Transcript Highlights:

• It spent more money than the premiums that took in. Correct. Mr. Chairman.
• And will the premium increases be $7,000 a year? What would cost them $7,000 a year? Mr.
• So you are correct, ma'am: it is all premiums are based on the fiscal year of January 1st.
• And increasing employee premiums. We know we don't pay our state employees enough.
• And increasing employee premiums, we know we don't pay our state employees enough.

Bills: HB4138 , HB4139 , HB4140 , HB4141 , HB4142 , HB4143 , HB4144 , HB4145 , HB4146 , HB4147 , HB4148 , HB4149 , HB4150 , HB4151 , HB4152 , HB4153 , SB1831 , SB1832 , SB1833 , SB1834 , SB1835 , SB1836 , SB1837 , SB1838 , SB1839 , SB1840 , SB1841 , SB1842 , SB1843 , SB1844 , SB1845 , SB1846

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: appropriations, education funding, health care, general fund, state budget, local funding, gaming, pari-mutuel, horse racing, regulatory assessment, first-time starters, budget implementation, federal funds, government services, budget stabilization, financial reporting, capital outlay, infrastructure, veterans services, highway construction

Transcript Highlights:

• understood when we saw HR1 implemented, people that maybe weren't directly affected by those programs saw premium
• I currently pay 25% of my premiums for far better coverages and much lower deductibles.

Bills: HB2720 , HB2073 , HB2681 , SB5467 , SB5820 , SB5863 , SB5892 , SCR8406 , HB2487 , HB2711 , SB5816 , SB5919 , SB5995 , SB6278

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, cannabis, license fees, regulatory framework, revenue generation, legalization, SB 5467, water-sewer district, water sewer district, surplus property, public property sale, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• This is funding health insurance premium assistance. The original bill was not heard.
• and 1% of the annual premium on premium in excess of $150 million.
• Premiums have more than doubled in the last decade alone.
• This proposal builds on that progress by providing more funds for premium assistance.
• insurer paying the premium tax and is limited to the revenue on which the premium tax was paid; businesses

Bills: SB5808 , HB2254 , HB2385 , SB6006 , SB6351 , SB6198 , SB6260 , SB6353 , SB5949 , SB6129 , SB6228 , SB6231 , SB6229 , SB6173

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: health insurance, premium assistance, funding, healthcare access, state budget, HB 2254, Washington, Health Care Authority, partnership access line, psychiatric consultation line, first approach skills training, behavioral health, mental health, assessment, administrative costs, health carriers, self-funded plans, multiple employer welfare arrangement, MEWA, employers

Bills: HB63 , HB64 , HB184 , HB200 , HB47 , HB48 , HB2 , HB9

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: water project fund, New Mexico Finance Authority, NMFA, Water Trust Board, water infrastructure, wastewater, drinking water, flood prevention, watershed restoration, water storage, conveyance, delivery, water treatment, recycling, reuse, municipal infrastructure, local government finance, capital outlay, grants, loans

Transcript Highlights:

• These are for—they bring in premium revenue, which can change from their forecast on how many people
• are going to be paying the premiums.
• Many people are going to be paying the premiums.
• State health benefits, just like retiree and NIMASIA, if the premiums come in higher and the costs are
• If the premiums come in higher and the costs are higher, they can adjust their budget accordingly.

Bills: HB63 , HB64 , HB184 , HB200 , HB47 , HB48 , HB2 , HB9

Committees: Senate Senate Finance , Senate House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: water project fund, New Mexico Finance Authority, NMFA, Water Trust Board, water infrastructure, wastewater, drinking water, flood prevention, watershed restoration, water storage, conveyance, delivery, water treatment, recycling, reuse, municipal infrastructure, local government finance, capital outlay, grants, loans

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:22:07.520><c> subsidy</c> of them will be on the premium subsidy of them will be on the premium
• And so, the the 20% premium subsidy.
• </c> premium. Am I right? premium. Am I right? Um,<01:00:19.359><c> Mr.
• If you're going to have a premium<01:55:17.199><c> of</c> premium of premium of $1,000<01:55:18.880><
• </c><01:56:38.159><c> is</c> the difference in how the premium is the difference in how the premium is

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a premium-price product.
• It's a premium price product.
• This goal is not realized by mandated adoption of a premium technology that is limited in supply, This
• goal is not realized by mandating adoption of a premium technology that is limited in supply and not
• I would also encourage you not to discount non-financial approaches.

