Transcript Highlights:

• On line 628 are technical changes, no-cost technical changes for DCYF.
• <00:15:56.240> technical technical changes, no cost technical technical changes, no cost technical
• publishing documented technical publishing documented technical assistance<00:36:41.599> under
• Maybe not technically, but certainly the spirit of those rules.
• Maybe not technically, but certainly the spirit of those rules.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The program itself technically goes into effect in early July at the federal level.
• This is a program that has trained 28,000 teachers statewide.
• We're also requesting the technical expertise to actually do this.
• Let me ask about the teacher residency Technical Assistance Center.
• And then maybe up to $500,000 is for hosting and technical support of the host.

Summary: The committee heard an overview of the May Revision’s Proposition 98 changes for K-12 and community colleges. The Department of Finance said the minimum guarantee rises by $6.4 billion over the Governor’s Budget across the three-year window, with higher guarantees in each year, full payment of the prior settle-up, and larger deposits into the school rainy-day fund. The LAO said the revenue and LCFF updates were reasonable, but urged caution about the settle-up approach and recommended using more of the available funding to protect ongoing programs and build budget resilience. Members focused heavily on the size of the proposed $3.9 billion settle-up, the $10.3 billion reserve deposit, declining K-12 enrollment, and how much of the new funding should be ongoing versus one-time. The committee then reviewed the community colleges portion of the budget. Finance described the May Revision’s higher SCFF COLA, additional funding for enrollment growth, a student support block grant, apprenticeship adjustments, and continued funding for deferred maintenance, Calbright, Common Cloud, and credit for prior learning. The Chancellor’s Office supported the core investments but asked for more funding for enrollment growth, changes to the growth formula, and a COLA for Student Equity and Achievement. The LAO recommended prioritizing the statutory COLA increase, noted that more than half of districts are already above current-year growth targets, and said the new adult learner demonstration project should be rejected because districts already have tools to support similar services. Members also discussed a $52 million current-year apportionment shortfall, which Finance said was discovered too late for the May Revision and would need to be addressed later. Finally, the committee took up the proposed implementation of the federal Workforce Pell program. Finance proposed one-time funding for the California Student Aid Commission and Cradle to Career to build eligibility and data systems, along with trailer bill changes to set up state approval processes. CSAC said the program is promising but highly complex, that California lacks the needed infrastructure, and that the state will need emergency regulations, data linkages, and ongoing funding beyond the one-time proposal. The LAO agreed that some initial funding is needed but warned that the amounts and ongoing costs remain uncertain and that the Legislature should carefully draft the trailer bill language. Members asked about timing, other states’ actions, and how the state would ensure the program is ready for students and institutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Seeing none, a motion by Senator Davis to allow staff to make technical adjustments.
• So next, you do some training. You talk about training with the DCF investigators in this bill.
• Chair, I don't believe that I have any training in this bill.
• There was training in my other child welfare bill that we passed off the floor.
• But I don't think that there's no training of DCF investigators.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services first heard and adopted the proposed fiscal year 2025-26 budget for the committee, which was presented as a $1.8 billion increase over the current base budget. The budget emphasized Medicaid and KidCare funding, IT modernization, workforce reductions tied to unfilled or augmented positions, provider rate increases, mental health and substance use funding, opioid treatment, elder care, veterans’ services, cancer research, and school nurse staffing. The committee approved technical adjustments and then adopted the budget proposal for submission to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The committee then considered several bills, most of which were reported favorably. SB 152 on surgical smoke required hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to adopt smoke evacuation policies; it drew strong support from nurses and other health care workers describing workplace and patient safety risks. CS/SB 958 on early detection of type 1 diabetes required the Department of Health to develop informational materials for schools and, by amendment, early learning coalitions. CS/CS/SB 170 on nursing homes required consumer satisfaction surveys, patient safety culture surveys, reporting to the health information exchange, financial reporting penalties, and Medicaid quality incentive reporting; an amendment exempted state-operated homes, including veterans’ facilities, and directed a study of quality incentive systems. CS/SB 738 updated and streamlined child care regulation, and CS/SB 1356 created the Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases at Florida State University and a related pediatric rare disease screening pilot. The committee also passed SB 1370, which reorganized ambulatory surgical centers into their own statutory framework, with testimony emphasizing their lower costs compared with hospitals. Finally, the committee considered CS/CS/SB 1626 on child welfare and related issues. After adopting multiple amendments that removed references to unaccompanied alien children and special immigrant visas, changed language on child abuse definitions, and required DCF to set room-and-board rates by methodology rather than fee schedule, the bill was explained as strengthening child welfare protections, codifying military-family coordination, improving domestic violence shelter certification, adjusting children’s services council appointments, clarifying missing-child procedures, and updating licensing and compliance provisions. The bill drew both support and opposition, particularly over missing-child jurisdiction and immigration-related concerns, and was ultimately reported favorably. A final motion to record a vote on SB 958 was also adopted.

