Bills: HB426, SB24, SB106, SB254, HB505, HB458, HB535, HB509, HB320, HB518, HB261, HB426, SB24, SB106, SB254, HB505, HB458, HB535, HB509, HB320, HB518, HB261, SB316, HB228, SB318, SB260, HB132, HB347, HB405, HB86, HB263, HB302, SB336

Keywords: Alabama Ad Valorem Advisory Committee, ad valorem taxes, property tax, real property, personal property, tax assessment, tax collection, county tax officials, Department of Revenue, Commissioner of Revenue, taxpayer representation, resident taxpayers, local government, property tax administration, Association of Alabama Tax Administrators, tax policy, advisory committee, public input, governance reform, body-worn camera

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, and they currently are under audit by the state legislature from last year, and a completed audit
• it because the auditees are not forthcoming with information, so they can't complete the audit.
• Uh, and they currently are under audit by the state legislature from last year, and a completed audit
• <00:30:20.600> But<00:30:20.760> my they can't complete the audit.
• But my they can't complete the audit.

Bills: SCR180

Keywords: wildfire, fire hazard, Lahaina, West Maui, Maui wildfire, vegetation management, fuel reduction, defensible space, fuel breaks, invasive grasses, emergency access, evacuation route, fire lane, state lands, public safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal, community risk reduction, hazard mitigation, brush clearance, wildland-urban interface

Summary: The committee opened by noting it was likely its last hearing of the 2026 session, then took up several resolutions. SCR 54, on appointing a hydrogen fire safety expert and training on hydrogen-related protocols, and SCR 59, on allowing certain health care professionals to practice without a license during a state of emergency, drew no testimony. Members discussed SCR 59 as a response to past emergencies and the need for pre-approved, updated registries of professionals who could be deployed quickly in emergencies. SCR 62 SD1, which asks the 911 Board to form a working group with the disability community to address access issues in emergency and 911 responses, received testimony from disability advocates and the 911 Board. Testifiers said the measure should ensure an integrated system with EMS infrastructure, real-time access for dispatchers and field personnel, and public education about the system; they also noted that Smart911 is no longer being used on Oahu and Maui and that a statewide, integrated approach is needed. Members agreed to work the suggested language into the resolution. SCR 179, urging Maui County to enforce fire code provisions on brush clearance, fuel breaks, roadside vegetation clearing, and emergency access, was noted as having no testimony but continuing to raise important issues. SCR 74, calling for an audit of no-bid contracts issued under emergency proclamations from 2020 through 2025, drew strong support from a late testifier who tied the measure to emergency procurement concerns after the Lahaina wildfire and COVID-era contracting. The witness argued that procurement rules should not be waived in ways that compromise safety, and described concerns about unlicensed contractors and construction problems in a state housing project. Members asked about the scope of the audit and whether it would interfere with criminal investigations; the witness said the audit should cover a broad range of contracts, including nonprofit contracts, and should not be limited to the wildfire period. The committee also heard SCR 28 SD1 on creating a Hawaii Vietnam Veterans Medal, with support from the Department of Defense and veterans advocates, who said the resolution is intended to do the groundwork for a future appropriation and to determine eligibility and distribution procedures. Finally, SCR 60 SD1, requesting updates on the “Breaking Cycles” rehabilitation and restorative justice study, received support from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Correctional System Oversight Commission, and reform advocates. The department asked that reporting be annual rather than quarterly because of the complexity of the OCCC project, and supporters said the measure would promote transparency and help ensure the study’s recommendations are implemented. No votes were taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• How many forensic audits have you initiated?
• Taylor Hatch: If I will, we are gearing up for another round of those audits.
• The forensic audit found, the forensic audit done on Northwest Florida, the agency there found this contractor
• procurement laws."
• Taylor Hatch: Sir, I know those audits were conducted in 2023.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• reports containing major recommendations, the audit report for the that are major audits and audit reports
• Now the auditor's office contracts for that audit, so we go through a competitive procurement process
• . ...audit.
• Now the auditor's office contracts for that audit, so we go through a competitive procurement process
• dollars are exempted from single audits, so they’re not audited under our federal single audit that

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• audits, amending the Audit Act, restructuring audit requirements, amending local public body audit thresholds
• , amending definitions, updating terms, amending audit reporting requirements, amending the audit fund
• Senate Bill 153, introduced by Senator Padilla, an act relating to procurement, reducing the number of
• Senate Bill 153, introduced by Senator Padilla, an act relating to procurement, reducing the number of
• officers, requiring that a chief procurement officer certification program be maintained by the state

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• technology across their internal business processes to understand what their thinking was in the procurement
• A lot of what we're hearing on the sort of implementation pilot and procurement side as well as what
• And then if we can do that, what they look like a gun from a procurement, a pilot perspective and then
• The DMs is procured for us. You probably have some better conversations there as well. >> Mr.
• Think about writers and more of your substantive solutions are procurement side to operate.

