Transcript Highlights:

• What's that going to do to our insurance rates?
• rollback rate.
• They can do that to get back to the rollback rate.
• The rollback rate then would not require any more than a majority vote.
• So I know that we were talking, that you mentioned kind of the rollback rates and that the rollback rate

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Contribution increases would be needed to keep it at 25 years or less, but a 10.1% increase in the police rate
• <00:02:38.120> in<00:02:38.319> the<00:02:38.599> police<00:02:39.000> rate
• but uh 10.1% increase in the police rate but uh 10.1% increase in the police rate from<00:02:39.440
• /c> Provisions underwriting standards Provisions underwriting standards insurance<00:19:20.440> rates
• and any other insurance insurance rates and any other insurance related<00:19:22.360> topic<00

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint hearing covered Senate Bills 470, 828, 730, and 1383. SB 470 would create a deferred retirement option program for police officers. The Employees Retirement System warned it could worsen the system’s $14.1 billion unfunded liability by stopping employer and employee contributions during the DROP period, and the Attorney General raised possible tax-qualified status, Internal Revenue Code, and age-discrimination concerns. Police and other supporters testified in favor, but the committees ultimately recommended deferring the bill indefinitely. SB 828 would expand workers’ compensation medical benefits for firefighters to cover an additional respiratory condition. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the Hawaii Firefighters Association supported the measure, citing occupational exposure and health risks. The committees recommended passage with amendments, and the motion was adopted by both committees. SB 730, which concerns allowance on service retirements, drew support from the Department of Human Resources Development and the Department of Law Enforcement, but also comments from the Attorney General and ERS. DHRD said the bill could help recruitment and retention but requested more time to work on language with ERS, Budget and Finance, and the AG’s office. The committees postponed decision-making until Friday, February 7, at 3:15 p.m. in Conference Room 225. SB 1383, relating to fire protection, received broad support from the Governor’s office, Department of Defense, DLNR, Hawaiian Electric, and others. The committees agreed to pass it with amendments, including language suggested by the Hawaii Insurance Council on wildfire-related insurance issues and a committee report link to the Lina fire forward-looking report, phase three. The amended recommendation was adopted by both committees. Later in the meeting, the committees also heard SB 1360 and SB 1361 on ERS administrative and reporting matters, SB 340 on HLRB enforcement authority, and SB 997 on energy; SB 1360 and SB 1361 were presented as housekeeping measures, SB 340 drew disagreement between the Attorney General and HLRB over enforcement authority, and SB 997 was amended to incorporate prevailing-wage renewable energy rate language from SB 743 and then passed with amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Do you know what your NCLEX passage rate is?
• I did check our nurse passage rate. It was 94%. Also outstanding.
• I did check our nurse passage rate. It was 94%. Also outstanding.
• last year was 90%, which is a pretty healthy pass rate.
• I believe it's a 97% pass rate. Congratulations. That is wonderful.

Summary: The committee on Higher Education Appropriations heard and favorably reported two bills: SB 1570, which revives the former Project Leo program to help locate missing persons with special needs through voluntary tracking devices and coordination with sheriff’s offices, and CS/SB 1376, which creates a grant program to support genetic counseling education in response to a statewide shortage of genetic counselors. Both bills drew supportive comments, with the genetic counseling bill also receiving public support from a university representative. The committee then took up a large slate of confirmations. It first approved a block of reappointments to various university and college boards of trustees, including institutions such as UWF, Broward College, Chipola College, FIU, Pasco-Hernando, Polk State, St. Petersburg College, Valencia, FAMU, FAU, UCF, FSU, New College, UNF, USF, and Broward College. It then heard from numerous new appointees and some requested reappointments, many of whom emphasized workforce training, nursing, military and veteran support, dual enrollment, and local economic development as priorities for their institutions. Several nominees highlighted their personal ties to the schools and communities they would serve, including appointees to Pensacola State, Polk State, St. Petersburg College, UNF, UWF, FIU, the College of the Florida Keys, Valencia College, and Chipola College. Committee members repeatedly asked about nursing NCLEX pass rates, workforce alignment, and institutional growth. One reappointment, Thomas Zachary Smith to the UWF board, was pulled from the block for separate questioning about his past public comments and his role in Project 2025; he said he would serve in his personal capacity and treat all students equally. The committee also separately heard from a Florida Poly reappointment, I. Shapiro, who was questioned about prior remarks regarding race and Supreme Court nominations, and from a New College reappointment, Mark Bowerlaine, who described campus improvements and enrollment growth. The meeting ended amid ongoing confirmation processing and separate votes on the remaining nominees.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative, can you tell me why there are these, Two billing rates on a statement. Why?
• I mean, we're talking about a bill rate and a pay rate. Why? Why are, They both there.
• So, Who pays the full rate? A high number. Who pays the $100,000?
• Well, I can't answer that, but I think very few people pay the full, Rate.
• It is a moneymaker to keep that rate low.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What rate of water, and so on? On the output side, what amount of recovery? What rate of recovery?
• At what rate will it be pulled out?
• What rate of water, and so on? On the output side, what amount of recovery? What rate of recovery?
• At what rate will it be pulled out?
• Yet it's subject to this because the all-others rate applies to everybody that wasn't investigated.

