Transcript Highlights:

• He thanked Chair Anderson, Chair Hansen, and everyone involved in the negotiations for finding a spot
• He thanked Chair Anderson, Chair Hansen, and everyone involved in the negotiations for finding a spot
• He said that when they were negotiating, they talked about whether to put it in policy or not, and decided
• He said that when they were negotiating, they talked about whether to put it in policy or not, and decided
• </c><00:47:20.000><c> we</c> program and when we were negotiating we program and when we were negotiating

Bills: HF2446

Committee: House Agriculture Finance and Policy

Keywords: agriculture finance, broadband development, Department of Agriculture, Board of Animal Health, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Office of Broadband Development, food safety, food handler license, cottage food, home processed food, livestock dealer, meat packing company, milk marketer, milk marketing license, grain buyer, grain storage, beginning farmer, emerging farmer, farm down payment assistance, livestock investment grant

Transcript Highlights:

• And then the governor's team left negotiations.
• Any mention throughout the day of budget negotiations literally means the majority negotiations.
• Throughout the day, talk of budget negotiations literally means the majority negotiating with each other
• We're ready to negotiate.
• She walked away from the negotiating table.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have no way to negotiate them.
• But those fees are all negotiated as part of contracts.
• Walmart, for example, has separate negotiations for what they pay in interchange.
• Those are negotiated directly with the banks. Home Depot... ...of what they pay in interchange.
• Those are negotiated directly with the banks. Home Depot, Costco, and others.

Summary: The Special Legislative Commission on the future of credit card payments and their impacts on small businesses held what was described as its last public hearing. Chair Paul Feeney opened by noting the commission’s mandate under Chapter 238 of the Acts of 2024 and explained that members would continue working on a final report after the hearing. The meeting featured testimony from banks, payment industry groups, restaurant advocates, convenience store representatives, and others, with repeated discussion of interchange fees, surcharging, fraud, and federal preemption issues. Banking and card-industry witnesses, including the Massachusetts Bankers Association, the Card Coalition, and the Electronic Payments Coalition, argued that state-level interchange restrictions would disrupt a global payment system, create compliance problems, and likely apply only to a small share of transactions because of federal preemption. They emphasized consumer and merchant benefits of cards, the role of banks in absorbing fraud losses, and recent federal and state developments, including Illinois litigation, OCC and NCUA actions, and a settlement that they said would give merchants more flexibility. Several witnesses also suggested alternatives such as vendor compensation for tax collection and modernizing Massachusetts’ surcharge ban. Restaurant and convenience-store advocates took the opposite view, saying swipe fees are a major burden on thin-margin businesses and that merchants should not pay interchange on sales tax or gratuities that are not their revenue. Mass Restaurants United and individual restaurant owners described severe financial strain, rising costs, and the need for transparency and relief. NACS supported swipe fee reform and argued that current fees are excessive and inflationary. A few members questioned witnesses about whether industry should share more of the burden and about the feasibility of changing the current system. No votes or formal policy actions were taken. The chair said the commission would meet again to discuss a draft framework and final report, and members of the public were invited to submit additional written testimony before the commission concludes its work.

Transcript Highlights:

• We negotiate rebates with pharmaceutical companies, we process drug claims, and we create network...
• is now when a PBM approaches a client to be their PBM claim processor, they're going to have to negotiate
• When you say that you negotiate, PBM negotiate with the different companies, and I appreciate that effort
• And I'll give you this: I believe that PBMs were created with good intentions to be good negotiators,
• not going to allow in Louisiana, as a government is supposed to do in representing its people and negotiating

