Transcript Highlights:

• addition to, any public participation process required by federal or state law or by federal or state agency
• addition to any public participation process required by federal or state law or by federal or state agency
• I'm having challenges this morning. Eat your cookie. Thank you. Get some energy in that.
• We know how challenged we are with making sure that we have the electricity, energy generation, storage
• them the tools that they need regarding some self-performance and non-contract thresholds. ...how challenged

Summary: The Local Government Committee met for its final meeting of the session and considered six bills in executive session after a caucus break. The committee first took up Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6026 on residential development in commercial and mixed-use zones. Members debated how to balance housing production with local control and walkable downtowns. The committee adopted a striking amendment that removed some exemptions, capped ground-floor commercial or mixed-use requirements at 40% of affected acreage, extended the compliance deadline to 18 months, and barred such requirements on publicly subsidized affordable housing projects. A proposed amendment to raise the population threshold from 30,000 to 40,000 was rejected. The bill was then reported out with a do pass recommendation on a 5-2 vote. The committee next considered Substitute Senate Bill 6309 on permitting tools for high-capacity transit projects, including development agreements with regional transit authorities. Two property-rights-related amendments were rejected or modified, and an ADA-related amendment was adopted to ensure accessibility requirements were not waived. The bill was reported out as amended. Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5374 on tribal representation in transportation planning also advanced after an amendment changed “consult” to “coordinate,” aligned county processes with the Growth Management Act, and added access to technical assistance; the bill passed out of committee with a do pass recommendation. Senate Bill 6132, allowing a narrow increase in indebtedness for select inland port districts to preserve federal funding eligibility, passed unanimously without amendment. The committee also approved Substitute Senate Bill 6076, which streamlines procurement rules for consumer-owned utilities on clean energy, storage, transmission, and distribution projects, with members noting broad support from utilities and labor. Finally, Substitute Senate Bill 5729, which limits local governments from charging applicants for certain third-party reviews already covered by staff review in affordable housing permitting, was reported out unanimously. The meeting ended with members thanking staff for their work during the session and adjourning the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill tackles those challenges head-on.
• So Section 7 provides that they have 30 days to challenge the designation.
• the challenge would come at the time that the only challenge contemplated in this bill is that of the
• to be used in the underlying hearing or challenge of the designation.
• Quick question. ...challenge of the designation. Thank you.

Bills: S0002

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: retirement, Deferred Retirement Option Program, DROP, pension contributions, Special Risk Class, retirement benefits, cost-of-living adjustment, state officials, 999, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee took up a long agenda of bills, including several claims bills and policy measures. It heard and approved, mostly unanimously, bills on curators of estates (SB 326, as amended), remedies under the Florida Civil Rights Act (SB 1096), a claim for Reginald Jackson against the City of Lakeland (SB 28), a DCF-related claim for L.E. (SB 6), trust administration reform (SB 786, as amended), a Broward County claim for the estate of a deceased minor (SB 18, as amended, 10-1), a DOT claim for the estate of Mark Legata (SB 26), veterans’ courts (CS/SB 50), extracurricular activities in public K-12 schools (CS/CS/SB 538, as amended), and pet sale protections for dogs and cats (SB 1004). The committee also considered the sovereign immunity claims bill (SB 1366), which was presented as a starting point for negotiations with the House and was reported favorably after testimony from local government, hospital, and school representatives who urged the Senate to hold to its current lower cap levels. The committee later approved a claims bill for the estate of Daniel Maudsley against DHSMV (SB 2). The meeting included repeated roll calls and favorable reports on each measure, with the only recorded no vote on SB 18 from Senator Osgood. Several bills drew testimony from supporters and, in some cases, objections. SB 50 on veterans’ courts received broad support from veterans’ groups, criminal justice organizations, and community advocates who said it would expand problem-solving court options for veterans dealing with service-related issues. SB 538 on extracurricular activities drew support and opposition, and was amended to address home education eligibility, a school activity fee issue, technical conforming changes, and compensation for extracurricular sponsors. SB 1004 was presented as consumer protection legislation aimed at retail pet dealers, requiring disclosure of animal health records and financing terms and creating a private right of action for violations. The committee also heard extensive testimony on SB 1178, which would create a foreign interference restriction and enforcement framework targeting foreign countries of concern and designated foreign terrorist organizations. Supporters described it as a national-security measure to limit foreign influence, protect critical infrastructure, and restrict gifts, contracts, and sister-city ties; the sponsor withdrew one amendment and the bill was reported favorably. Finally, SB 1632, dealing with ideologies inconsistent with American principles, prompted substantial questioning about due process, domestic terrorist organization designations, Sharia law references, student discipline, and notice procedures. The sponsor said the bill was intended to protect constitutional principles and target conduct rather than belief, but the transcript ends while public testimony on that bill is still underway.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have people with challenging behaviors.
• But she is flourishing in spite of her challenges. I'm going to share a bit of her challenges.
• The challenge is in our current environment,... Them with him.
• Where are his challenges? What are his triggers? What are his goals?
• And so the challenge for my son is having appropriately trained staff.

