Transcript Highlights:

• What this bill largely seeks to do is to bring those tax cuts into the Vermont budget.
• There is a bit of a budget issue.
• We are $2 billion over on our budget where we ought to be right now.
• We are $2 billion over on our budget We are $2 billion over on our budget where<00:30:23.240>
• In 2016 DFR implemented commissioner.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The pharmacy board must establish rules to ensure safe implementation.
• The pharmacy board must establish rules to ensure safe implementation.
• The pharmacy board must establish rules to ensure safe implementation.
• The pharmacy board must establish rules to ensure safe implementation.
• The pharmacy board must establish rules to ensure safe implementation.

Bills: HB0143, HB0129

Keywords: health care providers, free speech, discrimination, governmental agencies, civil remedies, physician access, internationally trained physicians, medical licensing, provisional license, healthcare workforce, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we could look at federal transportation funding, their budget to support that cost.
• Any tax generated or I don’t know what they’re doing, because we don’t have a budget.
• I'm looking through here and I don't see what your operating budget is.
• Regarding the budget, the liaisons spent 15 to 20 hours a week on this activity.
• The first one is: what is the NMGCB's operating budget?

Transcript Highlights:

• Good morning, good morning, um, welcome to the third meeting of the Health Budget Review Subcommittee
• We have implemented this year a value-based purchasing agreement with their managed care organization
• from those reports and implemented from those reports and two<00:47:41.280> uh<00:47:41.640><
• Our budget is, um, as we saw in 2024, was $18 billion.
• We're looking not only at our administrative budget, but at our benefits, at our provider rates, and

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee met to review the Department for Medicaid Services’ program integrity work. Commissioner Lisa Lee and Program Integrity Director Jennifer Dudinsky outlined Kentucky Medicaid’s structure, funding, enrollment, and spending, including FMAP rates, the size of the Medicaid and KCHIP populations, the number of providers, and 2024 expenditures. They also described the managed care and fee-for-service populations, noting that managed care serves most members while fee-for-service is concentrated in long-term care and waiver populations. Most of the discussion focused on fraud, waste, abuse prevention, and provider oversight. The department described its provider enrollment and certification checks, revalidation requirements, site reviews, fingerprinting for some high-risk providers, and termination grounds such as false application information, Medicare actions, unreported ownership changes, and abandonment of a provider number. Members asked about nonprofit ownership reporting, MCO fraud oversight, and how the department tracks unusual CPT code utilization, especially in behavioral health. The department said it uses data analytics, audits, policy review, and collaboration with behavioral health staff to monitor those trends. Dudinsky explained the division’s four branches: provider licensing and certification, audits and compliance, recovery, and third-party liability/estate recovery. She described prepayment and postpayment audits, referrals of credible fraud allegations to the Attorney General, monthly meetings with the AG’s office, and coordination with the Office of Inspector General, CMS, HHS OIG, MCOs, and other partners. She also explained payment suspensions, stand-downs during law enforcement investigations, and recovery efforts for overpayments, provider/member fraud, and third-party liability. The department said its recovery and avoidance efforts produced more than $251 million in savings so far in 2025. No votes or formal actions beyond approving the minutes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, just to clarify, the budget bill doesn't eliminate hemp. It narrows the definition of hemp.
• , uh, the budget bill doesn't eliminate<00:38:26.880> hemp.
• Uh, this would require some resources to implement effectively.
• We also noted prior to implementation.
• We cannot balance the state budget on the backs of our students' well-being.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee first heard SB 888, which would bar operators of smart household security devices from sharing user data with law enforcement unless the user consents or police obtain a warrant. DCCA’s Office of Consumer Protection offered comments and Judiciary submitted written support. Several individuals also submitted written support. The committee recommended passage with amendments clarifying that the Office of Consumer Protection may enforce violations and adopting Judiciary’s recommended changes, while also deferring the effective date to July 1, 2050. The motion passed unanimously among members present, with one senator excused. The committee then took up SB 2777 on insurance disclosures. The bill would require authorized insurers to disclose claim-handling data to consumers, including claims open at the start of a period, closed with payment, closed without payment, and open at the end of the period. The committee described amendments to clarify the bill, remove a requirement for the DCCA insurance division to handle publication, and defer the effective date to July 1, 2050. The measure was passed with amendments and the recommendation was adopted, with one member voting no and another excused. In a joint Commerce and Consumer Protection/Judiciary hearing on SP2738 relating to tax haven abuse, the Department of Taxation offered comments and the Tax Foundation testified in opposition, arguing the state should rely on IRS audits and existing worldwide reporting rules rather than create a separate state approach. Other written testimony was noted in both support and opposition. The committees recommended passage with amendments adopting Taxation’s technical changes and deferring the effective date to July 1, 2050; the recommendation was adopted, with one senator noting reservations. The joint hearing then moved to health-related bills, including SB 2690 on primary care spending, SB 3103 on energy assistance, SB 3137 on Department of Health authority over food, drugs, and cosmetics, SB 3164 on child welfare service organizations, and SB 3206 on cannabinoids. SB 2690 drew strong support from physicians and advocates who said it would address primary care shortages, especially on neighbor islands, while HMSA and others warned a fixed spending percentage could raise costs and suggested a working group. SB 3164 drew support from child welfare providers and opposition from the Attorney General over indemnification language, and SB 3206 drew mixed testimony: state agencies raised federal-law and vagueness concerns, while hemp and cannabis advocates and some farmers supported the measure and urged broader legalization or amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's being done so they can finalize the implementation of the beads program.
• Just have a budget question. I'm perplexed. We have no money for childcare subsidies.
• And we've been told we have a flat budget and 500 million dollars that we don't have anymore.
• It's what we were told at the beginning of the session in terms of our budget this year.
• The bill places career tech in charge of the implementation, ensures paid work protections, and requires

