Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the chief operations officer for Restore Hope and Restore Hope Housing, and we currently serve 19
• So it's not that old fee-for-service model. It's just a more common-sense approach.
• So it's not that old fee-for-service model. It's just a more common-sense approach.
• And we've previously been operating under the $50,000. So that's what this is doing. Yes, sir.
• The requirements of the statute say that the registrant has to pay a fee.

Summary: The committee first approved a motion, then heard a lengthy presentation on homelessness in Arkansas, with a focus on unsheltered homelessness, untreated mental illness and substance use, public safety, and the role of local law enforcement and shelters. Presenters from law enforcement, homeless service providers, mental health, and policy groups discussed federal Continuum of Care funding, the need for better data and accountability, and proposals such as statewide camping enforcement, stronger treatment access, and consolidating or reworking the continuum-of-care structure. Much of the discussion centered on the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model, with witnesses describing it as a way to expand crisis services, treatment, and coordination with housing and justice systems. They also discussed homelessness among sex offenders, family homelessness, workforce supports, and how to scale successful local programs statewide. No formal action was taken on the homelessness proposals during the discussion. The committee then reviewed several Department of Energy and Department of Health/Board of Nursing rules. The energy rule updated solid waste post-closure cleanup thresholds from $50,000 to $2 million to match Act 791 of 2025. Nursing-related rules added fees for the new dialysis patient care technician registration created by Act 198 of 2025, updated contact-information requirements, implemented APRN authority under Act 862 of 2025, clarified durable medical equipment language under Act 431 of 2025, and incorporated delegation changes from Act 959 of 2025. Additional nursing rules updated certified medication assistant training and duties under Act 265 of 2025, and corrected rules for full independent practice to include clinical nurse specialists under Act 872 of 2023. Each rule was reviewed without objection. At the close of the meeting, members received an update that UAMS had completed its NCII designation submission for the Winthrop Rockefeller Cancer Institute, which was described as a major milestone. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number two, it requires annual registration of labor pools operating in Florida with the Department of
• It also strengthens enforcement by providing that the prevailing party may recover attorney's fees and
• The bill eliminates placement fees.
• But he couldn't hire him on directly because he didn't want to pay the placement fees.
• But he couldn't hire him on directly because he didn't want to pay the placement fees.

Summary: The Committee on Fiscal Policy considered a long agenda of bills covering education, health, criminal justice, aging services, labor, and commemorative measures. Among the measures reported favorably were CS/SB 1062 creating Florida Speech and Debate Week and the Florida Debate Initiative; CS/SB 196 and CS/SB 864 establishing and protecting a Uterine Fibroid Research Database; CS/SB 432, as amended, adding restrictions on xylazine and nitrous oxide sales; CS/SB 1630 modernizing aging and disability services and guardianship oversight; SB 1112 on labor pool placement fees and registration; CS/SB 524 revising FDLE and medical examiner provisions; CS/SB 530 updating lottery operations; CS/SB 646 narrowing drug paraphernalia testing equipment exemptions to fentanyl, analogs, and xylazine; SB 676 strengthening animal cruelty penalties and the animal abuser database; CS/SB 1180 creating a recall process for community development district board members; CS/SB 800 increasing penalties for unlicensed engineering practice; CS/SB 1404 creating a memory care specialty license for assisted living facilities; SB 1072 creating an anti-Semitism task force; and CS/SB 1684 and CS/SB 1686 establishing and exempting records for a Parkinson’s Disease Registry. The committee also took up several high-profile commemorative bills. CS/SB 194, designating October 14 as Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance, drew extensive public testimony both for and against, with supporters emphasizing civic engagement and free speech and opponents criticizing Kirk’s rhetoric and the appropriateness of a state honor. The bill was reported favorably after a recorded vote. SB 174, designating Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue in Miami-Dade County, also drew significant opposition testimony on similar grounds and was reported favorably. A late-file amendment to a related remembrance measure was withdrawn after discussion. Other bills, including the speech and debate, fibroid research, aging services, labor pool, animal cruelty, engineering, memory care, anti-Semitism, and Parkinson’s registry measures, were generally supported by agency, advocacy, or stakeholder testimony and advanced without major opposition. Several bills were amended before passage, including substitute or delete-all amendments on SB 432, SB 524, SB 646, SB 676, SB 1180, SB 800, and SB 1404. The committee repeatedly adopted amendments by voice vote and then reported the bills favorably by recorded roll call. The meeting ended with members requesting to be recorded on specific bills, followed by adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• strengthening some of the civil fees strengthening some of the civil fees associated<00:04:25.520
• space, they're facing the highest fees, the most limited operating margins, and the least clear pathways
• <00:20:27.919> in<00:20:28.159> a must be able to operate in a must be able to operate
• which promotes flexibility for operators which promotes flexibility for operators to<00:35:51.119
• <00:36:40.240> or convenience of incumbent operators or convenience of incumbent operators

