Transcript Highlights:

• They make the system possible.
• So I'd be curious to get your thoughts on that, and would there be any interaction with the system?
• So I'd be curious to get your thoughts on that, and would there be any interaction with the system?
• Officially, the Electronic Payments Coalition does not have a be any interaction with the system.
• There are two separate systems, Mr. Chair. There are two separate systems.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Legislative Commission on the Future of Payments and Sales Transactions by Credit Card and the Impacts for Small Businesses held a public hearing focused on interchange fees, sales tax and tip processing, chargebacks, fraud, surcharging, and the broader future of payment systems. Chair Paul Feeney and co-chair Rep. Jamie Murphy opened by explaining the commission’s charge and inviting testimony from small businesses, industry groups, banks, and policy experts. Representative Sean Garballey testified first, arguing that Massachusetts tourism depends on universal card acceptance and stable interchange, and urging the commission not to disrupt the current system ahead of major events expected to bring millions of visitors to the Commonwealth. A large portion of the hearing featured independent restaurant owners and advocates describing thin margins and the burden of paying percentage-based processing fees on sales tax and tips that are not business revenue. Jen Ziskin, Kristen Canty, Nancy Cushman, Kerry Colzer, and others said restaurants often operate on very small profits and that processing fees on taxes and gratuities can amount to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Ryan Lotz also urged reforms to chargebacks, including refunding chargeback fees when merchants prevail, requiring consumers to contact businesses before disputing charges, and limiting repeat abuse. Commission members pressed witnesses on whether tax and tip amounts could be separated at the point of sale, and several witnesses said current consumer card systems do not transmit that level of detail. Testimony from credit union, banking, and payments representatives largely opposed state-level changes that would carve out taxes or tips from interchange, warning of compliance burdens, higher costs, reduced rewards, and possible effects on fraud protection and access to credit. Alex Verine of America’s Credit Unions and Deb Peters and Keely McEwen of the Electronic Payments Coalition said the payment system is complex, that interchange funds fraud prevention and network infrastructure, and that new state mandates could create operational and legal uncertainty. Dan Swanson argued states have authority to act and pointed to Illinois litigation and federal court rulings, while Julian Morris and Brad Popolado emphasized the benefits of card acceptance, the decline of cash, and the need to consider other payment methods and check fraud as well. Several witnesses discussed international payment systems, instant payments, and QR standards as possible future directions. The chairs and members engaged in extended back-and-forth with witnesses about whether Massachusetts could exempt sales tax from swipe fees, whether surcharging should be revisited, and whether vendor compensation or other targeted relief might be more workable than broad changes to interchange. No votes were taken. At the close of the hearing, the chairs said the commission would hold one additional public hearing date to be determined, after which members would begin developing next steps and a report.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am in a different position than a lot of other grandparents.
• I am in a different position than a lot of other grandparents.
• This means a loss of culturally responsive care.
• Burnout is real, and this system is unsustainable.
• When someone brings up accommodations for disability in response to a conversation about racial and systemic

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Higher Education heard testimony on a broad set of bills focused on making public higher education more affordable and accessible, protecting student information, and changing social work licensure rules. Chair Rogers and Senator Comerford opened by emphasizing the committee’s focus on financial aid, tuition and fee waivers, scholarships, admissions, and institutional changes, and they reminded witnesses about the three-minute testimony limit. No votes were taken during the hearing. A large portion of the hearing centered on the “Super Act” (H. 1423/S. 218), which would eliminate the master’s-level social work licensing exam and create grant support for social work internships. Supporters—including students, practitioners, educators, and advocates—argued that unpaid internships and the exam create financial barriers, worsen workforce shortages, and disproportionately affect Black, brown, older, ESL, and other marginalized candidates. Opponents from the Association of Social Work Boards argued the exam is a necessary public-protection standard, helps maintain uniform licensure, and is important to the social work licensure compact; they said workforce shortages should be addressed through pay, working conditions, and caseloads instead. Committee members asked detailed questions about compact participation, exam accommodations, and how other states such as Rhode Island and Connecticut have handled similar changes. The committee also heard extensive testimony in favor of debt-free public higher education bills (H. 1436/S. 929). Witnesses, including students, faculty, advocates, and Senator Eldridge, said Massachusetts should expand on free community college by covering tuition and mandatory fees at public colleges and universities, with additional aid for living costs for lower-income students. Supporters said student debt delays homeownership, family formation, and career entry, and that the state should use Fair Share revenue to invest in public higher education. Some committee members voiced support but also raised concerns about prioritizing K-12 funding and the cost of expanding free college further. Several witnesses also supported bills to extend tuition and fee waivers to young adults raised by grandparents or other kinship guardians outside the DCF system, arguing that these students face the same trauma and financial barriers as foster youth but do not receive the same benefits. Representative Donato, Joseph O’Leary, Shauna Manning, Sandra Vecchio, Karen Gardner, Judy Walter, Elaine Arsenault, and others described the financial strain on grandparents raising grandchildren and urged parity with DCF-related waivers. In addition, Senator Jake Oliveira testified for a bill to protect public higher education student directory information from data mining and unauthorized sharing, and Deirdre Cummings testified for an open educational resources bill to reduce textbook costs. The hearing concluded with continued testimony on kinship care and college access, with committee members thanking witnesses and indicating follow-up on some bill language issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the next page, system resiliency plans.
• Our grid is a very reliable system.
• So I added the smaller voltage system, and then the next year I had to add another small voltage system
• So I added the smaller voltage system.
• The higher voltage system carries a lot more power than the lower system.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Their support extended beyond immediate crisis response into long-term safety and stabilization during
• Stronger sentencing at known escalation points must exist alongside systems that can respond when victims
• This would allow the court or the committee on parole to make that individual responsible for the cost
• I ran water and wastewater systems, and they're critical infrastructure.
• You do have a green card so far, so that's positive. Well, that's great to hear, Mr. Chairman.

