Transcript Highlights:

• Under the hood, Biofire has created the world's first electronic fire control system in a handgun.
• As the electronic fire control system is an integral and specialized part of the function of the firearm
• We mandate that every vehicle in the United States has emission controls.
• Obviously, we have done our work internally to make sure this is a highly reliable product, but I am
• I’m also recently appointed as chair of the Firearm Control Advisory Board.

Summary: The commission met for its fourth hearing on emerging firearm technology, focused on personalized firearms and related privacy issues. Co-chairs noted the commission’s charge to study personalized firearm incentives, risks from digital manufacturing codes and AI, and the costs of requiring personalized firearm and microstamp technologies, and said the report deadline is being extended to July 31. They also announced the next public hearing for April 17 at 11:00 a.m., limited to Massachusetts residents. The first witness, Kai Kloepfer of Biofire, described the company’s personalized 9mm smart gun and argued it is designed to prevent unauthorized use through biometric authentication, local encrypted data storage, no wireless connectivity, and automatic disarming when released. He said Biofire opposes any mandate requiring personalized firearms, calling such mandates a de facto gun ban that would stifle innovation, limit consumer choice, and burden a still-developing market. He said the company has a patent portfolio, has received thousands of pre-orders, is shipping in all 50 states, and is approved for sale in Massachusetts; he also said the gun costs about $1,500, is currently sold online, and is intended mainly for home defense. Members questioned him about sales, manufacturing, battery life, repairability, transfer of ownership, possible expansion to other firearms, and whether microstamping could be incorporated. A Massachusetts firearms roster official, Michaela Dunn, explained the state’s testing and approval process for handguns and confirmed that the Biofire firearm is now on the Massachusetts roster and commercially available for retail sale in the state. Kate Crockford of the ACLU of Massachusetts testified only on facial recognition, warning that commercially available systems show significant demographic bias and that Massachusetts lacks comprehensive biometric privacy protections. She urged passage of pending data privacy and biometric privacy bills, including the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act and related measures, before any broader use of biometric verification in firearm laws. Commissioners discussed privacy concerns, and Biofire said its system is zero-knowledge and would likely comply with stronger biometric privacy laws. No votes were taken and no formal action was reported beyond the scheduling announcement and the extension effort.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, this is just a snapshot of what our internal process is.
• Number three is the controller.
• So, when we make changes, or when the controller has.
• I mean, that's internal money that the Navajo Nation has.
• person, you know, internally for some changes.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• I started here in the Senate as an intern in 2013. This is going to be my...
• I started here in the Senate as an intern in 2013.
• I started as an intern in 2022.
• I am a majority staff intern and a senior at GCU studying pre-law. Patsy.
• I'm a Democratic policy intern and I staff this committee and Natural Resources. Thank you.

Bills: SB1001 , SB1011 , SB1016 , SB1052 , SB1072 , SB1100 , SB1112 , SB1113 , SB1116 , SB1118 , SB1120 , SB1121 , SB1122 , SB1123 , SB1124 , SB1125

Committees: Senate Health and Human Services , Senate Senate Health and Human Services COR

Keywords: appropriation, economic security, blind individuals, older adults, state funding, medical examiners, sudden infant death, autopsy protocols, forensic pathology, public health, assisted living, health care, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, physician orders, informed consent, reimbursement rates, intellectual disabilities, community services, funding appropriations, foreign adversary

Transcript Highlights:

• They control the House. They control the Senate. They control the White House.
• They control the House. year and a half. They control the House.
• </c><02:34:14.560><c> They</c><02:34:14.720><c> control</c> They control the Senate.
• They control They control the Senate.
• They even control the the White House. They even control the Supreme<02:34:17.040><c> Court.

