Transcript Highlights:

• How do you control that?
• But realistically, we don't have full control.
• This was reporting. department for internal review at any point?
• control issues at the department.
• And so certainly a lack of internal controls or a failure of internal controls can lead to bad things

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Audit Committee

Summary: The committee first heard an update on Topok Elementary School District’s long-running noncompliance with Arizona’s Uniform System of Financial Records. The Auditor General’s office explained the USFR noncompliance process and reported that Topok had made substantial progress, correcting many deficiencies in areas such as open meeting law, procurement, payroll, attendance reporting, property control, and information technology. The district’s superintendent and staff described the corrective actions they had taken, the use of outside consultants, and their plan to maintain compliance through stronger leadership, training, and consistent procedures. Members praised the district’s progress and asked about the remaining deficiencies and the status of the 3% state-aid withholding, which the Auditor General said would be addressed by the State Board of Education. The committee then considered a request for a fourth school safety special audit, tied to concerns raised by Representative Martinez about Phoenix Union High School District and school violence response practices. The Auditor General said the proposed audit would be a new topic focused on policies and procedures for responding to credible threats of violence and allegations of staff misconduct affecting student safety, and could include Phoenix Union in the sample. Representative Martinez described a fatal 2024 shooting, weapons incidents, and concerns about district oversight. The committee approved the motion 10-0. Next, staff presented the fiscal years 2027-2028 school district performance audit schedule, describing 26 randomly selected school districts and career and technical education districts, plus 84 planned follow-ups. The Auditor General said the schedule is intended to shorten the average time between audits and that the school audits division is now fully staffed. Members asked about county coverage and the inclusion of ESA accountability, but the schedule was ultimately presented for review rather than approval. The committee also heard a detailed federal compliance audit presentation on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) administered by DES. The Auditor General reported repeated findings involving missing provider documentation, questioned costs, and FFATA reporting errors, including a 2024 sample that led to questioning $2.88 million in costs. The office recommended stronger documentation, record retention, reporting procedures, and staff training; DES concurred and said it would correct the findings in 2026. Members discussed the limits of the single-audit scope, the possibility of a broader special audit, and the federal government’s recent actions on CCDF oversight in other states. Finally, the committee considered and discussed a special audit request for CCDF that would broaden review to provider oversight, licensing, site visits, and billing accuracy across multiple state agencies, with estimated costs of $547,000 to $625,000 and a projected report date of July 31, 2027.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:05:51.720><c> of</c> Design the user maintains control of Design the user maintains control of
• He said the idea here is that the customer controls it if they allow it in the MDL.
• He said the idea here is that the customer controls it if they allow it in the MDL.
• </c> idea here is that the customer controls idea here is that the customer controls it<01:27:52.080>
• </c> other National and international other National and international documents<01:43:45.040><c> which

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• The people who live in the international district are not unstable.
• Chairman, it allows tribes to fully control the destiny of their children.
• The NPRC controls that. They have an administrative agency that controls the funds.
• The NPRC controls that. They have an administrative agency that controls The funds.
• It's just a flat 15 cents increase, and the PRC does control it. Great.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• There are, yes, 800 control families under NIST 853, and within those control families, there are two
• The control may be that you're going to need an antivirus program.
• So there are a lot of controls. You only share the data.
• Moving on to the next page, who controls a virtual power plant?
• So, there's a lot of discussion about how this is controlled.

Committee: House Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• It's the materiality of the financial pieces as well as the internal controls.
• It's the materiality of the financial pieces as well as the internal controls.
• It's the materiality of the financial pieces as well as the internal controls. These audits.
• It's the materiality of the financial pieces as well as the internal controls.
• It's the materiality of the financial pieces as well as the internal controls.

