Transcript Highlights:

• Priority and integrity, and we need to make sure that that is not done lightly and it is not done with
• And that would be a priority to ensure that we understand who the House members are, enough for them
• And it must publish the number of individuals in each priority category by county of residence.
• And as it expands, that is going to be a priority going forward to make sure that enrollees are able
• They came up with a whole list of priorities after they researched the issue.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including interns, Denim Day awareness, a resolution honoring Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and a remembrance of former Senator Karen Johnson Gendron. The chamber then moved to special order bills. CS/HB 687 on transportation offenses involving death was substituted for SB 138, amended to add warnings and penalties for refusal of breath or urine tests, and passed 37-0. CS/SB 306 on Medicaid providers, requiring broader after-hours access and network availability for Medicaid enrollees, also passed 37-0. The Senate then took up CS/CS/HB 913 on condominium associations, a major post-Surfside reform bill. Senator Bradley explained that the measure was intended to provide financial relief and flexibility while preserving safety and accountability. The bill was substituted for SB 1742, amended several times to limit milestone inspections and structural integrity reserve studies to buildings three habitable stories or more, and then passed 37-0 after extensive debate. Senators from both parties praised Bradley, Pizzo, Garcia, and staff for years of work on condo safety and affordability, with several members describing the bill as a balance between protecting residents and avoiding financial hardship. The final major item was CS/HB 1205, the bill on amendments to the state constitution and citizen petition drives. Sponsors Gates and Grohl argued the bill was needed to combat fraud, identity theft, and misuse in the petition process, citing a lengthy Office of Election Crimes and Security report. The House bill was substituted for SB 7016, and the chamber considered a long series of amendments and substitute amendments addressing petition circulator registration, volunteer participation, submission deadlines, invalid-signature thresholds, voter notification, and fiscal impact statements. Several amendments were adopted, while others were debated over whether they would protect access to the citizen initiative process or strengthen election integrity. The transcript ends during debate on the main substitute amendment, before final disposition on the bill is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Identified links between the project implementation process and the priorities identified in the plan
• purposes as they relate to the goals in the state multimodal transportation plan and investment priority
• Identified links between the project implementation process and the priorities identified in the plan
• later in the bill. project implementation process and the project implementation process and the priorities
• identified in the plan and priorities identified in the plan and the<01:39:21.199> scoping<01

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 34 aligns our financial strategy with national security priorities in Texas. values.
• While national security must remain a top priority.
• While protecting our national security interests should absolutely be a priority for our legislature,
• Priorities Committee with Jerry Fischer. This is a priority for the Texas party.
• HB 17 makes clear that racial equality is not a priority in Texas.

Bills: HB17, HB34, HB41, HB 118, HB 119, HB 127, HB 128, HB 129, HB 130, HB132, HB133, HB17, HB41, HB118, HB119, HB127, HB128, HB129, HB130, HB132, HB133

Keywords: foreign ownership, real estate, national security, designated countries, Texas property law, lobbying, foreign adversaries, compensation prohibition, transparency, civil penalties, higher education, foreign adversary, research security, trade secrets, academic partnerships, HB 128, sister city, sister-city agreement, international exchange, municipal diplomacy

Transcript Highlights:

• We hope to join you again to talk about our association's priorities, which focus on cost-effective technology
• Our state budget should reflect our values and priorities.
• 47:15.639> and budget should reflect our values and budget should reflect our values and priorities
• cutting<01:47:17.080> funding<01:47:17.400> for<01:47:17.599> long-term priorities
• cutting funding for long-term priorities cutting funding for long-term care<01:47:18.400> disregards

