Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, 10 of the 50 items tested had documented dates in ACES showing the last inventory was two
• or more years ago.
• And this amount can be adjusted throughout the year based on the size of events that they're holding
• And this amount can be adjusted throughout the year based on the size of events that they're holding
• My question is, it's been in the state's possession now for a couple of years.

Summary: The committee first approved prior meeting minutes by motion and voice vote. It then took up audit reports, with several reports without findings filed without objection. The main discussion centered on the FY24 Department of Human Services audit, which contained three findings: alleged fraud involving disaster SNAP and Medicaid benefits, a delayed notification of a nearly $610,000 altered state warrant, and asset-control issues including missing or misidentified equipment and improper sales tax paid on vehicle purchases. DHS representatives said some fraud cases had been resolved with restitution, others were pending or dismissed, and they described corrective steps such as updating internal notification procedures and asset controls. Committee members questioned the missing assets, the notification delay, and the sales tax issue, and the report was deferred to the next meeting so DHS could return with written policy changes. The committee also reviewed the FY24 Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism audit, which had two findings: loss of nearly $3,500 in museum receipts and cash-control exceptions involving $100 missing from a park camping drawer and an $80 overage at War Memorial Stadium. Agency officials said the museum loss was believed to be theft, that controls had since been strengthened with a point-of-sale and reservation system, and that the stadium issue reflected the unique mix of cash and bank balances used for events. Members asked about the investigation, reimbursement through the bond board, and whether the employee’s final paycheck could be withheld. The chair later relayed that the prosecutor’s office said the Parks and Tourism investigation remained open and that additional information had been requested from the agency, so the report was also deferred to the next meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Bills that are not signed off by February 25th may need to be re-referred until next year.
• Bills that are not signed off by February 25th may need to be re-referred until next year, uh, and on
• Aye. ... test that's how it's going to end today test that's how it's going to end today uh<00:03:39.519
• age<00:05:35.960> and<00:05:36.600> there<00:05:36.759> was um she is 17 years
• of age and there was um she is 17 years of age and there was no<00:05:37.120> law<00:05:37.400

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 112 to 660 meals um in calendar year 112 to 660 meals um in calendar year 2022<00:24:01.400>
• six years six years old<00:31:48.639> they<00:31:48.760> have<00:31:48.880> a
• old they claim that there's a years old they claim that there's a six-year<00:32:04.159> statute<
• So during our testing, we were not able to confirm balances for 20 of 59 providers that we tested.
• of dollars every year.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Human Services Committee met on January 22, 2025, to focus early in session on waste, fraud, abuse, and program integrity in Minnesota human services programs. The chair said taxpayers expect funds to reach people in need and asked the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) to present on resources, progress, and possible solutions. Members also asked the auditors to note where the legislature or agencies had already taken action to address prior findings. OLA staff summarized recent reports on grants management and oversight. They said noncompliance with grants policies has been pervasive across agencies, including problems at DHS in conflict-of-interest documentation and pre-award financial reviews. In one DHS review, 30 of 41 grant reviewers had missing or incomplete conflict forms, and 20 of 57 grants lacked required financial review documents; the issues affected about $11.5 million in grant funding. OLA said DHS spent more than $400 million in grants to nonprofit organizations from 2018 to 2022, and they identified broader factors affecting compliance such as inconsistent funding for grants administration, ad hoc training, inconsistent data systems, and limited enforcement authority. They noted 2023 legislative changes that allowed agencies to retain some grant funding for administration and directed an assessment of a statewide grants management system, and they said OGM training and staffing have increased, though training is still not required for all staff. The Financial Audit Division then discussed the senior nutrition program at DHS, which delivered about 3.1 million meals to more than 40,000 participants in 2022 through the Minnesota Board on Aging, area agencies, service providers, and subcontractors. The audit found nine findings across documentation, monitoring, contract oversight, participant recertification, and data quality. Examples included service providers failing to recertify participants or recording inaccurate data, the Board on Aging not performing monitoring visits since 2017 or financial reconciliations in 2022, and area agencies failing to complete required site visits. Survey results also suggested participant database inaccuracies. OLA recommended stronger monitoring, clearer procedures, and more reliable data to ensure services reach intended recipients. No formal votes or committee actions were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• U.S. with over 24,000 veteran-owned businesses, annually creating 1.1 million jobs for veterans each year
• I have been advocating in the building now for 20 years.
• I've continued to advocate throughout these years as both an officer of veteran service organizations
• I'm concerned that putting it in the disparity bucket won't meet the test. I think that's true.
• over the last 15 years, and we had people with extraordinary skills that were all military-related.

