Transcript Highlights:

• If the federal government sees us that way, it's more efficient for us as a state then to compile that
• If the federal government sees us that way, it's more efficient for us as a state then to compile that
• It's more efficient for us as a state then to compile that audit into one and submit it to the federal
• And on the back end, the state will save money and resources and time and be able to submit financial
• reporting faster and more efficiently.

Bills: HB2 , SB145 , SB143

Committee: Senate House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: general appropriation, budget, Medicaid, education funding, public safety, auditing, financial reporting, state auditor, public agencies, capital outlay, compliance, federal audits, agriculture, New Mexico Department of Agriculture, fee update, regulatory fees, egg inspection, egg grading, egg dealer, pesticide control

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 143, which would raise caps on certain agriculture fees so they can keep pace with inflation. Senator Woods explained that the bill only adjusts fee ceilings, not automatic increases, and an amendment was adopted to tie the caps to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the U.S. Department of Labor. There was no public support or opposition testimony, and the bill was then passed on an 8-0 do-pass vote, with several members excused. The committee then took up Senate Bill 145, which would change the state audit system by raising thresholds for smaller local public bodies and creating a statewide federal single audit for state agencies. The State Auditor and DFA said the bill was intended to streamline audits, reduce delays, and align New Mexico with federal rules and other states, but multiple CPA and audit witnesses opposed the statewide single-audit concept, warning it could reduce transparency, weaken accountability, and increase the risk of fraud, waste, and abuse. Committee members pressed for clarification on how the audit structure would work, which agencies would be covered, and whether DFA or independent auditors would conduct the work; the sponsors said amendments were needed to clarify the bill and remove problematic language, including the appropriation and references to gifts and donations. The committee adopted an amendment striking the appropriation language and then continued questioning without taking final action in the excerpt. The final portion of the meeting shifted to the House Bill 2 budget presentation. Committee members reviewed the Senate Finance version of the budget, which included about a 2.7% increase in recurring spending, 30% reserves, and major investments in health care affordability, early childhood, public education, housing, clean energy, water, and agriculture-related priorities. Members asked about water testing needs, water settlement funding, career technical education funding, and the contingency fund/disaster reserve structure. The presenters said some items still needed technical work and that additional adjustments would be made before final passage.

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, wanting people to know that these resources. Resources are there for them.
• all the state resources available for Texas veterans.
• But also make sure to connect veterans with their resources.
• We just have resources. And we just have resource witnesses.
• Members, would you all like to visit with a resource witness here today? All right.

Bills: SB651 , SB897 , SB1814 , SB1818

Committee: Senate Veteran Affairs

Keywords: SB 651, Texas Government Code, Section 434.032, veterans county service office, county veterans services, commissioners court, county executive official, county administration, local government, veterans affairs, veterans benefits, county oversight, reporting structure, public administration, large counties, population 200,000 or more, mental health, veterans, community support, grant program

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't have those resources to provide those services, but we do refer. Okay.
• , but key—” To address increasing efficiencies in the enrollment processes.
• But it is available as a resource if you have any questions.
• But it is available as a resource if you have any questions.
• And recognizing that if no new resources came in, what this means is...