Bills: HB4104, HB3722, HB3787, HB3700, HB3701, HB3310, HB3404, HB2964, HB2398, HB3024, HB3499, HB3278, HB3279, HB3645, HB3649, HB2293, HB3260, HB3176, HB3177, HB3114, HB3172, HB3322, HB3323, HB4248, HB3720, HB2210, HB1322, HB1937, HB3301, HB4107

Keywords: Oklahoma criminal law, felony classification, Class B5, Class D1, sentencing enhancement, repeat offender, domestic violence, stalking, voyeurism, peeping tom, clandestine recording, hidden camera, privacy offense, sex offender registry, Sex Offenders Registration Act, protective order violation, animal cruelty, cockfighting, dogfighting, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• While this number of products reviewed in the second year of 1605 implementation is ambitious, I believe
• This, um, This bill does have a fiscal note that is accounted for in the budget.
• Um, what would just be a ballpark figure of the fiscal note for the budget?
• Uh, you can have great ideas, but the implementing the great ideas is really a challenge given the law
• I would encourage the commission to consider and implement such measures to provide a real transparency

Transcript Highlights:

• That's well over a third of our court system's entire budget for the state of Florida.
• That's well over a third of our court system's entire budget for the state of Florida.
• It was good public policy to have that implemented for the TNCs back then.
• I think it would be a great public policy to have it implemented for the delivery networks as well.
• In light of Florida's current budget constraints, we've chosen to return the original definition and

Summary: The committee heard several bills and amendments, beginning with CS/SB 498 on trust fund interest for IOTA accounts. The sponsor said a 2023 Florida Supreme Court rule sharply increased interest paid into legal aid funding, creating a windfall and making participation difficult for banks. An amendment was adopted requiring savings institutions to pay the higher of 0.25% or the highest comparable rate offered on certain non-IOTA accounts, and the bill then passed favorably after testimony from banks, legal aid representatives, and other stakeholders both supporting and opposing the measure. The committee also approved CS/SB 232, which clarifies Florida’s consumer collection law applies only to phone calls during restricted hours and not emails or text messages, after a delete-all amendment and supportive testimony from industry groups. It then approved SB 132, as amended, to designate gold and silver as legal tender and set rules for custody, audits, electronic transfer, and government acceptance of payments; supporters called it a sound-money measure, while the banking association said it still had unresolved technical concerns. Later, the committee passed SB 1466 to create a trust fund for the My Safe Florida Home Program, with an amendment funding it from 20% of collected insurance premium tax revenue. It also considered SB 1206 on transportation network company insurance, reducing coverage during the “dead-leg” period before a rider is picked up from $1 million to lower limits; the bill drew sharp opposition from trial lawyers and support from insurers and some business groups, and the committee adopted a clarifying amendment before reporting the bill favorably. Finally, CS/SB 924 on fertility preservation for cancer patients was amended several times to narrow scope and clarify coverage rules, then passed favorably after debate over cost, preauthorization, and post-treatment storage obligations. The committee adjourned after allowing technical and conforming changes to implement the adopted amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, that's more than half of the defense budget of the United States.
• On Monday night, President Trump's budget office issued a memo that directed agencies to cut off all
• As the Administrator, should you be confirmed, would you commit to implementing SBA programs in a fair
• In the FY 25 budget, the SBA requested an increase for veterans outreach, underscoring the importance
• So, what are your thoughts on how we implement this SBA change, working with our colleagues, to get a

