Transcript Highlights:

• enrollment, the implementation of the screeners for reading difficulties, special education, school facilities
• for LEAs that expand dual enrollment opportunities for justice-involved youth in county-operated facilities
• We will go ahead and are moving on now to the school facility program administered by the Office of Public
• I'll be providing a high-level overview of the school facilities proposals within the Governor's budget
• Governor's budget continues to allocate $1.5 billion in Proposition 2 bond funds for the school facilities

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have nine clients that are Living Choices waiver clients in the facility.
• You said that there were nine that were under Living Choices at this facility?” “Yes, sir.
• There are nine clients under our waiver program at the facility.” “All right. Thank you.”
• Has this facility always filed timely, and do you have—” “Um, has this facility always filed timely,
• “Um, has this facility always filed timely, and/or do you have that off the top of your head?

Summary: The subcommittee met to review Department of Human Services hospital payments in Arkansas Medicaid, with DHS Secretary Janet Mann and Deputy Secretary Misty Eubanks presenting first, followed by Arkansas Hospital Association Executive Vice President Jody Ann Tritt and a brief comment from Arkansas Children’s. DHS outlined the main hospital payment streams: fee-for-service per diem payments, upper payment limit (UPL) supplemental payments, cost settlements, and smaller payments such as graduate medical education and disproportionate share hospital funds. Members asked for plain-language explanations of cost settlements, why per diem rates vary by hospital type, and why UPL applies to private hospitals. DHS said cost settlements and UPL are mechanisms to help offset Medicaid underpayment, with SFY 2025 hospital payments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars and no general revenue used for supplemental payments beyond the state share funded through hospital assessments and related financing structures. Committee members focused heavily on whether Arkansas hospitals are adequately reimbursed and why rural hospitals struggle. Tritt explained that critical access hospitals, rural emergency hospitals, PPS hospitals, and specialty hospitals operate under different federal and state rules, and said lower per diem rates for some facilities help with cash flow and later cost settlement adjustments. She said Arkansas hospitals are under financial strain, citing a negative patient services margin statewide and noting that Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial payers all contribute to the problem. She also said the association had just authorized a statewide survey of hospital finances and costs, which she expected would take about a year to complete. A major theme was commercial insurance reimbursement. Tritt argued Arkansas hospitals are paid far less than hospitals in neighboring states even though premiums are similar, and said administrative burdens, prior authorizations, and denials add to the problem. She said hospitals receive about 52 to 53 cents on the dollar for Medicaid costs without UPL and about 78 cents with UPL, still below cost. Members also discussed Medicare wage index issues, Medicare Advantage, and whether hospitals could use technology or alternative arrangements to improve finances. No votes were taken on the hospital presentation. At the end of the meeting, DHS provided a brief update on Living Choices and assisted living reimbursement. Officials said one assisted living facility, Pillars of the Community in Crossett, had announced closure, with nine waiver clients being transitioned to other settings. DHS said the current cost reporting period was underway and that a new rate study could be ready for review before the end of the fiscal year if reports were submitted on time. Members also asked about the broader waiver plan, and DHS said the next waiver iteration would likely be brought back to the committee in the summer.

Transcript Highlights:

• Multiple of the facilities along the border GSA it's a unique facility they don't run that it's not a
• warehouse it's not a data center it's not an office space it's a very unique facility we've given more
• and those that are run by it and the CBP facilities that they do CBP runs entirely some of their facilities
• The presence at this facility in terms of the Border Patrol ensures proper screening from international
• We don't have detention facilities, so a lot of times they're taken somewhere else.

Keywords: Customs and Border Protection, Rodney Scott, border security, asylum, transparency, Hernandez Rojas, migrant treatment, public testimony

Summary: The meeting centered on the nomination of Rodney Scott to serve as the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Throughout the session, various senators expressed concerns regarding CBP's recent practices, including issues related to border security and the treatment of migrants. Questions were raised about Scott's involvement in previous incidents, particularly surrounding the controversial death of Mr. Hernandez Rojas while in custody, which sparked a heated discussion about accountability and transparency in current border policies. Senators emphasized the importance of balancing efficient border security with humane treatment of individuals seeking asylum.

