Transcript Highlights:

• smaller western Finger Lakes don't... ...seem to get the funding or the attention as some of the larger eastern
• smaller western Finger Lakes don't seem to get the funding for the attention as some of the larger eastern

Summary: The joint meeting of the Senate Finance Committee and the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks, and Recreation considered Governor Hochul’s nomination of Kathleen “Kathy” Moser to serve as Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. Moser described her background in conservation and public lands, and said her priorities would include improving access and belonging for all New Yorkers, maintaining health and safety, modernizing infrastructure, addressing climate change and sustainability, and strengthening partnerships with local governments, community groups, and the Legislature. Members questioned her on a range of park issues, including visitor fees, safety at swimming areas such as Lake Welch, security measures at parks, access for urban residents through nature buses and school transportation grants, maintenance and capital needs, event permitting, workforce recruitment and retention, and coordination around the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Moser said the department has targeted capital and safety investments at popular parks, is installing fencing, lighting, cameras, and license plate readers at entrances at selected sites, and is planning extensive 250th commemoration programming and historic-site renovations. She also discussed efforts to expand community stewardship, including partner groups, culturally specific amenities like cricket fields, and outreach through traveling exhibits and social media. Senators raised concerns and suggestions about renewable energy siting, cell service in rural areas, invasive species prevention, and local infrastructure needs. After questioning concluded, the committees voted to advance the nomination, and the motion was reported to the Senate floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• partners with USDA to provide financial incentives to landowners of irrigated cropland located over the eastern
• partners with USDA to provide financial incentives to landowners of irrigated cropland located over the eastern

Committee: Senate Agricultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• And the purpose of that is, if you are in a high-risk area like eastern Idaho near Yellowstone Park,
• The purpose of that is, if you are in a high-risk area like eastern Idaho near Yellowstone Park, you

Committee: House Agricultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• altered the historical authority granted to DSHS to designate certain surplus facilities and lands of Eastern
• together on this particular bill, and this amendment just cleans up some technical language around Eastern

Bills: HB1544 , HB2099 , HB2185 , HB2219 , HB2253 , HB2317 , HB2318 , HB2319 , HB2350

Committee: House Early Learning & Human Services

Keywords: child welfare, risk assessment, investigation, child abuse, neglect, military families, early childhood education, access, assistance program, education equity, homelessness, youth programs, advisory committee, prevention, protection, HB 2219, child care licensing, early learning, DCYF, Department of Children Youth and Families

Transcript Highlights:

• Throughout the state, there's a lot of areas in the southeast part of the state and the eastern part
• Well, eastern Oklahoma County's pretty rural when you have Choctaw and Mcloud and areas out through there

Transcript Highlights:

• Ridgefield, Battleground, and some of rural— Tom Dent, I represent the 13th Legislative District in eastern
• The 13th Legislative District in eastern Washington is comprised of all of Kittitas County, most of Grant

Summary: The Transportation Committee met for an organizational session and received a presentation from Washington State Department of Transportation and Washington State Ferries staff on recovery from the December atmospheric river storms. Committee members were introduced, and staff outlined a new process for submitting proviso and project requests through an online app, with members directed to work through their caucus policy staff. The chair also announced caucus meetings and noted staff changes for the session. WSDOT and WSF described emergency response operations, including statewide activations, damage assessment, and the use of emergency declarations to speed repairs. Staff explained how they pursue federal reimbursement through FHWA Emergency Relief and, separately, FEMA for debris removal, while noting that permanent repairs still require environmental clearances. They reported more than 50 emergency work orders, 16 emergency contracts, about 107 road sites closed at one point, and an initial damage estimate of roughly $30 million. Examples of storm damage and recovery included US 2 near Skykomish and Tumwater Canyon, US 12 near Naches, Highway 410, Highway 42 near Mount Baker, I-90 shoulder damage, and a major US 101 slope failure near Forks that will require longer-term geotechnical work. Members asked about environmental permitting, bridge impacts, flood coordination with the Army Corps of Engineers, and whether emergency declarations allow broader actions; staff said the declaration mainly speeds stabilization and contracting, does not change tolling authority, and does not waive environmental requirements. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're moving forward with that, and that new state forest is on the very eastern edge of Bay County
• So we're moving forward with that, and that new state forest is in the very eastern edge of Bay County

