Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:51.760> to um and bringing people to the state to um and bringing people to the state
• <00:04:18.479> the we can bring people into the state the we can bring people into the state
• highlight communities around the state highlight communities around the state so<00:13:05.440>
• a specific portion of the state, as opposed to the entire state.
• state senators and state representatives state senators and state representatives these<00:36:54.160

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Explore Minnesota Executive Director Lauren Bennett McGinty gave the committee an agency overview focused on the state’s tourism, livability, business attraction, film, and outdoor recreation promotion work. She highlighted record 2023 tourism results, including 80.2 million visitors, $4.1 billion in economic impact, more than 180,000 hospitality jobs, and $2.3 billion in state and local taxes, and said tourism sales, hotel occupancy, and other metrics continued to improve. She also described the agency’s marketing strategy, including a new campaign centered on authentic Minnesota stories, expanded domestic and international advertising, and a strong emphasis on winter, diverse markets, and accessibility. McGinty reviewed several one-time-funded programs launched or expanded in the last year, including Explore Minnesota for Business, the tourism recovery grant program, the first Tribal Nations Grant program, and the outdoor recreation industry partnership with IRRR, DEED, and DNR. She said the recovery grants had distributed $1.15 million to 110 grantees, the tribal grant program had spent $1.4 million with eight tribal nations, and outdoor recreation was estimated at $13.5 billion annually with 10.5% growth. She also noted strong media and social media results, including a viral Timberwolves-related campaign, high video completion rates, and increased website traffic. In response to committee questions, McGinty said the workforce and business attraction campaign is aimed at showing why people choose to live and work in Minnesota, using stories from newer residents and businesses, and that it is performing well in markets such as Silicon Valley, Boston, and Seattle. She said the agency is investing more in winter advertising to promote Minnesota as a winter destination and is working with partners to highlight activities beyond outdoor cold-weather recreation. Members also discussed the agency’s new film program, resident retention efforts, and a planned music-themed tourism ad tied to Prince and Bob Dylan. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• We divided the state up into regions.
• Fiedler and Jimmy Cox, the PALM Director, are going to provide a brief background and what the state
• So we, the state, The state has purchased a PeopleSoft product as its accounting system.
• And so, PeopleSoft to meet our state needs.
• So we, the state has purchased a PeopleSoft product as its accounting system.

Summary: The State Administration Budget Subcommittee heard presentations from the Department of Financial Services on the My Safe Florida Home program, the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot, and the Florida PALM financial system replacement project. For My Safe Florida Home, Stephen Fielder explained the wind-mitigation grant program, including its inspection-first process, two-to-one matching grants for most homeowners, low-income exemptions from the match, and eligible improvements such as roofs, clips/straps, water barriers, and opening protection. He reported roughly 109,000 initial inspections, nearly 59,000 grants approved, 31,000 final inspections, 25,000 reimbursements, and about $240 million paid out through the end of 2024. Members asked about premium savings, contractor pricing, fraud, owner-builder eligibility, reimbursement timing, and whether the program should have a dedicated funding source; Fielder said the program is currently closed, more than 40,000 people have signed up for updates, and the office has seen some price-gouging and impersonation issues but no major fraud trend. The committee also discussed the new prioritization rules that took effect July 1, 2024, which direct grant awards by age and income. Fielder said the program used a survey of existing applicants to implement the new priority groups and that the first group was over age 60 and low-income. Members raised questions about how premium reductions are measured, whether insurance company changes or rising insured values affect the data, and whether the program can track long-term outcomes after reimbursement. Fielder said the office reports raw premium changes based on declarations pages, knows the insurer for participants, and has validated results with multiple insurers, but does not track homeowners after they leave the program or enforce continued insurance coverage. For the My Safe Florida Condo Pilot, Fielder said the program is modeled on the home program but uses association-level applications, a maximum grant of $175,000 per association, and a similar two-to-one match. He said the application window opened briefly in November and was closed quickly because available funding could be exhausted and the department is prohibited from creating a waiting list. He identified several needed statutory changes, including better distinguishing condos from single-family homes, adjusting roof requirements for flat concrete roofs, and revisiting the unanimous unit-owner vote requirement, which he said has been a major obstacle. Chair Lopez noted the pilot is intended to be a learning process and thanked DFS staff for identifying implementation issues. The final presentation covered Florida PALM, the state’s effort to replace the 40-year-old FLAIR accounting system with a PeopleSoft-based financial management system. Fielder and PALM Director Jimmy Cox said the project began in 2014, the state contracted with Accenture in 2018, cash management went live in 2021, and the project was paused in 2022 for legislative review and remediation. They said the system is expected to go live in 2026, possibly in July rather than January, and that the project has spent about $225 million to date, with a current-year budget of about $60.9 million and a projected next-year request of about $64 million. Members asked about cybersecurity, cloud hosting, project scope, and whether the system is unique to Florida; staff said the system is not Florida-specific, access is credentialed through agency identity management, and the cloud host location is confidential. After the presentations, Chair Lopez assigned members to work with specific agencies on budget review meetings, asked them to discuss agency structure, priorities, staffing, waste reduction, and other budget issues, and set a deadline to report findings in the first week of regular session. The meeting then adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• We must continue to develop in-state.
• The state mandates the purchase of solar, and ratepayers don't have discretion over this, so keeping
• , including 145 in the state of California.
• The state is home to more than 200 general aviation airports.
• States, including 145 in the state of California.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:57:30.039> that that comes in based on uh states that that comes in based on uh states
• Um, with that, I know you mentioned other states. California is one of those states, right?
• <01:04:03.160> of state of state of OE<01:04:05.160> that's<01:04:05.279> a<01:04
• Next up, we have HIFI in support. removes the state requirement that um removes the state requirement
• <01:21:55.080> up<01:21:55.280> to purchases up to purchases up to 100,000<01:21:57.600

