Transcript Highlights:

• </c> through a rigorous annual budgeting through a rigorous annual budgeting process<00:13:06.279><c>
• However, I will also say when we have flexibility and we have flat budgets or no budgets, then that's
• or no budgets and we have flat budgets or no budgets then<01:03:10.760><c> that's</c><01:03:10.920><
• </c> then part of that base plus minus budget then part of that base plus minus budget process<01:14:
• </c><01:18:05.080><c> that</c> is coming from out of your budget that is coming from out of your budget

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So they have their standard budget in our budget as we speak today.
• </c> budget in our budget as we speak today. budget in our budget as we speak today.
• > budget</c><01:06:21.280><c> conversation,</c> through that budget conversation, through that budget
• </c> in your uh budget bill. in your uh budget bill.
• </c> budget is picking winners and losers. budget is picking winners and losers.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Request for the 2026 legislative session budget.
• In the leadership budgets in 2023, the leadership budgets were increased by 10%.
• This regular session, those budgets are actually only getting an increase of about 3%.
• Do I have a motion to adopt the budget? So, thank you. You. Okay, we have...
• Is there any objection to adopting the budget? I see no objection. We have a...

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Request for the 2026 legislative session budget.
• In the leadership budgets in 2023, the leadership budgets were increased by 10%.
• This regular session, those budgets are actually only getting an increase of about 3%.
• Do I have a motion to adopt the budget? So, thank you. You.
• Is there any objection to adopting the budget? I see no objection. We have a...

Transcript Highlights:

• We pray for continued wisdom and discernment in this budget process, and we pray for peace in that process
• I appreciate your work so far on. the individual budget silos.
• In fact, while our state is growing, this year's budget will be less than the budget we passed last year
• In our budget this year, we are fully funding the current Budget Stabilization Fund; that in itself is
• CHAIR HOOPER, YOU ARE RECOGNIZED FOR AN UPDATE ON THE BUDGET CONFERENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So there may be a lot of areas here where you see budgeted... budget we look at what we need and if budget
• That's where the money is budgeted in this case. There's no money budgeted.
• That's where the money is budgeted in this case. There's no money budgeted.
• That's where the money is budgeted in this case. There's no money budgeted.
• That's where the money is budgeted in this case. There's no money budgeted.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Ways and Means and Health and Human Services committees heard Hawaii Health Systems Corporation’s biennium budget request, with testimony from HHSC leadership on the Hilo/Big Island region (HTH 212) and the Oahu region (HTH 215), plus discussion of capital improvement projects and systemwide partnerships. HHSC described its role as the rural healthcare safety net, serving a high share of Medicare, Medicaid/Quest, and uninsured patients, and said its costs are elevated by state employee fringe benefits, which it said are about 64% compared with roughly 30% in the private sector. HHSC also said pandemic-era federal aid, including relief funds and PPP loans totaling about $100 million, reduced the need for general fund support in prior years. For HTH 212, HHSC said its general fund request for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 was higher than the governor’s recommendation because of rising insurance, pharmaceutical, and contractor labor costs, and because it includes $13.2 million in FY 2026 and $2.3 million in FY 2027 for Epic electronic medical record implementation in East Hawaii. For HTH 215, HHSC said the requested general funds were aligned with the governor’s recommendation, in part because of increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for long-term care facilities under prior legislation. HHSC also said it was restoring a special fund ceiling so the region could spend its cash collections on operations. Members asked about the 64% fringe rate, and HHSC explained the difference was mainly due to defined-benefit pension and retiree health insurance costs, which private hospitals generally do not bear at the same level. Members also asked about the Daniel K. Akaka State Veterans Home, and HHSC said operations would be funded through the general fund corporation for the home when it opens, with management by Ohana Pacific, but no additional legislative operating funds were being requested at that time. Other questions focused on staffing and vacancies, including an abolished procurement position and an ongoing IT help desk recruitment need. HHSC highlighted several capital and partnership projects, including a $25 million state CIP request matched by $25 million from the Benioff family for the Benioff Health Center, an ER expansion and reconfiguration at Corner Community Hospital, and $7.5 million in each fiscal year for Kauai EMR capital funds to join the Epic platform. Testimony also described collaborations with Queen’s, the University of California San Francisco, Hawaii Pacific Health, the Hawaii Cancer Consortium, the Department of Health, and the state hospital to improve specialty access, clinical trials, behavioral health, and patient placement across the system.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> example the $880 billion house budget example the $880 billion house budget resolution<00:19:26.159
• The budget inequities inherent in DHS's waiver reimagine will cut her current waiver budget in half.
• Waiver reimagine bases budgets on where a person lives, providing generous budgets to those living in
• Additionally, as evidence has been address reported budgets cuts and address reported budgets cuts and
• </c><00:57:51.599><c> plans</c> current waiver reimagine budget plans current waiver reimagine budget

