Video & Transcript Research : 'Alabama tax code'

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FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Finance and Tax Mar 26th, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • >> Chair Avila: GOOD AFTERNOON, THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE AND TAX WILL NOW COME TO ORDER.
  • Collins: THE BILL IS THE MOTOR VEHICLE PACKAGE, IT BRINGS FLORIDA INTO COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL TAX
  • THAT IS AMENDMENT BAR CODE 323356 BY SENATOR COLLINS, YOU ARE RECOGNIZED TO EXPLAIN THE AMENDMENT. >>
  • THE TWO BIGGEST FORECAST CHANGES WERE SALES TAX AND EARNINGS ON INVESTMENT.
  • THAT GENERATES TAX COLLECTIONS.
Keywords: 999, senate, all
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

06/12/2026 - House Floor Session

Arizona House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • returns, excuse me, the tax forms for a filing season.
  • returns, excuse me, the tax forms for a filing season.
  • many times the Congress is going to make changes to the tax code effective retroactively, and they're
  • SCR 2008-2012, annual taxes, Rules. SCR 2014, legislation, Rules. SCR 2012, annual taxes.
  • to pass the Trump tax cuts, that we were able to pass a budget that incorporated those tax cuts, and
Summary: The House convened, completed roll call, approved the journal, and took up several Senate bills and one Senate concurrent resolution through motions to reconsider, return bills for reconsideration, and refer measures to additional Committee of the Whole sessions for further amendment. Early actions included returning SB 1175 and SB 1198 to the Senate for reconsideration, rescinding passage of SB 1336 so it could be reconsidered, and referring SB 1111 and SB 152 to an additional COW. The House also recognized Representative Travers for a personal privilege statement honoring National Women Veterans Recognition Day and recorded attendance. In Committee of the Whole, members adopted floor amendments and recommended passage for SB 1511, SB 1552, SB 1198, SB 1110, SB 1618, SB 1431, and SCR 1004, with some debate on SB 1110’s home-confinement/reentry program, SB 1618’s Military Affairs Commission changes, and SB 1431’s city and town authority over residential project standards and streetscapes. The House later adopted the COW reports and moved the measures to engrossing or third reading as appropriate. SB 1336 and SB 1519 were also advanced from committee, while SB 1004 was reconsidered and ultimately failed on reconsideration. On third or final reading, the House passed SB 1127, SB 1180, SB 1428, SB 1198, SB 1336, SB 1511, SCR 1004, SB 1552, HB 2104, HB 2105, HB 2114, HB 2311, HB 2729, and HB 4117. SB 1687, SB 1004, SB 1519, and SB 1502 failed. Members explained votes on several measures, including support for tax administration clarity in SB 1180, objections and support for the May primary proposal in SB 1687, concerns about sex offender monitoring in SB 1004, support for the Arizona Beef Council in SB 1198, and debate over the photo enforcement referral in SCR 1004. The session also included recesses for caucuses, lunch, and dinner, plus a brief technical outage of the live stream.
VA
Transcript Highlights:
  • would love to continue in that role, because I like to chair all the things, but according to the Code
  • And he had a situation where he had paid taxes to the state when he lived here.
  • He later found that he did not need to pay taxes ...to the state.
  • He later found that he did not need to pay taxes to the state. So he got a refund for the state.
  • Some of the state definitions apply only to certain sections within their code.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Session (Full Formal with Calendar) Jul 22nd, 2026 at 04:36 pm