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee met with eight members present and deferred HB 127. It then considered a series of bills, most of which were reported favorably without opposition. HB 22 revised COLA rules for the clerks of court retirement system, allowing more frequent COLAs when the system is better funded; HB 324 made judicial stipends permanent and added future COLAs subject to available funding; HB 233 increased jury mileage reimbursement; HB 47 reorganized assessor retirement COLA statutes; HB 533 allowed St. Tammany Parish to transfer unused witness-fee account balances to the 22nd Judicial District Court; HB 980 adjusted eligibility for the Firemen’s Supplemental Pay Board; HCR 45 urged Congress to clarify ARPA deadlines for water projects; HB 559 increased court costs in the 4th Judicial District; HB 290 recreated the Department of Treasury and related entities in statute; and HB 382 addressed Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget review authority over Group Benefits plans. The committee also reported HB 1157 favorably, creating a financing bank mechanism for infrastructure projects, and HB 575 favorably, giving youth aging out of foster care preferred access to surplus state vehicles through the Louisiana Property Assistance Agency. Several measures drew more discussion. HB 1236, dealing with pharmacy benefit managers and professional dispensing fees, prompted extensive testimony from the sponsor, the Legislative Fiscal Office, the Department of Insurance, independent pharmacies, and PBM representatives. Supporters said it clarifies and strengthens enforcement of existing PBM law and protects independent pharmacies; opponents argued the bill’s requirement that PBMs bear dispensing-fee costs would be difficult to implement and could raise premiums. The sponsor said he would work on amendments, including clarifying language and a delayed effective date, and the bill was nevertheless moved favorably. SB 25, on registrar of voters compensation, was amended to a revised pay structure and then reported favorably. HB 47 and HB 533 were also presented as funding and administrative cleanups for retirement and court-related accounts, with local support noted. The committee also heard HB 233 on jury duty mileage reimbursement, which the sponsor said updates a 1961 rate and would be funded locally at an estimated average increase of about $4,000 per judicial district. HB 324 on judicial salaries was described as self-funded by the judiciary and subject to available funding, with no budget impact. HB 575 on foster youth transportation was presented as a non-appropriation measure aimed at helping youth aging out of foster care by giving them preferred access to surplus vehicles. HB 382, which concerns the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget’s role in approving Group Benefits plans, was reported favorably with little discussion. The meeting ended after a motion to adjourn.

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• The board authorized a settlement negotiation path with our CP2... board authorized a settlement negotiation
• But it's been negotiated and agreed, just not signed? It's going through the negotiation process.
• Negotiate that, so what is still missing? Is that dollar figure not correct?
• So the negotiations, I mean, as of now, you would have to follow that state law, correct?
• I want to know the details of this change order negotiation.

Committee: House Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• For one, the handler or processor must negotiate.
• The act also establishes timelines for the negotiations.
• There's no negotiation. And so you find this out literally days before harvest.
• So we just need to be able to sit down and negotiate a fair price.
• So we need to be able to negotiate a fair price and have some, Need to be able to negotiate a fair price

Bills: SB5816 , SB5971

Committee: Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources

Keywords: juice grapes, agriculture, commerce, state regulation, market access, green fertilizer, low-carbon, sustainability, incentive program

Transcript Highlights:

• He can't negotiate.
• As I said earlier, we don't have the negotiating ability and the negotiating power.
• He has no negotiating power. He doesn't know how much to order for his Christmas season.
• Well, I think it's the thin margins, it's the inability to negotiate.
• They don't negotiate with you. And so that's going to make a huge difference to Main Street, huge.

Committee: Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee

Keywords: joint hearing, small business, Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, economic recovery, tax relief, job creation

Summary: In this joint hearing of the House Committee on Small Business and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, the primary focus was on the importance of making the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) permanent. The chair emphasized that small businesses are crucial for the nation's economic recovery, especially in the wake of current federal policies perceived as detrimental. Witnesses shared their experiences and highlighted how the tax cuts facilitated job creation and business expansion, stressing the need for continued support through ongoing tax relief measures. The meeting included discussions about the economic implications of the TCJA's potential expiration, with members voicing their concerns regarding how this could impact small businesses and the broader economy.

