Transcript Highlights:

• But it doesn't at all eliminate—we still have that risk reduction.
• <00:21:02.159> of 10 years was measuring the reduction of 10 years was measuring the reduction
• But it doesn't at all eliminate—we still have that risk reduction.
• another 300 million in budget deficits another 300 million in budget deficits that<00:44:28.800>
• If that reduction were to revenue.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, this is a continuation of the income tax reduction that's really been taking place since 2013
• Members, this is a continuation of the income tax reduction that's really been taking place since 2013
• Senator Dismang continued: “This is a continuation of the income tax reduction that’s really been taking
• Senator Flowers then raised a broader concern about the federal deficit, saying it is “going crazy” and
• this is really a good time for the tax cut given the uncertainty and the increase in the federal deficit

Keywords: 1204, all

Summary: The Senate convened, heard a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and received a brief announcement about volunteers for the Hunger Caucus’s “Serving Up Solutions” fundraiser benefiting the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. The chamber then moved to its business agenda, with the main item being Senate Bill 1, which would reduce income tax rates for individuals, trusts, estates, and corporations. Senator Dismang explained the bill as a continuation of tax cuts begun in 2013, lowering the top individual rate from 3.9% to 3.7% effective January 1, 2026, and reducing the corporate rate to 4.1% starting next year. The bill drew debate over state priorities and fiscal capacity. Senator Flowers questioned whether the state could afford further tax cuts given concerns about local sales taxes, health care, public education, and the growing cost of educational freedom accounts. Senators Tucker and Leding spoke against the bill, arguing that the state should prioritize investments in early childhood education, hospitals, maternal health, and public schools rather than return revenue to taxpayers. Senator McKee spoke in favor, saying the money should remain with the people who produced it. In closing, Senator Dismang said the cuts were part of a long-term, prudent budgeting strategy and noted that a typical $65,000-income family had already seen a significant reduction in its effective tax rate since 2013. Senate Bill 1 passed on a roll call vote of 29-6 and was transmitted to the House. Afterward, senators announced upcoming Revenue and Tax meetings and adjournment logistics, including a Republican caucus meeting and the plan to adjourn subject to clearing the desk and reading a House bill across.

Transcript Highlights:

