Transcript Highlights:

• a hair of our general fund budget a hair of our general fund budget actually<00:10:01.200> goes
• But I will say, although this is not a budget conversation right now in terms of the governor's budget
• The program continues to work toward full-scale implementation.
• how that program is being implemented how that program is being implemented and<01:36:06.600>
• see how it was going to be implemented see how it was going to be implemented um<01:37:28.000>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A family's budget from their own income is also really important.
• In essence, it's looking at data around what a survival budget for folks looks like by county.
• juvenile justice budget, which is primarily on secure facilities.
• So, here's how we have to talk about the budget.
• It should be that the 2025 budget did not meet. The need, it says 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• . budget. budget.
• Uh when the budget did not anticipate.
• <00:41:35.440> of We're talking about a budget of We're talking about a budget of approximately
• We have a transportation budget: 60,000 students are moved daily.
• We have a transportation budget: 60,000 students are moved daily.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate convened with an invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and a quorum established. The journal was approved, absent senators were excused, and new bills and resolutions were introduced, including measures on housing districts, calorie information, alcohol beverage control, county clerk filings, vital records, and a resolution honoring Dr. Samantha Shaver. The chamber also received notice that the House had passed House Bills 384, 144, and 290 and requested concurrence. The Senate then recessed briefly for party caucuses before reconvening. The main floor action centered on Senate Bill 3, relating to school district finances. The bill, as amended by Senate Committee Amendment 1 and Senate Floor Amendment 2, was described as strengthening financial transparency for school districts by requiring public access to budgeting information, monthly credit card statements, superintendent contracts and compensation, audits, and final working budgets. Supporters argued it would improve fiscal responsibility and accountability in response to concerns about spending practices in large districts. The Senate adopted both amendments and passed SB 3 by a vote of 35-1, with one senator explaining a no vote while acknowledging the need for transparency. The Senate then took up Senate Bill 1, relating to education and the governance structure of a large school district. Supporters said the bill responds to a recent court ruling by adding detailed findings to justify treating the district differently and by clarifying that the superintendent handles day-to-day operations while the board focuses on strategic planning, budget approval, audits, and hiring or firing the superintendent. Proponents cited the district’s size, share of state education funding, number of students, and concentration of low-performing schools as reasons for the change. Opponents argued the bill would reduce elected board accountability, questioned whether the structure would improve outcomes, and emphasized broader funding and achievement challenges. After extended debate, the Senate proceeded to a vote on SB 1; the transcript shows a brief proponent statement and a lengthy opposing explanation, but the final vote result is not included in the provided text.

Transcript Highlights:

• That is why we strongly support the DLI budget proposal to provide funding directly to state sponsors
• to be able to build and implement programs that both maintain rigorous and consistent standards, as
• proposal for use of the Workforce budget proposal for use of the Workforce Development<00:13:30.920>
• It'd be nice to see how much of the budget to pay for the staff is coming from these sources instead
• <00:48:05.920> the working really hard to implement the working really hard to implement the

Bills: HF846, HF1538, HF1959

Keywords: education, special education, apprenticeship, funding, grants, intermediate school districts, teacher apprenticeship, registered apprenticeship, teacher licensure, teacher shortage, workforce development, education finance, K-12 education, higher education, Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, PELSB, Tier 3 license, teacher preparation, mentor teacher, school district

Transcript Highlights:

• Are going to be implementing here this next school year as well.
• Madam Chair, and Daniel, the question is the approval of the entire budget.
• Budget makes its way to PED for its normal approval process.
• It was made to PED to implement... Special education teacher stipends.
• Data quality issues have affected the implementation of programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• which parts of and they just implement which parts of it<00:14:27.440> that<00:14:27.680>
• The<00:29:31.039> entire<00:29:31.440> budget<00:29:31.760> for<00:29:31.919>
• Every year, fiscal courts prepare balanced budgets as required by state law.
• Every county budget is developed through public process.
• Every county budget is developed through public process.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that was for this budget cycle that we're in currently? Not the current budget cycle.
• This was in the last budget.
• Okay, so it would have been in the budget cycle previous, so 2023-2024 is the budget cycle. Okay.
• And do you recall how big our budget is in the state? The budget? The full budget?
• The judicial budget is 200 and something, give or take some. The judicial budget is how much?