Summary: The committee met with limited attendance at first, then took up a series of water, agriculture, and rural affairs measures. HB 3898 would allow the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance for brackish water desalination projects in certain border counties and related nonprofit suppliers even if the projects are not in the state water plan. Supporters said it is needed to address severe water shortages in places like Webb County and to support future planning; opponents, including the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, argued it bypasses the regional and state water planning process. The bill was left pending after testimony. The committee also heard HB 5339, which would create a higher-education grant program for regenerative agriculture research. A rancher testified that regenerative methods improved soil health, water retention, and farm viability, while a senator noted existing university research but said better coordination could help. Public testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. Members then heard HB 1523, a temporary prohibition on TCEQ issuing Austin a Class 5 injection well permit for an aquifer storage and recovery project in Bastrop and Lee counties until December 2027. Local officials from Bastrop supported the pause, citing unanswered questions about water treatment, recovery rates, and impacts on the aquifer, while Austin Water opposed the substitute, saying the project is central to its long-term water plan and that stakeholder talks were already underway. TCEQ explained its ASR permitting process and said public participation is possible but not always used in the current authorization process. The bill was left pending. HB 5659, concerning the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and requiring majority city-council approval before certain water sales or interbasin transfers, drew testimony from district officials who said the change could interfere with existing contracts and district authority, but the chair emphasized the need for local buy-in and said the stakeholders had reached a workable compromise; testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 1690, which would expand notice requirements for groundwater export permits so neighboring landowners and potentially affected aquifer areas are informed by certified mail and publication. The sponsor tied the bill to impacts from the Vista Ridge project, and no one testified against it; it was left pending. HB 3333 would prohibit TCEQ from issuing new wastewater discharge permits directly into the Devils River in Val Verde County. The sponsor and a conservation witness said the bill protects one of Texas’s most pristine rivers and reflects a local stakeholder agreement, while TCEQ said it can ensure water quality but acknowledged the river’s unique sensitivity; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HCR 108 urging continuation of the U.S.-Mexico tomato suspension agreement, with supporters warning of major Texas job and consumer-price impacts if it ends, and HCR 76 urging federal action on imported shrimp, citing public health and industry concerns; both were left pending. Additional measures heard and left pending included HB 4158 on compensation for Texana Groundwater Conservation District directors, HB 654 creating a dismissal path for certain first-time deer hunting violations after self-reporting and hunter education, HB 4530 requiring Texas Water Development Board review of groundwater rights placed in the Texas Water Trust, HB 2128 directing a study of rural versus urban firefighting and rescue disparities, and HB 278 requiring groundwater districts and management areas to track progress toward desired future conditions over shorter intervals. On HB 278, witnesses split over whether the bill’s interim tracking would improve accountability or create new triggers that could be used against local districts, but no final vote was taken and the bill was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our C-section rate, vaginal deliveries are better than Methodist in many cases.
• Resources Code, to update the rate.
• We get a higher rate, and the family is given a higher rate.
• day rate?
• They don't receive a day rate if they're unverified.

Bills: HB18, HB37, HB116, HB388, HB879, HB913, HB1151, HB2216, HB2358, HB2809, SB577, SB1590, SB1782, SB1887, SB2744, HB18, HB37, HB116

Keywords: rural health, hospital funding, healthcare access, mental health services, financial stability, perinatal bereavement, healthcare, hospital training, bereavement support, maternal care, fetal demise, stillbirth, neonatal death, parent-child relationship, involuntary termination, family law, child welfare, child protection, HB 388, HB388

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the key components you see on the screen include the provider-specific case rate payments that
• So what we have done so far is we have updated the case rates, and it's just very limited updates, and
• so they can understand what their case rate looks like.
• What their case rate looks like.
• from 40% to 60%. ...are disproportionately affected, with rates ranging from 40% to 60%.

