Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, and that was in the Industrial Budget.
• The governor's office and future budgeting sessions.
• The global budget model introduces accountability for managing total costs within a defined budget while
• So we'll be about $4 million under the budget.
• What would cause this to be off budget? Anything?

Summary: The committee first heard an update on North Dakota’s Interagency Council on Homelessness and Continuum of Care funding. Jennifer Henderson of the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency reported that homelessness remains driven by tight housing markets, low incomes, rising rents, and barriers to rental assistance, public benefits, and disability determinations. She said the state’s one-time North Dakota Homeless Grant is serving all regions but reaches far fewer households than the former Rent Help program, and that aging homelessness, shelter staffing shortages, and limited affordable units are growing concerns. Members discussed the need for more housing supply, better coordination with Health and Human Services, landlord engagement, reentry housing, and possible continued one-time funding for the $10 million Homeless Grant and $25 million Housing Incentive Fund. Henderson also warned that federal Continuum of Care funding is uncertain, with HUD expected to issue a new notice June 1 and possible shifts away from permanent supportive housing toward transitional housing and other models. The committee then took testimony on accessibility of government services for people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing. Paul Olson of North Dakota Vision Services School for the Blind described the school’s services for infants, children, and adults, including screenings, mobility training, assistive technology, and outreach across the state. He said the agency works closely with Vocational Rehabilitation and is also involved in improving website and document accessibility, especially for PDF materials. Public testimony highlighted barriers such as inaccessible CAPTCHA systems, online forms, driver’s license requirements on job applications, and limited transportation in rural areas. A deaf resident urged broader use of video remote interpreting and video relay services, along with training so people know how to use them effectively. Finally, Kay Larson presented the final report on the child care provider licensing study. The report recommended streamlining North Dakota’s child care licensing structure into three provider types plus a preschool designation, while preserving health and safety standards and maintaining eligibility for child care assistance. The committee discussed simplifying training and qualification rules, revising ratio and group-size requirements, and adjusting age bands for infants and toddlers. The report also noted that some changes would require statutory amendments and later administrative rule changes, with a transition period likely extending through 2029. No formal votes were taken in the transcript, but the committee accepted the updates and scheduled follow-up presentations for a later meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, one of the main drivers of our budget is often pension costs, as you know.
• Do you have any idea what the impact on the budget is, the state budget, what this change in contribution
• Budgets are a major part of our conversation in the Legislature right now.
• They're all struggling with their budgets.
• The Pension Funding Council is more interested in the budget...

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They really don't have much say in the budget process.
• And that does include good budgeting and financial management.
• You guys work on budgets.
• As was stated, a huge focus of that is on budgeting.
• As was stated, a huge focus of that is on budgeting. I know that you guys spend, is on budgeting.

Summary: The Committee on Children and Families heard public testimony on Senate Bill 1002, which would move St. Charles County school board elections and related levy/bond questions from April to the November general election, extend terms to four years, and allow candidates to voluntarily list party affiliation. The sponsor argued the bill would increase voter participation, broaden community input, and potentially save money, while several supporters said April turnout is too low and that November elections would better reflect the county’s voters. Supporters also said the change could help candidates campaign more effectively and bring more attention to school issues. Opponents, including school board members, parents, and the Missouri NEA and Missouri School Boards Association, argued the bill would politicize school board races, crowd out local issues on November ballots, and reduce the value of staggered terms and institutional continuity. Several witnesses objected to carving out only St. Charles County rather than making any change statewide, and some warned that limiting levy and bond elections could delay urgent district needs. One witness also said the bill would burden regular parents and community members who run for school board, while others emphasized that school boards should remain focused on governance, budgeting, and student needs rather than partisan labels. After testimony, the committee voted on Senate substitute for Senate Bill 1002 and advanced it by a vote of 10 aye, 5 no, and 1 present. The committee then took up Senate substitute for Senate Bill 1135, described as the Henderson, Bentley, and Mason’s law, and voted it do pass by 16 aye and 9 no. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Let's get started, so we probably won't hear budgets today. We'll see what time we're at.
• And so that's a really big part of our budget this year. Mr.
• We're going to start budget hearings. There's not budget. It is policy. Mr. Chair and Dr. Richards.
• recommendation increases the budget by 3.8%.
• Again, very small in total as it relates to base budget requests.