Committee: House Education Funding

Summary: The Education Funding Committee met in executive session and reviewed several previously heard bills, but focused its discussion on SB 586 and SB 580. The chair explained that SB 586 would require school districts and school administrative units to publish audit reports after the fiscal year, and that an amendment, 1472H, had been prepared to replace the relevant audit/reporting section. The amendment would add SAUs to the reporting entities, expand the contents of audits to include items such as employee lists, pay, benefits, and pension liabilities, and change the timing so audits are submitted nine months after the fiscal year end, followed by a three-month Department of Education review and then a further correction period before any grant funding could be withheld. The amendment would also require the reports to be posted in searchable electronic form on the web. Committee members discussed whether the bill’s “non-compliance” language referred only to incomplete submissions or also to audit findings, and several members raised concerns about whether the Department of Education had the staff and authority to take on this role, whether the existing DOE25 process would be displaced, and whether the bill should instead remain with the Department of Revenue Administration. One member noted that the fiscal note anticipated the need for additional auditors and significant staffing costs. The committee also reviewed SB 580, described as a school cooperative purchasing program bill that also contains policy provisions for charter school trustees, school board members, and receivership-related language tied to Claremont. The chair said the committee had previously heard comments from Charlie Arlinghouse on the cooperative purchasing portion and would use a side-by-side comparison prepared by staff when it reached that bill. Other bills on the docket were briefly described but not taken up that day: SB 491, which has committee-requested amendments and a separate non-germane amendment related to curriculum frameworks and academic standards; SB 513, an owner’s project manager bill held as a possible vehicle for future non-germane language; and SB 531, concerning a cosmetology program in Coös County and a possible task force. The chair said the committee would not address 491, 513, or 531 that day and would return to 580 and 586.

Transcript Highlights:

• And for us, when we look at the potential to adopt the full International WUI Code, again, before the
• A local government may enter into a development agreement with a person having ownership or control of
• This bill also constrains them to international code.
• My main point that I want to raise today is the adoption of the International WUI Code.
• So there are some problems with the International WUI Code being that way.

Bills: SB5633 , SB6279 , SB6291 , SB6274 , SB6309 , SB5903 , SB6016 , SB5820 , SB6132 , SB6189

Committee: Senate Local Government

Keywords: land subdivision, zoning, property development, local government authority, real estate, infrastructure, wildfire, wildland urban interface, WUI, building code, fire-resistant construction, defensible space, hazard map, risk map, state building code council, department of natural resources, fire marshal, regional fire defense board, roofing standards, exterior walls

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, talking internally, they go through the internal process at the institution, let's say just
• You know, A&M International. The context has to be factored in, yes.
• Now the Texas government wants to seize and place them under the control of university presidents. and
• But its results would be just the opposite, placing curricular decisions under the direct control of
• . internment.

Bills: HB2476 , HB2893 , HB4848 , HB5062 , SB37 , SB60 , HB2860 , HB4930 , SB646 , SB 37

Committee: House Higher Education

Keywords: living expenses, higher education, student support, homeless students, financial aid, grant program, baccalaureate degrees, junior colleges, workforce development, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, competency-based education, baccalaureate degree, cost of attendance, dual credit, computer science, course credit, foreign language requirement, curriculum review, governing board, faculty council

Transcript Highlights:

• You'll see it's a pollution controlled device tax credit.
• There you get a 10% credit if you are required to purchase certain pollution control devices to comply
• And I know we've gone over this budget before internally in the caucus.
• Our interns are incredible humans that we get to work with.
• All of our interns. We love you. We too love you. We love. I know. We miss them already.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so, we, um, so site control.
• ,</c> &gt;&gt; So, if you folks have total control, &gt;&gt; So, if you folks have total control, what
• </c> it since you control it? it since you control it?
• We have to manage our money internally.
• </c> for a visiting international for a visiting international educator<01:26:29.120><c> uh</c><01:26

