Transcript Highlights:

• PIT growth is still positive, but it's growing at a more moderate, leveled-off rate than it was in the
• The moderated growth is in large part being driven by both slowing withholding, which has to do with
• FY27 to FY30, as Secretary Chardon-Clark noted, sales and income taxes are expected to return to moderate
• Chardon-Clark noted, sales and income taxes are expected to return to moderate growth but remain slightly
• Unlike oil, it's Expected to continue to grow at a moderate clip.

Transcript Highlights:

• For the most part, the need is for very low- to moderate-income workers.
• households who were previously able to afford a home but now are unable to, those higher low-income and moderate-income
• impacted the supply of affordable housing for Floridians, especially those households earning low to moderate
• We continue every day providing demo and replacement for homeowners who are low to moderate income, anywhere
• will be higher, where we're reaching higher-income households, the higher low income and then the moderate

Summary: The committee met to hear a panel on workforce and attainable housing, with presentations from Florida Housing Finance Corporation, Pensacola Habitat for Humanity, Wendover Housing Partners, the City of Tallahassee, and Escambia County. Speakers described how state and local tools such as SHIP, the Live Local Act, land trusts, accessory dwelling units, infill development, and public-private partnerships are being used to expand housing supply and preserve long-term affordability. Several panelists emphasized that housing demand is rising across income levels, that workforce households often need subsidy to buy or rent, and that housing location, transportation access, and proximity to jobs and services are critical. They also highlighted challenges including rising construction costs, limited land, insurance, NIMBY opposition, and the need for more flexible financing tools and employer participation. Members asked about area median income thresholds, whether current programs are reaching the households most in need, and what additional tools might help. Florida Housing said its traditional rental programs generally serve households at or below 60% AMI, while need is increasingly reaching up to 80% AMI statewide and higher in some regions; staff also provided examples of AMI levels by county. Other discussion focused on the impact of local government opt-outs, tax abatements, corporate ownership of single-family homes, insurance costs, Fortified construction standards, and whether bonuses or other income calculations can unintentionally disqualify applicants. Panelists urged more political will, more local flexibility, and additional incentives for employers and landowners to support housing near jobs. The committee also used an anonymous interactive polling exercise, and members identified partnerships, SHIP funding, local government action, cost, and insurance as key issues. In closing, the chair said the committee would continue a member-driven process and likely hold a workshop on housing-related topics. No formal votes or bills were taken up in the meeting, and the session adjourned after the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• In and for a while, the moderator was required, I think the language is probably still in the statute
• , that said that the moderator would compare the signatures on the affidavit and the ballot envelope
• The other part is that there was really very little guidance given to the moderators on how to do this
• <00:52:52.960> was<00:52:53.799> in the draw on who the moderator was in the draw on
• <00:53:13.640> are secretary said is that um moderators are secretary said is that um moderators

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , on page 4 of the rules and regs, you'll see our income limits as defined, which is, uh, low to moderate
• , very low, low and moderate income.
• You'll see in there that our current definition of moderate income is up to 150% of the area median income
• Uh, the requirements to be able to do that, uh, is that the donations need to go towards low to moderate
• Um, but if you're only incentivizing homebuilders without thinking about how to connect low and moderate

Transcript Highlights:

• Therein lies the irony, as a former school moderator. Um, I would love to have seen that in there.
• Um I would love former school moderator.
• I am the town moderator in Hopington and, as Representative Nuome mentioned, this was an issue that came
• I am the town moderator<00:05:18.800> in<00:05:19.039> Hopington<00:05:19.919> and
• c><00:05:20.320> as moderator in Hopington and as moderator in Hopington and as Representative

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Sugar-sweetened beverages can be consumed in moderation as part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
• Excess consumption is not good for anyone, and it's trying to get that back into moderation.
• The last two content slides, and this is second to last, take more of a national... Central.
• The<01:48:46.159> last<01:48:46.400> two<01:48:46.639> content<01:48:47.040
• slides and this is The last two content slides and this is second<01:48:48.080> to<01:48:48.320

