Transcript Highlights:

• field staff, Staff, we are considering a bill that tramples over legally binding union agreements and forces
• This amendment protects parents and caregivers from being forced to choose between their job and their
• Under the bill as written, nearly all SBA employees could be forced to relocate hundreds of thousands
• I share your alarm that SBA was forced to shut off disaster lending because it took so long to notify

Bills: SB298, SB300, SB371

Keywords: employee relocation, headquarters, Small Business Administration, Washington metropolitan area, telework, cost reduction, rural markets, geographic diversity, disaster loans, accountability, reporting, loan forgiveness, federal funding, SBA reforms, small business, disaster assistance, transparency, report publication, government accountability

Transcript Highlights:

• This agreement only enhances that because it forces you to, some degree, you know, work on these things
• enhances that this agreement only enhances that because<00:03:27.400> it<00:03:27.560> forces
• > to<00:03:28.319> some<00:03:28.560> degree<00:03:29.439> uh because it forces
• you to some degree uh because it forces you to some degree uh you<00:03:29.760> you<00:03:29.879

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The discussion focused on Minnesota Senate power-sharing after the chamber split evenly between DFLers and Republicans, leading to a temporary arrangement with two co-presiding officers instead of a single Senate President. Senator Bobby Joe Champion described the arrangement as historic but practical, noting that he and Senator Jeremy Miller both have prior leadership experience and mutual respect, which helps the Senate operate smoothly at the start of session. He said the agreement is intended to keep the Senate functioning while the seat in Senate District 60 remains vacant and until the 34th vote is restored. Champion said the power-sharing agreement will end once the tie is broken and the Senate regains a majority, after which one of the co-presiding officers will become Senate President. He expressed hope that he would hold that role, but emphasized that the broader goal is to keep the chamber focused on people-centered policymaking rather than partisan numbers. He also said some elements of the agreement, especially those that encourage closer collaboration, may continue even after the tie is resolved. The senator highlighted bipartisanship, committee balance, and working relationships across party lines as key features of the arrangement. He pointed to his role as co-chair of jobs and economic development and said he expects continued cooperation with Republican lead Senator Draheim on issues affecting Minnesotans. Throughout the interview, Champion framed the moment as an opportunity to “meet the moment” with leadership, citing the importance of how the Senate handles challenge and controversy.

Transcript Highlights:

• By forcing the Water Quality Control Commission to permit these practices... ...to far less efficacy.
• By forcing the Water Quality Control Commission to permit these practices when all they do is cause harm
• HB 207 would force the Water Quality Control Commission to permit the discharge and reuse of treated
• What this bill actually does and what it asks us to do is to force a rush process and a commission to
• But as I see it, you know, I want the WQCC to go through this process and not be forced. ...the WQCC

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And one of the things the task force was, and I won't go too much into the task force because Dr.
• One thing the task force was tasked with was focusing on increasing...
• One thing the task force did in 2022 is an environmental scan.
• They've been forced into it.
• So we know that it's not... ...chosen prostitution, they've been forced into it.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, this bill is House File 3405, and the BCA, for those of you who don't know, have a use of force
• this bill is that it includes federal agents as those cases where the BCA will investigate use of force
• have<00:52:35.119> a<00:52:35.359> use<00:52:35.599> of<00:52:35.760> force
• don't know, have a use of force don't know, have a use of force investigations<00:52:37.200>
• <00:53:52.240> incidents investigate use of force incidents investigate use of force incidents

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So, out of that, the city of Nashville forced us to do a traffic study on West Hall Street.
• We then, out of that traffic study, were forced to relocate our school entrance.
• We then, out of that traffic study, were forced to relocate our school entrance.
• forced to relocate our school entrance. forced to relocate our school entrance.
• So we would not be forced<03:51:08.720> to<03:51:08.880> go<03:51:09.040> through

