Transcript Highlights:

• I nobody would ever design a system that way, but it's the system that we're currently operating in.
• I nobody would ever design a system that way, but it's the system that we're currently operating in.
• Nobody would ever design a system that way, but it's the system that we're currently operating in.
• Nobody would ever design a system that way, but it's the system that we're currently operating in.
• <01:13:59.440> taxes group that the federal tax system taxes group that the federal tax system

Bills: HF1698, HF632, HF1352, HF2197, HF618, HF1248, HF1697

Keywords: property tax, exemption, leased land, public use, commercial property, HF632, Minnesota property tax, conservation easement, conservation restriction, assessed value, property valuation, tax assessment, real property, land conservation, farmland preservation, natural areas, riparian buffer, water quality, water quantity, county assessor

Transcript Highlights:

• We are tracking these, one of which did reference IRA and IIJA explicitly.
• <00:19:59.000> we supporting climate safe food systems we supporting climate safe food systems
• They're going to put a renewable geothermal energy system in one of their facilities.
• They're going to put a renewable geothermal energy system in one of their facilities.
• Systems in the state need improvement now because failure is not an option.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Capital Investment held its first meeting of the 2025 session with members and staff introducing themselves and describing their priorities. Senators from both parties repeatedly emphasized the goal of passing a strong bipartisan bonding bill this year, with several members noting that local projects were delayed after no bonding bill passed the previous year. Chair Housley also said the committee would not meet later that week and previewed an upcoming presentation from MMB on federal funds. The committee then heard a presentation from MMB’s Leah Corey and Anna Ming on Minnesota’s federal funding efforts. Corey explained that MMB’s federal funds team coordinates state efforts to maximize funding from IIJA, IRA, CHIPS, and related federal programs. She said Minnesota has secured about $12.3 billion in federal funding so far, including roughly $3 billion more since the last presentation, supporting about 1,800 projects statewide. Most of the funding is going to transportation, roads, and bridges, with other major areas including clean energy and weatherization. She also highlighted an interactive public dashboard showing projects by region and noted that much of the data reflects funds flowing through the state enterprise. Corey also discussed state match programs that helped unlock federal dollars, including the IIJA discretionary match fund, the State Competitiveness Fund, and the Forward Fund. She said $180 million in state match has unlocked about $1 billion in federal investment through the IIJA discretionary match fund, nearly $17 million in state investment has unlocked nearly $90 million in federal funding through the State Competitiveness Fund, and $124 million for the Forward Fund has unlocked nearly $1 billion in federal and private investment. Members asked whether more state dollars could have brought in more federal funds; Corey said she was not sure, but noted the IIJA match fund is expected to run out in the coming months. The presentation also focused on direct pay tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, which allow tax-exempt entities such as governments, nonprofits, school districts, and tribal nations to receive payments for eligible clean energy projects after they are completed. Corey said the state is building awareness and technical assistance around direct pay, including educational sessions and a tax expert resource. She also described Minnesota’s Green Bank, the Minnesota Climate Innovation Finance Authority, which is beginning to issue loans for projects such as community energy, nonprofit geothermal systems, and solar-plus-battery installations.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have upgraded our customer relationship management system.
• This is essentially the sales system, how we track leads and make sure they get assigned.
• We do need to integrate the CRM software to capture and track new leads.
• There's some gaps in the system that this funding would address.
• Deposit tracking for parks into an internal system.