• In other words, there is a structural deficit.
• The presence of these structural deficits, despite the robust revenue growth the state has experienced
• We do offer a backfill to a reduction to a backfill to the state court facilities. a backfill to a reduction
• County be in deficit, not by one or two or three or four or five—30.
• The savings amount reflects a reduction in total contract costs.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee met to review May Revision proposals for several departments and emphasized that no votes would be taken that day. The Legislative Analyst’s Office opened with a warning that the state budget is balanced only through one-time resources and still has structural deficits, recommending that the Legislature avoid new ongoing spending and instead preserve reserves and other solutions. The Judicial Council then presented proposals for language access and interpreter services, appellate court security, a backfill to the state court facilities construction fund, and an extension of the lactation-room mandate; Finance supported the language access item with reporting language and supported keeping the court facilities backfill. Members raised concerns about judicial pay freezes, judge vacancies, and uneven judge allocations across counties, and also asked about the cost and completion of courthouse lactation rooms and remote-hearing infrastructure. The Board of State and Community Corrections items focused on $10 million one-time grants for missing and murdered Indigenous people and for a human trafficking vertical prosecution program. The LAO suggested the Legislature consider whether the Tribal Nations Grant Fund could support the MMIP work, while Finance said it preferred General Fund support and wanted more review before any fund swap. On the human trafficking grant, Finance said the need was clear based on reported cases and California’s share of hotline reports. Members strongly supported MMIP funding and discussed whether ongoing funding would be needed beyond the one-time proposal, while also debating whether BSEC or OES should administer the prosecution grants. The Department of Justice presented antitrust litigation funding, Medi-Cal fraud and elder abuse staffing, organized retail criminal enterprise case completion, and a continuous appropriation for the Victims of Consumer Fraud Restitution Fund. The LAO raised concerns about the Unfair Competition Law Fund’s solvency and recommended rejecting that portion unless DOJ could show the fund could support it without General Fund repayment, and it opposed the continuous appropriation in favor of more legislative oversight. Finance said the fund would remain solvent under current projections and defended the continuous appropriation as necessary to pay victims promptly. Members also clarified that the Medi-Cal fraud unit targets providers, not beneficiaries, and asked about delays in restitution payments. A lengthy portion of the hearing covered CDCR’s May Revision package and the Boston Consulting Group cost-savings effort. CDCR described revised savings from workforce optimization, workers’ compensation, and procurement, but members repeatedly expressed frustration that the promised savings had fallen far short of earlier estimates. The LAO recommended deeper cuts to some parole positions, more detail on proposed eliminations and contract changes, and caution about counting unallocated future savings. CDCR also presented population projections showing continued declines and the LAO again urged the administration to close a prison to reduce ongoing costs. The committee also heard proposals on workers’ compensation, Corcoran honor housing, incarcerated firefighter pay, agricultural food purchasing requirements, menopause care, mental health receiver staffing, resource teams, crisis intervention teams, medical classification staffing, and AI note-taking in electronic health records, with the LAO generally recommending limited-term approvals and reporting requirements while Finance defended ongoing funding and said it was open to additional reporting language.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, as we are running at a deficit, potentially with what the current numbers are, our workload still
• <00:10:03.040> The<00:10:03.279> general reductions in force.
• The general reductions in force.
• And we used to be able to rely on vacancy credits to offset deficits. We don't have that anymore.
• And we used to be able to rely on vacancy credits to offset deficits. We don't have that anymore.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Commonwealth’s Attorneys, County Attorneys, Prosecutor’s Advisory Council 00:00:18 Approval of Minutes 00:20:09 State Treasurer 00:20:33, 958, all

Summary: The meeting began with testimony from representatives of the Prosecutor’s Advisory Council, including county and commonwealth attorneys, on their proposed budget. They described the scope of their work in district and circuit court, juvenile and dependency cases, specialty courts, guardianship, involuntary hospitalization, and the Rocket Docket program. The witnesses emphasized that their budgets are overwhelmingly personnel costs and warned that proposed cuts could lead to layoffs, reduced retention, and loss of recently added positions. They also said the General Assembly’s recent salary classification plan had improved recruitment and retention, and that underfunding could reverse those gains. A major topic was the Rocket Docket program, which they said speeds lower-level cases through the system, reduces jail costs, and saves money for both counties and the state. They reported that in one circuit, average jail time for certain cases dropped from about 50 days to about 6 days. They also raised concerns that the Rocket Docket line item may not be clearly included in the committee substitute and asked for clarification on how the budget would treat it. In response, the chair said the intent was to move some of those items into the base budget, though the exact structure was still uncertain. The presenters also discussed a 2022 subsidy for county attorney employees tied to retirement contributions, saying it totals about $1.3 million and should not be reduced because the obligation remains. They said the budget would need to support the salary classification plan extensions, House Bill 8 subsidies, and a new case management system that they described as essential to modernizing operations and improving communication with victims and law enforcement. The chair thanked them for the testimony and indicated the committee would continue reviewing the budget. The committee then heard from Deputy State Treasurer Russell Weber, who reported that the treasury has now returned more than $90 million in unclaimed property to Kentuckians. He said the office faces ongoing fraud issues and requested funding for a dedicated legal counsel and a fraud investigator, along with outreach money to educate the public about unclaimed property. He also outlined several capital requests, including the final year of a printer-system lease and replacement of HVAC equipment in the treasury building. Members briefly joked with him about a mineral-rights bill and coal, but no votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes and adjourning the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• heard, the work of MMB, they said to offset any new spending needs to be offset with spending or reductions
• heard, the work of MMB, they said to offset any new spending needs to be offset with spending or reductions
• Right now, our state looks okay with the deficit down the road.
• Right now, our state looks okay with the<00:09:10.160> deficit<00:09:10.720> down<00:09
• We have to be the deficit down the road.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Are you in a deficit budget right now?
• I'm in a current year budget of a $22 million deficit. I'm in a $36 million deficit next year.
• I'm in a current year budget of a $22 million deficit. I'm in a $36 million deficit next year.
• Because there's a deficit in certified teachers, and there's an even bigger deficit for Spanish-speaking
• We have a $189 million budget deficit. And we have an $181 million budget deficit as well.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > of<00:51:54.920> $25 You'll also see reductions of $25 You'll also see reductions of
• This recommendation includes increasing the BRC reduction target beginning in the 2028-2029 biennium
• <01:03:14.200> in million per biennium of reductions in million per biennium of reductions
• By reducing cross subsidy reduction aid, By reducing cross subsidy reduction aid, Minneapolis<01:28:48.120
• opposition to the contingent reduction opposition to the contingent reduction the<01:32:56.920><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Due to the budget deficit, it was not included in the budget.
• To answer your question, the reduction is based on updated opioid settlement fund revenues.
• So can you speak to... ...known effective harm reduction programs. So can you speak to this?
• I'm a co-director at the UBA Harm Reduction Collective. Thank you.
• So beginning in sort of budget year plus one, and the size of the deficits vary.