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 53:29.440> our in additionally as we look at um our in additionally as we look at um our priorities
• you're going to see that priorities you're going to see that you're<00:53:31.200> going<00:53
• Is it a priority need?
• <01:10:16.440> need<01:10:16.840> is in the budget is it a priority need is in the
• budget is it a priority need is it<01:10:17.280> what<01:10:17.440> is<01:10:17.560>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: House Finance Division III held an informational hearing with the Department of Health and Human Services focused on child and family services, children’s behavioral health, DCF, juvenile justice, and adult mental health. Before the presentation, members discussed scheduling a future site visit to Waypoint, including possible dates, mileage reimbursement logistics, and whether to reschedule the department’s developmental disabilities and healthy aging presentation because the associate commissioner was out sick. The department then outlined that it would concentrate on children’s behavioral health, DCF residential care and the Sununu Youth Services Center/YDC new build, and adult mental health, while noting the broader DHHS structure and the value of keeping related services under one leadership. The department emphasized an integrated “system of care” approach and said it was trying to shift resources toward earlier, lower-intensity interventions rather than relying mainly on high-cost residential and acute services. It cited youth risk data showing roughly four in ten New Hampshire high school students feeling sad or hopeless and about one in five considering suicide in the past year, and said these trends worsened during the pandemic, peaking in 2021 and easing somewhat by 2023. Members asked how New Hampshire compared with neighboring states and about pre-COVID trends; the department said it would follow up with more exact data. The presentation also described a long-term policy effort beginning with federal funding in 2012, the state’s 10-year mental health plan, and later legislation aimed at strengthening children’s behavioral health and transforming juvenile justice so that youth with behavioral health needs are not routed into punitive systems first. Members raised questions about out-of-state residential placement oversight and the statutory basis for inspections and follow-up. The department said the General Court had funded more “boots on the ground” oversight, in coordination with the Office of the Child Advocate, and agreed to provide a longer follow-up presentation on that topic after the governor’s budget is released. The department also described evidence-based prevention efforts, including home visiting programs such as Healthy Families America and a DCF-connected home visiting cohort for families already touching the child welfare system, as examples of trying to keep children out of deeper system involvement.

Transcript Highlights:

• First, it caps the program at 10,000 students, but allows certain priority groups to still be accepted
• groups um who are given those priority groups um who are given um um um the<05:09:22.798> the
• <05:23:26.240> Uh The second category we would like guidance on would be priority groups.
• Would this be pausing priority groups or only students outside of priority groups?
• <05:23:50.320> There's for priority group areas. There's for priority group areas.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• now we are just in the work of balancing the budget, and we all have different perspectives and priorities

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This will be a priority in the new Congress.

Transcript Highlights:

• That money is going to be used for buildings, so there's not a priority or parallel discussion of what
• No, this is critical because this plan is going ahead, and if you're saying that priority of care for
• that in mind, I respectfully recommend that the Commission prioritize resources and a couple of priorities
• long past time to change course, follow the evidence and the data, and reform our laws and budget priorities
• incarceration would allow us to fully implement criminal justice reforms and shift our spending priorities

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission on correctional consolidation and collaboration heard testimony focused on how Massachusetts uses custody levels, staffing, programming, and medical release tools, with Prisoners’ Legal Services arguing that the system is overusing expensive high-security settings and underusing step-down options. Dave Rainey said the incarcerated population has dropped substantially over the last several years, but spending and staffing have not fallen in proportion. He argued that DOC overclassifies people into medium and maximum security, relies too heavily on behavioral assessment units that function like segregation, and keeps people in restrictive settings such as Souza-Baranowski and Shattuck Hospital longer than necessary. He also said medical parole is underused and that many people with serious chronic illness or advanced age pose little public-safety risk and should be released through existing legal pathways. Sheriffs and other commission members pushed back on some of those points, emphasizing that staffing needs are driven by the acuity of the current population, that corrections is not overstaffed, and that classification decisions involve serious public-safety judgments. They also stressed that some high-cost medical placements are necessary because people remain under sentence and require care, and that furloughs and other release tools can create security risks if contraband or substance use is involved. The discussion also covered the role of county sheriffs versus DOC in reentry, with several members saying county systems tend to do more day-to-day step-down and release planning, while DOC has more difficulty moving people through lower-security settings before release. Ben Foreman of MassINC offered a more systemwide, data-focused perspective, praising the state’s transparency and arguing that Massachusetts has made major progress in reducing incarceration and increasing public safety. He said the state still has an opportunity to improve by right-sizing facilities, investing in community-based mental health treatment, and using the commission to better understand the capital and operating costs of the current system. In response to questions, he said he was aware of DOC studies on programs like furlough but had not reviewed recent ones, and he noted that total-control facilities like Souza-Baranowski have long been criticized in the research literature for poor outcomes. Nora Wassel of the Women and Incarceration Project then testified that the commission should issue an interim report and scrutinize the planned new women’s prison, which she said is not justified by current population trends or available data. She argued that women are overclassified under DOC’s own tools, that reentry beds and minimum-security placements are underused, and that the system may be failing to account for women’s distinct medical and reentry needs. The meeting ended with continued discussion of reentry, furloughs, day reporting, and whether consolidation should mean fewer facilities, better step-down pathways, or both.

