Transcript Highlights:

• electronic warfare company and otherwise trying to grow different formations such as our MPs... ...our engineers
• So most recently, we agreed with FEMA Region 9 that we would have the Corps of Engineers, the Army Corps
• of Engineers, come out and... ...come out and take a look at all the damage to do an assessment.
• right now is working through accumulating all the damages, getting them vetted by the Army Corps of Engineers
• , combat engineering, military police, explosive ordnance disposal, EOD, strong emphasis on large-scale

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, her children were all very educated professionals, engineers.
• Her children were all very educated professionals, engineers. She's somebody that valued education.
• Her children were all very educated professionals, engineers. She's somebody that valued education.
• were all very educated<00:36:53.040> uh<00:36:53.440> professionals,<00:36:54.240> engineers
• educated uh professionals, engineers. educated uh professionals, engineers.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate convened with an invocation and pledge, established a quorum, excused absent senators, and approved the journal. The clerk reported House-passed bills and Senate bills received from the House, and several Senate bills were read a second time and sent to the Rules Committee. Committee reports recommended passage of multiple measures, including bills from Appropriations and Revenue, Health Services, Natural Resources and Energy, State and Local Government, and Transportation. The chamber then moved to orders of the day and took up Senate Bill 50 and Senate Bill 191, while Senate Bill 137 and Senate Joint Resolution 54 were passed over and retained in the orders of the day. Senate Bill 50, relating to the disposition of property, was explained as a broad update to trust, probate, and intestacy law. Supporters said it would streamline probate when there are no disputes, add privacy protections for decedents’ estate information, give courts more flexibility, set retention and filing-fee rules for wills, recognize electronic wills and other uniform-law concepts, and allow transfer-on-death designation for motor vehicles. A floor amendment removed inheritance-tax provisions and corrected technical issues; it was adopted, and the bill passed 35-1 after debate in favor from several senators and no substantive opposition. Senate Bill 191, creating the Kentucky Kindergarten Readiness Performance-based Child Care Incentive Pilot Program, was also amended and passed. The bill would establish a three-year pilot administered by the University of Kentucky College of Education, providing a one-time $2,000 per child incentive payment or refundable tax credit to child care providers and low-income families when children are assessed as kindergarten ready. A floor amendment clarified that the study and recommendations must comply with federal child care regulations; it was adopted, and the bill passed 35-1 after a senator changed a vote from no to yes. The Senate then recessed for Rules and Committee on Committees meetings, after which the rules committee posted additional bills to future orders and the committee on committees referred several bills and resolutions to standing committees. Several members also made announcements about upcoming committee meetings, a legislative breakfast, a fish fry, and condolences for a community member.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's an engineering challenge, but not a ...technological feasibility challenge, meaning that the
• If you look at cars, for example, you have the internal combustion engine, you have electric vehicles
• 3,000 private sector workers, at least 500 researchers and developers in terms of scientists and engineers
• million a couple of weeks ago on a $10 billion pre-money valuation based on a technology that was engineered
• This past month, it's an international conference for the International Electro Engineering Consortium

Transcript Highlights:

• Through time to get the project done instead of starting it and you get the engineering done and there's
• When we went to build the school here, The design engineers.
• With all that being said, your engineers, people who are are involved in building your school, need to
• listen to them because here, some of our costs have, have gone up simply because they had to go re-engineer
• Viehill well alluded to about the drainage, but these engineered ponds, we're going to handle it.

Transcript Highlights:

• We helped hundreds of companies last year in that area, and then our engineering foundation of the Kentucky
• Council really helped work with 220 companies in leveraging federal funding, whether it's in the engineering
• c><00:07:54.039> and<00:07:54.159> then<00:07:54.319> our<00:07:54.520> engineering
• in that area and then our engineering in that area and then our engineering foundation<00:07:55.560
• whether it's leveraging federal funding whether it's in<00:08:03.479> the<00:08:03.599> engineering

