Video & Transcript : 'small city program' :

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WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Consumer Protection & Business Mar 3rd, 2026 at 08:00 am

Consumer Protection & Business

Transcript Highlights:
  • They're essentially small businesses in the state of Washington.
  • They're essentially small businesses in the state of Washington.
  • And a couple of states have transition programs.
  • And a couple of states have transition programs.
  • businesses and small business owners as well.
Bills: HB2721, HB2616
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Ways & Means Jan 19th, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • Are we looking at an eight-year program, a 10-year program? What is this thought here?
  • Are we looking at an eight-year program, a 10-year program? What is this thought here?
  • And the second is an every five-year evaluation of the training benefits program, which is a program
  • Only accredited programs are eligible to provide FDA-approved medications.
  • Medicaid program.
Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held a public hearing on nine bills. Senate Bill 5872 would create the Pre-K Promise Account to receive philanthropic donations for ECAP preschool slots; supporters, including DCYF, the governor’s office, and early learning advocates, said it would help expand access to high-quality pre-K with a 10-year Ballmer Group commitment for up to 10,000 new seats annually. Senators asked how the money would flow, and staff and witnesses explained it would be governed by an MOU and deposited annually; no vote was taken. Senate Bill 5879 would eliminate two JLARC studies, one on lodging tax reporting and one on training benefits; supporters said the reports were duplicative and burdensome, while the hospitality industry warned against losing transparency, and no action was taken. Senate Bill 6047 would permanently codify various capital budget administration rules, including minor works flexibility and early learning grant changes; testimony focused on technical cleanup and on provisions affecting co-located child care and community projects, with no vote taken. Senate Bill 5988 would authorize the Department of Health to charge fees for accrediting opioid treatment programs, with support from DOH and tribal/nontribal providers who want the state to continue providing the service; no vote was taken. Senate Bill 5923 would allow Island Hospital in Skagit County to qualify as a critical access hospital, with local hospital leaders and residents supporting the measure to improve reimbursement and sustain rural care; no vote was taken. Senate Bill 5832 would raise the Lemon Law arbitration fee from $3 to $6 to fund the Attorney General’s consumer protection work, and the AG’s office, dealers, and the sponsor said the program is effective and underfunded; no vote was taken. Senate Bill 5970 would make permanent the property tax exemption for multipurpose senior citizen centers, with AARP supporting the bill as a benefit to seniors and caregivers; no vote was taken. Senate Bill 5994 would preserve timber tax distributions for school districts that recently had qualifying levies, and forest industry witnesses supported the bill while suggesting a possible amendment for state forest transfer lands; no vote was taken. Senate Bill 5949 would narrow the B&O tax exemption for insurance-related businesses so it applies only to the entity paying the insurance premiums tax, retroactive to 2019; the Department of Revenue and bill supporters argued it restores tax equity, while insurers, health plans, and business groups opposed it as retroactive, ambiguous, and likely to raise premiums. The committee heard extensive testimony on that bill, but the transcript ends with adjournment and no recorded vote or executive action.
MO