Bills: SB 390, SB 1197, SB 1271

Keywords: veteran-owned businesses, state contracting, historically underutilized business, economic opportunity, small business, economic development, veterans, certification, Texas legislation, unmanned aircraft, spaceport, criminal offense, aviation regulations, airspace safety, military installations, concurrent jurisdiction, governor's approval, state agency, land acquisition, Veteran Affairs

Summary: The meeting of the Committee on Veteran Affairs addressed several significant bills aimed at supporting veterans and their businesses. Among the bills discussed was SB390, which seeks to expand the definition of historically underutilized businesses to include all veteran-owned businesses, regardless of disability status. This change aims to create a more equitable economic landscape for veterans and to foster their participation in state procurement opportunities. The committee heard strong testimony supporting this initiative, emphasizing the importance of providing veterans with fair chances in business development.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, the continued work on this year after year will continue to fine-tune it.
• year in the provision.
• So Caltrans puts out about 4.2 this year, 4.7 to 5 billion averages a year.
• Last year alone, 32 people died in ICE custody, the deadliest year in decades.
• Last year alone, 32 people died in ICE custody, the deadliest year in decades.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills, beginning with SB 16, which would require county behavioral health directors to create clear pathways for clinicians to be authorized to initiate 5150 involuntary holds. The author and supporters argued the bill would reduce reliance on law enforcement and create more consistent crisis response standards statewide, while county behavioral health directors opposed it as an unfunded mandate that could increase law enforcement involvement and create implementation burdens. Members raised questions about county costs and funding, but the author emphasized the bill’s role in building a more clinical response system. SB 561 would require public guardians to acknowledge conservatorship referrals, make determinations within a reasonable time, and provide status updates on request. Supporters said the bill would reduce delays that leave vulnerable adults in limbo, while the opposition from public guardian representatives was removed after amendments. SB 381 drew extensive public testimony in support; it would allow California-born adoptees, and descendants of deceased adoptees, access to original birth certificates, with a nonbinding contact preference form for birth parents. Supporters framed the bill as a matter of dignity, identity, and health, and there was no formal opposition on the record. The committee also discussed SB 880, which would give tenants and prospective owner-occupants notice and a first opportunity to make an offer when institutional investors sell certain homes. Supporters said it would expand homeownership opportunities and preserve neighborhood stability, while opponents warned about conflicts with federal law, bundled-sale restrictions, and impacts on build-to-rent and affordable housing projects. Members and the author discussed possible amendments to address those concerns. SB 1238 would impose a duty of care and additional transparency requirements on HOA managers and boards; supporters said it would protect homeowners from mismanagement, while the main opposition argued the duty should remain contractual and could increase litigation. Finally, SB 423 would require disclosure of emergency-service records related to private detention facilities, and SB 28 would make changes to the CARE Court process, including a statewide ombudsperson and expanded oversight; both drew support and opposition, with concerns focused on transparency, privacy, implementation, and the balance between treatment and coercion. SB 574, discussed at the end, would require disclosure and human oversight for AI use in courts and legal practice and create a complaint process for ADR providers, with the State Bar noting requested amendments related to complaint handling and confidentiality.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:21:42.400> thank and cut them apart for next year thank and cut them apart for next year
• Well, what happened this year is tragic.
• This March, I'll make 32 years in the H Police Department.
• The first fiscal year, FY 26, would be $5 million.
• <00:49:06.839> fiscal<00:49:07.160> year the first year fiscal year the first year

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard testimony on three fireworks-related bills. On SB 1226, which would create a shipping container inspection program and require Department of Law Enforcement reporting, the Department of Law Enforcement supported the measure, while the Attorney General recommended deleting references to explosives to avoid a single-subject constitutional issue and noted possible federal limits on military involvement. Harbor users raised concerns about logistics, delays, and cost, and HPD supported the bill; members also discussed how inspections would work and whether DLE would coordinate with county and federal partners. No vote was taken during the testimony portion. On SB 32, which would sharply restrict consumer fireworks by requiring permits for cultural use, repealing the general holiday exceptions, and imposing a $25 permit fee, the State Fire Council supported the bill as a public safety measure but said it was willing to work on problematic language. The Office of the Public Defender opposed it, arguing the bill’s use of “culture” could create constitutional and discrimination problems because permit decisions would effectively define culture. Fireworks retailers and other opponents said the bill would push consumers toward illegal fireworks and hurt lawful sales, while supporters said it would reduce injuries, fires, and respiratory harm. Members questioned whether the permit fee was new, whether the bill would affect commercial display companies, and whether permit caps should be added. On SB 1324, which expands fireworks offenses, increases penalties for injuries or death, creates new criminal offenses and an infraction adjudication system, and appropriates funds, the Attorney General strongly supported the bill and said it would give law enforcement and prosecutors better tools, while DLE said the current weight-based definitions make prosecutions difficult and labor-intensive. DLE also said disposal of seized fireworks is expensive and hazardous, and suggested violators should bear more of that cost. HPD and the Maui County prosecutor supported the bill, but some opponents argued it would overcriminalize conduct and create constitutional issues; a commercial pyrotechnics company asked for amendments to preserve lawful display work. Members asked about the appropriation, enforcement challenges, and whether existing exceptions would still allow commercial shows. The hearing ended with no final decision reported in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• —$20 million for this year, next year, and the following year.
• So, very close in the year-over-year amount.
• This is a line item, both in the LESC and LFC recommendations, to test that out for three years.
• last year.
• year after year.

