Transcript Highlights:

• One is just when a data center is coming online, um, requiring a payment to reserve capacity.
• One is just when a data center is coming online, um, requiring a payment to reserve capacity.
• One is just when a data center is coming online, um, requiring a payment to reserve capacity.
• One is just when a data center is coming online, um, requiring a payment to reserve capacity.
• One is just when a data center is coming online, um, requiring a payment to reserve capacity.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• challenges like the extraordinary cost of special education for districts or replenishing critical reserves
• maximize our share of critical federal funding; $300 million to replenish the MBTA's Stabilization Reserve
• More in relation to the reserve replenishment proposal that's put in place here by the Governor, trying
• And then one other piece related to that is related to that safety and workforce reserve, which obviously
• That's about the same amount that you have budgeted just for low-income fare reserve on MBTA.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 55, the governor’s FY25 supplemental budget proposal to spend about $1.3 billion in surplus Fair Share revenue. House and Senate chairs framed the bill as a one-time opportunity to invest fairly in education and transportation, while also noting the need to protect the state’s long-term fiscal balance. Administration officials said the proposal should be considered alongside the FY26 budget and related bills, since the governor’s broader Fair Share plan aims for roughly an even split between education and transportation over time. Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorzkowicz, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler outlined the administration’s priorities. Transportation funding would go mainly to the MBTA and related reserves, including money for the Federal Transit Administration reserve, MBTA stabilization reserve, low-income fares, winter resilience, RTA workforce support, MassDOT workforce and project delivery, and micro-transit grants. Education funding would support universal preschool expansion, early education and care capacity, early literacy tutoring, adult basic education and ESOL, early college and career technical education, MyCAP expansion, and special education circuit breaker funding. The administration emphasized that many of these investments are one-time or multi-year measures designed to address current needs without creating unsustainable recurring costs. Committee members raised concerns about regional equity, especially the large share of transportation money going to the MBTA versus regional transit authorities and rural areas. Several members asked for more detail on how the proposal would benefit Western Massachusetts and other non-MBTA regions, and whether micro-transit and Chapter 90-related investments would be sufficient. Education questions focused on special education reimbursement shortfalls, federal funding cuts to school districts, and how CTE and vocational investments would align students with workforce needs. The administration said it would provide additional data on MBTA versus RTA investment and explained that the special education circuit breaker and transportation reimbursement changes were intended to improve predictability and relief for districts. After the administration panel, Jessica Tang of AFT Massachusetts testified in support of using Fair Share funds to protect public education amid federal uncertainty and cuts. She argued that schools are facing a fiscal cliff, that vulnerable students would be hit hardest by funding losses, and that the Fair Share revenue should be used to preserve services and support students’ needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• And unfortunately, that's reserved for the dais, and apparently not for the chamber.
• And... ...billion dollars of GR in reserve, and now it's gone.
• It actually creates a better pathway for us and our farmers to get at conservation dollars and reserve
• program, and then how does the land have to stay inside that reserve program, and what can you do with
• the land inside that reserve program?

