Video & Transcript : 'staff equity' :
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NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Interim Committee Working Group Sep 8th, 2025
Legislative Interim Committee Working Group
Transcript Highlights:
- Coordinate staffing needs among the permanent staff.
- And some of that involves staff.
- All right, well, I think because by permanent staff, some of it is the staff of LFC?
- to staff committees.
- Here's the only trick for staff about extra days: oftentimes, staff leaves for meetings in bus cruises
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Finance Mar 2nd, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- Any questions for staff? Let's go to 5994.
- Any questions for staff? Okay, 6097. Mr. Berninski.
- Staff will call the roll. Thank you so much. Staff will call the roll. Berg: Berg votes aye.
- Staff will... Speaker staff will... Oh, that's right, you're just jumping again.
- And to our OPR staff.
Summary:
House Finance met in executive session on March 2 and reviewed a series of tax and property-tax bills. Staff described measures including removing acreage limits for nonprofit public assembly hall property tax exemptions (ESSB 5252), extending timber tax distributions to certain school districts (SB 5994), expanding housing-related local sales tax uses (SB 6027), updating Department of Revenue tax administration provisions (ESSB 6113), consolidating the state property tax levy and expanding senior/disabled exemptions (ESSB 6162), extending disaster-related property tax relief (SB 6343), rolling back 2025 estate tax changes (SB 6347), adding tribes to the Conservation Futures Program (SB 6097), and extending a hazardous substance tax exemption for agricultural crop protection products (SB 6244). Members also discussed several amendments, including changes to rental assistance, library and school tax treatment, veterans’ income definitions and application assistance, estate-tax exemption and CPI language, and reporting requirements for conservation futures land acquisitions.
The committee adopted some amendments and rejected others. HRA 440 was adopted to allow rental assistance as an eligible use of the local sales tax revenue for all jurisdictions rather than only Snohomish County. On ESSB 6113, the committee adopted the striking amendment H-3718.2 but rejected amendments to exempt investigative services, live presentations for schools and nonprofits, and library-related exemptions. On ESSB 6162, amendments to modernize veterans’ benefit language, require DOR application assistance, and lower the levy rate were all rejected. On SB 6347, the committee adopted an amendment restoring the estate tax exclusion amount to 2.193 million and changing the CPI reference, while the broader bill was later reported out as amended. On SB 6097, an amendment requiring county reporting on conservation futures acquisitions was rejected.
The committee then voted to report several bills out with do pass recommendations: ESSB 5252, SB 5994, ESSB 6027 as amended, ESSB 6113 as amended, ESSB 6162, SB 6343, SB 6097, and SB 6244. SB 6347 was reported out with a do pass as amended recommendation after the adopted amendment. Members generally framed the bills as providing tax relief, clarifying tax administration, supporting housing and schools, or extending existing exemptions, while some members raised concerns about fiscal impact, tax burden shifts, and the need for more accountability or broader policy changes. The meeting concluded with thanks to staff and adjournment.
ID
Idaho 2026 Regular Session
Agenda Jan 21st, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- for the School for the Deaf and Blind, Paula Mason, and her staff.
- But LEAs do not receive more for hiring more staff or choosing to pay them more.
- , and classified staff.
- , and classified staff.
- This is going to relate to the staff allowance we talked about before as well.
Summary:
The committee received a detailed JFAC presentation on the K-12 public school support budget from Legislative Services analyst Kellan McGurkin, followed by testimony from Superintendent Debbie Critchfield. McGurkin reviewed how Idaho’s school funding formula works, including support units, staff allowance, career ladder salary funding, discretionary funding, health insurance, transportation, facilities, and the Public Education Stabilization Fund. He explained the FY 2026 revised budget, including a reduction in projected support units and an ongoing $22.3 million general fund rescission, and then walked through the FY 2027 request and the Governor’s recommendation. Major FY 2027 items included health insurance adjustments, transportation growth, federal fund authority, and proposed one-time special education initiatives: a $5 million high-needs fund and a $1 million regional service model, both tied to interest or transfers from other funds. The Governor also recommended eliminating or reducing some items, including virtual school-related payments and a reduction to Idaho Digital Learning Academy funding, which would lower the general fund request compared with the agency proposal.
