Transcript Highlights:

• award. going out to different entities.
• All of those have been finalized and sent out to the entities.
• , or actually in a larger entity.
• So, it depends on which entities are receiving what.
• Those are known entities. Those are good to go.

Transcript Highlights:

• He said there may be entities generating ammonia certificates in other states, and that Minnesota is
• Davis explained that the intent is that entities registering within the M-RETS system become customers
• Davis explained that entities may transact on a number of energy certificates or ammonia certificates
• there might be entities that would be you<00:15:36.160> know,<00:15:36.280> generating
• as a way of making Minnesota entities as a way of making sure<00:15:50.040> that<00:15:50.480

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, a sponsoring entity would have to get approved.
• A sponsoring entity would have to be approved by the school board to be a sponsoring entity for released
• So the responsibility for maintenance will be assigned to the private entity, and the entity responsible
• This is more along the lines of this entity would...
• It has to be a separate entity. Everyone has agreed to do this. It has to be a separate entity.

Bills: HR295, HR296, HR297, HR298, HR299, HR300, HR301, HR302, HR303, HR304, HR305, HR306, HR307, HCR115, HCR116, HCR117, HR286, HR287, HR288, HR290, HR291, HR292, HR293, HR294, SCR61, SCR68, SB121, SB250, SB348, SB444, SB485, HR252, HR253, HCR96, HCR103, HCR108, SB268, SB283, SB414, HCR98, HR179, HR223, HR225, HR274, HCR89, HCR26, HB250, HB265, HB339, HB427, HB445, HB463, HB468, HB606, HB639, HB649, HB665, HB746, HB781, HB853, HB861, HB872, HB886, HB916, HB937, HB1054, HB1068, HB1117, HB1237, HB74, HB108, HB956, HB1085, HB1137, HB75, SB39, SB99, SB111, SB112, SB124, SB134, SB174, SB189, SB190, SB201, SB233, SB236, SB258, SB270, SB273, SB288, SB307, SB313, SB320, SB321, SB325, SB326, SB331, SB339, SB341, SB345, SB346, SB347, SB353, SB357, SB359, SB387, SB393, SB401, SB415, SB419, SB422, SB426, SB435, SB437, SB440, SB451, SB464, SB470, SB487, SB488, SB495, SB504, SB505, SB518, SB523, HR84, HB646, HB998, HB1191, SB78, SB81, SB97, SB100, SB109, SB123, SB125, SB208, SB385, SB479, SB56, SB163, SB197, HB901, HR20, HR74, HR168, HCR65, HCR71, HB284, HB302, HB306, HB341, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB603, HB605, HB614, HB625, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB798, HB911, HB955, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1240, HB1255, SB82, SB89, HB134, HB258, HB359, HB782, SB29, SB42, SB43, SB149, SB382, SB441

Keywords: Energy Caucus, Louisiana House of Representatives, energy policy, fossil fuels, oil and gas, natural gas, renewable energy, solar, wind power, nuclear power, legislative caucus, industry group, economic development, state legislature, House resolution, energy sector, victims' services, criminal justice, Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Act No. 370

Transcript Highlights:

• I only have homeowners associations and one other. similar entity, and that's who does most of them.
• You know, you've got a 50% contract and the this entity pays 50%, the county pays 50%.
• Correct. from different entities in the neighborhood. That's why the price should be the same.
• The backstop is the... entity entering into the contract.
• Auditor of these programs is the actual entities entering into them.

Bills: HB336, HB554, HB849, HB 1033, HB1338, HB 1246

Keywords: law enforcement, sheriff, constable, contracts, county governance, HB 554, fireworks, Juneteenth, Juneteenth holiday, retail fireworks permit, Texas Occupations Code, Local Government Code, county commissioners court, drought conditions, Texas A&M Forest Service, fire safety, holiday sales, seasonal fireworks sales, Fourth of July, Independence Day

Transcript Highlights:

