Video & Transcript : 'contracting processes' :
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NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Dec 15th, 2025 at 09:14 am
Revenue Stabilization & Tax Policy Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- Again, professional, scientific, and technical services, the one notable contraction at 4.
- So, in FY 2025 PIT contracted by 2.9%, but that included legislative changes.
- But there was also a contraction of the labor market, particularly in the federal workforce, leading
- But we also have the contraction around federal workers that's playing into that.
- Most notably, we have the federal employment sector that is contracting in FY26 and again in FY27.
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- I think it was very unclear what the process is for students, if any of that has changed.
- Do you think she likes this process? She's the stepdaughter of the...
- I just want to commend you on your patience as we rifle through this process.
- We didn't really talk a lot about the school bus cameras in this process.
- These are, in many cases, the process that we have in Florida law is just not fair.
Summary:
The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a series of introductions recognizing interns, staff, visitors, and a military veteran. After routine announcements, the chamber took up several House-returned bills and special-order measures, with most motions to concur or refuse to concur adopted without objection. Early actions included unanimous concurrence in House amendments to SB 118 on RV park special assessments and SB 572 on ethics rules for public officers and employees, both passing 38-0. The Senate then debated and passed CS/CS/HB 991 on election integrity by a 27-12 vote after extensive opposition focused on voter registration documentation, student IDs, provisional ballots, and potential disenfranchisement; the sponsor defended the bill as a citizenship-verification and election-security measure. The chamber also passed CS/CS/SB 182, an education package combining several related provisions, by 37-0, and later approved SB 474 on military affairs by 39-0 after a technical amendment restoring certain retirement eligibility positions. The Senate refused to concur in the House amendment to CS/CS/CS/SB 1014 on municipal utility service, and refused to concur in the House strike-all amendment to SB 598 after the House had added composting language to the cremation definition. Several other messages were temporarily postponed.
On the special-order calendar, the Senate passed CS/CS/HB 425 on historic cemeteries by 39-0, allowing historic Black cemetery boards to sell surplus property not used for burial to fund maintenance. It also passed HB 929 on chickee regulation by 39-0, limiting local restrictions on chickee construction and setting spacing, fire-safety, and permitting rules. SB 1370 on habitual traffic offender designation was substituted with identical CS/HB 35 and passed 39-0, expanding habitual offender treatment to repeated driving without a valid license. The chamber then returned to CS/CS/CS/SB 902, the Department of Health package, which was substituted with CS/HB 733 and amended to retain the Senate’s medical marijuana location limits, adjust NICU nutrition language, modify the dental student loan repayment program, and require a pediatric trauma center designation for certain specialty children’s hospitals; it passed 37-0. The Senate also moved CS/CS/CS/HB 905 on foreign influence to the special-order calendar and began debate on a strike-all amendment defining foreign terrorist organizations and foreign countries of concern, restricting gifts and business ties, tightening sister-city affiliations, and adding ethics training and reporting requirements, but the transcript ends before final action on that bill.
WA
Transcript Highlights:
- Thank you, Madam Chair, and before we get to regularly scheduled programming, just a process reminder
- for members: as we are Before we get to regularly scheduled programming, just a process reminder for
- The recall process has actually worked.
- There is a process and let the people decide. Any further discussion?
- want to go through it they don't have to and they will go through the regular SEPA process.
Bills:
SB6147 , SB6082 , SB5862 , SB5882 , SB6323 , SB6346 , SB6162 , SB6256 , SB6220 , SB5650 , SB6343 , SB6113 , SB6211 , SB6114 , SB5898 , SB6347 , SB6244 , SB5868 , SB5762 , SB5988 , SB6194 , SB6246 , SB6223 , SB6052 , SB5828 , SB5954 , SB5963 , SB5909 , SGA9306
Committee:
Senate Ways & Means
Keywords:
grocery establishments, closure notice, consumer rights, local businesses, student financial aid, financial aid fraud, higher education, college enrollment fraud, fictitious students, ghost students, enrollment fraud, aid integrity, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, AI fraud, fraud prevention, Washington State, legislative audit, JLARC, full-time equivalent
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Commerce and Consumer Affairs (04/21/2026)
Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> does that process work? does that process work?
- I love the legislative process. I love the legislative process. Okay. Okay. Okay.