Transcript Highlights:

• And Senator Omar Fateh has a priority registration for pregnant and parenting students legislation.
• Uh and Senator Omar Fateh has uh a<01:19:13.120> priority<01:19:13.480> registration<01
• :19:14.000> for<01:19:14.160> pregnant<01:19:14.520> and a priority registration
• for pregnant and a priority registration for pregnant and parenting<01:19:15.040> students parenting
• Uh, more than anything else, our highest priority was addressing the state grant program.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But what we're saying as a legislature is the classroom is the priority and we've selected the amount
• 27:48.760> the a legislature is the classroom is the a legislature is the classroom is the priority
• we've<00:27:50.120> selected<00:27:50.600> the<00:27:50.680> amount priority
• and we've selected the amount priority and we've selected the amount of<00:27:51.000> money,<
• And I think that's the point is when we look at education, the first priority is that classroom for teachers

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Association, which represents public, academic, school, and special libraries, what their highest priority
• Uh, and we have used that authority to institute a priority deadline of June 1st, 2026 for students to
• Uh, and we have used that authority to institute a priority deadline of June 1st, 2026 for students to
• in the face of a $240 million deficit in the program, this committee made the program their top priority
• in the face of a $240 million deficit in the program, this committee made the program their top priority

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First, I want to thank all of you for making Alzheimer's and dementia a priority in our state.
• Different rules, different priorities, different asset tests, different things.
• Different rules, different priorities, different asset tests, different things.
• :20] Douglas continued that supporting military family readiness and economic stability is a top priority
• Supporting military family readiness and economic stability is a top priority for the department.

Bills: HB2190, HB2202, HB2233, HB2251, HB2252, HB2396, HB2437, HB2689, HB2796

Keywords: physician assistants, licensure compact, medical services, multistate practice, patient care access, healthcare workforce, military families, adverse actions, dementia care, telementoring, healthcare education, rural communities, grant funding, HB 2233, rural health transformation, rural health transformation program, AHCCCS, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Joint Legislative Budget Committee, JLBC

Summary: The committee began with a presentation from the Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter and Dr. Anna Burke of Barrow Neurological Institute on the scope of Alzheimer’s disease, the shortage of specialists, low rates of timely diagnosis, and the need for caregiver support and early intervention. Speakers emphasized that Arizona is a leader in Alzheimer’s research and that lifestyle changes, new therapies, and research funding offer hope, but only if patients are diagnosed earlier and providers are better trained. The committee then heard House Bill 2202, which would appropriate $300,000 over three years for a dementia care telemonitoring/telementoring grant program through the Department of Health Services to help providers statewide learn best practices in dementia care. Supporters, including the Alzheimer’s Association, Dr. Danny Cabral, and a patient advocate, said the bill would address major gaps in provider training and improve early diagnosis and treatment. There was no opposition, and the committee voted 11-0 to give HB 2202 a do pass recommendation. The committee next took up House Bill 2251, the “Jordan and MacTerry Act,” which would expand licensed midwives’ authority to administer certain medications, require liability insurance disclosure and reporting, and create an Arizona Midwifery Advisory Committee. Supporters said the bill would improve safety, oversight, and access to emergency medications in home births, while opponents from ACOG and the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association raised concerns about the adequacy of oversight, the medication list, and whether eight hours of pharmacology training is sufficient. After testimony from midwives, physicians, and stakeholders, the bill was held for further stakeholder work and anticipated floor amendments. House Bill 2252, which would allow certified nurse midwives, certified professional midwives, or licensed midwives to accompany a patient in a ground ambulance during transport if approved by medical direction, also drew support and opposition. Supporters argued it would preserve continuity of care in emergencies, while firefighters and EMS representatives objected to ambiguity and scene control concerns. That bill was likewise held for further stakeholder meetings. The committee then recessed and reconvened for later presentations on federal budget and health-related topics.

