Transcript Highlights:

• It will focus utilities on spending money better, not spending more.
• It will focus utilities on spending money better, not spending more money.
• They could consider lowering it for spending that is less risky than normal, right?
• You're spending thousands of dollars in legal fees.
• There are approximately 200 accounts open, Spending and lacks oversight.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It excludes spending for visitors at the office It excludes spending for visitors at the office determines
• This shows that visit Florida marketing efforts increase spend.
• And we've also seen that Latin Americans come in larger groups and spend more.
• >> We used to 2019 as a benchmark of where we were before COVID.
• This gives, you know, they put a spend and we put a spend and we amplify the marketing effort.

Transcript Highlights:

• You lose time that you could be exercising, time that you could be spending with your family, time that
• being able to live independently, cook, and not have to go into a nursing home and have the state spend
• This is one of the benchmark pieces of what we do at the foundation: our police and community engagement
• This is one of the benchmark pieces of what we do at the foundation: our police and community engagement
• This is one of the benchmark pieces of what we do at the foundation: our police and community engagement

Bills: SB1001, SB1035, SB1056, SB1065, SB1138, SB1161, SB1204, SB1207, SB1248, SB1274, SB1284, SCM1002, SCM1006, SCR1020

Keywords: appropriation, economic security, blind individuals, older adults, state funding, Arizona Department of Corrections, ADC, corrections, prison, jail, correctional officers, prison guards, staffing, retention, salary increase, pay raise, wage increase, general fund, state budget, private prisons

Transcript Highlights:

• Was it done to rein back spending or to free up money for investments in some worthy or noble cause?
• So if we were to achieve total 100 percent or even the 80 percent Benchmark.
• What I mean by that is that we also need to reassess what we are already spending money on, but would
• What I mean by that is that we also need to reassess what we are already spending money on, but would
• This first year is considered a planning year and our opportunity to negotiate performance benchmarks

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We spend about six months out of the year in audit with as many auditors on site as we have financial
• We spend about six months out of 17th.
• as well as our composite benchmarks as well as our composite benchmark. benchmark. benchmark.
• And I'm going to go back to page eight because I want you to spend more time there.
• police and fire, Centerville is spending police and fire, Centerville is spending about<01:01:40.600

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Next, I'll talk about our benchmarking proposal.
• Minnesota has not updated our benchmark plan since 2013, and the department plans on creating a new benchmark
• This updated benchmark would be required for plans starting in January of 2027.
• through a process called benchmarking through a process called benchmarking that's<00:07:32.560>
• Minnesota has not updated our Benchmark Minnesota has not updated our Benchmark plan<00:07:58.240

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and economic impact of agriculture, focuses state academic standard documents on standards and benchmarks
• and economic impact of agriculture, focuses state academic standard documents on standards and benchmarks
• school funds, the bill prohibits public schools, charter schools, and related organizations from spending

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Pre-K through 12 Education met with a quorum present and took up three bills. SB 1618, by Senator Calatayud, was presented as a broad education package affecting VPK through grade 12. It included changes to VPK enrollment flexibility, repeal of the Council for Early Grade Success, agriculture and financial literacy curriculum updates, reading intervention requirements, limits on certain public-school spending, corporal punishment consent, educator certification and screening provisions, and changes to the school recognition program. A late-filed technical amendment clarifying prior legislation for certain private schools in Brevard, Clay, Sarasota, and Bradford counties was adopted. Senator Osgood raised concerns about the bill’s school recognition provisions and the impact on paraprofessionals and other support staff, and the sponsor said she would continue those discussions. SB 1618, as amended, was reported favorably. The committee then considered CS for SB 1058, which would update Florida references from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in state, district, and charter school materials beginning after July 1, 2025, without requiring existing materials to be changed. The bill was presented by Senator Calatayud on behalf of Senator Gruters and was reported favorably without amendment or opposition. Next, the committee heard CS for SB 1470 on school safety, which would align school security guard training with guardian program requirements, refine locked campus and classroom rules, and improve panic alert and digital map coordination. Several amendments were adopted, including a late-filed amendment capping guardian training fees, creating a stakeholder work group for a Florida Institute of School Safety, adjusting locked-zone requirements and exceptions, requiring substitute teachers to receive safety protocol training, and a funding amendment providing $450,000 in recurring funds for a centralized panic alert and digital map system. Support was voiced by school district, sheriff, and safety representatives, and Senator Osgood praised the recurring funding as avoiding an unfunded mandate. The committee also passed SB 1472, linked to SB 1470, extending a public records exemption to school security guards’ records held by FDLE, with the exemption set to sunset in 2030 unless renewed. President Gaetz questioned the need for the exemption, and Senator Burgess responded that it was intended to protect school safety personnel from exposure of personal information after an incident. All three bills were reported favorably, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is important because we want to make sure everything that we do is spending the money of our students
• This is important because we want to make sure everything that we do is spending the money of our students
• <00:26:01.039> money<00:26:01.600> on<00:26:01.840> perhaps instead of spending
• the people, meet the faculty, meet the staff, walk around, and look at this is where I'm going to spend
• That expenditure is the real dollars that we spend each year on research, and this input of about $1.32

