Transcript Highlights:

• We've secured the discount that's being used by the naloxone distribution program.
• It will remediate information security risk inherent to operating the existing legacy system, provide
• Developmental centers are now closed except for secure treatment at Porterville.
• Treatment and Canyon Springs Secure Treatment into the community.
• setting. needs to be able to return to the secure setting until an alternative.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• based on the purchase futures securities based on the outcome<00:16:26.880> of<00:16:27.000><
• So that is not enough to protect people who are in secure facilities in Minnesota.
• <00:26:33.560> DHS<00:26:34.240> licensed something similar in secure DHS licensed
• something similar in secure DHS licensed facilities.<00:26:35.640> I'm<00:26:35.800> on
• So that is not enough to protect people who are in secure facilities in Minnesota.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The Public Safety Policy Conference Committee met on May 8, 2026, with all conferees present. The chair opened with decorum instructions, explained that the meeting was policy-only, and noted that no public testimony had been signed up. Members then introduced themselves, with several noting they were retiring at the end of the session or year. The committee adopted a series of provisions, mostly by unanimous voice vote, including House language on identity theft and financial crimes updates, supervision abatement and restitution considerations for corrections, protective-order enhancements for murder penalties, prediction markets, victim-notification requirements for plea and sentencing hearings, research data privacy, ignition interlock and impaired-driving license changes, DOC licensing and sanctions for juvenile/adult community-based residential facilities, criminal-conviction employment and licensing standards, jail medication procedures, domestic abuse law changes, and a grant-use extension for dual-status/crossover youth funding. Several items were described as technical or clarifying changes, while others updated law to address AI-related identity theft, foreign protective orders, victim privacy, and corrections oversight. The committee also heard discussion on a Senate provision allowing victims of domestic violence to petition for wireless account and phone-number transfers. A witness supported the concept but urged changes to better align the state language with existing federal law; members noted the issue might need another vehicle or further work. For the domestic abuse item, staff explained that an A15 amendment would later adjust the warrantless-arrest window from 28 days to 14 days. On the jail-medication item, a member emphasized the changes were clarifying and not an admission that last year’s law was flawed. All adopted provisions passed by voice vote without opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• the most important piece is that that burden is not necessary based on the existing procedures to secure
• :44.160> existing<00:56:44.720> procedures<00:56:45.280> to<00:56:45.520> secure
• on the existing procedures to secure on the existing procedures to secure absentee<00:56:46.480>
• I guess I disagree that there are no controls over absentee ballots, and they are still kept securely
• in town they are still kept securely in town clerk's<01:01:57.119> offices.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate File 734, which was supplemental nonprofit security grants at 125,000 for two years, and with
• :07.120> emergency homeland security and emergency homeland security and emergency management,
• Uh, Madam Chair, this motion has to do with the nonprofit security grants.
• <00:53:47.440> We<00:53:47.680> are nonprofit security grants.
• We are nonprofit security grants.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The conference committee met late on Friday evening to discuss the Public Safety and Judiciary budget agreement, beginning with a brief exchange among members about concerns that the executive branch had been delaying the committee’s work by waiting to approve legislative decisions. Members emphasized that the legislature should retain its independence while still allowing normal collaboration with the governor’s office. The committee then moved through several outstanding policy items and adopted them without opposition, including the A38 amendment addressing data-sharing concerns involving disability-related information, a study of firefighting services by the state fire marshal, and an A46 amendment governing access to unredacted portable recording system data in collision investigations, with guardrails on disclosure and use. The committee next reviewed the spreadsheet and budget targets. Fiscal staff explained the judiciary side of the agreement, including funding for court operating costs, a one-time Justice Partner Access Program appropriation, forensic exam rate increases, guardian ad litem funding, public defense, human rights, the competency attainment board, the cannabis expungement board, and fee increases for civil filings and motions. On the public safety side, staff described the target as well as the discretionary items funded, including nonprofit security grants, BCA staffing changes, fire marshal initiatives, a 10-year arson statute of limitations, prosecutor training grants, legal representation for children, E911 funding for critical infrastructure, Philando Castile Training Fund support, corrections-related savings from the Stillwater phased closure and sentence-to-serve elimination, a mandatory minimums task force, a victims of crime account transfer, a decommissioning study, in-service use-of-force training, and extensions of several expiring appropriations. The committee also noted a correction to a spreadsheet label related to the Stillwater closure item. After the spreadsheet walkthrough, the committee took testimony from Chief Justice Natalie Hudson and State Court Administrator Jeff Shorban on behalf of the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Hudson thanked the committee for its work and said the agreement covers some unavoidable costs, including insurance, lease expenses, forensic examiner pay, and the new access system, but argued it does not adequately address the judiciary’s most urgent problem: staffing and judicial compensation. She said court employees are leaving for better-paying jobs, judicial salaries are frozen for two years, and applicant pools for judgeships have declined, especially in greater Minnesota. She also said the judicial branch was not meaningfully consulted on the budget target and urged lawmakers to recognize the courts as a constitutional obligation rather than a discretionary program.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have added 100 transit security officers to enhance security on light rail vehicles. ...platforms.
• One penny that we promised the bondholders would be security for repayment.
• security, the bank would not be happy.
• This would also result in security cuts and more than likely additional issues to come.
• We need DART to stay safe, and in order for that, we need police and security to be highly present.

