Transcript Highlights:

• It does not raise the budget at all, and we do have a couple of testifiers. Perfect.
• It does not raise the budget at all.
• It does not raise the budget at all, and we do have a couple of testifiers. Perfect.
• provide updates directly to the leaders of our major veterans organizations, hear feedback on our budget
• and legislative proposals, and budget and legislative proposals, and hear<00:02:41.800><c> about</c>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services Office.
• I just don't want to be having to cut that much out of our budgets; that really concerns me.
• I know we might have to cut our budget, and, you know, guess what?
• Everybody's cutting their budget. They're cutting their budget right now.
• And as you and I both know, we've already spent a lot of time and hours on this budget to figure out

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee met to review members’ homework projections and choose revenue estimates for the remainder of fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027. Staff presented the compiled results, noted the average and median were close, and corrected a spreadsheet formula error after Senator Zuiderveld flagged that her submitted numbers had been copied incorrectly. The committee briefly went at ease while staff fixed the worksheet and then resumed with updated figures. Members debated several possible revenue projections, with discussion focused on how to account for possible tax conformity changes, the risk of overestimating revenues, and broader economic uncertainty. Some members argued for lower estimates to avoid future budget shortfalls, while others said the state’s economy remained relatively strong and that the committee should not be overly pessimistic. After debate, the committee adopted a substitute motion setting general fund revenue projections at $5,665.1 million for FY 2026 and $5,816.6 million for FY 2027 by a vote of 10-8. The committee then reviewed a letter/report for JFAC that incorporated the adopted projections and allowed for additional committee comments. Representative Van Orden moved to adopt the report language, Representative Monks seconded, and the motion passed 17-1. The committee concluded its work and planned to present the recommendation to JFAC the following morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• RCW 41.80.010, which states that if they are financially feasible, they move into the governor's budget
• our director determines if the agreements are feasible and can be put into the governor's request budget
• Our budget office is working very closely with our director to determine whether these agreements are
• If she does find them to be feasible, they will be proposed in the governor's request budget that will
• So then in May, the budget bill will be signed into law, and if you have funded the agreements, then

Summary: The Joint Committee on Employment Relations met for work sessions on supplemental bargaining for Washington Public Employees Association (WPEA) agreements in general government and higher education, followed by an overview of the collective bargaining process. OFM staff explained that bargaining for the 2025-27 biennium began in 2024, reached tentative agreements, was not ratified in time for the October 1 deadline, resumed, and ultimately produced ratified agreements in August 2025 that were submitted for financial feasibility review under RCW 41.80.010. Staff outlined the tentative agreements’ costs and covered employee counts, including roughly 2,500 FTEs in general government and 2,100 in higher education, with estimated 2025-27 total fund costs of about $22.25 million and $13.5 million respectively. Staff then gave a broader briefing on how state collective bargaining works, including the bargaining calendar, the role of class and compensation review, the June revenue forecast, interest arbitration, and the October 1 submission deadline. They described the groups OFM bargains for, including general government, higher education, health care coalitions, and certain non-state provider groups such as adult family home providers, child care providers, and language access providers. In response to a question from Senator King, staff said the legislature requires bargaining for those non-state provider groups and has also provided interest arbitration for them. Staff also discussed bargaining priorities such as general wage increases, targeted classification adjustments, recruitment and retention, low-wage worker increases, and maintaining the health care premium split. In executive session, the committee voted to keep the current co-chairs, Senator Robinson and Representative Couture, through 2026. Members also voted to recognize that the committee met twice in 2025 and to set the 2026 meeting schedule at two meetings. The motions passed without opposition, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And really, I mean, at the very end, when we were doing the budget and you were having to crank things
• So we are actually doing very well as far as this year's budget.
• Next year, next fiscal year, our budget, as all legislative agencies, was reduced...
• the budget issues that the legislature aptly faced this session.
• But even if we did, we could certainly do that within our current budget.

