Transcript Highlights:

• And furthermore, it gets even more specific so that I can't game the system and buy a bunch of southern
• </c><00:37:08.960><c> and</c><00:37:09.200><c> buy</c> so that I can't game the system and buy so that
• I can't game the system and buy a<00:37:09.680><c> bunch</c><00:37:09.839><c> of</c><00:37:10.800><c
• >> Don't need a New Hampshire license because it doesn't exist anymore. bit of an incident with their
• washing bit of an incident with their washing machine<00:47:05.680><c> and</c><00:47:06.160><c> uh</

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> than what the retirement system than what the retirement system provides,<00:39:15.520><c> usually
• </c> and those who are in our justice system. and those who are in our justice system.
• c> to</c><00:49:57.440><c> protect</c> Our merit system exists to protect Our merit system exists to
• </c> what we've changed in the pension system what we've changed in the pension system and<00:55:00.079
• Tennessee State school system.

Keywords: Convene 00:00:00 Senate Message 00:04:53 Calendar/2nd Readings 00:05:27 Report of Committees 00:06:16 Orders of the Day 00:08:42 SB 172 00:08:54 HB 392 00:11:47 HB 529 00:16:02 HB 456 00:22:04 HB 424 00:25:27 HJR 50 00:30:04 HB 577 00:32:29 HB 213 00:36:10 HB 58 00:40:22 HB 10 00:45:23 Motions, Petitions, and Communications 01:04:32 Introduction of New Bills and Resolutions 01:17:33 Recess for ConC/Rules Meeting 01:20:15 ConC/Rules Report 01:25:00 Floor Amendments 01:26:56 Adjournment 01:27:21, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• How many children do we currently have in the foster care system?
• I mean, the merit system is good.
• When we find failing districts, we have failing systems.
• And when you find failing districts, we have failing systems, and when you find failing systems, students
• we have failing systems and when you find failing systems students aren't learning and typically they're

Committee: All JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE

Summary: The committee heard a series of Arkansas Department of Human Services budget presentations and questions, beginning with the Secretary’s Office and then the Division of Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health Services. Staff described the divisions’ appropriations, funding sources, and major programs, including senior centers, Meals on Wheels, mental health grants, substance abuse treatment, community alcohol safety, the Medicaid tobacco settlement program, and crisis stabilization units. Members raised concerns about flat or limited funding for senior services, the use and tracing of federal block grants, the lack of a funding source for the veterans’ mental health grant, and the mechanics of the community alcohol safety and treatment programs. The committee also discussed patient benefits funds at state facilities, transportation for senior center clients, and whether some special-language appropriations or fund balances should be revisited. Executive recommendations were adopted for the divisions considered. The committee then reviewed the Division of Children and Family Services and the Division of County Operations. Questions focused on foster care growth, adoption subsidies, professional fees tied to staff training and onboarding, vacancies, the Children’s Trust Fund, and TANF subgrants. Members asked about the reduction or elimination of TANF funding to child advocacy centers and other subgrantees, and DHS explained that prior reserves had been spent down and that the department was now trying to live within the annual TANF block grant and rebuild reserves. County operations questions also covered summer EBT, SNAP employment and training, the farmers’ market program, and the expected impact of a federal SNAP administrative match change, which DHS estimated would increase state costs by about $24 million annually, with roughly $18 million affecting the current year because the change begins October 1. Executive recommendations were again adopted. Finally, the committee heard from the Division of Developmental Disability Services and the Division of Medical Services. DDS testimony covered vacancies, staffing shortages, human development center construction and repairs, the reopening of the Boonville work training program, and funding for infant infirmary and child/family life programs. Medical Services testimony covered the Medicaid program, the current FMAP rate, the Our Kids B CHIP program, Medicaid payments to schools, nursing home distress funding, and large appropriation lines used to provide flexibility for claims and potential facility closures. Members asked for more detail on school Medicaid payments, reserve balances, and why some appropriations were much larger than actual spending. In each division, the committee moved and adopted Executive REC after questions concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:08:11.919><c> are</c> almost every case but in systems are almost every case but in systems are
• c> the</c> in the system uh incidents where the in the system uh incidents where the system<00:28:41.200
• > system didn't work properly incidents system didn't work properly incidents where<00:28:43.360><c>
• </c> Hampshire Society of Health System Hampshire Society of Health System pharmacists<00:36:10.160><
• the MEA in the system.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to the Joint Committee hearing for the House Committee on Agriculture and Food Systems and the
• I know it starts with an A, but it's Arborjet, is the system.
• I know it starts with an A, but it's Arborjet, is the system.
• </c><00:38:26.400><c> Arbor</c> the system Arbor the system Arbor do<00:38:28.440><c> we</c><00:38:28.520
• There's a robust trapping system over there.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Foster youth aging out of the system are common prey to predatory lending practices.
• We help parents involved in the CPS system.
• Currently, Texas's 988 system is experiencing challenges.
• Hospitals do this, systems do this, companies do it.
• , and a centralized distribution system.

