Transcript Highlights:

• HB number 67 by Bella Montgomery relating to the allocation and deposit of certain surplus state revenue
• The use of certain surplus state revenue for the Committee on Ways and Means.
• school district maintenance and operations Avalarium taxes through the use of certain surplus state revenue
• school district maintenance and operations Avalarium taxes through the use of certain surplus state revenue
• HB 152 by money relating to a study of alternative methods of taxation to replace revenue loss to political

Transcript Highlights:

• system, to expedite some things by basically giving me the subpoena power that currently the head of Revenue
• But everything that we need, we can do, starting with your bill to provide alternative means to get revenue
• And by all means, anything we can do to enhance their revenue, allow them to do... their revenue, allow
• them to do where they can put their hand on revenue.

Bills: SB211, HB96, SB215, SB257, SB13, SB13

Keywords: school safety, local law enforcement, superintendent, complaints, school bus regulations, National Signing Day, athletic scholarships, military enlistment, postsecondary education, apprenticeship programs, high school students, educational commitments, education intervention, State Superintendent, local boards, provisional release, subpoena authority, compliance, educational operation control, fundraising

Transcript Highlights:

• That part currently generates revenue, but the revenue...
• The Lifeguard contract costs more, I think, than the revenue we generate.
• We can start generating our own revenue.
• funding uh introduces another Revenue funding uh introduces another Revenue source<02:39:08.520>
• Revenue to help Maui generating some Revenue to help Maui County<02:39:26.960> uh<02:39:27.080

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our Constitution requires us to focus on budget, revenue, taxation in the 30-day.
• Senate Bill 36 is a revenue appropriation. Senate Bill 38 is revenue appropriation.
• accept the staff recommendation for what's germane. based on messages and those bills that have a revenue

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And it's a significant revenue source for local political subdivisions.
• For instance, Slope County, their 3% cap allowable revenue was $18,000.
• Thirteen counties used reserves, plus all of the allowed revenue with the 3% cap."
• They said that its property tax revenue increase was only 2.2% this year.
• It gathers local revenue levy information.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee met to continue its tax reform and relief study agenda, approved the December 3, 2025 minutes, and announced a new subcommittee to examine property tax statement issues with counties, auditors, and the tax office. Representative Headland was named chair, Senator Rummel vice chair, and Representatives Dressler and Dr. Dr. and Senator Patton were also assigned. The chair noted the group may need an additional meeting and thanked staff and attendees. A major portion of the meeting focused on economic development incentives. The Department of Commerce presented on the Renaissance Zone program and TIF districts, describing Renaissance Zones as locally tailored tools that combine local property tax relief with state income tax incentives. Commerce said the program has supported thousands of projects since 1999 and cited examples from Beach and Mandan showing increases in property and taxable value, business retention, housing, and downtown revitalization. Committee members raised concerns that smaller rural communities often lack the staff and expertise to apply, and Commerce said it provides outreach through conferences, office hours, and one-on-one assistance. League of Cities and local officials from Bismarck and Ellendale echoed the capacity issue, discussed how the programs have worked in their communities, and suggested possible reforms or more targeted support for small towns. Ellendale’s mayor also described two TIF districts, one for industrial infrastructure in Oaks and one for housing infrastructure tied to a data center project in Ellendale. The committee then turned to stripper oil taxation. The Tax Department gave a comparison of oil and gas tax structures in selected states, noting that most have some form of stripper or marginal well provision, while Alaska does not appear to have a specific stripper-well exemption. Members asked for more detail on definitions and North Dakota’s annual adjusted rate. The Department of Mineral Resources followed with a detailed presentation on North Dakota stripper wells, explaining the statutory thresholds, the 12-consecutive-month production test, and the fact that once a well qualifies it remains on stripper status even if production later rises. DMR said about 11,332 stripper wells are active, representing roughly 54% of wells and about 16% of state production, and emphasized that stripper status can extend well life, preserve tax revenue, and reduce orphaned wells. Committee members and industry witnesses discussed refracs, the economics of keeping marginal wells active, and the competitive disadvantage created by North Dakota’s oil price discount. No votes were taken on these informational items.

