Transcript Highlights:

• The Panorama Education School Climate and Culture Survey is used by schools across New Mexico to assess
• And while social workers are trained to assess and support students dealing with mental health concerns
• Like, if you really want to know what the need is, this is an opportunity to assess that. And Mr.
• We work with our Assessment Bureau. To make sure that we have accurate contact lists.
• That is the assessment for our English language development.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• certificate of completion when they met all graduation requirements except for passing required assessments
• Students with disabilities also have an eligibility process facilitated by the IEP team to consider assessment
• In terms of options for the U.S. the waiver, too, or the assessment results is specific to students with
• So it's not one end of the year assessment, but those real time results so that interventions can happen
• Chair of in terms of the ability to waive the assessment results for us with a disability.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Anderson said the Department of Revenue can assess the tax right away when a conviction
• able to assess that that tax right away. able to assess that that tax right away.
• 08:38.159> it able to see it able to see it and<00:08:39.159> we'd<00:08:39.280> assess
• <00:08:40.080> With<00:08:40.200> the and we'd assess it right away.
• With the and we'd assess it right away.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee heard House File 5040, the “Take It Back Act,” presented by Representative Anderson. The bill, as amended by the DE1 amendment, would impose a 100% tax on amounts a person is convicted of stealing through fraud against Minnesota public programs, with the stated goal of recovering taxpayer dollars. Anderson said the measure is bipartisan, has many co-authors, and was developed with the Department of Revenue to ensure it could be administered without undue burden. Joanna Bears of the Department of Revenue testified in support of the bill’s administration and thanked the authors for working with the department. She explained that the bill has two parts: a conviction-based tax that would be assessed after a fraud conviction, and a penalty piece tied to fraud identified through the department’s existing review and tip processes. In response to member questions, Bears said the department already receives tips and information from other agencies, reviews them carefully, and would use the bill as another tool to address public fund fraud. Members also asked about timing, restitution, and whether the bill could be misused by bad-faith tips; Anderson and Bears said the conviction-based portion is not tip-driven and that the bill is intended to be administered legally and efficiently. Representative Smith asked about the relationship to the Fraud Restitution Fund and whether the bill would apply to private-sector tax fraud. Bears said restitution would likely be collected first depending on statutory priority, and clarified that the new 100% penalty would apply only to public fund fraud, not general tax fraud, and only to the fraudulent public-fund amount. Representative Witty and others expressed support for the bill as a tool to combat fraud. At the end of the hearing, Representative Anderson renewed her motion to lay over House File 5040, as amended, for possible inclusion in the omnibus tax bill, and the chair indicated that was the plan.

Transcript Highlights:

• I understand that the college can assess that. The trustees can assess that.
• that that the college can assess that. that that the college can assess that.
• The<00:07:31.960> trustees<00:07:32.440> can<00:07:32.560> assess<00:07:32.920><
• <00:07:33.600> Um<00:07:33.920> have<00:07:34.320> I The trustees can assess
• Um have I The trustees can assess that.