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And we don't want to raise tuition and fees $1 more than we have to.
• But it is common to have a student athletic fee. It's not.
• , I thought that the university needed a student athletic fee, I would ask for it.
• I mean, if we raise tuition and fees, we raise it more for them.
• This is for the current operations of the Department of Corrections.

Summary: The committee first adopted revised JBC rules, which staff said were updated to reflect legislation passed in the 2025 session. It then heard a presentation from DFA Secretary Jim Hudson on the governor’s proposed balanced budget for FY27, with no action taken. Hudson said the budget reflects three priorities: limiting state-government growth, continuing investments in education, and advancing income-tax cuts. He highlighted increases for education funding through EFAs, pay-plan costs for Corrections, DPS, and the Attorney General, higher education productivity funding, drug task forces, a Corrections medical contract, the governor’s 1033 initiative, SNAP error-rate reduction efforts, and an additional $100 million set aside for Medicaid sustainability. Committee members questioned the size of the tax cuts, the balance requirement, public education funding, Medicaid trust-fund levels, EFA funding, and the expected impact of new SNAP cost-sharing rules. The Division of Higher Education then presented its productivity-based funding recommendations. Officials said institutions were 2.61% more productive overall, with funding changes driven by a statutory formula that rewards degree production, underserved populations, and high-demand fields. Members asked about declines at UA Little Rock, the formula’s multipliers, the role of the Arkansas Access Act and a new return-on-investment metric, and how two-year colleges are adjusted for size. The committee also reviewed special items and approved two letters: one authorizing 17 net personnel changes across nine institutions, and another adding special language for North Arkansas College’s entry into the University of Arkansas system. The committee then adopted the Higher Education Coordinating Board’s recommendations for all institutions. A lengthy portion of the meeting focused on the University of Arkansas system, especially Fayetteville’s athletics funding and the broader impact of the House/NIL settlement. Chancellor Charles Robinson and system officials explained that the board had waived a longstanding campus transfer and directed the university to provide an additional $6 million to athletics, with some costs likely to be passed through to students but partially offset by existing budget growth. Members debated whether the university should prioritize academics or athletics, how the transfer originated, and whether the athletic changes would affect affordability. The committee also discussed the 1890 extension program at UAPB and the Division of Agriculture’s land-grant funding. UAPB officials said the state match is intended to be one-to-one, that the current recommendation aligns appropriation with actual spending, and that a $2 million set-aside remains available if needed. The Division of Agriculture later clarified that its Smith-Lever extension and Hatch research funds are part of the UA system’s separate budget and that the state matched about $6.2 million in federal extension funding last year. The committee then moved to the Department of Corrections. It approved G1, transferring 51 positions to the secretary’s office to activate a recidivism program, with an estimated cost of about $4 million. Staff then began walking through the department’s FY27 budget, noting an increase of about $8 million for administration and shared services, including a $170,000 sex-offender assessment appropriation moved under Act 723 of 2025 and roughly $6 million more for medical contracts. Questions on the Corrections budget had just begun when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• It caps the number of local government fee waivers... of local government fee waivers available per year
• I've never hidden the grant is operated. I've never hidden anything. anything. anything.
• So, being the stodgy old folks that they are over there, we will concur and keep the fee at $1.
• She took on fees for applications for rentals.
• Um, we gutted the section on excessive fees. So now that it will just reflect common law.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm calling to order the Elections, Finance, and Government Operations Committee.
• The consequence of that, as was discussed in the last legislative session, was that attorneys' fees have
• The bill regarding those attorneys' fees is about to come due.
• Chair Quam, members of the Elections, Finance, and Government Operations Committee.
• My understanding is the court is still considering and there are motions about fees.

