Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, this was done to simplify it, so it was kind of done once, not 18 times in the course of a cycle.
• :11:29.200> a once not 18 times in the course of a a once not 18 times in the course of a a cycle
• 30.959> you<00:11:31.120> have<00:11:31.279> any<00:11:31.519> questions, cycle
• Uh if you have any questions, cycle.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Long Range Capital Planning and Utilization Committee met to approve the February 24 minutes and complete committee organization by confirming Senator Maki as vice chair. The committee then considered several Department of Safety and Department of Transportation lease requests, along with an informational report from the New Hampshire Council on Resources and Development. The Department of Safety sought approval for a 15-year lease at 17 Freetown Road in Raymond to relocate DMV operations from Epping. The department said the move was needed because the Epping site had limited parking and inadequate interior space, and that the longer lease was justified by fit-up costs and the need to ensure ADA-compliant accessibility. Members asked about fit-up costs and future DMV space needs, and the request was approved. The Department of Transportation presented a lease for JCB LLC for a private, non-commercial dock and pedestrian at-grade crossing on the Concord-to-Lincoln railroad corridor in Belmont. Members discussed the private nature of the dock, the role of DEIS approval, and the annual lease fee, which was read into the record before the request was approved. The committee then approved a bundled request covering 18 similar dock and mooring lease renewals in Belmont, Meredith, and Laconia, with discussion focused on the renewal process, waiver of administrative fees, and the standardized lease costs. The Council on Resources and Development item was informational only and required no action. The committee set its next meeting for June 30 at 9:30 a.m. and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• bill on the agenda, which is STR 154 supporting the implementation of the recommendation from all cycles
• bill on the agenda, which is STR 154 supporting the implementation of the recommendation from all cycles
• bill on the agenda, which is STR 154 supporting the implementation of the recommendation from all cycles
• bill on the agenda, which is STR 154 supporting the implementation of the recommendation from all cycles

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard Senate Concurrent Resolution 158, which had been amended from an automatic voter registration-related request to a resolution urging the administration to follow the law and comply with federal court orders. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support, including from the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, the Democratic Party of Hawaii, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Hawaii women lawyers, and others. One witness spoke against automatic voter registration, warning it could be exploited by bad actors, though the chair clarified that the amended resolution was focused on court orders rather than AVR. Members asked questions about whether states or Congress can enforce compliance with court orders and whether there were historical examples of presidents refusing to follow them. The response emphasized separation of powers, checks and balances, and the importance of state support for the rule of law. The committee then voted to accept the proposed SD1 for SCR 158; the measure passed with one no vote recorded from Senator Awa. The committee also took up SCR 154, a resolution supporting implementation of applicable United Nations Human Rights Council universal periodic review recommendations. No testimony was received on that measure, and it was deferred. In a later decision-making agenda item, the committee considered a measure directing the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to include circuit and district court facilities in planning new correctional centers and to establish a release procedure away from residential communities and public spaces; the committee recommended passage as amended, and the measure passed without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Families with young children are typically early in their earning cycle.
• children are typically early in their children are typically early in their earning<00:04:58.240> cycle
• 59.240> have<00:04:59.400> as<00:04:59.759> much<00:04:59.919> to earning cycle
• they don't have as much to earning cycle they don't have as much to give<00:05:00.360> they<00

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee heard House File 1384, which would create the “Great Start Child Care Tax Credit” by expanding the existing dependent care credit for families with children under age six. The bill would raise the qualifying expense limits for young children, allow more children to qualify, and phase the credit down starting at $125,000 of earned household income until it reaches zero above roughly $400,000. The author said the proposal is intended to better address the high cost of child care, especially for middle-income families who may not qualify for other assistance programs. Claire Sanford of the Minnesota Child Care Association testified in support. She said child care providers across Minnesota have unused capacity because many families cannot afford services, and argued that making care cheaper for families is important for workforce participation and child development. She also supported the bill’s focus on children under five and its expansion of help up the income scale, saying middle-class families have received little assistance with child care costs. Members asked about how the bill differs from current law, the cap for a family with one child age five, and the fiscal impact. The author explained that a family with one child under age six would have a $10,000 cap under the proposal and said a prior fiscal note estimated the bill at about $200 million per year. The author also noted the proposal had been introduced previously and said the Department of Revenue’s new ability to make advance payments could be relevant as the bill moves forward. The author renewed the motion to re-refer HF 1384 to the Committee on Taxes. The committee approved the motion by voice vote, and the bill was sent to Taxes.

