Transcript Highlights:

• That's Camas County, Gooding County, and rural Twin Falls County.
• I'm a daughter of a miner and particularly fond of rural Idaho, so happy to be here.
• And particularly fond of rural Idaho, so happy to be here. Thank you, and welcome, everyone.
• This was developed by in-house within Legislative Services, with our impact review team spearheading
• The base budget builder seeks to show, over a period of time, what were the ongoing impacts or the ongoing

Summary: The Resources and Conservation Committee convened with introductory remarks from Chair Mendive and members, who briefly described their districts and backgrounds. The chair outlined committee procedures, noted the committee would move quickly on RSs, and mentioned that some Fish and Game administrative rules could draw significant public interest and may be handled in a separate Zoom meeting because of their impact on hunting and other issues. The committee then considered three RSs. RS 32850, presented by Rep. Boyle, would move existing Forest Products Commission rules into law; it was introduced after brief questions about timber assessments. RS 32975, also by Rep. Boyle, would memorialize Congress to clarify federal land exchange procedures under FLPMA after a long-running BLM exchange was challenged in court; it was introduced. RS 32883, presented by Rep. Manwaring, would move the Soil and Water Conservation Commission from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Water Resources as part of an efficiency review; members raised concerns about preserving agricultural issues and committee jurisdiction, but the RS was introduced. Rep. Tanner then gave a presentation on budgeting and JFAC, urging members to review whether older laws and associated costs are still functioning as intended and to consider committee input on budget issues, including dedicated funds and agency reserves. Discussion focused on whether cuts to dedicated funds could affect agencies such as Fish and Game or local districts, with members cautioning against undermining locally managed reserves. Tanner said he was not proposing sweeping dedicated funds, but encouraging review of reserves and fees. He also raised concerns about DEQ staffing and permitting capacity in the context of federal primacy and litigation risk. Finally, budget analyst Janet Jessup demonstrated legislative budget tools and publications, including the base budget builder, budget book, fiscal report, fiscal source book, and performance measures, before the committee adjourned after volunteers were secured to proof the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• UT Austin's Sorority and Fraternity Life Outstanding Service Award, a testament to their continued impact
• This organization is dedicated to advancing rural facilitating retention and creation of jobs, and increased
• Their preservation efforts include the Rural African American Heritage Grants Program which helps restore
• school board members, develop public service projects, and participate in policy. discussions that impact
• Providers like the Texas Affiliate. of affordable housing providers, Rural Rental Housing Association

Keywords: legislation, testimonies, committee meeting, public interest, bills

Summary: The committee meeting was conducted with several discussions surrounding various proposed bills, addressing both public interests and legislative concerns. Specific bills were presented, and members debated the implications of each, emphasizing their potential impact on the community and state regulations. Notably, several testimonies were heard from stakeholders, which enriched the conversation and provided different perspectives on the bills being reviewed.

Transcript Highlights:

• UT Austin's Sorority and Fraternity Life Outstanding Service Award, a testament to their continued impact
• This organization is dedicated to advancing rural facilitating retention and creation of jobs, and increased
• Their preservation efforts include the Rural African American Heritage Grants Program, which helps restore
• school board members, develop public service projects, and participate in policy. discussions that impact
• Providers like the Texas Affiliate. of affordable housing providers, Rural Rental Housing Association

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, these are climate impacts, and there are other things that impact these, but this is the Earth telling
• The thing is, these impacts are mild compared to what is coming.
• Three to 4,000 deaths in Minnesota are impacted by air quality.
• Let's look at the impact of fossil fuels on inflation.
• If we could are impacted by air quality.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> a loss of revenue would obviously impact a loss of revenue would obviously impact our<00:18:03.360
• We are the largest rural provider of EMS in New Hampshire.
• Um finally, I impacts on reimbursement.
• Um, so I could have could impact EMS.
• impact on the<01:45:09.760><c> nursing</c><01:45:10.080><c> homes.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Bill has a fiscal impact not in the governor's budget and I'm happy to take questions.
• This is important because the data center tax preference prior to 2022 was only for rural counties.
• From a rural economic development perspective, that's concerning to us.
• That's a significant departure that will have long-term impacts for the CCA program. Thanks.
• That's a significant departure that will have long-term impacts for the CCA program. Thanks.

