deferred maintenance. Members asked about storage shed construction, NDSU’s relationship with Grand Farm, and whether NDSU could help with water-related research tied to drainage and aquifers. The committee also heard from the North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute and a professor on water and data centers, who described graduate fellowships, a water workforce certificate program, and research on data center cooling, water use, and “Legendary Harvest” concepts that would reuse waste heat for greenhouse or aquaculture production. Questions focused on whether the cooling systems were closed-loop, who would own any related production facilities, and whether the project was still only a feasibility study. Finally, North Dakota AgTech described its NSF-funded “engine” project, saying it has brought millions in federal investment to the state, supported startups and on-farm trials, and is focused on commercialization, workforce development, and helping producers lower input costs and improve profitability.

Transcript Highlights:

• residual program.
• This is a growing program. This is a growing program.
• We need your leadership, and we need your compassion, and we need your action now more than ever.
• And we do support your work and appreciate that you're seeking to create sustainability in this program
• On your broader point about day programs or some other authorized service from just saying, well, let's

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First I would like to thank you and your staff for your work on this complicated issue.
• Currently, the burden of education falls on individual providers who must invest their own time and money
• AB 408 would allow the board to establish such a program. We ask for your aye vote.
• Currently, cannabis tax revenue funds youth programs throughout the state, including in your local communities
• Most of our youth programming has nothing but stride and help our community grow and become the next

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Your investment in our library systems and programs is crucial for promoting literacy and education in
• Your investment in our library systems and programs is crucial for promoting literacy and education in
• Your investments in our veteran programs ensure we continue to meet their diverse needs.
• Debra Heater: ...as well as a robust education program.
• we use to enhance our STEM education programs through art.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It raises some interesting questions around what you actually post on your website in terms of your strategy
• It's an area that is growing.
• We have one of the programs that you helped stand up, our P3 program, that allows us to capture state
• You referenced the P3 program, which is truly one of Oklahoma's best programs.
• I know I have an email with probably 10 programs that your team feels is not in alignment with your mission

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Why full program? Program access matters. The Omni is key to our strategy.
• With full access to this program, we can keep growing that contribution responsibly and sustainably.
• You said, in fact, your district and the Chair's district? And yours, too.
• And that's kind of the point, is to make sure that we're not growing government programs and spending
• Thank you for your time, your compassion, and your commitment to the people of Texas and those who have

Bills: HB249, HB 1186, HB2313, HB2408, HB2508, HB2730, HB2974, HB3045, HB3232, HB3336, HB3710, HB4044, HB4236, HJR133, HB249

Keywords: ad valorem taxes, property taxes, homestead exemption, disabled veterans, senior citizens, tax payments, installment payments, municipal tax revenue, hotel, convention center, tax code, economic development, local government, municipality, tax revenue, qualified projects, municipal taxation, hotel project, municipality funding, veteran

Transcript Highlights:

• Until that point, school-based Pre-K programs were administered by the Public Education Department and
• New Mexico Grown is a small program funded at about $1.7 million this year, and it won't likely grow
• This program not only literally feeds our children, but it will also increase educational outcomes for
• You may notice that in your own grocery bill since 2021, and our rate has not gone up at all.
• In regards to how your program is working with...

Transcript Highlights:

• the education part. the education part.
• educational financing. educational financing.
• echoes your proposal. echoes your proposal.
• So, as the fund grows, the number of shares of stock that the fund owns or, you know, can increase in
• speak to your bill? speak to your bill?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We approve over 200 nursing education programs in Texas, and this portal would help streamline that process
• program.
• to your attention.
• It's the short story... and the COPA program is a fee-supported program.
• You heard a lot about plumbing during your higher education finance committee hearing.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, we think education programs currently are not set up to produce the types of skills that are needed
• programs Also, we think education programs Also, we think education programs currently<00:16:
• > or district or yours or yours or yours or district or yours or yours or yours or yours<00:41
• your decision either way. your decision either way.
• your industry at the end of K12? your industry at the end of K12?

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:00:22 Forging the Future: Kentucky's National Leadership in Metals Manufacturing 00:01:33 Improvements to Kentucky’s Incentive Programs 00:52:05, 958, all

Summary: The committee met for its third interim meeting, approved the prior meeting minutes, and heard a presentation from the Metals Innovation Initiative (MI2) on Kentucky’s metals industry. Speakers described metals manufacturing and recycling as a major economic backbone for the Commonwealth, including steel, aluminum, stainless steel, and copper operations, with broad impacts across production, fabrication, supply chains, and related businesses. They emphasized that the industry supports high-paying jobs, significant capital investment in Kentucky, and is aligned with broader efforts to expand U.S. manufacturing. A central theme was workforce development. MI2 leaders said the industry faces a persistent talent gap and that current education programs do not always produce the skills needed for modern metals jobs. They argued for stronger exposure and awareness, more direct industry involvement, and a dedicated metals career pathway through high schools, area technology centers, career and technical centers, and KCTCS. They also described pilot efforts in Logan, Warren, and Carroll counties that would introduce students to metals careers in middle school, move them into credits and pathways in high school, and connect them to internships, apprenticeships, and postsecondary training. Recycling and supply-chain security were the other major topics. Testimony stressed that recycled inputs are far cheaper than raw ore extraction and that recycling is increasingly important to competitiveness, environmental performance, and keeping materials from leaving the U.S. Speakers also raised concerns about China’s large steel and aluminum capacity and said unfair trade and global market manipulation make it harder for Kentucky producers to compete. Committee members and presenters framed MI2 as a collaborative effort among industry, state government, and academia to strengthen workforce pipelines, recycling, and long-term industry growth. No votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• your family educate<02:15:15.320> your educate your educate your children<02:15:17.480> purchase
• They will make our children grow hungry by slashing school lunch programs and even school breakfast programs
• They will make our children grow hungry by slashing school lunch programs and even school breakfast programs
• They will make our children grow hungry by slashing school lunch programs and even school breakfast programs
• <07:53:33.080> economy education program with a solid economy education program with a solid

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 1012, house, all