Transcript Highlights:

• agriculture... ...forage crops to be able to sustain animal agriculture in our area and be able to feed
• State University to calculate the productivity increases that come from legal drains and how that feeds
• Code is that the research we conduct ultimately must be important to the utilization of food, fiber, feed
• You have a secure perimeter fence, but then through a series of algorithms and so on, the rancher can
• “Central culvert to someplace, take that water out of there and just gravity-feed that year-round.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• agriculture... ...forage crops to be able to sustain animal agriculture in our area and be able to feed
• State University to calculate the productivity increases that come from legal drains and how that feeds
• Code is that the research we conduct ultimately must be important to the utilization of food, fiber, feed
• You have a secure perimeter fence, but then through a series of algorithms and so on, the rancher can
• A central culvert to someplace to take that water out of there and just gravity-feed that year-round.

Summary: The committee met in Fargo and approved the minutes from the March 31 meeting before hearing a series of informational presentations focused on North Dakota agriculture, water, and research. NDSU President David Cook opened with remarks about NDSU’s land-grant mission, emphasizing statewide service through research, teaching, and extension, and highlighting examples such as the Lilac Agriculture startup and the university’s role in applying research to real-world problems. He said he intends to spend time listening across the state to better understand local needs. The committee then received a detailed presentation on a state irrigation and drainage study from Tom Bodine on behalf of Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. The study projected significant potential for expanded irrigation acreage, especially in counties such as McLean, Williams, Sargent, Burleigh, Mountrail, McKenzie, McIntosh, Dunn, and Bottineau, and estimated major economic gains from irrigation, including higher farm returns and support for value-added agriculture. Members discussed water permits, surface water versus aquifers, infrastructure, drought resilience, and the role of legal drains in improving productivity and generating economic activity. The presenters also noted that the full report is available online. Dr. Greg Lardy followed with NDSU’s required interim report, outlining the university’s agricultural research and extension system, including the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education, seven research-extension centers, and the economic importance of agriculture to the state. He highlighted recent research impacts such as new crop varieties, potato breeding successes, virtual fencing, AI-assisted weed control, weather-network tools, and 4-H programming. He also described NDSU’s budget priorities: restoring the governor’s proposed 10% cuts, additional operating support, and deferred maintenance funding. Committee members asked about the new agricultural field lab, storage sheds, and NDSU’s partnership with Grand Farm. The committee also heard from the North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute and a professor presenting water-related research, including data center cooling, water reuse, smart irrigation, and a feasibility study on co-locating data centers with greenhouse and aquaculture production. Members asked about water use, ownership, and whether the concepts were operational or still speculative. Finally, North Dakota AgTech presented its NSF-funded innovation engine work, describing startup commercialization, on-farm trials, workforce development, and partnerships with NDSU, UND, tribal colleges, and other land-grant institutions. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the prior meeting minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• It collects feeds from federal partners, correlates them to limit threats, and posts actionable alerts
• Uniform playbooks, and a single threat scoring algorithm, so a critical vulnerability flagged in Tyler
• I can understand why we do research... ...at some of our universities, and we feed that because that's

Bills: HB146, HB150, HB1500, HB1545, HB1562, HB2067, HB2520, HB2818, HB3214, HB3250, HB3466, HB3512, HB3623, HB4063, HB4395, HB4464, HB4668, HB4690, HB5331, HB3833, HB146, HB150

Keywords: HB 146, Texas Capitol, State Capitol, State Preservation Board, Congress Avenue, Travis County, traffic lanes, lane closure, road closure, municipal authority, local control, Capitol area, downtown Austin, special events, construction traffic plan, pedestrian safety, public works, transportation policy, government code chapter 443, cybersecurity

Transcript Highlights:

• This would permit this algorithm-driven proprietary tool, designed for cost control and return to work
• The transportation industry, which feeds us, clothes us, and ensures we all have the goods necessary
• The feeding tube, I was tricked and got down to 15% lung capacity.