Summary: The committee began with introductions of members and staff, then approved the minutes from the previous meeting and approved a step increase for Code Advisor Kathy Buckley. Staff reported on publication sales and distribution, noting that 2024 paper and paid sales were down from prior years, while online access and reduced demand for printed copies continued to trend downward. Members discussed the continuing role of printed RCWs and session laws, with staff explaining that libraries and counties remain the main paper purchasers and that some specialized titles are still produced in print and electronic formats. The committee then reviewed a table of “multiple actions” affecting RCW sections from the 2025 session. Staff explained that 153 sections had multiple amendments or related actions, but most could be merged through editorial authority; about 10 sections would likely need future legislative cleanup. The committee approved the table, allowing staff to proceed with merging where possible. Financially, staff reported the office was on track to return about $542,000 to the state, though that amount may decrease slightly because of end-of-year purchases, including a shared printer for LSS. They also noted a slight budget reduction for the next fiscal year, but said staffing adjustments and existing coverage should prevent problems. The committee discussed upcoming rulemaking to align the office’s public records procedures with House and Senate practices, including designating a public records officer and updating language to reflect current legislative structure. Staff said the process would follow standard APA rulemaking and could take roughly six months. Members also heard about a prior “video auditor” incident at the office and the office’s response and training. Finally, staff provided a building update: the office is scheduled to move back into the renovated Pritchard building on September 14, 2026, with furniture selection underway. At the end of the meeting, staff shared session statistics, including 424 session law chapters, 1,305 House bills introduced, 1,082 Senate bills introduced, 238 House bills passed, and 193 Senate bills passed, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• to deduct that percentage from what's applied to personal property when they're working out their budgets
• And if we move that out into the budget process, As a few of us served together on budget, we know how
• But as we sat through the budget process, and we're hearing line by line, when the Department of Social
• , but yet allow them that ...this year of tight budgets to become more lean, but yet allow them that
• better served by receiving that money than dumping what would be a minuscule amount to the overall budget

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It establishes clear instructional areas including budgeting, credit, investing, fraud prevention, taxes
• It establishes clear instructional areas including budgeting, credit, investing, fraud, prevention, taxes
• So Missouri operates on a roughly $50 billion annual state budget. Within that budget, we spend...
• Within that budget, we spend approximately $15 to $18 billion on health care programs like Medicaid,
• So, show me a better state budget by investing in our children, pun intended. Thank you.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These are going to cause extreme cuts to our budget.
• We've already seen that we've made some... ...budget.
• Senators, there's been talk about the budget situation that we find ourselves in.
• Our budget has increased year over year. ...relief to Idahoans.
• Our budget has increased year over year for the last six years at least.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and approved the prior day’s journal. Committee reports were received and several measures were referred for printing or further committee action, including Senate Joint Resolution 103, Senate Bills 1258-1268, House Concurrent Resolution 24, and House Bill 557. The Commerce and Human Resources Committee recommended confirmation of gubernatorial appointments of John Weber to the State Insurance Fund Board and Robert Cuyo to the Idaho Health Insurance Exchange Board, and the Local Government and Taxation Committee reported House Bill 559 out with a do-pass recommendation. The main floor action was on House Bill 559, the annual tax conformity bill. Senators debated whether to conform retroactively to federal tax changes, with supporters arguing it would allow Idaho taxpayers and businesses to file returns, enable deductions for items such as overtime, tips, car loan interest, and senior benefits, and provide timely grocery tax credit refunds. Opponents raised concerns about the bill’s estimated fiscal impact, the state budget shortfall, administrative burden on the Tax Commission, and whether the state should conform only prospectively or fully conform now. Several senators also argued over the effect on working families, public services, and the differing treatment of individual versus corporate tax benefits. After debate closed, the Senate passed House Bill 559 by a roll call vote of 28-7, with one paired vote recorded, and approved the title. A minority report on the bill was ordered spread upon the journal. In miscellaneous business, the Senate recognized visiting youth leaders from the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber Emerging Leaders Program and welcomed two of Senator Cole’s brothers to the gallery. The Senate then adjourned until Monday, February 9, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• And Lori's going to go over the budget with you all for just a moment. >> Yes.
• We're in the budget parameters up to date for the year with spending. >> Okay, sounds good.
• And Loriy's going to go over the<00:04:01.439><c> budget</c><00:04:01.760><c> with</c><00:04:01.920><
• with you all for just a the budget with you all for just a moment. moment. moment.
• We're we're<00:04:28.720><c> in</c><00:04:30.080><c> the</c><00:04:30.400><c> budget</c><00:04:30.800