Summary: The committee heard a budget oversight hearing on the Department of Health Care Services, focusing first on the overall Medi-Cal budget and a March General Fund loan to cover a current-year shortfall. DHCS said the 2025-26 budget proposal totals $193.4 billion, with Medi-Cal projected at $188.1 billion total funds and $42.1 billion General Fund, driven by higher enrollment, pharmacy costs, managed care growth, and costs tied to eligibility expansions and the COVID-era redetermination unwinding. The department said the $3.44 billion loan was needed to manage cash flow and ensure timely payments to providers and plans, while the LAO noted Medi-Cal’s cash-basis budgeting creates volatility and that more detailed estimates would come with the May Revision. Members discussed federal Medicaid threats, the need for transparency on cost drivers, and the impact of pharmacy spending, long-term care, and immigration-related coverage expansions. The second major topic was family health programs, including California Children’s Services, the continuous coverage unwinding, and opioid settlement fund spending. DHCS described CCS funding methodology changes, ongoing county stakeholder work, and a delayed rollout of CCS monitoring and oversight until July 1, 2025, while county representatives and advocates argued the program is underfunded and asked for more technical assistance and a delay in implementation. On the unwinding, the department explained that federal redetermination flexibilities helped maintain coverage after the pandemic, but the Governor’s budget proposes ending them at the end of June 2025; advocates urged making the flexibilities permanent to avoid coverage losses. For opioid settlement funds, DHCS and Finance said the budget increases funding for naloxone distribution while reducing other harm-reduction spending based on updated settlement revenues, prompting criticism from members and public commenters who argued the change would weaken effective harm-reduction programs. The hearing also included an update on Proposition 35 implementation. DHCS said the voter-approved measure continuously appropriates MCO tax revenues beginning in 2025, with up to $4.6 billion annually available for specified Medi-Cal and provider investments in 2025 and 2026, but implementation depends on consultation with the required stakeholder advisory committee. The department and LAO noted uncertainty about future federal rules affecting the MCO tax after 2026. Public testimony largely supported maintaining Medi-Cal expansions, protecting immigrant coverage, preserving harm-reduction funding, and increasing support for community health workers, pediatric dental care, and CCS county administration. No votes were taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• This was accomplished with a reduction of 17 staff members from my general education staff.
• This reduction came at the expense of the closure of one school, the reduction of 4.8 FTEs, increased
• class sizes, reductions in curriculum, and deferring technology investments.
• Each of those reductions represent lost opportunities for our current and our future students.
• Next year, we're already staring down a $2.8 million deficit.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education opened a hybrid public hearing on a large slate of bills related to school buildings, school finance, technology, data privacy, safety, and related education issues. Chairs Jason Lewis and Ken Gordon outlined procedures for the hearing, including two-minute testimony limits and the plan to group similar bills together. Several bills drew no testimony and were closed without further discussion, while others drew extensive testimony from legislators, school officials, parents, advocates, and educators. A major theme was school safety and student well-being. Lori Al-Hadeth testified in support of bills on alert systems in public schools, describing the loss of her daughter in the Parkland shooting and urging adoption of Alyssa’s Law-style panic alert technology. Representative Gallagher and disability advocates also supported a bill authorizing, but not requiring, airway clearance devices in schools, arguing they could save lives in choking emergencies and provide an option for people who cannot use the Heimlich maneuver. Another bill on reducing cafeteria waste drew support from a legislator and a Lexington sustainability official, who said installing dishwashers during construction would reduce waste and long-term costs. Much of the hearing focused on Chapter 70 school funding and the inflation cap. Senator Pavel Payano, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Representative Senna, and multiple local officials and school committee members from Bridgewater, Chelsea, Groton-Dunstable, and other districts argued that the 4.5% cap on inflation adjustments has left schools underfunded during years of high inflation, forcing layoffs, larger class sizes, and cuts to programs and student supports. They urged bills to eliminate the cap, restore lost funding, increase the Commonwealth’s share of the foundation budget, or create commissions to study reforms. Testimony also highlighted the impact on special education, English learners, and low-income students, with Chelsea witnesses saying the cap has cost their district about $7 million annually. School construction and MSBA reform were the other major topic. AIA Massachusetts, Boston Public Schools, Lynn officials, and AFT Massachusetts described aging facilities, overcrowding, deferred maintenance, and the difficulty of financing new schools under current reimbursement rules. Boston officials said the district has many pre-World War II buildings and has only built a handful of new schools in decades, while Lynn leaders said reimbursement rates have fallen well below the statutory 80% because of caps and ineligible costs. Witnesses urged modernization of the MSBA program, higher reimbursement rates, and more resources for school construction. The committee also heard support for a bill to study the adequacy and equity of the school building program, and chairs indicated some bills would be closed after no one signed up to testify.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hennepin County already faces massive deficit hurdles, and spending $3.5 billion on a train would not
• hurdles, and spending $3.5 deficit hurdles, and spending $3.5 billion<00:04:41.600> on<00:04:
• funding deficit over the next<00:04:54.520> 10<00:04:54.720> years,<00:04:55.400> is
• They are in an operating deficit that the county is covering right now.
• They are in an<00:08:26.520> operating<00:08:26.960> deficit<00:08:27.480> that<