Bills: HB4806

Keywords: civil action, damages, health care services, noneconomic damages, negligence, legal standards, 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They use a computer algorithm to identify the rents in the area and then tell the subscribers, who are
• to identify the rents in the algorithm to identify the rents in the area<00:47:53.240> and<00
• either and so that's with an algorithm either and so that's why<00:48:15.359> we're<00:48:15.520
• <00:49:23.119> to manipulative uh um uh algorithms to manipulative uh um uh algorithms to
• He said that if you go to one of our algorithms—Google, you can find very quickly that Wells Fargo was

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I reside in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts, and I'm here in support.
• My name is Guy Quistgard, and I reside in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts, and I'm here in support of House
• formula, formula thickeners, orthotics, eyeglasses, therapeutic equipment, attendant care, and later a feeding
• At six years old, she learned to eat, and her feeding tube was removed.
• needed care, often unsuccessfully, due to the primacy of profit over care, helped by the omniscient algorithms

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing held a public hearing on 16 bills, with the chairs noting a busy legislative day and asking speakers to keep testimony brief. The committee first heard testimony on Senate 860/House 1405, the Medicare for All bill, with Sen. Jamie Eldridge and many advocates, clinicians, municipal officials, and patients arguing that a single-payer system would make care a right, reduce administrative waste, lower costs, and protect residents from rising premiums, medical debt, and hospital closures. Several speakers cited the Steward hospital crisis, affordability problems, and polling or ballot questions showing public support for single-payer coverage. No vote was taken during the hearing. The committee then took testimony on S. 863, a bill on non-opioid options for chronic pain. Pain specialists, patients, and advocates said the bill would improve care coordination for MassHealth members, expand access to non-opioid medications, require provider education, and collect data on chronic pain. Testifiers described long delays in diagnosis and treatment, stigma toward pain patients, and the need for multidisciplinary care and transportation support. Again, the committee heard testimony only and took no action. A large portion of the hearing focused on H. 1360/S. 869, which would prevent discrimination against people with disabilities in health care. Disability advocates, clinicians, and patients described being denied or delayed care, pressured into DNR orders, or treated based on assumptions about quality of life rather than medical facts. Speakers referenced COVID-era crisis standards of care, discriminatory metrics, and personal stories involving canceled procedures, inadequate accommodations, and poor treatment in hospitals. Committee members thanked speakers for their testimony and said they would review the bill and its implications, but no vote was announced. The committee also heard testimony on H. 1399, an individual Medicare marketplace option for municipal retirees, where supporters said it would give cities and towns a lower-cost alternative for retiree health benefits through HRAs and individual Medicare plans. The hearing then returned to Medicare for All testimony, with additional supporters repeating arguments about cost, access, municipal budget pressure, and the need for global budgeting and universal coverage. The transcript ends with continued testimony and no recorded committee vote or final action on any bill.

Bills: SB1421, SB1427, SB1484, SB1503, SB1553, SB1557, SB1564, SB1566, SB1567, SB1591, SB1642, SB1794, SB1837, SB2044

Keywords: mental health, nonphysical intervention, training, youth care, conflict resolution, staff training, pediatric screenings, type 1 diabetes, health care providers, parental consent, reimbursement, state funding, public health, medicolegal investigation, medical examiner, coroner, sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS, sudden unexpected infant death, SUID

Transcript Highlights:

• The programmer, the insurance company, or the algorithm itself?
• And it allows overridden by algorithms.
• companies are using AI algorithms companies are using AI algorithms >> not<04:05:25.279>
• to look at it is 1.2 seconds, algorithm to look at it is 1.2 seconds, right?
• Better to trust inexplicable algorithm.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Going into the decision is the proprietary nature of all of the algorithms that they developed for the
• So does the department not own the algorithms that were produced for the specific software?
• So you'd have to have the algorithms taken out, and then they would live alone.
• If I can get a reasonable answer as to why we don't necessarily own the algorithms, why the algorithms

