Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, how do you account for the fraud that's not accounted for?
• I mean, how do you account for the fraud that's not accounted for?
• I mean, how do you account for the fraud that's not accounted for?
• I mean, how do you account for the fraud that's not accounted for?
• I mean, how do you account for the fraud that's not accounted for?

Summary: Republican legislative leaders in Minnesota held a budget-focused press availability after the November forecast, thanking Minnesota Management and Budget staff while arguing the updated numbers show a much worse deficit outlook than expected. They said the state faces a structural spending problem, cited projected gaps in the 2028-29 biennium and over the four-year outlook, and blamed recent deficits on higher spending, tax increases, mandates, and what they described as fraud in state programs. They also criticized Governor Walz for focusing on federal issues and for not doing enough to control spending or address fraud. Speaker Lisa Demuth, House Republican Leader Harry Niska, and Senate Finance lead Eric Pratt all said the forecast underscores the need for spending restraint, pro-growth policies, and stronger fraud prevention. They pointed to health care, long-term care, Medicaid-related programs, and local government mandates as major cost drivers, and said the legislature should examine those areas in the upcoming session. Demuth said the state should not ignore fraud and noted that the legislature had added staff to the Office of the Legislative Auditor and whistleblower protections, but had not passed an independent inspector general office. A substantial portion of the exchange centered on fraud investigations and comments by President Trump about Somali Minnesotans. The Republican leaders said they disagreed with condemning any community as a whole, but also said they shared frustration over fraud and corruption and wanted accountability for those responsible. They said the state’s fraud problem is not about any one community, but about failures in administration and oversight. The lawmakers said they would return to session on February 17 and continue working on budget and fraud-related issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> accountability, and culture. accountability, and culture.
• 49.840><c> and</c><00:02:50.080><c> a</c> Accountability across the board and a Accountability across
• . accountability. accountability.
• </c><00:30:57.679><c> for</c> Gandhi and and uh accountability for Gandhi and and uh accountability for
• Public accountability few times.

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 7 is a State Building Renewable Energy Storage Vehicle Account. This is merely an account.
• It doesn't fund in merely an account. It doesn't fund in the<00:08:58.200><c> account.
• This was in the State the account.
• </c> the Health Access Account. the Health Access Account.
• Medicaid in contrast accounts grants. Medicaid in contrast accounts for<01:09:44.520><c> 89%.

Bills: HF2783 , HF2603 , HF2846 , HF2354 , HF1836 , HF2713 , HF1198 , HF1389

Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• One was flexibility and one was accountability for the programs.
• And then without accountability, we can't really guide the programs where we need.
• One was flexibility and one was accountability for the programs.
• You know, I mean, sometimes accountability reduces your flexibility and by versa.
• I love the flexibility, I love the accountability.

Committee: All ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The committee heard testimony from Nick Moore, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Career and Technical Education, on efforts to better align workforce, education, and human services programs. Moore argued that WIOA, Perkins, and ESSA were designed to function as an integrated talent system, but that federal and state bureaucracy has kept them siloed. He said the Department of Labor and OCTAE are working on more integrated state plan guidance, including a 2026 plan modification timeline, combined Perkins/WIOA plans, and greater use of labor market information to align training with in-demand jobs and Workforce Pell. Moore emphasized reducing overhead, cross-training staff, using common intake and integrated case management, and focusing on the “shadow labor force” of people facing benefit cliffs, child care barriers, or other obstacles to work. He repeatedly urged states to use waivers and flexibility where possible, to consolidate or streamline local workforce structures, and to hold programs accountable through measures such as labor force participation, training-related employment, retention, and cost per successful outcome. Members asked about the balance between flexibility and accountability, the role of employers versus postsecondary institutions, rural “training deserts,” state waivers, and data systems such as Mississippi Spark and Arkansas Launch. Moore said states should use technology and integrated intake to co-enroll eligible participants in multiple programs and better match people to jobs. In response to questions, Moore said some federal rules cannot be waived, but many reporting and administrative requirements can be streamlined, and he encouraged Arkansas to propose ideas for waivers or state-level integration. He also discussed the need for enhanced wage records and state longitudinal data systems to improve workforce planning and economic development. After Moore’s presentation, DHS Secretary Janet Mann and Director Jay Hill gave a brief update on reimbursement rates, saying the department had compiled more than 100 public comments, recommended holding the current rate, and was awaiting executive review; they estimated the process could take 30 to 60 days. The committee then adjourned, noting a later audit presentation scheduled for the afternoon.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> regarding education Freedom accounts regarding education Freedom accounts House<00:26:33.000><c>
• payments are going to these accounts payments are going to these accounts with<00:50:00.520><c> our<
• </c> the efas have greater accountability the efas have greater accountability than<01:59:19.440><c>
• Thank you. um accounts so approximately 1% um accounts so approximately 1% 1%<02:21:18.479><c> is</c>
• </c><02:32:40.680><c> on</c> $5,200 in terms of an EFA account on $5,200 in terms of an EFA account on