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 707 on the College Savings Program. Members discussed a suggested amendment from the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities to include the Hawaii ABLE Savings Program. The chair said the Department of the Attorney General advised there was no title problem, so the bill could be broadened to cover both the College Savings Program and the ABLE program. The committee also noted technical, non-substantive changes and a defective date of July 1, 3000 for further discussion. HB 707 HD1 was then voted on and the recommendation to pass with amendments was adopted unanimously by the members present, with two members excused. The committee then heard House Bill 424, which would provide free breakfast and lunch beginning the next school year to students who currently qualify for free and reduced-price meals. The Department of Education supported the measure, and testimony in favor came from teachers, public health and food security advocates, and several organizations. Supporters described students being denied meals because of unpaid balances, said school meals should not depend on family debt, and argued that the bill would reduce stigma and help hungry students learn. Committee questions focused on meal pricing, the impact of raising prices on families who pay full price, and whether portion sizes could be increased; DOE said breakfast costs less than lunch, full-price students would bear any increase, and portion sizes must follow USDA rules. Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute and Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network said many families above the free/reduced thresholds still cannot afford meals, citing estimates that the DOE collects about $20 million a year in meal payments and that federal reimbursement totals are much larger. The committee then heard House Bill 757, the universal free school breakfast and lunch bill. DOE and the Department of Health supported it, and testimony was overwhelmingly in favor from county officials, teachers, students, food banks, advocacy groups, and community organizations. Witnesses argued that universal meals would eliminate stigma, reduce paperwork and debt collection, and ensure students do not fall through the cracks because of income cutoffs, language barriers, or administrative hurdles. Several students from Castle High School described classmates asking for food and families struggling to keep meal accounts funded, while teachers said they regularly see negative meal balance notices and hungry students. Advocates also said the bill is the better equity vehicle because it avoids means testing and reaches students who are not currently receiving meals despite needing them. The hearing on HB 757 was still ongoing at the end of the transcript, and no final vote on that bill was shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• state and local taxes? state and local taxes?
• uh state and Index of all the states uh state and local<00:53:02.240> systems<00:53:02.800>
• your state. your state.
• I'm the state director for the National Federation of Independent Business in Minnesota.
• the state of Washington does. the state of Washington does.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Excuse me, Katie Lambert, my Deputy Director.
• <00:16:58.240> price commission felt that the purchase price commission felt that the purchase
• <00:25:07.720> for the cost gets passed to the state for the cost gets passed to the state
• to coordinate efforts with state to coordinate efforts with state agencies<01:49:19.599> ensuring
• that actually goes for all of the state that actually goes for all of the state departments<02:17

