Video & Transcript : 'prompt pay' :
Page 191 of 500
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans Jan 21st, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- If a business fails to pay its assessment, it will be a debt to the state.
- Or is the industry group being allowed to directly tax whomever is paying the taxes?
- Or is the industry group being allowed to directly tax whomever is paying the taxes?
- , but on what the system thinks someone can't avoid paying.
- That means working people, seniors, and families with fewer options will pay more.
Summary:
The committee first heard House Bill 2325, which would create a tourism self-supported assessment program to fund statewide tourism promotion. Staff explained that the bill would let the Washington Tourism Marketing Authority develop and administer an assessment program overseen by a 10-member ratepayer board, subject to a referendum of affected businesses, and would add a public records exemption for business financial and commercial information. The prime sponsor and supporters from State of Washington Tourism, the hospitality industry, the Port of Seattle, breweries, and wine interests argued that Washington is underinvesting in tourism compared with other states and that an industry-led assessment would provide sustainable, competitive funding. Opposition testimony from a taxpayer group objected to new assessments and unelected authority over tax-like charges. No vote was taken on the bill in the hearing.
The committee then heard House Bill 2481, which would prohibit surveillance-based price discrimination and surge pricing for certain retail goods, require clear price posting, and temporarily bar electronic shelf labels in larger grocery stores while Commerce studies their effects. The sponsor said the bill is intended to ensure that customers in the same store pay the same price and to prevent AI-driven pricing based on personal data. Labor, privacy, and consumer advocates supported the bill, citing concerns about hidden price discrimination, worker stress, and consumer harm. Grocery and retail groups, along with an ESL manufacturer and a tech association, opposed the bill as written, warning that the definitions were too broad and could interfere with loyalty programs, discounts, inventory management, and electronic shelf label systems; several said they were working with the sponsor on amendments. The chair indicated amendments were expected and asked stakeholders to submit language soon, but no vote occurred.
Finally, the committee opened House Bill 2503, which would require developers of generative AI systems to post high-level documentation about training data before public release and make violations a Consumer Protection Act issue. The sponsor described the bill as a transparency measure meant to function like an ingredients label for AI, helping consumers, researchers, and creators understand what goes into a model. Supporters from TechNet and Chamber of Progress said they generally backed the concept but wanted the bill aligned more closely with California’s recent law, especially on enforcement and the private right of action. Members raised questions about trade secrets, applicability to large versus small developers, and whether the bill could affect medical or other specialized AI uses; the sponsor said amendments were anticipated and that the bill was still early in the process. The hearing on HB 2503 then moved to public testimony.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Legislative Health and Human Services Sep 11th, 2025
Legislative Health & Human Services Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- I believe you said the Medicaid, even Medicaid people, are paying somewhat, some kind of co-pay, right
- They're not really paying a co-pay.
- It's just that the system is sort of built on the idea that they would pay a co-pay, and the fact that
- And then not pay for it. I mean, you could pay for it in person.
- Or 2.5% Medicaid pay ratio.
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Senate Standing Committee on State & Local Government (2-19-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- ><00:03:54.360><c> for</c><00:03:54.640><c> this</c><00:03:54.920><c> enhanced</c> and employees to pay
- </c><00:05:25.759><c> 2%</c><00:05:26.639><c> of</c><00:05:26.800><c> their</c><00:05:27.039><c> pay<
- /c><00:05:27.759><c> of</c> begin contributing 2% of their pay of begin contributing 2% of their pay
- be realized from retention and reduced turnover will more than pay for any cost for this bill.
- be realized from retention and reduced turnover will more than pay for any cost for this bill.
Keywords:
Meeting Start: 00:11
Attendance Roll Call: 00:18
Senate Bill 10 (Sen. Mills): 01:47
Senate Bill 65 (Sen. West): 18:47
Senate Bill 104 (Sen. Madon): 25:41
Adjournment: 31:38, 958, all
Summary:
The Senate Standing Committee on State and Local Government heard testimony on Senate Bill 10, which would revise CERS retiree health subsidies for members who began participating on or before July 1, 2003. Senator Mills said the bill was developed with employee and employer groups to improve retiree health benefits while protecting the system’s financial footing, using a shared-cost structure. Testimony from sheriffs, police chiefs, firefighters, and the League of Cities strongly supported the bill, emphasizing recruitment and retention, affordability of retiree health coverage, and limited taxpayer risk. Members echoed those points, and the committee approved SB 10 with a 9-0 favorable recommendation.
