Transcript Highlights:

• and noted that the governor's budget and noted that the governor's budget does<03:10:47.760>
• Ohio's budget grew by 36%. example, has a 78.6 billion budget. 78.6 example, has a 78.6 billion budget
• period, Florida's budget grew by 56%. period, Florida's budget grew by 56%.
• Ohio's budget grew by 36%. Ohio's budget grew by 36%.
• Well, Massachusetts's budget grew by 44%. New York's budget grew by 37%.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, January 15, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That is kind of the basic process.
• So the RFP competitive bid process.
• Um, so then I see this process.
• It's processed. it's got to be done. It's processed.
• in fact advanced through the process. in fact advanced through the process.

Bills: HF2446, HF2563, HF2444

Keywords: agriculture finance, broadband development, Department of Agriculture, Board of Animal Health, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Office of Broadband Development, food safety, food handler license, cottage food, home processed food, livestock dealer, meat packing company, milk marketer, milk marketing license, grain buyer, grain storage, beginning farmer, emerging farmer, farm down payment assistance, livestock investment grant

Transcript Highlights:

• When bargaining, the district comes to the table and says, “This is your budget.
• school boards responsible for budgets school boards responsible for budgets and<00:17:45.280>
• As you know, requesting fiscal budget.
• They do it through a bargaining process.
• Ours, the through a bargaining process.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• What's the decision-making process?
• What is your process? Referrals to public prosecutors—what is your process there?
• What is the process?
• Is there a— what is the appeals process?
• What is the process that CalHR is doing?

Summary: The hearing focused on a state audit of Cal/OSHA titled “The Division of Occupational Safety and Health: Process Deficiencies and Staffing Shortages Limit Its Ability to Protect Workers.” Committee leaders and the audit team described serious workplace tragedies, argued that California’s worker protections are not being adequately enforced, and said the audit was prompted by concerns that Cal/OSHA was too often relying on letters instead of inspections, delaying investigations, and closing cases without enough documentation. Members repeatedly emphasized that the issue was not just staffing, but also outdated policies, weak oversight, and inconsistent enforcement. State Auditor Grant Parks said the audit found a 32% vacancy rate in 2023-24, heavy reliance on hard-copy files, outdated or unclear policies, and inconsistent decision-making in complaints, accidents, citations, and fine reductions. He said Cal/OSHA conducted on-site inspections in only about 20% of complaints, used letter investigations more than 80% of the time, often lacked evidence that hazards were corrected, and sometimes failed to inspect serious injury cases on time. The audit also found weak documentation for fine calculations and settlement reductions, with some penalties reduced substantially without clear explanations. Parks said the agency had accepted the findings and would provide progress updates later in the year. Committee members pressed the auditor on vacancy rates, the use of letter investigations, the low rate of criminal referrals, and whether fines were being reduced too often. Cal/OSHA and DIR officials responded that the vacancy rate had fallen to 12% partly because 66 vacant positions were eliminated in a statewide budget reduction and partly because of hiring; they said 126 people had been hired in the first half of the year. They also said they had hired a policy writer, were updating several policies, were planning periodic internal audits, and were developing a new data management system expected to go live in late 2026 or early 2027. On fines, officials said Title 8 sets base penalties and allows adjustments based on factors like employer size, history, and good faith, with appeals and informal conferences also affecting final amounts. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um in the actual grant review process.
• process. Okay, keep reading that one. process. Okay, keep reading that one.
• So that is community reviewer process.
• the beginning of the grant process the beginning of the grant process during<00:59:46.559> the
• <01:20:49.520> if think I think in terms of a process if think I think in terms of a process

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And we talked about how much our budget is going to be cut.
• About how much our budget is going to be cut.
• This money would not come out of the budget whatsoever.
• and pass the budget.
• and pass the budget.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first, talking about sort of the process.
• This process was kind of unique, as Dave Patterson introduced at the This process was kind of unique,
• There is post-processing of the model.
• This was appropriated in the last biennial budget.
• This study was first in the 2022-25 budget.

