Transcript Highlights:

• Scogland is currently staffed by someone working under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant.
• It says two commissioners shall constitute a quorum regardless of any vacancies.
• <04:19:11.319> on sufficient so if there is a vacancy on sufficient so if there is a vacancy
• of the bill got to if there's a vacancy of the bill got to if there's a vacancy on<04:19:16.319>
• on the Pu then there were two vacancies on the Pu then no<04:19:25.279> action<04:19:25.600><

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:15:29.519> in been other significant reductions in been other significant reductions in
• With a 27.6% vacancy rate. We have a higher exempt position vacancy rate.
• We have a higher uh exempt vacancy rate.
• <00:23:24.640> Um a you know 27 28% vacancy rate. Um a you know 27 28% vacancy rate.
• about $8 million from vacancy savings. about $8 million from vacancy savings.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in persons crime, and a 31% reduction in property crime.
• How many vacancies do we have? Currently, 15 or 17.
• How many vacancies do we have? Currently, How many vacancies do we have? Currently, 15 or 17.
• So we had 312 before, down to 300, and we’ve got approximately 17 vacancies, right?” “Yes, sir.
• “So the vacancies are primarily the entry-level positions of grants analysts and things that turn over

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard an update on the Northwest Louisiana earthquake cluster. Laura Sori of the Department of Conservation and Energy said the agency has inspected Class II injection wells within 12 miles of the earthquakes, found no permit violations, and is requiring monthly reporting of daily injection data. LSU and Tulane researchers explained that the swarm includes about 50 earthquakes detected by USGS since December 2025, including a 4.9 magnitude event on March 5, and that better monitoring is needed because Louisiana has very limited seismic station coverage. Dr. Cynthia Ebinger said her temporary array has detected more small quakes than USGS, that the pattern looks more like a swarm than normal aftershocks, and that the data suggest pressure changes in the subsurface, though no definitive cause was identified. Keith Hall of LSU described how other states responded to suspected induced seismicity with more monitoring, more frequent reporting, injection limits or moratoria, and “traffic light” systems that escalate regulatory responses as seismicity increases. Members asked about depths, fault locations, possible links to injection or fracking, and whether more monitoring and data-sharing should be pursued; several speakers said Louisiana likely needs a denser monitoring network and more structured data collection. A Texas geoscientist, William Berger, also testified that Texas uses large-scale data analysis and AI to study injection-related seismicity and argued for secure sharing of operator data to improve forecasting and risk management. The committee then took testimony on UAV and drone incursions over Barksdale Air Force Base. GOSEP said the incident was logged in WebEOC and the common operating picture, but that Barksdale did not request direct GOSEP resources and that the matter was handled through law enforcement channels. Louisiana State Police and the FBI said they were limited in what they could disclose, but confirmed multiple drone sightings on the morning and evening of March 9 and continued monitoring for several days. State Police said they have created a task force with the Police Chiefs Association, Sheriffs Association, GOSEP, and LSP, and that officers are receiving FBI-related training to help detect and, where authorized, mitigate drones. Members discussed whether the activity was nefarious, what counts as an incursion, and the need for better public education about drone restrictions near military and critical infrastructure sites. No formal action was taken, but members said the issue will continue to be tracked alongside pending legislation. Finally, the committee received a one-year update on the merger of GOSEP with the Louisiana National Guard and Military Department. Major General Thomas Freelieu and Brigadier General Jason Maffus said the merger has reduced GOSEP from seven divisions to three, shifted administrative functions to the Military Department, and produced about $10.5 million in first-year cost avoidance. They said the agency has modernized its common operating picture, returned staff to in-person work, and continued statewide preparedness exercises. Freelieu highlighted Guard missions including cyber expansion, the new Air National Guard cyber squadron at Jackson Barracks, modernization of the 159th Fighter Wing, and ongoing support for homeland security missions in New Orleans and Washington, D.C. Maffus said GOSEP’s core mission remains emergency preparedness, response, and recovery, and that the merger is intended to make state support to parishes faster and more efficient.

Transcript Highlights:

• Prior to this year, the department was able to fund this internally through vacancy savings.
• I'm pleased to report that we've turned the corner on vacancies and are getting closer and closer to
• downward by 43 from last fiscal year and represents a 28% reduction of these 142 positions.
• downward by 43 from last fiscal year and represents a 28% reduction.
• And I was just hoping to, and you talked about a lot of the vacancies, and that's where a lot of your