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When you look at the NDFA and what they're doing across the state, they're a phenomenal resource for
• The resources are available, and you have the Chiefs Association, who is doing a lot of good things,
• But I'm going to make sure that they get to the right resource within the state and make sure that it
• But I'm going to make sure that they get to the right resource within state and make sure that it is
• Importantly, the Rural Health Transformation Program grant does not replace existing EMS resources.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee was called to order, a quorum was established, and the minutes from the prior meeting were approved. The first major presentation came from Montana Public Employees Retirement System executive director William Hollahan, who gave an overview of Montana’s Volunteer Firefighters’ Compensation Act plan. He explained that the plan covers volunteer firefighters in unincorporated areas, is funded by 5% of state fire insurance premium taxes, and currently serves 228 departments with about 2,936 active members and 1,242 retirees. He described eligibility rules, annual training and reporting requirements, benefit levels for partial and full pensions, disability, death, medical, and funeral benefits, and said the plan is actuarially sound with roughly $60 million in assets and a funded ratio slightly above 100%. Committee members asked about prior-service credit, whether EMS personnel are included, the effect on recruitment and retention, and whether expanding coverage would require a funding analysis; Hollahan said prior service is not credited, EMS is not currently included, and any expansion would need financial review. Tim Walleen of Workforce Safety and Insurance then presented a draft North Dakota workers’ compensation solution for volunteer firefighters and volunteer EMS personnel. He explained that volunteer responders are already covered by workers’ comp for medical and wage-loss benefits, but the proposal would set a minimum annual wage of $30,000 for calculating wage-loss benefits for qualifying volunteers, with the benefit paid at two-thirds of that amount. Representative Porter suggested tying the volunteer definition to existing code rather than a fixed dollar amount, and Walleen agreed. Questions focused on whether search and rescue or other volunteer emergency services could be included, whether departments would face new paperwork, and whether volunteer organizations can already elect coverage; Walleen said there would be no additional paperwork and that volunteer coverage is already available. The committee also heard from volunteer fire service representatives and the state fire marshal. An Oakes-area firefighter, Mr. Olson, testified that small departments are struggling with retention, communication, and administrative burdens, especially around separate bookkeeping and funding rules for donated or fundraising money, and he said departments need clearer guidance from the state. State Fire Marshal Dr. Matthew Clark introduced himself and outlined a broader effort to improve education, support, and coordination for fire departments, including a planned 10% audit of certificates of existence beginning in 2027, more outreach through his office, and better assistance with training, reporting, and grant access. He said his office is authorized under current law to provide these services, but the role has been vague and underused. Finally, Arnagard Rural Fire District Chief Rick Schreiber testified in favor of new recruitment and retention ideas, including retirement-style benefits, health insurance, tax incentives, scholarships, grants, and more remote or regional training. He said volunteer departments are losing members, that local tax and donation funds are already stretched, and that any new retirement or incentive program should be sustainable and likely involve a mix of state and local support.

Transcript Highlights:

• Here with me Resources Development.
• Natural Resources.
• ><c> enforcement</c> conservation and resource enforcement conservation and resource enforcement officers
• </c> that process to make it more efficient. that process to make it more efficient. using using using
• </c><00:18:20.320><c> in</c> we're going to put more resources in we're going to put more resources in

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Features a suite of new policies designed to help us conserve and restore the natural resources that
• And what resources are available for us to pursue that goal?
• I shared it with the members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee a few weeks ago.
• They are not just natural resources to be exploited. We always think of them.
• We are still sort of gingerly moving away from their being only natural resources.

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on Climate Change and Global Warming

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a hearing on natural and working lands, carbon sequestration, and related provisions in Governor Healey’s $3 billion Mass Ready Act. EEA officials described the bill’s investments in flooding, land protection, tree planting, wetlands restoration, biodiversity, dams, seawalls, and coastal resilience, along with permitting reforms intended to speed ecological restoration projects. They also outlined current programs on resilient lands, healthy soils, forest climate solutions, forest reserves, and urban tree planting, and said the administration expects natural and working lands to offset up to 7 million metric tons of residual emissions by 2050, while acknowledging that additional strategies will be needed to close the gap to the state’s 10-million-ton offset target. Committee members pressed EEA on the cost of reaching the 30% conservation-by-2030 goal, the loss of a federal USDA grant of about $22 million, the adequacy of current sequestration estimates, and whether the state should consider regional approaches or statutory changes. EEA said current state conservation spending has been about $35 million to $40 million annually, that the Mass Ready Act is intended to help double the pace of conservation, and that federal funding remains uncertain. Senators also raised concerns about PILOT payments for state-owned land, the management of state forests, and the proposed Chapter 91 general license for restoration projects. EEA said the bill’s forest reserve language is meant to create a more durable designation process while still allowing limited active management. Advocates from The Nature Conservancy and Mass Audubon supported stronger investment in land conservation and restoration, saying natural and working lands are a cost-effective climate strategy that also provides biodiversity, water quality, and public health benefits. They urged passage of legislation to increase funding, improve PILOT equity, and strengthen land-use planning and mitigation requirements. They also backed removing Chapter 91 licensing requirements for ecological restoration, arguing that the current process adds cost and delay. In a later panel, a forest scientist and an urban forestry advocate emphasized the carbon and cooling benefits of mature trees, called for greater protection of older forests, and supported bills to expand municipal reforestation and modernize public shade tree law. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• we of retrofitting our population to the amount of resources we have available.
• We have a request to increase the GR transfer into the treatment court resources fund in order to fund
• We have a request to increase the GR transfer into the treatment court resources fund in order to fund
• You've got a great resource. So thank you, sir, for your contributions. I did.
• You've got a great resource. So thank you, serve for your contributions. I did.