Committee: All TASK FORCE ON AUTISM

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When we did the rescissions, one of the challenges was that we lost funding for an SRO training officer
• I move for fiscal year 2027 for the agencies identified in the Millennium Fund program, an additional
• And it is when we did the rescissions, we pulled some, one of the challenges was that we lost funding
• Budget bills are law, and we hope that agencies do follow them to a T.
• And we hope that agencies do follow them to a T.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committee considered several FY 2027 budget items, beginning with the Idaho Judicial Branch. The committee approved an additional $3.9007 million from dedicated funds for court operations, including $800,700 from the Senior Magistrate Judge Fund, $700,000 from the Drug Court/Mental Health Court/Family Court Services Fund, $400,000 from the Substance Abuse Treatment Fund, and $2 million ongoing from the Court Technology Fund. Members noted the technology fund had grown enough to sustain the ongoing transfer, while Senator Wintrow remarked that funding for a treatment-court peer support program had not been restored. The motion passed with a do-pass recommendation. The committee then approved a Guardian Ad Litem Division budget increase of $165,300 in general funds, including $77,900 ongoing for the Second Judicial District CASA program and $87,400 to restore a one-time FY 2027 rescission. Supporters described the CASA request as funding a trainer-recruiter position and related office costs, and several members spoke favorably about the role of guardian ad litems. The motion passed, also with a do-pass recommendation. Members next took up the Millennium Income Fund. They approved $9,872,200 from the fund for recommendations including the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund, Youth Assessment Centers, children’s advocacy centers through the Idaho Domestic Violence Council, an additional recovery center in Kamiah, and a statewide drug awareness media campaign. A substitute motion added $30,000 one time to restore funding for statewide training and coordination of school resource officers, which passed after discussion about whether the Millennium Fund committee had been consulted. The committee then adopted maintenance and new language for the Millennium Fund items, including reporting and oversight provisions, and later adopted language for reappropriating unspent state archives move funds for the Idaho State Historical Society. Finally, the committee approved the Idaho State Historical Society budget, adding $486,300 from dedicated funds for archival moving and OITS hardware. Members explained the move would be handled in phases and funded through dedicated sources rather than general funds. The committee also adopted statewide appropriations language making conditions, limitations, and restrictions in budget bills binding law, and adjourned after announcing the next day’s agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> what I want to emphasize is every agency what I want to emphasize is every agency kind<00:09:33.200
• </c> but it is basically every agency but it is basically every agency presents<00:10:49.560><c> to</
• ><c> the</c><01:25:02.400><c> Baseline</c> but an agency can go above the Baseline but an agency can
• Rating agency guidelines from all three rating agencies are closely monitored by the state treasurer.
• </c> agencies state law enforcement agencies agencies state law enforcement agencies that<04:16:18.600

