Transcript Highlights:

• state significant resources while still ensuring that there's some dignity and a resemblance of fair pay
• This only raises their actively fighting a wildfire pay.
• And we should depart from that and at least pay folks the federal minimum wage who are fighting to save
• We're working through the family with right now, but it's just my fear that because of the pay raise,
• not having them do this work, you are having Cal firefighters do this work at significantly higher pay

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• $400, they're going to be paying $600.
• $400 they're going to instead of paying $400 they're going to be<00:37:23.760><c> paying</c> $600<00
• </c><02:00:53.360><c> into</c> the applicant would have to pay into the applicant would have to pay into
• Okay, this pays again real quickly.
• </c><02:40:14.319><c> in</c><02:40:14.479><c> those</c> um to pay for pay for staff in those um to pay

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from the Department of Environmental Services on proposed changes in House Bill 2 and related technical changes in House Bill 1 tied to the governor’s permitting realignment initiative. The proposal would move environmental review staff from Fish and Game and DNCR to DES to create a more centralized “one-stop shop” for applicants needing DES permits, especially for wildlife and natural heritage reviews. DES said the goal is to speed permitting, support a 60-day review clock, and improve coordination among agencies while keeping the substantive review work in place. Members asked about staffing impacts, the scope of the transferred duties, and whether the change would create redundancy or weaken the other agencies. DES said most of the affected staff work primarily on these reviews, though Fish and Game staff also handle other state and federal reviews, which is why the proposal was adjusted to keep one of the four Fish and Game positions there and move three to DES, along with two positions from DNCR. DES also described a new supervisory position in HB 2 to manage the transferred staff within its land resources bureau. Officials said the reviews would still be done by specialists, but under DES supervision, and that the agencies would continue to coordinate recommendations on species impacts and mitigation. The committee also discussed fee increases intended to offset costs, including a 50% increase in wetlands fees and a 100% increase in alteration-of-terrain fees, with the department saying the changes would cover the new positions. Members raised concerns about impacts on private homeowners, possible incentives to work without permits, and whether fines should be used more as a revenue source or for mitigation. DES said wetlands permits are roughly split between homeowner-related and commercial projects, that permit-by-notification already creates a two-tier structure for smaller projects, and that enforcement relies partly on public complaints and online permitting systems. The department also said most fines currently go to the general fund and vary widely year to year, with about $75,000 budgeted, and that the proposal would also create permit-by-notification authority for alteration-of-terrain projects between 100,000 and 150,000 square feet, mirroring language in Senate Bill 110. No vote or final committee action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:45:36.800><c> for</c> even get a house to pay for even get a house to pay for groceries<00:45
• The same pay wage. So it is very concerning. I've got a list here of examples of five homes.
• The same pay wage. So it is very concerning. I've got a list here of examples of five homes.
• A lot of that does depend on pay and wages.
• Further, our private-pay residents give us no way of shifting costs to meet those obligations.

Bills: HF2367, HF2319, HF2523, HF1742, HF671, HF2331, HF2722, HF2406, HF1674

Keywords: HF2367, Community First Services and Supports, CFSS, personal care assistance, PCA, consumer-directed community supports, CDCS, home and community-based services, HCBS, direct support professionals, direct care workers, caregivers, support workers, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa, collective bargaining agreement, retention stipend, health care cost stipend, training stipend, orientation program, retirement trust

Transcript Highlights:

• And then those funds are used directly to buy or to pay down the student loans that they have.
• Um, but in all circumstances, we just don't pay.
• </c> this fall term we just started paying this fall term we just started paying out<01:26:04.480><c>
• It would just help pay the bill. Okay, thank you.
• </c><01:31:27.320><c> the</c> $376 it would just help pay the $376 it would just help pay the bill<01

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So a person is not required to pay over a certain amount according to statute.
• to $310 more to spend each year because I'm no longer paying that for insurance?”
• “And it counts toward their co-pay offset.” “Yeah. Yeah.
• for and what they're asking employees to pay for?
• So there are federal requirements that vendors disclose to agents what they're paying.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• for it while the debt service is—who's paying for it?
• So it's really who's paying for what.
• It's paying for what portion of the tunnel.
• Certainly makes sense to have everyone pay their fair share.
• Do you know how much it is a day that they are owed that pay?

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And he needed that income to pay for his bills, his rent, and even his Medicare co-pays.
• But again, we do not have the ability to require plans to pay that higher rate.
• We were able to pay... Stop lying. That is really? Yes. That is phenomenal.
• Our funding currently pays for four full-time staff.
• We definitely stand on their shoulders, and so it's time for us to pay it back.