The committee then took up Senate Bill 65, sponsored by Senator West, which would codify the Administrative Regulations Committee’s annual practice of placing certain deficient regulations into statute so they cannot take effect. West explained that the committee’s role is limited to finding regulations deficient or asking for deferral, and that SB 65 is the fifth version of this measure. He described the specific regulation at issue as a Medicaid Services rule that would have required behavioral health associates to hold a master’s degree; providers testified that it would reduce the workforce and harm behavioral health services statewide. West said the committee had deferred the matter eight times before deciding to side with providers. The bill received favorable expression and was reported out.
Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 104, sponsored by Senator Madon, concerning Kentucky Deferred Comp for state employees. The bill would establish a codified fiduciary standard, authorize fiduciary liability insurance, add self-correcting mechanisms to keep the plan in compliance with federal law, and allow self-directed brokerage accounts. Personnel Cabinet representatives said the changes would align the plan with other public pension plans, reduce risk, and offer participants a useful investment option with strong account growth among users. SB 104 also received favorable expression and was reported to the floor. The committee then adjourned.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee Mar 3rd, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- You’re just paying a higher percentage return on that investment.
- And so it's easier to say, well, let's just pay for that through electric costs.
- They're paying for it, so at some point they should get a rate of return.
- So this isn't just paying victims funds.
- So this isn't just paying victims funds.
Summary:
The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications held an oversight hearing focused on electric rates, utility regulation, affordability, reliability, and wildfire-related costs. The chair framed the discussion around the challenge of transitioning to a cleaner grid while keeping bills affordable and the system reliable, and noted the hearing also served as the annual update from the CPUC and Public Advocates Office. Professor Severin Borenstein gave a primer on utility regulation, explaining the split between deregulated generation and regulated transmission/distribution, the basics of cost-of-service regulation, and the role of return on equity. He argued that high allowed returns can encourage capital-intensive spending and that many public policy costs now embedded in rates would be better funded through the state budget, while warning that price caps or performance-based regulation are not silver bullets.
CPUC President-designate Alice Reynolds described the commission’s role as economic regulator of investor-owned utilities and said affordability is being addressed through rate case scrutiny, reasonableness reviews, and legislative direction. She said wildfire mitigation and insurance costs have been major drivers of rate increases, but some wildfire-related costs are time-limited and will roll off rates over time. She also highlighted progress on clean energy procurement, battery storage growth, and integrated resource planning to meet climate goals while maintaining reliability. Reynolds said the CPUC is reviewing utility spending, disallowing imprudent costs where appropriate, and litigating at FERC to challenge transmission costs.
Members pressed both witnesses on several issues, including whether rates are being inflated by legislative mandates and balancing accounts, whether utility returns are too high, and whether the state should shift more public-policy costs off electric bills and into the General Fund. Senators also raised concerns about load growth from data centers and ports, gas-system stranded assets as electrification advances, and whether the CPUC is over-regulating or discouraging innovation. Reynolds said the CPUC is working with the Energy Commission, CAISO, and the Air Resources Board on a holistic planning process, and pointed to tools such as interconnection reforms and demand flexibility. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational, with several follow-up requests for reports and data.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
Fiscal Committee (12/19/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- So instead of paying out $100, we'd be paying out $80, so to speak.
- c><00:12:13.920><c> set</c> out $100, we'd be paying out, if you set out $100, we'd be paying out, if
- They still pay the interest, they don't pay the penalty, and we get our tax revenue."
- pay for the pay estimated people who pay for the pay that<00:32:19.519><c> use</c><00:32:19.760><c> that
- They still pay the the amnesty.
Summary:
The Fiscal Committee met on December 19, with Senators Long and Lang serving as replacements. The committee approved the November 21 minutes and adopted the consent calendar after removing two Department of Health and Human Services items for separate discussion. It then took up an HHS request involving nursing facility rates, where Nathan White explained that $2.2 million would be transferred from a long-term care Medicaid eligibility contract to the nursing facilities budget. He said the funds would offset an otherwise projected 3.9% average rate decrease and bring the overall average change to zero for the next six months, with rates reset again in July under state law. Members asked about the budget adjustment factor, bed counts, and whether additional funds could raise rates further; White said the factor is statutory, capped at 28.76%, and that more money would lower the factor and increase rates. The committee also corrected a date in the request from February 1, 2025 to February 1, 2026, and approved the item.
