Transcript Highlights:

• Page six shows the types of state-supportable spaces at UC and CSU: 10% at UC and 25% at CSU.
• More than half the space is designated as offices or other types of spaces for all of the segments.
• I heard, I think, CSU talk about the utilization of space.
• So in some cases, like CSU's 2022 data, it shows the utilization of only 60% of classroom space?
• So these utilization rates are based on expected space usage for classrooms.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we allow it to sprawl and pave over more farmland and pave over more green space, it will also make
• it will also make our more green space it will also make our transportation<00:02:53.879><c> emissions
• </c> margins so that means more floor space margins so that means more floor space or<01:02:53.960><c
• They have space available signs in their store windows.
• </c> as public space dedic more public space as public space dedic more public space dedicated<01:35:

Committee: House Housing Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• But, this shows the space. And, we used to be on the sixth floor of the Jim Thorpe.
• We'll be sharing a portion. of this space with another state agency.
• And, then we have the shared spaces which are in kind of this clay color.
• We were to get our space ready for our staff and operational needs.
• Our folk and traditional arts and our programs in that space are really flourishing.

Committee: House A&B Education Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker Damoth and Speaker Hortman came up with some really leading work in this space, and we were able
• I'm new to this space and the pensions.
• and we were leading work in this space and we were able<00:02:54.400><c> to</c><00:02:55.120><c> uh<
• </c> O'Drisco and uh I'm new to this space O'Drisco and uh I'm new to this space and<00:03:31.680><c>
• </c><00:04:29.040><c> um</c> space as well as the state patrol. um space as well as the state patrol.

Bills: SF2884 , HF1889

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• That includes things like classroom space, um, office space, things of that nature.
• <c> office</c><00:25:26.320><c> space,</c><00:25:26.799><c> things</c> classroom space, um office space
• , things classroom space, um office space, things of<00:25:27.200><c> that</c><00:25:27.360><c> nature
• , research-space-intensive, for the upcoming biennium.
• , research-space-intensive, for the upcoming biennium.

Summary: The Capital Planning Advisory Board opened its fourth meeting, confirmed a quorum, approved the prior meeting’s minutes by unanimous voice vote, and then heard information items and agency presentations. The main substantive presentation came from the Council on Postsecondary Education, which outlined its capital planning recommendations for the 2026–28 biennium. CPE staff described the role of Kentucky’s research and education network (Kron), including connectivity to cloud services, Internet2, identity services, and new local AI/inferencing capacity, and argued that the network is now essential to higher education, health care, and extension services. They said the network’s recent upgrades were driven by privacy, security, redundancy, and the need to support modern research and AI workloads at lower cost than commercial providers. CPE also presented its broader higher-education capital request: $700 million for asset preservation and $1.73 billion for new construction, for a total recommendation of about $2.4 billion. Staff said they do not plan to recommend IT projects or equipment in this cycle, despite reviewing 48 IT submissions totaling nearly $1.4 billion and equipment requests totaling $322.6 million. For asset preservation, they said the recommended allocation method would remain based on each institution’s share of Category 1 and 2 square footage, and they noted that the state’s prior facility assessment is now 12 years old, with deferred maintenance still estimated in the $7–9 billion range. For new construction, they said the requests are heavily focused on STEM and health-related facilities that are difficult to retrofit into older buildings. Board members asked about how asset-preservation amounts were determined, including why Northern Kentucky University’s request was much larger than its prior allocation. CPE staff responded that campus size, building age, and institutional prioritization affect the requests, and that schools are asked to submit more projects than are likely to be funded. The board then moved on to an Attorney General capital plan overview, where senior counsel Will Schroeder began describing the office’s technology needs and the office’s prior reliance on a 2020 appropriation to replace legacy systems and improve security.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a digital space now instead of a physical space, and so taking those concepts and putting justifiable
• </c> the physical space. the physical space.
• It's a digital space that's different.
• It's a digital space now<00:20:12.720><c> and</c><00:20:13.040><c> instead</c><00:20:13.320><c> of</c
• </c> now and instead of a physical space and now and instead of a physical space and so<00:20:15.000>