Transcript Highlights:

• What is the audit backup for this?
• Is this federal funds, and do they audit, or are they state funds and we audit?
• Is this federal funds, and do they audit or the state funds and we audit?
• What is the audit process? We have federal funds. We have state funds. How often are they audited?
• We've been through a slurf audit.

Summary: The committee considered and approved several temporary appropriation requests in Section B, including spending authority for the Court of Appeals to pay appointed counsel in criminal appeals, Commerce/Aeronautics airport and aviation grants, and Insurance Department items for workers’ compensation benefits and premium tax refunds. It also approved ARPA-related requests in Section C to return unused federal funds from DHS aging, mental health, substance abuse, and Older Americans Act grants. In Section D, the committee reviewed and approved Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requests, including Agriculture grants for wildfire preparedness and forestry capacity, a large Commerce broadband BEAD request, environmental recycling-related reallocations, and Oil and Gas Commission grants for facility repairs and sample preservation. Members questioned the broadband program’s audit process and performance safeguards; the State Broadband Director said the funds are federal, subject to audits, and payments are released only after engineering certification of completed work. The committee also approved DHS reallocations in Section E, including major transfers within Medical Services from hospital medical appropriations to private and public nursing home lines, as well as transfers for children and family services, developmental disabilities, and youth services. The committee then reviewed cash fund requests, miscellaneous federal grants, pay plan and performance fund transfers, methods of finance, and a large set of contracts. A Northwest Arkansas Community College official explained storm-damage repairs and insurance settlement issues, and DHS explained its hospital medical transfer was moving excess appropriation rather than cash. Members also questioned several UAPB tobacco prevention subgrants, especially arts-based outreach, and asked for more data on effectiveness; the committee later voted to expunge and re-refer the J-2 item for further review at a later ALC meeting. Additional discussion covered a DEQ grant to Free Geek of Arkansas for e-waste recycling, a UAPB tobacco program, and various contracts for universities, DHS services, corrections, and public safety. The meeting ended with reports filed for information and a brief member comment thanking others for concern after a tornado in Stone County; no one was injured.

Transcript Highlights:

• process to procure the auditing services for the state captive insurance program.
• a little bit, the governing statute that created the captive does require us to get an independent audit
• And then I would also add, as far as I'm good with the RFQ approach, but I would also add that audits
• So we looked at auditing firms that had experience working with insurance companies and with the FASB
• Their annual audit fee is probably half or less than that annual number.

Summary: The State Insurance Programs Oversight Subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council met to consider a request from the Office of Property Risk to use a request for qualifications (RFQ) process to procure auditing services for the state captive insurance program. Grant Wallace, Director of the Employee Benefits Division and Office of Property Risk, explained that the captive insurance statute requires an independent audit and that an RFQ was appropriate because of the program’s specialized nature and the need for auditors familiar with FASB standards and insurance-company audits. Members asked about the requirement to include a projected cost in the request, how the market research was conducted, and whether Arkansas firms could receive preference. Wallace said the cost estimate is required for approval, that the market research was nationwide, and that the solicitation could be written to give some preference or advantage to local firms if desired. Members emphasized that professional auditing standards still require qualified auditors and noted that the process should not ignore cost. Senator Hickey confirmed the contract would cover a four-year term and that the projected amount was for the full term, not annually. Wallace also clarified that the RFQ process was only the first step; any selected firm would still need approval from the State Board of Finance, the subcommittee, and the full Arkansas Legislative Council before the contract could be finalized. The subcommittee then approved the request by motion, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• process to procure the auditing services for the state captive insurance program.
• a little bit, the governing statute that created the captive does require us to get an independent audit
• And then I would also add, as far, and I'm good with the RFQ approach, but I would also add that audits
• So we looked at auditing firms that had experience working with insurance companies and with the FASB
• Their annual audit fee is probably half or less than that annual number.