Summary: The PEER Review Subcommittee met to consider a large agenda of appropriation, transfer, contract, and other review items. Members approved temporary appropriation requests in Sections B through F, including funding for prosecuting attorneys, education-related adjustments, school operating needs, labor licensing divisions, ARPA fund returns from Workforce Services, IIJA grants for state police CDL implementation and a forestry-related county grant, reserve fund transfers for teacher scholarships, school facilities, and economic development, and a Commerce reallocation tied to organizational realignment. Cash fund requests in Section G and budget classification transfers in Section H were also reviewed, along with pay plan requests in Section I, overtime requests in Section J, and multiple methods of finance in Section K. The committee also reviewed discretionary grants in Section L, including agriculture promotion board grants and DHS aging/adult behavioral health grants, plus RFQs, construction contracts, intergovernmental contracts, and out-of-state contracts in Sections M1 through M5. Several items drew questions from members. Workforce Services explained that $225,000 in TANF-related funds would be returned to the federal government because the two-year hold period for uncashed or moved checks had expired. Commerce officials described the $25 million site infrastructure grant program, saying it supports site development, due diligence, and infrastructure build-out at eligible sites of 30 acres or more, including rural communities, with grant agreements and matching requirements providing accountability. DHS and Education officials answered questions about the Care Solace mental health referral contract, saying it is a statewide concierge/referral service that helps schools connect students to Arkansas providers and follow up so students do not fall through the cracks; members asked for more information on provider selection, school-day scheduling, and Arkansas vendor participation. The committee held one item over: the DHS discretionary grant item for the RSVP retired senior volunteer program in L2, after concerns were raised about whether state general revenue was being used effectively and how much administrative overhead the providers retain. Members also questioned several contracts, including a DHS sole-source contract with EMSLink for document management software and a DHS bridge contract with Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care for Medicaid inspections of care reviews; in both cases, agency staff explained the need to avoid service disruption and said follow-up information would be provided. A Department of Corrections reentry center contract was discussed for its recidivism results, and ARDOT retirement-system investment contracts were briefly explained. The meeting ended after a lengthy discussion of the Medicaid Trust Fund balance, with DFA and DHS officials saying the state is expected to finish the fiscal year without exhausting the fund, that a restricted reserve of $100 million is available as a backstop, and that the larger question is what minimum balance should be maintained going forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• The push notifications, the algorithms, the continuous scrolling, all of that was learned from the things
• And it's also the algorithms, right? When are you most likely to bet the most money?
• addictive, and we have already seen the addictive nature of our cell phones and of social media and of algorithms
• And<00:25:21.760> it's<00:25:21.880> also<00:25:22.120> the<00:25:22.240> algorithms
• And it's also the algorithms, right? And it's also the algorithms, right?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And if you look at it, it's very different from the standard traditional algorithm.
• <00:14:50.480> You<00:14:50.639> can standard traditional algorithm.
• You can standard traditional algorithm.
• algorithm algorithm the<00:15:05.839> way<00:15:05.920> that<00:15:06.160> most
• and<00:15:27.279> effective algorithms are sufficient and effective algorithms are sufficient

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a hearing on House Bill 1571, which would direct the Department of Education to review and revise statewide academic standards and curriculum and make an appropriation. Representative Kristen Noble, the sponsor, said the bill is intended to update outdated standards, especially in math, and to have the department create a list of high-quality curriculum and materials aligned to the revised standards. She noted she would likely amend the bill to change a requirement that districts “shall” select from the list to “may,” and said a misplaced crossed-out section would need to be restored and moved by amendment. She also said assessments would need to be updated to match any new standards. Testimony from Marie Banfield strongly supported the bill and the move away from a mandate, arguing that current standards are outdated and that Common Core and related standards have not improved student outcomes. She criticized the math standards for emphasizing multiple strategies and written explanations over computation, and said stronger standards would better support students, including those with learning or communication challenges. She also argued that New Hampshire should follow examples such as Massachusetts, which she said used rigorous standards successfully. Nate Green of the Department of Education did not take a position on the bill but explained that the bill would affect statewide academic standards, state assessments, and potentially federal compliance. He distinguished academic standards from minimum standards in statute, said any standards revision would require work with content experts, State Board approval, and then a corresponding assessment update that could take about two years. He estimated assessment development costs could range from about $200,000 to $500,000 for minor revisions and $1 million to $2 million for a wholesale new set of standards. He also said the bill would apply to public and charter public schools, not private or homeschool students, and that the department does not currently provide a statewide list of curriculum materials because curriculum decisions have historically been local.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've had clerks who went over to elderly people, watching them with a stack of $100 bills, feeding them
• , a law school grad and a 30-year state employee, who said that she was in a gas station in Salem feeding
• had some sort of KYC, some sort of know-your-customer protocols that, you know, whether it was an algorithm
• helps to avoid potential risks associated with higher transactions, and you have already heard people feeding