Bills: HB2065, HB2462, HB2621, HB3187, HB3539, HB3563, HB3726, HB4164, HB4207, HB4368, HB4706, HB4916, HB4950, HB4967, HB5177, HB4429, HB5597

Keywords: commercial vehicles, parking regulations, residential areas, local governance, land use, traffic safety, high occupancy vehicle lane, pregnant operators, transportation, parental rights, motor vehicle regulations, live video feed, state agency, transparency, public safety, regional transportation, mobility program, sales tax, public infrastructure, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• We secure workplaces and assist travelers at our airports. yourself for the um record.
• ><01:04:40.880> window security officers, high-rise window security officers, high-rise window
• We secure workplaces and assist travelers at our airports.
• This increased taxation of those more financially secure is not for a frivolous purpose.
• is not for a financially secure is not for a frivolous<01:07:12.400> purpose.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This plan also does not participate in Social Security, so this is their only pension plan or any plan
• that they can expect in retirement, which means the employer is also not paying Social Security.
• that they can expect in retirement, which means the employer is also not paying Social Security.
• The first one is to maintain benefit security, namely do no harm at 67% funded.
• one is to maintain benefit security one is to maintain benefit security namely<01:15:06.880>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• by making a false sense of security by making a false sense of security by making people feel safe if
• safe if they are to a secure safe if they are to a secure safe if they are experiencing suicidal experiencing
• I went through that related to security I went through that related to security I went through three
• different secure uh doors uh with three different secure uh doors uh with three different secure uh
• being just wide open all all security being just wide open all all security being just wide open for

Keywords: sessions, 2025-R, 1, 219

Transcript Highlights:

• and you may have a conviction is secured and you may have a case<01:19:52.000> of<01:19:52.480
• guard that they wouldn't like a security guard that they wouldn't necessarily<02:16:03.880> know<
• He said corporations will often employ security guards to guard things like light bulbs that are just
• piece that was just the security piece that was just mentioned<02:31:58.760> um<02:31:59.560>
• um that's huge I mean security um that's huge I mean everything's<02:32:33.600> posted<02:32:

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting covered two main items. First, the solid waste subcommittee reviewed draft language for HB 707, focusing on landfill siting and permitting standards. Members and the Department of Environmental Services discussed replacing repeated references to “aquifer” with “drinking water well,” clarifying that aquifer is a broad term, and considering whether a statutory definition was needed. They also debated the bill’s setback and time-of-travel provisions, including the 10^-5 standard, a 1,500-foot distance, and whether the bill should rely more on performance-based criteria than prescriptive distances. Another major topic was permit denial language tied to applicants with significant histories of repeated serious violations or landfill-related litigation; the department said it already has related authority in current rules, but noted some wording was still too vague and could be tightened. No vote was taken, and the chair closed the hearing with plans to continue work later. The second item was a work session on HB 424, which would direct the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food to create forms for businesses to request information about service animals and establish a study committee on fraudulent or untrained service animals. Several members said the problem raised by the bill was real but expressed concern that the legislature may be limited by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Others argued that a study committee would likely not produce a workable solution and might conflict with leadership’s direction to avoid unnecessary study committees. Members discussed whether the bill should be retained, amended, or instead replaced with a letter or resolution to the federal delegation. The committee appeared to lean toward ITL and possibly pursuing a letter to federal officials, but no final vote is reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• There have been other monies secured, AmeriCorps funding, and Title VI verifications, which pushed for
• Then, of course, there's a case, a decision recently where we were able to help secure a preliminary
• There have been other monies secured, AmeriCorps funding, and Title VI verifications, which pushed for
• Then, of course, there's a case, a decision recently where we were able to help secure a preliminary
• Yeah, it's asking me because I work at a state institution to update my security.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion held an informational hearing on diversity, equity, and inclusion in Massachusetts; no bills were heard or voted on. Chairs Bud Williams and Liz Miranda opened by framing the hearing as a response to recent federal actions they said threatened DEI efforts, funding, and civil rights protections in education and other sectors. They said the committee would hear from experts, agencies, advocates, and businesses about the legality and benefits of DEI and the impact of federal actions on the Commonwealth. Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler testified virtually that Massachusetts is pushing back against federal efforts to restrict DEI, including guidance and certification demands directed at schools. He highlighted state investments in early education, child care, early college, career and technical education, and educator diversity, arguing these efforts help close opportunity gaps for Black and brown students, students with disabilities, English learners, and other underserved groups. In response to member questions, he said federal education dollars are core to services for students and that the state is prepared to fight funding cuts while monitoring impacts across K-12, early education, and higher education. Elizabeth Matos of the Attorney General’s Office said DEIA programs remain legal under state and federal law and described AG guidance issued to help institutions navigate federal confusion. She reviewed litigation the office has joined or won, including efforts involving withheld school funds, museums and libraries, the Minority Business Development Agency, Head Start, AmeriCorps, and other federal actions. Members asked about immigration-related fear and profiling, and Matos pointed to existing Know Your Rights guidance, said complaints to the Civil Rights Division have increased, and noted the office is seeing issues involving housing discrimination, employment, public accommodations, and threats to call ICE. She also said the office is open to further legislative ideas but did not discuss specifics. Evelyn Carter, a social psychologist, testified that diversity, equity, and inclusion are often misunderstood and defined the terms plainly, emphasizing that diversity is a group characteristic, equity addresses unequal starting points, and inclusion is about belonging and access. She argued that DEI matters because it creates guardrails against bias, helps make environments accessible, and addresses ongoing inequities. In response to questions, she suggested practical strategies such as using clear criteria and written records in decision-making, broadening who is considered part of one’s in-group, and pairing bias awareness with concrete behavior-change tools. The hearing also included testimony from Meredith Tewitt of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, who spoke about the importance of DEI for women, veterans, and people who rely on federal institutions, and urged lawmakers to continue supporting inclusion and access.

Transcript Highlights:

• , these 24/7 facilities experience more daily wear and tear, but also must remain operational and secure
• , but also must remain<00:04:10.480> operational<00:04:11.200> and<00:04:11.599> secure
• <00:04:12.159> even<00:04:12.400> when remain operational and secure even when remain
• operational and secure even when faced<00:04:12.959> with<00:04:13.200> a<00:04:13.360
• :27:21.679> and resilient, interoperable, secure and resilient, interoperable, secure and robust