Transcript Highlights:

• Both became operational, and the Business and Consumer Services Agency became operational on July 1,
• Both became operational, and the Business and Consumer Services Agency became operational on July 1,
• costs on transit operators.
• costs on transit operators.
• costs on transit operators.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Committee met to consider the final three-party agreement for the 2026-27 state budget and 19 implementing bills, including two budget bill juniors and 17 trailer bills. Committee leadership and administration officials described the budget as a balanced plan that reduces out-year structural deficits, maintains large reserves, and makes major investments in health care, education, housing, child care, public safety, and other core services while also responding to expected federal cuts and fiscal uncertainty. The Department of Finance outlined the package’s major components, including Medi-Cal adjustments, education funding increases, higher education changes, child care and human services updates, housing and homelessness funding, energy and transportation provisions, and tax and general government changes. Members asked questions about several provisions, including CSU enrollment targets and turnaround plans, the Prop. 98 settle-up mechanism, the plastics market development payment program, housing accountability measures, NextGen 9-1-1 implementation, and veteran services. Staff and administration witnesses explained that the higher education language is intended to improve campus-by-campus reporting and oversight, that Prop. 98 settle-up would be finalized later through the statutory certification process, and that NextGen 9-1-1 now includes one-time funding, quarterly reporting, an independent technical review, and a state audit. Members also discussed the HAP homelessness funding increase to $900 million and the balance between accountability and timely distribution of funds. The most extended exchange centered on comparisons between funding for veterans and Medi-Cal/immigrant health coverage. Republican members argued the budget spends far more on undocumented immigrant services than on veterans, while Democratic members and Finance staff responded that the comparison was misleading because many veterans’ services are federally funded and the state budget also includes dedicated veteran support. The chair and other members emphasized that the budget reflects difficult tradeoffs and that the package protects vulnerable populations, preserves health care access, and advances affordability. No final vote was described in the excerpt, but members indicated support for the overall package and said they would support it on the floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• would extend the license renewal grace period from 30 to 90 days with a one-and-a-half times renewal fee
• . ...fee and clarify that a person whose license has been expired for at least one year may not renew
• It's a step that helps ensure that operators properly maintain their well sites and clean up dangerous
• I'm a CALCAV operator in the Texas Panhandle and also an oil and gas investor from Amarillo.
• It clarifies specific responsibilities and inspection requirements for operators and landholders.

Bills: HB1237, HB2663, HB3071, HB4384

Keywords: occupational licenses, renewal, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, registration, license expiration, HB 2663, inactive well, plugging extension, Railroad Commission of Texas, RRC, oil and gas, orphan wells, well cleanup, well plugging, abandoned wells, surface equipment removal, electric service termination, administrative penalty, Natural Resources Code, Section 89.029

Transcript Highlights:

• Chief Operating Officer for Corpus Christi Water.
• Infrastructure fees, upgrades, infrastructure fees, what would those, what would that bill look like?
• We partner with them and share operating expenses.
• It's been in operation now for some years and it's a home.
• It was a tap fee. And the bigger tap you had, the more you paid.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• already over that tuition and fee already over that tuition and fee amount.<00:25:22.320> And
• It covers just tuition and fees.
• It covers just tuition and fees.
• It covers just tuition and fees.
• still likely have a 100% of tuition fees still likely have a 100% of tuition fees covered,<00:30

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• live customer support line during hours of operation, require operators to provide quarterly reports
• occurred, which was a request from one of the operators.
• Those fees would go up.
• for all owned-and-operated systems.
• fully operating themselves.