Transcript Highlights:

• Next one down is UND Allied Health Facility. Next one down is UND Allied Health Facility.
• And then the rest are like local funds as far as the wrestling facility, NDSU University Village, NDSU
• Minot's academic facilities using SIF. Again, we agreed with them a little over $8.1 million.
• Academic facilities using SIF. Again, we agreed with them a little over $8.1 million.
• School, the facility expansion. We have some intent language in there.

Bills: SB2003

Keywords: higher education, student loans, scholarships, capital projects, workforce development, funding, North Dakota university system, 908, all

Summary: The committee met to work through the higher education budget, beginning with a conflict-of-interest request from Representative Martinson, who was excused from voting because of a partnership that leases office space to Bismarck State College. Members then reviewed the higher education institution budget sheets, covering ongoing and one-time funding items for campuses and system projects such as BSC housing, Lake Region roof repairs, UND’s STEM and National Security Crossroads projects, the UND allied health facility, NDSU projects including New Horizons, DSU deferred maintenance and campus security, Mayville’s Old Main, Minot projects, and the regional health institutes. Members also discussed student financial assistance, the professional student exchange program, IT security funding, and workforce/education innovation grants. Several amendments and policy questions were debated. The committee adopted an amendment to make workforce education innovation grants competitive rather than automatically distributed, and then voted to remove language prohibiting those funds from being used to duplicate academic programs. Members also removed similar anti-duplication language from the New Horizons section. They agreed to extend the UND hyperbaric chamber transfer authority to 2027 and clarified language around UND land-sale proceeds. A proposed amendment to add $5.6 million for the Wahpeton State School of Science building purchase failed for lack of a second, and a proposal to restore fetal alcohol spectrum disorder funding to UND was left for conference. The committee also discussed, but did not add, a tuition cap change, a study on the Praxis exam, and several governance-related provisions. The committee spent significant time on broader higher education policy items, including a $3 million enterprise resource planning request for the university system, a $2 million grant program for students who are pregnant, recently gave birth, or are caring for young children, and a $1.1 million request for library age-verification software tied to the Odin system. Members also discussed dual-credit authority for UND and NDSU, a goal for the UND medical school to increase North Dakota resident enrollment, and intent language regarding the commissioner/chancellor model and presidential search authority. At the end of the meeting, the committee approved the amendments and then gave the higher education budget a do-pass recommendation as amended, with Representative Sanford designated as the carrier. The Forest Service budget was also approved, including two additional FTEs, and the committee adjourned after noting it would continue with other budgets the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman Frank relating to confinement or detention of certain individuals in a county jail or other facility
• for visiting families and friends for the presence of distribution of drugs in the correctional facilities
• Despite implementing harsher restrictions, monitoring incoming mail, many correctional facilities have
• And they told me that sometimes when they go into their facilities, they walk right around the screeners
• And letting people circumvent the security mechanisms for officers coming into the facility are also

Bills: HB153

Transcript Highlights:

• Additional funding is needed to provide regulatory support for constructing and operating SAF facilities
• To get facilities their required permits and support efficient environmental review of a complex industry
• nimble response when we need to have air monitoring immediately in terms of compliance around a facility
• Assistant Commissioner Kolasch may remember how many it was, but it was between 60 and 100 facilities
• So section one applies only to municipal water treatment facilities or publicly owned treatment works

Bills: HF1587, HF2293, HF2218, HF1208, HF1482

Keywords: HF1587, Cass County, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, DNR, condemnation, eminent domain, state land, surplus land, public waters, tribal land transfer, federally recognized Indian Tribe, tribal ownership, land conveyance, no consideration, land appropriation, natural resources, U.S. Highway 2, Section 27 Township 145 North Range 28 West, land return, Tribal sovereignty