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard HB 1334, which would remove the Education Freedom Account scholarship organization’s authority to approve “any other educational expense” under the EFA statute. The prime sponsor, Representative Porchelli, said the bill would narrow the law to the specifically listed qualifying expenses, avoid broad interpretation, and shift any questions to the Department of Education or the legislative oversight committee. In response to questions, she said she did not think the open-ended category had been needed and that the statute already clearly lists allowable expenses. A representative of the Children’s Scholarship Fund testified in opposition, saying the category is used rarely but is important for unusual cases, especially students with special needs, and that removing it could create unintended consequences. After testimony, the chair closed the hearing on HB 1334. The committee then heard HB 1513, which would move several EFA reporting and oversight requirements from administrative rules and the contract with the Children’s Scholarship Fund into statute. Representative Porchelli said the bill would consolidate existing requirements on timely responses to oversight requests, publication of expense reports by category and provider, and transmission of eligibility and enrollment data to the Department of Education. She described the bill as mostly a clarification and transparency measure rather than a substantive policy change. Members asked about the meaning of “timely access,” the 45-day deadline, whether the contract already covered these duties, and whether the scholarship organization had ever failed to comply. The Children’s Scholarship Fund said it had generally met the 45-day deadline, had not knowingly refused information requests, and that the quarterly reporting requirement could add cost; the sponsor said the DOE had provided guidance and was neutral. The hearing on HB 1513 was then closed. Finally, the committee heard HB 1256, which would repeal the state librarian’s authority to award scholarships for graduate library school attendance at American Library Association-accredited schools. Representative Drago said the law was unnecessary because the state does not currently have a state librarian, scholarships are not typically granted by statute, and he objected to the ALA accreditation requirement and what he described as the association’s political advocacy. In questions, he clarified that the bill targets the accreditation requirement rather than a specific school and said he did not think the state should direct taxpayer-funded scholarships toward ALA-accredited programs. A member raised First Amendment concerns, but the sponsor said the issue was not speech itself, only the use of taxpayer dollars and state law to support that direction. The transcript cuts off before any vote or final action on HB 1256.

Transcript Highlights:

• You have a vendor now that you're trying to force him and I've read the suits for the next 10 years.
• <01:14:41.320> him you're trying to force him you're trying to force him and<01:14:42.840>
• him to do that, the if you try to force him to do that, the network's<01:15:00.280> going<01:
• They're going to have to force them.
• <01:22:50.000> their<01:22:50.280> vendor they will have to force their vendor they

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Commonwealth Office of Technology 00:01:00 Department of Education 00:21:00 Transportation Cabinet 00:35:30 Secretary of State 00:45:15 Cabinet for Health and Family Services 00:56:11 Discussion of the Kentucky Communications Network Authority and Related legislation 01:09:11, 958, all

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and then focused first on the Commonwealth Office of Technology’s legacy systems and two specific projects. COT officials said many agencies have made progress moving off legacy applications, with remaining mainframe systems slated to be retired through RFPs or other work orders. They also described a legacy funding pool of $10 million per biennium used to help agencies transition. The two projects discussed were the Kentucky aerial photography and elevation data program, which provides statewide aerial imagery and lidar data for GIS, E911, environmental, transportation, and other uses, and a citizen identity and access management system intended to give residents a single login for state services. Officials said the GIS program costs about $1.2 million annually to host and maintain, with data acquisition costing several million more per year, and that the citizen identity system would cost about $2.5 million per year after an initial three-year COT investment. Members asked about duplication of funding, licensing, local government use, and whether multi-factor authentication would be required; COT said the GIS data is being acquired as statewide unlicensed data and that MFA would be available but not yet mandated statewide. Committee members pressed COT on costs, overlap with cabinet-level IT spending, and the practical benefits of the GIS and identity projects. COT explained that GIS hosting is generally covered through enterprise assessments billed quarterly to agencies, while the new aerial data is intended to benefit the whole state and local partners. On the identity project, officials said it would centralize authentication for citizens who use state systems, improve compliance with zero-trust and NIST-related security expectations, and reduce help desk and maintenance burdens through self-service account tools. Members also discussed whether the system would extend to local governments; COT said it would be a Kentucky.gov-style state login for users inside the state identity infrastructure, not a local-government system. The Department of Education then testified that it does not operate mainframes or major legacy systems, having moved long ago to cloud-based, off-the-shelf products and vendor-supported services. KDE officials described a strong emphasis on staff cybersecurity awareness, standardized statewide systems, vendor risk-sharing, and reducing sensitive data exposure, including efforts to move away from student Social Security numbers. They also highlighted a transition from Microsoft Active Directory to Identity Automation, which they said will improve identity management and make multi-factor authentication universal across K-12. In response to questions about Kentucky Wired and internet service, KDE said all 171 school districts and KDE agencies have been moved to a new next-generation internet service through ENA by Zayo, with strong satisfaction, e-rate savings, and better reliability. Officials warned that any internet disruption would immediately affect attendance, grades, student records, payroll, security systems, and communications across the K-12 system.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, the question is, is it good policy decision here for us to be forcing school districts to pay for
• school districts to pay us to be forcing school districts to pay for<00:44:04.319> welfare<00
• to be this ideological drive to force to be this ideological drive to force these<00:44:17.280><
• We're not listening to the school districts in our state, and we're forcing this stuff on them.
• We're not listening to the school districts in our state, and we're forcing this stuff on them.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• :53.000> Suicide<00:49:53.480> Prevention<00:49:54.000> task<00:49:54.359> force
• Minnesota Suicide Prevention task force Minnesota Suicide Prevention task force have<00:49:55.280
• and I also partnership with a task force and I also partnership with a division<00:53:32.240> of<
• work that I've done at the task force work that I've done at the task force for<00:54:08.040>
• that uh Governor walls did appoint force that uh Governor walls did appoint me me me to<01:16:59.000

