Transcript Highlights:

• There was a $10 million ask in the budget for the Higher Education Department to provide financial aid
• Madam Chair and Representative, so right now, some of this money is in the budget.
• What we got in the budget was $3 million, not quite our $10 million ask.
• Um, so, in your bill, we said it's already in the budget, but...
• and the budgets from that school.

Transcript Highlights:

• His designee currently has the state budget director, John Hicks, as his appointee. was set up to meet
• has<00:04:48.400><c> uh</c><00:04:48.800><c> the</c><00:04:48.960><c> state</c><00:04:49.240><c> budget
• </c><00:04:49.600><c> director</c><00:04:50.000><c> John</c> has uh the state budget director John has
• uh the state budget director John Hicks<00:04:50.680><c> as</c><00:04:50.880><c> his</c><00:04:51.240
• work group would consist of three members from the House, three members from the Senate, the state budget

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 276, which would revise the membership of the performance-based funding work group for postsecondary education. Representative Tipton explained that the committee substitute changes the group so the CPE president chairs it as a nonvoting member, all nine university and KCTCS presidents serve as nonvoting advisory members, and the voting members are three House members, three Senate members, the state budget director, and one gubernatorial appointee. He said the goal was to reduce deadlock among institutions and allow legislators to deliberate before meetings. Some members raised concerns that the change shifts influence away from the universities and toward the legislature, but Tipton said he had not heard pushback from the presidents. The committee adopted the substitute and passed HB 276 with an expression of opinion that it should pass with the committee substitute attached; several members voted yes, while Representative Roarx voted no and Representative Stalker passed. The committee then considered House Bill 711, another bill sponsored by Representative Baker and presented by Representative Tipton. Tipton said the measure is a cleanup bill for postsecondary statutes, repealing outdated provisions for groups that have not met in years, including the Strategic Committee on Postsecondary Education, the STEM Initiative Task Force, and local P-16 councils, and removing obsolete language about one-time board appointments. It also strikes the statutory definition of remedial education because Kentucky public postsecondary institutions no longer offer remedial classes, instead using transitional courses with wraparound support that count for credit. A question was raised about whether Senate confirmation requirements for some appointees had been removed in the committee substitute, and Tipton confirmed they had. The committee then passed HB 711 with an expression of opinion that it should pass with the committee substitute attached. After the bills, the committee reviewed administrative regulations from the Council on Postsecondary Education. CPE Senior Vice President and General Counsel Travis Pahl explained that the regulations update the performance funding model for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to reflect changes made by Senate Bill 191, including a Community Needs Index that reallocates part of an equity adjustment based on regional poverty, unemployment, and labor participation across the 16 colleges. Members were told the committee could ask questions, propose amendments, or find the regulations deficient, but no further action was taken. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our boards approved budget. They approved personnel that pace.
• We approved budget. We crew personnel that work with the consortium.
• And when you're cost me $330,000, that was not budgeted as we work to the budget.
• I have 1000 students and at the beginning of the year, you are planning your budget based on the fte
• Build a budget last year based on a forecast of 3200 students in my district.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• three at the bottom the fund balance, which we show in 2023 of 113 million and then with the last budget
• it may be down to about zero next budget based on how it's trending.
• of 113 million and then with<00:15:32.440><c> the</c><00:15:32.560><c> last</c><00:15:32.920><c> budget
• going</c><00:15:33.760><c> down</c><00:15:34.040><c> to</c><00:15:34.200><c> 35</c> with the last budget
• it may be down to about zero next budget it may be down to about zero based<00:15:50.080><c> on</c><