Transcript Highlights:

• This amendment is a replace-all amendment, and you have heard what I think.
• Please, dear God, end this cycle.
• <05:29:56.160> Stop Please, dear God, end this cycle.
• Stop Please, dear God, end this cycle.
• By replacing it with House resolution.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• after July 1, 2025, but is it true that, say, for example, that this upcoming annual town meeting cycle
• :00:25.440> meeting upcoming ing um annual town meeting upcoming ing um annual town meeting cycle
• :00:27.440> be<02:00:27.920> more<02:00:28.239> than<02:00:28.480> six cycle
• that there could be more than six cycle that there could be more than six because<02:00:29.360> they
• able to do that, it's probably going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and we might need to replace

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But if we have between 85 and 88,000, and probably in a minimum or maximum of a 12-week cycle to get
• to get this or maximum of a 12week cycle to get this get<02:14:31.199> enrolled<02:14:31.679>
• So, I'm quite concerned that we're taking a program that works very well and we're going to replace it
• So, I'm quite concerned that we're taking a program that works very well and we're going to replace it
• the current language it will replace the current language that<03:42:59.600> is<03:42:59.760>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those damaged devices and cuffs are not being replaced, and larger cuffs are not covered.
• country can stop blaming Democrats in New York for not having elected more Democrats in that election cycle
• country can stop blaming Democrats in New York for not having elected more Democrats in that election cycle
• You wiped out fair, honest... jurists who actually were politically aligned with your side to replace
• A sticker is not going to replace good parenting, number one.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the journal, and then moved through a large number of motions to discharge bills from committees and substitute identical Senate bills for third reading. The chamber also received and accepted a Finance Committee report on nominations for Kathleen Mosier as Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Terrence O’Leary as Commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and John Kagia as Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management. All three nominees were confirmed, with Mosier and O’Leary confirmed unanimously and Kagia confirmed 57-1, with Senator Walczyk voting no. The Senate adopted previously approved resolutions recognizing June 2026 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month and mourning the death of Susan Irene Wright of Harlem. Senators Brisport and Bottcher spoke at length in support of Pride Month, emphasizing LGBTQ+ history, resilience, and ongoing threats to the trans community. On the Susan Wright resolution, Senators Cleare, Bailey, and Bottcher praised her community leadership, philanthropy, and family legacy, and Assembly Member Jordan Wright was recognized in the chamber. The body then considered and passed many bills on the calendar, including measures on insurance, environmental conservation, public health, education, business law, labor, social services, highway law, and local tax exemptions. Several bills drew brief explanations of vote, including a measure to end higher insurance premiums for widows, a bill to prohibit correctional facilities from denying visitation because of menstrual products or IUDs, and a Medicaid-related bill to expand access to blood pressure monitors for pregnant people. Most bills passed with broad support, though some had notable opposition from a small group of senators. Late in the session, the Senate took up a proposed constitutional amendment on redistricting. Senator Stewart-Cousins sponsored the measure, and Senator Walczyk questioned it extensively, arguing voters had previously approved an independent redistricting process and objecting to changes that would remove the Legislature’s two-thirds map-approval requirement and alter the commission’s role. The sponsor said the changes were needed in response to aggressive partisan redistricting in other states and would still require voter ratification in future sessions. The transcript ends during that debate, with no final vote on the amendment shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• First of all, this is a replace-all amendment.
• First of all, this is a replace-all amendment.
• No, this is a replace all. So I think we've covered everything regarding the bill.
• We've been through 17 budget cycles since then, and we've been passing budgets that basically are least
• We've been through 17 budget cycles since then, and we've been passing budgets that basically are least

