Transcript Highlights:

• I have one question on this item: the 75% graduation rate target.
• By comparison, the Department of Fish and Wildlife's vacancy rate is 14%.
• So my colleague had referenced that there's the 31% vacancy rate in DIR. Is that accurate?
• It assumes CalHR's projected utilization rate of 15%.
• The final rates will be adopted by the CalPERS Board in summer of 2026.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee held a May Revision budget hearing on state administration and related issues, hearing presentations from multiple departments and agencies. Early items included the Public Employment Relations Board on funding for implementation of AB 1 and a reduced request tied to AB 288, the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement on a technical College Corps adjustment, and the Secretary of State on building security upgrades, election security grant matching funds, and payroll system readiness costs. The Department of Consumer Affairs presented a Board of Pharmacy modernization request and a General Fund backfill for the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education; the LAO raised no concerns on the pharmacy item but recommended rejecting the private postsecondary backfill and questioned interest-free loan language. The Employment Development Department outlined several large workload and benefit adjustments, including EDD Next document management funding, UI loan interest, DI/PFL benefit increases, WIOA adjustments, school employee benefits, an EMT training reappropriation, and a technical reversion correction; the LAO flagged the size of the DI/PFL increase and the expansion of the document management scope, while members asked about program impacts and timelines. The California Workforce Development Board presented an April adjustment to reimbursement authority for an interagency agreement with Caltrans, which the LAO said raised no concerns. Public comment on that item and others included support for workforce and apprenticeship initiatives, including the Jails to Jobs proposal and renewal of the Apprenticeship Innovation Fund, though those were not part of the May Revision package. The Department of Industrial Relations then presented several proposals: reclassifying legal positions, continuing modernization of the workers’ compensation EAMS system, Cal/OSHA data modernization, creating a Cal/OSHA emerging technologies unit, reappropriating funds for the California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship program, and trailer bill changes requiring electronic payment of employer assessments and adjusting the statutory treatment of the workers’ compensation administrative director’s salary. The LAO generally found the IT and salary proposals reasonable but urged close monitoring of the new emerging technologies unit. Committee members, especially Assemblymember Ortega, pressed DIR on long vacancy rates, wage theft claim delays, low collection rates for Cal/OSHA fines, and whether new resources would improve outcomes; DIR said it was pursuing recruitment, classification reviews, and process modernization, while the LAO noted that staffing alone may not explain the delays. The Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board also sought to make permanent a 2024 change to the 60-day reconsideration clock, saying it had reduced backlog and interim orders; the LAO had no concerns. Finally, the Department of Human Resources presented a statewide Employee Assistance Program contract consolidation that would lower costs compared with renewing separate contracts and requested one program manager position to oversee the contract and first responder services; the hearing continued with Finance’s response after the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, the syphilis rates in Rolette County are the highest in the state.
• And we are right now the highest in the state for syphilis rates.
• The contact rates went down significantly.
• We are higher than what the national average is on success rate.
• We administer those in conjunction with the state sales tax rate of 5%.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Nearly 100% graduation rate for those that participate.
• and 18 percent attrition rate of nurses.
• That has been a rate-limiting step.
• from our medical school, a poor retention rate in-state.
• How are you rated in the Southwest today?

Transcript Highlights:

• it's done before the tax rate is set. it's done before the tax rate is set.
• not funding it through their tax rates. not funding it through their tax rates.
• effectively not the legislative rate effectively not the legislative rate<01:33:39.199> that<
• The tax rate is something that the citizens of the town do have a say over, and so the tax rate prior
• do have a say over and so the tax rate do have a say over and so the tax rate prior<01:36:40.080

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Assistant state attorneys receive an increase of $10,000 to their base rate of pay.
• support the rural health transformation fund in its first year, $32.3 million in Medicaid provider rate
• we perhaps just put an across-the-board rate increase, not tied to inflation?
• , or have we perhaps just put an across-the-board rate increase, not tied to inflation?
• Declining birth rates, which is something the legislature doesn't have any control over.

