Transcript Highlights:

• The reason we even have a party system or labeling system is because it helps individuals say, you know
• The reason we even have a party system or labeling system is because it helps individuals say, you know
• But I do have one still in this public school system.
• And I have grandchildren who will be in the public school system.
• The superintendent is the only employee of the school board.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 1002, which would move St. Charles County school board elections and school bond/levy questions from April to the November general election, extend school board terms to four years, and allow candidates to voluntarily list party affiliation. The bill sponsor and several supporters argued that November elections would increase turnout, broaden parent and taxpayer participation, reduce the influence of a small April electorate, and potentially save money. Supporters also said the change could make campaigning more feasible and help voters identify candidates’ general viewpoints. Opponents, including school board members, parents, the Missouri NEA, and the Missouri School Boards’ Association, argued that the bill unnecessarily singles out one county, would politicize school board races, and could bury local education issues on crowded November ballots. They also warned that moving levy and bond questions to November could reduce districts’ flexibility to address urgent needs, and that four-year terms could make recruitment harder and reduce accountability or institutional continuity. Several witnesses said school boards should remain nonpartisan and focused on governance, budgeting, and student needs rather than party labels. Committee members questioned the sponsor and witnesses about why the bill applies only to St. Charles County, whether staggered terms would be lost, and whether partisan labels would help or harm voters. Some members expressed support for the concept as a pilot or model, while others objected to the county-specific approach and the addition of party affiliation. The transcript does not show a final committee vote or other action on the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• She is retired.
• services systems. services systems.
• investments in transportation systems. investments in transportation systems.
• qualified employees. Every single one. qualified employees. Every single one.
• <04:58:25.600> So retirement age of 70 retirement. So retirement age of 70 retirement.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• what's the prohibition in this system what's the prohibition in this system that's<00:32:19.840>
• <02:09:28.920> We're not You're retiring, too? Yeah. We're not You're retiring, too?
• employees throughout state government. employees throughout state government.
• So, I'm a employees and and employees.
• somewhere else, like maybe my retirement somewhere else, like maybe my retirement account.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• senator swedzinski great catch employees senator swedzinski great catch thank<00:05:30.840> you
• district court judge um he's a retired district court judge um and<00:10:33.600> U<00:10:33.760
• With employees of another political subdivision on some joint project.
• have to manage thus why their systems have to manage thus why their systems stand<01:05:08.200><
• Seagon said that if the campaign finance system is down, it usually displays a message saying the system

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And, Lord, we lift up those six that we know are retiring.
• It uses an immense amount of power, but it is already part of our energy system.
• But because the refinery is already a part of our system, they're already getting power.
• Our grid, our electrical system, is working currently with that.
• Consumers, legitimate businesses, and taxpayers all lose under this current system.

Keywords: 1064, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, it's a Motorola Gator system, a trucking system, sir. Okay.
• Yeah, basically it was down to the Motorola system or LCR system.
• Yes, it's a Motorola Gator system, a trunking system, sir.
• We can use it on both our system and the LCR system.
• You love systems, so do I. I'm a systems person.

