Transcript Highlights:

• Are they contract? Outside counsel? The outside counsel. Well, they may have some.
• The parish may then award a follow-on sole source contract to the innovator.
• And that's what I'm worried about here, is these unelected bodies giving no bid contracts.
• But right now, it's difficult for innovators to get a contract and to really start commercializing on
• This does not also force the awarding of such a contract or anything like that.

Bills: HB1163 , HB1168 , HR252 , HR253 , HCR103 , HCR108 , SB80 , SB131 , SB251 , SB254 , SB279 , SB384 , SB414 , SB468 , SB469 , SB496

Committee: House Commerce

Keywords: fireworks, retail sales, fire safety, legislation, holiday celebrations, construction standards, precast concrete, DOTD, building regulations, minimum requirements, public projects, private projects, consumer protection, credit card fees, cash transactions, rounding practices, transparency, low-income, economic impact, residential construction

Transcript Highlights:

• That would be over a three-year contract term.
• </c> would be over a three-year contract would be over a three-year contract term.<00:26:37.280><c> And
• First of all, an energy savings contract where Kentucky State borrowed and paid 16.3 million dollars
• </c> First of all, an energy savings contract First of all, an energy savings contract where<00:55:45.320
• ,</c> to look into both of these contracts, to look into both of these contracts, to<00:59:55.200><c>

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a roll call establishing a quorum. The chamber approved the prior journal, excused absent senators, and received a House message noting passage of several House bills, including House Bill 1 despite the governor’s veto. The clerk also reported committee recommendations on a number of House bills, which were placed on the calendar, and new resolutions were introduced recognizing Chloe Yates, student wellness and physical activity in schools, and the Kentucky State Long-Term Care Ombudsman program. The main floor action centered on House Bill 1, which implements the Federal Education Opportunity Program in Kentucky. Supporters argued the measure would bring federal tax-credit dollars into Kentucky to expand educational opportunities for students and families at no cost to the state budget, while opponents urged sustaining the governor’s veto and raised concerns about accountability and the bill’s structure. After debate, the Senate voted 31-5 to override the veto, and House Bill 1 was finally passed notwithstanding the governor’s veto. The Senate then took up Senate Bill 183 on proxy advisory services. The House committee substitute exempted certain nonprofits with less than $500,000 in annual gross revenue from proxy advisor services from the bill’s cause-of-action provisions while preserving attorney general enforcement authority. The chamber concurred with the House substitute and then passed the bill as amended. Senators also passed Senate Bill 263, the School of Innovation cleanup bill, which makes technical changes, requires KDE support for waiver applications, and creates a pilot project for three schools of innovation with proposed matching grants. Senate Bill 281 on grandparent visitation was also adopted with committee substitute and passed unanimously after discussion focused on balancing grandparents’ access with parental rights and existing case law. Later, the Senate began consideration of Senate Bill 324 on the film industry credit, with the sponsor describing technical changes and expanded provisions to support film, video, gaming, and related production activity in Kentucky.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because I learned in the contract that anything agreed to that is not in the contract never really happened
• It also was a non-disclosure contract.
• They sold their contracts to Treaty Oak, and I don't know where those contracts are now or whose hands
• They only study the people who signed the contract.
• They already had all 48 properties in contract.

Committee: House Utilities

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Counties do not have a contracted ABA practitioner.
• We received our contract in 2004.
• We received our contract in 2004.
• do not have a contracted ABA practitioner.
• We received our contract in 2004.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It seems to get in the way of violating contract law, essentially, and telling attorneys what they can
• You know, he has the gold rules, and contracts are quite important to hospitals.
• Uh, pursuing these contracts with federal agencies is time-consuming and expensive.
• Uh, pursuing these contracts with federal agencies is time-consuming and expensive.
• </c> How many jails have such contracts? How many beds are there? Uh, currently Strafford does.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill makes modifications to Minnesota Statutes 118A.09, which permits local units of government
• Statute 375, which governs the administration of Minnesota counties statewide, and do not impact labor contracts

Bills: HF4348 , HF4186 , HF4202 , HF4455 , HF3884 , HF3883 , HF3882 , HF3881 , HF2688 , HF3295 , HF3862 , HF3362 , HF4242 , HF3798

Committee: House Elections Finance and Government Operations

Keywords: HF4186, Minnesota local government finance, housing and redevelopment authority, HRA, public investment authority, qualifying government, State Board of Investment, SBI, index mutual fund, multifamily housing development, long-term equity investment, investment-grade fixed income, federally insured securities, government-sponsored entities, municipal investing, local government investments, housing finance, public funds, investment policy, risk of loss

Transcript Highlights:

• We are in the final stage of the contract for the last $1 million with Minnesota DEED, and that was specifically
• Do you need a modification? Yes, we can do that amendment now, or I'll do it later. Okay.