Bills: SB37, SB29

Keywords: high-quality literacy instruction, science of reading, structured literacy, reading instruction, literacy assessment, dyslexia screening, phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, biliteracy, English language learner, ELL, bilingual education, dual language program, reading intervention, reading difficulty, reading improvement plan, literacy coach

Transcript Highlights:

• So Governor Ferguson, in his supplemental budget, is putting a down payment on some of this backlog.
• Cities are a major driver of economic activity and play a huge role in funding the state budget.
• And 40% of all cities have a budget under $250,000.
• Our budgets are tight, just like everyone else's.
• Our budgets are tight, just like everyone else's.

Summary: The committee first met in brief executive session and advanced Senate Bill 5989 without recommendation to the Ways and Means Committee. Staff explained the bill would redistribute sales tax on aircraft fuel, affecting general fund revenue, which was why it was better suited for Ways and Means. The motion passed by voice vote. The committee then heard a presentation from Transportation Secretary Julie Meredith on WSDOT’s 2025 work and 2026 priorities. She highlighted agency reorganization, safety initiatives, preservation needs, bridge strikes and storm damage, ferry service improvements, major projects such as Revive I-5, the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project, fish passage work, and preparations for the World Cup. Members praised the department’s communication and work, and asked about additional paving and preservation funding; Meredith said WSDOT had prepared projects that could be advanced if more money were available. Washington State Ferries Assistant Secretary John Vizina and staffer Jenna Forty followed with a detailed briefing on vessel and terminal preservation. They described the aging fleet, the need for new hybrid-electric vessels, the governor’s proposed funding for three additional ferries and life-extension work on older vessels, and the importance of terminal upgrades such as Fauntleroy. Senators asked about service contingency planning, the cost and timing of hybrid versus diesel vessels, and whether additional vessels would require rebidding; staff said hybrid-electric construction is the fastest path and that any expansion would depend on statutory direction and legal review. The committee then heard from local government representatives on preservation and storm recovery. The Association of Washington Cities and the Transportation Improvement Board described city road and bridge needs, limited local funding, and the importance of sustained preservation investment and programmatic grants. County representatives from the Washington State Association of County Engineers, Snohomish County, and the County Road Administration Board discussed the December flooding, road washouts, bridge damage, and recovery costs, emphasizing that counties face large preservation backlogs and need state and federal help for repairs and resiliency.

Transcript Highlights:

• Budget cuts at the state level are impactful on the work we do.
• looks like as we enter the supplemental budget year and when we enter the biennial budget year in 2027
• This last session, integrated planning grants did not get funded because of budget constraints.
• This last session, integrated planning grants did not get funded because of budget constraints.
• or, a couple years ago, to the transportation budget.