Summary: The commission met for its fourth hearing on emerging firearm technology, focused on personalized firearms and related privacy issues. Co-chairs noted the commission’s charge to study personalized firearm incentives, risks from digital manufacturing codes and AI, and the costs of requiring personalized firearm and microstamp technologies, and said the report deadline is being extended to July 31. They also announced the next public hearing for April 17 at 11:00 a.m., limited to Massachusetts residents. The first witness, Kai Kloepfer of Biofire, described the company’s personalized 9mm smart gun and argued it is designed to prevent unauthorized use through biometric authentication, local encrypted data storage, no wireless connectivity, and automatic disarming when released. He said Biofire opposes any mandate requiring personalized firearms, calling such mandates a de facto gun ban that would stifle innovation, limit consumer choice, and burden a still-developing market. He said the company has a patent portfolio, has received thousands of pre-orders, is shipping in all 50 states, and is approved for sale in Massachusetts; he also said the gun costs about $1,500, is currently sold online, and is intended mainly for home defense. Members questioned him about sales, manufacturing, battery life, repairability, transfer of ownership, possible expansion to other firearms, and whether microstamping could be incorporated. A Massachusetts firearms roster official, Michaela Dunn, explained the state’s testing and approval process for handguns and confirmed that the Biofire firearm is now on the Massachusetts roster and commercially available for retail sale in the state. Kate Crockford of the ACLU of Massachusetts testified only on facial recognition, warning that commercially available systems show significant demographic bias and that Massachusetts lacks comprehensive biometric privacy protections. She urged passage of pending data privacy and biometric privacy bills, including the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act and related measures, before any broader use of biometric verification in firearm laws. Commissioners discussed privacy concerns, and Biofire said its system is zero-knowledge and would likely comply with stronger biometric privacy laws. No votes were taken and no formal action was reported beyond the scheduling announcement and the extension effort.

Transcript Highlights:

• This also includes risk management premiums, legal fees, IT system management, and other general overhead
• In addition, we offer them a 40% discount.
• So whenever the bill is paid in full, we provide them with a 40% discount.
• This is payments to the MCOs, public hospitals, Medicare premiums for dual-enrolled individuals, and
• Also, a net effect of that is a reduction in premium tax, which helps us fund parts of our budget.

Committee: House Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• They have had like 421 Mass Save connections, but I want to focus mainly on the 165 low-income discount
• we discovered that there were about maybe 400,000 possible people that qualify for the electric discount
• people know where to find arrearage management, bill forgiveness, fuel assistance, and low-income discount
• Fuel assistance and low-income discount rate enrollments.
• agencies work to get our clients enrolled in fuel assistance and to facilitate access to utility discount

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on Climate Change and Global Warming

