Video & Transcript Research : 'virtual learning'

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AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/17/2026 - House Commerce

Commerce

Transcript Highlights:
  • It didn't used to be asked, but now we're seeing it's virtually basically extortion, and these things
  • Yes, I want to thank everybody's testimony today because I learned a lot.
  • I want to thank everybody's testimony today because I learned a lot, and I see the intent of this bill
Summary: The committee heard Senate Bill 1566, which would prohibit municipalities and counties from maliciously delaying licensing, permits, or approvals, authorize the Attorney General to enforce the prohibition, and provide expedited judicial review. The sponsor said the bill is intended to address affordability by preventing intentional government delays in housing and business approvals. County representatives supported the goal but opposed the bill as drafted, arguing the county language differed from the city/town language and could sweep in ordinary processing delays or incomplete applications; the sponsor said a floor amendment would fix the county language. Testimony from supporters described long permit and parcel-number delays and argued the bill would give applicants a remedy against intentional obstruction. The committee recommended the bill do pass by a 7-3 vote, with one present and one absent. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1787, which would require written notice for exactions imposed on development projects, allow individualized determinations, and create an appeal path including judicial review. The sponsor framed it as a takings and affordability measure to stop unrelated or excessive exactions from being imposed on housing projects. Cities and counties opposed the bill, saying existing law already requires nexus and proportionality, already provides an appeal process, and that the bill would create a duplicative Attorney General review and confusion, especially for mixed-use projects. Supporters, including Pacific Legal Foundation, the Home Builders Association, and a homeowner who described a costly infrastructure demand on her property, argued the bill would curb extortionate demands and make the process fairer. The committee passed the bill 7-2 with one present and one absent. Senate Bill 1478, a liquor-regulation cleanup bill, was also heard and received broad support. The measure makes technical changes to liquor statutes, including clarifying interim permits, repealing a federal food-safety preemption provision, and updating definitions such as cider and production terminology. Industry stakeholders said the bill was the product of months of consensus work and mostly technical corrections. It passed unanimously, 10-0. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 1431, which would limit municipal control over home design features and prohibit certain required shared amenities that would necessitate HOA maintenance. The sponsor and supporters argued the bill would reduce housing costs by preventing subjective aesthetic mandates and unnecessary HOA-driven requirements, while opponents from cities and neighborhood groups warned it would undermine local control, crime-prevention design standards, neighborhood character, and quality. Home builders and property-rights advocates said the bill would expand consumer choice and reduce costs, while critics argued it could lead to lower-quality housing and remove local recourse. The bill was not reported out in the portion provided, and testimony continued with no final vote shown.
NM

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

House - Appropriations and Finance Oct 1st, 2025

House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • If there are folks on the Zoom that do want to ask questions, you can raise your hand virtually.
  • First, I'm happy to be one of the sponsors of this bill, and I'm also learning a lot through the conversation
  • Suffering through this and learning, and getting the information at the last minute, and still being
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Insurance Committee Jul 16th, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • UM/UIM was virtually never mentioned.
  • have another wildfire—this bill also mandates that we do a post-catastrophic report to ensure that we learn
  • We've learned those deficiencies, not only from our communities but also building, and be able to be
Summary: The committee heard several insurance-related bills. SB 371 by Senator Cabaldon would lower uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage requirements for rideshare companies from the current $1 million level to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, with added transparency and data-reporting provisions. Uber, Lyft, and several business groups supported the bill as a way to reduce fares and improve affordability, while consumer attorneys, labor groups, and others opposed it as a major cut in protection for injured passengers and drivers. Committee members raised concerns about whether savings would actually reach riders and drivers, but the bill was approved on a do-pass vote to the next committee, with one member not voting. SB 487 by Senator Grayson would change how settlement or judgment proceeds are distributed when peace officers or firefighters are injured by a third party, ensuring they receive at least two-thirds of the at-fault party’s liability insurance limits in certain cases. Supporters, including public safety unions and an injured deputy sheriff, said current law can leave injured first responders with little or no recovery after employer reimbursement, while opponents representing cities, counties, and public agencies argued the bill would reduce recovery of taxpayer-funded workers’ compensation costs and lacked sufficient data. The committee members who spoke largely supported the bill, and it passed on a do-pass vote to Appropriations, with one member not voting. SB 616 by Senator Rubio would create an independent community hardening commission within the Department of Insurance to develop statewide wildfire mitigation recommendations and a post-catastrophe reporting process. The Department of Insurance, local governments, consumer groups, and fire-related organizations supported the measure as a way to improve wildfire resilience and insurance availability, while water agencies opposed provisions touching water infrastructure and warned of litigation and ratepayer impacts. The bill advanced on a do-pass vote to Appropriations, with some members not voting and one member voting no. The committee also heard SB 547 by Senator Perez, coauthored by Senator Rubio, which would extend wildfire-related insurance cancellation/nonrenewal moratoriums to commercial properties; insurers removed their opposition after amendments, and the bill passed to Appropriations on a do-pass vote.
NM

