Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, we have an ISP request here, an interim study proposal.
• Okay, we have an ISP request here, an interim study proposal.
• Arkansas as the state's first and only public adult charter, made possible after Arkansas passed legislation
• session, anything that's appropriated by law that needs to be funded, any new program that is Legislative
• or under their watch that are appropriated in the Public School Fund.

Summary: The House and Senate Education Committee first approved minutes from February 2 and 3, then took up an interim study proposal on adult education and the Excel Center model. Representatives from Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, the Excel Center network, and the University of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities testified that roughly 300,000 Arkansans over age 19 lack a high school diploma or GED, and argued that the Excel Center provides a supported diploma pathway for adults who struggle with GED testing. Witnesses highlighted wraparound services such as free child care, transportation assistance, tutoring, life coaching, and career services, and cited outcomes including high retention, growing enrollment, and research showing higher employment and earnings and lower criminal justice involvement for graduates. Committee members raised questions about the state’s role, existing adult education programs, and how the study would be structured; the motion to adopt the ISP passed, though there was some procedural disagreement about when questions should have been taken. The committee then heard a detailed adequacy funding overview from BLR staff Katie Walden and Adrian Beck on Arkansas K-12 education finance. They reviewed national funding principles and explained Arkansas’s system, including state and local revenue sources, the Public School Fund, the Educational Excellence Trust Fund, the Educational Adequacy Fund, and the Facilities Partnership Program. Staff said K-12 state and local revenues totaled $6.6 billion in 2025, with foundation funding making up the largest share of district and charter funding, followed by additional, categorical, and supplemental funds. They also explained the matrix-based foundation formula, the role of the uniform rate of tax, and how categorical and supplemental funds support areas such as alternative learning, English learners, special education high-cost cases, teacher salary equalization, declining enrollment, and student growth. Members asked several follow-up questions about how specific funding categories are defined and used, including student support staff, instructional aides, special education high-cost occurrences, ALE funding, teacher salary equalization, and the inclusion of Excel Center amounts in state-local funding totals. Staff said some of those details would be addressed in a later presentation and offered to provide additional records, including district lists and historical information. The meeting ended after the funding overview, with no additional votes or actions beyond the ISP adoption and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> 2023 legislation. 2023 legislation.
• appropriation.
• Um, had we appropriated appropriation.
• A direct appropriation appropriations.
• Appropriations should be made as direct appropriations. Period.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Unanimous consent has been requested to discuss previous legislation. Any objection?
• That legislation was a bit different. That legislation was not a DOGE Task Force recommendation.
• Unanimous consent has been requested to discuss previous legislation. Any objection?
• Unanimous consent has been requested to discuss previous legislation. Any objection?
• This focus on this Hispanic Commission is not justified or appropriate and not really the kind of legislation

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to move favorable at the appropriate time. All right.
• I don't believe there was ever a request on 870.
• It appears to be the appropriate time. The board is clear.
• Chair, acting chair, at the appropriate time, I'd like to report Yes, Mr.
• a stab at it, but I may not be an appropriate party.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Insurance met on May 6, 2026, and first reported HB 1241 favorably. That bill, by Chairman Furman, requires insurers to check with DCFS before paying certain insurance settlements to determine whether the recipient owes delinquent child support, and to withhold and remit arrears if found. DCFS explained that Louisiana already has intercepts and other collection tools, but no current mechanism for insurance settlements. Senators raised concerns about notice to obligors and about liability if insurers fail to withhold, but the bill was advanced without objection. The committee then heard HB 870, which would require health insurers and PBMs to cover lower-cost generic or biosimilar drugs when available and to use utilization management no more restrictively on those drugs. Supporters said the bill would improve access and lower patient costs by using wholesale acquisition cost as the comparison point. Opponents, including Louisiana Blue and the AFL-CIO, argued that WAC ignores rebates and net cost, could force plans to cover higher-cost biosimilars first, and could increase premiums and disrupt ERISA and fully insured plan design. The committee adopted a technical amendment set and then a second amendment set that added notice and reporting requirements tied to net cost calculations, and HB 870 was reported favorably as amended. Several other bills were moved with little or no opposition. HB 1176, concerning Medicare Advantage coverage for integrative cancer treatments such as cold cap therapy, cryotherapy, and acupuncture, was amended to change the effective date and then reported favorably. HB 1196, dealing with colorectal cancer screening follow-up colonoscopies, was also amended and reported favorably. HB 1162, a consumer protection bill requiring DOI to verify that a contractor named on a first-party property damage check is licensed in Louisiana, was amended and reported favorably. HB 826, which modernizes insurance referral rules to allow referrals by email or website address, was reported favorably. The committee also heard HB 1151 on insurer investment limits and solvency protections, and HB 1236 on pharmacy reimbursement and copay maximizer programs; both drew substantial testimony and concern, especially over retroactivity, PBM cost allocation, and whether copay maximizers shift costs to patients, but the transcript cuts off before final action on HB 1236.

