Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Stevens pointed out, they Representative Stevens pointed out, they are<01:22:21.560> engineered
• 01:22:22.560> for<01:22:22.960> addiction<01:22:23.920> and Algorithms are engineered

Bills: HF1392, HF2233, HF695, HF2228, HF1289

Keywords: consumer protection, restitution, attorney general, consumer enforcement, unclaimed funds, victim compensation, settlement funds, special revenue fund, general fund, restitution account, consumer fraud, state treasury, eligible consumers, distribution of funds, tax subtraction, income tax, refund, unpaid compensation, Minnesota Department of Revenue, consumer redress

Transcript Highlights:

• The engineer has a plan to help work on that. Gotcha. We can move along. Good to know.
• The engineer has a plan to help work on that. Gotcha. We can move along. Good to know.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 118 in executive session and adopted Amendment 0882H, which would remove the House and Senate members from the Child Care Commission while leaving the commission in place. Members said the amendment was a continuation of earlier committee discussion and supported it as a needed change. The committee then voted 12-0 to recommend ought to pass as amended, and HB 118 was placed on consent. The committee next considered House Bill 142, dealing with Gold Star Mother’s Day. The sponsor explained that the bill was unnecessary because existing statute already directs the governor to issue a proclamation for Gold Star Mother’s Day and to urge appropriate observance, including flag-related ceremonies. Several members discussed how to ensure the proclamation and flag observance would happen and whether the committee report should note the existing statute. Other members said they would oppose killing the bill because the recognition was important. The committee voted 9-3 to table/ITL the bill, and HB 142 was declared inexpedient to legislate. The final major item was a public hearing on a non-germane amendment to House Bill 456, with a related draft amendment also discussed. The sponsor said the amendment would raise the annual membership allowance from $20 to $75, rename fees as dues, prohibit dues from being used to pay lobbyists, require NHMA dues to be brought before voters as a separate warrant article for transparency, and require separate accounting so lobbying funds are not co-mingled with other funds. Supporters said the goal was to keep taxpayer-derived money from funding lobbying while preserving non-lobbying services such as legal advice and training. Opponents argued the proposal was an overreach and would micromanage local towns. No vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• machine cut, and they damage cores, ignition lock pins, and rotor mechanisms because they are not engineered
• machine cut, and they damage cores, ignition lock pins, and rotor mechanisms because they are not engineered

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Members of 18 Minnesota gathered and developed a plan that would re-engineer how disability services
• How do we bring people together to re-engineer disability services for the sub-severe and substantial

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We could reverse engineer it in our minds.
• Frentz and Senator Matthews, I'd be happy to follow up with you, and I would be happy to reverse engineer

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Bills: SB2969, SB3263, SB2602, SB3229, SB3199, SB2550, SB2877, SB3325, SB2024, SB2614, SB2613, SB3063, SB2319, SB2800, SB2892, SB2321, SB2407, SB2805, SB2153, SB2595, SB2781, SB3233, SB2360, SB1432, SB2543, SB2599, SB3053, SB2001, SB2041, SB3247, SB3253, SB2401, SB2673, SB3067, SB411, SB2934, SB3219, SB2919, SB2239, SB2532, SB2601, SB1032, SB2446, SB2152, SB2721, SB3076, SB3140, SB2671, SB2338, SB2268, SB99, SB2930, SB3069, SB3096, SB3097, SB3090, SB2060, SB3028, SB2544, SB2069, SB2552, SB3218, SB3022, SB148, SB2259, SB2578, SB2928, SB2816, SB2580

Keywords: SB2969, Maui wildfire, Maui wildfires, wildfire exposure, Maui Health Registry, University of Hawaii, public health, biomonitoring, medical screening, mental health services, trauma recovery, disaster recovery, first responders, kupuna, children's health, medically vulnerable, environmental exposure, toxic exposure, respiratory illness, community health

Transcript Highlights:

• bring<00:39:26.960> to<00:39:27.119> ISO<00:39:27.599> New<00:39:27.760> Engine
• <00:39:27.920> would<00:39:28.160> be<00:39:28.320> subject bring to ISO New Engine
• would be subject bring to ISO New Engine would be subject to<00:39:28.720> review<00:39:29.040

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've identified post-COVID that in our attorneys, engineers, and all of our administrative positions
• Senator Flores: ...where it was more social engineering instead of facts, and then what the end result
• Chair: ...I do want to address the office of public service engineering.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a software engineer. It's arrogant to assert that a system has no bugs.
• Um I'm a software<01:19:35.360> engineering.<01:19:36.640> Um software engineering.
• Um software engineering.

Keywords: 916, all

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's the engine of Colorado's workforce.
• It's the<01:55:22.719> engine<01:55:23.040> of<01:55:23.280> Colorado's<01:55:23.920
• <01:55:24.639> It's the engine of Colorado's workforce.
• It's the engine of Colorado's workforce.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Small businesses are the engine of Colorado. Small businesses are the engine of America.
• He's like an engineer. He can design, create things, do all kinds of stuff with it.
• He's like an engineer. He can design, create things, do all kinds of stuff with it.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• across the country, have been in the workforce in different types of work from manual labor to engineering
• /c><01:17:53.440> labor<01:17:53.840> to<01:17:54.719> uh<01:17:54.960> engineering
• work from manual labor to uh engineering work from manual labor to uh engineering uh<01:17:56.159

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Corey Clark, and I'm the chief engineer for the Dam Bureau at the New Hampshire Department
• c><01:55:47.840> I'm<01:55:48.000> the<01:55:48.080> chief<01:55:48.320> engineer
• Corey Clark and I'm the chief engineer Corey Clark and I'm the chief engineer for<01:55:48.800><

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And if I cannot plan, um, I'm an engineer, okay? I like to plan out three, five, six years.
• And if I cannot plan, um, I'm<02:54:15.920> an<02:54:16.080> engineer,<02:54:16.640>
• 16.880> I<02:54:17.120> like<02:54:17.279> to<02:54:17.439> plan I'm an engineer
• I like to plan I'm an engineer, okay?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• own two sisters, who are two of the first women to study STEM to become some of the first women engineers
• <01:50:26.239> the<01:50:26.320> first<01:50:26.480> women<01:50:26.800> engineers
• become some of the first women engineers become some of the first women engineers in<01:50:27.360

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Finance Committee opened a public hearing on House Bills 1 and 2, which concern the governor’s proposed FY 2026-2027 budget. The chair explained that the committee must fit the budget to House Ways and Means revenue, which is about $800 million below the governor’s estimate in an almost $16 billion budget. He also noted a projected current-budget overspend, the impact of recently passed legislation, possible fee updates, no new tax proposals at that time, and the importance of federal funding and Medicaid stability. Testimony was limited to three minutes, with the chair asking speakers to avoid duplication. Much of the testimony focused on Medicaid, disability services, and home- and community-based care. Speakers urged the committee to restore or protect funding for transportation, Medicaid, day programs, in-home supports, and behavioral health services. Several individuals and providers described how cuts would affect people with disabilities, medically fragile children, and families who rely on services to remain employed and avoid institutional care. A home care provider argued that a proposed 3% Medicaid cut would increase hospitalizations and costs, while a behavioral health representative asked for sustainable Medicaid rates, uncompensated care support, housing resources, and continued funding for community behavioral health clinics. Another major topic was the Group II retirement provisions in HB 2 for public safety workers. Representatives from police, fire, corrections, probation/parole, and related associations testified in support, saying prior pension changes hurt recruitment and retention, pushed experienced workers to neighboring states, and should be reversed to restore promised benefits. They argued the provisions would help keep public safety careers viable and honor commitments made to first responders. An executive counselor also warned that when the state shifts costs away from itself, local property taxpayers bear the burden, and she opposed cost shifts such as Medicaid premiums and universal vouchers. A separate speaker urged funding public schools rather than universal vouchers, arguing vouchers can leave other students behind as resources are diverted.

Transcript Highlights:

• You get a car wreck, we get two fire engines, which is required.
• <04:21:16.680> two<04:21:17.000> two<04:21:17.199> fire<04:21:17.399> engines
• <04:21:17.800> which wreck we get two two fire engines which wreck we get two two fire engines

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House Bill 2 retirement provisions, focusing on Group Two/Tier B changes in pages 25-39. Jan Goodwin of the New Hampshire Retirement System and deputy chief counsel Mark Kavanaugh explained that the 2025 bill is largely similar to prior versions, but it restores certain pre-2011 benefit rules for Tier B members, including changes to average final compensation and earnable compensation, and it also addresses the annuity multiplier for years of service. Members discussed the tier structure, with Tier A referring to vested members, Tier B to those hired before 11/1/12 who were not vested, and Tier C to later hires. Several members expressed concern that the bill’s purpose was to restore Tier B benefits, not to change Tier A rules or create broader changes affecting newer hires. The retirement system flagged two likely drafting problems. First, it said a provision appears to omit a special-duty/earnable-compensation limitation in the Group Two section, which they believed was a scrivener’s error caused by moving language out of the Group One definition without adding it back for Group Two. Second, they noted the bill’s multiplier language overlaps with changes already enacted in HB 1647, which increased the multiplier for service beyond 15 years for Group Two and carried an estimated $26 million cost. The committee discussed that HB 1647 was originally broader in the House, but the Senate narrowed it to Tier B only. The actuary’s comparison of the 2023 and 2025 HB 2 versions showed the bills are close, but the 2025 version differs in funding and timing. Staff said the 2025 bill appropriates $2.5 million more per year for 10 years, and that, together with updated actuarial assumptions and a larger share of the affected tier having already retired or otherwise left service, results in a larger reduction in unfunded liability than the 2023 bill: about $98.2 million versus $68.5 million. Employer contribution impacts were described as small overall, though the 2025 bill was said to be somewhat more favorable than the 2023 version. Members also questioned why House Bill 1 only funds $5 million in the first year, and staff said that was tied to the governor’s revenue estimate and that the full funding does not begin immediately. No votes were taken in the portion provided; the committee mainly received testimony, asked clarifying questions, and noted that some issues would be addressed in the fiscal note worksheet.

Transcript Highlights:

• He remembered testifying three years ago with an industrial engineer specializing in hygiene talking
• :55:51.160> with<04:55:51.798> uh<04:55:52.200> Industrial<04:55:53.200> Engineer
• years ago uh with uh Industrial Engineer years ago uh with uh Industrial Engineer specializing<04

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee opened with House Bill 184, which would create a committee to study changing school start times. Members discussed Amendment 0394, which made the study committee’s duties more investigative and adjusted reporting recipients, including the Governor. Several members raised questions about whether the committee should review evidence-based studies, local district decisions, and existing district reports; supporters said the amendment would better allow the committee to gather information and recognize local control. The amendment passed 17-0, and the bill as amended also passed 17-0. Representative Litchfield noted that no one had testified in opposition and encouraged the future study committee to review an Oyster River School District report on school start times. The committee then took up House Bill 394, concerning cooperative school district budget committees and board member representatives. Amendment 0476 was adopted 17-0 after discussion that it clarified the bill’s language and reflected work with the School Boards Association. The committee then voted OTPA on the bill, which also passed 17-0. House Bill 738, requiring background checks for employees and volunteers at certain non-public schools or education service providers receiving public funds, was moved inexpedient to legislate. Supporters said the bill would create practical and legal problems for private citizens and homeschooling families, and the motion passed 15-2 with no minority report, placing the bill on consent. The committee next considered House Bill 235, which would amend the educator code of ethics and conduct to add responsibilities to parents. Supporters argued parents should be explicitly included in the code, while opponents said parents were already covered in existing ethics language and statute. The bill passed narrowly, 9-8. The committee then returned to House Bill 532 on alternate dispute resolution and individualized education plan team meeting facilitation. Amendment 0480H clarified that different rules would apply separately to neutral conference, mediation, and IEP facilitation; it passed 17-0, and the bill as amended also passed 17-0. Finally, the committee moved to House Bill 564, concerning adoption of school administrative unit budgets, and voted to retain the bill for further review because members said there was still confusion about how it would apply to single-district and multi-district SAUs.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am the administrator for the Wastewater Engineering Bureau at New Hampshire DES.
• for is Tracy wood I am the administrator for the<01:01:13.000> Wastewater<01:01:13.839> engineering
• /c><01:01:14.400> Bureau<01:01:14.799> at<01:01:14.960> New the Wastewater engineering
• Bureau at New the Wastewater engineering Bureau at New Hampshire Hampshire Hampshire Dees<01:01:17.079

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard an overview from the Agriculture Commissioner on the department’s major divisions and staffing. He described the Office of the Commissioner, Agricultural Development, Pesticides, Regulatory Services, Weights and Measures, Animal Industry, Plant Industry, and Soil Conservation, noting that many programs are federally funded or supported by dedicated fees and fines. He said the department has 44 full-time positions plus one DoIT employee shared with other agencies, and that HR services are now contracted through Administrative Services. He also explained that Soil Conservation is administratively attached to the department and funded through Moose Plate grants and county contributions, not direct state funding. Members asked about specific program functions and issues, including weights and measures inspections, animal health, bird flu response, internships, invasive species, and the Big E/New Hampshire building. The commissioner said weights and measures covers nearly all commercial measuring devices and products sold by weight, and that inspectors are currently part-time police officers, though the department is discussing removing that requirement. He said the department is actively involved in bird flu monitoring, including regular calls with USDA and the state veterinarian and collecting milk samples from dairy farms. On invasive species, he focused on Japanese knotweed and bittersweet, saying the department has only one staff person working on the issue, mainly as a coordinator with DOT and towns, and that eradication is extremely difficult. He also said the department does not run student internships and refers inquiries to UNH Cooperative Extension. The committee discussed budget and revenue issues, including three new general fund positions, one of which is the assistant commissioner and another a biological scientist for invasive species. The commissioner said the department had been in “triage mode,” that an assistant commissioner was needed because of workload, and that the department is a net positive to the General Fund each year. He said some fees and fines have not been updated in decades and would require legislation to change, including a proposed $5 fee for each animal database certificate to help fund a system that costs about $250,000 annually to maintain. In response to questions about budget reductions, he said the department protected personnel, reduced the cost-of-care fund, fair grants, and land preservation funding to about $25,000 each, and did not plan to buy new vehicles or computers. He also said he could not support including the $50,000 Conservation District resilience grant program in his budget under the current reduction targets, though he remained hopeful it might be funded another way.