Transcript Highlights:

• Of the Associated Builders and Contractors or his designee as members of the C-MAR task force.
• Change orders, first of all, are pretty expensive for contractors to actually undergo.
• bring in another contractor.
• I am Relda Owens, Louisiana Associated General Contractors.
• Currently, a contractor is the master of their own destiny.

Summary: The House Transportation Committee met on May 26 and considered several resolutions and one Senate bill dealing with transportation project delivery, vehicle safety, school-zone safety, flooding, and highway signage. The committee first took up SCR 64, which creates a task force to study construction management at risk (CMAR) for public works. An amendment added representatives from Louisiana Associated General Contractors and Associated Builders and Contractors to the task force, and the resolution was reported with amendments. The committee also heard HR 282, which creates a task force to study utility terrain vehicles with Louisiana State Police and other stakeholders; an amendment added the State Fire Marshal, and the resolution was reported with amendments. The most extensive discussion centered on SB 513, which addressed public works project delivery methods and included a proposal for an average-bid award method as well as design-build authority for airports and vertiports. Testimony from a Reason Foundation policy analyst and a Louisiana Associated General Contractors representative opposed the average-bid concept, arguing it lacked U.S. precedent, could encourage collusion, and could raise costs, while airport-related design-build provisions were supported. The committee adopted an amendment in concept to remove the average-bid language, then reported SB 513 with amendments by a vote of 11 yeas and 4 nays. The committee also reported SCR 62 favorably, which urges DOTD to evaluate all school zones on state highways in response to safety concerns and near misses involving crossing guards and distracted driving. In addition, HCR 112 was reported favorably to study flooding on Louisiana Highway 1 in Shreveport, and HR 275 was reported favorably to study an interstate highway signage maintenance and reporting program. The meeting concluded after all items were acted on and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• and the Sheet Metal Contractors Association in New Mexico as well.
• These contractors invest thousands. Thank you so much. Next, we have Michael.
• Chair Mike Sandoval, Registered Lobbyist for Associated Contractors of New Mexico.
• The contractors that would most benefit from government contracts, so if you're a road contractor, you
• So this fixes that and it creates a level playing field for all contractors.

Committee: Senate Senate Tax, Business & Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• c><02:09:33.599><c> nonW2</c> contractor, we mean a nonW2 contractor, we mean a nonW2 self-employed<02
• It’s an independent contractor.
• That's the fear from an contractors.
• So two um independent contractor.
• Contractor, everyone sees this person as an independent contractor and they are free from the control

Transcript Highlights:

• Moving to B-5, Department of Labor and Licensing, Contractors Licensing Board.
• Yes, with me is fellow attorney Jimmy Lawson, who is the director for the Contractors Licensing Board
• and the Residential Contractors Committee, which are the next two rules.
• amendment to the residential contractors rule, but I'll let Jimmy explain those rules.
• Is there some worker—this is for contractors—are there workers working under contractors with certain

Committee: All ALC-ADMINISTRATIVE RULES

Summary: The Administrative Rules Subcommittee reviewed several agency rules and most were approved without objection. The Department of Agriculture repealed rules tied to the now-repealed Arkansas Catfish Processors Fair Practice Act. The Department of Human Services updated Medicaid policy to clarify child support enforcement treatment for pregnant women, remove the word “forcible” from rape/incest good-cause language, and eliminate a 90-day waiting period for ARKids B after loss of group coverage; members highlighted the significance of the language change and asked for a quick-reference eligibility chart. DHS Medical Services also received approval for a CMS cell and gene therapy model rule for sickle cell drugs and a technical Medicaid-assisted medication-assisted treatment update that was described as cost-neutral and non-substantive. The Department of Labor and Licensing presented several rules implementing recent acts and internal cleanup changes. These included procedures for local construction plan disputes under Act 591, Contractors Licensing Board amendments raising the restricted commercial license threshold from $750,000 to $1.5 million and allowing deferral of owner-complaint investigations during civil litigation, and a similar residential contractors change. The HVACR Licensing Board presented broader revisions under Act 746, including grammar and cleanup changes, elimination of the Class C license with transfer of existing holders to Class B, expansion of allowable work limits, a change to continuing education from four hours annually to eight hours per three-year code cycle, and clarification on training, child labor, and licensing issues. Several members questioned the practical impact of the HVAC changes, but the rule was approved. The committee also granted the Department of Inspector General’s request for exclusion from rulemaking reporting under Act 473, concluding that no rule was necessary because the act already defines the key terms and review process for foreign-adversary cultural exchange agreements. In addition, the Arkansas State Library’s report recommending continuation of its existing rules was accepted. During the status updates on outstanding 2023-session rulemaking, Education explained delays were due to overlapping 2025 amendments and the large volume of rules, while members expressed concern about the length of time since enactment; staff noted only a small number of 2023 rules remain outstanding. The meeting ended after written 2025-session updates were received with no further questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other ones we have coordinated with the compliance enforcement division of the PUC, and so we'll.
• The compliance is a two-part test. So our investigation focuses on two questions.
• The compliance is a two-part test. So our investigation focuses on two questions.
• I think I heard testimony that all but one of them found themselves in compliance.
• But, you know, compliance with El SIPA is not only the law. It's best practice for industry.

