Transcript Highlights:

• support our educator workforce support our educator workforce chronically<00:27:00.000> sort<
• There is address the workforce issue.
• <00:32:48.000> Um, workforce bill, if that makes sense.
• Um, workforce bill, if that makes sense.
• sort of another workforce argument. sort of another workforce argument.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Ready for questions? Yes, sir. Very good. Let's go to the audience first in the room.
• And whenever any of you are ready to go, the floor is yours. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and committee.
• The expansion directly aligns with CNM's workforce training.
• We expect to double our workforce from about 20 to 40 people within the next 36 months.
• You ready for her, well, Cobble? Thank you. Representative Chandler? Yes. Representative Duncan.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• needs in Kentucky and we're Workforce needs in Kentucky and we're really<00:03:32.680> proud<
• I like to say that we are the workforce juggernaut of Kentucky.
• training as well, which easily puts us as the number one provider of workforce training in the state
• We like working with them because it's about workforce training as well.
• Kentucky is because Workforce Kentucky is because Workforce Development<00:18:04.280> kctcs

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met for its first meeting and heard an update from KCTCS President Dr. Ryan Corral. He opened with a brief report on flood impacts across the state, noting damage at Big Sandy and Hazard, support for displaced faculty and staff, emergency student aid, and the use of campuses as shelters and Red Cross sites. He then outlined KCTCS’s role as the state’s largest postsecondary system, serving about 107,000 students across 16 colleges and 70 campuses, with strong enrollment growth, major dual credit and GED operations, and a large workforce-training mission. Corral emphasized student support needs such as food, housing, and mental health services, and said KCTCS wants to expand work with incarcerated populations and recovery communities. Corral also described system changes focused on compliance, stability, leadership development, property disposal, and curriculum review. He said KCTCS has addressed prior audit findings, is conducting additional audits, has sold or is selling several buildings, and has removed 400 underutilized credentials to better align programs with employer needs. He highlighted transfer agreements with the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University, and said KCTCS is working to align training with employers and local governments. He also discussed the system’s response to House Bill 6 and the $90 million appropriated for an efficient operations and innovation plan, including three proposed capital projects: a Somerset Community College facility for diesel, automotive, welding, HVAC, CAD, and 3D printing; replacement of an outdated Louisville building; and a South Central/Glasgow allied health facility to expand nursing and related programs. In response to questions, Corral said the Blue Oval SK training building in Glendale is open and operational, though workforce demand there has been slower than initially expected, and that KCTCS is working with the company and state officials to cover operating costs. Members praised KCTCS’s workforce role and flexibility in meeting employer needs statewide. Representative Moll also commented on the system’s progress and importance to Kentucky’s workforce development. No votes were taken, and the meeting ended with adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• The only deliverable that is remaining is a workforce-related effort. that is under final review and
• Labor Workforce Development and EDD related to data accuracy and forecasting.
• policy. workforce strategy.
• In particular, the Workforce Development Board oversees statewide workforce policy.
• , which include our teachers, our nurses, our green workforce, and our community leaders.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think we're going to make huge investment in workforce.
• You're going you're going to be as you see this workforce grow, you're going to see request.
• We have to build the workforce and we will do it through. I'm gonna so decided excited.
• We're going to have a workforce of group that and and and director that he charge of workforce.
• We're going to develop a state workforce have to pay for it.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For the state, a strong transfer pathway has immense potential for advancing equity, addressing workforce
• limit educational opportunity, perpetuate inequalities, and reduce California's capacity to meet workforce
• demand. ...perpetuate inequalities and reduce California's capacity to meet workforce demand.
• So our task is twofold: help more students become transfer-ready and apply, and then ensure students
• Area and what is needed for workforce demands in that area.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Assistant Secretary for the Workers' Compensation Section in the Louisiana Workforce...
• It cuts in one of the things that was talked about with Texas, that Texas is getting ready to bring on
• ... ...that was talked about with Texas, that Texas is getting ready to bring on the third prong of ODG
• Members, I believe that this truly is a pro-life, pro-workforce bill.
• This is key to having a qualified, experienced workforce, which is what we badly need.