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The meeting focused on opposition to the proposed Blue Line light rail extension in the West Broadway/North Minneapolis corridor and support for alternatives, especially arterial bus rapid transit. Committee members and invited speakers argued that the rail project would cost about $3.2 billion to $3.5 billion to build, require roughly $57 million a year to operate and maintain, and could burden Hennepin County taxpayers if federal funding does not materialize. They promoted House File 3507, which would direct $30 million toward bus transit in the corridor, and House File 3441, which was described as highlighting the operating costs of light rail. Testimony from community leaders and residents emphasized concerns about displacement, business disruption, safety, and neighborhood impacts. Speakers said the project could require demolition of homes and businesses, reduce parking and traffic access on West Broadway, and harm a predominantly Black business district in North Minneapolis. Several compared the project to past rail impacts such as Rondo, and said bus rapid transit would be more flexible, less expensive, and better aligned with community needs. One speaker also raised concerns about the placement of stations and the effect on residents who rely on transit for work, shopping, and access to services. Representative Kristin Robbins and others framed the issue as a budget priority, saying Hennepin County should focus on transit options that cost less and on funding for HCMC, which they said faces a serious deficit. In response to questions, the bill supporters said the effort was bipartisan, that federal funding for the rail project was uncertain, and that the legislature should move money toward bus service now rather than wait for a future federal agreement. No vote or formal committee action was taken in the excerpt, but the members indicated they would continue making the case for the bills and follow up with the community.

