Transcript Highlights:

• My question is this: Will insurance pay or reimburse registered specialists, and is Medicaid okay with
• /c><00:10:52.800><c> this</c><00:10:53.560><c> um</c><00:10:54.560><c> will</c><00:10:54.920><c> insurance
• </c><00:10:55.760><c> pay</c> question is this um will insurance pay question is this um will insurance
• It is really up to the commercial insurers whether they cover this or not.
• It is really up to the commercial insurers whether they cover this or not. So it is not mandatory.

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 392, sponsored by Representative Proctor, which would help the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities pay for emergency medical and psychiatric services provided to patients outside state facilities when those facilities cannot meet their needs. Proctor described it as a continuing improvement bill to address payment issues for services delivered at community-based facilities. The bill received no substantive opposition in the meeting and passed the committee with favorable expression by a vote of 15 yes, 0 no, and 1 pass. The committee then considered House Bill 580, presented by Representative Kim Moser and Elena Sweezy, which tightens oversight of peer support specialists. The bill was described as building on House Bill 505 from the prior year by reinstating supervision requirements, adding parameters around group sizes, creating a pathway for temporary peer support specialists to become fully registered after nine months, and addressing Medicaid reimbursement and accountability concerns. Members asked about reimbursement; the sponsor said Medicaid was okay with the bill and that commercial insurance coverage would be up to insurers. Representative Fleming emphasized the need for stronger financial oversight of the peer support code. The committee adopted a substitute and title amendment, then passed the bill with favorable expression. House Bill 688 was then heard, with Representative Bratcher explaining that it addresses two issues: preventing fraud in nurse licensure by giving the Kentucky Board of Nursing more discretion to review out-of-state credentials, and expanding school authority to administer certain emergency medications. He said the bill changes the board’s authority from “shall” to “may” so it can verify transcripts, curricula, accreditation, and exam passage. During discussion, Representative Sharp explained his yes vote by noting the bill also adds rescue medications such as glucagon and Solu-Cortef and allows prescribed emergency medications for known conditions in schools. The committee passed the bill with favorable expression. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 16, which would leave decisions about adding fluoride to drinking water to local governing bodies rather than maintaining a state mandate. Supporters, including Representative David Hale, Dr. Jack Call, and Cindy Batson, argued that fluoridation should be a local choice and raised concerns about cost, potential health risks, and the precautionary principle. Opponents, including Dr. Steve Robertson of the Kentucky Dental Association, defended fluoridation as beneficial for preventing tooth decay and warned that local removal decisions could increase Medicaid costs and may not reflect the broader public interest. The transcript provided does not show a final committee vote on House Bill 16 in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Without insurance in Texas, you have very little option for inpatient care.
• You see, she turned 26, and she was dropped from my insurance policy.
• Indeed, the insurance funding in this bill is critical to all employees across the state.
• insurance.
• Medicaid only ended up having to pay our health insurance premiums through the HIP program.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Insurance taxes, that's a 2% tax on all the insurance that you pay.
• Insurance taxes, that's a 2% revenue.
• </c> tax on all the insurance that you pay. tax on all the insurance that you pay.
• </c><00:18:09.280><c> You</c><00:18:09.440><c> see</c> insurance. Communications tax.
• You see insurance. Communications tax.