Summary: The committee held a hearing on the value of Mass Save, with opening remarks emphasizing that despite past criticisms the program has delivered major energy, cost, climate, and equity benefits. The chair cited large avoided system costs, strong benefit-cost ratios, and recent legislative changes that set emissions goals, restricted fossil-fuel equipment incentives, and increased focus on low- and moderate-income households. Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Elizabeth Mahoney testified that Mass Save has weatherized hundreds of thousands of homes, reduced bills, avoided emissions, and that the current plan includes budget controls after the DPU ordered $500 million removed from the approved budget. She said the governor’s proposal to have only electric utilities administer the program was intended to reduce administrative costs and align with current implementation trends. Members questioned Mahoney about what counts as marketing and administration, and she said the category includes traditional advertising as well as community-based outreach, customer resource centers, and other customer engagement work, much of it in low- and moderate-income communities. She said administrative and marketing costs are under 5% of the budget, while more than 80% goes to incentives and direct program delivery. Several witnesses then focused on workforce and contractor impacts. Dave Betcher of Abode Energy Management and Rick Taglienti of Rogers Insulation said Mass Save sustains small businesses, creates careers, and supports thousands of jobs; both warned that budget cuts would reduce hiring, training, and work in homes and businesses. They also described a broad ecosystem of suppliers, trainers, and service providers that depends on stable program funding. Other witnesses addressed cost-effectiveness, affordability, and emissions. Anna Johnson of ACEEE said Massachusetts remains a national leader, with Mass Save returning about $2.80 per dollar invested, reducing peak demand, and lowering bills for participants, especially through weatherization and heat pumps. Kyle Murray of Acadia Center said the program is statutorily required to be cost-effective and has avoided billions in supply and infrastructure costs for all ratepayers, including nonparticipants, by lowering overall demand and peak prices. Amy Boyd-Rabin of the Environmental League of Massachusetts argued that efficiency is the cheapest way to meet climate targets and that cutting the budget would force more expensive power generation. The hearing also featured testimony on equity and housing: Mary Wampo described historic under-service to renter-heavy and lower-income communities and said recent reforms, including designated equity communities and performance incentives tied to equity, are helping correct that imbalance; Brian Biot and James Collins of LEAN/ABCD described low-income delivery systems and wraparound services; Barney Heath and John Nannari said Mass Save incentives are essential to affordable housing, passive house construction, and keeping projects on time and on budget. The final witnesses highlighted Connected Solutions and electrification: Sunrun’s Bronte Payne said the virtual power plant program saved more than it cost and helps avoid peaker plants and grid upgrades, and Highland Electric Fleets’ Ben Sondaga said electric school buses can provide similar grid benefits while lowering transportation costs for districts.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't want to discount that you can't get there, right?
• </c> scho um I would I don't want to Discount scho um I would I don't want to Discount that<01:01:15.680
• Further, underage drinkers are not going to be buying the premium-priced beverages that would be sold
• <01:23:58.120><c> priced</c><01:23:58.600><c> premium</c><01:23:59.040><c> beverages</c><01:24:00.000
• ><c> that</c> premium priced premium beverages that premium priced premium beverages that would<01:24

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Summary: The committee first heard SB 252 on invasive species, which would broaden the Department of Agriculture’s authority to inspect items moved into or within Hawaii, prohibit the sale of pest-infested merchandise, and allow quarantine, treatment, or destruction of affected materials with clarified penalties. Testifiers from the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, the Farmers Union, and many others strongly supported the bill, emphasizing gaps in current inspection authority and the need to address high-risk non-agricultural commodities such as outdoor furniture and other cargo that can carry pests like red imported fire ants. Members raised concerns about staffing, inspection capacity, commerce impacts, and whether better manifest descriptions or scanners could help target higher-risk shipments. The chairs recommended passage with Department of Agriculture and technical amendments, and the committees adopted the recommendation. The joint CPN/EDT hearing then took up SB 148 on combat sports, which would create a Hawaii Combat Sports Commission and regulate combat sports while prohibiting no-rules contests. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs offered comments on effective dates and later said other jurisdictions generally use a single commission for boxing and MMA. Supporters, including a professional fighter and a longtime advocate, argued the bill would help revive the sport in Hawaii, improve local opportunities, and reduce costs associated with separate commissions; one testifier initially appeared opposed but clarified he was actually in support. Committee members asked about safety, medical coverage, staffing, vacancies, and whether separate commissions could share staff. The committees ultimately recommended passage with amendments, including an Attorney General effective-date amendment, amendments from the Hawaii Association of Professional Nurses to increase health-care coverage at fights, and DCCA’s recommendation to unify boxing and MMA under one commission; the effective date was deferred to July 1, 2050, and the recommendation was adopted. A later joint CPN/Housing agenda began with SB 69 on deposits of public funds, which would require the Director of Finance to consider the benefits of using in-state depositories, including favorable lending terms for affordable housing. The Department of Budget and Finance and the Hawaii Bankers Association offered comments, and no other testimony or questions were noted before the discussion moved on. The next measure introduced was SB 24 on limited profit housing associations, which would create a regulatory framework and a limited profit housing council; the transcript cuts off as testimony on that bill was beginning.