Summary: The Senate took up the conference report on House Bill 501E, the General Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026-27, with Chair Hooper and the appropriations chairs walking through the $114.5 billion budget. Major highlights included pay increases for state law enforcement, firefighters, park rangers, and correctional officers; funding for teacher salary increases and K-12 enrollment stabilization; workforce and university funding in higher education; major Medicaid, nursing home, waiver, and opioid-related investments in health and human services; corrections and prison-capacity funding; transportation, housing, and emergency management spending; and large environmental appropriations for Florida Forever, Everglades restoration, and water quality projects. Members then asked detailed questions about specific items. Senators pressed on the Hamilton Center at UF, the difference between assistant state attorney and public defender pay, declining student enrollment funding, private school scholarship vouchers, mental health funding in schools, the lack of preeminence funding, APD’s iBudget waiver wait list and provider rates, ADAP premium assistance and the return of Biktarvy to the formulary, prison staffing and air conditioning, Florida Forever land-buying versus easements, SNAP and Sun Bucks funding, Hope Florida, election audit funding, and the IDD managed care program. Chairs generally explained the negotiated compromises, noted where funding was flat or omitted, and in several cases said items would be revisited next year or depended on agency implementation. Several senators used debate to praise the budget while also criticizing major policy choices. Leader Berman argued the state should have expanded Medicaid, invested more in public schools instead of vouchers, and accepted federal summer EBT funds. Other senators highlighted local wins such as Biscayne Bay restoration, Tri-Rail, housing assistance, ADAP funding, and declining enrollment support. The transcript ends with debate remarks thanking Chair Hooper for his work on the budget; no final vote is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Just looking at Anoka-Hennepin, if if we were to go to EGIP and the plan uh if the rates would remain
• the same as our high plan rates, this would cost us $4,000 for every single uh employee with single
• Just looking at Anoka-Hennepin, if if we were to go to EGIP and the plan uh if the rates would remain
• the same as our high plan rates, this would cost us $4,000 for every single uh employee with single
• The rates would remain the same as our high plan rates, this would cost us $4,000 for every single uh

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This also is an increase in the fringe benefit rate.
• Everyone has to use that rate.
• uh we're asking The Fringe benefit rate uh we're asking for<00:11:29.519> uh<00:11:29.639>
• <00:12:07.560> a rate everyone has to use that rate a rate everyone has to use that rate a
• <00:12:22.279> for the The Fringe rate for the The Fringe rate for the<00:12:24.240> executive

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Like there are states whose error rate is below 6%, and there are states whose rates are much higher
• is measuring it, and we need to bring that error rate below 6%.
• of spending line item with a very significant rate of growth.
• The subsidy rate that we pay on average per lease went from...
• and the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis, as well as the rising bullying rates in schools.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a Health and Human Services budget hearing in Clinton, with opening remarks from Chairs Meg Kilcoyne and Robin Kennedy, local officials, and many House and Senate members introducing themselves. The hearing focused on Governor Healey’s FY27 EOHHS and MassHealth budgets, with repeated themes of rising health care costs, federal funding uncertainty, workforce shortages, and access to care in underserved regions. Members also raised concerns about primary care shortages, rural and regional disparities, behavioral health access, maternal health, food insecurity, and the impact of federal policy changes on Massachusetts programs. EOHHS Secretary Kiame Mahaniah said the FY27 EOHHS budget totals $33.7 billion, reflecting mostly non-discretionary growth from health care costs, labor costs, caseload increases, and provider rate pressures. He highlighted targeted investments in foster care, family resource centers, maternal health, youth services, nutrition programs, immigrant legal services, and human service workforce rates, while warning that federal actions could strip roughly $3.5 billion annually from the state’s health care funding. In response to questions, he defended the administration’s cooperation with federal audits and program integrity efforts, discussed the primary care crisis, and said the state is trying to preserve core services while preparing for a more difficult FY28 budget cycle. MassHealth Undersecretary Mike Levine then described two major FY27 challenges: double-digit cost growth and the expected effects of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He said MassHealth’s proposed $22.7 billion gross budget includes a 7.5% increase and relies on a moratorium on new expansions plus targeted reductions, including a $1,000 annual adult dental cap, ending GLP-1 coverage for weight loss only, reducing care management to peer-state levels, and work groups to slow growth in PCA, adult foster care, and adult day health spending. Members questioned the impact on Boston Health Care for the Homeless, preventive care, and regional access; Levine said the changes are meant to preserve sustainability, that children and certain disabled populations remain protected, and that the administration will continue working with providers, advocates, and the Legislature on implementation and longer-term reforms.

