Transcript Highlights:

• It's why that was put into House Bill 7. Okay. All right.
• I'm just saying everybody else has said, yes, of course, we should spend the other money before we spend
• Okay, page 135 is spending authority for the MTC. Page 135 is spending authority for the MTC.
• So there's a couple of bills floating around.
• And we'll now move into public testimony for House Bill 7.

Committee: House Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• The first bill, Senate Bill 2824. Before you is a committee sub.
• The first bill, Senate Bill 2824. Before you is a committee sub.
• </c> first bill, Senate Bill 2824. first bill, Senate Bill 2824.
• Next is Senate Bill 2867. have it. Next is Senate Bill 2867.
• That bill will be reported out. Next is Senate Bill 3109.

Committee: Joint Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• I move that House Bill 2307 be voted do pass. I move that House Bill 2307 be voted do pass.
• I move that House Bill 3264 be voted do pass. Any discussion?
• I now move House Bill 1960. I now move that House Bill 1960 be voted do pass.
• I move that House Bill 1960 be voted do pass. Any discussion?
• And the incremental spending, in other words, what our research firm calls spending that happens because

Committee: House Special Committee on Tourism

Summary: The Special Committee on Tourism met in executive session and approved three House bills: HB 2307, designating Missouri Military Academy as the official military academy of Missouri, passed 10-0; HB 3264, designating Kansas City as the barbecue capital of Missouri, passed 10-0; HB 1960, naming the smooth chanterelle the official state mushroom, passed 9-1; and HB 3074, establishing William Lacey Clay Senior Day in Missouri, passed 10-0. After the executive session, the committee opened a public hearing on HCR 36, which would designate June 3 as Josephine Baker Day in Missouri. The sponsor and a witness described Baker’s St. Louis roots, international entertainment career, service in the French Resistance, civil rights work, and her significance to Missouri heritage and tourism. Committee members voiced strong support and asked questions about her legacy, including her adopted children and her role as a model for Black women and civil rights advocacy. The committee then heard a presentation from Stephen Fouts, director of the Missouri Division of Tourism, on the state’s tourism marketing efforts and economic impact. He said tourism generated more than $21 billion in economic impact, over $18 billion in direct spending, and supported more than 307,000 jobs, with more than 43 million visitors in the last fiscal year. He outlined the division’s marketing strategy, including the Mo character campaign, cooperative marketing grants for local DMOs, the Meet in Missouri Fund, film incentives, and major event promotion tied to the World Cup, Route 66 Centennial, and America 250. He also reported strong returns on marketing investment and discussed sports tourism, youth sports, and the importance of the cooperative marketing program to local communities. A major topic of discussion was the possibility of significant budget cuts to tourism. The chair and several members argued that tourism is a major economic driver and said they would oppose deep reductions, with multiple members offering to sign a committee letter or otherwise advocate against cuts. Members asked how reductions would affect marketing, sports tourism, and the cooperative marketing program; Fouts said large cuts would likely reduce co-op funding proportionally and could harm local partners. No final action was taken on HCR 36 during the hearing, and the meeting adjourned after testimony and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Women spend more; the older you are, the more spending you engage in.
• Note that we are measuring four items: acute inpatient spending, professional care spending, outpatient
• care spending, and pharmacy.
• you spend.
• We based our surprise billing dispute resolution process on billed charges.

Committee: House Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• or recurring spending.
• So, I won't spend too much time on this.
• But that doesn't take into account non-appropriated spending.
• We don't spend every penny we have.
• And now it's about prioritizing between recurring spending, non-recurring spending, or if you're interested

Transcript Highlights:

• Assembly Bills 23, 2789, 1597, 1817, 21, and 15. Assembly Bills 23, 27, 89, 1597, 1817, 21, and 55.
• That's a nine-times increase in spending.
• So the issue is corporate spending. Citizens United is an abomination.
• Corporations spend because they can.
• Corporations spend because they can.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and handled several procedural matters, including referral of AB 686 to Rules, approval of motions to advance Budget and Fiscal Review Committee measures and adopt authors’ amendments, and requests to move AB 28 and AB 2539 to the inactive file. The chamber also confirmed two gubernatorial appointments: Maggie Hallahan to the Bodina Waterways Commission and Kansasaki to the Building Standards Commission. On the floor, members took up two resolutions focused on public awareness and policy messaging. SCR 181 designated June 10 as Family Justice Center Day and highlighted the work of Family Justice Centers serving survivors of domestic violence, elder abuse, child abuse, and human trafficking; it passed 36-0. SR 112 declared June 14-20 as Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Awareness Week to encourage awareness, family health-history sharing, and early screening; it also passed unanimously. SJR 18, a resolution opposing the Citizens United decision and calling for limits on corporate influence and dark money in elections, generated extended debate over campaign finance, transparency, unions, nonprofits, and corporate political spending before passing 28-8. The consent calendar was then adopted on a 35-0 vote. The session concluded with multiple adjournment-in-memory tributes, including Larry Mazzola, Sr., Steve Zaley, and James J. McClain, Sr., followed by announcements that the Senate would recess and reconvene on Monday, June 15, 2026, at 2 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Bill Bill 696?
• </c> House Bill 696. House Bill 696.
• </c> introduce House Bill 302. introduce House Bill 302.
• Um, so I'll walk through the bill. It's not a very long bill.
• I'll walk through the bill. It's not a very long bill.

Committee: Senate Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• So this bill, this bill, this bill... Can I just follow up on that?
• And in the course of getting bill after bill after bill, even though I was insured with two different
• And in the course of getting bill after bill after bill, even though I was insured with two different
• I spend five minutes doing the bill of every patient that I see because only we can, you know, do the
• bill.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Health Care Financing

Summary: The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing held a public hearing on a large docket focused on primary care, workforce development, and medical debt. Chairs Cindy Friedman and John Lawn outlined hearing procedures and noted that testimony would be taken on 17 matters. The committee first heard testimony on bills to establish a community health center nurse practitioner residency program and to strengthen mental health centers. Senator Keenan, Rep. Keefe, and health center leaders described the Worcester nurse practitioner residency as a successful pipeline and retention strategy, citing workforce shortages, training needs in community health centers, and the cost of the program. Rep. O’Day also supported the mental health centers bill, saying it would raise payment rates, improve reimbursement for behavioral health services, and help clinics retain staff and expand access. The committee then took testimony on bills to address medical debt through hospital financial assistance reform. The Attorney General’s Office, Health Care for All, Health Law Advocates, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and individual patients supported the measure, arguing that hospital financial assistance policies are inconsistent, hard to find, and difficult to navigate. Witnesses said the bill would standardize eligibility criteria, create a uniform application, improve notice requirements, and expand access to discounted care up to 400% of the federal poverty level. Several personal stories described medical bills being sent to collections, confusion over insurance billing, and the burden of debt on low-income and chronically ill patients. Committee members asked about hospital concerns, the role of the health safety net, and whether the bill addressed root causes of medical debt; testimony emphasized that the proposal was meant to improve transparency and access rather than replace broader insurance reforms. The hearing also focused heavily on “Primary Care for You” legislation, H. 1370 and S. 867, which would increase primary care investment and create a new payment model. Rep. Haggerty, physicians, a patient, community health center leaders, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers described a primary care crisis marked by low reimbursement, staffing shortages, long waits, burnout, and difficulty recruiting clinicians. Supporters said the bills would shift spending toward preventive, team-based care, improve access and equity, and reduce long-term costs. The Massachusetts Association of Health Plans said it was directionally supportive of increased primary care investment but warned that any new spending must stay within the cost growth benchmark and preserve existing contracting structures. The hearing ended with additional testimony on a community health center workforce and loan repayment grant bill from Rep. Stanley, and with further discussion from Dr. Alan Garo about the need for payment reform in primary care.

