Transcript Highlights:

• The weights and measures program is one of our programs that is lesser known but essential to regulatory
• Another program here is the Youth Education and Outreach Program, which facilitates place-based, career-connected
• A key focus of this program points to equity.
• Another program here is the Youth Education and Outreach Program, which facilitates place-based career-connected
• A key focus of this program points to equity.

Summary: The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a work session on HEAL Act implementation, beginning with an orientation from Environmental Justice Council member David Mendoza. He described the law’s purpose as integrating environmental justice into agency decision-making, community engagement, tribal consultation, strategic planning, and environmental justice assessments, with the goal of reducing environmental health disparities and improving accountability to communities and tribes. He also discussed the council’s role, the interagency work group, challenges with limited volunteer and agency capacity, and concerns about inconsistent assessment formats and future funding pressures. Committee members asked about council composition, including the balance of tribal, community, business, and other representation, whether the HEAL Act increases permitting time or costs, how “overburdened” and “vulnerable” populations are defined, and whether the council should be refreshed or audited. Mendoza said the statute is not limited to racial categories and can include rural and low-income communities, that the council has not quantified permitting delays, and that there is no formal audit requirement, though the council is discussing how to improve its work. Members also raised questions about the relationship between the Environmental Justice Council and the Office of Equity, with Mendoza saying the bodies are complementary but should coordinate more closely. The Department of Agriculture then reported on its HEAL Act work. Director of Equity and Environmental Justice Nicole Johnson said WSDA conducts environmental justice assessments for significant actions, applies an equity lens to licensing, funding, rulemaking, and strategic planning, and has completed 11 EJ assessments to date. She highlighted pesticide regulation, animal health, and weights-and-measures work as examples of environmental and economic justice, and said the department recently hired a full-time tribal consultant and has only 1.5 FTE supporting HEAL implementation. Members asked whether WSDA’s assessments apply to its role on boards such as the Forest Practices Board; Johnson said the department’s current understanding is that assessments are conducted on agency work. The Department of Natural Resources then presented on its HEAL Act implementation, focusing on strategic planning, community engagement, tribal consultation, environmental justice assessments, and equitable funding. DNR officials said environmental justice is being embedded in the agency’s 2025-2029 strategic plan, in its Community Access and Impact Plan, and in its advisory committee and board representation efforts. They reported conducting EJ assessments for sustainable harvest calculations, agency request legislation, and a prescribed burn manager certificate program, and said DNR has invested about $130 million in overburdened communities and vulnerable populations in fiscal year 2025 through wildfire resilience, youth education, and urban forestry programs. Committee members pressed DNR on how it identifies impacted communities, why landowners were not more visible in the process, how agency-request legislation is being assessed, and whether assessments are required for actions taken through other boards and commissions. DNR said its current interpretation is that assessments apply to internal agency actions, that some notices may appear on OFM’s notices page rather than the completed-assessments dashboard, and that it would follow up on specific questions about its posted assessments and process.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have an award program through the.
• And then when you were talking about the program.
• So, is it the FMR program, or is it a different program?
• That pilot program was short-lived.
• What do we want this program to meet?

Committee: House Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• program.
• as well: the Lead Service Line Replacement Program, as well as the Emerging Contaminants Program.
• Contaminants Program.
• That's a record for the program.
• Program.

Committee: House New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 3497 then would rename the program to the Rio Grande Vegetative Management Program and expand
• House Bill 3497 then would rename the program to the Rio Grande Vegetative Management Program and expand
• Two of the most influential programs from the authority are the Young Farmers Grant Program and the Interest
• Rate Reduction Program.
• We lost a couple of federal programs already.

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

Committee: Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

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:

• IBHS programs like Fortified and...
• of the BRIC program.
• Now it's not a perfect program.
• National Flood Insurance Program.
• insurance program.

Committee: Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee

Keywords: homeowners insurance, natural disasters, insurance costs, climate change, disaster preparedness, federal policies, bipartisan solutions

Summary: The meeting reviewed critical issues surrounding the rising costs and accessibility of homeowners insurance across the United States, particularly in light of increasing natural disasters linked to climate change. Members engaged in extensive discussions regarding the implications for families and the economy, citing significant increases in premiums and decreasing availability of policies in high-risk areas. Supervisor Peysko highlighted the direct impact of federal policies on local communities, emphasizing the growing burden on homeowners as they face skyrocketing insurance costs amidst a backdrop of environmental challenges and regulatory constraints. The committee expressed a unified call to action for bipartisan solutions, focusing on improving building codes and enhancing disaster preparedness measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we have an offset program.
• And so the reason I say that is that when our compliance programs are building out their programs each
• of this program?
• For most programs earmark elimination results in a net reduction. in total program funding, but maintains
• base program funding.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And based on those programs, uh, we've determined that, uh, upon completion of a program, they have a
• In addition to the technical training programs, we offer literacy programs, high school diploma programs
• area that they teach high school equivalency programs, life skills programs.
• The life skills programs and also the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the changes program is parole voted
• Our program is a tiered program.

