Transcript Highlights:

• They can't get credit for 10 of the $290 billion of Clinton's deficit reduction.
• <02:53:32.319> reduction.
• reduction.
• Now for re for years, deficit reduction.
• Kennedy has produced a better deficit. Kennedy has produced a better deficit.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• put this additional money into this Quick Action Closing Fund, we have named any direct project or reduction
• We are trying to dampen and we are in somewhat of a structural deficit, so anytime we can lower our recurring
• I ask you, we have a structural deficit problem. Now is not the time to.
• At the end of the day, we do have a structural deficit.

Bills: SB1177, HB3705, SB1942, SB2026, SB1533, SB1327, SB2065, SB2155, SB2159

Keywords: education funding, mental health services, public safety, housing, state budget, tax credit, parental choice, private school, income tax, dental insurance, health care, medical necessity, insurance claims, dentist rights, military discharge, veterans, DD Form 214, confidentiality, grandchildren access, veteran burial

Transcript Highlights:

• But even with that happening, we're still running at a deficit in most places.
• And what I would deficit in most places.
• We could match commercial rates if we wanted, but we're not asking that. running at a deficit.
• Realistically, you running at a deficit.
• So, as you can see, immediately just based on that, we're at a $4 million deficit.

Bills: HB0004

Keywords: medical assistance, birthing centers, healthcare, Medicaid, Wyoming, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a reduction from the existing operating budget.
• The reductions in revenue estimates require reductions in recurring expenses in the budget proposal.
• Together, this elimination totals almost $75 million and helps to address the deficit.
• The amendments before the committee total $103 million, including a net reduction of $67.5 million in
• The major reductions made by the Finance Committee to balance the budget include a reduction of $53.1

Bills: HB1, HB2, HB3, HB312, HB313, HB314, HB383, HB983, HB1126, HCR3

Keywords: state budget, appropriations, education funding, public health, social services, government operations, state institutions, capital outlay, budget, infrastructure, appropriation, general obligation bonds, bond authorization, capital improvement, financial management, state treasury, funding, state general fund, local government, fiscal year

Transcript Highlights:

• across all silos, the Florida's First budget includes a total of $850 million in recurring budget reductions
• A total of $850 million in recurring budget reductions and 354.5 FTE vacancy reductions for over 180
• Of these totals, the public safety silo represents 52.5 FTE reductions and over $3.5 million.
• These public safety reductions include recurring-based budget funds or excess trust fund authority that
• Any particular facilities that you'd like to single out that are going through these deficits that are

Bills: S0054, S0156, S0296, S0298

Keywords: cognitive function, psychotropic drugs, violent offenders, autopsy procedures, medical records, school safety, public records, open government, sunshine law, victims of dating violence, domestic violence, address confidentiality program, confidential address, voter registration, voting records, elections, supervisor of elections, Department of State, Attorney General, privacy