Transcript Highlights:

• After years of engagement, discussion, and negotiation, we finally gained the support of Wayne Johnson
• c> we</c><00:03:20.560><c> finally</c><00:03:21.000><c> gained</c><00:03:21.239><c> the</c> and negotiation
• , we finally gained the and negotiation, we finally gained the support<00:03:21.720><c> of</c><00:03:
• Is there anything in there that you could negotiate to get them to vote?
• Is there anything in there that you could negotiate to get them to vote?

Summary: Lawmakers and manufactured housing residents discussed a Minnesota bill of rights for manufactured home park residents, aimed at addressing rent increases and private equity ownership of mobile home parks. Rep. Matt Norris and Sen. Liz Bolden described the proposal as a response to out-of-state investors buying parks, raising lot rents, and using enforcement gaps to pressure residents. The bill would define “reasonable rent,” give residents a stronger opportunity to purchase their parks when sold, and strengthen penalties and enforcement of existing protections. Bolden said it is a policy-only bill with no expected fiscal cost and noted it had bipartisan support in the Senate, with a plan to move it from the Commerce Committee to the Judiciary Committee and then to the Senate floor. Residents from Blaine International Village, Sylvan/Lake Elmo, and Cimarron described large rent increases, higher eviction rates, and what they characterized as predatory management practices by out-of-state private equity firms. Tammy Fry said her rent rose from $425 to $700 after her park was sold to Haven Park, while new residents were paying $1,000; Bree Mafee said Sylvan’s lot rent is $1,060 a month and has risen more than 35% in five years, with evictions increasing from about three a year to more than 40 since 2020. Speakers emphasized that manufactured housing residents are both homeowners and renters, and said the bill is needed to protect families from losing homes they own but cannot easily move. Several legislators voiced support. Sen. Judy Seeberger said she had seen predatory practices in Cimarron and would vote yes in committee. Sen. Jim Abeler, a Republican, said he had become aware of the issue and could not stay silent, calling the situation wrong and not a partisan matter. During questions, Bolden said the bill includes a reasonableness standard for lot rent increases, with an exception for health and safety needs, and said similar provisions exist in other states. She also said the bill stalled previously due to timing and moving pieces, not a substantive Senate defeat, and residents argued the issue is about housing stability rather than party politics.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we're going to help these employees have a better negotiating position for benefits and for other
• Representative Wash continued: If we're going to help these employees have a better negotiating position
• Non-compete agreements restrict workers from taking a better job or negotiating for better pay.
• Our friends across the rotunda, this is one of those bills where you get to see how negotiations work
• Our friends across the rotunda, this is one of those bills where you get to see how negotiations work

Bills: HB2720 , HB2073 , SB5816 , SB5919 , SB5831 , SB6244 , SB6044 , SB5109 , SB5877 , SB6258

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, juice grapes, agriculture, commerce, state regulation, market access, fire safety, insurance incentives, best practices, community protection, voluntary measures, mortgage modification

Transcript Highlights:

• Bill 3983 comes to the floor, it would only be brought to the floor if there was some level of negotiated
• in there, none of them which would be in the final piece of legislation unless it was part of a negotiated
• The current state of negotiations between the entities involved is ongoing.
• The last update on their status is still being negotiated.
• In those negotiations, information is still traveling back and forth between the different entities.

Bills: HB1242 , HB1250 , HB1590 , HB1752 , HB1979 , HB1983 , HB2952 , HB2961 , HB2967 , HB2973 , HB2988 , HB3031 , HB3047 , HB3052 , HB3066 , HB3086 , HB3175 , HB3177 , HB3178 , HB3240 , HB3404 , HB3429 , HB3548 , HB3638 , HB3671 , HB3704 , HB3759 , HB3831 , HB3904 , HB3920 , HB3944 , HB3969 , HB3973 , HB3975 , HB3976 , HB3978 , HB3983 , HB3984 , HB4092 , HB4118

Committee: House Appropriations and Budget

Keywords: HB1242, cervidae, deer, elk, sales tax exemption, agricultural exemption, livestock, ranching, farm tax, agricultural sales tax, Oklahoma Tax Commission, agriculture, producer sales, private treaty, special livestock sale, tax relief, farm products, rural economy, local law enforcement, Public Safety Technology Revolving Fund

