Transcript Highlights:

• The plan uses a phased timeline that allows us to scale efforts responsibly, evaluate outcomes, and adapt
• phase timeline that allows us to scale efforts<00:19:45.919> responsibly,<00:19:47.200> evaluate
• <00:19:47.840> outcomes, efforts responsibly, evaluate outcomes, efforts responsibly, evaluate
• <00:21:38.960> and reviews, and stronger evaluation and reviews, and stronger evaluation and
• I think it would be important for this committee to evaluate that. Thank you. That'd be helpful, M.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The subcommittee opened its first meeting of the session with member introductions and a statement from the chair that veterans issues would remain distinct and receive separate attention. The first item was an update on the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum at Camp Ripley from Executive Director Randall Dietrich. He said the museum has operated for nearly 50 years, has outgrown its current space, and is building a new 40,000-square-foot facility with $32 million in state support plus several million more in private funding. He described construction progress, planned exhibits including restored military artifacts and the USS Ward gun, and said the museum is scheduled to open on September 12. In response to Senator Kunish, Dietrich said the museum is actively incorporating stories and flags representing women, tribal nations, and other underrepresented groups, including 11 tribal flags at the entrance, and is working to integrate those stories throughout the galleries rather than isolating them. The committee then received an update from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs on the veterans suicide prevention plan from Rachel Johnson, Veterans Committee Health Director, with John Kelly later answering questions on department impacts. Johnson said the plan is a coordinated statewide framework built with legislative support, expanding regional coordinators, veteran health navigators, data analytics, and community partnerships, including a suicide mortality review pilot in Hennepin County. She said Minnesota loses about 100 veterans a year to suicide, that firearms remain the primary mechanism, and that prevention must address community connection, economic stability, and access to care, not just clinical treatment. She also said the plan aligns with state and federal strategies and is intended as a living roadmap. In response to questions, Johnson said the department is exploring data-sharing policy issues, has not seen a direct financial impact from federal VA staffing changes, and is tracking federal proposals affecting VA advisory groups. She also said 988 data is available in general but more Minnesota-specific data on the veteran option is still being gathered. Members asked follow-up questions about trends in veteran suicide, the role of families in identifying warning signs, and the Hennepin County mortality review pilot. Johnson said the annual number has remained around 100 for about 15 years, with a dip in 2024 and a return to that level in 2025, and that the Hennepin County pilot was chosen because it offers a manageable geography and existing coalition work, with an initial review expected by May or June. The final item began a presentation from the Minnesota Association of County Veteran Service Officers. Legislative chair Larry Fonder said the group’s priorities are protecting veterans from fraud and modernizing the property tax benefit for disabled veterans, but the presentation would focus on educating the committee about the role, training, certification, and accountability of county veteran service officers. President Tom Anderson, the Winona County VSO and a Navy veteran, began describing his background and office staffing when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Have they been evaluated, particularly in terms of logistics and costs?
• And just for clarity, what are the specific performance metrics or evaluation criteria on which these
• So in the evaluation, that would be conducted once every two years at minimum.
• I haven't done an evaluation of what other states do, so I don't have the answer to your question.
• I haven't done an evaluation of what other states do, so I don't have the answer to your question.