Transcript Highlights:

• the PCP will fill out the evaluation, which basically just, it’s a primary diagnosis and suspected deficit
• This person cannot go to the...” “...deficit, right? Like, this person cannot walk.
• And I look at the fiscal impact and it says that it will result in a reduction of cost, total reduction
• tightening who will—we want a very clear, this is the diagnosis of the individual, this is their deficit
• being... ...was that we were seeing personal care being provided to people that did not have an ADL deficit

Summary: The committee approved the December 8 minutes and referred items C1 and C2 to the labor and environment subcommittees, adopting the chair’s recommendations. The main substantive item was a DHS rule package revising the State Plan Personal Care Manual and the Arkansas Independent Assessment (ARIA) Manual. DHS said the revisions would repeal and replace the current manuals with streamlined versions, remove overlapping language, implement Act 853 by shifting licensure/certification for personal care agencies to the Department of Health, lengthen personal care prior authorizations from six months to one year, and keep the 64-hour monthly cap. For ARIA, DHS said it would remove references to state plan personal care, clarify telehealth and in-person assessments, and add/update sections for PASS, AR Choices, Living Choices, and PACE. DHS argued the current independent assessment process is costly and not controlling utilization, citing a 95% approval rate, annual spending of more than $212 million on personal care for about 17,000 people, and an estimated $6.173 million in savings from eliminating the Optum assessment and reducing prior-authorization frequency. Agency witnesses said the new process would reinsert primary care practitioner involvement, use standardized evaluation and prescription forms, and rely on personal care provider nurses for the assessment step, with training already available through an AFMC contract. Several members questioned whether PCPs should be used as gatekeepers, whether the change would delay services, and whether the savings estimate accounted for training or provider burden. Some members also raised concerns about conflicts of interest, the workload on physicians, and whether the agency had adequately worked with the existing vendor to improve the current system. The discussion became contentious, with Senator Irvin and others strongly opposing the proposal as inconsistent with the earlier independent-assessment approach and urging DHS to slow down and work with legislators. Other members asked for clarification on how the new process would work for new applicants and whether it would affect waiver or PASS participants; DHS said the rule would not apply to PASS and should not delay services. At the end of the hearing, the chair offered DHS the option to pull the rule down and work off-record with legislators on a revised proposal, and DHS agreed. The meeting then adjourned without further business or a final vote on the rule.

Transcript Highlights:

• the end of this year, but that's the remaining deficit: 34.3 million.
• Chair, so the deficit has been allocated between physicians and hospitals.
• Chair, so the deficit has been allocated between physicians and hospitals.
• And you're telling me there's a deficit. So, Mr.
• I am relying on the actuaries' numbers to dial in what that deficit is, yes.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We didn't reductions.
• <01:58:54.719> on they want a property tax reduction on they want a property tax reduction
• These don't add to our deficit.
• These enhance our add to our deficit.
• These don't add to our deficit.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And now we have to make some decisions and make reductions where we see inefficiencies.
• We have to make reductions where we're not being utilizing the resources of the state and put them where
• And now we have to make some decisions and make reductions where we see inefficiencies.
• And now we have to make some decisions and make reductions where we see inefficiencies.
• And now we have to make some decisions and make reductions where we see inefficiencies.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I had mentioned the deficits in the scholarship programs and the tuition caps.
• So the reason for the reduction was, again, twofold.
• Do we have, Madam Chair, do we maybe walk me through why there was a reduction?
• Do we have, Madam Chair, do we maybe walk me through why there was a reduction?
• That deficit is going to grow.