Transcript Highlights:

• it takes to move a train.
• If Texas had a train length limit.
• Leave, leave lines of trains, train rail cars that we could easily be blocking intersections for quite
• So the average train length in Texas is about 8500 ft.
• Reducing vehicular interaction with trains eliminates risks to motorists, to pedestrians, and to train

Bills: HB 341, HB 791, HB 1564, HB 1695, HB 1722, HB 1729, HB 1772, HB 2003, HB 2954, HB 2989, HB 3084, HB 3134, HB 3135, HB 3309, HB 3611, HB 3679, HB 3727, HB 3832

Keywords: affordable housing, zoning, development, community support, local regulations, bicycle lanes, traffic collisions, Texas Department of Transportation, study, public safety, bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, road safety, transportation study, HB 791, Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, specialty license plate, specialty plates

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't know if it's more training or how we can do that, but in this region, as we move forward, if
• Thank you so much for connecting the dots on the training programs that you're providing and how they
• People want more technical assistance and programming.
• I mean, they do all of the training and everything.
• Apologies again for the technical issue. Okay.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:28:00.080> Um, technical issues we had previously.
• Um, technical issues we had previously.
• Training, emergency plans, all working together.
• Strong more of a technical question.
• assessment teams or the training assessment teams or the training required<01:43:15.199> to

Bills: HF3492, HF3493, HF3494, HF3495, HF3602

Keywords: school safety, grants, education funding, Northern Lights Express, security improvements, rural schools, safe schools, charter schools, nonpublic schools, Tribal education, funding increase, safe schools aid, school security, mental health support, Tribal schools, cybersecurity, funding, mental health, evidence-based plans, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• So you see on the A-1, it's a pretty basic technical change, but I wanted to make sure that's clear.
• Any questions from members on that technical change?
• It ensures that fully credentialed, trained pharmacists and supervised pharmacy technicians, who are
• Technicians perform their jobs at times with little to no training, and yet they are required to know
• It also includes prescription price transparency technical fixes and enhancements, as well as a technical

Transcript Highlights:

• We have highly trained loggers like Mr. Wood performing the management for us.
• fitters and pipe fitters training fitters and pipe fitters training facility<00:43:19.920> in
• <00:45:54.560> facility pipe fitters union training facility pipe fitters union training facility
• <00:47:03.760> ground future customers and a training ground future customers and a training
• obligation to provide technical obligation to provide technical assistance<01:21:43.120> to

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Every technical rescue that needs special training and equipment is not reimbursed by HECTRA.
• So again, just a technical fix.
• Technically, legally, it's an enterprise fund.
• People who take the train or ride the bus.
• And then we engaged a technical resource group of the AI.

Bills: HB2065, HB2462, HB2621, HB3187, HB3539, HB3563, HB3726, HB4164, HB4207, HB4368, HB4706, HB4916, HB4950, HB4967, HB5177, HB4429, HB5597

Keywords: commercial vehicles, parking regulations, residential areas, local governance, land use, traffic safety, high occupancy vehicle lane, pregnant operators, transportation, parental rights, motor vehicle regulations, live video feed, state agency, transparency, public safety, regional transportation, mobility program, sales tax, public infrastructure, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• I was not fully trained in procurement, I admit that.
• I think the director before me had the training and it just wasn't passed on to me.
• When we do training or technical assistance, they might say, we have all this debt.
• When we do training or technical assistance, they might say, we have all this debt.
• So, technically, does our committee have the ability to even do that, Ellen? Do you know? Mr.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I was not fully trained in procurement, I admit.
• I think the director before me had the training, and it just wasn't passed on to me.
• When we do training or technical assistance, they might say, we have all this debt.
• When we do training or technical assistance, they might say, we have all this debt.
• So, technically, does our committee have the ability to even do that, Ellen? Do you know? Mr.

