Transcript Highlights:

• The single audit of the State of Florida utilizes approximately 11% of our total audit resources each
• So, based on our available resources, some entities may be audited more frequently.
• However, due to our limited resources, we may not be able to audit all areas identified as high risk.
• And there's also resource and funding constraints that make it difficult to pay competitive salaries
• That allows users to assess the government's ability to estimate and manage its general resources.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee met to receive annual overviews of its oversight responsibilities and the work of the Auditor General and OPAGA. Committee staff reviewed the committee’s authority over state and local governments, enforcement of audit-report filing requirements, repeated audit findings, Transparency Florida reporting, and lobbying compensation audits. Auditor General Cheryl Norman described her office’s independence, audit standards, quality control, and major audit areas, including the state’s annual financial and single audits, school district and university audits, operational and performance audits, and attestation work. She also noted staffing shortages, recruitment efforts, and a request for carry-forward funds to study salaries. Members asked about whether audits can quantify recoverable dollars, how school district spending comparisons are handled, and how to raise concerns about DCF-related audits or a local city audit that has been pending for years. Norman said her office can quantify findings when possible, sometimes compares costs across districts in operational audits, and that members can bring specific concerns to the appropriate deputy auditor general or the committee. She also explained that citizen or local-government audit requests may require payment of audit costs. OPAGA Coordinator Kara Collins-Gomez outlined OPAGA’s role as a legislative research unit that conducts studies directed by law, the presiding officers, or the committee, and described its policy areas, methodologies, contract monitoring, and recurring statutory reports. Deputy Auditor General Matthew Tracy explained how to read operational audit reports, including findings, criteria, condition, cause, effect, recommendations, and management responses. Deputy Auditor General Greg Senators explained financial audit reports, including audit opinions, required supplementary information, internal control and compliance findings, federal program compliance, and management letters. The meeting concluded with thanks to the presenters and a motion to adjourn, which passed without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• They apply to other forms in terms of where they're seeking the resources.
• Senator Campos replied that the additional resources are available to proceed, and that if resources
• He said the resources should be used in a fiscally efficient manner.
• in a very fiscal and efficient manner as we move forward.
• these acequias don't have those resources to meet those needs.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, prayer, pledges, and a series of announcements recognizing visiting groups and guests, including Pecos High School’s boys cross-country champions, School-Based Health Care Day, Route 66 Centennial activities, New Mexico Highlands University, an honorary lieutenant governor and shadow senator, and Bernalillo County officials. The chamber also received House messages on several bills and a gubernatorial message authorizing consideration of Senate Bill 130, which would change insurance and pharmacy rules related to cholesterol treatment and screening. Committee reports were adopted on several measures, including Senate Bill 183, Senate Bills 211 and 222, Senate Bill 254, Senate Bill 235 as a committee substitute, Senate Bill 40 as a Judiciary Committee substitute, and Senate Bill 104. The Senate then moved to third reading and took up Senate Bill 30, which repeals the state’s abortion reporting requirement. The bill drew extensive debate: supporters argued the reporting law is outdated, unnecessary, and creates privacy and safety risks for providers, while opponents said the data is needed for transparency, public health oversight, and accountability, and objected to the loss of reporting on a sensitive issue. After a roll call vote, Senate Bill 30 passed 24-15. The Senate next passed Senate Bill 43 unanimously, updating parole board procedures, including evidence-based practices, reimbursement for closed hearings, and scheduling protections for homicide victims’ families. It also passed Senate Finance Committee substitute for Senate Bill 35 unanimously, creating judgeships in the First and Second Judicial Districts. Debate then began on Senate Bill 193, which would increase transfers from the Irrigation Works Construction Fund to the acequia community ditch infrastructure fund from $2.5 million to $5 million; the sponsor explained the increase as necessary to meet growing statewide acequia needs, while senators raised concerns about existing fund balances and whether the higher transfer was justified.

Transcript Highlights:

• ... ...fully utilize our pilot grant funding rather than losing those resources due to delays beyond
• Don Kepke, on behalf of the Child Abuse Prevention Center and California Family Resource Association,
• Our city has committed real resources to this work. $75,000. committed real resources to this work, $75,000
• It is about ensuring that approved resources are reaching families in a timely and effective way.
• So with all this need and all of these resources, what did California do?

