Transcript Highlights:

• It just updates some language to help State Parks do their job, so I'm asking for a yes vote.
• And I think what most will see is that it's at the cost of jobs. It's at the cost of innovation.
• As discussed before, there's lots of jobs that are not being, we just are running out of jobs and businesses
• I've got nuclear steel, wanted to come to my hometown, 250 jobs. I'll tell you this.
• I've got nuclear steel, wanted to come to my hometown. 250 jobs are, the jobs in Quincy are farm workers

Bills: SB6013

Keywords: ski areas, winter sports, terminology, recreation, economic development, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• How do we recover those jobs? What's the approach?
• What's the strategy to get jobs similar to those back?
• I think that the key to all of this is creating good jobs and making sure that we have good job quality
• I think that the key to all of this is creating good jobs and making sure that we have good job quality
• And we're not talking, you know, low-income jobs.

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

Transcript Highlights:

• that can become upper-middle-class jobs soon.
• Those are middle-class jobs that can become upper-middle-class jobs.
• that can become upper-middle-class jobs.
• that can become upper middle class jobs.
• She's doing an exceptional job.

Summary: The Arizona Senate convened for opening day of the second regular session of the 57th Legislature with ceremonial prayers, the presentation of colors, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the national anthem. Senate President Warren Petersen gave a farewell-style address highlighting his efforts to shift power toward members and committee chairs, preserve conservative policies, and deliver annual tax cuts, including a projected $1 billion cut this year. The chamber then recessed for an opening-day speech by Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller, who spoke about Arizona’s labor-force needs, workforce training, and GCU’s role in expanding access to education and middle-class jobs, including apprenticeships and technical programs tied to local employers. After returning to order, the Senate adopted its organizational rules for the session, including suspending rules so bills and resolutions could be read by number and short title only on first and second reading and by number and title only on third and final reading. Members also approved a motion to notify the House and Governor that the Senate was organized and ready for business, and the House later reported that it was likewise organized. The chamber then adopted a proposed amendment to Senate Rule 7A and the rules of the 57th Legislature, and the President announced committee assignments for standing and statutory committees, including Appropriations, Education, Finance, Government, Military Affairs and Border Security, Natural Resources, Rules, Legislative Council, Legislative Audit, and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The remainder of the session focused on points of personal privilege, with senators introducing family members, constituents, local officials, school leaders, law enforcement officers, tribal leaders, and advocacy guests. Several members used the occasion to emphasize issues they expect to work on this session, including education, public safety, housing, water, early childhood services, veterans, border security, and workforce development. The Senate also received a motion to request House consent for an adjournment schedule, and the body adjourned until Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 1:15 p.m. after announcing upcoming committee meetings and the first batch of bill introductions and references.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was getting paid per job. Same with concrete work per job.
• </c> job. Same with concrete work per job. job. Same with concrete work per job.
• Entrylevel jobs. the workforce. Entrylevel jobs.
• jobs.
• Fewer jobs equals need entrylevel jobs.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• having met those 200 jobs or 97% of<00:41:27.280><c> those</c><00:41:27.520><c> jobs</c><00:41:28.160
• But if real jobs are being created and they're permanent jobs, then we want to sit down and understand
• But if real jobs are being created and they're permanent jobs, then we want to sit down and understand
• </c><00:53:36.640><c> and</c> is you look at the number of jobs and is you look at the number of jobs
• That's where these batteries go in. jobs. So the the incentive package for jobs.

Keywords: Meeting start 00:00:00 Discussion of Nickels and School Facility Funding 00:02:13 Economic Development Projects in Elizabethtown and Hopkinsville 00:29:33 Correspondence and Reports Received 01:09:25, 958, all

