Transcript Highlights:

• So just to orient you the Senate position uh the Senate budget general fund budget targets uh for fiscal
• </c><00:04:49.759><c> general</c><00:04:50.080><c> fund</c><00:04:50.400><c> budget</c> Senate budget
• general fund budget Senate budget general fund budget targets<00:04:51.759><c> uh</c><00:04:51.919><
• </c> does meet those budget does meet those budget targets.<00:05:07.039><c> So</c><00:05:07.280><c>
• One other meets our budget targets.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• By contrast, the state budget we passed last week was $114.5 billion, which is less than the total budget
• Budget is $115.
• That is not a household budget.
• We have seen local budgets, local government budgets soar. Our voters are facing higher...
• Seeing local budgets and local government budgets soar, our voters are facing higher prices.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then on the process of the budgets this week, this is a supplemental budget year, as we know, and
• based on those priorities that will be passed the floor. the budgets this week, this is a the budgets
• </c> bills that are passed by the budget bills that are passed by the budget committees,<00:01:41.680
• the supplemental budget bill.
• </c> everything's budgets for that. everything's budgets for that.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The county with the largest budget is obviously Ada County as the county; the whole county budget is
• That's their budget.
• The state has a nine billion dollar budget.
• The state has a nine billion dollar budget.
• And I was told that perhaps in the enhancement budget. So did that get funded for this budget?

Summary: The House convened, completed roll call, prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approved the journal. It also received several communications, including gubernatorial notices of signed bills, Senate-enrolled bills for the Speaker’s signature, and committee reports enrolling or advancing various measures. House Bill 971, an appropriations bill for the Attorney General’s office, was introduced and later considered under suspension of the rules. The House also advanced several Senate bills and resolutions to second reading or enrollment, including bills on health and welfare, education, state affairs, and procurement-related matters. A major portion of the meeting focused on House Bill 822, as amended in the Senate, dealing with pediatric social transition and parental notification. Supporters said the bill clarified that state resources could not be used for social/sexual transition of children and emphasized parental rights and disclosure. Opponents argued it imposed overly punitive, potentially unconstitutional penalties, would chill teachers, health care workers, and child care providers, and would make Idaho more hostile to families and professionals. The House suspended the rules, debated the bill, and passed it 60-9; later, a motion to let one member change her vote failed after the Speaker ruled that House Rule 79 barred post-announcement vote changes without the required two-thirds support. The House also passed Senate Bill 1430 on firearms after debate over state preemption and local restrictions, and Senate Bill 1359, the virtual currency kiosk fraud prevention bill. Supporters of SB 1359 described widespread fraud involving crypto kiosks, especially targeting seniors, and said the bill would require operator registration, disclosures, fraud warnings, recordkeeping, and transaction limits for new users; opponents called it overbroad, intrusive, and a privacy concern. The bill passed 39-9. Senate Bill 1410, concerning Medicaid reimbursement updates for community health centers, also passed. Senate Concurrent Resolution 127, urging rejection of a proposed medical marijuana initiative, passed after debate over public safety, costs, and out-of-state influence versus arguments that patients with serious conditions should have access to medical cannabis. Senate Bill 1436, a procurement clarification bill, failed after concerns about broad administrative discretion and pending litigation. The House later recessed and returned to continue with additional Senate bills and appropriations measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• budget table.
• budget table.
• brought to the Senate the state budget brought to the Senate budget<00:08:06.720><c> brought</c><00:
• I believe budget brought to the table.
• </c> but that also leads to the budget but that also leads to the budget reality<00:32:01.120><c> that

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:13:22.639><c> toward</c><00:13:23.040><c> eventually</c> budget is a step toward eventually budget
• </c> repeal the marketing and outreach budget repeal the marketing and outreach budget for<00:13:52.720
• </c> present to put the next state budget present to put the next state budget together.<00:20:30.480
• The LBA is probably staffing the hearing that's going on upstairs on the budget.
• Uh, it's in the budget question.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• through and no one could speak about the governor's budget.
• All right. budget that's been presented. All right.
• </c> is the governor sent over a budget is the governor sent over a budget that's<00:11:02.880><c> pretty
• . budget. budget.
• </c> be okay uh in this budget. be okay uh in this budget.