Transcript Highlights:

• years.
• . two years.
• It's a year-over-year average.
• In other words, year-over-year, how much money are they adding to the system each year?
• That's printing money year over year, but if you look at the average of the year-over-year money supply

Transcript Highlights:

• And could you care to comment if it's relevant with the year, a year ago, with the Prop. 1 passage for
• This is the third year we've had a CARE Court bill before this committee, and I expect that next year
• So is the state going to develop a DNA testing...
• We authored a report last year on the proliferation of rent-fixing algorithms. ...last year on the proliferation
• This is the highest quarterly count in the last three years and represents a 22% increase from the year

Summary: The committee met as a subcommittee without quorum at first, then later established quorum and continued hearing several bills. SB 27, the annual CARE Court cleanup bill, would require courts to consider CARE referral for certain misdemeanor defendants found incompetent to stand trial, combine some hearings, allow limited data sharing among licensed medical professionals, and expand eligibility to include mood disorders with psychotic features. Supporters said it would clarify the meaning of “clinically stabilized,” streamline the process, and help more severely ill people receive treatment; opponents argued it would expand CARE Court too broadly, strain county resources, and divert attention from housing and voluntary services. The bill passed to the Health Committee on a roll call vote and was placed on call. SB 82, dealing with so-called “infinite arbitration clauses,” would limit consumer contract arbitration provisions to disputes arising from the product or service actually purchased. The author and supporters said the bill would stop companies from forcing arbitration in unrelated claims and would not ban arbitration itself. Opponents from business and banking groups argued the language was too restrictive, could create litigation over related transactions, and should be clarified as prospective only. The committee approved the bill and placed it on call after a roll call vote. The committee then heard two reparations-related bills. SB 437 would direct CSU to develop a genealogical methodology and framework for verifying descendants of enslaved people, with oversight, reporting, and guardrails tied to recently allocated state funding. Supporters said the bill would create a fair, evidence-based process; opponents, including professional genealogists and reparations advocates, argued the work is already well understood, the bill is unnecessary, and it could delay action. SB 518 would create a Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery within state government, with divisions for genealogy, property reclamation, outreach, and legal affairs. Supporters framed it as needed infrastructure to implement reparations recommendations; opponents objected to locating it in the Department of Justice, warned about data privacy and law enforcement control, and criticized the inclusion of broader communities. Both bills were moved to Appropriations and placed on call. The committee also heard SB 52, the End AI Rent Hikes Act, which would prohibit the use of algorithms to collude on and artificially inflate rental prices; the author and supporters described it as a response to AI-assisted rent fixing in California’s housing market.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, just in a two-year period, I've also filed this bill last year.
• Those numbers now have continued for several years, year after year after year.
• I testified two years ago on the platooning, trying to get the two trucks, not one. ...two years ago,
• That's in the last year.
• By my junior year, I lived for half that year in Israel during the actual intifada.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're in the last year of the three-year grant cycle, so next year for FY 25.
• Ten years, 29,000, 11 to 15 years, 13,000. 16 to 20 years, 7,000, 21 to 25 years, 16,000. 26 to 30 years
• There's, like you said, the paperwork someone can keep doing year after year. year after year to keep
• Versus what there were, say, two years ago or three years ago.
• years.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So what will we focus on this year?
• We'll come back next year.
• Three years. Three years. And where were you before that?
• We've been vetting it for years or so, right?
• going to have to have a one-year kind of historical test year to show us what their costs actually are

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . ...at least two days before a public hearing and retain them for two years.
• Second, it extends online retention of final budgets and amendments from two years to five years to allow
• tentative budget for the future year.
• They use this data to do. by October 15th of every single year.
• They look at government spending per resident with a five-year trend.

