Transcript Highlights:

• MISS KELLY JORDAN COO WITH CAREER SOURCE OKALOOSA WALTON A PURPLE STAR LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD
• LAST BUT NOT LEAST HE HAVE KELLY JORDAN SHE IS THE COO OF CAREER SOURCE WORKFORCE BOARD AND OKALOOSA
• IT IS AN HONOR TO SERVE ON OUR LOCAL WORKFORCE UNEMPLOYMENT OR WHATEVER ELSE. >> Chair: I WILL OPEN THIS
• JUST SO THAT WE DO PUT THE FACES WHERE THE MISSION READINESS. >> Chair: THANK YOU.
• SERVING VETERANS EVERY DAY ON THE WORKFORCE FRONT YOU ALL HAVE TIED IT UP WITH A BOW.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, Director Bass, welcome to our hearing and please start when you're ready. Good evening.
• Okay, are you ready? My name is Julia Feinberg. I'm an Oakland resident.
• Workforce. Just to highlight, Latinos contribute over $83 billion in California state taxes.
• This also includes $75 million for each year to HCAI to support workforce initiatives.
• So we'll wait for staff to change out, and please start when you're ready.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our state is strongest when we embrace both the opportunity and the responsibility, and I am ready to
• It means recognizing some of our greatest challenges, whether it is workforce shortages, infrastructure
• I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work side by side with each one of you.
• challenges whether it is Workforce challenges whether it is Workforce shortages shortages shortages
• to roll up my responsibility I'm ready to roll up my sleeves<00:34:01.600> and<00:34:01.799><

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House met to elect a Speaker. Representative Baker nominated Lisa Demuth on behalf of the Republican caucus, emphasizing civility, trust, inclusiveness, bipartisanship, and the need to unify a divided chamber. Representative Igo seconded the nomination, praising Demuth’s experience, integrity, consensus-building, and focus on affordability, safety, and future planning. On behalf of the DFL caucus, Representative Mhler nominated Melissa Hortman, describing her leadership in football metaphors and highlighting her work since 2019, including the Minnesota Values Project, her handling of major crises, and her willingness to put the institution and state above personal interests. Representative Hollands seconded Hortman’s nomination, stressing her mentorship, willingness to collaborate across differences, and sacrifice for the greater good. Nominations were then closed, and the clerk pro tem called the roll for the Speaker election. After the roll call, the results were announced as 67 votes for Representative D. Dibble and 65 votes for Representative Hortman. The presiding officer declared Representative D. Dibble duly elected Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives for the 2025-2026 session. Members were appointed to escort the speaker-elect to the rostrum, and Senator Bobby Joe Champion administered the oath of office. In remarks after taking the oath and receiving the gavel, the new Speaker thanked family, supporters, voters, and colleagues, said the office was an honor and a responsibility, and pledged to lead with integrity, respect, collaboration, and accountability. The Speaker said the House should focus on real results for Minnesotans, maintain civility, keep government efficient and accountable, and work across party lines on issues such as public safety, schools, workforce shortages, infrastructure, and support for farmers.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you're ready, you can begin. Haley Ewing: Thank you, Chair.
• If you're ready, you can begin. Haley Ewing: Thank you, Chair.
• We appreciate your attention to our operations and readiness. General Seltzer: Good evening.
• Chair: It's important to ensure safety and readiness in all our military facilities.
• Chair: Ensuring our facilities are well-maintained is vital for sustained operations and readiness.

Bills: SB1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The committee heard a Legislative Budget Board presentation and then testimony from the Department of Public Safety on the Article 5 public safety budget. LBB said DPS’s 2026-27 recommendation totals $3.7 billion, down from the prior base, while FTEs rise by 856.7. Major items included increased funding for driver license services and customer support, new trooper funding and recruit schools, crime lab operations, border security, and reductions tied to one-time facility, vehicle, and aircraft spending. The committee also discussed new riders, including one to lapse unused trooper funds and require reporting after recruit schools. Members focused heavily on driver license operations, questioning why prior staffing increases and a prior efficiency study had not solved long wait times, high call abandonment, and appointment delays. DPS and LBB said the agency receives about 22,000 calls per day, answers only about 9 percent, and is seeking more staff plus technology upgrades such as automation, kiosks, and better online processing. Senators also raised concerns about rural access, REAL ID document requirements, and whether the department should rethink its processes rather than simply add employees. DPS leadership then described needs for the Williamson County training academy, additional troopers, Capitol and Alamo security, border operations, aircraft and vehicle replacement, and regional headquarters in El Paso and San Antonio. Members asked about Operation Lone Star costs, overtime, pursuit safety, border crime, oilfield theft, and sexual assault kit and toxicology backlogs. DPS said border deployments remain focused on criminal threats, that overtime is partly driven by deployments and staffing shortages, and that the sexual assault kit backlog is down to 118 cases with a goal of zero by April. The committee later recessed and began the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission budget presentation, where LBB outlined a $115.1 million recommendation and noted ongoing costs for the AIMS technology project.