Summary: The meeting was a House budget briefing focused on the overall state budget and the first of three divisions. The presenter reviewed the size and structure of the budget, noting that the state had eliminated the interest and dividends tax and still balanced the budget. He explained the major spending categories in the general fund and total budget, emphasizing that health and human services and education remain the largest areas, while transportation is largely self-funded. He also walked through the revenue picture, including business taxes, insurance taxes, court fees, communications taxes, and Medicaid recoveries, and said the remaining interest and dividends tax revenue reflected late payments from prior assessments. Members asked about the size of the tax cut from eliminating the interest and dividends tax, federal funding stability, and why Medicaid was being reduced if federal support was expected to remain steady. The response was that the lost revenue would have been about $200 million absent repeal, and that the budget gap was addressed through many small cuts across departments. On federal funds, the presenter said most aid is tied to multi-year grants and that core programs such as Medicare and Medicaid were expected to remain relatively stable, though some federal reductions could occur. He also said some agency reductions came from eliminating long-vacant, funded positions and from expected lapses. The discussion then moved into Division One, which covers smaller and miscellaneous agencies. The division made cuts to the governor’s office, eliminated a temporary position at the Governor’s Commission on Disability, reduced Department of Information Technology spending through a back-of-budget cut, and found savings in Administrative Services. It also delayed maintenance at the Sununu Youth Services Center, stopped advertising for paid family medical leave, changed retiree health insurance funding, and consolidated several personnel-related boards into one. The division eliminated the Commission on Aging and the Office of the Child Advocate, made a temporary special education advocate position permanent, reduced the Secretary of State’s budget, kept municipal rooms-and-meals distributions flat, and made changes to the retirement system, including $55 million to improve Group 2 retirement benefits and a new retirement structure for future state hires. The judicial branch was also asked to find savings and received two additional judges because of expected caseload increases from other eliminations.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:05:21.080><c> uh</c> incidents uh food safety insurance uh incidents uh food safety insurance
• carrier has not uh been able insurance carrier has not uh been able to<01:26:48.440><c> account</c><
• company, and the bill does say you have to have so much insurance and so forth.
• company, and the bill does say you have to have so much insurance and so forth.
• </c><03:10:07.640><c> and</c> you have to have so much insurance and you have to have so much insurance

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• proceeds that we can go ahead insurance proceeds that we can go ahead and<02:36:47.359><c> move</c><
• It should be Geode, I insurance money?
• monies that we are from the insurance monies that we are going going going &gt;&gt; but<03:11:53.279
• the insurance money we have the flexibility<03:11:55.120><c> to</c><03:11:55.359><c> convert.
• So there is um for the insurance bit.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to get a handle on that—what are the insurance costs that are being paid by districts?
• I'd like to get a handle on that—what are the insurance costs that are being paid by districts?
• I'd like to get a handle on that—what are the insurance costs that are being paid by districts?
• </c><06:02:04.878><c> costs</c> um I think you mentioned Insurance costs um I think you mentioned Insurance
• </c> attorneys and using and having insurance attorneys and using and having insurance I<06:29:50.760

Summary: The committee first noted that House Bill 398, concerning Holocaust and genocide studies, and House Bill 131 had already been handled previously and were off the schedule. It then took up House Bill 740, which would require the Department of Education to maintain permanent records for closed charter schools. After brief discussion about overlap with another charter-school bill that already addressed closure and records, Representative Freeman moved to table the bill. The committee voted 16-0 to table/ITL the bill, and it was placed on the consent calendar. The main discussion centered on House Bill 557, which would require additional information on school budget ballots, including average cost per pupil, enrollment history, and teacher-to-administrator ratios. Members raised concerns that the bill was duplicative of existing law, overly detailed, costly to towns, and potentially electioneering or cumbersome on ballots. Supporters argued it would improve transparency and help voters who do not attend deliberative sessions or use online resources. The committee did not vote on the bill during the discussion; instead, members moved into caucus and later indicated they would hold the bill until Monday for further review. Later, the committee turned to House Bill 699 on special education definitions and considered Amendment 0606H. The sponsor explained the amendment was developed with the Department of Education after hearing testimony and was intended to align state definitions with federal law and incorporate recommendations from a prior audit, including changing “functionally blind pupils” to “students with visual impairments.” Some members supported the changes as responsive to the hearing and audit, while others objected that the amendment was still confusing, had not fully addressed stakeholder concerns, and should wait for a more comprehensive special education audit. The discussion also referenced House Bill 754 and another amendment, but the transcript ends before final action on HB 699 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other—I'll move on from that—but the other one is related to the malpractice insurance.
• They, it basically says your insurance premiums or your rates should not increase if you do this.
• Primary care doctor insurance premiums increase because actuarially you can't just add in a person who
• I think the questions about malpractice insurance are good ones. It's not my area of expertise.
• Clearly, the suburban kid who's got insurance from his parents or from whatever, he's not going to be

