Transcript Highlights:

• How about also not just the final market price, but analyze the cost?
• How about also not just the final market price, but analyze the cost?
• How about also, not just the price.
• Because the market price, the the cost?
• on to the sales price of of home<01:06:46.120> development.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I heard those same eggs talked about a lot last year under the Biden prices.
• Because construction will slow down and prices will go up.
• If we could reduce regulations, that would bring down the price of homes.
• So for all of you who actually believe in lowering the price...
• Homes are sitting on the market for longer, and sellers are dropping list prices.

Transcript Highlights:

• Colleagues, I ask that you join us today in doing something about these gas prices.
• Now, we know that the war in Iran is the main driver of the gas prices across the country.
• So I ask that you... today in doing something about these gas prices.
• Now, we know that the war in Iran is the main driver of the gas prices of the, of the gas prices of Now
• , we know that the war in Iran is the main driver of the gas prices across the country.

Summary: The Senate convened with 30 members present, heard the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, and approved several temporary excusals. The chamber received gubernatorial appointments to multiple boards and commissions, then recessed and later took up resolutions and legislation. It adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 13, a tribute memorializing former Senator and Representative Robert Geake, after remarks honoring his long legislative career and public service; the resolution was adopted and all members and the Lieutenant Governor were added as co-sponsors. The Senate also adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 14, which approved an extension of a state of emergency related to gasoline prices through Labor Day. Senator Camilleri argued the extension would help lower fuel costs for residents, while Senator McBroom later criticized the resolution as political theater and urged action on substantive energy legislation, including a pending Upper Peninsula-related bill. The resolution passed by roll call, 36-1. In floor action, the Senate introduced and referred several bills, including measures on the Income Tax Act, Michigan Trust Fund Act, road classification, the Food Law, Motor Fuels Quality Act, and automated decision tools in employment. The chamber then passed three bills on third reading: Senate Bill 480 on child care organization licensing and regulation, Senate Bill 517 amending the Revised School Code, and Senate Bill 278 amending the State Housing Development Authority Act of 1966. The Senate adjourned after statements and a final motion to adjourn until June 25 at 10 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• They negotiate prices, discounts, and rebates.
• Or a provider, which we've learned is the same person that's negotiating the drug price.
• So how it works is the PBM negotiates that price with the manufacturers, the drug manufacturers.
• Drug manufacturers set the price of drugs.
• PBMs work to negotiate with those drug manufacturers to reduce the price of drugs that you pay.

Bills: AB93, AB204, AB414, AB504, AB598

Keywords: public employees, police officers, benefits, appropriation, law enforcement, medical debt, collection agency, healthcare, consumer protection, financial assistance, occupational safety, air quality, greenhouse gases, employee monitoring, safety program, hemp, hemp products, cannabidiol, CBD, cannabis

Transcript Highlights:

• We have registered as Steven Price.
• Price? Thank you for being here, Mr. Price. We appreciate your testimony, Mr. Chairman.
• Steven Price. Mr.
• Chair Carl Steven Price. Mr. Price, we have you registered as Steven Price.
• Price. Members, any questions for Mr. Price? Thank you again for being here this morning.

Bills: HCR7

Keywords: memorial, tribute, military service, community contribution, Texas legislature

Transcript Highlights:

• , it calls or brings attention to the varying of price—price varying based on personal data.
• , meaning price increases, we completely agree.
• are resulting in price increases.
• The definition of price, the lack of definition of baseline price, the section referencing a 24-hour
• price change, and so on and so forth.