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• New York estimated that New Mexico would only need to spend $25 million to meet that final benchmark,
• Total spending on food service programs increased by 20.3% from school year 23 to school year 24.
• There's also significant non-Medicare behavioral health spending in the state.
• Funding crisis spending with these non-Medicaid dollars is also critical.
• We know that we already spend a lot of time getting people signed up for Medicaid who clearly qualify

Transcript Highlights:

• We will spend a month or six weeks working with our consultant, analyzing the bids and getting those
• That's based upon a very large number of benchmarks. It's a very good survey.
• So I went to Economic Research Institute and selected basically a subset of the benchmarks that were
• The same set of benchmarks, the 52 benchmarks, pulled data out of comparisons, and that showed us to
• I don't want to spend money just to spend money.

Summary: The Employee Benefits Committee met to hear presentations on state employee health insurance, compensation, leave policies, labor market conditions, and prevailing wage issues, then later took up committee rules and bill-draft jurisdiction. PERS reviewed the history and structure of the state health plan, noting the state has paid the full family premium since 1979, described cost-control and benefit-enhancement changes over time, and explained current plan options, wellness incentives, employer wellness discounts, and the upcoming bid process for the 2027-29 contract. HRMS then presented compensation comparisons showing state classified pay generally trails private and regional markets, with larger gaps at higher-level jobs, and reviewed benefits and leave policies, including the new enhanced annual leave and new-hire leave, the state’s unpaid family leave structure, and varying tuition reimbursement practices. Job Service reported on labor force trends, low unemployment, high labor force participation, job openings, and wage growth, and OMB said there are no state prevailing-wage requirements beyond federal Davis-Bacon rules for federally funded projects. The committee then considered a proposed amendment to Joint Rule 211 to better align the health insurance mandate review process with recent statutory changes. Members discussed how the rule should reference both the committee’s required actuarial reports and the Legislative Council cost-benefit analysis, and the amendment was adopted on a roll call vote. The committee also discussed how its jurisdiction decisions affect whether a bill draft receives actuarial analysis, with staff explaining that a decision not to take jurisdiction means the bill is not treated as impacting the relevant retirement or health plans for purposes of that analysis. After that, the committee began reviewing bill drafts for jurisdiction. The first draft, bill draft 33, would automatically renew pre-tax elections for dental and vision coverage during open enrollment instead of requiring annual re-election. Members debated whether it had any actuarial impact, noting the state does not pay those premiums directly, and the discussion was still underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:08:53.760> the just means they're not spending the just means they're not spending the
• to spend uh and buy that media. to spend uh and buy that media.
• Every $1 invested in our ad campaign generated $49 in visitor spending, direct visitor spending, and
• in direct visitor spending, and $4 in direct visitor spending, and $4 in taxes. taxes. taxes.
• million that I said in spending. million that I said in spending. twothirds<00:18:04.480> of<