Bills: SB61, SB8, SB58, SB60, SB167

Keywords: school psychologist, school psychology, interstate compact, licensure compact, license reciprocity, portable license, equivalent license, professional licensing, psychology board, school mental health, student services, educational services, interstate practice, reciprocal licensing, background check, continuing education, workforce shortage, military spouse, active duty military, compact commission

Transcript Highlights:

• We would recommend, and in our budget, in the Secretary's budget presentation, you'll see that we have
• So this budget.
• To build this budget.
• That you will see in the executive budget and of course As the L E S C produces your own budget, you
• but we can put it in our budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'm curious, are the tribal budgets based on a federal budget?
• That's from the president's budget.
• Because they do out your budgets.
• But it does vary from the president's budget, and I have seen increases where the president's budget
• Budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have our own budget constraints.
• We also have our own budget constrange.
• No one on this panel understands your budget and the pie that comprises your budget as I do as a former
• Senate Budget Committee Chair.
• We know that this budget, the $5 billion, comprises about 24% or 25% of the overall state budget toward

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But up in the top section, you can see from the budget that we got from the House, we reduced this budget
• But up in the top section, you can see from the budget that we got from the House, we reduced this budget
• We didn't add FTEs to their budget.
• You see, park rec, that was in the park budget explained.
• There's a lot of pieces to this budget.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Senate met with a quorum present and handled a mix of conference committee appointments, appropriations bills, policy bills, and House amendments. Early in the session, the chamber appointed conference committees for SB 2399 and for House-amended SBs 2213 and 2354, and also named conference committees for HB 103, HB 1308, and HB 1169. The Senate then took up several appropriations measures, including HB 1612, which creates the North Dakota Center for Aerospace Medicine at UND; the Senate adopted an amendment shifting the funding to a one-time $250,000 Community Health Trust Fund appropriation with a required $250,000 match from other sources, and the bill passed 39-7. HB 1193, the “Back the Blue” grant, was amended to make the funding one-time and focus on officer retention, then passed 41-5. HB 1329, a government spending database proposal for school districts, was amended into a legislative study and passed 42-4. HB 1020, the water budget, received extensive amendments reducing and reallocating funding across major water projects, adding studies and oversight changes, and passed 45-0 with the emergency clause. HB 1581, a tribal tourism grant, also passed 40-6. The Senate rejected HB 1330, which would have authorized divestment from direct investments in Chinese companies; after debate over the prudent investor rule, trade impacts, and whether the bill singled out one nation in law, it failed 20-26. HB 1534, limiting property valuation increases, and HB 1266, adjusting the disabled veterans property tax credit, both failed unanimously or nearly so after committee recommendations against them. HB 1566, which would have created a regulatory framework for a product discussed as kratom, was amended on the floor to convert it into a study and then passed 31-15. The chamber also passed HB 2241 on charter schools after a House amendment changed the funding formula to the statewide average from the prior year, and HB 2022, the indigent legal counsel budget, after House changes added funding flexibility, offset lost fee revenue, and included a study on a public defender office. The Senate concurred in several House amendments and then passed a number of Senate bills. SB 2375, allowing joint negotiations between dental providers and insurers under Attorney General oversight, passed 44-2. SB 2251, clarifying that open records requests during state audits should be referred to the audited agency, passed 46-0. SB 2159, related to nuclear energy research, passed 43-3 after House amendments required Industrial Commission approval and consultation with the radioactive waste advisory council. SB 2155, changing gratis antelope license rules, passed 30-16 after debate over landowner rights and tag distribution. SB 251, setting fees and an audit for the Private Investigative and Security Board, passed 44-2. SB 2280, the prior authorization health insurance bill, passed 43-3 with a House-added study and consumer protections. SB 2023, the Racing Commission budget, passed 41-5 after a House change made internship funding one-time. SB 2232, changing prenatal substance exposure reporting requirements and related toxicology rules, passed 44-2. SB 2241, authorizing public charter schools, passed 39-7. The session ended while the Senate was still processing SB 2022’s final passage vote, but the bill had already cleared concurrence on House amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:26:20.039><c> deficits</c> nearly $300 million in budget deficits nearly $300 million in budget
• </c><00:26:41.080><c> shortfall</c> address our operating budget shortfall address our operating budget
• It's a budget for this committee.
• It's a budget for this committee.
• </c> within the education K through2 budget within the education K through2 budget so<00:48:05.640><c