Summary: The State Insurance Programs Oversight Subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council met to consider one item: a request from the Office of Property Risk to use a request for qualifications (RFQ) process to procure auditing services for the state captive insurance program. Grant Wallace, Director of the Employee Benefits Division and Office of Property Risk, explained that the captive insurance statute requires an independent audit and that an RFQ was appropriate because of the program’s unusual nature and the need for auditors familiar with FASB standards and insurance-company auditing. Members asked about the requirement to include a projected cost, the basis for the market research used to estimate the contract value, and whether Arkansas firms could receive preference. Wallace said an amount must be included in the procurement request, that the market research was nationwide, and that the solicitation could be written to give local firms some advantage if desired. Members also clarified that the proposed contract would cover four years and that the total projected cost was for the full term, not annually. The committee discussed that the RFQ process would still require later approvals from the State Board of Finance, the subcommittee, and the full Arkansas Legislative Council before any contract could be finalized. After discussion, a motion was made and approved by voice vote, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we were on the Legislative Audit Commission. We were, I think, singularly outraged at that.
• Performance audits often focus on how closely and accurately employees abide by internal controls.
• Performance audits often focus on how closely and accurately employees abide by internal controls.
• I just want to thank the members of the Legislative Audit Commission for the work on this.
• it through the then we should procure it through the standard<00:19:30.960> procurement<00:19

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Joint Legislative Auditing Committee will now come to order. Let's please call the roll.
• So some of our audit procedures covered earlier activity.
• Procurement of goods and services: they need help with that.
• period and what years you were auditing for them, please?
• period and what years you were auditing for them please so we're predominantly the auditing period and

