Transcript Highlights:

• years to better understand what was a crisis in Florida, but also nationally around turnover and retention
• us for 3 years for a comprehensive assessment that assesses the health of their organization, that data
• The department has deployed several other workforce initiatives to improve recruitment, retention and
• Retention strategies include the creation of re regional retention specialist these positions.
• I would say that those all contribute to retention rate surgery. >> Thank you.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, House Bill 2992 is the Data Center Customer Protection Act of 2026. Is there a PCS?
• Data Center Customer Protection Act of 2026. Is there a PCS? There is a PCS.
• House Bill 2992 would require data centers to pay their share of infrastructure costs associated with
• One normal AI data center consumes as much electricity as the city of Edmond, which has almost 100,000
• Even some of the largest data centers employ less than 150 people, sometimes as few as 25.

Bills: HB2989, HB3724, HB2992, HB3464, HB4246, HB3989

Keywords: high-demand facilities, electric utilities, public infrastructure, water management, taxpayer-funded subsidies, decommissioning plans, local control, citizen initiative, referendum, HB2992, Data Center Customer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, Corporation Commission, Oklahoma utilities, ratepayer protection, data centers, artificial intelligence computing, AI data centers, cryptocurrency mining, large load customer, electric rates

Transcript Highlights:

• . retention than the two-year programs.
• And you can see data here from...
• Boards provide data on the number of physicians.
• At the Data Bank, it was clear that everybody loved to receive the data.
• The program is more of a retention tool and a longevity retention tool.

Transcript Highlights:

• To the effect that these benefits have on recruiting and retention.
• You know, I know recruitment and retention is challenging.
• But that would be a retention tool, right?
• This is a recruitment and retention tool. Retirement.
• Here's the data that shows that gap in fee-for-service revenue.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee was called to order, a quorum was established, and the minutes from the prior meeting were approved. The first major presentation came from Montana Public Employees Retirement System executive director William Hollahan, who gave an overview of Montana’s Volunteer Firefighters’ Compensation Act plan. He explained that the plan covers volunteer firefighters in unincorporated areas, is funded by 5% of state fire insurance premium taxes, and currently serves 228 departments with about 2,936 active members and 1,242 retirees. He described eligibility rules, annual training and reporting requirements, benefit levels for partial and full pensions, disability, death, medical, and funeral benefits, and said the plan is actuarially sound with roughly $60 million in assets and a funded ratio slightly above 100%. Committee members asked about prior-service credit, whether EMS personnel are included, the effect on recruitment and retention, and whether expanding coverage would require a funding analysis; Hollahan said prior service is not credited, EMS is not currently included, and any expansion would need financial review. Tim Walleen of Workforce Safety and Insurance then presented a draft North Dakota workers’ compensation solution for volunteer firefighters and volunteer EMS personnel. He explained that volunteer responders are already covered by workers’ comp for medical and wage-loss benefits, but the proposal would set a minimum annual wage of $30,000 for calculating wage-loss benefits for qualifying volunteers, with the benefit paid at two-thirds of that amount. Representative Porter suggested tying the volunteer definition to existing code rather than a fixed dollar amount, and Walleen agreed. Questions focused on whether search and rescue or other volunteer emergency services could be included, whether departments would face new paperwork, and whether volunteer organizations can already elect coverage; Walleen said there would be no additional paperwork and that volunteer coverage is already available. The committee also heard from volunteer fire service representatives and the state fire marshal. An Oakes-area firefighter, Mr. Olson, testified that small departments are struggling with retention, communication, and administrative burdens, especially around separate bookkeeping and funding rules for donated or fundraising money, and he said departments need clearer guidance from the state. State Fire Marshal Dr. Matthew Clark introduced himself and outlined a broader effort to improve education, support, and coordination for fire departments, including a planned 10% audit of certificates of existence beginning in 2027, more outreach through his office, and better assistance with training, reporting, and grant access. He said his office is authorized under current law to provide these services, but the role has been vague and underused. Finally, Arnagard Rural Fire District Chief Rick Schreiber testified in favor of new recruitment and retention ideas, including retirement-style benefits, health insurance, tax incentives, scholarships, grants, and more remote or regional training. He said volunteer departments are losing members, that local tax and donation funds are already stretched, and that any new retirement or incentive program should be sustainable and likely involve a mix of state and local support.

