Transcript Highlights:

• This policy choice reflects a balance between privacy and the freedom of information.
• the two. taxation question, because access to justice, you have to balance the two.
• SB 969 strikes that balance.
• The balance is what are we giving up?
• The balance is what are we giving up?

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have had a law in Minnesota that protects both businesses and property owners, striking a balance
• Minnesota courts have balanced property nuisance claims with the rights of the property owner to have
• </c> property owners that strike a balance property owners that strike a balance between between between
• Um Minnesota courts have balanced works.
• </c><00:16:06.760><c> way</c> courts on a balanced way courts on a balanced way um<00:16:08.360><c> lit

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that is one of the challenges where I think there needs to be these checks and balances and these
• And that's why I think it's crucial what this bill has to create: checks and balances where there is
• There's just not the proper checks and balances.
• The good news is I will be balanced because I know Mr.
• In fact, because of that, CMS balanced model guidelines were recently released, and Medicaid coverage

Bills: SB1052, SB1115, SB1118, SB1120, SB1121, SB1124, SB1171, SB1172, SB1174, SB1175, SB1214, SB1233, SB1235, SB1316, SB1345, SB1372, SB1399, SB1458, SB1494, SB1496, SB1564, SB1602, SB1621, SB1628, SB1630, SB1631, SB1668, SB1672, SB1814, SB1821

Keywords: assisted living, health care, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, physician orders, informed consent, AHCCCS, remote work, state agency, employment, public health, housing, zoning, middle housing, urban development, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, historic preservation, radiation protection

Transcript Highlights:

• and the good thing I also want to point out on this slide is Minnesota's economy is diverse and balanced
• c><00:10:11.760><c> a</c> labor market is more is closer to a labor market is more is closer to a balance
• Very balanced, very ...
• </c> balanced, and flexible state policy. balanced, and flexible state policy.
• ,<00:34:34.159><c> very</c> balanced, very balanced, very uh uh uh I<00:34:38.879><c> you</c><00:34:39.200

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So, the bronze plans are mandated to balance 60% of costs in premiums and 40% in cost sharing.
• 2% of and cannot exceed the lesser of 2% of the<01:19:36.320><c> outstanding</c><01:19:36.800><c> balance
• </c><01:19:37.680><c> 60</c><01:19:38.040><c> days</c><01:19:38.360><c> worth</c> the outstanding balance
• or 60 days worth the outstanding balance or 60 days worth of<01:19:39.040><c> interest.
• sheet pressures that have balance sheet pressures that have evolved<01:35:13.440><c> over</c><01:35:

Bills: HF3766, HF3972, HF3437, HF4118

Keywords: travel insurance, regulation, insurance licensing, consumer protection, travel assistance, short-term rental, vacation rental, home sharing, rental marketplace, online platform, property damage guarantee, damage waiver, reimbursement insurance, insurance regulation, commerce department, platform user, Airbnb, Vrbo, host protection, rental home marketplace

Transcript Highlights:

• So I would hope that there would be a better balance and better distribution throughout the state.
• No, no, I'm just saying the balance, the balance. Yeah, yeah, no.
• So it's really a balance, I would say, of both of those.
• I think that's a tough balancing act, again, because it's particularly in instances where there's That's
• , and the Secretary of State provide fair and balanced summary statements.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When asked about strategies that our members are using to balance their budgets, this year, 86% reported
• Penalties and interest continue to accrue on the unpaid tax until the entire balance is paid in full.
• This bill restores some balance, explicitly allowing business partnerships with MSOs or investors.
• This bill restores some balance, explicitly allowing business partnerships with MSOs or investors.
• We understand and support keeping costs low for consumers, and we believe we can strike a balance in

Bills: SB6294, SB6211, SB5650, SB6033, SB6297, SB6343, SB6067, SB6082, SB6323, SB6324, SB5862, SB5923, SB6151

Keywords: local government finance, Washington state, RCW, real estate excise tax, REET, sales and use tax, property tax levy, county tax, city tax, affordable housing, housing services, behavioral health, mental health, developmental disabilities, children and families services, youth services, utility tax, low-income utility assistance, veterans assistance, homelessness

Transcript Highlights:

• Balanced legislation asks the question, does this bill do any harm?
• And lastly, balanced legislation thinks about the future.
• Balance legislation asks the question, does this bill do any harm?
• And lastly, balanced legislation thinks about the future.
• As Representative Goodwin balanced legislation thinks about the future.