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:07.360><c> forensic</c> rate for our contract forensic rate for our contract forensic examiners
• </c><00:10:23.519><c> with</c> $100,000, would permit contracting with $100,000, would permit contracting
• </c> their contract.
• I looked at the contract their contract.
• </c> going to be receiving that contract? going to be receiving that contract?

Bills: HF3874 , HF3875 , HF3378

Committee: House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law

Keywords: judicial funding, Chief Justice security, fiscal year 2028, court system, judicial branch, judiciary, court notices, restitution, child protection, publication process, human services, Optum reports, data privacy, transparency, legislative oversight, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We are working hard with the Attorney General's office to tell the federal government a contract is a
• contract.
• You don't get to say, "I wish I hadn't signed that contract," but bizarrely and unprecedentedly, the
• The federal government hadn't signed that contract, so we would like out, and we are saying no.
• </c><01:03:42.480><c> there</c> question these are under contract there question these are under contract

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• services: is it coming from the SAU level, is it coming internally within district to this district contracting
• Contracting Services I know<00:07:19.599><c> that's</c><00:07:19.759><c> a</c><00:07:19.919><c> local
• Those contracts look very different depending on the types of provider.
• Some contracts have travel expenses separated out from their hourly rate for direct services.
• It just depends on the contract.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The work session focused on special education, especially the differentiated aid component and special education aid, which members noted is still often called “catastrophic aid.” The chair said the committee was trying to better understand how special education costs are growing, how districts are delivering services through SAUs or internally, and how reimbursement formulas affect local costs. Members also discussed the need for better data before making decisions on several education funding bills, and Representative Brown was tasked with capturing questions for follow-up information from the department or elsewhere. Testimony from the state special education director, Becky Fad, centered on why student counts in various disability categories have shifted over time. She said the categories themselves have not changed much, but autism has increased because of greater understanding and identification, developmental delay has grown because it applies to children under age 10 who may not yet have a clear diagnosis, and some students previously classified under speech/language or other health impairment are now identified in more specific categories such as autism. She emphasized that the IEP is based on a child’s individual needs, so a change in category would not necessarily change services, though it may help educators support the student differently. Members asked about whether the shifts reflect better diagnostic capability, whether the department should gather more data on the reasons for the changes, and whether autism-spectrum data could be broken down further. Fad said the department does not currently have data on the causes of the shifts or on where students fall within the autism spectrum, but that collecting and analyzing such data is on its list of priorities and a new data manager had recently been hired. She also explained that each child is counted only once on the chart by primary disability, that the IEP or eligibility team determines the primary category based on evaluations, and that any child can be referred for special education by a parent, teacher, or doctor, after which the district must meet within 15 days to decide whether to evaluate. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Unionized shops, with the GWI that we build into a lot of our contracts, after the contracts mature over
• I think the highest-paid, with a mature contract that we have right now, as a starting rate, is just
• The mature contract that we have right now, as a starting rate, is just around $20.
• , which on average takes 460 days to get that first contract.
• And throughout that time, I've worked under our old original contract.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy held its fourth hearing, with opening remarks from Senate Chair Adam Gómez and House Chair Dan Donahue emphasizing the committee’s broad agenda, including retail modernization, labor protections, advertising rules, sustainability, and financial resources. Testimony began with public health advocates supporting H.157/S.9 to ban cannabis billboard advertising, arguing that billboards normalize use for youth and are linked to cannabis-related harms such as psychosis, addiction, and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Witnesses cited research, family stories, and court decisions in Mississippi and Virginia upholding similar restrictions, while committee members questioned the scope of the state’s authority to regulate billboards on private property and the relevance of federal highway funding and federal cannabis law. The committee also heard testimony on H.175, a proposal to allow cannabis drive-through sales. A dispensary operator argued drive-throughs would improve access, especially for disabled customers and veterans, and said security and ID checks could be handled with cameras and staff screening. Committee members pressed him on how employees would assess impairment, whether drive-throughs could increase access for minors, and whether the industry should be treated like alcohol, with the witness responding that staff already refuse service to intoxicated customers and that education, not prohibition, is the better approach. Another bill, H.3982, would apply the bottle deposit law to carbonated hemp- or THC-infused beverages; the sponsor said the measure would standardize recycling requirements for products already sold in dispensaries and other markets, and members asked about container types and recycling compatibility. A major portion of the hearing focused on labor peace agreements, with UFCW representatives, cannabis workers, and Sen. Lydia Edwards supporting S.77/H.161. They said the bill would require cannabis businesses to remain neutral when workers seek to organize, arguing that unions improve safety, wages, benefits, and job stability in an industry they described as underregulated and prone to retaliation. Witnesses cited workplace hazards, wage theft, and the death of a worker at a Holyoke facility as examples of why stronger worker protections are needed. Committee members asked how the proposal differs from existing labor law, whether tying LPAs to licensing and renewal could create legal or administrative problems, and how other states handle similar requirements. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• APOE does not enter into contract... ...and Professional Oklahoma Educators.
• APOE does not enter into contract negotiations.
• with specific industries or benefit directly from those contracts on the tax paradigm.
• They would just have to seek other contracts. Follow-up, Senator Reinhardt. Thank you.
• They would just have to seek other contracts. Follow up, Senator Reinhardt. Thank you.