Summary: The committee first heard an update on the Joint Transportation Committee study of transportation impacts if the Lower Snake River dams were removed. WSDOT and Jacobs described the study’s phases, including current work on geology, infrastructure risk, and a total logistics cost model. They explained that the study is examining how freight now moved by barge—especially wheat, fertilizer, and wood—could shift to rail and roads, and they outlined several scenarios ranging from no-dam future conditions to new unit-train terminals, short-line rail options, and a combined “many solutions” scenario. Members asked about irrigation, impacts in Idaho and Oregon, port capacity, emissions, competition, EV trucks, and whether the model could estimate transportation effects if grain volumes decline. The presenters said the study assumes current production levels continue, does not model irrigation changes or broader farm-economics impacts, but does account for transloading costs and can estimate transportation impacts under different volume assumptions. WSU’s independent review team said the model has improved substantially but still needed refinement, especially in routing, road data, and spatial detail, and that stakeholder engagement had been strong though delayed by model development. No votes were taken. The committee then received a presentation on the alternative sidewalk funding study. Staff and consultants said the study is exploring ways local governments could sustainably fund sidewalk maintenance, repair, and new construction, using a statewide survey, interviews, national research, and case studies in eight jurisdictions. They noted sidewalks are important for pedestrian safety and connectivity, but there is no dedicated funding source in Washington, and existing grants and local revenue tools are highly competitive or limited. The consultants highlighted sidewalk fees or utility-style charges as the most promising option to study, while a parcel tax was largely set aside because of state property-tax uniformity concerns. Members asked whether the study would duplicate existing funding or add to current taxes, and how a sidewalk fee would be collected; the consultants said the goal is to expand local options, not mandate adoption, and that fees would likely be billed through utilities rather than property taxes. A preliminary draft report is due December 15, with a final report due in mid-June. Next, staff gave a brief update on the ocean-going vessels study, which is examining shore power and emissions rules for vessels at berth. The presenter explained that federal Clean Air Act rules and California waiver authority create legal limits on how far Washington can go if it wants to adopt similar standards, and that deviations from California’s approach can increase litigation risk. The report will summarize stakeholder outreach and will be presented in draft form at the next JTC meeting. Finally, county engineers from Chelan and Douglas counties began a presentation on county transportation challenges, with the association’s director emphasizing collaboration with state agencies and local partners on issues such as fish passage barriers and infrastructure needs. The county presentation was only beginning when the transcript ended, and no committee action or votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• this process. And you say it's 5%. this process.
• budget and they look at the things in the budget and they think once the money is placed in the budget
• at the things in the budget and look at the things in the budget and they<00:09:23.440> think
• process and then we were asked to extend process and then we were asked to extend it<00:13:54.639>
• Congress had an impass with the budget. Congress had an impass with the budget.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first established a quorum, approved the minutes from the November 10 meeting, and then approved a large agenda of contracts and related items, with the total agenda amount stated as $359,638,393.88. Most items were approved without objection, but two contracts were pulled for discussion: attorney general panel counsel contingency fee contracts and a Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission personal services contract. For the attorney general’s office, Chris Lewis explained that the contracts were panel counsel contingency fee agreements, with 14 qualified awards from 16 applicants. He said the contracts were contingency-based, so no money would be paid unless cases were successful, and that the fee structure worked out to roughly 5% under the statutory waterfall. Senators asked about the size of the contracts, whether the terms were uniform, why no Kentucky firms were among the awardees, and how the public should understand the large dollar figures. Lewis said one Kentucky firm applied but was disqualified for a late submission, other Kentucky firms had inquired but did not apply, and local firms could still work with national firms on cases. The committee then approved the contracts. The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission contract drew more extensive questioning. Commission representatives said they had previously had a contract disapproved because the proper process was not followed, so they used an RFI process posted on the state and commission websites for at least three weeks. They received one applicant, a Kentucky firm, and set the rate at $125 per hour. Members questioned whether the commission was acting beyond its ethics mission, whether staff were helping draft complaints against legislators, and whether the commission was taking on a prosecutorial or human-resources role. The commission said its role is limited to enforcing the legislative code of ethics, providing advisory guidance, and following the formal complaint process; it does not pursue matters outside that code. Members also raised concerns about the earlier procurement misstep and the commission’s credibility, and the commission apologized, said it had corrected the process, and pledged to comply going forward. The committee then approved the contract.