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The task force met for its third meeting, approved the minutes, and heard testimony from Dr. Jack on behalf of the American Beverage Association and Kentucky Beverage Association. Dr. Jack argued that the “totality of the science” supports low- and no-calorie sweeteners as safe and useful tools for reducing sugar and calories, citing FDA and other domestic and international reviews, clinical trials, and the FDA’s recent healthy-label rule. He also described the industry’s transparency efforts, including a “Good to Know” database compiling ingredient and safety information, and said the beverage industry has voluntarily worked to offer more choices with less sugar. Members questioned him about whether beverage ingredients are restricted in other countries, possible health effects beyond weight and cancer, concerns about metabolic issues and gut microbiome effects, whether sweeteners are addictive, and why companies do not simply remove sweeteners. Dr. Jack responded that most ingredients are permitted in many jurisdictions, that broad food-safety reviews have looked at multiple endpoints and found the ingredients safe, that the gut microbiome is still being studied, and that recent clinical evidence does not show increased sweetness preference. He also said business decisions about formulations are up to companies and noted that cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are metabolically similar. The committee also discussed consumer apps and ingredient-scoring tools; Dr. Jack said the industry’s website presents facts without interpretation and is based on food-safety agency assessments. At the end of his testimony, the chair accepted additional fact sheets for the committee. The meeting then moved on to introduce Dr. Gary Huber, who began testimony by emphasizing integrative medicine, metabolic syndrome, and the role of diet, exercise, sleep, and stress in health, but his full presentation was not included in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this was the actual content of this was developed by the department.
• And this was the actual content of this was developed by the department.
• And I think the mechanism and the step of waiting in at a moderate and manageable percentage of share
• area science also has um a other content area science also has um a lot<01:48:24.520> more<01
• you're looking at the other content you're looking at the other content areas,<01:48:27.960>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee took up HB 1563, a special education aid formula bill, after a brief recess. Members reviewed a replace-all amendment that would keep the current reimbursement lag structure but make the bill effective July 1, 2028, with districts beginning to collect the new data in the next biennium. The amendment changes the reimbursement tiers from a dollar-based system to one tied to average per-pupil spending: districts would pay 100% below 2.5 times average per-pupil spending, 85% from 2.5 to 3.5 times, 20% from 3.5 to 10 times, and 10% above 10 times, with the state covering the remainder. Speakers emphasized that the bill is intended as an incremental step to gather better data before any larger expansion of state participation. A major new section would create a risk-based monitoring program for reimbursement claims. Instead of reviewing every claim individually, the department would review at least 20% of districts each year so every district is reviewed at least once every five years, with additional random or targeted reviews based on risk indicators, anomalies, prior findings, or other department criteria. Members discussed whether the audit sample should be district-based or student-based, and whether the bill should more specifically define the type of audit and the meaning of “other” criteria. Department witnesses said the current process already involves confidential information and that the new approach would not worsen privacy concerns; they also said the department would follow federal and state privacy laws and adopt rules to implement the process. Several members supported the bill as a practical first step to improve data collection and eventually expand aid, noting that districts currently do not track lower-cost special education students well. Others raised concerns about the lack of a fiscal note, possible local costs, and whether the new monitoring language gives the department too much discretion. The discussion ended with no vote taken in the excerpt, and members indicated they may need more time to review the final amendment before proceeding.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're asking the Senate and the House, the legislature, to do for us to expand and upgrade moderate-risk
• New rates for moderate risk would be $300 and just over $320. 17 percent.
• Your rates for moderate risk would be just over $322 a person per day; for secure, $359; and for intensive
• Moderate-risk fixed capital outlay would be just over $12 million, $12.7 million; secure fixed capital