Bills: HB2515 , HB2343 , HB2301 , HB2272 , HB2367

Committee: House Environment & Energy

Keywords: energy facilities, large energy use, regulation, state oversight, infrastructure, water quality, game farms, public health, environmental protection, regulatory oversight, extended producer responsibility, paint waste management, environmental regulations, sustainability, recycling, ski areas, winter sports, terminology update, recreation, regulatory changes

Transcript Highlights:

• And so any type of volatility in intakes or releases, it does have an impact.
• So now I want to talk, excuse me, a little bit about impacts.
• So now I want to talk, excuse me, a little bit about impacts.
• There's a lot of fluctuation in enrollment in rural areas.
• There's a lot of fluctuation in enrollment in rural areas.

Summary: The committee began with a work session on juvenile rehabilitation institution capacity, services, and staffing. DCYF Assistant Secretary Jennifer Redmond described overcrowding at Green Hill School and Echo Glen, driven by longer adult-style sentences extending past age 25, limited community placements, and small facility sizes. She said Green Hill remains above safe operating capacity, but staffing, injuries, large-scale aggression, and use-of-force incidents have improved over the past year. She also discussed Harbor Heights, a new 46-bed flex facility that had opened with 22 youth and would expand once a medical trailer arrives, as well as community transition services, vocational programming, behavior management reforms, and a request for more resources for mental health-focused facilities and staffing. Members asked about success metrics, developmental disability screening and supports, college access at Echo Glen, Mission Creek planning, and gender-responsive programming; Redmond said JR uses assessments, family involvement, and specialized living units, and that some requested funding had already been secured for returning a girls’ program at Echo Glen. The committee then heard from Team Child and the Youth Action Coalition. Greta Schultz said youth perspectives should guide system reforms and identified key concerns: overuse of sentence extensions, underuse of community transition services, continued criminal referrals from Green Hill to Lewis County, limited family contact, inadequate mental health access, and unequal education opportunities, especially for young women at Echo Glen. Justella Gonzalez, a former system-involved youth, said her time in county and state facilities was harmful, with staff mistreatment, poor education, limited therapy access, and humiliating restraint practices; she also said girls at Echo Glen lacked the same college opportunities as boys at Green Hill. Committee members asked for follow-up on county versus state experiences and on telehealth mental health services. The next presentation covered county-level services for youth involved or at risk of involvement with the justice system, led by juvenile court administrators Christine Simon-Smeyer and Judge Rachel Anderson. They outlined the juvenile court continuum from prevention and truancy work through diversion, detention alternatives, community supervision, and disposition alternatives, emphasizing evidence-based, trauma-informed, and restorative practices. Clark County was used as an example of a court that partners closely with schools and community providers, uses risk assessments and wraparound behavioral health probation, and offers detention alternatives without electronic home monitoring. They said most courts do not use detention for status offenses, but instead use court involvement to connect youth to services. They also described funding, noting that courts rely on a mix of state block grant and local dollars, and that recent cuts to early intervention funding reduced programming and staff hours. Members asked about detention for truancy, developmental disability identification, restorative justice practices, and the juvenile block grant. Finally, DCYF Assistant Secretary Nicole Rose and Katie Warren of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECAP discussed child care and early learning impacts from recent policy and budget changes. Rose said Fair Start for Kids investments had increased child care access, provider participation, and kindergarten readiness, with more than 60,000 children in Working Connections care and rising ECAP enrollment and provider capacity. She said recent reductions will raise most family copays in 2026, delay eligibility expansions, eliminate some expanded eligibility categories, reduce ECAP slots by about 3,000, delay entitlement timelines, and cut provider supports such as rate increases for centers, complex-needs grants, trauma-informed and dual-language incentives, and infant/early childhood mental health consultation. Warren emphasized ECAP’s role in family stability, workforce participation, and reducing poverty, and noted its two-generation approach to supporting both children and parents.