Bills: HR265, HR266, HR267, HR268, HR269, HR270, HR271, HR272, HR273, HCR107, HCR108, HCR109, HCR110, HCR111, HR257, HR258, HR259, HR260, HR261, HR262, HR263, HCR105, HCR106, SCR30, SB57, SB157, SB202, SB237, SB276, SB450, SB465, SB501, SB525, HR3, HR80, HR197, HR243, SCR5, SCR35, HB4, HB623, HB944, HB986, HB1098, HB1222, SB34, SB164, SB172, SB198, SB208, SB232, SB281, SB286, SB317, SB322, SB334, SB380, SB385, SB409, SB417, SB421, SB430, SB439, SB447, SB458, SB510, SB398, HB646, HR84, HR188, HR205, SCR19, SCR3, SCR6, SCR18, SCR11, SCR22, SCR2, SCR20, SCR24, HCR6, HB301, HB359, HB657, HB675, HB680, HB727, HB302, HB819, HB1257, HB1258, SB8, SB10, SB11, SB12, SB13, SB14, SB16, SB17, SB18, SB20, SB21, SB22, SB40, SB48, SB55, SB69, SB75, SB77, SB78, SB85, SB102, SB115, SB133, SB140, SB148, SB151, SB165, SB169, SB170, SB185, SB197, SB200, SB217, SB235, SB278, SB280, SB291, SB300, SB303, SB315, SB324, SB330, SB411, SB416, SB420, SB436, SB438, SB449, SB455, SB456, SB477, SB489, SB521, SB45, SB58, SB71, SB81, SB92, SB100, SB109, SB141, SB156, SB181, SB203, SB204, SB205, SB207, SB213, SB214, SB216, SB229, SB257, SB274, SB290, SB304, SB374, SB379, SB396, SB410, SB425, SB427, SB429, SB479, SB522, HCR72, HB633, HB603, HB940, HB251, HB775, HB998, HB1191, HB625, HB1255, HB901, HR20, HR74, HCR65, HCR71, HB284, HB306, HB341, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB582, HB605, HB614, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB798, HB911, HB955, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1240, SB82, SB89, HB258, HB842, SB149, SB382, SB441

Keywords: Pineville High School, Lady Rebels, softball, LHSAA, Louisiana High School Athletic Association, Class 5A, state championship, high school sports, student athletes, commendation, resolution, athletics, girls softball, championship team, Pineville, school recognition, sportsmanship, coach Allison Frye, Louisiana legislature, House Resolution

