Transcript Highlights:

• This bill extends the trade agriculture inspection grant program that we initially passed in 2015 and
• According to the Department of Agriculture's 2025 Trade Agriculture Inspection Grant Program performance
• The Trade agriculture inspection program confers a grant to a nonprofit organization chosen through a
• The Trade agriculture inspection grant program, originally established as a pilot expanded through the
• Texas cannot afford this program to go away.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the DFS suggested language that clarifies that the program grant would pay for roof covering
• This amendment specifies that mitigation grants of the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program may
• Thus, grants should only be provided for work that will accomplish this purpose.
• In the My Safe Florida Home program?
• I just want to thank you for continuing the program in this form.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present and temporarily postponed SB 480 before taking up four bills. SB 282, relating to home service warranty association finance requirements, was explained as aligning Florida’s home warranty solvency rules with the framework already adopted for motor vehicle extended warranties. Two amendments were adopted: one correcting a cross-reference tied to the $100 million net worth option and another making a technical title change. A representative of the Florida Service Agreement Association waived in support, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then considered two proposed committee bills preserving public records exemptions. SB 7008 would continue the exemption for certain records held by the Office of Financial Regulation related to financial technology sandbox applications, with staff explaining the exemption is narrow and intended to protect proprietary information. SPB 7010 would continue the exemption for sensitive records held by the Department of Financial Services when acting as receiver for an insolvent insurer, including policyholder personal information, claim data, and trade secrets; staff said the exemption mirrors existing protections and allows consumers to request their own information. Both measures were moved as committee bills and reported favorably. Finally, SB 592 revising the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program was heard. The bill narrows eligibility to certain condominiums, changes owner approval from unanimous consent to 75%, and clarifies eligible roof mitigation techniques. Two amendments were adopted: one requiring the grant work to match the initial inspection report and comply with inspection requirements, and another limiting grants to work that results in a mitigation discount. Testimony was supportive, including from home inspectors and AARP Florida, and senators praised the program’s benefits for hardening homes and lowering insurance costs. SB 592 was reported favorably, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• and getting assistance with grant writing from the West Virginia Grant Resource Center is huge.
• It was programmed right, but it wasn't working right.
• The third-party vendor that programmed these splits programmed it right, but it wasn't working right.
• The Grant Resource Center, they help with grant writing for free.
• And those entities need to be audited so they can get grants, so they're eligible for grants.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee met with a quorum, approved the minutes from the prior meeting, and heard budget presentations from the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the State Auditor. The Secretary of State’s office described its FY27 budget, emphasizing efficiency gains from technology, election security work, and business services. It said it is operating with fewer staff than a decade ago, but rising costs and outdated statutory fees are creating deficits in service of process and other operations. The office asked the committee to consider either increasing fees or allowing it to retain a larger share of business-service revenue, and it also proposed creating an Office of Entrepreneurship to help small businesses navigate state government, grants, permits, and related services. Committee members questioned the Secretary of State’s office about fee increases, the current 50-50 split of certain revenues with general revenue, and whether the proposed entrepreneurship office would duplicate existing services. The office said it would complement, not replace, Commerce, SBDC, or grant programs, and would report metrics and policy recommendations to the legislature. The Attorney General then requested a one-time $2 million special revenue appropriation to hire additional lawyers and support staff, citing increased litigation, federal and state legal work, and the need to defend new laws. He also discussed embedded DMV lawyers handling DUI revocation hearings and said the arrangement costs the office just over $200,000. The State Auditor reported that his office is largely self-funded through special revenue and said he wants to reduce reliance on general revenue over time. He highlighted savings from renegotiated leases and an open government contract, discussed the need for more auditors in the Chief Inspector’s Division, and described fraud recovery and P-card operations. A major topic was delinquent land sales: the auditor said the office sold about 17,000 parcels last year and believes online bidding and better marketing could generate substantially more revenue, with the surplus potentially shared among counties, the state, and other programs. Members also asked about securities fee changes, fairness hearings, fire department audits, IT/cybersecurity, and how surplus proceeds from delinquent land sales should be handled. The committee adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Two of the most influential programs from the authority are the Young Farmers Grant Program and the Interest
• Rate Reduction Program.
• programs.
• In addition, the committee substitute reduces the Agriculture Grant Program maximum award from $500,000
• That means rethinking how we support them through grant programs, access to credit, and policies that