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh pass a balanced budget. That's thing. Uh pass a balanced budget.
• It's somewhere less of our budget.
• on, we can't balance our budget here. on, we can't balance our budget here.
• to balance that on other budget items. to balance that on other budget items.
• balanced budgets constrains our funding. balanced budgets constrains our funding.

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The House opened with the pledge, roll call, and approval of the journal. Members then spent much of the morning on announcements recognizing visiting groups, including the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, Catholic Lobby Day participants, Vertical Skills Academy students, the Colorado Optometric Association, the Junior League of Denver, Jack and Jill of America, and advocates for HIV/AIDS harm reduction. Representative Gilchrist also highlighted HIV/AIDS and overdose statistics and urged members to meet with advocates. Representative Velasco announced an absence for Monday and Tuesday. The chamber adopted House Resolution 1002, honoring District Wildlife Manager Bob Holder for 50 years of service to Colorado wildlife. Supporters described his long career, conservation work, bear education efforts, landowner relationships, and awards, and members gave him a standing recognition. The resolution passed 62-0 with 3 excused. The House then received committee reports and moved to third reading on several bills. House Bill 1081, concerning electric transmission system optimization, passed 42-20 with 3 excused. House Bill 1228, increasing access to marriage and family therapist licensure, passed 62-0 with 3 excused. House Bill 1120, implementing mobile home taxation task force recommendations and extending redemption protections for mobile home owners, passed 40-2 with 3 excused after debate over its tax policy effects and fairness to seniors and disabled veterans. House Bill 1084, expanding voter transparency requirements for initiated statewide ballot measures, was debated at length with opponents arguing it would burden citizen initiatives and implicate First Amendment rights; the transcript cuts off before a final vote on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• and setting a floor, saying we're not going to allow a Senate to pass a budget — you know, budget cuts
• AND SETTING A FLOOR SAYING WE'RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW A SENATE TO PASS A BUDGET -- YOU KNOW, BUDGET CUTS
• Saying their model says in 2035—nine budget years from now, 10 budget years from now—30% of all U.S.
• That's more money than everything in our budget reconciliation.
• Money than everything in our budget reconciliation.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, March 31, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to hear the Attorney General's budget today.
• , and this time at the Attorney General's budget.
• , and this time at the Attorney General's budget.
• We have over $7 million of grants just in our base budget, not considering our entire budget.
• I think looking at a reduction of our base budget of a budget of a budget, Rachel, please correct me