Transcript Highlights:

• The enacting legislation for the Grayson County Juvenile Board to allow the county judge to add that
• Otherwise, I'd like an opportunity to close when appropriate. Members, are there any questions?
• And if I may request, if you can forward this to local and consent. Thank you.
• Also, been a request to reconsider House Bill 2947 by, uh, Representative Wu.
• Members, we have a ques, we have a request to reconsider House Bill 355 as well.

Transcript Highlights:

• Just for everyone's awareness, we're going to hold, at the request of the sponsor, House Bill 29.
• We're going to hold, at the request of the sponsor, House Bill 2939, and then we're going to sort of
• Representative Justin Olson from Legislative District 10. And thank you again, Mr.
• So asking for a copy of that report is where we're coming from with that request.
• They've seen a significant drop in such requests over there.

Summary: The committee approved the March 9, 2026 minutes and held HB 29 and HB 2939 at the sponsor’s request. It then took up HB 2016, which would bar late-filing penalties when a taxpayer’s income tax liability is zero; after an amendment narrowed the bill to income tax filers, the Department of Revenue was neutral on the bill but supported the amendment, and members debated whether removing the penalty would reduce incentives to file. The committee adopted the amendment and returned HB 2016 with a do-pass recommendation on a 4-3 vote. The committee also heard HB 2289, which updates the property-value examples used in bond/override election pamphlets and truth-in-taxation notices from older low values to a $300,000 home example. The sponsor and Arizona Tax Research Association said the update would better reflect current home values and improve voter understanding, while some members argued the bill could confuse voters or that the second example should be closer to the current median home price. The committee passed HB 2289 on a 4-3 vote. Several bills related to school district bonding and agricultural property classification were then considered. HB 4103 would prohibit school districts from calling bond elections if enrollment is below 50% of capacity; supporters said districts should use or monetize excess space before seeking more debt, while school administrators and several senators argued it would block needed maintenance and local voter choice. HB 2104 and HB 2105 would give agricultural property owners a temporary reprieve from repeated reclassification and inspections after winning an appeal, with farm groups supporting the measures and county assessors opposing them as limiting oversight; both bills passed 4-3 after amendments. The committee also passed HB 2256 on a 7-0 vote, which creates a process for salvage auction dealers to obtain abandoned titles when insurers do not complete salvage title transfers, and HB 2979 and HB 2996 unanimously, addressing credit union regulatory timelines and clarifying that certificates of insurance do not alter policy coverage. Finally, the committee heard HB 2174 on insurance modeling organizations and HB 2477 on AZ 529 plan updates, with HB 2174 discussed at length over regulatory treatment of models and HB 2477 described as a conformity bill expanding K-12 and credentialing uses and rollover options.

Transcript Highlights:

• Helen Kirsten with the Legislative Analyst's Office.
• Our request to see a modest continuous appropriation to urban greening and the community and urban forestry
• If there's anything that's appropriate. appropriate to continuously appropriate.
• You appropriate.
• With a request for a continuous appropriation of 15% GDRF to fund agricultural climate solutions.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So my request to you is if you could increase that to 3%.
• So I request to you is if you could increase that to 3%.
• So my third request is I'm Okay.
• The new funding that we're requesting, the $35 million, we have worked out funding that we're requesting
• Lisa King with the Legislative Analyst's Office.