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

IC - Legislative Health and Human Services Jun 26th, 2025

Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • coming into the facility, sitting down with inmates, helping them fill out applications, helping them learn
  • So is any of that money used or can any of that money be used for, say example, someone wants to go learn
  • I met with them Tuesday and we had virtual coffee and they're super excited about the opportunity to
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Appropriations Committee on Higher Education Apr 10th, 2025

Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:
  • I’ve already learned in my several months that it is very time-consuming.
  • Thank you, sir, for appearing before us virtually today.
  • How can you possibly lead to something that you don't know much about or that you've just learned in
Summary: The committee first heard CS/SB 1458 on apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. The bill sponsor said it would add consistency and transparency by requiring local education agencies and training providers to define their roles and funding shares in contracts, cap an LEA’s share at 10% when it serves only an administrative role, and require public meetings and published work papers for the district workforce education funding steering committee. Several industry and business groups appeared in support, and the bill was reported favorably without debate. The committee then took up CS/CS/SB 1726 on higher education, which was substantially revised by a delete-all amendment. The amended bill addressed presidential searches, trustee eligibility, interim presidents, polling by universities, mission reviews, and other governance issues. Members asked about the requirement that final presidential candidate groups include at least three applicants, the qualifications for interim presidents, trustee residency/alumni requirements, and limits on candidate polling. Senators Leek and Smith offered contrasting views, with Leek warning about candidate withdrawals and Smith supporting the bill as a way to depoliticize higher education governance. The bill, as amended, was reported favorably. The remainder of the meeting was devoted to confirmation hearings for university and college boards of trustees. Several appointees and reappointees from FAMU, UNF, Pensacola State College, UF, and UWF described their ties to their institutions and goals such as student success, workforce alignment, military support, research, and regional access. The UWF nominees drew the most scrutiny over their votes for former board chair Scott Yenor, whose public comments about women and other groups were criticized by senators and public commenters. Some nominees said they were unaware of the full scope of those remarks and would not have voted for him with that knowledge; others defended their votes as based on his education-reform views. Public testimony also raised concerns about UWF board members’ lack of higher-education experience and local ties. The committee confirmed the non-UWF nominees in a block vote and then began individual votes on the UWF nominees, with debate centered on Yenor-related concerns.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
  • With the weather, I want to thank you all for the opportunity to testify virtually.
  • importantly, in the case of school districts, this bill would have an adverse effect on student learning
  • importantly, in the case of school districts, this bill would have an adverse effect on student learning
Keywords: 1183, house
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Elections Mar 27th, 2025

Elections

Transcript Highlights:
  • numbered year on December 31st, requiring in-person training for renewal in many counties that lack virtual
  • Uh, one of the things that I've learned in working with voting rights experts across the country is the
  • Um, if we've learned one thing from elections is, is, is speed and timing really matter.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Elections Mar 27th, 2025

Elections

Transcript Highlights:
  • In many counties that lack virtual options, this creates a burden.
  • One of the things that I've learned in working with voting rights experts across the country is that
  • If we've learned one thing from elections, it's that speed and time really matter.
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

March 20, 2025 - 08:00 AM

Transcript Highlights:
  • He was a junior in the Florida K-12 Virtual School program and he was an avid hunter who hunted his whole
  • Andy Fernandez: Boating today is not what it was 30 years ago when I was learning.
  • This is when I learned about Florida's dirty little secret.
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

