Transcript Highlights:

• And then I think the process that we have to engage in is to nominate five more today.
• this kind of mid-year this this process this kind of mid-year process<00:06:35.280><c> that</c><00:06
• The process that we have to engage in is to nominate five more today. Does that make sense?
• </c> program integrity oversight process program integrity oversight process which<00:48:31.680><c> Minnesota
• in process for a long time.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Legislative Audit Commission Evaluation Subcommittee met on October 6, 2025, to choose additional program evaluation topics for the Office of the Legislative Auditor. Deputy Legislative Auditor Jody Mson Rodriguez explained that the commission had previously selected seven topics from an initial list of 11, with background papers already prepared on five of those items, and that the subcommittee was now being asked to select five more topics for background papers before narrowing the full set to four recommendations later in the fall or early spring. Members discussed several possible topics, especially emergency medical services, non-emergency medical transportation, MinnesotaCare eligibility, child care assistance, medical assistance fraud prevention, and U.S. Bank Stadium. David Kersner of OLA said emergency medical services and non-emergency medical transportation are distinct programs, and noted the EMS topic was evaluated in 2022 while non-emergency medical transportation had not been reviewed since 2011. Auditor Judy Randall said MinnesotaCare eligibility, child care assistance, and medical assistance fraud prevention are better suited to OLA’s financial audit division or special review unit rather than program evaluation, and that financial audits and special reviews do not require Legislative Audit Commission nomination. On process, Mson Rodriguez said the subcommittee had already met its minimum required selections under the commission’s policy and was free to choose additional topics. The discussion also covered whether to broaden the stadium topic beyond U.S. Bank Stadium; staff said the U.S. Bank financing structure alone would be a major undertaking, but they could help craft a future topic focused on maintenance across multiple facilities. No final vote or motion was taken in the portion of the meeting provided, and the chair indicated the committee would continue nominations and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Often state agencies contract third parties.
• Often state agencies contract third parties.
• Often state agencies contract third parties.
• Often state agencies contract third parties.
• Just to add to that, usually even in the private sector, a lot of our contracts have that stipulation

Bills: HB0143 , HB0129

Committee: House Labor, Health & Social Services

Keywords: health care providers, free speech, discrimination, governmental agencies, civil remedies, physician access, internationally trained physicians, medical licensing, provisional license, healthcare workforce, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• enters a contract and then breaches<00:38:05.200><c> the</c><00:38:05.440><c> contract</c><00:38:05.920
• ><c> they</c><00:38:06.240><c> have</c> breaches the contract they have breaches the contract they have
• Work the bill through the process because there's a lot of unknowns here.
• ><c> a</c><01:32:36.080><c> lot</c><01:32:36.159><c> of</c> process because there's a lot of process
• Our office wanted to flag that there might be some due process concerns here.

Bills: HB0070 , HB0043 , HB0103 , HB0157 , HB0092 , SF0092

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: foreign censorship, digital innovation, constitutional rights, Wyoming GRANITE Act, extraterritorial laws, civil actions, speech protection, legal jurisdiction, joint liability, money laundering, illegal investment, financial institutions, criminal activity, Wyoming legislation, First Amendment, free speech, lawsuits, immunity, public participation, strategic lawsuits

Transcript Highlights:

• At that point, the certification process will start.
• That process has never been used before because when the state created that process back in 2019-20,
• it's always handled any obligations through the budget process.
• through that process as well.
• through that process as well.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• by which, when— The bill sets up a process by which, when things calm down and you’re able to go talk
• It also allows contracting with federal, state, local government, and nonprofit entities to complete
• It also allows contracting with federal, state, local government, and nonprofit entities to complete
• By the way, this is a contract increase, and we are actually, our hands are forced.
• It's late in the process for that, so we're just hoping it's a large class, and it won't matter.

Summary: The Senate met with a quorum, opened with prayer honoring Nampa Mayor Rick Hogaboom, and approved the journal. The chamber then handled routine committee and House messages, including referrals of several Senate and House bills to standing committees, reports of enrolled measures, and gubernatorial and House transmittals. Senators also briefly returned House Bill 545 to committee because it had not been properly reported. The main floor action centered on several third-reading bills. Senate Bill 1299, limiting government use of digital identification and protecting physical ID and device privacy, passed 35-0 after debate about privacy, enforcement, and whether it would affect agency accounts. Senate Bill 1335, extending service obligations for state-supported veterinary students, passed 33-2. Senate Bill 1330, raising the small-claims limit from $5,000 to $15,000, passed unanimously by reused roll call. Senate Bill 1359, the Virtual Currency Kiosk Fraud Prevention Act, drew the most debate over consumer protection versus regulation; it passed 19-16. The Senate also passed Senate Bill 1348 on public outdoor target ranges and Pittman-Robertson funds, Senate Bill 1376 on declarations of candidacy, and Senate Bill 1378 modernizing off-road vehicle account and trail funding rules. Later, the chamber took up several appropriation bills: House Bills 868, 869, 870, 871, and 876 all passed, covering PERSI, the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, OITS, the State Tax Commission, and the State Board of Education/higher education budgets. Those budget bills prompted extended debate over funding levels, tax collection, cybersecurity, and especially cuts to universities, community colleges, and career technical education, but each ultimately passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we will continue the negotiations in that process.
• And we will continue the negotiations in that process.
• What's the thought process? within this bill. What's the thought process?
• The liability waivers and HCD's processing time, right?
• The processing time, right?