Transcript Highlights:

• Republicans in the Minnesota House regarding power sharing is much less complicated than the state budget
• Republicans in the Minnesota House regarding power sharing is much less complicated than the state budget
• 49.160> tens<00:09:49.440> of<00:09:49.640> billions<00:09:50.000> of budget
• that is tens of billions of budget that is tens of billions of dollars<00:09:51.160> and<00:09
• <00:10:00.760> um budget um budget um so<00:10:02.959> uh<00:10:03.480> you<00:10

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: On January 27, 2025, Speaker-designate Melissa Hortman and Representative D. Dibble said they had resumed negotiations after the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that a quorum in the House is 68. They said the ruling brought Republicans back to the table and clarified that actions taken by Republicans between January 14 and January 24 had no legal effect because the House was not validly organized. Both said they had spent several hours over the weekend and that talks were making gradual progress, though no final agreement had been reached. The main issue remained power-sharing in a tied House. Hortman said the DFL wants Republicans to run the chamber only until the House returns to a 67-67 tie, at which point the parties would implement the previously negotiated shared-governance agreement with co-chairs, equal committee membership, and a co-speaker. She said Republicans instead want to continue operating as if they had a majority. Hortman also said the DFL was looking for ways to make the interim Republican-majority period meaningful, including possible permanent committee arrangements, while still preserving the principle of shared power once the tie is restored. A second major topic was the GOP effort to remove Representative Brad Tabke. Hortman and Dibble said Tabke had won his seat three times—on Election Day, in a recount, and in court—and argued that removing him would be an undemocratic precedent. They also said the Supreme Court’s ruling confirmed that Secretary of State Steve Simon was properly presiding over the House under the quorum rules. In response to questions about pay for absent members, Hortman said legislative pay is set by the Constitution and statute and that no action without a quorum could change it. They said they had exchanged roughly 10 written offers since January 13 and hoped to reach an agreement soon, possibly by the end of the week.

Transcript Highlights:

• not the real budget.
• We have presented a budget. She asked us for a budget, so we have presented a budget.
• We will be ready to have conversations so we can provide a budget for Arizona. Thank you.
• Limits on that process and makes it harder for initiatives to get on the ballot.
• It's worth mentioning that there is already a process.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Time, because language is a process. You don't just have Spanish. You don't just have English.
• Okay, because of lack of funding, right now we're going through a huge budget crunch.
• Some of them, like the operating Budget addresses the school level expenditures 3.4.
• Chair, Senator, if I may, we are actually working through those processes now.
• The person responsible for the ed plan, the person responsible for the budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll also be looking at whether or not they use the same processes.
• There are some new processes, some of which are already in effect...
• are your processes.
• process.
• Pension boards and that have been involved in this process.