Keywords: Opening and Roll Call 00:28 Public safety Cabinet 01:09 Juvenile justice MH Facility: 04:30 Department of Corrections Repair and Replacement: 10:29 Department of Criminal Justice Flat Track 19:05 KSP : 27:02 Department of Public Advocacy : 37:35, 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee heard capital project requests from the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet for fiscal years 2026-28. The cabinet described its large statewide footprint and said its facilities face significant deferred maintenance, with the governor’s budget proposing full funding for maintenance pool requests, including an additional $60 million for the Department of Corrections’ maintenance pool and cash funding through investment income. Officials said the projects were based on facility assessments and were presented as necessary public safety investments rather than wish-list items. For the Department of Juvenile Justice, the main requests were $35 million for a high-acuity mental health treatment facility and $45 million each for two new female detention facilities. Officials said the mental health facility would fill a gap for youth needing psychiatric care, while the female facilities were needed to support a regional detention model and address overcrowding; they noted the current female population has grown by 50% since July 2024. Members asked about locations, and staff said they were considering western Kentucky abandoned mine land and available land in Fayette and Jefferson counties, with current female placements in Boyd County and Warren County. For the Department of Corrections, officials requested funding for critical mechanical, electrical, plumbing, roof, and structural repairs, including $15.78 million for Kentucky State Penitentiary utilities infrastructure and additional funding for North Point Training Center projects. They also highlighted two re-entry initiatives: a KCTCS partnership for a re-entry campus at North Point and the East Kentucky Applied Manufacturing Institute at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, both aimed at reducing recidivism through intensive training and job preparation. Members asked about the KCTCS re-entry model, and DOC explained it would be a more immersive, campus-style program than current prison-based vocational classes. The Department of Criminal Justice Training discussed projects at its Richmond campus and the planned Western Kentucky Training Center, including a replacement flat track and campus access road at Richmond and added training features in Madisonville. Officials said the Richmond changes were needed because EKU construction had removed the existing flat track and would affect access, while the Western Kentucky project would expand training capacity and reduce travel for law enforcement agencies. The Kentucky State Police then outlined the final phase of the statewide emergency radio system replacement, estimated at about $17.5 million, and said the system is being built in geographic phases; members asked how long completion would take, and staff estimated roughly four years after funding, assuming no major inflation spikes. No votes were taken, and the meeting remained informational with member questions and staff responses.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it something along the lines in terms of provided security in the cost of gold?
• security costs, it's part of the determination of whether you allow them to speak or not?
• Our troopers, our special agents, our rangers, our security specialists, our homeland security analysts
• . are providing a safe and secure environment here at the state capitol, while at the same time being
• We have a very robust homeland security division of analysts. We have undercover agents.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of acquisition and secure storage of uranium 233 in Alabama.
• This energy production is vital to our economy and national security.
• , and well-being. nation's economy, security, and identity.
• I think this bill will be key to the process of securing the safety of our communities.
• It would make communities less safe, not more secure.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He's living off his social security.
• The next item in the governor's budget is the reinsurance, or premium security, plan.
• The next item, again, is a cost-neutral item: security staffing needs.
• staff as they support the finance industry and manage securities risks in Minnesota.
• The next item, again, is a cost-neutral item: security staffing needs.

Bills: HF1646, HF2443

Keywords: medical debt, debt relief, healthcare financing, consumer protection, financial hardship, commerce, cannabis, insurance, housing, ombudsperson, affordability, property, task force, financial institutions, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• review by Homeland Security of the State House complex.
• back and work to align the language of this bill based on what the recommendations from Homeland Security
• that uh that's absolutely true that there is an ongoing um and it's not simply just by Homeland Security
• recommendations from Homeland Security recommendations from Homeland Security are.<01:16:23.280>
• It's by a number of Homeland Security.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first returned to House Bill 157, which had been left pending from an earlier session. After correcting the procedural posture, the committee voted on a motion of ought to pass and it failed on a roll call. A reconsideration motion then passed unanimously, restoring the bill to the floor. Representative Turcot then moved ITL, explaining the committee believed there was a better path, likely through an ad hoc study and a future bill; that motion passed 9-2, and the chair said a minority report would be required and not to place the bill on consent. The committee next took up House Bill 331, which would require the Secretary of State to publish the current location of bills on the website until gubernatorial action. Supporters said the bill would reduce confusion and legislative limbo after bills leave the House and Senate. Online testimony was reported as 116 in support and 4 opposed. The committee voted 11-0 to pass the bill and placed it on consent. House Bill 347 followed, dealing with protections for legislators’ employment when serving in office. Supporters argued it would protect elected officials from employer retaliation and clarify existing law; opponents said it was an unnecessary mandate on employers and raised enforcement concerns, especially for out-of-state employers. The committee voted 8-3 to pass the bill, and a minority report was anticipated; it was not placed on consent. The committee then considered House Bill 605, which included student loan forgiveness provisions tied to legislative service. Members opposing the bill argued legislators are not state employees and should not receive that benefit, while others noted the bill’s employment-related provisions and the difficulty of meeting the hours requirement. The committee voted 11-0 to ITL House Bill 605 and placed it on consent.