Summary: The subcommittee first noted that item one on the Imagination Library update was being pulled pending review of newly received receipts, invoices, and backup documentation from the State Library and the Department of Finance. The chair said the committee would continue reviewing the materials and later determine whether additional oversight and accountability measures are needed regarding taxpayer funds and implementation of the program. The main discussion focused on the California Community Colleges budget request. Chancellor Christian described strong post-pandemic enrollment recovery and asked the Legislature to fund 3% enrollment growth, change the funding formula to use the highest of the three years rather than a three-year average, and remove the 10% growth cap to avoid unfunded FTES. She also urged support for the Governor’s proposals on COLA, deferral repayment, the Common Cloud Data Platform, credit for prior learning, and Calbright College, while adding requests for AI literacy funding, a Rebuild L.A. workforce effort, veterans services, and support for the Chancellor’s Office. Senators raised concerns about high district reserves, part-time faculty conditions, veterans’ credit pathways, and enrollment fraud; Christian said reserves are complex but should be addressed district by district, and that identity verification and AI tools are being used to prevent fraudulent enrollments. Finance and LAO staff then reviewed the student-centered funding formula and enrollment growth proposals. DOF said the Governor’s budget fully repays $408.4 million in deferrals, provides a 2.41% COLA, and includes funding to cover current-year apportionment costs; LAO recommended prioritizing those proposals but suggested beginning enrollment growth funding in 2026-27 rather than revising the current-year target. Chris Ferguson said most districts are growing, that 54 of 72 districts would benefit from a formula change favoring current-year enrollment, and that unfunded growth remains a concern. On facilities, staff explained that deferred maintenance needs are about $2.2 billion, with projects prioritized by life safety, modernization, and capacity needs. The final item was Calbright College. President Menon said Calbright serves more than 6,200 adult learners statewide, with strong completion and wage gains, and asked for the Governor’s proposed $38 million ongoing increase. She and staff emphasized Calbright’s flexible, competency-based model, its partnerships with employers and other colleges, and its role in serving working adults and caregivers. LAO questioned the proposed funding level and recommended moving Calbright onto the student-centered funding formula in the future to better tie funding to enrollment and outcomes, while Calbright argued its structure is different from traditional colleges and needs separate treatment. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:13:43.399><c> in</c> that's um that's not appropriated in that's um that's not appropriated in
• This is the one that's Appropriations, the government appropriation Division II.
• </c> depending on how they made their request depending on how they made their request to<03:24:12.040
• </c><03:36:13.920><c> additional</c> governor did appropriate additional governor did appropriate additional
• </c><03:48:13.159><c> is</c> talked about so that appropriation is talked about so that appropriation

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up HB 129, which would redefine “evidence-based” in public education. The Department of Education testified that the bill’s definition would conflict with federal definitions and be very restrictive, potentially affecting a wide range of instructional methods, curriculum materials, teacher training, civics requirements, suicide prevention training, and other programs. The department said the bill could force a broad overhaul of school practices, create local implementation burdens, and require at least one new state position, with a fiscal note estimating roughly $118,000 in FY 2026 rising in later years. Members also raised concerns about possible impacts on federal pass-through funding and whether the bill was workable. Representative Papovich moved to retain HB 129, and the motion passed 7-0. The committee then heard HB 133, a Department of Safety/DMV bill involving follow-up when a person votes using an out-of-state license or non-driver ID and then does not obtain a New Hampshire credential within the statutory timeframe. DMV officials said the bill would require a $40,000 technology upgrade plus a new full-time position, and that the fiscal note did not include postage or fully account for the manual work needed to match records, send notices, and review responses. They said the proposal also raised broader tracking issues because it would apply not only to voters but to anyone who had not obtained a New Hampshire license within 60 days, and they questioned whether DMV was the proper agency to make those inquiries. Committee members pressed the department on how the 60-day clock would be determined, whether the bill could amount to a kind of poll tax or raise privacy concerns, and whether voter ID cards or other exceptions would avoid that problem. The department explained that New Hampshire offers a free voter identification card through town clerks for people without a license or state ID, but said the bill did not exempt those cards and that the DMV would still be asked to investigate status after voting. Officials also said the bill would be difficult to enforce, that some cases would be ambiguous, and that any response from the DMV would likely amount to a request for information rather than an enforceable consequence. No vote on HB 133 was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> treatment should the leg legislator treatment should the leg legislator choose<00:33:01.639><c>
• </c> a long time ago bans and legislative a long time ago bans and legislative inaction<01:36:39.199>
• </c><01:38:16.280><c> for</c> dose of cannabis is appropriate for dose of cannabis is appropriate for
• <02:20:39.160><c> specific</c><02:20:39.600><c> Appropriations</c><02:20:40.319><c> to</c> requesting
• specific Appropriations to requesting specific Appropriations to various<02:20:40.880><c> funds</c><