Critchfield framed the budget around enrollment trends, shifting student populations, and the need for flexibility in how districts use existing dollars. She highlighted gains in literacy, graduation rates, dual credit and career technical participation, and said the department wants more categorical flexibility for professional development, technology, and digital content funds so districts can redirect unused money to higher priorities such as literacy or special education. She also described the Idaho Career Ready Students grant as having created 170 new programs and said remaining funds are obligated. On special education, she said costs are growing faster than current funding and argued for a bridge solution while broader funding issues are addressed; she also said the department is pursuing a regional service-center model to help rural districts share hard-to-fill specialists. Critchfield additionally outlined planned federal waivers on assessments and flexibility, and said the state is seeking more control over education decisions.
Committee members focused heavily on funding mechanics, especially whether career ladder and health insurance money is distributed per teacher or through support units, how discretionary funds are used, why insurance amounts in the budget book differed from current projections, and whether districts can use leftover health insurance dollars for other purposes. Members also questioned the proposed special education funding, the use of interest earnings from dedicated funds to support the general fund, the size and use of school contingency balances, and whether the state should revisit the funding formula itself. No votes were taken during this portion of the meeting; the discussion remained in presentation and questioning, with several follow-up requests for data and clarification.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
Senate - Committees' Committee Jan 21st, 2026 at 10:32 am
Senate Committees' Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- And then yesterday, the staff met and came.
- So that's what you see in the column that's titled 'Staff Recommendation,' or 'Staff Rec.'
- Staff are the three chiefs of staff: Senator Scherr's chief of staff, my chief of staff, Senator Wirth's
- Okay, so Sarah Cervantes has just moved that the staff recommendation...
- I'm sure those are all consistent with staff recommendations.
ID
Transcript Highlights:
- We attempted to work with the SDE staff, transportation staff, to resolve this issue, feeling that the
- Pupil services staff are among the hardest roles for school districts to fill.
- And Representative Galvis, so they were not on that ladder for the pupil service staff.
- Same for pupil service staff.
- It's exactly the same section of code because... ...and same for pupil service staff.
Summary:
The Senate Education Committee heard House Bill 815, a narrow fix for Answer Charter School in Boise. Rep. Sonia Galavis and school representatives explained that a past, very small transportation reimbursement request from 2010 was being used as the school’s base for a transportation block grant, leaving Answer with far less funding than similarly sized schools despite operating a full bus program since 2022. Supporters said the bill would correct an unintended funding disparity affecting only Answer and would not create a broader fiscal impact. The committee asked whether other schools could qualify, and Galavis said the language had been checked with the Department of Education and Legislative Services to ensure it applied only to this school. The committee voted to send HB 815 to the floor with a do pass recommendation.
The committee then took up House Bill 849, which would change Idaho’s career ladder rules for career technical education instructors and pupil service staff such as counselors, psychologists, nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. Rep. Galavis, Sen. Lent, and Legislative Services analyst Jared Taitro explained that CTE teachers can currently receive placement credit for industry experience but must wait four years and meet evaluation requirements before moving up the ladder, while pupil service staff do not currently receive the same placement treatment for prior professional experience. The bill would allow both groups to count relevant experience for placement and movement, with the goal of improving recruitment and retention in hard-to-fill positions. Testimony in support came from Dr. Joy Jansen of Lake Pend Oreille School District, who said districts struggle to recruit pupil service staff and often must pay much more for contracted services, and from Rep. Sean Dygert, who emphasized the importance of retaining industry-based CTE teachers, especially in rural districts. The committee voted to send HB 849 to the floor with a do pass recommendation before adjourning.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee 3/28/25
Public Safety Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- </c><01:40:46.520><c> we</c> and of hiring and retaining staff we and of hiring and retaining staff we
- We have staff that are in the mental health unit around the clock, nurses, correctional security staff
- We have staff that are in the mental health unit around the clock, nurses, correctional security staff
- We have staff that are in the mental health unit around the clock, nurses, correctional security staff
- We have staff that are in the mental health unit around the clock, nurses, correctional security staff
Bills:
HF2432
Keywords:
HF2432, judiciary finance bill, public safety finance bill, corrections policy, crime victims, victim services, Minnesota victims of crime account, court fees, marriage license fee, financial crimes, fraud investigations, insurance fraud, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, BCA, Commerce Fraud Bureau, wage theft, automobile theft prevention, nonprofit security grants, 911 funding, POST Board
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Environment & Energy Feb 18th, 2026 at 10:30 am
Environment & Energy
Transcript Highlights:
- Matt Sterling, staff to the committee.
- Jacob Lipson, staff to the committee.
- Again, Matt Sterling, staff to the committee.
- Meg McFadden, staff to this committee.
- This may be for staff or for the panel.