Transcript Highlights:

• The federal rate for free lunches is 130% of that number, or around $42,000, and the reduced lunch rate
• As he mentioned, we had the lowest rates in the nation.
• As he mentioned, we had the lowest rates in the nation.
• Louisiana has the second lowest rates of the 50 states plus Louisiana has the second-lowest rates of
• I'll worry about utility rates. Representative Munson.

Bills: HB1623

Keywords: HB 1623, North Dakota, rural health, rural health transformation program, medical facility infrastructure loan fund, medical facility infrastructure loan program, rural health loan program, Bank of North Dakota, Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, federal grant, health care infrastructure, rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, nonprofit health care providers, gap financing, loan fund, public health funding, healthcare financing, Medicaid

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 1624, the “Universal Lunch Bill,” from Rep. Mike Nathie. He argued the proposal should be placed in Century Code rather than the Constitution so future legislatures can adjust it if state finances tighten, and said the bill would start the program a year earlier with a $65 million appropriation for one school year. DPI testified that the estimate did not include nonpublic schools that do not participate, and members questioned the impact on Title I, free-and-reduced applications, private-school accountability, breakfast mandates for schools that do not currently serve breakfast, and whether the funding could come from the DPI budget or other sources. Supporters, including North Dakota United, the North Dakota Catholic Conference, a pediatrician, and the American Heart Association, said universal meals improve student health and learning, reduce family costs, and are better handled in statute than by constitutional amendment. No opposition testimony was offered, and the chair closed the hearing for later work-session action. The committee then took up House Bill 1627, introduced by Rep. Tye Dressler, which would raise the income threshold for the state-funded school lunch program from 225% to 300% of poverty, with an estimated cost of about $7 million for 2026-27. Dressler said the bill is intended as a targeted, budget-friendly alternative to the ballot measure and emphasized that the state should maximize federal meal dollars while improving participation in the current program. Members questioned whether raising the threshold would actually increase utilization, whether a dollar amount would be clearer than a percentage, and how the change would affect federal reimbursements and application rates. DPI said it could quickly calculate additional percentage levels, and the chair closed the hearing, directing DPI to prepare more numbers for the work session. Finally, the committee opened Senate Bill 2403, presented by Sen. Schiable, to create a short-term bridge-loan program for financially distressed hospitals, centered on Jacobson Memorial Hospital in Elgin. The bill would authorize up to $5 million per loan, with a $10 million appropriation available on a first-come, first-served basis, and would run only through June 30, 2027. Schiable said the hospital’s debt and operating problems threaten local health care, ambulance service, and the community’s economy, and that the proposal was designed narrowly with Bank of North Dakota review to avoid creating a broad precedent. Committee members asked whether the appropriation could be reduced and whether the bank would still apply commercial feasibility and repayment standards; Schiable said yes, the bank would still evaluate the loan and could reject it if it was not sound.