Transcript Highlights:

• talk about product and as we talk about the tools you need to be successful, we look at our five priority
• <00:04:00.959> at<00:04:01.120> our<00:04:01.360> five<00:04:01.680> priority
• successful, we look at our five priority successful, we look at our five priority sectors<00:04:
• states, you know, back to Illinois, they've got a $400 million, what they call, funding for high priority

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee received an update from Secretary Jeff Noel of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, joined by Matt Wingate and Terry Bradshaw of the Kentucky Association of Economic Developers, on the Kentucky Product Development Initiative (KPDI) and the closing fund. The presentation focused on how KPDI helps communities develop shovel-ready industrial sites by funding infrastructure, engineering, geotechnical work, and other site-preparation costs. Noel emphasized that the program is designed to reduce uncertainty for companies, improve speed to market, and support statewide job creation and investment, especially in rural and eastern Kentucky where development costs are often higher. Testimony highlighted the complexity and expense of preparing sites, with examples of road, water, power, and rock-removal costs, and the importance of third-party evaluation in scoring applications. Noel said the program has 116 total projects statewide, with 20 active projects stemming from pilot efforts and 35 projects already resulting in about 6,381 jobs and $4.4 billion in investment. He cited examples including Crown Holdings, Flash Metals, Phoenix Paper, Pratt Paper, AESC, Sound Elements, Kitchen Foods, Latte, Krueger, Biomass, and Anna Munsman. Bradshaw added that even communities that have not yet landed a project have benefited by building spec buildings or improving access to industrial property. The speakers said the last KPDI round drew $81 million in requests but only $35 million in available funding, and they urged lawmakers to consider whether additional funding or program adjustments are needed. Suggested changes included modestly increasing eligibility or funding flexibility for rural and eastern Kentucky, while maintaining third-party performance metrics, and continuing to prioritize finishing existing parks and creating strong regional sites. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, that became one of their top priorities.
• Um that became one of<00:54:45.760> their<00:54:45.920> top<00:54:46.160> priorities
• of their top priorities. of their top priorities.
• And then the third, below the third priority of the Senate, based on their public hearing, was adding

Keywords: LBA Briefing on Budget, 928, house, all

Summary: The presentation was an LBA overview of Senate changes to the House-passed state budget, with Michael Kane explaining how Senate Finance updated revenue and spending estimates after April revenue figures and agency discussions. He said the Senate’s revenue outlook was higher than the House’s in some areas, but lower in others, especially video lottery terminal revenue, and that the biggest differences also came from changes to revenue splits between the general fund and education trust fund, lapse estimates, and several policy changes in House Bill 1 and House Bill 2. Kane highlighted several major revenue and policy differences: the Senate changed the business tax, tobacco tax, and real estate transfer tax splits; adjusted liquor revenue dedication; removed the House’s meals-and-rooms distribution cap; delayed the Lakes Region facility proceeds plan; altered the PECARD fund treatment; added a granite patron of the arts tax credit; and changed the treatment of unique funds and video lottery terminal revenue. On spending, he noted Senate changes to judicial, corrections, HHS, human rights commission, and other budgets, including additional settlement costs, higher lapse assumptions, and a different approach to Medicaid premium revenue and retirement savings. He also described Senate additions such as a nursing home bed fee, Hampstead Hospital transition funding, and changes to the YDC claims settlement fund. The presentation focused on comparing House and Senate surplus statements across fiscal years 2025 through 2027, including projected ending balances and rainy day fund transfers. Kane repeatedly emphasized that the numbers were still dependent on final revenues and lapse amounts, and that some balances would be carried forward and trued up later in the biennium. No committee vote or final action was described in the excerpt; it was an informational budget briefing and comparison of the two chambers’ proposals.