Bills: HB6955 , HB8800 , HR1118

Keywords: banking reform, financial institutions, community banks, credit unions, regulatory relief, economic stability, mergers and acquisitions, supervisory practices, CACFP, Child and Adult Care Food Program, National CACFP Week, child nutrition, school meals, after-school meals, Head Start, child care, day care, adult day care, emergency shelters, military child care

Transcript Highlights:

• It was a very difficult several-day period once it was administered without proper medical control. and
• Attorney General's Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control, which investigates and prosecutes medical
• And I'm again, treatment must. always be delivered in a clinically controlled inpatient setting, which
• This also gets to the issue of scheduling pursuant to the Controlled Substances Act. is a Schedule I
• Andrea Sparks, Buckner International, for the bill. 20 years ago, I'm gonna say 20 years ago, when I

Bills: SB128 , SB640 , SB672 , SB904 , SB1141 , SB1263 , SB1525 , SB1528 , SB2041 , SB2306 , SB2308 , SB2357 , SB2446 , SB2695 , SB2857 , SB2891 , SB2583

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• and CFO of the the controller and CFO of the house<00:09:14.399><c> and</c><00:09:14.640><c> Mr</c><
• It prohibits alcohol being consumed in any House-controlled space in the Centennial Office Building.
• Then the undergraduate internship program again sets the maximum level of interns at 40 and provides
• space in the sentennial house controlled space in the sentennial office office office building<00:14
• </c> house controlled house controlled spaces<00:14:38.079><c> uh</c><00:14:38.240><c> with</c><00:14

Committee: House Rules and Legislative Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• What they seek is control. That is systematic.
• There is only one party in China, and they control everything, and they control the exit of all the technology
• They control the exit of all the people. So that's a concern.
• In addition, Tulane's internal governance also reviews international research partnerships for risk,
• I'm export controls research security compliance officer for Tulane.

Bills: HR171 , HCR49 , HB632 , HB1084 , SB310 , SB351 , SB399

Committee: House Education

Keywords: HR171, House Resolution 171, M.J. Foster Promise Program, TOPS-Tech, TOPS Tech Award, Board of Regents, Louisiana Works, Louisiana Community and Technical College System, LCATCS, financial aid, scholarship, workforce development, career training, technical education, vocational education, postsecondary credential, associate degree, industry-based credential, high-demand jobs, high-wage occupations

Transcript Highlights:

• The concern is that this bill defines guardrails as internal agency processes rather than enforceable
• This is a vehicle to try to get that right internally, or righter—maybe not perfect, but righter internally—and
• This is an important step toward ensuring that all fees collected under the Gambling Control Act are
• Fund. audit report of the Gambling Control Fund.
• SB 920 advances good governance practices that promote California Gambling Control Act.

Committee: Senate Governmental Organization

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:03:06.960><c> Chair,</c> control. And with that, Mr. Chair, control. And with that, Mr.
• How can we control the odors? How can we control the noise? How can we control the lighting?
• What How can we control the odors? do? What How can we control the odors?
• This takes away control the lighting?
• </c><00:25:26.040><c> over</c> in, but we don't have much control over in, but we don't have much control

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• International travel is much different in many cases than domestic travel.
• Uh, the international visitor rarely stays in one state the entire time.
• Uh, the international visitor rarely stays in one state the entire time.
• Uh the international visitor may be.
• </c> whether it's domestic or international whether it's domestic or international is<00:04:15.200><c

Summary: The committee first approved contracts 98, 99, and 100 on a roll call vote, with Chairman Douglas voting no but the items still passing. It then took up a Kentucky Department of Tourism contract involving the United Kingdom, France, and Germany/Austria/Switzerland markets. Tourism officials said the state has had similar contracts since 2013, that international visitors spend about six times more per day than domestic travelers, and that the effort supports marketing, public relations, and familiarization trips. The committee approved that contract as well, with Chairman Douglas voting yes after expressing support for tourism promotion. Next, the committee reviewed two Finance Cabinet facilities and support services items involving engineering and architectural services for a specialized lab expansion project. Members discussed why the design work was expensive, and the cabinet explained that the project’s pathogen-related complexity required specialized firms. Chairman Douglas said he believed some architectural and engineering reimbursement rates were too high and should be reexamined, but the committee still approved the items by roll call. The committee then heard from the Attorney General’s office and the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission on an MOA related to substance use disorder funding. Senator Meredith asked how the commission’s work coordinated with behavioral health programs, and staff explained that the commission allocates funds based on applications and includes relevant state officials. The contract was approved. After that, the committee considered behavioral health items: one new 988 chat-and-text contract to expand Kentucky-based crisis response coverage, and a Voices of Hope amendment that doubled funding to continue services into the next fiscal year. Officials said the 988 contract would move more chats and texts in-state, and that the Voices of Hope increase reflected continuation of SAMHSA-funded services; both were approved. Finally, the committee reviewed DCBS contracts, including a food insecurity survey contract with a Kentucky nonprofit and a Building Bridges Initiative training contract. Members questioned whether the food survey group’s advocacy role created a conflict, but DCBS said the organization was chosen for its statewide network and that the cabinet would receive the raw data. For Building Bridges, DCBS said the program began in the fall and provides training and peer mentorship for residential child care providers, with results still too early to assess. Both items were approved. The last set of contracts, under the State Treasurer for the Kentucky Council on Developmental Disabilities, prompted questions about why the funding flowed through the treasurer’s office and about a sexuality-related capacity-building initiative. Staff explained the treasurer serves as the designated state agency for federal DD Act funds, and that the sexuality initiative is part of a broader five-year plan focused on self-advocacy, system change, and capacity building; the committee then moved to approve those contracts as well.