Keywords: 1146, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It has impacted prices in California. It has impacted prices in the rest of the U.S.
• and California gas prices.
• terms of how much prices have gone up versus others.
• But we need those truck prices to go down, so it's less incentive and less price, and it makes it better
• Refinery outages are causing this price spike; that's disingenuous.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee first handled several governor’s appointments not required to appear, approving Anthony Surich to lead the California Housing Finance Agency, Craig Snelling to the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, Nicholas Mueller to the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission, and the referral of bills to committees, each by 4-0 votes. It then heard testimony on the appointment of Jereen DiDamo to the State Water Resources Control Board. DiDamo highlighted priorities including water-use efficiency, SGMA implementation, groundwater recharge, ecosystem restoration, and expanding safe drinking water access, noting the number of Californians without safe drinking water had fallen from 1.6 million to 800,000 since 2019. Senators focused heavily on the safe drinking water program, consolidation of failing systems, funding, domestic wells, SGMA, and the Bay-Delta plan. Supporters praised her practical, collaborative approach and work on drinking water; opponents from environmental and tribal groups argued the board had favored agricultural and urban interests and had not acted quickly enough to protect the Delta and fisheries. The committee ultimately voted 4-0 to advance the appointment to the full Senate. After a brief recess, the committee took up the appointment of Siva Gunda to the California Energy Commission. Gunda said California is managing three major transitions at once—decarbonizing the grid, electrifying transportation and buildings, and winding down petroleum and natural gas—and emphasized planning, transparency, and coordination across agencies and the West. Senators questioned him about Kern Energy and the impact of refinery compliance burdens, the state’s transportation fuels plan, Diablo Canyon, fuel imports, and affordability. Gunda said the Energy Commission has supported exemptions or potential exemptions for small refineries, that current planning assumes Diablo Canyon retires in 2030 without creating reliability problems if new resources continue to come online, and that most new capacity has been storage and solar. He also said California still imports a significant share of crude and refined products, with costs affected by global markets and shipping. The committee approved his appointment 4-0 to move to the full Senate.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 493, the Wartime Price Gouging Prevention Act.
• So what does the Wartime Price Gouging Act do?
• And price-gouging is wrong, whether it's caused by wildfire, an earthquake, a pandemic, or war, And price
• The purpose of price gouging, as you know, is to protect consumers when Obviously, the purpose of price
• Obviously, the focus has been oil and gas prices.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then we have a core CPI, which does not take into account energy and food prices.
• And then at the core CPI, we're not going to see the energy prices impact.
• So we're talking about all your prices, which we have some, in the near term.
• And then at the core CPI, we're not going to see the energy prices impact.
• And similarly, with these free reduced-price lunch quintiles, And similarly, with these free reduced-price

Summary: The committee first approved the May 18 meeting minutes and then received a Legislative Audit presentation summarizing Arkansas Department of Education grant distributions for fiscal year 2025. Auditors said the department distributed about $4.6 billion in grants overall, including $3.2 billion from the Public School Fund, $1.1 billion in federal funds, and $268 million from other state and miscellaneous sources, across 56 Public School Fund programs, 14 other state programs, and 29 federal programs. Members asked about specific recipients and programs, including ClassWallet, master principal bonuses, Economics Arkansas, and CDC surveillance funding; audit staff and Department of Education representatives explained that the report was only a distribution summary and not a recipient-level audit. Members also questioned why many districts showed lower funding, and staff said the decline was largely due to reduced federal and one-time COVID-related funds. Senators and representatives also discussed whether some incentive programs, such as master principal and national board bonuses, were tied to student outcomes, and whether Economics Arkansas was the sole entity named in special language for financial literacy funding; department staff said they would follow up on several details. The committee then heard a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on consumer price index projections from Moody’s Analytics and S&P Global, with discussion of CPI-U and core CPI estimates for future fiscal years. Dr. Carlos Silva explained that the forecasts generally trend toward about 2 percent over time and that recent projections may have understated actual inflation because of recent shocks. Members asked about the accuracy of past projections, and he said he would provide more detail later if needed. The bulk of the meeting focused on the final adequacy report on teacher recruitment, retention, and salaries. BLR staff reported that Arkansas had about 32,800 teachers and 473,000 students in 2025, with a statewide student-to-teacher ratio of about 14 to 1, average teaching experience of 11.9 years, and a slight increase in National Board Certified teachers. The report found that districts with higher poverty and minority concentrations generally had less experienced teachers, and that teacher shortages remained widespread, especially in special education, math, science, and foreign language. Members asked about licensure exceptions, alternative preparation pathways, incentives for ESL and special education endorsements, and the cost and return on investment of traditional versus alternative routes. Staff said some licensure exceptions are being phased out under Act 304 of 2025 and that they would follow up on several requested details. The report also found that teacher retention averaged 87 percent statewide in 2025, with districts retaining teachers at higher rates than charters, and that 30 percent of surveyed teachers were considering leaving the profession. Principals and teachers identified school leadership as the strongest positive factor in recruitment and retention, while workload and salary were the strongest negative factors. On salaries, BLR reported a statewide average teacher salary of $60,254 in 2025, with districts averaging $60,458 and charters $55,724. Arkansas ranked 45th nationally on average teacher salary in 2025, though its cost-adjusted ranking improved to 36th; among SREB states it ranked 12th, and among neighboring states it ranked fourth. Members asked about starting salaries, salary compression, district step increases, and whether the report should be shared more broadly with educators and school leaders. Staff said they would provide follow-up information on several questions, and the committee took no formal action beyond receiving the presentations and asking for additional data.

