Transcript Highlights:

• So, this motion is to create a statutory categorical grant of $10 million per year administered by the
• So, this motion is to<01:40:59.920> create<01:41:00.159> a<01:41:00.480> statutory
• c><01:41:01.520> categorical<01:41:02.239> grant to create a statutory categorical grant
• to create a statutory categorical grant of<01:41:02.800> $10<01:41:03.040> million<01:
• And then B, establish a separate statutory instructional reserve account where unexpended instructional

Bills: SF0059, SF0053

Keywords: language proficiency, literacy education, reading interventions, dyslexia support, Montessori methods, individualized reading plans, amateur status, high school athletics, student eligibility, sports regulation, monetary compensation, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• bogus order, that the original judge... ...refused to sign, can now be signed nine years after a statutory
• The other three involve intentional acts of sexual abuse of a student, statutory rape, etc., a maintenance
• This statute protects families from losing their land through statutory partition lawsuits.
• Actual obligations, statutory requirements, TAC rules, OIG oversight, none of that changes with this
• It was just trying to take the common law of Texas, write it down in the statutory law, and attach it

Bills: HB4011, HB2680, HB4325, HB4327, HB4944, HB1761, HB4688, HB3453, HB40, HB1707, HB4749, HB2322, HB3647, HB4139, HB4081, HB2203, HB2100, HB4170, HB3104, HB4623, HB40

Keywords: partition, heirs' property, real estate, co-ownership, family property, non-heir cotenant, right of first refusal, pilot services, liability limitation, maritime commerce, Matagorda Bay, Lavaca Bay, transportation code, maritime industry, civil liability, barratry, penalties, legal actions, damages, wrongful death

Transcript Highlights:

• onetime appropriation or was that a onetime appropriation or was that a ongoing<00:43:10.680> statutory
• c><00:43:11.800> appropriation<00:43:12.800> Mr<00:43:13.079> hegen ongoing statutory
• appropriation Mr hegen ongoing statutory appropriation Mr hegen Meer<00:43:15.520> uh<00:43:15.880
• The pollinator habitat account has a statutory appropriation.
• The special revenue fund pollinator habitat account has a statutory appropriation.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• By statutory allocation, 40% of the money in this fund goes to Minnesota DNR for state parks and trails
• By statutory allocation, 40% of the money in this fund goes to Minnesota DNR for state parks and trails
• second proposal within this vein is an appropriation from the environmental fund that matches a statutory
• <00:54:27.960> authority not not have clear statutory authority not not have clear statutory
• Another program these are statutory programs, you can see here under chapter 103F.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The statutory deadline is February 15th, so the agencies are working on both the revenue and the budget
• These are statutory appropriations, things like settlements, true-ups to the adequacy calculations that
• <00:17:27.919> Appropriations<00:17:28.559> things<00:17:28.960> like statutory
• Appropriations things like statutory Appropriations things like settlements<00:17:29.919> uh<00
• <02:04:12.760> scheme payments and the whole statutory scheme payments and the whole statutory