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery

Summary: The Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery held a public hearing on several harm reduction bills, including measures to decriminalize simple possession and paraphernalia, authorize overdose prevention centers, and expand access to naloxone for first responders. Chair Mindy Domb and Senator John Velis opened by describing harm reduction as an evidence-based public health strategy and noting Massachusetts’ recent decline in fatal overdoses. They emphasized that testimony would help shape whether and how the bills advance, and explained the hearing process, including time limits and written testimony. Testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including Rep. Kate Donaghue, Sen. Cindy Friedman, Rep. Marjorie Decker, Rep. Manny Cruz, public health professionals, recovery advocates, and people with lived experience, argued that harm reduction saves lives, reduces stigma, and can connect people to treatment. They supported overdose prevention centers and decriminalization as tools to keep people alive long enough to enter recovery, and several speakers described personal losses to overdose or family experiences with addiction. Some supporters also framed the bills as racial justice measures, arguing that criminal penalties for possession have disproportionately harmed Black and brown communities. Opponents, including Sen. Nick Collins and several South End residents, argued that overdose prevention centers and decriminalization would worsen public drug use, crime, and neighborhood disorder, especially around Mass and Cass. They said current approaches such as Section 35, diversion, and police leverage into treatment are more effective, and they urged more treatment beds and recovery facilities instead of harm reduction sites. Committee members questioned witnesses about research, local siting, crime data, and the relationship between harm reduction and treatment, and several members said neighborhood impacts must be considered alongside overdose prevention. The committee did not take a vote during the hearing; it continued receiving testimony and announced a later break before resuming on H. 2196 and S. 1393.

Transcript Highlights:

• Recent analysis includes a 2025 ethics and public policy center study of insurance claims that indicate
• And these costs frequently fall on insurance, often including public insurance, public programs, or university
• Restricting the enterprise zone new employee health insurance tax expenditure so that it is only available
• cost, homeowner insurance costs in the state of Colorado are insane.
• Homeowner insurance costs in the state of Colorado are insane.

Transcript Highlights:

• Will private insurance cover this?
• Representative Penner: Parents don't have time to fight with insurance and Birth to Three.
• It's worth the conversation about insurance coverage in this.
• Parents don't have time to fight with insurance and birth at three.
• It's worth the conversation about insurance coverage in this.

Summary: The committee began with a public hearing on Substitute House Bill 1592, which would change how state public defense funds are distributed and, in the substitute version, keep current law on state funding responsibility while revising the allocation formula. Staff explained the bill would shift county and city distributions to a pro rata, caseload-based model, allow very low-density counties to request OPD to provide some or all public defense services, require additional data collection and reporting, and direct OPD to study caseload reductions and retention. Representative Peterson said the bill is meant to create a better structure for future state support of indigent defense without the very large cost of the original proposal. Testimony from counties, cities, OPD, defenders, and local officials was strongly supportive, emphasizing a statewide public defense crisis, rising local costs, staffing shortages, and the need for a fairer funding model. The committee then heard Substitute House Bill 1742 on environmentally sustainable urban design and Substitute House Bill 1906 on water system regulation and water rates. HB 1742 would create a center in Ecology to promote sustainable urban design, fund design competitions and grants, and establish an advisory council; the sponsor said the bill reflects a desire to support a pilot project through alternative funding, and there was no public testimony. HB 1906 would require more planning and notice for Group A water systems, add customer notice and right-of-first-refusal provisions for some ownership changes, and direct the UTC to consider external funding sources, capital planning, and rate smoothing when setting water rates. Water utility and PUD witnesses supported the goal of improving transparency and consolidation of failing small systems, while noting the substitute reduced some fiscal concerns. The committee also heard HB 2248 on Secretary of State corporate and charity filings, HB 2438 creating the SEED scholarship for early childhood education students, and HB 2515 addressing emerging large energy use facilities such as data centers. HB 2248 would redirect part of annual filing fees to the Secretary of State revolving fund, require initial reports from nonprofits and LLPs, and change trademark certificate procedures; the fiscal note showed modest revenue losses, and the division supported restoring the fee split for operational funding. HB 2438 would transfer $10 million annually from the GET account to fund scholarships and wraparound services for early childhood education degree seekers, with testimony from early learning advocates and a student describing workforce shortages and personal financial barriers. HB 2515 drew extensive testimony both for and against: supporters said it would protect ratepayers, water resources, and grid reliability by requiring tariffs, reporting, clean-energy requirements, and a fee on large energy users; opponents argued it singled out data centers, could hurt investment and jobs, and included unrelated labor and procurement provisions. After public testimony, the committee moved into executive-session briefing on several bills and amendments, including HB 1903 on statewide low-income energy assistance, HB 1909 on a court unification task force, HB 1982 on vacating certain convictions tied to treaty Indian rights, HB 2034 on LEOFF Plan 1 retirement changes, HB 2105 on employer notice of federal I-9 audits, HB 2210 on ranked-choice voting, HB 2215 on Climate Commitment Act fuel supplier obligations, and HB 2271 on post-consumer recycled content requirements. Staff summarized proposed substitutes and amendments, with several changes aimed at reducing or shifting fiscal impacts, narrowing agency duties, or striking provisions entirely.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you have a payment mix which includes a good number of people with private insurance, a reasonable
• If you have a good number of people with private insurance, a reasonable number of people with Medicare
• A lot of sick people, but not a sufficient number with private insurance and not a sufficient number
• And as the people who can pay and the people with private insurance are attracted to these facilities
• are attracted to to these insurance are attracted to to these facilities,<00:30:14.240><c> it</c><00