Bills: SB37, SB29

Keywords: high-quality literacy instruction, science of reading, structured literacy, reading instruction, literacy assessment, dyslexia screening, phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, biliteracy, English language learner, ELL, bilingual education, dual language program, reading intervention, reading difficulty, reading improvement plan, literacy coach

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair and representatives, what we also see here is that the vacancies are not causing a reduction in
• The major part of the reduction is that we didn't have a trial for the State Farm litigation.
• When they leave, there's nothing for the amount of deficit money that we have in the fund.
• losing a large amount from, to pay for that deficit.
• You're paying for the deficit surcharges for the independent providers, not the hospitals. Correct.

Bills: HB1

Keywords: feed bill, legislative appropriations, legislative branch, New Mexico Legislature, general fund, legislative council service, legislative finance committee, legislative education study committee, house chief clerk, senate chief clerk, per diem, mileage, session expenses, interim committees, district staff, capitol complex, capital outlay data system, legislative processing system, redistricting, census redistricting

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't want to pass along that deficit to other folks.
• pass along that deficit to other folks. pass along that deficit to other folks.
• We are adding to the deficit. No way around it.
• We're adding to the structural deficit that we face.
• We had a significant deficit coming in.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:37:34.240> we the looming $6 billion budget deficit we the looming $6 billion budget deficit
• reduction in law enforcement budgets. reduction in law enforcement budgets.
• :25.199> the<01:22:25.360> path deficit.
• And what's the path deficit. And what's the path forward?
• deficit. Mr. deficit. Mr.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't have the deficit in two years.
• They are not taking the $6 billion deficit seriously.
• They are not taking the $6 billion deficit seriously.
• They are not taking the $6 billion deficit seriously.
• They are not taking the $6 billion deficit seriously.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• He has reduced the backlog despite a forced workforce reduction of 15% due to lack of funding.
• Yes, we're projected to have about a $1.2 million deficit.
• Yes, we're projected to have about a $1.2 million deficit.
• From the voluntary reduction in force, we have roughly $5.2 million in ongoing savings in the general
• Of course, anytime in labor you hear reduction in force, it gives members pause.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Rules Committee first established a quorum and then approved several non-appearing gubernatorial appointments, including Rick Simpson to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and Trinidad Solis, M.D. and Gerald Talbert, M.D. to the Medical Board of California. The committee also approved reference of bills to committees and floor acknowledgments, with all of those items receiving unanimous 5-0 votes. The main public business was the confirmation hearing for George Cardona, reappointed as Chief Trial Counsel of the State Bar of California. Cardona described reforms made in response to the Girardi scandal, including stronger conflict-of-interest and gift rules, improved auditing and investigative procedures, efforts to reduce discipline disparities, and steps to address a growing backlog amid staffing vacancies and rising complaints. Senators questioned him about Girardi-related safeguards, backlog and funding pressures, discipline disparities affecting Black and Latino attorneys, unauthorized practice of law by notarios, and the State Bar’s use of AI; public witnesses from the State Bar, SEIU Local 1000, and others testified in support. The committee advanced Cardona’s appointment to the full Senate on a 3-1 vote, with Senator Jones withholding support. The committee then heard Laura Enderton Speed’s confirmation as Executive Director of the State Bar. She emphasized fiscal stability, public trust, and operational improvements, and said the Bar is addressing the troubled February 2025 remote bar exam through audits, internal investigations, and a forthcoming recommendation to the Supreme Court on the exam’s future. Senators asked about the budget deficit, the bar exam failures, conflict-of-interest safeguards after Girardi, and how the Bar is preparing for future fee and staffing pressures. Supporters from the State Bar Board of Trustees, SEIU Local 1000, the California Defense Counsel, and a colleague testified in favor, and the committee approved her appointment to the full Senate on a 5-0 vote. The meeting concluded with thanks and a farewell to Senator Jones, who was leaving the committee, followed by a cake presentation and adjournment of the public portion.