Summary: The committee met as the Commerce and Legal Services Division and first approved the minutes, then received a Legislative Council overview of the Attorney General’s current budget status and a blue-sheet summary of the AG’s base budget for the next biennium. Staff highlighted compliance with legislative intent items, including FTE changes, one-time funding updates, litigation pool spending, opioid settlement receipts, and continuing appropriations. Members asked about specific funds such as the Missing Indigenous People Grant Fund and the Internet Crimes Investigation Fund, and staff explained the statutory basis and status of those items. The Attorney General’s office then presented an extensive overview of its divisions and budget pressures. Chief Deputy Attorney General Clare Ness described the office’s 14 divisions, the role of the office in defending the state and recouping funds, and concerns about attorney pay, recruitment, and retention. Members discussed whether attorney salaries should be benchmarked across state government and whether more legal work could be centralized in the AG’s office. The office also described challenges with the new-and-vacant FTE pool, operating expense cuts, leased office space, and the criminal justice information systems used to connect law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts. The Crime Laboratory director gave a detailed update on space and infrastructure problems, saying the current lab is overcrowded and outdated, with safety, workflow, air-handling, glycol leak, alarm, and maintenance issues that can delay casework and risk evidence integrity. She said a 2024 study projected a need for a much larger facility and that the preferred option would be a new building on the current health department site, at an estimated cost of roughly $40 million to $45 million. She also reported that backlogs have improved significantly in DNA, firearms, fingerprint, and drug cases, though toxicology had recently developed a small backlog after an air compressor failure. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, gaming division, and BCI also provided updates. MFCU’s new director said the unit is federally funded 75/25, focuses on fraud, abuse, and neglect, and is seeking two attorney hires while continuing to work with federal partners on cases and recertification. Gaming staff reported continued growth in charitable gaming and electronic pull-tab activity, with concerns about site competition, large trust balances, possible ineligible expenditures, and the need for more scrutiny as revenues have grown. BCI outlined its staffing, drug task forces, ICAC work, and the Missing Indigenous Person Task Force, which is using its $250,000 appropriation to help tribal nations develop emergency response plans and purchase alerting tools such as IPAWS. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• simple budget budget request. Uh, and we simple budget budget request.
• And that way, the budget that you look at more reflects what our actual budget is.
• And that way, the budget that you look at more reflects what our actual budget is.
• operating budget is was very difficult. operating budget is was very difficult.
• operating budget is. operating budget is.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill implements self-certification for solar projects.
• <00:19:41.440> uh bill this bill implements uh bill this bill implements uh self-certification
• Solutions and that's when you can budget Solutions and that's when you can budget and<00:36:23.720
• This is for the Legislative Budget Office.
• this is for the legislative budget this is for the legislative budget office<00:57:46.119> uh