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee meeting began with an overview from the Legislative Budget Assistant Office on how Ways and Means will work with agencies and leadership during the budget and revenue-estimating process. Staff explained that the governor’s budget is still being developed, agencies are cautious about going on record early, and the committee will use worksheets and updated fiscal reports to track estimates. The presentation emphasized that the fiscal year 2025 budget status is a point-in-time snapshot and remains fluid because the annual comprehensive financial report has been delayed, which could change the beginning balances for both the general fund and education trust fund. The budget update highlighted that the general fund is currently stronger than originally assumed, while the education trust fund is weaker. The speaker said the general fund began FY25 with a much larger balance than expected, while the education trust fund came in lower due to higher-than-budgeted adequacy spending and weaker business tax performance. Revenue trends showed the general fund slightly ahead year to date, but the education trust fund down significantly. The committee also discussed unbudgeted appropriations, including attorney general litigation, legal settlements, abandoned property claims, adequacy true-ups, and education freedom accounts, as well as the role of lapses and off-budget items in the final balance. Members asked about the delayed liquor commission audit and whether it could affect revenue forecasts. Staff said the delay was mainly caused by the commission’s switch in point-of-sale systems and staffing losses, but did not expect major ongoing reporting issues. They also noted that liquor fund variances are more likely tied to Medicaid expansion costs than to commission operations. The governor’s office was said to be working on possible budget reductions, but no January request to the fiscal committee was expected. Commissioner Lindsay Stepp of the Department of Revenue Administration then presented an overview of state revenue sources, focusing first on the meals and rentals tax. She explained that DRA administers 14 taxes that account for most state revenue, and that meals and rentals tax growth has slowed after strong post-pandemic gains. She described factors affecting the tax, including employment, inflation, fuel and food prices, wages, and weather, and noted that online platforms like Airbnb have improved compliance by collecting and remitting tax on behalf of hosts. Members asked about short-term rental compliance and how DRA identifies unlicensed rentals; Stepp said referrals, anonymous tips, and platform data help enforcement.

Transcript Highlights:

• Retailers are already doing this, and this gives them statutory coverage for what they're already doing
• Vermont lacks sufficient statutory protections to prevent the corporate practice of medicine and private
• Secondly, the bill revises statutory data sharing requirements for the Vermont cancer registry and the
• Secondly, the bill res [clears throat]<01:33:40.880> revises<01:33:41.840> statutory<01
• :33:43.280> data [clears throat] revises statutory data [clears throat] revises statutory data

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are committed to administering the program responsibly and achieving the statutory objectives and
• We are committed to administering the program responsibly and achieving the statutory objectives and
• We are committed to administering the program responsibly and achieving the statutory objectives and
• program responsibly and<00:30:51.279> achieving<00:30:51.679> the<00:30:51.919> statutory
• <00:30:53.039> objectives and achieving the statutory objectives and achieving the statutory

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The informational briefing focused on the Office of the Auditor’s recent audit of Hawaii’s deposit beverage container program and the Department of Health’s response. State Auditor Les Condo reviewed the program’s structure, noting it was created to increase recycling and reduce litter, but said prior audits have repeatedly found weak internal controls, reliance on self-reported data, and an “honor system” approach. He cited examples of underreporting and overpayment risks, including a Whole Foods settlement and secret-shopper testing at a redemption center where the program reimbursed more than what was actually paid to consumers. Condo said the special fund continues to grow, increasing by more than $12 million between FY24 and FY25, and that the 2024 audit found no meaningful progress in implementing earlier recommendations. He also noted that many prior recommendations were later codified in law, including risk-based audits and internal control requirements, and said the office will audit the program again in about a year. Senator Fevella said the briefing was needed because he has seen little progress over the years and emphasized the program’s goals of reducing litter and promoting recycling. He noted that Hawaii has lost a glass recycler, underscoring broader challenges in the system. Department of Health Deputy Director Kathleen Hoe said the department is committed to addressing longstanding problems and said the director’s office meets with the program twice a month. Program staff outlined steps being taken to respond to the audit, including revising accounting and inspection/enforcement manuals, retaining third-party services, and implementing risk-based audits of distributors and redemption centers. They said internal control process documents from distributors were due June 30, with about 200 received and roughly 100 still outstanding, and that enforcement letters are being sent. The department also described plans for electronic reporting to reduce manual entry and improve accuracy, as well as a broader legislative proposal for a tiered audit system. Under that proposal, larger distributors would remain subject to the current every-other-year audit requirement, middle-tier distributors would be audited every five years, and smaller distributors would be exempt. Officials said the governor had temporarily waived enforcement of the 2025 independent audit requirement because of cost concerns for smaller distributors, while the department reviews submitted audits and considers a longer-term fix. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the informational briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Very is opposed to the suspension of the child care and preschool statutory COLAs.
• So this section aggregates things across the number of different policy areas where there is a statutory
• It's the streamlining CalWORKs proposals that would take statutory changes.
• The statutory changes proposed would strike out references to statute specific to foster care that are
• Additionally, the statutory changes address the authority to authorize AAP payments to cover the cost