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The Select Committee on Pension Policy approved its minutes by roll call vote, then postponed an OSA annual update due to a family emergency. The committee received an Open Public Meetings Act refresher from Assistant Attorney General Kate Adams, who reviewed key compliance points including quorum and serial meetings, notice and agenda rules, executive session limits, public comment requirements, and the consequences of violations. She also noted a litigation hold notice sent to members and provided resources for further guidance. Staff then briefed the committee on E2 Second Substitute House Bill 2034, which restates and terminates LEOFF 1 on June 30, 2029, creates a restated LEOFF 1 funded by transferred assets, and places excess assets into a pension surplus holding account that could later be used by the state. The bill requires DRS to seek IRS guidance, directs OSA to calculate the transfer amount and assess any future unfunded liability, assigns implementation duties to DRS, OSA, the Pension Funding Council, the State Investment Board, and the Treasurer, and requires two SCPP studies on LEOFF 1 medical benefits and policy oversight. OSA’s actuary estimated the transfer to the surplus holding account at about $3.9 billion under current assumptions and said the bill increases the modeled chance of future state contributions if the restated plan falls below 100% funded; members asked about IRS timing, the 2029 transfer date, and whether the 110% buffer is sufficient. The committee also received an update on the LEOFF 1 medical benefits study required by the bill. Staff said the study will examine the administration of pension boards and medical liabilities, likely focusing on medical benefits, and will gather anonymized data from local boards, cities, counties, and related agencies over the next three years. Members and public commenters discussed the number and structure of local boards, whether spouses receive medical benefits, and the possibility of regionalizing or consolidating administration. No action was taken, but staff said they would return with milestones and further updates. Finally, staff outlined a possible Plan 3 study, prompted by DRS, to evaluate whether the original goals of Plan 3 have been met after 30 years. The proposed study would review historical context, member choice outcomes, policy questions, and possible recommendations over a two-year period. The committee also heard an update on new correspondence procedures, including a new online web form, a correspondence log in meeting packets, and removal of correspondence from the public website. During public comment, retiree groups urged the committee to pursue an ongoing COLA for PERS and TRS Plan 1, with interim ad hoc COLAs until then, while LEOFF 1 retirees urged caution about changing the current board structure and emphasized the complexity of medical benefit administration.

Transcript Highlights:

• But he then reminded me that in New Market they start the budget process $2 million behind because of
• But he then reminded me that in New Market they start the budget process $2 million behind because of
• school in the process school in the process great<00:32:58.720> thank<00:32:58.919> you
• out on you know less than a fair process out on you know less than a fair process imagine<02:08:
• <02:25:52.920> that's third third party to a process that's third third party to a process

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a hearing on HB 366, which would increase school building aid for eligible projects. Representative Cahill, the prime sponsor, said the bill would raise the annual minimum from $50 million to $60 million and help address a long backlog of school construction and renovation needs after years of a moratorium on applications. He argued that districts forced to build during the moratorium were left to shoulder costs through local property taxes, and he cited examples such as Londonderry, Claremont, and other communities with aging or inadequate facilities. He also said the current aid structure, including paying 80% upfront and 20% at completion, concentrates too much spending at once and limits how many projects can be funded. Several committee members asked about the fairness and structure of the program. Representative Maguire questioned whether aid should be distributed more broadly to all districts rather than only a few selected projects, and Representative Luneau noted that the committee would also be considering related bills on catastrophic aid, special education aid, and the school foundation formula. Cahill responded that building aid has historically been targeted to property-poor communities and that the state should be a reliable partner in school construction. He also said the bill includes a small retroactive component for communities that built during the moratorium, which he described as a compromise. Testimony in support came from Representative Cluder, who described Claremont’s Stevens High School project as a case where a bond issue narrowly failed and the city later had to fund renovations without state aid, contributing to high property taxes. He said the bill would help property-poor communities and urged passage. Tony Weinstein of New Market also supported the bill, saying his community had serious facility and safety needs, had moved forward with scaled-back renovations during the moratorium, and still faced debt-service burdens without state participation. Robert Thompson, superintendent in Hampstead, testified that his district needs an addition for overcrowding, safety, and special education space, and said building aid would help reduce out-of-district placements and transportation costs. No vote was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• The program in the proposed governor's budget, which is included in the higher education bill, may be
• It's outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations, and that process started back in 2017.
• So the department went through their process of... plan review, and they brought this bill last year
• To serve and process this food that can be allowed or sourced through this program.
• There are all sorts of things within our budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• , To support a balanced statewide budget, To support a balanced statewide budget, the<00:50:17.440
• imbalance in the statewide budget. imbalance in the statewide budget.
• for the state budget. for the state budget. Next<01:04:08.920> slide. Next slide.
• imbalance in the state budget. imbalance in the state budget.
• First aspect of the Governor's budget First aspect of the Governor's budget recommendation<01:26

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > those the procurement process for those the procurement process for those consultants<00:04:
• that process? that process? >> Uh<00:16:26.639> we<00:16:26.800> do.
• appear to change the issuance process appear to change the issuance process for<00:25:49.679>
• It's a budget year, and it is part of the budget.
• year and it is part of the It's a budget year and it is part of the budget<01:05:48.240> will