Keywords:
ski areas, winter sports, terminology, recreation, economic development, SB6291, on-site wastewater treatment, onsite wastewater treatment, septic system, sewage treatment, wastewater inspection, environmental health, local board of health, public health, professional engineer, land surveyor, certificate of competency, inspection standards, design review, supervised practice
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
Appropriations and Budget Jan 28th, 2026 at 01:30 pm
Appropriations and Budget
Transcript Highlights:
- We also have Katie Demuth, who serves as our Chief of Staff, to answer questions as well.
- Before I go through my comments, I do want to pause for a moment and thank our staff.
- We have 6,000 staff across the state in your communities today.
- I think those resources could be spent on other places on our frontline staff.
- They need to actually be meeting with their staff.
WA
Transcript Highlights:
- So Sam Brown, committee staff.
- We represent classified staff, and a lot of our members who are classified staff are...
- We represent classified staff, and a lot of our members who are classified staff are doing those jobs
- Again, Sam Brown, committee staff.
- Again, Sam Brown Committee staff.
Keywords:
Washington retirement systems, retirement trust funds, interest earnings, public employee retirement system, teachers retirement system, state patrol retirement system, judicial retirement system, judges retirement system, school employees retirement system, public safety employees retirement system, law enforcement officers and firefighters retirement system, PERS, TRS, LERS, legal expenses, medical expenses, administrative expenses, fraud prevention, overpayment recovery, trust fund protection
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
County and Municipal Government Feb 18th, 2026
County and Municipal Government
Transcript Highlights:
- Staff, please open the vote. Six aye, zero nay.
- Staff, please open the vote. debate? Seeing no debate. Staff please open the vote.
- Staff close the vote. Declar the vote. Six aye, zero nay.
- Staff, please open the vote. Seeing no debate, staff please open the vote.
- Staff, close the vote. Declare the vote. Six aye, zero nay.
Keywords:
county officials, residency requirement, dereliction of duty, removal process, government accountability, marijuana tax, public service impact tax, county funding, voter approval, local government, municipal bonds, ballot proposals, voting process, fund allocation, county government, administration, local resources, public institutions, construction, maintenance
Summary:
The committee considered a series of county, municipal, housing, and public-safety bills. House Bill 3748 would allow county governments to partner with four-year institutions and was reported out after a brief explanation and no questions. House Bill 4203, with a PCS adopted, would let the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission explore guidelines for small-unit multifamily housing of eight units or fewer and four stories or fewer; it passed 5-1. House Bill 3919, also with a PCS, would let county commissioners reduce county fair boards from nine members to five to help achieve quorum; it passed 6-0.
House Bill 3091, with a PCS changing the residency requirement from 80% to 70%, would require county elected officials to maintain a principal residence in the county and occupy it at least 70% of the time. Members discussed whether the bill should use “may” or “shall” and how it would apply in hardship or medical situations; the author said he was open to further language changes. The bill passed 6-0. House Bill 3314, creating a county-option retail sale public safety impact fee on marijuana, also passed 6-0. House Bill 3435, requiring a single-subject rule for municipal bonds so voters can consider bond issues separately, passed 6-0.
House Bill 3913, which would allow municipalities to authorize single-stair apartment buildings up to six stories if they meet modern fire-safety standards, failed on a 2-4 vote after no questions or debate. House Bill 4132 would provide liability protection for local governments that follow recognized cybersecurity frameworks and passed 6-0. House Bill 4303, a collaborative measure extending the deadline for municipalities to publish ordinances from 15 days to 30 days, also passed 6-0. The committee adjourned after completing the posted agenda.
AR
Arkansas 2026 Regular Session
LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES Feb 12th, 2026
LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee 4/8/25
Judiciary Finance and Civil Law
Transcript Highlights:
- Hopkins, and thank you to all of the staff who worked on this.
- Yet, our staff still struggled to stay afloat.
- </c> revolving door not only destroyed staff revolving door not only destroyed staff morale<00:24:56.799
- At staff still struggled to stay afloat.
- Um, I just want to say a big thank you to Representative Lee and our staff and nonpartisan staff, who
Bills:
HF2300
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- And, um, I'm Brigadier General Ross, director of joint staff for Hawaii National Guard.
- </c><00:21:34.640><c> Chair</c> Investment Office Staff Salaries.
- Chair Investment Office Staff Salaries.
- </c><00:22:08.080><c> Chair</c><00:22:08.320><c> is</c> Trust Fund staff salaries.
- Chair is Trust Fund staff salaries.