Summary: The House Labor and Industrial Relations Committee met on May 7, 2026, and first deferred several measures, including House Bill 460, Senate Bill 322, Senate Bill 32, Senate Bill 22, and House Bill 561. The committee then took up House Bill 819 by Chairman Cruz, which would replace Louisiana’s current workers’ compensation medical treatment schedule with the Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) by MCG as the primary guideline, while keeping the existing variance and appeal process. Cruz and MCG representative Troy Prevo argued that ODG is more comprehensive, updated more frequently, and used in many states, and said it could reduce delays, disability duration, and costs. Dr. Jason Picard, the state medical director, testified that Louisiana already uses ODG as a secondary reference in many cases because the state schedule lacks coverage for some body parts and treatments, and said the bill would not otherwise change the appeals process or care delivery. Committee members focused heavily on whether the bill would delay care or improve it. Several members questioned the private-company nature of ODG, the $400 annual subscription cost, and whether Louisiana doctors would be forced to rely on an out-of-state guideline. Rep. Glorioso and others raised concerns about preauthorization delays and proposed amendments to create tacit approval when treatment follows the schedule, require payment within 30 days, and make the carrier prove by clear and convincing evidence that care was not medically necessary to challenge it. Chairman Cruz said he was willing to work with those ideas, and the committee also discussed adding an on-ramp or legacy language so current patients would not be disrupted. Opposition testimony came from injured-worker advocates and representatives of medical and labor groups, including Joseph Jola St. and Robin Krumholt. They argued that Louisiana’s current guidelines are already working, that rates have fallen over time, and that the real problem is delay in approval rather than the content of the schedule. They said ODG is overly rigid, cost-driven, and can lead to denials that shift costs to workers, Medicaid, or private health insurance. They urged the committee to keep Louisiana’s existing system and instead adopt tacit approval under current law. The bill was still under discussion at the close of the transcript, with amendments being read and no final vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• MNERD has begun internal reviews of forest workforce capacity, biomass utilization challenges, and how
• Ready to help us build solutions now. This is about meeting the moment.
• We invite the committee to see this work as a menu of investable directions, whether that's workforce
• Include workforce because you're going to need a trained workforce to be able to help mitigate.
• Moving on to slide 16, this whole page is about workforce. This is training for clean energy jobs.

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll build our own vocational prison, a secure prison hub delivering credentials, job readiness, and
• employer networks for immediate accountability in the workforce.
• . workforce. workforce.
• And as you know, this will help out with workforce outcomes across our state.
• <01:04:59.359> outcomes will help out with workforce outcomes will help out with workforce

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:00 Roll Call: 00:00:09 State of the Judiciary: 00:02:33 The Corrections - KCTCS Reentry Program: 00:49:44 Update on 2022 RS SB 90: 01:27:49, 958, all

