Transcript Highlights:

• Not always time to look at all of them, but I'm sure if there's not a fiscal note that it has no fiscal
• I'm not sure. >> Y'all know how fiscal notes work sometimes, right?
• > notes<00:33:02.799> work >> Y'all know how fiscal notes work >> Y'all know
• how fiscal notes work sometimes,<00:33:03.519> right?
• note on it I'll get a better fiscal note on it before<00:33:48.720> we<00:33:48.960> move.

Bills: HB117, HB17, HB22, HB153, HB140, HB117, HB17, HB22, HB153, HB140, SB12, SB42, SB93, SB28, SB35, SB134, SB12, SB42, SB93, SB28, SB35, SB134

Keywords: procurement, county commission, administrative savings, public services, government efficiency, HB17, municipal audits, municipal audit clarification act, municipal finance, local government, city council, mayor, city manager, Department of Examiners of Public Accounts, independent public accountant, annual audit, biennial audit, annual report, financial accountability, public records

Transcript Highlights:

• The fiscal note indicates a $4.5 million fiscal impact. Senator Roers. Thank you, Madam President.
• The fiscal note indicates a $6.6 million impact.
• The fiscal note indicates no impact.
• The fiscal note indicates no impact.
• The fiscal note indicates no impact. Senator Powers.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Senate reconvened and handled several House messages and conference committee appointments before taking up a series of bills. It appointed conference committees on Senate Bill 2265 and House Bills 1454, 1448, and 1524. The chamber also adopted a Senate amendment to House Bill 1216, delaying its effective date for the copay accumulator prescription drug bill to January 1, 2026, with later renewal timing for non-PERS plans. House Bill 1216 then came up for final passage. Senators debated whether allowing copay accumulator programs to count manufacturer coupons toward deductibles would help patients with expensive drugs or unfairly shift costs to insurers and other policyholders. Supporters said it would help people afford life-saving medications and that the coupon payments go to pharmacies, not insurers; opponents argued it could raise premiums and create perverse incentives for drug pricing. The bill passed 29-18. The Senate also concurred in House amendments to Senate Bill 2160, which changes health insurance benefits under the Uniform Group Insurance Program to move from a grandfathered to a non-grandfathered plan, with supporters emphasizing added benefits and flexibility and opponents warning of higher costs and irreversible changes. That bill passed concurrence 33-14 and final passage 39-8. The Senate next concurred in House amendments to Senate Bill 2339, the wildfire mitigation bill, which requires utility mitigation plans to be updated every two years, incorporate national electric standards, and creates a rebuttable presumption of reasonable care if the plan is followed. The bill then passed final passage 46-1. The chamber also adopted conference committee reports and passed House Bill 1460 on adult foster care and monitoring devices, House Bill 1440 on cigar lounge tobacco use, and Senate Bill 2374 on insurance-related provisions including property insurance arbitration, managed repair programs, and surplus lines issues; SB 2374 also added a study on towing and recovery coverage. The session ended with announcements of upcoming conference committee meetings and adjournment until April 22, 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:52:03.359> and adopted legislation, fiscal note, and adopted legislation, fiscal note,
• Uh, there's no fiscal note. I'm assuming that there was a fiscal note associated with that bill.
• Uh, there's no fiscal note. I'm assuming that there was a fiscal note associated with that bill.
• Was there a fiscal note I don't recall. Was there a fiscal note on<01:52:00.000> it? on it?
• <02:54:41.439> at LSO's fiscal note is you're looking at LSO's fiscal note is you're looking

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're now in the last five months of the fiscal year.
• We're now in the last five months of the fiscal year.
• They have this authority, I believe, the past couple fiscal years.
• So you've already appropriated money for fiscal year 2027 and fiscal year 2028, and that's why we would
• year 2027, they have until that fiscal year to use it, right?

