Transcript Highlights:

• That slight decline is not due to a declining economy or lower. forecast of revenue growth, but included
• This is a forecast year, these estimates are for fiscal. 27 forecast, but for total sales tax forecast
• We do get that Pretty frequently, we end up with because we often have forecast property tax growth conservatively

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• performance of the economy, the stock market, and cash receipts, leading to an upgraded revenue forecast
• There are a lot of things in motion, and as the LAO has noted in its November forecast, our baseline
• opinion, because there has been continued strong tax collection, even since we did our November forecast
• I read in preparation for today that caught my attention was page three of the LAO report, which forecasts—although
• issue that the state does face are these large and even growing operating deficits, according to our forecast

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, as part of our feasibility study, we hired a third-party firm to do an economic impact forecast.
• We were so—rather than just look at any forecast—we really looked historically at what Lexington has
• And while the FAA's forecasts were more aggressive, we decided to just really look at what we've done
• <00:51:04.559> So<00:51:04.800> we forecast gets us to about 2030.
• So we forecast gets us to about 2030.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Economic Development and Tourism met to hear presentations on a proposed downtown Lexington Arts Center. Visit Lex opened by framing the projects as regional economic development efforts that could support tourism, quality of life, and workforce attraction and retention. NextStage Development Corp. and ATG Entertainment then described a proposed $120 million project featuring a 2,500-seat performing arts center and a 20,000-square-foot visual arts gallery, with plans for up to 180 events a year, over 300,000 annual visitors, and an opening target of 2029. The presenters said the project would be funded through a $30 million state request, $30 million from ATG Entertainment, and $60 million raised by the nonprofit through philanthropy and other financing sources. They cited a feasibility study by Sound Diplomacy and compared the proposal to the Durham Performing Arts Center, arguing that similar venues have driven downtown revitalization, tourism, and economic activity in other cities. They also said the venue would include community access, school partnerships, subsidized tickets, and revenue returned to the nonprofit for grants and arts programming. Members asked about the total cost, the funding mix, whether the city of Lexington would contribute, and the building’s design. The presenters said they are in contact with city officials and are seeking city support, but have not yet hired an architect or begun conceptual design. They said the design process will involve community input and should fit Lexington’s historic downtown character. Representative Whitten asked whether the project would compete with Louisville; the presenters responded that their market analysis suggests the venue would serve audiences from Lexington, eastern Kentucky, and surrounding areas who are unlikely to travel to Louisville or Cincinnati, making the project complementary rather than competitive.

Transcript Highlights:

• The benefit of a historical test year would be to have more efficiency, more cost control, forecasted
• Obviously there’s a forecasted test year, but grounding those forecasts to actual past results if possible
• <00:25:40.480> So forecasting for needs going forward.
• So forecasting for needs going forward.
• > forecasts<00:25:49.840> to<00:25:50.080> actual but grounding those forecasts

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee held an informational briefing on the Public Utilities Commission’s performance-based regulation (PBR) framework and the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ whistleblower complaint process. Chair Jared Kohole opened the meeting, noted it was informational only with no public testimony, and explained that members would hear presentations and then have an opportunity for questions. The committee heard first from Ulupono Initiative, which provided background on why utilities are regulated, how Hawaii’s cost-of-service model and rate cases work, and why PBR was adopted to shift utility incentives away from a capital-investment bias and toward performance, efficiency, cost control, and policy goals such as renewable energy and reliability. Ulupono described Hawaii’s PBR structure as a five-year multi-year rate plan with annual revenue adjustments, a customer dividend, a Z factor for extraordinary exogenous events, and an exceptional project recovery mechanism for large projects. It also outlined performance incentive mechanisms tied to renewable portfolio standard progress, interconnection speed, reliability, and shared savings. The presentation said the current docket is evaluating a possible hybrid approach that would combine forward-looking forecasting with historical results, and Ulupono advocated for stronger incentives, arguing the current rewards are too small relative to utility revenues and should be more meaningful to better align utility behavior with legislative intent. The PUC then presented its own overview, emphasizing that the PBR docket is open and active and that the briefing was limited to the record to avoid ex parte concerns. The commission described the development of PBR in Hawaii through multiple phases beginning in 2018: an initial collaborative phase to set goals, a formal contested-case phase that produced the initial framework, later phases adding scorecards, reported metrics, and additional performance incentive mechanisms, and subsequent refinements including sunset of some mechanisms and adjustments after the August 2023 Maui wildfires. The PUC said the framework is intended to be customer-centric, administratively efficient, and protective of utility financial integrity, and that current work includes evaluating how to balance forward-looking and historical test-year approaches within the rebasing process. No votes or formal actions were taken at the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Kraft responded that it is difficult to forecast these things.
• If anything, the forecasts have undershot the costs over and over again with solar.
• <01:12:32.640> One<01:12:32.800> of<01:12:32.880> the difficult to forecast
• One of the difficult to forecast stuff.
• was first come out and you can forecast was first come out and you can forecast that.<01:12:56.400