Bills: HB107 , HB742 , HB1639 , HB1700 , HB2071 , HB2187 , HB2402 , HB2516 , HB3211 , HB4529 , HB5342 , HB694 , HB923 , HB4655 , HB107

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Keywords: sickle cell disease, registry, health data, confidentiality, healthcare access, human trafficking, first responders, health care, training, reporting, protection, cancer, female firefighters, health study, state health services, fire protection, telemedicine, teledentistry, telehealth, health records

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> voting due to a primary system? voting due to a primary system?
• There's a chain of command.
• There's a chain of command.
• There's a chain of command.
• </c> clarity, I added those to the system. clarity, I added those to the system.

Committee: Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of bait fish with no specific incident of bait fish being<00:32:12.760><c> directly</c><00:32:13.320
• I value the very strong family systems that nature has in place.
• Coyotes have a very strong family system.
• I value the very strong family systems that nature has in place.
• Coyotes have a very strong family system.

Committee: House Fish and Game and Marine Resources

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We cannot function as a judicial system where defendants are represented—80 percent, I believe, statewide
• Louisiana to be transferred to a more secure, online, user-friendly platform in light of a cyber incident
• Two, you're going to net save money throughout the health care system because it's less expensive.
• procedure, they don't true up the total cost of care when you look at the total hospital billing system
• You can’t just take ASC bill dollars; you have to see if that’s a hospital system, ASC billing.

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The Finance Committee met on May 27, 2026, with six members present and took up a series of House bills, most of them dealing with education funding, criminal justice staffing, transportation, health care access, and economic development. HB 325 was reported favorably after testimony that it would expand TOPS eligibility by allowing dual-enrollment credits to satisfy eligibility criteria and by making part-time students eligible for TOPS Tech, with supporters saying the program has been underused and the change would help working students. HB 719 was amended and reported favorably to increase assistant district attorney positions in various judicial districts; the Louisiana District Attorneys Association said the changes were based on workload data and local input, and members discussed the need to coordinate any expansion with public defender funding. The committee also reported HB 749 favorably, which would move Louisiana’s 529 savings accounts to a more secure online platform after a cyber incident, and HB 1028 favorably, which concerns transportation reimbursement for providers and was described as already subject to appropriation. Several bills focused on food access and local economic development. HB 1222, the Grocery Initiative Act, was reported favorably to let LED use existing grant resources to map food deserts and develop a program, with members noting it could return for funding later if needed. HB 1194 was amended and reported favorably to define food deserts and direct the LSU AgCenter and the Department of Agriculture and Forestry to identify and map them, with authors emphasizing it was a study and not a government-run grocery program. HB 755, which would create IDIQ contracting for architects and engineers on smaller state projects, was reported favorably with no fiscal impact. HB 823, a local diversion pilot for Orleans Parish, was also reported favorably after the fiscal note was revised to remove state impact and reflect only local costs. The committee spent substantial time on HB 488, a proposal from Plaquemines Parish to use severance-tax revenue to help buy out a private toll concession on the parish’s bridge. The author and local officials described severe toll burdens, economic harm to local businesses, and what they called an unfair contract, but members noted the bill was not funded and ultimately deferred it without a motion. HB 797, the Bayou Gold/Louisiana Sound Money Act, was amended to make implementation subject to appropriation and then reported favorably. The committee also took up HB 198, which would raise Medicaid reimbursement for ambulatory surgery centers for certain outpatient procedures; after extensive discussion about fiscal notes, access to care, and potential long-term savings, the bill was amended to narrow its scope and make implementation subject to appropriation, then reported favorably as amended. The meeting ended with the chair noting it would be the committee’s last meeting and asking members to spread the word.