Transcript Highlights:

• employee data.
• source, where that data comes from, how that data is captured, how it's made available, and then how
• source, where that data comes from, how that data is captured, how it's made available, and then how
• submitted into the data set.
• submitted into the data set.

Summary: The committee began with an extended work session on the long-term care workforce. DSHS Assistant Secretary B. Rector described the new Home and Community Living Administration and outlined major workforce pressures: Washington had about 126,000 long-term care workers in 2022, with demand expected to outpace supply as the 85-plus population and dementia prevalence rise sharply. She emphasized that direct care workers are largely women, people of color, and immigrants, and that family caregivers are also a major part of the system. She highlighted recruitment and retention efforts funded through federal Money Follows the Person dollars, including high school training partnerships, a retention toolkit, transportation support, caregiver newsletters, tribal workforce navigators, and a remote caregiving pilot. Committee members asked about career pathways, technology use, and turnover drivers; Rector said wages, benefits, unstable hours, and workplace support are key issues and promised follow-up data. Aidan Swain of the Washington Health Care Association said skilled nursing and assisted living facilities face acute RN vacancies, wage pressures, and Medicaid reimbursement that does not cover costs, and urged modernization of training, better reimbursement, and continued support for facility-based care. Maddie Fouch of SEIU 775, representing about 55,000 caregivers, said low wages, weak benefits, lack of voice, and certification delays are driving turnover and shortages, and argued for higher compensation, better worker protections, and more transparent reimbursement. Catherine Smith of Behavioral Health Solutions described growing behavioral health needs in nursing homes, the role of expanded behavioral supports programs, and credentialing delays that slow hiring. No votes were taken; the panel was informational only. The second agenda item was an overview of the palliative care benefit work group report required by 2024 legislation. Nico Jansen of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner explained that the work group, convened with the Health Care Authority, studied a potential palliative care benefit for fully insured commercial plans and also Medicaid, PEBB, and SEBB. He said palliative care is a philosophy of care focused on symptom management, coordination, and support for serious illness, and is distinct from hospice because it can be provided alongside curative treatment. The actuarial analysis concluded that creating a new benefit would likely increase costs, estimating about a 28-cent per member per month increase overall and roughly $2.6 million to $4.5 million in annual state Medicaid costs if implemented in 2027. Jansen said the consultants did not find sufficient evidence to assume savings from avoided hospitalizations or long-term care, though several work group members disagreed and submitted response letters. Senators asked about other states, Medicare, health homes, and whether more research could clarify cost savings; OIC said some states, including Hawaii, are moving ahead with Medicaid palliative care benefits, Medicare covers some related services but not in the same way, and further evidence may emerge over time. OIC did not take a position on whether the Legislature should create the benefit. The final presentation covered health care price transparency tools in Washington and federally. Evan Klein and HCA Chief Data Officer Vishal Chaudry reviewed federal hospital and health plan transparency rules, the state all-payer claims database, prescription drug price transparency, the Health Care Cost Transparency Board, the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, and other reporting systems. They explained that the APCD contains claims from fully insured commercial plans, Medicaid, and public employee programs, but not self-insured employer data except for limited voluntary submissions. They also described how machine-readable files, consumer price tools, and aggregated dashboards are used, and noted that data limitations, delays, and complexity remain significant. Senators asked about voluntary self-insured participation, the role of AI in making data more usable, and whether transparency can really help consumers given access barriers and medical debt. HCA said AI is increasingly used by private entities to mine large transparency datasets, but state agencies still face limits in data access and analytic capacity. The committee did not take action; the session was informational and ended with a discussion of how transparency data might better inform policy and purchasing decisions in the future.