Summary: The House convened, established a quorum, heard an invocation and pledges, and approved several routine motions, including excuses for absent members, permission for committees to meet while the House was in session, and postponements of some bills. The chamber also received a Senate message listing measures passed by the Senate and adopted a memorial resolution honoring the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, with remarks entered into the House Journal after a moment of silence. The House then took up a long third-reading calendar and passed a series of Senate bills on topics including criminal justice and corrections sunset provisions (SB 2405, 2406, 2407), election equipment testing (SB 2166), electric grid reliability and attack-preparedness exercises (SB 2148), firefighter collective bargaining (SB 777), DFPS and foster care procedures (SB 1141 and SB 1398), Medicare durable medical equipment billing (SB 1330), property tax administration (SB 1453), probate cleanup and record transfers (SB 1448 and SB 1839), mental health filing procedures (SB 53), school residency for children in safety placements (SB 226), diabetes-related amputation study (SB 1677), rapid DNA analysis (SB 1723), utility rate transparency and capacity cost recovery (SB 1664 and SB 1856), community supervision eligibility (SB 552 postponed), and other measures. Several bills passed with broad support, while others drew notable opposition and narrower margins, including SB 777, SB 2137, SB 2111, SB 1677, SB 1936, SB 1453, and SB 38. Two bills drew especially extensive debate. SB 2148, dealing with electricity supply chain reliability and tabletop exercises for critical facilities, was discussed as a grid-security measure aimed at coordinating utilities, law enforcement, ERCOT, and the PUC in the event of physical attacks; it passed unanimously. SB 1936, changing how LSD is measured for criminal prosecution from dosage-based to weight-based calculations, prompted extended discussion about lab consistency, carrier mediums, and fairness in charging, with supporters saying it would help crime labs and law enforcement and opponents warning it could distort penalties depending on the medium used; it passed 108-26. The House also passed SB 36, creating a Homeland Security Division within DPS, after questions about overlap with TDEM and the cost of adding personnel. Late in the day, the House debated SB 38 on eviction procedures, with supporters saying it targeted squatters and streamlined removal of unauthorized occupants, and opponents arguing it would make evictions too easy and worsen homelessness; it passed 85-44. The chamber also began debate on SB 37, a major higher-education governance bill that would expand governing-board oversight of curriculum, hiring, and faculty senates; members raised concerns about academic freedom, faculty governance, and the impact on humanities programs, and debate was still underway at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• back from the school when we expressed concern about her reading level, we got her a neuropsych evaluation
• We took this evaluation to her school, and they still did not want to evaluate her for special education
• Finally, after being very persistent, they evaluated her, and she qualified for an IEP starting in March
• ,<01:16:42.480> relieving educational evaluations, relieving educational evaluations, relieving
• We work on evaluations, professional growth plans, principal goals, and district-wide goals, all while

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• this does feel to me like an attempt to do an end run around the process that we have set up to evaluate
• this does feel to me like an attempt to do an end run around the process that we have set up to evaluate
• this does feel to me like an attempt to do an end run around the process that we have set up to evaluate
• this does feel to me like an attempt to do an end run around the process that we have set up to evaluate
• process that we have set up to evaluate process that we have set up to evaluate this<01:14:36.320

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill was meant to clarify a situation in which someone who was declared, evaluated by the United
• requested that they also be given a placard, they were told that they would have to get another evaluation
• I did hear from DMV that they, in fact, had intended to recognize that if you've had that first evaluation
• /c><01:19:46.560> from<01:19:46.719> the<01:19:46.840> Veterans that first evaluation
• from the Veterans that first evaluation from the Veterans Affair<01:19:47.600> that<01:19:47.719

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• it increases financing risk, delays needed investment, or constrains the commission’s ability to evaluate
• it increases financing risk, delays needed investment, or constrains the commission's ability to evaluate
• So I appreciate that you put in those performance metrics to be able to quantify that and evaluate that
• It simply requires an apples-to-apples evaluation before ratepayers are locked in to decades of cost
• Our primary issue right now is a provision that directs the PUC to evaluate depreciation schedules and

