Transcript Highlights:

• Just as we are making progress with congestion relief and providing new opportunities through economic
• development road programs, economic development road programs.
• Widening a road will create economic development and a lot of opportunities for that area, but it also

Bills: HB606, SB271

Keywords: HB606, Alabama, Department of Transportation, DOT, public highways, utility relocation, right-of-way, state right-of-way, road construction, bridge, tunnel, toll road, interstate highway, defense highway, utility facilities, broadband, telecommunications, cable, electricity, gas

Transcript Highlights:

• Cineville. 721 by Hall relating to prohibiting the disbursement of certain economic and tax incentives
• affairs, Senate Bill 731 by Miles relating to required water pressure boosters for certain housing developments
• Senate Bill 825 by Middleton relating to an annual study on the economic, environmental, and financial
• amend the Internal Revenue Code to make spaceports eligible for tax-exempt public activity bonds. to economic
• development.

Transcript Highlights:

• The additional appropriation required MDVA to develop a comprehensive plan to prevent Minnesota veterans
• Please begin your presentation. develop a comprehensive plan to prevent develop a comprehensive plan
• Our current plan and system development are how we operationalize that vision.
• <00:01:52.320> are current plan and system development are current plan and system development
• community connection, economic community connection, economic stability,<00:05:14.160> and

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Developing a budget this season was not an easy task.
• We found ourselves, 20 years ago, with the need to develop a much better healthcare system.
• We also have to agree on the economics of our health care system.
• It's not an economic issue that we should be making a priority of.
• Vice Chair Nadeau, you're absolutely right—it is about economics.

Bills: HF2435

Keywords: healthcare, dementia services, public health funding, opioid prevention, women's health, community health boards, mental health

Transcript Highlights:

• Fund, by creating new automatic annual transfers to directly support programs for E.E., which is economic
• programs for E.E., which, automatic annual transfers to directly support programs for EEE, which is economic
• The effects of this enforcement continue to play out, and the economic and emotional costs of being formerly
• disadvantaged businesses; 10% to the Executive Office of Economic Development for a Community Empowerment
• Additionally, the bill requires the Office of Economic Development to manage funds as if it's a regular

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Cannabis held a hearing on a package of cannabis bills focused on equity funding, delivery expansion, advertising restrictions, medical use, first responders, and ownership limits. Testimony strongly supported S. 87/H. 184 to direct a larger share of cannabis revenue into the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund and related equity programs, with speakers arguing the current funding is insufficient and that automatic transfers would better support businesses and communities harmed by the war on drugs. Several witnesses also backed H. 145/S. 89 to allow licensed cannabis delivery into municipalities that ban retail sales and to hotels, saying current rules unfairly limit social equity delivery operators and consumer access. There was also support for H. 176 on medical cannabis eligibility and S. 76 on cannabis use by first responders, while H. 177/H. 178 on new taxes drew opposition from several business owners who said the industry is already heavily burdened and overtaxed. A major point of debate was S. 94/H. 157, which would prohibit billboard advertising for non-prescription marijuana. Public health advocates, parents, and neuroscientists argued that cannabis billboards normalize use, are seen by youth, and are difficult to regulate effectively under the current 85% adult-audience standard. They urged a public health approach similar to tobacco restrictions. In contrast, several industry witnesses opposed further advertising limits, saying cannabis businesses already face strict marketing rules, billboards are privately owned, and additional restrictions would hurt small operators and raise First Amendment concerns. Some witnesses also criticized the proposed increase in ownership caps and consolidation provisions in the broader cannabis bill, warning they would favor large multistate companies over small and social equity businesses. Committee members asked questions about billboard ownership, enforcement of the current advertising rules, and the legal basis for restricting sign content. Witnesses and members also discussed the Cannabis Control Commission’s role, the difficulty of enforcing audience-composition standards, and whether delivery should be treated more like alcohol. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair noted that written testimony would continue to be accepted.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:39:38.640> And carceral, and economic systems. And carceral, and economic systems.
• So the list<00:43:54.880> included<00:43:55.359> workforce<00:43:55.839> development
• <00:43:56.319> for list included workforce development for list included workforce development
• <00:44:10.319> So affordability, and economic impact.
• So affordability, and economic impact.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Biodiversity, promotion, cultural and educational value, tourism and economic growth.
• Development. 4 is the 3rd fastest growing states. We understand the concern.
• We're not out to stop development or add new protections. We're just out to bring awareness.
• So there is an economic case for it. And thank you for your time. Also, 10th inning go.
• We have Pierce Schuessler who is waiving in support from the Florida Rural Economic Development Association