Committee: Senate Environment and Natural Resources

Summary: The Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources convened with a quorum present and took up SB 302 by Senator Garcia, which would promote nature-based solutions for coastal resilience. Garcia said the bill would direct DEP to adopt statewide guidelines, encourage local restoration projects through existing grant programs, streamline permitting for green and hybrid infrastructure, support workforce training, and require a study on flood-risk and insurance benefits. Senator Harrell asked about implementation, existing statutory authority, and possible fiscal impacts. The committee adopted an amendment clarifying that hybrid infrastructure need only combine green and gray elements, not prove superiority over either alone. The committee heard supportive testimony on SB 302 from Katie Bauman of Surfrider Foundation, who said nature-based approaches such as dunes, wetlands, and mangroves are cost-effective and protective, and several organizations waived in support, including the Environmental Defense Fund of Florida, the Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association, and 1,000 Friends of Florida. Senator Harrell said she supported the concept but remained concerned about the breadth of rulemaking and the fiscal implications of workforce funding. After closing remarks from Garcia, the committee voted to report CS for SB 302 favorably. The remainder of the meeting consisted of informational presentations on land management. Brian Bradner of DEP reviewed Florida State Parks management, including prescribed fire, invasive species removal, hydrologic restoration, cultural resource preservation, visitor use, and budgeted land-management activities. Melissa Tucker of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission described wildlife management areas, emphasizing habitat restoration, wildlife monitoring, ranch infrastructure, public access, and the economic value of the system. Rick Dolan of the Florida Forest Service outlined state forest management funded through a $20 million appropriation, including road and facility work, recreation upgrades, invasive species control, reforestation, habitat restoration, prescribed burning, and boundary marking. Senators praised the agencies’ work and noted the ongoing cost of managing state lands. The committee then adjourned without further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• secondarily, there's also the next bucket of largest differentials are pretty much following the eastern
• So whereas the southern part of the state and the eastern part of the state were benefiting very strongly

Committee: Senate Finance and Tax

Summary: The Senate Committee on Finance and Tax met to hear a presentation from Amy Baker on the state’s ad valorem property tax forecast and how the revenue estimating conference handles property-tax-related impact analyses. Baker explained that the conference process requires unanimous consensus, that the revenue estimating conference produces the state’s official forecast, and that her office recently overhauled the ad valorem model to use a bottom-up, county-by-county approach with separate modeling for county and school rolls, confidential parcels, and detailed categories such as homestead, non-homestead, residential, non-residential, and agricultural property. Baker walked through the current baseline numbers and the main components of taxable value, emphasizing the role of homestead differentials, especially Save Our Homes and portability, and homestead exemptions. She noted that differentials remove a large share of homestead value statewide, with especially large effects in South Florida and along the east coast, while exemptions are concentrated more heavily in northern and fiscally constrained counties. She also explained that many parcels have little or no remaining taxable value, while a smaller number of parcels hold a large share of taxable value, which makes exemption proposals highly uneven in their effects. The committee discussed how impact conferences evaluate proposed constitutional amendments or bills by measuring the change from the baseline forecast, converting taxable-value changes into tax-dollar losses using county millage rates, and then expressing results in cash and recurring terms. Baker stressed that impact analyses do not address broader budgetary effects or local government replacement decisions, and that each proposal is analyzed as a standalone measure rather than in combination with others. Senators asked about seven House property-tax proposals already analyzed, the availability of those reports online, possible interactions if multiple proposals passed, and whether property-tax relief could stimulate the economy enough to offset revenue losses. Baker said the economic effects would be highly proposal- and county-specific and that any budgetary analysis would require separate work beyond the conference process. The committee took no substantive action beyond receiving the presentation and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're kind of in the middle of the Eastern Interconnect, so we can...
• We're kind of in the middle of the Eastern Interconnect, so we can...
• Tulo, maybe you'd want to just, for one second, maybe explain: so there's Eastern, and then there's two
• The Eastern Interconnect is by far the biggest in land mass.
• </c> well connected with either the Eastern well connected with either the Eastern interconnector<00:

Bills: HF75

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• approved $2.3 million for a grant to the Fond du Lac Band for a project to reintroduce wild elk into the eastern
• answer questions or not, but um, my concern again is moving elk from northwestern Minnesota to the eastern
• But the government is spending money on moving elk from northwestern Minnesota to eastern Minnesota and
• part of the state when we to the eastern part of the state when we already<00:04:14.000><c> have</c>
• </c> northwestern Minnesota to eastern northwestern Minnesota to eastern Minnesota<00:05:11.840><c> and

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:

• Kentucky which as you from Eastern Kentucky which as you likely<01:26:45.040><c> know</c><01:26:45.560
• Just a few months ago, this very committee sat and listened to university presidents from UK, Eastern
• Just a few months ago, this very committee sat and listened to university presidents from UK, Eastern
• Just a few months ago, this very committee sat and listened to university presidents from UK, Eastern
• Just a few months ago, this very committee sat and listened to university presidents from UK, Eastern

Summary: The Senate Education Committee met with a quorum and first considered two concurrent resolutions. SCR 76, sponsored by Sen. Amanda Bledsoe, would create a Kentucky School for the Deaf Governance Task Force to examine the school’s future governance and its relationship with the Kentucky Department of Education. Bledsoe described the school’s long history and said the task force would give the small deaf-school community more voice. The committee adopted the resolution unanimously with favorable expression. The committee then took up SCR 131, sponsored by Sen. Max Wise, to continue the Efficient and Effective Districts Task Force from 2024. Wise said the prior task force met about 10 times and focused on student achievement and district policy, and the new version would continue that work as a legislature-only task force. The resolution passed unanimously with favorable expression. Members next considered HB 240 on primary school promotion. Rep. Truitt explained that the bill would require students who are not ready in kindergarten to repeat kindergarten, while a committee substitute softened the approach by allowing a school to hold a child back in kindergarten but requiring action in first grade. He said the bill aligns with existing reading-screening efforts and is intended to strengthen early literacy foundations. The committee adopted the substitute and passed the bill unanimously with favorable expression; Sen. Williams briefly explained his support as favoring performance-based advancement. The committee also approved HB 298, which would change the identification of schools for comprehensive support and improvement from every three years to annually, require KDE recommendations during management audits, add professional development in reading and math, and require effective instructional resources. The committee substitute also allowed districts with multiple CSI schools to contract for a turnaround vendor. The bill additionally carried employee-misconduct provisions from prior sessions, including disclosure requirements for applicants; the only change discussed was removing the word “investigation” from one disclosure section. HB 298 passed unanimously with favorable expression, and the committee also adopted a title amendment. Finally, the committee heard HB 424 on employment at public postsecondary institutions. Rep. Tipton said the bill would require performance and productivity reviews for faculty at least every four years, clarify appointment and removal authority for presidents at certain institutions, and expand “cause” for dismissal to include failure to meet performance and productivity requirements. Dr. Ray Horton, speaking for faculty groups, proposed a small substitute that would tie any performance measures to existing employment contracts to preserve academic integrity and avoid unintended changes to tenure processes. Members discussed how tenure works at Kentucky universities, and the committee was still in the middle of considering the proposed substitute when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• And somebody said, "How in the world could somebody from New York come to Eastern Kentucky and run a
• And somebody said, "How in the world could somebody from New York come to Eastern Kentucky and run a
• Eastern Kentucky and run a community Eastern Kentucky and run a community action<00:14:37.720><c> agency
• Um, Rick, let me make sure that the members understand what you deal with in Eastern Kentucky on these
• I've recently been able to hire a senior advisor who came back to Eastern Kentucky.