Transcript Highlights:

• This amendment is House Bill 1376 that was heard in the Rural Issues Committee, and we actually perfected
• This amendment is House Bill 1376 that was heard in the Rural Issues Committee, and we actually perfected
• And one of the biggest economic impacts that we can have with the least amount of effort in our state
• And I wanted to get the conversation going where we could work with the individual impacted interests
• I support Representative Wellenkamp and his foresight to propose this bill that will positively impact

Committee: House Conservation and Natural Resources

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• or city ordinances, also potentially prevent that in addition to the CC&Rs, or does this bill not impact
• I don't think that's impacted.
• That is not impacted by this. That already is current code.
• Because I am an electrician and I help set pedestals and wire manufactured homes that are being set in rural
• Because I am an electrician and I help set pedestals and wire manufactured homes that are being set in rural

Committee: House Business

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Assistance grants, and Small Business Administration assistance grants for those that have been impacted
• big enough, even though it, uh, burned a lot of cotton bales, it burned a few homes, uh, and, uh, impacted
• emergency medical task force with them because so many times when our firefighters are out in the rural
• Designed to bring fiber or uh wireless projects to rural areas of the state.
• I live in rural Texas, um.

Committee: House State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• . assistance grants and small business administration assistance grants for those that have been impacted
• emergency medical task force with them because so many times when our firefighters are out in the rural
• And that impact will continue, and that funding needs to be there from here. to the future until that
• And when this started out, it was a rural broadband fund. That's how this started.
• I live in rural Texas and I see no fiber going into the part of state that truly needs broadband, but

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> having an impact. having an impact.
• </c><01:19:02.080><c> places</c> resources in some of those rural places resources in some of those rural
• </c> adding the 15 year olds how much impact adding the 15 year olds how much impact that's<01:35:01.199
• It was in a very rural part of my district.
• It was in a very rural part community.

Committee: Joint Judiciary

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:00 Roll Call: 00:00:07 Office of the Attorney General Update: 00:04:52 Department of Kentucky State Police Update: 00:44:57, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:32:59.000><c> motans</c> issues that that uh are impacting motans issues that that uh are impacting
• It eliminates funds for rural veterinarian loan repayment program.
• It eliminates funds for rural Program.
• </c> even oncology so that up in the rural even oncology so that up in the rural area<02:44:23.600><c
• </c> we were able to fund the fraud impact we were able to fund the fraud impact report<02:45:33.279>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Hey, you've waived $20,000 of impact fee.
• There’s no such thing as an impact fee waiver.
• The impact continued beyond the project.
• I want to emphasize and urge... impact grant.
• The impact continued beyond the project.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Here in California, we're already seeing the impact.
• Here in California, we're already seeing the impacts.
• And the impacts are already being felt.
• It is just going to be incredibly impactful, as my colleague mentioned.
• AB 1790 could reverse many of these cuts and lessen the impact of others.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation heard several bills dealing with tax policy, local revenue authority, consumer protections, and incentives for development. AB 1726 would create catastrophe savings accounts for homeowners to save pre-tax dollars for disaster mitigation and recovery costs; it drew support from the Department of Insurance and the California Bankers Association, while the California Teachers Association opposed it because of the General Fund and Prop. 98 impact. The bill was referred to suspense. AB 1768 would authorize Los Angeles and Contra Costa counties to ask voters to approve local transaction and use taxes to offset projected federal funding cuts affecting health care and safety-net services; it received broad support from health providers and county representatives, opposition from one member and a resident, and passed the committee 5-2 to the Assembly Local Government Committee. The committee also considered AB 1790, which would repeal the Waters Edge corporate tax election and require worldwide combined reporting for multinational corporations. The author and supporters argued it would close a loophole, raise several billion dollars annually, and help fund schools, Medi-Cal, and other programs; opponents warned of double taxation, compliance burdens, retaliation from foreign governments, and job losses. After extensive testimony and member debate, the bill was referred to suspense. AB 2020 would provide a full property tax exemption for the primary residence of 100% disabled veterans and surviving spouses, and AB 2069 would create a targeted sales and use tax exemption to spur development projects at fairgrounds; both measures had support from sponsors and related organizations, no opposition, and were referred to suspense. Finally, AB 2705 would regulate third-party “asset finders” who help claim excess proceeds from tax sales by requiring written agreements, disclosure that claims can be filed free with the county, and a cap on fees at 10%. County officials and local government groups supported the bill as a consumer protection measure, while recovery companies and related firms opposed it, arguing the work is complex and the cap would reduce access to services. The committee moved AB 2705 to the Assembly floor on a 4-0 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hosenfellow, you mentioned you are part of a robust group that looks at the impact of business in our
• It also impacts the state pay for your elected felony prosecutors. ...a lot of different judges.
• It also impacts the state pay for your elected felony prosecutors, your district attorneys, criminal
• And that obviously impacts the entire community. ...to $64.5 million.
• And that obviously impacts the entire community and the entire operation of El Paso County.