Transcript Highlights:

• It authorizes child care facilities to participate in the school guardian program and clarifies requirements
• This amendment simply clarifies the various facilities where the elderly persons are residing.
• One adds wired to the definition of critical infrastructure related to communication facilities.
• He was transferred, eventually brought back from the restoration facility, was found competent to stand
• We have some mental hospitals at our facilities, but they're not really the best place for our loved

Summary: The Criminal Justice Subcommittee considered a long agenda of criminal justice, public safety, and related bills. Early measures included HB 1171, tolling the statute of limitations for failure to make mandatory child abuse reports, and HB 1403, expanding school safety provisions by allowing child care facilities in the guardian program and clarifying perimeter and door-security rules; both passed unanimously, with HB 1403 adopted as amended. The committee also approved HB 1099, giving law enforcement discretion in arrests involving elderly or medically vulnerable individuals in facilities; HB 1121, strengthening restrictions on misuse of unmanned aircraft systems; HB 1525, creating penalties for impersonating rideshare drivers and clarifying transportation-disadvantaged access; and PCS for HB 687, increasing penalties for repeat DUI/vehicular homicide offenses known as “Trenton’s Law.” Members then advanced HB 847 to create an FDLE grant program for expedited DNA testing, PCS for HB 757 to prohibit altered sexual depictions of identifiable persons and create a civil remedy, and HB 1415 to repeal an obsolete Broward County narcotics enforcement unit. The committee also heard and approved HB 1207, the Tristan Murphy Act, which expands mental health diversion grants, creates a model diversion process, and establishes a behavioral healthcare data repository; testimony from the bill’s namesake’s mother and law enforcement emphasized the need for treatment over incarceration. HB 1351 updated sexual offender/predator registration rules, and HB 1479 created a public records exemption for domestic violence lethality assessment forms; both passed without opposition. Later, the committee approved PCS for HB 1283, making sex trafficking of children under 12 or mentally incapacitated persons a capital felony, despite constitutional concerns raised in debate; the bill passed 13-2. PCS for HB 781, addressing cyber intimidation by publication (doxing), also passed unanimously after supporters described it as a needed tool against online harassment. Finally, CSHB 139 authorized pawnbrokers to use digital transaction forms, and PCS for HB 107 created and enhanced penalties for fraudulent use of gift cards. Most bills were reported favorably, many unanimously, and several were amended before passage.

Transcript Highlights:

• These reviews determine whether emissions from proposed or existing facilities comply with state and
• SB 1198 would add spaceports to this list. of designated critical infrastructure facilities.
• The bill would cover facilities such as Blue Origin launch site in Van Horn. which I believe is in your
• The bill specifically includes property or facilities for space flight activities to be covered. by the
• Now as General Manager of Starbase, I have the privilege of leading operations of a facility that is

Bills: SB1150, SB763, SB1061, SB1146, SB1198, HB279, HB310

Keywords: concrete plants, environmental regulation, permit process, air quality, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, SB 1061, uranium mining, production area authorization, TCEQ, Water Code, groundwater, groundwater conservation district, restoration table value, restoration values, contested case hearing, Chapter 2001, mineral rights, surface owners, notice requirements, environmental permitting

Transcript Highlights:

• And again, I looked at the facility itself.
• And again, I looked at the facility And again, I looked at the facility itself.<00:08:12.000>
• We could certainly, had we the world to do it, build a facility with a gym.
• above the actual facility. above the actual facility.
• <00:20:40.480> that about their needs, uh the facility that about their needs, uh the facility

