Transcript Highlights:

• Employment rate, fourth quarter after exit, has gone from 10% to 43%, and finally, credential attainment
• comes out of our federal performance requirements too, like the second quarter employment rates, fourth
• recent ranking from a site development organization and Lightcast that said that Arkansas was the fourth-ranked
• state in the country in terms of the fourth-best manufacturing talent pipeline index.
• and also because of the Constitution, To apply this year, and also because of the constitutional amendment

Summary: The meeting focused on Arkansas’s workforce development reorganization and a set of federal waiver requests intended to consolidate and streamline the state’s WIOA system. Commerce officials said the department has already centralized shared services, split the old workforce agency into reemployment and Arkansas Workforce Connections, and submitted a combined WIOA/Perkins state plan. They described nine waiver requests, including replacing local workforce boards with a single statewide board, creating one planning and accountability structure, allowing more flexible movement of funds across regions, easing the “last-dollar” requirement for training and supportive services, reducing required youth program elements, and allowing affiliate sites instead of mandatory comprehensive centers. Officials said the goal is to reduce administrative costs and redirect more money to training, supportive services, and employer-driven programs. Legislators raised concerns about rural representation, local employer relationships, and whether local offices would close. Commerce officials said local offices would remain open, some current staff could be rehired, and regional business councils would preserve local employer input. They said the current system is fragmented and expensive, with roughly $14 million in federal workforce funds flowing through local boards but only about $1.9 million spent on training and supportive services last year; they argued the reorganization could raise training spending to about $6 million to $7 million annually. Questions also addressed board composition, performance accountability, and how funds could be shifted between regions when needs change. The State Board of Workforce Development had approved the waiver package 11-3 before it was submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor. Members also discussed workforce access for people with disabilities, child care and transportation supports, and the role of Arkansas Launch, apprenticeships, and career and technical education. Officials said vocational rehabilitation now has better access to the state job board and that referrals and data-sharing with DHS and other partners still need improvement. Several legislators emphasized the need for training to align more closely with employer demand, especially in manufacturing, technology, health care, and rural areas. The committee also heard a brief overview of Workforce Pell, with staff explaining that the new federal short-term Pell option has narrow eligibility rules and may not fit many existing programs, including some CDL and CNA programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, please join them on the fourth floor if you have a chance.
• I wish to offer a floor amendment to SB 2203 SD1. >> Madame Clerk, please identify the amendment.
• Floor Amendment Number 1, proposing an amendment to Senate Bill 2203, Senate Draft 1, copies of which
• I move that floor<00:10:43.279> amendment<00:10:43.760> number<00:10:44.000> one
• floor amendment number one be adopted. floor amendment number one be adopted.

Bills: SB2097, SB2317, SB2319, SB2177, SB2190, SB2424, SB2524, SB2627, SB3084, SB895, SB896, SB3102, SB3157, SB3215, SB2050, SB2090, SB2211, SB2572, SB2096, SB2025, SB2127, SB2046, SB2262, SB2354, SB2387, SB2487, SB2955, SB3234, SB2851, SB2573, SB2391, SB3282, SB3055, SB2189, SB2194, SB3152, SB2635, SB888, SB2203, SCR1, SCR2, SCR3, SCR4, SCR5, SCR6, SCR7, SCR8, SCR9, SCR10, SCR11, SCR12, SCR13, SCR14, SCR15, SCR16, SCR17, SCR18, SCR19, SCR20, SCR21, SCR22, SR3, SR5, SR6, SR7, SR8, SR9, SR10, SR11, SR12, SR13, SR14, SR15, SR16, SR17, SR18, SR19, SB2010, SB3118, SB3276

Keywords: sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation, food system resilience, grant program, Hawaii agriculture, agriculture, insurance, small producers, state support, biosecurity, farm coverage, public-private partnerships, agricultural policy, grant funding, food security, climate resiliency, housing development, zoning exemption, government assistance, affordable housing

Transcript Highlights:

• the amendment. the amendment.
• consider the amendment. consider the amendment.
• copy of the A9 amendment Senator. copy of the A9 amendment Senator.
• The amendment is adopted.
• The amendment is adopted.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am State Senator Carla May, representing the Fourth Senatorial District. I present to you.
• I am State Senator Carla May, representing the Fourth Senatorial District.
• Fourth, the bill addresses elections.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm requesting an amendment be drafted because we can't do a Senate amendment. Yes.
• because we can't do a Senate amendment. because we can't do a Senate amendment.
• designed without without the amendment. designed without without the amendment.
• <01:15:31.440> So, amendment. We're here as a resource. So, amendment.
• Don't we want to do the amendment first? The first action is to vote on the amendment. Yes.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 74, which would require state agencies, especially the Department of Environmental Services and other permitting agencies, to report more detailed data on permit applications, approvals, denials, pending applications, and permits taking longer than 90 days. The sponsor’s representative and a lawyer who helped draft the bill argued that the legislature needs comprehensive permitting data to evaluate whether current timelines are reasonable and whether regulatory delays are burdening property owners and economic activity. They said the information should already be tracked within existing budgets, despite a fiscal note claiming additional staff would be needed. A Business and Industry Association representative supported the bill, saying better data is needed to understand actual permitting timelines and to help streamline the process, especially in light of housing and development concerns. Members asked whether the bill was simply collecting data without a clear next step, and the response was that the data would allow lawmakers to judge whether existing deadlines, extensions, and exemptions are justified and whether changes to permit timelines are needed. Several members agreed the information would be useful and that agencies should already be tracking it. The committee then voted to pass Senate Bill 74 on a roll call, with the motion approved and the bill placed on consent for further consideration, with a note that it would go to finance for review of the fiscal note. The committee then took up Senate Bill 196, which would raise the threshold for certain in-house construction projects handled by the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services and two other departments from $500,000 to $1 million, described as an inflationary update. The sponsor said the department’s existing staff can handle these smaller renovation-type projects and that the bill should not require new positions; the deputy adjutant general later confirmed the department does not need additional staff and said the projects are typically roof, boiler, and similar repairs. Members asked about a fiscal note suggesting new positions and about revenue/expenditure impacts, and the sponsor explained that the fiscal note language appeared to reflect an earlier draft and that the budget effect is largely a shift in where the work is performed. The committee recessed briefly for the deputy adjutant general’s arrival, then continued discussion of the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, this is our fourth time. We first started back in with a Zoom call.
• we started fourth time we first time we started back<00:41:41.040> in<00:41:41.440> with
• Representative Tapkey, you have an amendment. You have a DE4.
• Are you looking to adopt that amendment? Yes, ma'am. All right.
• I move the DE4 amendment and do you want to explain your amendment? Yes.

Bills: HF2418, HF1666, HF232, HF344, HF402, HF431, HF468, HF547, HF583, HF1476, HF1711, HF2787, HF2788, HF3207

Keywords: capital investment, political subdivisions, state assistance, funding, project grants, child care, Slayton, state bonds, economic development, extended time revenue, school funding, state aid, career and technical education, CTE, STEM, secondary credit, after-school programs, summer school, learning year program, extended day

Transcript Highlights:

• The fourth program or service is intermediate care facilities. There are about 13 within DDPA.
• Next, we're going to have a discussion to propose an amendment to Act 656 of 20... for me.
• Next, we're going to have a discussion to propose an amendment to Act 656 of 20, We're going to have
• a discussion to propose an amendment to Act 656 of 2021 to include licensed psychological practitioners

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now they can amend a budget without any of that stuff.
• And so what we had was a situation where they sought to amend their budget basically behind closed doors
• When you talk about Amending the budget, what they currently do now, are they not required to post that
• And fourth, directs the comptroller to adopt rules for a streamlined application, restrict spending deadlines

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, they can amend a budget without any of that process.
• What we had was a situation where they sought to amend their budget basically behind closed doors, walk
• You talk about amending the budget.
• And fourth, it directs the comptroller to adopt rules for a streamlined application process, restrict

Bills: HB1597, HB2364, HB2437, HB3205, HB3253, HB3310, HB3648, HB3906, HB4259, HB5645

Keywords: county jailer, jail training, veterans, Texas Veterans Commission, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, TCOLE, criminal justice system, county jail, law enforcement training, mental health training, jail standards, correctional officers, veteran services, veteran interaction, occupations code, jailer licensing, parking, county courthouse, infrastructure, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• Reports of committees will be deemed read, and amendments deemed adopted.
• Assembly Bill 279 with amendments.
• All bills will be deemed read and all amendments will be deemed adopted.
• I remember it was my fourth or fifth year here, somebody came up to me and they said, I didn't know you

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and math at eighth grade, with improvements in fourth grade math.
• So the students who were kindergartners in the beginning of the pandemic are the ones in fourth grade
• now; the ones who were eighth graders now were in third or fourth grade at that time.
• This was also true in California, but we had a smaller third or fourth grade at that time.
• And we are the, whatever, fourth or fifth largest economy in the world.