Bills: SB2613 , SB2147

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The committee heard SB 2613, a cleanup bill relating to public school land transfers under Act 307 (2022), which revises tax map key references and the conveyance process for properties transferred to the Department of Education. The Hawaii State Public Library System supported the measure, saying it would complete the long-unfinished separation of the library system from DOE property control and make future building projects more efficient and cost-effective. DOE also supported the bill and requested an amendment to remove TMK 43-62 parcel 10, the Wilcox Elementary School parcel, so that it could instead be transferred to the county for use with the adjacent park and tennis courts. Members focused heavily on why land transfers and construction approvals have been slow, especially the need for right-of-entry documents and an MOA for a library construction project. Library and DOE witnesses said the delays stemmed from site-control issues and confusion over property status, and that the bill would clarify which parcels are transferred by operation of law and remove the need for additional transactional documents in many cases. Several members questioned whether the bill actually changes authority or simply clarifies existing practice, and DOE said it wanted legislative clarity so the transfers are unmistakably effective on a date certain. The committee also discussed a separate section of the bill dealing with public use of school facilities after hours, including parking fees on property under DOE jurisdiction. DOE explained that any parking charges would apply only to property it controls, not county roads, and that fees are set through existing facility-use procedures. Members raised concerns about the pace of land transfers generally and urged DOE to move more expeditiously on pending parcels. The hearing then moved on to SB 2147, which would designate the first Friday in February as Love My Library Day; the library system testified in support as the committee began that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Honor Comfort, Vice President of International Marketing with the Wine Institute.
• I'm going to vice president of international marketing with one institute.
• So I have a long history with international marketing of California wine.
• Typically, 20% of those are international visitors. That's down below 5% now.
• And so, Those are international visitors. That's down below 5% now.

Summary: The Senate Select Committee on California’s Wine Industry held its first meeting at Napa Valley College, with Chair Christopher Cabaldon and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry opening the hearing by stressing the wine industry’s importance to California’s economy, communities, and tourism. They said the purpose of the hearing was informational rather than legislative, with no votes or bill actions taken, and framed the day as a fact-finding session to inform future legislation, budget work, and oversight. The first panel focused on research and trends, with Dr. Damien Wilson of Sonoma State, UC Davis professor Ben Mumpeteet, and wine economist Chris Bitter describing the industry as facing structural change rather than a temporary downturn. The research panel highlighted falling wine production and sales, rising costs, and changing consumer behavior. Wilson argued the industry has relied too heavily on premiumization and technical elitism, pricing out younger consumers and needing to focus more on new customer acquisition, accessible brands, and evidence-based business decisions. Mumpeteet emphasized external threats such as grapevine diseases, extreme weather, water shortages, and wildfire smoke, and called for more public investment in viticulture and enology research, especially through California’s university system. Bitter said growers are dealing with depressed grape demand, a grape glut, vineyard removals, and sharply higher production costs driven largely by regulation and labor, and he urged review of regulatory costs, trade conditions, vineyard removal support, and barriers to replanting. Committee members then asked about how the industry can adapt, whether change will come through existing producers or market turnover, and how California might use its research capacity to improve regulation and compliance. Witnesses said the industry needs cultural change, better marketing to younger consumers, more data on health and consumption trends, and more efficient, science-based regulation. The second panel, with representatives from growers and the Wine Institute, described severe market stress: unharvested grapes, vineyard removals, and closures in some regions. Michael Miller said growers are seeing fruit left on the vine and called for relief on regulatory and trade pressures, while Honor Comfort described Wine Institute’s Share Wine Co-Lab, an open-access marketing platform aimed at helping wineries reach younger consumers through digital and data-driven strategies. A final panel addressed tourism, farmworkers, and water regulation. Visit Napa Valley’s Lindsay Gallagher said Napa remains relatively strong but is broadening its message beyond wine to cuisine, wellness, and outdoor experiences, while noting international visitation, especially from Canada, has fallen sharply. Sonia DeLuca of the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation said declining sales and rising costs reduce hours and income for farmworkers and called for targeted relief, wage-loss support, and continued workforce training. Annalisa Kiara of the State Water Board provided an update on the Winery General Order, explaining that it was created to streamline and standardize wastewater permitting while protecting water quality; she said 56 wineries have enrolled and 122 more are under review, and noted ongoing coordination with industry sustainability programs. Throughout the hearing, members and witnesses repeatedly returned to the need for updated regulations, better data, and collaborative solutions, but no formal action was taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• The FIS, which stands for the International Ski Federation, which is the governing body for international
• The FIS, which stands for the International Ski Federation, which is the governing body for international
• </c><01:09:20.600><c> student</c> relative to international student relative to international student
• and international student athletes and international student athletes<01:09:22.880><c> right</c><01:
• people control Commerce want to control people control Commerce or<01:13:44.000><c> use</c><01:13:44.280