Massachusetts Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • The Tax Foundation indicates we have the ninth highest per capita tax collection.
  • The tax foundation indicates we have the ninth highest per capita tax collection.
  • No surprise that the Tax Foundation finds us 11th highest in the country from a perspective of tax competitiveness
  • The purpose of the senior property tax exemption is to put seniors on fixed income who deserve tax relief
  • The purpose of the senior property tax exemption is to put seniors on fixed income who deserve tax relief
Keywords: 1212, all
Summary: The Senate took up a major economic development package, Senate Bill 3178, with the chair and supporters describing it as a broad effort to strengthen Massachusetts through investments in housing, small businesses, public higher education, AI guardrails, downtown revitalization, and transportation. Supporters highlighted provisions allowing duplexes by right, streamlining housing permitting, expanding access to capital, addressing energy costs, and creating a transparency and safety framework for artificial intelligence. Several senators also spoke in favor of regional equity, including a proposal tied to West-East Passenger Rail and a Palmer station, and the bill was framed as a way to make the Commonwealth more competitive and affordable. The minority leader argued the bill did not do enough to address the state’s high cost of living and business climate, citing debt, tax burden, outmigration, and recession risk. He said the Commonwealth needed to focus more on lowering the cost of doing business and living rather than relying on additional borrowing. Other amendments focused on consumer protection and fairness, including a measure to regulate or ban crypto ATMs due to widespread scam losses, and another to address auto insurance pricing practices that were described as unfairly burdening drivers in low-income and minority communities. A technical amendment clarifying durable powers of attorney and trust creation was also adopted. The Senate adopted several amendments, including municipal property tax relief, the crypto ATM consumer protection measure, and the insurance commission amendment, and also adopted the technical trust-code amendment. The chamber approved a number of local and final passage items by roll call, including land transfers and local bills for the North Carver Water District, Marion land transfer, Carlisle town administrator powers, Leominster police civil service exemptions, Watertown property tax classifications, and Milton alcohol licenses. The Senate also observed moments of silence and adopted adjournment motions in memory of Patrick P.J. Roy and Jeffrey Hyde Walker before recessing until the next day.
NM

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

Senate - Finance Jan 23rd, 2025

Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • the personal income tax to instead being accounted for in the corporate income tax.
  • Gross receipts tax, that's our sales tax.
  • How much money do we spend through the tax code? What are our tax expenditures?
  • And are we going to spend it in the budget, or are we going to spend it in the tax code, not taking into
  • They spent big through the tax code and spent big in the budget, and are having to make. make painful
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

