Transcript Highlights:

• , frequently because it was only annually, frequently because it was only annually, which<00:16:47.360
• No, my understanding is that's an annual number.
• I understand it's an annual number, but that annual number goes all the way back to the very beginning
• That's why it's annual.
• Uh and that that to the maximum extent.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee received an update from the LBA on three audits related to education programs. Christine Young reported that the special education audit is in report-writing, with 44 of 81 observations completed, and that a draft is expected early in the third quarter with a final report later in the summer. She also said the doorway program audit has a draft report with 12 observations, auditee responses were received May 14, an exit conference was held May 18, and the report is now expected to be presented at the June fiscal committee meeting. The bulk of the discussion focused on the education freedom accounts audit and a proposed expansion of scope. Beulah Skids explained that the original audit, required by the 2022 law creating the EFA program, would be expanded to examine whether students were New Hampshire residents at enrollment and throughout participation, and whether records of educational attainment satisfied program requirements. She described the current work, the draft cooperation agreement being developed with the Department of Education and the Children’s Scholarship Fund, and the department’s concerns about the audit period and the term "educational progress," which the LBA said it would revise. The committee discussed that the expanded work would depend on a written agreement giving the LBA access to needed records, policies, and staff, with the Department of Education potentially serving as an intermediary for data access. Members raised concerns about the scope period and data access. Senator Lang asked that the residency review be limited to the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years, rather than the broader 2022-25 period, because those years captured the major program expansions; the committee appeared to agree, with clarification that the reference was to school years, not fiscal years. Members also discussed reconciliation of EFA funds, noting that the department has agreed to reopen rulemaking to make reconciliation more frequent so unused funds can be returned to the state sooner. Several members expressed frustration that access to data had been delayed, while LBA staff said the cooperation agreement is intended to prevent further roadblocks and that the AG’s office could review it if needed.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:20:27.840> Strawberry laugh together at the annual Strawberry laugh together at the annual
• Within 72 hours, for a maximum of $3,000, that's the cap.
• raised the maximum age to 75. raised the maximum age to 75.
• to eliminate this age maximum to eliminate this age maximum altogether. altogether. altogether.
• maximum hose length they have is 2,500<04:14:54.640> ft.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One research study notes that wild rice is decreasing by 5 to 7% annually in the Great Lakes region,
• One research study notes that wild rice is decreasing by 5 to 7% annually in the Great Lakes region,
• <00:36:59.359> Chair,<00:36:59.520> I'm annually. And with that, Mr.
• Chair, I'm annually. And with that, Mr.
• > that<01:19:38.080> was maximum number of acres that was maximum number of acres that

Bills: HF3898, HF3957, HF4372, HF4350, HF3692, HF4085

Keywords: pesticides, wild rice, environmental protection, agriculture, water quality, pollinators, training, management plan, fertilizer research, education grants, Minnesota Agricultural Council, technology transfer, agricultural productivity, HF4372, Minnesota agriculture, meat processing, meat processing training, retention incentive grants, grant extension, project deadline extension

Transcript Highlights:

• It's certainly, you know, we use it to our maximum ability.
• It's certainly, you know, we use it to our maximum ability.
• Some of the lunch discussion involved the annual requalifying for continued 218 credentialing.
• That annual process involved your former department updating your background to ensure you remain in
• Annually, 218 officers do that every single year.

Bills: HB372, HB414

Keywords: HB372, Justice of the Peace Court, Delaware courts, Title 10, court administration, judicial staffing, county courts, Kent County, New Castle County, Sussex County, Wilmington, 24-hour hearings, court locations, court hours, magistrate court, access to justice, court consolidation, Delaware General Assembly, destructive weapon, possessing a destructive weapon