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation on the Governor’s fiscal year 2026-27 public safety budget, which totals about $8.2 billion within a $117.4 billion overall state budget. Caitlin Dawkins of the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget outlined funding and reductions across the public safety silo, including the Department of Corrections, Juvenile Justice, FDLE, Legal Affairs, the courts, and related entities. Agency heads then presented their requests, with FDLE seeking funding for fentanyl enforcement, career offender registry staffing, alert system upgrades, alcohol testing equipment, officer mental health, criminal alien detection, and statutory staffing needs; DJJ requesting money for the Florida Scholars Academy, uniforms, residential contract rate increases, a new Broward detention center, and facility maintenance; and DOC requesting major funding for correctional officer pay increases, 500 additional FTE, facility construction and maintenance, communications and security technology, offender information system modernization, inmate health care, pharmaceuticals, and food service. Members discussed staffing shortages, prison conditions, immigration enforcement, public records burdens, mental health and substance use treatment, and the need for continued investment in corrections. A member of the public also testified about poor conditions in some prisons, including clothing, food, medical care, and maintenance issues. The committee then considered and passed CS/SB 156, the Jason Rayner Act, which would clarify that a person may not resist a law enforcement officer with violence when the officer is performing official duties and would increase penalties in cases involving violence against officers. The bill sponsor described the case of Officer Jason Rayner and said the measure was intended to prevent defendants from using claims about unlawful detention or arrest to justify violence. An amendment conforming the bill’s language was adopted, and the bill was reported favorably after support was noted from several law enforcement and municipal groups. Next, the committee passed CS/SB 54, which addresses use of substances affecting cognitive function. An amendment narrowed the medical-records language to records relevant to investigations of violent offenders and clarified privacy protections. The bill was then reported favorably. The committee also passed CS/SB 296, the Haven Act, which would direct a study of a secure web-based alert system for domestic violence victims so they can contact 911 without alerting an abuser, and would expand the Address Confidentiality Program to include dating violence victims. Testimony from survivors and advocates emphasized the danger victims face when trying to leave abusive situations. Finally, the committee passed CS/SB 298, the public-records companion bill, which extends confidentiality protections for participants in the Address Confidentiality Program to dating violence victims as well. All three bills were reported favorably, and the committee adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• When we looked at 2022, we were structurally in a deficit.
• to put that in—that if all things go wrong at the same time, we could still find ourselves in some deficit
• into, while we have surplus and an extraordinary condition where you could have 1,000 megawatts of deficit
• The four columns are: how much surplus or deficit do you have under a planning standard?
• but they seem to be based on some analysis that data centers showed a potentially 5 to 10 percent reduction

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Not have a deficit from what the hospitals contributed, is that right? Thank you. Bye-bye.
• to go through, it's anticipated that 60% of home health agencies would have a negative balance, a deficit
• Out of deficit, their deficits would be even bigger.
• That return on investment comes from a reduction in emergency room visits and hospitalizations, or in
• Megan, you said that home health or hospice agencies, that 50 percent of them are operating at a deficit