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce on its FY26 priorities, recent performance, and budget requests. Commerce said it had helped announce about 8,000 direct jobs and nearly $14 billion in investment year-to-date, while noting challenges such as tariffs, workforce recruitment, staffing/FTE management, and the condition of its 100-year-old office building. The agency highlighted projects and initiatives including a new Taiwan trade office, Route 66 Centennial planning, the National Main Street conference in Tulsa, Olympic-related coordination, census outreach, and continued improvements to its grants and CRM systems. Requested funding included $8.3 million for building repairs or relocation planning, census support, $300,000 for EDGE, $135,000 for IT/cybersecurity upgrades, $250,000 for the Taiwan office, and additional support for Head Start, senior nutrition, and the Strategic Air and Space Commission. Members asked about the meaning of the investment totals, the building condition, delays in senior nutrition distributions, and staffing vacancies; Commerce said the investment figures reflected formal company capital announcements, the building had significant facade and roof damage, delays were due to multiple contracting layers, and several open positions were expected to be filled soon. The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department then presented its FY26 budget and goals. New director Amy Blackburn and special advisor Sterling Zearley said the department oversees 38 state parks, six lodges, seven golf courses, and nine travel information centers, and emphasized tourism’s economic importance. They reported savings from bringing marketing and tracking functions in-house and from shared services, but said the department faces more than $271 million in deferred maintenance needs, staffing shortages, and connectivity problems at parks. Their goals include increasing park visitation to 10.2 million, raising occupancy to 36%, and growing travel to Oklahoma, with major marketing tied to the Route 66 Centennial, America 250, the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics, and other events. The department also discussed a request to raise its purchasing exemption cap from $25,000 to $75,000, a possible TravelOK.com redesign, and efforts to improve restaurant operations at lodges through a new RFP structure. Members questioned the apportionment cap, the size and timing of deferred maintenance requests, park revenue, and the use of parking pass funds; tourism said annual park-related revenue is about $32 million to $34 million and parking pass revenue is about $2.5 million. Finally, the OSU Veterinary Medicine Authority presented its budget request and program updates. The authority said it supports the veterinary teaching hospital and related student training, and that its FY26 budget is entirely state-appropriated. It requested continued support for hospital operations, the large animal scholarship program, and a new $12.5 million annual payment tied to the $250 million Legacy Capital Fund authorization for the veterinary teaching hospital, along with additional funding to expand in-state enrollment. Officials said in-state enrollment had increased from 58 to 69 students after prior funding, with a goal of reaching 90 of 106 total seats, and that there were 195 in-state applicants this year. Members asked whether standards would be lowered; the authority said academic standards would not change and noted strong board-pass rates and retention outcomes. It also said accreditation concerns tied to faculty shortages and off-site teaching had been addressed by bringing students back to the main campus and improving staffing. The committee ended by thanking the presenters and announcing its next meeting date.

Transcript Highlights:

• Homes differ in the levels of care that they offer, but system-wide, these range from independent living
• That's something we track very closely. $280 million annualized payments to veterans, again, over the
• To the emerging and emergent needs of veterans through a community-based system of care. Thank you.
• This position would be part of the department's cannabis track and trace field support unit.
• and trace system.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're always trying to march toward that coordinated system that we know.
• Being new to the waiver system, Steven was unsure of what supports he may be eligible to receive.
• Uh, we also monitor by way of our case management system and our provider agencies.
• You know, an agency really gets to decide, and this is true across the healthcare system.
• Trying to take care of in this system are done so safely and with consistency.

Transcript Highlights:

• This requires, if you go to the next slide, really investing in multi-tiered systems of supports that
• We also have some recent additional investments for those in the child welfare system providing some
• We've essentially left this county really with a huge deficit to shift them into the school system.
• And I understand the school system was really excited about that.
• So they're on a different track.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My family member came into the system very young.
• My family member came into the system very young.
• The warden, who is a part of the system and potentially a part of the system of abuse that is being perpetrated
• or whether they are outside of the system.
• I served 23 years inside that system.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing focused on the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s handling of mental health care in prisons and allegations of sexual abuse, retaliation, and excessive force in the state’s women’s facilities. CDCR officials described their PREA-based prevention and response efforts, including training, oversight, body-worn cameras, retaliation follow-up, and partnerships with outside groups. The Office of the Inspector General explained its monitoring role, noting increased authority under SB 1069, but also limited staffing and the ability to monitor only a portion of cases. The Legislative Analyst’s Office added that prison population trends could allow the state to close a prison and save over $100 million, with some savings potentially redirected to prevention or response efforts. Advocates and formerly incarcerated witnesses from Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition and the California Coalition of Women Prisoners testified that meaningful systemic change has not occurred and that retaliation, blocked programming, and unsafe reporting conditions remain widespread. They described alleged barriers to community-based services, forced or coercive treatment concerns involving Suboxone, and the need for survivor-centered reentry support, trauma-informed care, and more independent oversight. Sandra DeAnda gave detailed testimony about alleged staff abuse, retaliation, denial of mental health care, and a large use-of-force incident at Central California Women’s Facility, while Amika Mota and April Grayson urged release or resentencing for survivors housed with their abusers and greater investment in outside programs. Members of the committee pressed CDCR and OIG on accountability, use-of-force standards, criminal referrals, disciplinary outcomes, and whether investigations are completed within statutory timelines. CDCR acknowledged cultural problems at both women’s prisons and said it was retraining staff and working on reforms, while OIG said it had monitored 161 investigations and found most grievance routing appropriate, though some cases had lapsed due to time limits. Later exchanges revealed that CDCR has over 13,500 active cases and 109 investigators, and that some cases have exceeded deadlines, prompting concerns from members about whether the current system can adequately investigate misconduct and impose consequences. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Electronic health record system. We'll get that implemented.
• So, I'm not really tracking on.
• Because we know that the care that you all have been Tracking on.
• Things are, and what the budget is, and track that as we were going along our journey.
• We don't have systems in place to do those things or compete.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• advancing Equity of our Energy System advancing Equity of our Energy System and<00:06:42.199>
• <00:07:24.560> and are stressing our Energy Systems and are stressing our Energy Systems and
• Now, in terms of the gas system...
• So increasingly, I think we'll see the electric system and the gas system be even more coordinated, and
• Commissioner Partridge: So increasingly, I think we'll see the electric system and the gas system be

