Transcript Highlights:

• to solve and its impact on all of our communities.
• Our provider communities and Minnesotans can't wait any longer.
• Our provider communities and Minnesotans can't wait any longer.
• <00:09:24.200> and year our provider communities and year our provider communities and minnesotans
• <00:21:26.880> however destabilizing our communities however destabilizing our communities

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 105 was presented by Representatives Beerman and Baker and then laid over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill. The bill would implement the remaining mental health and physician service recommendations from DHS’s rate study, including raising certain Medicaid reimbursement rates to at least 100% of Medicare where a Medicare equivalent exists, increasing community-based children’s and adult mental health rates and behavioral health home rates, and phasing in additional increases over three years. The authors said the proposal also addresses master’s-level clinician reimbursement and fee-for-service hospital inpatient mental health services, and they emphasized that the changes are intended to improve access, transparency, and provider stability. Both authors argued that low MA reimbursement rates are driving access problems across Minnesota, especially for children, families, and rural communities. They said providers are struggling to hire and retain staff, clinics are closing or shrinking, and patients are facing long waits, boarding in hospitals, or delayed care. Representative Baker said the issue is personal and described the bill as a phased, long-term approach because of state budget limits and the size of the cost, which he said is in the hundreds of millions but still awaiting a fiscal note. Public testimony was strongly supportive overall. A family physician said higher rates would improve access, keep clinics open, and help patients avoid emergency care, while a Children’s Minnesota mental health leader described more than 1,200 pediatric boarding episodes in 2024 and said outpatient investment is needed to reduce pressure on emergency and inpatient services. A rural provider said her organization had to close an in-home children’s mental health program because of insufficient reimbursement, harming access in underserved counties. A psychologist testifying for the Minnesota Psychological Association supported the bill’s general direction but objected to repealing the pay differential for doctoral-level psychologists, arguing that doctoral training is more extensive and that eliminating the differential could worsen workforce shortages. After testimony and member questions about the bill’s scope and cost, public testimony was closed and the bill was laid over.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, community engagement, finish up with that.
• You had some community engagement going on.
• You had some community engagement going on.
• , bridging that gap and bringing our community within the community-based care system.
• And to increase the awareness of and participation from our community, our child welfare community, in

Summary: The committee held its first meeting of the session and received an overview of the Higher Education Appropriations budget from staff director Tim Elwell. He explained the committee’s broad jurisdiction over universities, state colleges, district workforce programs, vocational rehabilitation, blind services, student financial aid, private colleges, and the Board of Governors, and reviewed key budget concepts such as local funds, funds per FTE, performance funding, and the distinction between the total appropriation and the recurring base budget. He noted that higher education is funded largely through state and local sources, with substantial flexibility compared with other state budgets, and that the base budget is heavily weighted toward lump-sum allocations to the public systems. The committee then heard a presentation from the University of South Florida’s Florida Center for Cybersecurity (Cyber Florida), led by retired Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie and USF representative Mark Walsh. They described Cyber Florida as a statewide cybersecurity platform created by the Legislature in 2014 to support education, research, workforce development, public policy, and community engagement. McKenzie emphasized the growing cyber threat environment, Florida’s leadership role, and several funded initiatives, including K-12 outreach, workforce training, a cyber range for county governments, critical infrastructure assessments, grant development, and public conferences and outreach. Members asked about public cyber awareness, the lack of a national cyber defense strategy, school district participation in Cyber Launch, and which counties are most at risk; McKenzie said smaller counties with limited cybersecurity staffing are generally more vulnerable and offered to provide follow-up information. Finally, the committee heard from the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities at the University of Central Florida, led by Dr. Drew Andrews, along with program and parent representatives from participating institutions. Andrews explained the center’s role in coordinating Florida’s postsecondary comprehensive transition programs for students with intellectual disabilities, supporting program development, distributing grants and scholarships, and monitoring outcomes. He reported that the state now has 33 approved programs at 35 institutions, including universities, state colleges, and technical colleges, and that scholarship and grant funding has grown significantly. He said student retention is about 88 percent, many graduates are employed, and median hourly earnings have increased over time. A representative from Southeastern University described how the center’s support helped build and sustain SEU Link, including a new third-year employment-focused option for students.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's just not medical community.
• In the area of community services, in the area of community access and brain injury waivers, we work
• In my community in Duluth, 66 of those—that's almost a third of the state—were from my community.
• our job to bring our community needs. our job to bring our community needs.
• that these are our own communities. that these are our own communities.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And what's the impact on the community? What's the benefits to the community?
• What's the impact on the community?
• <00:28:29.640> is I mean, the heritage communities is I mean, the heritage communities is
• ,<00:31:43.200> to quality of life in your community, to quality of life in your community
• <00:37:18.440> that still an asset for the community that still an asset for the community