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:01:45.680> And for a mortality based reduction. And for a mortality based reduction.
• Uh reduction just like the previous one.
• You made a comment that 50% reduction.
• That's why run out of control deficit.
• outofc control deficit spending. outofc control deficit spending.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These two funding reductions combined translate to about a 4,176 CCTR slot reduction and we are, CCTR
• slot reduction, and we are currently assessing how those fund reductions could be absorbed with minimum
• deficit in the coming years.
• , as well as the $5 million reduction in child and adult food programs.
• So the structural deficit... ...I did not know, did not account for the $705 million.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard a lengthy budget and policy discussion on child care, child welfare, and related early education issues, beginning with child care funding and slot utilization. Department of Social Services officials outlined the Governor’s proposed 2026-27 child care budget, including $6.8 billion for child care programs, an $11.5 million Prop. 64-funded disaster repair mini-grant program for licensed facilities affected by 2025 disasters, and projected reductions tied to federal CCDF formula changes and lower Prop. 64 revenues. DSS said the reductions could mean about 4,176 CCTR slots, but emphasized they were assessing how to absorb the cuts without disrupting children currently in care. The LAO supported aligning funding to lower revenues and asked for more detail on the disaster grant program. Senators pressed the department on why so many slots remain uncontracted or unfilled, why unspent funds revert to the General Fund, and whether more flexibility could move dollars from contracts to vouchers; DSS said delays are largely due to infrastructure, licensing, staffing, and enrollment ramp-up, and that it is working on readiness reviews, technical assistance, and possible reallocation of relinquished slots. The committee also discussed Emergency Child Care Bridge reallocations among counties and confirmed that no currently enrolled children would be disenrolled under the proposed slot reductions. A second panel focused on the state’s broader commitment to expand child care and reform reimbursement rates. DSS said California has nearly doubled child care funding in five years and increased monthly children served from about 294,100 in 2019-20 to more than 366,700 currently, while also advancing the single rate structure process through the alternative methodology and a joint labor-management committee report. Stanislaus County Office of Education described local shortages, especially for infant and toddler care, and argued that rate disparities between programs make it harder to sustain mixed delivery systems. Parent Voices California testified that the current system is confusing, unstable, and inequitable, with one speaker describing repeated paperwork burdens, waiting lists, and periods of homelessness while trying to maintain child care. The California Budget and Policy Center argued that only 16% of eligible children were enrolled in 2024, that Universal TK has drawn major resources into school-based care, and that providers remain paid far below the cost of care; it urged more revenue, faster rate reform, and expansion across the mixed delivery system. The LAO estimated that aligning CCTR adjustment factors for three-year-olds and children with disabilities with CSPP would cost $88 million to $131 million ongoing. Senators and staff also discussed the need for deadlines on automation and implementation of the single rate structure, with DSS and CDE noting that policy decisions, system changes, and collective bargaining issues are still being worked through. The committee then reviewed several child care trailer bill proposals. DSS proposed applying the 2026-27 COLA as an increase to cost-of-care-plus payments rather than as a traditional COLA, with $87.8 million General Fund initially proposed; DSS later acknowledged it had omitted CalWORKs Child Care and the Emergency Child Care Bridge from the calculation and said the amount would be revised upward. The LAO recommended making the COLA treatment uniform across child care and state preschool programs. DSS also proposed replacing the market rate survey with the federally approved alternative methodology survey on a triennial schedule, limiting temporary absences for licensed family child care homes to 20% of care hours in a month, defining excessive unexplained absences as more than 30 days in a 12-month period, and aligning family fee collection so contractors collect the fee without reducing the voucher value. The department said these changes are intended to bring state law into compliance with federal requirements and to better reflect current practice. Finally, the committee discussed the Early Childhood Policy Council, including a reappropriation of previously unused funds and a new reporting requirement under AB 563; members questioned staffing needs and whether existing contractor support could absorb the work, while DSS said the funds are used for stipends, facilitation, translation, and contract oversight and may still be needed as participation patterns change.

Transcript Highlights:

• So Proposition 36 partially rolled back those punishment reductions that were made by Prop. 47, and so
• We're still waiting to see what the final reduction is.
• It probably appears that the reduction is going to be relatively small in the near term.
• won't be able to provide additional funding without then taking reductions in existing programs.
• won't be able to provide additional funding without then taking reductions in existing programs.

Summary: The committee heard extensive testimony on Proposition 36 and its implementation, with judicial and budget officials describing it as a major shift from misdemeanor to felony processing for repeat drug possession and certain theft offenses. Witnesses explained that the law creates a treatment-mandated felony process that can lead to dismissal if a defendant completes treatment, but also requires evaluations, court monitoring, and potentially long, open-ended supervision. Judicial representatives said the new law is already generating large numbers of filings, creating workload, staffing, courtroom, and facility pressures, and that access to treatment beds, housing, and evaluation capacity is limiting participation. Several speakers emphasized that collaborative courts are effective but are not a perfect fit for Prop. 36 because those programs are typically probation-based and serve different risk/need populations. Court officials from San Bernardino and Orange counties said the impacts vary by county but are severe, with some counties seeing hundreds or more filings in a short period and others moving more slowly to build treatment infrastructure first. They argued that Prop. 36 is effectively an unfunded mandate unless the state provides more resources for judges, staff, facilities, treatment, housing, and supervision. The Legislative Analyst’s Office noted that Prop. 36 will reduce the Proposition 47 savings that fund mental health and substance use treatment grants, but said the near-term reduction is relatively modest and that the full effect will take time to appear because of the way those savings are calculated. Members of the committee repeatedly raised concerns that the state is underfunding the courts and counties needed to carry out the new law. The committee also reviewed the Governor’s proposed trial court operations budget, including a partial restoration of a prior $97 million cut and additional ongoing funding. Judicial branch officials said the restoration helped avoid furloughs, hiring freezes, and service reductions, and supported cybersecurity, technology, staffing, and records management. The LAO recommended that the Legislature seek more detail on how midyear restorations are handled and consider clarifying language for transferring unspent trial court trust fund monies to the General Fund. Finance said the flexibility in the ongoing funding was intentional and would be taken back for consideration. In a separate item, the committee heard testimony on a $6.3 million increase for Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal appointed counsel programs. Judicial officials and appellate project representatives said the system is facing a crisis because indigent appeals have risen sharply while the number of panel attorneys has fallen, leaving many cases waiting months for counsel. They argued the proposed increase would help but is still below what is needed to recruit and retain attorneys and prevent delays that affect criminal, juvenile, and child welfare cases. The committee also discussed the Tracy courthouse project in San Joaquin County, where local officials said reopening a courthouse closed since 2011 is necessary to serve a growing population and relieve overcrowding elsewhere. The LAO and Finance both noted the project is next in line under the facilities plan, though LAO suggested the Legislature could consider whether other facility priorities should come first.