Summary: The State Administration Budget Subcommittee met with a quorum and considered three bills. HB 1221, the Department of Financial Services agency package, was presented as a streamlining and modernization bill covering the My Safe Florida Home Program, unclaimed property, and the state’s new PALM accounting system. Two amendments were adopted: one restoring the current $15 million cap DFS may retain in the unclaimed property trust fund and another making conforming changes to replace references to FLAIR with PALM. The bill was supported by public witnesses and was reported favorably after a unanimous roll call vote. The committee then heard HB 1291, dealing with the Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA). The sponsor explained that the bill was intended to address concerns that NICA could fall below actuarially sound funding in the 2027-2028 fiscal year and that current law lacks clear triggers for funding remedies. An amendment was adopted that removed the bill’s fiscal impact and preserved a $20 million reserve. NICA representatives spoke in support, and the amended bill was reported favorably by unanimous vote. Finally, the committee took up CSHB 1329, which would modernize local government budget transparency by requiring budgets to be posted 14 days before hearings, retained online for five years, and made searchable and accessible, while also requiring a 10% budget-cutting exercise before adoption. Local government groups and the CFO’s office discussed costs and suggested that the EDR portal may be a better centralized way to present the data, especially for smaller jurisdictions. Members generally supported the transparency goal but raised concerns about implementation costs; the sponsor said the bill was still being refined. The bill was reported favorably on a mostly party-line vote, with one member voting no for now. The meeting then adjourned after the chair noted submission of the FY 2026-27 budget recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• For the last 40 years, we've been through this a few times, and we've never come back two years later
• Each year my insurance costs increase; they've pretty much doubled in the last five years.
• They go up every year.
• Now, 12 years later...
• My eight-year-old daughter lay lifeless on the ground and unresponsive. My 10-year-old son ran.

Bills: HB4806

Keywords: civil action, damages, health care services, noneconomic damages, negligence, legal standards, 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that year. that year.
• to the year year, real easy compared to the year when<00:08:15.840> we<00:08:16.000> had
• <00:17:53.200> And the same LA for several years. And the same LA for several years.
• year, you're very lucky. year, you're very lucky.
• more that she's given me over the years. more that she's given me over the years.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: Representative Schomacker delivered a lengthy farewell-style floor speech reflecting on his path into public service, from growing up around news and debate, to starting a teenage Republican group, serving as a page, and eventually being unexpectedly recruited to run for office. He described being elected despite early polling that had him far behind, and said the experience taught him to hold competing viewpoints at once and to focus on getting work done rather than ideological tests. He then reviewed major policy accomplishments from his legislative career, especially in health and human services. He highlighted work on the Lewis and Clark water project for Luverne, the competitive workforce factor in disability waiver rates, expansion of bed capacity at Regions Hospital, and, most prominently, the overhaul of long-term care nursing home funding to a value-based reimbursement system. He emphasized that these efforts required extensive research, negotiation, and input from stakeholders, and said they helped support local care, businesses, and communities. Schomacker also spoke about the importance of long-term care in his district, the aging population, and the role nursing homes play in emergencies. He thanked family, staff, colleagues, mentors, and friends for their support over 16 years in the Legislature, sharing several personal anecdotes and expressing gratitude for the relationships built across party and committee lines. The speech ended with applause and well-wishes; no formal vote or bill action occurred in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• in the next 5 years. in the next 5 years.
• What was in the one year went in the two-year.
• that a one-year project to a two-year that a one-year project to a two-year project<01:31:19.120
• :44.719> years, one year or two years, one year or two years, >> but<01:31:45.760> to
• I have traveled a lot this year and last year.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to year.
• 2025 compared to the prior year.
• the next two to three years or five years.
• It's year over year. It's maturing and it's getting better.
• And, you know, I plan on it getting better year over year.