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The speaker outlined Kentucky’s economic development strategy and how the cabinet evaluates and awards incentives. He emphasized using national benchmarks such as Site Selection and Area Development magazines, focusing on real data, competitiveness, and performance-based incentives. He said the state is performing well nationally in investment rankings, and credited the legislature with providing tools that help attract and retain jobs, especially through speed to market, site readiness, transportation, and workforce coordination. A major portion of the remarks described the “anatomy” of an incentive package: first improving sites and infrastructure such as water, sewer, roads, and rail spurs; then using sales tax benefits for construction materials and equipment; then training support through the Bluegrass State Skills Corporation; and finally the Kentucky Business Incentive (KBI) program, which reimburses qualifying expenses from incremental tax revenue. He said incentives are negotiated, data-driven, and targeted toward companies with strong wage levels, training plans, growth potential, and, in some cases, agricultural benefits or industry leadership. He also noted special treatment for heritage communities and said the state has expanded KBI beyond heavy manufacturing to include R&D, headquarters, and service businesses. The speaker also described compliance and oversight. Incentive agreements are written with job, wage, investment, and community-benefit terms, and companies must file regular reports and invoices. Cash incentives can be clawed back if commitments are not met, while tax credits are tied to actual investment and job creation. He said the Revenue Cabinet and Environment and Energy Cabinet play important monitoring roles, and that projects go through application review and preliminary approval by the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority before final approval and payment. He closed by thanking legislators for their support and for allowing more flexible, capped, and data-driven incentive tools.

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't see it in the community right now.
• While also protecting our Jewish community from being discriminated against, or any community from being
• were doing with their local communities to engage.
• So there has been an extensive amount of communication.
• And it created a lot of havoc for our local communities.

Summary: The committee heard several education-related bills, with the most extensive discussion focused on AB 2189, AB 2615, AB 2496, AB 1750, and AB 1644. AB 2189 would create an $800,000 grant program through the State Council on Developmental Disabilities to support a statewide parent network for special education advocacy and training. Supporters said families need stronger coordination and information to navigate special education, while an opponent argued the bill could duplicate existing family-led organizations. The bill passed 6-0 and was sent to Appropriations, held on call for add-on votes. AB 2615, a cleanup bill to AB 715 on antisemitism and instructional materials, drew the most controversy. The authors said it was intended to clarify prior commitments by removing references to professional responsibility standards, refining the “factually accurate” language, and clarifying how discriminatory materials are handled. Supporters said it would help protect students from discrimination, while many educators, civil rights groups, and other organizations opposed it unless amended, warning that the factual-accuracy language could chill teaching and be applied too broadly. The committee chair and members raised concerns about implementation but ultimately supported moving the bill forward; it passed 5-0 and was held on call. AB 2496 would streamline school accountability reporting by making the California School Dashboard the primary transparency tool, phasing out the School Accountability Report Card over time, and making mid-year LCAP reporting optional. Supporters said this would reduce duplication and administrative burden while preserving access to key data; opponents worried families could lose the simplicity and accessibility of the current SARC and that the mid-year update still serves an important purpose. The bill was approved 3-0 and held on call. AB 1750, which would extend full salary for an additional five months for school employees who exhaust sick leave due to illness or injury, was supported as a dignity and retention measure but opposed by administrators over staffing and cost concerns; it passed 4-0 and was held on call. AB 1644 would require a bell-to-bell smartphone ban in TK-8 and recommend it for high school, with exceptions for instructional and safety needs; supporters said phones are harming attention and learning, while opponents argued districts had just adopted local policies and needed more flexibility. The transcript ends during discussion of that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• When you look at tribal and rural communities, that number goes up much more.
• When you look at tribal and rural communities, that number goes up much more.
• I come from the arts community.
• , and the food that goes to our communities.
• We're a national organization serving Latin communities and communities of color seeking environmental

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Community Based Services. Community Based Services.
• Would you Community Action Kentucky.
• Rick Becker, executive director of Community Action Kentucky, the state association for the 23 Community
• , even down to the community level, not just the county level, but community level, and then address
• communities even down to the community communities even down to the community level,<00:14:55.280