Summary: The joint Senate and House disaster preparedness hearing convened in Kerrville with quorum, public testimony limited to three minutes and invited testimony to 10 minutes. Leaders from both chambers, along with the lieutenant governor and speaker, framed the hearing as an unprecedented joint effort focused on learning from the July 4 flood, honoring victims, and identifying actions to reduce future loss of life. The committee also heard opening remarks about decorum, logistics, and the intent to continue work in future sessions. The first panel included Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, Sheriff Larry Leitha, Emergency Management Coordinator William B. Thomas IV, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr., Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, Upper Guadalupe River Authority representative William Rector, Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk, and Real County Judge Bella Rubio. They described the flood as sudden and catastrophic, with Kerr County reporting 108 deaths and two missing. Local officials emphasized that they received no timely warning of the scale of the event, that responders and volunteers acted heroically under extreme conditions, and that communications, cell coverage, and rural emergency resources were strained. Several witnesses said the county’s existing alert systems were limited by geography, sparse broadband, and the speed of the flood. Testimony focused on possible improvements, including real-time flood gauges and predictive monitoring, stronger rural emergency management staffing and training, better interoperability and alerting tools such as IPAWS, CodeRED, WENS, and sirens, and expanded broadband and radio coverage. Kerrville asked for a flood warning system before next summer and state help for stormwater, floodplain, and disaster recovery funding. UGRA described its past and current flood-warning and mitigation efforts, including gauge funding, a new software-based flood prediction project, and consideration of additional retention dams. Kendall and Real counties highlighted successful or needed alerting and evacuation practices, while also stressing the difficulty of funding and maintaining such systems in small rural counties. Members asked detailed questions about the timeline of the flood response, low-water crossings, communications failures, sirens, bridges, and whether regional consolidation or additional infrastructure could improve future preparedness.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the state's most vulnerable veterans find housing, navigate their involvement with the justice system
• of the state's most vulnerable veterans find housing, navigate their involvement with the justice system
• , and access life-changing justice system, and access life-changing veteran<00:03:51.440> benefits
• I'm a retired Marine and also an attorney.
• I'm a retired Marine Service Officers.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• That's where that's the the court system That's where that's the the court system is<00:13:59.760
• We're proposing a system that would continue to hold citizens longer without evidence, exacerbates a
• system that's already in crisis and provides no safety valve for the innocent and those justified in
• We're proposing a system violations.
• Retired on November 1st, 2024, and then... they formed the name CAJA. they formed the name CAJA.

Bills: SB118, SB203, HB420, HB414, HB363, HB405, HB261, HB263, HB327, HB348, HB228, HB282, SB273, HB7, SB296, SB199, SB47, SB204, HB80, HB11, HB192

Keywords: bail, offenses, constitutional amendment, criminal justice, law enforcement, public safety, dental insurance, medical loss ratio, premium regulation, insurance commissioner, rebate, consumer protection, Baldwin County, local bill, education funding, school tax, privilege license tax, county tax revenue, municipal school board, Baldwin County Board of Education

Transcript Highlights:

• We use an MSB system.
• We use an MSB system.
• We use an MSB system.
• We use an MSB system. Uh, it is a We use an MSB system.
• I've been<01:08:42.719> retired<01:08:43.120> since been retired since been retired since

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee opened its second meeting on House Bill 742, which would require catastrophic special education aid to be drawn from the education trust fund, and discussed whether to also examine differentiated aid within the adequacy formula. The chair said the committee had previously heard from HHS/Medicaid officials and now wanted to hear from local special education directors about how the aid system works in practice, including billing, training, data collection, and whether districts handle claims consistently. Members also referenced Arkansas as a possible comparison state and said they hoped to develop ideas by November to address the current funding process. Committee members focused on the current special education aid thresholds and the impact of proration. The chair described the existing formula as requiring districts to absorb costs up to 3.5 times the state average per student, with the state paying 80% from 3.5 times through 10 times and paying above that, and said FY25 appropriated about $34 million while actual claims were about $50.1 million, leaving roughly a $16 million shortfall that caused proration. Members also raised the possibility of lowering the threshold to 2.5 times and asked how that would affect the number of eligible students and costs. Another member asked about how districts decide whether services are education-related or medical-related and how Medicaid or private insurance reimbursement affects later state aid claims. District representatives from Boothby Therapy Services, Bedford, and Guilford introduced themselves and described their roles. Guilford’s director said the district tracks students with paraprofessional support, nurses, transportation, or specialized programming, uses a data system to log every service touchpoint, and tries to maximize both Medicaid and special education aid; she said a lower threshold would likely capture all students with paras or nurses and that rising staffing and service costs would increase the number of students over the cap. Bedford’s assistant director said the district uses a different system, tracks roughly 60 to 80 students a year, and pursues Medicaid and special education aid simultaneously but does not pursue private insurance if it would affect FAPE; she said reducing the threshold to 2.5 times would likely double the number of qualifying students. Members asked follow-up questions about software, data entry, and how districts decide whether to bill Medicaid or seek state catastrophic aid, and the directors explained that their systems log services by staff type and student, with some districts using the same data for both Medicaid and state reimbursement claims.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's no uniform system.
• I mean, this includes if people are retired, but their career had been.
• I didn’t feel like that would be a good representation of who this person was by saying they were retired
• For good or for bad, I mean, just people retire, and things start shifting.
• Federal employees who were New Mexico residents or had other New Mexico ties talked about the work we