Bills: HF4308, HF4153, HF4703, HF4711

Keywords: HF4308, Monticello nuclear plant, Prairie Island, renewable development account, RDA, nuclear waste, spent fuel, dry cask storage, utility tax, commercial-industrial property tax, state general levy, property tax exemption, residential heating fuels, natural gas tax exemption, electricity sales tax exemption, year-round sales tax exemption, distributed solar energy standard, solar mandate, community solar, grid modernization

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair and Chair Gomez, yes, that is— the Department of Revenue has started, after the February forecast
• Chair and Chair Gomez, yes, that is the Department of Revenue has started, after the February forecast
• funds that were added, and they have begun showing the fiscal impact starting after the February forecast
• started um after the February forecast started um after the February forecast in<00:37:17.440>
• thank you Mr C representative forecast thank you Mr C representative Lee<01:01:33.200> uh<01:

Bills: HF1833, HF148, HF1127, HF1227, HF1681, HF1974, HF1106, HF1016, HF2197

Keywords: sales tax, education funding, construction, Aitkin Public Schools, tax exemption, refundable credit, HF148, use of force training, deadly force, peace officer training, police training, law enforcement, POST Board, Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, scenario-based training, de-escalation, defensive tactics, force-on-force training, stress management, officer wellness

Transcript Highlights:

• These estimates are based on the November forecast. Representative Yim, thank you.
• okay thank you repres Yim thank forecast okay thank you repres Yim thank you<00:44:19.880> chair<
• <00:58:34.079> see<00:58:34.760> uh<00:58:34.880> our<00:58:35.079> forecasted
• <00:58:35.760> indiv come on we see uh our forecasted indiv come on we see uh our forecasted
• I think we need from what we forecasted I think we need to<00:58:43.280> start<00:58:43.480><

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Our forecast, at the time we did our certification revenue estimate, and we released it in October of
• or oil market forecasting from generative AI, and the results are mixed.
• If you were to look at the academic literature available on various forecasting methods using machine
• So we do not actually produce a forecast for the price of oil; that doesn't really yield a high rate
• So we do not actually produce a forecast for the price of oil; the rate of return on that activity is

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And the estimate of revenue loss, yes, for the first month it was 10%, but in the forecast from last
• summer the state forecast projected a decline in charitable gaming to the general fund of 25%, so there's
• <00:10:13.920> from<00:10:14.240> last was 10% but in the forecast from last was 10%
• but in the forecast from last summer<00:10:15.680> the<00:10:16.120> the<00:10:16.360>
• state<00:10:16.800> forecast<00:10:17.560> Revenue summer the the state forecast