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:26 Approval of Minutes 00:02:27 LIHEAP Presentation and Public Hearing 00:02:42 Conservation Opportunities in Kentucky 00:29:52, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up a public hearing and presentation on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Shannon Hall of the Department for Community Based Services and Rick Baker of Community Action Kentucky explained that LIHEAP is a 100% federally funded block grant that helps low-income households pay heating and cooling bills, avoid utility disconnects, and support weatherization. They outlined the program’s components, eligibility limits, seasonal application periods, and recent participation figures, including tens of thousands of households served through the summer cooling, fall subsidy, winter crisis, and spring subsidy components. They also described weatherization priorities, the partnership with Kentucky Housing Corporation, and the role of Community Action agencies in administering the program statewide. Members asked about Assurance 16, the balance between need and available funding, summer cooling assistance, weatherization measurement, renter versus homeowner participation, and whether federal changes could affect LIHEAP. Hall and Baker said Assurance 16 supports energy-burden reduction through education, case management, and conservation strategies; that funding has generally been sufficient in recent years but crisis funds have sometimes been exhausted quickly in the past; and that summer assistance is primarily electric utility support. They also said weatherization uses return-on-investment testing and that Kentucky still has a large backlog of homes needing service. On federal funding, they said the recently passed federal bill did not directly cut LIHEAP, but future appropriations could still affect it, and any major reduction could leave a gap the state might need to consider filling. The committee approved the minutes and later approved the LIHEAP finding of fact; no members of the public signed up to testify. After concluding LIHEAP, the committee heard a presentation from Heather Jeff of The Nature Conservancy on conservation opportunities in Kentucky. She described the organization’s voluntary land-protection work and highlighted the Cumberland Forest project, a conservation easement on about 55,000 acres in Bell, Knox, and Leslie counties supported in part by a $3.875 million state appropriation. She also reported on mine-land reforestation, elk habitat work, and the rapid allocation of a $2 million appropriation for the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. Jeff emphasized the economic value of conservation for tourism, hunting and fishing, agriculture, forestry, bourbon, and flood protection, and said the group is finalizing a Kentucky conservation needs assessment and related feasibility research.

Transcript Highlights:

• community, state, or national level. community, state, or national level.
• We also clearly communicated to you.
• farmers in our rural communities. farmers in our rural communities.
• community that helps the economic viability of our community by providing jobs.
• each community and distribute the food. each community and distribute the food.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , our Asian communities, our Latino communities have all contributed to American history?
• <00:56:12.200> you Community for your community do you Community for your community do you
• the needs of the community the needs of the community the<01:24:55.080> Statewide<01:24:55.560
• the unique needs of their communities the unique needs of their communities offering<01:37:17.159
• state legislature should communicate state legislature should communicate this<01:40:45.280>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• based out of the Community College System of New Hampshire.
• building a community of these teachers. building a community of these teachers.
• 18:41.600> service communities like ambulance service communities like ambulance service providers
• our communities our communities apart.<01:59:55.880> And<01:59:56.880> I<01:59:57.280
• <02:13:49.119> We communities. And guess what they say? We communities.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Rachel Gandy: That's a good fit for us and a community.
• Are they stationed in the communities or working out of mobile units?
• Speaker: ...that you have a community care clinic there.
• Chair: ...to the community.
• Chair: ...to the community.

