Transcript Highlights:

• Sorry, I must have gotten switched. Take your time, no problem. I'll let the LAO go first.
• classes that we are currently in my major are notoriously known as weeder classes, where people drop, switch

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've switched between a few vendors. One was pre-existing before we got here.
• irrespective of vendors and not keep agencies in a position where they feel that it's difficult for them to switch

Summary: The subcommittee heard presentations from the Department of Financial Services and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, then returned to its ongoing budget workshop with the Department of Management Services. DFS’s Division of Risk Management described its role as the state self-insurance fund, covering about 200,000 employees and 27,000 vehicles, paying roughly $150 million in claims last year, and managing a pilot ETS treatment program for veterans and first responders that had 49 patients and 804 treatments as of the latest report. The Division of State Fire Marshal outlined its fire prevention, training, emergency response, and grant programs, including hurricane deployments, the Florida State Fire College, and several capital and grant requests for roof, courtyard, memorial, and equipment needs. The Division of Rehabilitation and Liquidation explained how it handles insolvent insurers under Chapter 631, currently administering 14 estates with $1.2 billion in assets and $3.7 billion in liabilities, and said no new receiverships had been opened since February 2023. Members asked about grant backlogs, fire truck procurement delays, memorial repairs, and whether affiliate transfers were occurring in insurer liquidations. Secretary Griffin then updated the committee on DBPR’s implementation of House Bill 1021 on community associations. He said the department had used the new authority to expand education, complaint handling, and ombudsman services, including 10 free standardized courses, a new condo website, and a four-hour board certification course that had already drawn more than 12,000 attendees. He reported that outreach to condominium communities had increased by more than 60%, that complaint filings were up 39% while jurisdictional dismissals dropped to 11%, and that about 81% to 82% of the 65 new positions had been filled. Members pressed him on whether the department had enough authority and funding, how condominium counts are determined, how self-reported structural integrity reserve study data is verified, and whether more public-facing complaint tracking and better reporting from local governments or developers would improve the system. The committee then resumed questioning Secretary Allende of DMS about outstanding budget and operations issues. Members focused on the delayed People First contract extension required by statute, with the secretary saying the delay involved technical and contractual complexity in moving a legacy hard-coded system to the cloud. They also revisited the state data team and data catalog project, asking why a statutory 2022 deadline had not been met, how the four-person team and broader data staff were organized, how many applicants were considered for key positions, and what each role was doing. The secretary said the catalog work was being simplified into six metadata fields and supported by a broader community of practice, but no firm completion date was given during the exchange.

Transcript Highlights:

• in workforce development, small business innovation, and programs which empower local startups to fuel
• tariffs imposed from the federal government, these poorly considered actions by the legislature will add fuel
• tariffs imposed from the federal government, these poorly considered actions by the legislature will add fuel
• tariffs imposed from the federal government, these poorly considered actions by the legislature will add fuel
• These poorly considered actions by the legislature will add fuel to the fire at the worst possible time

