Transcript Highlights:

• We're area and you're okay about that.
• processing and the business development processing and the business development public<00:18:53.520
• sure that uh tribal economic development sure that uh tribal economic development entities<00:25
• Development Fund.
• considered before using workforce considered before using workforce development<00:41:31.359>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When when these students go out of state they develop relationships with these out-of-state facilities
• Colleagues, this is ultimately a question of trust in an area as deeply personal as healthcare.
• In this particular area, I know that we shouldn't represent bots as humans and licensed practitioners
• I appreciate you guys recognizing that, the area I come from.
• We now will have over 155 doctors working in these areas.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Workforce development, innovative care like I said, and then technology innovations.
• <00:53:03.359> development,<00:53:04.000> innovative um workforce development, innovative
• um workforce development, innovative care<00:53:04.880> like<00:53:05.040> I<00:53:05.200
• The areas are good areas.
• So, we'll have to find other ways to try to invest in and make possible workforce development.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met and approved the minutes from its August 27 meeting. It then received a presentation from Katherine Castanza of the National Conference of State Legislators on the Medicaid provisions in the 2025 budget reconciliation bill, referred to as HR1. She explained that the bill is estimated by CBO to save the federal government $911 billion over 10 years, with more than 20 Medicaid-specific provisions, most of the savings concentrated in five policies and largely backloaded into 2030-2034. She emphasized that the bill’s effects will vary by state, but that expansion states and hospitals are expected to be most affected, in part because of changes to eligibility, provider taxes, and state-directed payments. Castanza highlighted several new funding and flexibility provisions, including a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund for 2026-2030 and a new home- and community-based services waiver option effective July 1, 2028, with $100 million in grants in fiscal year 2027. She also outlined major eligibility changes for Medicaid expansion adults: work or community engagement requirements effective January 1, 2027; twice-yearly redeterminations for the expansion population effective the same date; and new cost sharing for certain expansion adults effective October 1, 2028. She noted that Kentucky, as an expansion state, would be subject to these changes and that state agencies would face significant implementation demands, especially because federal guidance and timelines are tight. A substantial portion of the presentation focused on financing changes. Castanza described new limits on provider taxes, including a 0% safe harbor for new taxes and a phased reduction for existing taxes in expansion states beginning in 2028, while nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities are exempt from the reduction if already taxed. She also explained that state-directed payments will be capped and phased down over time, with existing arrangements grandfathered only briefly; she said Kentucky has 11 approved state-directed payments and could see significant fiscal effects. She added that the bill also bars Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood or similarly situated providers for one year, changes immigrant eligibility rules effective October 1, 2026, lowers the federal match for certain emergency services, and expands the scope of the federal erroneous payment recoupment provision effective October 1, 2029. Throughout, she stressed that federal savings may translate into state cost shifts and that implementation timing will be critical.

Transcript Highlights:

• shortage and that what will Workforce shortage and that what will end<00:08:32.640> up<00:08:
• Certainly, the Health and Human Services area is one of the areas I do remember a legislative audit from
• Certainly, the Health and Human Services area is one of the areas I do remember a legislative audit from
• Certainly, the Health and Human Services area is one of the areas I do remember a legislative audit from
• that how do we change that Workforce that how do we change that Workforce training<00:37:05.240>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and, you know, kind of looking around the room and looking at I'm going to focus on kind of the AG area
• The motion is to re-refer to the Labor and Workforce Development Committee.
• Development Committee.
• The bill is on to the Workforce Development Committee.
• NOS the bill is on to the Workforce NOS the bill is on to the Workforce Development<00:31:49.159

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee heard extended discussion on House File 8, a bill aimed at changing Minnesota’s permitting and environmental review process. Supporters said the bill is intended to help small and medium-sized businesses and projects that face long delays, and argued that the proposal does not lower environmental standards. They described the bill as modeled in part on provisions used in other states, including a staggered permitting process and an expedited option, and said the goal is to improve transparency, reporting, and real-time public access to permit information. Members raised concerns about whether the bill could also benefit large corporations and major industrial projects, including mining and other large facilities, rather than just smaller businesses. Several lawmakers questioned the use of county-based public input, the lack of tribal consultation, and how the bill would interact with treaty rights and communities outside the affected county. Others argued that the bill could create risks by speeding permits for bad actors or by allowing larger entities to pay for expedited treatment. Testimony also referenced examples from the Minnesota Chamber’s report, with a witness disputing the claim that permitting alone drove companies out of Minnesota and saying those cases involved more complex facts. The committee first considered a motion to lay the bill on the table, but that motion failed on a 5-7 roll call. The committee then voted on a motion to re-refer House File 8, as amended, to the Labor and Workforce Development Committee. That motion passed 7-5, and the bill was sent on to that committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's my understanding that they're consolidating all the workforce...
• This is the Department of Commerce, economic development.
• development...
• The Memphis, Tennessee, metro area is 1.3 million people.
• in economic development that we see in the state with folks working, the unemployment rate, the development