Summary: The hearing began with opening remarks on the Governor’s May Revision for child care and human services, with committee members and advocates stressing that the budget should not be balanced on the backs of low-income families, children, and providers. Legislative members and public witnesses strongly opposed the proposed suspension of the child care COLA, reductions to the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program, and the lack of codified rate reform tied to the alternative methodology. Several speakers also urged more support for providers affected by the Eaton fire and other disasters, and called for child care to be funded at the true cost of care and for additional slots to be restored. Administration, LAO, and Department of Education staff described the child care proposal as maintaining existing funding levels while adding administrative resources to prepare for federally required prospective payment changes and single-rate reform. The administration said the May Revision would suspend the 2025–26 COLA and reduce Bridge Program funding to align with utilization, while the LAO raised questions about the size and purpose of the proposed rate-reform and prospective-payment funding and recommended rejecting a Department of Technology exemption. CDE supported continued early education investments but said it would need additional resources if prospective pay were extended to state preschool, and it objected to a proposed reallocation of preschool funds for inclusive education grants. The committee then moved to the IHSS portion of the May Revision. DSS outlined five major proposals: capping provider work hours at 50 per week, eliminating IHSS for undocumented adults age 19 and older, shifting certain Community First Choice reassessment penalties to counties, reinstating the Medi-Cal asset test as a conforming IHSS reduction, and automating the termination of IHSS when Medi-Cal eligibility ends. DSS also discussed funding to implement a federal HCBS access rule and a separate reassessment of IHSS administrative methodology that found counties would need additional administrative funding. Finance said the proposals were intended to slow program growth and improve sustainability, while the LAO said it was still analyzing the package and raised concerns about implementation, county workload, and the potential loss of services. Committee members and public commenters criticized the IHSS cuts, especially the overtime cap and the elimination of services for undocumented adults and people affected by the asset test. Advocates argued that IHSS workers and recipients depend on these services, that county administration is already underfunded, and that the proposals could destabilize vulnerable consumers. The chair closed by saying the committee would continue to fight for child care and would not pause on child care, and the meeting recessed before moving on to the remaining May Revision items.

Transcript Highlights:

• much a change item as it is a recognition that there's an error in the fund balance related to a statutory
• It doesn't touch the statutory appropriation, but this is recognized as a revenue that comes back and
• It doesn't touch the statutory appropriation, but this is recognized as a revenue that comes back and
• :54:38.960> house<00:54:39.200> side<00:54:40.000> provide<00:54:40.480> statutory
• They provide statutory cities the option of establishing a public utilities commission with three, five

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, there continues to be zero accountability for authorizers to ensure that they are meeting statutory
• ...continues to be zero accountability for authorizers to ensure that they are meeting statutory oversight
• cannot be authorized by a small district, there are, over time, we've been working on a number of statutory
• they cannot be authorized by a small district there are over time we've been working on a number of statutory
• objections to what we see as real overreach, that a lot of these provisions respond to a pre-2019 statutory