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:11:40.760> am looking at the fiscal note okay I I am looking at the fiscal note okay I I
• <00:11:49.720> note little Clarity on the fiscal note little Clarity on the fiscal note because
• <00:12:19.000> I'm at the fiscal note which is why I'm at the fiscal note which is why I'm
• <00:32:56.279> questions fiscal note often there are questions fiscal note often there are
• revised fiscal note could be drafted revised fiscal note could be drafted based<00:59:22.119>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: Division 3 Finance held a work session to move through five bills before noon, noting one member’s early departure and adjusting the order of bills accordingly. The first item, HB 54, would allow some alternative treatment centers in the medical cannabis system to operate for profit. Members discussed a fiscal note showing a one-time $133,000 cost, which was described as a Division 1 budget item to be handled through HB 2 rather than directly in Division 3. After discussion about keeping Division 1 informed and the distinction between retaining a bill versus funding it, the committee voted unanimously to retain HB 54 for further finance work and conversion into HB 2. The committee then took up HB 547, concerning reimbursement to counties for enhanced FMAP funds during the COVID period. The chair summarized the issue as federal enhanced Medicaid matching funds that were received by the state before authority existed to pass them through to counties, creating a disputed amount owed to counties. County representatives said the money should have gone to counties and clarified the relevant time period, while the department did not take a position. The chair proposed retaining the bill and moving it into HB 2, with discussion of a possible four-year repayment structure in equal annual installments. The committee agreed to retain the bill for continued work in the budget process. During the HB 547 discussion, members also clarified the fiscal and accounting details, including that the fiscal note had not been widely available and that some figures in the note should be treated as county revenue rather than county expenditure. Testimony explained that the enhanced FMAP increased from 50 percent to 56.2 percent, and that the state’s and counties’ shares of claims were affected by the timing of the federal change and the later state authorization. The committee emphasized that the issue was complex and budget-dependent, and that retaining the bill would allow further negotiation and incorporation into HB 2 rather than immediate final action.

Transcript Highlights:

• fiscal note excuse me 30th Amendment or fiscal note excuse me Fiscal<00:06:15.680> note<00:06:
• <00:06:26.759> note there was an initially a fiscal note there was an initially a fiscal note
• If you look in the fiscal notes, that's what that fiscal note says.
• note<03:49:16.080> says notes that's what that fiscal note says notes that's what that fiscal
• did a good fiscal note.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard HB 659, which would establish the New Hampshire College Graduate Retention Incentive Program. A Department of Revenue Administration analyst explained technical issues in the bill, focusing on whether the incentive is intended to operate as a rebate or a tax credit, how it would be administered, and how it would interact with the business enterprise tax and business profits tax. She said the bill’s language was unclear on the administering agency, effective tax years, caps, and carry-forward treatment, and noted that reducing BET can also reduce the BET credit against BPT, though not on a one-for-one basis. Committee members asked follow-up questions about the BET/BPT interaction, administrative costs, and whether the Department of Business and Economic Affairs would need additional staffing. Andrew Horn then testified in support, saying the bill is meant to address the large number of New Hampshire college graduates who leave the state after graduation by encouraging them to stay and by incentivizing businesses to hire them. The chair closed the hearing on HB 659 after no further public testimony. The committee then took up HB 770, a bill to establish a program allowing New Hampshire high school students to earn tuition credits at state higher education institutions through community service. Representative Schultz described the bill as a “triple play” intended to increase volunteerism, expand service and internship opportunities for students, and make college more affordable. Ryan Casey, a junior at Bishop Brady High School, testified that the proposal would help students reduce future loan debt while benefiting communities and encouraging young people to attend college in New Hampshire. Committee members asked about eligibility, including why private and preparatory school students were excluded, whether public school students would qualify, whether mandatory service hours would count, and how the bill’s references to education and business eligibility should be read. Schultz said the exclusion of private and prep schools was intended because public school students are more clearly New Hampshire residents, and she noted that mandatory school service hours had been excluded in revisions. The Department of Education then testified that the program would require significant administration, estimating at least three full-time staff, software or tracking systems, and rulemaking to oversee volunteer sites, schools, student eligibility, and tuition credit distribution. No vote was taken in the excerpt, and the hearing remained in testimony phase.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:07:01.440> note there has not been a fiscal note there has not been a fiscal note requested
• That has to have a fiscal note as well. This just seems to only go one way here in Minnesota.
• The hypocrisy of again trying to stop this bill on a fiscal note, but theirs they ignore it.
• note, but theirs this bill on a fiscal note, but theirs they<00:15:12.639> ignore<00:15:12.880
• go<00:21:52.799> with ...and the fiscal note that would go with this.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• > note there wasn't a fiscal note there wasn't a fiscal note the<01:24:46.200> way<01:24
• <01:24:54.680> note will be a fiscal note will be a fiscal note and<01:24:56.200> there's
• We know there will be a fiscal note. And yet here we are saying no, no fiscal note.
• fiscal note. fiscal note.
• be a fiscal note.