Summary: The committee took up a long agenda of education bills, with several measures passing on bipartisan votes. Early items included SB 1632 on career readiness assessments and college credit pathways, SB 1594 requiring principals to be trained in special education law, SB 2045 establishing 30 minutes of daily recess for younger grades, and SB 1630 allowing districts to count a day of virtual instruction when high school students are taking statewide assessments. Other bills passed addressed school security funds (SB 1251, adding licensed mental health services as an allowable use), teacher association access (SB 1884), library book complaints and penalties (SB 1250), human trafficking survivors’ access to higher education (SB 1262), reduced-price meals moving students into free meal status (SB 1374), high-dosage tutoring for early literacy (SB 1292), and the repeal of the sunset on the Innovative Pathways to Teaching Program (SB 1432). Votes were generally favorable, though SB 1251 and SB 1884 drew the most debate and both passed 8-3, while SB 1250 passed 7-3 and SB 1374 passed 9-1. Several bills generated extended discussion over local control, school safety, and teacher retention. SB 1251 drew concerns that school security funds were being broadened beyond physical security, while supporters argued mental health supports can also improve safety. SB 1884 prompted questions about whether it would open collective bargaining or negotiation meetings to other associations; the author said the intent was to prevent “closed shops” and ensure equal access, while opponents argued equal access already exists and the bill could create confusion. SB 1790, the Protected Learning Environments Act, drew testimony from educator Dr. Elizabeth Pleasant about classroom discipline, teacher burnout, and student behavior; the bill would direct SDE to provide guidance for a three-tier discipline matrix, and it passed 7-2. SB 1481, increasing recess to 40 minutes and prohibiting it as punishment, and SB 1614, limiting adjunct teachers in early grades, also passed after brief discussion. The committee also heard broader policy proposals on federal uncertainty and school leadership. SB 1489 would prepare Oklahoma for a possible federal block grant of IDEA funds, fold some parent-rights and principal-training provisions into state law, and address the cost and backlog of special education dispute resolution; it passed 9-0. SB 1718 proposed an Oklahoma Principal Leadership Development Program for new and early-career principals, with discussion focused on program structure, portability, and stipends. Throughout the meeting, members repeatedly emphasized teacher support, student safety, and the balance between state guidance and local district discretion.

Transcript Highlights:

• going to be a 40%, one-third, or 25% contract, depending on the type of case.
• I'll give a little bit of our perspective from a contracting standpoint.
• These are all real costs that our contracting industry incurs.
• The contract was to fix a separation of the shoulder in the driving lane.
• The suit, the DOT found out, you know, there was an active contract on it.

Committee: House Commerce

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The other arena we're concerned about is the contracts. That was mentioned: contractual...
• Rates, and it's so much more money than attorneys get doing public defender contracts.
• with an attorney and keep them on contract for some of those cases.
• So it's the contract attorneys who are doing the bulk of the work.
• Are they meeting the requirements that are in their contract? How are we doing?

