Transcript Highlights:

• This comprehensive measure enhances student career and technology education opportunities.
• Throughout my career, I've focused on workforce development, collaborating with local school districts
• Developing workforce partnerships and serving on a number of different boards to advance these efforts
• Is it the Council on Education and Workplace or Workforce Development? Workforce development.
• Education and workforce development. Got it. Okay.

Bills: HB20, HB 120, HB20, HB120

Keywords: applied sciences, career education, high school diploma, certificate program, work-based learning, job placement, high-growth jobs, technical training, career readiness, education reform, workforce training, public schools, financial aid, fraudulent solicitation, disaster relief, nonprofit organizations, criminal penalties, consumer protection, fraud prevention, charitable donations

Transcript Highlights:

• This is one out-of-state contract for Tyler Technologies.
• Division of Workforce Services with Kerosoft Technology.
• Number 15, DTS Division of Information Systems, with CARESoft Technology.
• I think the direction the federal government's going is still in development.
• It helps develop program initiatives or change program initiatives.

Summary: The review subcommittee met to consider a supplemental agenda, methods of finance, an alternative delivery project, discretionary grants, and a large slate of construction, out-of-state, and in-state contracts. The supplemental item was a $2.6 million out-of-state contract with Tyler Technologies for a mobile app that would let citizens access state services through a single sign-on, initially for DFA vehicle and licensing services, with possible expansion to other agencies. Members also reviewed five methods of finance, including University of Arkansas projects for roof and cooling tower replacements, a new $100 million academic classroom building at U of A Fayetteville, a police department renovation at UA Fort Smith, and a boiler/chiller replacement at Hope-Texarkana. Questions focused on project timing, why some items were being reviewed after work had begun, and the high estimated cost of the Fayetteville classroom building; DFA explained that projects under $250,000 are not reviewed and that the larger project was still in design and would later seek a guaranteed maximum price. The committee also reviewed two DHS discretionary grants: one for targeted youth advocacy in southwest Arkansas and another adding $582,000 for family-centered treatment training and implementation. In the services contract section, members discussed construction-related contracts, including an ASMSA electrical scope increase tied to three-phase power requirements and the U of A Fayetteville architect contract for the classroom building. Out-of-state contracts included major items such as ACT Education’s $17 million amendment to provide required pre-ACT testing for 9th and 10th graders, a $12.5 million DFA contract for rural health transformation grant management, DHS’s $16.5 million EBT services contract with updated chip-card and fraud-prevention features, and ADH’s special procurement for the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. The committee also reviewed U of A system consulting contracts for financial advisory and sponsorship strategy work, with university officials saying the outside expertise was needed for specialized planning and revenue-generation efforts. In-state contracts covered corrections reentry services, nursing board investigations, foster care and child welfare services, DHS office janitorial work, emergency management radio system expansion, veterans’ home nursing staffing, and UAMS grants consulting. A lengthy exchange centered on the Department of Corrections’ reentry housing contract, with members pressing officials about vacant beds and urging fuller use of the program, while corrections staff said placements depend on screening and eligibility. Another discussion addressed the balance between out-of-state and in-state contracting, with a member noting the large dollar volume going to out-of-state vendors and asking whether Arkansas vendors receive any preference; State Procurement said current law does not allow an in-state preference. The committee approved the supplemental agenda, the methods of finance, the alternative delivery project, the discretionary grants, and the contract lists, and then received routine reports and an emergency action report before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• When it comes to residential development, subdivision developments, commercial developments, and industrial
• Then horizontal technology come along, and they were recoverable.
• And every time you see this, you see a technology boom.
• There will be a lot of technology that comes through.
• Technology has improved. The Hainesville Shale has improved the technology.