Summary: The House convened, established a quorum, heard an invocation and pledges, and approved several routine motions, including excuses for absent members, permission for committees to meet while the House was in session, and postponements of some bills. The chamber also received a Senate message listing measures passed by the Senate and adopted a memorial resolution honoring the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, with remarks entered into the House Journal after a moment of silence. The House then took up a long third-reading calendar and passed a series of Senate bills on topics including criminal justice and corrections sunset provisions (SB 2405, 2406, 2407), election equipment testing (SB 2166), electric grid reliability and attack-preparedness exercises (SB 2148), firefighter collective bargaining (SB 777), DFPS and foster care procedures (SB 1141 and SB 1398), Medicare durable medical equipment billing (SB 1330), property tax administration (SB 1453), probate cleanup and record transfers (SB 1448 and SB 1839), mental health filing procedures (SB 53), school residency for children in safety placements (SB 226), diabetes-related amputation study (SB 1677), rapid DNA analysis (SB 1723), utility rate transparency and capacity cost recovery (SB 1664 and SB 1856), community supervision eligibility (SB 552 postponed), and other measures. Several bills passed with broad support, while others drew notable opposition and narrower margins, including SB 777, SB 2137, SB 2111, SB 1677, SB 1936, SB 1453, and SB 38. Two bills drew especially extensive debate. SB 2148, dealing with electricity supply chain reliability and tabletop exercises for critical facilities, was discussed as a grid-security measure aimed at coordinating utilities, law enforcement, ERCOT, and the PUC in the event of physical attacks; it passed unanimously. SB 1936, changing how LSD is measured for criminal prosecution from dosage-based to weight-based calculations, prompted extended discussion about lab consistency, carrier mediums, and fairness in charging, with supporters saying it would help crime labs and law enforcement and opponents warning it could distort penalties depending on the medium used; it passed 108-26. The House also passed SB 36, creating a Homeland Security Division within DPS, after questions about overlap with TDEM and the cost of adding personnel. Late in the day, the House debated SB 38 on eviction procedures, with supporters saying it targeted squatters and streamlined removal of unauthorized occupants, and opponents arguing it would make evictions too easy and worsen homelessness; it passed 85-44. The chamber also began debate on SB 37, a major higher-education governance bill that would expand governing-board oversight of curriculum, hiring, and faculty senates; members raised concerns about academic freedom, faculty governance, and the impact on humanities programs, and debate was still underway at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• responsibilities for a job bar balancing responsibilities for a job or<00:20:41.120><c> family.
• But these are the things we're going to have to start balancing.
• But these are the things we're going to have to start balancing.
• But these are the things we're going to have to start balancing.
• But these are the things we're going to have to start balancing.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard updates from the chancellors of the state university system and the community college system on ongoing restructuring, collaboration, and enrollment trends. The university system said its office move to the NHTI campus is ahead of schedule and should save students about $250,000 a year while creating revenue for the community college system. Both systems described continued work on transfer pathways, direct-admit outreach, shared advising, and broader efforts to shrink footprints, reduce costs, and improve operational efficiency in response to declining enrollment and demographic pressure. A major topic was a possible federal change to Pell Grant eligibility that would require students to enroll in at least 7.5 credits. The chancellors said most community college students are part-time because of work and family responsibilities, and that the change could affect roughly 2,000 current Pell recipients and make it harder for students to afford or sustain enrollment. Members also discussed how the state’s governor’s scholarship statute largely benefits full-time students, suggesting possible future statutory changes. The chancellors explained how credits typically work, noting most courses are three or four credits and that students would likely need to add an entire course to meet the proposed threshold. The committee also discussed the broader higher education landscape, including declining high school cohorts, competition among New England institutions, and the need to right-size capacity. One member raised concerns about the health of regional campuses such as Plymouth and Keene; the chancellors said incoming enrollment is down at UNH and Plymouth and holding at Keene, attributing the trend to demographics rather than one campus drawing students away from another. They emphasized the importance of community colleges, adult learners, and short-term workforce programs as part of the state’s future education mix. Finally, the committee touched on the value of the university system’s research enterprise. The chancellor said about $250 million a year flows into the university system in federal research grants, with about $9.5 million currently under stop-work orders from federal agencies. She said the immediate concern is not DEI-related but federal cuts and possible caps on indirect cost recovery. Members noted that the R1 research designation supports business partnerships, student opportunities, and economic development projects such as West Edge in Durham.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the fact that we're addressing it in this bill, I think, is a win-win, because we get rid of balance
• billing we get rid we get rid of balance billing we get rid of<00:29:54.799><c> I</c><00:29:54.960><
• billing because this cost via balance billing because this bill<00:42:19.000><c> also</c><00:42:19.480
• ><c> gets</c><00:42:19.760><c> rid</c><00:42:19.920><c> of</c><00:42:20.079><c> balance</c><00:42:20.720
• ><c> billing</c> bill also gets rid of balance billing bill also gets rid of balance billing then<00:

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 167, a PFAS-related measure expanding the state’s restrictions to include ski wax and related fluorocarbons. The sponsor said the bill was a follow-up to last year’s PFAS law and largely targeted products already off the market, describing it as a reaffirmation of the state’s intent to keep PFAS out of water. The committee voted unanimously to recommend the bill ought to pass and then placed it on the consent calendar. Next, the committee considered House Bill 275 on health career credentialing requirements. The discussion centered on a proposal that would have required insurance companies to pay for training mandated by federal requirements. Members concluded that approach was not appropriate and voted unanimously to make the bill inexpedient to legislate, then placed it on the consent calendar. House Bill 276, dealing with on-premise beverage license requirements, was then reconsidered after an initial ITL vote. The committee adopted an amendment creating a tavern license for establishments limited to patrons over 21, with a higher fee and no food requirement, and then voted 15-0 to recommend the bill ought to pass as amended; it was also placed on the consent calendar. The committee then took up House Bill 310, which would establish a commission to study a regulatory framework for stable tokens and tokenization of real-world assets. The sponsor said the amendment added blockchain-based trusts and discussion of privacy and environmental concerns. The committee approved the amendment 16-0 and then voted 16-0 to recommend the bill ought to pass as amended, placing it on the consent calendar. House Bill 312, concerning intercollegiate student athletes’ right to earn compensation from name, image, and likeness, was retained because members said the issue was not ready and the NCAA had not resolved how to handle it. Finally, the committee began discussion of House Bill 316 on ground ambulance reimbursement, with an amendment that would replace the bill’s reimbursement provisions with a study commission; members debated how it related to another bill, HB 725, and whether the amendment would delay immediate relief for ambulance providers.