Summary:
The joint committees on Labor and Technology and Public Safety and Military Affairs heard testimony on several measures. SB 3082, relating to military families and leave protections, drew support from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the military community relations office, the Hawaii National Guard, and the U.S. Department of Defense, all of whom said the bill would align state law with federal standards and better account for military-related leave needs. SB 3110, relating to the Hawaii National Guard, was supported by Department of Defense witnesses who said it clarifies that employees of the Guard’s youth and adult educational programs are excluded from collective bargaining.
The committees also heard SB 3251, which would prohibit certain state law enforcement agencies from hiring former ICE or Border Patrol agents as law enforcement officers. The main testimony in support argued the bill could help prevent local police staffing losses to higher-paying federal agencies and avoid future workforce instability if federal funding changes. The measure drew significant public testimony, with the chair noting 62 testimonies in support, five in opposition, and three comments. Members discussed the bill’s impact on recruitment and retention, and one member voted with reservations while another voted no.
Later, the committees heard SB 3095 and SB 3264, both concerning Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund salaries. EUTF testified in support of SB 3095, which would allow the board to set salaries for investment office staff, and SB 3264, which would authorize the board to set the salary for an assistant administrator. After testimony, the committees moved into decision-making and passed SB 3082, SB 3110, SB 3251, SB 3095, and SB 3264 with amendments, generally including technical changes and revised effective dates of January 1, 2077 for the EUTF salary bills and SB 3082.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Jan 30th, 2026 at 10:30 am
State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections
Transcript Highlights:
- Greg Vogel, committee staff.
- Greg, any questions for staff?
- For the record, Danielle Kriege, staff to the committee.
- Any questions for staff?
- Any questions for staff? See none on to the last. Any questions for staff? See none.
Keywords:
fraud prevention, identity theft, consumer protection, security measures, legislation, government efficiency, state agencies, reporting, bureaucracy, transparency, Capitol Centennial Stewardship, funding, gifts, grants, donations, legislative support, student privacy, employee confidentiality, public disclosure, data protection
FL
Florida 2026 5th Special Session
Joint Legislative Auditing Committee Dec 8th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- We'll talk a little bit about the number of staffing, but if you have more staff and a larger staff,
- Is it possibly due to lack of staff? ...is it possibly due to lack of staff? Recognize, yes ma'am.
- And hard work of the very small but incredibly competent staff of JALC.
- It appears the town has no employees on staff, provides no services, and has no debt.
- The staff person I talked to said she'd been there 20 years; they hadn't had an election.
Summary:
The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee met to consider several audit requests and enforcement items related to local government accountability. The committee heard requests for operational audits of the City of Miami Beach, the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, and the City of Daytona Beach. In each case, the requesting member cited concerns about transparency, financial management, or compliance with state law. Representatives from Delray Beach DDA testified that an internal audit had already been completed, that findings were limited, and that they were working to cure issues such as procurement, credit card, and disbursement policies; the DDA chair also said the organization was willing to cooperate and was considering transitioning out of operating Old School Square. For Daytona Beach, the sponsor pointed to excess building permit revenues, vehicle purchases, and reported P-card irregularities as reasons for a broader audit. The committee approved all three audit requests, directing the Auditor General to finalize the scope while considering the stated concerns.
The committee also received a presentation on the statewide performance reviews of 21 neighborhood improvement districts. The reviewers reported that 15 districts were active and six inactive, with common issues including outdated or missing performance plans, weak web presence, inadequate meeting notices, and limited management mechanisms. They said staffing levels often correlated with the ability to meet statutory requirements, and recommended that several districts be reviewed to determine whether they were still needed. Members asked about staffing, inactivity criteria, and how the districts were administered, and staff explained that city or county liaisons often supplement district staffing.
Later, staff reviewed enforcement actions for local governments that failed to file required financial reports or omitted required information from submitted audits. The committee discussed a list of noncompliant counties, municipalities, and special districts, including the town of Rayford, which staff said had long-standing reporting problems, no apparent municipal services, and no response to repeated outreach. The committee voted to send a letter to the Union County legislative delegation encouraging a local bill to dissolve Rayford. It also approved staff recommendations to proceed against entities still missing required filings or missing audit information, with authority for the chair and vice chair to delay action if additional information is later provided in good faith.
LA
Transcript Highlights:
- I'll have staff read in SB 10. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
- Staff will read in SB 16. Thank you.
- Staff will read in SB 13. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
- All right, staff will read in SB 13. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
- All right, I'll have staff read in 18. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Today we will vote on the staff recommendations, modifications, and new recommendations listed in the
- Lastly, the Sunset staff completed their evaluation of the Texas Lottery Commission as directed at the
- Allow me to present this modification to staff recommendation 1.2 for the Texas Ethics Commission.