The committee next approved another HHS item related to rural health transformation grants. Members confirmed the request covered the full amount applied for this biennium, and asked about the technology component. HHS said the grant is not solely about AI, but about broader technology improvements such as electronic medical records, back-end systems, and tools to improve access and sustainability in underserved areas. The committee approved that item as well.
The Judicial Council then requested funds for contract attorneys providing indigent defense on a fixed-fee basis. The council said current funds had already been exhausted and that the new appropriation would be used immediately. Members questioned the size of the request and the number of people awaiting counsel; the council reported about 150 incarcerated people and about 300 non-incarcerated people waiting for counsel, more than in recent years. It attributed the increase to competition for attorneys, public defender offices closing intake in some locations because of caseload limits, and broader case and court-system changes. One member raised constitutional concerns about delays in counsel for incarcerated defendants. The committee ultimately amended the request downward to $1 million, approved it, and then approved a motion to place several annual financial reports on file and release them to the public when available. The committee also discussed dashboard reporting from HHS, asking for more detail on community mental health center caseloads and budget-reduction information, and HHS agreed to provide more useful monthly detail.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- With your bill, what you're saying is they shouldn't be paying in-state tuition; they should be paying
- Everyone who works here in Texas pays taxes. We all pay sales tax when we shop here.
- I could be wrong, but these people... ...are paying property taxes and are also paying sales taxes as
- And so they really have to pay that in-state tuition, but they also have to pay for living expenses,
- So they're still paying.
Keywords:
higher education, tuition rates, financial support, immigration status, Texas law, SB 1835, resident tuition, nonresident students, scholarship students, public higher education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Education Code Section 54.213, tuition waiver, in-state tuition, out-of-state students, higher education finance, enrollment cap, capacity limit, workforce development area, nonimmigrant visa
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Jobs and Economic Development - 03/24/25
Jobs and Economic Development
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> mclassified their employees to only pay mclassified their employees to only pay half<00:03:30.480
- has to pay 50.
- has to pay 50.
- you didn't pay um what you're supposed to pay for paid family medical leave.
- </c> don't have to pay what they should pay don't have to pay what they should pay for<00:38:08.320><
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> way that vouchers work is that you pay way that vouchers work is that you pay 30%<00:25:05.360><
- </c> pays to do that. pays to do that.
- </c> your if 30% of your income cannot pay your if 30% of your income cannot pay your<00:28:58.880><c
- </c> are able to pay uh to not have to pay are able to pay uh to not have to pay more<00:34:16.399><c
- So, thank make the agencies pay for it.
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
FL House Floor Session - 2025-02-13 (12:00PM Session)
Florida House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- If you own a business, you're paying taxes. If you use our tollways, you're paying taxes.
- If you buy something at any store, you're paying taxes. If you work, you're paying taxes.
- We are allowing them to pay... ...the same rate that other students who were born here are paying.
- They're willing to pay.
- These are families who pay taxes.
Summary:
The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for the Parkland shooting victims, quorum call, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The Rules and Ethics Committee special order report for February 13, 2025 was adopted, setting the day’s special order calendar and debate times. The chamber then took up immigration-related special order items, beginning with Senate Memorial 6C, which urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide guidance and training for 287(g) agreements. Members debated federal immigration policy and state cooperation with DHS, and the memorial passed 85-27.
The House next considered Senate Bill 4C, an immigration bill creating new state offenses related to unlawful entry and reentry into Florida and requiring a mandatory death sentence for an unauthorized alien convicted of a capital felony. Members questioned the bill’s constitutionality, including Supremacy Clause, due process, and Eighth Amendment concerns, and several speakers argued it would create separate classes of people and invite litigation. Multiple amendments were offered to narrow or expand exemptions, including protections for Venezuelans on TPS, certain Haitian TPS and humanitarian parole recipients, undocumented people brought to Florida as children working in critical professions, and a proposal to delay action pending court rulings; all of those amendments were rejected. The bill passed 85-29.
The chamber then took up Senate Bill 2C, which would create a State Board of Immigration Enforcement led by the Governor and Cabinet, establish a local law enforcement immigration grant program and advisory council, repeal the undocumented-student fee waiver, and appropriate more than $300 million for immigration enforcement. The sponsor described it as supporting cooperation with federal immigration agencies and ending the in-state tuition incentive for undocumented students. Early questioning focused on the impact on “dreamers” and whether the bill would effectively raise their tuition costs; the sponsor said it removed the incentive of in-state tuition but did not bar attendance. The transcript cuts off during that exchange, before final action on SB 2C is shown.