Transcript Highlights:

• a say in that vote instead of the city... ...instead of the city council or mayor increasing that rate
• not... ...Um, our concern is that one size does not fit all because the bill talks about that the rates
• Are there different rates in different areas, or are everybody's rates across the state the same as far
• Currently, there’s no cap on what that franchise rate can be.
• that municipality, specifically Birmingham, would have the ability up until December 31st to set a rate

Bills: SB271, SB295, SB309

Keywords: SB271, Alabama, municipalities, city fees, town fees, franchise fees, utility franchise, natural gas, manufactured gas, gas utility, public streets, public places, right-of-way, municipal consent, gross receipts tax, license tax, privilege tax, Public Service Commission, PSC, utility regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• Our debt rate is less than 15% of the total tax rate, so we keep low debts.
• And our current debt rate is only $0.05. We can go up, I believe it's up to...
• Currently, we use it to stay within our current tax rate.
• We don't want to increase the tax rate to the voters. The other thing that I would mention is...
• It's rate neutral. Thank you. **Representative Hayes:** Thank you.

Bills: SB512, SB1024

Keywords: SB 512, Texas Finance Code, money transmission, money services business, money transmitter, money transmission licensee, terms of service, consumer protection, civil penalty, attorney general enforcement, account closure, refund of balance, financial services regulation, payments industry, fintech, prepaid accounts, remittance, licensee compliance, local government debt, municipal finance

Transcript Highlights:

• What's that going to do to our insurance rates?
• What's that going to do to our insurance rates?
• rollback rate.
• So I know that we were talking, that you mentioned kind of the rollback rates and that the rollback rate
• can't be... ...were talking that you mentioned kind of the rollback rates and that the rollback rate