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The evaluation and comprehensive athletic surface committee implementation should take place prior to
• Otherwise, it's impossible to evaluate how much... ...what the condition of the battery is.
• Otherwise, it's impossible to evaluate how much battery life is in the battery, whether you can reuse
• The legislature created the commission to evaluate EPR models for a range of products.
• The legislature created the commission to evaluate EPR models for a range of products.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held a heavily attended hybrid hearing focused primarily on plastics reduction bills, along with a few local and related waste-management measures. Chair Rauch and Chair Barber outlined strict testimony rules because of the large number of speakers. Before the plastics docket, the committee heard support for a local Sharon sewer-extension bill for a Sunrise Senior Living project, and the bill’s proponents said the project would help address senior housing needs and would still require MWRA and local approvals. The chairs also noted a separate local matter involving Sharon and the MWRA. A major portion of the hearing centered on the Plastics Reduction Act and related bills addressing single-use plastics, including plastic bags, polystyrene, black plastic, plastic beverage bottles, non-flushable wipes, skip-the-stuff provisions, and truth-in-labeling. Sponsors and supporters said the bills would reduce litter, microplastics, greenhouse gas emissions, and municipal waste costs, while creating statewide consistency and supporting environmental justice communities. Several speakers cited local bans already adopted by many Massachusetts cities and towns, and many urged the committee to advance comprehensive statewide action. The committee also heard testimony on a boat wrap recycling bill, a mattress recycling bill, and a bill to prohibit hotels from providing small plastic toiletries. Municipal officials and waste professionals supported extended producer responsibility for paint and labeling for non-flushable wipes, saying these measures would shift costs away from cities and towns and reduce strain on wastewater systems. The Massachusetts Municipal Association, Mayor Ruth Ann Fuller of Newton, and a Franklin County waste official all backed paint EPR and wipes labeling. Fire Chief Brian Nardelli testified for the Fire Chiefs Association in support of lithium-ion battery legislation, citing fire safety and disposal concerns. Other speakers, including environmental groups, local activists, and business representatives, supported bag and polystyrene bans, though the Retailers Association of Massachusetts urged any bag policy to be truly statewide and said any bag fee should be retained by retailers. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• get information, letting you continue to make the case for the project and us continuing to try to evaluate
• I think that makes it more difficult to do this evaluation, so it would be helpful to get that information
• So the LAO's evaluation is that these are essential needs that need to be funded.
• And so we're asking for a pause in the amendments, that there was an opportunity to review, re-evaluate
• And so we're asking for a pause in the amendments that there was an opportunity to review, re-evaluate

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The final thing to consider for any future allocation is to include evaluating the relative size of the
• This morning we released our analysis of the May Revision, now evaluating the condition of the General
• 2026-27 through 2028-29, for CDE to receive auditing support from the Office of State Audits and Evaluations
• CDSS is still evaluating all the other recommendations of the single rate structure policies and elements
• that, we have not done a cost study at this time, but in previous hearings we've acknowledged that evaluating

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Any positive findings would be reported for further evaluation and testing, and educational materials
• The goal here is for the school to control that movement, but for the assessment and evaluation to be
• the nurse advises the principal to tell teachers to send a child who feels ill to the nurse for evaluation
• We were evaluating and looking at many matters that were happening with children, and how cases were
• Our school is preparing for that evaluation as we speak. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Summary: The committee first heard SB 206, which would require cardiovascular pre-screening and blood pressure testing for student athletes beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Chairman Miller said the bill was prompted by concerns about undiagnosed hypertension and sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes, and Coach Marcus Scott testified about his own kidney transplant after years of untreated high blood pressure. Members asked about who would perform the screenings and how follow-up would work; the American Heart Association said existing athletic physical processes and referral networks could handle it. An amendment was adopted, and the committee reported SB 206 favorably as amended. The committee then took up SB 305, which would require a publicly available statewide career-alignment dashboard showing how degree programs connect to workforce outcomes, including completion, employment, wages, and high-demand jobs. Chairman Edmonds and student task force member Cruz Cassard said the goal was to help students understand job opportunities in Louisiana and reduce the number leaving the state after graduation. Workforce and higher education stakeholders supported the measure as a transparency and workforce-planning tool. The committee reported SB 305 favorably. Next, the committee considered HB 624, a school safety cleanup bill updating references from crisis management plans to emergency operations plans and aligning school emergency language with national standards. Representative Johnson and the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools said the bill would not create new mandates or costs, but would clarify existing requirements. The committee reported HB 624 favorably. The committee then heard HB 1022, as substituted, concerning school-based health care services. Representative Jackson said the bill was intended to clarify that medical decisions in school-based health centers should be made by licensed health professionals, not school staff, while preserving parental consent. Testimony from school-based health center providers supported the bill, but several members raised concerns about consent, parental authority, and whether the language shifted too much responsibility away from schools; the Charter School Association suggested adding more collaborative language. After discussion, the committee adopted the substitute and reported HB 1022 favorably by a 10-4 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then I would direct you to the very last page and that rule is really the evaluation of transmission
• From a practical point of view, you know, we are consistently evaluating the infrastructure's ability
• We also use these forecasts to evaluate the reliability of the system at a future point in time, and
• so large and they could react so dynamically to the system, ERCOT had to create a new process to evaluate
• interconnection that they were now a part of a cluster study process. where they were not going to be evaluated