Summary: The committee first heard testimony on House Bill 167, a PFAS-related measure to add ski, snowboard, and boat wax to the state’s list of banned consumer products containing PFAS. The sponsor said the product is already banned in many other places, alternatives exist, and the concern is that these products go directly into water rather than landfills. She cited high PFAS levels in several New Hampshire lakes and argued the bill would help stop further contamination. A member of the public also described personal experience with ski wax products disappearing from the market, suggesting PFAS may have been the reason. The chair then closed the hearing on HB 167. The committee next opened a hearing on House Bill 312, dealing with college athletes’ name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights. Representative Moffett explained the bill was prompted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s NCAA v. Alston decision and was modeled on New Jersey law. He said the bill would prevent colleges from restricting NIL compensation, require athletes to use licensed attorneys or registered sports agents, and limit certain endorsements involving addictive drugs, adult entertainment, firearms, and weapons. He framed the measure as a proactive response to a changing college sports landscape and noted possible future conflicts involving schools, agents, and endorsements. Committee members raised several concerns and suggested changes. One member questioned the bill’s exclusion of two-year institutions, another objected to the weapons restriction, and others asked how the bill would affect scholarships. The sponsor said the intent was to protect scholarships, especially athletic scholarships, and clarified that need-based scholarships were not meant to be affected. He also acknowledged discomfort with the endorsement restrictions and said the committee might want to broaden or revise the language. The hearing remained open for further consideration, with no vote taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• So that's one key point of having control over your delegates or your senators.
• How is that not controlling the market?
• How is that not controlling the market? Because those are...
• How is that not controlling the market?
• So how does this bill in any way then implement some sort of government price control or price floor

Bills: HB2775 , HB2874 , HB2940 , HB4014 , HB4067 , HB4115 , HCM2010 , HCR2051

Committees: House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections , House House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections Committee of Reference

Keywords: international organizations, government resources, public institutions, Arizona Board of Regents, foreign adversaries, campaign finance, contributions, termination statements, reporting, penalties, electoral processes, healthcare, public benefits, eligibility verification, fraud prevention, Medicaid, SNAP, transparency, accountability, state land

Transcript Highlights:

• International students, of course, that's global engagement, which not only for those international students
• The states, the Minnesota, and international.
• And we take great pride in being an international marketplace.
• So we take great pride in being an international meeting place.
• that we have. ...over a lot of international folks.

