Video & Transcript : 'open primary' :
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CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Rules Committee May 6th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- You will have the opportunity to provide one to two minutes for your opening testimony to this committee
- In your opening, you're welcome to introduce any guests that you may have here with you today.
- We will keep time for your opening, and we will prompt you when you are approaching that time.
- And besides funding, what are the primary... We're not at risk at this point. All right.
- In your opening, you're welcome to make any introductions of your guests.
Summary:
The Senate Committee on Rules first handled several routine actions, including approving three governor’s appointments not required to appear: Anthony Surich as Executive Director of the California Housing Finance Agency, Craig Snelling J.D. to the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, and Nicholas Mueller to the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission. The committee also approved referral of bills to committees, all by 4-0 votes. It then took up appointments requiring testimony, beginning with Jereen DiAdamo to the State Water Resources Control Board.
DiAdamo focused her remarks on safe drinking water, groundwater sustainability, conservation, and Bay-Delta restoration. She said the number of Californians without safe drinking water has fallen from 1.6 million to 800,000 since 2019, credited the SAFER program, technical assistance, and mandatory consolidation authority, and described ongoing work on failing and at-risk systems, domestic well mitigation, SGMA implementation, and the Bay-Delta Plan. Senators pressed her on audit follow-up, measurable goals for reducing the remaining unsafe systems, funding uncertainty, and concerns from environmental and tribal groups that the board has favored water users over ecosystem protections. Supporters from water, agriculture, business, and local agencies praised her collaborative style and consensus-building, while opponents argued she had not done enough to protect the Delta and called for new leadership. The committee ultimately voted 4-0 to advance her appointment to the full Senate.
The committee then heard from Sivagunda Gunda for reappointment to the California Energy Commission. He highlighted progress on grid reliability, zero-carbon generation, and planning for California’s energy transition, including transportation fuels, building electrification, and the eventual retirement of Diablo Canyon. Senators questioned him about the future of Kern Energy and small refineries, the state’s transportation fuels plan, fuel imports and costs, and whether California can retire Diablo Canyon by 2030 without harming reliability. Gunda said the state is planning as if Diablo Canyon retires in 2030, that current resource additions make reliability manageable, and that affordability and market coordination remain key issues. The committee then voted 4-0 to advance his appointment to the full Senate, and the hearing recessed afterward.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
- You will have the opportunity to provide one to two minutes for your opening testimony to this committee
- In your opening, you're welcome to introduce any guests that you may have here with you today.
- We will keep time of your opening, and we will prompt you when you are approaching that time.
- And besides funding, what are the primary... We're not at risk at this point. All right.
- In your opening, you're welcome to make any introductions of your guests.
Committee:
Senate Rules
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education Apr 7th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- We won't be doing opening statements, just for purposes of time.
- And our goal, as I said in the opening, was audacious.
- “As I said in the opening, it was audacious.
- Until those findings are complete, this remains an open oversight issue for this committee.
- As I mentioned before, this will remain an open oversight issue.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education Apr 7th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- We won't be doing opening statements just for purposes of time.
- And our goal, as I said in the opening, was audacious.
- As I said in the opening, it was audacious.
- As I mentioned before, this will remain an open oversight issue.
- As I mentioned before, this will remain an open oversight issue.
Summary:
The committee held a follow-up informational hearing on the State Library’s oversight of the statewide Imagination Library program, focusing on how state funds were used by the Strong Reader Partnership (SRP) and whether the program complied with statutory requirements. Chair and Senator Grove repeatedly questioned State Librarian Greg Lucas about delayed document production, the State Library’s decision to allow SRP to continue spending $4.8 million after the 2024 budget changes, and the lack of clear accounting for how many books were actually delivered to children. Lucas said the State Library had sent one demand letter, relied on counsel’s advice, and ultimately received bank statements, invoices, and narrative reports that he said were satisfactory, though he acknowledged the committee should have been given the documents sooner.
A major issue was whether SRP and its vendors used state funds for lobbying or influence efforts related to AB 157/SB 157, despite contract language prohibiting lobbying. The committee highlighted invoices and emails involving ChangeCraft and SAGE Strategies that appeared to coincide with legislative activity, while SRP representatives said their work was communications, stakeholder outreach, and board-directed advocacy, not lobbying. Members of SRP also defended their vendor selections and invoicing practices, explaining that the organization was in startup and transition mode, had multiple financial vendors for checks and balances, and was working to build infrastructure, local partnerships, and multilingual outreach capacity rather than directly buying books.