- The Chair now calls Will Bucknell with Sunset staff to provide this update.
- Thank you again to the Commission members, Sunset staff, agencies under review, my staff, and the public
Summary:
The Sunset Advisory Commission met for its final meeting of the biennium, established a quorum, approved the December 11, 2024 minutes, and then voted on recommendations for several agencies reviewed earlier in the cycle. It adopted all recommendations for the Angelina and Nettus River Authority, the Lower Nettus Valley Authority, and the Trinity River Authority of Texas, with no modifications offered for those agencies.
The Commission then considered the Texas Ethics Commission. Members adopted staff recommendations with modifications, including changes to lobby compensation thresholds and rounding of inflation adjustments. The Commission also adopted a series of new recommendations addressing TEC customer service staffing, late-filing penalties, post-election reporting penalties, waiver of penalties when notice cannot be shown, review of the “substantial compliance” standard, review of the “principal purpose” definition, more prominent public posting of delinquent penalties, and clearer training and guidance on filing and lobby-registration requirements. The Commission also adopted two previously omitted Texas Department of Criminal Justice recommendations, 6.5 and 6.6.
By recorded vote, the Commission unanimously forwarded all recommendations adopted during the biennium to the 89th Legislature, with nine ayes. Sunset staff then reported on implementation of 2023 Sunset recommendations, saying the State Auditor found 89% of selected management actions fully implemented and Sunset staff found 68% of statutory and related changes fully implemented, with the remainder mostly in progress. The Commission also noted receipt of a January 6 evaluation of the Texas Lottery Commission, including a study of potential regulation of lottery ticket courier companies, but no further action was taken on that item. The meeting concluded with closing remarks and a motion to recess subject to the call of the Chair.
TX
Texas 89th 2nd C.S.
The July 2025 Flooding Events, General Investigating Jun 18th, 2026
The July 2025 Flooding Events, General Investigating
Transcript Highlights:
- One of those counselors was a member of the senior counselor staff.
- There were no specific assignments given to staff.
- The emergency plan also had to be reviewed by the camp staff, and not only was staff review required,
- All of the camp staff and even volunteers... ...and counselor.
- staff training.
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- Generally, where there was more funding, where they had more staff, there was typically more programs
- We identified approximately 74 staff, including full-time and part-time staff.
- that have one staff member or no staff are nearly 65% of the total number of districts throughout the
- including full-time and part-time staff what is interesting about that number it's about staff what
- it is even more astounding that one that the districts that have one staff member or no staff are nearly
Summary:
The Senate Committee on Agriculture heard an update on the Florida citrus industry from Matt Joyner of Florida Citrus Mutual and Shannon Shepp of the Department of Citrus. Both described the industry’s steep decline over the past two decades due to citrus greening (HLB), hurricanes, freezes, and aging groves, but emphasized ongoing recovery efforts through research, replanting, and new therapies. They highlighted promising tools such as plant growth regulators, protective screens and covers, direct oxytetracycline application, CRISPR-based breeding, and the CRAFT program, which has expanded to more than 10,000 acres of solid-set plantings and over 20,000 acres including resets. Members discussed disaster relief, property tax pressures, grower participation, and the need for assessment relief and other state support. No votes were taken on the citrus presentation.
Shepp also outlined the Department of Citrus’s marketing and research role, noting strong consumer demand for Florida orange juice, global advertising efforts, and clinical research tied to health messaging. She said the industry remains a major economic contributor, with thousands of jobs and billions in economic impact, and that the department is working to maintain demand while growers replant and reset groves. Senators asked about the CRAFT program, new grower participation, and how advertising and state policy could help sustain the industry.
The committee then received a performance review of the Opa-locka Soil and Water Conservation Districts from David Jahossky of Malden and Jenkins. The review found wide variation among the 49 districts studied, with many lacking recurring revenue, staffing, proper meeting notices, records retention, formal performance goals, and timely financial reports. The report identified nearly 400 recommendations and noted that some districts had already dissolved or were considering dissolution. Senators questioned whether the districts were duplicative of other agencies and whether they still served a useful purpose; the presenter said there was overlap and collaboration but no duplication. A public commenter from Jefferson County argued that local boards still provide trusted, community-based support for producers and help connect them to cost-share and best management practice programs. The chair indicated the review would inform possible legislation to improve or restructure the districts, and the committee adjourned without taking a vote.
MN