Summary: The House Committee on Commerce met on May 11, 2026, with a quorum present and took up a series of Senate bills, a resolution, and one House bill. The committee reported favorably Senate Bill 79 to recreate Louisiana Economic Development, Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 to establish the Louisiana-Ireland Trade Commission, Senate Bill 375 on firefighting foam with amendments clarifying use in declared emergencies, Senate Bill 398 moving manufactured and modular housing oversight under the Contractors Licensing Board with technical and substantive amendments, Senate Bill 163 on virtual currency business licensing with an amendment providing for federal preemption if Congress enacts a national licensing regime, and Senate Bill 287 on virtual currency kiosks with consumer-protection provisions and technical amendments. The committee also reported favorably House Resolution 197, as amended, urging the Public Service Commission to study distributed energy generation and storage resources with LSU involvement, and Senate Bill 54, which would allow estheticians to blow-dry hair after certain services; that bill drew extensive testimony from supporters and opponents in the cosmetology and aesthetics industries before being reported favorably. Several bills prompted detailed discussion and testimony. On Senate Bill 398, the sponsor and Contractors Licensing Board representatives said the change would improve enforcement and consumer safety for manufactured-home installation, especially tie-downs, leveling, and foundation blocking, while not affecting HUD-regulated construction. On the virtual currency bills, OFI said it currently licenses 37 virtual currency businesses with 33 pending applications, and supporters described the kiosk bill as a response to fraud complaints by requiring clearer disclosures, refund procedures, live customer support, and reporting to OFI. For House Resolution 197, the sponsor, PSC officials, and energy stakeholders said the study would examine the value of distributed energy resources, including rooftop solar and battery storage, in light of rising demand and grid reliability concerns; PSC staff and LSU energy experts described the study as focused on market value and avoided-cost benefits. House Bill 744, which would have shifted regulation of certain New Orleans utilities from the city council to the PSC, generated discussion about constitutional history, rate impacts, and utility consolidation. PSC officials and the sponsor said the current city-council regulation is a constitutional exception dating back to 1921, and they argued that PSC regulation could reduce costs and simplify oversight, but the sponsor ultimately moved to defer the bill rather than force a floor fight, and the committee agreed. The committee then began consideration of Senate Bill 386, the Louisiana Data Privacy Act, adopting technical amendments and then a larger amendment package that revised definitions and compliance provisions; the transcript ends while that bill’s amendment process is still underway, with no final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Finding one: The district expended $10,668 from operating funds to host an end-of-year awards banquet
• guests, $7,260 for meals for employees and guests, $2,958 for door prizes, and $450 for facility rental fees
• And then the facility fees is exactly what it is: just some off-site facility that they rented for the
• The district expended $33,436 from operating funds for an end-of-the-year celebration and entertainment
• The district expended $33,436 from operating funds for an end-of-the-year celebration and entertainment

Summary: The Legislative Audit Education Institution Subcommittee met to review 57 education audit reports, including 52 with no findings and five with findings. The committee adopted the previous meeting’s minutes and then heard staff summaries of the findings, which focused largely on school district spending and internal control issues. Two reports, Camden-Fairview and Forest City, involved district use of operating funds for staff end-of-year celebrations that staff said conflicted with the Arkansas Constitution and AG opinions. Camden-Fairview’s questioned costs totaled $10,668, including meals, door prizes, and facility rental, and Forest City’s totaled $33,436, including decorations, catering, entertainment, and rental fees. Members discussed whether district officials should attend to answer questions, and both reports were deferred to the June meeting with requests for district attendance. The committee also reviewed a referred finding at Nettleton School District involving a $1.9 million fraud scheme tied to emailed bank-account change requests; the district recovered $1.5 million from the bank and arranged for the vendor to reimburse the remaining $204,890 loss. Members questioned why the vendor would repay money it did not receive, and the report was also held over to the June meeting for further explanation. A separate referred case at Camden-Fairview noted unauthorized credit card charges of $2,140, with $262 remaining as a loss after bank reversals. Staff also presented non-referred findings at Cedar Ridge, including improper Title I payroll charges, salary overpayment and underpayment errors, and an unreconciled bank account variance, and at Green County Technical School District, where a $1,400 vendor check was fraudulently diverted but later recovered. Those reports were filed after no objections. During discussion, staff explained that Legislative Audit is trying to reduce recurring fraud and control problems by advising schools on verifying banking changes in person or through other direct contact, using bank controls such as positive pay, and monitoring accounts more frequently. Members encouraged schools to take audit training seriously and noted that clean reports should be recognized as a positive result. The remaining 52 reports with no findings were filed as reviewed, and the meeting adjourned with no new business.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so it's comprised of tribal lands, tribal trust lands, fee lands, state fee lands, and lands that
• We operate parallel to and in conjunction with the North Dakota University System.
• They are paid the Medicaid fee schedule rate, which is currently $624.71 per day.
• The SUD voucher rates are the same as Medicaid fee-for-service at $624.71 per day.
• Another piece to that is also lands owned by tribal members, fee lands, are also taxed.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• OTHER TYPES OF REPORTS AS NOTED IN THE THIRD BULLET IS OPERATIONAL AUDITS OF DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARDS AND
• WITH INCLUDED FINANCIAL FINDINGS BUT PRIMARILY IT WILL BE FINDINGS FROM THE OPERATIONAL AUDITS.
• RELATING TO STUDENT FEES, FAU DIDN'T ALWAYS LIMIT DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE FEE TO THE AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL
• IT SEMINOLE AND PENSACOLA DID NOT ALWAYS EVIDENCE THE LAB FEES WERE IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATUTE.
• THEY USED STUDENT ACTIVITY AND SERVICE FEES THAT WERE NOT ALWAYS IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we don't, we do not receive funds for operations.
• Some of the donations can be land, buildings, money, uh, waiver of fees.
• Debaca, Chief Operations Officer.
• I'm talking about, um, the, not just the fees for, we, we did not have the predatory fees that pop up
• I'm the chief operating officer of Homewise.

