Transcript Highlights:

• The specific role that DOH has within the program and the structure. Mr.
• So as you're making investments into us, we're also making investments in federal funds and permit fees
• That's a fee that we've tried to bring through the legislature.
• That's a that's a fee that we've tried to bring through the legislature.
• And if we ever do that, it's because it's a bridge until the fees start coming in. Okay, thank you.

Summary: The committee first recognized Mark Roper of the Economic Development Department for his long service and retirement, with members and the secretary praising his work on economic development across the state. Secretary Rob Black then presented EDD’s budget and special appropriation requests, describing strong recent job and income growth and outlining the department’s strategy around science and technology, site readiness, workforce development, foreign direct investment, and rural/community programs. He highlighted wins in advanced energy, quantum, space and defense, and biosciences, and asked for funding for quantum/DARPA matching funds, additional site readiness work, LIDA closing funds, JTIP training support, New Mexico Partnership, and healthy foods and other community programs. Members asked detailed questions about the quantum proposal, site readiness, the new mapping tool for industrial sites, workforce participation, trade missions, foreign investment, tariffs, water and produced water, tribal site evaluation, and public engagement on major projects. Black said the quantum request was intended to match federal dollars and build a workforce pipeline, that the site-readiness software would be a set enterprise license, and that the department was working with tribes and local partners on future site evaluations. He also said tariffs have created uncertainty but New Mexico’s infrastructure and foreign trade zones could help attract manufacturing, and he acknowledged concerns about transparency and community input while noting that some projects, such as Pacific Fusion, had gone through extensive public processes. The committee also discussed specific projects and funding balances, including Mantis Space’s move to Albuquerque, the status of Virgin Galactic’s spaceport lease, and the current LIDA fund balance and encumbrances. Black and Deputy Secretary Isaac Romero said the department was trying to use State Investment Council-backed venture funds to attract companies and that the new investments were already producing deals and jobs. Members generally supported the department’s direction but pressed for more targeted expertise, faster deployment, and stronger community involvement in future economic development decisions. Later, Secretary de Blassie of the Department of Health presented the department’s budget request and progress report. He said DOH had improved revenue cycle management, reduced old Medicaid-pending cases, increased census at facilities, improved budget and contract timeliness, and responded effectively to the measles outbreak. The department requested additional base funding for epidemiology and response, the DOH helpline, the Vital Records Virtual Vault, state labs, and the veterans home, along with special requests for respiratory vaccinations and marketing and lab equipment replacement. He also noted progress on MOUD and the medical psilocybin program, and said the department was not seeking to launch new programs given the limited time left in the administration.

Transcript Highlights:

• <02:40:32.880> alignment and licensing fee alignment and licensing fee alignment proposal.
• Most of these fees have not proposal.
• , met within an existing structure, met within an existing structure, whether<03:14:17.680> it
• So it doesn’t affect any fees.
• collect the new fees, but what still collect the new fees, but what we're<04:36:10.320> doing

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It reauthorizes the collection of oil import license fees and adjusts the fee amounts.
• fees and the fourth readjusts the fees fees and the fourth readjusts the fees which<04:49:17.600
• those hea oil releases the import fees those hea oil releases the import fees for<04:53:13.440><
• So, um, do these fees—have these fees been calculated essentially with a goal of generating a balance
• ><05:00:49.040> are board can reassess what their fees are board can reassess what their fees