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee met and heard three bills. HB 372 would reorganize Justice of the Peace Court resources by shifting the number of judges and court locations among counties, consolidating overnight operations into a single 24-hour court in Kent County, and adjusting staffing to address workload and efficiency concerns. Chief Judge Alan Davis said the change responds to increased civil filings, automated enforcement, and staffing shortages, and that a Sussex County pilot closing a 24-hour facility had worked without major issues. Some members raised concerns about impacts on Sussex and Kent County, bail processing, and local response times, while public comment included one supporter. The committee voted to release HB 372. The committee then considered SB 324, which amends Delaware’s permit-to-purchase law to allow constable agencies, including those serving institutions like Delaware Tech, to purchase handguns for newly hired constables without duplicative background checks. Sponsor Representative Cook said the bill aligns constable procurement with existing law-enforcement exemptions while preserving gun-safety requirements. Public testimony included support from Delaware Tech and comments urging broader fixes to the permit-to-purchase law, including exemptions for retired officers with federal 218 credentials and clarification on firearms returned from manufacturers, gunsmiths, or police departments. The committee voted to release SB 324. Finally, the committee heard HB 414, which clarifies that the Superior Court’s exclusive jurisdiction over certain destructive-weapon offenses applies only to adults, while juvenile cases would still begin in Family Court. Sponsor Representative Romer said the bill preserves the Family Court’s role in handling youth cases and allows referral to Superior Court when appropriate. The Department of Justice said it still believes Superior Court is the proper venue for these serious charges, while the Office of Defense Services supported keeping youth cases in Family Court first, arguing that rehabilitation and juvenile-specific dispositions are more appropriate. After public comment, the committee voted to release HB 414, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• which 20% of their rules will be reviewed each year until reviews are completed and to provide an annual
• This year, we're reducing the annual number of nominations in the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame.
• We should roll out the welcome mat and offer the president maximum flexibility to construct this historic
• until the fine is paid withholding is that the rate of 25% of the Lang delinquent fine or the federal maximum
• Bill requires the governor to annually proclaim January 27th this Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those restoration targets are known as total maximum daily loads, or TMDLs.
• amount is that they are responsible for and how much they need to reduce by to achieve that total maximum
• So how we measure progress in our BMAP areas: each year we publish a statewide annual report, and one
• So how we measure progress in our B-map areas and so each year we publish a statewide annual report and
• But each year we evaluate our BMAPs annually.