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The committee reconvened on House Bill 11, the capital construction bill, with a quorum present and focused on several remaining amendments. Members discussed projects including a building completion in Jackson, the NC Center at Gillette College, and a University of Wyoming parking lot green space item that had already been resolved. A major point of discussion was the Gillette College proposal, which was tied to a requirement that the college move to a four-mill levy and provide a one-to-one local match; supporters argued this would bring Gillette into the state system on equal footing and was a fair incentive, while opponents raised concerns about the mechanism and the impact on their own institutions. There was also clarification that major maintenance funding for state buildings remained in the bill, while the LCCC exterior renewal project and a separate inflation-related request were distinct items. The committee first considered a motion to cut the NZ stem research facility funding from $16 million to $8 million, but that motion failed. After a brief recess, members reached a compromise on the two contested projects: a motion passed to set the Gillette NC Center at $6 million and the Jackson project at $750,000, by a vote of 5-1. The committee then unanimously reinstated the stricken University of Wyoming language in section 3. The meeting concluded with expressions of appreciation for the compromise and the bill was adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• D.D. eligibility assessment tools for kids, $400,000. And on down.
• Section 22 applies to special assessments for the state hospital, Southeast Human Service Center, Life
• They don't pay property taxes, but they do pay special assessments.
• They don't pay property taxes, but they do pay special assessments.
• Ensure that students take the assessment test and ensure that test results are received.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 1012, the Department of Health and Human Services budget. Senator Dever walked through the amended budget, highlighting a roughly $5.85 billion all-funds total, major one-time items for IT, child care, housing, behavioral health, juvenile justice, rural EMS, and supportive housing, along with funding for Medicaid expansion, CCBHCs, opioid settlement uses, and several studies and reporting requirements. Members discussed the provider inflation increase, with Senator Mathern urging a 2%/2% rate instead of 2%/1.5%, but the committee adopted the subcommittee amendment and then passed the amended bill 15-0 with a do-pass recommendation. Senator Dever was named as carrier. The committee then considered House Bill 1540, a school choice/education savings account-style bill. Senator Shibley explained the subcommittee amendments, including clarifying the Bank of North Dakota as administrator, adding a means test at 400% of the federal poverty guideline, and adjusting the fiscal note to about $21.7 million for the second year. In debate, members raised concerns about the bank being assigned duties outside its normal role, the lack of DPI involvement, and whether the means test should be tiered rather than a hard cutoff. The committee rejected a do-not-pass motion 5-10-1, then approved a do-pass motion on the amended bill 9-6-1, with Senator Wobama noted as the likely carrier. The meeting ended with the chair announcing the committee would adjourn and reconvene the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then it defines environmental assessment as... I guess I'll give a topic.
• Or on the governance assessment, anything relating to ownership structure or an accounting methodology
• There's discussion of how to assess risk around... climate exposure, sort of property, too much insurance
• Assessments is quite broad.
• Weather means you look at historical records and you make your actuarial assessments based on that.

Bills: SB 21, SB21, SB72, SB140, SB262, SB370, SB372, SB495, SB627, SB703, SB764, SB842

Keywords: emergency alerts, weather alerts, public safety, local government, municipality, county, website posting, online notice, emergency management, disaster preparedness, evacuation, National Weather Service, NOAA, Texas Division of Emergency Management, TDEM, localized alerts, hazard warnings, severe weather, watch warning advisory, public information

Transcript Highlights:

• Damage assessment, 3D mapping.
• And then the database actually does a vulnerability assessment for us.
• Last year you funded a school security assessment grant program, $5 million.
• actually does a vulnerability assessment for us.
• Last year you funded a school security assessment grant.