Summary: The committee convened, approved the prior meeting minutes, and received a memo summarizing major audit items. The State Auditor’s office and outside auditors then presented a series of audits, many of which were clean with unmodified opinions and no findings, including the Bank of North Dakota, the Guaranteed Student Loan Program, the Office of the Governor, the State Treasurer, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Quality, Lake Region State College, and the Office of the Governor. The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association audit was also clean overall, but it repeated findings about limited segregation of duties and auditor assistance in preparing financial statements, which the auditor said were expected to continue because of the organization’s small size. Committee members asked about out-of-state board addresses, and the association explained those members were North Dakota residents using South Dakota mailing addresses. Several audits did include findings. The Council on the Arts audit identified two issues: payroll charged to federal awards without supporting time records, and $12,825 in Cultural Endowment Fund spending that was not allowable under state law, including staff training, retreats, and executive director candidate travel. The Department of Public Instruction audit found unsupported scholarship applications in the paraprofessional-to-teacher program, but additional testing confirmed the funds were credited properly and students completed required school district work, so no improper payments were identified. The University of North Dakota audit found a lack of documentation and transparency in School of Law admissions decisions; the auditor said the law school used a holistic process but did not keep notes or evaluation tools to show why applicants were admitted, waitlisted, or denied. UND leadership said the school is in good standing with the American Bar Association and agreed better documentation is needed, and the auditor said the issue was the missing documentation, not ABA accreditation itself. The most extensive discussion centered on the North Dakota Racing Commission audit, which found four findings: overspending the promotion fund’s 25% operating cap, grant conditions not being met, improper breeder fund awards, and improper procurement. The auditor said promotion fund spending exceeded the cap by $327,447 and the fund balance dropped sharply over the audit period. Racing Commission director Bruce Johnson said the agency had become complacent, that grant requests were treated as routine, and that controls and documentation need to be tightened. He also explained that the breeder fund overpayments involved two horses whose ownership transfers were not properly documented before racing, and that the procurement issue stemmed from an advertising contract that proceeded without proper written procurement procedures after a misunderstanding with the State Procurement Office. The auditor said the Racing Commission will now be audited every two years because of the findings. The committee also received updates on Dakota College at Bottineau’s bank reconciliations, which Minot State University said had been brought current after an 18-month backlog, with only one account still needing cleanup; members asked for a written report on the corrective actions. The North Dakota Fair Foundation was reported to have dissolved, with remaining funds transferred to another nonprofit account for continued support of the state fair. Finally, the Department of Public Instruction provided an update on school meal debt, revising the earlier estimate to about $1.1 million based on incomplete district survey responses, and said the Anti-Lunch Shaming law likely increased meal debt because schools must feed students regardless of account balance. Members discussed the need for a more accurate year-end debt figure and possible future reporting at a later committee meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think he's a bit more trained than me, but the way that came about was in part through the advisory
• college prep and Workforce training college prep and Workforce training approximately<00:32:19.279
• Through job skills training, the average hourly salary for our very recent graduates is $30 an hour,
• So just a few technical changes. Great. Would you please then move your A1 amendment?
• So just a few technical changes. Great. Would you please then move your A1 amendment?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Amendment number one is technical.
• Amendment number one is technical.
• Amendment number one is technical. Amendment number one is technical.
• And also makes technical changes.
• sponsors and makes technical changes. sponsors and makes technical changes.