Keywords: 00:01 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:34 Economic Development Cabinet 27:51 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee met without a quorum, so the minutes from the last two meetings were not approved. Secretary Noel of the Cabinet for Economic Development then gave a broad overview of the cabinet’s work and an update on the Kentucky Product Development Initiative (KPD), with Deputy Secretary Katie Smith and General Counsel Matt also present. He said the cabinet’s strategy is to focus on high-wage job creation, especially in automotive transformation, business and financial professional services, tourism, logistics, agri-tech, aerospace, and other high-tech sectors, while also supporting small and medium-sized businesses and existing employers. Noel highlighted several program results and examples, including average incentivized wages approaching $27 per hour, 877 jobs and $346 million in investment through hub operations, $90 million through Commonwealth Ventures, help for hundreds of companies through the Kentucky Intellectual Property Alliance, work with 220 companies through the Kentucky Science and Technology Council, nearly 3,000 students in Advanced Kentucky, and more than 1,100 participants in Kentucky Valor. He also cited 35,000 workers trained through Bluegrass State Skills, 177 businesses helped by the small business tax credit, and 77 entertainment incentive transactions totaling about $200 million and 7,400 jobs. On the grant side, he said the cabinet had approved 155 projects under a federal grant program, committing $99 million, with outreach aimed at smaller communities and all 120 counties. The main focus of the second half was KPD. Noel described it as a program that requires more than basic due diligence, emphasizing community readiness, local vision, title and mineral-rights review, sewer validation, and consultant review. He said 109 projects had been awarded in the earlier rounds, and in 2024 there were 45 requests for information seeking $81 million against $35 million in available funding, showing strong demand. He also said the cabinet has worked with local economic developers through five regions aligned with area development districts, and that the secretary, deputy secretary, or commissioner of business development must attend the regional meetings, with 100% attendance reported for the key three last year. In response to questions, he said Jefferson County’s lack of KPD projects so far likely reflects where local land and development strategies are in the process rather than a lack of interest, and he said the cabinet has not heard that Kentucky’s occupational safety and health rules are clearly helping or hurting competitiveness, though he offered to look into it further.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'll preface this: I'm not an engineer.
• We've used engineered steel panels. We've used engineered steel panels that had to be welded.
• my constituents spent a half million dollars at the Wall of Wind at FIU, generated real data with engineers
• my constituents spent a half million dollars at the Wall of Wind at FIU, generated real data with engineers
• And in this, I don't know, 200-page report that we got, many of our Florida engineers, by the way, dispute

Summary: The Banking and Insurance Committee heard a series of presentations focused on mitigation, flood and wind resilience, and insurance discounts. Kevin Guthrie of the Florida Division of Emergency Management outlined several funding streams for mitigation, including federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program dollars, BRIC grants, flood mitigation assistance, and the state hurricane loss mitigation program. He emphasized the new Elevate Florida initiative, which will use about $400 million initially to elevate or reconstruct flood-prone homes, starting with National Flood Insurance Program properties and severe repetitive-loss homes, with no current per-home cap. Guthrie said the state will contract directly with licensed vendors and aims to reduce future flood losses, lower insurance costs, and keep properties on the tax rolls rather than relying on buyouts. Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworski described Florida’s windstorm mitigation discount program, explaining that the 1802 inspection form is used to assess a home’s overall “envelope” and determine statutory discounts. He said the office is updating the program based on a new wind loss study, with likely changes including greater recognition of roof types such as metal roofs and possible territorial risk adjustments. He also said the Legislature now requires the office to revisit the study every five years. Stephen Fielder of the Department of Financial Services reported on My Safe Florida Home, noting that the program offers inspections and grants for roof and opening protections, has completed more than 100,000 inspections, and has reimbursed hundreds of millions of dollars. He said the department has validated its discount calculations with insurers and that the program is intended to help homeowners reduce premiums through verified mitigation work. Michael Newman of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety said Florida’s building code is nationally leading and that post-Ian surveys found no wind-driven structural damage in buildings built after adoption of the code. He argued that mitigation should be treated as a system, not isolated upgrades, and suggested adding Fortified designation to the state’s mitigation form to better document verified resilience improvements. Bill Truex, a county commissioner and builder, stressed the need to educate homeowners about floodproofing and roof choices, citing examples where flood panels prevented damage and noting that asphalt shingles often do not last as long in Florida as their marketing suggests. In panel discussion, senators asked about program eligibility, outreach to elderly and digitally challenged residents, contractor vetting, roof-life disclosures, and whether flood insurance should be more broadly required. Officials said outreach will include call centers and in-person assistance, and several participants urged better consumer disclosure and more data-driven guidance on roof and mitigation choices.