Transcript Highlights:

• revenue, is that correct? revenue, is that correct?
• From a standpoint of the visitor industry, that's where the primary revenue stream comes from.
• And you guys take it from revenues brought in or you guys come in for appropriation?
• And you guys take it from revenues brought in or you guys come in for appropriation?
• And you guys take it from revenues And you guys take it from revenues brought<01:08:20.480> in

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees met on March 19, 2025, to hear HB 966 HD2, which would create statewide standards for agricultural tourism in counties that adopt ag-tourism ordinances. The bill would require registration with county planning departments, require ag-tourism to remain tied to an active farming operation, and end the activity when the agricultural use stops except in limited circumstances. Testimony from the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, the Agribusiness Development Corporation, the Department of Agriculture, the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Kualoa Ranch, and the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council was generally supportive of the bill’s intent, with several witnesses emphasizing that agritourism can help farm viability, food security, and public education about agriculture. The Hawaii Farm Bureau and several other testifiers supported agritourism but urged strong guardrails, minimal statewide standards, and deference to county home rule. They said agriculture should remain the primary activity, warned against adding burdens to farmers and ranchers, and suggested better enforcement and agricultural expertise within county planning departments. Phil Weber and others argued for objective standards, such as minimum revenue or work-performed thresholds, annual reporting, and clearer compliance tools, and cautioned that the bill’s termination exemption could be too broad if not tightened. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on whether the bill should apply to Department of Agriculture lands, especially ag park lands, and to DLNR lands. Department of Agriculture staff explained that ag park lands currently do not allow agritourism, while non-ag park lands under Act 90 allow limited related activity tied to farm production, with revenue limits and other conditions. Members and witnesses debated how to define and measure agritourism, how to enforce county rules, and whether to exempt ag park parcels or otherwise clarify that existing DOA rules would control. No vote or final action was taken during the hearing, and the chair requested follow-up language from DOA to address possible exemptions and clarify the bill’s application.

Transcript Highlights:

• One other modification of the law was related to state revenues.
• Revenues collected by a school district Revenues collected by a school district are considered state
• revenues.
• We generally call them local revenues. It's primarily made up of property taxes.
• That was the state means that you have a revenue...

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And it's all $62 million right to general revenue.
• And it's all $62 million right to general revenue.
• It's a net new revenue. So we're not going to miss out on any new revenue.
• The property tax revenue will be shared with the schools in the city of St.
• But that seems to be based on S— Revenue is a great place to start.

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the House Journal for the prior day by a vote of 118-1. The rest of the session was dominated by points of personal privilege, including farewell remarks from several outgoing members. Those speeches focused on service, family, staff, veterans, law enforcement, integrity, and concerns about lobbyist influence, with members also thanking legislative assistants and recognizing guests and family members in the chamber. The chamber then took up several bills. Senate Bill 1019, dealing with hospital finance and investment authority, was amended to align workplace violence, telehealth, prior authorization, physician licensure, and Lyme disease language, then passed 110-31. Senate Bill 1572, a pensions bill affecting police retirement, MOSERS, EMPERS, and related board provisions, drew extended debate over how to handle retirement overpayments; amendments were adopted to address technical and policy issues, and the bill passed 129-14. Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 1196, concerning workforce diploma programs, Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grants, workforce Pell Grants, higher education funding, and university board residency rules, was amended and passed 115-20, but its emergency clause failed 2-132. The House also granted further conference on Senate Bill 1020. Committee reports were read on several other measures, including bills recommended to pass by Fiscal Review. Later, the House began considering Senate amendments to House Bill 2508, an LLC-related bill involving certificates of good standing, court dissolution of LLCs in limited circumstances, and a St. Louis County property-management affidavit process for repeated ordinance violations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Make sure there's sufficient revenue for that appropriation.
• So what the LFC recommendation typically says is, okay, has the Taxation and Revenue Department... ..
• The executive recommendation would be a straight appropriation to the Taxation and Revenue Department
• When we're looking at our enterprise services, they're bringing in revenues into the general fund.
• So when I'm flagging enterprise services, enterprise services bring money, revenues into the general