HED Public Hearing - Fri Mar 14, 2025 @ 2:00 PM HST

Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:
  • the nursing program, as well as community colleges across the state via asynchronous or synchronous virtual
  • More than 40 of them get free college credit for the summer and get to learn and meet people in the industry
  • More than 40 of them get free college credit for the summer and get to learn and meet people in the industry
Keywords: 910, house, all
Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education met on March 14, 2025, and heard five University of Hawaii-related bills. SB 741 would create an external audit committee for the UH system and Board of Regents; UH and UHPA opposed it, saying existing internal and external audits already provide robust oversight, and the committee later recommended deferring the bill indefinitely as duplicative. SB 1252 SD2 would create a dementia training program for health care providers; the Alzheimer’s Association and other supporters said broader training is needed across the care workforce, while the university discussed using JABSOM as a coordinator. The committee deferred the bill to March 19 for an HD1 reflecting JABSOM’s suggestions and removing the appropriations/FTE language. SB 1502 SD1 would fund faculty positions, student programs, and facilities at UH Manoa and West Oahu for defense-sector workforce development. UH and Chamber of Commerce Hawaii supported the measure, describing a pipeline for students into intelligence, cybersecurity, and related fields, while one individual opposed it as too closely tied to military contracting and urged investment in other sectors instead. The committee amended the bill to remove FTE references and advanced it; the vote to pass with amendments was adopted, with several members voting aye and some excused. SB 1530 would require performance-based allocation of UH general funds and efficiency reporting. UH and the Attorney General’s office raised concerns, saying the bill’s metrics would apply across the entire general fund budget and were not practical as drafted; the committee also noted opposition from the Budget and Finance Department and individuals. SB 1624 SD1 would restrict RIM funds to renewing, improving, or modernizing existing facilities and require annual reports. UH opposed the bill and explained that RIM is a lump-sum approach used to address deferred maintenance and capital needs, with Board of Regents approval and quarterly reporting already in place; the Attorney General suggested constitutional amendments. The transcript ends during discussion of SB 1624, with no final action shown in the excerpt.
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

FL House Floor Session - 2025-02-13 (9:00AM Session)

Florida House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • But I asked Secretary Hall last week how many of these kids that you have in JJ in the Florida Virtual
  • Now, We learn the last four years the left is very good at running the country, but what we did learn
Keywords: 998, house, all
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session - 05/15/26

Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • purposes or for virtual assistance that don't<02:14:13.760> sustain<02:14:14.079> a<02
  • We have learned from previous states who've passed similar laws.
  • We have learned from previous states who've passed similar laws.
  • We have learned legalities of this bill.
  • they help kids with special needs learn they help kids with special needs learn and<02:43:02.240
Keywords: 918, senate, all
Summary: The Senate convened under call, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then took the roll, establishing a quorum. The chamber received a House message announcing passage of Senate File 3720, a workers’ compensation bill adopting 2026 recommendations of the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council, and then moved through routine author changes and motions, including sending House File 3825 to the Finance Committee and advancing House File 3298, which was described as funding the removal and replacement of underground tanks to protect water supplies. A major floor item was Senate File 4282, the education forecast-adjustment bill. Senator Kunish explained that the conference committee updated appropriations to reflect forecast changes, added language on highly qualified paraprofessionals for Title I special education, provided tribal contract aid if a permanent school fund amendment passes, allowed districts to use operating capital for utility costs, extended grants for gender-neutral bathrooms, and made two school district fund transfers. The Senate adopted the conference report and passed the bill 34-33. The Senate then considered House File 3489, which would establish a felony offense of grooming, require reporting to licensing boards, update school and mandated reporter rules, and add funding for investigators. Supporters framed it as a child-protection measure based on a survivor’s testimony and a teacher-abuse case; one member also spoke in favor, while another offered a strongly partisan critique of public education. The Senate adopted the A11 amendment, gave the bill third reading, and passed it 66-0, then recessed briefly to honor guests in the gallery. After recess, the Senate took up House File 5074, the annual claims settlement bill. Senator Clark said it appropriates just over $5.1 million for claims including exoneration payments and a permanent injury claim, highlighting compensation for James Lamar Davis, Clayton Douglas Groves, and Marvin Haynes. The bill drew some debate over the Haynes payment and the calculation for an ankle injury claim, but it ultimately passed 64-2. The final item was House File 4074, the 2026 omnibus pension bill, described as improving public safety and other public employee retirement benefits, removing a COLA delay, creating work groups on duty disability, and addressing pension provisions for probation officers, 911 telecommunicators, St. Paul teachers, and other groups; the discussion was underway when the transcript ended.
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