Transcript Highlights:

• But you’re going to pay a premium for that risk transfer, $3 to $4 billion a year.
• Bringing in solar doesn't give them any discount in their neighborhood.
• Bringing in solar doesn't give them any discount in their neighborhood, and it is obviously a really
• And so when you lay out the idea in 3.11 of, you know, utility premium sufficient, you know, it's the
• My Because I did a good job and there was legislation, my FAIR Plan premium dropped by $2,000 because

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications

Transcript Highlights:

• This also includes risk management premiums, legal fees, IT system management, and other general overhead
• In addition, we offer them a 40% discount. So...
• Whenever the bill is paid in full, we provide them with a 40% discount.
• Also, a net effect of that is a reduction in premium tax, which helps us fund parts of our budget.
• Also, a net effect of that is a reduction in premium tax, which helps us fund parts of our budget.

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The committee first heard a budget presentation on LSU Health Care Services Division and Lallie Kemp Medical Center. Staff reviewed HCSD’s roughly $74.7 million budget, much of it tied to legacy obligations for former LSU hospital systems and support for Lallie Kemp. Committee members asked about prisoner care, risk management costs, declining admissions and emergency visits, and the hospital’s 340B drug program. Lallie Kemp officials explained that prisoner care serves multiple state and local facilities, that lower admissions largely reflect more patients being placed in observation status, and that the in-house 340B program provides major savings to patients and the prison system. Members also asked about care for unhoused patients and the hospital’s discharge practices, and the hospital said social services works to find placement when possible. The committee then moved to the Louisiana Department of Health budget, which was presented as just under $23.5 billion, with Medicaid making up more than 90 percent of the total. The presentation covered the Office of the Secretary, Office of Public Health, Office of Behavioral Health, Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, and Medicaid. Major items included the new Rural Health Transformation Program, the transfer of several functions from DCFS to LDH under the One Door initiative, changes to SNAP administration, and large Medicaid adjustments driven by enrollment, utilization, and federal policy changes. Testimony also highlighted the statewide crisis hub and 988, the commodity food program for seniors, women’s health and maternal outcomes, and the department’s efforts to modernize technology and reorganize services. Members questioned LDH officials on a wide range of budget and policy issues, including the rural health grant, crisis services, Medicaid redeterminations, provider taxes, physician and hospital supplemental payments, nursing home rates, HCBS funding, and the impact of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act. LDH said the rural health grant would support workforce, technology, and care-delivery improvements; that the crisis hub and mobile crisis units are being expanded to improve access and reduce emergency room use; and that the department is working to keep the SNAP error rate below 6 percent to avoid a projected state cost increase. Officials also said they expect to return next year with additional funding requests for HCBS and other programs, while emphasizing that current budget changes are largely meant to realign funding with actual expenditures and new federal requirements. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So when people talk about 5, 6, or 7% in their merchant discount, they must be doing something else besides
• So when people talk about 5, 6, or 7% in their merchant discount, they must be doing something else besides
• In essence, they would be able to sort of just decide like a premium tier of cards, which would include
• you can see sometimes say more, you know, like higher costs for credit cards, but you never see discounts
• you can see sometimes say more, you know, like higher costs for credit cards, but you never see discounts