Summary: The committee first reviewed the 2024-25 tuition waiver report for the North Dakota University System. Staff explained that waivers were reported for degree-seeking students and broken out by residency, institution, and waiver type. Members asked about partial versus full waivers, institutional discretion, athletic waivers, and whether campuses have published guardrails or transparency requirements. Staff said most waivers are set by institutions, with some statutory and board-required categories, and that athletic waivers are a small share of total waiver dollars. The report showed total gross tuition of $354.5 million, tuition waived of $38.9 million, and 11,193 of 42,040 students receiving some waiver. Members also discussed how waivers affect net tuition revenue, housing and food collections, and whether campuses are using waivers strategically compared with scholarships and other funding sources. The committee then heard a presentation on tuition rates by campus and State Board policy. Staff explained the board’s tuition factors for resident, Minnesota reciprocity, contiguous-state/U.S. nonresident, and international students, and noted that campuses often seek exceptions based on program-specific competition and enrollment goals. Members asked whether rates are based on cost or competition, and staff said campuses typically bring forward estimates and market comparisons when requesting special rates. The presentation also reviewed general fund appropriations versus net tuition revenue by campus, and members discussed how local tuition decisions and waivers do not directly affect the state funding formula, though they do affect institutional revenue and reserves. Questions were also raised about the Higher Learning Commission’s financial composite indicator and how it differs from the more intuitive reserve and revenue figures. The committee next received a broad overview of non-higher-education entities affiliated with the State Board of Higher Education, beginning with NDSU agriculture-related units. Dr. Greg Lardy described the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education, the NDSU Extension Service, the Agricultural Experiment Station, and the branch research centers, emphasizing their statewide role in crop and livestock research, extension education, and county-based outreach. He outlined funding mixes for extension, the experiment station, and branch stations, noting that grants and contracts support both research and education, while the agronomy seed farm is self-funded through seed sales. Members asked about the new and vacant FTE pool, R1 research status, matching requirements for grants, and whether state appropriations count toward research expenditures. Dr. Lardy also highlighted major research impacts, including crop varieties, virtual fencing, AI-assisted weed control, and NDAWN weather data. The Northern Crops Institute and the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute also presented. NCI described its role in market development, technical services, and education for regional agriculture, its governance through the Northern Crops Council, and its funding from state appropriations, other states, and earned revenue. Members asked about the source of out-of-state funding, intellectual property, and the institute’s international reach. UGPTI then outlined its transportation research, federal and state funding structure, and work on road and bridge condition assessments, travel demand modeling, and workforce training. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• , Miami International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Tampa International Airport,
• Trump International Airport, and Jacksonville International Airport.
• , Miami International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Tampa International Airport,
• Trump International Airport, and Jacksonville International Airport.
• Trump International Airport. So one, why? Trump International Airport.

Summary: The Senate convened with an opening prayer, pledge, and several introductions recognizing visitors, students, local officials, and professional groups in the gallery. The chamber then took up a report from the Ethics and Elections Committee confirming 42 executive appointments; the report was adopted by a vote of 36-0. The Senate also adopted a resolution honoring the Ripple Project for childhood cancer awareness and funding. The bulk of the meeting was spent on special-order bills, many of them open-government sunset review measures and policy bills. The Senate passed bills preserving or updating public records exemptions for aquaculture records, trade secrets, and cybersecurity information; a child-abuse reporting statute of limitations bill; a commercial driving schools bill; a human trafficking training requirement for nursing graduates; a new injunction for protection against serious violence by a known person and its companion public-records bill; a nature-based coastal resiliency bill with an amendment restricting dredge-and-fill in Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve; a chiropractic patient-funds bill; specialty license plate legislation; a one-time waiver for late financial disclosure fines; public school personnel compensation changes; the Florida Farm Bill with amendments protecting Everglades lands and technical corrections; homestead exemption clarification for long-term leaseholders; disability presumption clarifications for firefighters and law enforcement; reinsurance intermediary manager conformity changes; patriotic displays in public schools; ADS-B aviation fee restrictions; autism-related law enforcement training and a blue envelope program; public post-secondary safety policy requirements; and a bill allowing licensed agents to market health care sharing ministries. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including local vessel restrictions, temporary certificates for practice, and domestic animals. Members debated a number of measures, especially the health care sharing ministries bill, where opponents raised consumer-protection and commission concerns and supporters argued for free speech, religious liberty, and expanded consumer choice; it passed 32-5. Other debated bills included the autism law enforcement bill, the school athletics bill addressing coach support for student-athletes, and the Farm Bill, where senators discussed surplus land safeguards and biosolids timing. Most bills passed overwhelmingly, often 37-0 or 38-0, with a few closer votes such as the patriotic displays bill (36-2) and the health care sharing ministries bill (32-5).