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 115-FN, which would remove the income cap from New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account eligibility rules. Representative Valerie McDonnell, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure is intended to fund students rather than systems and to expand educational choice regardless of income or zip code. She described the change as a small statutory edit but argued it would have significant benefits, including helping families afford alternative education settings and testing costs such as AP exams. She also cited testimony from families who said EFAs helped children with special needs or difficult circumstances, and she argued the program is popular and cost-effective. Committee members questioned McDonnell about the bill’s fiscal impact and administration. One member asked whether removing the income cap would extend vouchers to families above the statewide median income and whether the change could cost more than $100 million annually; McDonnell said she did not agree with that estimate and pointed to Arizona as a comparison. Representative Wendy Thomas asked whether the bill should require stronger data-sharing from the Children’s Scholarship Fund, which administers the program, so the Department of Education and taxpayers could better track spending; McDonnell said the program already uses ClassWallet and regulated expenditures, and that the question was better directed to the administrator. Several members testified in opposition. Representative Wendy Thomas said the bill would increase costs for public schools, raise local property taxes, and worsen oversight problems. Representative Heath Howard argued the proposal would function as a subsidy for wealthy families already paying private tuition and said public education and special education should be funded first. Representative Megan Murray also opposed the bill, emphasizing the lack of a legal reporting requirement for EFA spending and the need for transparency, accountability, and attention to special education needs. Representative Sam Farrington supported expansion, sharing a constituent story about a student who left public school after harassment and benefited from private school placement. No vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And also adding education and cessation to the uses of the Foundational Health Services Account.
• , and it directs these revenues into the account sooner, July 1st, 2026 instead of July 1st, 2028.
• Foundational Health Services Account without first being deposited into the Andy Hill account and then
• transferred for deposit into the Foundational Health Services Account.
• fund, even if it goes to a dedicated account, that account can be raided and put into the general fund

Bills: HB2713 , HB2730 , HB2297 , HB2487 , HB2382 , HB2089 , HB2431 , HB2451 , HB2590 , HB2325 , HB2278 , HB2224 , HB2322

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: private detention facilities, business tax, occupation tax, financial impact, state revenue, aerospace, tax preferences, effectiveness, economic impact, grocery stores, underserved communities, food access, incentives, economic development, insurance tax, state regulation, insurers, taxation, budget impact, excise tax

Transcript Highlights:

• This rate of development poses a challenge for the existing legal framework for accountability.
• This rate of development poses a challenge for the existing legal framework for accountability: how to
• As the analysis notes, and in our sponsor letter, we reprint an account by Robert Stribly.
• He detailed a flowchart with more than 20 steps on how to delete your Facebook account.
• , delete account' just really ubiquitously plastered over what we view is necessary.

Summary: The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee heard several bills on AI, social media, rental cars, and account deletion. AB 316 by Assemblymember Krell would bar defendants from avoiding liability by claiming an AI system autonomously caused harm. Supporters argued it would preserve accountability as AI grows more powerful, especially in cases involving children, while opponents said existing tort law already covers these issues and warned the bill could create uncertainty and overbroad liability. The bill passed the committee 8-1. AB 656 by Assemblymember Schiavo, sponsored by Consumer Federation of California, would make it easier for users to delete social media accounts and personal information, with amendments shifting the deletion prompt into settings rather than on every screen. Supporters said platforms use dark patterns and make deletion unnecessarily difficult; opponents raised concerns about unintended deletions and possible conflicts with existing privacy law, though the author said the bill was being aligned with CCPA. The bill passed 9-0. The committee also approved the consent calendar. AB 1197 by Assemblymember Calderon would address rental car theft and misuse by allowing limited geofencing in specific situations and revising rules around renter liability when keys are returned and a police report is filed. Rental car companies and other supporters said the bill would help recover stolen or abandoned vehicles, while an opponent warned about privacy and possible consumer harms in edge cases. The bill passed 11-0. AB 1374 by Assemblymember Berman would require more upfront disclosure of the total price of rental cars, including mandatory fees, to curb hidden charges; supporters said consumers still face surprise costs, while opponents argued current law already requires disclosure and that the bill’s new wording could invite litigation. It passed 13-0.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill ensures fairness while maintaining accountability, and I respectfully request your support.
• and to ensure the community has access to all relevant records. officers accountable and to ensure the
• We don't protect them by undermining accountability.
• But I also want what Officer Cookie said: we don’t protect them by not holding them accountable.
• And that was such a profound statement because even with the bar, we are held accountable.