• We are a separate legal entity from the ABQ BioPark itself.
• So they could not, they cannot use the Green Amendment to sue that entity.
• The Green Amendment would be used as guidance in that process by that entity.
• Every single government entity is at risk.
• I can name lots of entities that I work with. I hear and listen.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• overview to the other entity staff and governing body members.
• The delivery of the detailed audit results is given directly to the entity staff with a need to know
• Overall, what we've seen is that agencies and entities that have a dedicated cybersecurity person or
• The audits underscore the importance of safeguarding the IT systems that these agencies and entities
• Same time period from 2024 to 2025, we saw 322 incidents against government entities.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee held a public hearing on the State Auditor’s Office cybersecurity performance audits for fiscal year 2025, covering both state agencies and local governments. SAO staff explained that the audits are conducted independently under Initiative 900 and are kept confidential at the entity level, with detailed findings shared directly with the audited organizations. They reported that state agency audits found nearly one-third of assessed safeguards fully implemented on all systems and 227 vulnerabilities across seven agencies, including three critical and 21 high-severity issues. For seven local government cybersecurity audits, nearly a quarter of safeguards were fully implemented on all systems, and auditors identified nearly 300 vulnerabilities, including nine critical and 47 high-severity issues. SAO also summarized its ransomware resiliency audits and critical infrastructure audits for local governments. In six ransomware audits, a little over 35% of assessed safeguards were not in place, while about 60% were at least partially in place. In 39 critical infrastructure audits, focused largely on water and sewer providers, auditors found over 260 vulnerabilities and said more than 10% were critical or high. Staff highlighted that these audits have led to improvements, including one vendor making security changes after SAO testing that were later echoed in a federal advisory. They also described related services such as cybersecurity checkups, policy guidance, and other cyber-related work by the office. Washington Technology Solutions’ state chief information security officer, Ralph Johnson, praised the audits and said they help protect essential public services. He cited a sharp national rise in ransomware incidents against governments and said Washington has used more than $11 million in federal and state cybersecurity grant funds for over 200 projects. In response to questions from Representative Scott, SAO and WOTEC discussed options for addressing urgent vulnerabilities, including compensating controls, grant funding, and low-cost mitigation steps. The committee also discussed how Washington’s program compares nationally, with Johnson saying Initiative 900 is unusually comprehensive and that local governments often seek audits voluntarily. No votes were taken, and the hearing adjourned after public testimony was offered but none was given.

Transcript Highlights:

• It just depends on the entity and how well they prioritize it and allocate resources to correction.
• This is fairly common to entities we audit and certified fraud examiners that every year put out the
• The total number of entities that were on the notifications The total number of entities that were on
• The entities, there's notes on those schedules of correspondence.
• And I'm available to answer any questions on any specific entity. Thank you, Debbie.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee heard the Auditor General’s operational audit of the City of Mexico Beach, which identified nine findings. The audit cited significant turnover in key management positions, late filing of required annual financial reports, weaknesses in competitive procurement and purchase approval controls, a duplicate payment on stormwater repairs that was later largely refunded, issues with the city accountant’s contract and IRS classification, IT access control problems, and the lack of fraud-reporting policies. Committee members asked about corrective action, and the Auditor General said a follow-up audit is required by statute within 18 months, with no enforcement authority beyond reporting progress back to the committee. Mayor Rich Wolf and city staff responded that the city had experienced major turnover and was rebuilding its finance and administrative team. He said the city had hired a city administrator, financial director, city clerk, and accounting firm, and was working to create policies, procedures, forms, and review processes to address the findings. Members discussed whether the turnover and hurricane-related workload contributed to the problems, and city officials said some of the larger purchases were storm-related and tied to FEMA or emergency work. The committee then received a staff update on enforcement for local governments that have not filed required financial reports. Staff said 400 entities had been notified, and as of the meeting two counties, 33 municipalities, and 48 special districts still owed reports or audits. The committee adopted a motion to proceed under section 11.42, Florida Statutes, including possible withholding of state funds for municipalities and enforcement actions for special districts, with authority for the chair and vice chair to delay action if new information warranted it. Finally, the committee unanimously directed the Auditor General and OPPAGA to conduct the required 2024-2025 audit of the Department of the Lottery, with the Auditor General handling financial, internal control, and compliance issues and OPPAGA developing operational recommendations. Members also briefly discussed whether the committee had reviewed transportation surtaxes and expressed interest in improving the timeliness and transparency of the audit and enforcement process before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I've worked very closely with our local CBCs, our managing entities.
• The managing entities...
• We've heard from managing entities and others around recovery homes and supporting housing for those
• And Senator Harrell asked you about the managing entities and the work that they're doing.
• Natalie Kelly, Florida Association of Managing Entities. Christy Lee speaking for information.