Transcript Highlights:

• That vetoed bill had a similar cost; vetoed Bill 1106 had a very similar cost, and the executive's four-year
• Just shifting very briefly into spending, slide 15 is our baseline spending projections.
• In the dark blue bars are revenue, the white bars are spending.
• Consumers are under pressure, but they're still spending.
• So I still feel like the spending related to the data centers.

Summary: The Finance Advisory Committee met for its January session to review Arizona revenue and economic conditions ahead of the budget process. JLBC staff presented the January baseline, noting projected positive cash balances through FY 2029 and about $577 million to $578 million in discretionary capacity, but also highlighting major unfunded items not included in the baseline, including federal tax conformity costs, ongoing one-time spending for state employee health insurance and school facility repairs, and administrative costs tied to H.R. 1. Staff also reviewed revenue trends by category, saying FY26 general fund revenues were running above forecast overall, with strength in retail, restaurants and bars, and individual income tax payments, while contracting and utility-related collections were weaker or flat. They also compared JLBC and executive revenue assumptions and discussed the executive’s proposed revenue changes, including border reimbursement assumptions, sports betting tax changes, data center-related tax and fee proposals, and other non-general fund measures. A major topic was income tax conformity with recent federal tax law changes. Staff explained that current Department of Revenue forms assume “straight conformity,” but the governor’s proposal and vetoed SB 1106 do not fully match those forms, creating possible amendment and timing issues for taxpayers and the department if the legislature adopts a different policy. Members also discussed the difficulty of forecasting revenues amid volatile monthly collections and uncertainty over how much of the current revenue strength will persist in the second half of the fiscal year. Danny Court of Elliott Pollack gave a broader national and state economic outlook, arguing that the U.S. has avoided recession despite several warning indicators, largely because of AI and data center investment, while employment growth has softened and inflation remains above the Fed’s target. He said Arizona remains relatively resilient, with strong population and job pipelines, but faces housing affordability constraints, slowing employment growth, and a more concentrated population forecast in the Phoenix area. Panelists generally agreed that Arizona remains in better shape than many states, though they cautioned that job growth is slowing, population estimates may be revised, and budget and revenue forecasts should be treated carefully given uncertainty in the data. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• But we do need to take a look at the program as a whole and how we spend and what we spend on all sides
• But we do need to take a look at the program as a whole and how we spend and what we spend on all sides
• But we do need to take a look at the program as a whole and how we spend and what we spend on all sides
• So my bill proposed, since we have such a large surplus, let's pay that off, but my bill was killed.
• So my bill proposed, since we have such a large surplus, let's pay that off, but my bill was killed right

Committee: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review

Summary: The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee heard opening remarks on the Governor’s 2026-27 budget and presentations from the Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Chair Laird described the proposal as roughly balanced with $23 billion in reserves, while Vice Chair Niello argued the revenue estimates were overly optimistic and warned of a structural deficit, calling for a deeper review of programs and concern over the state’s $20 billion unemployment insurance debt. Finance said the budget is balanced in the budget year but still leaves a roughly $2.9 billion deficit, with out-year gaps above $20 billion, and characterized the plan as largely a workload budget with limited new spending or cuts. The LAO said its office sees substantial downside risk to the revenue forecast, emphasized the volatility of stock-market-driven revenues, and urged the Legislature to begin addressing the structural deficit now rather than waiting until May. Members focused on the implications of federal policy changes, Medi-Cal, CalFresh, and the MCO tax, as well as the state’s reserve strategy. Senators Menjivar and Richardson raised concerns about health coverage reductions, county costs, hospital finances, and the lack of a broader revenue solution, while Finance said the state cannot fully backfill federal cuts and is still assessing the impacts. The LAO recommended rejecting the proposal to suspend the rainy day fund deposit and setting aside the proposed Proposition 98 settle-up rather than using it for spending. Finance defended both proposals as necessary to balance the budget year and said it plans to begin discussions with legislative leaders before the May Revision. The committee also discussed climate and transportation funding, including cap-and-trade/GGRF allocations for Cal Fire, interest earnings from the fund, zero-emission vehicle incentives, and AB 617 air quality investments. Senator Reyes questioned the focus on light-duty ZEV incentives instead of heavy-duty vehicles, and Finance said the proposal is intended to partially replace the federal consumer tax credit and that some heavy-duty funding remains from prior years. Senator Richardson also raised concerns about Olympics-related infrastructure, courthouse repairs, and displaced workers, while other members stressed homelessness funding and the need for more immediate action on out-year budget problems. No formal votes or actions were taken during the portion provided; the hearing was informational and moved into member questions after the presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• not all the spending bills if truly your single subject is a supplemental budget bill.
• </c> supplemental spending bill. supplemental spending bill.
• c> others</c> spending bills differently than others spending bills differently than others even<00:25
• and not all cherry-picking certain bills and not all the<00:25:52.040><c> spending</c><00:25:52.400>
• ><c> single</c> the spending bills if truly your single the spending bills if truly your single subject