House Judiciary (04/09/2025)

Transcript Highlights:
  • So virtually all associated with that.
  • It is a 17-year-old, 16-year-old, 15-year-old who is learning about history.
  • It is a 17-year-old, 16-year-old, 15-year-old who is learning about history.
  • It is a 17-year-old, 16-year-old, 15-year-old who is learning about history.
  • It is a 17-year-old, 16-year-old, 15-year-old who is learning about history.
Keywords: 928, house, all
Summary: The House Judiciary Committee opened a hearing on Senate Bill 146, which would remove the requirement that a medical examiner physically view a body before issuing a cremation certificate. The prime sponsor, Sen. Suprentice, and Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jenny Duval explained that the bill would not change the death certificate process or the existing waiting period before cremation; it would only eliminate the in-person viewing step. They said the current review of death certificates already catches the vast majority of cases that should be reported to the medical examiner, and that the physical view changes outcomes in less than 1% of cremation cases. The witnesses emphasized that the bill is intended to improve efficiency and reduce delays for families and funeral homes, while freeing deputy medical examiners to focus on homicides, suicides, accidents, and unexpected natural deaths. Dr. Duval cited an example where review of a death certificate, not the body, uncovered a long-ago strangulation-related homicide, arguing that the key safeguard is review of records and cause of death, not the physical view. She also said the change would save travel time and some costs for the department. Committee members asked about how death certificates list primary and contributing causes of death, whether the low percentage of findings means the current process has a deterrent effect, why cremation is treated differently from burial, and whether identification concerns are adequately addressed. The sponsors responded that identification is handled earlier by hospitals, families, and funeral directors, and that any questionable identification would already fall under medical examiner jurisdiction. They also said the bill would not alter the two-day cremation delay or other existing safeguards. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the hearing provided.
VT

Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Session - 2026-05-21 - 10:00AM

Vermont Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Um, most recently you may have seen that the AOE did a school survey, and what they learned from that
  • We wanted to learn more about it and know more about it.
  • We wanted to learn<00:42:23.760> more<00:42:24.000> about<00:42:24.160> it<00:42
  • more about it and know more about learn more about it and know more about it.<00:42:26.079> Um
  • They're basically, uh, cash machines for crypto currency, um, or virtual currency, um, and the Senate
Keywords: 927, senate, all
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • This platform supports virtual health services for children and youth to increase access to culturally
  • This platform supports virtual health services for children and youth to increase access to culturally
  • cutting innovation again would cut into the core of what the BHSA envisioned as the statewide pathway to learn
  • At the same time, it may Pathway to learn what works and scale it.
  • So we learned a lot over these last few months, and that's where we came with kind of the refined proposal
Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health held a May Revision hearing covering several health-related budget proposals and broader concerns about the state’s budget structure. The Chair opened by praising some May Revision changes, such as added health IT funding, county administration support tied to Medi-Cal changes, a delay in Medi-Cal cuts for some lawfully present immigrants, and additional support for Covered California subsidies, while criticizing proposed increases in Medi-Cal premiums, changes to senior eligibility, the lack of a Medi-Cal dental solution, and other reductions affecting counties, mobile crisis units, workforce incentives, and physician shortages. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said the state’s budget condition remains weak despite progress on the structural deficit, and the Department of Finance said the May Revision uses a mix of reductions, reforms, revenue proposals, and fund shifts to cut out-year deficits. The committee first heard Department of State Hospitals proposals, including adjustments to county bed billing authority, contract exemption language for online clinical/pharmacy subscriptions, reversion of unspent funds, a revised Metro Central Utility Plant replacement project, electronic health record implementation, and workforce development funded partly through Behavioral Health Services Act resources. DSH also described savings and realignments in incompetent-to-stand-trial and conditional release programs, including extending the independent placement panel program and shifting funds to support additional bed capacity and a mental health rehab center. Members asked about the use of BHSA funds for workforce programs, and the department said the proposal would replace General Fund support with BHSA reimbursements. The Emergency Medical Services Authority proposed funding for statewide behavioral health crisis response guidance and for enterprise system development, and the Department of Managed Health Care proposed modernization of its complaint system and claims-settlement data system to improve oversight and comply with AB 3275. The largest discussion centered on the administration’s BHSA spending plan under Proposition 1, including state-directed prevention, workforce, and other uses, plus General Fund offsets for existing programs. The LAO questioned whether some proposed offsets fit Proposition 1’s non-supplant and eligible-use requirements, while the administration argued the uses were consistent with the measure and that the state-directed share can be adjusted annually. The Commission for Behavioral Health’s proposals drew the most public and member concern. The administration proposed cutting the commission’s Innovation Partnership Fund from $20 million to $10 million and reducing the Community Advocacy Program by $6.7 million, while redirecting BHSA dollars to other state purposes and direct services. Commissioners, advocates, and several members argued the cuts would weaken community voice, reduce support for underserved populations, and disrupt grants already in process; they also objected to using BHSA funds to backfill General Fund commitments. Public commenters, including youth, disability, behavioral health, LGBTQ, tribal, veteran, immigrant, and community-based organization representatives, overwhelmingly opposed the cuts and urged preservation of prevention, advocacy, mobile crisis, and innovation funding. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