Missouri 2026 Regular Session

Government Efficiency Feb 26th, 2026 at 08:00 am

Government Efficiency

Transcript Highlights:
  • Louis City, St.
  • Louis City and St.
  • Once again, help your county and your city.
  • Louis City and St. Louis County. It could be.
  • of seeing the city cut its nose off to spite its face.
Keywords: 959, house, all
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • We’re aligning not just the programs within Jobs First, but all of our programs, incentives, and other
  • Yeah, I mean, the only programs we have are the programs that we have, right? It's Go-Biz.
  • programming for small businesses as California’s flagship trade program.
  • Do they have programs? I know your chair right now. Do they have similar programs?
  • The program is the California Investment and Innovation Program, or CalIP.
Summary: The hearing focused on the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz) and several related budget proposals. Director D.D. Myers described the California Jobs First economic blueprint, regional planning efforts across 13 regions, and the state’s strategy to target sectors such as ag tech, space, life sciences, semiconductors, and emerging technologies. She also discussed the California brand campaign, export promotion, film tax credits, and the California Civic Media Fund, emphasizing job creation, regional equity, and business attraction/retention. Members raised questions about support for journalism, arts and creative industries, AI’s impact on jobs, foreign direct investment, manufacturing, tariffs, and how the Jobs First framework is being implemented across regions. Go-Biz then presented trailer bill language to extend the encumbrance deadline for remaining Jobs First administrative funds and to codify the Office of Regional Economic Development Initiatives. The department said $95 million of the $100 million Jobs First appropriation had already been deployed to grants for counties and tribes, and members asked for more information on regional outcomes, including Orange County and the North State. Public comment supported Jobs First and the Small Business Development Centers’ role in helping businesses access capital and create jobs. The committee also heard a request for ongoing CalExport funding to replace uncertain federal STEP support; the LAO noted the Legislature may want to weigh whether to backfill federal reductions, while Go-Biz argued the state program is needed because federal support appears unlikely to continue and demand exceeds available funding. The committee next heard the film and television tax credit staffing request. Go-Biz asked for funding for three permanent positions to manage the expanded program, and the LAO recommended approval given the increased workload. The Film Commission reported a sharp rise in applications after AB 1138 and the program expansion, with productions taking place both inside and outside the Los Angeles 30-mile zone and activity spread across the state. Finally, Go-Biz presented a request for one permanent position and one graduate student assistant to support innovation and emerging technologies, including quantum and fusion. Members asked about the use of the state’s quantum funding, and staff explained it would support microgrants, state capacity-building, and workforce education. No formal votes were taken in the portions provided, and the chair indicated some items would be moved and heard later in the agenda.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Health Committee Mar 25th, 2026

Health

Transcript Highlights:
  • The coalition is composed of seven city attorneys...
  • The coalition is composed of seven city attorneys and county counsels from the cities of Oakland, San
  • As cities and counties, we know our residents and their needs best, and we design programs to respond
  • I'm here as the Interdepartmental Homelessness Council for the City of Oakland City Attorney's Office
  • Aid on behalf of San Francisco City Attorney David Chu, as well as the City and County of San Francisco
Keywords: 987, senate, all
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

Senate Ways and Means (04/16/2025)

Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • The cities, everybody has time to get on. Cities could get in on their call, right?
  • The cities, Right.
  • </c><01:46:28.960><c> cities</c> everybody has time to get on. cities everybody has time to get on. cities
  • </c> facility within our city or town. facility within our city or town.
  • Within the city or town, town or city.
Keywords: 1191, senate, all
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Capital Investment - 02/19/26

Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:
  • District 19, Farbo Watana, Wasika areas, and everywhere in between, the small cities around Rice County
  • The small cities around Rice County, Steel County, Dodge County, and Wasika County.
  • It is a longstanding, successful program that we run, that cities have come to rely on.
  • </c> uh on this program. uh on this program.
  • . program. program.
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
MO

Missouri 2026 Regular Session

Commerce Mar 4th, 2026 at 08:00 am

Commerce

Transcript Highlights:
  • We just don't want cities to discriminate against having modular and manufactured homes in their cities
  • It prevents cities from banning them.
  • The city can do all those kinds of things.
  • But there's a lot of room for a city to impose, you know, the kinds of rules it needs for the city.
  • I'm a lawyer in Kansas City, Missouri.
Keywords: 959, house, all
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

House Session (04/10/2025)

New Hampshire House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • This will... from the city of uh city of Rochester from the city of uh city of Rochester and<01:15:50.239
  • program that is so costly and so unpopular except within a very small community of people and lacks even
  • This budget eliminates the Housing Champion Program, a $5 million initiative that helps towns and cities
  • This amendment cuts that program program program entirely.<04:37:41.439><c> Who</c><04:37:41.760><c>
  • </c> many of these essential programs. many of these essential programs.
Keywords: 1189, house, all
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Environment and Natural Resources Mar 17th, 2025