Bills: HB43, HB519, HB 1275, HB1592, HB2842, HB3088, HB3479, HB4163, SB823, HB609

Keywords: agriculture, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, honey production, beekeeping, food safety, local regulation, bovine producers, dairy farms, permits, bovine tuberculosis, public health, wildlife management, disease prevention, alert system, Texas A&M, white-tailed deer, public safety

Summary: The Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met with only four members initially present, so quorum was not established until later in the hearing. The committee heard several agriculture-, wildlife-, and food-labeling-related bills, including HB 3479 on expanding the Rio Grande vegetative management program beyond carrizo cane to other noxious vegetation, SB 823 on shrimp origin labeling and restrictions on misrepresenting imported shrimp as Texas or Gulf shrimp, HB 3088 on giving Texas Parks and Wildlife more flexibility to procure resale goods for park gift shops, HB 1275 on permits for non-bovine dairy farms in certain TB-affected areas, HB 519 on honey production and packaging rules, HB 609 on cleaning oyster cages in-bay with bay water only, HB 1592 on a voluntary AgriLife pest and disease alert system, HB 2842 on targeted urban deer depredation permits, and HB 4163 on limiting city requirements that agricultural operators maintain roadside rights-of-way. Testimony generally came from industry groups, agency resource witnesses, and affected producers, with most witnesses supporting the bills and several bills drawing questions about enforcement, labeling responsibility, and the scope of local authority. The most extensive discussion centered on SB 823, where Vice Chair Hancock and others questioned why wholesalers would be covered if they cannot relabel products. The bill author and restaurant association witness said the measure was intended to improve transparency and allow enforcement against intentional mislabeling, while preserving a good-faith defense and clarifying that the bill does not create a private cause of action. HB 519 also drew supportive testimony from beekeepers and a family farm, who argued that current rules treat honey extraction and bottling too much like food manufacturing and burden small operations. HB 609 was presented as a way to save time and resources for cultivated oyster mariculture by allowing cage cleaning in the bay without soaps or chemicals, and HB 1592 was described as a voluntary opt-in alert system for pests and diseases coordinated through AgriLife and other state agencies. HB 43 generated the most detailed policy debate. The bill would restructure and expand the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority, update grant and loan programs, and create a pest and disease control depredation program. The committee substitute reduced some funding caps, changed references from predators to depredating animals, and made the financial provisions contingent on appropriations. Supporters from Texas Farm Bureau, cotton growers, grain and feed interests, and young farmers described severe drought, inflation, land loss, rising input costs, and shrinking infrastructure as major threats to agriculture, while one witness urged preserving priority for young farmers. After testimony, the committee adopted the committee substitute and reported HB 43 favorably. The committee also voted HB 519, HB 609, HB 1275, HB 1592, HB 3088, HB 3479, HB 2842, and HB 4163 favorably, with several recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. SB 823 was reported from committee on a 6-2 vote after adoption of the committee substitute. The meeting ended with notice that the committee would tentatively reconvene Friday morning and then recessed subject to the chair's call.

Transcript Highlights:

• This has been, again, a very successful program. I think it has been a very successful program.
• to match those federal grants.
• We're also trying to finish the grant opportunities, the federal grant and state grant opportunities.
• programs benefiting local entities.
• To send extra money to those programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I'm going to select my PA grants field with an X and I'm going to enter in a grant amount of $207.
• So I'm going to select my PA grants field with an X and I'm going to enter in a grant amount of $207.
• So I'm going to select my PA grants field with an X and I mean, enter in it a grant amount of $207.
• What we don't understand is all these programs operate in different programs.
• And some of these programs are 75/25, 50/50.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This program is designed to award grants for the development of subsidized housing and provide services
• The fund was established as a grant program.
• The fund was established as a grant program.
• programs.
• AB 366 builds on that foundation by appropriating additional funds to bolster that grant program and