FL House Floor Session - 2025-04-29 (10:00AM Session)

Florida House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • property, charter school rights, district property, charter school flexibility for land usage, and virtual
  • Real or virtual environments.
  • This is one of the hallmark lessons learned since 9/11.
  • Maya joined us this session and has brought an eagerness to learn and a willingness to support wherever
  • I've now learned my directions, and I have my intern up in the West Gallery. No, it's West.
Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge, and heard several member introductions before moving to the special order calendar. The chamber first took up SB 200/HB 295 on a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan, which directs DEP to develop a statewide recycling strategy by 2026 with stakeholder input and a three-year implementation roadmap; the House bill was substituted and passed 38-0. Senators then approved CS/CS/SB 492 on mitigation banking and land development after adopting two McLean amendments, including one on out-of-service credits and another incorporating phosphate mining lands provisions; the bill passed 35-3 after debate over possible constitutional issues. CS/SB 494 on aggravated animal cruelty was also amended and substituted with the House companion to add a searchable FDLE database of convicted animal abusers and a sentencing multiplier, with an agriculture-related exemption; it passed 37-0. The Senate next passed CS/CS/SB 500/HB 711 creating the Spectrum Alert for missing children with autism, including training and coordinated alert procedures, with a House amendment to align implementation timing and funding; it passed 37-0. CS/CS/SB 524/HB 1089 added Duchenne muscular dystrophy to newborn screening tests and passed 36-0. CS/CS/SB 592/HB 393 revised the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program by lowering approval thresholds, clarifying eligibility and ownership issues, and adding sliding-door wind-driven rain mitigation devices; it passed 37-0 after discussion about funding and insurance premium credits. CS/SB 742/HB 1145 on workforce education allowed charter schools direct access to grant funding and expanded money-back guarantees for certain programs, and it passed 37-0. CS/CS/SB 822/HB 443 on charter schools generated extensive debate and multiple amendments, including a Jones amendment requiring parent acknowledgment of school rules; the bill would expand charter autonomy, reporting flexibility, enrollment capacity, and governance provisions, and it was placed on the calendar for third reading after the amendment process. Later, the Senate passed HB 827 on a statewide study of automation and workforce impact, which would examine job displacement, wages, vulnerable regions, and training needs, by a 35-0 vote. It also passed CS/CS/SB 964/HB 181 on parole guidelines, CS/SB 976/HB 901 on court-appointed psychologists, and CS/SB 1084/HB 1451 on sexual cyber harassment and digitally forged intimate images, all unanimously. CS/CS/SB 1156 on a Home Health Aid for Medically Fragile Children Program was amended to clarify training requirements and passed 37-0 after supportive debate about helping parents care for medically fragile children. Finally, CS/CS/CS/SB 1240/HB 1091 on substance abuse and mental health care was amended to allow designated facilities to retain certain stabilized patients during the 72-hour involuntary examination period and passed 37-0. Several other bills were temporarily postponed, and the chamber also recognized guests and interns throughout the session.
NM