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Finance held informational briefings first with the Department of Defense on its FY 2026 budget request, then with the Hawaii School Facilities Authority. Major General Steve Logan outlined the Department of Defense request for $40.5 million in state funds, which he said would leverage about $74 million in federal matching funds and support 411 open projects that could attract up to $2.3 billion in additional federal grant money. He said the budget focuses on sustainment, safety, and reorganization in light of lessons from the Maui wildfires. Key requests included $1.3 million to sustain IT systems, $2.7 million for 32 HEMA emergency management positions, three new Hawaii Army National Guard positions plus four upgrades, and $1.9 million for the Youth Challenge Program to cover state-mandated fringe costs and staffing needs. He also reviewed capital improvement projects, including Youth Challenge facility upgrades, siren modernization, ADA improvements, building retrofits for disaster resilience, Army facility upgrades, a third state veterans home on Maui, HEMA EOC improvements, and a maintenance/fuel building at Diamond Head. Members asked about the siren modernization timeline, and HEMA said roughly 26 to 31 sirens would be modernized this year, with 15 on Maui, eight on Oahu, and eight on the Big Island. Questions also focused on Youth Challenge and Job Challenge enrollment and vacancies, with the department saying the Hilo Job Challenge Academy is growing and that combining Youth Challenge recruiting statewide into one Kilauea program has helped enrollment. Logan also answered questions about the New Year’s Eve medical transport mission, explaining the Hawaii Air National Guard’s relationship with active-duty Air Force assets and saying the flight cost is about $20,000 per flight hour, though the final bill had not yet been determined. On the Maui veterans home, staff said the University of Hawaii site was no longer viable after faculty senate opposition, so the department is now focused on a 10-acre Puna District site; the project remains tied to a certified $35 million state match and August 2025 and August 2026 federal suspense dates. Logan said the veterans home remains one of the department’s highest priorities, but it could not be moved higher in the submitted CIP ranking. The department also discussed a Governor’s add-on for a fire marshal/Office of Recovery and Resiliency proposal. Logan said the fire marshal position was reestablished last session but has not yet been filled, and that if the function is transferred to the Department of Defense, the department wants funding ready to move quickly. Staff later said the request would include about $1.1 million for seven positions and about $2.2 million for operating costs, though details were still preliminary. The committee then reconvened for the School Facilities Authority briefing, where Executive Director Ricky Fujitani described the agency as a startup created in 2020 to improve school and workforce housing development through standardized designs, prefabrication, best-value procurement, and public-private partnerships. He said Hawaii’s single school district still functions like 15 different districts because of its 264 schools across 15 complex areas, and that the authority’s goal is to create more efficient, maintainable, and cost-effective facilities.

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, with a 7% reduction in fatalities, our constant staffing to support the 460 vacancies is drastically
• And our constant staffing to support the 460 vacancies is drastically reduced.

Bills: HB2148, HB2993

Keywords: federal funding, state budget, appropriation, block grants, noncustodial funds, legislative authority, Arizona attorney general, Department of Public Safety, DPS, consumer fraud revolving fund, consumer protection fund, gang and immigration intelligence team enforcement mission fund, public safety appropriation, supplemental appropriation, outside counsel, state agency legal representation, legal services, state settlement proceeds, general fund, A.R.S. 41-192

Transcript Highlights:

• I have a 10% to 11% reduction in recidivism.
• But I can’t hire enough troopers as is to keep the vacancy rate low enough to hire... ...in addition
• disparity is addressed, to be quite candid with you, sir, there’s no hope of us ever achieving 0% vacancy
• But I can't hire enough troopers as is to keep the vacancy rate low enough to hire I don't know. enough
• troopers as is to keep the vacancy rate low enough to hire in addition to what we have.

Summary: The committee heard a series of domestic security and law enforcement presentations from the Florida Sheriffs Association, Florida Police Chiefs Association, Florida Highway Patrol, and FDLE. Sheriff Rob Hardwick outlined the sheriffs’ legislative priorities, focusing on adding xylazine to Florida’s trafficking statute and increasing penalties for luring or enticing a child under 12 from a misdemeanor to a felony. He also discussed domestic security coordination, fusion center intelligence sharing, and jail-based reentry efforts. Members asked about xylazine prevalence in Broward County and whether canine units can detect it; Hardwick said he would follow up with data and noted that dogs are not specifically trained for xylazine, though fentanyl-certified dogs may alert on mixtures. Chief Charlie Vasquez of the Florida Police Chiefs Association presented three priorities: stronger protections for law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and their families when threatened because of their jobs; faster and more consistent access to blood-borne pathogen testing results after exposure incidents; and mandatory life without release for anyone convicted of murdering a police or correctional officer, reviving a version of the Jason Raynor Act. Senators asked about delays in blood testing after exposure, and Vasquez said officers can be forced to take prophylactic medication while waiting for results and that the process should be streamlined. Florida Highway Patrol Director Dave Kerner described FHP’s domestic security role, including criminal interdiction, canine units, traffic homicide investigations, aviation, drones, border operations, and responses to threats such as human smuggling and the October 7-related security posture at synagogues and campuses. He said staffing remains constrained by vacancies and pay disparities, so he was not seeking more authorized troopers at this time. FDLE Deputy Commissioner David Binder then reviewed the state’s domestic security structure, fusion centers, critical infrastructure assessments, and grant funding, warning that federal homeland security dollars have declined sharply while threats remain high. He highlighted work on drone mitigation, radiological detection, vehicle barriers, and school security assessments, and emphasized the need for continued interagency coordination. The committee took no formal votes and adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Late in the year, we had five vacancies. We're an agency of 18 FTEs, so that's 27% of our agency.
• We are not an agency that leaves vacancies open.
• But critically to the supplemental request, the timing of these five vacancies happened When DFA and
• It was just bad timing on our vacancies and bad timing on when they had to get the numbers turned in
• As for a recommendation, We don't have vacancy savings. We're not a complicated agency.