Summary: Senators Erin Maye Quade, Eric Lucero, Liz Boldon, and Chair Ron Latz discussed a package of bipartisan bills aimed at regulating artificial intelligence and related technology in Minnesota. The speakers argued that AI can be beneficial but has been rolled out without adequate safeguards, citing concerns about consumer surveillance, insurance claim denials, dynamic pricing, chatbot harms to children, and the use of AI in healthcare utilization review. Maye Quade and Boldon emphasized protecting kids, consumers, and constitutional rights, while Lucero framed the issue as keeping law aligned with rapidly changing technology and protecting individual liberties. A major focus was the “reverse warrant” bill, which would restrict law enforcement from using warrants that start with an unknown suspect and sweep up data from everyone in a location or search terms in a broad area. The senators said such warrants are the opposite of the Fourth Amendment’s particularity requirement, though they noted ongoing conversations with the BCA and police chiefs about balancing privacy and public safety. They also discussed a bill to prohibit minors from accessing chatbots, describing chatbots as conversational, addictive, and uniquely harmful to developing brains; Maye Quade cited examples of self-harm, sexual content, and dangerous advice allegedly given to minors. The senators said the package was intentionally heard in Judiciary first so it could be referred to Commerce, and they expressed hope for further hearings there and in the House. Lucero said he did not support all the bills, naming the dynamic pricing bill and the AI utilization review prohibition as measures he had reservations about, while supporting the reverse warrant, disclosure, and minor-access restrictions. The discussion also touched on federal preemption concerns, with the senators saying states are stepping in because federal action has lagged and the harms cross party lines. No formal votes or committee actions were described in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some match requirements are in statute, some are in WAC, and some are policy where we had some space
• The review, we engaged with a contractor who had specific expertise in green space equity.
• through locally local funds and support those types of program spaces through local funds.
• Alternate programming spaces were also discussed.
• some of those flexible program spaces are considered as we look at what space is eligible for funding

Summary: The Capital Budget Committee heard presentations from the Department of Commerce, the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), and a consultant on the School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) study. Commerce officials described their agency’s role in housing, energy, local government, broadband, and other capital programs, and reported on a $5 million pilot under Senate Bill 5200 that used trusted community messengers and technical assistance to help historically excluded organizations prepare for capital funding. They said 18 organizations received direct support and 79 smaller projects were also funded, but emphasized that statutory match rules, reimbursement-based payments, site-control requirements, insurance and audit costs, and extensive contracting rules remain major barriers. Commerce outlined efforts to expand outreach, digital modernization, internal contracting improvements, tribal MOUs, and innovation centers, and members asked about small business support, housing program placement, and outreach to Eastern Washington and communities of color. RCO described its grant programs for recreation, conservation, education, and salmon/orca recovery, and reviewed equity work done before and after a 2021-23 proviso. The agency had already created a small-communities carve-out in youth athletic facilities, piloted stipends for advisory committee members, and reduced match requirements where allowed. Under the proviso, RCO completed an equity review and a planning program that funded 54 projects across 34 counties, with many applicants being new or long-absent grantees. Staff said the review led to changes in scoring criteria, clearer application guidance, more objective data measures, expanded technical assistance, and targeted community engagement. Members asked about application burden, project sizes, outreach, and how the agency is broadening participation and representation on advisory committees. The final presentation summarized a planning study on SCAP, which examined rising construction costs, fragmented grant programs, local funding barriers, and uneven district capacity. The report recommended nine major changes, including stronger planning support, a new minor-modernization category, a mechanism to use unused funds more quickly, an education-specification prototype, a SCAP enhancement program for low-capacity districts, acceptance of non-SCAP funds, phased modernization, streamlined D-form and reimbursement processes, and revisions to the SCAP formula to better account for grade-band differences, enrollment projections, and regional cost factors. Additional recommendations included ongoing monitoring and evaluation, facilities-impact reviews, matching SCAP increases to construction-cost inflation, earlier locking of funding estimates, flexible program spaces, and updated statewide building-condition assessments. No votes were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• And as you know, on well spacings, what you do is you create a cone of depression there, just like, the
• This bill will be subject to existing OWRB rules related to well spacing.
• All that this bill does is makes well Spacing standards will be uniformly applicable across the state
• These well spacing rules only apply to permitted wells, which generally are for commercial purposes.
• That is not no longer needing to be held before that well spacing takes place. >> OK, thank you.