Transcript Highlights:

• Line 55, this is a major renovation of the Mineral Science and Engineering Complex at New Mexico Tech
• This is funding to allow the State Engineer to purchase And retire water rights in order to comply with
• She was out there firing up the engine. Appreciate your time, Kelly, for your information.
• we can't highlight enough that We have world-class research in quantum information science and engineering
• This funding goes into some of these areas that I think you're hearing about in Davos: Digital engineering

Bills: HB1

Keywords: feed bill, legislative appropriations, legislative branch, New Mexico Legislature, general fund, legislative council service, legislative finance committee, legislative education study committee, house chief clerk, senate chief clerk, per diem, mileage, session expenses, interim committees, district staff, capitol complex, capital outlay data system, legislative processing system, redistricting, census redistricting

Transcript Highlights:

• California has this incredible engine in the form of small business resources like the SBDC program,
• That really is the economic engine of our state.
• That really is the economic engine of our state.
• ranging from sixth graders all the way up to high school got immersed by having... ...talks with our engineers
• , chemical engineers, environmental experts, and management experts.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact held an informational hearing in Paramount as part of its “Pocketbook Tour,” focused on affordability, cost pressures, and household impacts in Los Angeles County. The first panel centered on workers and learners, with testimony from the UCLA Labor Center and the Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board. Speakers described how rising living costs, tuition, and low wages force many students to work long hours, often in unrelated, low-wage jobs, while struggling with food, rent, bills, anxiety, and limited financial aid. Recommendations included expanding state-funded work study, creating a statewide internship tax credit for small businesses, improving financial aid formulas to reflect regional cost of living, increasing flexibility for students, and strengthening worker-rights education and career pathways. The second panel focused on microbusinesses and small business affordability. Testimony from microenterprise advocates, the Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center Network, and local business owners described rising commercial rents, labor costs, tariffs, supply chain disruptions, insurance, utilities, and disaster-related pressures as major threats to small businesses. Witnesses emphasized that small businesses are central to local economies and asked the state to expand technical assistance, low-interest financing, disaster support, supply-chain development, and community-based outreach. They also urged more intentional support for microbusinesses and home-based entrepreneurs, including networks that connect them to resources and help them build collective buying power. Committee members asked about possible state actions, including tax credits for hiring local workers or interns, support for trades and apprenticeships, and ways to partner more closely with SBDCs and chambers of commerce. Public comment echoed the hearing themes, with speakers highlighting student hardship, nonprofit mental health funding, renewable energy jobs and internships, and the need for state support for clean-energy incentives. No formal votes were taken; the hearing concluded with closing remarks and adjournment at 11:05 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• We show you register as David Cupid on behalf of yourself and CU Engineers, and that you will be testifying
• Uh, my name is David Cupid, and I'm a senior vice president at Coot Engineers.
• My goals as a professional engineer are simple.
• He works at one of the more established engineering firms in Lubbock and can tell you how this issue
• We're surveyors, engineers, and planners operating in Lubbock.

Transcript Highlights:

• In my estimation, the men and women of the NNSA comprise one of the greatest scientific and engineering
• They are exceptional machinists, technicians, marksmen, logisticians, engineers, computer and data scientists
• Georgia, and for thousands of hours, I served and supervised the submarine's nuclear reactor and engine
• And the testimony was it's one of the greatest scientific and engineering organizations in human history
• Corps Engineers is building, and the other is by the FBI.

Keywords: national security, nuclear energy, Department of Defense, military readiness, public commentary, nominations

Summary: The meeting convened with a focus on the scrutiny of various nominations and their implications for national security. Mr. Brandon Williams was nominated as the Undersecretary of Energy for Nuclear Security, drawing attention to the pressing need to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal amid growing threats from other countries. This was echoed in discussions led by committee members who expressed concern over military readiness and the management of military installations, with emphasis on ensuring accountability within the Department of Defense. Public commentary was notably supportive of the nominations, although some concerns were raised regarding the administration's broader strategies.

Transcript Highlights:

• That will specifically go to the engineering school in Paducah, under the University of Kentucky, to
• > the The committee substitute briefly provides that $2 million will specifically go to the engineering
• 179 as amended by PHS 1. million will specifically go to the million will specifically go to the engineering
• 17.200> Paduka<00:18:18.120> that<00:18:18.280> is<00:18:19.200> uh engineering
• school in Paduka that is uh engineering school in Paduka that is uh under<00:18:19.919> the<00

Keywords: Meeting start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:10 SB 244 Discussion 00:01:16 SB 244 Vote 00:02:00 SB 19 Discussion 00:03:30 SB 19 Vote 00:08:35 SB 63 Discussion 00:10:52 SB 63 Vote 00:14:47 SB 179 Discussion 00:16:28 SB 179 Vote 00:18:38 SB 25 Discussion 00:20:00 SB 25 Vote 00:25:35 SB 6 Discussion 00:27:10 SB 6 Vote 00:30:37, 958, all