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the pledge, roll call, and several personal privileges recognizing visitors and special observances, including Transportation Day and a day without child care at the Capitol. Members also honored the Southern University Laboratory School track teams, early childhood educators, and later offered condolences and tributes, including a memorial resolution for Derek Butler’s family and birthday recognitions for members and staff. The chamber received Senate messages, committee reports, and introduced or adopted several resolutions and bills throughout the day. A major portion of the floor was devoted to retirement-system cleanup and funding bills, including Senate Bills 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, and 21. Members and authors explained these measures as technical changes to simplify contribution formulas, separate funding for COLAs and benefit increases from debt paydown, and update reemployment or benefit rules for retirees in various systems. Most of these bills passed with large margins after brief questions about whether they would affect automatic debt reduction; authors repeatedly said they would not stop debt paydown. Other measures passed on topics such as emergency vehicle procedures, international driving reciprocity with Ireland, seat belt use, port commission appointments, GOHSEP cybersecurity authority, storage facility rental rules, biomarker testing coverage, DNA sample collection procedures, and a law-institute bill on movable-property leases. The House also adopted HCR 72, the Jonas A. Feeley Act, which memorializes Congress to expedite research and treatment development for acute myeloid leukemia in honor of a deceased veteran, and H.B. 1258, which directs the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on handling unlawfully possessed sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife. Another notable bill, Senate Bill 200, created a process for expropriating property tied to foreign adversaries near military bases, with amendments allowing voluntary divestment before expropriation. Most measures were adopted by wide margins, with co-author votes taken on some resolutions and bills tabled or returned to the calendar when requested. The most extended debate centered on Senate Bill 217, which would reduce the number of judges in Orleans Parish courts based on a statewide workload study. Supporters said the National Center for State Courts study showed Orleans had more judges than comparable parishes and that the bill would right-size the courts and save about $2.1 million. Opponents questioned the study’s methodology, the lack of Orleans delegation involvement, the counting of cases, the absence of uniform statewide clerk-of-court standards, and whether reducing criminal judges made sense given crime concerns. Despite the criticism, the bill was advanced after lengthy questioning, while the chamber continued to move other bills and resolutions forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, gentlelady, how do we expect that to be the case with implementing this?
• Programs that we're seeking to implement, and are we trying to mirror other states with these?
• Speaker, gentlemen, again this is already funded; there's 2.9 million dollars in the budget.
• Can you clarify the regenerative economic advancements we could make by implementing this in law?
• We are in a prime time with our budget and with the funding that we have for our state.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first vote will be to approve the committee rules and budget resolution.
• The necessary housekeeping items to run the committee include our rules and our budget.
• I urge my colleagues to support our committee rules and budget resolution for the 119th Congress.
• , but not if it's going to be futile for us to act and then to wonder whether or not it will be implemented
• make sure that these programs that we fund, that we appropriate, that we legislate are actually implemented

Bills: SB347, SB351

Keywords: brownfields, brownfield cleanup, site remediation, environmental cleanup, contaminated property, redevelopment, revitalization, CERCLA, Superfund, EPA grants, state response programs, environmental justice, disadvantaged communities, small communities, local government grants, nonprofit eligibility, community engagement, Alaska Native tribes, Regional Corporations, Village Corporations

Transcript Highlights:

• They decide our budget and our unit size based on the size of our state Medicaid budget.
• . budgets. budgets.
• it especially vulnerable to budget it especially vulnerable to budget disruptions. disruptions.
• . capital improvement program budget.
• begin implementing begin implementing that<01:31:21.880> new<01:31:22.040> governance<

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• policy that was good into the budget. policy that was good into the budget.
• in passing school operating budgets. in passing school operating budgets.
• to help get these budgets under control? to help get these budgets under control?
• cannot add up to last year's budget. cannot add up to last year's budget.
• c> budget Budgets are reviewed by budget Budgets are reviewed by budget committees,<04:53:20.000>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:05:19.919> some look like for Wyoming to implement some look like for Wyoming to implement
• <00:37:55.960> and to affect how we set our budgets and to affect how we set our budgets and
• So this since implementing this program.
• It'd be a lot easier to budget if we knew what our Medicaid spending policy was.
• <00:53:46.640> them and are successfully implementing them and are successfully implementing