Transcript Highlights:

• Price, we will start with you today.
• Price, of the Florida contract for domestic violence services.
• Price. Thank you. You're correct.
• Price.
• Price. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm just going to go for it. This is the Amanda Price opinion.

Summary: The committee held a panel discussion on Florida’s domestic violence system, focusing on how state and federally funded services are coordinated, the role of the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence (FPEDV), the Florida Domestic Violence Collaborative, DCF, and certified domestic violence centers. Members reviewed the post-2020 restructuring after the dissolution of FCADV, the current hotline, legal services, training, and technical assistance contracts, and the Legislature’s recent work on lethality assessments under SB 1224. Panelists also described prevention, shelter, counseling, child advocacy, and legal support services, along with the statewide network of 41 certified centers serving all 67 counties. Testimony highlighted both collaboration and tension. FPEDV and Women in Distress described overlapping training and technical assistance roles, but FPEDV said its relationship with DCF has been difficult and at times obstructive, while DCF said communication and coordination are ongoing. Women in Distress and other providers emphasized the importance of direct services, the statewide hotline, injunction assistance, child welfare co-located advocates, and prevention programs. Several members asked about funding flows, certification, and whether the current structure is sufficient for rural counties; witnesses said federal FVPSA funds are formula-based, DCF contracts directly with centers, and rural programs face staffing and fundraising challenges that limit beds and services. A major portion of the discussion centered on the lethality assessment work group and implementation of the new statewide tool. FDLE explained that the work group concluded the Maryland model was copyrighted and costly to replicate exactly, so Florida adopted a statutory assessment that is not evidence-based in the same way, with training available online and 46 of about 400 law enforcement agencies having completed it so far. Senators raised concerns about multiple assessments, redacted police reports, and whether the tool will be useful without better coordination and data collection. Witnesses also discussed rising domestic violence, teen dating violence, and strangulation cases, with providers reporting increased demand, full shelters, and greater use of hotels and mobile crisis responses. No formal votes or actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• The goal of carbon cash back is to raise prices on fossil fuels, which would inevitably raise prices
• <02:00:53.040> and neverly raise prices on all goods and neverly raise prices on all goods and
• Carbon pricing is of Hawaii's families.
• /c><02:06:27.280> widely states, "Carbon pricing is widely states, "Carbon pricing is widely recognized
• :38.480> now Globally, carbon pricing programs now Globally, carbon pricing programs now generate

Bills: HB1617

Keywords: carbon emissions, tax credit, fossil fuel, agriculture, food security, environmental tax, greenhouse gas, 910, house, all