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Joint Fiscal Committee met on May 15 at 10:00 a.m. and first approved the April 17 minutes. It then took up a consent calendar covering tabs three through seven, with items 089 and 097 removed for separate discussion. The committee approved the remainder of the consent calendar and then adopted item 089, which involved Department of Safety/Homeland Security grant funding for active shooter incident management and school reunification training. Officials said the project is a mandatory Homeland Security grant set-aside, with training for public safety officials and school districts and internal social media used only to promote training schedules; members asked about marketing, outcomes, and how success would be measured. The committee next considered item 097 for the Division of Historical Resources. Agency officials said the request was driven by a decade-long increase in Section 106 and state historic preservation reviews, many tied to disaster-related infrastructure work such as culvert and road repairs, and that the grant would add capacity to handle roughly 1,000 to 1,500 reviews per year. The committee approved the item after brief discussion. Under the regular calendar, the Department of Transportation presented a fuel-related transfer. Members questioned the decline in the highway fund balance, which staff said was being affected by rising expenses, flat-to-moderate revenue, and a rough winter that increased maintenance costs. DOT officials said they were considering toll rate increases and noted the agency pays market wholesale fuel rates; they also discussed prior fuel hedging decisions and said they have authority to hedge again if it makes sense. The committee approved the DOT item, then approved a miscellaneous action item to fill a position at the LBA. Members also asked the chair to remind the Attorney General to appear at a future meeting regarding the YDC claims report. The committee set its next meeting for Friday, June 19 at 11:00 a.m., and adjourned after a brief note of appreciation for recent corrections and changes reported by the liquor commission.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we continue to monitor that pulse through our budget and our procurement folks.
• Senator Bell, and of course, all of your tenure with CDCR, there are many budget shortfalls that you
• So, we are kind of in progress and on track to close that facility in line with the budget.
• We have a very, very small special repair budget in the department's $26 million for our facilities.
• It's why we did it in the budget, because the locals had their half, and the whole project was being

Summary: The Senate Rules Committee met to consider several governor’s appointments and routine agenda items. It first approved, on call, appointments not required to appear for Olivia May Assuncion to the Commission on Disability Access, William Adams to the California Exposition and State Fair Board of Directors, and two California Law Revision Commission nominees, with one of the law revision appointments drawing a split vote. The committee also approved reference of bills to committees and floor acknowledgments before moving to appointments required to appear. Brian Bishop, nominated to lead the Division of Adult Parole Operations at CDCR, testified that he would emphasize public safety, accountability, rehabilitation, and staff well-being. In questioning, senators focused on risk assessment for higher-risk parolees, GPS monitoring, coordination with local law enforcement, victim protections, supervision of unhoused parolees, and oversight of private reentry/housing contractors. Bishop said DAPO uses data-driven supervision, risk tools, compliance sweeps with law enforcement, exclusion zones and administrative transfers to protect victims, and contract monitoring through invoices, site visits, and utilization reports. Public commenters from reentry and justice organizations supported his confirmation, and the committee voted 5-0 to send the nomination to the full Senate. Sarah Larson, nominated to direct CDCR’s Facilities Management and Construction, described her CDCR background and said she wanted to help modernize the department’s aging infrastructure to support staff and incarcerated people. Senators asked about aligning facilities with a declining prison population, cooling and heat mitigation, safety during construction, prison closures such as Norco, disaster planning, and how closed facilities are maintained or could be reopened. Larson said CDCR has reduced its footprint, is piloting cooling upgrades at several sites, maintains closed facilities in cold shutdown with minimal upkeep, and uses emergency planning and mutual aid for disasters. She also said the department is exploring infrastructure master planning and more substantial, targeted improvements, and the committee again heard supportive public testimony before voting 5-0 to advance her nomination to the full Senate.

Transcript Highlights:

• So is this one of the first times I've ever had a budget that the governor has now signed before we've
• even run bills out for that budget that has been signed.
• Is this already included in the budget now? national labs that we have now.
• even run bills out for that budget that has been signed.
• Is this already included in the budget now? Thanks for the question.

Bills: HB1782, HB2293, HB3176, HB3544, HB3546, HB3619, HB4358

Keywords: artificial intelligence, education reform, innovation, funding, advisory council, broadband, Oklahoma Broadband Office, broadband access, statewide broadband plan, internet connectivity, grant programs, expansion council, termination plan, Oklahoma, Gas Hub, national laboratory, public-private partnerships, aerospace, high-performance computing, economic development