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee first heard a long-running audit finding involving Daytona Beach’s unexpended building permit funds, which have exceeded the statutory limit for several years and were reported at $10.8 million in the most recent audit. Mayor Derek Henry and city staff said the city has analyzed the fund, adopted a corrective action plan, waived more than $5.5 million in permit and inspection fees over several periods, and used some excess funds for a training facility rehabilitation and a proposed City Hall expansion. Committee members repeatedly questioned whether the city was simply trying to spend down the money, raised concerns about the legality and necessity of proposed expenditures, and asked about interest earnings, truck purchases, and the lack of detailed tracking for training-facility use. The city said an Attorney General opinion allows construction of a new building for building-code functions but not purchase of an existing building, and that if the city cannot comply through permissible construction it would have to return the funds. No vote was taken, but members expressed strong frustration and urged the city to resolve the issue quickly and lawfully. The committee then received the Auditor General’s presentation on the Town of Greenville, which found 31 findings and described pervasive control failures, possible fraud, waste, and abuse. The findings covered elections and quorum issues, conflicts of interest, late or missing financial disclosure forms, related-party transactions, poor meeting notices and minutes, council involvement in day-to-day operations, missing ethics training, budget and accounting deficiencies, weak bank reconciliations, improper utility billing and rates, grant compliance problems tied to a grocery store project, personnel and compensation issues involving the town manager, late vendor payments, weak procurement and P-card controls, vehicle-use and property-control problems, public records issues, and IT/fraud-policy weaknesses. The auditor said the review focused mainly on October 2022 through February 2024 but went back further for some grant-related matters. Greenville’s mayor and staff said the audit reflected actions of a previous administration and that the current council and staff have already adopted seven new policies to improve procurement, financial controls, inventory management, grant oversight, and ethics. They said the town has a new manager and clerk, that the former manager was terminated, and that the town referred matters to FDLE, which is investigating. Committee members asked about the manager’s salary increase, severance, P-card use, and whether the town should consider consolidation or dissolution. The mayor said the town is on a better path, that most of the prior leadership has been voted out, and that the town is working with auditors and an outside accounting firm to correct the problems.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the audit, providing that the audit-related concerns of Representative Basabe are considered.
• of the audit, providing that the audit-related concerns of Senator Bernard are considered.
• of the audit, providing that the audit-related concerns of Senator Bernard are considered.
• Was that an audit? It was not an audit. No, but yes, they were here.
• of the audit, providing that the audit-related concerns of Senator Wright are considered.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee met to consider several audit requests and enforcement items involving local governments and special districts. The committee approved operational audits of the City of Miami Beach, the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, and the City of Daytona Beach. In each case, the requesting member described concerns about transparency, financial management, or internal controls, while local officials or representatives generally said they were willing to cooperate and, in Delray Beach’s case, noted that an internal audit had already been completed and that some issues were being corrected. The committee also received a presentation on the statewide review of neighborhood improvement districts. The reviewers reported that 15 of 21 districts were active and six inactive, with common findings including outdated or missing performance plans, weak web presence, inadequate meeting notices, and limited management mechanisms. They said staffing levels often correlated with the ability to meet statutory requirements, and they recommended updates to district governance and transparency practices. On enforcement, staff reviewed local governments and special districts that had failed to file required financial reports or had submitted audit reports missing required information. The committee approved staff recommendations to proceed under the statutory enforcement process for the noncompliant entities, with flexibility for the chair and vice chair to delay action if additional information is provided in good faith. The committee also voted to send a letter to the Union County Legislative Delegation encouraging a local bill to dissolve the Town of Rayford, based on staff’s view that the town lacked employees, services, debt, and a clear reason to continue existing as an incorporated municipality.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the audit, providing that the audit-related concerns of Representative Basabe are considered.
• audit of the Delray Beach DDA.
• of the audit, providing that the audit-related concerns of Senator Bernard are considered.
• Was that an audit? It was not an audit. No, but yes, they were here.
• of the audit, providing that the audit-related concerns of Senator Wright are considered.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee met to consider several audit requests and enforcement items related to local government accountability. The committee heard requests for operational audits of the City of Miami Beach, the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, and the City of Daytona Beach. In each case, the requesting member cited concerns about transparency, financial management, or compliance with state law. Representatives from Delray Beach DDA testified that an internal audit had already been completed, that findings were limited, and that they were working to cure issues such as procurement, credit card, and disbursement policies; the DDA chair also said the organization was willing to cooperate and was considering transitioning out of operating Old School Square. For Daytona Beach, the sponsor pointed to excess building permit revenues, vehicle purchases, and reported P-card irregularities as reasons for a broader audit. The committee approved all three audit requests, directing the Auditor General to finalize the scope while considering the stated concerns. The committee also received a presentation on the statewide performance reviews of 21 neighborhood improvement districts. The reviewers reported that 15 districts were active and six inactive, with common issues including outdated or missing performance plans, weak web presence, inadequate meeting notices, and limited management mechanisms. They said staffing levels often correlated with the ability to meet statutory requirements, and recommended that several districts be reviewed to determine whether they were still needed. Members asked about staffing, inactivity criteria, and how the districts were administered, and staff explained that city or county liaisons often supplement district staffing. Later, staff reviewed enforcement actions for local governments that failed to file required financial reports or omitted required information from submitted audits. The committee discussed a list of noncompliant counties, municipalities, and special districts, including the town of Rayford, which staff said had long-standing reporting problems, no apparent municipal services, and no response to repeated outreach. The committee voted to send a letter to the Union County legislative delegation encouraging a local bill to dissolve Rayford. It also approved staff recommendations to proceed against entities still missing required filings or missing audit information, with authority for the chair and vice chair to delay action if additional information is later provided in good faith.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is posted on our state procurement website, but I understand that it can be a little bit difficult
• Okay, just for clarification: so I did hear you say that it is posted on the state procurement website
• transparency, where they're posting the bill online through the procurement website.
• So I'm very conscious, I'm on J-LAC, we do audits.
• We do audits very conscientiously about the time frame to do things. Eight years.

Bills: SB1198, SB1199, SB1286, SB1683, SB1761

Keywords: Arizona beef council, beef promotion, agricultural marketing, commodity council, livestock, cattle industry, ranching, rural affairs, self-financed program, sunset extension, continuation bill, market development, beef products, Arizona agriculture, Title 41, Title 3, sunset review, marketing order, producer assessment, Salt River horse herd

Summary: The Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee heard several measures, beginning with SB 1199, which was amended to require the Arizona Department of Agriculture to post the Salt River Horse Herd Agreement on its website. Supporters said the change would improve public transparency and access to the agreement governing the Salt River wild horse herd, while the department said it was neutral and noted the contract was already on the state procurement website. The committee approved the amendment and then passed SB 1199 on a 6-3 vote. The committee then considered SB 1761, an appropriation bill for the University of Arizona that would fund the Yuma Center for Excellence for Desert Agriculture, Cooperative Extension, and the Arizona Experiment Station over multiple fiscal years. Senator Tim Dunn and the Arizona Farm Bureau argued the funding would support statewide agricultural research, extension services, water conservation, and rural communities, while members noted the bill would ultimately be part of budget negotiations. The committee passed SB 1761 with one member voting present. Next, SB 1198 was amended to also continue the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board for eight years, in addition to extending the Arizona Beef Council. Supporters said both entities were self-funded or industry-supported and did not need shorter review cycles, while some members objected to combining the two issues and to the eight-year continuation period. The committee adopted the amendment and passed the bill 4-3 with one present. Finally, SB 1683, which expands restrictions on land ownership and related transactions by foreign adversary nations and agents near critical infrastructure, military bases, and universities, drew support from local and military witnesses who said it would address national security risks and improve review of sensitive land deals. Some members raised property-rights concerns and questioned whether the expansion was justified, but the committee passed the bill 5-3 and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have all of our financial audits back to 2002.
• and uh the details of how these procur and uh the details of how these procur procurement<01:00:
• <01:05:55.200> Commission state procurement Commission state procurement Commission how<01
• <01:11:34.880> procurement<01:11:35.600> program uh a proc a procure procurement program
• uh a proc a procure procurement program like<01:11:36.280> this<01:11:36.560> is<01:11