Committee: House Budget

Summary: The committee first heard the Office of the Governor’s FY 2027 budget request from Adam Gresham. He explained the office’s staffing and noted a $500,000 core reduction, along with a reallocation of three positions and about $168,000 from the governor’s office to the mansion operating fund to better reflect where those employees work. Members asked about the National Guard emergency line, which Gresham said had already spent about $63,457 in FY 2026 and could be used again for disaster activations, though he did not expect to use the full $4 million. He also said the agricultural resiliency transfer fund had not been used and had no current transfer plans. Several members commented on the size of the governor’s cut and whether the judiciary and other offices were also being asked to reduce budgets. No votes were taken. The committee then moved to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Childhood and early childhood-related budget items. DESE staff described funding for the Office of Childhood, MoQPK child care provider grants, LEA pre-K grants, early childhood special education, Parents as Teachers, First Steps, preschool coordination, after-school programs, and child care subsidy. Members asked extensively about the MoQPK grants, including why Head Start providers were eligible, how curriculum approval works, and what safeguards exist against fraud or improper payments. DESE said it conducts physical inspections, desk reviews, payment-system checks, and investigations as needed, and that it had not had findings in this area. Some members questioned whether DESE or DSS was the right home for early childhood programs, while others defended the partnership and the role of early educators in identifying child needs. A major portion of the discussion focused on early childhood special education and the child care subsidy program. DESE explained that First Steps serves children birth to age three, while early childhood special education covers ages three to five and is driven by IEP eligibility; members asked for more data on diagnoses, trends, and how many children come off IEPs. The committee also discussed the child care subsidy budget and the governor’s proposed shift to paying providers based on authorization and at the beginning of the month. DESE said the change is being piloted, that a wait list is expected to begin around March 1, and that a May rollout is being considered, but only if software testing and fiscal projections show the system is sustainable. Members expressed frustration that promised changes had been delayed and that providers had been told different timelines, while DESE said the delay was driven by software issues, fiscal caution, and the need to avoid repeating prior payment problems. The hearing ended with the committee in recess before later resuming discussion of the subsidy program; no final votes or actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> clean energy credit and energy efficient clean energy credit and energy efficient home<00:44:34.240
• </c><01:27:24.560><c> to</c> left Hawaii with fewer resources to left Hawaii with fewer resources to
• </c> for those that rely on our resources. for those that rely on our resources.
• Respectfully, Act 310's resources.
• Uh we lost three Resource Center.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: This joint informational briefing on Act 310 grants and aid focused on organizations describing how federal funding cuts, Medicaid/SNAP changes, and related policy shifts are affecting their services and budgets. Committee members explained there would be no Q&A, testimony would be limited to one minute, and in-person participants would be heard before Zoom callers. Members repeatedly asked testifiers to identify the amount of federal funding lost or at risk. Testimony came from a wide range of nonprofits and community providers, including Aloha Care, Hawaii Bicycling League, Hawaii Literacy, Hawaii Youth Symphony, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, the Tsunami Museum, The Kohala Center, West Hawaii Community Health Center, West Hawaii Region Hospital Foundation, Sounding Joy Music Therapy, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii, Dynamic Community Solutions, Feeding Hawaii Together, Girl Scouts of Hawaii, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Hawaiian Lending and Investments, Homana, Honolulu Theatre for the Youth, Kids Hurt Too Hawaii, and Kokua Kalihi Valley. Most described reduced or threatened federal support and requested state funding to maintain services such as health care access, food security, disaster preparedness, literacy and digital inclusion, youth mentoring, arts education, housing, and climate or agricultural resilience. Several speakers emphasized direct impacts on vulnerable populations, including kūpuna, low-income families, immigrants, homeless youth, and people with disabilities. Requests ranged from relatively small planning or program grants to multi-million-dollar stabilization asks, with some organizations citing specific losses such as reduced Medicaid or USDA funding, canceled EPA or FEMA support, or expiring federal grants. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• trying to debate that issue right now, but is there an area where we could look at leveraging our resources
• Well, yeah, I mean, yes, that to maximize those resources and make sure that we have funds there to serve
• we need to be thinking about: how do we build that talent pipeline for the future and use all the resources
• body and the executive branch to focus on how can we take that piece and this piece and be more efficient
• And be more efficient or serve more people or just change the trajectory of so many people you're talking