Bills: HF51, HF1161, HF2201, HF2786, HF1053

Keywords: HF51, Sibley County, State-Aid Highway 21, capital investment, bonding bill, general obligation bonds, transportation infrastructure, road improvements, sanitary sewer, water main, storm sewer, local infrastructure, county grant, Minnesota Department of Transportation, bond proceeds fund, public works, utility infrastructure, education finance, school district funding, tax base adjustment

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> department is growing their budget department is growing their budget I'll<00:43:58.920><c> leave
• </c> hearing it when we a Governor's budget hearing it when we a Governor's budget that<00:58:57.200>
• were about 2% of their budget.
• were about 2% of their budget.
• </c><01:45:14.679><c> were</c> District's cross subsid budgets were District's cross subsid budgets were

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:29:03.679><c> and</c> expenditures came in under budget and expenditures came in under budget
• </c><00:29:14.080><c> assistant</c> where the legislative budget assistant where the legislative budget
• </c> least at this time with our budget least at this time with our budget situation<00:58:02.039><c>
• </c> both on the town and the school budgets both on the town and the school budgets last<01:49:17.520
• The total school budget in Marac is two-thirds of the town budget, so making a significant reduction

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 115-FN, which would remove the income cap from New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account eligibility rules. Representative Valerie McDonnell, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure is intended to fund students rather than systems and to expand educational choice regardless of income or zip code. She described the change as a small statutory edit but argued it would have significant benefits, including helping families afford alternative education settings and testing costs such as AP exams. She also cited testimony from families who said EFAs helped children with special needs or difficult circumstances, and she argued the program is popular and cost-effective. Committee members questioned McDonnell about the bill’s fiscal impact and administration. One member asked whether removing the income cap would extend vouchers to families above the statewide median income and whether the change could cost more than $100 million annually; McDonnell said she did not agree with that estimate and pointed to Arizona as a comparison. Representative Wendy Thomas asked whether the bill should require stronger data-sharing from the Children’s Scholarship Fund, which administers the program, so the Department of Education and taxpayers could better track spending; McDonnell said the program already uses ClassWallet and regulated expenditures, and that the question was better directed to the administrator. Several members testified in opposition. Representative Wendy Thomas said the bill would increase costs for public schools, raise local property taxes, and worsen oversight problems. Representative Heath Howard argued the proposal would function as a subsidy for wealthy families already paying private tuition and said public education and special education should be funded first. Representative Megan Murray also opposed the bill, emphasizing the lack of a legal reporting requirement for EFA spending and the need for transparency, accountability, and attention to special education needs. Representative Sam Farrington supported expansion, sharing a constituent story about a student who left public school after harassment and benefited from private school placement. No vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to welcome all of you to the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight.
• And I think in our DHCS public budget highlights, we actually do mention that.
• The $20 million would be additional above what is in the 2025 Budget Act.
• In next year's budget is of utmost importance, too.
• I want to thank the amazing budget team staff that made this possible, Christian Griffith.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight held a hearing on how H.R. 1’s new federal work and community engagement rules will affect Medi-Cal and CalFresh, especially for Californians with behavioral health needs, people experiencing homelessness, and justice-involved individuals. The Legislative Analyst’s Office outlined the scope of the changes, including Medi-Cal work requirements beginning in January 2027 and CalFresh changes beginning in June 2026, and estimated large potential coverage losses if people cannot document exemptions or comply with reporting rules. State departments said they are still awaiting some federal guidance but are already building implementation plans, data matching, outreach campaigns, and system changes to reduce disruption and automatically identify exemptions where possible. Department of Health Care Services and Department of Social Services officials described efforts to use existing data, CalSAWS, and cross-program coordination to streamline exemption screening, including for medical frailty, serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and student status. They said outreach will include text messaging, webinars, county training, and community-based partners, while also acknowledging that many people will still need direct worker contact. County representatives stressed that the new rules will create major administrative burdens, require significant new staffing, and could lead to coverage loss if counties are not adequately funded. They urged the Legislature to release the $20 million in current-year General Fund for CalFresh implementation and to consider a much larger county augmentation next year. Assembly members pressed the administration on outreach strategy, county funding, consistency across counties, and how to avoid harming eligible people through overly aggressive implementation. They also asked about coordination with universities, CDCR, and community-based organizations, and about how exemptions would be documented for mental health and substance use conditions. Department officials said they are working with counties, education institutions, and correctional agencies, and that they are trying to align Medi-Cal and CalFresh rules where possible, but not all federal definitions match. Public commenters from legal aid, counties, labor, and public hospitals warned that work requirements do not increase employment, will worsen food insecurity and health outcomes, and will strain county systems unless the state provides more funding and support.