Committee: House Corrections

Transcript Highlights:

• about the way we fund our services and programs.
• about the way we fund our services and programs.
• The program indicated the program costs are currently being covered, so there's no additional fiscal
• The purpose of the bill is to rename the batterer intervention program as an abuse intervention program
• The purpose of the bill is to rename the batterer intervention program as an abuse intervention program

Committee: Senate Health and Human Resources

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first are mandatory spending programs.
• Far larger than what we pay for the entire Medicaid program.
• Um, discretionary programs.
• It needs to be limited to mandatory programs, so law changes for how a program that's under mandatory
• We have a proposed work program I'd like to talk about first.

Committee: House Federal Funding Stabilization Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we offered a program for everybody, a homestead program for everybody over 65?
• So Representative Green... ...two programs.
• , but the Disabled Veteran Program and the Homestead Program are administered at the local level.
• Of relief through the Homestead program, and then the primary residence credit program picks up the rest
• Program.

Committee: Joint Tax Reform and Relief Advisory Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• programs.
• </c> program, the state grant and aid program program, the state grant and aid program relative<03:34
• </c> the Medicaid program. the Medicaid program.
• </c> to support the program. to support the program.
• </c> program are used for that program. program are used for that program. &gt;&gt; Right?

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Dedicated Funds met to review inactive and dedicated accounts, note prior legislation that had passed, and begin its annual review of agency funds. Members discussed several inactive funds, including some HHS-related accounts, a law enforcement memorial fund, and possible cleanup of accounting references where funds had been reorganized or merged. Staff noted that some newer funds may simply not have started receiving revenue yet, and the committee agreed to follow up on specific accounts later rather than address everything immediately. The committee then heard from Fish and Game on its dedicated funds. Topics included the statewide public boat access account, which is used for boat ramp and access-site maintenance and is supported by boat registration fees and federal funds; the ORV education, training, and enforcement account, which has declined over time and may need attention because revenue depends heavily on weather and snowmobile use; and the search and rescue account, which is funded by Hike Safe cards, a $1 fee from boat and OHRV registrations, and court-ordered fees. Fish and Game also explained that the conservation license plate fund had been merged into the non-game species management account, which is supported by donations, federal funds, and a statutory general fund transfer, and that pheasants are treated as game species under a separate program. The committee spent considerable time on the lifetime license account, an off-book Treasury-held account that collects lifetime license sales and returns funds to Fish and Game based on annual sales plus 9% of the fund balance. Members questioned why the account’s presentation did not clearly show the transfer as a revenue reduction and suggested the reporting format needed cleanup so the flow of money would be easier to understand. Fish and Game said the account is operating properly and that the transfer to the unrestricted Fish and Game fund exceeded $400,000 in the most recent year. The committee also reviewed the publications and fundraising revolving fund, which keeps a $100,000 balance for inventory purchases and transfers excess year-end funds to the unrestricted Fish and Game fund; members again raised concerns that the reporting format did not clearly show the transfer, and staff said they could add a note or other clarification.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> row is the standard full-time program row is the standard full-time program and<00:31:35.520><c>
• In the standard full-time program and for the critical shortage program, there was a cap of 1%, and it
• program and for the critical shortage<00:36:57.200><c> program,</c><00:36:57.680><c> there</c><00:36
• </c> critical storage program. critical storage program.
• in the part-time program or the full-time<00:49:14.319><c> program.

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:09 Attendance Roll Call: 00:01:42 Approval of Minutes: 00:03:23 Overview of Actuarial Audit Process: 00:03:47 Overview of Reemployment After Retirement Provisions: 00:25:26 Teachers’ Retirement System: 00:25:26 Kentucky Public Pensions Authority: 00:50:32 Adjournment: 01:02:55, 958, all