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committees on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs and Agriculture and Food Systems heard testimony and began decision-making on HB 1246, which would establish the Hawaii Cannabis and Hemp Office within DCCA to regulate cannabis. Chair Tarnas described the bill as divisive and noted the hearing had received 95 testimonies in support, 135 in opposition, and 11 comments. Members were told the office would be administratively attached to DCCA, and the department emphasized it would not direct day-to-day operations. DCCA also raised concerns about banking access due to federal law, while the Department of Agriculture supported a one-plant, one-agency approach and noted its current authority over cannabis plant importation and movement. Several agencies and advocates supported the bill with cautions or requested amendments. The Department of Health said it appreciated the bill’s public health protections but remained concerned about increased adult-use access, youth mental health, pregnancy-related risks, and effects on developing brains; it requested a 12-month delayed effective date. The Attorney General’s office said legalization should include safeguards, recommended a longer implementation timeline and seed funding, and flagged issues in the bill involving impaired driving, open-container language, and penalties for under-21 possession. The Office of the Public Defender supported the bill but objected to new driving and possession offenses, saying existing law already covers impaired driving. Doctors for Drug Policy Reform supported the measure, citing regulation of intoxicating cannabinoids, testing, childproof packaging, and public education as public-health benefits. Opponents focused on youth access, public safety, and the bill’s broader social effects. The Honolulu Police Department opposed the bill over access and diversion concerns, and the City and County of Honolulu Prosecutor strongly opposed legalization, citing higher-potency cannabis, youth harms, psychiatric risks, and increased poison-center calls. The Hawaiʻi Substance Abuse Coalition argued legalization should wait until prevention programs are in place and funded first, while the Hawaiʻi Family Forum and Hawaiian Republican Women also opposed the measure, citing concerns about youth exposure, added bureaucracy, and taxpayer costs. The Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi questioned the purpose of the proposed cannabis taxes, asking why cannabis should be taxed heavily if legalization is intended. The hearing continued with additional testimony after a brief audio issue for one testifier.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> request for it in our budget. request for it in our budget. Okay. Good. Thank you. Questions.
• </c> appropriate this money and also request appropriate this money and also request that that that the
• ><c> and</c> appropriation was considered and appropriation was considered and approved<00:05:56.680>
• So, I obviously support that legislation.
• Um I think it's an legislation.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• from a legislator.
• and you can see the request there.
• and you can see the request there.
• Stephen Richard telling recorders not to comply with the legislative public records request.
• these requests.

Summary: The Committee on Federal and Military Affairs and Elections met with all members present and began with an extended presentation on an investigative referral packet concerning alleged voter registration anomalies from March 2023 to the present. The presenter described multiple examples of registrations tied to out-of-state residents, deceased individuals, temporary residents, and registrations allegedly generated through Service Arizona, MVD, Access, county recorders, and third-party/NGO channels. The committee also discussed a Secretary of State email about party-preference changes, discrepancies between county and state counts, and a proposed criminal referral to the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice. Members asked questions about whether the issues were glitches or intentional, and several members said the examples reflected serious problems with voter-roll maintenance and automatic voter registration. A roll call was taken on whether members wished to sign onto the referral; some declined, while others agreed, and the committee said the referral would be transmitted after the meeting. The committee then considered Senate Bill 1259, which would allow certain protected individuals to use an alternate mailing address when filing candidate and financial disclosure paperwork. The sponsor said it closes a confidentiality loophole for people whose addresses are protected for safety reasons. Members raised concerns about how the bill interacts with in-district residency requirements, but the bill passed on a 6-1 vote. Senate Bill 1281, dealing with state land procedures for covered federal designations and notification of legislative leaders about land takings, drew opposition from the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, which argued the bill was unnecessary, unfunded, and insufficiently protective of tribal consultation; it passed 4-3. Senate Bill 1037, concerning election equipment security and internet connectivity, prompted debate over whether the bill could be read to permit internet-connected election equipment and over a hostile strike-everything amendment that would have expanded voter-registration and election-administration programs, including ERIC participation and new funding. The amendment failed, and the underlying bill also failed on a 3-3-1 vote. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 1040, which would require county recorders to provide public online access to voter registration rolls and prohibit fees for downloading them. Staff explained that the bill would replace the current chairperson-request process with public access, while still excluding sensitive information such as Social Security numbers. Members debated how much information would be public and whether the bill adequately defined “voter registration rolls.” The bill passed on a 4-3 vote. The chair closed by asking members to look into school app data-sharing contracts and offered to show unredacted materials privately, then noted that dinner had been provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Senate Committee on Appropriations will now come to order.
• You know, appropriations, today we're just putting it in suspense.
• I respectfully request the support of Senate Bill 962.
• And again, ask for your I vote in the future and appropriate time. Thank you.
• This meeting of the Senate Committee on Appropriations is adjourned.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A roll call has been requested.
• </c> Republicans since that was her request. Republicans since that was her request.
• </c> and linking appropriately. and linking appropriately.
• </c><00:26:31.200><c> here</c> But if we at least as a legislators here But if we at least as a legislators
• That was our attempt yesterday at the request of co-chair Scott.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It's appropriate. Thank you.
• It's appropriate. Thank you. And Mr. it. It's appropriate. Thank you. And Mr.
• No legislator worked as hard. And no legislator knew as much about any issue as Kari Dziedzic.
• </c> fellow legislators, staff, and citizens. fellow legislators, staff, and citizens.
• </c> appropriations bill then. appropriations bill then.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So attached to all of those requests is a CPUC process.
• So attached to all of those requests is a PUC process.
• And I'm not really sure on the legislative authority about that.
• The 2045 goals is a legislative-driven mandate, correct? That's correct.
• The decision that was adopted by the PUC requested that we use these per-?