Bills: HB40

Committee: House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Keywords: law enforcement, sheriffs, constables, contracts, county authority

Summary: The Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence met to hear House Bill 1761, a broad judicial package focused on increasing judicial compensation and adding accountability and efficiency measures. The chair explained that HB 1707 and HB 2100 were withdrawn from the agenda, and that HB 1761 would be taken up first because many judges and stakeholders were present. The committee substitute for HB 1761 proposed a 30% increase in base judicial pay to $182,000, changes to judicial retirement linkage, stronger judicial conduct provisions, and efficiency measures such as targeted reporting for judges not meeting benchmarks, appellate in-person meeting encouragement, and time limits on certain motions. The chair and several supporters said judicial pay had reached “emergency status,” citing Texas’s low national ranking and difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified judges. Witnesses in support included presiding and district judges, the State Bar’s judicial section, business and trial lawyer groups, and prosecutors. They emphasized that many judges work long hours off the bench, handle warrants at night and on weekends, manage heavy dockets, and face recruitment problems in both urban and rural counties. Supporters also said higher pay would help attract experienced lawyers, retain judges, and improve court efficiency. Several witnesses and members discussed judicial accountability, including public reporting of court performance and the role of the Texas Supreme Court and presiding judges in setting benchmarks. Some members raised concerns that raw statistics can be misleading because judges also do substantial off-the-bench work and often help cover other courts’ dockets. There was also testimony and discussion about the bill’s conduct and discipline provisions. A representative of the Texas Civil Rights Project opposed parts of the bill that would tie pay raises to changes affecting judicial independence, warning about subjective bail-related discipline standards and possible chilling effects. The executive director of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct cautioned against civil penalties for complainants, saying it could discourage good-faith complaints and create litigation risks. Other witnesses supported accountability reforms but urged caution about unintended consequences, especially for family and emergency cases and for judges handling warrants and other time-sensitive matters. After testimony, the committee withdrew the committee substitute and left HB 1761 pending, then recessed the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• includes $14.25 million for greater Minnesota workforce housing, which will fuel housing development in rural
• 02:49.440><c> housing</c><00:02:49.840><c> development</c><00:02:50.520><c> in</c><00:02:50.680><c> rural
• </c> fuel housing development in rural fuel housing development in rural communities<00:02:51.640><c>
• </c><00:16:49.400><c> or</c><00:16:49.600><c> this</c> subcommittee on federal impacts or this subcommittee
• on federal impacts or this bill.<00:16:50.240><c> And</c><00:16:50.480><c> seeing</c><00:16:50.720><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is really about rural New Mexico.
• You folks who represent rural New Mexico oftentimes remind us of how much more difficult things can be
• What happens when you have an elected member of a rural electorate co-op?
• We've got a fairly large pool but it is going to limit the ability of those folks in rural New Mexico
• Madam Chair, I just want it noted that I am from rural New Mexico.