Transcript Highlights:

• price by each third-party payer, and the deidentified third-party payer minimum and maximum negotiated
• price by each third-party payer, and the deidentified third-party payer minimum and maximum negotiated
• That is not a negotiated rate. The federal government sets that price through regulations.
• </c><00:51:16.040><c> rate</c><00:51:16.720><c> the</c> that is not a negotiated rate the that is not
• a negotiated rate the federal<00:51:17.280><c> government</c><00:51:17.760><c> sets</c><00:51:18.119

Summary: The committee began by reviewing a large slate of administrative regulations and explaining that it does not approve regulations but can find them deficient and send them back for further work. Members then asked questions on several items, including EMS reciprocity, dental hygienist licensure, and interpreter licensure. The EMS board explained that reciprocity would extend to applicants from any state, not just contiguous states, because the underlying statute had been amended. On the dental regulation, staff said the changes mainly clarified licensure requirements, reinstatement fees, and that dental hygienists administering local anesthetic must do so under direct dentist supervision. The most extended discussion involved the Board of Interpreters for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The board chair said the main concern was that the EIPA is an educational specialty assessment, not a nationally recognized certification, yet the regulation would allow it to support full licensure. Members discussed whether that could let educational interpreters work outside their intended scope and whether a separate educational license or statutory change would be more appropriate. The board said it did not think the regulation could be fixed further at this point and suggested a statute could create a narrower educational interpreter license. After discussion, the committee voted to defer both related interpreter regulations, 201 KAR 39:030 and the companion regulation, for further work. The committee then took up two community mental health regulations, 907 KAR 1:044 and 907 KAR 5:005, which had been found deficient in Administrative Regulations. Department for Medicaid Services staff said the rules would expand and rename the mental health associate role as a behavioral health associate, making the role available in many more facilities, but would also require additional coursework or progress toward licensure. Some members and providers raised access-to-care concerns, especially for rural areas and unlicensed staff already working in the field. Staff said the proposal had been revised through work with CMHCs and licensing boards, but the committee ultimately voted to defer both regulations as well. After finishing the regulation review, the committee heard a presentation from the Kentucky Hospital Association on the ATRIP hospital rate improvement program. Hospital representatives said ATRIP is a Medicaid state-directed payment program funded through a provider tax and federal matching dollars, allowing hospitals to receive payments tied to quality measures. They reported improvements including lower Medicaid readmissions, high sepsis screening rates, reduced infections and opioid prescribing, expanded postpartum depression and suicide screening, and training for more than 1,000 people. They said the program has helped hospitals invest in staffing and quality improvement and warned that without it, many hospitals would face severe financial strain.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was a negotiated agreement.
• Um the uh the negotiated agreement.
• Um, but the the negotiated floor.
• </c> things that we have been um negotiating things that we have been um negotiating and<01:43:01.280
• They're in our negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• I recall with great clarity the night the Fresno SERP was negotiated.
• I was in Sacramento following negotiations from afar.
• These issues are best addressed through local negotiation and tailored conditions.
• Basically, in a negotiation, you have to find leverage points.
• Basically, in a negotiation, you have to find leverage points.