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee first recessed for a subcommittee meeting on HB 313, which concerned an open-meetings-related issue. In the subcommittee, members discussed concerns that the bill might be unnecessary because current law already allows a person to request an open meeting in advance; the subcommittee then voted ITL on HB 313 by voice vote and closed its work session. The full Judiciary Committee then reconvened and took up CACR 6, the proposed constitutional amendment on a “right to compute,” with members debating whether the language was too broad and could create unintended consequences. Supporters framed it as a forward-looking protection for computation resources and strong encryption, while opponents said it was too open-ended and better addressed by future legislation. The committee voted ITL on CACR 6 by a 17-0 roll call. The committee next turned to HB 232, as amended, concerning the rights of conscience for medical professionals. The amendment narrowed the bill to abortion-related objections, removed sterilization and artificial contraception, aligned the abortion definition with existing state law, and reduced damages from treble damages to actual damages. Supporters said the bill would protect conscience rights, give physicians and patients more choice, and could help attract providers to New Hampshire. Opponents argued it was overly broad, unclear in key definitions, and could interfere with employers’ ability to assign staff, especially in rural health settings. Members also raised concerns about the bill’s scope and enforcement, including the broad definition of “participate,” the lack of clarity around exceptions for providers whose services include abortion as a “major part,” emergency determinations, and the inclusion of nursing homes in the definition of health care institution. Some members argued the bill singled out abortion while other controversial medical procedures were not treated similarly, and others criticized the minimum-damages provision as potentially punitive and designed to deter participation. The discussion continued without a final vote shown in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• that came out from Sandia National Laboratories that notes that you can use X-rays as a viable replacement
• here in Texas, state and industry partners around the country, every part of the livestock production cycle
• detect it in a surveillance trap for 21 days, then you can start the clock where they do three life cycles
• So I think we replaced one species with another.
• So potentially two to 400 new screw worms go in the ground and the cycle begins drastically on me.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We will see more children forced to change schools due to housing loss, more families cycling through
• through shelters, and more cycling through shelters, and more adults<00:09:15.440> living<00:
• Over the last two-year cycle, our county received $2.47 million, and in the current two-year cycle that
• This caused the cycle of poverty and homelessness to grow worse for Native Americans.
• This caused the cycle of poverty and homelessness to grow worse for Native Americans.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 3403, authored by Vice Chair Rep. Kazowski, and first adopted an A1 amendment. The amendment made technical and implementation changes recommended by the Department of Revenue, allowed a small portion of funds for county and tribal administrative costs, and clarified timing and reporting for spent and unspent funds. After the amendment was adopted, the bill was moved to Ways and Means. Rep. Kazowski described HF 3403 as a $50 million emergency rental assistance measure to help stabilize households facing eviction, with $44 million directed to counties and $6 million reserved for tribal nations, administered through the Department of Revenue using the existing local homeless prevention aid formula. Supporters said the bill would provide immediate, targeted help to renters and landlords, prevent evictions, and reduce downstream costs to shelters, schools, employers, and health systems. Several testifiers, including representatives from Greater Twin Cities United Way, St. Louis County, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, social workers, a resident, and tribal housing leaders, said local resources were insufficient to meet rising need and emphasized the impact of federal immigration enforcement and related economic disruption on families, workers, and communities. Testimony highlighted sharp increases in rental assistance requests, rising eviction filings, depleted county funds, and the strain on nonprofit and mutual aid efforts. County and city officials said emergency rental assistance and related legal services had already prevented thousands of evictions, but current funding was not enough. Tribal testimony stressed disproportionate homelessness among Native Americans and supported the bill’s tribal allocation. During member discussion, Rep. Amani Hiltsley said the bill was an economic stabilization tool and requested a roll call vote, noting safeguards against fraud and the broader costs of inaction.

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, Arrivals Akami is a program that is replacing the paper documents, hopefully eventually totally
• replacing the paper documents.
• that is replacing the paper hopefully<00:10:30.720> eventually<00:10:31.360> totally<00
• :10:31.920> replacing hopefully eventually totally replacing hopefully eventually totally replacing
• Um so we have to make sure replacement.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• FOR THIS CYCLE THERE WERE DIFFERENT ADJUSTMENTS MADE TWO DIFFERENT SOURCES, SOME OF THE LARGE ONES OVER
• LAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS WE'VE BEEN SEEING ALMOST ALL OF OUR SOURCES BEING INCREASED BUT FOR THIS CYCLE
• SO THAT'S THE OVERALL UPDATE FROM THE GENERAL REVENUE CYCLE, THAT IS THE PRESENTATION. >> Chair Avila

