Transcript Highlights:

• We do historically bid this product every six years, even though there isn't a statutory requirement
• At all, the section that's pertinent to this committee's statutory responsibilities, which require that
• There may also be statutory reports required through the Employee Benefits Committee process.
• And that's a statutory requirement.
• The committee has jurisdiction over them to satisfy some statutory requirements, but they belong to the

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We do historically bid this product every six years, even though there isn't a statutory requirement
• Consultant analyzing the bids and getting those, you know, developed in all of our comments compiled.
• There may also be statutory reports required through the Employee Benefits Committee process.
• And that's a statutory requirement.
• The committee has jurisdiction over them to satisfy some statutory requirements, but they belong to the

Summary: The Employee Benefits Committee met to approve prior minutes, hear presentations on state employee health insurance, compensation, leave, and related policy issues, and then recess for lunch. PERS reviewed the history and structure of the state health plan, noting the long-standing state-paid family coverage, cost-control measures, wellness incentives, the current grandfathered PPO and high-deductible options, and the effects of recent benefit mandates such as insulin caps, prosthetic coverage, medication management, prescription copay changes, and ambulance balance-billing limits. Committee members questioned the fiscal impact of adding benefits and the possible cost of moving to a non-grandfathered plan, while PERS and HRMS emphasized that health insurance remains the top-ranked employee benefit and that any major plan changes should be considered carefully. HRMS also presented compensation comparisons showing state pay generally below private-market benchmarks, discussed targeted market equity adjustments, identified ongoing recruitment and retention concerns in fields like nursing, IT, engineering, and attorneys, and reviewed leave policies, tuition reimbursement, and family leave comparisons with neighboring states. Job Service provided labor market data showing low unemployment, high labor force participation, and wage growth that still trails some neighboring markets, and OMB explained that prevailing wage requirements apply to federally funded projects under Davis-Bacon, not to ordinary state contracts. After lunch, the committee took up the required process for health insurance mandate bills and adopted an amendment to Joint Rule 211. The amendment clarified that the deadline for submitting mandate measures is intended to allow time for all required reports, including both the cost-benefit analysis and any Employee Benefits Committee actuarial report, while leaving the existing deadline unchanged. The amendment was adopted on a roll call vote, with several members voting yes and a few no votes recorded. The committee then moved into its jurisdiction review of bill drafts, beginning with a bill that would automatically renew pre-tax dental and vision elections; members debated whether it had any actuarial or administrative impact on PERS or the state, and the chair explained that the committee’s role was only to decide whether further analysis was needed before later testimony and recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Quintana, so you... when you alluded to the fact that we might need some statutory changes regarding
• The question is, what would the statutory change look like in a general sense?
• terms of housing developments, you're the first one of all 28 political subdivisions in our six statutory-specific
• Bernalillo County to really understand and grasp how these taxes are being assessed and how they're being compiled
• The problem is the county is going to evaluate it based on what they have the statutory authority to

Transcript Highlights:

• artificial intelligence and tech advancements allow them to not only track worker movements, but also compile
• have been prohibited in California, both under the Arthur Andersen decision as well as a number of statutory
• have been prohibited in California, both under the Arthur Anderson decision as well as a number of statutory
• You know, last year, the California Supreme Court in the Naranjo decision opined that statutory penalties
• You know, last year, the California Supreme Court in the Naranjo decision opined that statutory penalties