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So some of us are able to live on the reservation if we're able to and blessed to, and some of us don't
• So you're missing some of us that are on the reservation, and there's some of us you access off the reservation
• Is it... ...live on the reservation.
• So you're missing some of us that are on the reservation, and there's some of us you access off the reservation
• So say in an area like the reservation does not want to go to the digital.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no?
• Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no?
• Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no?
• Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no?
• We're adjourned. reservations or no? Hearing none, chair reservations or no?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 2455, HD2, relating to employment practices. Testimony was limited, with support from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women and UPW; the committee noted nine support, zero opposition, and zero comments. No vote was taken on this bill during the portion provided. The committee then took up House Bill 2165, HD2, relating to the Hawaii Employment Security Law. DLIR supported the measure but requested an amendment moving language in Section 2 from subsection A to subsection C to preserve the legal structure. Members questioned DLIR about a January 8 U.S. Department of Labor letter and whether the bill would keep Hawaii in conformity with federal unemployment insurance requirements. DLIR said the federal guidance requires the state to remove the carve-out for labor-dispute claimants, though unions with hiring halls and members in good standing could still be exempt from work-search requirements under an authorized list. UNITE HERE Local 5 opposed the bill and said the current law already gives the department discretion to exempt striking workers. The committee recessed the bill before any final action was taken in the portion shown. In the joint hearing with Commerce and Consumer Protection, the committees heard House Bill 1509, HD2, relating to workers’ compensation. DLIR supported the bill, DHER offered comments and requested an amendment, UPW supported it, and one Zoom testifier described personal experience with delayed care and urged faster decisions. After testimony, the committees voted to pass the bill with amendments. The adopted amendments restored the 7-day treatment-plan deadline from 10 days, changed the effective date to January 1, 2077, and struck the proposed $500 fine for employers who fail to respond within 10 days. Back in the Labor and Technology agenda, the committee heard House Bill 1515, HD2, also relating to workers’ compensation, with testimony noting seven in support, one in opposition, and one comment, but no action was taken in the excerpt. The committee also heard House Bill 1514, HD2, relating to workers’ compensation vocational rehabilitation plans. A Zoom testifier opposed the bill, arguing the 120-day timeline was unrealistic for complex cases. DLIR said the bill would give the director discretion to extend the vocational rehabilitation plan timeline beyond 120 days with no cap on extensions, and the committee noted five support, four opposition, and zero comments. Finally, the committee began House Bill 2458, HD3, relating to surveillance pricing. OCP said it stood on written testimony, while supporters argued the bill would prevent corporations from using personal data to set prices, especially for groceries. Retail and grocery interests opposed the measure, saying it was too broad and could restrict loyalty programs, promotions, and discounts; one witness asked that a loyalty-program exemption be restored.

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll reserve the right for you to close.
• Um, we'll reserve the right to close. Looks like we have one witness.
• We will reserve grant you that right. Thank you. Um, Chair calls Charlotte Bradshaw.
• That hearing anyway, we'll reserve the right for you to close. Thank you, chair.
• We'll let you close and, uh, reserve the right for you to close. Thank you.

Bills: HB116

Keywords: film industry, incentives, economic development, state funding, media production

Transcript Highlights:

• On page nine, section eight permits off-reservation tribal lands to be used for pop-up absentee voting
• :03:18.319><c> uh</c><00:03:18.440><c> permits</c><00:03:19.280><c> um</c><00:03:19.680><c> off-reservation
• </c> Section 8 uh permits um off-reservation Section 8 uh permits um off-reservation tribal<00:03:20.799
• and then that um any off reservation tribal<00:18:34.039><c> lands</c><00:18:35.039><c> that</c><00:
• I'm not totally familiar with the process of designating new off-reservation lands, and I don't want

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It maintains $36.5 billion in combined total reserves. It's balanced and...
• And let me repeat, this budget creates $36.5 billion in reserves.
• If you look at when I was budget chair from 2004 to 2008 in the Assembly, and we had no No reserves,
• no reserves, and we are at a point that we have $36.5 billion of reserves now.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Are there any reservations or noes? Seeing none, recommendation is adopted. Thank you, Chair.
• Are there any reservations or noes?
• Are<00:32:11.760><c> there</c><00:32:11.920><c> any</c><00:32:12.120><c> reservations</c><00:32:13.160
• </c> Are there any reservations or noes? Are there any reservations or noes?

Bills: SCR120, SCR71, SCR164, SCR41

Keywords: rangelands, pastoralists, pastoralism, ranching, ranchers, paniolo, livestock, grazing, grasslands, land management, conservation, sustainable agriculture, agriculture, Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity, University of Hawaii, ecosystem services, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, Hawaii counties, International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists

Transcript Highlights:

• last comment, and I make it regularly, certainly in our Democratic caucus, is that we have cash reserves
• I think are currently at somewhere around 32% for the state of New Mexico, which each 1% of cash reserves
• We could lower, through the Finance Committee, the cash reserves down to 30% and free up $220 million
• withstand an economic downturn is—we probably could dedicate almost a billion dollars of our cash reserves
• I don't expect that we're going to have anything unusual, but just always want to reserve that in case