Committee: Joint Public Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• It may be working with their insurance company to finally get, you know, someplace to live, or it could
• So it's not like our homeowners didn't have insurance.
• , and we saw the value of homeowners insurance in this particular disaster because the way that it was
• Flooding typically, most people don't have flood insurance, or if they do, it's extremely expensive,
• So, insurance works and insurance is covering a big piece of this disaster that occurred down there in

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the prior meeting minutes, and then spent much of the meeting recognizing members of the Falmouth Police Department and related support personnel. Representatives and senators described the department’s response to a May 17, 2025 shooting between two vehicles, saying officers secured the area, apprehended suspects, and prevented further harm within about 30 minutes. They also recognized Officer Jonathan Bis for helping rescue a person from a burning storage facility on May 3, and honored Chaplain Abram Croer and police administrator Marilyn Belure for their support roles. Members praised the officers’ service and presented citations; one member also noted the recent flooding in Falmouth and the strain on local responders. The committee also observed a moment of silence for a firefighter who died after a vehicle crash while responding to a call. The committee then recognized Sergeant Major Jimmy Thorne, USMC (Ret.), with a lengthy citation for his military service and community involvement. The citation highlighted more than three decades of service, including Vietnam, Lebanon, Somalia, multiple injuries, exposure to Agent Orange, and numerous decorations such as the Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal. Speakers also noted his continued civic work in Williamstown and Grant County. Thorne thanked the committee, said enlisting in the Marine Corps and moving to Kentucky were two of his proudest decisions, and received a committee coin. Members and guests offered additional remarks about his character and service. Finally, Brigadier General Charles Jones and Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson gave an update on spring storm response and recovery. They said Kentucky has had three declared disasters and one undeclared event this year, with 113 of 120 counties affected in the last 12 months, including February flooding, April flooding, and May tornadoes; a January ice storm appeal was denied. Gibson emphasized the rising frequency and cost of disasters, citing about $350 million in public assistance over the first 10 years of the period reviewed versus about $2 billion in the last five years. He reported on sheltering, disaster recovery centers, FEMA and SBA assistance, and said about $57 million in individual assistance had been paid and nearly $69 million obligated, while public assistance projects were still moving through review and payment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Basically, like an insurance company can go back to an SUDD provider a year, 10 years later, and say,
• Part of the reason that they don't, a lot of them don't take insurance is because of the unlimited time
• in which insurance companies can come and claw back money, often if they have two insurances, but the
• ><c> in</c><01:29:06.880><c> which</c><01:29:07.360><c> insurance</c> unlimited time in which insurance
• unlimited time in which insurance companies<01:29:08.080><c> can</c><01:29:08.239><c> come</c><01:29

Transcript Highlights:

• was actually going to be their insurance.
• was actually going to be their insurance.
• was actually going to be their insurance.
• was actually going to be their insurance.
• was actually going to be their insurance.

Bills: HF2431 , HF2438 , HF2783 , HF1943

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• They have private insurance coming into them. They have ERS.
• We discovered that ERS pays them a higher rate than any private insurance just because we do.
• And we discovered that ERS pays them a higher rate than any private insurance just because we do.
• For example, if there is an unemployment insurance claim, that jurisdiction for an investigation lies
• It also has participation in membership from the insurance companies, the managed care organizations.