The hearing also scrutinized specific expenditures, including roughly $581,000 to Shipyard for marketing and web/digital work, $110,000 to Lotus Financial Solutions, and a $5,000 grant to United Way of the California Capital Region. Senators argued the invoices were vague and the deliverables were not evident, pointing to a simple website, limited social media presence, and no clear evidence that some advertised campaigns ever went live. SRP witnesses said the work was part of a phased plan to establish a statewide foundation and that some assets and documentation had not yet been provided to the committee. No votes were taken, and the hearing ended with the chair emphasizing the need for tighter oversight, clearer documentation, and better accountability for taxpayer funds.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
House Budget review Sub. on Postsecondary Education. (2-5-26)
Transcript Highlights:
- We opened those satellite campuses in Northern Kentucky.
- Rankin Health Education Building that opens in 2027.
- We will open our doors to thousands of more future health professionals.
- Since 2018, when it opened, more than $600 million in research rewards have flowed through that building
- I think there was a grand opening recently. Could you just kind of update us on that project?
Summary:
The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met without a quorum and postponed approval of the minutes. The committee first heard from Northern Kentucky University President Katie Short Thompson, who highlighted NKU’s enrollment growth, student success metrics, national recognition for value, lower student debt, and new programs tied to regional workforce needs, including AI, cybersecurity, supply chain analytics, cardiovascular perfusion, and the Norse Network Hub for employer access. She asked for a $5 million recurring base funding adjustment to align NKU’s general fund support with peer institutions, along with support for tuition waivers with FAFSA requirements, continued debt collection authority through the Department of Revenue, inclusion of fire and tornado insurance premiums in base funding, inflation and performance-funding support, and increased asset preservation funding. She also outlined capital priorities for the Hail College of Business building, Nunn Hall, and the MEP building, and requested $5.4 million to match private support for the Young Scholars Academy, a dual-credit program serving first-generation and low-income students.
Representative Tipton questioned NKU about the number of older students using tuition waivers and whether the university could continue the program without a statutory age-based mandate. Thompson said the number of students over 65 using the waiver was small, that some students pursue degrees while others audit classes, and that external fundraising could potentially support the program if state funding changed. Tipton also confirmed NKU’s requested priorities and the $5.4 million match for the Young Scholars Academy.
The committee then heard from University of Kentucky representative Dr. Cavallo, who framed UK’s request around accountability, workforce development, research, and health care impact. He described a patient story to illustrate UK’s medical mission, cited growth in enrollment, degrees awarded, hospital patients treated, and research grant revenue, and emphasized UK’s role in extension services and disaster response. He said UK is consolidating services for efficiency and is focusing on future workforce needs, especially artificial intelligence, noting the launch of the state’s first AI bachelor’s degree and a partnership with Microsoft to expand AI tools and training across campus and the Advancing Kentucky Together network. He also discussed demographic challenges, the need to retain graduates in Kentucky, and the importance of aligning programs and funding with long-term state needs.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Environment and Agriculture (02/17/2026)
Environment and Agriculture
Transcript Highlights:
- ><c> paragraph,</c> >> Uh in the opening paragraph, >> Uh in the opening paragraph, >&
- </c> session, so we're is is wide open. session, so we're is is wide open.
- </c> vocalizations, barking as a primary vocalizations, barking as a primary deterrent.<04:12:34.560>
- Um, so with that, I'm open to laws. Um, so with that, I'm open to questions. Thank you.
- Open to questions.
Committee:
House Environment and Agriculture
Summary:
The subcommittee held an open work session on HB 1766-FN, a bill addressing cruelty to livestock, and focused on proposed language changes from the Department of Agriculture. Assistant State Veterinarian Nathan Harvey, speaking for the commissioner, explained concerns about the term “imminent danger,” arguing that the bill should allow seizure based on probable cause when an animal is starving or has a life-threatening condition, rather than tying action too closely to whether the owner is arrested. The department also proposed language on “extreme suffering” that would require euthanasia if the cost of treatment would exceed the allowable reimbursement amount under AGR rules, though members immediately raised concerns about using a dollar limit to require euthanasia. The department further suggested clarifying who may participate in investigations by allowing the state veterinarian or a designate, and noted that the current draft could be read too narrowly.