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, Chair, I'm asking if I'm able to switch out with Jess Shimick, who was supposed to go number 12,
• So, could we switch places? Go right ahead. Thank you so much for your testimony.
• Uh, chair, I'm asking if I'm able<02:07:24.239><c> to</c><02:07:24.400><c> switch</c><02:07:24.639><c
• So, could<02:07:30.079><c> we</c><02:07:30.239><c> switch</c><02:07:30.480><c> places?
• </c> could we switch places? Go right ahead. could we switch places? Go right ahead.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Higher Education Finance and Policy Conference Committee met publicly to compare House and Senate positions on the higher education budget, with the chairs emphasizing transparency and alternating gavel control. Nonpartisan fiscal staff walked through a spreadsheet of differences across the Office of Higher Education and Minnesota State, including major items such as state grants, childcare grants, work study, tribal college grants, emergency assistance grants, hunger-free campus grants, student parent support, direct admissions, paramedic scholarships, and several medical residency and fellowship programs. The House and Senate also differed on administrative funding, campus sexual assault reporting, and a House FY25 cancellation that would be carried forward. Members discussed several of the larger policy and funding choices. The Senate explained its increase for Minitex as support for operating costs and statewide access to information. The House explained its cuts to student parent support and other items as necessary to work within a zero target and to prioritize direct aid to students, while the Senate said it focused on direct appropriations and access-related programs. On hunger-free campus grants and emergency assistance grants, the Senate said it was changing the distribution method and direct appropriations rather than reducing the overall money, while the House noted differences in whether nonprofit institutions remained included. The committee also reviewed Senate-only additions and reductions in Minnesota State, including free course materials, Lake Superior College remediation, and changes to the Kids on Campus appropriation. A representative from Lake Superior College testified that the PAS remediation funding would help address contamination issues at an emergency training site near Lake Superior and that the money was shifted from the Kids on Campus initiative. No final conference agreement or vote was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the committee continued discussing differences and testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• I feel like Walter is right here flipping the switch, saying, 'You've got this.'

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that road, can you also point out how many—I honestly don't remember which year it was that they switched

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that road, can you also point out how many—I honestly don't remember which year it was that they switched

Summary: The Executive Committee approved the April minutes by roll call vote, with members present voting aye and the minutes adopted. The committee then received an Attorney General update on several pension-related cases. Counsel discussed the newly filed Dawson class action, which seeks to invalidate Gross Second Substitute House Bill 2034 on federal and state constitutional grounds; she said the pleadings were unclear, the committee’s involvement was uncertain, and the case would need monitoring. She also reported that the Dolan case appears concluded after the Court of Appeals upheld the trial court’s ruling on constructive payment of attorney fees, and that the Fowler case remains pending after an oral ruling for plaintiffs on retroactive interest and possible disgorgement of state gains, with a written ruling still awaited. The actuarial update said June would include the preliminary 2025 valuation results and contribution-rate discussion, along with commentary on the demographic experience study, and staff noted actuarial resources were limited for additional items until later in the summer or fall. The committee then discussed the interim work plan and correspondence, including letters supporting a Plan 1 COLA recommendation, retiree organization comments, and a request from Senator Robinson to study whether certain animal control technicians should be included in PERS. Members emphasized the need to keep working on an ad hoc COLA for Plan 1 retirees while also exploring a longer-term COLA mechanism, including possible budget proviso language to require COLA consideration each budget cycle. Staff also explained changes to correspondence handling: materials will no longer be posted publicly on the website, but will still be available through public records requests and distributed securely to members by email or form submission. The committee agreed to add a June briefing on the PERS animal control technician issue and an introductory discussion of Plan 3, and to bring back COLA proposals in July for further executive committee review. The agenda was approved as amended, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• respect to the 182, 183, to me, there's not enough wiggle room there in real life, because then you're switching

Summary: The Senate Judiciary Committee met to conduct the statutorily required four-year review of Oklahoma’s child support guidelines, which DHS said had not been reviewed on schedule in recent years. Deputy Director Don Zellner of DHS Child Support Services presented data on the number of children served, child poverty, rising costs of raising a child, wage trends, and the volume of child support orders handled by DHS. He also explained how the current guidelines work, including income withholding, shared overnight deductions, daycare, medical, transportation, and self-employment adjustments, and noted that the guidelines are based on gross combined income and currently cap at $15,000 combined income. Committee members, especially Senator Boren, questioned whether the current model fairly reflects modern family economics, including the cost of housing, the impact of shared overnights, and whether visitation issues should be addressed alongside child support. DHS said the guidelines are over 25 years old, that other states generally use similar gross-income models with shared-overnight deductions, and that Oklahoma’s administrative courts have been more receptive than district courts to DHS’s lower-income deviation approach. Zellner said DHS has also updated its practices to better account for low-income obligors, including allowing zero orders in some cases and reducing imputed minimum-wage assumptions, which DHS said has improved collections. Members also asked about transparency and public access to the calculations. DHS said the formula and income chart are in statute, the calculator is available on the DHS website, and the Excel-based tool applies the statutory chart and deductions. A public commenter asked where parents could see how amounts are calculated, and DHS explained that the statutory chart and calculator are the main sources. The committee discussed possible future reforms, including higher income caps, possible changes to shared overnight rules, and whether extracurricular or special child-related expenses could be considered through judicial deviation. No vote was taken; the meeting ended with the chair noting it was the last Judiciary meeting of the 60th Legislature and adjourning the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, so that'd be an easy switch if you were open to that. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Switching seats. I got late. I got thank