Committee: House Legislative Council

Transcript Highlights:

• It essentially accelerates rapid development on rural Idaho land, on land that you could say arguably
• I kind of like rural Idaho land, and I'd like us to take our time with building everything out.
• It will have an impact on our aquifer. And, Mr. Chairman, I'd like to read from CAI Exclusive.
• I want to talk about the potential impacts this bill will have.
• He has served as a general manager at Raft River Rural Electric Cooperative and as an interim general

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the journal, received committee reports, and moved through messages from the House and first- and second-reading business before taking up a long series of third-reading bills. Early action included referral of Senate Bill 1449 on elections petitions and signature gatherers, and passage of several measures on cooperative purchasing, industrial hemp, community infrastructure districts, parental school choice tax credit clarifications, open meetings recording rights, an advisory question on an official state gun, water skiing rules, and data center water use. The chamber also returned House Bill 888 to committee after concerns were raised about procurement transparency and possible conflict with another procurement bill passed the prior day. Several bills drew extended debate. Senate Bill 1424, which would have expanded dealer protections against direct manufacturer vehicle sales and grandfathered existing operations, failed on a 11-24 vote after opponents called it protectionist and argued it would limit consumer choice. Senate Bill 1436, clarifying cooperative and group discount purchasing for state procurement, passed after supporters said it would allow agencies to use competitive bids more effectively and avoid litigation. House Bill 772 and House Bill 879, both relating to industrial hemp, passed with supporters stressing they were clarifications for grain/fiber hemp and consumable hemp products, while opponents worried about THC and regulatory scope. House Bill 926, allowing counties to form community infrastructure districts in unincorporated areas, passed despite objections that it would accelerate development and increase property tax burdens. House Bill 934, making technical changes to the parental school choice tax credit, passed after a lengthy debate over whether students using the credit should still participate in public school extracurriculars; supporters said the bill clarified original intent, while opponents called it a double dip. House Bill 894, protecting the public’s right to record open meetings, passed overwhelmingly. House Bill 932, placing an advisory question on the ballot for an official state gun, also passed after a spirited historical discussion of firearms. House Bill 887, creating a limited exception for early-morning water skiing outside designated courses, passed by unanimous-consent roll call. The final bill discussed in the excerpt, House Bill 895 on data center cooling and water use, was introduced with a warning that consumptive water use by large data centers could strain Idaho’s aquifer and should be limited to closed-loop systems.

Transcript Highlights:

• We did an environmental impact study four or five years ago in the Hannibal area, and 13 miles of new
• about this, but my understanding is it leaves the study for the Upper Mississippi River Basin and the Rural
• And what has it done for Malta Bend, for Carrollton, for the employment in some of these rural communities
• making sure that the program stays viable so that we can continue investing in our agricultural and rural
• believe that these programs incentivize investment in value-added agricultural products as well as rural

Committee: House Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources

Summary: The House Agriculture Committee first met in executive session on House Bill 2998, adopting a committee substitute that narrowed the bill to a study of the Upper Mississippi River Basin and the Rural Development Office and extended the deadline to December 1, 2029. Members discussed the bill’s roughly $3 million fiscal note and whether the proposed river-related study and power-generation concept would be a worthwhile investment. The committee adopted the substitute and then voted the committee substitute for HB 2998 do pass by a 21-0 roll call. The committee then held a public hearing on Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 913, which would extend several agricultural tax credit programs for five years, including the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Tax Credit (Mazbita), rolling stock credits, meat processing incentives, biodiesel-related credits, specialty crop credits, and a new short-line railroad credit. Senator Curtis Gregory said the bill was intended to provide certainty and support rural infrastructure, agricultural processing, and rail access, and witnesses from the Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Corn Growers, Missouri Chamber, short-line railroads, Missouri AgriBusiness Association, Missouri Dairy, Missouri Bankers Association, Missouri Railroad Association, and Missouri Pork Association testified in support. Opposition came from a public advocate who argued Missouri’s tax credit system is too large, lacks adequate auditing, and could cost tens of millions of dollars while adding state administrative costs. Committee members raised questions about the fiscal note, the carryforward of unused credits, and whether the rolling stock credit backfills local property tax revenue; supporters responded that the credit makes local governments whole and that the programs have strong returns on investment and help preserve agricultural and rail infrastructure. No final vote on SB 913 was taken in the transcript, and the committee adjourned after the hearing.