Bills: SB8

Committee: Joint Natural Resources & Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• Arthur are still in the Eastern District. Yes. The case is still pending, too. All right.
• Um and so I guess there's still liability that's being pursued against them. the Eastern District.
• Yes. the Eastern District. Yes. &gt;&gt; Okay. &gt;&gt; Okay. &gt;&gt; Okay.
• As Chad noted, and as a proud Kentuckian in Eastern Kentucky, it pains me to say that Kentucky ranks
• Kentucky, it pains me to say in Eastern Kentucky, it pains me to say that<00:53:47.000><c> Kentucky<

Committee: Joint Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• where there is an underserved population for dentists, primarily in rural areas of the state, both eastern
• Kentucky and of the state both eastern Kentucky and western<01:28:44.480><c> Kentucky</c><01:28:45.040
• Representative Douglas said he knows they are doing something, whether far in eastern Kentucky or far
• </c><01:29:53.760><c> Kentucky</c><01:29:54.080><c> or</c> you know, far far in eastern Kentucky or you
• know, far far in eastern Kentucky or far<01:29:54.400><c> in</c><01:29:54.560><c> western</c><01:29:

Summary: The committee first approved the October 13 minutes and then moved through a large agenda of contracts and agreements, including a deferred list from the September 2025 agenda. Members questioned several agencies about the purpose, cost, and duration of the items before them, with repeated motions to consider the contracts reviewed without objection passing by roll call. The Office of Energy Policy and Energy and Environment Cabinet presented a solar-and-battery program. Members asked about panel and battery lifespan, warranty coverage, who would pay for replacement or disposal, and whether the program made sense in Kentucky. The agency said panels and batteries generally last 25 to 30 years, warranties would cover replacement during the warranty period, EPA guidance would govern disposal, and federal funds would cover program expenses. Officials estimated the program could reduce participating homeowners’ utility bills by about 70%, with a minimum required savings of 20%. The Department for Community Based Services explained a new vendor contract for SSI initial and redetermination work for children in out-of-home care, saying the work is federally required, the department lacks in-house capacity, and the contract replaced a prior vendor after an RFP protest and rebid. The Department of Highways described umbrella traffic engineering contracts for smaller highway safety projects, noting they are used for spot improvements and are nearing full utilization. The Kentucky Historical Society said its contract funded a temporary exhibit tied to 250th anniversary programming, and the Board of Medical Licensure discussed an amended audit contract, explaining that annual audits were adopted after an auditor’s recommendation and that the board is funded by state allocation plus fees and fines. The Department for Natural Resources/Abandoned Mine Lands gave the most extensive presentation, describing a $5 million engineering services contract as part of a much larger workload increase driven by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, with projects prioritized by citizen complaints and safety impacts; the agency said the contract supports design and oversight for community-scale mine reclamation projects that exceed in-house capacity.

Transcript Highlights:

• With the increased risk of wildfires in eastern Washington, it is a good reminder...
• Eastern Washington is a good reminder that we need talented men and women like Bill in charge.
• Speaker, I rise today in honor of a dear friend, a great patriot, and a wonderful citizen of Eastern
• worked tirelessly to strengthen her party, support candidates, and encourage civic engagement across Eastern
• pancakes to conversations shared across the table, this hometown treasure represents the best of Eastern

Bills: HR915 , HB7401 , HB2478 , HR1381

Keywords: Holodomor, Ukraine famine, 1932-1933 famine, genocide recognition, Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, collectivization, grain confiscation, human rights, Ukraine, Ukrainian people, Russian aggression, Vladimir Putin, foreign affairs, sense of the House, commemorative resolution, historical remembrance, Soviet repression, Kremlin denial, Ukraine sovereignty

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:36:07.480><c> Actually</c><00:36:07.920><c> today,</c><00:36:08.840><c> myself</c> Maybe Eastern
• Maybe<00:38:10.840><c> Eastern</c><00:38:11.480><c> works</c><00:38:11.840><c> with</c><00:38:12.120>
• <c> the</c><00:38:12.200><c> University</c> Maybe Eastern works with the University Maybe Eastern works
• What great creativity, and we see what's happening out of Eastern Kentucky University and more innovation

Transcript Highlights:

• Another member said the Gulf of Mexico borders the entire eastern coast of Mexico and does not really
• Another member said the Gulf of Mexico borders the entire eastern coast of Mexico and does not really
• But on the other hand, the Gulf of Mexico borders the entire eastern coast of Mexico, and it does not
• But on the other hand, the Gulf of Mexico borders the entire eastern coast of Mexico, and it does not
• But on the other hand, the Gulf of Mexico borders the entire eastern coast of Mexico, and it does not

Bills: SB8 , SB22 , SB137 , HB295 , HB2 , HB343 , HB220 , HB303 , HB81 , SB8 , SB22 , SB137 , HB295 , HB2 , HB343 , HB220 , HB303 , HB81

Committee: House State Government

Keywords: emergency management, public funds, educational materials, state legislation, disaster response, uniformity, state laws, legislative commission, appointments, government structure, resilience, natural disasters, risk management, Alabama Resilience Council, Chief Resilience Officer, state planning, environmental protection, community preparedness, Alabama Office of Civic Engagement, Alabama Office of Minority Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• So, for some reason, uh, it may be that, um, like for some of the eastern Kentucky counties that had
• So, for some reason, uh, it may be that, um, like for some of the eastern Kentucky counties that had
• :16.720><c> the</c> it may be that um like for some of the it may be that um like for some of the eastern
• 17.440><c> counties</c><00:25:17.760><c> that</c><00:25:17.919><c> had</c><00:25:18.080><c> the</c> eastern
• Kentucky counties that had the eastern Kentucky counties that had the floods,<00:25:19.440><c> some<

Summary: The committee first heard from Personnel Cabinet officials on House Bill 6, which required the Kentucky Employees Health Plan to offer a qualified high-deductible health plan by the 2026 plan year. Officials said the plan was already added for 2025, described it as the lowest-premium option with higher deductibles, and explained that federal rules prevent first-dollar coverage except for limited preventive services. They said 264 members had selected the plan out of about 142,000, and noted it also allows health savings accounts. Members asked about the plan’s benefits, what “catastrophic” meant, the deductible amounts, and whether employees were aware of the option; the cabinet said it would continue to highlight the plan in communications and that the deductible is above $8,000 for individuals and above $16,000 for families. The committee then received an update from the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs on the Bowling Green veterans center. Officials said the current target is to move into the building on October 28, with first admissions about two months later, pending final fixes and certification steps for Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA. They explained that about $7 million in FY25 appropriations lapsed because of construction delays, staffing ramp-up was postponed to avoid unnecessary spending, and the unspent funds should be considered in the next budget request. Members praised the project and asked about annual operating costs; officials said the current operating budget is about $15 million, though they do not expect to spend all of it this year. The commissioner also announced the fifth annual state commanders conference in Lexington, focused on veterans issues and featuring state, federal, and advocacy leaders. State Auditor Allison Ball then outlined her office’s budget priorities. She said the office is primarily a billing agency that charges audited entities for its work, and warned that some agencies are now signaling they may refuse to pay for audits related to kinship care and the medical cannabis application process. She said the office plans to continue requesting outlier credits for unusually burdensome county audit fees, funding for the ombudsman office’s transition and expanded in-office operations, and revenue replacement for local government audits and possibly state audits and special examinations. Ball also said the office conducts about 500 audits, reviews, and examinations a year and wants to restore performance audits with seed funding, as well as add investigators to the ombudsman office to focus more on child abuse and neglect cases. Members discussed the value of performance audits, the possibility of raising certain board thresholds to account for inflation, and the need for additional capacity to handle more audits.