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When you send me a budget, think of Kevin.
• In this year's budget, we are fully funding that commitment.
• The budget we work together to pass doesn't just invest in education.
• Joint Budget, Big Mac A at 2:30. And then again tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. at Big Mac A.
• Joint Budget, Big Mac A at 2:30. Any other committee announcements?

Summary: The transcript covers the opening of the Arkansas House and a joint session of the 95th General Assembly’s fiscal session. The House first established a quorum, granted leave for absent members, recognized guests, and adopted House Resolution 1001 to convene a joint session with the Senate for Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s address. Several bills and resolutions were read for the record, including House Resolution 1002 and House Bills 1001, 102, and 103, before the House recessed to await the Senate and then the governor. In the joint session, leaders recognized the late Representative Stan Barry with a moment of silence, introduced constitutional officers, judges, and other guests, and appointed committees to escort the governor. Governor Sanders then delivered a lengthy fiscal-session address focused on her budget priorities and policy agenda. She emphasized continued funding for education under LEARNS, teacher pay and literacy gains, public safety and law enforcement funding, government efficiency and tax cuts, and the 1033 initiative aimed at helping vulnerable Arkansans move from crisis to self-sufficiency. She also urged lawmakers to avoid new Medicaid mandates or ongoing spending and said she would call a special session to cut income taxes further if the budget is passed. After the governor’s remarks, the joint session adjourned. The House then reconvened briefly, adopted a motion to adjourn until the next day, and announced that the Joint Budget Committee would meet later that afternoon and again the following morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• But we have to operate on a balanced budget. Money. But we have to operate on a balanced budget.
• Thanks to the people, we have to have a balanced budget.
• We do have to balance our budget.
• Thanks to the people, we have to have a balanced budget.
• Our budget. We do have a limited amount of money that we can spend.

Summary: The committee primarily considered House Bill 440, which would move Medicaid expansion language from the Oklahoma Constitution into state statute and send the change to voters in a special election. Supporters argued this would give the Legislature flexibility to manage the program, especially if federal Medicaid matching rates were reduced, and said it would help protect the state budget and allow future adjustments such as eligibility or work requirements. Opponents said the measure would weaken voter-approved constitutional protections, create uncertainty for more than 300,000 enrollees, rural hospitals, and providers, and could allow future cuts without another vote of the people. Members also discussed the possible fiscal impact of a federal match change from 90-10 to 60-40, with supporters saying the state could face roughly a billion-dollar annual cost and would need flexibility to avoid cuts to other services. Questions also focused on the choice of an August special election rather than the November general election, and on whether tribal governments and other stakeholders had been consulted. After debate, the committee tabled an amendment and passed House Bill 440 on a 14-2 vote. The committee then took up House Joint Resolution 1087, which would change the Avalon reimbursement program so the Legislature could manage funding levels and methodologies rather than being bound to the current structure. It passed 14-2. The committee also considered House Joint Resolution 1067, a trigger measure that would only appear on the November ballot if House Bill 440 failed in August; it would relieve the state of any obligation to fund Medicaid expansion for working adults if the federal match dropped below 90%. After adopting a committee substitute and tabling an amendment, the resolution also passed 14-2. The committee then laid over H.J.R. 1089 and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And it takes, we know that because of the budget and different...
• We have money in the budget that you guys helped us get, whoever voted on the budget last year.
• Knowing that our budget is in the process and all the appropriation bills will be held until the budget
• All the appropriation bills will be held until the budget is done.
• What this does... ...to be held and it'll be a fight in the budget.

Bills: SB1198, SB1199, SB1286, SB1683, SB1761

Keywords: Arizona beef council, beef promotion, agricultural marketing, commodity council, livestock, cattle industry, ranching, rural affairs, self-financed program, sunset extension, continuation bill, market development, beef products, Arizona agriculture, Title 41, Title 3, sunset review, marketing order, producer assessment, Salt River horse herd

Transcript Highlights:

• And they would have to complete their budgets by July 30th.
• and hold their budget millage hearings in August.
• Because that's a component of their budget.
• So it's not just limited; like in this year's budget, we appropriated.
• We're already doing our budgets for next year.