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, the BCA's law enforcement officers killed and assaulted, or LEOKA, data from 2021 to 2024
• With regard to retention, currently we have over 10,000 licensed peace officers in the state; however
• <00:03:04.080> data enforcement according to BCA data data enforcement according to BCA data
• hiring new police officers retention hiring new police officers retention overall<00:04:00.200><
• Minnesota with regard to retention Minnesota with regard to retention currently<00:04:48.160>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Sections one and two pertain to risk retention groups.
• They are authorized under federal law, the Liability Risk Retention Act.
• authority of a risk retention group. authority of a risk retention group.
• Under current law, a risk retention Under current law, a risk retention group<00:19:29.360> has
• available weather data available weather data and<00:35:50.320> losses<00:35:50.960> are

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House opened with devotional remarks from Representative Greer focused on perspective, kindness, and the idea that people “earn” respect and love through shared humanity. After that, the chamber suspended rules to introduce 17 House bills by number only, and adopted JRS 3 in concurrence, setting a joint assembly for Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. to receive the governor’s budget message. Several announcements followed, including birthday wishes, a note about the new federal whole milk for schools law, guest introductions, and caucus notices. The House also approved committee transfers for H.393, an act relating to the prohibition of requiring face masks in schools, moving it from Education to Healthcare, and H.334, an act relating to limiting employer restrictions on individuals separating from employment, moving it from General and Housing to Commerce and Economic Development. The chamber then took up H.649 on captive insurance companies. The Commerce and Economic Development Committee explained that the bill, based on Department of Financial Regulation proposals, would prohibit risk retention groups from lending to or investing in members or affiliates, require annual and quarterly filings in NAIC form with a jurat page and actuarial certificate, and create new filing requirements for sponsored captive protected cells. The committee reported unanimous support, and the House amended the bill and ordered third reading. The House next considered S.60, establishing a Farm Security Special Fund. The Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry Committee and Appropriations described the bill as a response to repeated weather-related losses affecting farms and forestry operations, including flooding, freezes, drought, and other extreme events. The House version adds forestry and changes assistance from grants to payments to make aid faster and less cumbersome. The program would be administered by the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, with a review board and payments of up to 50% of uncovered losses, capped at 5% of annual appropriations and $150,000 per application. The committee testimony emphasized the need for a permanent, predictable state relief mechanism, and the bill was advanced with strong support.

Transcript Highlights:

• But the data shows that the five-year retention rate of people coming in in other states through these
• In Texas, there's one I'm thinking of; it's got about a 75% five-year retention.
• We have a retention crisis, and we have a retention crisis because we're not respecting the Teaching
• Yes, and you know I have some data here from 1,847 teachers.
• I'll just go back to some of this data that I have from those responses of these teachers.

Bills: HB2987, HB3026, HB3076, HB3288, HB3315, HB3467, HB3711, HB3885, HB4427, HB4359, HB4363

Keywords: kindergarten, military families, education policy, school districts, international military dependents, age eligibility, teacher certification, alternative teacher preparation, education reform, employment opportunities, teacher recruitment, physical education, elementary school, prekindergarten, recess, health and fitness, higher education, bachelor's degree, feasibility study, Oklahoma State Regents

Transcript Highlights:

• Let's keep all the data possible. So, thank you so much. That's all I have to say.
• in this committee importance of data in this committee because<00:27:45.840> the<00:27:46.080
• on health, on decimated important data on health, on climate,<00:27:51.919> on<00:27:52.159><
• I think this is a great compromise that we can actually get data.
• Uh, Representative Klevorn talked about Representative Cleorne talked about wanting to have data and

Bills: HF3432, HF3411

Keywords: resident tuition, employment, higher education, Minnesota, tuition rates, state universities, immigration status, immigration, postsecondary education, privacy, data access, federal officers, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This is one reason why the teacher mentorship and retention grant program is important.
• I am Susan Hang, the recruitment and retention manager for Osceola Area Schools.
• I am Susan Hang, the recruitment and retention manager for Osceola Area Schools.
• Our program is supported by the Teacher Mentorship and Retention of Effective Teachers Grant.
• and help focus the efforts on retention and help focus the efforts on retention and<01:06:03.359