- </c> process for the retail- retailers. process for the retail- retailers.
- So, what is the process?
- </c> process looked like this. process looked like this.
Committee:
House Commerce and Consumer Affairs
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Jan 15th, 2026 at 10:30 am
Early Learning & K-12 Education
Transcript Highlights:
- Some of those may still be in process.
- There’s a process for that.
- We’re helping them navigate that process.
- I think that's the wrong process.
- I think that's the wrong process.
Committee:
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education
Keywords:
physical education, school districts, student requirements, education policy, high school, early literacy, childhood literacy, book distribution, Imagination Library, Dolly Parton Imagination Library, preschool, pre-K, reading readiness, school readiness, birth to age five, young children, nonprofit contract, OSPI, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, DCYF
MD
Transcript Highlights:
- It's being paid down in a process.
- a year into the contract that the contract<02:37:33.480><c> expired</c> contract expired contract expired
- </c> point, the process could be invalidated. point, the process could be invalidated.
- </c> this process. this process.
- </c><03:12:59.200><c> entity</c><03:12:59.480><c> the</c> contract the the contracting entity the contract
VA
Virginia 2026 Regular Session
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission May 19th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- So the ordinary process would be to do bids for that. To do bids for it. Okay.
- And there's a process already in place where we could use to do that, right?
- I mean, we don't have to design our own process.
- I'm familiar with this process.
- And then once that decision is made, then we'll start the contracting process and go from there.
ND
North Dakota 2026 1st Special Session
Higher Education Funding Review Committee Jun 3rd, 2026
Higher Education Funding Review Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- And our office would coordinate that process. Following an individual, oh, sorry. Mr. Chairman.
- There's a whole process or protocol for that. Chair, Senator Sickler. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
- What's the process there? So I can be brief. Yes, that has happened.
- What's the process there? So I can be brief. Yes, that has happened.
- They're currently in the process of requesting those dollars.
Summary:
The Higher Education Funding Review Committee met to continue work on a draft higher education funding formula and related capital building fund changes. Lisa Johnson of the North Dakota University System updated the committee on the board’s developing policy for low-producing academic programs. She said the board is using a five-year rolling window, with thresholds of fewer than 10 undergraduate graduates or fewer than 5 graduate graduates, and that programs flagged in three consecutive review cycles would go to the board for review. Possible outcomes include continuation, continuation with modifications, inactivation, or termination. Members asked about how the policy would account for enrollment, program costs, workforce need, and programs that serve students outside their major. Johnson said the board would likely use an accompanying procedure to consider those factors. She also reported that about 200 programs could potentially be reviewed under current guidance, with 135 inactivated and 112 terminated, and said the process is intended to support quality and stewardship rather than simply cut programs.
Jamie Wilkie then reported on the Capital Building Fund. He reviewed the fund’s history, matching requirements, and use for extraordinary repairs, deferred maintenance, and some legislatively authorized projects. He said about $334 million in state and matching dollars has been invested overall, with roughly 78.7% going to deferred maintenance and extraordinary repairs. Committee members pressed for updated information on how much deferred maintenance has actually been reduced, and several members said they wanted clearer reporting on the return on investment from new buildings versus repairs. NDSU representatives said the tier funding has helped significantly reduce deferred maintenance and allowed demolition and renovation work on campus. The committee also discussed the need for updated five-year facility plans and space-utilization information from the institutions.
The committee then began a section-by-section review of a draft bill that would replace the current higher education funding formula with an FTE-based model and restructure the capital building fund. The draft would fund UND and NDSU differently from the other nine institutions, use fall enrollment rather than completed credits, add performance funding for completions in in-demand fields, create research incentives for UND and NDSU, and combine capital building fund tiers while changing matching requirements and eligible uses. Members raised concerns about the treatment of professional students, the use of CIP codes, incentives for waivers, and whether the formula should rely on more current data. The committee did not take final action on the draft during this meeting, but it continued detailed discussion and indicated more review would follow.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Transportation Infrastructure Revenue Subcommitee Aug 22nd, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- And he found this way and it's really his doing to develop this process.
- Number two: I. do the capital improvement planning processes.
- So those are some of the processes that we've implemented every year.
- Anything above that, we need to go through a formal amendment process.
- The follow up process after a cabinet meeting is really robust.