Transcript Highlights:

• Of our overall budget. This is all equipment for the universities.
• Financial aid makes up about 5% of our overall budget.
• we budget that.
• on how we budget that out.
• on how we budget that out.

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on higher education funding, focusing on how Florida’s university system should be financed and whether a new funding model is needed. University system financial officers and Chancellor Ray Rodriguez discussed major cost drivers, including wages and benefits, utilities, maintenance, financial aid, research, and the effects of geography, institutional mission, and student mix. UF highlighted the cost of research and graduate programs; UCF and FAU pointed to growth, location, and cost of living; FAMU emphasized recruiting top-tier talent while relying on other revenue sources; and UNF noted the challenges of growth and long-term planning. Members also discussed the role of internal controls and audits in addressing excessive spending and questioned whether out-of-state tuition should be adjusted to help offset costs. On revenue sources beyond state appropriations and tuition, the panel described auxiliaries, restricted funds, capital projects, and component units such as foundations and health systems. Several universities noted that some revenues are restricted to specific purposes and cannot be used for general operations. FAMU explained that a large share of its capital project funding reflected active campus construction, while UF said its component-unit revenue is largely tied to UF Health. The Chancellor emphasized that the system’s low tuition and strong state support are central to Florida’s national standing, but also noted that some auxiliary revenues are pledged to debt and must be managed carefully. When discussing the current funding process, witnesses praised Florida’s performance-based funding model for aligning incentives with student success, transparency, and accountability. They also raised concerns about non-recurring appropriations, rising employee benefit costs, unfunded mandates, deferred maintenance, and the difficulty of multi-year planning. Suggestions for improvement included more recurring funding, better coverage of mandated costs, greater flexibility in fee-setting, and possible weighting for mission, geography, and institutional type. The Chancellor said the Board of Governors is considering a “version 3.0” of performance-based funding that would benchmark institutions against peers and Carnegie classifications, but any changes would require legislative action. On out-of-state tuition, most universities said they would prefer local board flexibility, while the Chancellor cautioned that increasing out-of-state enrollment or fees could affect future state support and should be balanced carefully.

Transcript Highlights:

• I can share from an I-Budget waiver perspective.
• All of those services different than I-Budget for this population.
• How do those compare to the I-Budget?
• So, yes, we are paying more than some of the I-Budget providers for I-Budget services.
• That is true, but we're not trying to recruit them away from I-Budget.

Summary: The Health and Human Services Committee received an overview of Florida’s intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) managed care pilot, created by legislation in 2023 to test whether a managed care model could integrate Medicaid medical services with iBudget waiver home- and community-based services for adults in pre-enrollment categories. AHCA explained the existing system, the pilot’s scope in Regions D and I, and the rollout timeline, including federal approval, contract execution with Florida Community Care, and the October 2024 go-live. Officials reported that, as of early February, 370 individuals had been sent for onboarding and 168 more were in queue, with about $35.8 million of the appropriation remaining. APD also clarified the difference between the pre-enrollment categories and the waiver waitlist, and noted that crisis cases can be enrolled more quickly depending on eligibility and funding. Florida Community Care described the pilot as a comprehensive managed care model offering medical, long-term care, and iBudget services, plus enhanced benefits such as bed-hold days, caregiver transportation, and help with legal guardianship costs. The plan said it uses one care coordinator, a 1:18 coordinator ratio, a face-to-face assessment within five days of enrollment, and 180 days of continuity of care for existing providers. The company emphasized that it is recruiting providers by offering higher rates than some iBudget rates, lower administrative burden, and network adequacy incentives, while APD said it continues to monitor provider supply and demand and recruit across service types and regions. Members repeatedly questioned whether the pilot’s costs, provider rates, and service levels were truly comparable to the iBudget system, and AHCA and APD said it was too early to draw firm conclusions because claims data are still lagging. Committee members also raised concerns about communication, enrollment delays, provider shortages, and whether the pilot could scale statewide. APD said it has used letters, phone calls, texts, emails, and community meetings to reach eligible individuals, and that some delays stem from required assessments, Medicaid eligibility checks, and level-of-care determinations. Several members asked for more detailed comparisons of costs and provider reimbursement between the pilot and iBudget, and APD said it would provide additional data. Public testimony at the end was strongly critical of managed care, with a participant and his mother describing poor service, transportation failures, and loss of control under prior managed care arrangements, and urging the committee not to expand such a model without safeguards. No votes or formal committee action were taken before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• just to walk through a little bit of the process that happens right now, Minnesota Management and Budget
• </c><00:04:49.440><c> collects</c> management and budget collects management and budget collects information
• So my understanding of how it works in Colorado is there will be a hearing on an agency's budget, and
• So my understanding of how it works in Colorado is there will be a hearing on an agency's budget, and
• So my understanding of how it works in Colorado is there will be a hearing on an agency's budget, and