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• Because it seemed frustrating that we couldn't do anything for independent contractors.
• This is an important issue regarding independent contractors...
• Contracted with the independent contractor, and there was no way for there to be any type of ability
• If I leave the service as a contractor or independent contractor of a particular company and I go over
• contractors.

Bills: SB86

Committee: Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund

Keywords: independent contractors, portable benefits, employee benefits, tax deductions, employment relationship

Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, with me is fellow attorney Jimmy Lawson, who is the director for the Contractors Licensing Board
• and the Residential Contractors Committee, which are the next two rules.
• A proposed amendment to an existing rule of the Residential Contractors Committee mirrors the rule on
• And as long as there's somebody responsible, the licensed contractor being responsible for all work?
• Is there some work, or is this for contractors?

Committee: All ALC-ADMINISTRATIVE RULES

Transcript Highlights:

• So we may need some clarity that these are truly contractors.
• We're declaring these people by law as independent contractors.
• Just provides a clearer and different definition of what an independent contractor is.
• Just provides a clearer and different definition of what an independent contractor is.
• There would be a, here's this type of contractor, this type of contractor.

Committee: Senate Retirement

Summary: The Senate Committee on Retirement met on May 5 with four members present. HB 41 was deferred until the following week, and the committee approved the April 20, 2026 minutes. The committee then took up several retirement-system bills, many of them negotiated measures involving municipal police, firefighters, teachers, district attorneys, and judges. HB 45, by Rep. Bacallat, was amended and reported favorably. It makes changes to the Municipal Police Employees Retirement System, including retention bonuses, recognition of out-of-state police service, benefits for three officers killed in the line of duty before full enrollment, a DROP fix, and more competitive accrual rates. Testimony from the Louisiana Municipal Association, MEPERS, police representatives, and Mayor Helena Marino was strongly supportive, emphasizing that the bill resolves longstanding disputes and litigation. HB 1237, also by Rep. Bacallat, was reported favorably after testimony that it eliminates partial dissolution penalties for municipal police and adjusts related firefighter provisions; witnesses said it was a negotiated fix supported by municipal and fire stakeholders. HB 42, concerning phased retirement in the Teacher Retirement System, was reported favorably as a permissive framework allowing universities to offer phased retirement options. HB 17, by the District Attorneys’ Retirement System director, was reported favorably to add the Louisiana District Attorneys Association to the definition of employer and require annual reporting on the rehire statute. HB 21, a cleanup bill for the Municipal Employees Retirement System, was also reported favorably. HB 1134, creating a backdrop retirement option for certain judges whose positions are abolished, was amended and reported favorably after LASERS raised questions about early retirement eligibility and the need to bar future judicial candidacy. HB 24, by Rep. Owen, drew the most discussion. It would allow retired or certified teachers to return to work through contracts with school systems, with a three-year sunset. The sponsor argued it would help keep qualified teachers in classrooms and avoid midyear departures, while TRSL, the Louisiana School Board Association, and committee members raised concerns about fiscal impact, contractor status, workers’ compensation, leave rules, and overlap with a separate bill being worked on by the chairman. After an amendment clarifying the independent-contractor definition was adopted, the committee chose to hold the bill in committee for further work rather than advance it immediately. The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• It would allow Sound Transit to establish a qualified pool of contractors.
• Finally, and critically, HB 2552 supports contractors in the workforce.
• Deliver projects faster, supports our contractors and workforce, and protects taxpayers.
• It's not to get away from competition or to close the number of contractors off.
• It's not to get away from competition or to close the number of contractors off.