Bills: SB1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The committee heard a Legislative Budget Board presentation and then testimony from the Department of Public Safety on the Article 5 public safety budget. LBB said DPS’s 2026-27 recommendation totals $3.7 billion, down from the prior base, while FTEs rise by 856.7. Major items included increased funding for driver license services and customer support, new trooper funding and recruit schools, crime lab operations, border security, and reductions tied to one-time facility, vehicle, and aircraft spending. The committee also discussed new riders, including one to lapse unused trooper funds and require reporting after recruit schools. Members focused heavily on driver license operations, questioning why prior staffing increases and a prior efficiency study had not solved long wait times, high call abandonment, and appointment delays. DPS and LBB said the agency receives about 22,000 calls per day, answers only about 9 percent, and is seeking more staff plus technology upgrades such as automation, kiosks, and better online processing. Senators also raised concerns about rural access, REAL ID document requirements, and whether the department should rethink its processes rather than simply add employees. DPS leadership then described needs for the Williamson County training academy, additional troopers, Capitol and Alamo security, border operations, aircraft and vehicle replacement, and regional headquarters in El Paso and San Antonio. Members asked about Operation Lone Star costs, overtime, pursuit safety, border crime, oilfield theft, and sexual assault kit and toxicology backlogs. DPS said border deployments remain focused on criminal threats, that overtime is partly driven by deployments and staffing shortages, and that the sexual assault kit backlog is down to 118 cases with a goal of zero by April. The committee later recessed and began the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission budget presentation, where LBB outlined a $115.1 million recommendation and noted ongoing costs for the AIMS technology project.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we also have been coordinating with the consultant community, as well as the legal community, because
• The Transformative Climate Communities Program is very community-driven, and often it supports a partnership
• The Transformative Climate Communities Program is very community-driven.
• Yet our tiny Filipino community is the nation's last surviving Filipino farming community.
• , yet our tiny Filipino community is the nation's last surviving Filipino farming community.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard opening remarks from Secretary of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross, who reviewed the department’s budget and priorities. She emphasized California agriculture’s record production, but also the pressures facing farmers from climate change, drought, groundwater regulation, supply chain disruptions, low commodity prices, and federal funding cuts. Ross highlighted ongoing investments in Farm to School, local food procurement, food hubs, climate-smart agriculture, invasive pest prevention, bird flu response, and food safety, and she warned that proposed USDA cuts and market disruptions could harm research, pest control, and export development. Members also discussed the importance of local food systems, school kitchens, and the need to better connect farmers to schools, food banks, and institutions. A major topic was the Farm to School program and related local food initiatives. The chair raised concerns that the Legislative Analyst’s Office was recommending against continued funding for Farm to School because it did not meet the state’s “must-have” standard, and suggested pairing it more closely with the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program and food hubs to broaden its impact. Ross responded that Farm to School has already reached nearly half of California students, has helped small farms, and is part of a larger strategy that includes school kitchen investments and culinary training. Members also discussed Market Match/CNIP, which Ross said was not funded in the current budget, and Proposition 4 climate bond spending, including SWEEP, Healthy Soils, urban agriculture, invasive species work, tribal food sovereignty, and land access programs. The committee then moved to Item 1 on eliminating vacant positions at the Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Parks and Recreation, and Food and Agriculture. The LAO explained that the Governor proposed eliminating 6,000 vacant positions statewide, with the JLBC previously not concurring with 650 of them, including 174 in these three departments. The LAO recommended retaining the special-funded positions at Fish and Wildlife and Food and Agriculture because they support important functions and do not materially help the budget, while weighing the General Fund positions against other priorities. Finance said the vacancy reductions were intended to improve budget resiliency and preserve flexibility, noting that vacant positions can be used to cover other operational costs or be reclassified. Department representatives argued some eliminated positions were hard to fill and that the cuts would affect permitting, public safety, maintenance, and pest detection, though they said immediate impacts would be limited because many positions were already vacant. Members pressed Finance and department staff on whether the savings justified the program impacts, especially at Fish and Wildlife, where permitting bottlenecks were described as a concern for housing, clean energy, water, and transportation projects. Several members questioned why special funds tied to fees were being reduced, and why Fish and Wildlife’s special funds were treated differently from other departments. Parks said the proposed ranger and maintenance cuts would not have immediate effects but could slow long-term maintenance and staffing capacity. CDFA said some of the eliminated positions supported early pest detection, the broom rape program, and other oversight functions, but that the department believed it could still meet its mandate through reclassification and internal prioritization. No votes were taken, and the chair noted that public comment would come after all items were heard.

Transcript Highlights:

• My community college has a difficult situation as they're transitioning into their own community college
• Uh from Larry County Community College.
• So, I just wanted to say community.
• building, community center building. building, community center building.
• for your uh communities. But, Mr. for your uh communities. But, Mr.

Bills: HB0111, HB0112, HB0122

Keywords: capital construction, state funding, Wyoming, major maintenance, community colleges, task force, legislative services, budget appropriation, unexpended funds, sunset clause, healthcare, rural health, transformation program, funding, incentives, training, access, perpetuity fund, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As previously mentioned, the building was severely needed for the community to allow us to adequately
• Our community has a median household income that's 26% lower than our neighboring communities in the
• as a small community with large basic public infrastructure needs.
• as a small community with large basic public infrastructure needs.
• um as a advocacy uh for our community um as a small<00:54:49.440> community<00:54:49.960>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We want to be your community school.
• <01:08:21.520> When thriving education community. When thriving education community.
• community members. community members.
• have come up that's what the community have come up that's what the community wanted<01:12:03.199
• ,<01:28:07.360> the really dig in with the community, the really dig in with the community