Transcript Highlights:

• We cannot function as a judicial system where defendants are represented—80 percent, I believe, statewide
• And in that time, In that time, there are small innovations in the health care system that, one, increase
• Two, you're going to net save money throughout the health care system because it's less expensive.
• procedure, they don't true up the total cost of care when you look at the total hospital billing system
• You have to see if that's a hospital system, ASC billing. We just have to take what's given to us.

Bills: HB198 , HB325 , HB488 , HB719 , HB749 , HB755 , HB797 , HB823 , HB1028 , HB1194 , HB1222

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: Medicaid, reimbursement, ambulatory surgical centers, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, healthcare funding, Louisiana Department of Health, surgical procedures, TOPS-Tech, scholarship, education, eligibility, college credit, dual enrollment, state funding, HB 488, Belle Chasse Bridge, Belle Chasse Bridge Merit-Based Special Fund, Plaquemines Parish

Transcript Highlights:

• When we follow proper procedures and take correct steps during incidents, we're sometimes the ones who
• guard industry, but many industries beyond that, if we set this up as kind of a shadow government system
• the plumbing work, impacts plumber trainee safety, and jeopardizes the integrity of the plumbing system
• commercial and light commercial, where the safety of the trainee and the integrity of the plumbing system
• But trust is not built by adding undefined authority to an already strained system.

Summary: The Labor and Workplace Standards Committee held public hearings on three bills. HB 2524 would create a State Security Guards Industry Standards Board within L&I to set minimum standards for security guard pay, leave, benefits, and training, funded in part by a $25 transfer from security licensing fees. The bill’s sponsor and labor supporters said it would professionalize the industry, improve safety, and address high turnover and inadequate training. Security workers described unsafe conditions, retaliation, and being expected to handle crises without enough support. Opponents from business and security companies argued the bill duplicates existing licensing and training rules, would raise costs, and gives too much authority to an unelected board; L&I said it had administrative concerns about timing and fee handling. The hearing on HB 2524 was then closed. HB 2513 would change plumbing license suspension rules by keeping the current three-infractions-in-three-years standard for residential work, while creating a five-infractions-in-five-years standard for non-residential plumbing violations. The sponsor and supporters from mechanical contractors and labor said repeat violators undermine safety and fair competition, and that the bill gives L&I a stronger enforcement tool against bad actors in commercial work. Several plumbing contractor groups opposed the bill as written, focusing on a new subsection they said was vague and could create an undefined corrective process or overly broad discretion for L&I; they asked that the subsection be removed or the bill be delayed for more stakeholder work. L&I requested an effective date of January 1, 2027 to allow time for rulemaking. HB 2611 would reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours starting January 1, 2028, and would also change paid sick leave accrual from one hour per 40 hours worked to one hour per 32 hours worked. The sponsor and labor supporters said a shorter workweek would improve work-life balance, reduce burnout and turnover, and could increase productivity, citing examples from San Juan County and other places. Business, hospitality, grocery, construction, agriculture, and janitorial representatives opposed the bill, saying it would raise labor costs, reduce hours and flexibility, complicate scheduling, and hurt industries with thin margins or seasonal demands. The committee heard no votes or final action on HB 2611 before closing the hearing and ending business for the day.