Transcript Highlights:

• There would be interim rate controls.
• And so this would create controls based on their current level...
• And that's what this bill tries to address by putting controls on it and controls that then, if needed
• And what this tries to do is control that spending.
• The majority is labor, internal and contractors. All right.

Bills: SB287

Committee: House Natural Resources & Energy

Summary: The House Natural Resources and Energy Committee met and considered three Senate bills. SB 287 with Senate Amendment 2, a DNREC cleanup bill on recycling, would tighten recycling collection rules for haulers and commercial generators, require multifamily recycling education, repurpose the Delaware Recycling Fund, and add annual reporting; after brief questions and no public comment, the committee motion to release did not initially receive enough votes, so the bill was circulated for signatures. SB 346, which would speed Environmental Appeals Board hearing and decision timelines so DNREC secretary decisions become final if deadlines are missed, drew support from the Nature Conservancy and also failed to get enough votes at the meeting, so it too was circulated for signatures. The committee then took up SB 326, a major utility-regulation bill sponsored by Senator Hanson and Representative Heffernan that would cap certain non-mandatory utility spending, limit interim rates, increase oversight and transparency, and streamline rate-setting. SB 326 generated extensive testimony and debate. Supporters, including the Public Advocate, Sierra Club, PSC staff, and some legislators, argued that Delmarva Power’s spending on non-mandatory infrastructure has risen far faster than inflation, that the company is a regulated monopoly, and that the bill would help restrain future delivery-rate increases without harming reliability because mandatory reliability, storm response, and vegetation management spending would remain allowed. Opponents, including Delmarva Power, business groups, contractors, labor representatives, and the Delaware Contractors Association, argued the cap would delay needed reliability and capacity projects, hurt economic development, reduce jobs, and interfere with utility planning; they also said supply costs, not distribution spending, are the main driver of recent bill increases. After public comment and additional questioning, the committee voted to release SB 326 on a split roll call, but because several members were absent the bill was also walked for additional signatures. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So that's one key point of having control over your delegates or your senators.
• How is that not controlling the market?
• So how does this bill in any way then implement some sort of government price control or price floor
• And how can it be that this bill is imposing a price control if Medicaid already has the price list?
• And how can it be that this bill is imposing a price control if Medicaid already has the price list?