Summary: The committee received an informational presentation from the Kentucky Department of Education and the School Facilities Construction Commission on school facilities funding. Staff explained the main funding sources used for school construction and renovation, including the mandatory “nickel” property tax levy, growth and equalized growth nickels, the equalized facility funding nickel, the Fort Knox/BRAC-related nickel for Hardin County, and the recallable nickel that districts can adopt locally. They also described the state equalization formula, noting that local construction costs have risen and that state support is formula-driven rather than a dollar-for-dollar match. The SFCC outlined how unmet facility need is calculated through district facility plans, which are developed locally with community, staff, and board input and then reviewed by KDE staff for consistency and reasonableness. The commission said it will update the statewide unmet need report this fall, adopt it in December, and provide the figure to the committee in January 2026. It reported that the statewide unmet facility need was about $7 billion in 2023, with about $951 million in local revenue available, and said its offers of assistance are paid as debt service over eight years. The commission also said the most recent legislative offer of assistance was its smallest since SFCC’s creation in 1985, and requested an additional $60 million for the next biennium. Members asked about how districts use nickel tax levies, who determines facility need, whether the process includes physical inspections, and how bonding capacity affects offers of assistance. Staff said nickel levies are generally adopted with regular tax rates, that facility need is locally developed but reviewed by KDE, and that KDE project managers and district-hired architects review plans on paper rather than through in-person inspections. They also explained that bonding capacity can affect a district’s ability to use or receive assistance. Questions were also raised about federal funds tied to earlier KIX grants and about districts with zero remaining offers of assistance; staff said most grant-funded projects are underway or complete, and that a zero balance means a district has spent its available assistance. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Edmonds, was there a search done for these jobs?
• Their job is the 30,000-foot-level security.
• I want to thank CFO Petronis for a job well done.
• “Good job.
• Owen... ...in order to fill two more jobs.

Summary: The subcommittee met to review agency travel, budget reduction exercises, and member reports from agency meetings. Early discussion focused on the Department of Management Services (DMS), where members questioned the cost of travel for four out-of-state data/cyber staff and the secretary’s absence. DMS defended the hires as highly specialized enterprise cybersecurity and data personnel, said the positions were lawfully paid and posted, and explained that the staff work on statewide data cataloging and cyber risk reduction rather than agency-by-agency systems. Members also raised concerns about fleet inventory discrepancies and requested follow-up information on hiring, travel, and data inventory timelines. The chair said she would consider travel guardrails and possible reductions, and noted that DMS, the Lottery, and the Florida Commission on Human Relations did not meet the requested reduction target, while the Public Employee Relations Commission did not submit reductions. The committee then heard from the Florida Lottery about the secretary’s trip to Paris for the World Lottery Convention. Lottery staff said the trip was reimbursed through the multi-state lottery organization and was intended to share best practices and improve operations, though members questioned the value of the travel and requested reimbursement records and the trip agenda. The subcommittee also reviewed agency reduction exercises from several agencies. The Department of Revenue exceeded its target and was praised for frugality; DFS, the Florida Gaming Control Commission, the Office of Financial Regulation, the Office of Insurance Regulation, the Public Service Commission, the Division of Administrative Hearings, and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation each described how they met or approached their reduction goals, often through vacancies, reversions, or expense cuts. OIR warned that further reductions could hurt insurance regulation capacity, while OFR and PSC said their reductions were based on historical reversions and lower post-COVID travel or vacancy levels. Members then reported back on agency meetings. DMS members raised fleet tracking, real property audits, salary studies, and health plan savings ideas, and asked for follow-up on the Florida PALM project, cybersecurity grants, and state IT modernization. DFS members said the agency was efficient and that its Palm-related work and insurance consumer programs were important. Lottery members emphasized the agency’s revenue generation for education and its low administrative overhead. Gaming Control members highlighted storage costs for seized gaming equipment and suggested technology-based alternatives. PERC members said a union-related law had doubled their workload and asked for more staffing and possible AI assistance. OIR members stressed the need for a Tampa satellite office and more resources to recruit and retain specialized staff. The chair closed by saying the committee would continue reviewing travel, staffing, and reductions with an eye toward taxpayer value and transparency.

Transcript Highlights:

• In short, our job is less about command and control.
• Our job is to support our local government partners.
• You have a thankless job, so I appreciate it. Thank you.
• and do their jobs.
• Safely and not get punished for doing their job.

Transcript Highlights:

• Good job, Haley.
• Really good job. And Senator Madden, good job.
• Great job.
• Really good job. basis. Thank you, guys. Really good job.
• Uh you know, like like you good job.