Environment and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • So how many cities have, which are mostly, I believe, coastal communities, how many cities currently
  • city has put on that business just to make it simpler.
  • And senators, in early 2023, the incinerator in the city of Doral...
  • You know, some are large, some are small.
  • , the vessel turn-in program, and FWC General Order 21.
Summary: The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources met with a quorum present and considered a series of environmental, water, waste, boating, and land-use bills. SB 834 on recreational fishing vessel licenses was briefly explained as aligning licensure rules for freshwater and saltwater captains and was reported favorably. SB 1208 on service lateral assessment and rehabilitation would require periodic CCTV inspections, a seven-year assessment cycle, and a long-term public database for sewer laterals; county representatives opposed it over private-property and cost concerns, but the bill was reported favorably. SB 978 on advanced wastewater treatments, as amended, would require DEP reports and a long-term prioritization plan for upgrading large wastewater facilities to advanced treatment; the committee adopted the amendment and then reported the bill favorably. The committee then took up SB 1822 on auxiliary containers, which would preempt local regulation of certain packaging and define the term in statute. The sponsor argued it would reduce a patchwork of local rules and help businesses, while opponents from environmental groups, local advocates, and some local governments warned it would weaken plastic and foam restrictions, including in parks and coastal communities. Despite substantial opposition and several senators expressing concern, the bill was reported favorably. The committee also approved CS for SB 384 on notice for annexation of state-owned lands, after a technical amendment requiring written or email notice to legislative delegations, and reported it favorably. SB 1008 on waste incineration would bar new ash-producing incinerators or waste-to-energy facilities within a half-mile of residential, commercial, or school property. The sponsor said the bill was aimed at preventing another fire-related incident like the Doral plant and clarified it was intended to apply only to new facilities, not existing ones; waste-to-energy and county representatives opposed it as too restrictive, while several senators sought clarifying changes. The bill was reported favorably. The committee also adopted a substitute amendment to CS for SB 594 on port channel and turning basin buffer zones, reducing the proposed anchoring setback from 5,000 feet to 2,500 feet and allowing ports to create buffer zones after public hearings and rulemaking; the bill was then reported favorably. Finally, SB 830 on lost or abandoned property, aimed at streamlining removal of migrant vessels that pose navigational and environmental hazards, was reported favorably after brief support testimony.
AL

Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Ways and Means Education Committee Apr 22nd, 2025

Ways and Means Education

Transcript Highlights:
  • The ProStart program, we... Education. The ProStart program, we zeroed that out.
  • We added $100,000 to the facility grant program under the... grant program under the arts.
  • This is a pre-k after-school program and education program run through the Y in Birmingham.
  • , the Re-Engage program.
  • Moving on down, just some small line item adjustments. Then on… ...small line item adjustments.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

04/29/2026 - House Floor Session

Arizona House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • There's another program, too, that we need to fund: the Alzheimer's Association program to get the word
  • These types of programs will do that. These types of programs will do that.
  • And we don't stop the City of Tucson or any city from doing things like this with their own monies.
  • That's a small portion of in-state residents that benefit from these programs.
  • My opinion is that we need to keep government small. We need to keep government small."
Summary: The House convened, approved the journal, and spent much of the opening portion recognizing guests and interns from both parties, along with former lawmakers and a newly seated member, Representative Sylvia Allen. The chamber then took up House Concurrent Resolution 2065 honoring the late Alfredo Gutierrez. Members from both parties gave extended remarks about his life as a civil rights advocate, student activist, legislator, and mentor, and the resolution was unanimously adopted and transmitted to the Senate. Family members of Gutierrez were recognized in the gallery during the memorial tribute. The House then moved into Committee of the Whole on the first budget-related measures. On House Bill 4138, the “feed bill”/budget operations measure, Democrats argued the budget favored corporations and data centers over seniors, health care, housing, universities, and vulnerable families, while Republicans defended it as a continuation of prior policy and said it preserved tax conformity and modest agency cuts. After debate and questions, the committee recommended the bill do pass and the House adopted that report, sending HB 4138 to engrossing. The chamber next considered House Bill 4139, the amusement/gaming-related budget bill. Members debated whether it was essentially unchanged from last year’s budget language, with Republicans saying it was a continuation bill and that gaming-related provisions would support rural economies and tourism, while Democrats questioned the broader budget context and its effects on working families. The committee recommended HB 4139 do pass, and the House adopted that recommendation. The House then began debate on House Bill 4140, the state budget implementation bill, focusing on the budget stabilization fund and a proposed government efficiency initiative; discussion was still underway at the end of the transcript.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • events that were referred for prosecution, 506 cases were filed by district attorneys and elected city
  • Anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim, in particular, increased four years in a row in major American cities.
  • It's a little small here. But six days after 9/11...
  • It's a little small here. But six days after 9/11...
  • The wealth gap through targeted small business grants, workforce development, and affordable housing.
Summary: The Select Committee on Hate, Racism, and Xenophobia met to examine the scope of hate activity in California and hear from state agencies, commissions, and community organizations. The chair opened by framing hate as a persistent crisis affecting many protected groups, and Assembly Member Gonzalez briefly joined the committee. The first panel included the California Department of Justice and the California Commission on the State of Hate, both of which presented recent data and policy recommendations. The Department of Justice reported that in 2024 California saw 2,023 reported hate crime events, 2,568 hate crime offenses, and 2,491 victims, with anti-Black bias remaining the most common category, followed by anti-Jewish and anti-Latino bias. DOJ also said referrals for prosecution increased, and it described its hate-crimes guidance, rapid response protocol, and multilingual resources. The Commission on the State of Hate said hate is undercounted in law enforcement data and cited a survey suggesting about 2.6 million Californians experienced at least one hate act in a year, including more than half a million potentially criminal incidents. It recommended permanent data infrastructure, mandatory law enforcement training, and continued funding for community-based prevention and victim support. The committee then heard testimony from representatives of the NAACP, LULAC, Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, CHIRLA, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, CARE, Equality California, and the Racial Equity Commission. Witnesses described systemic racism, anti-immigrant enforcement, antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Asian bias, and anti-LGBTQ+ hate, often linking these harms to political rhetoric, social media, and federal actions. They urged the Legislature to fund programs such as California vs. Hate, Stop the Hate, nonprofit security grants, language access, school and mental health supports, and legal assistance, while also protecting civil rights, due process, and free speech. No formal votes or committee actions were taken during the hearing, but members indicated they would request additional recommendations and continue the discussion in future hearings.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee Mar 19th, 2025