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:19:06.240> on to the governor's special task force on to the governor's special task force
• safety um task force on highway safety. safety um task force on highway safety.
• <00:59:08.319> by<00:59:08.559> the That task force was chaired by the That task force
• And it's not forcing somebody to do treatment.
• And it's not forcing somebody to do treatment.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• or deadly force in self-defense without requiring force to actually be used.
• Members, this creates a temporary task force to support.
• The Tahirih Justice Center's Forced Marriage Initiative has been serving survivors of forced marriage
• Forcing a child to not let them be their authentic self or forcing them to be something else has a very
• Damages for injuries arising out of certain uses of force or deadly force for the Committee on Judiciary

Bills: HB3902, HB4420, HB3269, HB469, HB336, HB316, HB5396, HB993, HB1342, HB5216, HB2046, HB2188, HB2450, HB2813, HB2857, HB4075, HB2911, HB4682, HB3117, HB3253, HB3442, HB4820, HB4336, HB5356, HB3669, HB3428, HB5465, HB3662, HB2590, HB2288, HB1886, HB3458, HB5603, HB5620, HB1489, HB4101, HB4990, HB5685, HB4950, HB4980, HB5684, HB3507, HB3566, HB4487, HB4462, HB4876, HB4915, HB4663, HB5570, HB2929, HB5261, HB2920, HB4642, HB4746, HB1609, HB5403, HB5453, HB3844, HB2336, HB1572, HB 1226, HB2806, HB2617, HB2827, HB3948, HB3945, HB4266, HB4542, HB3319, HB1772, HB2496, HB1970, HB3434, HB5545, HB5577, HCR59, HCR135, HB4, HB46, HB3221, HB1403, HB3892, HB4234, HB722, HB4105, HB4413, HB170, HB551, HB3053, HB3142, HB3180, HB3722, HB1794, HB1784, HB1581, HB2530, HB4308, HB1896, HB2974, HB3359, HB4580, HB2458, HB2215, HB3332, HB2278, HB3015, HB3151, HB1368, HB40, HB 101, HB 112, HB146, HB214, HB413, HB1523, HB493, HB521, HB594, HB557, HB305, HB549, HB854, HB 1057, HB 1052, HB842, HB3174, HB3196, HB824, HB 1039, HB2529, HB2713, HB4936, HB4995, HB4830, HB4864, HB5219, HB5263, HB5154, HB2674, HB5525, SB529, SB541, SB2004, SB1012, SB2269, SB1886, SB1236, SB693, SB2308, HB2486, HB4862, HB4689, HB4520, HB2225, HB168, HJR218, HB4921, HB5623, HB2494, HB2545, HB2587, HB2625, HB5520, HB5436, HB4926, HB1573, HB5165, HB4811, HB5081, HB4755, HB3179, HB4310, HB4611, HB2159, HB4626, HB3637, HB3153, HB3066, HB2786, HB2966, HB638, HB640, HB876, HB497, HB5539, HB4809, HB5308, HB4687, HB4070, HB4421, HB4412, HB3284, HB3369, HB3420, HB3449, HB4098, HB4281, HB4120, HB4504, HB4370, HB 1106, HB2370, HB2404, HB3863, HB2407, HB2253, HB2273, HB2040, HB1586, HB3788, HB3993, HB4690, HB4309, HB4696, HB2308, HB 1142, HB1533, HB1621, HB2242, HB2012, HB2193, HB2442, HB2464, HB2348, HB2313, HB2289, HB1942, HB2011, HB1629, HB2993, HB3592, HB3824, HB4076, HB4535, HB4623, HB4773, HB 1091, HB5115, HB5515, HB3372, HB5659, HB 