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• President, the Department of Education is directed to develop a workforce credential, especially for
• President, the Department of Education is directed to develop a workforce credential, especially for
• The Department of Education is directed to develop a workforce credential, especially for students with
• If that's true, the area around 511 West South Street in Orlando must be saturated with the area around
• The Appropriations Committees have completed developing their budget proposals.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and heard several member introductions and recognitions, including awareness resolutions and visiting groups in the galleries. The chamber then moved to special order bills. Senate Bill 88 on utility terrain vehicles passed 32-5 after debate over allowing local governments to opt in to street use of UTVs under safety restrictions; Senator Smith opposed it over safety concerns. Senate Bill 102 on exceptional student education passed 36-0, creating a workforce credential/badge program for students with autism or on modified curricula; supporters emphasized employment opportunities and safety training, while Senator Davis raised concerns about added costs to school districts. Senate Bill 106 on exploitation of vulnerable adults passed 37-0, allowing alternative service on scammers through the same apps used to contact victims. Senate Bill 130 on compensation for victims of wrongful incarceration passed 38-0, extending filing deadlines and removing restrictive barriers; supporters called it a long-overdue justice fix. Senate Bill 158 on diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations passed 38-0, eliminating cost sharing for follow-up breast tests in the state employee health plan to encourage early detection. The most contentious measure was Senate Bill 234 on criminal offenses against law enforcement officers. The bill sought to clarify that violent resistance to officers is not justified by claims about the legality of the detention and to add manslaughter of a law enforcement officer to offenses carrying life imprisonment without release. An amendment by Senator Jones to restore “in good faith” language failed, after debate centered on due process, racial profiling, and the role of juries and suppression motions. Several senators spoke in support of law enforcement but objected to the bill’s breadth and mandatory life penalty; Senator Leek ultimately postponed the bill temporarily rather than taking a final vote. Senate Bill 262 on trust code technical changes passed 36-0. Senate Bill 274 designating roads for Harris Rosen and Geraldine Thompson passed 38-0, followed by a successful co-sponsorship motion and remarks honoring Thompson’s legacy. Senate Bill 280 on candidate qualification passed 38-0, creating an enforcement mechanism for party-affiliation filing requirements. Senate Bill 296 on middle and high school start times passed 38-0, repealing the statewide start-time mandate and shifting implementation decisions to local districts while requiring public reporting and discussion. Senate Bill 356 designating January 27 as Holocaust Remembrance Day also passed unanimously, with senators emphasizing remembrance, anti-Semitism, and the educational value of the memorial and observance.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:14:42.240> uh multiple patients um who developed uh multiple patients um who developed
• geographic area geographic area >> you<00:29:00.159> could<00:29:00.320> have
• or developing problem areas because they start hearing about these transactions and they start hearing
• <00:30:45.600> or<00:30:45.919> developing might be problem areas or developing might
• be problem areas or developing problem<00:30:46.799> areas<00:30:47.120> because<00:30

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Children ride in this area, in the housing area.
• Development Assistance.
• Since then, our program has focused on three areas: teacher development, developing teachers.
• In the current year, our goal is to continue working on developing embedded professional development
• in that area are welcome.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am currently developing a character education curriculum for public school students.
• development, fiscal responsibility, and long-term strategic planning.
• He's a member of the Economic Club of Oklahoma and he's an active member in community workforce development
• And we're happy to have them and get them on to either more education or straight into the workforce.
• However, I'll tell you just, and if you're in the metro area, you probably have seen this.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But we've also been very fortunate with workforce development dollars on culinary education as well.
• It has a lot of secondary benefits like workforce development, even social and emotional health, and
• So thank you. ...does a lot of secondary benefits like workforce development, even social and emotional
• It has a lot of secondary benefits like workforce development, even social and emotional, does a lot
• of secondary benefits like workforce development, even social and emotional health, and public health