Transcript Highlights:

• The system does not support age of 21.
• , every student in the uh school system, every student in the uh school system, but<00:22:17.440>
• college system. college system.
• rather than the public education system rather than the public education system because because
• things be taught in our school system. things be taught in our school system.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and sewage systems are available. and sewage systems are available.
• > individuals,<00:58:48.000> but that system and those individuals, but that system and
• 01:01:42.320> state with septic systems, the state with septic systems, the state regulates,<01
• retirement community. retirement community.
• of residents, almost 1,000 employees. of residents, almost 1,000 employees.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Elementary, Louise Wilson, and she retired.
• I worked for the Navajo Nation DOJ for 23 years, and I retired four years ago.
• There are approximately 700 employees with both operations, and 6% of those employees are Navajo.
• There was $612 million that is being withheld from the educational system here in New Mexico.
• One of the things that was mentioned was the school systems.

Transcript Highlights:

• I would even support if you retirement.
• <00:05:10.479> I uh, forcing that person to retire. I uh, forcing that person to retire.
• You old today, you would have to retire.
• uh Dave Goldstein, who's a retired uh Dave Goldstein, who's a retired chief,<00:11:42.720> and
• The motion on the floor is ought to pass. retirement when somebody is really retirement when somebody

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• or who’ve been diverted from the criminal justice system, essentially.
• Drug courts are part of the collaborative court system. Yes.
• We're now that's out there in the alert system.
• We're now that's out there in the alert system.
• We're now that's out there in the alert system.

Summary: The committee heard extensive testimony on Proposition 36 and its implementation, with judicial and budget officials describing it as a major shift from misdemeanor to felony processing for repeat drug possession and certain theft offenses. Witnesses explained that the law creates a treatment-mandated felony process that can lead to dismissal if a defendant completes treatment, but also requires evaluations, court monitoring, and potentially long, open-ended supervision. Judicial representatives said the new law is already generating large numbers of filings, creating workload, staffing, courtroom, and facility pressures, and that access to treatment beds, housing, and evaluation capacity is limiting participation. Several speakers emphasized that collaborative courts are effective but are not a perfect fit for Prop. 36 because those programs are typically probation-based and serve different risk/need populations. Court officials from San Bernardino and Orange counties said the impacts vary by county but are severe, with some counties seeing hundreds or more filings in a short period and others moving more slowly to build treatment infrastructure first. They argued that Prop. 36 is effectively an unfunded mandate unless the state provides more resources for judges, staff, facilities, treatment, housing, and supervision. The Legislative Analyst’s Office noted that Prop. 36 will reduce the Proposition 47 savings that fund mental health and substance use treatment grants, but said the near-term reduction is relatively modest and that the full effect will take time to appear because of the way those savings are calculated. Members of the committee repeatedly raised concerns that the state is underfunding the courts and counties needed to carry out the new law. The committee also reviewed the Governor’s proposed trial court operations budget, including a partial restoration of a prior $97 million cut and additional ongoing funding. Judicial branch officials said the restoration helped avoid furloughs, hiring freezes, and service reductions, and supported cybersecurity, technology, staffing, and records management. The LAO recommended that the Legislature seek more detail on how midyear restorations are handled and consider clarifying language for transferring unspent trial court trust fund monies to the General Fund. Finance said the flexibility in the ongoing funding was intentional and would be taken back for consideration. In a separate item, the committee heard testimony on a $6.3 million increase for Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal appointed counsel programs. Judicial officials and appellate project representatives said the system is facing a crisis because indigent appeals have risen sharply while the number of panel attorneys has fallen, leaving many cases waiting months for counsel. They argued the proposed increase would help but is still below what is needed to recruit and retain attorneys and prevent delays that affect criminal, juvenile, and child welfare cases. The committee also discussed the Tracy courthouse project in San Joaquin County, where local officials said reopening a courthouse closed since 2011 is necessary to serve a growing population and relieve overcrowding elsewhere. The LAO and Finance both noted the project is next in line under the facilities plan, though LAO suggested the Legislature could consider whether other facility priorities should come first.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, they're not really employees of the district, so that one we'd have to work with the school or
• We support a comprehensive package, including a decrease in employee health care costs, and we support
• educator housing assistance as well as ensuring that the education retirement system.
• This financial assistance as well as ensuring that the education retirement system is financially sound
• President of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation for many decades since we created the three-tiered system