Summary: The Senate Technology and Telecommunications Committee considered several House bills focused on artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, broadband, and education technology. House Bill 3176 would create an Oklahoma Gas Artificial Intelligence and Space Research Hub under the Department of Commerce and a National Laboratory Development Program to help Oklahoma pursue federal research designations; members questioned the fiscal impact, public reporting, and agency placement, and the bill passed 7-1. House Bill 3544 would prohibit minors from accessing AI social companions and authorize civil penalties; supporters cited research and safety concerns, and it passed 8-0. House Bill 3619 would modernize state geographic data collection and mapping for census and boundary purposes; members raised concerns about county boundaries, costs, and possible impacts on property and taxation, and it passed 6-2. The committee also advanced House Bill 3546, which bars artificial intelligence and other non-human entities from being granted legal personhood under Oklahoma law, passing 8-0 without debate. House Bill 1782 would create an Oklahoma AI Education Innovation Act with an advisory council and grant fund; members asked about funding formulas, membership, and dual office-holding, and it passed 8-0. House Bill 2293 would extend the Oklahoma Broadband Office sunset while requiring a wind-down plan and legislative review; members discussed the office’s consultation and termination process, and it passed 8-0. Finally, House Bill 4358 would limit screen time for pre-K through fifth grade students to one hour per school day. After questions about enforcement, classroom logistics, and special events, the author struck the title to continue working on the measure, and the bill passed 8-0. Throughout the meeting, members generally expressed support for the policy goals of the bills while flagging implementation, fiscal, and jurisdictional concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• So there's a lot of talk about our budget. We are upside down in terms of the state of Missouri.
• He and I serve on the Budget Committee together, and he's been excellent in making sure that each of
• are really having to, you know, try to know, you guys on budget are really having to, you know, try
• If they budgeted for it already, can you, like, break down what classifies as...
• And while I understand that right now general revenue, you know, everybody on budget is like, where can

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Pursuant to Assembly Rule 96, I request unanimous consent to withdraw SB 106, Laird, from the Budget
• And at some point, working families, it busts their budget. And you know what they're doing?
• H.R. 1 is not a budget. It's a moral statement.
• I also want to thank the bipartisan budget subcommittee, who has very constructive conversations about
• And so, as chair of the budget subcommittee on health, I've come before you many times to work toward

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And Madam Chair, Belinda, do you have money in your budget to do this?
• The budget and in the predicament that we're in now, we are looking for an infusion of 500,000.
• HB2 the budget onto the Senate.
• That was not recurring in the budget.
• As we approach the budget and work on the budget every year, and I would say that this is the conundrum

Bills: HM26, HB243, HB109

Keywords: insects, ecosystem, education, public awareness, wildlife conservation, state agency involvement, New Mexico, equine welfare, animal rescue, shelter funding, trust fund, veterinary care, water project fund, water project finance act, New Mexico Finance Authority, water infrastructure, water grants, water loans, regional water planning, water rights adjudication

Transcript Highlights:

• Does your budget allow that? Yes, sir.
• Does your budget allow that? Yes, sir.
• It was just that the budget wasn't updated. It wasn't amended at the end of the year.
• Archer, what proportion of their budget is $339,000? 39%? 39%. 39%. Wow. Okay.
• A budget was not adopted for ARPA funds in 2024.

Summary: The committee first approved a motion by voice vote, then received updates on delinquent private water and sewer reports. For the 2012 reports, staff said five additional 2024 reports had been received since the December meeting, bringing the total to 17 with escrow funds released and 26 still escrowed. For the 2023 delinquent reports, two more had come in, leaving five outstanding; both reports were filed without objection. The committee then focused on Act 709 repayment issues for the town of Daisy. Audit staff said Daisy had made unauthorized payments to a nonprofit and had used restricted street funds for fire-related expenses, and that the town had not yet adopted the required repayment ordinance. Mayor Lisa Cogburn said the council had not approved repayment because members disputed the amount, though she said the town had funds to pay. After discussion about the audit calculations and statutory repayment requirements, the committee adopted a motion requiring 10% repayment of the street fund under the statute and providing that failure to comply would result in withholding turnback funds. The Daisy report was then filed. The committee reviewed numerous additional audit findings from cities, counties, and water departments. Several local officials appeared and described corrective steps, including reconciliation work in Harrison and Carroll County, revenue-code corrections in Izard County, monthly bond-pending reviews in Alexander, fixed-asset documentation and receipt procedures in the town of 56, and bookkeeping/receipt improvements in Ozan and Lee County. Some matters were deferred, including several private water and sewer reports and Green Forest, while others were filed. Reports involving more serious issues were referred to the prosecuting attorney and Attorney General, including Bull Shoals, Lone Oak County, Beaver, Central City, Gravette, Ralston Water Department, Thornton Waterworks, and others. The committee also filed 19 reports with resolved findings and 53 reports with no findings, and adjourned with the next meeting set for February 12, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't know if this is going to answer your question necessarily, but about 10% of the education budget
• , which is about 40% of the state budget, comes right from the federal government, predominantly for
• <00:08:23.080><c> of</c><00:08:23.360><c> the</c><00:08:23.759><c> education</c><00:08:24.360><c> budget
• </c><00:08:24.840><c> which</c> about 10% of the education budget which about 10% of the education budget
• </c><00:08:28.639><c> that</c> is about 40% of the state budget that is about 40% of the state budget

