Transcript Highlights:

• SENATORS, AS YOU ARE AWARE, IN JUNE, THE GOVERNOR VETOED A THIRD OF THE LEGISLATIVE BUDGET.
• THE GOVERNOR VETOED FUNDING FOR CRITICAL ECONOMIC ESTIMATING USED TO PUT TOGETHER A BALANCED BUDGET.
• THE BUDGET WAS A HOUSE BILL, AND AS SUCH, THE HOUSE WILL BE SENDING US A VETO OVERRIDE MESSAGE.
• THE GOVERNOR'S OBJECTIONS TO THE CONTRARY NOTWITHSTANDING, REQUEST THE CONCURRENCE OF THE SENATE.
• YET, GOVERNOR'S OBJECTIONS TO THE CONTRARY, REQUEST THE CONCURRENCE OF THE SENATE.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He added that while the budget trend has overall increased, 54 percent of the budget goes to labor.
• 54% of our budget goes to labor.
• The operating budget... Yes.
• And again, I talked about the different attachments to our budget request, and this is Attachment B.
• have a budget.

Summary: The committee received a detailed staff presentation on Washington State Ferries’ capital needs, current fleet status, and long-range funding outlook. Staff described the current service pattern, ridership recovery since the pandemic, the aging fleet, and the state’s plan to add three new hybrid-electric Olympic-class vessels under the 2025 budget, with delivery expected around 2030-2032. Members also heard that the fleet is operating with no reserve vessel, that preservation time is below the desired level, and that terminal electrification and vessel conversion plans face timing, cost, and procurement risks. Questions focused on ridership trends, biofuel supply, design-risk allocation in vessel contracts, sequencing of terminal electrification with new vessel delivery, and the cost and feasibility of restoring international Sidney service, which would require a SOLAS-certified vessel. Staff then outlined ferry capital funding, saying recent spending and programmed needs are far above regular ferry-specific revenues and that the system relies on a mix of dedicated accounts, transportation package money, federal grants, and transfers. They said the near-term budget is balanced through 2027-29, but the longer-term capital outlook shows a shortfall of roughly $250 million to $300 million per biennium, with broader unmet needs much higher. The presentation estimated costs for future vessels, life extensions, terminal electrification, and additional Jumbo Mark II conversions, and noted that the current enacted plan does not fully fund fleet replacement, full electrification, or life extension of older vessels. Members asked for follow-up information on terminal seismic/environmental issues, contract options for additional vessels, and the timing and cost of alternative vessel designs. The committee then shifted to WSDOT maintenance and preservation. Pascoe Focktich described maintenance operations, including winter response, guardrail repair, facilities, equipment, and the effects of underfunding and inflation. He said most of the maintenance budget is fixed cost and labor, that material prices have risen sharply, and that many facilities are in poor condition with asbestos issues and deferred upkeep. He also noted growing guardrail damage, increasing pavement claims, and the burden of maintaining aging bridges and facilities. Members asked about prior planning for these needs, the role of asbestos, and whether more proactive sequencing could help budget decisions. Troy Suing then presented the highway preservation program, saying WSDOT is in the early stages of critical failure and has stretched preservation dollars as far as possible. He explained the distinction between pavement, bridge, and other highway asset preservation, said the department is largely reactive, and estimated that delaying work can make it three to five times more expensive later. He said about 40% of roadways are currently due or overdue for preservation, bridge conditions are nearing the federal poor-bridge threshold, and the department’s 10-year preservation need is about $8 billion. Members asked about the cost of deferring work, whether the department could do more if funded, how priorities are set, and whether other states face similar problems. Finally, Evan Grimm and Mike Fay briefed the committee on bridge strikes by overheight vehicles. They described recent incidents on I-90 near Cle Elum and SR 410 near White River, the damage and closures caused, and possible countermeasures such as public outreach, improved trip-planning tools, and a pilot warning system with sensors and flashing beacons. Fay explained the state’s financial recovery process for third-party damage, saying WSDOT recovers roughly $20 million per biennium and about 78% to 80% of billed damages, with money going to the motor vehicle fund. Members asked about prevention, insurance recovery, and whether the state uses claim data to inform future design or safety changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that requesting a change, up to 14 days without making it mandatory, is a reasonable request
• We gave, well, in our budget last year, we approved $15.5 million for DES.
• Our Humble Hot Dog Cart has become very popular, getting requests to operate.
• Chairman, I actually deleted my request to speak. I know. It’s a request if you come up.
• There are some concerns with a couple pieces of the data that's currently being requested.

Bills: HB2118, HB2181, HB2308, HB2309, HB2402, HB2476, HB2682, HB2698, HB2875, HB2877, HB2903, HB2910

Keywords: mobile food vendors, licensure, food safety, statewide regulations, health standards, zoning, temporary vendors, HB2181, death certificate, death certificates, vital records, funeral establishment, funeral home, human remains, medical certification of death, death registration, state registrar, local registrar, county medical examiner, alternate medical examiner

Transcript Highlights:

• There is a fiscal note that was requested. Thank you so much for that, Tim.
• A fiscal note has been requested and not yet received. That concludes my remarks.
• We are respectfully requesting the addition of language to ensure this...
• A fiscal note has been requested for this bill.
• Thank you so much, and thank you for submitting your written request from it.

Bills: SB5865, SB5880, SB5912, SB5837, SB5855

Keywords: garnishment, debt, form standardization, financial protection, legal processes, toxicology testing, laboratories, accreditation, public health, standards, indigent defense, task force, criminal justice, legal aid, public defense, guardianship, conservatorship, protective arrangement, protective arrangements, supported decision-making

Transcript Highlights:

• We just finished our Medicaid request.
• A family's budget from their own income is also really important.
• So, I know there's always a request for that to happen.
• juvenile justice budget, which is primarily on secure facilities.
• So, here's how we have to talk about the budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• MQA has submitted a legislative budget request for consideration during the upcoming legislative session
• It will reopen after we have distributed this set of funds and if this program is in the budget for next
• for the 3,500 ...nearly 10,000 voucher requests for the 3,500 vouchers that we actually have available
• The department has submitted a legislative budget request to continue with this project.
• I'm just curious about whether there's a certain budget and whether it's limited to certain areas of

Summary: The Health Professions and Program Subcommittee met for an introductory and oversight briefing from the Florida Department of Health on implementation of several 2024 laws. The committee heard first from Jennifer Winhold on practitioner-regulation measures, including SB 1716 and SB 1600, which expanded workforce pathways through foreign-trained physician licensure, area-of-critical-need temporary certificates for APRNs and physician assistants, graduate assistant physician licenses, interstate compacts, and a new universal licensure-by-endorsement process. She also reviewed HB 197 on massage therapy enforcement, HB 975 on broader background screening, HB 1561 on office-surgery and liposuction safeguards, HB 159 on pharmacist HIV post-exposure prophylaxis certification, and HB 1063 on chiropractic dry needling and foreign degree licensure. Members asked about compact scope, foreign graduate requirements, massage enforcement overlap with DBPR, and registration thresholds for liposuction procedures. Dr. Emma Spencer then outlined implementation of SB 76 and related programs, including changes to the FRAME and dental loan repayment programs, the volunteer health care provider program, the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program, the Health Care Innovation Council and revolving loan program, and the Andrew John Anderson Pediatric Rare Disease Grant Program. She said the department had updated portals, posted forms, launched or was developing public search tools, and submitted required reports and contracts. Members questioned whether loan repayment funds were reaching rural and underserved areas, how nonprofit applicants were being informed about the Alphonse screening grant program, the short application window for that grant, and how the department would evaluate whether the programs were improving recruitment and retention. A third presentation, delivered by Mike Mason standing in for Shea Holloway, covered maternal and child health and other public health initiatives. He reported on the telehealth maternity care program’s expansion from a pilot in Duval and Orange counties to 23 counties, the pregnancy-and-parenting resources website required by HB 415, CMV newborn screening requirements under SB 168, sickle cell registry and research grants under HB 7085, and the swim lessons voucher program under SB 544, which received nearly 10,000 requests for 3,500 vouchers and enrolled 86 facilities. Members asked about utilization, marketing, website launch timing, and how the department was promoting these services. No bills were voted on; the meeting concluded with the chair noting that more committee presentations and bills would follow and that briefing materials would be distributed to members.

Transcript Highlights:

• Accordingly, we request that you recommend the language proposed by the union on Article 23.
• For these reasons, we request that you recommend the union's proposals on Article 25.
• For these reasons, we request that you recommend the union's proposals on Article 25.
• Right now, the Forest Service has only four helicopter pilots for seven budgeted positions.
• They have refused to discuss in a meaningful way any of our requests.

Summary: The Joint Select Committee on Collective Bargaining met to hear impasse presentations from the Department of Management Services and several bargaining units. The department reported that most articles had been resolved in each of the full-book contracts, with remaining disputes centered largely on wages and a handful of non-economic issues. For the FDLE special agents, security services, law enforcement, Florida Highway Patrol, and Florida State Fire Service units, the state described its wage offers as generally a 2% competitive increase plus a 3% special pay increase, along with various bonuses, retention funds, or career-development funding in some units. The department also said it wanted to keep existing language on work schedules, seniority, grooming, equipment, grievance procedures, and other items, often characterizing its changes as housekeeping or alignment with current practice. The department noted that insurance had been agreed to with no increased employee cost, and it confirmed that correctional officers do receive overtime pay. Representatives for the Florida State Fire Service Association strongly disputed the state’s position, arguing that firefighters should not be required to perform major construction work, that their work schedules and on-call/callback arrangements unfairly suppress overtime, and that wildfire and fire-rescue employees are underpaid and underprotected. They also pressed for better compensation for EMT/paramedic-certified firefighters, additional protective clothing, on-site decontamination and shower/laundry facilities, and stronger cancer-prevention language. The association said the state had not bargained in good faith and urged the committee to support the union’s proposals. The Police Benevolent Association’s Florida Highway Patrol unit focused on wages and a career development plan, saying troopers remain underpaid compared with other states and are leaving for better-paying agencies. It also sought a veteran stipend, broader grooming/tattoo language, safety improvements for high-mileage vehicles, and changes to seniority and inflation-related pay. The PBA law enforcement unit raised similar safety concerns about aging vehicles, sought limits on performance evaluations tied to case presentations, and requested a $7,000 across-the-board wage increase. The security services unit, representing correctional officers, probation officers, and ISS officers, said its main issue was wages and asked for an $8-per-hour starting pay increase, retention bonuses, special pay for death row and close-management staff, added pay for SOTEC officers, and overtime pay for lieutenants and captains who currently receive comp time instead. No votes were taken, no public testimony followed, and the committee adjourned after taking the presentations under advisement.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll be with Local Government and Capital Budget. My name is Taya Rayleigh.
• And we have a request into the Governor's Office for restarting that grant program.
• We know the budget In the software, but we were disappointed when no funding was allocated.
• So it was like a group ask, a group request.
• We’re going to get the request for information or have a decision done by those six weeks.

Summary: The Local Government Committee met in work session and heard a series of presentations on SEPA, permitting reforms, and building code implementation. Department of Ecology staff gave an overview of the State Environmental Policy Act, explaining its role in state and local decision-making, common exemptions, planned actions, and recent housing-related statutory changes such as transit-oriented development exemptions and SEPA appeals protections for certain local ordinances. Committee members asked about repeated SEPA reviews, cultural and historic resource review, and how SEPA relates to NEPA; Ecology responded that repeated reviews usually occur when proposals change and that programmatic EISs can help front-load analysis. Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections described how recent SEPA exemptions reduced residential review volume and supported more housing permits, and said the city is considering raising thresholds further. The State Building Code Council provided an update on code adoption timelines and legislative tasks tied to the 2024 codes, including single-stair housing, multiplex housing, dwelling unit size, and temporary emergency shelter standards. Council staff said the content of the codes is largely set, but administrative timelines have been delayed, prompting a motion to postpone final adoption while pursuing ways to preserve the planned implementation schedule. Members asked about the timing of code changes and the impact on housing costs, and staff said the legislative topics remain on track for inclusion in the 2024 code package. Committee staff then reviewed recent permitting legislation, including SB 5290’s permit decision deadlines and fee-refund provisions, later bills limiting pre-application meetings and clarifying that building permits are excluded from those timelines, and project-specific changes affecting middle housing, ADUs, lot splits, passive house projects, self-certification, transit-oriented development, and parking requirements. Commerce’s Dave Anderson reported on SB 5290 implementation, including guidance on permit fees, studies on staffing and statewide permitting systems, grants to local governments, and the first annual performance report, which showed mixed results and highlighted the importance of digital tools, clear checklists, staff training, and coordination across departments. Local officials from Issaquah and Kitsap County described their own process improvements, including code updates, optional pre-application meetings, new staffing, reporting systems, and a phased “Two by Six” review model in Kitsap, while also noting challenges from staffing shortages, agency coordination, and the burden of implementing multiple new mandates.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yield for questions and request the ability to close. Absolutely.
• Yield for questions and request the ability to close. Absolutely.
• Hurley, thinking about the budget and what will be required for a medical school in terms of the cost
• But I'm just wanting to know what the impact is going to be on our budget with having another medical
• Hurley thinking about the budget and, and we, or Dr.

Bills: HB42, HB125

Keywords: special prosecutor, state law, criminal justice, accountability, law enforcement, stormwater management, counties, regulation, environment, water quality

Summary: The Committee on Higher Education met to hear several bills and first corrected the minutes from its April 1, 2025 meeting to reflect that a committee substitute for HB 271 had been adopted before the bill was reported favorably. The committee then heard HB 3326, which would help Texas higher education employees, especially adjunct faculty, qualify for federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness by counting classroom hours toward full-time status, requiring institutions to verify employment within 60 days, and requiring annual notice to eligible employees. No witnesses testified against the bill, and it was left pending. Members then heard HB 2853, authorizing UTEP to phase in a student union fee increase to fund demolition and reconstruction of its aging student union. Representative Perez and UTEP student and university witnesses said the current facility is outdated and insufficient for a campus of more than 25,000 students, while some members raised concerns about the size of the fee increase and its impact on low-income students. UTEP representatives said most students receive aid, the fee would be phased in over time, and the project was student-approved; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4066, a one-line bill to abolish the Texas Research Incentive Program after the state cleared its backlog of matching obligations, with the author saying the program was no longer needed in light of newer research funding approaches. The bill was left pending. The committee spent substantial time on HB 125, which would create the Tarleton State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Supporters, including Tarleton leadership, the founding dean, a rural hospital CEO, and a feasibility consultant, argued the school would address severe rural physician shortages by recruiting Texas and rural students, training them in rural settings, and developing new residency slots rather than competing for existing ones. Members asked about affordability, residency placement, and whether the school would draw students from rural Texas; Tarleton said it would seek to keep tuition and debt low, had already raised private donations, and would request $25 million in state support over the biennium. The bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard HB 42, which would increase the annual Higher Education Fund appropriation and adjust its allocation methodology. The chair and university witnesses described rising deferred maintenance, inflation, cybersecurity needs, and enrollment growth at HEAF-eligible institutions, with witnesses from Texas Tech, Sam Houston State, and UNT saying the additional funding would help address aging facilities and technology needs. After testimony, the committee left HB 42 pending and recessed.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's something that we have requested year over year for additional FTE.
• a widespread issue of budgeting or employing people in your department?
• And so there are three, just adding this per the request of the department to be part of this.
• Madam Chair, I would like to request a t-shirt, though.
• They request capital outlay for it.

Transcript Highlights:

• He did request that a roll call be called.
• To put them in the budget.
• There's been a unanimous consent request.
• So the first action that is taken is there will be a vote at the request of the objection, at the request
• The request is to go to your committee. Mr.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• budget budget good<00:09:52.880><c> Janelle</c><00:09:53.240><c> Taylor</c><00:09:53.600><c> with</c
• Like, do these agencies submit requests to you guys to sort through?
• And, of course, your budget-making process is much more condensed and intense.
• </c><01:08:25.199><c> making</c> of course your your budget making of course your your budget making
• </c><01:09:15.000><c> have</c> us but they always uh the requests have us but they always uh the requests

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We had four items referred over today from Joint Budget due to time constraints.
• These are ones we heard in Joint Budget today that were referred over.
• These were both bills that were on the agenda in Joint Budget and were referred over.
• I'm charged with holding the budget as flat as I can, so my request would be to do it in the general
• session, understanding that that is a request.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The public has full access to that, if I'm correct, so they can request that.
• of DOE and NNSA, again, at the request of the committee.
• Therefore, we are requesting general fund support to work on water reuse in our FY27 budget request.
• It's not in their budget. It's not in their plan.
• for the budget to clean up Los Alamos, you won't get the budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• The total value of those requests is significant.
• Through about 2016, IT projects were about 10% of the state's budget.
• Madam Chair, there's no specific action that's being requested.
• Discussion about the budget we were closing in on about 14 million in terms of our operations budget.
• Part of our budget actually goes to payments to them to.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was requested to do this by the Senate so everybody knows what's happening here, because of last week
• The refusal to leave upon my request will result in arrest for trespass.
• Presented last year, it went in the budget. And so right now it can't take effect truly.
• You remember last year, Senate Bill 1749, which was the budget bill.
• Chair, Senator Rogers, did DPS request this in their executive budget? Do you know?

Bills: SB1152, SB1156, SB1157, SB1213, SB1232, SB1268

Keywords: immigration, public benefits, asylum, verification, Arizona Revised Statutes, appropriation, public safety, detention, unauthorized aliens, local government funding, border security, fencing, appropriations, southern border, local government, immigration enforcement, probation, law enforcement, court notification, civil rights

Transcript Highlights:

• There is some state dollars that have been requested by Who We Play For in appropriations.
• I think $975,000 is what they requested this year, and I think they've gotten that in the past.
• But that funding will be requested this year. You recognize.
• If Florida's budget had all of its eggs in one basket, Medicaid would be that basket.
• Madam Chair, I think it's really probably just to align with our annual budgeting process.

Summary: The Health Policy Committee heard and advanced several health-related bills. SB 1546 on background screening for athletic coaches was explained as another extension of the deadline for coaches to be added to the background screening clearinghouse; it passed favorably with support from athletic and youth sports organizations. SB 958 on type 1 diabetes early detection was amended to match the House version, requiring the Department of Health to provide school districts, school boards, and charter schools with informational materials for parents; it was reported favorably as a committee substitute. CS/SB 1070 on electrocardiograms for student athletes drew extensive discussion about sudden cardiac arrest prevention, implementation timelines, costs, funding through private and public sources, and whether insurance, KidCare, or Medicaid should cover screenings; after supportive testimony from school and athletic groups, it was reported favorably as a committee substitute. The committee also heard SB 1060, which would create a joint legislative oversight committee for Medicaid managed care to review encounter data, financials, audits, and rebate calculations with assistance from an actuary and the Auditor General. The sponsor and several senators framed it as a transparency and verification measure in response to large mid-year Medicaid funding increases and concerns about network adequacy and vertical integration; it passed favorably. CS/SB 944, which shortens the insurer overpayment recovery look-back period for claims involving psychologists from 30 months to 12 months, also passed favorably with support from the Florida Psychological Association. SB 1370, moving ambulatory surgical centers into their own statute rather than under hospital licensure provisions, was supported by surgery center representatives and reported favorably. The committee approved SB 768, as amended, to narrow the foreign-country-of-concern licensure attestation for health care entities to direct controlling interests and clarify the “reasonable efforts” standard; it passed after questions about how the standard would work in practice. SB 1544 on opticianry prompted significant debate over whether the bill would limit nonlicensed staff in ophthalmology and optometry settings; after a proposed amendment was withdrawn and multiple witnesses spoke both for and against, the bill was temporarily postponed. Finally, the committee adopted a strike-all amendment to SB 1808 requiring health care practitioners and facilities to refund patient overpayments within 30 days, with enforcement through AHCA fines or professional discipline, and then reported the bill favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're not requesting it. I've got two individuals from LBB, Mark Wiles and James O'Connor.
• Mark Wiles with the Legislative Budget Board, and with me is James O'Connor.
• James O'Connor, Legislative Budget Board. Thank you.
• There might be an offset in General Revenue elsewhere in the agency's budget. Excuse me, budget.
• No, I just did, because the Senate's already sent the budget.

Bills: SB2122, SB2050, HB16

Keywords: oil and gas waste, application fees, permit amendments, environmental regulation, Texas natural resources, battery recycling, battery disposal, consumer batteries, energy storage modules, electrochemical devices, lithium-ion battery, household hazardous waste, solid waste, municipal recycling, waste management, battery stewardship, producer responsibility, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, recycling program

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair and members, Senate Bill 1330 grants a parent the right to request a jury trial to award
• This legislation doesn't create budget increases for the court.
• Obviously, budget is always a concern, but OAH has consisted...
• Obviously, budget is always a concern, but OAH has consistently had the same operating budget since I've
• Have you managed a budget of that size ever before? For the last couple of years, I have.

Summary: The Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee heard several election, victims’ rights, family court, and probation-related measures. SB 1425, an emergency bill moving Arizona’s primary election date earlier and adjusting related election timelines, was amended to move the primary to the second-to-last Tuesday in July and to remove the proposed compression of cure/ID deadlines; county officials supported it, and it received a do pass recommendation. SB 1289 and SCR 1013/SCR 1014 focused on foreign money in election administration and ballot measure campaigns, with supporters arguing the bills would close loopholes that allow foreign-backed funding to influence elections; some members raised concerns about breadth and enforcement, but both measures advanced. SB 1402 would require probationers on certain sex-offense-related monitoring to pay the cost of electronic monitoring; supporters said it would improve accountability and child safety, while opponents warned it could punish indigent people and divert money from treatment. It also received a do pass recommendation. The committee spent substantial time on family court bills. SB 1330 would allow a parent with less than 35% parenting time or no legal decision-making authority to request a jury trial in custody-related disputes; supporters described severe financial and emotional harm in family court and argued juries would provide a neutral check, while county and legal representatives opposed the bill as costly, slow, and ill-suited to specialized child-welfare decisions. Despite those objections, SB 1330 passed with a do pass recommendation. SB 1328, as amended, declared Arizona public policy to include protecting parents and a child’s right to equal access to both co-parents; supporters said it would clarify legislative intent, while opponents called it duplicative of existing law. It also passed. The committee also heard SB 1329, which would let parents sue court-appointed professionals in custody and parenting-time matters if the professional deviated from licensing ethics or standards. Supporters argued that quasi-judicial immunity and weak oversight have allowed harmful, expensive practices in family court, while opponents said existing malpractice and licensing remedies already exist and warned against expanding litigation. The bill received a do pass recommendation. SB 1326, allowing courts to award attorney fees and costs to victims when a party violates or worsens a victim-rights violation, also passed after supporters said it would help pro bono and victims’ attorneys enforce rights, and opponents said the term “exacerbates” was vague and the need was unclear. The committee approved the minutes and held SB 1285 and SB 1392 without hearing them.

Transcript Highlights:

• The New Mexico Environment Department must review leak detection and response plans and request updates
• We actually think the amendments continue to go too far at this juncture, and again we would request
• It's requested around wells that are in Children's Health Protection Zones.
• Operating budget impacts. And so, do you guys have a plan in place to make up that funding? Mr.
• We're working on placing this request into the bill. Okay, so, Mr.