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on House Bill 233, which would impose transparency and reporting requirements on the New Hampshire Vaccine Association. The prime sponsor, Representative Comto, said the bill and a proposed amendment were intended to increase public access by requiring a physical meeting location, making meetings available online, and publishing a complete list of vaccines and pharmaceutical products purchased. She argued the association should be more transparent because it is involved in vaccine purchasing and public trust is important, especially given controversy around vaccines. Committee members questioned the sponsor about the association’s legal status, who sets vaccine requirements, whether other private entities would be covered, and whether the proposal should instead apply more broadly to all meetings or include recordings. The sponsor said the association was created by the legislature, that childhood vaccine requirements come from DHHS and CDC-related processes, and that she would be open to broader recording requirements. Some members raised concerns about misinformation and whether requiring answers to public questions could be problematic in a contentious policy area. Patrick Miller, executive director of the Vaccine Association, and attorney Mark McHugh testified in opposition. They described the association as a not-for-profit voluntary corporation created by statute in 2002 to serve as a funding mechanism for the state’s universal childhood vaccine purchase program, with no policymaking role and no public funding. They said the association already posts notices, agendas, minutes, and allows public webinar access and comments, while also providing annual audits and reports and other statutory reporting. They argued HB 233 would impose unnecessary administrative costs on a private entity, interfere with its limited charitable purpose, and ultimately increase costs borne by insurers, employers, and consumers. No vote or final action was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Procurement is a mess at the DoD.
• Personally, yeah, nobody's ever your company's audited all the more.
• We better fix it by that audit. Yeah And if not, what would you do?
• If you don't have an audit, it's a big problem. Yeah, so would you keep the CFO? No.
• Yeah, so our military doesn't have an audit.

Keywords: Steven Feinberg, Deputy Secretary of Defense, national security, budget cuts, military readiness, global threats, Department of Defense

Summary: The meeting primarily focused on the nomination of Steven Feinberg as Deputy Secretary of Defense. The committee emphasized the urgent need for strong leadership in response to a complex array of global threats posed by adversarial coalitions, including China, Russia, and Iran. The discussions highlighted concerns regarding budget cuts and personnel reductions within the Department of Defense, showcasing the challenges posed by the current economic context and the pressing need to maintain military readiness and capabilities. Various members expressed their apprehensions about how impending layoffs and budget reductions would impact the defense workforce and national security.

Transcript Highlights:

• <03:16:02.560> process<03:16:03.000> is of the procurement process is of the procurement
• Could be audited in a single year, anything that includes major federal funding.
• So the single audit and all of the other individual federal audits, we will sit with the program area
• We can do audits.
• <03:39:29.439> or audits those might be desk audits or audits those might be desk audits or