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee met to hear from the New Hampshire Association of School Principals as part of its review of a proposal involving statewide administrative consolidation and changes to school governance. Members first discussed how school board witnesses would be selected, with the chair saying the committee would seek a mix of district sizes and structures and would also accept emailed input. The principals’ association said it represents more than 550 principals and assistant principals and urged caution about any mandatory consolidation, arguing that successful consolidations are gradual and voluntary. Association leaders and principals testified that principals already handle a wide range of responsibilities, including instructional leadership, student discipline, safety, staff supervision and evaluation, family and community engagement, and day-to-day crisis response. They argued that shifting more legal, budgetary, and administrative duties onto principals would reduce time for coaching teachers and supporting students, increase burnout and turnover, and create legal and training risks, especially in areas such as special education, privacy, and labor issues. They also said the roles of superintendents, principals, and school board members are distinct and require different training and expertise. Members asked detailed questions about how responsibilities are divided between principals and SAUs, whether principals recruit and evaluate staff, and how much time principals work. One principal said she works about 60 to 70 hours a week and that additional duties would be difficult to absorb. Another principal described his school’s structure, the importance of community building, and the need to preserve district-wide alignment if consolidation moves forward. No votes were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• nearby White Mountains Community nearby White Mountains Community College.<01:03:54.680> Um
• and for community college um education. and for community college um education.
• over at the community college, you know? over at the community college, you know?
• joint programs with community colleges. joint programs with community colleges.
• colleges the community um the community colleges the community college<01:22:33.400> campuses,

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• do want to add um as a rural community do want to add um as a rural community up<00:33:53.880>
• I speak as a member of the community and as a Micronesian trying to thrive in the community, having three
• 1600 unit uh master plan community over 1600 unit uh master plan community over 273<01:37:34.360>
• us to Poise this master plan Community us to Poise this master plan Community forward<01:38:12.360
• <02:47:25.560> our risks endangering our communities our risks endangering our communities

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:34:59.079> with used to support those communities with used to support those communities
• of them but but also the communities of them but but also the communities that<00:51:16.160>
• and that is the capacity of a community and that is the capacity of a community to<00:58:47.000>
• I mentioned to you before that... my communities is we're getting hammered my communities is we're getting
• <02:47:03.720> out I think it is for our communities out I think it is for our communities

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The executive session focused primarily on HB 563, which revises the school funding formula, especially the adequate education grant amounts for special education students and the treatment of fiscal capacity disparity aid. Representative Ladd moved OTPA on Amendment 06508, explaining that FY 26 would largely hold the current formula steady, while FY 27 would increase several per-pupil amounts, including base cost, free and reduced-price meals, English language learner aid, and special education differentiated aid. He said the special education change was based on estimated case loads across disability categories and that the amendment also reinstates fiscal capacity disparity aid, using a formula intended to better assist property-poor communities. Several members supported the amendment as a step in the right direction, saying it better recognizes special education costs and separates property wealth from low-income student counts. Others raised concerns about the lack of time and the absence of a printed spreadsheet showing how the fiscal capacity disparity aid would affect each town. In response, sponsors said the spreadsheet existed, that the LBA had copies, and that the amendment would help about 40 target towns, while Manchester would be the main community receiving less under the new formula because of prior shifts in the extraordinary needs grant. Discussion also covered the broader impact of the bill, with members noting that about 200 of the state’s 245 cities and towns would see an increase and 45 a decrease under the proposed FY 27 changes. Supporters argued the bill was a compromise given limited revenues and that it should move forward so it can be considered by the full House and then Finance. No final vote on the amendment or bill was taken in the portion provided, and the chair indicated the committee was still deciding whether it had enough information to proceed.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's the Community Beautification Act; it is about muralists.
• As you know, and you all spend lots of time in Sacramento, and I'm sure in your own communities too,
• Murals are a powerful tool for transforming communities; they're placemaking, defining in our cities.
• that each of our communities is able to display on the walls that we all call home.
• Artists do this work because they have to, because they are the culture bearers of our communities.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:21.640> residential instead of a community residential instead of a community residential
• home and community. home and community.
• , of things like self-care, communication, of things like self-care, communication, community<00:
• staff member out in the community. staff member out in the community.
• community-based services. community-based services.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all