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• tax rate. ...of a political subdivision to adopt an ad valorem tax rate that exceeds the no-new-revenue
• Senate Bill 2543 by Hancock, relating to the location of and the amount of certain revenue that may be
• Relating to the authority of certain municipalities to use certain tax revenue for hotel and convention
• Senate Bill 2779 by Birdwell, relating to allocation and use of certain hotel occupancy tax revenues,
• Senate Bill 2779 by Birdwell, relating to allocation and use of certain hotel occupancy tax revenues,

Bills: SJR12, SCR39, SB27, SB29, SB241, SB406, SB414, SB464, SB568, SB578, SB609, SB660, SB689, SB693, SB785, SB857, SB879, SB921, SB922, SB955, SB985, SB993, SB996, SB1008, SB1035, SB1036, SB1059, SB1098, SB1120, SB1122, SB1147, SB1188, SB1197, SB1209, SB1227, SB1245, SB1267, SB1307, SB1321, SB1332, SB1386, SB1396, SB1453, SB1484, SB1494, SB1536, SB1537, SB1596, SB1610, SB1664, SB1741, SB1814, SB1822, SB1841, SB1948, SB2065, SB2155, SB2188, SB2230, SB2406, SB2407

Keywords: parental rights, education, constitutional amendment, school choice, child education, border security, southern border, federal immigration policy, illegal immigration, cartels, transnational cartels, fentanyl, drug trafficking, human trafficking, Operation Lone Star, Texas border, National Guard, state guard, border wall, border barriers

