Transcript Highlights:

• meet<00:07:09.640> the<00:07:09.760> 5B If an entity doesn't meet the 5B If an entity
• Entities<00:07:17.200> operating<00:07:17.720> under<00:07:17.919> 420R Entities
• These entities<00:07:38.320> must<00:07:38.640> meet<00:07:38.840> defined entities
• type of entities these are. type of entities these are.
• And so, we have strict entities.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's...” “...money, we don't just turn the money over to the entity, of course.
• entities who have gotten awarded.
• So regardless of entity, you will get 25%.
• So at that point, the entities are working on their project. from the entities, to go ahead and be able
• The paperwork will go out to the entities. They'll be able to complete it online.

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee met to review funding models for the Florida College System and district workforce education programs, with an emphasis on how new dollars are allocated in the program fund and how performance and targeted funding are incorporated. Chancellor Hebda explained the Florida College System model, including base program funding, student success and pipeline funds, performance incentives for industry certifications, and the 2022 president-developed formula that weights enrollment, workforce enrollment, completions, small-college factors, and regional cost differences, plus a targeted funding floor for colleges below a minimum per-FTE level. Vice Chancellor Goodman then outlined the district workforce model, which uses lagged enrollment, program cost weights, local revenue offsets, small-district adjustments, and unmet-need calculations to distribute lump-sum appropriations to school districts offering workforce education. The department also provided updates on several grant programs and funding delays. Goodman said the Workforce Development Incentive Grant, Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant, Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education Startup Grant, and teacher apprenticeship/mentor bonus programs all involve multi-year awards and often require reversions and reappropriations because projects are delayed, extended, or not fully obligated by year-end. She said the department is moving toward an electronic grants system and had already adjusted internal deadlines to speed awards, while acknowledging some reimbursement delays and explaining that mentor bonuses for teacher apprentices will not be paid until the first cohort reaches the statutory timing requirement. Members asked about tracking whether CTE students work in their trained fields, how Xello is used to inform students about career pathways, how FTE is calculated, whether the funding formulas could encourage growth over quality, and how students with disabilities are counted in workforce funding. Questions also focused on tuition, enrollment trends, and the gap between college and university funding. The committee heard that tuition has remained flat for more than a decade, enrollment has rebounded from COVID and is projected to exceed pre-pandemic levels, and the college system’s funding per FTE varies widely. Valencia College President Kathleen Plinsky testified in support of the proposed formula and an additional $200 million for the Florida College System, saying Valencia is the second-largest college in the state but ranks last in per-FTE funding, which has made it difficult to recruit and retain faculty and admit qualified students in high-demand programs like nursing. The committee took no vote and adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• The covered entities are not required to demonstrate how 340B savings are used.
• It is the only source that allows covered entities to stretch scarce federal resources.
• We do not need particularly larger entities to continue to receive 340B funding.
• that paid for the same drug to entities that are not 340B, assessing a fee on the 340B entity on the
• , and interfering with the patient's right to choose to obtain a drug from the 340B entity.