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The committee opened by explaining it would work through a long list of interim topics one at a time and asked members to complete a selection form at the end. The first topic, long-term care, drew testimony from AARP Wyoming and the Wyoming Long-Term Care Association. AARP emphasized Wyoming’s aging population, the state’s roughly $200 million annual Medicaid spending on long-term care, and the need to examine whether more support for home-based care could reduce nursing home use and costs. The association agreed with supporting people at home as long as possible, but asked that any study also consider increased support for nursing homes and assisted living when home care is no longer feasible. Committee discussion also touched on adult day care and PACE-like services, with Mr. Laycock noting prior Department of Health discussion and limited adult day availability due to reimbursement concerns. The committee then heard proposals for neonatal intensive care unit family leave, expanded midwifery scope, and a modification to workers’ compensation law. The NICU leave idea, presented by the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, would explore leave options for families with premature infants in intensive care, potentially paid or unpaid, while considering business size and the burden on families who may need out-of-state care. The midwifery topic was framed as a way to address rural maternity and women’s health gaps by allowing midwives to practice to the full extent of their training. On workers’ compensation, the Wyoming Association of Municipalities sought to classify dispatch personnel as first responders so they could receive mental health coverage under workers’ compensation; the Department of Workforce Services explained that current law covers dispatchers under workers’ compensation generally, but the first responder mental health provision added in 2018 applies to law enforcement and firefighters and does not currently include dispatchers. Other topics included problematic gaming and program funding, breast cancer diagnostic and supplemental exams, prescription drug coverage for advanced metastatic cancer, SNAP education, behavioral health workforce clinical training site shortages, CPR in schools, and broader midwifery oversight. The behavioral health workforce proposal, brought by a WICHE commissioner, focused on increasing psychology internship slots in Wyoming, noting that the state currently has only three and that expanding placements could improve recruitment and retention. The CPR in schools topic drew strong support from the American Heart Association, which argued that CPR training in high school could improve bystander response in a rural state with long EMS response times; committee members asked about cost and curriculum fit, and the witnesses said hands-only CPR could be taught by school staff rather than requiring expensive certification. The midwifery discussion later broadened into concerns about oversight and standards after a representative described a constituent’s pregnancy loss and said complaints involving midwifery practice and staffing delays in investigations warranted a deeper review. No votes were taken during the portion provided, and most topics were simply introduced, discussed, and left open for further testimony or later committee selection.

Transcript Highlights:

• What's even a bigger question is that we actually fund these tax credits in this budget.
• So I'll use this opportunity as the budget... ...credits in this budget.
• So I'll use this opportunity as the budget chair that hosts housing and homelessness to say that we have
• The governor's Land Use and Climate Initiative Office is currently working on guidelines to implement
• the Natural Resources Committee undermine the state's new VMT mitigation bank before it's fully implemented

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee heard several housing-related bills. AB 2270, by Assembly Member Arambula, would create scoring parity for farmworker housing projects in the state low-income housing tax credit program, with supporters arguing that rural farmworker developments are unfairly disadvantaged because they must be located near agricultural jobs rather than urban amenities. The committee accepted amendments and moved the bill forward on a unanimous vote to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations. The committee also considered AB 2552, by Assembly Member Lee, which would clarify how a CEQA vehicle miles traveled (VMT) mitigation program tied to affordable housing near transit may be used. Supporters said the bill would preserve cost-effectiveness and guard against litigation, while opponents from Housing California, the Planning and Conservation League, and others warned that the amended bill could undermine the new statewide VMT mitigation bank before it is fully implemented by making cost the key trigger for use. After discussion about balancing environmental and housing goals, the bill passed to Appropriations on an 11-1 vote. AB 2689, also by Assembly Member Lee, would establish good-cause renewal protections for tenants in state-subsidized housing whose incomes rise above 140% of area median income for two consecutive years, while requiring notice and limiting displacement if tenants cannot afford market rent. Some members supported the bill as a way to free up scarce subsidized units for lower-income households, while others objected that it could punish people for improving their financial situation. The committee approved the bill as amended on an 11-1 vote. The committee also approved three consent items—AB 2308, AB 2397, and AB 2512—without discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• the community colleges and their ERP, their enterprise resource planning software that they've implemented
• the community colleges and their ERP, their enterprise resource planning software that they've implemented
• , when we kicked it off, Enterprise resource planning software that they've implemented.
• So both of these districts went before the unified budget, and you all know what the unified budget is
• But the judiciary, as you know, has a unified budget, and both of these positions were approved in that