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Education Finance Committee met remotely on February 16, 2022, with a quorum present and approved the minutes from the previous day by voice vote. Chair Dabney said the committee was spending the week on public school staffing shortages, especially efforts to increase and retain BIPOC teachers, and introduced testimony on the Collaborative Urban and Greater Minnesota Educators of Color Grant Program (CUGMEC) and the broader Increasing Teachers of Color Act. Testifiers from St. Thomas, Augsburg, and Hopkins described the history and impact of the legacy educator-of-color programs. Kathleen Campbell said the original Q program was created to address underrepresentation, remove financial barriers, and provide mentorship and culturally relevant support; she argued that when the grant became competitive in 2017 without additional funding, support was spread too thin and student capacity dropped. Audrey Lensmeyer described Augsburg’s East African Student-to-Teacher Program, rooted in community advocacy in Cedar-Riverside, and said it has produced strong completion and licensure outcomes. Keenan Jones shared his path from paraprofessional to teacher and district leader, emphasizing the importance of scholarships, mentorship, and outreach to high school students, including a statewide co-enrollment Intro to Teaching course. Representative Hassan then presented House File 3079, saying the bill aims to attract, prepare, complete, and retain more teachers of color and American Indian teachers through several grant and program changes, including Closing the Educational Opportunity Gap grants, Cook Mac funding, teacher mentorship and retention updates, and revisions to CUGMEC. He said the bill responds to a severe shortage of BIPOC teachers and that the requested investment is small relative to the state surplus. Student and educator testimony followed, including a third-grade student from Crookston and Ava Roots, both of whom described the importance of having teachers who reflect students’ cultures and experiences. Natalia Benjamin, the 2021 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, also testified about retention challenges for educators of color and racialized workplace treatment. The committee indicated it intended to lay over HF 3079 for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill, and Representative Richardson moved the bill to be laid over for further consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• DATA PRIVACY, FAIRNESS AND SECURITY.
• OUR DATA IS SAFE.
• AS SOON AS THE DATA IS COMING IN WE ARE UPLOADING THE DATA ON THE SYSTEMS WE ARE ABLE TO GO AHEAD ON
• HERE COMES THE DATA FOR THEM.
• WE TALK ABOUT DATA IS SNOWFLAKE IS A DATA PLATFORM THAT HELPS US WITH AI AND WE HIGHLY LEVERAGE IT.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so there's some controlling that happens in that data to be able to pinpoint that.
• One is it analyzes Texas data, but it also compiles as a summary of some nationwide data, which I think
• I don't know if we actually spliced the data like that.
• Um, teacher retention, uh, declined, but, um, non-teaching staff retention actually stayed constant.
• OK, well, if you'll follow up with us with that data that would be helpful. I really appreciate it.

Bills: SF0069, SF0084, SF0050, SF0109, HB0069, HB0098

Keywords: wastewater, stormwater, infrastructure, environmental quality, public data, data collection, funding, study, water conservation, Colorado River, drought, irrigation, water rights, voluntary program, interstate agreements, groundwater, water resource management, state engineer, aquifer study, corrective controls

Bills: SF0069, SF0084, SF0050, SF0109, HB0069, HB0098

Keywords: wastewater, stormwater, infrastructure, environmental quality, public data, data collection, funding, study, water conservation, Colorado River, drought, irrigation, water rights, voluntary program, interstate agreements, groundwater, water resource management, state engineer, aquifer study, corrective controls

Transcript Highlights:

• to the Department of Law Enforcement for statewide data sharing purposes.
• Under current law, these entities submit transaction data only to local law... ...sharing purposes.
• As a result, transaction data may not be readily accessible to law enforcement officials across county
• Submission of the data to FDLE would allow the information to be integrated into LInX, expanding access
• And we're just trying to tighten up on the process of data collection and accountability to make sure