Summary: The Special Commission on the future of credit card payments and their impacts on small businesses heard testimony from credit union, retail, banking, and payments industry representatives. Much of the discussion focused on proposals to exclude sales tax and tips from interchange fees, the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act and related litigation, and whether similar state action in Massachusetts would help small businesses or instead create a patchwork that burdens state-chartered institutions. Witnesses from defense and community credit unions argued interchange helps fund fraud prevention, cybersecurity, member services, and low-fee products, while retail and NRF representatives said merchants are paying significant swipe fees and that state laws like Illinois’s are aimed at reducing costs that are not being passed on to consumers. Several witnesses emphasized that the current payment system provides security, fraud protection, rewards, and access to credit, and that many of the costs merchants complain about are actually bundled processor or acquirer fees rather than interchange itself. Others countered that small businesses are struggling with rising overall costs and that Massachusetts should consider reforms such as allowing surcharging, improving transparency in merchant contracts, and studying collection costs. There was also discussion of the recent Visa/Mastercard antitrust settlement, with industry witnesses describing it as meaningful relief for merchants and opponents saying it is temporary and incomplete. No formal votes were taken on legislation. The commission accepted oral testimony, noted that written testimony would be accepted through July 31, and concluded the meeting by unanimously voting to adjourn. The chair and members said they would continue gathering testimony and work toward recommendations, with the chair stressing the need to find a fair middle ground that supports both small businesses and the broader payments ecosystem.

Transcript Highlights:

• Health insurance premiums—we're fortunate here that we get our insurance through the state—but I would
• 57 of the North Dakota Century Code relating to application of the primary residence credit and discount
• 57 of the North Dakota Century Code relating to application of the primary residence credit and discount
• If the discount is taken after the payment, then there's an $80 difference.
• all primary residence credit receive the full value of that credit by placing the PRC after the discount

Bills: SB2401 , SB2402 , SB2403 , SB2404

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, roll call, and a quorum present, then took up second reading and final passage of several House bills related to the Rural Health Transformation Program and other matters. House Bill 1621, requiring the presidential fitness test in school physical education with exceptions and a delayed effective date, passed 43-3. House Bill 1623, appropriating federal rural health transformation grant funds and creating a related loan program and reporting structure, passed 46-0 after extensive debate about using the federal money for community health, infrastructure, and sustainability. House Bill 1622, joining the physician assistant licensure compact, also passed unanimously 46-0. House Bill 1625, authorizing the Ray Richards Golf Course land sale to support a Grand Forks transportation project and golf course improvements, passed 46-0. House Bill 1626, clarifying that the primary residence credit is applied after the early payment discount so taxpayers receive the full $1,600 benefit, passed 40-6.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is far more cost-effective than contracting with third-party vendors who charge premium rates for
• 00:03:44.799><c> vendors</c><00:03:45.200><c> who</c><00:03:45.440><c> charge</c><00:03:45.760><c> premium
• </c> thirdparty vendors who charge premium thirdparty vendors who charge premium rates<00:03:46.560><
• This would allow us to negotiate a bulk governmental discount rate with Apple and significantly reduce

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government met to hear an update from the State Board of Elections on its Bluegrass Books electronic poll book system. Rachel Pointer and Richard House described the project as an in-house modernization effort intended to improve security, customization, integration with the voter registration system, reduce voter wait times, streamline supplemental and provisional ballot processing, and provide year-round local support to county clerks and poll workers. They emphasized that the system is already a working product, not just a concept, and showed a workflow demonstration of voter lookup, signature capture, ballot issuance, manual lookup, and handling voters who have already voted. The agency also outlined the financial rationale for the project, saying the state currently lacks dedicated funding for replacing the iPads used for election-day poll books and that counties now bear vendor maintenance and support costs. Under Bluegrass Books, the state would seek to cover hardware replacement, maintenance, and on-site support through future appropriations, potentially using bulk purchasing to lower costs. When asked about the size of the appropriation request, the presenters said it was not yet finalized but noted roughly 7,000 devices are deployed statewide and replacement would likely be phased rather than done all at once. Members asked about security and whether the e-poll book could affect vote totals. The Board explained that the e-poll book is separate from ballot casting, that voting machines themselves are not connected to the internet, and that the poll book is networked only to update check-ins and prevent double voting. They said the device is locked down to the poll book application and can operate offline until connectivity returns. A member also asked how to recruit more poll workers; the response suggested higher pay is the main incentive, along with outreach to schools, community colleges, and possible pilot programs involving professionals. The meeting concluded without any votes or formal action beyond approval of minutes, and the next meeting was announced for January 29, weather permitting.