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Environment and Agriculture Committee met in work session on several bills, beginning with HB 153, which would require two or more law enforcement officers in each county to receive animal cruelty training. Members said the bill had been sent to the Animal Protection and Licensing Subcommittee, where Representative Kuttab is expected to schedule a meeting soon to consider possible amendments based on testimony and other ideas. The committee later returned to HB 153 and confirmed a work session was planned for February 14, with discussion also including whether to explore a task force concept raised in testimony. The committee also discussed HB 215 and HB 566, both related to landfill permitting and leachate or harm/benefit reporting. Representative Gerana said he had met with the DES director and was working on amendments that would add a preliminary screening phase for determining net public benefit and expand the list of benefits beyond capacity need to include items such as economic and infrastructure benefits. HB 566 was said to be in the same posture as HB 215, and both were slated for subcommittee review the following Tuesday morning. HB 171 was also added for subcommittee discussion, with members saying the changes would be technical rather than substantive. HB 240, which removes forfeiture penalties for non-payment of dog licenses, drew support for a simple amendment changing a statutory “shall” to “may” so municipal officials would have discretion about issuing a warrant. Representative Bixby said OLS advised that this was the cleanest way to provide flexibility, and he reported that the sponsor was agreeable to the change. The committee also discussed HB 179, concerning hazardous waste accident fees, where the sponsor proposed a revised amendment imposing a $1,000-per-day penalty after 90 days of non-payment. Members raised concerns about homeowners, hobby farmers, and whether the bill could unfairly burden people who were not negligent or whose insurance claims were delayed. The sponsor and others said the intent was to recover costs from responsible parties, especially businesses, and to protect local taxpayers and fire departments from bearing the cost of damaged hazardous materials equipment. No votes were taken; the bills were left for further subcommittee work and amendment drafting.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the percentage, 3% for instance, as you mentioned, helps ensure the operational structure remains
• Moreover, they are deeply concerned that our current structure of K-12 education was inadequate.
• Can you elaborate on how that assistance is structured and what the lasting impacts are?
• Can you elaborate on how that assistance is structured and what the lasting impacts are?
• Given this bill structure at this point in time, what do you think would happen?

Bills: SB 2

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But I think that we have to kind of look at what structurally is going on and look upstream and see how
• Chair, Representative Youakim, the bill, as amended, affects seven state taxes and a fee.
• In addition, this proposal also would capture the incremental increase in the retail delivery fee, and
• In addition, this proposal also would capture the incremental increase in the retail delivery fee, and
• <01:31:20.720> is fee is fee is maybe<01:31:22.680> a<01:31:22.720> little<01:31

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• enhanced prepayment This establishes enhanced prepayment review<00:13:09.839> for<00:13:10.040> fee-for-fee
• <00:13:10.800> fee-for-service review for fee-for-fee fee-for-service review for fee-for-fee
• fee-for-service MA<00:13:11.880> claims.
• lender with significant fees. lender with significant fees.
• structured than things like task forces. structured than things like task forces.

Bills: HF4207, HF4338

Keywords: housing aid, local housing trust, funding projects, income provisions, technical changes, human services, medical assistance, Medicaid, provider enrollment, provider revalidation, fraud prevention, program integrity, background study, background check, fingerprinting, licensing, license revocation, payment withholding, payment suspension, prepayment review

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill has fees if the immunity holds.
• First reading of the bill: vehicle registration fees, tribal governments.
• Members, you're voting on House Bill 26, vehicle registration fees, tribal governments.
• Members, you're voting on House Bill 26, vehicle registration fees, tribal governments.
• First reading of the bill: vehicle registration fees amendments.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There was also a fee associated with each individual check, and now that fee is not there for election
• have been in the news lately: for example, where the court invalidated the administration's $100,000 fee
• Here's the kind of structure of the subcommittees or the different...
• And here's the kind of structure of the subcommittees or the different subcommittees that we have.

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Or a progressive rate structure that takes income into account.
• One is the tipping fees. projects that are getting started.
• One is the tipping fees. There are a couple of different revenue opportunities.
• One is the tipping fees that come from taking on that food waste, and the other, of course, is the energy
• And to break down these chemical bonds in some of the structures that I show in this figure is incredibly