Members discussed the $5,000 emergency care cap in the rules, with Josh Marshall confirming it is an aggregate emergency veterinary care limit. Several legislators said they were uncomfortable changing the bill from “may” to “shall” euthanize, arguing that treatment costs vary widely by species and condition and that a fixed monetary threshold could be too rigid. Representative Bixby also raised a separate concern that the bill’s language may be broader than intended and could apply to all animals rather than livestock only. The department agreed the bill should be limited to livestock and suggested using existing statutory definitions or adding a new section to make that clear.
The discussion also turned to humane societies and other organizations that might investigate complaints or board seized animals. A representative from a humane organization said the groups with expertise in care often also have expertise useful to investigations, and that removing them entirely could be impractical because only a few facilities in the state can provide boarding. Members and witnesses explored alternative language that would allow for-profit and nonprofit organizations to participate in either the investigation or the care of livestock, but not both, to avoid conflicts of interest while preserving needed expertise. No votes were taken; the work session ended with agreement to consult the Office of Legislative Services and the department to refine the bill before the next meeting.
MO
Missouri 2026 Regular Session
Local Government -continued- Mar 25th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Transcript Highlights:
- in a partnership with Northwest Health Services, and they've been our partnership and working in primary
- It's forever because all the counties are different, and as you said in your opening statement, local
Summary:
The Committee on Local Government heard testimony on Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 975, which dealt with community paramedic/mobile integrated health services and related jurisdictional issues. Supporters, including representatives from Caldwell County Ambulance, Osage Ambulance District, and Cox Health EMS, described community paramedic programs as effective in rural and regional care, reducing Medicaid costs, helping frequent ER users, supporting early hospital discharges, and filling gaps in underserved areas. A representative of the Missouri State Council of Firefighters opposed the jurisdictional changes added in the Senate, saying the organization supported the underlying bill but wanted the community paramedic language clarified so services could continue without conflict between service areas. Committee members asked about MOUs, service-area boundaries, and whether the Senate amendment was necessary, but no vote was taken and testimony was closed.
The committee then took up House Bill 3496, sponsored by Representative Reedy, which would update county official salary schedules and assessed valuation ranges that have been in place for about 45 years. Reedy and Missouri Association of Counties Executive Director Steve Hobbs said the bill was the product of a multi-year task force effort and was intended to preserve local control while modernizing minimum salary schedules to reflect current county valuations and economic conditions. Members discussed how the bill would interact with existing salary-setting practices, annual training requirements, and prior legislation, and noted concerns about public misunderstanding when county commissions set salaries above the base schedule.
Support for HB 3496 came from the Missouri Association of Counties and Warren County Presiding Commissioner Joe Gildon, who said he approved of the bill. There was no opposition or informational testimony on HB 3496, and the chair closed the public hearing and adjourned the meeting after testimony concluded.
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
Local and County Government Feb 17th, 2026 at 02:00 pm
Local and County Government
Transcript Highlights:
- That is the primary person that we're trying to protect. Follow up, thank you. I was just...
- And would you believe that, would hope that you would be open to the fact that if we can keep folks out
Committee:
Senate Local and County Government
Keywords:
emergency management, federal funding, disaster relief, cost sharing, public assistance, bail reform, public funds, nonprofit organizations, political subdivisions, injunctive relief, criminal procedure, surety bond, judicial discretion, uniform bond schedule, liability insurance, judgments, insurance fund, Oklahoma, county sheriff, commissary
ID
Transcript Highlights:
- that process to match what we do for county commissioners, so requiring the participation in a May primary
- So the business has to be open, available for the sale of alcohol, a total of three days, whatever those
Committee:
Senate State Affairs
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Legislative Ethics Board Oct 15th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- that it has to be about a legislator to have a legislative nexus, and the statute is blowing that open
- If you have to have it, you’re suing a state agency and you’re the primary attorney on that, and you
Summary:
The Legislative Ethics Board approved the minutes from its September 8, 2025 meeting and reported that there were no employment disclosure forms. The board then discussed whether RCW 42.52.187(1) permits legislators to write letters of recommendation in a broader range of situations, including citizenship, clemency/pardon, immigration waivers, scholarships, and appointments. Members generally favored a broad reading for constituent-requested letters, while staff noted their existing advice had been narrower and suggested drafting an advisory opinion to clarify the definition and scope of “letter of recommendation.”