Summary: The committee met for an interim appropriations presentation hearing focused on justice administration agencies. Members heard budget requests from the State Attorney’s Office, Public Defenders, the Justice Administrative Commission, Regional Conflict Counsel, Capital Collateral Regional Counsel, and the Guardian ad Litem Office, followed by a presentation from the Department of Juvenile Justice and a brief public comment from a nonprofit advocate. The chair noted that presentations from the Department of Law Enforcement and the Commission on Offender Review would be moved to a later meeting. The state attorney requested funding to true up underfunded circuits under the existing formula, staff 14 new criminal judgeships, replace declining VOCA victim-services funding with general revenue, and cover a projected due process shortfall. The public defender asked for a higher starting salary for assistant public defenders, funding to restore balance in circuits where public defenders lag behind state attorneys, and staffing for new criminal judgeships. Regional conflict counsel and capital collateral regional counsel also sought salary adjustments, additional attorneys and case costs, and competitive area differential funding to address recruitment and retention issues. The Justice Administrative Commission requested funding for Florida PALM readiness and implementation and for IT hardware and software replacement; it also relayed a clerks’ request for reimbursement related to injunctions for protection, Baker Act, Marchman Act, and sexually violent predator cases. The Guardian ad Litem Office said it now has a guardian ad litem for every child in Florida and requested salary increases for senior and managing attorneys to reduce turnover. The Department of Juvenile Justice presented a much larger budget request to expand residential and detention capacity, increase per diem rates, renovate and replace aging facilities, fund the Broward detention center rebuild, improve cybersecurity and the juvenile information system, and cover rising lease costs. Members asked questions about staffing, compensation, detention and residential treatment needs, mental health and substance-use services, and the Broward project timeline. A nonprofit advocate then asked for better data collection on protection orders and related court actions to support funding for domestic violence and recovery services. The committee adjourned without taking any formal votes on the budget requests.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a moderate. I vote with my opinions and my values, and so do most people in this state.
• party<00:07:03.919> loyalist<00:07:04.520> I'm<00:07:04.599> a<00:07:04.759> moderate
• /c><00:07:05.360> I<00:07:05.639> I<00:07:05.720> vote party loyalist I'm a moderate
• I I vote party loyalist I'm a moderate I I vote with<00:07:06.120> my<00:07:06.280> opinions

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 3030, the Minnesota Miners Relief Act, was presented as a response to layoffs at Cleveland-Cliffs facilities in Minorca and Hibbing, where more than 600 workers were expected to be affected. Supporters said the bill combines an extension of unemployment benefits for laid-off miners with two policy provisions: a site-specific standard intended to address long-running MPCA permitting and rulemaking issues, and standards for the safe storage of reactive mine waste. Speakers argued the package would provide immediate relief while also creating more certainty for future mining jobs and critical minerals development on the Iron Range. The event featured remarks from Representatives Spencer Igo and Cal Warwas, St. Louis County Commissioner Mike Jugovich, Senator Rob Farnsworth, and union and mine representatives, all of whom emphasized the personal and community impact of the layoffs. They described the potential ripple effects on suppliers, local businesses, young workers, and public revenues, and said the bill was about livelihoods rather than politics. Several speakers stressed that the policy provisions were meant to provide clearer, safer standards rather than weaken environmental protections, and they urged bipartisan cooperation to preserve mining jobs and support the region’s long-term future. In response to questions, Igo said the bill had strong bipartisan support for the UI extension and that the policy provisions should not threaten its chances. He said the UI portion was about three pages of the six-page bill and estimated the cost to the UI trust fund at between $1 million and $12 million. He also said the other provisions would require only modest statutory changes. The bill had been heard in the labor committee and was laid over for possible inclusion or further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• It moderates from month to month and year to year. Yeah.
• It moderates from month to month and years. thousand PCAs.
• It moderates from month to month and year to year. Yeah.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The subcommittee met with MassHealth LTSS Chief Leslie Darcy to review the Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program and the legislative work group focused on its long-term sustainability and cost containment. Darcy and Charlie described the work group’s five meetings and three consensus recommendations: enforce the 66-hour overtime cap, address fraudulent activity in the PCA program, and eliminate MassHealth handling of PCA paperwork/administrative work for members without a live-in exemption because those members are subject to EVV. They explained EVV as an electronic visit verification system replacing paper timesheets, and noted the rollout is expected to be completed this fall. The group estimated about $7 million in savings from the consensus recommendations and agreed to continue meeting through June to consider additional ideas. Darcy presented data showing the PCA program served about 56,000 members in state fiscal year 2024 and has grown from $1.2 billion in FY20 to $1.6 billion in FY24, with projections near $2 billion by 2027. She said much of the growth is driven by wage increases and older adults using more services, and compared PCA costs with other LTSS programs. The discussion also covered overtime spending, the role of federal financial participation, and how Massachusetts’ PCA program differs from other states because it has no hard caps on hours or activities. Several members emphasized the program’s value for independent living and community participation, while also acknowledging the need to control growth without undermining services. Members asked about undocumented immigrants and MassHealth funding, and Darcy explained that some eligibility categories are state-funded only and do not receive federal matching funds. Another member asked about workforce recruitment and wage pressures; Darcy said recent collective bargaining agreements raised PCA wages, with some workers eventually reaching $25 per hour and the entry wage reaching $20. The group also discussed whether IADL hours are disproportionately high compared with ADL needs, and reviewed data suggesting potential savings if IADL hours were limited relative to ADL hours, though no consensus recommendation was made on that point. The meeting ended with approval of the prior minutes by roll call vote, an update that the next health equity informational hearing is scheduled for May 19, and a motion to adjourn carried unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• government in the town of Rochester, House No. 4030; and an act further regulating the term of the town moderator
• House No. 4030, and an act further regulating the term of the town moderator in the town of Norwood,