Transcript Highlights:

• I will,... ...local government's ability to impose any sort of special assessment or fee.
• That's where the raising taxes and fees on everything will come into play.
• Will local governments be forced to raise fees? Will sales tax increase? Will...
• Will local governments be forced to raise fees? Will sales tax increase?
• Local government retains the funding they need to operate.

Summary: The Senate took up Committee Substitute for Senate Joint Resolution 2F, a proposed constitutional amendment on property tax reform. The measure would increase the homestead exemption in stages, lower the assessment cap on non-homestead property from 10% to 5%, and limit county and municipal ad valorem tax revenues to specified uses such as public safety, education, infrastructure, natural resources, debt service, employee benefits, and certain administrative costs. Supporters, led by Senator Avila, argued the proposal would provide meaningful property tax relief and push local governments to rein in spending, while opponents warned it would shift costs to fees, reduce local flexibility, and threaten funding for core services. Several amendments were offered and rejected. Senator Sharief proposed an income-based circuit breaker for property tax relief; Senator Smith offered a sunset clause; and Senator Berman proposed revising the ballot statement to better match the amended proposal and remove outdated references. Each amendment failed on recorded votes. During questioning and debate, senators pressed Avila on the ballot language, the effect on local services, whether the legislature could later restrict local spending by statute, and whether renters would benefit. Avila said the ballot language was not his and repeatedly stated he was presenting the governor’s proposal, while also saying local governments would need to prioritize budgets and that future legislatures could address implementation details. After the amendment votes, the joint resolution was read a third time and moved into final debate. Supporters said the proposal would give homeowners relief and force fiscal discipline at the local level. Opponents, including Senators Nathan, Bracey Davis, Smith, Polsky, and Errington, argued the measure was rushed, lacked a completed fiscal analysis or replacement revenue, and could harm police, fire, libraries, parks, housing, and other local services. They also criticized the ballot summary as misleading, especially regarding the staged homestead exemption increase. The transcript ends during debate, before any final vote on the joint resolution itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• Local government's ability to impose any sort of special assessment or fee.
• That's where the raising taxes and fees on everything will come into play.
• Will local governments be forced to raise fees? Will sales tax increase?
• Will local governments be forced to raise fees? Will sales tax increase?
• Local government retains the funding they need to operate.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In observation number one, operations.
• We recommended the operations.
• Develop and implement operations.
• <00:13:02.800> Periodically significant operations. Periodically significant operations.
• the the fees fee schedule on the the fees fee schedule on the commission's<00:21:00.080> website

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met to hear the Legislative Budget Assistant Office’s performance audit of the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights. Auditors said the commission was inefficient and ineffective in investigating discrimination complaints and closing cases in a timely manner during fiscal years 2020 through 2023. The report contained 25 observations; the commission fully concurred with 24 and concurred in part with one. Auditors highlighted major problems with case processing delays, inaccurate case data, lack of a case management system, weak strategic planning and risk assessment, outdated and disorganized policies, confidentiality issues, expired administrative rules, fee-setting practices, incomplete financial-interest filings, and failure to complete required reports and reconciliations. Two recommendations, involving complaint screening and conciliation, may require legislative action. Several observations focused on the commission’s intake and investigation practices. Auditors said complaints may have been screened out before docketing, potentially preventing commissioner review required by statute, and that the investigation process lacked clear rules and guidance. They also found investigators were assigned non-investigative tasks, training was inadequate, interview requirements were unclear, supervisory duties were burdensome, and confidential information was not always protected by encrypted email. The audit recommended clearer administrative rules, better internal controls, more focused staffing, a supervisory investigator position, and improved training and documentation. Commission representatives said they had already made progress on several items since the audit began, including posting overdue biennial reports and moving toward a case management system expected to go live in June. They said they were working with EEOC counterparts and legal counsel, but emphasized staffing shortages and high turnover, noting the commission currently had nine people working out of 15 authorized positions, with three investigator vacancies and a vacant paralegal position. Committee members thanked the auditors and commission staff, discussed the history of the audit request, and raised concerns about how long the recommended corrective actions might take. The committee took no vote or formal action during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• An impact fee, instead, if it follows the dual rational nexus test, is a fee, and that fee is going to
• , I pay a big impact fee.
• So $10,000 impact fee. What's a $10,000 impact fee?
• Well, that's a lot of money. $10,000 impact fee. What's a $10,000 impact fee?
• on fees on fees very often, and they have some of the highest fees in the state.