Summary: The Interim Joint Committee on the Judiciary met on November 6, 2025, approved the minutes, and welcomed guests including Kentucky Specialty Courts manager Elizabeth Nichols and Boyle/Mercer Family Court Judge Bruce Petri. The committee then heard the Chief Justice of Kentucky, Deborah Lambert, deliver her state of the judiciary address, focused largely on judicial branch funding, facilities, technology, and specialty court programs. Chief Justice Lambert said the branch is facing a projected $14.3 million shortfall for fiscal year 2026 and asked lawmakers for supplemental support, access to reserve funds, and higher base appropriations to cover inflation and nondiscretionary costs. She also requested a 15% across-the-board pay increase for judicial branch employees, citing salary gaps with other state workers and declining judicial compensation relative to national averages. She emphasized that the branch has received a clean FY 2025 audit and said the requests were intended to sustain current operations rather than expand them. A major portion of her remarks covered court technology and facilities. She described the move to Chamberlain during Capitol renovations, the purchase of that building as a cost-saving measure, and the need to fund courtroom audio/video systems and a new statewide case management system. She also discussed courthouse maintenance, flood damage, mold issues, security system upgrades, and the $47 million asset preservation fund created last session, while asking for additional local facilities funding and one-time disaster-related support. Lambert highlighted specialty court and statewide program results, including foster care review boards, family recovery courts, court designated worker programs, drug and mental health courts, and the Judicial Commission on Mental Health. She thanked legislators for prior bills and support, including House Bill 1, Senate Bill 26, and the CES law, and said 2026 recommendations will focus on civil commitment reforms under KRS 202C. During questions, Senator Wheeler asked whether some courthouses are being overbuilt; Lambert said most facilities are inadequate, though some may be larger than needed, and that future needs and population changes must be considered. She also noted that virtual hearings and technology have improved efficiency. No votes or formal committee actions were taken beyond approving the minutes and receiving the presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• “When you are ready, Senator, we are ready for you.”
• Two minutes each when you’re ready.” “Good afternoon, Chair and members.
• Okay, Senator, when you're ready? Thanks. That was just a refresher.
• You can begin whenever you're ready. Ready? Good afternoon, Madam Chair, members of the committee.
• They are not part of the workforce in the way this bill assumes.

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on artificial intelligence, child safety, mental health, and privacy. SB 574 by Senator Umberg would require transparency and human oversight when attorneys, judges, and court neutrals use AI; it drew support from privacy advocates and committee members, with no opposition. SB 1276, the End Child Exploitation Act, would update child sexual exploitation laws to cover live-streamed and AI-generated abuse material and clarify that viewing such content can be criminally punishable; prosecutors, child advocacy groups, and others supported it, while no one appeared in opposition despite opposition on file. SB 813 would create a California AI standards and safety commission and a voluntary two-tier certification framework for AI safety standards; supporters said it would create scalable, independent oversight, while TechNet and CalChamber opposed it as duplicative, under-defined, and likely to create a de facto mandate. The committee discussed market pressure, federal preemption concerns, and the role of voluntary standards, but no final vote was taken in the excerpt. Senator Padilla also presented SB 300, which would strengthen protections for minors from sexually explicit chatbot content by moving from a reasonableness standard to an affirmative duty to prevent such exposure and to prohibit facilitation. Supporters said new evidence showed greater risks and that companies can and should build stronger safeguards; opponents, including TechNet and CCIA, argued the bill was premature because SB 243 had only recently taken effect and warned it could create strict-liability-like exposure. Padilla then presented SB 903, which would bar AI chatbots from being advertised as therapists, require licensed clinician oversight and informed consent for AI use in psychotherapy, and protect patient confidentiality; it received broad support from mental