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now that I’ve shared with you just a little bit about what our standards are and we evaluate hearing
• standards are little bit about what our standards are and<00:19:33.200> we<00:19:33.440> evaluate
• <00:19:34.120> hearing<00:19:34.440> loss<00:19:34.760> for and we evaluate
• hearing loss for and we evaluate hearing loss for newborns<00:19:35.840> let<00:19:35.960>
• Obviously, they go through these evaluations. very, very effective and the technology very, very effective

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:10 SB 6 Discussion 00:40 SB 6 Vote 00:13:30 Cochlear Implants 00:16:25, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee heard Senate Bill 6, sponsored by Senate President Robert Stivers, which would create an endowed research fund to support collaborative university research in Kentucky. Stivers described the bill as an extension of earlier higher-education research efforts, arguing that Kentucky should build research “hubs” by requiring or encouraging partnerships among universities and outside entities, with potential focus areas including health care, engineering, aerospace, agriculture, and other emerging fields. He said the proposal would establish five research tranches over five years and sought a $30 million endowment for each, generating annual interest to fund consortium-based research and leverage additional private and federal dollars. Senators Frommeyer, Neal, Givens, Boswell, and Richardson spoke in support, emphasizing economic development, job creation, and examples from other research clusters such as Boston and North Carolina’s Research Triangle. The committee voted 12-0 to report the bill favorably to the Senate floor. The committee then received a presentation from Dr. Matthew Bush of the University of Kentucky on pediatric hearing loss and cochlear implants. Bush explained that early hearing detection and intervention is critical because hearing loss in newborns is a neurocognitive emergency that affects language, literacy, and long-term outcomes. He outlined national screening benchmarks, Kentucky’s incidence of childhood hearing loss, and the high educational and societal costs of untreated hearing loss. Bush also highlighted disparities in rural and western Kentucky, where children face delayed diagnosis, longer waits for hearing aids or cochlear implants, and more difficulty accessing follow-up care. He described cochlear implants, the multidisciplinary care they require, and research showing improved language development, quality of life, and cost savings when children are treated early.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for this opportunity to present on our evaluation of crossbow use during the archery seasons
• Thank you for this opportunity to present on our evaluation of crossbow use during the archery seasons
• crossbows during archery seasons also had an impact on turkey seasons, we decided to include an evaluation
• <00:07:39.520> For evaluation in that report as well.
• For evaluation in that report as well.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This amendment restores a clear constitutional and uniform standard for evaluating challenged library
• constitutional, grounded Miller test for minors, including its critical requirement that a work be evaluated
• It comes from decades of Supreme Court precedent requiring works to be evaluated in their entirety.
• It's litigation, and most important to me is it creates a chilling effect where they're not really evaluating
• It's litigation and most important to me is it creates a chilling effect where they're not really evaluating