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Department of Administrative Services presented its capital budget process and priorities, explaining how agencies assess facility needs, rank projects, and submit requests to the governor’s office. DAS described its Plant and Property division, which maintains 96 state buildings, and Public Works, which develops detailed cost estimates for selected projects. Officials said the governor’s office has traditionally narrowed requests into priority tiers, but this year all projects were estimated, creating more work and less detail. They also emphasized that the capital budget book functions as legislative intent and can be binding on how approved funds are used. On the substance of the request, DAS highlighted several priorities: continued funding for the state ERP system upgrade to the cloud, with about $5 million requested for sustainability and related Treasury functions; emergency fund and annex renovation work; a sprinkler replacement at DMV; and elevator repairs at the main building. Karen Rocky also identified maintenance projects that rose in priority after a facility condition assessment, including HVAC work for Portsmouth Circuit Court and Coos County Courthouse, boilers and controls for Carroll County and Lebanon Circuit Court, brick repointing at the main building and annex, window replacement at Spalding, and Brown building elevator replacement. Officials noted that the governor’s proposed capital budget included fewer DAS projects than in past years and no projects for the Bureau of Court Facilities. The committee also discussed lapses and reprogramming of prior appropriations. DAS said the first eight projects approved in 2023 remain under construction and should be extended, while many 2021 projects are delayed because of ARPA-related workload and broader construction backlogs. Members reviewed a 2019 project list and agreed to lapse project number 49, the Spalding roof project, with about $81,000 remaining. DAS also said some small 2019 balances, including courthouse generators, a boiler, cooling and controls, roof and exterior repairs, and the State House Annex elevator, could be redirected through Capital Budget Overview toward the Hillsboro County South Cell Block project. The hearing ended with questions about project schedules, ARPA deadlines, and the division of authority between DoIT and DAS for the ERP system.

Transcript Highlights:

• What we need is to fully fund our agencies so that they can have the capacity for thorough, efficient
• What we need is to fully fund our agencies so that they can have the capacity for thorough, efficient
• What we need is to fully fund our agencies so that they can have the capacity for thorough, efficient
• </c><00:51:35.040><c> workloads,</c> projects and reduce agency workloads, projects and reduce agency
• </c> of the Transportation Security Agency of the Transportation Security Agency and<02:27:02.160><c>

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, April 23, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The logistical challenges included accessing those critical drugs.
• </c><00:50:41.960><c> um</c> members on their biggest challenges um members on their biggest challenges
• </c><02:09:34.119><c> meet</c> all the case management agencies meet all the case management agencies
• </c> after month the case management agencies after month the case management agencies and<02:09:58.679
• </c> forward toward resolving this challenge forward toward resolving this challenge for<02:38:57.840

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I did want to start out with having some of the agencies come to kind of refresh us.
• TWIA has experienced significant financial challenges. **Mr.
• And as Chair Kohlkors mentioned, I might be new to this agency. I was on a...
• It's not an agency, and we know this. **Chair:** Yeah, it's a state entity.
• It's not an agency, and we know this; you know, it's a state entity.

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The challenge under the current law is timing.
• The challenge under the current law is timing.
• Instead, care challenges. That's lost wages, lost income, and lost business productivity.
• Chairman, the challenge... Very briefly, Mr.
• I moved there 27 years ago to open my insurance agency.

Committee: House House Government Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee heard a series of bills and resolutions, many of them on property, local government, and memorial topics. HB 2079, authorizing a memorial for journalist Don Bolles at Wesley Bolin Plaza, passed unanimously after sponsor testimony about the 50th anniversary of his assassination and the memorial’s no-cost nature. HB 2080, as amended, advanced 7-0 on deed and title fraud prevention measures, including photo ID requirements, notarization and deed-filing safeguards, an assessor alert program, and a felony penalty for knowingly submitting false or forged real-property claims. HB 464, which moves the petition process for municipal improvement districts earlier in the process, passed 5-2 after testimony from Camp Verde, the Yavapai Apache Nation, developers, and the League of Arizona Cities and Towns; opponents argued it could force property owners into infrastructure they do not want, while supporters said it improves transparency and financing certainty. HB 2048, a proposed constitutional referral to withhold pay from state elected officials if the budget is not enacted by April 30, passed 4-3, with supporters saying it would create accountability and opponents saying broader process reforms are needed first. The committee also heard HB 2324, which would allow municipalities with their own fire codes to petition for county-owned buildings inside city limits to be exempt from separate state fire code inspections when conditions are met. County and state fire officials supported the concept, saying it would resolve conflicting statutes and formalize intergovernmental agreements, and the bill passed 7-0. HB 4087, authorizing a memorial plaque for former legislator Barbara Leff, also passed unanimously, with the sponsor noting her service in both chambers and her work on veterans and health care issues. HB 2239, creating a child care grant program and infrastructure fund for underserved and low-income communities, drew extensive testimony from rural parents, child care advocates, and early childhood experts describing child care deserts, workforce losses, and safety concerns with unregulated care. Supporters said the bill would fund the facilities and infrastructure needed to expand regulated child care, especially in rural Arizona; the committee approved it 5-1 with one member present and one not voting. Members also discussed HB 2375, a historic-preservation-related middle housing bill, but the transcript cuts off before final action is shown; testimony reflected a sharp divide between preservation advocates supporting exemptions for historic districts and housing advocates warning the bill could worsen exclusion and housing shortages.