Summary: The committee heard a series of domestic security and law enforcement presentations from the Florida Sheriffs Association, Florida Police Chiefs Association, Florida Highway Patrol, and FDLE. Sheriff Rob Hardwick outlined the sheriffs’ legislative priorities, focusing on adding xylazine to Florida’s trafficking statute and increasing penalties for luring or enticing a child under 12 from a misdemeanor to a felony. He also discussed domestic security coordination, fusion center intelligence sharing, and jail-based reentry efforts. Members asked about xylazine prevalence in Broward County and whether canine units can detect it; Hardwick said he would follow up with data and noted that dogs are not specifically trained for xylazine, though fentanyl-certified dogs may alert on mixtures. Chief Charlie Vasquez of the Florida Police Chiefs Association presented three priorities: stronger protections for law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and their families when threatened because of their jobs; faster and more consistent access to blood-borne pathogen testing results after exposure incidents; and mandatory life without release for anyone convicted of murdering a police or correctional officer, reviving a version of the Jason Raynor Act. Senators asked about delays in blood testing after exposure, and Vasquez said officers can be forced to take prophylactic medication while waiting for results and that the process should be streamlined. Florida Highway Patrol Director Dave Kerner described FHP’s domestic security role, including criminal interdiction, canine units, traffic homicide investigations, aviation, drones, border operations, and responses to threats such as human smuggling and the October 7-related security posture at synagogues and campuses. He said staffing remains constrained by vacancies and pay disparities, so he was not seeking more authorized troopers at this time. FDLE Deputy Commissioner David Binder then reviewed the state’s domestic security structure, fusion centers, critical infrastructure assessments, and grant funding, warning that federal homeland security dollars have declined sharply while threats remain high. He highlighted work on drone mitigation, radiological detection, vehicle barriers, and school security assessments, and emphasized the need for continued interagency coordination. The committee took no formal votes and adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• This isn't necessarily the assessed valuation. That happens after the fact, of course.
• She also clarified that the $127 billion figure includes both locally assessed and centrally assessed
• They also suggested reviewing the deadline for assessments and preliminary city budgets.
• They also suggested reviewing the deadline for assessments and preliminary city budgets.
• Special assessments was talked about, and all these things, too.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee met to continue its tax reform and relief study agenda, approved the December 3, 2025 minutes, and announced a new subcommittee to examine property tax statement issues with counties, auditors, and the tax office. Representative Headland was named chair, Senator Rummel vice chair, and Representatives Dressler and Dr. Dr. and Senator Patton were also assigned. The chair noted the group may need an additional meeting and thanked staff and attendees. A major portion of the meeting focused on economic development incentives. The Department of Commerce presented on the Renaissance Zone program and TIF districts, describing Renaissance Zones as locally tailored tools that combine local property tax relief with state income tax incentives. Commerce said the program has supported thousands of projects since 1999 and cited examples from Beach and Mandan showing increases in property and taxable value, business retention, housing, and downtown revitalization. Committee members raised concerns that smaller rural communities often lack the staff and expertise to apply, and Commerce said it provides outreach through conferences, office hours, and one-on-one assistance. League of Cities and local officials from Bismarck and Ellendale echoed the capacity issue, discussed how the programs have worked in their communities, and suggested possible reforms or more targeted support for small towns. Ellendale’s mayor also described two TIF districts, one for industrial infrastructure in Oaks and one for housing infrastructure tied to a data center project in Ellendale. The committee then turned to stripper oil taxation. The Tax Department gave a comparison of oil and gas tax structures in selected states, noting that most have some form of stripper or marginal well provision, while Alaska does not appear to have a specific stripper-well exemption. Members asked for more detail on definitions and North Dakota’s annual adjusted rate. The Department of Mineral Resources followed with a detailed presentation on North Dakota stripper wells, explaining the statutory thresholds, the 12-consecutive-month production test, and the fact that once a well qualifies it remains on stripper status even if production later rises. DMR said about 11,332 stripper wells are active, representing roughly 54% of wells and about 16% of state production, and emphasized that stripper status can extend well life, preserve tax revenue, and reduce orphaned wells. Committee members and industry witnesses discussed refracs, the economics of keeping marginal wells active, and the competitive disadvantage created by North Dakota’s oil price discount. No votes were taken on these informational items.

Transcript Highlights:

• For local assessments, the bill picks up the change in Senator Trunow's bill that prohibits counties,
• municipalities, and special districts from levying special assessments against more than 400 square
• implement, or advance net zero policies, imposing taxes, fees, penalties, charges, offsets, or assessments
• Avala may have had discussion, and it isn't in the House tax package, and it involves the way we assess
• They're currently assessed as a commercial property, and the assessment can go up 10% a year.