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint hearing began with SB 133 on energy, which drew opposition testimony from James Abraham, who said the bill was unnecessary because the Public Utilities Commission had already opened a proceeding to investigate wheeling, including intergovernmental wheeling, and should be allowed to finish its collaborative process. The committees then moved to SB 161 on county permitting and inspection, where several agencies submitted written comments or opposition, while the Grassroots Institute and HCDA-related testimony supported the measure. Members raised concerns about accountability and whether state agencies would report back on projects approved under any permitting exemption, and witnesses suggested annual reporting or amendment language to address that issue. The hearing then turned to SB 232 and SB 588, both related to renewable energy permitting. Testimony on SB 232 was largely supportive, but Rocky Mold of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association said SB 232 was an older version of a bill and that SB 588 was the preferred, updated measure. Members discussed whether the bill should be limited to residential or behind-the-meter customer-sited systems rather than utility-scale projects, and Mold clarified that the proposal was intended for customer-sited systems, not utility-scale facilities. For SB 588, the Department of Land and Natural Resources warned that state or county laws inconsistent with the National Flood Insurance Program could jeopardize flood insurance eligibility and related federal assistance, while Mold argued the bill’s FEMA floodway exemption was needed to avoid blocking solar installations on existing structures. The chair expressed concern about risking federal funding and questioned whether the exemption could be narrowed without defeating the bill’s purpose. SB 412, also on renewable energy, received supportive testimony from the State Energy Office and others. Members questioned whether a single coordinating entity should compile agency assessments, and Mark Glick said the Energy Office could take on that role if given the duty and sufficient staff. The committee then discussed SB 635 on energy efficiency, which would require state agencies to use energy-efficient lighting. Mark Glick testified that much of the work was already underway through benchmarking and related contracts, and a DAGS representative said the state was already assessing 590 buildings over 10,000 square feet, with results expected around 2027. Members suggested amending the bill to require annual status reports so the committees could track progress and avoid duplication. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• , responsible for setting this budget, responsible for setting this budget, reclaiming<00:32:20.559
• <00:56:23.440> of<00:56:23.680> FAFSA uh, implementation of FAFSA uh, implementation
• We had a much smaller general fund budget at that time.
• After the um budget at that time.
• At we were implementing it correctly.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Higher Education Conference Committee reviewed differences among the Governor’s, House, and Senate proposals for state grant parameter changes and their effects on state grant spending, North Star Promise spending, and average student awards. Nonpartisan staff explained that the proposals use different combinations of parameter changes, with the Governor’s and Senate plans modeled to avoid or minimize rationing, while the House plan would require rationing to balance the program. Staff reported projected biennium balances of a positive $29.836 million for the Governor’s proposal, a negative $60.758 million for the House proposal without rationing, a positive $994,000 for the House proposal with rationing, and a positive $3.623 million for the Senate proposal; North Star Promise balances also varied, with the Senate showing a positive balance and the Governor and House with rationing showing negative balances. Staff also said the Senate proposal would extend availability of the state grant appropriation and suspend surplus procedures through fiscal year 2029, allowing the balance to carry forward. The committee then focused on the House-only tuition and fee cap provision, which would limit the tuition recognized for state grant purposes for four-year programs to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities level, with 1% annual increases in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. House members said the cap was intended to address rising tuition, especially at the University of Minnesota, and to produce savings in the state grant program. The governor’s office confirmed the provision was not included in the Governor’s bill. Representatives from the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Private College Council opposed the cap, arguing it would reduce awards for low-income students and shift costs to students rather than address underlying tuition pressures; they also said it could discourage enrollment at higher-cost institutions. Supporters from Minnesota State argued the cap would improve fairness because students at lower-tuition institutions are effectively capped lower, while students at more expensive institutions receive larger awards, and they said the legislature should intervene in a variable that has grown substantially over time. Committee members questioned how the cap would work and whether it was tied to the Twin Cities campus rate. Testifiers clarified that the state grant formula is tied to the University of Minnesota level, but because Minnesota State institutions are below that level, the cap effectively limits their students to their own lower tuition while allowing higher awards at the University of Minnesota and private colleges. No formal vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the chair indicated the committee would continue with item-by-item review of the remaining parameter changes and hear additional testimony from agencies and institutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• And when we're budget year too.
• Your obligation is to implement the IEP that they bring.
• is to implement the IEP that they bring. is to implement the IEP that they bring.
• <01:47:51.600> MTS's are we supposed to be implementing MTS's are we supposed to be implementing
• I think that schools struggle to implement multi-tiered systems of support.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The commission met to approve the November 21, 2025 minutes, making several clerical corrections before adopting them as amended. The edits included adding the date, correcting a misspelled name, clarifying references to a scholarship fund representative’s title, removing an incorrect “DOE” reference, and fixing a few wording errors. The minutes were approved with one abstention from members who were absent. The bulk of the meeting focused on organizing the commission’s work under SB 57 and identifying which special education cost issues should be prioritized for research and reporting. Members discussed a long list of topics, including student referral rates, why students are classified as other health impaired, increases in referrals since school closures, interventions before referral, costs of non-medically necessary services in IEPs and 504 plans, differences between federal and state requirements, reporting of special education costs, out-of-district and residential placements, dispute resolution, Medicaid and insurance use, graduation rates, and adult learning participation. Several members emphasized the need to combine or narrow topics and to gather better data before the report due July 1, 2026. Representative Ames highlighted HB 742, which would eliminate prorated special education aid payments when state appropriations fall short, and explained that the Education Funding Committee recommended interim study. He argued that local districts are bearing too much of the cost and that the state and federal governments should provide more support. Other members raised concerns about rising special education identification rates, possible overidentification, school climate and mental health factors, bullying, staffing, speech therapy access, and residential placements. One member cautioned that DOE website numbers may be inflated or at least difficult to interpret because of how students are counted. Department of Education staff then explained how special education data and costs are monitored. They said student counts are tied to IEPs and SASIDs in the state system, districts are checked through both desk audits and on-site monitoring, and billed services are compared against IEP requirements. They also described IDEA funding, noting that most DOE special education staffing is federally funded, with a large share of federal money flowing through to local education agencies and the remainder supporting administration, monitoring, and training initiatives. Members discussed whether more staff and more robust oversight would improve accuracy and accountability.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will work bids and detailed budgets.
• finally, the points are implementation finally, the points are implementation grant<01:16:08.960
• Point source implementation grant is $45 million.
• And those are all general obligation bond requests. governor's capital budget governor's capital budget
• Point source implementation $20 million.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're working through the implementation of some of those and what might be the first...
• At the Port of L.A., we continue to implement our programs.
• In 2022, through the Clean Truck Program, we implemented the Clean Truck Fund Rate.
• In 2022, through the Clean Truck Program, we implemented the Clean Truck Fund Rate.
• And this is a really neat solution that doesn't come out of the budget.