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• generator and get your power system generator and get your power system your,<00:39:33.520> uh
• economically restrained systems economically restrained systems requesting<00:45:22.360> funding
• So,<00:46:02.960> these<00:46:03.760> systems So, these systems So, these systems are are
• access to a municipal sewer system access to a municipal sewer system and<00:50:16.840> the
• So, water resource information system. So, WRIS. WRIS. WRIS.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee received a budget and program update from Kentucky Emergency Management on the state’s urban search and rescue buildout. Eric Gibson and Doug Hargrave said the legislature’s funding was used to create FEMA-type urban search and rescue capacity, including Kentucky Task Force 1 and 2, the incident support team, and the helicopter aquatic rescue/hoist team. They emphasized that the effort is not just equipment purchases but also training, credentialing, warehouse and training-facility development, canine program expansion, and coordination with local search and rescue agencies across the Commonwealth. Gibson reported that the agency executed 99.4% of the $16.175 million appropriation by the end of the fiscal year and said the team met its readiness target ahead of schedule, with equipment already being deployed in recent flood response operations. He also said $500,000 per year was set aside for local search and rescue grants, with about $482,000 awarded to 29 teams in one year and $490,000 to 36 teams in the next, averaging about $20,000 per grant. Several members urged the committee to consider increasing support for local responders in future budgets, noting rising equipment costs and the importance of local teams as first on scene. Members asked about staffing, coverage, and benefits. Gibson explained that the task force is a mixed workforce of full-time fire personnel loaned from local departments, professional service staff such as doctors and engineers, and temporary deployment staff, with workers’ compensation coverage provided through KYEM and/or home agencies depending on the arrangement. He also said local search and rescue members are not currently included in line-of-duty death benefits. In response to questions about coverage and deployment, he described the two task force locations as designed to keep resources within roughly 100 miles of every Kentuckian. The discussion also turned to recent flood response and disaster recovery. Gibson said the state had mobilized up to 24 teams over the weekend, documented roughly 60 to 80 water rescues or assisted evacuations, and was seeing significant damage in counties such as Cumberland, Clinton, and Metcalfe, including agricultural losses. He said several counties were meeting FEMA public assistance thresholds and that the state was preparing a broader relief request that could include FEMA, SBA, and USDA assistance. He also updated members on efforts to claw back and reallocate unused “strained fiscal liquidity” funds by the statutory deadline, saying notices were sent and funds were redirected where possible to unmet local needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• to put into the system.
• from kind of our older system from kind of our older system statistical<00:13:06.399> crime
• > a statistical crime reporting system to a statistical crime reporting system to a much<00:13:08.880
• <00:13:13.680> also incident based Reporting System also incident based Reporting System also
• chair Hawai correctional system chair Hawai correctional system oversight oversight oversight commission

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs met on its 3:15 p.m. reconsideration and hearing agenda. The committee first reconsidered SB 1379 on emergency preparedness and voted to pass it with amendments. The amendments would require HEMA to submit a report to the Legislature on a community readiness centers plan, including public and private sites, funding sources, partnerships, stakeholder coordination, and projected annual funding, due 20 days before the 2026 Legislature convenes. The committee also made technical and fiscal-related changes, including blanking out certain amounts in the bill and committee report while retaining recommended amounts there, and changing the effective date language. The committee then voted unanimously to adopt the amended recommendation. The committee heard SB 1364, which makes emergency appropriations for law enforcement personnel costs. The Department of Budget and Finance supported the bill but said the figures in oral testimony would be slightly higher than those in written testimony and that updated numbers would be emailed later in the week. Because the exact figures were not yet available, the chair deferred decision-making to February 7, 2025. The committee also heard SB 1451 on critical infrastructure, SB 1452 on the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, SB 1149 on hate crimes reporting, SB 1321 on the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission, and SB 1341 on energy industry information reporting. For SB 1451, testimony was split, with support from state law enforcement and opposition from the Public First Law Center, which argued the information was already protected under existing law; the committee later adopted a motion to pass the bill with amendments, including a narrower definition of critical infrastructure information and a revised effective date. SB 1452 received support from law enforcement and prosecutors, with a requested cleanup amendment to correct a federal drug-name spelling issue; decision-making was postponed to allow the department to provide language. SB 1149 drew substantial testimony both for and against; supporters emphasized better hate-crime data collection and transparency, while opponents raised concerns about definitions and free speech. The committee adopted amendments and passed the bill, with the chair summarizing the move from the older UCR system to NIBRS and noting a public dashboard expected by September 30, 2025. SB 1321 was passed with amendments shortening the oversight coordinator term from four years to three years, though one senator voted with reservations in favor of a longer term. SB 1341 was passed as is after brief support testimony, and the committee adjourned after completing the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• And effectively, because this data is taken from the HMIS system that then feeds into the HDIS system
• be tracked through that HMIS, HGIS system, then that's additional reporting we're having to come and
• that will disrupt the successful system?
• I was a system-impacted youth my whole life, grew up in systems, emancipated from systems, and instead
• I grew up in systems, emancipated from systems, and instead of being stably housed, going to college,