Summary: The Government Operations Subcommittee heard three bills. HB 1479, by Rep. Baker, created a public records exemption for lethality assessment forms and the victims’ answers under the domestic violence lethality assessment law. The sponsor said the goal was to protect victims and keep the form consistent statewide; a question was raised about whether other agencies such as DCF could access the information. The only public testimony was in support, and the bill passed 17-0 and was reported favorably. The committee then took up HB 317, by Rep. Fabricio, which would require complaints against law enforcement and correctional officers to be written and sworn, require officers to receive the complaint and supporting evidence before interrogation or discipline, and keep unfounded investigations out of personnel files and from being used for promotions or commendations. Supporters, including the Fraternal Order of Police and a state corrections PBA representative, argued the bill would protect officers from frivolous or retaliatory complaints. Opponents, including the Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Florida Sheriffs Association, warned it would undermine transparency, early warning systems, accreditation, and accountability, and could discourage legitimate anonymous complaints. Several members debated the balance between officer due process and victim protection; the bill passed 11-6 and was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard HB 961, a Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles measure presented by Judge Maney. A strike-all amendment replaced the original language with a package aimed at improving customer service and efficiency in driver and vehicle services, including online title and registration requests, longer renewal periods for certain permanently handicapped persons, and a new misdemeanor offense for selling DHSMV appointment slots. The amendment and the bill as amended were supported by Florida tax collectors, adopted, and the committee passed HB 961 unanimously, 17-0, with a favorable report.

Transcript Highlights:

• we should play, rather than delegating it out to, with all due respect, a bureaucrat who isn't accountable
• In my perspective, the role is the policymakers that are accountable to the people.
• Agencies routinely adjust fees to account for inflation, staffing needs, and program demands.
• So why wouldn't we take that path of least resistance and the least accountability?
• I'm also concerned about the lack of accountability and transparency associated with STOs.

Bills: SB1142 , SCR1028

Committees: House Ways & Means , House House Ways & Means Committee of Reference

Keywords: scholarships, tax credit, education funding, nonprofit organizations, Arizona Revised Statutes, constitutional amendment, state revenue, tax policy, legislative approval, two-thirds vote

Transcript Highlights:

• of Missouri. operation and by maximizing accountability to the people of Missouri.
• to improve transparency and accountability and monitor compliance in the prisons.
• External accountability is essential for all institutions.
• So most of the debts that happen in our prison system, there is no accountability.
• because the people in prison have been held accountable, which is why they're there.

Committee: House Corrections and Public Institutions

Transcript Highlights:

• That is from the Preserve Washington account, which is a new account, and that is created in the bill
• which is called the SIRA account.
• And certainly there will be a lot of accountability.
• But there's a piece that goes to the sustainable aviation fuel account.
• But there's a piece that goes to the sustainable aviation fuel account.

Bills: HB2306 , HB2711

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: transportation budget, capital budget, operating budget, appropriations, Washington State Department of Transportation, WSDOT, Washington State Patrol, Department of Licensing, ferry funding, state ferries, highway maintenance, road preservation, bridge replacement, tolling, express toll lanes, traffic safety, speed cameras, ignition interlock, transit grants, public transit

Transcript Highlights:

• Businesses and taxpayers deserve transparency, accountability, and restraint.
• Businesses and taxpayers deserve transparency, accountability, and restraint.
• This bill has an automatic salary increase... ...and less accountability.
• By all accounts, Braun was magnetic. By all accounts, Braun was magnetic.
• With leaders held accountable by the people.