Summary: The joint informational hearing of the Select Committee on Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure focused on California’s EV market, charging infrastructure, and the effects of recent federal actions. The chair opened by emphasizing California’s progress on EV adoption and charging reliability, but also noted ongoing challenges with affordability, access, interoperability, heavy-duty electrification, and federal headwinds. She highlighted interest in technologies such as inductive charging and thanked host organizations and staff before moving to the first panel. State agency witnesses from Go-Biz, CARB, and the California Energy Commission described current programs and priorities. Go-Biz outlined its role in coordinating agencies, supporting permitting, and advancing the state’s ZEV market development strategy and equity action plan. CARB discussed federal attacks on its clean vehicle regulations, litigation to defend waiver authority, and the importance of incentives and regulatory programs such as Advanced Clean Trucks, Advanced Clean Fleets, Clean Truck Check, HVIP, and Clean Cars for All. The CEC detailed its funding and regulatory work on charging and fueling infrastructure, charger reliability, payment methods, roaming, and statewide planning, while stressing the need for more charging in multifamily housing and more public DC fast charging. All three agencies said federal rollbacks and permitting delays are major obstacles, but that California remains committed to expanding ZEV adoption. The second panel featured advocates, local government, utility, and research perspectives. CalETC urged continuous state funding through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and emphasized the low-carbon fuel standard, multifamily charging, and managed charging. An EV advocacy group proposed a conquest-style state incentive for new and used EV buyers and argued that multifamily housing is a major untapped market, while also favoring Level 2 charging over Level 1 for most home and apartment settings. Los Angeles County and LADWP described large-scale local deployment of chargers, fleet electrification, workforce training, and the need for sustained funding, agency coordination, and streamlined permitting and grid interconnection. UCS recommended prioritizing replacement of older high-emitting vehicles, using fuel policy revenues to support cleaner cars, and expanding bidirectional charging. The chair closed by asking for more discussion on Level 1 versus Level 2 charging and noted the importance of education, affordability, and practical deployment strategies.

Transcript Highlights:

• assessed before implementation? assessed before implementation?
• :10:30.399> or excuse incomplete implementation or excuse incomplete implementation or unclear
• And it's become harder and budget.
• Ari Ddian, the budget director.
• implemented without destabilizing care. implemented without destabilizing care.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , I don't even know; I'd have to look to see if that's even possible because we're not asking to implement
• I mean, granted, this was implemented in 2023, so we're only three years removed from that.
• I just don't see the rationale when we know what our budget situation is going to be in the next few
• So with the state's current budget and the budget crisis of us not investing properly and spending money
• So we have a $174,000 budget. It costs $189,000 to do a mile. We have 30 miles.

Summary: The Missouri House Legislative Rules Committee held a rare public hearing on House Bill 2243, sponsored by Rep. Bryant-Wolfen, which would repeal a local sales tax exemption for certain industries that was enacted in a prior omnibus bill tied to the Wayfair-related tax changes. The sponsor argued the exemption shifted revenue away from counties and onto local residents, and said the bill would restore local tax collections that had been lost without a guaranteed replacement. Several members questioned whether the proposal amounted to a tax increase on manufacturers and whether it could deter investment or job growth; the sponsor responded that the tax burden had already been shifted to Missourians and that other pro-business reforms could address competitiveness. Supporters from Iron County, St. Genevieve County, and Adair County testified that the exemption had reduced local revenue for roads, law enforcement, ambulance, and 911 services. They described budget shortfalls, service cuts, and the impact on counties that had already approved local sales or use taxes by voter approval. One Iron County commissioner said the loss of revenue had forced higher property tax levies and reduced ambulance coverage, while St. Genevieve officials cited large drops in monthly sales tax receipts and rising costs. Adair County officials said the exemption affected revenue from large solar and wind projects and argued that the taxes were intended to support local infrastructure and schools. Opponents, including Associated Industries in Missouri, argued the exemption was originally adopted to keep Missouri’s tax system uniform and compliant with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Wayfair framework for out-of-state sellers. They warned that removing the exemption could create a $35 million annual burden on manufacturers and potentially jeopardize broader local use-tax collections if the state’s system were challenged again. Committee members also discussed the possibility of requiring local voter approval or a replacement revenue source before changing the exemption. No vote was taken during the hearing, and the chair said he planned to execute the bill later in the week.