Committee: House House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee met with all members present, temporarily replacing Vice Chair Keshel with Representative Taylor, and held HB 4014 at the sponsor’s request. It then heard HB 415, which would extend existing state rules on paid petition circulators and initiative/referendum disclosures to municipal and county measures, require paid circulators to display identifying information, and require local measures to disclose expenditures and revenue sources. The sponsor and supporters, including the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, argued the bill would improve transparency and keep initiatives driven by Arizona residents; the bill passed 5-2. The committee also heard the mirror resolution, HCR 2051, which passed 4-3. The committee next considered HCM 2010, urging Congress to propose a constitutional amendment repealing the Seventeenth Amendment and returning selection of U.S. senators to state legislatures. The sponsor argued it would restore state sovereignty and accountability, while opponents raised concerns about direct democracy and the practical problems that led to the Seventeenth Amendment. The motion initially appeared to pass 4-3, but after a vote correction and a present vote, the measure ultimately failed. The committee then took up HB 2940, a complex AHCCCS/DES bill aimed at tightening eligibility verification, expanding competition in managed care contracting, and creating a unified eligibility rules engine. The sponsor said it would improve fiscal discipline and competition; AHCCCS and health plan representatives said many verification steps already exist, some provisions would add cost or duplicate federal/state processes, and the bill would significantly alter the managed care model. Despite those concerns, HB 2940 passed 4-3. Later, HB 2874 passed unanimously 7-0. That bill would ease termination requirements and penalties for candidate committees, PACs, or parties that never received contributions and later file termination statements. The committee then heard HB 467, which would require county recorders to display certain voter status information in precinct registers, signature rosters, or electronic poll books; after testimony from county officials and the Association of Counties, the committee adopted a verbal amendment changing “shall” to “may” and passed the bill 5-2. Finally, HB 2775, as amended, passed 4-3. The bill would bar state and local governments from using state resources to implement or enforce rules or policies of international organizations, and the amendment added restrictions on Arizona public universities’ dealings with certain foreign entities, with ABOR given review authority. Supporters framed it as a sovereignty and anti-foreign-influence measure, while the amendment’s removal of rulemaking authority was cited as important to the vote in favor.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> very functionable and a lot of internal very functionable and a lot of internal square<00:09:57.680
• I'd like to introduce my intern for the session, Miss Clara Heling. Clara's back there.
• </c><00:16:29.680><c> 100%</c> University has owned and controlled 100% University has owned and controlled
• Chairman, to own and administratively control all of our housing stock.
• Chairman, to own and administratively control all of our housing stock.

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met to hear from Morehead State University President Jay Morgan, who outlined the university’s budget and capital priorities. He described Morehead as a Kentucky-serving, largely low-income student institution with an aging campus, and said the university’s long-term plan is to renovate existing facilities, decommission older buildings, and replace outdated space with more efficient construction. He thanked the General Assembly for prior support, especially asset preservation funding, fire and tornado insurance premium support, and a prior university inflationary adjustment. On the operating side, Morgan asked that insurance premium support continue, that the earlier inflationary adjustment roll forward, and that the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s request for a minimum distribution in the performance funding formula be supported. He noted Morehead has received little or no performance funding in recent years and said that if no additional formula funds are added, the university would prefer a line-item appropriation. On the capital side, he requested continued asset preservation funding and outlined several construction priorities: a new applied science building, a new agriculture science building, a new space science technology building, and a cost-share replacement for the aging Maze Hall residence hall, with the state covering $10 million of a $20 million project and Morehead matching the rest. Morgan also discussed the Craft Academy, saying the current appropriation supports 200 students and that the university would like to increase the line item to expand enrollment by about 20 students. In response to questions from Chairman Tipton, he said Morehead had previously explored but ultimately rejected a public-private partnership model for housing, preferring to own and control its residence halls to keep housing costs manageable for students. He also explained that the land surveying courses in the applied science proposal are a popular part of related programs and that Morehead’s space science program is a major research-and-contracts-driven operation with about 250 students, federal and private research ties, and graduates working both in Kentucky and elsewhere. The committee then approved the prior meeting minutes and discussed that upcoming postsecondary budget meetings would continue over the next several weeks to gather input on the new budget process.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, as a reminder, this bill is modeled after the Department of Homeland Security's own internal memo
• memo that they used to abide by internal memo that they used to abide by by<00:25:37.600><c> 20</c><
• Um we can't control all of those that.
• Um we can't control all of those places<00:25:57.840><c> like</c><00:25:58.159><c> churches</c><00:25
• tight-lipped internal investigation by the<00:30:51.200><c> agency</c><00:30:51.760><c> with</c><00:

Bills: HB1577 , HB1870

Committee: Senate Government Operations

Summary: The committee reconvened on March 19, 2026, for decision-making on measures heard earlier in the week. It first took up HB 812 on agriculture, agreeing to move it forward with amendments and a Senate draft, and then HB 2388 on public notice, which was also passed with amendments after concerns about transparency and the need for local newspaper notice on Maui were discussed. HB 1414 on procurement and HB 2469 on a regular session review working group were both deferred to March 24 for further work with the author, while HB 322 on voter registration was deferred indefinitely in favor of a Senate vehicle. The committee then heard HB 1577, which would create a statewide emergency safety profile system pilot program and working group for 911. Testimony from disability advocates, emergency medical services, and others strongly supported the bill, emphasizing benefits for people without smartphones, better sharing of medical and emergency information, and improved response in the field. Committee members and witnesses discussed whether the 911 Board already had the authority to implement the system without legislation, and the bill was not immediately acted on in the portion of the transcript provided. The final major item was HB 1870 on protected community locations. Testimony in support came from the University of Hawaii, the Legal Clinic, immigrant-rights groups, public health advocates, and many individuals, while the Department of Education supported the measure but requested clarity on federal compliance and raised concerns about a 1,000-foot perimeter beyond campus. Supporters said the bill would protect sensitive locations and help immigrant families feel safe accessing schools, health care, and other services. No final vote on HB 1870 is shown in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• So be concise, control the floor. Representative Reed, thank you, Mr. Chair.
• I want to thank you for bringing your, uh, interns.
• There isn't enough effort at quality control.
• Um, and so maybe some quality control over the labs too.
• I want to recognize the fact that we have 3 interns.