Keywords: 996, all

Bills: SB1983, SB444, SB1503, SB1561, SB592, SB1501, SB1946, SB1567, SB1833, SB2026, SB904, SB2178, SB1651, SB1558, SB1565, SB1553, SB1257, SB65, SB1749, SB1242, SB1642, SB640, SB667, SB1436, SB1484, SB1562, SB1794, SB1644, SB1533, SB933, SB1555

Keywords: SB1983, foster care, resource family partner, resource family partners, Department of Human Services, DHS, child welfare, foster homes, foster children, placement data, data sharing, de-identified data, aggregated data, sibling groups, placement disruptions, foster parent recruitment, foster parent retention, private child-placing agency, Title 10A, Oklahoma

Transcript Highlights:

• Outcomes of FFT demonstrate a reduction in recidivism.
• We actually filled vacancies, but we increased the salaries to be competitive.
• Now, while that is a reduction in costs, I don't. I would not say that I'm happy about that.
• And then, at the time, we had one vacancy when we filled this out, so you can see the increase.
• I just don't know if that number is meaningful right now because we're seeing such a reduction.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To explain that vacancy, we last session had a couple of new requests specific to talent attraction,
• And so for us, we had that vacancy, and we weren't Several years.
• And so for us, we had that vacancy and we weren't exactly sure what to do with it for a few months of
• would be coming as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and also the Inflation Reduction

Bills: SB2018

Keywords: funding, commerce, autonomous technology, workforce development, economic growth, grant programs, 908, all

Summary: The committee took up Senate Bill 2018, the Department of Commerce budget, and walked through the long sheet and a series of proposed changes. Members discussed restoring a vacant workforce FTE that Commerce said it could fill soon, monitoring federal funding delays but reporting no known cuts, and adjusting several one-time items including Operation Intern, the North Dakota Development Fund, the Global Talent Office, and tourism-related funding. The chair also proposed separating tourism marketing and Good Life funding again, rather than combining them, and members raised concerns about ensuring tourism dollars are used only for tourism purposes. A number of program amounts were reviewed or adjusted in discussion, including UAS grants, Vantus/Beyond Visual Line of Sight funding, Grand Sky, Grand Farm autonomous agriculture grants, base enhancement grants, Native American small business grants, regional workforce impact grants, technical skills training grants, and tribal college workforce grants. Commerce officials explained that some grant language would be changed to require competitive RFP processes, and they clarified that the housing opportunity and community property improvement items were handled in other bills or programs. The committee also discussed apprenticeship efforts across state agencies and Commerce’s role in workforce development. The committee reviewed carryover and exemption language for prior appropriations, including federal weatherization and energy funds, and Commerce said three one-time FTE tied to those federal programs should become ongoing because the federal dollars continue over several years. A motion to add $1.5 million for the North Dakota Safety Council failed for lack of a second. The committee then planned to return the next day to continue work on Commerce and take up the CTE budget, including a pending amendment related to CTE’s possible move from the 15th floor of the Capitol.

Transcript Highlights:

• In Alamogordo, we have four vacancies.
• Back in September, our vacancy rate was at 29%. Beginning of January, it was at 26.6%.
• vacancy rate that you spoke of, or is this all of it here?
• each division's vacancy rate.
• So your funded vacancies are at 22, correct, Scott?

Bills: SB48, SB64, SB100

Keywords: State Fairgrounds District, fairgrounds bonds, public financing, bond authorization, gross receipts tax, gaming tax, tax-backed bonds, infrastructure funding, Albuquerque fairgrounds, State Fair Tid, economic development, municipal bonds, revenue pledge, capital projects, New Mexico finance, special education, office of special education, deputy secretary, public education department, IEP

Transcript Highlights:

• The group most affected will be our probationary CO1s, who we are starting to certify as vacancies and
• The group most affected will be our probationary CO1s, who we are starting to certify as vacancies and
• <00:52:41.280> cloud uh take current vacancies at St. cloud uh take current vacancies at St
• And we've been very existing vacancies.
• <00:53:34.720> um intentional about holding vacancies um intentional about holding vacancies