Summary: The Assembly Select Committee on Biotechnology and Medical Technology held an informational hearing on the role of biotechnology industries in wastewater treatment, hosted at Bakar Labs on the UC Berkeley campus. Opening remarks emphasized California’s water scarcity, the rising cost of wastewater infrastructure, and the need to reuse and clean contaminated water. Committee members framed the hearing as a look at both current treatment challenges and emerging technologies that could improve water quality, affordability, and resilience over time. The first panel focused on statewide wastewater challenges. BACWA Executive Director Laurie Fono described wastewater plants as part of a broader circular economy, noting their roles in recycled water, environmental enhancement, biosolids management, carbon sequestration, and renewable energy generation. She highlighted major challenges including aging 1970s-era infrastructure, nutrient reduction mandates, sea level rise, evolving regulations, and PFAS source control. She said Bay Area agencies face about $11 billion in nutrient reduction costs, with rate increases, state revolving funds, WIFIA loans, and bonds as the main financing tools. Members asked about regional differences, energy revenue opportunities, smaller decentralized plants, and agricultural collaboration. The second panel featured researchers and lab experts discussing biotechnology solutions. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s Dr. Romine Chakarvati described using microbial communities and machine learning to help break down PFAS and treat produced water. CEL Analytical’s Dr. Yigi Dearborn explained pathogen testing for direct potable reuse, wastewater monitoring, and the need for larger sample volumes and more funding to validate methods for viruses and protozoa. Stanford’s Dr. Chunhung-Shin presented an anaerobic membrane system that turns domestic wastewater into clean water and energy with less biosolids and lower operating costs. Committee members asked about AI, assay development, scaling technologies, and funding priorities. Public comment from the California Association of Sanitation Agencies stressed the need to balance scalability, reliability, and affordability, and the hearing adjourned without any formal vote or action.

Transcript Highlights:

• spring's more, um, More wildlife focus towards that department, changes the name, um, adjust license fees
• paying the bills of our state and, uh, Why are we adding more rules and regulations and upping their fees
• regulatory impacts of the Clean Fuel Standard, and then discussing on number 9, A and B, the increased fees
• gives state forestry the ability to provide technical assistance and training regarding how to help structures
• Grading Act, which allows Emner to create and administer a certification program for the grading of structural

Transcript Highlights:

• While ensuring fairness in the tax structure is the right approach, we need this bill and your support
• This would also be harmful to the pocketbooks of parents by creating a new government fee for school
• These same families could afford state-mandated fees on desks. air conditioning, drinking fountains,
• are probably more efficient ways to pay for things we want schools to be able to do instead of one fee
• this kind of leads to what I'm looking at: the programs that are up for being discontinued have a structure

Bills: HF51, HF1161, HF2201, HF2786, HF1053

Keywords: HF51, Sibley County, State-Aid Highway 21, capital investment, bonding bill, general obligation bonds, transportation infrastructure, road improvements, sanitary sewer, water main, storm sewer, local infrastructure, county grant, Minnesota Department of Transportation, bond proceeds fund, public works, utility infrastructure, education finance, school district funding, tax base adjustment

Transcript Highlights:

• And what I've shown is you can see some chemical structures here.
• The way this works with this particular company is that they pay FAU for fees for certain patent activities
• To date, we received a little over $230,000 for these patent activity fees.
• OP Solutions also supports research activities, ...for these patent activity fees.
• You can have structures, components, that can handle sustained winds of Cat 5, but then, as we all know