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee met to hear interim charges on higher education transparency and on preventing fraud, waste, and abuse in state government. The chair emphasized accountability for taxpayer dollars and asked witnesses to address financial reporting, audit practices, and whether more frequent or comprehensive audits would improve oversight. Legislative Budget Board staff described how public university systems and most community colleges respond to requests about internal audit practices, noting that university systems generally follow a similar annual audit timeline and that community colleges use a more varied mix of internal and external audit arrangements. Members focused on gaps in reporting, especially Texas Southern University’s missing submissions for several years and Collin County Community College’s nonresponse to the LBB survey. The State Auditor’s Office then outlined its higher education audit work, including mandatory statewide single audits, DEI compliance audits, HUB and State Use Program audits, benefits proportional audits, and discretionary audits based on risk. The auditor said the office has released 43 higher-ed audit reports since fiscal year 2021 and has two audits in progress, and explained that internal audit reports from institutions help guide future audit selection. Senators pressed the office on the lack of enforcement authority, the value of internal auditors at each institution, and whether community colleges should have more standardized reporting and audit requirements. The auditor and general counsel said the SAO can refer suspected fraud to law enforcement but cannot itself enforce findings, while several senators suggested stronger clawback authority and more robust internal audit structures. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board explained that it collects annual financial reports, sources-and-uses data, and community college finance reports, and uses them for funding formulas and other reporting. It also trains governing board members and said it has limited regulatory authority, though community colleges must certify compliance annually and can lose eligibility for state funds if they do not. Members questioned the reliability of self-attested data, the adequacy of board training, and whether a single reporting structure would be more efficient. During public testimony, a ScholarShot representative argued for clearer, student-facing financial transparency so students can see total cost of attendance and the gap they must cover before enrolling.

Transcript Highlights:

• the world around us, 3 to 7% annually, as we weren't seeing any increases despite fuel, grocery, insurance
• <00:32:23.360><c> grocery,</c> increases despite fuel, grocery, increases despite fuel, grocery, insurance
• , uh medical benefits, all of insurance, uh medical benefits, all of those<00:32:27.039><c> things</c
• You know, I do have customers through my insurance agency who are in the nursing home.
• </c> insurance and things like that already. insurance and things like that already.

Committee: Senate Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• In my opinion, there's a serious benefit to property owners, renters, insurers, and the economy to have
• There's also the fact that this is somewhat the cheapest form of insurance we can get.
• Fund because I think that's Insurance Fund because I think that's where<00:31:47.559><c> that's</c><
• I'm just saying that, you know, that's kind of the point of insurance in a way, and doing a fund like
• </c><00:35:20.960><c> in</c> that's kind of the point of insurance in that's kind of the point of insurance

Committee: House Energy & Environmental Protection

Summary: The committee on Energy and Environmental Protection heard testimony on Senate Bill 897, which would create a Wildlife Liability Trust Fund within DCCA for administrative purposes. The chair opened by noting the hearing had to end by noon because of floor session, and that written testimony would be considered if not all witnesses could speak. Testimony included support from DCCA, the Attorney General’s office, the Public Utilities Commission, Charter Communications, Ulupono Initiative, AES Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric, Clearway Energy Group, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, Hawaiian Telcom, and IBW Local 1260, with opposition or concerns from the Hawaii Association for Justice and some others. Hawaiian Electric strongly supported the bill and asked for amendments, saying the fund would help address wildfire liability, protect customers and the economy, and support restoration of investment-grade credit; it also proposed a larger shareholder contribution and said the bill was part of a broader effort to raise settlement funds and improve grid safety and resiliency. Committee members focused heavily on whether the bill would actually lower costs for ratepayers and improve credit ratings. DCCA said there was a nexus between limiting liability, creating a sufficiently large wildfire fund, and transparent mitigation requirements, but acknowledged there was no guarantee of a credit-rating improvement or precise estimate of rate impacts. Members questioned Hawaiian Electric about the assumptions in its cost comparisons, the 30-year securitization structure, and whether funding could be shifted later to shareholders after credit was restored. Hawaiian Electric responded that the bill assumes the fund is paid through securitization, that removing that presumption could undermine the credit-rating benefit, and that its models suggest credit-spread savings could offset the customer charge over time; it also said it would follow up with additional analysis. The company and Ulupono both described the measure as a difficult but potentially necessary way to socialize wildfire risk and avoid a larger crisis later. The Hawaii Association for Justice opposed the bill’s liability caps and raised concerns about consumer rights, oversight discretion, statute-of-limitations changes, and evidence rules. Hawaiian Telcom suggested amendments to clarify compliance with FCC pole-attachment agreements. No vote or final action was taken during the portion of the hearing provided, and members indicated they wanted more analysis before being comfortable with the bill’s long-term ratepayer impacts.