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the journal, and received committee and House messages on a large number of bills. Committee reports advanced several measures, including House Bill 1335 from Health and Human Services, House Bills 1281, 1315, and 1255 from Judiciary, House Bills 1345 and 1417 and Senate Bill 139 from Education, Senate Bill 192 from Transportation and Energy, and a number of Appropriations recommendations. The chamber also received House-passed and revisor-transmitted bills, and later laid over the special-order second reading calendar until later in the day. A major floor action was adoption of Senate Resolution 26-009, which proclaimed May 2026 as ALS Awareness Month. The resolution described ALS as a fatal neurodegenerative disease, highlighted the need for research, multidisciplinary care, and support for patients and caregivers, and recognized Colorado ALS advocates and medical professionals. Senators spoke personally about the disease’s impact, including the minority leader’s remarks about his mother’s death from ALS. The resolution passed 35-0, and the current roll call was added as co-sponsors. The Senate then took up third-reading consent calendar bills and passed Senate Bill 186, Senate Bill 188, House Bill 1420, House Bill 1341, House Bill 1015, and House Bill 1423, with recorded no votes on Senate Bill 188 and House Bill 1015. Senate Bill 191, concerning gifts, grants, and donations for nursing-facility reimbursement, was amended on third reading to correct reporting language and then passed 32-3. Senate Bill 125, which would codify disability-rights protections in public schools in response to reduced federal enforcement capacity, generated debate over state responsibility and passed 24-11. Senate Bill 187, creating a commission to study Medicaid and adding managed care entities as stakeholders, passed 31-4 after supporters cited rising Medicaid costs, fraud concerns, and data problems. Senate Bill 189, concerning automated decision-making technology and consequential decisions, was introduced and discussed as an AI-regulation measure, but no final action is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Fiscal year '28 is expected to grow slower. Fiscal year '28 is expected to grow slower.
• This is the ending balance in fiscal year 29.
• At that time, the fiscal note showed that the merged plan with the COLA would result in a new legacy
• Not in the bill, but as part of the fiscal analysis, that was assumed to happen in fiscal year, towards
• And again, there's a fiscal note for that as well.

