Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, the proposal includes $12 million annually for IT transition software.
• A timely refresh of these critical hardware and software components allows FTB to maintain operational
• Those risks include network constraints, software compatibility risks, performance degradation, and limited
• One is the IT software hardware transition, which is about approximately $12 million.
• refresh cycle is driven by workload growth, system capacity needs, and vendor-supported hardware and software

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on State Administration heard several budget proposals from CDTFA, the Board of Equalization, and the Franchise Tax Board. The first panel focused on cannabis, hemp, flavored tobacco, and related enforcement. CDTFA requested ongoing funding to implement cannabis tax changes, enforce the new intoxicating hemp restrictions and flavored tobacco seizure authority, and continue compliance work. The department said it is targeting illicit product, protecting licensed businesses, and using referrals from the public and lawmakers to focus inspections. The LAO supported some of the proposals but urged the Legislature to treat them as part of a longer-term enforcement strategy and raised concerns about the use of General Fund support for cannabis enforcement. Public testimony on the cannabis item largely supported stronger enforcement and funding for the legal market. The committee also heard CDTFA’s request to reappropriate funds for an upgrade to the CROS tax collection system, which would improve taxpayer services, security, and software maintenance without adding new money. A separate CDTFA proposal would make all delivery network companies, such as DoorDash and Uber Eats, marketplace facilitators for sales tax purposes. CDTFA said the change would reduce confusion for restaurants and improve compliance, while the LAO questioned whether the proposal functioned more like a tax increase because it would also capture service fees. Members raised affordability concerns, but the proposal was framed by the administration as a parity and compliance measure. The subcommittee then considered a governor’s proposal for a sustainable aviation fuel tax credit. Finance argued the credit would help decarbonize aviation and support in-state production, while the LAO recommended rejection, citing cost, uncertainty about environmental benefits, possible diversion of diesel excise tax revenues from transportation programs, and concerns about consistency with voter-approved transportation funding rules. Testimony from airlines, labor unions, airports, and refinery workers strongly supported the credit, emphasizing union jobs, refinery conversions, and emissions reductions, while fuel retailers and some others warned about fiscal risk and higher fuel prices. The chair and some members expressed support for the proposal despite the funding concerns. Finally, the BOE presented an IT modernization project for state-assessed property administration, saying the current system is outdated and manual and that a new system is needed to improve accuracy, cybersecurity, and workflow efficiency, especially with a likely increase in workload from new VoIP assessments. The LAO asked for more justification for the timing, but BOE said the urgency stems from aging systems and growing workload. BOE also requested modest funding to implement SB 293 changes to intergenerational property transfers and wildfire relief guidance, which the LAO did not oppose. The Franchise Tax Board began its presentation on the final phase of its Enterprise Data to Revenue modernization effort, describing the project’s rollout across audit, collections, legal, and filing enforcement workloads and noting it is now in a warranty period.

Transcript Highlights:

• interesting thing to me when Representative Murphy brought up tax expenditure, didn't we buy you guys software
• that we're doing, that Brendan, one of our economists, will present shortly, is because of that software
• Hopefully, the tax department can join us soon in that software as well.
• Izzy, is that something that software can take care of? Unfortunately, no, Madam Chair. I wish.
• We apply that data and we put it into our economic modeling software.

Transcript Highlights:

• A very simple example is if I use QuickBooks software, look up how much my taxes, insurance, and heat
• The portrayal of that software is not what it is.
• <04:02:54.159> is one um the portrayal of that software is one um the portrayal of that software
• If I use my calculator to calculate the numbers, that's using software.
• software software really<04:04:46.000> if<04:04:46.120> I<04:04:46.319> put<04:

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill requires the chief information security officer to ensure that any state contract for software
• licensing does not limit the state's ability to install or run the software on the hardware of the state's
• The bill requires the chief information security officer to ensure that any state contract for software
• licensing does not limit the state's ability to install or run the software on the hardware of the state's

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, opened with prayer and the pledge, approved the journal, and welcomed numerous guests, honorary pages, school groups, and visitors. It also received committee reports and introduced several resolutions and petitions. Senate Resolution 62, designating March 12, 2026, as West Virginia Athletic Trainers Day, was taken up immediately, debated in support of athletic trainers’ role in preventing injuries, and adopted. Other resolutions, including SR 63 and SR 64, were laid over, and several study resolutions were referred to the Rules Committee. The chamber then moved through a large number of House bills on third reading, with most passing by wide margins. Measures included the West Virginia Collaboratory, business-ready sites funding, increased fire company spending authority, the Load Forecast Accountability Act, funeral service licensure changes, work-zone penalties, biennial business reporting, correctional officer retirement status, the Right to Try Act expansion, quick claim deed tax updates, an ibogaine trial grant program, enhanced penalties for aggravated vehicular homicide and related repeat offenses, 529 plan definition updates, extension of opportunity zones, a barber apprentice program, municipal hotel occupancy fund uses, criminal-record licensing standards, civil remedies for unauthorized intimate image disclosure, online estate-executor training, higher contempt penalties, PEIA treatment flexibility, PANS/PANDAS education, the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, expanded capitation rate reviews, CVB board appointments, peer support services, the Interstate Cosmetology Licensure Compact, natural resource police retirement changes, DNR fee indexing, ALS care services, the Neighborhood Investment Program extension, oil and gas well plugging changes with carbon-capture protections, DUI technical revisions, abuse intervention program changes, youth summer employment grants, telematics for fleet management, and municipal charter election compliance procedures. Several bills drew brief debate or questions, including the work-zone penalty bill, where one senator argued the measure increased fines without ensuring removal of outdated work-zone signs, while supporters emphasized worker safety. The Load Forecast Accountability Act also prompted discussion about incorporating coal-related provisions from another bill and concerns about prior House rejection of similar language. Most bills passed overwhelmingly, often 34-0, though a few had dissenting votes, including the Collaboratory bill (28-6), the Business Ready Sites bill (33-1), the Load Forecast Accountability Act (26-8), the Neighborhood Investment Program extension (33-1), and DNR fee indexing (29-5). Several bills also received title amendments, and one bill, HB 5162 on sales of tax liens, was referred to the Rules Committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• So those are our challenges, our savings and efficiencies, licensing software.
• We still have to have the maintenance for the software, but we don't have to have to manage agreement
• We actually have someone Embedded now with us to do that and create a better website and software upgrades
• Software is included.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You're instructional software applications or anything that is digital and nature.
• Districts utilized a variety of different platforms, a variety of different software tools.
• On another note, I actually learned about a software that's being used to track patterns to identify
• I learned there's a software that instead of using a word it's actually us for use by the schools where

Transcript Highlights:

• helps at all, the definition under 480, information system means any computer equipment, computer software
• Under NRS 242, information system means any communications or computer equipment, software, firmware,

Bills: SB156, SB467

Keywords: gun violence, firearm safety, special counsel, data collection, community initiatives, grants, Attorney General, public safety, suicide prevention, cybersecurity, information security, state agency, data protection, confidentiality, 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a new contract for their pension administration system software.
• This is a new contract for their pension administration system software, modernization, migration, and
• This is for additional user licenses for their financial software.

Summary: The committee met to review a supplemental agenda item, procurement rule revisions, methods of finance, discretionary grants, contracts, reports, and a member disclosure. The supplemental agenda was accepted, and the Office of State Procurement’s rule revisions were approved after Jessica Patterson explained they were driven by 2025 legislative changes, including Act 782, CASO Consulting recommendations, and updates to sole source, bid, protest, and debarment provisions. The methods of finance and discretionary grants were also approved, covering a range of university capital projects, health and human services grants, historic preservation awards, and tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The committee then reviewed RFQs and six ratifications. The ratifications included a Workforce Connections payment to ACT WorkKeys for services provided during a contract gap, a Department of Health ratification for water-leak repairs, a large Department of Public Safety ratification for Motorola’s Arkansas Wireless Information Network upgrade, a Veterans Affairs HVAC ratification, an ADFA medical services ratification, and a UA Little Rock painting contract ratification. Members questioned the Public Safety ratification at length about why the expired Motorola contract was not caught sooner and why it took months after discovery to come forward; agency officials said the work was tied to bond funding and was not tracked in ASIS, and the chair urged agencies to develop better monitoring procedures. The committee approved a large slate of construction, intergovernmental, out-of-state, and in-state contracts, including many recurring service agreements for DHS, higher education institutions, corrections, health agencies, and state support functions. Several members asked about specific contracts, including aerial application services for correctional farms and a Southern Arkansas University custodial contract, and staff or agency representatives provided brief explanations. The meeting concluded with review of reports and approval of a member disclosure involving Representative Andrew Collins’ investment interest in a company leasing property to Arkansas Rehabilitation Services.

Transcript Highlights:

• So in working with Amira, what we have learned is that Amira, the software, and I'm not a technical person
• coaches and other leaders in districts that can support schools in better understanding how that software
• So, if students are on AMERA for 90 minutes a week, the software, the AI.

Transcript Highlights:

• He joins our commuter services division where he's responsible for making sure the hardware and software
• pricing of all the related things dealing with maintenance enhancements and the related third-party software
• I believe, is calculated between. 25,000 to 35,000 and it would give the employee access to some software

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:31:26.239> also this area because this software also this area because this software also
• Page 103, key management software.
• Page 103, key management software.
• Page 103, key management software.
• effective immediate for vendor software effective immediate for vendor software that<03:15:34.319

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• used to harvest sensitive data, used to enable remote unauthorized access or disable at will via software
• <00:06:17.919> That's via software updates unquote. That's via software updates unquote.
• We're all for change out the software.
• <00:31:26.240> that we're worried about the software that we're worried about the software
• software is involved. software is involved.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• More accountants, software, time, and a higher risk of being penalized.
• More<03:22:51.439> accountants,<03:22:52.000> software,<03:22:52.640> time,<03:22
• :53.040> and<03:22:53.200> a More accountants, software, time, and a More accountants,
• software, time, and a higher<03:22:53.760> risk<03:22:54.080> of<03:22:54.239> being

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, approved the journal from April 30, 2026, and then moved through a series of announcements and introductions, including recognition of guests from Aurora Public Schools, remarks about International Workers Day and Law Day, and several social announcements about food events and a Cinco de Mayo potluck. The chamber also heard a brief recess and then proceeded to third reading business. The first major action was House Joint Resolution 10:30, sponsored by Representatives Gonzalez and Joseph, which designates a portion of Colorado Highway 14 in Weld County as Mono and Matt Road in memory of Eduardo Mono Hernandez and Matthew Garcia, two Greeley Central High School student-athletes killed in a 2014 crash. Sponsors and supporters described the resolution as a permanent tribute to the young men and to the Greeley community. The resolution passed overwhelmingly, 62-0, with three excused. The House then considered Senate Bill 143, updating the name of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council Review Committee, and Senate Bill 124, concerning information related to the automated protection order notification system. Both measures passed on third reading, each by a vote of 43-19 with three excused. The chamber also laid over Senate Bill 43 until Monday. Finally, the House took up House Bill 1421, which would prohibit certain compensation arrangements in the legal profession and create the Colorado Legal Practice Integrity and Fee Sharing Prohibition Act. Supporters argued it would prevent private equity from influencing law firms and protect client-focused legal judgment, while opponents raised concerns about separation of powers, the judiciary’s role in regulating lawyers, and possible effects on rural legal services and consolidation. One member requested and received an excusal from the vote due to a potential conflict. The debate continued as the transcript ended, with no final vote shown for the bill in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• than the filed version: the lottery division is prohibited from using email or document tracking software
• We appreciate Senator Hall's support. using email or document tracking software that automatically deletes

Bills: HB668, HB677, HB766, HB3133, SB3070

Keywords: HB 668, Texas, handgun license, license to carry, LTC, concealed carry, open carry, firearm permit, gun license renewal, public safety, Department of Public Safety, DPS, Government Code Section 411.185, renewal fee, handgun permit, Second Amendment, carry permit, firearms regulation, HB 677, Texas Election Code

Summary: The committee met to hear several bills, beginning with House Bill 766, which would require precinct chair applicants to provide an email address, phone number, or both on their applications while keeping that contact information confidential. No one testified for or against the bill, and it was left pending. House Bill 677, a companion to a previously approved Senate bill, would bar county election administrators from simultaneously holding another office or position appointed by an elected official; it also drew no public testimony and was left pending. Members then heard House Bill 3133, which would add explicit deepfake material to the list of content social media platforms must handle through complaint systems, including prompt acknowledgment, investigation, and status updates. Senators discussed concerns about how platforms would verify whether reported content was actually a deepfake, and the sponsor indicated the bill may be held pending while federal law on the subject is reviewed. House Bill 668 would create a one-year grace period for renewing an expired Texas handgun license to carry, codifying an existing DPS practice; it also received no testimony and was left pending. The committee spent the most time on Senate Bill 3070, a major overhaul of the Texas Lottery system. The bill would move oversight from the Lottery Commission to TDLR, dissolve the commission, impose new restrictions on ticket sales and internet play, create a lottery advisory committee, increase transparency and audit requirements, and include a sunset review that could lead to abolishing the lottery if not continued by 2027. The author described the bill as a response to alleged misconduct and illegal practices by the commission, while a witness from the Christian Life Commission testified in favor, supporting changes to prize anonymity and other lottery restrictions. After testimony, the bill was left pending, and the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• I've been here for 16 years, and I'm a software engineer.
• I was also the developer of the back-end trade engine and the cold storage vault software for CoinFloor
• <01:01:02.079> for 2013. and I developed the software for 2013. and I developed the software
• So, yeah, now today I am synergizing my experiences with software development, with Bitcoin, and with
• <01:02:38.720> development experiences with software development experiences with software

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with roll call and approval of the prior meeting minutes, which passed unanimously. Members then introduced the day’s presentations, including one on the Canton network and another on tokenizing real-world assets, with a focus on how blockchain systems can support regulated financial institutions and asset tokenization. Julie, the director of policy and government affairs at Digital Asset, presented on the Canton network, describing it as a privacy-enabled public blockchain designed for regulated finance. She said tokenization should preserve the same legal and economic rights as the underlying asset, and argued that blockchain-based books and records can shorten settlement times, improve 24/7 trading, and reduce friction in capital markets. She identified three main barriers to institutional adoption of public blockchains: lack of privacy, limited throughput/scalability, and lack of control for compliance purposes such as freezing assets, pausing transactions, and meeting AML/sanctions obligations. She explained Canton’s structure as a public, permissionless network with application-level privacy controls, a global synchronizer, and super validators chosen by vote. She also highlighted current ecosystem participants and use cases, including Broadridge, Circle, and the DTCC’s planned tokenization of U.S. Treasuries on the network. Members and online participants asked about the relationship between tokenized assets and the Clarity Act, tokenized deposits, safeguards for faster settlement, and whether the platform could be used for municipal or property records. Julie said Digital Asset was not taking a position on rewards, but supported clearer statutory definitions because tokenized securities should carry the same rights as the underlying assets and investors need to know whether a token is a true tokenized security or a synthetic/reference token. She said the company is agnostic on whether the cash leg is stablecoins or tokenized deposits, though it expects both to develop. In response to concerns about rapid settlement, she pointed to institution-level permissions and SEC disclosure expectations as safeguards. She also said the technology could be used for other records, including potentially property-related records, if those assets can be tokenized.

Transcript Highlights:

• The county stated more data was available, but we quickly learned that the software needed to review
• <00:04:34.720> needed<00:04:34.960> to learned that the software needed to learned
• that the software needed to review<00:04:35.520> that<00:04:35.759> data<00:04:36.320><
• The county provided a dedicated laptop but stripped it of basic software like Outlook, Word, PDF viewers
• The county provided a dedicated laptop but stripped it of basic software like Outlook, Word, PDF viewers

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee continued its hearing on enforcement and compliance with the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, first taking additional public testimony from Melissa Zimmerman and Matt Senot of the East Side Corridor residents in Owatonna. They described submitting roughly two dozen data requests across several government entities related to a proposed highway project, saying some agencies responded but others did not, and that even after they substantially prevailed in a data practices complaint and the court imposed a maximum civil penalty, they still did not receive meaningful access to the records. Zimmerman said the lack of access harmed their ability to comment on the project’s environmental review, and both witnesses argued that the law needs stronger enforcement, realistic timelines, better communication, and more accessible remedies for requesters who cannot afford repeated litigation. They also raised practical barriers such as inaccessible file formats, missing software on a county-provided laptop, and the need for electronic delivery options. The committee then heard from Eric Johnson of Anoka County, who testified about Chapter 13 issues involving third-party polygraph data used in probation monitoring. He argued that when the state relies on third-party-generated summaries, the responsible authority’s obligations for access, retention, and correction are unclear, and there is no effective remedy when the third party does not respond. Johnson said the county directed him to seek raw data from the third party, which had not responded, and he warned that short retention periods can make data subject rights unenforceable if the records are destroyed before a request is resolved. Members asked about statutory citations and retention schedules, and several commented that the issue may warrant review of data-retention rules. During member discussion, legislators broadly agreed that the Data Practices Act’s enforcement mechanisms are not working well enough and that many requesters cannot afford to pursue administrative or court remedies. Co-Chair Scott suggested staff compile the testimony into a report to identify possible legislative fixes, while Senator Lucero said there may be some “low-hanging fruit” that could be addressed quickly in the short session. The chair also floated the idea of involving the Office of Collaboration and Dispute Resolution in a mediation role to improve communication and reduce gridlock, though members noted that any process would still need to produce results consistent with the law. The committee then moved on to its next agenda item, a discussion of the BCA Fusion Center and its annual reporting requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• vendor to file taxfree payer or software vendor to file your<00:11:23.279> taxes<00:11:23.639
• On that second line there, the software providers are also doing testing that we're working with them
• taxable, so if I purchase a service online and if it is a software-as-a-service, right now it is not
• The software-as-a-service right now probably is not taxable, depending on how the setup is.
• The software-as-a-service right now probably is not taxable, depending on how the setup is.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And they are, you know, basically willing to share their software, either they've talked about making
• their software their code open source so that other states can just adopt it, and they've also talked
• <00:15:53.360> either their software either their software either they've<00:15:54.920>
• their code open source that software their code open source that other<00:15:59.880> states<00
• In other forms of public digital procurement, software, databases, media agencies receive predictable

Bills: HF4456, HF4544, HF3698

Keywords: data broker, data brokerage, consumer privacy, personal data, data privacy, Minnesota attorney general, registration, public registry, civil penalties, enforcement, special revenue fund, privacy rights, data sales, data collection, consumer protection, chapter 325M, controller, processor, data broker registry, transparency

Transcript Highlights:

• And so, um, even if you have a software solution that you pay a lot of money for to help you file these
• And so, um even if you have a software<01:13:59.640> solution<01:14:00.080> that<01:14:
• solution that you pay a lot of software solution that you pay a lot of money<01:14:01.320> for
• You have the same information whether it goes through the state or you send it, put it in your software
• and send it directly to the software and send it directly to the taxing<01:50:30.480> authorities

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:07 Roll Call 00:00:13 Approval of Minutes from August Meeting 00:01:55 Discussion of County Jails 00:03:31 Discussion of Centralized Collection of Net Profits and Occupational License Taxes 01:02:12 Adjournment 01:54:56, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the August 26 minutes, and then took up a discussion of county jail funding. KACO representatives and county officials said jail operations are an ongoing strain for counties because they must pay for inmate care, facilities, and mandated standards, while many counties also rely on jail revenue to offset costs. They described Kentucky’s jail system, including 77 jails, 43 closed counties without jails, and the mix of county, state, federal, and controlled-intake inmates. KACO emphasized that counties remain financially responsible for inmates even when they must contract with other jails, often at costs above the state’s per diem rate, and said it is developing a broader proposal to present later. The testimony focused on rising expenses and shrinking revenue. KACO said counties spent about $374 million on jail operations in FY24, up 24% from FY19, and about $41 million on jail medical costs, up 40%. General fund support for jails was said to total $147 million in FY24, more than double pre-COVID levels. Speakers also noted that state inmate populations in county jails have fallen from about 11,500 in 2019 to 7,212 in 2025, while federal inmates have increased because they are more lucrative for counties. The state jail per diem of $35.34 was described as insufficient to cover actual costs, especially medical care. County judges from Webster, Knox, and Hardin counties gave examples of local budget pressure. Webster County said it now houses 114 state prisoners, 47 county prisoners, and 24 out-of-county prisoners, and that it transferred $512,000 from its general fund to the jail last year, about $77 per taxpayer. Knox County said its jail budget has grown from an initial $2.8 million projection to $5.7 million, with $3 million coming from occupational tax revenue. Hardin County said its jail has an approximate $11 million expense budget against $5 million in revenue, creating a $6 million deficit, driven by higher payroll, medical, and insurance costs and a 29% drop in state prisoner revenue. The judge said the county has responded with property tax increases and an expanded occupational tax district, but still uses reserves to cover other county services. A Grant County magistrate then began speaking from the perspective of magistrates and commissioners, describing her background working at a local jail before serving in county government. The discussion remained centered on the fiscal burden of jails and the need for counties and the legislature to work together on a long-term solution.

Transcript Highlights:

• Davis: We support Senator Putnam's bill, SF 1710, appropriating funds that we will use to hire software
• Davis: We support Senator Putnam's bill, SF 1710, appropriating funds that we will use to hire software
• Senate File 1710 is a one-time appropriation to MRETS for the development of the software system that
• Senate File 1710 is a one-time appropriation to MRETS for the development of the software system that
• with our software and then when<01:04:07.599> they<01:04:07.760> register<01:04:08.279

Keywords: 1187, senate, all