Summary: The meeting began with quorum, approval of the prior minutes, and an announcement that the June meeting had been canceled and replaced by this combined May/June meeting; the next official PPOB meeting was announced for July 21 at 2:30. Staff then gave an overview of the Public Pension Oversight Board’s required actuarial audit process, explaining that House Bill 238 requires a review every five years of the retirement systems’ actuarial assumptions and methods, funded by the systems themselves. The presentation distinguished this audit from a financial or forensic audit, described the three possible audit levels (full replication, limited/spot review, or basic review), and noted that the last audit in 2021 was a level one performed by Milleman Consulting at a cost of about $190,000. Members discussed timing for the next audit cycle, with a request to LRC likely needed in July or August to target the June 30, 2026 valuation, and several members expressed interest in another level one review. Questions also addressed whether prior audits found major issues; staff said the 2021 review was generally clean but recommended more consistency in reporting and assumptions across systems. The committee then welcomed new staff and interns, including Odet Guanzi of KPPPA and Team Kentucky intern Amamira Bowman. Bo Barnes of the Teachers Retirement System presented an overview of the statutory framework for reemployment after retirement under KRS 161.605. He explained that the law is intended to let retirees return to help with staffing needs, do so in an actuarially sound way through required contributions, and keep TRS compliant with federal tax rules for a qualified plan under section 401(a). Barnes described the required breaks in service and earnings limits for retirees returning part-time or full-time, including the three-month or 12-month break depending on the employer, the 6,900-day limit, and the daily wage threshold based on years of service. He also noted a lightly used critical shortage program that allows school districts to hire retirees without a wage cap, while still observing the break-in-service rules. Members asked questions about who decides the scope and level of the actuarial audit, how the audit would treat leave balances and other benefit-related items, and whether the prior level one audit identified substantial problems. Staff said the committee would request the audit, but LRC would handle contracting, and that the audit scope could include items like sick leave and annual leave costs if requested. On the reemployment topic, Barnes emphasized that the rules are designed to avoid pre-arranged retire-and-return arrangements that could jeopardize TRS’s tax-qualified status. No formal votes were taken beyond approving the minutes, and the meeting concluded with the presentations and discussion of these pension oversight issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will call the State Insurance Programs Oversight Subcommittee to order for June 17th.
• There really isn't an independent coupon management program or prior authorization program out there.
• This is our actuarial provider for the property insurance program.
• Thank you, sir, and for taking on a first-year program.
• We have seen over the past year that the program has worked.

Committee: All ALC-STATE INSURANCE PROGRAMS OVERSIGHT SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The State Insurance Programs Oversight Subcommittee met on June 17 and reviewed a series of Employee Benefits Division and Office of Property Risk items. The committee approved formulary changes for March and April that favored lower-cost generics, removed some new-to-market drugs from coverage pending more evidence, and made maintenance changes to migraine and diabetes medications. Members also approved a cell and gene therapy policy that would route those therapies through prior authorization rather than automatic coverage; officials said the process should not delay urgent cases and that no current members would be affected. The committee then reviewed a UAMS pharmacy benefit consultant contract amendment, but after extended discussion about the written scope and dollar amounts, the motion was approved with the understanding that any use of optional services would return to the committee for further review. The committee also reviewed the U.S. Able Mutual/Blue Advantage third-party administration contract and the CompSack employee assistance program contract, which officials said would reduce per-member costs and add services. The subcommittee approved proposed 2027 rates for state employees and public employees, with a 9.8% increase for state employees and a 4.9% increase for public school employees. Officials also reported that the UnitedHealthcare rebid was in its final negotiation stage and would return in August, with medical and pharmacy coverage split as previously recommended. In response to questions, the director said the division was considering broader preventive-care offerings, including weight-loss drug coverage, but would proceed cautiously and with strong utilization controls and holistic support if such a program were adopted. On the property risk side, the committee reviewed permanent rules making prior temporary rules permanent, a contingency-fee subrogation contract, and renewals for claims management, actuarial services, and investment management. Members raised concerns about Sedgwick’s claim-adjustment timeliness and communication with school districts after severe weather events; officials said performance guarantees and communication expectations had been strengthened, but the renewal was kept at three years for continuity. Finally, the committee approved 2026-27 captive insurance program rates, which included no change to minimum deductibles, a 10% overall rate reduction, and bucketed rate changes by entity type. Officials said the captive program was working as intended, with improved actuarial support and claims experience, and the meeting adjourned after the approvals.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:01:44.840><c> was</c> Um the North Star Promise Program was Um the North Star Promise Program
• They are also developed the program.
• ><c> people</c><00:36:34.600><c> like</c> These programs have allowed people like These programs have
• </c> North Star Promise program really is. North Star Promise program really is.
• </c> opportunity to shape academic programs opportunity to shape academic programs with<00:51:10.640>

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Last session, the program was expanded to allow Northwest Indian College to establish a program.
• Last session, the program was expanded to allow Northwest Indian College to establish a program.
• Lastly, regarding the Digital Equity Opportunity Program, it is renamed the Digital Opportunity Program
• technology programs.
• This is exactly the type of program and chemical that Ecology's safer products program is meant to be

Bills: HB1316 , HB2401 , HB2557 , HB2720 , HB1073 , HB2685 , HB2640 , HB2403

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: postsecondary education, homelessness, foster youth, education access, support programs, commission, gender equity, boys, men, advocacy, state policy, special education, parental rights, educational access, evaluation reports, disability services, behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access

Transcript Highlights:

• It's program.
• </c><00:09:38.640><c> I'd</c> Grants Program Senate file 2827. I'd Grants Program Senate file 2827.
• </c> grant program 1.9 million. grant program 1.9 million.
• programs.
• </c> this program. this program.