Transcript Highlights:

• To restore trust in the accountability system, we need to take TEA.
• for the A through F accountability system.
• With the same accountability, the fair and objective accountability tests of a...
• It's not just trust in the accountability system. That's gone.
• The House Business Office debits the account, and it will flow back into the General House account, I

Bills: SB 1 , HCR20 , HR131 , HR133 , HR135 , HR136 , HR137 , HR144 , HR145 , HR146 , HR149 , HR150 , HR151 , HR152 , HR158 , HR161 , HR162 , HR163 , HR165 , HR166 , HR168 , HR169 , HR170 , HR175 , HR178 , HR127 , HR129 , HR130 , HR132 , HR134 , HR138 , HR139 , HR140 , HR141 , HR142 , HR143 , HR153 , HR154 , HR155 , HR156 , HR159 , HR160 , HR164 , HR167 , HR172 , HR173 , HR176 , SB1 , HB8 , HB15 , HB27 , SB5

Transcript Highlights:

• I am pleased to speak about the Paul Gessing: Government Accountability to Taxpayer Office contained
• Madam Chair, Senators, Ramona Goolsby, Gabby Center for Accountability.
• The Government Accountability to Taxpayers Act will clearly recommend legislation to the legislators
• I believe this is good and common sense to bring accountability. Thank you, ma'am.
• We have an accountability. We must be accountable to the people that we serve.

Committee: Senate Senate Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• Young workers deserve... ...pay disparities and ensure employers are held accountable.
• This is an accountability bill, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.
• be able to hold a local police officer accountable if an officer did that.
• If Congress won't impose accountability on its employees, then California should.
• Our concern is not with accountability.

Committee: House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• We've looked at school accountability.
• And that was the biggest cornerstone of our accountability model.
• So achievement is one of our measures in our accountability model.
• We're able to use learning gains as part of our accountability model.
• And that was the biggest cornerstone of our accountability model.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice

Summary: The committee met to hear an overview of the Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice budget area and then received performance-measure presentations from the Department of Corrections, the Commission on Offender Review, and the Department of Juvenile Justice. Staff reviewed the roughly $7.4 billion criminal justice and judiciary budget, noting major funding areas such as corrections, law enforcement, victim services, courts, and due process, along with recent investments in prison health care, security equipment, fentanyl enforcement, court staffing, and juvenile justice salaries and education programs. Secretary Dixon of the Department of Corrections described staffing and population pressures, including growth in inmate population, overtime-driven deficits, and the opening of additional housing units. He emphasized the department’s use of performance measures and highlighted reforms such as incentivized prisons, administrative management units, reentry planning, faith-based programs, and expanded education and vocational training. Members asked about teacher hiring, public defender pay parity, fentanyl funding, staffing capacity, and the role of the National Guard; Dixon said teacher vacancies had improved, public defenders had received comparable pay increases, fentanyl funding would be addressed further by FDLE, and the Guard had helped stabilize staffing. The Commission on Offender Review reported on parole, conditional release, addiction recovery supervision, and revocations, saying its recidivism/success rates had improved over a three-year measurement period. Senator Rouson pressed the commission on clemency and pardons, saying that work was omitted from the presentation and asking for backlog and case data; the commission said it did not have those figures on hand and would follow up. The committee also discussed a conditional medical release pilot study, and members questioned the report’s conclusion that no suitable elderly inmate population could be identified, asking what criteria were used and whether stakeholders were consulted. Secretary Hall of the Department of Juvenile Justice outlined the agency’s prevention-to-residential continuum and its emphasis on education, data-driven decision-making, and evidence-based programming. He said salary increases had reduced vacancies, juvenile arrests and residential commitments had fallen sharply over time, and tools such as civil citations, risk assessments, and quality-improvement reviews were being used to guide placements and services. Hall also described the department’s use of dashboards, monthly data check-ins, and the dispositional matrix to improve outcomes and reduce recidivism.

Transcript Highlights:

• IT IS A COMPREHENSIVE BLUEPRINT FOR FACILITATING AND COORDINATING ACCESS, ALIGNMENT, AND ACCOUNTABILITY
• TO INCREASE ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE WORKFORCE TRAINING SERVICES WE LEAD OUR DEPARTMENT AND THE DEVELOPMENT
• IT OUTLINES THE FLOW FUNDING AND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL TO THE LOCAL BOARDS AND TO THE
• ENHANCED TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY AND ENHANCED INTEGRATION.
• WHAT IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY FLOW FOR YOU IN THE DEPARTMENT?

Transcript Highlights:

• These accounting practices are inherently misleading.
• accounting system used in energy systems, ...which is an internationally recognized accounting system
• , accounting so that you don't make any false claims.
• This bill is about accountability.
• This bill is about accountability.

