Video & Transcript : 'budgetary reform' :

Page 22 of 402
WA
Transcript Highlights:
  • governor has also said, is that we need to engage in tough conversations around deeper structural tax reform
  • Aside from the budgetary issues and the talk of minor taxes here or longer-term taxes on high-income
  • I say that's exactly why we need tax reform, right?
  • today what those options are, but yeah, that's part of our assignment in engaging in structural tax reform
Keywords: 904, all
Summary: State legislative leaders held a press availability focused on the upcoming session’s priorities, framing the federal government as the main source of pressure on Washington residents’ access to health care, food assistance, housing, and other services. They said the session would center on defending Washingtonians from federal overreach while also addressing affordability, with emphasis on a balanced 2025-27 budget, possible spending cuts, and longer-term tax reform. Leaders also said they expect to pursue measures on housing costs, transportation, child care, preventive health care, and energy/data-center impacts. A major topic was a proposed “millionaire tax” or income tax on adjusted gross income over $1 million. Leaders said the basic mechanics are largely agreed upon between House and Senate sponsors, though a draft is still pending and stakeholder outreach remains ahead. They described the proposal as part of a broader effort to rebalance the tax code, with some revenue potentially used to reduce more regressive taxes such as property taxes or to support credits for working families and small businesses. They also said any major new revenue would likely not arrive in time to solve the current biennial budget gap, though smaller tax changes and loophole closures could contribute. The leaders also discussed the House and Senate response to two citizen initiatives, saying the legislature will not hold hearings on them and that they will instead go to voters if certified. They rejected claims that the state constitution requires hearings or floor votes on such initiatives, and questioned the signature-gathering process described by the Secretary of State’s office. Another issue was a public records exemption bill related to child care providers; leaders said they were not tracking it closely but defended broader privacy and safety concerns for child care businesses and families. The press availability included a lengthy exchange about allegations of fraud and reports of journalists or others knocking on child care doors. Leaders said concerns should be reported to DCYF, the state auditor, or legislative auditors rather than handled by ad hoc visits, and they tied those concerns to broader fears about masked individuals, ICE activity, and public safety. On the budget, they said the rainy day fund is likely to be considered this year, especially if it helps avoid cuts to education, child care, and health care, and noted that federal policy changes could impose significant state implementation costs.
WA
Transcript Highlights:
  • governor has also said, is that we need to engage in tough conversations around deeper structural tax reform
  • Aside from the budgetary issues in the talk of minor taxes here or longer-term taxes on high-income earners
  • I say that's exactly why we need tax reform, right?
  • today what those options are, but yeah, that's part of our assignment in engaging in structural tax reform
Summary: State legislative leaders held a press availability to preview a difficult session focused on responding to federal policy changes they said were threatening Washingtonians’ access to health care, food assistance, housing, and energy stability. They said the House and Senate would prioritize affordability, budget balancing, and protecting residents from federal overreach, while also advancing bills on issues such as preventive health care, housing costs, child care, transportation, and energy/data center impacts. A major topic was a proposed state income tax on high earners. Leaders said the basic mechanics were agreed to between the House and Senate prime sponsors, including a 9.9% tax