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We invest in people because we can plan around stable, reliable budgets.
• I understand managing budgets is difficult, but this is not wasteful spending.
• So cutting Mass Save budgets really would cut benefits for low-income families.
• The project is reportedly on time and on budget.
• We also heard repeatedly that Mass Save incentives are direct... on-budget.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a hearing on the value of Mass Save, with opening remarks emphasizing that despite past criticisms the program has delivered major energy, cost, climate, and equity benefits. The chair cited large avoided system costs, strong benefit-cost ratios, and recent legislative changes that set emissions goals, restricted fossil-fuel equipment incentives, and increased focus on low- and moderate-income households. Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Elizabeth Mahoney testified that Mass Save has weatherized hundreds of thousands of homes, reduced bills, avoided emissions, and that the current plan includes budget controls after the DPU ordered $500 million removed from the approved budget. She said the governor’s proposal to have only electric utilities administer the program was intended to reduce administrative costs and align with current implementation trends. Members questioned Mahoney about what counts as marketing and administration, and she said the category includes traditional advertising as well as community-based outreach, customer resource centers, and other customer engagement work, much of it in low- and moderate-income communities. She said administrative and marketing costs are under 5% of the budget, while more than 80% goes to incentives and direct program delivery. Several witnesses then focused on workforce and contractor impacts. Dave Betcher of Abode Energy Management and Rick Taglienti of Rogers Insulation said Mass Save sustains small businesses, creates careers, and supports thousands of jobs; both warned that budget cuts would reduce hiring, training, and work in homes and businesses. They also described a broad ecosystem of suppliers, trainers, and service providers that depends on stable program funding. Other witnesses addressed cost-effectiveness, affordability, and emissions. Anna Johnson of ACEEE said Massachusetts remains a national leader, with Mass Save returning about $2.80 per dollar invested, reducing peak demand, and lowering bills for participants, especially through weatherization and heat pumps. Kyle Murray of Acadia Center said the program is statutorily required to be cost-effective and has avoided billions in supply and infrastructure costs for all ratepayers, including nonparticipants, by lowering overall demand and peak prices. Amy Boyd-Rabin of the Environmental League of Massachusetts argued that efficiency is the cheapest way to meet climate targets and that cutting the budget would force more expensive power generation. The hearing also featured testimony on equity and housing: Mary Wampo described historic under-service to renter-heavy and lower-income communities and said recent reforms, including designated equity communities and performance incentives tied to equity, are helping correct that imbalance; Brian Biot and James Collins of LEAN/ABCD described low-income delivery systems and wraparound services; Barney Heath and John Nannari said Mass Save incentives are essential to affordable housing, passive house construction, and keeping projects on time and on budget. The final witnesses highlighted Connected Solutions and electrification: Sunrun’s Bronte Payne said the virtual power plant program saved more than it cost and helps avoid peaker plants and grid upgrades, and Highland Electric Fleets’ Ben Sondaga said electric school buses can provide similar grid benefits while lowering transportation costs for districts.

Transcript Highlights:

• We invest in people because we can plan around stable, reliable budgets.
• I understand managing budgets is difficult, but this is not wasteful spending.
• So cutting Mass Save budgets really would cut benefits for low-income families.
• The project is reportedly on time and on budget.
• We also heard repeatedly that Mass Save incentives are directly on budget.

Keywords: 1212, all