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first is in the AI super cycle.
• So on the opportunity capture an AI super cycle, I agree with you, and TSM is in my district.
• Once we have the super cycle, we’re having all this new investment. It’s super successful.
• The first is in the AI super cycle.
• Once we have the super cycle, we're having all this new investment. It's super successful.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee met to review the governor’s fiscal 2027 budget presentation, with the chair repeatedly asking members to keep questions brief and avoid speeches. The discussion focused first on the overall revenue and spending outlook, including concerns from members that the executive forecast was more optimistic than the JLBC baseline and that the budget appeared to front-load revenue and expenditure growth. The governor’s budget team said the forecast was close to JLBC’s, that the budget was structurally balanced, and that differences were roughly $100 million per year on ongoing revenue. Members asked for follow-up calculations in writing, including the total multi-year gap and the amount of revenue enhancements above base revenues. A major portion of the meeting centered on tax and fee proposals tied to data centers, water use, and sports betting. The governor’s team defended eliminating the existing data center tax incentive as the removal of a loophole rather than a new tax, arguing the incentive had already succeeded in attracting major investment. They also described a proposed Department of Water Resources fee-setting authority for data centers to support a new Colorado River Protection Fund, and said the proposal would apply to existing and future facilities without a grandfather clause. Members raised concerns about fairness, competitiveness, and whether the changes would require a supermajority vote. The team also discussed increased sports betting fees, saying the revenue forecast did not include dynamic behavioral effects. The committee then moved through major spending areas, including corrections, public safety, border security, cybersecurity, K-12 education, Medicaid, and developmental disabilities. The governor’s budget includes ongoing funding to prevent correctional officer pay cuts, money to comply with prison health care court orders, probation funding, body-worn cameras, law enforcement staffing, fentanyl task forces, and cyber readiness grants. Members questioned the lack of funding for a prison oversight committee and asked for corrections spending totals over the administration. On border security, the executive said it was seeking about $759.7 million in federal reimbursement for border-related costs and that the governor had met with federal officials, including Secretary Noem and Tom Homan, about the request. In education, the budget proposes renewing Prop. 123, adding K-12 base funding, and issuing $1.5 billion in school facilities bonds over three years; members debated whether the proposal was appropriate and whether Prop. 123 revenues could support the debt service. The meeting also covered AHCCCS cost growth and federal HR1 impacts, with the executive warning of major coverage losses and hospital funding reductions, and DDD funding, where the governor’s team said the budget fully funds services and includes about $120 million in supplemental needs. No votes were taken; the meeting was a presentation and question-and-answer session only.

Transcript Highlights:

• In the previous cycle, this was an issue in litigation where the court found that a small number of individuals
• In 2013, last cycle, the Florida Supreme Court made an exception to that when it comes to this provision
• During the last cycle, there was an extensive discovery.
• I don't want to predict what a court would rule in any sort of discovery instance, but in the 2010 cycle
• Florida chooses to, after Calais, to keep its maps in place, await either the next cycle or await litigation

Summary: The Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting met for an informational presentation from outside counsel Andy Bartos on the legal standards governing congressional redistricting. He reviewed federal Equal Protection principles, Florida’s non-diminishment provision, and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, explaining how race can be considered in redistricting but generally cannot be the predominant factor. He also discussed the Florida Constitution’s tiered standards, including the prohibition on intentional political favoritism, compactness, and the requirement to use existing political and geographical boundaries where feasible. Bartos focused on two recent or pending cases: the Florida Supreme Court’s Black Voters Matter decision, which upheld the legislature’s 2022 congressional map and held that the non-diminishment clause does not justify making race predominant absent specific identifiable discrimination, and Louisiana v. Callais, pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, which may further clarify whether race may be used predominantly to comply with the Voting Rights Act or whether Section 2 remains constitutional as applied. He also explained how courts assess compactness and intent, and how data such as the 2020 census, voter registration, turnout, and election results are used for voting-rights analysis. Members asked about what triggers redistricting, whether the legislature must redraw maps now, what data is available in the mapping tool, how intent is measured, and whether public input opportunities will be provided. Bartos said redistricting timing is largely a legislative judgment unless a court requires changes, that the committee can consider whether BVM or the eventual Callais decision warrants revisions, and that the Callais ruling will bind Louisiana directly but serve as precedent for other courts. No votes or legislative actions were taken, and the meeting adjourned after the presentation and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Did you know that the cities are on a two-year cycle for elections and don't have town meetings every
• I evaluated several different cycles, a few different cycles, as to what would be the appropriate thing
• :04:48.400> 10-year basis than uh certainly the 10-year basis than uh certainly the 10-year cycle
• And then um based on my cycle.
• for people to get used to that cycles for people to get used to that requirement.<01:10:17.679> the