Committee: All ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The subcommittee received a brief DHS update on the Living Choices Assisted Living Waiver reimbursement rate process, with Secretary Janet Mann reporting that the new cost reporting period began in January and that DHS has begun provider and contractor conference calls as the process moves forward. The bulk of the meeting focused on DHS’s overview of TANF and, especially, SNAP changes under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill. Mary Franklin explained new SNAP work requirements for adults ages 18 to 64 who are not otherwise exempt, including the three-month time limit in a 36-month period unless they meet an 80-hour monthly work, volunteer, education, or training requirement. She also reviewed exemptions, noted that some prior exemptions were removed while new tribal-related exemptions were added, and described SNAP Employment and Training providers, budgets, service areas, participant characteristics, and outcomes. Members asked about how mandatory referrals will work, whether funding and vendors are sufficient, how cross-program participation is tracked, how verification and recertification will be handled, and how error rates and sanctions will be managed. DHS said mandatory participants will be referred directly to providers, verification will occur at application and recertification, interviews can be by phone, and the department will return with more information on error-rate mitigation and other requested data. DHS then outlined upcoming Medicaid community engagement requirements for the ARHOME population under the same federal law, which must be implemented by January 1, 2027. The department said it is preparing policy, system changes, data matching, communications, and an outbound customer-service verification process, with a soft launch planned for July to help identify who would meet the requirement or need to provide more information. Members raised concerns about notice, local versus centralized decision-making, and how clients will document work, school, caregiving, or medical exemptions. The meeting concluded with broader discussion of the Alliance for Opportunity audit and a shared emphasis on using SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, and workforce programs together to improve outcomes, expand training options, and better connect Arkansans to education and employment opportunities. The committee also discussed extending the audit contract at a future meeting and adjourned without taking any formal vote in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• trying to debate that issue right now, but is there an area where we could look at leveraging our resources
• Well, yeah, I mean, yes, that to maximize those resources and make sure that we have funds there to serve
• we need to be thinking about: how do we build that talent pipeline for the future and use all the resources
• body and the executive branch to focus on how can we take that piece and this piece and be more efficient
• And be more efficient or serve more people or just change the trajectory of so many people you’re talking

Committee: All ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that don't support school choice have criticized it because they argue that this is using state resources
• So we, in the interest of operational efficiency, will await their vote.
• For operational efficiency, we will await their vote and the page transmitting the bill to our chamber
• The bottom line is these bills shift resources to the rich.
• The bottom line is these bills shift resources to the rich, add complexity, and weaken support for public

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• NOT JUST THE ENTRY-LEVEL JOBS BUT THOSE JOBS THAT HAVE AN ASSOCIATED SKILL LEVEL OF EFFICIENCY WITH THEM
• OUR THOUGHT WAS LET'S MAXIMIZE THE STATE'S RESOURCES.
• WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT GRANT. $660,000 TO EXPAND AND MODERNIZE OUR MARINE MECHANICS TRAINING AND RESOURCES
• THE PIPELINE GRANT WHICH ENABLED US TO HIRE FIVE ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBERS AND PROVIDE ESSENTIAL RESOURCES
• THIS SUCCESS HAS DRAWN ATTENTION DUE TO ITS DUAL IMPACT ON EDUCATION AND MUNICIPALITY EFFICIENCY.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We need more operations resources.
• But in order to scale more, we need more operations resources and we need more investment resources.
• But in order to scale more, we need more operations resources, and we need more investment resources.
• Representative Kempenich: At what point on scaling this up do the efficiencies disappear?
• Representative Kempenich: At what point on scaling this up do the efficiencies disappear?