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Today's memorial is just an acknowledgment of the oil and gas industry for what it means to our budget
• They provide over 40% of our budget. They keep us fed and clothed. They educate our children.
• But not only that, the oil and gas contributed 49% of all revenue to the state budget.
• Speaker, body, the same sorts of budget increases that we're talking about give us the opportunity as
• Tomorrow morning to hear budget presentations from the Secretary of Education, the LFC, and LESC.

Transcript Highlights:

• For the average taxpayer, to put this in real-world terms, means real money back in their household budget
• Last week, as you know, the legislature approved an education budget that features roughly $380 million
• Our state's private school voucher spending now makes up 6% of our state budget, and some lawmakers have
• We are experiencing a perfect storm of economic pressure on the state budget.
• Many more are unable to balance their budgets.

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 1001, sponsored by Representative Les Eaves, which would lower Arkansas’s personal income tax rate to 3.7% retroactive to the current year and reduce the corporate income tax rate to 4.1% beginning in 2027. Eaves argued the bill continued a decade-long strategy of broad-based tax relief, would help working families, and would keep Arkansas competitive with other states. He said the measure would reduce future surpluses rather than cut current services, and noted the average taxpayer could see roughly $800 to $1,000 in annual savings from recent tax changes. Several witnesses testified against the bill. Arkansas Appleseed’s Anna Morchetti, Missy Wyatt Joyce, Pastor Preston Clegg, Michelle Pedro of the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese, and Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families’ Pete Guest all argued the state should prioritize funding for public schools, health care, supported living services, food assistance, rural hospitals, and early childhood education instead of further tax cuts. They said Arkansas faces significant unmet needs, including underfunded schools, food insecurity, and shortages in disability and community-based services, and warned the tax cut would mainly benefit higher earners while reducing resources for essential programs. After testimony, the committee limited debate time for witnesses to five minutes. Representative Eaves closed by saying the state had been responsible in prior tax cuts and that the bill would return money to taxpayers without reducing services. Representative Bray also spoke in support, saying the legislature has continued to fund major priorities while still providing tax relief to working families. The committee then voted to pass the bill, and HB 1001 was approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, we're now going to move to the yellow budget calendar.
• This is the amendment that was hotly debated in Joint Budget Committee.
• Representative Johnson, you're recognized to present the budget calendar. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
• , so this is just to allow them to finish up the project that we've already approved in the prior budget
• , so this is just to allow them to finish up the project that we've already approved in the prior budget

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, established a quorum, and approved leave requests and the previous day’s journal. The chamber received a governor’s communication listing several fiscal-session measures that had been signed into law, and members recognized a number of guests, including law enforcement officers, medical staff, and several championship athletic teams and Special Olympics participant Justin Tate. Representative Dolly Henley also made a personal explanation regarding her request to vote no on House Bill 1098, apologizing for any confusion. On the red and yellow calendars, the House passed Senate Bill 1, the Arkansas Senate appropriation for fiscal year 2026-2027, by a large margin and then considered a series of appropriation and reappropriation bills in batches. Amendment 1 to House Bill 1034, concerning the Treasury Office of State Appropriation and a 10% salary increase for the Secretary of State, was rejected. Several bills passed, including House Bill 1020, House Bill 1041, House Bill 1098, Senate Bills 2, 14, 26, 68, 69, 72, and 74, along with multiple batched general appropriation and reappropriation measures. House Bill 1023 and House Bill 1053 failed on final passage. Members also discussed the scope of certain appropriations, including questions about whether funds allowed disproportionate staff raises and whether a workforce-services reappropriation would centralize services in Little Rock; the sponsor said the bills did not do those things. After completing the calendar, Representative Meeks moved to adjourn until 3:00 p.m. Monday, and the motion carried. The House announced that House Management would meet 15 minutes after adjournment on Monday and that the deadline for submitting resolutions was that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• The quorum being established, the Committee on Budget will now go into executive session.
• So that changes it to where currently the Senate and House chair, the budget chair, is on there.
• This is something, when you think about the budget chairman and everything that he has to work on in
• the budget in the Senate this week, and he still found time... ...to work on in the budget in the Senate
• House to be substituted for Senate Bill 1470, do pass, and this will conclude the business for the Budget