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held a work session covering the state revenue outlook, caseload forecasts, wildfire costs, budget balance, tort liability, water supply, and pension policy. The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council reported modest near-term U.S. growth, no near-term Washington employment growth in 2026, continued personal income growth, and elevated inflation, with tariffs and federal policy cited as major risks. Revenue forecasts were slightly improved for the current biennium by about $105 million but down about $185 million for the next biennium. Members asked about income inequality and housing permits; staff said personal income is an aggregate measure and housing production remains below long-term needs. The Caseload Forecast Council then reported that most forecasts were unchanged or only slightly changed, but several programs increased, including Washington College Grant, Working Connections, aged/blind/disabled cash grants, nursing homes, home and community services, and developmental disabilities personal care. The largest policy-driven change was in Medicaid low-income adult caseloads, where federal H.R. 1 was projected to reduce coverage substantially through narrower eligibility, community engagement requirements, and shorter eligibility periods. The committee also heard a wildfire funding update and a 2025 fire season review. Staff explained that the state budgets $93 million annually for suppression and uses supplemental appropriations for costs above that level, with an estimated state supplemental need of about $139 million for the current year. Department of Natural Resources officials said 2025 fire activity remained below the 10-year average in acres burned, but fires were more complex and closer to communities, contributing to higher residence loss. They described expanded use of aircraft, firefighters from other states, corrections crews, and the Arcadia 20 hand crew, and said the state did not need National Guard ground support this year. A budget preview then showed that the near general fund outlook had worsened after vetoes, lapses, and forecast changes, and that maintenance-level costs alone would leave a projected negative balance by fiscal year 2027 and about $4.3 billion by fiscal year 2029, before any policy decisions. Jason Seams, the state risk manager, reported a sharp rise in tort claim costs, with indemnity expenses nearly doubling from fiscal year 2023 to 2025 and DCYF accounting for most of the increase. He said the state self-insurance liability account has run deficits for four straight biennia and is now facing nearly $600 million in deficits, driven largely by a surge in DCYF claims, especially juvenile rehabilitation and long-running sex abuse cases. Members asked about the role of old claims, comparisons with other states, excess insurance, and whether more Attorney General staff could reduce special assistant attorney general costs. The committee then shifted to water policy, hearing from tribal leaders, Ecology, and the Washington Water Trust. Tribal witnesses emphasized overappropriation, declining flows, climate impacts, and the need for legislative oversight and tribal participation in water policy. Ecology described major projects in the Odessa sub-area, Yakima Basin, and Dungeness, along with the need for storage, recharge, conservation, and policy changes to support water supply development. The Washington Water Trust argued that climate change is reducing summer flows and that the state needs more funding, enforcement, and long-term commitment to restore instream flows. The final item was a pension update on LEOFF 1 surplus assets; staff reviewed two 2025 bills that would have merged or restructured the plan and used surplus assets, but neither passed, and instead the budget directed the Select Committee on Pension Policy to study the issue and report back.

Transcript Highlights:

• But I do about your fiscal note really.
• Now, we have an uh the fiscal note.
• <00:41:43.040> note<00:41:43.280> that Um, we did have a fiscal note that Um, we did
• That fiscal note, that were provided.
• <00:42:25.920> generally fiscal note says legislation generally fiscal note says legislation

Bills: HB0120

Keywords: energy production, natural gas, industrial sovereignty, manufacturing, tax exemptions, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One, there's no fiscal note, right? No monetary implication?
• So the fiscal note is $33 million, $17 million, nine hundred thousand. Oh, sorry.
• The Chair recognizes Chair Basu. ...or the fiscal note would be for taxing nobody?
• So it's a total fiscal note per biennium of $33 million.
• A fiscal note on the bill that just came out, and I disagree with it.

Bills: HB511, HB972, HB 1035, HB2481, HB2723, HB2742, HB2894, HB2962, HB3077, HB3093, HB3307, HB3684, HJR67, HJR72

Keywords: ad valorem taxation, caregiver exemption, Medicaid, long-term services, tax relief, assisted living, housing support, property tax exemption, caregiver support, residence homestead, tax exemption, unpaid caregiver, state tax code, property tax, caregiver, waiting list, intellectual disability, developmental disability, ad valorem tax, family support

Transcript Highlights:

• I I will note that uh Mr. further? I I will note that uh Mr.
• but<00:37:16.800> any<00:37:17.040> fiscal through fiscal committee but any fiscal
• require on top of fiscal GNC approval. require on top of fiscal GNC approval.
• for those because it's fiscal. Yes. Yes. for those because it's fiscal. Yes. Yes.
• Because it's fiscal. Correct. Because it's fiscal. Correct.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first approved the March 21 minutes and then took up a consent calendar, withdrawing several items before adopting the remainder. It also moved item FIS 25103 to the table by a 6-4 vote after Senator Gray argued the Executive Council had not yet acted on a prior $5 million approval and that the committee should avoid adding to the rainy day fund draw. The committee then approved item 25106 for the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources/State Library after hearing that the department expected about a $400,000 lapse to return to the state. A major discussion centered on New Hampshire Police Standards and Training (item 2577). Senator Gray questioned whether a proposed equipment purchase could be delayed to the next biennium in light of the state’s deficit and rainy day fund use. The agency said the equipment was needed now for scenario training, vendors had already been identified, and delaying would likely increase costs and force continued reliance on unpaid volunteer help. The committee ultimately approved the item. The committee also approved Department of Energy item 2587 after hearing that federal weatherization funds are drawn down on a reimbursement basis, and item 2588 after similar testimony that weatherization work must be completed and inspected before reimbursement, limiting how quickly funds can be expended. Item 250094 had been withdrawn. Later, the committee discussed Senator Carson’s request for an LBA review of the YDC claims settlement fund, with members expressing concern about administrative costs, attorney fees, settlement-loan payoffs, and the need for more detailed reporting. The committee voted to direct LBA to conduct the audit described in Senator Carson’s memo, with the additional request that the review include the term over which attorney fees are paid. The meeting then moved on to an HHS staff item, where members began questioning the timing of dashboard data and reporting delays.

Transcript Highlights:

• Vice Chair, and I appreciate that beautiful note to kick us off.
• that there would be a relatively small $2 billion deficit at the end of the fiscal year.
• I know in the notes it said that there would be a letter to the Little Hoover Commission.
• Yeah, I would note that we see the cost of certain programs on the expenditure side.
• Lee noted, the $2.5 billion was. Appropriation from the general fund.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know we get fiscal notes here at the legislature; there's often very detailed information from the
• I'm just curious about either how much time or how much time on those fiscal notes every session?
• We're trying to do, I mean, we're trying to be helpful, and basically our primary role in fiscal note
• Then that's the fiscal note. But we recognize that it's a significant undertaking.
• We assume that in our fiscal note for that, the commission would probably interpret that as a signal

Bills: HF2432

Keywords: HF2432, judiciary finance bill, public safety finance bill, corrections policy, crime victims, victim services, Minnesota victims of crime account, court fees, marriage license fee, financial crimes, fraud investigations, insurance fraud, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, BCA, Commerce Fraud Bureau, wage theft, automobile theft prevention, nonprofit security grants, 911 funding, POST Board

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm available to assist with interpreting fiscal notes on bills related to education finance, and I will
• And we just wanted to note here the increased participation since 2018-19 through fiscal year 24.
• And we just wanted to note here the increased participation since 2018-19 through fiscal year 24.
• And we just wanted to note here the increased participation since 2018-19 through fiscal year 24.
• Note here the increased participation since 2018-19 through fiscal year 24.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Education Finance Committee met on January 21 with a quorum present for the first meeting of the 2025 biennium. The co-chairs described the temporary power-sharing arrangement in the tied Senate, introduced committee staff and pages, and had members briefly introduce themselves and share what subject they would teach. After the introductions, the committee moved to a presentation from State Demographer Susan Brower. Brower reviewed Minnesota’s school-age population trends and projections, noting that the state had just under 1 million children ages 5 to 17 in 2023 and that, for the first time, the older adult population exceeded the school-age population. She said the school-age population is concentrated in the Twin Cities metro and other regional centers, and projected an overall decline of about 5% over the next 15 to 20 years, driven mainly by declining birth rates and long-running net outmigration of young adults. She also explained that growth is expected in some areas, especially along the I-94 corridor north of the metro, while northern regions are projected to see the largest declines. She clarified for members that her figures measure resident children, not school enrollment, and that boundary changes are not reflected in the district-level data. The presentation also covered demographic change among students. Brower said about 35% of Minnesota children ages 5 to 17 are children of color, with growing multiracial populations and increasing linguistic diversity. She reported that about 20% of school-age children have at least one foreign-born parent, and about 18% of enrolled students speak a language other than English at home, with Spanish, Somali, and Hmong the largest home languages. She also discussed child poverty, saying Minnesota’s rate is just under 10%, below the national rate of about 15%, and that poverty is concentrated in Minneapolis-St. Paul, some first-ring suburbs, and parts of northern Minnesota, including districts with larger Native populations. Members asked questions about whether the projections accounted for migration and whether open enrollment affected the figures; Brower said the data reflect where children live, not where they attend school, and that the projections are based on recent migration and birth patterns, with future changes more likely to come from international immigration than from domestic migration.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then the last one was just the fiscal note, the fiscal note being zero.
• So I didn't create the fiscal note. You know, the fiscal note works.
• So I think our universities will have a fiscal note that creates a cost.
• But, you know, the fiscal note, how they generated it, I'm happy with the zero fiscal note.
• So we want an accurate fiscal note.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Does this have any fiscal note that we >> Does this have any fiscal note that we need<
• I want fiscal note of over $1 million.
• And basically what it does is get rid of the fiscal note, the money in the fiscal note.
• There is zero fiscal impact fiscal note.
• So the fiscal note says the hearing.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There is not a fiscal note as well.
• And then, is there a fiscal note? I believe there's a fiscal note.
• It has a fiscal note of $5 million. We did increase the fiscal note.
• The fiscal note has eight FTEs included, the revised fiscal note.
• Both Arkansas and Florida did not even assign a fiscal note.