Keywords: House streaming session for Saturday, March 21, 2026, 957, house, all

Summary: The House convened with 126 members present, heard the prayer, approved the previous day’s journal, and then took up a series of Senate messages and committee reports. Senate bills on consent calendars 21 and 22 were read the first time and referred to committees. The House then adopted favorable reports, often without amendment, on a wide range of bills including workers’ compensation evaluation procedures (HB 1325), a state shark designation (HB 97), several local alcoholic beverages measures, commemorative months for Muslim American Heritage and Jewish American Heritage (HB 661), and local license commissioner changes in Anne Arundel, Worcester, Harford, Baltimore City, and Prince George’s counties. Several bills were amended before being ordered printed for third reading. HB 121 (Baltimore County alcohol sales) was amended to change the sponsor to the Baltimore County delegation. HB 1335 on Department of Information Technology workforce recruitment and retention was amended to convert the measure into a study and recommendations report. HB 1037 on PSC oversight of broadband and VoIP was similarly amended from direct oversight to a study and report. HB 1164 on water and sewage rate consolidation and limited-income mechanisms was amended to remove rate-consolidation provisions, require a PSC study, and delay implementation. HB 1381 on stopping or parking in bike lanes added exceptions for emergency, transit, disability pickup/drop-off, disabled vehicles, loading/unloading, and construction or maintenance; HB 1504 prioritized sidewalk and bicycle pathway projects near highways with complete streets or Vision Zero policies; HB 912 adjusted community cat trap-neuter-return rules; and HB 969 clarified electric vehicle charging billing and service fees. The most extended debate centered on HB 639, the Transportation Aviation Passenger Health and Safety Act. After amendments turned it into a reporting measure for fixed-base operators and aviation service companies regarding flights carrying detained individuals, warrants, refueling, and emergency-response documentation, members questioned its practical operation, safety implications, and possible federal preemption issues. The floor leader explained the bill as amended was intended to gather information for Maryland safety and emergency planning. On motion of the committee chair, the House agreed to special order HB 639 until the end of the session for further clarification. The House also amended and advanced HB 1063 on hunting management, including deer damage permits and Sunday hunting rules, and heard a brief statement from an Eastern Shore delegate about the Rural Caucus’s approach to offering amendments rather than opposing bills outright. The session ended with HB 972, creating the Maryland Fair and Agricultural Education Promise Fund, amended to rename the bill in honor of the late Delegate Charles Otto and to replace lottery funding with an annual appropriation; the House adopted the amendments and the favorable report.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, for the initial training for an in supervisor, it’s about $500 for your initial training.
• I mean, if I work for the state, I’m getting trained. We send firemen to get trained.
• trained. We send firemen to get trained. trained.
• $40,000 when they get training. $40,000 when they get training.
• all the technical nuances of this bill. all the technical nuances of this bill.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a Mayo trained, Medical Association.
• <00:42:57.400> assistance and piece of their technical assistance and piece of their technical
• <00:43:05.920> The on further technical assistance. The on further technical assistance.
• clarifying some technical items in HCBS. clarifying some technical items in HCBS.
• <02:31:34.840> that This is a technical correction that This is a technical correction that

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're always looking for ways to address any technical inefficiencies that are in election law or ways
• We're always looking for ways to address any technical inefficiencies that are in election law or ways
• But this will give the ability for cities to decline should they not have the capability or technical
• you're starting to train you're starting to train people<01:04:21.279> but<01:04:21.440><
• they start hearing about uh training they start hearing about uh training requirements<01:12:25.360

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The technical problems that...
• You know, access to technical expertise, but I've been out to Pittsburgh many times.
• Their technical expertise that they have is phenomenal.
• Just kind of the same, where does the savings... same train of thought or line of questioning.
• And so the idea is to develop a train-the-trainer model where DPI just kind of oversees it, but the training

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 2265, which would provide the Fargo National Cemetery with up to a $3 million line of credit to help fund improvements such as indoor bathrooms, parking, a family gathering area, an office, a hearse garage, and a veterans gallery. Supporters said the cemetery has expanded rapidly since 2019, has already conducted about 1,000 burials, and needs better facilities for families and the Honor Guard; they also said the project would be subject to federal VA approval and, once completed, would be taken over by the VA. Members raised questions about the project’s cost, timing, funding sources, whether the bill should be a grant instead of a line of credit, and whether a chapel should be specifically included. No vote was taken on SB 2265 during the excerpt. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2230, which would have the Secretary of State mail active voters a guide on ballot measures at least 45 days before an election, with objective summaries, fiscal impacts, and arguments for and against each measure. Secretary of State Michael Howe said the office already receives many questions about ballot measures and would post the same information online and at polling places, while emphasizing the need to keep the material objective and consistent with election-law restrictions. Members generally supported the idea as a voter-education tool, and the committee adopted a due pass motion on SB 2230 by a 19-0 vote. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 2256, which would provide one-time state support for the NDSU Research and Technology Park in Fargo to expand its role in commercialization, robotics, precision agriculture, and defense-related technology. Park CEO Brenda Weiland explained that the park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit spun out of NDSU, governed by a board with both university and industry representation, and that the new model is intended to bridge the gap between research and market-ready products without competing directly with private industry. Members asked about ownership, intellectual property, the planned partnership with Carnegie Mellon’s robotics center, and how the park would use the funding; the discussion focused on contracts, licensing, and the park’s intent to build technical capacity and attract companies. The excerpt ends before any vote on SB 2256.