Committee: House Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:14:10.240><c> to</c><00:14:10.959><c> waypoint's</c> anything internal to waypoint's anything
• </c><02:09:55.960><c> and</c> uh Center for Disease Control and uh Center for Disease Control and prevention
• Okay, 12 months before that, we need to be talking internally to understand: is this a priority?
• </c><03:27:05.040><c> in</c> need but we also still have controls in need but we also still have controls
• </c><03:27:12.000><c> to</c> these dollars and internally to these dollars and internally to management

Summary: Finance Division 3 met for a work session on House Bill 519, which concerns funding for Waypoint. The chair noted general support for the organization but said the bill would likely need to be suspended and folded into the budget process because the committee did not yet know available revenues or what amount, if any, could be committed. Kya Fox, director of the Division for Behavioral Health, testified that the department supports the bill and the program, explaining that it had been funded with other available funds, including $100,000 for 2024 and $400,000 for 2025, under a contract running through June 30 of this year. She said the shelter serves a unique population of young adults and is part of the department’s children’s system of care and Mission Zero efforts to reduce barriers to psychiatric discharge and emergency department use. Members questioned Fox and Waypoint representatives about the budget placement of the request, the difference between the efficiency budget and prioritized needs, and whether state budget documents would show any internal Waypoint revenues. Fox said the request appears as a general fund item and that the state would not see Waypoint’s internal financial operations in the budget. A legislative member explained that prioritized needs are critical services already in place but not necessarily included in the efficiency budget, and another member said the distinction is not strictly applied. The committee also raised a separate question about how DHHS would handle any future state or federal restrictions on DEI practices; Fox said that was a question for department leadership and legal staff, but that the department follows state law and contract requirements. Waypoint CEO Bor Alvare and Director Mandy Lancaster then described the shelter and related services. They said the shelter serves ages 18 to 24, is a 14-bed open-room facility with half walls, and is staffed overnight by two full-time workers. They said admission is first come, first served, with some vulnerability factors considered, and that they do not discriminate by race, gender, or sexual orientation. They reported no known incidents of sexual violence, though some youth are turned away each night because the shelter is full. They also explained that Waypoint provides broader services beyond the shelter, including outreach, drop-in centers, housing support, rental assistance, and family mediation, and said they serve about 400 youth and young adults in Manchester alone. The discussion ended with questions about whether lowering the upper age limit would affect the program; Waypoint said most residents are already in the 18-to-23 range, but that housing shortages make the current age span important for helping young adults avoid chronic homelessness.

Transcript Highlights:

• Moving on to our fifth finding, internal controls still need to be established.
• </c> Moving on to our fifth finding, internal Moving on to our fifth finding, internal controls<00:15
• </c> controls still need to be established. controls still need to be established.
• Thank you. it's a system being developed internally it's a system being developed internally or<00:20
• </c> get it under control. Thank you. get it under control. Thank you.