Bills: HB2467 , HB2495 , HB2552

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: HB 2467, fifth-wheel travel trailer, fifth wheel trailer, travel trailer, RV, recreational vehicle, trailer length, vehicle length limits, oversize vehicle, truck and trailer, tractor-semitrailer, semi-trailer, kingpin, Washington RCW, Department of Transportation, WSDOT, highway safety, commercial trucking, towing, motor home

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, you just, in terms of that, we meet with our contractor, Conduit, in Medicaid provider enrollment
• </c><01:16:50.239><c> um</c><01:16:50.560><c> conduit</c> we meet with our contractor um conduit we meet
• with our contractor um conduit what<01:16:51.760><c> in</c><01:16:52.159><c> Medicaid</c><01:16:52.640
• And so the state has been working in that time period at improving our compliance with all the legal
• Exactly. compliance with um all the legal compliance with um all the legal ramifications.<02:01:24.000

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 74, which would require state agencies, especially the Department of Environmental Services and other permitting agencies, to report more detailed data on permit applications, approvals, denials, pending applications, and permits taking longer than 90 days. The sponsor’s representative and a lawyer who helped draft the bill argued that the legislature needs comprehensive permitting data to evaluate whether current timelines are reasonable and whether regulatory delays are burdening property owners and economic activity. They said the information should already be tracked within existing budgets, despite a fiscal note claiming additional staff would be needed. A Business and Industry Association representative supported the bill, saying better data is needed to understand actual permitting timelines and to help streamline the process, especially in light of housing and development concerns. Members asked whether the bill was simply collecting data without a clear next step, and the response was that the data would allow lawmakers to judge whether existing deadlines, extensions, and exemptions are justified and whether changes to permit timelines are needed. Several members agreed the information would be useful and that agencies should already be tracking it. The committee then voted to pass Senate Bill 74 on a roll call, with the motion approved and the bill placed on consent for further consideration, with a note that it would go to finance for review of the fiscal note. The committee then took up Senate Bill 196, which would raise the threshold for certain in-house construction projects handled by the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services and two other departments from $500,000 to $1 million, described as an inflationary update. The sponsor said the department’s existing staff can handle these smaller renovation-type projects and that the bill should not require new positions; the deputy adjutant general later confirmed the department does not need additional staff and said the projects are typically roof, boiler, and similar repairs. Members asked about a fiscal note suggesting new positions and about revenue/expenditure impacts, and the sponsor explained that the fiscal note language appeared to reflect an earlier draft and that the budget effect is largely a shift in where the work is performed. The committee recessed briefly for the deputy adjutant general’s arrival, then continued discussion of the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, state agencies and compliance organizations will provide training on low-barrier practices
• Additionally, state agencies and compliance organizations will provide training on low-barrier practices
• State agencies and compliance organizations will provide training on low-barrier practices to get people
• standards in statute and applying those standards to boards, property management, vendors, and contractors
• um</c><00:50:31.960><c> additionally</c><00:50:32.680><c> uh</c><00:50:32.880><c> property</c> contractors

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Transcript Highlights:

• Being that LOGA has members that are oil and gas operators, contractors, insurance underwriters, and
• Being that LOGA has members that are oil and gas operators, contractors, insurance underwriters, and
• I anticipate you may hear similar observations from our contractors and insurance brokers.
• Importantly, group is defined by our own agreement between the operator and contractor, removing any
• This addresses both operators and contractors, as whoever chooses to purchase the additional insured

Committee: House Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• We have to understand what are the overall enterprise goals, what are some of the compliance requirements
• insecure or unsecure networks or systems just because it's easier to avoid, it's cheaper to hide from compliance
• And our only way of, if we discover that there is an agency or an entity that is not in compliance, by
• And our only way of, if we discover that there is an agency or an entity that is not in compliance, by
• the institutions of higher ed, including financial management, human capital, grant management, compliance