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now we have programs for lower-income families.
• We make too much to qualify for programs.
• PA program, the only public PA program in the Commonwealth.
• This program changes lives; it changed mine, and every student who went through the program will tell
• This program changes lives, it changed mine, and every student who went through the program will tell

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Revenue

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a public hearing focused largely on tax-credit proposals tied to children, families, caregivers, child care, health care workforce development, and public health. A major portion of the hearing concerned bills to expand the state earned income tax credit and child and family tax credit, including H. 3073/S. 1957 and S. 1975. Testimony from advocacy groups, legal services, tax assistance organizations, and health providers supported increasing the EITC match from 40% to 50% of the federal credit, expanding eligibility to immigrant and mixed-status ITIN filers, larger families, younger and older workers, and SSI recipients, and raising the child and family tax credit to $600 per child with inflation adjustments and possible advance payments. Witnesses said these changes would reduce poverty, improve health and educational outcomes, and help families meet basic expenses; committee members asked questions about ITIN filers and expressed support for the policy goals. The committee also heard extensive testimony on S. 1938/H. 3159, An Act Supporting Family Caregivers. Speakers described the scale of unpaid caregiving in Massachusetts and supported a package that would create a refundable tax credit, respite vouchers, workplace and housing protections, unemployment insurance access for those who leave work to care for relatives, a permanent advisory council, and a provision allowing spouses to be paid caregivers under MassHealth. Several witnesses shared personal caregiving experiences, and committee members responded favorably, noting the emotional and financial strain on caregivers and the importance of supporting them as Medicaid and long-term care systems face pressure. Additional bills discussed included H. 3174 on a child and dependent care tax credit, which was presented as a way to offset the high cost of child care; H. 3197/S. 2019 to improve the financial security of family child care providers through a tax credit; H. 3218/S. 1960 to create tax credits for health care preceptors to address workforce shortages; S. 2064 to establish a living organ donor tax credit; S. 2034 to promote healthy alternatives to sugary drinks through a tiered tax; H. 3015 to create a tax-return checkoff for the YMCA Youth and Government Program; and several public testimony ideas including vaccination, literacy, and grade-improvement tax credits. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing, which ended after all testimony was heard.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> of autism services and EIDBI program. of autism services and EIDBI program.
• </c> to designate programs as high risk. to designate programs as high risk.
• And this the EIDBI TEFRA program.
• . programs. programs.
• </c> other programs. So, thank you. other programs. So, thank you. Thank<01:43:26.640><c> you.

Bills: HF3542

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Keywords: data privacy, investigative data, welfare system, public funds, transparency, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Luckily, the program has since been shut down.
• that program, I guess you could say.
• Of those, 160 of them were fully engaged in our program.
• We want them to graduate from our program.
• I talked about our Oklahoma program, and they did a five-year study of the program.

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But this is a program that is working. It's working well.
• Chair, this is not a debate about the program and the underlying program.
• We have so many programs where we exempt poor people. We have so many programs.
• It's an important word because this program is reasonable.
• It's an important word because this program is reasonable.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee met in executive session on three bills. For House Bill 2159, which creates the pre-K Promise account for ECEAP, the committee adopted Amendment Clark 333 to clarify that account funds may support any children enrolled in ECEAP, not just the entitlement population. Members spoke in support of the bill as expanding early learning access, and the substitute bill was reported out with a due pass recommendation by a 29-0 vote, with two members excused. For House Bill 2251, dealing with Climate Commitment Act account structure and revenue distribution, staff briefed the proposed substitute and two offered amendments from Representative Dye. Both Dye amendments were rejected: one would have expanded allowable uses to include items such as buoys, trails, small forest landowner grants, drought and water quality projects, outdoor recreation, and marina support; the other would have restored annual rather than biennial reporting on CCA spending. Supporters said the bill would simplify and clarify CCA budgeting and better align spending with declining revenues, while opponents argued it did not sufficiently prioritize climate resiliency and accountability. The substitute bill was reported out with a due pass recommendation by an 18-12 vote, with one excused. For House Bill 2521, which would let the Washington State Patrol set firearm background check fees to cover program costs, the committee considered seven amendments. All seven were rejected: proposals to cap the fee increase at $20, exempt low-income residents, people near least restrictive alternative placements, veterans and active military, domestic violence victims, and residents of counties with fewer officers per capita, and to delay the effective date until Washington no longer has the fewest officers per capita nationwide. Supporters of the bill said the fee should be cost-based to avoid subsidizing the program with general funds and to prevent delays in background checks; opponents argued the bill created an open-ended fee increase and financial barrier to a constitutional right. The bill was reported out with a due pass recommendation by an 18-12 vote, with one excused.