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This funding, however, does not serve as an adequate replacement for approximately $3.5 billion in funding
• . ...as an adequate replacement for approximately $3.5 billion in federal funding for health care that
• revenue growth for the Commonwealth, creating significant fiscal constraint for the state this budget cycle
• the most serious mental health needs, is that their care is disrupted and that they are often in a cycle

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a Health and Human Services budget hearing in Clinton, with opening remarks from Chairs Meg Kilcoyne and Robin Kennedy, local officials, and many House and Senate members introducing themselves. The hearing focused on Governor Healey’s FY27 EOHHS and MassHealth budgets, with repeated themes of rising health care costs, federal funding uncertainty, workforce shortages, and access to care in underserved regions. Members also raised concerns about primary care shortages, rural and regional disparities, behavioral health access, maternal health, food insecurity, and the impact of federal policy changes on Massachusetts programs. EOHHS Secretary Kiame Mahaniah said the FY27 EOHHS budget totals $33.7 billion, reflecting mostly non-discretionary growth from health care costs, labor costs, caseload increases, and provider rate pressures. He highlighted targeted investments in foster care, family resource centers, maternal health, youth services, nutrition programs, immigrant legal services, and human service workforce rates, while warning that federal actions could strip roughly $3.5 billion annually from the state’s health care funding. In response to questions, he defended the administration’s cooperation with federal audits and program integrity efforts, discussed the primary care crisis, and said the state is trying to preserve core services while preparing for a more difficult FY28 budget cycle. MassHealth Undersecretary Mike Levine then described two major FY27 challenges: double-digit cost growth and the expected effects of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He said MassHealth’s proposed $22.7 billion gross budget includes a 7.5% increase and relies on a moratorium on new expansions plus targeted reductions, including a $1,000 annual adult dental cap, ending GLP-1 coverage for weight loss only, reducing care management to peer-state levels, and work groups to slow growth in PCA, adult foster care, and adult day health spending. Members questioned the impact on Boston Health Care for the Homeless, preventive care, and regional access; Levine said the changes are meant to preserve sustainability, that children and certain disabled populations remain protected, and that the administration will continue working with providers, advocates, and the Legislature on implementation and longer-term reforms.

Transcript Highlights:

• gender-affirming health care. you don't have to have reassignment surgery or be receiving hormone replacement
• And you know it is because otherwise the legislature wouldn't currently be working on off-cycle redistricting
• non-binary or whether they simply don't fit stereotypical ideas of men's and women's bodies—to repeat the cycle
• The only difference is that you've replaced antiquated ideas of race with antiquated ideas of gender.

Bills: SB7, SB14, SB 7, SB 14

Keywords: gender designation, civil penalties, private civil rights, multiple-occupancy spaces, Texas Women's Privacy Act, law enforcement, confidentiality, personnel files, employee records, misconduct, abortion, civil liability, abortion-inducing drugs, qui tam actions, Texas Citizens Participation Act, Religious Freedom Restoration Act, healthcare regulations, impact fees, water conservation, reuse projects

Transcript Highlights:

• Over the last two-year cycle, our county received $2.47 million, and in the current two-year cycle that
• Over the last two-year cycle, our county received $2.47 million, and in the current two-year cycle that
• <00:14:59.519> 2.47<00:15:00.160> 7 cycle, our county received 2.47 7 cycle, our county
• This caused a cycle of poverty and homelessness to grow worse for Native Americans.”
• > poverty<00:34:12.720> and caused a cycle of poverty and caused a cycle of poverty and homelessness

Bills: HF3403, HF3410, HF3424

Keywords: HF3403, emergency rental assistance, rental aid, homelessness prevention, housing crisis, imminent risk of homelessness, eviction prevention, county aid, Tribal governments, local government aids, general fund appropriation, Minnesota revenue commissioner, poverty level, low-income housing, housing stability, family homeless prevention and assistance, emergency housing assistance, eviction, rent, redemption