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a lengthy hearing on a large docket of pharmacy and drug-pricing bills, with most testimony focused on PBM reform, 340B drug discount program protections, specialty medication access, and medication adherence. Chair James Murphy and Senator Paul Feeney opened the hearing and took testimony from legislators, patient advocates, pharmacists, health center leaders, industry representatives, and policy groups. Several speakers described delays, denials, high out-of-pocket costs, and pharmacy closures tied to PBM practices, while others emphasized the importance of community health centers and independent pharmacies in serving patients. On the 340B program, supporters including Senator Eldridge, Senator Payano, Community Care Cooperative, Fenway Health, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, and several community health center leaders argued that bills such as H. 1107 and S. 819 would stop discriminatory PBM and manufacturer practices, preserve contract pharmacy access, and protect safety-net providers that say they reinvest savings into care, pharmacy expansion, interpreter services, behavioral health, and other services. Opponents including PhRMA, the Community Liver Alliance, and a public policy analyst argued the program lacks transparency and accountability, has grown beyond its original purpose, and may benefit large hospitals and for-profit entities more than low-income patients. They urged more reporting and oversight rather than expanding protections. On PBM reform, testimony supported bills including H. 1157, H. 1234, S. 724, S. 831, and related measures that would require rebate pass-through, ban spread pricing, limit steering to PBM-owned pharmacies, and improve reimbursement for community pharmacies. Independent pharmacists and patients said current PBM practices raise costs, create administrative burdens, and threaten access to local pharmacies. PCMA, representing PBMs, opposed the reforms, arguing PBMs lower costs, that plan sponsors choose to contract with them, and that the Health Policy Commission and CHIA should complete their ongoing study before new mandates are adopted. The committee also heard support for H. 1322 and S. 734 on specialty medications, and for H. 781 and H. 1305 on medication synchronization to improve adherence. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is some very, very variability among entities; not every entity generates positive revenue.
• shows you the the number of entities shows you the the number of entities that<01:24:10.800>
• uh um in aggregate um 340b entities uh um in aggregate um 340b entities covered<01:25:16.440>
• entities in Minnesota spent covered entities in Minnesota spent about<01:25:18.960> uh<01:25:
• administrators that help these entities administrators that help these entities um<01:25:49.600>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee convened for its first meeting of the 2025 session, with Chair Melissa Wiklund outlining the new co-chair arrangement, rotating gavel, committee size of 12, and the seven-vote threshold needed to move bills and motions. Members and staff introduced themselves, including several new senators, committee administrators, counsel, fiscal staff, researchers, and new pages. The committee then began its agenda with an overview of the Minnesota Department of Health from Deputy Commissioner Wendy Underwood. Underwood described MDH’s mission and structure, emphasizing public health’s focus on prevention, population health, and the social and economic factors that drive health outcomes. She highlighted the state’s health disparities, the department’s five bureaus, and major work areas including infectious disease response, newborn screening, environmental health, chronic disease prevention, health regulation, health equity, and operations. She also discussed the Center for Health Care Affordability, saying the department has been meeting with stakeholders and has hired a director to begin work on advisory bodies and community engagement around rising health care costs. Members asked questions about physician shortages, burnout, administrative burden, and health care bureaucracy. Senator Grunhagen argued that excessive paperwork and micromanagement are worsening access and workforce shortages, while Senator Abeler asked for data on whether past disparity programs have been effective and whether some efforts should be consolidated. Underwood said MDH has rural health programs, workforce supports such as loan forgiveness, and research on administrative costs and low-value services, and she noted the department has published legislative reports with more data to come. The chair then moved the committee to a broader discussion of public health system development in Minnesota, introducing City of Bloomington officials to present on a recent report.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we've tax reporting of entities.
• and use of about selection of entities and use of entities<00:08:54.240> for<00:08:54.720>
• That we now use Wyoming entities for virtually all of the incidental or ancillary holding entities or
• that. that we now use Wyoming entities that. that we now use Wyoming entities for<00:10:38.720><
• <00:10:46.720> or or ancillary um holding entities or or ancillary um holding entities or