WAL Public Hearing - Thu Mar 20, 2025 @ 9:30 AM HST

Water & Land

Transcript Highlights:
  • It's also a great way for the state to generate tax revenue.
  • We we state to generate tax revenue.
  • <01:16:47.840> So, designs that are to code. Okay. So, designs that are to code. Okay.
  • So, um I to code and that's what we do.
  • <02:16:01.040> for with the applicable building codes for with the applicable building codes
Keywords: 910, house, all
Summary: The committee heard several bills on water, land, housing, permitting, and historic preservation. For SB 746/SD2/HD1 on invasive species, DLNR and the Department of Agriculture supported the intent but warned that a bounty approach for coconut rhinoceros beetle could have unintended consequences, divert resources from biocontrol research, and be vulnerable to abuse; Hawaii Farm Bureau supported the measure. The committee also heard SB 1541 on the WoE water system, with testimony from ADC, Kunia Village Title Holding Company, and Farm Bureau in support, emphasizing the importance of the system for agriculture and the high cost of water on lands already dedicated to farming. The most extensive discussion was on SB 66, relating to building permit review and county permitting authority. DPP opposed the bill, saying the problem is not just agency review time but the broader permitting process, including applicant corrections, outside-agency review, staffing shortages, and low pay that make it hard to fill vacancies. DPP said it already meets or beats existing review deadlines for residential permits and is using tools like electronic plans and AI to help applicants submit better plans. Several supporters, including Iron Workers Local 625, an individual witness, and Hawaii Food Industry Association, backed the bill but urged a pilot program or other safeguards; some also asked for broader permit coverage beyond single-family homes. Committee members questioned DPP about whether applicant correction time should count against the clock, whether self-certification could be used, and whether the state should fund any new mandate. The committee then took up SB 26 on affordable housing, with HHFDC, OPSD, and HCDA in support and no opposition noted. Finally, on SB 1263 relating to historic preservation, HHFDC and DLNR supported the bill, while OHA offered comments and requested amendments, especially on the new risk-based review process for high-, medium-, and low-risk areas. OHA said the new procedure should be implemented carefully and allowed more time, describing it as a pilot that should be done well to be useful while still protecting cultural and historic resources. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
  • I can tell you that using this color coding uh scale is kind of unique.
  • They don't see a lot of people doing color coding.
  • Um, as far as the, uh, 100% and the red color code, really that what.
  • Does the total average then, um, it's not the same color coding as the. Uh, Mr.
  • The same Color coding we used with the bulk. No, they are not. It might be helpful to do that.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Transcript Highlights:
  • It does not have the proper decontamination or living spaces, making it difficult to keep it up to code
  • When that happened and people began to move out, that tax base shrunk.
  • Council and NFPA, National Fire Protection Association, model codes.
  • Third, these bills offer a sustainable revenue source, dedicating 33% of marijuana excise tax revenue
  • These bills offer a sustainable revenue source, dedicating 33% of marijuana excise tax revenue so we
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security heard testimony on several bills, with strong support expressed for a proposed municipal and public safety building authority (H. 2571/S. 1650). Municipal officials, fire chiefs, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, regional planning leaders, and Senator Comerford described aging town halls, fire stations, DPW facilities, and other local buildings, especially in small towns and gateway cities, and argued that local budgets and Proposition 2 1/2 make major capital projects difficult to fund. Testimony emphasized the need for a dedicated revenue stream, with the bill proposing a share of marijuana excise tax revenue and a rural funding set-aside. Committee members asked about prioritization and funding levels, and witnesses said even a modest start would help address a large statewide backlog. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the committee later adjourned unanimously. The committee also heard testimony on H. 2689, requiring fuel gas alarms/detectors in residential dwellings using explosive gases. Representative Jeff Roy, Susan Brown, Jason Cohn, and representatives from NEMA and Kidde supported the bill, describing it as a life-saving measure similar to carbon monoxide detector requirements. Witnesses cited the 2015 Franklin propane explosion that killed Nancy and Robert Brown, the Merrimack Valley gas explosions, and national fire data showing fatalities and property damage from gas leaks. They said detectors are affordable, commercially available, and should be required where gas is used; one witness noted battery-backed or battery-operated options exist. Committee questions focused on cost, battery power, outdoor propane setups, and whether the bill would cover private databases or only residential safety devices. Another major topic was S. 1755 on missing and abducted children. Senator Pavel Payano testified in favor, citing the case of Lee Manuel Villoria Paolino and arguing that misclassification of missing children as runaways can delay urgent response and worsen outcomes, especially for Black and brown youth. He said the bill would set minimum law enforcement response standards, require training, and expand multilingual intake forms. The committee also heard support for expanding the state DNA database through familial DNA searching, with Dr. Amory Myers explaining that the technology could help solve long-unsolved cases while including guardrails to prevent use of private consumer DNA databases. Finally, the committee heard extensive testimony on H. 2740, “Colby’s Law,” establishing safety standards for BMX and motocross tracks. Colby Lippincott’s family, community members, and industry representatives described his fatal crash and urged requirements for medical staff, insurance, inspections, warning systems, barriers, and access roads. Witnesses said the bill would not end the sport but would create basic protections, and the committee heard that Massachusetts would join a number of other states with similar standards. The hearing ended with a motion to adjourn, which passed unanimously.
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Ways and Means Apr 21st, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • collector for each parish to create an annual tax exemption budget related to local sales and use tax
  • So this will put a requirement on local taxing authorities to provide the level of tax exemption that
  • COST and the Tax Foundation both do grading of different states’ tax policies.
  • sales tax system in Louisiana.
  • petition to quiet a tax sale.
Summary: The Ways and Means Committee met on April 21, 2026, and took up a series of tax, revenue, and property-tax related measures. SB 318 was amended and reported as amended; it revises the Department of Revenue’s annual tax exemption budget process by removing parish-level reporting from that report, creating a separate business tax benefit report by NAICS code, and requiring parish sales tax collectors to produce a similar local exemption report. SB 128, allowing the Department of Revenue to use an existing vendor for address-change services, was reported favorably. SB 149, concerning the issuance and sale of general obligation bonds and requiring good-faith deposits only from the winning bidder, was amended and reported as amended. SB 180, which lets a surviving spouse of a deceased disabled veteran transfer an expanded homestead exemption one time under certain circumstances, was reported favorably. SB 196, extending the tax appeal period from 60 to 90 days and making conforming changes elsewhere in law, was amended and reported as amended. SCR 11, creating the Anchor Home Task Force to study tax credits to encourage Louisiana college graduates to stay and work in the state, was reported favorably. SB 340, making the permanent homestead exemption form requirement statewide for assessors, was reported favorably. Later in the meeting, the committee heard several bills from Senator Gregory Miller on the state’s ongoing tax sale and ad valorem tax reform package. SB 73 was reported favorably to resolve a conflict between prior legislation and the 2024 constitutional amendment on tax sale timing. SB 238 was reported favorably to clarify which collection procedures apply to older tax sales and to preserve prior notice procedures where already completed. SB 191 was amended to restore the requirement for two advertisements for tax lien auctions instead of one, and then reported favorably as amended. SB 89, a backup measure to require the St. Charles Parish assessor to provide a permanent homestead exemption form, was also reported favorably, with the sponsor noting it was intended to avoid duplication if the statewide bill already enacted the same policy. Testimony was generally supportive across the agenda, with Department of Revenue, Department of Veterans Affairs, local tax, sheriffs, press, and land title representatives appearing in support or for information. Committee members asked a few clarifying questions, mainly about the scope of homestead exemption portability, whether local governments would face new costs, and the effect of the tax appeal deadline change. No roll-call votes were taken; the committee adopted amendments where offered and reported the bills and resolution favorably or as amended by unanimous consent. The meeting then adjourned.
NH