Transcript Highlights:

• I work for the Office of Program Research, Appropriations, and Capital Budget Committees.
• It's on the constitutional law of state budgeting.
• And then in the dark purple is the enacted budget for this biennium.
• I'm a senior policy analyst at the Washington State Budget and Policy Center.
• You remind me when you build a budget.

Bills: SB5893, SB6229, HB1376, SGA9306

Keywords: forest health, wildfire reduction, appropriations, environmental policy, natural resource management, capital gains, taxation, small business, state revenue, investment, economic growth, tax prepayment, tax regulation, financial planning, economic policy, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 497 corrects an oversight in House Bill 25 of 2025, the capital budget.
• </c><00:09:20.959><c> Please</c> &gt;&gt; Welcome to Capital Budget.
• Please &gt;&gt; Welcome to Capital Budget. Please introduce<00:09:21.680><c> yourself.
• Um in House Bill 25, the capital budget.
• Chairman, um in the budget, we uh in &gt;&gt; Mr.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• copy of that budget, but also post it online.
• Best practice is that the governmental body is discussing the budget all year.
• They start those conversations in December before budget adoption, and that's a long process.
• The board might change that proposed budget just like with LBB staff.
• Y'all don't ever just take the budget that's proposed by LBB staff, right?

Bills: HB431, HB1522, HB1922, HB2467, HB2468, HB3228, HB3229, HB3306, HB3803, HB3804, HB3805, HB3806, HB4219, HB4238, HB4344, HB4386, HB4739

Keywords: HB 431, Texas Property Code, Property Code Chapter 202, solar roof tiles, solar shingles, solar energy device, homeowners association, HOA, property owners' association, POA, renewable energy, residential solar, distributed solar, roof-mounted solar, homeowner rights, architectural control, open meetings, public notice, transparency, government efficiency

Summary: The committee first took up pending business and favorably reported several House bills without opposition, including HB 11, HB 132, HB 1041, HB 1606, HB 2286, and HB 5061. Each was moved out of committee with a recommendation that it do pass and be printed, and several were also recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. The committee then heard HB 3306, which would extend existing construction-contract indemnity exceptions to electric infrastructure construction, maintenance, and vegetation management work for electric utilities and transmission and distribution utilities. The sponsor said the bill would reduce litigation and insurance costs for ratepayers, while construction industry witnesses argued it would shift liability onto subcontractors and create broad-form indemnity in a way Texas law has generally prohibited since 2011. HB 3306 was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4739, a Comptroller-requested cleanup bill to repeal an outdated Finance Code provision requiring remittance of a portion of certain delinquency charges to the state, and HB 3803, HB 3804, and HB 3806, all Department of Banking-requested cleanup bills dealing with confidentiality and supervision rules for perpetual care funds, state banks, and trust companies. Those bills were briefly explained and left pending without testimony. HB 4219, aimed at improving Public Information Act compliance by requiring timely notice when records do not exist or are being withheld, allowing complaints to the Attorney General, and imposing training and fee consequences for noncompliance, drew support from a journalist and a policy analyst and was also left pending. The committee then heard HB 4238 on coerced debt and identity theft. The sponsor explained that the committee substitute narrows the bill to court-ordered findings of identity theft/coerced debt, gives collectors seven business days to stop collection activity, and removes a section to avoid litigation over court orders. A law professor and a family violence advocate testified in strong support, describing coerced debt as a barrier for domestic violence and elder abuse survivors trying to rebuild credit and access housing, jobs, and utilities. The bill was left pending. HB 1522, which would require local governments to post meeting notices three business days in advance and make budget materials more accessible online and in physical form, also drew support, though a school business officials representative raised concerns about the timing language, proposed-budget wording, and taxpayer impact statements for school districts; the bill was left pending after discussion. Later, the committee heard additional pending bills, including a PUC background-check bill that would expand the commission’s authority to check current employees and contractors and obtain FBI criminal history information, HB 3805 updating money services business regulation, HB 431 extending HOA solar-panel protections to solar tiles, and HB 3228 and HB 3229 on wind and solar recycling financial assurance and recycler solvency. HB 3228 received support from a Sierra Club witness who said recycling and disposal plans are needed for end-of-life renewable energy equipment, and HB 3229 was described as requiring recyclers to show financial resources at 125 percent through a letter of credit or bond. These bills were heard and left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that Those committees given the purview that they have over so much of our state budget, they
• It does each district office have a supplies budget that they have been allocated? Mr.
• banner with the caveat that then they have run out their entire supplies budget, right?
• Um, just giving folks a supplies budget up to a certain amount if they so choose to spend that budget
• We did, we did put money in the budget for him to move.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> budget be solved by our foundation? budget be solved by our foundation?
• </c> in the supplemental budget. in the supplemental budget. Senator<00:29:04.760><c> Lang.
• </c> supplemental mental budget supplemental mental budget recommendation.<00:30:05.800><c> Thank</c>
• </c> that we don't do a supplemental budget that we don't do a supplemental budget this<00:36:27.760>
• budget? budget? Mr.<00:37:25.880><c> Johnson.</c><00:37:26.440><c> Mr.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• are not being factored into the budget, yeah.
• We will provide the budget on time. We will provide the reports.
• They force you to come in and ask us, is this in the budget?
• </c> and ask us is is this in the budget and ask us is is this in the budget these<00:41:28.319><c> positions
• </c> budget and as a result these this budget budget and as a result these this budget gets<00:43:26.800