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs considered three bills and a confirmation. On SB 1600, as amended, the sponsor explained that the original child welfare language was replaced with a strike-all requiring the Office of Insurance Regulation to work with DCF and community-based care lead agencies to study liability insurance coverage and availability, report findings to the Legislature by January 1, 2027, and allow penalties for failure to provide requested information. The committee adopted the amendment and amendment to the amendment, heard supportive testimony from child welfare advocates, and reported the committee substitute favorably. The committee also heard CS/SB 556, which would allow students with disabilities to satisfy a physical education graduation requirement through participation in Special Olympics, and clarify that two years of marching band participation can satisfy PE and fine arts credit. Special Olympics Florida, parents, and other supporters testified in favor, and the bill was reported favorably. On SB 794, the sponsor described requirements for background screening of employees in residential facilities and day training programs for people with developmental disabilities, plus a review of waiver support coordination quality, workforce needs, geographic service gaps, and related recommendations due in 2027. The committee adopted a conforming amendment and reported the bill. The committee then took up the confirmation of Taylor Hatch as Secretary of the Department of Children and Families. Hatch outlined DCF’s recent work on child welfare, behavioral health, peer support, and technology improvements, and answered questions about child welfare system challenges, funding formulas, opioid settlement dollars, and interoperability of agency systems. After public comment, the committee voted to recommend her confirmation favorably, with Chair Graal voting no. The meeting ended with a request to record one senator’s vote on SB 1600 and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I've worked very closely with our local CBCs, our managing entities.
• CBCs and also for the resources that we need to put into our managing entities to make sure that the
• The managing entities... ...managing entities are also an incredibly valuable partner, and their insights
• And Senator Harrell asked you about the managing entities and the work that they're doing.
• Christy Lee, actually, Natalie Kelly, Florida Association of Managing Entities.

Bills: S0556, S0794, S1600

Keywords: high school diploma, graduation requirements, physical education credit, performing arts credit, marching band, Special Olympics, students with disabilities, IEP, individual education plan, 504 plan, Florida education, school credits, diploma substitution, ROTC, dance class, State Board of Education, public schools, graduation pathways, adaptive physical education, Agency for Persons with Disabilities

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs considered three bills and a confirmation. On SB 1600, the committee adopted a strike-all amendment and a technical amendment that shifted the bill from creating an accreditation process to requiring the Office of Insurance Regulation, DCF, and community-based care lead agencies to study liability insurance coverage and availability in the child welfare sector and report findings to the legislature by January 1, 2027; the bill also included enforcement provisions for failure to provide requested information. Support was noted from child and family advocacy groups, and the committee reported the bill favorably. The committee also heard CS for SB 556, which would allow students with disabilities to satisfy a physical education graduation requirement through participation in Special Olympics, if included in the student’s IEP, and would clarify that two years of marching band participation can satisfy both PE and fine arts credit. Special Olympics Florida, families, and other supporters testified in favor, emphasizing flexibility, access, and recognition of rigorous activity. The bill was reported favorably. The committee then considered CS for SB 794, which requires background screening for employees of residential facilities and day training programs serving people with developmental disabilities and directs a review of waiver support coordination, including quality, consistency, access, competencies, recruitment and retention, caseloads, and geographic gaps in services. An amendment to conform to the House version was adopted, and the bill was reported favorably. Members then questioned Secretary Taylor Hatch regarding her confirmation as Secretary of the Department of Children and Families. Senators raised concerns about child welfare system performance, parent notification and rights, CBC funding formulas, managing entities, opioid settlement spending, peer support expansion, and technology/interoperability improvements. Hatch described DCF’s recent data and initiatives, including reductions in out-of-home care entries, youth advisory efforts, missing children recovery operations, expanded behavioral health capacity, and technology upgrades for benefits processing. Public comment included support from family and provider organizations and concerns from a former foster care worker about medical misdiagnosis cases. The committee voted to recommend Hatch’s confirmation favorably, with Chair Grall voting no, and adjourned after allowing Senator Sharief to be recorded as voting in favor of SB 1600.