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• the current bill into perspective.
• : the $11.1 billion bill.
• be in the bill, right?
• out of the bill, right?
• in the bill.

Summary: The committee met informally to receive a detailed briefing from the Division of Administration’s Facility Planning and Control on House Bill 2, the state capital outlay bill. Staff explained the bill’s size and structure, including the current original bill of about $11.1 billion, the role of Priority 1 and Priority 5 funding, the $574 million annual cash line-of-credit capacity, and the large amount of reauthorized or dormant Priority 1 funding that remains in the bill from prior years. Members focused heavily on how projects are selected, how cash-flow estimates are made, and how much of the bill is tied up in long-term Priority 5 placeholders versus money that can actually be spent in the near term. No votes were taken, and the chair emphasized the meeting was informational only. The committee also heard from Higher Education Commissioner Kim Hunter-Reed, who outlined the higher education capital outlay process, the number of requests submitted, and the deferred maintenance program supported by prior legislative funding. A major theme was concern about dormant projects and over-appropriation of Priority 1 funds. Committee members repeatedly asked how much money is sitting unused, why projects remain in the bill for years, and whether legislators can help remove obsolete or overfunded projects. FPC officials said dormant projects are identified when they have had no expenditures for roughly two years, and that last year some projects were not reauthorized, freeing funds for active projects. They said legislators can help by reducing or eliminating dormant projects and by being cautious about adding new projects during session, since small initial cash amounts can create large future Priority 5 obligations. Members also discussed whether non-state entities, including municipalities, parishes, ports, and nonprofits, should have stronger reporting or expenditure requirements; staff said the current statutes do not require a formal expenditure mandate, though the cooperative agreements allow the state to take back funds if no contract is entered within the required period. Higher education officials said the systems and campuses work year-round with the Board of Regents and FPC to prioritize projects and determine realistic cash needs. Commissioner Hunter-Reed said higher education accounts for a large share of state buildings, that 154 requests were received and 79 were submitted, and that 38 projects have new FY27 funding in the current draft. She also noted that the legislature has provided $100 million over two years for deferred maintenance against a backlog exceeding $2 billion, and that $10 million of that has been set aside for third-party campus reviews of deferred maintenance, space utilization, and preventive maintenance. Overall, the meeting centered on improving capital outlay efficiency, reducing dormant funding, and aligning project requests more closely with what can actually be spent in a year.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> bill next door. bill next door.
• That's not the around is not that bill. That's not the bill. bill. bill.
• . bill. bill.
• </c> bill, the original bill from bill, the original bill from Representative<03:38:27.600><c> Sers</
• ><c> says</c> what the bill goes what the bill says what the bill goes what the bill says and<04:39:42.240

Committee: House Education Funding

Transcript Highlights:

• The first is what's called mandatory spending.
• And that discretionary spending is broken into two big buckets.
• But when we passed that bill, I don't remember which bill it was, Mr.
• because of a decrease in medical spending?
• I mean they can easily spend anywhere from 6 to 9 months away.