Keywords: 962, all

Summary: The meeting focused on maternal health and behavioral health services for pregnant and postpartum people in Connecticut. Dr. Fatmata Williams of DSS gave an update on the Husky maternity payment bundle, explaining that it was created in response to worsening maternal and neonatal outcomes and racial disparities. She said the bundle, launched in 2025, shifts payment away from fee-for-service toward prospective case rates, quality measures, and shared savings, while covering services such as doulas and maintaining access to behavioral health and other non-pregnancy-related care outside the bundle. She noted 26 maternity practices are participating, quarterly quality reports have been distributed, reconciliation is planned for 2026, and DSS is considering refinements such as adding newborns, revisiting shared losses, and possibly expanding to FQHCs after further stakeholder review. Shelly Nolan of DMHAS then described the state’s women’s services and recovery continuum, including pregnant and parenting treatment programs, women’s recovery support programs, community transition support with rent subsidies, the Proud program, REACH navigation, recovery houses, and outpatient services. She emphasized that many programs are under capacity and that DMHAS uses a no-wrong-door approach, real-time bed availability, technical assistance, and training to improve access. She also reviewed initiatives tied to substance-exposed pregnancies and safe sleep, secure storage, naloxone distribution, reproductive health integration, breastfeeding support, and upcoming conferences and trainings. She said the department works closely with DCF and community partners to reduce stigma and improve family-centered care. Beth Garrigan presented on the Access Mental Health and Substance Use for Moms program, a statewide consultation service for providers serving pregnant and postpartum individuals up to 12 months after delivery. She said the program offers real-time psychiatric consultation, referral support, and one-time face-to-face assessments, and has provided more than 4,300 consultations and resource/referral support to over 700 individuals since 2022. Members and legislators praised the service and discussed how it helps providers connect patients to care, follow up on referrals, and address barriers such as fit, stigma, and workflow. No votes were taken; the meeting ended with plans for the next meeting on June 8 and a request for Dr. Williams’ slides to be posted online.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's a pretty good burn rate of $16,000 a month since April. All right, thank you very much.
• Have you considered raising the rates? We're getting burnt out with the overtime.
• Have you considered raising the rates to see if that would help solve the problem?
• So is it a burn rate of $70-ish or is it a burn rate of $90?
• So the pilot so far has been...” “...and our daily rate is lower.

Summary: The committee considered a series of appropriation, transfer, and review items, approving most requests in Sections B through J. These included temporary appropriations for state technology upgrades, personnel management, court reporters and interpreters, crime victim claims, juvenile sex offender assessments, radiation lab testing, higher education workforce grants, an ARPA grant for the UAFS LPN program, an IIJA grant for geological/critical minerals work, a restricted reserve transfer for 102 State Police vehicles, a transfer to the Arkansas Heroes Program, several cash fund requests for the Real Estate Commission HVAC and AV needs, and overtime appropriations for Emergency Management and Military. One budget classification transfer request from the Commissioner of State Lands for $250,000 to cover operating expenses tied to a new building was discussed at length but failed on the vote after questions about the lease and operating costs. A major portion of the meeting focused on a $25.7 million pay plan appropriation request for 15 agencies. Members questioned why the Department of Human Services had not requested additional pay-plan dollars for human development centers, where DHS acknowledged staffing shortages, high turnover, and heavy overtime but said the issue was not lack of pay-plan funding. DHS was asked to provide a written plan to address staffing problems. The Department of Corrections testified that the pay plan had improved retention and hiring, and committee members asked for follow-up data on vacancies and staffing outcomes. Members also clarified that the pay-plan request was appropriation only, not new funding, and approved it. The committee then reviewed fund reports, including the restricted reserve, Budget Stabilization Trust Fund, Tobacco Settlement, State Central Services, Education Adequacy, Medicaid Trust Fund, IIJA, and Revenue Services transfer reports. DHS and DFA were questioned closely about the Medicaid Trust Fund, with members noting a $90 million February draw and asking about projected year-end balances; DFA and DHS said February was a high-expense, low-revenue month and projected the fund would remain solvent through the fiscal year, ending between $150 million and $200 million, while a second $100 million set-aside is planned for FY27. The committee also discussed a state hospital damage report, where DHS explained that insurance proceeds would not fully cover the repair costs because of depreciation and the age of the buildings; members expressed concern that the state would recover far less than originally expected, and DHS said any additional insurance recovery would be limited and returned to restricted reserve.