Summary: The Finance and Tax Committee met with a quorum present and took up two bills. The first, SPB 7046, was the Senate tax package. It included changes to Live Local property tax opt-outs, charter school distributions from voter-approved property tax levies, RV park special assessments, fiscally constrained county funding, a permanent sales tax exemption for small propane tanks, a hunting/fishing/camping sales tax holiday, and provisions barring governmental net zero policies. An amendment made the charter-school distribution change prospective starting July 1, 2026. Committee discussion focused heavily on whether the charter-school language would divert money from traditional public schools and on the fiscal-constrained county formula. The bill was reported favorably as a committee bill after a roll call vote, with Senators Bernard and Jones voting no. The committee also considered SPB 7048, which updates Florida’s conformity to the Internal Revenue Code as of January 1, 2026 and partially decouples from federal tax changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The bill addresses bonus depreciation, research and experimental expenses, business meal deductions, and the business interest deduction, with the Revenue Estimating Conference expected to review the fiscal impact later in the week. The Florida Chamber testified that the bill should better align with federal tax relief and reduce administrative burdens, while senators emphasized the need to balance business tax relief with state revenue constraints. SPB 7048 was also reported favorably as a committee bill by roll call vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• A needs assessment, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and just the short title could be needs assessment.
• As a teacher, we had to give the home language assessment and send it home.
• When you said assess the child, are you fine with that?
• About a student, but just looking at the threat assessment at the end, by the time the kid throws the
• That is not to say the needs assessment will forgive whatever actions, but you would better understand

Bills: HB1022, HB2856, HB3114, HJR5, HB6, HB120, HB210, HB1458, HB1188, HB3126

Keywords: HB 1022, Sul Ross State University, Rio Grande College, Texas State University System, Education Code, higher education, course levels, upper-level college, lower-division courses, community college-style courses, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Uvalde, Board of Regents, academic programs, university expansion, HB 2856, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, clinical training placements, clinical rotations

Transcript Highlights:

• That has been seen as a fee that typically gets assessed, and that is collected in a special fund and
• on what their risk level is, using a standardized test that is applied to each individual who's assessed
• on what their risk level is, using a standardized test that is applied to each individual who's assessed
• . ...standardized test that is applied to each individual who's assessed.
• The bill also updates the existing definition of risk assessment.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee met to review fiscal aspects of House Bills 1417 and 1425, both part of a broader criminal justice reentry package. HB 1417 would eliminate the $35 public defender application fee and end court-ordered reimbursement of indigent defense costs, while also removing the $55 monthly community supervision fee. Testimony from the Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents and the Department of Corrections said the bill would replace lost revenue with general fund appropriations of about $310,000 for indigent defense and $1.5 million for supervision fees, and that the fees are rarely collected and can hinder reentry. Representative Clemene said the bill is intended to reduce barriers to successful community reintegration and improve data and supervision practices. HB 1425 would create and fund front-end diversion, deflection, and pretrial services programs. Supporters described it as allowing prosecutors and local jurisdictions to divert appropriate low-level offenders from prosecution, establish deflection programs for people with behavioral health needs, and expand pretrial services. The bill includes a pilot program in three counties, a $1 million appropriation to DOCR for one FTE and contracts with local providers, $750,000 to DHS for treatment services, and $55,000 for a study of pretrial services cost savings. Committee members asked several questions about how the pilot counties would be chosen, how the consultant study would be procured, and what services the DHS funds would cover. The committee also heard House Bill 1603, which would provide a $500,000 matching grant for Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act compliance, with $100,000 available to each of North Dakota’s five tribes if matched. Sponsor testimony said the funds would support a Historical Society NAGPRA compliance committee and help catalog and repatriate human remains and cultural items in coordination with tribes. After questions about the federal mandate and the difficulty of identifying artifacts, the committee voted 4-0 to give HB 1603 a do-pass recommendation, with Senator Meyer assigned to carry it forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um intervention and crisis assessment.
• use in diagnostic assessments.
• It would require diagnostic assessments.
• <01:37:37.199> people<01:37:37.520> to assessment that um authorizes people to assessment
• <01:38:20.400> We assessments, what the delays are. We assessments, what the delays are.