Committee: Senate Housing

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , along, students have felt like our voices haven't been included in the legislative process, and it's
• It is authorized to include the SBM in the closed session expulsion hearing process.
• And through kind of the bill negotiation process, this...
• I'm not interested in a new social contract with my school or my peers or anything else.
• I'm not interested in a new social contract with my school or my peers or anything else.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's people who don't contract the federal government. They're Maryland entities. Okay.
• </c> So, if a private entity is contracted So, if a private entity is contracted with<00:19:07.840><c
• </c><00:19:22.600><c> the</c> It's It's people who don't contract the It's It's people who don't contract
• So I'm not sure that we know the exact process, but that would not change. I'm unsure.
• these meats more people can process these meats more cheaply. cheaply. cheaply.

Keywords: House streaming session for Saturday, March 21, 2026, 957, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, this is a difficult little process here.
• ><c> of</c><00:40:02.320><c> the</c> process and understanding of the process and understanding of the
• And that's one of the biggest things that I heard during this process.
• And that's one of the biggest things that I heard during this process.
• But what this amendment this process.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have about 10 lawyers that contract with us who are currently doing this work all over the state.
• We have about 10 lawyers that contract with us who are currently doing this work all over the state.
• </c> process. So, thank you. process. So, thank you.
• of voting and non- subcommittee process of voting and non- voting<00:42:49.839><c> members.
• </c><01:04:18.799><c> a</c> isn't, then that saves us processing a isn't, then that saves us processing

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 13 January, 2026; 1:45 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So those funds contract signed yet.
• Thank you, assistant on this process.
• </c> process at the LCCMR. process at the LCCMR.
• </c> that process is moving along quickly. that process is moving along quickly.
• </c><01:36:38.400><c> where</c> an effort to revise the process where an effort to revise the process

Bills: HF1587 , HF2293 , HF2218 , HF1208 , HF1482

Committee: House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy

Keywords: HF1587, Cass County, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, DNR, condemnation, eminent domain, state land, surplus land, public waters, tribal land transfer, federally recognized Indian Tribe, tribal ownership, land conveyance, no consideration, land appropriation, natural resources, U.S. Highway 2, Section 27 Township 145 North Range 28 West, land return, Tribal sovereignty

Transcript Highlights:

• Under this act, a person who has contracted for the rights to store water in a reservoir owned by the
• So on the very last page, on page 8, towards the bottom, on line 2, a person who has contracted for the
• So on the very last page, on page 8 towards the bottom, on line 2, a person who has contracted for the
• Thank you. ...I really appreciate that this is really a solution development process that we're trying
• and can tell the customers the system is under new management and in compliance with improvement processes

Committee: House Conservation and Natural Resources

Summary: The Conservation and Natural Resources Committee first took up Senate Bill 953, which was described as ensuring environmental protection funds remain dedicated to that purpose. The committee substitute added provisions from House Bill 1885, changing Clean Water Commission membership conflict rules, and Senate Bill 1397, giving certain reservoir water storage contract holders exclusive rights to return flows. Members discussed the conflict-of-interest language and the water-return provision, then adopted a House committee amendment and the amended substitute by voice vote. The committee then voted the House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 953 do pass by a 6-5 roll call, with Representative Wellenkamp voting no. The committee then heard House Bill 3193, a proposal by Representative Wellenkamp to reduce single-use plastic waste in state parks and historic sites by phasing out plastic bags, plastic water bottles, and Styrofoam/styrene containers, while allowing exemptions where needed. Supporters, including conservation groups, a Missouri River Bird Observatory representative, and others, said plastics harm parks, waterways, wildlife, tourism, and human health, and urged alternatives and better waste practices. Some members raised concerns about accessibility and the need for practical substitutes for people with disabilities and for emergency or park operations. The Missouri Beverage Association opposed the bill, arguing its plastics are recyclable and that education and recycling are better approaches than bans. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 3320, the Drinking Water Transparency and Accountability Act, which would assign Missouri public water systems A-F grades based on violations, finances, operations, and infrastructure, and would impose additional oversight and spending restrictions on systems graded D or F. The sponsor said the bill would make water-system problems easier for ratepayers to understand and help address chronic failures; supporters from Missouri American Water, Central States Water Resources, and the Missouri Chamber said it would improve transparency and support investment. Opponents from municipal utilities, the Missouri Municipal League, and the Missouri Water Association argued the bill oversimplifies a technical field, duplicates existing consumer confidence reports, could confuse customers, and may undermine trust in local systems. No vote was taken on HB 3193 or HB 3320 before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Even people who are here undocumented have the protection of due process. detention of that individual
• And I've taken several amendments throughout this process from both sides of the aisle.
• </c> has contracted if the school contracts has contracted if the school contracts with<00:38:09.520>
• You know, this is part of the sausage-making process.
• So, once again, I very much process.