Bills: SB1346 , SB1509 , SB1928 , SB2028 , SB2071 , SB2110 , SB2117 , SB2127 , SB2134 , SB722 , SB3

Committee: House Agriculture

Keywords: water infrastructure, wastewater, investment program, loans, local government, SB1509, groundwater, water wells, well spacing, water rights, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, OWRB, basin, subbasin, maximum annual yield, aquifer management, water allocation, water permits, temporary permits, irrigation

Transcript Highlights:

• How do we have innovation in this space?
• The car fire of 2018 caused me to enter the concrete 3D printing space.
• And I wanted to make space because I had a great history at Ottawa and I wanted to make space for those
• And I wanted to make space because I had a great history at Ottawa and I wanted to make space for those
• How do we innovate in this space? Because something's still not working.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:53:43.440><c> let</c> space and the long-term care space let space and the long-term care space
• with space planning.
• </c> look at space and to engage with space look at space and to engage with space planning<00:54:59.599
• </c> offices and so we are mindful of space offices and so we are mindful of space planning<00:55:19.720
• </c> say a warehouse space or a cloud space say a warehouse space or a cloud space in<01:42:08.960><c

Committee: House Health Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• And what are we doing in this space?
• And what are we doing in this space?
• That's a very sizable amount of space.
• On the bottom right here, you see these different types of spaces: laboratory space, wellness space,
• office spaces, collaboration spaces.

Committee: Joint Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• inspectors for defensible space—as well as funding for Proposition 4.
• So we're trying to figure out... ...if we can do that in the wildfire space and the energy space, but
• We've had mixed success in that space.
• We've had mixed success in that space.
• So we cooperate with them in those spaces.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection, and Energy convened for its first hearing and heard an overview from the Legislative Analyst’s Office and the Natural Resources Agency. The LAO emphasized California’s strong current revenues but warned of a structural budget problem, projected out-year deficits, and the need for a high bar on new spending. It generally supported the administration’s Proposition 4 spending plan as reasonable and consistent with bond requirements, while urging legislative oversight and caution about using special funds and adding ongoing commitments. Secretary Wade Crowfoot responded with an overview of climate, wildfire, water, coastal, and conservation challenges and highlighted progress under the Newsom administration, including clean energy growth, wildfire resilience investments, land conservation, tribal co-management, and outdoor access initiatives. He also discussed federal staffing cuts affecting California’s response capacity and said the state has had to fill gaps in flood forecasting, land management, and park access. Members then questioned the secretary about the Delta conveyance tunnel and broader water reliability issues. Crowfoot said the project remains important, is being pursued as a beneficiary-pays project, and is moving through the State Water Resources Control Board’s permitting process, while also stressing that it is only one part of a broader water strategy that includes levee strengthening, subsidence, groundwater storage, recycling, and conservation. Senators also raised concerns about permitting delays, invasive species, and the impact of position cuts on agency capacity; Crowfoot said streamlining is needed but that staffing remains essential. The committee then moved to the Department of Parks and Recreation, where Director Armando Quintero described the state park system, tribal agreements, wildfire and deferred maintenance work, and outdoor access programs such as the State Library Park Pass and Adventure Pass. The LAO recommended rejecting the proposed ongoing $6.75 million General Fund transfer for the library park pass, arguing it did not meet the high bar for new ongoing spending, but several senators strongly supported the program as a low-cost way to expand access. Members also pressed Parks on reservation system problems and campsite no-shows. Department staff said they are updating website guidance, working with the reservation vendor, and implementing new no-show and reservation-modification rules effective July 1, including penalties for repeated no-shows and immediate reopening of vacant sites. The committee then heard a low-cost accommodations proposal, which Parks said would fund planning and construction at several sites using Proposition 68, reimbursements, and donations; the LAO said it had no concerns. Finally, the new director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Megan Hurdle, introduced herself and outlined the department’s mission, staffing, service-based budgeting, and Proposition 4 requests, including funding for salmon genetic tagging, hatchery repairs, and public access improvements. She said the department is focused on biodiversity, permitting streamlining, law enforcement, and human-wildlife conflict prevention, and noted that the agency is still updating its service-based budgeting analysis to identify gaps and priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• Space reconfiguration pool for rent funding for the rent and moving of space and doing the reconfiguration
• Our ask was $2.5 million for space reconfiguration, which would be on the...
• Our ask was $2.5 million for space reconfiguration, which would be on the capital complex, mostly in
• So it was a combination of addressing... ...off campus now and might need different space.
• Okay, another proposed change is to declare capital assets, deferred maintenance, and moving and space

