Transcript Highlights:

• But that's not your position? That's not my position. Okay.
• Is that going to be a classified position or unclassified?
• I don't like being in this position.
• I did not provide legal counsel when that position was created.
• I was never, I did not provide legal counsel when that position was created.

Summary: The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee met on May 6, 2026, approved the April 28 minutes, and heard several bills before moving into confirmation hearings. HB 205, by Rep. Bacala, would allow local governing authorities to supplement election commissioners’ pay by up to $100 per day; supporters from clerks of court and the Secretary of State’s office said the increase is needed to recruit and retain qualified commissioners amid longer days, training demands, and election security changes. The committee also reported HB 210, a cleanup bill clarifying retroactive application of a prior ethics law, and HB 228, which recreates the Department of State Civil Service and related entities through 2033. It likewise reported SR 86, which bars eyeglasses with audio/video recording capability in the Senate chamber without the Senate President’s permission, and HB 1177, which protects the identities of lottery hunt winners until after the drawing. HB 1045, limited to Pointe Coupee Parish, raises an audit threshold for certain water districts from $500,000 to $600,000 to reduce audit costs, and HB 813 would move Orleans Parish sheriff terms so the sheriff takes office in January instead of waiting until May; all were reported favorably. Senator Miller also announced that SB 491 would not be taken up that day. The committee then questioned nominees to the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority East. The first group, including Peter Vicari and Ronald Schumann, was asked extensively about recent personnel actions, an internal investigation, and the authority’s handling of a report that members said would likely be released after a board vote. Senators focused on the firing of the chief of police/operations personnel, allegations of payroll fraud, and whether the authority had improperly combined the chief of police role with compliance duties in a way that may conflict with statute and Civil Service guidance. Committee members also raised concerns about the chief’s contract, whether it had board approval, and whether the authority’s bylaws and salary practices complied with law. The nominees and counsel said some matters were still under review and that a separate compliance position was being considered. The committee later heard from additional nominees, including David Martin, Gregory Marsiglia, and Elton Jude Myers, who described backgrounds in engineering, law, procurement, and governmental contracts. Senators again pressed them on the need to separate compliance/auditing duties from the chief of police role, and the nominees generally agreed that those functions should be distinct and that the authority should have qualified auditing expertise. The meeting ended with no public comment and adjournment after the confirmation discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• SHOULD YOU WAIVE YOUR SPEAKING TO YOUR POSITION WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE COMMITTEE RECORDS.
• WE ARE IN GOOD POSITION HERE.
• I GUESS I WOULD NOT BE IN A POSITION TO ASK FOR MORE POSITIONS WHEN WE CANCEL THE ONES WE HAVE NOW BUT
• HAS THAT AFFECTED THE BACKLOG OR HOW EFFECTIVE HAVE THESE 14 POSITIONS THAT WERE GRANTED YOU?
• WHAT ARE THE THINGS POSITIVE ABOUT THAT KID?

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So in theory, under the text of the bill, you could execute $1 contracts for position after position
• They have 10 exempt positions.
• You said 10 positions. I'm looking at the bill.
• What other positions would you What, what other positions would you include?
• at 18 positions, or do you think it should be?

Transcript Highlights:

• access that pool for that new position.
• Do they do that with every position they add?
• position.
• But I look at it as a positive in that respect.
• But I look at it as a positive in that respect.