Bills: SB48 , SB64 , SB100

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: State Fairgrounds District, fairgrounds bonds, public financing, bond authorization, gross receipts tax, gaming tax, tax-backed bonds, infrastructure funding, Albuquerque fairgrounds, State Fair Tid, economic development, municipal bonds, revenue pledge, capital projects, New Mexico finance, special education, office of special education, deputy secretary, public education department, IEP

Transcript Highlights:

• If a child can't legally enter into a binding contract in the real world, they should not be able to
• App stores currently broker contracts between minors and large corporations, contracts children cannot
• in the real world, they binding contract in the real world, they should<00:08:39.440><c> not</c><00:
• stores currently broker contracts stores currently broker contracts between<00:08:44.240><c> minors</
• cannot legally contracts children cannot legally consent<00:08:49.120><c> to.

Bills: HB161 , HB161

Committee: Senate Children and Youth Health

Keywords: building codes, standardization, commercial construction, architectural services, energy conservation, federal compliance, local governance, consumer protection, app store, age verification, parental consent, data protection, minors, 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is going to be in-house, not going to be used to contract with another nonprofit to actually
• Madam Chair and Representative, it actually leaves open the possibility to contract.
• It actually leaves open the possibility to contract.
• , the funds to incentivize the contracts with the MCOs and providers to expand the behavioral health
• I mean, on your first page, lines 19 through 21, it says that you would contract with, sorry, contract

Committee: House House Health & Human Services

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So they're putting in approximately 12 to 14 hours now, and these are contract vets.
• Our vets right now, they're contract vets and others.
• All our vets are on contract right now, and as I mentioned, the bids are coming in between $1, 600 and
• And Madam Chair and gentlemen, so there are currently five veterinarians on contract, is that correct
• They're not year-round contracts; they're for each race meet.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Such states contract with MLTSS plans to report on these and other quality measures.
• Such states contract with MLTSS plans to report on these and other quality measures.
• But the structure is the state Medicaid agency contracts with managed care organizations.
• And that's usually articulated in the contract. So a social worker or... contract.
• and each of those under state contract and each of those contracts<00:46:27.920><c> looks</c><00:46:

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Committee to Study Long-Term Managed Care met to approve prior minutes and outline its schedule, with meetings set for September 24 and September 29 ahead of an October 1 report deadline. The chair said the committee would use the first two meetings to digest testimony, likely ask follow-up questions of DHS, and then work toward conclusions and a report format. The minutes from the previous meeting were approved unanimously. The main testimony came from Sharon Alexander of Amera Health, who argued in favor of moving from fee-for-service Medicaid long-term services and supports to a managed LTSS model. She described managed LTSS as a capitated, quality-driven system used in about 26 states, and said it can improve care coordination, accountability, access to home- and community-based services, and budget predictability. She cited Amera Health’s experience in Pennsylvania and Delaware, including care coordination, housing and transportation support, caregiver programs, and quality benchmarks tied to state oversight. She also said nursing facilities would remain an important option for people who need that level of care. Committee members asked about how the programs are administered, how rates are set, how care managers work, and how quality is measured. Alexander said states contract with managed care organizations at actuarially sound capitated rates, with annual contracts, reporting, and oversight. She explained that care managers typically conduct quarterly assessments and follow up after trigger events such as hospitalization, and that housing coordinators may assist with transitions to the community. On quality, she said states use CMS-related and HCBS benchmark measures covering service timeliness, care planning, transitions, and other outcomes, and that New Hampshire could build on existing metrics rather than starting from scratch. She also noted that rural areas face workforce and transportation challenges, which managed care plans try to address through technology and self-direction options.

Transcript Highlights:

• At that time, the cost for the contract was about $600,000 per year.
• Was it in fact ever used, this contract? Thank you for the question.
• At that time, the cost for the contract was about $600,000 per year.
• No, it’s non-interest bearing, that’s required by our contract.
• We contract, yeah, but we support that contract. the department sends staff to those the department sends