The board also considered whether the statute’s reference to commemorations or celebrations of “persons who are not current legislators” allows use of state resources to recognize entities such as the Mariners or Seahawks. Members discussed whether “person” includes organizations under the Ethics Act’s definition, and the consensus leaned toward a plain-language reading that would allow posts about teams and other non-legislator entities, though some members suggested the language may need cleanup in the future.
A third item addressed a previously retired advisory opinion concerning legislators who are attorneys and represent clients before state agencies. Staff proposed republishing or updating the opinion with current citations, but several members expressed concern that the old opinion could be read too narrowly or as implying legislators cannot do outside legal work involving agencies. The board agreed the issue needed more refinement and deferred further action to a future meeting. There was no public testimony beyond a brief check-in from Jerry Cornfield, and the meeting adjourned after a motion and second.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
Senate - Health and Public Affairs Oct 1st, 2025
Senate Health & Public Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- Is that the basic primary, Mr.
- And does this open us up to a lot of liability in the state of New Mexico, getting these new drugs or
Committee:
Senate Senate Health & Public Affairs
AL
Alabama 2025 Regular Session
Alabama House Ways and Means General Fund Committee Apr 1st, 2025
Ways and Means General Fund
Transcript Highlights:
- Health, University of South Alabama received $1 million for the training of primary care providers in
- Chairman, and I'll be open for questions. All right, any questions? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee:
House Ways and Means General Fund
Keywords:
Alabama budget, general fund appropriations, fiscal year 2026, state budget, appropriations act, HB186, executive branch funding, legislative branch funding, judicial branch funding, debt service, capital outlay, corrections, Medicaid, public health, mental health, transportation, education, law enforcement, tourism, veterans affairs
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Environment and Natural Resources Feb 4th, 2025
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- But even if the majority of the battered women are not homeless, that's not the primary purpose.
- The primary purpose is to deal with women who are being abused.
- In a substance treatment program, the primary purpose is to deal with substance abuse.
- Even if 100% of them are homeless, that's not the primary purpose of the program.
- The primary purpose of the program... It's to deal with women who have been abused.
Bills:
HB551 , HB 1281 , HB1378 , HB1617 , HB2868 , HB2881 , HB3374 , HB4439 , HB4726 , HB4732 , HB4878 , HB4914 , HB4921 , HB4958 , HB5200 , HB5318 , HB5360 , HB5402 , HB5568 , HB5573 , HB5623 , HJR218
Committee:
House State Affairs
Keywords:
political contributions, address privacy, Texas Ethics Commission, election transparency, campaign finance, international organizations, World Health Organization, jurisdiction, state law, enforcement, United Nations, World Economic Forum, attorney general, Texas attorney general, state sovereignty, legal enforcement, Texas Attorney General, electric energy storage, municipal regulation, county regulation
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on State and Local Government - 05/01/25
State and Local Government
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> local policies are not the primary local policies are not the primary reason<00:14:11.040><c> for
- ><c> make</c><00:42:55.200><c> these</c><00:42:56.400><c> uh</c> open to feedback to make these uh open
- </c><00:42:59.520><c> to</c> concepts work. what we are not open to concepts work. what we are not open
- And I'm open to that except backyard.
- Um, but we have been open interesting.
Committee:
Senate State and Local Government
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee 2/19/25
Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- They go on trips, and it kind of opens up a door of hurt and wounds, and so then they can refer them
- They go on trips, and it kind of opens up a door of hurt and wounds, and so then they can refer them
- </p> <p>I think that opens up a broader problem that we face here in Minnesota and across the country
- Those meetings are open to anyone that wants to attend. Is that correct?
- And any of the public meetings that we do, we really try to make them open to the public.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Fiscal Committee (01/23/2026)
Transcript Highlights:
- We took a look at open claims, closed.
- It's a primary subject of the retirement audit. That's all. >> Thank you.
- It's a primary subject of of the audit.
- It's a primary subject of the<01:08:08.079><c> retirement</c><01:08:08.480><c> audit.