Committee: Joint Legacy and Budget Stabilization Fund Advisory Board

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the October 22 minutes, and received an update on the planned Legacy Fund transparency website. Jody Smith said the site is in contract negotiations after six bidders responded, with a target go-live around November 1 after added security review. The website is intended to provide downloadable, more detailed public information on the Legacy Fund, including historical changes, legislative allocations, and investment breakdowns. Members asked about comparables and data detail, and Smith said North Dakota would likely be the first state to offer this level of sovereign wealth fund transparency. Scott Anderson of the Retirement Investment Office then reviewed Legacy Fund performance through January 31, 2026, describing strong returns, low fees, and the benefits of diversification. He noted that real estate had been a drag on returns, but it is a small portion of the portfolio, and he discussed market effects from geopolitical events, inflation, credit spreads, and private credit. Members also questioned the in-state investment program and the BND CD-Match program. Representative Bosch moved to pause new transfers to the CD-Match program until the bank reports back, and the motion passed on a roll call vote. The committee also agreed to request a cost-benefit analysis from RVK on that change. After lunch, the committee heard from RVK consultant Jim Voidko on the investment policy statement, focused on the in-state investment provisions. He reported that, after interviews with implementers and stakeholders, RVK found no major policy impediments in the current IPS and no strong calls to change the size limits or core guardrails. He emphasized the importance of risk-adjusted returns, diversification, pacing, exit strategies, and governance, and warned that foregone returns or higher spending obligations can pressure the fund’s long-term mission. He also recommended clearer terminology around “infrastructure,” distinguishing public infrastructure from commercial infrastructure, and noted unresolved policy questions about nexus and economic diversification. The committee then began reviewing proposed IPS updates with Rio staff.

Transcript Highlights:

• medical examiner offices, hospitals, and medical providers statewide, strengthening overall case efficiency
• Having staff around the state improves efficiency and allows for improved responsiveness to rural and
• So is there any data about the efficiency of Access work before and after?
• These errors cause great harm as they divert limited resources away from the state's truly vulnerable
• These errors cause great harm as they divert limited resources away from the state's truly vulnerable

Committee: Senate Senate Health and Human Services COR

Summary: The committee first approved the January 21 minutes and then heard SB 1179, which would remove the delayed repeal date and appropriation contingency from the Developmental Disabilities Group Home Monitoring Program. Testimony from Disability Rights Arizona and program managers described the program’s monitoring and investigative work, including identified systemic concerns in group homes, while the sponsor said the effort should continue. SB 1179 received a do-pass recommendation on a 6-1 vote, with some members reserving their right to revisit the bill on the floor. The committee then took up SB 1114, appropriating $1 million for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to investigate behavioral health patient brokering. Witnesses, including Native advocates, described widespread recruitment of vulnerable people—especially Native Americans—into fraudulent treatment and sober-living schemes, often through social media and across state lines. Members and the sponsor framed the bill as an enforcement response to long-running abuse. SB 1114 passed 6-0. The committee also heard SB 1115, which would require AHCCCS/Access employees to work in person rather than remotely; supporters argued remote work had harmed oversight and service delivery, while Access said it would need substantial office space and warned of costs and staffing impacts. SB 1115 passed 4-3. The committee next considered SB 1051, requiring hospitals that accept Access payments to collect patients’ citizenship or immigration status on intake forms and report aggregate data to DHS. Supporters said it was a data-collection and accountability measure; opponents, including nurses and physicians, said it would deter care, undermine trust, and function as immigration surveillance. The bill passed 4-3. SB 1122, dealing with prior authorization and prepayment review for behavioral health services under the American Indian Health Plan, was amended to require a corrective action plan before 100% prepayment review; Access said it had minimal concerns with the amended version. It passed unanimously 7-0. SB 1132, a blank appropriation for a new Arizona State Hospital wing, drew testimony from families and advocates about the shortage of psychiatric beds and the effects of the Arnold v. Sarn consent decree; it passed 7-0. The committee also approved SB 1169 for graduate medical education funding, SB 1171 on dual enrollment checks between AHCCCS and exchange plans, and SB 1172 on DCS investigations and court notification, with votes ranging from 4-2 to unanimous support. Finally, the committee heard SB 1173, which would require owners and applicants for outpatient behavioral health facility licenses to be U.S. citizens or lawfully present, with an amendment clarifying lawful permanent resident status. The sponsor said the bill was intended to curb fraud tied to behavioral health licensing and patient brokering; discussion focused on whether the bill language matched that intent. The transcript ends before a final vote on SB 1173.