Bills: HB0086

Keywords: county officials, election code, misconduct, removal, government accountability, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It is an effort by 27 entities—both public entities, private entities, local entities, state entities
• As I said, there are 27 multiple entities across the region.
• , municipalities, districts, counties, and other qualified entities, and to allow more entities to apply
• We provide a system to entities in completing their audits, but we aren't reaching out to entities to
• entities or to retail public water systems who are completing the audits.

Bills: HB29, HB685, HB1633, HB1689, HB1690, HB1918, HB2010, HB2500, HB2608, HB2626, HB29

Keywords: water audit, water loss, water loss mitigation plan, municipally owned utility, municipal utility, water conservation, Texas Water Development Board, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, water leakage, leak detection, billing data accuracy, utility validation, water audit validation, water scarcity, water management, infrastructure, public utility, conservation plan, administrative penalty

Transcript Highlights:

• How would we determine the entity to do this study? In line 1.7 it says a non-partisan entity.
• <00:09:50.120> to how would we uh determine the entity to how would we uh determine the entity
• . entity. entity.
• what entity would would provide this? what entity would would provide this?
• Um and so uh is another entity.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Or at any point in time that 12 or 3 members of that panel were employees of the largest taxing entity
• This gives appraisal districts the same financial tools that other governmental entities already use
• entities only have 30 days to pass a resolution.
• No response from the taxing entities is considered a no vote under the current statute.
• This bill would not change the board approval process or notification to the taxing entities.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's, you know, split by type of entity.
• current situation we'd have 321 entities current situation we'd have 321 entities that<00:09:16.959
• so a good number drop to 203 uh entities so a good number of<00:09:24.160> entities<00:09:24.880
• though that's a good chunk of entities though that's a good chunk of entities that<00:09:43.560>
• <00:21:17.039> can can be done so even small entities can can be done so even small entities

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:34.560> to more appealing for a private entity to more appealing for a private entity
• with a private entity and sell that<00:03:56.640> property.
• uh um contracting with private entities uh um contracting with private entities to<00:04:49.600>
• mutually agreed upon to both entities. mutually agreed upon to both entities.
• allow public entities, including allow public entities, including community<00:09:03.519> colleges

Keywords: Universities and Colleges - Room 216, 3 March, 2026; 11:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The committee first considered a strike-all related to the Mississippi Upskill Grant Program and a K-12 bridge bill tied to CTE and special purpose schools. Members discussed the alignment of workforce and career-technical education from pre-K through higher education. Senator Hopson moved to add a reverse repealer, which was adopted, and the strike-all was then passed as amended and forwarded to appropriations. The committee then took up Senate Bill 1488, which would authorize the University of Southern Mississippi to sell or enter into a long-term lease for university property in Hattiesburg. Senator Johnson explained that the roughly 600-acre tract, gifted in the 1920s and formerly used as a golf course, has a master plan for redevelopment; the bill would streamline the sale process while preserving requirements such as two appraisals and IHL approval. After questions about the acreage and safeguards, the bill was passed as amended and sent to appropriations. Members also approved a strike-all addressing financial literacy requirements for colleges and universities, including added content on mortgages and real estate, and then passed House Bill 1495, a companion to Senate Bill 2238, allowing Mississippi State University and the Oktibbeha County school district to co-mingle funds by mutual agreement for their partnership school/high school project. Finally, House Bill 1582 on community college energy performance contracts was discussed at length; the chair said it needed further vetting by the public property committee, so the committee added a reverse repealer and passed the bill as amended. The meeting ended with a rise and report.

Transcript Highlights:

• You can already do this as a responding government entity.
• ,<00:09:21.680> the having the data providing entity, the having the data providing entity
• So, it's responding government entity.
• So, I'm happy entity and the requesttor.
• <00:22:38.480> generally for the government entity generally for the government entity generally