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy held an oversight hearing with leaders from the CPUC, Public Advocates Office, CAISO, the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, and the Energy Commission. Chair Petrie-Norris framed the hearing around high utility bills, wildfire risk, grid reliability, clean energy buildout, and the state’s long-term decarbonization goals, and also noted it was CPUC President Alice Reynolds’ final week at the commission. Each agency gave an update on its role: the CPUC described efforts to reduce rate increases while maintaining reliability and clean energy procurement; the Public Advocates Office focused on affordability and the need to control underlying utility costs; CAISO discussed transmission planning, market operations, and the upcoming extended day-ahead market; Energy Safety reviewed wildfire mitigation oversight and inspections; and the Energy Commission highlighted clean energy growth, EV adoption, storage, efficiency, and gasoline price monitoring. A major theme was affordability versus the costs of the clean energy transition. Reynolds said the CPUC has lowered utility revenue requests, reduced utility returns, adopted a base services charge, and reworked net metering, while also continuing to manage wildfire-related costs and support resource adequacy and demand flexibility. Sarazawa argued that recent rate decreases may not be durable because billions of dollars in wildfire and other utility costs are still pending or unbilled, and she urged tighter use of general rate cases, lower-cost financing, program reform, and more equitable rate design. Members pressed the agencies on whether state policy is sufficiently accounting for labor, local economic development, and the cost impacts of transmission and procurement decisions, especially where out-of-state resources are being considered. CAISO and the Energy Commission emphasized that the state’s planning and market reforms are helping lower costs and improve reliability. CAISO said the Western Energy Imbalance Market has produced billions in benefits, the extended day-ahead market is on track to launch, and transmission planning is being aligned with long-term resource needs while reducing queue delays. The Energy Commission said California is now getting roughly two-thirds of its power from clean sources, has added massive amounts of storage and renewables, and is seeing strong EV and charger growth that can help spread fixed grid costs. Energy Safety reported thousands of inspections, hundreds of notices of non-performance, and a decline in reportable ignitions, while noting that major fires show more work is needed. Members also raised concerns about the SB 100 report delay, memo and balancing accounts, the future of battery storage, and whether decarbonization zone pilots will affect residential and commercial customers.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not getting as much reach as I would like, so I respectfully request all legislators to follow
• ><c> all</c> So I respectfully request all So I respectfully request all legislators<00:07:52.479><c>
• We're not requesting any state appropriation, just raising the ceiling for us to expend more federal
• </c> requesting any um state appropriation. requesting any um state appropriation. uh<01:09:10.319><c
• . requests. requests.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to today's oversight hearing of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Thank you, Mr.
• I want to thank Assembly Member Alvarez for requesting this audit and for raising a fundamental and timely
• And thank you so much to Senator Alvarez for requesting this audit.
• That was legislation that was adopted in AB 2057.
• And I don't know how to feel about how to appropriately feel about both of those.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> consideration um as the city's request consideration um as the city's request and<00:03:33.959><
• I think my comments from the very beginning were appropriate to describe the bill.
• I think my comments from the very beginning were appropriate to describe the bill.
• I think my comments from the very beginning were appropriate to describe the bill.
• I think my comments from the very beginning were appropriate to describe the bill.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Then, I will take questions and request advancement at the appropriate time.
• I'm just curious: who requested this bill and why is it necessary?
• This bill was requested by constituents in my district.
• I do agree that you will vote on good legislation.
• Now, Senator Woods requests that the bill be considered.

Bills: SB1465, SB2110, SB1771, SB206, SB1584, SB1386, SB1696, SB1806, SB1428, SB1390, SB1381, SB201, SB1778, SB1332, SB1836, SB1369, SB1794, SB1290, SB175, SB1379

Keywords: professional engineers, surveyors, licensure board, sunset extension, state board, occupational licensing, engineering license, surveying license, professional regulation, regulatory board, sunset review, emergency clause, Oklahoma O.S. 59, board appointments, lay member, SB2110, eggs, ungraded eggs, graded eggs, egg sales