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 169, which would change the tax structure for charitable gambling. Representative Robbins offered and the committee adopted the A1 author’s amendment, described as a technical correction to ensure sports-themed tip boards are not inadvertently taxed under the bill. Robbins then presented the bill as a way to replace the current tiered combined net receipts tax on charitable gambling with a flat 5% rate, arguing charities were being overtaxed and that prior promises of relief had not been fully delivered. Chair Stevenson pushed back on several of Robbins’ factual claims, correcting the record on the status of E-pull tabs, the share of charitable gambling revenue they represent, and the amount of tax relief already enacted in 2023 and 2024. He said E-tabs were not eliminated, that the revenue split between paper pull tabs and E-tabs is closer to 45/55, and that charities had already received a $15 million tax cut plus savings from reduced developer fees. Robbins responded that the changes still significantly reduced revenue and that the bill was intended as a middle-ground approach. Testimony largely came from charitable gambling and veterans groups in support of the bill. Rachel Jenner of Allied Charities of Minnesota said nearly 1,000 charities depend on charitable gambling, cited high taxes and fees, and said many organizations were seeing revenue declines after the new E-pull tab rules took effect. Dr. Christy Jano of the American Legion Department of Minnesota said charitable gambling funds support veterans, youth, and community programs, and that a flat 5% tax would help posts continue those efforts. Members asked about the size of the revenue drops and how much gambling proceeds go to overhead and operating costs; Jenner said the losses varied by organization and that it was too early to know the long-term effect, while Jano said some expenses are used for property taxes and building upkeep. The committee then moved on to additional testimony, including Tim Angstrom, but no final vote on the bill was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• With the latest budget forecast, we understand that finding the funding to pay the debt service on GO
• With the latest budget forecast,<00:37:24.960> we<00:37:25.280> understand<00:37:25.760
• We just came from the forecast briefing, the update.
• <00:41:25.200> Um,<00:41:25.599> and forecast uh briefing the update.
• Um, and forecast uh briefing the update.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair and Representative Myers, I can give you a comparison of the projection versus the current forecast
• So the current estimates are lower than what was forecasted previously.
• <00:13:19.199> so<00:13:19.920> when<00:13:20.079> the the current forecast
• so when the the current forecast so when the delivery<00:13:20.519> fee<00:13:20.760> was
• previously as to who's paying forecasted previously as to who's paying it<00:14:06.279> I'm<00

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Minnesota House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee met on January 22, 2025, for its first meeting and took up House File 5, introduced by Representative Jim Joy and moved to the Tax Committee. Joy said the bill would make Minnesota more affordable by eliminating the Social Security tax, repealing the motor fuels tax inflator, removing the retail delivery fee, and changing vehicle-related taxes and metro-area sales tax allocations. Committee fiscal staff reviewed the bill’s fiscal effects, including impacts on the general fund, the Highway User Tax Distribution Fund, the Transportation Advancement Account, and the split between Metropolitan Council and metropolitan counties. Testimony was largely divided along stakeholder lines. The Minnesota Grocers Association and Minnesota Propane Association supported repealing the retail delivery fee, arguing it creates administrative burdens, requires costly software changes, and raises costs that are passed on to consumers; propane representatives said the fee is especially burdensome because most of their deliveries are exempt but still require tracking and reporting. In contrast, the League of Minnesota Cities, Minnesota Association of Small Cities, Metro Cities, and Minnesota Association of Townships emphasized the need for stable, predictable transportation funding for local roads and said they support the Transportation Advancement Account and related revenue streams, though some were neutral on the exact source of funding. The League and small cities groups said local governments need reliable annual revenue and that past funding has been inconsistent. Committee members asked about who pays the delivery fee, its exemptions, and how much revenue it has generated versus earlier forecasts. Fiscal staff said current estimates for delivery fee revenue are below original projections, and explained the fee’s exemptions and $100 transaction threshold. Representative Joy said his intent was to keep small cities and townships whole as the bill moves forward. No vote was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the bill was heard and referred as noted at the outset.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Myers, I can give you a comparison of the projection versus the current forecast.
• So the current estimates are lower than what was forecasted previously.
• <00:12:57.680> so<00:12:58.360> when<00:12:58.560> the the current forecast
• so when the the current forecast so when the delivery<00:12:59.279> was<00:12:59.399> enacted
• previously as to who's paying forecasted previously as to who's paying it<00:13:45.079> afraid