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet and the Kentucky Department of Tourism on the 1% Tourism Meeting and Convention Marketing Fund. Officials said Kentucky tourism is a $14.3 billion industry that welcomed more than 80 million travelers last year, supports nearly 97,000 jobs, and uses the fund solely for tourism marketing and promotion, not capital projects. They noted the fund received additional appropriations in the enacted budget and also supports several designated tourism-related initiatives. Commissioner Mike Manet described how the fund is used for paid media, public relations, international marketing, cultural heritage promotion, website content, regional matching grants, research, trade shows, and travel expenses. He said the department spent $10.8 million on paid media in 23 markets in 2024, focused on seven tourism pillars, and used research and advertising ROI studies to guide spending. He reported 180 PR placements, 3.2 billion earned impressions, 3% growth in international visitation, and 12% growth in international spending to $257 million. He also highlighted the African-American Heritage Trail and said the regional matching funds program distributed $2 million to 87 local tourism commissions. Members asked about the rise of AI in search results, how domestic and international visitor data are collected, how ad agencies are selected, and how regional matching funds are allocated. The commissioner said the department uses GPS-based and federal data, including National Travel and Tourism Office figures, and that ad agencies are chosen through an RFP process. Representative McDaniel raised concerns about bourbon tourism and Canadian visitation; the commissioner said Canadian travel is down significantly, bourbon-related visitation has softened, and the department is shifting more spending toward in-state and closer drive markets while emphasizing bourbon’s heritage story. Representative Fugate asked about eastern Kentucky tourism and ATV trails, and the commissioner said those trails are included in advertising, social media, and earned media efforts. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know you wanted to take a rest at this interim, and I'm very, very grateful that you are spending your
• And we're going to need that data to give us a benchmark of where...
• Use those benchmarks to set goals and try our best to accomplish those goals.
• And we hope to use that standard as our benchmark...
• So have you ever tried to set that time lower and try to use that as the new benchmark?

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• significantly lower than those working at state-operated human services programs due to low salary benchmarks
• The state sets the benchmark for a direct care one staff member in the community-based human services
• while the state role makes $31.25 an hour, a difference of 15 percent... ...ways the state sets the benchmark
• I wanted to spend my time actually giving you a little bit of a sense of how turnover and vacancies impact
• He spends most of his time riding the MBTA and the commuter rail and some buses.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities held a hearing focused on accessibility-related legislation, with the chairs emphasizing ASL and CART accessibility and asking testifiers to speak slowly and clearly. The committee heard testimony first on H.223/S.130, a bill to establish a livable wage for community-based human service workers by reducing the pay gap with state employees. Providers’ Council, Communities for People, the Key Program, and BAMSI all supported the bill, describing persistent wage disparities, high vacancy and turnover rates, and the impact on continuity of care for children, youth, and families. Witnesses said the bill would help recruitment and retention and stabilize services across the Commonwealth. The committee then heard extensive testimony on H.224/S.160, the ACE Act, which would create a dedicated funding source to improve accessibility in the creative economy. Arts organizations and advocates, including Community Access to the Arts, Abilities Dance Boston, Jacob’s Pillow, the Multicultural Arts Center, Northampton Community Music Center, Mass Creative, Open Door Arts, and Monkey House, described barriers such as inaccessible buildings, lack of ASL interpretation and captioning, inadequate lifts and backstage access, and the high cost of renovations. Testifiers said the bill would help smaller and historic institutions make physical and programmatic improvements and allow people with disabilities to participate as artists, workers, and audiences. The committee also heard testimony on H.4180, which would require DDS to consider neuropsychological evaluations when determining eligibility for intellectual disability services. Parents and advocates argued that IQ cutoffs alone can miss significant functional needs, especially for autistic adults and others with complex developmental profiles, and urged broader access to DDS supports. Additional testimony supported S.101 on closed captioning and telecommunications in public areas, and S.158 on requiring restaurants to have some chairs with arms to better accommodate physically disabled and older patrons. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair adjourned after hearing from the scheduled witnesses and noting a few signups that were not present.

Transcript Highlights:

• There would also be a report on which districts failed to spend at least 95% of their allotted career
• 2024-2025, 43 school systems, including both rural and urban systems and charter schools, did not spend
• 2024-2025, 43 school systems, including both rural and urban systems and charter schools, did not spend
• Because if we don't spend the money, maybe we didn't have the need.
• It includes a simple compliance mechanism so that no institution can spend its state appropriation until

Bills: HB818, HB1063, SB28, SB64, SB142, SB234, SB482

Keywords: higher education, accountability, curriculum review, faculty governance, disciplinary procedures, SB 28, Act 233, associate educator program, associate teachers, teacher certification, alternative teacher pathway, education workforce, teacher shortage, minimum age, age requirement, Louisiana schools, Title 17, R.S. 17:7.8, educator pipeline, teacher recruitment