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard AB 84, a charter school accountability measure focused on non-classroom-based charter schools and fraud prevention. The author and supporters said the bill was intended to respond to the A3 charter fraud case and related scandals by strengthening audits, transparency, authorizer oversight, and funding determination rules, while ensuring public education dollars are used for public education. Supporters included FCMAT, CSEA, CTA, and CSBA, who argued the bill would improve oversight and protect taxpayers. Opponents, including the California Charter Schools Association, Green Dot, many charter parents, educators, and charter operators, said the bill was too broad, would impose major new costs and bureaucracy on all charter schools, and could reduce options for families, especially those using flexible, homeschool, or special-needs charter programs. After extensive testimony and committee discussion, the bill passed on a 5-1 vote and was sent to Appropriations, with the item left open for additional votes. The committee then approved a consent calendar of 11 education bills, including AB 542, AB 563, AB 731, AB 753, AB 784, AB 964, AB 988, AB 1034, AB 1233, AB 1255, and AB 1381, all moving to Appropriations. The consent calendar passed unanimously. Later, the committee heard AB 1454, a literacy and reading instruction bill authored by Assembly Members Rubio and Revis. The bill would require the state to create professional development resources for evidence-based literacy instruction, update English language arts and English language development instructional materials, and revise administrator preparation standards to include literacy training. The authors and a broad coalition of supporters, including CTA, EdVoice, Families in Schools, Decoding Dyslexia, school administrators, and parent advocates, described the measure as a compromise aimed at improving reading outcomes and addressing California’s literacy crisis. There was no opposition testimony at the hearing, and members voiced strong support for the bill and its collaborative approach.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I must mention that besides that, the council is made up of people that are appointed by statutory
• Our statutory guidance is a 97A.056, and that has all of the requirements for the council, the project
• Our statutory guidance is a 97A.056, and that has all of the requirements for the council, the project
• Our statutory guidance is a 97A.056, and that has all of the requirements for the council, the project
• Our statutory guidance is a 97A.056, and that has all of the requirements for the council, the project

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Legacy Finance Committee held its first meeting of the session, with members and staff introducing themselves and the chair emphasizing the committee’s role in overseeing Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment funds. The committee then received an overview of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund from Mary Davis. She explained that the fund receives 19.75% of the 1% sales tax, is constitutionally limited to arts education, arts access, and preserving Minnesota history and cultural heritage, and is not a guaranteed base for prior recipients. She reviewed major recipients and statutory requirements, including the Minnesota State Arts Board’s 47% share, funding for the Historical Society, libraries, humanities and cultural organizations, public media, and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. She also noted the 5% reserve requirement, reporting obligations, and a 2023 legislative directive to improve access through free or reduced admission and outreach to households regardless of income. The committee next heard from Janelle Taylor on the natural resources funds, focusing on the Clean Water Fund and Parks and Trails Fund. She said the Clean Water Fund receives 33% of Legacy revenues and must be used to protect, enhance, and restore water quality and protect groundwater, with at least 5% dedicated to drinking water sources. She described the Clean Water Council’s recommendation process and said most of the money goes to Board of Water and Soil Resources projects, with additional funding for PCA and DNR monitoring. In response to a question about Hastings and PFAS contamination, she said the legislature could appropriate clean water money if the project fits the constitutional criteria and protects drinking water sources. For the Parks and Trails Fund, she explained it receives 14.25% of Legacy revenues and is allocated under the long-standing 40-40-20 split: 40% to state parks and trails, 40% to metropolitan regional parks and trails, and 20% to Greater Minnesota regional parks and trails. House Fiscal Analysis staff then reviewed the reserve requirement and available balances, noting that each Legacy fund must keep a 5% reserve to protect against forecast changes. For the upcoming biennium, they cited approximately $327.229 million available for the Outdoor Heritage Fund, $184.73 million for the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, and $133.13 million for the Parks and Trails Fund, with the Clean Water Fund total discussed earlier at about $311 million. Members briefly discussed the importance of the reserve and the zero-base nature of the funds. The committee then moved on to an overview of the Outdoor Heritage Fund and Outdoor Heritage Council from Mark Johnson and Joe Pelco, who explained that the fund was approved by voters in 2008, lasts 25 years, receives about one-third of the 3/8 of 1% sales tax, and is used to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests, and habitat for fish, game, and wildlife. They described the council’s statutory role, the small grants program for projects from $5,000 to $500,000, and the annual recommendation process, but no votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we are asked to ignore the statutory requirements in order to impeach a judge for failing to follow
• So we are asked to ignore the statutory So we are asked to ignore the statutory requirements<01:
• But I believe that those statutory requirements matter.
• It has already been stated that there are opportunities for meet the basic statutory requirements as
• those statutory requirements matter. those statutory requirements matter.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, RSA 265:60 is the statutory speed limits, and I've come around over the years.
• So, RSA 265:60 is the statutory speed limits, and I've come around over the years.
• particular case, if we put all the data in, it's not going to recommend something lower than the statutory
• particular case, if we put all the data in, it's not going to recommend something lower than the statutory
• He said that, when asked about the scientific approach, despite the fact that these are statutory speed