Summary: The committees heard testimony on HB 1949, which would create a public dashboard for the green fee to improve transparency and accountability. Testimony from the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, and many community and conservation groups was generally supportive, with several speakers urging that the governor’s project recommendations remain largely intact and that community-driven projects continue to guide spending. One amendment was suggested to place the dashboard at the Department of Budget and Finance for fiscal expertise, while other testimony favored keeping it with the commission. Members asked about procurement, ETS involvement, recurring hosting costs, and whether the dashboard could be funded from green fee revenues; the commission said it could work with ETS and that green fee funds could reasonably be used. The committees then voted to pass HB 1949 with amendments. The committees also heard HB 2618, which would require the governor to submit a separate bill for amounts tied to any increase in the transient accommodations tax and, in later discussion, was expanded into a broader restructuring of future green fee allocations. Testimony from the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition, and others supported the bill and emphasized the value of more predictable, dedicated funding for conservation and climate-related work. During decision-making, the chair described amendments creating several special funds under DLNR, including a watershed biodiversity and wildfire risk reduction fund, an aquatic resources conservation fund, a coastal restoration fund, a cesspool conversion revolving loan fund, and a green fee special fund for remaining revenues, with recommended amounts discussed for some of the funds. The committees voted to pass HB 2618 with amendments. The hearing then moved to HB 1644, a consumer protection measure for residential solar sales that would require compliance with consumer protection laws, licensing or contractor affiliation for sellers, and a standardized disclosure form. Testimony in support came from the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, DCCA’s Office of Consumer Protection, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, the Hawaii Solar Energy Association, and several solar companies and individuals. Supporters said the bill would address complaints about third-party sales practices and improve disclosure, especially around financing. The committee then began hearing HB 2243, which would require electric utilities to provide public, electronic customer bill impact analyses and annual reports to the Public Utilities Commission; the Division of Consumer Advocacy and the PUC offered comments supporting the measure’s intent.

Transcript Highlights:

• Prices can change at any time, and inflated library pricing does not increase author royalties.
• rest reinforces an inflated pricing rest reinforces an inflated pricing structure.<00:07:18.880>
• And pricing outside the library market.
• <00:20:13.679> of entities could increase the prices of entities could increase the prices
• <00:21:18.799> together publishers are putting pricing together publishers are putting pricing

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• c><00:31:38.320> selling<00:31:38.640> price selling price, if that selling price selling
• price, if that selling price continues<00:31:40.320> to<00:31:40.640> go<00:31:40.799>
• and not the price of the ticket. and not the price of the ticket.
• to lower the price of that food by 10%. to lower the price of that food by 10%.
• potentially lower lower grocery prices. potentially lower lower grocery prices.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And today I'm here to talk about the Consumer Price Index estimates that we have.
• And then we have a core CPI, which does not take into account energy and food prices, which is volatile
• We're talking about all your prices, which we have some things that we look into here, the volatility
• And today I'm here to talk about the Consumer Price Index estimates that we have.
• And then you can see that breakout for free or reduced-price lunch students and then minority student

Summary: The committee first approved the May 18 meeting minutes and then received a presentation from Legislative Audit on Arkansas Department of Education grant distributions. Auditors explained that the fiscal year 2025 report summarizes $4.6 billion in grants from state, federal, and miscellaneous sources, across school districts, charter schools, education cooperatives, and other entities, and that the report only shows amounts distributed, not how recipients ultimately used the money. Members asked about specific recipients and programs, including ClassWallet, Economics Arkansas, and CDC surveillance funding; department staff clarified that the Economics Arkansas grant is written into special language and that the CDC-related funding supports student surveys used by state agencies. Questions also focused on bonus and incentive programs such as master principal and National Board Certified teacher bonuses, with department staff saying the bonuses are generally tied to completion of the program or certification rather than classroom performance, though they would follow up on details. The committee then heard a Bureau of Legislative Research update on Consumer Price Index projections from Moody’s Analytics and S&P Global. Dr. Carlos Silva explained the difference between CPI-U and core CPI and said the estimates show inflation slowing over the forecast period, with some near-term variation between the two data providers. Members asked about the historical accuracy of prior projections, and he said the forecasts generally tend to move toward about 2 percent over time, though recent shocks have caused earlier estimates to understate actual inflation. The bulk of the meeting was devoted to the final adequacy report on teacher recruitment, retention, and salaries. BLR staff reviewed Arkansas teacher demographics, shortage areas, educator preparation pipelines, licensure exceptions, survey results from teachers and principals, and teacher support programs. They reported that Arkansas had about 32,800 teachers and 473,000 students in 2025, with an average of 11.9 years of experience and a slight increase in National Board Certified teachers. The report found shortages in multiple subject areas, especially special education, math, science, foreign language, and social studies, and identified 65 districts as high-need geographically. Survey results showed school leadership as the strongest positive factor in recruitment and retention, while workload and salary were the biggest negatives; 30 percent of responding teachers said they were considering leaving the profession. The committee also reviewed teacher salary data showing a statewide average salary of $60,254 in 2025, Arkansas ranking 45th nationally by NEA methodology, and a long-term inflation-adjusted decline in district salaries, though LEARNS Act increases improved the trend. Members asked for additional follow-up information on survey methodology, alternative licensure costs, coursework, incentives for ESL and special education endorsements, exit data, and how salary comparisons are calculated.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:13:52.720> also sales and price also sales and price also increase<00:13:54.920> and
• And the price here, it is the price level, and the price here, it is different from the multiple listing
• And if you look at Maui, the condo sales price is actually higher than the single-family prices.
• level and the price here it is the price level and the price here it is the price this<00:27:48.200
• <00:31:54.600> for price and as well as the uh price for price and as well as the uh price