Summary: The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources convened with a quorum present, heard opening remarks from Chair Rodriguez and member introductions, and discussed broad priorities including water quality, climate change, budget oversight, and accountability for environmental investments. Members emphasized concerns about nutrient pollution, springs, Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades, and the need for better data and measurable results. The committee then received a presentation from DEP Deputy Secretary Adam Blaylock on the state’s water quality restoration framework. He explained how water quality standards, total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs), and reasonable assurance plans work together to address impaired waters, and noted that BMAPs are updated every five years with annual reviews in between. He also described recent statutory changes requiring five-year milestones, restrictions on new septic systems in certain areas, and public-facing data tools to track projects and water quality trends. Members questioned whether BMAPs are producing enough improvement and whether the five-year update cycle is too slow. Blaylock said results can take years because of project lag and environmental variability, but that the department can adjust plans if data show they are not working. He also highlighted $2.9 billion in statewide water quality funding since 2019, nearly 1,100 funded projects, and a $1.1 billion water quality improvement grant program that now covers impaired waters beyond BMAP areas. The committee discussed agricultural projects, DEP and FDACS funding roles, and a new dashboard and centralized monitoring platform under development. No formal votes or other actions were taken, and the meeting ended with adjournment moved by the vice chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• The FBI annual internet crime report lists over 9,300 reports of real estate-related cybercrime nationally
• I recently sent my legislative information, and that's going to share that in your annual report.
• And most of these license types have an annual fee of $600.
• And most of these license types have an annual fee of $600, with some being about $550 or $400.
• Well, I still think the increase is very minimal when you look at an annual fee.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Merkel be authorized to take the State Police examination, notwithstanding the maximum age requirement
• Merkel be authorized to take the State Police examination, notwithstanding the maximum age requirement
• Merkel be authorized to take the State Police examination, notwithstanding the maximum age requirement
• An Act relative to the maximum age requirement for police officers in the City of Newton, House No. 4718
• So we are going to return 70% of the fund back to ratepayers annually.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up several procedural matters, including adopting a resolution recognizing the work of Ukraine Forward and suspending Joint Rule 12 for a number of petitions. The chamber also scheduled several bills for later consideration, including measures on unemployment insurance for fluctuating work schedules, the Medical Society mission statement, a youth training wage, bridge and intersection namings, handicapped parking fines, public-way safety, excavation restoration, motor vehicle safety, and a Newton police age requirement. Two engrossed local bills were passed to be enacted: one authorizing retired police officers as special police in Plainville and another allowing Orange to increase its Board of Selectmen membership. The main policy debate centered on House No. 5151, An Act relative to energy affordability, clean power, and economic competitiveness. Supporters described it as a broad affordability and clean-energy package that would cut costs for ratepayers, reform Mass Save, speed clean-energy procurement and interconnection, return a portion of alternative compliance payments to customers, and address biomass and other energy issues. Opponents argued the bill relied too heavily on long-term programs and new administrative structures while offering little immediate relief, and raised concerns about costs being shifted to consumers, impacts on natural gas, and the pace of implementation. Several amendments were debated and rejected, including proposals to shift public benefit charges away from peak hours, pause public benefit charges for a year, require greater utility disclosure before rate increases, and add a forest-clearing penalty for solar development. One amendment to the energy bill was adopted: a consolidated amendment that included budget-billing consumer protections for gas customers, requiring notice and conservation recommendations when usage rises significantly. The House also adopted an amendment to a separate conservation-restriction bill for Hanson, changing a figure in the underlying law, and passed that bill to be engrossed as amended. The energy bill’s consolidated amendment passed by roll call, while several other amendments failed by roll call votes. The House observed multiple moments of silence honoring Jaden Booker, Thomas Skip Karam, former Freetown Police Chief Carlton Abbott, and former Representative and Senator William Q. “Biff” McLean, Jr.

Transcript Highlights:

• get used to the I guess the sentencing matrix because it doesn't always list what the minimum and maximum
• So if a person commits two DUIs within one year, the maximum potential sentence for that, currently,
• So what we're talking about is potentially raising the maximum potential sentence in that situation to
• Yes, the maximum they could get is seven. More questions of the author. Senator, you're recognized.
• So, in someone were to receive a deferred sentence, what is the maximum potential sentence that someone

Bills: SB1936, SB1612, SB1543, SB1260, SB1988, SB1859, SB2041, SB1257, HB4272, HB3277, HB3148, HB3651, HB3323, HB4287, HB4105, HB3304, HB3345

Keywords: forfeiture, criminal offenses, law enforcement, Class D1 offenses, property seizure, SB1612, mandatory reporting, violent injury reporting, gunshot wound, stab wound, poisoning, burn injury, explosive injury, medical reporting, healthcare providers, law enforcement notification, evidence preservation, patient video records, confidentiality waiver, misdemeanor penalty

Transcript Highlights:

• for inviting me to your second annual for inviting me to your second annual Tim<00:59:45.599>
• So the maximum.
• So, in any given one year, the maximum of credits, regardless of the number of donations, the maximum
• So, in other words, if 35 maximum.
• c> number number of donations, the maximum number number of donations, the maximum number of<02:19

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Third reading of the bill: An act exempting Nick Santos from the maximum age requirement for the position
• Third reading of the bill: An act exempting Anthony Morales from the maximum age requirement for the
• Two matters come before the Senate for their final passage: House No. 4718, an act relative to the maximum
• officers in the city of Newton; and House No. 2800, an act authorizing the town of Stoneham to waive the maximum
• available online, and why we have consistently supported reasonable financial oversight in the form of an annual