Transcript Highlights:

• and that state agency.
• and that state agency.
• And lots of the courts encourage them to do what they can. this state agency and that state agency, and
• Richards: And I don't have a lot of experience with other agencies that have general counsel.
• But I do know that other agencies do have general counsel.

Summary: The committee first approved minutes from February 9 and February 11, 2026. It then heard Senate Bill 1328 from Senator Harris, a cleanup bill related to the Department of Lands’ authority to use its own general counsel under the 2024 changes in Senate Bill 1292. Harris said the bill aligns statutes with current practice by replacing references to the Attorney General in multiple land-management and enforcement provisions, while preserving some AG involvement. The Attorney General’s office, through Phil Skinner, opposed the bill as unconstitutional, arguing it strips core duties from a constitutional officer and transfers sovereign litigation authority to agency attorneys. Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller and General Counsel John Richards testified in support, describing confusion and overlap in recent cases. After debate, a substitute motion to hold the bill in committee failed 2-7, and the original motion to send the bill to the floor with a do-pass recommendation passed 7-2. The committee then considered three Idaho Department of Fish and Game rule dockets. Docket 13-0103-2501, covering public use of Fish and Game lands, added definitions and restrictions related to camping, leashes, exploding targets, and air guns; it was approved unanimously. Docket 13-116-2401, on trapping and fur-bearing animals, clarified bait definitions, adjusted reporting and reimbursement provisions, and added allowances or restrictions tied to snow-covered routes, bridges, wildlife crossings, and wolf trapping; it was also approved unanimously. Docket 13-119-2501, governing licensed vendors, revised selection and termination criteria, lowered the active vendor ceiling, barred new out-of-state vendor applications, and allowed vendors to pass through credit card processing fees; it was approved unanimously. Finally, the committee heard Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Director Susan Buxton on docket 2601-2501. She proposed fee increases for motor vehicle entry, commercial vehicle entry, boat launching, moorage, and reservation-related charges, while asking the committee to reject two sections: one adding employee enforcement language and one increasing campsite fees, which she said should be revisited later to better protect affordability for Idaho residents. The committee agreed to reject those two sections and approved the remainder of the docket, with members noting the changes were intended to focus fee increases more on non-residents and align with prior legislative intent.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> talk to other inner agencies. talk to other inner agencies.
• Every day, regulatory agencies, land management agencies, transportation agencies are introducing new
• 54.080><c> agencies,</c> land management agencies, land management agencies, transportation<01:16:56.719
• ><c> agencies</c> transportation agencies transportation agencies are<01:16:59.040><c> introducing</c
• Back in u 2022 the<05:08:17.840><c> agency</c> the agency the agency um was<05:08:23.040><c> allow</c

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our information is compiled from all of the state agencies.
• The first one is North Dakota Housing Finance Agency.
• "Any questions on Housing Finance Agency before I move on?
• I'm the CFO for North Dakota Housing Finance Agency.
• Right now, that's a challenge within the current Century Code.

Committee: Joint Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee

Summary: The Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee met to receive a series of audit presentations, beginning with approval of the prior meeting minutes and a review of the state’s annual comprehensive financial report (ACFR) for fiscal year 2025. The State Auditor’s Office and the Office of Management and Budget reported a clean opinion on the state’s financial statements and described continued growth in net position, strong general fund balance, and significant Legacy Fund investment income. Committee members asked about how the report reflects long-term finances and how North Dakota compares with other states, and OMB noted that the ACFR is based on audited actual results rather than budget forecasts. The committee then heard the North Dakota University System audit, which also received a clean opinion but included four findings: misreporting of Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund construction money, insufficient monitoring of service organizations, improper bank reconciliations at several campuses, and investment/cash recording issues at Bismarck State College. University System officials agreed with the findings and said corrective actions were underway, including internal review of bank reconciliations and greater use of shared services. Members also questioned practices such as campus use of certificates of deposit and whether repeated findings were being adequately addressed. Additional audits were presented for the State Fair Association, State Auditor’s Office, Workforce Safety and Insurance, Housing Finance Agency, Housing Incentive Fund, Job Service North Dakota, the Retirement and Investment Office, PERS, the Center for Distance Education, the Securities Department, the Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents, the Ethics Commission, and the Office of Administrative Hearings. Most received clean opinions with no findings; exceptions included a repeat component-unit issue at the State Fair Foundation, a securities personnel-evaluation finding, and a Housing Finance Agency finding involving a late return of escrow surplus. The committee also discussed broader oversight issues, including the need for independent auditing of the Ethics Commission, possible legislative changes to give the State Auditor more subpoena power and independent legal counsel, and future work on data analytics, cybersecurity reviews, and audit capacity. The meeting recessed for lunch after these discussions.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> suggest how some of these challenges suggest how some of these challenges should<00:28:27.919><c
• </c> into the state agency pool. into the state agency pool.
• </c> agency breaking the law. agency breaking the law.
• </c> largest law enforcement agency. largest law enforcement agency.
• </c> law enforcement agencies. law enforcement agencies.