Summary: The Budget Section approved the March 18 minutes and received an OMB update showing the general fund is still ahead of the budgeted starting point, but revenues through May are now about $76 million below the legislative forecast, driven mainly by individual income tax and sales tax shortfalls. OMB also reported the budget stabilization fund is above its cap, meaning a transfer to the general fund is expected, and reviewed oil price/production assumptions, noting continued volatility. Members asked about the income tax netting process, the sales tax decline, oil price discounts/premiums, natural gas taxation, and when the executive branch would present its revenue forecast. The committee then acted on several Emergency Commission requests. It approved, as a group, requests for federal mine reclamation funds for the Public Service Commission, an additional criminal investigator FTE and funding for the Attorney General’s office, and a DPI transfer for bridge software costs. It separately approved DPI request 2164 for $500,000 to support the food vendor program after debate over whether the program’s savings were known and whether the money was simply a pass-through. OMB also reported on federal grants, fiscal irregularities, tobacco settlement proceeds, budget guidelines for agencies, FTE pool usage, vacancy savings, and the DAPL settlement, noting the settlement funds had been deposited and that a deficiency appropriation may be needed later to cover remaining accrued interest. Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus presented on the primary residence credit program, saying participation has grown sharply and that the current biennium will likely need about $431 million, roughly $22 million above the appropriation. He explained how the credit interacts with homestead and disabled veteran benefits, how the 3% property tax cap works, and why county valuations and mill rates vary. The committee also received a Legacy Fund/Budget Stabilization Fund report showing strong returns, and DOT Director Ron Henke received approval for two Flex Fund highway projects on ND 49 and ND 31. Henke also explained remaining Highway 85 funding and said the department is exploring uses for leftover state dollars. Finally, the Department of Mineral Resources reported on abandoned well plugging and site restoration, noting North Dakota remains in relatively strong shape compared with other states, and DPI began a presentation on gap funding tied to the 3% levy cap, reporting 24 districts received $1.8 million in the first year and projecting higher future needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• THAT IS IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE TAKEN AWAY 81 VACANT POSITIONS.
• JUST CURIOUS, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LINE THAT IS REDUCED VACANT POSITIONS AND REDUCED POSITIONS
• THE REAL ANSWER IS THERE WERE TWO GROUPS OF VACANT POSITIONS THAT WE LOOKED AT.
• ONE WAS VACANT POSITIONS MORE THAN 90 DAYS.
• ANY OF THE POSITIONS VACANT FOR MORE THAN 90 DAYS WE'VE GONE BACK AND TAKEN A SECOND LOOK.

Transcript Highlights:

• looking at our position descriptions. looking at our position descriptions.
• recruitments and filled 162 positions. recruitments and filled 162 positions.
• , for a total of six positions.
• um position uh dollars positions um position uh dollars positions um [clears throat and cough] [
• Uh they include park positions.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So for every position I know who the supervisor of that position is.
• So for every position I know who the supervisor of that position is.
• One position is vacant 53 positions. One position is vacant right<02:01:06.480> now.
• and no unfunded with no vacant positions and no unfunded positions. positions. positions.
• > examiner administrative positions into examiner administrative positions into examiner positions

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• funding was for you know new positions funding was for you know new positions or<00:05:19.680>
• There aren't people to fill a part-time position.
• There aren't people to fill a part-time position.
• There aren't people to fill a part-time position.
• I do trust... could impact the budget in a positive could impact the budget in a positive way<00:09:13.320

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:32:58.399> balance the general fund, 13.7 positive balance the general fund, 13.7 positive
• on their proposal visa with a positive on their proposal visa with a positive balance.<00:34:54.159
• <01:13:31.679> of<01:13:32.000> $265,000 position of $265,000 position of $265,000 of<01
• positions relative to Senate Bill 153. positions relative to Senate Bill 153. that<01:18:42.400>
• Same with rows 57 position movements: same number of positions, just where they are budgeted.