AZ
Arizona 2026 Regular Session
01/12/2026 - State of the State Address
Transcript Highlights:
- In the last year, we created tens of thousands of jobs and increased take-home pay.
- We can cut taxes on overtime pay and tips. We can give our seniors a break.
- off debt, or put food on the table, or pay the utility bill.
- To pay for ongoing investments, I am proposing one key action: make data centers pay their fair share
- We've launched a war on the cost of housing, and it's starting to pay off.
Summary:
The transcript is the opening joint session of the Arizona Legislature’s 57th Second Regular Session, featuring remarks from House and Senate leaders and Governor Katie Hobbs. House and Senate leaders emphasized a Republican governing agenda focused on affordability, public safety, parental rights, tax cuts, election integrity, school choice, and holding government accountable, while also highlighting cooperation on water policy and border security reimbursement. Senate President Warren Petersen said the legislature would pursue a major tax cut, send an election integrity measure to voters, defend women’s sports and school choice, and continue negotiations on Colorado River guidelines.
Governor Hobbs framed her agenda around the “Arizona Promise,” stressing affordability, public safety, water security, housing, and economic opportunity. She highlighted prior-year accomplishments including job growth, medical debt relief, lower costs for child care and housing, public safety investments, and major business recruitment. She called for an immediate middle-class tax cut, more efficient government spending, and new initiatives including a Colorado River Protection Fund, elimination of the data center tax exemption, a housing acceleration fund, and an Arizona Affordability Fund financed in part by a nightly fee on short-term rentals.
Hobbs also announced a new active management area for La Paz County to address groundwater depletion, defended her administration’s water and housing policies, and urged renewed funding for public schools while criticizing the ESA program for lack of accountability. She called for bipartisan action on disaster relief after floods in Globe and Miami, and condemned political violence. No legislative votes were taken; the joint session concluded with the governor’s address and the session was dissolved.
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
Appropriations and Budget General Government Subcommittee Oct 23rd, 2025
A&B General Government Subcommittee
Transcript Highlights:
- It's an entity that is backed up by fair pay for construction.
- It is done through monthly pay applications, typically as you progress through the job.
- They approve it, they would go through a normal process, and then you would pay out their retainage.
- They've withheld 5%, or if we've dropped to 2.5% or whatever, and then you file a pay application for
- If we don't have, or if we get paid the money, for my company, we're paying our money out, right?
Summary:
The committee held an interim study on retainage in public construction projects, with representatives from the Associated General Contractors of Oklahoma, the Subcontractors Association of Oklahoma, and construction firms discussing how retainage works and whether current law should be changed. AGC speakers said retainage is a statutory tool that helps ensure completion and closeout, and warned that eliminating it could create more problems by shifting leverage to owners or general contractors and leaving contractors with fewer remedies. Subcontractor representatives said retainage often functions as delayed profit, can tie up cash flow for one to two years, and can be especially burdensome for early-phase trades such as dirt work, concrete, and demolition.
Several participants explained that retainage is typically withheld from monthly progress payments and paid at final closeout, with current law generally allowing retainage to drop from 5% to 2.5% after 50% completion on public projects. Subcontractors said that in practice they often still have to fight to get the reduced rate applied, and that some owners or construction managers do not follow the statute consistently. They also noted that bonding companies are a last resort but still an important enforcement tool, while AGC cautioned that bond claims and litigation are not ideal substitutes for a workable retainage process.
The discussion focused on possible benchmarks or compromise approaches, including line-item or trade-specific release of retainage when work is complete, especially for demolition or other early-finish subcontractors. Committee members emphasized that owner, GC/CM, and subcontractor issues may need different solutions and that the study was intended to gather perspectives rather than produce immediate legislation. No vote was taken, and no formal action was announced.
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board (10-22-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- would pay.
- would pay.
- would pay.
- would pay.
- pay.