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on proposed improvements to the New Hampshire State Police gun range and training facility. Commissioner Robert Quinn and Major Brendan Davy said the range is used for realistic, scenario-based training that cannot be replicated at a standard static range, including movement, use of cover, vehicle-based drills, elevation, and training under elevated heart rates and stress. They said the facility is important not only for state troopers but also for local and federal partners, and that it is used regularly for qualifications, requalification, and special unit training. Members asked about specific limitations and costs. Major Davy said the PSTC range is handgun-caliber only because the backstop is not rifle-rated, and local law enforcement can use the State Police range for qualification. Representative Kazinski questioned the size and cost of the project, and Public Works Director Theodore Copper then explained the estimate: $1.5 million for building and site work, plus soft costs, utilities, design, and inflation, bringing the total to $2.3 million. He said the proposed facility would include office space, two classrooms, restrooms, and heating and air conditioning, and that the estimate was reasonable. The committee also heard from Milford School District Superintendent Christy Misho in support of CTE funding. She said Milford has been working for years to secure support for an applied technology center renovation, that prior local bond efforts fell short of the required threshold, and that the district now plans a CTE-only local bond of about $4 million while seeking $10 million from the state. She argued the investment is needed to modernize outdated equipment and support workforce training, and said the district remains committed to the project. In work session action, the committee corrected a prior vote on the Pease Development Authority warehouse removal and replacement project, increasing the amount by $353,300 to $1,973,300 and raising the agency subtotal to $4,155,300. The committee also approved adding two Community College System items: $500,000 for an energy management system and $1.3 million for critical maintenance, for a total addition of $1.8 million. No objections were raised to these motions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, I have the Bible word, we help with facilities, we help our Our members run their facilities better
• that government facilities function effectively while keeping costs low.
• And you also mentioned that you have the space for 100% workforce or with this new facility.
• If I kept these types of facilities in my portfolio, I'm going to go broke as a developer.
• But I was curious how much of our facilities that you manage are leased versus we own?

Bills: HB10, HB 12, HB675, HB10, HB12

Keywords: regulatory reform, government efficiency, administrative law, rulemaking, agency deference, judicial review, de novo review, Texas Government Code, Administrative Procedure Act, state agencies, plain language, regulatory burden, regulatory reduction, cost-benefit analysis, fiscal note, public benefits and costs, contested case, rule challenge, Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, advisory panel

Transcript Highlights:

• entry for testing facilities.
• And so most grow facilities have cycle.
• , you can use the same facilities, you can use the same extraction<01:47:48.320> facility,<01:
• Um, as of I think testing facilities.
• <01:51:57.280> test have licensed testing facilities test have licensed testing facilities

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They go to them at their facilities.
• student is placed within their facility. student is placed within their facility.
• that goes to that facility. Yes. Okay. that goes to that facility. Yes. Okay.
• <00:42:16.560> that depends on which which facility that depends on which which facility that
• No, that it correctional facilities?

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee met for its third discussion on special education aid under retained bill 742, with the chair noting that no action would be taken at the meeting. The chair reviewed prior hearings on Medicaid and local special education funding shortfalls, saying the committee was trying to understand why districts are facing proration of special education aid and how to reduce unfunded costs. He raised a series of questions for the Department of Education about the Nessus system, eligibility and ineligibility, invoices and vouchers, audit procedures, reimbursement rates, out-of-state placements, and who enters data at the district level. Rebecca Fdet, director of special education services at the Department of Education, explained that Nessus is the statewide special education information system and that every child in special education must be entered into it. She said most districts use it to develop IEPs and track services, while six districts use it only as a data reporting tool. She described which fields are required, how the system connects IEP development to the financial section, and how districts submit invoices when seeking special education aid, court-ordered placement payments, or episode-of-treatment placements. She said the department reviews invoices against the IEP, pays only for allowable services, and uses a cap that notifies districts when they reach the annual limit. Members asked about who submits the information, how districts decide when to seek aid, and how costs are calculated for individual or group services. Fdet said the district, usually an administrative assistant in the SAU office, submits the documentation electronically, and districts decide when to track students for aid based on their own circumstances. She said reimbursement is based on actual costs tied to the IEP, with group services split among students, and that the department does not generally set rates for local services. The only rate-setting she described was for approved private special education providers, which submit annual cost spreadsheets for tuition rates. She also said out-of-state providers must be approved by their own state, and the department checks licensure and certification through monitoring and investigations if concerns arise. The department also described its monitoring process, called Program Approval and General Supervision Monitoring, or PAGS. Fdet said districts are reviewed on a six-year cycle, with more intensive review for districts needing assistance or intervention and fewer file requests for districts meeting requirements. She said the department can review up to 65 data points on an IEP and that districts must submit special education aid paperwork by July 31, with superintendent verification due by August 15. The meeting ended with continued questions about procurement, audit procedures, and how the department handles out-of-district and out-of-state placements.