Bills: HB30, HB120, HJR1, SB210, SB306

Keywords: teacher residency, Teacher Residency Act, public schools, teacher preparation, educator pipeline, teacher recruitment, teacher retention, student teachers, apprenticeship, co-teaching, mentor teachers, residency stipend, teacher salary, level one teacher, charter schools, school districts, New Mexico education, teacher workforce, principal stipend, cohort model

Summary: The Senate Education Committee began with announcements about likely upcoming meetings and a reminder that public testimony could be limited if bills drew large crowds. Members also introduced student shadows and briefly recognized them. The committee then took up House Bill 30, which would revise the Teacher Residency Act to strengthen teacher recruitment and retention by tying resident stipends more closely to minimum level-one teacher salaries, increasing support for residents who already hold bachelor’s degrees, and giving residents more flexibility to complete their service in any public school rather than only the sponsoring district. The sponsor and supporters from educator preparation programs, unions, and advocacy groups said the bill would make residency programs more sustainable, help rural districts, and improve teacher preparation. The bill received support from the Public Education Department and several education organizations, and the committee voted due pass. The committee next heard House Bill 120, as amended, which would clarify and limit the use of restraint and seclusion in schools. The sponsor explained that the bill came from a task force and is intended to clarify existing law rather than create a new mandate, with clearer definitions, stronger documentation, family notification, and limits on dangerous practices such as prone, mechanical, or chemical restraint. Supporters included PED, the special education ombuds office, disability rights advocates, teachers’ unions, parents, and civil rights groups, who emphasized student safety, trauma prevention, and better training for staff. One opposition witness from the school superintendents’ association argued the bill could add burdens and that more time was needed to implement current law. Committee members raised concerns about protecting teachers and aides during violent incidents; sponsors responded that the bill is meant to give staff clearer guidance and emergency-response tools, not replace disciplinary procedures. The committee voted due pass. House Joint Resolution 1, a constitutional amendment to create nominating commissions for university regents, was then presented. The sponsor said the goal is to reduce purely political appointments by having nonpartisan commissions recommend regent candidates, while also changing how student regents are selected so students have a direct voice rather than the university president choosing the student regent. AFT New Mexico supported the measure, citing concerns about donor or insider appointments and backing student representation. Committee members questioned how many commissions would be created, who would appoint their members, and how many names would be sent to the governor; the sponsor said those details would be set later in enabling legislation. The committee approved the resolution on a due pass vote, sending it onward in the process. The committee also quickly passed Senate Bill 306, which would align state higher education accreditation language with federal terminology by removing the distinction between regionally and non-regionally accredited institutions and changing reporting and fee requirements for smaller private institutions. Finally, Senate Bill 210, an appropriation for athletic and related facilities at New Mexico Highlands University, drew the most debate. Supporters said the university’s athletic facilities are outdated and inadequate, especially for women’s soccer and track, and that the project would help student-athletes and Title IX compliance. Committee members questioned the $80 million request, noting that only $3 million was currently in the budget for the three Division II schools and expressing concern about priorities amid other education funding needs. The sponsor and university president said the project could be phased and that private fundraising is also being pursued. Despite reservations and some no votes, the committee ultimately voted due pass. The chair closed by reminding members to plan on meeting Monday at 9 a.m. and said the committee was adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• record, I'm Michael Moran, and I'm here today on behalf of the Confederated Tribe of the Shoalwater Reservation
• A 5,000-acre reservation is in three counties: Thurston, Lewis, and Grays Harbor.
• A 5,000-acre reservation is in three counties: Thurston, Lewis, and Grays Harbor.
• I'm the elected chairman for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.
• My name is Sheila Bray, and I am the Vice Chair for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation

Bills: SB5609, SB6284

Keywords: cultural resources, land use, environmental policy, exemptions, state laws, artificial intelligence, consumer protection, regulation, data privacy, technological impacts, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• record, I'm Michael Moran, and I'm here today on behalf of the Confederated Tribe of the Chehalis Reservation
• A 5,000-acre reservation is in three counties: Thurston, Lewis, and Grays Harbor.
• A 5,000-acre reservation is in three counties: Thurston, Lewis, and Grays Harbor.
• I'm the elected chairman for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.
• I am Sheila Bray, the vice chair for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, the Business

