Transcript Highlights:

• <00:14:07.440> learning online virtual and remote learning online virtual and remote learning
• enrolled enrollment virtual and remote enrolled enrollment virtual and remote learning<00:15:30.319
• <00:26:37.120> through we're work we're trying to work through we're work we're trying to
• We're working on ARISA plans as well.
• We're working through that, and we're in the process of scheduling meetings with stakeholders to work

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee met on February 10 with a quorum present, approved the minutes, and then reviewed a long agenda of agency regulations, most of which were accompanied by staff-suggested amendments for drafting conformity under KRS Chapter 13A. The Department of Financial Institutions’ 808 KAR 9:10, the Secretary of State’s 030 KAR 2:11, the Office of the Attorney General’s 04 KAR 5:10, the Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology’s emergency 201 KAR 17:120, the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ 301 KAR 2:41, the Department for Environmental Protection’s 401 KAR 47:110 and 48:320, the State Police regulations 502 KAR 1:012 and 1:121, the Department for Public Health’s 902 KAR 4:15, the Department for Medicaid Services’ 907 KAR 1:15, and the Department for Community Based Services’ 921 KAR 1:400 were all discussed and, where applicable, staff amendments were approved without objection. The Workplace Standards emergency regulation 803 KAR 2:320E was also presented without amendment, and the Department of Insurance’s 806 KAR 9:360 was taken up but ultimately deferred at the agency’s request. Several regulations drew brief substantive discussion. The Fish and Wildlife rule on foxhound training enclosures was explained as expanding both commercial and non-commercial provisions for training with dogs involving red fox and coyotes, with enclosure standards intended to protect wildlife inside and outside the facilities. The environmental protection rules were tied to House Bill 478 and addressed permit-by-rule timelines, reporting, and operating standards for certain construction and demolition debris landfills, including sites up to two acres; members asked whether these facilities were private or municipal, and staff said they were a mix, often tied to private demolition contractors or single projects. The State Police fee increase for hazardous materials endorsements was described as reflecting a federal TSA fee change, and the witness estimated the new fee at about $23. The most extended debate concerned the Board of Education’s 704 KAR 3:535 on full-time virtual and remote learning programs. The agency amendment would cap enrollment in such programs at 10% above a district’s prior-year in-person enrollment, while also clarifying accountability, staffing, and monitoring requirements. Education officials said the cap was intended to address concerns about district capacity and student performance, and they cited Cloverport as an example of a district with high virtual participation and participation-rate issues. Members expressed concern that the amendment was too open-ended for regulation and suggested the issue might be better addressed in statute; no motion was made to adopt the agency amendment, so the regulation was left to proceed to the committee of jurisdiction. The Department of Insurance also discussed implementation of Senate Bill 188, saying it had received more than 3,000 complaints since the law took effect and was still working through enforcement and complaint processing before asking to defer its PBM licensing regulation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Are there other legislators who wish to testify remotely? Oh, and here's Senator Brady.
• And I know we've done a lot of work to go to offshore wind and also solar.
• And do we have a colleague of yours that we're going to hear from remotely?
• I'm here remotely. Can you hear me okay? Yeah.
• Thank you for all of your work. Bye-bye. Gary, thank you very much.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on a wide range of energy bills, with much of the discussion focused on offshore wind, battery storage, solar, nuclear study proposals, and a bill to redefine clean energy. Several Barnstable-area legislators and witnesses raised concerns about offshore wind transmission infrastructure near neighborhoods, beaches, and drinking water supplies, and supported bills to create a special commission and increase local input and oversight. In contrast, environmental, consumer, labor, and clean energy groups strongly backed offshore wind expansion bills, arguing that offshore wind lowers long-term costs, improves winter reliability, reduces fossil fuel dependence, supports jobs and local supply chains, and should include wildlife protections, labor standards, and community benefits. Some witnesses and committee members noted that parts of the offshore wind legislation overlap with the Governor’s energy affordability bill, and asked for clarification on which provisions were new versus duplicative. The committee also heard testimony on battery storage and solar legislation. Two student witnesses and several industry representatives supported a bill to study grid battery storage, saying storage can reduce outages, lower peak prices, and improve grid resilience during extreme weather. Witnesses from solar and storage companies supported a broader clean energy transition bill that would expand storage procurement, create a retail-style storage program for distributed batteries, set a 10-gigawatt solar target by 2035, and streamline siting and interconnection. Committee members pressed witnesses on whether these provisions were already included in the Governor’s affordability bill and asked for a section-by-section breakdown of what was new. One witness also urged allowing developers to bond interconnection payments to reduce financing costs. Another major topic was a bill defining clean energy, especially whether existing pumped-storage hydropower should qualify for subsidies or be excluded. Supporters of the bill argued that existing pumped storage should not receive additional ratepayer subsidies because it is already built, can have environmental impacts on rivers and ecosystems, and could cost ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Opponents said pumped storage is an important reliability resource and should remain eligible. The committee also heard testimony on nuclear-energy study bills: some witnesses supported creating a commission to examine nuclear power as a reliable, carbon-free option, while others opposed nuclear study bills and argued that nuclear is costly, unsafe, and inconsistent with the state’s clean energy goals. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• The clerk will call the names of the members participating remotely. Green. Go ahead.
• And that includes work this session that we can do without having budget bills.
• And that includes work this session that we can do without having budget bills.
• The clerk will call the names of the members participating remotely.
• <00:16:54.160> And members participating remotely. And members participating remotely.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• you work for? you work for? Representative<01:43:21.040> Niska.
• We have more work to do. At the more. We have more work to do.
• That's how this works.
• That's how this works.
• . works.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• retirees are willing to do the work. retirees are willing to do the work.
• could make this work under 91A. could make this work under 91A.
• access works.
• works.
• So while we access remote access works.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• members voting remotely. members voting remotely.
• work. Members, vote no. work. Members, vote no.
• How >> work. >> work. >> work. >> Representative<00:37:49.680> Schultz.
• This is hard work. And the it's hard. This is hard work.
• the work bipartisan work and especially the work of<02:29:25.680> representative<02:29:26.240

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The House first adopted non-controversial motions, then approved an urgency motion to suspend the rules so Senate File 4476, the human services program integrity package, could move quickly to conference committee before the end of session. The House then adopted a DE amendment to insert House language into the bill, and proceeded to debate several amendments focused on program integrity, fraud prevention, and reporting requirements in human services programs. Representative Schultz offered Amendment A5 to remove a sunset on the periodic data matching report requirement, arguing the report helps ensure only eligible people receive medical assistance and welfare benefits and should continue to be delivered annually. Supporters said the report had been inconsistently delivered, cited past findings of ineligible recipients, and framed the amendment as a low-cost accountability measure. Opponents, including Representative Nor, said the report had been sent to the chairs, that the issue should be handled through broader HR1-related changes and negotiations with the Senate, and that the amendment was not the right vehicle. After roll call, A5 failed on a 63-67 vote. Schultz then offered Amendment A6, which would require reporting on homelessness programs, including how many people are served, total costs, outcomes, and possible recoupment of funds if reporting is inadequate. Schultz said the state spends tens of millions on homelessness programs without clear results and that better data would help the legislature make decisions and protect taxpayers. Several members supported the idea of more accountability, while others said the state already receives reports, that homelessness work is being done in partnership with stakeholders, and that the amendment was not the best approach. The discussion continued with further comments on homelessness data and program oversight, but no final vote on A6 is shown in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we have about 32 conference reports that have come in, so we're going to work our way through those
• The conference report deals with directing the Department of Elections to convene a work group on the
• The bill also tailors a little bit more succinctly what the scope of the work group will be.
• This conference report relates to the Department of Medical Assistance Services, remote monitoring.
• Because protecting life shouldn't stop at work. whose lives will never be the same.

Keywords: March 13, 2026 - Regular Session Part 2, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This SCR is one we have asked be brought to study and make changes to the remote online notary law.
• And it's worked fairly well. And after that, we had COVID.
• The law that was passed did restrict the use of authentic acts or execution of authentic acts by remote
• So I guess a couple mil from my district isn't going to work. That's right.
• So I guess a couple mil from my district isn't going to work. That's right.

Summary: The House Civil Law Committee met on May 11, 2026, with a quorum present and heard several bills and resolutions. It reported favorably without objection Senate Bill 466, which bars foreign adversaries from using expropriation authority in Louisiana and creates a narrow expropriation category for very large aerospace/LED projects of at least 20,000 contiguous acres with no residential structures. The committee also reported favorably House Bill 986, requiring child support payments from persons convicted of vehicular homicide for the benefit of a child who lost a parent. The committee then considered two constitutional amendments by Senator Morris. Senate Bill 123 would allow judges to be removed for cause by a majority vote of the legislature and certification by the governor; it was amended to change the ballot language to refer to removal for malfeasance, gross misconduct, or incompetence, and was reported favorably after a roll-call vote of 5 yeas and 1 nay, with Representative Carter voting no. Senate Bill 97 would require prosecutorial consent for a defendant to waive a jury trial, except in capital cases; after adopting Amendment Set 5277 to clarify the capital-case exception, the committee heard opposition from Chris Alexander of the Louisiana Citizens Advocacy Group and then reported the measure favorably by a 5-1 vote, again with Representative Carter voting no. The committee also heard Senate Concurrent Resolution 35, which urges the Louisiana State Law Institute to study remote online notarization for authentic acts. Testimony in support came from the Louisiana Bankers Association, which argued the study is needed because of declining notary availability, especially in rural areas, and noted similar practices in other civil law jurisdictions. SCR 35 was reported favorably without objection. Finally, House Bill 1098, by Chairman McFarland, was reported favorably without objection; it provides a limited liability framework for FAA-licensed aerospace flight entities operating in Louisiana. House Bill 375 was voluntarily deferred, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• which is a resolution authorizing remote which is a resolution authorizing remote remote<00:10:22.000
• Surgery didn't work.
• Surgery didn't<01:11:18.400> work. didn't work. didn't work.
• And it didn't work.
• worked on with them. worked on with them.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House began with several announcements and recognitions, including a lengthy tribute to Representative Carolyn Brangan of Georgia on her retirement and years of service, followed by remarks from Brangan explaining that she is leaving to care for her husband during cancer treatment. Additional members offered brief reflections, including one on the end of the session and another welcoming students from Founders Memorial School to the gallery, and a member from Brattleboro highlighted a collaborative mural in the card room titled “These Green Hills, Vermont State Symbols and Personal Reflections.” The body then took up its calendar. It adopted Joint House Resolution 12, authorizing limited remote voting in joint committees through the remainder of the calendar year, with an ADA-related accommodation for members physically present but unable to access a meeting room. The House also suspended rules to take up and concur in the Senate amendment to House Bill 935 on emergency management. The committee report described grant programs for emergency response and technical rescue, new definitions and shelter-planning language centered on “whole community,” a wildland fire response task force, and an emergency rulemaking provision requested by the Agency of Natural Resources; the committee approved the Senate proposal on an 8-3 straw poll, and the House concurred. The House next adopted the conference committee report on House Bill 952, the capital construction and state bonding budget adjustment bill. The report explained changes made in conference, including shifting funds to cover a higher-than-expected bid for the St. Johnsbury facility, restoring some funding for maintenance at the women’s correctional facility in Chittenden County, and setting aside $750,000 toward planning for Wi-Fi installation in correctional facilities. It also noted a lease-related language change for a Vermont Huts project at Little River State Park, with notification to the institutions committee chairs. The House then took up Senate Bill 64 on optometrists’ scope of practice; the committee presentation supported allowing specially credentialed optometrists to perform certain minor surgical, laser, and injection procedures, citing improved access, safety, cost, and workforce development, and the bill was read for second reading with committee recommendations for concurrence.

Transcript Highlights:

• This has worked out over the decades. This has worked out over the decades.
• remotely or in person and testified. remotely or in person and testified.
• should continue to work on that.
• Beler will be a remote testifier, Dr. Beler will be a remote testifier, Dr.
• and work together to solve these issues. and work together to solve these issues.

Bills: HF4077, HF3798, HF3886

Keywords: municipal nondisclosure agreement, NDA, public records, transparency, local government, county, city, town, school district, housing and redevelopment authority, economic development authority, port authority, economic development, land development, public financing, tax increment financing, TIF, abatement, municipal bonds, debt obligations

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:08:19.120> in areas that school nurses also work in areas that school nurses also work
• <00:14:32.880> to accomplishing and then work to accomplishing and then work to accomplish
• Um, so Pat Patrick Walsh is remote and then followed by Jeff Pollock and Akquila Robertson the remote
• so Patrick Walsh Patrick Walsh is remote so Patrick Walsh Patrick Walsh is remote Mr.
• I just I'm trying to work with want. I just I'm trying to work with people<01:42:59.119> here.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Clearly, Clearly, that didn't work back then. It's not working now.
• We know this model works.
• We know this model works.
• We know this is a model that works.
• All of the work that we do to keep people in their homes only works if there is affordable housing to

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a public hearing on a series of bills focused largely on local-option real estate transfer fees and housing funding tools for communities facing severe affordability pressures. Testimony strongly favored bills for Somerville, Concord, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Chatham, and a statewide local-option transfer fee, with speakers arguing that high-end real estate transactions should help fund affordable housing, anti-displacement efforts, workforce housing, and related capital improvements. Elected officials and local housing leaders described rising rents and home prices, investor activity, shrinking year-round housing stock, and difficulty recruiting or retaining teachers, police, health care workers, and other essential employees. Several witnesses emphasized that the proposals would be optional for municipalities, could include exemptions for first-time homebuyers or seniors, and would direct revenue into local affordable housing trust funds or housing banks. Committee members asked questions about who would pay the fee and whether it could make housing less affordable, and supporters responded that the fees would be targeted at higher-value transactions and designed with local flexibility. For Somerville, the delegation and Mayor Katjana Ballantyne backed both a local home rule petition and statewide enabling legislation, saying the city has already used zoning reform, inclusionary zoning, and local housing funds but still needs a new revenue source to address displacement and investor-driven purchases. For Concord, Representative Carmine Gentile and Concord housing advocates supported a home rule petition and the statewide bill, arguing that a modest fee on sales above $1 million could generate predictable revenue for affordable housing production and preservation. One committee exchange focused on whether the fee would affect most Concord sales and whether it would be passed on to buyers; supporters said the policy was intended to shift costs toward higher-value properties and help leverage other funding sources. The committee also heard testimony on House 4105, which would redirect a casino-related revenue stream to the Healthy Incentives Program. Farmers, advocates, and residents said the current funding was originally intended to support horse racing but has not met that goal, and that the money would be better used to support Massachusetts farmers and food-insecure residents through HIP. In a separate bill, Senator Becca Rausch testified in support of Senate 268, which would create a state-level hostile learning environment complaint process for higher education institutions and potentially strip tax exemptions from colleges or universities found to have such environments; she cited anti-Semitic and transphobic incidents on campuses and argued that existing federal protections should be mirrored in state law. The hearing also included testimony on college tuition debt reduction legislation from Senator Michael Moore, who said the bill would allow a deduction for tuition and fees paid to Massachusetts public colleges and universities to ease student debt and support the state’s workforce. A major portion of the hearing focused on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket housing bank proposals. Hospital, school, housing, planning, and municipal officials from Martha’s Vineyard said the island’s year-round housing shortage is harming health care, schools, and the local workforce, and urged approval of a housing bank funded by a local-option transfer fee. Nantucket witnesses made similar arguments, pointing to a very high median home price, a large seasonal housing stock, and the need for a dedicated revenue stream to preserve and create year-round housing. Supporters repeatedly cited the long-running success of the islands’ land banks as evidence that transfer fees can work without harming real estate markets. Senator Julian Cyr and Representative Thomas Moakley Luddy also backed the Cape and Islands transfer-fee bills, saying the region needs bold action and a sustainable local funding source to address its housing crisis.

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, you have the more availability of remote work today.
• Also, you have the more availability of remote work today.
• Also, you have the more availability of remote work today.
• more availability of remote work today. more availability of remote work today.
• the hard to do remote work doing what the hard to do remote work doing what the men<00:09:57.520>

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As we go about our work, may we feel the presence of the holy and the commitment to community, that we
• The clerk will call the name of the member participating remotely. Kisa Watun present.
• the The clerk will call the name of the member<00:07:26.880> participating<00:07:27.680> remotely
• <00:07:28.960> Kisa member participating remotely. Kisa member participating remotely.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, I will also hear back from you next budget cycle to see how it's working. working.
• They work overtime just to ensure that the court's work is timely completed.
• So we need to do some work on that. I think offline sounds good. That's right. We'll do that work.
• the executive worked off of.
• Our direction is to have these work groups work in public.

Transcript Highlights:

• We look forward to working with you. Thanks so much for your time.
• The co op completes the make ready work after receiving payment for that work, and the attaching company
• Overall, this is working well.
• We look forward to working with you.
• Have they worked well? Have they led to disputes?

Transcript Highlights:

• /c> say this regularly. we do work well say this regularly. we do work well together.<00:03:39.840>
• Uh this was uh as we work through this.
• chair<00:04:35.840> chair work appreciate working with chair chair work appreciate working
• The clerk will call the name of the member participating remotely. Her. I.
• member participating remotely. member participating remotely.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The House took up the conference committee report on Senate File 3045, an act relating to state government operations. The authors described the bill as a broad agreement on government operations that funds state functions, limits growth in government, and includes elections and campaign finance provisions that were characterized as common-sense and bipartisan. Members also noted the bill supports legislative staff and other government operations, and one speaker highlighted that the final product reflected technical changes and input from counties and other election stakeholders. During debate, several members praised the conference process and the bipartisan work between the House and Senate co-chairs. One member specifically emphasized that the elections portion was developed to address technical fixes and to respond to concerns from those involved in election administration. Another speaker, in a lighthearted aside, referenced a “giant beaver bill” and thanked a colleague for bringing it forward again, before urging members to vote green. The House adopted the conference committee report and then repassed Senate File 3045 as amended by conference. The final roll call was 116 ayes and 18 nays, and the bill’s title was agreed to.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is proven to work.
• doing your almost work.
• remotely.
• clinical work.
• clinical work.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on a wide range of transportation bills focused on rural microtransit, commuter rail fares and service, rail electrification, climate alignment, and safety. Several speakers supported H. 4054 and related microtransit proposals, arguing that rural communities need stable, permanent funding for services like the Tri-Town Connector and Quaboag Connector, which have strong ridership, high satisfaction, and measurable economic and health benefits. Testimony also supported a commission bill to study microtransit funding and definitions, with witnesses emphasizing that current grant programs are helpful but short-term and insufficient for long-term service planning. A major theme was commuter rail equity and expansion. Boston-area officials and advocates backed bills to make all Boston commuter rail stations Zone 1A, citing large fare disparities between nearby stations in Hyde Park, Roslindale, and Readville. Related testimony supported studying an Orange Line extension from Forest Hills to Roslindale Square and expanding The Ride to Foxborough, as well as restoring commuter rail service to Cape Cod via Middleborough to Buzzards Bay and beyond. Speakers said these projects would improve access, reduce car dependence, and better serve neighborhoods and regions that currently face limited rapid transit options. Multiple panels urged action on electrification and climate-focused transportation planning, including H. 3726, the Freedom to Move Act, and bills to electrify commuter rail, buses, school buses, and public fleets. Advocates from environmental, transit, and public health groups said transportation is the state’s largest emissions source and argued that statutory goals, coordinated planning, and streamlined permitting are needed to speed decarbonization while improving safety, affordability, and reliability. The committee also heard support for a bill to streamline rail electrification permitting, a bill to exempt certain transit projects from MEPA review, and a bill to improve commuter rail pedestrian safety with gates, fencing, and warning devices at at-grade crossings. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the work you have for us today.
• Expand our horizons so that we can do your work today.
• for our state employees who work...
• You made the changes because we worked together.
• They're building this thing that's going to work in their minds, but there are no roads to make it work

Transcript Highlights:

• Especially as we work on this change, the way to comply over time, especially as we work on this challenge
• And then lastly, a description of the work that remains.
• So work remains to eliminate the major...
• What works in one county may not work in another. Some counties may need permanent facilities.
• And that concludes our work session today.

Summary: The committee held an interim work session focused first on carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), then on hazardous waste and extended producer responsibility (EPR). On the CCUS topic, industry and nonprofit presenters described point-source capture, direct air capture, mineralization, and geologic sequestration, emphasizing Washington’s basalt formations and state trust lands as strong candidates for storage. They argued that CCUS can help hard-to-abate industrial sectors, support jobs and investment, and provide a pathway for compliance, while also noting the need for clearer permitting, subsurface rights, pipeline authority, and storage infrastructure. Ecology and Commerce staff explained current state policy touchpoints, including Cap-and-Invest offsets and exemptions for permanently stored CO2, the public comment process underway to define “thousand-year” permanence, and how CCUS might fit within the Clean Energy Transformation Act without counting emitting generation as non-emitting. Some presenters supported more state action and primacy over federal permitting, while others warned about costs, energy use, uncertain capture performance, and the need to ensure real net greenhouse gas reductions and long-term liability protections. Members asked about public meetings, whether mineralized carbon would qualify as exempt under the Climate Commitment Act, the timeline for Ecology guidance, aquifer and water-quality concerns, energy intensity of capture systems, and liability if storage later proves problematic. Responses said Ecology’s guidance process is already underway, public meetings will be virtual, mineralized carbon would likely qualify if it meets the permanence standard, and EPA rules require storage in deep saline formations below drinking water aquifers. Industry speakers said capture energy use varies by source and concentration, and one presenter noted that some states use trust funds funded by injectors to address long-term liability. The second half of the session shifted to hazardous waste and EPR. Ecology staff reviewed existing product stewardship programs for electronics, paint, batteries, and mercury lights, and described moderate risk waste and household hazardous waste management in Washington. They highlighted that E-Cycle and PaintCare are producer-funded, that the battery stewardship program will begin in 2027, and that the mercury lamp program is in transition after its prior stewardship organization exited, prompting enforcement notices and a pending replacement plan. Ecology recommended best practices for future EPR programs, including clear producer and product definitions, full producer funding, convenience standards, annual reporting, and strong agency enforcement and plan approval authority. Local government speakers from King County and Douglas County described rising collection costs, equity and access barriers, rural travel distances, and the need for stable funding and flexible local implementation. King County said it collected over 3 million pounds of hazardous products in 2025 and supports EPR as a way to shift costs from ratepayers to producers, while Douglas County emphasized that rural residents will participate when services are accessible and that future systems should account for geography and local infrastructure.