Summary: The committee took up public comment on a package of similar local-option bills related to carbon capture and sequestration, including House Bills 5, 6, 497, 498, 501, and 504. The bills would let parishes, or in some cases specific parishes such as Rapides and Livingston, decide by local vote whether Class VI wells, CO2 sequestration, and related pipeline infrastructure could be permitted. The chair grouped the bills together for testimony, adopted a three-minute public comment rule, and noted that the bills were not yet under consideration for a vote during the public-comment portion. Supporters, including Speaker Pro Tem Mike Johnson, parish officials, local activists, and residents, argued that communities affected by carbon capture projects should have a direct voice through local option elections. They said the bills were about self-determination, local control, and allowing residents to decide whether the risks are worth the benefits. Several speakers said their parishes had passed resolutions opposing carbon capture or asking for local choice, while others emphasized concerns about eminent domain, aquifer protection, lack of public understanding, and the need for more information about project impacts and financial benefits. Some supporters also said a local vote would force industry to engage more directly with communities and could improve transparency. Opponents, including representatives of the Department of Conservation and Energy, the Louisiana Chemistry Association, the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, warned that the bills would create uncertainty, undermine Louisiana’s primacy over Class VI permitting, and invite litigation under federal preemption and the Supremacy Clause. They said the state already has a strict permitting process with public input and technical review, and that allowing parish-by-parish approval could delay or block billions of dollars in investment, jobs, and export-related projects. The department testified that if the state adopted a local-option referendum system, EPA could determine Louisiana was not implementing the program consistently and could move to remove primacy. No committee vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Leadership development has been a big piece along with our strategic plan. Any questions?
• Probably not, although we are continuing to develop at Flag Mountain.
• We have one contract; it's a NetSmart Technologies Incorporated.
• development with Desert Wing.
• It's for our assisted technology program. Any questions?

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• understanding as the process develops understanding as the process develops regarding<00:31:47.159
• work I was talking to a developer work I was talking to a developer yesterday<00:43:19.760> um
• <01:03:22.920> however with you on our technology however with you on our technology however
• > so<01:03:25.400> I'm technology costs money and so I'm technology costs money and so
• get together and work with a developer get together and work with a developer before<02:14:56.360

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• developments.
• uh ignores the reality of technology uh ignores the reality of technology developments.<00:38:42.400
• <00:38:43.119> In developments. You know what I mean? In developments.
• other words, when we developed other words, when we developed automobiles,<00:38:45.200> guess
• <01:49:34.320> comes works first and what technology comes works first and what technology

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Mississippi Early Childhood Development Mississippi Early Childhood Development Coalition.<00:09
• a large-scale development.
• > this to put site development money into this to put site development money into this area<02
• a large-scale development. a large-scale development.
• to where that they could develop to where that they could develop programs<02:55:51.760> um,<

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 11 March, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with an invocation by Reverend Anthony Phillips, and dispensed with the reading of the journal and committee reports. The chamber also recognized several guests in the galleries, including family members of senators, medical professionals for Early Childhood Day, and advocates and local officials. After introductions, the Senate moved into the calendar and began considering bills and motions. Among the measures taken up, the Senate passed House Bill 1393 to create the Mississippi Energy Infrastructure Fund, with the sponsor explaining it would allow MDA to support energy projects and require compliance with state procurement laws. The Senate also passed House Bill 420, which provides a full homestead ad valorem tax exemption for honorably discharged veterans age 85 or older and allows an unremarried surviving spouse to keep the exemption; senators asked about eligibility, age limits, and safeguards against improper exemptions. Another bill passed was House Bill 1941 on the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund, which would allow funding through bonds or other means in addition to direct appropriation and raise the DFA processing cap from 2% to 3%; several senators raised concerns about state debt and the funding mechanism. The Senate concurred in Senate Bill 2906, which gives the Secretary of State additional time to establish minimum cybersecurity standards for county election systems. It also adopted motions to table reconsideration on several House bills, including House Bill 908 on absentee ballot receipt dates, House Bill 525 on mandatory minimum penalties for sexual battery, and House Bill 538 on sanctuary policies and immigration enforcement. The chamber voted to reconsider and then again pass House Bill 1613, described as a bill on aggravated trafficking weight and pill counts that also included a chemical abortion ban, after some senators who were absent earlier asked to go on record. For House Bill 2409, dealing with a comprehensive mitigation program for retrofitting insurable homes, the Senate voted not to concur and invited conference. The Senate also passed and retained numerous other items as it worked through the calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• After the form was closed, we developed a Q&A document and sent that out to all parents on our campus
• The state department will develop that program... ...department will develop that program, and it will
• the ability to analyze that it means... even developed to analyze that it means that versus the other
• I encourage anytime we can make our young folks talk to each other, interact with each other, to develop
• We just want to bridge it so that we embrace the technology and the piece that says, "I need you to be