Summary: The House convened with prayer, moments of silence for former member Terry Fields and the Parkland victims, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of guests and visitors. The chamber then adopted the Rules and Ethics Committee’s special order report setting the day’s calendar and debate times. The main measure taken up was HB 1119, relating to materials harmful to minors in public schools and charter schools, which the sponsor described as a clarification of existing law to keep pornographic or sexually explicit material away from minors and to give districts clearer standards for review and objection processes. The bill drew extensive debate over constitutional concerns, local control, litigation risk, and the scope of the definition of “harmful to minors.” Members supporting the bill argued it was needed to close loopholes and protect children, while opponents warned it could lead to overbroad book removals, conflict with federal court rulings, and costly lawsuits. A series of amendments sought to narrow or redirect the bill: proposals by Gant, Aristide, Bartleman, Eskamani, Nixon, Rainer, Woodson, and Harris would have preserved literary value review, protected educational and abuse-prevention materials, exempted LGBTQ-inclusive books, limited objections, preserved funding for districts, or delayed enforcement during ongoing litigation. Supporters of the amendments framed them as protecting parental choice, academic value, student safety, and district finances; opponents said they would weaken the bill’s child-protection purpose. All of the amendments failed. After the amendment process, the House waived rules, read HB 1119 a third time by title, and entered structured debate on final passage. Debate continued along the same lines, with opponents emphasizing book removals, First Amendment concerns, and the impact on students and schools, and supporters reiterating that the bill was intended to prevent minors from accessing obscene material. The transcript provided ends during structured debate and does not include the final vote on HB 1119.

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> You need more individuals to evaluate those that need to get the license. >> Yes, sir.
• we've asked for is to help us to pay these contract people that are going to help us to make those evaluations
• us to to people that are going to help us to to make<00:07:39.120> those<00:07:39.280> evaluations
• <00:07:40.479> Um<00:07:40.800> so<00:07:41.039> that's make those evaluations
• Um so that's make those evaluations.

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 409, 28 January, 2026; 1:30 P.M., 925, all

Summary: The committee heard budget presentations from the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy and the Mississippi State Board of Chiropractic Examiners, followed by the physical therapy board. The Pharmacy Board said it licenses pharmacists, technicians, students, and many facilities and supply-chain entities, including wholesalers, manufacturers, 3PLs, PBMs, and nonresident compounders. Its main requests were a 3% salary increase for specialized staff, about $118,000 for contract help to evaluate pharmacists with substance abuse or mental health issues under a recently passed public health bill, and additional IT spending authority for system upgrades and cloud migration. Members discussed the board’s role in protecting the public, vetting out-of-state facilities, and the need to keep sensitive data secure; no vote was taken. The Chiropractic Examiners board described itself as a small, contract-staffed agency with about 700 active licenses and a database system that is no longer supported by Microsoft. It said it had requested about $173,000, but the legislative budget recommendation was $134,000, and it needs roughly $40,000 more to upgrade or rebuild the system, including security fixes and online renewal capability. Members focused on the cybersecurity risk of using unsupported software and the need to protect personal information; the board also noted that its licensing data does not include banking information because payments are handled through the state portal. The Physical Therapy Board said it regulates physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, with 4,242 licenses and 252 complaints in the last fiscal year, and that demand for the profession continues to grow. Its requests included $6,000 in salary progression for long-serving staff, about $360 more in PDM salary authority, and roughly $38,610 for a one-time upgrade to its LMS licensing system, plus related cloud-migration costs. Senators noted the board’s strong reputation, discussed the burden of annual or biennial renewals, and supported the technology upgrade because the current system is no longer supported and could create liability risks if not addressed.

Transcript Highlights:

• When people come in, they're evaluated.
• Crew would need to be evaluated differently and how we monitor that.
• When people come in, they're evaluated.
• When people come in, they're evaluated.
• When people come in, they're evaluated.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to make sure we're not having another evaluation done so that we're doing an evaluation in magistrate
• court or metro court and then turning around and doing another evaluation in district court, Mr.
• I agree the other side could ask for an evaluation.
• I guess I agree they could possibly ask for an additional evaluation.
• Additional information and evaluations, but it may be... would it be a standard practice, Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• After evaluating the impact of that amendment, Chairman Dean and I realize that that sort of gets out
• HB 2898 by Frank, relating to requirements for certain meteorological evaluation towers.
• California in 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that a lack of value is evaluated from the lens.
• We evaluate material for pornography. Is that appropriate?
• We evaluate material for pornography standards. Is that appropriate? You asked me two questions.