Committee: Joint Information Technology Committee

Summary: The Information Technology Committee approved the March 26 minutes and received a series of reports from NDIT on major IT projects, the annual report, mainframe modernization, and cybersecurity services. The project portfolio was reported at 116 major projects with a baseline cost of $546 million, overall under budget but modestly behind schedule. Several projects that had been in variance status last quarter were said to have closed, including HHS bed management, vital records modernization, and DOT roadway capital planning. New startup reports were mostly HHS efforts tied to refugee data management, technical debt cleanup, and legacy application decommissioning, while closeouts included HHS, OMB, DPI, and DOT projects with mixed budget and schedule results. In the annual report discussion, NDIT described its service-fund financials, peer-state rate comparisons, records management reporting, and customer satisfaction efforts. Members asked about how revenues and grants flow through the service fund, how NDIT charges agencies for services, and whether customer satisfaction or CSAT scores are tracked and could be reported more regularly. NDIT said it does track service-team CSAT and survey data, and committee members encouraged more regular reporting of those metrics. The committee also discussed application portfolio management, statewide IT planning, and whether agencies should slow new system replacements while the state pursues an ERP system. The mainframe update focused on the state’s ongoing effort to retire legacy systems by about 2030. NDIT and HHS said the work is being managed as a tech-debt program, but progress is slowed by data cleanup, integration complexity, staff retirements, vendor capacity, and federal requirements. Members asked whether there is a coordinated commitment and whether additional vendor support or consultants are needed; NDIT said it is working jointly with HHS and is seeking an RFP to help accelerate modernization. The cybersecurity presentation then shifted to statewide maturity assessments and services. NDIT said it provides endpoint protection, vulnerability scanning, security awareness training, threat briefings, and penetration testing, and that assessments are based on CIS controls. Members raised concerns about low participation in the self-assessment process, the lack of mandatory reporting or audit authority, and whether insurance incentives through Enderf or possible State Auditor involvement could improve compliance. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• The way the program works is a small business, you know, might be looking to do compliance testing.
• A small business, you know, might be looking to do compliance testing.
• A small business, you know, might be looking to do compliance testing.
• Permanent funding is necessary to ensure LCI maintains basic operational stability and compliance.
• And lastly, our land policy baseline resources, we're requesting... ...and compliance.

Transcript Highlights:

• be in delivering the needed prevention and early intervention services, even post-incarceration compliance
• So it's just kind of counting that as compliance. Thank you. And Mr.
• Reduce payment errors, strengthen compliance, and mitigate future liability.
• And eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse, and just getting our eligibility compliance number in a better
• With GSD, we've already started the work to get the contractor in line... ...to start the A&E to move

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Able to have contractors work longer.
• So, it’s those contractors that make that.
• Also, I have a quick question related to contractors.
• My concern is how do we vet contractors so that we avoid contractors that might not be quite up to snuff
• We vet the contractors to make sure that they are solid.

Transcript Highlights:

• We had 50 union contractors in the room.
• </c> contractors.
• We had 50 union contractors contractors.
• We had 50 union contractors in<00:08:48.520><c> the</c><00:08:48.600><c> room.
• ><c> the</c><00:08:55.240><c> pitch,</c><00:08:55.560><c> we</c> Once the contractors heard the pitch

Transcript Highlights:

• Moving to B-5, Department of Labor and Licensing, Contractors Licensing Board.
• Yes, with me is fellow attorney Jimmy Lawson, who is the director for the Contractors Licensing Board
• and the Residential Contractors Committee, which are the next two rules.
• amendment to the residential contractors rule, but I'll let Jimmy explain those rules.
• Is there some worker, this is for contractors.