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Millstone contract also had to be approved, and it was, and both turned out to be really big-time
• The Millstone contract also had to be approved, and it was, and both turned out to be really big-time
• The Millstone contract Burgess Biomass.
• </c><03:06:05.760><c> So</c><03:06:06.160><c> there's</c> without the normal process.
• So there's without the normal process.

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, in Sunderland and Frontier, we are a superintendency union, so we have separate teacher contracts
• As we try to bargain a contract as we come out of state receivership, the Secretary Tutwiler has said
• In order for us to offer a strong contract, we need this funding to keep up with inflation.
• I think we need to acknowledge that districts like... ...be a separate process.
• This is a lengthy process, and that begins, has to begin now.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education opened a hybrid public hearing on a large slate of bills related to school buildings, school finance, technology, data privacy, safety, and related education issues. Chairs Jason Lewis and Ken Gordon outlined procedures for the hearing, including two-minute testimony limits and the plan to group similar bills together. Several bills drew no testimony and were closed without further discussion, while others drew extensive testimony from legislators, school officials, parents, advocates, and educators. A major theme was school safety and student well-being. Lori Al-Hadeth testified in support of bills on alert systems in public schools, describing the loss of her daughter in the Parkland shooting and urging adoption of Alyssa’s Law-style panic alert technology. Representative Gallagher and disability advocates also supported a bill authorizing, but not requiring, airway clearance devices in schools, arguing they could save lives in choking emergencies and provide an option for people who cannot use the Heimlich maneuver. Another bill on reducing cafeteria waste drew support from a legislator and a Lexington sustainability official, who said installing dishwashers during construction would reduce waste and long-term costs. Much of the hearing focused on Chapter 70 school funding and the inflation cap. Senator Pavel Payano, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Representative Senna, and multiple local officials and school committee members from Bridgewater, Chelsea, Groton-Dunstable, and other districts argued that the 4.5% cap on inflation adjustments has left schools underfunded during years of high inflation, forcing layoffs, larger class sizes, and cuts to programs and student supports. They urged bills to eliminate the cap, restore lost funding, increase the Commonwealth’s share of the foundation budget, or create commissions to study reforms. Testimony also highlighted the impact on special education, English learners, and low-income students, with Chelsea witnesses saying the cap has cost their district about $7 million annually. School construction and MSBA reform were the other major topic. AIA Massachusetts, Boston Public Schools, Lynn officials, and AFT Massachusetts described aging facilities, overcrowding, deferred maintenance, and the difficulty of financing new schools under current reimbursement rules. Boston officials said the district has many pre-World War II buildings and has only built a handful of new schools in decades, while Lynn leaders said reimbursement rates have fallen well below the statutory 80% because of caps and ineligible costs. Witnesses urged modernization of the MSBA program, higher reimbursement rates, and more resources for school construction. The committee also heard support for a bill to study the adequacy and equity of the school building program, and chairs indicated some bills would be closed after no one signed up to testify.

Transcript Highlights:

• Where are they in their grant process?
• Just very briefly, we have a very rigorous process created.
• We have a very rigorous process created.
• Where are they in their grant process?
• We have a very rigorous process created. Very briefly. We have a very rigorous process created.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee on Economic Development held a hearing on the DRIVE Act, a proposal to invest $400 million in Massachusetts research and innovation without new taxes. Governor Healey and administration officials said the bill would direct $200 million to public higher education research and regional partnerships and $200 million to a research funding pool for hospitals, universities, and other institutions, with the goal of retaining talent, leveraging private and philanthropic dollars, and offsetting major federal R&D cuts. They argued that research is a core economic engine for the state, supporting jobs across labs, construction, services, and surrounding businesses, and said the bill would help protect the Commonwealth’s tax base and competitiveness during a period of federal uncertainty and cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and other programs. Committee members raised concerns about whether Fair Share surtax dollars should instead be used for K-12 and other community needs, whether the proposal is enough given the scale of lost federal grants, and how the money would be allocated. The governor responded that the funds are one-time surplus dollars, that most surtax revenue already supports education, and that the bill is meant as a bridge to stabilize public higher education and research. She also said the legislation includes a review board and could support a revolving or matched-fund approach in some cases. Several members pressed for more detail on selection criteria, future funding, and whether private companies and large endowments should contribute more. University of Massachusetts leaders and researchers testified that federal grant cancellations and delays are already causing layoffs, furloughs, rescinded admissions, and lost research capacity. UMass officials said the bill would help preserve faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and research programs in medicine, climate science, marine science, Braille instruction, and AI decision-making. They emphasized that the funding should be merit-based and that the state needs to act quickly to prevent talent from leaving Massachusetts. Business, labor, and industry groups, including MassBio, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, AIM, the AFL-CIO, and Building Trades, supported the bill, saying it would protect jobs, sustain the innovation ecosystem, and reinforce Massachusetts’ national leadership in research and life sciences. No vote was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then appropriation-wise, Senator— Duplicative processes wherever possible.
• It's another step in a process that's already very onerous.
• There's already a 1996 citizenship robust process. This is...
• There's already a 1996 citizenship robust process. This is a thinly disguised poll tax.
• Every one of those steps that I just described, it costs staff time and vendor contracts.