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's an empowering small cities program to help smaller communities utilize more grant programs and
• </c> for-profit colleges from the state grant for-profit colleges from the state grant program.<02:52
• And so, the state grant program program.
• Um, and this bill does grant program.
• Um, the state grant program, Chair Eric.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• How will Trump's halting of all grants impact you? What programs are impacted with that?
• It also administers the Highway Safety federal grant program, which awarded $2.5 million in grants to
• additional grant programs and aid law enforcement agencies across the state.
• additional grant programs and aid law enforcement agencies across the state.
• law</c> additional Grant programs and Aid law additional Grant programs and Aid law enforcement<02:43

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Division 2 Finance Committee heard an overview and budget presentation from New Hampshire Fish and Game, led by new Executive Director Stephanie Simi and Business Division Chief Kathy Leonti. The agency described its mission to conserve and manage fish, wildlife, and marine resources, and emphasized growing pressures from disease, climate impacts, habitat change, and increased public demand. Simi said the department is largely funded by hunting and fishing license revenue and federal grants, is reviewing staffing and internal processes, and faces critical needs including permanent funding for environmental review staff, infrastructure and IT modernization, and possible service reductions if additional support is not found. Members asked about specific program and policy issues, including chronic wasting disease in deer, hemorrhagic disease in rabbits and hares, moose population decline, and a proposed bait-disease bill. The department said it is actively monitoring diseases and did not see a need for the bait bill at this time. Legislators also discussed the Hike Safe program, which the department said has grown from an expected $100,000 annually to more than $300,000, and a possible boating version of that program, which the department said remains under consideration but would involve complex logistics and multiple agencies. Questions were also raised about rescue costs, out-of-state hikers, and whether boat registrations could be used as a revenue source; Fish and Game said boat registration is handled by the Department of Safety, though the department receives $5 per registered boat for the public boat access program. The budget discussion focused on revenue projections, use of unrestricted Fish and Game funds, and dependence on federal reimbursements. Leonti said the department met the governor’s general fund target but not the Fish and Game fund target without using surplus unrestricted funds, leaving only about $100,000 in the fund by the end of the biennium. She said the budget uses more than $18 million in Fish and Game funds annually against about $14 million in unrestricted revenue, and that five of 193 full-time positions remain unfunded. The department warned that if federal grants were halted, it could cost about $5 million over five months and force the Fish and Game fund to cover the gap. Committee members also requested that future presentations be sent electronically in advance, and the department agreed to do so.

Transcript Highlights:

• $2.4 billion, or just over 60% of our spending, is in grant programs.
• Other grant programs at DCYF do things like provide and expand the availability of child care, fund programs
• </c><00:13:55.040><c> programs</c><00:13:56.040><c> um</c> billion per year on Grant programs um billion
• <c> food</c> of grant program spending uh food of grant program spending uh food assistance<00:14:03.920
• do</c> funded other Grant programs at DCF do funded other Grant programs at DCF do things<00:14:13.120

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Last week this committee heard a bill to allocate more funds to the local government planning grant program
• Last week this committee heard a bill to allocate more funds to the local government planning grant program
• grants, and then we can actually have a rebate program to kind of help Woodbury maintain priority for
• and then we can actually have a grants and then we can actually have a rebate<00:10:55.079><c> program
• on</c><01:11:57.440><c> the</c> mental grant program to build on the mental grant program to build on

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And sustained funding, not temporary pilot programs. and sustained funding, not temporary pilot programs
• We have an MMIP drone program.
• possibly use the drone program.
• And again, I'm asking support for the continuation of the funding for the grant funding program throughout
• And grants have And grants have moved forward.