Committee: Joint Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we have managed for that. care of the agencies that will see a gap.
• Could you speak to the agencies? I don't want to miss one. So courts. The courts will be covered.
• Again, like you said, it applies to a law enforcement agency publishing that information.
• Again, like you said, it applies to a law enforcement agency publishing that information.
• That is now something that is potentially subject to legal challenge.

Keywords: 1064, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and remove wrongful path to challenge and remove wrongful filings<00:04:50.880><c> ensures</c><00:04
• </c> discrimination and increasing challenges discrimination and increasing challenges in<00:24:46.200
• What are the policies to meet the challenges we face?
• What are the policies to meet the challenges we face?
• One of the biggest challenges with the program is awareness.

Bills: HF1837 , HF361 , HF2725 , HF2566 , HF2744 , HF1685 , HF501 , HF1889 , HF1389

Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy

Keywords: state policy, employment, health insurance, fossil designation, public funds, community resources, Capitol Mall, grantmaking, community vitality, livability, funding, healthy aging, aging policy, older adults, seniors, elderly, gerontology, long-term care, assisted living, nursing homes

Transcript Highlights:

• What are the challenges?
• So we ask them, or we challenge them, why are we oversizing facilities?
• So we ask them or we challenge them, why are we oversizing facilities?
• That would be a challenge, I think, in the State of Texas.
• they do run into and then challenges they do run into.

Committee: House Land & Resource Management

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The governor's office includes our agency in its overall budget request, but we do not report to the
• We are one of two agencies, I believe, where all of our board members need to be confirmed by both the
• </c><00:03:22.920><c> I</c> members the are one of two agencies I members the are one of two agencies
• </c> legislature can turn to a state agency legislature can turn to a state agency to<00:24:55.279><c
• </c> a hint to some of the rising challenges a hint to some of the rising challenges cities<00:58:05.960

Committee: House Elections Finance and Government Operations

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Parks, but we sort of... we have a network of our partners under the California Natural Resources Agency
• There’s multiple state agencies that we work with to find this data—Cal Fire, EDD.
• And so although we are entrepreneurial in nature, we don’t aim to make a profit as a state agency.
• “We don’t aim to make a profit as a state agency.
• “Yeah, regarding the full staffing—” “Regarding the full staffing, given ongoing staffing challenges