Summary: The House Education Committee met on April 29, 2026, and heard several education-related bills. SB 234, which would change Louisiana medical schools from pass-fail grading to letter grading, was briefly discussed and reported favorably without objection. SB 142, dealing with the management of Board of Regents support fund matched endowments if a related constitutional amendment passes, drew questions about endowment matching, oversight, and the roughly $75 million in outstanding match requests; it was also reported favorably. SB 482, which expands the use of career coaches in middle and high school individual graduation plans and adds reporting requirements for career development funds, received support from BESE and other groups, with members asking about counselor shortages and whether districts would be required to contract with outside vendors; it was reported favorably. SB 64, requiring two people to be present for the initial viewing of video from special education classroom cameras, was supported as a safeguard for students and staff and was reported favorably. The committee then took up HB 1063, a broad higher education governance bill that would require board review of core curricula, increase transparency in hiring and board actions, limit faculty senate authority to advisory status, and restrict spending without board certification. The bill prompted extensive questioning about whether it would create new boards, how it would be funded, and whether boards could realistically handle the workload; the author said the committee would not vote that day and moved to voluntarily defer the bill, which passed without objection. HB 818, as amended, was converted into a reporting bill requiring public inventories and state reporting on assessments used by schools, including their purpose and results; after amendment adoption, it was reported favorably. Finally, SB 28 lowered the minimum age for associate teachers from 25 to 21 to help address the teacher shortage, with department staff saying it could expand the pipeline of candidates; it was reported favorably. The committee also announced its next meeting would be Wednesday, May 6, and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• There was a benchmark rate, and then insurers could go above and below that by a certain percentage.
• And to be extra clear, Representative, that was a benchmark rate because we had promulgated forms at
• have been any kind of appeals to excessive rates, the be extra clear, Representative, that was a benchmark
• Now some people don't save their money, they go spend it, and then they're, you know, upset.

Summary: The committee first took up several bills and voted them out favorably without amendment: SB 2857, relating to prescription drug purchasing proof for certain health benefit plan issuers and employers; SB 1307, relating to the biennial health coverage reference guide; and SB 527, relating to health benefit coverage for general anesthesia for certain pediatric dental services. Each of those motions passed on a 7-0 roll call. The main discussion centered on SB 1643, which would require prior approval from the Texas Department of Insurance for property and casualty rate changes above 10% from a previously filed rate. The chair framed it as a response to rate volatility and rising homeowners and auto premiums, while several members questioned whether it would slow a market that is already stabilizing and could encourage insurers to file repeated increases just under the threshold. Witnesses from consumer groups supported tighter oversight and argued for a lower threshold, while insurance industry representatives opposed the bill, saying Texas’s file-and-use system and competitive market work better and that the proposal could increase costs or create uncertainty. After testimony, SB 1643 was left pending. The committee then heard SB 1642, which would replace the single Texas Department of Insurance commissioner with a three-commissioner structure and an executive director. Supporters said it could improve accountability and transparency, while opponents argued the current single-commissioner model is more efficient and avoids confusion and added cost. Witnesses also raised concerns about open meetings issues, administrative expense, and the lack of a clear model from other states. SB 1642 was also left pending. Finally, the committee heard SB 2530, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association omnibus bill. The bill would make a number of changes to TWIA’s governance and finances, including exempting TWIA from certain taxes, moving its headquarters to a coastal county, changing board composition and voting rules, and lowering the probable maximum loss standard from 1-in-100 to 1-in-50. Supporters said the bill would strengthen TWIA’s reserve funding and improve local relevance, while opponents warned it could increase assessments, reduce reinsurance protection, and create operational risks by relocating the headquarters to the coast. The bill was left pending, and the committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The benchmarks, the standards [clears throat] and the benchmark organizations include the number of benchmarks
• The benchmarks, the standards [clears throat], and the benchmark organizations include the number of
• The benchmarks, the standards [clears throat], and the benchmark organizations include the number of
• Benchmarks from K through 12.
• . benchmarks. benchmarks. um<01:04:49.200> what<01:04:49.440> you<01:04:49.599> have

Bills: HF3489, HF3550

Keywords: grooming, child protection, student safety, sexual exploitation, educator licensing, teacher discipline, mandatory reporting, mandated reporter training, school misconduct, predatory offender, child abuse, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, child sexual abuse material, child pornography, position of authority, school employee, school administrator, license revocation, license suspension

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not a lot; we're talking about the spending on this and the relative potential impact and return
• We need 2,326 to meet national benchmarks. So thank you. We need 2,326 to meet national benchmarks.
• How much money did we spend on this rural tax credit last year, do you know?
• fiscal impact, we are held to a standard that we cannot pass those out and hope that that unplanned spending

Bills: HB248, HB309, HB332, SB48

Keywords: general obligation bonds, GO bonds, capital projects, bond election, property tax levy, state debt, state finance, capital outlay, senior centers, senior citizen facilities, aging services, long-term services, libraries, library acquisitions, broadband for libraries, higher education, university capital projects, community colleges, tribal schools, special schools

Transcript Highlights:

• And and they spend School to Scrubs.
• in the United health care spending in the United States.
• And I and we spend 5 to 7% on them.
• as a percentage of our total health care spend.
• What was it total health care spending? What was it total health care spending?