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, offered an invocation, led the pledges, and approved a series of routine motions, including excusing absent members and granting permission for several committees to meet while the House was in session. Members also adopted several memorial and recognition resolutions, including H.R. 1023 honoring Christian Beerbill, H.R. 1033 recognizing International Bereaved Mother’s Day, and H.R. 877 recognizing Urban League Advocates Day. The House also recommitted SB 17 and HB 4211 to committee and postponed SCR 27 and HB 2145 for later consideration. The chamber then took up a long third-reading calendar of bills covering a wide range of topics, including Sunset review measures, health care workforce and pricing, child custody and family law, Medicaid, rural ambulance grants, energy reporting, public information requests, trail development, virtual meeting disruptions, occupational licensing, protective orders, county leave pools, animal cruelty, infrastructure, and higher education. Most bills were explained briefly by their authors and passed with broad support, though several drew notable opposition, including HB 5265, HB 2402, HB 3000, HB 3237, HB 3326, HB 1056, HB 281, HB 3308, HB 1043, HB 1234, HB 1193, HB 294, HB 809, HB 334, HB 2037, HB 285, HB 1353, HB 3960, HB 4044, HB 4264, HB 2807, HB 3349, HB 4406, HB 1593, HB 1899, HB 1201, and others. Several bills prompted extended debate or amendments. HB 3237, extending public energy-use reporting for state and higher-education buildings, passed after questions about its public-sector-only scope and energy savings. HB 3326, addressing public service loan forgiveness credit for adjunct professors, initially failed on a 69-70 vote but later passed after verification and machine corrections. HB 3211, concerning optometrists in managed care plans, adopted a Buckley amendment before passing. HB 2213 on Texas Windstorm Insurance Association board composition adopted a Metcalf amendment requiring certain board members to be Texas residents. HB 412, dealing with harmful materials and sexual performance of a child, generated extensive questioning about its scope, existing legal standards, and effects on educators and medical professionals; the excerpt ends during that debate.

Transcript Highlights:

• a three-year plan and shall implement the following strategies, recycling education and outreach evaluated
• Families take several key actions, conduct financial and operational audit of managing entities evaluate
• I think in in evaluating this year we're at as we're seeing this whole session unfold.
• It mandates annual agency Assessments of Home Health Aid program to evaluate caregiver satisfaction and
• Workforce impact establishes an automated automation impact study to evaluate the effects of audit.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It needs to be evaluated, and it makes it clear that they get at least a six-month window to evaluate
• six-month is important it needs<00:30:23.720> to<00:30:23.840> be<00:30:24.080> evaluated
• c> it<00:30:25.200> it<00:30:25.320> makes<00:30:25.519> it needs to be evaluated
• and it it makes it needs to be evaluated and it it makes it clear<00:30:26.480> that<00:30:26.640
• at least a six clear that they get at least a six window<00:30:28.760> to<00:30:28.960> evaluate

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee first took up House Bill 507, which concerns the timeline for credentialing mental health care providers. Members discussed and approved an amendment that removed section 2 and changed the bill’s effective date to January 1. A motion for ought to pass as amended was made, seconded, and approved by a 6-0 vote, with Representative Miles assigned to write the committee report. The bulk of the meeting focused on House Bill 705, a price-transparency measure requiring insurance-related data reporting and uniform formatting. Committee members and a representative from Anthem discussed how the bill would interact with federal requirements, including a recent presidential executive order and anticipated CMS guidance on uniformity standards. Anthem testified that the federal timeline was uncertain, that final rules could take months, and that the machine-readable files involved are complex and costly to produce. Some members argued the state should mirror federal standards but wait for final federal guidance; others said the bill should create a firm state requirement and not leave everything to rulemaking. The main unresolved issue was timing. Members debated whether the bill should be effective upon passage, apply to plan years beginning January 1, 2026, or be delayed until after federal guidance is finalized, with several references to a possible six-month implementation window after final federal rules. No final vote was taken on HB 705 in the portion provided; instead, the committee planned to revisit the bill the next morning after language was rewritten and circulated, with a straw vote anticipated before the executive session.