Summary: The joint Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing focused first on long-term services and supports for older adults, especially the “forgotten/overlooked middle” who earn too much for Medi-Cal but cannot afford private long-term care. Administration witnesses from DHCS, the Department of Aging, and Social Services described Medicare’s limited long-term care coverage, Medi-Cal’s role, the elimination of the Medi-Cal asset test, and ongoing state studies and listening sessions on financing options. Testimony from advocates and researchers emphasized rising homelessness among older adults, the need for better navigation and coordination across health, aging, housing, and social service systems, and short-term policy steps such as share-of-cost reform, housing stability supports, and protecting home- and community-based services. Members highlighted the need for a coordinated, no-wrong-door approach and asked for the most impactful budget investments to address affordability and homelessness risk. The second major topic was the Community-Based Adult Services (CBAS) program. CDA reported that CBAS helps participants remain in the community, that 304 centers operate statewide serving about 42,000 people, and that demand is stable but access gaps remain in some regions. DHCS explained that a 2024 rate increase authorized by SB 159 became inoperative after Proposition 35, and that a separate 10% rate change on the fee schedule was the result of a DHCS system error; the department said it would not require recoupment, though managed care plans may act under their contracts. CBAS providers and advocates warned that reimbursement rates have not kept pace with costs, that several centers have closed, and that clawbacks could trigger more closures. They requested $74.8 million ongoing General Fund to close part of the rate gap and preserve the program, while members expressed concern about closures and the cost savings of keeping people out of more expensive institutional care. The hearing then moved to In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and statewide collective bargaining. CDSS reviewed provider recruitment and retention efforts, including electronic timesheets, direct deposit, and the now-completed IHSS Career Pathways program, which trained more than 59,000 providers. CDSS also summarized its AB 102 workgroup report on statewide versus regional bargaining, saying the final report would be sent to the Legislature soon and that statewide bargaining appeared more viable than regional bargaining, though it would require clear statutory scope and major fiscal changes. The department estimated that each $1 per hour statewide wage increase would cost at least $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion annually. Labor advocates argued that IHSS wages, benefits, and training are too inconsistent across counties and called for statewide bargaining, consumer participation, and ongoing state funding. County representatives supported stronger wages but cautioned that counties need protection from new costs and administrative burdens, and consumer advocates warned that moving bargaining to the state could weaken local consumer control and the program’s consumer-driven structure.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:26:08.320><c> from</c><00:26:08.559><c> the</c> uh 100% pay from the uh 100% pay from the VA<
• for college for ability for them to pay for college for their<00:31:04.240><c> kids.
• the $30,000 he needed to pay for his wife's surgery out of pocket.
• </c> wouldn't have to pay the insurance cost. wouldn't have to pay the insurance cost.
• As a 100% cost to pay for her treatment.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:10:47.679><c> the</c> to say look I'm I'm trying to pay the to say look I'm I'm trying to pay
• </c> them from the initial start 90 days pay them from the initial start 90 days pay the<01:11:25.679
• almost a week's pay for this fine in that 30-day period.
• almost a week's pay for this fine in that 30-day period.
• almost a week's pay for this fine in that 30-day period.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Every ratepayer in Minnetonka Beach pays $600 a month to finance that water treatment plant, and they
• Every ratepayer in Minnetonka Beach pays $600 a month to finance that water treatment plant, and they
• Uh we're a trusted we pay our bills.
• The one thing that is different this year, um, is that we have to pay for the debt service.
• um, is that we have to pay for the debt<00:12:29.960><c> service.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: Senate leaders and supporters held a press availability focused on passing a state capital investment, or bonding, bill this session. Chair Sandy Pappas said the state has received more than $7 billion in project requests and is pushing for a $1.4 billion bonding package to address infrastructure needs such as clean water, state parks and trails, college and university repairs, sewer capacity for housing growth, and other public facilities. She and other speakers stressed that delaying projects raises costs and that they do not expect a special session, making action before adjournment especially important. Testimony from labor and legislative leaders emphasized the economic benefits of bonding. Anthony Wilkie of SMART Local 10 said public bonding projects create work hours for skilled trades and cited Fraser Hall at the University of Minnesota as an example of a project that employed union members. Senator Nick Frentz argued that bonding supports jobs, especially in greater Minnesota, and highlighted water infrastructure needs, including communities facing manganese contamination and high water rates if they must finance treatment plants alone. Senator Ann Johnson Stewart pointed to PFAS-related water treatment costs in Minnetonka Beach and said she would support higher education and water projects. Majority Leader Erin Murphy said the Senate is working toward the $1.4 billion target, noting the state’s AAA bond rating and the need to keep borrowing costs low. She also said the recent Metro Surge period led to about 4,000 lost construction jobs, strengthening the case for a bill this year. In response to questions, Pappas said negotiations with Senator Housley and House leaders were underway but still early, with no final target set yet; she said staff are preparing project lists and language, and that some items, such as HCMC, may move separately. No formal vote was taken in the exchange, but the speakers expressed optimism about reaching a bipartisan agreement before session end.