Summary: The subcommittee heard an overview from the California Conservation Corps on its 50-year history, current operations, and budget proposals. Director J.P. Patton described the CCC’s work in conservation, disaster response, education, and workforce development, noting 26 facilities, about 3,000 Corps members annually, and a funding mix of roughly 55% General Fund and 45% reimbursements. Members praised the program and asked about revenue sources, recruitment, retention, and post-service tracking. The CCC said it has a 5,000-person waitlist, uses first-come, first-served admissions with minimal eligibility requirements, and is working to improve data on outcomes. The committee also discussed the Greenwood Residential Center, where the CCC seeks staffing and operating funds to reopen a rebuilt facility in El Dorado County; the LAO suggested considering fewer new members or a delayed opening to reduce General Fund pressure, but no vote was taken and the item was held open. The committee then considered a CCC wildfire readiness proposal to move hand crews to a seven-day operational schedule. CCC and Cal Fire representatives said the change is needed because wildfire is now year-round and because the current model leaves crews unavailable in many months due to staffing gaps. They said the proposal would improve reliability for Cal Fire, preserve training opportunities for Corps members, and better align the CCC with Cal Fire’s 66-hour workweek. The LAO supported the concept but recommended considering lower-cost alternatives, such as relief staffing or partial reimbursement. Members also discussed the decline in incarcerated fire crews, with Cal Fire explaining that reforms and eligibility changes have reduced the pool of incarcerated people who qualify for camp and fire work. One member raised the use of goats and grazing for fuel reduction, and staff responded that such methods can help with prevention but cannot replace hand crews for suppression. The item was held open. Cal Fire then presented its department overview, emphasizing its expanded workforce, year-round wildfire response, vegetation management, community preparedness, and partnerships with federal, local, tribal, and private entities. Members asked about contract counties such as Orange County, reforestation and seedling capacity, federal reimbursement, and the 66-hour workweek rollout. Cal Fire said it is still below the seedling capacity needed for post-fire reforestation and relies heavily on public-private partnerships. The committee also reviewed a proposal for permanent funding for defensible space inspections. Cal Fire said it needs 31 positions and ongoing General Fund support to replace temporary funding that expires in 2027 and to maintain a goal of 250,000 inspections per year. The LAO said the proposal has merit but suggested alternatives such as a different General Fund/GGRF mix, reinstating an SRA fee, or approving the positions on a one-time basis. Members generally supported the work but raised budget concerns, and the proposal was held open. Finally, Cal Fire began presenting a fixed-wing pilot and mechanics contract increase, explaining that its aviation fleet has grown and become more complex, requiring more pilots and maintainers for year-round operations. The department said labor market pressures have increased contractor costs and that the contract is needed to support continuous aerial firefighting readiness. The transcript cuts off before further discussion or any action on that item.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is there some agency that we could use as far as kind of a pilot from the D-MAP side?
• Chairman Brister brought up, tell us what monies you're using now that's outside of the agency.
• Is it mandated inside your rules and regulations between the two agencies?
• The challenge we run into is obviously is... ...of it.
• The challenge we run into is obviously our ability, or inability, as the example given.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The committee continued discussing recommendations for chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance and response in Louisiana’s wild and captive deer herds. Members and staff reviewed current surveillance results, noting that LDWF had met goals in 32 of 64 parishes and that voluntary hunter-harvest sampling was falling short in other areas. Several ideas were raised to improve sample collection without making it broadly mandatory, including incentives for hunters, taxidermists, and possibly processors; use of DMAP properties and mobile sampling units; and targeted sampling of older bucks and other higher-risk animals. Members also discussed whether to use parish-level or other geographic control areas, and whether to mirror aspects of Arkansas’s approach, including testing to reduce or remove restrictions when prevalence remains low. The committee also heard from LDWF and LDAF about captive herd surveillance and reporting. LDAF described its licensed deer facilities, a 2024 positive in Jeff Davis Parish that led to depopulation and quarantines, and follow-up testing that has remained negative at quarantined farms. Witnesses said the agencies currently share information informally and through USDA/NVSL channels, but there is no specific law or regulation requiring 24-hour notification between agencies. The Wildlife Federation and several members recommended mandatory enrollment in the USDA herd certification program, mandatory reporting of positives, and clearer coordination between LDWF and LDAF. Members also discussed the cost of testing, with LDWF saying USDA grants covered diagnostic testing for the last two deer seasons, while department self-generated funds covered earlier costs. A major portion of the meeting focused on how to respond when a positive wild deer is found. Some members favored immediate restrictions, while others argued for keeping existing season rules in place through the season and using the positive as a trigger for intensified sampling, with the goal of avoiding unnecessary penalties and encouraging hunters to submit samples. There was also discussion of whether baiting should be prohibited, allowed during hunting season, or phased based on testing results, with Arkansas’s statewide baiting allowance and county-based disease management zones used as a comparison. The chair emphasized that no final recommendation would be adopted at this meeting; instead, staff was directed to compile the discussion and written recommendations for consideration at the April meeting, when the committee expects to vote and the commission may need to act quickly through its notice-of-intent or emergency rule process before the next hunting season.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:47:01.040><c> language</c> Section 66 uh back to agency language Section 66 uh back to agency
• One primary reason is it does have a cost to the agency.
• So I will allow Andrew to speak more to that. have a cost to the agency.
• Um chapter 14 have a cost to the agency.
• Um, so I will allow Andrew uh to agency.

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Keywords: 1187, senate, all