Keywords: LBA Briefing on Budget, 928, house, all

Summary: The presentation was an LBA overview of Senate changes to the House-passed state budget, with Michael Kane explaining how Senate Finance updated revenue and spending estimates after April revenue figures and agency discussions. He said the Senate’s revenue outlook was higher than the House’s in some areas, but lower in others, especially video lottery terminal revenue, and that the biggest differences also came from changes to revenue splits between the general fund and education trust fund, lapse estimates, and several policy changes in House Bill 1 and House Bill 2. Kane highlighted several major revenue and policy differences: the Senate changed the business tax, tobacco tax, and real estate transfer tax splits; adjusted liquor revenue dedication; removed the House’s meals-and-rooms distribution cap; delayed the Lakes Region facility proceeds plan; altered the PECARD fund treatment; added a granite patron of the arts tax credit; and changed the treatment of unique funds and video lottery terminal revenue. On spending, he noted Senate changes to judicial, corrections, HHS, human rights commission, and other budgets, including additional settlement costs, higher lapse assumptions, and a different approach to Medicaid premium revenue and retirement savings. He also described Senate additions such as a nursing home bed fee, Hampstead Hospital transition funding, and changes to the YDC claims settlement fund. The presentation focused on comparing House and Senate surplus statements across fiscal years 2025 through 2027, including projected ending balances and rainy day fund transfers. Kane repeatedly emphasized that the numbers were still dependent on final revenues and lapse amounts, and that some balances would be carried forward and trued up later in the biennium. No committee vote or final action was described in the excerpt; it was an informational budget briefing and comparison of the two chambers’ proposals.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um some positions and senate proposal.
• <01:10:30.960> with preservation program for a position with preservation program for a position
• <01:10:40.880> are services relative to where positions are services relative to where positions
• Same with rows 57: position movements, same number of positions, just where they are budgeted.
• . same number of position movements. same number of positions<01:16:09.040> just<01:16:09.440>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Summary: The Legislative Budget Assistant staff presented an overview of the Senate changes to the House-passed budget, focusing on revenue estimates, appropriations, and ending balances across the general fund and education trust fund. The presentation emphasized that the Senate’s budget reflected higher revenue assumptions than the House, driven in part by updated April revenue figures, changes to business, tobacco, and real estate transfer tax splits, and different assumptions about video lottery terminal revenue. The Senate also adjusted lapse estimates upward, especially for HHS, after receiving updated information that lapses could be much larger than originally assumed. The presenter walked through the major differences in the surplus statements for fiscal years 2025 through 2027. Compared with the House, the Senate budget generally showed higher revenues, lower or different appropriations in some areas, and larger balances carried forward, including a larger education trust fund balance and a different rainy day fund transfer. The Senate’s approach also changed several policy assumptions, such as maintaining liquor revenue dedication, removing the House’s meals-and-rooms distribution cap, changing the treatment of unique revenue, and altering the process for meeting a targeted revenue amount by giving the governor more flexibility. On the appropriations side, the Senate removed or modified several House reductions and added funding or adjustments in areas including the judicial branch, corrections, HHS, the Human Rights Commission, and certain settlement costs. The presenter also highlighted Senate changes in House Bill 2 and related budget provisions, including a new arts tax credit, a nursing home bed fee, changes to Medicaid premium assumptions, and differences in how motor vehicle inspection repeal and BLT-related revenue are handled. No votes were taken in the portion shown; the discussion was informational and comparative, aimed at explaining the Senate budget changes before conference committee negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, in terms of the position, I mean, I understand Senator Rothfuss' position.
• I understand the Senate position.
• Um, in terms of the position, I mean, I understand Senator Rothfuss' position.
• I understand the Senate position.
• Um, in terms of the position, I mean, I understand Senator Rothfuss' position.

Bills: SF0102, SF0123, SF0021, SF0099

Keywords: energy transmission, load growth, Wyoming energy authority, transmission planning study, public utilities, regional cooperation, energy, funding, grants, loans, coal, natural gas, mineral processing, economic development, stable token, liquidity, trust account, Wyoming, fund distribution, financial regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• So, in theory, under the text of the bill, you could execute $1 contracts for position after position
• after position and artificially inflate the budget.
• That's how many positions we have.
• positions—for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. office.
• more than 18 positions.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So why these positions here?
• And so the department had opted to move funding from management positions to nursing positions so that
• Already having positions posted, right?
• If we gave them 18 more positions, I don’t know if they would actually fill those 18 positions.
• Hook, she talked about the positions that are currently posted.