Transcript Highlights:

• Line 211 is a reduction to the assumed spending reductions from future cost-saving proposals with the
• contingent reduction.
• Line 211 is a reduction to the assumed spending reductions from future cost-saving proposals with the
• contingent reduction.
• The net effect of all of those changes is a reduction of expenditures of about 73.8 million in the 26

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• targets for the uh for our VMT reduction targets for the uh for the<00:23:28.880> next<00:23:
• about $2 million here, but every dollar that we are able to save counts toward closing the budget deficit
• to save counts toward closing the able to save counts toward closing the budget<00:30:05.720> deficit
• c> I<00:30:07.039> believe<00:30:07.480> that<00:30:07.679> every budget deficit
• uh I believe that every budget deficit uh I believe that every minutes<00:30:08.320> s<00:30:

Bills: HF2066, HF340, HF341, HF566, HF2107, HF2130

Keywords: electric bicycles, tax rebate, transportation, environment, local economy, fleeing peace officer, culpable negligence, traffic laws, public safety, motor vehicle offenses, driving violations, penalties, license suspension, traffic enforcement, all-terrain vehicle, ATV, class 1 ATV, class 2 ATV, road rights-of-way, public roads

Transcript Highlights:

• These two funding reductions combined translate to about a 4,176 CCTR slot reduction, and we are CCTR
• slot reduction, and we are currently assessing how those fund reductions could be absorbed with minimum
• deficit in the coming years.
• , as well as the $5 million reduction in child and adult food programs.
• So the structure deficit, I did not know, did not account for the $705 million.