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• maximum payment amount for specific medical procedures and services, usually based on a transparent benchmark
• benchmark like Medicare reimbursement<00:03:52.560> rates.
• The goal of reference-based pricing is not just to rein in spending, but it's to make sure that we're
• The goal of reference-based pricing is not just to rein in spending, but it's to make sure that we're
• to the extent the education spending to the extent the measures<00:26:06.000> in<00:26:06.240

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House took up S. 190, a health care cost-containment bill relating to the Green Mountain Care Board, reference-based pricing, and a study of a public employee health benefit authority. The House first suspended rules to take the bill from the notice calendar, then heard committee reports from Health Care, Ways and Means, and Appropriations. The Health Care committee chair described the bill as a strike-all amendment intended to carry out Act 68’s hospital reference-based pricing timeline, saying it would let the Green Mountain Care Board begin implementation for fiscal year 2027, expand reference-based pricing to qualified health plans and the Vermont Education Health Insurance program, and address hospital pricing transparency, outsourcing, and critical access hospital Medicare outpatient cost-sharing issues. Supporters argued the bill would lower insurance costs, help reduce property taxes, and improve hospital sustainability by reducing the need for hospitals to limit access as they approach revenue caps. The Ways and Means committee said the bill could reduce education spending by lowering health care costs for school employees and reported the bill favorably on a 7-4 vote. The Appropriations committee said it reviewed the bill and an amendment, and noted that much of the detailed language would be changed by the appropriations amendment; it also discussed a possible state innovation waiver under the Affordable Care Act. The Health Care committee reported its strike-all amendment favorably on a 10-0 vote. The bill’s provisions were described in detail, including requiring hospitals and insurers to express rates as a percentage of Medicare, setting a path toward national median hospital prices by 2030, limiting certain reimbursements for QHP and VHI plans, requiring a report on hospital outsourcing and provider tax impacts, and creating a public health system performance tool if funding is available. The speaker also noted that the bill would not affect critical access hospitals or Vermont’s Medicare-dependent hospital in the reimbursement cap provisions, and that critical access hospitals were already working with the Green Mountain Care Board on solutions to Medicare outpatient cost-sharing concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• When we do reoccurring spends, we are tying future legislatures' hands.
• The overarching theme here is we have a spending problem.
• , we are spending $508 million.
• Importantly, this budget limits growth and recurring spending.
• The spending increases by 2.8% in the current year.

Bills: HJR 99, HB 1399, HB 1400, HB 1094, HB 365, HB 1109, HB 647, HCR 35, SB 14, HB 12, HB 1522, HB 422, HB 675, HB 204, HB 748, HB 912, HJR 99, HB 1399, HB 1400, HB 1094, HB 365, HB 1109, HB 647, HCR 35, HCR 123, HCR 124, HR 57, HR 87, HR 111, HR 228, HR 230, HR 322, HR 624, HR 625, HR 626, HR 627, HR 628, HR 630, HR 631, HR 634, HR 635, HR 636, HR 637, HR 638, HR 639, HR 640, HR 645, HR 646, HR 648, HR 649, HR 651, HR 652, HR 653, HR 654, HR 664, HR 665, HR 668, HR 675, HR 676, HR 678, HR 679, HR 680, HR 683, HR 686, HR 688, HR 689, HR 694, HR 695, HR 697, HR 698, HR 699, HR 472, HR 622, HR 632, HR 633, HR 643, HR 655, HR 657, HR 660, HR 661, HR 662, HR 663, HR 667, HR 670, HR 674, HR 681, HR 682, HR 696

Keywords: animal feed, tax exemption, ad valorem taxation, retail, constitutional amendment, retail sale, tangible personal property, Texas tax code, groundwater, water conservation, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, innovation fund, local conservation districts, transportation protection agreement, funeral services, insurance exemption, regulation, deceased transportation, HB 365