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate first took up several local bills and resolutions. It amended and passed to be engrossed Senate No. 1831, providing line-of-duty death benefits for the surviving spouse of Detective John DeSongy of Rutland, and passed to be engrossed House bills concerning police officer age requirements in Haverhill, Newton, and Stoneham, including exemptions for named individuals and a local age-waiver measure. The chamber also adopted congratulatory resolutions for the Florence Community Band’s 25th anniversary and for the Italian Consulate in Boston on Italian National Day. The Senate then considered House No. 5501, the fiscal year 2027 state budget, after the House nonconcurred in the Senate’s amendment and appointed conferees. On motion, the Senate insisted on its amendment and appointed a committee of conference. The chamber also referred a House petition on a temporary liquor-license/public-consumption pilot to the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technology after suspending Joint Rule 12. A major floor debate centered on Senate No. 3104, a resolution responding to the Supreme Judicial Court’s May 7, 2026 order regarding the State Auditor’s request for Senate financial records. Supporters said the resolution would provide records in the clarified scope while preserving constitutional objections to broader requests; opponents argued the Senate should comply more fully and seek the court’s guidance earlier. After a roll call, the resolution was adopted 33-6. The Senate then adopted a motion to adjourn in memory of William F. “Bill” Howard of Beverly and adjourned until the following Monday at 11:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Just that one facility, if it's there, would be $9.1 million on an annual basis... ...on an annual basis
• Today, boards can bond for a project at an amount up to six years of their maximum levy.
• Century Code says you can bond up to six years of your maximum levy.
• Boards had always said, okay, our maximum levy is this, multiply it by six.
• Look at the average annual recorded precipitation over Devils Lake and the basin.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is to increase the maximum. Good evening again.
• In recent years, the program has changed to require annual inspections for all license holders and an
• I'd like to point out that phasing out a maximum grain bond costing $1,500 a year and turning it around
• Within this bill, or we look at an increase in time time between inspections from annually to maybe 18
• We have a maximum annual payment rate of $15,750.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then, once the plan improves, that maximum would be increased.
• would be increased um as I said maximum would be increased um as I said that<00:44:51.160> this
• We have an annual audit. Our audit is a little bit different because we do manage our investments.
• the other plans are we have an annual the other plans are we have an annual audit<01:06:55.039><
• at the lowest annual increase currently at the lowest annual increase of<01:14:03.520> any<01

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Further, HCD promotes fair and... ...applications annually.
• The annual fee adjustments proposed will not be automatic.
• The annual fee adjustments proposed will not be automatic.
• How can we afford automatic, rounded-up annual increases from HCD?
• Since the inception of ASIC, Salk has received an average of $100 million annually.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an extensive presentation on the administration’s housing reorganization proposal, which would centralize multifamily affordable housing finance under the new Housing Development and Finance Committee (HDFC) and align it with the Governor’s trailer bill language. Administration officials said the plan is intended to create a one-stop application and award process, reduce duplicative timelines and costs, and pair state subsidy with private activity bonds and federal tax credits more efficiently. They also described proposed changes to the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program, including shifting a larger share of funding toward housing-related awards while preserving a portion for sustainable communities investments. The Legislative Analyst’s Office generally supported the streamlining concept but recommended changes to the proposed bond set-aside timing and urged flexibility for integrated applications and future reporting on demand. Senators, especially Senator Cabaldon, raised concerns that the proposal could weaken the original climate-and-transportation purpose of the sustainable communities program and that the reorganization would be undercut by the lack of new housing production funding in the budget. The item was held open without a vote. The committee then received a report from the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee on federal and state housing tax credits. Staff explained that the federal H.R. 1 change lowering the bond-financing threshold from 50% to 25% greatly expanded the number of projects able to use the 4% federal tax credit, allowing California to fund many more projects and units. They also described the state low-income housing tax credit as an important gap-filling tool for projects that still need additional subsidy, and noted existing set-asides for rural, homeless, at-risk, and extremely low-income projects. Members discussed rehabilitation as well as new construction, and the item was informational only. Finally, the Civil Rights Department reported on the effects of federal civil rights policy changes and on three programs facing expiration: California vs. Hate, the Community Conflict Resolution Unit, and Investigations and Conciliation Enhancement. Director Kevin Kish said federal cuts and policy shifts have reduced support for fair housing and other civil rights functions, while CRD’s caseload has grown from about 8,700 open matters a year ago to more than 12,000, with a six-month wait for interviews despite overtime triage efforts. Senators expressed strong support for continuing the programs and concern about the broader federal rollback of civil rights enforcement. The department said it is using overtime, intake triage, and outreach partnerships to manage the workload and direct Californians to appropriate state, local, and nonprofit resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• ON THE BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND FROM THE CURRENT 10 PERCENT OF GENERAL REVENUE COLLECTIONS TO A MAXIMUM
• THEN IF THE VOTERS APPROVE THIS IN 2020 THAT WILL KICK IN THE REQUIREMENT OF THE ANNUAL PAYMENT TO INCREASE
• THIS FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND THIS BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND IS GOOD THROUGH 2028 AT LEAST WITH THE MAXIMUM
• AND IF THAT IS WHAT THE EXPERTS PREDICT WE MAY NOT OBLIGATE THE $750 MILLION ANNUALLY.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's the maximum weight with their permit that they purchased.
• Now, an industry standard for trucking is also to take advantage of an envelope permit, an annual permit
• The maximum weight allowed is 80,000 pounds.
• Now, an industry standard for trucking is also to take advantage of an envelope permit, an annual permit
• The maximum weight allowed is 80,000 pounds.