health professionals and labor groups, while industry and health associations were opposed unless amended over triage and crisis-detection language. The committee members emphasized the need for human judgment in mental health care and noted ongoing negotiations on amendments. The committee also heard SB 1119, a companion to AB 2020, which would require annual risk assessments, crisis-response protocols, default child settings, parental controls, limits on data use, public incident reporting, and third-party audits for chatbots used by children. Supporters argued the bill would address documented harms and improve transparency, while industry groups objected to ambiguous standards, liability exposure, and the private right of action. A roll call vote was taken on SB 1119 after quorum was established; the motion to pass to Appropriations succeeded on a 5-1 vote, with one no vote and the measure left on call for absent members. Finally, SB 354, a privacy bill for insurance consumers, would modernize outdated insurance privacy rules, bar sale of personal information, and expand consumer rights to know, correct, and delete data. Supporters said it would implement Proposition 24’s privacy mandate, while a large coalition of insurers, agents, brokers, and related businesses opposed unless amended, mainly seeking a small-business exemption and narrower treatment of publicly available information; members and the author said negotiations were ongoing and the bill had already been substantially revised.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, Senator Jones, are you ready to make an introduction? You're on the list.
• There's a place for employees with autism in the workforce in productive jobs, but a major stumbling
• President, the Department of Education is directed to develop a workforce credential, especially for
• There's a place for employees with autism in the workforce in productive jobs, but a major stumbling
• to go into the workforce.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and heard several member introductions and recognitions, including awareness resolutions and visiting groups in the galleries. The chamber then moved to special order bills. Senate Bill 88 on utility terrain vehicles passed 32-5 after debate over allowing local governments to opt in to street use of UTVs under safety restrictions; Senator Smith opposed it over safety concerns. Senate Bill 102 on exceptional student education passed 36-0, creating a workforce credential/badge program for students with autism or on modified curricula; supporters emphasized employment opportunities and safety training, while Senator Davis raised concerns about added costs to school districts. Senate Bill 106 on exploitation of vulnerable adults passed 37-0, allowing alternative service on scammers through the same apps used to contact victims. Senate Bill 130 on compensation for victims of wrongful incarceration passed 38-0, extending filing deadlines and removing restrictive barriers; supporters called it a long-overdue justice fix. Senate Bill 158 on diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations passed 38-0, eliminating cost sharing for follow-up breast tests in the state employee health plan to encourage early detection. The most contentious measure was Senate Bill 234 on criminal offenses against law enforcement officers. The bill sought to clarify that violent resistance to officers is not justified by claims about the legality of the detention and to add manslaughter of a law enforcement officer to offenses carrying life imprisonment without release. An amendment by Senator Jones to restore “in good faith” language failed, after debate centered on due process, racial profiling, and the role of juries and suppression motions. Several senators spoke in support of law enforcement but objected to the bill’s breadth and mandatory life penalty; Senator Leek ultimately postponed the bill temporarily rather than taking a final vote. Senate Bill 262 on trust code technical changes passed 36-0. Senate Bill 274 designating roads for Harris Rosen and Geraldine Thompson passed 38-0, followed by a successful co-sponsorship motion and remarks honoring Thompson’s legacy. Senate Bill 280 on candidate qualification passed 38-0, creating an enforcement mechanism for party-affiliation filing requirements. Senate Bill 296 on middle and high school start times passed 38-0, repealing the statewide start-time mandate and shifting implementation decisions to local districts while requiring public reporting and discussion. Senate Bill 356 designating January 27 as Holocaust Remembrance Day also passed unanimously, with senators emphasizing remembrance, anti-Semitism, and the educational value of the memorial and observance.