Transcript Highlights:

• We feel as though this amendment would balance the interest at hand on both sides.
• 48:42.920><c> uh</c><00:48:43.079><c> projects</c> Speaker: We feel as though this amendment would balance
• , what the Oʻahu burial council needs, and I say this as a member of the Oʻahu burial council, is balance
• , what the Oʻahu burial council needs, and I say this as a member of the Oʻahu burial council, is balance
• um and that's why I hope that balance um and that's why I hope that you<01:08:12.680><c> folks</c><01

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Water and Land met on March 13, 2025, and first announced that SB 1456 would be deferred to the end of the agenda and ultimately worked on later, with the chair indicating the bill would be deferred and revisited in a future measure. The committee then heard SB 841 on marine life conservation districts. DLNR supported the bill, saying it would fund carrying capacity studies to inform rules and policies. Testimony noted a pilot study already underway at the Puka Marine Life Conservation District and another nearing completion at the old Kona Airport MLCD. Members discussed costs, with DLNR estimating about $300,000 per year for one user-experience study, potentially more for ecological analysis, and also discussed possible funding from the Mālama Kai special fund. DLNR said it had no objection to consulting current operators and other users, and explained the program would be a new, ongoing adaptive-management tool. The committee next heard SB 411 on capital improvement projects at small boat harbors. DLNR supported the intent, saying the bill would help expedite use of special funds for CIP work, while the Department of Budget and Finance opposed it, arguing the draft could conflict with constitutional limits on appropriations. Public testimony from an industry representative supported the bill and urged more collaboration with commercial operators, while committee discussion focused on whether DLNR could already use special funds for repairs, how much engineering and bidding work is required before projects go out to bid, and whether the current process creates bottlenecks when bids exceed initial estimates. DLNR said it can do some repairs and maintenance within existing authority and funding ceilings, but that the bill as drafted could be too broad. The committee also heard SB 5 on historic preservation, where DLNR supported the measure and NAOP Hawaii opposed it, saying the bill’s broader definition could expand the scope beyond the stated goal of narrowing reviews and reducing backlog. The committee then took up SB 1462 on the state historic preservation income tax credit. The Department of Taxation said the revenue estimate assumes the cap would be reached each year the credit is available, and DLNR supported the bill. SHPD said the prior credit had sunset, outreach had previously been done in targeted communities such as Chinatown, and owners of eligible historic properties are notified during review. Finally, the committee heard SB 268 on island burial councils. DLNR supported the bill, and OHA strongly supported it, saying the councils have struggled with quorum and expertise and that the measure would restore the original intent of having lineal descendants and cultural practitioners as decision makers, while still allowing landowners and developers to testify and participate. OHA also said it would help provide technical support and urged continued involvement from SHPD and the Attorney General’s office.

Transcript Highlights:

• between supporting Workforce a balance between supporting Workforce flexibility<00:17:55.080><c> and
• This law needs to be amended to consider this aspect of today's work-life balance.
• This law needs to be amended to consider this aspect of today's work-life balance.
• This law needs to be amended to consider this aspect of today's work-life balance.
• This law needs to be amended to consider this aspect of today's work-life balance.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:49:42.480><c> the</c> And then on line 2.2, balancing the And then on line 2.2, balancing the
• I think it came back more balanced in a lot of respects.
• </c><03:30:34.720><c> Um,</c> more balanced in a lot of respects.
• Um, more balanced in a lot of respects.
• good job of of balancing the priorities well<03:44:33.920><c> here.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, the pools zero or do they always carry a balance forward because when you have a pool of people
• forward because when you carry a balance forward because when you have<00:20:31.760><c> a</c><00:20:
• with the question so we that in balance with the question so we can<01:16:40.400><c> compare</c><01:
• </c><01:17:18.159><c> I</c><01:17:18.400><c> mean,</c> balance with our population.
• I mean, balance with our population.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:10:40.320><c> We</c><01:10:40.560><c> take</c> balances us out a little bit.
• We take balances us out a little bit.
• The last one is the budget balancers. The House did $180 million.
• </c><02:37:45.520><c> Uh</c> number 79 budget balancers transfers.
• Uh number 79 budget balancers transfers.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• equation and therefore I a balanced equation and therefore I don't<00:35:41.200><c> believe</c><00:35
• This question of, uh, of the cap and the percentages is just a matter of, um, balancing out how much
• out how much is coming from balancing out how much is coming from state<00:38:23.200><c> poolled</c>
• So there's a balance there to be found.
• </c> none of these is a balanced equation. none of these is a balanced equation.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the ending balance is there, but if you want, the beginning balance for each committee is under the