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It will track the concerns of qualified H.U.D.
• individuals, and it will track the concerns of small businesses owned and controlled by women.
• It will track the concerns of qualified H.U.D.
• NASA's Space Launch System to carry astronauts to the Moon under the Artemis program.
• The Falcon 9 rocket, with its reusable booster system, has slashed costs by a factor of 10.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, February 24, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Citizens Utility Board has tracked this data going back a decade, and that far exceeds any year for
• The Citizens Utility Board has tracked this data going back a decade, and that far exceeds any year for
• that very carefully and we use tracked that very carefully and we use their<00:18:46.440> energy<
• Do we track that? Is that part of the process?
• Have you looked at that number, and do you track that within the department, Mr. Schmid?” Mr.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 771, as amended, was laid over for possible inclusion. The bill would create a state supplemental grant program to build on LIHEAP, with the goal of expanding energy assistance beyond the winter season to cover summer cooling needs and reduce utility shutoffs. Representative Craft said the proposal would use existing LIHEAP systems, help more eligible households, and support related services like weatherization. The committee adopted the author’s amendment, DE2, without objection. Supporters testified that energy costs remain unaffordable for many Minnesotans, especially in rural areas and among low-income households, seniors, and people using delivered fuels. Annie Levenson-Faulk of the Citizens Utility Board said only about a quarter of eligible households receive assistance, summer shutoffs are common, and cooling needs have grown significantly. Trisha Leite of the Minnesota Rural Electric Association, Amanda Macky of Minnesota Valley Action Council, and Ken Schum of the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association all supported the bill, saying year-round assistance would help households, reduce disconnects, stabilize demand for aid, and ease pressure on utility rates. Michael Schmitz of the Department of Commerce said Minnesota has received about $112 million in LIHEAP funds so far this year and is awaiting additional federal money; he also noted recent funding has been lower than in prior years and inflation has reduced its value. Members discussed the scale of utility shutoffs, the increase in cooling demand, and whether the bill addresses root causes or serves as a temporary fix. Representative Weiner argued that the state should focus on keeping more money in taxpayers’ pockets and reducing the need for subsidies, while Representative Craft responded that the underlying issue is low incomes and widening wealth inequality, and that policies like the child tax credit are better ways to address poverty. The chair also asked how LIHEAP dollars flow, and Commerce said most benefits are paid directly to utilities on behalf of households rather than as direct cash payments to recipients.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're hard to track down the owners.
• systems significantly contribute to nutrient pollution.
• systems significantly remediation plans as part of B-MAPS, when septic systems significantly contribute
• The system is not failing. I think the system is giving us basic information on a budget.
• So it's not necessarily a broken system. We're actually improving the system that we have.

Bills: S0598, S0934, S1260, S1300, S1452, S1510, S1566, S1580, S1668, S7034

Keywords: funeral homes, cemetery law, cremation, embalmer, funeral director, preneed contract, preneed funeral, human remains, unclaimed cremated remains, disposition of remains, hospice, palliative care, end-of-life care, direct disposal, mortuary science, funeral service arts, licensure by endorsement, cemetery license, contiguous acres, consumer services