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several financial services bills, with the main focus on cryptocurrency kiosk regulation, financial literacy, and earned wage access. Legislators and witnesses described widespread crypto-related scams targeting older adults, often involving impersonation, urgency, spoofed phone numbers, and rapid transfers through kiosks that are difficult to trace or recover. Supporters of the kiosk bills said Massachusetts needs licensing, registration, transaction limits, warning notices, receipts, refund protections, and other safeguards; some also urged a “pause” or hold on transactions to give victims time to reconsider and allow law enforcement to intervene. The Attorney General’s office, AARP, local law enforcement, and several prosecutors and sheriffs backed the consumer-protection approach, while Bitcoin Depot supported a narrower regulatory framework but opposed low fee caps and strict daily limits, arguing they would function like a ban and reduce legitimate use. Witnesses from Waltham police, Middlesex and Essex County law enforcement, and the AG’s office said crypto scams are growing quickly, losses are often unrecoverable once funds move, and current tools are limited. They described cases involving elderly victims losing thousands of dollars, and said warnings alone are not enough because scammers keep victims on the phone and guide them through the process. Some witnesses said a temporary hold or refund mechanism has worked in at least one case, while others emphasized that transaction limits and visible disclosures could reduce harm even if they do not stop fraud entirely. The AG’s office also said it would submit written opposition to separate earned wage advance legislation, while DailyPay testified in support of that bill, saying earned wage access helps workers bridge short-term gaps without debt or credit reporting. The committee also heard support for mandatory financial literacy education from Representative Jim Hawkins, who said high school students need instruction on credit, debt, and inflation before they enter adulthood. In addition, the committee took testimony on litigation financing bills from insurance industry representatives, who argued for disclosure and regulation of predatory litigation lending and warned about foreign interference and reduced plaintiff recoveries. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing; members asked questions throughout, and the chair noted the need to move testimony along because of time constraints.

Transcript Highlights:

• critical access Yes, some of our critical access hospitals do have nursing homes that are attached, that feed
• And this will feed into a further conversation we're going to have about the financial health of our
• Algorithms deny 50% of prior authorizations right up front.
• And it has this history that matters and I think feeds into the whole conversation, but it is today in
• This feeds into a conversation around access to primary care, the role of preventive medicine.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Going into the decision is the proprietary nature of all of the algorithms that they developed for the
• So does the department not own the algorithms that were produced for the specific software?
• So you'd have to have the algorithms taken out, and then they would live alone.
• If I can get a reasonable answer as to why we don't necessarily own the algorithms, why the algorithms

Summary: The PEER Review Subcommittee met to consider a large agenda of budget, appropriation, transfer, and contract items. Members approved temporary appropriation requests for several agencies, including the Auditor of State, Department of Education, and Labor and Licensing; ARPA return requests from Workforce Services; Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requests for State Police and Agriculture; restricted reserve transfers for teacher scholarships, school facilities, and economic stimulus; a Commerce reallocation of positions and spending authority; cash fund, budget classification, overtime, and pay plan requests; and 17 methods of finance items for universities and other agencies. Most items were approved without objection after brief explanations from staff and agencies. Several items drew questions and were held or discussed further. A Department of Human Services discretionary grant package for the RSVP program was held over after Senator Irvin raised concerns about whether the grants were an effective use of state general revenue and asked for more information on administration costs and program operations. In the contracts section, Representative Richardson questioned a DHS sole-source contract with EMS Link for document management software and a DHS contract with Presidio; the EMS Link item was held for additional answers, while the Presidio item was clarified as not sole-source and was allowed to proceed. Members also asked for more information on a Department of Education mental health referral contract with Care Solace, which officials said is a statewide concierge/referral service connecting students to Arkansas providers and telehealth options. The committee also reviewed monthly reports, including the Medicaid Trust Fund. DHS and DFA officials said the fund was currently sufficient to finish the fiscal year, though it was being drawn down and would likely require a $100 million transfer from restricted reserves in FY27, with another $100 million set aside in the governor’s budget as a backstop. Members discussed the need to define a minimum reserve level and to better account for ongoing Medicaid costs in the budget. The meeting ended with no further business and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• and what the consumer could do to improve their score the next time. company that's using a model algorithm
• company that's using a model algorithm to<01:36:10.159> uh<01:36:10.400> determine<01:
• got good ideas, and staff and I are getting leads on some really good presenters for that meeting, feed
• Um but if you've got ideas, you know,<01:42:43.440> feed<01:42:43.679> them<01:42:43.840
• know, feed them to us. know, feed them to us. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We know their algorithms. I write them. expression of others. Would it be expression of others.
• <01:31:45.120> How on algorithms. How do they work? How on algorithms. How do they work?
• Uh with the algorithms, the AI this way.
• We<01:33:14.159> know<01:33:14.320> their<01:33:14.560> algorithms.
• Representative Rymer: We know their algorithms. I write them. We see them.