Summary: The committee first heard updates on the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) and related funding. Department of Ecology staff explained how MTCA and the hazardous substance tax support cleanup, prevention, stormwater, and local assistance programs, but said forecasted revenues have declined while appropriations and transfers have outpaced incoming funds. Ecology said the operating account will require underspending to stay balanced this biennium and that the problem is ongoing, with further reductions possible if forecasts worsen. Ecology also reviewed the state cleanup program, noting there are more than 14,500 cleanup sites in Washington and that new sites continue to be discovered faster than they are cleaned up. A question from Representative Lee raised the long-term issue of declining fossil-fuel-based revenue, and Ecology agreed that this is a future structural concern even though the current shortfall is driven more by forecasts and transfers than by fuel-use decline. The Pollution Liability Insurance Agency described its underground storage tank and heating oil programs, saying it has modernized from a reinsurance model to a financial assurance model with stronger state oversight and cleanup milestones. Russ Olson said the agency’s dedicated petroleum tax account is in strong financial condition, but emphasized the importance of preserving that funding source. He also discussed the loan and grant program for historic commercial releases and a new heating oil loan/grant program, while noting the agency is working on equity concerns where liens can be disproportionate to property values in smaller communities. Practitioners and advocates then offered differing views on MTCA’s performance: one attorney urged a collaborative review process to make cleanups faster, less expensive, and more certain, while another consultant argued the program is too conservative and process-heavy and should focus more narrowly on actual exposure and realistic cleanup standards. Environmental and community groups countered that MTCA is essential for cleanup, pollution prevention, stormwater control, and public participation, and that it is especially important for environmental justice communities such as the Duwamish Valley. Port and city representatives stressed that MTCA grants and cleanup funding are critical for large redevelopment projects, but said long timelines, permitting delays, and funding uncertainty can slow projects and jeopardize commitments. The committee then shifted to utility wildfire risk. Staff summarized recent legislation, including requirements for utility wildfire mitigation plans, creation of a wildfire mitigation standards work group, authorization for captive insurance by local governments and PUDs, securitization authority for disaster costs, and the existing wildfire response and resilience account. Chelan County PUD and Puget Sound Energy described extensive mitigation efforts such as vegetation management, grid hardening, undergrounding, AI smoke cameras, weather stations, enhanced operating settings, public safety power shutoffs, and community outreach. Both said wildfire risk is rising and insurance costs are increasing, and Chelan PUD asked the Legislature to restore funding to the wildfire response and resilience account. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner said a 2022 utility liability market study found insurance availability is tightening as perceived risk rises, and reported that a 2025 work group recommended restoring community resilience funding, requiring insurers to share wildfire risk scores and mitigation steps with property owners, and creating a grant program based on insurance industry wildfire standards. A PNNL scientist added that wildfire probability is increasing in parts of Washington and that mitigation requires long-term, landscape-scale coordination. The final speaker began describing California’s approach to wildfire risk, but the transcript cuts off before that presentation concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am deputy commissioner at Minnesota Management and Budget.
• </c><00:26:51.840><c> We</c><00:26:52.159><c> recognize</c> Minute's budget proposal.
• We recognize Minute's budget proposal.
• of the staff several times on the budget.
• you, at the Minnesota Historical Society, we also face budget pressures.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> The second item is a back of the budget The second item is a back of the budget cut<00:31:07.200
• </c> back of the budget cut one of two ways. back of the budget cut one of two ways. they<00:31:12.320
• Um we're first year of the budget cycle.
• </c> that if we wanted to make the budget that if we wanted to make the budget smaller,<02:50:22.240>
• </c> Keep it in the budget. I had approved. Keep it in the budget. I had approved.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um the spreadsheet shows um base budget.
• </c> Financing Authority um budget. Financing Authority um budget.
• Um that is a $500 governor's budget.
• . budget. budget.
• We also changes in our budget bill.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• number for the next year to let the business office project the next school budget.
• number for the next year to let the business office project the next school budget.
• and nothing from the school budget and nothing from the school budget<01:17:27.760><c> so</c><01:17:
• And a lot of times when you're cutting budgets, you're looking at cutting teachers.
• </c> mine who's cutting from the fire budget mine who's cutting from the fire budget to<01:26:42.000>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• c> add</c><00:05:09.039><c> a</c> increase to our base budget to add a increase to our base budget to
• </c><00:28:24.679><c> as</c> and maintaining a balanced budget as and maintaining a balanced budget as
• budget as well.
• There was also an increase in their operating budget as well in that board's budget of about the same
• </c><01:08:17.239><c> as</c> increase in their operating budget as increase in their operating budget