Transcript Highlights:

• Another part of how we're building the workforce is investing in child and adolescent fellowships in
• And then workforce development.
• And so you have the workforce. budget but also in the TTAD budget there are students and other folks
• transition to the community. or our civil patients that are ready.
• New workers entering the workforce.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're looking at a lot of shovel-ready projects that just need some gap funding.
• As far as workforce housing, that's truly you can do the bigger projects like that.
• We have a really good relationship with Housing New Mexico Workforce Solutions.
• Chairman, because I know the LESC members are ready. Okay, thanks. Great.
• For instance, ECECD, higher education, workforce solutions.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Good Senator will let me know when he's there and ready, okay. We will read it.
• I'm ready to strike a continue. Thank you, chair.
• It was ready to pass.
• Florida's workforce workforce will suffer. The students are part of the fabric of our community.
• Then pushing them into low-wage jobs are out of the workforce entirely. We can do better.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I want to ask you the same question around what others representing workforce unions were asked:
• And then I go back to, you know, the workforce that exists today who deserve better from us.
• And there is workforce capability and capacity.
• When a student is rushed out before the community is ready, the drop-off in care is staggering.
• Pappas is ready to go rapidly with outpatient services. Open the school to today's students.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The special legislative commission on the future of Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children held a hybrid public hearing focused on the hospital’s future, admissions, staffing, infrastructure, and whether the facility should be preserved, expanded, or reimagined. Opening remarks from legislators, commissioners, parents, and union representatives emphasized that Pappas provides a unique combination of medical, rehabilitative, educational, and residential services for children with complex needs, and several speakers argued that the hospital is effectively being depopulated through reduced admissions and ongoing discharges despite public assurances that it remains open. Multiple speakers urged the commission to extend its authorization and continue its work before any closure or major change can occur. Testimony from labor leaders, including AFSCME, SEIU Local 509, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association, described a “silent closure” in practice, with staff reporting confusion about the hospital’s status, declining census numbers, blocked admissions, and uncertainty about the workforce’s future. They called for immediate action to stop admission denials and unnecessary discharges, and some proposed short-term solutions such as temporary modular structures to address infrastructure barriers and allow admissions to resume. Parents and former patients testified that Pappas provided life-changing independence, specialized therapy, and campus-based supports that they said could not be replicated elsewhere, and they criticized alternative placements as inadequate. Commissioner Robert Goldstein of the Department of Public Health said the administration supports keeping Pappas open and funded while the commission works, but he argued that admissions must comply with hospital-level-of-care rules and that the campus’s deteriorating infrastructure limits the kinds of children who can safely be served there. He said the department is continuing admissions for appropriate patients, working to expand outreach and services, and exploring long-term options, including broader statewide models of care. Commissioners pressed him on whether discharge status or lack of a clear discharge plan had been used as a barrier to admission, and requested de-identified data on patients recommended for admission but denied. No formal votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• But past funding. for tutoring hasn't also supported teacher workforce development and teacher workforce
• Cities, this is your tax base. declining educated workforce.
• Right, so in your example, you've got a 30-year-old. teacher who's ready to, but the TIA helped her.
• I also teach AP chemistry for college board readiness and getting college credit.
• Investing in public education at the state level strengthens our workforce.

Bills: HB2, HB2

Keywords: public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace

Transcript Highlights:

• Another part of how we're building the workforce is investing in child and adolescent fellowships in
• And then workforce development. We have.
• And so you have the workforce. budget but also in the TTAD budget there are students and other folks
• And we are trying to bring the ones that the evidence in our eyes, Perry P. and workforce development
• transition to the community. or our civil patients that are ready.

Keywords: budget, House Bill 1, public education, healthcare, border security, federal funding, spending limits

Summary: The meeting primarily focused on reviewing the proposed budget for the upcoming biennium, with substantial discussions around House Bill 1 and its implications for public education, healthcare, and border security. The Comptroller presented a revenue overview indicating a total of $194.6 billion available for general purpose spending, which reflects a slight decrease compared to previous years due to fluctuating economic conditions. Members raised questions regarding spending limits and the impact of federal funding on state programs, highlighting concerns about the sustainability of funding in light of potential changes at the federal level.