Summary: The committee heard several bills and one resolution focused on recycling, housing affordability, air quality, coastal protection, wildfire resilience, and nuclear policy. AB 2559, by Assembly Member Ward, would require local governments to return refundable construction and demolition permit deposits if compliance documentation is submitted within three years of final inspection; supporters said it would prevent homeowners and developers from losing deposits due to mismatched local deadlines, and it passed unanimously as amended to Appropriations. AB 1704, by Assembly Member Gonzalez, would require CARB to assess the cost of lower-embodied-carbon building materials and pause the embodied-carbon program if cost parity is not reached; supporters framed it as a housing affordability safeguard, while environmental groups argued it would delay implementation of a key climate law. The bill passed on a party-line vote to Appropriations. AB 2349, by Assembly Member Solache, would create regional air quality incident response centers for emergency monitoring and coordination; it drew strong support from air district and local government representatives and passed unanimously to Appropriations. ACR 149, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Act and Coastal Conservancy, highlighted coastal access, habitat protection, and climate adaptation; it passed the committee, though some members voted no. AB 1960, by Assembly Member Bennett, would let Cal Fire fund community-level wildfire hardening projects through the Wildfire Prevention Grants Fund; members raised questions about funding and implementation, but it passed to Appropriations. AB 2254, the Coastal Monarchs Protection Act, would require coastal local governments to add monarch overwintering protections when updating local coastal plans; supporters cited steep monarch declines and economic benefits, while local government groups opposed the mandate as duplicative and burdensome, and it passed to Water, Parks and Wildlife. AB 2253 would restrict deceptive recycled-content claims and mass-balance accounting practices; supporters said it would protect consumers and real recyclers, while business groups argued it would conflict with recognized accounting systems and EPR programs. The transcript also included AB 1757, which would create a limited carve-out from California’s nuclear moratorium for microreactors; supporters said it could provide clean, local power and support data centers, while opponents warned of cost, waste, and safety risks. The committee ultimately rejected AB 1757 on a divided vote, then granted reconsideration, and the discussion continued without a final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• These accounting practices are inherently misleading.
• accounting system used in energy systems, ...system, which is an internationally recognized accounting
• , accounting so that you don't make any false claims.
• I mean, it sounds like you're not arguing against mass balance accounting completely. Correct.
• This bill is about accountability.

Committee: House Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a proposal that would reshape how authority, responsibility, and accountability are organized at
• And first and foremost, this proposal is about accountability for delivering results for our children
• Who do we hold accountable if this change isn't successful?
• But local control depends on state capacity, coherence, and accountability.
• setting, capacity building, and accountability.

Summary: The joint Senate Education and Budget Committee hearing focused on the Governor’s proposed education governance overhaul, which would shift day-to-day management of the California Department of Education from the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction to a new appointed education commissioner, while giving the Superintendent new voting roles on the State Board of Education and the Community College Board of Governors. Chair Perez opened by stressing that the proposal raises major policy questions beyond the budget process and should be evaluated for its effect on students, local control, and accountability. Brooks Allen of the State Board of Education argued the change would unify policymaking and implementation, reduce fragmented authority, and create clearer accountability, citing decades of reports criticizing California’s “crazy quilt” governance structure and noting the proposal is timed for the 2026 transition. Amber Alexander of the Department of Finance outlined the fiscal and staffing transfers, describing the plan as largely cost-neutral and explaining how positions would shift between the State Board, the Department, and the new Superintendent’s office over 2026-27 and 2027-28. Sarah Cortez of the Legislative Analyst’s Office said the LAO supports shifting management to an appointed commissioner but recommended several refinements: preserving legislative oversight, requiring Senate confirmation of the commissioner, clearly defining the Superintendent’s duties as a public representative/advisor/evaluator, and refining the State Board’s role to focus on major policies requiring public input. She also said the fiscal plan should be cost-neutral and more fully specified. Senators raised concerns about the timing during an election year, the constitutional status of the Superintendent, whether the proposal should instead be a constitutional amendment, and whether governance changes actually improve student outcomes or simply rearrange the org chart. Some members questioned whether the proposal would confuse voters and undermine democratic accountability, while others said the current structure is already confusing and that the reform could improve clarity for districts and local boards. The discussion also covered how curriculum is set, with LAO explaining that the Legislature has broad authority but has delegated much curriculum work to the State Board and the Instructional Quality Commission. Members asked how the new structure would affect local districts, who they would call for guidance, and whether the commissioner would have authority over policy; the presenters said policy authority would remain with the State Board, while the commissioner would handle administration and implementation. No votes were taken during the panel discussion, and the hearing was organized to continue with additional panels and public comment later in the meeting.