Summary:
The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board meeting began with a roll call and approval of the October 7 meeting minutes. The chair then reordered the agenda to hear the item on Medicaid reimbursement rates and network adequacy first because of scheduling issues. Dr. Steve Robertson of the Kentucky Dental Association was sworn in and testified at length about Kentucky’s dental Medicaid program, arguing that reimbursement rates are unsustainably low, have been largely flat for decades, and are often below the cost of providing care. He said Kentucky ranks near the bottom nationally in oral health, dental Medicaid rates are often 60% or less of commercial rates, and the program’s share of the Medicaid budget has effectively remained around 2% despite growth in enrollment and services.
Dr. Robertson said the low rates are contributing to provider losses, rural access gaps, longer wait times, dental deserts, and greater use of emergency rooms for preventable dental problems. He cited examples of office costs exceeding reimbursement for basic procedures, noted that many dentists are small private businesses, and said the state is struggling to recruit and retain dentists because of low payment levels and high student debt. He also pointed to disparities with neighboring states and said recent increases in some oral surgery and cleaning codes were not enough to address the broader problem. His recommendations included completing the rebasing study, increasing dental reimbursement in the upcoming budget, tying future reviews to inflation and cost data, aligning benchmarks, and prioritizing preventive and restorative care to improve workforce stability and access.
Board members asked about the size of the needed increase, the effect of private insurance on dental practice finances, and what a new dentist might expect to earn. Dr. Robertson said the association is working on an appropriations request and that private insurance pressures are part of the problem as well, since many plans are HMOs or PPOs with limited provider control over rates. He also said the association can no longer conduct reimbursement surveys because of FTC restrictions, but would try to obtain current ADA data. In response to questions about the future of the program, he warned that without significant changes it could become unsustainable and cited Ohio and Missouri as examples where higher reimbursement improved provider participation and access.
The board then heard from Mr. Bowman of Baldwin Consulting, who discussed outpatient behavioral health providers, including ABA therapy and mental health/substance use disorder services. He said these providers face similar issues of rising costs, flat reimbursement, and access problems. He reviewed Kentucky’s network adequacy standards, including travel-time standards, 30-day appointment limits, and newer federal requirements that will require services within 10 business days by 2029. He said wait times for outpatient behavioral health, especially children’s services and ABA, have grown substantially, sometimes to more than a year, and emphasized that the Medicaid department must enforce these standards.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Executive Departments and Administration (02/05/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> so and thank you and they wouldn't pay so and thank you and they wouldn't pay us<00:44:45.400><c
- have to pay him a pension<03:20:10.800><c> pay</c><03:20:11.160><c> pay</c><03:20:11.399><c> pension
- </c><03:20:11.760><c> contributions</c> pension pay pay pension contributions pension pay pay pension
- c> for</c><03:35:51.840><c> the</c> your local bar is paying a bill for the your local bar is paying
- </c><04:04:10.080><c> down</c> replaced with $50 million to pay down replaced with $50 million to pay
Summary:
The committee first heard House Bill 180, which concerns critical incident stress management teams. Representative Mark PR, the bill sponsor, proposed an amendment to add a definition of “team leader” and to clarify that teams may or may not be affiliated with a municipality. He argued that a certification test offered by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation is unnecessary and too expensive at $400, since team members are volunteers who already receive training and continuing education. Committee members asked about the training structure and certification language, and the sponsor explained that the teams are self-certified and that the amendment was intended to clean up the bill’s language.
The committee then voted on HB 180 in executive session. Amendment 0261H was adopted 11-0, and the bill was then moved as amended and passed 11-0. The committee placed the bill on consent.
Later, the committee heard House Bill 438, sponsored by Representative Timothy Horan, dealing with immigration detention and related state policy. Horan described the bill as an update to earlier legislation and said it would codify best practices, prohibit state cooperation with mass deportation efforts, bar for-profit operation of immigration detention facilities, and require Executive Council approval before the governor could deploy the National Guard for immigration deportation activities. Committee members questioned whether the bill could be read as authorizing detention facilities and discussed the relationship between the state and Strafford County Jail. An amendment presented on behalf of Representative Patrick Long was described as a technical rewrite that removed several sections and changed language, but the hearing ended before any vote was taken on HB 438.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
- But the part is, I don't want to pay for it.
- And we can leverage federal funds to pay off the new bonds. bonds.
- They're still paying those debts in D.O.T.
- If we gain revenue, if we can, we can't pay out bonding earlier.
- We're still paying for 550. We're still paying for the Rail Runner.