Summary: The meeting began with a lengthy opening discussion with Secretary Karen Ross of the Department of Food and Agriculture, who reviewed the department’s proposed budget, emphasized California agriculture’s record output, and highlighted major priorities including climate-smart agriculture, groundwater management, local food systems, farm-to-school, food hubs, invasive pest prevention, bird flu response, and food safety. She also warned about federal budget cuts, especially at USDA and FDA, and discussed market access challenges abroad, rising input costs, labor shortages, and the need for automation and workforce training. Members raised questions about the future of Farm to School, the California Nutrition Incentive Program/Market Match, local food procurement, and how to better connect farmers to schools, food banks, and food hubs; Ross said the department had strong evidence the program benefits small farms and Title I schools and noted continued interest in building out local food infrastructure. The committee then took up item one on eliminating vacant positions at the Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Parks and Recreation, and Food and Agriculture. The Legislative Analyst’s Office explained that the Governor proposed eliminating 6,000 vacant positions statewide, with the Joint Legislative Budget Committee previously rejecting 650 of them, including 174 in these three departments. LAO and Finance said the vacancies represented a source of budget flexibility, but warned that eliminating them could create program impacts; LAO recommended retaining the special-funded positions at Fish and Wildlife and Food and Agriculture, while weighing the General Fund positions against other priorities. Finance argued the reductions were part of a broader budget-resiliency exercise and that departments could reclassify or shift vacancies to higher priorities. Members focused heavily on the practical impacts of the cuts. Assemblymember Petrie-Norris argued that Fish and Wildlife staffing shortages were already slowing permits needed for housing, clean energy, water, and transportation projects, and questioned the value of saving relatively small amounts of money. Fish and Wildlife officials said the department had prioritized mission-critical work and could still meet permitting obligations, but acknowledged limited-term staffing constraints. State Parks said the proposed ranger and maintenance cuts would not have immediate effects but could slow maintenance and eventually worsen deferred maintenance. Food and Agriculture said some of the eliminated positions supported early pest detection and eradication, but that the department believed it could still meet its mandate and reclassify positions if needed. The chair and several members signaled concern about the Fish and Wildlife and Parks cuts, while also noting the broader need for budget reductions. The committee then moved to item six, hearing an overview from the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation. Staff described the office’s role in CEQA implementation and said the budget requests were baseline funding to maintain existing functions, including IT services and administrative/legislative support, rather than new programs. The chair asked the presenters to move quickly through background material so the committee could get to questions, and the item began with no votes taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• One, the city of Clovis has developed an effluent reuse system.
• Areas in Roosevelt and Curry County, Mr.
• We represent a very spread out area.
• CNA we've brought back, which again is adding to the healthcare workforce in our area, CNA and phlebotomy
• But those are workforce certificates. Some of them are stand-alone workforce.

Transcript Highlights:

• Townhome developments are not allowed to be built on mobile objective standards.
• The goal here is to actually bring this workforce out from under the shadows.
• I would align many of my comments with my colleague from the Bay Area.
• Related to San Francisco being removed, as we know, San Francisco is a very dense area.
• The needs of the students today, but also of the workforce for the state of California.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly met on May 7, 2026, after an initial delay due to lack of quorum, then proceeded through a long House of Origin deadline session focused mainly on floor votes for dozens of bills. The day opened with prayer, a moment of silence for victims of a hate-motivated shooting at an Islamic Center in San Diego, and a warning to visitors about disrupting proceedings. Leadership repeatedly urged members to be on time and at their desks as the chamber worked through a large daily file. The bills considered covered a wide range of topics, including artificial intelligence, community college trustee compensation, transit camera enforcement and privacy, taxation and excess proceeds claims, HOA rules, hepatitis C treatment access, child care planning, greenhouse energy standards, consumer lending, housing and homelessness, pet spay/neuter access, local financing for workforce housing, student financial aid, DUI penalties, senior housing, foster youth, behavioral health licensing, transit stop data, disaster response for child welfare, elections notices, safe surrender for infants, college enrollment and leave policies, insurance regulation, fair funding, school safety, environmental labeling, cash rounding, park passes through libraries, grocery access, pregnancy protections in education, swatting, domestic violence protective orders, farmworker housing, juvenile justice, cervical cancer screening, Medi-Cal transitions, disability certification, and home protection products. Most authors described their bills as cleanup measures, consumer protections, access expansions, or targeted fixes to existing law. Testimony from authors and supporters emphasized access, safety, affordability, and administrative simplification, while a few bills drew policy concerns or opposition, especially AB 1751 on townhome development and labor standards. That bill prompted extended debate over wages, prevailing wage, and stakeholder engagement, but it ultimately passed. Other notable discussion included AB 1628 to extend California’s safe surrender window for infants, AB 1902 on juvenile detention extension hearings, and AB 1925 on permanent disability certification, each framed as addressing difficult real-world gaps in current systems. The chamber took many roll-call votes, with most measures passing overwhelmingly and several by unanimous or near-unanimous margins. A few bills were temporarily passed, retained on file, or moved to the inactive file, and AB 1534 required the call to be lifted and then passed on a 54-8 vote. Overall, the session was dominated by floor action on the daily file rather than committee reports or gubernatorial messages, and the Assembly advanced a large number of bills on a deadline day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Won't expand to another area, is that right?
• But past funding. for tutoring hasn't also supported teacher workforce development and teacher workforce
• Cities, this is your tax base. declining educated workforce.
• . areas.
• development. pipeline.

Bills: HB2, HB2

Keywords: public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, we just look at this—you know, workforce development is an issue for all the contractors across
• But in talking to Workforce Solutions, it doesn't seem like it's going to exempt anyone.
• So all that they're paying is into themselves for their own workforce.
• The small businesses in the rural area do not have, you know, they don't have that extra person.
• It doesn't affect rural areas, so the rural areas can still charge.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have about a team of 33 in the Medicaid space, as opposed to some of the other areas.
• um as opposed to some of the other areas um as opposed to some of the other areas so<00:13:51.279
• <00:19:42.480> and positions in many different areas and positions in many different areas
• <00:27:39.960> that's so I need to have a Workforce that's so I need to have a Workforce that's
• <00:46:07.480> that of new to me that that's an area that of new to me that that's an area

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee convened an informational Division 3 Finance hearing focused on DHHS programmatic issues rather than budget line items. The chair emphasized that members should avoid questions requiring dollar figures and noted that the coming budget cycle would likely be difficult because revenues are expected to be tighter. Commissioner Lori Weaver said the department wanted to use the session to explain its functions at a high level, with more detailed presentations to follow, and to collect questions for later responses. Weaver outlined DHHS’s mission of supporting optimal health for state residents and described the department’s three main responsibilities: protection and prevention, client service delivery, and regulatory oversight. She said DHHS has eight divisions, a $3.6 billion total budget, about $1.217 billion in general funds, roughly a quarter of state positions, and personnel costs that are less than 11% of the budget. She also noted a recent hiring freeze, explained that the department did not request new positions except where required by law, and said vacancy rates had improved from 22% to 14% over the last two years but could rise again because of attrition and the hiring freeze. Weaver and CFO Nathan White then discussed why the DHHS budget is complex, explaining that it is built from multiple funding sources and is shaped by assumptions made months before the fiscal year begins, actual service demand, and cost allocation rules used to draw down federal funds. White highlighted maintenance-of-effort requirements, including TANF, where state spending is needed to secure federal matching funds and shortfalls can trigger penalties. At the committee’s request, DHHS agreed to provide a simplified historical accounting of TANF contributions to show how the match is assembled across positions, contracts, and other factors. The department also reviewed its roadmap, which Weaver described as a framework developed with staff and stakeholders around three themes: culture, community, and customer service. She highlighted priorities such as Mission Zero to end emergency department boarding, expanding access to community-based and residential behavioral health services, reducing reliance on institutional care, improving contract management with nonprofit and provider partners, using data dashboards to guide decisions, and investing in workforce stability and culture. No votes were taken; the main action was DHHS’s commitment to provide additional follow-up materials, including the TANF contribution breakdown.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are overrepresented in that area.
• We are overrepresented in that area.
• offer um lease Awards in the coua area offer um lease Awards in the coua area um<00:38:14.440>
• we have quite a bit of developers we have quite a bit of developers<00:52:38.760> that<00:52:
• Hawaiian homelands anyway or developers Hawaiian homelands anyway or developers are<01:01:10.640