Transcript Highlights:

• That became one of their top priorities.
• And then the third below the third priority of the Senate, based on their public hearing, was adding
• 01:15:22.480> third And then the third below the third And then the third below the third priority
• 23.840> Senate<01:15:24.239> based<01:15:24.400> on<01:15:24.560> their priority
• of the Senate based on their priority of the Senate based on their public<01:15:25.040> hearing

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Summary: The Legislative Budget Assistant staff presented an overview of the Senate changes to the House-passed budget, focusing on revenue estimates, appropriations, and ending balances across the general fund and education trust fund. The presentation emphasized that the Senate’s budget reflected higher revenue assumptions than the House, driven in part by updated April revenue figures, changes to business, tobacco, and real estate transfer tax splits, and different assumptions about video lottery terminal revenue. The Senate also adjusted lapse estimates upward, especially for HHS, after receiving updated information that lapses could be much larger than originally assumed. The presenter walked through the major differences in the surplus statements for fiscal years 2025 through 2027. Compared with the House, the Senate budget generally showed higher revenues, lower or different appropriations in some areas, and larger balances carried forward, including a larger education trust fund balance and a different rainy day fund transfer. The Senate’s approach also changed several policy assumptions, such as maintaining liquor revenue dedication, removing the House’s meals-and-rooms distribution cap, changing the treatment of unique revenue, and altering the process for meeting a targeted revenue amount by giving the governor more flexibility. On the appropriations side, the Senate removed or modified several House reductions and added funding or adjustments in areas including the judicial branch, corrections, HHS, the Human Rights Commission, and certain settlement costs. The presenter also highlighted Senate changes in House Bill 2 and related budget provisions, including a new arts tax credit, a nursing home bed fee, changes to Medicaid premium assumptions, and differences in how motor vehicle inspection repeal and BLT-related revenue are handled. No votes were taken in the portion shown; the discussion was informational and comparative, aimed at explaining the Senate budget changes before conference committee negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• If this is such a huge priority for the Republican House caucus and such a huge priority for the business
• <00:26:17.919> such<00:26:18.159> a<00:26:18.400> huge<00:26:18.720> priority
• <00:26:19.200> for<00:26:19.440> the If this is such a huge priority for the Republican
• House caucus and such a huge priority for the business partnership, you should have known when your

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Protection and Water Management District must determine the mitigation service areas, and provides that priority
• Priority must be given to mitigation banks whose permitted service areas are fully, including the impact
• The differences are within the priority set.
• Within the House bill, they have reduced the priority set from 65% state median income and 55%...
• They have reduced the priority set from 65% state median income and 55% state median income to 50% state