Summary: The Budget Committee met in executive session and considered Senate Bill 1470, with a House Committee Substitute offered and adopted. The bill updates statutes governing the Joint Committee on Legislative Research and its oversight functions. The sponsor and Chairman Deaton described the measure as modernizing LR operations, including reducing the committee from 20 members to 12, adding legislative leadership and minority representation, allowing electronic delivery of reports, and changing references to public colleges and universities. They also explained that the bill would create post-implementation fiscal notes to compare projected and actual fiscal impacts after enactment. A major point of discussion was the bill’s provision allowing legislative oversight staff to access certain Department of Revenue tax-return information under confidentiality rules so they can independently verify data used in fiscal notes, especially for tax policy bills. Several members supported the goal of improving accuracy and checks and balances, while also raising concerns about protecting taxpayer privacy and ensuring the committee does not improperly access confidential information. The sponsor and chairman said the committee would not see individual returns, that staff would remain bound by confidentiality, and that they would follow up on any legal concerns before floor action if needed. Members also discussed a section striking language that had prohibited committee employees from opposing or urging legislation. The sponsor said this was cleanup because LR no longer drafts ordinary bills, only revision bills, and the remaining drafting role is limited and noncontroversial. Representative Mayhew said he would not offer a planned amendment at the meeting but still wanted clarification on the tax-information language. Representative Fogle asked how post-implementation fiscal notes would be shared, and the sponsor said the committee would likely determine the process. After adopting the substitute, the committee voted the bill do pass by a roll call of 25 yes and 1 no.

Transcript Highlights:

• At that time, the annual budgets for CSU and UC were appropriated line item by line item in the state
• budget, including how much the segments were to use, Line item in the state budget, including how much
• Yet their salaries continue to grow year after year regardless of any contingency in the state budget
• the receipt of approximately $40 million in new, unallocated ongoing state funding in the 2025-26 budget
• The state budget fell short of providing that new, unallocated, ongoing funding, and this then triggered

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement heard several labor and retirement bills. AB 1582 by Assembly Member Ortega would make it an unfair labor practice for a higher education employer to disregard or delay arbitration decisions involving contracting out, with make-whole relief including attorney fees and costs. Supporters from AFSCME and other labor groups said UC has repeatedly ignored arbitration outcomes on outsourcing disputes, while UC opposed the bill as an overbroad change that could create systemwide operational and financial risk. The committee passed the bill on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. AB 1818 by Assembly Member Ortega would repeal an outdated HEERA provision that CSU has used to reopen bargaining when it claims state funding is insufficient. Teamsters and other labor supporters argued CSU has used the provision to avoid honoring negotiated raises, while CSU said the bill would limit its ability to manage compensation responsibly when state funding is uncertain. The committee also passed AB 1818 to Appropriations. AB 1564 by Assembly Member Arreguín would make communications between an employee and union representative confidential in public employment matters. Labor supporters said the measure would protect trust in the representational relationship and codify existing PERB case law, while school, local government, county, city, and business groups warned it could hinder workplace investigations, including those involving student safety and harassment. The bill passed 7-0 to Appropriations. AB 1844 by Assembly Member Pacheco, placed on the consent calendar, would update Judges’ Retirement System 2 to allow non-spouse beneficiaries for survivor benefits and to extend access to survivor options for vested judges; it was approved unanimously, 7-0. After all items were taken up, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• As budget director in her two terms, he also co-founded the Grand Canyon Institute, a nonpartisan think
• I first met him when he was Director of Budget...
• I first met him when he was Director of Budget for Governor Napolitano, and we were advocating as parents
• I remember any number of conversations that were along the lines of, 'George, why does the budget work
• I knew the budget, upside down and backwards.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Do you want to talk about budget stuff?
• It's something that'll be considered in the context of our operating budget development.
• It's something that'll be considered in the context of our operating budget development.
• into just the constellation of difficult decisions that we're going to be making in the operating budget
• Is there a sense on the budget side of how you might be looking to handle that in your budget proposals