Summary: The Senate Environment, Energy, and Technology Committee held public hearings on two bills. On SB 5609, concerning cultural resource reviews under SEPA, staff explained that the proposed substitute would require cultural resource review for certain categorical exemptions, including infill housing and some GMA-related projects, unless a local government has an approved data-sharing agreement, ordinance, or cultural resources management plan with tribal consultation. Senator Kauffman said the bill is intended to protect tribal cultural sites without stopping development. Supporters, including tribal representatives and some local officials, said early review and consultation can prevent irreversible damage and provide clarity; opponents from business, builders, and county planning groups argued it would add costs, delay housing and permitting, and shift too much authority to state-level review without clear timelines or standards. The committee took public testimony only and then closed the hearing on SB 5609. The committee then heard SB 6284 on high-risk artificial intelligence. Staff described requirements for deployers of high-risk AI systems to maintain risk management policies, conduct impact assessments, notify consumers when AI is used in consequential decisions, and report algorithmic discrimination to the Attorney General, along with disclosures for government agencies and an extension of the AI task force with a workplace subgroup. Senator Elias said the bill is intended to focus regulation on high-risk uses while preserving innovation. Testimony was mixed: consumer and student advocates supported the bill’s transparency and accountability measures, while industry, banking, insurance, hospital, and technology groups raised concerns about definitions, implementation, overlap with existing regulation, and possible effects on innovation or regulated sectors. The committee heard public testimony and then adjourned after closing the hearing on SB 6284.

Transcript Highlights:

• include the rent revenue from the building we purchased in 2020 and the interest earned on our cash reserves
• include the rent revenue from the building we purchased in 2020 and the interest earned on our cash reserves
• Your Health Idaho carries no debt and maintains cash reserves equivalent to six to nine months of operating
• costs and a capital expenditure reserve, as reflected in the assets chart.
• platform, while other assets include lease and other receivables. ...costs and a capital expenditure reserve

Summary: The committee reviewed several Idaho Department of Health and Welfare rule dockets under zero-based rule review. For the Idaho Reportable Disease Rules, department staff said the revisions mainly reduce duplication and shorten the chapter, while adding viral hemorrhagic fevers and lowering the lead-poisoning reporting threshold from 5 to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter. Members questioned whether stricken language on records access, daycare restrictions, inspection authority, and reporting duties changed policy; staff and the state epidemiologist said the edits were mostly consolidations or removals of language already covered by statute or federal law, and that no substantive reporting requirements were intended to change. Concerns were also raised about limited time to review the large docket, public notice, and trust in the department’s explanations. The committee approved the radiation control rules, which were described as being reduced by about 70 percent, with incorporation by reference removed and a new requirement that out-of-state licensees register within 30 days. It also approved the docket on use and disclosure of department records, which staff said simply removes repeated references to the Idaho Public Records Act, HIPAA, and other governing authorities without changing what records are protected. The reportable disease docket drew the most discussion; after debate over whether the rule changes were merely cosmetic and how statutory changes affect rules, a substitute motion to hold the docket for one week was adopted on a 5-9 roll call vote, with the docket set for reconsideration on February 3. Later in the meeting, the committee received Your Health Idaho’s annual report. Executive Director Pat Kelly said the exchange remained financially self-sustaining, had no state funding, and continued to post record enrollment, with more than 144,000 Idahoans selecting plans during open enrollment 2026. He said most enrollees receive tax credits, but the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits drove affordability concerns, increased disenrollment, and shifted many consumers into lower-cost bronze plans. Members asked about plan changes, enrollment math, assessment fee revenue, and the effect of premium increases versus the loss of enhanced subsidies. Kelly said the exchange’s net premium increases were driven mostly by the subsidy expiration, and the committee adjourned after the report.