Transcript Highlights:

• These are pay plan appropriation requests.
• What under that is in the pay plan? That just looks like grants disbursement, not pay plan.
• We're on H, the pay plan. Where are you referencing, please? You're a little...
• They'll use existing salary savings to pay for these. Okay.
• You have pay plan...

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , I pay them a per diem, and then they take the calls that normally a Lewiston trooper would take.
• They got 3% on part of their pay, not all of their pay.
• , you'll pay your house off seven years earlier, whatever the number is.
• So now what we're asking is for local governments to pay the bill, at least in part.
• Of course, having the need to increase the pay, I recognize that.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The maximum Cal Grant B Access Award that helps students pay for non-tuition college essentials such
• opportunities that could further my career and my academics because I may not have enough money to pay
• myself, at the Gardens, Carlos Park, and at Sac State, I see the effects of students struggling to pay
• ... ...on their board and prevents a company from paying a UC official, a UC executive, to serve the
• Not only have they been caught up in a pay-to-play scheme, their spouse or their partner or something

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know we pay up to 22%, take tax dollars, pay up to 22% of salaries depending on, you know, different
• I know we pay up to 22, take tax dollars, pay up to 22% of salaries depending on, you know, different
• The training we pay for, those Louisiana residents, is the salary where we are supplementing.
• the exact same rate as the small business in a community with five employees is paying.
• paying.

Summary: The House Committee on Commerce met on March 11, 2026, opened with roll call and adoption of prior minutes, interim amendments, and the committee rules for the new session. Members then took up several bills, with technical amendments adopted on multiple measures before final committee action. The committee also deferred House Bill 267 because the author was absent. House Bill 853 by Representative McMakin, dealing with misleading solicitations by non-government entities, drew the most discussion. The committee adopted technical amendments and a concept amendment tying enforcement to the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, with members and Secretary of State Nancy Landry discussing the meaning of “may” versus “shall,” the scope of “foreign” entities, and whether the bill covered mail, email, and other digital solicitations. The Secretary of State’s office supported the bill as a consumer-protection measure against deceptive government-like mailings, and the committee reported the bill favorably with amendments. House Bill 618, also by Representative McMakin, would adjust Louisiana Economic Development fees and related cost provisions. Secretary of LED gave a detailed presentation on the department’s recent restructuring, investment totals, job creation, small-business support, and the Source Louisiana platform, while members questioned fee impacts, hardship waivers, competitive effects, and how LED tracks incentives and job data. After adopting technical amendments and an amendment removing biannual inflationary adjustments, the committee reported the bill favorably with amendments. House Bill 207 by Representative Henry, revising the Louisiana Auctioneer’s Licensing Board’s membership, domicile, and related provisions, was amended to keep consumer members and clarify venue in East Baton Rouge Parish before being reported favorably. House Bill 300 by Representative Riser, raising the appraisal threshold for certain state bank residential loans from $250,000 to $400,000, was reported favorably after discussion of federal alignment and appraisal safeguards. House Bill 464 by Representative Riser, requiring more centralized reporting of damaged utilities through 811 and related notifications, received support from utility and 811 representatives and was also reported favorably. The committee adjourned after adopting a motion to do so.

Transcript Highlights:

• He believed paying the debt back was critical to the survival of a brand new nation.
• We had a $2.7 billion debt, and immediately after, we started paying it off.
• After World War II, we again began paying the debt down based on.
• Before it pays anything for our veterans, before it pays anything for Social Security, Medicaid, or anything
• else, it pays its interest.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, they might order something that never arrives or they pay for a service they never receive,
• but in the context of That never arrives, or they pay for a service they never receive.
• They asked people to buy a CD or donate using a tap-to-pay technology.
• They asked people to buy a CD or donate using a tap-to-pay technology.
• But traditionally, then, what happens is you pay whatever you've raised your card for, and Is you pay