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate took up several local bills on third reading and passed them to be engrossed, including measures authorizing police officers in Plainville, amending the charter of Acushnet, and authorizing conveyance of a parcel of land in Wellesley. It also considered House No. 4206, the bill modernizing the cannabis laws of the Commonwealth; the House nonconcurred in the Senate amendment and appointed a conference committee, and the Senate voted to insist on its amendment and appoint its own conferees, naming Senators Gómez, Comerford, and Durant. The Senate then suspended the rules to take up House No. 4007, concerning the composition of the Licensing Board for the City of Salem, and ordered it to a third reading. Later, two bills were passed to be enacted: House No. 4030, establishing a select board-town administrator form of government in Rochester, and House No. 4381, further regulating the term of the town moderator in Norwood. Both were ordered signed by the President and laid before the Governor. Finally, the Senate adopted an order to adjourn and reconvene on Monday at 11:00 a.m., then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Speech that is discriminative based on content is presumptively unconstitutional.
• This is content-based and, at its core, this is content-based, and therefore strict scrutiny is going
• This is content-based and it's...
• At its core, this is content-based, and therefore strict scrutiny is going to apply.
• You know, we know what people have reported for many years: it's mild to moderate.

Bills: SB31, SB33, SB510, SB871, SB1868, SB2024, SB2166, SB2309, SB2880, SJR27, SJR39, SJR40, SB 31, SB 33

Keywords: SB 31, Life of the Mother Act, Texas abortion law, medical emergency, reasonable medical judgment, pregnancy complications, maternal health, life-threatening condition, ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, miscarriage, unborn child, abortion exception, abortion ban, physician liability, health care liability claim, aiding and abetting, Texas Medical Board, State Bar of Texas, continuing medical education

Transcript Highlights:

• It calls for moderate and slowing GDP growth over the forecast period: 2.3 in FY25, down to 2 in FY26
• We've been in a period of expecting very moderate state and national employment growth, and that remains

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• located at 124 Watertown Street; House No. 4205, an act changing the term of the elected office of moderator
• An act changing the term of the elected office of moderator in the town of Holden, House No. 4211, and

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate took up several local and personnel measures, including multiple sick leave bank bills and local charter or municipal legislation. It first advanced Senate 2651, establishing a sick leave bank for Jeffrey Jacinth of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, by suspending the rules and ordering it to a third reading. The chamber also passed House 1590, creating a sick leave bank for Eric J. Awaniak of the Trial Court, and House 4149, revising the charter of the City of Lynn, after adopting a substitute amendment offered by Senator Crichton. The Senate then suspended Joint Rule 12 for several House petitions so they could be referred to their respective committees. It also adopted the emergency preamble for House 4514, establishing a sick leave bank for Candy J. Pike of the Department of Developmental Services, by standing vote. Later, the Senate enacted four bills: House 2251, creating a special fund for Festival of the Hills receipts for the town of Conway; a bill authorizing the city of Watertown to lease property at 124 Watertown Street; House 4205, changing the term of the elected office of moderator in Holden; and House 4252, updating the linkage exaction program in Medford. House 4514 was then passed to be enacted as well. The Senate adopted an order to reconvene on Thursday at noon in a formal session and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, as I did some quick calculations, it looks like costs are moderating a little bit.
• little bit about what's happening with the costs and things of that sort, and is it starting to moderate
• things have stabilized a bit and aren't continuing and as inflation catches back up, what's actually moderating

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, overall, we really are serving first-time homebuyers that are buying moderately priced homes
• You know, overall, we really are serving first-time homebuyers that are, you know, buying moderately
• federal Community Development Block Grant program, which provides grant funding for housing low- and moderate-income
• Income levels range from extremely low, up to 30 percent of the area median income, to moderate, from