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00 Roll Call: 00:26 SB 343 Discussion: 01:00 SB 343 Voting: 02:25 SB 19 Discussion: 03:25 SB 19 Voting: 20:10, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> actually in total between the jobs actually in total between the jobs committee<00:09:47.279><c>
• </c><00:21:19.039><c> search</c> planning and counseling to job search planning and counseling to job
• So the Minnesota Jobs Skills 320.
• skills on the providing that on the job skills on the job<00:40:17.520><c> and</c><00:40:17.839><c>
• </c> or where we're projected to see high job or where we're projected to see high job vacancies.<00:

Bills: HF2440

Keywords: labor market, employment, economic development, funding, data analysis, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• That is the third job.
• It doesn't always work to give them jobs. It doesn't always work to find new jobs.
• It doesn't always work to give them jobs. It doesn't always work to find new jobs.
• It doesn't always work to give them jobs. It doesn't always work to find new jobs.
• It doesn't always work to give them jobs. It doesn't always work to find new jobs.

Bills: HF1049

Keywords: school library aid, education finance, school districts, charter schools, funding eligibility, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So the support of calling people here and say, I need the power of a job, I need an awful job, I need
• an offer a job, and I need an offer a job.
• Go back to school and have a full-time job, which is a full-time job, is stipulated by my condition.
• There's seven-to-seven jobs.
• Your jobs, our jobs, the commissioner's job, and everybody at our table.

Summary: The Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration met to approve prior minutes and then heard extensive testimony from people incarcerated or formerly incarcerated in county and state facilities, along with a few family/community perspectives. Much of the testimony focused on how county sheriff programs, reentry services, and step-down placements helped people obtain education, treatment, work experience, housing, IDs, and support for sobriety and family reunification. Witnesses from Hampshire, Barnstable, Hampden, and Franklin counties repeatedly described these programs as life-changing and credited staff with treating them with dignity, helping them prepare for release, and connecting them to community resources. Several witnesses contrasted county programming favorably with their experiences in DOC custody, saying DOC facilities often had overcrowding, limited access to programs, long waits, and little individualized reentry planning. Some said their sentence length or classification status made them ineligible for needed programs, while others described county facilities as more responsive and rehabilitative. A few witnesses also highlighted the value of culturally specific programming, educational blocks, restorative justice, and employment training. One witness from Hampden County described All-Exclusive Support Services as pivotal to her recovery and later employment with the sheriff’s office; another from Franklin County said the reentry center’s outside location made it easier to access help after release. Not all testimony was uniformly positive. A witness from Framingham described serious mental health needs that were not adequately addressed, saying she was offered superficial coping tools instead of counseling and that visitation restrictions for family members worsened her mental health. Another witness, a juvenile lifer, said long sentences and classification barriers limited access to meaningful programming and delayed preparation for release. Commissioners asked follow-up questions about DOC programming access, reentry preparation, visitation policies, and whether people were ready to benefit from services. No formal votes or policy actions were taken beyond approving the prior meeting minutes and moving through the testimony agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• A real person using judgment and compassion, making the final call about their jobs.
• We can do all kinds of zero-carbon energy, and those are great jobs.
• They're not creating all their jobs here, so it's no longer about job growth.
• his job to ensure equitable outcomes for the workforce; their job is just to make sure that there are
• qualified individuals on the job.