Summary: The Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee met for its first meeting of the 2026 session and took up impact fees, with an opening overview from Eric Poole of the Florida Association of Counties. Poole explained that impact fees are one-time charges on new development used only for new infrastructure capacity, not existing deficiencies or maintenance, and must satisfy the dual rational nexus test. He traced their history in Florida and described how comprehensive plans, concurrency, and later mobility fees relate to local infrastructure funding. He argued that impact fees are restricted, tied to capital improvements, and are one tool for paying for growth. Panelists representing counties, cities, builders, and community developers largely agreed that growth creates real infrastructure costs but differed on how those costs should be allocated. County and city representatives said impact fees are a necessary, targeted way to fund roads, water, sewer, fire, schools, and parks without spreading costs across all taxpayers. They pointed to long periods without fee updates, rising construction costs, and examples of large increases justified by studies. Builder and developer representatives argued that fees are often unpredictable, can be doubled or tripled, and contribute to housing affordability problems; they also said the system can be inconsistent across jurisdictions and may encourage sprawl. Several witnesses emphasized that fees must be transparent, proportional, and tied to actual benefits, and some suggested a statewide framework or mobility-fee model with more consistency and peer review. Members asked about how long local governments can hold fee revenue, whether fees can generate profit, what they can be spent on, and whether they can pay for police stations, fire stations, or other public safety facilities. Witnesses said the funds must be used for capital projects and cannot be used for salaries or unrelated purchases, and that refunds may be required if money is not spent within the local ordinance’s timeframe. The discussion also covered examples of local fee increases, the use of impact fees versus direct construction or “pipelining” of infrastructure, and concerns about level-of-service changes and extraordinary-circumstance increases. No votes were taken; the meeting ended after the panel discussion and member questions, with the chair noting the conversation would continue.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, Madam Speaker, it is still an increase to the fee.
• It's a fee increase.
• And as we've discussed before, when a fee increases— ...discussed before, when a fee increases high,
• very high, this high, it ceases to be a fee and it becomes a tax.
• And I feel strongly that this addition to these fees are in fact a tax.

Summary: The House considered Substitute Senate Bill 5393, relating to closing Rainier School by June 30, 2027. After many withdrawn amendments, the House adopted striking Amendment 1455, which changed the bill to allow current residents to remain at Rainier School as long as they choose and can live there, while also creating opportunities for community care transitions, return to Rainier if needed, and regular reporting from DHS on transition outcomes, mortality, and related data. Members speaking in favor emphasized the need to move away from institutional care, protect vulnerable residents, and improve accountability; some noted the emotional and personal significance of the issue. The bill then passed the House 76-22 and was immediately transmitted to the Senate. The House also took up several Senate-amended bills and concurred in the Senate changes before final passage. Second Substitute House Bill 1207 passed 54-44 after debate over a fee increase and whether the revenue would benefit local jurisdictions enough. Substitute House Bill 1498 passed 70-28 after a modest Senate adjustment giving more first-year flexibility. House Bill 2003 passed 53-45 despite concerns that it would reduce fishing opportunities. Substitute House Bill 2047 passed 58-40; supporters praised the Senate changes, while opponents argued it still ended a valuable employee ownership program and remained subject to appropriations. House Bill 2050 passed 56-42 after the Senate removed an apportionment shift from the bill, though some members still objected to the remaining ALE enrollment cap. The House also received messages from the Senate indicating passage of a gross substitute House Bill 249 and that the President had signed gross substitute Senate Bill 5041. The chamber then adjourned until 10 a.m. Sunday, April 27.