Summary: The Select Committee on Native American Affairs held an informational hearing on the state’s response to the missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP) crisis, with an added focus on foster youth and child welfare. Opening remarks from the chair and members emphasized that California has made some progress through the Feather Alert, DOJ coordination, grant funding, and MMIP summits, but that the crisis remains severe and requires ongoing, not one-time, investment. Members repeatedly noted the need for stronger statewide coordination, better data, and more consistent attention to tribal communities and foster youth. Tribal leaders described the crisis as rooted in jurisdictional gaps, poor data collection, and lack of urgency from law enforcement. Witnesses from Hamul, Chachancey, Tahon, Yurok, and Hoopa tribes shared personal accounts of missing and murdered relatives, criticized inconsistent responses, and called for regional response agreements, direct tribal access to data, sustained funding, and clearer law enforcement protocols in Public Law 280 settings. Several leaders said Feather Alert and state grants have helped build infrastructure and partnerships, but stressed that trust-building, training, and accountability are still uneven across the state. The second panel featured the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Justice’s Office of Native American Affairs, both of which reported on implementation improvements. CHP said it has tightened Feather Alert practices, increased activations, improved outreach and training, appointed a tribal liaison, and expanded human trafficking training. DOJ described work under AB 3099 and AB 1334, including a Public Law 280 advisory council, improved crime reporting and data systems, MMIP outreach, and a tribal police pilot program with the Yurok Tribe. Members also raised the need to better support tribal courts and ensure protection orders are enforced. The final panel focused on foster youth as part of the MMIP crisis. Advocates from Pitt River, the California Tribal Families Coalition, and Coyote Valley said Native children are disproportionately represented in foster care and are at heightened risk of going missing or being exploited. They argued that foster care, trafficking, poverty, housing instability, and historical trauma are all connected to MMIP, and called for stronger ICWA implementation, culturally grounded services, better coordination with social workers and law enforcement, and immediate use of Feather Alert when Native children are missing. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational and ended with continued calls for legislative, budgetary, and policy action.

Transcript Highlights:

• , and grants for cardiac emergency response plans in our schools.
• We program, and a smaller dollar amount.
• </c><00:05:07.840><c> emergency</c> grant and grants for cardiac emergency grant and grants for cardiac
• </c><00:14:35.360><c> now</c> call substitute pilot program now call substitute pilot program now becoming
• </c> less programs to kids within this bill. less programs to kids within this bill.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Two of the most influential programs from the authority are the Young Farmers Grant Program and the Interest
• Rate Reduction Program.
• programs.
• In addition, the committee substitute... reduces the Agriculture Grant Program maximum award from $500,000
• That means rethinking how we support them through grant programs, access to credit, and policies that

Bills: HB43, HB519, HB1275, HB1592, HB2842, HB3088, HB3479, HB4163, SB823, HB609

Keywords: agriculture, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, honey production, beekeeping, food safety, local regulation, bovine producers, dairy farms, permits, bovine tuberculosis, public health, wildlife management, disease prevention, alert system, Texas A&M, white-tailed deer, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• This would be set up into a grant program that would be operated by Accelerate Mississippi, and community
• or in a public K-12 school system that has a construction-type program and could apply for grants to
• or in a public K-12 school system that has a construction-type program and could apply for grants to
• or in a public K-12 school system that has a construction-type program and could apply for grants to
• or in a public K-12 school system that has a construction-type program and could apply for grants to

Keywords: Finance - Room 216, 3 March, 2026; 4:30 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• program.
• program.
• The second enhancement request is for a continuation of the E-Corps federal grant program discussed earlier
• is not for the same program.
• because I had this program.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee met to review the general fund update and several budget-setting items, with staff explaining how to track the latest “green sheet” online and how JFAC actions were affecting the FY 2026 and FY 2027 bottom lines. Members also discussed whether work group progress should be summarized more broadly, but leadership emphasized that work groups were intended to remain independent and that members should consult analysts directly rather than have a running public summary of each group’s internal deliberations. The committee then acted on a series of agency budgets. It approved the Idaho State Tax Commission enhancement package after revising it to remove the chief operating officer personnel item and adopted language limiting use of $550,000 for fast tax collection vendor payments, with any unused amount reverting to the general fund. It also approved supplemental and enhancement requests for the Office of Information Technology Services, including Chinden campus furnishings, E-Core grant staffing and funding, enterprise security/firewall upgrades, the IT modernization transfer of 58 positions from Health and Welfare, and a one-time cash transfer language item to cover transition-year health insurance costs. The Military Division’s request for $120,000 for Office of Emergency Management indirect cost recovery was approved, but an alternate motion to also add $190,800 for the state education assistance program failed, and the original motion was later held in committee. The Industrial Commission and Public Utilities Commission budgets were both advanced with dedicated-fund increases for IRIS maintenance, training, disability fund needs, OITS hardware, and replacement laptops. The Department of Fish and Game budget was also advanced, with approval of a large package of dedicated and federal funds for fishery habitat projects, Good Neighbor Authority work, hatchery and laboratory inflation, temporary employees, wolf depredation response, communications, and replacement items, along with reappropriation authority for prior-year funds. The committee then took up the Department of Health and Welfare Division of Public Health Services, where competing motions focused on the Idaho Home Visiting Program, immunization assessment fund restoration, laboratory testing, HIV and hepatitis prevention, suicide prevention, and moving the home visiting program to Early Learning and Development. Both the substitute motion and the original motion failed after split votes in the House and Senate committees, leaving that budget held for later action. Finally, the committee considered new language for the State Controller and State Treasurer to require monthly reconciliation of cash balances between Luma and TARS from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026, with a report due by the fall interim JFAC meeting and documentation retained for audit. Members discussed the need for accurate cash reconciliation and the resources available to the Controller’s office, but no final action was taken before adjournment. The chair announced upcoming budget-setting meetings and reminded members to complete work group motions by the end of the day.