Summary: The Committee on Community Affairs held its first meeting and heard presentations focused on affordable housing implementation under the Live Local Act. Florida Housing Finance Corporation described its role in administering rental and homeownership programs, including SAIL, SHIP, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, disaster recovery efforts, supportive housing, and the Live Local funding and tax incentives. Officials said the first year’s $150 million Live Local rental allocation was fully committed to 23 developments producing 3,171 units with mixed-income set-asides, and they outlined how projects were selected through competitive solicitations tied to statutory priorities such as mixed-use development, publicly owned land, foster youth, rural areas of opportunity, redevelopment, and housing near military installations. They also discussed the tax credit contribution program, the missing-middle property tax exemption, sales tax rebates, and the year-one ad valorem exemption for qualifying affordable projects. Members asked detailed questions about the data and program design, including the use of area median income figures, per-unit subsidy levels, county targeting, tenant relocation during redevelopment, and whether the programs were helping lower-income households. Florida Housing said it uses competitive scoring and data from the Schimberg Center and that redevelopment projects are supposed to include tenant relocation plans. The homeownership portion of the presentation covered the Hometown Heroes program, which provides down payment and closing cost assistance to first-time homebuyers, with exceptions for active-duty military and veterans. Staff said the program has assisted more than 21,000 families and leveraged over $6.5 billion in first mortgages, and members asked about repayment rates, credit scores, and whether participants were staying in homes long enough to show the program was serving intended buyers. The committee then heard from OPAGA on two required Live Local evaluations: affordable housing strategies in other states and affordable housing policies in Florida. OPAGA reported that Florida has a high share of cost-burdened households, with 1.5 million households cost burdened and 1.4 million severely cost burdened, and that Florida’s counties and municipalities reported more than $1.4 billion in affordable housing expenditures in fiscal year 2023-24. The report identified 13 innovative out-of-state programs, with three considered high-potential for Florida implementation, and summarized Florida local government practices such as SHIP-funded homeownership and rental assistance, expedited permitting, mixed-income zoning, rehabilitation programs, and interlocal cooperation. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• My experience as a moderator would tell me that's the wise thing to do.
• Uh, again, you know, from being a moderator, from the number of years I was, that I would get people
• Uh again, you know, on on from being<00:05:11.680> a<00:05:11.919> moderator,<00:05:12.479
• c> from<00:05:12.639> the<00:05:12.880> number<00:05:13.039> of being a moderator
• , from the number of being a moderator, from the number of years<00:05:13.440> I<00:05:13.759>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Summary: The committee of conference first met on Senate Bill 221, which concerned annual voter roll verification and the lookback period for checking voter registration lists. The Senate favored looking back to presidential elections to reduce the number of voters removed, while the House argued for annual verification with a one-year lookback because the voter roll database now makes the process easier and because of population mobility and student turnover. Members discussed possible refinements to the 30-day letter process and agreed to recess and return Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. to continue negotiations. The committee then took up Senate Bill 213 and Senate Bill 218, both involving absentee voting and public employee electioneering restrictions. On SB 213, the discussion focused on clarifying identification/documentation requirements for absentee ballot-related applications and on a House amendment to preserve the ability of certain public employees to provide factual information to the public about official matters without violating the bill. On SB 218, the Senate wanted to remove outer envelopes from absentee voting materials, while the House supported keeping the bill but clarifying that only applicable documentation is required. Members raised concerns about voter access, clerks’ procedures, and whether the electioneering language was too broad; both bills were held over and recessed for further work. The committee also considered Senate Bill 287, which dealt with public employee electioneering and a related carve-out for factual responses by appointed public employees. The House and Senate discussed combining amendments, but the House member said the underlying bill was needed to curb partisan electioneering while still allowing factual public information. The committee then moved to Senate Bill 118, which would adjust a personal needs allowance for nursing home residents, address Hampstead Hospital employee bonuses, and create a maintenance fund for the hospital. The Senate objected to a House-added cannabis cultivation provision, saying it was unrelated to the bill and could jeopardize the measure because of the Senate’s and governor’s opposition to cannabis language; the committee recessed to revisit the issue later, with the House noting the base bill’s importance to nursing home residents and Hampstead Hospital.