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House File 5 was heard in the Transportation Committee and moved by the author, Representative Jim Joy, to be referred to the Tax Committee. Joy described the bill as a package to make Minnesota more affordable by fully eliminating the Social Security tax subtraction, ending the motor fuels tax indexing, repealing the retail delivery fee, and studying vehicle registration/license taxes compared with neighboring states. Committee fiscal staff explained the bill’s fiscal effects across the general fund, highway user tax distribution fund, transportation advancement account, and metro county sales tax allocations, including that the delivery fee repeal would reduce Transportation Advancement Account revenue and that the bill would shift some revenue sources to offset losses. Several stakeholders testified. The Minnesota Grocers Association strongly supported repealing the retail delivery fee, arguing it is costly and complex for retailers to administer, especially small businesses, and that the costs are ultimately passed on to consumers. The Minnesota Propane Association also supported repeal, saying the fee is burdensome for propane businesses, that only a small share of deliveries are actually subject to it, and that compliance costs can exceed the fee revenue collected. Fiscal staff noted that delivery fee revenue forecasts have fallen below earlier projections, and explained that the fee is imposed on sellers with several exemptions, including a $100 transaction threshold and exemptions for some sales such as bars, restaurants, nonprofits, and certain small businesses. Opposition came from local government groups. The League of Minnesota Cities said it supported the Transportation Advancement Account and its 2023 funding sources, including the delivery fee and motor vehicle parts sales tax, and warned that the bill would prematurely alter a funding structure that cities rely on for predictable transportation revenue. The Minnesota Association of Small Cities said small cities had long lacked dedicated transportation funding and wanted a stable, ongoing revenue stream, but were neutral on the exact source as long as it was reliable. Metro Cities echoed support for stable, predictable transportation funding for metro-area cities. The committee took testimony and discussion only; no final vote was recorded in the excerpt beyond the motion to refer the bill to the Tax Committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• for students who are eligible for the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, who are above the forecast
• we think that this will tighten it up a good bit, Senator, in the ways that I described, but we forecast
• , or at least I forecast, that it's not unlikely that we'd be back here next year with the glitch bill
• we think that this will tighten it up a good bit, Senator, in the ways that I described, but we forecast
• , or at least I forecast, that it's not unlikely that we'd be back here next year with the glitch bill

Summary: The Appropriations Committee met for Budget Day and heard presentations on the Senate’s proposed 2025-2026 budget, SPB 25-200, totaling $117.4 billion. Chair Hooper said the plan reduces overall spending from the prior year, keeps strong reserves, includes a 4% pay raise for state employees, maintains employee health care contributions, and makes major investments in water quality, transportation, and education infrastructure. Committee chairs then summarized their budget silos, including K-12 education, higher education, health and human services, criminal and civil justice, transportation/tourism/economic development, and agriculture/environment/general government. Members asked questions mainly about school funding, AP and dual enrollment support, voucher and scholarship impacts, and the My Safe Florida Home program. The committee adopted a large consent package of amendments and then approved three late-file amendments: funding virtual college tours for high school students, funding the FSU Sunshine Genetics program, and providing money for the Port of Fernandina customs facility. The committee then voted to report SPB 2500, the General Appropriations Bill, as a committee bill. It also favorably reported SPB 2502 (implementing bill), SPB 2504 (state employees placeholder), SB 7022 (Florida Retirement System contribution rates and DROP changes), CS/SB 1320 (recreating the Resilient Florida Trust Fund), SPB 2506 (gaming compact revenue distributions, including water projects and rural lands), SPB 2508 (29 new judgeships), SB 7014 (ending the court mediation and arbitration trust fund), SPB 2510 (K-12 conforming bill), SPB 2512 (higher education conforming bill), and SPB 2514 (health and human services conforming bill). The committee also took up several policy bills. It approved SB 7028 on cancer research, creating grant parameters, reporting requirements, a five-year pediatric cancer research incubator, and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute VisionGen Initiative. It approved CS/CS/SB 170 on nursing home quality, adding resident satisfaction surveys, medical director standards, safety culture reviews, electronic health record requirements, financial reporting penalties, and a study of best practices. It approved CS/CS/SB 168, the Tristan Murphy Act, which expands mental health diversion options, adds Hillsborough County to a forensic hospital diversion pilot, expands grant uses, and creates a behavioral health data repository. It also approved SB 114 creating the Florida Center for Excellence in Insurance and Risk Management at FSU and moving the public hurricane loss model there. The committee then began considering SB 180 on emergency preparedness and response, including a late-file amendment, but the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Will this be part of the forecast? Where do those amounts come from?
• Will this be part<00:37:31.200> of<00:37:31.280> the<00:37:31.520> forecast?
• Where where where part of the forecast?
• So, does it just go into the into<00:38:38.720> the<00:38:38.880> forecast?
• Is it just something into the forecast?