Bills: HB8, HB380, HB8, HB380

Keywords: tobacco regulation, vaping, sales restrictions, youth protection, tobacco compliance, public health, education programs, electronic nicotine delivery systems, human cloning, criminal penalties, embryo, genetic modification, bioethics, campus chaplain, chaplain, school chaplain, volunteer, public K-12 schools, public schools, public charter schools

Transcript Highlights:

• He didn't switch me around again. 34-0.

Summary: The Special Committee on Tourism met with a quorum and first went into executive session, where House Concurrent Resolution 36, honoring Josephine Baker Day, was moved do pass. Vice Chair Allen spoke in support, urging bipartisanship and respectful conduct, and the resolution was approved 10-0. The committee then moved into public hearings. House Bill 3420, sponsored by Representative Sassman, would designate Bland as the “Silver City of the Rock Island Trail” to highlight the town’s namesake, Richard Parks Bland, and encourage tourism and economic development. Witnesses supported the bill, emphasizing Bland’s railroad history, its connection to silver coinage, and the potential for trail-related tourism. No opposition was offered. The committee then heard House Bill 3408, which would designate Bland and Bell as Rock Island Trail communities, and House Bill 3407, which would name Bell the “Cowbell Capital of Missouri.” Supporters described both measures as ways to promote the Rock Island Trail, bring visitors to small towns, and boost local businesses, schools, and recreation. Testimony also highlighted Bell’s large cowbell attraction and the communities’ local food and events. No witnesses testified in opposition to either bill, and the hearing concluded with adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• And if you were on injectable hormones, they would switch your injectable hormones to pills.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 1889 simply fixes a gap that occurred when we started switching over pension systems and make

Bills: HB1739, HB1784, HB1889, HB2116, HB2206, HB3625, HB2939, HB3028, HB3265, HB3313, HB3413, HB3414, HB3415, HB3416, HB3417, HB3418, HB3420, HB3588, HB3748, HB3721, HB3852, HB4132, HB4263, HB4303, HB4311, HB4428, HB4429, HB4434

Keywords: retirement, law enforcement, disability benefits, pension system, Oklahoma, education reform, local control, student outcomes, curriculum changes, school funding, public retirement systems, pension, retirement benefits, cost-of-living adjustment, COLA, inflation adjustment, CPI-U, Consumer Price Index, firefighters pension, police pension

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Geis, would you believe that your amendment was so long that they had to switch out the

Bills: HB2936, HB2937, HB2951, HB2960, HB2979, HB2980, HB3062, HB3082, HB3087, HB3148, HB3152, HB3262, HB3264, HB3266, HB3268, HB3269, HB3278, HB3299, HB3544, HB3606, HB3678, HB3790, HB3903, HB3996, HB4139, HB4140, HB4142, HB4143, HB4144, HB4260, HB4272, HB4296, HB4324, HB4339, HB4341, HB4342

Keywords: HB2936, children, child protection, adoption, Oklahoma Adoption Code, gestational carrier, gestational agreement, surrogacy, intended parent, preplacement home study, home study, prospective adoptive parent, foster placement, child abuse, child neglect, child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation, lewd molestation, sex offender registry, Oklahoma Sex Offenders Registration Act

Transcript Highlights:

• The cameras in the room will switch to whomever is actively speaking.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Substitute Senate Bill 6289, which would direct the Department of Commerce to develop a statewide economic development and competitiveness strategic plan by June 30, 2027, with updates every five years. Senator Kaufman said the bill is intended to create a more intentional, coordinated, data-driven statewide strategy to support businesses of all sizes and sectors. Supporters from the Washington Economic Development Association and the Department of Commerce said the plan is needed to align regional and local efforts, improve competitiveness, and address challenges such as capital access, infrastructure gaps, tariffs, and AI-related disruption. Both Commerce and WEDA supported moving the update cycle from two years to five years, and Commerce said the change would save money and help reduce the fiscal impact. The committee also heard Substitute Senate Bill 6149, which would expand the definition of a rural county for public facilities funding and related programs to include counties with population density of 100 or more people per square mile if they have no city larger than 45,000 people. Senator Wilson said the bill is meant to preserve rural eligibility for counties like Cowlitz as cities grow, so they do not lose access to grants and loans that support economic development. Members raised questions about how the new definition would affect counties and whether it would better capture rural areas within larger counties, but no testimony opposed the bill. In executive session, the committee considered three bills. For Senate Bill 5420, concerning access to state benefits and opportunities for veterans, the committee adopted a striking amendment that broadened some eligibility language, including changing a reference from physical to medical discharge and updating employment preference provisions, then advanced the bill by a 12-0 vote with one excused. For Senate Bill 5649, creating a Supply Chain Competitiveness Infrastructure Program, members began debate on amendments that would add WSDOT scoring criteria favoring Washington-made or Washington-grown goods and limit grants and loans to projects not already eligible for Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board funding. The committee also reviewed several amendments to the AI companion chatbot bill, including narrowing educational and gaming exclusions, adding protections around age inference and manipulative engagement techniques, and limiting data collection; one amendment was withdrawn before further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're gonna switch to item number 3 as Senator Fricks is not here at the moment.

Bills: SB1421, SB1427, SB1484, SB1503, SB1553, SB1557, SB1564, SB1566, SB1567, SB1591, SB1642, SB1794, SB1837, SB2044

Keywords: mental health, nonphysical intervention, training, youth care, conflict resolution, staff training, pediatric screenings, type 1 diabetes, health care providers, parental consent, reimbursement, state funding, public health, medicolegal investigation, medical examiner, coroner, sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS, sudden unexpected infant death, SUID

Transcript Highlights:

• candidate and watching those surplus voters listen to a candidate's stance on the issues and make a switch

Summary: The Joint Committee on Election Laws held a hearing on ranked choice voting, focusing primarily on H. 4262 for Boston and H. 4916 for Bedford. Committee chairs Dan Hunt and Senator Keenan opened the hearing, limited testimony to three minutes per person, and heard from a long list of advocates, local officials, and organizations. The hearing ended with no further registered speakers and the committee adjourned after inviting additional written testimony. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support of ranked choice voting. Supporters included RepresentWomen, Reclaim Roxbury, the Boston Teachers Union, Veterans for All Voters, MassVOTE, the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, Our Revolution Massachusetts, and Bedford residents and organizers. Speakers argued that ranked choice voting would reduce the spoiler effect, encourage coalition-building and less negative campaigning, improve majority support for winners, and expand voter participation and representation, especially for women, young voters, and historically marginalized communities. Several speakers emphasized local control and said Boston and Bedford should be allowed to decide for themselves through their home rule petitions. Boston City Councilors and the City Council president also testified in favor, describing the city’s low municipal turnout, the council’s approval of the petition, and the fact that Boston voters previously supported a statewide ranked choice voting measure. Councilor Rutsi L. Jean explained the petition’s development through council hearings and working sessions, while Council President Ruthzee Louijeune said the proposal would be subject to a binding referendum if enacted and urged the legislature to let Boston residents pursue top-four ranked choice voting. Bedford speakers similarly said their town meeting supported the idea but that legislative approval was still needed. No opposition testimony or votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• candidate and watching those surplus voters listen to a candidate's stance on the issues and make a switch