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Um but our council formal budget year.
• I know that it was a thin budget.
• </c> know, uh we did have the full budgeting know, uh we did have the full budgeting process<00:30:06.399
• I know that it was it was a thin budget.
• in our budget in your budget<00:30:34.799><c> request</c><00:30:35.360><c> about</c><00:30:35.600><c

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I've been working through OSBB, hoping that they would put it in their budget.
• What I have done is create an informal IT project list due to the concerns related to the IT budget,
• so we have defined budget within this project list, timelines, deliverables.
• It is a line item in our budget.
• So you will see it in our budget outlined as well.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Can you tell me what was the budget last year for our school?
• And can I get a budget—just a budget—that shows what's gonna happen with this funding and just make sure
• We have a very tight budget; they keep telling us in every session.
• recurring fund appropriation in this budget.
• Historically, the OSI budget had $30 million.

Transcript Highlights:

• and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee to each annually... ...Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting
• talking about the budget prior to the fiscal year beginning, the better.
• The budget process, which is for a future year, is different than tax—the tax filing...
• To have the budget experience be better for everybody, I think we always complain.
• The budget process starts in the fall when agencies submit their request...

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee approved the March 16, 2026 minutes and then heard testimony on several bills, with the chair noting that votes would be taken in batches because members were coming and going. HB 2939 would increase the rural qualified facilities tax credit from $20,000 to $25,000 per job for certain projects with initial investment under $2 billion; Lucid Motors supported it as a rural economic development tool, while Senator Epstein questioned the fiscal note and whether the higher credit would actually attract new investment. HB 2950 would authorize tourism improvement areas funded by voluntary lodging assessments to support marketing and tourism promotion; the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association and Visit Phoenix backed it as a competitive tool for rural and urban destinations, and committee members focused on whether participation was truly voluntary and how the assessments would be administered. HB 2780 made technical conforming changes to Arizona’s property tax lien foreclosure and excess proceeds sale process, building on a prior law that created a mechanism for delinquent property owners to recover equity; the sponsor and a longtime constituent said the changes would fix timing and credit-bid language so qualified entity sales could work in practice. HB 2502 would let certain elected officials in ASRS retire at normal retirement age without resigning their office, with the employer paying the alternate contribution rate; ASRS said it was neutral, and the sponsor argued the bill would treat elected officials more like other ASRS members. The committee then adopted do-pass recommendations for HB 2502, HB 2780, HB 2950, and HB 2939, with each passing on split votes. The committee also adopted a striker to HB 2140, allowing the State Treasurer to invest up to 10% of state trust and treasury monies in physical gold or silver bullion held in secure U.S. depositories. The sponsor and the Sound Money Defense League argued it would diversify reserves and hedge against market disruption, while opponents said gold is volatile, costly to store, and not something taxpayers need the state to buy. HB 2140 then passed as amended on a 4-2 vote. Finally, the committee heard HB 2398, as amended, which requires commercial liability insurance for watercraft rentals and peer-to-peer boat sharing programs, with supporters saying it addresses uninsured rental boats and law enforcement concerns; the bill passed as amended on a 6-1 vote. The committee also heard HB 2999, a major housing-finance bill creating state affordability infrastructure districts to finance public infrastructure through bonds and assessments; proponents said it would lower housing costs by spreading infrastructure costs over time, while contractors and some senators raised concerns about payment risk, impact-fee treatment, and whether savings would reach homebuyers. After adopting a striker and hearing extensive questions, HB 2999 passed as amended on a 6-1 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• The purpose of this bill is to hear it so it can go in the budget box to be negotiated.
• The purpose of this bill is to hear it so can go in the budget box to be negotiated.
• In fact, state law gives exclusive authority over the budget to the governing board.
• That state hasn't had a special session for budget work since approximately 2006.
• That state hasn't had a special session for budget work since approximately 2006.