Summary: The committee heard a series of labor-related bills, with most measures focused on worker training, privacy, wages, and safety. AB 296 would require schools or districts to host apprenticeship fairs at least once a year, with flexibility on how they are run and whether programs outside the county can participate. Supporters said it would help connect students to skilled trades and address workforce shortages; school administrators opposed the bill as an unfunded mandate that could be impractical for elementary schools. The bill was later moved on call, with the committee noting it could not vote until quorum was established. AB 1221 and AB 1331 both addressed workplace surveillance. AB 1221 would restrict invasive monitoring tools, require notice to workers, limit the use and sharing of worker data, and require human review before discipline based on surveillance outputs. Labor groups supported the bill as a response to AI-driven monitoring, while business groups raised concerns about broad definitions, security cameras, investigations, and data-access provisions. AB 1331 focused more narrowly on privacy in off-duty and private spaces, limiting surveillance in places like restrooms, break areas, vehicles, and homes; hospitals and business groups opposed it as too broad and potentially disruptive to safety, cybersecurity, and facility monitoring. Both bills were advanced by committee vote. The committee also heard AB 1181, which would require firefighter turnout gear to be free of cancer-causing chemicals such as PFAS by 2027, and AB 1198, which would require prevailing wage rates on public works to reflect the wage in effect when the work is performed rather than when the project was first advertised. Firefighter representatives strongly supported AB 1181, while the chemical industry asked to continue working on scope and timelines. AB 1198 drew support from labor and contractor groups but opposition from local governments and housing groups concerned about mid-project cost increases; it was passed to Appropriations after a roll-call vote. Other measures approved included AB 1235 on skilled-and-trained workers for CSU construction, AB 1251 on ghost job postings, AB 552 on locating the Agricultural Labor Relations Board office outside Sacramento, AB 1110 on updating Cal/OSHA workplace posters, AB 1136 on expanding high road training partnerships, and AB 1234 on wage claim enforcement. AB 692, which would ban employer debt agreements that require workers to repay training or other costs if they leave a job, drew strong support from nurses and labor advocates and opposition from business and health care groups; it was also passed on a roll-call vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• That statutory approach makes it much easier for us That statutory approach makes it much easier for
• constitutional amendment instead of being a bill, instead of us having the ability to deal with it on a statutory
• The fiscal note indicates no state agency has primary responsibility for compiling and maintaining the

Bills: SB2401, SB2402, SB2403, SB2404

Keywords: SB 2401, North Dakota, Century Code, occupational therapy, occupational therapy board, criminal history record check, background check, licensee investigation, physician continuing education, medical license renewal, nutrition education, metabolic health, chronic disease prevention, health occupation boards, medical board, licensure fee, audit response, disciplinary action, Title 43, board of medicine

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:

• Under the state standards, the title is a protected statutory designation for clinical disciplines.
• Under the state standards, the title is a protected statutory designation for clinical disciplines.
• brought parts and pieces to this that brought parts and pieces to this that have<01:03:24.520> compiled
• <01:03:26.320> And<01:03:26.400> I have compiled into this bill.
• And I have compiled into this bill.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee heard House File 3493, the Safe Schools Revenue Increase bill, and first adopted the DE amendment before moving the bill on for re-referral to Ways and Means. Representative Lawrence described the bill as a multi-layered school safety package for all students and schools, including public, nonpublic, charter, and tribal schools, with increased safety funding, mental health support, anonymous threat reporting, school safety plans, and student discipline changes. Several supporters emphasized the need for flexible safety funding and cited real-world safety concerns, including anonymous tip systems that had generated many reports, classroom evacuations, staff injuries, and the need for more resources for mental health and safety infrastructure. Some supporters, including charter school leaders and Catholic Conference testimony, argued the bill’s flexibility and broader safety approach were important, while others supported the K-3 suspension language as a needed tool in severe cases. Opponents focused heavily on the bill’s repeal of Minnesota’s K-3 suspension ban and non-exclusionary discipline requirements. Legal aid, disability advocates, and education groups argued that suspensions harm young children, worsen disparities, and disproportionately affect students of color and students with disabilities, and they urged the committee to keep restorative and non-exclusionary practices in place. Disability advocates also asked that any safety planning explicitly account for students with disabilities and that the bill remain aligned with IDEA protections and individualized education decisions. Several testifiers opposed using public funds for private schools, saying public money should stay in public programs. Other testimony came from school administrators and staff who supported restoring limited suspension discretion, describing serious elementary incidents, classroom evacuations, and injuries that they said required a short-term removal option to stabilize classrooms and plan for students’ return. Mental health and school support personnel witnesses stressed that safety and mental health funding should remain distinct and that more counselors, social workers, and related staff are needed to address student crises. No final vote on the bill itself was taken in the portion provided beyond adoption of the DE amendment and the motion to re-refer the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• for uh in the in the statutory for uh in the in the statutory provisions.<01:00:21.720> Um
• <01:19:41.840> infrastructure establish the statutory infrastructure establish the statutory
• <01:19:52.480> updates recotification and statutory updates recotification and statutory updates
• > technical These statutory updates are technical These statutory updates are technical and<01
• c> damage It's a $1,000 statutory damage It's a $1,000 statutory damage provision.<02:47:57.520><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They compile it, they visualize it, and everything.
• My team, we also field and we compile and we produce statistics.
• She likes to compile it. You want to know how many dog licenses there are?
• My team, we also field and we compile My team, we also field and we compile and<00:16:09.040>
• She likes to compile it. You available. She likes to compile it.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• as many of you know, the Lake View case, which we will harp on quite a bit, and then finally the statutory
• So now we'll transition to the final kind of branch I've talked about of adequacy, which is the statutory
• So now we'll transition to the final kind of branch I've talked about of adequacy, which is the statutory
• So the next guiding document is under Tab 1B, and this is the statutory requirements tracking sheet.
• So the next guiding document is under tab 1B and this is the statutory requirements tracking sheet.