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: Finance Division 3 met for a work session on House Bill 519, which concerns funding for Waypoint. The chair noted general support for the organization but said the bill would likely need to be suspended and folded into the budget process because the committee did not yet know available revenues or what amount, if any, could be committed. Kya Fox, director of the Division for Behavioral Health, testified that the department supports the bill and the program, explaining that it had been funded with other available funds, including $100,000 for 2024 and $400,000 for 2025, under a contract running through June 30 of this year. She said the shelter serves a unique population of young adults and is part of the department’s children’s system of care and Mission Zero efforts to reduce barriers to psychiatric discharge and emergency department use. Members questioned Fox and Waypoint representatives about the budget placement of the request, the difference between the efficiency budget and prioritized needs, and whether state budget documents would show any internal Waypoint revenues. Fox said the request appears as a general fund item and that the state would not see Waypoint’s internal financial operations in the budget. A legislative member explained that prioritized needs are critical services already in place but not necessarily included in the efficiency budget, and another member said the distinction is not strictly applied. The committee also raised a separate question about how DHHS would handle any future state or federal restrictions on DEI practices; Fox said that was a question for department leadership and legal staff, but that the department follows state law and contract requirements. Waypoint CEO Bor Alvare and Director Mandy Lancaster then described the shelter and related services. They said the shelter serves ages 18 to 24, is a 14-bed open-room facility with half walls, and is staffed overnight by two full-time workers. They said admission is first come, first served, with some vulnerability factors considered, and that they do not discriminate by race, gender, or sexual orientation. They reported no known incidents of sexual violence, though some youth are turned away each night because the shelter is full. They also explained that Waypoint provides broader services beyond the shelter, including outreach, drop-in centers, housing support, rental assistance, and family mediation, and said they serve about 400 youth and young adults in Manchester alone. The discussion ended with questions about whether lowering the upper age limit would affect the program; Waypoint said most residents are already in the 18-to-23 range, but that housing shortages make the current age span important for helping young adults avoid chronic homelessness.

Transcript Highlights:

• Not procurement. Oh, I'm sorry. 11-15. Oh, sorry.
• Yes, you have the authority to cancel a procurement?
• Inventory audits, they're not really audits by our audit team, but they're reviews conducted by our investigative
• And that includes doing audits of LMA.
• That audit, I mean, I've had several. audits in my lifetime somewhere along the way, but they actually

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Officials to audit early voting results by selecting individual precincts at random.
• . apply existing audit procedures for election day to early voting.
• precincts, resulting in a more accurate audit.
• Instead of a review of an individual precinct, the audit would instead look at the entire population.
• It's important to note that the bill does not create new auditing procedures.

Bills: HB223

Keywords: municipal budget, county budget, local government finance, spending cap, expenditure limit, inflation plus population growth, taxpayer impact statement, budget transparency, property tax, fees, Legislative Budget Board, voter approval, disaster spending, fiscal restraint, Texas Local Government Code, city budget, county expenditures, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We want to do as much analysis in-house as we can, and we're also going to procure additional contractual
• And as we procure resources, all of that procurement information is available online.
• So that I'm clear, is there somewhere published a procurement status so that we could see if someone's
• You did mention the audit, which I brought a copy up because I had a whole slew of questions for that
• But the audit was... ...where your progress is on those. But the audit was really informative too.

Keywords: Commission on Unemployment Compensation, 976, house, all

Summary: The Commission on Unemployment Compensation met with a quorum present, introduced new members and staff, and elected Delegate Destiny LeVere Bolling as chair and Senator Mike Jones as vice chair. The commission also adopted its electronic meeting policy. The Secretary of Labor and Virginia Employment Commission leadership then gave introductory remarks about the labor secretariat, VEC’s role, and the administration’s focus on workforce stability, transparency, and access to services. Staff provided a legislative update on recent unemployment-related bills. Marvie Ali reviewed the commission’s statutory duties and noted that HB 1320 and SB 759 increased the weekly unemployment benefit amount by $48 effective July 1, 2026, following a prior $52 increase in 2025 that together fulfilled the commission’s earlier recommendation to raise benefits by $100. She also summarized HB 1319, which would have set a 26-week maximum duration but was continued to 2027, the budget item providing $75,000 for actuarial support, and SB 433, which changed labor-dispute disqualification rules so certain locked-out workers may receive benefits. Staff also reported that the 2025 work group studying annual benefit adjustments did not complete its work, and members discussed reinstating it at a future meeting. VEC Deputy Commissioner Joanna Darkus presented an extensive overview of the unemployment insurance system, including eligibility rules, tax structure, benefit levels, claims trends, trust fund solvency, fraud prevention, and implementation of recent legislation. She said Virginia’s unemployment rate remains low by historical standards, but claim durations and benefit outflows have increased, and the trust fund balance factor is projected at 50.9%, near the statutory trigger for additional employer charges. Members asked about the taxable wage base, employer tax rates, solvency, staffing during the pandemic, and implementation of paid family and medical leave. Darkus said VEC is using ID.me, improving controls, and preparing for paid family and medical leave through regulations, staffing, IT procurement, public comment, and listening sessions. During public comment, a Virginia Poverty Law Center representative urged the commission to strengthen the UI system through state action, warning that federal funding and oversight are unreliable and arguing that Virginia should invest in benefits, administration, and modernization. The meeting ended with no further business and adjournment.