Transcript Highlights:

• WIRE stands for Workforce Insights and Reporting Engine.
• A lot of agencies don't track workforce expenditures as workforce expenditures; it's connected to something
• Compass—we've talked about workforce outreach.
• There's 16-plus—it grows every day—entities that govern workforce development and have a mission as workforce
• And quite honestly, the Workforce...

Summary: The meeting began with a budget presentation from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Secretary Blaine Arthur and Deputy Commissioner Jan Lee described the agency’s divisions and recent efforts to improve efficiency, including expanded online licensing, electronic veterinary inspection certificates, and a new laboratory information system. They highlighted youth and workforce programs, local food initiatives for schools, market development efforts, and ongoing animal health concerns such as avian influenza, equine herpesvirus, and the threat of New World screwworm. They also discussed staffing, turnover, and uncertainty around federal cooperative agreement funding, while noting they were not requesting new or additional appropriations for the upcoming fiscal year. Members asked about meat inspection staffing, the use of one-time forestry firefighting funds, biosecurity and national security coordination, and agency staffing levels. The department said meat inspection was currently in good shape but dependent on federal funding stability, and explained that prior firefighting dollars had been used for equipment purchases. They also said they work with state and federal partners, including DHS and FBI, on threat preparedness and have reduced turnover by adjusting salaries and maintaining staffing at or below prior levels. The Oklahoma Conservation Commission then presented its budget and program overview. Staff described the agency’s long history and current work in water quality, flood control, soil health, unpaved roads, wetlands, and woody species control, especially eastern red cedar removal. They emphasized data-driven, voluntary conservation practices, citing stream cleanups, flood-control dam benefits, pond cleanouts during drought, and the Cherry-Peach watershed project as examples of programs that improve water resources and reduce wildfire risk. The agency said its workload has grown significantly and requested funding for critical dam repairs, local conservation district staffing, continued unpaved roads work, and expansion of woody species control statewide. Members asked about county matching for road and dam projects, who to contact about flooding roads, sediment removal from pond cleanouts, and the effectiveness of county training programs. Commission staff explained that county in-kind work can count as match, local conservation districts are the first point of contact, and the road training has produced measurable savings and better maintenance practices. They also clarified that “high hazard” dams are those where failure could threaten people or infrastructure downstream, not necessarily dams that are structurally failing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm still going to look for people that might be ready to retire from another agency.
• Thank you for considering House Bill 4993, the Texas Military Force Health and Readiness Act.
• But readiness requires more than courage. It requires health, fitness, and resilience.
• His recent statement underscores the importance of physical readiness and national security.
• Sheriff, are you ready?

Bills: SB 36

Keywords: transportation, regional authorities, mobility, infrastructure, sales tax

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:06:49.919> From improve emergency readiness. From improve emergency readiness.
• Now readiness and a bridge to recovery.
• <00:15:41.440> development support workforce development support workforce development initiatives
• mission readiness across the force. mission readiness across the force.
• It in companies and in their workforce.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• uh workforce folks. uh workforce folks.
• <02:10:27.599> they learned in kindergarten, how ready they learned in kindergarten, how ready
• It does provide greater emphasis on workforce readiness and workforce development, providing underskilled
• > readiness<03:17:18.560> and<03:17:18.720> workforce workforce readiness and workforce
• workforce readiness and workforce development<03:17:20.160> uh<03:17:20.319> providing

Bills: SB2003

Keywords: Mauna Kea, land management, University of Hawaii, astronomical observatories, leasable lands, natural resource management, stewardship authority, 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees on Water, Land, Culture, and the Arts and Education heard testimony and discussed SB 20003, which would require the auditor’s report under Act 255 to include a recommendation on whether the Monarch Stewardship and Oversight Authority is fit to continue managing Monaca lands. Testimony focused on the bill’s reversion language, the role of the auditor, and whether the measure gave the auditor too much discretion without clear criteria. The Office of the Auditor’s position, read into the record, was that it had strong reservations because the bill did not provide standards for assessing fitness and asked that the requirement be held or amended. Other testimony suggested a work group with relevant agencies and Hawaiian practitioners to manage the transition and reduce conflict. Committee members debated whether the bill should simply restore the original reversion language or also require an audit-based fitness determination. Several members questioned the need for a 2031 audit when Act 255 already provides for a performance and financial audit in 2031 and noted that the bill could shift authority away from the legislature. In response, the committee chair explained that the measure was intended to restore language removed during conference and to address the transition back to the University of Hawaii if the authority was not meeting the act’s purpose. The committees ultimately recommended SB 20003 be passed with amendments. The amendments would strike the auditor/audit section, add language addressing timelines by providing a 10-year lease extension and sublease extension, and make technical changes including a defective date. The committees voted to adopt the amended measure and send it forward as an SD1. The transcript also included a separate Education Committee hearing on SB 3286, which would require the University of Hawaii to develop a facilities and student housing master plan and report to the legislature. University of Hawaii testimony said the system supports the intent but that the bill’s requirements are a heavy lift across 10 campuses and should follow development of a broader academic strategy. Members raised concerns about deferred maintenance, shifting priorities, and the lack of a systemwide plan, while the university said it already has a six-year capital improvement plan but acknowledged it does not fully incorporate the broader academic and housing strategy the bill contemplates.