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and then shifted to an update from Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva and Deputy Commissioner Stacey Smith on early childhood education, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. They said Arkansas had received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ABC as a large state program with about 23,800 funded slots and roughly $114 million in annual appropriations. Department officials said they are reviewing slot allocations because about 1,000 seats are funded but unfilled, while more than 2,000 families are on waiting lists, and they plan to reduce or reallocate slots from providers that have not filled them over several years. They also said they are examining whether income thresholds, curriculum expectations, daily rates, and summer programming should be updated, and members raised concerns about access, local control, transportation, and whether the program should better align with K-12 choice and school readiness goals. The committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee and asked the Bureau of Legislative Research to help gather historical data and other information for future discussion. The committee then received a legal presentation from BLR attorney Taylor Lloyd on the constitutional and statutory framework for education adequacy in Arkansas. She reviewed the Dupree and Lake View cases, explaining that the state must maintain a general, suitable, and efficient system of free public schools, and that adequacy and equity are distinct but related concepts. She emphasized that the General Assembly is responsible for defining adequacy, studying whether the system meets that standard, and reacting to the evidence, while the courts ultimately decide constitutional compliance. Lloyd also explained the current adequacy definition, the role of the matrix as a funding tool rather than a spending mandate, and the distinction between unrestricted foundation funding and restricted categorical funding. BLR’s Elizabeth Bynum followed with a historical overview of how Arkansas responded to the court cases and developed the current adequacy process. She traced major legislative actions from the 1980s through the Lake View litigation, including the creation of funding formulas, categorical aid, isolated funding, declining enrollment funding, and the 2003-2004 adequacy study that led to the Continuing Adequacy Evaluation Act and the matrix used to set foundation funding. She also described later changes to the adequacy statute, the financial reporting requirements for districts, and the ongoing use of surveys, stakeholder testimony, and consultant studies in the biennial adequacy process. Members asked questions about whether private or homeschool programs could use public funds for expenses like utilities, whether stakeholders should include those groups, the difference between average daily membership and attendance, and whether school board members are surveyed; staff said those issues would need further research or were outside the scope of the presenters’ role.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, we just think we need a little bit more time for those HOAs to compile their documents.
• So, we just think we need a little bit more time for those HOAs to compile their documents.
• So, we just think we need a little bit more time for those HOAs to compile their documents.
• <02:41:00.319> Thank HOAs to compile their documents.
• Thank HOAs to compile their documents. Thank you. you. you.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House File 274, which is now wording for the Statutory Hall, but that will be in the Finance Bill.
• deadline for the uncollectible debt report, which will allow MMB staff sufficient time with the data to compile

Bills: HF627, HF474, HF361, HF1837

Keywords: HF627, fiscal note, fiscal notes, Minnesota Legislature, state government, committee procedure, ranking minority member, minority party, standing committee, Ways and Means, Finance Committee, legislative process, budget analysis, fiscal impact, Minnesota Statutes 3.98, committee chair, legislative transparency, HF474, Hubert H. Humphrey, Henry Mower Rice

Transcript Highlights:

• 00:55:51.040> purpose,<00:55:51.680> but<00:55:51.920> then<00:55:52.079> compile
• <00:55:52.480> and legitimate purpose, but then compile and legitimate purpose, but then compile
• Representative Sher then said he read it differently, explaining that conflicting statutory provisions
• Representative Sher responded that he read it differently, saying that conflicting statutory provisions
• provisions uh if conflicting statutory provisions uh if they<04:08:19.840> can<04:08:20.000><