Summary: The Education Postsecondary Committee held its first meeting and focused on state university centers and institutes, with an overview from the Board of Governors on how the more than 500 centers and institutes across Florida’s public universities are categorized, overseen, and reported. The Board described three categories: state-level centers, legislatively established centers, and university-established centers. Members were told universities must maintain policies, notify the Board of changes, publish public inventories, and submit annual reports and compliance certifications. Senator Harrell asked about funding sources and whether underperforming centers are reviewed for elimination; the response was that funding varies by center and that universities decide whether to maintain or disband centers under their own policies, with annual reporting and audit findings shared with the Board. Four university presentations followed. Florida Atlantic University highlighted its Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology, describing research in marine-derived drug discovery, genomics, imaging, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and ocean sustainability, along with spin-off institutes and partnerships that have generated significant grant and contract support. FIU presented its Center of Excellence for Hurricane Damage Mitigation and Product Development, emphasizing the Wall of Wind facility, hurricane and water intrusion testing, code and product innovation, insurance modeling, and future expansion toward higher wind speeds and flood simulation. Florida State University’s High-Performance Materials Institute described work in advanced materials, aerospace composites, sensors, nanocomposites, and AI-enabled materials development, along with patents, industry partnerships, and new facilities tied to economic development. The University of Florida’s Lastinger Center for Learning outlined its work on teacher professional learning, literacy, New Worlds Reading, tutoring, and mathematics supports, including microcredentials, statewide book distribution, and early results showing improved reading confidence and growth. Members generally praised the centers for their research, commercialization, workforce development, and education impacts. Senator Jones and Senator Harrell commended the Lastinger Center’s literacy work and the broader return on investment from these programs, while Senator Berman noted the value of the synergies across institutions. The chair emphasized that future funding requests should clearly show measurable success, commercialization, and statewide impact. The committee then adjourned without any formal votes on legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill is about fees. ...place these fees with those that apply to criminal defense attorneys, which
• has led to some jurisdictions lacking fee schedules altogether in this arena.
• fee schedule, which is basically inapplicable to child protection cases.
• It just creates rules for fee schedules in CPS cases.
• Simply to allow an increase in the fees for attorneys under this provision.

Bills: HCR10, HB1814, HB2160, HB2353, HB2643, HB2971, HB3282, HB3382, HB3996, HB4507, HB4509, HB4805, HB5551, HB1863, HCR10

Keywords: family abduction, child safety, custodial rights, parental kidnapping, awareness day, marriage license, informal marriage, family code, identity verification, child support, family law, child custody, court interview, parent-child relationship, child welfare, attorney ad litem, compensation, legal representation, government entity, HB 2643

Transcript Highlights:

• The penalty structure, the conference committee kept that change.
• And finally, the Senate applied the bill to any structure whose construction begins 90 days after the
• Because the limit now allows it to be in the current... the current height of that structure is about
• So the current structure that's there, and I think the one they need to build to go to Mars, would fall
• But the bill does not exempt any class of activity from the bill if a structure is over 575 feet tall

Bills: SB1637, SB1, HB300, SB2601, SB37, HB2011, HB3595, HB3071, SB12, HB3372, SB457, HB2067, SB2337, SB447, SB1506, SB1566, SB763, HB3556, SB13, SB2018, SB331, SB379, HB145, SB441, SB2878, HB2885, HB2017, HB5246, SB8, SB2308, SB1540, HB 119, SB1405, SB3059, SB15, SB568

Keywords: SB 1637, deadly conduct, Texas Penal Code, Section 22.05, firearm, gun, pointing a gun, recklessness presumption, peace officer, law enforcement, police, officer-involved shooting, use of force, justification, self-defense, defense of others, Chapter 9, criminal prosecution, Penal Code amendment, appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• public accounting of administrative fees public accounting of administrative fees for<00:30:42.960
• These are essentially the vehicle rental fees by agencies that are deposited into that fund.
• These are essentially the vehicle rental fees by agencies that are deposited into that fund.
• that funds what happens in that structure.
• And I just wanted that structure.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The intent was that everybody would pay that fee with regards to House Bill 1998. program, but the way
• One additional fee, not two? Because I thought they only paid two.
• No, it's a standard. $15 fee, but we're expanding the basket. OK, thank you. Yes, ma'am.
• I just think it's interesting that a one-time fee of making sure that your staff—I mean, we made all
• The current penalty structure outlined in the Health and Safety Code only accounts for factors such as

Bills: SB1117, SB1373, SB672, SB1986, SB1098, SB626, SB1784, SB2480, SB2487, SB437, SB660

Keywords: dentistry, botulinum toxin, aesthetic treatments, dental regulation, training, medical staff privileges, hospital administration, healthcare regulation, Texas Health and Safety Code, consistency in privileges, SB 672, Texas hospital emergency operations plan, hospital diversion, emergency department, cyberattack, cyber security, power outage, electrical outage, patient diversion, hospital preparedness