Bills: H4916, H4262

Keywords: ranked choice voting, instant runoff voting, RCV, Bedford, municipal elections, town offices, local option, ballot question, election reform, plurality voting, multi-seat elections, single-seat elections, town clerk, tie-breaking, ballot tabulation, Boston elections, voter preference, local government, 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I requested, when I was switching my health care to the VA, my medical records, all my medical records

Summary: The Senate Indian, Rural and Cultural Affairs Committee heard Senate Memorial 14, which calls on the Indian Affairs Department and the Commission on the Status of Women to conduct a comprehensive study of the history, scope, and continuing impacts of forced and coerced sterilization of Indigenous women and women of color. Sponsors and advocates said the memorial is intended to document harms that occurred not only in Indian Health Service facilities but also through other health providers, while being culturally sensitive and respectful of tribal sovereignty. Supporters described the issue as a reproductive justice, human rights, and Indigenous rights matter, and said the study could help lead to acknowledgment, healing, and possible reparative action. Several witnesses gave personal testimony. Representative Caballero shared a personal experience in which she nearly underwent a hysterectomy after a miscarriage due to forms she was asked to sign while sedated, and said that experience motivated her support. Jean Whitehorse, a Navajo Nation member and daughter of a Navajo code talker, described being sterilized in 1972 after treatment at Gallup Indian Health Service and said the practice caused lasting trauma to Native families. Other speakers, including Elena Giacchi, Keeley Badger, Jennifer Raphael Gatz, Rachel Lorenzo, Alicia Carese Lobbius, Nasserian Olamako, Deanna Warren, and Kat Sanchez, supported the memorial and emphasized the need for survivor testimony, historical records, data gathering, informed consent protections, and culturally grounded healing. Committee members asked about the difficulty of obtaining records and whether the information exists or is being blocked. Witnesses said access is limited, requests often need to come from official state or federal bodies, and many records may be sealed or difficult to retrieve. The Commission on the Status of Women said it could serve as the organizing entity for a three-phase process: gathering data, holding discussions with subject matter experts and survivors, and contracting with an Indigenous organization to prepare the report. After public comment and questions, the committee voted 4-0 to give Senate Memorial 14 a do pass recommendation, and the chair then recessed the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• The cameras in the room will switch to whomever is actively speaking.

Summary: The Technology, Economic Development, and Veterans Committee met in executive session on January 28, 2026, and advanced six bills. House Bill 2325, creating a tourism self-supported assessment program for statewide tourism promotion, was amended to add certain large restaurants and retailers, adjust enforcement and governance provisions, and remove a recommendation tied to an advisory report; the committee adopted Amendment 264 and reported the substitute bill out with a due pass recommendation by a 12-0 vote, with one member excused. Members supporting the bill emphasized tourism’s economic benefits, local flexibility, and the need for stronger statewide marketing funding. House Bill 2481, addressing surveillance-based price discrimination and surge pricing for retail goods, drew the most discussion. Representative Kloba withdrew the proposed substitute, and the committee voted on the bill as written. Members debated affordability, grocery pricing fairness, and the impact on businesses; Representative Waters said she would work on the issue further but urged a no vote. The bill was reported out with a due pass recommendation on an 8-4 vote, with one excused. House Bill 2503, on documentation for data used to train AI systems, was amended to require posting information describing efforts to remove child sexual abuse material from training datasets. Supporters said the bill promotes transparency and accountability in AI, while opponents warned the measure could burden startups and smaller developers. The amended bill was reported out with a due pass recommendation on an 8-4 vote, with one excused. House Bill 2397, concerning reimbursement timing under the State Fire Services Mobilization Plan, was amended so the 60-day reimbursement clock starts when complete documentation is received; it passed unanimously with one excused. House Bill 2278, on tourism promotion areas, and House Bill 2417, updating victim protections under the Washington Code of Military Justice, were both reported out unanimously with one excused.