Transcript Highlights:

• Population shifts, we've seen this in Eastern Kentucky.
• Population shifts, we've seen this in Eastern Kentucky.
• 00:14:31.800><c> in</c> population shifts we've seen this in population shifts we've seen this in Eastern
• 33.240><c> obviously</c><00:14:33.600><c> you'll</c><00:14:33.800><c> see</c><00:14:33.959><c> it</c> Eastern
• Kentucky obviously you'll see it Eastern Kentucky obviously you'll see it in<00:14:34.560><c> uh</c>

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development received a presentation from Kentucky Department of Education officials on the final SEEK estimate for fiscal year 2025. Commissioner Robbie Fletcher, Matt Ross, and Chay Ritter explained that SEEK is developed through a consensus process with the Office of the State Budget Director using multiple models and district-level inputs, and that the estimate is a projection made well before actual data are available. They emphasized that the discussion was separate from the pending education-funding lawsuit and described SEEK as one part of a much larger K-12 budget picture. The presenters said the current SEEK estimate shows a statutory shortfall of about $14.7 million, or roughly 0.53% of the appropriation, with additional optional items that could bring the total to about $40.5 million if funds are available. They noted that prior years have sometimes produced excess funds, which are redirected according to budget language rather than automatically flowing back through SEEK. They also reviewed the main drivers of the estimate, including property assessments, average daily attendance, free lunch counts, exceptional child counts, home hospital, and limited English proficiency, and said property assessments have been especially volatile while exceptional child counts and ELL populations are difficult to predict. Members asked about why the estimate missed on some categories, especially special education and ELL, and whether district-level changes were being monitored closely enough. The presenters said KDE does monitor special education counts and will review larger districts and districts with unusual growth, and they acknowledged that exceptional child growth has been hard to forecast. Representative Bojanowski asked about the Cloverport virtual school, and staff said its growth was much larger than projected and accounted for a significant portion of the shortfall. Members also discussed the impact of property value growth, population shifts, illness, and legislative changes on SEEK projections. No vote or formal action was taken, and the meeting ended after questions and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• This lift station is critical to the city as it supports the entire eastern portion of the collection
• supports is critical to the city as it supports the<00:30:16.720><c> entire</c><00:30:17.360><c> eastern
• </c><00:30:17.840><c> portion</c><00:30:18.240><c> of</c><00:30:18.399><c> the</c> the entire eastern
• portion of the the entire eastern portion of the collection<00:30:19.120><c> system</c><00:30:20.080

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including approval of the February meeting minutes and several information items. Those items covered university equipment purchases, school district and transportation-related debt issuances, Northern Kentucky University’s planned construction-manager/general-contractor delivery method for the medical examiner/crime lab relocation project, a lease-space advertisement, postsecondary asset preservation allocations, and lease-law compliance reports. Members then discussed the Northern Kentucky crime lab project in more detail; staff explained that the memorandum of agreement would cover the construction portion while the lease would cover operations, and members were told the project should move forward without procurement problems. The committee approved a Kentucky Community and Technical College System project to modify the fire academy maintenance building after the related dormitory project was set aside because of major cost overruns. KCTCS said the dormitory would be about $3 million over budget, so it would not be bid; instead, the maintenance building would be expanded to add showers and restroom/locker facilities, bringing that project from $2 million to about $3.2 million. The committee also approved a Transportation Cabinet project for the Hardin County I-65 southbound commercial motor vehicle station relocation, with members asking about the estimate, the lack of a direct prior example, and the fact that the loadometer equipment itself would be purchased separately and was not included in the construction estimate. Finance and Administration Cabinet lease items were then considered. The committee approved a Department of Public Advocacy lease in Christian County and a Transportation Cabinet vehicle regulation lease in Kenton County, both negotiated down from initial asking prices and both including utilities. Two lease modifications were reported without action: a Department of Revenue fit-up in Jefferson County and an expanded vehicle regulation lease in Adair County. Members also approved a package of Kentucky Infrastructure Authority items, including four loans and six Cleaner Water Program grant reallocations, covering sewer and water projects such as MSD’s Patty’s Run flood pumping station, Paducah-McCracken County’s wastewater treatment plant, Mount Washington’s lift station replacement, and Eminence’s wastewater plant expansion. Finally, the committee heard a batch of Kentucky Product Development Initiative economic development grants and approved the action items in one vote. The projects included due diligence and infrastructure work for industrial and site-development projects in multiple counties, with local match requirements and KEDFA approvals described for each. The committee also received three line-item water grants from House Bill 1 that required no action, and the meeting ended after the grant presentations and approvals.