ND
North Dakota 2026 1st Special Session
Budget Section Leadership Division Jun 24th, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Transcript Highlights:
- So those will move to the next phase, which is contract documents.
- That is all part of this process.
- And we'll compare that to the costs of a reinterment process.
- Fund 524 has processed approximately $1.1 million in expenditures.
- All of the savings are returned to the state per contract. ...the state per contract.
Summary:
The Budget Section Leadership Division met with a quorum and approved the March 18 minutes. The committee first heard an update from the Petroleum Council on oil and gas activity in North Dakota. Ron Ness said production is expected to remain relatively flat at just under 1.2 million barrels per day, with efficiency gains and longer laterals helping offset lower rig counts. He discussed oil and gas prices, gas taxation, flaring concerns, northward movement of drilling activity, and the importance of new infrastructure and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) pilots. Members asked about gas taxation, natural gas liquids, pipeline impacts, and the outlook for Continental and other operators. Ness said the industry is likely to remain steady rather than see a major ramp-up or decline.
Matt Pearl of the State Tax Department then explained the federal “big beautiful bill” and its effect on North Dakota income tax collections. He said the law extends or makes permanent several federal provisions and creates temporary deductions for seniors, tips, overtime, and auto loan interest, with the biggest state impact coming from the standard deduction increase and business tax changes. He revised earlier estimates downward, saying the net cash impact on state collections is likely in the $30 million to $35 million range after accounting for business prepayments and one-time FY25 oilfield transaction effects. Committee members asked which provisions apply to standard versus itemized returns.
OMB staff gave a detailed update on major capital projects and facility funding. Topics included Capitol grounds improvements such as 18th-floor renovations, wayfinding, seating, lighting, tree management, and restroom and lobby upgrades; security work at the governor’s residence, which has been delayed by the discovery of human remains; and space reconfiguration efforts in Bismarck-Mandan to reduce leases and create shared offices and conference rooms. They also reported on the State Facility Maintenance Fund, including roof, window, boiler, and kitchen projects at state facilities, and on the state hospital project in Jamestown, which remains on budget and on schedule for substantial completion in winter 2027 and opening in spring 2028. OMB also updated the committee on the Minot North Central State Office Building, the use of federal State Fiscal Recovery Funds, and the status of legislative intent and trust fund reports, including school aid turnback, the school construction loan program, the Foundation Aid Stabilization Fund, the Legacy Fund, and the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund. The committee ended by discussing future agenda items, including government efficiency, cash management, Bank of North Dakota lines of credit, and the rural health transformation program, and then adjourned.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- Transition is that process, one that really has no specified end when service personnel begin the process
- That process is two and a half years.
- That process is two and a half years.
- The VA has gone through the vetting process.
- We ask the government to honor the contract.
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs held its second public hearing of the 2025–26 session, with opening remarks from Chairs John Velis and Joe McGonagle outlining testimony on 20 House bills and 18 Senate bills. The hearing covered a wide range of veterans issues, including municipal veterans assistance funds, pension equity, expanding the Office of the Veterans Advocate, veterans service officer staffing, disability benefits eligibility, service dogs, POW tax relief, courtesy parking spaces, women veterans and motherhood, and workforce-related licensing and employment measures. Chairs emphasized the hybrid format, three-minute testimony limit, and written testimony process.
Several bills drew support focused on expanding services and access. Representative Arena-DeRosa spoke for bills to broaden municipal veterans assistance funds to cover housing and legal expenses and to study enhanced pension equity for veterans, citing burn pit exposure and shorter life expectancy among veterans. Senator Fattman, Representative Peas, and Veterans Advocate Bob Notch supported bills expanding the Office of the Veterans Advocate to include active-duty service members and their families, arguing it would improve transition support, coordination with state agencies, and retention of military talent in Massachusetts. Representative Arriaga backed a bill to incentivize municipalities to provide full-time or regional veterans service officers and another to study the impact of combat on women veterans and motherhood. Representative Moulton/another sponsor also sought to exempt veterans’ disability payments from income calculations for other state benefits, and Representative Hong and Senator Scanlan supported a state service dog program, POW income tax relief, and courtesy retail parking spaces for veterans.
Testimony also focused on workforce and claims-assistance issues. The Military Officers Association of America and James Keene urged passage of bills waiving duplicative education requirements so qualified veterans and military medics can become licensed practical nurses, arguing it would help address health care shortages and recognize military training. Brave Veterans Inc. called for a Veterans Research Trust Fund to protect data and program evaluation work during budget cuts. On claims assistance, one witness supported criminal penalties for unaccredited agents who charge veterans for VA claims help, while a private consulting firm opposed the bill, arguing it would restrict lawful speech and veterans’ choice and that existing federal and HERO Act safeguards already address abuses. The VFW strongly opposed paid claims consulting, said its accredited service officers provide free help statewide, and urged more public awareness of existing free services. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing.
ID
Idaho 2026 Regular Session
Agenda Feb 25th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- The Department of Fish and Game has also engaged in those contracts.
- The Department of Fish and Game has also engaged in those contracts.
- I think this was a very complex process, the technology discussion. So, yeah.
- And I think in retrospect, I've learned a lot out of this process without question.
- How's the process working?
Summary:
The committee first heard a budget presentation from the Department of Fish and Game. Legislative Services outlined the agency’s funding structure, noting it receives no general fund and is supported mainly by dedicated and federal funds, with most spending going to personnel and many requests being one-time items. Director Jim Fredericks described the department’s mission, staffing, hatcheries, wildlife management areas, habitat work, enforcement, and funding sources, including license and tag revenue, federal excise taxes, and mitigation funds. Members asked about rescissions, temporary employee restoration, fisheries inflation items, depredation claims, nonresident tag sales, communications with the public, predator management, chronic wasting disease, habitat projects, and the relationship with the Office of Species Conservation. Fredericks said the department is working to right-size depredation funding, that the new nonresident draw system appears to be maintaining strong revenue, and that many habitat and disease-related costs are rising because of changing conditions and expanded work. He also acknowledged the technology-rule advisory process could have been handled better, especially regarding wolves, and said he would have structured that committee differently in hindsight.
The committee then took up the Office of Species Conservation. Janet Jessup explained that the office is small, mostly federally funded, and often passes grant money through to Fish and Game for on-the-ground work. Administrator Mike Edmondson said the office serves as the state’s technical, policy, and legal advisor on endangered and candidate species and works closely with Fish and Game on habitat and consultation issues. He described measurable work on sage grouse, salmon and steelhead, and grizzly bears, and said the office has concrete metrics such as acres treated, river miles restored, and conflict-reduction actions. Members asked about the overlap with Fish and Game, the number of species covered, and a proposed merger with the Office of Energy and Mineral Resources. Edmondson said there is strong synergy with OMER because many energy and mining projects come through species consultation first, and he said the office would support a merger if the Legislature pursues it, though he cautioned against cutting too deeply. Questions also touched on grizzly bear delisting, wolf-trapping litigation, and tribal consultation on salmon, steelhead, and other species.
Finally, Attorney General Raul Labrador presented his office’s budget and performance. He argued that the office has returned more money to the state than it costs, citing $242 million recovered or settled over three years, and said the proposed reductions would force furloughs or elimination of positions because the office is mostly personnel costs and largely general-fund supported. Labrador highlighted major gains in the Internet Crimes Against Children unit, saying the backlog of cyber tips was eliminated, review times are now within 24 hours, and arrests have risen sharply; he also noted the Legislature expanded the child sexual abuse material law to cover AI-generated content. He described expanded civil defense and appellate work, creation of a solicitor general function through reorganization, more in-house handling of risk cases, and a reworked consumer protection division that now responds to complaints within 24 hours and has increased enforcement and direct consumer recoveries. Members asked about the source of the recovered funds, whether cyber crimes are increasing or just being caught better, and whether the office could help develop a framework for transferring incarcerated noncitizens to federal custody for deportation. The budget analyst later clarified that some of the office’s apparent underspending reflects vacancy savings and the ability to move funds between expenditure classes.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Ways and Means Mar 23rd, 2026
Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Transcript Highlights:
- For the transportation cost, we have one bidder for our bus contracts.
- . process.
- and their pressures and policies and processes as well.
- In our contract, I can only speak to the community college contract, but yes, that's correct. Okay.
- And so we're starting that process.
Committee:
Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a public hearing in Lawrence focused on the governor’s proposed FY27 budget for education and local aid. Opening remarks from Senator Pavel Payano, Representative Pat Duffy, and local leaders emphasized the importance of education funding for Lawrence and other Gateway Cities, with Acting Mayor Giovanni Rodriguez and Superintendent Ralph Carrero highlighting the city’s high-need student population, Chapter 70 and Student Opportunity Act funding, early college and career pathways, and the need for sustained support to close achievement gaps.
The Education Secretariat testified in support of the budget, with Acting Secretary Amy Kershaw outlining investments in early literacy, universal pre-K, student mental health, school meals, high school redesign, higher education affordability, and early childhood systems. Commissioner Noi Ortega described higher education proposals including expanded free community college, continued free tuition at public four-year institutions, student success funding, early college and dual enrollment investments, and the Bright Act and Drive Act. Commissioner Pedro Martinez detailed K-12 proposals such as full Student Opportunity Act funding, increased Chapter 70 aid, special education circuit breaker funding, transportation aid, literacy initiatives, and a new Accelerating Achievement Initiative aimed at schools with the greatest needs. Commissioner Kershaw also described early education proposals including funding for C3, child care financial assistance, CPPI, workforce supports, and administrative funding restoration.
Committee members questioned the administration about the pending local contribution formula study, the final year of Student Opportunity Act implementation, and the need to address health care and other cost drivers in school funding. Officials said the local contribution report is expected by the end of June and that a draft will be shared for public comment after data analysis is complete. Members also raised concerns about Chapter 70 disparities between districts and urged a broader review of the formula. In response, the commissioners said the Student Opportunity Act narrowed funding gaps but further work is needed, and they pointed to the new achievement initiative, literacy efforts, and early college expansion as ways to improve outcomes. No votes were taken at the hearing.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Legislative Finance Oct 14th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- the public engagement process.
- That process was very involved.
- We have revamped that whole process.
- This year is the full-blown process.
- What we are doing now is revising the accreditation process. It hasn't been a very clear process.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
- nearly the entire length of the original contract.
- This is important because we have a process here, and this...
- We have a process here, and this situation, in my opinion, is violating our process.
- But that's what the legislative process is about.
- I've never done one myself, but I'm not sure of the process.
Committee:
Senate Insurance
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget Feb 17th, 2026 at 04:30 pm
Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget
Transcript Highlights:
- services until the Oklahoma Pregnancy Care Network is eligible to re-enter the competitive bidding process
- , OPCN's established providers were not allowed to submit bids because they were currently under contract
- The Department of Health operates on a three-year contracting cycle, which has created the gap in funding
- until the bidding process opens back up.
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget Feb 17th, 2026
Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget
Transcript Highlights:
- services until the Oklahoma Pregnancy Care Network is eligible to re-enter the competitive bidding process
- , OPCN's established providers were not allowed to submit bids because they were currently under contract
- The Department of Health operates on a three-year contracting cycle, which has created the gap in funding
- until the bidding process opens back up.
Keywords:
mental health, substance abuse, appropriation, state funding, emergency declaration, healthcare, State Department of Health, childbirth program, emergency funding
Summary:
The committee first considered House Bill 2786, with Representative Stinson presenting a PCS as the working draft. He explained the bill as supplemental funding for the Department of Mental Health to close out its 2025 budget and pay obligations the department had fallen short on. The committee moved quickly to a do pass vote, and the bill was reported out 31-0 with no nays.
The committee then took up House Bill 2787, with Representative West presenting a PCS as the working draft. She described the bill as a one-time $2 million supplemental for previously established costs tied to the Choosing Childbirth Program, saying the funding was needed to avoid a lapse in services for nearly 4,000 mothers and babies until the Oklahoma Pregnancy Care Network can re-enter bidding in 2028. She emphasized oversight and transparency measures, including provider vetting, invoice review, annual evaluations, and a reported 97% of expenses going to client services.
Members raised concerns about accountability, transparency, and why the funding should come from state general revenue rather than private sources, noting prior audits and news reports. Representative West said the network is a 501(c)(3), uses private dollars as well, and that the program is a public-private partnership already established by law. She also said she would share the 2025 tax return information with the committee. The committee then voted to report HB 2787 out do pass by a vote of 26-5, and adjourned.
AR
Transcript Highlights:
- It simply affirms what I have been told is that I've engaged with stakeholders throughout the process
- TV contracts, name, image, and likeness contracts, brand deals, naming rights for every, not just some
- And I believe what we are seeing right now is, for four years, we've seen this process work fairly well
- But why not through a resolution, the normal process?
- I assume these contracts happen once a year.
Committee:
All JBC-SPECIAL LANGUAGE
Summary:
The committee resumed consideration of several amendments to fiscal bills. It adopted Senator Johnson’s amendment to Senate Bill 15, which shifts responsibility for Keep Arkansas Beautiful-related functions and roadside litter cleanup coordination toward ARDOT, with the current commissioners becoming an advisory council. The committee also adopted Representative Perry’s amendment to Senate Bill 7, lowering from 50 to 25 the employee threshold for employers to request claims data from insurers for group health coverage, aimed at helping smaller businesses and municipalities obtain more competitive insurance quotes.
Representative McKinsey’s amendment to Senate Bill 41, which would have blocked a University of Arkansas at Fayetteville athletic funding transfer and imposed a one-year rider, was rejected after questions about the university’s finances and whether such a transfer had ever occurred. Senator Hester’s amendment to House Bill 1051, intended to cap online sports betting free play at 5% of gross receipts, also failed after debate over whether the proposal was properly fiscal language and whether the free-play incentives constituted a subsidy.
Representative Walker’s amendment to a Save the Children appropriation, which would have converted the funding into a matching grant to encourage private donations, failed for lack of a motion. Representative Vaught’s amendment related to an agricultural tax exemption for certain tractor parts and diesel exhaust fluid systems likewise failed, with concerns raised about drafting, enforcement, and whether it belonged in revenue tax committees. The committee then added two late items: Representative Johnson’s technical correction to a physician licensure pathway bill, which was adopted to broaden qualifying underserved-area definitions, and Senator Tucker’s amendment to Senate Bill 77, which deleted a fund-transfer section and created a matching appropriation mechanism to help Arkansas TV/PBS retain affiliation and pay dues. Senate Bill 77 passed as amended, and the meeting adjourned.
ID
Transcript Highlights:
- So what this will do is be able to help our government entities with their procurement process.
- departments, this will give them the opportunity to work right with the IT and make it simplify the whole process
- ever been a big groundswell effort of Idaho citizens to try to bring this up through the initiative process
- We have to be very, very, very clear when we start changing the language of our social contracts.
- We have to be very, very, very clear when we start changing the language of our social contracts, because
Committee:
House State Affairs
Summary:
The committee first approved the minutes from February 2 and 3, then heard RS 33159 on OITS powers and duties, which would shift most state IT procurement to IT professionals rather than other departments, with exceptions for entities like the military, judiciary, legislature, constitutional officers, and schools. The motion to introduce the RS passed. The committee also heard RS 33195, a campaign finance cleanup bill requiring candidates to maintain a separate bank account for election funds and to certify loans to campaign accounts within seven days; that motion to introduce also passed.
The main item was H.J.R. 7, which would place before Idaho voters the question of repealing Article 9, Section 5 of the Idaho Constitution, the Blaine Amendment prohibiting aid to sectarian institutions. The sponsor and supporters argued the provision is rooted in anti-Catholic and anti-Mormon discrimination, conflicts with U.S. Supreme Court precedent on religious neutrality, and has already caused litigation and confusion in Idaho. Opponents argued the amendment helps preserve separation of church and state, protects public school funding, and prevents state money from flowing to religious schools or creating entanglement with religion. Testimony was split along those lines, with supporters emphasizing equal access and constitutional conflict, and opponents warning about discrimination, public funding, and the consequences of repeal.
After extensive questioning and testimony from advocates, clergy, policy groups, students, and attorneys, the sponsor closed by saying repeal would not automatically send money to religious schools and that any future funding issues would require further legislation. The committee then voted on the motion to send H.J.R. 7 to the floor with a due pass recommendation, and it passed 8-6.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
FL House Floor Session - 2025-04-03 (9:00AM Session)
Florida House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- I truly appreciate your involvement in this process.
- It's up to the feds now to step in and begin to look at a lot of these military contracts currently being
- This amendment specifies a three-year teacher contract rate and the bill does not remove the authority
- of the district school superintendent to reassign the teacher during the period of the contract.
- Similar to the process adopted by the Appropriations Committee, amendments cannot be balanced by drawing