Transcript Highlights:

• AND IN FACT AT A HIGHER PAY RATE AND WE PAY THE MAINTENANCE STAFF. THAT IMPACT OVER TIME AS WELL.
• AS YOU CAN SEE FROM 2021 TO 2024 2025 THE CLERKS HAVE HAD THEIR INCREASES IN THE FRS RATES.
• AT THIS RATE WE ARE ON TRACK FOR 500,000 DOLLAR DEFICIT BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
• WE HAVE A SUCCESS RATE OF ABOUT 45 PERCENT. UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE WORKING ON TRYING TO IMPROVE IT.
• THIS IS JUST 2.5 PERCENT RECIDIVISM RATE.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's an automatic charge to the the rate It's an automatic charge to the the rate bears<00:11:31.360
• reasonable rates? reasonable rates?
• rates or rate decisions around um around rates or rate decisions uh<01:00:37.200> given<01:00
• constituents residential rate payers. constituents residential rate payers.
• about rates, that's something different. about rates, that's something different.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to emphasize the prevailing wage rate is simply the going rate for workers in any given county
• wage rate paid to average workers in that county.
• <01:18:19.360> for wage rate is simply the going rate for wage rate is simply the going rate
• gets a certified prevailing wage rate gets a certified prevailing wage rate which<01:18:41.679><
• survey results reflect actual wage rates survey results reflect actual wage rates paid<01:23:23.840

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We want to be able to drive rates down, more people using rail.
• Just a couple performance measures: unemployment insurance has an error rate.
• The national error rate is 14.2%, and Utah is at 4.4%.
• The SNAP error rate nationally is nearly 11%. 4.4%. The SNAP error rate nationally is nearly 11%.
• I wanted to ask about the error rates. Sure.

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Are there rates going up? It sounds like if the volume is going down, but the rates are going up.
• So actually, the rates are going down.
• So the rates of the hotel rooms, so in order to fill those rooms. I mean, the tax rates?
• Oh, the tax rates?
• Will interest rates play a role?

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism held an informational hearing on the state of California tourism amid declining international visitation and broader economic and political headwinds. Visit California CEO Caroline Betetta said the industry remains a major economic driver, with 2024 visitor spending of $157 billion, 1.2 million jobs supported, and $12.7 billion in state and local tax revenue, but warned that 2025 forecasts show the first post-pandemic decline in visitation, driven largely by a projected 9.2% drop in international travel. She cited concerns about the strong dollar, visa wait times, border and immigration rhetoric, and a proposed federal visa integrity fee, while emphasizing Visit California’s marketing campaigns and the importance of upcoming mega-events like the World Cup and 2028 Olympics. A second panel of destination leaders described local impacts and strategies. Visit Sacramento’s Mike Testa said the city has diversified beyond conventions into music festivals, sports, and food events, but noted that international apprehension is affecting events like Terra Madre Americas and that California should do more to incentivize major festivals to stay in-state. Santa Monica Travel and Tourism’s Lauren Salisbury said the city is seeing lower international visitation, especially from Canada, Australia, and Europe, and that wildfire coverage and later federal troop presence in Los Angeles hurt local sentiment and caused cancellations. Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau’s Rhonda Salisbury reported steep drops in international visitation to the gateway region, ongoing concerns about wildfire, reservations, insurance costs, and park access, and praised a new federal requirement for quarterly meetings between national parks and gateway communities. San Diego Tourism Authority COO Carrie Verbeck-Cappich said tourism is the region’s second-largest sector, but 2025 is softer than 2024, with spending down despite modest visitation growth. She pointed to weaker Canadian and Asian travel, government-related meeting cancellations, and the need for more support to bid on and host major events; she also highlighted border-crossing delays, insufficient federal staffing at ports of entry, and the Tijuana River sewage crisis as major regional issues. Committee members discussed the effects of federal rhetoric, infrastructure, and cross-border conditions on tourism, and several witnesses urged continued support for Visit California, Brand USA, event incentives, and efforts to present California as welcoming and open. Public comment then opened, beginning with testimony from the California Attractions and Parks Association.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the unemployment rate is still historically low.
• Determine that it's quote unlawful discrimination to discuss a neighborhood's crime rate.
• However, it has been widely acknowledged that the main cause of SVB was interest rate risk.
• Chair Barr testified that he was not aware of possible interest rate risk until mid-February of 2023,
• Did you evaluate potential interest rate risk before February?

Keywords: legislation, housing affordability, financial regulation, public testimony, accountability, oversight

Summary: The meeting involved significant discussions around key legislative proposals, primarily focusing on various bills such as HB2 and SB5. The committee examined the implications of these bills on issues like housing affordability and financial regulation. Notable members engaged in debates, providing differing perspectives on the potential economic impacts of the proposed bills. The meeting witnessed public testimony, which included a call for accountability in government actions and oversight of current financial policies. Members echoed concerns about following through on commitments to address critical issues affecting everyday Americans.