Transcript Highlights:

• So<00:08:58.840> entity<00:08:59.200> level<00:08:59.440> exemptions, So entity
• <00:10:22.400> level<00:10:22.720> under the entity level under the entity level under
• , any data that is held by those entities, any data that is held by those entities, including<00:
• <00:24:30.200> level better as far as entity level better as far as entity level exemptions
• it's sold to different entities, it's sold to different<00:24:58.120> entities<00:24:58.960><

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House first suspended the rules briefly to make announcements, including welcoming former representative Doug Gage to the gallery. It then returned to House Bill 211 on data brokers and personal information, where the Appropriations Committee explained a $50,000 appropriation to the Secretary of State for a consultant-led study on an accessible deletion mechanism for consumers to delete personal data held by data brokers, with interim and final reports due in 2027 and 2028. The committee reported a 9-0-2 vote in favor, and the House agreed to the Commerce and Economic Development Committee’s amendment and ordered third reading. Floor debate on H. 211 focused heavily on the bill’s deletion and exemption framework. Supporters argued the bill is needed to give Vermonters meaningful control over their data and to prevent data brokers from commingling information for unrelated uses. Opponents warned the bill could conflict with existing federal frameworks such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, and could make credit, banking, insurance, fraud prevention, and identity verification harder. In response, the sponsor said the bill uses use-case-based exemptions rather than broad entity-level exemptions, noted testimony from banks, insurers, a data broker, a former data broker employee, and the Attorney General, and said no constitutional concerns were raised. The House ultimately adopted the amendment and advanced the bill. After H. 211, the House moved to House Bill 577, establishing the Vermont Prescription Drug Discount Card Program. Committee reports from Health Care, Ways and Means, and Appropriations were read into the record, and the Colchester member described the bill as a way to lower prescription drug costs by joining the multi-state Array Rx program. The bill would let any Vermont resident obtain a free discount card for FDA-approved prescription drugs, with claimed savings up to 80% on generics and 20% on brand-name drugs. The House then proceeded to second reading on H. 577.

Transcript Highlights:

• , but ERB entities can participate in that as well.
• The board has a broad range of public entities, members from public entities, and retiree groups like
• I will say we still do get calls from other entities wishing to participate with us.
• We are one of the four entities that are part of IBAC.
• Irrigation districts and some other entities are considered quasi-governments.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a $33 million loss to the state, biannual gain to the local taxing entities.
• I think those cities and the entities that I mentioned here will do the right thing.
• So it creates, obviously, a significant administrative burden for all of these entities.
• This treatment can create unintended financial burdens for entities that play a critical role.
• Right now, we are collecting how much tax from these entities? Zero.

Bills: HB511, HB972, HB 1035, HB2481, HB2723, HB2742, HB2894, HB2962, HB3077, HB3093, HB3307, HB3684, HJR67, HJR72

Keywords: ad valorem taxation, caregiver exemption, Medicaid, long-term services, tax relief, assisted living, housing support, property tax exemption, caregiver support, residence homestead, tax exemption, unpaid caregiver, state tax code, property tax, caregiver, waiting list, intellectual disability, developmental disability, ad valorem tax, family support

Transcript Highlights:

• viable federal entity. viable federal entity.
• , know that if I'm working with an entity, know that if I'm working with an entity, I<00:42:59.480
• being assigned to outside entities. being assigned to outside entities.
• :06:48.520> entities<01:06:49.040> have its subsidiary or related entities have its subsidiary
• That same authorization did not entity.

Bills: HF3643, HF4470, HF4462, HF4366, HF4172, HF3629, HF4356, HF3093

Keywords: Melissa Hortman, Mark Hortman, memorial park, state park, working group, Minnesota Historical Society, Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board, Saint Paul, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Administration, Legislative Coordinating Commission, general fund appropriation, park planning, interpretive services, public engagement, state memorial, land use, natural resources, commemorative legislation, HF4470

Transcript Highlights:

• A $33 million biennial gain to the local taxing entities.
• So it creates a, obviously a significant administrative burden for all of these entities.
• I mean, is, is, what, what are the tax implications for the taxing entities?
• It was, it definitely put a chill on the operations of this most important entity.
• Right now we are collecting how much money in tax from these entities? 0.

Transcript Highlights:

• That is a a middle entity that is as part of the provider network.
• system very similar to Bill related to managing entities system very similar to managed care.
• report provides a comprehensive analysis of the financial position of the managing entities for the
• entities across 6 different regions of the state.
• Individuals receive services funded through the managing entities.