Bills: SB524, SB782, HB42, HB1056, HB2894, HB3033, HB3474, HB3594, HB4738, HB5246, HB42

Keywords: SB 524, Texas franchise tax, veteran-owned business, new veteran-owned business, business tax exemption, filing fee exemption, Tax Code Chapter 171, Business Organizations Code, Comptroller, small business, veterans, entrepreneurship, tax repeal, privilege tax, beginning date, franchise tax exemption, severance tax, oil, gas, restimulation wells

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:21:33.520> note, fiscal note, fiscal note, >> Yeah,<00:21:34.280> please<00:21
• First being, you made reference to a fiscal note in your presentation, but I haven't seen a fiscal note
• Is there a fiscal note on this bill? There's not a fiscal note.
• /c><00:48:13.440> piece<00:48:13.680> is fiscal note, but the other piece is fiscal note
• committee, on a fiscal note and uh and, committee, on a fiscal note and uh and, you<00:54:44.960

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A fiscal note before the committee states there is no fiscal impact.
• When you look at the fiscal note from BRIM, it indicates that...
• That's in the fiscal note.
• You have a fiscal note before you from the Insurance Commissioner's office, noting minimal fiscal impact
• You do have a fiscal note available from BRIM.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee met with a quorum present and approved the March 4, 2026 minutes by voice vote. The committee first considered House Bill 55, which updates and modernizes workers’ compensation statutes to reflect the privatized system, remove obsolete provisions, and adjust the Workers’ Compensation Board of Review from five members to three. The Insurance Commissioner testified that the bill is part of the cleanup from privatization and would give the governor more flexibility in appointments. After adopting a strike-and-insert amendment and a title amendment, the committee reported HB 55 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass. The committee then took up House Bill 5463, which would reduce BRIM’s required liability coverage for county boards of education from $1.25 million to $1 million per occurrence and eliminate the separate $5 million excess coverage requirement. BRIM’s director testified that the excess market was difficult to access and costly, but several senators raised concerns that lowering coverage could reduce protection for victims and school-related claims. After a divided vote, the motion to report the bill failed, and HB 5463 was not passed by the committee. Next, the committee considered House Bill 4869, creating guaranteed issue rights for Medicare supplement policies, including annual birthday replacement rights and a special right for certain Medicaid recipients losing eligibility. Counsel said the bill would prohibit underwriting barriers during the guaranteed issue periods and require an annual report on premium trends. With no amendments offered, the committee reported HB 4869 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass. Finally, the committee considered House Bill 5462 on mine subsidence insurance. The bill would allow the mine subsidence fund to offset payments by amounts received from other sources and limit lawsuits over claims reported to BRIM. Members debated a proposed strike-and-insert amendment that would have softened the litigation limits and added notice and remedy provisions, but the amendment was rejected. The committee then reported HB 5462 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass, and the meeting adjourned.