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on wildfire resilience, land use, and local government authority. SB 911 would require notification to fire agencies when a home in a high fire severity zone is sold under an agreement to complete defensible space compliance; the California Association of Realtors said it would drop opposition if the bill is amended to use the preliminary change of ownership report, and the bill passed 4-0 to Appropriations. SB 994 would bar local officials from entering nondisclosure agreements that prevent them from sharing information with the elected decision makers of their jurisdiction; supporters framed it as a transparency measure, and it passed 4-0 as amended. The consent calendar, including SB 958 and several other bills, was also adopted 4-0. The committee then took up SB 1041, which would expand PACE financing for wildfire home-hardening improvements statewide and add consumer protections, hardship provisions, and reporting requirements. Supporters, including Renew Financial and Cal Fire Local 2881, argued it would help homeowners finance fire-resistant roofs, vents, and other upgrades. Opponents, including homeowner advocates, county tax collectors, mortgage lenders, and consumer groups, warned that PACE has a history of contractor abuse, high costs, liens that survive bankruptcy, and risks to vulnerable homeowners. After extended debate, the bill advanced 3-2 to Appropriations and remained on call. SB 1075 would require local governments in AB 617 communities to consider air-quality impacts and community emissions reduction plans when approving certain commercial and industrial projects. Environmental justice supporters said the bill would help implement long-promised pollution reductions in heavily burdened communities, while business, local government, planning, and industry groups argued it duplicated CEQA and existing permitting processes, created litigation risk, and could deter investment and jobs. The bill passed 3-2 and remained on call. SB 958, relating to the Midway Rising redevelopment project in San Diego, was presented as a path for a long-planned housing and entertainment project with at least 4,250 homes, including 2,000 affordable units, and it passed 3-0 to Appropriations. Finally, SB 1182 would require local governments to consider insurance availability in safety planning for development in high fire hazard areas. The author said the bill responds to rising insurance costs and the Fair Plan’s growth, while supporters said it would better align land-use decisions with wildfire risk. Opponents and some committee members argued the bill was too vague, could burden cities, and would not solve the underlying insurance market problem. The discussion was ongoing when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• But I also know that this has been a tremendously challenging negotiation.
• But I also know that this has been a tremendously challenging negotiation.
• And I'm quite frankly disappointed in how difficult it has been for you all to negotiate this bill.
• And then, you know, we came to negotiations with the pro tem and through those negotiations started hearing
• Through those negotiations with the pro tem, from hearing from the governor's office.

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee held an informational hearing on AB 715, followed by discussion of SB 48. AB 715 was presented by Assembly Members Zbur and Addis as a response to rising anti-Semitism in California schools. They described incidents involving harassment, swastikas, biased classroom materials, and students feeling unsafe, and said the bill would create an Office of Civil Rights with coordinators to address anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, provide prevention resources, and support school districts. Witnesses in support, including a rabbi and a student who described personal experiences with anti-Semitic harassment, urged immediate action to protect Jewish students. Opposition testimony came from the California Teachers Association, county superintendents, school board groups, labor organizations, civil liberties advocates, ethnic studies educators, and many community members. Their main concerns were that the bill was rushed, had not been fully vetted in the Assembly Education Committee, and could chill classroom speech or create constitutional problems, especially around language requiring instruction and materials to be “factually accurate” and not based on advocacy, bias, or partisanship. Several opponents argued that anti-Semitism should be addressed through education, training, and restorative practices rather than new statutory restrictions. Some witnesses also raised concerns about the bill’s impact on ethnic studies and free speech. Committee members then debated the bill’s process and substance at length. The authors said the bill had been narrowed through negotiations with education stakeholders and the Senate, that some disputed provisions would be revisited in cleanup language, and that the urgency of anti-Semitic incidents required action now. Several members expressed support for the bill’s goal but criticized the late release of the final language and the lack of consultation with the Assembly committee. Others emphasized the need to protect Jewish students immediately and argued the bill was a necessary response to a real crisis. The transcript does not show a final vote on AB 715 in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Why do you not get credit for paying cash and negotiating a better deal on... behalf of yourself, your
• The good news is, I won the negotiation with them, as it turned out.
• Placement fees are voluntarily negotiated.
• A flat fee, fully disclosed, negotiated up front as part of the agreement.
• Number one, they negotiate the drug prices with the manufacturers.