Bills: SB193, SB132, SB35, SB145

Keywords: SB193, acequia, community ditch, irrigation works construction fund, water infrastructure, ditch infrastructure, irrigation, New Mexico water law, agricultural water, farmers, Rio Grande, acequia association, forest land protection revolving fund, state fund transfer, irrigation projects, SB132, DOIT, Department of Information Technology, software replacement, equipment replacement

Transcript Highlights:

• And, of course, budgets are tight right now.
• <00:17:59.840> And<00:18:00.080> of and instruction and the budget.
• And of and instruction and the budget.
• <00:18:01.520> And course, budgets are tight right now.
• And course, budgets are tight right now.

Keywords: 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• PED actually asked for a pretty big increase in their budget this year.
• We can try to get that in the budget this year.
• If we don't, then we'll try to get it in the budget in the future. Great. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
• Right now, in the budget recommendation, that's at 40 million.
• But just wondering, you know, why we're not asking for something in the budget right now. Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• These are often the groups operating with small budgets.
• Yeah, there was definitely from an amendment that Senator Chang-Díaz filed in a supplemental budget.
• Was filed in a supplemental budget. Great.
• And some of the innovation that currently exists and continues to be funded every year in the budget,
• So understaffed towns and cities and those facing budget issues... ...across the state.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on the Census held an early planning hearing on how Massachusetts can maximize participation in the 2030 census, with Chair Will Brownsberger and Vice Chair Rebecca Rausch emphasizing the need to start well in advance. The first panel, made up of leaders from the Massachusetts Voter Table, MassVOTE, MIRA, and MESA, stressed that grassroots community organizations are trusted messengers and should be funded early to do multilingual outreach, training, and direct assistance in hard-to-count communities. They described lessons from 2020, including the shift to internet response, reduced federal census infrastructure, the importance of coordinated statewide networks, and the need to begin messaging several years before Census Day because building trust and staffing outreach takes time. Panelists repeatedly warned that immigrant communities are facing heightened fear because of federal immigration enforcement and the possibility of a citizenship question or other federal changes, making census participation more difficult. They said 2020 funding arrived too late to fully staff and train outreach teams before the pandemic, and argued that future resources should be deployed earlier and more flexibly. In response to committee questions, they estimated Massachusetts should invest roughly $8 million to $10 million or more in state census outreach, with one proposed model of about $3 million to $5 million at the start, additional funding in the middle years, and a larger final push closer to 2030. They also suggested that funding should support communications infrastructure, translation, social media and ethnic media outreach, and possibly a permanent complete count structure or trust fund to preserve institutional knowledge. A second panel from Common Cause Massachusetts and the ACLU of Massachusetts echoed the call for stronger, earlier investment and stronger privacy protections. They urged the legislature to expand existing census line items, consider a trust fund or other dedicated funding stream, and coordinate census outreach with other state programs that already work through trusted community messengers. The ACLU testimony focused on racial inequities in census counts and warned that federal efforts to exclude non-citizens or add a citizenship question would deepen distrust and undercount immigrant communities. Committee members asked about the 2020 overcount/undercount results, funding levels, timing of grant distribution, and whether census outreach should be routed through the Secretary of the Commonwealth or other state mechanisms; no votes were taken, and the hearing moved on to a later panel on immigrant-community outreach.