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Finance held its first informational briefing for 2025, beginning with member introductions and then hearing an economic outlook presentation from Dr. Eugene Tian of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Dr. Tian said Hawaii’s economy was in relatively good shape in several areas, especially construction, which he described as at a historical high, with construction employment above 40,000 monthly and building permit values and contracting tax base both up sharply. He also noted real estate sales had rebounded in 2024, the labor market had stabilized with unemployment around 2.9%, and initial unemployment claims were below 2019 levels. At the same time, he highlighted challenges including inflation running above the national rate, a shrinking labor force, lower employment compared with 2023, and continued weakness in visitor spending and arrivals. He said future growth would likely come from health care, professional services, construction, tourism recovery, and diversified sectors such as renewable energy, aquaculture, creative industries, and technology. Dr. Tian also discussed Hawaii’s economic structure and recovery, saying the state remains more concentrated in a few industries than the U.S. overall, with government and hospitality making up larger shares of the economy. He said non-tourism sectors had recovered, but tourism-related jobs and output were still below pre-pandemic levels, with Maui and the visitor industry still affected by the wildfire and COVID-19 impacts. He projected tourism and non-agricultural wage and salary jobs would not fully recover until 2027, and said population trends remain a concern because of aging, the likelihood of deaths outpacing births in coming years, and reliance on in-migration. After his presentation, the chair said questions would be taken later and the committee took a short break. After the break, Dr. Carano of the Hawaii Executive Director’s office presented a second outlook, saying Hawaii’s economy in 2025 looked better than 2024 overall, though he emphasized substantial uncertainty tied to the incoming federal administration. He said possible changes to tariffs, tax policy, immigration, and federal spending could raise inflation and keep interest rates higher than previously expected, which would affect housing, consumer debt, the dollar, and Hawaii’s visitor industry. He noted that U.S. visitors account for roughly three-quarters of visitor spending in the state, making federal policy especially important. He also said deregulation could be a long-term positive but would not likely have much effect in 2025 or 2026. As an additional risk, he pointed to bird flu and its effect on livestock, poultry, and egg prices. No votes or formal actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Basic economics tells us that when government subsidizes the price, demand surges, and prices soar.
• , demand surges, and subsidizes the price, demand surges, and prices<00:09:01.760> soar.
• We've seen this movie prices soar.
• > for<00:54:52.240> everyone, policies raising prices for everyone, policies raising prices
• this guy, are going to pay the price. this guy, are going to pay the price.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Friday, November 21, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The orange line across the top is the price of crude oil, the Bakken price received.
• So that would be your WTI price less the discount.
• I utilized the same pricing assumptions, that same pricing model.
• WTI is at 80, less $7, we get into a price point of 73.
• Oil price, oil price.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• or gas prices one or two cents a gallon.
• or gas prices one or two cents a gallon.
• They want to see lower gas prices, lower grocery prices, and they want lower utility bills.
• We took action to stabilize gas prices to prevent price shocks while keeping health and environmental
• We stopped exploitative digital algorithms from raising consumer prices.