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and heard several member introductions before taking up the special order calendar. The chamber first postponed CS/SB 80 on state land management, then moved through a series of bills, often substituting House companions when identical or nearly identical. Early actions included unanimous passage of HB 295 on a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan, which directs DEP to develop a recycling and waste-diversion roadmap, and passage of CS/CS/SB 492 on land development and mitigation banking after amendments addressing out-of-service credits and former phosphate mine lands; that bill passed 35-3 after debate over possible constitutional concerns. The Senate also passed HB 255 on aggravated animal cruelty, adding a sentencing multiplier and a searchable FDLE database of convicted animal abusers, and HB 711 establishing the Spectrum Alert for missing children with autism, with $190,000 in nonrecurring implementation funds and a July 1, 2026 implementation date. The chamber then approved HB 1089 to add Duchenne muscular dystrophy to newborn screening, and HB 393 revising the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program to expand eligible mitigation projects, lower the approval threshold, and clarify ownership and reimbursement issues. Members discussed funding levels and whether insurance premium credits would be required, but the bill passed unanimously. The Senate also passed HB 1145 on workforce education, HB 827 on a statewide study of automation and workforce impact, and HB 181 on parole guidelines, all without recorded opposition. CS/CS/SB 976 on court-appointed psychologists also passed unanimously, as did HB 1451 on sexual cyber harassment, which broadened protections against non-consensual and digitally forged intimate images. Later, the Senate approved HB 1156 creating the Home Health Aid for Medically Fragile Children Program, after clarifying training requirements and hearing support that the measure would help families keep medically fragile children at home while compensating trained parents. The chamber also passed HB 1091 on substance abuse and mental health care, with an amendment allowing designated facilities to retain stabilized patients who still meet involuntary examination criteria. Throughout the day, senators used questions and debate to probe charter school governance in CS/CS/SB 822, which was substituted with HB 443 and amended to expand charter autonomy over conduct codes, enrollment, reporting, and facility use while maintaining sponsor oversight; that bill was placed on the calendar for third reading rather than voted on in the excerpt. Several other measures, including SB 716, SB 76, and the final SB 1252 item, were postponed or not reached before the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• So that would be a priority on this program.
• So that would be a priority on this program. Senator Draheim, thank you so much for that overview.
• So that would be a priority on this program.
• So that would be a priority on this program. Senator Draheim, thank you so much for that overview.
• So that would be a priority on this program. Senator Draheim, thank you so much for that overview.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We feel that this bill is so important because it emphasizes the Legislature's priority to reduce the
• to carry out such functions of the primary agency and to set common goals as well as legislative priorities
• C to set common goals as well as C to set common goals as well as legislative<00:51:59.720> priorities
• <00:52:00.599> and<00:52:00.799> community legislative priorities and community legislative
• priorities and community outreach<00:52:01.720> ideas<00:52:02.079> to<00:52:02.280>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several measures related to housing, homelessness, caregiving, and tax relief. On HB 431, which appropriates funds for the CAL initiative and HHFDC, the Department of Human Services supported the bill and noted the Governor’s request for $50 million per year for HMS, the need for more permanent supportive housing, and a technical issue with establishing a special fund in session law. The Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions strongly supported the measure, describing it as unprecedented funding for CAL projects and linking it to goals of reducing homelessness and expanding housing inventory. Catholic Charities Hawaii, the ACLU of Hawaii, and the Reimagining Public Safety in Hawaii Coalition also supported the bill, emphasizing permanent supportive housing, diversion from jail, and public safety benefits. The chair redirected one testifier to stay on the measure when testimony drifted to another program. Written support was also noted from several organizations and agencies. The committee then heard HB 225 on squatting. DHS said it appreciated the intent and deferred to the Attorney General and task force members, while noting that outreach on public lands differs from private land, where owner consent is required. The Office of the Public Defender supported the bill and wanted a voice in finding a solution. The Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions also said it supported the intent, while opposition from the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands and support from one individual were noted. For HB 280, which would make the community outreach court permanent and appropriate funds, the Judiciary strongly supported the bill, describing the court as a mobile, community-based program serving vulnerable populations and connecting participants to services. The Office of the Public Defender also supported the measure, saying the program has helped people move off the streets and into stable housing and that permanent funding would allow expansion. Written support from the Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition was noted. The committee then moved to HB 71, creating a refundable family caregiver tax credit, where the Department of Taxation provided comments, the Executive Office on Aging and AARP Hawaii supported the measure, and the Tax Foundation of Hawaii raised concerns about duplication with an existing dependent care credit and the lack of incentives for cost control. The committee next heard HB 753, which would increase the applicable percentage for the household and dependent care services tax credit. Support came from the Executive Office on Aging, Catholic Charities Hawaii, AARP Hawaii, and Hawaii Children’s Action Network, while the Tax Foundation again raised technical concerns about complexity and administration but noted the bill adds guardrails against abuse. No votes were taken during the portion of the hearing provided.