Transcript Highlights:

• The science department lacks the stability it needs when it comes to securing yearly materials.
• Food security and housing instability are preventing students from completing their education.
• This is the only 12-bed staff-secure unit for those latency-age children, run by Cutchins.
• They take important steps toward not only securing housing, but also improving their health.
• HIP is what makes Massachusetts one of the most food-secure states in the country.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Ways and Means Committee held its final public hearing on the FY26 state budget, with chairs and members emphasizing that public testimony would help shape the budget and asking speakers to keep remarks brief. Committee leaders introduced members, explained the hearing process, and repeatedly thanked residents, students, and advocates for participating. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony focused heavily on education funding and the Chapter 70 formula. Students from Amherst, Northampton, Gateway Regional, Chester Elementary, and other districts described budget-driven cuts to electives, special education supports, paraprofessionals, counselors, transportation, and building maintenance. They urged higher Chapter 70 aid, increased minimum aid, rural school aid, and a reopening or restructuring of the funding formula, arguing that current formulas leave many districts unable to meet student needs and force local layoffs and overrides. Other speakers urged funding or protection for a range of programs and facilities, including the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for homicide survivor services, the Museum of African American History, the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and CART/interpreter services, the Access to Counsel housing legal aid program, the Department of Mental Health and Pocasset Mental Health Center, and Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. One speaker opposed offshore wind-related spending and urged a reset of the state’s energy approach, while another advocated ending the aircraft sales tax exemption. Committee members responded sympathetically to many speakers, asked a few follow-up questions, and several expressed support for maintaining or expanding the programs discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Trump's Department of Homeland Security has refused to...
• Trump's Department of Homeland Security has refused to rule out the possibility of sending agents to
• guard, or any person wearing the uniform of a peace officer, guard, or security personnel...
• This is like the... ...guard or security personnel, and I'm just looking at the Legislative Digest.
• It's not going to provide any security to the exact people that you're trying to provide security to.

Summary: The Assembly met in session, established a quorum, approved dispensing with the previous day’s journal, and then took up a long third-reading file. Early procedural actions included moving AB 1589 to the inactive file and continuing reconsideration items. The chamber then considered a series of bills largely focused on immigration enforcement, detention, worker protections, child care, voting access, and related public services. Several immigration-related measures passed, including AB 2393 on damages for false imprisonment/arrest, AB 1994 on an immigrant victims’ rights and resources card, AB 1929 on health plan investment disclosures, AB 1633 imposing a tax on for-profit detention facilities, AB 1650 requiring decals on rental vehicles used for enforcement, AB 1655 protecting CalWORKs benefits when a child is detained, and AB 1896 disqualifying people who participated in immigration enforcement from certain public employment. AB 2230, which would bar immigration enforcement near polling places and child care facilities, also passed after extensive debate. Supporters framed these bills as accountability and protection for vulnerable communities; opponents argued they targeted federal law enforcement, were unnecessary, or raised constitutional concerns. AB 1851 on statewide school mental-health guidance also passed unanimously. After the midday recess, the Assembly returned and continued with more bills tied to immigration impacts and child welfare. AB 2379 passed with urgency, requiring child care providers to be informed of constitutional rights and trained on protections when confronted by immigration enforcement. AB 2460 passed to update school behavioral-health referral protocols for students affected by immigration enforcement trauma. AB 2495 passed to expand prohibitions on employer immigration-related threats, and AB 2662 was presented as a way for California to monitor and document federal enforcement actions and report on their community impacts. Throughout the day, the floor featured repeated exchanges over whether the bills addressed real problems or were political messaging, but the measures that came to a vote generally advanced with majority support.

Transcript Highlights:

• Troopers and House security personnel are present to ensure everyone's safety.
• Troopers and House security personnel are present to ensure everyone's safety.
• So, years ago, shortly after 9/11, there were some more security concerns.
• Then capital security enhancements for $10.8 million in this biennium and $5.4 million in the tails.
• And capital security screening tails.