Transcript Highlights:

• This section has six requests from the Division of Workforce Services.
• I'm Stephen Geesey, CFO with Division of Workforce Services.
• Most of the positions are coming out of the Division of Workforce Services and Workforce Policy and Innovation
• So we're going to be ready to have competitive bid before this ends?
• I’m ready to move forward with a solicitation for a bid.

Summary: The PEER Review Subcommittee met to consider a large agenda of appropriation, transfer, contract, and other review items. Members approved temporary appropriation requests in Sections B through F, including funding for prosecuting attorneys, education-related adjustments, school operating needs, labor licensing divisions, ARPA fund returns from Workforce Services, IIJA grants for state police CDL implementation and a forestry-related county grant, reserve fund transfers for teacher scholarships, school facilities, and economic development, and a Commerce reallocation tied to organizational realignment. Cash fund requests in Section G and budget classification transfers in Section H were also reviewed, along with pay plan requests in Section I, overtime requests in Section J, and multiple methods of finance in Section K. The committee also reviewed discretionary grants in Section L, including agriculture promotion board grants and DHS aging/adult behavioral health grants, plus RFQs, construction contracts, intergovernmental contracts, and out-of-state contracts in Sections M1 through M5. Several items drew questions from members. Workforce Services explained that $225,000 in TANF-related funds would be returned to the federal government because the two-year hold period for uncashed or moved checks had expired. Commerce officials described the $25 million site infrastructure grant program, saying it supports site development, due diligence, and infrastructure build-out at eligible sites of 30 acres or more, including rural communities, with grant agreements and matching requirements providing accountability. DHS and Education officials answered questions about the Care Solace mental health referral contract, saying it is a statewide concierge/referral service that helps schools connect students to Arkansas providers and follow up so students do not fall through the cracks; members asked for more information on provider selection, school-day scheduling, and Arkansas vendor participation. The committee held one item over: the DHS discretionary grant item for the RSVP retired senior volunteer program in L2, after concerns were raised about whether state general revenue was being used effectively and how much administrative overhead the providers retain. Members also questioned several contracts, including a DHS sole-source contract with EMSLink for document management software and a DHS bridge contract with Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care for Medicaid inspections of care reviews; in both cases, agency staff explained the need to avoid service disruption and said follow-up information would be provided. A Department of Corrections reentry center contract was discussed for its recidivism results, and ARDOT retirement-system investment contracts were briefly explained. The meeting ended after a lengthy discussion of the Medicaid Trust Fund balance, with DFA and DHS officials saying the state is expected to finish the fiscal year without exhausting the fund, that a restricted reserve of $100 million is available as a backstop, and that the larger question is what minimum balance should be maintained going forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Terrasas is now ready. All right, Mr.
• Is there also a workforce issue for you to get this work done?
• How's the workforce treating you to get these projects completed? Mr.
• They've got tons of work out there but can't get enough workforce to do it.
• So workforce is kind of an issue. Thank you for your comments, both of you.

Transcript Highlights:

• and our future Texas workforce.
• All right, now we're ready to start Article 4 for the Judiciary.
• Workforce optimization is not a new concept.
• We were preparing to get ready for the HB 4344 to take effect.
• We were preparing to get ready for the HB 4344 to take effect.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee convened for its first hearing of the 89th regular session, confirmed a quorum, adopted committee rules by a 15-0 vote, and began review of Senate Bill 1, the state budget for fiscal years 2026-27. Chair Huffman outlined the committee’s organization, introduced staff, and described the budget as conservative and focused on one-time investments. She highlighted major SB 1 priorities including property tax relief, full funding for public education formulas, teacher pay, school safety, border security, Medicaid growth, dementia research, energy and water infrastructure, transportation, wildfire suppression, and other capital and public safety needs. Comptroller Glenn Hager presented the biennial revenue estimate, saying the state has $194.6 billion available for general-purpose spending in 2026-27, with a projected $23.8 billion ending balance from the current biennium. He cautioned that revenue growth is returning to more normal levels and that lawmakers should avoid committing short-term surpluses to ongoing expenses. He also explained that the Economic Stabilization Fund is projected to hit its constitutional cap, meaning an estimated $5.6 billion in severance tax and related revenue would remain in general revenue in the upcoming biennium rather than flow into the fund. Senators discussed whether to raise or rename the fund and the implications of keeping more severance-tax revenue in general revenue. The Legislative Budget Board then gave an overview of SB 1 and the budget’s major funding changes. LBB staff explained that the bill is essentially flat at $332.9 billion in all funds, but includes large method-of-finance shifts and major property tax relief. They detailed how prior property tax relief enacted in the 88th Legislature grew from an estimated $18 billion to $22.7 billion because of higher property values and hold-harmless provisions, and said SB 1 continues that relief with a total of $51 billion in ongoing and new property tax support. Members asked extensive questions about the automatic growth in school tax compression, the constitutional homestead exemption, COVID-era federal funding, Medicaid assumptions, and the sunset of the non-homestead circuit breaker. No additional votes or final budget actions were taken beyond adoption of the committee rules.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm confident the members on this committee stand willing and ready to roll up our sleeves and get to
• The domestic workforce has almost entirely moved away from own farm jobs.
• I appreciate a number of you raising the workforce issue and I noted you, Mr.
• We transitioned directly from domestic workforce into the H-2A program.
• But if you're the coach and you talk like that, put me in coach, because I'm ready to play.

Keywords: agriculture, avian flu, bipartisan farm bill, economic challenges, poultry, dairy, specialty crops

Summary: The committee meeting focused on crucial discussions surrounding the challenges faced by the agriculture sector, particularly concerning avian flu and its impact on poultry and dairy producers. Members provided insights into the economic struggles within the industry, emphasizing the need for a new bipartisan farm bill that addresses the diverse needs of specialty crop and livestock producers. Witnesses from various agricultural sectors spoke about their experiences, illustrating the high costs, regulatory burdens, and emerging diseases that threaten their operations. The meeting underscored a commitment to exploring solutions that will help maintain market stability and ensure food security.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is provided by the Department of Commerce, the Division of Workforce Services, for the elimination
• The positions eliminated come from the Division of Workforce Services, or, excuse me, Services for the
• I'm just trying to get this... because it's part of Workforce, isn't it? Yes, it's...
• Yeah, because it's part of Workforce, isn't it? Yes, it's part of Workforce Connections.
• The second quarter was ready, so we've put both of them in there.

Summary: The committee first considered a Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism request to swap three administrative coordinator positions for one park superintendent, one maintenance supervisor, and one park manager for Blanchard Springs State Park. Members were told the change would be funded by conservation tax special revenues, would not increase total positions, and had OPM’s support. The item was reviewed and approved without objection. Members then approved two special compensation plans: one from the Department of Commerce for lump-sum bonuses of up to $5,000 for employees involved in the unemployment insurance system migration to a cloud-based platform, and one from the Department of Veterans Affairs for $2,000 recruitment bonuses for certified nursing assistants at the Fayetteville and North Little Rock State Veterans Homes. The Department of Health also received approval to reinstate a previously frozen fiscal support manager position for the State Medical Board, with the agency noting the position was already authorized and would not increase total staffing. The committee spent substantial time on a Commerce reduction-in-force affecting the Division of Services for the Blind and related workforce operations. Secretary Hugh McDonald said the layoffs were driven by over-obligated federal funds, lack of fiscal planning, and a need to realign operations; he said the RIF would be permanent and that 56 employees remained furloughed, with 17 positions slated for elimination. Senators questioned the division’s accountability structure, the role of the board and governor, and whether the cuts disproportionately affected African American employees; Commerce was asked to provide racial composition data for the workforce and the RIF. The committee also reviewed quarterly employment and overtime reports. Members asked about overtime levels at DHS, Corrections, and Transportation, and whether higher staffing levels and the new pay plan were reducing overtime. OPM said overtime was being monitored, that direct-care positions are exempt from the hiring freeze, and that the state had hired more than 1,200 employees at DHS since the new system went live. No further action was taken on the report items, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that—I'm just trying to get this because it's part of workforce, isn't it?
• Yes, it's part of Workforce Connections.
• Is that—I'm just trying to get this because it's part of Workforce Connections, isn't it?
• Yes, it's part of Workforce Connections.
• Second quarter was ready, so we’ve put both of them in there.

Keywords: 1204, all