Bills: SB92, HB9, HB9

Keywords: K-12 education, wireless communication devices, digital safety, social media education, classroom distraction, three-cueing system, reading instruction, structured literacy, scientific strategies, elder abuse, elder exploitation, financial exploitation, elderly person, senior abuse, probate, inheritance forfeiture, slayer statute, intestate succession, will contest, joint tenancy

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, let's see, uh, On page 5, Senate Bill 169, the strategic Economic Development site Readiness.
• and the demand for it would be, um, how water and our water future in economic development is going
• I think you've developed quite the plan as we see every year.
• Um, Uh, we're going to focus on water, we're going to focus on the grid development, uh, to Tying to
• It's a fairly new building that can hold a huge amount of people with great, uh, great new technology

Transcript Highlights:

• Utilize Fuchsia technology and drones to enhance Operational monitoring for the facility.
• We're working with the technology and helping develop it, but we want the The same thing ties in with
• We're working with that technology and those vendors right now to help develop it for a correctional
• We were already in development for this right here for these proees.
• I need more space, and I need more infrastructure for technology to move that forward.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and borehole technologies and Drilling capabilities and borehole technologies, and advanced drilling
• , economic development?
• You know, that's an... ...over and over, this is economic development, economic development.
• That's an economic development answer.
• I don't think these address any sort of economic development issue.

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 480, which would allow anchoring in certain waterways, specifically Oyster Bayou, with restrictions to protect oyster leases and require a person to remain on board. After brief explanation from the sponsor, Representative DeWitt moved favorable and the bill was reported favorable without objection. House Bill 510, which would have prohibited importation of captured carbon dioxide into Louisiana for sequestration, was discussed briefly. The sponsor said the proposal appeared to conflict with federal law and interstate commerce concerns, and he asked to voluntarily defer the bill. The committee agreed, and HB 510 was deferred. The committee also heard House Resolution 279, urging the state to study geothermal energy policy; after questions about geothermal technology and possible overlap with CCS infrastructure, the resolution was adopted on a 10-3 roll call vote and reported favorable. The bulk of the meeting focused on House Bill 1152, as amended, dealing with the Carbon Dioxide Geologic Storage Trust Fund and a proposed injection fee for carbon sequestration projects. The amendment would set the fee at 19 cents per ton, with 12 cents going to the state trust fund and 7 cents going directly to affected parishes, while retaining existing fund caps and adding evacuation routes as an eligible local expenditure. Industry groups and local government representatives both testified: industry warned the proposal was rushed, could create uncertainty, and might hurt Louisiana’s competitiveness; parish officials argued locals need a meaningful revenue share, transparency, and bargaining power because they will bear emergency-response burdens. Members raised questions about the fee structure, exemptions for state lands and parish agreements, and whether the local share would continue for the life of a project. The bill remained under discussion at the end of the transcript, with talk of creating an off-session task force or working group to continue negotiations for next year.

Transcript Highlights:

• of East Boston, Those kinds of dollars can go to, again, the Commonwealth, such as our economic development
• By attempting to keep these payment issues from clogging our courts, development of a cottage industry
• of other cottage industries in the provider, billing, and legal communities, and then comes the development
• now hybrid with the accident, complicated, technical accident avoidance systems in them, hybrid technology
• and costs, offering continued protection. ...keep pace with changes in technology and costs, offering