Summary: The chamber reconvened after a late-night session and first adopted the consent calendar, including ACR 107 on the Diablo Range, by a 48-0 vote. Members then took up several Senate bills and Assembly measures, with repeated remarks about the long hours and the need to respect staff and keep proceedings moving. A vote change was also announced for Assembly Member Patel on SB 414, changing from aye to not voting. The main policy debate centered on energy, climate, and affordability. SB 237, dealing with oil and gas policy, refinery closures, pipeline safety, Kern County permitting, gasoline blend flexibility, and regional fuel coordination, drew strong support from members who framed it as a managed transition to stabilize fuel supply and protect jobs, and strong opposition from members who called it a giveaway to oil interests and a setback for climate goals. The bill passed 59-0. SB 254, an energy affordability and wildfire package, included wildfire mitigation financing, a successor wildfire fund, transmission cost reductions, clean energy permitting changes, and energization timelines; members raised some concerns about local control, but the bill passed 58-0. SB 840 and AB 1207 advanced the cap-and-invest reauthorization package, with supporters emphasizing emissions reductions, housing, transit, wildfire prevention, and community air programs, while opponents argued it would raise costs and function as a tax-and-spend scheme. SB 840 passed 54-15 and AB 1207 passed 55-10, both with urgency and immediate transmittal. Members also approved SB 352, which makes the Bureau of Environmental Justice permanent and requires air quality monitoring and reporting on AB 617 implementation, by 43-19. AB 825, authorizing California to help establish a Westwide electricity market, was presented as a way to lower bills, improve reliability, and reduce emissions; it passed 67-2 and was sent to the Governor. Additional actions included concurrence in Senate amendments to AB 8 on cannabinoids and AB 383 on firearms cleanup, and the chamber began consideration of AB 764 on wildlife as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Delegate Converse Fowler and Chair Price, here. A quorum is present.
• Chair Price? Aye. 14 yeas, six nays. And so that motion does pass.
• Delegate Converse Fowler, Chair Price: Aye. 14-6, Madam Chair.
• Chair Price: I. 14-6, Madam Chair. And that is now approved.
• Delegate Converse Fowler, Chair Price: Aye. 14-6, Madam Chair.

Summary: The joint meeting of the Privileges and Elections Committees convened with a quorum present to approve explanatory ballot language for three proposed constitutional amendments scheduled for the November ballot. The committee reviewed the amendments on reproductive freedom, the right to vote, and the right to marry, with staff explaining that the committee was only approving neutral voter-facing explanation language, not the constitutional text itself. Members raised questions about wording, ballot order, and whether the explanations were sufficiently clear or potentially leading, especially on the reproductive freedom amendment. For HJ 1/SJ 1, the committee debated the explanation at length, including objections that it was misleading or incomplete and responses from counsel and supporters that it accurately tracked the amendment text. A motion to insert “Question 1” into the explanation was adopted, and the amended explainer language for the reproductive freedom amendment was then approved. The committee then moved through the right-to-vote and right-to-marry amendments, similarly adding question numbers to the explanatory language before approving the amended explanations. Recorded votes showed the amendments to the explanatory language passing on party-line divisions in both chambers, generally with Senate support from the majority and House support from the majority, while several members voted no. After approving the amended explainer language for all three amendments, the committee concluded the meeting and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Delegate Converse Fowler and Chair Price. Here. A quorum is present.
• Chair Price. Delegate Convirs-Fowler is not here. Chair Price. Aye. The committee will be at ease.
• Chair Price? Aye. 14 yeas, six nays. And so that motion does pass.
• Delegate Convirs-Fowler, Chair Price: aye. 14-6, Madam Chair.
• Chair Price: I. 14-6, Madam Chair. And that is now approved.

Keywords: House Committee Room C, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all