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• advisory memos, a number of statutory advisory memos, a number of statutory changes,<01:14:30.080
• But if you were to compile it on an annual basis, and this says that on January 15th every year that
• But if you were to compile it on an annual basis, and this says that on January 15th every year that
• But if you were to compile<01:21:21.280> it<01:21:21.520> on<01:21:21.679> an<01
• it on an annual basis and this compile it on an annual basis and this says<01:21:23.440> that

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, in Minnesota, we have compiled data that shows PE firms currently operate about 20% of the state's
• <01:09:11.759> data effects of these trends, compiling data effects of these trends, compiling
• <01:10:46.159> data Um, in Minnesota, we have compiled data Um, in Minnesota, we have compiled
• by the private resource that is compiled by the private equity<01:11:05.840> stakeholder<01:11
• This is a resource<01:11:08.000> that<01:11:08.320> compiles<01:11:08.800> what<

Bills: HF3668, HF2779, HF2771

Keywords: gun violence, public health, Department of Health, prevention, criminal justice, health care transparency, ownership disclosure, control reporting, health care consolidation, private equity, management services organization, MSO, provider organization, health insurer, pharmacy benefit manager, hospital system, affiliate reporting, financial disclosure, public reporting, market concentration

Summary: The House Finance and Policy Committee met on March 2 with a quorum present and heard House File 3668, which would create a state Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The bill author argued the office would treat gun violence as a public health crisis, improve research and coordination, and help reduce deaths and trauma, especially among children. Several supporters testified, including representatives from the Minnesota Medical Association, Protect Minnesota, family medicine, public health, and obstetrics/gynecology, all emphasizing firearm injury and suicide as major public health problems and urging a coordinated, data-driven response. Multiple testifiers shared personal accounts of shootings and their effects on children and families, including the Annunciation shooting, and said the office could help align prevention efforts across health care, law enforcement, and community organizations. Opposition came from the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, which argued the bill would create a permanent taxpayer-funded bureaucracy that could be used to shape firearm policy and restrict a constitutional right. The group said Minnesota should focus instead on enforcing existing laws, prosecuting violent offenders, and providing direct victim services. During committee discussion, Vice Chair Nadeau offered an A2 amendment to move the proposed office from the Department of Health to the Department of Public Safety, citing data-sharing, accountability, and examples from other cities and states; after discussion with the bill author, he withdrew the amendment. Chair Becker then noted existing state and local spending on violence prevention and public safety programs and raised concerns about duplication of effort.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then the commissioner will compile that into a final report to the legislature.
• And then the commissioner will compile that into a final report to the legislature.
• And then the commissioner will compile that into a final report to the legislature.
• And then the commissioner will compile that into a final report to the legislature.
• that into a final report to the compile that into a final report to the legislature.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then finally, the statutory duties, which is why we are here today.
• Which is the statutory requirements.
• So now we'll transition to the final kind of branch I've talked about of adequacy, which is the statutory
• In answering these questions on who informs about statutory responsibilities and provides evidence-based
• This is the statutory requirements tracking sheet.

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the previous minutes and then focused on an update from the Department of Education on early childhood programs, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. Secretary Jacob Oliva and Deputy Commissioner Stacey Smith said Arkansas had received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ongoing work to review ABC slots, which have been flat for years at about 23,800 slots and roughly $114 million. They said about 1,000 slots statewide are currently unfilled despite a waiting list of more than 2,000 families, and the department is shifting toward paying based on enrollment rather than guaranteed slots. Members asked about school choice, income eligibility, year-round access, curriculum flexibility, transportation, and whether funding should be increased or rebalanced; the department said it is collecting data, may survey providers more formally, and is considering whether to modernize income thresholds, daily rates, and other program rules. The committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee and asked the Bureau of Legislative Research to help gather historical information on income limits and other program details. The second major portion of the meeting was a legal presentation on the framework for Arkansas school adequacy by BLR education attorney Taylor Lloyd. She reviewed the constitutional basis for a “general, suitable, and efficient” public school system, the Dupree and Lake View cases, and the principle that adequacy and equity are different but related: adequacy asks what resources are needed, while equity asks whether those resources are distributed fairly. She explained that the General Assembly must define adequacy, study it, and react to evidence over time, and that the current adequacy definition includes curriculum and career/technical frameworks, the 38 mandatory Carnegie units, state testing standards, and sufficient funding. She also described the matrix as a funding tool, not a spending mandate, and noted that categorical funds are separate from the matrix. BLR’s Elizabeth Bynum then gave the historical framework, tracing legislative responses from Dupree through Lake View and into the present. She highlighted major changes such as the creation of equalization funding, fiscal distress and academic distress laws, the adequacy study process, the Educational Adequacy Fund, facilities and transportation changes, declining enrollment and student growth funding, and later adjustments to teacher salaries, isolated funding, and categorical programs. She explained that the adequacy study has evolved through committee hearings, surveys, site visits, and outside consultants, and that recent changes include updates to accountability references and the addition or removal of certain funding categories. Members asked follow-up questions about how the matrix is used, whether homeschool or private-school funding raises comparable issues, whether stakeholders include private and homeschool participants, whether school board members should be surveyed, and whether the state should revisit average daily membership versus attendance-based funding. No votes were taken on the adequacy presentations, but the committee did agree to continue the early childhood discussion in a future subcommittee meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, um, she and her staff have compiled a compendium of state laws from around the country addressing
• ><00:21:19.520> her<00:21:19.760> staff<00:21:20.320> have<00:21:20.640> compiled
• <00:21:21.200> a she and her staff have compiled a she and her staff have compiled a compendium
• So we took these and compiled them all, and as a first attempt grouped them into six themes by a topic
• and compiled them all. and as a<00:54:18.240> first<00:54:19.040> attempt<00:54:20.240