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Ways and Means and Hawaiian Affairs committee heard a budget presentation from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands on its biennium requests for critical projects, repairs and maintenance, and operations. DHHL described its role in administering the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust, noted the large beneficiary wait list, and said prior funding, including Act 279, has helped the department accelerate land development and reduce vacancies. Officials said they have about 47,219 applications involving 29,548 Native Hawaiians, roughly 28 projects underway, and that about $471 million of a $600 million appropriation has been encumbered, with the remaining lapse-fix funds expected to be resolved before the June 30, 2026 deadline. DHHL emphasized that its current request would support additional lot development and could help produce roughly 6,000 units from the existing project pipeline, with another phase of requests potentially adding about 2,000 more units. The department said it is prioritizing shovel-ready projects, accelerating lease awards and orientations, and using a mix of approaches including paper leases, rental-with-option-to-purchase, owner-builder, and loan programs. Officials also discussed a shift toward denser urban development, citing projects in West Oahu and Honolulu, and said the department is working to reduce its vacancy rate and move beneficiaries onto the land more quickly. Members questioned why Oahu, despite having the largest wait list, was receiving comparatively lower amounts, and DHHL responded that land availability and cost drive those decisions, with Oahu having limited developable land and very high acquisition costs. The department pointed to land acquisition on Kauai and other islands, and to urban high-rise projects that can yield far more units on small parcels. Members also raised long-term maintenance and wildfire risk, asking whether current acquisition and development choices account for future infrastructure costs; DHHL said maintenance is a growing concern, especially on large unused or isolated lands, and that it is pursuing Firewise planning, federal funds, and partnerships to reduce risk. The discussion also touched on mixed-use and community-led development, with DHHL explaining that it leases land to nonprofit homestead associations under general leases with milestones, business-plan requirements, and land-use restrictions to support local services and community goals.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the state has a very prudent policy. That has served the state really well.
• So the state has a very prudent policy. That has served the state really well.
• So the state has a very prudent policy. That has served the state really well.
• So the state has a very prudent policy. That has served the state really well.
• . state. state.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Mack Bernard, State Center for District 24.
• I am the executive director of the Downtown Development Authority and have served since 2010 and director
• That’s via state statute, I’m sorry. The state set it up, not the city? Yes, the state.
• So it’s the state and not the city.
• The United States exists at the permission of the states.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee met to consider several audit requests and enforcement items related to local government accountability. The committee heard requests for operational audits of the City of Miami Beach, the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, and the City of Daytona Beach. In each case, the requesting member cited concerns about transparency, financial management, or compliance with state law. Representatives from Delray Beach DDA testified that an internal audit had already been completed, that findings were limited, and that they were working to cure issues such as procurement, credit card, and disbursement policies; the DDA chair also said the organization was willing to cooperate and was considering transitioning out of operating Old School Square. For Daytona Beach, the sponsor pointed to excess building permit revenues, vehicle purchases, and reported P-card irregularities as reasons for a broader audit. The committee approved all three audit requests, directing the Auditor General to finalize the scope while considering the stated concerns. The committee also received a presentation on the statewide performance reviews of 21 neighborhood improvement districts. The reviewers reported that 15 districts were active and six inactive, with common issues including outdated or missing performance plans, weak web presence, inadequate meeting notices, and limited management mechanisms. They said staffing levels often correlated with the ability to meet statutory requirements, and recommended that several districts be reviewed to determine whether they were still needed. Members asked about staffing, inactivity criteria, and how the districts were administered, and staff explained that city or county liaisons often supplement district staffing. Later, staff reviewed enforcement actions for local governments that failed to file required financial reports or omitted required information from submitted audits. The committee discussed a list of noncompliant counties, municipalities, and special districts, including the town of Rayford, which staff said had long-standing reporting problems, no apparent municipal services, and no response to repeated outreach. The committee voted to send a letter to the Union County legislative delegation encouraging a local bill to dissolve Rayford. It also approved staff recommendations to proceed against entities still missing required filings or missing audit information, with authority for the chair and vice chair to delay action if additional information is later provided in good faith.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are, of the three bridges that cross the Industrial Canal, the state only has the Judge Seiber
• I did not, but the Port gets a lot of money from the state. All right, thanks.
• Temple, can you state your name and who you represent?
• These are insurance lapse reinstatement fees, and we have numerous uninsured motor drivers in a state
• You purchase it yourself. You put it on your vehicle to do the things you wish it to do.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works met with five members present and approved the May 14, 2026 minutes. The committee first considered HCR 32, which urges the Port of New Orleans to secure backup motors for the aging St. Claude Avenue Bridge; members discussed the bridge’s importance, the relatively low cost of the motor, and the traffic and emergency-response impacts of repeated breakdowns. HCR 32 was reported favorably. HCR 68, a request to Congress for funding to remove unusable bridges along Highway 90 as part of reconnecting the corridor toward New Orleans East, was also reported favorably after brief discussion about federal representatives and coordination with DOTD. House Bill 582 was deferred without objection. The committee then took up HB 762, which clarifies that the Office of Motor Vehicles may, rather than must, refer certain delinquent reinstatement-fee debts to the Office of Debt Recovery or other collection channels. Testimony from OMV and the bill author emphasized that the measure was intended to clean up prior language and preserve OMV discretion, while senators raised concerns about political influence, collection practices, and the impact of fees and debt on drivers. HB 762 was reported favorably. HB 730, concerning automatic dependent surveillance broadcast devices on aircraft, was amended to limit its application to aircraft over 2,500 pounds and to prohibit the use of the imposed fees on smaller aircraft. Supporters said the bill restores the original safety purpose of the devices and prevents their use for fee collection; the committee reported the bill favorably as amended. The committee also reported favorably on HCR 53, which creates a study committee on oversized vehicle permits and their parish-level impacts, and HCR 60, which urges DOTD to pursue the DRIVE initiative to study and improve safety on the I-12 corridor. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• And over the next two years, they surveyed the states and worked with the states.
• And over the next two years, they surveyed the states and worked with the states.
• It also provides authority to the state to purchase multi-year software licenses and subscriptions to
• of state property.
• It also provides authority to the state to purchase multi-year software licenses and subscriptions to

Summary: The Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance met with a quorum present and heard a full agenda of bills, most of which were reported favorably. Early in the meeting, SB 1000 on trust fund interest for attorney trust accounts was explained as setting a floor and ceiling tied to the Wall Street Journal prime rate and passed without objection after supportive testimony from banking and credit union groups. The committee then took up CS/SB 1082 on a statewide provider and health plan claim dispute resolution program; the sponsor described it as a way to move emergency out-of-network payment disputes away from costly litigation and into an independent dispute resolution process modeled on the federal No Surprises Act. A proposed amendment drew significant questions from senators and concerns from the Florida Insurance Council about confusion over state versus federal eligibility and possible effects on contracted rates, and the sponsor ultimately withdrew the amendment. The underlying bill was then supported by health care and insurance stakeholders and reported favorably. SB 684 on electronic signatures for total loss vehicles and vessels also passed, with Progressive Insurance waiving in support. The committee next approved CS/SB 158 on pet insurance, which requires continuing education for agents, clearer consumer disclosures, and annual reporting to OIR; the amendment was technical and adopted. SB 1494 on breast cancer screening coverage was presented as expanding required coverage for mammograms and supplemental screenings for certain insurance products, and it passed with support from cancer and radiology groups. CS/SB 314 on digital asset issuers was amended to create a Florida framework for payment stablecoin issuers consistent with the federal GENIUS Act, allowing state-level regulation as an alternative to federal supervision, and was reported favorably. SB 1500 on uncontested probate proceedings, including higher small-estate thresholds and clearer authority for personal representatives, also passed after a banking-related amendment requiring letters of administration for safe deposit box access was adopted. Later, the committee approved CS/SB 618 on workers’ compensation insurance, which raises the consent-to-rate cap for workers’ comp policies from 10% to 20% and adjusts the Florida Workers’ Compensation Guarantee Association board membership; a carrier representative testified that the change would help keep more high-risk accounts in the voluntary market. CS/SB 1568 on a Florida Stable Coin Pilot Program was amended to remove authority for DFS to create a Florida coin, limit the pilot to existing stablecoins with at least $1 billion market capitalization, and require qualified public deposit handling; it then passed. CS/SB 838 on electronic payments for retail installment contracts clarified that convenience fees for electronic payments are permissible while preserving a fee-free option, and it was reported favorably after questions about consumer access to free payment methods. SB 1452, the Department of Financial Services agency bill, made a wide range of administrative changes affecting My Safe Florida Home, unclaimed property, licensing, bail bonds, and other DFS functions; a late-filed amendment on title insurer appointments was adopted, and the bill passed. The committee also approved SB 1706 on the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program, targeting condo hardening assistance to owner-occupied units meeting income and occupancy criteria, and SB 990 on protected cell captive insurance companies, which the sponsor and industry witnesses said would modernize Florida law and promote insurance competition and economic activity. The meeting ended with all bills on the agenda reported favorably and the committee adjourning without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• If a purchase is flagged, then we can allow for adjudication of those purchases. So, Mr.
• Our state is so diverse.
• Other states have...
• Chief of the United States Forest Service, and the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
• Chief of the United States Forest Service, and the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• states.
• under the laws of the state. under the laws of the state.
• state team. state team.
• Secretary of State has stated that the Secretary of State has stated that the impact<05:23:36.560>
• State. I'm also a 19-year member of the State.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 47, sponsored by Sen. Regina Birdsell at the request of the Insurance Department. The bill would codify the department’s interpretation that a birth mother’s health insurance is the primary coverage for a newborn, unless the mother has no insurance or coverage under an employer-sponsored plan. Birdsell and Insurance Commissioner DJ Benton Court said the measure is a clarification of existing practice and intended to protect vulnerable newborns; a question from Rep. Miles clarified that if a young woman is on her parents’ policy, the newborn would generally be covered under that family coverage. The hearing on SB 47 was then closed. The committee then took up Senate Bill 121, introduced by Grant Bosi for Sen. Kevin Avard, which would require insurers to notify the Insurance Department when they stop writing an entire line of business or, in some cases, Medicare Advantage plans. Commissioner Benton Court said the bill arose from disruption in the Medicare Advantage market, where consumers, brokers, and the department were confused by carriers changing or ending offerings; he said the department wanted a simple notification requirement so it could better advise consumers. Members discussed network adequacy, county-based service areas, and the fact that the bill would make notice a condition of licensure, with possible fines or license action for noncompliance. Witness Paula Rogers of AHIP said her group supported the bill if amended, and the department indicated it would support a change from a 120-day notice period to 90 days to align with state rules; the committee planned to work on an amendment in subcommittee. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 247, introduced by Rep. Brian Cole, which would prohibit network exclusion of pharmacies that refuse to dispense prescriptions when PBM reimbursement is below acquisition cost. Cole argued the bill is meant to stop pharmacies from being forced to sell drugs at a loss, describing PBMs as middlemen and saying the measure is a compromise that protects local pharmacies. Members questioned whether consumers would pay more and whether pharmacies voluntarily enter PBM contracts; Cole responded that the bill would let pharmacies refuse unprofitable fills while consumers could still obtain the drug through mail order or other channels. He also said the issue has changed over time because the practice now affects a much larger share of generics and is concentrated among a few PBMs. The hearing remained open as questions continued, with no vote taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• state election by 60%. state election by 60%.
• State your motion.
• State your motion."
• State your motion.
• State your motion.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• diverse community in our state. diverse community in our state. Thank<00:19:56.640> you.
• Director toppel. Thank you, Chair. Director toppel.
• <01:34:20.480> Again, director, director, director, um<01:34:26.560> Senator<01:34:
• manage HOAs in the state of Minnesota. manage HOAs in the state of Minnesota.
• organization directors. organization directors.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Help came from the state of Texas, help came from the United States.
• I also do want to state that.
• I know that's not. state policy.
• Texas is a wonderful state, in my opinion, the best state.
• More than any other state.

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But, but, but according to state law, I mean, according to state law, I mean.
• So is this happening with our districts purchasing an app or a specific school purchasing an app?
• purchased it.
• And then finally, at the top, the bill authorizes the state board to appoint the state superintendent
• of the state board within that structure.

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the executive director of the Minnesota State Retirement System.
• I'm the executive director of the Minnesota State Retirement System.
• I'm the executive director of the Minnesota State Retirement System.
• I'm the executive director of the I'm the executive director of the Minnesota<00:20:10.240> State<
• adopted by our board of directors. adopted by our board of directors.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• State your name for the record.
• <00:32:12.960> each<00:32:13.080> other from state to state look at each other from
• state to state look at each other and<00:32:13.399> say<00:32:13.639> yeah<00:32:13.760
• then they passed the rest of the state then they passed the rest of the state or<01:10:18.440>
• park has a state park master plan.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:59:29.480> with most remote part of the state with most remote part of the state with
• However, in the early 2000s, the state experienced an economic downturn, and at that point state and
• <01:41:48.760> fairs no um no problem claiming state fairs no um no problem claiming state
• the state the state fair<01:42:47.480> a<01:42:47.560> lot<01:42:47.679> of
• there are two real tools that the state there are two real tools that the state fair<01:42:58.719

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In state land and the statute currently for off-road vehicles, you can traverse across state land.
• throughout the state, there is no guidance.
• This bill would authorize that in this state. My amendment prohibits that in this state.
• It also, interestingly, will require the state treasurer to withhold state-shared revenue if Phoenix
• doesn't comply. ...will require the state treasurer to withhold state-shared revenue if Phoenix doesn't

Keywords: 1182, all