Communications and Conveyance

Transcript Highlights:
  • In rural areas, not in the big cities. Missouri is a good example of that.
  • Missouri had a Kohler requirement, but that requirement was not in the big cities.
  • . program in the state that provides a discount for your phone service.
  • to co-invest in things like the BEAD program, the $42 billion program, to get next generation technology
  • And we serve over 900,000 small businesses in the state of California.
Keywords: 988, house, all
ID

Idaho 2026 Regular Session

Agenda Mar 9th, 2026

Business

Transcript Highlights:
  • Specifically, they could be anything from a small tenant improvement.
  • Specifically, they could be anything from a small tenant improvement.
  • City of Seattle, Salt Lake City, Denver, most cities in Texas, Virginia.
  • And as a small business, we practice against draftspersons.
  • And as a small business, we practice against draft people. We practice against small business.
Summary: The House Business Committee heard several bills, beginning with House Bill 529, which would let insured Idahoans negotiate a lower cash price for covered medical services and have that amount count toward deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. Sponsors described the bill as a patient-centered cost-saving measure and offered friendly amendments to clarify terms and make the bill operational. Testimony included support from a policy advocate and a physician who warned the bill could lead insurers to lower reimbursement rates over time. After questions about prior authorization, billing, and fraud concerns, the committee voted to send HB 529 to general orders. The committee then advanced House Bill 775, which would allow a bankruptcy debtor’s one exempt motor vehicle to qualify for the exemption regardless of whether it is operable, registered, or insured. The sponsor said the bill addresses cases where a debtor’s only transportation was denied exemption because the vehicle was not currently functional. After brief questioning, the committee voted to send HB 775 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. House Bill 773, a code cleanup measure removing obsolete provisions related to corporate credit unions and cemetery statutes, also received a due pass recommendation. House Bill 787, which merges the Board of Podiatry into the Board of Medicine and moves some podiatry rules into statute, was likewise sent to the floor with a due pass recommendation. The committee then took up House Bill 790, a contested bill creating a voluntary certification for qualified interior designers to sign and seal limited non-structural, non-seismic interior plans. Supporters said it would reduce costs and delays and help retain Idaho graduates, while opponents from the architecture profession argued the bill lacked clarity, could create unintended consequences, and should not bypass architect oversight. After extensive testimony and debate, the committee voted to send HB 790 to the floor with a due pass recommendation and adjourned at the floor deadline.
AL

Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Apr 10th, 2025

Alabama House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • And uh we got small farmers and we got large we got small farmers and we got large we got small farmers
  • But the folks in the city, most city folks don't give a the city, most city folks don't give a the city
  • Is there a program set aside for when they're not program set aside for when they're not program set
  • where from the investment program where from the investment program where from the investment program
  • H we have cities small town. department. H we have cities small town. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm.
LA
Transcript Highlights:
  • You may hear people say, well, you know, we're a small town or we're a small board.
  • So they're in the middle of that program now.
  • It is not just a financial program.
  • Program.
  • I love small towns, and I believe in small towns and the families that we serve.
Summary: The committee first approved the May 20 minutes and then advanced HCR 95, which would create a more uniform tax base for future state and local tax exemptions and credits, requiring a two-thirds vote of both chambers to deviate from that uniformity. HB 648 was deferred by the author. HB 1049, dealing with public meeting procedures and notice requirements, was amended after discussion with the Police Jury Association, school boards, and local government groups; the amendments removed a requirement for a lawyer at every meeting and clarified notice and posting language, and the bill was reported with amendments despite opposition from local government associations and the City of Baker. The committee then heard HB 615, which would expand livestreaming and two-year archiving requirements to more public bodies, including non-elected boards and commissions with taxing or rulemaking authority. Supporters framed it as a transparency measure, while local government and association witnesses argued it would impose an unfunded mandate, especially on small volunteer boards, and raised concerns about costs, staffing, record retention, and reliance on social media platforms. The bill was not advanced. HB 1201, as amended, would provide legislators reimbursement for travel and limited out-of-session expenses, including housing and mileage, beginning with the next term; members discussed the need to make public service more financially feasible and to broaden who can afford to serve. The committee reported HB 1201 with amendments. The committee also considered two constitutional convention-related bills. HB 244 would set guardrails for any future convention by capping delegates at 144, specifying delegate selection, requiring a two-thirds delegate vote to send proposals to voters, and requiring both a majority of voters and approval by three-fourths of the parishes for ratification; after debate over whether the parish threshold was too high, the bill was reported favorably on a roll call vote. HB 4, as amended, was narrowed to require the Senate and House Governmental Affairs committees to meet in the off-season to discuss the mechanics of a possible convention, but members viewed it as more of a study resolution than binding legislation, and the committee voted to keep it in committee. The meeting then moved to confirmation hearings. Courtney Myers, nominated for Deputy Secretary for the Office of Juvenile Justice, and Ernest Jacob Reade Jr., nominated as Assistant Secretary, testified about their backgrounds and priorities, emphasizing juvenile rehabilitation, education and vocational programming, mental health services, credible messengers, family contact, and better communication with legislators and families. Nathan McBride, nominated as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, testified about his engineering and government affairs background and said he would focus on legislative work, waste tire management, permitting modernization, and constituent service.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Senate Session (Part II) May 8th, 2025