Transcript Highlights:

• The overall recordable rate in The Foundry, where I work, was 14%, with some departments having an OSHA
• recordable rate as high as 98.98% before our contract expired.
• and payroll taxes experience ratings and payroll taxes this<00:14:04.880> demonstrates<00:14:
• plus<00:14:53.880> an<00:14:54.040> additional<00:14:54.480> 5% base tax rate
• plus an additional 5% base tax rate plus an additional 5% assessment<00:14:56.320> now<00:14:

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Quality development can help with marketing and homeowners insurance rates.
• I mean, if we're getting quality buildings, that can help lower our homeowners insurance rates.
• One, because of price and the rise of interest rates makes it virtually 85%.
• I think now, at today's interest rates, 85% of the people cannot afford a home at today's income.
• And, of course, interest rates between 6 and 7 percent.

Bills: HB602, HB1322, HB1930, HB2225, HB2304, HB2494, HB3275, HB3810, HB3919

Keywords: affordable housing, land use, zoning, urban planning, community development, housing crisis, mixed-use development, sustainability, municipal utility district, board of directors, qualifications, land ownership, Texas, taxation, residency, municipal approval, subdivision plans, local governance, plats, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:05:28.720> and<00:05:28.880> that<00:05:29.080> current<00:05:29.400> rate
• the current rate and that current rate the current rate and that current rate is<00:05:30.199>
• for this fund and contribution rates for this fund and while<00:05:49.360> the<00:05:49.520><
• You see about a 2% utilization rate, so it's very small.
• You see about a 2% utilization rate, so it's very small.

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:11 Attendance Roll Call: 00:18 Senate Bill 10 (Sen. Mills): 01:47 Senate Bill 65 (Sen. West): 18:47 Senate Bill 104 (Sen. Madon): 25:41 Adjournment: 31:38, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on State and Local Government heard testimony on Senate Bill 10, which would revise CERS retiree health subsidies for members who began participating on or before July 1, 2003. Senator Mills said the bill was developed with employee and employer groups to improve retiree health benefits while protecting the system’s financial footing, using a shared-cost structure. Testimony from sheriffs, police chiefs, firefighters, and the League of Cities strongly supported the bill, emphasizing recruitment and retention, affordability of retiree health coverage, and limited taxpayer risk. Members echoed those points, and the committee approved SB 10 with a 9-0 favorable recommendation. The committee then took up Senate Bill 65, sponsored by Senator West, which would codify the Administrative Regulations Committee’s annual practice of placing certain deficient regulations into statute so they cannot take effect. West explained that the committee’s role is limited to finding regulations deficient or asking for deferral, and that SB 65 is the fifth version of this measure. He described the specific regulation at issue as a Medicaid Services rule that would have required behavioral health associates to hold a master’s degree; providers testified that it would reduce the workforce and harm behavioral health services statewide. West said the committee had deferred the matter eight times before deciding to side with providers. The bill received favorable expression and was reported out. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 104, sponsored by Senator Madon, concerning Kentucky Deferred Comp for state employees. The bill would establish a codified fiduciary standard, authorize fiduciary liability insurance, add self-correcting mechanisms to keep the plan in compliance with federal law, and allow self-directed brokerage accounts. Personnel Cabinet representatives said the changes would align the plan with other public pension plans, reduce risk, and offer participants a useful investment option with strong account growth among users. SB 104 also received favorable expression and was reported to the floor. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• One of those areas is the freezing of the DDS rate study that was done three years ago.
• at a faster rate.
• As part of the managed care rate-setting process, the total impact of the health care worker minimum
• Corporate tax rate to the general fund?
• Every year, the legislature and the governor do not fund child care rates.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A large rate increase.
• The one thing that we're trying to do that we all agree on, I think, is the rates.
• As you can tell here on slide four, we have a vacancy rate of 17.8 percent.
• We have increased our FTE and lowered our vacancy rate.
• that rate, but $165 is just common sense out of reach for providers.

Transcript Highlights:

• school week, even though some of the school campuses within the ISD have been assigned failing or not rated
• may adopt a four-day school week as long as all the individual school campuses in the district are rated
• as passing, which is an A, B, or C under the current accountability rating system.
• Three, if a school district has adopted a four-day school week and has one or more campuses rated as
• happened was, the charter schools were doing four days, while the Nacogdoches school actually was rated

Bills: HB 1209, HB4746

Keywords: school funding, instructional days, education, public schools, school performance, four-day school week, performance rating, school governance, school calendar, education funding, emergency closures, school district, school operations, Texas education, public school accountability, academic distinction designation, postsecondary readiness, career and technical education, CTE, P-TECH