Bills: SB2199, SB2200, SB2201, SB2949, SB2332

Keywords: overweight vehicle, vehicle weight limits, hazardous materials, hazmat, cargo tank, fuel transport, trucking, commercial vehicle, Transportation Code, criminal penalty, second-degree felony, loading violation, truck weight, axle weight, gross weight, public safety, commercial carrier, Texas, commercial truck, truck route

Transcript Highlights:

• Calculation would be done annually, with the first calculation occurring in December of 2026.
• Annually, with the first calculation occurring in December of 2026.
• And do you know the five counties that would get the maximum around $10,000?”
• It allows rulemaking by the Insurance Commissioner and requires the commissioner to annually report to
• And then going to Section E, so the maximum expenditure that a party headquarters could make for real

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate considered and passed a series of House bills on third reading, with several title amendments and a few effective-date motions adopted. Early in the session, members passed HB 4452 removing acreage limits on land owned by church or religious trustees, HB 4577 creating reciprocal driver’s license recognition agreements with Ireland and Japan, HB 4588 authorizing West Virginia participation in a federal tax credit scholarship program, and HB 4592 requiring higher education institutions to create coordinated campus safety maps. HB 4602 was amended to align with a prior Senate child welfare pilot program, and members discussed its projected cost and implementation timeline before passing it. HB 4603 created a pre-adjudicatory alternative disposition process in abuse and neglect cases, and HB 4606 narrowed bail rules by requiring consideration of residency and community ties while prohibiting personal recognizance bonds for violent felony offenses after an adopted amendment. The Senate also passed HB 4710 changing the party-registration deadline for candidates from 60 to 180 days before an election, with debate over its impact on independents, and made it effective January 1, 2027. HB 4712, known as Bailey’s Law, increased penalties for DUI causing death and related conduct, with emotional testimony from members about the victim and similar tragedies. HB 4765 established a pay raise for teachers, school personnel, and state police and added a market-pay enhancement system based on county cost-of-living differences; an amendment to the amendment capped county differentials and guaranteed at least a 1% increase in every county. HB 4865 created an optional program for high school and homeschool students to serve as election official trainees, and HB 4869 established narrow guaranteed-issue rights for Medicare supplement policies. Later bills included HB 4995, which strengthened video/audio recording rules in special education classrooms and was passed, then reconsidered and passed again; HB 4996 creating a new crime for making threats of violence against schools or children; HB 5048 guaranteeing virtual instruction for foster children in temporary placement; HB 5065 adding recordkeeping and geolocation requirements for hotel marketplace facilitators to ensure proper hotel tax remittance; and HB 5074 reallocating medical cannabis fund revenues to child protection, homeless services, research, law enforcement, and other purposes. The Senate also passed HB 5101, the Joanna Phillips Domestic Violence Prevention Act, which increased penalties for domestic violence offenses and adjusted bail provisions, after amending it to conform with the earlier bail bill. Additional measures passed included HB 5166 requiring notice before political committees are fined for filing violations and allowing limited extensions, HB 5168 directing $12 million in lottery funds to EMS first responders and county EMS support, HB 5182 authorizing certain state treasurer security personnel to carry concealed firearms, HB 5212 streamlining higher-education financial aid rules, HB 5214 allowing court-ordered drug testing of parents before reunification in abuse and neglect cases, HB 5353 regulating virtual currency kiosks with licensing, disclosures, and transaction limits, and HB 5366 exempting J-LAP records from FOIA to protect confidentiality for lawyers and judges seeking assistance. Most bills passed with strong bipartisan support, though HB 5074 and HB 5353 drew some dissenting votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, Representative, under the current class and compensation policy, new hires, the maximum
• salary they can be hired at is $75,000. 75% of the maximum.
• So the maximum is 75%, but somebody could be hired. depending on their qualifications and what seems
• Right, it sets the maximum at 75%, which for the higher.
• Which still limits to 75% of maximum, but also provides for exceptions.