Transcript Highlights:

• meaningless in the actual choosing of the electors because the parties are still going to run their system
• And unfortunately, for the mail system, it's only gotten slower.
• I think these are excellent fixes within the system.
• I have personally lost polling places as an election authority because of incidents happening, you know
• You know, I believe in the, in the, in our system here in Missouri that we, we present bills and then

Committee: House Elections

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• regulated under chapter 5.39, all law enforcement agencies must have free unrestricted access to the system
• The system must ensure interoperability and different databases and jurisdictions and meet establish
• current law and then even continue her a lot, there are time there are time frames for reporting incidents
• The was to work it if it were to work its way through the court system any further questions.
• has a fairly good balance of trying to take care of some discrepancies as it relates to the court system

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those attributes aren't valued very well in most market systems.
• We would envision probably a similar system moving forward for advanced reactors.
• So some of those costs can sometimes be difficult to capture in the system.
• It's got to start with the value system in the communities and in the state.
• Obviously, in our financialized system, you don't have that option and don't want it.

Summary: The Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee met to hear a series of presentations on the economics, financing, workforce, and community impacts of advanced nuclear deployment in North Dakota. William Bridge of Nucleon Energy presented the committee’s economic impacts and private-sector financing report, estimating construction and operating job impacts, local spending, and state/local tax effects for hypothetical SMR projects. He said the report assumes first-of-a-kind costs are still high, used a $6 million per megawatt nth-of-a-kind proxy, and estimated peak construction workforces of about 500 for a 200-MW plant and 1,000 for a larger facility, with roughly 100 operating jobs for a 200-MW plant. Committee members questioned security costs, capital cost assumptions, water and transmission siting constraints, and whether the model included fuel and waste; Bridge said the report included initial fuel in capital cost and that waste disposal is funded through existing federal mechanisms. Lori Brady of the Nuclear Energy Institute then outlined national nuclear workforce needs and NEI’s strategic workforce planning efforts. She described declining labor-force participation, retirements, and the need for a much larger future workforce, and said NEI has organized recommendations around career awareness, pipelines, training and qualification, policy support, retention, and nontraditional recruitment. She highlighted tools such as the Nuclear Works career website, the Nuclear Energy Academic Roadmap, the new federal Energy and Natural Resources career cluster, and the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program for community colleges. Members asked about AI, timing for training relative to plant development, and whether advanced manufacturing would reduce staffing needs; Brady said AI is not expected to replace workers and that training timelines depend on the specific project and staffing plan. The committee also heard from Gary Yaco, mayor of Red Wing, Minnesota, who described Prairie Island’s role in his community. He said the plant provides a large share of local property tax revenue, supports well-paid jobs, contributes to emergency preparedness funding and training, and is broadly supported by the city despite periodic protests and public concerns. He emphasized the plant’s security, regular drills with local and federal responders, and the absence of problems with dry cask storage. Later, Benton Arnett of NEI discussed the current financing landscape for advanced nuclear, explaining how tax credits, federal loan support, off-take agreements, and new business models are helping projects move forward. He said early projects face high upfront costs and long lead-time procurement, but that investor confidence is improving as federal policy and regulatory streamlining continue. The committee asked about waste funding, comparisons with natural gas, the effect of political shifts on investor confidence, and whether the market will narrow to a few winning technologies; Arnett said the industry is still sorting that out, but expects clearer winners in the late 2020s and early 2030s. The meeting concluded with an introductory presentation from Julie Kazeraki of DOE’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, who said the office is focused on accelerating nuclear deployment through financing support.