Bills: HF4609, HF4401

Keywords: infertility, fertility treatment, fertility preservation, IVF, assisted reproductive technology, ART, oocyte retrieval, embryo transfer, egg freezing, sperm freezing, reproductive health, maternity coverage, health insurance mandate, health plan benefits, Medical Assistance, Medicaid, MinnesotaCare, family planning, oncology fertility preservation, chemotherapy

Transcript Highlights:

• So, that was the November forecast was a $6.5 billion deficit.
• After the February forecast, a drop down to $5.5 billion. So that is what we're facing.
• So, that was the November<00:59:28.319> forecast<00:59:28.799> was<00:59:28.960> a
• forecast was a $6.5 billion deficit.<00:59:31.760> We<00:59:32.000> had<00:59:32.079><
• After the February<00:59:39.520> forecast,<00:59:40.079> a<00:59:40.400> drop<00

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Higher Education Conference Committee reviewed differences among the Governor’s, House, and Senate proposals for state grant parameter changes and their effects on state grant spending, North Star Promise spending, and average student awards. Nonpartisan staff explained that the proposals use different combinations of parameter changes, with the Governor’s and Senate plans modeled to avoid or minimize rationing, while the House plan would require rationing to balance the program. Staff reported projected biennium balances of a positive $29.836 million for the Governor’s proposal, a negative $60.758 million for the House proposal without rationing, a positive $994,000 for the House proposal with rationing, and a positive $3.623 million for the Senate proposal; North Star Promise balances also varied, with the Senate showing a positive balance and the Governor and House with rationing showing negative balances. Staff also said the Senate proposal would extend availability of the state grant appropriation and suspend surplus procedures through fiscal year 2029, allowing the balance to carry forward. The committee then focused on the House-only tuition and fee cap provision, which would limit the tuition recognized for state grant purposes for four-year programs to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities level, with 1% annual increases in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. House members said the cap was intended to address rising tuition, especially at the University of Minnesota, and to produce savings in the state grant program. The governor’s office confirmed the provision was not included in the Governor’s bill. Representatives from the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Private College Council opposed the cap, arguing it would reduce awards for low-income students and shift costs to students rather than address underlying tuition pressures; they also said it could discourage enrollment at higher-cost institutions. Supporters from Minnesota State argued the cap would improve fairness because students at lower-tuition institutions are effectively capped lower, while students at more expensive institutions receive larger awards, and they said the legislature should intervene in a variable that has grown substantially over time. Committee members questioned how the cap would work and whether it was tied to the Twin Cities campus rate. Testifiers clarified that the state grant formula is tied to the University of Minnesota level, but because Minnesota State institutions are below that level, the cap effectively limits their students to their own lower tuition while allowing higher awards at the University of Minnesota and private colleges. No formal vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the chair indicated the committee would continue with item-by-item review of the remaining parameter changes and hear additional testimony from agencies and institutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• that sales tax is forgiven and we don't put a number in the bill, but instead of that we make it a forecast
• that sales tax is forgiven and we don't put a number in the bill, but instead of that we make it a forecast
• that sales tax is forgiven and we don't put a number in the bill, but instead of that we make it a forecast
• that sales tax is forgiven and we don't put a number in the bill, but instead of that we make it a forecast
• a forecast a forecast item<00:28:09.039> um<00:28:09.480> and<00:28:09.679> so<

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• we wanted to assess for our college partners, you know, enrollment projections are difficult to forecast
• we wanted to assess for our college partners, you know, enrollment projections are difficult to forecast
• On that forecast spreadsheet, I'm going to focus on columns D through I, which represent the budget and
• spreadsheet I'm base so on that forecast spreadsheet I'm going<01:28:36.000> to<01:28:36.119>
• Chair, I'm happy to either answer questions members have about the November forecast now before I move