Summary: The committee heard presentations on the Governor’s education budget proposals for the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), Learning Recovery Block Grant, and Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP), followed by testimony from State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond. On LCFF, Finance outlined the proposed 2.43% COLA, repayment of prior deferrals, and a trailer bill penalty for LEAs that fail to adopt Local Control Accountability Plans on time. The LAO said its COLA estimate was slightly lower and raised concerns that the Governor’s proposed TK staffing ratio increase may be more costly than estimated. Members also discussed whether the current COLA formula should better reflect California-specific or district staffing costs, and whether TK should be more clearly separated from the K-3 grade span adjustment to avoid larger K-3 class sizes. The chair asked staff to work with the LAO on both the TK/K-3 issue and alternative COLA calculations. For the Learning Recovery Block Grant, Finance proposed restoring the first of three delayed payments, $378.6 million one-time Proposition 98 General Fund, while the LAO recommended adopting the proposal but extending the expenditure deadline by at least a year. The LAO reported that districts had spent $1.6 billion of the $6.8 billion received through 2023-24 and said most districts were only now shifting from federal COVID relief to block grant spending. Members questioned whether the large state and federal investments were improving outcomes, citing declining reading and math trends, while Finance and the State Board president pointed to some signs of improvement, especially in math, attendance, and gains for some student groups. Darling-Hammond emphasized that student needs have grown, that recovery spending has gone to devices, ventilation, staffing, tutoring, summer school, and community schools, and that targeted interventions appear to be helping some districts recover faster than others. On ELOP, Finance proposed adding $435 million to expand universal access by lowering the Tier 1 threshold from 75% to 55% unduplicated pupils, bringing ongoing funding to $4.4 billion. The LAO said the estimate was reasonable but recommended delaying implementation for a year, aligning ELOP with ASES to reduce overlap, moving toward funding based on participation rather than enrollment, and considering a fixed Tier 2 rate. Members and witnesses discussed staffing challenges, the use of funds for students with disabilities, and uncertainty in Tier 2 funding caused by unspent dollars and opt-outs. Darling-Hammond supported ELOP as part of California’s broader after-school and summer learning strategy, said most districts are now offering full-day TK and expanded learning, and urged the state to reduce fragmentation across categorical programs and build more unified systems for funding, reporting, and support.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are amendments at the desk.
• Jordan moves to amend House File 12, the first engrossment. The amendment is adopted.
• There's an amendment at the desk. The clerk will report the amendment.
• There's an amendment at the desk. The clerk will report the amendment.
• The amendment is coded A5. I recognize the author of the amendment.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We have an author's amendment, number 333A-3, and what the author's amendment does is gets my bill in
• If we take a look at the author's amendment, the first part of the author's amendment is put in after
• as an author's amendment.
• Members of the committee, the oral amendment would read: Senator Dahms moves to amend Senate File 333
• The oral amendment is adopted. the oral amendment is the oral amendment is adopted<00:42:55.720> Senator

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard a reinsurance overview from Deputy Commissioner Julia Dryer of the Minnesota Department of Commerce on the Minnesota Premium Security Plan. She explained that reinsurance helps stabilize premiums in the individual market by reimbursing insurers for high-cost claims, and said Minnesota’s program has lowered premiums, preserved carrier participation, and helped maintain consumer choice. She warned that without continued funding, the program would be depleted and individual-market premiums could rise by about 25%, with potential losses in coverage and access to care. She also described the program’s structure under a federal 1332 waiver, the role of MCHA in administering the program, and the state’s receipt of more than $650 million in federal pass-through funds to date. Dryer said the current program is funded through the end of 2025, though the federal waiver authority runs through 2027. The governor’s proposal would create a new assessment on insurers, estimated at roughly 2% to 3%, to fund the state share of the program and avoid another full waiver submission. She noted that the proposal assumes MinnesotaCare funding would be held harmless and that the program would be reduced if federal basic health plan funding were negatively affected. She also said projected costs changed because individual-market enrollment has grown and enhanced federal subsidies were removed from the estimate. Members raised concerns about the proposal’s impact on premiums and the history of the fund. Senator Rasmusson argued the new assessment amounts to a large tax increase on health insurance and questioned who would be assessed and whether the surcharge would be capped. Dryer responded that the assessment would be based on annual claims experience and market conditions, with final amounts determined at the end of each year, not monthly. Senator Duckworth and Senator Frentz supported reinsurance as a way to keep premiums lower, while also questioning how the program should be financed. Senator Green asked about the mechanics of the assessment and the role of the department in setting it, and Senator H questioned why the fiscal note assumed 12% annual growth for program costs when general premium growth was lower. No vote or formal action was taken in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is a DE12 author's amendment, and I have heard you may have an amendment to the amendment. >> Correct
• that oral amendment? that oral amendment?
• As well, we're adopting the amendment as amended. Oh, as amended. You're right.
• >> as amended. >> as amended.
• c> amended.