Transcript Highlights:

• it, or disassembling it for a later date, even during demolition if we were using a wrecking ball system
• where</c><00:17:13.319><c> we</c><00:17:13.520><c> bust</c><00:17:13.880><c> everything</c> ball system
• </c><00:43:43.599><c> of</c><00:43:43.800><c> the</c> as they move through the system of the as they
• move through the system of the 20<00:43:44.400><c> that</c><00:43:44.559><c> was</c><00:43:45.040><c>
• These positions are being established after the tragic incident and loss of life of a state employee

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees on Labor and Technology, Transportation, and Culture and the Arts heard testimony on Senate Bill 396 and Senate Bill 47, then later the Labor and Technology committee took up Senate Bill 136 and Senate Bill 1523. SB 396 drew support from the Metropolitan Planning Organization and others, with a question raised about implementation costs; the director said costs would depend on the scope of the benefit package and the transportation mode involved. The committees recommended passing SB 396 with technical amendments and added appropriation language with a blank amount, and the motion was adopted by recorded votes in both committees. SB 47, which would designate the Lunar New Year as a state holiday, received support from the Office of Collective Bargaining and several individuals, including Charlene Chun, who spoke about family traditions and cultural recognition. Members asked about the cost and whether the day would be a paid day off for state employees; the response was that observance would be subject to collective bargaining. The committees moved SB 47 forward with amendments, noting the collective bargaining and cost issues, and adopted the recommendation by vote. In the Labor and Technology committee, SB 136 on the Iron Workers Stabilization Fund drew strong support from iron workers and related supporters, who argued the bill was about safety, training, and keeping dismantling work within the ironworkers’ trade. Several other unions, including operating engineers, carpenters, laborers, and plumbers and fitters, opposed the bill as too broad and potentially infringing on their jurisdiction. The measure was not decided in the portion provided, but members discussed possible amendments and jurisdictional concerns. SB 1523, which would expand private-sector collective bargaining rights under the Hawaii Employment Relations Act to include independent contractors and others under NLRB jurisdiction, received broad labor support, including from IATSE, AFL-CIO, Hawaii Nurses Association, Unite Here Local 5, and many individual testifiers. Supporters framed it as protecting workers’ rights and strengthening labor protections, while the Hawaii Labor Relations Board warned it could significantly increase workload and require more staffing, space, and operating resources; the board estimated the bill could expand its caseload substantially and suggested an appropriation would likely be needed. The committee then moved on to the next measure, SB 1440, before the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um and with uh systems for decades.
• </c> representing local transit systems representing local transit systems throughout<00:52:37.520><c
• </c> fair collection systems, and much more. fair collection systems, and much more.
• The GHD law is critical to system.
• I'm a systems person.

Bills: HF2438

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Keywords: transportation finance, transportation policy, MnDOT, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, Metropolitan Council, highway funding, trunk highway fund, county state-aid highway fund, municipal state-aid street fund, state aid roads, local roads, bridge funding, road construction, transit funding, passenger rail, freight rail, aviation, airport development, safe routes to school

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 1741 represents an important step toward a justice system that recognizes the real impact of these
• , puts a system into place.
• I determined this to be a lack in the systems and an opportunity.
• I determined this to be a lack in the systems and an opportunity to do better.
• They're all part of what we're trying to achieve in our justice system.

Summary: The Assembly Standing Committee on Public Safety met with several bills on the agenda, beginning with AB 1741 by Assembly Member Pacheco, which would allow felony prosecution of sexual battery committed during a residential break-in. Supporters, including Riverside County prosecutors and victim services staff, said current law leaves some home-invasion sexual assaults as misdemeanors when intent to commit another felony cannot be proven; opponents from public defender and civil liberties groups argued the bill was unnecessary, vague, and overbroad. After discussion, the committee passed AB 1741 to Appropriations as amended. The committee then heard AB 1701 by Assembly Member DeMaio, which would bar recall and resentencing for juveniles convicted of school shootings. Supporters framed it as a narrow public-safety measure in response to the Santana High School shooting and the potential resentencing of the shooter; opponents argued it was overly broad, ineffective as deterrence, and inconsistent with juvenile rehabilitation principles. The committee ultimately voted the bill out to Appropriations, but it later failed on the final roll call when members added on their positions. AB 1743 by Assembly Member Wix proposed allowing local governments, state agencies, and higher education institutions to request firearm trace data from DOJ for research and policy purposes. Supporters said the data could help identify trafficking patterns and inform evidence-based gun violence prevention, while opponents said trace data only shows the first lawful retail sale and could mislead policymakers or burden DOJ. The bill was passed to Appropriations. AB 1716 by Assembly Member Stefani, supported by UC and victim advocates, would let CalVCB reimburse tuition costs for college students whose education is disrupted by sexual violence; it passed to Appropriations after a strong debate over victim compensation. AB 1667 by Assembly Member Burner, adding fentanyl to the serious felony list for furnishing to a minor, also passed after emotional testimony from a bereaved parent and law enforcement support, despite opposition from drug policy and civil liberties groups. The committee adopted a consent calendar including AB 1549, AB 1681, AB 1723, and AB 1737, while AB 1538 and AB 1727 were pulled by their authors. In the final tally, AB 1701 and AB 1723 failed on the floor add-on roll call, while AB 1716, AB 1741, AB 1743, and AB 1667 advanced.