Transcript Highlights:

• Simply put, when the market of physicians is controlled by a select few large groups in the community
• I know certainly this committee has been a leader in terms of trying to put that control in the hands
• Unfortunately, the timely care I strive to provide can be disrupted by factors outside my control.
• And while we can't control our genes, we can prevent some of these exposures, and formula is a great
• And while we can't control our genes, we can prevent some of these exposures and formulas, great.

Committee: House Health

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:07:40.199><c> of</c> Design the user maintains control of Design the user maintains control of
• Privacy rights protect personal control and individual freedom.
• </c> privacy rights protect personal control privacy rights protect personal control and<00:13:40.079
• I think the idea here is that the customer controls it, whether we allow it in the MDL.
• I think the idea here is that the customer controls it, whether we allow it in the MDL.

Transcript Highlights:

• controls to be made.
• We'll pick 20 internal control changes or recommendations that have come from the OA to a Department
• </c><00:51:11.440><c> controls</c><00:51:11.880><c> to</c> recommendations for internal controls to recommendations
• for internal controls to be<00:51:12.319><c> made</c><00:51:13.319><c> uh</c><00:51:13.440><c> we'll
• </c> be made uh we'll pick 20 20 internal be made uh we'll pick 20 20 internal control<00:51:16.240><

Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• She suffered a fractured femur, internal bleeding, and foreign bodies in her eye which her attorney alleged
• BSO then closed its case investigation with verified findings of bone fracture, death, internal injuries
• This bill will help empower Florida to stay ahead of evolving threats and secure itself against control
• Internal Muslim Brotherhood documents introduced during the Holy Land Foundation trial describe this
• In 1988, following the creation of the terrorist organization Hamas, the international Muslim Brotherhood

Transcript Highlights:

• with the interns, and supports both the interns and employers throughout the internship experience.
• </c><00:05:09.919><c> and</c> our team coordinates the intern and our team coordinates the intern and
• and supports both the the interns and supports both the interns<00:05:15.840><c> and</c><00:05:16.000
• The interns are paid by the employers.
• For example, I have an intern right now who's a college student intern, um, who is enrolled with one

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 2745 modernizes California's international trade and investment strategy to ensure that the state
• California's economy depends on international trade to support one in five jobs.
• The last international trade and investment strategy was developed in 2019, before the end of it, and
• The bill takes an inclusive approach to international trade and investment.
• We have so much opportunity to really be that front door for international California.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact heard several bills focused on trade, affordability, and public finance. AB 2745 (Fong) would update California’s international trade and investment strategy, add a public advisory process, and allow regional trade hubs; supporters from the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and California Forward said it would help California compete globally and attract investment, while no opposition testified. AB 2366 (Avila Farías) would require state agencies to analyze cost-of-living impacts when adopting regulations and direct the LAO to develop guidance; supporters from the New California Coalition and the California Manufacturers and Technology Association argued it would improve transparency and help address affordability, while members noted concerns about implementation and unintended consequences. The committee also heard AB 2243 (Haney), which creates a commission to study whether California should establish a state public bank and how it might be structured. Supporters from the California Public Banking Alliance, climate groups, and other organizations said a public bank could reduce borrowing costs and finance housing, climate, and small business needs; the California Bankers Association and credit unions opposed the bill, arguing it could compete with private banks, duplicate prior studies, and raise unresolved regulatory and cost issues. Several committee members said they would support the study concept but wanted the bill amended so any final decision would return to the Legislature, and the author agreed to clarify that point and remove language related to extending local public bank licensing timelines. The committee also took up consent items AB 2048 (Calderon), AB 2583 (Hoover), and ACR 129 (Haney), which were approved without opposition. After quorum was established, the committee voted AB 2366 out on a 7-0 basis to Judiciary, AB 2745 out on a 7-0 basis to Appropriations, and AB 2243 out on a 7-0 basis to Finance, with the consent calendar also approved.