Summary: The committee heard an extensive Department of Social Services presentation on child care budget issues, including the Governor’s proposed 2026-27 budget, federal CCDF changes, Prop. 64 revenue adjustments, and a one-time $11.5 million disaster-related infrastructure grant for licensed child care facilities affected by 2025 declared disasters. DSS said federal formula updates and lower Prop. 64 revenues would reduce funding and could result in about 4,176 CCTR slots being reduced, but the department said it was working to avoid impacts to currently enrolled children. The LAO supported aligning general child care funding with lower revenues and asked for more detail on the disaster grant. Members pressed DSS and Finance on why reductions were not being backfilled and why so many awarded slots remain uncontracted or unused; DSS said delays are largely due to providers building new infrastructure, licensing, staffing, and enrollment challenges, and that some unspent funds revert to the General Fund. The committee also discussed whether some contract dollars should be shifted to vouchers and whether more flexibility should be allowed for infrastructure and expansion costs. A second panel focused on the state’s commitment to expand child care and on rate reform. DSS reported that nearly 125,000 new slots have been awarded since 2021-22, but speakers from Stanislaus County Office of Education, Parent Voices California, and the California Budget and Policy Center argued that unmet need remains large and that the system still leaves many families without access. Stanislaus County described a large local shortage of infant and toddler care and said reimbursement disparities between child care programs and state preschool create disincentives for providers. Parent Voices gave testimony about the burdens and instability families face when trying to access care, especially for survivors and low-income parents, and called for a universal, publicly funded system. The Budget Center said only about 16% of eligible children were enrolled in 2024, urged expansion across the mixed delivery system rather than concentrating investment in TK, and called for faster rate reform and new revenue. LAO estimated that bringing certain CCTR adjustment factors up to CSPP levels would cost $88 million to $131 million ongoing. Members and witnesses discussed the single rate structure, automation needs, and the need for deadlines and a ramp-up plan; DSS said the goal is to eliminate disparities, but that policy decisions are still needed before automation can proceed. The committee then reviewed several trailer bill proposals. DSS outlined a 2026-27 COLA proposal that would apply a 2.41% increase through cost-of-care-plus payments, though the department said it had inadvertently excluded CalWORKs Child Care and the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program and would revise the proposal; LAO recommended making the COLA methodology uniform across programs. DSS also proposed replacing the market rate survey with the federally approved alternative methodology on a triennial schedule, limiting temporary absences in family child care homes to 20% of monthly hours, defining excessive unexplained absences as more than 30 days in a year, and aligning family fee deductions with new federal requirements so providers receive the full voucher value. Members generally supported the temporary absence change and asked about implementation timing for the family fee deduction, with DSS saying it was in contact with Riverside County. The committee also heard a brief update on the Early Childhood Policy Council reappropriation, which would extend unused funds through June 30, 2028 because prior costs came in higher than expected.

Transcript Highlights:

• This reduction is largely driven by the implementation of new payment review processes in the medical
• This reduction<00:20:53.600> is<00:20:53.840> largely<00:20:54.240> driven<00:20
• :54.559> by<00:20:54.720> the reduction is largely driven by the reduction is largely driven
• We have a legislature and a governor who work together to reduce the structural deficit, which puts us
• which puts us uh with increased deficit which puts us uh with increased revenues<00:41:20.240> in

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: Minnesota Management and Budget officials presented the February 2026 budget and economic forecast, saying the state remains in a strong financial position but faces continued structural imbalance and significant uncertainty. Commissioner Aaron Campbell said the FY 2026-27 balance is now projected at more than $3.7 billion, up about $1.3 billion from November, and the FY 2028-29 planning period is projected to end with a $377 million positive balance. He emphasized that the improvement comes largely from higher projected revenues, especially individual income and corporate franchise taxes, but warned that the state is increasingly reliant on more volatile sources such as capital gains, interest income, and corporate profits. State Economist Dr. Anthony Becker said the national outlook improved slightly, with stronger projected GDP, consumer spending, and investment, but weaker payroll growth and ongoing trade-policy uncertainty. He noted that the forecast was complicated by missing federal data because of the federal shutdown, and that tariffs, immigration policy, equity markets, and possible AI-related shifts all present risks. Revenue projections were raised for the current biennium, including individual income tax receipts, sales tax revenue, corporate franchise tax revenue, and other revenues, while Becker stressed that federal funding threats, especially involving Medicaid and other entitlement programs, could materially alter the outlook. State Budget Director Anna Mingi said general fund spending in the current biennium is projected to be $68 million lower than previously estimated, but planning-year spending is up $152 million. The biggest spending changes came from education, where special education costs rose sharply after updated local spending data, and from human services, where a new prepayment review process for certain Medicaid benefits reduced projected spending by $133 million this biennium and $105 million in the next. She also said discretionary inflation is now estimated at $1.04 billion, up $104 million from November. Campbell closed by saying the state’s reserve remains at a record $3.8 billion and that Minnesota’s AAA bond rating and reserve policy help protect against downturns. He cautioned, however, that the long-term structural imbalance remains about $3.4 billion in the planning years, or $2.3 billion excluding discretionary inflation, and urged policymakers to offset any new spending with reductions. No votes or formal actions were taken; the meeting was a presentation and question-and-answer session on the forecast.