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And only fewer than 100 are municipal systems.
• That was a barrier for many systems, small systems early on.
• responsibility for providing water out there.
• in yet another system and loan service through a third system before it goes to our GL, which is a fourth
• system, and that all requires manual input.

Transcript Highlights:

• For individual and systemic resolutions.
• So, this will be a dynamic data system rather than a static, really old-school data system.
• Thank you for that response.
• Response Commissioner Stone? Mr.
• Next question, the text behind system...

Bills: HF2432

Keywords: HF2432, judiciary finance bill, public safety finance bill, corrections policy, crime victims, victim services, Minnesota victims of crime account, court fees, marriage license fee, financial crimes, fraud investigations, insurance fraud, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, BCA, Commerce Fraud Bureau, wage theft, automobile theft prevention, nonprofit security grants, 911 funding, POST Board

Transcript Highlights:

• Dropout Juvenile Justice interaction Dropout Juvenile Justice interaction mental<00:05:29.800>
• Health Plans uh agencies Health Systems Health Plans uh professional<00:10:56.680> associations
• There was opposition from national accounting groups, but they have recently shifted their position and
• I just wanted to emphasize that in response to your testimony. Thank you, Mr.
• to your um testimony uh in response to your um testimony thank<00:26:08.240> you<00:26:08.799

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I should note there were claims edits in the system MMIS, our claims processing system, ahead of this
• MMIS our claims uh edits in the system MMIS our claims processing<00:10:59.040> system<00:10:
• notifications through our minute system. notifications through our minute system.
• system. So that's that's the concern. system. So that's that's the concern.
• Any response<01:19:31.040> to<01:19:31.199> that<01:19:31.360> or response to that

Bills: HF3378

Keywords: human services, Optum reports, data privacy, transparency, legislative oversight, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:09:22.040> as yeah in 2015 uh my farm was positive as yeah in 2015 uh my farm was positive
• So, in terms of response funding, Dr.
• If they get a positive report, then we take over the response as the Board of Animal Health, similar
• > board<00:36:22.280> of take over the response as the board of take over the response
• have a very good field support system have a very good field support system for<01:10:27.000>

Bills: HF601, HF271, HF1101, HF979

Keywords: agriculture, depredation compensation, livestock, crop damage, elk, wolves, wildlife management, skills path program, career and technical education, CTE, dual credit, postsecondary options enrollment, apprenticeship, apprenticeship readiness, dual training, work-based learning, career pathways, skilled trades, workforce development, high school to career

Transcript Highlights:

• system, we are going to skew the entire process.
• system, we are going to skew the entire process.
• I like the system and how everything.
• We have an integrated financial system.
• Okay, so let's move into our real estate tax system.