Bills: S1080, S1112, S1324, S1338, S1582, S1672

Keywords: traffic safety, school zones, speed detection systems, license plate recognition, yellow signal timing, data privacy, municipal powers, labor pool, employment, temporary work, placement fee, Department of Commerce, limited liability companies, corporations, principal office, registered agent, Florida Statutes, charitable giving, endowment agreements, donor restrictions

Summary: The Committee on Commerce and Tourism considered several bills. SB 1338 by Senator Burton would strengthen enforcement of written endowment agreements for charitable gifts and require legislative approval for new filing or reporting requirements on charities. The sponsor and Philanthropy Roundtable testified in support, emphasizing donor intent and protections for nonprofits; the bill was reported favorably. SB 1324, which was expected to address principal offices of LLCs, was temporarily postponed. The committee also passed CS/SB 1080 by Senator DeSigley, which directs FDOT to adopt rules allowing direct payments to first-tier subcontractors in specified circumstances. A transportation industry representative supported the measure, saying the situations are rare but need a statutory remedy. CS/SB 1582 by Senator Yarbrough, as amended, requires secondhand dealers, secondary metal recyclers, and pawnbrokers to submit transaction data to FDLE for statewide sharing through systems such as LInX; the amendment and bill were both reported favorably, with one witness from the Florida Recycler’s Association opposing the amendment. Senator McLean’s SB 1672, creating a home buyer workforce tax credit for employer contributions to help employees with first-time Florida home purchases, was reported favorably with support from the Florida Chamber of Commerce. SB 1112 by Senator Garcia, relating to the Florida Labor Pool Act, drew extensive testimony from workers, reentry advocates, and supporters who argued it would prohibit placement fees when workers are hired permanently, require annual registration of labor pools, improve accountability, and support stable employment and reentry; the bill was reported favorably. The committee then adjourned after recording votes and other closing business.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's important to note that our data practices statutes, which govern our law enforcement data, already
• To suggest that we should create firewalls or carve out an exception to the sharing of this data with
• He added that data practices statutes already mandate sharing in many instances and allow it in others
• to support that a chilling survey data to support that a chilling effect<01:15:55.000> theory
• Practices Act to of the Minnesota data Practices Act to require<01:26:31.239> all<01:26:31.639

Bills: HF1051, HF16

Keywords: sacred communities, micro units, religious institutions, housing regulations, homelessness, conditional use permits, immigration enforcement, sanctuary policies, sanctuary city, noncooperation ordinance, ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, federal immigration authorities, deportation, undocumented immigrant, undocumented person, immigration status data, data sharing, preemption, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for your data. Thank you. Q.
• And that data is available? Yes. We have it.
• We have data on referrals. We have data on dispositions.
• I would like to see some data on how. Me too. I'm with you. But I'll give you the data.
• On the back end of that all of our data we have access to that data and we want to be able to plan for

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of LPR data.
• Who has access to this data?
• This data is law enforcement sensitive.
• So license plate data goes on there.
• So you meant the retention. Yes, ma'am.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:21:13.120> rates our first to second year retention rates our first to second year retention
• Our first-to-second-year retention increased again this year, up to 86%.
• Our first-to-second-year retention increased again this year, up to 86%.
• <00:57:51.520> every we adjust based on that data every we adjust based on that data every
• completion fall 2024 semester data completion fall 2024 semester data showed<01:03:22.319> increases

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Public following when it becomes inactive, the data I would refer to the Data Practices Act in what it
• says about criminal investigative data.
• Inactive investigative data is classified as public; active investigative data is confidential.
• de-identified data to be shared.
• The data classification provisions are consistent with existing data classification of similar data reported

Bills: HF2354, HF1672, HF2389, HF2870, HF2743, HF1918, HF2551, HF1671

Keywords: medical assistance, fraud prevention, subpoena authority, criminal penalties, consumer protection, medical cannabis, medical marijuana, cannabis, cannabinoids, hemp, marijuana registry, patient registry, visiting patient, Tribal cannabis, Tribal medical cannabis program, Tribal sovereignty, Office of Cannabis Management, designated caregiver, home cultivation, adult-use cannabis