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, heard an invocation, and approved the previous day’s journal. The chamber then adopted Senate Resolution 358 honoring the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on its 10th anniversary, with senators highlighting the university’s growth, medical school, research expansion, and role in serving South Texas. The Senate also adopted Senate Resolution 368 honoring outgoing Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp, with numerous senators praising his long public career, leadership in higher education, and statewide impact. Senate Resolution 361 recognizing Texas HBCU Day and Senate Resolution 362 recognizing Denton County Days at the Capitol were also adopted, along with other routine recognitions and gubernatorial appointments being read into the record. The Senate then took up several bills. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 27, relating to rights and support for public school educators, was debated and amended to shorten vacancy posting requirements, allow bilingual certification candidates to retake only failed test sections, give teachers more flexibility with paid leave, clarify classroom removal procedures, and ensure parents are informed of appeal rights. The bill passed to engrossment, the three-day rule was suspended, and it was finally passed unanimously. Senate Joint Resolution 12, proposing a constitutional amendment to establish a parent’s right to direct a child’s education, was also brought up and passed to engrossment after a contested suspension vote. The Senate next passed Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1741, which would require reporting of foreign funding at public universities, bar gifts from adversarial governments, and require training and reporting systems to prevent foreign influence and intellectual property theft in higher education. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 29, the so-called “Dexit” bill, was debated at length for its corporate governance changes, including codifying the business judgment rule and altering internal corporate litigation and records rules; it passed to engrossment, the three-day rule was suspended, and it was finally passed by a 30-1 vote. Senate Bill 857, allowing law enforcement discretion to tow vehicles driven by unlicensed or uninsured drivers, passed after discussion of towing abuses during flooding and disaster conditions. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1536, requiring dementia and Alzheimer’s training for certain guardians, passed with broad support, and Senate Bill 922, addressing delayed electronic disclosure of sensitive medical test results so physicians can discuss them first, was taken up and passed to engrossment as the chamber continued through its calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• To amend the revenue stabilization law, to create funds, to make transfers to and from funds and fund
• To amend the revenue stabilization law, to create funds, to make transfers to and from funds and fund
• Okay, but the sales tax revenue is currently spent.
• It goes either into general revenue or some of it goes to the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
• No, the sales tax would go into this fund out of general revenue.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Relying on you for revenue. And they get all our business.
• Relying on you<00:34:50.159> for<00:34:50.399> revenue.
• Thank you. >> Your revenue, not your income. Thank you for the correction.
• It's the folks that we get to revenue.
• >> Your revenue, not your your income. >> Your revenue, not your your income.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Joint Fiscal Committee met on March 20, 2026, approved the minutes, and adopted the consent calendar after removing two items for separate discussion: FIS 26048 from the Department of Safety and FIS 26053 from the Department of Environmental Services. The committee then adopted both of those items after brief questioning. Safety explained that a $2 million transfer would reduce its lapse, though it still expected a lapse of just under $4 million. Members, especially Senator Gray, emphasized concern about lapses and the need to track them closely given prior-year shortfalls. On the Environmental Services item, members discussed the Heavy Falls dam removal. The commissioner said the dam is old, not grounded in bedrock, and does not meet current safety standards, so removal was the practical option because replacement funding was unavailable. He said the aquatic resource mitigation fund and Army Corps of Engineers support made the removal feasible, and that the town had been involved in discussions for years. The committee adopted the item. The committee also adopted a Department of Transportation item, with staff noting high snowfall and a roughly 25% vacancy rate but saying contractors and bonus incentives had allowed plowing operations to continue. A Judicial Council item was then adopted, with the director saying it would likely be his last appearance this fiscal year. The committee next reviewed information materials on YDC claims administration, where DOJ staff said current spending would leave about a $10 million buffer into the next fiscal year and described reduced staffing and ongoing claims work; no action was taken. The committee then heard audit presentations for the Liquor Commission and Lottery Commission. The Liquor Commission audit reported seven findings, including a material weakness on reconciliations, issues with NextGen data/reporting, gift and promotional card controls, procurement and leasing practices, and one nonconcurrence on whether certain purchases were exempt from bidding requirements; members discussed whether attorney general review or legislation might be needed. The commission said it had completed a year-end reconciliation and was about 70% reconciled through February. The Lottery Commission audit reported three internal control comments, all concurred with by the lottery, focused on written procedures, filling the controller position, annual risk assessments, disaster recovery testing, user access controls, and training compliance; the lottery said it was hiring to reduce reliance on one employee and had no unresolved findings. The committee took no vote on the audit materials and adjourned after setting the next meeting for April 17 at 11:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• They have other revenue sources, like from the federal government, that most of their personnel are being
• They have other revenue sources, like from the federal government, that most of their personnel are being
• Chairman, the Fire Protection Fund intercepts General Fund revenue, and so the money that doesn't go
• So it's another one of those agencies that's intercepting General Fund revenue, and it kind of looks
• So you can see where there was additional revenue coming in from other state funds on line 15.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is something that we worked through with the Department of Revenue, the State Auditor's Office
• front of me, but I will take this opportunity to say that there are things that we do not collect revenue
• It's not that there's no place to find that revenue. It's a choice not to.
• on, data centers being one of revenue on, data centers being one of them.<00:14:59.600> that<
• that we could have like $232 tax revenue that we could have like $232 million<00:15:05.120> a

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It can add revenue for our agricultural producers, attract billions of dollars in private investment
• from around the world, add new commercial and industrial tax revenue to the state and cities, and renew
• It can add revenue for our agricultural producers, attract billions of dollars in private investment
• from around the world, add new commercial and industrial tax revenue to the state and cities, and renew
• <00:26:39.240> to commercial and Industrial tax revenue to commercial and Industrial tax revenue

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So it says Department of Revenue, the application is the application portfolio...
• So it says Department of Revenue, the application is the application portfolio, ITSM.
• To highlight the current volume, the system is managing the revenue generated in fiscal year 2019-2020
• A $200 million increase in general revenue has occurred in just the last five fiscal years.
• A $200 million increase in general revenue has occurred in just the last five fiscal years.