Transcript Highlights:

• Providing shared operational services, such as HR, finance, procurement, and facilities guidance, which
• As we all know, there are a number of unused and underutilized public school facilities that are currently
• The proverbial easiest apple to pick is making those public facilities available for lease or sale as
• that means is dollars that were intended for the classroom are instead being diverted to support facilities
• acquisition, to support facilities upgrades, those sorts of things.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation from Tom Franta, founding executive director of the Mountaineer Charter School Alliance. He described the new nonprofit’s goals of supporting West Virginia charter schools through advocacy, legal and compliance assistance, shared operational services, professional development, communications, and network-building. Franta emphasized that charter schools face major facility and financing challenges, and he urged use of existing public buildings, low-interest revolving loans, credit enhancement tools through the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, and federal matching funds to help level the playing field for charter schools, including both brick-and-mortar and virtual schools. Members asked about what he meant by “level the playing field,” and Franta said charter schools receive 99% of basic state aid but lack access to the full range of public education funding and dedicated facilities support, forcing them to divert dollars toward buildings rather than classrooms. He said the goal is to ensure parents choosing a public charter option can expect appropriate funding. After the presentation, the chair announced Senate Bill 171 was removed from the day’s agenda. The committee then considered Senate Bill 166, which creates an exception to West Virginia Invest grant eligibility so individuals who already have a post-secondary degree may still receive support if pursuing an associate degree or certificate in emergency medical services. The committee reported the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass, and under the original double committee reference, first be referred to the Finance Committee. Next, the committee took up Senate Bill 428, with a committee substitute that splits the bus operator title into three pay grades based on years of service and raises the cafeteria manager title from pay grade D to E. Senators asked whether duties would change; counsel and the sponsor said the bill is intended as a retention incentive, with no change in responsibilities, and that the fiscal note would remain the same. The committee adopted the committee substitute and then reported the bill to the full Senate with a do-pass recommendation, again first referring it to the Finance Committee. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 320 removes unnecessary district requirements across assessments, personnel, facilities, and budgeting
• It updates school facility requirements to replace rigid 5-, 10-, and 20-year facility work program mandates
• SB 320 removes unnecessary district requirements across assessments, personnel, facilities, and budgeting
• It updates school facility requirements to replace rigid 5, 10, and 20-year facility work program mandates