Summary: The committee heard several labor-related bills focused on workplace technology, data centers, staffing agencies, and environmental health. SB 947, the “No Robo Bosses Act,” would require human review before automated systems can be used in discipline, termination, or deactivation decisions and would ban predictive behavior analysis; labor groups and worker advocates supported it, while business and industry groups opposed it as overbroad and litigation-prone. After extended discussion about due process, human oversight, and private rights of action, the bill passed 3-1 and was sent to the Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Committee. SB 978, the Data Center Community Accountability Act, would require data centers to pay for new infrastructure costs, create a separate rate structure to protect other ratepayers, and impose skilled-and-trained labor standards for construction. Supporters said it would prevent cost shifts to households and ensure good jobs, while opponents argued the CPUC already has ongoing proceedings and that the bill unfairly singles out one industry. The committee discussed balancing economic growth with labor and ratepayer protections, and the bill passed 3-1 to Senate Appropriations. SB 951, the California Worker Technological Displacement Act, would expand WARN-style notice requirements for AI-related layoffs and require reporting on displaced jobs and first consideration for openings; supporters said it would improve transparency and help policymakers respond to AI-driven job loss, while opponents warned it was too broad and conflicted with existing WARN law. It passed 3-1 to Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection. The committee also considered SB 1032, which would create a licensing and registration framework for temporary staffing agencies. Supporters said it would curb fraud and protect workers from illicit staffing operators, while opponents—many from the staffing industry—said the bill was vague, burdensome, and could hinder small and minority-owned businesses. The bill passed 3-1 to Senate Judiciary. Finally, SB 1046, dealing with protections for lifeguards and park rangers exposed to transboundary pollution in the Tijuana River Valley, would direct Cal/OSHA to develop standards for exposure, PPE, training, and incident reporting. With support from park workers and community groups and no opposition, it passed unanimously 4-0 to Senate Appropriations. The committee also approved a consent calendar item and adjourned after completing the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• So if this is to have no impact, and if those jobs, up to 28,000 jobs, are going to go away, how do we
• Construction jobs have always been considered great jobs: $30 to $40 an hour, young men and women working
• But now it's the jobs nobody else wants to do.
• If an employee who was legitimately in Malaysia wanted to seek a better job, a higher-paying job, he
• I had a couple jobs on the docket.

Summary: The House convened with 63 members present, approved the journal, and received Senate and governor messages, including enrolled House Bills 533, 502, 555 and several Senate bills for first reading. Standing committee reports advanced a number of bills, including House Bills 713, 723, 664, 667, 716, 650, and 717, and introduced a large slate of new House and Senate bills covering health care, taxation, education, public safety, alcohol regulation, tribal water rights, and other topics. In Committee of the Whole, members amended and advanced several bills. House Bill 570 on reckless driving was amended to clarify language about children and construction zones and reported back with amendments and without recommendation. House Bill 561 on flags was amended to add the Basque autonomous community flag and to prohibit certain political, religious, or ideological flags on government property; it was also reported back with amendments and without recommendation. House Bills 692, 575, and 562 were each amended with mostly clarifying changes and reported back with amendments and without recommendation. House Bills 530, 627, 598, and 673 were held in committee with progress reported and leave to sit again. The House then considered House Bill 704, which would require employers to use E-Verify to screen new hires for work authorization. Debate focused on immigration enforcement, labor shortages, agriculture, constitutional concerns, and whether the bill would burden businesses or displace workers. After extended debate, the House passed HB 704 by a vote of 43-26 with one absent and excused. House Bill 700, a related E-Verify measure with criminal penalties and broader application, also drew extensive debate on constitutionality, existing employees, labor impacts, and immigration policy; it passed 36-33 with one abstention and one excused. The House then adopted committee reports, held the remaining third-reading bills until Monday, received administrative rules letters, made announcements, and adjourned until March 2, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• Second job, lucrative or not, and once you're on paid family medical leave, can you take a second job
• I know that I could not do this job without them.
• They're on a new job site the next day.
• It is the employer's responsibility to maintain a safe job site.
• It is the employer's responsibility to maintain a safe job site.