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: Senate and House Democratic leaders used the meeting to preview several bills they expect to move quickly, while framing much of their agenda as a response to federal ICE actions and broader concerns about public safety and accountability. They said the Senate will pass a bill banning law-enforcement masking, with the stated goal of requiring identification and transparency for officers, and that the House will likely take it up after House-of-Origin cutoff. They also said a bill restricting Flock automated license plate readers will move from rules to the floor, and they discussed a separate proposal to bar people hired as ICE agents under Trump’s second term from later serving in Washington law enforcement, though leaders said they had not yet reviewed its details. The leaders repeatedly criticized ICE and said the state must do what it can to protect residents, especially immigrants, while also defending Washington’s law enforcement training and accountability systems. They said the bill on face coverings is aimed at federal agents, though they also argued it is a general standard for all law enforcement and may serve to “enunciate” a norm even if its legal scope is tested in court. They also discussed concerns about fraud and misuse of funds in state programs, saying Washington has checks and balances and that accountability measures are appropriate, while cautioning against baseless claims. On budget and policy matters, they said a Senate bill to restore Washington College Grant and Washington Promise scholarship funding would be considered in the operating budget process, but it was too early to know what reductions could be reversed. They expressed openness to a House bill limiting non-emergency charity care to Washington residents, citing border-community strain and examples from eastern Washington hospitals. They also said they were still evaluating a House bill on camping enforcement tied to shelter availability and a tort-liability measure, noting that any savings would likely come from reduced litigation costs rather than caps on damages. Other topics included a possible income tax proposal, which leaders said could be introduced as soon as Friday or next week with offsets included or outlined; House Bill 1607 on a beverage container recycling/deposit system, which they said could reach executive action soon; and a floor vote expected on the BAC bill the next day. They also said they were not inclined to hear the recently arrived voter initiatives in committee, describing them as likely headed to the ballot instead.

Transcript Highlights:

• Do you want to talk about budget stuff?
• It's something that'll be considered in the context of our operating budget development.
• It's something that'll be considered in the context of our operating budget development.
• into just the constellation of difficult decisions that we're going to be making in the operating budget
• Is there a sense on the budget side of how you might be looking to handle that in your budget proposals

Summary: Senate and House Democratic leaders used the meeting to discuss a broad package of bills they said were aimed at responding to federal ICE actions and protecting Washington residents. They highlighted an upcoming Senate vote on Senator Valdez’s bill banning law-enforcement masking, a Flock automated license plate reader restrictions bill moving through rules, and a bill to protect emergency response operations. They said the face-covering bill is intended to apply to law enforcement generally but is mainly aimed at federal agents, and argued it would improve accountability and set a clear state norm, while acknowledging legal questions and a similar California case. They also said they were working with the governor and attorney general on related protections and invited Republican support. The leaders also addressed several other policy items. They said a Senate bill to restore Washington College Grant and College Bound scholarship funding would be considered in the operating budget process, but it was too early to know whether reductions could be reversed. They expressed openness to a House bill limiting non-emergency charity care to Washington residents, citing border hospitals and the burden on local resources, and said they were open to oversight ideas for housing-related fraud concerns while defending the accountability systems already in place. They also discussed a House bill on camping enforcement tied to shelter availability, saying it was a complex issue and likely still under discussion. On budget and tax issues, they said an income tax proposal was likely to be introduced later in the week or the following week, with offsets either included in the bill or outlined in a companion measure. They also said they were still evaluating a tort-liability proposal and its projected savings, and were open to Representative Keaton’s memorial urging Washington to opt into a federal education tax credit, though they emphasized their priority remains funding public schools. Finally, they said a recycling/deposit-return bill had improved and was likely to move out of committee, and they expected a floor vote on the BAC bill the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, I'm very optimistic that they're going to get there, and again, with a responsible budget for Minnesota
• I think, um, I think we hope this budget in the next few days that this professional operation on Lake
• 09.599><c> good</c> goodwill and we're going to get a good goodwill and we're going to get a good budget
• :12.319><c> think</c><00:07:12.400><c> we</c><00:07:12.639><c> hope</c><00:07:12.960><c> this</c> budget
• I think um I think we hope this budget.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all