Transcript Highlights:

• Access budget authority and historic reversion reductions.
• There were some reductions based on the reduction in the trust fund that ran out and we can no longer
• There was a slight reduction in vacant positions.
• The budget we are putting public schools in is a deficit.
• We are asking them to start out in a deficit.

Bills: HJR 99, HB 1399, HB 1400, HB 1094, HB 365, HB 1109, HB 647, HCR 35, SB 14, HB 12, HB 1522, HB 422, HB 675, HB 204, HB 748, HB 912, HJR 99, HB 1399, HB 1400, HB 1094, HB 365, HB 1109, HB 647, HCR 35, HCR 123, HCR 124, HR 57, HR 87, HR 111, HR 228, HR 230, HR 322, HR 624, HR 625, HR 626, HR 627, HR 628, HR 630, HR 631, HR 634, HR 635, HR 636, HR 637, HR 638, HR 639, HR 640, HR 645, HR 646, HR 648, HR 649, HR 651, HR 652, HR 653, HR 654, HR 664, HR 665, HR 668, HR 675, HR 676, HR 678, HR 679, HR 680, HR 683, HR 686, HR 688, HR 689, HR 694, HR 695, HR 697, HR 698, HR 699, HR 472, HR 622, HR 632, HR 633, HR 643, HR 655, HR 657, HR 660, HR 661, HR 662, HR 663, HR 667, HR 670, HR 674, HR 681, HR 682, HR 696

Keywords: animal feed, tax exemption, ad valorem taxation, retail, constitutional amendment, retail sale, tangible personal property, Texas tax code, groundwater, water conservation, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, innovation fund, local conservation districts, transportation protection agreement, funeral services, insurance exemption, regulation, deceased transportation, HB 365

Transcript Highlights:

• up to 35% today Transportation deficit up to 35% today we'll<00:03:11.879> be<00:03:12.040>
• 00:09:50.040> deficits While we are grateful for this increase, it still leaves a deficit of 65%
• <00:13:26.600> of services we also made a reduction of services we also made a reduction of
• <00:19:11.080> and this up to 70% of that that deficit and this up to 70% of that that deficit
• They are in deficits. They are cutting staff.

Bills: HF6, HF52, HF53

Keywords: education, literacy, science of reading, school performance, funding flexibility, innovation zones, equity and inclusion, HF52, New Germany, wastewater treatment, wastewater facility, sewer infrastructure, capital investment, bonding bill, state bonds, Public Facilities Authority, municipal infrastructure, water quality, sanitation, sewage treatment

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:53:02.880> So reasons we're looking at a deficit.
• So reasons we're looking at a deficit.
• It's completely separate and so it shouldn't be impacting at all the $6 billion deficit.
• impacting at all the $6 billion deficit. impacting at all the $6 billion deficit.
• in their bene through a reduction in their bene through a reduction<01:28:42.719> in<01:28:42.880

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a reduction in the cap and the premiums.
• One, how can we, you know, soften that deficit that's we see coming?
• deficit that's we see coming? deficit that's we see coming?
• <02:34:27.920> in talking about uh structural deficit in talking about uh structural deficit
• And this year they expected deficit.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• well, we're facing increasing budget uncertainty this fiscal year and are projected to see budget deficits
• that College Corps brings to students and communities, but given the... state's projected budget deficit
• , the high administrative costs to run the program, and the proposed reductions in higher education in
• 2026, both at the University of California system... the California State University system, and a reduction
• bar when it is considering expanding or creating new programs funded by the general fund as in a deficit

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But with this request, we would have to look at staffing reductions, increase in emissions, which is
• But with this request, we would have to look at staffing reductions, increase in emissions, which is
• But with this request, we would have to look at staffing reductions, increase in emissions, which is
• But with this request, we would have to look at staffing reductions, increase in emissions, which is
• <01:10:26.080> of a maintenance back backlog deficit of a maintenance back backlog deficit

Keywords: 1183, house