Summary: The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee opened its 2026 session with member introductions and a work session on the Employment Security Department’s structure and programs. ESD officials described their roles and reviewed paid family and medical leave, WA Cares, unemployment insurance, workforce services, and agricultural worker outreach. Senators raised concerns about call volume, program solvency, fraud detection, employer access to information, and whether workers can receive leave benefits while working other jobs. ESD said WA Cares is in a limited pilot, PFML has seen rapid growth, UI trust fund solvency is projected to be near the statutory trigger level, and they would follow up with more detailed information on eligibility, fraud referrals, and employer scenarios. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5292, which would replace the current PFML rate-setting formula with a forward-looking actuarial model and require a four-month reserve beginning in 2030. Supporters, including the sponsor, JLARC staff, labor advocates, and employer groups, said the change would improve stability and follow JLARC recommendations; opponents warned it could lead to higher payroll taxes and argued the program is already too costly. The chair said she intended to keep the bill narrow as it moved forward. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6014, a technical bill on pregnancy-related accommodations that would preserve the ability of pregnant workers to request certain accommodations without a doctor’s note and create a public records exemption for sensitive complaint and investigation records; the sponsor and supporters said it corrects a drafting error and protects privacy. Next, the committee heard Senate Bill 5972, which would remove the population threshold limiting interest arbitration for correctional officers in jails, and Senate Bill 5869, which would make permanent and expand from residential to all building construction sites a requirement that L&I notify employers or owners within 10 working days when a hazard is identified. Correctional officers’ representatives and labor groups supported SB 5972 as a fairness and safety measure, while the sponsor said it would create consistency across jurisdictions. Construction industry groups supported SB 5869, and L&I said it had no concerns but wanted the bill kept narrow; the chair noted the bill’s purpose was to speed hazard communication. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 5874, which would allow ESD to waive penalties for minor errors in quarterly unemployment reports, especially missing SOC/job-title information. The sponsor said small businesses were being hit with unnecessary fines, and ESD said it had identified a sharp rise in penalties and was working with the sponsor on possible fixes. The committee adjourned after the hearings.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:09:27.520><c> in</c> You know, they do a great job in You know, they do a great job in protecting
• </c> my job. my job.
• And I respect protecting first responders for doing their job.
• doing their job. You know, I believe in doing their job.
• </c> sure that that guy can do his job sure that that guy can do his job because<00:19:01.560><c> that's

Bills: SB293, SB293

Keywords: SB293, Lee County, solid waste, waste collection fees, garbage fees, trash collection, county commission, fee exemption, low-income households, poverty level, federal poverty level, public sanitation, local act, municipal services, waste management, first responder, interference, criminal law, public safety, law enforcement

Transcript Highlights:

• YOU CAN C4 FLORIDA IN 2023 HOUR JOB GROWTH WAS RANKED 25TH AND THAT LOOKS AT ALL THE JOB OPENINGS AND
• JOB AVAILABILITIES WE HAVE IN ENTRY-LEVEL POSITIONS.
• NOT JUST THE ENTRY-LEVEL JOBS BUT THOSE JOBS THAT HAVE AN ASSOCIATED SKILL LEVEL OF EFFICIENCY WITH THEM
• OUT OF EVERY 63 JOBS IN PALM COUNTY WE SUPPORT OPBSE AND WE SUPPORT 187,000 JOBS THERE IN OUR AREA.
• AS YOU LOOK AT THE JOBS THAT ARE AVAILABLE WITHIN PALM BEACH COUNTY.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> growth produces jobs and and job growth growth produces jobs and and job growth pushes<00:34:23.520
• </c> of the good job box, the share of jobs of the good job box, the share of jobs paying<00:40:56.560
• </c> are developed they are filled and jobs are developed they are filled and jobs are<01:01:10.559><
• Um, so it's those jobs create more jobs in the economy, and so there's an economic analysis.
• So, but I think that's and jobs.

Bills: HF4862, HF4598

Keywords: apprenticeship, education, teacher training, grant program, labor and industry, workers' compensation, Minnesota workers' compensation, Workers' Compensation Advisory Council, reinsurance association, Workers' Compensation Reinsurance Association, WCRA, occupational disease, presumption, first responders, firefighter cancer, PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, police officer, paramedic, emergency medical technician

Transcript Highlights:

• So if this is to have no impact, and if those jobs, up to 28,000 jobs, are going to go away, how do we
• Construction jobs have always been considered great jobs: $30 to $40 an hour, young men and women working
• But now it's the jobs nobody else wants to do.
• If an employee who was legitimately in Malaysia wanted to seek a better job, a higher-paying job, he
• I had a couple jobs on the docket.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know teachers that had summertime jobs down there and young college kids that might have summer jobs
• , blue-collar union jobs, here in the state of Massachusetts.
• Slot attendant jobs are good-paying jobs.
• That's where those jobs are being lost.
• Good luck to them, but that's not my job. That's not our job here.

Bills: H4975

Keywords: federal tax changes, OBBBA, revenue impact, pass-through entities, state budget, tax relief, high-income earners, opportunity zones, 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's incentivizing high-tech jobs and research and development activities in our state.
• The research and development, high-paying jobs that come with that.
• The research and development, high-paying jobs that come with that.
• More competitive, drawing high-wage jobs and a lot of economic investment here.
• And I also see this as a jobs bill for New Mexico.

Keywords: 996, all