127, HB386, HB 115, HB2868, HB 1249, HB4766, HB3720, HB4656, HB4879, HB 105, HB5383, HB4621, HB5431, HB5678, HB5534, HB4174, HB4212, HB3954, HB3966, HB3636, HB3918, HB1422, HB4765, HB4732, HB4742, HB5122, HB4518, HB5084, HB3986, HB4045, HB4144, HB3911, HB3976, HB4473, HB3425, HB3641, HB3642, HB3475, HB3509, HB3424, HB3383, HB4744, HB4531, HB4539, HB3159, HB5228, HB5370, HB4359, HB4398, HB4443, HB4466, HB3861, HB3849, HB4240, HB4706, HB4685, HB5354, HB5141, HB5686, HB3629, HB3554, HB3567, HB2015, HB3575, HB5381, HB1431, HB3514, HB4614, HB4546, HB4683, HB5681, HB5673, HB5663, HB4271, HB4350, HB4035, HB3807, HB3812, HB3552, HB3540, HB3715, HB3710, HB3664, HB4196, HB4233, HB4173, HB1998, HB3333, HB3510, HB4222, HB2070, HB2854, HB2347, HB 113, HB983, HB4847, HB1449, HB3833, HB5151, HB265, HB1845, HB782, HB 108, HB1960, HB158, HB1954, HB1955, HB2512, HB605, HB2581, HB2803, HB627, HB2667, HB1738, HB636, HB3679, HB2638, HB2655, HB871, HB2438, HB 1107, HB1765, HB1822, HB2153, HB4099, HB3732, HB3171, HB3178, HB3182, HB3749, HB2814, HB3977, HB4204, HB4207, HB4449, HB1820, HB1876, HB1939, HB1347, HB2593, HB2136, HB2132, HB2658, HB2413, HB2757, HB2080, HB3154, HB3063, HB3009, HB3448, HB3006, HB2844, HB3241, HB3680, HB3169, HB2078, HB2507, HB4559, HB3946, HB3460, HB3405, HB475, HB3463, HB3441, HB3520, HB2060, HB4731, HB4991, HB1991, HB5596, HB2014, HB2142, HB2673, HB2731, HB2417, HB2399, HB2301, HB3335, HB3234, HB3320, HB5573, HB4848, HB4748, HB4769, HB4795, HB2086, HB2234, HB2203, HB4916, HB5624, HB4505, HB139, HB5093, HB5302, HB5402, HB5606, HB2333, HB4630, HB4701, HB2583, HB2983, HB4924, HB3339, HB3793, HB3631, HB4882, HB5509, HB5499, HB5430, HB5561, HB5611, HB5043, HB5064, HB3733, HB3781, HB3219, HB32, HB4515, HB5348, HB3902, HB4420, HB3269, HB469, HB336, HB316, HB5396, HB993, HB1342, HB5216, HB2046, HB2188, HB2450, HB2813, HB2857, HB4075, HB2911, HB4682, HB3117, HB3253, HB3442, HB4820, HB4336, HB5356, HB3669, HB3428, HB5465, HB3662, HB2590, HB2288, HB1886, HB3458, HB5603, HB5620, HB1489, HB4101, HB4990, HB5685, HB4950, HB4980, HB5684, HB3507, HB3566, HB4487, HB4462, HB4876, HB4915, HB4663, HB5570, HB2929, HB5261, HB2920, HB4642, HB4746, HB1609, HB5403, HB5453, HB3844, HB2336, HB1572, HB 1226, HB2806, HB2617, HB2827, HB3948, HB3945, HB4266, HB4542, HB3319, HB1772, HB2496, HB1970, HB3434, HB5545, HB5577, HCR76, HCR127, HCR9, HCR40, HCR118, HR559, HCR59, HCR135

Keywords: Medicaid, reimbursement, nursing facilities, ownership change, healthcare policy, mental health, psychiatric beds, inpatient psychiatric treatment, acute psychiatric care, bed availability, bed capacity, hospital reporting, HHSC, Health and Human Services Commission, state hospitals, private mental health facilities, civil commitment, competency restoration, not guilty by reason of insanity, jail diversion