Summary: The Executive Subcommittee met and first approved an emergency rule change from the Department of Education to update consolidation and annexation rules to reflect Acts 919 of 2025 and 157 of the 2026 fiscal session. The rule implements the creation of new isolated school districts after local detachment votes, and officials explained the funding structure for parent districts: they retain foundation funding, declining enrollment funding, and local tax revenue, while 90% of the foundation funding generated by detaching students is forwarded to the new districts. Members discussed the financial impact in detail, and the emergency rule was approved without objection, effective upon adjournment of the Legislative Council meeting on June 19, 2026. The Department of Human Services then presented an emergency rule allowing hospitals to open separate adolescent substance use disorder units and receive payment for residential services provided to adolescents. The rule was approved without objection, and Senator Irvin requested that the topic be placed on a future public health agenda for an update. The committee also approved Whitehall’s waiver request to exceed $1 million through cooperative purchasing for construction services related to a project using a vendor with prior experience and a longer-warranty system. In addition, members voted to keep committee per diem, mileage, and expense allocations unchanged for the new fiscal year. Finally, the committee approved a motion to cancel the July 2026 Legislative Council meeting, allow only subcommittee meetings with imminent matters through July 31, and treat July subcommittee actions as final for reporting at the August 21, 2026 meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the ending balance is there, but if you want the beginning balance for each committee is under the

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're giving them the flexibility to shift money around so that if one's under, one's over, they can balance
• If one's under, one's over, they can balance it out and move forward with both projects rather than having

Summary: The House Ways and Means Committee met on April 13, 2026, with a quorum present and began by reviewing House Bill 2, the comprehensive capital outlay budget. The committee adopted amendment set 3575, including a technical correction, and heard the chairman explain how the proposal reallocates limited surplus and bonding capacity by trimming some P1 requests, redirecting dormant projects, and creating project bundles for certain university and DOTD projects to allow funds to move more flexibly between projects. He said the approach was intended to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and allow agencies to manage overruns and underruns within bundled projects. The committee then reported HB 2 favorably as amended without objection. The committee next took up House Bill 3, the Omnibus Bond Act, which was described as the financing measure that implements and funds the capital outlay program authorized in HB 2 by repealing prior bond authorizations and authorizing new general obligation bonds through the State Bond Commission. Members voted to report HB 3 favorably without objection. The committee also adopted a motion to make HB 3 special order number three for Thursday, April 16, 2026, so it could be heard with the other money bills. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• I would say we have a six-year balanced budget is what we're putting forth here...
• I would say we have a six-year balanced budget is what we're putting forth here today, and I think it's

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The conference committee met to act on the conference agreement for gross substitute Senate Bill 6005, the state’s two-year transportation budget. Staff summarized the agreement as a $16.6 billion appropriations package for the biennium, compared with $17 billion in the Senate version and $16.5 billion in the House version. The budget includes about $800 million in reappropriated capital funds to continue existing projects, plus new funding for preservation, maintenance, and ferries, and it is tied to a six-year plan with project lists referenced in the bill. Members from both chambers praised staff and described the agreement as a compromise focused on maintenance, preservation, ferries, and traffic safety. Several speakers emphasized that the budget addresses immediate needs while acknowledging broader long-term challenges, including the need for sustainable transportation revenue and future planning for ferries, culverts, and capital projects. Some members noted concerns about the financing approach and the use of bonds, but still supported the overall agreement. On the motion to approve the conference report, the committee voted 5-1 to recommend the conference budget. Representative Barkis voted do not recommend, while Representatives Donaghy and Fey, and Senators King, Krishnadasan, and Leavitt voted to recommend. The committee then adjourned.