Transcript Highlights:

• Additional resources to be able to do that because I can already anticipate that if the system itself
• It made my attendance taking so much more efficient. You know, we don't end-of-life features.
• In some cases, they may not have a system to efficiently enter assessment data into their statewide or
• . resources.
• Mexico, who commented that we fund education on an efficiency model of trying to get as much as we can

Transcript Highlights:

• With a strong work ethic and mindset and the right resources, anyone can work themselves into a better
• involvement, and without addressing those underlying gaps in our behavioral health system, those resources
• , and a lot of this is about a lack of resource gain, right?
• And if we actually had, you know, enough... ...resource scheme, right?
• Good recommendations, not just on changes to law, but also resources to help support those people that

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For the members, there are slides that you can follow along with and some resources at the end.
• We are about to face a cutback in health care spending that will reduce state resources by $3 billion
• Okay, we need state resources to fight that.
• We are about to face a cutback in healthcare spending that will reduce state resources by $3 billion
• Okay, we need state resources to fight that.

Bills: H5008

Committee: Joint Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions

Keywords: rent control, housing stability, tenants rights, affordability crisis, consumer protection, 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >>> THE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES WILL NOW COME ORDER.
• ARE VALUABLE IN THE STATE AND WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT THOSE RESOURCES
• FRESHWATER RESOURCES, IF THERE IS GROWTH IN THE DEMAND IN THE STATE FRESHWATER RESOURCES.
• USING WATER RESOURCES OVER THE LONG-TERM.
• WE HAD MADE A CONSCIOUS DECISION TO TRY TO PROTECT THE RESOURCE, WHICH IS AN INFALLIBLE RESOURCE.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• a lack of a review process to ensure training meets legal requirements, limitations in staffing resources
• In general, police agencies struggled to commit sufficient resources for the train-the-trainer program
• So digital equity includes the accessibility to Internet services, technology, resources, and tools used
• The equitable access of these skills and resources in general are what I am referring to when I speak
• A continued strain from the COVID pandemic and lack of resources within the department to keep up with

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee subcommittee heard three State Auditor’s Office performance audits: implementation of the Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act, Washington’s digital equity planning, and the Department of Commerce’s Digital Navigator Program. In the law enforcement training audit, the State Auditor found the Criminal Justice Training Commission had developed most required training content but had not developed all required topics, lacked a systematic project management approach, and had weak tools to ensure participation and compliance. Auditors said most officers had not completed the required 40 hours, patrol tactics training was a major bottleneck, and the Commission’s reporting did not clearly show statewide compliance. The Commission said it generally agreed with the recommendations and had begun implementing some changes. Committee members raised concerns about staffing, liability, incentives, and whether the law had enough enforcement “teeth.” In the digital equity audit, auditors said Washington lacked a comprehensive, unified statewide plan, a designated leader, and reliable funding for digital equity efforts. They said existing plans were fragmented, with the NTIA-approved plan the most complete but no longer fully funded after federal changes. The State Auditor recommended the legislature establish oversight authority and require a lead organization to coordinate and evaluate statewide digital equity efforts and develop a unified plan. The Department of Commerce and Office of Equity agreed with the need for clearer leadership and coordination, and a public witness described ongoing coalition and local planning work. Committee members asked about best practices from other states and whether the auditor could provide additional research on coordination models. In the Digital Navigator Program audit, the State Auditor concluded Commerce did not consistently follow core grant-management practices, including competitive award processes, vetting of grantees, clear contracts, performance monitoring, and reimbursement controls. Auditors said Commerce expanded grants without a new competition, lacked adequate documentation and reporting, and paid out millions without sufficient support; they also cited management decisions that overrode staff concerns. Commerce said it had already begun major contract-management reforms, created a new contracts and compliance structure, and was working on risk assessments, documentation standards, and staff training. Members pressed Commerce on accountability, possible recoupment of improper payments, ethics issues, and whether the agency had clear performance metrics for the program. No votes were taken, and the hearing ended after public testimony and committee discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• make sure everyone understands the Assembly has rules to ensure that we maintain order and run an efficient
• Schools have asked for less reporting, less onerous burdens on them, more resources, and more ability
• ask that you use your influence to help redirect this conversation to protect this very important resource
• I think our schools will tell you they want the resources, but they don't want to be saddled with additional
• LACO recognizes the CTF program as an important financial resource that helps support this work.

Committee: House Communications and Conveyance

Keywords: 988, house, all