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present and first took up SB 124, which updates Florida Virtual School statutes to remove outdated language, clarify governance and funding provisions, authorize a direct support organization, streamline reporting, and clarify district responsibilities for student assessments. Senator Berman asked about the removed enrollment prioritization and reporting changes, and the bill sponsor explained that the reporting was largely duplicative of existing audits and other reports. Florida Virtual School’s representative testified in support, saying the school is open to all students statewide with no enrollment caps or waiting lists. SB 124 was reported favorably by a unanimous roll call vote. The committee then considered confirmation appointments in tabs 3 and 4 and recommended confirmation of all appointees on a single favorable vote. After that, the committee heard SB 320 on administrative efficiency in public schools, which would reduce district mandates, expand teacher apprenticeship and multi-year contracts, create a 10-year renewable professional certificate, simplify testing and accountability rules, increase flexibility for district finances and facilities planning, and shift oversight of district-run VPK programs to school districts. Senators Gaetz and Berman questioned the impact on charter school funding, capital dollars, teacher contracts, and how the bill differed from last year’s version. The sponsor said charter schools would retain access to operational funds, the bill does not eliminate annual audits, and the main substantive change from last year was the multi-year teacher contract provision. Several organizations and district representatives waived in support of SB 320, while Florida Citizens Alliance testified in information, praising some testing and licensure changes but suggesting a cap on multi-year contracts and outside auditing safeguards. The sponsor closed by emphasizing that districts would still be subject to annual audits and that the bill is intended to give schools more flexibility and reduce bureaucracy. SB 320 was reported favorably on a roll call vote, and the committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 3454 by Tony Tinderholt relating to the liability of vehicle storage facility operators for money
• relating to the offense of providing a controlled substance to a person in custody of a correctional facility
• 3530 by Ana-Maria Rodriguez-Ramos relating to the sale of alcoholic beverages at certain racing facilities
• Gary Gates relating to multifamily residential developments financed, owned, or operated by public facility
• Harris Davila relating to the requirement for backup generation at certain wastewater treatment facilities

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is relating to our charter schools facilities.
• These facilities remain subject to applicable state health and safety codes, disability accessibility
• 21.360> to These facilities remain subject to These facilities remain subject to applicable<00
• This is relating to the University of Hawaii facilities and student housing master plan.
• and student housing Hawaii facilities and student housing master<00:27:15.840> plan.

Bills: SB2057, SB2109, SB2400, HB1752, SB2599, SB2930

Keywords: immigration enforcement, sanctuary policy, detainer, ICE, federal immigration authorities, 8 U.S.C. 1357(g), 8 U.S.C. 1373, 8 U.S.C. 1644, deportation, undocumented immigrants, noncitizen, migrant rights, local police cooperation, law enforcement cooperation, hold request, judicial warrant, probable cause, civil immigration enforcement, county police, state police

Transcript Highlights:

• is what you said, to private nursing facilities.
• But there is excess funds there, and we need to move it to cover the private nursing facilities.
• This is to make improvements to the Arkansas Environmental Training Academy facilities.
• Number 13 is UCA with CCA Facility Services.
• It's also for a community-based reentry facility for 20 females in Clarksville, Arkansas.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The U of A hopes to build a 100,000 gross square foot facility in the McElroy District.
• So for us, that is our facilities... ...you.
• So for us, that is our facilities, real estate, police, parking, and transit.
• implementing the family-centered treatment... ...family-centered treatment model for treatment facilities
• But then again, we have to make sure that these people are going to comply with the rules of facility

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What would those facilities be?
• contractor facilities, which we have in our state now, and it's...
• facility, but just defense contractors. ...but just defense contractors.
• How do I know that they are a defense contractor facility?
• Plus, those facilities have to be signed and declared that they are critical...

Bills: SJR 5, SJR 36, SJR 5, SJR 5, SR 105, SR 121, SB 17, SB 19, SB 25, SB 28, SB 17, SB 19, SB 25, SB 28

Keywords: bail, felony offenses, criminal justice reform, public safety, constitutional amendment, school safety, mental health, emergency response, education policy, law enforcement, SR 121, Senate Resolution 121, Pete Alfaro, Pedro Cuellar Alfaro, Pedro Alfaro, Baytown, Texas Senate tribute, in memory, memorial resolution, condolence resolution

Transcript Highlights:

• are within the facility looking straight are within the facility looking straight at<00:53:23.040>
• But that facility got the citation, but the employee moved to another facility and it didn't follow the
• and academic-based facilities?
• and academic-based facilities?
• and academic based carebased facilities and academic based facilities?

Keywords: 1183, house