Summary: The Consumer Protection and Business Committee held a work session on emerging consumer protection issues, focusing on elder fraud, charity fraud, and the impact of artificial intelligence on scams. Assistant Attorneys General from the Consumer Protection Division described the division’s broader enforcement work, including actions on rent stabilization, government imposter scams, service member refunds, senior living facilities, data breaches, and cases involving TikTok and Meta. They said elder fraud is often the same fraud seen in other age groups, but older adults tend to lose more money when victimized, especially in imposter scams and investment scams. The attorneys reviewed FTC data showing rising fraud losses nationwide and in Washington, with social media, bank transfers, cryptocurrency, and gift cards highlighted as especially important channels for losses. Members asked about underreporting, recovery of funds, and what consumers should do when they suspect a scam. The presenters said complaints can be reported to the Attorney General’s Consumer Resource Center and DFI, and that the most effective policy responses would likely target payment methods, especially crypto kiosks and other fast, irreversible transfer systems. They also said the AGO uses enforcement, consumer education, and scam alerts, but that many scams are difficult to pursue because perpetrators are overseas or untraceable. On charity fraud, the Charitable Asset Protection Team described several deceptive practices, including false charities, imposter charities, fundraising-first charities, causewashing, and point-of-sale solicitations. They said charity scams are underreported because donors often do not realize they were misled, and they pointed to concerns about crowdfunding platforms and commercial fundraising processors, including the collapse of Flip Cause and unpaid donations to Washington charities. The presenters recommended modernizing the Charitable Solicitation Act, increasing transparency and disclosure for point-of-sale fundraising, and strengthening public education through the AGO and Secretary of State programs such as Assured Giving and Assured Impact. The presentation closed with a discussion of AI, which the attorneys said is making scams harder to detect through deepfakes, voice cloning, AI-generated messages, and automated scam operations. They said AI can also be used to create fake charities and online ecosystems that appear legitimate, and noted that business and charity registration systems can often be completed without human interaction. No votes were taken; the committee adjourned after questions and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's an important economic development tool that helps growth pay for growth by using the incremental
• increase in property tax that's generated within an area to pay for the public infrastructure.
• It's an important economic development tool that helps growth pay for growth by using the incremental
• increase in property tax that's generated within an area to pay for the public infrastructure.
• This bill pays someone just to add a different fuel to the flames. Mother Nature has a fever.

Bills: HB1983, HB1974, HB2334, HB2367, HB2650, HB2655

Keywords: timberland, real estate, excise tax, governmental entities, property taxation, land bank, land banking authority, affordable housing, housing crisis, housing supply, public corporation, public housing authority, nonprofit housing, tax-foreclosed property, blight remediation, redevelopment, anti-displacement, equity, redlining, racial segregation

Transcript Highlights:

• If you pay, you know, if you pay for... Did I hit something again? I broke it. I broke it.
• Did</c><00:10:47.440><c> I</c><00:10:47.600><c> hit</c> pay you know if you pay for um Did I hit pay
• you know if you pay for um Did I hit something<00:10:48.079><c> again?
• Um, you know, we make sure that you get the amount of gas that you pay for.
• It'd be a good time to pay that lower.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:20 Approval of Minutes 00:00:41 Department of Agriculture 00:01:06, 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government met for its third meeting, approved the minutes, and heard a budget presentation from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Department representatives Brandon Reid, Lee Macintosh, and Mark Bolan outlined the agency’s funding mix and requested support for several priorities in House Bill 500, including continuation of existing items, county fair grants, and an additional $5 million for the new economic development fund. They also discussed a capital request to replace two aging scale trucks, noting the vehicles are from 2002 and 2006 and have become unreliable and expensive to repair. The department emphasized several additional needs: funding to begin regulating and inspecting electric vehicle charging stations through the weights and measures division, retention and recruitment funding after losing 108 employees over three years, and a request to pay off tobacco-related debt service so more money can flow through the tobacco formula. They also cited House Bill 417, filed by Speaker Osborne, as supporting farmland preservation, saying the agency has a program ready but needs funding to implement it. Officials said the farm-to-food-banks and rural mental health items in the budget were acceptable as reduced by the tobacco formula. Members asked questions about pump inspection fees and staffing losses. The department said the inspection fee is $100 per station, not per pump, and that the same fee applies even to larger stations. On retention and recruitment, officials said the cost of turnover is significant but they did not have a dollar estimate. No votes were taken beyond the motion to approve the minutes, and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• Establish a long-term goal of fixing the minimum pay for these positions at 75% of the.
• And that doesn't include co-pays and deductibles.
• or if she can go to the doctor because the premiums are just they take that much of her pay.
• Addressing pay for our support staffs and our other folks. And, Mr.
• And so certainly I was paying very close attention.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We answer the phone, we pay our bills and we treat our members like they're our family.
• You have to pay back paid claim with interest.
• We pay them.
• We've received 30 million claims through October and we pay those in an average of 6 days.
• We pay them, as you know, according to to the great set by AHCA.