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Committee on Higher Education and Agriculture heard Senate Bill 1158, which would authorize general obligation bonds and appropriations for a controlled environment agriculture research and demonstration facility at the Magoon Research and Teaching Site in Manoa. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive from the University of Hawaiʻi, Department of Agriculture, Farm Bureau, Maui County, MetroGrow Hawaiʻi, and other agricultural groups, who said the project would strengthen food resilience, support year-round production, create clean jobs, and provide a demonstration site for urban vertical farming. University representatives said the project would include demolition of an existing condemned building, a research and lab component, and a multistory vertical farm, with an estimated cost of $6 million and a projected two-year build time. Members questioned whether Manoa was the best location, whether the project fit the university’s broader strategy, and whether the request would displace other priorities. The University said the site is tied to SEAR activities, close to students and faculty, and intended to support hands-on training and commercial-scale production. In response to concerns about soil testing and stakeholder needs, the University said it would restart the soil testing lab using internal funds, though not as part of this bill, and would request additional staff for efficiency. The committee then recessed and later reconvened in decision-making, where the chairs recommended and the committee adopted amendments to SB 1158, including a name correction and deferral to July 31, 2050, and the bill passed with amendments. The committee then took up Senate Bill 663, relating to the University of Hawaiʻi College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and SEAR research and experiment stations. The University testified that the stations are important for locally relevant agricultural research but are short staffed, with 34 positions down since 2005, and that the bill requests eight new positions, including agricultural technicians and four county community coordinator positions, to improve station operations, community engagement, and workforce development. The Farm Bureau supported the measure, saying the positions are needed to revamp extension services and that Manoa is an appropriate urban location for the vertical farming component. Members questioned why vacant or existing positions could not be used instead of new ones, and the University explained that some listed vacancies reflected old federally funded positions or inaccurate counts, promised a written update, and said it was working to fill current openings. No final vote on SB 663 was reached in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• with a $10 million budget.
• I think 72% of our projects come in under budget, only 28% over budget.
• Twenty-two percent of our projects come in under budget, only 28% over budget.
• under budget, and to Mr.
• under budget, and to Mr.