Summary: The House Appropriations and Revenue Committee met on March 13, 2025, with a quorum present and took up several Senate bills. Senate Bill 244, relating to Department of Law operations, was presented as a cleanup bill and reported favorably with 18 yes votes and no opposition. Senate Bill 19, concerning moments of silence and reflection, was amended with PHS 1 to add a moral instruction component and related school-district provisions; members raised questions about the research cited, the logistics of student release time, and possible fiscal effects. The bill was reported favorably with 15 yes, 3 no, and 1 pass, and a title amendment was adopted. Senate Bill 63, dealing with street-legal special purpose vehicles, was amended to make local participation optional, clarify motorcycle-style insurance requirements, and address registration and inspection rules; after a committee amendment was rolled into the substitute, it was reported favorably with 18 yes and 1 pass. The committee also considered Senate Bill 179, which establishes a nuclear energy development grant program within the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority. Testimony explained that the bill sets aside $10 million from an existing appropriation, including $2 million for workforce training at the University of Kentucky’s engineering school in Paducah. The bill was reported favorably with 19 yes votes and no opposition. Senate Bill 25, a housing measure allowing industrial revenue bonds for large multifamily housing, was substantially expanded through PHS 2 and a committee amendment to incorporate provisions from House Bill 9, House Bill 643, Senate Bill 85, and budget-related language; the committee reported it favorably with 16 yes votes and 3 passes, and adopted a title amendment. Finally, Senate Bill 6, which revises education reporting and funding provisions, was amended by PHS 1 to require reporting of fringe costs in K-12 spending and to modify SEEK funding for virtual schools and English as a Second Language add-ons. Members asked whether the changes affected other funding streams and how the SEEK formula would be applied, and the sponsor clarified that the virtual-school provision applies only to SEEK. The bill was reported favorably with 16 yes votes and 3 passes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Another grant inspired their interest in ocean technology and set them on the path to study engineering
• became the permanent capital of California, and we've served as the political, cultural, and economic engine

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, May 15, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the environmental process is complete, and now it's a matter of value engineering and getting that
• to go and take all the commoditized materials that we don't need the contractors' input or their engineering
• Matt Kremens here on behalf of the California Nevada Conference of Operating Engineers.
• Matt Kremens here on behalf of the California Nevada Conference of Operating Engineers.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 5 heard an update from the California High-Speed Rail Authority on its 2026 draft business plan and related budget proposals. The Authority said work in the Central Valley is advancing, with 59 of 92 major structures complete, 80 of 119 miles under construction finished, utility relocations 93% complete, and track-laying expected to begin later this year. It said the revised plan targets completion of the Merced-to-Bakersfield early operating segment in 2032-33, and it highlighted a new strategy focused on ancillary revenues, public-private partnerships, and possible value-capture tools such as real estate, energy, broadband, logistics, and tax increment financing. The Authority also asked for reappropriation of $423 million in Prop 1A funds for the Link Union Station project and $246 million in federal trust funds to avoid expiration. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said it had no specific concerns with the two budget change proposals but raised broader concerns about the draft business plan and the project’s finances. LAO said the plan appears to assume optimistic cost savings, immediate approval of major statutory changes, and reliable future cap-and-invest revenues, while actual funding may be insufficient even for the revised Central Valley segment once borrowing costs are included. LAO also said the draft business plan was missing several required elements identified by the Office of the Inspector General, and it suggested the Legislature could wait until the plan is finalized before acting. Department of Finance had no additional comment. Members questioned the Authority about whether all proposed financing and policy changes are necessary, how tax increment financing would affect local governments and school districts, and what authority the Authority has to enter public-private partnerships without further legislative approval. The Authority said utility relocation authority is its top legislative priority, that value capture is a longer-term tool not needed to complete Merced-to-Bakersfield, and that any state backstop beyond the current $20 billion commitment would require returning to the Legislature. It said a private partner is expected to be selected around June 1, with more detailed financing analysis to follow over six to eight months. Public testimony was split: labor groups and project supporters backed the budget request and urged action on utility relocation and job creation, while local government and special district representatives strongly opposed tax increment financing and related land-use proposals without local consent. The hearing ended with no vote taken and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• One of the things that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, NASM, released
• the National Academies<00:02:54.000> of<00:02:54.200> Sciences,<00:02:55.400> Engineering
• ,<00:02:55.920> and Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Academies of Sciences, Engineering