Summary: The committee first established a quorum and approved the minutes from the previous meeting. Members then received a staff report on the Kentucky Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel, including an annual LOIC evaluation of the panel’s operations, statutory compliance, case management system development, member experience, and written procedures. The report noted recent House Bill 778 expanded the panel’s access to records and to TWIST/I-TWIST, and recommended that staff request access and training promptly to avoid implementation problems. Analysts reported the panel has met statutory membership and meeting requirements, and that agency responses to the panel’s 2025 recommendations improved, with all responses meeting statutory content requirements though some were late. They also said the panel still lacks formal written procedures, so a prior recommendation was reissued. The report discussed the panel’s new case management system, now in testing with the Commonwealth Office of Technology, and a survey of panel members showing generally positive views of meetings and case discussions but recurring concerns about SharePoint access, time demands, virtual meetings, and the panel’s lack of enforcement authority. The report included a matter for legislative consideration suggesting the General Assembly may wish to seek additional testimony from agencies when responses are unclear or more information is needed. Panel staff responded that the work is difficult but important, said they are optimistic about gaining TWIST access, and acknowledged that written procedures have not yet been completed because they wanted to align them with the new system. They said both the system and procedures are hoped to be finished by the end of the year, with the new case management system expected to be implemented by September 1 after further testing and migration. Members also discussed trends in child fatality and near-fatality cases, including increases in reported cases since 2013, substance abuse, safe storage of firearms, and concerns about THC/CBD gummies reaching children. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> to end the sale of all internal to end the sale of all internal combustion<00:06:19.759><c> engines
• </c> promote domestic and international promote domestic and international tourism<02:33:37.680><c> to
• </c> States and international States and international telecommunication<04:19:19.439><c> forums</c><
• </c> management and international management and international negotiations.<04:23:51.279><c> I</c><04
• </c> BB China and other international BB China and other international players.<04:26:07.439><c> Moreover

Bills: SB146 , HR973 , HR859 , HR906 , HB2449 , HB2399 , HR866 , HB2482 , HB2444 , HB2458 , HB1721 , HB2480 , HB1479 , HB1442 , HR1402 , HR617 , HR452

Keywords: nonconsensual, visual depictions, digital forgery, intimate content, online platforms, privacy, protection, harm prevention, John F. Kennedy Center, Donald J. Trump, Federal arts funding, memorial designation, cultural institutions, Congressional authority, public arts programs, Hampden-Sydney College, anniversary, higher education, civic responsibility, liberal arts

Transcript Highlights:

• Its fire department is the only fire department that supports the Duluth International Airport, and its
• Its fire department is the only fire department that supports the Duluth International Airport, and its
• Its fire department is the only fire department that supports the Duluth International Airport, and its
• WE ALSO PROVIDE A COMMAND AND CONTROL SUPPORT AS WELL AS A COMPREHENSIVE POST MORTEM FOR RECORD.
• If we got applicants under criterion one, we also are ready with our own internal team.

Summary: The Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Veterans heard a Department of Military Affairs presentation on bonding, tuition benefits, and cyber response. The department requested $3.5 million in design funding for a new hangar at the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, citing safety problems with the aging 1950s-era hangars and the need to improve the wing’s competitiveness for future federal military construction funding. It also sought $2.5 million for asset preservation at Army facilities statewide, emphasizing that state dollars are often matched by federal funds. A National Guard lieutenant also testified about the State Tuition Reimbursement Program, describing how it helped pay for her undergraduate and doctoral education and reduce student debt. The committee also received an update on Minnesota National Guard cyber operations, including the response to the July 2025 ransomware attack on the City of Saint Paul. Testimony described the cyber coordination cell’s role in planning, interagency coordination, and support during the incident, including helping re-image about 500 computers and assisting with network recovery. Members heard that the Guard’s cyber teams conduct extensive partner engagement and are prepared to support state and local entities when civil resources are exhausted and the incident exceeds local capacity. Three bills were then heard and advanced. Senate File 4075, as amended, would implement recommendations from the task force on Special Guerrilla Unit and regular forces veterans from the Secret War in Laos, including eligibility and benefit changes; the committee adopted an amendment and passed the bill to the full committee. Senate File 3956, as amended, would clarify that the Department of Veterans Affairs may partner with veteran-serving organizations using nonmonetary resources to address food insecurity, homelessness, and suicide prevention; it was also referred onward. Senate File 4056, as amended, would add veteran or military status as a protected class under the Minnesota Human Rights Act; testimony supported the change, including concerns about service members losing educational opportunities while on state active duty, and the bill was passed to the full committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• That has been internal discussions, yes. Are you going to reduce the cost of getting this?
• That'll be part of those internal discussions. And we haven't gotten there yet. But we do know.
• So there are a lot of internal discussions about modernizing tolls, and the sticker process is what a
• They are doing traffic control.
• You know, we have the benefit of performing our duties in climate-controlled, safe rooms.

Committee: Senate Transportation and Infrastructure