Transcript Highlights:

• And then section 17 on page nine establishes a legislative task force on local sales taxes.
• Line 67 is a provision regarding the local sales tax task force. That's very hard to say.
• <00:47:22.079> That's local sales task tax task force.
• That's local sales task tax task force.
• <01:28:53.920> to going to create another task force to going to create another task force

Bills: HF2730, HF2257, HF2768, HF1932, HF2437

Keywords: local government debt, municipal bonds, county bonds, capital improvements, public financing, bond issuance, public hearing, notice period, bond guarantee, Minnesota Public Facilities Authority, volume cap, private activity bonds, housing finance, residential rental bonds, LIHTC, low-income housing tax credits, redevelopment, courthouse financing, jail financing, law enforcement center

Transcript Highlights:

• No one is forced to subscribe to community solar garden, but every Xcel customer has the opportunity
• No one is forced to subscribe to community solar garden, but every Xcel customer has the opportunity
• No one is forced to subscribe to community solar garden, but every Xcel customer has the opportunity
• It was brought up with one of the testifiers that no one is forcing people to subscribe, but we are forcing
• the testifiers that no one is forcing the testifiers that no one is forcing people<01:17:11.760>

Bills: HF2103, HF2793

Keywords: energy, renewable energy, ammonia, hydrogen, certificate tracking, funding, environment, community solar, energy policy, sustainability, solar garden program, regulation sunset, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• What's the task force going to do?
• what is the task force going to do? what is the task force going to do?
• What's the task force decades away.
• And I'm I just can't say how force.
• And even the task force, by the stupid.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The joint hearing covered three measures. SB 1602 would appropriate funds to DLNR for monitoring wells for the Koho aquifer system; DLNR and HHFDC supported it, and written testimony from several organizations and individuals was also in support. Members asked whether monitoring wells are a statewide function rather than a county function, and staff confirmed they are done statewide. The second bill was an administration measure clarifying that criminal water pollution enforcement remains with the Department of Health rather than DLNR. The Attorney General’s office said it was a cleanup clarification and that DOH has stronger enforcement powers and better testing capability; DOH and DLNR supported it, and there was no opposition noted. The final and most heavily debated measure was SB 1074 on environmental impact statements. The bill would let previously authorized or permitted commercial activities continue for up to one year while an agency determines whether environmental review applies after a challenge, and would allow permit renewals during that review. DLNR said it stood on written comments and suggested aligning the bill with similar House language. Supporters, including several ocean tourism and Maui business representatives, argued the bill would provide certainty and keep families and small operators working while environmental review is completed, especially in the wake of the Lahaina fires and ongoing business losses. Some supporters said the measure should be narrowed with a sunset or limited to recently renewed permits. Opponents, including the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Earthjustice, the Sierra Club, and other environmental advocates, argued the bill was overly broad and could weaken HEPA/NEPA-style environmental review, especially for fisheries and other commercial activities. They said the bill could be used as a “Trojan horse” to avoid review and that DLNR could resolve the underlying disputes more quickly through settlement or existing exemption processes. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• She said that as a senior, and to remain in your home and utilize a program like PACE, it forces you
• She said that as a senior, and to remain in your home and utilize a program like PACE, it forces you
• She said that as a senior, and to remain in your home and utilize a program like PACE, it forces you
• He asked which of those is really the driving force behind this.
• <00:50:43.240> behind what's the driving force behind what's the driving force behind this