Bills: HF3935, HF2216, HF4354, HF4210, HF4212

Keywords: assisted living, healthcare, training, unlicensed personnel, resident rights, safety regulations, nursing home, long-term care, guardian, conservator, arbitration, mandatory arbitration, consumer protection, fee increase, rate increase, price hike, private pay, public funds, Medicaid, waiver services

Transcript Highlights:

• Between 2016 and 2025, there has been a 45 percent cut in workers' comp assessments to our employers,
• Using the assessment to fund an amendment fraud system is where we should go.
• Related to those workers' comp assessments is also the occupational clinic health network.
• It was paid through the workers' comp assessment program.
• Once again, utilizing workers' comp assessments, which have been going down year in and year out.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Human Services and Labor budget hearing opened with Senate and Assembly co-chairs introducing members and naming secretaries for the record. The agencies covered included Human Services, Labor, Temporary and Disability Assistance, Children and Family Services, Veterans Services, Human Rights, Workers’ Compensation, the Welfare Inspector General, and the Public Employment Relations Board. Members then gave brief statements on their priorities for the upcoming budget negotiations. A major theme was affordability, with repeated discussion of child care, SNAP, housing, and worker supports. Senators and Assembly members highlighted the Senate and Assembly one-house proposals for a $500 million child care worker retention grant program, additional child care slots and subsidies, cost-of-living adjustments for human services workers, and expanded support for supportive housing, youth employment, HEAP, and energy affordability. Several members also emphasized food insecurity and SNAP-related issues, including funding to address payment errors, prevent penalties, expand SNAP education, and respond to expected federal changes. Labor-related issues included workers’ compensation fraud, wage theft enforcement, workplace violence, temporary disability insurance reform, and the creation of dedicated enforcement funding for the Department of Labor. Some members supported using workers’ compensation assessments or insurance-company-related funding to pay for anti-fraud efforts, while others preferred grants to district attorneys or broader DOL enforcement. There was also discussion of occupational health clinics, labor standards in any SEQRA changes, and expanding access to doctors in the workers’ compensation system. Veterans, child care, and public assistance fraud prevention were also discussed, including funding for veterans legal defense and mental health services, microchip/secure EBT cards to reduce skimming, and restoring or protecting various programs. No formal votes were taken; the hearing concluded with the chairs stating that the Senate, Assembly, and Executive would continue negotiations toward a final budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1585, sex offenders fund assessment subcommittee; appropriation, transportation, technology.
• SB 1585, sex offenders fund assessment subcommittee; appropriation, transportation, technology, public
• SB 1534, rural hospital stability assessment distribution.
• SB 1535, prostitution assessment, anti-human trafficking fund.
• SB 1535, prostitution assessment, anti-human trafficking fund.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, recorded attendance, approved the prior journal, and welcomed several guests in the gallery, including Tom Walsh, Lisa Everett, Avery Franz, and Chief Elliot Sneezy. Members also extended well wishes to Senator Farnsworth’s wife, who was hospitalized. The President made a temporary committee appointment, naming Senator Fernandez to the Education Committee for February 4, 2026. The chamber then processed a large number of House messages and first-reading bill referrals covering a wide range of topics, including transportation, taxation, water policy, education, health care, public safety, housing, elections, immigration, behavioral health, and appropriations. Among the notable items were bills on religious institutions and charitable services, alternative fuel tax, school budgets, civics instruction, private school teacher certification, informed consent for medical interventions, rural groundwater management, and multiple appropriation measures for law enforcement, fire incident management, school safety, housing, and social services. Standing committee reports were also received and entered without being read. In other business, the Senate considered the Governor’s nomination of James McCain to the Arizona Board of Regents. The Education Committee recommended confirmation, and the full Senate voted to approve and confirm the nomination by voice vote. After a recess, the Senate returned, received additional first-reading bills and committee reports, announced committee meeting schedules for the following day, and then adjourned until Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 1:15 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• It also allows for us to work with them and go through financial assessments.
• I know that you're doing assessment. >> Yeah, we're still assessing. >> We're going to make sure that
• that you doing assessment that you doing assessment >> yeah<00:48:19.119> we're<00:
• 48:19.280> still<00:48:19.680> assess >> yeah we're still assess >> yeah we're
• we do an assessment of all the awardies. we do an assessment of all the awardies.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Act 279 working group met for an informational briefing with DHHL on its use of the $600 million appropriation and progress on the department’s implementation plan. The chair reviewed the working group’s oversight role, noting that it was created to monitor expenditures, project development, and progress toward reducing the Hawaiian Homes waitlist, and that the group must submit a progress report before the 2026 session and a final report before the 2027 session. DHHL said it had provided an updated booklet reflecting the Hawaiian Homes Commission’s February 2024 recommendations and a detailed accounting of encumbrances and project progress across the islands. DHHL highlighted several implementation themes: innovative financing and construction methods, land acquisitions and exchanges, technology, beneficiary services, and partnerships with counties and private entities. The department described a “project lease” model that gives beneficiaries access to a project rather than a specific lot, with options such as turnkey homes, owner-builder, self-help, or rent-to-purchase arrangements depending on financial qualification. Officials said this approach is intended to serve lower-income beneficiaries, expand access for people on the waitlist, and allow beneficiaries to receive support services such as financial literacy and down payment assistance. The department reported that roughly $511 million had been encumbered for infrastructure, about $152.8 million for acquisitions, financing, and beneficiary services, and about $36 million in other covered costs, with about $588.9 million encumbered as of December 31 and about $120 million expected to be spent by that date. Officials said the original implementation plan covered about 2,722 units, while the updated plan projects roughly 6,000 to 7,000 leases and 2,472 lots to be occupied. They also described phase-two needs for additional funding, including projects on Hawaiʻi, Maui, Kauaʻi, and Oʻahu, and said they would need continued legislative support, including possible bonding and private activity bond set-asides, to complete remaining projects. Members discussed the distinction between encumbered and spent funds, and DHHL explained that encumbrances reserve money for specific contracts while construction spending occurs over time through progress payments. The department also showcased examples of innovative projects, including a high-rise project in urban Honolulu financed through a mix of private activity bonds, tax credits, and state funds, and an acquisition-based project in Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi using multiple funding sources. DHHL emphasized partnerships with the City and County of Honolulu and Maui County, and said it is still assessing future projects to keep infrastructure costs manageable and ensure homes are safe and affordable for beneficiaries.