Summary: The committee first took up appointments, recommending confirmation of James Patrick Grambling and Brian J. Aungst on a single favorable vote. It then heard and approved several committee bills, including CS/CS/SB 1260 on building code inspections, which directs the Department of Management Services to contract with private providers for plan review and inspections; CS/SB 1668 on NICA, which updates benefits, oversight, funding, and immunity language; SB 1300 on a workforce/CDL training program for selected nonviolent inmates; CS/CS/SB 598 on funeral and cemetery services; CS/SB 1580 on illegal gaming enforcement; CS/SB 934 on Florida Keys affordable housing tax exemptions; and CS/CS/SB 1452, an agency bill updating DFS programs and licensing rules. Each of those bills was reported favorably after committee debate and, in several cases, amendments were adopted. The committee spent substantial time on CS/CS/SB 1510, the DEP package, which reorganizes environmental rulemaking and land acquisition authority, expands septic-to-sewer and nutrient-reduction requirements in sensitive areas, updates stormwater and resilience provisions, and revises related permitting and grant programs. Two amendments were adopted, including one adding solar-energy and stormwater-related provisions and another removing septic disclosure reporting language. Testimony included support from DEP and concerns from environmental advocates about septic timelines and implementation. The bill was ultimately reported favorably. The committee also considered CS/CS/SB 1566 on local government budget transparency, requiring counties and municipalities to post budgets and related materials online for extended periods in a standardized format. The League of Cities opposed the bill as an unfunded mandate, while the sponsor argued it would improve taxpayer access and accountability; the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard SB 7034, a rule ratification for minimum flows and levels for the lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers and priority springs, with testimony focused on the proposed Water First restoration strategy, conservation measures, and concerns about water quality, funding, and local opposition. The transcript ends during closing remarks on that ratification bill, before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• It lets the care team know if what they're doing is helping the patient get back on track, but if not
• Thank you. helping the patient get back on track helping the patient get back on track but<00:14:16.720
• and comprehensive healthcare system and comprehensive healthcare system thank thank thank you<00
• health healthare Center uh system health healthare Center uh system located<00:15:01.079> to<
• Case loads can very kind of depend on the severity and maybe that hospital system as well.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We're tracking a little bit below.
• We're tracking a little bit below.
• I think many in the industry have been advocating for a better system, a more safe system.
• We are embracing tools and systems that allow us to work the human error out of the system.
• And so I am not used to running this system. And so I am not used to running this system.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They keep cycling through the system. I will always focus on violent repeat offenders and victims.
• They keep cycling through the system. I will always focus on violent repeat. offenders.
• And again, I'm not in charge of the prison system.
• And again, I'm not in charge of the prison system, whatever lawmakers and the prison system wants to
• So I think you're on the right track. I don't want you guys to have to come back again.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2019, the system was full of water.
• That's less than three years of resiliency in the state system.
• The problem is that there's a lot more to having an efficient water system than just water.
• They're in trouble because they run an energy system and a water system, and you need the water for the
• They track all of the bills that we run.

Summary: The committee heard several water- and environment-related bills. SB 72, by Senator Caballero, would modernize the California Water Plan and set long-term water supply targets, including an interim goal of 9 million acre-feet of additional water by 2040. Supporters from water districts, local governments, business groups, and agricultural interests argued the bill is needed to address climate-driven shortages, protect the economy, and improve planning for droughts, flooding, recharge, recycling, storage, and conveyance. Opponents, including environmental and conservation groups, argued the bill could overstate demand, increase costs, and make it harder to protect instream flows and ecosystems. The committee discussed the science behind the 9 million acre-feet target and the need to balance water supply planning with fish and ecological needs. SB 72 passed on a do-pass motion to Appropriations. SB 369, by Senator Padilla, would require a local skilled and trained workforce for all Salton Sea restoration work. The author and sponsors said the bill would protect workers exposed to hazardous conditions at the Salton Sea, create good local jobs in Imperial County, and ensure long-term workforce standards for publicly funded restoration projects. Support came from labor organizations, contractors, and other regional stakeholders; no opposition testified. Members emphasized the region’s high unemployment and the importance of workforce development. The bill passed on a do-pass motion to Labor and Employment. SB 697, by Senator Laird, would update the stream system adjudication process by allowing the State Water Board to use modern technology, such as stream gauges and digitized records, when investigating water rights claims, while still allowing field investigations when needed. The author said the process has not been updated since 1976 and should be streamlined. After amendments addressed stakeholder concerns, there was no opposition testimony. The committee asked whether the bill would affect pre-1914 water rights, and the author said it would not. SB 697 passed as amended to Judiciary. The committee also approved consent calendar items SB 599, SB 609, and SB 765 earlier in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I am not—I am bifurcating the system.
• So I am not, I am bifurcating the system.
• However, if you are a system, specifically a multibillion-dollar system, I’m happy to read what some
• That is a systems problem, right?
• I think we need to create system-wide reform.

Keywords: 996, all