Bills: SB83, SB106, SB107, SB123, SJR1

Keywords: ecological monitoring, sustainability, tribal engagement, education, research funding, graduate scholarship, higher education funding, New Mexico, appropriation, financial aid, out-of-school programming, education funding, youth programs, affordability, nonprofit organizations, defibrillators, public schools, health and safety, emergency response, school elections

Transcript Highlights:

• system.
• We have a fiscal oversight system that has a fairly good track record.
• Public School System Stabilization Account Overview and Proposals.
• I will say that the majority of districts are using those for operating costs for retirement.
• Retirement costs and benefit costs. So we are able to kind of pull that information apart.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:48:49.960> there we'd prefer th those employees there we'd prefer th those employees there
• They're an employee, a civilian employee of the New Hampshire State Police, so they go through the hiring
• hell of a spot uh waiting for the system hell of a spot uh waiting for the system to<04:57:55.040
• <04:58:15.798> we wouldn't have known that the system we wouldn't have known that the system
• <05:54:39.840> fire relative to adding fire retired fire relative to adding fire retired fire

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 758, which would establish a study committee on airport operation hours and possible noise abatement measures, including whether New Hampshire should prohibit departures between midnight and 6 a.m. The sponsor said the committee would examine the pros and cons and consult stakeholders. The Bureau of Aeronautics testified neutrally, noting that New Hampshire has 25 public airports, 12 with federal funding and grant assurances that may require them to remain open during those hours, and that cargo operations, including at Manchester, commonly occur overnight. Members also discussed existing noise abatement programs and how mitigation is determined by noise contours and FAA funding decisions. No vote was taken; the chair closed the hearing after testimony. The committee then heard House Bill 489, allowing voluntary emergency workers to use rear-facing blue lights on private vehicles when responding to emergencies. The sponsor said the bill corrects an oversight in existing law, would not cost the state or towns money, and would improve visibility and safety, especially in rural areas. Supportive testimony from a volunteer responder emphasized that blue lights help cut through fog, snow, and nighttime conditions, and that the bill would only add a single rear-facing blue light to existing red, amber, and white emergency lighting. The New Hampshire State Police opposed the bill, arguing that expanding blue lights to private vehicles would confuse the public and desensitize drivers to blue lights, which are associated with law enforcement. The hearing closed without action. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 533, which the sponsor and State Police clarified is actually two separate changes: one authorizing civilian automotive equipment inspectors to assist with vehicle inspection work, and another expanding language in motor carrier enforcement to include new entrant safety audits and compliance reviews. The State Police explained that civilian inspectors are hired and trained through the department and that any findings of state-law violations would be referred to troopers; they also said the new motor carrier language was requested to satisfy federal audit concerns about right of entry. The New Hampshire Motor Transport Association said it had no position if the civilian inspectors were not doing commercial truck inspections, but would oppose the bill if they were. Members asked about the difference between audits and compliance reviews, and the State Police said audits are for newer carriers and are non-enforcement, while compliance reviews look for violations. The chair then closed the hearing on HB 533. After a brief reset, the committee opened House Bill 594, which would repeal an alternate definition of “way” for the driving-after-suspension statute. The sponsor said the change was requested by the Department of Justice. Representative Erica Leon opposed the repeal, explaining that the prior language was intended to avoid criminalizing people who mow lawns or perform similar work near property edges while suspended, but she worried the repeal could create a loophole allowing driving on places like highway medians. Members questioned whether the issue was limited to mowing or broader vehicle use on property edges, and Leon said she would work with agencies to clarify the language so it protects lawful mowing without allowing misuse. No vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have an ununified judicial system.
• We've had instances where 911 systems were disabled.
• It caused faults on the system that could injure or kill line workers, leave system protection devices
• It's not just the power system.
• They're paid employees.