Committee: All ALC-ADMINISTRATIVE RULES

Summary: The Administrative Rules Subcommittee reviewed several agency rules and most were approved without objection. The Department of Agriculture moved to repeal rules tied to the now-repealed Arkansas Catfish Processors Fair Practice Act. The Department of Human Services updated Medicaid policy to clarify that pregnant women may still be referred to child support enforcement but will not be sanctioned during pregnancy and the 60-day postpartum period, removed the word “forcible” from rape/incest good-cause language, and eliminated a 90-day waiting period for ARKids B when group health coverage ends. DHS also received approval for a CMS cell and gene therapy model for sickle cell disease and a technical Medicaid medication-assisted treatment update that does not change coverage. The Department of Labor and Licensing presented several rules. One created procedures for the department to issue interpretations in local construction plan disputes under Act 591 of 2025. The Contractors Licensing Board and Residential Contractors Committee amended rules to raise the restricted commercial license threshold and light building project limit from $750,000 to $1.5 million, and to allow deferral of owner-complaint investigations while related civil litigation is pending. The HVACR Licensing Board presented broader cleanup and policy changes under Act 746 of 2025, including eliminating the Class C license by moving those holders into Class B, expanding work limits for Class A and B licensees, changing continuing education to eight hours per three-year code cycle, and keeping annual license renewal. Members asked detailed questions about impacts on businesses, training, youth working with parents, and whether any unintended burdens were created; the board said it had notified licensees and had received little pushback. The committee also granted the Department of Inspector General’s request for exclusion from rulemaking reporting for Act 473 of 2025, concluding that the statute was sufficiently detailed and did not require additional rules. In addition, the Arkansas State Library’s report was accepted, with the Department of Education stating that the library’s three existing rules should remain in effect. During the update on outstanding 2023-session rulemaking, Education explained that many delayed rules were held back because they were likely to be amended again in 2025, and members expressed concern about the length of time some rules have remained unfinished. The meeting ended after written 2025 rulemaking updates were noted, with no further action taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• department director and examines operations as it relates to employee conduct, professionalism, and compliance
• That has been what we've been doing for the life of the contract with the current contractor? Yes.
• That has been what we've been doing for the life of the contract with the current contractor? Yes.

Committee: House Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• There's more work to do from our stakeholders, including with the contractors.
• I have worked with the contractors.
• WSDOT is regarded by contractors as a fair and professional owner.
• The contractor is not at fault, yet this provision would still publicly penalize contractors for those
• Contractors respond rationally to risk.

Summary: The committee began with a work session on the Washington State Transportation Commission’s route jurisdiction transfer study. Commissioners and staff said the current state highway system is generally well connected and that wholesale realignment is not needed, but they recommended clarifying statutory criteria, improving the transfer process, increasing interagency coordination, and making data analysis more transparent. Members asked about why transfers occur, who pays for maintenance after a transfer, how often transfers happen, and how the Legislature’s role should be understood. Staff said there have been only 16 RJT transfers since 1991, with a net transfer of about 10 miles of state highway to cities, while DOT abandonments happen more often but are not tracked as consistently. The committee then held a public hearing on House Bill 2172, which would fold longer abandonments and bridge-related abandonments into the RJT process, require pre-request conferences, expand legislative review of costs and risks, and update highway criteria. Tacoma officials, the Transportation Commission, counties, cities, and the Transportation Improvement Board testified in support, citing transparency, local input, and the need to address large bridge and corridor transfers; the bill sponsor said a substitute would allow agreed transfers to proceed without final legislative approval, but send disputed cases to the Legislature. The bill was also described as having an indeterminate fiscal impact, with WSDOT estimating possible added maintenance costs if transfers are delayed. The committee next heard House Bill 1367, which would allow motorcycles to use the right shoulder of limited-access highways under specific congestion conditions. The bill and a proposed substitute would limit shoulder use to wide shoulders, require hazard lights, cap speed at 10 mph over adjacent traffic, and bar passing other vehicles on the shoulder; the fiscal note projected costs for driver education and possible maintenance and signage impacts. The sponsor argued the bill would reduce rider fatigue, heat stress, and rear-end risk in stop-and-go traffic, while opponents from law enforcement and WSDOT said shoulders are intended for emergencies, debris and visibility create safety risks, and the proposal could increase maintenance and enforcement burdens. Several motorcyclists and advocates supported the bill as a safer alternative to lane splitting, while a student and some agencies said it would give riders a more predictable option; the committee then closed the hearing. The committee also heard House Bill 2174, which would create “crash prevention zones” in areas with repeated serious collisions or fatalities. The bill would allow cities, counties, towns, or WSDOT to designate zones after a public hearing, require engineering and traffic studies, increase enforcement, and impose a $73 penalty for certain infractions within signed zones, with revenue dedicated to safety work in the zone. The sponsor pointed to dangerous stretches of Highway 395 and Highway 12 in eastern Washington and said the bill is intended as a temporary safety tool until long-term fixes are completed. Counties and cities supported the concept and asked for liability protections and language from a Senate companion bill; the committee then moved to House Bill 2718, a transportation permitting and project-delivery bill. Staff said HB 2718 would impose timelines and deemed-approval rules for certain state and federal permits, require early outreach to affected governments and tribes, create a public contractor-rating website, and direct WSDOT to report on permit-streamlining options by December 1, 2027. The sponsor said the bill is meant to reduce delays and costs in transportation projects by improving accountability, coordination, and permitting efficiency.