Transcript Highlights:

• The prepandemic comparison of U.S. and Alabama unemployment rates and workforce...
• Unemployment rates and workforce participation are still not back to where we were in 2019.
• Many of those are going to focus on public safety, education investments, workforce needs, veterans'
• , including the STEM Council and the Workforce Council.
• This includes the STEM Council, the Workforce Council, and the Office of Apprenticeship, among others

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The reason that we're needing to make this... ...the two companies hasn't been able to get ready to start
• So we're adding money to the other company to be able to add a cohort that's ready to go, and then...
• ...add a cohort that's ready to go, and then we'll be able to just do continuous training as soon as
• As you know, probably 3/4 of our workforce are field employees, and in that case, that means usually
• We're trying to integrate those skills into our workforce so that we have trained medical personnel all

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Minnesota has plenty of feedstocks ready to go.
• Renewable fuels like ethanol and ethanol co-products like corn oil are ready to fully participate in
• Like many other sectors, we struggle with workforce shortages in our sector. 68,000 jobs produce $7.3
• shortages in our struggle with Workforce shortages in our sector<00:57:58.839> um<00:57:59.160
• , as trucking workforce and industrial employment opportunities.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee heard testimony on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and Minnesota’s efforts to build a SAF industry. Andrea Veble of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture said the Walz administration strongly supports SAF because it could benefit agriculture, forestry, clean energy, and rural economies. She highlighted the 2023 state SAF tax credit and sales tax exemption for facility construction, describing the credit as a nation-leading incentive designed to stack with federal IRA credits and attract producers and blenders to Minnesota. Jeff Davidman of Delta Airlines said aviation is difficult to decarbonize and that SAF is the airline industry’s best available tool to reach net-zero goals by 2050. He explained that SAF is a certified drop-in fuel that can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used in existing aircraft and infrastructure, and he cited growing global demand and limited supply. He said Minnesota has many potential feedstocks, including used cooking oil, corn, soybeans, and camelina, and praised the state’s SAF tax credit and the Minnesota SAF Hub as important steps toward making Minnesota a leader in the sector. Peter Fros of Greater MSP described the Minnesota SAF Hub as a public-private partnership aimed at building an industrial-scale SAF value chain in Minnesota. He said the state has key advantages, including airport demand, corporate partners, research institutions, and agricultural inputs, and estimated that three SAF biorefineries could create tens of thousands of jobs and significant emissions reductions. He also said the Hub is working on blending infrastructure, private demand commitments, a winter camelina expansion study, and efforts to secure additional refineries before 2030. Members raised questions about how sustainability is measured, and Fros said the Hub relies on the federal GREET model but wants a clearer, transparent, and standardized national method that also accounts for issues like water quality and biodiversity. Amanda Bellik of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association said corn-based ethanol is a strong fit for SAF production through the alcohol-to-jet pathway because it is abundant, affordable, and supported by existing infrastructure. She said SAF development could create a new value-added market for corn without requiring new acres, but emphasized the need for significant capital investment, stable tax policy, and efficient permitting. She also said the group has worked with a consultant on third-party sustainability assessments of corn production practices to help fill data gaps and support the carbon-intensity requirements tied to SAF incentives.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a workforce issue.
• This investment strengthens Iowa's health care workforce and ensures communities across Jones County
• HE CAR READY -- FUTURE.
• I am ready to close, and I reserve. The Speaker pro tempore: The gentleman from California.
• BOST: WE HAVE NO MORE SPEAKERS, I AM READY TO CLOSE AND I RESERVE.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, November 17, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:14:54.000> and<00:14:54.240> funds workforce, things like that. and funds workforce
• <00:52:15.359> workforce.
• the um healthcare workforce workforce. the um healthcare workforce workforce.
• So EMS could benefit from workforce.
• > some<00:56:42.880> community workforce, but there's some community workforce, but there's

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met and approved the minutes from its August 27 meeting. It then received a presentation from Katherine Castanza of the National Conference of State Legislators on the Medicaid provisions in the 2025 budget reconciliation bill, referred to as HR1. She explained that the bill is estimated by CBO to save the federal government $911 billion over 10 years, with more than 20 Medicaid-specific provisions, most of the savings concentrated in five policies and largely backloaded into 2030-2034. She emphasized that the bill’s effects will vary by state, but that expansion states and hospitals are expected to be most affected, in part because of changes to eligibility, provider taxes, and state-directed payments. Castanza highlighted several new funding and flexibility provisions, including a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund for 2026-2030 and a new home- and community-based services waiver option effective July 1, 2028, with $100 million in grants in fiscal year 2027. She also outlined major eligibility changes for Medicaid expansion adults: work or community engagement requirements effective January 1, 2027; twice-yearly redeterminations for the expansion population effective the same date; and new cost sharing for certain expansion adults effective October 1, 2028. She noted that Kentucky, as an expansion state, would be subject to these changes and that state agencies would face significant implementation demands, especially because federal guidance and timelines are tight. A substantial portion of the presentation focused on financing changes. Castanza described new limits on provider taxes, including a 0% safe harbor for new taxes and a phased reduction for existing taxes in expansion states beginning in 2028, while nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities are exempt from the reduction if already taxed. She also explained that state-directed payments will be capped and phased down over time, with existing arrangements grandfathered only briefly; she said Kentucky has 11 approved state-directed payments and could see significant fiscal effects. She added that the bill also bars Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood or similarly situated providers for one year, changes immigrant eligibility rules effective October 1, 2026, lowers the federal match for certain emergency services, and expands the scope of the federal erroneous payment recoupment provision effective October 1, 2029. Throughout, she stressed that federal savings may translate into state cost shifts and that implementation timing will be critical.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not sure if it's ready to go. I don't need it.
• So whenever you're ready, sir. And you turn the mic on by pushing the person.
• Whenever you're ready, go ahead. Thank you.
• So, whenever you're ready, you can start.
• We can't wait to. tell you're in the workforce and help. We need you, we need you.