Transcript Highlights:

• And as a result of our assessment, we determined the district was no longer in non-compliance with the
• The performance audits also assess districts' processes to comply with certain state requirements and
• School District performance audits assess districts' operational efficiency and effectiveness, and make
• The performance audits also assess districts' processes to comply with certain state requirements and
• Sort of all of that will be assessed as part of this process.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And some of the slides I'm going to show you are kind of some of our assessment of that model.
• And so our assessment is that there could be areas, and I would say those areas that right now are the
• So RID reimbursements for agency-performed work really comes down to assessed values from before the
• the property for the difference between the before-assessed value and the after-assessed value.
• Well, and by law we can only assess that amount. Yeah. Okay.

Summary: The committee first heard an update on the Joint Transportation Committee study of transportation impacts if the Lower Snake River dams were removed. WSDOT and Jacobs described the study’s phases, including current work on geology, infrastructure risk, and a total logistics cost model. They explained that the study is examining how freight now moved by barge—especially wheat, fertilizer, and wood—could shift to rail and roads, and they outlined several scenarios ranging from no-dam future conditions to new unit-train terminals, short-line rail options, and a combined “many solutions” scenario. Members asked about irrigation, impacts in Idaho and Oregon, port capacity, emissions, competition, EV trucks, and whether the model could estimate transportation effects if grain volumes decline. The presenters said the study assumes current production levels continue, does not model irrigation changes or broader farm-economics impacts, but does account for transloading costs and can estimate transportation impacts under different volume assumptions. WSU’s independent review team said the model has improved substantially but still needed refinement, especially in routing, road data, and spatial detail, and that stakeholder engagement had been strong though delayed by model development. No votes were taken. The committee then received a presentation on the alternative sidewalk funding study. Staff and consultants said the study is exploring ways local governments could sustainably fund sidewalk maintenance, repair, and new construction, using a statewide survey, interviews, national research, and case studies in eight jurisdictions. They noted sidewalks are important for pedestrian safety and connectivity, but there is no dedicated funding source in Washington, and existing grants and local revenue tools are highly competitive or limited. The consultants highlighted sidewalk fees or utility-style charges as the most promising option to study, while a parcel tax was largely set aside because of state property-tax uniformity concerns. Members asked whether the study would duplicate existing funding or add to current taxes, and how a sidewalk fee would be collected; the consultants said the goal is to expand local options, not mandate adoption, and that fees would likely be billed through utilities rather than property taxes. A preliminary draft report is due December 15, with a final report due in mid-June. Next, staff gave a brief update on the ocean-going vessels study, which is examining shore power and emissions rules for vessels at berth. The presenter explained that federal Clean Air Act rules and California waiver authority create legal limits on how far Washington can go if it wants to adopt similar standards, and that deviations from California’s approach can increase litigation risk. The report will summarize stakeholder outreach and will be presented in draft form at the next JTC meeting. Finally, county engineers from Chelan and Douglas counties began a presentation on county transportation challenges, with the association’s director emphasizing collaboration with state agencies and local partners on issues such as fish passage barriers and infrastructure needs. The county presentation was only beginning when the transcript ended, and no committee action or votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• But back to the assessment.
• In an assessment, you know, there's certain things that we're required to ask.
• Why can't we just have that on an assessment when someone goes into corrections?
• So, Madam Chair, Representative Jones, I can't speak to how corrections is assessing individuals.
• way in order to assess whether an individual is using substances.

