Transcript Highlights:

• </c> um the generators of the trash paying um the generators of the trash paying the<00:20:58.000><c>
• Again, a household size of two would pay $190 per month. So, it goes based on the cost of services.
• 190 um household size of two would pay 190 per<00:34:07.039><c> month.
• Like, what if I am paying $90 a month but I don't ever use services versus I'm paying $90 a month and
• </c> in paying them. in paying them.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What are we paying for? It's the cost of the design for individual projects.
• What are we paying for? It's the cost of the design for individual projects.
• What are we paying for? It's the cost of the design for individual projects.
• Take a second look at what we're paying in some of these spaces. Noted.
• I am paying attention. I just had a different conversation going on.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved contracts 98, 99, and 100, then heard from the Kentucky Department of Tourism on a contract with the United Kingdom and other European markets. Tourism officials said the state has had similar international marketing contracts since 2013, that international visitors spend about six times more per day than domestic travelers, and that the work includes marketing, public relations, familiarization trips, and media outreach. After questions about costs and effectiveness, the contract was approved by roll call. Members then reviewed Finance Cabinet facilities contracts 29 and 48 for engineering and architectural services tied to project design, including a specialized lab expansion project. The chair raised concerns that the fees seemed high for services that do not include construction, while the agency explained the work covers design for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and architectural planning, and that the lab project’s specialized pathogen-related work limits the pool of firms. The committee voted to approve the contracts. The Attorney General’s office then presented an opioid abatement agreement. Senator Meredith asked how the commission coordinates with other state behavioral health efforts, and staff explained that the commission allocates settlement funds based on applications and includes related agency representation to help avoid duplication. The contract was approved. The committee also approved a behavioral health contract for 988 chat and text services, which will expand Kentucky-based crisis response coverage to 24/7 and move more of the state’s calls, chats, and texts from a national center to local specialists. A related amendment for the Voices of Hope overdose response contract was approved after staff said the increase simply extends services into the next fiscal year. Finally, the committee approved a DCBS contract for the Building Bridges Initiative, which provides training and peer mentoring for residential child care providers, and then approved three contracts for the Council on Developmental Disabilities. Those contracts were explained as necessary because the council is the designated state agency for federal DD Act funding, and one questioned item involving an advocacy and sexuality initiative was described as part of the council’s five-year plan focused on self-advocacy, systems change, and capacity building. The committee also discussed a food insecurity survey contract with a Kentucky nonprofit, with staff saying the organization was chosen for its statewide network and ability to gather raw data, while members raised concerns about whether the study should distinguish between lack of food and poor diet. All of the reviewed contracts were approved by roll call.

Transcript Highlights:

• marketed to veterans and asked, approached them about being paid, getting part of their benefits, or paying
• Could have got that same rating, same timeline through a free service and not having to pay.
• </c><00:25:05.039><c> us</c> claim sharks and said, "If you pay us claim sharks and said, "If you pay
• And we are also paying to ensure that there are no accredited men and women who can help them do that
• And we are also paying to and earned.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We're constantly looking for ways to pay for roads from the general fund.
• It helps use public dollars to pay for public infrastructure.
• would have the city pay for 5%.
• In fact, some of the jobs at QT pay very, very well.
• Every place who pays minimum wage is a very high-paying job.

Bills: HB2014, HB2111, HB2156, HB2165, HB2202, HB2305, HB2321, HB2399, HB2403, HB2416, HB2418, HB2446, HB2601, HB2615, HB2620, HB2812, HB2939, HB2940, HB2955, HB2957, HB2960, HB2992, HB4026, HB4049

Keywords: air emissions, fuel blends, environmental quality, feasibility study, Arizona Department of Agriculture, driver license, examinations, motorcycle awareness, public safety, traffic laws, livestock, compensation, funding, ranching, agriculture, veterans, state parks, admission fees, military exemption, recreation access

Transcript Highlights:

• Are you comfortable with me saying, "Well, if I pay 10 bucks and they pay 48,000, I'm going to vote
• </c><03:12:12.000><c> 48,000,</c> pay 10 bucks and they pay 48,000, pay 10 bucks and they pay 48,000,
• </c> somebody else pay a whole lot more? somebody else pay a whole lot more?
• </c> fees, my business, I will pay $10. Okay. fees, my business, I will pay $10. Okay.
• Now I am out how to pay for this.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That endowment pays out, and this is also very common, pays out about 4.2% per year.
• </c><00:16:00.560><c> out</c> this is what also very common pays out this is what also very common pays
• And that pays out, so it's going to be there in perpetuity, that will pay out for New Hampshire needy
• This pay raise affects overtime and holiday pay, and, of course, the associated benefits with that.
• We also pay the majority of the...

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from the University System of New Hampshire chancellor on the system’s budget, enrollment, finances, workforce role, and response to federal policy changes. The chancellor said the governor’s recommended budget would reduce university system funding by about $16.5 million over the biennium, or roughly 8.3%, and asked that state funding be held at the governor’s level. She described planned cost reductions already underway, including lower headcount, reduced benefits and retirement contributions, property sales, and lease reductions, and said the system expects to remove about $20 million from its cost structure in fiscal year 2026. A large portion of the discussion focused on enrollment and finances. The chancellor said fall 2024 enrollment was about 23,000, with New Hampshire enrollment increasing for the first time since 2013, and noted that the system remains a major workforce pipeline, with about 3,000 graduates entering the state workforce each year. She explained that net tuition has fallen over time because of declining enrollment and increased financial aid, while research grants and contracts have grown significantly. She also walked through endowment funding, explaining that payouts are based on a 12-quarter rolling average and are intentionally smoothed to reduce volatility; members asked for follow-up information on payout comparisons, administrative salaries, headcounts, and compensation per student. Members questioned the university about the relationship between state support, tuition, endowments, and research spending. The chancellor said the system has used state capital support to leverage major investments, including the UNH Life Sciences building, Plymouth’s Hyde Hall, and the Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center, and described partnerships with businesses such as Lonza and regional manufacturers. She also explained a long-running New Hampshire 529-related revenue stream that has built endowment support for scholarships, and said the system’s endowment now totals about $988 million. In response to questions about possible cuts, she said the system is considering academic program sharing, consolidation of specialties, online delivery, AI-assisted administrative efficiencies, and footprint reductions, but declined to name specific programs. The committee also discussed DEI-related issues and federal grants. The chancellor said the system is reviewing executive orders and a U.S. Department of Education Dear Colleague letter, and that general counsel is working through websites, programs, and more than 1,200 federal grants to ensure compliance. She said the system spends about $3 million on what it calls DEI-related offices and services, but emphasized that these services include disability support, veteran support, Title IX, ADA, and employment-law compliance, and that the system does not have race-based programs, separate housing, or separate graduation ceremonies. She reported that the system had received stop-work orders on four federal grants totaling about $700,000 and warned that reductions in federal direct or indirect costs could affect research, jobs, and innovation.

Transcript Highlights:

• They do not have to use this method to pay the Safe Drinking Water fee.
• Because you don't have to pay the percentage for collecting it. There is some charge to us.
• Because obviously if you're paying, especially a $5,000 fee.
• That's a flat fee of $2.50, whether you're paying a $10 transaction or a $5 million transaction.
• If they're paying with a debit card, I can understand the $2.50 convenience fee.

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• heating bill or buy groceries or pay for medication.
• heating bill or buy groceries or pay for medication.
• You have been paying into this program on every utility bill for years.
• The empirical basis for the allocation factors that determine who pays what, that's not there.
• The people paying for that construction had no way to know what they were paying for until someone demanded

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up several procedural matters, including adopting a resolution recognizing the work of Ukraine Forward and suspending Joint Rule 12 for a number of petitions. The chamber also scheduled several bills for later consideration, including measures on unemployment insurance for fluctuating work schedules, the Medical Society mission statement, a youth training wage, bridge and intersection namings, handicapped parking fines, public-way safety, excavation restoration, motor vehicle safety, and a Newton police age requirement. Two engrossed local bills were passed to be enacted: one authorizing retired police officers as special police in Plainville and another allowing Orange to increase its Board of Selectmen membership. The main policy debate centered on House No. 5151, An Act relative to energy affordability, clean power, and economic competitiveness. Supporters described it as a broad affordability and clean-energy package that would cut costs for ratepayers, reform Mass Save, speed clean-energy procurement and interconnection, return a portion of alternative compliance payments to customers, and address biomass and other energy issues. Opponents argued the bill relied too heavily on long-term programs and new administrative structures while offering little immediate relief, and raised concerns about costs being shifted to consumers, impacts on natural gas, and the pace of implementation. Several amendments were debated and rejected, including proposals to shift public benefit charges away from peak hours, pause public benefit charges for a year, require greater utility disclosure before rate increases, and add a forest-clearing penalty for solar development. One amendment to the energy bill was adopted: a consolidated amendment that included budget-billing consumer protections for gas customers, requiring notice and conservation recommendations when usage rises significantly. The House also adopted an amendment to a separate conservation-restriction bill for Hanson, changing a figure in the underlying law, and passed that bill to be engrossed as amended. The energy bill’s consolidated amendment passed by roll call, while several other amendments failed by roll call votes. The House observed multiple moments of silence honoring Jaden Booker, Thomas Skip Karam, former Freetown Police Chief Carlton Abbott, and former Representative and Senator William Q. “Biff” McLean, Jr.

Transcript Highlights:

• And for some reason, I've decided I don't want to water it, or I don't want the hassle of having to pay
• Water from the district, and you no longer have the obligation to pay any assessments.
• I'll pay, I'll take that water and I'll pay those assessments associated with the water that is now being
• So is there a more efficient way to do this, or some people are going to be paying for... having more
• So is there a more efficient way to do this, or some people are going to be paying for...

Summary: The committee first confirmed Michael Lyndon of Post Falls to the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and then heard several water-related bills. Senate Bill 1304 would clarify ditch easement rights by allowing ditch owners to inspect, maintain, and relocate diversion structures within an existing easement without written landowner permission, while still requiring permission to move anything outside the easement. Senate Bill 1306 would fix a timing issue in irrigation district exclusion petitions by replacing an automatic approval trigger after 150 days with a more structured hearing and appeal timeline. Senate Bill 1305 would let water districts, if authorized by a patron resolution, charge specific property owners for costs tied to updating water-right ownership records instead of spreading those costs across all users. Senate Bill 1307 would repeal and consolidate overlapping code chapters on lateral ditch management into one chapter, adding definitions and clarifying election, appointment, and maintenance rules for lateral users associations and water delivery entities. All four bills received do-pass recommendations, though one senator reserved judgment on SB 1304 to consult local property-rights concerns. The committee also considered House Bill 511, which would raise the cap on the Idaho Department of Lands’ improved-parcel wildfire preparedness surcharge from $40 to $100 per year. The sponsor and department said the fee supports wildfire readiness, equipment, training, and rapid initial attack in growing wildland-urban interface areas, and industry witnesses supported the increase as modest and necessary. The bill passed the committee on a do-pass motion, with Senators Cole and Hart voting no. Finally, Senate Bill 1269 would update Idaho’s cloud seeding statute by adding definitions, formal reporting and public meeting requirements, accountability provisions, and clarification that state standards govern the program. Supporters said the bill would improve transparency and preserve the existing program without expanding it, while one virtual witness testified against it. Several members said they wanted more transparency and further discussion, but the committee still sent the bill to the floor with a do-pass recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• And they go down to pay these $600.
• I've got a pay a lot of legal fees on the other side and it's a nonbinding.
• You pay all this money to have mediation. That is not bonding.
• How many Floridians pay property taxes? How many of them have a homestead exemption?
• How many of them pay property taxes and get access to the court when they don't pay property taxes?

Transcript Highlights:

• The state will not pay for gymnasium or bleacher space exceeding the minimum requirements.
• If you want to go above the old standard, then you have to pay for it.
• I think the districts, if they want to do that, they have to pay those additional design fees.
• And if they want to do it, you know, I still think they should pay for it if they can.
• The district would have to pay the full.

Transcript Highlights:

• Working people are paying more for basic goods.
• We're doing it by closing loopholes that the wealthy use to avoid paying the taxes in the first place
• increase that hasn't been raised in decades on the surcharge that we already ask HMOs to pay.
• </c> charge that we already ask HMOs to pay. charge that we already ask HMOs to pay.
• My wife wishes that I would take the pay raise that was offered, but I turn it down.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Because right now we're paying on the student formula in the school system for K-12, and we're also paying
• for it, the school is paying for it, the university is paying for it—kind of figuring out all of those
• You're paying for groceries.
• high school, my family can pay for that.
• my family can pay for that.

Summary: The committee met at Dakota College at Bottineau, approved the January 15, 2026 minutes, and heard a campus presentation from Dean Corey Gorder and President Steve Shirley. Gorder outlined DCB’s leadership changes, its affiliation with Minot State, and extensive shared services with Minot State, UND, and NDSU in areas such as business office functions, financial aid, payroll, HR, Title IX, printing, and institutional research. He said shared services help smaller campuses access expertise, and committee members asked about cost allocation and accreditation limits; Gorder said the arrangements are negotiated between institutions and that, to his understanding, academic accreditation is not affected by these service-sharing agreements. The committee also discussed DCB’s enrollment, dual credit reach, and program mix, including nursing, dental assisting and hygiene, paramedic training, drone certification, and farm management. Gorder said DCB wants to expand higher-demand, trade-oriented programs, strengthen Minot programming, and address facility needs, especially residence halls and space constraints in dental programs. Members asked detailed questions about dual credit, including how DCB develops relationships with high schools, whether it has exclusivity, who teaches the courses, and whether credits transfer. Gorder said relationships are built through outreach and existing school connections, that schools may choose other providers, and that DCB pays stipends to instructors under institution-specific formulas. NDUS staff Lisa Johnson said transfer problems are rare within North Dakota and usually arise only with highly selective out-of-state institutions. Gorder also noted that DCB’s dual credit and campus programming are heavily tied to rural schools and that the college is trying to streamline dual credit delivery as enrollment and staffing demands grow. The committee then heard from the North Dakota Student Association, whose representatives outlined student priorities from the last legislative session and the interim. Their main themes included campus safety, mental health resources, academic freedom, scholarships and affordability, teacher incentives, workforce readiness, housing, food accessibility, student research funding, internships, and campus collaboration. They said they supported or opposed various bills related to those issues during the 69th Legislative Assembly and emphasized that students want affordable, safe, and academically strong campuses. Committee members asked about housing affordability, food insecurity, research opportunities, and dual credit transfer and expansion. No votes were taken on policy matters during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because right now we're paying on the student formula in the school system for K-12, and we're also paying
• for it, the school is paying for it, the university is paying for it, kind of figuring out all of those
• Because then you're also paying for your living situation. You're paying for groceries.
• high school, my family can pay for that.
• And it's not something that the state pays for in North Dakota.

Summary: The committee met at Dakota College at Bottineau, approved the January 15, 2026 minutes, and heard an extensive campus update from Dean Corey Gorder and other DCB leaders. Gorder described the college’s affiliation with Minot State and its growing use of shared services, including business office functions, HR, institutional research, Title IX, printing, financial aid support through UND, and payroll support through NDSU. He said the arrangement lets DCB focus on its core mission while relying on system partners for specialized administrative work, and noted that accreditation concerns were not believed to limit those shared-service arrangements. He also highlighted DCB’s mission, enrollment growth, dual-credit reach across rural schools, and the college’s emphasis on nursing, dental, paramedic, farm management, and other workforce-oriented programs. Committee members asked detailed questions about dual credit, program delivery, and whether DCB’s partnerships were exclusive. Gorder said the relationships are generally collaborative rather than exclusive, that schools can choose other providers, and that many partnerships began through personal outreach and ongoing relationships with rural schools. Lisa Johnson of the university system added that transfer complaints are rare and that dual credit generally transfers well within North Dakota, though highly selective out-of-state institutions may treat credits differently. Members also asked about stipends for high school instructors, the share of K-12 versus DCB instructors, and the capacity limits in dental hygiene and other programs. Gorder said dental hygiene is capped by space and staffing, that there were more applicants than seats, and that expansion is being considered; he also said he would provide follow-up information on the paramedic program and instructor breakdowns. Gorder closed by identifying long-term challenges, including aging residence halls, recruiting faculty and staff, and the need to review low-enrollment programs. He said DCB should consider expanding into more high-demand trades such as welding, HVAC, and electrical work, and should streamline dual credit and strengthen its Minot programming. The committee then heard from the North Dakota Student Association, whose leaders outlined student priorities from the last session and the interim. Their main concerns included campus housing quality and affordability, food insecurity and food pantries, mental and physical health resources, student-led research funding, academic and career readiness, internships, and campus collaboration. They also discussed dual credit, saying it is valuable but uneven across the state, and raised questions about how to better retain students in North Dakota through the system. Members asked follow-up questions about housing, transferability of dual credit, and whether incentives could be used to encourage students to stay in-state for higher education.

Transcript Highlights:

• Somebody that's on Medicaid, does the state pay their premium every month?
• So you are forcibly paying for a third party’s benefit.”
• they pay the cost at the ballot box.
• I think that's all you're paying for as well.
• And you're paying for it, and we need to know who's paying for it. I see this as transparent.

Summary: The committee first heard HB 1071, which creates a public records exception for certain aerospace facility and activity records, including blueprints, plans, technical data, operational documents, and security information tied to federally regulated work and contracts with the U.S. Department of War or intelligence agencies. The sponsor and several members emphasized protecting Louisiana aerospace and defense-related work, and the bill was reported favorably without objection. The committee then took up HB 181, as amended, which authorizes the legislative auditor to review confidential income tax records to help LDH verify Medicaid eligibility, and, after amendment, SNAP eligibility as well. Supporters said the bill would help identify ineligible recipients, reduce fraud, and improve the state’s error rate to avoid federal penalties; opponents argued tax returns are outdated and unreliable for current eligibility, could create false flags, and might burden or discourage eligible low-income residents. After extensive debate, the committee adopted Amendment Set 2633 and reported HB 181 favorably by a 10-6 vote. Later, the committee considered HB 250, which removes the requirement that immediate family members of appointed board or commission members disclose certain employment information, while leaving existing ethics prohibitions in place. The Ethics Board said the bill would not change substantive conflict-of-interest rules, only the disclosure requirement, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. HB 544, authorizing a citizen’s advisory referendum election, was briefly explained as a nonbinding, petition-driven local ballot question process, but the sponsor deferred it for further consideration and the committee deferred the bill. The committee also heard HB 1036, which clarifies when a group is considered a “committee” for campaign finance purposes by using a more objective spending threshold rather than the current “primary purpose” standard. Ethics officials said the change would give clearer investigative guidance without changing other disclosure rules, and the bill was reported favorably. Finally, HB 210 was amended to address retroactivity concerns in a prior ethics-related provision affecting school board and local governing authority members employed by entities with contracts or business before June 5, 2024; the amendment grandfathered earlier situations while requiring disclosures going forward, and the bill was reported favorably as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• In Houston, we have a church that pays $20,000 on a $110,000 budget.
• In Corpus, we have a church that pays $75,000 for insurance.
• Now, policyholders have the option to pay... their premiums in two, four, or ten pay plans, all with
• , thus paying themselves, you know, taxes and maintenance taxes.
• TWA and the Texas Fair Plan pay these taxes.

Bills: HB778, HB 1266, HB1576, HB2213, HB2517, HB2518, HB2841, HB3306, HB3320, HB3388, HB3508, HB3520, HB3689

Keywords: credentialing, healthcare, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, managed care, hurricane, windstorm, loss mitigation, grants, insurance discounts, property retrofitting, insurance, Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, board composition, coastal counties, property insurance, taxation, Texas FAIR Plan Association, premium taxes, maintenance taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> there's a room available and they pay there's a room available and they pay the<00:16:11.040><c>
• But I think we should pay for parking.
• </c> Who's going to pay for that? Who's going to pay for that?
• </c><00:49:46.559><c> that</c> insurance and didn't have to pay that insurance and didn't have to pay
• </c><01:18:12.800><c> a</c> contingent faculty are really paying a contingent faculty are really paying

Bills: HF4479, HF4368, HF4889

Keywords: higher education, public university, college campus, postsecondary institution, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, University of Minnesota, town hall, town hall meeting, elected official, legislator, public forum, constituent meeting, campus access, free meeting space, parking fees, civic engagement, public outreach, chapter 135A, HF4368, Minnesota State

Transcript Highlights:

• In our household, we pay our bills, pay our mortgage, pay our light bill, pay our water bill, pay our
• </c> pay for our roads. pay for our roads.
• ,</c> pay our mortgage, pay our light bill, pay our mortgage, pay our light bill, pay<01:01:18.000><c
• bill, pay our water bill, pay our trash bill, pay<01:01:20.559><c> our</c><01:01:20.880><c> taxes.
• </c> pay our taxes. pay our taxes.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> think I mean it's ridiculous to pay think I mean it's ridiculous to pay somebody<00:10:09.600><c
• </c> assign bail to right are supposed to pay assign bail to right are supposed to pay them them them
• </c> their primary function to be paying their primary function to be paying these<00:13:11.000><c> things
• I mean, we're essentially liable now, but we've said we're not paying it now; we're paying it over time
• </c><05:37:31.360><c> for</c> $750,000 so we think we could pay for $750,000 so we think we could pay

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up a House Bill 2 amendment to remove a bail-related section that had already passed in another bill and was now considered duplicative. Members discussed the earlier change to how bail commissioners are reimbursed, concerns that the Judiciary was losing money collecting the fees, and whether the magistrate-related language would still be needed. They noted the bill had already crossed over to the Senate, that the section was obsolete, and that any remaining issue about magistrates’ five-year terms might need to be raised with the Criminal Justice Committee. Amendment 997H, deleting section one, was moved, seconded, and adopted unanimously. The committee then reviewed a package of HB 1 position transfers involving the Department of Environmental Services, Fish and Game, and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Staff explained that several positions were being shuffled to correct position numbers and align permitting functions, including one Fish and Game position moving back to Fish and Game, one DEES position remaining funded after ARPA money ends, and adjustments to hours for permitting and environmental services positions. Members discussed whether the Fish and Game position had been intended to be temporary, but ultimately agreed to accept the first four Environmental Services items and the last two Natural and Cultural Resources items as a package; that motion passed unanimously. They then also accepted sections 2 through 8 of HB 1 with the related amendments and footnote language. The committee next turned to dredge-and-fill fee changes in section 11, where one member objected to a 50% fee increase for seasonal docks, arguing it could discourage permitted work and might apply to repairs that only require notification. Staff said the increase was intended to help cover the cost of additional positions in future biennia, but members decided to hold that section for more information, including how many seasonal dock repair fees are actually collected. Finally, the committee began discussing HB 215 and a proposed tipping-fee/surcharge structure to make a solid waste accounting unit self-funded, with members saying the fee could offset about $2.9 million in general fund costs and support the grant program, but no final action was taken on that item in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> or federal funds that are going to pay or federal funds that are going to pay for<00:15:34.800><
• </c> general fund Debt Service is only paying general fund Debt Service is only paying for<00:27:04.320
• </c><00:43:50.680><c> every</c> last page was what we're paying every last page was what we're paying
• c> to</c><00:47:12.760><c> pay</c><00:47:12.960><c> the</c> Department of or pays MMB to pay the Department
• of or pays MMB to pay the debt<00:47:13.319><c> service</c><00:47:14.079><c> for</c><00:47:14.359><c

Keywords: 1183, house