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, when the polls are open, the moderator shall announce the time at which the processing of
• My name is Pete Baselier, and I am the school district and town moderator for Milford, where I've had
• Town clerks and moderators support this bill.
• Thank you. moderators support this bill. HB294 has moderators support this bill.
• Please allow the moderator to perform this role and protect our election officials from needlessly long

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• line of credit to fund the acquisition, rehab, renovation, or construction of housing for low- to moderate-income
• We'll take HHFDC's amendment to define low- and moderate-income households as qualified residents under
• /c><00:45:05.720> and fdc's amendment to Define low and fdc's amendment to Define low and moderate
• income<00:45:06.599> households<00:45:07.119> as<00:45:07.319> qualified moderate
• income households as qualified moderate income households as qualified residents<00:45:08.200> under

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several housing-related measures, with most witnesses supporting bills aimed at expanding affordable housing tools and financing. SB 1169, creating a Community Land Trust Equity pilot program, drew support from HHFDC and Nahal UI, which said revolving funds would help community land trusts build permanently affordable housing more efficiently. SB 1200, establishing a workforce housing regulatory sandbox within HHFDC, also received support from HHFDC and others, though HHFDC noted concerns about whether the measure could be read to preempt county permitting and zoning powers. SB 511, which would require county legislative bodies rather than HHFDC to approve certain housing project exemptions, prompted HHFDC to suggest revised language and a possible processing deadline for applications; the discussion focused on avoiding indefinite delays and clarifying county and state roles. SB 1283, creating an emergency home loan assistance revolving fund, was introduced with comments from the Department of Budget and Finance and HHFDC. SB 612, on rent-to-build equity agreements for exempt housing projects, drew support and questions about how many affected projects are rentals versus for-sale units. SB 944, extending and expanding low-income housing tax credit provisions, received support from Sugar Creek Capital, Hawaii Housing, and the Chamber of Commerce, while the Tax Foundation raised a technical concern about inconsistent use of the term “taxpayer.” HPHA-supported bills SB 1413 and SB 1412 were also heard, along with SB 1632, which would direct DBEDT to develop a comprehensive action plan for a local housing market; testimony on that measure was strongly supportive but included calls to examine constitutional and legal issues and broader market-structure concerns. The committee also began discussion of SB 1033 and noted it was closely related to SB 1131, with the chair indicating an inclination to move only one of the two similar tax proposals forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• We try to keep that at a moderate level so that we're not encouraging overuse or overplay by people who
• If it's okay with the committee, I'll just cover that very briefly before we get into the content of

Summary: The committee met to review the Attorney General’s budget and related agency operations, beginning with Legislative Council staff walking members through compliance reports and a blue-sheet base budget document. Staff highlighted current-biennium items such as FTE changes, one-time appropriations, litigation funding, opioid settlement receipts, continuing appropriations, and major special and federal funds. Members asked for clarification on items including the Missing Indigenous People Grant Fund, the Internet Crimes Investigation Fund, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit grant funding. Assistant Attorney General Clare Ness then gave an overview of the office’s structure, staffing, and budget pressures. She emphasized the office’s broad statutory duties, the value of its legal services to state and local government, and concerns about attorney pay lagging behind other agencies. Members discussed whether attorney compensation should be benchmarked more consistently across state government and whether some legal work could be consolidated within the AG’s office. Ness also addressed questions about AG opinion turnaround times, boards-and-commissions training, the new-and-vacant FTE pool, operating expense cuts, office leases, and the state’s criminal justice information systems. The crime lab presentation drew significant attention. Director Jennifer Penner described severe space, safety, and infrastructure problems at the current lab, including cramped work areas, glycol leaks, outdated fire and burglar alarms, air-handling limits, and equipment failures that have delayed toxicology work. She said the 2024 study projected a much larger facility would be needed and that the preferred location would be near the current health department site, but in a new building. Members asked about possible evidence risks, backlog status, and whether the proposed building would solve the current problems; Penner said it would and noted backlogs have improved overall, though some delays remain. The committee also heard from the new Medicaid Fraud Control Unit director, who described the unit’s civil and criminal work, federal-state funding split, and examples of fraud such as billing for services not provided or upcoding. The gaming division reported continued growth in charitable gaming and e-tabs, with members expressing concern about large trust-account balances, site competition, and possible misuse of proceeds. Finally, BCI outlined its caseload, cybercrime work, missing Indigenous persons task force, and the surge in CSAM cyber tips; members asked about AI-generated CSAM, and the AG’s office noted that last session’s law increased penalties and expressly allowed AI-generated CSAM to be prosecuted like other CSAM. No formal votes or actions were taken beyond approval of the minutes.