New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

House Ways and Means (02/11/2026)

Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • than in property taxes.
  • property tax bills. property tax bills.
  • times more than the school tax in Ry. times more than the school tax in Ry.
  • tax his property tax >> every<01:17:02.800> quarter.
  • taxes?" Mhm. taxes?" Mhm.
Keywords: 1189, house, all
NM
Transcript Highlights:
  • We created our own code using Navajo words.
  • It's all up here, the entire code.
  • To developing the code. And it's not just for Navajo.
  • So, they gave it to the Code Talkers Association.
  • We had Code Talkers from Utah.
FL

Florida 2026 4th Special Session

February 5, 2026 - 12:30 PM

Transcript Highlights:
  • Next up we have HB 511, public records code inspector body cameras.
  • They're asking that insurance rates and taxes be regulated so that they can afford them.
  • Quite simply, this bill is a poll tax, and that is not hyperbole.
  • I've heard the word simply a lot today, but this bill is simply a poll tax.
  • Michelle Jesus: This is a modern poll tax.
WA
Transcript Highlights:
  • Our economy has changed since the origination of our tax code. And we truly are a services economy.
  • Our economy has changed since the origination of our tax code, and now you're going to start seeing some
  • of the taxes that we levy in the state reflecting that.
  • There was a lot of support for a wealth tax in your caucus.
  • Giving up on the wealth tax and scaling back the tax package meant increasing the cuts.
Summary: House and Senate Democratic leaders held a post-sine-die press availability to describe a difficult 2025 session and the major budget and policy outcomes. They said the state faced a $16 billion operating shortfall and an $8 billion transportation gap, along with inflation, slowing revenue, federal uncertainty, and a new governor. Despite that, they said the chambers reached balanced operating and transportation budgets while trying to avoid harming vulnerable residents or overburdening working families. The leaders highlighted several priorities they said were advanced: increased school funding, including about $1.4 billion more for special education; housing measures such as rent stabilization, parking minimum reforms, lot-splitting, and middle-housing enforcement; and public safety funding, including a $100 million one-time law-enforcement appropriation requested by Governor Ferguson. They also discussed a community reinvestment approach and said local governments would have more flexibility to fund community safety. They acknowledged that balancing the budget required painful cuts and tradeoffs, including delays to child support pass-through payments and TANF benefits, reduced support for higher education and student aid, higher child-care copays and fewer child-care slots, closure of one prison and four reentry centers, and reductions in managed care payments. They also said the tax package included modest business tax increases, including a surcharge on some large businesses and sales tax changes for certain services, and that a wealth tax remained alive for future sessions even though it was not part of this year’s budget. Much of the discussion focused on the new governor’s role and whether there was tension over his review of the budget and bills. Leaders said communication with the governor and his staff had improved over the session, that they expected him to carefully review the legislation, and that they were not reading anything into his absence from the press conference. They repeatedly emphasized bipartisan and bicameral collaboration, and several speakers described the session as one of the most challenging they had experienced, citing the budget gap, federal uncertainty, and recent personal losses in the Legislature.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • What is a code red? A firefighter asked dispatch to send out a code red alert.
  • We got away from 10 codes, supposedly.
  • I'm asking what index code I'm supposed to use.
  • Even with a lower tax rate, you lowered your tax rate, but you still had the money to do it.
  • This activity helps with the boat races when people come to town, generating tax revenue, hotel tax,
Keywords: 1185, senate, all
NH