Transcript Highlights:

• And for hemp flowers, the bill states only that hemp flowers shall have a maximum concentration of 5
• And for hemp flowers, the bill states only that hemp flowers shall have a maximum concentration of 5
• hemp flour shall have a maximum hemp flour shall have a maximum concentration<00:24:21.840> of
• Legalization results in over a thousand additional traffic deaths annually.
• Legalization results in over a thousand additional traffic deaths annually.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee first heard SB 888, which would bar operators of smart household security devices from sharing user data with law enforcement unless the user consents or police obtain a warrant. DCCA’s Office of Consumer Protection offered comments and Judiciary submitted written support. Several individuals also submitted written support. The committee recommended passage with amendments clarifying that the Office of Consumer Protection may enforce violations and adopting Judiciary’s recommended changes, while also deferring the effective date to July 1, 2050. The motion passed unanimously among members present, with one senator excused. The committee then took up SB 2777 on insurance disclosures. The bill would require authorized insurers to disclose claim-handling data to consumers, including claims open at the start of a period, closed with payment, closed without payment, and open at the end of the period. The committee described amendments to clarify the bill, remove a requirement for the DCCA insurance division to handle publication, and defer the effective date to July 1, 2050. The measure was passed with amendments and the recommendation was adopted, with one member voting no and another excused. In a joint Commerce and Consumer Protection/Judiciary hearing on SP2738 relating to tax haven abuse, the Department of Taxation offered comments and the Tax Foundation testified in opposition, arguing the state should rely on IRS audits and existing worldwide reporting rules rather than create a separate state approach. Other written testimony was noted in both support and opposition. The committees recommended passage with amendments adopting Taxation’s technical changes and deferring the effective date to July 1, 2050; the recommendation was adopted, with one senator noting reservations. The joint hearing then moved to health-related bills, including SB 2690 on primary care spending, SB 3103 on energy assistance, SB 3137 on Department of Health authority over food, drugs, and cosmetics, SB 3164 on child welfare service organizations, and SB 3206 on cannabinoids. SB 2690 drew strong support from physicians and advocates who said it would address primary care shortages, especially on neighbor islands, while HMSA and others warned a fixed spending percentage could raise costs and suggested a working group. SB 3164 drew support from child welfare providers and opposition from the Attorney General over indemnification language, and SB 3206 drew mixed testimony: state agencies raised federal-law and vagueness concerns, while hemp and cannabis advocates and some farmers supported the measure and urged broader legalization or amendments.