Transcript Highlights:

• Where those tax entities will come and try to or not try, but come and collect 3 years' worth of prior
• The appraisal districts, the taxing entities in the state of Texas by just simply telling all vendors
• Um, I think this is a win-win for appraisal districts, taxing entities, the Comptroller's office.
• House Bill 4060 gives local taxing entities a powerful optional tool.
• It allows, doesn't mandate a taxing entity or governmental entity to adopt a sliding scale homestead

Bills: SB 4, SB 23, SJR 2

Keywords: redistricting, election, Texas legislature, district composition, political representation, congressional redistricting, Texas House of Representatives, U.S. House, Congressional districts, district map, district boundaries, gerrymandering, voting rights, election law, apportionment, representation, special committee, PLANC2308, redistricting plan, elections

Transcript Highlights:

• We also talked about other entities trying to look at moving some of the concentrated product that was
• This is because of the rollback tax system where those tax entities will come and collect three years
• I think this is a win-win for appraisal districts, taxing entities, the comptroller's office, and the
• House Bill 4060 gives local taxing entities a powerful optional tool.
• It allows, doesn't mandate, a taxing entity or governmental entity to adopt a sliding scale.

Bills: HB485, HB1367, HB1370, HB1827, HB1879, HB2032, HB2133, HB2357, HB3581, HB3830, HB4060, HB4085, HB4270, HB4979, HB5217, HB5268, HB5478, HJR96, HJR97, HJR119, HJR195, HJR209, SB4, SB23, SJR2, SJR85, SB 4, SB 23, SJR 2

Keywords: healthcare, insurance, access, affordability, public health, emergency services district, sales tax, gas and electricity, residential use, tax exemption, emergency services, gas, electricity, HB 485, ESD, use tax, residential utilities, utility tax, local option tax, Texas Health and Safety Code

Transcript Highlights:

• They are two separate entities.
• companies uh entities. I rephrase that. companies uh entities. I rephrase that.
• <01:59:35.280> go<01:59:36.080> uh as entities go uh as entities go uh licensed<01:
• As far as the two separate entities, these are licensed as two separate entities.
• Our office treats them as two separate entities. They have to report as two separate entities.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• have some discussion about what we see as possible future ideas for mutual aid or support of local entities
• of local entities. of local entities.
• , tribal and territorial entities, tribal and territorial entities, providing<00:10:44.720> assessment
• We encourage entities we visit to adopt those services and not try to take it all on themselves.
• to continue to make Minnesota entities to continue to make Minnesota entities safer. safer. safer

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity met remotely on January 8, 2026, approved the minutes from October 27, 2025 by voice vote, and confirmed a quorum was present. The main presentation came from the Minnesota National Guard’s cyber coordination cell, with Lieutenant Colonel Brian Morgan describing the unit’s mission to prepare Guard cyber forces for state or federal cyber support, including domestic emergencies like the St. Paul ransomware incident and broader federal activations. Morgan outlined three main lines of effort: optimizing cyber force training for likely threats, building relationships with state, federal, academic, and local partners, and equipping deployable incident-response tools. He said the coordination cell is not itself the incident response team, but serves as the planning and coordination office for military cyber response, maintaining equipment at Cedar Street Armory that can provide out-of-band connectivity and be deployed quickly. He also described partnerships with Minnesota IT Services, CISA, the FBI, Metro State University, and international/state partners such as Norway and Croatia, along with participation in major exercises and conferences. The presentation emphasized the St. Paul response as a model for coordination, noting the Guard’s role in mission coordination, operational support, public affairs support, and lessons learned. Morgan said the Guard has conducted more than 200 engagements with partner institutions in 2024-2025 and uses outreach to educate counties and other entities on how to request Guard cyber support, comparing the process to requesting assistance for a fire or flood. In response to a question from Representative Bonner, he highlighted the long-standing relationship with Metro State University and its practical role in training cyber personnel, including operational technology training and a credit-transfer pathway toward a master’s degree.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um before I move to important entities.
• <00:09:35.760> whose is talking about entities whose is talking about entities whose contracts
• <00:09:46.959> um<00:09:47.680> fall just wondering how many entities um fall just
• wondering how many entities um fall into<00:09:48.240> this<00:09:48.560> category.
• :10:38.160> had<00:10:38.320> their these entities that have had their these entities that

Keywords: 1183, house