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

House - Chamber Meeting Mar 19th, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • Years now, and the appropriations that we made have really allowed us to learn about how we can make
  • I believe everyone on this side of the aisle supports virtually everything that you've just been talking
  • I appreciate virtually everything else. I wish we could have...
  • I think we've all learned a lot about that process and how we could potentially address it better.
  • And I feel we've gone through a couple of dress rehearsals now, and putting that learning into practice
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Energy Committee Meeting - 2026-04-09

Energy Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • Virtual power plants?
  • 00:46:00.400> for<00:46:00.480> example<00:46:01.280> right<00:46:01.760> virtual
  • peak shaving for example right virtual peak shaving for example right virtual power<00:46:02.400
Bills: HF4770
Summary: The committee approved the March 26 minutes and then took up House File 4770, as amended by an A1 technical amendment. The bill was presented as a proposal to help Liberty Diversified International and Liberty Paper in Becker plan for replacement steam and energy supply as the Shuro facility closure approaches in 2030. Testimony described Liberty Paper’s current closed-loop steam arrangement with Shuro, the need to study future fuel and technology options, and the potential use of anaerobic digestion, biomass, construction and demolition waste, and food waste to produce steam and possibly power. Members asked about feedstock availability, the need for a feasibility study, possible backup natural gas use, and whether waste heat or wastewater heat could be useful. The bill was laid over as amended. The committee then heard a presentation from CenterPoint Energy on Minnesota heating demand and electrification. CenterPoint staff said affordability and reliability are central concerns and outlined how the utility manages customer costs through energy efficiency, contracting, storage, peak shaving, and conservation. Dr. Joel Lynch presented research on peak heating with natural gas and the “missing piece” in Minnesota’s electrification puzzle, explaining that Minnesota’s cold climate makes winter heating demand especially challenging and that replacing natural gas would require substantial new electric capacity and renewable resources. He compared his work with prior national and state studies and said the analysis used Minnesota-specific gas throughput, COP assumptions across several electrification scenarios, and January renewable capacity data. Lynch summarized preliminary findings that Minnesota’s peak gas heating throughput could be up to 40 gigawatts, with electric resistance heating implying roughly 36 gigawatts of new demand, and lower but still substantial demand under heat-pump scenarios. The presentation was informational only; no vote was taken on the CenterPoint presentation. The meeting ended with House File 4770 laid over and the energy demand presentation continuing.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
  • Uh, we do have one virtual testifier, but before we get to the testifier, is there anyone wish to testify
  • Okay, so with that, let's go to the virtual testifier, then we'll go to member questions.
  • Virtual testifier is Annel Velasco, St. Paul resident. Hi, yes. Uh, thanks for having me.
Keywords: 919, house, all
Summary: The committee heard presentation on HF 495, a bill intended to help families with rising child care costs by allowing a subtraction from taxable income for licensed child care expenses. The author said the measure would provide immediate relief to families while broader child care supply and affordability problems are addressed, citing a revenue analysis estimating about 81,700 returns affected and an average tax decrease of $639. The bill was described as applying only to licensed child care centers, family child care, or group family child care under chapter 142B. A virtual testifier, Annel Velasco of St. Paul, opposed the bill. She said child care is indeed expensive but argued the proposal is only a small patch that does not address structural problems such as provider closures, low teacher pay, and lack of available slots. She also said the subtraction would disproportionately benefit higher-income families and would not help providers or teachers. Members debated whether the bill should be more targeted. Representative Smith and Representative Lee argued the proposal is uncapped, expensive, and structured as a subtraction rather than a refundable credit, meaning it would mainly help higher-income households and could divert resources from other credits such as the working family tax credit or child tax credit. Representative Swedzinski supported the bill as allowing families to keep their own money and said child care costs are high across income levels. Chair Gomez and others emphasized that the child care system has broader structural failures, including low pay and lack of slots, and said this bill would address only one part of the problem. No vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.
MN

Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session

Senate Floor Session - 02/27/25

Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • certainly uh give senate floor but we'll certainly uh give you<00:11:56.800> a<00:11:56.959> virtual
  • 58.240> now<00:11:58.560> so<00:11:58.800> thank<00:11:58.959> you you a virtual
  • hug right now so thank you you a virtual hug right now so thank you so<00:11:59.560> very<00:
Keywords: 1187, senate, all