Transcript Highlights:

• So can you—I imagine insurance companies are keyed into this, you know, car insurance companies are keyed
• The state bid for all your vehicles, and you get the state being self-insured that we don't have, and
• we have to pay for our own insurance, pay for our own cars, and everything.
• that we don't have, and we have to pay for our own insurance, pay for our own cars, and everything.
• that we don't have we don't self-insured that we don't have we don't have<00:40:47.960><c> that</c><

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• In other legislation, so revenue-related legislation, I'd point out a couple bills: 2487, insurer taxes
• There is $1 billion in Near General Fund Outlook over the four years provided for the self-insurance

Summary: The conference committee on Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5998 received a detailed briefing from House and Senate budget coordinators on the operating budget conference report. They walked through comparison documents showing the Senate-passed budget, House-passed budget, and the conference proposal, including statewide totals, agency-level changes, revenue assumptions, transfers, and outlook impacts. The proposal uses the February 2026 ERFC forecast, includes an $880 million transfer from the Budget Stabilization Account to the general fund, and reflects various revenue-related bills and prior-period adjustment assumptions. The coordinators highlighted major spending and policy changes across several areas, including Working Families Tax Credit expansion, local government fiscal health funding, child care attendance policy changes, behavioral health facility and staffing adjustments, long-term care support for certain non-citizens affected by federal changes, health care and public health responses to H.R. 1, K-12 changes such as free school meals contingent on legislation, Running Start and transportation depreciation adjustments, higher education administrative reductions, corrections staffing and bed changes, and natural resources funding including wildfire response and low-income energy assistance. They said the conference report results in $80.2 billion in near general fund spending for 2025-27, with projected ending fund balances of $231 million in 2025-27 and $563 million in 2027-29, though fiscal year 2028 shows a negative near general fund ending balance. After the briefing, Senator Robinson moved to adopt the conference report and pass the bill, and the motion was seconded. Supporters said the budget reflected a compromise between House and Senate proposals and protected core services, while opponents criticized it as overly reliant on optimistic revenue assumptions, the rainy day fund transfer, and reductions in K-12 and other areas. The committee then voted 4-2 to recommend the conference report to the legislature, with Representatives Gregerson and Ormsby and Senators Robinson and Stanford in support, and Representative Couture and Senator Gildon opposed.

Transcript Highlights:

• In other legislation, so revenue-related legislation, I'd point out a couple bills: 2487, insurer taxes
• There is $1 billion in near-general fund outlook over the four years provided for the self-insurance

Summary: The conference committee on Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5998 met to review the operating budget conference report. House and Senate budget coordinators walked through comparison documents showing the Senate-passed budget, House-passed budget, and the conference proposal, including statewide totals, agency detail, revenue assumptions, transfers, and the four-year outlook. They said the conference budget uses the February 2026 ERFC forecast, includes an $880 million transfer from the budget stabilization account to the general fund, and reflects a four-year net near-general-fund impact of about $800 million, with an ending fund balance of $231 million in 2025-27 and $563 million in 2027-29. They also noted that future collective bargaining agreements are not included in the outlook beyond those already settled. The briefing highlighted major policy items across the budget, including Working Families Tax Credit expansion, a proposed city and county fiscal health account, changes to Working Connections child care attendance payments, behavioral health facility and staffing adjustments, long-term care funding for certain non-citizen residents affected by federal changes, Apple Health and other health-related responses to H.R. 1, K-12 changes such as free school meals contingent on related legislation, Running Start and transportation depreciation adjustments, higher education administrative reductions, corrections staffing and bed changes, wildfire response funding, and state employee compensation agreements. Members also discussed the budget’s reliance on revenue measures and transfers, including legislation referenced as 2487, 6228, 6231, and 6346. After the presentation, Senator Robinson moved adoption of the conference report and passage of the bill as recommended by the committee. In discussion, supporters said the budget protected core services and responded to federal H.R. 1 impacts, while opponents criticized the size of the budget, the use of reserves, future outlook assumptions, and reductions in some K-12 and other programs. The committee then voted 4-2 to recommend the conference report and ESSB 5998 to the legislature, with Representatives Gregerson and Ormsby and Senators Robinson and Stanford in favor, and Representative Couture and Senator Gildon opposed.

Transcript Highlights:

• railroad infrastructure expenditures and clarifies the order in which tax credits are taken against insurance
• from certain promissory notes from two to three years and provides a one-year exemption for flood insurance