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• That's a new statutory requirement. Okay, and Chairman, let me.
• And we have to have some constitutional safeguards, statutory safeguards, so that we're not unjustly
• And so basically what OCA, or Office of Court Administration, does is collect the information, compile
• What came over from the Senate is we added a statutory definition of "clear and convincing".
• public safety report, basically, yes, with the help of... of OCA is involved, but it's basically a compilation

Bills: SB664, SB40, SB9, SJR1, SJR5, SB27, SB207, SB2938, SB1901, SB1227, SB1248, SB912, SB1321, SB2143, SB2145, SB1497, SB1239, SB2180, SB1388, SB1762, SB1662, SB1951, SB1537, SB493, SB378, SB1020, SB1018, SB992, SB958, SB920, SB1350, SCR25, SB687, SB1332, SB2185, SB552, SB664, SB40, SB9, SJR1, SJR5, SB458, SB482, SB927, SB984, SB651, SB1620, SB2124, SB2448, SB841, SB843, SB402, SB2662, SB2053, SB2332, SB2112, SB745, SB1247, SB1789, SB27, SB207, SB2938, SB1901, SB1227, SB1248, SB912, SB1321, SB2143, SB2145, SB1497, SB1239, SB2180, SB1388, SB1762, SB1662, SB1951, SB1537, SB493, SB378, SB1020, SB1018, SB992, SB958, SB920, SB1350, HCR76, HCR127, HCR9, HCR40, HCR118, HR559, HCR59, HCR135, HCR141, HCR46, HCR109, HCR10, SCR25, HB2525, HB142, HB140, HB29, HB451, HB3809, HB3307, HB 1130, HJR1, HB9, SB17, SB260, SB509, SB1506, SB1637, SB2308

Keywords: Texas courts, judicial officers, associate judge, magistrate, master, referee, hearing officer, court administration, Government Code Chapter 54, Government Code Chapter 54A, bail training, Article 17.024, Article 15.17, local administrative judge, State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Office of Court Administration, county courts, criminal justice, criminal jurisprudence, judicial qualifications

Transcript Highlights:

• Has anyone compiled numbers of, like, how serious of a problem that says it's fraud, I can see how there's
• And then once we've compiled all of them, we have a template, and we're listing, first of all, what's
• our statutory authority. to require this is this based on federal law or regulation is it did we put
• After last session, regulatory services had to do 37 rural projects based on statutory changes.
• HSC currently has statutory or administrative provisions in place to ensure continuity. for Medicaid

Bills: HB150, HB869, HB876, HB 1043, HB1494, HB1522, HB150

Keywords: cybersecurity, state command, information resources, data protection, incident response, information technology, classification officer, job descriptions, state positions, competency-based, information sharing, government efficiency, public sector, private sector, distributed ledger, title registry, real estate, property liens, pilot program, healthcare

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of that cost sharing is statutory in the Stafford Act, so some things May take legislative, but
• The evidence compiled by the forensic and performance auditors is critical to convictions.
• Now, at this point, I want to make it very clear that my office is fully compliant with both our statutory

Keywords: 914, all