New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

House Executive Departments and Administration (02/02/2026)

Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:
  • office to file their income taxes office to file their income taxes >> except<00:53:48.800
  • Then also having a tax ID or there.
  • So that would be code enforcement and perhaps fire code violations at that point. >> I, you can't do
  • So that would be code enforcement and perhaps fire code violations at that point.
  • So that would be code enforcement and perhaps fire code violations at that point.
Keywords: 1189, house, all
MN

Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session

Minnesota House passes HF72 2/27/25

Minnesota House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • The amendment is coded A4.
  • So, as Representative Greenman said, tax expenditures, tax credits, and tax deductions are examples of
  • So, as Representative Greenman said, tax expenditures, tax credits, and tax deductions are examples of
  • So, as Representative Greenman said, tax expenditures, tax credits, and tax deductions are examples of
  • So, as Representative Greenman said, tax expenditures, tax credits, and tax deductions are examples of
Keywords: 1183, house
MN
Transcript Highlights:
  • We're paying through disaster recovery taxes. We're paying with asthma inhalers for our children.
  • irrigation systems again and again with irrigation systems again and again with our<00:03:10.000> tax
  • dollars when Minnesotans didn't our tax dollars when Minnesotans didn't profit<00:03:12.959> from
  • We have property tax and sales tax revenues, and of course, we can go to the state and for federal aid
  • <00:21:07.880> or trigger this sort of, you know, tax or trigger this sort of, you know, tax
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
Summary: Rep. Athena Hollins and Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart introduced Minnesota’s proposed climate superfund bill, describing it as a way to make major historical greenhouse gas polluters help pay for climate adaptation and infrastructure repair. They said the bill would target large fossil fuel corporations with significant emissions and use the revenue for projects such as stormwater upgrades, bridge and roof protection, erosion control, drinking water protection, cooling cities, and other resilience work. Both lawmakers framed the proposal as a matter of accountability and fairness, arguing that Minnesotans should not keep paying for damage caused by companies that profited from fossil fuel pollution. Several supporters testified in favor of the bill, including St. Paul City Council Vice President Nyang Kheimey, former legislator and medical student Hunter Cantrell, Unidos Minnesota volunteer Bonnie Becol, and 100% Minnesota’s Aurora Vautrin. They emphasized local climate impacts such as flooding, wildfire smoke, extreme heat, emerald ash borer damage, asthma, and infrastructure failures, and said the costs are increasingly falling on taxpayers, local governments, and vulnerable communities. Kheimey highlighted municipal needs and St. Paul’s own climate investments, while Cantrell focused on environmental racism and health harms, and Becol and Vautrin stressed species loss, community recovery costs, and the burden on residents. In the question-and-answer portion, Hollins and Johnson Stewart explained that the bill would apply to fossil fuel corporations with at least 1 billion metric tons of carbon emissions and a nexus to Minnesota, not local utilities. They said the State Auditor’s office would determine the assessments owed by companies, while the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency would hold the fund and administer grants. They also said they were looking to models in Vermont and New York and hoped the proposal could attract bipartisan support because it is tied to affordability and shifting costs away from taxpayers and onto polluters. No vote or formal committee action was taken in the transcript, and the event ended with the sponsors opening the bill to questions.
KY
Transcript Highlights:
  • filings is November 15th, as it currently is for their federal tax filings.
  • filings is November 15th, as it currently is for their federal tax filings.
  • filings is November 15th, as it currently is for their federal tax filings.
  • filings is November 15th, as it currently is for their federal tax filings.
  • provisions of the model procurement code provisions of the model procurement code um<00:08:27.800
Summary: The Appropriations and Revenue Committee took up several House bills and committee substitutes. House Bill 2, as amended by Senate Committee Substitute 1, was described by Rep. T.J. Roberts as restoring a tax exemption enacted in 2024 by providing refunds with interest to those improperly taxed and creating a cause of action; the substitute also aligned state filing deadlines for certain flood-disaster counties with the federal November 15 deadline. The committee adopted the substitute and then passed the bill with favorable expression. The committee also adopted a title amendment for House Bill 544, which Rep. Jason Petrie said was part of the state’s flood-relief discussion and would allow the guard cap to be used over the biennium rather than annually, effectively increasing the cap from $50 million per year to $100 million over two years; the measure passed with favorable expression. House Bill 552, handled by Rep. Josh Bray after Rep. Kim King’s absence, was described as simplifying tourist commission appointments. The committee substitute added creation of the Kentucky-Ireland Trade Commission and changed marina licensing agreements by exempting private contractors from the model procurement code. The committee adopted the substitute, approved a title amendment, and passed the bill with favorable expression. House Bill 605, sponsored by Rep. Kim King, clarified which grants qualify for a grant program and allowed cities or counties to apply on behalf of water districts or other entities not directly affiliated with them; Rebecca Hearts of Grant Ready Kentucky said the program had matched $103 million of the $200 million allocation, generating about $469.98 million in total project value. The committee adopted the title amendment and passed the bill with favorable expression. House Bill 606, by Rep. Wade Williams, added a capital-oversight reporting requirement for school district general obligation bonds that had been omitted from prior legislation. The committee substitute also made several budget and program adjustments, including moving Regional Training Center funds, accelerating funding for the Grand Lyric Theater, correcting water funding language, removing Odyssey Inc. language from a treatment-related item, fixing a double appropriation to LifeWorks Transition Academy, clarifying carry-forward language, allowing SRO reimbursements for public and non-public schools, and authorizing an additional $10 million in agency bonds for Western Kentucky University athletic facilities. The committee adopted the substitute, approved a title amendment, and passed the bill with favorable expression. The committee then spent the most time on House Bill 695, a Medicaid-related bill. Rep. Adam Bowling said the bill was intended to stabilize Medicaid, create oversight and advisory mechanisms, and address growth in the program. Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander and Medicaid CFO Steve Beckle said they were generally supportive of the transparency and reporting changes but flagged risks, including federal compliance concerns, budget growth from changing the drug rebate treatment, administrative costs tied to MCO rebidding and a managed long-term services study, and some data-collection challenges. Representatives from the Kentucky Association of Healthcare Facilities opposed the section calling for a managed long-term care reimbursement study, arguing it would be costly, duplicative, and likely ineffective, and they warned against managed care models for long-term care. Despite the concerns, the committee adopted the committee substitute by voice vote and moved the bill forward with favorable expression.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Floor debate of HF25 3/13/25

Minnesota House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • coded coded A8<00:24:39.080> I<00:24:39.240> recognize<00:24:39.760> the<00:24:
  • amendment is coded amendment is coded A9<00:27:51.559> I<00:27:51.679> recognize<00
  • And like Andy, I did as a tax person.
  • <00:59:50.119> tax<00:59:50.520> reports looked up some of these tax tax reports looked
  • up some of these tax tax reports um<00:59:52.000> you<00:59:52.119> know<00:59:52.359>
Keywords: 1183, house
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

House Education Funding (02/12/2025)

Transcript Highlights:
  • > for local tax property tax bill for local tax property tax bill for Education<00:27:44.360>
  • state tax.
  • state tax.
  • state tax.
  • tax.
Keywords: 928, house, all
Summary: The committee held a work session focused on school funding formulas, adequacy aid, and special education aid, with the chair outlining a schedule for the next several Tuesdays and noting that the committee would likely need multiple executive sessions to narrow down the bills. Members discussed the FY 26 formula, including base cost, differentiated aid, extraordinary needs grants, hold harmless provisions, and the roughly $28 million in excess statewide education property tax (SWP) funds that are not currently returned to the state under the existing formula. The first bill discussed was HB 137, which would allow excess SWP funds to remain with the local municipality for school and municipal purposes. Representative Spilsbury argued the issue is fundamental and suggested the state should require excess funds to be remitted back to the state, while Representative Damon said the bill appears to codify current practice and may be unnecessary, especially given possible court action. The discussion then shifted to a related bill from Representative Fellas that would redefine SWP as local money rather than state money and keep the current adequacy aid numbers revenue-neutral for now. Representative Fellas explained that SWP was created in 1999 after the Claremont lawsuit as part of the state’s effort to show increased school aid, but that it effectively labeled part of the local property tax as state money without changing property tax bills. She argued the state should not be tapping local property tax revenue and said her bill would preserve the current distribution while removing the SWP tax label, with future work possible on a different measure of local capacity such as income, home values, or poverty rate. Members also referenced prior discussions of fiscal capacity aid, relief aid, and other formula changes as part of the broader effort to restructure school funding.