on adjusted gross income over $1 million, though drafting and stakeholder outreach were still ahead. They said any new revenue would not solve the current 2025-27 budget gap in time, so the immediate budget would rely mainly on cuts and transfers, with some discussion of smaller revenue measures and possible use of the rainy day fund. They also said the tax proposal would be paired with reductions in more regressive taxes, though details were not yet set. The press conference also focused heavily on a school face-covering bill and related public safety concerns. Leaders defended the bill as a response to fears about masked individuals, impersonation of law enforcement, and recent ICE activity, citing testimony from law enforcement and advocacy groups. They also discussed a public records exemption bill for child care providers, saying concerns about privacy and safety justified limits on public access and emphasizing existing oversight through DCYF, the state auditor, and legislative audits. On initiatives and other bills, leaders said two initiatives would go to voters rather than receive hearings, and they indicated Senate Bill 5926 was not moving forward in the Senate committee process. No votes were taken during the availability.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • author's office and their staff and hope to find a path forward that advances critical cost-reduction reforms
  • You know, we've talked a little about how we want to see smart, single-stair reform, and that is right
  • the governor of Colorado, in his own State of the State address, has already called for smart-stair reform
  • I think in line with the efforts that we want to do, where we want to produce more variety... ...reform
  • It's a reform that's been adopted in a growing number of states.
Summary: The committee heard a series of housing and wildfire-recovery bills, with members repeatedly framing the package as a response to the Los Angeles fires and the state’s broader housing affordability crisis. AB 306, by Assembly Member Schultz, would place a six-year moratorium on new residential building-code updates and local code modifications except for health-and-safety emergencies. Supporters argued it would reduce costs and provide certainty for rebuilding and new housing production, while opponents from environmental, clean-energy, and labor groups warned it would freeze beneficial code improvements, delay innovation, and limit local control. Despite those concerns, several members said they would support the bill while seeking amendments, and the committee voted it out on a due pass recommendation to Appropriations. The committee also approved AB 301, which would require state agencies to follow shot-clock style deadlines for reviewing building permits, and AB 253, which would allow licensed third-party professionals to conduct certain post-entitlement permit reviews if local departments take more than 30 days. Supporters said both bills would reduce delays, lower costs, and speed rebuilding and housing production; some members emphasized that safety reviews must remain intact. AB 301 passed on a due pass vote to Appropriations, and AB 253 passed 8-0 to Local Government. AB 462, by Assembly Member Lowenthal, would exempt accessory dwelling units in Los Angeles County’s coastal zone from coastal development permit requirements, with the goal of speeding ADU construction for disaster recovery and housing supply. Supporters said ADUs are a proven tool and that the bill would help displaced residents and future coastal disaster areas; one member of the public opposed the bill, arguing ADU proliferation can change neighborhood conditions. The committee sent AB 462 to Appropriations on an 8-0 vote. The final bill discussed, AB 299, would let disaster-displaced families stay in hotels, motels, and short-term rentals for more than 30 days without triggering landlord-tenant rules, mirroring an earlier homelessness-related law; the transcript ended as the author began presenting the bill and its support.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Appropriations and Budget Jan 28th, 2026 at 01:30 pm

Appropriations and Budget

Transcript Highlights:
  • hours give or the decision to remove that from the non-school age children in April was largely budgetary
  • So again, it was largely driven by just the budgetary reality of the program and the need we had to cut
  • I'll answer the kind of part of that question, then I'll let Danielle check my work on the actual budgetary
  • $50,000 a year annual income and right around I think 170ish% of federal poverty level in terms of the budgetary
  • So, there were kind of star reforms that we made a year ago to the system, which the most notable one
Keywords: 914, all
ND
Transcript Highlights:
  • Some may have budgetary impacts and others not.
  • Some may have budgetary impacts and others not.
  • changes they've made, either as a result of term limits or in conjunction with other legislative reforms
  • When these were passed in the 1990s, there was a large push for broader legislative reforms, so some
Keywords: 908, all
Summary: The Legislative Procedure and Arrangements Committee met with a quorum, approved the previous meeting minutes, and heard an update from Garty Consulting on the interim study of legislative term limits. The consultants outlined their research plan and preliminary themes, including loss of institutional knowledge, shifts in power toward executive agencies and lobbyists, reduced long-term policy capacity, faster leadership turnover, and recruitment/support challenges. They also described possible recommendation categories ranging from constitutional and statutory changes to procedural and cultural adjustments. Committee members asked about how other states repealed term limits, how the public survey would address perceptions of term limits, and how stakeholder focus groups would be selected. The committee also heard a presentation from NCSL on term limits in other states, including examples from Nevada, Montana, and Colorado, with discussion of training programs, staffing changes, annual-session debates, bill limits, and impacts on decorum and leadership continuity. Several members requested follow-up data on part-time versus full-time legislatures, taxpayer costs, and nonpartisan staff devoted to oversight. The committee then considered revisions to the legislature’s workplace harassment policy and related forms. Legislative Council explained changes that clarified the definition of harassment, added captions for readability, extended several deadlines, allowed informal resolution before a review panel is appointed, clarified the role of Legislative Council in intake and documentation, and updated confidentiality/open-records language. Members, especially Senator Hogan, said the revisions better formalize the role of counsel and provide a less intimidating path for resolving complaints. The committee adopted the revised policy and forms by roll call vote. Finally, the committee approved a motion to enter executive session at 1:00 p.m. to review the results of a capital threat assessment and discuss legislator security, citing the applicable open-meetings exemptions. Members were instructed to limit discussion to the stated purpose and not take final action until returning to open session.
FL
Transcript Highlights:
  • So finding nine: the budgetary process.
  • So finding nine, the budgetary process.
  • Town councils over the budgetary process need improvement to, town controls, rather, need improvement
  • The legal level of budgetary control—for example, fund, department, function—was not specified, and once
  • These reforms include comprehensive updates to our procurement process, financial controls, inventory
Summary: The committee first took up a long-running audit finding involving the City of Daytona Beach’s unexpended building permit fund balance, which has exceeded the statutory cap for several years and was reported at $10.8 million in the latest audit. Mayor Derek Henry and city staff said the city had analyzed the fund, adopted a corrective action plan, waived more than $5.5 million in permit and inspection fees, used some excess funds for a training facility rehabilitation, and is pursuing a $9.4 million City Hall expansion that they say is allowed under a November 2024 Attorney General opinion permitting construction of a building to house the building code enforcement function. Committee members repeatedly questioned whether the city was simply trying to spend down the money, whether the proposed uses were truly lawful, why the balance kept growing despite fee waivers, and where the interest earnings were going. The mayor and deputy city manager said the city’s growth and staffing needs justified the plan, but several members expressed frustration and skepticism. A public commenter also urged accountability and raised concerns about the city’s spending plans and the size of the remaining balance. The committee then received an Auditor General presentation on the Town of Greenville, which found 31 operational audit findings and described pervasive control failures, possible fraud, waste, and abuse. The findings included election paperwork problems that left a council seat vacant, conflicts of interest, late financial disclosure filings, related-party transactions, inadequate meeting notices and minutes, quorum and voting documentation problems, council members’ involvement in day-to-day operations, missing ethics training, budget adoption and monitoring deficiencies, inaccurate accounting records and bank reconciliations, utility billing and rate issues, grant compliance problems tied to an unfinished grocery store project, weak personnel and contracting controls, improper severance and compensation issues, late vendor payments, weak procurement and P-card controls, vehicle-use and property-control weaknesses, poor public records access, and IT access and fraud-policy gaps. Greenville’s mayor and staff said the audit largely reflected the prior administration and that the current council and staff are taking corrective action. They said the town terminated the former manager, adopted seven new policies since the audit began, and is working with the Auditor General to improve procurement, financial controls, inventory management, grant oversight, and ethics compliance. The town attorney said he had alerted federal authorities earlier about concerns, and committee members noted that FDLE has received a criminal referral and is investigating. Several members praised the new leadership’s cooperation but also suggested the town consider consolidation or dissolution if problems persist.
WA
Transcript Highlights:
  • Two, the Legislature and Governor Inslee signed authorization legislation in budgetary language in 2023
  • Two, the Legislature and Governor Inslee signed authorization legislation in budgetary language in 2023
  • legislative sessions, I've testified on various bills that pertain to Fish and Wildlife Commission reform
  • While this bill proposal provides partial reforms under option three, it is not being done as part of
  • comprehensive simultaneous reforms, which we believe are necessary to provide meaningful and lasting
Summary: The committee held public hearings on House Bill 2170, which would authorize DNR to enter ecosystem service and carbon contracts on state trust lands, and House Bill 2578, which would add tribal members and alternates to the Fish and Wildlife Commission. For HB 2170, the Department of Natural Resources and supporters said the bill would diversify revenue, help meet climate goals, and allow DNR to participate in emerging carbon and ecosystem markets without necessarily eliminating timber harvest. Opponents, including counties, school districts, timber companies, loggers, and forest industry groups, argued the bill could reduce harvest levels, harm rural jobs and mill supply, and lower revenues for schools and other trust beneficiaries; several said any new authority should be limited to additive projects with stronger safeguards. Supporters included environmental groups and some local officials who said the bill would provide a more stable revenue stream and better align land management with climate and watershed benefits. The chair noted there are two related vehicles in committee, HB 1508 as the negotiated version and HB 2170 as the department version, and the public hearing on HB 2170 was closed after extensive testimony. For HB 2578, staff explained that the bill would add four tribal commissioner positions and four alternates to the Fish and Wildlife Commission, with representation from federally recognized tribes on both sides of the Cascades and staggered terms. Prime sponsor Rep. Deborah Lekanoff said the measure would strengthen co-management and the state’s government-to-government relationship with tribes, while acknowledging there are other related bills and ongoing legal issues involving WDFW. The chair asked whether the bill would affect existing tribal consultation obligations, and Lekanoff said it would not replace government-to-government consultation; she also said she would follow up on how the governor would make appointments. The hearing on HB 2578 was then suspended so the committee could return to HB 2170 testimony. The committee also heard staff briefing and sponsor testimony on House Bill 2544, which would create a pilot process for the Upper Columbia River water rights adjudication. Staff said the bill would require Ecology to run the adjudication in two phases, starting with tribal and federal claimants and allowing time for settlement before bringing in other claims, with a report due by June 2035. Rep. Larry Springer said the bill is intended to establish a baseline of water use more efficiently in a process that can otherwise take decades. After the briefing and sponsor remarks, the committee began public testimony on the bill, with tribal representatives and other stakeholders queued to testify.
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Administration of Criminal Justice May 19th, 2026

Administration of Criminal Justice

Transcript Highlights:
  • acknowledging sentence length over time, and hopefully build out what would be a better understanding of the budgetary
  • I have been an advocate on reform and ankle bracelet monitoring.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • reforms with you all right now.
  • limited reforms, or no reforms.
  • Is it limited reforms or no reforms?
  • this year or even limited reform.
  • And without any reforms pursued this year, especially comprehensive reforms and looking at the reforms
Keywords: 988, house, all
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Monday, February 23, 2026)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • These historic reforms take important first steps to hold PBMs Accountable by delinking PBM compensation
  • This is a pro-patient reform that will ultimately lower costs at the Pharmacy counter and deliver a more
  • on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation, for her work on this important reform
  • BUDGETARY BURDENS AND OPERATIONAL SECURITY RISKS AFFECTING NATIONAL DEFENSE ACTIVITIES.
  • THE FAMILIES OF FLIGHT 5342 WHO'VE BEEN A DRIVING FORCE FOR THE ROAD ACT AND FOR AVIATION SAFETY REFORM
MO
Transcript Highlights:
  • Simply put, the days of excusing budgetary decisions with fund balances and so-called surpluses are simply
  • safety, our administration is also looking to take action on juvenile crime reduction and sentencing reform
  • Juveniles would still remain in juvenile facilities and continue receiving services, but this reform
  • I support the sentencing reforms sponsored by Senators Trent, Nicola, and Carter, and Representatives
  • This reform is about good governance, consistent standards, and ensuring that decisions impacting Missouri
Keywords: 959, house, all
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • Through CalAIM, California has reformed its health care system to better serve high-needs populations
  • The CalFresh time limit rules have been in place since 1996 welfare reform.
  • These are targeted, necessary investments to preserve statewide progress in behavioral health reform,
  • recipients on day one, but we are significantly under the gun in terms of time constraints, given the budgetary
  • recipients on day one, but we are significantly under the gun in terms of time constraints, given the budgetary
Keywords: 988, house, all
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • Another point about this, which people talk about is, well, what about the 2017 tax reforms?
  • It takes advantage of national, international reforms that I will talk about in a second.
  • And the key thing, again, about this reform are two, actually.
  • You've got to make a lot of difficult decisions in these budgetary times.
  • You've got to make a lot of difficult decisions in these budgetary times.
Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on California’s taxation of foreign subsidiaries of U.S. corporations, especially the state’s water’s-edge election versus worldwide combined reporting. Committee members and witnesses discussed how unitary taxation and sales-factor apportionment work, why multinational corporations are a small share of filers but a large share of tax liability, and how foreign income, profit shifting, and double taxation concerns affect policy choices. The Franchise Tax Board explained current filing rules, the seven-year water’s-edge election, and recent filing statistics showing about 21,562 water’s-edge returns in 2023, roughly 6% of C corporation filers but about half of corporate tax liability. The Legislative Analyst’s Office and FTB staff emphasized that revenue effects from eliminating water’s edge are uncertain because foreign affiliate income is not directly observable, and they noted possible revenue volatility and administrative complexity. Several committee members asked about foreign government pushback, the burden on FTB, whether certain industries are more likely to shift profits, and whether companies would leave California; witnesses generally said there was no strong evidence that firms would exit the state because tax liability is driven mainly by California sales. They also discussed how California already administers both methods, how the election can be advantageous or disadvantageous depending on a firm’s facts, and how federal reforms like GILTI/NCTI, CAMT, and OECD Pillar Two may affect the issue. The second panel presented sharply contrasting views. One professor and a tax policy advocate argued that water’s edge creates unfairness, encourages profit shifting, and leaves California with billions in lost revenue, while a Tax Foundation witness argued that mandatory worldwide reporting would tax the wrong income, create double taxation and litigation risk, and impose heavy compliance burdens, especially for foreign-based multinationals. A later panel from the California Budget and Policy Center supported closing the “water’s-edge loophole,” saying it would raise needed revenue for public services and level the playing field between large multinationals and smaller domestic businesses. No vote or formal action was taken; the hearing was informational only.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Legislative Audit Committee Jun 29th, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • So while ADT and TAG are steps in the right direction, more reforms are needed.
  • So while ADT and TAG are steps in the right direction, more reforms are needed.
  • It's been forced to change a lot because of these budgetary issues.
  • And I really believe transfer reform is not really just about movement between institutions.
  • And I do think that more reform is going to come from this audit.
Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit Committee held an oversight hearing on a state audit of California’s community college transfer process, with members and witnesses broadly agreeing that transfer pathways remain too complex and inconsistent. Opening remarks emphasized that community colleges serve a large, diverse, often first-generation and low-income student population, but only about one in five transfer-intending students move to a UC, CSU, or other university within four years. Members highlighted disparities by race, region, campus, and major, and pointed to the Associate Degree for Transfer, TAG, and Cal-GETC as helpful but incomplete tools because requirements still vary across campuses and systems. State Auditor’s Office staff said the audit found that while UC and CSU overall enroll substantial numbers of transfer students, individual campuses and high-demand programs often do not, especially in STEM fields. They described barriers including missing prerequisite courses, unclear information, limited counseling, and inconsistent articulation between campuses. The audit used a computer science example to show how different UC and CSU campuses require different courses for the same major. The audit issued 22 recommendations, with 10 fully implemented and four partially implemented; remaining work centers on articulation, counseling, data sharing, and better use of ASSIST. UC, CSU, and the Community Colleges each said they support transfer and are taking steps to improve it. UC cited a new public dashboard, data-sharing agreements, new transfer pathways, and an ADT pilot at UCLA, while saying campus capacity and program differences limit systemwide mandates. CSU pointed to its strategic plan goals, the Transfer Success Pathway program, direct admissions outreach, and efforts to expand ADT alignment and credit applicability, while acknowledging that many students never reach the application stage. Community Colleges emphasized that transfer reform is central to equity and baccalaureate access, and called for stronger common course numbering, broader ADT acceptance, and more student-centered articulation. Members pressed the systems on why more uniform requirements and better coordination have not been achieved, and on how to reduce barriers for placebound and working students.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

February 2026 State Budget and Economic Forecast Presentation - 2/27/26

Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • 04:53.440><c> FY2627</c> This slide shows a projected FY2627 This slide shows a projected FY2627 budgetary
  • balance for this forecast in budgetary balance for this forecast in the<00:04:57.440><c> middle</c><
  • In these cases, losses of federal funds create a direct budgetary impact to the state.
  • There is also budgetary risk from the fact that some of our state laws do not comply with federal law
  • the budgetary balance going forward.<01:41:02.320><c> Um,</c><01:41:02.639><c> and</c><01:41:02.800>
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
MO

Missouri 2026 Regular Session

Economic Development Feb 17th, 2026 at 08:00 am

Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:
  • What this bill does is focus on three main reforms.
  • We do understand there's a problem, and we hope that there would be legislation reforming lien law and
  • I'm appreciative that it's a budgetary item, which is good, but of course if you were to reduce the budgetary
Keywords: 959, house, all
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • In particular, I'd like to see what we can do around Cal Grant reform.
  • We also advocate for Cal Grant equity reform.
  • Speak because of this horrific budgetary crisis that we're in.
  • I know you uplifted Cal Grant equity reform.
  • As many of you know, I've been active for years in calling for Reforms to the Title IX system within
Keywords: 988, house, all
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

House of Representatives Apr 16th, 2026

Louisiana House Floor Meeting

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and received Senate messages, including several Senate bills and resolutions that were referred or laid over. The chamber also adopted a series of House resolutions honoring local organizations, commemorations, and community events, and referred one resolution on climate action to Natural Resources. Several Senate bills were read and referred to the appropriate committees, including measures on peer review confidentiality, higher education research security, pre-K program standards, police civil service, and a memorial highway designation. The main floor business was the budget. The House considered House Bill 1, the general appropriations bill, in Committee of the Whole and reviewed major funding levels and committee changes across state government. The bill included significant funding for early childhood education, higher education, TOPS, health care, corrections, public safety, transportation, and other agencies, along with adjustments tied to LASERS debt payoff, Medicaid, MFP, and various one-time or recurring items. Members heard brief questions on higher education funding and DOTD road needs, but no amendments were offered on the floor during the schedule-by-schedule review. HB 1 was reported from Committee of the Whole with amendments and then finally passed by a vote of 104 yeas. The House then took up House Bills 2 and 3, the capital outlay bill and the omnibus bond authorization act, both of which were explained as the financing measures for the capital program. HB 2 emphasized limited member project funding, reallocation of dormant projects, and bundling of projects to move them forward more efficiently; HB 3 authorized the bond sales needed to fund HB 2. Both bills passed unanimously or near-unanimously. The chamber also passed supplemental and fiscal bills including HB 312, HB 313, HB 383, HB 314, HCR 3, HB 983, and HB 1126, covering supplemental appropriations, treasury fund transfers, ancillary funds, hospital assessments, judiciary funding, and legislative expenses. The meeting ended with personal privileges, staff recognition, announcements, and adjournment to Monday at 1:00 p.m.
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

House of Representatives Apr 16th, 2026

Louisiana House Floor Meeting