Transcript Highlights:

• department's core mission is to provide prevention treatment services to create a stable mental health system
• But we do it because that's a requirement, and so it is what Restructuring of the CCBHC delivery system
• Electronic health record system. We'll get that implemented.
• The finance systems are improving. Those are ongoing updates, cost allocation, grants management.
• We don't have systems in place to do those things or compete.

Committee: House Appropriations and Budget

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the Federal Trade Commission that talked about how these exclusive markets can create a two-tiered system
• is to make sure that those homeowners do stay in control of their insurance claim after a major incident

Bills: SB5831 , SB6178

Committee: House Consumer Protection & Business

Keywords: mortgage modification, uniform regulations, homeowners, financial stability, foreclosure prevention, SB6178, property insurance, insurance claims, assignment of benefits, AOB, post-loss assignment, post-loss benefits, homeowners insurance, policyholder, insured, restoration contractor, mitigation contractor, public adjuster, insurance commissioner, claims handling

Transcript Highlights:

• the Federal Trade Commission that talked about how these exclusive markets can create a two-tiered system
• is to make sure that those homeowners do stay in control of their insurance claim after a major incident

Summary: The Consumer Protection and Business Committee held public hearings on three Senate bills. SB 5831, the Uniform Mortgage Modification Act, was explained by staff as creating safe harbors so certain mortgage modifications would not alter lien priority or require re-recording; the prime sponsor said it would reduce uncertainty and legal costs. No one testified on the bill. SB 6091, concerning real estate brokers marketing residential properties to exclusive groups, was described as requiring concurrent public marketing when brokers market to limited groups, while allowing private marketing so long as the public also has access; the sponsor and supporters said it would promote fair, open housing markets and reduce pocket listings that can reinforce exclusion. SB 6178, prohibiting post-loss assignment of benefits in property insurance, was presented as protecting homeowners after disasters from signing away policy rights to contractors; the sponsor, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and the Washington State Association for Justice supported the bill, while discussion focused on whether the $50,000 penalty should distinguish between intentional and unintentional violations. For SB 6178, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner said it has seen more complaints about policyholders being pressured to sign documents before contacting insurers and said the bill would help keep homeowners in control of claims. Testifiers emphasized that contractors play an important role in repairs but should not take over first-party insurance claims, and one witness noted the bill would not prevent direct payment arrangements to contractors. Committee members asked about penalties and whether a cooling-off period or other alternatives might address concerns about good-faith contractors. For SB 6091, supporters including Zillow, Washington Realtors, Habitat for Humanity, Windermere, and the Fair Housing Center of Washington argued that exclusive or pocket listings can reduce transparency, limit competition, and worsen housing inequities. They said the bill still allows private marketing and open houses, but requires public availability as well, and does not force owners to allow access to their property. A rental housing representative asked for an amendment to remove a reference to leases, saying the bill should not unintentionally apply to rental providers who are not brokers. The committee closed public hearings on all three bills and ended the meeting with birthday recognition for two members.