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee heard House File 1999 informationally only, with no formal action taken. Representative Green explained that the bill addresses large and sometimes anonymous data requests made to school districts and other government entities, arguing that while public access to data is essential, some requests create significant staff and cost burdens when requesters do not follow through. She described examples from districts that spent thousands of dollars preparing data that was never inspected, and said the bill aims to add accountability while preserving open government and press access. Testifiers largely supported the bill’s goals but discussed technical changes. Matt Eling of Minnesotans for Open Government said the amendment largely codifies existing guidance on handling large requests by breaking them into components and allowing inspection or copying in stages. Superintendent Jeff Felson of Owatonna Public Schools said his district had received 12 anonymous requests in three years, nine of which were abandoned, costing about $40,000, and one large request cost more than $400,000 and required significant staff time. Rich Newmeister also supported the effort but raised concern about language referring to providing data on a “rolling basis,” suggesting training and clearer guidance for districts instead. Members asked whether school districts already set their own data-request policies, whether anonymous requests must be answered, and how the bill would affect private personnel data. Representative Green said districts do have their own policies, anonymous requests are allowed under current law, and the bill is meant to provide clearer statutory guidance. She also said she was open to removing the “rolling basis” language after feedback. The discussion ended with general support for the bill’s intent and a reminder from the chair that the hearing was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• These are all entities that have some tie to misclassification.
• planning to have each of the entities planning to have each of the entities come<00:04:36.960>
• on the partnership entity websites.
• entities on the partnership<00:15:46.959> uh<00:15:47.120> entity<00:15:47.560> websites
• each of the other partnership entities each of the other partnership entities to<00:21:39.279>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• contract and that includes many entities contract and that includes many entities that<00:21:16.799
• not as well and so they rely on entities not as well and so they rely on entities lobbyists<00:25
• <00:26:22.880> that they asked to testify The Entity that they asked to testify The Entity
• entities entities generate<01:02:20.960> um<01:02:21.440> regulations<01:02:22.119>
• Entities and, and it could be rulemaking entities besides the mandates.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee heard testimony from Jeff Sigerson, executive director of the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, who outlined the board’s mission and core programs: campaign finance disclosure, economic interest statements, and lobbying registration/reporting. He described the board as an independent agency with six members, noted current vacancies and confirmation requirements, and said the board’s budget request was essentially flat, with a base budget of about $1.793 million and most costs tied to salaries, office space, and other fixed expenses. He also reviewed the board’s enforcement structure, emphasizing civil-only penalties, a complaint-driven process, and the availability of reports, enforcement actions, and advisory opinions on the board’s website. Sigerson highlighted several recent and upcoming changes. Local ballot question committees for city, school district, levy, and bond issues now must register with the board if they exceed $750 in activity, and the board is preparing outreach and online registration tools to help local committees comply. He also discussed the public subsidy and political contribution refund programs, saying the board paid out about $2.12 million to 230 House candidates in 2024, that 93% of candidates signed the subsidy agreement, and that 2023 PCR refunds totaled about $447,000 for candidates and $1.616 million for party donors. He noted that the PCR maximum refund was recently increased from $50 to $75 per donation, and that payments could drop significantly in 2026 if the one-time supplement is not renewed. A major focus of the presentation was the board’s lobbying report and related legislative recommendations. Sigerson said the board is moving from tracking marginal expenses to tracking the subjects and entities being lobbied, and that lobbying will be expanded from certain metro-area governmental units to all cities, counties, school districts, townships, and other political subdivisions, potentially adding thousands of lobbyists. He said the board held two public hearings and received 23 written comments on proposed changes. The board’s main recommendations were to broaden the expert-testimony exception so that certain paid experts at local hearings would not need to register as lobbyists, while still requiring disclosure of who testified, before whom, and on what subject, and to adjust the current lobbying definition for local government employees and officials who spend more than 50 hours a month on intergovernmental lobbying work.

Transcript Highlights:

• And still allows taxing entities to have a voice, just not a veto through inaction.
• of the potential purchase, and then the taxing entities only have 30 days to pass a resolution.
• Silence from the taxing entities is considered a no vote under the current statute.
• Many of us have hundreds of taxing entities that we have to work with.
• It was challenging because so many of our taxing entities didn't meet within the...

Bills: HB3557, HB5578, SB973, SB974, SB2068, SB2073

Keywords: ad valorem tax, property tax, incomplete structure, human occupancy, tax exemption, HB 5578, Texas Tax Code, Section 6.062, appraisal district, county appraisal district, chief appraiser, budget hearing, public notice, notice of hearing, newspaper publication, website notice, social media notice, online newspaper, county government, property appraisal

Transcript Highlights:

• Once an entity goes through that assessment, though, again, it kind of shows those gaps.
• Each entity will get a report.
• Each entity will get a report.
• And we had about a 42% participation rate across all entities in North Dakota.
• It is probably some of those larger entities, again, that have been responding to this.