Texas Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Why do you think certain cities are opposed? I mean, some cities are saying that they're...
  • Why do you think certain cities are opposed? I mean, some cities are saying that they're...
  • Why do you think certain cities are opposed?
  • I'm pleased to hear that you've been talking with the cities.
  • If anything, it adds more flexibility into that program.
Summary: The Senate took up and passed Senate Bill 945, which concerns political shareholder proposals by insurers and insurance holding companies. Senator Hughes argued the bill would protect Texas-based insurers from activist shareholder pressure, especially proposals aimed at limiting insurance coverage for oil and gas companies for ESG or political reasons. The motion to suspend the regular order was adopted over objection, and SB 945 passed to engrossment on a 20-10 vote with one present not voting. The chamber also passed Senate Bill 1117, allowing any Texas-licensed dentist to administer botulinum toxin in oral or maxillofacial regions for aesthetic purposes, and House Joint Resolution 98, renewing Texas’s application for an Article 5 Convention of States to propose amendments on fiscal restraints, federal power limits, and term limits. Both measures advanced after debate and roll-call votes; SB 1117 passed unanimously after suspension of the three-day rule, and H.J.R. 98 was adopted on a 17-14 vote. Members then approved several other measures, including the committee substitute for House Bill 142 on HHSC’s Office of Inspector General and Medicaid overpayment recovery, Senate Bill 2373 on AI-enabled financial fraud and deepfake/phishing schemes, Senate Bill 2221 on fraudulent UCC financing statements, and Senate Bill 2681 on the basis for third-party voter-registration challenges. The Senate also adopted a resolution authorizing a Texas Life Monument replica at the Capitol complex, and passed S.J.R. 59 creating funds for Texas State Technical College capital needs. The body debated and passed Senate Bill 946, which would bar credit discrimination against organizations based on social, political, religious, or similar value-based considerations and require credit decisions to rest on creditworthiness. Senators raised concerns that the bill could create a special protected class for non-human entities or conflict with existing state policies, but the bill advanced to engrossment on a 20-11 vote. The Senate also passed Senate Bill 2477 to ease office-to-residential conversions in large cities after adopting an amendment negotiated with municipal stakeholders, and began consideration of Senate Bill 715 on ERCOT reliability requirements for generators, including existing generation, with extensive debate over impacts on renewables, power purchase agreements, and grid reliability.
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Housing Dec 5th, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • And finally... ...small to medium to large cities from both sides of the state.
  • Same six cities.
  • median income for that city.
  • program.
  • I think it's the CRP, the other program, not our program, that ran out of money.
Summary: The Senate Housing Committee heard a series of work-session presentations focused on transit-oriented development, commercial-to-residential redevelopment, building code implementation, housing market trends, and the Covenant Homeownership Program. The first presentation, from the Urban Institute, reviewed research on HB 1491 and TOD feasibility, arguing that Washington has made major progress but faces diverging conditions across transit areas. The presenter said rising construction costs, higher interest rates, and lower rents in some markets have made many projects less feasible, and recommended targeted infrastructure funding for lower-market communities, adjustments to MFTE and affordability requirements by local market conditions, more support for very low-income housing in high-market transit areas, minimum density standards near stations, expanded public land/joint development tools, and better tracking of TOD outcomes over time. Committee members asked about AMI calculations, immigration’s effect on construction labor, developer input, and whether a tracking mechanism had been removed from the bill. The Department of Commerce then outlined implementation of HB 1491 and demonstrated the new Washington Zoning Atlas, which is live and intended to help visualize zoning, overlays, and station-area conditions. Commerce said local governments will designate station areas, update zoning and MFTE policies, and handle anti-displacement measures, with Vancouver and Spokane first to implement and Puget Sound following later. Staff described a timeline for updated MFTE guidance, station-area implementation guidance, a TOD model ordinance, and later rulemaking on variances. The committee also heard from the Lieutenant Governor’s office on a report about converting commercial properties to housing, which found substantial potential for redevelopment on vacant or underused commercial land, especially near transit, but noted barriers such as ground-floor retail mandates, affordability requirements, infrastructure costs, private covenants, and slow implementation. The office urged by-right residential use on commercial land and faster rollout of new housing laws. The State Building Code Council updated the committee on its three-year code cycle and several legislatively directed actions, including minimum dwelling size, emergency shelters, and especially single-exit stairs and multiplex housing. Council staff said those code changes are nearing completion and will provide prescriptive solutions, while noting that elevator size and requirements were not changed and would require separate legislative direction if the committee wanted to revisit them. Members discussed the cost impacts of building and energy codes and the council said it is required to consider economic impacts and is increasingly looking at performance-based approaches. Later, the Washington Center for Real Estate Research presented its annual housing report, showing that higher mortgage rates have sharply reduced affordability, flattened house prices in many cities, and slowed single-family permitting and completions, while multifamily construction has recently cooled after a prior surge. Finally, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission reported strong first-year results for the Covenant Homeownership Program, which provides zero-interest down payment assistance to eligible first-time buyers with family ties to Washington before 1968; the program assisted 547 homebuyers in its first fiscal year, with more than $60 million loaned, and the agency said participation has continued to grow after income-limit changes enacted in 2025.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee 3/26/25

Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • </c><00:13:51.639><c> in</c> auto theft prevention grant program in auto theft prevention grant program
  • </c><00:23:31.200><c> has</c> theater in the Twin Cities has theater in the Twin Cities has noticeably
  • We've heard from these small businesses, but I've heard from a lot of small businesses and, frankly,
  • We've heard from these small businesses, but I've heard from a lot of small businesses and, frankly,
  • We've heard from these small businesses, but I've heard from a lot of small businesses and, frankly,
Keywords: 1183, house