Transcript Highlights:

• children with comprehensive, coordinated supports and stay with them over time, you can break the cycle
• We have the chance to reverse those cycles. We have the support...
• We have the chance to reverse those cycles. We have the support and the momentum.
• We cannot solve life problems on a grant cycle. We need the government to walk with us in this.
• We fuel the innovation that's needed to break cycles of disinvestment, dispossession, and exclusion,

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business held its final hearing of the session on H. 5187 and S. 3022, the Enough Act, with Chair Andy Vargas and Senator Adam Gomez opening by thanking committee members and stakeholders for their work during the session. The bills were described as a grant-based, place-based anti-poverty initiative intended to support cradle-to-career services by funding local nonprofits, schools, community organizations, and backbone entities that can coordinate housing, education, health, workforce, and family supports in high-poverty neighborhoods. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support of the bills. Speakers including Strategies for Children, Chelsea Public Schools, Bunker Hill Community College, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian, Rep. Antonio Cabral, the Harlem Children’s Zone’s Kwame Owusu Kesse and Jeffrey Canada, former Education Secretary Paul Reville, AFT Massachusetts, United Way, the Boston Foundation, Give Black Alliance, Eastern Bank Foundation, and others argued that poverty is a systems issue that schools alone cannot solve. They emphasized the need for local control, community voice, coordinated services, and long-term public-private investment, often citing examples from Chelsea, New Bedford, Springfield, Lowell, Boston, and other communities, as well as the Harlem Children’s Zone and Maryland’s similar model. Committee members asked several questions about how the bill would function in practice, including what organizations would do on day one, how it would interact with existing efforts like community schools, McKinney-Vento, and the Student Opportunity Act, and how it would be sustained over time. Witnesses said the act would help create or strengthen backbone organizations, reduce duplication, align existing resources, and leverage philanthropy and future revenue sources for long-term sustainability. No vote was taken during the hearing, but multiple speakers urged the committee to report the bill favorably and quickly.

Transcript Highlights:

• repeatedly looking at the HAVA SSA state there are tens of thousands of people in recent election cycles
• repeatedly looking at the HAVA SSA state there are tens of thousands of people in recent election cycles
• repeatedly looking at the HAVA SSA state there are tens of thousands of people in recent election cycles
• repeatedly looking at the HAVA SSA state there are tens of thousands of people in recent election cycles
• in recent election cycles in recent election cycles that<00:43:49.160> failed.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up HF 2526 and received a walkthrough of the DE1 amendment from nonpartisan staff. The amendment revised the bill’s gift and ethics provisions by defining local government and public safety officer, narrowing covered mental health or wellness services to those provided by a qualified mental health professional and tied to recovery from a traumatic event, excluding luxury services or events as determined by the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, and allowing local governments to adopt additional gift restrictions. It also added a bribery-related provision for gifts made with intent to influence a public safety officer. Members noted the language had been worked on by Representatives Duran, Vernig, and Freiberg, and the DE1 was adopted unanimously. HF 2526, as amended, then passed to the floor on a voice vote. The committee then turned to HF 3722, which would remove deceased voters from the state voter registration system. The bill author argued that deceased voters should not remain on the rolls and that removing them would clean up the voter list. Secretary of State staff testified in opposition, saying deceased voters are already kept in a separate deceased status, not on active rolls, and that retaining the record helps flag suspicious activity and preserves voter history in case of administrative error. A second testifier described a real case in which a deceased voter’s retained record helped election officials identify and investigate a fraudulent ballot. After discussion, the committee tabled HF 3722. Finally, the committee heard HF 3723, which would require additional verification for absentee ballot applications and permanent absentee voters. Supporters said the bill would help ensure ballots are not sent to people who have died or moved out of state. Secretary of State staff opposed the bill, saying most voters are already verified at registration, that the proposed checks would duplicate existing procedures, and that additional verification could create delays or false rejections. A testifier also objected to the bill’s effective date, saying it would take effect only days after absentee voting begins. The sponsor argued that voters remain on the permanent list indefinitely and that periodic verification is needed because people move or die; the committee did not reach a final vote in the portion provided.