Bills: S0174 , S1342 , S1334 , S1362 , S1602 , S1604

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development

Keywords: transportation, memorial, honorary designation, Miami-Dade, Charlie Kirk, transit-oriented development, housing affordability, mixed-use zoning, urban development, traffic congestion, elections, voter registration, citizenship, provisional ballots, election fraud, vertiports, aviation, airport infrastructure, economic development, veterans

Transcript Highlights:

• is the one who's... ...that were in these pre-K contracted seats prior to.
• Like I said, it was a really long process. It took a long, long time.
• They contracted with Auden and Picus to do the recalibration.
• But it's, it's, that's how I'm processing it.
• What's the process? Go ahead, well...

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and then shifted to an update from Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva and Deputy Commissioner Stacey Smith on early childhood education, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. They said Arkansas had received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ABC as a large state program with about 23,800 funded slots and roughly $114 million in annual appropriations. Department officials said they are reviewing slot allocations because about 1,000 seats are funded but unfilled, while more than 2,000 families are on waiting lists, and they plan to reduce or reallocate slots from providers that have not filled them over several years. They also said they are examining whether income thresholds, curriculum expectations, daily rates, and summer programming should be updated, and members raised concerns about access, local control, transportation, and whether the program should better align with K-12 choice and school readiness goals. The committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee and asked the Bureau of Legislative Research to help gather historical data and other information for future discussion. The committee then received a legal presentation from BLR attorney Taylor Lloyd on the constitutional and statutory framework for education adequacy in Arkansas. She reviewed the Dupree and Lake View cases, explaining that the state must maintain a general, suitable, and efficient system of free public schools, and that adequacy and equity are distinct but related concepts. She emphasized that the General Assembly is responsible for defining adequacy, studying whether the system meets that standard, and reacting to the evidence, while the courts ultimately decide constitutional compliance. Lloyd also explained the current adequacy definition, the role of the matrix as a funding tool rather than a spending mandate, and the distinction between unrestricted foundation funding and restricted categorical funding. BLR’s Elizabeth Bynum followed with a historical overview of how Arkansas responded to the court cases and developed the current adequacy process. She traced major legislative actions from the 1980s through the Lake View litigation, including the creation of funding formulas, categorical aid, isolated funding, declining enrollment funding, and the 2003-2004 adequacy study that led to the Continuing Adequacy Evaluation Act and the matrix used to set foundation funding. She also described later changes to the adequacy statute, the financial reporting requirements for districts, and the ongoing use of surveys, stakeholder testimony, and consultant studies in the biennial adequacy process. Members asked questions about whether private or homeschool programs could use public funds for expenses like utilities, whether stakeholders should include those groups, the difference between average daily membership and attendance, and whether school board members are surveyed; staff said those issues would need further research or were outside the scope of the presenters’ role.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then if you're dismantling it, it should always reverse the process.
• Plumbers and laborers, we will deal with that at the job site and with the contract negotiations.
• Plumbers and laborers, we will deal with that at the job site and with the contract negotiations.
• clause I'm available under the contract clause I'm available for<00:56:05.160><c> questions</c><00:56
• existing as of the effective contract existing as of the effective date<01:07:24.559><c> of</c><01:07

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:

• :38:10.079><c> and</c><00:38:10.320><c> my</c> processing, my writing, and my processing, my writing,
• ,</c><01:04:20.079><c> making</c> the removal process, making the removal process, making recommendations
• and any fees not used in the the process and any fees not used in the process<02:59:27.520><c> will<
• </c> that are entering into these contracts that are entering into these contracts with<03:27:41.840>
• </c> counties enter into these contracts. counties enter into these contracts.

Keywords: 1189, house, all