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Financial Services Committee heard testimony on several insurance, transportation, and labor-related bills. Senator Edwards supported bills addressing app-based delivery workers, arguing that food-delivery drivers should be treated as employees with protections and mileage reimbursement, and that a small surcharge on app-based deliveries could raise revenue for the Commonwealth and localities. Kevin Brousseau of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO also backed the delivery-worker bill, saying it would preserve employee status, add data transparency, and create a process for challenging deactivations. MAPC supported a bill to change transportation network company fees from a flat per-ride charge to a percentage-based assessment, saying the current fee is outdated and that a higher fee could raise more transportation revenue and help address congestion and emissions. A large portion of the hearing focused on auto insurance and collision repair issues. Insurance industry witnesses supported a bill to limit attorney’s fees in PIP cases by giving insurers 30 days after a complaint is served to pay amounts due without fee exposure, arguing that PIP litigation has surged, is clogging courts, and is being driven by out-of-state firms. They also opposed auto body labor-rate bills, saying the market is already adjusting and that a statutory floor is unnecessary. In contrast, auto body shop representatives and the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Massachusetts urged favorable action on bills to raise and regularly update collision repair labor rates, saying current reimbursement levels are far below market, have not kept pace with inflation or vehicle technology, and are making it hard to retain workers and keep small shops open. One witness also supported a bill to limit insurance surcharge points for low-damage accidents or minor moving violations. Committee members asked questions about deactivation rights for delivery workers, the mechanics of the PIP litigation issue, and the gap between body-shop and mechanical labor rates. Testimony emphasized that current auto body reimbursement rates are around the mid-$40s per hour, while mechanical work can be reimbursed at much higher rates, and that advisory-board discussions have produced only limited progress. At the end of the hearing, the chairs asked if anyone else wished to testify, then moved to close the hearing; the motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• > it's As new technologies emerge, it's As new technologies emerge, it's important<00:43:27.440
• , chip manufacturing, rocket technology, and all sorts of critical technologies.
• , in MRI technology, chip manufacturing, rocket<01:12:58.120> technology,<01:12:58.840> and
• > technologies.
• <01:13:01.800> And critical, critical technologies. And critical, critical technologies.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When it occurs, it's costly, time-consuming, and uncertain for project developers.
• That's exactly as it sounds: the development of a geothermal project.
• NCPA supports geothermal exploration and streamlining geothermal development.
• This is a new emerging technology.
• This is a new emerging technology.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , regulation, economic impact, and potential risks and benefits of blockchain technology.
• It requires the Department of Health to develop a statewide quality oversight initiative for nursing
• Members, technology changes things. Mr. President. Members, technology changes things.
• We're in a technology age.
• There is a lab school in development underway for UOL. Any questions? I move final passage.

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• provisions relating to the technology provisions relating to the technology platform<00:37:36.359
• , and there's some differences there in how the local plans should be developed and used.
• , and there's some differences there in how the local plans should be developed and used.
• , and there's some differences there in how the local plans should be developed and used.
• , and there's some differences there in how the local plans should be developed and used.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Developers love this.
• Well, developers love this.
• Have in pre-development.
• The co-developer...
• Development Center.

Summary: The Senate Housing Committee heard presentations on a range of housing finance, permitting, and affordability tools. Chattanooga described its affordable housing PILOT program, which uses a per-unit property tax abatement tied to the rent loss from providing affordable units, with a 15-year term and annual compliance monitoring. Committee members asked about the program’s structure, whether it had been used elsewhere, and who was participating; the presenter said the first mixed-income project would bring 278 units with 42 affordable units and that the model was attracting private market-rate developers. Shoreline then described its MFTE and inclusionary zoning approach, emphasizing that longer tax exemption periods and station-area zoning changes had helped spur development, with most current pipeline projects concentrated near light rail stations. The committee also heard from the Municipal Research Services Center and the Department of Commerce on tax increment financing, proportional impact fees, and permit timelines. Commerce explained that TIF can fund public improvements such as roads, utilities, broadband, and some affordable housing or child care facilities, while proportional impact fee guidance is intended to help jurisdictions charge fees more closely aligned with actual project impacts. On permit timelines, Commerce presented its first annual report under recent law changes, using 2024 as a baseline year and noting that reported timelines were generally longer than statutory goals; members asked about outliers, paper versus electronic processing, and whether back-and-forth between applicants and staff was driving delays. Commerce said it would follow up with more data, including on CHIP funding and permit reform practices. Several local governments then shared permitting process improvements. Auburn reported relatively short review cycles and described its move to fully electronic permitting, internal performance standards, and a stock plan program that speeds review for repeated home designs. Bellevue described an AI permitting pilot with a local startup to help with pre-application questions, document triage, and plan review, aiming to reduce incomplete applications and revision cycles. Seattle presented a pilot for accessory dwelling unit co-development in which a mission-driven partner would help homeowners split lots, finance, build, and manage ADUs, with the homeowner eventually buying out the partner and retaining ownership; committee members asked about rent setting, management fees, and default risk, and staff said they would follow up. The committee also heard brief overviews of community land trusts and limited equity cooperatives as permanent affordability models, with presenters urging continued state and local funding support and policy recognition for these approaches.