Bills: HB1015

Committee: Senate Appropriations - Government Operations Division

Summary: The Government Operations Division met to review proposed amendments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) budget, with the chair noting the bill would not be voted out that day and would likely be held until the following week for any technical corrections. Members discussed a series of amendments, generally without objection: a $1.5 million appropriation for a pro-life education committee; a $40,000–$45,000 deficiency appropriation for Uniform Laws travel costs; creation of a state deferred maintenance fund with $40 million for deferred maintenance projects; adding the state hospital project to the OMB budget with $200 million from the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund (SIF) and $85 million from a line of credit, plus construction management oversight; $110,114 for custodial equity increases; $1 million for a retirement incentive pool; $3 million to cover a shortfall in the new and vacant FTE funding pool; and $4 million for space reconfiguration and rent/moving costs. Prairie Public Broadcasting was also discussed, with a suggestion to change the purpose from local programming to infrastructure and set the amount at $850,000, likely as one-time SIF funding. The committee also heard a heads-up about a possible $180,000 federal reimbursement issue tied to an education grant, but no action was taken on that item. The committee further discussed a broader amendment to reduce the transfer from the social services fund to the human services fund from $250 million to $232 million, based on DHS needs and available carryover funding. Members also agreed to add emergency clauses to the capital assets, deferred maintenance, and moving/space reconfiguration items. The chair indicated Brady could begin incorporating the discussed changes into a consolidated amendment, while noting there could still be additional items next week. Staff also reported the SIF balance was about $280 million positive, though some removed agency items, including airport grants, would need to be considered. The committee then reconsidered its earlier action on House Bill 1581 and restored it to its original form at $100,000 after hearing that the funding would support tribal tourism-related events tied to upcoming 2026 celebrations and the Theodore Roosevelt Library opening. A motion for do pass on the bill as originally introduced passed unanimously by roll call. Finally, the committee postponed action on another bill until later that day, directing that revised materials be distributed and that the item be taken up in the afternoon session.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are spaces for one or two investigators, and they're not adjacent to education space.
• That shows what contemporary laboratory space looks like.
• What medical equipment do we need to have in our simulation spaces?
• It would occupy most of that space, almost all of the space between the corner of Lomas and Tucker.
• , and retail space.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, speaking of space, good afternoon.
• But just how we're evaluating those spaces, what spaces are, we're looking at the student station, what
• spaces are being used for, What spaces are, if we're looking at the student station, what spaces are
• , inclusion spaces.
• , inclusion spaces.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education received a presentation from the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget and the Department of Education on the Governor’s fiscal year 2026-27 education budget. Shelby Salmons outlined the overall budget framework, and Commissioner Stasi Kamoutsis highlighted major education investments, including $486 million for VPK, $30.6 billion for K-12 education, a $761.1 million increase in FEFP funding, the highest per-student funding level to date, and $201 million more for teacher pay flexibility. The presentation also emphasized school safety, mental health, civics education, and the Guardian Program, along with continued funding for TEACH, HIPPY, Help Me Grow, and civics debate and literacy initiatives. Members asked about how the mental health allocation would be used, counselor staffing ratios, school closures and whether the department intervenes, oversight of school choice and voucher-funded schools, and the Guardian Program’s pay structure and effectiveness. Senators also raised concerns about the FISH school capacity report, data collection, teacher pay, professional development, AI and tutoring technology, and whether the budget adequately supports mental health services and school safety. The Commissioner said many funding decisions are left to districts, that the department stands ready to assist, and that the Guardian Program has been successful and expanded over time. During public testimony, Pinellas County School Board member Laura Hine said her district spends far more on safety and mental health than it receives in state categorical funding, and urged the committee to consider full-day VPK funding, arguing it has improved third-grade reading outcomes in Pinellas. Senators followed up on district flexibility and local spending choices. The committee took no substantive vote on the budget presentation and adjourned after thanking the department for its recommendations and partnership.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're leading the way in this space. It's how we're shaping the future.
• We're leading the way in this space. It's how we're shaping the future.
• So investors have confidence, and innovators have space to dream and do.
• California is leading in that space.
• Now, I say we're leading in that space, but you may have seen the space in that morning paper.