Transcript Highlights:

• for 19 FTEs and the criminal Investigations Division and then item five is a new rider for contingent fee
• untracked payments that would allow the agency to pay contingent fees based on. on recovered amounts
• Item nine is an agency request for new Writer that would provide the authority to charge a rental fee
• At that time, there was a $2 fee assessed on each transaction that went through the Texas.gov account
• The bill that got rid of those the inspections now that same $2 fee goes directly to GR So it bypasses

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and then the EV fees. Um, we also did do a change to our EV fees.
• Um, we also oh, and then the EV fees.
• Um, did do a a change to our EV fees.
• Um, tax and repealing the delivery fee.
• the science of reading and structured the science of reading and structured literacy.<01:07:09.359

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Structural factors may slow responsiveness to labor market changes.
• We've got basically a projected structural budget deficit for fiscal year 28.
• We've got basically a projected structural budget deficit for fiscal year 28.
• Really challenging negotiations in light of our sort of ongoing structural budget deficit.
• Based on structural criteria such as comparability, cost of work,...

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Employment Relations met on May 8, 2026, to receive updates on upcoming collective bargaining for the 2027–29 biennium. OFM’s Jenny Sheehan reviewed the state workforce, noting that most employees are represented, the workforce remains constrained by hiring limits and civil service rules, and bargaining goals include financially feasible agreements, maintaining labor relations, supporting an inclusive workplace, and addressing issues such as AI use, leave, and immigration-related workplace protections. She also outlined the bargaining calendar, the role of the June revenue forecast in determining what compensation proposals can be funded, and the need to reach tentative agreements by September 2026 for October 1 submission and legislative consideration. She described recent bargaining themes from unions, including limits on AI, expanded leave, access to union members in hybrid workplaces, and classification changes, and she summarized prior-cycle costs, including about $1.2 billion in general funds and $1.7 billion in total funds for 2025–27 awards, excluding the delayed WPEA agreements that were later funded after a return to bargaining. The committee then heard from Western Washington University and the University of Washington on higher education bargaining. Western described its locally bargained contracts, the importance of re-opener clauses tied to state budget decisions, and concerns about the instability of the state “fund split,” which shifts compensation costs between state funds and tuition revenue. Western also emphasized that student employees are increasingly central to retention and urged inclusion of student compensation in the wage base. UW similarly described its large and diverse workforce, the split between RCW 41.56 and 41.80 bargaining frameworks, and the reliance on state funding, tuition, and other revenue sources to cover compensation increases. UW highlighted the financial strain of the fund split, the lack of state funding for academic student employee compensation, and the impact of rising ASE costs on class sizes and the university’s teaching and research missions. OFM also presented on Washington Management Service bargaining, explaining that only certain WMS employees are covered, that bargaining began in 2024, and that current agreements include addenda for WMS-specific provisions. The presentation noted that WMS bargaining is still limited in scope, with only a few represented units, and that compensation bargaining generally covers band minimums and maximums rather than all salary levels. Finally, OFM reviewed interest arbitration rules for certain state employee groups, explaining that arbitration is available for some essential-service and statutorily covered employees, that arbitrators decide disputed contract language based on statutory criteria, and that awards still must be found financially feasible by OFM. Committee members asked about PFML treatment, the timing of arbitration, and the budget pressures facing bargaining, and the meeting adjourned without any votes or formal actions.

Transcript Highlights:

• These resources include historic structures and archaeological sites, monitoring the condition of these
• The historic structures in sure that these treasures of Florida's past reserved for the future, a good
• This is the term we use for management of things like senses roads, Kate's wells in storage structures
• It is important to also maintain this type of structure for both public and staff safety.
• We rely on direct user fees such as derby may permits and hunting licenses which helped fund the state