Transcript Highlights:

• spending.
• :48.159><c> spending</c><00:27:48.480><c> of</c> and new spending of and new spending of 2.04<00:27:50.320
• c> new</c><00:28:01.039><c> spending</c><00:28:01.360><c> of</c> bill um of new spending of bill um of
• agency budget bill uh of 136,000<00:28:35.600><c> of</c><00:28:35.760><c> new</c><00:28:35.919><c> spending
• This is from the department's budget<00:35:31.920><c> bill.</c> budget bill. budget bill.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we try to spend, we usually spend the GR first so that we know that.
• You're given the authority to spend.
• Spend the money that comes from somewhere else before you spend the GR dollars, which are sacrosanct
• Spend the money that comes from somewhere else before you spend the GR dollars, which are sacrosanct
• Senate Bill 22?

Committee: House Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• Show the bill passes. Read the next bill.
• the bill.
• Can you tell me what in the bill would prevent the governor from stealing money from other areas to spend
• Can you tell me what in the bill would prevent the governor from stealing money from other areas to spend
• Senate Bill 4F.E.S. Senate Bill 4F. Tax Administration.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have three bills: House Bill 1030, House Bill 1031, and House Bill 1032.
• We have four bills: House Bill 1042, House Bill 1043, House Bill 1044, and House Bill 1045.
• We have four bills, I believe: House Bill 1056, House Bill 1057, House Bill 1058, and House Bill 1059
• Page 16, we have four bills: House Bill 1060, House Bill 1061, House Bill 1062, and House Bill 1063.
• Page 16, we have four bills: Senate Bill 44, Senate Bill 45, Senate Bill 46, and Senate Bill 47.

Committee: All JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:14:32.600><c> to</c> So based on this level of spending to So based on this level of spending
• </c> going to decrease State Grant spending going to decrease State Grant spending but<00:14:46.279><
• uh we anticipate the Northstar spending uh we anticipate the actual<00:14:50.720><c> spending</c><00
• </c> close to uh the projected total spending close to uh the projected total spending of<00:14:56.000
• Because State Grant spending is projected to increase in fiscal year 27, spending for North Star Promise

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• It is section 6 on the House bill, yeah.
• So if we do happen to spend some money, we have access to be able to spend all $28 million, but it's
• not likely... ...have access to be able to spend all $28 million, but it's not likely that we will spend
• I would really like to get this bill out today. I would really like to get this bill out today.
• Of House Bill 2176, it looks like it's, I don't know if we need to reprint the whole bill in here or

Bills: SB2015

Committee: Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division met to finalize changes to the human services budget bill and related amendments. Members discussed several items, including a proposed $5 million appropriation for the Altru Hospital project to address inflationary costs, with the rest of the funding question left for conference committee. They also agreed to keep the 10-year operating requirement language for the project and remove a matching-funds provision that was no longer needed. The committee spent considerable time on the OASIS child welfare IT system. Donna Auckland explained that the project is still in the RFP stage, with vendor selection and contract negotiation likely taking months, and that the system will require 50-50 federal matching authority. Based on that testimony, the committee agreed to reduce the general fund amount from $14 million to $6 million and use a line of credit for the remaining authority, while preserving the federal match authority so the contract can be signed and the project can proceed. Members also approved a technical fix to add governor’s designee language for the Children’s Cabinet, which had been missed in another bill already on the governor’s desk. Keith reviewed updated long sheets showing additional budget adjustments, including provider inflation changes, a $50,000 Family Voices grant, reductions to CARES Act COVID funds, and moving the $5-per-day basic care rate increase from ongoing to one-time funding. No formal votes were recorded in the transcript, and the committee adjourned with plans to reconvene Monday if the final bill version was ready.