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Three of those were delayed beyond the statutory time period.
• <00:46:46.720> The<00:46:46.880> committee statutory time period.
• The committee statutory time period.
• And so regulatory risk is something that doesn't get talked about an awful lot, but as the state's statutory
• <00:59:52.960> scheme but as the state's statutory scheme but as the state's statutory scheme

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It modernizes language, restructures definitions for clarity, and ensures consistency across statutory
• It modernizes language, restructures definitions for clarity, and ensures consistency across statutory
• It modernizes language, restructures definitions for clarity, and ensures consistency across statutory
• Um, and this is a statutory changes that need to happen in order for them to do that.
• The purpose of this bill is to make narrowly tailored statutory updates, including boundary accuracy,

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The House convened, took roll, and approved the journal of Wednesday, May 6, 2026, as corrected. Members then made several announcements, including committee meeting notices, a Colorado Farm Bureau burger bash, recognition of Nurses Week, Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and a commendation honoring former legislator Dorothy Rupert for her public service and advocacy. The chamber also heard a report that Rep. Flynnel had helped save a life by calling 911 when she witnessed a medical emergency near the Capitol. Committee reports were received from Appropriations and Business Affairs and Labor, and the majority leader moved a slate of bills to special order for May 7. The House then proceeded to special orders and considered House Bill 1433, which would allow the firefighter behavioral health trust to receive gifts, grants, and donations to sustain services for firefighters dealing with trauma. Supporters described the program as essential for first responders, and the bill passed. The chamber next considered House Bill 1429 on consolidating administration of public assistance programs. Supporters said it would stabilize the safety net, reduce error rates, and create a transition plan involving counties, state departments, and frontline workers; the appropriations report and the bill both passed. House Bill 1416, which transfers money from the Universal High School Scholarship Cash Fund to support small businesses and the Colorado Small Business Development Center, also passed as amended after debate over the use of the scholarship fund and its prior implementation challenges. Opponents argued the money should remain with students, while supporters said the fund had already distributed most of its original allocation and the transfer would help small businesses without creating a new program.

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is a way of dealing with reciprocity without having to get into too much of the statutory requirements

Bills: HB594

Keywords: landscape architecture, licensing, reciprocity, Alabama Board of Examiners, continuing education, professional standards, examinations, technical revisions, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If there is ambiguity, then our case law and experts have put out canons of statutory construction that
• One, it has to do with statutory interpretation, constitutional or the Delaware code.

Keywords: 1064, all

Transcript Highlights:

• some of the problems with commercially available facial recognition technologies and the lack of statutory
• The second portion discusses the lack of statutory protections in Massachusetts.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission met for its fourth hearing on emerging firearm technology, focused on personalized firearms and related privacy issues. Co-chairs noted the commission’s charge to study personalized firearm incentives, risks from digital manufacturing codes and AI, and the costs of requiring personalized firearm and microstamp technologies, and said the report deadline is being extended to July 31. They also announced the next public hearing for April 17 at 11:00 a.m., limited to Massachusetts residents. The first witness, Kai Kloepfer of Biofire, described the company’s personalized 9mm smart gun and argued it is designed to prevent unauthorized use through biometric authentication, local encrypted data storage, no wireless connectivity, and automatic disarming when released. He said Biofire opposes any mandate requiring personalized firearms, calling such mandates a de facto gun ban that would stifle innovation, limit consumer choice, and burden a still-developing market. He said the company has a patent portfolio, has received thousands of pre-orders, is shipping in all 50 states, and is approved for sale in Massachusetts; he also said the gun costs about $1,500, is currently sold online, and is intended mainly for home defense. Members questioned him about sales, manufacturing, battery life, repairability, transfer of ownership, possible expansion to other firearms, and whether microstamping could be incorporated. A Massachusetts firearms roster official, Michaela Dunn, explained the state’s testing and approval process for handguns and confirmed that the Biofire firearm is now on the Massachusetts roster and commercially available for retail sale in the state. Kate Crockford of the ACLU of Massachusetts testified only on facial recognition, warning that commercially available systems show significant demographic bias and that Massachusetts lacks comprehensive biometric privacy protections. She urged passage of pending data privacy and biometric privacy bills, including the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act and related measures, before any broader use of biometric verification in firearm laws. Commissioners discussed privacy concerns, and Biofire said its system is zero-knowledge and would likely comply with stronger biometric privacy laws. No votes were taken and no formal action was reported beyond the scheduling announcement and the extension effort.

Transcript Highlights:

• The problem is this category in the regulations needs a statutory underpinning, and that's one of the
• The person is being essentially muzzled, and we have to have a statutory underpinning to support that

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities held a hearing on a broad slate of disability-related bills. Topics included creating a permanent Acquired Brain Injury Advisory Board (H. 231/S. 134), establishing a system for compensating guardians who serve incapacitated, unbefriended individuals through MassHealth (H. 253/S. 154), expanding Nikki’s Law to require MassHealth day habilitation programs to use the abuse registry (S. 165 and related bills), modernizing and streamlining the Disabled Persons Protection Commission’s statute and procedures (H. 243/S. 139), updating the definition of developmental disability to align more closely with federal law and include people such as those with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (H. 276/S. 150), removing outdated and offensive terminology from the General Laws (H. 232/S. 137), and an autism education reform bill (H. 286). Several bills had no sign-ups, and the committee also noted related measures on cueing and prompting in PCA programs (H. 277/S. 157).

Transcript Highlights:

• We were founded in the 2021 legislative statutory language with three other commissions, including the
• It is in our statutory language.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Massachusetts Permanent Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities held its quarterly meeting virtually and in person at the State House. The commission approved the March minutes and elected its officers by unanimous roll call vote: Denise Garlick as chair, Chris White as vice chair, Carl Richardson as treasurer, and Osmondahar as secretary. The meeting also welcomed several new commissioners, including Rep. Jay Livingstone, Rep. Vanna Howard, Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, Rep. John Marzi, and Leo Sarkisian, with brief introductions from the new legislative members. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the commission’s current work and the broader policy environment affecting people with disabilities. Commissioners and subcommittee leaders raised concerns about federal threats to Medicaid/MassHealth, Section 504 accessibility protections, DEI-related rollbacks, immigration policy impacts on the direct care workforce, and the loss of funding for youth employment and vocational rehabilitation programs. Members also discussed ableist language in public discourse and the need for stronger advocacy and communication in response to these developments. Subcommittee reports highlighted recent activity on disability employment, workforce supports, and long-term services and supports/health equity. Presentations included veterans with disabilities, employment programming for young adults with disabilities, immigration and labor protections, MassHealth’s PCA working group, and a health equity roundtable. The commission also discussed future plans to create an advisory board, develop successor and mentoring planning, and launch regional “meeting the moment” listening sessions across the Commonwealth to strengthen outreach and leadership development. The meeting ended with an open invitation for commissioners to share urgent information with staff for broader distribution and a unanimous motion to adjourn.