Summary: The committee held a work session in Mill Creek focused first on the eviction process. Judge Michael Scott of King County Superior Court described historic highs in unlawful detainer filings across Washington, especially in urban counties, and said King County has reduced its backlog and average time to resolution to about 60 days by adding two dedicated eviction judges and using more judges when needed. He also described how King County and other counties are implementing the right to counsel for indigent tenants, and noted that additional housing commissioners may help. Office of Civil Legal Aid representatives Philippe Knapp and Jane Paxe said the statewide appointed counsel program has represented more than 30,000 tenants, referred clients to social services, and helped many remain housed, but they warned of a funding shortfall that could eliminate about 17 attorneys and leave roughly 2,000 tenants without representation. A landlord-side panel argued that eviction timelines remain too long and fragmented, creating unpaid rent, safety issues, and uncertainty for both landlords and tenants; they urged more uniform procedures, streamlined rental assistance, and procedural changes to reduce refiling and delays. The second work session addressed theft and vandalism of critical infrastructure, especially copper and telecom cable theft. Committee staff reviewed existing criminal and regulatory laws covering malicious mischief, theft, scrap metal businesses, and metal property deception. Comcast, Mason Public Utility District, and the Recycled Materials Association testified that theft of aerial cable and copper has become a crisis affecting power, internet, 911 service, schools, hospitals, and line-worker safety. Utility representatives described outages, hazards, and rising costs, and asked for stronger audits of scrapyards, tougher penalties for theft affecting critical infrastructure, and tighter rules on payment and identification. Recyclers said they oppose the thefts and already operate under heavy regulation, but acknowledged enforcement gaps and the need for better coordination; committee members discussed possible bill concepts and asked for written recommendations. The final work session covered standards for law enforcement personnel. Criminal Justice Training Commission Executive Director Monica Alexander and Assistant Director Kimberly Bliss explained current certification and decertification rules, including background checks, training requirements, mandatory and discretionary grounds for decertification, and the hearing process. They said elected sheriffs are not currently required to undergo the same pre-election background check as other applicants, though they can still be decertified if already certified, and they reported a backlog of more than 1,000 cases with about 70 to 80 new cases coming in each month. Retired Judge Ann Levinson then outlined ways the legislature could strengthen and align standards for chiefs, sheriffs, and marshals, including requiring certification within a set time, setting a minimum age, requiring recent state background checks, and making loss of certification a vacancy in office. Committee members asked questions about accountability for elected sheriffs, background-check administration, and decertification outcomes.

Transcript Highlights:

• When projects come in and apply to our program, we put together a ranking system.
• Something that is employee-led and executive-led.
• Losing their homes, sacrificing, taking their kids out of school, raiding their retirement.
• Some of them have retired, unfortunately, because they're so talented.
• I'm currently on third base waiting to hit home to retire.

Keywords: 988, house, all