Transcript Highlights:

• Does the department utilize any type of technology analysis to identify fraud, such as, uh, an earned
• You may not know what our chief business technology officer is.
• The goal of this administration is to support our youngest Minnesotans as they grow and develop.
• kids it promotes learning development kids it promotes learning development among<01:38:00.480><
• That system is 1980s and 1990s technology that the agency started using in the 1990s.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's actually built on technology from the late '70s, if that makes you feel any better, right?
• And so that's kind of a high level of technology scope.
• There's no such thing as just a technology project in my mind, right?
• It will be meaningful to the development of our budgets under our purview. This is a...
• It will be meaningful to the development of our budgets under our purview.

Summary: The State Administration Budget Subcommittee heard presentations from the Department of Financial Services on the My Safe Florida Home program, the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot, and the Florida PALM financial system replacement project. For My Safe Florida Home, Stephen Fielder explained the wind-mitigation grant program, including its inspection-first process, two-to-one matching grants for most homeowners, low-income exemptions from the match, and eligible improvements such as roofs, clips/straps, water barriers, and opening protection. He reported roughly 109,000 initial inspections, nearly 59,000 grants approved, 31,000 final inspections, 25,000 reimbursements, and about $240 million paid out through the end of 2024. Members asked about premium savings, contractor pricing, fraud, owner-builder eligibility, reimbursement timing, and whether the program should have a dedicated funding source; Fielder said the program is currently closed, more than 40,000 people have signed up for updates, and the office has seen some price-gouging and impersonation issues but no major fraud trend. The committee also discussed the new prioritization rules that took effect July 1, 2024, which direct grant awards by age and income. Fielder said the program used a survey of existing applicants to implement the new priority groups and that the first group was over age 60 and low-income. Members raised questions about how premium reductions are measured, whether insurance company changes or rising insured values affect the data, and whether the program can track long-term outcomes after reimbursement. Fielder said the office reports raw premium changes based on declarations pages, knows the insurer for participants, and has validated results with multiple insurers, but does not track homeowners after they leave the program or enforce continued insurance coverage. For the My Safe Florida Condo Pilot, Fielder said the program is modeled on the home program but uses association-level applications, a maximum grant of $175,000 per association, and a similar two-to-one match. He said the application window opened briefly in November and was closed quickly because available funding could be exhausted and the department is prohibited from creating a waiting list. He identified several needed statutory changes, including better distinguishing condos from single-family homes, adjusting roof requirements for flat concrete roofs, and revisiting the unanimous unit-owner vote requirement, which he said has been a major obstacle. Chair Lopez noted the pilot is intended to be a learning process and thanked DFS staff for identifying implementation issues. The final presentation covered Florida PALM, the state’s effort to replace the 40-year-old FLAIR accounting system with a PeopleSoft-based financial management system. Fielder and PALM Director Jimmy Cox said the project began in 2014, the state contracted with Accenture in 2018, cash management went live in 2021, and the project was paused in 2022 for legislative review and remediation. They said the system is expected to go live in 2026, possibly in July rather than January, and that the project has spent about $225 million to date, with a current-year budget of about $60.9 million and a projected next-year request of about $64 million. Members asked about cybersecurity, cloud hosting, project scope, and whether the system is unique to Florida; staff said the system is not Florida-specific, access is credentialed through agency identity management, and the cloud host location is confidential. After the presentations, Chair Lopez assigned members to work with specific agencies on budget review meetings, asked them to discuss agency structure, priorities, staffing, waste reduction, and other budget issues, and set a deadline to report findings in the first week of regular session. The meeting then adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• This technology enhances campus security while maintaining a welcoming environment for students.
• Rodriguez says; it's just new technology that, you know, needs to get the kinks out of it.
• Like many things, when new technologies come on board, there are just some kinks. get out of that.
• I think that's one of my strengths: developing a team. And, you know, that's something.
• I've just carried that with me to the point where I know how to develop a good team. Thank you.