Transcript Highlights:

• this week will move to aahu and training this week will move to aahu and they<00:34:12.679> will<
• amendments needed for making technical amendments needed for clarity<00:59:00.839> consistency
• My recommendation is that we pass this with amendments—just technical amendments needed for clarity,
• We’ll also be making technical amendments needed for clarity, consistency, and deferring the date to
• 18 uh will also be take making technical 18 uh will also be take making technical amendments<01:

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:48:20.800> Um trainings. Um is that enough? No. Um trainings. Um is that enough? No.
• that if they had proper training that if they had proper training<00:58:05.839> that<00:58:06.480
• treated as debt because they technically treated as debt because they technically aren't<01:26:00.320
• Um, but Kino is not technically<02:55:44.160> gambling.
• It is a gambling technically gambling.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee convened for a day of public hearings on nine bills, with plans to later execute several early bills and possibly additional measures under House Rule 44. Chair Diane Pauer outlined time limits for sponsors and testimony, announced a lunch break around noon, and noted substitute members would be arriving later. The first hearing was on House Bill 1107, which would allow municipal budget committees to have one to three alternate members. Representative Valon, the prime sponsor, said the bill was intended to help towns like Epping deal with quorum problems during the compressed budget season and noted that alternates are common on other local boards. The New Hampshire Municipal Association testified in support, saying the bill would increase flexibility and help fill seats. Committee members raised concerns about whether alternates should be elected, how they would be selected, whether they would be sufficiently informed to vote, and whether the bill’s one-year term language and rescission provisions were clear. The sponsor and NHMA said the process would be consistent with other local boards, that alternates would typically be appointed after elections, and that they would follow up on possible statutory clarification. The hearing closed with six remote supporters, one paper supporter, and no opposition reported. The committee then heard House Bill 1118, sponsored by Representative Colby, which would raise the daily amount municipal employees may hold before remitting funds to the treasurer from the current $1,500 limit to $3,500. Colby said the existing thresholds are outdated, have not been updated in about 20 years, and create burdens for smaller towns that must make frequent bank deposits, sometimes far from town offices. She said the bill would improve efficiency and allow staff to focus more on serving residents, while still allowing municipalities to keep lower limits if they choose. Members asked about how the remittance process works in practice, what amounts municipalities typically collect, and whether the change reflected a broader trend of updating cash-handling thresholds. The sponsor explained that the bill only changes the dollar thresholds in the relevant statutes and does not require municipalities to adopt the higher limit. The transcript cuts off before any final action on HB 1118 is reported.

Transcript Highlights:

• pesticide our registration and Technical pesticide our registration and Technical review<00:14:51.600
• <00:22:56.960> report policy statement and a technical report policy statement and a technical
• were not trained to think about chronic low-level exposure.
• disaster preparedness um and uh Training disaster preparedness um and uh Training Center<00:48:25.760
• <01:14:54.760> term as a technical term as a technical term I<01:14:55.960> said<01

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint informational briefing focused on restricted use pesticides in Hawaiʻi, with Senate and House members opening the meeting and explaining that the session was intended to hear expert presentations and community concerns. Fern Holland outlined the background for the briefing, describing how restricted use pesticides differ from general-use products, why state-level regulation matters, and how community advocates have sought disclosure and protections for years. She summarized 2019 reporting data, saying a small number of users accounted for most reported use, with especially heavy application in North Central Oʻahu and on the west side of Kauaʻi. She highlighted concerns about applications near schools, homes, and coastlines, and identified 1,3-dichloropropene and metam sodium as among the heaviest-used fumigants. She also noted concerns about highly hazardous pesticides, some banned in other countries, and the lack of research on long-term combined exposure to multiple pesticides. Greg Takashima of the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture described the department’s pesticide program and regulatory authority under FIFRA and state law. He explained the distinction between general-use and restricted use pesticides, the certification requirements for applicators, and the department’s role in tracking RUPs from sale through use. He reviewed the branch’s functions in enforcement, education and certification, registration and technical review, and laboratory analysis, including inspections, complaint response, market surveillance, product registration, groundwater review, and outreach on drift reduction and integrated pest management. He also noted staffing and funding limitations, saying the branch lacks a toxicologist and long-term monitoring capacity, and compared Hawaiʻi’s resources to California’s much larger pesticide regulatory program. Takashima thanked the legislature for passing Act 231 the prior year and said the department supports the measure as it moves forward this session. Dr. Lee, speaking for the Hawaiʻi chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and as a former member of the Kauaʻi Joint Fact-Finding Task Force, said pediatric guidance has shifted from focusing on acute poisoning to recognizing chronic low-level pesticide exposure as a concern. He cited AAP publications linking pesticide exposure to cancer, brain tumors, leukemia, birth outcomes, neurobehavioral effects, and asthma, and said pediatricians are now encouraged to advise families on reducing exposure and to support right-to-know measures and buffer zones around schools and public gathering places. He also described the Kauaʻi task force’s work, saying it found the west side of the island to be an unhealthy community but could not prove causation because of missing drift, geospatial, and biomarker data. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational, questions were held until after presentations, and the department expressed support for Act 231.