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It forces schools to become better. It forces them to address student needs.
• It forces schools to become better. It forces them to address student needs.
• It forces schools to become better. It forces them to address student needs.
• Nobody's forcing you to take the funding. Well, yeah, of course.
• Nobody's forcing any family to participate for now.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 convened with a quorum, adopted its committee rules, and heard opening remarks from members introducing staff and outlining priorities for the session. Members from both parties emphasized education as a major issue, while several Republicans framed the committee’s work around school choice and parent empowerment. Senator West and other Democrats stressed protecting public schools, listening to Texans, and considering the effects of vouchers or education savings accounts on school districts and communities. Chairman Creighton laid out Senate Bill 2, the Texas Education Freedom Act, describing it as a universal education savings account program modeled on similar programs in other states. He said the bill would provide about $200 million for a universal eligibility pool and additional funding for students with disabilities and lower-income families, with priority weighting for former public school students. He also highlighted anti-fraud measures, vendor pre-approval, criminal background checks, cybersecurity protections, annual testing requirements for participating students, and the use of the Comptroller rather than TEA to administer the program. Creighton repeatedly said the bill is not a voucher and argued it would not take money from public schools, which he said would receive separate historic funding increases. Members questioned Creighton about the 500% of federal poverty line definition, the adequacy of the $10,000 ESA amount, whether the program would favor students already in private school, how microschools and homeschool pods would fit, and whether the bill protects religious liberty and private-school autonomy. Democrats raised concerns about disability protections, 504 students, foster children, public-school funding, open records, and the historical context of vouchers. Republicans generally supported the bill as a way to expand options for parents and students, while also asking about administration, fraud prevention, and data security. After member questions, the committee began invited testimony, with EdChoice President Robert Inlow presenting in support of SB 2 and citing the growth and reported success of school choice programs nationwide.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:26:08.480> He<00:26:08.720> forced<00:26:09.039> this He forced this nation
• Deporting or forcing families to return on these conditions would be dangerous and unjust.
• Deporting or forcing families unstable.
• But no state should be forced to 2000.
• It doesn't have the force<06:26:11.840> of<06:26:12.080> law force of law force of law

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• forcing staff into manual workarounds. forcing staff into manual workarounds.
• <03:25:16.440> to It looks like providers being forced to It looks like providers being forced
• <03:27:08.520> on Including the legislative task force on Including the legislative task force
• Existing licensing is one force driving this.
• we are forced to work in. we are forced to work in.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Brooke was forced to share intimate private spaces, including her apartment, hotel rooms, and locker
• They brought triple the police force in that day because Brooke was threatened.
• Now, they're being forced to share small, overcrowded spaces with men, including those with violent criminal

Bills: SB15, SB9, SB4, SB8, SB60, SB4, SB8, SB60, SB4, SB8, SB60, SB15, SB9

Keywords: real property, fraud, theft, elderly, disabled, statute of limitations, criminal offense, property rights, property tax, ad valorem tax, voter-approval tax rate, no-new-revenue tax rate, tax rate calculation, Tax Code, local government finance, municipality, county, special taxing unit, sales and use tax, property tax cap

Transcript Highlights:

• We actually had a task force that was working on that about a year ago, and we collected some of that
• They're forced to do a ranking.
• I'll start by sharing a few things about our state's demographics and labor force, followed by state
• I'll touch on a few important labor force points for the state and the nation.
• Our labor force participation rate continues to be one of the highest in the nation at 69.6%, and was

Summary: The Employee Benefits Committee met to approve prior minutes, hear presentations on state employee health insurance, compensation, leave, and related policy issues, and then recess for lunch. PERS reviewed the history and structure of the state health plan, noting the long-standing state-paid family coverage, cost-control measures, wellness incentives, the current grandfathered PPO and high-deductible options, and the effects of recent benefit mandates such as insulin caps, prosthetic coverage, medication management, prescription copay changes, and ambulance balance-billing limits. Committee members questioned the fiscal impact of adding benefits and the possible cost of moving to a non-grandfathered plan, while PERS and HRMS emphasized that health insurance remains the top-ranked employee benefit and that any major plan changes should be considered carefully. HRMS also presented compensation comparisons showing state pay generally below private-market benchmarks, discussed targeted market equity adjustments, identified ongoing recruitment and retention concerns in fields like nursing, IT, engineering, and attorneys, and reviewed leave policies, tuition reimbursement, and family leave comparisons with neighboring states. Job Service provided labor market data showing low unemployment, high labor force participation, and wage growth that still trails some neighboring markets, and OMB explained that prevailing wage requirements apply to federally funded projects under Davis-Bacon, not to ordinary state contracts. After lunch, the committee took up the required process for health insurance mandate bills and adopted an amendment to Joint Rule 211. The amendment clarified that the deadline for submitting mandate measures is intended to allow time for all required reports, including both the cost-benefit analysis and any Employee Benefits Committee actuarial report, while leaving the existing deadline unchanged. The amendment was adopted on a roll call vote, with several members voting yes and a few no votes recorded. The committee then moved into its jurisdiction review of bill drafts, beginning with a bill that would automatically renew pre-tax dental and vision elections; members debated whether it had any actuarial or administrative impact on PERS or the state, and the chair explained that the committee’s role was only to decide whether further analysis was needed before later testimony and recommendations.