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Division 2 work session first took up HB 506, a bill dealing with the return of seized firearms. Members discussed how the measure would shift background-check processing for firearm returns through the Department of Safety, while the physical firearms would still remain with local police unless State Police had taken custody. The department said the bill would change which cases come to it, and members clarified that the bill concerns the background-check decision rather than possession of the firearms. The committee then voted OTP on HB 506 FN by a 7-0 roll call. The committee next discussed HB 671, establishing a kindergarten literacy readiness program. Department of Education staff explained that the bill grew out of a COVID-era Waterford contract that provided home-based early literacy support for families using federal relief funds, at a cost of about $600,000 per year, but that the program ended when those funds expired. Members raised concerns that the bill’s $1 appropriation was not realistic, that the prior program lacked sufficient outcome data, and that the references to ESSA tier-one benchmarks were unclear. The department said it was conducting a broader literacy needs assessment and updating the state literacy plan, including data from the zero-to-five range, K-5, and dyslexia-related work. Waterford representatives described the program as an early-literacy, pre-K readiness service for children ages zero to five, originally designed to work in homes with computers and internet provided where needed, and later expanded in some settings such as daycares and pre-K classrooms. They said the program used assessments at the beginning and end, had served hundreds of children, and was intended to support family engagement and kindergarten readiness. Despite that testimony, members remained concerned about funding and the lack of clear results, and one member moved to retain the bill for more information. The discussion ended with the bill retained rather than advanced.

Transcript Highlights:

• Assembly Bill 1786 by Assembly Member Harabedian relates to public contracts. Senator Reyes.
• By allowing locals to consider both cost and quality when awarding contracts, this bill helps deliver
• By allowing locals to consider both cost and quality when awarding contracts, this bill helps deliver
• Assembly Bill 1809 by Assembly Member Fong relates to public contracts. Senator DeRaso.
• This is an alternative method for awarding maintenance-related contracts.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, offered prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then moved through a long consent and floor agenda. Early business included several motions to remove bills from consent or inactive files, followed by a series of gubernatorial appointments to regional water boards and the Medical Board of California. Those appointments were generally approved on unanimous or near-unanimous roll calls, with the Senate confirming Lewis Portillo, Alex Rodriguez, Dominic Roke, Nora Camacho, Betty Olson, Sexto Al Lopez, John Gandura, Arthur Baggett, Elena Lee Reeder, Nancy Wright, Gregory Justi, and Mark Rasmussen, among others. The Senate also concurred in Assembly amendments on several measures, including SJR 7 on tariffs, SB 799 on the South Bay Regional Housing Trust, SB 881 on the farmer-food bank tax credit, SB 941 on commissary pricing in private detention facilities, SB 1115 on public cemetery districts, and a number of Assembly bills dealing with juvenile justice, energy efficiency, retirement stipends, public contracting, transit camera enforcement, pest control fees, emergency medical reimbursement, elder fraud reporting, private detention facility notice requirements, foster youth housing, child marriage, historic preservation, and other topics. Most of these measures passed with strong bipartisan support or unanimous roll calls; SB 941 and SB 1115 drew some no votes but still passed. In Assembly third reading, the Senate passed bills on a wide range of subjects, including juvenile firearm possession and deferred entry of judgment (AB 2636), appliance efficiency standards for rented or leased equipment (AB 2458), retirement board stipend limits (AB 1619), best-value contracting for local governments (AB 1786), CPUC post-employment lobbying restrictions (AB 2618), transit lane camera enforcement and privacy rules (AB 1837), county agricultural commissioner fee authority (AB 2380), school district job order contracting (AB 1809), the Maddy EMS Fund sunset (AB 1607), elder fraud reporting to the FBI IC3 (AB 871), private immigration detention contract transparency (AB 1801), self-defense under the California Endangered Species Act (AB 1722), foster youth and homeless student housing supports (AB 2766), county office of education design-build authority (AB 1860), home cooling system protections in HOAs (AB 1684), veterinary workforce and telemedicine changes (AB 1999), campaign finance disclosure (AB 2255), Homekey Plus changes (AB 2320), a ban on child marriage (AB 1267), historic resource protections and SB 79-related land use changes (AB 2576 and AB 2415), building permit streamlining (AB 2418), outdoor advertising permitting (AB 2024), tribal gaming compact amendments (AB 1579), forestry fire-liability standards (AB 2075), family reunification services in child welfare cases (AB 1201), tax treatment of future reparations benefits (AB 2186), STEM pipeline programs (AB 2660), jury service exemptions for older adults (AB 1359), fairground funding timing (AB 1711), pregnancy-impacted undergraduate student protections (AB 1784), and gene synthesis screening (AB 1864). Most of these measures passed on unanimous or strong majority votes, though AB 1201 and AB 2186 drew notable opposition and passed on narrower margins.