Bills: SF0050, SF0068, SF0084, HB0087, HB0029, HB0061, HB0090

Keywords: groundwater, water resource management, state engineer, aquifer study, corrective controls, monitoring wells, public reporting, irrigation, water management, funding, maintenance projects, tax assessments, state law, water conservation, Colorado River, drought, water rights, voluntary program, interstate agreements, water development

Transcript Highlights:

• average they were 27% of their budget average they were 27% of their budget and<00:05:35.440>
• Well, we have just started the review process.
• <00:53:31.040> is is before the Senate gets the budget is is before the Senate gets the budget
• It was reduced to the budgeted finance process, but the $500,000 is not enough for the acquisition.
• It was reduced in the budget process, but the $500,000 is not enough for the acquisition.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• communities and actually with our budget communities and actually with our budget request<00:53:
• We're currently in the process<00:59:47.280> of process of process of completing<00:59:49.440>
• come under budget by 200,000 for that. come under budget by 200,000 for that.
• <01:10:39.360> reserve prioritize maintaining budget reserve prioritize maintaining budget
• So um or the budget reserve trust fund.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:11 Approval of Minutes 00:02:00 Information Items 00:02:25 CPE Special Report 00:03:26 Review of Executive Branch Agency Plans 00:31:48 A. Attorney General 00:32:10 B. Court of Justice 00:36:41 C. Cabinet for Economic Development 00:50:44 D. Kentucky Public Pensions Authority 00:56:06 E. Board Discussion of Planning Issues 01:05:12, 958, all

Summary: The Capital Planning Advisory Board opened its fourth meeting, confirmed a quorum, approved the prior meeting’s minutes by unanimous voice vote, and then heard information items and agency presentations. The main substantive presentation came from the Council on Postsecondary Education, which outlined its capital planning recommendations for the 2026–28 biennium. CPE staff described the role of Kentucky’s research and education network (Kron), including connectivity to cloud services, Internet2, identity services, and new local AI/inferencing capacity, and argued that the network is now essential to higher education, health care, and extension services. They said the network’s recent upgrades were driven by privacy, security, redundancy, and the need to support modern research and AI workloads at lower cost than commercial providers. CPE also presented its broader higher-education capital request: $700 million for asset preservation and $1.73 billion for new construction, for a total recommendation of about $2.4 billion. Staff said they do not plan to recommend IT projects or equipment in this cycle, despite reviewing 48 IT submissions totaling nearly $1.4 billion and equipment requests totaling $322.6 million. For asset preservation, they said the recommended allocation method would remain based on each institution’s share of Category 1 and 2 square footage, and they noted that the state’s prior facility assessment is now 12 years old, with deferred maintenance still estimated in the $7–9 billion range. For new construction, they said the requests are heavily focused on STEM and health-related facilities that are difficult to retrofit into older buildings. Board members asked about how asset-preservation amounts were determined, including why Northern Kentucky University’s request was much larger than its prior allocation. CPE staff responded that campus size, building age, and institutional prioritization affect the requests, and that schools are asked to submit more projects than are likely to be funded. The board then moved on to an Attorney General capital plan overview, where senior counsel Will Schroeder began describing the office’s technology needs and the office’s prior reliance on a 2020 appropriation to replace legacy systems and improve security.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:14:24.560> and<00:14:24.800> what process for that determination and what process
• Um, again, the process this<01:42:18.480> process<01:42:18.719> in<01:42:18.960> my<
• <03:02:38.880> of is not going to impact the process of is not going to impact the process
• , valuations, budgets, valuations, budgets, you<03:07:34.880> know,<03:07:35.439> full<
• example when we do our operating budget example when we do our operating budget we<03:11:41.760>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that hasn't been adjusted for and adopted within a budget process, but that's just extra revenue coming
• assignment through this process.
• assignment through this process.
• <00:58:54.240> That's they can adjust budgeting. That's they can adjust budgeting.
• >> next budget. >> next budget.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all