Bills:
SB2
Keywords:
SB 2, State Highway Project Bonds, highway funding, transportation bonds, state road fund, motor vehicle fees, vehicle registration fees, electric vehicle fee, EV surcharge, plug-in hybrid fee, weight distance tax, road construction, infrastructure financing, Department of Transportation, State Transportation Commission, bonding authority, county road funds, municipal road funds, transportation improvement program, state highways
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
House - Appropriations and Finance Jan 13th, 2026 at 01:31 pm
House Appropriations & Finance
Transcript Highlights:
- We have our staff entering into Our agency at the very bottom of the pay scale.
- That's one reason I'm asking for the pay increases.
- If I'm paying them, they have to stay with me for at least three years or they have to pay it back.
- What we were paying out significantly in those IFRAs.
- They'll pay them more because they have a larger funding mechanism than we do.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Banking and Insurance Mar 31st, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- We're paying the IOTA program 165 basis points.
- Thanks for paying 200 basis points.
- Thanks for paying 1.0, 9, 2%, 192 basis points.
- The bottom line is in 20 of 6.27, thanks for paying 16 times more than they were paying with the same
- are supposed to pay.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- First, insurers are paying more in claims costs because of inflation.
- And not just what are you paying for it.
- It has to do with do you pay your bills on time.
- up reserves to pay claim payments.
- If we know anything about insurances, how much you collect versus what you pay off or pay out plus your
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Commerce and Consumer Affairs (04/16/2026)
Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> commercial insurers not paying. Right? commercial insurers not paying. Right?
- </c> that they need or paying their bills. that they need or paying their bills.
- Families are already paying premiums, and they deserve to get the care that they pay for.
- </c> care that they they pay for. care that they they pay for.
- </c> is yes, and she has to pay them. is yes, and she has to pay them.
Summary:
The committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 562, which would create a home damage mitigation and resilience grant program aimed at helping homeowners make property improvements that could reduce insurance costs and non-renewals. Commissioner DJ Bettencourt of the New Hampshire Insurance Department explained that the program is modeled in part on Alabama’s safer homes program, but tailored for New Hampshire hazards such as floods, microbursts, heavy snow, ice, and falling trees. He said the grants would be limited to primary residences, subject to a means test, capped at $10,000, and intended to help homeowners make targeted improvements such as roof fortification or tree removal that could improve underwriting outcomes and lead to premium discounts.
Bettencourt said the program would not use state taxpayer funds and would instead rely on philanthropic donations, possible federal or regional housing-bank funding, and other outside sources. He said the department would not need new staff, and that a current position could be reconfigured to help administer the program part-time. Committee members asked about the funding language, the meaning of “loans” in the bill, whether there were any other states using a similar no-state-funds model, and how many homeowners could be helped. Bettencourt said Rhode Island and Connecticut were moving forward in a similar way, and that the number of beneficiaries would depend on how much money is raised.
Members also questioned how the grant program would actually lower premiums, whether savings would apply only to participants or more broadly, and how the IBHS evaluation process would work. Bettencourt and department staff said the direct benefit would be to the homeowner whose property is improved, though neighbors could also benefit in some cases. They explained that IBHS is a building-safety organization that certifies contractors and inspectors and that its standards can qualify homes for insurer discounts. Questions were also raised about confidentiality provisions, first-come-first-served grant awards, rollover of unused applications, and possible tax treatment of donations. The sponsor said those details would be addressed through rulemaking or existing tax rules, and no vote was taken during the hearing.
WY
Wyoming 2026 Regular Session
House Floor Session-Day 7, February 17, 2026-PM
Wyoming House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- But maybe if we pay what the others are paying, prevailing wage, we could hire these people.
- But maybe if we pay what the others are paying, prevailing wage, we could hire these people.
- It is way beyond normal pay, way beyond even industry pay. We pay way beyond even industry pay.
- </c><02:50:49.920><c> Uh</c><02:50:50.399><c> we</c> pay way beyond even industry pay.
- Uh we pay way beyond even industry pay.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Cmte on Rules - Subcommittee on the Federal Impact on Minnesotans and Economic Stability - 12/18/25
Transcript Highlights:
- And when they do, someone has to pay for that. We all pay for it.
- </c> for their education will end up paying for their education will end up paying more<00:42:45.920>
- to buy now, pay later to pay off another debt.
- </c><01:02:45.680><c> I</c> didn't pay myself for four months. I didn't pay myself for four months.
- </c> enough funds to pay pay for all their enough funds to pay pay for all their operating<01:31:38.960