Transcript Highlights:

• challenges, our aging is workforce challenges, our aging campus, campus, campus, and<00:09:30.760>
• <00:09:33.880> challenges, As far as the workforce challenges, As far as the workforce challenges
• tremendous pressure on our workforce. tremendous pressure on our workforce.
• So, anytime, uh, you two are ready, um, Colonel Smith. And thank you, Mr. Chair.
• Schmidt can come ready, maybe once a seat is open.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair Champion, I do have two testifiers today to speak on the bill whenever you're ready.
• thank you so much whenever you're ready thank you so much Senator<00:03:49.840> p<00:03:50.120
• One, there was money from the Workforce Development Fund.
• So in 2022 and 2023, for example, $2 million was from the Workforce Development Fund.
• 2 million was from the Workforce 2 million was from the Workforce Development<01:28:29.960> Fund

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And we're putting a big emphasis this year on workforce.
• Again, building the whole education workforce.
• Again, building the whole education workforce.
• And $28.5 million in performance incentives for school district workforce education programs.
• In addition, we're taking a strategic approach to workforce by eliminating 880 and a half vacant FTEs

Summary: The Appropriations Committee met for Budget Day and heard presentations on the Senate’s proposed 2025-2026 budget, SPB 25-200, totaling $117.4 billion. Chair Hooper said the plan reduces overall spending from the prior year, keeps strong reserves, includes a 4% pay raise for state employees, maintains employee health care contributions, and makes major investments in water quality, transportation, and education infrastructure. Committee chairs then summarized their budget silos, including K-12 education, higher education, health and human services, criminal and civil justice, transportation/tourism/economic development, and agriculture/environment/general government. Members asked questions mainly about school funding, AP and dual enrollment support, voucher and scholarship impacts, and the My Safe Florida Home program. The committee adopted a large consent package of amendments and then approved three late-file amendments: funding virtual college tours for high school students, funding the FSU Sunshine Genetics program, and providing money for the Port of Fernandina customs facility. The committee then voted to report SPB 2500, the General Appropriations Bill, as a committee bill. It also favorably reported SPB 2502 (implementing bill), SPB 2504 (state employees placeholder), SB 7022 (Florida Retirement System contribution rates and DROP changes), CS/SB 1320 (recreating the Resilient Florida Trust Fund), SPB 2506 (gaming compact revenue distributions, including water projects and rural lands), SPB 2508 (29 new judgeships), SB 7014 (ending the court mediation and arbitration trust fund), SPB 2510 (K-12 conforming bill), SPB 2512 (higher education conforming bill), and SPB 2514 (health and human services conforming bill). The committee also took up several policy bills. It approved SB 7028 on cancer research, creating grant parameters, reporting requirements, a five-year pediatric cancer research incubator, and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute VisionGen Initiative. It approved CS/CS/SB 170 on nursing home quality, adding resident satisfaction surveys, medical director standards, safety culture reviews, electronic health record requirements, financial reporting penalties, and a study of best practices. It approved CS/CS/SB 168, the Tristan Murphy Act, which expands mental health diversion options, adds Hillsborough County to a forensic hospital diversion pilot, expands grant uses, and creates a behavioral health data repository. It also approved SB 114 creating the Florida Center for Excellence in Insurance and Risk Management at FSU and moving the public hurricane loss model there. The committee then began considering SB 180 on emergency preparedness and response, including a late-file amendment, but the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.