Summary: The meeting covered a long series of House bills across health, commerce, education, elections, government, and veterans issues, with many measures described as consent-calendar items. In health and human services, members discussed updates to radiology technology standards, a tribal Medicaid waiver bill, an emergency medicine study committee, fetal death certificate and remains-transfer requirements, a physician assistant licensure compact, dementia care telemonitoring funding, and SNAP error-rate reduction and eligibility oversight. Sponsors generally framed these bills as technical updates, workforce or access improvements, cost savings, or support for families and vulnerable populations, while some bills drew brief questions about implementation or opposition. In commerce and finance, the committee heard bills on mobile food vendor licensing, earned wage access services, CPA certification, cash acceptance by retail businesses, unmanned aircraft regulation, timeshare salesperson licensing, social credit score restrictions for lending, and a ban on state assistance to the International Criminal Court. Sponsors emphasized reduced regulation, consumer protections, transparency, and state sovereignty. The committee also considered tax and retirement-related measures, including conformity with the Internal Revenue Code, ASRS technical changes, and a 529 plan update that also addressed Roth IRA rollovers. Education and school governance bills focused heavily on school district oversight and transparency. Members discussed patriotic youth group presentations in schools, school board term limits and mandatory training, bond-advisor requirements, restrictions on school districts buying operating charter or private schools to affect funding formulas, conflicts of interest on the School Facilities Oversight Board, public meeting and travel disclosure rules, limits on long-term school property leases, job-order contracting caps, and a computer science proficiency seal. Sponsors repeatedly argued these bills would improve accountability, prevent misuse of public funds, and increase public access to school board decisions. The meeting also included elections, veterans, government, and other administrative measures. These included changes to sample-ballot mailing deadlines, a requirement that courts ask about veteran status at first appearance, a veterans awareness study, broader military leave protections, SAVE database verification for voter registration and licensing, U.S.-sourced election equipment requirements, Electoral College affirmation, justice court due-process protections, library trustee reporting deadlines, adult protective services reporting cleanup, and procurement transparency. No final floor votes were taken in the excerpt, and most items were presented for questions or moved through consent with brief sponsor explanations and occasional opposition noted in committee testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• It says Senate budget and spreadsheet.
• ,</c> So that's good for the city budget, So that's good for the city budget, right?
• I also want to pass the budget part.
• I also want to pass the budget part.
• I also want to pass the budget part.

Bills: HF2438

Keywords: transportation finance, transportation policy, MnDOT, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, Metropolitan Council, highway funding, trunk highway fund, county state-aid highway fund, municipal state-aid street fund, state aid roads, local roads, bridge funding, road construction, transit funding, passenger rail, freight rail, aviation, airport development, safe routes to school

Transcript Highlights:

• And although the egg budget is a pretty small piece of the overall state budget, this bill is going to
• And although the egg budget is a pretty small piece of the overall state budget, this bill is going to
• And although the egg budget is a pretty small piece of the overall state budget, this bill is going to
• The egg budget is a pretty small piece of the overall state budget, this bill is going to do a lot of
• </c> today, this is a relatively small budget today, this is a relatively small budget and<00:35:49.520

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> &gt;&gt; legislative budget. &gt;&gt; legislative budget.
• </c> introduction of a bill during the budget introduction of a bill during the budget session<00:42:
• ,</c> that their entire two-year uh budget, that their entire two-year uh budget, they<01:07:30.799><
• </c><01:51:44.719><c> So,</c> current budget. So, current budget.
• </c> percent of our budget. percent of our budget.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:22:03.080><c> process</c> funding process in the budget process funding process in the budget
• budget will start with past law.
• </c> uh 6 months into the next budget. uh 6 months into the next budget.
• </c><00:28:37.920><c> And</c> budget will start with past law. And budget will start with past law.
• </c> incorporated into the governor's budget incorporated into the governor's budget as<00:28:41.240>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all