Keywords: This video was pulled from back ups and loaded into YouTube after the fact., 958, all

Summary: The meeting began with a procedural motion to have the record reflect that the Government Contracts Review Committee had met earlier that morning, that the chairman had attended in person, and that the committee approved a retroactive contract for enforcement counsel in the case under consideration. The motion was seconded, clarified to include any future ratification or approval if needed, and then approved unanimously. The commission then took up a motion to deny a motion to dismiss in matters 24 LEC3 and 24 LEC6; after clarifying that it was denying the motion made on August 18 and not considering a new filing, the motion passed unanimously. Staff then reported that the commission office was busy with required forms and that the budget remained in good standing and within parameters. The commission approved the financial report by motion. It was also noted that informal advisory opinions issued since the last meeting were included in the materials for review, with any questions to be handled in closed session if needed. The chairman updated members on the search for a new executive director, saying Denita would serve as acting executive director in the interim. He reported that several strong applications had been received, that a committee was reviewing and ranking candidates, and that the formal application period had closed on August 15. Members were told they could forward recommendations to the personnel committee, but that the full commission would make the final hiring decision. In new business, a member offered a remembrance of Representative Jeff Greer, and the commission observed a moment of silence in his honor before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• money is kind of a tough sell right now, considering where the state is economically and with our budget
• Senator, you know, talking about the budget, one idea that has been floated to help balance it is rooting
• </c> economically and with our budget economically and with our budget forecast.<00:03:41.200><c> Were
• Senator, you know, talking about the<00:04:43.040><c> budget,</c><00:04:43.759><c> one</c><00:04:44.000
• ><c> idea</c><00:04:44.240><c> that</c><00:04:44.400><c> has</c><00:04:44.560><c> been</c> the budget

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have to set a budget, and our caucus is very, very committed to that. for the people of Minnesota
• we have to for the people of Minnesota we have to set<00:07:19.319><c> a</c><00:07:19.479><c> budget<
• and our caucus is very very set a budget and our caucus is very very committed<00:07:22.319><c> to</
• What is a matter for the Senate is balancing the budget and getting policy passed that will improve the
• "Now four months and a few days to finish the budget, and that's the work that we have to get done for

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So it becomes a big budget issue all the way around.
• I think I'm glad Senator Lee brought up the budget, Senator Lee brought up the budget because that's
• They're all additions to the existing budget. So I think we have to prioritize what we can do.
• And maybe, budget.
• A forum where we ask for it and then can compare it with other budget demands.

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and then heard a detailed annual presentation from Dr. Thomas Arnold, chair of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee, on maternal mortality trends and review findings. He explained the committee’s structure, the de-identified review process, and the distinction between pregnancy-associated and pregnancy-related deaths. He said national maternal mortality has declined from its 2021 peak, but mental health conditions, substance use, overdose, suicide, cardiovascular disease, hemorrhage, infection, and embolism remain major causes. He emphasized that many deaths are preventable, with especially high rates among non-Hispanic Black women and in the American Indian/Alaska Native population, and noted that a large share of deaths occur after 42 days postpartum. Committee members asked about suicide, domestic abuse, pregnancy testing in unexplained deaths, and the role of home births and midwife training. Dr. Arnold said the committee is adding a caseworker, exploring post-mortem pregnancy testing in suspicious cases, and working with coroners and forensic officials; he also said home births and untrained midwifery pose safety concerns and that better public education and facility-based care are important. The committee then heard from State Fire Marshal Dr. Matt Clark on cigarette ignition propensity standards and fire prevention. He recommended updating North Dakota’s cigarette ignition legislation to the current national standard and also considering legislation requiring fast-breakaway oxygen tubing, citing fatal fires involving smoking around home oxygen. He explained that his office verifies manufacturer testing and maintains certification for cigarettes sold in the state, but does not itself conduct the testing. Members asked about implementation, cost, and whether the standards apply in tribal communities; Clark said he would follow up with cost information and additional details, and that he had not seen evidence of a major issue on tribal lands but would look further. Christine Greff of the Department of Health and Human Services presented the North Dakota Stroke System of Care report. She described the statewide network of two comprehensive stroke centers, four primary stroke centers, and 30 acute stroke-ready hospitals, along with the stroke registry and quality-improvement efforts. She reported that most strokes are ischemic, that the median stroke patient age is 71.5, and that common risk factors include hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes. She highlighted improvements in door-to-CT, thrombolytic treatment times, dysphagia screening, EMS pre-notification, and interfacility transfer performance, and said new priorities include hemorrhagic stroke quality measures and standardized EMS stroke screening tools. Members asked about the VA hospital’s participation, and Greff said she would pursue outreach. After a break, the committee heard testimony from Taha Khan of Vertex Pharmaceuticals as part of the prior authorization study, focused on non-opioid pain treatment. He argued that prior authorization can delay access to acute pain treatment and may push patients toward opioids, especially in the critical 24- to 72-hour post-discharge window. He cited data showing that even short opioid exposure can increase the risk of long-term use and said prior authorization is often a barrier for physicians and patients. Khan recommended open access with a quantity limit rather than prior authorization, suggesting a 14-day limit supported by the product’s data and an episode-of-care approach. Members asked about dental use, payer discussions, and cost; he said the product’s wholesale acquisition cost is about $16.10 per tablet, with patient assistance available, and that he would follow up on payer and comparison-cost questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• While some argue this will lead to a student exodus that destabilizes budgets, the goal of AB 1797 is
• Certainly everybody's been paying attention to the governor's announcement in January, in the budget,
• This is all done as part of a budget trailer bill, and for almost a hundred years now there have been
• So the Assembly Budget, the Assembly Education Committee, all of us, we held a special informational
• changes related to the Governor's budget.

Summary: The committee heard several education-related bills, with the most extensive discussion focused on AB 2189, AB 2615, AB 2496, AB 1750, and AB 1644. AB 2189 would create an $800,000 grant program through the State Council on Developmental Disabilities to support a statewide parent network for special education advocacy and training. Supporters said families need stronger coordination and information to navigate special education, while an opponent argued the bill could duplicate existing family-led organizations. The bill passed 6-0 and was sent to Appropriations, held on call for add-on votes. AB 2615, a cleanup bill to AB 715 on antisemitism and instructional materials, drew the most controversy. The authors said it was intended to clarify prior commitments by removing references to professional responsibility standards, refining the “factually accurate” language, and clarifying how discriminatory materials are handled. Supporters said it would help protect students from discrimination, while many educators, civil rights groups, and other organizations opposed it unless amended, warning that the factual-accuracy language could chill teaching and be applied too broadly. The committee chair and members raised concerns about implementation but ultimately supported moving the bill forward; it passed 5-0 and was held on call. AB 2496 would streamline school accountability reporting by making the California School Dashboard the primary transparency tool, phasing out the School Accountability Report Card over time, and making mid-year LCAP reporting optional. Supporters said this would reduce duplication and administrative burden while preserving access to key data; opponents worried families could lose the simplicity and accessibility of the current SARC and that the mid-year update still serves an important purpose. The bill was approved 3-0 and held on call. AB 1750, which would extend full salary for an additional five months for school employees who exhaust sick leave due to illness or injury, was supported as a dignity and retention measure but opposed by administrators over staffing and cost concerns; it passed 4-0 and was held on call. AB 1644 would require a bell-to-bell smartphone ban in TK-8 and recommend it for high school, with exceptions for instructional and safety needs; supporters said phones are harming attention and learning, while opponents argued districts had just adopted local policies and needed more flexibility. The transcript ends during discussion of that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Regarding each of those bills that are the subject of the motion, all except for one are budget bills
• The rest of my comments have to do with the budget bills, and we've reviewed all of those as well, Mr
• The budget package, we think, is substantially constitutional. It's in proper form.
• has a sort of a condition, that there has to be a review by a legislative agency, joint legislative budget
• Nevertheless, I mentioned that it's there, and I'm happy to answer any other questions about either the budget

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What we're do is approving a budget.
• and future budgets.
• We're approving a budget.
• We're approving a budget. contracts. We're approving a budget.
• Here's what we budgeted. September. Here's what we budgeted.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Government Contract Committee met with a quorum, observed a moment of silence for Representative McCool after the death of his sister, and approved the April 14 minutes. The committee then reviewed a large agenda of contracts and amendments, beginning with a deferred Office of the Controller procurement involving broker services. Members questioned why a contract that had previously been handled for about $300,000 annually was now priced at about $1 million, and why the procurement was limited to one year. Office of the Controller staff said the prior vendor had held the work for more than 20 years, the work had previously been treated as not practical to bid, and the new RFP was intended to increase competition. They said the technical evaluation was scored before cost was considered, that past performance was not scored because it was seen as unreliable, and that AON received the highest technical score despite not being the lowest bidder. After discussion, the committee voted to take no action and let the contract proceed to the Finance Cabinet, with members noting continuing concerns about the pricing and process. The committee next considered a DCBS memorandum of agreement amendment for language services. DCBS representatives said the additional funding did not come from a new cut elsewhere, but from reduced spending on interpreter services because commonly used forms had been translated into other languages, freeing up funds for the contract. The committee approved the item unanimously. The final major item discussed was an initial contract for the Board of Hairdressers and Cosmetologists for legal services. Board staff said the board had been without a permanent general counsel since March 2024 and had relied on special and conflict counsel because of unusually heavy litigation, including 11 active cases, plus broader disciplinary and licensing changes tied to recent legislation and an oversight report. They said the contract was a not-to-exceed amount funded entirely by agency fees and that the board was currently running a surplus. Senator Thomas urged support, citing prior legislation and oversight findings about problems at the board and saying the contract was needed to help the board address ongoing litigation and corrective work. The committee approved the contract and then approved the remaining agenda items without objection, sending them forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• It’s not going into your meal debt data, but it’s going into your guidance budget, your nursing budget
• It would go into our budget.
• </c> Um, we all know we've got a budget problem.
• Um and so we uh we face a budget.
• Well, we have a budget that proposes to defund public higher education by nearly 30% of the budget of

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Education Funding Committee met in executive session on a bill concerning school meal access and reimbursement. The bill would address local school districts’ responsibility to provide meals during school hours, reimburse schools for meals served at no cost, and make an appropriation. The committee first moved to retain the bill, with supporters saying it was complex, had uncertain fiscal impacts, and should be considered alongside other related meals bills. Opponents argued the committee already had enough information, that the bill served a small number of students at relatively low cost, and that delaying action would harm children who need food to learn. The committee also heard from Tim Roar, a Keene school business administrator and co-designer of the bill, who explained that the proposal was intended to be an opt-in program for districts, with rulemaking to set participation requirements. He said the bill was meant to target aid to students between 175% and 200% of poverty, reduce bad meal debt, and avoid spending taxpayer money on families who could afford to pay. He estimated the state cost at about $250,000 in year one, with local taxpayer costs around $8,500 for Keene, and said some districts already have systems for online applications while others do not. Committee members questioned him about meal debt, online application software costs, and how districts handle students who reach debt limits. Roar said districts still feed students who are hungry, but use other resources and family outreach when meal debt is capped, and he argued that parents should be responsible for providing lunch when they can afford it. Other members pushed back, saying they had seen students go hungry and that teachers sometimes pay for lunches themselves. One member noted the bill would increase eligibility, make it easier to apply, strengthen personal responsibility, and was not a mandate. The discussion ended without a recorded final vote in the excerpt, though the retain motion remained the central action under debate.

Transcript Highlights:

• If our entire state budget general fund budget was a gallon jug of water, we're spending less than a
• </c> budget if our entire state budget budget if our entire state budget general<00:26:54.039><c> fund
• It's about 10% of our budget.
• to the legislature's general-funded bonding budgets.
• </c><01:37:49.320><c> the</c> general funded bonding budgets the general funded bonding budgets the building

Bills: HF2148, HF2693, HF2542, HF1141, HF1770, HF1489, HF1709, HF244, HF1266, HF807, HF2619, HF1340

Keywords: affordable housing, local control, revolving loan fund, community partnerships, Minnesota housing policy, housing, locally controlled housing, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, housing infrastructure bonds, state bonds, bonding bill, supportive housing, permanent supportive housing, homelessness, veterans housing, senior housing, manufactured home parks, community land trust, single-family housing, multifamily housing

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:28:19.760><c> bill</c> that or or showed the budget bill that or or showed the budget bill language
• I know you all are about and budgeting.
• So, this is a to begin a budget year.
• 01:29:27.120><c> those</c> you're preparing your budgets, those you're preparing your budgets, those
• Like we did find I don't mean budgeting.

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call - 00:13 Approval of Minutes - 4:07 Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing - 5:18 Math Improvement Committee Report - 21:02 ETS Praxis Exam - 41:47 KDE Performance Review Data - 1:15:04 Adjournment - 1:57:54, 958, all

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from KDE on the revised Kentucky academic standards for reading and writing. KDE explained the statutory six-year review process, the public comment periods, and the main revisions, including updates tied to the science of reading, decodable text, encoding/decoding, and an updated vision statement. KDE said 308 responses were received on the initial public comment, most respondents favored keeping standards as-is, and about 12% of standards were revised. The department also said the document was streamlined by removing repeated graphics and reducing its size by about 24%, and that a later comment period drew more than 400 responses. No new standards were flagged for review. Members asked about alignment between standards, curriculum, assessments, and NAEP, and KDE said instructional resources should be aligned to standards, KSA assessments are aligned to the standards, and screeners/diagnostics help identify student needs. Representative Truett raised the idea of a textbook-to-standards crosswalk, and KDE said publishers and a future repository partner should provide such crosswalks for local districts. Representative Bojanowski asked why foundational reading skills are not directly assessed on the third-grade KSA; KDE responded that the assessment is designed to measure end-of-grade expectations, while screening and diagnostics are used earlier to identify decoding needs. Representative Gel asked about early childhood supports, and KDE said it is working with early learning and special education offices and promoting LETRS professional learning for both teachers and preschool educators. The committee then received the mathematics improvement committee report. KDE said the mathematics committee unanimously approved a new strategic plan for improving math achievement from pre-K through grade 20 and adult education. The plan centers on six priorities: student empowerment, effective mathematics teaching and learning, continuous educator development and growth, a continuum of learning, community and family partnerships, and teacher recruitment and retention. KDE said the plan is intended as a living document with goals, recommended actions, and evidence bases, and that it aligns with the Kentucky Numeracy Counts Act by supporting high-quality instructional resources, professional learning, and family resources. In response to Senator Thomas, KDE explained that the professional learning recommendation means districts should tailor teacher training to classroom needs and instructional materials so math teachers are better equipped to implement standards and support students.

Transcript Highlights:

• I oppose this motion to adjourn because we know that the budget that was just sent to the governor is
• not the real budget.
• With all of our policy staff, hundreds of hours on putting together a budget proposal, a framework that
• We have presented a budget. She asked us for a budget, so we have presented a budget.
• We will be ready to have conversations so we can provide a budget for Arizona. Thank you.

Summary: The House met, opened with prayer and the Pledge, approved the prior journal, and first took up a motion to request Senate consent for an extended adjournment. Representative Volk opposed the motion, arguing members should keep working on unfinished business, while Speaker Montenegro said the House had completed its current budget work and was waiting on the governor to return to negotiations. The motion passed 31-20, and the House also agreed to a related Senate adjournment request and to return HB 2415 to the Senate for reconsideration. The chamber then went into Committee of the Whole and considered several Senate bills. SB 1199, concerning the Salt River wild horse herd, was amended to pause removals for a genetic diversity study and received a do-pass recommendation. SB 1399 on Medicaid spending transparency, SB 1496, SB 1497, SB 1582, SB 1713, and SB 1798 were also amended and advanced. SB 1713 drew the most debate, with supporters saying it would expand pharmacist access to basic care and improve rural and veteran access, while opponents warned it expanded scope of practice beyond pharmacists’ training. The House later adopted the Committee of the Whole report, ordered several bills engrossed, and sent SB 1399 to third reading. In a second Committee of the Whole, SB 1214 and SB 1670 were further amended and advanced. The House then moved to third reading and voted on multiple bills. SB 1006, SB 1037, SB 1171, SB 1242, SB 1270, SB 1419, SB 1429, SB 1445, SB 1452, SB 1478, and SB 1566 passed, while SB 1099 and SB 1635 failed on the initial vote. Members then used reconsideration motions to place SB 1006 and SB 1635 back on the third-reading calendar. The session ended with personal privilege remarks recognizing correctional officers, Cinco de Mayo guests, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day, and other tributes, followed by adjournment until June 1, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• tax breaks, which have led to both a higher tax burden for hardworking Arizonans and our state's budget
• Like, if we do nothing else, I mean, we're supposed to pass a budget, set public revenues, talk about
• This polarized body is having a hard time coming together just to come up with a budget and agree on
• that, and so to put... ...coming together just to come up with a budget and agree on that, and so to
• Forty percent of our state budget comes from the federal government.

Summary: The House Ways and Means Committee first heard SCR 1028, a voter-referral constitutional amendment that would require a two-thirds legislative vote for state fee and assessment increases set by agencies, closing what supporters described as a loophole that has allowed fee hikes without direct legislative approval. The sponsor argued the measure would restore accountability and prevent agencies from using fees as a workaround for tax increases, while opponents from business and economic groups warned it would make agencies less responsive, delay needed adjustments for inflation and program costs, and shift costs to taxpayers or reduce funding for services. After debate, the committee returned SCR 1028 with a do pass recommendation by a 5-3 vote, with one member absent. The committee then took up SB 1142, which would have Arizona opt into a federal tax credit program for donations to scholarship-granting organizations and set eligibility requirements for those organizations. Supporters said the program would bring in private dollars at no state cost, expand school choice, and help students with tutoring, special needs, transportation, and other educational expenses; they also argued that if Arizona does not opt in, donations could flow to other states. Opponents, including the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, said the federal program was not yet fully written, lacked guardrails, and could further strain public schools by diverting resources away from the majority of students who remain in district schools. The committee returned SB 1142 with a do pass recommendation by a 5-3 vote, with one member absent, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• They were not provided the budget authority to include new construction.
• This is above what we are doing in our budget.
• So when you see our bottom line of our budget, let's say it's $13 billion, add another $1.9 or another
• This is above what we are doing in our budget.
• So when you see our bottom line of our budget, let's say it's $13 billion, add another $1.9 or another

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, offered prayer and pledge, approved the journal, and received several communications, including substitute legislator designations and gubernatorial appointments to the Idaho Lottery Commission and State Building Authority. Members also made brief announcements and introductions before moving into committee reports and the day’s floor calendar. The chamber advanced a number of bills and resolutions through reading and referral, including measures on the Idaho Child Care Program, Health and Human Services appropriations, elections, development impact fees, hazardous waste, and several House concurrent resolutions and joint memorials. On final consideration, the Senate passed Senate Bill 1285 on occupational licensure for nonpublic school diplomas, Senate Bill 1286 on consumer protections for veterans benefits, Senate Bill 1323 on enforcement of contracts involving gold and silver specie, Senate Bill 1338 on allowing a portion of idle state funds to be invested in gold and silver bullion, and Senate Bill 1342 establishing a limited right for households to keep hens for egg production. The Senate also passed House Bill 531 updating epinephrine delivery system language for schools, House Bill 518 expanding authority for the Attorney General in human trafficking cases, House Bill 512 reinstating an open-book jurisprudence exam for land surveyors, House Bill 551 correcting urban renewal-related property tax treatment for fire and ambulance districts, House Bill 594 codifying a Supreme Court ruling on distribution of late property tax fees and interest, and House Bill 587 clarifying continuous funding for rangeland improvement programs. Debate on several measures included concerns about local control, continuous spending, and oversight, but each bill ultimately received majority support. The Senate reordered the third-reading calendar and then adjourned until Monday, March 9, 2026.