Summary: The subcommittee of the Tax Reform and Relief Advisory Committee met to begin its study of whether the content of the real estate tax statement should be revised to improve transparency. Legislative Council staff reviewed the study directive from HB 1176 and the statutory requirements for tax statements, including required line items such as true and full value, mill levy, legislative tax relief, primary residence credit, legacy fund share, discounts for early payment, and special assessments. The Tax Department then explained how the current uniform statewide statement is prescribed and approved, and noted that changes are typically driven by statute and implemented collaboratively with counties and vendors. County officials from NDACO, including auditors from McKenzie and Richland counties, described the full annual property tax timeline from budgeting through mailing final statements. They explained how counties gather budgets, calculate levies, verify taxable values, handle centrally assessed property, and prepare required notices and statements. They also said public attendance at budget hearings is generally very low, though the notices and statements generate some calls, mostly about whether attendance is required or why taxes are changing. Several members questioned the usefulness of the legislative tax relief line and the complexity of the 5% discount calculation, and county officials said the current process can be confusing and depends on manual data entry and coordination among counties, vendors, and taxing districts. The committee also discussed assessment frequency, valuation equalization, the 3% cap, and whether more frequent reassessment would reduce large jumps in taxable value. County officials said they try to use rotating reassessments and sales-ratio reviews to keep values within statutory tolerance, but staffing, training, and local market changes make the work difficult. NDACO staff estimated, based on a small county survey, that tax statement preparation and mailing costs average about 74 cents per statement, with outsourcing generally cheaper than in-house printing, and said HB 1176 added some mailing and administrative costs even if the tax statement itself did not change dramatically. Software vendors from CPT and Tyler then began presentations showing how their systems handle budgeting, valuation notices, tax statement generation, primary residence credit processing, and levy worksheets, emphasizing that many of the required calculations and reports are still manually entered or verified by county staff.

Transcript Highlights:

• Monroe, I agree with you 100% about the positive... I agree with you 100% about the positivity.
• And we don't get near that many positives, especially in news coverage.
• We just threw them in a bad system. Bad systems beat good people every time.
• It's still a new system and cross-checking, but definitely within a week.
• Under this system, districts are responsible for the first $15,000 per eligible student, after adjustments

Summary: The committee first approved the March 9 and 10 minutes, then heard a presentation from the Arkansas Excellence in Teaching Fellowship Program featuring three third-grade teachers from Poyen, Drew Central, and Cabot, along with Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva. The teachers described the fellowship as a year-long collaboration among 23 merit-pay recipients from across the state, focused on sharing classroom strategies, data use, and professional support. Members asked about teacher experience, how the fellowship information is shared locally, the role of merit pay, and how teachers are addressing third-grade reading and retention concerns under the ATLAS assessment system. The teachers emphasized early intervention, relationships with students, small-group instruction, progress monitoring, and communication with families; they also described community supports such as churches, food backpacks, and local donations. Several members raised broader questions about poverty, trauma, social services, DHS involvement, and whether similar professional learning should be expanded to more teachers. Secretary Oliva said the fellowship is a small subset of a larger merit-pay program, that participation was voluntary, and that the state is working to improve literacy supports, clarity, and alignment across grades. He also said ATLAS results are now available to schools and families much faster than in the past, often within 24 to 72 hours, and that the state is using the data to identify at-risk students earlier and support intervention before retention decisions are made. The committee then moved to the adequacy/resource allocation presentation from the Bureau of Legislative Research. Staff explained that the report is part of the statutory adequacy review and focuses on state funding sources beyond foundation aid, including categorical and supplemental funds. They noted that districts and charters spent more than $7 billion in the 2025 school year, with roughly 49% from foundation funding and 51% from other sources over the last three years. The presentation outlined the four categorical funds—Alternative Learning Environment, English Learners, Enhanced Student Achievement, and Professional Development—describing their restricted uses, student-based funding formulas, and the ability of districts to transfer some money among categoricals while keeping it within allowable purposes. Staff said categorical funds account for about 4% of total spending, or less than $300 million, and reviewed superintendent feedback on whether those funds met district needs, with responses varying by category and district.

Transcript Highlights:

• Districts report positive results with that.
• Just trying to think systemically here. Thank you. I have an additional question.
• Does the Department of Finance have any response to my question? Of any response to my question.
• space because the school year has to be responsive to students' needs.
• it means we have time to figure out how to bring that into the system.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To accomplish without human interaction.
• them have put years of study and systems them have put years of study and systems a<00:15:50.800
• position? position?
• <00:30:58.080> to feel as if we have a responsibility to feel as if we have a responsibility
• <00:37:20.560> And position. Uh so that's one change. And position.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 44, sponsored by Representative Chris Lewis, which would create a robotics program trust fund and a robotics funding selection committee through the Kentucky Department of Education. Supporters, including Kentucky First Robotics executive director Kelly Gowen and students from Whitfield Academy, said the bill would expand hands-on robotics education in high schools, connect students to manufacturing and engineering careers, and help meet workforce needs. The proposal would fund grants for coach stipends, competition fees, kits, supplies, and related expenses, and Lewis requested a one-time $500,000 appropriation along with private contributions from manufacturers. The students demonstrated their robot and described how robotics programs teach coding, design, manufacturing, and competition skills. The committee took no questions and approved HB 44 with a favorable expression of opinion for passage on the House floor. The committee then considered House Bill 253, sponsored by Representative James Tipton, which would phase out the use of three-cueing reading instruction and require greater alignment with the science of reading. Tipton said the bill builds on the 2022 Read to Succeed law and would prohibit three cueing in public schools by the 2029-2030 school year, while also barring public university teacher prep programs from teaching it beginning in 2027-2028. He and Kentucky Department of Education officials said the bill is intended to shift instruction toward phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension, and to expand professional learning for teachers through LETRS and other options. KDE testified that enforcement would focus on support rather than punishment, using literacy coaches, regional support staff, and MTSS specialists to help districts transition. Members discussed the bill’s delayed implementation, the evidence against three cueing, and whether reading recovery should be excluded from approved interventions. Supporters cited studies and brain research they said show three cueing can hurt later reading performance, while several members emphasized the need for teacher flexibility and support. Representative Jackson noted Kentucky’s 2025 NAEP third-grade reading ranking of fourth in the nation as evidence that current efforts are helping. Representative Truett and others raised concerns about how the bill would affect classroom practice and intervention strategies, and Tipton and KDE said the goal is to align instruction with evidence-based methods rather than punish educators. The transcript ends during continued discussion of reading recovery and related instructional approaches, with no final vote on HB 253 shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:20:06.960> with down into the waste it interacts with down into the waste it interacts
• <00:20:13.840> and<00:20:14.080> those to the liner system and those to the liner system
• <00:20:21.600> as move that leech off the liner system as move that leech off the liner system
• <00:24:27.039> for can refer to the justice system for can refer to the justice system for
• or those positions?

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Some would say this might be a positive step for some, and I I think it's a positive step.
• We have a responsibility to put that first.
• We have systems in place.
• And that's hurting our education system.
• This gives us a strong position.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and it changing the that position.
• to do once they're in the position. to do once they're in the position.
• of past K to 12, this responsibility of past K to 12, this responsibility<00:39:27.760> of<00
• responsibility of collegiate programs. responsibility of collegiate programs.
• It's inc increased responsibility responsibility responsibility um<01:33:11.440> on<01:33:12.400

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As a chief responsible for a budget, I understand the need for fiscal responsibility.
• <01:07:32.720> or budget does it have the two positions or budget does it have the two positions
• That does not have any interaction with our day-to-day; they have no access to our security systems.
• That does not have any interaction with our day-to-day; they have no access to our security systems.
• uh that does not have any interaction uh that does not have any interaction with<01:34:47.320>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I personally take these and I find whichever staff person is responsible and we work it out and we
• My experience on the senior long-term care side is they are a responsive company for services.
• I will tell you the system is not there yet.
• How can APD help them create the systems that they need to get to what the bill entails?
• It's great to see you, Director, in this new position.

Summary: The Human Services Subcommittee met to receive an update from the new director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities on implementation of House Bill 1103. The director said APD is working to update the funding algorithm through a contracted study due November 15, 2025, expand transparency on its website, launch an online crisis application by the end of 2025, improve client choice in qualified organizations and waiver support coordinators, and coordinate with AHCA on the managed care pilot and Florida HealthFinder listings for APD providers. He also said APD is working on family resource materials, a monthly newsletter, and stronger transition planning with DCF. Members asked about whether the new algorithm would include transportation and what services might change, but the director said the replacement model is still being developed and any new methodology would be implemented through rulemaking. Questions also focused on Family Care Councils, including the statewide council’s membership and appointment process; the director said the statute sets the process and APD is helping councils recruit and organize. On transparency, members praised the website improvements and asked for more interactive data tools. The director said APD would consider suggestions and continue expanding public reporting. The committee also discussed eligibility and waiver notices, including concerns about outdated language in APD letters and how autism cases are reviewed. The director said clinicians and behavioral analysts review cases and asked to see the specific letter. On the pre-enrollment list, the chair asked about the wait list, and the director said APD recently sent 5,612 service offers to people on the list and is working to better distinguish those who truly need services from those who do not. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after the presentation and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• I interact regularly with the VA. We don’t interact with our systems at all.
• I interact regularly with the VA. We don’t interact with our systems at all.
• I interact regularly with the VA. We don’t interact with our systems at all.
• system.
• system is actually developing the system system is actually developing the system the<00:56:50.400

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It will add positive things to make sure that things go in the right direction.
• It will add positive things to make sure that things go in the right direction.
• presence of that in your system presence of that in your system um<01:48:24.280> Mr<01:48
• They don't need to have a drug or an alcohol in their system.
• <02:05:22.040> thank statute Senator cber grny response thank statute Senator cber grny response

Keywords: 1187, senate, all