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee received an informational presentation from the Office of Higher Education on college access efforts, with a focus on FAFSA outreach, the Get Ready program, and Direct Admissions Minnesota. Wendy Robinson said OHE’s role is to provide nonpartisan information, partner with K-12, colleges, and community groups, and use statewide programs to expand awareness of higher education options and financial aid. She highlighted outreach through brochures, virtual sessions, conferences, the State Fair, and events serving specific populations, as well as the Lumina-funded Connect College grant and the federally funded Get Ready program, which serves about 7,500 low-income students across 14 capacity-building schools and 28 additional schools with tutoring, college visits, application help, and financial aid support. A member asked for demographic data on Get Ready students, and staff said they would provide it later. Robinson also reviewed FAFSA outreach, noting that last year was especially difficult for students because of federal FAFSA problems. OHE’s Ready Set FAFSA sessions drew 1,300 unique registrations in October and 939 in January, and the agency continued training K-12 and college staff on state aid programs, FAFSA simplification, and implementation of North Star Promise. OHE said it also held FAFSA completion events with partners, including at the State Fair, and planned another financial aid event in Duluth. The bulk of the presentation covered Direct Admissions Minnesota. Robinson said the program is now in its fourth year, with 55 participating colleges and universities and 182 participating high schools in the third cohort, serving just over 32,000 students. She described the program as a broad, collaborative model that sends students letters listing colleges that would admit them based on junior-year performance, while preserving student choice and waiving application fees for participating schools. She said the program is intended to reduce anxiety about admissions, encourage FAFSA completion, and keep more Minnesota students in-state. Robinson previewed second-year data showing continued positive outcomes, including higher FAFSA completion, increased college enrollment, and more students staying in Minnesota. Participation increased among students eligible for free and reduced lunch, rising from 21% in the first year to 40% in the second year. She noted a continuing concern about American Indian and Alaska Native students, whose FAFSA completion declined and whose participation numbers were lower in the newest cohort, and said the agency would continue to study that data. She also said some of the increase in free-and-reduced-lunch participation may reflect the impact of North Star Promise and related financial aid messaging. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Although economic Although economic forecasts suggest hiring may continue to slow and unemployment could
• We're aware of forecasts from the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center.
• We are aware of the revenue projections and forecasts from our Secretary of Finance.
• Projections and forecasts from our Secretary of Finance, and we are prepared in the event of another

Summary: The Commission on Unemployment Compensation met, established a quorum, and elected Delegate Destiny LeVere Bolling as chair and Senator Mike Jones as vice chair. The commission also adopted its electronic meeting policy and heard introductions from new members, staff, and officials from the Secretary of Labor’s office and the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC). Secretary Jessica Lumen outlined the administration’s workforce and labor priorities, including supporting workers, employers, and program transparency, while members raised concerns about business climate, job losses, labor participation, and the implementation of paid family and medical leave. Staff provided legislative updates on recent unemployment-related bills. These included increases to the weekly unemployment benefit amount enacted in 2025 and 2026, a bill on labor dispute disqualification that changed how lockouts are treated for benefit eligibility, and a budget item providing $75,000 for actuarial support to the commission. The commission also discussed the 2025 work group on annual adjustments to weekly benefit amounts; staff reported that the work group did not complete its charge, and members agreed to revisit whether to reconstitute it at a future meeting. Delegate Martinez expressed support for continuing the work, and the chair said the issue would be taken up at the next meeting. Deputy Commissioner Joanna Darkus gave a detailed presentation on Virginia’s unemployment insurance system, including current claims data, eligibility rules, employer tax structure, benefit levels, trust fund solvency, fraud prevention, and customer service operations. She reported that Virginia’s unemployment rate remains low, weekly claims are modest, the current weekly benefit range is $160 to $478, and the trust fund balance factor is projected at 50.9 percent, near the threshold for additional employer charges. Members asked about the taxable wage base, trust fund solvency, the effect of benefit increases, fraud controls, and the planned paid family and medical leave program. VEC said it is implementing that program through regulations, staffing, IT procurement, public listening sessions, and consultation with other states. A public commenter from the Virginia Poverty Law Center urged the commission to strengthen state investment in unemployment insurance and warned that federal support is uncertain. The commission then adjourned without taking further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• Although economic forecasts suggest hiring may continue to slow and unemployment could gradually increase
• We're aware of forecasts from the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center.
• We are aware of the revenue projections and forecasts from our Secretary of Finance.
• Projections and forecasts from our Secretary of Finance, and we are prepared in the event of another

Keywords: Commission on Unemployment Compensation, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• going to go through some slides now identifying photographs of the site and some current updates and forecast
• 15:10.800> current<00:15:11.120> updates<00:15:11.519> and<00:15:11.839> forecast
• and some current updates and forecast. and some current updates and forecast.

Keywords: 1183, house