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Housing and Public Safety/Water and Land hearing first took up HB 1096, which would repeal statutory tenant-selection preferences for disabled veterans and spouses of deceased veterans in state low-income housing. HPHA testified in support, saying the change was a housekeeping measure because the same preferences already exist in administrative rules and could be adjusted later to align with other local preferences, while also noting the federal VASH program provides stronger veteran housing support. Several members questioned why the preference should be removed at all, emphasizing that veterans have long been underserved and asking for a stronger justification; the committees ultimately deferred HB 1096. The later Housing/Hawaiian Affairs agenda heard HB 606 HD1, a measure to extend Act 279 funding and related exemptions for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Supporters argued the bill would give DHHL more time to use the $600 million appropriation to acquire land, work with developers, and address a wait list of about 29,000 applicants, while also helping restore Hawaiian communities and reduce the Hawaiian diaspora. Opponents focused on accountability and oversight, saying DHHL needs clearer plans, measurable goals, and stronger safeguards before receiving more money, and warning that prior spending and strategic-plan changes had reduced the number of applicants served. The committee also heard testimony that the bill would help DHHL fulfill long-standing obligations to Native Hawaiians and that the housing need affects the broader state, not only Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries.

Transcript Highlights:

• What they've been doing in those areas.
• So, this doesn't authorize or develop any of these schools right now.
• uh dyslexia, IEP, autism, workforce uh dyslexia, IEP, autism, workforce training.<01:57:42.639><
• <01:59:06.080> And great things in their workforce. And great things in their workforce.
• area gets them?

Keywords: Education - Room 216, 22 January, 2026; 10:30 AM, 925, all

Summary: The committee took up several education-related bills. Senate Bill 2071 would allow school boards to vote on providing health insurance to board members and their dependents using local, not state, funds; it was advanced after Senator Brian objected that it could create an incentive for people to seek school board seats for the insurance benefit. Senate Bill 2072 would move the deadline for teacher supply cards earlier, from August to July, using EF funds, and it was reported. Senate Bill 2103 would require school boards to adopt policies banning or restricting student cell phone use during school and class time, and it was also reported. Senate Bill 21103 would remove a requirement that school counselors follow the National Association of School Counselors’ code of ethics and instead align them with the Mississippi teacher code of ethics; it passed without opposition. Senate Bill 2236 would authorize the use of LifeVac choking devices in schools, with the sponsor saying the devices are inexpensive and could be provided free to districts; it passed as well. The committee then spent most of its time on Senate Bill 2242, the Mississippi Math Act, which would create a statewide math improvement initiative within the Department of Education. The bill would deploy math instructional coaches, require K-5 universal math screeners three times a year, create individual math plans for students below benchmark, support algebra readiness, protect data under FERPA, and establish a fund for grants and other deposits. Senator Boyd said the bill is modeled on efforts in other states, especially Alabama, and is intended to build on Mississippi’s literacy reforms by focusing on support, intervention, and professional development rather than retention or punishment. Members raised concerns about cost, the proposed anti-lapsing language for the fund, and whether the bill should require high-quality instructional materials statewide rather than leaving curriculum choices to local districts. Senator Hopson estimated the program could cost about $3.5 million and suggested the anti-lapsing language might be removed or handled through appropriations. Senators Blunt, Hill, and Wiggins argued that the success of literacy reforms came from requiring standardized, high-quality instructional materials and accountability, not home rule alone. Senator Wiggins offered an amendment to require high-quality instructional materials for math statewide, and Senator Boyd said he was supportive of that as a friendly amendment. The discussion ended with the amendment still being worked through and the bill not yet finally disposed of in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Institution you're with, and also maybe help in a regional area when we get.
• in K-12, a member appointed by the governor from workforce development, the President Pro Tem of the
• Instead of developing new credentials this year, I'd like to take that money and develop a pipeline.
• It would be great to have all of that learning in One area.
• In mind that that would apply to whatever we put on here for your areas.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Remember, these are areas of the center.
• learning and healthy development. learning and healthy development.
• . development. development.
• <01:15:00.680> only enforcement may enter these areas only enforcement may enter these areas
• This is Twin Cities or the metro area.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all