Transcript Highlights:

• It gives a chance for them to join a club, get the discount.
• It gives a chance for them to join a club, get the discount.
• It gives a chance for them to join a club, get the discount.
• It gives a chance for them to join a club, get the discount.
• It gives a chance for them to join a club, get the discount.

Committee: Senate Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• And we also have federal e-rate discounts, which reduce the price by 85%.
• </c> we also have federal e-rate discounts we also have federal e-rate discounts which<00:29:12.680><
• It also supports our Integrated Health Insurance Premium Payment Program, the state-based marketplace
• It also supports our Integrated Health Insurance Premium Payment Program, the state-based marketplace
• that we get from things like discounts that we get from things like being<01:20:59.000><c> e-rate</c

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and then focused first on the Commonwealth Office of Technology’s legacy systems and two specific projects. COT officials said many agencies have made progress moving off legacy applications, with remaining mainframe systems slated to be retired through RFPs or other work orders. They also described a legacy funding pool of $10 million per biennium used to help agencies transition. The two projects discussed were the Kentucky aerial photography and elevation data program, which provides statewide aerial imagery and lidar data for GIS, E911, environmental, transportation, and other uses, and a citizen identity and access management system intended to give residents a single login for state services. Officials said the GIS program costs about $1.2 million annually to host and maintain, with data acquisition costing several million more per year, and that the citizen identity system would cost about $2.5 million per year after an initial three-year COT investment. Members asked about duplication of funding, licensing, local government use, and whether multi-factor authentication would be required; COT said the GIS data is being acquired as statewide unlicensed data and that MFA would be available but not yet mandated statewide. Committee members pressed COT on costs, overlap with cabinet-level IT spending, and the practical benefits of the GIS and identity projects. COT explained that GIS hosting is generally covered through enterprise assessments billed quarterly to agencies, while the new aerial data is intended to benefit the whole state and local partners. On the identity project, officials said it would centralize authentication for citizens who use state systems, improve compliance with zero-trust and NIST-related security expectations, and reduce help desk and maintenance burdens through self-service account tools. Members also discussed whether the system would extend to local governments; COT said it would be a Kentucky.gov-style state login for users inside the state identity infrastructure, not a local-government system. The Department of Education then testified that it does not operate mainframes or major legacy systems, having moved long ago to cloud-based, off-the-shelf products and vendor-supported services. KDE officials described a strong emphasis on staff cybersecurity awareness, standardized statewide systems, vendor risk-sharing, and reducing sensitive data exposure, including efforts to move away from student Social Security numbers. They also highlighted a transition from Microsoft Active Directory to Identity Automation, which they said will improve identity management and make multi-factor authentication universal across K-12. In response to questions about Kentucky Wired and internet service, KDE said all 171 school districts and KDE agencies have been moved to a new next-generation internet service through ENA by Zayo, with strong satisfaction, e-rate savings, and better reliability. Officials warned that any internet disruption would immediately affect attendance, grades, student records, payroll, security systems, and communications across the K-12 system.

Transcript Highlights:

• If health care is paid for by premium dollars, it's not being paid for by premium dollars; it's paid
• Premiums this year enhanced tax credits.
• As established by the ACA, all premium.
• </c><00:10:28.880><c> Because</c><00:10:29.120><c> you</c> premium to cost sharing.
• Because you premium to cost sharing.

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• The insurance industry is offering large discounts on insurance rates for homes that have strengthened
• The insurance industry is offering large discounts on insurance rates for homes that have strengthened
• reduction</c><01:07:54.600><c> for</c><01:07:54.760><c> about</c><01:07:55.120><c> for</c> get a premium
• reduction for about for get a premium reduction for about for those<01:07:56.120><c> homes</c><01:07
• c><01:07:59.960><c> costs</c><01:08:00.320><c> across</c><01:08:00.760><c> the</c> and also lower premium

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• And I would add to that 340B, as well as discount programs.
• So you can actually achieve greater discounts in an SPAP than you can for your Medicaid program.
• So it provides a mechanism for discounted access to drugs needed for behavioral health treatment.
• Look at alternatives for your drug discount program.
• 340B, and whatever drug discount program you enter into.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee