Transcript Highlights:

• spending needs arise.
• be at risk of overspending its capital budget limit if a large spending need came about.
• Capital budget limit deficits.
• In our budget planning, we're going to spend less than our budget limit capacity and have additional
• are kept within the limit.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee first heard the January 2026 follow-up to the special audit of the Arizona State Board of Chiropractic Examiners. The auditor’s contractor reported that the board had implemented or was in the process of implementing most of the 28 recommendations from the 2024 audit, but three remained unimplemented: resolving complaints within 180 days and two open meeting law recommendations. The follow-up also identified new concerns about outdated or incomplete public disciplinary records and the lack of a complete public records request log and response procedures. Committee members pressed the board on open meeting compliance, complaint delays, transparency, and lobbying activities, while the executive director said the board had adopted new policies, added staff and investigators, created an intake committee, improved complaint prioritization, and was transitioning to a new licensing platform. She also said the board had ended broad subpoenas, improved conflict-of-interest tracking, and was working to formalize its practices in rule. The committee did not take a vote or other formal action in the transcript provided. The committee then received the Arizona school district financial risk analysis for January 2026. The Auditor General’s office reported that the number of highest-risk districts increased from two to nine, and districts approaching the highest-risk category increased from seven to nine. The presentation explained the financial risk measures used, common risk patterns among the highest-risk districts, and the district action plans posted on the report website. Tucson Unified School District was used as an example of a highest-risk district, and Scottsdale Unified as an approaching-highest-risk district. Members asked about declining enrollment, reserve balances, negative fund balances, and the use of capital monies for operations. Sierra Vista Unified School District then presented its response to being identified as financially at risk. The superintendent said she had recently taken over and was implementing a turnaround plan that included a school closure, staffing reductions through attrition, spending freezes, tighter purchase controls, a three-year sustainable spending plan, and efforts to stabilize enrollment through outreach, customer-service changes, and alternative program offerings. She also said the district was redirecting some capital assistance to operations, renegotiating contracts, and improving communication with families and staff. Committee members questioned the district about declining enrollment, instructional spending, school safety, academic performance, and whether the action plan adequately addressed those issues. No formal vote or action was taken on the school district item in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it wouldn't change the total limits. It would just allow them to spend up to 75%.
• So it wouldn't change the total limits. It would just allow them to spend up to 75%.
• So it wouldn't change the total limits. It would just allow them to spend up to 75%.
• Perfect. would just allow them to spend up to would just allow them to spend up to 75%.<00:24:20.320>
• campaign spending commission amounts but campaign spending commission amounts but we<00:24:52.880>

Bills: HB389, HB469, HB1510, HB1573, HB1705, HB1858, HB1875, HB1946, HB1961, HB1962, HB2001, HB2093, HB2096, HB2097

Keywords: HB389, uncrewed aircraft, drone, drones, UAS, unmanned aerial vehicle, misuse of uncrewed aircraft, criminal offense, felony enhancement, drone crime, public safety, police, deputy sheriff, fire department, intoxicated operation, registration number tampering, property damage, bodily injury, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Package, Hawaii Revised Statutes

Transcript Highlights:

• Please adhere to these limits limits limits so<00:01:43.120> that<00:01:43.360> all<00:
• spending in American elections. spending in American elections.
• spending to influence elections. spending to influence elections.
• Spending in elections should be limited to actual people, and all large contributions should be disclosed
• . spend. spend.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 44, Senator Balden's campaign spending limit study is long overdue and helped set reasonable
• Section 44, Senator Boldon's campaign spending limit study is long overdue and helped set reasonable
• Section 44, Senator Boldon's campaign spending limit study is long overdue and helped set reasonable
• Section 44, Senator Boldon's campaign spending limit study is long overdue and helped set reasonable
• Campaign spending limit study is long overdue and helped set reasonable limits.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, because in order to spend it, if we don’t have it, you can’t spend it, but we probably had it
• So that's the statutory limit.
• Another way to think about that is we're going to spend at least 75 percent on our state assets and limit
• Should we limit the priority five to the five times the priority one limit, right?
• On average, some projects you spend all 10, some you don't spend any.

Summary: The committee met for an informational hearing focused largely on the state capital outlay process and House Bill 2. Roger Husser and Matt Baker of the Division of Administration/Facility Planning and Control described how the office prepares and administers the capital outlay bill, said the bill has grown substantially over five years, and argued that recent changes in culture, staffing, project management, cash-flow analysis, and use of third-party support have more than doubled project expenditures and improved delivery. Members asked about the use and cost of third-party project managers, delegation of smaller projects to agencies, hiring difficulties, and whether the changes represented better interpretation of existing law versus statutory changes. Husser said some statutes were amended, some internal customs were removed, and the office would provide a list of those changes. He also explained that the office is trying to move away from overly rigid practices and toward faster project completion while still following public-bid and oversight rules. A major portion of the discussion centered on the size and structure of the capital outlay bill, especially the gap between Priority 1 cash capacity and the much larger Priority 5 backlog. Husser said the current annual Priority 1 limit is tied to construction inflation and is about $574 million, with additional surplus funds also available, but that the bill contains far more Priority 5 funding than can realistically move in a five-year plan. He and members discussed dormant projects, scope creep, legacy projects that have sat in the bill for years, and the problem of false expectations for non-state entities. Proposed solutions included limiting Priority 5 to five times Priority 1, requiring annual re-endorsement by members, setting district or project caps for non-state projects, requiring time limits and reporting for grant-like non-state projects, placing matches in escrow, requiring design readiness before submission, and consolidating the many existing reporting requirements into one clearer report. Members also discussed bundling multiple projects under one agency project, which the House had begun piloting for LSU, UL Lafayette, Southern, and DOTD, and which Husser said could improve flexibility, reduce overappropriation, and better reflect actual spending. Baker then explained cash-flow management and the commitment process, saying FPC now analyzes projects annually to estimate what can actually be spent in the next fiscal year and uses commitments to allow projects to proceed when future-year funding is expected. He said overappropriations can result from poor cash-flow estimates, delays, dormant projects, or projects coming in under budget, and that the office is already reworking cash-flow assumptions and reappropriating savings where possible. Members also raised concerns about change orders and low bids; staff said project managers review change orders closely, require concurrence on non-state projects, and sometimes reduce scope to keep projects within budget. After FPC’s presentation, the committee heard the beginning of Louisiana Economic Development’s capital outlay discussion, where LED explained that its projects generally fall into three categories, including the Economic Development Awards Program and Site Readiness Program, both used to support targeted economic development and job creation.

Transcript Highlights:

• spending amount.
• <00:04:41.880> limits<00:04:42.160> for financing system spending limits for financing
• system spending limits for candidates<00:04:43.199> and<00:04:43.360> the<00:04:43.520
• spending.
• > we<00:58:04.160> change spending limits can contribute we change spending limits can contribute

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, upper payment limit gets the PBMs out of the picture, right?
• So we'll adjust in that upper payment limit.
• So that is all factors that we look at. payment limit language.
• and incentivizing payers and providers to control spending growth at the outset.
• An act strengthening oversight of health care facility spending.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing held a public hearing on a broad set of health care bills focused on cost, market oversight, pharmaceutical access, transparency, hospital closures, and pharmacy access. Chairs John Lawn and Cindy Friedman opened by emphasizing recent health care reforms and the need for further action on the drug supply chain, PBMs, private equity, and affordability. The committee heard testimony on several measures, including a Betsy Lehman Center bill to make technical changes and create a permanent trust account for federal and private funding, and bills on hospital profits and fairness, hospital closures and health planning, pharmacy deserts, and health care market oversight and pharmaceutical access. No votes were taken during the hearing. On the hospital profits bill, physicians and labor advocates strongly supported capping hospital CEO compensation at 50 times the lowest-paid worker, requiring greater financial transparency, and directing penalties from high-margin public hospitals into a Medicaid reimbursement fund. Testifiers argued that executive pay is excessive while frontline staff and safety-net services are under strain. Committee members raised concerns about unintended consequences, including whether hospitals might shift workers to contract status or lose executive talent, and whether the bill would actually direct money to the safety net. Supporters responded that the measure is one piece of a larger effort and that the bill’s Medicaid reimbursement provisions would help underserved hospitals. Testimony on market oversight and pharmaceutical access centered on rising health care and drug costs, PBM practices, and the proposal to give the Health Policy Commission authority to set upper payment limits for certain drugs. Consumer advocates, disability advocates, an independent pharmacist, the Attorney General’s office, and others supported stronger oversight, citing premium increases, affordability problems, and the impact of high drug prices on patients and community pharmacies. Pharma and some industry witnesses opposed parts of the bill, warning that upper payment limits could disrupt access, create legal issues, and fail to address the broader supply chain. The committee also heard support for stronger hospital closure notice and public hearing requirements, and for a pharmacy deserts bill aimed at identifying and addressing closures like the one in Roxbury that affected thousands of patients.

Transcript Highlights:

• and spend without any sort of concern that you'll ever hit this spending limit.
• and spend without any sort of concern that you'll ever hit this spending limit. spend without any sort
• of concern that you'll ever hit this spending limit.
• The spending problem is real. Now, how do you get around the spending limit?
• The spending limit is there so that when the politicians hit the spending limit, any revenue that's collected

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Medical spend totaled approximately $2.3 billion, and prescription drug spend totaled nearly $1.1 billion
• In 2024, total pharmacy spend was $1.17 billion.
• very limited forms of utilization management.
• I would guess the majority of people find themselves with the limited representation and limit access
• You know, if this happens, your limit is this. If this happens, your limit is this.

Summary: The Budget Committee met with a quorum and took up several bills. HB 677, relating to state-covered fertility preservation for employees undergoing cancer treatment, was introduced as coverage for egg and sperm preservation for up to three years, with an estimated fiscal impact of about $813,000. After brief questions and no public testimony or amendments, the bill passed unanimously and was reported favorably. The committee then considered CS/HB 59, which would reform Florida’s wrongful incarceration compensation process by extending the filing deadline from 90 days to two years, removing the clean-hands requirement, and allowing exonerees to choose between the state compensation process and a civil lawsuit; it was supported by the City of Flagler Beach and passed unanimously. CS/HB 1313, which recreates the Resilient Florida Trust Fund in the Department of Environmental Protection before its scheduled termination in 2025, also passed unanimously after supportive testimony from advocacy groups. The committee received a lengthy presentation from the Department of Management Services on the State Group Insurance Program and the recent Revenue Estimating Conference. The presentation covered enrollment, revenues and expenditures, rising medical and pharmacy costs, emergency room utilization, GLP-1 drug spending, and options for tighter formulary and utilization management. Members asked about ER cost growth, GLP-1 coverage and copays, PBM oversight and potential conflicts, avoidable ER visits, cancer screening claims, dental and vision costs, specialty drug biosimilars, and possible savings from more restrictive pharmacy models. DMS said it would follow up on several questions and noted ongoing work on cancer coordination, preventive screening, biomarker testing, and a proposed member-facing benefits platform. The committee also heard extensive testimony on HB 301, which would raise sovereign immunity caps from $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident to $1 million and $3 million, align limitations periods with private claims, and allow government entities to settle above the caps without a claims bill. Local governments, school-related entities, and county and city associations opposed the bill, warning of major fiscal impacts, higher insurance costs, and pressure on services; several speakers urged smaller increases or a tiered approach. Proponents, including families affected by catastrophic injury or death, argued the current caps are too low and the claims bill process is inefficient and unfair. After debate, the bill passed on a recorded vote, with some members voting no, and was reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• But by contrast, spending on core programs, so baseline spending or spending that essentially is not
• , which is budget spending. surplus.
• to spend tax revenues beyond a certain limit each year.
• So because surpluses and reserves are counted as spending under the State Appropriations Limit, this
• And then the third is that it limits.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• corporation did some kind of spending corporation did some kind of spending that<00:47:32.359>
• um so question for campaign spending um so question for campaign spending Comm<00:47:59.880>
• I'm with the campaign spending I'm with the campaign spending commission<00:52:10.920> um
• spending spending commission<00:54:29.839> um<00:54:30.839> this<00:54:31.040> bill
• cam I'm with the campaign spending cam I'm with the campaign spending commission<01:25:57.040>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs held its first hearing of the 33rd Legislature and heard several measures, beginning with HB 131, which would allow agencies to disclose government records to researchers for certain purposes and direct the Office of Information Practices to adopt uniform rules. OIP supported the bill, saying it would help researchers access government records, while DLNR questioned whether the bill was necessary, raised concerns about costs and exemptions, and suggested a definition change regarding media. The Public First Law Center and other supporters said the bill would not remove existing exemptions or create new disclosure requirements, but would simply authorize rulemaking to create a clearer process for research access. Common Cause Hawaiʻi raised concern about including news media in the measure. The chair emphasized that the rulemaking process would allow agencies and the public to work through details, and the committee moved on without a recorded vote in the transcript. The committee then heard HB 411, which would create uniform administrative penalty procedures under the state ethics code and lobbyist law, and HB 412, which would expand lobbying definitions to cover certain communications with high-level executive officials about procurement and make some contracts voidable if awarded through unethical lobbying. The Ethics Commission supported HB 411 as an efficiency measure that would streamline the charge process without changing substantive rights, while HB 412 was described as a narrow transparency measure modeled on other states. The State Procurement Office warned that voiding contracts could cause delays, warranty issues, third-party complications, and higher reprocurement costs. The Ethics Commission responded that any contract revocation would be at the Attorney General’s discretion and likely reserved for egregious cases, and that the threat of voiding a contract would help deter noncompliance. The committee also heard HB 413, which clarifies that lobbyist campaign contribution prohibitions apply during periods when both houses of the Legislature are in session; the Ethics Commission and Campaign Spending Commission both supported the bill and the Ethics Commission requested amendments to clarify jurisdiction between state and county lobbyist enforcement. Finally, the committee took up HB 149, which would require domestic and foreign corporations to report independent expenditures and political contributions to shareholders. The only testimony noted in the transcript was written comments from Matson, which said the requirement would be expensive and cumbersome and that the information is already publicly available through existing campaign finance reporting websites. No votes or final committee actions on the bills were recorded in the provided transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Enjoyed meeting you and spending time with you. Look forward to your future. Mr.
• Thank you for the time you're spending with us today. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
• Thank you for the time you're spending with us today. Welcome to the people's House. Mr.
• I understand not spending the state funds on it.
• It's still a very serious thing that we should spend time and consideration on.

Bills: SB1687, HB1687, HB4431, HB2894, HB2979, HB3262, HB3298, HB3369, HB3431, HB3462, SB1226, SB1876, SB1916, SB1920, HB3467, HB3498, HB3500, HB3521, HB3581, HB3650, HB3673, HB3764, HB3767, HB3781, HB3800, HB3831, HB3834, HB3941, HB2749, HB3970, HB3972, HB3979, HB3980, HB3981, HB3996, HB4095, HB4104, HB4191, HB4248, HB4298, HB4338, HB4427, HB4428, HJR1023, HB3660, HB3718, HB4326, HB3443, HB3880, HB3649, HB3000, SB1651, SB504, SB372, SB1326, SB1633, SB248, SB1242, SB1238, SB423, SB1989, SB1286, SB904, SB1213, SB1216, SB1827, SB65, SB1390, SB259, SB1944, SB540, SB2139, SB346, SB1595, SB1400, SB1555, SB1209, SB2110, SB1670, SB1061, SB2104, HR1057, SB1946, SB1734, SB1316, SB1360, SB1557, SB1684, SB2049, SB1410, SB2011, SB1437, SB1204, SB1732, SB1775, SB2084, SB1380, SB1572, SB1772, SB1224, SB710, SB1338, SB1266, SB1303, SB1307, SB1562, SB1794, SB1191, SB1983, SB1832, SB1448, SB1534, SB1593, SB1597, SB1630, SB1489, SB1726, SB1796, SB1806, SB1877, SB1451, SB1553, SB1632, SB1423, SB1425, SB1502, SB2180, SB1725, SB2182, HB3003, HB3004, HB4434, HB4324, HB4342, HB2137, HB4432, SJR50, SJR52, SJR53

Keywords: driver licenses, exam proctor, Service Oklahoma, commercial training, background checks, advance directive, advance health care directive, health care proxy, medical power of attorney, durable power of attorney for health care, living will, surrogate decision-maker, default surrogate, health care agent, capacity determination, supported decision making, mental health directive, psychiatric advance directive, end-of-life care, life-sustaining treatment

Bills: SB1687, HB1687, HB4431, HB2894, HB2979, HB3262, HB3298, HB3369, HB3431, HB3462, SB1226, SB1876, SB1916, SB1920, HB3467, HB3498, HB3500, HB3521, HB3581, HB3650, HB3673, HB3764, HB3767, HB3781, HB3800, HB3831, HB3834, HB3941, HB2749, HB3970, HB3972, HB3979, HB3980, HB3981, HB3996, HB4095, HB4104, HB4191, HB4248, HB4298, HB4338, HB4427, HB4428, HJR1023, HB3660, HB3718, HB4326, HB3443, HB3880, HB3649, HB3000, SB1651, SB504, SB372, SB1326, SB1633, SB248, SB1242, SB1238, SB423, SB1989, SB1286, SB904, SB1213, SB1216, SB1827, SB65, SB1390, SB259, SB1944, SB540, SB2139, SB346, SB1595, SB1400, SB1555, SB1209, SB2110, SB1670, SB1061, SB2104, HR1057, SB1946, SB1734, SB1316, SB1360, SB1557, SB1684, SB2049, SB1410, SB2011, SB1437, SB1204, SB1732, SB1775, SB2084, SB1380, SB1572, SB1772, SB1224, SB710, SB1338, SB1266, SB1303, SB1307, SB1562, SB1794, SB1191, SB1983, SB1832, SB1448, SB1534, SB1593, SB1597, SB1630, SB1489, SB1726, SB1796, SB1806, SB1877, SB1451, SB1553, SB1632, SB1423, SB1425, SB1502, SB2180, SB1725, SB2182, HB3003, HB3004, HB4434, HB4324, HB4342, HB2137, HB4432, SJR50, SJR52, SJR53

Keywords: driver licenses, exam proctor, Service Oklahoma, commercial training, background checks, advance directive, advance health care directive, health care proxy, medical power of attorney, durable power of attorney for health care, living will, surrogate decision-maker, default surrogate, health care agent, capacity determination, supported decision making, mental health directive, psychiatric advance directive, end-of-life care, life-sustaining treatment

Transcript Highlights:

• We've had Democrats in office spend. We've had Republicans in office spend.
• and grow your spending.
• and grow your spending.
• Is there any other space in your life's history where you can spend and go into debt without limitation
• gotten to 34 states on on term limits. gotten to 34 states on on term limits.

Keywords: Concurrent meeting of the House Standing Committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs and the House Standing Committee on State Government. Title of video has been shortened due to YouTube length restrictions. Discussion of HCR 45: 00:04:14, 958, all

Summary: The joint meeting of the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee and the House State Government Committee was called to consider House Concurrent Resolution 45, sponsored by Representative Jason Petri. The resolution would support calling for a federal balanced budget amendment through the Article V process. Petri argued that Kentucky’s own constitutional balanced-budget requirement shows the value of fiscal restraint, and he said decades of federal deficit spending and rising debt make a constitutional amendment necessary. Governor Ron DeSantis and Lauren Ends of the National Campaign for a Balanced Budget Amendment also testified in support, emphasizing the growth of federal debt, the risk of a future debt crisis, and the view that Congress is unlikely to solve the problem on its own. Members asked about the mechanics and risks of an Article V convention, including whether the convention’s “sole purpose” language would be enforceable and whether a convention could become a “runaway” process. DeSantis and Ends said states can impose guardrails on delegates, including criminal penalties and delegate-limitation laws, and noted that any proposed amendment would still require ratification by 38 states. They also said that if Congress chose to draft the amendment itself in response to state pressure, that would be acceptable. One witness said 18 states have passed faithful-delegate or delegate-limitation laws. Representative Callaway asked what would happen if the debt issue is not addressed. Witnesses responded that continued borrowing could lead to economic dislocation, higher interest costs, and a debt crisis that would crowd out other federal spending. They said the current debt burden is already more than $100,000 per U.S. citizen and roughly $300,000 per taxpayer, and that a balanced budget amendment would be a first step toward stopping the growth of debt before any long-term paydown could occur. The transcript provided does not show a final vote or other committee action on the resolution.

Transcript Highlights:

• limitation on state fiscal year spending limitation on state fiscal year spending imposed<01:13:
• the limitation on state fiscal<03:49:34.800> year<03:49:34.960> spending<03:49:35.199>
• on state fiscal year with the limitation on state fiscal year spending<04:05:29.600> imposed<
• on state fiscal year to the limitation on state fiscal year spending<04:15:07.279> set<04:15:
• c> law spending limitation existing in law spending limitation existing in law pursuant<05:49:57.760

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, approved the prior journal, and heard several brief recognitions before moving to business. Members welcomed foster care advocates for Child Abuse Prevention Month, Girl Scouts visiting the Capitol, and participants in Black Maternal Health Week, with remarks emphasizing foster youth voice, leadership development, and the need for culturally competent maternal health care and doula/midwife support. The chamber then took up House Joint Resolution 1026, honoring former Governor Roy Romer and designating a portion of I-25 as the Governor Roy Romer Memorial Highway. Supporters highlighted Romer’s long public service, his work on education and infrastructure, and his role in major state projects. A proposed amendment to strike the word “memorial” was withdrawn, the House suspended the rules to allow Romer to speak from the well, and Romer offered remarks about legislative collegiality and the importance of democracy and listening to opposing views. House Joint Resolution 1026 was adopted on a 60-0 vote, with four excused and one absent. After a brief recess, the House returned to special orders and resumed reading House Bill 1410 at length, continuing through extensive appropriations language for the Department of Human Services, including child welfare, youth services, Medicaid-related transfers, SNAP and benefits administration, and other funding line items. No final action on House Bill 1410 was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• and there's some limits, but they can spend money.
• and there's some limits, but they can spend money.
• and there's some limits, but they can spend money.
• and there's some limits, but they can spend money.
• and there's some limits, but they can spend money.

Bills: HF72, HF66, HF69, HF73

Keywords: campaign finance, state funding, political activity, nonprofits, government transparency, HF66, Minnesota second-degree murder, unintentional murder, protective order, order for protection, harassment restraining order, domestic violence, victim protection, cross-jurisdictional orders, out-of-state restraining order, tribal court order, Canadian protective order, public safety, criminal law, homicide

Transcript Highlights:

• firms remains limited.
• I could spend 90 minutes talking about them. I won't.
• That's what I'm going to limit it to.
• <00:17:57.360> So,<00:17:57.520> Representative going to limit it to.
• So, Representative going to limit it to.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• and there's some limits, but they can spend money.
• Mone in in elections and there's spend Mone in in elections and there's some<00:05:31.520> limits
• <00:05:32.720> money<00:05:33.440> are some limits but they can spend money are some
• limits but they can spend money are you<00:05:33.840> aware<00:05:34.120> of<00:05:34.240
• It doesn't actually limit any spending; it just requires disclosure back to the original source. okay

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And this budget does not have spending reductions sufficient to cover... ...does not have spending reductions
• expansions and new spending.
• If I originally thought I was going to limit it to a minute, and if I limited it to a minute, it would
• So I'm going to limit the public comment.
• Thank you. ...asset limit.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee heard AB 109, the Budget Act of 2026, and related discussion of the legislative budget agreement. Committee staff and the Department of Finance described a two-year balanced plan with about $253 billion in General Fund spending, roughly $5.5 billion in higher assumed revenues than the May Revision, and about $36.5 billion in combined reserves. They said the package preserves or expands funding for schools and community colleges, child care, IHSS, Medi-Cal-related county administration, housing and homelessness programs, public hospitals, courthouse construction, and some criminal justice and prison-closure savings, while delaying or modifying several prior health care reductions and some Medi-Cal changes. Much of the member discussion focused on Medi-Cal, H.R. 1, and the impact on low-income and immigrant Californians. Several Democrats argued the budget protects vulnerable residents by delaying some cuts, funding county eligibility work, indigent care, public hospitals, and food banks, and rejecting the Governor’s IHSS cuts and asset-limit proposal. Republicans criticized the budget for assuming future revenues, relying on new taxes, and not doing enough to address the structural deficit or improve accountability. Members also raised concerns and support around homelessness funding, Prop. 36, judgeships and courthouse funding, transit and GGRF allocations, local journalism, Caltrans fleet spending, and a proposed “fair share” revenue measure that was not yet before the committee. Public testimony was largely supportive of the budget’s health and human services provisions, especially the rejection of IHSS cuts and the asset-limit proposal, and the inclusion of funding for child care, sickle cell centers, domestic violence services, trauma recovery centers, distressed hospitals, county eligibility work, and transit programs. Some witnesses representing hospitals and health plans cautioned about the effects of moving certain Medi-Cal populations to fee-for-service and about proposed tax changes affecting health care providers. The chair said revenue trailer bills were still being finalized and would likely come back later in the week; the committee then moved to public comment, with the chair limiting speakers to about one minute each.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first are mandatory spending programs.
• Exceed what we spend on defense. Almost equal what we spend on domestic discretionary.
• Uh, it allows them to basically align spending, revenue, and the debt limit within agreed upon targets
• spending works.
• Uh, or increasing the debt limit or any combination of those, technically, annual discretionary spending