Bills: HF1392, HF2233, HF695, HF2228, HF1289

Keywords: consumer protection, restitution, attorney general, consumer enforcement, unclaimed funds, victim compensation, settlement funds, special revenue fund, general fund, restitution account, consumer fraud, state treasury, eligible consumers, distribution of funds, tax subtraction, income tax, refund, unpaid compensation, Minnesota Department of Revenue, consumer redress

Transcript Highlights:

• agriculture... ...forage crops to be able to sustain animal agriculture in our area and be able to feed
• State University to calculate the productivity increases that come from legal drains and how that feeds
• You have a secure perimeter fence, but then through a series of algorithms and so on, the rancher can
• of just putting in a natural culvert to someplace, take that water out of there, and just gravity-feed
• central culvert to someplace take that water out of there and just gravity feed that year round.

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and opening remarks from NDSU President David Stewart, who emphasized NDSU’s land-grant mission of statewide service through teaching, research, and extension. He highlighted the university’s role in agriculture, water, soil health, and community outreach, and pointed to examples of research commercialization such as Lilac Agriculture’s work on nitrogen-fixing microbes for crops. He also said he is still early in his tenure and intends to spend time listening and learning across the state. The committee then received a detailed presentation on a state irrigation and drainage study from Tom Bodine on behalf of Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. The study estimated that North Dakota could develop about 1.3 million additional irrigated acres, with major potential in counties such as McLean, Williams, Sargent, Burleigh, Mountrail, McKenzie, McIntosh, Dunn, and Bottineau. Testimony stressed the economic benefits of irrigation for crop yields, value-added processing, dairy, and potato production, while members also discussed water availability, aquifers, downstream water use, and the need for more flexible permitting. The drainage portion of the study found significant economic benefits from legal drains, and staff explained that the impacts were calculated through increased productivity and related input purchases. Greg Lardy then gave NDSU’s required agriculture update, saying agriculture accounts for more than $41 billion in annual economic activity, one in five jobs, and about 25 percent of state GDP. He reviewed the role of SBAR, the statewide research-extension network, new crop varieties, virtual fencing, AI and weather-network tools, and Extension’s county partnerships and youth programs. He also outlined NDSU’s priorities for the next session: restoring proposed budget cuts, increasing operating support, and addressing deferred maintenance. Members asked about storage shed construction, NDSU’s relationship with Grand Farm, and whether NDSU could help with water-related research tied to drainage and aquifers. The committee also heard from the North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute and a professor on water and data centers, who described graduate fellowships, a water workforce certificate program, and research on data center cooling, water use, and “Legendary Harvest” concepts that would reuse waste heat for greenhouse or aquaculture production. Questions focused on whether the cooling systems were closed-loop, who would own any related production facilities, and whether the project was still only a feasibility study. Finally, North Dakota AgTech described its NSF-funded “engine” project, saying it has brought millions in federal investment to the state, supported startups and on-farm trials, and is focused on commercialization, workforce development, and helping producers lower input costs and improve profitability.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have algorithms that feed our own worst instincts and call it news.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• manufacturers, here's how you can do that: you can line up the numbers on top of each other, you can use algorithms
• do the best that they can with the facilities they have, but they're left remaining with having to feed

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It really helps us with the existing programs that feed these jobs that are needed, you know, in really
• cancer biopsies, the Palme's coronary artery stent, HER2 breast cancer target, MRI image construction algorithm

Keywords: 1184, house, all