Summary: The committee met for an informational hearing focused largely on the state capital outlay process and House Bill 2. Roger Husser and Matt Baker of the Division of Administration/Facility Planning and Control described how the office prepares and administers the capital outlay bill, said the bill has grown substantially over five years, and argued that recent changes in culture, staffing, project management, cash-flow analysis, and use of third-party support have more than doubled project expenditures and improved delivery. Members asked about the use and cost of third-party project managers, delegation of smaller projects to agencies, hiring difficulties, and whether the changes represented better interpretation of existing law versus statutory changes. Husser said some statutes were amended, some internal customs were removed, and the office would provide a list of those changes. He also explained that the office is trying to move away from overly rigid practices and toward faster project completion while still following public-bid and oversight rules. A major portion of the discussion centered on the size and structure of the capital outlay bill, especially the gap between Priority 1 cash capacity and the much larger Priority 5 backlog. Husser said the current annual Priority 1 limit is tied to construction inflation and is about $574 million, with additional surplus funds also available, but that the bill contains far more Priority 5 funding than can realistically move in a five-year plan. He and members discussed dormant projects, scope creep, legacy projects that have sat in the bill for years, and the problem of false expectations for non-state entities. Proposed solutions included limiting Priority 5 to five times Priority 1, requiring annual re-endorsement by members, setting district or project caps for non-state projects, requiring time limits and reporting for grant-like non-state projects, placing matches in escrow, requiring design readiness before submission, and consolidating the many existing reporting requirements into one clearer report. Members also discussed bundling multiple projects under one agency project, which the House had begun piloting for LSU, UL Lafayette, Southern, and DOTD, and which Husser said could improve flexibility, reduce overappropriation, and better reflect actual spending. Baker then explained cash-flow management and the commitment process, saying FPC now analyzes projects annually to estimate what can actually be spent in the next fiscal year and uses commitments to allow projects to proceed when future-year funding is expected. He said overappropriations can result from poor cash-flow estimates, delays, dormant projects, or projects coming in under budget, and that the office is already reworking cash-flow assumptions and reappropriating savings where possible. Members also raised concerns about change orders and low bids; staff said project managers review change orders closely, require concurrence on non-state projects, and sometimes reduce scope to keep projects within budget. After FPC’s presentation, the committee heard the beginning of Louisiana Economic Development’s capital outlay discussion, where LED explained that its projects generally fall into three categories, including the Economic Development Awards Program and Site Readiness Program, both used to support targeted economic development and job creation.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> I'm not going to see it in your budget I'm not going to see it in your budget when<00:13:22.800>
• </c> you're going to save that in the budget you're going to save that in the budget that<00:16:39.000
• I think as we prepare the '26-'27 budget, we now have the experience and understanding to budget that
• </c> because that happened after we budgeted because that happened after we budgeted for<00:24:17.559
• </c> with the office of legislative budget with the office of legislative budget assistant<00:43:00.960

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Fiscal Committee met on February 21 and first approved the January 30 minutes and the consent calendar, with item 2540 removed by the Department of Education and item 25057 set aside for discussion. The committee then took up FIS 25057, a Department of Transportation request tied to a federal grant for building information modeling and related data standardization across DOT systems. Transportation officials explained that the $2.405 million consultant-heavy request would connect surveying, design, construction, and asset management systems, improve efficiency and long-term asset tracking, and help the department catch up with other states. Several senators questioned the lack of immediate, quantifiable budget savings and the reliance on consultants, but the item was ultimately adopted. The committee next approved FIS 25054 for the Department of Health and Human Services after questioning a $16 million shortfall in the Children’s Health Insurance Program. DHHS explained the variance as a budgeting and accounting issue tied to separating CHIP from Medicaid managed care, pandemic-era continuous enrollment, and the new federal requirement for 12 months of continuous coverage for children. Members also approved a Cannon Mountain fee item, where park officials described a proposed price freeze for early-bird passes, a new in-season tier, and modest increases in off-season pricing, while noting operating cost pressures, strong snow conditions, and favorable customer value ratings. That item was adopted unanimously. The committee also approved the Department of Corrections item after discussion of staffing, retirement eligibility, overtime, and recidivism. Commissioner Helen Hanks said retirement-eligible staff had declined slightly, recruitment was improving, overtime hours were down, one housing floor had been closed because of lower population, and the department had reduced reincarceration by 8% over seven years, which she said produced substantial savings. The item was adopted. During informational items, the committee heard a Legislative Budget Assistant performance audit of the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights. The audit found the commission inefficient and ineffective in processing complaints, with average case closure taking 840 days, significant backlogs dating back decades, expired administrative rules, weak management controls, disorganized and outdated procedures, unreliable data, and unresolved prior audit findings. The audit included 25 recommendations, two of which may require legislative action. Commission staff said they appreciated the recommendations and expected the additional resources from the prior budget cycle to help address the backlog and improve transparency and efficiency.

Transcript Highlights:

• Joint Legislative Budget Committee is called to order. Approval of minutes, Mr. Vice Chair. Mr.
• The FY 2026 budget included monies for the cost of the U.S.
• This is a transfer to the operating budget from that special election line item.
• If there is a concern with the budget, the Secretary of State's budget is, you know, that's their own
• But there's always another budget after that.

Keywords: 1182, all