Transcript Highlights:

• All of this money is directly tied to federal grants and the programs that we at FDEM manage.
• So of that $15.3 billion, all of that is tied to that grant management program.
• The division's Public Assistance Grant Management Program and FEMA provides supplemental federal disaster
• There are grants. There are programs.
• hazard mitigation grant programming.

Summary: The committee received a program review from the Florida Division of Emergency Management on the 2024 hurricane season and FEMA reimbursement process. Deputy Director Keith Pruitt described the impacts of Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton, including major storm surge, flooding, tornadoes, debris removal, power restoration, flood-control deployments, sheltering, and logistics missions. He emphasized that Florida’s approach is “federally funded, state managed, locally executed,” and said the division has already obligated large amounts of public assistance funding and mitigation dollars while continuing to work on remaining missions and reimbursements. A major focus of the discussion was how local governments can better document and vet debris-removal and other disaster costs so they are eligible for FEMA reimbursement. Chair DiCeglie and other senators raised concerns about local planning, commercial debris collection, and whether counties and municipalities that spend money up front will be reimbursed. Pruitt explained that eligibility depends on documentation, scope of work, insurance, and FEMA rules, and that the state’s FROC process is intended to help counties identify eligible work before costs are incurred. He also said commercial debris may be eligible in some cases but is not guaranteed, and that counties should coordinate early with FDEM and FEMA. Senators also asked about possible FEMA reforms, the age of outstanding reimbursement claims, and a proposed state fund to advance money to fiscally constrained counties while they wait for FEMA payments. Pruitt said Florida’s system is a national best practice, but that more county-level training and clearer coordination would help reduce de-obligations and audit problems. He said the reimbursement-advance idea is still being developed, and that the state continues to look at ways to streamline mitigation through programs like Elevate Florida. The committee took no formal action beyond hearing the presentation, and the meeting adjourned after closing comments from senators praising FDEM’s work.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:18:53.320><c> still</c> of the initial $2 million grant still of the initial $2 million grant
• </c> This will rename the grant program, taking out the word “emerging contaminants” and replacing it
• I think it's important that we continue not only to adjust this grant program, but, in my opinion, continue
• my</c> adjust this grant program, but in my adjust this grant program, but in my opinion,<00:47:00.760
• </c> Uh what programs do get federal money? Uh what programs do get federal money?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• million</c><00:18:27.200><c> in</c> grants program, putting $52 million in grants program, putting $52
• Uh, article two allocates $52 million to the Minnesota State Grant Program.
• <01:16:31.800><c> program</c> grant program grant program and<01:16:33.360><c> we</c><01:16:33.480><c
• There is absolutely no need to see 20% of a grant program going just to administer it.
• c> to</c> of a grant program going just to of a grant program going just to administer<02:33:53.680><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now I'm going to break out rp and programs for says are are are in program.
• When we look at our current programs, I'm going to present the are in programs divided by program type
• , the ad and programs and the DS and programs statewide.
• the approved programs.
• State grants for advancing nursing simulation labs and virtual training programs to supplement the clinical

Keywords: 999, senate, all