Bills: SB25, SB132, SB155, SB157, SB202, SB237, SB250, SB433

Keywords: registrar of voters, parish registrar, chief deputy registrar, confidential assistant, election administration, elections, salary schedule, compensation, merit evaluation, population-based pay, census-based pay, Department of State, Secretary of State, State Board of Election Supervisors, redistricting, senate districts, Senate District 33, Senate District 34, Senate District 35, precincts

Transcript Highlights:

• And if you're speaking on a previous position, please state your name, organization, and position only
• If you're speaking on a previously stated position, please provide your name, organization, and position
• We are requesting position authority for 62 positions in the budget year, which would bring us to 825
• positions.
• So this would give us position authority for three positions to analyze that quarterly data.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 28% to 57% for veterinarian positions since 2019.
• and moved it to non-vacant positions in order to raise their salaries.
• from 28% to 57% for veterinarian positions since 2019.
• and moved it to non-vacant positions in order to raise their salaries.
• The last positive case detected in Texas was on January 10, 2025, in Brown County.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present to hear Article VI Natural Resources agency budget recommendations, beginning with the Railroad Commission. LBB staff summarized the commission’s 2026-27 base recommendation at $458.7 million, down from the prior biennium, with an increased FTE cap. The presentation highlighted reduced federal IIJA funding, volatility in oil and gas regulation account 5155, continued support for IT modernization, and rider changes. The commission’s major exceptional items were then presented, including requests for produced water and injection data reporting, an authorized pit registration system, regulatory filing/permitting upgrades, an underground injection well investigation team, site remediation support, and especially $100 million for orphan well plugging. Members asked about biennium-to-biennium comparisons, salary biennialization, the scale of orphan well risks, federal funding delays, bonding, and whether the state should rely more on industry or general revenue for plugging costs. Commission leadership explained that orphan wells can threaten water and public safety, that plugging costs have risen sharply, and that current funding is insufficient to keep up with emergency wells and the backlog; they also said the agency is moving to cloud-based systems with cybersecurity protections and that the proposed performance measure may need adjustment if funding does not increase. The Railroad Commission testimony was followed by LBB and agency testimony for the Texas Animal Health Commission. LBB described a $42 million recommendation for 2026-27, an increase overall, but with a reduced FTE cap due to turnover and salary reallocation. The recommendation maintained funding for cattle fever tick work, chronic wasting disease, lab testing through an MOU with Texas A&M’s veterinary diagnostic lab, and a new $5 million spay-and-neuter pilot program, while deleting a capital budget rider and adjusting riders tied to entry point inspection stations and clinical trials. Agency leadership then outlined the commission’s mission to protect livestock health and the state’s $22 billion animal industry, and described major disease threats including highly pathogenic avian influenza, cattle fever ticks, New World screwworm, and chronic wasting disease. Their exceptional items focused on recruiting and retaining veterinarians, replacing fleet vehicles, creating an ectoparasite identification lab, adding field staff and IT support, improving records and epidemiology reporting, strengthening central administration, supporting secure food supply planning, expanding chronic wasting disease work, and staffing the new spay-and-neuter program. Members asked about field identification of ticks, the use of disinfectants and PPE, fleet management, the scale of cattle fever tick risk, and chronic wasting disease; the agency explained its current inspection and lab-confirmation process, its reliance on field disinfecting and biosecurity, and the need for more staff and better data systems to keep pace with growing workloads and disease threats.

Transcript Highlights:

• But that's not your position? That's not my position. Okay.
• Is that going to be a classified position or unclassified?
• I don't like being in this position.
• I did not provide legal counsel when that position was created.
• Received any emails, documents, anything related to that position. Okay.

Bills: SR86, SB491, HB205, HB210, HB228, HB813, HB1045, HB1177

Keywords: Senate rules, Louisiana Senate, Senate Chamber, smart glasses, recording eyewear, audio recording, video recording, wearable technology, covert recording, legislative security, media access, chamber decorum, Senate President, internal rules, public access, lobbyists, official journal, public notices, competitive bid, Louisiana legislation

Transcript Highlights:

• positions positions um<00:13:50.600> uh<00:13:50.800> with<00:13:51.040> deard<
• <00:17:23.760> in Union about these positions in Union about these positions in particular
• Service non- civil service positions Service non- civil service positions Statewide<00:17:33.320
• <00:17:53.280> there process of creating the position there process of creating the position
• position is created anytime a position position is created that<00:18:00.080> is<00:18:00.320