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have 168 vacancies.
• So what is the reason for the reduction?
• Secretary, I am told that of these reduction-in-force, 17 be terminated from...
• Yes, there's plenty of available staff post-reduction.
• Post-reduction.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That is a substantial reduction.
• When we, when you have the major reductions, done, Kip.
• Currently, that sits at a reduction of 13 positions.
• These include reductions in staff training, reductions in compliance oversight capacity, and continued
• These include reductions in staff training, reductions in compliance oversight capacity, and continued

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a public FY27 budget hearing at Barnstable Town Hall, with opening remarks emphasizing the Cape and Islands’ seasonal infrastructure, housing, transportation, workforce, and digital needs. The hearing began with testimony from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, which outlined the Healey-Driscoll administration’s budget priorities for job training, apprenticeship, youth employment, reentry programs, and unemployment insurance modernization. The secretary highlighted proposed funding for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, Career Technical Initiative, YouthWorks, reentry workforce development, and services for young adults with disabilities, along with a proposal to streamline youth work permits. Members also discussed the unemployment trust fund, the COVID assessment on employers, rising unemployment, and the need to improve DUA customer service and claims processing. Committee members asked about job seeker barriers such as child care, housing, transportation, and out-migration of young workers, as well as how to keep Cape Cod graduates and seasonal workers in the region. The administration said its strategy is to pair training with broader affordability investments and to expose students to career pathways earlier, including through middle school, early childhood STEM, YouthWorks, pre-apprenticeships, and Building Pathways. Senators and representatives also raised concerns about regional funding disparities, especially for Hampshire Franklin MassHire, and the administration said it is reviewing MassHire funding and service equity through a policy committee and statewide workforce board. On unemployment assistance, officials reported major improvements in wait times and claims processing, but said they are still working through backlogs and staffing challenges while maintaining program integrity. The committee then heard testimony from the Executive Office of Economic Development. The secretary described House 2 as a fiscally restrained budget with no new taxes or fees, while preserving core programs and using the Mass Leads Act tools to support competitiveness. EOED’s proposal included funding for the Community One Stop for Growth, rural economic development, social enterprise operating grants, regional economic development organizations, the Workforce Investment Trust Fund, Community Workforce Partnerships, Pathmaker, advanced manufacturing training, life sciences, innovation vouchers, AI initiatives, small business assistance, and tourism and live theater support. The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation also testified on its FY27 request, focusing on consumer protection, licensing, banking, insurance, and public safety regulation. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• More housing and the reduction of homelessness.
• the reductions in law enforcement.
• And so we see a reduction in sales, reduction in revenue, more businesses closing, so we have to act
• So at this point we have some that are, we have some vacancies.
• So we would work slowly to potentially fill those vacancies.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Last year, we recorded a reduction in overdose deaths in the Commonwealth: 1,110 recorded in 2025.
• Typically, most agencies are running on about a 10% vacancy rate for what they would like to have.
• We had a numerous amount of vacancies with telecommunicators or dispatchers at all 16 of our posts.
• And what that is, this is a 48% reduction in queued sexual assault kits and a 20% reduction in turnaround
• kits and a 20% reduction sexual assault kits and a 20% reduction and<01:13:28.560> turnaround

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:00 Roll Call: 00:00:07 Office of the Attorney General Update: 00:04:52 Department of Kentucky State Police Update: 00:44:57, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• we did back of the budget uh reductions we did back of the budget uh reductions of<00:30:32.159>
• <00:33:58.799> and are greater than these reductions and are greater than these reductions
• us with our general fund um reductions us with our general fund um reductions there.<01:11:17.920
• And then the second is vacancies in this budget all vacancies are funded whether they remain vacant or
• in total back of the budget reductions in total back of the budget reductions that<02:57:57.200>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know the difficulty in the reduction in the training funds.
• I know the difficulty in the reduction in the training funds.
• I know the difficulty in the reduction in the training funds.
• <01:20:33.639> in the difficulty in the the reduction in the difficulty in the the reduction
• budget at um a with a with a but vacancy budget at um a with a with a but vacancy Gap<01:42:33.880

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:

• it for the last two years the vacancies it for the last two years the vacancies were<00:03:13.280
• and the result of that um vacancies and the result of that um having<00:06:23.280> vacancies<
• yeah okay so I'm looking at vacancies yeah okay so I'm looking at the<01:01:39.119> vacancy<01
• <01:04:44.760> for of vacancy that all of our vacancies for of vacancy that all of our vacancies
• But you don’t have vacancies in the division? Yeah, we have about one vacancy.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Line 211 is a reduction to the assumed spending reductions from future cost-saving proposals with the
• contingent reduction.
• Line 211 is a reduction to the assumed spending reductions from future cost-saving proposals with the
• contingent reduction.
• Beyond that, I mean, we always have vacancies.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all