Transcript Highlights:

• We can take some learning from the first year of implementation, and we can review guidance on which
• There has been some positive movement here because of the implementation of the program.
• I'm sure we'll be in close contact as we move into budget negotiations. negotiations.
• Any other thoughts or concerns about the budget as we go into that?
• Both the budget for the medical school, our GME budget, our research budget, and the way this $10 million

Transcript Highlights:

• rural health transformation website that has our application that was submitted, our narrative, the budget
• So it's just that spending period after that award has, that budget period has been obligated.
• Provider and vendor readiness to start implementation is one of the biggest.
• And, as you know, the budgets and awards must be approved... ...by CMS before they can be executed.
• We will be able to implement some initiatives sooner than others.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Joint Policy Committee met to hear an overview of North Dakota’s Rural Health Transformation Program before taking up the related policy bills. Department of Health and Human Services staff explained that the state received a $198.9 million CMS award, with funding focused on four pillars: strengthening rural workforce, bringing care closer to home, connecting technology and data, and improving population health through prevention. They emphasized that the program is intended to benefit rural and frontier residents statewide, including areas near urban centers when the project serves rural patients, and that CMS approval, provider readiness, and sustainability will drive what can be funded. Committee members asked about how the program would treat border communities, frontier counties, urban providers serving rural patients, multilingual outreach, tribal consultation, and whether there would be information sessions for applicants. HHS said the website will include sign-up and translation features, more listening sessions and training will be offered, and a rural health tribal liaison will work alongside the existing Medicaid tribal liaison. Members also raised concerns about reimbursement timing, cash flow for providers, and whether projects in urban areas could qualify; HHS responded that urban projects may be eligible if they clearly benefit rural residents. The department then outlined the four policy bills tied to the grant scoring: nutrition continuing medical education for physicians, the presidential fitness test, the physician assistant compact, and pharmacist scope of practice. HHS said these policy actions were incentivized in the federal funding opportunity and that failure to pass them could reduce future funding. The committee did not take final action on the bills in this portion of the transcript and recessed for lunch before moving on.

Transcript Highlights:

• It can be better implemented as a subprogram rather than messing up the tax system with it.
• How complicated would a tax code be if we implementing something like this?
• <00:10:28.320> something code uh be if we implementing something code uh be if we implementing
• > issues, definition, has implementation issues, definition, has implementation issues, which<
• For fiscal year 2026 to 2027 and an implementation date of July 1, 2026.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Health and Human Services opened its first hearing of the 2026 session and heard testimony on several bills, with the chair emphasizing one-minute testimony, written submissions, and live streaming. For SB 768, relating to an alternative water source income tax credit, the Department of Taxation said a drafting issue needed clarification on the $500 cap and estimated a revenue loss of $6.8 million per year beginning in fiscal year 2028. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii and the Libertarian Party opposed the bill as an unnecessary subsidy and tax-code complication, while one supporter was noted. A member questioned the size of the projected loss and suggested future analysis of net fiscal impacts and methodology. The committee then heard SB 389, which expands a general excise tax exemption to additional health-related providers and purchases. The Department of Taxation said the change would be a minimal code adjustment but would require public education; the Tax Foundation said the bill should be framed in light of the original physician-shortage rationale for the exemption. The Hawaii National Guard and Aloha Care supported the measure, along with several other organizations and individuals, while the Libertarian Party opposed it as favoritism and tax-code complexity. A member asked about administrative burden and potential tax impact, and the department said it did not yet have a calculation but was working on one. The committee also heard SB 877, which would appropriate funds to increase Medicaid in-home services if federal matching funds are maximized, and SB 1139, which would direct DHS to expand Medicaid eligibility for children from birth to age five regardless of household income. DHS stood on written testimony for both bills, and Aloha Care, the Hawaii Medical Association, disability advocates, children’s advocates, and CARES testified in support, arguing the measures would improve access and family stability. The Libertarian Party opposed both bills, warning of higher long-term costs, entitlement growth, and reduced private-sector options. Members questioned the fiscal and programmatic differences between crisis and warm-line services during discussion of SB 787, a bill to fund a Department of Health warm line; the department said the warm line would serve noncrisis callers more cheaply than crisis staffing, and that about 34.7% of 2024 Hawaii CARES contacts were mild issues that could have been routed to a warm line. Supporters cited mental health needs after the Lahaina wildfire and the affordability crisis, while opponents argued the service duplicated existing resources and expanded government involvement.