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:

• You know, that's the first part of trying to get your funding right for your entity.
• A lot of the entities that are out there will be...
• We had a couple of entities that we found because they happened to show up.
• If I'm not mistaken, there are over 3,000 entities in the state of New Mexico.
• So those entities, those almost 200, they're different entities. multiple conversations with them because

Transcript Highlights:

• One, these entities take in tax dollars and are mostly or entirely sustained through that funding.
• I believe I do recall. ...entities or farming groups, is that right? Your staff is telling me that.
• Are we going to recognize any entity and say, here you go, set your own insurance rules?
• So it can be a for-profit entity despite its title.
• This bill does not require the entity even to make any filing with the Secretary of State.

Bills: HB111

Summary: The committee heard a long series of House bills, with most measures laid out by Senate sponsors and then left pending after brief public testimony. Early bills focused on construction and licensing issues, including HB 305 on prompt payment for public construction audits, HB 5093 on restoring public access to notary contact information, HB 2037 on updating landlord-tenant repair and security deposit rules, HB 4214 on a centralized public information request contact database, and HB 5435 exempting higher education institutions from a 90-day notice requirement for certain public-private partnership projects. Testimony was generally supportive on these bills, and no votes were taken; each was left pending. The committee also considered several transparency and regulatory bills. HB 111 would expand the Public Information Act to certain nonprofit state associations and narrow some attorney-client and working-paper exceptions, with supporters arguing it would improve oversight of public funds and critics questioning the scope and thresholds. HB 5129 would protect occupational license holders’ personal identifying information from disclosure without consent, HB 4350 would allow peace officers to redact personal information from online real property records, HB 4748 would authorize multiple-award state purchasing contracts, and HB 4765 would clean up code enforcement officer licensing rules. HB 4134 would allow motor vehicle creditors to charge limited fees for electronic payment options while requiring a free alternative, and HB 1043 would direct a study of blockchain-based property title records; both drew testimony, with some concern about the practical effects and vendor implications of the blockchain study. Several bills addressed insurance, workforce, and digital-asset regulation. HB 3520 would reduce the insurance coverage required for transportation network companies during the period when a driver is en route to pick up a passenger, drawing support from Texans for Lawsuit Reform and opposition from trial lawyers who argued the higher coverage better protects the public. HB 3320 would create a self-insurance pool for religious institutions, with TDI explaining it would still be regulated but operate under a special statutory framework. HB 4233 would modernize rules for digital asset service providers by removing certain auditor-access requirements and updating reporting and licensing provisions. HB 3923 would reduce bachelor’s-degree requirements for some state jobs, though Every Texan argued low pay, not degree requirements, is the main driver of turnover. HB 4518 would create a legal structure for decentralized unincorporated nonprofit associations tied to blockchain governance; business law experts opposed it as unnecessary and potentially risky, while crypto advocates supported it. Finally, HB 1803 would join an interstate compact for dentists and dental hygienists, with supporters citing workforce shortages and opponents saying Texas already licenses quickly and that the compact could weaken state oversight. Throughout the hearing, the committee repeatedly closed testimony and left bills pending, and a quorum was eventually established before later items were heard.

Transcript Highlights:

• These entities have been around for a long time.
• These entities have been around for a long time.
• These entities have been around for a long time.
• enabling for many of the other entities enabling for many of the other entities that<01:02:01.200
• <01:04:27.359> that lot of different financial entities that lot of different financial entities

Bills: SF0021, SF0022, SF0054, SF0055

Keywords: stable token, liquidity, trust account, Wyoming, fund distribution, financial regulation, state commission, decentralized, nonprofit association, merger, conversion, liability, membership, governance, indemnification, banking regulation, special purpose depository institution, conversion process, Wyoming state laws, financial services

Transcript Highlights:

• um because in other other entities um because in other other entities typically<00:15:44.040>
• say there are two entities say there are two entities investigating<00:15:51.360> and<00:
• are data from non-government entities are treated the same as if they are from a government entity.
• Not a government entity.
• be private or nonpublic so the entity be private or nonpublic so the entity would<01:30:47.000><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so the entities fill out the intake form.
• I'm just who are the local entities that are involved? Is it agency?
• We're assisting entities with audit compliance reviews right now.
• Providing formal requests by entities to the legislature.
• There's over 3000 entities in our state, so how do we actually see the top priorities from each entity