Summary: The committee met to adopt prior minutes and reports from its executive and standing committees, including counties and municipalities, educational institutions, and state agencies. Those reports covered routine audit activity, delinquent private water and sewer audits, municipal accounting compliance issues, education audit findings, and several state agency audit items. The committee also reviewed and adopted the State of Arkansas annual comprehensive financial report for fiscal year 2025 and the related single audit report, both presented by Legislative Audit staff. The state financial report showed unmodified opinions on the state’s financial statements and described total assets of about $41.9 billion and liabilities of about $11.1 billion, along with retirement system assets of $39.9 billion and a net pension liability of $9 billion. Two material weaknesses were identified: insufficient internal controls at the Office of State Technology to monitor threats and unauthorized access, and a Division of Workforce Services methodology change for unemployment-related estimates that was not properly documented or approved. The single audit covered $12.4 billion in federal awards across 469 programs, with 16 major programs reviewed; it resulted in 33 findings, 14 with questioned costs totaling $16.6 million, and qualified opinions for the Summer EBT program, the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, and the Child Care Development Fund cluster. Members questioned agency officials in detail about the Summer EBT questioned costs, DHS unresolved findings, broadband grant documentation, cyber security controls, workers’ compensation liabilities, and child care funding and reporting. DHS explained that the Summer EBT issue involved drawing federal funds in advance rather than as benefits were redeemed, and said the process has been corrected. Broadband officials said the questioned $6.6 million reflected documentation-detail disagreements across many invoices rather than missing payments. OST officials described new logging, endpoint detection, and phishing-training efforts, and DFA and Education officials addressed specific audit findings and corrective actions. The committee ultimately moved to hold the two large statewide reports over until the August meeting for further review, with discussion continuing on whether to release some agency staff in the meantime.

Transcript Highlights:

• The damage caused by years and years of underinvestment and various headwinds has really taken their
• So for 50 years, we've been leading that work, and for 50 years we've been expanding that work because
• So we really place that year, 10 years into the future, at the center and walk around it from a number
• And we've suffered for many years.
• $150,000 per year.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Arts held an informational hearing on California’s first sector-specific creative economy strategic plan, “California’s Future: Creative Strategies for Cultural Resilience, Economic Growth, and Global Leadership.” Chair Allen opened by framing the creative economy as a major state asset and urged support for arts funding in the May Revision, including California Humanities, museums, public media, cultural districts, LA28 arts programming, and AB 2319, which would create a $100 million post-production incentive. He also emphasized the need for next-step funding to implement the strategic plan and noted concerns about federal headwinds and declining creative-sector jobs. California Arts Council Director Danielle Brazel, Institute for the Future’s Rachel Hatch, CDE’s Allison Frenzel, and Workforce Development Board representative Michael Weoff described how the plan was developed through AB 127 and related legislation, a 30-plus-member work group, and an interagency process. They outlined the plan’s phased approach and six priority areas, including preparing the workforce, stabilizing businesses, increasing revenue through cultural tourism, leveraging state incentives, defining and tracking ROI, and building state capacity. Testimony highlighted workforce pipelines, apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, digital badging, and cross-agency coordination, with speakers stressing that the sector is shaped by AI, climate change, affordability, capital access, and social cohesion. A second panel of artists and advocates described on-the-ground implementation and the need for better data and support. Ricarlo Handy discussed the Handy Foundation’s apprenticeship pipeline into film and TV jobs and the difficulty of capturing freelance and 1099 creative work in state data. Joanna Reynolds described Arts for LA’s Creative Jobs Collective, which aims to create 10,000 living-wage creative jobs in Los Angeles County by 2030. Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez urged the state to embed artists in health, aging, behavioral health, and climate resilience systems, and Roxanne Messina Kaptur spoke about the need to treat arts careers as viable professions and expand residency and school-based artist programs. Senator Rubio, who joined the hearing later, shared her own background in teaching and the arts, supported arts education and small theaters, and raised concerns about AI, asking how schools and educators can adapt. In the final panel, Rebecca Ratzkin reported on 26 town halls across eight regions, where more than 1,100 people attended and generally affirmed the plan while asking for better access to information, new financial models, clearer definitions and data, and stronger networks. Julie Baker of California for the Arts and California Arts Advocates argued the plan is an urgent blueprint for a sector that generates $288 billion and more than 820,000 jobs, but remains below pre-pandemic employment levels and is losing market share. She and others called for funding, statewide definitions, better data collection, and cross-agency implementation, while committee members and witnesses repeatedly emphasized that the plan will require political will and resources to move from strategy to action.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, is that I taught for 11 years in the Brown County school system and into my last 4 years in the
• And you can see for the most part, except for the COVID year, it's gone up pretty much every year.
• I know in year years pass.
• We're never going to get those 2 years back straight. And those 2 years are going to cost us.
• years going forward.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:07:46.000> ago uh on redistricting a few years ago uh on redistricting a few years ago
• <00:24:02.960> I made the first faux PA of the year I made the first faux PA of the year I
• <00:25:42.399> House<00:25:42.679> Bill year House Bill year House Bill 1264<00:25:44.960
• <00:40:46.440> of<00:40:46.720> HB the passing last year of HB the passing last year
• Um, so the pilot program goes through the mid portion of this year, um, in the second half of this year

Keywords: 1189, house, all