Bills: HB712 , HB722 , HB946 , HB1687 , HB1809 , HB1899 , HB2528 , HB2583 , HB2741 , HB2750 , HB3021 , HB3150 , HB3265 , HB3658 , HB3812 , HB3960 , HB4392 , HB4432

Committee: House Insurance

Keywords: prostate cancer, health benefit plans, insurance coverage, cost sharing, preventive health care, auto insurance, total loss evaluation, disclosure, insurance materials, vehicle appraisal, HB 946, Texas Insurance Code, automobile insurance claims, oral release, written release, settlement agreement, claim release, property damage, bodily injury, psychological injury

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> management and approved and negotiated management and approved and negotiated settlements<00:04:
• </c> we as healthcare providers we negotiate we as healthcare providers we negotiate once<01:17:03.040
• </c> Anthem's agreements anyway, we negotiate Anthem's agreements anyway, we negotiate the<01:25:56.960
• These are negotiations overreach.
• </c> attempted to privately negotiate attempted to privately negotiate protections<01:32:07.040><c> against

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> are are part of a non-negotiable, are are part of a non-negotiable, um,<00:10:54.160><c> uh,</c
• <c> leaders</c> um, uh, a non-negotiable later leaders um, uh, a non-negotiable later leaders agreement
• </c> negotiates the transportation committee. negotiates the transportation committee.
• So we have just um non-negotiable.
• </c><00:13:30.399><c> I'm</c> uh and I'm not negotiating here. I'm uh and I'm not negotiating here.

Transcript Highlights:

• We continue to flag for the Legislature that eight hours before this year's long process was negotiated
• , a bill was amended on policies that were negotiated and then expressly not included as part of this
• so we continue to flag that SB 352, in our view, is not in good faith to the broad good-faith negotiations
• “It’s been a year-long of negotiations, as you and I know, right after this was passed on the Assembly
• Any changes made by this bill were carefully negotiated and agreed upon by all stakeholders.

Summary: The committee hearing began with housekeeping rules, including limits on public comment and a reminder that testimony would be in person, with written testimony accepted through the committee portal. One agenda item, SB 423 by Senator Gonzalez, was pulled, and the committee then took up SB 415 by Senator Reyes, a cleanup bill related to last year’s AB 98 warehouse and logistics facility law. The author explained that SB 415 would clarify that manufacturing facilities are not treated as logistics use facilities, give local governments more time to update truck routes and circulation elements, provide safe-harbor language for good-faith compliance efforts, exempt cities with no logistics facilities from certain circulation updates, and allow truck routes to be established by ordinance outside warehouse concentration zones. Testimony on SB 415 was largely supportive. Supporters included the American Planning Association, California State Association of Counties, Rural County Representatives of California, League of California Cities, California Business Properties Association, International Warehouse Logistics Association, California Grocers, California Business Roundtable, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, and others, who said the bill would make AB 98 more workable and provide needed implementation flexibility, especially for local governments and rural areas. One opponent argued the bill would still harm rural counties, reduce economic development opportunities, and eliminate high-paying jobs tied to warehouse and logistics construction and operations. CalChamber supported the cleanup provisions but raised a process concern about a separate bill and the broader negotiation process around related policy. The author and committee chair closed by emphasizing the year-long negotiations and the intent to balance community, environmental justice, and industry concerns while improving implementation of AB 98. The committee then voted to pass SB 415 on a 10-0 vote, and the hearing was adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair Zelinsky and members of the committee, my name is Adam Jeneac, and I'm a negotiation specialist
• ><c> increase</c><01:48:03.000><c> in</c><01:48:03.080><c> what</c> negotiated for a modest increase
• </c><01:51:10.320><c> total</c> and unions to negotiate total and unions to negotiate total compensation
• And uh by you their negotiating power.
• </c> that they would lose their negotiating that they would lose their negotiating party<02:07:16.480

Bills: HF3714 , HF4399 , HF4176 , HF2544 , HF60 , HF4231 , HF4232

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Keywords: foster care, child welfare, enrollment priority, education programs, child care assistance, education, school board, elections, local governance, school district, site-governed schools, education reform, local control, autonomy, interchange, bond issuance, transportation, infrastructure funding, Sherburne County, student eligibility