Transcript Highlights:

• We did a burn severity overlay over the burn scar and then also assessed the potential.
• We did the assessment while the fire was still ongoing. Now, is it perfect?
• Are there plans for required climate impact risk assessment?
• They are conducting a data gap assessment and a preliminary phase two environmental site assessment,
• This data gap assessment, I had trouble following what's going to happen to fill in those gaps.

Transcript Highlights:

• the most if they were not remedied, and each institution's request is built from that detailed assessment
• of very extensive facility assessments of very extensive facility assessments that<00:08:27.919>
• report that was done detailed assessment report that was done with with with consultants.<00:09:14.720
• c><00:09:24.080> port<00:09:24.560> reports<00:09:25.040> are the facility assessment
• port reports are the facility assessment port reports are fully fully fully addressed.<00:09:28.399>

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee heard capital plan presentations from the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, the Personnel Cabinet, and the School Facilities Construction Commission. The Justice Cabinet described its large portfolio of more than 900 facilities across the state and said decades of underfunded maintenance have created a backlog of repairs. Requested projects included a high-acuity mental health treatment facility for juvenile justice youth, two female detention centers to support the regional detention model, major corrections repairs and replacements, a new kitchen at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, a new dormitory at the Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women, completion of a new Eastern Kentucky prison, DOCJT training facility upgrades in Richmond and Madisonville, State Police radio system replacement and post construction, a combined Frankfort headquarters/Post 12 facility, and expanded crime lab and storage capacity. When asked about the high cost of the EKCC kitchen project, staff said construction inside an operating facility raises costs and that building a new adjacent kitchen would be more economical in the long run. The panel also asked about Fish and Wildlife officers training at DOCJT; staff said they do and that the training is funded through the CLEFT fund. The Justice Cabinet also said the recently enacted Senate Bill 4’s AI inventory and registry requirements would be part of its enterprise application and AI inventory system work. The Personnel Cabinet requested funding to replace CHRIS, the state’s human resources and payroll system, which supports payroll and benefits for about 48,000 employees and the Kentucky Employee Health Plan for roughly 192,000 members. Staff said the current SAP-based system went live in 2011, is approaching end of support in 2030, and has not received functionality enhancements since 2016. They said the replacement is estimated at $151 million, with most of the cost tied to professional services and software, and that the project would begin in July 2026, go live by July 2030, and require a stabilization period through 2032. In response to questions about outsourcing payroll or reusing existing systems, staff said the complexity of state HR, payroll, tax updates, and integrations with other agencies makes outsourcing or partial reuse impractical. The School Facilities Construction Commission introduced its role in helping all 171 school districts address unmet facility needs, focusing on core school facilities such as roofs and elementary buildings rather than athletic projects. No votes or formal actions were taken during the excerpted discussion; the meeting consisted of presentations, explanations of requested projects, and member questions.