Summary: The subcommittee first heard a panel on state cloud modernization efforts after canceling an LBR on the Department of Corrections’ OBIS project because the presentation materials were not submitted on time. Florida Digital Service, the Northwest Regional Data Center, and several agencies described how the state is assessing and migrating applications to cloud environments under the cloud-first policy. Northwest explained its 2023 cloud readiness assessment of 890 applications from 24 agencies, the criteria used to rate readiness and risk, and its recommendation to tackle lower-risk applications first. Agency updates covered the Department of Corrections’ modernization of 98 legacy applications tied to OBIS and cloud-native infrastructure, the Department of Elder Affairs’ Microsoft Power Platform modernization, the Department of Health’s health management and child protection systems, and FDOT’s large cloud program for transportation systems. Members repeatedly asked about costs, data ownership, disaster recovery, single sign-on, security tools, and whether cloud migration actually saves money; presenters generally said the focus is more on modernization, resilience, and efficiency than immediate savings, and that cost analyses are often application-specific rather than enterprise-wide. The discussion also covered governance and architecture questions. Florida Digital Service said agencies remain responsible for their own databases and cloud tenants, while FLDS provides advice and an enterprise architecture framework; it does not have statutory oversight over most projects, except for OBIS project oversight due to its size. Northwest said it is acting as a cloud broker for some agencies and is consolidating Azure and AWS payer tenants to seek better pricing, but agencies still make system-by-system decisions based on business needs, risk, latency, and total cost of ownership. Members raised concerns about fragmented data structures, the lack of a complete statewide application inventory, and the need for better interoperability and enterprise standards. Several agencies said disaster recovery is built into their cloud plans, and FDOT and Corrections described ongoing efforts to keep systems current through core platforms, training, and ongoing support. In the second half of the meeting, the Department of State presented two new technology requests. Secretary Byrd described the SunBiz corporate registry system as a 34-year-old platform supporting more than 3.5 million business entities and generating over $575 million in annual general revenue. He said the department had already virtualized the legacy hardware after earlier modernization efforts failed and is now seeking $800,000 recurring for password protection and $5 million nonrecurring to continue procurement for a replacement system. The department also presented the Florida Voter Registration System modernization request, noting that the current system is outdated and requires manual workarounds for some statutory changes. The department requested $2.4948 million nonrecurring and $44,000 recurring to procure a modernized FVRS solution, and staff said the feasibility study recommended a hybrid approach. Members asked about the study’s findings and about creating a database for voter eligibility information for returning citizens; the department said that would require data sharing with all 67 clerks of court and other entities such as DOC.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and what this bill does is it provides a non-tax revenue source to fund the cyanobacteria loan and
• Um $30 of the initial revenue coming in.
• So we feel it could be really a direct loss of revenue over time.
• So we feel it could be really a direct loss of revenue over time.
• Thank you. not make as much revenue as, um, a not make as much revenue as, um, a conservation<00:37:35.200

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It doesn't change our brings in revenue.
• regulated revenues regulated revenues >> and<01:33:43.040> all<01:33:43.199> the
• regulated revenues regulated revenues >> and<01:33:47.120> um<01:33:47.440> and<
• rid of the regulated revenues committee. rid of the regulated revenues committee.
• <01:34:03.520> did Uh partly because regulated revenues did Uh partly because regulated revenues

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Last year, the complaint was that the revenue—we had a fiscal note of $6 million.
• brings in $7 million, which again, based on last year's fiscal note, would have made the program revenue
• positive um in the program Revenue positive um in the program<00:04:29.600> um<00:04:29.800><
• , but I would ask you to look at the per-student revenue.
• of $32 versus $7 for the online revenue.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• number sixty-seven by Bella Montgomery relates to the allocation and deposit of certain surplus state revenue
• school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes through the use of certain surplus state revenue
• school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes through the use of certain surplus state revenue
• school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes through the use of certain surplus state revenue
• HB number 152 by Money relates to a study of alternative methods of taxation to replace revenue loss

Keywords: 997, house, all