Bills: HF3373, HF4449, HF3486, HF4180, HF4227, HF2505

Keywords: transportation, interchange, funding, bonds, St. Paul Park, transit, Metropolitan Council, Twin Cities, metro area, high-frequency transit, bus rapid transit, busway, guideway, transportation policy plan, transit performance measures, regional transit benchmarks, transit-oriented development, TOD, zoning, land use

Summary: The committee approved the April 8, 2026 minutes and then heard House File 3373, which was laid over. The bill sought trunk highway bond funding for preliminary and final design work at the 70th Street interchange in St. Paul Park. Representative Hansen, Mayor Keith Frankie, and Washington County Commissioner Karla Bigham described the interchange as undersized and increasingly unsafe because of refinery truck traffic, aggregate hauling, nearby growth, and changing traffic patterns. Members asked about prior study, cost, and greenhouse gas requirements, and the bill author said the request was about $500,000. Chair Cosgrove noted the bill would be laid over and suggested the issue could involve future statutory exemptions. The committee then took up House File 4449, also laid over, after adopting the A4 author’s amendment. Representative Jones presented the bill as a transit planning and accountability measure for the Twin Cities metro. It would set numeric transit goals, require better coordination between road projects and future transit projects, and give the Met Council more tools to support transit-oriented development, including property acquisition and development around transit corridors. Jones argued the bill would help avoid rebuilding roads twice and improve transit ridership, frequency, speed, and reliability. Representative Olson offered an amendment to exempt highway projects primarily addressing documented safety issues, arguing that safety projects should not be burdened by added transit requirements or costs. Jones said she supported the safety concern but opposed the amendment as written because the bill was aimed at major construction projects. After a roll call, the amendment failed on an 8-8 tie. The bill itself remained laid over for further work, with the chair noting there was still time to refine the proposal.

Transcript Highlights:

• probably look at employment security probably look at employment security potentially<01:19:19.280
• Then also having a tax ID or social security number verified for the identity of the person.
• Then also having a tax ID or social security number verified for the identity of the person.
• the social security number verified for the identity<01:41:12.880> of<01:41:13.040> the
• <01:52:12.560> Investigators much as Homeland Security Investigators much as Homeland Security

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• science and geographic homeland security science and geographic information<00:03:35.840> systems
• sanitary, and secure. sanitary, and secure.
• We're not going to um our goal is add or better, and safe, sanitary, and secure. people.
• three S's. safe, sanitary, and secure. three S's. safe, sanitary, and secure.
• Sanitary and secure. Okay.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Disaster Prevention and Resiliency Task Force met with a quorum, adopted the minutes from the previous meeting, and heard a presentation from Western Kentucky University’s Disaster Science Operations Center. WKU described its multidisciplinary disaster science effort, including meteorology, emergency management, the Kentucky State Climate Center, the Kentucky Mesonet, and the Disaster Science Operations Center, which was created in 2021 and serves as an operational hub for forecasting, emergency planning, crisis management, training, and decision support. Speakers emphasized applied learning, student field work, partnerships with industry and event venues, and a five-year NSF/UK-led research project focused on weather hazards, disaster preparedness, and building a statewide disaster database to improve mitigation and resilience. Members asked about flooding, the relationship to EKU’s program, Tennessee’s capabilities, and the timeline and goals for the research project; WKU said the data collection is underway and that the evidence suggests tornado risk is shifting east and occurring more at night. A WKU graduate student also described the value of hands-on storm-chasing and operational forecasting experience, saying it helped prepare her for work in forecasting and emergency management. Members asked about her motivation for joining the program and about the practical realities of storm chasing. The discussion also touched on whether Kentucky’s tornado risk is shifting east; WKU said the evidence from tornado observations and other studies points in that direction, with added concern about nighttime events and communicating warnings to vulnerable communities. The task force then heard from Amy Shaquinn of the Mayfield Graves County Long-Term Recovery Group, who outlined the county-level recovery process after the 2021 tornadoes. She said Kentucky ranks among the top states for federally declared disasters, has seen a high number of tornadoes in recent years, and also faces major flood risk and earthquake concerns along the New Madrid fault. Shaquinn stressed the distinction between immediate response and long-term recovery, explaining that response covers rescue, cleanup, temporary housing, and short-term assistance, while recovery is the longer effort to restore survivors to safe, sanitary, and secure housing through local long-term recovery groups. She said community-led recovery is essential and that preparedness and mitigation follow once immediate recovery needs are addressed.