Summary: The House took up the special order calendar for a proposed constitutional amendment on property taxes, CS/HJR 1F, which would create a new homestead exemption for non-school taxes, lower the annual assessment cap on non-homestead property, and restrict how counties and municipalities may use ad valorem tax revenue. The sponsor, Rep. Overdorf, said the measure would give homeowners tax relief and argued local governments could adjust spending or use other revenue sources. Opponents repeatedly questioned the ballot language, the lack of a fiscal estimate or backfill, and the potential impact on local services, public safety, and debt obligations. The House adopted the special order report and then debated the resolution and a series of amendments. Several amendments were offered to carve out or protect specific services from the tax changes. Rep. Bartleman’s amendment to protect Children’s Services Councils and Children’s Trusts was supported by members who said those entities fund early learning, mental health, aftercare, and other services for children and working families, but it failed 25-74. Rep. Cross offered an amendment to include water management districts in allowable ad valorem uses, warning of impacts on flood control, water quality, Everglades restoration, and water supply; that amendment also failed. Rep. Eskamani offered an amendment requiring the Legislature to backfill public safety funding if local revenues fall, arguing police and fire services, staffing, and response times would be at risk; it failed 25-71. The chamber then rejected Rep. Woodson’s amendment to require state backfill for senior services, with supporters citing Meals on Wheels, transportation, adult day care, and other local senior programs, and opponents saying the proposal was outside the bill’s scope. Finally, Rep. Gant offered an amendment to protect veteran services, saying local governments fund housing, mental health, transition, and family support programs for veterans; debate emphasized the importance of honoring veterans and avoiding cuts to those services. The transcript cuts off during debate on that amendment, before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Assistant state attorneys receive an increase of $10,000 to their base rate of pay.
• we perhaps just put an across-the-board rate increase, not tied to inflation?
• , or have we perhaps just put an across-the-board rate increase, not tied to inflation?
• the department in making sure that our error rates are low.
• Declining birth rates, which is something the legislature doesn't have any control over.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• At last check, we had a 15% error rate.
• , and some of them are a third of the error rates that the state of Florida has.
• Because previously we did not have this very high error rate.
• Do we know why our error rate spiked over the last four years?
• I'm specifically referring to the inpatient one versus the outpatient base rate.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former Senator Don Childers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of Officer Antonio Richardson as law enforcement officer of the day. The chamber announced it would take up 11 budget conference committee reports, with no third-reading bills or special-order calendar items. Members were reminded that conference reports were subject to debate but not amendment, and that the required review periods had been satisfied. The first major action was on HB 7031E, the tax package. Representative Duggan explained that the conference report included a mix of retained, modified, and new tax provisions, including sales tax holidays, property tax and homestead-related changes, reductions in certain gaming and carbon-related taxes, changes to child care and documentary stamp tax credits, a new refund process for public works construction tax paid by universities and colleges, and other tax administration changes. Debate focused on the bill’s consumer impact, the reduction of the child tax credit from three years to one, the inclusion of firearm accessories in a sales tax holiday, the absence of gas tax relief and combined reporting, and the homestead exemption provision for certain deployed diplomatic and foreign service personnel. Critics argued the package favored niche or corporate interests over broad affordability relief, while supporters said it provided targeted tax relief and reflected conference negotiations. The House adopted the conference report and passed HB 7031E by a vote of 88-11. The House then began presenting the conference report for HB 501E, the state budget, which totaled $114.5 billion for fiscal year 2026-27 and was described as below the prior year’s spending level while maintaining reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined major budget areas: pre-K-12 funding included an increase in FEFP, salary increases for veteran teachers, stabilization funding, and support for declining enrollment; higher education included full Bright Futures funding, workforce programs, college operating support, university initiatives, and school guardian expansion; IT funding focused on Palm, ACCESS, APD’s I-Connect replacement, corrections systems, emergency management systems, and cybersecurity grants; health care funding covered Medicaid, nursing home rates, waiver provider increases, ADAP funding and restructuring, child welfare, and behavioral health; transportation and economic development included housing, cultural grants, jobs and rural infrastructure, Visit Florida, Space Florida, highway patrol equipment, and local transportation projects; justice funding included correctional construction, juvenile justice facilities, law enforcement grants, and clerk and due process reimbursements; state administration included fire stations, constrained counties, building maintenance, and Safe Florida Home; and agriculture/natural resources funding emphasized Everglades restoration, water quality, land acquisition, Florida Forever, state parks, and citrus research. Members then began questioning the budget details, including school voucher accountability, school funding formulas, public defender parity, prison technology, wastewater monitoring in prisons, ADAP policy, SNAP fraud controls and AI-assisted verification, Florida Forever funding, school lunch funding, and coral reef restoration. No final vote on HB 501E appears in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then the interest rate buy-down... ...would have an impact on the interest rate charged.
• rate so that that borrower pays a lower interest rate.
• And for the interest rate buy-down, how does that recycle?
• The interest rate buy-down piece does not recycle.
• County, with a homeownership rate exceeding 80%.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The subcommittee heard May Revision proposals focused on housing, homelessness, and related administrative changes, and took no votes, holding items open for later action. Item 1 would realign staff positions and resources as part of the Governor’s housing and homelessness reorganization, including shifting two Cal ICH positions to HCD, moving one Cal ICH position for communications/external affairs, and authorizing a chief deputy director at the new Housing Development Finance Committee. Administration witnesses said the changes were technical and net zero-cost, while the LAO recommended approval but asked for clarification on funding for the chief deputy. Several senators questioned whether the staffing shifts would weaken Cal ICH’s homelessness work and whether adding communications capacity was appropriate without new housing funding. Item 2 proposed creating a $100 million Disaster Rebuilding Fund at CalHFA, with $56 million General Fund and $44 million in existing National Mortgage Settlement funds, to support disaster-impacted homeowners through tools such as loan loss guarantees and interest rate buy-downs. CalHFA said the fund would help homeowners bridge the gap between insurance proceeds and rebuilding costs and would work through approved lenders. The LAO raised concerns about the lack of alternatives in the proposal, the broad discretion left to CalHFA in program design, and the General Fund cost. Senators pressed for more detail on eligibility, equity safeguards, lender oversight, and how many homeowners would actually benefit, with some warning the proposal was too open-ended and could miss the most vulnerable households. Item 3 addressed trailer bill language for HAP Round 7, including a proposed $500 million General Fund allocation tied to new accountability measures, pro-housing designation requirements for 14 large cities and 11 counties, local match requirements, streamlined system performance metrics, and recapture/reallocation of unspent funds. HCD said the proposal would avoid a new application process by treating Round 7 as additional disbursements of Round 6 and would provide technical assistance to jurisdictions. The LAO and several senators questioned the timing, the burden of pro-housing designation and local match requirements, the vagueness of some standards, and whether the proposal would delay rather than speed up funding. Members also debated whether the trailer bill preserved or weakened existing homelessness accountability metrics and whether the approach was too complicated given local budget pressures and ongoing homelessness needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've maintained that rate well over a decade.
• graduation rate.
• percent attendance rate.
• I can speak to the success rate of the newest ECECD effort.
• They also have higher attendance rates.