- So, we'll open it up if there are any questions from the group. Department of Transportation.
Summary:
The Fiscal Committee met on January 23, 2026, approved the December 19, 2025 minutes, and adopted the remaining items on the consent calendar after noting several withdrawals. The committee then took up Department of Safety item FIS 26007, which involved Homeland Security/FEMA grant funding for equipment and UAS-related activities. Senators asked whether any of the funding would support federal civil immigration enforcement or shared operations with federal agencies, and about privacy protections for drone data. The department said the grant is governed by federal parameters, that the state uses the remaining 20 percent after federally directed uses, and that privacy law in this area is evolving. The item was adopted on an 8-2 vote.
The committee next considered Department of Environmental Services item 26003, which had been withdrawn by the Senate. A senator said concerns about using the funds for a different project had been resolved after speaking with the commissioner, and the item was adopted without further debate. The committee then moved to Department of Health and Human Services item 260005, a request for about $700,000 in remaining ARPA-related funds for the Hampstead children’s facility project. Commissioners explained that the project had been funded in stages because the original appropriation was based on estimates and bid assumptions, and that the remaining money would cover alternates and finish the project without using general funds. Senators raised concerns about repeated requests for additional money, the adequacy of security, site-selection costs, and why the project had not been fully funded at the outset. The department said the project had been intentionally structured to proceed in phases and that required security would be provided.
WY
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> open communication with the other ones? open communication with the other ones?
- Casper is an opening.
- Um Casper is an opening. I've had now. Um Casper is an opening.
- </c> continuing to drift into open-ended continuing to drift into open-ended project<03:10:11.680><c>
- </c><03:35:30.239><c> for</c> public comment periods are open for public comment periods are open for
Committee:
Joint Appropriations
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Senate Legislative Session Day 28 (2-17-26)
Kentucky Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- </c><00:52:03.000><c> in</c> decided in the Democratic primary in decided in the Democratic primary in
- With permission of the primary sponsor, I move to be added as co-sponsor to Senate Bill 71.
- With permission of primary sponsor, I move to be added as co-sponsor of Senate Bill 71.
- </c> With permission of the primary sponsor, I move to be added as co-sponsor of Senate Bill 71.
- With permission of the primary sponsor, I move to be added as co-sponsor of Senate Bill 71.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary & Secondary Education & Workforce Development (1-20-26)
Transcript Highlights:
- We will call this second meeting of the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education
- Uh, it is the primary formula and system used for funding public education school districts in Kentucky
- Uh</c><00:05:05.840><c> it</c><00:05:06.160><c> is</c><00:05:06.240><c> the</c><00:05:06.479><c> primary
- Uh it is the primary in Kentucky.
- Uh it is the primary formula<00:05:07.440><c> and</c><00:05:07.680><c> system</c><00:05:08.000><c> used
Summary:
The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development met without a quorum at first, so it did not approve minutes and instead heard agency capital requests. The Education and Labor Cabinet presented a $6.2 million reauthorization for renovation of the Charles W. McDow Center for the Blind in Louisville, which serves blind and visually impaired individuals through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. The project would update mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems. Members asked about the number of students served and the facility’s location; the cabinet said it would follow up on the enrollment figure and explained that prior funding had been redirected to expanded services for people with disabilities and employment needs.
The Kentucky Department of Education then presented its request to replace the SEEK system, the state’s primary school funding formula and calculation platform. Officials said the current in-house system dates to about 2008 and is increasingly difficult to maintain, especially as legislative changes require complex recalculations. They explained that a prior vendor contract was terminated after change orders and cost overruns made the project unworkable; the original contract was about $2.8 million, and the proposed change order would have more than doubled that amount. KDE said it is seeking additional funding while also trying to recover the prior vendor’s work product so it can potentially reuse parts of the code and proceed in modules if necessary.
Members questioned the cost, the statewide role of SEEK, and whether state staff familiar with the system would be involved in any new procurement. KDE officials said they had already assigned internal staff and a project manager to the earlier RFP process and would do so again. They also noted that SEEK calculations, tax calculations, and attendance data all feed into the system, making it critical for accurate and timely district payments and data requests. The meeting ended with no votes taken, and the chair announced the next meeting would be held the following Tuesday, the 27th, at 10:00 a.m. in the same room.