Committee: House Human Services

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Same with increased fuel efficiency.
• And we're surrounded, of course, in this region by world-class mineral resources.
• Resources, including rocks, soils, and even water.
• Stop at the Department of Mineral Resources, talk to NRC.
• That we have to understand, and understand with respect to the other resources.

Summary: The meeting opened with remarks about the value of public engagement and the availability of presentation materials, then moved into a series of technical briefings from Idaho National Laboratory staff. Joe Renovitz described recent federal and DOE efforts to streamline nuclear regulation for advanced reactors, including NRC Part 53 and upcoming Part 57 rulemaking, DOE authorization updates, crosswalks between DOE and NRC requirements, and use of AI to speed licensing communications and document review. He emphasized that the goal is to align safety standards for advanced technologies, reduce rework for developers, and support deployment for commercial, defense, and research uses. In response to questions, he said there is no current plan to merge agencies, but there is more information-sharing and embedded NRC staff at DOE facilities; he also noted public outreach is supported through groups like GAIN and NEI. David Tolman then discussed the nuclear fuel cycle, covering uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel storage, transportation, disposal, and recycling. He explained high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), DOE’s HALEU Availability Program, and the need to expand domestic enrichment, deconversion, and transportation capacity to support advanced reactors and the 2050 nuclear growth goal. He also reviewed used fuel management, including on-site storage at operating and shutdown reactors, the Center for Used Fuel Research at INL, a high-burnup research cask project, and the long-term repository question, which he said is ultimately political as well as technical. He outlined reprocessing approaches—aqueous/Purex, pyrochemical, and fluoride volatility—describing INL’s work on electrochemical processing of EBR-II fuel and noting industry interest from several companies in recycling technologies. Ashley Shields presented on AI for nuclear applications, describing INL’s use of generative AI, high-performance computing, and digital-twin tools to accelerate reactor design, licensing, operations, and materials development. She highlighted the Prometheus effort to pursue highly automated reactor design and operation, the large documentation burden for reactor licensing, and ongoing work on autonomous control, remote operation, and AI-assisted materials qualification through the Vulcan challenge and related data platforms. In questions, she said AI tools are used under data-governance and security controls, with different models chosen for different tasks, and argued that software engineers and human oversight remain necessary. The session ended with a brief recess announcement and a transition to a later presentation on critical minerals and materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• The hour of 1:30 having arrived, the House Resources and Conservation Committee will come to order.
• Having only one for both pursuits wouldn't necessarily make days in the field more efficient.
• Idaho has a tremendous resource potential.
• Idaho has a tremendous resource potential.
• We're sitting on top of a huge natural resource. Idaho sits on top of a caldera.

Committee: House Resources and Conservation

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First up, we have testimony from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
• </c> the commission on Water Resource the commission on Water Resource Management<01:25:53.960><c> must
• of Land and Natural Resources.
• </c><01:35:12.440><c> and</c> our office does need the resources and our office does need the resources
• </c> department of land and natural resources department of land and natural resources in<02:25:44.439

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee first considered House Bill 1324, which would require the Judiciary to contract for legal services for residential tenants in landlord-tenant disputes and allow attorneys, paralegals, and law students to provide those services, with an appropriation. The Department of the Attorney General recommended removing reference to Hawaii Public Housing Authority tenants because HPHA eviction proceedings are administrative and could conflict with the bill. Hawaii Appleseed and other testifiers strongly supported the measure, citing studies showing much higher tenant retention when counsel is available, and suggested adding notice of the right to counsel at key points such as rent increases, eviction notices, and lease signing. The committee adopted amendments, including the Attorney General’s suggested change and a technical amendment, and passed the bill out with a recommendation to move it forward; members voted aye, with one member voting with reservations and several excused. The committee then heard House Bill 126 on property forfeiture, which would increase transparency and accountability in civil asset forfeiture by clarifying covered property, changing disposition rules, and removing language requiring liberal construction of the forfeiture act. The Attorney General said forfeiture remains an important law enforcement tool and that the bill would not impair its use. The Office of the Public Defender supported the measure but argued civil forfeiture is broadly problematic because many people cannot meaningfully challenge it and are not entitled to counsel. Honolulu Police Department opposed the bill, saying forfeiture is useful in fighting illegal activity and that added procedures would delay enforcement and reduce operational funding from forfeiture proceeds. Community Alliance on Prisons, the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, and other supporters urged reform or abolition of civil forfeiture, citing transparency concerns and the risk of abuse. No vote on HB 126 was taken in the portion provided. The final measure discussed was House Bill 166, which would require the state to defend professionally licensed or certified state employees in certain civil actions, allow employees to hire their own counsel at their own expense, and set a process for the Attorney General to transfer or withdraw representation if the state declines to defend. Testimony from the Hawaii Association for Justice and labor representatives was in strong support, describing the bill as a negotiated clarification that balances employee protections with accountability and noting it had passed previously but died in conference. The transcript cuts off before any committee action on HB 166.

Transcript Highlights:

• These resources could not have come at a better time as we work to implement the stronger terms under
• Your team has done an incredible job, and I look forward to that continued efficiency and really seeing
• Okay, and you believe that you have the resources now, or do you need more resources in order to put
• If we pay on results, we pay on value, and if we can measure value, do you have the resources available
• Thank you. need more resources in order to put in place this rather remarkable and needed change.

Committee: Senate Ethics and Elections

Summary: The committee met to consider a large slate of appointments, with the main discussion centered on the confirmation of Chavon Harris as Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Harris testified about her background in state service and outlined agency priorities including Medicaid financial accountability, transparency, managed care oversight, behavioral health redesign, rural health access, workforce recruitment, and use of technology and AI. Senators questioned her extensively about the Hope Florida/Medicaid settlement controversy, opioid settlement-funded advertising campaigns tied to marijuana prevention and the 2024 Amendment 3 election, public records compliance, abortion reporting and enforcement under the Heartbeat Protection Act, managed care denials, value-based purchasing, and Medicaid funding pressures. After debate, the committee voted to recommend her confirmation, with Senator Polsky voting no. The committee then considered Anna Ortega and Robert Payne for the Florida Public Service Commission. Ortega, a current PSC commissioner and former staff advisor, discussed utility regulation, data center load issues, ratepayer protections, transparency in PSC decisions, and lessons from other states. Payne, a former legislator and longtime utility co-op employee, emphasized his technical background and the need to balance utility returns with consumer affordability. Both nominees were confirmed by unanimous or near-unanimous votes and recommended favorably to the full Senate. Next, the committee heard from Jeffrey Aaron for reappointment to the Public Employees Relations Commission. Aaron described PERC’s role in public-sector labor disputes and said his work had been upheld in appellate courts without reversal. Senators questioned him about his law firm’s state contracts, his role as chairman of Attorney General James Uthmeier’s PAC, and his connection to the Hope Florida Foundation matter; he declined to discuss the pending investigation. Public testimony included opposition from Florida Voice for the Unborn. The committee nevertheless recommended his confirmation, with several no votes. Finally, the committee approved the remaining appointees on tabs 5 through 46 in a single vote, postponing Dr. John Littell and DCF Secretary Hatch, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:54:48.599><c> and</c> questions around Energy Efficiency and questions around Energy Efficiency
• </c><01:19:56.360><c> plan</c> when the trienal Energy Efficiency plan when the trienal Energy Efficiency
• We just can't match the resources that they have.
• We just can't match the resources that they have.
• We just can't match the resources that they have.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 610, which would fold the Office of the Consumer Advocate into the Department of Energy rather than fully eliminate consumer advocacy functions. The prime sponsor argued the current office is small, funded by a special assessment on ratepayers, and duplicative of DOE work. He said moving the function to DOE would streamline energy policy review, reduce bureaucracy, and better focus the larger agency on lowering residential energy costs. He also disputed claims that the Consumer Advocate is independent, saying the office is appointed through a political process similar to DOE leadership. Committee members and the sponsor discussed whether the bill would actually relocate existing positions or replace them, and whether the Department of Energy would absorb the cost of the transferred staff. The sponsor said the fiscal note shows roughly a million-dollar reduction in both revenue assessment and spending, and that the bill would effectively reduce the office from five positions to three. He also defended his cost estimates for energy-code-related housing impacts and said the Consumer Advocate has sometimes supported policies he считает increase costs, such as energy-efficiency measures and building code changes. He argued the office should focus more on energy supply and generation, including natural gas and nuclear, rather than efficiency alone. Representative Wendy Thomas testified in opposition, saying the Consumer Advocate is an important, fair, and impartial voice for ratepayers and warning that the bill was fiscally irresponsible because the incumbent could still be owed salary and benefits if the office were repealed. She also said the bill’s drafting was confusing and that the Consumer Advocate’s role is to push back on utilities on behalf of consumers. Other members raised questions about whether the DOE would simply inherit the same political appointment structure and whether the bill would meaningfully lower bills. No vote was taken in the excerpt; the chair indicated additional testimony would follow, and the Department of Energy was present to answer questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it has an impact at the state level in terms of how we're allocating our resources and how efficient
• So it has an impact at the state level in terms of how we're allocating our resources and how efficient
• So it has an impact at the state level in terms of how we're allocating our resources and how efficient
• allocating our resources and<01:55:30.320><c> how</c><01:55:30.480><c> efficient</c><01:55:30.800><c
• </c> covered by um other financial resources? covered by um other financial resources?

Bills: HB2488 , HB2456

Committee: House Human Services & Homelessness

Keywords: disability, communication access, deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, healthcare, sign language interpreters, auxiliary aids, weight loss, GLP-1 drugs, obesity, Medicaid, healthcare costs, 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HP 1972, which would create a nonrefundable family caregiver tax credit, and on a related tax measure to increase the existing dependent care tax credit. Supporters of HP 1972, including AARP, the Executive Office on Aging, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, Hawaii Children’s Action Network, and others, said unpaid caregivers are essential to keeping kūpuna and other loved ones at home and described significant out-of-pocket costs. The Department of Taxation and the Tax Foundation raised technical concerns, including the need to avoid overlap with existing credits and to prevent double-dipping. The department said taxpayers can claim credits to the extent allowed, but recommended explicit language barring the same costs from being claimed under more than one credit. No vote was taken in the excerpt, and the chair moved the bill along after questions. The committee then heard HP 1975, which would repeal the sunset on the state rent supplement program for kūpuna. AARP, Catholic Charities Hawaii, the Executive Office on Aging, and others supported making the program permanent, saying it helps low-income older adults avoid eviction and homelessness and allows them to remain in affordable housing. Catholic Charities described clients who were paying unsustainable shares of income for rent before receiving the supplement. Members also shared a constituent example of an elderly retiree who needed the subsidy to stay housed. Written support was noted from additional organizations and individuals. Next, the committee took up HB 1706, which would expand Medicaid prospective payment reimbursement to include mental health services furnished in federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics by mental health professionals under supervision. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs supported the bill, and DHS said it appreciated the intent to address workforce shortages and expand training, but cautioned that unlicensed professionals cannot currently bill Medicaid and that a state plan amendment would be needed, with limited precedent for approval. Members asked about the likelihood and timing of federal approval and whether the bill could help rural areas; DHS said approval is uncertain and the process can take time, though it saw possible alignment with the state’s rural health transformation efforts. The committee also discussed HB 546, a three-year health coverage continuity pilot program for people losing Medicaid coverage. DHS, the Attorney General’s office, DCCA, Catholic Charities, the University of Hawaii, and others testified, with DHS warning that federal changes could increase uninsured rates and that the state may need to act quickly. Catholic Charities and others emphasized the risk to Medicaid recipients, including homeless and near-elderly residents, while DHS explained the state’s existing premium assistance program for certain immigrants and compared it to the proposed pilot. The excerpt ends during discussion of that comparison, with no vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:01:48.320><c> and</c><00:01:48.479><c> skills</c> that they have the resources and skills that
• they have the resources and skills and<00:01:49.119><c> training</c><00:01:49.920><c> they</c><00:01
• <00:05:18.560><c> and</c> resourceful and resourceful and supportive<00:05:20.360><c> students</c><00
• You know, we need to focus our technology on what helps us get work done more efficiently.
• You know, we need to focus our technology on what helps us get work done more efficiently.

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> educational opportunities and resources educational opportunities and resources to<00:13:31.399>
• and Rehabilitation, as well as DEED and then also the Department of Natural Resources.
• </c><00:15:48.319><c> and</c> department of Iron Range resources and department of Iron Range resources
• </c> also the Department of Natural Resources also the Department of Natural Resources and<00:15:53.680
• </c> allocation of production tax resources allocation of production tax resources board<00:37:05.040

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And it would be very challenging for us to find those resources on the state side. Thank you.
• You need resources.
• They seem to constantly be pushing the envelope about how they can leverage resources.
• They share resources.
• And it's a stress and a resource drain when there are people who don't need to be there.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm an affiliate faculty member at the Water Resources Research Center, and I'm very excited to see this
• I'm an affiliate faculty member at the Water Resources Research Center, and I'm very excited to see this
• I'm an affiliate faculty member at the Water Resources Research Center, and I'm very excited to see this
• Research member at Water Resources Research Center<00:29:40.320><c> and</c><00:29:40.440><c> I'm</c>
• </c><01:14:29.800><c> Research</c> West I'm sorry Water Resources Research West I'm sorry Water Resources

Committee: House Higher Education

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education heard several measures focused on health, environment, and research. HB 970 would allow chiropractic students to participate in clinical practice under direct supervision; the Hawaii Board of Chiropractic offered comments and asked for a delayed implementation date until July 2027 to allow time to adopt rules, while the Hawaii State Chiropractic Association supported the bill. Members also discussed that there are currently no chiropractic schools in the state. The committee then heard HB 1185, which creates a plant-based building materials working group, and HB 1337, which establishes an endemic plant seed bank pilot program. Supporters of HB 1185 said the bill could help create green jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by developing materials such as bamboo, hempcrete, and bio-cements, with questions raised about in-state processing. For HB 1337, witnesses supported the goal of preserving endemic species but said a large-scale refrigerated storage and seed-production facility would be needed; one witness estimated startup costs of about $6 million for one island and noted existing seed banks are small-scale and not designed for reforestation. HB 1300 would fund a University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center multi-ethnic cohort study on cancer disparities among Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, and Asians, including environmental and social factors such as proximity to landfills. The Cancer Center, ACS CAN, and labor representatives supported the bill, emphasizing health disparities and concerns about landfill exposure; committee members asked about federal funding, and the Cancer Center said it would pursue NIH, private, and foundation support, with the state share described as $500,000 per year for two years. HB 736 would create a wastewater technology testing pilot program at the Water Resources Research Center; supporters said it could help certify cheaper alternatives to costly cesspool and septic upgrades, and the Department of Health supported the measure. The committee also heard HB 531, which authorizes special license plates for the Cancer Center; supporters said it would raise visibility and funds, and the Cancer Center estimated revenue would likely be under $100,000. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• necessary information and documentation to meet their planning needs and ensure an effective and efficient
• necessary information and documentation to meet their planning needs and ensure an effective and efficient
• necessary information and documentation to meet their planning needs and ensure an effective and efficient
• Enrollment drives funding and is a foundation for planning, staffing, transportation, and resource allocation
• To get the resources they need to better access their education and strengthen their sense of belonging

Bills: HB1662 , HB1683 , HB2534 , HB2557 , HB2594

Committee: House Education

Keywords: education agencies, administrative independence, superintendent, education reform, agency authority, education, school boards, district adjustments, administrative boundaries, educational governance, military families, child stability, transitional schooling, support services, special education, parental rights, educational access, evaluation reports, disability services, unhoused

Transcript Highlights:

• The natural resource damage issue, NERD, I see... ...and disbeliefs.
• Absolutely, they have the resources to go after them.
• A timelier and more efficient manner.
• can access support more efficiently and with clearer pathways to care.
• right resources and available resources.

Keywords: 1146, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so when you have a shortage of a resource, but the resource is important, while we're dealing with
• If we are able to focus the resources we have where the risk is greatest, we're going to be able to..
• And so when you have a shortage of a resource, but the resource is important, while we're dealing with
• And so when you have a shortage of a resource, but the resource is important, while we're dealing with
• And so when you have a shortage of a resource, but the resource is important, while we're dealing with

Committee: House Elections Finance and Government Operations

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• use of health resources.
• use of health and more efficient use of health resources.<00:47:15.280><c> In</c><00:47:15.440><c> other
• In other words, we're seeing resources.
• </c> to be a bit more efficient to be a bit more efficient than than than your<01:21:41.240><c> state
• You health care resource to begin with.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board met on September 24, 2025, approved the minutes from the September 9 meeting, and then continued its discussion of Medicaid waivers with Leslie Hoffman and Carmen Hancock from the Department for Medicaid Services. Members asked for updates on the 2024 waiver waitlist management assessment recommendations, including aligning waiver policies, standardizing applications and waitlist placement, and modernizing data systems. DMS said that work is being done jointly with Aging and Independent Living and Behavioral Health/Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities through task forces, that ARPA spending delayed action, and that implementation timelines extend through March 2027. The board also reviewed per-member waiver cost averages for fiscal years 2023 through 2025 for ABI, ABI long-term care, HCBS, Model II, Michelle P, and SCL. DMS emphasized these figures were benefit-only averages based on paid claims, not full waiver costs, and explained that true budget neutrality is calculated on an aggregate basis against institutional care comparisons approved by CMS. DMS said all six waivers remain in compliance with budget neutrality and that the most recent 18-month lag review for FY 2022 and FY 2023 found costs at or below institutional care. Members also asked about unused waiver slots; DMS said slots generally cannot be reallocated mid-year if they have been used, except in cases such as death or reserved capacity, because CMS treats participants as unduplicated for the waiver year. A major portion of the meeting focused on the new child waiver created under House Bill 6. Legislators questioned whether the waiver’s design, including the exclusion of participant-directed services and the emphasis on high-acuity children with behavioral health, DCBS, or juvenile justice involvement, matched the bill’s intent to keep children at home. DMS said it used the $14.7 million appropriated for FY 2026 to develop the program, that there is no priority list, and that the waiver is intended to serve the highest-acuity children while also addressing residential needs for those sleeping in offices or placed out of state. Members also raised concerns about the rapid growth of the HCBS waiting list and asked for more detail on age and timing patterns, which DMS said it would provide later. Finally, DMS gave average processing times from application to eligibility determination and from approval to service start, and said the overall average from application to services beginning was about 80 days, while members requested follow-up information on the Carewise assessment contract and related costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Overall, the goal is to make these systems more efficient, user-friendly, reduce error rates, and align
• Overall, the goal is to make these systems more efficient, user-friendly, reduce error rates, and align
• ,</c><00:02:49.400><c> user-friendly,</c> systems more efficient, user-friendly, systems more efficient
• We deserve a modern eligibility platform that is efficient, reliable, and built with program integrity
• So we are 300% less efficient.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• In operating expenses, there is a $16,500 net decrease, largely for removing efficiencies identified
• We identified well over $11 million in efficiencies.
• And we continue to find more efficiencies as we move forward.
• within our office, within our headquarters office, and we'll have more savings and more efficiencies
• So you may see some reduction if things become more efficient in the government side.

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The committee heard FY27 budget presentations for the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, beginning with Public Safety Services. House Fiscal Division staff reviewed the department’s recommended budget of $645.9 million, including supplemental pay, State Police, Motor Vehicles, and the State Fire Marshal. Officials explained that the overall budget reflects a net decrease from FY26, driven largely by shifts in funding sources, removal of one-time statutory dedications, and adjustments tied to undercollections in fees and self-generated revenues. State Police was recommended at $459.7 million, OMV at $86.7 million, and the Fire Marshal at $41.1 million. Department leaders also described ongoing modernization efforts, staffing vacancies, and the use of efficiencies identified internally. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Burns and agency heads testified about State Police operations, including increased cadet graduations, improved Mardi Gras security, progress on APHIS and OMV modernization, and the new crime lab under construction. Members asked about undercollections, vacancies, the role of public tag agents, and whether the agency could expand counter-drone capabilities. Burns said the department has identified about $11 million in efficiencies, but warned that counter-drone work would require additional funding, citing a $4.5 million fiscal note for HB 940 and roughly $9 million more for a robust unit. OMV officials said staffing and retention remain difficult, but modernization should improve service and reduce lines; they also said the agency continues to rely on public tag agents and is working through reinstatement fee collection issues. The committee then reviewed the Department of Corrections FY27 budget, recommended at $902.3 million, with most funding from State General Fund and a large increase tied to higher incarceration costs, medical needs, overtime, and added capacity at Louisiana State Penitentiary. DOC officials said the department remains under pressure from vacancies, turnover, contraband, and medical costs, and that the budget includes funding to add 150 correctional officers at Angola and to house ICE detainees at Camp J. They also discussed criminal justice reinvestment savings, prison enterprises, and reentry programs funded through the Second Chance Act. Members asked about staffing, inmate deaths at Elaine Hunt, work-release pay, and whether the department is tracking the true long-term cost of incarceration. Officials said they are pursuing pay increases, recruitment, expanded training and reentry programs, and more data-driven workforce alignment, while acknowledging that many budget pressures remain unresolved.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> efficient and fine. efficient and fine. &gt;&gt; Thank<01:09:04.000><c> you.
• </c> I do not think that it is an efficient I do not think that it is an efficient reliable reliable
• Are school resources school resources.
• </c> resources that are available. resources that are available.
• </c> these resources. these resources.

Committee: House Education Funding

Keywords: 1189, house, all