Summary: The joint convention convened to receive Governor Gavin Newsom’s final State of the State address, with legislative leaders introducing the Governor and welcoming constitutional officers, judges, and other guests. The proceedings opened with a moment of silence honoring Renee Nicole Good and other immigrants affected by detention and due process concerns. After introductory remarks from the Speaker, Senate President pro Tem Monique Limón, and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Governor Newsom delivered a wide-ranging address reflecting on his administration and California’s response to recent crises. The Governor highlighted California’s economic performance, tax structure, minimum wage increases, education funding, child care and school meal investments, housing reforms, apprenticeships, infrastructure projects, clean energy progress, and efforts on homelessness, mental health, and public safety. He also discussed state action on artificial intelligence regulation, climate resilience, insurance reform, and wildfire recovery, while sharply criticizing the federal government and President Trump on immigration, health care, food aid, disaster response, and other issues. He announced that his upcoming budget would include major education spending, a five-year extension of the CalCompete tax credit, additional community school funding, a rebuilding fund for fire survivors, and other policy proposals. At the close of the address, the Legislature formally ordered the Governor’s State of the State speech printed in the journal as a special appendix. The joint convention then adjourned sine die.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're leading the way in this space. It's how we're shaping the future.
• We're leading the way in this space. It's how we're shaping the future.
• So investors have confidence, and innovators have space to dream and do.
• California is leading in that space.
• Now, I say we're leading in that space, but you may have seen the space in that morning paper.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,<01:34:20.040><c> uh</c> space, uh space, uh really<01:34:21.160><c> what</c><01:34:21.480><c> we're
• . space. space.
• </c><01:39:11.120><c> to</c> it somewhat difficult for this space to it somewhat difficult for this space
• </c> carbon development space as a result. carbon development space as a result.
• </c><02:11:03.720><c> and</c> network and trust in the space and network and trust in the space and whether

Summary: The meeting began with introductions, approval of the March 6 minutes as amended to add an attendee list, and a brief overview of the day’s agenda. The committee heard two presentations from carbon project developers, with the first from Dylan Jenkins of Finite Carbon. He described Finite Carbon’s work in improved forest management projects, its role in developing carbon methodologies and protocols, and its experience with projects in New England, Appalachia, Alaska, and Canada. He also outlined the difference between compliance and voluntary carbon markets, the role of registries and intermediaries, and the types of buyers in the market, including large corporate buyers and long-term off-take partners. A major focus of the presentation was how forest carbon projects are structured and how credits are monetized. Jenkins distinguished between removals and reductions, explaining that removals come from new forest growth while reductions are tied more closely to baseline assumptions and standing stock. He said improved forest management projects can generate both types of credits, and that removals generally command higher prices because they are easier for buyers to understand and verify. He also emphasized that carbon project commercialization can occur before, during, or after credit issuance, and that landowners may be paid through a variety of structures, including leases, advance fees, per-unit payments, or off-take agreements. Jenkins then addressed the committee’s tax-related questions, saying House Bill 123 appeared intended to treat carbon credit sales similarly to timber sales for local tax purposes. He argued that carbon credits are a forest product and that taxing them can be reasonable in principle, but he stressed that lawmakers should distinguish between commoditization and commercialization when deciding what event to tax. He noted that credits may be created but never sold, and that in some programs landowners retain timber and carbon rights while in others the developer has deeper control over those rights. In response to questions, he said the industry uses protocols, verification, and third-party oversight to address baseline and quality concerns, but acknowledged that baseline setting remains a major point of debate in the market.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill does not prohibit people from building new parking spaces if they want to.
• This bill does not prohibit people from building new parking spaces if they want to.
• In Richfield, you need 60 parking spaces for that same 50-unit building.
• In Bloomington, again just a couple miles south, you'd need 100 parking spaces.
• </c> Metro between Z and 100 parking spaces Metro between Z and 100 parking spaces are<00:46:59.599><

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Transcript Highlights:

• Are those closed spaces? Could members of the public come and purchase?
• Second, it addresses the licenses for non-contiguous spaces.
• Second, it addresses the licenses for non-contiguous spaces.
• </c><00:58:44.640><c> is</c> space within a salon that maybe space is space within a salon that maybe
• </c> spaces they social Gathering SP spaces spaces they social Gathering SP spaces for<01:05:08.079><

Bills: HF1262 , HF1741 , HF472 , HF1668 , HF2055 , HF1786 , HF1876 , HF1089 , HF1121 , HF509 , HF1545 , HF2027 , HF642

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy