Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah And then I have the letter and just either a highlight or a special note, you have 3 projects in
• The superintendent, maybe the special ed director and the Cafeteria person. Thank you.
• Several avenues to do that through special meetings with those districts, those kinds of things.
• Uh, another piece we've talked about is due with the uncommitted balance is a special bond issue and
• Romero, they, um, that's only their one assessment they've had done so far.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please recognize Representative Miller for a special floor presentation.
• She specializes in working with children with neurodevelopmental disorders and pediatric health issues
• Please recognize Representative Ranson for a special presentation.
• Representative Ranson, you are recognized for a special floor presentation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
• Assessments for potential child care workers. I move for adoption and yield for questions.

Bills: HB3522 , HB4300 , HB4359 , HB4363 , HB3467 , HB2987 , HB3076 , HB4427 , HB3026 , HB3288 , HB3315 , HB3711 , HB3885

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including Veteran of the Week Aaron Hudkins, Psychologist of the Day Dr. Emily Corley, Doctor of the Day Dr. Jason Reagan, and a proclamation recognizing Brain Injury Awareness Month. Members also honored the Edmond Santa Fe Palm Squad and Ava Garrett for assembling and funding 100 overnight bags for children entering foster care in memory of fallen Oklahoma service member Serena Butcher. On legislation, the House considered and passed House Bill 3522, a transparency measure requiring alcoholic beverage licensees to report disciplinary actions annually, and House Bill 4300, a Department of Human Services request bill aligning child-care worker assessment language with federal requirements. Both bills advanced without debate; HB 3522 passed by recorded vote and HB 4300 passed 94-0. The chamber also recognized 17 Pages of the Week and heard multiple announcements, including caucus and birthday notices, a planned Jeans Day request tied to Bob Wills Day, and the introduction of Oklahoma Task Force One members and a search dog. The House then adjourned until Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• This education focuses on medication, diseases, and assessments of patients.
• It's highly specialized, evidence-based, and centered on some of the most vulnerable patients.
• This includes an MD's ability to diagnose and treat, to assess for risk of violence, grave disability
• I will note that most have a necessary, are able to do assessments for civil commitments, especially
• to diagnose and treat and assess risk of violence, grave disability, et cetera.

Bills: HB2453 , HB2590 , HB2445 , HB2386 , HB2585

Committee: House Civil Rights & Judiciary

Keywords: psychiatric pharmacists, mental health, pharmacy regulations, healthcare, pharmacological treatments, limited equity cooperatives, common interest ownership, housing, exemption, community ownership, probate, estate administration, inheritance, heir finder, heir locator, beneficiary interest, transfer of inheritance rights, probate for profit, personal representative, executor

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:28:38.000><c> in</c> like TPA entities that specialize in like TPA entities that specialize in
• Even right now, there are carriers who are assessing the risks on single-family homes.
• Even right now, there are carriers who are assessing the risks on single-family homes.
• of what your actual property tax assessed is.
• assessed is.

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Few have specialized swift water equipment or the proper training.
• We had 75 heavy equipment specialized pieces of equipment.
• And a special thanks also for the lieutenant.
• and then was assigned to go up to Ingram and do the same thing. that assessing what's going on, assessing
• districts sent out special units.

Committee: House Disaster Preparedness & Flooding, Select

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a meeting of the Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration.
• This is a meeting of the Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration.
• So we start tracking when we do what we call facility condition assessments.
• Have we done any assessment of the scale of that and how that figures into our future planning?
• So I was a... ...wondering, is there a way to assess that?

Summary: The Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration met on October 17 with members attending in person and virtually. The commission approved the September 15 minutes and then heard a detailed presentation from DCAM Commissioner Adam Bakey on the correctional facilities portfolio, including the age and condition of DOC and sheriff facilities, deferred maintenance, ADA compliance, decarbonization mandates, and how capital funding is allocated. Bakey said the correctional portfolio includes 36 facilities, with average ages over 50 years, and described how older, rapidly built facilities from the tough-on-crime era now face significant maintenance and replacement needs. He also explained the distinction between catch-up deferred maintenance and ongoing keep-up needs, and noted that construction costs and code thresholds have made projects more expensive. Commissioners and sheriffs asked about ADA requirements, aging and overcrowded facilities, hazardous materials, parts availability for obsolete systems, plumbing and health risks, and whether a newer, more modern correctional facility should be considered. Bakey said many projects trigger broader code upgrades, that some dormant facilities remain in the portfolio, and that health-care and correctional construction are among the most expensive building types. He outlined current funding, including annual deferred maintenance allocations for DOC and formula-based five-year commitments for sheriffs, plus a new competitive capital program for larger sheriff projects. He also explained the Designer Selection Board and “house doctor” process used to procure architects and engineers. The commission then shifted to planning its next steps, focusing on public input. Members agreed the next meeting should likely be a public hearing or include public testimony, with possible input from people with lived experience and consideration of facility tours, especially of women’s facilities such as Framingham. Members emphasized the need to define the commission’s scope clearly so testimony stays focused on structural and consolidation issues rather than all correctional policy topics. The meeting ended with plans for the co-chairs to coordinate the public process and a motion to adjourn, which passed without opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• But again, a transformer is a very large, specialized piece of equipment, and so it would take a while
• At the same time, we are assessing training and technical assistance strategies and certainly welcome
• We should be moving towards more community-based, specialized, and developmentally appropriate crisis
• During the same time frame, our mobile crisis teams conducted 1,723 in-person crisis assessments.
• After a quick assessment, I was discharged without a single connection to ongoing care.

Transcript Highlights:

• And my proximity to the documents, such as the special project and the position descriptions, affords
• ,</c> healthier through needs assessments, healthier through needs assessments, giving<00:09:43.360><
• We can do a whole lot better with that whole population of people with their special health needs.
• And we have special health needs.
• </c><00:36:37.840><c> how</c> strengthening our ability to assess how strengthening our ability to assess

Bills: HB20 , HB276 , HB644 , HB812 , HB816 , HB916 , HB1131 , HB1247 , HB1518 , HB1525 , HB1537 , HB1541 , HB1546 , HB1553 , HB1562 , HB1565 , HB1566 , HB1576 , HB1577 , HB1591 , HB1605 , HB1612 , HB1613 , HB1614 , HB1618 , HB1620 , HB1650 , HB1656 , HB1658 , HB1661 , HB1664 , HB1668 , HB1676 , HB1707 , HB1711 , HB1713 , HB1715 , HB1718 , HB1727 , HB1749 , HB1756 , HB1774 , HB1776 , HB1801 , HB1802 , HB1805 , HB1813 , HB1815 , HB1831 , HB1838 , HB1853 , HB1854 , HB1859 , HB1863 , HB1871 , HB1872 , HB1918 , HB1920 , HB1952 , HB1965 , HB1966 , HB1967 , HB1969 , HB1972 , HB1973 , HB1974 , HB1975 , HB1980 , HB1985 , HB2005 , HB2023 , HB2031 , HB2033 , HB2062 , HB2113 , HB2114 , HB2116 , HB2138 , HB2139 , HB2156 , HB2158 , HB2159 , HB2171 , HB2208 , HB2268 , HB2270 , HB2272 , HB2273 , HB2276 , HB2289 , HB2310 , HB2315 , HB2335 , HB2338 , HB2339 , HB2340 , HB2343 , HB2361 , HB2384 , HB2387 , SB2338 , SB2431 , SB2438 , SB2593 , SB2907 , SB2671 , SB2321 , SB3084 , SB2401 , SB3033 , SB2972 , SB3032 , SB2806 , SB3014 , SB2108 , SB2981 , SB2973 , SB2423 , SB2078 , SB2322 , SB2397 , SB2896 , SB2088 , SB2347 , SB2408 , SB2970 , SB2851 , SB2713 , SB2697 , SB2312 , SB2192 , SB2363 , SB2530 , SB3028 , SB2024 , SB3007 , SB2599 , SB2596 , SB2662 , SB2930 , SB3334 , SB2378 , SB3019 , SB3231 , SB2240 , SB2372 , SB2175 , SB2046 , SB2298 , SB2922 , SB2835 , SB3263 , SB2174 , SB2128 , SB2006 , SB2489 , SB3134 , SB2982 , SB2425 , SB2849 , SB2797 , SB2795 , SB2575 , SB2521 , SB2765 , SB2386 , SB2852 , SB2022 , SB2117 , SB2277 , SB2387 , SB2688 , SB2885 , SB3132 , SB3219 , SB2169 , SB2591 , SB2090 , SB2983 , SB888 , SB3249 , SB2611 , SB2429 , SB2463 , SB3154 , SB3131 , SB3152 , SB3315 , SB2448 , SB2054 , SB2140 , SB2520 , SB2377 , SB2986 , SB2010 , SB2189 , SB2026 , SB3010 , SB2818 , SB2002

Transcript Highlights:

• Division is an enhancement request for $77,900 in general funds for the Second District Court Appointed Special
• One million dollars one time to the Department of Juvenile Corrections for Youth Assessment Centers.
• One million dollars one time to the Department of Juvenile Corrections for Youth Assessment Centers.
• Children's Trust Fund, $1 million one time for the Department of Juvenile Corrections for Youth Assessment
• regarding the uses of funds, community-based recovery centers, after-school programs, and youth assessment

Summary: The Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committee considered several FY 2027 budget items, beginning with the Idaho Judicial Branch. The committee approved an additional $3.9007 million from dedicated funds for court operations, including $800,700 from the Senior Magistrate Judge Fund, $700,000 from the Drug Court/Mental Health Court/Family Court Services Fund, $400,000 from the Substance Abuse Treatment Fund, and $2 million ongoing from the Court Technology Fund. Members noted the technology fund had grown enough to sustain the ongoing transfer, while Senator Wintrow remarked that funding for a treatment-court peer support program had not been restored. The motion passed with a do-pass recommendation. The committee then approved a Guardian Ad Litem Division budget increase of $165,300 in general funds, including $77,900 ongoing for the Second Judicial District CASA program and $87,400 to restore a one-time FY 2027 rescission. Supporters described the CASA request as funding a trainer-recruiter position and related office costs, and several members spoke favorably about the role of guardian ad litems. The motion passed, also with a do-pass recommendation. Members next took up the Millennium Income Fund. They approved $9,872,200 from the fund for recommendations including the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund, Youth Assessment Centers, children’s advocacy centers through the Idaho Domestic Violence Council, an additional recovery center in Kamiah, and a statewide drug awareness media campaign. A substitute motion added $30,000 one time to restore funding for statewide training and coordination of school resource officers, which passed after discussion about whether the Millennium Fund committee had been consulted. The committee then adopted maintenance and new language for the Millennium Fund items, including reporting and oversight provisions, and later adopted language for reappropriating unspent state archives move funds for the Idaho State Historical Society. Finally, the committee approved the Idaho State Historical Society budget, adding $486,300 from dedicated funds for archival moving and OITS hardware. Members explained the move would be handled in phases and funded through dedicated sources rather than general funds. The committee also adopted statewide appropriations language making conditions, limitations, and restrictions in budget bills binding law, and adjourned after announcing the next day’s agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's special this year, and we'll cover it again on slide seven, but it's special this year.
• It has a special appropriations that we've just covered.
• So if I remember correctly from last year when we were doing specials, this was actually a special appropriation
• Those are your special appropriations.
• Special preparations for upcoming session?

Summary: The Department of Public Safety presented its FY27 budget request, emphasizing three priorities: improving community engagement through a redesigned website and outreach, expanding statewide data and intelligence integration through intelligence-led policing, and improving emergency response and officer safety through fleet replacement, a driving track, and a requested helicopter. DPS said much of its increase is driven by rising health care premiums, and it is also seeking special appropriations for fleet replacement, the website rebuild, and an Honor Guard program created after the 2022 helicopter crash that killed four public servants. Members asked about vacancies, fleet costs, cybersecurity compliance, the real-time crime center, EV fleet participation, and the Metro DPS facility. DPS said its vacancy rate is about 9%, its fleet replacement needs are driven by mileage and condition, it is compliant with federal CJIS standards even though DoIT has raised concerns, the real-time crime center would be built as a regional model to complement Albuquerque’s center, and the Metro facility is moving toward a January groundbreaking. Committee members also discussed several DPS-related capital and IT requests, including the intelligence-led policing data lake, recurring maintenance for critical systems, and a $5.6 million reauthorization for state crime lab DNA backlog work and a $900,000 reauthorization for fingerprinting equipment. DPS explained that the website request is high because the current site must be rebuilt from scratch to support missing-person alerts, memorial updates, ADA compliance, and better communication with law enforcement and the public. Members also raised concerns about speed enforcement, construction-zone cameras, and whether EVs are practical for patrol use; DPS said it is not pursuing speed cameras and is only partially participating in the state EV initiative because patrol needs make full electrification difficult. The committee then received an LFC quarterly update on non-recurring appropriations from the 2025 General Appropriation Act. LFC reported that of the $1.4 billion appropriated in Section 5, $164 million had been expended and $333 million encumbered, leaving $897.4 million unspent, which is a slower pace than the prior year. Staff highlighted a number of reauthorization requests and slow-moving projects across agencies, including AOC cybersecurity funding, DFA housing and public safety grants, DoIT cybersecurity and higher education funds, EDD economic development and energy programs, OSI mitigation and malpractice funds, EMNRD energy and geothermal grants, Health Care Authority behavioral health-related appropriations, DPS crime lab and fingerprinting funds, PED career technical education and special education initiatives, and higher education loan repayment and technology funds. Members questioned why some large appropriations had little or no spending, discussed the need to monitor reauthorizations more closely, and asked for follow-up on several specific line items and project balances.

Transcript Highlights:

• Special project positions, you guys don't want it to go with special funds or ARPA funds that are not
• </c> you're grown because all those special you're grown because all those special project<00:42:33.720
• </c> um you don't have to create special um you don't have to create special positions<00:59:45.160><
• So basically, it's just a ceiling for the special fund to reimburse BNF for the central service assessments
• </c> re housing original family assessment re housing original family assessment centers<03:14:34.920

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 8 improves the end-of-year assessment by developing a new shorter... standards-based assessment
• It also separates the writing assessment from the end-of-year assessment so that the test is more consistent
• Well, I... a smart assessment system, one that requires alignment to the standards, one that assesses
• term, assessment vendors that are currently selling to our RSDs right now will produce those assessments
• This is simply assessments that assess whether or not our students are achieving acceptable learning

Bills: HB8 , HB12 , SB 3 , HJR1 , SB 11 , SB 16 , SB 14 , HB8 , HB 12 , SB3 , HJR1 , SB11 , SB16 , SB14

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:28:05.360><c> guests</c> general will take these special guests general will take these special
• So, decision during the special session.
• You know, we assess them.
• Nationally, our assessments are kind of right in the middle.
• So when we assess one, they get assessments from every.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• We're here in a special...
• Second, an independent financial assessment was conducted to both assess the issues impeding efficient
• Have you done an assessment of that?
• Do we come back, have another special session, or how do we fix it?
• The governor's called a special session. All of us came here.

Bills: HB1623

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 1624, the “Universal Lunch Bill,” from Rep. Mike Nathie. He argued the proposal should be placed in Century Code rather than the Constitution so future legislatures can adjust it if state finances tighten, and said the bill would start the program a year earlier with a $65 million appropriation for one school year. DPI testified that the estimate did not include nonpublic schools that do not participate, and members questioned the impact on Title I, free-and-reduced applications, private-school accountability, breakfast mandates for schools that do not currently serve breakfast, and whether the funding could come from the DPI budget or other sources. Supporters, including North Dakota United, the North Dakota Catholic Conference, a pediatrician, and the American Heart Association, said universal meals improve student health and learning, reduce family costs, and are better handled in statute than by constitutional amendment. No opposition testimony was offered, and the chair closed the hearing for later work-session action. The committee then took up House Bill 1627, introduced by Rep. Tye Dressler, which would raise the income threshold for the state-funded school lunch program from 225% to 300% of poverty, with an estimated cost of about $7 million for 2026-27. Dressler said the bill is intended as a targeted, budget-friendly alternative to the ballot measure and emphasized that the state should maximize federal meal dollars while improving participation in the current program. Members questioned whether raising the threshold would actually increase utilization, whether a dollar amount would be clearer than a percentage, and how the change would affect federal reimbursements and application rates. DPI said it could quickly calculate additional percentage levels, and the chair closed the hearing, directing DPI to prepare more numbers for the work session. Finally, the committee opened Senate Bill 2403, presented by Sen. Schiable, to create a short-term bridge-loan program for financially distressed hospitals, centered on Jacobson Memorial Hospital in Elgin. The bill would authorize up to $5 million per loan, with a $10 million appropriation available on a first-come, first-served basis, and would run only through June 30, 2027. Schiable said the hospital’s debt and operating problems threaten local health care, ambulance service, and the community’s economy, and that the proposal was designed narrowly with Bank of North Dakota review to avoid creating a broad precedent. Committee members asked whether the appropriation could be reduced and whether the bank would still apply commercial feasibility and repayment standards; Schiable said yes, the bank would still evaluate the loan and could reject it if it was not sound.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:02:33.119><c> education</c> issues, less special education issues, less special education services
• </c><01:19:58.239><c> education</c> are eligible for special education are eligible for special education
• </c> also the scholarship program does assess also the scholarship program does assess students<01:39
• </c> about what the problem was with special about what the problem was with special education<02:03:
• </c> don't want my child to need special don't want my child to need special services<02:03:48.960><c

Summary: The Education Funding Committee met in executive session on a bill concerning school meal access and reimbursement. The bill would address local school districts’ responsibility to provide meals during school hours, reimburse schools for meals served at no cost, and make an appropriation. The committee first moved to retain the bill, with supporters saying it was complex, had uncertain fiscal impacts, and should be considered alongside other related meals bills. Opponents argued the committee already had enough information, that the bill served a small number of students at relatively low cost, and that delaying action would harm children who need food to learn. The committee also heard from Tim Roar, a Keene school business administrator and co-designer of the bill, who explained that the proposal was intended to be an opt-in program for districts, with rulemaking to set participation requirements. He said the bill was meant to target aid to students between 175% and 200% of poverty, reduce bad meal debt, and avoid spending taxpayer money on families who could afford to pay. He estimated the state cost at about $250,000 in year one, with local taxpayer costs around $8,500 for Keene, and said some districts already have systems for online applications while others do not. Committee members questioned him about meal debt, online application software costs, and how districts handle students who reach debt limits. Roar said districts still feed students who are hungry, but use other resources and family outreach when meal debt is capped, and he argued that parents should be responsible for providing lunch when they can afford it. Other members pushed back, saying they had seen students go hungry and that teachers sometimes pay for lunches themselves. One member noted the bill would increase eligibility, make it easier to apply, strengthen personal responsibility, and was not a mandate. The discussion ended without a recorded final vote in the excerpt, though the retain motion remained the central action under debate.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't know; we're currently assessing that.
• I don't know; we're currently assessing that.
• They transition from PCA to CFSS at the time of their annual assessment.
• They transition from PCA to CFSS at the time of their annual assessment.
• They transition from PCA to CFSS at the time of their annual assessment.

Committees: Senate Health and Human Services , Senate Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• Repayment of these bond funds shall be made through a special assessment on each lot within the residential
• assessments.
• Would that be an accurate assessment? No, not really.
• c><00:17:59.919><c> the</c><00:18:00.160><c> small</c><00:18:00.480><c> in</c><00:18:00.880><c> assessments
• </c> uh t the small in assessments. uh t the small in assessments. &gt;&gt; Yep. &gt;&gt; Yep.

Committee: Senate State & Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• Importantly, the assessment In 47 years.
• Each assessment, and the stock is assessed every three years by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Council
• We are not asking for special treatment.
• We are not asking for special treatment.
• We are not asking for special treatment.

Committee: House Natural Resources & Environment

Transcript Highlights:

• > Okay. >> So it's an assessment on the public utility assessment.
• </c><00:43:18.880><c> assessment.
• It's a it's public utility assessment.
• :21.359><c> gross</c><00:43:21.680><c> retail</c> an assessment on the gross retail an assessment on
• revenue is not out of the special revenue is not out of the general<00:43:47.200><c> fund.

Bills: SF0082

Committee: Senate Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions

Transcript Highlights:

• We told this governor then to call us into special session. That's action.
• And what does that property-assessed valuation do?
• And what does that property assessed valuation do?
• This pertains to the Department of Gaming's regulatory assessment. The...
• This bill chooses to continue special... ...special treatment for powerful interests rather than focusing