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint hearing of the Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs considered two resolutions related to Red Hill and PFAS contamination. HCR 186 urged the U.S. Department of Defense and Defense Health Agency to extend the renewal period for secretarial designee health care authorization for people affected by the Red Hill water contamination crisis and to improve access to care. Testimony from Moira Flanary and Board of Water Supply’s Ernie Lau supported the measure, emphasizing lasting health impacts, the need for continuity of care, and National Academies recommendations for continued eligibility and access to treatment. The second measure, HCR 200, urged the U.S. Department of Defense to reassess prior determinations and closure decisions under CERCLA in light of evolving scientific understanding of PFAS and recent federal hazardous substance designations. Mr. Lau testified in support, arguing that military investigations should not rely only on old records or AFFF documentation and should instead use current testing methods to identify contamination. He said PFAS is persistent, mobile in groundwater, and likely to require long-term remediation, and he also answered questions about cleanup challenges and the Board of Water Supply’s ongoing litigation against the Navy over Red Hill-related costs. At the end of the hearing, the committees voted to pass both HCR 186 and HCR 200 unamended. The Public Safety and Military Affairs Committee adopted the chair’s recommendations on both measures. The Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee did not have quorum, so its votes were deferred until April 21 at 2:00 p.m. in Conference Room 225.

Transcript Highlights:

• healthcare consulting, management, um, you actually even have a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering
• have a bachelor's degree<00:04:19.280> in<00:04:19.440> industrial<00:04:20.200> engineering
• <00:04:21.000> from<00:04:21.239> UC degree in industrial engineering from UC degree
• in industrial engineering from UC Berkeley.<00:04:22.800> Um<00:04:23.760> very<00:04:

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Health and Human Services committee heard and considered several gubernatorial nominations to state boards and councils. The nominees included Jody Hashimoto for the Honolulu County Subarea Health Planning Council (GM 539), Mary Pat Waterhouse for the State Council on Mental Health (GM 556), Shaun Kanani Apuuni for the Juvenile Justice State Advisory Council (GM 564), Chrissy Kiamaluhia Doyle for the Hawaii State LGBTQ+ Commission (GM 732), and John Kawamura for the Board of Certification of Operating Personnel in Wastewater Treatment (GM 736). Each nominee described relevant experience and why they wanted to serve, and supporters from the Department of Health and various community organizations testified in favor of the appointments. Committee members and supporting testimony emphasized the nominees’ experience and the value of their perspectives. Hashimoto was praised for healthcare consulting, management, financial, IT, and organizational expertise; Waterhouse for her lived experience and active service in mental health; Apuuni for juvenile justice policy work and national coalition ties; Doyle for her work in education and community representation; and Kawamura for his long career in wastewater operations and environmental protection. The Department of Health also strongly supported Waterhouse and Kawamura. Because quorum was initially limited, the chair noted that decision-making would occur later in the calendar once more members were present. At the end of the meeting, the committee took up each nomination and adopted the chair’s recommendation to advise and consent on all five measures, with no objections or written reservations noted. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, in the back, we have. our district engineer from the best district in the state, Eric Likens
• numbers tell the story showing that Texas Maritime Ports are not just local assets, they're economic engines
• Well, we might want to bring our district engineer, Eric Lackens, over.
• He's the district engineer for the Odessa District, which in... includes Reeves County.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 37, the State Engineer on page 24 of your budget bill.
• engineer on page 24 of your budget bill. engineer on page 24 of your budget bill.
• Are there any other motions on section 37, State Engineer?
• Seeing none, section 37, State Engineer?
• we'll close section 37, State Engineer. we'll close section 37, State Engineer.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I’m here on behalf of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Missouri.
• I’m the deputy director and chief engineer from MoDOT. Good afternoon. Eric Schrader.
• I’m the deputy director and chief engineer from MoDOT, here for information on this bill.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It eliminated the supervision of professional engineers as part of the process to take the chemical engineering
• training people in the engineering training people in the engineering field.<04:14:08.399> uh
• <04:14:23.920> that themselves and were engineers that themselves and were engineers that
• c><04:14:44.000> am<04:14:44.159> not an engineering degree, I am not an engineering degree
• . engineering. engineering.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a professor of computer science and engineering, and I work in health informatics and AI as well
• I'm a professor of computer science and engineering, and I work in health informatics and AI as well
• I'm a professor of computer science and engineering, and I work in health informatics and AI as well
• I'm a professor of computer science and engineering, and I work in health informatics and AI as well
• I'm a professor of computer science and engineering, and I work in health informatics and AI as well

Keywords: 1187, senate, all