Transcript Highlights:

• as affordable as possible utility rates as affordable as possible for for for motans.<00:08:34.159><
• <00:14:59.920> for<00:15:00.399> steel of the highest energy rates for steel of the
• down. the green energy rates go up or go down. the green energy economy<00:16:14.959> that<00
• We've read articles that potentially our rates could double because of this green energy dream that's
• In fact, it's a rate of 0.00109 cents per kilowatt hour.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• benefit us in terms of the rates? benefit us in terms of the rates?
• terms of it reducing our rates. terms of it reducing our rates.
• <02:10:14.079> But our rates. I didn't say that. But our rates. I didn't say that.
• rate uh out of passing this bill. Okay. rate uh out of passing this bill. Okay.
• They may not go down as much as rates.

Keywords: 920, all

Summary: The Alabama Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, excused absent senators, and adopted the previous day’s journal. The chamber received several House messages referring local bills to the Committee on Local Legislation, including measures affecting Lawrence, Clayurn, Limestone, Shelby, and Alabaster. The Senate also recognized guests in the gallery, including local leaders, law enforcement officials, and a Jackson County Junior Leadership group. During personal privilege remarks, Senator Figures offered a tribute to Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., highlighting his civil rights legacy, political influence, and impact on Black voter participation and representation; the Senate observed a moment of silence. Senator Smitherman also thanked her for the remarks. The Senate then adopted Senate Joint Resolution 47, mourning the death and celebrating the life of John J. Guthrie Jr., and Senate Joint Resolution 48, commending Tommy Jax for emergency actions to help a sick child. The Senate considered numerous confirmations from the Committee on Confirmations, all receiving favorable reports and being confirmed by unanimous or near-unanimous roll calls, including Walter Bracie and Eric Bone to the Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission, Morgan Garner and Susie Beal to the Alabama Electronic Security Board of Licensure, and Joe Brown, Brian Williams, James Spears, Charles Hedrickk, and Kathy Pierce to the Alabama Board of Polygraph Examiners. Committee reports also advanced several bills, including local legislation and county/municipal government measures. On the floor, the Senate adopted a special order calendar and passed or adopted several bills: SB 239 on child custody jurisdiction enforcement, SB 190 on a sales tax exemption for an ocular eye service company, SB 252 on Governor’s Mansion Authority employees and leave benefits, SB 170 on health savings account regulatory coordination, SB 210 on the chiropractic board, SB 242 on commercial driver’s licenses, and SB 70 on crimes and offenses. SB 247 on insurance was carried over at the sponsor’s request for further work, and SB 83 on guardianships and conservatorships was taken up with discussion of a committee amendment to clarify removal of proceedings from probate to circuit court and notice requirements; the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• the<01:03:48.880> success success rate for and then the success success rate for and then
• So, rate total is those two combined.
• We also send the judges the release rates and the failure to appear rates and the new criminal activity
• also send the judges the release rates also send the judges the release rates and<01:08:29.839><
• criminal activity rates so they can new criminal activity rates so they can kind<01:08:34.400> of<

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, when pressed on whether this rate Now, when pressed on whether this rate would<00:16:56.640
• rate? rate?
• His tax property tax rates are home.
• <02:32:36.040> of<02:32:36.160> climate the rising rate of climate the rising rate
• surplus dollars into permanent rate surplus dollars into permanent rate reductions<03:18:52.120>

Keywords: 1189, house, all