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills. HB 114, concerning employment in the State Historic Preservation Program, drew support from DLNR, which said the measure would help retain qualified archaeologists, architects, and other professionals by preserving current pay levels for a limited number of positions. Members raised concerns about expanding exempt positions and the effect on union coverage, and DLNR said it was also working with DEHRD on longer-term reclassification issues. No vote was taken on the bill in the portion provided. HB 12, relating to tort liability, drew strong opposition from the Hawaii Association for Justice, which argued the bill would create overly broad immunity for landowners, conflict with Hawaii’s comparative fault framework, and undermine existing recreational liability law. Supporters said it would reduce liability concerns and encourage landowners to allow hiking, hunting, search-and-rescue training, and firearms-related uses on private land. The committee then moved on without any recorded vote in the excerpt. The committee also discussed HB 29 on counties, but no county representative was present, and members questioned whether the proposal should instead proceed through condemnation if it involved a forced sale. HB 175 on property maintenance received DLNR comments that the bill should be narrowed to noxious weeds and that fire-related provisions were more properly handled by county fire departments and the State Fire Marshal. HB 331 on permits drew support from several state agencies, but the Honolulu Board of Water Supply opposed it unless “repetitive construction” was defined more clearly; members and agencies discussed narrowing the bill to avoid unintended impacts on water and utility infrastructure. The committee also heard strong support for HB 3 on North Shore beach management, HB 309 on fish ponds, and HB 306 on water code penalties, though the Board of Water Supply raised concerns about increased fines and suggested an alternative governor’s bill and clearer administrative rules.

Transcript Highlights:

• for a positions no for the asking for a positions no for the director<00:38:07.400> position<
• It's in, it's, uh, I know I saw two custodian positions and three faculty positions or something.
• These faculty positions are faculty positions, right, and so they're permanent positions.
• I don't know about his position.
• > right positions are faculty positions right positions are faculty positions right and<00:42:15.000

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• have to have a fully funded position have to have a fully funded position each<00:25:34.840>
• vacancies you could post 100 positions vacancies you could post 100 positions um<00:26:03.120>
• There's no expectation necessarily that that position is going to be a permanent position within the
• There's no expectation necessarily that that position is going to be a permanent position within the
• There's no expectation necessarily that that position is going to be a permanent position within the

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Division III work session focused on the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health Services budget. Department staff said Public Health has a relatively small budget compared with other DHHS divisions, is supported mostly by federal and other non-General funds, and contains nearly 100 accounting units and more than 50 federal grants. They emphasized that the governor’s budget did not include significant cuts, but that federal funding uncertainty and the winding down of pandemic-era resources were major factors affecting the division. The division also explained that some apparent budget growth reflects reorganizations, including moving the Bureau of Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery and some programs from other DHHS divisions into Public Health. The presentation described Public Health’s mission as serving the entire state through food and water safety, disease surveillance, emergency response, maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, WIC, community health center support, and public health data collection. Members asked about bird flu, and staff explained that human-health response would involve Public Health’s lab, infectious disease, and emergency preparedness units, while animal-health issues are handled with the Department of Agriculture; they also noted ongoing milk testing requested by FDA and USDA. The division said its organizational structure includes bureaus for Family Health and Nutrition, Infectious Disease Control, Public Health Protection, Emergency Preparedness, Prevention and Wellness, Statistics and Informatics, and Public Health Laboratories, with about a 15% vacancy rate. Committee members questioned whether the division’s budget and staffing had really grown since pre-COVID, and staff responded that full-time authorized staffing is about the same as in 2018, with the increase largely due to federal pandemic funding that has since receded and to program transfers between divisions. They said Public Health’s General Fund share is about $24 million out of roughly $1.1 billion in DHHS General Fund spending, or about 2.2% of the department total. Members also asked about the 3,000-position cap and unfunded positions; staff explained that the cap remains in chapter law through June 30, 2025, that 394 positions were unfunded in the governor’s budget, and that the division expects flexibility to move money from personnel lines and fill unfunded positions to manage changing needs. No votes or formal actions were taken in this portion of the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• , eight additional AWAC, and a reduction of 16 part-time positions for 48 net positions.
• and position reclassification. and position reclassification.
• And that's an important position.
• by one full-time position.
• And this is equivalent positions.

Keywords: 916, all