Bills: SF1750, HF4250, HF3938, HF3904, HF3642

Keywords: common interest community, CIC, homeowners association, HOA, condominium, planned community, cooperative, unit owner, association board, declarant, declarant control, special declarant rights, assessment lien, foreclosure, late fees, fines, attorney fees, resale disclosure, annual report, maintenance plan

Transcript Highlights:

• A23 amendment. A23 amendment.
• . amendment. amendment.
• This is the A14 amendment. amendment. amendment.
• Senator Dbo to the A30 amendment. amendment. amendment.
• are on the A20 uh amendment as amended. are on the A20 uh amendment as amended.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the amendment. Okay, thank you. the amendment. Okay, thank you.
• amendment right now or during this time. amendment right now or during this time.
• There may be some bills that we want to work on, um, that need amendments, like I'm bringing an amendment
• <02:41:07.920> like to work on um that need amendments like to work on um that need amendments
• 09.040> to<02:41:09.280> my I'm bringing an amendment to my I'm bringing an amendment to

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is there a motion to hear the amendment? Yes, I'll second.
• The proposed amendment really does five things in particular.
• Is there any objection to adopting the amendment to the bill? You have an amended bill.
• to the bill so move is there any objection to adopting the amendment to the bill you have an amended
• bill thank you madam chair thank you adopting the amendment to the bill you have an amended bill thank

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Perryman, would you like to move that DE2 amendment? I so move the DE2 amendment.
• Representative Perryman moves the amendment labeled as DE2.
• Any further discussion to the DE2<00:03:20.280> amendment? DE2 amendment? DE2 amendment?
• The amendment The motion does prevail.
• <00:40:21.960> consideration Fourth bill we have for consideration Fourth bill we have for

Bills: HF4712, HF4801, HF3756, HF4860, HF4931, HF4289, HF4460

Keywords: residential pools, swimming classes, certification, private business, health safety, health care, prior authorization, managed care, medical assistance, mental health, substance use treatment, chronic conditions, health insurance, insulin, healthcare access, pharmacy regulations, patient assistance, affordable medication, healthcare, pharmacy

Summary: The committee met at 1:00 p.m., confirmed a quorum, and approved the April 8, 2026 minutes. The first bill heard was House File 4712, which was laid over after the committee adopted a DE2 amendment. Representative Schultz said the bill would create a narrow additional exception to public pool limitations so highly certified swimming instructors could use certain pools for specialized infant, youth, and developmental-disability swim instruction. The only testifier, Tessa Seppelt, described ISR instruction as water-safety and drowning-prevention training for very young children and children with developmental delays, and said access to appropriate facilities is the main barrier. Members raised questions about emergency egress, public safety, and insurance coverage, and the author said he would follow up on those concerns. The committee then took up House File 4801, a bill by Representative Nadeau aimed at health care program integrity. He said it would align commercial and Medicaid partners to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse by changing prior authorization and retrospective review processes, improving data sharing on suspected fraud, addressing conflicting or duplicative services, allowing managed care organizations to verify provider credentials, and making risk corridors in MCO contracts permanent. The Minnesota Council of Health Plans supported the bill, saying it would help detect fraud and improve coordination, while the Minnesota chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics opposed it, arguing that expanded prior authorization would delay care, increase physician burden, and harm children with chronic conditions. Members debated patient safety, fraud detection, and whether the bill would undermine recent prior-authorization reforms. The bill was laid over. House File 3756, a technical update to the insulin safety net program, was also laid over. Representative Backer said the bill clarifies that a hospital-use intravenous insulin product is not part of the program because it is sold only to health care institutions and infused by practitioners, not dispensed to patients for self-use. The Board of Pharmacy testified that the language was drafted to avoid affecting future legitimate uses, and members asked whether the definition could limit new uses if treatments change. The committee then began House File 4860, but the transcript cuts off before the bill’s presentation is completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• component of review the fourth component of review the evaluation<00:48:41.839> identifies<00
• Thanks in part to these commissions, in 1995 the legislature enacted many rule-related amendments to
• A series of amendments followed the comprehensive 1995 changes, including 2001 legislation that added
• <01:08:41.880> followed<01:08:42.239> the series of amendments followed the series
• Currently, Minnesota's income tax laws are tied to the IRC as amended through May 1st of 2023.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have an amendment, I believe this is in the package, and the amendment is simply the way the bill
• So, the bill is amended as before.
• There is an amendment. The amendment simply...
• Any questions on that amendment? I've got a first, a second on the amendment.
• The amendment is adopted.

Bills: SB156, SB134, SB108, SB47, SB88, SB89, SB106, SB18, SB9, HB38, HB54

Keywords: habitual felony offender, resentencing, Alabama Department of Corrections, victim notification, criminal justice reform, life sentences, parole eligibility, pardon, parole, law enforcement, GPS monitoring, data sharing, mail theft, stolen mail, criminal penalties, personally identifying information, felony, misdemeanor, SB47, Alabama