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <02:22:45.600> jointly compromised language developed jointly compromised language developed
• <03:40:52.160> drivers is one of our greatest economic drivers is one of our greatest economic
• economic economic health.<03:41:08.080> The<03:41:08.399> state<03:41:09.040> art
• Third, this amendment restores cuts to economic drivers like tourism development, the arts, and the university
• drivers like tourism cuts to economic drivers like tourism development,<05:46:37.840> the<05:

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But certainly those that are in the economic development and just an exploratory side, there's a need
• could unintentionally undermine economic could unintentionally undermine economic development<02
• Economic development projects are highly competitive.
• Economic development projects are highly competitive.
• Economic development projects are highly competitive.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• our Agriculture Committee; Assembly Member Ron Kim, who chairs Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
• Authority, the Energy Research and Development Authority, the Department of Public Service, Division
• IN TWO OTHER PLACES I WANTED TO Make sure people are aware that in the Economic Development budget, we
• The Assembly provides $100 million for Mitchell-Lama and New York City Housing Authority developments
• The Assembly provides $100 million for Mitchell-Lama and New York City Housing Authority developments

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Joint Conference Committee on Environment, Agriculture and Housing opened budget negotiations for the 2026-2027 enacted budget, with Senate and Assembly leaders outlining their one-house proposals and committee members giving brief remarks. The discussion covered environment, agriculture, housing, parks, and energy, with repeated emphasis on affordability, climate resilience, and support for rural and urban communities. Senate and Assembly chairs described the process and noted the agencies present, while minority members criticized the overall size of the budgets and urged more attention to housing affordability, building stakeholders, and energy costs. On the environment and energy side, the Senate highlighted proposals for $138 million in additional clean water infrastructure funding, a $75 million increase to the Environmental Protection Fund, $95 million in restored parks capital, $200 million for the Energy Affordability Program, and $1 billion for Sustainable Futures 2.0, including a proposed revival of the NY STUN program. The Assembly said it increased the EPF to $500 million, raised clean water infrastructure funding to $800 million, and included targeted amounts for cities, rural housing-related water projects, Cornell Ag Tech, and the Center for Sustainable Materials Management. Democrats argued that high utility bills are driven by natural gas costs rather than clean energy, while Senate and Assembly Republicans said the CLCPA and other energy mandates are increasing costs and should be reconsidered. Agriculture remarks focused on research, farm support, and resilience. Senator Hinchey described funding for Cornell’s COWS program, Farm to School amendments, $7 million for farm worker housing, and a new $20 million Farm Weather Resiliency Grant Program. Chair Lupardo said the Assembly added $16 million over the Governor’s proposal for educational research and outreach, restored support for beginning and disadvantaged farmers, and backed dairy, livestock, hemp fiber, and natural fibers initiatives, while also accepting $30 million in farmer tariff relief if guidelines are set. Minority Assembly Member Tague supported dairy infrastructure funding but criticized the farm labor overtime phase-down and the CLCPA’s impacts on farms. Housing discussion centered on major capital and assistance programs. The Assembly proposed $200 million more for the Housing Access Voucher Program, $100 million for Mitchell-Lama and NYCHA, $50 million for down payment assistance, $4 million for fair housing testing, land banks, and $40 million for the Homeowner Protection Program. The Senate outlined similar priorities, including $500 million for NYCHA, $100 million for Mitchell-Lama preservation, $250 million total for HAVP, and additional funding for mixed-income rental development, vacant rentals, senior housing, and block-by-block infill. Chair Rosenthal said rent stabilization was not being changed in the budget, while Republican members argued that affordability requires lower taxes, lower utility costs, and fewer regulatory burdens. No votes were taken; the meeting was an opening round of budget negotiations and ended with closing remarks from both sides.

Transcript Highlights:

• I serve as the Deputy Secretary of Community Development at Florida Commerce. So I am Justin Domer.
• I serve as the Deputy Secretary of Community Development at Florida Commerce.
• Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is HUD.
• development.
• These funds are to address unmet infrastructure, economic development, and mitigation needs with eligible

Summary: The Committee on Community Affairs met with a quorum present and heard several housing and disaster-recovery items. The committee heard SB 48 by Senator Gates, which would require local governments to allow voluntary accessory dwelling units, preserve homestead treatment for the owner-occupied portion of the property, limit undue parking restrictions, require 30-day minimum rentals, extend certain density bonuses for military families, and allow reusable tenant screening reports. The bill drew strong support from the Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals and several others, and it was reported favorably. The committee also heard SB 34 by Senator Sharif, creating a historic cemeteries program to help preserve historic African-American cemeteries and allow sale of excess vacant land if proceeds are used for long-term maintenance; it was also reported favorably. The committee then considered and recommended confirmation of Fox Henderson to the Board of Directors of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Members also received a presentation from the Department of Commerce on the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program and Rebuild Florida. Deputy Secretary Justin Domer described the state’s administration of HUD disaster recovery funds, including more than $4.3 billion received since 2017, housing repair and replacement programs that have completed 5,271 homes, and infrastructure and mitigation projects such as sewer conversion in Alford, the new Calhoun-Liberty Hospital, and the Florida Keys desalination plant. Members asked about average project costs, contractor oversight, corrective actions for deficient work, and audit procedures; Domer said the department uses inspections, vendor oversight, and financial penalties, and noted stricter contract consequences in newer programs. The Division of Emergency Management also presented on Elevate Florida, a federal mitigation program that allows homeowners to apply directly for elevation, reconstruction, acquisition/demolition, or wind-mitigation projects, with a 75/25 federal-homeowner cost share and no state funds. Director Kevin Guthrie said the program is designed to reduce repetitive flood losses and keep homeowners in place, and that it has received more than 12,000 applications, with about 1,500 prioritized, 500 on a wait list, and 305 submitted to FEMA for final approval. Members asked about the 25% match for seniors, the wait list, contractor procurement, and how projects are classified; Guthrie said the program uses insurance proceeds where available, has competitively procured 27 contractors, and may shift projects from elevation to reconstruction depending on damage and flood rules. The committee adjourned after the presentations and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• They'll have little or no economic or financial impact in the year by the time they're evaluated in 2027
• The Strategic Industrial Development Enhancement Act, we do have data associated with it.
• Now that does create an instance where we have to assess the economic impact of an incentive, but if
• So we have a kind of developed a cadence in concert with the commission over the years.
• Those don't include the economic or fiscal impact or findings and recommendations, but it gives you kind

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In the last fiscal year alone, the project generated $2.9 billion in economic output across California
• We are building a model that captures value from real estate development, energy generation, broadband
• And we have launched a procurement to bring in a private partner through a co-development agreement in
• In Europe, cities have become economic hubs through high-speed connectivity.
• It is already generating economic activity.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have Loyal Terry here with Economic Security California for technical questions.
• We do this by working at the intersection of food and nutrition security, economic development, and environmental
• I strongly oppose on the basis of educational attainment and economic prosperity.
• They benefited from the economic wealth transfer of free labor.
• They benefited from the economic wealth transfer of free labor.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe developing this grounded understanding as a committee will help members make more informed
• My intention is that today's witnesses will help us develop a better understanding.
• First, we'll start off. ...is that today's witnesses will help us develop a better understanding.
• And as I said, each state developed their own plan for how they would address these rules.
• It's a great question, and here economic forces...

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) to examine its history, current operation, and possible future changes in California. Chair Tasha Berner said the hearing was prompted in part by AT&T’s 2023 request for relief from COLR obligations and by broader concerns about public safety, affordability, universal service, and access to modern broadband and telecommunications. The first panel featured a telecommunications expert who traced COLR back to universal service principles and explained how states have handled COLR differently, including full deregulation, limited rural obligations, or transition pathways tied to competition and customer protections. Members asked about affordability, federal and state processes for service withdrawal, and whether COLR remains necessary given modern competition. CPUC staff then described California’s COLR framework, explaining that universal service rests on access, reliability/quality, and affordability, and that COLR requires carriers to provide basic service, including voice-grade calling, 911 access, relay services, and Lifeline. Staff said AT&T’s application sought relief in nearly all of its territory, but no replacement COLR came forward during the proceeding, and public participation hearings drew thousands of comments and strong concern from rural and vulnerable customers. The CPUC outlined its ongoing rulemaking to reconsider whether the 1996 COLR rules and 2012 basic-service definition still fit current conditions, with workshops and public hearings scheduled and a proposed decision expected later in the year or into 2026. Members pressed staff on geographic outreach, wireless coverage, whether broadband can be part of basic service, public safety during wildfires, and what reporting and complaint processes currently exist. In the final panel, industry and public-interest witnesses sharply disagreed. A U.S. Telecom representative argued COLR is outdated, costly, and copper-focused, and said reform should allow technology-neutral alternatives such as wireless, fiber, and satellite while preserving reliable voice and emergency access. The CPUC Public Advocates Office countered that COLR remains a necessary public safeguard, especially for rural and low-income customers, and argued that any transition should maintain or improve service, with public benefits such as broadband investment and continued protections for 911, disability access, and affordability. Committee members focused on the difference between an obligation to serve everyone and a mere option to serve, and on whether the Legislature should provide clearer guidance as the CPUC’s rulemaking moves forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• middle school level, provide essential opportunities for students to discover their passions and develop
• That supports transparency and economic development, uh, economic vitalities.
• Shampoo and the chemicals that are in the bottle, the agents that chemists have developed that put the
• And then I think you talked about the economic impact of states effectively isolating on this issue.
• What is the economic impact? Prices will go up.

Bills: HB25, HB38

Keywords: ivermectin, pharmacist authority, prescription-free, healthcare regulation, patient access, interest rate, ad valorem taxes, homesteads, property tax, tax deferral

Transcript Highlights:

• As we have seen those downturns, we are feeling the economic slump as well.
• Development.
• And so we're much better economically for what we've done.
• Of our tourism revenue and economic impact historically.
• We basically did see huge economic losses during the pandemic.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• advancing economic growth in our state. advancing economic growth in our state.
• Stimulate economic growth. Immediate expensing fosters economic growth and competitiveness.
• By aligning with the federal law, we position Minnesota as a leader in innovation and economic development
• development.
• I'm sorry. leader in innovation and economic leader in innovation and economic development.<01:21:52.800

Bills: HF3127, HF3816, HF3814, HF3815, HF3817

Keywords: taxation, pass-through entity, qualifying owner, partnership, S corporation, tax return, corporate franchise tax, individual income tax, research expenditures, federal compliance, Minnesota Statutes, income tax, corporate tax, section 179, federal conformity, HF3815, Minnesota taxes, tax conformity, Internal Revenue Code, IRC conformity

Transcript Highlights:

• resiliency efforts and drive economic resiliency efforts and drive economic revitalization<00:14
• Our Office of Economic Development is working on the Coconut Marketplace Mobility Hub, which would include
• Our Office of Economic Development is working on the Coconut Marketplace Mobility Hub, which would include
• those money extensively with developers those money extensively with developers to<00:42:59.400>
• already exists doing infill development already exists doing infill development partnering<01:13

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• you can see that development and implementation in the very near future.
• I know some legislators have been sort of exploring this area, developing kind of similar models.
• Some legislators have been sort of exploring this area, developing kind of similar models.
• That's economics. That's not a business model. That's a common-sense model. We can't do it.
• It was in there and we took it out was the economic size factor.

Summary: The Higher Ed Funding Committee met to review how North Dakota might identify and address low-producing academic programs and to discuss draft funding formulas for the university system. Lisa Johnson of the NDUS explained that the State Board of Higher Education is already developing a system-wide policy, using models from other states such as Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, and Connecticut. She described how low-producing programs are typically flagged by multi-year enrollment or completion thresholds, then reviewed for workforce demand, mission fit, cost, accreditation, and regional need before any action is taken. Committee members asked about what counts as a program, how costs are analyzed, whether certificates are included, how exemptions work for mission-critical or high-demand fields, and whether the board or legislature should set the rules. Johnson said the board is the appropriate body to lead the process, but legislators could use funding leverage if they wanted to encourage action; the chair asked the board to bring a detailed proposal to the June meeting. The committee then heard a Legislative Council presentation on a draft formula for UND and NDSU. The proposal uses fall census FTE enrollment, with a placeholder undergraduate rate of $7,000 per FTE and a graduate/professional rate of $10,500, plus incentives for completions in in-demand fields and research productivity. Alex from Legislative Council walked through the projected funding effects, noting that the model would increase funding for NDSU and reduce it for UND in the current biennium, with different results in the next biennium as enrollment changes are recognized. Members questioned the use of the placeholder rates, the definition of in-demand programs, the treatment of research funding, and the exclusion of state-appropriated dollars from the external grants calculation. The chair emphasized that the numbers were illustrative and that appropriators would set the actual dollar amounts later. A second draft formula for the other nine institutions was also reviewed. That model uses fall census FTE without a weighted economic factor, applies a higher undergraduate rate, and adds completion incentives for in-demand credentials and all other completions. Members noted that the formula would benefit some institutions, such as Bismarck State College, while reducing funding for others, such as Mayville State, and discussed whether the nine institutions should be treated more uniformly or split into smaller groups because of their different missions and sizes. Committee members and staff repeatedly stressed that the formulas are still being refined and that some institutions would likely need hold-harmless adjustments or other transition measures. The meeting ended with the chair directing the committee to continue the discussion later and to expect further work on both the low-producing program policy and the funding formulas.