Transcript Highlights:

• The reserve information that they've collected on demographics.
• interested in this subject, is you made reference to data that you collected from CFPB or a Federal Reserve
• And so the Federal Reserve study did mention that people use it.
• And so the Federal Reserve study did mention that people use it because they can't afford the purchase
• the work of CFPB, perhaps you also may be aware of other research that has been done by the Federal Reserve

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• With this bill, we reserve the integrity of neighborhoods, enhance safety, and give counties the discretion
• I'm happy to take questions and I reserve the right to close.
• With that, I respectfully ask for your support of the bill, and I reserve the right to close.
• Thank you for your time and I respectfully reserve my right to close. There are no witnesses.
• So with that, uh, members, I respectfully reserve my right to close. Are there any questions? Mr.

Bills: HB 341, HB 469, HB 971, HB 1624, HB 2721, HB 2959, HB 3365, HB 3731, HB 3793, HB 3861, HB 3946, HB 3966, HB 4348, HB 4401, HB 4402, HB 4924, HB 4966, HB 5563

Keywords: affordable housing, zoning, development, community support, local regulations, bicycle lanes, traffic collisions, Texas Department of Transportation, study, public safety, bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, road safety, transportation study, commercial vehicle, safety standards, enforcement, Texas counties, transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• With this bill, we reserve the intent to enhance safety and give counties the discretion they need to
• I'm happy to take questions and I reserve the right to close.
• With that, I respectfully ask for your support of the bill, and I reserve the right to close.
• I respectfully reserve my right to close if there are no witnesses, and we will proceed to testimony.
• So with that, members, I respectfully reserve my right to close. Are there any questions? Mr.

Bills: HB341, HB469, HB971, HB1624, HB2721, HB2959, HB3365, HB3731, HB3793, HB3861, HB3946, HB3966, HB4348, HB4401, HB4402, HB4924, HB4966, HB5563

Keywords: affordable housing, zoning, development, community support, local regulations, bicycle lanes, traffic collisions, Texas Department of Transportation, study, public safety, bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, road safety, transportation study, commercial vehicle, safety standards, enforcement, Texas counties, transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, I believe these are witnesses, and I reserve the right. to close. Yes, ma'am, thank you.
• With that, I reserve my time. Thank you, Representative Perez, we'll reserve your right.
• We'll reserve your right to close, Representative Reyes. Thank you.
• His awesome man will reserve your right to close. Thank you.

Bills: HB42, HB 125, HB 1233, HB2853, HB3148, HB3326, HB3701, HB4066, HB4361, HB4762, HB4909, HB4912, HB42, HB125

Keywords: higher education, funding, financial allocation, state budget, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, education funding, medical education, osteopathic medicine, healthcare workforce, Tarleton State University, industry-recognized credentials, workforce development, career opportunities, feasibility study, student fees, university funding, student union, education, UT El Paso

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, we'll reserve your right to close. Thank you. Chair calls Brian Sledge.
• If not, I'll reserve the right to close. Members, any questions?
• All right, we'll reserve your right to close. I'll reserve the right to close.
• All right, we'll reserve your right to close. Thank you. Chair calls Craig Blanchett. Good morning.

Bills: HB16, HB16, HB1618, HB2692, HB2712, HB2970, HB3609, HB3628

Keywords: judicial administration, court reform, juvenile diversion, court security, mental health services, drug offenses, constitutional amendments, water infrastructure, Texas Water Development Board, financial assistance, water supply projects, rural municipalities, water access assessment, aquifer storage, Edwards Aquifer, water injection, environmental regulations, groundwater management, San Antonio River, pollution control

Transcript Highlights:

• the two years for the ones that we make biennial appropriations for because we have to have a 5% reserve
• makes a biennial appropriation, so we can spread it over two years as long as we're keeping a 5% reserve
• the Outdoor Heritage Fund only has an annual recommendation, so we still have to adhere to the 5% reserve
• you'd need to make the full correction in fiscal year 2025 if you wanted to keep the 5% statutory reserve
• A longer period than the biennium, you'd have to not withstand the reserve requirements in statute and

Transcript Highlights:

• So throughout the year, it stays in this reserve account in case there is a game with a large payout
• We have this reserve account.
• So $1 million stays in the reserve, and then everything else goes to the scholarship account, the trust

Keywords: 1204, all